Previously
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."
Second Chances
Part 4: Fallen Stars
Jack spent three days in Madrid with Irina.
Most of that time they had spent going over reports and analysis in their combined efforts to locate their daughter.
It was clear they both thrived on crisis. Arguments were minimal, but when they occurred explosive was the only word to describe them. The yelling was usually followed by Jack receiving a sudden slap across the face and Irina wiping her tears away with a tissue. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have tolerated it but he remembered all too well what his wife was like during pregnancy, and Irina was worse than Laura had been if that was even possible.
She wasn't a crier and wasn't one to get over emotional as some women did when they were pregnant but what she was, was even more stubborn and short tempered than usual. Those two factors combined would have usually left Jack sulking in the doghouse but presently their search for Sydney took priority over their difference of opinion.
It seemed the more reports they examined and the more intelligence they reviewed the worse the dead ends got. Aside from some slight references to The Covenant, they were getting nowhere. Little was known about The Covenant. They had the potential to be an emerging threat but were still considered at the present time to be rather low class.
By the time it came for Jack to return to LA, he was convinced that The Covenant must have played some part in their daughter's disappearance.
The Convenant was a relatively under established organization so finding information would not be easy particularly when doing it behind the CIA's back. It was imperative that no one know Jack was rigorously searching for information on Sydney's death or rather her disappearance or that anyone even knew that he believed she was alive. His credibility as an agent would have been questioned as well as his methods and where then would that have left Sydney.
He wasn't thrilled with the idea of leaving Irina alone in Madrid with so little protection. She could take care of herself yes, but she was also six months pregnant. She had many enemies, they both did. Enemies who would kill their new child just to get to them.
Jack had been stunned when he'd pulled back the blanket to reveal a very pregnant looking Irina. He hadn't even considered that the child was his and the very fact that she was pregnant at her age astounded him even more. The thought that she was carrying another man's child left him with a very sense of betrayal. So he'd left. He needed time to himself, to understand, to wrap his head around it. Time hadn't healed his feeling of betrayal and so he returned a few hours later surprised to find Irina still there.
She called him a foolish idiot for suspecting that the child wasn't his.
The look in her eyes, the hurt, the betrayal-he'd felt like a foolish idiot.
She was six months pregnant. Six months led back to Panama, the night before she betrayed the CIA, betrayed Jack. Her seclusion following Sydney's death had been appropriate. If someone had been intent on killing her daughter, they could have been after her as well. It was the night of Sydney's death or rather her disappearance that Irina found out she was pregnant. Utter shock was all she felt that and the sense of protection over her unborn child.
The day Jack returned to work was difficult. Not only had he left Irina but also it was the six-month anniversary of Sydney's death.
As Jack entered the rotunda he wanted to avoid all their eyes. The burning curious glances he received that were full of questions and pity. Pity as they knew exactly what day it was, but also questions surrounding his four- day leave of absence. Jack never took time off. Not even when Sydney died he'd only then thrown himself even further into his work attempting to bury his grief in a relentless pile of reports and analysis. But in their eyes there was something more than just pity or sympathy for the loss of his daughter, their friend; there was something else that he couldn't put his finger on.
Approaching his desk Eric Weiss caught his eye and he wasn't surprised to see the very nervous looking agent walk over to his desk. Knowing Weiss, Jack made the first move. "I trust Agent Vaughn is being taken care of?" he asked quietly.
Weiss nodded, "yeah he's gone to France, to be with his mother." Weiss shuffled his feet nervously and looked up at Jack's waiting glance. "There's something you need to know," his voice quivered slightly making Jack very nervous. "Come with me."
Jack fell in step beside the younger agent. Weiss was making him very nervous and he kept his eyes on his shoes as they walked.
"I thought someone should tell you, I didn't want you to just find out-"
"Agent Weiss what exactly has happened?" Jack asked getting impatient with Eric's attempts to gloss over the events.
"I'm sorry Mr. Bristow," Eric's eyes met his and Jack could see that they were filled with unshed tears. "They gave Sydney a star."
Jack needed no further explanation. His eyes fell to where Eric had been leading him. Bouquets of flowers, candles and small momentos garnished the floor underneath a plaque. The plaque that listed agents killed in action. A steady hand reached out and touched the plaque, brushing fingertips over the gold lettering.
Bristow, Sydney A.
It seemed so formal to him. The rigid letters, the gold lettering, it was so by the book. It was everything that Sydney was not.
"A star, it seems so small and insignificant for what she did," Weiss broke the thick awkward silence. "They should have given her ten."
Jack nodded and Weiss turned to leave.
"Agent Weiss," Jack called him back. "I just want to make sure that you know that Sydney regarded you as more than just a friend. Your abilities as an agent- you were are highly respected in her eyes, not just as an agent but as her friend. She cared about you, trusted you completely; she had a deep affection for you and I know she would want to make sure you knew that."
Weiss nodded unable to produce any sounds that resembled words as the lump in his throat grew even larger with every word Jack spoke.
The two men in their dark suits stood side by side entranced by the name on the plaque and the significance that it meant. The CIA had given up on Sydney. They'd accepted the DNA evidence. To the world Sydney Bristow CIA Spy extraordinary was dead and all Jack wanted to do was scream out to the world that his daughter was not dead. She was out there somewhere and he was not giving up on her.
Silently Weiss turned to leave but Jack stopped him. "Thank you for telling me."
Weiss merely nodded and walked away leaving the other man in peace.
Jack knelt down to the make shift memorial on the ground. Several small candles had lost their flame and he took one that was lit and reegnited the ones that had died. The wax spilled over burning his skin but he didn't pay any attention and as he stood he whispered words that no one could hear.
"I'll find you Sydney. Where ever you are, how ever long it takes, I will find you."
"Things will be different for you, I promise you that."
Second Chances
Part 4: Fallen Stars
Jack spent three days in Madrid with Irina.
Most of that time they had spent going over reports and analysis in their combined efforts to locate their daughter.
It was clear they both thrived on crisis. Arguments were minimal, but when they occurred explosive was the only word to describe them. The yelling was usually followed by Jack receiving a sudden slap across the face and Irina wiping her tears away with a tissue. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have tolerated it but he remembered all too well what his wife was like during pregnancy, and Irina was worse than Laura had been if that was even possible.
She wasn't a crier and wasn't one to get over emotional as some women did when they were pregnant but what she was, was even more stubborn and short tempered than usual. Those two factors combined would have usually left Jack sulking in the doghouse but presently their search for Sydney took priority over their difference of opinion.
It seemed the more reports they examined and the more intelligence they reviewed the worse the dead ends got. Aside from some slight references to The Covenant, they were getting nowhere. Little was known about The Covenant. They had the potential to be an emerging threat but were still considered at the present time to be rather low class.
By the time it came for Jack to return to LA, he was convinced that The Covenant must have played some part in their daughter's disappearance.
The Convenant was a relatively under established organization so finding information would not be easy particularly when doing it behind the CIA's back. It was imperative that no one know Jack was rigorously searching for information on Sydney's death or rather her disappearance or that anyone even knew that he believed she was alive. His credibility as an agent would have been questioned as well as his methods and where then would that have left Sydney.
He wasn't thrilled with the idea of leaving Irina alone in Madrid with so little protection. She could take care of herself yes, but she was also six months pregnant. She had many enemies, they both did. Enemies who would kill their new child just to get to them.
Jack had been stunned when he'd pulled back the blanket to reveal a very pregnant looking Irina. He hadn't even considered that the child was his and the very fact that she was pregnant at her age astounded him even more. The thought that she was carrying another man's child left him with a very sense of betrayal. So he'd left. He needed time to himself, to understand, to wrap his head around it. Time hadn't healed his feeling of betrayal and so he returned a few hours later surprised to find Irina still there.
She called him a foolish idiot for suspecting that the child wasn't his.
The look in her eyes, the hurt, the betrayal-he'd felt like a foolish idiot.
She was six months pregnant. Six months led back to Panama, the night before she betrayed the CIA, betrayed Jack. Her seclusion following Sydney's death had been appropriate. If someone had been intent on killing her daughter, they could have been after her as well. It was the night of Sydney's death or rather her disappearance that Irina found out she was pregnant. Utter shock was all she felt that and the sense of protection over her unborn child.
The day Jack returned to work was difficult. Not only had he left Irina but also it was the six-month anniversary of Sydney's death.
As Jack entered the rotunda he wanted to avoid all their eyes. The burning curious glances he received that were full of questions and pity. Pity as they knew exactly what day it was, but also questions surrounding his four- day leave of absence. Jack never took time off. Not even when Sydney died he'd only then thrown himself even further into his work attempting to bury his grief in a relentless pile of reports and analysis. But in their eyes there was something more than just pity or sympathy for the loss of his daughter, their friend; there was something else that he couldn't put his finger on.
Approaching his desk Eric Weiss caught his eye and he wasn't surprised to see the very nervous looking agent walk over to his desk. Knowing Weiss, Jack made the first move. "I trust Agent Vaughn is being taken care of?" he asked quietly.
Weiss nodded, "yeah he's gone to France, to be with his mother." Weiss shuffled his feet nervously and looked up at Jack's waiting glance. "There's something you need to know," his voice quivered slightly making Jack very nervous. "Come with me."
Jack fell in step beside the younger agent. Weiss was making him very nervous and he kept his eyes on his shoes as they walked.
"I thought someone should tell you, I didn't want you to just find out-"
"Agent Weiss what exactly has happened?" Jack asked getting impatient with Eric's attempts to gloss over the events.
"I'm sorry Mr. Bristow," Eric's eyes met his and Jack could see that they were filled with unshed tears. "They gave Sydney a star."
Jack needed no further explanation. His eyes fell to where Eric had been leading him. Bouquets of flowers, candles and small momentos garnished the floor underneath a plaque. The plaque that listed agents killed in action. A steady hand reached out and touched the plaque, brushing fingertips over the gold lettering.
Bristow, Sydney A.
It seemed so formal to him. The rigid letters, the gold lettering, it was so by the book. It was everything that Sydney was not.
"A star, it seems so small and insignificant for what she did," Weiss broke the thick awkward silence. "They should have given her ten."
Jack nodded and Weiss turned to leave.
"Agent Weiss," Jack called him back. "I just want to make sure that you know that Sydney regarded you as more than just a friend. Your abilities as an agent- you were are highly respected in her eyes, not just as an agent but as her friend. She cared about you, trusted you completely; she had a deep affection for you and I know she would want to make sure you knew that."
Weiss nodded unable to produce any sounds that resembled words as the lump in his throat grew even larger with every word Jack spoke.
The two men in their dark suits stood side by side entranced by the name on the plaque and the significance that it meant. The CIA had given up on Sydney. They'd accepted the DNA evidence. To the world Sydney Bristow CIA Spy extraordinary was dead and all Jack wanted to do was scream out to the world that his daughter was not dead. She was out there somewhere and he was not giving up on her.
Silently Weiss turned to leave but Jack stopped him. "Thank you for telling me."
Weiss merely nodded and walked away leaving the other man in peace.
Jack knelt down to the make shift memorial on the ground. Several small candles had lost their flame and he took one that was lit and reegnited the ones that had died. The wax spilled over burning his skin but he didn't pay any attention and as he stood he whispered words that no one could hear.
"I'll find you Sydney. Where ever you are, how ever long it takes, I will find you."
