Hi, so I have buckled down and got this done which is a huge sigh of relief for me so I am just going to post it in one swoop. Just a couple of things to consider-due to my wanting to end this story on a happy note I have decided that I am not going to kill Leo off. Just keep that in mind.

Disclaimer-Nothing is mine.

Please Read and Review.

Future Perfect

Chapter 22-In Search Of Lost Time

In which the truth about Harrison's father comes out, the President is back from China and CJ finally gets a chance to see her son.

"What did your Mom tell you"

"Nothing"

Zane nodded but he looked surprised. "I am surprised" he said picking up on Jake's thoughts without even meaning too. "I am surprised she didn't say anything she never was shy of her opinions on what happened"

There was a bitterness in his tone and Jake reached out and entangled Harrison's hands in his. He had never had a problem with Tessa and Harrison was fiercely protective of his single working mother and yet somehow Jake knew that this was not going to be good.

"Your father and I were paired together for Top Gun, we'd flown a couple of missions together before that but nothing major. Then we were paired together for the selection process and we stuck from there on out. Due to the chaotic nature of the military you end up becoming fast friends and that's what we did. I didn't…I didn't have many friends and your father was one of those men who could make friends in an empty chair and he thought it was criminal that I had no social life…I think he used to live vicariously through me somewhat you know, wife and kid that he couldn't see all the time…so he would drag me out on dates and to bars and all the stuff that before him I never got a chance to do"

There was a mournful tone to his voice Jake thought watching. Like he was seeing the man that he could have been. He didn't know what to make of all of this, the President had just been carried off the plane by his body man (not Charlie the new one Curtis whose mother had baked Jake and Donna welcome home cookies) and that he was still carrying on in China despite the fact that he should be back on the plane. Jake had only seen one still of the First Lady but he had seen enough in her stance to know that she was worried. Coupled with the fact that he was pretty sure the Vice President had all but moved into the Residence in his absence and he was sure that China was turning into a shit storm. He closed his eyes and then turned back to his boyfriend who was watching this man with wide eyes as if trying to peer through the murky shades of the past to the horrors that was todays world.

Oh Christ…well…maybe he could try poetry for a living?

"We got to Top Gun and it was fine…we were young…cocky…a bunch of cocky young men…it's not like the movie in all the senses, there is no buzzing the tower, there is no homoerotic shower scenes and let me assure you both we did not have instructors that wore red lipstick and short skirts and flirted with students. But we did do Hops, we did do dogfighting and we were prepared to tackle on anything coming out of Russia…and it was still Russia back then…I don't think it's ever stopped being Russia to tell you the truth and it's only going to get worse…" for a second Zane stopped and then he carried on as if he too was momentarily getting lost in the past.

"You Dad and I were doing a Hop when something went wrong. I don't know what went wrong Harrison I don't and believe me I memorized that flight manual six ways to Sunday and I memorized the flight report afterwards. I don't know what went wrong, there was a jet wash and a flat spin and I told him to eject and I just…my parachute opened and his didn't. And when I found him on the ground afterwards…" he swallowed as if he couldn't speak anymore and Jake frowned. He didn't want to even think about what that must have been like. Harrison next to him was like a stone.

"Why doesn't Mom speak of you?"

"Oh I don't know" Zane said shaking his head. "Tessa didn't…she blamed me I think, didn't get why I survived and he didn't…I don't blame her for it she had to grieve in the only way that she could and I think she did it the best way she could too I just…she wanted to protect you. To be honest I'm amazed she's okay with you going into the Navy and—"

Harrison shifted. Not for nothing was Zane a member of the Secret Service however because he gave a smile and a little scoff as if the final pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

"She doesn't know"

"I was going to tell her—"

"What when you enlisted? Or when she didn't have access to the son of the Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief?"

Harrison opened his mouth and then closed it again. Zane nodded.

"I wanted to keep in touch with you. She didn't…I wanted to respect that even though it was hard. And it was hard Harrison, the last time I saw you, you were two with a plane in your hand on my hip because your parents were making out after a nine month absence, I used to sit you on my lap and we'd play planes together, Your Dad loved you more than he ever loved flying. I don't know what else to tell you"

"What happened to you?" Jake asked into the sudden quiet of the room. Zane shrugged.

"I didn't cope well, burnt through a few RIOs, got mu career and then I burnt out. I didn't…I knew I was messed up after it, knew that when they got more intense with the screenings I wasn't going to pass so I went to a desk job and I then poked around other services. Ron was the one who offered me a job but it came with a caveat and that caveat was therapy. I got help and I rebuilt my life. I was working on Ellie Barlett's detail when it went down with Zoe and Ron routinely transferred the agents after that so it was harder for people to get the girls patterns. I was back here and he asked me to do this job and I thought how hard could it be? No offence Jake but your hardly what one would call a flight risk and then…then I saw you. I didn't know about you not really, I knew Jake had a boyfriend I had read the file but I had no idea who you were Harrison not really, not until I saw you."

"Saw me?"

"You look so like your father it shot through me like a bullet" Zane said finally. Harrison swallowed.

"What are you going to do?" Jake asked and Harrison shot him a wild kind of look.

"I need to tell Mom" he said finally.

"Oh she's gonna love that" Zane muttered. "Tell her if she wants it out I can have it out. But Ron is not gonna take me off this detail. She's going to have to get her brain around that"

Harrison did not look too impressed by that reaction. Jake thought about his mother and had to admit he did not blame him for not looking forwards to telling her this.

"What do you want to do? You were staying the night"

"I think I should go and tell her" he said looking a little dazed. "I just…I think I should do that Jake. Raincheck?"

Jake nodded and then he kissed him. Zane watched for a second and then as Harrison got to the door.

"He'd be thrilled by the way"

"Beg pardon?"

"Whatever your thinking that he would feel about your sexuality. He would be thrilled, believe me I spent six months on a ship with the man I know this, he would have thrown you a party and then been the cool Dad at gay pride. And woe betide anyone who would have said something"

For a second Harrison paused his hand on the door knob and then he turned around and watched Zane for a second. Jake knew that he was looking for any hint of a lie and he also knew that he was not going to find one. For Harrison that was the most important thing in the world. His father had been such a complicated fixture in his past that now it was out in the open Jake knew that he had more questions than answers. God he did not envy the conversation that Tessa was going to have.

"Thanks" Harrison said finally and then.

"Look…I don't know what Mom thought but…but I get that it wasn't your fault. So whatever crap your holding on to you can let go. I don't need to forgive you or absolve you I just…it was an accident…I get that. And I don't mind you being here"

And with a wink in Jake's direction he disappeared out the door.

"Do you want a moment?"

Zane looked at him and then.

"You got any ice cream?"

"Ice cream?"

"I can't drink on the job"

"Ice cream it is"

Zane took the pint of chocolate fudge brownie and then.

"Cut your Mom some slack kid. What she's doing is not easy"

Jake changed his mind, he didn't like this guy anymore.

CJ knocked on the door. She was bone tired but she had been nanny, nurse and school teacher today and it was either come here or bang on Leo's hotel room and beg him to take his job back.

The door opened and Zane Hanaway stood there. He shared a look with Kyle her main guy and then he stepped aside so they could do their sweep.

"Can you get him?" she said and Zane shot her a look.

"Yeah"

"Harrison spend the night?"

"Went home around nine two days ago and hasn't been back since."

"Did they have a fight?"

"No" Zane said shortly and then Jake was there blonde hair mused arm still stiff and eyes wide with surprise. CJ stepped into the apartment and shot Kyle a look and both agents departed. She knew they'd be outside and she knew that she was going to have to go soon but…

"How's the President?"

"Not good. He took a turn on the plane…looks like your father and I are going to have to make some decisions and make them fast."

"About?"

"Speeches, stuff that I can take on that he can't. He's had a bad attack Jake he couldn't…he was worse than what was shown on TV"

For a second she could see that it moved her son to imagine the President so ill but then he swallowed and she carried on.

"I…I know I've not been around…"

"Oh don't worry about that"

"I do…your Dad…your Dad's right I missed it"

Jake shot her a long look and then.

"Mom I know you like what you do, I know that you like working, I gave the President my approval did I know everything that was going to happen after that no but to be fair I didn't ask. It's stupid because I knew things were going to change…but I like Zane I just…I decided something tonight"

"Oh?"

"I can't do another Presidential campaign. I don't know if it's going to be Russell or someone else but I can't campaign with the White House anymore. I don't know what I am going to do about college either but I know that I can't do what you and Dad do."

CJ smiled.

"Sounds like you know more than I did at your age"

Green eyes poked up to look at her.

"Really?"

"Really"

For a second she could see that he was relieved and she felt her heart swoop a little in guilt at his reaction. She had missed so much that now it was crippling to see.

"Josh has a new candidate in mind to run against Russell…he resigned tonight"

Jake's eyes went wide.

"Who?"

"Matt Santos"

"Never heard of him"

"Hence why your father is in his office raging. Sam is going too they think they have to get someone new and I think Josh is gonna take Donna too. So that leaves your father and me running this"

"Christ"

"Yeah I bet he's laughing an all"

There was a pause and then Jake swallowed and then.

"You wanna a hot chocolate and you can tell me all about it or do you want to go to work?"

"I don't want to go to work"

"But you have too?"

"No. Not yet anyway. And I got about six hours of sleep on the plane—"

"Must be a record"

"Yeah"

There was a pause and then.

"Mom?"

Yeah.

Jake was across the room hugging her before she could even blink and CJ wrapped her arms around him and knew what it was like to love something more than life itself.

This was the job, not the one she had now, not the one that was going to come after this, this was the job. This was what mattered.

This was all that was ever going to matter.

And she was never going to forget it again.

And there you go.

Next Chapter-As things ease up the Democrats are in a race for a candidate and for reasons he doesn't understand Jake finds that he meets both of them. He has to concede. He likes them both. Last one of Season 6.