TITLE: "Dangerous Times"

RATING: PG/PG-13

SUMMARY: What would have happened if Jack hadn't taken that phone call at the end of season 5? The Chinese still have their ways of getting to him... S5 finale AU. Follows Jack's experiences in a Chinese prison and the attempts to bring him home.

(I HATED the way they set up Jack's kidnapping at the end of S5, so I'm using ep 5x24 as a springboard for an AU fic.)

DISCLAIMER: I own the DVD's (they're very pretty in their nice shiny cases), but I don't own the actual show or its characters. I'd LOVE to own them, but I don't. They belong to Jon Cassar and the other geniuses that created the wonderful world of 24.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I actually wrote this story a long time ago, in the months between the S5 finale and the S6 premiere. My computer erased all of my Word files a few months ago, and all of my stories were lost. I had to re-type this one and most of my others. Here it is: "Dangerous Times" re-written! Enjoy!

"Dangerous Times"

Audrey Heller's heart skipped a beat as she scanned the crowd in front of her, searching intently for Jack. At last, she spotted him sitting off to the side, being treated by a medic. There was a nasty bleeding gash above his right eye, and Audrey winced.

The medic spoke to Jack and dabbed at his wound with a small square of gauze. Audrey guessed that it held some sort of antiseptic. Her guess was confirmed when Jack flinched and pulled back from the woman's touch, grimacing in pain. Then he spotted Audrey, and gave the woman's hand a polite but firm push. "Give me a minute." The woman didn't protest. Without a word, she picked up her supply bag and stepped away.

Jack got to his feet and came to greet Audrey. "Hey," he said quietly.

Audrey smiled. "Hey." She shook her head, half-laughing and half-scolding. "My God, Jack, when I heard that you'd kidnapped the President..."

An unreadable expression flickered on Jack's face. "I wanted him to give a direct confession."

Audrey rolled her eyes, laughing slightly. Then she sighed, fighting tears. "I can't believe you're...you're really here," she said helplessly, leaning in to hug him tightly. "How much longer do you have to stay here?"

"Not long," Jack told her. "They can debrief me later." Without saying anything more, he pulled Audrey towards him and kissed her deeply.

The moment was shattered when a tall, slim Asian man approached. "Excuse me," he said politely. "Agent Bauer?"

Jack eyed him. "Yes?"

"There's a call for you," the man told him. "From your daughter."

The surprise on Jack's face was clear. "From...my daughter?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes, sir. Kim Bauer. It's been put through to a land line, just inside that door," the man told him, pointing to the warehouse behind them.

Jack nodded. "Thanks." The man smiled slightly at him, and then he stepped away and disappeared into the crowd.

Jack glanced at Audrey. "I won't take long."

"Take your time," she told him with a smile. "I'm not going anywhere."

Jack glanced at the door that the man had pointed to. "I'll be right back." With one last glance at Audrey, he pulled away and started towards the door.

Audrey hesitated. "Jack, wait." He turned back to face her. "I...I don't know," she faltered. "Maybe I'm just paranoid, but something just seems...not right. You have a cell phone; Kim knows the number. And if she didn't, they'd put the call through to one of the TAC agents. Why would it be put through on a land line?" Jack's eyebrow arched. "I don't know," Audrey said again. "Something just feels a little weird to me."

She was interrupted by the ringing of Jack's cell phone. Looking slightly annoyed, he fished the ringing phone from his jacket pocket. "Bauer."

"Jack, it's Chloe. I just — "

"Hey, Chloe. Listen, can I call you back in a few minutes?" Jack asked, cutting her off. "They just told me that Kim's on the phone, on a land line here. I really need to talk to her. I'll call you back."

"Jack." Chloe's voice had an odd tone to it. "Did you say Kim's on a land line there?"

"Yeah, why?" Jack said cautiously.

"That can't be," Chloe told him. "I've got her on my cell phone here. She called me to ask if I knew if there were any babysitters in my neighborhood. She needs a sitter for Angela." The blood drained from Jack's face, and he froze. "Don't take that call, Jack," Chloe ordered. "Someone's trying to trap you. Get out of there."

Jack was silent for several moments. At last he croaked, "I-I...okay. Thanks, Chloe." With that, he hung up and turned back to Audrey.

"You were right," he managed. "It's a trap. We've got to get out of here."