Alias- Forever And Always

24) Dont Let Me Go

AN: Music for this chapter (on repeat): Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt, Breathe on Me by Britney Spears, Song for A Winter's Night by Sarah McLachlan feat. Jewel, Silent Night (piano instrumental) by David Lanz, Kissing You Intrumental, Never Say Never By The Fray.

TWENTY-FOUR

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"Mom?" Sydney called through the house with Vaughn close behind her, a smile on her face and photos in her hand. "Mom? Dad?" She called out again. "I bet they're outside." She smiled, pulling Vaughn by the hand towards the French doors. "I see them!"

Jack and Irina had been playing with Lena, on this the Anniversary of Irina's Execution, for the majority of the day outside.

Their day began with making love slowly and would undoubtedly end the same way as well and in between, all Irina wanted was to be with her family. They had taken Lena to the beach in the morning, all of them together before Sydney and Vaughn had to leave for their first doctor's appointment and now waited in the backyard for Julian to get home from the restaurant with their dinner.

"Nee-nee!" Lena screeched excitedly and ran as fast as her little legs would take her through the grass towards her sister when she saw them on the back porch.

"Hey there, Little Buddy!" Sydney smiled widely handing the photos to Vaughn and reaching over to scoop up her sister, smothering her neck and cheeks with kisses, making the baby giggle. Her eyes started to water when she looked across the lawn at her mother sitting on the blanket in the lawn, leaning against her father while Lena snuggled into her own neck, holding on tightly.

The horrible images a year ago passed in an instant as well as that desperation and she smiled through her tears when they passed and all she saw was her beautiful mother, still very much alive and in her life. Today was another day wrought with emotions and mixed feelings, only made more powerful by a vast surge of pregnancy hormones. She caught her mother's gaze as the three of them walked towards them on the blanket and each gave a teary smile, both knowing what the other was thinking.

"So, what did you find out?" Irina smiled, reaching up to take Sydney's freehand as her daughter carefully sat down with them on the large blanket holding Lena with Vaughn smiling beside her. "How far along are you?" Irina asked excitedly as any new grandmother might.

"Well, you're not going to believe this but," Sydney shook her head smiling and then laughing with blushing cheeks. "Seems that Dad's birthday in Vegas was not only a magical weekend for you and Dad finding out you were pregnant, and for Carrie and Marshall but…" She nervously fingered her hair behind her ear and refused to look at her father as did Vaughn who was now very interested in twirling a blade of grass.

"You got pregnant on your father's birthday?" Irina gasped with a big smile and laughed loudly when Sydney nodded with her own deep giggle. "Oh my God," Irina laughed turning her gaze to her husband who was equally red with embarrassment. "That's when you were conceived!" Her eyes flashed back to Sydney, still laughing at the irony.

"I know." Sydney smiled quietly still giggling to herself and refusing to look at either of her parents now. "Which is why the baby is due around the 16th of April." She finally managed to look at her mother with an enormous smile thinking about her baby. "Apparently, another thing I have in common with my mother is the ability to make it through the entire first trimester of my pregnancy without realizing I'm even pregnant." She giggled, squeezing Irina's hand. "I'm just over four months now." She nodded towards Vaughn who smiled shyly as he handed the sonogram photos to Irina.