Title: True Lies
Author: Puts hand up. Yes me! Aeria, Doona, donna__rose@hotmail.com
Rating: PG-13
Please Read and Review
Summary: Jack and Irina have a chat
A/N: There you all go, be impressed cause this is becoming hard work, I'm absolutely loving all the reviews. So keep it up. Thank you to Samantha for proofing this, um and well enjoy. Yeah, hmmmm not much to say today. Weird.
Disclaimer: Duh, not mine, Wish they were.
Chapter Eighteen
The waiter returned a few minutes later and hovered beside the table until Irina looked up and smiled at him, signaling that she was ready to order, rushing forward, he leaned over, slyly trying to catch a whiff of her and with pen and paper out ready to write down her every wish. "I'll have the fruit platter, hold the cantaloupe, and then the eggs a la wedgewood." The waiter nodded, obviously happy with her choices and turned, somewhat resentfully to the remaining patrons.
Sydney chose next, ordering strawberries and cream and the Drunken eggs, to which the waiter grabbed the menu back and looked to see if it really was there, funnily enough, it was. Vaughn chose watermelon and a gourmet bacon roll while Jack ordered, very quietly, a berry platter followed by pancakes with syrup. The waiter snatched the remaining menus from Sydney and Jack before bowing to Irina, who fell into character and raised a hand to her chest, as though embarrassed, and handed him her menu, smiling, sweetly before reverting her eyes down.
Sydney just stared at her, "How come he likes you but not the rest of us?" she questioned once he had disappeared into the kitchens. Irina just raised her eyebrows and shrugged, looking out the window at the ferry slowly moving past along the Yarra. Sydney continued to stare at her, silently wondering how to make her answer.
Eventually Irina turned to her anyway and smiled, "It's just my presence. How am I supposed to explain it?" She shrugged again, waiting for another question; instead she caught a snide comment from Jack.
"It's her sex appeal," Irina didn't actually consider it to be snide and for a second her brow creased low at his comment, "She uses it against every man she meets, including waiters." He glared at her again.
Her expression turned to one of disgust, but she quickly hid it and smiled at the younger pair, intent on ignoring him if he insisted on being so cruel. The moment she thought the word, 'cruel' she regretted it. She'd never admitted that anyone could affect her and to say she considered something to be cruel was coming too close. She looked down at the table and they waited in silence for their meal.
When the waiter did arrive, about ten minutes later, he arrived with only one plate along with a drink in tall mug, steam rising off the top. He ignored everyone bar Irina who smiled at him as he set in down in from of her, "Café filter and a platter piled with every colourful fruit available in Australia: watermelon and cantaloupe balls, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, boysenberries, blackberries, pear and apple slices, oranges and little squares of mango.
Irina grinned at the waiter, "This looks lovely, thank you." That was his sign to leave which he did. Jack glared at Irina for a second who act as though she were indifferent while Sydney and Vaughn sat waiting patiently. Irina refused to touch her meal until the waiter returned with everything else. He did so a minute later, placing a plate topped with strawberries drenched in thick cream and a tall glass with what appeared to be freshly squeezed orange juice, complete with a slice of lemon, in front of Sydney. Four thick slices of seedless watermelon and a mug of black coffee in front of Vaughn who nodded in thanks, the waiter only stared back before placing a plate of covered in berries: strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, boysenberries, cherries and a few he couldn't name. He scowled at the plate, possibly because of the colours before looking up to where the tall steaming glass sat, the spicy smell already wafting over to him. He hadn't had one in over twenty years.
Irina grinned at the waiter and he left without further ado, adding on his way that their main meals would be out in ten to fifteen minutes. She smiled again, the look becoming a tad eerie for Jack before looking down an d carefully picking up one of her watermelon balls. She popped it in her mouth quickly, tasting it before chewing on it properly. This only made Jack scowl a little more.
Sydney took a long gulp from her orange juice, obviously appreciating it, and asked, "So mom," Irina grinned, for real this time, "What's on the agenda for today?"
She looked at her fingernails and ate a few berries before answering, "Well, it's really up to your father, but I must admit, we could do just about anything." She glanced at her watch, "We're only going to have to decide what to do and then do it."
Vaughn nodded, slipping into his role of son-in-law more easily than he'd expected, "What's the best kind of thing to do?"
Jack remained silent, studying the conversation form the outside, looking in, he wasn't sure Irina had adopted an alter ego at all, her words and actions not changing but for her accent which turned to French so easily. She started again, swallowing the slice of pear first, "Well, they've got a nice zoo, Luna Park is a nice little amusement park, they've got the aquarium, the museum, shopping at the Paris end."
Sydney interrupted her, "The Paris end, what's that?"
"It's the nice end of the CBD, all exclusive shops. The beach I think we should leave for a few days, wait for hotter weather, and then there's Saint Kilda, that's got some lovely little shops. I mean, it's entirely up to you." She waited for someone to say something but they all seemed content to eat. Vaughn quietly and quite delicately munching on his pink melon slices, Sydney picking up another strawberry and Jack discreetly trying not to enjoy his meal. She smiled, "So what do you want to do?"
Jack shrugged, noncommittally. And Vaughn was the one to speak, "I wouldn't mind checking out Saint Kilda, there was a brochure in our room, seems like a nice place." Irina nodded and started trying to work out how to plan this.
Sydney joined in, her heart intent on shopping, "This Paris End, how exclusive?"
Irina thought for a moment before answering, hand perched beside her mouth, elegantly holding a slice of apple, "The whole thing is exclusive clothes and jewelry, appointments are needed, but I can find a concierge and book." Irina looked hopeful, for some reason, she was eager to spend some time with Sydney in such an environment.
"We don't have enough money." Sydney pointed out the obvious and Irina bit her lip, the CIA had only given them enough to keep up the façade, not to buy thousand dollar dresses. Sydney looked a little upset about this and Irina was tempted, she let her eyes slide to Jack who was watching her intently, not removing his eyes when she met his, still amazed when her defenses failed her.
He saw her plotting something and asked, "What are you up to?"
She looked down, "Nothing, it was just a thought." Jack glared at her, pressuring her with his eyes, not letting her break away, Vaughn and Sydney just watched on, intrigued.
"Chris," she remembered his name and popped it in, "It's nothing," still he pressured her, until she wanted to tell him. She looked around, making sure the waiter was no where in sight. "I was thinking I could grab some of my money."
An eyebrow raised, "What?"
"I have heaps of money in my own account, I could get it out." His look was one of amazement, shock that she would even dream of trying, "It's all legitimate money, there's nothing wrong with it."
"Natasha," the name slipped in like knife into melted butter, and his voice lowered, "You don't think someone would notice?"
Irina grinned at him, "This is one you don't know about." She was referring to the CIA who thought they knew about most of her accounts. She pulled out a normal Australian ATM card, grinning at his look of shock. "Please..." she asked. He didn't say no straight away, mainly because he was shocked, so she continued, "You can go and get it out and you can have the change back."
He shook his head, "Where did you get that?"
Again Irina turned to make sure the waiter was no where in sight, "Simple, I have them at every major airport on earth. There was one at Melbourne." Jack looked at her, wondering how she had gotten away with this.
"How? And Where?" he pushed, leaning in to listen closely.
"You remember that nice young man at the car rental place?" Jack's eyes widened, "He works for me, but don't worry, he has no idea who I am, he just has to make sure he's at the Melbourne rental car place when ever the other nice young man I have employed isn't. He has no idea what me going means."
Jack remembered the smirk the boy had given him when Irina had caught the keys and his face fell. "That would mean you'd have thousands of people just for that reason all over the world." It didn't make sense, how could the CIA not know about this.
"They don't do anything for me except know that if I walk in, place two fingers on the counter and sigh, that they should give me the card. They don't cost much." She grinned, first at Jack and then at Sydney and Vaughn who looked a little stunned. "Promise. Nothing is going to happen."
Jack glared at her. "I should send you back to LA for that."
She grinned and interrupted, "But you can't."
"I know," he paused, believing her for some reason, "How much money is on the card?"
Sydney stared at him, but didn't say a word; Vaughn on the other hand, felt he was right to but in, "What do you mean? Are you considering this?"
Jack didn't say a word, waiting for Irina to answer, "Fifty thousand American. That's going to be about a hundred thousand here." Vaughn's jaw dropped as did Sydney's.
"How many accounts do you have?" she asked, taking the card. She shrugged, "At least one in every livable country, so maybe two hundred and fifty."
No one had any idea she was this rich. So while Sydney and Vaughn gaped at her, Jack saw a way to use this to his advantage. "I'll let you use it."
Her face brightened up momentarily before it fell, "What's the catch?"
Jack smirked, throwing a look at Vaughn who was eyeing him with contempt, wondering, no doubt, how he could dream of letting her have something. Personally, Vaughn didn't mind her and they'd gotten the whole father thing out of the way, but if Jack was falling under her spell, it was getting too dangerous. Jack answered, "Give the CIA access to all two hundred and fifty accounts.
She cocked her head, biting her lip as she tried to work out just how badly she needed that money. "I'll give you access one hundred and eighty of them those of my choice."
He glared at her before asking, just to be sure, "And they all have the same amount on them?" she nodded, "Deal."
Vaughn was shocked, "Good bloody deal," he muttered.
Sydney grinned, in spite of herself, "So we're going shopping then?"
He mother nodded, eating a few of the remaining fruits, carefully swiping a cherry from Jack's plate as she had none. Jack glared at her but couldn't help but have the corner of his mouth twitch up. She was about to say something when the waiter reentered, four plates on his arms with a tell girl behind him. He began to lay the plates down, ushering the girl away with the fruit palters and telling her to return with more drinks. She did so, running back in with a jug of coffee which she refilled Vaughn's mug with and orange juice. Jack and Irina were yet to touch theirs.
The waiter grinned, rubbing his hands together, "Anything else I can help you with?"
Irina smiled sweetly, "Yes, we're going to need to find a concierge, right away." The waiter looked a little upset for a moment before grinning again, showing perfectly white teeth and nodding, rushing back towards the kitchen. Irina smiled as she looked down. This truly was turning into a vacation.
Not a good chapter, I'm getting sick of writing it, I will speed it up I think. Read and review please oh please oh please.
Author: Puts hand up. Yes me! Aeria, Doona, donna__rose@hotmail.com
Rating: PG-13
Please Read and Review
Summary: Jack and Irina have a chat
A/N: There you all go, be impressed cause this is becoming hard work, I'm absolutely loving all the reviews. So keep it up. Thank you to Samantha for proofing this, um and well enjoy. Yeah, hmmmm not much to say today. Weird.
Disclaimer: Duh, not mine, Wish they were.
Chapter Eighteen
The waiter returned a few minutes later and hovered beside the table until Irina looked up and smiled at him, signaling that she was ready to order, rushing forward, he leaned over, slyly trying to catch a whiff of her and with pen and paper out ready to write down her every wish. "I'll have the fruit platter, hold the cantaloupe, and then the eggs a la wedgewood." The waiter nodded, obviously happy with her choices and turned, somewhat resentfully to the remaining patrons.
Sydney chose next, ordering strawberries and cream and the Drunken eggs, to which the waiter grabbed the menu back and looked to see if it really was there, funnily enough, it was. Vaughn chose watermelon and a gourmet bacon roll while Jack ordered, very quietly, a berry platter followed by pancakes with syrup. The waiter snatched the remaining menus from Sydney and Jack before bowing to Irina, who fell into character and raised a hand to her chest, as though embarrassed, and handed him her menu, smiling, sweetly before reverting her eyes down.
Sydney just stared at her, "How come he likes you but not the rest of us?" she questioned once he had disappeared into the kitchens. Irina just raised her eyebrows and shrugged, looking out the window at the ferry slowly moving past along the Yarra. Sydney continued to stare at her, silently wondering how to make her answer.
Eventually Irina turned to her anyway and smiled, "It's just my presence. How am I supposed to explain it?" She shrugged again, waiting for another question; instead she caught a snide comment from Jack.
"It's her sex appeal," Irina didn't actually consider it to be snide and for a second her brow creased low at his comment, "She uses it against every man she meets, including waiters." He glared at her again.
Her expression turned to one of disgust, but she quickly hid it and smiled at the younger pair, intent on ignoring him if he insisted on being so cruel. The moment she thought the word, 'cruel' she regretted it. She'd never admitted that anyone could affect her and to say she considered something to be cruel was coming too close. She looked down at the table and they waited in silence for their meal.
When the waiter did arrive, about ten minutes later, he arrived with only one plate along with a drink in tall mug, steam rising off the top. He ignored everyone bar Irina who smiled at him as he set in down in from of her, "Café filter and a platter piled with every colourful fruit available in Australia: watermelon and cantaloupe balls, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, boysenberries, blackberries, pear and apple slices, oranges and little squares of mango.
Irina grinned at the waiter, "This looks lovely, thank you." That was his sign to leave which he did. Jack glared at Irina for a second who act as though she were indifferent while Sydney and Vaughn sat waiting patiently. Irina refused to touch her meal until the waiter returned with everything else. He did so a minute later, placing a plate topped with strawberries drenched in thick cream and a tall glass with what appeared to be freshly squeezed orange juice, complete with a slice of lemon, in front of Sydney. Four thick slices of seedless watermelon and a mug of black coffee in front of Vaughn who nodded in thanks, the waiter only stared back before placing a plate of covered in berries: strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, boysenberries, cherries and a few he couldn't name. He scowled at the plate, possibly because of the colours before looking up to where the tall steaming glass sat, the spicy smell already wafting over to him. He hadn't had one in over twenty years.
Irina grinned at the waiter and he left without further ado, adding on his way that their main meals would be out in ten to fifteen minutes. She smiled again, the look becoming a tad eerie for Jack before looking down an d carefully picking up one of her watermelon balls. She popped it in her mouth quickly, tasting it before chewing on it properly. This only made Jack scowl a little more.
Sydney took a long gulp from her orange juice, obviously appreciating it, and asked, "So mom," Irina grinned, for real this time, "What's on the agenda for today?"
She looked at her fingernails and ate a few berries before answering, "Well, it's really up to your father, but I must admit, we could do just about anything." She glanced at her watch, "We're only going to have to decide what to do and then do it."
Vaughn nodded, slipping into his role of son-in-law more easily than he'd expected, "What's the best kind of thing to do?"
Jack remained silent, studying the conversation form the outside, looking in, he wasn't sure Irina had adopted an alter ego at all, her words and actions not changing but for her accent which turned to French so easily. She started again, swallowing the slice of pear first, "Well, they've got a nice zoo, Luna Park is a nice little amusement park, they've got the aquarium, the museum, shopping at the Paris end."
Sydney interrupted her, "The Paris end, what's that?"
"It's the nice end of the CBD, all exclusive shops. The beach I think we should leave for a few days, wait for hotter weather, and then there's Saint Kilda, that's got some lovely little shops. I mean, it's entirely up to you." She waited for someone to say something but they all seemed content to eat. Vaughn quietly and quite delicately munching on his pink melon slices, Sydney picking up another strawberry and Jack discreetly trying not to enjoy his meal. She smiled, "So what do you want to do?"
Jack shrugged, noncommittally. And Vaughn was the one to speak, "I wouldn't mind checking out Saint Kilda, there was a brochure in our room, seems like a nice place." Irina nodded and started trying to work out how to plan this.
Sydney joined in, her heart intent on shopping, "This Paris End, how exclusive?"
Irina thought for a moment before answering, hand perched beside her mouth, elegantly holding a slice of apple, "The whole thing is exclusive clothes and jewelry, appointments are needed, but I can find a concierge and book." Irina looked hopeful, for some reason, she was eager to spend some time with Sydney in such an environment.
"We don't have enough money." Sydney pointed out the obvious and Irina bit her lip, the CIA had only given them enough to keep up the façade, not to buy thousand dollar dresses. Sydney looked a little upset about this and Irina was tempted, she let her eyes slide to Jack who was watching her intently, not removing his eyes when she met his, still amazed when her defenses failed her.
He saw her plotting something and asked, "What are you up to?"
She looked down, "Nothing, it was just a thought." Jack glared at her, pressuring her with his eyes, not letting her break away, Vaughn and Sydney just watched on, intrigued.
"Chris," she remembered his name and popped it in, "It's nothing," still he pressured her, until she wanted to tell him. She looked around, making sure the waiter was no where in sight. "I was thinking I could grab some of my money."
An eyebrow raised, "What?"
"I have heaps of money in my own account, I could get it out." His look was one of amazement, shock that she would even dream of trying, "It's all legitimate money, there's nothing wrong with it."
"Natasha," the name slipped in like knife into melted butter, and his voice lowered, "You don't think someone would notice?"
Irina grinned at him, "This is one you don't know about." She was referring to the CIA who thought they knew about most of her accounts. She pulled out a normal Australian ATM card, grinning at his look of shock. "Please..." she asked. He didn't say no straight away, mainly because he was shocked, so she continued, "You can go and get it out and you can have the change back."
He shook his head, "Where did you get that?"
Again Irina turned to make sure the waiter was no where in sight, "Simple, I have them at every major airport on earth. There was one at Melbourne." Jack looked at her, wondering how she had gotten away with this.
"How? And Where?" he pushed, leaning in to listen closely.
"You remember that nice young man at the car rental place?" Jack's eyes widened, "He works for me, but don't worry, he has no idea who I am, he just has to make sure he's at the Melbourne rental car place when ever the other nice young man I have employed isn't. He has no idea what me going means."
Jack remembered the smirk the boy had given him when Irina had caught the keys and his face fell. "That would mean you'd have thousands of people just for that reason all over the world." It didn't make sense, how could the CIA not know about this.
"They don't do anything for me except know that if I walk in, place two fingers on the counter and sigh, that they should give me the card. They don't cost much." She grinned, first at Jack and then at Sydney and Vaughn who looked a little stunned. "Promise. Nothing is going to happen."
Jack glared at her. "I should send you back to LA for that."
She grinned and interrupted, "But you can't."
"I know," he paused, believing her for some reason, "How much money is on the card?"
Sydney stared at him, but didn't say a word; Vaughn on the other hand, felt he was right to but in, "What do you mean? Are you considering this?"
Jack didn't say a word, waiting for Irina to answer, "Fifty thousand American. That's going to be about a hundred thousand here." Vaughn's jaw dropped as did Sydney's.
"How many accounts do you have?" she asked, taking the card. She shrugged, "At least one in every livable country, so maybe two hundred and fifty."
No one had any idea she was this rich. So while Sydney and Vaughn gaped at her, Jack saw a way to use this to his advantage. "I'll let you use it."
Her face brightened up momentarily before it fell, "What's the catch?"
Jack smirked, throwing a look at Vaughn who was eyeing him with contempt, wondering, no doubt, how he could dream of letting her have something. Personally, Vaughn didn't mind her and they'd gotten the whole father thing out of the way, but if Jack was falling under her spell, it was getting too dangerous. Jack answered, "Give the CIA access to all two hundred and fifty accounts.
She cocked her head, biting her lip as she tried to work out just how badly she needed that money. "I'll give you access one hundred and eighty of them those of my choice."
He glared at her before asking, just to be sure, "And they all have the same amount on them?" she nodded, "Deal."
Vaughn was shocked, "Good bloody deal," he muttered.
Sydney grinned, in spite of herself, "So we're going shopping then?"
He mother nodded, eating a few of the remaining fruits, carefully swiping a cherry from Jack's plate as she had none. Jack glared at her but couldn't help but have the corner of his mouth twitch up. She was about to say something when the waiter reentered, four plates on his arms with a tell girl behind him. He began to lay the plates down, ushering the girl away with the fruit palters and telling her to return with more drinks. She did so, running back in with a jug of coffee which she refilled Vaughn's mug with and orange juice. Jack and Irina were yet to touch theirs.
The waiter grinned, rubbing his hands together, "Anything else I can help you with?"
Irina smiled sweetly, "Yes, we're going to need to find a concierge, right away." The waiter looked a little upset for a moment before grinning again, showing perfectly white teeth and nodding, rushing back towards the kitchen. Irina smiled as she looked down. This truly was turning into a vacation.
Not a good chapter, I'm getting sick of writing it, I will speed it up I think. Read and review please oh please oh please.