Taking My Life Back

Title: Taking My Life Back
Author: Redstang1998
Summary: Written from Jack’s perspective in the beginning leading up to the present, which is where we learn more about Jacks’ past and what his future will bring. Includes new characters, one in particular from his past who has always held is heart and soul. Forewarning: NOT J/I As usual JJ owns his characters. My first FF, be nice!! :smiley:
Rating: PG-14 (Mild/Language/Adult Situations)

Chapter 1

May 28, that was the day that changed everything for Sydney and myself. I was at APO digging myself out of stacks of paperwork when I received the call that she and Vaughn were in a car accident. Apparently they were going up to Santa Barbara for the weekend. A car came out of nowhere hitting them on Vaughn’s side. That day, I almost lost Sydney…again. The impact caused her to hit her head on the passenger side window. Swelling of the brain is what the doctor told me was our biggest concern. After it goes down we’d know if there was any brain damage. When she was airlifted to the APO infirmary. Looking at her, she looked like she was sleeping. There was only a small bruise on the right side of her head. Other than that, she looked peaceful.

It was three days before the swelling went down, the doctor reported that there was no damage to her brain or nervous system. We just need to wait until her body allowed her to wake up on it’s own.

Four days went by before she woke.
Four days and nights I spent by her side, praying for the first time in decades.
Four days and nights I didn’t sleep.
Four days and nights I felt totally alone and helpless…again.

Finally, she woke up on a Friday. Confused and scared. I sat next to her on the bed, holding her hand as she asked question after question.

Vaughn, is he ok?


I had to break it to her that he was abducted at the scene before our people arrived. She just looked at me, then shut her eyes.

Daddy, he said his name wasn’t Michael Vaughn.

I didn’t know what to say. I told her to relax and we’d figure it all out once she was better. That’s when she started to cry. I always hated it when she cried. I felt so helpless, like there’s nothing could do to take her pain away. I just sat there holding her while she cried in my arms.

It wasn’t a couple of minutes after that the doctor came in. The same woman, that had me doing those stupid exercises to get me through the radiation poisoning. I’ll never forget the conversation we had next. Our lives would be forever changed.

Sydney, I have some things that I would like to discuss with you. Would you like to discuss this now or later?

Ummm, now is ok I guess.

Sydney, I’ll go if you want to talk to the doctor in private.

No dad, please stay.


So I just sat there still on the bed next to her holding her hand. She smiled at me.

Ok Miss Bristow, I have two pieces of news for you. First of all, the injuries you sustained from the accident are healing well, you should make a full recovery in 3-4 weeks.

That’s good, when can I go home.

Tomorrow morning, but Miss. Bristow, there’s one more thing. Were you aware that you’re pregnant?


Chapter 2

Tomorrow morning, but Miss. Bristow, there’s one more thing. Were you aware that you are pregnant?

Excuse me? Did you say pregnant?

Yes, approximately 13 weeks. I’ll leave the two of you alone, to talk. Oh, I’ve ordered an ultrasound to make sure that everything is ok with both you and the baby. The tech should be in shortly.


After the doctor left, I’m really not sure what came over me but I took both Sydney’s hands in mine and kissed them. I had a feeling of fear, but at the same time happiness.

So I guess that means I’m going to be a grandpa? She smiled at me again. I think this was sinking in for her that she was going to be a mother.

Yes, I guess you are. So what do I do now?

You rest, get better and take care of the both of you.


At that point the Ultrasound tech came in. She asked if I wanted to stay, Sydney answered that one for me by not letting my hand go. During the ultrasound it hit me. That little life was our future. Sydney’s future. He or she was going to bring happiness back into our lives. That’s when I decided that I wasn’t going to let Vaughn’s betrayal of my daughter destroy her like Irina’s did to me. I wasn’t going to allow history to repeat itself.

So here we are three months later. Sydney moved in with me into my 3 bedroom apartment. It’s nice having her around. Things have actually changed drastically. I’m slowly getting used to the color that she’s added to the place. My black leather sofa was the first thing she got rid of, slowly followed by everything else. Apparently she didn’t like my boring lifestyle. Change is good, I never complained.

I’ve now been the Director at APO now since Arvin got himself landed in jail, yet again. This new position has its challenges, namely Director Chase. I manage to give her just enough info to keep her off my back. She’s like a bad case of poison ivy that won’t go away. The only thing she wants is Irina Derevko to add to her trophy case. Personally and professionally, it’s over between she and I. We’ve both agreed to move on. It’s too dangerous to even try to be together and with Chase on her witch-hunt, I don’t want her to get caught. Hell, I don’t want to go back to solitary either. I’ve lost too much to give up my chances to make things good with Sydney. So for the time being, Irina and I have agreed to move on. If we were truly meant to be together we would be, maybe of not now, in the next life.

Dad! What are you thinking about? You’re like in your own little world.

Sorry, I was just thinking. So did anything exciting happen today at work? I got stuck in that meeting with Chase. She’s relentless.

Actually, things were pretty quite today. I can’t wait to get back into the field. Desk work is rather boring. I still can’t believe that Dixon and Chase are together.

Yeah, tell me about it. She scares me mort than your mother. We both chuckled. Chase was scarier than Irina. A woman on a mission. A woman that I’ve learned to get out of her way. I’m not sure what Dixon sees in her. Really don’t want to think about it either.

So, dad. When I was cleaning out the other bedroom, I found an old trunk. It’s hug…e and locked…so what’s in the thing that’s so important that you keep it locked?

Uhh, stuff.

Yeah, I figured as much dad, what kind of stuff?


I just looked at her. I guess it was time to tell all about about dear old dad’s past.

Sydney, that trunk has everything of what’s left of my past. The part of my past that didn’t include your mother.
 
Chapter 3

I opened the trunk with the keys that dad gave me. The trunk was topped off with photos, journals, newspaper clippings, and all kind of things.

Sydney, before I tell you anything I need you to promise me something.

Sure dad.

Please promise me that you won’t hate me for what I’m about to show you.

Oh God, what is it? Please tell me that you didn’t kill someone.

No Sydney, you and I...we are both dead to my family. Compliments of our old friends at SD-6 and the CIA. I handed her a newspaper clipping from an Ontario paper. The paper that my family got.


London, Ontario, Canada
Father and Daughter killed in airplane crash off coast of Costa Maya.
June 17, 1992, Jonathan Donahue Bristow (Jack), age 42 and daughter Sydney Anne Bristow age 17 were both killed in an airplane crash off the coast of Costa Maya. Jonathan Bristow was employed with Jennings Aerospace for the past 13 months. He was on a business trip to Mexico, accompanied by his daughter Sydney when the plan went down. The plane and it’s 4 passengers where never found. Bad weather was to blame for the downed plane. No Survivors.

We’re dead!? Well, I guess that explains why I never got any birthday or Christmas gifts. Dad, you ok?

I have to be ok. Sydney, I never knew how to tell you this. It’s not one of those things you bring up at dinner. It’s not like I wanted to keep it from you, I just didn’t how to tell you.

It’s ok, yet another slap from SD-6. So why did they do it?

I fell in love again and I tried to get out of SD-6.


In love? With who?

My first love, my real love. Caitlin. Caitlin Marie Woodward. There was a long pause before he continued I asked her to marry me before I left for what I thought was going to be my last mission. I didn’t realize that it was the last time I’d ever see her or my family again.

Dad, you ok? How did you meet her? He had my full undivided attention. I wanted to know everything, who she was, how they met, what his family…our family was like.

Well, I met Caitlin when I was 8. She was the first girl to officially make a joke directly to my face about my ears, then proceeded to follow that up with some wise crack about my curly girl hair. Then she proceeded to play with the curls in my hair. I don’t think I washed it for days after that. I was wrapped around her finger from that point on.


Anyway, she was 5. Three years younger than me. Very smart, cute, threw one hell of a punch. I remember one time my older brother Tom was teasing her about her pigtails and she punched him right in the family jewels. That was funny, a 6 year-old taking out a 20 year-old.

You have a brother?

Three and four sisters. There are eight of us. I was the “happy accident” in the family.

Are you kidding me?


Nope, I’m the youngest, 10 years younger than my youngest sister. My oldest brother Steven is 19 years older than me.

That’s crazy. I bet holidays and birthday’s were insane in that household.

Yeah, but my dad wasn’t around much with having a career in the military.

Apparently he was home enough to produce eight Bristows’!

Yeah, apparently.


Dad, SD-6 is gone…you obviously miss your family. I’d love to meet them all.

What are we supposed to do Sydney? Knock on the front door? Hey mom, I’m home. I’ve thought about it a million times, especially now that you’re having a baby of your own. It would be good for her to grow up with cousins.

Her? Dad?

You’re having a girl, I just have a feeling.

Ok. So what if it’s a boy.

I guess I’ll have to teach him how to throw a football.


It’s getting late Sydney and I need to be at work early tomorrow for my weekly thrashing from Chase. Feel free to go through the trunk. We can talk more tomorrow when I get home. I love you sweet heart. Jack bent down an kissed Sydney’s forehead.

Nite, dad.

After dad went to bed I continued rummaging through the trunk. I was still shocked that I was “dead.” I’ve been dead twice now. I wasn’t mad at him. I couldn’t be. He had lost everything to SD-6. I had to get his life back for him. That was the only way I could truly have my dad back.

As I dug deeper in the trunk I found letters from Caitlin. There where I at least a hundred of them. Dated from 1983 up until the last one May 1992. There were grade school yearbooks and high school yearbooks. I couldn’t believe it, my dad was a jock and popular. He played football all through junior high and high school. A tall, skinny quarterback. He was in the drama club, president of his junior and senior class. And from the messages written in his year book very popular with the girls. What was most interesting was his senior class newsletter. He was voted the most likely to succeed in life. Voted with having the cutest smile. As I read further, he and Caitlin we voted cutest couple. Even though she was a sophomore when he was a senior. They were both a year younger than everyone else in their classes and both very much liked by their classmates.

It’s 4 a.m. I really need to get to bed. I feel I know so much more about my dad. He was a real human, a person who loved everyone, had fun and people loved being around him. Not the Jack Bristow people know now. I decided that I was going to make a trip to see Chase tomorrow after she was finished hounding dad. The CIA assisted in our deaths to keep dad’s cover at SD-6, it was time that they assist in giving us back our family.
 
Back
Top