AN: As a reminder…this is a bit R in rating, but I always think sex between a married couple is more natural and loving.
Part 13 – Marry me
Jack sat in Director Chase’s office and outlined everything for her. He finally played the tape for her.
“Arvin was behind it. It probably had something to do with the Rambaldi prophecies or something to do with an artifact…but most likely the Prophecy. With Sydney dead, he would protect Nadia Santos, his child with Irina.”
“How do you want to handle it?”
“Arrest him and send him to prison. No trial and no lawyer. This is, after all, a black ops division and no one other than you knows about it.”
“Is there anything else we can do?”
“Yes, eliminate him.” He stared at her with a stone cold stare.
Chase smiled. “That is always more feasible. There would be fewer people to know about him.”
Jack said nothing. “If there’s nothing more…?”
“Yes, one thing. With Arvin gone, APO will need a new chief. Will you take the job? It means you won’t go out in the field anymore.”
“I’ll think about it.” Jack rose and shook her hand. “You’ll take care of the sarin?”
“Absolutely and have a nice flight home. Let me know your decision as soon as possible.”
The housekeeper found Sloane in his chair dead. She called the paramedics who told her that it would be best if she called the coroner’s office. She found another number on Sloane’s rolodex that said office. She explained to the operator what happened. She was told not to call the coroner, but they would take care of it. Thirty minutes later, Nadia Santos appeared. She walked into the living room with the housekeeper, tears streaming down her face. Her father was dead and she had known him for only a short while. She looked at him. He seemed at peace. It was probably an instant heart attack. He never knew.
Jack drove up and parked in the driveway. He was tired. It had been a long debriefing at Langley with Director Chase. She wanted to know every detail including the elimination of Correlli and the Damascus group. His flight back didn’t get into LAX until nine that evening. He put his key in the lock, but the door swung open before he could complete the action. Joanna stepped back to let him enter. She shut the door behind him, stepped into his arms, and kissed him.
“Now that’s what I call a welcome home.” He reached around her and locked the door.
“Is—is everyone safe…Sydney?” She asked.
“Yes, she’s fine and I don’t think she has to worry about someone trying to assassinate her ever again.”
“What did you learn?”
He filled her in on details that he had not told her. “Arvin’s finished.”
“Jack, you had a call this afternoon. It was from APO. Arvin didn’t come in to work and when Marshall called his home, he got Nadia on the phone. She told him he died from a heart attack sometime last evening.”
He gaped at her, stunned. “My God, he escaped again.”
“What?”
Jack laughed, “Arvin was not the best prisoner. Now he won’t suffer the humiliation of being sent to prison. Where is Nadia, did he say?”
“I think she’s at his house still.”
Jack quickly speed dialed Arvin’s home. He heard Nadia on the other end. “I just got back, Nadia and found out about Arvin. Is there anything I can do?... Very well, just know I’ll help you with whatever you need. Funeral arrangements…anything…yes, I’m at home until morning.”
He hung up. He repeated what Nadia told him. He saw the look of relief in her eyes.
“Then Sydney is safe?”
“Yes.” He searched her eyes and face. “I don’t think you’ll ever have to worry again.”
That morning Jack awakened to find Joanna kissing him on the nipples and chest. She saw he was awake and smiling kissed him with fire in her lips. One leg was thrown over his abdomen and she leaned on her right hand to look at him. With her left hand, she caressed the right side of his face, running her fingers lovingly through his hair. Her eyes never left his.
“Come, play with me, sweetheart,” she whispered.
He grinned. “I love you, Joanna, will you marry me?”
She paused staring at him in astonishment. “But we are…”
He put his hand on her mouth, saying quietly, “not as Joanna Olson, a beautiful woman from Minnesota and Jack Bristow, lovesick Californian.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “Then, of course, I will. When do you want to get married?”
“As soon as I f*uck you,” he growled and flipped her over on her back. She opened her legs for him.
His lips devoured her until she was crying for mercy. Her body was on fire. Every nerve ending was burning…she cried out, “Please, sweetheart…”
“Not yet,” he whispered. He took her right breast and licking and sucking on it. He ran his hand lightly over the scar where the doctors had removed the tumor from her chest. She was only a year younger than he was, but she had kept herself in great shape. She had spent hours during the last month bringing her body back to what it was before the illness and surgery. He moved south sucking her tight abdomen and belly button. His fingers caressed her thigh
“Damn it, sweetheart, stop fooling around.” She gasped. Her skin was on fire.
“Not yet,” he whispered again.
She squirmed. Her body was flushed with heat. She moaned. She reached down and grasped his hair. “Hurry, or I’ll come without you,” she said gasping.
He saw she meant it. He pulled up and thrust his erection deep inside her. She threw her legs around him, feeling waves of heat run down her legs and up to her breasts. Joanna with all her strength pulled him in as far as he could go. She squeezed herself tight to him, sensing his delight in the grip she had. He pulled back and thrust. She raised herself to take all of him. Three times, they did this. Jack knew he was ready to ejaculate.
“I’m coming,” he gasped.
She gripped him harder, panting and feeling as if all the nerves in her body would burst open like a sunrise, flooding her with searing heat. She shouted, gasped, and groaned. They lay still for a moment. Jack lifted himself next to her, breathing somewhat heavy.
“When?” He said, nuzzling her ear. He moved up and kissed her.
“When what,” she asked, her voice coming from deep inside her.
“I want to marry you.”
“Whenever you say,” she answered. She turned her face to him, “but let’s wait until the weekend. Don’t you want to invite some friends over for the event?” She was smiling wickedly.
“No, just you and I. I am taking no chances of anyone finding out the truth…yet.”
She nodded and closed her eyes.
Sydney entered APO to find the office in turmoil. “What’s happening,” she asked one of the secretaries.
“Mr. Sloane is dead.”
Sydney gaped at her. “When?”
“Last night. Director Chase is in his office. She said she wanted to see you when you arrived.”
Sydney, stunned by the news, turned toward the office that belonged to Sloane. For some reason she felt so relieved she could not believe it. ‘God, what a piece of luck, she thought, I didn’t have to kill him.’
She opened the door to the office. Chase was reading some papers. She looked up, smiled and waved Sydney in, motioning to a chair.
“You wanted to see me?”
“Yes, I thought you should know about Sloane.”
“I know,” said Sydney. “Good riddance. The CIA should never, never have granted that evil man immunity.”
Chase looked at her and then sighed. “Yes, we now know it, but at the time he offered us a chance to get rid of the Covenant. At least you won’t have to worry any more about being shot at by assassins for hire.”
‘Why is that?”
“He was the one who wanted you dead. He didn’t want the Prophecy to come true.”
Sydney blinked and stared. “Are you telling me that he put the contract out on me and that it was not my mother?”
“Seems that’s the story.”
Sydney stood up, her face suffused with anger. She turned and ran out of the room, leaving Director Chase open-mouthed in astonishment.
Jack heard the pounding on the door first. He rolled out of bed, putting on his pajamas and a robe. He walked down the hallway, shutting the bedroom door half way. Whomever it was on the other side of the door, was extremely impatient.
“Who is it?” He yelled, tying his robe.
“Sydney!”
He quickly unlocked the door. “What…” He reeled as she hit him across the mouth as hard as she could. He almost fell.
“You son of a b*itch, you bastard, you killed my mother and she didn’t do it!” She aimed another blow to his face.
This time he rolled away, getting to his feet, just in time to see her aim another punch at him. “Sydney, I—I’m…” He didn’t know what to tell her…truth or lies.
“I hate you,” she screamed. “You killed my mother!” She fell to her knees, sobbing.
Jack stood helpless. Blood seeped out from a corner of his mouth from the first blow she dealt him. He stooped to help her stand up.
“Get away from me. Don’t ever touch me again.”
Then from a corner of her eye, she saw a blond woman standing in the hall staring at them. This only added fuel to the hatred she felt for her father. “I’ll bet you killed my mother so you could bed some blond bimbo. I loathe and despise you.”
“Sydney, stop it!” The blond woman cried.
“I don’t ever want to see you again,” Sydney said, ignoring the woman. She turned and ran out of the house.
“Oh Jack,” Joanna had tears in her eyes. She held him tightly, “I’m so sorry…why not tell her the truth.”
“I’m not sure this is a good time,” he said.
Sydney sat in her car. She leaned forward resting her forehead on the steering wheel, gripping it with both hands. Tears streamed down her face and all she could think of was her mother’s last words to her, “I love you.” It didn’t matter to Sydney that Irina Derevko was a spy, assassin and a terrorist, what mattered was Irina loved her daughter. Sydney knew her father had cared for her mother more than he would admit, even to her. Now he had killed her mother for something she had not done at all.
What made it worse, he was seeing another woman. She was sleeping with him too, by the looks of her and him. How dare he bring her into their home? Sydney turned the ignition and pulled away from the curb. She kept wiping the tears that refused to stop. After going only a couple of blocks, Sydney pulled over. She knew she was too emotionally exhausted to drive safely. She leaned her head back after fishing out a Kleenex from her purse.
“How could he? What was he thinking? He killed my mother to save me, he said.” Sydney’s thoughts were in a turmoil and she felt as though a tornado had gripped and flung her in all directions. “That bimbo was sleeping with her Dad and having the nerve to tell me to stop!” She closed her eyes, re-living the last few seconds before she ran out of the house. She re-played the “Sydney, stop it!” voice. She caught her breath trying to control the sobs. She blew her nose. “Sydney, stop it!” She slowed her deep heaving breaths and gripped the wheel, staring straight ahead. “Sydney, stop--!”
“Son of a b*itch,” she cried, new tears streaming down her face. She started the engine again and turned around.
She slammed on the brakes and darted out of the car, running up the walk to the door. She never considered knocking this time. She opened the door to see them standing together. She was cleaning his face. “Dad?”
They broke apart at the sound of her voice. She ran to him. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” She hugged him, crying. “I’m sorry I hit you. I didn’t know…didn’t know. I’m a selfish, unthinking idiot.” She hugged him again and then kissed him. “You are the best Dad ever!”
Jack overwhelmed by the love he was receiving from his daughter was speechless. They had been at odds so many times, but this time, her love was unconditional. He felt it and he saw it.
Sydney drew back, looked at the blond standing back watching the two of them. There were tears in her eyes. Sydney hesitating only briefly rushed to her and hugged her. “I’m sorry for being so stupid.” She held on to her as though never wanting to let her go. “I didn’t catch your name?”
“Joanna…Joanna Olson.”
“Well, Joanna, welcome back to the family.”
***
Authors’ Note: Of course, I know some of you want Nadia to know also…so be patient. I’m going to post the final…yes, the final part soon