"Andre?"

"No, it's me. I think you should come back to CTU."

"I can't, I'm running out of time. I'm going in to get Kim now."

"I don't know how to tell you this, Jack."

"What is it, Nina? Nina, what is it?!"

"Coastguard cutter answered the APB we put out on Kim. They found her body, Jack."

"What?!"

"I'm sorry. She's dead."

"No…"

"Jack, I'm so sorry… Jack? Jack!"

Jack Bauer's world had fallen apart. Despite everything he had done to protect them, he had failed and for a moment, he felt like the only person alive. Then he glanced over at the dock and remembered them. The men responsible for ruining his life and he intended to make them pay.

Even though they were waiting for him, he still caught them by surprise as he smashed a van into the doors. He came out shooting and took many of them down before he noticed Andre running towards the water. As he was about to give chase, a bullet from an unseen assailant smashed through his arm. Groaning, he turned to fire back but he was too slow. The gunman shot him again, the second bullet crashing into his forehead.

Andre watched as Jack crumpled to the floor. Finally, Bauer was dead but he still needed to get his father to safety. Shouting in Serbian to his remaining men, he then looked out towards the boats that would get them out of there.

Nina was on high alert as she waited for news. If the Drazens failed, she would have to start her escape immediately. She had to assume that it was the most likely outcome, that Jack would soon be calling CTU. Sure enough, a phone rang and she watched Mason as he answered. Studying his face, she saw nothing conclusive written there.

Mason listened as the officer spoke before he thanked her. Ending the call, a wide smile grew on his face and he looked over at Teri.

"Good news! Kim's safe, she's on her way here."

Teri smiled at him. "Thank you so much, but what about Jack?"

Nina was still paying close attention, ready to slip away at the slightest hint of trouble.

"Nothing yet but I'm sure he'll call soon."

Once Teri had turned her attention to the entrance, waiting for Kim, Mason approached Nina. The smile had long left his face.

"It seems we have a problem," he spoke quietly.

She raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

He glanced over at Teri. "There's reports of gunfire at the docks. They're searching the area but it doesn't look good."

Nina gave him a look of concern before nodding. Something had happened but she still didn't know which way things had gone. For all she knew, both Jack and the Drazens were dead.

Activity at the front entrance broke the silence as an exhausted Kim appeared. Embracing her mother, she began to sob with relief. Now all she needed was her father to get there.

"I love you so much, Mom."

Teri smiled at her daughter. "You've been so brave today, Kim."

Nina glanced at the clock, growing ever more restless. She wondered if Jack would skip calling and instead come rushing back to confront her. Then, almost as if she had willed it, a phone rang before she looked over at Teri and Kim. If this was about Jack, she could only hope that the news favoured her.

"I see… thank you, officer," Mason spoke.

The sympathetic look he gave Nina told her everything. Jack was dead and her cover was intact. She avoided looking at the Bauers, unable to bear witness to them discovering his fate. The sound of their reaction threatened to break her heart. Making sure she looked the part, she walked over to Tony who embraced her.

"After everything we did, Tony…," she whispered.

"I'm sorry, Nina," he replied. His respect for Jack had been growing all day and he was sad to see it end this way,

They pulled apart before Nina wiped her eye. She glanced over at Teri and Kim who were being shown into a nearby conference room.

"Several dead but no Andre or Victor Drazen," Mason announced as he approached.

Nina stared at him. "They've escaped?!"

He sighed before nodding. "Witnesses saw motorboats heading south, could be them."

Moments later, Nina took the first chance she got to slip into a quiet corridor before calling a contact. She had no idea how much of a threat the Drazens posed to her.

"I need updates on Victor and Andre Drazen. Last seen heading south from LA by sea."

"Bauer is dead, isn't he?"

Nina wondered how they already knew that. "Yeah, but…," she began before glancing around. "They wanted Palmer too."

Her contact started typing away and she began playing with her fingers as she waited.

"I'll see what I can do."

She took a deep breath before returning to the bullpen.

"Mason's taking Teri and Kim to an hotel," Tony began as she approached. "You should come home with me."

Nina nodded. "Yeah, I don't wanna be alone tonight."

The two began walking towards the parking lot. Nina imagined the route she would have taken if she had to escape. Would she have had to kill people along the way? How far would she manage to get before problems emerged?

Tony was thinking about the future. Mason had told them to take some time off but he wasn't sure how useful it would be to him or Nina. He knew she would be hiding a lot of her feelings about Jack's death.

Approaching his car, Nina glanced over at her own as she continued to consider the paths not taken. If things had been different, she would not be on her way to his apartment to rest. She would have been making her escape and not looking back.

Getting into the front passenger seat, her thoughts turned back to the Drazens. If they had fled satisfied with only half of their targets eliminated, then they wouldn't be a threat to her. Even if they were, in the short-term their priority would be to lie low but what then? She could always have them taken out but that would have its own risks.

Tony glanced at her as they stopped at a light. He could tell that she was drowning in troubling thoughts. "Hey, Nina? It's gonna be okay."

Taken out of stormy seas, she smiled at him.

Once they had reached his apartment, Nina decided not to waste any more mental energy on the Drazens for now. It wouldn't help matters and she was running low.

Tony walked into the kitchen before opening the fridge. "We've not ate for hours, I'll make something quick.

She slumped down on the couch and smiled. Despite having different ideas of their relationship, she appreciated how caring he was. "Thanks, Tony."

Making sandwiches, he glanced at the sink and noticed his Cubs mug in the middle of it. He had put it there before leaving for work on Monday morning, the last time he had been at home. How different things were now.

Entering the living room once he had finished, he smiled as her as she slept. He considered waking her up but didn't have the heart to disturb her. Instead, he put her sandwich in the fridge and grabbed a blanket to put over her.

Returning to the kitchen, he sat down and began to eat. His mind was insisting on replaying events from the last day despite his best efforts to ignore it. From where he sat, he could see Nina's face as she slept. Knowing her, he knew that she wouldn't want to show too much weakness in the coming days and weeks. She would try and hide behind a mask of acceptance about Jack. He made a decision there and then to support her as best as he could.