Absolution- Alias Fanfiction

22) A Lost Tsar

AN: Music for this Chapter (on repeat): Forever Young by Rod Stewart, I'm Alive by Celine Dion, Wahoo (Song #2) by Blur, She Drives Me Crazy by Fine Young Cannibals, Bitter Pill by Annie Lennox, A Small Measure of Peace by Hans Zimmer from The Last Samurai Soundtrack, Mother of a Mother by Michael Giacchino from the ALIAS Soundtrack

TWENTY-TWO

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*Forever Young*

Irina walked down the hallway, smile on her face, flooded by memories of so many mornings, so long ago when she made the same trek to awaken her sleepy little girl. She gently turned the handle on the door and slipped inside the room. Irina hadn't seen it since the day she'd left Sydney at Ms. Adam's twenty-one years ago. Everything was exactly the same except for a few High School track trophies and medals adorning one of her bookshelves. A poster of Bon Jovi on the back of the door that made Irina giggle softly thinking about Sydney as a teenager as well as the cork board above her desk full of various pictures of 'high bangs' and 'pinned pants.' She lightly grazed her hand over a stack of books she recognized as her own, as well as the First Edition copy of Alice in Wonderlandher mother had given her and she had given Sydney. On the top of one dresser were framed photos of Sydney and her friends at various ages as well as two dolls. One Irina remembered giving her for her fifth birthday and another she had never seen.

Sydney was curled up, sleeping on her side and Irina knelt down to watch her daughter, smiling at how much her little girl had changed, and how much she'd stayed the same. She glanced over to the nightstand and tears instantly came to her eyes as she carefully picked up the framed photographs.

The first one was taken just days after Sydney was born. Irina had been rocking her to sleep and fell asleep in the process. The moment captured by Jack, one of her favorite photographs.

The other photo was what Irina recognized to be her last photo taken with Sydney before she left. It had been Halloween and Sydney was dressed up like Cinderella, Irina was a cat. Sydney's little arms holding on to Irina's neck fiercely as Irina knelt beside her, both wearing big smiles as they'd prepared to head out Trick-or-Treating. Carefully, she set them back on the nightstand.

Irina smiled and running her fingers over Sydney's face brushing the hair behind her ear she leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Sydney," she whispered into her ear with a smile. "Wake up, Cinderella."

Sydney's eyes fluttered open and her face lit into a giant smile seeing her mother smiling back at her. She hugged her pillow tighter and closed her eyes again.

"Maybe I should have called you 'Sleeping Beauty." Irina giggled and sat on the small twin bed next to Sydney, leaning over her with her body, arms on each side, cheek pressed to Sydney's, just like she used to.

Sydney wiggled her arm out from beneath the blankets to embrace Irina, her eyes catching the photos on her nightstand making her smile. 'How many times had she awoken in the morning, looking at those photos wishing for her mother to be the one awakening her just as Irina was doing now?'

"It's a holiday," Sydney spoke, the vibrations tickling Irina's cheek pressed against hers. "I get to sleep in on holidays...a rarity among spies." She laughed, as did her mother.