FLASHBACK
Irina looked at her home-pregnancy-test. It couldn't be positive, it couldn't. But she knew that it was false hope, her body was something she was very in tune with and she suspected it for some time now. She buried her head in her hands. This couldn't come at a worser time, her case officer had just informed her that she would soon be extracted from her marriage and motherhood. And to the KGB soon meant between now and a month. Suddenly there was a knock on the bathroom door.
"Mommy ? Are you in there ?" a six year old Sydney asked
Irina quickly threw the test into the garbage after rolling it in some toilet paper. "Yes honey, I'll be right there"
Irina opened the door and saw her daughter holding up a piece of paper. "What is that ?"
"It's from daddy, the fax machine in his study made some strange noices so I went to look and I saw this coming out of it"
Irina took the paper and read it. Jack was coming home earlier than expected from his mission and he wanted to take his two girls out. She smiled, how she was going to miss this, miss him. No, she mentally slapped herself, she wasn't going to miss him, he was just a mission and he fell right into it.
"Mommy, when is daddy going to be home ?"
"Soon sweetheart, he's taking us out to dinner tonight so let's see what you are going to wear." Irina said taking her hand.
END FLASHBACK
Irina leaned her head against the wall, she didn't even look up when she heard someone enter. It didn't take a look, to know that her husband would be standing at the other end of the window, looking at her with calm eyes but inside he was full with rage and anger.
"I suppose you want to know why" Irina said calmly
Jack didn't answer and just looked at her, Irina turned her head towards him. "When I first learned of my pregnancy, my case officer had just informed me that my time with you and Sydney would end soon. When I told him about my condition, he ordered abortion without any room for disobience and he expected that I would follow his order. But I didn't"
Her eyes raised to meet his. "Somewhere deep down, I half hoped that they wouldn't order me back before I was due to have the baby so that I could leave it with you. But faith had other plans, when we got back at Russia and it was very obvious that I was pregnant, they threw me in prison for treason and I stayed there so long that I gave birth in a filthy cel with only one woman to support me."
"Why hadn't you contacted me after ?" Jack asked coldly
"How would've you reacted, if one year after I supposingly died and after the CIA informed you that I was a KGB agent, I called you to say that you had another daughter." Irina asked with a hand on the window
"I would've taken her from you and shot you in the head" Jack replied
"But a child needs her mother" Irina asked half amused
"Sydney has been fine without you and Sofya didn't really have a mother for all those years"
"Would've you done better ? Would've you raised her better ?" Irina asked interested
Jack remained silent but then answered. "I would've tried to keep her from the spy world, knowing that she deserved better. I would've protected her from harm and not let her risk her life everyday without a cause"
"But isn't that what you let Sydney do everyday ? And now that she has formed a relationship with Agent Vaughn, you're no longer the man in her life that does the protecting. We both raised a daughter Jack, and both have a different lifestyle but who are we to decided which one is best ?" Irina interuppted
"Sofya killed innocents…." Jack started to point out
"Nobody is innocent in this world Jack, you of all people should know that. Sofya never killed anyone she didn't have to kill, something she has from you." Irina smiled
Jack turned around and walked out of the cel. Irina held her smile until he was out of sight and then she took a deep breath. Telling him the story brought back so many memories, memories she had wanted to forget. She went to sit on her bed again and thought about happier times with Jack.
FLASHBACK
"Jack, how do you think about getting another baby ?" Irina asked snuggled in his arms
Jack looked at the woman lying beside him panicked. "What do you mean honey ? Are you…."
"No, no", Irina lied, "But I've been thinking about giving Sydney a brother or sister"
Jack smiled. "Yeah, that would be nice. God knows she has been asking for one since she received the ability to talk"
Irina smiled at this little joke and kissed his bare shoulder. She was leaving tomorrow, her extraction was prepared to the minute and tomorrow night, it would be put into action. Her day with Sydney had been wonderfull, nothing could take this day away from her even if death would await her back in Russia.
"Laura ? Are you okay ?" Jack asked concerned
Irina snapped out of her trance and smiled slightly. "You know, if we want to have another baby, then we should get started on it"
Jack laughed as he rolled on top of her, he kissed her with as much passion as he had in him. "You're absolutely right mrs Bristow"
Irina closed her eyes, this would be the last time that he would call her that. It would be the last time that they would make love together. She responded to his kiss and let all thoughts disappear from her mind.
END FLASHBACK