AN: Music for this chapter (on repeat): Sorrow by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerard from the Gladiator Soundtrack, Breathe Me from Sia.
FORTY-EIGHT
o
*Sorrow*
"What's happening down there?" Vaughn asked seeing the look on Sark and Dixon's faces as they approached them.
"Sloane's dead. Irina stabbed him in the heart and slit his throat." Dixon spoke softly, disbelieving that it was really over and not quite as happy as he thought he would be with getting revenge. "But Sloane implanted an embryo."
Weiss, Vaughn and Marshall's eyes went wide listening.
"In a sixteen year old girl," Dixon shook his head in disgust knowing the evil man probably purchased her from her family for his sick plan. "She is twelve weeks along, a baby girl." He sighed and swallowed hard thinking about the image of the little feet and thinking about his own daughter and what Irina must be going through, "Irina's aborting the baby now."
"My God." Vaughn said barely above a whisper, finding his mouth dry.
An hour later, it was over and the girl was sedated and sleeping, wrapped in a sheet when Jack carried her to the jeep where everyone was waiting in the dark.
Irina was following them and jumped into the back without making any eye contact as Jack set the beautiful dark haired girl carefully into the back with her. Irina nestled the sleeping girl against her chest again, holding her protectively in her arms.
Jack knew Irina felt responsible and guilty for what she had just put this young woman through and there was no way he was going to be able to change her mind that it wasn't her fault, she had to do it. He jumped in the front and drove away, followed by Vaughn in the other jeep and when they reached the crest of the dune a mile away, Irina pressed the red detonator button in the remote in her hand and the compound exploded into a thunderous ball of fire engulfing the one hundred and twenty-three corpses and evil left inside. She didn't bother looking back as she rested her face against the young girls head.
They switched back to their own jeeps and set off into the early morning hours to meet with Dubey.
Jack saw Dubey's light flashing in the dark three hours later and flicked back "Irina" in Morris Code with his headlights guessing that name wouldn't get them shot at. He pulled the jeep to a stop several feet away from Dubey and jumped out slowly, as did everyone. The pain and bruises starting to settle in from the stiff bumping ride through the desert.
Dubey stood wide-eyed in the dark looking at the battered bodies before him and surprised they had all made it out alive.
"So what's the damage?" He looked to Jack noticing the man's already blackening eyes from apparently getting hit in the face.
"Five gun shot wounds, and one stabbing, two broken fingers, four broken ribs and a plethora of bruises." Jack sighed, helping an injured Weiss from the jeep so they could all take a bathroom break in the sand before moving on.
"You are fortunate to all be alive." Dubey gathered stacks of clothing from the back of his jeep, taking note of everyone and only seeing the back of Irina's head, unmoving in the back of the jeep in the dark.
"Irina?" Dubey moved around the back to see his dark haired beauty and surprised to find the young woman sleeping against her chest.
Irina's cheek had been split, her eyes were also turning black and her lip was cut but she still looked beautiful. The mass of white gauze around her arm suggested she was either shot or stabbed.
"Vijay." She greeted him with a weak smile. "Thank you for meeting us."
"Are you ok?" He looked her over as Jack watched with rapt fascination at the man's concern for his wife.
"Yes. I'm fine but we have four people who need to see a doctor as fast as possible." She ran her hand over the sleeping girl's hair, knowing that this child, Julian, Eric and Marshall were in need of medical attention.
"We're about 75 kilometers from Oasis of Siwa. There is a doctor there who will be able to mend your wounds until you can seek further medical attention in Cairo still another 14 hours away." Dubey saw the look of concern flash across her face looking to the jeep behind her and Marshall who was sleeping and pale from blood loss. "If that's not fast enough, I can have a plane ready in Siwa to fly us directly into Cairo."
"I think we'd better fly. He's gone too long without medical attention as it is." She looked back to Marshall and Dubey's eyes followed. "The bullet went clean through but he's lost a great deal of blood."
"Okay, then that's what we'll do, Irina." He smiled softly at her, handing her a beautiful pink and gold sari. "I think this is your color." His smiled widened when hers' did slightly and Jack watched as she patted Dubey's hand and took the garments.
"Thank you." She smiled softly, not reaching her eyes and moved carefully, trying to ease away from the girl and Dubey jumped in the back to help her.
"Who is this girl?" He asked noting she was obviously Egyptian and not much more the sixteen.
"Another victim of Arvin Sloane." She answered tersely and Jack offered her his hand to help her over the side, which she accepted, meeting his eyes for the first time in hours, she smiled so softly he almost missed it.
Irina jumped down and Jack held onto her hand, refusing to release it until she looked at him again, sending her the message of 'it's going to be ok' with his eyes and touch. Her eyes began to fill with tears and she quickly shut them down, turning away and grabbing her sari, heading off into the darkness to change.
"So Sloane is dead?" Dubey asked leaning on the jeep from the opposite side of Jack, watching Irina disappear into the desert.
"Yes. He's dead." Jack sighed, the realization of it still sinking in after all these years. There was no relief, only sadness and a hollow feeling. The rage that had filled that spot was gone and only emptiness was left.
"Take your pick." Dubey handed him the stack of men's attire.
"Thanks." Jack nodded and went off in search of his wife.
Sydney was the next to grab a sari and head off into the darkness followed by Weiss, Vaughn and Dixon who helped Dubey change Marshall carefully.
Irina was just finishing wrapping her sari around her chest when she saw Jack approaching. Silently, he dropped his clothing into the sand and helped her secure hers', standing close and aching to help her seeing the deep hurt in her eyes. The pink and gold sari reminded him of their trip to India and he smiled as he helped her place the beautiful fabric over her wild hair.
"Reminds you of India, doesn't it?" Irina began unhooking Jack's vest and Kevlar, concentrating on the task and avoiding his eyes. She was afraid if she looked into his beautiful caring eyes, she would crack and lose it in the desert.
"Yes. It does actually." Jack smiled, encouraged to hear her speaking and helping him remove his own clothing. "You were gorgeous then…and gorgeous now."
"Thank you but I don't know how gorgeous one can be after five hours in a grain bin. I smelled like barley." She pulled the Kevlar up and over his head, their eyes catching and he locked his gaze with hers, holding them there. "You looked so beautiful, and your wild hair and brewery scent only enticed me more." He smiled softly, cupping her face under her chin and brought his lips to hers softly, gently careful of her cut. His tongue grazing her top lip asking for permission and Irina opened wider, needing the contact and threaded her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer in an intense kiss until both of their noses hit and they both pulled back cursing in pain and holding their faces before Jack started laughing softly and Irina finally cracked a small smile.
Jack sighed, looking at her and took a step towards her again brushing her cheek.
"It's over, Irina. It's finally over. Sloane will never hurt our family again."
Irina nodded softly and looked down the sand, a flash of the dying man racing across her mind.
"I love you, Irina." Jack whispered into the darkness and her eyes met his again, their glittering black depths searching his for a moment.
"And I love you, Jack." She held his gaze a moment and bent over picking up her clothes and his, handing his new garments to him before walking away into the darkness.
"Irina," He called out softly, getting her attention and making her turn back towards him. "I love you." He emphasized his words, looking deep into her eyes, wanting her to know she wasn't alone in this anymore. He was there for her.
Irina felt the tears threatening again and swallowed hard knowing how much he wanted to help her and he couldn't.
"I know…as I love you." She turned sharply blinking her eyes rapidly and forcing the tears out of her eyes making her way back to the jeep.
They made their way through the Libyan desert for another hour, climbing the dunes and sliding down the sides as the sun came up in the East, the direction they were headed, turning the sky a magnificent array of colors.
Dixon was sitting in the back with Irina and Jasmina, his eyes drifting to Irina in the early morning light he noticed her very rosy cheeks, glazed eyes and shaky hands.
"Irina, where is your blood testing kit?" He asked softly, realizing it had been many hours since he'd seen her take insulin or eaten anything and this look was one he'd never seen from her but remembered Jack talking about it from Christmas when she was getting too low.
Her eyes fluttered from the dunes to his and smiled softly at his concern, she hadn't even thought about it with everything on her mind.
"My reader is in the top left pocket of my vest." She said softly as Dixon dug over the back seat under the tarp trying to find which vest was hers. "My insulin exploded with gun fire." She sighed and shrugged when Dixon cracked another smile, seeing her bullet-laden vest at the bottom of the pile.
"Thank God for Kevlar." Jack voiced from the front seat hearing their discussion and sighing in relief she was wearing it this time or she'd be dead; all of them would be.
"Amen to that." Weiss added holding his arm so his shoulder didn't move.
"I'll use my 'just in case." Dixon smiled genuinely at her, watching her tenderly stroke the hair away from the young girl's face she was holding in her arms. He pulled the little black pouch that Jack had given them from his vest pocket and retrieved a syringe and the bottle of insulin.
She held out her finger and he hesitated pricking her for just a moment, not wanting to hurt her and unfamiliar with this procedure.
"It's ok." Irina nodded at him and he took hold of her finger and pricked it, squeezing and producing a small drop of blood that made him queasy, which he thought ridiculous with all the bloodshed and horrors he'd seen today.
He smeared it onto the paper strip and within 5 seconds read the numbers to Irina. She told him what to fill the syringe to and motioned for him to stick her in the upper arm, below her stitches from Spain.
"I have to tell you, I can't stand needles." Dixon cringed sliding the needle into the muscle of her arm and slowly pushing the plunger.
"Neither can I." Irina added softly, closing her eyes until he was done and then gave him a small smile. "Thank you." She was getting better giving herself shots but still cringed when anyone else did with the loss of control again.
"No problem. Anytime." He smiled, putting the bottle and syringe away thinking how far he'd come with this woman in just the last four months. Dixon rummaged around in their packs and gave her a bottle of water, taking one for himself and handing one to Jack and Weiss.
They crossed into Egypt without any problems and an hour later arrived at the beautiful Oasis of Siwa.
They checked Jasmina into the small clinic Dubey had influence in as Marshall, Julian and Weiss underwent minor surgery to stitch up and remove the bullet in Weiss's case, from their bodies; and Irina and Sydney sat side by side on twin beds to get their wounds sewn shut.
"Are you ok?" Irina asked seeing the long gash on her daughter's thigh for the first time when the doctor removed the bandages to clean it, her eye's flashing with concern as the other doctor worked on her arm.
"It's ok." Sydney gave her a small smile, seeing her mother's wound in detail as well. "Marshall said you were like Bruce Lee, Rocky and Rambo all rolled into one." She giggled softly, and Irina smiled, looking down and shrugging her eyebrows.
"Marshall did an amazing job considering his experience." Irina inhaled deeply, her eyes lifting to her daughters, "He saved my life."
"And you saved his." Sydney gave her the famous dimples, "We all made a great team."
"Yes, we did." Irina sighed with a soft smile.
"What's going to happen with Jasmina?" Sydney asked quietly after a few moments, wondering the fate of Sloane's unknowing surrogate.
"I've asked Dubey to stay and look after her and when she's well enough to travel…take her back to her family with some money to start a better life and strict instructions…that she 'will never be sold again." Irina raised her eyebrows, knowing that if she gave the girl and her family money without those strict rules, her parents would keep the money and sell her again for additional funds.
"Mom," Sydney asked after a few moments in silence studying her mother. "Are 'you' ok?"
Irina looked into her grown baby's eyes, filled with love and concern and her heart melted.
"Yes, Sweetheart, I'll be ok…I love you, Sydney."
"I love you, too, Mom." She smiled brighter.
They boarded the tiny plane to Cairo six hours later and landed just before 8pm on Saturday. Irina had made a call in the air and a car was waiting for them when they arrived to take them to her home.
"Wow, look at the pyramids." Weiss gazed out the window as the setting sun illuminated the grand tombs of the kings. "I never get tired of looking at them."
They crossed the Nile and pulled into a massive security gate, driving up a curvy cobblestone driveway past a wide variety of tropical plants and palms to the enormous white house in front of them with hieroglyphic trim around the door etched in the stone.
"Another stellar home, Irina." Weiss gave her a small smile as they exited the car and she led them inside.
The entire interior was in line with the Egyptian history and was a spectacular sight to behold with its high vaulted ceilings and spectacular wood floors.
Carrie emerged around the corner with an enormous smile, holding Lena and a bit surprised at their appearance, noticing Irina's black eyes and Weiss's arm in a sling immediately. Marshall was escorted in with the help of Vaughn and Jack and his smile lit his face seeing his girlfriend.
"You made it. You all made it." She sighed and felt tears stinging her eyes, seeing they were beaten and bruised but all alive.
"My baby." Irina felt her own tears surfacing again as she took in the sight of her baby, sleeping in Carrie's arms. So perfect, so tiny and she felt a rush of tears thinking about what she had done earlier in the day. Slowly she walked towards them and lifted her child from Carrie's arms, "Thank you." Irina gave Carrie a tearful smile.
"She was perfect." Carrie smiled and gave Irina a hug, happy to see her alive. "Marshall!" She ran to his side when Jack and Vaughn deposited him on Irina's leather sofa, noticing him wince with the movement. "What happened?"
"I was shot." Marshall smiled feeling as though he'd earned his badge of honor.
"Oh my God…" Carrie gasped as her hand went over her mouth, not realizing how deeply she cared for this man until this very moment when she discovered she'd almost lost him. "What happened?" She sat beside him as the others, stretched out on the various couches and chairs around the room, relaxing after such a stressful last few days.
"He saved my life." Irina smiled softly, holding her baby in her arms and looking at Marshall with pride. His smile lit from ear to ear hearing Irina.
"You did?" Carrie's eyebrows rose up in surprise.
"I only did what anyone would do…the man was going to shoot her!" His eyes looked sad and his eyebrows scrunched, "She didn't see him, so I shot…and was shot in return."
"He was very brave." Irina smiled softly at the young man and looked back to her baby, noticing the blood still under her fingernails her eyes went wide in horror. "If you'll excuse me, I feel disgusting and am going to take a shower. There are six bedrooms in this house with bathrooms. Help yourself to any of them and anything in the kitchen." She relayed quickly before darting into her room with the baby.
Jack stood still by the edge of the couch, his heart beating loudly in his chest witnessing her pull away. He was afraid and didn't know what to do or how to help.
Irina closed the door and backed against it, taking a deep breath trying to stop herself from crying and she managed to. She laid the sleeping baby in the middle of her bed and started stripping her clothes off as she made her way into the shower.
The scalding water hit her back in a relief as she let the water pound over her, filling the room with steam as she scrubbed her skin pink, trying to rid her body of every ounce of blood that stained her skin and her fingernails.
"Cleaning up sounds like a fabulous idea!" Sydney slapped Vaughn on the thigh and departed his lap where they sat on the sofa. "I have sand in places I never imagined!" She smiled and elicited a group of small laughter.
"Me too." Dixon laughed, and followed her up the stairs veering off into an empty bedroom with his bag that had been sent ahead of them with Carrie and Lena.
Irina emerged twenty minutes later having scrubbed every inch of her skin at least four times. She had blown dry and combed out her hair and threw on a lightweight turquoise blue dress with thin spaghetti straps that clung to her every curve, the length stopping two inches above her knees and a slit up the back.
Lena started to wake up and Irina crawled onto the bed beside her with a smile as the baby found her eyes immediately.
"Hello, my baby girl." Irina kissed her softly and Lena lit into a big smile seeing her Mama, her eyes then darting to what she'd been missing the last couple of days and she began to whimper and then cry. "Shhh, you're ok." She cooed into Lena's ear and sat up, dropping her dress top and pulling the baby into her arms. Lena had turned into the ravenous shark she was and greedily sucked at Irina's breast, clutching her mother tightly.
Irina felt a sense of peace come over her as she looked down to the baby in her arms as her body ached for her baby and then the tears came again, thinking about the baby whose life she had ended today. She knew that she had no other choice, but the pain was there none-the-less. Sloane had called her a murderer of her own children…and the word echoed through her soul. Every single child she had lost, had taken apart of it with them and today was no exception. She had told herself that any child created that way and with that man could be nothing but evil but when she saw the baby's room…saw the photograph of their tiny little feet, a part of her that 'her daughter' had inherited…it suddenly gave feelings to her with the association, that familiar tug on your heart and bond that you feel when you hear your child's heartbeat for the first time, see them on a sonogram or feel them kick and move.
She had seen her daughter, this Prophecy Child, and had delivered her teeny-tiny form, leaving her little body in a towel on the bed in the blazing inferno in the desert. Now she couldn't get the image out of her mind or the others, especially the child she'd lost with Jack and wanted so badly.
While Lena nursed, Irina inspected her tiny body and ran her thumb over the bottom and toes of her little foot, her mind continuously flashing to the image in that frame. She had to get out; had to get away from everyone for a few hours and clear her head. When Lena was finished she changed her into her sleeper and made way for the living room.
Sydney and Marshall were sitting quietly on the couch talking when she entered and looked around for everyone else.
"Where is everybody?" Irina asked softly handing the baby to Sydney as she motioned she wanted to hold her sister.
"Vaughn, and Eric are taking showers and Dad, Carrie and Dixon are on your patio looking over your fantastic view of the Nile and pyramids." She smiled warmly, having just come in from gawking in awe as well. "Are you going somewhere?" Her eyebrows suddenly furrowed seeing her mother slipping her shoes on.
"Yes. I just need to get out for a bit. I'll be back in a while." Irina refused to meet Sydney's eyes; she didn't want to answer a lot of questions.
"Is that safe now?" Sydney didn't like the idea of her mother, who was now notoriously famous royalty out and about in Cairo by herself.
"I'll take two SVR agents with me. I won't be long, don't worry, Sweetheart." Irina dropped a quick kiss to her head and then Lena's. "Bye Marshall." She was out the door before Sydney could ask anything else.
Jack heard the front door open and close and stepped in from outside.
"Was that your mother?" He arched his eyebrow at Sydney, seeing Irina nowhere in sight now.
"Yeah, she said she needed to get out for awhile." Sydney swallowed hard, feeling the same foreboding feeling her father was feeling. Her mother was pulling away.
"She went by herself?" Jack's panic level began to rise.
"No, she took two of the Russian agents with her. She said she wouldn't be gone long." Sydney stroked the back of Lena's little head with her fingers. "Dad, I'm really worried about her. You saw her eyes after what Sloane said, like she went somewhere else and she hasn't come back from there yet." Sydney's eyes began to tear, Jack nodded softly agreeing with her and they both felt helpless.
*Breathe Me*(on repeat until the end)
Irina had her driver take her to a little bar in a seedy part of Cairo where she had done many a business dealings in the last twenty years. It was dark and there weren't a lot of people around, only locals and certainly no tourists to recognize her famous face and bother her at this moment. She wanted to stop the onslaught of memories and images attacking her mind and heart, as her emotions were about to be unleashed. Her guards stayed at the other end of the bar, keeping an eye on her while they kept an eye out for trouble. She took up residence on the stool at the corner of the far edge of the bar and smiled at the bartender she knew well.
"Bad day, Irina?" He asked softly with a smile noticing her bruised face and bandaged arm, getting out a shot glass and pulling down the bottle of vodka, knowing this woman's tastes. She owned one of the most beautiful bars and clubs in all of Egypt and yet she preferred to drink at his little dingy bar; the man was intrigued by her.
"Something like that, Sayeed." She shrugged her eyebrow and slammed the shot, wincing as it burned her dry desert throat. He retrieved another shot glass and filled it up, watching as she slammed it as well. "Keep them coming." She instructed and he kept pouring.
Jack waited for her outside on the balcony, watching the city before him and couldn't take it anymore. He found the remaining SVR agent and asked him to find out where Irina had gone. The man called the agents Irina had taken with her and Jack had the location. He saw the worry on Jack's face and agreed to take him there.
When he walked into the door of the little bar, Jack nodded at her guards as his own joined them.
Irina was at the far end of the bar in the darkly lit watering hole and had assembled quite the mass of tiny glass shot glasses lined up in front of her. She was so busy staring into her glass of Egyptian rum she didn't notice him when he slid onto the stool next to her on the corner.
"What I get you?" The bartender asked in broken English, seeing this man was obviously a Westerner and way out of the limits of the tourist district. His face looking as badly bruised as Irina's.
"I'll have what she's having." Jack nodded towards Irina and her eyes slowly went to his with her delayed reaction. He knew she was already well on her way to being drunk if she wasn't already.
"Jack." She smiled, closing her eyes and shaking her head 'of course he'd come.'
The bartender eyed the man carefully, seeing that Irina obviously knew him and then it hit him, he'd seen this man's photo and on the television with her lately.
"You her American husband, yes?" The bartender looked at him cautiously wondering if they hadn't inflicted their bruises upon each other and perhaps that was why Irina was having such a bad day. He slid a glass of rum towards Jack and set the bottle of vodka in front of Irina.
"Yes, I'm her husband." Jack nodded keeping his eyes on Irina as she poured herself another shot.
"I leave you two alone." The bartender saw his presence wasn't required and slipped to the other end of the desolate bar.
"Talk to me, Irina." Jack pleaded with her, watching her spin the full shot glass on the slick counter top as tears welled in her eyes.
"What's there to talk about, Jack? I'm a murderer. I killed my own child today." She lost the battle with her tears and downed the shot, slamming the glass onto the wooden bar top.
Jack's heart was breaking for her.
"You're not a murderer." He said softly, pouring himself a shot. "You did what you had to do, Irina. Sloane is the one to blame for this; he's the one, not you."
She took a sip of her rum, trying to erase the images that came flooding forward.
"No Jack, I'm to blame for this. He may have started it," She began with her speech slurring slightly, "But I finished it and he's right. I am a murderer. I've helped murder eight innocent babies, Jack. My own babies."
"Irina," Jack felt her slipping further away and grabbed her hand in his, "You didn't murder them, Irina! Cuvee did that to you! To them!"
"I didn't stop him, Jack. I let him push me down those stairs. I didn't want those babies." She started to sob softly as her breath caught, "I wanted our baby. I wanted our son."
Jack sucked in a sharp breath with her admission his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"I don't know when they took me off that cross." She inhaled sharply in between her controlled sobs as her body began to shake, "I woke up in my cell. I was bleeding everywhere and cramping. He was so small, Jack. So small but perfect." She sobbed pulling her hand from his, covering her eyes with that hand as the tears rolled off her cheeks having never spoken of him before now. She took a large swig of her rum and forged on, "He was so small, but so perfect."
Jack's tears rolled down his cheeks, his heartbreaking for their son, and for Irina.
"He already had dark curly hair." She looked up at him with pained smile, "Just like his daddy. I named him 'Jack' after you."
Jack grabbed her hand again gripping it tightly and not letting her go.
"He had these tiny little hands…and feet," She sobbed and released her hand from her drink and covered her eyes again, too ashamed to look at him, looking down at the bar, "He was so perfect, Jack. So beautiful." She kept repeating it over and over as she cried. Still seeing his small but beautiful image in her mind.
"I'm sure he was, Irina." Jack cried in barely above a whisper thinking about the son he'd never know.
"The first time, that I ever felt him kick me…was my first day in prison. When they electrocuted me." She sobbed and Jack bit his own back, "He must have been in so much pain." She kept sobbing and Jack cupped her face and pulled her head into his hands, resting his forehead against the top of her Chestnut hair, as she cried and he tried desperately to keep it together. "I was supposed to protect him, Jack. I was his mother, and I couldn't protect him. I couldn't keep him safe. Sloane was right."
"No, My Love. Sloane wasn't right. You did everything you could to protect our son. You were being his mother. You tried, Irina. It's not your fault, My Love. It's not your fault." Jack felt her warm tears flowing onto his hands.
"I can't let him go, Jack. I keep hearing his heartbeat and seeing his little face, holding him in my arms, screaming when they took him away...and their laughter." She started sobbing harder as the memory of her little boy's body being ripped away from her flashed through her mind, "They made me watch when they threw our baby into the prison incinerator."
"What? Why?" Jack gasped feeling a rush of tears at the monstrosity of horror he could not fathom.
"Telling me they were 'sending the spawn of Satan back to hell!" She sobbed harder but quietly. "I wanted to die, Jack. I just wanted die..."
Jack started peppering her head with kisses.
"Irina, I'm sorry, My Love. I'm so sorry."
"And when I died during the Execution, a little boy with big brown eyes and dark wavy hair came to get me." She sobbed holding his hands against her face as she shook with her head down to the bar and her hair hiding her face, "It was our son, Jack. My own little angel, with this big smile. He said, 'Come with me, Mama."
Jack leapt off the stool and turned her, engulfing her into his arms, cradling her against his chest as she sobbed.
"I took his little hand, Jack and we were walking along the most beautiful beach I had ever seen…and then suddenly, he pulled my arm so knelt down and hugged me. He kissed my cheek with a sad smile and said, 'You've got to go now, Mama. They're waiting for you.' That was it, Jack. He was gone. He was gone…" She started sobbing into his chest uncontrollably and Jack swooped her up into his arms with tears streaming down his cheeks and strode for the door with speed and the guards jumped to their feet having no idea what was wrong but followed quickly.
Jack held her in his arms as she sobbed all the way to the house and he carried her inside when the guards opened the door. Everyone was still awake and in the living room when he strode through the door with a tear-streaked face and Irina still sobbing softly in his arms, her face buried in his neck and her high heels hanging from his fingers by their straps.
Sydney's eyes instantly flooded with tears seeing her father was still crying and her mother sobbing in his arms. She tried to go to them and Jack looked her in the eyes, shaking his head softly 'no' as he pushed past everyone down the hall into Irina's bedroom. Vaughn wrapped his arms around her from behind, as she stood there stunned watching them disappear behind the door.
"It's ok, Sydney." He kissed her temple feeling tears stinging his own eyes. "She'll be ok." Thinking it had to be about what she had to do earlier in the day and the Prophecy Child.
Sark felt like he couldn't breathe, tears springing to his eyes and… scared. He'd never seen Irina like this. So small looking, so delicate and fragile in her husband's arms as she sobbed softly.
Jack laid Irina softly on the bed and curled up beside her, holding her in his arms as she continued to cry in his chest. "It's ok, My Love. It's ok. Let it out." His own tears streaming down his cheeks as he held her and they grieved for their baby boy together.
"He was so beautiful, Jack." She sobbed picturing the little boy with the brilliant smile looking up at her and tugging on her hand, his little arms wrapped around her neck and his wet lips on her cheek when he said, 'goodbye.'
Irina eventually cried herself to sleep, dreaming of her little boy in heaven, having passed out from exhaustion and liquor. Jack lay there for awhile holding her in his arms, before moving away softly and covering her with a blanket. He kissed her bruised, tear-stained face with tears in his own eyes and left the bedroom quietly.
Just as he suspected, Sydney and everyone else were waiting quietly in the living room instead of going to bed.
"Dad!" Sydney launched into his arms, holding him tightly. "What's wrong?" She sobbed and Jack held her tightly fighting his tears. "Please tell me? We're all worried about Mom. About you." She pulled back seeing her father's tear-stained face. "Please?" She pleaded and Jack knew he had to tell her; tell them all now, as they all loved Irina…all cared about her…were all family, and they knew something was horribly wrong and would find out another way if he didn't tell them.
"You had a brother, Sydney." He cupped her face as more tears poured down his cheeks and hers, "The baby your mother was carrying when she went to prison was a boy. A perfect little boy with dark curly hair. And she named him 'Jack." He sobbed quietly and bit it back when Sydney covered her mouth to keep from sobbing herself hearing the news. "What we saw on the video footage, after they beat her. She had him in her cell." He took a staggering breath, "Then they made her watch when they…" He swallowed hard not knowing if he should tell her this horrific part.
"Then they made her watch when they did what, Dad?" Sydney gasped in between her tears seeing her father divert his eyes, "Made her watch when they did what, Dad?" She asked again more forcefully, knowing he was withholding.
"They made her watch," He finally looked at her with a horrible sadness in his eyes that Sydney had never seen, "When they threw him into the incinerator."
Sydney sobbed loudly and started crying uncontrollably falling into Jack's arms where he held her tightly, seeing everyone crying behind her in horror and grief.
Another piece of the puzzle, that was Irina, clicked into place for Sark. She had, had a son…and Cuvee had killed him. His own mind flashing with the horrible images from the film of the man punching Irina continuously in the stomach, before she dropped and his guards finished kicking the little life out of her.
"She never told you about him?" Sydney gasped reining in her sobs as she clung to Jack.
"No, not until just now," Jack fought back his tears but it was useless. "I knew about the baby of course but she never told me the details. Sloane got to her today, telling her she murdered her children and failed to protect them."
"That bastard!" She clutched her hand into a fist at the man who was dead and still wrecking havoc on her family.
"She'd buried it inside her and today, having to abort the Prophecy Child, a baby that was part of her. Seeing the photo of her, made everything come flooding out." Jack batted at his fallen tears and furrowed his brow, speaking softly, "She saw him, Sydney. She saw your brother when she died."
"What?" Sydney lifted her head from his chest with her eyes wide, searching her father's face.
"She said that a little boy with big brown eyes and dark wavy hair…" Jack had to take several mini-calming breaths in between his words, "Came to her when she died and smiled at her, holding out his little hand and said, 'Come with me, Mama.' He was our little boy, our Jack." Jack swallowed hard and a fresh wave of tears and sobs went through everyone in utter shock and sadness.
"He was the angel that came for her..." Sydney realized now what her mother had been talking about in speaking of her death to Zamir. Talking about waiting for either the angels or demons to come for you.
"Yes." Jack pawed at the stinging tears on his freshly shaven face.
"But she came back to us. What happened to..." Sydney sobbed wondering what happened with her brother then.
"She said that they were walking along a beach and he suddenly stopped, pulled on her hand until she was kneeling in front of him and he hugged her with his little arms around her neck." Jack's tears flushed full again and he bit his lip to keep back his sob thinking about their 'heavenly' goodbye, "He kissed her cheek with a sad smile and told her, 'You've got to go now, Mama. They're waiting for you.' And then he was gone and she came back to us."
They were all openly crying and sniffling. Their hearts were shattered at the pain and torment that Irina was living with everyday buried beneath her surface and none of them ever knew about. The secrets of her heart that were so painful.
"I think, he's your Guardian Angel, Syd." Weiss surmised thinking about the little boy in heaven and all of the lucky miracles that had saved Sydney's life on more then one occasion, "And Lena's, too. He's being a good brother." He offered her a small smile as another wave of tears coursed down his cheeks and Sydney's as she turned and strode the few feet separating them, hugging him tightly and mindful of his shoulder.
Vaughn stepped forward with tears dripping off his chin and handed Jack a sleeping baby Lena, nestled into her soft blankets and sleeping like the angel she was.
Jack smiled softly with more unshed tears looking down at his sweet baby in his arms and thinking about her 'guardian angel,' her big brother. Weiss had made sense for once. Perhaps, their little boy had a hand in sending this tiny angel in his arms their way; giving them their second chance to be a family. A gift to his mother who'd loved him so and tried so desperately to save him; sending them a miracle. Lena had survived so much, just to be born and Sydney, too, in working as a spy. He must be their guardian angel. He was being a 'good brother,' a good son, when he sent Irina back to them. Giving her a second chance to be a mother again.
"Dad, I want to see her." Sydney sobbed turning back to her father and wiping at her tears and puffy eyes.
"She's sleeping, Sydney. She finally passed out from exhaustion and the bottle of vodka she downed before I got there." Jack used his free hand to wipe his own tear tracks as well.
"Please? I just want to take Lena in there and lay with her. I don't want her to be alone right now." Sydney stroked her hand softly over her sister's little arm with new tears in her eyes. "I want to be there when she wakes up in the morning. I want her to see that we're still here; that we love her and we're not going anywhere." She inhaled a shaking breath trying to control her sobs.
"Ok Sweetheart." Jack cupped the side of her head and kissed her forehead, thinking that might be exactly what Irina needed.
"Vaughn, is it ok if I-" She turned to him and he cut her off, wrapping his arms around her, kissing her temple.
"Of course it is, Sydney…of course it is."
"Thank you." She kissed his lips and hugged him tightly. "Goodnight." She tried to smile through her tears at everyone before heading down the hallway towards her mother's room followed by her father and sister. Sydney cracked the door open and a little and slipped inside.
Her mother was in the middle of the enormous bed, looking so small and fragile curled up in a little ball under the blanket. Sydney took Lena from her father and laid the baby next to Irina before sliding in bed behind her, facing Irina with Lena nestled against her. Jack walked quietly around the bed and slid onto the other side, spooning up behind Irina and wrapping his arms around her. He saw Sydney's fresh tears staring into her mother's face and reached for her hand, clasping it, holding the four of them together.