"I don't see why I had to be here for this."
"Chloe, there are some enemies even I don't like facing alone."
"He's a senator, Jack. Not an enemy."
"Pff." Jack made a noise of disgust. "Senators who like us came to the office. The ones who don't, they invite us to lunch at places like this."
Il Mulino was an upscale Italian eatery on 86th West 3rd Street. Not the typical lunch hot spot for two CTU agents, even if they were heads of their respective departments.
Senator Andrew Merriman, an influential member of the appropriations committee (thus, able to effect the CTU's budget) insisted Jack meet him for lunch at Il Mulino. It was an odd request, especially since he was not director of the NY branch, but no one that could be refused. Apparently, the senator wanted to meet the 'hero'.
God, Jack hated that label.
So, as back up, he'd brought Chloe along and, together, they'd suffered through the meal.
That was how they found themselves exiting Mulino on a crisp fall day, dressed to the nines and looking nothing like their usual selves. Chloe wore a simple but pretty black, knee-length dress with heels and a belted trench coat to stave off the chill. Jack was in a Slate gray suit with a starched white shirt and blue/gray/black striped tie.
"Still," Chloe commented, sliding a companionable arm through Jack's, "the Caprise was tasty."
"Yes," he agreed, "but the portions were…."
"Pathetic," she finished, then coked her head to look sideways up at him. "You know, there's usually a hot dog vendor a block from the office."
"Sounds like a plan," he said, but anything else was cut off by a shrill woman's voice.
"Chloe! Chloe, is that you? It is!"
Jack felt Chloe stiffen beside him and heard her mutter, "Damn it." , but she turned, pulling Jack with her. "Hello, Cathy."
The reluctance, the dread and just plain discomfort was obvious in her tone, but the other woman, ensconced in a fur coat and a pair of those giant, insect like sunglasses, didn't seem to notice. "I thought that was you, then I said to myself, no, it couldn't be. What would Chloe be doing here? Then I said, why not just check and it turned out to be you. What are the odds?"
The woman-- Cathy-- then proceeded to give Chloe one of those non-embrace/air kiss greetings that always left a bad taste in Jack's mouth.
"Well, considering I'm always me, pretty good," Chloe gritted, then pulled up a fake smile and chirped, "Joke."
Cathy gave a fake laugh. "Oh, you were always the funny one," she smiled and it was reminiscent of a shark. "Now, where are your manners? Introductions, Chloe."
Chloe kind of cringed into Jack's side and said, "Cathy, this is Jack Bauer, Jack, my sister…."
"Catherine Beaumont," she pre-empted. "Charmed, I'm sure."
Ugh, he thought. He hated when people used that expression. Already he was wondering how this person emerged from the same gene pool as Chloe. "Of course," he replied, glad Chloe knew him well enough that she wouldn't think he was being rude, just his usual, laconic self.
Turning back to Chloe, Cathy said, "So, what are you doing here?"
"Lunch meeting," Chloe said. "I'm based out of New York now."
"Oh that's lovely," Cathy cooed, falsely sweet and a little sickly. "Oh, I'm having a book launch party tonight! You must come. Both of you."
Jack wondered how Chloe's short nails managed to dig so deeply into his arm that he could feel them through the double layer of suit jacket and shirt. She was clearly not thrilled about the invite, but simply said, "That'd be nice."
Numbers were exchanged, then Cathy turned and entered Il Mulino, leaving Chloe and jack to return to their walk down the street.
After a few moments of Chloe silently fuming, Jack said, "So…what was…"
"My sister and I don't exactly get along," she muttered. "But still, she's my sister…and you're coming with me tonight. No way am I facing her social circle alone?"
Jack patted a comforting circle on her back. "That bad?"
"Can I take a gun from the armory?"
"Chloe."
"I'm serious…you should be armed too."
Jack just laughed as they walked, allowing the cool air to soothe her frazzled nerves.
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At exactly 7:00, Chloe heard Jack knocking on her front door. She took a deep breath and mentally ran through her checklist.
Prescott dropped off at Morris's for the night. Check.
Hair and make up. Check.
Jewelry. Check.
New dress, tags all cut off. Check.
Painful heels. Check.
Purse. Check.
Near panic attack levels of anxiety. Check.
The last thing she wanted to do was go to this party, but unfortunately, sometimes you had to do things you didn't want to do for the sake of family. Even if you knew that family was just going to make you miserable for the whole night. At least she'd have Jack there for moral and emotional support and, if things really got bad, she was sure he'd be able to engineer some form of escape for them.
Wrenching open her door, she opened her mouth, took a good look at Jack, blinked and stared. He was wearing a sharp black suit over a sky blue shirt with subtle maroon pin stripes. The combination looked very nice against his tanned skin and she smiled when she noted that he still wore his usual black boots, albeit a newer, cleaner pair.
"New suit," she said in surprise. It wasn't a question, as she was well aware of the limited number of clothes he owned. The shirt was new as well, but he still smelled as he always did. Clean, slightly piney, with a hint of underlying, purely masculine musk.
Jack smiled at her. "Didn't want you to showing up at your sister's party with me wearing the same suit I had on earlier. Something tells me she'd be the type to notice," he said, his eyes traveling up and down her frame. "You look absolutely stunning, by the way."
Flushing, surprised by the compliment, Chloe touched a hand to the bodice of her dress. "It's new," she admitted, squirming slightly. "Like you said, Cathy's the type to notice a style faux pas and never let you forget it."
"Well, you'll be fine then," he said, adding, "It's cool. You need a coat."
"Right," she said, cursing herself for forgetting, then darting back into the apartment to grab her coat. Jack helped her slip into it, then she locked her door and they headed off to meet their fate.
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The party was more than a little insane. Flashbulbs were flaring, print media types were doing interviews, minor celebrities and socialites were striking poses and everywhere, clusters of people were swarming, chatting loudly, drinks clutched in hand.
The gauntlet of photographers out front had made Jack scowl and, heads down, the two of them hustled inside to the, comparatively, camera light inside. The flashes there were focused on the executants and authors in the crowd. Their unknown faces were generally ignored.
After dropping off their coats, Chloe took the arm Jack offered, then drew him over to the wall, where a huge print of Cathy's new book cover was displayed.
Jack cocked his head to one side and asked, "What sort of writer is your sister?"
"Think Jackie Collins," Chloe said, then, at Jack's blank look, elaborated, "Hollywood Wives or the Lucky Santangelo novels. Any bells?"
"Vaguely familiar," he said, "But not really my genre."
"Trashy pulp, a step away from romance/erotica novels," she told him, "For some reason people love them."
"To each their own, I guess," Jack murmured, then glanced down at her, "Do you read them?"
"Honestly," Chloe said. "No. I prefer classics and modern suspense novels. What sort of books do you like?"
He shrugged. "History. Biographies…and I always liked Stephen King."
"I like his older stuff," a voice from behind them said and Chloe spun so fast she nearly yanked Jack off balance.
"Dori!" Chloe said, releasing Jack to reach out and pull a tall, young woman into an embrace, which was returned with genuine pleasure.
"When mom said you were going to come, I didn't believe her," the woman-- more of a girl, really-- said, big, happy smile on her pink cheeked face.
Chloe held the girl out at arms length and said, "Well, I couldn't say no, now could I…What are you wearing, by the way? Where's the rest of it?"
The girl, Dori, was in a short, cobalt blue dress with an empire waist, spaghetti straps and a bronze beaded bodice. Several feet of coltish legs were bared below the hem of the skirt, which she tugged at irritably.
Grimacing, she sighed, "Mom knows the designer and insisted I wear it. Couldn't say no."
Chloe chuckled, then said, "Dori, this is my friend Jack. Jack, my niece Dori. I might not talk with Cathy much, but Dori and I keep in touch. "
"Nice to meet you," Jack said, shaking the girl's proffered hand.
"Likewise," she replied, casting a sly glance and smile at Chloe. She didn't share a lot of features with her mother and aunt, but there was something around the eyes that was very clearly Chloe.
In response to her nieces look, Chloe gave the girl's arm a gentle swat. "What are you doing here on a school night, young lady," she teased, causing the girl to make a face.
"Someone needs to be on hand to switch mom's drink orders to soda when she gets too blitzed to notice," Dori muttered with a tolerant shrug. "Besides, I have study hall first thing with Mrs. Roark. She love's mom's books, so I can get away with being a little late if it comes to that."
There was a rise in the volume of murmurs and heads turned toward the entryway. A fairly well known film actress had just arrived, looking fabulous in a shimmering silver frock. Everyone was trying to get a look at her without appearing to be gawking.
Dori gave the woman a brief look and then turned back to Jack and Chloe. "She comes to all mom's launches," the girl said off handedly, then brightened. "My friend Charlotte is taking her sisters to Disney on Ice. She has two extra tickets and I wanted to see if Prescott would like to go."
"He'd love that," Chloe said, then allowed Dori to lead her deeper into the room, towing a docile Jack along by the arm. The conversations that rang out around them flowed into each other, book reviewers, gossips and media whores all melding into one loud, insipid din.
God, Chloe thought, I hate these things.
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Jack allowed himself to be led through the crowd, noting that Dori seemed quite adept at negotiating the potential minefield that was a society crowd. He was familiar with the species from his own youth and had run from that life as soon as he could.
He was glad some of the tension had left Chloe once she encountered her niece. She actually seemed to be enjoying listening to the girls caustic running commentary about the various party attendees.
The surrounding din again rose and a round of applause began. Jack, along with Chloe and Dori, turned toward the door, where Cathy was making her entrance.
Her smile was broad, her make up a shade too dark and tan a bit too fake. The blond hair was obviously dyed and didn't quite look right with the fake bake tan, but it was a professional job. Her dress was long and body hugging, with a deep v-neckline, a cutaway bodice and a slit up one side. It was a shade of hot pink that almost seemed to glow.
All in all, it was way too much.
"The eagle has landed," Dori muttered, slinking further back into the corner she had led them to. It was a good spot, Jack thought, noting that from their vantage point they had a clear view of the whole room, while being unobtrusive themselves.
A man with a shiny suit and slicked back hair that just screamed 'sleazy agent/lawyer' type was at her side, subtly indicating certain individuals to Cathy, then leading her over to one particular group.
"Now the fun begins," Dori intoned and, from the look on Chloe's face, Jack knew she thought the night was going to be anything but.
Reaching out, he placed a hand on the small of her back supportively, feeling the heat of her skin through the satin of her dress. Tilting his head down so he could speak into her ear, he asked, "Anything I can do, Chloe?"
She sighed and gripped his jacket lightly in one hand. "Just have an escape ready, in case we need it."
"I think I can handle that," he assured her and together they prepared to weather another onslaught of foes and challenges. You know, like any other day for the two of them.
TBC...Reviews Please!!!