Kim sobbed quietly in the trunk. Why was Chase acting like that? What was wrong? What had happened to him? Why had he been so upset about her picking up Chloe? She had no answers, just questions. She didn't know what to do, he couldn't just leave her there, could he? Maybe he could. After what had just happened, Chase could do anything, she was sure of that. She wondered how long it would take to anyone notice she wasn't coming back with Chloe. Maybe Jack would become worried and he'd soon notice her car hadn't left the building. She tried to keep saying that to herself but as the tears she shed wet the cold and dirty carpet on the bottom of the trunk she couldn't be that sure of it anymore.

Jack reached his cell-phone and started dialing a number whilst driving.Tony looked at the lamp posts through the window. They were still on, though it was just minutes from the sunrise. The morning was clear and beautiful and you could see the day was going to be sunny. He was surprised in a way to find himself smiling a sad smile. The smile you smile when something beautiful and special has ended and you're sad, although you knew God would never let you keep something you had all to yourself. It was always just a matter of time when He would notice he'd lost one of His angels and wanted her back. He was sure he could see Michelle's reflection from the car window.

"Hi Kate, it's Jack." Tony gave Jack a short glance to see the expression on Jack's face. He looked as if he was going to handle things in a professional way.

"I'm sorry to wake you up, but CTU needs to check some log-files from Warner computers... Yeah, now, it honestly can't wait." Tony wasn't really sure what had happened between Jack and Kate, though he and Jack were good friends. He knew they'd been close at some point, but then the relationship had just died. "It was D.O.A from the beginning." Jack had said and the issue was never to be brought up again, not by Tony atleast.

"We're already heading there.. Yeah, thanks, we'll meet you there. And Kate... I really appreciate you for doing this.. Bye."

Tony looked at Jack to see if he was going to say anything.

"So she'll help us?"

"Yep."

"Good."

Chase rinsed his face with cold water in the bathrooms. He felt obnoxious and he had to force himself to look at the mirror hanging over the sink. Was this the person he was raised to be? How could one frustrated moment, one little temptation to earn big bucks in a few days change the course of his life forever? He wasn't even able to look at Kim. She was the sweetest thing. Sure, she could be naive and childish, but he cared for her still, maybe even loved her.

"You don't lock the people you love in the trunk." Chase looked at himself from the mirror. He couldn't leave her there either. It would be just a matter of time until someone would notice Kim's car never left the building.

The sound of his cell-phone startled him: "Chase Edmunds."

"Hi Chase, it's Jack. Has Kim arrived with Chloe yet?"

"Um.." Chase cleared his throat. "No she hasn't, where are you?"

"That's the reason why I'm calling. Me and Tony are going to check some leads we found from Chloe's computer, so you'll just have to keep the place up and running for now. Can you handle everything there?"

"Yeah, we're fine. The teams you sent are still on their assignments and I'm waiting some updates from them soon. Where are you going, Jack?"

"We're heading to the Warner International's. Long story short, we need to have a look on their log-files. I don't know how long we'll be off, so when Kim gets there, tell her to call me a.s.a.p, ok?"

Chase's heart was beating fast but he managed to maintain his voice normal: "Yeah, I'll tell her."

"Shit, shit, shit!" He hit his fist to the wall. He knew once Jack and Tony would find his name from the files he'd be finished. He didn't even want to think what Jack would do to him once he found out about Kim. The thought made him shiver. Sure he could get rid of her like he did with Chloe, but he didn't want to do that. He killed her because he was ordered to kill her and he already felt guilty enough for doing that. He just wanted all this to be over - he wanted his money and then get the hell out of the country. But first he had to take care of Kim and the car.

Jack parked his car to the empty parking lot outside a big building with the words 'Warner International Corporation' on the wall. He recognized a blonde woman standing in front of the main entrance. It had been ages since he'd seen Kate, she still looked beautiful.

"Hi Kate, good to see you."

"Good to see you too, Jack. Well, let's get in then so we won't have to spend all night.. Morning here." She got her keycard and opened the door. The lights were off at the lobby but the sun rising lightened the room just enough for Jack to recognize the familiar places. There hadn't been much changes since he'd last been there.

"There's only one security guard here and one at the airport and I notified them already that we're here, so don't worry. You can have a look at the files at my dad's office in private, if you want."

"You did what?!" The voice shouted at Chase through the phone.

"I had no choice!" Chase hissed trying to keep his voice down. "She was going to find out about Chloe and I couldn't risk that!"

"So you took Jack Bauer's daughter, shoved her to the trunk of her own car and you think that's a smaller risk than she finding out about a dead co- worker? You do know that Jack has killed men from just stepping on his toes, don't you?"

"Look, at the time being..."

"No, you look. I told you not to screw things up, what part of that didn't you understand!??"

Chase was quiet. It was like getting a lecture from dad after not doing your homework correctly. "So, what should I do about this."

There was a short pause on the other end. "How many people there are in the building right now?"

"Right now? Um.. At this time of hour there's only part of the staff working and there are two teams out in the field. Jack and Tony are off- site and Kim and.."

"I asked how many?"

"Ten perhaps? Plus the security. Less than 15. Why?"

"Shut the place down."

"What? I'm not authorized to do that, I don't even have the clearance for that!"

"I'll give you the clearance. Right now, I want no one to leave the building, no one to enter it, no connections anywhere, do – you – understand – me?"

"Yeah..."

"And I don't care what you do with Kimberly Bauer, but keep Jack in the dark. I'm on my way to get the merchandise, I'll send Lilah there, let her in when she gets there."

"I don't need a babysitter."

"It's not your decision to make, you will accept my terms without questioning or you'll go down with murder and treason."

Chase took a deep breath: "I understand."

He hung up and started walking to the parking hall. Jack would probably become suspicious unless he would get a call from Kim some time soon.

Alex opened the car window and entered the security code Michelle had given to her into the device at the parking hall entrance and the door opened slowly. Michelle was sitting in the front seat, breathing heavily. She hated herself for dragging Alex into this, but she also admitted that she could barely walk by herself. Her right arm was still hurting badly, although the wound, which had been somewhat deep, had already stopped bleeding. She noticed her fingers were getting numb and she could barely move the hand at all anymore. It had gotten a lot worse in a short time.

"So what are we going to do next?" Alex asked. This was not the excitement he'd hoped for but he tried to handle the situation the best he could.

"I have to find my husband or Jack Bauer, or preferably both. Or atleast someone I can trust."

"How do you know who you can trust?" Alex asked while driving slowly inside the big hall. There were plenty of room to park.

"I don't, I'll just have to trust my instincts." Michelle smiled. That was a good question, though. Who could she really trust? Tony of course and Jack. Surely she could trust Kim too. She didn't know who were involved but if Lilah, who so conveniently had been there to give her a ride to her almost certain death, was involved, that much she had reasoned, there had to be someone else too. Lilah hardly played a big part at CTU, if someone was to use someone from CTU for information or direct help, he would probably have chosen someone higher. She wished she had her gun to back her up.

"Wait, Alex, stop the car." Michelle noticed a familiar face and stepped out of the car carefully. "Chase, thank God!" She smiled and took a few cautious steps leaning to the car. Alex rushed to help her.

"Michelle..?" Chase stammered. "I thought.... We all thought you were dead."

"I was supposed to be. I don't have the time to explain it all now, are Jack and Tony in?"

"No..." Chase looked as if he'd seen a ghost. His face was pale and he had absolutely no idea what to say or do.

"Where are they then?" Michelle asked demandingly.

Chase was about to open his mouth but he was interrupted by a loud banging noise and a muffled scream. He immediately knew what it was and where it was coming from.

"Chase? What is that noise?" Michelle asked looking straight at Chase. It couldn't be him, it just couldn't be him. "That's Kim's car, where is she? Chase?!"

Kim lay on the trunk wondering what to do next when she heard the sound of a car engine approaching and then stopping. She heard talking outside the trunk and she tried to breath quieter to hear better, but she couldn't make out any words from the conversation. The other one was a man, was it Chase? But who was the other one? Maybe it was his accomplice or someone he was working for. For all she knew, it could be someone who could help her get out of the hell-hole she was locked in. She started banging on the top of the trunk and screaming as loud as she could. Did the people outside notice it? She didn't know, she couldn't hear, but she didn't stop making noise either. She'd been in worse situations before and gotten out alive, she was not going to die in the trunk of her own car, Kim kept on thinking. How long had she been banging and screaming? Seconds, minutes? She quietend suddenly when she heard a loud gun shot echoing in the parking hall. That was a sound that couldn't be mistaken. She waited holding her breath in the trunk. What had happened?

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Author's Note: It took me ages to write this chapter and it ended up being a lot fluffier than I expected (bear with me now!).
Anyways, I'm starting to wrap this story up, I can't keep Michelle and Tony apart any longer, can I?
Well, obviously I can, cause this is my story, but I hope I'll have a decent ending to this story. So, a couple of more chapters to be expected. Reviews are always welcome!