Chapter 6 - Never Gonna Be Alone

Mood: From this moment on, if you ever feel like letting go, I won't let you fall..."

Washington State Prison

2006

Tony sat on the corner of his bed in his prison cell, arms crossed and pissed off that he wasn't able to finish the bastard that ruined his life when he heard a stampede outside.

What in the hell is going on?Before he had a chance to finish his thought, a prison guard opened his cell, and yanked him out, almost dragging him in the process."Where the hell are you taking me?" Tony growled at the guard."Just shut up and follow me."

"Not until you...!" but before Tony could finish his sentence, the guard had knocked him out.

"Hey, you! Wake up! We only have 20 minutes; that's all the time I could buy."Tony slowly came into consciousness and looked up to see the prison guard that grabbed him from his cell, plus others that he couldn't recognize."It's your lucky day, Mr. Almeida."

"What do you want?" Tony asked, tone full of confusion and anger.

"Me? To get paid. That's only going to happen when we get you out of here. Someone really wants to see you, Almeida."

Tony was all sorts of confused. "Who?"

"Unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to say. Now, I don't want to be rude, but this diversion won't last for long. You need to get dressed so we can get you out. I want to get paid, and I don't think you want to spend the rest of your life in a cell."

Tony hesitated as he grabbed the police outfit and began to get dressed. "How are we getting out of here?"

"That's the fun part. We're walking you right out," The guard said as he tossed Tony a wig "Now get your ass going."

CTU Headquarters

2009

Mackenzie wiggled out of Renee's arms and ran right into Lucy's, squeezing as tight as her little arms could. Lucy tried asking her if he had hurt her at all while in the chopper but Mackenzie hadn't said a word. She looked up at Renee, whose face was sad and pained.

"Is she okay? Did she see a medic?" Lucy looked at the mark around Mackenzie's neck. "Did he hurt her?" she added, hoping to here good news.

"She's fine. She has a few scars and bruises but nothing serious. She may experience nightmares but I know she's a tough cookie. Right, sweetheart?" Renee smiled.

Mackenzie didn't answer her and Lucy realized that she had fallen asleep. She began to rock her back and forth, thinking about the topic she and Renee had been discussing before she lashed out. "About before, I was just confused and angry. I'm still confused, but I'm willing to listen now," she said apologetically.

Renee's face perked up. "Are you sure? I mean, it wouldn't be the first time someone only knew me as the crazy lady," she joked as both her and Lucy giggled.

"I just want to know that there's someone I can go to. If you're somehow family, I want to know how. I want to know everything," Lucy stated as she continued to gently rock Mackenzie.

"Well…" Renee stopped, turning around to look out the big glass window. There's no point in stalling. She's just as stubborn as I am. She'll find out sooner or later. Renee thought, taking a deep breath.

"I'm your aunt," she spat out.

Renee let her gaze drift over her surroundings, waiting for Lucy to say something. She just hoped Lucy wouldn't hate her for not telling her sooner. All she wanted was to bring her home, have her a part of her life, to have her life finally complete again.

She made her way around the whole room, staring at Lucy's frozen body last as she closed her eyes.

"H-how?" Lucy asked. Her only Aunt was now dead, along with everyone else she loved.

"Well, that's the difficult part. I was adopted, your dad never knew about me."

"My dad? I'm confused. How does being adopted make you my aunt?"

"Your dad was my brother."

"That's not possible. He only had a brother who died when he was 3. He never mentioned anything about a sister. Neither did my grandparents."

Renee ran her fingers through her neatly curled hair. Why is this so difficult? She asked herself. "They didn't know about me. You see, my mom and dad thought I died at birth. By the time the nurses realized it had been a mistake, they had already left the country. I was later given away."

How can that be mistaken? Lucy thought. "How did you find out about me? Why were you really at the cemetery?" Lucy was having a hard time believing Renee's confession but at the same time, it made sense to her.

"I went looking for my birth parents. When I found you, I swore to myself I would never let anything happen to you," Renee explained as she wiped a tear that had escaped, away from her eye.

Lucy began be cry. "Ms. Walker," she whispered. "Please don't blame yourself for what happened to me. You couldn't have prevented it. He came after me. You couldn't have stopped him."

Ha, Renee thought to herself. Jack had said the same thing to her easily on the phone, when they knew what was going on inside the warehouse.

"No, that son of a bitch outsmarted me!" she cried, furious that Charles had caught on to her lead. "I was tailing you, and he knocked me out." she continued, biting down on her lip to fight tears she knew wouldn't stop if she let them out."The worst part is, I never saw it coming. It just infuriates me! I could have protected you if I-" Renee fell to her knees, ashamed that she had broken the promise she had silently made to Lucy back in her FBI office.

Lucy laid Mackenzie down and walked over to Renee, kneeling down as she took her hand. She was mad at herself for freaking on Sarah for the stupidest reason. All she wanted to do was help, and Lucy didn't give her a chance. "It's not your fault, you couldn't have seen him coming. I shouldn't have run out on Sarah." A tear rolled down her face as she shook her head. "I shouldn't have gotten so mad," she looked down at the little girl in her arms, who was now motherless. How am I going to tell her? She thought.

Renee was touched by Lucy's gesture. It was the first time Lucy came to her and hope flashed over her. Has she learned to trust me? She thought, taking a chance by pulling her into a hug. "Honey, it's ok. None of this is your fault. You could never have known that he was following you."

Lucy hugged back, still unsure of Renee but wanting to assure her that she didn't blame her. "I-I don't have anywhere to go. I don't have anyone left." she repeated, sobbing into Renee's bright yellow sweater.

"You're not alone," she whispered. "You have me and your uncle Jack. Mackenzie likes him. I'm sure you will too."

"Uncle Jack?" Lucy asked, confused.

"Yeah. We're kinda together." She blushed.

"Jack Bauer?"

"Yes. I'm guessing you've heard about him?" Renee replied, figuring Lucy had seen news reports or APB's for him throughout the years.

"When I looked you up, I read a little about your work with him. He was the one who got me to CTU today." she paused, looking down to notice a diamond ring around her finger. "You're a couple?"

Renee tried to look away. She felt her face heat up as it turned red. "Yeah," she smiled. Renee blushed again, thinking of the times Jack had saved her. "He's my hero," she continued. "He was the only one I had when I was in a bad spot. It's a long story, really."

Lucy had more questions than she thought was possible, but put them aside for now. "What now?"

"Well I was supposed to debrief you, but I think we can get away with doing it at my house if you like," Renee offered.

"What about Ch…" Lucy struggled to say his name. "Him?"

"Don't worry about him right now. You're safe with us," Renee promised.

"You really want me to come with you? What about Mackenzie?" Lucy asked, knowing Renee's invite was meant as a permanent one.

Renee looked Lucy in the eyes, gently touching her cheek with her hand. "Of course I do. You two are my family. The only family I have," she confessed, a single tear slipping from the corner of her right eye.

Lucy threw herself around the agent, resting her head on her shoulder. "Let's go," she whispered.

Writers Note: Hmm, I wonder what Jack's gonna say! Thank you for reading! Your all amazing! See you in the next chapter! :)