AN: Music for this chapter: Via Con Me by Paulo Conte, Korobeiniki by The Stars of St. Petersburg, Once Upon a December- Instrumental (Anastasia's Music Box)- Anastasia Soundtrack
THIRTY-THREE
o
Paris-
"I can't believe your mother is the owner of one of 'my most favorite' places in Paris." Bella smiled, placing her hand on Sydney's forearm in the back of the car of with a smile. They were stopping at Irina's club on the way to the airport. "Does she visit here often?" She asked sliding her hand down Sydney's arm to hold her hand. Spending time together over the last couple of days, Bella had decided she adored Sydney and could see why her son would fall in love with such a girl and was sad they didn't have more time together.
"I don't know." Sydney returned the smile, feeling relieved and excited that Vaughn's mother had taken a liking to her and being coming fast friends over the weekend. "I never really asked her, but she must spend quite a bit of time here if I have to pick up 'this something' that is so important to her." She looked over across the car and her smile grew seeing how happy Vaughn was that his mother had fallen for Sydney just as he had, accepting her already as 'her daughter.'
"Michael told me that your Grandmother Anastasia escaped out of Russia and made her life with your Grandfather here in Paris." Bella continued her brilliant smiling at Sydney.
"That's what my mother told us and that my Grandparents were actually married here in Paris…I still can't believe it."
Sydney smiled looking out the window at the people on the streets when they stopped at a light.
"I think it's terribly romantic." Bella raised her eyebrows with delight and a gleam in her eye looking at her son with a knowing smile. "One of the greatest love stories I've ever heard. Your parent's story is pretty amazing as well." She turned back to Sydney and noticed she'd seen the look that had passed between she and her son.
Sydney had seen the interaction but didn't ask questions, instead turned her attention back to her parents. "Yes. Its still unbelievable to me how life has turned out. This time last year, my mother was in CIA custody, spending Christmas behind her glass cell."
She felt Bella squeeze her hand, "I went to see her Christmas morning, but not my father. I knew he was staying away. I realize now it wasn't because he couldn't stand her, angry with her for her betrayal. He was staying away because he was afraid of being around her. He was falling for her all over again and that's why he was terrified to be around her. Because, despite learning what we thought at the time was the truth about her…that she was a liar, a traitor, a KGB spy, a terrorist and mafia leader, an assassin." She looked shyly at Vaughn and his mother remembering those awkward days between she and Vaughn when they believed her mother had killed his father, "In spite of all that my father still loved her." Sydney smiled to herself thinking about the moment she knew her father still loved her mother, when he refused to leave the prison in Kashmir without her. She knew it had nothing to do with 'completing the mission' by returning their prisoner and had everything to do with the fact her father wasn't about to leave her mother to die in the air strikes with Gerard Cuvee.
"How is your mother feeling today?" Bella asked concerned for the woman she hadn't even met having heard she was ill and why.
"My dad said her fever was down and seemed to be improving with the medication but that she was still sleeping all day, which is definitely not like my mom." Sydney frowned, still concerned for Irina and couldn't wait to see her for herself in a few hours.
"Sleep is good. It means the body is healing." Bella patted her arm reassuringly.
The car had stopped at the valet and the door opened letting them out of the backseat.
"We're here." Bella smiled and as Sydney got out of the car and stood in front of the club, she couldn't help but feel a strange sense of déjà vu.
The last time she'd been at this club, she hadn't known it was her mother's or for that matter hadn't even seen her mother alive yet at that point. So much had happened from then until now.
"You've been here before?"
*Via Con Me*
Bella asked sensing something about the way Sydney was looking at the place as they made their way inside. Sydney couldn't contain her smile as she looked at Vaughn knowing he was thinking about the same thing.
"Yes. Just once, though I didn't know it belonged to my mother at the time."
"It's wonderful." Bella smiled clasping Sydney's hand in her own again. "They have wonderful singers, fabulous entertainment, fantastic food…this is the real classic Paris nightlife."
Sydney almost burst into laughter thinking about her own singing performance on the stage in front of her. Though she couldn't exactly share that story with Bella.
"This shouldn't take long." Sydney smiled softly as Vaughn and Bella took seat at the small beautiful bar to have a drink while they waited for Sydney.
"No hurry, we have time." Bella smiled, looking around.
"Ok." Syd returned the smile and then caught Vaughn's eyes giving him a quick kiss.
Sydney asked the bartender in perfect French where she could find Pierre and he nodded to a dark haired man sitting on the stool at the end of the bar, smoking a cigarette. Sydney slid onto the stool beside him with a small smile and the man turned to look at the beautiful woman who now sat beside him, enormous smile coming to his lips as he looked her over.
"You look familiar." He continued smiling stabbing out his cigarette onto a small silver ashtray. "Have we met before?" He wasn't sure but there was something about this woman's eyes that he remembered.
"No, actually we haven't." Sydney offered her hand, which he took and kissed, "My name is Sydney. Irina Derevko sent me to retrieve something for her from her office."
"Ah, yes she said I should be expecting you." He smiled, not releasing Sydney's hand. "You are as beautiful as your mother, that is why I thought I had seen you before."
Sydney was a little surprised to find out her mother had told the man she was sending her daughter, surprised and elated at the simple fact. She wasn't sure when it happened, but she was suddenly aware of the fact that over the last few months, she'd become 'proud' to be her mother's daughter instead of ashamed. "Thank you." Sydney nodded as the man continued to smile at her.
"Can I offer you a drink?" He motioned for the bartender.
"No, 'thank you…actually, I'm on my way to the airport so I can't stay." She stood hoping to probe the man along. "If you'd please. I need to be on my way."
"Certainly," He stood with a smile, motioning her to lead the way through the crowd of people.
"Son," Bella placed her hand gently on Vaughn's knee when Sydney was out of sight. "Take a deep breath, you look as though you're about pass out." She laughed softly stirring her drink with the tiny straw. "Everything is going to be ok, don't worry."
"Do you sing? Like your mother? She has a beautiful voice." Pierre smiled showing Sydney down a small hallway and up some stairs to Irina's office.
"Yes, I can sing but not too frequently." She smiled happy to hear these small details about her mother.
"That's a shame. It is always like 'pulling teeth' to get Irina to sing for us when she is here, but she is amazing and everyone loves her." He smiled opening the door after pressing in a very long series of numbers into the security box opening the door.
Once inside Sydney stood by the door taking in her surroundings as Pierre walked behind the big cherry wood desk and began punching another series of number into the large walk in safe, Sydney wasn't surprised to see.
He retrieved a large rectangular package wrapped in brown paper that Sydney instantly recognized by shape to be a framed picture of some kind.
"This is it? This is what she wants me to bring to her?" She asked a little confused why this painting would be so important to her mother.
"Yes." Pierre smiled and handed her the rather large painting, mysteriously covered in brown paper.
"You don't know what it is?" He asked with a hint of disbelief and intrigue.
"No. She didn't say, only that it was important." Sydney smiled fingering the wooden frame she could feel beneath the paper.
"Ah, yes it is very important to her…and now I know why." He smiled mischievously as he guided her into the hallway and locked the door again.
"It's a painting, that much I can tell but of what?" She wanted to rip open the paper and see for herself but knew that would probably be a bad idea as they were about to get on an airplane with it. It must be valuable to Irina and she didn't want to risk damaging it to satisfy her own curiosity.
"I'll let her tell you." He smiled again, "Please tell her 'hello' for me and perhaps next time, Sydney…you can stay longer, have that drink and share your lovely voice.
"Perhaps." She smiled, thinking 'not on your life will I get back up on that stage.' "Thank You Pierre."
"And Sydney, be very careful with that." He nodded to the painting. "I know now, it is worth more than you could possibly believe. In fact, I can't believe she let it hang in this office for so many years knowing what I do about it now. So be careful."
"Ok." Sydney held the painting in her arms that much more delicately, anxious to find out what it was. "I've got it." She smiled when she found Bella and Vaughn again. "We can go."
"That is obviously a painting, but of what?" Bella asked intrigued by the brown paper package as she grabbed her coat and Vaughn helped her into it.
"I don't know. Something mysterious that means a lot to my Mom apparently. I can't wait to get to St. Petersburg and find out. Vaughn, are you alright? You've barely said anything today? You aren't getting sick too are you?" Sydney immediately concerned placed her palm against his forehead.
"No, I'm not sick." He smiled warmly, and cupped her cheeks kissing her lips with a smile.
St. Petersburg-
"Hey you, Love Birds, fancy meeting you here." Weiss smiled and grabbed Sydney into a big hug when he spotted them at the luggage terminal. "So, how's Paris?" He waggled his eyebrows at Vaughn, as Sydney hugged Marshall. "Your mom?"
"Paris is wonderful, as is my mother. She said to say 'Hello.'" Vaughn laughed, grabbing his and Sydney's bags.
"Ah ha! I knew I left a lasting impression on her!" Weiss smiled triumphantly. "No woman can resist my 'magical' charm."
"This is so amazing." Marshall, looked around him. "I've never been to Russia." He smiled brightly and Sydney hugged him again as he looked too cute in his big fluffy parka and fur hat.
"Where did you get your hat then?" Sydney ran her fingers over the smooth fir on Marshall's head.
"I bought it on eBay." He smiled warmly, "It's a little too big but…It's authentic from Russia. I wanted to have one for this trip. "
"Why didn't you just wait until you got here to buy one?" Vaughn smiled perplexed at their bumbling friend, whose head seemed to be swallowed up by the large hat.
"I don't…I, I don't know." Marshall seemed to ponder the thought just now.
"Sydney!" They heard shouted from behind them before the beautiful young woman flung her arms around Sydney in an enormous hug.
"Oh my God…who's that?" Weiss stood open mouthed asking Vaughn under his shaky breath watching the two women in front of him.
"That's Sophia." Vaughn nudged him in the ribs, returning the waggle of the eyebrows with a smile at Weiss's reaction.
"So all the Derevkos are insanely gorgeous hot women, then?" Weiss whispered back in awe.
"It's been too long cousin! I'm so happy to see you again." Sophia smiled brightly with giddy as she bounced where she was standing. Her eyes seemed to travel over Sydney's shoulder to the dark haired man standing beside Vaughn.
"Hello Michael." She grabbed Vaughn's face and kissed his cheeks, "It's good to see you…tell me who is your friend?" She stood in front of Weiss with her devilish Derevko eyes and Weiss felt himself melting under her gaze.
"Sophia, I'd like you to meet our friends Eric and Marshall." He answered looking at Sydney with a laughing smile, that they'd been right about Sophia and Weiss meeting.
"Hi Eric Weiss 6'2" single American male." Weiss was in a trance looking into Sophia's big brown eyes, the same brown eyes he'd seen on Irina Derevko that used to scare the shit out of him.
"Well Eric Weiss 6'2'' single American male…" Sophia flashed the same Derevko enchanting smile and he knew he was putty in her delicious fingers. "I'm Sophia Irina Tatiana Romanova Derevkova Bernelli 5'10" single Italian/Russian female."
"Charmed." Weiss kissed her hand, his eyes never leaving hers. "I'm sure."
She leaned up kissing both of his cheeks, flashing that smile before greeting Marshall. "Marshall, is it?" She took hold of his hand covered in fluffy white mittens.
"Yeah-ess." Marshall swallowed hard Sophia having the same effect on him as Weiss under her beautiful stare. "I'mmm Marshall." He stammered and his hat fell over his eyes. He struggled with his mittens on to push the hat back up and felt strong smooth fingers brushing against his cheek as Sophia slid his hat back on with a smile before kissing his burning cheeks.
"It's a pleasure, Marshall." She smiled warmly at the funny little man, "I like your hat." She winked and Marshall froze momentarily.
"You…you…you…have have Irina's eyes." He swallowed hard again mesmerized by her dark brown orbs.
"Yes…so I've heard all my life." She smiled again purposely batting her long eyelashes as she purred in her accented English. "It seems we both got them from my Grandmother Anya."
"Where are Sergei and your mother?" Sydney tried not laughing at her cousin melting the men to puddles in front of her with her 'classic Derevko charm.' She wondered if she would have inherited that charm if Irina had raised her as Sophia had from Katya.
"They have already found Dmitri and are waiting in the car." She linked her arm with Sydney's. "I wanted to come find you." She smiled and then looked at the large package under Sydney's arm curiously narrowing her eyebrows in another flash of Derevko Vaughn immediately recognized.
"What is this you are carrying, Sydney?"
"Some painting of my mother's she wanted me to bring from Paris." Sydney shrugged as they all pulled their coats up a little higher around their necks to ward off the cold blast of air that greeted them outside.
"All right! Nice!" Weiss smiled seeing the long black limo in front waiting for them, "Traveling in style, I like it." He craned his neck looking down at the license plate after putting his suitcase in the trunk.
"What are you doing?" Vaughn asked looking at Weiss like he was going crazy, as did Sydney.
"Just reading the license plate. Just wondering if it was a vanity plate that said, 'The Man' or 'The Chosen One' you know being Irina Derevko's car and all." He smiled when he saw Sydney shaking her head trying not to laugh.
"The Man?" Sophia asked confused, not understanding this strange exchange that was obviously a private joke.
"You don't know who 'The Man' is?" Weiss looked at her in shock with a dangerous smile as they slid into the car. "You don't know about 'The Man?'
"No, should I?" She titled her head looking back and forth between the man in front of her and Sydney.
*Korobeiniki*
"That was my mother's code name in the 'organized world,' Sophia." Sydney added softly, sliding into the backseat. "Hello Aunt Katya, Sergei." She smiled warmly and hugged them both, holding Katya a little longer both relieved that this time they were seeing each other wasn't under such duress as last with Irina's Execution.
"Hello Sweetheart." Katya sighed into Sydney's hair with a smile. "It's so good to see you again."
"Wait, I don't understand." Sophia shook her head, not about to let this drop again.
"Why would Irina, who is a woman, be called 'The Man?"
"Because Irina is equal too or rather above any man in the organized world. Don't you see, it's like a word play? She is 'The Man' because she is the head of her organization and the most powerful of the others." Weiss found this girl sitting so closely beside him as fascinating as her aunt.
"No, I still don't get it. She is a woman. Why not call her 'The Woman?" Sophia kept asking and Vaughn and Sydney shared a smile, thinking about the last time they'd seen Sophia and her relentless questioning.
"Because that's not as intimidating." Seeing Sophia's narrowed eyebrows he quickly jumped to explain, "Ok here, you're Italian so you obviously know about the mafia right? You've seen The Godfather movie? You know 'go to the mattresses,' 'leave the gun, take the cannoli?"
Sophia nodded wondering where he was going with this, "Well, Irina is 'The Godfather' of all the Dons. When people heard 'The Godfather' they were terrified of his wrath so they respected him, did what he said out of fear. The nickname, 'The Man' has that same power."
Sophia's eyes went wide in horror, "Irina is 'The Godfather?' People fear her? People feared 'The Godfather' because he killed people and put dead horses heads in their beds. Are you telling me that's what my aunt does? You all told me she never killed those CIA agents!" She looked at Vaughn, Sydney and her mother expectantly.
Weiss felt like a deer in headlights and Sydney's heated glare at referencing her mother to 'The Godfather' even if it was an accurate analogy.
"Sophia, Rina didn't kill any CIA agents. She was telling you the truth. But do you remember what she also told you?" Katya clasped her daughter's hand in hers.
"Yes, that 'knowing her was dangerous' and the 'less I know the better.' This falls under both those categories doesn't it? Something all of you know as CIA agents who 'hunted her down?'" She looked with dark eyes at the four agents in front of her. "I just can't imagine the woman I've heard about all my life, the woman I met just a few months ago…I can't imagine Irina being that terrible, that dangerous…with everything she's done for us, or family and friends, for all of Russia. She is so different than what I am hearing in these stories."
"Yes, she is different, Sophia. She's not a terrible person. Irina is the same loving person that you know, Sweetheart. There is just a lot more to her. She was using her power, that respect that came with it…to change Russia, to help our country… Which she has and still is. She is not a bad person." Katya tried making her daughter understand seeing she was getting upset again as she did the last. "Sometimes you have to become the villain in the story to actually be the hero. Irina has done bad things but for good reasons. Who is bad and who is good depends on who is telling the story, Sweetheart. ."
"But she's killed people?" She challenged her mother and the four agents in front her. "She told us so, as an assassin for the KGB."
"It comes with our line of work and only when necessary. They are not innocent people, Sophia…they are the bad guys and sometimes that's the only way to stop them." Sydney sighed trying to explain a difficult thing for a civilian to understand.
"But you were after Irina, your CIA…You were supposed to shoot and kill her if you had the chance…because 'she was…is," Sophia stumbled trying to figure out what to say, "The bad guy? Right? That is why your country executed her?"
"Oh boy," Sydney sighed under her breath. "Yes, that is what we thought, Sophia. But we were misinformed. We didn't know what my mother was really doing. We didn't know we were 'both' working for the same goal, to stop a very evil man. We thought she was trying to help him." She sighed thinking about Sloane, "Yes, she was once our country's enemy, as we were hers'…but she's our ally now. We are working together."
"Oh." Sophia seemed to accept this as a good answer, "Seems there was a lack of communication between you…On many levels." She raised her eyebrows at Sydney with a small smile.
"Yes, there was." Sydney admitted, thinking about all that they hadn't known about her mother, both personally and professionally.
"So Aunt Irina isn't scary?" She looked around needing confirmation.
"Oh no, she's still scary." Weiss said in all seriousness before cracking a smile everyone started laughing, except Sophia, "Maybe intimidating when she wants to be is a better name than scary," He added. "Like when she's looking at you with those eyes of hers, like you're doing to me now. Like a feral cat about to pounce." He added and everyone laughed harder including Sophia.
"The first time I'd gone to see her in the glass cell," Vaughn shook his head sobering up remembering that day, "She was pacing like a caged tiger, then stopped and got as close to the glass as she could…looking at me those eyes like she was going to eat me alive."
"Yeah, I bet you were about ready to piss your pants." Weiss added and everyone started laughing again. "I think all our first encounters with Irina were that way." He slapped Vaughn on the back, looking at Sydney. "At least you had the protection of glass, Syd and I both got shot." He laughed, finding it easy to now that it was in the past and their current relationships with Irina.
"She shot you? The first time she saw you, she shot you? Both of you." Sophia's eyes went wide again, and Sydney kicked Weiss's shin with her foot from the opposite side of the limo.
"Yes." Sydney offered a small smile, trying to calm her cousin. "She was saving my life, though I didn't know that at the time."
"And to be fair, she didn't really shoot at me," Weiss shrugged and smiled apologetically at Sydney for exposing another landmine, "Her screwdriver did…it just sounds cooler to say, I was 'shot by Irina Derevko."
"Screwdriver?!" Sophia stared in wonder as St. Petersburg flew by outside.
"Yes, the woman is a genius." He smiled warmly at Sophia with a little laugh, "She rigged a gun with a screwdriver to keep firing rounds so we'd think there was a sniper still on the roof. One of those stray rounds hit me."
"Oh my God." Sophia gasped in a mix of horror and fascination at this insane side of her family.
"Well, my first encounter with her wasn't scary and Mr. Bristow was in there with her so… I knew she wasn't all that scary if she was Sydney's mom." Marshall smiled at Sydney nervously. "She just kept smiling at me, even after I injected her with the tracker which would have made most people cringe and cry. She's tough." He nodded with his cute smile, thinking about his Christmas gift to Irina.
"Tracker?" Sophia kept asking more questions in fascination.
"Ah, something we aren't at liberty to tell you about." Weiss shrugged apologetically.
"But…its removal, that little tracker in her shoulder," Katya grinned wickedly, "Is how our little Lena was created."
"Oh, I see." Sophia laughed as Sydney groaned and began blushing as did Marshall thinking about Jack taking the tracker out of Irina's shoulder that led to Lena. Marshall knew he saw some fire of raging electricity still passing between them in that cell before they'd left for Bangkok.
"Spending all this time with Irina…alone, these past few days…poor 'Panama Jack." Katya added laughing and another round of hysterical laughter came out of Weiss and Vaughn, who tried to keep it inside making him shake.
"I don't get it?" Sergei, Marshall, and Sophia all said at the same time, making the others, save Sydney burning red on the other side of the corner trying to distract herself from thinking about it by looking out the window, burst into another round of laughter.
"Ah, after you have a baby," It finally dawned on Sergei, the medical student, "For six weeks you can't…" He motioned with his hand trying to make them figure it out on their own without having to say the words.
"Oh." Sophia added with a smile, nudging Sydney as Marshall added, "And it hasn't been six weeks so they can't…Ah."
His cheeks flashed red as his eyes widened thinking about the hard-nosed Jack Bristow he knew doing anything remotely like that…
"Ahh," Sophia gasped with delight, "We're here."
She and everyone else looked out the window at the amazing sight before them as the big gates covered in white lights opened to reveal Alexander Palace to them for the first time decorated for Christmas.
*Once Upon a December/Anastasia's Music Box*
No one said anything, too much in awe as the car made its way up the long drive way going around the thousands of trees lit up as they approached the house.
"Oh. My. God…" Weiss gasped with mouth open as the car pulled up in front of the incredible palace. "Look at this place."
"Someone pinch me." Marshall barely whispered, struggling to keep his hat from falling over his eyes as their hot breath pressed against the limo windows making frost on the other side. "Owe!" He turned to suddenly to look at the culprit who actually pinched him and was lost under the darkness of his hat once more.
"You said to pinch you." Weiss grinned as Dmitri stopped the car and opened the door.
"Wow…" Vaughn couldn't stop starring at the immaculately lit house before him, its sheer size towering above them, daunting in its beauty. They all stood amazed at the house and then turned to look over the entire grounds lit not only by the millions of little white lights but the full moon; the beauty literally astounding.
"Irina did a beautiful job didn't she?" Dmitri smiled at Katya as they all removed their bags and packages. "She had Illiyah decorate to her specific instructions. Amazing."
"Breathtakingly beautiful." Katya smiled as they opened the enormous front door and stepped inside.
Weiss and Marshall stood in awe in the immense room before them, having never been to Alexander before. A gargantuan Christmas tree at least twenty feet high stood to the right of them against one wall, and two slightly smaller ones at the base of the grand staircase on each side. All three trees decorated to the hilt with white, gold and red lights.
"Wow." Marshall could hardly breath at its beauty and realizing where he was standing, in a room where the Tsars had lived…and still did.
"Syd," Vaughn whispered into her ear as he helped her to remove her fluffy coat. "Have you noticed the way Dmitri keeps looking at me?"
"What?" Sydney turned in his arms with a smile and a laugh, "No. Why we would he be looking at you?"
"I don't know. It just feels like he's staring at me." He shrugged watching the old man helping Katya out of her coat.
Sydney looked up to the second floor and over the banister she could see her father slipping out of her mother's room. "Dad!" She smiled warmly as Jack came down the stairs with a smile on his face, disturbing to those still not used to this side of Jack Bristow. Sydney engulfed him into a big hug, kissing his cheek. "How are you?" She looked into her father's face and realized how tired he looked.
"I'm good actually." He smiled, "How are you? Did you have a good flight?"
"Yeah, the flight was fine other than the people pointing at me and whispering." She smiled and laughed.
"Yes, I got that, too." Jack added dryly before smiling at how happy Sydney looked.
"Did you see Mom's on the cover of TIME?" She asked still in shock with bright eyes.
"Yes. Saw those as well." He smiled thinking about his beautiful wife gracing the cover.
"The Russian equivalent graced their cover with photos of both of you from the other night in Moscow…at the ballet."
"Really?" Sydney shook her head baffled by all of this attention still. "How is Mom?" She was dying to see Irina again after only a couple days separation.
"She's feeling much better." He smiled relieved, "She and your sister are upstairs sleeping but she wanted to be awoken when you arrived."
"So, you two talked?" She asked softly with a big smile.
"Yes." He smiled and kissed her head at her mischievousness.
"We talked…and we're ok, in fact we're better than ok."
"Good." Sydney smiled, looking Jack in the eye. "That's all I wanted for Christmas." Her smile grew seeing her father's reaction to her admission. "I'm going upstairs to wake up Mom."
She kissed him again quickly on the cheek and ran up the stairs with excitement as Jack greeted everyone and they made their way into the Throne Room decorated spectacularly for just the occasion with chairs and sofas around the fireplace and Christmas tree with mounds of gifts already lying under it.
Irina had hung stockings with all their names stitched in Cyrillic across the top over the enormous fireplace and Dmitri went to begin preparing dinner with Katya as everyone else sat around talking.
Vaughn noticed Jack was looking at him from the big leather chair on the opposite side of the room and began wondering if he wasn't being paranoid.
Sydney crept into the bedroom and saw her mother asleep on the bed on her side and facing away from the door, looking 'too beautiful for a woman so sick' she thought with a smile.
She saw her sister curled into Irina's chest snuggling and sucking her thumb, something Sydney had never seen her do and made her clasp her hand to her heart how cute they looked.
She decided she would wake Irina the same way she had always awoken Sydney, by folding her arms over her and pressing her cheek to hers. As soon as she did, she felt Irina smile, knowing exactly who was waking her.
"Merry Christmas." Sydney spoke softly, not wanting to wake Lena.
"Merry Christmas." Irina reached her free hand up to cup Sydney's cheek against her own. Irina's voice had improved some but still sounded much deeper then her normal one and it momentarily stunned Sydney.
"How are you feeling?" She whispered into her mother's ear, making no attempt to move from where they were.
"Better. Especially now that you're here." Irina closed her eyes and smiled thinking about how blessed she was for this moment surrounded by her daughters on Christmas. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too." Sydney kissed her on the cheek before moving to sit so she could look at her mother. "Dad said you talked…and everything was 'ok'…'better than 'ok' he said." Her eyes danced with delight.
"Yes." Irina smiled, taking Sydney's hand in her own as she lay there looking up at her. "We did a lot of talking." 'And a lot of other things.' She thought to herself with an enormous smile. "Things…went well." She continued to smile through her cryptic answer.
"I gathered, judging by the smile on Dad's face, and the one on yours' now…" Sydney laughed with her dimply grin that Irina would never get tired of seeing. "I'm glad, because Mom…he looked 'so' miserable at the airport when we were in Paris." She laughed shaking her head thinking about her father's disheveled appearance.
"He certainly surprised me that night." Irina smiled as she gently moved her arm away from Lena to sit upright with Sydney's help.
"How was Paris?" Irina turned her dark eyes to Sydney's.
"It was amazing. Vaughn's Mom…is amazing." Sydney couldn't stop smiling. "I think the two of you might actually…really like each other. Eric was right in Jakarta in his assessment of the both of you. You're alike in a lot of ways, I think."
"Really?" Irina raised her eyebrows with a small grin finding that interesting. "And I'm sure she loved you."
"We hit it off right away." Sydney held Irina's arm as she slowly stood. "She wanted me to 'thank you'…for the photos, and for what you did for Mikhail…in Kashmir." Sydney added softly, swallowing the lump in her throat. "She wanted me to tell you…'thank you for the offer' to spend the holiday here, but she just needs a little more time to adjust to all of this new information about her husband's life. I told her, you of all people would understand."
Irina smiled softly, pulling Sydney's head to her lips, placing a soft kiss in her daughter's hair.
She could understand why Bella would need more time. She also couldn't help but think about how this woman was going to react finding out her husband was still alive…how Michael was going to react.
"Pierre says 'Hello' and wants you to come back and sing for them, I definitely want to be there for that performance."
Sydney smiled and laughed softly when she saw Irina roll her eyes. "So what is this mysterious painting you wanted me to bring home anyway?"
"It's downstairs?" Irina's eyes immediately lit up.
"Yes." Sydney watched Irina intrigued with her facial reactions.
"You'll see." She wiggled her eyebrows with her mischievous smile staring back at Sydney behind her in the mirror.
"How was the flight? And the car ride here?" Irina tried brushing her hair and felt weak. Sydney saw the struggle and took the brush from her, brushing it for her while the talked in the mirror.
"It was fine. The car was interesting though." She shook her head thinking about her inquisitive cousin. "Sophia got to asking questions again…and Eric compared you with 'The Godfather,' " She saw Irina's eyes immediately flash to hers in the mirror with horror, surprise and humor. "Yeah, I know…he scared the crap out of her."
"What did he tell her?" Irina asked softly with a big sigh.
"Basically that you, as The Man, were exactly the same as The Godfather in the films, except you didn't leave horses heads in people's beds. Katya and I told her you're not 'that' bad." Sydney gave her a small smile that had the desired affect and made Irina smile. "We convinced her you were more 'intimidating' then 'scary." She laughed meeting Irina's eyes as she continued to brush her mother's long wavy hair, not that it still needed it, just because she liked to. "I remember brushing your hair when I was little." Sydney cleared through the fog in her mind and could clearly see herself standing behind her mother on the bed, brushing her long beautiful hair.
"I remember, too." Irina smiled, happy to see her daughter remembering. "You could play with it for hours, tying it in knots in your attempts to braid it," She laughed, "I remember trying to teach you how to braid before I left…" She smiled softly, "Who ended up teaching you?" She asked quietly, pained that it wasn't herself that got to finish teaching Sydney.
"Francie." Sydney answered after a moment, tears pooling in her eyes thinking about her lost friend and the events surrounding her death.
"We were in Fifth Grade…" She felt the tears coming faster and Irina's heart was breaking watching Sydney in the mirror. "Mom…" She swallowed hard, willing her tears back as she slowed the brush strokes. "Did you…why…why Francie?" She had finally asked the question that had haunted her for almost a year. "She was innocent." She choked back a sob, "She didn't deserve to die. She was my best friend…Why did you…"
Irina turned instantly wrapping her arms tightly around Sydney's neck, tears welling in her own eyes at Sydney's pain. "Sydney," She pulled back taking a deep breath, and tilting Sydney's chin up to look at her with her fingers. "I'm not going to say I'm not responsible for your friends death, because I am." She saw the instant flood of tears surge Sydney's eyes before she turned her face away from Irina again. Irina used her fingers to turn her face back to look at her again. "When I turned myself into CIA…I gave Julian control over my organization, I told him that we needed a Los Angeles contact…left it up to him to get one." She swallowed hard, watching Sydney's tears fall over onto her cheeks. "I didn't know he'd killed your best friend…replaced her with the other double as our asset…until after I was extracted. I'm sorry." She reached up to brush away the steady stream of tears rolling down Sydney's cheeks.
"So you didn't know…'You' didn't purposely pick my best friend?" Sydney asked with shaky breath.
"Sweetheart, no." She looked into her daughter's eyes. "Julian made that call, and I'm still not entirely sure why…" Irina shook head with a sigh, "Though I believe I know why…that's my fault too." She looked apologetically at Sydney. "After you knew I was alive and our repeated run-ins…I knew he was jealous of you, Sydney."
"Jealous? Sark?" Sydney looked at her confused and astounded, "Why?"
"Because you were my daughter." Irina smiled sadly while her hands, moved to hold Sydney's up in her own against her chest. "I raised him, Sydney…and not you… but you were my flesh and blood. My Sydney. And he was jealous of the love and affection I still felt for you, the ways I still tried to keep you safe…I suppose, he wanted to hurt you for that but knew he couldn't so he chose your friends, Will and Francie. " She looked deeply into Sydney's eyes with tears in her own, "I'm sorry, Sydney…I'm so sorry."
Sydney could hardly believe what she was hearing but Sark's actions, comments and remarks toward her and about her mother started making sense with that theory. His comment in Paris when they'd been forced to work together for SD-6…he'd told her he 'thought of Irina as his own mother.' Her mind was blown to hear her mother had actually raised him.
The way he mockingly called her 'Princess' like a taunting child, as if she were somehow the 'spoiled' sibling. After finding out about her royal heritage she thought maybe that was why, but with what her mother just said, she could see it now.
Sark saw her as a threat…to his relationship with her mother, the 'only mother he'd ever known,' the woman who raised him. "You didn't know, Mom." Sydney pulled Irina into her, holding onto each other.
"But I'm still responsible, and I will spend the rest of my life 'sorry' for what happened." Irina held her closer and kissed her hair. "And I am sorry, Sydney."
"I know." Sydney sniffled back more tears. "But…I just want to know. What happened to her body? I want to give her a proper burial." Sydney pulled back and grabbed a tissue from the box next to the sink for both she and Irina.
"I don't know what happened to her, Sweetheart." Irina felt ashamed she couldn't even answer that question for her daughter to give her some 'peace' and closure over her friend's death. "I will ask, Julian."
"No." Sydney suddenly said forcefully anger rising in her, surprising Irina. "I will ask him…I want to hear him tell me 'why' he chose my friends."
"Ok." Irina stroked Sydney's hair, trying to sooth and calm her down, seeing how upset she was.
"Jack," Vaughn asked quietly coming up to stand beside him when they were helping Dmitri bring out trays of hot chocolate, Christmas cookies and of course, vodka. "Can I talk to you a minute? Alone…" He added nervously as Dmitri kept looking at him from across the kitchen, stirring the soup.
Jack was immediately tense thinking Vaughn somehow knew something was going or that his father was upstairs waiting in the bedroom. He managed to keep his stoic calm and set the tray down again.
"Ok, Mr. Vaughn." Jack shared a quick look with Dmitri as they left the kitchen. "Let's go to the library." Jack took a seat in one of the big brown leather armchairs and watched as Vaughn nervously sank onto the couch near him. "So, what's on your mind, Vaughn?" Jack asked sitting almost regal like against the back of the chair.
"Jack…I…" He fidgeted nervously with his hands struggling to ask, "Mr. Bristow," He finally looked up at him and Jack felt his heart tense immediately, "I want to ask you for your permission to marry your daughter. I want to ask Sydney to be my wife…and I would like your blessing." Vaughn felt small, the smallest he'd ever felt under the scrutiny of Jack Bristow's dark gaze.
Jack was stunned and yet he wasn't. His mind flashed back to the conversation he'd had with Danny, the last man who had wanted his permission to marry his daughter and how terrible that conversation had gone. He'd made Danny feel terrible. His own life was so miserable then and he had 'no' relationship with his daughter at the time, he felt like he'd lost that 'fatherly right' many years before.
But here was a young man in front of him he'd watched his daughter develop a relationship, saw how they complimented one another, challenged each other…went to extremes to protect the other. His own relationship had begun healing the same time that theirs had begun.
After speaking with Sydney, seeing her happiness with Vaughn, he knew they were meant for one another. He felt honored that Vaughn would ask for his blessing. He studied Vaughn a moment and saw the younger man remain upright and confident, waiting patiently for his answer.
Jack knew he didn't need to ask 'why' Vaughn loved Sydney or how he was going to take care of her or make her happy…he'd seen it with his own eyes over the last three years they'd been working together.
"Vaughn," Jack finally addressed him, leaning forward towards Vaughn, "You have my blessing." He finally smiled when he saw the evident surprise on Vaughn's face, by giving him the blessing without an interrogation. Jack clasped Vaughn's knee with his hand, giving it a squeeze and shaking the younger man out of his daze with a chuckle.
"Thank you." Vaughn couldn't believe he felt himself getting choked up and stood to shake Jack's hand. Jack stood and clasped his hand and in a move that stunned them both, pulled Vaughn into his chest and hugged him with a big 'manly' slap on his back.
"Just make her sure she stays happy, and you and I will never have a problem." He squeezed Vaughn's shoulder when they separated with a little more pressure then necessary, sending a message, before laughing.
"So when are you going to ask her?" Jack couldn't believe his 'baby' was going to get married or how comfortable he suddenly felt with the idea. Irina had changed him.
"Tonight." Vaughn surprised him, "When we open gifts."
'Oh, this going to be possibly the biggest night of this kid's life,' Jack thought to himself as they went back to the kitchen thinking about his proposal and finding out his father is alive and upstairs. 'And one helluva Christmas!'
"Are you ready?" Jack opened the door to the bedroom ten minutes later wearing a big smile when he saw the three loves of his life, sitting on the bed together, beautiful and smiling.
"Yes, we're ready." Irina smiled beautifully as she looked down to the baby in Sydney's arms.
"Oh, wow." Jack was in awe looking at Lena in her gorgeous Christening gown, long and white with tiny little satin bonnet over her soft dark hair. She was sleeping peacefully, nestled in the matching white blankets. "She looks so beautiful." He smiled dropping a kiss to her tiny head as he ran his finger over the back of her hand. "I remember the day we baptized you…" He looked up at Sydney smiling, with his secret. "I can't believe you're all grown up." He dropped a kiss to her head before smiling over at Irina.
"Is her gown still in the Hope Chest," Irina suddenly asked and Jack smiled and finished her thought.
"In our bedroom? Yes." He smiled warmly. "Everything is right were you put it." Which was the truth, he hadn't gotten rid of anything in her Hope Chest, keeping it all for Sydney and if he had gotten it out on those lonely nights alone with his Scotch to wander back in time, he always put them back exactly where they were.
He knew Sydney did the same thing, as if preserving one more thing of her mother, her placement of the objects, by returning them to where she'd put them.
Sydney was smiling from ear to ear watching the exchange between her parents as they shared what was now again, a happy memory for them…her baptism.
"It was a good day." Irina smiled, reaching for Jack's hand which he gladly accepted and laced his fingers with hers. "Despite the error in judgment of asking Arvin to be your Godfather, though Emily seemed to hold up her part of the deal of loving you and protecting you in my absence." Irina smiled softly at Sydney remembering the close bond she'd had with Emily Sloane.
"Ehhh." Sydney mock shuddered thinking about Sloane as her Godfather. "Creepy lying slime-ball he turned out to be. Standing in a church, before God, promising to love and protect me. What a sick joke as he turned out to be the person to hurt me the most. Put me in the most danger and tried to kill me."
"Yes. Something we'll never forgive ourselves for…trusting him with the best interests of our child." Jack added softly with apologetic eyes, squeezing Irina's fingers as they both looked at Sydney.
"Well, don't be too hard on yourselves. You trusted him. I made the same mistake." Sydney shrugged and then smiled. "Now let's not ruin or first Christmas Eve together in decades and Lena's baptism with talk of the ass-clown troll that is Arvin Sloane." She laughed seeing her parent's reactions.
"Ass-clown troll?" Irina repeated in disbelief as Sydney kept laughing, hearing the phrase come out of her mother's mouth sounding hilarious with her sick voice and thick accent. "I think I like this term. I shall use it more often." She started laughing as Jack rolled his eyes trying not to laugh at their choice of verbalizations.
"Ass-clown troll." Irina repeated, finding it easily rolling off the tongue now. "It is accurate for him, isn't it?" She smiled at Sydney whose body was shaking with the giggles she was attempting to keep in. "Good analogy, Sweetheart."
"Are you clowns ready?" Jack finally smiled and pulled Irina up into his arms. "Because dinner is ready and waiting."
"Yes, Panama Jack." Irina smiled devilishly with her seductive eyes as Jack scooped her up into his arms.
"Oh God!" Sydney rolled her eyes, trying not to smile. Sure, their sexual innuendos drove her nuts but it was a small price to pay for having her parents back together, in love and happy again. "You two are crazy!"
"Ok Mrs. Claus." Jack smiled back at Irina following Sydney down the stairs, thinking about the beautiful woman in his arms in her sexy little red Christmas present.
"Mrs. Claus?" Sydney turned her head with eyebrows furrowed with confusion before seeing the look on her mother's face as she looked at Jack. "Ok, wait…Don't tell me, I don't want to know." She said shaking her head looking away and Irina started laughing behind her.
"Merry Christmas!" Irina smiled brightly, greeting everyone in Russian when Jack entered the dining room carrying her. "Hello!" She looked amazing, but slightly pale and the fact that Jack was caring this strong independent woman was a little unsettling to everyone as they all greeted her back, getting out of their seats one at a time starting with Katya to greet her with the traditional kiss.
"How are you feeling, Rina?" Katya kissed her cheeks and looked seriously into her older sister's eyes still alarmed to hear she'd been so ill.
"Better. Honestly." She smiled trying to reassure her sister.
"Then why did Jack have to carry you?" She cupped Irina's face, making the others wait and not caring.
"Because I'm not supposed to leave my bed for another two days on compromise with Alexei in not being in the hospital," She rolled her eyes, "And to be carried down here was the compromise I had to make with Jack to leave my bed."
"Hmm. I see." Katya kissed her again quickly with a smile to Jack as he sat down. "Finally someone is getting her to listen. She's so stubborn."
"As a mule." Jack smiled and Irina threw him a glare with her dark eyes, reflecting the flicker from the candlelight.
Marshall was blushing and sweating before he even spoke to her, holding her hand in his he stumbled with his words and Irina couldn't help but smile at how cute he was nervous.
"Um…Hi."
"Hello." Irina greeted him back with her radiant smile trying not to giggle as everyone else did with Marshall's continued flustered nature around Irina. "Merry Christmas Marshall."
"Merry Christmas." He suddenly sighed, at ease with her smile. "Your home, this palace is amazing! Thank you…for inviting me. I'll never forget this day um night, ever. Best day ever…Well right up there after I won the Science Fair in was pretty cool too…I'm rambling again aren't I?" He paused awkwardly as Weiss nodded 'yes.' "Anyway…'Thank 4th grade and of course the day I was accepted at MIT and then meeting Sydney and of course the day Lena was born you.' Da svidanya." He added in Russian with a terrible accent that made Irina giggle. She found him charming when others found him nerve-wracking.
When she pulled his head towards her lips to greet him with kisses his face flashed red as he blushed for the fourth time that evening.
"Aunt Rina." Sergei smiled his handsome grin as he leaned over to kiss both her cheeks. "Good to see you again."
"And you Sergei." She returned the smile. "How's school?"
"Hard. But I am muddling through." He shrugged with a knees weakening smile.
"Liar." Sophia cautiously made her way toward Irina, "He's getting perfect scores. He'll make a brilliant doctor one day."
Irina smiled studying her niece whom she knew was still unsure about her, "How are you, Sophia?" She kissed her cheeks softly, keeping one hand against her cheek as she asked softly with her motherly touch.
"I'm good." She felt the tension leaving her body with the soft caress of her aunt's hand and the warmness in her eyes and voice, in spite of being sick. "I'm so happy you're 'ok.' Mama was a wreck with worry." She smiled softly remembering Katya's panic when she learned Irina was going to be executed. "She loves you so much, Aunt Rina…so stop scaring her." She teased and felt relieved to see Irina smile.
"I will do my best to 'not be scary.'" Irina slowly enunciated the last three words with a smile, remembering Sydney's revelation in the bathroom that they had to convince Sophia she wasn't a scary person. Irina pulled her niece's face to her lips once again, kissing her cheek softly.
"Eric." Irina greeted Weiss, pulling on his hand, forcing him to bend over so she could kiss him 'hello,' and he felt his own cheeks feeling warm and begin blushing. She held her hand out to him and with her Cheshire grin added, "Maybe you should kiss my hand too…" He looked at her startled, confused, "If I am 'The Godfather." She smiled brightly and saw his cheeks flush red instantly as everyone who'd been in the limo laughed out loud, which was everyone but Jack.
Weiss smiled and shook his head embarrassed, as he brought her hand to his lips. "I hope this doesn't mean I will wake up with a dead horses head in my bed in the morning." He asked and everyone laughed harder.
"No, I don't think so. That's too messy and this is my house," She smiled warmly, "And the only horses around here are my own, which I'm quite fond of so...no. You're off the hook."
"You have horses? Here?" Weiss's eyes lit up in wonder.
"Yes…they are in the stables." Irina looked at him with a smirk of curiosity. "You'll see a few of them tonight actually. We'll be traveling by sleigh to the church."
"Hot damn! This place is better then Disneyland." He said seriously before breaking into a broad grin as everyone laughed again. "Who knew the Russians could be so much fun?"
"Well, we did." Irina deadpanned and everyone hit another round of laughter.
"Irina Derevko with a sense of humor." Weiss teased her, "You're just full of surprises aren't you."
"You have no idea, Agent Weiss, no idea." She smiled back thinking about the biggest surprise yet, eating dinner in his room.
"Michael," She smiled softly, as he kissed her cheeks immediately.
"Irina, I'm glad you're feeling better." He offered a small nervous smile with the way she was looking at him. 'Jack must have told her.' He thought.
"Thank you." Irina held was able to find her resolve to keep from tearing up thinking about later this evening.
"Thank you for the photos of my father." He added softly. "My mother and I, we appreciate them." He couldn't believe how much his relationship had changed with the woman soon to be his mother-in-law over the last few months.
"You're welcome." She placed her hands on his cheeks and kissed him once more, willing herself to stay composed, finding it much harder these days.