Alias- Forever And Always

23) Sydney Expecting A Baby!!!

AN: Music for this chapter (on repeat):Never Grow Old by The Cranberries,Mother, We Just Can't Get Enough by the New Radicals, Never Say Never By The Fray.

TWENTY-THREE

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*Never Grow Old*

"Dad-dy!" Lena exclaimed with her tiny, high-pitched voice, rising on the last syllable, clapping and giggling proud of herself as she sat back on her knees between her parents.

"Peanut!" Jack bolted upright in bed, scaring Irina awake and into the same position wearing the same stunned expression at seeing their daughter awake, giggling and in bed with them. "How in the world-" He stared at her smiling face, scrubbing his hand over his eyes then smiling while he watched her crawl over to her mother making happy gurgling babble noises. She promptly stood, pulling herself up on Irina's nightgown and held onto her mother's neck with the same smile... giving Irina a big wet kiss as she did every morning.

"Julian must have let her out..." Irina summarized kissing her baby then looking at her, then Jack and the open door. It was the most logical conclusion.

"And put her in bed with us?" Jack asked with a smile, still astonished and jumped out of bed, disappearing into the hallway and breaking into laughter from wherever he'd gone.

"What? What's so funny?" Irina asked as Jack came back through the door still laughing.

"Escaping apparently runs in the family. Julian's door is still closed so I looked in the nursery and just as I suspected, she'd pushed all her toys into the corner and must have climbed out and then into bed with us." He laughed, reaching for Lena who went willingly to her Daddy, greeting him with the same snuggly hug into his neck as she did every morning. "Alright you little Houdini, show us what you can do." He waited for Irina to get out of bed and the three of them went into the nursery where he set Lena back in her crib. She gave them both a stern slanted Derevko eyebrow, obviously not happy about being 'put back' and promptly headed to the corner, where as suspected, began climbing her way up her stuffed animals.

Jack and Irina took a step back, watching the determination on her face as she pulled herself out of the crib and their breath hitched, jumping forward with arms out a second later prepared to catch her but Lena held on just as Sydney did... then dropped to the ground... landing on her padded diapered bum with a soft thud and immediately started clapping after the initial surprise wore off her shocked face.

"Just like Sydney." Irina gasped, laughing softly with tears in her eyes while they watched Lena get up and quickly waddle on her tiny legs out the door towards their room once more with her parents hot on her heels.

Sure enough, she grabbed the sheets on the end of the bed, then bed frame and pulled herself completely up with her strong little arms, making tiny 'umph' noises as she grunted from the exertion and sending both her parents into laughter once more. She rolled over and smiled her big toothy grin, clapping for herself once more and Jack and Irina applauded as well.

"You know this is only encouraging her." Irina laughed, returning to bed with Jack and snatching her baby, dousing her with kisses and tickles making Lena squeal with peels of giggles.

"Its genetic obviously... the need and ability to escape... we can't fight it so we might as well applaud it." Jack laughed, joining her in tickling their baby. "Happy Birthday, Peanut." He leaned over, kissing her neck and making her laugh while she clasped his cheeks with her hands.

"I can't believe she's already a year old." Irina's tears started immediately with the thought of what today was. "It goes by too fast." She picked up Lena, crushing her to her chest and planting a million more kisses all over her face and neck with a teary smile. "Too fast." She smiled over Lena's little head to Jack with tears streaming down her cheeks seeing his own watery eyes wearing a smile and nodding along. So many emotions were involved with this day...first loss then life and he knew they were crying for both.