"Kim?"
Kim looked up in confusion, her eyes scanning the other gas pumps as she tried to see who had called her name. Then her gaze settled on the man standing on the other side of her pump, and her mouth fell open in surprise.
"Tony?"
"Hi."
"Hi."
They stood there for an awkward moment, just staring at each other. Then Kim shook her head and said the first thing that came to her mind.
"I thought you were dead."
He looked down.
"Bill and Chloe helped me go into hiding after…after they got Michelle."
"I heard about what happened to her. I'm so sorry, Tony."
He shrugged. "It was three years ago. It doesn't hurt to breathe anymore." Clearing his throat, he changed the subject. "So how are you?"
"Okay…better than I have been in a long time, actually," she admitted. "I work as a daycare teacher down on Wilson Avenue."
"That's great, Kim," Tony said, his voice sincere.
"What about you?"
"I do private computer security. Boring, but I'm not getting shot at, and I get to work from home."
Kim looked around, and then brought her eyes back to his, the setting sun reflecting off her blonde hair.
"Do you…do you want to grab some dinner?" she asked. "I know this great little diner a couple streets over…"
"I'd love to." His words surprised him, but he kept going anyway. "I'll follow you there?"
"Sounds good," she smiled.
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"How long were you in hiding?" Kim asked after the waitress had taken their orders and walked away.
"About a year and a half. I could have come out sooner, but they needed me to go undercover on a mission. After that, I was done. I walked away from CTU and the government."
"Good." His eyes widened at the fierceness in her voice and she blushed. "I've seen what the government does to people, Tony," she continued. "to families. They suck you dry and they don't even care. I'm glad that you got out."
"Your dad is out too, you know."
Her eyes fell to the table and she played with her fingers.
"Have you heard from him?"
Tony nodded. "He doesn't live far from here. We see each other just about every day. Chloe too."
"She left CTU too?"
A sudden sadness crept into his eyes.
"She…she lost her baby. She was six months pregnant and she got taken…after that she was done. Jack took her away from CTU and they've been together since."
Kim frowned. "Together? Like…together?"
Tony gave her a small smile.
"Yeah, together. Well, the romance only started four or five months ago. But they're really happy."
"They lived together for that long and they JUST got together?" she asked incredulously.
"If you haven't noticed, Chloe and your dad are two of the most stubborn people on the face of the planet." Tony paused then, looking at Kim cautiously. "He'd love to see you, you know."
"If he wanted to see me, Tony, he could find me."
"He has."
"What?"
"He has found you. He know right where you live, where you work."
She stared at him in shock.
"Then why hasn't he…"
"You told him to stay away, Kim. He's trying to give you want you want."
"I…"
She was interrupted by the arrival of their food. Her lower lip quivered as she tried to keep the tears at bay, not wanting the waitress to see her cry. But when the woman walked away again, Kim could stop the two tears that slid down her cheeks.
"Kim?"
"I miss him," she said quietly. "I keep waiting for him to show up on my doorstep."
"Why don't you call him? It hurts him so much that you're not in his life."
"Why…why would he forgive me, Tony? All I've ever done is hurt him and push him away. Maybe he's better off without me." She saw the small smile on Tony's face and scowled. "What? You think this is funny?"
"No. It's just…you two are so alike. He thinks you'll never forgive him. That you could have a happy life if he just left you alone. But you need each other, Kim." Seeing the uncertainty in her eyes, he reached out and rested his hand on hers. "If you want, I could help. We could all do something together, the four of us. Then it would be less awkward the first time."
"Are you sure?" she asked quietly. "Are you sure that he wants to see me?"
"Yes, Kim," he said firmly. "I'm sure."
She nodded, her eyes filled with tears.
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Okay. I'll call him. I'll come see him."
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Tony looked at Kim nervously as they leaned against her car outside the diner, the night clear above them and the stars shining brightly. He didn't want to go home quite yet, but he wasn't sure what her thoughts were. Taking a deep breath, he decided to just ask her.
"Do you…do you want to go for a walk or something?"
She smiled at him, and he almost frowned at the somersault that his stomach did.
"Where? All the parks close at sunset."
"The beach doesn't. But, if you don't want to, or you have plans…"
"I'd love to."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Why don't we leave your car here? I'll drive you back after."
"Okay," she said, her smile growing. "Let's go."
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Mostly, they walked in silence. Occasionally one of them would ask a question as they caught up with each other's lives, but for the most part they just enjoyed the company. Tony had almost forgotten what it was like to just enjoy someone's presence. He could always find Jack if he needed someone to talk to, but now Jack had Chloe. He didn't begrudge his friend the happiness, but he was also more reluctant now to invade on their privacy.
For her part, Kim was surprised at how much she was enjoying herself. She had never once thought of Tony as friend material – he had always just been someone who worked with her father. But time and circumstances had worn away their differences, and they had both been radically changed. Maybe it wasn't so surprising that they would rather stand together than just ignore the opportunity that fate had handed them.
"You're cold," Tony said as he saw her shiver out of the corner of his eye.
"A little," she admitted.
"Do you want to leave?"
"Actually…no. But if you do…"
"No. I just don't want you to be cold."
"Can we just sit?" she asked suddenly.
He gave her a small smile.
"Of course."
They climbed a little ways up from the water and found a place to sit down. Tony slipped his jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders, earning another smile from Kim.
"Thank you," she murmured.
"Anytime." Then he paused, gathering his thoughts. "I'm glad that we ran into each other."
"Me too," she said sincerely. "It was kinda random, but…I think we both needed it…to find a…"
"A friend?" he supplied.
"Yeah," she laughed. "God, did you ever think we'd use that word in relation to us?"
"No," he admitted. "But we were different people the last time we saw each other."
She nodded her agreement, her words swallowed as a yawn came over her.
"You're tired," he pointed out.
"Long day."
"We don't have to stay, Kim. If you want me to take you back –"
"Please, Tony," she interrupted. "I just…I suddenly feel safer and less alone than I have in a really long time. I don't want to let go of that just yet."
"Okay," he said quietly. "You know…this doesn't have to be the only time we hang out. We could…you know…do it again."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "In fact, I'd really like that."
"Me too," she said softly.
She yawned again, and this time she tentatively rested her head on his shoulder. Tony smiled and wrapped his arm around her, tugging at her gently until they lay next to each other in the sand. Emboldened, Kim snuggled into him, one arm wrapped around his torso.
"You make a good pillow."
He laughed at that, the sound vibrating through her entire body.
"I'm glad I could help."
They laid like that for a long time, and soon Tony noticed that Kim's breathing had evened out and deepened. Glancing at her, he couldn't help but smile as he realized that she had fallen asleep. He thought about waking her, about insisting that she let him take her home. But he was surprisingly reluctant to do so. Maybe it had just been that long since he could enjoy the touch of another human being. But he just couldn't make himself let her go. Leaning over, he placed a gentle kiss to her forehead and pulled her just a little closer. Maybe in the morning he would tell her how safe she made him feel, that she had helped him just as much as he had helped her – if not more. Maybe he would tell her that he had been about ready to let go…that she just might have saved him that night. Maybe.