I just want to thank everyone who has commented on this fic and helped spur me on!! This isn't the end; I promise there will be an epilogue.

A/N- the italics are flashbacks. I hope it's not confusing!

Mutual Purposes- Chapter Thirteen

"Have you any luck with that chip yet?"

Tony rubbed his neck and looked up gratefully from the computer screen he'd been staring at for the past six hours. As he sipped his lukewarm coffee, he shook his head. "Nowhere near close yet," he muttered, cursing as another 'access denied' icon flashed before him. "Whoever configured this is good, very good."

"Which is why we need to catch him, fast."

Mark spoke up before Tony could even open his mouth. "We're all aware of the time pressure, Jack." He walked over to Tony and frowned at the computer. "May I?"

Tony pushed back his chair and stood up. "Be my guest." He moved over to the couch where Jack was sat, apparently lost in his own thoughts. "Don't let it get to you," he advised quietly, one eye on Mark as the younger agent typed away at the keyboard. "He's just eager to please Chappelle."

"Yeah, I had noticed," Jack said quietly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I think I'm starting to go stir crazy in here."

"You and me both," Tony agreed, draining the rest of his drink and placing the mug down amongst the growing pile of dirty crockery now littering the coffee table. "This place looks like a frat party gone bad. If Chappelle could see it he'd yank us now, no questions asked."

"Well, he's not going to see it," Mark announced, a triumphant grin on his face.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, guys, that I have hacked into this chip."

Jack almost knocked over the couch as he stood and strode across the room. "What have you found?"

"Here, look." Mark pointed to a series of numbers. "See that? Seems as though our guy has been transferring a lot of money these past few months, to various off shore and domestic accounts. It's a clear link to the influx of military grade weapons into the country." He sat back and looked at his colleagues. "It seems our time together is almost at an end."

"Don't sound so upset," Tony smirked, scrolling through the details. Beside him, Jack had fallen silent once more. "Something wrong, Jack?" asked Mark.

"Omega," he said finally. "The Omega building down town. Ryan always thought it was the hub of activity; now we know it is."

"How'd you figure that?"

"The Omega houses one of the city's largest banks, as well as other offices. It's the most likely place they would use to transfer the money within the country, or perhaps keep it until it's ready to be wired abroad."

Mark wasn't convinced. "But it's right under our noses."

"Exactly." Tony moved to the window of the small apartment and peered out. "All this time, we've been working and living in its shadow." The Omega building, a relatively new structure amid the bustle of a thriving business complex, towered over the smaller buildings in its vicinity.

"But I still don't see how you know this," Mark protested. "Nowhere on this screen does it say 'Omega building, downtown Los Angeles.'"

"That's because you're looking too hard for something that isn't there. Sometimes the answers aren't on the computer; you have to think between the lines."

"Oh, and you would be the expert on that, would you Jack?"

"Hey, come on." Tony stepped between them and held up his hands. "Now is not the time for this." He shot a warning look at Jack. "We need to call Chappelle, have him verify this intel and clear a back up team."

"Fine. I'll call Chappelle." Mark stood abruptly and disappeared into the next room, shutting the door sharply behind him.

"I don't like him, Tony," Jack muttered, as soon as the other agent was out of ear shot. "He's too sure of himself."

"Remind you of anyone?"

"By that you mean me."

Tony sighed. "Come on, Jack. The guy's not been here long. He's a hot shot. I'm not so fond of him either but right now we've got to work with him."

"That's a yes then," Jack said, managing a small smile. "I know that's what you thought of me for a long time."

"Yeah, but you weren't a new guy. You were just a pain in the ass; you still are."

"Thanks."

"Any time."

…

"Jack and I didn't exactly… get on," Mark concluded. "Just so you know," he added to Curtis, "I see a lot of Tony in you. He never did say much when Jack was around."

"I suggest you cut the crap and keep talking," Tony hissed.

"I've already told all of this to Bill Buchanan," Mark replied calmly. "Which reminds me, what the hell happened to Chappelle?"

Tony closed his eyes to steady his temper. "You and I both know you haven't told Bill anything of any importance. So, why don't you tell me? I'm sure the guys over at the DOD won't be so… understanding." He placed emphasis on the final word for the other man's benefit. "Because that's where you're going, after this."

"What could the DOD possibly want with me?"

Curtis leaned forward. "We know you have been working very closely with Audrey Raines over at least the last month, helping each other to extract information on both CTU and the DOD. Why don't you tell us about it?"

Mark ignored the question and refocused his attention on Tony. "Chappelle?" he repeated.

"He was killed in the line of duty," Tony replied quietly, his mind briefly flashing back to the day where Jack had been forced to take the former Director's life. No doubt in the next room, Jack was recalling the same memory.

"Oh. When?"

"Does it matter?"

"He was a good man," Mark said sincerely.

"Only because he believed your bullshit about the fire," Tony spat, his anger getting the better of him. "Tell me something, Mark. If Ryan were sat here now, do you think he'd be singing your praises this time around?"

Mark smirked. "Probably not."

"So, keep talking."

…

"CTU, this is Almeida, we're good to go, ready when you are."

"Tony, this is Ryan Chappelle, do not move, I repeat, do not move until you have a visual on the suspect."

"Copy that." Tony relayed the message to Russell, who was stationed out of sight at the opposite end of the hallway, concealed in the entrance to the rear stairway with a group of three men from Delta Three. "We can't move until we've got a visual," he muttered, hitting his fist against the wall. "Chappelle is too damn cautious; we need to get in there."

Jack kept his eyes focussed on the solid wooden door only metres from them. No one had come in or out since their arrival thirty minutes previous. Of course, it was always possible that their suspect was watching them from surveillance separate to that of the building's central monitoring system, but they'd had to take a chance. They were on the eleventh and topmost floor, rendering all other escape routes other than the door useless. "How long exactly did he say we had to wait?"

"You know Chappelle; he'll keep us here all day if he has to. We don't even know if he's in there."

"Oh, he's in there. And he knows we're out here. He's waiting for us to go to him."

"Then we keep the son of a bitch waiting."

"My thoughts exactly."

Mark's voice crackled over the radio. "This is Russell. Moving in on the count of three."

Tony's eyes widened. Jack grabbed up his radio and all but shouted into it. "No! Mark, you do not move unless Chappelle or I give the direct order."

"Then give it." The tone was challenging, defiant. In Tony's ear, Chappelle began voicing his own opposition. "Jack, I swear to God, if you give the go ahead now-"

"I'm trying to stop him!" Jack muttered. "Mark, this is Jack. Do not move. That is an order."

Gunshots met his request. Too late, Jack and Tony moved forward, to see Mark and his team moving quickly towards them. He had the door kicked down and their target surrounded before Jack could take a step inside the room. His eyes locked with Mark's and all other noise faded away. The other man's eyes were like ice, filled with pure hatred. "Screw you, Bauer."

"Tony, what the hell is going on down there?" shrieked Ryan. "Tell me Jack did not just disobey an order again."

"No, Ryan, Jack didn't. Mark did." Tony shut off the radio and aimed his gun at his colleague. "Tell me what's going on here, Mark."

Seeing his chance, their hostage made a move towards the door. Mark wasted no time in raising his own weapon and emptying three bullets into the man's chest. Jack lunged at him. "We needed him alive!" He searched frantically for a pulse in the man now lying stock still on the floor, and found none. "You've just ruined it," he said quietly, getting to his feet. "Everything we worked for ruined." He looked towards the computer humming softly on the desk. "You better hope we can get something off that or-"

Jack did not finish his sentence. Around them, bombs that had been wired in various places along the wall started to go off, obscuring their vision. Somewhere behind him, Tony cursed. He himself could not believe he hadn't seen the bombs when they'd first entered the room, but Mark's actions had thrown everything else to the back of his mind. Thinking quickly, Jack dove forward and grabbed the computer from the desk, shoving it roughly at Tony. "Get this outside!" he yelled. Tony passed the equipment on to a waiting agent, who ran from the room. The smoke from the bombs was quickly rising, and Jack could feel an almost oppressive heat emanating from the corner of the room.

"Fire!" someone shouted; in the chaos that ensued, Jack wasn't sure who. All he knew was that Mark was somewhere in the room, further away from the door than he and Tony, and he needed to get him out. He yelled the other agent's name, but to no avail. Tony pushed past him and together they ventured further into what was left of the room. The fire was spreading quickly; Jack could hear the fire alarm's shrill ring over the roar of the flames and prayed that the building could be evacuated quickly enough.

"Mark!" he shouted again, coughing against the smoke that filled his lungs. He saw Tony grab his arm as though in pain. "He's not here, Jack," he shouted, backing away from the worst of the flames until he reached Jack's side. "He's not here."

"He has to be! There's no other way out!" Together they ran back into the hall and surveyed the charred remains of the upper floor. "The only way he could have gotten out is if he had gone past us, and he didn't," Tony reasoned. Jack risked a look at his friend's arm to see a nasty burn running almost its entire length. "He's gone, Jack."

"No…"

"Yes. Listen to me. Jack! This is not your fault. He disobeyed an order to spite you-"

"He didn't deserve to die!" He took a step back into the room but Tony pulled him back. "We've looked for him, Jack." He coughed violently. "We need to get the hell out of here, now."

Jack knew he was right, but a part of him would not admit it. He also knew that Chappelle would hold him personally responsible for Mark's death, which is why he hesitated before following Tony down the fire escape stairs. As he looked back into what remained of the office, he thought he saw a flash of blue just outside the window, but then the flames surged forward, and it was gone.

…

A stunned silence followed. "The outer fire exit?" Tony asked, incredulous.

"No." Mark smiled. "There was a ledge just outside the window. I saw it as soon as we entered the room. I figured it must have run quite a way around the building, and I was right."

"But you couldn't have known that," Curtis interjected. "You could have fallen."

"Yes, I could have, couldn't I? It was a risk I was willing to take; either way, it was going to look as though Jack and Tony had left me behind. And they had no way of proving that I'd jumped out of the window."

"You sick son of a bitch."

"Jack!" So engrossed in Mark's story, Tony had failed to see or hear the connecting door open and Jack appear in the room. Now he was taking threatening steps towards Russell, who shook his head in amazement. "Still got that temper of yours I see," he laughed, watching as Tony grabbed Jack's arm. "Don't do it, Jack. He's not worth it."

Jack paused, jaw clenched. "I saw you," he said finally, shaking free of Tony's grip.

"What do you mean, you saw me?"

"Outside the window. But I wasn't sure if it was you. The fire was pretty bad."

"I know, I was there, remember?"

"Why didn't you say anything?" Tony demanded, rounding on his friend.

"I never got the chance," Jack replied angrily. "Chappelle wasn't going to listen, and you and I weren't allowed in the same room as each other until I got moved to Chicago."

Tony considered this, nodding finally. "Okay."

"What I want to know," Curtis mused, "is how you got out of the building?"

"I was wondering when you would ask. So, this ledge. I followed it to the end of the building, and by some miracle found an open window. The fire hadn't yet spread that far, so I climbed in and walked back through into the hall. I was at the end of the hallway I'd started from," he told Tony, who nodded. "I couldn't see anything, and the fire was quickly coming my way, so I took the nearest route out of there."

"Which would have been the rear stairs," Jack muttered.

"Yes."

"Then what?"

"Then I waited."

…

Chappelle trudged wearily down the corridor leading to the medical unit, taking a few moments to compose himself before he grilled Russell on his side of the story. Even he had to admit that the idea of agents leaving their friend behind to die left a bitter taste in his mouth. He knew the fire had been bad; he'd seen it both on the news and on the satellite feeds he'd been monitoring. He also knew it was a miracle that anyone got out of the building alive.

One glance through the door told him that Mark was awake and able to talk. Closing his eyes and counting to ten, Ryan entered the room and motioned for the doctor to leave. "How are you feeling?" he asked Mark, who was struggling to adjust the sling he'd been given for his arm.

"Like I've just been in a fire," the agent replied dryly. He shrugged. "Hey, it could have been worse. I could be dead."

"Yeah." Chappelle grabbed a chair and sat down so that he was facing the other man. "I've just spoken to Jack and Tony. They say you weren't there; they looked for you."

"And you believe them?"

"To be honest with you, Mark, I don't know what to believe. I know you disobeyed a direct order from both Jack and myself, and as a result we lost the only key suspect in this case. As it is, the computer Jack managed to retrieve has given us more than enough evidence to go after these guys and put a stop to what they're doing for good."

"I didn't disobey an order," Mark retorted, briefly allowing the news to sink in; the mission hadn't been a complete failure or a waste of time, after all. "Jack told me to go in."

Chappelle frowned. "Oh? I was under the impression that we both gave the stand down order."

"You did," Mark agreed, "but Jack didn't. As soon as you'd finished telling Tony what you wanted us to do, he relayed it to me, but Jack didn't want to do it. He thought it was too risky; waiting in the hallway for so long. He and Tony started arguing about it. Tony wasn't happy; Jack wanted to go in but Tony wanted to wait, just like you said. I heard yelling but I couldn't see them properly because I was stationed at the opposite end of the hallway."

Chappelle took a breath, not completely surprised by what he was being told. "Go on."

"The next thing I knew, Jack was moving towards the door. Tony and I had no choice but to follow him. That's when I gave the order for the Delta team to move."

There were a few minutes of silence as the Director digested the news. Mark stood up. "Listen, Mr Chappelle, if you want me to leave, then just tell me and I'll go."

"No, no there will be no need for that." Chappelle laughed bitterly. "They lied to me. I know Bauer's history; I should have known that he'd try to overrule my authority!"

"What are you going to do?" Mark asked hesitantly.

"I just don't know yet," the older man answered tiredly. "But I know one thing; Bauer will not be working here by the end of next week." He stood and walked briskly from the room, not noticing the small smile playing across Mark's face.

…

"Where is my father? I want him present. If you won't give me a lawyer at least let me see my father!"

"Your father was the one who ordered me not to call you a lawyer," Bill responded coolly. "Although I hasten to add that I wasn't entertaining the idea myself."

Michelle tucked her chair in closer to the table. "Why did you do it?" she asked quietly, hoping that maybe coming from a woman it would prompt Audrey to be slightly more forthcoming. The blonde shook her head. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"You will explain yourself whether you like it or not, Audrey." Bill held up her cell phone. "We pulled everything off this that links you to Russell. Furthermore, a team from Division were able to tell us that you used the DOD terminal to enter in a code that would ultimately harm Chloe's system."

She cast her eyes downwards. "Yes, I did do that."

"Please tell me why. And could you explain this?" Bill pushed a piece of paper towards her. Audrey recognised the search papers she had shown him only hours earlier. "You know what these are."

"Let's say I don't."

"Bill…" Audrey's shoulders sagged. "Please… don't do this."

"It's either here or at the DOD. Your choice."

She took a deep breath. "I forged that document. I never did call the DOD and ask them to run a check on the systems, because they weren't hacked. I gave Mark Russell access."

"How?"

"About a month ago, I met with him. He'd called me; said he knew about my relationship with Jack and said that I had connections that could help him." Audrey paused. "During the phone conversation he asked if I knew of anyone, other than myself, who was close to Jack. I thought of Tony, you," she told Michelle, "but then I thought of Chloe."

…

Chloe winced as she heard the sound of shouting floating down from Jack's office. Glancing around, she was sure that other people had heard it too; across the floor, she saw Tony raise his head and glance almost sadly up at the glass walls of the office. It wasn't the first time it had happened; that much she knew. She'd been unlucky enough to witness another argument only the previous day. Audrey was about to head out to Washington for a conference with her father and she wanted Jack to go with her. Jack didn't want to go, and Audrey wasn't happy with this. No doubt she had chosen yet another inappropriate moment in which to berate Jack for his decision.

Suddenly, the office door flew open and Audrey came storming out, apparently in floods of tears. Chloe saw Michelle get wearily to her feet, rolling her eyes at Tony as she made her way after the sobbing woman. She heard Michelle call after her and quicken her pace as Audrey headed for the women's bathroom, and then a blessed silence fell across the floor. Tony and Curtis resumed their discussion; Bill paused on his way up the stairs, deciding that now probably wasn't a good time to ask Jack to go over some revised protocols.

Chloe, however, got to her feet. She walked quickly to the break room, fixing up a coffee from her secret stash behind the breadbin and adding just a touch of milk. Grabbing up both mugs, she made her way towards his office, knowing full well that he may just throw her back out again. But she was willing to take the chance.

The door was closed but she didn't bother knocking. Nor did he look up as she entered. He was sat at his desk. Outwardly, he seemed unfazed by Audrey's tantrum, but Chloe knew that inside he was close to breaking. "Drink this," she said, plonking the cream mug down before him and closing the door. He stared at her stupidly. "I'm not going until you've drunk it, so get drinking," she told him, perching awkwardly in the desk chair, feeling less confident with every passing minute.

A smile gradually appeared on his face, and he picked up the mug. "Coffee," he said, eyebrow raised. It wasn't even a question.

"Naturally."

Jack took a sip and she saw him relax somewhat. "Thank you."

"It's only coffee," she shrugged, sipping frantically at her own, now well aware that she had probably outstayed her welcome. "Look, I'd better get back on the floor, I just wanted to… never mind." She blushed furiously. "If you don't want to go to Washington, then don't go," she said hurriedly, stumbling over her words and avoiding his eyes.

"I'm not going," he told her, regarding her curiously.

"Oh, then… good."

"This isn't the rubbish out of the break room, is it?" he asked, changing the subject. "Because it's too good."

Chloe shook her head. "No, I bring it in from home. It's just supermarket stuff, you know. You could probably buy it yourself."

"Audrey doesn't like coffee," he said quietly.

"Oh," she said simply, unsure as to what her reaction was supposed to be. She drained her cup, ignoring the still scalding hot liquid as it burned her throat. "I'm going now."

"I haven't finished," he reminded her, nodding to the mug which was indeed still half full.

"I trust you to drink the rest of it," she replied, smiling. She opened the door and almost walked into Audrey. "Oh, hey… sorry," she muttered, standing aside. Her eyes met Jack's and he smiled. "Thank you," he mouthed.

"You're welcome," she whispered, lingering long enough to catch a distasteful look from Audrey as she seated herself across from Jack. "Was there something else you needed, Chloe?" she asked, her voice bordering on annoyance. "Jack and I have things to discuss."

Chloe bit her tongue. "No," she replied finally. "I was just leaving."

…

There was no doubt in Michelle's mind as to the motives behind the whole situation. "You were jealous."

Bill stared between the two women as they faced each other. "Jealous?"

"I hardly see how this is relevant," Audrey announced, shaking her head. "He needed someone close to Jack; I chose Chloe."

"What about the watch?" Michelle persisted. "How did you get hold of that? Was it Chloe's? Or did you lie about that, too?"

Audrey's eyes flicked to Bill in desperation. "Answer the questions, Audrey," he said quietly. "I'm sure Chloe would like to know."

"Chloe's watching?"

"Yes, she is."

She let out a short laugh. "Fine. I'll tell you about the watch." She shifted as best as she could in her seat until she was facing the mirror. "I took it," she said simply. "That day you wore it, but took it off because it was uncomfortable? I found it on your desk and kept it."

"But why?" Bill demanded incredulously, shocked at how willingly Audrey had given up the information. "I don't understand, Audrey. First you say you won't talk, and then as soon as Michelle asks you about Chloe, you can't wait to tell us what happened."

The blonde fell silent.

"What I don't understand is why Mark even needed Chloe in the first place. I'm sure that if he wanted to get in to CTU badly enough, he would have," Michelle mused.

"He said he'd been planning it for years; I assume ever since this fire at the Omega building happened," Audrey muttered sullenly. "He told me he needed someone who worked on the inside, other than me, who could be used to help him gain access into the systems."

"When did he tell you this?"

"The first time he called me, at the DOD office. I was in DC at the time for a conference; ask my father." She hesitated. "He asked if we could meet."

Bill nodded. "That would have been the first time you met him," he said quietly. Then, louder, he asked, "Where did you meet?"

"In a run down hotel." Audrey wrinkled her nose at the memory. "The same hotel that he planted the first bomb in; the decoy."

…

"Russell, this is CTU, do you copy?"

Mark pressed a hand to his ear piece. "This is Russell."

"Okay, we have three targets to your left… you need to go in hot." Ryan Chappelle emphasised every word. "We have zero, and I mean zero, margin for error here."

"You said that already."

Chappelle sighed audibly. "You might have Bauer's job, Russell, but you're not him. His back chat I could deal with; I don't need you imitating him."

Mark remained quiet, motioning instead for his tac team to move in on command. The targets were in clear view; he could take them out alone but that would be too easy. On the count of three, he and his men moved forward, closing in. They didn't bother to be quiet; their heavy footsteps alerted the guards to their presence and too late they spun round, hands only halfway to their weapons. Once they were dealt with, Mark moved further into the compound, towards his final destination as a CTU agent. Behind him, the men followed obediently, their eyes and ears open. At the last minute, they spotted the timer and turned to flee. Mark made as though to move with them, but instead ducked behind a conveniently placed concrete block. Someone shouted for him but he hid himself further, knowing he was fully protected from the blast.

Only when the final clouds of smoke began to settle did he move. He walked out of the compound, or what was left of it, and began walking.

…

"What do you mean, he's dead?"

Tony waited impatiently as the tac teams relayed their position. Beside him, Chappelle sank into a vacant chair and held his head in his hands. "The place was rigged with bombs… Russell's dead."

"Are you sure?"

Chappelle laughed bitterly. "What do you mean, Almeida? Am I sure? Yes, I'm sure. This isn't like last time."

"So what the hell do we do now?"

The Director threw up his hands in defeat. "I had Larry Johnson from Chicago on the phone only this morning; turns out Jack's pissed off pretty much everyone. Looks like I'll have to bring him back in." His eyes bored into Tony's. "But don't you think you'll be getting your job back, Almeida. And I'll be keeping a close eye on the pair of you."

…

"I planned it for a long time. I knew that operation was important; it was supposed to be my biggest assignment since becoming the head of field ops." Mark smiled wryly. "For the entire six months that I had the job, I was looking for a way to take this place down, and that was my opportunity," he concluded, folding his arms across his chest and sitting back in the chair. "Everything from then until now, you know about."

"Not exactly," Jack countered. "Where were you for three and a half years? Are you telling me you were at the Omega for all that time?"

"No, I moved around a bit. I wasn't sure then what exactlyI was going to do. I was in Canada for a while, then Europe. I heard through one of my contacts that you left CTU briefly, went to Washington and met the lovely Ms. Raines. Tell me, Jack. Why would you fall for someone like Chloe O'Brian, when you already had Audrey?"

Jack was across the room before Tony and Curtis could get out of their chairs. It took both of them to pull him off Russell, who rubbed at his neck while resuming his seat. "Fair question," he said, watching as Tony shoved Jack into the next room, returning moments later on his own. Curtis shook his head. "You're going to prison, Mark. We're not having a friendly chat over a couple of beers. Stop stalling and finish what you were telling us."

"There's not much left to tell."

"Then I suggest you talk fast," Tony muttered, looking at his watch. "Your time's almost up."

"You've changed," Mark murmured, almost inaudibly.

"We all have," Tony corrected him. "Some more than others."

"I always knew Jack would come back to Los Angeles. After I 'died', I mean," Mark explained. He was drained, tired, and it showed. "He never could leave this place alone. Same when he went to Washington. I knew then that that was my chance. I called in a few favours and ended up with the top job down at the Omega. It's within good distance of this place. Audrey Raines was just a means to an end."

"Did you sleep with her?" Tony asked quietly.

"No."

He let out a breath and turned to Curtis. "I think that's all we need." Curtis nodded and started to stand when Russell spoke. "I know you think I'm just another terrorist, Tony, but I promise you I'm not."

Tony didn't respond. He joined Curtis at the door and indicated for the waiting security guard to enter. "Get him out of my sight."

…

Audrey put down her pen and tidied away the neat pile of papers on her desk, filing them smoothly into the top drawer. "I think I'll go get some lunch," she announced, reaching behind her for her purse. "You want anything, Martin?"

"No thanks, Audrey."

"Okay, I'll see you in ten." She was almost out of the office when her desk phone began to ring. "Damn it. Always when you want to take a break!" she joked, returning to her work station and picking up the receiver. Martin smiled politely as he left the room, closing the door behind him to give Audrey some privacy. "This is Audrey Raines," she greeted, anxious to be away.

"Audrey Raines, this is Mark Russell. Is this line secure?"

She frowned, thrown by his question. "Yes, but, do I know you? And how did you get this number?"

"No, and don't worry about that; the important thing is that I have it, and we're talking." Something in his tone compelled her to sit back down and take notice. "What do you want?"

"I need your help. It concerns Jack Bauer."

"What about him? Is he okay?"

"Relax, Ms Raines, he's fine. I need you to get something for me. I'm a former agent; I worked for CTU under Ryan Chappelle about four years ago."

"Go on."

"I heard that the two of you are… close."

"What business is that of yours?"

"Oh, none at all. It will just make things easier, that's all."

"What things?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Look, whoever you are, I haven't got the time for games, so whatever it is you want-"

"I'm meant to be dead," he interrupted her. His words had the desired effect as Audrey raised her hand to her mouth and gasped. "Ms. Raines, please, hear me out. I wasn't treated very well by CTU; I want to make them pay for what they did to me."

Against her better judgement, Audrey found herself obliged to listen. She waited.

"I am meant to be dead," he repeated, quieter this time. "About three and a half years ago I faked my own death and went into hiding. Six months before that, I worked with Jack and a guy called Tony Almeida on the Phoenix-Omega mission. Have you heard of that?"

"No, I can't say I have," she replied slowly, thinking back. "I didn't know Jack then and most parts of his files are highly classified, as I'm sure you know."

"Yes, quite." He cleared his throat. "The mission ended badly. There was a fire, and they left me to die." He smiled as he heard her sharp intake of breath. "Jack wouldn't-" she began, but he cut her off. "Oh, I assure you that Jack would," he continued. "At least, that's what I told Ryan Chappelle."

"You mean, he didn't leave you to die?" She sounded somewhat relieved by the revelation. "But then, why-"

"Please, Ms Raines, don't bother yourself with the technicalities." He knew she was dangerously close to ending the call and spoke quickly. "I need your help because you are close to Jack, and have good connections because of who you are and what you do."

Audrey laughed. "Mr Russell, I work for the Secretary of Defence. Whatever it is you think I can do for you, you are sadly mistaken."

"I need you to find me someone else, then."

"Find them yourself."

"I don't think you quite understand me."

"I understand you perfectly. I am hanging up now, please don't call me again."

"What if I was to say there was something in it for you?"

The question confused her. "What do you mean?"

"It's quite simple. I need your help, and there is something I can offer you in return. Tell me, is there anyone at CTU that Jack is particularly close to? Other than Tony Almeida," he added.

She took a moment to think, weighing up whether or not this man could do something for her. A recent incident flashed to the forefront of her mind, and she smiled nastily, despite being alone in the room. "Chloe O'Brian, head analyst at CTU," she replied.

"Chloe O'Brian… can't say I've heard of her," he mused. "But she'll do fine."

Audrey suddenly became aware of Martin's voice outside the door. The handle began to turn, the voice becoming louder. "I have to go," she said urgently into the phone. "How can I get in touch with you?"

"Meet me."

"I'm back in Los Angeles in a couple of days."

"Excellent. I will contact you with a meeting place. Oh, and Audrey? I can call you Audrey, right? Don't worry yourself with the details. All you need to know is that Chloe O'Brian will be playing an important part in what I'm about to do. You and I will remain innocent."

The line went dead just as Martin poked his head around the door. "Thought you were going to lunch?"

Audrey shook herself out of the haze that had fallen over her. "Oh, sure. I am. Urgent phone call," she explained, standing elegantly and making her way out of the office.

…

"I had to block Jack and Tony's files while I pulled off what I could. I took them to our meeting, and he said they would need altering if his plan was going to work. I didn't dare ask him what he meant by that," Audrey added. "That day Chloe was trying to get into the files, Mark was finishing the amendments he had made. The location where Tony was taken? Mark put that on there, to lead Jack and Tony straight to him."

Bill held his head in his hands; it was Michelle who spoke first.

"And you didn't question him? His motives? It didn't bother you that he was lying? You knew Jack and Tony hadn't left him to die, so why did you trust him?" She got to her feet and walked around to Audrey's side of the table. "He was using you!" she shouted, not caring to lower her voice as she saw Audrey visibly flinch.

"Michelle, please." Bill raised his head and indicated for her to resume her seat. She did so, the look of disgust never leaving her face. "You make me sick," she muttered.

"I thought that, being a woman, you may have understood," Audrey said defensively. "We were just helping each other out… no one was meant to get hurt." Tears began streaming down her cheeks. Bill clenched his teeth and gathered his papers. "We've gotten everything we need," he muttered, terminating the interrogation and switching off the tape recorder. "Someone will be in here shortly to prepare you for transport back to Washington, where both you and Mark Russell will be tried for treason."

"Treason…" The word escaped Audrey's lips on a whisper. "Oh, what have I done?" she sobbed.

"I think you know full well, and that's the sad part." Bill held the door open for Michelle and together they walked back into the adjoining room. Heller sat alone, his eyes fixed on the glass. "Where's Chloe?" Michelle asked.

"She got up and left after Audrey confessed to stealing the watch." Heller rubbed at his temples. "I guess I'd better get ready to take her." He got to his feet and shook Bill's hand. "Bill, I am so sorry for all of this; everything," he said sincerely.

"It's not your fault," Bill reassured him, gripping his hand firmly. "I need to see what Tony and Curtis managed to get from Russell; I hope he goes down for life for what he's done to this agency."

The three of them walked sombrely from the holding room, blinking against the harsh lights of the rear hallway. They found Tony, Curtis and Jack a little way down the hall, waiting for them. Tony looked up as they approached. "Did she talk?"

"She did," Bill confirmed. "Russell?"

"Yes."

"Great. They will be transferred shortly; I'm just waiting for the go ahead from Division and the White House. Meanwhile, all go back to your stations. I'll call you when I need to start the debrief." He and Heller strode away towards the main floor, leaving the agents alone.

"Where is Chloe?" Jack asked Michelle, not seeing the concerned glance pass between his three friends. Michelle shook her head. "I'm sorry, Jack. I don't know. Heller said she got up and left half way through."

"She's still here," Tony spoke up. "She won't leave until it's over, you know that."

Jack sighed. "Yeah. I know." He began walking away from them. "I'm just going to my office."

They knew better than to ask him if he was alright, and so he left them behind and entered the main floor alone, taking the stairs slowly up to his office.

The first thing he noticed was that the light was on; he was sure he'd switched it off earlier in the day. Frowning, he walked inside and scanned the room quickly, his eyes soon discerning what was out of place.

"Clo," he said shakily, sinking down into his desk chair and letting the relief wash over him. "What-"

"She hurt you so badly," she said abruptly, moving from the couch and slowly over to him. "Are you okay?" She laughed sadly at her own question. "Of course you're not okay. You've just lost the woman you loved." Chloe moved away but he grabbed hold of her hand and held on tightly. "I didn't love her, not for a long time," he muttered, his eyes boring in to hers. "Chloe, please…"

She shook her head. "No, Jack." She reached down and extricated her hand from his. "We can't. You're hurt. You think you want to be with me, but you don't, not really. I'm not sorry we kissed, Jack. Don't ever think that. I just… don't want you getting hurt again. I don't want to get hurt again."

He opened his mouth to speak but found that he couldn't. There didn't seem to be any words fitting for what he wanted to say. He remained silent as she turned and walked away from him, comforted only slightly that she would still be in the building until the debrief finished. She might not be with him, but she would never leave him. He knew that.

…

Secretary Heller and Bill stood aside as first Mark Russell, then Audrey, was escorted from their holding rooms. The prisoners were handcuffed securely and double checked for weapons or any other items they may have had on them. Once satisfied, the security guard nodded and Bill led the procession out onto the main floor, Heller by his side.

The bullpen was silent, the air heavy with anticipation. Bill could see his team, all of them, lined up side by side; Jack, his face passive, was stood just by the stairs; next to him Tony and Michelle stood as one, followed by Chloe, manning the comm. station even after all that had happened; Curtis stood solemnly just before the main doors. Bill smiled at each of them as he passed, feeling immensely proud of everything they had achieved.

Mark was the first to be led towards the waiting transportation. He smirked at Jack as he went. "I was going to bring this place to its knees!" he shouted, struggling against the guard who was holding him securely in place. Jack met his gaze but didn't move. "Don't bother looking for the computer I used," he went on, apparently oblivious to what was awaiting him on the other side of the doors, "it's gone. It blew up in the fire." He began laughing hysterically, the sound lingering even after the door had shut behind him.

Audrey was quieter; the tears slid silently down her face, and she kept her eyes on the ground. She had almost reached Bill when Michelle stepped forward. "Alex?"

The guard who had been marching alongside Audrey stopped. "Un-cuff her," Michelle ordered quietly. Alex nodded and did as he was asked, moving back as Michelle took a slow step towards Audrey.

Without warning, she reached out and slapped Audrey viciously across the face. "That," she muttered, "was for Jack." Another blow landed on Audrey's cheek, and the blonde staggered. "That was for almost killing my husband." Michelle took a deep breath and aimed her hand once more across Audrey's face. "That was because I felt like it, and this…" She balled her fist and made contact with Audrey's other cheek, "this is for Chloe."

The force of the blow caused Audrey to fall backwards, landing inelegantly at Alex's feet. Tony made no move to pull Michelle back. In spite of himself, he let out a little cheer, attracting curious glances from the people stood around him. He shrugged. "That's my wife," he said proudly.

Audrey clutched at her cheek and looked towards her father. "Daddy…" she pleaded. Heller regarded her with disgust. "Get up," he said coldly. "I think you've embarrassed yourself enough for one day."

She struggled to her feet, one hand still pressed against her to where a large bruise was already appearing. Alex took a hold of her wrists and replaced her cuffs, but was stopped once again as he tried to make his way towards the door.

Michelle took her place beside Tony, who pulled her into a tight hug. They both looked on as Laura Harman walked up to Audrey and added her own mark to the mess of hand prints and bruises on Audrey's face. The red head didn't say a word; the look in her eyes was enough.

Throughout this, Bill remained by the door. Now, he beckoned for Alex to continue, and was somewhat relived when he made it to the other side of the bullpen with no further interruptions. He waited while Heller said his brief goodbyes, watched as the other man walked away and out of the building, presumably to travel with his daughter to Washington.

"I'm sorry, Bill," Audrey murmured, with as much dignity she could muster. "I'm so sorry."

"So am I, Audrey. So am I."

He nodded to Alex, who pulled on Audrey's handcuffs and led her away.

Bill allowed himself a moment, straightening his tie and running his hands through his hair. Steeling himself, he turned and walked back through the doors and across to the situation room to prepare for the debrief.