Hi and thanks again for all of the reviews. Overall it looks like most of you like the format where I provide both perspectives, so I will continue writing the story that way.

Jade – thanks for your extensive review. I see now where I definitely repeated what happened in the show and it was probably unnecessary. After I finish the story I'll try and go back and edit that and repost the chapter.

PART II: THE CLOUDS

Chapter 1: Tony

Michelle set the letter on the desk and signed her name neatly on the bottom. I watched as she folded it in thirds and slipped it into an envelope. She tucked the envelope into a side pocket of her bag and then hoisted the bag over her shoulder. I smiled. She had always carried a bag to work that had far more in it than she could ever need and the thing weighed a ton. It was like a portable filing cabinet. It was nice to know that some things don't change.

Michelle turned off the light, took my hand and we exited the office. We held hands unabashedly as we descended the stairs and crossed the bullpen. Neither of us cared who saw. It didn't matter any more. Bill was in the conference room talking to some members of the shift that had just arrived. They would work with a skeleton crew today doing "mop up" so they were dividing up the necessary work among them. Bill had just finished handing out assignments when Michelle and I walked in.

"Are you two headed home?" he asked stating the obvious.

"Yeah," Michelle answered. "I'm caught up. I'd like to go home and get a few hours sleep and I'll be in tomorrow."

Bill shook his head. "We can get along without you tomorrow. I think you need a day off, Michelle. I know Jack's death hit you both hard. Take the extra day and get some rest," he paused for a moment. "I appreciate all you did today, both of you."

"Before you're so generous with time off maybe you should read this," Michelle said handing him the envelope.

Bill read the letter and nodded. "I was expecting this. I'm happy for you," he said looking back and forth between us. "You can still have tomorrow off, Michelle," he said with a smile. "Tony," he said as he extended his hand, "good luck and congratulations. You're a lucky man."

He wasn't telling me anything that I didn't know. I thanked him and Michelle and I started toward a rear exit. "I'll walk you to your car," I told her, "then I'll get someone to take me home."

Michelle stopped and looked at me, her brow furrowed in confusion. "I thought we were going home together."

"Sweetheart," I said gently not sure if she was going to understand this, "I may not love Jen, but she's been there for me for a while now and I think I owe it to her to explain that I'm moving out. It's only fair. I also need to pack my things. When I'm finished I'll come right over. In the meantime, you need to go home and get some rest." I kissed her forehead.

Michelle didn't look like she was all that happy about this but she did seem to understand. "Okay, I'll drop you off at your place. You can talk to Jen and pack then you can come home when you're finished."

"Honey, you are not going to drive a Mercedes SUV into my neighborhood. Not if you want to live to tell about it," I smiled at her. "You go home. I'll get someone to drop me off and I'll be over as soon as possible. Come on, let me take you to your car." I led her to her car and opened the door for her. "Be careful driving home. I know how tired you are. I'll see you in a few hours." I leaned over and kissed her. "I love you, Baby," I told her.

"I love you, too," she said in return. "Come home soon. I don't want to be alone today, Tony."

"I know. I'll be there as soon as I can," I promised her.

I watched Michelle drive away and then walked back into CTU. I immediately ran into one of the security guards who had been there when I was the director and asked him to arrange a ride home. He was happy to do it and before long the CTU car pulled up in front of the house I had lived in with Jen for the last several months. I walked sheepishly in the front door knowing that Jen was going to want an accounting of my time and why I hadn't called.

The sad part of it all is that until she tracked me down at CTU, Jen hadn't even crossed my mind. When I told Michelle that I didn't love Jen, I meant it, but I'm not sure that I ever realized before how cold that sounds. What was I doing living with this woman who I really didn't care about? Worse yet, I was sleeping with her. Okay, let's drop the euphemisms; I was having sex with her.

"Oh, you finally decided to come home," Jen said sarcastically. "Are you and your friend, Jack finished saving the world from the bad guys?"

I didn't like the idea that she was maligning Jack and my ire began to rise. I quickly suppressed it. There was no point in getting into an argument over Jack right now. "Look, Jen…" I started but she interrupted me.

"And how is your ex-wife?" she asked in the same sarcastic tone.

"Jen," I said a little more forcefully this time, "I'm sorry I didn't call you. I should have let you know where I was." I sat down on a chair near where she was sitting. I reached for the remote and turned off the television. "We need to talk."

"That doesn't sound good," she said suddenly taking this conversation seriously.

"It's time for me to move out."

"You're moving out?" It was more than a question than a statement. "Why? Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry I called you at CTU. I was worried about you."

"It's not you, Jen. It's me. The truth is I probably shouldn't have ever moved in. We don't have a lot in common, at least not enough to make the basis of a relationship. We both know that."

"Oh, all of the sudden you want more than alcohol and sex." The sarcasm was back.

"Jen, please don't make this harder than it is."

"Don't tell me what to do, Tony. I know that you're a lot smarter than me, but don't talk down to me."

"I wasn't trying to talk down to you…"

Jen interrupted again. "Now I know what this is all about. You spent the last day with your egghead friends with all of their college degrees and letters after their names and you decided that I'm not good enough for you," she shouted. She stood up and started pacing the room as she ranted. "All the sudden a high school drop out who works at a bar isn't what you want to be seen with. Well let me tell you mister master's degree from Stanford, it was me who picked you up when all of those people deserted you. And that includes your prissy little ex-wife. I notice she didn't stick around when you were drunk and unemployed. She dumped your sorry ass as fast as she could. Now you see her again today and I'm dirt under your feet and the princess has been set back up on her throne again."

Jen's rant ended and I sat silently looking at my feet. There really wasn't much I could say to defend myself. Although she put it more crudely than I would have liked, what she said was pretty much true. In Michelle's defense, she didn't exactly dump me. She tried to make our relationship work but I refused. She put up with it for a while but left when it got to be too much for her to deal with.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I honestly never meant to hurt you. I know you were there for me when no one else was and I'll always be grateful for that." I have to admit, I was ashamed of myself. I never set out to hurt Jen, but I had used her and I knew it. I moved in with her when I needed a warm place to sleep and a warm body to cuddle up to. I never loved her and it never occurred to me that she might love me. Never once did I hold her or have sex with her that I didn't wish that it was Michelle that I was with. As much as I tried to tell myself and anyone that would listen that I didn't love Michelle any more, I never stopped loving her, not for a moment.

"You son of a bitch! I knew you were lying when you said you didn't love her any more. I knew it, but I wanted to believe it. I wanted to believe that you could love me. Even though you never said you loved me, I wanted to believe that you did. I saw the pictures of her that you hide in your dresser. I know how beautiful she is. Why would I ever think you would stop loving her and start loving me? I always gave myself credit for being pretty smart. I guess I was wrong." She walked sullenly toward the door. She picked up her purse on the way out.

Jen, wait," I called after her.

She shook her head. "Wait for what? You think I'm going to help you pack? Sorry, don't think so. Leave your key on the counter and be gone before I get back from work. I really don't want you to be here when I get home."

With that she was gone. I can't even begin to describe my feelings. I don't intentionally hurt people. That's not in my nature. So hurting Jen was actually very painful. At the same time, I did what had to be done. There was no way to right this particular wrong so the best thing I could do was pack my things and go and be with Michelle. Thinking about Michelle raised my spirits. Twenty-four hours earlier I would have never dreamed that I would be reunited with her or that she even still cared for me.

I looked around me. If I was going to get to Michelle's house, our house (I sold her my half to her in the divorce settlement.) any time soon, I needed to pack. I had two suitcases stowed in the crawl space below the house. I dug those out and filled them with clothes. I was going to need boxes for the rest of my things. I looked around but couldn't find any and decided that the grocery store down the street was probably a good source of boxes. I got in my beat up old truck and drove to the grocery store and picked up a half dozen good sized boxes. I stopped at Starbucks on the way home for a large caffeine fix so I would stay awake while I was packing. The day had become unpleasantly hot and humid, so I ordered an iced coffee. While I was sitting in the drive through lane waiting for my coffee, I thought I might have heard a rumble of thunder in the distance. I didn't want it to rain anywhere on the west coast today. I wanted Jack to get wherever he was going before any rain set it.

"Where are you, Jack?" I wondered out loud as I drove out of the parking lot and onto the street. Most likely, Jack was far from LA by now. He didn't tell me his plan, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that if he wanted to be dropped off near the railroad yard that he planned to stowaway on a train. Lots of freighters came through on those tracks every day. I'm sure Jack is huddled on one right now and is on his way north. When I gave him the ID and told him it should get him across the border, we both knew that I meant the border to Canada. Jack in Mexico was a little like me in a Scandinavian country. He would stick out like a sore thumb. Not that there weren't plenty of American tourists in Mexico, but Jack didn't look like a tourist. He looked like a drifter and American drifters in Mexico generally aroused the suspicion of both the local residents and the authorities. Canada would provide him much better cover. He would probably end up some place rural. I wondered if he would end up working on a ranch. He had done that during the summers when he was in high school and he still loved horses. Teri's father owned the ranch where Jack worked. That was how they met. He still went out to the ranch occasionally and helped Teri's father and brother.

Back at Jen's place again, I finished packing my clothes and personal items. I moved on to my computer and stereo equipment and all of my software and CDs. Finally I packed books and pictures along with my diplomas and various certificates and commendations that I had received while in the Marines and at CTU. I packed it all in the back of my truck. There's something pathetic about being my age and being able to pack everything you own in two suitcases and six boxes. I had no furniture or household articles. I had left all of that with Michelle. I couldn't bear the thought of looking at it every day. It all reminded me of her. I'm not sure why I left my pots and pans and cutlery with her. It was a little like giving condoms to a man who has had a vasectomy. As much as I love her, I'd be the first to tell you that the woman could burn water. I'm sure I'll have to clean an inch thick layer of dust off of them before I can use them again.

I did a quick check of the house to make sure I hadn't left anything behind. Then I put my keys on the counter as Jen had directed and locked the door behind me. I definitely felt guilty as I walked down the cracked sidewalk and drove from the shabby neighborhood knowing that I was leaving Jen behind, on her own, while I went back to my life in the suburbs with the woman I loved more than life itself.

It was about a half hour ride to Michelle's house. I called her as soon as I got on the road to let her know I was on my way. "Hey, Babe," I said as she answered. "Did I wake you up?"

"No, actually I just got out of the shower," she said.

"Ooh, sorry I missed that," I said with a smile. The thought of Michelle stepping out of the shower was one I had to push out of my mind quickly if I wanted to keep blood flowing to my brain and other vital organs and not to the one it was currently diverting itself toward. "I thought you'd be asleep by now."

"No, on my way home, I decided to stop and see Kate Warner. I know CTU is going to keep Jack's 'death' off the front page, but it's going to get some coverage and I thought someone should tell Kate personally."

"That was nice of you. I'm sure it was hard to do." Lying wasn't something that came all that naturally to Michelle so telling someone that loved Jack that he was dead and watching them react all the while knowing that he was alive, had to be hard for Michelle. "How did she take it?"

"She was sad and she cried, but she wasn't surprised. I guess it was a little like Kim. People close to Jack always expected him to die in the line of duty so this isn't much of a stretch of the imagination." She paused for a second. "How far away are you?"

"About 20 minutes," I told her. "If you're tired go to bed. Just leave the spare key where we always hid it and I'll let myself in."

"No, I won't be able to sleep until you get here anyway. I'll just lie down of the couch. I'll see you in a little while."

I said goodbye and tried to focus on the road before me. I couldn't believe how excited I was. It was like being a kid in Chicago and having tickets for opening day at Wrigley Field. I was going home to Michelle. I smiled and glanced at the gray sky above me. It might be overcast and about to rain again, but for me, the sun was shining on the whole world.

As promised, I arrived in about 20 minutes. I pulled my truck into the driveway. Michelle saw me coming and opened the garage door for me. I pulled into the empty space next to her car. She stood expectantly in the door that led to the house waiting impatiently for me. She looked so pretty. Her hair was still wet from her shower and she was wearing a thin purple camisole that clung to her frame and silky boxer shorts. Blood started diverting to where it shouldn't be again. I stood next to the car for a moment and got my sex drive under control then followed her into the house. Once in the door I set down the two suitcases and took Michelle in my arms.

As soon as my arms wrapped around her the brave façade she had been wearing all day disintegrated. "Oh, Tony," she gasped as tears started to fall. "I thought I had lived through the worst that could possibly happen. I thought after the nuke and the virus and having you arrested and going to prison that I had seen it all," she sobbed, "but today was worse. Not just the terrorist attacks, but thinking that I lost you and everything that happened to Jack. Now I have to lie to the people who love Jack and tell them that he's dead. And I know that for all intents and purposes that he is dead and he's lost everyone and everything that he loves. And I'm worried about him. I hate this, Tony. I can't wait for us to go someplace else. I hate LA and I hate CTU and I just want to go away with you."

She was crying so hard she couldn't go on any more. She cried great, heaving sobs against my chest. Her whole body was shaking. All I could do was hold her and let her cry. Tears filled my own eyes for many of the same reasons that Michelle was crying. I have to admit at least some of my tears were happy ones; happy that I had Michelle back and that we were going to try again.

We stood together for a long time both of us crying. I was able to get my emotions in check first. Once I did, I picked Michelle up and, cradling her in my arms, I carried her to the bedroom. I set her as carefully as I could on the bed that hadn't been made when she got out of it yesterday morning.

"There you go, Sweetheart," I whispered. "Let me close the blinds." It was so overcast and gray that it hardly seemed necessary to close the blinds, but I knew Michelle couldn't sleep unless the room was dark. Rain was just starting to fall again when I got to the window. I watched it for a few seconds hoping that Jack was far enough from LA by now that the rain wouldn't be a problem for him. I drew the blinds and made my way back to the bed where Michelle's crying had slowed to an occasional sob. I pushed some stray hairs out of her face and tucked them behind her ear. "Okay Sweetheart, you get some sleep," I said as I kissed her forehead. I stood and started out of the room.

"Tony," Michelle said as she sat up and reached for my hand. "Where are you going?"

"I was going to go sleep on the sofa or in the guest room," I told her.

"I thought you were going to sleep with me."

My heart was pounding in my throat so I could barely talk. "I'd love to sleep with you, but I don't want to move too fast. Are you ready for us to share a bed again?"

"I'm ready for us to share our lives, Tony. Sharing a bed is part of that," she looked down shyly, "and it's a part I enjoy."

I suddenly felt embarrassed, as if I had been cheating on her for the last six months. I looked away. "Michelle," I started, "about Jen…"

"No, I don't want to talk about her."

"I feel like I owe you an explanation."

"You already explained. Look, Tony, I left you. That meant you were free to be with anyone you wanted. I know I hurt you and if she made you feel better, I have no right to be angry or jealous."

"You're being awfully understanding," I told her.

She smiled and looked down. "I was upset when I first realized that you were with someone else. Just like you were upset when you thought I had a relationship with Bill. And I'm not going to tell you that I like the idea that you were making love to another woman but I can live with it."

I touched her chin and lifted it so that she was looking directly at me. "I had sex with Jen; I won't try and deny that. But I never once 'made love' to her. I don't know if that makes you feel any better. The truth is that it makes me feel very cheap. I also want you to know that when they checked me out in medical today, I had the doctor test me for...well, you know, diseases I could have picked up from her. Everything was negative, Honey."

"That was really considerate of you, Tony. I appreciate it. Now, come to bed. If I don't get some sleep I think I'm going to pass out," she said smiling.

I smiled back at her as I stripped down to my boxer shorts and slipped into bed. I wrapped her in my arms and reveled in the feeling. Her body was warm and soft just like I remembered it. She smelled wonderful and I hoped that I could just hold her like this for the rest of our lives. We lay together breathing in unison. Exhaustion had finally overtaken both of us. We fell asleep together secure in our love and ready to face our future together.

Next chapter: Part II, Chapter 2: Michelle