Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They are owned by JJ Abrams, ABC and Touchstone (Bad Robot too?). The reason I write these stories is to stop the characters from this television show from dancing in my head, together with the characters in CSI. Thank You…
A/N- hope you like this chapter…
CHAPTER SEVEN
~~~
"Congratulations Mrs. Bristow. You're three months pregnant."
The doctor's words still rang in her head. She was so happy when she found out that she was carrying Jack's baby. But all that happiness is lost now.
'What will they do to my baby when they find out I haven't terminated the pregnancy? To Jack? What will they do to her and this mission?' She thought. She doesn't want to go back to Russia. She was happy here.
She reached home and placed her keys in the kitchen counter. She went to the refrigerator to get some water. Jack wasn't home yet. She poured the water on the glass and drank it.
'What if he doesn't want the baby?' she thought. Tears were now swimming in her eyes. 'What if he tells me that it was all a mistake? And what will happen when her superiors find out she failed the mission because of the pregnancy?'
Loyalty to her country and her love for Jack is giving her dilemmas she hadn't foreseen the first few months of the mission. She thought of Jack as charming and attractive, but her ideologies back then, were different. But after almost three years with Jack, she felt as if all her beliefs were torn away and replaced by new ones.
'What will I do if he doesn't want it?' she thought as she let her tears fall. She cried silently afraid that somebody might hear. She was facing the kitchen sink when a voice suddenly boomed out of nowhere.
"How was school?"
She was still holding the glass when she was startled by the voice. The glass slipped from her hands and was shattered into bits and pieces when it crashed on the floor.
It was Jack. And he rushed towards when he heard the glass shatter.
"I'm sorry, I really thought… Are you okay?" Jack asked when he saw her tear- streaked face.
"I… I'm okay."
"Laura, really, you're not okay if you're crying." Jack replied. He was helping her pick up the shards of glass on the floor.
"Uh… I'm okay… really." she replied as Jack took the shards of glass in her hands and threw it in the trashcan. He took her hands and helped her up.
"Are you okay?" he asked again. He took a look on her hands.
"I'm pregnant."
Jack looked at her, his surprise to the revelation, can be traced in his face.
"I… I thought you might want to know." She said nervously, uncertain on how Jack will react.
Jack cupped her face, kissed her, and hugged her tight.
"You want it?" she whispered. She was surprised at Jack's reaction. He didn't really talk about children much.
"Want it? What kind of question is that? Of course I want to have the baby." Jack replied as he cuddled her.
He kissed her again and said to her, "I love you."
~~~
Irina awoke to the sounds of screams. They were back in LA, in the safe house. She was sitting in one of the sofa, watching over Paris.
Paris.
She was the one who was screaming. Irina turned on the lamp and tried to wake her up.
Jack rushed into the room and turned on the lights. He was outside, standing guard near the door when he heard the screams. Sydney was also running towards the room.
When he turned on the lights, he saw Irina hugging Paris. The girl was shaking, and speaking in Russian, talking about drowning and electrocution. Irina spoke to her in both Russian and English, telling her that it was only a dream, that she was safe.
Sydney gave him a glass of water, for him to give either to Irina or Paris.
"It's okay. Just a dream. You're not going to drown, I promise." He heard Irina said, in English, when Jack was approaching them. Sydney followed him, curious on what her father will say.
Paris finally settled down, taking deep breaths. Tears can still be seen running down her face.
"Are you okay?" Jack asked. Irina looked at him, and saw the glass of water. Jack then gave the glass to her to give to Paris. Irina held it out to her daughter.
Paris took it and drank half of the water and eyed her father and mother then Sydney. She placed the glass on the night table.
"I'm okay. Thank you for asking." She said to Jack.
"You should get back to sleep, you're still sick." Sydney said.
"Only if mom stays."
Irina and Jack looked at each other. Sydney glanced at Paris, then her mom and dad.
"She'll stay. We'll both stay." Jack answered.
Paris eyed them doubtfully.
"We'll sit here, in this sofa. When you wake up tomorrow, you'll still see us." Jack said. After realizing what he just said, he regretted saying those words.
Paris looked at them, her eyes roving to Jack then to Irina, then to Sydney. She nodded her head, said goodnight to them and pulled the covers. Her head still hurt, and she was afraid to sleep, that what her Jack said about tomorrow might not be true. But when she heard them talking in hushed tones, she finally dozed off.
Sydney stayed until Paris fell asleep. She then whispered to her father that she'd return to her place outside. "Are going to keep your promise to Paris?" she asked after he accompanied her out.
"Yes. Irina and I will survive the night without fighting, if that's what you are worried about." Her father replied. She said good night and proceeded on to her post. Jack went back in and sat on the sofa, near Irina.
Irina was staring at the glass of water, remembering her dream before being waking up to Paris's screams. 'Why did she dream that memory? What emotion is she feeling now that evoked the remembrance of that occasion?' She thought. She was still trying to understand what had happened when Jack sat down beside her. She sighed.
"Why did you say that?" Irina asked. She was speaking softly; she doesn't want to wake up Paris.
"To reassure my daughter." Jack replied. He saw Irina's mild surprise. She finally heard Jack acknowledge Paris as his daughter without a certain tone that she finds quite malicious.
She nodded her head in response and turned away from him. Jack wanted to see more of the motherly Irina he saw a few minutes ago.
"Was that a nightmare she had when she was young?" Jack asked. The way Irina responded to Paris's scared Russian utters, it was like she had experienced it before.
"Yes. When she was seven years old, there was a month when it was almost every night that she comes to my room because of that dream. The doctors can't explain it since my brother stood in as a father figure for her."
"Brother?" Jack asked.
"Yes. I had three brothers. One of them died. I named her after my older brother, Mikhail."
"Who's the brother that stood in as a father figure?" Jack asked.
"My twin brother, Danilov. He was the one who convinced my superiors to let me keep the baby. He was also the one who planned our children's, his son and daughter and Paris, escape from Russia."
"Twin brother?" Jack asked.
Irina nodded. "Yes. He's older than me by three hours. I'm the youngest in the family."
"Why didn't you give Paris my name?" Jack asked.
"Knowing your name will endanger her life. You are one of the top agents, and being in another country, with no protection, and a daughter of a KGB agent, she may be an easy target."
They sat in silence again. The same silence they had back in the plane. They can't think of anything to talk about that's not related to their past or this present. They don't want to talk about what is happening in the espionage world, it was too complicated, too heavy to analyze.
"What would you have done if you found out that two years after Laura Bristow died, the woman who impersonated her gave birth to another child, eight months after she had disappeared?" Irina asked.
"I'd have looked for that child, killed all those who had hurt her and brought her back here." Jack replied.
"But she was the daughter of the woman who fooled you."
"Yes. But so was the first child."
Irina looked at him again, looking for signs of insincerity. When she found none, she leaned back the sofa and closed her eyes.
Jack let her be, and reflected on what she asked. He watched her session with Dr. Barnett. He knew that some of her answers had hidden meanings in them. She also looked worried when the doctor told her that Paris had documents of her missions.
'What is she hiding?' Jack asked himself. He took a deep breath and sighed. He stood up and looked at the neatly arranged piles of books near Paris's bed. He took one that got his interest, and went back to the sofa. Irina looked like she fell asleep after the conversation, but he wanted to be sure. He was going to read the book and after that, stand guard on Irina. 'She might try to escape.' He thought.
After minutes of scanning through the paperback, he felt his eyelids drooping. He tried to read the contents of the book, but felt too sleepy to understand what he was reading. He looked at Irina again. He can feel the evenness of her breathing and he decided that she was not feigning sleep. He stood up again, returned the book, got an extra blanket, and placed it gently on Irina. He doesn't really know why he did that, but he felt at ease after the act.
'She does look cold. She might want it later or something.' Jack thought. He turned off the lamp and returned to the sofa. He leaned back and closed his eyes.
***
Sydney woke up a little before seven. She felt refreshed and energized. She remembered that she was in the safe house with her mom, dad and sister. She then went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. On her way there, Vaughn appeared.
"Hey. Good morning. I brought some food." He said.
"Good morning too." Sydney replied. Vaughn smiled at her and accompanied Sydney to the kitchen.
"What did you bring?" Sydney asked.
"Bagels, coffee beans, coffee cream, raw bacon." Vaughn answered.
"I think I saw eggs in the fridge yesterday. Sit down, I'll make some breakfast."
Vaughn sat down the chair and took out the food he brought. He was taking out the last of the cans, the coffee beans, when Paris entered the kitchen.
"Good morning." She greeted them. They said good morning back to her and she sat down next to Vaughn.
"What are you cooking?" She asked Syd.
"Eggs, sunny side up, and bacon. How do you like yours?" Sydney asked.
"The same. But… I don't know how to cook, so can I just make the coffee?" Paris asked.
"Sure. Just be careful with your arm." Sydney replied, referring to Paris's broken right arm.
"I'll set the table." Vaughn volunteered.
They went on to their business and did what they had to do. A few minutes later, Jack and Irina walked in. Both of them also looked refreshed.
"Hi mom, Agent Bristow." Paris greeted. She was turning on the coffee maker.
'Still Agent Bristow.' Sydney thought. "Good morning. How was the night?" She asked. She knew that her father didn't leave the room, or Paris would have said something about it.
"Fine." Jack replied gruffly. He woke up, leaning on Irina's side, his whole weight being supported by her.
"It was okay." Was her reply. She was rubbing her arm, which was a bit sore from sleep.
"How do you like your coffee?" Paris asked Jack. She knew that her mother takes it black, so did Sydney and Vaughn. But her father…
"Uh… Black." He replied. Sydney was now placing the food on the table. It smelled delicious.
"So, Agent Vaughn, what brings you here this morning?" Irina asked as they sat down on their chairs.
"I just came to check on all of you." Vaughn replied.
"I invited him for breakfast." Sydney said.
"He brought the food." Paris interjected.
Jack sighed and looked at Vaughn. Vaughn looked back at him. Sydney just rolled her eyes and asked her father if he wants some eggs.
"I'd like some, thank you." Jack replied as Sydney passed the plate to Paris then she, to Jack.
"What time will they take mom back?" Sydney asked Vaughn a few minutes after they have settled the food in their plates.
"Well, we arrived at 6 pm yesterday, so they'll take her at 6 pm later." Vaughn replied, taking a bite from the crispy bacon. Delicious.
Paris was separating the yellow part of the egg from the white part, setting aside the white part and eating the yellow one. Irina was doing the same while Jack and Sydney did the opposite, eating the white part and separating the yellow part.
Jack didn't say anything. He had a call an hour before the plane landed and was asked by Devlin if he can be the security escort of Irina Derevko. His reason was that since he already had a 'background' established with her, he can tell if she's deceiving him or not. He didn't try to remind Devlin of the mission in Panama, where she not only escaped his clutches, she also escaped with the Rambaldi artifact.
"Agent Bristow, I was asked by Director Devlin to stay here." Vaughn told Jack.
"Yes, he informed me yesterday." Jack replied. Just then, they were interrupted by Jack's cell phone, which was ringing. Jack excused himself, stood up from his chair and went to a place where he can take the call.
"Bristow."
"Ah, Jack… I really wondered when you will meet the charming, placid, Paris Derevko." The voice said from the other line.
It was Arvin Sloane.
"Almost fifteen years ago, Jack. Do you remember? You knew her as Mikaela. She was in our house, as a guest." He said to him.
"What do you want, Arvin?"
"Nothing really. I just wanted to congratulate her for successfully breaking back out in Germany and the great escape, or should I say rescue, in Madagascar. Her mother, who is again in hiding, would have been so proud." He taunted.
Jack didn't answer. Anger was seething but he doesn't want any violent outbursts, especially when the person who provoked him is Arvin Sloane.
"Please tell your daughters they look more like their mother everyday. Until the next conversation, Jack." And with that, Sloane ended his call. Jack, his temperature rising, went back to the dining room.
"So, dad, who called you?" Sydney asked. It was still early morning; most people would still be in bed.
"Nobody important." Jack replied and started to finish the food on his plate. Sydney didn't press any further, even if she recognized the tone of his voice. The Santa Clause tone.
When they were done and the dishes, clean, father and daughter went back to their respective houses to have a shower and a quick change. Sydney volunteered to get her mother a change of clothes since she wasn't allowed to go out of the safe house. Jack had this urge to confront Irina with what Sloane told him, but he reined it in. He wants to have a decent, humane conversation with the woman who landed him in solitary confinement twice.
While Jack and Sydney were in their homes, Paris and Vaughn started a game of chess. Irina was with them, sitting on the couch, reading a book she had retrieved from the organized pile in Paris' room.
"So, you and Sydney were once… a couple?" Paris asked as she moved her knight.
"That's not polite." Irina interjected in Russian, not looking up from what she was reading.
"Sorry… you don't have to answer that." Paris said to Vaughn, a bit embarrassed that she was reprimanded in front of him.
"Its okay. Yes. We were once… we." Vaughn replied as he moved his bishop. He didn't really understand what Irina said to her.
Silence.
"Are you left-handed?" Paris asked while at the same time eating one of Vaughn's pawns. It seems that she can't think of anything to keep the conversation going.
"Yeah. And you're ambidextrous, but you favor your left hand more." Vaughn answered. He then moved his rook to protect his king.
Paris smiled.
"How did you know that?" she asked.
"Your profile. It also said there that you've already taken your master's work in Ancient History."
"Check. Yeah Cambridge University." She replied as she the rook that was protecting Vaughn's king.
Vaughn studied the chessboard. His chess mate had 'booby trapped' every move he might make with the king and his protectors. If he moves his rook to protect the king, he's going to lose the queen. If he moves the queen to protect the king, the rook will be eaten. He mulled for a while and decided to move his queen.
"Predictable." Paris said. Irina looked up from what she was reading to look at the chessboard.
"Excuse me?" Vaughn asked.
"I said predictable." Paris answered as she moved the 'hidden' bishop, cornering the king. "Checkmate."
Vaughn gaped at the chessboard. He lost.
"No one's ever beat me at chess." Paris said hesitantly and smiled at him.
"Sydney used to beat me at chess. You're the second one to pummel in this game." Vaughn replied, studying the chessboard, examining the moves.
"No hard feelings?" Paris asked and extended her hand for a handshake.
"Its just a game." Vaughn answered, smiling and shook her hand.
A few minutes later, after he placed all the pieces inside the foldable, wooden chessboard, he asked, "What about a game of Chinese checkers?"