A/N – hey folks I'm back after so long and with fresh ideas too! I hope you can take the time to read and review to make me update sooner this time! Bribery goooooood! Here we go…

Laura had been awake for some time now and sat patiently waiting for someone to come in. She could hear people outside her room and wondered what they could all be doing in such a hurry. The call of nature proved too much and eventually, she tried to get up. It was easier than she had thought and apart from her joints being a little stiff, she was fine.

Jack sat talking to Sydney as she regained her bearings. There was so much that she wanted to know and Jack hadn't been ready for the amount of questions his little girl seemed to have. Not surprisingly, most of them were about her mother. Jack left Sydney in an attempt to gain the courage to see Laura. He had been avoiding her room lately as the disappointment of her lacking any change was too much for him when he had to be strong for Sydney's sake.

As he approached the door, he heard some shuffling around and drew his gun.

It's the KGB, they've come to take her from me. He thought, alarmedas he kicked the door open.

Jack Bristow was shocked he couldn't understand it. His wife was standing there scared out of her wits but more importantly, she was standing there.

"Jack Bristow please refrain from shooting meelse the whole point of my recovery might as well be thrown out of the window." She smirked as he replaced his gun in the holster he had taken it from just moments earlier.

Suddenly three armed agents came running into the room at full speed.

"Stand down. Everything's ok." They all looked at the woman standing in her pyjamas with a fake look of shock on her face. Irina was as cool as a cucumber and nothing seemed to scare her. Except maybe the thought of loosing her husband and daughter.

One of the men spoke at last. "I…erm… we're security. We heard a bang. What happened here sir?"

"I fell against the door from outside." Jack replied obviously mocking them.

"Ok." And they left oblivious to the scene they had just caused.

"Laura." Jack could hardly speak. She walked over to him and reached behind to shut the door.

"I woke up a few hours ago. No-one came by to check on me and I needed to use the bathroom. So I did."

"I cant believe this. First Sydney wakes up and now you." He said lifting her into his arms, breathing in the returning sent of laura.

"What do you mean 'Sydney wakes up'?" Came the distressed reply.

"Sydney went into a coma as you did but she just woke up and started to get better a few days ago. It was amazing. She had no treatment yet seemed to be improving."

"You mean she's going to be ok as well?"

"Yes." Jack smoothed her hair down as he had yet to release her from his loving grasp.

"But how? I had the antidote didn't I? How did Sydney get better without the antidote?"

"Well the doctors told me that she had been predisposed to the virus at some time in her life. I'm guessing its because she's your daughter and you had it in your system all along. They said she had built up an immunity to it and wasin a deep state of unconsciousness while fighting it off. I bought her around by simply acting as a familiar object to drag her back. Be her anchor if you like."

Irina couldn't believe she was still alive. She had been ready to give up on life. she had said goodbye to her family and was readyfor whatever came next. never had she expected to be where she was, back in his arms. her most favourite place in the world to be.

"You never gave up on us did you?" she nuzzled his neck.

"No. I've realised in these past weeks that you and Sydney are all that really matter to me and I love you both unconditionally." Jack said as he sat on the bed lettinghis wife sneak under the covers.She was getting tired and had begun to drift off as he was speaking. "I want to try and forget about what happened and perhaps…"

He was interrupted by the soft sound of his wife dozing lightly beside him.

That night, Jack realised just how close he had come to loosing the woman he loved and just how close they had come to loosing their daughter. He sat in the leather chair in his office at home and for the first time in months, he had what could be considered as a good nights sleep – even if he was slumped over his desk.

Over the next few weeks, Irina told Jack more and more about who she really was. He listened carefully and she helped the CIA to bring down several Russian agents trying to steel information and weapons.

She had been told by her handler that if she left now, her family would be suspicious and perhaps even come looking for her. They wanted her to have a clean break when she finally left the 'American pig' she was married to.

One afternoon, Jack and Sydney were playing at the parkwhile Laura sat on the picnic blanket when a young man approached her. she looked up and he smiled at her.

"Afternoon m'am."

"Hello." She replied absentmindedly.

"That your family?" He asked.

"Yup." She replied. "My husband and daughter."

"They're a good looking lot. That your dog too?" He motioned towards the small animal chasing the ball Jack had thrown.

"Yeah. He was a gift from my daughters godfather. I didn't want it but you know how kids are when it comes to puppies in bows." She smiled. That day seemed so long ago to her now after everything she had gone through.

The man chuckled. "The wife and I were persuaded into a kitten not so long back. I've regretted the day I said yes ever since but It'd break their hearts if we took it away."

"I know what you mean." Irina suddenly realised she was talking to a complete stranger. "I dont mean to be rude, butwho are you?" She queried mentally scolding herself for not asking sooner.

"I expect you'll miss them very much." He smirked.

"What?" Irina was now alarmed but when she turned around, the man was gone.

She stood up and looked around running to the gates of the park but didn't find him. If she was honest, she didn't even know what he looked like. She had been off her guard these past few weeks and hadn't even thought about looking out for the KGB watching her. she didn't want it to seem like she was enjoying the open-ness of her and Jack's relationship too much or they might see the change in their behaviour.

Jack, who was just catching up with her looked worried.

"Laura?" He shouted. "Laura?" This time he was louder and she turned around. "Hey hun, what's wrong? You look spooked. Is everything ok?"

"Yes I'm fine Sweetie. I just…" They could be listening. "… I just thought I saw someone I knew. That's all. It turned out it was a complete stranger who looked at me as though I was insane when I started asking them what they thought they were doing ignoring me." She laughed it off.

Jack wasn't convinced but knew she wouldn't keep something from him now unless it was necessary.

That evening, Irina was giving Sydney a bath when the phone rang. She heard Jack answer and thought nothing of it. A few minutes later, he entered the room with a grim look on his face.

She went to ask him what was wrong when he thrust the phone into her hand. "It's a woman named Katherine Grey-Bell for you. She says its important."

"Ok then." She realised the initials as soon as he said them. "Hey Kathy, what's up?"

"Irina, we have reason to believe there is a mole on your side of things telling the CIA information about our operations. You are to find out who it is within the week and report back to us when you leave your husband for another man. We trust you have been arguing with himrecently?"

"Erm yes of course I have, but I don't know if I can come out that night. Its just that Jack and I have been talking about taking a few weeks away and I may not be able to go out until I come back."

"We expect you to start the plans and you will be contacted soon about the details." The line went dead.

"Ok then bye kath." She smiled and handed the phone back to Jack. "That was Kathy from work. She wanted to know if I fancy a girls night out but I said I'd give it a miss."

"When is it?" He asked knowing what they wanted her to do.

"Oh, in about a week or so." She replied and went to Sydney's room with her to dry her off. Once she was in her pyjamas and sleeping, Jack and Irina took a walk in the garden. Jack produced a small pen and pulled off the lid.

"How long do we have?" She asked.

"About a minute." Came the reply.

She quickly filled him in on the happenings at the park and then the phone call.

"What can we do Jack? I don't want to loose you buy like they said before. They'll kill you and Sydney if I don't comply with their orders and they've become tighter on their instructions lately. They used to let me choose extraction details but now I do as they say or I'm through."

After a few second of silence, the pen beeped its last few seconds and Jack added. "I have an idea. You'll just have to trust me but I think it'll work... no, I'm sure it will." And with that, the garden became quiet and they entered the house once again faking an argument for the ears in the walls.

A/N – sorry its been so long and I hope you haven't given up on me. I think the next few chapters will be the end really as the story's been going on far too long for my sanity and your patience so you'll soon be put out of your misery!