Jack had an immense headache, but he fought to regain consciousness. He moved slowly at first opening his eyes he saw he was still in the house, now on the floor. He pushed himself up slowly through the pain and looked at the woman who was screaming now for someone and fighting the tape. Jack slowly stood, his head was pounding and he was still really dizzy, he put his hand over his mouth and said, "shh! Please." He felt as if he was going to get sick. He moved slowly towards the bathroom. Once he got to the bathroom he stood over the toilet dry heaving, unable to puke. He moved back down into the living room he felt the dizzy spell coming on again so he laid on the couch. He closed his eyes slowly and fell asleep.

Jesse stayed quiet until she heard the heavy breaths of her captures sleep. She continued to scream out for help even while her voice got hoarse. She started to wonder about her capture who was still sound asleep even through her screams. She was quiet for a second trying to hear if he was breathing, she heard the car pull up outside. She thought maybe it was the police coming to save her. She struggled against the tape more as she heard the people getting out of the car. She got her hand free and pulled the tape off her feet and ran to the window to look to see who it was. She didn't know who they were, but she was guessing they weren't police officers, there would have been a larger amount of them if they had come to collect the man passed out on her couch. She thought about taking his gun, but what was she going to do with it? She knew how to use a gun, but there were at least three men outside with guns, the guy on the couch too. She ran down to her room, she knew he might get hurt, but Jack, the dog could help her. She let him out and he quickly ran out of the room. She walked back out to the living room as she heard the men pick the front door lock. She hid in the kitchen while her dog sat at the foot of the couch looking at the sleeping man.

She watched from the kitchen, hidden so they wouldn't see her as the strange men came in the front door. Jack, the dog, heard them and went after them. She watched as Jack jumped at the first man inside and lancthed onto the mans arm. Jesse covered her ears she knew how they would get him off. She heard the dog cry out in pain. She closed her eyes trying not to cry. She opened them to see the men walk up the stairs. The one the dog attacked was on the ground next to the hurt dog holding his arm trying to stop the blood.

They had heard about Husams death. Rick had told the men that were left over that it was Jack who killed him. They walked into the living room and one of the men, Ishmael smiled as he saw Jack sound asleep on the couch. He walked up to the man cautiously and took the gun off his chest and aimed it at him. He was not going to kill the man in his sleep so he walked up to him and pressed down on the gauze area on his lower abdomen.

Jack's eyes snapped open when he felt the pressure, than the pain on the gun shot wound. He jerked up and cried out in pain. He saw the Arab men standing in front of him with his gun pointed at him. Jack felt his eyes dropping some still, damn drug was effecting him, he fought to stay awake and he said, "Whatever it is I didn't do it."

"Oh so you didn't just kill David Palmer, than turn on Husam and kill him and the others."

"NO." Jack said confused. "They they left me at Palmers house." Jacks mind was fogged.

"Who was they?" The man asked getting ready to pull the trigger on the stupid lying American.

"Aharon, Seth Campbell and Teddy Hanlin." Jack said groggily.

"Who is Aharon?" The man said.

"Some Jewish guy. He kidnapped David Palmer earlier today." Jack tried. He knew his death was coming, but he couldn't do anything to stop it. He looked over the couch and saw the chair was empty the girl had been in. He was almost happy at the thought that she wasn't there, maybe she escaped and wouldn't die with him, he frowned when he thought, maybe the killed her already. Jack decided to take whatever strength he had left and fight the men. He pushed himself off the couch and went at the man who was not expecting him to move. Jack had him on the ground and was getting ready to hit him again when Jack felt the familiar feeling of a barrel of a gun on his neck, "I don't want to kill you just yet. I want information from you." The man said pulling back to let Jack get off their leader now. Jack pushed himself off, and as he moved back towards the couch the man punched him in the gun shot wound causing Jack to collapse between the couch and the coffee table curling up in pain, gasping for air.

Jesse was in the kitchen watching what was happening and she wasn't sure what to believe, but she knew if the three men heard or saw her she would die with her capture. She opened the kitchen drawer slowly and quietly. She found two butcher knives. She grabbed one of them and walked out of the kitchen. The man on the steps to busy tending to his arm to notice her. She walked slowly into the living room the three men in there were to engrossed in the man on the floor. She walked up to one of the men and held her breath as she pushed the knife into the middle of his back. She felt it go in so easily and she almost screamed with the man as she felt the blood come out.

Jack heard the mans cry of pain and looked up to see Jesse standing behind him. The men turned their attention to her, Jack knew he had to act now or she would be killed. He attacked the leader of the group quickly pulling him to the ground with him. The leader fell onto of the glass coffee table next to the couch and Jack fell on top of him. Jack groaned in pain as he hit the man. He had not expected the man to fall when he lunged at him. Jack rolled off the man grabbing the gun out of his limp hand, Jack aimed and fired three quick shots into the other man, who fell to the ground dead. Jack pushed himself up slowly. Jesse was standing by the man she had stabbed, he had fallen to the ground bleeding but not dead yet. Jack saw the man from the steps coming up aiming and Jesse he pulled her to the ground as he fired on the man. Jack felt the bullets whiz past his head hearing them connect with the wall behind him. Jack fired two more times hitting the man in the chest, causing the man to fall down the steps.

Jack was on the ground, Jesse was next to him to scared to move at the moment. Jesse wasn't done though. She knew she had to get the gun from the man next to her. She sat up and quickly jabbed him where she saw the blood stain on the gauze. Jack screamed out in pain at the unexpected hit and let go of the gun. Jesse quickly grabbed it and pointed it at the man who lay on the ground gasping for air.

He looked at her, and she saw the first true emotion in his eyes, pain. He said in a hoarse voice that conveyed the pain he was in, "I'm going to sit up slowly." She kept the gun trained on him as he slowly pushed himself into a slouch against the couch. He put his hand against the wound that was now bleeding again. He applied pressure clinching his teeth in pain.

"Put your hands on your head." She ordered.

Jack raised his hands from the wound she noticed the one was covered in blood. "Don't shoot I'm not going to harm you." Jack said in a hoarse voice.

They both looked at the window when they heard another car approach, "Who's that are they here for you?" She asked with the gun still trained on him.

"I don't know." Jack answered with his hands still up.

Jesse moved quickly to the table and grabbed the duct tape the man had left there. She walked over to him and grabbed his arms quickly duct tapping them in front of him. Jack sat by the couch not fighting her, he didn't have the strength to fight back.

She was surprised by his passiveness he didn't even struggle when she got close enough he could grab the gun from her. She watched his eyes drooping slowly and she wondered why he had been so tired, what had happened, was it whatever drug he had in his system.

The men were at the front door. They walked through the open door, stepping over the dead man, and the hurt dog. Seth walked up the steps slowly and saw the woman sitting behind the couch with a gun pressed against Jack's head. He smiled at the sight what he would have given to be the woman.

"IS everything ok ma'am?" Seth asked in a polite tone.

"Who are you?" She asked not coming out from behind the couch, she hoped they were the police.

"The police ma'am. What happened here? Everything is ok you can put the gun down."

"Where is your badge?" Jesse asked from behind the couch.

Seth went to reach in his pocket but stopped when Jack yelled, "I wouldn't do that Seth she's a good shot. She took all those guys out on her own." Jack lied the woman didn't know what she was dealing with.

Jesse was shocked when the man she had the gun pointed at spoke so frankly. He whispered to her, "He's not a cop there will be more coming probably through the back door in the kitchen."

Seth smiled at Jack, "Good boy Jack. Just tell this lovely lady all the lies you want."

Jesse was confused when the man she knew was named Seth called the other man Jack. That was her dog, that must also be the mans name. She thought what a funny little coincidence. But she quickly put her mind back on to the situation at hand. She heard the back door opening and she quickly turned and fired on the man walking in with his gun aimed at her. She hit the man in the throat he fell to the ground grabbing his throat.

Seth quickly dove for cover behind the ledge of the steps.

Jack tried to move behind the couch but Jesse put her gun back against him. Jack said, "Lady let me behind the couch or I'm going to be as dead as these men on the floor."

She didn't trust him, but she heard something in his voice, a frantic no that wasn't the word, but close enough, he was scared or was telling the truth. She helped him behind the couch as bullets hit where he had been sitting. "Thanks." Jack said through clinched teeth the movement hurt him.

"We have to get out of here there will be more coming." Jack said quietly so that Seth couldn't hear him. Jack looked into the kitchen and was disappointed when the dead body wasn't Teddy's. "Is there an entrance to the garage from the back yard?" Jack asked.

"Yes." Jesse wasn't going to fight him at the moment. She had the gun and she felt safe as long as she had it from the man that sat next to her at least.

"Can you free my hands?" Jack asked looking at her.

"No."

"I'm not going to hurt you. You think if I wanted to hurt you I would have done it earlier when you stabbed me with scissors." Jack said in a calm voice though he was clearly angry. He knew they only had moments before more would come.

Jesse looked at him and hoped she was making the right decision. "NO. What is your plan?"

Jack glared at her but continued on, "We need to get to the kitchen. Go out the back door. There might be a few guys out back that you'll have to take out. We go into the garage via the door, and you drive out of here. Hopefully not getting shot in the process." Jack whispered.

"How do we get to the kitchen?" She said looking at the five foot difference, five feet was a lot when someone could shoot you easily in that distance.

"Cover fire for me. The couch isn't going to stop the bullets but they will slow them. I'm going to go over to the edge of the couch you open fire at the stairwell. I'll push the couch with my shoulder I guess towards the kitchen." Jack answered. "It would be easier if I had my hands."

"To bad you're a very capable man you can do it with your shoulder." Jesse said not budging as long as she had the gun and he was retrained she was safe from him and only had to worry about the people who wanted him and now her dead.

"Whenever you are ready than." Jack said looking at her noticing her beauty for the first time. He waited for her to start firing before he scrambled to push the couch the five feet. As he pushed the couch Jesse slowly side stepped firing until she was out of ammo. Once she finished Jack clinched his teeth and pushed the couch the last little feet he dove behind in crying out in pain. Jesse helped him by grabbing him and pulling him with her into the kitchen. He limped out the door she was right behind him. Jack ducked quickly as he saw a man aiming at him at the bottom of the steps. Jesse was out of ammo so when she pointed the gun she got nothing. Jack remembered it and lunged at the man at the bottom of the steps who had not fired yet, Jack knew they wanted him alive still, but she probably could be killed without a problem.

He fought the man on the ground trying to hit him was hard since Jack's hands were tapped together. The man turned over pushing Jack to the ground hitting Jack in the face repeatedly until finally Jack stopped fighting back. The man turned to take care of Jesse and she wasn't at the top of the steps. He started up the steps thinking she was hiding. When he reached the top he stopped dead in his tracks she had her gun pointed at him, he smiled remembering she was out of ammo, "You're out of ammo" He smiled sadistically at her, maybe they could keep her alive for fun he thought, she was feisty and he liked them feisty.

"No it's not. I just grabbed your buddies." She said as she pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the man in the head and sent him over the railing down the hard ground. She ran down the steps and kneeled next to Jack. She checked his pulse he was alive, she shook him gently trying to wake him. She was sure he was just unconscious again. When he didn't wake up she heard people coming she quickly poked the gunshot wound. Jack's eyes opened and he groaned, "Would you stop that!" He said angrily.

"Let's go unless you want to lay here and wait for them to come." She said helping him up. She carried most of his weight to the car. She could tell he was exhausted still under the influence of whatever drug he had taken, and she was sure his injuries weren't helping. She put him in the passenger side and ran over to the driver side. She pressed the garage door opened and put the car in reverse. She backed out winging the car into the yard hitting one of the men waiting for them. She drove through her neighbors yard onto the street. She sped off down the street unsure of where to go. She looked over at the man and asked, "Who the hell are you?"

Jack looked at her and answered her, "Jack Bauer."

"Jack what the hell is going on? Why are those men trying to kill you, they aren't cops I know that much."

Jack swallowed some blood that had pooled in his mouth from the beating he took at the bottom of the steps, "Take your pick I'm not so sure myself." Jack said in a sleepy voice. He was tired and was trying to stay awake.

"What did you do to piss them off?" She asked she looked over and he was asleep again. She got pissed off, every time she had a question for him he'd fall asleep something wasn't right. She pushed her finger tips against the vein in his neck and felt a pulse. So he was alive. She looked at him and let him be for the time being. She thought about going to the police but something told her that wasn't going to help matters. She drove around for awhile unsure of where to go. She tried to think of being in a movie what would the person do. She had grown up watching those movies so she knew she shouldn't go to anywhere where they can trace her or him to. Not knowing much about him she wasn't sure what to do. She reached into his pocket and found his wallet. She pulled it out, while she sat at the red light. When she opened it she read the drivers licenses, the name on it was Jack Bauer. So he didn't lie to her about his name. She looked through it and saw an old warn picture of him, a woman, and a younger woman she assumed by looks was his daughter. She looked at his hands that rested on his lap, there wasn't a wedding ring so something happened to the woman in the picture. She found a business card with his name on it, and the business. Was he a private eye? She was confused and she needed to go somewhere were she could think. She grabbed her cell phone and called her friend.

"Hey Allen." She said when he answered the phone.

"Jesse are you ok your house is all over the news. It says you were taken hostage by some guy who killed that Palmer guy."

"I'm fine." Jesse said looking at Jack who was asleep in the passenger seat. "That's why I'm calling I need somewhere to lay low for awhile. I got this guy and he needs some help. I'm not sure what's going on."

"You know you are always welcome over." Allen said.

"It's the guy though." She said pulling onto the road that would lead her to Allen's secluded house.

"Even if you bring felons with I guess I could have you over. Are you sure about helping him though, by the sounds of it he's one nasty guy."

"I don't now about nasty, but yes I'm sure. I can always get a good story out of it, make Lynn happy that I have an exclusive with the man that killed Palmer." Jesse joked, she had been trying to change the news slowly by finding stories that did not spread the ever present fear, she was trying to report good things, but she rarely got to because her boss wanted to have the murder and not the victim that was moving on at night.

"I'll get the spare bedroom set up. Do you need anything else?"

"You have a first aid kit?" Jesse asked looking at Jack who's face had blood all over it, and she could see the wound on his abdomen was still bleeding.

"Yes are you ok?" He asked worried.

"I'm fine it's him. We'll be there in about ten minutes."

"I'll be waiting."