As soon as Kim was gone, Jack got into his car, automatically heading for Chloe's. He needed to tell her what had just happened, and she was the only one who could confirm his suspicions.

            He knocked on the door and waited anxiously, his brain still struggling to deal with everything. Never had he thought that Kim might fall in love with Tony. But at the same time, he wasn't as surprised as he thought he would be. They spent all their time together, they told each other everything, and they made each other laugh – something that both of them desperately needed.

            Chloe opened the door then, interrupting his thoughts. He stared at her for a minute, his reasons for coming momentarily forgotten. But then he could see Kim's tear-stained face again, and he shook himself out of his reverie.

            "We need to talk."

            Chloe's expression grew wary. "What did I do?"

            Jack frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

            "We need to talk usually means it's going to be a painful and awkward conversation where you tell someone something they don't want to hear."

            Jack gave her a soft smile. "Relax, Chloe. This has nothing to do with us."

            "Oh." He could have sworn he saw a flash of disappointment in her eyes. "Come in, then."

            As she shut the door behind him, he turned to look at her.

            "I know about Kim and Tony."

            Her eyes widened. "Oh."

            He saw her flounder for something to say. Reaching out, he gently took her hand and led her over to the couch. They sat down, Jack still holding her hand.

            "Kim told me she's in love with Tony," he began quietly.

            "Are you okay with that?"

            He leaned back against the couch, nodding. "Yeah. I think I am. It's a little…unnerving. He's my best friend. He's older than her." Jack took a deep breath. "But there's no one I'd trust more with her. And he makes her happy…She's not my little girl anymore. I can't make her decisions for her. And if Tony is what she wants…well, she's still my daughter and he's still my best friend. I'll just have to deal with it."

            When he finished talking, he looked over to see Chloe smiling warmly at him.

            "I'm very proud of you."

            "But I have something to ask you, Chloe."

            She frowned. "What?"

            "Does he love her back?"

            "You don't know?"

            "I think I do. But Kim came over this morning and told me he was mean to her last night – cold and distant."

            Chloe sighed. "I was afraid of that." When Jack stared at her, she continued. "He loves her, Jack. That's what's been eating at him. You and Kim are his best friends and he couldn't go to either of you. He's afraid she doesn't feel the same. He's scared to death that you'll hate him. And on top of all that, he's been dealing with the guilt of loving someone else after Michelle. That's why he's been coming to me. He had nowhere else to go."

            It was Jack's turn to sigh. "I need to talk to him. Before he hurts Kim any more. Before he hurts himself."

            Chloe nodded. "He needs to know you'll still be friends."

            He narrowed his eyes at her. "When I first got here, you thought I was here to talk about us. Is there something we need to talk about?"

            "No. I mean…I don't know."

            "Chloe. If there's something bothering you…please. Don't shut me out."

            She frowned, looking down at their hands, still entwined. "Tony and I…we talked a lot. When he was coming over. He…he told me something. About you. And I need to know if it's true."

            She felt him stiffen immediately. "What did he tell you?"

            Chloe raised her eyes to his, forcing herself to look at him. "Do you love me?"

            He found that he couldn't breathe. But her eyes were staring at him with…fear, and he knew that he had to answer her.

            "Yes," he whispered.

            "That way? Like…more than just a friend."

            "Yes."

            She nodded. Then she was leaning towards him, her lips brushing lightly over his. He gasped at the contact, completely unprepared for her response. Her lips pressed more firmly against his and her tongue ran along his lips until he opened to her, letting her fully explore his mouth. He moaned, one hand wrapping around her waist while the other moved to tangle itself in her dark hair. Then she was leaning against him, pushing him back down onto the cushions and bringing her body to lay atop his. Their kisses grew deeper and more passionate as they moved against each other, their sighs and groans melding together.

            Jack's phone ringing caused them to jump apart. He gave her a smile and kissed her once more before pulling his cell out and answering it.

            "Bauer."
            "Daddy?"

            He sat up suddenly. "Kim? What's wrong?"

            "He's gone."

            "Tony?"
            She nodded even though he couldn't see her. "I went into his room. All his stuff is gone and there's a note. He left."

            Jack sighed. "Okay, Kim. I need you to breathe. I think I know where he went. I'll go talk to him. Everything's going to be alright."

            "How do you know?"

            "Trust me, baby. I know what's wrong with him. I'll talk to him." He paused. "Do you want someone to come stay with you for now?"

            She sniffed. "No. I'm okay. Will you call me? Let me know what's going on?"

            "If everything goes well, I won't need to. Get some rest, Kim. Everything will be okay."

            He hung up and saw Chloe's questioning look.

            "Tony left," he explained. "I think I know where he went. I'm going to go talk to him."

            "Where do you think he is?"

            "Michelle's grave," he answered as he threw on his coat. Looking back at her, he walked over and kissed her again. "I'll be back later. Is that okay?"
            She nodded, smiling at him. "I'll be here."

            He kissed her once more and was out the door.

 

888888888888888888888888888

 

            Tony was right where he thought he'd be. He sat on a bench near Michelle's grave, his head in his hands. Jack's heart broke at the sight of him – he knew exactly what that felt like. He had visited Teri's grave multiple times with that same hopelessness and despair and guilt. That kind of pain could kill a man.

            He got out of the car and walked over to his friend, taking a seat next to him. They sat in silence for a long time, Tony never lifting his head and Jack staring straight ahead. Finally, he rested a hand on the other man's shoulder, pulling him out of his isolation.

            "Tony."

            "What are you doing here?" he asked hoarsely, raising his tear-stained face.

            "Kim called me. Told me you left. Told me what happened last night." He paused. "I know you're in love with her."

            "Oh God, Jack. I'm so sorry."

            "It's okay, Tony."

            "I never meant to. I know she's your daughter. I know she's off-limits-"

            "Tony, stop."

            The other man fell silent, not knowing what else he could say.

            "You didn't betray me."

            His eyes snapped up at Jack's words. "I didn't?"

            Jack shook his head. "No. You make her happy, Tony. I've never seen her so happy than in the past few months you two have been living together. I'm not going to stand in the way of that."

            Tony's eyes widened in surprise. "But she doesn't…"

            "She loves you. She told me herself."

            His eyes drifted to his wife's gravestone. Jack's gaze followed and they sat for another long while without speaking.

            "Am I betraying her?"

            Jack shook his head. "No. I know it feels like it. But she would never want you to be alone, Tony. Punishing yourself isn't going to bring her back. It's just going to make you and the people who care about you miserable." He paused. "Although I think Michelle would laugh at you for falling for my daughter."

            Tony smiled faintly. "I think you're right."

            "I understand why you didn't tell me. I probably would have yelled, gotten upset and told you to get out of my sight and stay away from my daughter. But…it was easier coming from Kim. I just want to see her happy. And now she'll have a boyfriend I actually like. So…go back. Tell her how you feel. Apologize profusely for being a complete ass. And make her happy. That's all I want for her, Tony. I want her to be happy."

            "And us? Are we okay?"

            "You're still my best friend. I told you nothing would change that or make me think less of you. I meant that."

            "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

            Jack shrugged. "I know what it's like, Tony. I nearly broke when I got together with Kate. She was the first after Teri. Just…don't ever expect Kim to be a replacement for Michelle. She's a completely different person, and I'm sure you love her for completely different reasons. Just remember that. Because sometimes she'll compare herself to Michelle and it's going to hurt her and she's going to need you there to remind her that you love her. That you'll always love Michelle, but that there's no reason for comparison. You can love them both at the same time."

            Tony nodded. "Thank you."

            "Yeah yeah. Now get off your ass and go fix things with my daughter. You make her cry like that again and I'll kill you."

            "Where are you going?"

            "I'm going to go have sex with Chloe."

            Tony's eyes widened. "Really?"

            "We'd probably be having sex right now if Kim hadn't called and told me you were stupid and had taken off."

            "She finally told you? How she feels?"

            "No. She finally asked me how I felt."

            "About damn time."

            "Go home, Almeida. Before my daughter gives up on you."

            Tony nodded and got up, heading for his car.

 

888888888888

 

            The knock on the door startled her. Fear leapt up in her, threatening to choke her. She thought that it must be her dad, coming by to tell her that he couldn't find Tony. Or worse – that he had found Tony and the other man wasn't coming back. Trying to steady herself, she got up from the couch and moved to the door on shaky legs.

            Kim nearly sobbed when she found Tony standing on the other side. He looked haggard and worn and afraid, but there was something in his eyes that hadn't been there the night before – hope.

            "Tony?"

            He came in then, reaching for her face and crashing his lips against hers. She sank into him immediately, relief flooding through her veins. He kicked the door shut behind him as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her body flush against his. His tongue nudged at her lips until she opened her mouth, letting him in completely. She moaned roughly, the sound swallowed as their kisses grew more urgent. Then Tony pulled back suddenly, and she almost whimpered at the loss of contact.

            "I'm sorry," he gasped, his breathing heavy. "I didn't think you…I thought Jack…" He took a deep breath. "I was scared."

            "Me too."

            He looked at her deeply. "I love you," he said quietly.

            "I love you too," she whispered.

            She kissed him again and it was different from the other times they'd done this. There was no sense of wrongdoing or betrayal. There was no deep-seated grief that they were trying to hide from. They reveled in the touch of the other and took their time as they moved into Kim's bedroom.

            Tony's hands were everywhere, running along the contours of her body through her clothing. Then he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her until she had no choice but to wrap her legs around him. Slipping his shoes off, he moved to kneel on the bed until he could lay her down, his body over hers. He kissed her deeply as his hands slid under her t-shirt, his fingers dancing along her bra-less breasts. Kim moaned, pressing herself closer to him. Pulling back to breathe, Tony pulled the t-shirt off of her completely and found himself staring at her in awe. She smiled, her hands moving to lift up his shirt as well so that she could let her fingers roam over his chest. He closed his eyes at the feeling before pushing her back down and bringing his mouth to her breasts. He drew his tongue around one nipple as he used his hand to squeeze her other breast, his fingers teasing her hardened nipple. Kim groaned loudly, her fingers tangling in his hair as she held his head against her.

            After he had moved his mouth to her other breast, he moved his kisses lower, traveling across her stomach and down to the edge of her jeans. Without hesitation, he undid her pants and slid them off, along with her underwear. Seeing her completely naked before him made him even harder and he found himself speechless. Choking back the emotion welling up in his throat, he let one hand drift down to her core, staring into her eyes as he thrust a finger up inside her. She arched against him, gasping at the sensation. Smiling, he slowly moved his face down until he could taste her. His tongue moved inside her and her squirming increased as she could feel her orgasm building. She moaned his name breathlessly, anxious for him to let her come. His thumb scraped against her clit urgently and she felt herself climax suddenly as she yelled his name and sagged against the bed.

            He moved back up her body, giving her soothing kisses as he went. When he reached her mouth he kissed her deeply, letting her recover from her high. Pulling back, he moved his mouth to her ear.

            "You okay?"

            She nodded. "Very much so."

            Shifting slightly, she felt his arousal pressing more firmly against her. She gave him a soft smile before pushing him off of her and onto his back. Her nimble fingers did away with his belt quickly and then she was sliding his pants and boxers off, dropping them to the floor. She planted kisses up and down his thighs, her tongue sliding along his skin. Tony groaned deeply, his hips bucking as he felt her mouth getting closer and closer to his cock. Then her hands were there, moving slowly up and down his shaft as she took him in her mouth completely. All coherent thought was lost as he felt her tongue move against him. He struggled to maintain some control, but he could feel himself about to fall over the edge.

            Her mouth left him suddenly and she kissed her way up his chest and back to his mouth. Tony tried to get his breathing regulated as he stared at her.

            "Geez, Kim. Are you trying to kill me?"

            She smiled coyly. "Are you saying you didn't enjoy it?"

            He grinned as he rolled her over and pinned her to the bed. "That is exactly the opposite of what I'm saying."

            She giggled as he kissed her again, his tongue exploring her mouth as he positioned himself at her entrance. He pulled back so that he could look in her eyes, making sure that she was ready. Kim nodded, and he leaned down to kiss her again, pushing slowly into her body. She moaned into his mouth as he filled her completely. They paused for a  moment, adjusting to the fit, but then they were moving again, their rhythm coming naturally. Tony moved one hand down and pinched her clit, their bodies moving faster as he thrust into her harder. Kim wrapped her legs around his waist, holding him to her as tightly as she could. Breathlessly calling each other's names they came together, her muscles clenching around him and bringing him over the edge with her. He slumped against her, holding himself up by his elbows before rolling off and pulling her close to him. She reached out a hand to cup his face.

            "Are you alright?" she asked seriously.

            He nodded, giving her a small smile. "Yeah, Kim. I'm alright."

            "I know it's hard. But you can talk to me…about that stuff. I can handle it."

            "I know. And I'll try. I promise."

            "No more running away?"

            He kissed her forehead and covered them both with blankets. "No more running away," he promised.

           

 

           

            Jack had an odd look on his face as he handed Tony a bottle of water and took a seat next to him on the couch. A baseball game was playing on the TV, but neither was particularly invested in it since neither the Cubs nor the Dodgers were playing. But there was nothing else on, and it felt awkward to sit there without any background noise to cover their lack of conversation. As the Angels scored a run, Jack cleared his throat loudly.

            "So how are you doing?" he asked. "With the not drinking?"

            Tony smirked at him. "It's taken you six innings to figure out how to ask, hasn't it?"

            "Yeah, well. I didn't know if it was any of my business. I remember snapping at you any time you asked about my heroin withdrawal."

            "You always were a cranky bastard." He paused, a serious look coming over his face. "It's going okay."

            "How long has it been?"

            "Six months."

            "That's good, Tony. That's really good." Jack stopped then, fiddling with the remote as he tried to find the right words. "I found out about the hotel," he finally said.

            "What?"

            He sighed. "I know you've been living at the hotel. I probably shouldn't have, but I tracked you down."

            "Why would you do that?"

            "I was worried about you, Tony. I knew you were drinking too much, and you refused to tell me where you were staying. I wanted to be able to keep any eye on you."

            "I'm doing better, though."

            "I know. But the sudden turnaround made me curious, too. I wanted to know what had made you stop drinking. So I kept looking. And I found the hotel." He looked at the other man. "You should have told me. You could have stayed with me. I could have helped."

            Tony sighed. "I didn't want to be helped."

            "So what changed?"

            He shrugged, trying to find a way out of the question. "Don't know."

            "You're lying."
            "Does it really matter? I stopped drinking. I don't live at the hotel anymore. I'm getting better."

            "So where are you living now?"

            "With a friend."

            "Could you be more specific?"

            "Not right now. No."

            "Is it a woman?"

            Tony glared at him. "Yes. But it's not like that. We're just friends."

            "I wasn't judging. It would be fine if-"

            "We're just friends. I have my own room and everything."

            "Tony-"

            "Look, Jack. You're my best friend. You really are, and if it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have survived the first few months I was back. But I can't talk about where I'm living yet. It's too…complicated. Please."

            Jack stared at him for a minute before finally nodding. "Okay. I'll back off." He paused. "You'll still come over to watch the game though, right?"

            Tony laughed. "Yeah. She doesn't like baseball. Says it's a silly sport."

            "Women," Jack muttered.

 

***

 

            "I saw your dad today," Tony said quietly as he and Kim made dinner.

            "How is he?" she asked quietly.

            "Lonely, I think," he answered. "He found out that I was living in the hotel after I got back and he wanted to know why I didn't let him help me."

            "Does he know you don't live there anymore?"

            He watched her carefully. "Yeah. But don't worry, Kim. I didn't tell him I was living with you. I'm not entirely sure how he would handle that." He paused. "He misses you."

            "I don't miss him."

            He sighed. "That's a lie, and you know it, Kim. You can't push him away forever. I'm not even sure why you're doing it anymore."

            "It's complicated-"

            "No. It's not. He's your father. You love him. You don't blame him anymore…" He trailed off, staring at her. "You're embarrassed, aren't you? You're ashamed to tell him about all the stuff that happened to you. You're afraid he'll think less of you or that he won't love you anymore."

            She was fighting back tears, her hands shaking as she tried to cut the potatoes sitting in front of her. Moving closer to her, Tony gently took the knife from her and set it down, pulling her into his arms. She clung to him, sobbing into his shoulder as he whispered soothing words into her ear. Eventually her cries subsided and Tony placed a gentle kiss to the top of her head as he continued to hold her.

            "I think you it's time you saw someone, Kim."

            She pulled back to look at him with a frown. "What do you mean?"

            He hesitated slightly. "You need someone to talk to. A professional."

            Kim pulled back more, trying to free herself from his arms. "What, it's too much for you? If you didn't want to hear it, Tony, you should have just said something-"

            "No, no, no," he rushed to assure. "That's not what I meant at all. I will always be here to listen. I want you to tell me what's wrong. But I can only do so much…I have trouble keeping myself together some days. I can't put you back together, as much as I want to. You need someone to help you sort through everything – Barry, the baby, your dad."

            "What about you?" she shot back. "Why don't you need someone to talk to?"

            "I go every Wednesday morning at nine."

            Kim frowned. "I thought you were running then."

            "I do every other morning. On Wednesdays I go see James – my therapist."

            "You really see a shrink?"

            Tony laughed at her expression. "Almost as soon as I got back, your dad forced my ass into therapy. He knew from experience that I would need someone to talk to."

            Kim nodded, moving herself until she leaning against his chest again, his arms around her.

            "I'm scared," she whispered.

            "Because of Barry?"

            She nodded again. "I trusted him, Tony, and I let him take advantage of me. How do I keep that from happening again?"

            "We'll find you a woman to talk to. And if anything weird or bad happens, you tell me and we'll fix it, okay?"

            "You really think I can do this?"

            Tony smiled at her gently. "I know you can. And you don't have to do it alone. I'm going to be here. Every step of the way."

            She returned his smile. "Why are you being so helpful?"

            "I seem to remember something about you giving me a place to live other than the hotel and kicking my ass until I stopped drinking. You've been a good friend, Kim. I'm just making sure I do the same for you."

            "We did it, didn't we?"

            "What?"

            "We became friends. Good friends."

            "Yeah," he smiled. "we did."

           

***

 

            "You should just go to bed," Tony informed her as they sat together on the couch.

            Kim shook her head firmly. "It's movie night. I'm not missing movie night just because I have a cold."

            "Kim, you look awful. You're running a fever. You need sleep."

            "Gee, thanks Tony," she said, rolling her eyes. "Why don't you just grab the beers and the pizza and put the movie in?"

            Tony sighed and got up, heading to the kitchen. Kim leaned her head back against the couch, closing her eyes. She really didn't feel well. But Tony had seemed out of sorts all week, and she wanted to spend some time with him, see if she could help him at all. Her mind drifted, and she found herself marveling at how close they had become. He had been living with her for almost seven months now, and there was no awkwardness between them. They ate most meals together and had designated Friday as movie night. They would order pizza and drink beers, sometimes falling asleep on the couch, still sitting next to each other. They would wake up a few hours later and each stumble to their own bedrooms. She never thought that they could actually be friends, but now she couldn't imagine living without him.

            She jerked awake a moment later when she felt something being laid over her. Opening her eyes, she saw Tony moving to sit beside her, having just covered her with a blue fleece blanket. She smiled at him warmly.

            "Thank you."

            He shrugged. "You looked cold."

            Kim didn't make it very far into the movie. She was soon fast asleep, the blanket wrapped tight around her and her head resting on Tony's shoulder. He continued to watch the movie, casting glances at her now and then, smiling every time. She looked so peaceful while she slept, and Tony was glad that she was getting some rest.

            When the movie was over, he shut the TV off and turned to look at her again. She hadn't stirred at all in the past hour and he knew that he should wake her so that she could sleep in her bed. Hesitating slightly, he reached out a hand to brush a piece of hair out of her face, tucking it gently behind her ear. He suddenly didn't want to wake her. He wanted to just let her sleep there on his shoulder for the rest of the night. But he knew that she couldn't be comfortable, and that things would be weird when she finally did wake up.

            Sighing, he moved her gently so that her head was once again resting against the back of the couch. He stood then, smiling at her again before bending down to scoop her up into his arms. Using his elbow to flip off the lights, he carried her to her bed.

 

***

 

            "I'm glad you called," Jack said quietly as he sat across from his daughter.

            They had agreed to meet for lunch that day at an outdoor café. Kim was dressed in jeans and a tank top, while Jack had agonized over what to wear. He had finally settled on a dress shirt and khakis. He knew that the café was casual, but he also wanted to show his daughter that he was doing okay, that he could take care of himself, despite that being far from the truth…he had called Chloe in a moment of desperation, begging her to come over and pick out his outfit.

            Kim shrugged. "I figured it was time we actually talked."

            Jack froze. "Are you going to tell me to stay out of your life again?"

            It was then that Kim saw the fear in her father's eyes. She hadn't realized what a toll her silence had taken on him, and her heart broke for all the pain that she had caused him. Silently, she vowed to try her hardest to make this work. Reaching over, she took his hand in hers.

            "No, Daddy. I don't want you out of my life."

            His sigh of relief was audible, and he smiled at her warmly as he squeezed her hand.

            "What made you decide to call me?"

            Kim rolled her eyes. "My shrink."

            She saw his jaw clench. "Barry?" He tried to keep his voice even.

            Biting her lip, she tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach. "No. Barry and I…we broke up, Dad. I have a new therapist now. A woman," she added, seeing the worry in his eyes. "She told me I was ready to talk to you. To tell you about what's happened to me over the past few years."

            The worry in his eyes only grew. "What do you mean?"

            She frowned, staring down at her plate. "Barry…he wasn't very good for me, Dad. He wasn't…good to me."

            "What did he do?" Jack growled.

            Kim looked around, taking in all the people around them. "Maybe…maybe we could go for a walk?"

            Seeing the fear in her eyes, he struggled to soften his features. He reached into his wallet to pay for the sandwiches they had barely touched and then stood up, reaching out his hand to her.

            "Come on," he said softly.

            There was a small park across the street, and they walked side by side down one of its lanes. Jack tentatively wrapped an arm around her shoulders, smiling when he felt her lean into him.

            "Talk to me," he urged.

            Kim led them over to a bench and sat down, turning her body so that she was facing her father. But she couldn't meet his eyes, instead keeping her gaze locked on the bench.

            "He…he hit me." She could feel him tense up next to her immediately, but was surprised by the gentleness with which he took her hand. "Not every day. But often enough. I don’t know why I didn't leave. I was…scared. I didn't know where else to go. When it first happened, you were in China, and then…I was too afraid to go to you once you got back."

            "Afraid?" he asked, lifting her chin with his finger.

            She nodded. "All those things I said to you…I know how badly I hurt you, and you didn't deserve it. And I had screwed up so badly with Barry and I didn't know how to fix things."

            Jack squeezed her hand before cupping her face and locking his gaze on hers. "Kim, there is nothing you could do to make me stop loving you. No matter how far you fall, sweetheart, I am always going to be here for you."

            She looked at him through watery eyes. "I got pregnant," she whispered. He nodded for her to continue and she took a deep breath. "Barry didn't want any kids…he blamed me. Said I did it on purpose. We had a fight. He…" Her words were lost as the emotion choked her.

            "Did he hurt you?" her father asked gently, straining to keep any roughness out of his voice.

            Kim nodded. "I lost the baby," she whispered, so quietly that Jack could barely hear her.

            His jaw clenched and he had to restrain himself from flying off the bench and hunting down the son of a bitch. Kim needed him to be supportive, not angry and vengeful. Reaching over, he dragged her against his chest, holding her tightly as she started to cry. He ran his fingers through her hair, whispering soothing words to her, wishing that he could do something to take away her pain. Finally her sobs subsided, but she kept leaning against him.

            "I left after that. I was afraid he'd kill me."

            "Then what did you do?"

            "I thought about finding Chase and trying to make things right with him…but he had already moved on. He got married. He has a family now."

            "I'm sorry, Kim."

            She shrugged. "Then I just started drinking and being angry all the time. It was all I could do to keep from curling into a ball and crying."

            "What made you stop?"

            "Tony."

            Jack pulled back from her in surprise, his eyes wide as he looked down at her.

            "Tony?"

            She nodded. "I ran into him at a bar one night. At the hotel he was staying at. I was trashed. He refused to let me drive home, telling me I could just crash in his room. When we got up there, I…I broke down. I smashed his mirror and started crying. He just bandaged me up and took care of me…sitting with me until I fell asleep."

            Jack frowned. "He never told me."

            "He was afraid to. He knew that it would hurt you to know that I was willing to talk to him and not to you."

            He nodded. "So you still talk to him."

            Kim smiled. "He's my roommate."

            "What?"

            "I couldn't let him live in that hotel anymore. Part of him was too ashamed to ask you if he could move in…"

            "I would have gladly-"

            "I know, Dad. But you'd already helped him out before…after Michelle left him."

            Jack frowned at her, trying to take it all in. "So you and Tony are…friends?"

            She nodded. "Yep. He moved in about seven months ago. He's the one that made me go see a therapist. He's taken good care of me." She paused. "Are you okay with that? With me and him being friends?"

            He smiled at her. "Of course I am. It's just…unexpected. I guess I never thought of you and Tony having anything in common."

            "Neither did we. Until it turned out that we both hurting so much. We bonded over the pain. And now…we just hang out. We watch movies and stuff…and talk. We get along really well."

            "You're what made him stop drinking," Jack said as he finally put the pieces together.

            She nodded. "We fought a lot at first. We were both angry and we tried to push each other away. But then I took all the alcohol out of the house and stole his car keys. Getting sober was hard, but he's done a really good job with it." She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're not mad, are you? At Tony?"

            He gave her a smile. "No, sweetheart. I'm glad he was there to help. And I'm glad you could help him. It just takes a little effort to wrap my brain around it. He's always been my friend."

            Kim smirked up at him. "And he still is, Daddy. You're his best friend. He just didn't want to hurt your feelings. He thought it would be better coming from me."

            "He was right about that. I wouldn't have handled it well, knowing that he got to talk to you and I didn't." He paused. "So…are we okay? I know we still have a ways to go, but…can we see each other? Maybe have dinner sometimes?"

            She hugged him against her tightly. "Of course, Dad. You can always come over or call me. I've missed you."

            Jack hugged her back, his eyes misty as he kissed the top of her head. "I've missed you too, sweetheart."

 

***

 

            Tony froze when he opened the apartment door to find Jack standing on the other side. His throat went dry and he suddenly found himself devoid of words. Kim had told him that Jack knew he was living there, and that he had seemed fine with it, but Tony knew that Jack had a way of hiding his anger until faced with the source.

            "Hi Tony."

            "Jack."

            "Can I come in?"

            "Yeah, sure."

            Tony stepped aside, letting the older man through. Jack moved to the couch, sitting down, making himself at home.

            "You got anything to drink?"

            "Um…milk. Juice. Water."

            "Water sounds good."

            Tony nodded, his mind racing as he moved to the kitchen. As he pulled two bottles of water from the fridge, he reasoned that if Jack was going to kill him, he probably would have done it right away. On the other hand, he had seen Jack lull suspects into a sense of security before pouncing on them and ripping their throats out. His stomach was a mess by the time he came back out to the living room, and he noticed that his hand shook as he handed Jack the bottle of water and sat next to him.

            "Relax, Tony. I'm not here to kill you."

            Tony glanced at him sideways. "Promise?"

            Jack laughed, leaning over to pick up the remote. "Yeah. I promise." He stopped and turned to his friend. "Thank you."
            "For what?"

            "For taking care of her while I couldn't. For being a friend when she needed one. You guys really get along well. I can hear it in her voice when she talks about you."

            Tony relaxed a little. "We were both surprised that it worked. But I do care about her Jack. She's one of my closest friends now. Probably only second to you."

            "Good to know I still get first place."

            "Yeah, yeah. You're my best friend. Now we've had our Hallmark moment."

            Jack laughed out loud, switching on the TV and finding a baseball game.

            "You'll still take care of her right?"

            "Always, Jack. Always."

 

***

 

            Tony was probably one of the last people that Chloe ever expected to see on her doorstep. It was pouring outside, and he was drenched to the bone, but he just stood there, staring at her.

            "Tony?"

            He swallowed hard, looking as though he were near tears. "I need to talk to someone."

            "And you came to me? Wouldn't Jack make more sense?"

            "He'll kill me," he said quietly.

            Confused by his words, Chloe grabbed his arm and dragged him inside. He dripped all over her floor, shivering with cold, but he just stared at the floor as though he had just lost his best friend.

            Uncertain of what she was supposed to do, Chloe moved down the hall, grabbing some clothes that Morris had left behind and a towel, handing them to Tony when she got back to the door. He took them silently, staring at them as though he didn’t know what to do with them.

            "Bathroom's down the hall on your right," Chloe explained. "You need to get dry before you tell me…whatever it is you came to tell me."

            He nodded, moving down the hall and into the bathroom. When the door was closed, Chloe breathed a sigh of relief. She was terrible in normal social situations, but the complicated ones threw her off even more. Muttering to herself about awkward situations, she stomped off to the kitchen, figuring that coffee would probably be a good thing to have waiting for him.

            He was sitting on the couch in her living room by the time the coffee was ready, his hair still wet. Chloe handed him a mug and he took it silently before she moved to sit next to him nervously.

            "Tony?"

            He looked up at her.

            "Why are you here?"

            "I didn’t mean to," he whispered.

            "Mean to what? Come here?"

            He shook his head. "No. I'm sorry, Chloe. I shouldn't have-"
            "Stop it, Tony. You're here. You need to talk and for some reason you can't go to Jack. That's fine. But I'm not good at this stuff, so you're just going to have to tell me whatever it is you came to talk about."

            "I didn't mean to fall in love with her," he said, his voice so quiet that she strained to hear him.

            As she struggled to put his words into context, Chloe's eyes widened as things clicked together. Jack had told her about Tony's new living situation, about the unexpected friendship…

            "Kim?"

            He nodded, his head hanging low. "I didn't mean to, Chloe. I swear. We were just supposed to be friends."

            Hesitating, she lifted a hand and placed it on his shoulder. "I know, Tony."

            He kept talking as though he hadn't heard her. "But I can't stop thinking about her. Every time I see her, she makes me smile. I stop hurting when she laughs, or when her hand brushes against mine. I just want to kiss her again-"

            "Again?" Chloe interrupted. "When did you and Kim kiss?"

            "When we first ran into each other at the hotel. She was too drunk to drive home, so I made her come up to my room. She…she punched the bathroom mirror and I went in to see if she was okay. I just…we were both hurting so much. We needed comfort, and we couldn't accept it from anybody else…"

            "Wait," Chloe said. "Are you telling me that you and Kim slept together?"

            Tony nodded, avoiding her gaze. "Yeah. And once before that. A long time ago."

            Chloe's mind had completely exploded at his words. Never in a million years had she imagined that she would be having this conversation with Tony – especially about Kim. Then her mind grasped onto the last thing he said.

            "What do you mean a long time ago?"

            When his eyes met hers, there was genuine fear in them. "I don't want you to hate me. You're the only person I can talk to about this."

            "Just tell me, Tony."

            He took a deep breath. "Her eighteenth birthday…she got arrested and called CTU. I went to bail her out…"

            "And you slept with her?" Chloe asked.

            "I didn't plan it."

            She took a deep breath, letting her brain assimilate all the information swimming around in it. Tony just sat there, hands wrapped around his mug, as he waited for her to yell at him.

            "Okay," she finally said.

            His head snapped up. "Okay?"

            Chloe nodded. "Okay. I see now why you couldn't go to Jack."

            "You're not going to yell at me?"

            She rolled her eyes. "Tony, Kim has always had a mind of her own. I highly doubt you took advantage of her. It's not in your nature. In fact, I bet she started things, right?"

            He nodded.

            "That's what I thought. And Kim is used to getting what she wants."

            Tony opened his mouth to defend her, but Chloe cut him off. "I'm not being mean, Tony. It's the truth. But the fact that she let you move in with her as a friend and is talking to Jack again means that she's grown up a lot since the last time I saw her." She looked at him closely. "Is it really such a bad thing that you've fallen in love with her?"

            "Jack will never forgive me."

            "Yes he will."

            "Chloe, this is his daughter-"

            "And he's finally starting to realize that it's her life and she can do what she wants with it."

            "Exactly. Which means he'll forgive her. Not me."

            "So instead of risking it you're just going to sit there, loving her, watching her live her life?"

            Tony shrugged. "It's not the only problem I'm having."

            "Michelle?"

            Tears sprung to his eyes at the mention of her name. "How could I have fallen in love with someone else? She meant the world to me. She was everything I had," he whispered brokenly.

            Arguing with herself silently for a minute, Chloe reached out and took his hand in hers. "Look, Tony. Loving someone new doesn't mean you loved Michelle any less. She wouldn't expect you to sit around moping and drinking for the rest of your life. She would understand that we all need somebody in our lives. We're not meant to be alone." She paused. "You're not suppose to punish yourself for the rest of your life just because you survived."

            Her last words broke him. His hands came up to cover his face as his cries overtook him. Chloe had never had a crying person sitting on her couch before, but she couldn't stand to just watch him as his shoulders shook with the force of his sobs. Cursing her social ineptitude, she scooted closer to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling his head against her chest.

            "It's gonna be okay, Tony. We'll figure something out."

            He cried until he fell asleep.