A/N: Same disclaimers apply. If you want to know them, they're in Ch.1. Remember that this is AU with a slight dash of West Wing. No major WW storylines, though.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy!
Ch. 4 – Sympathy for the Devil
If someone had told me that I would run into Irina Derevko in the nation's capital, I would've laughed you off of the planet. When it actually happened, I was scared out of my mind that she had even gotten past security, much less was walking through the offices of the west wing of the White House.
"Irina, what the hell are you doing here?"
"Nice to see you too, Agent Vaughn. You always did look good with stubble."
Of all times to remember to shave, in front of your dead girlfriend's Russian KGB mother was not one of them. Then again, I hadn't looked at a mirror in days. I was kind of afraid of what I might find.
"We need to talk."
I quickly hauled her into a random conference room. She calmly sat down, with an air of intelligence and grace, just like her daughter. It was then that I noticed how much the two were physically alike.
"I didn't know you wore glasses."
She gave me this funny smile that Sydney had always given me when I said something random. She quietly pushed the frames up her nose.
"Sydney had to get her astigmatism from somewhere. Jack's eyesight is 20/20."
Figures.
"Where have you been for the last 6 months? And why do you choose now to reveal yourself to me? Especially in the nation's capital?"
"So full of questions, Michael. I was in my sister's custody for the last 6 months."
Her sister's custody? Damn. Is the whole family like that?
"Our family is pretty bad. She was holding me to drill me for information on Rambaldi, particularly my 2 daughters."
"Two daughters?!? I thought there was just Sydney. Did you have an affair?"
"Contrary to what Sloane will tell you, no, I didn't have an affair."
"Sloane would tell me differently?"
"To save his own ass. He raped me. And they don't exactly have adoption services in prison."
Wow. To think that someone so horrible could screw an entire family was beyond me. Especially a man powerful enough to break both Irina and Jack with one secret.
"Irina, why are you here?"
"I was looking for you and Jack."
"Why?"
"Because I know that Sydney is alive. I know where she is."