Chapter 6/6

Irina gazed moodily into the fire, feeling utterly defeated. Two days of constant tension, along with the early morning humiliation had finally taken its toll. He had finally pushed too far. There would be no reconciliation. It was obvious that the man she had loved so dearly no longer resided in Jack. It had been a bad idea for her to come.

She tore open the closet door, her anger only barely in check. She would have someone take her to the train station in town. It was pointless to stay and if she didn't leave, she knew she would kill him. She looked at the bottle of vodka now sitting safely on the dresser. She had been very close to killing him that morning.

She heard the door open, but didn't bother to look up.

Jack took in the scene, Irina at the closet, suitcase in hand. "So, you're leaving?" he said, voice flat.

Irina glared at him. "It's what you wanted. Congratulations, you win."

"Was there any doubt? Leaving is, after all, what you do best."

Irina turned toward him at this. Suddenly, everything was clear. "Damn you, Jack Bristow. You've deliberately been bating me all weekend and now you have the nerve to blame me for leaving? You're the one who called me a whore, which is rich when I think about it. You're the one who slept with my sister. She really appreciated you screwing her to get back at me."

Jack blanched.

"It isn't very pleasant when you're on the other side, is it Jack?" His hands were every bit as dirty as hers and she was tired of being civil. "When I came here, I thought if I could just talk to you we could find a little happiness, to make something good out of our past, but you never really gave me that chance. I don't know what you want from me. Do you want me to grovel?" She drew herself up, unleashing her full fury on him. "That won't be happening. I am not going to get on my knees and beg. I can't change what I was when we met or the reasons why we met. The truth is, I don't want to change it. I would not have met you, otherwise. We wouldn't have Sydney. So, if you think I am going to keep apologizing for that, you can forget it. I won't bother you any more. I'll ask Joseph to drive me into town. You and Elizabeth have a lot of catching up to do. It would be better if neither of us is around."

Jack drew in a sharp breath. "You know about Liz," he said, a statement; not a question.

"Of course I know about Elizabeth." She dragged a hand through her hair. "I wanted to kill her. You never were the type for casual sex, so I knew things were serious between you."

"Liz and I were over a long time ago," he said stiffly. "I would not insult Joseph-"

Irina waved him off. "I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even suggested you would." She threw the suitcase back in the closet and settled into one of the chairs flanking the fireplace. "I came here because I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want your snores to be the last thing I hear before I fall asleep. I want to feel you tugging at the blankets I've stolen from you during the night. I want to wake up cuddled in your arms. I want to be there when you teach Isabelle her first chord on the piano. We're not young any more and I don't want to waste another moment without you. That's why I am here. That's the only reason, Jack. There isn't anything else."

Jack sat in the chair opposite her. "I don't snore."

Irina stared at him. Whatever answer she had expected, this was not it. She looked into his eyes, searching for a sign, something to tell her that this was an olive branch. "Yes, you do. Jack, I know you love me. You try to hide it, but its there in the little things you do. I've been telling you every day since we've been here that I love you, too. Why have you been pushing me away?"

Jack hesitated, remembering his decision by the door. It was time for the truth. "We aren't the same people we were twenty years ago. I don't know how two people with our history could ever find trust. A good marriage is built on trust and without it-" He schooled his emotions. "Every time you walk out the door, I would wonder if you were ever coming back. I don't think I could survive you leaving again."

"So, by forcing me away, you won't have to worry that I will betray you again?" She wanted to smack him. "Yes, I left you more than once, but leaving had nothing to do with how I feel about you. It was about doing what had to be done. You, of all people, should understand that. How many times have you done the same for Sydney?"

"That was different," he protested. "I was protecting her."

"So was I. Both of you." There were enough lies between them. "When you sent in your resignation, the KGB sent a termination order."

"I am fully aware of why you were extracted. I was imprisoned, leaving Sydney without either of us. If that's your idea of protection-"

"No, Jack. Your termination. And Sydney's."

Jack stared at her, stunned.

"You were no longer useful to them. I could then become a grieving widow, one in need of consolation. They saw it as an opportunity. Unfortunately, someone leaked my cover before they could put the plan into action."

"Someone? …You?"

Irina shrugged. "I warned them that seducing Arvin Sloane could prove dangerous. I assume he got a promotion for his discovery?"

"Sloane." Jack said the name with disgust. "You had his child." This knowledge still rankled.

"So he said."

"Irina, please. This isn't the time for your games." He turned away from her. "Despite the circumstances of her conception, I care for Nadia, as if she were my own."

"She is."

Jack stared at her, questioning.

Irina let out an exasperated sigh. "Jack, surely you checked?"

"The hourglass…"

"Now you choose to believe Rambaldi?" Irina exclaimed, exasperated. "I was already pregnant when I had sex with Arvin, which, by the way, I didn't enjoy. You owe me one for that."

"I owe you," Jack spluttered in disbelief. "Wait, are you saying Nadia is my daughter?" Jack tried to take this in, wanting to believe her.

"Check the DNA." She smiled. "You didn't sleep with her, too, did you?"

Jack looked horrified. "Good god, no."

"That's a relief," she said, trying not to laugh. "Having sex with my sister is one thing, but with your own daughter? That might have been a deal breaker." Then, more seriously, "She is very like you."

"Did Arvin know?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so. He had read one of the Rambaldi manuscripts that alluded to his daughter. He assumed it was Nadia, but other manuscripts point to another child."

"Jacqueline?"

Irina nodded. "He never considered her because he thought her dead."

"Is she?"

"No."

"You know where she is, don't you?"

"Yes. The woman who stole her was a Rambaldi acolyte. She hid her with a distant relative who raised her as one of her own. I don't know how many people know her whereabouts, but if I could find her, I imagine others could, too."

"But it's over. No more Rambaldi. Sydney told me you destroyed everything."

"Sydney and I worked together to destroy all the ones we knew about."

"Your pardon, Irina, is contingent upon your cooperation with the US Government should any other Rambaldi artifacts appear."

"I know what my pardon says, Jack." Her eyes glinted. "Sydney tried to get ithat requirement removed from the contract, but the FBI insisted."

"That would presuppose there are other artifacts out there."

"There are rumors," she acknowledged.

"And you have been searching for them?"

"No. I've been trying to see you," she said humorlessly. "It's been a bit more difficult than I anticipated."

"You're telling me that you are no longer interested in the works of Milo Rambaldi?"

"Interested? Yes. Obsessed? No." She crossed to where he stood and looked him squarely in the eyes. "Milo Rambaldi nearly destroyed me. You and Sydney almost died because of him. I hope there are no more documents, but if there are, I will do my best to find them and destroy them. I want to be left in peace. I want our family to be left in peace."

"And you want to be married to me." Jack searched her face, seeking the truth. Their relationship had come to a crossroads. Walk away and he would never see her again. Believe her - trust her - despite everything, and chance happiness. Or heartache. He felt like a contestant on an old game show. Keep door number one, where the prize was certain, or trade it for door number three where the unknown could garner the 'Big Deal' or Jay Stewart in a bikini.

Irina waited, knowing the time had come. Her heart beat faster, not sure which way Jack would go. He stood and went to the door. Her heart sank. He was leaving.

"There's a house for sale overlooking the beach in Santa Barbara." Jack turned to her. "It's not far from the house Sydney and Vaughn just purchased, so we would have plenty of opportunity to see our granddaughter. What do you think?"

Irina looked at him, confused. Then understanding dawned. A tear slipped silently down her cheek. "I think," she said, wiping the tear away, "we should look at it - together - as soon as we get home."

"Irina? About Katya…"

"You were angry. I understood."

"Irina?"

"Please don't tell me there's more."

"No more." He locked the bedroom door. "I feel a little hot, sweetheart. I think I need to be in bed."

"Yes, Jack," Irina observed, happily. "I can see your… 'temperature' is definitely rising. Why don't I tuck you in?"

Fin

A/N - I hope you enjoyed this story. There will always be a 'happily ever after' for Jack and Irina for me. I don't write for the reviews, but I really do enjoy getting them.