Disclaimer: I own nothing from 24
Jack Bauer and Marilyn Collins were juniors in high school when they started dating. He was the former bully on honor role, and she was a former prep school princess. Jack had gone through some hard times, especially when his mother died when he was a child. He had lashed out, frequently getting in trouble for fights on the playground. What none of his teachers realized was that the boys Jack was beating up were the ones who picked on all the freaks and geeks of their class. Jack took on the role of protector for the underappreciated kids in his class, and then for his brother Graem when he started at the same school 2 years behind Jack. By 8th grade, Jack had learned to control his temper- the "special training" from his father helped with that. Jack would still stand up for his brother and the friends he'd made, but it rarely culminated in physical violence. After the first few years, the boys realized not to mess with anyone for fear of Jack's wrath.
By the time Marilyn transferred to their public school from the prep school a town over, Jack had a rapport with classmates and teachers as a bright, respectable, well-liked individual. He noticed her when the teacher introduced the new student in their AP History class, and was quickly drawn to her. As class let out, he ignored the classmates trying to get his attention and bolted out of the door she'd just left.
"Marilyn! Excuse me, Marilyn!" She would tell him later how all the other students instinctively moved away, making room for Jack Bauer. Right away, she could tell that he had the admiration of his classmates, and soon after she realized how blind he was to it.
"Hi. I'm Jack Bauer. Can I help you get to your next class?" As she smiled at him and nodded, he grinned back and reached for her books and schedule. He didn't seem at all uncomfortable as he put his hand on the small of her back and started escorting her to her biology class- on the other side of the school from his AP English class, by far his favorite.
Marilyn noticed all of the looks they were getting- admiring glances were shot at each of them, but it was the buzz of gossip and excitement that interested her. She felt a small surge of relief at the realization that she may not be the outcast she was expecting to become, after all.
"Thank you, Jack. It's nice to meet you." She finally responded with a smile. Jack chose that moment to glance back at her, and had to grin when he saw the sparkle in her vibrant blue eyes.
"Likewise."
They spoke briefly during the 3 minute walk up a floor and across the property. He pointed out the quickest routes to the gym and cafeteria, and warned her not to sit in the back for Mr. Hebert's class if she didn't want to get called on constantly. She explained that financial troubles following her father's death led her to transfer, and quietly admitted that she was nervous about the change.
After giving his brief condolences (he knew from experience that overt displays of sympathy or pity were unhelpful), he assuaged her fears about the school.
"I wouldn't worry if I were you, Marilyn. I can tell you're going to fit in great here." With one last smile, he returned her books to her and headed to class, planning out a way to get back here before the end of the period to see her again.
After that first day, Jack and Marilyn were constantly together. He would walk her to or from any classes they had together, and she would frequently wait at school until he was done with football practice. With Jack as an ally, it wasn't difficult for her to make friends. In addition to being respected, he was considered quite a catch by the girls in his class. He'd never had trouble getting a date to any school functions, but the girls were disappointed that he showed no interest beyond that. They were all shocked to see him chasing after the new girl on the first day, and their curiosity about Marilyn made the kinder girls in the class want to get to know her- the less kind among them tried to align themselves with Marilyn in an attempt to win Jack's attention. Unfortunately, Marilyn was nice to a fault, and found herself starting to get attached to a particular group of girls when they realized that Marilyn was the competition, not a friend. She struggled with their cold shoulder, but by that time at the end of her first month at school, she had made enough real friends and gotten close enough to Jack that she wasn't lacking for good company.
Jack was oblivious to his role in Marilyn's popularity, instead focusing on her role in his new-found happiness. He'd felt physically drawn to her at first- it was obvious that she was one of the best-looking girls in school. As he got to know her over that first month, he realized that it was everything about her he was attracted to. He noticed the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed, the way she bit her lip when she was stuck on a pre-calculus problem, her kindness whenever she spoke. It was true, a month had gone by and she'd barely had a negative thing to say. When she got shunned by Jack's "fan club," she didn't waste time berating or criticizing them, she lamented the loss of their friendship and wondered if she did something wrong. When Jack explained that they simply weren't nice people, and may have been trying to use her for her popularity, she agreed that maybe it was for the best that she wasn't going to spend much more time with them.
After two months of a fairly easy friendship, Jack asked her to the fall ball.
"It's the kiss of death." The girls from Marilyn's earlier clique were saying. "Jack Bauer never asks a girl for a second date." Their jaws dropped Monday after the dance, when Jack and Marilyn were walking down the hall holding hands.
At that point, Jack and Marilyn seemed inseparable. In school they took nearly every opportunity to be together. Their social circles merged, and a dozen or so students could be found every lunch period at the center table, all attention on Jack and Marilyn. Marilyn thrived in the group, and her vivacious nature infected all of them. Jack was never gregarious, but it was common to see him laughing along with their group of friends. Outside of school, they were together every afternoon they could manage- though his football practice and her involvement on any student committee she could get her hands on often interfered. Both of their parents were strict about going out on school nights, but every weekend they could be found together, surfing at the beach, going to a movie, or just hanging out.
They had been dating for 3 months when she went to his house for the first time. Until now, they had just been meeting at school or wherever they wanted to go for the day. Jack always offered to drive, but Marilyn had reservations about her mother and uncle finding out she was dating someone so soon. They didn't believe her to be a very good judge of character because she was so trusting, and she was worried they'd jump to conclusions after finding out she was dating someone so soon after starting at a new school.
She wasn't surprised at the grandeur of the Bauer mansion- it was known that the family had money. Though she was expecting it, she was still fairly intimidated when she rang the doorbell. A man with slightly graying hair and kind eyes opened the door.
"Ms. Collins, I presume?" Sam gave the quiet young lady a gentle smile as she nodded. "Please come in."
Marilyn had grown up comfortably, but had never been in an estate quite like this, with a butler and very formal decor. "Thank you, Mr…" she trailed off, unsure how to continue.
Sam liked this girl immediately. "Please, call me Sam. Jack should be down- ah, now." He said as the boy appeared.
"Thanks, Sam! Hey Marilyn, I'm glad you're here. Can I get you anything to eat or drink?"
Sam was always impressed with Jack's manners. Though he would never admit it out loud, it was apparent this came from his mother's side of the family. Philip and Graem were polite to company, but Sam believed that how you treated your employees spoke more than how you treated guests. Sam enjoyed his job, and always felt respected, but Jack treated him as more of an equal than as the help. In truth, Sam thought of Jack more as family than as a ward; he got the impression that it was a mutual feeling whenever Jack came to him for advice or support.
Before Marilyn could respond, Sam interrupted. "Now that's all well and good, but I think you're trying to do my job for me."He gave the kids a wink to show he was kidding, and continued, "Ms. Collins, what can I get you? Anything's fair game- as long as you stay out of the liquor cabinet." The last bit was directed to Jack, with a mockingly stern look. Jack had the decency to look somewhat guilty as he chuckled, remembering the lecture he and his friends had gotten last summer.
After being corrected to call her Marilyn, not Ms. Collins, Sam left to get them some water and the pair made their way to the living room. Graem took that opportunity to come downstairs for a study break and a snack, as well as to find out who was at the door earlier. As he rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs, he caught a glimpse of his brother putting his arm around the stunningly beautiful girl he'd seen around school. Being two years younger and not nearly as popular, Graem didn't hear all of the gossip that went around the school, but he had seen his brother constantly around the new girl. From the looks of things, she wasn't just some new friend.
Graem always felt slighted by his brother. Jack was smarter, and stronger, and didn't even have to try at it. He always got the impression that his father wanted him to be more like Jack, and that he wouldn't be good enough until he was just like Jack. He'd tried everything- started surfing, studying harder, even tried to get Jack to teach him how to fight (with disastrous results), but nothing was good enough. And now he had brought home a gorgeous girl who would undoubtedly make their father love Jack even more. At least Phil wouldn't meet her today- though the glowing report from Sam would be enough of a dent in his ego. When Graem returned to his room, waiting on Sam to bring him a snack, he quickly gave up on his homework and started thinking about what he needed to do to get his father's approval.
Graem officially met Marilyn about a week later when she stopped by before going out to dinner with Jack. He made sure he was by the door when Sam answered it, and tried to mimic Jack's air of confidence.
"Hi! I'm Jack's brother Graem. You must be his girlfriend. I just wish he'd said how pretty you are."
Marilyn chuckled a bit as Jack walked in. "It's nice to meet you, Graem. And that's very kind of you." It was hard to miss how much her eyes brightened when she caught Jack's eye- not, Graem noticed, at his compliments.
Jack gave Marilyn a kiss on the cheek and clapped Graem on the shoulder. "I'm glad you two got to meet- Graem, Marilyn and I are heading out for a bit. Want to finish up the stuff for dad later?"
Graem tried to keep the smile plastered on his face, though it seemed pointless with Marilyn's attention completely on Jack. He agreed, and watched jealously as the pair stepped out. Then again, this could be a great opportunity to show up his big brother. Their father was trying to shape them to take over his business, BXJ, and this weekend's "assignment" was to summarize reports from certain product development teams. Graem was determined to do it on his own and tell his dad that he did it without any help from Jack.
When Jack returned at midnight, he immediately went to Graem's room to apologize for being late, hoping his disheveled appearance didn't give away too much. As he was about to knock on the open door, he caught sight of his little brother asleep at his desk. Jack gently shook him slightly less than awake and walked him over to the bed. Curious, he stopped by the desk to see what Graem was working on so hard.
It was a disaster. Graem had left out crucial details about the timelines of the project, and put in filler information about the lead engineer's aesthetic preferences. It was disorganized and clearly the work of an inexperienced analyst, but Jack could see that Graem had put in a lot of effort. Quietly, he picked up the papers and took them to his room. He stayed up the next 2 hours putting everything together, then snuck the work back into Graem's room. He knew that Graem would never learn unless he did it himself, but Jack was hoping that he would have the opportunity to coach his brother more before leaving him on his own.
The next evening, Philip asked to see the boys work. Graem proudly, and a bit snidely, exclaimed, "I've got it, dad! I did it all by myself yesterday." Philip gave his youngest son a watery smile, as though anticipating disappointment, and reached for the papers. His eyebrow rose slightly, and he looked between his children. Jack was smiling lightly at Graem, who didn't seem to return his brother's goodwill. Graem's smirk turned into a hopeful look as he gazed back at his father.
"This is very good. Jack, I'd like to see you in my office now." Both boys looked downtrodden at this turn of events, their shoulders sagging in unison.
As Graem watched his father walk away with his favorite son, he wondered if he could do anything well enough to be a part of the family.
Jack followed his father into the study, knowing what was coming next. Graem always assumed that these father-son chats were full of encouragement and assurances that that Jack was the most loved of the family. The reality wasn't nearly as cheery. Any trace of kindness left Philip's face the second the door closed.
"What were you thinking, Jack? Letting Graem do this on his own?"
Jack was never close with his brother, but always felt obligated to stick up for him. "I'm sorry dad, I wasn't here. But you said he did a good job on them, right?"
"Jack, you and I know better. This isn't Graem's work, this is yours. And it's exceptional. But you're not doing any favors for your brother. Jack, you can't let your feelings get in the way of your duty. You need to control your emotions, do not let them control you." Jack had heard this speech thousands of times before. It helped as a child, when he was trying to work through his anger while giving up his schoolyard violence. Now, as a fairly mature teenager, it had gotten quite old. Jack knew better than to disagree with his father- especially now, when he knew he had made a mistake in doing Graem's work for him. Instead, he closed himself off and said, "Yes, sir. I'm sorry."
"Jack, you're going to take over this company some day, but Graem will be working there too- he needs to know how to do these things on his own. You need to be stronger; you need to push him harder. Don't disappoint me again, Jack."
Whenever Philip talked about Jack's future with the company (his legacy, he liked to call it), Jack felt more and more uncomfortable. His life had been planned out before he got a chance to figure out what he wanted. He was 17 years old, and not ready to commit himself to being a glad-handing chit-chatting corporate honcho. Jack found passion in some of the books he read- he was enamored with the places he read about, the experiences and people who came to life in literature. Jack wanted to travel, see the world, live his life before he committed himself to the company. This was a frequent cause of arguments in the Bauer household, until Jack learned to keep his thoughts and hopes to himself and sometimes Sam.
Jack wondered if he'd ever get away from the destiny his father had written for him.