A/N: Written for a challenge community on LiveJournal. If I ever remember which one it was, I'll update my note. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I affiliated with, CBS or Jericho or...whoever else may actually own this show. I just like to take the characters out to play. I put them back, mostly unharmed...although not always...this is for fun, not profit and no copyright infringement is intended.

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*September 20, 2006 - 18:56 hrs Washington; September 21, 2006 - 02:56 hrs Baghdad*
4 minutes to detonation

Major Edward Beck should have been sleeping hours before. Instead, he was still sitting, staring at the papers in front of him, a clandestine glass of scotch beside him.

3 minutes to detonation

He placed his palms flat on the table and stared at the back of his hands. Stared at the wedding ring on the left one.

He remembered the day she put it on his finger, surrounded by friends and family, smiles of hope, of love, on both their faces. She'd been beautiful. Stunning, actually. She'd taken his breath away and he'd barely been able to say his vows, he'd been so distracted by her.

It had been a wonderful start to their lives together.

2 minutes to detonation

Fourteen years later she was back in Santa Fe. He had a ten year old daughter he barely knew - and the papers in front of him already bore her signature: bold; firm.

No matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see any sign of regret. Any sign of hesitation. Any sign that she'd thought twice - three times - before signing her name. No sign that the dissolution of a fourteen-year marriage mattered to her.

1 minute to detonation

Beck took a slow sip of scotch. He pondered his wedding ring before slowly pulling it off. The ring had been her father's and she'd specifically requested it be returned to her. He slipped it into the envelope he'd already addressed to his lawyer.

He picked up the pen and slid the papers towards him. He read them carefully.

detonation

Beck pressed his pen to paper and firmly wrote his name.

He sat back with a sigh, and wondered what would happen next.

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