After two long weeks in the hospital the doctor finally allowed Jack leave. Michelle and Tony picked him up from the hospital and moved him into the spare bedroom of their house. Jack was able to move around now on his own and happy for it. His cast had come off his wrist, and his collar bone was almost healed. Michelle had a big dinner cooked and invited Chase, her older friend Pam, and even Hammond over for supper that night. Michelle had left Pam and Jack to go finish fixing the food before everyone came. Tony was in the kitchen supervising to make sure the food was edible.

"What are you doing Michelle?" Tony said knowing very well what she was trying to do.

"He needed someone, she needs someone, and they are right for each other even if they are just friends." She said smiling at her husband.

"Whatever." Tony said rolling his eyes.

Michelle walked out with a bottle of wine to find the two laughing. Pam was probably telling one of the many stories of her college experience with a younger Michelle. "Pam you better not be telling to many embracing stories, I can still take you Jack."

"So how many frat guys did you give your . . " Jack went to ask but Michelle gently smacked him before he could finish.

Tony heard from the kitchen and yelled, "What did you give them?"

"Nothing." Michelle said glaring from Pam to Jack. She was happy. She knew Jack was usually shy around new people, but you couldn't get away with being shy around Pam she was so out going that it made you want to match her.

The dinner went well, Jack hit it off with Pam and they planned to go out for coffee some time. Jack told her he had to go somewhere soon to handle something for CTU and would be back later. That night Jack thanked Tony and Michelle and told them he had to go handle some matters in Germany for CTU. Michelle frowned unhappily. She looked at Hammond who was there and he raised his hands, "Hey it's not my fault. I tried to get him out of having to do it, but they need some information on Nina and Jack is the best with that. I'm going with him don't worry." Hammond said reassuringly.

"Oh that's just great." Michelle said sarcastically, "You were the one who came to him with the stupid idea of the last mission."

Hammond smiled at Michelle and said, "It worked didn't it?"

"Yeah it did Michelle." Jack said echoing Hammond.

"And look how you came out of it? I swear your must have taken more hits to the head than I thought. You have some serious brain damage they need to look over Jack."

Jack left with Hammond that night. They caught the first flight to Germany. They both slept during the flight and when they landed they went to meet their contact who would show them where the person they were looking for was hiding. When they got to the small cottage Jack and Hammond went into the woods both with a night scope they checked out the house. Jack saw his target and took aim, but he couldn't pull the trigger. Hammond noticed the hesitation and smiled. He had given Jack the go ahead on the mission to kill Palmer if he wanted to if not than that was fine they would just capture him and take him back, but Hammond left it up to Jack.

Before Jack could say he couldn't do it he saw a car approach. They both ducked quickly and than got back up to watch the man Jack knew only as the man that had talked to Nina, Nina, and Steven walk into Palmers cottage. Jack watched through the scope as Steven grabbed Palmer and held him as the Nina's boss began to beat him with a baseball bat. Jack sat there unwilling to stop it. He watched as the man continually hit Palmer. Jack heard the cries of pain and almost shot at them twice, but Hammond stopped him. "Don't let them finish." Hammond said.

Jack looked at him and obeyed for once in his life, he wasn't killing Palmer, he justified to himself. Hammond called for back up from the German police this would be a huge bust he knew. He waited until he was sure it had been long enough and he sent the police who sat back a mile or so from the house as to not bring attention to them. They all stormed the house taking Nina's boss, Nina and Steven alive. Palmer was almost dead when they went in. Jack smiled at them as he walked into the room. Nina looked at him and couldn't help but smile back at him, he had finally won and he deserved it she thought. The ambulance took Palmer to the hospital where he later died of unknown reasons. The way the authorities had put it together someone had poisoned him with neurotoxins that caused his lungs to shut collapse and he suffocated to death.

When Jack got back to the United States with Hammond he read about Kate's murder in the news paper. Someone had executed her in her house. Jack felt a sad for her death; he had cared for her once. He felt like the past few years were finally closed, he had brought the person who sold them out in Operation Nightfall down finally, his wife's killer and the people who ordered her death were behind bars, and he had already killed Kim's killer. He could finally let it go, he had let them down, but made it up by bring justices to the people who did them wrong. Jack went to the grave yard where Kim and Teri were buried. He sat there for awhile before he went to his new apartment. He called Pam to schedule the coffee date, and than turned on the CD player.

Some of the ugliest things took the longest time to make
And some of the easiest habits are the hardest one's to break
And I'm not asking for value nor the pain but I am asking
For a way out of this lie


Because I can't wait for you to catch up with me
And I can't live in the past and drown myself in memories

In Memory


Welcome to nowhere and finding out where it is
And fixing your problems and starting over again