Three years and six months after Day Three

Six months later

Myers apartment, New York City

Phoenix had been boiling hot with eternal blue skies, but New York was different. Here it was overcast and bleak. A flood of cars and humanity flowed down the road as Alex gazed out of the window, waiting for their visitor. Soon they and Mandy would reunite for the first time since the dark parking lot in Mexico City. He wasn't sure if this meeting was business, pleasure or both. All he knew was that she was in the city at the same time as them and wanted to meet.

Nina sat at a nearby table, deep in thought with a hand grasped around a cup of coffee. Schulze had not been happy about their sudden exodus from Mexico or the reasons for it. Still, he had voiced his relief at hearing from her and promised to send instructions as soon as he could. He had not given her much more than that, but she was glad to have something to look forward to. She always liked to have something to mull over, especially if there was nothing from Schulze to work on. Her mind needed to analyse, to plot and plan. There were countless things she didn't miss about CTU, but she did miss how much action it would bring her. If the Drazens had done their job, she might still be working there as long as nothing else exposed her.

A knock on the door broke the silence and took Nina out of her thoughts. Alex made his way to the door before peering out through the spyhole. Confirming that it was their sister, he opened the door and allowed her to slip inside.

CTU Los Angeles, Los Angeles

The day was quiet and most people had a mountain of work to get through. This was much to Michelle's liking as she gazed at Tony, knowing his thoughts would not be lingering on the past. It was his first day back at CTU and she wanted things to go well. She had kept him away from anything on Alex and Nina. That was low on their list of priorities and his involvement was unnecessary.

Tony smiled at Michelle as he noticed her before he returned to his work. He guessed that she was hoping he was concentrating only on the paperwork in front of him. She would be correct for the most part, but thoughts of the past still floated up. He was managing to push most of them back down with ease but sometimes it felt like a massive struggle. Whenever that happened, he would do as Michelle had advised him to. She had suggested he close his eyes and take deep breaths until the thoughts had sunk back down into the depths. So far it had worked every single time.

Myers apartment, New York City

Mandy took a sip of coffee before looking at her siblings and smiling. Things had improved for her in the last few months, thanks in part to Alex and Nina. After all, they had ensured she wasn't currently lying in an unmarked grave in Mexico.

"I've been keeping an eye on Jack Bauer like you wanted, Nina, but he's not doing much. Barely leaves his apartment except to go to work," she began. It had been a few months since she had started following Bauer and they had been boring.

Nina nodded, paying close attention to every word Mandy said or declined to say. She hadn't expected much from the surveillance, but it was comforting regardless.

"There's a woman who visits him sometimes. Tall and blonde, I'm not sure what her name is," Mandy continued, reminding herself to find out who the woman was. She wondered if it had something to do with his job, but she was very aware of what that was. No way was she risking getting caught near a politician unless the reward was great. Such as when she almost killed Senator Palmer all those years before.

Nina took this information and tried to think of who the tall blonde woman might be. If it was someone from CTU then they were probably keeping him updated. If it was a partner, then did she know about his history? That a ghost from his past might decide to haunt him at any moment?

"He's currently no danger to you, but I could always make that permanent," Mandy spoke. She studied Nina's face for her reaction.

Nina looked at her and considered the possibility. Right now, he was no threat to her and so she could live with him alive. Yet she was sure he would be back in her life at some point and she might have used up her proverbial nine lives by then. She decided then that if she wasn't sure, then she couldn't approve it. "I appreciate the offer, but I have to decline for now," she replied, and Mandy nodded.

"Well, the offer will always be there," she spoke, a slight hint of disappointment in her voice. Alex, who had been listening in silence, wondered if she had her own reasons for wanting Jack dead.

Jack's apartment, Washington, District of Columbia

Jack was sat in his apartment contemplating the information. The FBI had encountered the Myers siblings in Mexico a few months back but had been unable to keep track of them. Jason Blaine had been apologetic about that, but Jack understood why. They had needed to prioritise Esteban Salazar and he was glad to see that guy behind bars. Whilst he hadn't met Esteban whilst undercover with Ramon and Hector, he had heard plenty. He had also learnt of Eric Myers, and couldn't even try to act surprised about him. He wondered if his cousins were aware of what Eric had done and whether they would be as unsurprised as he was. Picking up his phone, he dialled a familiar Los Angeles number. It had been a while since CTU had updated him on their own search for the Myers pair. Moments later, he sighed as he dropped the phone onto a nearby table. CTU knew no more than the FBI did and any advantage they could have taken from the Salazar encounter had gone. Deciding that it was best not to dwell on them, he moved on to more urgent matters. He couldn't have known that the siblings were a couple of hundred miles away at that moment in time. The closest they had been to him for years.

Churchyard, Cambridge, England

It was a wet day in the city and Jane Saunders had gotten a lot of use out of the old umbrella she was carrying. Strong gusts were winding through the old trees nearby. This particular churchyard, on the outskirts of the city, was host to many of her relatives. Taking a deep breath as she reached her father's grave, she gazed at the stone for some time. The headstone was a simple white stone bearing only his name and dates of birth and death. This was her first visit to the grave, having missed the funeral out of personal choice. As she placed flowers onto the dark, wet soil, her hazel eyes welled with tears. Standing back up, she stood there in silence before walking away. There was nothing she felt the need to tell him.

Myers apartment, New York City

Almost as soon as Mandy had slipped out of the front door, Alex closed and locked it. Turning around, he noticed that Nina was deep in thought and wondered if she was thinking about Jack. She had a little tell for such thoughts, and it was plain to him at that moment in time. Deciding that she wasn't likely to come out of her reverie for some time, he slumped back down onto the couch. Closing his eyes, his own thoughts turned to the past as well. His jumped around, plucking random events out of the fog.

Nina's thoughts were on Jack, that was for sure. She was thinking of one event in particular, from the day they stopped the nuke. Having failed in her attempt to kill Jack, he had whispered a threat in her ear that she still remembered. She could play it back in her mind like a perfect recording although he had done little of the promised hunting. Not that she had ever worried about him paying her a visit out of the blue. Even in the months following that day, she had known he was no immediate threat. Of course, then came that auction and her return to CTU. If it hadn't been for Alex she would either be dead or in prison by now. Her eyes wandered over to him before she began to smile. She knew that he would have preferred to keep her alive in more lawful ways, but he had still chosen to be on her side. Even after everything she had done, he had not completely become opposed to her. She was not the most sentimental of people, but it still meant a hell of a lot to her.