Be careful making wishes in the dark

John Milton watched the scene without any compassion towards the man mourning his wife. It had been very easy for him to enter CTU and make his way to the scene. Of course, it was very easy for him to enter most places. But given that this was the building of a high-level government agency, he was a little surprised at the minor resistance he'd encountered, his connections aside. He took his time walking down the stairs, occasionally stopping to allow people to frantically run back up, their phones sandwiched to their ears.

He knew he was in the right place when he made it to the crowd of people standing dumbfoundedly. A few people were muttering and seemed quite upset, but one person, in particular, sounded incredibly distressed. Milton tutted to himself. He'd told Nina to stay under the radar; this didn’t look good. She was standing among the crowd, and he met her eyes as she looked over the shoulder of the man hugging her. Nina gave him a subtly apologetic look, still leaning into the man's touch. He had buried his face in the crook of her neck and was murmuring something to her.

There were a few familiar faces in the crowd too but they clearly didn't want to look as though they recognised him. He couldn't blame them for that, he supposed

People gasped when the newly-made widower stood, practically bursting at the seams with rage.

"You." He said, walking over to Nina. The man she'd been hugging stepped in front of her protectively. But judging by the fury in the other man's blue eyes, he didn't have a chance. "You did this, didn't you? Because she found you doing something you weren't supposed to."

Nina spluttered and glanced at him for a microsecond, but Milton shook his head. She had done the right thing by silencing that woman. Of course, she wasn't supposed to have gotten caught . But, there would be no trouble because his people would help her. Everything was going to be fine. However, they couldn't make it obvious. Milton knew the three of them were subtly looking over at him, awaiting instructions. He was sure they were aware that their asses were on the line here too. By the looks of it, this man wasn't the type to miss a detail. So he wasn't going to say anything. He was just going to let this unfold.

"Why else would you have told me Kim was dead? You wanted me to walk right into that compound so they could kill me because you knew I was onto you." He growled. "I know what I saw. You killed Jamey to shut her up too."

"Jack..." The defender said.

"Tony, she's not who she says she is. She's been playing both of us all day." He insisted.

Tony looked conflicted but still seemed intent on protecting Nina.

"Look..." George finally said, breaking the tense silence. "This is an active crime scene. A lot has happened today, so there's a lot of evidence to work through." He moved to the centre of the room. "For now," he pointed to a security guard, "we're going to take Nina Myers into custody-

"George!-" Tony shouted in protest. "You don't have any proof that she did this-"

"Nobody is accusing anybody of anything. But Nina needs to be questioned, just like you and virtually everybody else on the CTU Los Angeles payroll." George explained calmly. "And while we do that, we'll give Jack some space to break the news to his daughter."

"What news?" A small voice suddenly asked. Milton moved further into the crowd, glancing up at the top of the stairwell where a young woman was standing. Her hair was wet, and she had a towel draped over her clothes. Nobody seemed capable of finding a way to say it. But she, like her father, Milton noticed, was very insistent. She moved towards the crowd. Jack burst out, trying to hold her back, but it was too late. The daughter screamed and cried out for her mother, the father bravely trying to maintain his composure.

Everyone else was focusing on that pitiful spectacle, so nobody paid attention to the unremarkable man dressed in black that walked up to Alberta Green. The room became quiet again as people left, save for the sobs of the deceased's family, desperately trying to find something to do and feeling very intrusive. Two of his people nodded at him on their way out. Alberta's whole demeanour changed when she realised he was there.

His hand rested on her back, familiar with her body, and he leaned closer to whisper in her ear. "Take care of this."

He hadn't said much, but it was enough. She knew what he meant.

He wanted her to clean up after Myers and make all the evidence of her disappear from the server room where Bauer had found his wife.

Nina tried to take in deep breaths and get ahold of herself as she paced back and forth, but to no avail. She'd done what Milton had asked of her. He'd reassured her that things would be taken care of, and he'd let her get arrested? She wasn't just upset and confused by Milton, she was upset and confused by all the people in CTU that she knew also worked for him. George, Ryan, Alberta, any one of them should have said something, should have defended her. Why had they taken Jack's side?

The image of Tony looking so distraught, trying to protect her from the guards at CTU as they'd grabbed her remained in her mind. She at least knew that somebody was going to find a way out of this, but Tony had no idea about Milton or any of what she'd done for him, so he was probably catastrophising right now. Or worse, maybe he believed Jack. It would be hard for him not to. Either way, right now, she felt abandoned by everybody who was supposed to care about her. Milton was loyal to the people who served him, so what had changed? Was he disappointed by something she'd done? Because she'd failed and gotten caught?

Her spiral was interrupted by the sound of a door opening. Alberta walked in and asked the guards to leave. They obliged, and she said nothing until they had the room to themselves.

"What the hell is going on?" Nina demanded, keeping her voice low.

"The cameras are off. It's okay."

She looked up to see the usual red, blinking light was indeed gone, allowing her stony facade to soften.

"How could you let this happen to me?"

"I-I'm sorry, Nina," Alberta said sympathetically, placing her hands on her biceps. "It would have looked bad if I'd defended you. I had to make sure I appeared impartial."

"Then what about George?" She asked. "Or Ryan?"

Alberta shrugged. "I'm sure they were thinking the same thing."

"I can't go to prison, Alberta."

"And you won't." She reassured her. "Milton is sorting out arrangements for you as we speak, and once things die down here, we'll do everything we can to help him."

"What am I being charged with?"

She sighed. "Treason and first-degree murder."

Her eyes widened. "How did they come up with treason?"

"Bauer's trying to say that you were working with the Drazens and feeding them information."

Nina nodded, but the thoughts of evidence and reasonable doubt were soon replaced with thoughts of Jack. "How...how is he?"

Alberta pressed her lips together. "He's with his daughter now. They're...well, they're not exactly good."

"I...how could I have done this to him?" Her voice broke. "This is all my fault."

She shook her head. "You had to maintain your cover. What happened was unfortunate, but you did what you had to do."

"I betrayed him," Nina said woefully. "And Tony. He's never going to forgive me."

"Tony will understand. You saw he was ready to face Jack, so I think he'll be very willing to help you."

"N-No." She refused. "He can't be involved in this. I want him far away from Milton. He's not like us, he can't do what we do."

"Look, it won't be hard for us to defend you because the prosecution will have limited evidence once we take care of everything," Alberta explained. "But we still need to explain that it's not in your nature to do this since you're a federal agent who would be very capable of murder."

"No," Nina said, shutting her down. "Not Tony. I want him to stay out of this."

"You care about him, don't you?" She observed. Nina looked away. "Yes. And more than that, we were involved. He's not going to be a credible witness."

Alberta shook her head. "He’s also an agent. We can make sure he states clearly that he's being objective. That won't be an issue." She explained, then saw the pure terror in Nina’s eyes as they met hers. "Alberta, please." She begged. "He can't know about this, about us, about me and who I really am."

"I'm not going to explain any of that." She smiled. "But by the looks of it, I think he cares about you so much that he'll be willing to do anything to protect you."

Still, she looked insecure.

"Does he love you? As much as you love him?"

"I think so, yes," Nina admitted.

"Then I'm sure that if you do show him who you are one day, he won't run away." Alberta reassured. 

Nina didn't look convinced but let out a resigned sigh. "Fine." She agreed. “But don’t approach Tony. If…if he takes the initiative and wants to help with the investigation, let him, but keep him away from the trial and away from Milton as much as you can.”

"You know as well as I do how stubborn and incisive he is." Alberta pointed out. "I’ll do my best, but if he suspects something more is going on here, he’s going to do his own searching, and we’ll have to look out for Milton.” She let out a breath. “But forget about that. For now, we've got Jack to worry about."

Nina looked up wide-eyed, with a sense of vulnerability that Alberta knew she only showed around very few people, her included. "Oh God, Jack's going to kill me. You have to protect me. P-Please, you have to-"

She took a few steps closer and pulled Nina in for a hug, kissing her temple. Nina breathed shakily against her, leaning her head against her shoulder and holding her tightly, much the way Tony had done so to her before.

"Nina..." Alberta brushed a tear under her eye. "It's going to be okay. We're going to talk with Milton. George, Ryan, and I will take care of this. Before you know it, you'll be fully reinstated at CTU, and everything will go back to normal."

Nina nodded slowly, seemingly believing her words. Alberta squeezed her back tighter, desperate to reassure her. There were two things that came with their duty to Milton: Protect him - his reputation, that is, immortality took care of the physical aspects - and protect each other. Because one weak link and it would all be over. Of course, they all had some form of persuasion they could use to get out of things like this, but loyalty was the most important thing. They served Milton. He had offered them everything and they all had taken it. In exchange, all they had to do was play by his rules, which they were glad to do. For years, they'd been feeding him information from CTU that he and his associates could use in cases. They had taken care of countless threats, enemies, and even people who were just a little too suspicious of them. There was no remorse there, no care for the ethics of what they did for him.

And right now was no different. They were going to make sure Jack was portrayed as nothing but an angry, borderline-delusional widower, and Nina would walk free. Of course, she was aware that Jack wasn't the type to be easily fooled or misled. He was not going to be able to be paid off like other 'problems' they'd taken care of in the past.

But one way or another, this was all going to disappear.

Tony had been able to find out more about the firm of Nina's lawyer, but not without difficulty. It was strange. They certainly seemed to be a very well-known and established practice, but still, there was an element of mystery there that he couldn’t explain. He’d concluded that if Nina had hired them, then maybe she would be his best source of information. 

However, when he had tried to visit her in prison, he had been denied entry; the guard had informed him that for Nina's protection, no one from CTU could be in the same room as her. Tony had reluctantly left, understanding that a measure as extreme as that was likely put in place after Jack had threatened her in front of dozens of witnesses.

Jack finally found it in himself to walk out of the morgue where Teri’s body was. But before Tony could try to offer his condolences, he briskly stormed past him towards the hallway where the holding rooms were, his clothes and skin still stained with Teri's blood.

The guards tried their hardest to stop him but to no avail. Jack burst through the door, raising a gun that he definitely wasn't supposed to have before directing it at Nina's chest.

"Jack," Alberta warned, daring to step between them.

"Get out of my way." He gritted through his teeth.

"You don't want to do this." She said calmly. "Your daughter needs you. You should be with her."

Tony warily walked closer to the scene and could see Jack's body tremble with emotion. "Do not tell me what to do."

Out of nowhere, George appeared, swiftly tackling Jack to the ground. He was surprised Jack hadn't sensed him coming, but clearly, he was so blinded by his rage that he was oblivious to his surrounding. Jack cursed, fighting George's grip, and Tony was astounded that he didn't seem to have the upper hand like usual. One of the guards that Jack had shoved cuffed him. He was dragged to his feet but continued to yell out in protest. Tony hid around the corner, feeling his heart race as Jack was taken further down the hall.

"I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do, Nina, I swear to God." Jack threatened, and Tony knew that he was entirely serious. "I'll kill you!"  He roared.

Still, Tony knew someone at CTU would have to know who he could contact, who he could beg to give him even just five minutes with her. He needed to tell her that he believed her. He needed her to know how much he cared about her. He needed to tell her that he was there for her. But Tony realised that maybe words weren’t enough here. They could offer comfort, but they couldn’t help. 

He had to do something, anything, whatever it took to save her. She’d been with him the whole day, so she couldn’t have possibly killed Teri. More than that, she wasn’t capable of murder, she wasn’t like that. Even though she and Jack had been over for a while, and Tony believed that she still had feelings for him, she would never murder somebody over that. But by the looks of it, nobody seemed to be on Nina’s side. Nobody seemed to want to choose a side, understandably terrified of Jack. Tony was afraid too, but he wouldn't let that stop him from saving Nina and proving her innocence.

"Ryan, please," Tony begged him. He'd come into his office almost half an hour ago and tried to get Ryan to give him a name, but he wouldn't budge. "Why do you want to speak with them so desperately anyway?" He asked, confused and just a little suspicious. 

"Because they've got it all wrong," Tony explained. "Nina didn't kill Teri."

Chappelle furrowed his brow. "Go on."

"She was with me when that happened." 

Chappelle paused. He, George, and Alberta had all been briefed by Lomax after Nina had been arrested, so he was sure Tony was lying to him. There were only two reasons for him to protect Nina, and Chappelle knew he wasn't working for Milton. Then only one reason remained: Tony still cared enough about her to volunteer to lie on the stand, which was something they could use.

"I'm not sure I can give you that information." He started and saw Tony was about to protest, but didn't let him interrupt him. "Let me make a quick phone call."

Tony nodded, then exited his office. Chappelle watched him get to the floor and start pacing around impatiently as he dialled the number.

According to Alberta, Nina had made it very clear that she didn’t want Tony involved in this. She’d instructed that the three of them keep Tony at arm's length as much as possible. But the fact was, Tony had already started looking into Milton, and he seemed to want to help here. The more walls they put between Tony and Milton, the more suspicious it would make him. If Tony kept sniffing around, he’d find something that could spell trouble for them, and then he would become a problem that Milton would want to take care of. No matter how much Nina cared about Tony, Milton wouldn’t let that stop him from doing what he had to do. 

Nina wasn’t going to like this, but ultimately, Ryan knew she would appreciate that he was doing her a favour. Letting Tony in here was the only way to protect him.

"Lomax? I need to talk to Milton."

Tony looked around him nervously, feeling as though his mere presence in a place like Milton and Associates was inappropriate. He’d cleaned up a little nicer than he usually would for work but still somehow felt unworthy sitting in the reception area on a couch that was worth more than what he made in a year. The place was huge, occupying one of the largest skyscrapers in Los Angeles, but this was apparently a small office relative to the main firm in New York City.

Every time he met the very pretty receptionist’s captivating eyes, he lost his train of thought. His hands were clasped in front of him in his lap, too anxious to bother picking up one of the magazines on the glass table before him. He knew he’d been waiting a while, but time seemed to pass strangely here, like he wasn’t sure if he’d been here for ten minutes or ten hours. The phone rang non-stop, although that was nothing new to him, given that he worked somewhere like CTU. 

"Agent Almeida? Mister Milton will see you now." She said, smiling at him in a way such that he couldn’t tell whether it was pitying or not.

He stood and allowed her to lead him down the hall to the office at the end. The door opened, and Tony watched as a young man left, his lips swollen, his shirt creased, and a red mark around his neck, like someone had been choking him. The man looked him up and down with a smirk, and Tony gulped, deciding not to try and think about what might have just happened in that room. 

Then someone, who Tony immediately recognised from his searches as John Milton himself, walked to the doorway, sticking his head out. “Thank you, Tyrone.” He called cheerily before turning to him. “Ah, Agent Almeida, come in.”

Tony walked into the office, not surprised that the dark, oak furniture here seemed even more expensive than what had been in the reception area. Milton shut the door and offered him a seat, which Tony took warily. The paintings on the wall were almost entrancing, and Tony could swear the eyes were following him as he looked around. 

Milton sat in a chair that Tony could almost describe as a throne, leaning back and observing him. Other than the very faint sounds of people talking in the other rooms and the hum of the air conditioner, the room was quiet, which did nothing to put him at ease. Everything seemed pristine and luxurious, and yet Tony felt uneasy, like he was walking alone in a dark alley on the wrong side of the tracks. 

"So, I've heard you want to testify Myers was with you when Teri Bauer was killed."

There was something in Milton's expression, something almost predatory, that sent a shiver down Tony's spine, but he wasn't about to let him see that. "That's right."

"Why?"

"Because that's what happened." Tony stood by that version of the events but had a terrible feeling in his gut.

"Interesting," Milton commented as he started walking a circle around him. "You know, Nina didn't say a word about that. I don't understand why she would do that if she had an alibi."

Tony met his eyes, and he knew. Milton had seen right through him and knew Tony was lying to him. But he wouldn't let that discourage him. "She must have been afraid I'd get accused of something I didn't do as well."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah."

Milton paused, looking thoughtful. His eyes stared into Tony's as if trying to penetrate his soul, read his intentions. It lasted for a long, unnerving while, then Milton went back to his unreadable expression, back to walking in circles around Tony.

"I will be blunt with you, agent. I know you're lying. And I know that because I was the one who ordered Nina to kill that woman, because she overheard things she wasn't supposed to." Tony gasped at that revelation. Did it change anything, he asked himself, knowing for certain that Nina was guilty?

"So let me ask you again, why do you want to testify? Why do you want to stand in front of a jury and lie?" His brows furrowed. "You expect something in return? You want money?" Tony heard the unspoken words behind that question, an offer. That, Tony was sure, could have been arranged if he’d asked. But he shook his head vehemently. "No! I just can't let her go to jail." Tony didn’t care for money; he just wanted to be able to fall asleep next to her again.

"She did it, so shouldn't she get what she deserves?" He asked, his words echoing the voice of his conscience that had been fading ever since he’d walked into the firm. "Isn't that the law you abide by, agent? The law you swore to uphold?"

Tony finally gave up. "I love her." He confessed, eyes looking down and voice soft, almost ashamed of himself. “More than I love my country and its laws.” The first thing he had known for a long while, even though he hadn’t had the balls to tell Nina yet; the second was a realisation that had just come to him, and the power of his conviction scared him.

"I can see that." Milton nodded, stopping in front of him. "But is it enough? Will you be able to live with it? Knowing you took a murderer out of prison out of selfishness? Because you couldn't stand to be without her?"

"Yes," Tony assured him. There had always been a dark side to himself that Tony had been aware of, a part of him that was selfish beyond redemption, and as he looked into Milton’s eyes, he was sure he was staring at a reflection of that part of him, someone that shared a similar twisted selfishness. 

Finally, a verdict came. "I believe you," Milton confessed, and Tony let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. "Come back tomorrow, 3 pm. I want you to meet with Nina's lawyer, he'll prepare you for the testimony and make sure you don't contradict each other."

Tony furrowed his brow. "I thought you were her lawyer."

Milton turned to him with a grin. "I'm a little more than that."

Nina had sat there anxiously, confused by who was trying to visit her today. The guard hadn’t identified him as Lomax or Milton, and she knew about the restrictions on anyone from CTU, so who could it be? To her total surprise, when the door opened, it was Tony who appeared and entered. While part of her was so happy to see him, another part was deeply worried and ashamed. If Tony was here to see her, then it meant that Alberta hadn’t been able to stop him. 

Or maybe… maybe she had been wrong to think he would want to help her. Maybe CTU – minus Alberta, George, and Ryan, that is – wanted to try to weaponise him against her. He was here to try and get information from her. CTU was using him to get a confession to avoid a trial. He didn’t believe her at all.

“Why are you here, Tony?” She asked, looking away. She didn’t want to look at him, knowing she couldn’t stand to see the detest that was surely in his eyes. She wanted to remember him looking at her with love and complete trust. “To threaten me like Jack did? Tell me exactly how much you hate me now?”

What she didn't expect was how broken his voice sounded. It was nothing like the cold, detached hate she had been sure she’d hear from him. “Nina... I wouldn’t-” He sighed, trying to find the right words to reassure her. “I could never hate you. I don’t care what happened, I- I know you. Whatever your reason for doing what you did, I’m sure it was valid.”

He rested his hands on the table between them, and she reached out for them, squeezing them, and oh, they had both missed each other’s touch so much.

“I-” Nina started, unsure if she should deny she did anything, suddenly worried Tony was just trying to get her to confess. She tensed. Could she trust him?

Tony seemed to realise the reason why, all of a sudden, her cold facade was back on. “Oh, Nina… I’m not here for that. The cameras are off.”

But she just stared at him defensively. “You don’t have the authority to cut the feed.” She pointed out, wary.

“I don’t, but Alberta does.”

“Alberta?” How much did Tony know? Alberta never would have told him anything about her involvement in this unless she had faith that Tony was on her side. Or maybe he didn’t know the full extent, maybe he had just asked Alberta to help him talk to her for his own sake. Nina decided she wasn’t going to give any more details until she was sure.“What does she have to do with this?”

“I got in contact with your lawyer.”

"You talked with Lomax?"

"I talked to Milton." Nina paled at the mention of his name. She’d told Alberta, she’d told her. Why hadn’t she listened to her? This was precisely what she'd wanted to avoid. She was worried enough about the trial, and now she had to worry about Tony too. "What did he tell you?"

"Not much. That you were working for him. That he made you kill Teri." His voice lowered as he got ready to reveal one last thing to her. “That he’ll let me testify that you were with me the whole time.”

Nina looked up from their intertwined hands so fast it hurt her neck a little. “What?” She asked in disbelief, feeling her gut sink. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. 

“You and I were in the bullpen together when Teri got murdered. We were nowhere near the basement.” He recited, but Nina just shook her head. “Why would you lie for me? Don’t you get how big this is? There won’t just be an internal investigation. You’d be lying on the stand, Tony. I can't let you do this. If they find out, you could go to prison!"

Tony looked at her, confused. Why was she reacting like this? Why wasn’t she happy he was going to make everything alright again? "It’s not your decision, it’s what I want to do!"  

He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Please let me do this for you. I can't let you rot in prison."

"Milton will get me out even without your testimony.” She insisted, a desperate urgency in her voice. “Tony, please. Walk away from this while you still can. You don't want to get close to Milton." She knew that despite the cameras being off, he still must have been listening in somehow, but she didn't care. It wasn't like she regretted ever getting close to Milton, so she wasn’t doubting him or betraying him with those words. She just wished Tony would be careful not to lose his soul to him, not for her. She wasn't worth that much.

"Nina." The sound of his voice calling her made her pause her train of thought. "It's okay. He's not making me do anything, it was my idea."

A part of her loved how devoted to her he seemed to be, no matter what she did. But she couldn’t let him risk it all, his reputation, his career, especially his freedom, if he was found lying on the stand. He didn’t have Milton to take care of him like she did; on the contrary, she knew he would have no problem letting Tony take the fall for her. He didn’t care about Tony the way she did. Nobody did.

“Tony,” she sighed. "We’ve got this covered, so you don’t need to get involved." She tried insisting one last time. "You have no idea what you’re walking into."  

He looked at her with concern. "Why are you so scared?”

“He’s dangerous,” Nina warned. “Look what happened to Jamey. She was going to sell me out and destroy everything. I had no choice. I-I just don’t want you to get hurt. I don’t want someone to have to do to you what I had to do to her.”

He slumped his shoulders, now doubting everything Milton had said to him. “Is Milton not a man of his word? Do you think he'll tell Jack I’m covering for you?"

Nina shook her head. "It's not that. He's a man of his word, alright, but be careful what you agree to do for him." She said gravely. "Once you do, there's no going back."

"I don't care what he asks me to do." He insisted. "I just want to get you out. Nothing else matters to me."

"You’re also going to learn things about me that aren’t pretty. Once you know, there’s no going back. And I’d hate if that drove us apart. I can’t lose you, Tony."

Tony smiled at her, a genuine, untroubled smile, and it was both reassuring and refreshing to see. Nina had missed some positivity around her. “I’m never going to give up on you like that, no matter what I find out about you.”

Nina knew that Tony wouldn’t say that unless he meant it. However, she also knew that this trial would put his loyalty to the test in ways he couldn’t imagine. Once he knew the truth, there was no going back. 

But Nina allowed herself to have faith in him and believe his words because she wasn’t going to let herself lose him. She couldn’t.

She would make him understand if it was the last thing she did.

The sun was hitting at just the right spot to render his sunglasses useless, but he refused to take them off. He didn't need anybody seeing how he felt right now, even though he believed his poker face was decent. Jack also didn't want Kim to see how worried he was, so he needed to be strong for her. He glanced down at her beside him. She too, was trying to keep up a facade but didn't have a problem leaning against him a little. It was the first real form of affection she'd shown towards him in weeks. They'd been standing outside the courthouse for a while now. The prosecution, along with a few bailiffs, would escort them in once the defence arrived. Jack had decided to occupy himself by scrutinising his surroundings, making sure he was on the lookout for anyone or anything suspicious. It was a high-profile case, he'd seen things go wrong in the past from the leaking of confidential information to the assassination of key witnesses. He didn't like the fact that Kim was with him. He understood and respected why. She had the right to know what was happening today. But if it were up to him, she'd be under proper watch at CTU. He recognised that his amplified protectiveness from that day hadn't wavered a bit.

Despite the assurances of the prosecution, someone who Jack objectively knew and trusted to do a good job here, he still couldn't help but worry. Rumour had it that Nina's lawyer was good. He'd seen many suspects, ones he'd personally apprehended, get away with their crimes due to lawyers like that. He despised them. Now that the situation was well and truly personal for him, he knew that if things didn't go to plan, it would destroy him. Especially knowing his testimony was going to be critical to the prosecution. He had the most information about what had transpired that day and the highest stakes here. He'd spent hours with the prosecution tirelessly reiterating his account of that day over and over again. She'd made it very explicit that he had to be careful. He couldn't look too emotional, but he couldn't look robotic, either. He needed people to sympathise with him, but he needed to look objective too. And most of all, he needed to make it perfectly clear that he had strong reason to believe that Nina was behind everything. Of course, the evidence would do the talking here too. However, people would more likely focus on his testimony rather than a handful of dry forensic documents

Tony smiled nervously at him from afar as he spoke on the phone to someone. He understood that today was going to be hard for him too, given his feelings for Nina. Jack wasn't quite sure if he had any role in the trial today since he hadn't been on the prosecution's witness list. Maybe he'd testified in advance, or maybe they had enough evidence to use and didn't need him. Regardless, it was reasonable for him to be there. Tony had tried to check in on him a few times after that day, which he appreciated but hadn't exactly shown to him, so Jack figured he should thank him at some stage for his support.

As he went to walk over to Tony, Jack turned his head at the sound of cameras clicking and a car pulling up. A hoard of reporters swarmed the car in question, and Jack felt his breath hitch as Nina stepped out. She wasn't in any kind of prison uniform, in fact, she looked just as she usually did at work; professional, attractive but discreetly so, and Jack hated himself for admitting it. How could he, knowing what she had done?

Nina smiled politely, saying nothing to the reporters' incessant questions. Two men joined her, one who looked around his age, tall, dark-haired, and stern-looking. Jack knew who he was. Kevin Lomax, Nina's attorney. He'd seen his image in the media long before today and had never considered him respectable, but now he felt a particularly strong grudge against him. Even the prosecution had seemed concerned about him, which did nothing to assuage his fears. It was why her preparation for him had been more rigorous than any other witness she'd ever had because Lomax was going to slaughter his credibility if he wasn't careful.

The other man was shorter and older, but Jack noticed that he seemed starkly charismatic and cheery compared to Nina and Lomax. He didn't think it was the time or the place to be happy about a murder trial, and yet, nobody seemed to question him. He dusted something off his suit and walked ahead, giving Jack a better look at him. If he wasn't mistaken, he was the partner of Lomax's firm: Milton and Associates. Despite his magnetic persona, Jack still felt a strong air of authority about him and understood that he was not somebody to cross. Their gazes met very briefly, but Jack felt a chill run down his spine. He wondered if that was the effect he usually had on people. At the same time, something felt very different about this man. He'd looked terrorists in the eye before, but the sensation here somehow felt more intense. Milton seemed fiercer, more powerful, god-like almost. Like Milton was staring straight into his soul.

As he continued to think about why Milton's presence felt so strong, the man smiled at him. The smile was dangerous and cruel, making Jack freeze. They walked off towards a separate entrance, the media eventually backing off at the requests of the bailiffs. Now he felt worse. Something wasn't right here. He wasn't sure what, but he sorely hoped he was just making an appropriate character judgement of Milton and Lomax, and not that this trial was about to go horribly wrong. The only thing keeping him together at this point was the thought of Nina getting what she deserved. If that didn't happen, he would hold himself personally responsible. He would be a failure not only to Teri but also to Kim.

"Dad?" She asked, pressing her lips together. Maybe he wasn't so stoic after all. "They're opening the doors. Let's go."

He'd failed them once, and critically so. He couldn't do it again.

Tony adjusted his tie, unsure whether the courtroom was stuffy, whether he was just incredibly anxious, or whether it was a little bit of both. He saw Nina walk in with Lomax and Milton, carefully trailed by two bailiffs. Lomax had insisted the court allow Nina to wear civilian clothes and not a prison jumpsuit for the occasion. It was refreshing seeing her like that again. When he had visited her in prison, she had barely looked like the woman he knew. She smiled at him, and it put him at ease a little. But it was obvious she was worried, too.

He sat at the bench a few rows behind the defendant's table. As much as he'd like to be next to her, because he was testifying and had to maintain an objective appearance, Lomax had requested he not make it visible that he was close with Nina. He wanted to be holding her hand, he wanted to be telling her that everything was okay, he wanted to be there for her, but he had to trust Lomax and Milton. They said they would take care of things, and Tony was compelled to believe them, not because he was optimistic but because he somehow felt they were men of their word.

As he continued to observe the people coming and going from the courtroom, he bit his lip when he watched Jack enter with a stern expression on his face. It was a familiar one, the face he kept even when he was at his breaking point. Kim was beside him, and it looked like she'd been crying. Guilt washed over him as he thought about what he was set to do tomorrow because it was going to undo every single word that Jack would say during his testimony today. His testimony was going to discredit Jack as an agent and as a human being in order to give Tony what he wanted: Nina's freedom. But at what cost?

The prosecutor, Elle Walden, pulled Jack aside, likely to brief him one last time. She was good, from what he heard. She'd worked on many high-profile cases; Tony had recognised her name on paper. Press coverage of the case was also an issue. Because CTU was involved, many, many details had to be redacted. At the same time, CTU drew a lot of attention in the first place. They were the ethically dubious pet project of the CIA. Everyone had their two cents about what CTU should and shouldn't be allowed to do. Many people wanted to fund and support it, but many people were also glad to use it as an example of what happens when the government gets too much tax-payer money.

Opening statements came and went. The defence implored that Nina Myers was a loyal, dedicated agent who served her country with pride and that the mere thought of her committing such terrible acts was outrageous. However, the prosecution begged the people of the court to understand that it was because she was such a brilliant agent that she'd been able to pull off a master act of deception and treachery, that she was playing everybody, even now.

Jack was called to the witness stand first, and Tony noticed that he was pointedly avoiding eye contact with both him and Nina. Jack offered a minute smile to Kim but generally maintained a look of stoicism. Tony knew that beneath that facade was a man in absolute agony. The image of Jack cradling Teri's body still hadn't left his mind. The only thing sustaining Jack right now was the thought of getting not only closure but justice, for his family.

And Tony hated himself, knowing he was part of the plan to take that from him.

He watched Jack rest his hand on the Bible and swear that he would tell the truth. Really, it was a formality because even those who didn't know Jack that well would easily be able to pick up that he was an honourable man.

"Agent Bauer," Walden said clearly. "In your own words, please summarise the events of the day of the California presidential primary."

Tony had to wonder how many times he'd already had to answer that question for CTU's debrief, for the prosecution to prepare her case, for God knows how many other people. He supposed that was likely a silver lining too, because Jack could simply detach and repeat the story mechanically once again instead of reliving every emotion. The court seemed to be hanging on to every word. Even though Jack didn't seem particularly present in the moment, the man knew how to command a room.

"Thank you, Agent Bauer. I know this must be very difficult for you." She asserted sympathetically. "Especially since it seemed you had to rely on the defendant many times throughout the day, at a time when you were unsure who you could trust at CTU. Do you believe she used that to her advantage? The fact that you trusted her implicitly?"

"Yes." He said, with a hint of shame on his face. "I believe the defendant helped establish the kidnapping of my family in order to get me into a vulnerable position that would prevent me from doing my job."

That made Tony's blood boil. Nina had sworn to him many, many times that the kidnapping had been beyond her knowledge and that she never would have intentionally allowed his family to come to harm. And he believed her.

"The last place your wife was seen was in the basement of CTU, which, of course, is where her body was found. Did your wife and the defendant know each other? Was there any tension because of the nature of your relationships with both of them?"

"They'd met a couple of times at CTU Christmas dinners." A sad smile crept across his face. "If I'm being honest, I think there was always some tension there, probably since the nature of my job meant I saw Nina more than my own family."

"I present video footage from a CTU debriefing recorded at approximately 2:40 pm on the day in question to the court."

Walden placed a disc into the DVD player, and Teri appeared on the screen. Tony saw Jack's expression change immediately. Even if he'd been prepared for this, it was clearly still affecting him. The court listened and watched Teri slowly deduce that Nina and Jack had been involved. There was a noticeable change in both Teri's body language and Nina's voice. It was the only take Walden had left. Milton may have taken care of the evidence that pertained to Nina's treason charge, but unfortunately, it still allowed Walden to present Nina as a jealous lover and give her a motive. Tony reminded himself to breathe.

"As you can see, the defendant had more than one reason to consider murdering the victim. It was not just because she had apparently heard her speaking to her alleged contact outside of CTU, but also out of possessiveness, out of-"

"Objection!" Lomax shouted. "You can’t prove that this was about jealousy."

"Sustained." The judge agreed. "The prosecution will refrain from hypothesising the defendant's emotions."

She sighed but kept her cool. "Then no further questions, Your Honour."

Walden returned to her seat, seemingly satisfied with Jack's testimony. Tony couldn't help but agree. Jack had managed to garner both sympathy and respect from the members of the court. He'd made it clear that he was emotionally involved in the case and used that to his advantage. However, he'd also demonstrated that he had maintained focus on the case and his integrity. Not once had he lost his devotion to serving his country.

"Mister Lomax, you may begin your cross-examination."

Lomax cleared his throat and stood from the bench, walking to the witness box. Jack looked him dead in the eyes. It wouldn't be easy for Lomax to pick a hole in his credibility, but Tony had seen the lawyer's previous work, so he didn't doubt that he could.

"I want to clarify something, Agent Bauer. You said you were involved with my client outside of the office?"

"Yes." He said tersely, clearly disliking the subject.

"Did you love her?"

"Objection!" Walden shouted, rising from her chair. "Relevance?"

"Sustained." The judge agreed. "We are not here to exploit a widower's personal life. Stick to questions about the case."

The attorney smiled. "My apologies. Let me rephrase the question. Do you believe your relationship with my client may have impacted your ability to perform your duties?"

"No." Jack answered. "I do not allow my personal life to interfere with my job."

Lomax sighed. "But you did that day, didn't you? Understandably, of course, because of the traumatic event your family suffered." His voice was laced with sweet venom. "I direct the court's attention to File 8C, a forensics report of the Port of Los Angeles." Lomax switched the monitor to show gruesome images of bloodied bodies, including close-ups of Victor Drazen. "Five bodies were found, including Andre and Victor Drazen."

Tony heard people gasp in horror upon seeing the image of several gunshot wounds in Victor's chest. He gulped. Milton had promised protection, and Tony did believe him, but he hoped that that protection stood up against Jack.

"You had many reasons to hate these men, didn't you, Agent Bauer? The failure of Operation Nightfall, which resulted in the death of your men, the kidnapping of your wife and daughter-"

"Get to the point, Mister Lomax." The judge said tiredly.

Lomax nodded. "You killed these men in cold blood, Agent Bauer. Do you deny this?"

"I went after them because, at the time, I believed they'd murdered my daughter."

"'At the time'?"

"The defendant told me Kim had died trying to escape the Drazens. It was an effort to get me killed because she knew I was onto her."

He sneered very subtly. "But there's no proof of this. This supposed conversation."

Jack's cheek twitched. Tony knew that nothing offended Jack more than someone not believing him at his word.

"See Agent Bauer, I think you're claiming this conversation happened to cover up the fact that you were angry and wanted revenge. You didn't care about what the consequences were. You knew that you only had one opportunity to avenge those who'd fallen beside you."

He was gritting his teeth now and gripping the witness box fiercely. Suddenly, the devoted husband and father were gone, and the rogue, violent agent had appeared.

"And your claim of my client selling information came only from two 'deductions' you made: that she was trying to have you murdered by the Drazens and that she killed Jamey Farrell. The first thing is simply hearsay. There's no evidence to confirm that conversation ever took place." Lomax referred back to his files. "And the second thing, as the prosecution mentioned, is merely a possibility. The wounds are highly consistent with self-harm."

Tony knew for a fact that Jamey’s mother was at this trial, her son, Kyle, thankfully at school. He understood and believed without a doubt that killing Jamey had been a last resort. But still, Tony couldn’t deny that he was grieving her much more than Teri. Jamey was someone he saw every day. Hell, he’d babysat Kyle more times than he could count on the nights when she'd been called in, and he luckily hadn’t. He felt guilty being here trying to convince the jury that Nina had had no part in her death. At the same time, he was aware that if Nina hadn’t killed her, then somebody else probably would have.

"The reason why I struggled to support my claim was because she had covered her tracks well. I couldn't have known. Nobody could have known, and look what happened to the one person who caught onto her!" He yelled. "My wife was murdered because she happened to have caught Nina at the wrong time."

"But did you see my client pull the trigger?" He rubbed his chin in thought. "I don't seem to have any security camera footage in evidence, and there were many people in that basement, Agent Bauer. So if nobody witnessed my client supposedly murdering your wife... can you really claim that she did it?"

Jack's cheek twitched, and Tony knew that Jack had played right into Lomax's hand.

"You son of a bitch." He hissed.

This seemed to surprise the court, and Tony knew that whatever pity for him they'd had left was gone. Jack was forced to leave the witness stand to avoid being thrown in contempt. He walked out of the courtroom, pushing past anybody who stood in his way.

Lomax looked around him as though surprised by the reaction he'd sparked from Jack. "No further questions, Your Honour," He said with a Cheshire grin before returning to his seat.

A part of Tony wanted to despise Lomax for what he had done to Jack when he was already going through so much.

But another part of him, one he'd recognised as becoming more and more prominent since he'd met Milton, was gleeful knowing that with Jack's plausibility gone, it was going to be a breeze for him and Nina to prove her innocence.

"Agent Anthony Almeida, please raise your right hand."

As the palm of his other hand touched the Bible, he felt his stomach turn a little. It was strange. The object usually reminded him of his abuela's house and countless Sundays of his childhood, regardless of whether or not he truly believed every word of it. But right now, some part of him felt wrong, like he had no right to touch such a sacred object after agreeing to lie on the stand for Milton.

"Do you solemnly state that the testimony you may give in the case now pending before this court shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"Yes." He said, noticing that Milton was smiling at him as he went to look at Nina.

"Agent Almeida, please state your name and occupation for the record," Lomax asked.

"My name is Agent Anthony Almeida. I'm currently Chief of Staff for the Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit."

"Agent Almeida, please describe your relationship with my client?"

He took a deep breath. They'd prepared this, but coming on record with it was a very different story, not because he was ashamed of it but because her life was at stake. However, Milton had said this was critical, that if they came clean about this first, the prosecution couldn't use it against them. Tony tried to make it obvious he wasn't looking at her.

"I've worked with Agen- forgive me, Miss Myers for approximately five years, but we became romantically involved about six months ago."

"I can imagine in a place like CTU, people become close very quickly, right? All those long hours, all that tension, it makes sense." Lomax's light-hearted comment seemed to win over the court. Although, Tony had to imagine that Lomax could be saying complete nonsense and still have the same effect. "However, I must ask, will that affect your perspective on the case? Can you please disclose any biases this may present for you?"

Tony cleared his throat, remembering what they'd practised. "While I won't deny my feelings for Miss Myers, I am confident I can present an unbiased testimony today. I took an oath to tell this court the truth, and that's exactly what I'll do. And more than that, I took an oath to protect this country, so I know that I can be objective here."

Jack seemed to react positively to that, and it broke Tony's heart a little because he realised that whatever Jack thought he was going to say was the complete opposite of what he would actually say.

Lomax paused, meeting his eyes and remembering from their practice he was about to ask. "When it was first noticed that Teri Bauer was missing, where were you?"

"I was in the bullpen still working through evidence from Palmer's attempted assassination."

"Were you alone, Agent Almeida?"

"No." He said, his voice tight. "Nina Myers was with me."

There were shocked mutters throughout the courtroom. Nina looked relieved and appreciative but also worried like she had been when he'd told her about him testifying. Milton reacted in surprise, but not displeasure, giving him a smirk. His eyes fell on Jack, who looked at him with some combination of confusion and shock. Jack's cheek started twitching, and Tony felt like he'd been hit square in the chest. Kim was looking between them just as worriedly. He felt he should say something, apologise maybe, but he was on display here. He couldn't show that he had any doubt in what he'd just said. Otherwise, it was over for Nina.

He was doing this for her.

"Order! Order!" The judge banged his gavel. "Please resume, Mister Lomax."

"Thank you, Your Honour." He turned back to face him. "Agent Almeida, if she was with you at that point, was she also with you when the victim's body was found?"

Tony nodded. "That's right. Nina was with me the whole time."

Lomax held up a manilla folder. "I have here the logs of Nina Myers' computer, which, combined with Agent Almeida's testimony, proves that she was working at her station during the estimated time of death."

"This is unfair surprise!" The prosecutor exclaimed. "I was never informed of this."

"Your Honour, she is mistaken," Lomax said authoritatively. "Milton and Associates submitted this exhibit in discovery three weeks ago."

"Yes." The judge said, looking at the prosecutor with suspicion. "I do recall this."

She frantically looked down into her files and started to flick through them, seemingly shocked to find exactly what Lomax was referring to. Jack, too, looked shocked and incredibly worried for her.

"I... I don't understand. This wasn't there before, I swear."

Lomax cracked a smile at Tony before meeting the judge's gaze. "The defence has no further questions, Your Honour."

"Does the prosecution wish to cross-examine this witness?"

Tony couldn't help but feel worse as she continued to search desperately through their evidence, looking more and more surprised by the second.

"Y-Yes." She looked up. "But... I need more time. Permission for a quick recess?"

"Denied."

"Your Honour-"

"I am asking you one last time, Ms. Walden, if the prosecution has any further questions for the witness." The judge said, very annoyed. "And a reminder that wasting this court's time will have you held in contempt."

The prosecutor clearly looked like she had more to say, struggling to find her words, a shadow of the prosecutor who had delivered such a powerful opening statement.

"No further questions, Your Honour." Walden conceded.

"Agent Almeida, you're dismissed. The court is adjourned. We'll resume at 9:00 a.m. Friday." The judge said, banging his gavel. 

It had worked, it had really worked, he realised. With just one small statement and some computer logs, they'd shattered the prosecution's argument. Not only was it impossible for her to have murdered Teri, but also to have contacted anybody during that time as well. Nina's testimony on Friday would align perfectly with his, and then it would be time for the closing statement, where no new evidence could be presented.

He left the stand, loosening his tie as he realised how sick he felt. Nina was already being taken back into custody. Just as he went to go to the bathroom, Milton suddenly appeared in front of him and patted him on the shoulder like a proud father to his son. "I didn't think you had it in you, Tony. I'm pleasantly surprised you decided to go through with this."

"How could you?" A rough, painfully familiar voice asked from behind him.

Tony steeled his nerves as he turned to face Jack.

"You fabricated evidence. You lied about everything. How could you?" Jack said, moving into his space and jabbing a finger into his chest. "I trusted you, you son of a bitch."

Before Tony could even think of how to respond, one of the bailiffs tried to grab Jack, and he shook out of their grip, storming off, but not without giving Tony one last look of hurt and betrayal.

The room started to spin, so Tony, too, dashed out of the courtroom. He barely made it to the bathroom stall to vomit, with tears stinging his eyes. His chest felt like it was going to explode. Nina's words came to mind again, feeling heavier than before.

"He's a man of his word, alright, but be careful what you agree to do for him. Once you do, there's no going back."

As truly awful as he felt right now, Tony stood by what he'd done. He'd saved Nina. The court was going to let her go. They were going to be free. They were going to be happy. That was why he'd done all this. That was why he'd trusted Milton despite every part of him knowing it was wrong.

Tony just prayed he would be able to free himself from his guilt someday, too.

Tony didn't know how much he had walked. He had stormed out of the courtroom right after the confrontation with Jack, needing to take his mind off the trial, but Jack's words of accusation kept echoing in his head. When he finally stopped, he realized it had gotten dark without him noticing it; the sun had already set, and there was no car on the road, no one on the dimly lit sidewalks. In a place like Los Angeles, this was an eerie sight. Even at night, one could always find company of some kind. It was almost like a dream; it just didn’t make any sense. Maybe it was more like a nightmare where there was no one else left in the world, just him. As he continued to theorise, his mind now seemed just as noisy as the traffic should have been at this hour. That realization made him uneasy, and as he looked around for any human presence, he recognized the building that stood in front of him with a shiver.
A cathedral. A majestic, imposing gothic structure that seemed to call out for him.

Given the overwhelming sense of guilt that had been weighing him down and had sent him wandering aimlessly through the city, Tony felt like his heavy conscience had led him there for a specific purpose, to confess his wrongs. The fact that the place was still open at that late hour only convinced Tony even more that it wasn't a coincidence he had ended up there. He walked past the solid bronze doors, his footsteps as he made his way down the nave echoing in the empty space illuminated by hundreds if not thousands of candles that hung from the high ceiling.

The solemn atmosphere was only heightened by the pungent smell of frankincense that brought Tony back to his childhood, when he was still a practising Catholic, never missing a service. Now he’d seen so much evil he wasn’t even sure he was a believer anymore.

He made his way to the pew closer to the altar and just sat there, eyes closed and lips moving nervously, but no sound could be heard of the sentences he was repeating, words that had been taught to him as a child and he had stopped saying a long time ago, but he had never been able to forget completely.

He had no idea how long it had passed when a voice came from beside him. "Mind if I join you?" Taken by surprise, Tony turned quickly towards the voice that sounded vaguely familiar, but as he saw the young priest who stood there, smiling at him reassuringly, Tony didn't recognize him. "No, of course not, father." He smiled back, forcing his racing heart to slow down again, then moving to give the man space to sit next to him.
But it seemed the priest had seen right through him because he kept his distance as he sat, offering reassurance in a soft voice. "I didn't mean to frighten you, forgive me. But you seemed deep in prayer and rather troubled. I came over to offer confession if that's what you seek."

Tony pondered on that proposal. He had only meant to have a silent one-way chat sitting there, but now that the priest was offering, he had to admit that the idea of a confession was tempting. It was a win-win situation; he'd get to let out what was troubling him, and whatever he would say to the priest would stay between them. He would not rat him out to the authorities, couldn't if he cared about his sacred vows.
"I'd like that." Tony found himself agreeing.

"You may kneel." He said, a sudden sense of authority in his voice, and Tony was vaguely aware that if the priest had known the eagerness with which he knelt and the need he felt deep inside for punishment, he would be disgusted by him, but Tony knew better than to confess to that. Those feelings, the inherently submissive nature of his that made him always want someone to take control of him and guide him, didn't feel wrong. That’s not what he needed forgiveness for.

"Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It's been..." Tony paused. Those first words had left his mouth easily, a rite he knew by heart, but he couldn't quite remember when he had last performed it. "Years, maybe decades since my last confession."

The priest didn't seem shocked, nor did he make any comment, and Tony was grateful for that. "Tell me your sins." He simply asked, and Tony obeyed. "I bore false witness today." He confessed, still in a numb shock over his own behaviour.

The priest nodded. "Does it trouble you? Are you truly sorry for your actions?"

Tony sighed. "Honestly? No, I'm not. And that scares me. I never used to be like this."

The priest then looked at him, thoughtful. "Were you forced to do that?" He asked with a seriousness that Tony hadn’t been expecting, but despite realizing he could lie and take an easy way out of the priest’s judgment, out of the consequences of his actions, Tony shook his head. "No, I volunteered for it. I went out of my way to do so."

When the priest spoke next, it sounded different. His whole voice sounded deeper, and even his accent had changed suddenly. "I'm glad you can recognize that, agent. I was afraid you might have convinced yourself you did nothing wrong, and it was me who made you do it." 

Confused, Tony looked up only to find that the man in front of him looked different now, his face no longer the young gentle priest’s it had been just moments before. No, the man wearing the robe that Tony was kneeling in front of was Milton, looking at him with an unsettling mix of amusement and rage.

Tony paled, refusing to believe his eyes. "Milton? No, I- I was just talking to a priest." He insisted, looking around, then getting back on his feet and retreating just a little, but not running from him. Tony had a feeling there was no getting away from him, even if he had wanted to, which he wasn’t sure he did. "Your face... How did you do that?" He asked, his voice shaking in fear, but Milton just grinned. "I told you, Tony. I'm a little more than a lawyer."

Tony gasped in shock, realizing something terrible. It sounded impossible, but it made sense. Suddenly, Nina's words came back to him, and he understood now why she had sounded so terrified; she must have known, and that's why she had warned him. He should have listened to her.

"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his servants also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness." Tony quoted under his breath, but that verse proved the wrong thing to say because Milton looked at him with pure fury on his face. "Me, a servant? To bow with suppliant knee, that were low indeed. That were an ignominy, and shame."

"John Milton." Tony realized, wondering how he hadn't seen the connection earlier. "Not that subtle a name." He commented. It shocked Tony to acknowledge that somehow he wasn't feeling as terrified as he should be, given that he had just realized he was talking with the Devil himself.

"Tell me, Tony. Why did you come to me, begging me to let you testify in Nina's case if you were going to regret it?"

"I don't regret it!" Tony denied vehemently. "I knew what I was doing, and to get her out, I would do it again."

But Milton didn’t look convinced. "Then why were you so eager to confess?"

Tony sighed as he looked down in shame. "Because I- I needed someone to punish me for it." He admitted weakly. That was how he dealt with feelings of guilt. Usually, it was Nina's role; he'd go to her when he wanted to let out anything, and when he needed it, she'd make him suffer the consequences of his actions, hurting him so good.

"Is that why you came to holy ground?" Milton asked, voice calmer, softer, and Tony nodded. "Figured I could get what I craved here."

Milton grinned. "Oh, he's a punisher, alright." He commented with a smirk, before going to the seven-foot-tall, almost-black, bronze crucifix statue as if he was talking to it, a challenge in his eyes as he met its. "But the way I can punish you can be much more… pleasurable ."

It sounded tempting, and Tony couldn't imagine how skilled a torturer the literal Devil could be. "Please." He implored, needing to find out all the different ways Milton could hurt him, how much pain he could experience at his hand.

But Milton wasn't going to just give in. He had a feeling that if Tony was so much into punishment, he wouldn't mind degrading himself some more. "Beg me properly.” He demanded. “Tell me exactly what you need from me, and maybe I’ll consider giving it to you."

"Punish me," he started, hunger in his voice and desperation in his eyes as he clung to his cassock, "use me, ruin me. Make me regret ever coming to you, then make me pay for running from you."

Milton smirked smugly. "I can be that for you." He assured Tony. "I can give you rules to follow if that's what you need. And I can make you enjoy yourself terribly if you choose to disobey them just to suffer the repercussions."
"Do it." Tony agreed, voice dripping with desire and anticipation, and Milton smiled an evil smile. "With pleasure."

He got up and grabbed Tony's arm with just enough strength to hurt him, then dragged him out of the pew and shoved him to the ground into the aisle. "Kneel again. For me this time, not for the robe." He told him, and Tony obeyed eagerly, earning a grin from Milton. "Good boy." He praised, and it made Tony blush in embarrassment, but it was also undeniably arousing.

Suddenly, Tony was aware of the big mural paintings depicting a line of people who all looked towards... them . It made Tony feel observed, but that, paired with knowing anyone could walk into the cathedral and see them, only got even more of a physical reaction out of his body. That being said, it didn’t deter him from any of what he was doing. It felt natural to be on his knees in that place anyway, but being on his knees for Milton felt right , like Tony belonged there, and his whole life had just been preparation for that moment of servitude.

Tony hesitated for a moment when Milton made no move to undress. He could have slid under his robe easily enough, but there was something magnetic about Milton’s eyes, something that shone in them in a completely addictive way, and Tony didn’t want to stop staring into them. So he just reached for the hem and looked up at Milton with a silent question, and the only answer he received was a look of challenge on Milton’s face, daring him to do something. So Tony did. He grabbed the fabric with both hands and just pulled in opposite directions with a strength he couldn’t say he knew he had, and the garment ripped at the seam, granting him the access he craved.

Smiling devilishly at realizing Milton was wearing nothing underneath, Tony leaned closer and took his already half-hard cock into his mouth, reaching around to grab Milton’s thighs to keep his balance and noticing with surprise just how strong they felt, not at all what he’d expect when he’d first met the older man. But after all, he knew now that there were many things about Milton one would never guess at first glance.

Tony took his time, blowing Milton almost lazily, hoping it’d make him impatient to the point where Milton would just grab the back of his head and start thrusting into him mercilessly, not caring if it hurt him. But Milton didn’t seem to be in a rush, enjoying the slow rhythm of Tony’s movement. Even as he looked up at him with docile eyes, begging him to treat him like nothing more than an object, Milton simply looked down at him with a smug smile. He knew he was the one in charge here, and while it was nice to observe Tony in action like this, it gave him a much more exhilarating rush to actively draw Tony’s pleasure from him. Which was why he wouldn't let this go one-sided for much longer.

Trying to get more of a reaction out of him, Tony started to use his tongue more deliberately, hoping to recreate what he knew felt good when he was on the receiving end, and that seemed to be of Milton’s liking because he pushed his head back and let out a deep sigh."You're a natural at this, aren't you?" He praised Tony, finally starting to move his hips and fuck his mouth as Tony needed him to, but it came to a stop far too soon. "That's enough foreplay," Milton stated, pulling out, and a whimper left Tony’s lips, but he didn’t protest. He knew better than to delude himself into thinking he would have any kind of say in what was going to happen to him tonight.

Milton waited for him to strip off the rest of his clothes, then led him to the big square altar in the middle of the chancel. Tony knew what was expected of him, and he laid willingly on it as if he were nothing more than a sacrificial animal about to be slaughtered to placate some God’s ire. Tony belonged to him, and Milton had every right to do as he pleased with him, to treat him like some object for his amusement. Being in this position reminded Tony of his place, of how he was to do what was expected of him, and he would do so gladly; Tony would serve Milton without question, he would go to the extreme for him, put his life on the line if need be, because nothing, nothing , mattered more at that moment than serving him. 

Milton took his time to admire him, circling the altar slowly as he made comments about his body, which only made Tony harder against the cold brown marble. Being on his stomach, Milton had been out of Tony’s sight for a moment, but as he came back into his view, he was holding heavy iron chains in his hands that were secured to the tall candle holders at the four angles of the altar, but he made no move to cuff Tony to them. He just held them out for him.

“This is the ultimate test.” He stated. “Do you submit? Do you surrender to me out of your own free will?”
Tony didn’t even have to think about it. “Yes.” He answered without hesitation.

Tony trembled as he accepted the chains and willingly cuffed one around his left wrist. That seemed to be enough of an indication of commitment for Milton to help with tying the rest of his limbs until Tony was held spread open, exposed and vulnerable, and the mix of fear and excitement sent a pleasurable shiver through his whole body.

Milton stood in front of him and started stroking himself, smirking as Tony tried to move closer to him. Laying on the altar, Tony was at the perfect height to resume the blowjob, but Milton had made sure he’d be just out of his reach, wanting to drive Tony insane with need before finally giving him all he wanted. He watched the silent plea in Tony’s eyes with glee, taking pleasure in his desperation. There was only one thing he could do that would make Tony even more miserable, and he decided he would; Milton gave him a last glance before exiting his field of view.

Tony listened to his steps echoing in the empty building and realized with horror Milton wasn’t just moving to the other side of the altar to finally fuck him properly. He was walking away, leaving Tony there, naked on display and alone except for the crucifix that stood in front of him, looking down at him with what Tony could only call disapproval.

Was this another test? Would Milton come back, or would he leave him there to be found in the morning by a priest or some early-rising devotee?

Tony sighed. Somehow, that idea, that image of complete blasphemy and debauchery wasn’t disturbing him nearly as much as it was exciting. Something about him was deeply wrong, Tony was aware of that. But he had stopped worrying about whether that made him a bad person. However, there was something very different about somebody actually exposing this part of him. He’d kept this desire, this need to be punished and used incredibly secret, to the point where it had taken years to admit it to himself. The only person he’d trusted enough to allow to indulge in it was Nina. He wasn’t sure how he felt about doing this with Milton, someone he barely knew. And given that he’d been left like this, he was beginning to think that maybe this was a bad idea, to be this vulnerable around someone who was already questionable at best. 

Suddenly, it came to him. That’s what it was all about. Milton’s way to see if, given a moment of lucidity, he would still keep going or if the shame would consume him so much he’d try to get out of his restraints. This was a final test of character.  One that Tony was determined to pass.
“I won’t try to break free.” He said, his already loud, unwavering voice amplified by the high ceiling. “I’m done running from what I want.” He insisted, but apparently to no avail.

He hated this situation. He was tired of people trying to make decisions for him, thinking he didn’t know what was good for him, just like Nina telling him not to testify, not to get close to Milton. He was done letting other people make his choices for him in the name of protecting him. “I won’t regret this!” He screamed out.

Minutes could have passed when he felt a lean hand on his hip, but it had felt like days had gone by since he had last felt Milton’s touch on his skin, and it burned him, but he just wanted more of it. More of him .
Tony could lift and turn his head just enough to watch as Milton stepped on the altar, positioning himself in between his spread legs. It seemed that while Milton was gone, he’d picked up a small vial of lube. In all honesty, Tony would have let him take him as he was, but he was glad this wasn’t going to hurt much.

“Are you ready, Tony?”

“Yes.” He answered, somehow slightly surprised that he’d asked him. However, he quickly reminded himself that Milton had made it very clear he would do nothing without consent here. This was his choice. And he knew exactly what he wanted.

Milton entered him swiftly, and Tony knew there was no going back now. Their pact was sealed; not that Tony would have wanted otherwise. He felt filled by him, completed, whole, body and soul . Initially, the movements were slow but not without power. Milton’s hands gripped his waist hard enough that he was certain they’d leave bruises. Tony let out all the breath in his lungs, allowing the warm, heady sensation to come over him and any lingering thoughts to leave his mind.

As Milton continued to drive into him harder, Tony almost didn’t recognise the raw moan that left him, conveying all of his desperation. It felt like Milton was wrenching his need from the depths of his soul and displaying it to the world for all to see. So lost in the moment, Tony realised he wasn’t feeling shame anymore, different to before. Some part of him almost hoped that someone would find him, see proof of how Milton had claimed him as his .

“Oh God .” Tony rasped. “More. Harder.”

He could tell Milton was smirking even without seeing his face. “He won’t, but I will.” He quipped, tightening his grip on his waist and continuing to thrust into him. Milton’s hand came to his neck, keeping his head in place and limiting his motions, as though he was unworthy of even trying to look at him. Milton never lost his pace or intensity, and Tony wouldn’t be surprised if he could make this last forever, literally . It was all he wanted. If Milton told him that his only purpose in life was to be something he could use, then he would obey.

Tony’s knees bled as Milton’s hands roughly shoved them further apart so he could go deeper inside him. He was sure by the next morning, he would have scrapes and bruises all over, but he didn’t care. He wanted, no, needed , the reminder. When, not if, because they were going to get her out, but when Nina did see, he wondered how she’d react. He hoped she would simply want to give him more.

Milton was getting close, his movement harsher, more desperate, and Tony felt like he was having an out-of-body experience. At the same time, he’d never felt more present in his life. He was happy to just be the vessel that gave Milton his release. So he did not expect Milton to start gently encouraging and praising him, in stark juxtaposition compared to the rough physical treatment he was giving him. 

It got to the point where Tony could no longer feel where he stopped, and Milton began. As he became aware of this, the message appeared clear as day to him, and he understood: they were to become one . Milton had maintained his composure throughout this, so to hear him groan deeply and shudder as he reached his climax made Tony feel purposeful, feel glad to be of service to Milton. 

He wanted so badly to share this moment. Still, he felt he couldn’t be entirely receptive, like he needed permission to accept this from Milton.

“Come for me, Tony. You’ve earned this.” He encouraged as though reading his mind - and, really, he wouldn’t put it past him.

He came shortly after that and felt himself ease with an almost unfamiliar contentment. Milton had softened inside him, quietly praising Tony for showing his devotion. There was a warm, delicious feeling in every part of his body. He likened it to being pleasantly drunk, but this was so much better. He wasn’t even aware that Milton had slid out of him and got off the altar until he felt the restraints that held him in place all open and falling to the floor at once, the clang of metal on marbled floor snapping him back to reality.

Tony sat up and turned towards Milton; he liked being able to look at him again, and he realized he wasn’t afraid to meet his eyes anymore. He knew they weren’t equals, far from it, but he was sure Milton respected him now.

Tony watched with slight bewilderment as Milton drew an ornate, holy-looking knife from behind him. For a moment, Tony believed that Milton would use it to mark him somehow, to punish him even further, but he watched as Milton simply sliced his own palm delicately, a thin stream neatly trickling down his hand. He then lowered his hand to Tony and found himself fixated on watching every drop of blood fall onto the table as if the blood was calling out for him.

“Drink up,” Milton said, the tone of his voice like honey. "This is my blood of the new covenant." He declared, but it didn’t sound like a mockery. No, his voice was solemn as he spoke, and Tony could feel the importance of that moment, the ritualistic aspect of it.

As he said this, Tony stopped viewing the crimson liquid as blood, rather, as nectar straight from the Garden of Eden. It was holy, precious, a privilege that someone as lowly as himself may be allowed to drink it. He made eye contact with Milton as he moved his lips to suckle at the wound, feeling it heal over as he did so and making sure to take every last drop.

Milton extended the knife towards him then, and Tony knew it was his turn to offer his blood. He took it, feeling the weight of the blade in his hands like it was something more powerful than he could ever imagine. However, he did not allow his hand to tremble as the blade pierced the skin of his forearm before raising it to Milton, fully committed to what he was doing. If Milton wanted to drain him of his life to sustain his own, then he would do so. 
But Milton didn’t latch to his arm as Tony had done to him; he just moved them around so Tony’s blood could pour on the cold marble altar.

Something changed in the atmosphere as this happened. Tony was far less afraid than he had been before. He felt wholly given over, willing and ready to serve Milton, and he believed he had the perfect words to match the consecrated tone. "For the soul of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement."

Suddenly, the flames of the candles around them grew taller, and Tony turned around to watch in awe, wondering if the whole cathedral was about to burn down. As his eyes moved to the walls, he could see that the mosaics of the people who, until a moment ago, had been looking towards the altar were now facing the opposite direction as if looking away in disgust.

He turned to the crucifix that stood near them and saw that blood was pouring from its eyes as if they were tears. A shiver ran through his spine as he realized the magnitude of what he’d just done, and for a second, he felt fear and-

"You have atoned enough,” Milton said, as if knowing what was building up in Tony’s chest, threatening to overwhelm him. “Be free from your guilt now, Tony."

As soon as Milton had said those words, Tony felt a sense of deep calmness take over him, satisfaction settling deep into his chest where his guilt and shame had been earlier. Those weren’t weighing him down anymore; he could no longer feel their hold on him.

He tried pushing his luck by thinking back to the trial, the way Jack had looked at him, the words he’d said. He was relieved to realise not all his emotions were gone; he still felt bad for Jack, he could still feel pity and sympathy for him, and he genuinely hoped Jack and Kim could one day move past their mourning, but he wasn’t drowning in an overwhelming sense of guilt when he thought about them. He had helped Nina because he loved her. And he knew that reason was enough for him now. He wasn’t sorry for what he’d done.

“Exciting, isn’t it?” Milton asked him with an amused grin. He had watched with interest how Tony’s expression shifted as he went through that life-altering change he’d surrendered his soul for. “Makes you wonder how far you can go, what other things you can do without morals weighing you down.” There was something in Milton’s voice that made a shiver run through Tony’s spine, something dangerous. He furrowed his brow as he pondered on that question. It wasn’t something he’d even considered, and the implication behind Milton’s words scared him.

“Tony,” Milton said kindly as if having read the worry building up inside him. “This hasn’t changed you. You’re not going to start doing things you never would have done before.”

He looked up at Milton, feeling like he could trust him implicitly, like he would believe and obey everything and anything he told him. The liberation he could feel right now was incredible. He’d never been so carefree, even as a child. 

Only then did he let himself feel good about what he’d done because by testifying and supporting Nina’s story, she was going to feel that same freedom, too.

It was the last day of the trial, where Nina would have to testify and be subject to cross-examination. Tony was more anxious for her than he had been for himself. He trusted that Lomax and Milton had prepared her well, but she'd never had the chance to practice with Jack in her line of sight. Although, Tony wouldn’t dare meet Milton’s eye. It was hard to believe that such a small, charming old man had fucked him six ways from Sunday in a cathedral last night – not that he regretted it. She sat at the box, swearing on the Constitution. Tony knew she wasn't particularly religious but didn't think she was averse enough to not want to testify on the Bible. 

Just like his and Jack's testimonies, Nina's first question was a recollection of the day's events. Lomax did an excellent job of guiding her through this and calming her nerves but still ensuring that any acts of heroism or bravery on her part were mentioned. The mere fact that he referred to her as 'Agent Myers' reaffirmed her sense of duty to the courtroom. She confirmed once again that she was with Tony the entire time, that she had simply done her job and tried to help Jack wherever possible.

"You were reluctant to help Jack at first, weren't you?" Lomax asked.

She nodded. "I was suspicious. He seemed very out of character, and while it did make sense once I had context, it was still very worrying. It was a risk. Not only to my safety but also to the entire plan to stop Palmer's assassination."

"Why did you agree to help him in the end?"

Nina paused in thought, likely to make this look less scripted, but still, she seemed very poignant. "Because I knew he needed me. I knew he was risking everything by trusting me, and I felt obliged to uphold that."

"Do you love him?"

Milton reacted to that, and Tony realised that must have been a spontaneous question. He looked Nina dead in the eyes and then at Lomax, trying to see if, perhaps, this was simply a question they'd planned without his knowledge. Very early on in their meetings, Tony had deduced that Milton was a man who liked to be in control. He liked to plan his cases down to the last detail; he liked to make sure that the opposition didn't just lose but that they had the rug swept from under them.

"Yes." Nina answered thickly.

Without trying to make it obvious, Tony looked back at Jack to see if that affected him in any way. To his surprise, there was a very subtle reaction. He seemed sad, as though he wished he could feel something positive about it but couldn't.

"Would you ever want to hurt him? Hurt his family?-"

"Objection!" Walden yelled. "The defendant's 'feelings' are not evidence."

"Oh, but they are." Lomax retorted, causing both Walden and the judge to look at him with confusion.

"Go on." The judge said warily.

"Agent Myers, how did Agent Bauer react when you figured out he was trying to interfere with the investigation of the threat on Senator Palmer?"

She sighed, looking down into her lap. "He threatened me at gunpoint, drove me out to the middle of nowhere, and shot me. Or at least, made it look like he shot me to comply with Gaines' demands."

"Is it reasonable to say you were scared of him that day then?"

Nina nodded, looking upset. "Yes. When I found out how personal everything was for him, both because of Operation Nightfall and the threat to his family, I knew that if he couldn't find a way out of it, he would have killed me."

He hummed in assent. "The fact that you're admitting this about Agent Bauer while he's in the room is a testament to your integrity, Agent Myers. You should know that you aren't the only one who feels that way." Lomax walked over to the screen and inserted a disc. "I have here testimony from Agent George Mason, the current Acting Director of CTU Los Angeles. Given the nature of his job, he elected to pre-record his testimony."

George suddenly appeared on the screen, sitting in what looked like his office. Lomax's voice could be heard in the background. The initial questions were very similar to those of his and Nina's testimonies, getting yet another perspective of the same day. Then, they started to get more specific about George's opinion of Jack as his superior.

"Well, given that he shot me with a tranquiliser dart in an effort to get information out of me, no, I wouldn't say he's the most stable agent."

People in the court started to whisper again, shocked by the information.

"I sympathise with what he went through, I do, but I think if he'd let somebody else, like, oh, I don't know, me in on what was happening, then I'm sure we could have found a way to covertly rescue Jack's family without compromising Palmer's security." He shrugged. "Once he found out that the Drazens were involved, I saw something change in him. Yes, the operation was confidential, but I'm sure if he'd just asked Palmer nicely , CTU could have been brought in. If you ask me... I think he wanted to keep it a secret."

They had made Jack sound like a ruthless killer, like a man who only thought of himself and his family. But all Tony could think about was the moment he'd found him with Teri; all he could think about was the defeated, broken man he'd seen.

He also thought about Nina's look of fear and guilt when he'd first visited her in prison. She wasn't a bad person. She had never wanted to hurt anybody, but things had escalated beyond her control. The fact that he had lied on the stand still sat uncomfortably in his gut. It had gone against everything he'd ever been taught. But logically, he also knew it was the only way they could have done things. He knew that Milton had made a promise and that he had a plan. The jury could only listen to evidence, not empty words.

"No further questions, Your Honour," Lomax said after the video had ended.

"The prosecution may cross-examine the witness."

Walden took in a breath and, for the first time in the entire course of the trial, looked visibly worried. Lomax was a tough act to follow, and the disappearing act from yesterday clearly didn't help. Still, this was her last chance to present any evidence to discredit Nina before closing statements.

"Agent Myers, you claim to have been afraid of Agent Bauer." She said, staring directly at Nina. "And yet, you're a trained federal agent. You would have plenty of experience facing criminals and terrorists who've done all sorts of terrible things."

"It's a little different feeling threatened by someone you work with and someone you're supposed to trust." She said coolly.

"All the more reason for you to have gone to your superiors. If you thought Agent Bauer was a threat to Senator Palmer, it was your duty to speak up." Walden rebutted. "Which makes me think that you didn't want to."

"Because I didn't want Jack's family to get hurt-"

"Or," Walden said, cutting her off. "Because you knew that if CTU found out one of their own was working against them, security would get more stringent, and then your covert communications could have been revealed."

Lomax rolled his eyes. "Objection! She's bluffing -- she doesn't even have proof of these alleged phone conversations."

"Sustained." The judge agreed, looking at Walden. "Present your evidence."

Her lip curled. "Certainly. I have both a recording of Agent Myers communicating classified information to an unidentified source and evidence of embezzlement by Director George Mason from the account of Phillipe Darcet, a convicted drug dealer."

Tony reminded himself to breathe as he watched her confidently return to her desk and open her locked briefcase. After yesterday's stint, she was probably guarding her evidence very carefully. But, Milton had obviously expected this because Walden's eyes widened in shock and embarrassment.

"Dog ate your evidence, Walden?" Lomax asked, stifling a smile.

She whipped her head around. "What the hell did you do? I... I know it was there this morning."

The judge banged his gavel. "I've grown tired of these excuses. If the prosecution has no evidence to support her statement, she will end this line of questioning now ."

"Your Honour, I believe the defence's witnesses have committed perjury. And the fact that my evidence has disappeared is proof of foul play."

"It does not matter what you believe , Ms Walden, only what you can prove ." The judge dismissed. “Evidence is everything in court. Someone like yourself should know that by now.”

"No further questions, Your Honour." She said stiffly after a beat, utterly at a loss for words.

As Nina left the witness stand, he smiled at her less covertly as he truly started to feel confident that she would be freed, just as Milton had promised. All that remained were the closing statements, which meant no more surprises or challenges. Both sides would simply state the facts, and then it would be up to the jury to objectively decide whether or not Nina was guilty. However, the jury was still human. And Lomax was certainly someone who could get a room's attention. So Tony didn't doubt that the jury would listen to him.

The jury would come back with a 'not guilty', and Nina was going to get out of there. In the end, they all knew it had to end that way. Lomax was one of the best and most well-paid lawyers in the country. And although Walden certainly hadn't done a bad job, she hadn't done nearly as good a job as Lomax.

Finally, after hours of waiting, Jack watched the jury walk back into the room. The rest of the gallery settled down as the judge ordered for quiet. Someone from the jury stood, giving the judge a folded piece of paper. The judge reacted in no way, other than a nod.

“Madam Foreperson, has the jury reached its verdict?” He asked.

“We have.” She confirmed, looking at him before looking at the prosecution and then the defence.

Jack stared her down, hoping to gauge something that would indicate what the jury had chosen. But he couldn't read her.

“The defendant will please rise.” 

“What say you, Madam Foreperson?”

“In the matter of Commonwealth versus Nina Myers, on the count of treason against the United States of America, we find the defendant, Nina Myers... not guilty.”

Jack felt his stomach sink. There had been concrete evidence of this, but Walden hadn't been able to present any. But Jack knew it had to be somewhere. Had no one on the jury considered that something was off here? That things had been covered up? It was what Teri had died for, to protect her secret. There was one more charge, though, one more thing that they couldn't deny.

“On the count of murder in the first degree, we find the defendant, Nina Myers... not guilty.”

Had he heard her correctly? Had his testimony meant nothing to them? Had every member of the jury decided to take Tony and Nina's word over his? Even after everything he'd been through that day? They were going to let her go ?

“Members of the jury, this court thanks you for your service, which is now concluded. This matter is adjourned. The defendant is free to go.”

Walden looked furious. She hadn't lost many cases in her career, but she certainly hadn't lost this terribly before. The press was going to have a field day. Even if they had been deprived of the gory details, Walden's loss would still make headlines.

"No..." He muttered, hearing Kim let out a sob as she buried her face against his bicep. "No, this isn't right." He said louder, hoping somebody would agree with him and realise this wasn't fair .

Jack rose from his chair, unnoticed by the rest of the gallery, until he looked directly at the foreperson of the jury and started to yell.

"How much did he pay you?"

She looked at him, shocked. He gritted his teeth, pointing at Milton behind him. "How much did that man pay you to deliver a 'not guilty'?"

"S-Sir, I'm sorry, but that man has never spoken to me in my life."

"The jury has been under strict observation to ensure something of that didn't happen." The judge clarified.

"See, I don't believe that. Because if you'd done the right thing, she would be going back to prison!" He roared.

Kim tugged at his shoulder a little. "Dad, please, let's just go home."

He pulled himself from her grip. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I need to know what happened here."

Jack turned to where Tony was hugging Nina. They looked very relieved, and Jack hated to admit it was sweet to see. Lomax seemed as happy as someone who had won the lottery. Milton was grinning from ear to ear at him, telling him what a good job he did. Was this just a big joke to them? They had people's lives in their hands and they were treating this like it was as trivial as a football game.

"Whatever you're up to, whatever you've done, I'm going to find out," Jack said, gritting his teeth. "And then you " He pointed a finger at Nina "are never going to see the light of day again, do you understand me?"

Tony stood between them protectively, but just like yesterday, Jack heard his name called in a scolding tone and felt pairs of strong hands try to grab him from behind. He'd disgraced him and Kim enough, so he took the hint and left before they could attempt to detain him. Nina was shaking a little, and Tony took her into his arms again.

"Milton... Jack won't be able to find out, will he?" He asked worriedly.

He shook his head. "No, he won't. But Bauer is a problem in any case." Reassuringly, he smiled at both of them. "That's not for you to worry about. Kevin and I will take care of this. For now, you two lovebirds go have fun and celebrate your victory." Milton slipped Tony a keycard to what he knew was one of the most expensive hotels in Los Angeles with a wink. "We'll be there to join in the fun later."

Milton stood close to Lomax, whispering something in his ear. He nodded, and Nina felt something churn in her gut.

"Milton," Nina called out as he and Lomax turned to leave. "Please don't hurt him."

He smiled at her, but despite how much she trusted him, this did nothing to assuage her concern.

The party was held in the penthouse of the building where the law firm was. On his way up, he’d spotted lawyers sandwiching phones to their ears and carrying about their day – or night, rather – like usual. Did anybody ever sleep in this place? Nina was beside him, wearing a black cocktail dress that hugged her body just right, and Tony wanted to do nothing more than take it off of her. For now, though, he was just happy it was all over. He’d saved her, and he didn’t feel a shred of guilt about it.

Milton was there to greet them as the elevator doors opened.

“Congratulations, Nina.” He said warmly, kissing her on both cheeks. “Ah, and you’ve brought Tony!” Tony took his firm hand, allowing the jubilance of the situation to give him the courage to meet his gaze.

They were taken over to the bar and grabbed some drinks before settling on a suede booth in the corner of the room, silently observing people. He had his arm around Nina, and her hand rested on his knee, making it harder to try not to think about what they were going to do after. 

“So, what happened between you and Milton?”

Tony nearly spat out his drink. “W-What do you mean?”

She quirked a brow. “You two were looking at each other strangely.” 

He gulped, not knowing what to say. How the hell was he going to explain that he got fucked by the owner of this building in a cathedral? “I, uh…”

“Milton is very good in bed, so I’m not surprised you’re still too stunned to speak.” Nina smiled. When did it happen? I’d love to join next time.”

His eyes widened, and he blinked at her a few times. “You… you know about that?”

“Well, I don’t know the details , but how about you enlighten me?” She said near the shell of his ear.

The intrigue in her voice sent a chill down his spine, so he cleared his throat and set his drink down on the table before leaning closer to her. He noticed her eyes were on Milton, and Tony began to recount the night at the cathedral to her. It felt so liberating to be able to talk about it with nothing but desire in his voice, with no shame to be found. Tony watched her expression darken, and before he knew it, her hand had moved up to his crotch.

"Nina, Tony, there you are!” Milton called from the staircase, inviting them over with a wave of his hand. “I wanted to introduce you to Alberta's husband Leamon, he's-"

Nina went to move towards him, but Tony suddenly grabbed her bicep. "No."
"No?" She asked in mock confusion.
"We've been here long enough.” He whispered, not masking the raw need in his voice. “I need you alone now."

She nodded and met Milton halfway, whispering something into his ear.
“Of course.” He said, looking between them knowingly. “You two go have fun now! You know where I’ll be.”

"Let's go downstairs,” Nina suggested once she returned to him. “This place has some nice rooms just for this."

They returned to the elevator, and he couldn’t help but lower his hand to her ass, adoring the way she smirked at him. When they stopped at the floor above the one Nina had pressed, he quickly moved his hand back. But he soon realised that that wasn’t necessary as the two women who entered began to make out passionately in front of them. It seemed they weren’t the only ones headed to this floor. 

As they exited and started to walk down the dimly lit hall, Tony deduced this level definitely wasn’t used for work purposes, as he was met with the sound of beds creaking, the clicks of locks, and subtle, rhythmic thumping. He also noticed a discarded condom wrapper on the floor. Nina stepped in front to open the door of one room. 

"Oh." It looked like it was already taken.

George Mason lay on a desk, his shirt more torn apart than unbuttoned, and leaning over him was none other than CTU’s regional director, Ryan Chappelle. While Tony always knew there was something of a rivalry between them, with George always trying to tell Ryan that he knew how to run CTU better than he did, he’d never imagined that they resolved that tension like this . 

Nina’s words seemed to have alerted them of their presence, and both turned towards them. To Tony’s surprise, they didn’t look embarrassed, nor did they try to cover up as much and as fast as they could; no, they just looked at him and Nina with hunger in their eyes and matching mischievous grins. “Well, this is a nice surprise,” George said, and Ryan nodded in agreement. “Are you just going to stand there and watch, or do you want to join? I could use some help keeping him down.”
“Shut up, you love it when I fight you. You wouldn’t like it as much if I just laid there and took it.” 

“Or one of you could take his place. What do you say, Tony? Want to be at the bottom of the pyramid of command in more ways than one?”

Tony opened his mouth with a refusal already on his lips, but he stopped and really asked himself: wouldn't he like to stay? He couldn’t deny there was an appeal to the taboo aspect of two of his superiors – three if he counted Nina too! – overpowering him, and it was a fantasy he’d had before but had never been able to fully enjoy, too filled with guilt and morals to ever imagine he could have this. But now there was his chance.

But before he could even think of a reply, Nina was already coming to his rescue.

"Guys, I’ve just been released. If we say yes, we’ll spend the whole night focusing on him, but tonight, I need to be the centre of attention."

It was a smart reply, Tony had to admit. She wasn’t straight-up refusing should he show interest later, but she was making sure he’d have the time to think about what he wanted without feeling pressured. He appreciated her for that.

"Understandable."

"Oh, but look what you’ve done now. He’s disappointed." George pointed out with a faux pout, and Tony felt himself blushing as he realised George was talking about him. He was right, though. A fucked up part of him had hoped Nina would have said nothing and let Ryan and George have their way with him without ensuring he was absolutely sure he wanted it first. 

"Tony. If you’d like to, we can always arrange this again." She reassured him. "We’re just postponing this. Now that I'm a free woman, we have all the time in the world. We can do whatever we want, whenever we want it."

“Don’t worry, Tony. We can wait.”

“And, in the meantime, we can plan exactly what we’ll do to you when you decide to accept.”

The door shut, and Tony blinked a few times, entirely unsure of what to do with this information. Nina tugged his hand, and he smiled a little, remembering why he was here in the first place. There was silence as they continued to walk, and Tony spotted more and more people excusing themselves into rooms, likely to pursue activities of a similar nature.

"So, you George and Ryan, uh?" Tony asked to break the awkward silence, scratching the back of his head. "Has that happened before?"

"Oh yes, a lot, actually."

"Cool, cool." Tony nodded, still trying to wrap his head around it. It wasn’t something he’d ever imagined, but it did make for an interesting image, and he felt how the mere thought of it was affecting him. 

"Tell me more about them?" He asked after a beat, voice soft and barely audible, and she smiled devilishly. She loved how into it he seemed to be already. "You know George: he always has to have the last word. No matter what you’re doing to him, even if he’s on his knees pleasuring you, he’ll say something to make you want to wipe that stupid grin off his face. As for Ryan, he’s always pissed off about something and ready to take it out on you. If you let him, of course. Oh, but when they’re together? It’s a power struggle every time. I don’t think I know any other people who fulfil the definition of ‘hatefuck’ so well." She smiled wryly. "But Alberta can be even better. We had so much fun when she was working for me. She’s the perfect stress relief."

That last bit of information seemed to break Tony, the realisation slapping him across the face. "Is everyone at CTU fucking?"

Nina shrugged. "Pretty much."

"How did I not know?"

"We were careful. And I wasn’t ready to share you yet." Nina said coyly, and he was definitely enjoying how Nina spoke about him as if he was just her property.

They walked towards the end of the hall, and the sounds of moaning faded away. When they entered, Tony could tell it was very luxurious, even in the dark. The dim, warm-toned lights and the array of mirrors created a slightly eerie effect. Tony tried his hardest not to focus on the chill down his spine and instead directed his attention to Nina as she playfully pushed him onto the spacious bed. 

She grabbed his hips, just over the same spot where Milton had not even two days ago, and his bruises might have faded, but he was still sore, feeling the burn of pain as his back was pressed against the mattress. He tugged her down towards him so their lips could meet. Nina straddled him, and Tony moved his hands to unzip her dress, sliding it down her body while hers unbuttoned his pants and shirt. Once her bra was off, Tony cupped her breasts, brushing his thumbs over her nipples as she languidly started grinding against him. She paused momentarily, peering down at one of the larger bruises from where Milton had pushed his thighs apart. 

“Milton did this to you?” Nina asked.

“Yeah.” He admitted, turned on by the way her expression changed. 

“Do you want me to go easy on you?”

Tony shook his head slowly, grinning at her. “Don’t even think about it.”

Nina smirked, and he let out a groan as her mouth slowly wrapped around his cock, with her hands taking what her mouth didn’t. She did this intermittently, pausing and drawing back to tease him by kissing his stomach or touching herself to show him how much she was enjoying this. He was in for a torturous night; he couldn’t wait for his turn to give her the same treatment.

Tony glanced beside him and was slightly startled by what he saw. He turned his head more to look and concluded it was nothing before refocusing his attention on Nina. But his peripheral vision seemed to be playing tricks on him, prompting him to look again, and this time, he caught sight of something very unusual happening to him. Tony certainly didn’t feel any different, but he was very concerned by what he saw. Before he could look in detail, it disappeared once more.
He tried to put it out of his mind, trying to be more present in the moment and appreciative that Nina was here with him. His mind drifted to Milton, but the thoughts coexisted with what she was doing to him. It certainly helped that she seemed to like looking at and hearing about all the things Milton had done to him. But only now, when Tony fully let himself revel in lust and start to relax, did he catch himself in full, this time.
Tony froze, unable to stop looking at the orange colour of his eyes and how the bones had shifted in his face, making his soft smile appear incredibly menacing. Tony blinked intentionally, hoping the image would disappear and that this was simply a trick of the light. But it remained. He pushed Nina off him before getting up and walking to the nearest mirror to get a better look.

"Tony?" She asked worriedly.

"S-Stay back." He replied. "I... something's happening, Nina, and-"

"Tony," Nina said sweetly, and his eyes widened when he noticed that her face looked no different than his, but more importantly, that this didn't seem to faze her at all. "It's alright. You can’t hurt me." She assured.

Tony turned to face her, pushing out any remaining doubt that this wasn't real. Her thumb brushed his cheek, and only now did he realise that although the change had been a shock, he was relieved to know she looked the same as him. They were equals. She had been freed from her guilt as he had. 

He kissed her again, noticing that his teeth, and hers, felt rather sharp. A spurt of blood shot into his mouth, and while initially confronting, Tony couldn’t deny how much he loved the sweet taste of it. Some of the blood dribbled down Nina’s chin, and he licked it away, lapping it up like nectar. 

Together, they walked back to the bed, and Nina pushed him back down, resuming what they’d started. She planted her hands on either side of her, baring her stained fangs, and Tony wanted nothing more than for her to use them on him as she saw fit.

“Don’t worry,” Nina said huskily. “I can teach you how to use yours.”

Meeting her eyes and licking her lips, he flipped her over and kissed his way down her body, tentatively making small bites on her skin. He sucked at the insides of her thighs, scraping his teeth a little. Tony met her eyes, realising they were still the same amber colour, almost cat-like. The colour was different to the beautiful blue he was used to, but he simply saw it as one more part of her to love. She tipped her head back with a long exhale as he shifted his mouth to her centre, moaning against her. Her hand fell to his head, guiding him right to where he wanted, and that connection between them meant everything. He’d missed her so much, and he was going to spend all of tonight making up for lost time.

Unseen from a corner, Milton watched the scene in front of him with interest. His two demons seemed to be enjoying themselves, and he was certainly excited to join in on the action another time. It was good to see that Almeida had learned to let loose, and Milton took pride in his part of that.

And with him undeniably on their side, it put Milton at ease to know that he had one more person inside CTU to take care of things for him, and almost certainly, one more fucktoy that would no doubt want to experience the unmatched pleasure he’d felt the other night in the cathedral again.

Nina had snuck out of the room where a couple of hours earlier she and Tony had fallen asleep in each other’s arms. It had been amazing to sleep on a soft, luxurious mattress instead of the rock-hard cot she had in her cell, but the best feeling had been Tony cuddling up against her chest, falling asleep to the sound of him breathing. She had missed him and was extremely grateful her actions hadn’t scared him away; if anything, it seemed what had happened had united them even more now that Tony had become part of the secret she had had to keep from him for so long.

She had wanted nothing more than to just lay there and watch him sleep, accept that it was true: he was there beside her, but there was another man on her mind that night, a man she had once loved just as much as she did Tony now, and that now needed her to intercede for him.

Nina went straight to his office, knowing she would find Milton there, even at this late hour; she was almost sure the man didn’t sleep at all. It made much more sense rather than trying to figure out where he slept in a place like this.

She could hear Milton’s voice from the outside – a good sign, she’d hate to interrupt him during anything intimate – but couldn’t make out what he was saying, just that his tone was grave. His voice halted just as she lifted her hand to knock on the door. “Come on in, Nina.” He invited her, and she did, walking into the room to find that Milton’s interlocutor was none other than Lomax. “We were just talking about you. And Agent Bauer.”

“That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?” Kevin commented. From his body language alone, Nina could tell he was agitated. That, and the cigarette butts on the crystal ashtray on the table. Kevin only smoked when he was nervous, which was most of the time. “Even you’ve realised he’s a problem.”

Milton turned to her, his dark eyes staring deep into her soul. “Is that what you think, too? That he’s going to be a problem?”

“He’s stubborn. He won’t let go of this easily, so it’ll probably consume him. But there’s nothing he can do about this. He respects the law too much to take matters into his own hands. The worst he could do is try to go to his superiors to talk them into suspending me, but that won’t happen.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt the loyalty of George and Ryan.” Milton clarified. “It’s just that Kevin’s profile of Bauer makes him sound a lot less law-abiding than your description.”

“You’re too close to this. You’re not thinking clearly. He can be dangerous.”

Nina sighed, ready to play her last card. "Deep down, Jack is just a man. He can be convinced to not only stay quiet but to join us. And believe me, I can be pretty convincing."

"Don't I know that!" He chuckled, setting down his glass of whiskey to focus entirely on her. "It could work, but I'll have to think about it."
"You think too much." She told him, kneeling between his spread legs and unzipping his pants with expert hands. "Let me get your mind off this." She offered, and he wasn’t about to stop her, but they both heard the sigh of impatience coming from their side.

As expected, Kevin didn’t seem too happy to witness his father getting intimate, something Nina had been betting on. But she knew that to really get him to leave and not just turn the other way pretending nothing was happening, she’d have to disgust him even more. “You’re welcome to stay and watch, Kevin.” Nina offered, licking her lips. “Once I’m done with him, I can… persuade you too.”

Kevin looked away, extremely uncomfortable at that proposition. “You know my answer to that. Besides, I’m meeting Alberta for dinner, so I’ll have to decline that offer.” He replied, pointedly avoiding Milton’s gaze as he left.

Nina paused her motions, looking hesitant.

“Don’t take it personally. He just doesn’t know how to have a good time.”

But even then, he realised that her mind was elsewhere. She’d gotten Kevin out of the room to stop him from convincing him to take care of Bauer. However, it was clear she was still worrying about him. Her gaze was focused on the door that Kevin had exited from.

“You know, you just told me that I  think too much. Penny for your thoughts?”

“Please, just make sure Kevin doesn’t go after him. If he suspects the slightest hint of foul play, he could try to appeal my case.” Nina explained worriedly, starting to stroke him slowly. “It’s over. Let’s just leave it.” 

He went to protest and say that Kevin had a point but was soon distracted by the feeling of her lips wrapping around the tip of his cock. Nina knew how to beg, Milton had to admit. "You really care about him, don't you?" He asked, and she pulled away from him just long enough to reply. "Right now, I just care about you." She said, but they both knew it was a lie; the whole reason why she was there with him was because of Bauer.

Milton didn’t care. They were both using each other for their goals, but he was determined to make sure she left the room satisfied with more than just their conversation.

Nina sighed as she walked towards Jack’s house. She had waited until she’d seen Kim leave before deciding to approach him. Her hand shook a little as she knocked on the door. Nina had been reinstated with a written apology from the national director of CTU, and no one seemed to hold any grudge against her, believing her innocence. Everyone except Jack. Which was why she had come here tonight. Despite Tony's reassurance that he was okay with it, she wasn’t too excited about what she planned on doing: seducing Jack into giving up his search for the truth about what really happened that day.

“Are you sure you’re alright with me doing this?”

“I told you, I understand. It's okay." Tony said. "But you don't seem very okay with it either, a nd that's what worries me. "

“I- I hate that it’ll be a way to manipulate him." She admitted. "Even after Jack went back to Teri, I’ve never wanted to betray him or do him any harm.” She sighed. “I love you very much, but I… I still care about him.”

He shrugged. "And that's okay. But if this is what it takes to make sure Lomax doesn’t put out a hit on him, then do what you have to do. Even if it means playing him again."

“You’ve got some nerve showing up here.” He was furious, and she was almost scared to get close to him. She had never been scared of him like this before. At least when they’d found Teri’s body, they’d put her in holding to protect her.

“I… I wanted to see you before my first day back at CTU. Just to… clear the air a little.” Nina explained.

“ Clear the air ?" He gritted through his teeth. “I still believe you killed my wife and enlisted help to cover it up. When I told you I was going to look into it, I meant it.”

Nina bravely met his eyes, seeing nothing but pain there, and no matter how happy she might be that she was free, she still hated to see that. He went to speak but was at a loss for words, his mouth remaining slightly agape. She could see his shoulders relax and the tension in his face release. He had been staring back almost competitively , but that too ceased as her ability took its effect. 

She felt her stomach sink. She’d almost hoped he’d resist this, not because she didn’t want to do this to put her mind at ease and ensure that Kevin didn’t go after him, but because she hated how much she was violating his trust. Nina had never used her power to convince people on Jack, not even while they'd dated. Her feelings for Jack were real, and she took comfort in the fact that she knew his were too. Although convenient and, on occasion, life-saving, this power had never sat right with Nina. She knows it was ultimately how they convinced the jury. She could still see the vacant look in Jamey’s eyes as she’d told her to slit her wrists.

“Look, I… I didn’t mean to make this worse, I-”

“I still believe you lied to me,” Jack said very calmly. “And I’m not going to act like I was okay with the verdict. Because I’m not. But…” He sighed. “I’m sure it’s best for everyone if we just act civilly and go about our lives like they were before.”

“That sounds good to me.” She agreed, now suddenly at a loss for words. The hostility had fizzled so quickly that he was almost unrecognisable.

“I appreciate you coming here.” He said after a beat, leaning against the doorjamb. There was something so casual and inviting about it. Maybe this was her chance to make a move. 

Nina took a step towards him, slowly trying to initiate the kiss, but felt him turn his cheek at the last minute. She sighed against his cheek, realising that perhaps he was strong enough to resist her still after all.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Nina said quietly.

“Yeah.” He replied, barely above a whisper.

–

It was a mostly normal day at work for him, as normal as it could be, all things considered. But Jack couldn’t help but feel incredibly on edge like something was going to go wrong at any moment. He knew that his patience was even shorter than usual now. Which, he realised, was likely a sign that coming back to CTU hadn’t been the best idea for his well-being.

To avoid making him return to the place where his wife had been murdered, Jack had been offered a job in another office, but he had declined the transfer, saying he didn’t mind working alongside Nina. The truth was, he wanted to make sure that she never had the chance to do anything like this again. And that if she did, he would catch her in the act this time. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer, as they say.

Which was why he had been following her movements on the CCTV footage for most of the day. He wasn’t sure what he’d been trying to look for but was now staring incredulously at the screen displaying Nina’s office. He had grown suspicious when Tony had joined her, and she had darkened the glass for privacy. But he had expected them to be plotting something, not testing how long Tony could hold his breath as he ate Nina out like she was his death row meal.

Still, he couldn’t stop staring.

Almost of its own volition, his hand moved downward to his zipper, cock already hardening. He thought about how much he wanted to be in that room with them, actually able to hear their moans, ready for them to ask him to join or even just tease him relentlessly by only letting him watch. He had a reaction of immediate jealousy the more he watched them, but he couldn’t quite understand which of them he envied the most; it was so easy for him to picture himself in both places, either on his knees for Nina – a position he’d been in many times – or roughly thrusting up into Tony’s warm and welcoming mouth, holding him in place gripping his hair so much he’d hurt him.

Jack snapped out of it and looked away from the screen. What was he doing? They had work to do. They had no idea he was watching them – although, really, if they hadn’t wanted any voyeurs, they would have looped the cameras – and he was still their superior. This was wrong on so many levels.

He had to follow protocol and go tell them, respectfully, to stop. This was a workplace, and more than that, one that dealt with matters of national security. They were lucky there was no active threat right now.

Jack stormed into the room, determined to stop them and remind them there was a code of conduct. However, he somehow felt like he was in the wrong right now. The added layer of sound here did not help him to maintain his composure. He placed his hands on his hips, powerless to end this and reprimand them. Jack went to speak, but his mouth was too dry, and he felt utterly dumbstruck.

But as he stood there, flustered, they didn’t even seem to have noticed his entrance, with Nina’s head tipped back, and Tony’s seemingly not going anywhere until Nina was satisfied. 

Jack had two options. He could walk out and hope they’d be done soon. Or he could make his presence known and demand they stop immediately. But then, a dark part of him that Jack always tried to keep repressed reminded him he had one more option: he could stay and watch.

–

Today had ended up being mostly uneventful, and with no paperwork of his own to catch up with, Tony had headed to Nina’s office to see if there was anything he could help her with. She had also run out of work-related things to do, but there were still many ways Tony could give her a helping hand. That’s how he had ended up kneeling under her desk, serving her with everything he had. It was the least he could do to reduce her stress.

But he was very aware of the visitor who had currently stumbled into the room. Tony just had to meet Nina’s eyes to figure out she must have heard him, too. 

He tried to move away, sure she’d want to stop, but she just pressed him closer, and he didn’t refuse. If Nina wanted to put on a show for Jack, he wouldn’t try to stop her. And by the looks of it, Jack didn’t either. Tony could see the conflict in his eyes, like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t, but, at the same time, utterly unable to stop himself.

Tony spread her legs wide before dragging his tongue along her centre. She let out a full-body sigh as he continued to tease her folds open with his mouth and fingers, encouraging him to incorporate his teeth as well. Realising he didn't need to pause to breathe anymore had taken some getting used to, but it helped that Nina certainly seemed to enjoy his efficiency. He drank her like wine, happy to make her come over and over again like it was his only purpose in life. 

His tongue played with her clit more insistently now, knowing that if he wanted to finish off the show they were giving Jack, then he had to do so hard and fast. He was thankful the walls were soundproof because it meant Nina could moan as loud as she wanted, even more than usual, to rile Jack up. 

Jack stood there watching, completely frozen, his head swimming with thoughts, including, but not limited to, immense guilt about the fact that he was getting off on watching the woman who’d murdered his wife being pleasured by the man who helped her cover it up; people he should hate, but Jack had to face that the feelings he was feeling right now weren’t exclusively negative.

They made out sloppily in front of him, and it was clear that Tony was very skilful at pleasuring her. Jack wasn’t sure what he wanted more: to show Nina that he could do a better job or for Tony to give him the same treatment. “So,” Tony started as he got on his feet, still panting, “are you going to stay there in the dark, Jack? Or am I going to have to beg you?”

“I-I’m going to leave. This is none of my business.” He said nervously, moving back to the door.

With a speed that Jack would later realise was entirely inhuman, Tony moved from one side of the room to the other, cornering him like a trapped animal. His back made contact with the wall, and the slight snarl in Tony’s expression made his blood run cold. Jack's heart was beating faster and faster, and he was sure Tony could smell his fear like a dog.

Who was he kidding? They both knew there was more than fear in his body at that moment.

"But I can still help you out?" Tony’s voice was lower, sultry, as he bumped his hips against his erection, which he didn’t realise he had. "Give you a hand with that? Or... something more?" Tony licked his lips.

“I promise you, he’s very good, Jack,” Nina said huskily, and he jerked back as she went to touch the buttons of his shirt. He felt like he was suffocating with both of them so close to him, but at the same time, he wanted more of them.

It would have been so easy to just let them do of him as they wanted, and for a moment, Jack thought he was really going to allow that to happen. But he couldn’t. At least certainly not here when someone could see him, although he recognised that that was likely part of the appeal.

“No.” Jack said simply. He knew pushing them away physically wasn’t going to work, not after witnessing just how much stronger Tony seemed to have become – Nina, he already knew was stronger than him. She’d demonstrated that to him in bed many times, and back then, it’d even turned him on – but he was still sure that no matter what else they’d done, assault was a line they wouldn’t cross. He had to believe that, otherwise-

Just as his thoughts turned more desperate, he saw Tony and Nina take a few steps back, giving him enough space to rush for the door.

“Jack.” Nina’s voice halted him, and he feared that if she asked him to stay, he would, and give up on the decision he’d just convinced himself to make. He might be a stubborn man. However, here, he felt genuinely powerless, like if he allowed himself to be receptive to their words, he would do whatever they asked of him. But she just smiled as she looked him up and down. “You might want to compose yourself before leaving. I doubt you want people to see you like that.”

“That’s how rumours start,” Tony added, smirking, offering him his jacket.

Jack hastily checked his zipper and held the jacket over his crotch as he left. When he made it back to his office, he realised he was out of breath and stood with his back against the door, needing a moment to ground himself and regain control of the situation.

But Jack realised he didn’t actually know whether he was terrified or thrilled by the idea of Tony and Nina coming after him.

Jack couldn’t concentrate at all for the rest of the day, his mind far too occupied with thoughts about what might have happened if he hadn’t said no to Tony and Nina. He usually prided himself on his ability to focus on what was important no matter what was happening around him, but this time it seemed the only thing stopping him from letting his mind wander was the reminder that getting aroused at work was not something he’d be able to explain away should he get caught. The tension drove him crazy, and he was irritable for the rest of the day until he gripped the steering wheel fiercely as he drove home, thankful he didn’t need to stay overtime. 

But as Jack went to sleep that night, he realised that maybe this thought, this fantasy , had more of a hold on him than he’d initially thought.

He woke to find himself in a place that emanated sheer resplendence; there were dark Corinthian columns that resembled a church, and the high vaulted ceiling was decorated with golden frescos. There was something that felt very sacred about it, like that wasn’t just a room for a king, but rather, for a god . Jack admired the array of statues and paintings all depicting some lewd act, however, he couldn’t help but feel like the figures in the art were moving ever so slightly to stare straight at him even as he walked past them.

Still, he was quick to lose focus on his surroundings as his eyes fell to the disturbing sight before him, and for reasons he couldn’t explain, just like when he’d caught Nina and Tony in her office earlier, he couldn’t stop staring.

Milton sat naked on a black stone altar, two figures kneeling at his feet and leaning towards his crotch, pleasuring him at turns, but Jack couldn't make them out well since he could only see their backs, from which sprouted black leathery wings not unlike a bat’s. Milton’s however, because he had a pair as well, was much larger and stark white, with a slight glow, almost angelic . However, Jack could conclude there was nothing pure about what he was looking at. There were heavy chains keeping the underlings in place and limiting their movement, but the way they were serving him with such devotion made Jack believe that even with total free choice, they’d still be doing this.

He side-stepped a little to get a better view, and when he could see past the wings, he realized he recognized the people there. At this proximity, he could also see that Milton looked different here too, with sharp, curved horns protruding from his head.  He knew those faces as coworkers he had once trusted, one he had even loved deeply, he would recognize them anywhere. He gasped in surprise, and that's what gave his presence away. 

"Oh, Agent Bauer!" Milton's deep voice startled him, and as he looked back up Jack was captivated by the dark eyes staring back at him, along with a devilish grin on Milton’s face. "Come closer, we don't bite." He invited him, and Jack did, walking slowly towards them, his steps echoing in the large room making Nina turn her head slightly, meeting his eyes with a hunger in her face. "Not unless you ask us." She added with a smirk, her suggestive tone sending a pleasurable shiver through his whole body.

As Nina went back to focus on Milton, Tony let her take over and switched his attention to him. "Hey, Jack." Tony smiled at him softly, his lips reddened and his voice raspy from the act he’d just performed. His eyes were just as full of lust as Nina's, but while there was an almost rageful eagerness in the way she served Milton as if she had something to prove, Tony looked extremely peaceful. Jack envied that, hadn't known the calm he could feel emanating from Tony in a long while.

“Can you see how much they want you?” Milton said warmly, stepping down the altar he’d been sitting on, Nina momentarily interrupting her service as he did. “It’s wonderful, isn’t it? Knowing you’re the object of this much desire.”

Jack had to think about that statement. As a rule of thumb, Jack preferred to go unnoticed. It was a great advantage in his line of work, but something that he tended to apply to his daily life too; he’d never been one to like attention, let alone deliberately go out of his way to look for it. But right now, standing in front of Milton and noticing how he, Tony, and Nina were all focusing on him, he could understand the power rush that came with being in the centre of the spotlight.

“I think Milton’s had enough, it’s your turn now, Jack.” Nina offered. “Unless you’d rather just watch us.” 

They crawled closer to him until they were both knelt at his feet, and as Jack looked down at them, he gulped watching their eyes shift from their usual colours to a deep amber. The bones on their faces had shifted and if Jack wasn’t mistaken he could see fangs emerging from both of their mouths. He knew he should be scared, but he couldn’t stop staring, and once both of them started to slide their hands up his thighs, tugging him closer as the chains stopped them, he knew that he had no intention of moving away now.

Nina’s fingers worked deftly at unzipping his pants and pulling them down while Tony slid his hands under his shirt, the coldness of his touch making Jack gasp a little. A small part of him wanted nothing more than to strip himself of the rest of his clothes and let Tony and Nina have at him. But he couldn't let that part take over just yet, because he couldn’t quite understand or believe what was going on, and why Milton was here.

Jack gestured for them to stop, and they did with resigned sighs. He gathered his thoughts again, then looked up at Milton. "What are you?" He asked, his eyes going to his big, white wings in disbelief.

"I’m all you never knew you desired," Milton said matter-of-factly. "And you could be mine, if you’d let me."

If Jack had to describe Milton at that moment in just one word, it would be tempting . Jack was no stranger to that feeling – after all, he was a Fed in a department that had had a serious case of bribery not that long ago – but never at such intensity. He had never felt so drawn to anybody, even the memory of Nina when he had decided to disregard the vow he had made to his wife paled in comparison.

While he’d certainly been enjoying the feeling of Nina and Tony, there was something electrifying about Milton’s touch. The intimacy here was beyond anything he could have imagined, and he felt totally compelled to drop his guard like he trusted him implicitly. There was something mysterious here, but all Jack wanted was more. He wasn’t thinking about the consequences, he wasn’t thinking about anybody else except the three people currently focusing all their attention on him. So Jack could do nothing if not lean in closer and let Milton claim his lips, and oh, Jack wanted him to claim so much more than that.

Jack had to pull away from him to breathe, but somehow he knew Milton could have gone without air for much longer, and for a second Jack wished he was more like him. Pushing that conflicting thought aside Jack leaned into him again, nuzzling his neck like an animal, so abandoned to his instincts that he didn’t question it when he went further and bit the crook of his neck with enough force that anyone’s skin would have broken, but not Milton’s. If Jack wanted to quench his thirst for the man’s blood he’d have to ask him. He relished in the way Milton’s rough hands grabbed at him possessively. 

Milton stroked him for a moment and he gasped. He was willing to completely surrender. Deep down, he knew that was what he wanted. The more rational part of his brain attempted to speak.“I don’t want this to stop.” Jack breathed, feeling his heart race, then he fought his instincts that were screaming at him to drop on his knees just like Tony and Nina were, and he took a step back, then another, until he was out of Milton’s arms’ reach. “But I… I can’t do this, this isn’t right-”

“It doesn’t have to be right , Jack,” Tony said, with an exhilarated, liberated tone to his voice. “And Milton can give you more than just this. You won’t have to suffer anymore. You’ll be able to move on from everything that’s happened to you.” Tony tried to convince him, his wording deliberately omitting the cause of what happened to Jack, because she was kneeling right next to Tony, her hands lazily stroking him.

The concept of that sounded almost impossible to Jack: being able to forget and free himself from his pain. But clearly, it had worked for Tony. He had given himself over to Milton and Jack knew that he had never seen him so happy. If he did this… maybe he’d finally have the answer to what he had left in life. 

He could feel Nina’s tongue sliding up the inside of his thigh, her hand so close to where he desperately needed it to be. Meanwhile Tony was grinding against his leg, looking up at him with pleading eyes. He’d never wanted something this badly, he’d never been so willing to let all of his inhibitions go and allow others to take control. There was a desperate hunger for their actions, and Jack wanted to be the one that satiated it. 

Milton held out something for him, and Jack took a step back to find out they were the same iron chains that bound Tony and Nina to his altar. "Join us,” he offered, “and I will give you pleasure beyond your imagination. This never has to end, you don’t ever have to feel pain again. I’m offering you everything. Anything. All of it! "

Jack hesitated as he stared into Milton’s fiery eyes. “What do I have to do?”

“Kneel to me and cuff yourself as a sign of your surrender. I can’t make you stay.” He confessed, at Jack’s confused expression. “I can’t make you do anything in fact, but if you prove to me that this is really what you want, then I can give it all to you, that peace, that freedom they are already feeling. You just need to give yourself over.”

“That’s all?”

Milton nodded. “That’s all.”

Jack had never been particularly religious, but he couldn’t help but think of all those sermons his father had made him sit through. He remembered being told that the Devil often took the form of humans to make it harder to resist temptation. And while all of his beliefs were being put to the test right now, Jack knew that he couldn’t afford to drop his guard, no matter how badly he wanted to. He couldn’t give in to this, he couldn’t let himself do this, not with the woman who’d murdered Teri, and the people that had helped to free her. It just wasn’t right.

“No.” He said, his morals returning to him all at once with a grave sense of urgency. “No, I can’t do this. I can’t become like you. I... I won’t…” 

“Won’t compromise?” Nina offered, her hand insistently grabbing his, begging him to follow her lead. “I thought you told me that wouldn’t make you a bad guy.” But the use of his own words against him only made Jack more assured in the reminder of who he was. And no amount of temptation would change that.

“I won’t do this.” He finished defiantly, and as he pulled himself out of her grip, everything faded to black.

Jack woke up panting and dripping with sweat. His room was cold, dark and quiet. His heart raced in his chest, and he could feel a sense of heat consuming his body. He swore he could still hear voices, but after a few moments of deep breathing, he concluded that he was alone, just as he had been ever since the day his wife died, and the woman he thought loved him betrayed him. He took a few deep breaths, tiredly running a hand into his hair.

Only then did he start to recall his dream in every part of his body. He could still feel where the three of them had touched him, scratched him, marked him. He could still see those wings, those beautiful wings towering over him. He could still hear their voices, tempting him, taunting him, encouraging him to forget about every ounce of heartache he’d felt since that awful day. 

He shook his head. What was he doing? How could he let himself even think about this? While he’d never been a fan of Milton’s morals, knowing who, well, what he was and what he stood for made Jack want nothing to do with him. Nina and Tony might have crossed that line, but he wasn’t going to. He’d learned a hard lesson about compromises that day. He wouldn’t dare let that happen again.

Jack thought about Teri again, how it had only been six months since she’d died. He thought about Kim, how he was the only one left for her. There were more important things to focus on. And yet, even as he felt the heaviness in his heart when he thought about the two of them, his mind still fixated on his dream.

Wanting to clear his head, Jack got out of bed and made his way into the ensuite. His skin revealed no sign of any of the things that Nina, Tony, and Milton had done to him in the dream, which obviously made sense, but he had to admit part of him was disappointed he didn’t have anything to capture that memory. He wasn’t thinking straight. Jack turned the cold tap on, something he’d done since the early days of his military career. A cold shower always seemed to put things into perspective. 

He pumped some of the liquid soap into his hands and began to clean himself. Even though he was really only a little sweaty, part of him felt so filthy for the thoughts he’d had, for the dream that had been just a little too intense to be a product of his imagination and not actually real. Jack was rough with his motions, trying his hardest to cleanse himself as though it would ground him. He had to forget about this.

After letting the water run over his body, he felt a little more in control of himself. The strange, dark part of his thoughts was gone. His skin was raw and red from scrubbing so hard. Jack grabbed his towel and stepped out of the shower. He dried himself off slowly, finding an eerie peace at this time of the night. There was a feeling of clarity there, too. It had just been a dream. It had been a result of him overheating and being emotionally exhausted, nothing more. There was nothing to analyse. Jack sighed as he patted his face and hair dry before walking back into the bedroom and looking at his reflection in the full-length mirror, lit dimly by the bedside lamp.

He gasped at the sight of Nina and Tony, both equally as bare as him. They stood on either side, their faces bearing matching fanged grins. For a moment, it appeared as though everything around them was lush and green; he could hear birds chirping and a river flowing. Tony held out an apple to him, perfectly red without a single blemish, while a chartreuse snake slyly spiralled its way down Nina’s forearm. He tried to make sense of it and realised that if Milton had been the tempting serpent of his dream, Tony and Nina were the forbidden fruit that Jack had known he wasn’t supposed to want. He’d stopped them there, but was he strong enough to stop them here?

Jack whipped his head around, checking he was still in his bedroom, his heart speeding up, but nobody was there. Just as he decided it was a lingering effect of the dream, his eyes widened when he saw them in the mirror again. He blinked, he shook his head, but they didn't disappear. The golden hue of their eyes seemed even eerier in the darkness of his bedroom. The lamp beside him flickered a few times.

"Jack..." Nina said with a siren-like, sultry tone. "You know you want this. Don’t deny it."

He was at a loss for words and shivered as he felt Tony's hand at his side, gradually sliding down and lightly scratching his skin. Nina's hands joined Tony's, and all of a sudden, Jack was back there again, completely lost in the sensation, completely willing to let them do whatever they wanted to him. They said his name over and over again like a prayer.

"Don’t be afraid. All of that pain, all of that guilt, will disappear. Just trust us." Tony whispered in his ear from behind him, then his mouth lowered to his neck, leaving kisses on his skin that soon turned rougher with need, and Jack threw his head back and closed his eyes, a moan escaping his trembling lips. As he opened his eyes again, he saw a familiar smirk on Nina’s face, and God, he’d missed her so much. Could he really refuse this when he wanted it so much?

Nina’s hand moved further down, but as he looked away from his reflection to his body, he could still see something where the sensation was. It was like Nina’s hand was underneath his skin, but he didn’t have time to question his sanity yet again because her hand reached down to stroke him, making him curse under his breath.

From behind him, he heard Tony chuckle lightly, and he loved that sound, a reminder that he was there too. It made all of those thoughts and feelings he’d had about Tony rise to the surface. Jack thought about that day he’d watched them in CTU, how he’d realised that he was just as interested in watching Tony as he had been pleasing Nina, how he’d imagined himself not just in Tony’s place, but in Nina’s too, how he’d wanted Tony to desperately breathe his name and beg him for release.

He met Tony’s lust-filled eyes in the mirror and knew he just had to ask; Tony wouldn’t deny him. It made him feel powerful and sent a shiver down his spine.

If he could have grabbed Tony, he would have. He would have pushed him to his knees and had him blow him, then forcefully pull him closer until Tony would almost pass out from lack of air. The thought alone made him grow harder against Nina’s hand.

As if reading his thoughts, Tony got on his knees before him, looking up with a pretend innocence that was just too irresistible, before turning his face away from the mirror and towards his body again, and Jack felt soft lips wrapping around his cock, a warm mouth welcoming him. It was strange looking down and seeing nothing but brief flashes of Tony so lost in the moment and dedicated to his service. Instead, he focused on the full-length mirror in front of him, his gaze alternating from Tony’s strong, muscled back to Nina’s heavy-lidded eyes as she stood behind him with a hand on his shoulder and one around his waist as she whispered into his ear. “It’s not too late, Jack. You can still have us.”

And oh, how he wanted them. Every time he tried to scratch Tony’s back or caress Nina’s breasts, he felt like a child who’d had candy snatched from them. He could almost describe it as a phantom sensation, so close yet so far away. But the more he tried to convince himself that they were truly there, no longer bothering to quiet his moans or still the slight thrusting of his pelvis, the more he believed that he could have them back. Slowly but surely, the guilt faded to the back of his mind.

"That’s it, Jack. You’ll be over Teri in no time," Tony murmured sweetly, but it proved the wrong thing to say. The mention of her name seemed to make Jack pause, and then the look in his eyes went from a submissive need and desire to a mix of fiery anger and disgust. 

And all of a sudden, the guilt returned in full swing.

“Don’t you dare say her name.” Jack stated, and as his fist connected with the mirror, the sound of glass shattering almost deafening, everything faded to black.

For a moment, all Jack could hear was the sound of his own breathing, rapid like he’d been running from something. His heartbeat thundered in his ears. All he could see was darkness. He felt wide awake. It was like someone had splashed cold water on his face, different to the warm haze from earlier. The images he’d seen before were no longer taking precedence in his mind. They felt very distant from him now, and he could now conclude that they had been two bizarre nightmares in succession.

So, if he wasn’t dreaming, where was he? 

Jack blinked his eyes a few more times and found himself in the basement of CTU, his heart racing.

Another nightmare it was then.

He could see the security guard on the floor, the other trying to perform CPR, but to no use. His legs started to move with urgency, almost autonomously of him, like he couldn’t stop himself if he tried. But the fact was, he had no desire to. He had to do this.

"Have you searched the floor?" He heard himself say, further intensifying the sensation of deja vu. " Have you searched the floor? " He repeated.

Before he knew it, he was opening the door to Tech 3, his hand shaking as he hesitated. He'd been here before. Not just on that fateful day but every following night in his dreams. He took a deep breath, knowing what he was about to walk in on but still feeling too unprepared to see it again.

"Teri," Jack called, taking a shuddering breath as he saw her slumped on the chair, facing away from him.

He knelt in front of her, images flashing in his mind of what to expect. But when he swivelled the chair around, he was surprised to see the stark white of her tank top. She looked a little pale, likely from exhaustion, and was warm to the touch. Her chest was rising and falling. There was duct tape over her mouth and binding her wrists. He cupped her cheeks and tilted her head up. Teri blinked a few times.

"You're alive." He whispered.

She went to speak but was muffled by the duct tape.

"Hang on, hang on," Jack said, gently peeling the tape off her mouth to reveal slightly reddened skin.

"I-It was Nina." She said. "Nina did this to me."

Hearing the fear in her voice but in all honesty, just hearing her voice threatened to overwhelm him. He undid the rest of her restraints, looking her over for any more injuries. He couldn't believe this. He couldn't understand this. It was too good to be true. It had to be. This made no sense. But what she said made sense, and he wanted nothing more than to make sure that she got justice. He could do this over. He could fix this.

"I-I know. We're going to find her." Jack reassured her. "She's not going to get away with this."

As he turned and helped Teri to stand, he froze when he found himself staring at none other than John Milton. Instinctively, he reached for his weapon. How the hell did he get down here? Where was security when they were needed the most? 

"Relax, Agent Bauer," Milton said, raising his hands defensively. "I'm not here to hurt you."

"I... I don't understand. How did this happen?" He asked, needing to know but almost terrified that, by questioning it, he would lose her again.

"Oh, the details don't matter. Just know that even though I gave her back to you," Milton said, with a warning tone to his voice. "I can take her away from you just as quickly."

"What do you want from me?" He demanded.

Milton smiled. "It's been a long day for your wife. She's tired and still in shock." His hand gently caressed her back, almost possessively, and Jack wanted to do nothing more than shoot him. At the same time... she was here with him, so he had no reason to. If he hurt Milton, he could get himself arrested. "She has no idea what she saw. She's delirious."

Jack nodded slowly. "As long as I don't bring up what Nina did to us, Teri gets to stay alive. Is that what you're saying?" 

"I’m saying that your wife needs you right now, so maybe we should end this line of discussion. Have a good evening, agent." He said cheerily before walking away.

"Jack?" Teri asked, clinging to him tightly, seemingly oblivious to his conversation with Milton. "Can we please just take Kim and go home?"

He peered down at her and reminded himself of what he had back. There was no need for revenge. There was no need to ask questions because Jack knew he wouldn't dare risk having anyone or anything take her away from him again.

“Yeah,” Jack said sweetly, moved by the fact that he was looking into her eyes again, full of life. “Let’s just go home.” 

They walked back into the bullpen and immediately turned as Kim ran towards them, teary-eyed and relieved that her mother was okay. When they went to the doctor in the medical ward, they concluded that Teri’s amnesia had likely extended to other traumatic parts of the day and that she might not ever be able to fully recall them. But based on Milton’s words, he doubted that that was just a coincidence. He would take care of her, and she would be okay. Everything would go back to normal. After all, that was what he wanted, right?

But as they walked out, Jack couldn’t help himself. He turned to look for Nina and Tony and found them standing close to each other, already looking towards him. Time stood still for an instant, and Jack felt like he still had a choice, a chance to change his mind. He could see in their eyes they wanted him to, and deep down, he knew he did, too.

“Dad, are you coming?” Kim’s voice pierced right through his doubts, reminding him of his responsibilities over his desires. Sighing, Jack turned his back on them and walked out.

If someone had told Tony two weeks ago that he’d arrange a foursome with three of his direct superiors, not only would he have not believed that, but he had a feeling he might also have tried to claim he wouldn’t be interested. But if someone had told him that that foursome would involve Ryan dressing up as a priest and forcing him to his knees to confess for his sins, then he really would have thought it was simply an intangible fantasy.

He and Nina had been called in for a private meeting with George and Ryan seemingly out of nowhere. But what shocked him as they’d walked into the meeting room, one he’d been in many times, was watching it shift into the very cathedral he’d given himself over to Milton in. It bewildered him, making him frantically look around himself and hold Nina’s hand tighter. 

Before he could say anything, he found George standing there, with an excited look.“You’re just in time. Ryan just finished changing.”

Before they could ask more about it, Ryan walked in, and Tony had to do a double-take. It wasn’t only the hunger in his eyes that had Tony speechless, but rather what he was wearing. The robe was black, much like the one Milton had worn that night, but with the accents of red, deep like blood, it looked a little less holy. He still had the collar, and as part of the fluted sleeve brushed against him, Tony noted the fabric was also quite velvety. He also noted the visible buttons down the front of the robe would be rather convenient later.

Tony seemed to have lost the ability to speak, thankfully Nina seemed up to do all the speaking. “What’s with the outfit, Ryan?” She asked, looking at him amused but interested nonetheless.

Ryan grinned, but his eyes never left Tony’s as he replied to her. “Well, I’ve heard Tony here is into priests.” He commented, then addressed the victim of his teasing directly. “You liked Milton in a robe, so I thought you might appreciate it.”

“How do you know about that?” Tony asked instead of answering Ryan’s question, trying to keep his voice calm, but failing.

Ryan smiled as he reached out to cup his face. “Oh, Milton likes to gossip. He bragged about it, how he found the perfect disguise to tempt you with. On his first try no less!” 

George sighed with a nod. “He’s amazing at that.” He agreed with a content expression on his face that made Tony wonder what he was reminiscing, what Milton had done to break him . “How come you seem to know all about my kinks, but no one told me anything about yours?” He started asking, but the serious tone in his voice faltered as he watched George move closer to Nina, his arms wrapping around her waist from behind as he lowered to start kissing her neck, his fangs scraping the delicate skin there while his hands slid up to undo her bra.

Ryan just smiled at Tony’s expression as he watched Nina and George, with no jealousy in his eyes, just desire. “Oh, Tony. You know if you wanted to know, all you had to do was ask.” He stepped in closer to whisper in his ear. “I like to be in charge, to take complete control of my partners. So, what do you say, are you ready to hand yourself over to me? I won’t hurt you. Unless you ask me to, of course.”

“Oh, he will.” Nina stepped back from the kiss George had pulled her in to assure Ryan. “Pain is an aphrodisiac for him. I could tell you more details about how to destroy him until he’s begging you, but I think you’ll both like it more if you find out by yourself.” She revealed, making Tony blush.

“Alright, I think we can have some fun like that.” Ryan agreed, a mischievous smile on his face, as he eyed Tony up and down. “Strip.”

The request was simple, and the tone of his voice made Tony want to do nothing more than obey. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them. He did. And he was sure that if he wanted to change some of their boundaries, they would be okay with that. But Tony just couldn’t let himself get as excited about this as he wanted to be. There was something he wanted, something more, but what? Maybe he just needed to relax and let them take control.

“Yes.” He said, masking his doubt.

“Yes, what?”

“He likes a good title.” George’s voice suggested, not quite from beside him where George was, his lips that hadn’t moved, but rather they echoed into Tony’s mind. Still, he didn’t question it. The only thing he cared about was seeing the reaction Ryan would have.

“Yes, monsignor.” He corrected himself, earning a satisfied sigh from Ryan. 

Tony could feel three sets of eyes on him as he took off his clothes slowly, teasing all of them. The validation from that made his worries fade just a little, but his mind persisted. Still, he wasn’t going to ruin this for the three of them. They were doing something for his enjoyment, and he was letting his feelings get in the way of that.

“Come on, kneel for us.” He encouraged. “Show us how devoted you are.”

There was no denying how much he wanted this, the thought of being on his knees in front of Ryan, George and Nina, all lined up and ready to be pleasured by him. Nina had always been a good match for him, able to give him what he needed, and Tony loved how she’d encourage him to resist her, to misbehave, just so she’d get the chance to break him, tame him. She understood that sometimes it felt good to have that guidance, to fulfil every command, while other times he wanted to push the boundaries, see just how far he could take it before she’d show him who was in charge. Either prospect thrilled him right now.

So, feeling in the mood for some reminder of his place here, Tony did get on his knees, but as he leaned in closer to Ryan, he didn’t take him in his mouth as Ryan had clearly been expecting. Rather, he just stood there letting his warm breath reach Ryan’s skin.

Looking up at him, Tony could see Ryan wasn’t in the mood for patience, so he gave in but reserved the right to come back for some more teasing later on. For the time being, he moved his tongue down Ryan’s cock in long strokes before swiftly taking him in his mouth, slowly at first and using his hand to touch what he hadn’t taken. He moaned as he took him completely, building up a rhythm. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nina walk over to him, her lips wet with blood. He could see George’s were, too. She grabbed his hand and lowered it between her legs, so he could feel just how wet she was, encouraging him to touch her more, telling him just how much it turned her on to watch Ryan use him like that. She also triggered his jealousy by reminding him that George had had his hands all over her while he’d been servicing Ryan. He couldn’t even enjoy watching because he still had a job to do, and they wouldn’t let him forget it. But, right now, she wanted him to push the boundaries so Ryan could assert his authority once more.

Tapping into Tony’s mind, unheard by the other two, Nina whispered to him telepathically. “Is that all you’ve got? Aren’t you going to put on a good fight to entertain me and George?”

Fueled by Nina’s provocation, Tony decided to show Ryan that he wouldn’t be so easy to tame. He daringly looked up at Ryan with defiance and stroked himself, knowing full well he wasn’t supposed to. There was a look of anger on his face, exactly what he wanted to see. Ryan then grabbed him by the neck, squeezing tightly, knowing he had no need to breathe.

“I know what you’re trying to do, but it’s not going to work on me.” He said simply, voice growling in an inhuman way. “If you want me to be rough with you, you’ll have to ask me nicely.”

“Or what?” Tony challenged.

Ryan didn’t seem as lenient as Nina usually was, not as accepting of Tony purposely misbehaving just to get punished for it. No, from what Tony had seen of him in that short time, Ryan would rather have Tony beg for punishment than push his buttons to provoke him. 

“Stay.” Ryan ordered him, then took a few steps back, starting to touch himself and seeing in Tony’s eyes just how much he wanted to close the distance between them and pleasure him.   “How do you like this, Tony?”

He let out an unrestrained whimper, but Ryan didn’t let that stop him, now making his movements even more exaggerated.

“Will you be good for me, Tony?” He asked, and Tony nodded, but it didn’t seem enough for Ryan. “I want you to beg for it.” He specified, and Tony sighed as he lowered his head. “Please.” He uttered docilely. “Let me prove to you how good I can be.”

Ryan seemed to ponder on that for a moment, then made his decision. “Alright, show me.”

Ryan then moved towards him, allowing Tony to resume what he was doing before. He took him very deeply, very quickly and it made him gag a little, but the noise only seemed to turn Ryan on more as he praised him. He continued to work, now clearly reminded of his purpose here. He was not to do anything unless he was told, and he continued to show Ryan just how much he respected his authority. However, Ryan pushed him away when he got too close to making him come, determined to make that last a bit longer, and George was quick to take over, forcefully grabbing the back of Tony’s head and thrusting into his mouth at a fast and merciless pace.  

A thought came to Tony as George continued using him; the order in which he was servicing them was as if he was making his way down the chain of command. The more he thought about it, the more Tony was reminded of the person who wasn’t there. Of course, Jack was more to him than just a missing link, the one superior of his that Tony had failed to get to agree to this, and what a shame it was. Jack was the superior he needed to direct him most of all. The authority was just one aspect of it; even without a badge, Jack was everything he wanted and more. Tony wanted to obey him. He wanted to do whatever he asked of him, no matter how humiliating, he wanted him in every way. 

Would Jack have been that rough with him? Tony had always thought of him as a man with impressive self-control, but he was sure that after what had happened at the trial, Jack would have had a lot of pent-up anger, and Tony would have loved to let him take it out on him.

“Tony,” George called his name, slight annoyance in his voice. “Stop thinking, you’re ruining this. Just be a good fucktoy and focus on getting me off, anything else doesn’t matter now.”

Tony didn’t feel offended by his words; they’d discussed this, sitting down sometime before this, back when this scenario was merely hypothetical and not scheduled. They’d laid down some ground rules and negotiated some aspects. Ryan had mentioned the use of costumes, which had been fine by him, but hadn’t specified what kind to avoid spoiling the surprise. George had been honest about wanting to degrade and reduce Tony to nothing but an object for his pleasure, and Tony had liked that a lot, looking forward to it. Especially with Nina’s suggestion of her holding him in place and limiting his movement. But now as it was happening Tony realised he couldn’t enjoy it properly, his mind too preoccupied with Jack.

He had promised his three doms he’d tell them to stop if he felt he needed to, but he hated the idea of spoiling their fun. Besides he was sure he could get back into the mood if he just tried hard enough not to picture Jack standing there, looking down at him with contempt as he tried to decide whether he deemed Tony worthy enough to blow him. It would have been an arousing scenario had Tony not known Jack’s disgust for him would be more than just role-play.

Tony did his best, but there was no forcing his mind not to wander. Luckily Nina knew him and could see in his eyes that whatever was bothering him was not going to get away that easily.  She knew how excited he’d been about this, what could possibly be distracting him now?

She rested a hand on George’s shoulder and he understood and stopped. “What is it, Tony?” George asked gently, so different from how he’d been just seconds before all three of them immediately dropped their act. “What’s on your mind?”

“It’s Jack, isn’t it?” Nina guessed after Tony’s only reply had been looking down in shame. She had always been able to read him well, but this time Tony had a feeling she knew because she felt that too, the disappointment that came from his absence in that otherwise perfect scenario.

It took a moment for Tony to realise he wasn’t really feeling sad, or guilty. He couldn’t quite feel that anymore even if he had wanted to. No, what he was feeling was anger. Pure, unadulterated fury that kept growing the more he thought about it. They had offered everything to Jack, just about all he could have wanted. And Tony was sure – a part of him he was still getting used to – just knew that Jack had wanted them desperately. They could have had this together, instead, he had selfishly decided to repress his desire for them, making them all miserable.

“Do you need closure?” Nina asked him suddenly, shaking him from his thoughts, and Tony found himself nodding. Maybe that was exactly what he needed. He realised he didn’t truly want Jack, not anymore, not after he had turned his back on them; but he would have loved to have a word with him.

“Yeah. I think I do.” He admitted, hating that he couldn’t just enjoy this, hating that he couldn’t fully give in to his desires like he wanted to. It was all Jack’s fault.

At that point, George and Ryan exchanged a complicit glance. “What if we told you we could give you the chance to punish Jack, with no consequences whatsoever?” Ryan offered, a grin back on his face, and Tony looked between them, sceptic. “I don’t know… I don’t want to hurt him.”

“Come on, don’t lie to us.” “There’s no need to be shy, tell us what you want.”

“I want Jack to suffer.” He shocked them all by admitting, no trace on his face of the sub eager to please he’d been just moments before. “At my hand, I want to hurt him so much he’s going to beg for mercy and forgiveness, and I’m going to show him none.” Tony took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. “But I can’t do that to him.” He concluded, disappointed.

“Actually, you can,” George explained with a matching mischievous smirk. Tony furrowed his brows. “What do you mean?”

“We can shift our forms,” George explained, voice seductive as he leaned into him to whisper into his ear. “I can make myself look like Bauer in every way possible, and you can have at it.”

“But... but I’d hurt you. I can’t do that.” Tony said, feeling horrified by the mere thought of it “You’re not the one I’m angry at.”

George shrugged. “I’ll heal. Everything is superficial, you must know that by now. Or has Nina not hurt you that much yet?”

She rolled her eyes. “We were taking things slowly. I didn’t want to scare him.” 

He appreciated that; he wasn’t sure how prepared he was for pain strong enough to really hurt a human on the receiving or the giving end. Even if he knew it was all going to fade away, it didn’t feel right.

“Still…” Tony shook his head. “As much as I appreciate your offer, I don’t like the idea of this.”

Before Tony could argue some more the air around George moved swiftly, and Tony found himself staring at what looked like a perfect copy of Jack. “How much do you like the idea of it now, Tony?” It asked, even sounding like Jack.

Tony stared at him in awe of his power at first, admiring the accuracy of every detail, from Jack’s signature expression of intense stoicism to the blue of his eyes. Then he took in the whole picture, and the wonder he was feeling quickly faded into spite as Jack’s face turned into a look of disgust not unlike what he’d looked like before passing on his and Nina’s generous offer.

“What are you staring at, Tony?” He teased. “Can’t bring yourself to do it, can you? You always were a coward.”

And at that moment, all bets were off the table as Tony realised just how much fury he’d been pushing down inside of him. Add a hint of supernatural power and a loss of any ability to feel remorse, and Tony was ready to make himself feel better.

He threw the first punch with more speed and strength than he ever thought he’d be capable of, and felt cartilage break beneath his fist. Before he could let himself feel bad for hurting George, he let that primal side of him take over as he punched him again and again. His blood was wet against his knuckles, and in one swift motion, Tony tackled him to the ground. He heard himself growl and utter Jack’s name like a curse, and as he stared into those defiant eyes he said all the things he wished he could to him, punching him some more as he made his point.

Tony thought that would have been it, but what made his building anger erupt after he thought he was starting to calm down again was when Jack started to fight him back. He recognised that George’s strength would make it more of an even fight than it would have been in reality, but it seemed that George was trying to hold back and let him have the upper hand, which he appreciated. At that point, Tony lost complete control and awareness of his body, letting sheer rage consume him. The logical part of his brain that reminded him that this wasn’t really Jack shut off, and Tony revelled in the opportunity to do what he wanted to. This wasn’t just about Jack, this was about Nina and how he’d betrayed her too, how Nina could have been arrested, how he could have lost her. He was doing this for both of them. 

When Tony felt himself come back to Earth, Jack was begging him to stop. His words were incoherent, his voice shaky and dripping with fear, and the apologies that followed were sweet as honey to Tony’s ears. He spat out a mouthful of blood and stopped pressing his body weight into Jack. Still struggling to even out his breath, Tony stood up, looking down at Jack who had his head down, no longer trying to fight him, and the sight of him so defeated, so genuinely regretful, made Tony feel a sense of peace. That’s how it should have been, he told himself, and that’s when the spell broke and he reminded himself that the man lying at his feet wasn’t Jack - he never would have accepted defeat.

As if feeling that Tony was satisfied with it and had let out all the anger he needed to, the figure shifted back into his original form. Then to his disappointment, Tony could see proof of exactly who he’d been hurting.

“What have I done?…” He said, noticing the array of bruises and wounds that had stayed on George’s skin, in stark contrast to the reassuring smile he gave. ‘Jack’ had been clothed, but now George was as bare as he’d been before, which made it perfectly clear to Tony what he’d done. Tony reached out for his face, and George didn’t flinch as Tony caressed him where, just moments before, he had hit him.

“Nothing I didn’t allow. I could have stopped you at any point.” George reminded him, and even though he was already starting to heal, each mark fading as though nothing had happened.

“I enjoyed it a lot,” George confessed as he got back on his feet, and how could Tony doubt that when George started slowly grinding against his leg and proving to him just how much of an effect seeing Tony abandon himself to his anger had had on him? “And it seems I wasn't the only one.” He added with a smirk, and as Tony followed his gaze down the nave he saw Nina and Ryan’s hungry eyes set on the two of them, their clothes messily discarded on the floor.

Ryan was lying on his back, no longer wearing the robe, Nina on top of him, and Tony could see how bloodied his torso looked, the stains around Nina’s mouth giving away what must have happened; Tony wasn’t surprised, he had gotten to know her bloodlust well since the day of the verdict. He could see scratches as well and felt a sting of possessiveness as Ryan’s fingers dug into her hips as she rode him almost lazily, then she bent to lean towards him once again, and Ryan gently held her in place while she drank his blood. He stopped her after a while, and she whined in protest before he tilted her head up so he could clean the blood off her lips. Nina then turned her head, giving Tony a knowing look.

Still riding the high from his demonic fury, Tony raised an eyebrow. “I thought you’d wait for me.” He said teasingly, but Nina shrugged as she dismounted from Ryan, earning a whine from him. “What can we say, your performance was hot.” 

“You know, Tony, if you’re jealous, you can always use me to get back at her,” George suggested with a mischievous smile, and Tony didn’t have to think twice about it. He grabbed George by the back of his neck, crushing their lips together, more than ready to take him up on that offer. His other hand grabbed at his ass, without losing his grip on him. His lips slipped to George’s neck, fangs scraping the skin there and piercing without a warning. George let out a muffled groan, leaning into him more. He hadn’t bitten anyone with this much ferocity before, but he loved the way it felt. He realised at some point the moans coming from beside him had stopped, and Nina and Ryan were now making their way over.

They hadn’t bothered getting on their feet, simply crawling in his direction still on their hands and knees, a sight that he wasn’t immune to. Ryan stopped in front of him and reached for his bloodied hand, then started licking the blood off it, slowly, sensually, knowing exactly what he was doing as he met Tony’s eyes with a look of pure temptation.

“Now that you’ve gotten your anger out…” Ryan said, looking him up and down. “Why don’t we finish what we started? If you’re still in the mood of course?”

Tony smiled wryly at him. He had to admit that having all that power in a fight had affected him in more than one way, and thanks to Milton, he could not feel any guilt or shame about it. “Sounds like a plan.” He agreed.
“For as much as I liked seeing you all dominant I won’t be that easy to overpower this time around,” George warned him, and Tony smirked. “Of course not. Where would be the fun in that?”

Next Nina joined in and took his fingers one by one into her mouth and sucked on them, her tongue swirling around them, and it drove Tony insane because he knew what that felt like on his cock. But before he could manhandle Nina and guide her skilled mouth where he needed it most, he felt George leaning on him from behind, his naked body pressed against Tony’s back as George’s hands reached around to wrap his finger around his throat with just enough force for him to enjoy that slight choking feeling.

“Payback time.” He simply said before roughly shoving him against the back of the nearest pew and bending him over it, unceremoniously sliding into him. Tony briefly wondered when he’d found the time to lube himself up, but he was soon distracted by the merciless pace George set.

Tony loved those moments when no one expected anything of him and he could just relax and take it, stop thinking.

The hand that started stroking his hardening dick took him by surprise, and he turned his head to look down to find Nina on the kneeler beside him, her skilled hand teasing him more than it was satisfying him, stopping when she thought he was enjoying himself too much, and he knew better than to try to reach down with his own hands. He wasn’t in control anymore, they would do of him as they pleased because they knew how much he loved that.

He was so focused on his own need that Ryan's voice in his ear took him by surprise; he hadn’t heard him come that close. Tony opened his eyes to find him sitting on the pew. He reached out to stroke his sweaty hair.

“You’re so beautiful like this. At our mercy, pleading and bleeding. We could do anything to you right now.”

“Yes.” Tony panted. Ryan looked behind him then, a stern expression on his face. “Come on, George. I know you can do better. If he’s still talking you’re not doing enough.”

George increased his pace then, and Tony was only barely aware of the words that left Ryan’s mouth. “Easy Nina, we don’t want him to finish yet, not until he’s satisfied us all.” He pointed out. She stopped her hands, making Tony whine, and then came to stand next to Ryan. They kissed for a while, their hands lowering to tease each other, and then they decided they’d rather use Tony than just make him jealous by watching them again.

Nina approached him first, stepping up to kneel on the bench so his head was just at the right height for him to eat her out, and he dove eagerly between her legs. Tony knew her body well enough, and knew how to drive her crazy. He just had to stiffen his tongue and slide it inside her, and in no time he got out of her the reaction he wanted; Nina let out a deep moan, then wrapped her hands in his curls and pressed him closer to her, holding him still while she rode his tongue.

From behind him George’s nails sunk deeper into his skin, and Tony felt him come inside him, and by the way Nina’s thighs were trembling he knew she was close too. 

“Come on.” She breathed, making him work faster. Eventually, she tensed, pulling his hair, and he lapped away her wetness, not lifting his head until he was directed to. Nina had a sated look, but knowing her, if she wanted another round, he wouldn’t hesitate to oblige. She kissed him so she could taste herself secondhand, but was quickly interrupted by Ryan moving Nina aside.

“I think I need a reminder of how you put that tongue to use.”

Tony lowered his head obediently and Ryan smiled at that. “Good boy.”

The robe might be gone now, but that didn’t stop Tony from wanting to serve him with everything he had and show him how good he could be. He teased him first, mimicking what he’d done to Nina by moving his tongue swiftly in a way that made Ryan hold him in place more firmly. But Ryan then bucked into his mouth, and Tony then shifted his focus to taking him in as deeply as he could. He could faintly hear George and Nina making out and commenting on him as if he wasn’t there and they were sharing reviews about a toy. He smiled; that was something he’d brought up himself when they’d discussed boundaries, safewords, turn-offs, and turn-ons, and the fact that he knew they were only doing that for his sake made him realise that despite their words, he mattered to them.

Even though he’d gone down on him before, Ryan still managed to last a while before coming into his mouth with a full-body shudder. Tony swallowed every last drop, cleaning him up until Ryan allowed him to move back. He noticed there was a satisfied smirk on his face, and he licked his lips again to show him that he’d enjoyed it just as much as he had.

“What do you say, Ryan? Does he deserve a reward?” George asked, but he didn’t wait for an answer, his hand already lowering to Tony’s impossibly hard dick.

He seemed to contemplate it for a moment, knowing this was his last chance to really rile Tony up before he met his release. He cupped his face, and Tony looked at him with pleading eyes.

“You’re right. He’s earned it.” He conceded, and the praise in Ryan’s voice made something light up in him. Tony thought he would just watch him come apart, but then Ryan moved in closer and allowed his hand to emphasise the movements of George’s. Nina joined in too, walking up to him and just kissing him at first, then Tony noticed the blood flowing from her mouth from where she’d cut her tongue with her fangs, knowing that it always had an effect on him, and he drank from her eagerly. It was sheer ecstasy as the three of them all encouraged him, both aloud and in his mind. Their hands felt like they were everywhere at once, and he surrendered to the feeling, squeezing his eyes shut as he came with a groan.

When Tony opened his eyes they weren’t inside the cathedral anymore, and the place resembled more what Tony had been expecting from what the building looked like from the outside, a simple living room. 

“This is my place,” Ryan explained, noticing the confusion on his face. “I can give you a tour in the morning, but let’s go to bed now, we could all use some rest.”

Moments later, lying down on a big soft bed beside his lovers, Tony knew with confidence now that nothing could compare to this. No drug could offer him the same high and no person could replace what he and Nina had.

Not even Jack.

Jack had stripped down to his boxers and gotten into bed early again, but Teri knew it had nothing to do with his odd hours at CTU. He said good night to her, switching off the lamp on his side and rolling away from her as she sat in her nightgown reading her book. She sighed. Ever since that first night of intimacy between them after that day, something had changed in him. Admittedly, it had been awkward for a number of reasons, including the lingering effects of their separation. But instead of trying again, instead of trying to find themselves and their new boundaries, he’d given up. She’d respected the space, but... she still wanted him. She still wanted to work on fixing things as they had been.

“Jack…” She said sweetly, running her hand down his arm, hoping that he would get the hint. 

He said nothing, and she sighed in disappointment – not that her hopes had been very high to start with – before closing her book and leaning over to turn her light off. But to her surprise, she was halted by Jack’s hand on her thigh. She looked over to find a hungry look in his eyes, and she blushed, smiling as his lips met hers.

There was something of a rush to his movement, but she was so thrilled by the fact that he wanted this that she let herself go willingly, realising just how much she’d missed him and needed him. He pulled her on top of him, just as he had done that first time, wanting to give her the reins here. It had been a little strange. Neither of them had been very used to it or confident in their motions, which had resulted in them ending things rather abruptly. But she was keen to try again if that was what he needed. Teri leaned down to kiss him, his calloused hands sliding under her shirt and scratching her a little, something he had never done before. He was still somewhat skittish, but she put that down to nervousness, being out of habit, lacking confidence.

Jack already regretted this. After that very confusing but eye-opening night, he’d wanted to prevent replicating it in any way. He needed to focus on being a better husband and a father, embracing what he had back. However, it wasn’t lost on him that Teri had been a little more optimistic than him, determined to take the day that nearly tore their family apart and use it as motivation to be closer than they’d ever been, which is why he’d finally given in to her tonight, not wanting to break her heart again.

But, just as he debated trying to find some excuse, he looked up to find a different pair of blue eyes staring back at him. 

“Miss me?” Nina asked coquettishly.

He smiled in disbelief, pulling her towards him insistently and refamiliarising himself with the feel of her body. His fingers laced through her hair, and, all of a sudden, Jack felt like he could remember why he was alive. But, to his disappointment and confusion, within a few seconds, he could hear Teri mumbling his name and drawing back. The spark of excitement dissolved, and he found himself going through the motions, knowing he’d passed the point of no return to plausibly use the ‘I’m tired’ excuse. As his mind drifted to Nina again, and Jack started to wonder whether he’d just imagined her before, she appeared again. 

Jack suddenly flipped her over powerfully and pressed her body into the mattress. His mouth had slipped to suck at her neck and collarbone but he lacked his usual gentleness. She pushed him back slightly, and he decided to help her pull her pyjama pants down, seemingly tired of foreplay. He avoided her gaze, but Teri tried her hardest to ignore how much that hurt, too scared of putting Jack off to question him.

Despite his efforts to try and focus on Teri and let thoughts of Nina fade to the back of his mind – at least, for now – Jack soon found himself in a similar situation. Now, if he let his mind wander, he would find Tony beneath him, with heavy-lidded eyes and strong hands grabbing at his back. 

“Come on, Jack.” He murmured, with that sly smile of his. “Hurt me. You know you want to.”

Jack prepared to move into Tony by giving himself a few sure strokes. He teased him open with his fingers, noticing immediately that the rougher he was, the more Tony seemed to enjoy it. Jack whipped his head around as he swore he could hear Nina encouraging him as well. He let out a loud groan as he slid inside of him, unsure of his movements at first but eventually building up an intense rhythm, loving the way Tony’s nails scratched down his back, sharp enough to make him bleed.

“Jack…” Teri murmured as he thrust into her harder. “Jack, slow down a little.”

To her horror, he didn't seem to be listening to her. He wasn't even looking at her, which was almost startling. For as long as Teri had known him, she had recognised that eye contact was a key part of Jack's communication. Whenever he looked at her, really looked at her, it was a sign of openness, vulnerability, trust between them. He'd barely met her eyes in the time leading up to their separation; it had been the final deciding factor for her.

Come to think of it, he hadn't really been doing too much of that either since that day. The sparks that had come back that day when they'd been so grateful to be alive had fizzled. The magic had worn off. Maybe they'd been right the first time.

Teri grabbed his biceps forcefully, which made him stop his motions and look down at her.

"God, where are you?" She asked, nonplussed.

Jack seemed surprised by her lack of enthusiasm but thankfully moved out of and away from her very quickly. He grabbed his boxers and put them on, walking into their ensuite and turning on the light. She threw her robe on and followed him, standing and watching as he breathed heavily, his hands on either side of the bathroom sink. He was actively avoiding looking into the mirror or at her.

Teri wasn't stupid. She knew something was going on. Ever since the day she and Kim were kidnapped, Jack seemed to have grown colder; she had hoped that being that close to a tragedy would have brought them together, but it seemed it had made Jack even more distant.

It hadn't been like that the week after. Jack had been caring and had reminded her how grateful he was that they'd made it out that day alive. But then he had started acting strange whenever she'd try to initiate anything between them.

At first, she blamed it on their traumatic experience, understanding how that could affect their intimacy. But lately, the way he'd look at her when she'd try to get him into the mood had turned to one of conflict and disgust.

Could he know about, she wondered, what happened to her that day? Was that the reason why he would barely stand to kiss her? 

If that was the case, it also explained a rather odd behaviour she'd observed almost every night these last few weeks. Initially, it had made no sense, and she'd been so happy to have him home again after so many painful months apart; she hadn't wanted to bring it up. However, now it was clear that he didn't feel the same way. And that his emotional distance hadn't just been because he was detaching from her but also because he was getting closer to somebody else.

Teri cleared her throat. "Jack? Who's Milton?"

"'Who's Milton'?" Jack turned to her with a look of complete shock. "Why would you say something like that?" 

Teri quirked a brow. "It was just a question, Jack." She said warily. "And you didn't answer it."

"He's nobody." He dismissed, shaking his head and feeling himself start to sweat bullets. How the hell did she know about him? He should have known better not to trust him that night. "Has someone been bothering you about that day? I told CTU your debrief was enough-"

"No... you've been saying that name in your sleep," Teri explained, cutting him off in the middle of his ramble. "A lot." She emphasised.

That was a different story. Jack knew he had nightmares from time to time; he'd been bothering her with them since the beginning of their relationship. More often than not, they were replays of missions where he'd failed, and no matter how much he tried to rectify his mistakes in his dream, he could never prevent them from happening again. Teri had caught onto this rather quickly, which was easy since he often shouted and moved about violently in his sleep. However... he knew that ever since that fateful night when he hadn't known who or what was real, the night when Milton had brought Teri back, Jack hadn't actually been thinking about that day. Even though he knew consciously what had happened, even though he was sure he would never be able to forget how Teri's cold body had lolled in his arms or the way Kim had wailed afterwards, it hadn't crossed his mind -- in consciousness or sleep. However, he had had some interesting dreams involving Milton, Nina, and Tony.

Which meant that he likely hadn't said Milton's name in anger.

"You know I have nightmares," Jack said, trying but, judging by the look on her face, failing to brush it off. "I-I don't know why I said 'Milton'. Dreams make no sense. I have no idea who 'Milton' could even refer to."

She folded her arms, clearly not buying any of this and getting angry and tired of his lies. "Oh, you don't know? I don't believe you, Jack, because if Milton was a stranger then why do you keep saying his name like that ?"

"Like what?"

"Like..." Teri shrugged vaguely, a flush creeping across her skin. "Like you know him. Intimately."

He pretended to have no idea what she was talking about, which only seemed to frustrate her more.

"For God's sake, do I have to spell it out? Like you were fantasising about him!" She exclaimed. "Is there something you're not telling me? I know we both had our relationships while we were separated, but if you're seeing someone now, then that's a problem, Jack."

”Do you even love me anymore, Jack?”

“Of course I do!” He protested. “You have no idea what I did for you, what I went through, what I gave up on! Don’t you dare tell me I don’t love you!”

But it was too late now; the doubt had been planted in his brain. Had Teri really been worth all he’d renounced? He sighed as he thought about all he’d given up for her. Not just Milton and his promises of infinite pleasure and God knows what else. No, Jack had given up on ever taking a chance on Tony. Alluring, mysterious Tony, that Jack had been drawn to ever since they first met, with whom he had a rivalry for a short period that Jack just knew could have turned into the best angry makeup sex of his life.

Most of all, he’d given up Nina. 

Maybe he could have gotten over her, he deluded himself into thinking. That was, if he didn’t see her every time he tried being intimate with his wife. However, that argument fell apart when he remembered she wasn’t the only one he’d seen in his visions. Tony was just as important here. The thought of having both of them was something so overwhelmingly intense, that he couldn’t bear to deny it. And the key figure in all of this was Milton. The all-powerful, commanding John Milton.

But he had given all of that up to get Teri back, and he had been incredibly grateful for that, for normality, for being able to put a smile on his daughter’s face that he thought he would never see again. Everything had fallen into place exactly as it had been the night before that terrible day. Jack had wanted nothing more than to preserve that. However, the happiness soon wore off, and Jack slowly felt disconnected from them, like things had been during their separation after Nightfall, but worse. After his mission, he had come back home unsatisfied, a dark part of him still craving the action and the adrenaline that came with dealing with life-and-death situations. He had had to lie and pretend it had been so gruesome he had some sort of residual trauma, but the truth was, he missed it. This situation was no different; he knew his desire was perverse, but that didn’t make it go away.

At least, it had started that way, and Jack had thought it couldn’t have gotten any worse, except that it did. Gradually as days went by, Nina’s wasn’t the only form Teri’s body would morph into every time he’d touch her. Tony would appear when Jack woke in the middle of the night. It’d be his arm wrapped around Jack’s waist, his sad eyes staring at Jack with a burning question in them. Why?

But the last straw that had made Jack cease all intimate activity with his wife had been when, while he was letting Teri ride him, he’d looked up at her only to find Milton in her stead, with a gleeful smile on his face and a velvety tone to his voice. At that moment, he’d wanted nothing more than for Milton to pin him down and use him before letting him show his servitude in every way possible. He hadn’t wanted to hurt Teri’s feelings, he hadn’t, and he was grateful that she was alive, he was. Jack just couldn’t bring himself to be with her now. Not when he knew that the grass was indeed greener on the other side. 

He couldn’t deny now that he’d changed, realised that even though everything had gone back to the way things were, he hadn’t forgotten what he’d been offered. More than that, he didn’t think he could forget, no matter how much he wanted to. The rational, familiar part of his brain that had told him to resist temptation might have been the loudest voice he’d heard at that time, but Jack realised now how wrong he’d been to listen to it.

Jack walked out of the bathroom, pausing only to grab the bare essentials, refusing to look at her.

“Jack?” Teri called. “Jack.” She repeated, more insistently. “Where are you going? We’re not finished here. Look at me when I’m talking to you!” 

But her words faded to the back of his mind because there was only one thing he could think about, one thing that was driving him.

He needed them to forgive him before it was too late.

When the door to Tony’s apartment opened, neither of them were particularly pleased to see him, and Jack felt his heart sink into his stomach. After how much they’d appeared to him he had expected them to welcome him back with open arms and ‘I told you so’ grins. He had made himself almost giddy with the thought of them punishing him for his mistake.

“I... I’m here to apologise. And ask you to give me another chance.”

“Little late for that.” Nina muttered, her arms folded.

He felt his chest tighten, terrified by the idea that he might lose them for good, realising now more than ever how wrong he had been. There had to be some way he could make it up to them. Sure, they were upset now, but they would get over it eventually, right? They would have to. He would wait until the end of time if it meant having them back and having another chance to accept what they had offered him.

“No, please, hear me out.” Jack couldn’t care less about how desperate he sounded right now. “I... I need you. Both of you.” He admitted. “I want what you have. I... I can’t live without this.”

“You chose her, Jack, not us.” Tony pointed out coldly.

“And that was a mistake!” He pleaded. “I was afraid before, I wanted to go back to Teri because it was safe, but it’s not what I want. I know that now. Please.”

Nina shook her head, looking incredibly disappointed in him. “You’re too late, Jack. We won’t be the second choice you can go to when you’re not happy with your marriage. I’ve been that to you before, and you dumped me without a regret when Teri told you she wanted to give your marriage a second chance. I won’t let you do that to me again.” 

“What’s going on?” Someone asked, and Jack soon recognised the voice as George came to the door. He was shirtless, his torso covered in what looked like bite marks, and when he met Jack's eyes, he looked at him with disgust. “You’re not welcome here, Jack. Not after what you did. You can't just leave them broken, then come back as we're still trying to put them back together just because you're bored, I won't let you.”

As he went to speak again, the door shut in his face and he heard the click of the lock. There was another voice calling out impatiently, and he realised it was Ryan. It hit Jack that if it wasn’t for what he’d done, he could have very well been another member of that room.

But maybe all hope was not lost; maybe they were just still mad at him, maybe he still had a chance here. He drove desperately to Milton’s office, knowing he was his only hope. Milton would have to understand, he would have to forgive him for refusing his offer. At this moment he knew that he was willing to do anything and everything to receive what Milton had promised him; if worshipping him and proving his loyalty to him was what it took to have it all, then he would do so willingly. This time around he’d kneel freely and would surrender himself to Milton.

His phone buzzed, and Teri’s caller ID appeared, but he declined it, which only further affirmed to him that she wasn’t what he wanted. Not anymore. He saw the lights were still on in Milton’s office, to his relief, and parked the car haphazardly, before bursting into the reception of the office without a care in the world.

“I need to see Milton.” He panted. “It’s urgent.” 

The secretary looked at him like he was deranged. “Sir, if you would like to book an appointment-”

“No.” Jack insisted, raising his gun, probably the only thing he’d remembered to take with him. “Let me see him now .” He said almost manically. 

She held up her hands, frightened, and Jack directed it straight at her when she tried to reach for the phone. He was aware a place like this might have some security guards, but he wouldn’t let that stop him. He had to fix this. 

“Oh, well, this is certainly a surprise.” A voice called, and Jack whipped his head around to see the man himself, entirely unfazed by his weapon, which only confirmed to him that he was indeed the man, or rather, angel , from his dream.

“There’s no need to threaten my secretary. Come on in, we can talk.” Jack followed him, though he wanted so much more than that. 

Jack lowered his weapon with a tremble, still feeling intimidated by Milton even though he was the armed one here. Would he really take him back? He didn’t know what he was going to do if he didn’t. He felt purposeless now, like serving Milton had been his only source of oxygen and he’d refused it like a fool. 

The door to the office shut, and Milton poured himself a scotch, looking Jack up and down with something of mirth.

“What do I owe this unexpected visit to?”

“Cut the crap, you know why I’m here.” Jack bristled, and after a stern glance from the man, Jack realised he had forgotten his manners. “Sir.” He added.

He tutted, and Jack felt his gut sink. The shame he had reminded him of any time he came home to his father with a bad grade on a test, knowing the punishment that would await him. But Jack knew that he had far more things to worry about than being hit with a belt. “Oh believe me, I do. And I can’t say I’m surprised. But you don’t get to change your mind here.”

“I-I know. I was wrong. I was so wrong, I made the wrong choice.”

“I would have given you everything you could have wanted, but you chose her.” Milton pointed  a finger at his chest. “And now you gotta live with that!”

The mere thought made him want nothing more than death. If he couldn’t have this, he didn’t want to live anymore. “I can’t.” He admitted pitifully. “I can’t go back to what I had before.”

“You see, you should be saying that like you’re overjoyed with all of this enlightenment you’ve had. But you’re not. You’re upset. You’re saying it to me like it’s my fault, Jack.” He shook his head. “What were my words to you?” He demanded. “What were my words to you?” He repeated. “I told you "I’m all you never knew you desired. And you could be mine, if you’d let me."” But you said  “No, I can’t do this. I can’t become like you. I... I won’t…” His voice morphed to mimic his perfectly, stuttering and all.

“You thought you were something noble for denying my offer. You thought that proved something and look where that’s gotten you.” Milton scoffed. “You’re a mad man, you’ve come to me in the middle of the night waving your gun around, so desperate to get a second chance.”

He let out a cruel laugh, continuing to criticise him, and Jack did the only thing that seemed fitting, the only way he knew he might get Milton to listen to him. He got on his knees for him, eyes down, head lowered in the purest form of submission. "Milton…" He begged, and now that he could hear how he sounded when he said his name he understood why Teri had known immediately that their relationship extended far beyond a professional one. “Please, won’t you have me now?”

“Why? I was under the impression you didn’t want that, that you were too fuckin’ good for us.”

“I…I was afraid. I was holding onto my morals, they’re all I’ve ever known. But I’ve changed.” His voice broke, but the pity of his display seemed not to affect Milton in any way. “Really, I’ve changed.”

“Prove it.”

Jack got back on his unsteady feet, and tentatively walked towards him. Milton made no move to get up, so Jack decided to sit astride his leg, daring to reach between Milton’s legs and squeeze and stroke him through his pants. Milton met his eyes with an unimpressed look on his face, and Jack let go of his composure, determined to prove his dedication, thrusting with his hips to hump his leg, the friction of the fabric between them a discomfort that somehow only made the experience better for Jack. He waited for Milton to react, to be receptive, to manhandle him and punish him for making the wrong choice.

“See? I can submit, I can be obedient, I can be what you want.” He looked up hopefully. "Is this what it'll take for you to take me back? Give me what you offered then?"

"Oh, you are tempting when you want to be, I'll give you that." Milton said with a cruel smirk before sighing and pushing him away with a strong hand on his chest. "But you've made your choice, Agent."