A/N – Story is set after Day Eight (so sometimes around 2020) and is AU in that certain events in earlier seasons did not occur. Times given are local to the area where the scene is taking place.

2.35pm, CTU New York

"You're sure of this?," Alex asked as he walked slowly down a corridor of CTU. He was on the phone to someone who had helped CTU in the past, but now Alex wasn't sure how helpful this information was. In fact, he was certain that it was going to cause a lot of trouble and possibly bloodshed.

"I'm sure, Agent Myers. I've given you the address," the informant replied, his voice hoarse and strongly accented, before abruptly ending the call. Stopping where he stood, Alex tried hard to understand what he had just been told.

11.35am, Jack's house, Los Angeles

Now retired and looking forward to the many days ahead where he would be spending time with his family and not chasing terrorists, Jack was happier than he had been in years, and it was a strange feeling for him. He still missed Teri, and he thought of her every day, but unlike the bitter memories tinged with regret that he had recalled in the years after her death, the memories were good. He had managed to block out most of Teri's last day from his memory, and was not intending to remember it any time soon. Standing near the window, he looked out and saw the massive garden that accompanied the large house he had bought thanks to the fact that his bank account had gradually built up over the years. He imagined Teri and any other future grandchildren playing in the garden, enjoying the sunshine and the smell of the flowers that he had planted. As it was a weekday, Teri was in the first grade of school now, and both Kim and Stephen had jobs, so he made the most of the weekends, evenings and school holidays.

2.40pm, CTU New York

As Alex approached the office of Director Brian Hastings, he wondered if getting CTU involved was the right way to approach the situation he now found himself in. He had the address, and he was sure that as the address had turned out to be a quiet residential home in the New York suburbs, that it wouldn't require numerous agents to get involved. Knocking on the glass door a couple of times, before waiting for Hastings to finish the phone call he was in the middle of, Alex decided that he would have to compromise. As Hastings finished, he gestured to Alex to enter.

"Mr Hastings, I've received some information that I think should be kept to as few people as possible," Alex spoke as he stood close to the desk where Hastings was sat.

"And your reason for that is? What is this information?," Hastings asked. He knew that Alex was an experienced CTU agent, and therefore any opinion he had on intelligence was to taken at least somewhat seriously.

"The information is regarding the whereabouts of my sister, Mr Hastings, Nina Myers," Alex replied, and Hastings looked at him in surprise. Like many agents within CTU, Hastings knew who Nina was, but unlike most CTU agents, he didn't know of Nina's escape from North Africa several years before.

"You don't want Jack Bauer to find out," Hastings spoke, and Alex nodded. The last thing that Jack needed right now was to be dragged out of his happy retirement for Nina.

"It sounds like she isn't involved in terrorism anymore, Mr Hastings. The address where she is currently living is a quiet house in the suburbs. All I am asking is that you give me the chance to investigate this intel without it getting out," Alex informed him.

"Then that's what will happen. We'll keep this between us for now," Hastings replied.

11.45am, Jack's house, Los Angeles

Taking a drink from a cup of coffee, Jack was reading the newspaper, although he found it hard not to think of CTU with all of the stories of war and violence that seemed to be glorified in the papers nowadays. Turning to the sports pages, a part that he didn't usually pay much attention to, he remembered the time back when he was a little boy, and he and his brother were playing baseball. He had been quite good at the game, and was usually the first to be picked whenever he and his friends played. One of the stories was about the Chicago Cubs, who were the current national champions, and Jack decided not to read the paper any longer.

3.00pm, Nina's house, Orange County, New York

Leaning against his car, which was parked out of sight of Nina's house, Alex could just see the building. It was a fairly large and modern home, with large windows and a clean appearance. The garden was filled with flowers, and a solitary oak tree stood in the garden close to the front door. In the driveway was a black Volkswagen Jetta, with room for one more car at least. Standing up, he began to walk closer to the house, hoping that his presence in the quiet street would not be noticed by anyone inside, and as he walked up the path to the door, he expected it to open before he reached it. Hesitantly, he knocked on the door twice, and when the door was opened, it seemed to take years for the person to appear. When she did, however, Alex recognised her immediately. With widened eyes, Nina saw her brother for the first time in years.

"Hello, Nina," Alex spoke, and Nina was unsure of what was going to happen. Looking behind him anxiously, as if she expected Jack to appear out of nowhere and shoot her dead, the serious atmosphere was broken when a small child appeared at Nina's side. The little boy, who looked no older than two or three, stared up at Alex with curiosity.

"Are you here as a CTU agent, or as my brother?," Nina asked, her weary eyes searching Alex's face.

"Both, Nina, but right now I don't know which one I should be," Alex replied, and Nina had returned to scanning the area for anyone else, before deciding that he was alone.

"We shouldn't be standing here talking, Alex, come inside," Nina spoke, and as Alex entered the house, a whole list of questions he had for his sister appeared in his mind. As the pair went inside, Alex saw a photograph of a family hung on the wall near the door. It showed Nina and a man with three children of various ages, although the young boy who was in the house with Nina wasn't on there, which meant it was at least a few years old. Nina turned around and saw him looking at the picture.

"I have four children, Alex. The oldest boy is called Joseph, the two girls are called Sarah and Nina, and the youngest one is called Arlen, after his father," Nina informed him. The man in the photograph, Arlen Snr, looked slightly older than Nina, with balding grey hair, bright blue eyes and a grey-brown thinnish beard. Joseph looked like a typical teenager, with messy dark brown hair, blue eyes and looked to be taller than his father. Sarah and Nina seemed to be twins of about 10 or 11 years of age, both with medium brown hair, blue eyes and with identical features. Walking into the living room, Alex and Nina sat down close to each other.

"How long have you been back in the States, Nina?," Alex asked. It wasn't one of the more interesting questions he had for his sister, but he thought it would be best to start off.

"A few months after I escaped from North Africa, I managed to sneak back into the country. Arlen doesn't know about my past, and he's always known me as Nina Clarke. When we got married fifteen years ago, I took his surname, Pavich. He's a doctor in New York, and I work part-time as a German teacher at my son Joseph's school," Nina replied.

"You have no links to terrorism any more?," Alex asked, his voice sounding more hopeful than he had wanted it to. It would already be hard enough to decide what to do, but if she had finally finished her life of violence, it would make it easier to tell CTU that the intel was wrong, and the informant mistaken.

"No. I know my life now is not as exciting as a life of a terrorist, but I don't miss it, Alex. I made too many mistakes, and now I spend my life always looking out for people who want me dead. My family think I'm just paranoid, but then again, my family doesn't know what I've done," Nina spoke, and Alex made a decision in his head. There was no way that he could or would take this any further.

"There's only a few people who know that you're in the United States, Nina, and none of them is Jack. He's never going to find out either, because both of you are happy, both of you have families," Alex spoke, and Nina's face lit up. A broad smile grew on her face, and she looked like she was truly grateful, before a look of curiosity appeared.

"Family? You mean more than just Kim?," Nina asked. She knew almost nothing about Jack after her escape from North Africa, and had no idea of what he had done or what had happened to him since. She had heard of the Senate hearing regarding CTU, however, and was sure that Jack would have been involved in some way.

"Kim's married, she has a daughter, Teri. Jack's retired now, and they all live in Los Angeles. I live in New York, and work for CTU there," Alex informed her, and Nina wondered if he ever still felt the need to avenge his wife's death. Deciding not to ask Alex, she moved on.

"Teri's death was something I never wanted to happen. She was the first civilian that I ever killed, and even though I could murder someone and never even regret it for a second, she was different," Nina replied, her eyes watering up. Although she had maintained an air of indifference around Jack, she knew that he would never believe that she truly was sorry. His words, on the plane on the day of the nuke, when he had told her of the Sunday before she killed Teri, she still remembered that little monologue – every word, every sigh that Jack took, even his face as he poured out his feelings. It wasn't as if she couldn't understand why he wanted her dead, or even just to suffer, and that just made it worse.

12.30pm, Los Angeles

Jack was now walking down the road where he lived, enjoying the quiet serenity of the suburb. He had seen the very opposite throughout his life – in the dingy hideouts of terrorists, in the poverty stricken towns and cities of Sangala, in dark alleyways littered with discarded needles and used condoms. The clean, tidy look of this part of Los Angeles looked almost fake, as plastic as the people who lived there, but Jack had decided that he preferred this façade of pleasantness, because he and his family weren't hiding some dysfunction, they truly were happy. They had arguments and problems just like any other family, but after a lifetime of working at and for CTU, it was Jack's idea of perfection. Walking into the café where he was meeting Kim for lunch, he instinctively scanned the place, and mentally told himself that he had no need to. Even so, he took his normal seat, in the corner close to the door with noone behind him. Sighing as he looked at the menu, he wondered if the CTU training could be somehow unlearned. Only then would he be able to let go.

"Hi, Dad," Kim said as she walked towards where he was sat. Kissing him on the cheek before sitting down, she was glad to have a break from her job. Her busy career meant that she truly appreciated lunchtimes, especially as it gave her a chance to talk to her father.

"Hi, sweetheart. How's work been today?," Jack asked, a thin smile on his lips as he looked at his daughter. Still only in her early thirties, Kim was now a much more mature and responsible person. Jack knew that Teri would be so proud of her daughter.

"I've gotten so much done today, Dad, I think I deserve a promotion! How have you been today?," Kim asked, genuinely interested in her father. She knew that she had been so close to losing him so many times, and was determined to make the most of the time he had left. Although Jack had almost fully recovered from the CJD, he was still weaker than he had been, and he was now in his early fifties. The doctors had told him that he could expect another couple of decades of life, but only if he was careful with his health.

"I've been fine. I'm thinking of getting a job, Kim, I have all of this time to myself and I don't know what to do with it," Jack replied. He was certain that any job he would get was to be nothing like anything he had done before.

"I think you should, Dad," Kim spoke.

3.45pm, CTU New York

Alex had returned to CTU and had decided to protect Nina from CTU. He knew that she had done some terrible things, but he also knew that she was now someone's partner and the mother of four children, and if noone told Jack about her, then neither of their now peaceful lives had to be destroyed. Walking towards Hastings, who was busy talking to Cole Ortiz, who was Head of Field Ops and very much a young version of Jack, he waited for Cole to leave before talking to the director.

"I've been and had a look around the building, but it seems to be a case of mistaken identity. A Nina does live there, and she does look very much like my sister, but it's not her. She's a German teacher at a high school in Orange County," Alex informed Hastings, who was listening intently, and Alex could only hope that he would accept this explanation. At worst he would face being suspended or maybe fired, but that was nothing compared to what Nina and her family would go through if the truth were to be revealed.

"Fair enough. I'm glad that it was resolved quietly, Alex," Hastings replied, seemingly believing Alex. As Hastings walked away towards his office, someone called Alex's cell, and he went into a quieter part of the building to answer it.

"That didn't look much like I expected it to, Alex," the voice on the other end croaked, and Alex recognised the sound of his informant's voice.

"What were you expecting to see, an arrest? I went to the house, and the woman you thought was Nina, wasn't. I can't arrest her for having the same first name and similar features to a terrorist," Alex replied, and the informant wheezed a smoky laugh.

"Are you seriously going to protect her, Alex? She's a mass murderer, a terrorist, someone who should be behind bars. I hope you'll be reconsidering your actions, Alex," the informant spoke, before hanging up. Putting his cell back in his pocket, Alex could only wonder just how far the informant was willing to go to put Nina back in prison. Whoever he was, and Alex had never been given a name, he certainly had something against Nina.