Title: Loose Ends

Author: Day

Rating: Um… T-M, I´d say.

Disclaimer: WaT is the property of Hank Steinberg, CBS, and a whole lot of others who aren´t me. This is just for fun.

Spoilers: The story is AU and can take place pretty much at any time, but let´s place it somewhere in early/mid Season 3.

A/N: As always I´m greatly indebted to Diane, beta-extraordinaire. I´ll attempt to update once a week.

/-

It was late and Jack was feeling extremely tired. Yawning, he glanced at the passenger seat where several empty paper cups lay scattered. He could really do with more one refill, but it was getting close to midnight and he didn´t dare leave the car out of fear he would miss the target.

It was a fairly basic assignment; in fact, it was a rather boring one, and not something he would normally trouble himself with these days. However, an old friend of his father had come to him, worried that his son-in-law wasn´t just stealing from the business, but cheating on his only daughter as well. Jack had found no proof of the latter in the couple of days he had followed the man around, but certain activities after closing hour led him to believe that there might just be something to the old man´s suspicions.

Stifling another yawn, he stiffened suddenly as his eyes caught a set of headlights in the rearview mirror. Sinking into his seat, he observed as a black van slowly pulled into the near deserted parking lot, coming to a halt directly in front of the back door leading into the store. Almost instantly the door opened and the man Jack had been waiting for appeared, exchanging quick words with the driver of the van before disappearing back inside. Shortly afterwards he reappeared, carrying a large cardboard box, which he unloaded into the back of the van. The procedure repeated itself for a few more moments, a total of five boxes being carried from the store to the van. All the while Jack dutifully took the required photos, eager for it to be over so he could get home.

As the last box had changed owners, the disloyal son-in-law stepped up to the driver´s window. Something that looked a whole lot like money changed hands and the van took off with screeching tires. Waiting till the parking lot was empty again, Jack decided, on a whim, to follow the van. It wasn´t strictly necessary and it really wasn´t a matter for him to solve, but he was at least mildly curious.

Later, when he thought about it, he knew he should have realized that he was too tired and, frankly, too complacent about the entire matter to have followed. But he didn´t think at the consequences at the time and just started his car, made a quick turn and followed the van, barely making the effort to keep enough distance between the two vehicles.

It didn´t take long before the driver of the van started to suspect that he was being followed, and he began to make increasingly sharp turns at an increasingly higher speed to shake him off. Although being slightly annoyed of having been detected, Jack couldn´t help but relish the chase and held his position – all concerns about secrecy having flown out the window. It had been a while since something like this happened.

It wasn´t until the van ran a stop light, barely avoiding a heads on collision with another car, that Jack suddenly came back to reality. Cursing softly under his breath, he realized what he was doing was dangerous and could potentially harm someone else. Slowing down, he waited patiently – or as patient as he was capable of being considering the circumstances – for the lights to change and when they did, he took off at a much more leisurely pace.

Of course by the time he reached the next crossing, there was no sign of the van and Jack sighed, but without mustering much passion. He had pretty much lost interest by now anyway. The streets were pretty much deserted and Jack made an illegal u-turn and drove back the way he had come, his mind more on what he might have in the fridge than the missing van and its driver.

Leaning back in his seat, he turned on the radio, hearing a song he recognized, but was unable to recall its title. Mulling it over in his head, he slowly became aware of a set of headlights in the rearview mirror. The lights came closer and closer, and Jack blinked in annoyance. Then he frowned. However, before he could finish the thought, the vehicle behind him revved up its engine, the driver hit the gas pedal and more than a ton of metal slammed right into the back of Jack´s car.

That in itself wasn´t so bad because the airbags took most of the impact. What was worse was that the impact pushed the car several yards ahead – right out into a traffic junction just as the lights changed. And this time the heads on collision wasn´t avoided.

/-

Two weeks later

Taking off her sunglasses, Samantha Spade sighed with relief as she walked inside and felt the cool wind of the FBI building´s air-conditioner engulf her. She liked summer as much as the next one, but there were times she really wished for a cooler climate. At least during work hours.

Taking a sip from her iced tea – she had forsaken her usual coffee due to the heat – she made a beeline for the elevators. She wasn´t exactly late, yet, but she was cutting it close, and Vivian didn´t think much of tardiness. Just as the elevator doors were about to close, an arm reached in, pulling the doors apart. Hiding her annoyance at the delay, Sam smiled perfunctorily at the man who entered, then let her gaze drop to the floor. She wasn´t in the mood for conversation.

The man didn´t offer any, but just hit a button – same floor as hers, Sam noted out of the corner of her eye – and stood calmly beside her, staring straight ahead. For a moment they rode in silence, but then something that wasn´t usually uttered in polite company escaped the man´s lips and Sam turned to him in surprise, her eyebrow arching.

"Oh, sorry." The man gave her a slightly sheepish, slightly apologetic smile. "It´s just this damn thing." He held up his arm carefully and revealed to Sam what his jacket had kept hidden so far. His left arm was in a cast. "This heat is making it itch like--" He stopped himself, just, and smiled again. "Well, you get the general idea…"

"Yes," Samantha said as she gave him a small, sympathetic grin. "I remember. Broke my arm in the fifth grade, nearly went insane before the doctor said it was okay to have it removed."

"Yeah, well," the man sighed and glanced down at his arm, "I´ll be carrying this baby around for a few more weeks. With my luck, I´ll be rid off it just in time for cooler weather to set in."

Sam couldn´t help but smile at the dejected expression on the man´s face, noticing it was undermined by the amused sparkle in his dark eyes. "You should try a knitting needle," she offered. "Worked wonders for me."

"I did. I got one and damn near lost the thing in there."

She nearly laughed out loud, although she didn´t know why. It wasn´t that funny, but there was something about the man´s delivery that just cracked her up. Taking her iced tea into her other hand, she offered him her now free hand, "I´m Samantha, by the way."

He accepted her hand and shook it briefly but firmly. "Jack."

Sam wasn´t sure what to say next and apparently neither was he, and they lapsed into silence as the elevator approached the desired floor. As the doors slid open once more, she turned to him. "Well, this is my stop."

As she exited, she half expected him to realize he had made a mistake, but to her surprise he followed her outside. "Mine, too." He looked around, gazing up and down the hallway. "By any chance, you wouldn´t happen to know where I can find Vivian Johnson´s office?"

Sam masked her surprise well as she seized up the man before her. She was sure she hadn´t seen him before. She would have remembered.

"Actually, I do," she spoke pleasantly, turning back into professional mode. "It´s right this way." She made a small gesture to indicate the right direction. "I´ll show you. I´m heading that way myself."

"So you work here? You´re a Fed?" Jack inquired as they started to walk.

"I do, and I am," Sam nodded, but inwardly she frowned. She thought she had detected some kind of… incredulity in his tone of voice. It wouldn´t be the first time she had encountered such a reaction from a man. An older man to boot. However, when she threw a furtive glance his way, he didn´t appear particularly surprised, but just took in the surroundings, speaking more to himself than her, "Must be interesting."

"It can be," Sam replied neutrally.

"Is Viv a good boss?"

Again, Samantha was surprised, but she answered the question readily enough, "The best, she´s tough, but she´s fair, and you know she always has your back." It was the perfect opening and Sam wasted no time grasping it, absently wondering in the back of her mind why she felt so curious. "So you know Vivian?"

Jack turned his dark eyes to her. "We´re old friends," he paused for a second, then continued in a low voice, breaking eye contact, "or maybe you could say we have a mutual acquaintance."

Before Sam could inquire further, Jack spoke as he gazed ahead, "Oh, there she is. Hasn´t changed much, has she?"

"I wouldn´t know," Sam answered as she followed his gaze into Vivian´s office, smiling faintly to herself from the sudden affection she had noticed in Jack´s voice.

Lingering without really realizing it, Samantha studied Jack studying Vivian. She liked the way he carried himself with a manner of authority and dignity as if he was used to getting his way, yet was relaxed enough to laugh at himself. He wasn´t afraid to seek out eye contact and hold it either, something Sam subconsciously appreciated, too, as she had always associated that trait with honesty.

On a purely frivolous level, she noted that he wasn´t really what she normally went for in a man, but admitted to herself that she probably would have given him a second look had she passed him in the street. There was an intensity about him that ensured that.

The suit he wore was almost certain to be tailor-made, his shoes were Italian and if he had bothered to shave this morning he would have been fairly well-groomed, but other than that there was no indication of what this man did for a living. Or what kind of man he was, for that matter. However, if he was a friend of Vivian´s, she assumed he had to be a decent guy in one way or the other.

Checking her watch, she was about to say her goodbyes, but paused suddenly when she noticed several fairly fresh cuts just below Jack´s hairline at his left temple. They were fading, but from her experience she could tell they would leave scars. She wondered if they were in anyway connected to his broken arm.

However, her train of thought was derailed as Jack turned to her abruptly, holding out his hand. "Thank you for your assistance, Samantha. I think I can take it from here."

"Oh, okay." She was a little startled by his sudden move from reflective to active, but didn´t let it on and shook his hand quickly. For a moment neither moved, but just looked at each other and Sam suddenly felt herself become unsettled for no apparent reason. Shaking off the sensation, she offered him a friendly smile as she took a few steps backwards. "Well, have fun catching up."

Jack nodded, but didn´t reply, his gaze following her thoughtfully as she turned around and briskly walked away.

Standing alone in the corridor, watching her leave, something resembling doubt and uncertainty suddenly showed in Jack´s eyes, but it only lasted for a couple of seconds. Then he shook his head imperceptibly, looked away and knocked gently on the door to Vivian Johnson´s office.

Viv looked up from where she was sitting behind her desk, her eyes widening in surprise when she spotted him. Then, slowly, a smile began to spread.

TBC…