Sark sat at his desk, looking over paperwork, or something that he would more preferably call as busy work. It was nothing more than a way for him to distract himself from the current situation at hand. All he wanted to do was push April Winthers from his mind and get back to the usual of killing people and getting some Rambaldi artifact before the wonderful, beautiful Agent Sydney Bristow does. Why couldn't life be simple sometimes?

Something about Irina Derevko being April's aunt unnerved him. He didn't like the way that Irina seemed to know everything and only gave him answers when it was necessary. Maybe for once in his life he did not want to be left out of something. He was left out of his father's life, a normal childhood, and even a normal adulthood. Honestly, who runs around the world on a daily basis just to serve some organization that has been screwing you over for the past six months? No one.

At some point in his life he wanted control. He thought he had that with his non existent love life, except for the occasional, meaningless shag here and there, but now that April was in the picture, that did not seem possible. Everything revolved around her now. He seemed to be consumed by her. His professional and personal life was now surrounding her. He did not want that. But who said that it is about want?

This whole thought process took place in Sark's mind for about five minutes, before Irina Derevko walked into his study, without knocking either.

"How's Miss Winthers?" he asked, trying to break the ice that was in the air. He had not seen this woman for two and half years and for some reason, he had no idea of how to handle the situation in front of him.

"Julian, don't hold up pretenses," Irina commanded of him. It was like she was scolding a five year old for stealing a cookie out of the cookie jar.

Sark did not respond, waiting to see for where Irina was going with this.

"Your feelings for my niece are obvious. If I had to guess, I think you are vicariously living your fantasy of being with my daughter."

Again he did not say anything. This time he was too shocked to come up with a retort, so he just stayed seated at his desk, while Irina was staring at some painting he had on his wall.

"Everything comes back to Sydney. Everything. I have learned that in the past thirty years. It always comes back to my daughter."

The two figures in the room were still not looking at each other. Neither of them could take it. Well, perhaps Irina more than Sark.

"I did not exactly say the whole truth when we were in April's bedroom. I know a little more than I led on."

"I figured," Sark muttered under his breath. The phone call that had taken him away from April's "cell" was one from his primary contact for the exact reason of why the Covenant wanted April and he had found nothing yet.

Irina disregarded his disdain for authority and continued, "My contact, within the Covenant, informed me of a plan that the Covenant has constructed regarding my niece. I do not know the full details."

For the first time, Sark looked at Irina wanting to more of what she was going to say. In response for his decency to look her in the eye, Irina decided to tell him what she knew.

"Apparently there is another Rambaldi cube that contains his DNA that the Covenant has acquired. Because of their lack of the woman in Page 47's eggs, they believe that if they use someone who is genetically similar that the same end came be met-"

Sark cut her off seeing where she was going with this, "Machiavelli's 'the ends justify the means'," he scoffed, "How fitting." He got out from behind his desk and walked to the front of the table.

"Exactly. They believe April is the means."

"Won't that mess something up though? Don't they need the actual Sydney to make this prophecy come true?"

"Yes, but they don't know that. They think that April can replace Sydney, but from my research, April is meant for a different part of the prophecy. The woman on Page 47 is merely a vessel for Rambaldi's child, not his or her upbringing. A person, genetically similar to the woman on page 47 a.k.a. similar anomalies and not seeing the top of the mountain, is supposed to raise this child," Irina explained, with the air of scholar, which in essence in needed to be classified for her respect to Rambaldi that is what she is.

Sark placed his hand underneath his chin in effort to understand what he was hearing. "So the point of April is to raise the product of Sydney and Rambaldi?" Irina nodded. "But the Covenant thinks that they can use her as the vessel instead?" Irina nodded again. "Okay, we know why the Covenant wants her now and exactly how that is wrong, but how do we keep her from getting in their grasps? I am not handing her over to the Covenant. It is too risky."

Irina smiled inwardly as she saw Sark display his concern for her niece. She had not seen him display this type of concern since, well since ever. With Allison Doren, there was hardly ever a concern because everyone believed she could take care of herself, which didn't work out, but still. He cared for April.

"My plan is to hand her over to the CIA." Sark was beginning to protest, but she gave him a look that told him to shut up before he said anything else. "It is the only way to fully protect her. They will place her in a safe house with Sydney to watch and care for her. When need be, we can extract April."

Even though he did not want to admit it, he knew that she was right. This was the only way to protect her. The CIA had legal, reliable resources, even if they were easy to access, but it was almost always impossible to impenetrate with Jack Bristow on payroll. Sark had been able to do it, but it was because he had Irina or the Covenant. Now that Irina was in hiding and the Covenant's loss of Lauren Reed, there was hardly a viable way for anyone to get a hold on April. Plus, as Irina said, if it was reasonable, feasible and possible he knew that both of them together could pull together the resources to extract April.

"Alright," he shook his head in silent protest, but gave in. He had too.