TITLE : Compromising Situation
AUTHOR : Karen Gomes (pyrie@hotmail.com)
CATEGORY : SBR
RATING : PG
SPOILERS : Probably
DISCLAIMER : All of the known characters/premises/plots belong to their respective owners. So there.
SUMMARY : Bailey's actions leads to Sam's capture by Jack, and revelations ensue.
NOTES : Hmm, I still don't know how many chapters it will take to wrap this up. Mwa ha! I hold the power! Oh, just another aside, the slogan for the Vancouver Caves was COMPLETELY made up. Hell, I'll just call it artistic license . . .
Cheers!
Gomes.
------------------------------- Compromising Situation (pt.6) -------------------------------
December 27th -- Delta Hospital, British Columbia
Bailey sat in his bed, staring at the wall. Grace was the first one to enter, and he looked at her with tired eyes. "You should be resting." She said, brushing her hand through his hair.
"She haunts my dreams, Gracie." He said softly. "I've failed her . . ."
Grace knew that Bailey would be lost without Sam. "I have some good news. We recovered the audio and video tapes from the hotel room."
Bailey's eyes became wide. "Have you seen them yet?"
Grace shook her head. "We figured you should be there . . . " She trailed off, and gently cupped his face.
John barged in, totally oblivious to the tender moment that had just happened. "Good news, boss. The staff seems more than willing to release you from hospital."
Bailey rolled his eyes as Grace broke out into a smile. "Great, we can fly back to Atlanta tonight - "
"We can't leave Sam!" Bailey interrupted Grace.
"Listen, we have more resources back at the VCTF. We'll have more of a chance finding her from there, than here. All our equipment . . . " Grace said.
Bailey put up his arms in resignation. "Okay, okay. I just don't think Jack has left B.C."
George poked his head into the room. "Our jet is waiting."
***
December 27th -- VCTF, Atlanta
The whole team sat in front of the giant screen. George looked at Bailey expectantly, but he only stared straight ahead at the blank screen. His arm twitched slightly in the black sling that hugged his left arm. The staff at the hospital forced him to wear it, and told him to think of it as a going away present - provided that he never return. George stretched his fingers and assumed his position above the play button. «If they find out what I did . . . » Bailey still couldn't forgive himself for violating Sam like that. And he couldn't forgive himself even more for walking out on her after. «I just couldn't face her after . . . » He shook his head. «If you had at least stayed, Jack wouldn't have captured her.»
The realization hit Bailey like a punch in the gut. He grabbed on to the arms of the chair. "It's all my fault." It was a mere murmur, but the rest of the team heard it.
"Shall I run by the tape, boss?" George said, his finger lurking over the play button.
Bailey scanned the room, prepared for the worst judgement in the history of mankind. "Go for it." He said, in defeat. As George hit the play button, Bailey shut his eyes and prayed he wouldn't be shun for his actions. Darkened, hazy images were present, but all was silent. "Where's the audio?" Bailey asked, rather relieved. It was too dim to recognize most of the movements, and since there was no noise, most of his actions would go undetected.
George held up a cassette. "Unfortunately, my friend's technology isn't as advanced as ours." He passed the tape to Bailey. "It's separate, but we can run it at the same time for more accuracy." George suggested.
"No!" Bailey shouted, then lowered his voice, "no, it's okay." Bailey looked back at the screen. It was when Sam had been lying down on the bed, and he had rushed to her side to comfort her. It was slightly clear when the lights were on. He flipped the tape in his hands nervously. "You guys continue watching the video, and I'll take a listen to the audio." Bailey said, getting up.
"Need any help?" John offered.
"No, thanks John." Bailey said, and headed towards his office.
"Why is he so secretive?" John asked Grace as they watched Bailey solemnly walk into his office, shutting the door and then the blinds.
Grace rolled her eyes, surprised that John didn't assume the obvious. "I'll tell you when you're older." She joked, and the team returned their attention to the video, jotting down the times and anything out of the ordinary.
Meanwhile in his office, Bailey took a small recorder from inside a drawer. Placing it on his desk, he dusted it off a little. He popped in the tape, and went to hit the play button, but hesitated and withdrew his hand. He paced around the office for a little, and bent down to retrieve his whiskey bottle. «I know I shouldn't be drinking, but desperate time calls for desperate measures.» He reasoned with himself. He sat back at his desk, nursing his drink. He went to hit play again, but unconsciously used his left hand to do this act. This put a lot of tension, and caused a shock to bolt right through it. Bailey grasped his left shoulder, and bit down on his lip to prevent himself from screaming out in pain. He forced himself to breathe slowly, and the pain subsided slightly. He moved his arm very slowly, making sure there was sufficient blood flow. Finally, summing up enough courage, he hit the play button.
. . . . . . "Samantha . . . " It was again an echo of a mumble.
«He had planned this whole thing. He knew what hotel we were staying at, what places we were investigating.» Bailey could not believe that they had fallen prey to Jack's trap. «It was just so easy for him. And I helped!» Bailey fast-forwarded the tape.
. . . . . . "Do you really think Jack wants us both dead?" His own voice played back on the machine.
Bailey cringed: he knew what was coming next. He took a sip of his whiskey letting the warmth slide down his throat. He closed his eyes, recreating the scene. In the background, Sam's moans caressed his ears.
. . . . . . . "Bail!" Sam moaned as what Bailey expected to be her climax.
«Why did you do it? Why did you ruin what you two had?» Bailey yelled at himself. «I wanted to please her. . . I wanted her to be happy.» He reasoned back. «Many would kill for your kind of relationship. It was very special - one that only comes around every thousands of years.» He was starting to get frustrated. «I wanted more!» «More?! It's always about you, isn't it?! You never think about her!» «That's a lie!» «Is it? Think back to when you asked her to join the force again. Why did you want her back? To help with the case?» Bailey took another sip. «You know that's not true.» The voice in his head provoked him. «You needed to see her - dreams just weren't enough for you. But did you ever think of what it has done to her? Physically and psychologically?» Bailey let out a frustrated yell and threw his glass of whiskey against the wall. "Enough." He told himself. He sat down hard on the couch, and dropped his head in his hands.
The team had heard the shattering glass. John has started to get up, but Grace held him back. "Let him fight his own demons." She said, looking towards Bailey's office.
Bailey sat a long time, debating with himself, cursing himself and finally pitying himself. Finally, Jack's voice boomed on his player.
. . . . . . "It's our time now. . . "
Bailey mouthed the words. «Where have I heard these words before?» He got up and searched frantically through his drawers and finally produced a few pamphlets. A loud bang thundered from the boom box which caused Bailey to stop in his tracks. He stared at the player, feeling his left shoulder pulsate with pain at the sound of the gun shot. This had been when he was shot. He could distinctly hear the wheels squeak as Jack had pushed the trolley away. «She had been on the trolley.» He finally told himself. Bailey picked out a few of the pamphlets and turned the player off. He took the tape and threw it into his safe-keeping box and locked it tight. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and walked towards the team. "Find anything?"
All eyes were focused on him as he sat down at the head of the table. "Everything okay, boss?" John asked, genuinely concerned.
Bailey smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, just had a conversation with an old friend, and I just have to accept some facts in life." He tried in vain to change the subject. "So, Georgie, what do you have for me?"
George fast-forwarded the tape to specific times. They were mostly in the day, when both had been out investigating. "Jack must have first gotten access through the window."
"We were on the tenth floor!" Bailey said, surprised.
"Leave it to Jack. . . " Grace shook her head.
"Well, we figured that he went inside through the window, and then made a copy of the room key." George said. "I also assume that he created a fake ID pass, thus allowing him access into the Holiday Inn itself. My guess is, he sneaked into the room when you guys left, and just hid out under the bed."
"He might have also been using your room, Bail." John said. The room service lady said that it was always in impeccable form, the mints were still on the pillow."
Bailey dropped his eyes on the table. "She asked me to stay with her," he offered, "we were both scared that Jack might. . . "
"It's okay Bail, we'll get her back." Grace comforted him. "So, since there was no activity in your room, on your behalf, Jack would have had the perfect hide-out."
"It gets a little fuzzy at night, making it harder to see. Unfortunately, my friend didn't have a night-cam." George apologized.
"Fortunately." Bailey muttered under his breath.
"Here, we can see one figure leave, which I guess is you." George pointed to the screen. "Sam looks at the door for a long time, turns on the light and lies down."
On the screen, hand immerged from underneath the bed which caused Bailey to jump. He looked around, embarrassed.
"Don't be embarrassed Bailey." Grace said. "It caught us all by surprise."
"Yeah, John screamed like a girl." George said, laughing, to which John only shot him a look.
Bailey smiled a bit as he continued to watch. His smile faded fast as he watched Sam struggle with Jack. She kicked him in his face. «That's my girl . . . » Bailey thought. Suddenly, Sam made a desperate attempt to run, but Jack grabbed her by the neck.
Grace absently placed her hand on her own neck. "Oh Sam . . . "
Bailey watched as Sam hit the floor, and Jack wrapped her in the tablecloth and placed her on the lower shelf of the trolley. Grace placed a small ziplock bag in front of Bailey. "What's this?" He asked, and immediately recognized the solitaire diamond necklace that he gave to Sam.
"We found it on the floor in the room. We also checked the syringe and there are no prints, except for Sam's." Grace said.
"No one has seen or heard anything except for the gunshot." John said, looking at the screen. They all swallowed hard when Bailey collapsed on the floor after being shot. "The manager said that the paramedics had already been waiting outside, for they had been called earlier. One of them had wandered in and was looking around, because no one seemed in distress. When he heard the loud bang, he rushed towards the area." John continued.
"Do you think Jack called for the ambulance, that Jack planned all of this?" George said.
"He planned every detail." Bailey said, in a disgusted tone. "Every sick, twisted detail! He doesn't want me dead . . . not yet anyway. He wants to see me suffer . . . " Bailey said as the video ended.
"Anything on the tapes?" John asked, off Grace's 'what the hell are you doing bringing that up' look.
Bailey shook his head. "Actually," he spread out the pamphlets in front of the team.
"Thinking of going on vacation?" John joked.
"As much as I need one . . . no." Bailey said. "When Jack was carting Sam out, he said 'it's our time now'." Bailey said, and his hands hovered over the pamphlets. He picked one up and handed it to George. "Project that." He said. The pamphlet was enlarged so the whole team could see.
"Vancouver? We were just there." George said, not understanding where his boss was headed. "You think that Jack has taken up residence in Vancouver?"
"Well, not permanent residence, but I know he's still there." Bailey said.
"Okay, so we are looking at the Vancouver Caves, what's that?" Grace asked, also feeling in the dark.
"There are literally hundreds of caves in Vancouver - if not more. I think Jack has her in one of them." Bailey explained. "Look at the slogan for the Horne Lake Caves."
"Make it your time?" Grace questioned Bailey. Then it finally dawned on her.
"Do you think Jack wants to make it that easy?" John asked, not entirely believing Bailey's hunch.
"Or could it be a slip up?" George asked, searching up Vancouver caves on the internet.
"It's not about making it easy, John." Bailey said, standing up. "Jack gets pleasure out of chasing and being chased. It's a game to him."
"Okay, listen to this. In the Horne Lake caves, there are at least two caves open to the public : Main and Lower."
Grace looked over George's shoulder. "And there's Riverbend Cave."
"Yeah, but that was gated in 1971. They used to have guided tours before, but it proved to be too dangerous when a man lost his step and fell to his death." George said, reading the article. "They only found his body four years later."
"Gee thanks, George!" John said sarcastically. "If Jack really has Sam there, you sure gave us an incentive to go!"
"Okay team!" Bailey said, winning their attention. "Our plane leaves tomorrow, and we're not coming back until Sam is with us." He headed towards his office. Stopping, he looked over his shoulder. "Now go spend a late Christmas with your families." He then continued his route. «I'll bring you home Sam.» He promised himself as he gently closed the door to his office, mentally preparing himself for the morrow.
--TBC--
AUTHOR : Karen Gomes (pyrie@hotmail.com)
CATEGORY : SBR
RATING : PG
SPOILERS : Probably
DISCLAIMER : All of the known characters/premises/plots belong to their respective owners. So there.
SUMMARY : Bailey's actions leads to Sam's capture by Jack, and revelations ensue.
NOTES : Hmm, I still don't know how many chapters it will take to wrap this up. Mwa ha! I hold the power! Oh, just another aside, the slogan for the Vancouver Caves was COMPLETELY made up. Hell, I'll just call it artistic license . . .
Cheers!
Gomes.
------------------------------- Compromising Situation (pt.6) -------------------------------
December 27th -- Delta Hospital, British Columbia
Bailey sat in his bed, staring at the wall. Grace was the first one to enter, and he looked at her with tired eyes. "You should be resting." She said, brushing her hand through his hair.
"She haunts my dreams, Gracie." He said softly. "I've failed her . . ."
Grace knew that Bailey would be lost without Sam. "I have some good news. We recovered the audio and video tapes from the hotel room."
Bailey's eyes became wide. "Have you seen them yet?"
Grace shook her head. "We figured you should be there . . . " She trailed off, and gently cupped his face.
John barged in, totally oblivious to the tender moment that had just happened. "Good news, boss. The staff seems more than willing to release you from hospital."
Bailey rolled his eyes as Grace broke out into a smile. "Great, we can fly back to Atlanta tonight - "
"We can't leave Sam!" Bailey interrupted Grace.
"Listen, we have more resources back at the VCTF. We'll have more of a chance finding her from there, than here. All our equipment . . . " Grace said.
Bailey put up his arms in resignation. "Okay, okay. I just don't think Jack has left B.C."
George poked his head into the room. "Our jet is waiting."
***
December 27th -- VCTF, Atlanta
The whole team sat in front of the giant screen. George looked at Bailey expectantly, but he only stared straight ahead at the blank screen. His arm twitched slightly in the black sling that hugged his left arm. The staff at the hospital forced him to wear it, and told him to think of it as a going away present - provided that he never return. George stretched his fingers and assumed his position above the play button. «If they find out what I did . . . » Bailey still couldn't forgive himself for violating Sam like that. And he couldn't forgive himself even more for walking out on her after. «I just couldn't face her after . . . » He shook his head. «If you had at least stayed, Jack wouldn't have captured her.»
The realization hit Bailey like a punch in the gut. He grabbed on to the arms of the chair. "It's all my fault." It was a mere murmur, but the rest of the team heard it.
"Shall I run by the tape, boss?" George said, his finger lurking over the play button.
Bailey scanned the room, prepared for the worst judgement in the history of mankind. "Go for it." He said, in defeat. As George hit the play button, Bailey shut his eyes and prayed he wouldn't be shun for his actions. Darkened, hazy images were present, but all was silent. "Where's the audio?" Bailey asked, rather relieved. It was too dim to recognize most of the movements, and since there was no noise, most of his actions would go undetected.
George held up a cassette. "Unfortunately, my friend's technology isn't as advanced as ours." He passed the tape to Bailey. "It's separate, but we can run it at the same time for more accuracy." George suggested.
"No!" Bailey shouted, then lowered his voice, "no, it's okay." Bailey looked back at the screen. It was when Sam had been lying down on the bed, and he had rushed to her side to comfort her. It was slightly clear when the lights were on. He flipped the tape in his hands nervously. "You guys continue watching the video, and I'll take a listen to the audio." Bailey said, getting up.
"Need any help?" John offered.
"No, thanks John." Bailey said, and headed towards his office.
"Why is he so secretive?" John asked Grace as they watched Bailey solemnly walk into his office, shutting the door and then the blinds.
Grace rolled her eyes, surprised that John didn't assume the obvious. "I'll tell you when you're older." She joked, and the team returned their attention to the video, jotting down the times and anything out of the ordinary.
Meanwhile in his office, Bailey took a small recorder from inside a drawer. Placing it on his desk, he dusted it off a little. He popped in the tape, and went to hit the play button, but hesitated and withdrew his hand. He paced around the office for a little, and bent down to retrieve his whiskey bottle. «I know I shouldn't be drinking, but desperate time calls for desperate measures.» He reasoned with himself. He sat back at his desk, nursing his drink. He went to hit play again, but unconsciously used his left hand to do this act. This put a lot of tension, and caused a shock to bolt right through it. Bailey grasped his left shoulder, and bit down on his lip to prevent himself from screaming out in pain. He forced himself to breathe slowly, and the pain subsided slightly. He moved his arm very slowly, making sure there was sufficient blood flow. Finally, summing up enough courage, he hit the play button.
. . . . . . "Samantha . . . " It was again an echo of a mumble.
«He had planned this whole thing. He knew what hotel we were staying at, what places we were investigating.» Bailey could not believe that they had fallen prey to Jack's trap. «It was just so easy for him. And I helped!» Bailey fast-forwarded the tape.
. . . . . . "Do you really think Jack wants us both dead?" His own voice played back on the machine.
Bailey cringed: he knew what was coming next. He took a sip of his whiskey letting the warmth slide down his throat. He closed his eyes, recreating the scene. In the background, Sam's moans caressed his ears.
. . . . . . . "Bail!" Sam moaned as what Bailey expected to be her climax.
«Why did you do it? Why did you ruin what you two had?» Bailey yelled at himself. «I wanted to please her. . . I wanted her to be happy.» He reasoned back. «Many would kill for your kind of relationship. It was very special - one that only comes around every thousands of years.» He was starting to get frustrated. «I wanted more!» «More?! It's always about you, isn't it?! You never think about her!» «That's a lie!» «Is it? Think back to when you asked her to join the force again. Why did you want her back? To help with the case?» Bailey took another sip. «You know that's not true.» The voice in his head provoked him. «You needed to see her - dreams just weren't enough for you. But did you ever think of what it has done to her? Physically and psychologically?» Bailey let out a frustrated yell and threw his glass of whiskey against the wall. "Enough." He told himself. He sat down hard on the couch, and dropped his head in his hands.
The team had heard the shattering glass. John has started to get up, but Grace held him back. "Let him fight his own demons." She said, looking towards Bailey's office.
Bailey sat a long time, debating with himself, cursing himself and finally pitying himself. Finally, Jack's voice boomed on his player.
. . . . . . "It's our time now. . . "
Bailey mouthed the words. «Where have I heard these words before?» He got up and searched frantically through his drawers and finally produced a few pamphlets. A loud bang thundered from the boom box which caused Bailey to stop in his tracks. He stared at the player, feeling his left shoulder pulsate with pain at the sound of the gun shot. This had been when he was shot. He could distinctly hear the wheels squeak as Jack had pushed the trolley away. «She had been on the trolley.» He finally told himself. Bailey picked out a few of the pamphlets and turned the player off. He took the tape and threw it into his safe-keeping box and locked it tight. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and walked towards the team. "Find anything?"
All eyes were focused on him as he sat down at the head of the table. "Everything okay, boss?" John asked, genuinely concerned.
Bailey smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, just had a conversation with an old friend, and I just have to accept some facts in life." He tried in vain to change the subject. "So, Georgie, what do you have for me?"
George fast-forwarded the tape to specific times. They were mostly in the day, when both had been out investigating. "Jack must have first gotten access through the window."
"We were on the tenth floor!" Bailey said, surprised.
"Leave it to Jack. . . " Grace shook her head.
"Well, we figured that he went inside through the window, and then made a copy of the room key." George said. "I also assume that he created a fake ID pass, thus allowing him access into the Holiday Inn itself. My guess is, he sneaked into the room when you guys left, and just hid out under the bed."
"He might have also been using your room, Bail." John said. The room service lady said that it was always in impeccable form, the mints were still on the pillow."
Bailey dropped his eyes on the table. "She asked me to stay with her," he offered, "we were both scared that Jack might. . . "
"It's okay Bail, we'll get her back." Grace comforted him. "So, since there was no activity in your room, on your behalf, Jack would have had the perfect hide-out."
"It gets a little fuzzy at night, making it harder to see. Unfortunately, my friend didn't have a night-cam." George apologized.
"Fortunately." Bailey muttered under his breath.
"Here, we can see one figure leave, which I guess is you." George pointed to the screen. "Sam looks at the door for a long time, turns on the light and lies down."
On the screen, hand immerged from underneath the bed which caused Bailey to jump. He looked around, embarrassed.
"Don't be embarrassed Bailey." Grace said. "It caught us all by surprise."
"Yeah, John screamed like a girl." George said, laughing, to which John only shot him a look.
Bailey smiled a bit as he continued to watch. His smile faded fast as he watched Sam struggle with Jack. She kicked him in his face. «That's my girl . . . » Bailey thought. Suddenly, Sam made a desperate attempt to run, but Jack grabbed her by the neck.
Grace absently placed her hand on her own neck. "Oh Sam . . . "
Bailey watched as Sam hit the floor, and Jack wrapped her in the tablecloth and placed her on the lower shelf of the trolley. Grace placed a small ziplock bag in front of Bailey. "What's this?" He asked, and immediately recognized the solitaire diamond necklace that he gave to Sam.
"We found it on the floor in the room. We also checked the syringe and there are no prints, except for Sam's." Grace said.
"No one has seen or heard anything except for the gunshot." John said, looking at the screen. They all swallowed hard when Bailey collapsed on the floor after being shot. "The manager said that the paramedics had already been waiting outside, for they had been called earlier. One of them had wandered in and was looking around, because no one seemed in distress. When he heard the loud bang, he rushed towards the area." John continued.
"Do you think Jack called for the ambulance, that Jack planned all of this?" George said.
"He planned every detail." Bailey said, in a disgusted tone. "Every sick, twisted detail! He doesn't want me dead . . . not yet anyway. He wants to see me suffer . . . " Bailey said as the video ended.
"Anything on the tapes?" John asked, off Grace's 'what the hell are you doing bringing that up' look.
Bailey shook his head. "Actually," he spread out the pamphlets in front of the team.
"Thinking of going on vacation?" John joked.
"As much as I need one . . . no." Bailey said. "When Jack was carting Sam out, he said 'it's our time now'." Bailey said, and his hands hovered over the pamphlets. He picked one up and handed it to George. "Project that." He said. The pamphlet was enlarged so the whole team could see.
"Vancouver? We were just there." George said, not understanding where his boss was headed. "You think that Jack has taken up residence in Vancouver?"
"Well, not permanent residence, but I know he's still there." Bailey said.
"Okay, so we are looking at the Vancouver Caves, what's that?" Grace asked, also feeling in the dark.
"There are literally hundreds of caves in Vancouver - if not more. I think Jack has her in one of them." Bailey explained. "Look at the slogan for the Horne Lake Caves."
"Make it your time?" Grace questioned Bailey. Then it finally dawned on her.
"Do you think Jack wants to make it that easy?" John asked, not entirely believing Bailey's hunch.
"Or could it be a slip up?" George asked, searching up Vancouver caves on the internet.
"It's not about making it easy, John." Bailey said, standing up. "Jack gets pleasure out of chasing and being chased. It's a game to him."
"Okay, listen to this. In the Horne Lake caves, there are at least two caves open to the public : Main and Lower."
Grace looked over George's shoulder. "And there's Riverbend Cave."
"Yeah, but that was gated in 1971. They used to have guided tours before, but it proved to be too dangerous when a man lost his step and fell to his death." George said, reading the article. "They only found his body four years later."
"Gee thanks, George!" John said sarcastically. "If Jack really has Sam there, you sure gave us an incentive to go!"
"Okay team!" Bailey said, winning their attention. "Our plane leaves tomorrow, and we're not coming back until Sam is with us." He headed towards his office. Stopping, he looked over his shoulder. "Now go spend a late Christmas with your families." He then continued his route. «I'll bring you home Sam.» He promised himself as he gently closed the door to his office, mentally preparing himself for the morrow.
--TBC--