Jack was asleep on the couch in his apartment, he'd started watching some movie about some blind guy and his sister; sometimes he was a little concerned at the influence Laura was having on him. Janice had taken Alfie to a friend's birthday party down the street, so he had no way to waste the afternoon but on crappy made for TV movies.
He saw his daughter lying out in their garden listening to a CD player that produced a constant hiss and irregular patterns of bass that had led him to return to the house in order to read his book in peace. Kim seemed happy and free-spirited, it was obviously before… Jack wandered through the house in shorts and a T-shirt, the floor in the hallway felt cool out of the sun and he walked quicker to the carpeted staircase.
There was no carpet on the staircase. He was at CTU now and he saw Nina smile over at him from behind the mesh of Jamie's tech corner. His heart felt cold and dead as he watched her from a distance scanning her eye over files she didn't have authorization to see. Walking over to stop her, he found it was Teri sitting with her back to him. He moved round the chair to see her; glad that she'd arrived to brighten his day. Then he saw the blood on her shirt and he closed his eyes to stop from throwing up in shock. It felt lonely and claustrophobic in the office and he found it difficult to breathe.
Somewhere a door opened and light flooded in. He saw a woman in the doorway but couldn't see who it was, he squinted trying to make out her face and then closed his eyes and took gulps of fresh air into his lungs. It felt like he had been drowning.
When he opened them he was lying on a gurney in a basement, his chest hurt and the sickness was still there; a scent of burning plastic in his nostrils. He looked at the doctor and was sure it was a woman… it hadn't been had it… no. A voice called him from a distance and he got up and walked away from the bodies and the beeping machines… and the doctor.
"I'm not going anywhere." She whispered in his ear. Her breath felt warm on his skin and the scent of her perfume made him shiver.
"Dad, please!" it was Kim calling him. He saw Kate and smiled relieved to see that she'd done as he asked and got his daughter away from the Matheson house.
"Yes Kim you're right and he doesn't know anything; he got me everything I need and now…" Kate turned and pointed a gun at him; it was his gun, one of those from his car anyway. It had a knick in the grip where he'd fallen down an escarpment on training exercise in the Santa Monica Mountains the year before.
"Dad!" his daughter called again, more urgently this time. He heard his words but he wasn't speaking them.
"Shoot him again Kim!"
It was a warm morning and the sun rose above the peak behind him, lighting the two blondes less than ten feet in front of him. Kate wouldn't miss.
"I thought we… I thought…" Jack began. Then the sound of the safety release chilled his blood and Kate raised the gun to point at his head. Then bang! The gunshot filled the air. Again she pleaded for him to come to her.
"I like you too, Jack."
"Dad!" he heard again, when his breathing had calmed he opened his eyes and found himself back at their home in LA. Kim was calling him from the garden and a basketball hit the French-windows with a heavy thud which almost shattered them.
Jack strode out ready to shout, then he just smiled.
"Look Dad I can do it now!" he saw Alfie spinning the basketball on his finger and Kim grinning at him cheekily before she snatched it away and ran across the lawn. Alfie ran after her and called for his Mom. Jack only heard the mocking voice of his daughter calling, 'Mommy!'
Then he saw Teri sitting in the sun at the bottom of the garden. He walked across the lawn; the sprinkler had been on and the damp grass tickled between his toes. He sat beside her and she turned her head to smile at him.
"You did good Jack. Look at them!" he smiled at the two kids fighting playfully and trying to grab the ball. Then they both stopped and turned round looking towards the doors in the shade. Jack could make out movement at a distance and Teri patted his arm and stood up. He glanced up at her but the sun was in his eyes but squinting didn't prove much help, it was as though a golden aura surrounded her.
"He has your eyes Jack." He looked over and saw the toddler trying to run on the lawn, making it a few steps before he fell over. His mother scooped him up before he started to cry, dusted him off a little and kissed his head before putting him down again.
"Where's your Daddy gone Georgie?" Jack got up and walked over to his son.
"I have to go now Jack," he heard the voice behind him say. "You take care of them okay?" He nodded and grinned at his two-year-old son running up to him with clumsy steps. When he turned round there was no sign of Teri. He smiled a little sadly and then he felt her arms around him and all the pain dissipated.
"I love you Jack." She whispered to him. He smiled and kissed her head, the scent of her hair making him tremble all over.
"I love you too Laura."
A door banged shut in the hallway and he woke with a start, the final words of his dream still on his lips.
He saw his daughter lying out in their garden listening to a CD player that produced a constant hiss and irregular patterns of bass that had led him to return to the house in order to read his book in peace. Kim seemed happy and free-spirited, it was obviously before… Jack wandered through the house in shorts and a T-shirt, the floor in the hallway felt cool out of the sun and he walked quicker to the carpeted staircase.
There was no carpet on the staircase. He was at CTU now and he saw Nina smile over at him from behind the mesh of Jamie's tech corner. His heart felt cold and dead as he watched her from a distance scanning her eye over files she didn't have authorization to see. Walking over to stop her, he found it was Teri sitting with her back to him. He moved round the chair to see her; glad that she'd arrived to brighten his day. Then he saw the blood on her shirt and he closed his eyes to stop from throwing up in shock. It felt lonely and claustrophobic in the office and he found it difficult to breathe.
Somewhere a door opened and light flooded in. He saw a woman in the doorway but couldn't see who it was, he squinted trying to make out her face and then closed his eyes and took gulps of fresh air into his lungs. It felt like he had been drowning.
When he opened them he was lying on a gurney in a basement, his chest hurt and the sickness was still there; a scent of burning plastic in his nostrils. He looked at the doctor and was sure it was a woman… it hadn't been had it… no. A voice called him from a distance and he got up and walked away from the bodies and the beeping machines… and the doctor.
"I'm not going anywhere." She whispered in his ear. Her breath felt warm on his skin and the scent of her perfume made him shiver.
"Dad, please!" it was Kim calling him. He saw Kate and smiled relieved to see that she'd done as he asked and got his daughter away from the Matheson house.
"Yes Kim you're right and he doesn't know anything; he got me everything I need and now…" Kate turned and pointed a gun at him; it was his gun, one of those from his car anyway. It had a knick in the grip where he'd fallen down an escarpment on training exercise in the Santa Monica Mountains the year before.
"Dad!" his daughter called again, more urgently this time. He heard his words but he wasn't speaking them.
"Shoot him again Kim!"
It was a warm morning and the sun rose above the peak behind him, lighting the two blondes less than ten feet in front of him. Kate wouldn't miss.
"I thought we… I thought…" Jack began. Then the sound of the safety release chilled his blood and Kate raised the gun to point at his head. Then bang! The gunshot filled the air. Again she pleaded for him to come to her.
"I like you too, Jack."
"Dad!" he heard again, when his breathing had calmed he opened his eyes and found himself back at their home in LA. Kim was calling him from the garden and a basketball hit the French-windows with a heavy thud which almost shattered them.
Jack strode out ready to shout, then he just smiled.
"Look Dad I can do it now!" he saw Alfie spinning the basketball on his finger and Kim grinning at him cheekily before she snatched it away and ran across the lawn. Alfie ran after her and called for his Mom. Jack only heard the mocking voice of his daughter calling, 'Mommy!'
Then he saw Teri sitting in the sun at the bottom of the garden. He walked across the lawn; the sprinkler had been on and the damp grass tickled between his toes. He sat beside her and she turned her head to smile at him.
"You did good Jack. Look at them!" he smiled at the two kids fighting playfully and trying to grab the ball. Then they both stopped and turned round looking towards the doors in the shade. Jack could make out movement at a distance and Teri patted his arm and stood up. He glanced up at her but the sun was in his eyes but squinting didn't prove much help, it was as though a golden aura surrounded her.
"He has your eyes Jack." He looked over and saw the toddler trying to run on the lawn, making it a few steps before he fell over. His mother scooped him up before he started to cry, dusted him off a little and kissed his head before putting him down again.
"Where's your Daddy gone Georgie?" Jack got up and walked over to his son.
"I have to go now Jack," he heard the voice behind him say. "You take care of them okay?" He nodded and grinned at his two-year-old son running up to him with clumsy steps. When he turned round there was no sign of Teri. He smiled a little sadly and then he felt her arms around him and all the pain dissipated.
"I love you Jack." She whispered to him. He smiled and kissed her head, the scent of her hair making him tremble all over.
"I love you too Laura."
A door banged shut in the hallway and he woke with a start, the final words of his dream still on his lips.