Irina: You know, technically, we may still be husband and wife. (2:10 The Abduction)

Jack told himself it didn't matter that no one was there to pick him up from the airport. It had been a long flight from France, and he was grumpy and in pain, and he really didn't want anybody seeing him in this weakened state.

But still. One friendly face – Sydney's, hell, even Vaughn's – would have been nice.

He took a taxi home, and spent the trip trying to remember what had happened the night he was shot. As always, the memory remained elusive, but for the certainty that Irina had been there. As the taxi pulled up outside his house, he realized it was entirely possible he had dreamed her presence, but he didn't want to consider the implications of that. The last thing he needed was to spend all his time thinking about her.

He unlocked the door, looking forward to taking his painkillers and sleeping for the next day or so. As he stepped inside, he heard, "Surprise!"

Jack stared at the three people standing in the living room. Vaughn and Weiss were on either side of Sydney. Of the three, they looked slightly uncomfortable. Sydney, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear. She stepped forward to hug her father.

"I bet you thought I'd forgotten you were arriving today." She kissed his cheek. "Gotcha."

He didn't know how to react. Sydney took his hand and led him to the couch.

"You must be exhausted, Dad."

Vaughn and Weiss, feeling very out of place in Jack's house, quietly excused themselves. When they were gone, Jack leaned against the back of the couch, confirming Sydney's observation. As tired as he was, he didn't miss the flash of concern in her eyes and her refusal to look away from him.

She bit her lower lip when she was worried. Her mother had done that too.

Dammit, Jack told himself, you do not need this right now.

"When they said you'd been injured in the field, I thought you were dead. And every day since then all I can think about is how easily I could have lost you." She broke her gaze, then tentatively reached for his hand. "I love you, Dad. I just need you to know that."

"Sydney—" He swallowed; after so many years, the words were surprisingly difficult to say. "I love you too."

She smiled, and he had never seen anything more beautiful.

Kendall, displaying his ever impeccable timing, chose that moment to phone Jack. Sydney rolled her eyes as she answered, then handed the phone to her father.

"Welcome back, Jack. How are you feeling?"

"Wonderful," Jack answered truthfully, and smiled at his daughter.

"Right. Well, I was wondering if you'd given any thought to my proposal."

Before he'd been released from hospital, Kendall had told him it was highly unlikely he would be cleared for field work again. Before Jack was able to respond, Kendall had continued, saying, "I'd like you to head up a task force to capture Derevko."

Now, sensing Jack's hesitance, Kendall tried again, "It would be a great loss to the agency if you left now. And we do need to apprehend Derevko. Considering your knowledge of how her mind works—"

A twinge of pain in his chest reminded Jack he needed his medication. He cut Kendall off. "I've never claimed to know how her mind works. Irina Derevko is as much an enigma to me as she is to you or to anyone else."

He saw Sydney's expression harden, and squeezed her hand. This time when she smiled, it didn't reach her eyes.

Kendall sighed into the phone. "Just think about it, Jack."

Laura was curled up on the couch when Jack arrived back from the office. The room was dark but for one reading lamp. He stood in the doorway and watched her for a while. She was completely engrossed in a book, and frowning at whatever she was reading.

Jack smiled then coughed to clear his throat. Laura didn't look up.

He slowly started to move towards her. The slight smile playing on her lips gave her away, but she still refused to look at him. He sat behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"You're going to go blind."

"What?"

"Bad lighting, small print. You should wear your glasses."

"Yes, Mom."

He kissed her neck. "What are you reading?"

"Anna Karenina."

"Again?" He plucked the book from her hands. Folding the corner of the page to mark her place, he closed it. "I'll tell you how it ends; you can stop reading."

She took the book back, put a bookmark in to mark the page, and unfolded the corner Jack had folded. "Savage."

"What?"

"Don't destroy my book."

"I wasn't—"

She sighed suddenly, and leaned into Jack.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Laura, sweetheart . . ."

"I'm pregnant." She stood, putting distance between them.

"Pregnant? A baby?"

She nodded, and he thought he saw a flicker of fear in her eyes, but the light was so dim he couldn't be sure.

"Laura, honey, that's wonderful." He stood and pulled her into his arms. "We're having a baby!"

"What if we're terrible parents? Jack, I don't know anything about being a mother. Are we ready for this?"

Jack tightened his embrace. "We can do anything together."