iheartvaughn
Cadet
wow. this is totally interesting
keep up the good work!
keep up the good work!
What do you mean getting good?? IT IS GOOD!!!
ITS FANTASTIC!!
I LOVE YOU!!!!! *HUGGLES!!!!* I guessed Kath might have been Jack's you described her eyes and i immediately thought... "Hmmm JACKS EYES" I dont know why, i just did! Their talks a great and Sydney and Nadia are spot on the money, jack being soo pissed that he wants to interigate her the nasty way is sooo in character! I LOVE THIS STORY!! Must have more!!!
UPDATE SOON!! Or i might die!!!
Update STAT!!
ITS FANTASTIC!!
I LOVE YOU!!!!! *HUGGLES!!!!* I guessed Kath might have been Jack's you described her eyes and i immediately thought... "Hmmm JACKS EYES" I dont know why, i just did! Their talks a great and Sydney and Nadia are spot on the money, jack being soo pissed that he wants to interigate her the nasty way is sooo in character! I LOVE THIS STORY!! Must have more!!!
UPDATE SOON!! Or i might die!!!
Update STAT!!
crystalrevan
Cadet
Wow, that was incredible! I want to slap Jack upside the head for even thinking about unrestricted interrogation with a child.
I loved the way you ended it. The quote was perfect!
Thanks for the pm!
I loved the way you ended it. The quote was perfect!
Thanks for the pm!
Thanks for your reviews.
Chapter 8
“Dad, look at her eyes.”
“Why exactly would I want to do that?”
“Because their yours.”
After saying this, Sydney too stood up and left her father alone with his thoughts. He could not understand why Sydney immediately believed the word of a stranger, a stranger claiming to be his daughter and her sister.
"Nothing the girl says can be taken at face value."
"That's what I said about Irina. Look where that got me."
"Look where it will take you if you trust another Derevko again."
"But, Sydney..."
"You're doing this for her. Everything you ever do is to protect her."
"But she believes Katherine. I've already done enough damage to our relationship, and I'm not about to add to that by breaking her trust again."
"Be careful, Bristow. You're treading on thin ice when it comes to that so-called wife of yours."
He wanted to believe Katherine, he genuinely did, but after guarding his true emotions for so long, behind a scowl, a glare, a wall of defences that rarely collapsed, it became habitual for Jack to second-guess everything. He emotionally withdrew himself from the people around him, in order to escape the pain, to no longer feel the hurt that filled his life. Jack's heart became a hollow shell, unable to bear or feel anything, assuring himself that he would not get hurt again, but his ability to detach his mind from his empty heart came at a price. Nothing could come in, nothing could come out and Sydney had suffered as a consequence. His innocent young daughter, who deserved much more than he had given her, had on the same day, endured the loss of both the people she loved.
"I think you loved Mom so much, that when she left you, you lost your soul."
Although meant as an insult, it was the truth in every sense. Sydney had said these words to Jack after she found out that he set Irina up in Madagascar; her anger and her conviction that she would not forgive Jack for his wrongdoing controlled the words she used as insults to throw at her father. This was then soon followed by Sydney hurling Jack's past gullibility in his face, questioning him of her very existence.
“If you hadn't been so gullible, I never would've been born.”
Sydney's words stung, especially when she doubted his love for her and the privilege he felt at knowing she was his daughter. Sydney could not have been more wrong. Jack loved her more than he could ever say; he would without hesitation, sacrifice his life to save hers, and would forevermore feel proud that she was his. Sydney slowly came to believe, despite their rocky relationship, that she could always rely on her father for anything. Now it was Jack's turn to rely on Sydney, to rely on her decision and hope for the best.
Jack stood up and made his way out of the room, putting his hand on Sydney's shoulder as he passed, a gesture signifying that he will trust her choice. He entered the interrogation room and waited for Katherine to speak.
“I suppose the five minutes you were away, constitutes as my break.”
“Did you want longer?”
Katherine smiled slightly before answering. “No, it's fine.”
There was silence again. Katherine noticed Jack's large change in demeanour; Sydney had again affected him, so Jack decided to give Katherine another chance to give an explanation. But she made no attempt in doing so, she just stared at the wall she was facing, tension mixed with the deafening silence that filled the room was enough to force Jack to begin the conversation.
“I want to discuss your…connection with me. Your father…am I really…” Jack began in an unsure tone of voice that was not often used.
Katherine turned around and answered, “Yes…Agent Bristow. My father is you. But, you want proof.”
“Yes.”
Katherine walked to the table and took a seat. She twiddled her thumbs and inhaled deeply before responding.
“Fine. But, first of all, there's some issues between you and my mother that need to be resolved.”
Jack sighed. “Irina Derevko is a complicated individual-”
“So are you.” interrupted Katherine. “But that's not the point though, is it?”
Jack sighed again and took his seat facing Katherine.
“It is not in my mother's best interests to cause you pain, despite the many instances that she has done so.”
Jack scoffed but Katherine ignored it and continued as if nothing happened.
“She lies, she deceives, she keeps secrets to protect the people she loves. You must bear in mind that it is your best interests that she puts first. If you think about it, she and you are the same in this sense. When the occasion calls for it, you also lie, deceive and keep secrets from your daughter to shield her from the painful truth. Correct me if I'm wrong.”
“Irina could have just told me the truth.” Jack grumbled.
Katherine laughed sarcastically, shaking her head in disbelief. “And what would you have done? Would you have believed her?”
“She should have trusted me.”
Katherine laughed again, and then looked into Jack's eyes. “I think you're severely underestimating the complexity of her situation back then, and now…I think she's still having difficulty in trusting a man who's tried to kill her on more than one occasion.”
Alarms started ringing and blood rushed to Jack's head. Why would Irina tell her that? What did it accomplish?
“Just how much did Irina tell you?” Jack asked, his voice controlled so it wouldn't break.
“She tells me everything.”
“Why would a mother disclose something like that to her daughter? If she did tell you everything, wouldn’t that put in danger?”
“She has two other daughters whose lives she has been absent from for the majority of, because of the lies, the deceit, the secrets. She simply thought that she should try breaking that barrier with me, to give me a chance at a normal life, a chance she was unable to give her other daughters. An attempt at redemption, if you will…and with regards to me being in danger, let’s just say I can take care of myself.”
Jack’s mind was still racing. He could not come to terms with the revelations Katherine continuously conveyed unto him. He knew Irina was extremely protective of her children, so why would she tell all her secrets to her youngest daughter? If it really was an effort to give Katherine a normal life, why was she here now?
“Obviously, the fact that you’re being interrogated as a CIA prisoner, Irina failed.”
Katherine frowned at Jack and hissed, “You’re wrong, she did all she could.”
“Then why are you here?”
Katherine averted her stare and lowered her eyes onto the grey table. Her heartbeat quickened once more as she fought to control her now shallow breathing. She wrapped her arms around her torso, in an attempt to calm herself, without success. Jack observed as his supposed daughter’s body language indicated that the subject they were about to discuss was difficult for her, so he just observed and waited.
“This is where my…history comes in.” Katherine croaked, her breathing slightly slower than before, but much more erratic than normal.
Jack simply gave Katherine a reassuring nod in response.
“She and I didn’t make contact until I was twelve years old.”
Jack frowned opened his mouth about to ask the most obvious question, but not before being interrupted by the answer.
“She wasn’t aware of my existence.”
Jack continued to frown and look at Katherine with an astonished expression. Finally, after the initial waves of shock wore off, Jack was able to string together a sentence.
“How the h*ll did she not know of her own daughter’s existence?” asked Jack, his voice filled with disbelief.
Katherine continued gaping at the dull table, glancing at both sides before making her eyes meet with Jack’s.
“Look,” Katherine began. “I’ll tell you everything, but you can’t interrupt me. You can’t ask questions. All you have to do…all you need to do now…is listen. After that, you can pass judgement on me and my mother whatever way you want. But for now I need you to listen.”
Jack’s lips tightened, but gave Katherine a small nod, signalling her to continue.
“The prophecy foretold by Rambaldi, pertains to the individual he called the Chosen One. She would be the woman to bring forth Rambaldi’s works, to reveal the greatest power known to man in all of history. In one of his manuscripts, he speaks of the two people chosen to conceive the child he would used to execute the prophecy. It says:
‘Two lovers. Separated by the acts of fate but for this same reason will unite once more, as enemies, as lovers yet again, in the domain of life, and ultimately, in the realms of death. Only these two chosen can bear the child with whom it was given the task of fulfilling my dream.’
Have you heard of it before?”
Now, it was Jack’s heartbeat growing faster, his breathe deepening as he came to realize what Katherine was insinuating. He curled his hands into fists and could feel his fingernails digging into his palm. Was the relationship between Irina and Sloane more than a simple one-time thing? Or, God forbid, had it developed into something deeper? Or by some small ray of hope, there was a possibility that the child mentioned in the prophecy was his?
Jack loosened his grip, watched his white knuckles turn back to its normal colour and managed to blurt out a few words, while trying to conceal the pent-up anger surging within him.
“No…I haven’t. But what exactly are you implying?”
“I told you questions come later.”
“Are you telling me Nadia is mine?” Jack uncontrollably raised his voice, his burning anger and that sliver of hope fuelling his desperation to find the answer.
Katherine paused and tucked her hair behind her ears. “Yes...”
TBC
The rest of Katherine's 'history,' which includes her conception, will be on the next chapter. Just wanted to let you know, that I'm going to get there sooner or later. I ain't going to leave you hanging, don't worry.
Chapter 8
“Dad, look at her eyes.”
“Why exactly would I want to do that?”
“Because their yours.”
After saying this, Sydney too stood up and left her father alone with his thoughts. He could not understand why Sydney immediately believed the word of a stranger, a stranger claiming to be his daughter and her sister.
"Nothing the girl says can be taken at face value."
"That's what I said about Irina. Look where that got me."
"Look where it will take you if you trust another Derevko again."
"But, Sydney..."
"You're doing this for her. Everything you ever do is to protect her."
"But she believes Katherine. I've already done enough damage to our relationship, and I'm not about to add to that by breaking her trust again."
"Be careful, Bristow. You're treading on thin ice when it comes to that so-called wife of yours."
He wanted to believe Katherine, he genuinely did, but after guarding his true emotions for so long, behind a scowl, a glare, a wall of defences that rarely collapsed, it became habitual for Jack to second-guess everything. He emotionally withdrew himself from the people around him, in order to escape the pain, to no longer feel the hurt that filled his life. Jack's heart became a hollow shell, unable to bear or feel anything, assuring himself that he would not get hurt again, but his ability to detach his mind from his empty heart came at a price. Nothing could come in, nothing could come out and Sydney had suffered as a consequence. His innocent young daughter, who deserved much more than he had given her, had on the same day, endured the loss of both the people she loved.
"I think you loved Mom so much, that when she left you, you lost your soul."
Although meant as an insult, it was the truth in every sense. Sydney had said these words to Jack after she found out that he set Irina up in Madagascar; her anger and her conviction that she would not forgive Jack for his wrongdoing controlled the words she used as insults to throw at her father. This was then soon followed by Sydney hurling Jack's past gullibility in his face, questioning him of her very existence.
“If you hadn't been so gullible, I never would've been born.”
Sydney's words stung, especially when she doubted his love for her and the privilege he felt at knowing she was his daughter. Sydney could not have been more wrong. Jack loved her more than he could ever say; he would without hesitation, sacrifice his life to save hers, and would forevermore feel proud that she was his. Sydney slowly came to believe, despite their rocky relationship, that she could always rely on her father for anything. Now it was Jack's turn to rely on Sydney, to rely on her decision and hope for the best.
Jack stood up and made his way out of the room, putting his hand on Sydney's shoulder as he passed, a gesture signifying that he will trust her choice. He entered the interrogation room and waited for Katherine to speak.
“I suppose the five minutes you were away, constitutes as my break.”
“Did you want longer?”
Katherine smiled slightly before answering. “No, it's fine.”
There was silence again. Katherine noticed Jack's large change in demeanour; Sydney had again affected him, so Jack decided to give Katherine another chance to give an explanation. But she made no attempt in doing so, she just stared at the wall she was facing, tension mixed with the deafening silence that filled the room was enough to force Jack to begin the conversation.
“I want to discuss your…connection with me. Your father…am I really…” Jack began in an unsure tone of voice that was not often used.
Katherine turned around and answered, “Yes…Agent Bristow. My father is you. But, you want proof.”
“Yes.”
Katherine walked to the table and took a seat. She twiddled her thumbs and inhaled deeply before responding.
“Fine. But, first of all, there's some issues between you and my mother that need to be resolved.”
Jack sighed. “Irina Derevko is a complicated individual-”
“So are you.” interrupted Katherine. “But that's not the point though, is it?”
Jack sighed again and took his seat facing Katherine.
“It is not in my mother's best interests to cause you pain, despite the many instances that she has done so.”
Jack scoffed but Katherine ignored it and continued as if nothing happened.
“She lies, she deceives, she keeps secrets to protect the people she loves. You must bear in mind that it is your best interests that she puts first. If you think about it, she and you are the same in this sense. When the occasion calls for it, you also lie, deceive and keep secrets from your daughter to shield her from the painful truth. Correct me if I'm wrong.”
“Irina could have just told me the truth.” Jack grumbled.
Katherine laughed sarcastically, shaking her head in disbelief. “And what would you have done? Would you have believed her?”
“She should have trusted me.”
Katherine laughed again, and then looked into Jack's eyes. “I think you're severely underestimating the complexity of her situation back then, and now…I think she's still having difficulty in trusting a man who's tried to kill her on more than one occasion.”
Alarms started ringing and blood rushed to Jack's head. Why would Irina tell her that? What did it accomplish?
“Just how much did Irina tell you?” Jack asked, his voice controlled so it wouldn't break.
“She tells me everything.”
“Why would a mother disclose something like that to her daughter? If she did tell you everything, wouldn’t that put in danger?”
“She has two other daughters whose lives she has been absent from for the majority of, because of the lies, the deceit, the secrets. She simply thought that she should try breaking that barrier with me, to give me a chance at a normal life, a chance she was unable to give her other daughters. An attempt at redemption, if you will…and with regards to me being in danger, let’s just say I can take care of myself.”
Jack’s mind was still racing. He could not come to terms with the revelations Katherine continuously conveyed unto him. He knew Irina was extremely protective of her children, so why would she tell all her secrets to her youngest daughter? If it really was an effort to give Katherine a normal life, why was she here now?
“Obviously, the fact that you’re being interrogated as a CIA prisoner, Irina failed.”
Katherine frowned at Jack and hissed, “You’re wrong, she did all she could.”
“Then why are you here?”
Katherine averted her stare and lowered her eyes onto the grey table. Her heartbeat quickened once more as she fought to control her now shallow breathing. She wrapped her arms around her torso, in an attempt to calm herself, without success. Jack observed as his supposed daughter’s body language indicated that the subject they were about to discuss was difficult for her, so he just observed and waited.
“This is where my…history comes in.” Katherine croaked, her breathing slightly slower than before, but much more erratic than normal.
Jack simply gave Katherine a reassuring nod in response.
“She and I didn’t make contact until I was twelve years old.”
Jack frowned opened his mouth about to ask the most obvious question, but not before being interrupted by the answer.
“She wasn’t aware of my existence.”
Jack continued to frown and look at Katherine with an astonished expression. Finally, after the initial waves of shock wore off, Jack was able to string together a sentence.
“How the h*ll did she not know of her own daughter’s existence?” asked Jack, his voice filled with disbelief.
Katherine continued gaping at the dull table, glancing at both sides before making her eyes meet with Jack’s.
“Look,” Katherine began. “I’ll tell you everything, but you can’t interrupt me. You can’t ask questions. All you have to do…all you need to do now…is listen. After that, you can pass judgement on me and my mother whatever way you want. But for now I need you to listen.”
Jack’s lips tightened, but gave Katherine a small nod, signalling her to continue.
“The prophecy foretold by Rambaldi, pertains to the individual he called the Chosen One. She would be the woman to bring forth Rambaldi’s works, to reveal the greatest power known to man in all of history. In one of his manuscripts, he speaks of the two people chosen to conceive the child he would used to execute the prophecy. It says:
‘Two lovers. Separated by the acts of fate but for this same reason will unite once more, as enemies, as lovers yet again, in the domain of life, and ultimately, in the realms of death. Only these two chosen can bear the child with whom it was given the task of fulfilling my dream.’
Have you heard of it before?”
Now, it was Jack’s heartbeat growing faster, his breathe deepening as he came to realize what Katherine was insinuating. He curled his hands into fists and could feel his fingernails digging into his palm. Was the relationship between Irina and Sloane more than a simple one-time thing? Or, God forbid, had it developed into something deeper? Or by some small ray of hope, there was a possibility that the child mentioned in the prophecy was his?
Jack loosened his grip, watched his white knuckles turn back to its normal colour and managed to blurt out a few words, while trying to conceal the pent-up anger surging within him.
“No…I haven’t. But what exactly are you implying?”
“I told you questions come later.”
“Are you telling me Nadia is mine?” Jack uncontrollably raised his voice, his burning anger and that sliver of hope fuelling his desperation to find the answer.
Katherine paused and tucked her hair behind her ears. “Yes...”
TBC
The rest of Katherine's 'history,' which includes her conception, will be on the next chapter. Just wanted to let you know, that I'm going to get there sooner or later. I ain't going to leave you hanging, don't worry.
iheartvaughn
Cadet
YAY! First to PM. Wait, so all of Irina's daughters are Jack's? wow.
crystalrevan
Cadet
You just made me a very happy person! I love the wording in this chapter. You are a really talented author and I can't wait for more!
sydneymicheal
Cadet
This is getting great...
I can't wait to hear Katherine's story.
Thanks for the pm.
Update again soon.
I can't wait to hear Katherine's story.
Thanks for the pm.
Update again soon.
PointguysGirl
Cadet
This looks very good! Jack is Nadias dad, YAY! :lol:
PM me, please?
PM me, please?
Hey, guys. Thanks again for reviewing. This chapter is relatively longer and the end might confuse you, so I'm doing a double update Hope you like it and please review! Oh, and since my computer crashed and I'm working off my mom's laptop, I lost my PM list so if you don't get one, I'm very sorry.
Chapter 9
“I told you questions come later.”
“Are you telling me Nadia is mine?” Jack uncontrollably raised his voice, his burning anger and that sliver of hope fuelling his desperation to find the answer.
Katherine paused and tucked her hair behind her ears. “Yes...”
“...Among other things.” she added in an almost inaudible whisper.
Jack caught her last sentence and his eyes further widened at what else she had to say.
“What more can you possibly tell me?”
“How I was conceived.” Katherine hoarsely whispered.
“But how could Nadia be my daughter? Arvin Sloane--”
“Arvin Sloane,” interrupted Katherine. “Lied.”
“But he compared his DNA to Nadia's and they matched.” Jack argued, utter confusion taking its toll on his usually sharp senses.
“You know, my mother never would have thought that Jack Bristow would again trust the word of Arvin Sloane after what he did. Did you ever consider that he wasn’t telling the truth? Haven't you been the least bit curious about Nadia?”
“Of course, I was. I was just...preoccupied.”
Jack could not begin to describe the pain he felt when he found out about Nadia. It consumed his thoughts, leaving him with an irreparable heart and a tortured soul that led him to find his solace in a bottle of scotch. Nadia was the result of the affair that tore at his already broken heart. The feelings she evoked in Jack was something he could barely manage, it took all his will power to compartmentalize these emotions that continually haunted him. Now, even without confirmation, Jack could feel a wave of relief sweep over him, like somehow beneath all the hidden emotions, buried under all the countless lies, he knew.
“Why didn’t Irina tell me?”
“You’re not exactly the easiest person to approach, so she tried giving you a hint.”
“When?”
“Before you left for Sovogda. Think back and you’ll remember.”
Jack just sat there wondering for a moment and then it struck him.
“You’re going to enjoy getting to know Nadia, she’s exceptional.”
“I wonder where she got that from.”
“You remember now, don’t you?” asked Katherine.
“Yes…but I need…time.” Jack stood up and made his way to the door, but before he opened it, he turned to Katherine to speak.
“Would you consent to a...a DNA test? And I'll do everything I can to ensure your requests are granted.”
Katherine appreciated Jack’s attempt at a kind gesture, smiled from her seat, and replied, “Sure.”
“Thank you.”
Jack exited the room and headed towards the room with again-astonished agents watching over the girl named Katherine Derevko. The door then opened and at the entrance stood Jack Bristow. All their eyes shifted to the man with a stern expression on his face, then Chase cleared her throat again and they returned to their work. Jack leaned on the wall beside the entrance and waited as Chase walked in his direction.
He stood upright and began his list of demands, “She has given consent to a blood test. I want her DNA compared with mine and the results to be done and ready for me by this afternoon.”
Jack looked over Chase's shoulder and caught Nadia's eyes that were filled with so much confusion and possibly…reluctance. She tore the gaze and returned to talking to Sydney, making Jack feel somewhat uneasy and hesitant in believing that she was actually his daughter. But what if she was? But what if he didn’t have the courage to take his second chance at being the father he always dreamed of? What if he failed?
“Don’t you believe her?” Chase asked, interrupting Jack in his train of thought.
Jack left the question unanswered, but his eyes said it all: he wanted to; it was just the matter of if he could.
“Agent Bristow,” Chase began uncertainly. “We found her file.”
“What did it is say?”
“Here.” said Chase, handing a folder to Jack.
Jack took the folder, opened it, finally revealing the truth.
Name: Katherine Alexsia Derevko Bristow
Sex: Female
Date of Birth: 21 July 1988
Place of Birth: Unknown
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 115 lb.
Parents: Irina Sophia Derevko and Jonathan Donahue Bristow
Jack’s heart stopped for an instant when he read the last line. How could he be father to a child whose mother he believed was dead? He needed confirmation; he knew that this would drive him insane if he did not know the whole truth. Jack turned his view from Katherine’s file to Chase’s inquisitive gaze, pleading silently with his eyes to allow him to gain the peace of mind he so desperately needed. Chase eventually gave in and shrugged her shoulders in defeat.
She turned to two young male agents and ordered, “Scott, Johnson, follow Agent Bristow and collect a sample of the witness’s blood. I want a DNA test performed immediately comparing Agent Bristow’s DNA to that of the witness. The results are to be given to me immediately after it’s done.”
The two men’s faces lit up as they were finally given something to do and followed Jack to the other room. All three men entered the room and stood there stiffly as Katherine gave each of them a smile. Agents Scott and Johnson walked around from behind Jack towards Katherine to begin collecting a sample of her blood. Scott prepared the needle while Johnson whispered instructions to Katherine, who merely nodded. Katherine placed her hair from the right to the left side of her shoulder to expose the area the needle would be injected into to collect her blood. Scott held the needle near Katherine’s skin, waiting for her nod to proceed, then plunged the needle into her right arm. Katherine didn’t flinch, she didn’t even blink, she just waited for them to collect enough blood, then used the cotton ball she was given to stop the blood flow.
The two agents made their way out with Jack giving them a curt nod of approval, and then he turned to face Katherine, still holding the folder that contained her short profile.
“Thank you.”
“That’s fine.”
It was becoming a natural thing that whenever Jack entered the room, they would both be waiting in silence for the other to speak.
“Are you hungry?” said Jack all of a sudden. He realised that at that moment, she was not given any breakfast that morning and time had passed so quickly that it was nearing time for lunch.
“A little bit.”
“I’ll get someone to bring you something to eat.”
Jack looked at the window and nodded. A few minutes later, a young female agent followed by another entered the room; one was carrying a very inviting and large meatball sub, the other carrying a shifty looking sandwich: one of the basic meals given to a prisoner. The two agents put the food down in front of Jack and Katherine and made their way to the door.
Jack frowned at the food before Katherine, who was eyeing her sandwich suspiciously and raised his hand to halt the two agents, “Wait.”
The two women turned around and faced the intimidating figure of a frowning Jack Bristow.
“You don’t really call that food, do you?” Jack asked pointing the sandwich Katherine was now poking, to make sure there was not anything alive in it.
“Umm…we-we-we just do what-what we’re told, sir.” one the women stuttered.
“Well...since you’re so good at doing what you’re told, listen to what I’m telling you now. Take her food away and make another of what you gave me. Understood?”
“Ye-yes, sir.” both agents replied; one grabbed Katherine’s tray and then they scampered for the door.
Jack took his seat, while Katherine sighed with relief.
“Thank you. I didn’t think the food here would be so bad.” Katherine smiled.
“I’ve heard the food here is quite appalling.” answered Jack, who to everyone’s surprise, smiled as well. “Here, you can start on mine.”
Jack pushed his tray in front of Katherine, wondering if she should take it.
“Are you sure? I mean, I’m not even supposed to be eating something like this.”
“Go ahead. I’m not particularly hungry.” said Jack, pushing the tray even closer.
Katherine practically attacked the sub, devouring it in big bites and sticking her thumb up in approval. Under three minutes, she had finished the meatball sub, was slouching on her chair and patting her stomach.
“Mmm, that was delicious.”
Then one of the female agents from before entered the room again with another meatball sub and placed it in front of Jack, who did not even make an attempt on starting it.
“Are you going to eat that?” asked Katherine innocently.
“Probably not.” responded Jack with a tiny grin, who again pushed his tray towards Katherine.
“I’ll save it for later.” Katherine said, pushing the tray to the side.
Silence filled the room again. Their recently relaxed atmosphere morphed into a serious and intense ambience, both again waiting for the other to speak.
“We were finally able to find something on you.” said Jack.
“Oh, really?” replied Katherine in an emotionless voice.
Jack slid the folder to Katherine, who opened it and found her brief profile. She looked up at Jack after reading the line of whom her parents were.
“I suppose this is the part where I explain.”
“Whenever you’re ready.”
“You don’t usually do this, do you?”
“Do what?”
“Give the prisoner the upper hand.”
“You’re…” he paused, thinking quickly about what he should say.
“…my daughter.”
“No, don’t be foolish, Bristow. Regain control.”
Jack squashed the voice and decided on an indirect manner of saying she was his, “…different.”
Katherine shoved the folder to her side and inhaled deeply before beginning.
“As I told you before, my mother and I didn’t make contact until I was twelve. She didn’t know I existed.” She paused, taking in another deep breathe before continuing. “I also told you about one of the manuscripts of Rambaldi—”
“What does this have to do with Rambaldi?” interrupted Jack.
“It has everything to do with Rambaldi.” answered Katherine. “As I was saying, he spoke of a man and a woman who would bear the child referred to as the Chosen One or the Passenger. This man and woman are you and my mother.”
“It could be Sloane.” argued Jack with slight disgust in his voice.
“Do you want Nadia to be Sloane’s?” asked Katherine, growing quite irritable at Jack for denying what he wants to be the truth.
“No.” whispered Jack.
“There you have it.” said Katherine. “Besides, you and my mother fit the category perfectly. Fate tore you apart the first time, when she was extracted in 1981. Fate intervened again when my mother returned as an enemy when she surrendered herself. Fate in the form of Sydney’s disappearance brought you together. So…from lovers to enemies to…lovers again.”
Jack clenched his fists at the intimate details she was sharing with him and everyone else who was watching.
“Yes.” Jack answered huskily. “But how...?”
“Even before my mother was sent here,” continued Katherine. “the KGB had already taken a fascination to Rambaldi. Some time after that, they were able to decipher the meaning of the Prophecy regarding the Passenger. At first, they assumed it was my mother, when they saw her face on the drawing, one of the reasons she was extracted. Then they came across the manuscript describing the two chosen to conceive the child and believed that with the current circumstances, the other possibility would be…Sydney. They observed Sydney from a distance for a few months without my mother’s consultation and found nothing conclusive. Both my mother and the KGB were unaware that she was pregnant at that time of her imprisonment with Nadia. Eventually she began showing signs that she was. The KGB immediately decided to terminate the child, but the point was raised that this child may be the one referred to in the Prophecy, so they chose instead that after my mother gave birth, they would take the child away and perform several tests to gain further information on Rambaldi’s endgame. My mother was under the impression that when the KGB took her child, they had killed Nadia, this was when…William Vaughn interceded.”
She paused. “He took Nadia and gave her to Sophia aka Elena Derevko, another obsessive follower of Rambaldi. Then again, Vaughn didn’t know this and thought that Nadia would be safe in Sophia’s care. The KGB were furious that they had lost the child and after many searches presumed that she was dead. They believed that if Nadia was really dead, she couldn’t be the Passenger, so they decided on...making their own.”
“What do you mean ‘make’?!” Jack asked; feeling shocked at the insinuation and dread at the answer.
She squirmed in her seat and repositioned herself. “One time, when my mother was unconscious, several medical staff were ordered to…extract her eggs. They didn’t want my mother to know because she would in time be cleared and would most likely search for this child. So it remained a secret. The other problem was you. They needed your…‘specimen’ in order to create the child.”
“When did they…?” asked Jack, his insides turning at what they did to Irina.
“You were on a mission in Mexico, 1987. A group of people captured you, remember?”
Jack thought back and could recall hazy details of that capture. “Vaguely.”
“Well, that was when they…took it.” Katherine squirmed again. “The KGB had discovered a method in preserving my mother’s…eggs. They knew the chances of creating another child were slim but they acted on it anyway. All they had to do now was find a surrogate mother.”
“Who was it?”
Katherine turned away then looked at Jack. “Emily Sloane.”
Chapter 10
“Well, that was when they…took it.” Katherine squirmed again. “The KGB had discovered a method in preserving my mother’s…eggs. They knew the chances of creating another child were slim but they acted on it anyway. All they had to do now was find a surrogate mother.”
“Who was it?”
Katherine turned away then looked at Jack. “Emily Sloane.”
“What?!”
“Arvin Sloane was already caught up in the obsession of Rambaldi, so he didn’t hesitate to take the opportunity given to him. Add that to the fact, that he and Emily had been trying to conceive a child for some time and desperately wanted to be parents. Unfortunately, they found that Sloane’s…‘soldiers’ was a bit on the slow side, but that didn’t stop them. This led them to have his and her ‘stuff’ inserted into Emily’s uterus. Unbeknownst to Emily, it was actually yours and my mothers. She gladly carried this child thinking it was hers and that she and Sloane would finally be parents. The KGB had said that Sloane could keep the child as long as they were kept up to date. Then on July 21 1988, a month before Emily’s due date, she gave birth to Jacquelyn Sloane. The doctors had told Emily and Arvin that the baby had defects because she was premature and had a remote chance of surviving, but this just the KGB holding back on their promise that Sloane could keep the child. Emily and Arvin were distraught and on that same day, the doctors approached them and told them that the baby had died. They were both too saddened by this that they couldn’t bear seeing the child’s supposedly dead body. It was actually the KGB lying to them, pulling another tell-the-parents-the-child-is-dead-while-we-kidnap-it.”
Katherine fought to control the tears that threatened to spill and exhaled deeply.
“That child was me.” she managed to whisper. “My mother had no idea, she was already cleared and living the life of ‘The Man.’ Heartless, empty, without purpose, was the life she led after she lost everything that meant something to her, after she lost all the people she loved to death.”
Jack looked at her blankly, unable to comprehend what she could possibly be feeling at that moment.
“The KGB handed me over to the Order, who gladly accepted the task in… ‘raising’ me. What I mean by raising is almost no food, no water, locked in a dark cell with no window and only taken out for…experiments or tests. They also had to ensure that in the possibility of an attack or capture that I could fend for myself. So they tested Project Christmas on me when I was 11. I was natural, they say. All were still oblivious to the fact that Nadia was actually alive and was now working for Argentine Intelligence. Whenever the Order had a meeting, they always had me accompany them so I wouldn’t dare to escape. One day when I was 12, the Order had another meeting to attend. This meeting was with Irina Derevko.”
“Irina? How did she find out?”
“She found tapes of her interrogations in Kashmir and discovered that she had another child she was unaware of. What the KGB feared was finally happening; Irina Derevko was searching for her long-lost daughter. She had heard from a source that the Order had some important information related to her daughter. The meeting went reasonably well; she got the location of the Order’s headquarters and killed everyone in that room to show that no one messes with Irina Derevko or her children. She was on her way out when two of her guards were struggling in holding a twelve year-old girl. She had finally found me. She knew straight away that I was the one she was looking for.”
Jack was astounded by Katherine’s life story. Another innocent child subjected to the treacheries of the world of espionage. He remained quiet as she tucked her hair behind her ears again.
“She raised me the best she could. I was a stubborn child though, much like her she told me, despite what the Order did to me; I was still hard-headed, but then she had to leave me, so she could make amends…with you. She told me she might not come back, but I knew she would. Not even death could conquer my mother.”
“She’s just too damn strong.” Katherine added in a whisper.
Jack could feel what was coming, how Katherine’s certainty that her mother was too strong to die, came crashing down when he killed her.
“And then you killed her.” Katherine whispered, her eyes beginning to glisten with unshed tears. “I lost the only person I had ever loved. I lost the one who rescued me from becoming an animal, from fulfilling a destiny I never wanted.”
The tears remained unfallen and her eyes moved to the meatball sub that was now cold. As cold as she felt, when she lost her mother, as cold as the winter nights that made her feel so alone. She had not moved in her seat for a long time, but Jack felt as if she had recoiled to her corner at the far end of the room.
“But then she came back.” Katherine broke the silence. “She came back to me, after saving the world from her crazy sister.” She chuckled softly. “She found me again after you let her go…she found me again.” The last line almost an unheard murmur.
“I’m sorry isn’t enough, is it?”
“No…it never is.” replied Katherine, still looking at her sub. “But coming from you…I can make it count.”
She looked up at him and gave him a tiny smile.
“The building in Panama was the Order’s base of operations,” said Katherine. “That was where they held me. That is why I blew it up and I feel no remorse.”
“You’re entitled not to.”
Katherine gave him a nod and began eating her cold sub, after the first bite; she wiped her mouth and asked Jack, “Did you want any?”
“No, thank you.” answered Jack. He lost his appetite a long time ago, when she began to reveal the details of her life to him.
“You haven’t looked into Nadia being yours, have you?” asked Katherine.
Jack frowned and asked, “How did you know?”
“You said that the man in one of Rambaldi’s manuscripts could be Sloane. If you pursued Nadia being your daughter, you wouldn’t have made that remark.”
“Why don’t you want make sure? I thought you wanted Nadia to be yours.”
“It’s complicated…I’ve spent most of knowing her as someone else. I don’t want to…” Jack struggled to find the words, he knew that in his normal defensive and stoic state, he would not even think about answering a personal question like that, but after what she told him, it was right to give her something back.
“You won’t be disappointed, if you did.”
Jack blurted out all suddenly, “I need you to prove your worth.”
“Where’d that come from?!” Katherine asked; feeling quite shocked at his random outburst.
“You don’t deserve to be in here.”
“Not many people do.” Katherine smiled. She never thought he would want her to be free this soon.
“You won’t be staying in a cell tonight.”
“How’d you manage that?”
“I haven’t yet, but I will.”
“You don’t have to do this—”
“I want to.” interrupted Jack
“Thank you…Agent Bristow.” Katherine smiled at him again.
Jack hesitated. “You don’t have to call me that…Katherine.”
The named rolled off Jack’s tongue naturally and it sounded sweet to hear it come from him.
“Dad…maybe.” he responded uncertainly.
“Really? You’d let me?” Katherine’s eyes began shining again when he said those words.
“Yes, I would.”
Jack looked at his watch and found that time had whizzed by again. This was the first interrogation he has come out of feeling better about himself, so he dreaded leaving Katherine.
“I should be going. I’ll see you tomorrow.” said Jack grudgingly.
He turned to leave but Katherine stood up, making him turn around. “Wait, umm…Dad?”
“Yes.” Jack replied in the same uneasy tone.
Jack smiled. It felt nice hearing it come from Katherine. Still a little awkward, but they could work past it.
“Could I see Nadia and Sydney too?”
“Sure.”
Then the door to the room opened and Agent Scott was holding another folder that held the results of the test. He gave it to Jack and briskly walked away. Jack opened it up and relief rushed inside of him again.
After that, he left the room without saying another word.
Katherine had not felt this way since her mother found her five years ago, and now she found her father. She brought the folder to her chest, didn't say a word, didn't flinch, she just smiled.
TBC
Hope you like it and please review! Oh, and since my computer crashed and I'm working off my mom's laptop, I lost my PM list so if you don't get one, I'm very sorry. Chapter 9
“I told you questions come later.”
“Are you telling me Nadia is mine?” Jack uncontrollably raised his voice, his burning anger and that sliver of hope fuelling his desperation to find the answer.
Katherine paused and tucked her hair behind her ears. “Yes...”
“...Among other things.” she added in an almost inaudible whisper.
Jack caught her last sentence and his eyes further widened at what else she had to say.
“What more can you possibly tell me?”
“How I was conceived.” Katherine hoarsely whispered.
“But how could Nadia be my daughter? Arvin Sloane--”
“Arvin Sloane,” interrupted Katherine. “Lied.”
“But he compared his DNA to Nadia's and they matched.” Jack argued, utter confusion taking its toll on his usually sharp senses.
“You know, my mother never would have thought that Jack Bristow would again trust the word of Arvin Sloane after what he did. Did you ever consider that he wasn’t telling the truth? Haven't you been the least bit curious about Nadia?”
“Of course, I was. I was just...preoccupied.”
Jack could not begin to describe the pain he felt when he found out about Nadia. It consumed his thoughts, leaving him with an irreparable heart and a tortured soul that led him to find his solace in a bottle of scotch. Nadia was the result of the affair that tore at his already broken heart. The feelings she evoked in Jack was something he could barely manage, it took all his will power to compartmentalize these emotions that continually haunted him. Now, even without confirmation, Jack could feel a wave of relief sweep over him, like somehow beneath all the hidden emotions, buried under all the countless lies, he knew.
“Why didn’t Irina tell me?”
“You’re not exactly the easiest person to approach, so she tried giving you a hint.”
“When?”
“Before you left for Sovogda. Think back and you’ll remember.”
Jack just sat there wondering for a moment and then it struck him.
“You’re going to enjoy getting to know Nadia, she’s exceptional.”
“I wonder where she got that from.”
“You remember now, don’t you?” asked Katherine.
“Yes…but I need…time.” Jack stood up and made his way to the door, but before he opened it, he turned to Katherine to speak.
“Would you consent to a...a DNA test? And I'll do everything I can to ensure your requests are granted.”
Katherine appreciated Jack’s attempt at a kind gesture, smiled from her seat, and replied, “Sure.”
“Thank you.”
Jack exited the room and headed towards the room with again-astonished agents watching over the girl named Katherine Derevko. The door then opened and at the entrance stood Jack Bristow. All their eyes shifted to the man with a stern expression on his face, then Chase cleared her throat again and they returned to their work. Jack leaned on the wall beside the entrance and waited as Chase walked in his direction.
He stood upright and began his list of demands, “She has given consent to a blood test. I want her DNA compared with mine and the results to be done and ready for me by this afternoon.”
Jack looked over Chase's shoulder and caught Nadia's eyes that were filled with so much confusion and possibly…reluctance. She tore the gaze and returned to talking to Sydney, making Jack feel somewhat uneasy and hesitant in believing that she was actually his daughter. But what if she was? But what if he didn’t have the courage to take his second chance at being the father he always dreamed of? What if he failed?
“Don’t you believe her?” Chase asked, interrupting Jack in his train of thought.
Jack left the question unanswered, but his eyes said it all: he wanted to; it was just the matter of if he could.
“Agent Bristow,” Chase began uncertainly. “We found her file.”
“What did it is say?”
“Here.” said Chase, handing a folder to Jack.
Jack took the folder, opened it, finally revealing the truth.
Name: Katherine Alexsia Derevko Bristow
Sex: Female
Date of Birth: 21 July 1988
Place of Birth: Unknown
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 115 lb.
Parents: Irina Sophia Derevko and Jonathan Donahue Bristow
Jack’s heart stopped for an instant when he read the last line. How could he be father to a child whose mother he believed was dead? He needed confirmation; he knew that this would drive him insane if he did not know the whole truth. Jack turned his view from Katherine’s file to Chase’s inquisitive gaze, pleading silently with his eyes to allow him to gain the peace of mind he so desperately needed. Chase eventually gave in and shrugged her shoulders in defeat.
She turned to two young male agents and ordered, “Scott, Johnson, follow Agent Bristow and collect a sample of the witness’s blood. I want a DNA test performed immediately comparing Agent Bristow’s DNA to that of the witness. The results are to be given to me immediately after it’s done.”
The two men’s faces lit up as they were finally given something to do and followed Jack to the other room. All three men entered the room and stood there stiffly as Katherine gave each of them a smile. Agents Scott and Johnson walked around from behind Jack towards Katherine to begin collecting a sample of her blood. Scott prepared the needle while Johnson whispered instructions to Katherine, who merely nodded. Katherine placed her hair from the right to the left side of her shoulder to expose the area the needle would be injected into to collect her blood. Scott held the needle near Katherine’s skin, waiting for her nod to proceed, then plunged the needle into her right arm. Katherine didn’t flinch, she didn’t even blink, she just waited for them to collect enough blood, then used the cotton ball she was given to stop the blood flow.
The two agents made their way out with Jack giving them a curt nod of approval, and then he turned to face Katherine, still holding the folder that contained her short profile.
“Thank you.”
“That’s fine.”
It was becoming a natural thing that whenever Jack entered the room, they would both be waiting in silence for the other to speak.
“Are you hungry?” said Jack all of a sudden. He realised that at that moment, she was not given any breakfast that morning and time had passed so quickly that it was nearing time for lunch.
“A little bit.”
“I’ll get someone to bring you something to eat.”
Jack looked at the window and nodded. A few minutes later, a young female agent followed by another entered the room; one was carrying a very inviting and large meatball sub, the other carrying a shifty looking sandwich: one of the basic meals given to a prisoner. The two agents put the food down in front of Jack and Katherine and made their way to the door.
Jack frowned at the food before Katherine, who was eyeing her sandwich suspiciously and raised his hand to halt the two agents, “Wait.”
The two women turned around and faced the intimidating figure of a frowning Jack Bristow.
“You don’t really call that food, do you?” Jack asked pointing the sandwich Katherine was now poking, to make sure there was not anything alive in it.
“Umm…we-we-we just do what-what we’re told, sir.” one the women stuttered.
“Well...since you’re so good at doing what you’re told, listen to what I’m telling you now. Take her food away and make another of what you gave me. Understood?”
“Ye-yes, sir.” both agents replied; one grabbed Katherine’s tray and then they scampered for the door.
Jack took his seat, while Katherine sighed with relief.
“Thank you. I didn’t think the food here would be so bad.” Katherine smiled.
“I’ve heard the food here is quite appalling.” answered Jack, who to everyone’s surprise, smiled as well. “Here, you can start on mine.”
Jack pushed his tray in front of Katherine, wondering if she should take it.
“Are you sure? I mean, I’m not even supposed to be eating something like this.”
“Go ahead. I’m not particularly hungry.” said Jack, pushing the tray even closer.
Katherine practically attacked the sub, devouring it in big bites and sticking her thumb up in approval. Under three minutes, she had finished the meatball sub, was slouching on her chair and patting her stomach.
“Mmm, that was delicious.”
Then one of the female agents from before entered the room again with another meatball sub and placed it in front of Jack, who did not even make an attempt on starting it.
“Are you going to eat that?” asked Katherine innocently.
“Probably not.” responded Jack with a tiny grin, who again pushed his tray towards Katherine.
“I’ll save it for later.” Katherine said, pushing the tray to the side.
Silence filled the room again. Their recently relaxed atmosphere morphed into a serious and intense ambience, both again waiting for the other to speak.
“We were finally able to find something on you.” said Jack.
“Oh, really?” replied Katherine in an emotionless voice.
Jack slid the folder to Katherine, who opened it and found her brief profile. She looked up at Jack after reading the line of whom her parents were.
“I suppose this is the part where I explain.”
“Whenever you’re ready.”
“You don’t usually do this, do you?”
“Do what?”
“Give the prisoner the upper hand.”
“You’re…” he paused, thinking quickly about what he should say.
“…my daughter.”
“No, don’t be foolish, Bristow. Regain control.”
Jack squashed the voice and decided on an indirect manner of saying she was his, “…different.”
Katherine shoved the folder to her side and inhaled deeply before beginning.
“As I told you before, my mother and I didn’t make contact until I was twelve. She didn’t know I existed.” She paused, taking in another deep breathe before continuing. “I also told you about one of the manuscripts of Rambaldi—”
“What does this have to do with Rambaldi?” interrupted Jack.
“It has everything to do with Rambaldi.” answered Katherine. “As I was saying, he spoke of a man and a woman who would bear the child referred to as the Chosen One or the Passenger. This man and woman are you and my mother.”
“It could be Sloane.” argued Jack with slight disgust in his voice.
“Do you want Nadia to be Sloane’s?” asked Katherine, growing quite irritable at Jack for denying what he wants to be the truth.
“No.” whispered Jack.
“There you have it.” said Katherine. “Besides, you and my mother fit the category perfectly. Fate tore you apart the first time, when she was extracted in 1981. Fate intervened again when my mother returned as an enemy when she surrendered herself. Fate in the form of Sydney’s disappearance brought you together. So…from lovers to enemies to…lovers again.”
Jack clenched his fists at the intimate details she was sharing with him and everyone else who was watching.
“Yes.” Jack answered huskily. “But how...?”
“Even before my mother was sent here,” continued Katherine. “the KGB had already taken a fascination to Rambaldi. Some time after that, they were able to decipher the meaning of the Prophecy regarding the Passenger. At first, they assumed it was my mother, when they saw her face on the drawing, one of the reasons she was extracted. Then they came across the manuscript describing the two chosen to conceive the child and believed that with the current circumstances, the other possibility would be…Sydney. They observed Sydney from a distance for a few months without my mother’s consultation and found nothing conclusive. Both my mother and the KGB were unaware that she was pregnant at that time of her imprisonment with Nadia. Eventually she began showing signs that she was. The KGB immediately decided to terminate the child, but the point was raised that this child may be the one referred to in the Prophecy, so they chose instead that after my mother gave birth, they would take the child away and perform several tests to gain further information on Rambaldi’s endgame. My mother was under the impression that when the KGB took her child, they had killed Nadia, this was when…William Vaughn interceded.”
She paused. “He took Nadia and gave her to Sophia aka Elena Derevko, another obsessive follower of Rambaldi. Then again, Vaughn didn’t know this and thought that Nadia would be safe in Sophia’s care. The KGB were furious that they had lost the child and after many searches presumed that she was dead. They believed that if Nadia was really dead, she couldn’t be the Passenger, so they decided on...making their own.”
“What do you mean ‘make’?!” Jack asked; feeling shocked at the insinuation and dread at the answer.
She squirmed in her seat and repositioned herself. “One time, when my mother was unconscious, several medical staff were ordered to…extract her eggs. They didn’t want my mother to know because she would in time be cleared and would most likely search for this child. So it remained a secret. The other problem was you. They needed your…‘specimen’ in order to create the child.”
“When did they…?” asked Jack, his insides turning at what they did to Irina.
“You were on a mission in Mexico, 1987. A group of people captured you, remember?”
Jack thought back and could recall hazy details of that capture. “Vaguely.”
“Well, that was when they…took it.” Katherine squirmed again. “The KGB had discovered a method in preserving my mother’s…eggs. They knew the chances of creating another child were slim but they acted on it anyway. All they had to do now was find a surrogate mother.”
“Who was it?”
Katherine turned away then looked at Jack. “Emily Sloane.”
Chapter 10
“Well, that was when they…took it.” Katherine squirmed again. “The KGB had discovered a method in preserving my mother’s…eggs. They knew the chances of creating another child were slim but they acted on it anyway. All they had to do now was find a surrogate mother.”
“Who was it?”
Katherine turned away then looked at Jack. “Emily Sloane.”
“What?!”
“Arvin Sloane was already caught up in the obsession of Rambaldi, so he didn’t hesitate to take the opportunity given to him. Add that to the fact, that he and Emily had been trying to conceive a child for some time and desperately wanted to be parents. Unfortunately, they found that Sloane’s…‘soldiers’ was a bit on the slow side, but that didn’t stop them. This led them to have his and her ‘stuff’ inserted into Emily’s uterus. Unbeknownst to Emily, it was actually yours and my mothers. She gladly carried this child thinking it was hers and that she and Sloane would finally be parents. The KGB had said that Sloane could keep the child as long as they were kept up to date. Then on July 21 1988, a month before Emily’s due date, she gave birth to Jacquelyn Sloane. The doctors had told Emily and Arvin that the baby had defects because she was premature and had a remote chance of surviving, but this just the KGB holding back on their promise that Sloane could keep the child. Emily and Arvin were distraught and on that same day, the doctors approached them and told them that the baby had died. They were both too saddened by this that they couldn’t bear seeing the child’s supposedly dead body. It was actually the KGB lying to them, pulling another tell-the-parents-the-child-is-dead-while-we-kidnap-it.”
Katherine fought to control the tears that threatened to spill and exhaled deeply.
“That child was me.” she managed to whisper. “My mother had no idea, she was already cleared and living the life of ‘The Man.’ Heartless, empty, without purpose, was the life she led after she lost everything that meant something to her, after she lost all the people she loved to death.”
Jack looked at her blankly, unable to comprehend what she could possibly be feeling at that moment.
“The KGB handed me over to the Order, who gladly accepted the task in… ‘raising’ me. What I mean by raising is almost no food, no water, locked in a dark cell with no window and only taken out for…experiments or tests. They also had to ensure that in the possibility of an attack or capture that I could fend for myself. So they tested Project Christmas on me when I was 11. I was natural, they say. All were still oblivious to the fact that Nadia was actually alive and was now working for Argentine Intelligence. Whenever the Order had a meeting, they always had me accompany them so I wouldn’t dare to escape. One day when I was 12, the Order had another meeting to attend. This meeting was with Irina Derevko.”
“Irina? How did she find out?”
“She found tapes of her interrogations in Kashmir and discovered that she had another child she was unaware of. What the KGB feared was finally happening; Irina Derevko was searching for her long-lost daughter. She had heard from a source that the Order had some important information related to her daughter. The meeting went reasonably well; she got the location of the Order’s headquarters and killed everyone in that room to show that no one messes with Irina Derevko or her children. She was on her way out when two of her guards were struggling in holding a twelve year-old girl. She had finally found me. She knew straight away that I was the one she was looking for.”
Jack was astounded by Katherine’s life story. Another innocent child subjected to the treacheries of the world of espionage. He remained quiet as she tucked her hair behind her ears again.
“She raised me the best she could. I was a stubborn child though, much like her she told me, despite what the Order did to me; I was still hard-headed, but then she had to leave me, so she could make amends…with you. She told me she might not come back, but I knew she would. Not even death could conquer my mother.”
“She’s just too damn strong.” Katherine added in a whisper.
Jack could feel what was coming, how Katherine’s certainty that her mother was too strong to die, came crashing down when he killed her.
“And then you killed her.” Katherine whispered, her eyes beginning to glisten with unshed tears. “I lost the only person I had ever loved. I lost the one who rescued me from becoming an animal, from fulfilling a destiny I never wanted.”
The tears remained unfallen and her eyes moved to the meatball sub that was now cold. As cold as she felt, when she lost her mother, as cold as the winter nights that made her feel so alone. She had not moved in her seat for a long time, but Jack felt as if she had recoiled to her corner at the far end of the room.
“But then she came back.” Katherine broke the silence. “She came back to me, after saving the world from her crazy sister.” She chuckled softly. “She found me again after you let her go…she found me again.” The last line almost an unheard murmur.
“I’m sorry isn’t enough, is it?”
“No…it never is.” replied Katherine, still looking at her sub. “But coming from you…I can make it count.”
She looked up at him and gave him a tiny smile.
“The building in Panama was the Order’s base of operations,” said Katherine. “That was where they held me. That is why I blew it up and I feel no remorse.”
“You’re entitled not to.”
Katherine gave him a nod and began eating her cold sub, after the first bite; she wiped her mouth and asked Jack, “Did you want any?”
“No, thank you.” answered Jack. He lost his appetite a long time ago, when she began to reveal the details of her life to him.
“You haven’t looked into Nadia being yours, have you?” asked Katherine.
Jack frowned and asked, “How did you know?”
“You said that the man in one of Rambaldi’s manuscripts could be Sloane. If you pursued Nadia being your daughter, you wouldn’t have made that remark.”
“Why don’t you want make sure? I thought you wanted Nadia to be yours.”
“It’s complicated…I’ve spent most of knowing her as someone else. I don’t want to…” Jack struggled to find the words, he knew that in his normal defensive and stoic state, he would not even think about answering a personal question like that, but after what she told him, it was right to give her something back.
“You won’t be disappointed, if you did.”
Jack blurted out all suddenly, “I need you to prove your worth.”
“Where’d that come from?!” Katherine asked; feeling quite shocked at his random outburst.
“You don’t deserve to be in here.”
“Not many people do.” Katherine smiled. She never thought he would want her to be free this soon.
“You won’t be staying in a cell tonight.”
“How’d you manage that?”
“I haven’t yet, but I will.”
“You don’t have to do this—”
“I want to.” interrupted Jack
“Thank you…Agent Bristow.” Katherine smiled at him again.
Jack hesitated. “You don’t have to call me that…Katherine.”
The named rolled off Jack’s tongue naturally and it sounded sweet to hear it come from him.
“Dad…maybe.” he responded uncertainly.
“Really? You’d let me?” Katherine’s eyes began shining again when he said those words.
“Yes, I would.”
Jack looked at his watch and found that time had whizzed by again. This was the first interrogation he has come out of feeling better about himself, so he dreaded leaving Katherine.
“I should be going. I’ll see you tomorrow.” said Jack grudgingly.
He turned to leave but Katherine stood up, making him turn around. “Wait, umm…Dad?”
“Yes.” Jack replied in the same uneasy tone.
Jack smiled. It felt nice hearing it come from Katherine. Still a little awkward, but they could work past it.
“Could I see Nadia and Sydney too?”
“Sure.”
Then the door to the room opened and Agent Scott was holding another folder that held the results of the test. He gave it to Jack and briskly walked away. Jack opened it up and relief rushed inside of him again.
DNA OF KATHERINE ALEXSIA DEREVKO BRISTOW COMPARED WITH JONATHON DONAHUE BRISTOW MATCHES 99.9%
He looked down at Katherine and placed the open folder in front of her, smiled and said, “Dad will be fine.”
After that, he left the room without saying another word.
Katherine had not felt this way since her mother found her five years ago, and now she found her father. She brought the folder to her chest, didn't say a word, didn't flinch, she just smiled.
TBC
PointguysGirl
Cadet
Aww, So sweet!
crystalrevan
Cadet
I was thinking last night about how much I would love a new chapter in your story and today there were two! My prayers have been answered! This story is just getting better and better- I'm in love with Katherine.
This story is just getting better and better- I'm in love with Katherine.iheartvaughn
Cadet
that was good
antarctica_girl
Cadet
I love this story! I can't wait to see how you are going to wrap things up, but at the same time I don't want it to end. Keep up the good work! I'm waiting for the next installment.
sydneymicheal
Cadet
Great Update...
I am glad that Katherine is Jack's without a doubt...
The way she was concieved was horrible,
but once Irina found out about her she came with guns blazing.
Can't wait to see what Jack does about Nadia and confirming that she is his.
Can't wait to see the girls reactions when they all meet for the first time.
Thanks for the pm.
Update again soon.
I am glad that Katherine is Jack's without a doubt...
The way she was concieved was horrible,
but once Irina found out about her she came with guns blazing.
Can't wait to see what Jack does about Nadia and confirming that she is his.
Can't wait to see the girls reactions when they all meet for the first time.
Thanks for the pm.
Update again soon.
Itz tha Dreila
Cadet
very good
I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU!!!!! *HUGE TIGHT BEAR HUGGLES*
I get back and i have not one, not two but THREE!!!! Chapters to read!!!! OMG OMG OMG!!
This story is soooo totally awesome!!
I love Kathrine!! I love Jack!!!! And I love Irina!! NO One messes with a Derevko Mom!!!
This story is fabulous!! Please dont keep us waiting to long for the next chapters.
I get back and i have not one, not two but THREE!!!! Chapters to read!!!! OMG OMG OMG!!
This story is soooo totally awesome!!
I love Kathrine!! I love Jack!!!! And I love Irina!! NO One messes with a Derevko Mom!!!
This story is fabulous!! Please dont keep us waiting to long for the next chapters.
Great chapter! thanks for pm.story about Katherines conceived was weird,but believable.
Wonder how you are going to continue this.more troubles or happy ending?Funny,that Nadia being jacks daughter is in lot of fanfics.
I guess everybody hates sloane so much.
Nadia´s actor sort of looked like Jack and Irina,though,and Nadia act like jack sometimes too.,calculated,swicth,maybe even cruel,but goodhearted in the bottom.
Wonder how you are going to continue this.more troubles or happy ending?Funny,that Nadia being jacks daughter is in lot of fanfics.
I guess everybody hates sloane so much.
Nadia´s actor sort of looked like Jack and Irina,though,and Nadia act like jack sometimes too.,calculated,swicth,maybe even cruel,but goodhearted in the bottom.