The couple strolled together at a leisurely pace, Gina occasionally asking Jack a question which sprang to mind and Jack taking his time to answer with honesty. Eventually Jack decided it was time to find a phone box and make the call. He tensed slightly before picking up the receiver, knowing Tony wouldn't be happy to hear from him. He snuck a look at his watch and knew he'd be at CTU.
Gina waited outside the box, they knew it would be a tight fit and she wanted to give Jack some privacy. Watching her pace the pavement as she waited Jack hastily dialled Tony's direct CTU line. No point in waiting around, he decided.
"Hey Tony," he said casually, hoping his ease would calm his friend.
Hearing Jack's voice Tony physically paled. "Is… is that you, um… Richard?" Tony asked, trying to play it safe and keep the conversation clean.
"You don't honestly think the lines bugged?" Jack asked, slightly bemused. Now Gina knew everything he almost found the situation amusing. Almost.
"I didn't think you would be stupid enough to call me on it," Tony snapped, "what the hells going on, we agreed to cut off communications."
"Things have changed," Jack said evasively.
"What?"
"I'm sorry Tony, I know you've done so much for me already but I need another favour." Tony leant his head against his desk and stayed silent, so Jack continued. "I need a complete threat assessment. I want to know if we're safe or not, if we are, were probably gonna stay."
Tony growled down the phone and closed his eyes to control his temper. "We?"
"Me and Gina. I… told her the truth."
Silence hung in the air between them. Jack felt a twinge of guilt and apologised. "I'm sorry Tony, but I had to. It wasn't fair on her to live a lie, and I'm not leaving without her."
Tony let out a deep sigh before speaking calmly. "And what if I do the assessment and tell you its too dangerous and you need to leave as soon as possible."
Jack smiled in spite of himself as he sensed his friends frustration. "Then I guess I'm gonna need a new identity, and so will Gina."
Tony exhaled deeply again as he tried to find his words. "Jesus Jack," he whispered, "Chloe will have a heart attack."
"Be optimistic Tony," Jack said, trying to cheer him, "maybe both governments no longer have a desire to kill me and we can stay where we are."
Somehow the comment seemed to slap Tony out of his clouded thoughts as reality hit him hard. "I'm sorry Jack… I do understand why you told her."
"Good," he replied serious again, "I'll contact you tomorrow, see what you have for me."
"Okay," Tony said, "but until then, please be careful."
Jack said nothing but nodded his head strongly before hanging up the phone. As he left the box Gina watched him cautiously but then relaxed when she saw him smile slightly. "I'll contact them tomorrow and see where we stand," he explained, "but until then, there's nothing to worry about."
The man watched as the couple returned, hours later as darkness had settled. He smiled to himself although he felt no pleasure in watching them enter their house, arm in arm, the woman smiling at Jack held the door open for her to pass through.
Gina spotted the single piece of mail on the doormat and eyes it curiously, before tossing it to Jack. It had his fake name scrawled across it, and Jack was familiar with the writing and so tore the envelope open. He read Tony's letter with a small smile but felt another twang of guilt as he realised that Tony had expected his work to be over, but they weren't finished yet. Dropping the letter onto the small table by the door he moved over to Gina and wrapped his arms around her, pulling him to her and holding her tightly, one hand rubbing her back as the other ran through her smooth hair.
The man gritted his teeth as he waited, all the while envisioning Jack spotting and opening the letter. His tension getting the better of him he slowly made his way out of his hiding spot and briskly headed towards the house, no longer able to hold himself back. The closer he got the harder his steps were as he felt his rage peak as he approached his final obstacle, a tattered wooden no windowed door.
"I can't believe how well you are taking this," he whispered into her ear, "I can't believe how much I love you."
Gina giggled, enjoying his touch but embarrassed with his words. "Why don't we move upstairs," she whispered, blowing into his ear as she ran her nails up and down his back through his thin sweater.
Jack pulled her away gently and smiled before stealing a quick kiss. Gina turned to head up the stairs as Jack reached for the key to lock up. As he reached out for the door he was stunned to see it fly open and slam against the wall. A figure hidden by the darkness swung out and threw Jack against the small table and it shattered under his weight throwing him to the floor. Jack tried to scramble to his feet as the intruder took another step into his home but then suddenly froze in shock as he recognised the attacker to be James Heller, who stared down at him with an icy cold glare.