skycloud86

Afterlife
By skycloud86

Summary: For the characters of 24, there is life after death.
Rated: PG-13
Characters: Nina mainly, plus almost every other major character at some point
Status: In Progress
Chapter Five: Black Queen

Nina and Teri were sat at the large oak table in Teri's cottage, which was in the northern outskirts of Nueva Los Angeles. In between them was a chessboard and a gulf of anger, hatred and despair. Setting up their pieces, Nina playing black and Teri white, it was as if the last moments of Teri's life were wiped from their memories. They stole quick glances at each other, neither of them willing to break the silence and speak first.

Their first moves were solely concentrated on pawns, and it was only when Teri captured one of Nina's pawns that the conversation they had planned to have commenced.

"If I hadn't heard where you were going to go, Nina, would you have spared my life?", Teri asked, finding it hard to control her emotions as she did.

'Killing you, that is my biggest regret. Not because of Jack or because you were a civilian, but because it was unnecessary and overcautious. All you heard was one simple word, but you died because of it", Nina replied with sincerity.

Returning to their game, they began a long streak of movement across the ornately carved board. Each move was calculated well and, as both had a considerable talent for playing chess, it was proving to be a fiercely fought match. Eventually another piece was taken as Nina's queen captured Teri's knight.

"Can you forgive me for the affair?", was Nina's question, and Teri was shocked. Like Nina had done before, she took a few minutes to contemplate her answer.

"I still hate you for it, Nina, and I probably always will in some way, but when Jack comes here, I will certainly try to forgive you", Teri responded. She wasn't sure if she could ever truly forgive Nina, but knew that she had forever to think about it.

The next move was another capture as Teri's king took one of Nina's pawns, and it was her turn to ask a question.

"Were you always a terrorist, even before you worked at CTU?", Teri asked.

"I was approached in college and soon became a sleeper agent. i was activated a few times over the years whilst I worked both at Division and at CTU and I killed many people, but I never killed a civilian before I murdered you, Teri", Nina responded with great honesty.

The game continued, with the tense atmosphere now far more relaxed now that they both understood each other a little bit more. Nina's queen captured one of Teri's pawns.

"Are you glad that Jack avenged your death?", Nina asked, but the aghast look on Teri's face soon made her regret asking the question.

"Seriously, Nina? You think I'm glad that you were murdered to avenge my death? No, Nina, I'm not at all glad, and I'm upset that you could ever think that", Teri responded, anger in her voice.

"I'm sorry, Teri, I know I shouldn't have asked that question. I mean, you didn't even seem that angry with me when I first arrived here", Nina replied, and the change in Teri's features was a relief, and she and Teri silently decided to move on.

Carrying on with their game, the next piece to be captured was soon taken, as Teri's bishop moved in to grab Nina's knight.

"What if your cover was never blown? Would you have carried on working at CTU?", Teri asked. It was a far less emotionally charged question than the last.

"Yes, for as long as my employers needed me to", Nina replied, a rather mundane answer for a rather mundane question.

Returning to their game, it wasn't long before Nina's king captured Teri's rook.

"Were you and Jack happy again?", Nina asked.

"Yes, we were. There were still a few problems that we still needed to work out, but for the most part we were happy. We will be happy again one day, Nina", Teri replied. The Afterlife had a way of making mortal problems so insignificant, and both women knew that whatever happened on Earth did not have to be carried around like an albatross around the neck in the Afterlife.

The game was coming to it's conclusion and, a few moves later, Teri's knight captured one of Nina's pawns. She had held back so far, but Teri wanted so much to ask one question, and decided that it was now or never.

"Did you love him?", Teri asked, much to Nina's shock.

"In some way, yes I did, but I always knew that he loved you more and that the affair was just a way of helping preserve my cover", Nina replied. Teri smiled as she listened to Nina and, for the first time in so many years, she felt respect for her.

A couple of moves later, and Teri moved her queen to take victory.

"Checkmate", she said with a smile.