Part 8: Lacrimosa
"Oh...my...God." Irina's face turned white. Elena pulled out a chair and gestured to Katya, who maneuvered Irina into it; they'd warned her to sit down, but she'd stubbornly insisted upon knowing what was going on instantly. "He's alive? How? Where? Is he..."
Katya gently put a hand over Irina's mouth when her volume grew louder. "Hush, Irina, you don't want to wake Sydney."
Irina looked over at her daughter, asleep on the bed; she'd been exhausted after the excitement of her first train ride out of Moscow. Katya and Elena had suggested that they all get out of the city for a few days; Elena had arranged to borrow a friend's dacha, hardly a feat in the middle of winter. Her sisters had said they'd meet her there and then disappeared. Irina had been dying of curiosity the past few days, but she'd never suspected something like this. "Start talking," she said softly.
"The KGB did attack Jack Bristow's team in Poland," Katya said, pulling up a chair of her own. "They killed all the members of the team except for your husband; he was captured. He was interrogated and then sent to a prison camp in Siberia."
"He's in prison? How long have you known about this?" Irina felt fury rising up, but she pushed it down; logically, she knew that her sisters weren't the ones she should be angry with.
"A few days," Elena said. "And he's not in prison anymore. We faked his death and smuggled him out." The pride in her voice was obvious. "He's in the bedroom."
Irina stared at her sister for a long moment, her brain refusing to process what Elena had just said. He was here. She hadn't seen him in more than two years, hadn't expected to ever see him again, he'd been dead for six months, and now he was here. Jack...her breath caught in her throat. She stood and pushed past Elena to get to the bedroom door, opened it, and then stood there for several seconds. She searched for something, anything rational to focus her thoughts on, and seized on his appearance: his face had gained lines, his hair had gone gray, and his face was thin, almost gaunt. She stepped forward to the side of the bed and reached out to caress his cheek with a feather-light touch. Her eyes filled with tears, but she pushed them back down with well-practiced resolve and forced calm on her mind. She turned to see Elena and Katya crowding the doorway, looking worried. "When will he wake up?" she whispered.
"In an hour or two," Katya answered.
Her hand, still outstretched toward Jack's face, began to shake slightly; she quickly pulled it back and crossed her arms over her chest. In the confusing maelstrom of emotion running through her she found a kernel of anger and seized on it. "What the hell were you thinking?" she hissed. "Why didn't you tell me as soon as you found out he was alive? What are we going to do with him now?" Despite her best efforts, the tears broke and spilled down her cheeks.
Elena came forward and pulled her into a hug while Katya disappeared, returning a moment later with a chair from the kitchen. "It will be all right, Irochka," Elena said soothingly. "We'll work it all out."
Irina pulled back. "Why didn't you tell me?" she whispered.
"Because of Sydney," Katya said bluntly. Irina looked at her, confused. "If we got caught, we wanted you to be able to honestly say you didn't know anything about it, so that you would be free to take care of Sydney. If we'd told you, would you have let us leave you behind?"
"No. Probably not." She swiped at the tears still running down her cheeks.
Elena pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Irina, then gestured to the chair. "Sit with him. He has no idea what's going on; you should be here when he wakes up."
"Sydney...shouldn't I tell her?"
"Let her sleep. We'll come get you if she wakes up before he does." Irina nodded. "Come, Katya, let's make some lunch."
Her sisters left, shutting the door behind them, and Irina sighed and looked at Jack. What the hell were they going to do? She couldn't exactly take Jack back to Moscow with her. He wouldn't be willing to just leave and leave Sydney with her, but she couldn't give up her daughter again either.
Suddenly needing to touch him, to confirm that he was real, she scooted close to the bed and lay her head on his chest. She sat like that for a moment, listening to his heart beat, but the bed was too low; her neck started to cramp up almost immediately. She sat up, considered for a moment, and then walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in beside him. She snuggled up next to him and put her arms around him, promising herself that she would only stay for a moment.
"Oh...my...God." Irina's face turned white. Elena pulled out a chair and gestured to Katya, who maneuvered Irina into it; they'd warned her to sit down, but she'd stubbornly insisted upon knowing what was going on instantly. "He's alive? How? Where? Is he..."
Katya gently put a hand over Irina's mouth when her volume grew louder. "Hush, Irina, you don't want to wake Sydney."
Irina looked over at her daughter, asleep on the bed; she'd been exhausted after the excitement of her first train ride out of Moscow. Katya and Elena had suggested that they all get out of the city for a few days; Elena had arranged to borrow a friend's dacha, hardly a feat in the middle of winter. Her sisters had said they'd meet her there and then disappeared. Irina had been dying of curiosity the past few days, but she'd never suspected something like this. "Start talking," she said softly.
"The KGB did attack Jack Bristow's team in Poland," Katya said, pulling up a chair of her own. "They killed all the members of the team except for your husband; he was captured. He was interrogated and then sent to a prison camp in Siberia."
"He's in prison? How long have you known about this?" Irina felt fury rising up, but she pushed it down; logically, she knew that her sisters weren't the ones she should be angry with.
"A few days," Elena said. "And he's not in prison anymore. We faked his death and smuggled him out." The pride in her voice was obvious. "He's in the bedroom."
Irina stared at her sister for a long moment, her brain refusing to process what Elena had just said. He was here. She hadn't seen him in more than two years, hadn't expected to ever see him again, he'd been dead for six months, and now he was here. Jack...her breath caught in her throat. She stood and pushed past Elena to get to the bedroom door, opened it, and then stood there for several seconds. She searched for something, anything rational to focus her thoughts on, and seized on his appearance: his face had gained lines, his hair had gone gray, and his face was thin, almost gaunt. She stepped forward to the side of the bed and reached out to caress his cheek with a feather-light touch. Her eyes filled with tears, but she pushed them back down with well-practiced resolve and forced calm on her mind. She turned to see Elena and Katya crowding the doorway, looking worried. "When will he wake up?" she whispered.
"In an hour or two," Katya answered.
Her hand, still outstretched toward Jack's face, began to shake slightly; she quickly pulled it back and crossed her arms over her chest. In the confusing maelstrom of emotion running through her she found a kernel of anger and seized on it. "What the hell were you thinking?" she hissed. "Why didn't you tell me as soon as you found out he was alive? What are we going to do with him now?" Despite her best efforts, the tears broke and spilled down her cheeks.
Elena came forward and pulled her into a hug while Katya disappeared, returning a moment later with a chair from the kitchen. "It will be all right, Irochka," Elena said soothingly. "We'll work it all out."
Irina pulled back. "Why didn't you tell me?" she whispered.
"Because of Sydney," Katya said bluntly. Irina looked at her, confused. "If we got caught, we wanted you to be able to honestly say you didn't know anything about it, so that you would be free to take care of Sydney. If we'd told you, would you have let us leave you behind?"
"No. Probably not." She swiped at the tears still running down her cheeks.
Elena pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Irina, then gestured to the chair. "Sit with him. He has no idea what's going on; you should be here when he wakes up."
"Sydney...shouldn't I tell her?"
"Let her sleep. We'll come get you if she wakes up before he does." Irina nodded. "Come, Katya, let's make some lunch."
Her sisters left, shutting the door behind them, and Irina sighed and looked at Jack. What the hell were they going to do? She couldn't exactly take Jack back to Moscow with her. He wouldn't be willing to just leave and leave Sydney with her, but she couldn't give up her daughter again either.
Suddenly needing to touch him, to confirm that he was real, she scooted close to the bed and lay her head on his chest. She sat like that for a moment, listening to his heart beat, but the bed was too low; her neck started to cramp up almost immediately. She sat up, considered for a moment, and then walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in beside him. She snuggled up next to him and put her arms around him, promising herself that she would only stay for a moment.