Sorry for the cheesier ending. Something that I thought was a good idea at the time, and was a good thing and all just impossible it's ever happen. What can I say I'm a hopeless romantic at heart, and a COLD HARD bitch on the outside. I liked the idea of Jack and Nina having this unexplainable connection. In the end it made since that the only way they could escape the cycle of life was to look to each other. It was the meeting of Yin and Yang per say. In the end it was cheesier than hell and I knew it by the title of the chapter. But this is the real ending and the other we can think of as a cheesy dream. ---------------------------------------------------

After a few months at the cabin Jack felt ready to face the world again. Both the physical and mental wounds were healed. He was ready to go out in the world, less guilt ridden. He knew what he had to do and he was going to do it to the best of his ability. He was finally going to find answer for all of the families who loved ones had an empty casket in the ground because he failed them and left the behind. Driving back towards his house he thought of this. When he got home he was pleasantly surprised to find the stack of mail waiting for him on the counter. Kim and Chase had been nice enough to sort it out for him. Kim had paid his bills for him via the internet using his checking account while he was gone.

He looked at his answering machine and it had enough phone calls on it to have filled the entire tape. He would listen to them later he thought. Right know he wanted to call Kim and let her know he was town, and see if she wanted to get dinner with him tonight. He decided that he would call the President tonight and let him know he was ready to recruit a team to look into Operation Nightfall, and the possible leaks and other problems in the government.

Jack called Kim using his home phone. She did not answer at her home phone so he tried her cell phone. Finally he got an answer on the fourth ring.

"Bauer?"

"Kim."

"Dad. Where are you at?"

"I'm home. I wanted to see if you wanted to grab dinner with me tonight."

"Yes. I've missed you and there is so much we need to catch up on. And I have some news for you."

"What?" Jack said worried at first.

"I'll tell you tonight. Hold on." Kim looked at Tony who stood beside her.

Tony asked, "Is that Jack?"

"Yeah. Want to talk to him?" Kim talked into the phone, "Dad Tony wants to talk with you." Before she handed Tony the phone she asked, "Why don't you and Michelle join us tonight for supper? I could cook or Chase could, his cooking being the more edible of the two of us. It'll be like a house warming?"

Tony answered, "Ask Michelle. I'm sure she'll be happy to help out." Tony spoke into the phone, "Hey Jack. Why didn't you return all of my calls?"

"Sorry. Just wanted to be out of it for awhile."

"Understandable. President Palmer been looking for you. The man almost went up the damn mountain to find you. You might want to call him."

"I will." Jack said. "I got to go Tony. Need to unpack and all."

"I guess I'll see you tonight than."

"Sure." Jack said hanging up the phone. For the first time in awhile he felt alone. Tony had Michelle and Kim had Chase. No one needed him anymore. With that thought there was a knock on the door. Jack walked over to the door and opened it.

"Hey Jack. Welcome back. I thought that was you I heard." Amber said standing outside smiling. "No hard feelings right? I'd hate to think I had you after me." Amber still smiling worried he was angry with her now for all she had done.

"No not at all. Come in. You'll have to excuse me I'm still trying to readjust to people."

"Yeah you've been up in those mountains alone. Must have been nice."

"Yeah. It was at first I was loosing my mind, but I settled in after awhile."

"I am sorry about before. I though you had betrayed them."

"No need. I understand I would have done the same thing. In the end it doesn't matter the past is in past let it sleep there." Jack thought about it and wished he would have taken his own advice. With that thought his phone rang. He looked up at Amber and said, "Hold on please. I better answer that."

"Hello?"

"Jack. President Palmer."

"Hell Sir."

"How are you? I hope you healed well?"

"Yes sir. I was just going to call you. I'll be ready to recruit people starting tomorrow if you are still willing to allow me to work on the operation."

"Of course. That was what I was calling about. Why don't you fly out to D.C. Monday and you can get to work there."

"Yes sir." Jack thought for a moment and said, "I think I already have a member of my team. She'll have to have some basic training, but I think she will be a good asset."

"You have total control over the team."

"Thank you sir."

The phone line went dead. Jack hung up and asked Amber, "You in for a mission?"

"Are you joking?"

"I need someone I can trust and someone who will be just as dedicated as I am. You are that person. If you want the job we fly out Monday?"

"Yeah. Of course."

"Good. You'll have to go through some basic training just for protocol but it'll be easy."

"What are you up to tonight? You want to get the coffee or dinner I promised you so long ago?"

"I'm actually going to dinner with Kim and Chase and the others." Jack said looking down at his feet not sure why.

"Oh. That's cool another time." Amber said disappointed.

"How about you accompany me? I need someone they are all couples there and I'd hate to be like the fifth wheel."

"Are you sure?" Amber said raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Seven ok?"

"Sure. I better go get ready." Amber said happy almost feeling like a giggly little girl. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------

Jack was nervous standing outside the house that Kim had given him directions too. Amber could feel his nervousness, and in turn made her just as nervous. She thought what if they remembered what she had done? Would they treat her horrible?

Chase answered the door with a smile, "Hey Jack."

"Hi Chase. This is Amber." Jack said pointing to Amer.

"Come on in. Michelle is trying to teach Kim to cook in the kitchen. I think maybe I should call the fire department and get them here early." Chase said jokingly.

Jack laughed and he walked in with Amber behind him. Jack introduced everyone to Amber and they all welcomed her. She went to the kitchen instead of watching the game with guys.

She felt out of her element in the kitchen. She did not know any of the people and her past with Jack made it even more uneasy.

Kim smiled at her and asked, "Are you going out with my father?" Kim hoped not she was not that much older than Kim herself.

"No. We are just friends." Amber said looking down at her feet, much as Jack did when he was embarrassed or just at a loss for something.

Kim noticed the likeness and continued to smile. "How about you help us? Michelle is trying to teach me, but I think it's a lost cause."

"I'm with you. I can't cook a frozen pizza." Amber answered back smiling.

The rest of the night went off without a problem. Michelle saved the day and made sure everything tasted good and was edible. At the end of dinner Chase excused himself and asked Jack to join him. He waked Jack down the hallway of his new house. He stopped at the last bedroom that had been turned into a study of a sort.

Jack was confused as to what was going on. Once inside Chase closed the door and leaned against his desk. "Jack. I needed to ask you something. I've been waiting for you to get back to ask you in person."

Jack was confused. He was not sure what Chase was going to ask him. Or at least he did not want to think of what Chase was going to ask him.

"Jack with your permission I'd like to ask Kim to marry me. We've been seeing each other for over a year, and I love her will all my heart. She is everything to me. I know you don't like the fact that I'm in field ops, but it's my life and she's my life too. I can't live without her."

Jack felt like he was twenty years younger sitting in Teri's fathers study asking him and telling him the same thing. Jack thought about giving Chase the same answer that Teri's father had given him, but he knew in the end it wouldn't matter. "Can I talk to Kim?" Jack asked.

Chase heart sank. He was almost certain Jack was going to say no, screaming at his daughter beforehand. "I'll go get her." Chase said with his head hung in defeat.

Kim came down the hallway a few minutes later. Jack was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He was angry, but at the same time he was happy.

Kim knew what Chase had asked Jack, and she thought she knew her fathers answer. She walked into the room starting the battle she would not quit till she won. "I love him dad. He is a really nice guy, and I love him with all my heart. No matter what your answer is I'm marrying him. He wanted to ask you first though."

Jack smiled at his daughter. She was his daughter she had his temper and mind set. "Do you really love him?"

"Yes." She said locking her eyes with his.

"Are you willing to live with the fact that he will be just like I was. Gone for weeks at time not able to tell you where or what happened?"

"Yes." Maintaining eye contact.

Unknown to Jack Chase stood outside. He had excused himself and Kim from the dinner party. Everyone knew what was going on besides Jack and Amber.

"Did I ever tell you about how I got hitched to your mom?" Jack asked still thinking of the old days. His eyes now distant as if he were caught in mid memory.

"No." Kim answered trying to read her father for any site of the pain that use to be so obvious whenever her mother was mentioned.

"I asked her father and he said no. I don't blame him. I was a cocky Delta Force Officer and I had nothing to offer your mother because of my occupation. She married me anyways eve after he did not want it. It killed her when he turned his back on her for the first few years we were married. He even refused to walk her down the aisle. But she did it anyways because she loved me. Even after I objected and told her we could wait till he came around. You know what she said to me." He paused remember the happy memory, "She said, 'Jack Bauer. I love you and no one can tell us we cannot be together. As long as we love each other nothing else matters. All we have in life is the one person we know we should be with.' We got married a few weeks later. I don't want you to have to deal with that. So you have my blessing. You can't help who you fall in love with, nor can you help what happens in life."

Kim was almost in tears. She hugged her father and said, "Thank you daddy. I love you."

She kissed her on the top of her head while embracing her, "I love you too sweetie."

Chase knocked on the door and said, "I'm hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Jack smiled at him and said, "Treat her right or I'll kill you."

"You said that already." Chase said jokingly.

When the all returned to the dining room Kim gave them the good news. They finished the night off and Jack told Kim he would be going on an assignment that Monday and to call him with the details of when the wedding would be and he would make sure to get back so he could walk her down the aisle.