AN: The music of this chapter REALLY adds to these scenes. So if you generally skip the music, I highly suggest at least listening to the last 4 songs while reading! It's going to get you jazzed for all the crazy drop-offs this story is about to take! Hold on to the wild roller-coaster ride!
Music for this chapter (on repeat): Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye by Julie London, You and Me by Lifehouse, Protectors of the Earth (choir) byTwo Steps from Hell, Myth, Power, Beauty by Nick Glennie- Smith from the Secretariat Soundtrack, PM's Love Theme by Craig Armstrong from the Love Actually Soundtrack, A Storm is Coming by Hans Zimmer from The Dark Knight Rises Soundtrack.
THIRTY-EIGHT
o
*Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye*
"I hate this." Jack grumbled as he finished fastening Lena's car seat into the back of the car that was taking she and Irina to the airport. Eight days without them was going to be hell and he knew it.
Sydney had promised Irina to keep her father occupied and busy, eating dinner with him a few nights while she was absent and making him get out of the house.
"I don't like it either." Irina sighed, from under the protection of the umbrella shielding them from the pouring rain.
"I'm going to miss you."
"I'm going to miss you, too. Both of you." He brushed her hair behind her ear as he stood beneath the protective canopy with her. "I don't think I'll sleep at all without you in my arms. I've grown to accustomed to it now." He smiled softly.
"Me too. I promise I'll call you every night before I go to sleep, and you call me." She ran her hand over his cheek and he caught it, kissing her palm and holding it against his face again. "I love you."
"I love you." He smiled into her beautiful brown eyes and leaned in to kiss her softly. "Please be careful."
"I promise and I'm sure everything will be fine with the massive security detail following my every move." She smiled brightly, laughing softly. "We'll be back before you know it!" She kissed him again, threading her fingers through her hair, only stopping with the pressing need for air. "Bye…" She smiled softly and ducked into the car.
"I'll be damned. Jack, did you see this?" Kendall tossed the magazine he'd just pulled out of the briefing mail across the table. FORTUNE magazine featured Irina on the cover with bold titles that read, 'Russia's Secret Savior' an exclusive, 'Business as usual for The Romanov, closing a $400 Billion dollar oil deal for Russia with Japan.'
Jack picked up the magazine and felt his heartstrings tug seeing his wife that he missed so much.
"No, I hadn't seen it but she told me about it the other night when she called. She's been working on it for quite some time." He smiled, proud of Irina for closing the single largest deal in Russian history. "Do you remember that first night I called you from St. Petersburg, just after we found her?" Jack looked over at Kendall, then to Dixon who was also in the room.
"Yeah, I remember." Kendall nodded, continuing to go through the mail.
"She was on the phone that night with the Prime Minister of Japan discussing this even back then." Jack laughed softly and handed the magazine to Dixon who wanted to see it.
"$400 billion dollars…Whew!" Dixon blew out in astonishment as he twirled from side to side in his chair.
"Why the hell weren't we in on that deal?" Kendall boomed, throwing the rest of the mail onto the table. "I mean, christ! This country is in desperate need of oil and we're tired of dealing with the Middle-East. Bush is all chummy with Irina now and you're married to her for God-sake! You'd think we could have worked out something with her?"
"The United States offer wasn't as great as that of Japan's." Jack shrugged with a smile, "And Irina's a brilliant business woman after all, she's got to go with what's best for Russia."
"Well shit! A lot of good it does us to have connections then." Kendall sighed before cracking a smile.
"Not to mention they returned her $80 billion dollars of the stolen Romanov fortune before she would close the deal."
Dixon laughed reading over the article. "Adding to her already enormous fortune and making her the wealthiest person in the world now, surpassing the Sultan of Brunei."
"Christ, Bristow!" Kendall boomed as his face paled with shock, "What the hell are you still doing here working at this shitty government job if your wife is the wealthiest person on the goddamn planet?"
"Because that makes her an even bigger target." Jack deadpanned, in all seriousness knowing just how much danger his wife was still in. "And I'm not leaving this job until we find and stop Sloane and I find and gut Gerard Cuvee for what he's done to her." His anger seethed out between pursed lips thinking about that man as his rage called from deep inside him. "She'll never be safe unless he's eliminated."
"Agreed." Kendall added firmly, finding it easier now agreeing with Jack where Irina was concerned. He wanted a crack at the goddamn bastard for what he'd seen on those tapes his anger ran so deep and could only imagine what Jack had felt as it was his wife…the mother of his children. "We'll get the bastards, both of 'em."
"When are they coming back?" Dixon swallowed hard, taking a deep breath as his mind raced back to the images of Irina in Kashmir and made him nauseous again.
"Sunday morning sometime. Lena has her two month check up on Monday." Jack sighed, resuming his scanning of the possible Intel into Sloane's whereabouts.
Dubey had contacted Irina but had nothing new to report. For as much as Jack disliked the man because of his former relationship with Irina, he seemed to be honestly helping them in his efforts to track down Zamir and Sloane.
"Two months already. Wow." Dixon smiled thinking about his own children. "They certainly grow up fast don't they? Too fast." He looked at Jack knowing he felt the same.
"Yeah, they do. I still remember when Sydney was just learning how to walk and look at her now." Jack smiled half amused have terrified at that thought.
"How is Irina doing, Jack?" Dixon asked softly, concerned for his friend, and now after the past few months, Irina herself. Something he still had a hard time believing after despising the woman for so long.
Jack sighed heavily and folded the folder in his hands, looking up to meet the concern in Dixon's eyes as well as Kendall's.
"Well, we're still having a hard time learning her new limitations as a diabetic. We've had a couple of pretty big scares when her sugar dropped too low." He admitted, unsure 'why,' he was suddenly comfortable talking about such things. Irina was having an effect on him. "She almost fell into a diabetic coma over Christmas."
"Dear God." Dixon sat back alarmed. "What happened?"
"Her sugar just dropped too low and we didn't realize it until she dropped to her knees and blacked out. Her lips got that blue ring around them, like the day of her Execution." He looked up to see them nodding, they remembered that well too. "Scared the shit out of me."
"I can imagine that would." Kendall added softly, folding his hands in front of his face, resting his elbows on the table understanding why that would 'scare' even Jack Bristow. He even had nightmares of Irina's execution though he would never admit to it.
"The next morning she was burning up with raging fever and Irina is never sick. Turns out she went running in Moscow when she was there in single digit temperatures. Her lungs are so damaged, so fragile now from the effects of the Lethal Injection they started hemorrhaging. That led to pleurisy in her lungs again which caused her heart to beat erratically. She was on bed rest for three days and I've never seen her sleep that much in my life." He sighed shaking his head before breaking into a small grin, "It was quite the intense Holiday Season."
"I would expect nothing less from Christmas in Russia with the Bristows and Irina Derevko." Dixon laughed as Kendall cracked a smile, nodding in agreement.
"Sydney and Vaughn getting engaged." Dixon smiled.
"And Vaughn's father turning up alive." Kendall raised his eyebrows sighing.
"Yeah, that certainly surprised the hell out of all of us." Jack admitted quietly thinking about first seeing the man holding his baby and standing over his wife while she slept.
"And Vaughn said that Irina honestly didn't know?" Kendall asked, confirming what he had heard and not sure if he quite believed it.
"No, she had no idea." Jack shook his vehemently, "I had the same thoughts when I first saw the man but I was there at first she thought she was hallucinating because of her fever but when she first realized he was alive, standing in front her, she fainted. Irina had no idea. She'd thought he had died escaping, just as she told us and Mikhail thought she had died in Kashmir."
"Wow, this is all so... unbelievable still." Dixon shook his head pondering it all.
"I heard Weiss talking to Vaughn about 'you getting attacked by a Siberian Tiger or something," Kendall looked at Jack perplexed, "What that hell was that all about?"
*You and Me*
Irina had left Russia earlier then anticipated having finished everything she needed to and was now sneaking into their house in LA in the very early morning hours. She laid the sleeping baby in her bassinet before quietly removing her clothes, smiling at Jack as he slept in their bed. His hair was wild from his restless sleep and a scowl was affixed to his face as slept. Carefully, she slid back her side of the covers and into bed next to him, getting as close as she could without disturbing him. She debated for a moment whether or not to wake him but couldn't take it any longer and kissed him lightly on the lips, letting hers linger until she felt the flutter of his eyelashes against hers.
"Hi." She whispered into his face, smiling from ear to ear at his surprise.
"Hi." He whispered back when he realized he wasn't dreaming feeling her warm breath against his face. "When did you get here?"
"Just now." She smiled, leaning in for another kiss and Jack wrapped his arms around her, rolling her on top of him under their covers.
"I. Missed. You." He said between heated kisses of desperation.
"I missed you, too." She laughed softly, enjoying the warmth of his naked skin against hers.
"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He smiled, running his hands up her naked back, his hands dipping into her soft flesh. "This last week was hell."
Irina smiled at how cute he looked with his sleepy eyes and bed-head. She slowly dropped her lips to his, capturing them between her own as her dark cocooned them inside falling over her face. Her tongue darted out seeking his warmth and relishing in just being in his arms.
"Mmm." Jack moaned happily against her mouth feeling himself getting aroused beneath her weight.
"Mmm." Irina smiled against his lips 'feeling' just how happy Jack was to see her growing beneath her. "Morning wood…what a fantastic way to welcome me home, Honey." She laughed and her body vibrated against his.
Jack's hands slid down her body again and to her hips as Irina dropped her legs to his sides. Feeling herself already wet and not wanting to wait any longer after their long separation she pushed herself up slightly with her arms on either side of Jack's shoulders, sliding herself up his body, aligning herself with his growing excitement.
When she felt his head tickling her core, she slid back hard and impaled herself onto him as her mouth met his in a hungry kiss.
"Oh God, I missed you." She moaned against his mouth feeling her muscles contracting around him. "I've been aching for you all week." She whined in a needy voice against his lips as Jack's hands began rocking her body against his, sliding in and almost out before driving into her again making them both moan in pleasure.
"I know that feeling." Jack panted against her face in a whisper and then groaned when she clamped onto him insider her with her powerful muscles. "Oh God, Irina, you feel so good." He moaned into her mouth as her deviant tongue swept across the roof of his mouth, sucking his tongue in sync with her clenching driving him mad. His hands moved up her body as Irina took over their thrusting, fingering the soft curves of her breast and finding her nipples, rock hard and grating against his chest like sharp glass. His thumbs running circles around both before finally flicking her hard peaks and eliciting a sharp intake of breath from her with his efforts.
She quickened her pace using her abs and thighs, needing to satisfy the aching deep inside her as fast as possible with an explosive release. Jack felt the same desperation and moved one hand down between their bodies to find her engorged clit, swollen and throbbing with every rapid beat of her heart. The moment his fingers came in contact with her pleasure point she gasped for air, moaning in happiness and Jack felt her tremble inside.
"Faster Jack." She commanded through heavy eyes as she picked up her own pace.
Jack pinched and rolled her nipple and clit simultaneously making Irina gasp for every breath as she ground herself into him and Jack began lifting his hips from the bed matching her th breast and finding her nipples, rock hard and grating against his chest like sharp glass. His thumbs running circles around both before finally flicking her hard peaks and eliciting a sharp intake of breath from her with his efforts.
She quickened her pace using her abs and thighs, needing to satisfy the aching deep inside her as fast as possible with an explosive release.
Jack felt the same desperation and moved one hand down between their bodies to find her engorged clit, swollen and throbbing with every rapid beat of her heart. The moment his fingers came in contact with her pleasure point she gasped for air, moaning in happiness and Jack felt her tremble inside.
"Faster Jack!" She commanded as her heat enveloped him. Just the feel of being inside her warm tight space causing his breath to catch and her every moan of pleasure aroused him that much more and he became determined to make her come as fast as possible. His hands worked feverishly as did his hips, pounding his length into her feeling her getting close.
"Ahhh…" She sucked in a long breath as she began to feel the small tremor building inside her. "Jack…" She mewed turning her head to the side as her eyes screwed shut with the building explosion inside her.
Knowing how to push her over the edge after years of experience, his scorching tongue took advantage of the new angle her neck presented and traced lazy circles in the spot just below her ear.
Irina immediately gasped and shuddered before flying over the edge with a loud moan and strangled scream, biting her lip in an attempt to remain somewhat quiet and not wake their baby. Jack's hands gripped her hips hard and with new determination continued pounding into her, thrust for thrust watching her face contort in pleasure and wanting to make it last as long as possible for her, knowing he wouldn't be far behind.
He felt his abdominals begin clenching involuntarily signaling his release was about to happen and he dug his heels in and grabbed her ass as Irina slid her legs further apart for him, allowing him to go deeper and he groaned loudly feeling the explosion inside him shoot through his body and into hers.
The sensation, reviving Irina's nerves and causing another wave of intense pleasure to flood her senses feeling his body convulsing inside her. They continued to ride each other out until they were both spent and gasping for air.
"Welcome…home, My Love." Jack panted between breaths with a sated smile on his face. Irina remained lying on his chest, feeling his heart pounding against her ear as her own breathing evened out.
"It's good to be home." She smiled happily, running her hands up his sides and propping herself up to look at him when she stopped trembling. "I love you, Jack." She smiled at him with her flushed face and dark eyes, dropping her mouth to capture his in one last lingering kiss before she rolled off of him and snuggled into his side with her head on his shoulder, arm draped over his chest.
Jack pulled the sheets and blanket back up and over them, turning his head and kissed her forehead before returning the sentiment in her own tongue. "Thank God it's Sunday." Jack smiled happily wrapping his arms around her and they snuggled in closer to one another, yawning slightly before closing his eyes again, falling asleep quickly, his exhaustion taking over.
Irina lifted her head when she felt his breathing even out to look at his face in his sleep, smiling brightly when she saw that he was no longer scowling like he had been when she first came in but was now smiling. She turned her head back and closed her own eyes, letting her own body succumb to the Sleep Gods.
They both slept well into the morning after a week of sleepless nights. Irina was 'Thankful' that Lena was still on her sleep schedule from Russia, allowing them to sleep that late; and the three of them enjoyed a lazy morning together, before Irina began to tell Jack what she'd discovered in Rasputin's things.
Jack gasped in shock when she set the piece of parchment paper in front of him.
"That is a drawing, a self-portrait of Rambaldi himself. I tested the paper and ink." She sighed sitting down next to him at the table while Lena sat wide-eyed in her swing beside them. "This is a page from the Rambaldi manual. Somehow it was separated when the Soviets ransacked the archives." She reached into her briefcase and removed two other photos, setting them beside the drawing of Rambaldi.
"Rasputin and Sloane." Jack hissed out immediately seeing the genetic similarities.
"Yes." Irina sighed, and bit her lip resting her head against her hand as she leaned on the table, "They all have the same face. Same shape, same nose, same beady little eyes. They give me the creeps." She shuddered. "Pure evil in both of these men. It's no wonder The Prophecy Child would bring utter desolation to the world." She hissed and Jack ran his hand down her back in comfort, knowing how upsetting it had to be for her to know her role in it. "The thought of Sloane fertilizing my eggs with this genetic DNA material makes me want to vomit." She stood suddenly, trembling and walked towards Lena, kneeling down beside her taking deep, relaxing breaths as she smiled at her beautiful baby, soothing the anger, rage inside her over what Sloane had done.
"We will stop him before he can go through with this sick plan, Irina." Jack spoke softly as he stood, walking toward them. He pulled her up beside him, turning her to face him as he wrapped his strong loving arms around her, kissing her temple as his hand stroked over her head and down the length of her long silky hair.
She wrapped her arms around him whispering into his shoulder, almost afraid to say out loud the feeling she couldn't shake.
"What if it's already begun, Jack?"
"Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!" Weiss came tearing around the corner in the Ops. Floor at lightening pace, almost knocking Agent Crane over, waving something in his hand with shock and surprise written all over his face as he came bursting into the conference room.
Sydney, Vaughn, Dixon, Jack, Kendall and Marshall were all ready seated and waiting for him when they saw the commotion on the floor.
Weiss stood before them out of breath and panting.
"Well, what the hell is it?" Kendall scowled as they all sat waiting for some kind of explanation.
"Where's Irina?" Weiss asked noticing her absence at this meeting about possible leads into Sloane's whereabouts.
"She's in the gym going through her evaluation. What is this about Agent Weiss?" Jack looked agitated. The lack of information on Sloane was grating on his nerves and the frustration was starting to take its toll in his lack of patience.
"This!" Weiss held up TIME magazine, pointing to Irina's face on the cover. "She's TIME magazine's Person of The Year!"
"Oh my God!" Sydney flew out of her chair in surprise, tearing the magazine out of Weiss's hands with her mouth open.
"That's what I said!" Weiss smiled, looking over her shoulder, "Do you know how 'huge' this is? Shit! Double shit!"
Jack was equally stunned even with all the recent press coverage.
"It's likely because she just closed a $400 billion dollar oil deal." Dixon smirked, twirling his pen in his fingers. "Then again, she was also found out to be the daughter of Anastasia Romanov, the ruling force in Russia, a former KGB operative married to a CIA operative, went to prison for treason, was arrested, had a baby in prison cell and last but certainly not least, is the only person to have ever survived Lethal Injection. I'd say she certainly had a helluva year."
"That pretty much sums it up but that's nothing compared to this!" Weiss ripped the magazine away from Sydney again, "Sorry." He gave her an apologetic look as he flipped through the pages. "Here!" He pointed rapidly at the dark print at the bottom of the page.
"Oh my God!" Sydney gasped with her mouth hanging open again.
"That's what I said!" Weiss' eyebrows shot up as he smirked nodding his head. "Oh. My. God!"
"Would you people stop saying that and just tell us what is so goddamn fascinating?" Kendall boomed from a cross the table, slapping his hand and making Marshall jump.
"It says that the people of Russia have added Mom's name to the election ballot." Sydney's face was ashen as she spoke slowly, "As the Empress of," she paused, "an Imperial Russia."
"Oh my God!" Kendall repeated their sentiment, sitting back heavily in his chair with his own mouth open.
"When did this happen and why didn't we know?" Jack shook out of his temporary numbness and was immediately angered they had to find out in a magazine.
"It just came out a couple of hours ago. Last minute to hit the press here and in Russia. The election is still going, all the votes haven't been tallied yet." Weiss added excitedly, shifting his weight on his feet.
Jack leaned forward taking a deep breath and began rubbing his temple. 'Shit was about to hit the fan!' He and Irina hadn't talked anymore about this, they were so busy trying to find Sloane.
"She doesn't know does she?" Dixon gazed across the table at Jack, reading his behavior.
"No, she doesn't." He sighed heavily. They already had so much going on in their lives without adding this to it.
"Can I tell her? Can I tell her? Can I tell her? Please?" Weiss asked rapidly with his excitement, almost bouncing next to Sydney.
"Fine." Jack pushed off from the table, leaning heavily against the back of his own chair, "But!" He said quickly, seeing Weiss was about to tear out of the room to the gym, "Wait until she's finished in the gym." He knew this news was going to be a tremendous shock to her, finding out that the, 'Russian public has voted for you and Imperial Russia again.' They still had to confirm it anyway.
"Imperial Russia…Wow." Marshall's cheeks glowed with adoration as he smiled at Sydney. "So your Mom's going to be the official ruler now?"
"Well just because she's on the ballot doesn't mean she'll win the popular vote and even if she does, it doesn't mean she has to accept." Jack's tone was even and flat, his mind buzzing with what this could mean. "Irina's ultimately the one who will decide what she wants to do."
"And go against the popular vote? Won't that piss everyone off?" Weiss' eyebrows narrowed, not understanding why 'anyone' would not want to accept being the ruler of the world's largest country. To be the Tsar!
"She told me and Katya," Sydney swallowed the massive lump in her throat thinking about what Weiss had said, "That she wanted to keep things the way they are. But he's right, Dad. How's she going to be able to do that if the people want otherwise?"
*Protectors of the Earth (choir)*
Irina was running at full speed up an inclined treadmill and had been for the last hour. Small circular electrodes were stuck to her temples, over her heart and lungs, two over her exposed abs as she ran in a black sports bra and running shorts.
They were measuring her brainwaves, lung capacity, oxygen intake, conversion rates, muscle function and her heartbeat. Another small patch with a needle was threaded into her abdominals monitoring her insulin levels and adjusting the dosage accordingly.
For the last two weeks she'd been pushing her body hard, knowing she was going to have to be in top shape again for battle ahead with Sloane, especially since she was the one in the Prophecy that held the responsibility of stopping him.
Her body had been so weakened by the Execution and her new Diabetes she was forced to take some drastic action to get herself back in top-notch condition while keeping herself within the safe limits of her new body.
The best athletic trainers and doctors the CIA had were brought in to set up a plan for the rebuilding of her body and much to his surprise, Dr. Ryan Peterson, Irina's former student and primary physician after the Execution was brought in to monitor her bodily functions since he knew her health the best at this point.
"Everything is looking excellent, Irina." Dr. Peterson smiled at her as he read the monitors projecting her results.
"I'm going to have you start slowing down now before we speed you back up." He punched a couple of buttons and the incline began to slowly drop, as did the speed. "Your recovery and progress is simply amazing. Unbelievable really considering what you survived." He kept smiling shaking his head in disbelief as he wrote the results in her file. "I am still having a hard time with the fact you're a super spy and not an English Professor." He laughed, as did Irina while she kept running, her long hair pulled back in a loose ponytail that swayed with her steps like a pendulum keeping time.
"I am both, Dr. Peterson." She flashed him her brilliant smile before curling her lip up to blow the stray hair from her eyes as she kept her pace.
"I just wish I could tell Ann what I've been doing these last few weeks and with 'whom!" He shook his head watching his former 'Mrs. Robinson' tear up the treadmill with her astounding pace, rippling muscles and exotic beauty. "She'd never believe it. She's still grappling with the fact that you're alive and were really a KGB spy when you taught us. The whole, 'Tsar of Russia' thing really has her thrown for a loop." He kept laughing as he took a seat on the chair in front of the thread-mill.
"I'm sorry you can't tell her." Irina looked at him with her apologetic eyes and smile.
"You haven't even told me. What are you training for anyway? Armageddon?" His eyebrows raised with his smile, hoping he would finally get out of her what exactly she was doing with the CIA.
"That's Classified." She smiled her enigmatic grin, having given him that answer at least a hundred times over the course of this training period.
"Well, I'd certainly never want to take you on." He shook his head using a serious tone, causing Irina to laugh. He'd seen her at her best tearing apart her daring opponents in various forms of martial arts: Karate, Tai chi, Tae-kwan do, Judo, Ninjutsu, Krav Maga, Kickboxing and Kung Fu. Her weapons, other then her own body, had included bows, swords, knives, and Chinese stars. She'd flipped off the walls, off ropes, off her opponents and anything else that stood in her way of defeating the 'enemy.' The woman was a well-built 'machine,' a furious tornado of destruction that few had ever seen.
"I'll tell you what." Irina spoke through her heavy breathing with a smile, "When this is all over with, the mission that is. Why don't you and Ann have dinner with Jack and I? I'll even cook!" She laughed thinking about how much she owed the man before her. He'd saved her life after her execution and now he was helping to train her for the battle of her life.
"She would love that! As would I." He smiled brightly, flashing her his pearly whites.
"Then it's a date!" Irina smiled back and wiped at a rolling rivulet of sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand.
"Are you ready?" He asked, moving to stand in front of the treadmill and waiting for her nod, "Here we go." He smiled, punching the buttons again increasing her speed dramatically until she was sprinting full-speed.
"Is she done yet?" Weiss came bounding up to the group twenty minutes later that had amassed in front of the monitor to the gym, watching Irina's evaluation.
"No, but look at her go! Christ! She's been running like that for almost two hours!" Kendall stood amazed with hands on hips, realizing now, after watching her train for the last few weeks why this woman had been so hard to find and apprehend. "How the hell far do you think she's run at that speed?"
Irina could be seen on the small screen running at a furious pace as the doctors and trainers circled around her like vultures, chatting to themselves about data and to Irina.
"Thirty-five miles in two hours. Three and a half minute miles, is her average." Marshall stood transfixed staring at the screen while he chewed his fingernail nervously.
"Shit! She's like Super Woman!" Weiss gawked at the screen, "How can anyone train like that?" It was no wonder to them all, that Irina was The Chosen One; the subject of a prophecy made hundreds of years ago about a single human being, who would 'possess unseen marks' that made her astounding and would change the world forever.
"It's how the Soviets used to train all of their agents and athletes." Jack added quietly, staring up at his wife with a sigh, "It's the only way she knows how to train. 'All out' with every thing she has. It was expected and demanded from them."
"Well, it's no wonder the Soviet Union used to kick our ass in the Olympics if they all trained like this!" Weiss smiled, laughing, "It's like she's Rocky."
"No, she wouldn't be Rocky you idiot." Vaughn shook his head laughing as the others looked on, "She'd be Drago the Soviet. Remember how he trained? Same way she is now, without the steroids of course." He looked quickly to Jack and Sydney seeing their furrowing eyebrows.
"Oh yeah…" It suddenly dawned on Weiss. "His need to be the best in the world was driving him on."
"As Irina's hatred of Sloane is driving her on." Vaughn added softly, seeing the woman on the screen sprinting at a furious pace.
"Well, I'd hate the bastard with as much passion as she does, too, if the ass-clown troll stole my eggs and planned on fertilizing them himself to make the 'utter desolation' child." Weiss narrowed his eyebrows thinking about his own hatred of Sloane. "She has every right to be pissed off. Arvin Sloane is going to rue the day he messed with Mother Russia and I only hope I'm there to see it!" The corners of his mouth turned up hearing a few chuckles before breaking into a full grin.
"Um, Agent Bristow." Carrie approached the group carrying Lena who was wide-awake and sucking feverishly on her pacifier. She'd volunteered for babysitting duty while Irina went through her evaluation. Both Sydney and Jack turned to face her. "Ok…I guess either of you will know the answer to my question." She mumbled nervously under Jack's intense gaze, "Lena's getting pretty hungry and I didn't know if I should give her the bottle Ms. Derevko…Mrs. Bristow…Agent Derevko…or am I supposed to call her Empress now?" She stumbled over what to call Irina and Jack rolled his eyes. 'This woman was perfect for Marshall.'
"Any of those will work." Sydney laughed smiling. "But I think Agent Derevko would be appropriate in this setting."
"Ok, well 'she' left me with a bottle for Lena but also said that if the baby woke close to the end of her evaluation to 'pacify' her long enough until she could feed her, herself. So my question is, much longer until she's finished because this baby is getting mad."
Lena had just spit out the little plastic and rubber device and was turning red with anger, face contorted, fists clenched before letting out a thunderous cry making everyone stop what they' were doing and look.
"It's ok, shhhh." Carrie tried to sooth her, wiggling the pacifier in her mouth, trying to stop her from crying.
After a few snorts of disgust, Lena latched onto the little rubber substitute and turned her face into Carrie.
"Feed her the bottle. It's ok." Jack replied quickly in a harsh tone before smiling at the young woman who was helping them out. He knew he shouldn't take his bad mood out on her. It wasn't her fault that a potential lead turned out to be nothing. "Irina's almost finished but she will still have to take a shower and change her clothes."
"Won't she be upset?" Carrie asked still terrified of Irina Derevko's wrath even if she had proved to be a very loving woman.
"She'll be more upset if she comes up here and hears her baby screaming in hunger. Trust me." He nodded with a small smile walking past her and dropping a kiss to Lena's head, "Feed her the bottle."
"Ok then." She shrugged with a smile.
"You're really great with her. You're going to make a great mother." Marshall smiled, bumbling nervously standing before his girlfriend. "Uh yeah."
"Thanks." She gave him a lazy smile, running her hand over Lena's little head as she kept nuzzling her shirt. "Baby, I don't have what you're looking for. You'll have to look to your mother for that." She laughed, as did everyone else, except for Kendall who only cracked a smile, shaking his head as the vision of Irina Derevko breastfeeding the newborn baby in her cell flooded his mind.
Lena started kicking as her little face turned red with anger again and she let out another wail, tired of not getting what she wanted from the inept rubber nipple.
"Oh, temper, temper." Carrie furrowed her brow, trying to get the cap of Lena's bottle with one hand. Marshall jumped in and snapped it off, giving it to the baby who still cried in anger, not what she wanted.
"Wow, she's mad." He looked at the tiny baby perplexed and tense.
"She wants Mom." Sydney smiled, realizing her sister had a pattern of hating the bottle in favor of her mother when first presented with the substitute. "Here ,she'll start eating if you do this," Sydney took the bottle and swirled the nipple inside Lena's mouth causing little drops of her mother's milk to hit her tongue and alert her to the fact it was indeed something to eat. Lena attacked it once she realized what it was and quieted immediately. Sydney smiled happily, kissing Lena's little fingers.
"That was amazing." Marshall smiled brightly in awe of the woman he'd always had a crush on.
"Yes, great work, Agent Bristow." Weiss responded in a mockingly deep voice before breaking into a smile. "You've gotten your sister to accept a cheap imitation instead of the real thing. Years of experience in pulling that move, I assume." Everyone laughed, including Sydney, remembering her days as SD-6 when she would steal something and give the real item to the CIA and the imitation to Sloane.
"Ok, ok. I know you'd all just love to stand here all day and watch Derevko run or discuss the baby but we do have work to do." Kendall cocked his eyebrow, trying his best to look stern. Grumbling could be heard under the breath of many as they passed him, Carrie and Lena…all of them kissing the baby's head on the way by. Lena had become a regular at the Ops. Floor and everyone had fallen in love with her from the day she was born.
Carrie raised her eyebrows expectantly at Kendall, waiting for him to follow suit and with a grumble under his own breath, like he was being forced to do something he didn't want to, he quickly dropped a kiss to Lena's soft dark hair as he breezed by. Carrie smiled, knowing the truth. Director Kendall had become quite fond of the little baby and loved any opportunity he had to hold her, or snuggle her…though he'd always grumble before hand, putting up an act as the 'arrogant ass.'
Irina entered the Ops center a half hour later, showered and changed into her dark skirt and suit jacket, looking impeccable and completely put together.
Watching as her as she strode across the floor with determination, you'd never have guessed she had just sprinted 37 miles over the last 2 hours.
Irina went straight for Carrie and the baby, her smile growing as she took her little bundle of joy from the young woman, snuggling her face against her sweet baby's head and thanking Carrie for looking after her while she was away. Irina felt as though everyone were staring at her walking across the floor but shrugged it off, still running on adrenaline and happy when she knocked softly on the glass doors of the conference room where the others had assembled again.
Six heads turned in her direction and all of them cracked a smile seeing her standing there with Lena and a smile on her face, especially Jack, who waved her in.
"Hi." She addressed them quietly, with a smile as Jack stood and pulled out a chair for her to sit beside him.
"So what have I missed?" She looked around at all the curious faces, knowing she had missed 'something' by the way they were all looking at her.
Kendall leaned forward, and pushed the magazine in her direction.
"Oh my…" She whispered in Russian as her eyes went wide staring at herself on the cover of TIME. Complete disbelief washing over her features as she read and re-read the fact they'd chosen her for the Person of the Year.
"Well, this is certainly interesting." She sighed, switching back to English and swayed gently from side to side holding Lena to her chest with her cheek resting against the soft downy hair on her daughter's head.
"Interesting indeed." Kendall's eyebrows arched looking at the woman before him who had no idea what had just happened in her country 10,000 miles away.
*Myth, Power and Beauty*
"Irina, turn to page 8," Weiss' eyebrows matched that of Kendall's and Irina scrunched her own brow seeing their reactions. "This morning all of Russia decided they wanted you on the ballot for the election…they want you Empress Irina…to rule an Imperial Russia." He breathed out quickly as he saw Irina's immediate look of surprise before rapidly flipping to page 8, reading for herself what Weiss had just told her.
"I can't believe this. Do we even know?" She looked at Kendall then Jack searching for answers through her own disbelief.
"Do we know if it's been confirmed?" Kendall asked, knowing where she was going, and she nodded, "Yes. We just called a few minute ago and confirmed it. According to the tallied votes coming in…you're going to win by a landslide."
"But I never agreed to this…we never discussed this?" Her eyes flew to Jack. She hadn't been prepared for this so soon, she had been so busy with finding Sloane and stopping the Prophecy. Her mind was racing out of control with her rapid thoughts. She knew the election was being held in Russia, and wanted to stay out of the way, lie-low, which was why she had left the country. 'Out of sight, out of mind' way of thinking. "I expected Vladimir to win another term as President and things would continue on the same way that they had before." She paused to take a shaky breath, "I expressed those wishes when we held the press conference in Moscow. I never put myself on the ballot!"
"We know." Kendall cocked his head breaking into a small grin at how a mass of civilians had taken the power away from the mighty woman, "Apparently, the Russian people did."
"What?" She looked at him like he had grown a third eye suddenly, her voice carrying a slight tremble.
"They wrote it on the bottoms of their ballots adding your name, with a little check mark and voted for you as the ruler of an Imperial Russia." Jack smiled at her softly in disbelief himself, taking her long fingers in his squeezing them for support seeing she was in shock.
"This can't be happening…not now! Not when I need to focus on Sloane! I can't do this!" Her voice raising an octave with every word as the slight panic began settling in.
Everyone in the room sat stunned, having never seen Irina Derevko anywhere near the panic she was in now over the thought of 'the public' taking it upon themselves and voting her official ruler of Imperial Russia.
"I can't accept it." She shook her head staring at the table, as if talking herself out of it, "We'll have to have another election."
"And when they write your name on the ballot again? Irina," Jack used two fingers on her chin to turn her face to his, speaking softly. "It's what the people want."
"Yeah, but I don't know if its what 'I' want, Jack!" She kept her stormy eyes focused on his calm brown orbs. "What 'we' want!"
"I know, Honey, but if you reject what they want, you're going to alienate them and things will get out of control. Massive political unrest…" He ran his thumb over the back of her hand, trying to quall both their nerves.
"He's right, Irina." Kendall added softly, nodding at Marshall who hit the power button on a small black remote and all twelve screens in the room turned on, the sound of singing immediately filling the room.
Each one of the screens showing new coverage of the massive crowds of Russian people gathered outside various public places, with signs for Imperial Russia, Empress Irina and Mother Russia, all chanting her name throughout Russia.
In Moscow, tens of thousands of people filled the Red Square flooding into the streets and in St. Petersburg, people lined the fences of Alexander, filled the gardens of Peterhof and the massive courtyard of the Winter Palace.
They were showing small towns across the country throughout Siberia where groups of people had gathered; their faces were smiling as they huddled together in the freezing cold, laughing, drinking and almost all of them singing Russia's anthem over their determined drive to unite their country.
Irina felt tears begin to pool in her eyes seeing, and hearing the love her people had for her…and each other. To see them standing shoulder to shoulder, laughing and smiling together. It was something she hadn't witnessed in Russia in a very, very long time. The entire country was celebrating together, uniting for a common goal. She was absolutely overwhelmed with emotion and fought desperately to keep her tears at bay.
The others in the room watched Irina's reactions with rapt attention looking from her face to the scene on the screens and back again.
Sydney's eyes filled with tears seeing the people's reactions over her mother and especially her mother's reaction to the out-crying of love from them for her.
"The people love you, Irina. I don't see how you can tell them all 'no." Jack spoke softly, and a single tear finally slipped from Irina's eye and rolled down her cheek as she closed them, realizing she couldn't as she listened to their voices fill the room. Somehow, she was going to have to face this fear and accept her responsibility. "Irina, you were born for this. You've already been ruling, you can do this. I'm behind you in whatever you do." He spoke just as softly, with concern for her written all over his face. "So what are you going to do?" He asked the question they were all dying to know the answer to, and waited with bated breath for her to reply that would change their lives and the world.
Irina took a deep breath, closing her eyes and tried calming herself as she thought. After a few long moments of silence, she opened her eyes having regained complete control over her emotions.
"Accept my responsibility. To my country, to my people and to my family... both past and present." She answered quietly, smiling softly when she met Sydney's blurry eyes and smile across the table.
"Wahoo! Yes!" Weiss yelped and stood clapping with an enormous smile on his face and the others followed suite, standing and applauding with big smiles and cheers as Jack cupped her face and kissed her lightly with a smile of his own.
The entire Ops floor having witnessed the reply and joyful applause through the glass walls, stood and joined in on celebrating Irina's acceptance; all of them excited and happy for the woman, and the family that had been through so much and they had witnessed most of it with front row seats to all the heartbreak.
Irina stood tall, smiling shyly as she looked around to all the faces beaming with pride and happiness.
"Thank you," she nodded softly, returning the smiles to them all.
Sydney flew around the table, and threw her arms around Irina, crying into her mother's hair with sheer joy.
"So what now?"
Irina smiled softly, running her hand down her daughter's smooth hair.
"We go to Russia."
*PM's Love Theme*
"It's on! It's on! It's on!" Marshall screamed standing on a chair and getting everyone's attention in the middle of Ops. Everyone gathered around the TV set with smiles and excitement, as a part of history was about to happen in Moscow any minute.
Irina sat straight and regal, looking absolutely gorgeous in her black suit, calm and collected as she sat center, behind a long table in front of a massive gathering of press from all around the world, flanked on both sides by her family, the Putins and the Cabinet members.
The lights were blinding and hot and the room was filled with the sounds of popping flashes and quiet chatter as they waited for her response to the question.
Jack saw Irina's slight hesitation and reached his hand over and clasped her fingers, into his, giving her a small smile and nod as they stared deeply into one another's eyes for a moment.
"The people have spoken…and I am humbled by the outpouring of love and support that they have shown towards me and my family, towards their country and fellow Russian." She spoke smoothly in Russian with her enchanting voice and gaze that captivated everyone awaiting her response. "It is with great honor that I sit before you today and accept my responsibilities and duties as the future ruler of an Imperial Russia." She smiled as a thunderous round of applause and cheering went up around the room, and all over Russia and the world as people heard her acceptance.
"The Coronation of Her Imperial Empress Tsarina of all Russias: Irina Nikolaevna Alexandra Dmitrievna Romanova Derevkova Bristowova," Vladimir smiled at Irina and then to the jubilant crowd who was screaming louder with every part of her name and title. "And the entire Imperial Family," He paused with a laugh as more enthusiastic screams went out, "Will be held in conjunction with St. Petersburg's 300th Birthday Jubilee in May of this year."
People everywhere in Russia jumped up and down with excitement as the vodka flowed freely.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" Weiss and Marshall were screaming with joy into each other's faces as the 'pops' of bottles of champagne could be heard echoing around the room.
"Do you know what this means, Marshall?!" Weiss yelled hysterically, bottle of champagne in hand, "We're part of the Imperial Family of Russia as the Godfathers of the Grand Duchess Lena!" He jumped around dancing with glee.
"You people have all lost your minds!" Kendall looked around the room at the complete chaos.
"Oh come on, Kendall!" Weiss thrust a paper Dixie cup of champagne into his hand smiling, "This is the most exciting thing since man walked on the moon! The largest country in the world has just voted themselves, back into an Imperial Monarchy with a 'smokin' hot ass-kickin' Tsar on the throne!"
Kendall's eyes bugged out hearing Weiss's reference of Irina.
"Now stop being an ass and drink up!" He scolded and then smiled, toasting his bottle to Kendall's Dixie cup.
"This is both good and bad for us." Sloane drummed his fingers together, talking to the doctor, watching the press coverage from Russia.
"How so?" He asked with his thick German accent.
"Good, because it will keep the baby's mother busy and out of the way for now."
"And bad?"
"Because it will make Irina's death a lot more noticeable."
"The country is going crazy with joy, Matt," Katie Couric smiled, holding her earpiece to her ear, trying to hear as she watched the roaring crowd of Russians behind her celebrating, "This was just the press conference, I can't imagine what it will be like in four months during the actual Coronation ceremony."
*A Storm is Coming*
"If she makes it that long." Cuvee hissed with a snort, puffing out a long line of smoke with a disgusting leer watching Irina on television. "The Royal Whore returns." He laughed deeply, throwing his head back as he downed another shot of vodka. His hand slammed the glass down onto his desk and the TIME magazine naming Irina Person of the Year.
His fingers grazing over her cheek in the photo as he continued to draw in the nicotine from his cigarette, "Woman of Strength." He read and scoffed, remembering her iron will when she first came to Kashmir and how he broke her. "My Little Vixen, how have you managed to fool the world?" He laughed tracing Irina's lips with his finger, "I know your weaknesses and just how to use them." He leered, inhaling one last draw from the cigarette before stubbing it out Irina's face.