PITY

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." -Mahatma Gandhi

Vecchiano, Italy, circa 1490 (Earth)

Laurent L'Andre and Michelle Moreau are nearing Milo Rambaldi's villa and compound. They both share a horse, with Michelle sitting in front of Laurent. She appears to be soaking in the beautiful scenery that comes with coastal Italy in the spring.

Joining them are Silvestro and Tore, the two Rambaldi helpers that joined Laurent in his first trip to Tenay three years ago, the first trip since he went alone to kill Leroi-Baptiste. There's no prisoner cart this time, and nowadays, they're donning the exact same kind of robe that Laurent is wearing, and Laurent only wears his off-white robe because he's an Il Credo Divino assassin.

Three years is a long time, especially in the late 1400s, when things move much slower without cars, iPhones, and the internet.

Laurent has been using Silvestro and Tore in his prisoner cart runs for a reason. When he and Alec started training Rambaldi's followers in the art of combat, those two showed the most promise by far.

About a year and a half before the current day, one of their prisoners broke away from the cart secretively. He pulled out a hidden steak knife he had hidden and took a run at Laurent. With Laurent caught completely unawares, it was Silvestro and Tore that caught the murderer before he could kill Laurent. What happened afterwords was a quick and efficient death...just how Il Credo Divino likes it.

The two train with the rest of the recruits, but get "special" training from Il Credo Divino every other week. They still have a long way to go to become full assassins, but it's just a matter of time.

As for Laurent, it's been three years since he and his childhood friend Michelle reunited. Michelle practically melted like butter in his hands when he revealed that he was Laurent and he had returned after 10 years of Il Credo Divino exile. And ever since, Laurent has been making it a point to swing through Tenay on his trips, just so he can be with Michelle.

Laurent and Michelle were close growing up, being neighbors and all. Their parents got along well and even had Christmas celebrations together. After they separated when Laurent's family was murdered, Laurent thought about Michelle a lot. Laurent was always quiet and kind of awkward growing up, and yet, outside of his brother Tremont, Michelle was his best friend. He always felt like he could be himself around Michelle, since she just took him for who he was. She was always an outspoken spitfire who led Laurent around to wherever they went or whatever they did. And yet, while Michelle could come across like a sledgehammer to the face with whoever she interacted with, she was always kind and gentle with the more introverted Laurent. Maybe she saw Laurent as someone she could control, or perhaps someone that can be a balance to her very outgoing nature. Over time, it became apparent that it was not only the latter, but that Michelle felt safe around Laurent. The incident with Laurent's family troubled her for some time.

"So beautiful..."

Laurent's thoughts are broken when Michelle points out the view of the Mediterranean Sea off to the right. They're looking at a cove, with high rocky sea walls enclosing the cove. The part that got Michelle as a couple seagulls flying over the cove.

Michelle cranes her body and her head to look up at Laurent in absolutely perfect English, but still with an unmistakable French accent. "Is it always this beautiful here?"

Laurent cracks a small smile and replies in French "Vous n'avez pas de m'impressionner en parlant anglais." ("You don't have to impress me by speaking English.")

Michelle smirks and looks back forward. "Je n'ai pas besoin de vous impressionner. C'est la compagnie que vous gardez m'inquiète. Et puis ... j'ai d'autres moyens que je peux vous impressionner." ("I don't need to impress you. It's the company you keep I'm worried about. Besides...I have other ways that I can impress you.")

Before Laurent can respond, Michelle reaches up, wraps her hands around the back of Laurent's head, and pulls him forward. Meanwhile, she cranes her neck backward and plants an upside-down kiss on Laurent's lips, complete with the customary French tongue. When she lets go, she lets out an excited giggle. It's clear that the friendship between Laurent and Michelle has grown into something beyond that. Laurent lets out a chuckle himself and says "That is very, very impressive..."

A couple minutes later, they finally arrive at the front gate of Rambaldi's villa. Bernardo, the bulky gate guard carrying a primitive wooden musket, steps out of the gate and bows cordially. In Italian, he humbly says "Mio Signore, Silvestro, Tore ... gli manca. Bentornato." (My Lord, Silvestro, Tore...the misses. Welcome back.") It's a stark contrast to the first time Bernardo met Laurent. The moment he laid eyes on Laurent four years prior to this date, he insulted Laurent. Now, there's nothing put pure reverence in those eyes now.

Michelle eyes Bernardo curiously. She's surprised at the amount of reverence he is showing...just like how surprised Laurent was at the amount of reverence that was shown to Rambaldi four years prior.

Laurent replies in fluent Italian "Grazie, Bernardo. Vorremmo entrare e godere i nostri letti di nuovo." ("Thank you, Bernardo. We would like to enter and enjoy our beds again.") Bernardo immediately scrambles over to the lever near the shack and pulls down, starting the process of opening the gate.

Michelle can't believe it. The gate is opening with some force that she can't see. This is still a time period where mechanical gates aren't even considered remotely possible yet. "Comment est-ce possible?" ("How is that possible?")

Laurent, back to English, says "You think I'm impressive...wait until you meet Milo."

After the gate opens, the company enters the villa grounds. They head on over to the stables, where the stableboys are ready to help everyone dismount. A young boy in his early teens looks a little shy as he looks up at Michelle, awestruck at her beauty. Michelle cracks a smirk and asks "What's the matter?"

The boy looks at her funny. Laurent pats Michelle on the shoulder and says "He doesn't know English. Allow me." Laurent then commands the boy in Italian "Si può aiutare la donna fuori il suo cavallo ora." ("You may help the lady off her horse now.")

The boy quickly nods and holds out his arm so he can help the petite French lady off the horse. Michelle gently takes his hand and hops off the horse. When she's done, she gives the boy a quick peck on the cheek and simply says "Merci!" (Thank you!") The boy immediately blushes and takes the horse to the stable area after Laurent hops off.

Laurent whispers "They're not used to French customs here. You could come across as peculiar. Be mindful."

Michelle looks back up at Laurent with a playful sneer. "Excuse me! They're just going to have to get used to me!"

Silvestre comes up behind Laurent and asks in Italian "Possiamo prendere Michelle cose se vuoi." ("We can take Michelle's belongings if you'd like.")

Michelle looks up at Laurent with an insistent look. "What did he say about me?"

Laurent lets out a sigh at Michelle's natural defensiveness and says "He just wanted to know if you'd like him and Tore to take your things"

"Do you trust them?"

"With my life."

"Fair enough." Michelle looks at Silvestre and nods her head. Silvestre and Tore then start taking Michelle's belongings off the back of their horses.

Laurent then tells them "Report to Alec when you are done. Michelle..."

"How convenient then that I'm here already to report to."

Laurent, Michelle, Silvestre, and Tore look over at Alec Derevko, who quietly wandered that way. Laurent stands to Michelle's side. "Alec, I'd like to introduce you to..."

Alec holds out his hand as he starts walking towards Michelle and cuts off Laurent. "Michelle Moreau. Your reputation precedes you, my lady."

Michelle smiles at Alec. "As does yours, Alec. At least we have one thing in common already: Laurent likes to talk about us!" Michelle holds out her hand, Alec grabs it and kisses the top of it, another custom of that day. Michelle then looks up at Laurent playfully. "I thought you said the people here aren't used to French customs!"

Laurent replies "Alec is a bit...different."

Alec's smile disappears. "Excuse me?"

"Only in that you're a more worldly man than I am."

A now gruff and sullen Alec says with dismay "Says the man that actually does get to leave this place every once in a while."

Now it's Laurent's turn to lose his smile as the conversation takes a hostile tone. "If you want to trade prisoner cart rounds for training the followers, I'd be more than happy to discuss a trade! You moody bastard..."

Alec is now infuriated. "Yeah, now you want to trade now that those rounds netted you a girlfriend! Have you forgotten how vital it is that we EACH find a mate?"

Michelle stomps her feet. "Boys!" Laurent and Alec quit their bickering. She then looks up and points at Laurent. "Enough with the name calling." She then points to Alec. "And if you're going to label me, at least label me correctly. I'm his fiancee."

Alec raises his right eyebrow about as high as it can go. Did she just say...

Laurent lets out a quick "Alec" to snap him out of his fog. Laurent then continues. "I've asked her to marry me and to come down and stay with me here in Italy."

Alec snaps his fingers. "Just like that?"

"No. I've been thinking about it for some time now, I just never said anything. I want to be with her and I couldn't stand leaving Tenay without her again. Luckily for me, she said yes."

Alec smirks and chuckles, his mood apparently improved. "Garlan was probably pissed when he heard you where whisking her away."

"Not at all. Turns it getting us together was a scheme of his. He knew I came around to kill Leroi and he knew I'd come around again. So, when Michelle came to him for work when business was improving, Garlan saw it as a chance to repay my gratitude. I thought the gesture was extreme myself."

Michelle then giggles. "And I find it a little appalling that I'm a 'thank you' gift for killing someone, but Leroi was a terrible, terrible man! He had it coming to him."

Alec lets out a chuckle. "And I see Laurent has you speaking fluent English..."

"Oh no. One of our fabric traders we go through at the shoe shop is from England. I picked up the language quickly. It's quite easy, actually."

Laurent and Alec exchange a curious glance at that. English is easy? Rather dubious considering that's the official Il Credo Divino language and it was chosen because it wasn't overly popular in Europe.

Finally, Alec waves his hand and says "Come. Let's show our new guest the villa." Alec then looks over at Michelle with a smile, his mood apparently improved suddenly. "You probably thought the gate was impressive, right?" Michelle nods her head quickly. Alec smiles wider. "Wait until you get inside and meet our boss."

San Felipe, Mexico (Elysium)

It's been three days since Mitch Hayes returned to hell as a brain-damaged invalid and, on the surface, there appears to be some normalcy returning to the lives of Tom and Nadia Falk. Mammon had been vague on just what was going to be come of Mitch, but Tom and Nadia both have been wondering what kind of torture a man with his mental state would go through. Mitch probably isn't having a lot of fun right now, nor will he in the future.

But while Nadia would pass those thoughts away quickly, Tom dwelled on them. He even smiled at times thinking about the abuse Mitch could be going through. After all, Mitch abducted and nearly killed his daughter Maria. He hopes that Mitch is in a world of hurt right now.

Since that day, there's been a restlessness about Tom. While Nadia has resumed working on the new orphan program that the Elysian Council passed just before the madness of the recent weeks kicked off, Tom has not returned to his leadership role with new arrivals. When everything started happening, he stepped down temporarily and named his friend Matt Aguero as the interim head, but that was when things appeared much more perilous than they do now. Tom hasn't wanted to go back to his role, and after masterminding the destruction of Mitch Hayes as a functioning human being, he doesn't exactly feel like going back to telling people how to live peaceful lives.

So while Eddie Falk and the rest of Storm Crew are working on the new software program for new arrivals, and normalcy appears to be resuming once again, Tom hasn't gotten with the program yet.

Nadia and Jack Bristow are working on the details of the orphanage program at the kitchen table. When it goes into effect, adoptive parents in Elysium will be paid the entire cost of raising the child as well as a little extra for the trouble. There's a lot of rules and regulations to wade through, along with planning on how the program will be rolled out in the first place.

It'd be a lot for one person to handle. But thankfully for Nadia, Jack's been a big help since he volunteered his assistance.

Interestingly enough, this is the first time Jack and Nadia have really partnered up to tackle a project together. Sure they worked together in APO, but Jack was more of an overseer while Nadia and Tom/Sydney and Michael paired up on projects. But on this project, Nadia and Jack have worked together almost seamlessly, like they've been tackling projects together for years. Perhaps it's a dynamic that father/daughter relationships sometimes have.

Whatever the reason, Nadia and Jack have mostly laid out the groundwork for how the new program will work. The first wave of orphanages have been informed of how this is going to work, and they're all on board. About the final hurdle is finding volunteers to assist with the "adoption drives" that will be taking place at orphanages, which are special days for potential adoptive parents to come out and meet the children in a picnic-like atmosphere. While people can stop by anytime to adopt, Nadia and Jack agreed that it may be more relaxing for children to have an "expected" day while also meeting their potential parents in a relaxed atmosphere.

As Nadia and Jack go over the list of volunteers, Tom walks into the kitchen to grab a drink. He looks a little grumpy. Nadia, not noticing, asks "Oh, are you still going to help out with the first adoption drive at San Marcos?"

Tom opens the fridge and gruffly says "I said I would, didn't I?"

"Well, I'm just making sure since I'm finalizing the volunteer lists."

"Well, nothing's changed. I'm still in." Tom then slams the fridge door shut, obviously on edge over something.

Nadia looks at him a little offended. "Tom, what is wrong with you?"

Tom cracks open a can of beer and turns to face Nadia. "I just talked to my mother. Still nothing from Irina."

Nadia shrugs and says "When my mother is ready to help, she will..."

"If Irina was so willing to help, she wouldn't be playing games like this."

Jack chimes in "Don't be so sure about that."

Tom takes a drink from the can, sets it on the center island, and folds his arms. "Irina's trying to sell to us that she's ready to be a normal human being. Normal human beings don't leave their daughter and son-in-law in the lurch like this."

"Let's drop any pretenses that Irina Derevko is a normal human being. I know Irina, she's waiting on something..."

Nadia realizes what she's waiting on. She sullenly blurts out "She's waiting for me." Tom and Jack gaze over at her as she continues. "She gave me a look before she left the restaurant. Before that, she asked that I arrange a talk with her so we can clear the air. She wants me to talk to Mary and get her number so I can call her."

Tom walks over to the phone. "Well, call my mom and let's get moving..."

"Tom, I don't want to talk to her!"

Tom stops and turns back at her. "Dammit, Nadia! There's still an entire army that wants my head for their mantle! Sloane, Elena, Kelly...we need to find out where they are before they decide to come after us!"

"I KNOW! Dammit, don't do this to me!" Nadia than buries her head in her hands. Irina is the key to peace in the future, but at the same time...Irina is the key to peace in the future. And Nadia's not ready to trust her at all. But she can't deny the problem that still exists with the others.

Jack decides to stick up for Nadia. "She's not ready, Tom. This is not as simple as setting up a meet. I figure you of all people would know what she's gone through over her mother."

Nadia suddenly gets up and says "I have to go talk to Sydney. She asked that we push back our weekly meet to today, so I'm going to go get ready." Before either Jack or Tom can say a word, Nadia storms down the hallway.

Down the hallway, Tom and Jack hear Maria ask "Mommy, is something wrong?"

"No sweetie."

"I heard you talking about Irina. Is she alright?"

After a pause, Nadia replies "As far as I know."

Tom stops listening to that conversation and asks Jack "Would you like a drink?"

Jack replies "No, thank you. But I would like for you to sit down, please."

Tom walks over there a little worried that he's going to get a tongue-lashing from Jack. This isn't the first time Tom and Jack butted heads before, they did plenty of that in APO. But now, this involves something personal, and this will be a first such conversation since Jack learned he's Nadia's father.

As Tom takes his seat, Jack says "Listen, I'm as well aware of the threat as you are. But forcing Nadia upon her mother is not how you go about solving the problem."

Tom gives Jack an incredulous look. "Says the man that helped mastermind a fake birthday party for Nadia just so information could be gleaned from Sloane."

"I'm not above making mistakes, Tom. But it would be a mistake to force Nadia to meet with her mother when she's still not sure what to make of her."

"What do YOU make of her, Jack?"

Jack relaxes in his chair. "She has lived up to her word so far. But Mitch is a very small, and much less dangerous, piece of the puzzle when you consider who remains. And don't buy in too much to the fact that Irina willingly sacrificed Mitch. Remember, Elena sacrificed Mitch to you when you both were alive, but she didn't exactly change her plans in Sovogda afterward. Mitch was just a pawn for Elena, just like he was for Irina. The only thing is: the chess game was clear with Elena. Irina's leading us to believe that her game of chess is the one she's really playing. But with Irina, she's always playing another game at the same time."

Tom chuckles and says "I've thought about that, Jack, and I can't figure out what else she'd gain here. The only other game she's playing is the one she's playing with Nadia. And don't forget that apparently Irina still has a spot in her heart for you."

"It's a spot that will never go filled as long as she's allowed to endure here."

Tom doesn't try to debate that fact, given how sore Jack is over Irina still over what happened in Brussels. After a pause, Tom still isn't satisfied. "I'm just so sick of waiting around."

"You know, Tom, when I arrived here, and saw what you were doing with the new arrivals, I almost didn't recognize you. Now, it seems like you're becoming the man I knew again."

"Yeah, I know. I lost the chip I had on my shoulder. Well, I've been thinking a lot about that these past few days, Jack. And I think that my life these past few years, while peaceful and generally enjoyable, has been damn boring. Jack, you know I'm a man of action. In the Anti-Cartel, I almost got drunk on the adrenaline I'd get in missions. And when I watched Mitch get what he had coming to him...I wanted to join in. I wanted to join in so bad! But as you pointed out, I was a man of peace. Jack, I've been someone I'm not in the past few years. Quite frankly, I'm tired of it. That 'man of peace' sat on his ass and let Maria and Emilio get abducted and Julieta killed. Thankfully, everyone's fine again, but in the end, I'm not a man of peace. I'm just a father that can't protect his family."

"I understand where you're coming from. I'm a father myself. But sometimes, even when it comes to family matters, haste isn't the best option. In fact, more often than not, you have to play things delicately. The relationship Nadia has with Irina is very, very delicate. Nadia's on the fence about her, and only she can decide which side to take."

"I know, Jack. Guess I have some apologizing to do later on."

"I wouldn't worry about that. Nadia's got other things on her mind besides your jumpiness. But you shouldn't worry too much about any urgency with our enemies, either."

"Why do you say that?"

"It's clear Sloane and Elena didn't have a plan beyond what has failed for them already. Otherwise, we would have seen it action already. And this 'army' of cartel members has yet to make a move. If they were really that hell-bent on finding you and killing you, they would have done so by now. Has there been any sign or mention of them at all?"

"Not according to Laurent. All's silent." Tom lets out a deflated sigh. "Maybe you're right. I just want to be proactive this time around. Last time we waited around, Julieta caught a bullet to the head and Emilio and Maria were nearly taken from us for good."

"I understand. As far as Irina goes, I think the fact that Nadia is going to talk to Sydney should be interesting."

"How so?"

Jack leans forward. "Because I think Sydney will have some interesting things to say about Irina if Nadia asks her."

Brussels, Belgium circa 2006 (Earth) (from 'Project Nadia')

Sydney flatly tells Irina "I'm here to stop you."

Irina cracks a smirk "I didn't know you wanted immortality, too."

"I don't."

"Well then, you have a problem, don't you? I don't see anyone else here with you." Irina starts confidently walking across the room, stepping over the discarded weapons that the troops surrendered to Tom just a few minutes ago.

Sydney starts walking slowly towards her mom. "Mom, just come with us. You don't have to do this."

"Do what?"

"I know you want to take Sloane's idea of destroying two major cities and profiting from their reconstruction. I can't let you do that."

Irina shakes her head and reassuringly says "Sydney, I would never do that."

As Sydney and Irina stand face-to-face, Sydney asks "Mary, is she telling the truth?"

Mary, in the room as a spirit, replies "No way."

Irina turns and irritatedly says "Stay out of this, Mary."

"Hey, you're immortal, right? Why are you listening to me anymore? You can handle your daughter...remember?"

Irina turns back to Sydney. "Join me, Sydney. I'll make sure Isabelle is taken care of for the rest of her life, and I'll make sure her children and grandchildren are, too."

Sydney quickly shakes her head. "Tom's already taking care of her financially. And I want no part in your plan."

Irina sighs. "Then I guess I'm going to have to kill you."

Santa Barbara, California (Earth)

For the first time since the day after Jack Bristow arrived in Elysium, Sydney Bristow and Nadia Falk are going to have their weekly chat.

Only, their weekly routine has been broken since Nadia no-showed the last chat and Sydney had creatively postponed this week's to today by leaving a note on her bed that her and Michael were going on a surprise weekend trip to Napa Valley, leaving Isabelle with a babysitter. Nadia checked and unlike the last time she heard that from Sydney (when Sydney and Michael went after the Nightingale power source), they actually did go to wine country in California.

Sydney closes the bedroom door and slowly walks over to the bed. All the way, she's wondering if Nadia's even here this time around. It's unlike Nadia to cancel without notice. She's not even sure if Nadia even read her note.

Sydney sits on the edge of the bed. She breathes in a deep breath to calm her nerves since talking to spirits is still something that she's not entirely used to, even though she's been doing it for years. At this point, Sydney chalks it up to basic human nature to be leery of people they can't see.

She finishes exhaling and calmly says "Hello, Nadia."

"Hello, Sydney. It's good to see you again."

Sydney lets out an exhale and laughs. "And it's good to hear from you again! Here I thought you forgot about me!"

Nadia, who is sitting in her usual spot a few feet in front of Sydney, lets out a small laugh as she replies "I know, and I'm sorry. There's been a lot going on for me these past couple weeks."

"I guess we're even then since we took that surprise trip to Napa. Michael wanted it to be a surprise for our anniversary."

"I checked in on you. Looked like you were having fun!"

Sydney rubs her forehead. "Yeah, maybe a little too much fun. Wine hangovers are the worst. But we're doing fine. Isabelle's doing great in school, Michael's not totally looking forward to teaching again after winter break, but he'll manage."

"That's good to hear. And things are going ok at the bank for you?"

"Yeah, I guess. It's a job. Nothing too exciting, I guess. I don't miss those calls into APO in the middle of the night, though!"

"Teleporting would have been wonderful while we were in APO! Well, at least one of us gets to do that nowadays!"

After her and Nadia share a laugh, Sydney lets a concern forms on her face. "You said there's been a lot going on...I hope my dad's not causing any of it."

"Oh no! No, he's been wonderful." Nadia's voice suddenly turns sullen. "But he's one of the reasons I've been a little nervous about our conversation today."

Sydney leans forward. "What is it? Is everything ok?"

"In regards to Jack, yes. It's just..."

Sydney notices Nadia's voice trail off. "It's ok, you can tell me."

After a pause, Nadia says "Sydney, we're sisters."

"I know, Irina's our mother..."

"No. We're not half-sisters. We're sisters. Jack is my father, too."

Sydney gasps and covers her mouth quickly. "Oh my God! Nadia...I'm so sorry! That means everything you went through with Sloane..."

"...was all for nothing. I know. I've accepted that fact and I've moved on, knowing I have a real man for my father."

Still, Sydney is in disbelief. "My dad as your father...how...how is that even possible?"

"Well...apparently after our mother had an affair with Sloane, she had one more fling with our father. I was born small and...there's a belief that I was a month premature now."

Sydney suddenly looks confused. "I guess you'd have to be. But Jack wouldn't openly admit to something like one final night with our mother, though. Not to us, anyway..."

"Mary Falk told me."

"Wait, WHAT?"

After another pause, Nadia says "I have to be careful about how I talk about this next part. I can't tell you what happens here in Elysium, although you should know the truth about our father. But I really, really need your advice on something because I just don't know how to handle it."

"I'm not sure how much I can help. I don't know how your...realm works."

"Oh, it's nothing like that. But it does concern our mother."

Sydney shifts uncomfortably. "What about her?"

"Sydney, our mother is helping us with a problem we're having."

"That...doesn't make sense. Why would our mother be with you? Shouldn't she be in a place like Hell right now?"

"She appeared to me last week...that's a big reason why I missed our last meeting. This problem has been stressing me out, and now our mother wants to help us take care of the problem...we think."

"You don't seem convinced."

"No. Although she has lived up to her word up to this point."

"Up to this point? And why is she the one helping you?"

"I can't talk about that, Sydney. But you're right, she shouldn't be here. She's worked out a deal to stay here, though, if she lives up to her promise to help us solve this problem."

Sydney lets out an unsurprised chuckle. "Sounds like our mother alright: Using information to barter a better deal."

"Part of the reason she's agreed to help us is because she wants to have a relationship with me. Like a mother would have to her daughter."

"Oh wow...have you spoken to her?"

"Not at length. But she's going through Mary for communication in the meantime. In fact, Mary was the first one she convinced. She also told Mary the story of the last fling with Dad. There was a lot of history built between those two up until she died."

"I'm surprised Mom doesn't hold a grudge."

"Apparently not." Nadia then takes a deep, audible breath and says "Sydney, I know we haven't talked about this since what happened in Brussels, but I just can't get something out of my mind about what Mom did before Dad shot her."

"That's right, you weren't there, were you?"

"No, but Mary was and she told me what all went down. But Mary also told me something that Mom told her about what happened. Mom's saying that she wouldn't have killed you, even though she had you dead to rights."

Sydney starts shifting uncomfortably as Nadia continues.

"Syd, you were there. Do you believe her?"

Sydney closes her eyes, trying to recall what happened. "Honestly, it's something I haven't thought about either..."

Brussels, Belgium circa 2006 (Earth) (from 'Project Nadia')

Irina sighs and says "Then I guess I'm going to have to kill you."

Sydney looks a little surprised that she'd say that and says "You don't mean that..."

Irina cuts her off. "I've pursued Rambaldi's prophecy longer than you have been alive. And now, I have it. I'll give you one last chance to get out of my way. I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to."

Sydney defiantly remains standing in front of Irina. Then, she pulls out her walkie-talkie and says "Dad..."

Irina cuts her off by swatting the walkie-talkie out of her right hand. She then reaches for her handgun, which is in her holster on her right hip. Sydney goes to grab her arm, but instead Irina punches her in the face and hip-tosses Sydney to the ground.

Before Sydney can react further, she looks up from her back and sees Irina has pulled out that handgun and has it pointed at her face.

Irina looks down at Sydney with a remorseless look on her face, ready to kill.

Sydney, meanwhile, looks up and lets out a worried "Mom?"

Irina isn't phazed and she slowly starts to squeeze the trigger...

Santa Barbara, California (Earth)

Sydney, with her eyes closed still recollecting the moment, says "Mom had a look on her face like she was ready to kill me. But there was hesitation there. I know my Mom...if she wants you dead, she doesn't hesitate. But she didn't immediately pull the trigger. She just stood there...looking at me...and then, after she died...

Brussels, Belgium circa 2006 (Earth) (from 'Project Nadia')

POW!

Sydney closes her eyes. Her whole life flashes in an instant. But quickly, she realizes she's not dead. She opens her eyes and sees Irina has dropped her gun and has a pained and shocked look on her face.

Irina looks down at her upper stomach and sees a bloody hole has formed, with blood trickling out of it. She feels pain...something she shouldn't be feeling. She's supposed to be immortal, after all. Her jaw drops...her lip quivers...life is escaping her. All she can ask is "h...how?"

Irina slowly turns back and sees Jack Bristow lowering his handgun and looking at her with a menacing sneer. She quickly realizes that it was Jack that just shot her. Irina utters "You?"

Jack coldly tells her "I already killed you once because I thought you wanted my daughter dead. Now that you actually did want her dead...this was easy. Damn you, Irina."

Irina's knees suddenly get wobbly and she drops down to those very knees.

Sydney scrambles up to her knees and looks at her wound with a look of concern. She then looks up at Jack with that same look of concern.

Jack coldly replies "I had no choice. She would have killed you."

Irina reaches into her left cargo pant pocket and pulls out The Horizon and stares at it as pain and blood continue to pour out of her body. She shakes her head and asks "Why...why didn't..."

She's answered by Mary Falk. "Rambaldi planted a genetic modification in your seedbearer that you were meant to pass down to Sydney. It was Sydney that was meant to suppress the power of The Horizon. However, you also have the power to hold onto The Horizon's power without it having an effect on you. The Horizon deceived you, and its power will forever remain in you even after you die, provided no one else handles The Horizon."

Irina looks down at the floor and says "You...betrayed me, Mary..."

Mary says "If you want to point a finger at someone...point it at Rambaldi. But before you do, consider pointing it at yourself."

Irina closes her eyes and a tear streams down her face. "My life...was for nothing."

Sydney puts her hands on Irina's shoulders and, with her eyes getting watery, says "No! You prevented Sloane from having The Horizon and saved the world from a terrible power. You helped us...you helped me, Mom!"

Irina opens her eyes and looks at Sydney with a heartfelt look on her face. "I'm...I'm so sorry..."

Sydney, not sure what to make of that, asks "Sorry for what?"

Irina, her life now ticking down to it's final seconds, replies "...for not being there...for you...and Nadia. I deserve...this."

Irina then turns to Jack, who's standing to her left, and says "Thank you." And with that, Irina takes her final breath and collapses to the right in a lifeless heap.

Sydney quickly checks her pulse. She gets nothing. Irina Derevko, her mother, is dead.

Sydney closes her eyes and puts her head in her palm. Her bottom lip quivers and she looks like she wants to cry. Jack puts his arm around her for comfort.

Santa Barbara, California (Earth)

Suddenly, Sydney starts crying as she recollects Irina's final moments.

"Syd! I'm so sorry, look, you don't have to..."

"It's ok! I'm ok!" Sydney gets up and walks over to a bed table and pulls out a kleenex. She wipes her eyes as she walks back over to her seat at the end of the bed. "I didn't expect our conversation to be a tear-jerker!"

"I shouldn't have said anything..."

"No, it's ok. I want to help you."

"Why were you crying then?"

Sydney takes a deep breath and finishes drying her eyes. Now fully composed, she says "Do you know how sad it is, watching your own mother die? But Mom...she wasn't herself! And after Dad shot her...I think she realized what was going on, like the fog was lifting in her mind!" Sydney fights back some more tears, takes another deep breath, and continues. "It was so sad watching her die. She realized that she should have been there for us instead of chasing a prophecy. She even thanked Dad for killing her."

"She what?"

"I think she felt her life was a waste, and it wouldn't have gotten any better with immortality. If you were there, you couldn't help but feel pity for her."

"That's probably why Mary believes her when she says she wants to be a good person again."

Sydney quickly blurts out "I believe her, too."

Nadia, of course out of sight to Sydney, gives her the biggest wide eyes she can possibly give. Sydney is vouching for Irina. "Syd, are you sure Mom wasn't just..." Nadia stops her sentence, realizing that death brings out the honesty in people more often than not.

Sydney gives Nadia a reassuring smile and says "I believe me, Dad, and Mary saw the real Irina Derevko before she took her last breath. Now, I know you can't get into specifics, but just how involved has Mom been in whatever you're dealing with?"

"She's very involved. She's feeding us mostly intel, but I know she's taken a hands-on role with our problem as well."

"And she's been forthcoming so far?"

"Yes. Although, there's been a delay since we last heard from her. I think she wants to have a heart-to-heart with me before she proceeds further. We're kind of at a stalemate with our problem anyway."

Sydney looks down at the ground, then back up where Nadia should be. "I don't want to tell you what to do, but I think a talk with Mom would be a good idea. I think she'd have a lot to say."

"But she's just so hard to trust! Remember, she had nuclear rockets that she was going to use..."

"I doubt she would have used them. Those were Sloane's in the first place, his idea. Mom would have just sold them and lived happily ever after off the profits. At least, that's what I like to think. She'd know better than I would. But you say Rambaldi is where you're at...why don't you talk to him? Maybe he can tell you if there's an element of The Horizon that affects how you view the world."

"That is a good idea. I'm just...so afraid..."

"I understand. But if you ask me, I can tell you that Mom's days of being something different than what she is are over. What you've told me about how she's treated you so far is exactly what I'd expect from her now. I only wish..." Sydney then turns away and lets out a quick laugh.

"What is it?"

Sydney then looks back at where Nadia should be sitting. "I only wish I could talk to her again. And she can talk to me because of the modification Rambaldi made to our genetics, right?"

"Right..." That's a lot for Nadia to digest. She's still finding it hard to even talk to Irina again, let alone imagining letting her mother accompanying her to one of these chats. "Well, I do appreciate the advice, Sydney. I'm sorry we just talked about myself this time!"

Sydney laughs and says "No, it's ok! I'll admit, I feel awkward when we just talk about me all the time! I know you can't talk too much about your life because of the unwritten rules and all, but I'm glad I could help you out. I hope I'm right about my mother."

After a pause, Nadia replies "I hope you are, too."

San Felipe, Mexico (Elysium)

Tom, Emilio, and Maria find themselves in front of the San Marcos Orphanage, San Felipe Chapter. Tom's holding both kids' hands as they wait for Julieta Romero to answer the door. Maria and Emilio each have backpacks filled with their personal belongings strapped to their backs.

For Emilio, this is the first time since the abduction that he's been back to the orphanage. He looks excited to hang out with his orphan friends again. In fact, he's bending up and down repeatedly at the knees out of excitement.

Tom looks down at the happy kid with a serious look. "Remember, don't tell your friends anything about the kidnapping."

Emilio looks up and just nods quickly.

"I mean it now. This is a secret that you, Maria, and Julieta share. Don't tell anyone what happened. If someone asks where you were, tell them you were sick and we were taking care of you."

Emilio impatiently replies "Oh kaaaaay!"

Tom smirks immediately. He knows Emilio got the message. "Good. If I hear you told your secret to anyone, I'll have to give you the finger."

Emilio scrunches up his shoulders and winces. A gag that Tom likes to play on him is pressing his finger in the soft spot between the shoulder and neck, which is a weak spot that causes Emilio to go weak in the knees and other limbs. It's a classic trick that's particularly effective on young kids.

Maria defensively slaps Tom on the leg and says "Nooooo! Don't give him the finger! I don't like when you do it to me!"

Tom smirks at Maria "Then you better make sure your friend keeps the secret!"

Maria looks over at Emilio suspiciously. "Don't say anything, Emilio!"

Emilio defensively replies "Alright already!"

The door opens in front of them. The three look up to see Julieta beaming back at them. "Hey guys!"

Maria and Emilio both say "Hi, Julieta!" in unison.

"Well, come on in! Everyone's waiting for you!"

Tom lets go of Maria and Emilio as they proceed inside. Tom follows them in and Julieta closes the door behind them.

Immediately, the kids get up and excitedly run over to Emilio. Everyone's saying hi or hugging him or just mobbing him in general. He's really not sure what to make of it, just standing there kind of awkwardly.

One girl about a year older than Emiliio asks "Emilio, are you feeling better?"

Emilio nods. "Yeah, Tom and Nadia have taken care of me!"

"Cool!"

Tom, meanwhile, looks over to his left at Julieta's desk, which is littered with handmade cards and letters. Tom points and asks "Hey Julieta, what's all that?"

Julieta looks over at her desk and forms a humble smile on her face. "All the kids made those for me while I was away. They really missed me. They all hoped I'd get better and get back here as soon as possible. It was really sweet, I've never been so touched in my life!" Julieta feels herself get emotional and stops in her tracks.

Tom smiles at her, then looks out at the kids. "Hey everyone, listen up!" The kids stop mugging Emilio and look at Tom attentively as he continues. "I want you all to know something about Julieta." Julieta gives him a funny look as he continues. "You couldn't have asked for a better person to be your orphan mother. This woman is the best. If any of you were in danger, Julieta would to ANYTHING to help you. She loves each and every one of you, and you should be proud to have her."

Julieta hangs her head and starts to get red at the compliment. She's not accustomed to compliments like that. She immediately realizes he was referencing to her taking a bullet to try to save Emilio and Nadia when he said she'd do anything for them. It's not a memory she likes to remember, but Tom's statement is true. She'd do anything for those kids.

A girl says "We love Julieta! She's awesome!" A few other kids chime in their approval.

An emotional Julieta wipes a tear away and says "Thank you so much! I missed you all so much while I was away. Me and Tom were just talking about your letters and cards and how sweet they were!"

The same girl says "We were worried about you! We just wanted to make you happy when you came back!"

"Well, you made me very happy! Thank you! But enough about me, who here's ready for Duck, Duck, Goose?"

All of the kids, including Maria and Emilio, start excitedly voicing their approval.

"Well, go get in a circle. I'll join you in a bit!"

The kids all run to the open area of the orphanage and start sitting in a circle, getting ready for the game.

Julieta looks over at Tom with a smile. "You're just as flattering as your brother!"

Tom cracks his trademark smirk. "Us Falks aim to please, especially the ones we like."

"Eddie's coming by tonight, actually..."

"Geez, he just can't stay away, can he?"

"No, I guess not! That man is so sweet...but he won't talk about what happened to Mitch at all."

Tom looks over at the office. "Come on. I need to talk to you anyway."

Tom and Julieta head over to the office. It's one of the only quiet areas of the building and it also serves as Julieta's bedroom. It's a little messy, moreso than Julieta usually likes it. In fact, she points it out. "I'm really sorry about the mess. After spending a day with Eddie, I've been busy since I got back."

"No problem. So you say Eddie won't talk about what he did to Mitch."

"No...it's kind of bothering me, actually."

"Julieta, I've never seen my brother snap like that. Storm Crew did a lot of the damage, but Mitch still wouldn't shut his damn mouth. Eddie shut it for him."

"What did he do?"

Tom sullenly looks at the ground. "He scared the shit out of me is what. Let's just say that Mitch Hayes won't have a cognitive thought for as long as he endures in Hell. If this were real life, the beating Mitch took would have either put him in a coma for the rest of his life or would have been fatal."

Julieta gasps as she puts her hand to her mouth. "Oh my goodness..."

"Listen, Eddie's a humble guy, much more than I am. It's not like him to snap like he did. But he loves you more than me or Nadia imagined. Mitch said all the right things to get him to blow his stack. I think Mitch realized he was done for, and wanted the "nice" Falk to be the one that did him in. He got his wish."

Julieta shakes her head in disbelief. "I can't believe a guy would do that for me..."

"With us Falks, it all boils down to one thing: the ones we love. We love others before we love ourselves. To harm a loved one of ours is a declaration of war. Mom, Dad, Karen, Eddie...and you damn well know I'm like that, too. But listen, don't tell Eddie I told you this. In fact, just drop the subject all together. I know he's not feeling too proud of what he did. Just leave that sleeping dog lie, ok?"

Julieta nods. "Sure. I'm just glad I know the truth. I guess there is something noble about what he did, sticking up for me like that. Being with Eddie makes me understand the relationship you and Nadia have. Life is so much easier knowing someone that loves you like Eddie does is in it."

"That's exactly why me and Nadia are together. Our complicated lives are made simpler with each other in it."

"Hey, are you going to be staying? Like I said, Eddie's coming over..."

Tom shakes his head. "Nah. Nadia's due home soon anyway. I appreciate you letting Emilio and Maria have a sleepover here."

Julieta folds her arms and says "Well of course, I'm glad to have them over. I just don't understand why. Emilio's still staying with you guys and Maria's never slept over before."

Tom looks down at the ground nervously. "That's because me and Nadia have something important to talk about tonight, and I don't want them in earshot."

"Is everything ok?"

Tom looks up at Julieta. "I need to borrow Emilio's file."

"Tom, I can't do that! I can't release a file unless you're..." Suddenly, Julieta stops and looks at Tom surprised. "Are you..."

Tom nods slowly. "Yeah. I want to adopt Emilio."

END OF CHAPTER