Previously "That if my daughter... our daughter were dead, I would know." She stepped back from him and he allowed her to do so, his hands slipping from her shoulders. "I would feel it in my heart."

He believed her. The anguish on her face, her tears, they weren't a façade.

"Why did you want me here?"

A look of anger and disbelief crossed Irina's face. She held up her arms in frustration, "shall I state the obvious?"

Second Chances

Part 3: Gifts

Irina stormed up the stairs and slammed the door to her bedroom.

Jack Bristow was without a doubt the most infuriating man on the planet. Everything from the way he crossed his arms to the way he chose his words with that condescending I can do no wrong attitude. Then there was that annoying little curl. The one just behind his ear that strayed from the calm and collected demeanor he ordinarily portrayed. It screamed rebellion and battled against his persona.

Irina rid herself of her rain sodden clothes. Reaching behind her back to unhook her bra she froze when her bedroom door opened abruptly. "Ever heard of knocking?"

The slam of the door was her answer.

"We're not finished."

Irina finished removing her bra and turned to face him. "I don't know what else you want from me Jack, I've said all I have to say." As she turned to face him Jack turned his back to her. Irina laughed slightly. "Something wrong Jack?" she asked standing before him dressed only in her underwear.

"Not at all." He kept his back turned.

"Whatever you say," she smirked and grabbed a towel from the cupboard and toweled off quickly before throwing it to Jack. "You're dripping all over my carpet."

Irina rummaged through her drawer and finally pulled out a tank top and a pair of shorts. As she dressed she pretended not to notice Jack's eyes watching every movement that she made. "I don't know what else you want from me Jack," she sat on the edge of the bed watching as Jack rubbed the towel through his hair. "After Sydney's death I tried to find out what I could but that soon became very difficult. Jack I have powerful enemies, enemies who would sooner see me dead and I needed to protect myself."

"What about your contacts?" Jack asked. "Mine have come up with nothing."

Irina shook her head sadly; "I've been unable to contact them recently. I can't have anyone know my location, as far as I know there have been rumors of my death as well and I won't dispel them, not now."

"You certainly don't seem to be worried about security, I had no problem getting in."

"Added security would have seemed suspicious," she explained. "As far as the groundsmen know I am just a woman recovering from the sudden death of my daughter."

"Not difficult to play," Jack took a seat next to Irina on the bed.

"Unfortunately not," she said sadly. "After Sydney d- after the fire, I began looking into it. At first there was nothing only my suspicions."

"And?" Jack pressed her to continue.

"It was clear the fires were intentionally set, nothing in our line of work is ever truly accidental. Why not just leave their bodies? Why the fires, why was Tippin still alive? It just didn't add up."

"Agreed," Jack nodded. "They must have wanted her for something...... long term or else why would whomever it was have gone to so much trouble to make us believe she was dead if they were planning on killing her anyway."

"But the DNA?"

"There are ways to get around that," Jack shrugged. "Project Helix for instance."

"You're sure you weren't followed?" Irina asked suddenly.

Jack nodded reassuringly. "I've taken a few days off, grievance leave," he explained. "I took extra precautions."

"Why haven't you turned me in?"

"Obvious reasons," he looked away from her. "And I can't find Sydney on my own. Most of my contacts are CIA, unusable for a lengthy search and no one can know that I am searching for Sydney, that I believe she is alive."

"We are searching for Sydney," Irina corrected him gently emphasizing their combined effort.

"No," Jack was adamant. "You have to stay in hiding, your life is far too valuable."

"So you believe me then?" she raised an eyebrow. "That's not what you were saying ten minutes ago."

"Unless you give me reason to suspect otherwise-"Jack began.

"I'm not deceiving you Jack. I would never do that, not about this."

"Alright then, we'll begin going over your contacts today. Only the ones you absolutely trust."

Irina nodded in agreement. "We'll start with them and branch out from there if necessary."

"I have a few days before I need to return to LA, after that we will set up a protocol for establishing contact. I will come to you," Jack instructed firmly. "I do not want you to leave this house."

"A bit possessive aren't we," she remarked standing up.

"I have my reasons," Jack admitted truthfully.

"Take your shirt and pants off before you freeze, and catch your death of cold," Irina scolded tugging on the hem of his soaked t-shirt.

Jack obliged raising his arms over his head and allowed her to pull the garment off. Standing he slipped off his jeans and handed them to Irina. She tossed him a dry towel and he dried off quickly. "You were a real jerk you know that," she commented hanging his clothes on the back of a chair to dry.

"I was... surprised, it was the last thing I would have expected," he handed her the towel now standing only in his boxers.

"That's no excuse," Irina turned to face him, her hands on her hips. "You were rude, disrespectful, arrogant, irritating, and quite frankly a son of a b**ch."

Jack rubbed his cheek gingerly, it was still tingling from when her hand had made contact with his skin several minutes before. "I guess I deserved that."

"Yes you did," Irina agreed and sat back down on her bed stretching out.

"I'm going to make some coffee, would you like some?" he asked.

"No," she yawned stretching her arms above her head. "Arguing with you exhausts me, I'm going to take a nap."

Jack watched her for a few minutes until he was sure she was asleep before going to make some coffee.

~ ~ ~

Awakening to the sound of Jack's voice was something Irina had not experienced in over twenty years. She kept her eyes closed as she listed to his gentle chatter. She knew he would of course deny all of it. It was one of the things she'd missed the most following their separation. Waking up beside him in the morning, breakfast in bed, cooking dinner; long summer walks with him and Sydney. It was the little things she'd missed the most. Being in his presence, reading the morning paper together and tucking Sydney in to bed at night. Jack and Sydney had been her constant source of strength during her time in Kashmir. They were the only things that kept her going through the constant beatings and endless torture she'd been subjected to.

A smile crossed her lips and the gentle hum of his voice stopped. He knew she was awake and grudgingly she opened her eyes.

"I was wondering when you were going to wake up," he said softly his fingers trailing down her silken hair.

Irina blinked several times before focusing on his face. He lay stretched out beside her in his boxers and her head was cushioned against his chest.

"Having a nice conversation?"

"I haven't an idea what you are talking about."

"You always said that," Irina grinned. "But somehow I remember it slightly different." She laced her fingers with his and slipped them under her shirt coming to rest on her very swollen stomach. Jack's eyes met hers sparkling at the intimate contact. Jack moved her shirt out of the way and rested his hand near their joined ones. "This is the way I remember it, when you used to talk to Sydney, when you thought I was asleep."

"We had a lot of conversations this way," a smile traced his lips. "Purely one-sided of course."

"Just the way you like them," Irina giggled and adjusted the position of their hands. "Did you feel that?" she asked breathlessly hoping he had felt the kick their baby had made to tell them that he or she was awake.

He could only nod as he moved Irina off his chest and sat up on the bed, his eyes wide with wonder. Leaning up to see better Irina watched as Jack shimmied down until he was level with her belly.

His hands traced a pattern over her stomach lightly skimming the surface as he really saw for the first time the changes that had taken place, not just in her body but in her heart as well.

Slowly Jack leaned down and pressed his lips to her stomach. His hand sought hers entangling their fingers once more. As his lips left the comfort of her skin and the feel of his child beneath it, he whispered ever so slightly.

"Things will be different for you, I promise you that."