Jack had tried to calm himself down and appear less menacing for the sake of the kid, who was undoubtedly Tony and Michelle's son. Although he wasn't exactly sure how, if his estimate of the boy's age was correct, he must have been born long before that day in DC. Which meant that David had likely raised him with Tony. It was such a simple solution to a problem that had plagued his mind for seemingly eons. Who else would they both love and care about so much other than their son?

After Jack had lowered his gun, Tony had quickly taken his son aside and reassured him. He hadn't heard the details, but the softness in Tony's voice already made Jack feel as though he hadn't changed entirely after all. Chloe sat at the table, looking down into her lap. Judging by the quietness, he took it David wasn't home. Chloe must have known how he'd react and tried to stop things from de-escalating.

"So…" Tony sighed, sitting down across from the two of them. "What do you want to know?"

Jack went to form words but came up empty, finding that much of his anger had dissipated. He still felt betrayed and hurt by both of them keeping such a big secret from him. But knowing why they had done so put things into a perspective that Jack could understand. Even before today, before he'd discovered the existence of Tony's son, he'd always known that Tony would be an incredibly protective father. Protective enough that he'd go to the ends of the Earth to keep them safe. After all, Tony already felt that instinct with Michelle; he'd shown that overwhelming desire to defend everything he loved. He'd gotten himself arrested, even risked the death penalty, all to keep her safe. So it was no wonder Tony had likely gone just as far if not further, to protect their son.

"What's his name?"

"Michael," Tony replied. "After... after his mother."

He nodded slowly, knowing it would have been heart-rending for Tony to have grieved Michelle while trying to raise a newborn. It reminded Jack that David was a big part of their lives. "Why didn't you tell me?" Jack asked honestly. "I would have understood. You know I would have."

Tony felt guilty upon seeing Jack's expression. But it didn't mean he regretted what he'd done. "It wasn't that, Jack. It wasn't that at all. Nobody knew about Michael besides David and his crew." He shrugged. "I just… I had to protect him. I couldn't risk the government taking him away if I got caught."

He nodded, feeling as though more and more dots were being connected. But still, one thing didn't add up.

"Then why didn't you kill me?"

"Because I didn't want to. I wanted David to understand that he'd gone too far. I also knew you had to be the one to stop the CIP firewall from being breached. There was nobody else who could do it besides you two and Bill. And…" He smiled a little in thought. "I guess part of me thought about how Michelle and I wanted you to be his godfather. We...we were going to name him after you. You didn't deserve to die for no reason. I... I couldn't lose anybody else."

Meeting his eyes, he saw nothing but truth there. He was still the same Tony. He still cared about him.

Jack then turned to face Chloe, who seemed pleased by the reduced tension. "So, how did you find out about him?"

"Actually, I figured it out a long time before you told me, Tony."

Tony furrowed his brow. "You did?"

She lifted her shoulder a little. "On one of the days you were helping me and Bill, it had gotten later than we'd thought. I think you'd told David you were staying somewhere to get intel for something. But I remember hearing you talk to Michael on the phone. Prescott…" She paused to sniffle and clear her throat. "He would have been about three, so Michael would have been about five. I could tell you weren't talking to David. I just… I just knew. And I figured you wanted to keep him hidden to keep him safe, so I never brought it up. Not that it really matters now."

Jack covered her hand with his on the table. She'd barely said Prescott's name, but she was fighting tears.

"I… I'm the one who brought Chloe to London." Tony said, giving Chloe a moment to collect herself. "When I found out what had happened, I… I couldn't help but empathise. I knew the kind of pain she was going through. And David had always known how good she was, so we figured it wouldn't hurt to have her on our side."

Again, part of Jack felt betrayed, wishing he had been the one to be there for her. But at the end of the day, as long as someone had, that was all that mattered. He didn't have the energy to be upset anymore. Not now that he knew the truth.

"It was hard at first. Seeing Michael, constantly making that comparison in my head, thinking about what could have been." Chloe spoke thinly. "But, what convinced me was realising that even though I'd lost Prescott, even though I couldn't protect him, I could still save Michael and keep him safe. I know it's what Michelle would have wanted."

Jack sat there silently, processing the information he had learned, realising that each of them had suffered a great deal of pain, and all they had done was try and find a way to live with it. He wasn't going to hold it against them anymore.

At some point, David came home, and Tony quickly got up to greet him. To his relief, David wasn't too bothered by Jack's presence. They went into another room, and Chloe joined them not long after, remembering that she had brought some documents for them to look through today, leaving Jack to sit alone at the kitchen table.

Michael silently came into the kitchen to fill up a glass of water. Jack studied his appearance now, like always when meeting new people. It was a work habit that had permanently seeped into his personal life. Jack realised he must have been staring a little too intensely because he looked up at him, squinting a little.

"Something bothering you?"

He laughed through his nose, shaking his head.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I've probably already scared you enough today."

"You got that right."

Looking at him face-on, Jack couldn't help but crack a half-smile. "You have your mother's eyes."

He seemed taken aback by that. "You knew my mother?"

Jack could hear the slight lilt of an American accent in his voice. It wasn't very noticeable; the British tone was much more dominant.

"I did."

Michael sat down where Chloe had been before. "What… what was she like?"

"Your dad hasn't told you?"

"He's told me a little. Told me that she used to work at CTU with him. He tells me all the time how proud she'd be of me. But every time we get into the details…" He trailed off. "I-I don't know, he just gets too upset. As soon as I was old enough to realise that, I… I stopped asking."

Jack pressed his lips together. Part of him wanted to ease that burden for Tony and tell Michael all the things his father couldn't bring himself to think about. But it wasn't his place. He just hoped one day Tony would be strong enough because Michael deserved to hear it.

"She was a good person. She was kind, and she was brave." He let out a breath. "She loved your dad very much, and I'm sure she would have loved you about a hundred times more. Wherever she is… she's proud of you."

Before he could reply, Tony walked back into the room with Chloe behind him. They both turned to look at them, and Jack felt something in his heart ache seeing how Tony looked at Michael. It reminded him so sorely of simpler times when Kim was that age and things were easier, or as easy as they could have been. But he tried to ignore that reminder and focus on the fact that Chloe and Tony were both happy and had found a way to live their lives despite all they'd been through.

Walking to the door, Chloe went to start the car up, but Jack stopped to say one last thing to Tony. "I can't even imagine how hard it must be for you, but…you should tell Michael more about Michelle. You and David are his fathers. I'm sure Michael knows and understands that, but still…"

"I know…" Tony sighed. "I know. I will. I've always wanted him to know about her, and David has too, it's just…it's just hard."

"I get that," Jack placed a hand on Tony's shoulder. "And for the record… I'm sorry about my part in Michelle's death-"

"Don't go there, Jack," Tony said, not in anger but in earnest. "I've never blamed you for that. It's not your fault."

"Thank you." He replied quietly, realising how much he'd needed to hear that.

Before Jack could turn around, Tony took the opportunity to ask him one last thing, something he'd wanted to ask on that day in DC but hadn't gotten the chance to. "How's Kim?"

Jack looked away, almost ashamed. "We haven't spoken in over ten years."

Tony bit his lip awkwardly. "I'm sorry."

"It's for the best."

"Look, it's not my place, but… you should call her. Give her another chance. I know you think otherwise, but she still deserves to have her father in her life. You're all she's got left."

He could hear the conviction in Tony's voice, and it gave him a different perspective. A perspective where he wasn't the horrible person he believed himself to be. Reuniting with Kim was something that Jack had long since given up on. But seeing how much Tony had changed in ten years, seeing the way his priorities had shifted to create space for new people in his life, Jack realised it was just as likely that he and Kim had both evolved enough now to be in a position to have a place in each other's lives again. He also thought about Larry and Renee and how he'd pushed them away. He cared about them too much to let them go too.

"Maybe I will."

"Jack, I want your word. I don't know if we'll ever see each other again, but after everything we've both gone through…it would make me happy to know that you and Kim are on good terms."

"I give you my word then." He said after a beat.

Giving a small wave and walking out onto the street, he sat in the car next to Chloe, feeling something lighten in him. After years of searching, he finally had the answers he needed. He could finally release the betrayal and pain held tightly in his body, knowing it no longer served him any purpose. He felt more motivated than he had been in a long time. There were no more excuses, no more ghosts in his past to chase. Jack couldn't change what he'd done, he would always carry some guilt about the pain he'd caused others, but for the first time in a long time, he felt hopeful that maybe the future would be different.

When they returned to Chloe's apartment, Jack thanked her sincerely, and she apologised, promising to keep him a little more updated from now on. He went back to his hotel room, packing his bags frantically, feeling as though time was incredibly precious, that he shouldn't waste any more of it. He didn't believe in things like signs and fate, but he couldn't ignore the urge to move and make changes for good.

As he wandered through the airport terminals and made eye contact with Renee and Larry, eye contact that could only signify recent jet lag but that they were pleased to see him, Jack realised that maybe they missed him just as much as he had. If Tony could still find it in himself to do everything to honour Michelle's memory, then it was only right that he did the same for Teri. He had people who loved him, and for once, it was time for him to let them in.