Things Have Changed

Chapter Nine
Gloomy Sunday
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She woke up and felt him spooning her tightly. He was dressed and she turned around in his arms. Was anything wrong?

But he smiled towards her and told her he had been outside on the balcony for some fresh air. A soft kiss and she turned to her side. Again she felt a little anxious. His sudden confession that he loved her made her confused and even more worried about him and now he told her the book was finished? How come she cared so much about him?

Right after she had gotten out from the make-shift prison with him in Mexico, when she was talking to Ramon, she had done her best not to care about what would happen to him.

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"Right now you have nothing, Ramon. But what if I tell you, you can get millions of dollars without risking anything? I'll make sure this whole deal hasn't been a humiliating defeat – I'll help you turn it into a success. Then you won't have lost so many men for nothing…"

"What kind of money do you have to offer me?"

"My client's money…"

"That money has been transferred to Amador already, don't try and play me!" His hand holding the gun swung by his side to emphasize his words.

"I'm able to get it back. I left an opening in the transfer just in case something would go wrong… If you get me to a computer within the next hour I'll be able to retrieve the money and transfer it to your account instead…"

He raised his gun and looked at her with doubt.

"Think about it, Ramon, 240 million… No one would think you screwed up this deal… Hector wouldn't have died for nothing…" She was taking a risk mentioning his brother's name but she suspected his greed would make him take her offer and she was right.

He lowered the gun.

"What do you want?"

"I want to get out of this alive…"

He stared at her. She had not even flinched when he aimed the gun at her head. She made him think of Jack - they were so alike.

"What about Jack Bauer?"

She shrugged. "What about him?"

"Is he a CTU agent? Should I blow his head off right now?"

She had known what the smart move would have been.

Let Ramon know Jack is still with CTU. Let Ramon kill him - that way he will never come after you again. That way you can stop looking over your shoulder worrying that he has found you. That way the game would be over… Finish the game.

A simple nod and she would have one problem less. But still she hesitated.

"You think I would have cooperated with Jack if he was still with CTU? I couldn't take that risk - I can't let CTU take me, Ramon. If they take me back to LA I will go to prison and most likely be executed."

So she had convinced Ramon Jack was on his own and that he could be very useful to them. Why did she want to save him? Maybe she didn't want to be alone in this mess here with Ramon? If she had Jack she could always hope he would protect her if CTU found them. They would still want her alive. She had information she knew they would find very useful…

Maybe she even felt bad for him after what she had told him while they were locked up? Or had his suffering got to her? His loss, his addiction, his horrible time undercover… Tonight she had learned things about Jack Bauer she hadn't thought possible. It intrigued her and she realised she didn't really want him dead. But at the same time she was tired of always being on guard, always expecting him to show up and take out his revenge. Perhaps she hoped if they managed to get out of this alive they could really go separate ways and he would forget about her and move on?

Ramon had taken her to another room and a computer and she had been working on the configurations when they received the news about how the CTU agent they had caught earlier had managed to escape. He had most likely notified CTU and Jack was off the hook. This Edmunds was responsible for it all.

Nina had been able to see some kind of relief in Ramon's face, as he barked orders to his men to find the agent and bring him back. Jack had told her the truth. Ramon had trusted him once and now it seemed he was willing to do it again. He had gone to let Jack out himself and they came back together, laughing like friends and making plans.

So why had she believed Jack two hours later when he pressed her up against the wall, whispering into her ear that Ramon was going to get rid of them after all and that they had to get out now?

Was it Jack's haunted and disconsolate face when he came back inside after she had seen the vans pull up to the house and heard the shots? Something serious had happened outside but he refused to tell her what. She had seen the despair in his eyes.

She had been scared at first. His physical closeness was so linked with threat and pain.

"What are you doing, Jack? I stopped Ramon from shooting you… he still needs me alive…"

He interrupted her, nodding his head. He already knew.

"I've stolen a gun", he whispered against her neck. "They won't search you again."

She had felt his hand under her top and for a moment she had almost enjoyed it – until she had felt him sticking the gun under the waistband of her pants and then pull her top back down to cover it. He looked her in the eyes and then he kissed her briefly.

He was her weakness, she knew that now, and she had been too willing to believe him, even trust him, thinking foolishly that saving his life earlier would somehow make him hate her less. But he was setting her up to get killed. He couldn't forgive her for what she had done to him.

"Soon" he whispered "we don't have much time…"
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A quick glance at the clock radio on the nightstand and she sighed. It was almost morning.

They never seemed to have enough time… Their affair had been brief, mainly consisting of stolen moments and the weekends here were too scarce. She pressed back against him and kissed his hand that had snaked around her waist up to her breast. She didn't want to think about what he had done to her in Mexico or about what could have happened. His kiss had been a Judas kiss – just like hers had been in the old church. She would have killed him if it hadn't been for the Salazars waiting outside.

His hand started caressing her and she felt him kissing her neck. She moved around in his arms again and kissed him.

They really didn't have much time left.
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