A/N Okay sorry this chapter took a lot longer than it was supposed to but
hey, it's a decent chapter. And Yes it is long, the longest chapter so far,
I seem to have an inability to write chapters shorter than four pages and
this one well it just quadrupled that lol. But the pen was flowing or I
guess keys were flowing would be the correct way to say it and I couldn't
stop but here ya go! But first the comments notes oh and please Reply with
Feedback Yay!
AnnaSun- I can't believe you commented on every chapter, thank you so much!! Your comments meant a lot to me!
Kat( How's hideaway and how are you? The fires were close to your house I think you said so I hope you're all okay and that goes for everyone in the cali region.
Irina Derevko( So my intention was not to turn Jack too sappy so I'm going to have to straighten him up lol expect that soon ( lol Erin rubs her hands together laughing evily as she plots Jack's future lol)
Redemption
Chapter 15
Her arm was asleep, that was the first thing she noticed when she woke. The second was feeling a large hand encompassing hers. Groggily Kathryn opened her eyes, her arms ached, both the broken one and her good arm where an ugly bruise was already beginning to pigment her skin. She could vaguely remember some sort of struggle, someone holding her arm down and another telling her to stop fighting. It was still early and she kept her arm still as not to wake him. She smiled slightly at Jack's disheveled appearance. She knew he wouldn't be happy to know anyone had seen him like this; the top buttons of his shirt unbuttoned, his tie hung loosely around his neck and his jacket had fallen to the floor. His head hung low on his chest and he was quiet as he slept but he never let go of her hand. Closing her eyes, she drifted off to sleep.
~ ~ ~
"Daddy, Daddy"
He stood across the room, but still he heard the soft whisper of a moan and turning he saw her beginning to stir. Jack walked over to her and shook her arm lightly. "Kathryn, time to wake up."
"Daddy? Oh," her mouth felt dry and cracked. "I was dreaming about my father." She tried to explain.
"I know," he replied briskly seeing the redness creep up her cheeks. "Time to get up."
She watched him walk out of the room; he was cool and collected and completely unlike his appearance early that morning; a smile traced her lips just thinking about it. She glanced at the clock on the bedside table, 6:30 am. It was much too early for her. Actually she was more used to going to bed only a few hours before and not waking up until well past noon; the hazards of being the evening waitress and night time singer that she was.
"Hi."
The moment Kathryn looked at Sydney the entire past day's events came rushing back to her at full speed. She swallowed hard and looked down examining her fingernails. She couldn't face Sydney, not after what had happened. Her hands shook. She felt ashamed, afraid that Sydney would treat her differently now that she knew her secrets. She didn't want to be pitied or treated like a piece of glass. She just wanted to return to her life as a normal 17-year-old girl; but then again normality had never been in the cards for her.
"I've got someone for you."
She smiled slightly when Sydney plopped the rag doll in front of her. "Sophie." She smiled softly gently running the tips of her fingers over her oldest friends worn face. Growing up, Sophie had more often than not been her only friend, her only confident. Sophie was the one who held all her secrets.
Sydney sat down on the bed. Kathryn couldn't even looked at her. "I thought you could use a friendly face." She still didn't respond and Sydney cut right to the chase.
"What you did-what you knew would happen. You knew we would find out about things that had happened to you, horrible, terrible things that were done to you. You didn't want us to know but you did the hypnosis anyway. That must have been an incredibly hard thing to do and took a lot of courage, I- I" Sydney shrugged and gave up not knowing what else to say, not able to find the words to express how she felt. A part of her wanted to hear Kathryn's story but another part of her was afraid of what she would say.
Finally Kathryn looked up at her. Her eyes were rimmed with red and her hair hung limply hiding her tear stained cheeks, her voice was calm, quiet and remarkably confident. "I didn't want you to know, I never wanted anyone to know. I didn't want it to happen, it just did and then it didn't stop and I wanted it to stop, I swear to you Sydney I did. But he said no one would believe me, he said he'd kill me if I told anyone so I never did. I almost told you before the hypnosis, but I didn't know how. I didn't want you to find out that way but I didn't know what I would say during the hypnosis if I said anything about it, I didn't know how much of it I wanted to tell you."
Sydney kept her distance not wanting to smother Katy; to let her talk but it was hard when all she wanted to do was find Kathryn's former foster father and slit his throat. "Did he stop hurting you?"
"His wife, I think she knew something was going on. I lived there for about a year and one day I can home from school and my Social Worker was there. I switched foster homes and it did stop.for a while. The good homes, no one wanted to keep me, I was 'too much trouble'," she shook her head. "They wouldn't keep me because I would have bad dreams and they didn't want to deal with that. I lived so many places I don't even remember them all."
"But it happened again."
"Every once in a while," she nodded tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "It wasn't always. sex, if you'd even call it that. Sometimes it was and they would really hurt me, but sometimes it wasn't. I'm not the only kid it's ever happened to.
"What happened?"
Kathryn didn't speak for several minutes. She stood up wandering the room, deciding against her own conscious what she would and wouldn't tell Sydney. Deciding in her heart what she herself could and could not handle telling her sister. She'd never told anyone before, no one in the world knew all her secrets and it would have been so easy to just tell Sydney that they had been a few isolated incidences, but Sydney didn't deserve lies. She didn't need, nor would she want to be protected from the ugly truth. She'd been nothing but kind to Kathryn and she was her sister. Her sister deserved honesty even if it was at a cost. Slowly she turned back to Sydney and sat down on the window seat pulling her knees up to her chest. "It started with my foster father Mr. Caldwell when I lived with them for about a year when I was six. When I first came there, I didn't know it was happening. He used to give me baths, I mean I was six, I was old enough to do it myself but he said I might fall or something. That's how it started just touching, I didn't like it but I didn't realize what was happening and then Mrs. Caldwell went to visit her mother. That's when it changed, when he wanted to play a game. I said no, I told him that it hurt but he didn't listen, he wouldn't stop no matter how much I cried and after a while I just stopped saying no, and I stopped crying, it was easier to just let him do it, to let them all do it. I just pretended that I was far away and no one could hurt me. I used to hide in my closet with Sophie, I tried to be as quiet as I could so he wouldn't find me, but he always did. He always wanted to hurt me. I remember everything about him, everything that happened with him. His skin, it was cold and clammy and soft. His voice the way it sounded when he whispered in my ear-what he said. I remember how his breath smelt and the sounds he made when he was hurting me," she choked back a sob closing her eyes tightly fighting the urge to be sick. "One day I left there. After him it was one of my other foster fathers or a couple times it was another kid. Sometimes they'd really. hurt me or sometimes." Kathryn was trembling as she tried to maintain control over her emotions. Her voice steadied out, "or sometimes they'd just touch me, or, or make me do things. come into my bed at night, take off my clothes, take off their clothes." Kathryn was shaking so hard she could scarcely breathe. She'd never told anyone before and it was almost relieving to finally empty the burden that had been weighing her down since she was a child. With shaking hands she wiped her eyes. "By the time I realized how wrong it was, that it wasn't my fault it was too late. I did try to tell once, when I was eight. Bryan, he was one of the kids in the group home he was fourteen or fifteen maybe, he used to come into my room at night, into my bed and take off his clothes and touch me make me touch him. I told him I was going to tell and he pushed me down the stairs and he said he'd hurt Sophie if I told anyone what he'd done with me. I never did.
Most people would think that having a photographic memory is a good thing, sure sometimes it was. In school I knew everything but I would trade it in an instant if it meant that even just for a little while, I could forget."
"Katy, this wasn't your fault," Sydney knelt on the floor at her feet, her hands cupped Kathryn's face. "None of this was your fault do you understand? Nothing was your fault."
"I know that," she cried out. "I know it wasn't my fault but that doesn't make it okay." Sydney was surprised at her words. Kathryn vocally claimed that the abuse was not her fault, which of course it wasn't but in most cases when children were abused they blamed themselves for years developing a self-hatred which left untreated could ultimately destroy them. Those were the characteristics that had been drilled into her brain during her freshman child development class and now they were all too real. Kathryn appeared to be an exception. She exhibited very little victim blame; in fact it was exactly the opposite. She appeared to be in control. She knew exactly what she wanted and she was so old in knowledge and experience but so young in age. "After the baby, I swore that it would never happen again and it never did. If anyone ever tried-"
"I know," Sydney wrapped her arms around Kathryn. "I know sweetie, I know. If I know you, you probably gave them a taste of their own medicine."
"Yeah," she hiccuped wiping her eyes again. "When Arvin found out that I was pregnant. I told him that someone grabbed me and raped me when I was walking home from school. After the baby I took self-defense lessons. I got kicked out of a few more foster homes for making trouble if someone tried anything I defended myself. After that I never let anyone hurt me again."
Sydney couldn't keep from crying any more and she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I have something for you." Sydney pulled a small photograph out of her pocket but didn't show Kathryn. "After the hypnosis session, I went to see Arvin Sloane. You never told him the extent of what happened did you?"
She shook her head, "I-I couldn't," she shrugged. "Every time I saw him I begged him to take me with him but he wouldn't, he couldn't. Obviously now I know why, he didn't want anyone to know about me, he wanted to hide me away until I was ready to live a lie-"
"Katy, it was a boy, his name is Joshua."
"What? A boy?" Her voice trembled as Sydney passed her the photograph of a blond haired blue eyed four year old boy. "This is him-he's. beautiful," she could barely speak there was so much that she wanted to say but couldn't find the words.
Sydney began to explain. "After your hypnosis, Michael took you home and I went to see Sloane. I asked him about your baby and he didn't want to tell me, but I told him your hypnosis that you had been hurt I didn't go into details but eventually he told me." She fingered the photograph for a moment before continuing. "His name is Joshua Campbell. He lives with his adoptive parents in Canada, that's all I can tell you."
Kathryn studied the picture memorizing every detail of her son. "He's amazing isn't he? Look at his hands, they're so small. Long fingers though, he'll be a piano player for sure."
"For sure," Sydney agreed. "He looks just like you."
"No," she shook her head. "He doesn't look anything like me, but thank you for saying it." She smiled slightly. "I think it makes it easier to leave him, knowing that he isn't anything like me." She wiped her cheeks, her expression turning serious. "My trust in Arvin Sloane leaves a lot to be desired at the moment, are you sure that this is my son?"
"Absolutely," Sydney nodded. "Kathryn I wouldn't have shown this to you if I wasn't certain. I checked the adoption records and contacted the attorney who dealt with Joshua's adoption. Lily and Mark Campbell adopted him the day he was born. Your name doesn't appear anywhere on the adoption records, birth certificate or even hospital records. Sloane arranged everything so that there wouldn't a paper trail that could connect you to Joshua. I believe he foresaw Joshua's existence as a possible threat to his plans for your future but I also believe he really was trying to do what was best for you. For safety and for Joshua's."
"I guess maybe in his own way, maybe he actually did care for me. He was good to me; he was there when I needed him. He handled my emancipation, paid my rent, bought me so many things but I can't forgive him for lying to me. For predetermining my entire future without even a second thought as to what I wanted, what my hopes and my dreams and my aspirations were. For never telling me that I had the family that I always wanted. I won't ever forgive him for not telling me that I had you, things would have been so different," she said wistfully. "I can't keep this can I?" she asked of the photograph.
"No, I'm sorry you can't. It's too risky. I shouldn't have even showed you the photo but Joshua is your son and you deserve to know what he looks like, who he is, what he's become, how happy he is." Sydney wiped her eyes and pointed at the photograph. "He does look like you see, your nose and your lips and look- dimples."
"He does," a slow smile traced her lips as she ran her fingers over the photograph. Blond haired blue-eyed Joshua did indeed resemble her. His nose and his lips but most of all it was those dimples that both she and Sydney shared. Dressed in a red striped shirt and blue jean overalls he was a beautiful child, he was everything Kathryn could have ever hoped for. Slowly she handed the photograph back to Sydney blinking away her tears. Finally she had all the information she needed. It was time to come to terms with her past, with the childhood she'd never had. She had a son and his name was Joshua. Most importantly her son was happy and healthy and beautiful and it was the closure that she had craved for so long.
"His father was the son of one of my foster parents. He cornered me after school one day in the alley behind his house. I was twelve he was sixteen, seventeen I don't really remember. I was six months pregnant by the time anyone realized I was pregnant. I didn't tell anyone, I didn't know what to do, he said that he would kill me if I told anyone. Arvin found out the day I turned thirteen. He got me into a group home for pregnant teenagers in Brooklyn and after Joshua was born I just moved onto a new foster home and group homes until I was fifteen. I took summer classes and finished school early so when I was sixteen I was emancipated. After Joshua was born I swore that no one would ever hurt me in that way again and no one ever did."
Sydney glanced at the photograph one last time before slipping it back into her pocket. "I have to go to work now, I have an early meeting but I'd like to talk more when I get home tonight. My father arranged for you to stay here with me instead of protective custody but in exchange you have to see a psychiatrist and talk with the directors today. They have questions that only you can answer about mom, Sloane, The Contessa, The safe house, your life, everything. But if you won't cooperate they will put you in protective custody."
"I understand," she nodded solemnly. "I'll talk to them."
"Eric, Agent Weiss will be there so whatever you need, just ask him he'll get it done." She put her arm around Kathryn's shoulders; "will you be okay?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "Its just Joshua-I'm a little overwhelmed. Since he was born there's been this part of me that was missing and now it's coming together. I feel whole again."
"I have to go now, but my dad will take you to the office on his way to the airport. I won't see you until tonight so Eric will take you home after the meeting and then just stay inside, keep the door locked and don't answer the phone okay?"
"Sure," she nodded and hugged Sydney one last time. "Thank you."
"Thank you," Sydney wiped her eyes as she exited the bedroom. She paused in the hallway and handed Joshua's photograph to her father who had been listening in the hallway. "Burn it," she whispered.
Jack nodded pocketing the photograph. He understood the need to destroy the photograph and any evidence connecting Kathryn to Joshua. It was necessary to protect them both. If The Covenant ever found out about Joshua, there was no doubt they would use him to their advantage to extract any information they could from Kathryn. Once Sydney was out of sight he slowly unfolded the photograph his eyes scanning the tow headed youngster. He certainly was the spitting image of Kathryn, minus the hair and eyes. Looking closely it was evident that he was a descendant of Irina Derevko, even at such a young age the resemblance was clear. He could hear Kathryn crying softly, her voice trembling as she tried to regain control over her emotions and he waited until he could hear nothing before entering the room.
"Are you ready to go?"
She looked up at him. She'd been trying to tie her shoelaces, which without the use of her left arm had proven to be rather difficult and she'd resorted to using her teeth.
"What are you doing?"
"What does it look like!"
"Don't be ridiculous just ask for help." Jack sat down on the bed pulling her foot towards him.
"I can do it myself," she jerked her foot back.
"Stop being stubborn, I don't have time for this." Jack pulled her foot back and began tying her shoelaces. "Sydney explained to you what is happening today?"
"Yes," she nodded. "You're going away?"
"Switzerland," he nodded. "On business."
"Whatever, tighter," she demanded as Jack pulled on the shoelaces.
"Why aren't you in school?"
"No money," she shrugged. "Besides, I like my job."
"Waitressing is hardly an admirable or lucrative career choice-"
"I'm a singer," she corrected, "and it pays the bills."
"You're seventeen, If I'm not mistaken, a little young to be serving alcohol."
"Get your facts straight. I just serve the food and sing till close five nights a week. People actually come to listen to me." She pulled her foot back and stood up. "Why don't you just give up, you won't win."
Jack pursed his lips standing up and followed her out. She certainly was a handful.
~ ~ ~
"Syd?" Will Tippin juggled several bags as he pulled his key out of the door. "Hey Syd I know you're here." He deposited his luggage on the floor near the stairs and walked over the to den hearing sounds from the TV. Hearing a noise behind him he turned around,
"Syd-" he could say nothing more as solid wood connected with his skull. Falling to the floor he wavered a moment semi conscious, "Syd?" he mumbled seeing his friend before he succumbed to darkness.
AnnaSun- I can't believe you commented on every chapter, thank you so much!! Your comments meant a lot to me!
Kat( How's hideaway and how are you? The fires were close to your house I think you said so I hope you're all okay and that goes for everyone in the cali region.
Irina Derevko( So my intention was not to turn Jack too sappy so I'm going to have to straighten him up lol expect that soon ( lol Erin rubs her hands together laughing evily as she plots Jack's future lol)
Redemption
Chapter 15
Her arm was asleep, that was the first thing she noticed when she woke. The second was feeling a large hand encompassing hers. Groggily Kathryn opened her eyes, her arms ached, both the broken one and her good arm where an ugly bruise was already beginning to pigment her skin. She could vaguely remember some sort of struggle, someone holding her arm down and another telling her to stop fighting. It was still early and she kept her arm still as not to wake him. She smiled slightly at Jack's disheveled appearance. She knew he wouldn't be happy to know anyone had seen him like this; the top buttons of his shirt unbuttoned, his tie hung loosely around his neck and his jacket had fallen to the floor. His head hung low on his chest and he was quiet as he slept but he never let go of her hand. Closing her eyes, she drifted off to sleep.
~ ~ ~
"Daddy, Daddy"
He stood across the room, but still he heard the soft whisper of a moan and turning he saw her beginning to stir. Jack walked over to her and shook her arm lightly. "Kathryn, time to wake up."
"Daddy? Oh," her mouth felt dry and cracked. "I was dreaming about my father." She tried to explain.
"I know," he replied briskly seeing the redness creep up her cheeks. "Time to get up."
She watched him walk out of the room; he was cool and collected and completely unlike his appearance early that morning; a smile traced her lips just thinking about it. She glanced at the clock on the bedside table, 6:30 am. It was much too early for her. Actually she was more used to going to bed only a few hours before and not waking up until well past noon; the hazards of being the evening waitress and night time singer that she was.
"Hi."
The moment Kathryn looked at Sydney the entire past day's events came rushing back to her at full speed. She swallowed hard and looked down examining her fingernails. She couldn't face Sydney, not after what had happened. Her hands shook. She felt ashamed, afraid that Sydney would treat her differently now that she knew her secrets. She didn't want to be pitied or treated like a piece of glass. She just wanted to return to her life as a normal 17-year-old girl; but then again normality had never been in the cards for her.
"I've got someone for you."
She smiled slightly when Sydney plopped the rag doll in front of her. "Sophie." She smiled softly gently running the tips of her fingers over her oldest friends worn face. Growing up, Sophie had more often than not been her only friend, her only confident. Sophie was the one who held all her secrets.
Sydney sat down on the bed. Kathryn couldn't even looked at her. "I thought you could use a friendly face." She still didn't respond and Sydney cut right to the chase.
"What you did-what you knew would happen. You knew we would find out about things that had happened to you, horrible, terrible things that were done to you. You didn't want us to know but you did the hypnosis anyway. That must have been an incredibly hard thing to do and took a lot of courage, I- I" Sydney shrugged and gave up not knowing what else to say, not able to find the words to express how she felt. A part of her wanted to hear Kathryn's story but another part of her was afraid of what she would say.
Finally Kathryn looked up at her. Her eyes were rimmed with red and her hair hung limply hiding her tear stained cheeks, her voice was calm, quiet and remarkably confident. "I didn't want you to know, I never wanted anyone to know. I didn't want it to happen, it just did and then it didn't stop and I wanted it to stop, I swear to you Sydney I did. But he said no one would believe me, he said he'd kill me if I told anyone so I never did. I almost told you before the hypnosis, but I didn't know how. I didn't want you to find out that way but I didn't know what I would say during the hypnosis if I said anything about it, I didn't know how much of it I wanted to tell you."
Sydney kept her distance not wanting to smother Katy; to let her talk but it was hard when all she wanted to do was find Kathryn's former foster father and slit his throat. "Did he stop hurting you?"
"His wife, I think she knew something was going on. I lived there for about a year and one day I can home from school and my Social Worker was there. I switched foster homes and it did stop.for a while. The good homes, no one wanted to keep me, I was 'too much trouble'," she shook her head. "They wouldn't keep me because I would have bad dreams and they didn't want to deal with that. I lived so many places I don't even remember them all."
"But it happened again."
"Every once in a while," she nodded tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "It wasn't always. sex, if you'd even call it that. Sometimes it was and they would really hurt me, but sometimes it wasn't. I'm not the only kid it's ever happened to.
"What happened?"
Kathryn didn't speak for several minutes. She stood up wandering the room, deciding against her own conscious what she would and wouldn't tell Sydney. Deciding in her heart what she herself could and could not handle telling her sister. She'd never told anyone before, no one in the world knew all her secrets and it would have been so easy to just tell Sydney that they had been a few isolated incidences, but Sydney didn't deserve lies. She didn't need, nor would she want to be protected from the ugly truth. She'd been nothing but kind to Kathryn and she was her sister. Her sister deserved honesty even if it was at a cost. Slowly she turned back to Sydney and sat down on the window seat pulling her knees up to her chest. "It started with my foster father Mr. Caldwell when I lived with them for about a year when I was six. When I first came there, I didn't know it was happening. He used to give me baths, I mean I was six, I was old enough to do it myself but he said I might fall or something. That's how it started just touching, I didn't like it but I didn't realize what was happening and then Mrs. Caldwell went to visit her mother. That's when it changed, when he wanted to play a game. I said no, I told him that it hurt but he didn't listen, he wouldn't stop no matter how much I cried and after a while I just stopped saying no, and I stopped crying, it was easier to just let him do it, to let them all do it. I just pretended that I was far away and no one could hurt me. I used to hide in my closet with Sophie, I tried to be as quiet as I could so he wouldn't find me, but he always did. He always wanted to hurt me. I remember everything about him, everything that happened with him. His skin, it was cold and clammy and soft. His voice the way it sounded when he whispered in my ear-what he said. I remember how his breath smelt and the sounds he made when he was hurting me," she choked back a sob closing her eyes tightly fighting the urge to be sick. "One day I left there. After him it was one of my other foster fathers or a couple times it was another kid. Sometimes they'd really. hurt me or sometimes." Kathryn was trembling as she tried to maintain control over her emotions. Her voice steadied out, "or sometimes they'd just touch me, or, or make me do things. come into my bed at night, take off my clothes, take off their clothes." Kathryn was shaking so hard she could scarcely breathe. She'd never told anyone before and it was almost relieving to finally empty the burden that had been weighing her down since she was a child. With shaking hands she wiped her eyes. "By the time I realized how wrong it was, that it wasn't my fault it was too late. I did try to tell once, when I was eight. Bryan, he was one of the kids in the group home he was fourteen or fifteen maybe, he used to come into my room at night, into my bed and take off his clothes and touch me make me touch him. I told him I was going to tell and he pushed me down the stairs and he said he'd hurt Sophie if I told anyone what he'd done with me. I never did.
Most people would think that having a photographic memory is a good thing, sure sometimes it was. In school I knew everything but I would trade it in an instant if it meant that even just for a little while, I could forget."
"Katy, this wasn't your fault," Sydney knelt on the floor at her feet, her hands cupped Kathryn's face. "None of this was your fault do you understand? Nothing was your fault."
"I know that," she cried out. "I know it wasn't my fault but that doesn't make it okay." Sydney was surprised at her words. Kathryn vocally claimed that the abuse was not her fault, which of course it wasn't but in most cases when children were abused they blamed themselves for years developing a self-hatred which left untreated could ultimately destroy them. Those were the characteristics that had been drilled into her brain during her freshman child development class and now they were all too real. Kathryn appeared to be an exception. She exhibited very little victim blame; in fact it was exactly the opposite. She appeared to be in control. She knew exactly what she wanted and she was so old in knowledge and experience but so young in age. "After the baby, I swore that it would never happen again and it never did. If anyone ever tried-"
"I know," Sydney wrapped her arms around Kathryn. "I know sweetie, I know. If I know you, you probably gave them a taste of their own medicine."
"Yeah," she hiccuped wiping her eyes again. "When Arvin found out that I was pregnant. I told him that someone grabbed me and raped me when I was walking home from school. After the baby I took self-defense lessons. I got kicked out of a few more foster homes for making trouble if someone tried anything I defended myself. After that I never let anyone hurt me again."
Sydney couldn't keep from crying any more and she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I have something for you." Sydney pulled a small photograph out of her pocket but didn't show Kathryn. "After the hypnosis session, I went to see Arvin Sloane. You never told him the extent of what happened did you?"
She shook her head, "I-I couldn't," she shrugged. "Every time I saw him I begged him to take me with him but he wouldn't, he couldn't. Obviously now I know why, he didn't want anyone to know about me, he wanted to hide me away until I was ready to live a lie-"
"Katy, it was a boy, his name is Joshua."
"What? A boy?" Her voice trembled as Sydney passed her the photograph of a blond haired blue eyed four year old boy. "This is him-he's. beautiful," she could barely speak there was so much that she wanted to say but couldn't find the words.
Sydney began to explain. "After your hypnosis, Michael took you home and I went to see Sloane. I asked him about your baby and he didn't want to tell me, but I told him your hypnosis that you had been hurt I didn't go into details but eventually he told me." She fingered the photograph for a moment before continuing. "His name is Joshua Campbell. He lives with his adoptive parents in Canada, that's all I can tell you."
Kathryn studied the picture memorizing every detail of her son. "He's amazing isn't he? Look at his hands, they're so small. Long fingers though, he'll be a piano player for sure."
"For sure," Sydney agreed. "He looks just like you."
"No," she shook her head. "He doesn't look anything like me, but thank you for saying it." She smiled slightly. "I think it makes it easier to leave him, knowing that he isn't anything like me." She wiped her cheeks, her expression turning serious. "My trust in Arvin Sloane leaves a lot to be desired at the moment, are you sure that this is my son?"
"Absolutely," Sydney nodded. "Kathryn I wouldn't have shown this to you if I wasn't certain. I checked the adoption records and contacted the attorney who dealt with Joshua's adoption. Lily and Mark Campbell adopted him the day he was born. Your name doesn't appear anywhere on the adoption records, birth certificate or even hospital records. Sloane arranged everything so that there wouldn't a paper trail that could connect you to Joshua. I believe he foresaw Joshua's existence as a possible threat to his plans for your future but I also believe he really was trying to do what was best for you. For safety and for Joshua's."
"I guess maybe in his own way, maybe he actually did care for me. He was good to me; he was there when I needed him. He handled my emancipation, paid my rent, bought me so many things but I can't forgive him for lying to me. For predetermining my entire future without even a second thought as to what I wanted, what my hopes and my dreams and my aspirations were. For never telling me that I had the family that I always wanted. I won't ever forgive him for not telling me that I had you, things would have been so different," she said wistfully. "I can't keep this can I?" she asked of the photograph.
"No, I'm sorry you can't. It's too risky. I shouldn't have even showed you the photo but Joshua is your son and you deserve to know what he looks like, who he is, what he's become, how happy he is." Sydney wiped her eyes and pointed at the photograph. "He does look like you see, your nose and your lips and look- dimples."
"He does," a slow smile traced her lips as she ran her fingers over the photograph. Blond haired blue-eyed Joshua did indeed resemble her. His nose and his lips but most of all it was those dimples that both she and Sydney shared. Dressed in a red striped shirt and blue jean overalls he was a beautiful child, he was everything Kathryn could have ever hoped for. Slowly she handed the photograph back to Sydney blinking away her tears. Finally she had all the information she needed. It was time to come to terms with her past, with the childhood she'd never had. She had a son and his name was Joshua. Most importantly her son was happy and healthy and beautiful and it was the closure that she had craved for so long.
"His father was the son of one of my foster parents. He cornered me after school one day in the alley behind his house. I was twelve he was sixteen, seventeen I don't really remember. I was six months pregnant by the time anyone realized I was pregnant. I didn't tell anyone, I didn't know what to do, he said that he would kill me if I told anyone. Arvin found out the day I turned thirteen. He got me into a group home for pregnant teenagers in Brooklyn and after Joshua was born I just moved onto a new foster home and group homes until I was fifteen. I took summer classes and finished school early so when I was sixteen I was emancipated. After Joshua was born I swore that no one would ever hurt me in that way again and no one ever did."
Sydney glanced at the photograph one last time before slipping it back into her pocket. "I have to go to work now, I have an early meeting but I'd like to talk more when I get home tonight. My father arranged for you to stay here with me instead of protective custody but in exchange you have to see a psychiatrist and talk with the directors today. They have questions that only you can answer about mom, Sloane, The Contessa, The safe house, your life, everything. But if you won't cooperate they will put you in protective custody."
"I understand," she nodded solemnly. "I'll talk to them."
"Eric, Agent Weiss will be there so whatever you need, just ask him he'll get it done." She put her arm around Kathryn's shoulders; "will you be okay?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "Its just Joshua-I'm a little overwhelmed. Since he was born there's been this part of me that was missing and now it's coming together. I feel whole again."
"I have to go now, but my dad will take you to the office on his way to the airport. I won't see you until tonight so Eric will take you home after the meeting and then just stay inside, keep the door locked and don't answer the phone okay?"
"Sure," she nodded and hugged Sydney one last time. "Thank you."
"Thank you," Sydney wiped her eyes as she exited the bedroom. She paused in the hallway and handed Joshua's photograph to her father who had been listening in the hallway. "Burn it," she whispered.
Jack nodded pocketing the photograph. He understood the need to destroy the photograph and any evidence connecting Kathryn to Joshua. It was necessary to protect them both. If The Covenant ever found out about Joshua, there was no doubt they would use him to their advantage to extract any information they could from Kathryn. Once Sydney was out of sight he slowly unfolded the photograph his eyes scanning the tow headed youngster. He certainly was the spitting image of Kathryn, minus the hair and eyes. Looking closely it was evident that he was a descendant of Irina Derevko, even at such a young age the resemblance was clear. He could hear Kathryn crying softly, her voice trembling as she tried to regain control over her emotions and he waited until he could hear nothing before entering the room.
"Are you ready to go?"
She looked up at him. She'd been trying to tie her shoelaces, which without the use of her left arm had proven to be rather difficult and she'd resorted to using her teeth.
"What are you doing?"
"What does it look like!"
"Don't be ridiculous just ask for help." Jack sat down on the bed pulling her foot towards him.
"I can do it myself," she jerked her foot back.
"Stop being stubborn, I don't have time for this." Jack pulled her foot back and began tying her shoelaces. "Sydney explained to you what is happening today?"
"Yes," she nodded. "You're going away?"
"Switzerland," he nodded. "On business."
"Whatever, tighter," she demanded as Jack pulled on the shoelaces.
"Why aren't you in school?"
"No money," she shrugged. "Besides, I like my job."
"Waitressing is hardly an admirable or lucrative career choice-"
"I'm a singer," she corrected, "and it pays the bills."
"You're seventeen, If I'm not mistaken, a little young to be serving alcohol."
"Get your facts straight. I just serve the food and sing till close five nights a week. People actually come to listen to me." She pulled her foot back and stood up. "Why don't you just give up, you won't win."
Jack pursed his lips standing up and followed her out. She certainly was a handful.
~ ~ ~
"Syd?" Will Tippin juggled several bags as he pulled his key out of the door. "Hey Syd I know you're here." He deposited his luggage on the floor near the stairs and walked over the to den hearing sounds from the TV. Hearing a noise behind him he turned around,
"Syd-" he could say nothing more as solid wood connected with his skull. Falling to the floor he wavered a moment semi conscious, "Syd?" he mumbled seeing his friend before he succumbed to darkness.