"Miss Samson," her tone told Tessa Audrey knew who she really was or at least had an idea, "May I have a word with you?"
Tessa looked up to see Audrey who, though she had just lost her husband, looked angry instead of sad. But Tessa nodded, got up, and entered the empty room Audrey was holding the door open to.
"What is it?"
"I found this in Paul's jacket," she said as she handed the young blonde a folded up check.
Tessa opened up the small piece of paper and saw it was made out to Cartier and was dated the day before.
Tessa looked up at Audrey, "Why are you showing me this?"
"Read the memo."
Tessa gasped as she looked in the lower left corner to see that it read, in Paul's handwriting, 'Tessa's engagement ring'.
"Why was my husband buying you an engagement ring?" Audrey spat.
Tessa did not like Audrey's tone at all but matched it, "Isn't it obvious?"
"No, actually it isn't, since he's married."
"Separated," she corrected.
"We were planning on getting back together."
"Well, this check seems to prove otherwise, doesn't it Miss Raines?"
Audrey's nostrils flared, "You-!"
"What? It's okay for you to have someone else but not him? Does it bother you that he could love someone other than you?"
"He didn't love you!"
"Then why this?" Tessa waved the check in Audrey's face.
"Oh please," Audrey snapped, "You cannot seriously think he loved you. You were simply his rebound girl."
"Ouch, I hope Jack Bauer doesn't hear that, he might think the same about himself for you."
"Don't you dare bring Jack into this."
Tessa rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh, "Audrey, the two of us can believe whatever we want about Paul but the truth is, we both knew him and we both know he wouldn't enter a relationship unless he was sure it was what he wanted."
Tessa turned to leave because she had had enough of this conversation but Audrey simply would not hear of it.
"Don't think I'll let you walk out of here with that check!"
"And why not? Am I not allowed to have what's rightfully mine?"
"Rightfully yours?" Audrey mocked, "Paul and I were getting back together."
"So you say. But he's not here to confirm or contradict that," Tessa was getting teary just at the thought, "Don't forget, I lost someone today too and I- I just want something to remember him by."
Audrey stood speechless after the girl's confession and still said nothing as Tessa raised a hand to her face and quickly rushed out of CTU. It was the last time they ever saw each other and it was just how both wanted it to remain.
The ring from Cartier stayed there for some time before Tessa could bring herself to venture down Rodeo Drive to retrieve Paul's final gift to her.
The center stone – which Tessa thought almost too much – was a heart shape accented with much smaller diamonds along the platinum band. It was a glorious ring, even the salesman could not stop raving about it.
For some time, the ring sat snugly on Tessa's finger, all through the surprise of her pregnancy and finally the birth of her son, Samson Paul Raines, some eight months later. The ring and Sam were her two connections to her beloved Paul.
Eventually the ring was slipped on a chain that hung around her neck and close to her heart. Tessa would always love Paul and it was proven every time she looked at her son, who was a miniature of his father. But Tessa knew she had to move on – Paul would have wanted it. She was too young to have her life end so soon. So she continued on. For herself, for Sam, and, most importantly, for Paul.