Alias- Forever And Always

46) Bleeding Love

Music for this chapter (on repeat): Hunger By Ross Copperman, All I Need By Within Temptation, Christmas Is All Around by Bill Nighyfrom the Love Actually Soundtrack, Forever Young by the Pretenders, Stacy's Mom by Fountains of Wayne, My Sharona by The Knack.

FORTY-SIX

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Jack walked quickly up the steps once inside after parting ways forever with Elena and wanting nothing more then to take Irina into his arms and kiss her, to touch her and to tell her he loved her over and over after facing the reminder of what it was like without her. He quietly opened the door to the room his children were sleeping in, knowing she had left to put them down and hoping to find her still in there so they could talk privately.

His eyes immediately landed on his three sleeping children snuggled together in a bed and then to Dmitri on the far side of the bed reading with the small light on.

"Is Irina, still here?" Jack asked quietly looking around the room, "Is she in the bathroom?" His eyes flashed towards the door at the far end of the room.

Dmitri shook his head 'no' and studied Jack with his eyes, noting the tone in his voice that held an edge of urgency and panic and his eyes were flashing wildly searching and obviously upset.

"She's crying…" Dmitri spoke softly trying very hard not to get mad at Jack in his protective father mode, especially after she had just called him 'Papa.' "What happened?" He asked with more of an ordering tone then a request.

Jack's heart sank to hear she was crying and all the more frantic to pull her into his arms.

"Dmitri, please… where is she?" He asked again with a plea in his voice, understanding the fatherly instincts to interrogate and drill anyone who hurt their little girls but he really didn't want to get into what had happened. "Please… I need to talk to her, to make it right."

Dmitri looked at him for a long moment and decided the man looked just about as upset as Irina, over hearing that he'd made her cry and took pity on him… wanting him to make it right for Irina. "I think she's in your room."

"Thank you." Jack gasped with relief. "Thank you." He nodded and Dmitri did the same while Jack slowly closed the door. He walked into their room and didn't see her but saw the balcony curtains blowing into the room and as he walked towards them saw her silhouetted form behind the sheer white fabric, illuminated by the moonlight. He stepped through the curtain without looking down and stopped with the crunch of the glass beneath his feet that also drew her attention.

Irina turned around with tear-stained face and looked at him once and then down to the mess on the ground and then back out over the grounds. The tears, the glass, the silence… testimonies to how upset she was.

"Irina, I'm sorry."

She could hear him coming up slowly behind her with every crunching footstep.

"Don't be." Irina responded knowing he had more to say, more to explain but she didn't know if she could take hearing it, "I know what its like now… on this side of the fence. To be blindsided with the former lover of your spouse… the one they sought comfort in to try and forget you…" She gasped trying to hold back a sob and Jack reached out to grab the back of her arm softly and she turned her head further away.