Okay, I did it again. Just when I think I'm on the last chapter of a story, it gets too long and complicated and I end up dividing into it two chapters. That is what happened here. So this isn't the last chapter as promised, but the second to the last. The absolute last (I swear) should be posted soon. Hope you like this one and will stick with me for the last chapter.

The Debriefing

Epilogue: Diane

10:02 am

The tea kettle on the stove howled as the water came to a boil. Diane jumped up from the kitchen table where she was reading the morning paper and snatched it from the stove before it could wake Derek who was sleeping on the family room sofa. She poured the boiling water over a tea bag in her favorite mug and stared out the window. She was grateful that it was Saturday and that she didn't have to go to work. Diane hadn't slept well in either of the last two nights. The last 48 hours had been a nightmare and she needed the weekend to pull herself back together.

It was amazing to her that just a little over 48 hours ago she was eating breakfast with Frank and Derek, all of them readying themselves for a normal summer day. So much had happened in the ensuing 48 hours. She felt fortunate that she still had her son, but in the process she had lost the man she had so recently fallen in love with and she missed him. She wasn't sure why she missed him. She didn't even know who he was. First he was Frank and then he was Jack and he wasn't an oil rigger, he was a government agent. Who he was wasn't important; it was what he was that she cared about. Frank Flynn or Jack Bauer, it didn't matter, was a warm, kind, loving man who had slowly and carefully stolen her heart. She was sure he felt the same way. Up until two days ago, that is. That was when she was introduced to the world of CTU and one Audrey Raines. She would never forget that moment when Jack and Audrey saw each other for the first time. The look they shared and the obvious love that they had for one another was overwhelming. It was almost palpable.

In a way Diane was angry with herself. She hadn't done anything to help her own cause. She regretted being so adamant about keeping her relationship with Jack platonic. Maybe he would have forgotten about Audrey if she had allowed him to push the relationship to the next level. Every man she had ever met was pretty much just interested in sex. Why should Jack be any different? she thought. Give him a piece of ass and he's more likely to stick around. What's the big deal? Women do it all the time. At least she wouldn't have been compromising herself for one of the local bums who came home liquored up every night just looking for a screw followed by eight hours of sleep. Jack was worth it. She closed her eyes remembering his warm, gentle touch and how tenderly he kissed her. She wondered if he would have been the same way in bed.

Diane shook her head to try and clear it. It was all too much to think about, but she couldn't stop thinking about it. She looked into the family room at Derek. The boy had fallen asleep on the sofa sometime in the middle of the night. The television was still on, tuned to a 24 hour news service. Derek never watched the news before but now she couldn't get him away from it. He had watched constantly since they had gotten home from CTU. He watched intently hoping for any possible news on Jack. Derek was so different than the boy who left the house to follow Frank two days earlier. On the way home from CTU, he told his mother that he was going to do better in school this year. He said that he needed to bring his grades up in order to get into college and then the police academy. Diane was shocked. Derek had always shunned authority and rules; now he was talking about becoming a police officer.

Diane shook her head again. Two days ago Derek hated the man he knew as Frank. Now that he was really Jack Bauer, Secret Agent, Derek couldn't get enough. Jack's name had been mentioned several times and they had shown an official government photograph of him looking particularly handsome in a navy blue suit with a white shirt and tie. They had heard that he had been injured but that his injuries were not thought to be life threatening. Diane was grateful for that. She might not be able to have him in her life, but she didn't want him to be hurt.

The knock on the door startled her. She wasn't expecting anyone. It was probably her mother. The woman loved to drop in unannounced. Diane covered the few feet to the door in a couple of steps and opened it expecting to have to deal with her mother, something she really didn't feel like doing at the moment. She steeled herself, threw back the dead bolt and opened the door.

"Hi Diane," Jack said softly. "How are you?"

"Frank? I…I mean, Jack, I didn't know you were coming."

"I'm sorry to barge in like this. I guess I should have called."

"No, no, that's fine," Diane stammered. She took stock of him. He had some cuts on his face, a brace on his leg and was leaning on crutches. "Are you okay? What happened to your leg?"

"I strained some ligaments in my knee. Nothing serious. They just want me to keep the weight off of it for a couple of weeks. I'll be fine."

"Come in…ah… why don't you come in and sit down," Diane offered not sure what else to say.

"Thanks, I'd like that," Jack answered. Diane moved away from the door to allow him entrance. He moved easily despite the crutches and sat on a kitchen chair. "Where's Derek? Is he okay?"

"He's asleep in the family room. He's watched the news for the last two days trying to get information about you. He wanted to make sure you were alright," Diane told him. "Ah…would you like some coffee?"

"If you have some, that would be great."

"I'll make some. It'll just take a few minutes." Diane busied herself putting on a pot of coffee. "I guess you came to pick up your things."

"I can do that if you like. I guess it would give you a chance to rent out the room as soon as possible. I really came to talk to you and Derek."

Diane's back was to Jack. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. She could just imagine what he wanted to say. It probably had something to do with him moving back to LA and staying with Audrey.

"I thought you two deserved to hear the whole story. I never meant for either of you to end up in the middle of a terrorist attack, Diane. I hope you can believe me," he said sincerely.

Diane turned to face him. "Of course I believe you. I told you before, Jack, that I trusted you. I don't think you ever set out to put Derek or me in danger." She sat down while the coffee brewed.

Their conversation, although quiet, woke Derek who instantly recognized Jack's voice. "Jack!" he shouted as he jumped up from the sofa. "Are you okay? They said on the news that you were the one who killed the head of the terrorist organization. They're calling you a hero. Is it true?"

Jack smiled ruefully and looked down at the floor. "I'm not feeling like much of a hero right now. I'm just happy that you and your mother are okay."

"So, are you going to stay here for a while?" Derek asked eagerly.

"I have to go back to LA, but I wanted to talk to you and your mom." Jack looked up as Diane set a cup of coffee in front of him. "Thanks," he said as he took a sip.

"Are you hungry? Can I get you some breakfast?" Diane asked looking for any way to keep Jack there as long as possible.

"No, thanks, I had breakfast at my daughter's house."

"I didn't know you had a daughter until Derek told me," Diane said softly.

"There's a lot you don't know about me. That's why I'm here. I need to tell you the truth."

It was nearly 2 o'clock when Jack finally finished telling Diane and Derek about who he was and how he ended up living in a rented room and working on an oil rig. They listened intently and said little. Derek was riveted; his eyes fixed almost unblinkingly on Jack. Diane felt her eyes fill with tears more than once as Jack recounted some of the more difficult times in his life. When he saw the tears, Jack would reach over and squeeze her hand until she composed herself again. Each time Diane found it harder and harder to compose herself knowing that the story was soon going to come to an end and the end of the story likely signaled Jack's exit from her house and from her life.

Jack's story had just ended and Diane looked up at the clock. "Oh, Derek, don't forget you have baseball practice at 2:30. You better get ready."

"Yeah, I guess so," he answered unenthusiastically. "I'll be back in a couple of hours. Will you be here when I get home, Jack?"

"I don't know, Derek. If I'm not here, I want you to know that you can always call me if you need someone to talk to. I expect your baseball team to be in the state championship next year. If it is, I'll come and watch. Deal?"

"Deal," Derek agreed. The two shook hands.

Jack and Diane said little while Derek got his baseball gear together and left for practice. Diane cleaned up coffee cups and the remnants of lunch that she had made an hour earlier while Jack was in the midst of telling them his life story.

"So, what's next for you, Jack? Where do you go from here?" Diane asked tentatively.

"I'm going to go back to work for CTU," Jack told her.

"So you're staying in LA?"

"Yeah."

"Where are you living?"

"I'm staying with my daughter for a few weeks. Then I'll look for a place of my own. I like the neighborhood she lives in. There're a lot of young people, a lot of families. It's a nice area. I was thinking about getting a condo or a small house."

Diane nodded. "You must be happy to see your daughter again. I don't know what I would do if I had to be separated from Derek and I couldn't even talk to him."

Jack closed his eyes against the memory. "It was the hardest thing I've ever done. Walking away from Kim and letting her think that I was dead…" he shook his head. "Let me put it this way. Dying would have been easier, much easier. I think that's why I was so happy here, Diane. It was like having a family again. You let me be part of your family."

Tears filled Diane's eyes yet again and this time she allowed them to flow down her cheeks unchecked. "I loved having you here, Jack. I hoped that one day…" she turned away. "I was stupid, I know." Diane stood up and walked away, her back turned toward Jack.

Jack stood with the help of the crutches and made his way over to her. He stood behind her and gently squeezed her upper arms with his strong hands. "What did you hope for, Diane?" he whispered. "What was it, Sweetheart?"

Diane's body shook as she sobbed. "I thought that one day we might be a family, maybe have our own family. I thought that maybe I finally found someone who really loved me and would love me forever," her voice trailed off. She was unable to continue.

"You have, Diane," Jack whispered into her ear. He nuzzled her neck lightly. "You have found someone who will love you forever, Sweetheart. I love you so much."

Diane turned not sure that she was hearing him correctly. As she turned she found herself pinned between the kitchen cabinets and Jack. Their bodies were just inches apart and she felt the warmth radiating from him. It felt good to be this close.

"What about Audrey?" Diane asked. "Two days ago you told me that you loved her. What happened?"

Jack sighed softly. "At that moment, I thought I loved her. You have to understand that when I was forced into hiding, Audrey had just broken off our relationship. I was devastated. In my mind our relationship was perfect. I spent the last 18 months forgetting any of the bad points and only remembering what was good about it. When I saw her again, something that I never thought was possible, all I could think about was that perfect relationship that I had created in my mind. When you asked me if I loved Audrey, I said 'yes.'

"Then yesterday morning, while I was lying in the medical unit, I had a lot of time to think. I had my identity back, I had my job back and most importantly, I had my daughter back. All I needed to do was get Audrey back. That was when I really started to think about my relationship with Audrey and I realized that it wasn't perfect. The truth is, it was pretty superficial. It wasn't something I thought we could sustain. It was too weak of a foundation to try and build our lives on. When we talked, I realized that Audrey felt the same way.

"When I went back to my daughter's house yesterday and had more time to think, I couldn't get you out of my mind. I knew that I wanted you and Derek to be part of my life. I wanted us to build a life together." Jack put his hands on either side of Diane's face and looked intently into her eyes. "We have a solid foundation, Diane. We have something to build on. Let's do it. I want you and Derek to come to LA with me. I want us to become a family."

"Jack, this is all so sudden. We've only known each other for a few months," Diane said trying to take in all that had just happened.

"We've lived in the same house for the last six months and we've spent a lot of time together. I know everything that I need to know about you." He brushed some hair back away from her face. "I don't want to pressure you. If you aren't ready to get married, maybe you could move to LA and rent an apartment near me. I told you, it's a nice neighborhood. Derek would go to a good school."

"Jack! Listen to yourself. This is crazy. I can't just quit my job and sell my house and move to LA. Where would I work?"

"Why can't you quit your job and sell your house? What's keeping you here? You can get a job in LA. If we get married, Diane, you don't have to work. You can go back to school and get the teaching degree you've always wanted. You've said it yourself, if you could go to school full time, you would finish up in a year and a half."

Diane eased herself away from him and paced the kitchen floor. "Jack, I don't know… I need time to think about this."

"Take all the time you need, Diane. Talk it over with Derek. I don't need an answer right now. My offer still stands whenever you're ready. Just promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"Promise me that you won't shut me out of your life. Even if you stay here, we can still see each other. It's not that far away. I can come and see you on weekends or you and Derek can come and see me." Jack once again closed the space that Diane had opened up between them. "I love you, Diane," he whispered. He reached for her hand and pulled her toward him.

"I love you, too," Diane whispered in return. As if on cue, they wrapped their arms around each other and began to kiss hungrily.

They kissed for a long time until the position, standing in the kitchen leaning against the counter with Jack balancing on one foot and a pair of crutches, eventually became uncomfortable. Diane readjusted her arms and inadvertently put pressure on Jack's broken ribs. He winced audibly and pulled away.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Diane gasped realizing that Jack was in pain. "Did I bump your knee?"

"No, I'm fine," Jack told her through slightly gritted teeth. "I have a couple of broken ribs. It hurt when you put your hand there."

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea. I thought the only injury you had was you knee," Diane said with a concerned look on her face. "Are there any other injuries that I don't know about?"

Jack looked away sheepishly. He hated to have to admit to injuries. He also was concerned that if Diane knew how closely he had come to death that she would want out of their relationship. Women rarely found it easy to love a man whose job it was to jump in the line of fire. Jack knew that from first hand experience. "Just a graze wound on my thigh." He pointed to the outer aspect of right leg.

Concern continued to cloud Diane's face. "My God, Jack! You could have been killed!"

Jack finally looked up at her. She had to understand the truth now if their relationship was going to work. "In my line of work, when I'm in the field, that's always a possibility. You anticipate what can go wrong and you take every safety precaution, but you can't plan for everything. Sometimes things happen that you didn't expect and people get hurt. Sometimes they die. I've been lucky so far. You have to trust me that I never take an unnecessary risk, but I can't guarantee my safety. I can't guarantee that one day the CTU director won't be on our doorstep telling you that I've been killed."

Diane stared at him and, after what seemed to Jack like hours of consideration, finally nodded. "I guess I knew that. I just didn't want to admit it to myself."

Jack waited nervously for the other shoe to drop. "Does that change how you feel?"

"Not at all. I love you. Every minute I spend with you is special. I've never wanted to share my life with another person as much as I want to share it with you. I hope we have the chance to spend the next 50 years together, but if not, I'll cherish whatever time we have and know that however long or short that is, it's a blessing." Diane put her arms around him again, this time being careful to avoid his broken ribs. "Maybe we should sit down. We have a lot more to talk about," she suggested after several minutes in the quiet, gentle embrace.

They moved to the sofa and sat close together, bodies touching. Jack reached for her and they began kissing again. Diane heard herself let out a quiet groan. "It's a long drive back to LA, Jack. Why don't you call your daughter and tell her you're staying here tonight?"

Jack smiled at her. That was the best offer he'd had in a long time, but he shook his head. "If I stay here tonight, we both know what's going to happen."

"It's okay, Jack, I'm ready for that."

"What about Derek? What happened to that good example we were setting?"

"We're in a committed relationship. We're not just dating casually. I think that's all the explanation he needs. I just wanted him to know that it's not okay to sleep with everyone you're attracted to. We're past that point. We're talking about marriage."

Jack kissed her lightly and smiled at her but he shook his head again. "No, not tonight. First of all, I'm in no shape to make love to you. It takes the fun out of it when you can't move without some body part hurting," he said softly as he kissed Diane's neck. "From some of the things you've said, I get the impression that in the past the men you were with didn't show you the love that you deserve. I want to change that. I want to show you how you're supposed to feel." He was sucking gently on her earlobe now. His voice barely a whisper hissed into her ear, "Secondly, I want us to make love some place special, some place private because I don't want you to have to be quiet. And I don't want to have to be quiet. Sweetheart, I plan to make you scream."

Diane's eyes were closed and she felt the warm sensation growing between her legs. "Oh God, Jack!" she hissed in return. "You're making me crazy."

"Good," he whispered. He left her ear and made his way down her neck leaving a line of soft wet kisses along the way. His hands found their way to her breasts and he could feel that her nipples were hard with excitement. Diane groaned softly. Jack felt like a teenager with his latest girlfriend copping a feel in his parents' living room, the fear of getting caught fueling his excitement. He put his hands inside of Diane's tee shirt and pushed it up. She continued to groan as he lifted her bra to expose her breasts. Diane arched her back to give Jack better access and he lowered his mouth to tenderly suck on one breast while he fondled the other.

The sound of Derek's baseball spikes on the steps up to the porch brought the pair back to reality. Jack sat up as quickly as he could while helping Diane readjust her clothing. Both were trying to breathe normally but neither was very successful at it.

"Jack!" Derek called happily. "You're still here."

"Yeah," Jack returned nonchalantly. "I wanted to stay until you got home from practice. I have to get going in a few minutes." Jack stood slowly with the help of his crutches.

"I'm glad you stayed. It was good to see you." Derek extended his hand and Jack shook it in return.

"This isn't good bye, Derek," Jack said as he looked over at Diane. "I think we're going to be seeing a lot of each other."

"Really? That's great." He looked at Jack and then at his mother, both of whom were trying to suppress smiles. "What's going on?"

"I'm going to go and let your mother talk to you," Jack told him.

Diane walked Jack to the door and kissed him good bye. "Be careful going back to LA. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

She watched Jack get into the car he had borrowed from his daughter and drive away. Derek stood next to her watching in silence.

"Mom, what's going on? What was Jack talking about?" he asked.

"Jack wants us to move to LA with him. He asked me to marry him," Diane explained.

"You're kidding! You said 'yes', right?" Derek asked hopefully.

"I told him that I needed some time to think and to talk to you."

"Mom, what is there to think about? He's the best guy that's ever walked into your life. He cares more about you than all of the others put together, including my father."

"He cares about you, too," Diane told him.

"I know he does. I was so wrong about him. I'm sorry, Mom. I know I treated him really badly. When I realized what he was really like and when he saved all those lives in the airport, I felt like a jerk."

"How would you feel about moving to LA? You'd have to leave all of your friends."

"This place is a hell hole, Mom. I guess I'll miss my friends, but I'll make new ones. Let's face it; the guys I'm hanging around with aren't the best. Moving to LA would be great. I could start over there. I want you and Jack to be proud of me."

Diane smiled and pulled her son into her arms. He had grown up so much in the last two days. "I'm already proud of you," she whispered as her voice cracked with emotion.

Later that evening Diane was humming quietly as she got ready for bed. All she could think about was how much her life had changed since she got up that morning. She was about to uncover her bed and get in when her phone rang.

"Hello," she said curious about who would be calling this late at night.

"Hey," Jack said softly. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I was just getting into bed. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to say good night and tell you that I love you."

"I love you, too," Diane said in return.

"I also wanted to apologize for letting things get out of hand on the sofa tonight. I shouldn't have done that. It put you in a bad position with Derek coming home."

Diane smiled. Jack was so thoughtful. None of the other men in her life would have ever considered her feelings this way. "It's okay. You notice that I didn't stop you."

"Yeah, I did notice that," Jack replied with an amused lilt to his voice.

"I didn't know it was supposed to feel that good. I felt like I'd been transported to another place and time and nothing else mattered except for us and how good it felt to be together," she told him dreamily. She heard the words coming out of her mouth, but they were so unlike her. Diane was normally practical and pragmatic and rarely let her emotions get in the way.

"I always want it to be that way when were together, Sweetheart."

The two said good night and each got into bed alone to dream of their future together.