24 One Tough Day, between s1 and s2 of 24

by JackAddict

A high ranking politician is assassined, Kim skips school & disappears. Jack is still in mourning but about to be forced back into action. A real new 24 day waiting for readers and reviews. Perfect for withdrawal symptoms. COMPLETE!

24. Chapter 24

The following takes place between 7a.m. and 8a.m.

07:00:03 --- 07:00:04 --- 07:00:05 --- 07:00:06

CTU chopper

There's silence in the helicopter, apart from the roaring of the rotors. Absent-mindedly, Jack stares out the window. The sun has risen, the shades of orange all over the city almost make the world seem careless. As he tries to truly relax for the first time in the past 24 hours, with the adrenaline rush just starting to wear off, he begins to feel the bruises on his body again. Had Taylor not walked in on his henchmen, they would have killed him right then and there, without a doubt. How many people died today? How many didn't have to? All because of one man and his desire for vengeance.

What that man wanted was revenge for the death of his daughter. He said they were the same. Jack begins to wonder how different they really are.

If Taylor had killed Kim, wouldn't he have wanted revenge?

CTU

Michelle takes off the headset and places it on the desk. She too breathes a sigh of relief and can't help but smile brightly. Kim isn't dead, Lisa and Jack are coming back, the purpetrators have been apprehended. It finally looks like the day is going to at least end well.

She remembers Catherine. She still can't believe they've had another mole inside CTU. But even that is over now. She's in custody. Everything is fine.

As Tony approaches her, she walks right up to him. "Hey, we did it. Jack did it." She glances around the room, finally everyone is relaxing. Michelle places her hand on Tony's shoulder and looks him in the eyes, smiling. "I'm sorry to have doubted you, Tony." She's sincere. "You've done a great job, even under the circumstances."

"Yeah, well..." Tony smiles a little and bites his lip before looking back at Michelle. "You made all the right calls today. Who else would have had the guts to override George's stand down orders? But more importantly," Tony unconsciously reaches for her hand, "Who else could I have trusted today? Michelle, you're the real hero here. At least... you made a big difference for me today."

"Ah, get a room you two..." George rolls his eyes as he walks by, "I'm going to need debriefing rooms available and the clinic ready. The chopper is going to land in about three minutes."

"It's not like that.." Michelle smiles bashfully at George's comment and pulls her hand back. To Tony: "Thanks, it turned out right, that's all that matters... I just want to go home right now, grab a shower." She takes a deep breath and glances at Andre's screen, which is showing the roof of the building, ready for Jack's chopper to land. "Alright, let's get Jack back in, finish this up, maybe then we can all go home."

Michelle puts a call through to the clinic. "We have three persons in need of medical attention. Prepare rooms immediately... Okay, thanks."

CTU chopper

Jack glances at Lisa's raw, bloody wrists, the cuts on her forehead, the bruises on her face. She suffocated, she almost died in that wooden box. A couple of minutes later and it would have been too late. She'll wear scars from this.

He can only imagine what she's been through, but she's holding up well. He pulls her a little closer, yet she doesn't react to it. She's lost in thought. Jack decides not to push it.

His eyes fall on Kim. So many times today, he thought he had lost her, just like they lost Teri almost a year ago. Her head is still resting on his shoulder. He kisses her gently. She's such a strong girl, just like her mother was. Jack is not sure how Kim will cope with the events of this past day, but he knows they'll get through it. Together.

For a moment, Jack can't help but think of Nina. She took genuine happiness away from them forever. But he had let the government handle it and she's in jail. And she'll stay there. To his own surprise, Jack realizes that despite everything that's happened, he still trusts the system.

Yes, he would have wanted revenge. But he wouldn't have taken it out on innocent people.

LAX
An elderly man has been stopped by customs agents as he prepares to board a flight to Belarus. "Sir, we need the combination to your briefcase. It's not a request. It's an order."

"I am a diplomat. You cannot treat me this way." The man, smartly dressed, stands his ground.

"Sir," the customs agent smirks, "I don't care if you're the President of the United States. You don't give me the combination, I'll find a way to get into this briefcase." As the man turns around, we recognize him as the guy who brought Nick the disc the previous morning.

Chopper
"We've got 60 seconds til landing!" The pilot makes the announcement, startling Lisa into the present and waking Kim.

"We're here already?" Kim sits up and looks around. For just a split second, she expects to see her mother in Lisa's place but then she knows... and it's okay. As the chopper lands, Kim takes the moment to hug her father once more and grab his hand. "Never letting go, Daddy."

"Agent Bauer," The door opens into the daylight and onto the roof of CTU.

CTU roof
Jack glances at the agent at the door. It takes him a second or two to realize that they've arrived. He holds Kim's hand and exits the helicopter with her, then waits by the door. "Lisa." He puts forth his hand and waits for her to take it, then helps her out of the chopper. "It's over. Everything's going to be just fine." he promises to both of them as they walk towards the door.

Every noise resounds more loudly than the next. The doors that open clang against the frame as they pass by. Lisa feels like an outsider in this office, like she shouldn't be here. There is an awareness that Jack is holding her hand but, in reality, he is holding her up.

This is the first time Kim has been at CTU since Teri's death. As they enter the main doors, she shuts her eyes tightly. Hot tears rise to the surface. She won't be able to hold them back for long. "Daddy," she whispers and brings a hand to her mouth. But people, some she recognizes, others she doesn't, begin to intervene.

"Jack!" Tony rushes to him and shakes his hand.

"Hey Tony. Thanks for your help today."

"My pleasure.", Tony smiles. "Look, we've got rooms set up at the clinic and George wants to start debriefs as soon as possible but he knows you guys need a break."

"You brought 'em back," George meets the group with a smile. "But not without injuries..." the smile vanishes almost instantly. "What happened to you, Jack?" He looks him over then glances at Lisa, his eyes falling on her wrists then moving to her head. "Aww, Lisa..." George pulls her into a quick embrace, to which she does not respond. It is as if she's not really there.

When George lets go of Lisa again, Jack takes him aside. "Look, let's do the talking later, ok? They've been through hell and really, they just wanna go home. Let me take them somewhere quiet and then you and I can start the debrief. Alright?"

"Yeah, that's fine. You know where to find me when you're ready." George starts to walk away but is stopped by Tony.

"Hey, George?" Tony has a slight smirk on his face. "You two should really find a room."

Michelle is with Lisa and Kim. "Hey, welcome back. So glad you're okay."

Okay? Alive, yes, but they don't look good. Michelle tries to ignore the blood and bruises and look as composed as she can. "We've got a medical team waiting. We should probably get you to the clinic soon."

"Take Kim and Jack first." Lisa responds to Michelle quickly but quietly, "Kim's ankle is injured and Jack..." she sighs as she looks at him, "Michelle, they beat him up so badly... Make sure he's okay."

She takes Jack's hand and squeezes it, "I'll catch up with you, okay?"

"Where are you going?" The question comes from Kim, whose eyes are red and watery.

"Just something I need to wrap up. I'll be in the building." Lisa leaves for the direction of the office she'd been using earlier today.

on the way to CTU clinic

"Michelle, Lisa retreived a disc from Taylor back at the cannery." He gives it to her. "Find out what's on it."

"Of course." She stashes the disc into her pocket. "Jack, what happened out there?", Michelle can't help but ask, as they're moving towards the clinic.

"Taylor had some fun, that's all.", Jack dismisses it casually, glancing at Kim.

He doesn't want to talk about it. It's understandable. Michelle drops the subject. "Alright. Jack, room 1, Kim, go right next door."

Jack lets go of Kim's hand. "It's alright, honey, I'll be over here. I promise."

They enter the rooms, Michelle follows Jack. "You need anything?"

"Actually, I wouldn't mind a glass of water.", Jack says as he sits on the bed.

"Sure.", she smiles.

"Thanks."

"Agent Bauer, please take off your shirt." Jack does. Michelle fetches him some water and stands looking at him. "they beat him pretty badly", doesn't even begin to describe what he must have gone through, with the condition his body's in.

"Jack, anything else?"

"No. I'm fine."

"Okay, I'll wait outside.", she says and leaves Jack with the doctor. She leans on the wall outside the room and buries her head in her hands, trying to forget what she just saw and regain composure.

Clinic room 2

"Okay, Kim, you said you were hit by a car but the hospital you were taken to took x-rays of your ankle and that is it?"

Kim nods in response, "When can I see my dad?"

"In a minute, he's not going anywhere." The doctor smiles but continues the check-up. "Well, it's not broken based on everything you've been able to do today but the tendons have been injured so I'll get you something for that. And... Kim, anything else?"

"No, nothing. I just want to get out of here."

clinic corridor

Tony finds Michelle outside the clinic room. "Hey, are you okay?" Obviously she's not, one look could tell anyone that.

But she nods, so he speaks softly, "I got a call from L.A.X. Customs. They flagged a guy trying to board a plane to Belarus. He claims he's a Diplomat but doesn't have papers and is carrying a briefcase he refuses to open. Could be nothing, but they thought we should check up on it." Tony pauses, "I can handle it. Just wanted to keep you up to date."

Michelle tries to smile, but she knows the smile probably just ended up looking odd. "Tony, I can't deal with this... I just can't." She shakes her head as she speaks. "Jack, and Lisa, and Kim, they're all... I keep thinking there must have been something we could have done."

George passes by Tony and Michelle and knocks on the door to Jack's room. "Figured the hero could use some new clothes." He puts a shirt and pair of pants on the counter then turns to the doctor. "Excuse us."

"Of course." The doctor turns to Jack before he goes and hands him a bottle of pills. "Agent Bauer. You should really consider taking these. The pain will only get worse."

"Thank you. I'll be fine."

The doctor shrugs his shoulders and turns around, but leaves the bottle on the counter next to the clean clothes. "Just in case.", he says and leaves the room.

Once they are alone, George sits across from Jack, "You look like you've been to hell and back. Can't say your daughter or Lisa look any better. What happened, Jack? Lisa won't talk to me. She's closed herself in that office of hers."

"I can't blame her." Jack wearily looks at George. "I don't even know where to begin..." Jack runs his hand over his face and sighs deeply. "It was pretty bad, George." He proceeds to give George a brief summary; tells him about the hall, the pole, the beating he got after trying to get Lisa out, about how happy he was when he found Kim alive, only to find Lisa locked up in a box, not showing any signs of life; about how he barely managed to revive her, how far Kim had to run with a hurting ankle. "I'm amazed at how strong they've both been. Anyone else would have given up."

outside the room

"Hey..." Tony puts his arm gently on Michelle's shoulder, "We couldn't have prevented anything. But we did what we are supposed to - we helped to give Jack the means to bring them back. And we'll come back tomorrow and do this again."

He smiles and brings her chin up with his fingers. "Just think what would have happened if you hadn't been here. George's orders would have gone through, the Petrovs would have succeeded, and I would have gone home." A soft chuckle escapes. "We couldn't have that, could we? Now, we've got reports to finalize and I've been assigned to Kim's debrief. I'd rather someone else sit in with me. You think you could do it?"

Michelle nods yes as she wipes her eyes. "Sure, uhm..." She's embarassed that Tony saw her crying and turns her head to the side and her eyes to the floor. "I just need a few minutes alone, okay? I'll be right there.." She heads to the ladies' room.

Tony watches Michelle walk away. There is an urge to follow her but he stifles it and returns to his desk where Andre is following up with LAX customs.

clinic room 1

"I'm not surprised." George's response elicits a stare from Jack. "Kim's your daughter, Jack. You think she'd just give up? What I am surprised at is that you let her be separated from you here."

A soft knock on the door interrupts the discussion. "Dad?" Kim peeks her head through the open space. "Oh... I'm sorry..."

"No, come on in." George gets up and prepares to leave. "Your dad and I were just talking about how strong you've been. You can be proud of each other." He smiles briefly then is quite serious. "Jack, I'll have to call the President soon." George exits leaving Kim behind.

She is horrified by the sight of her father beaten and bruised. Kim stares at the floor as the tears she has been holding back finally are released. "I ditched school yesterday." It sounds absurd but she has to say it - it's what caused her to be vulnerable and kidnapped. "I ditched school and I've been smoking pot and... and... I miss mom."

"Hey, sit down." Jack pulls her next to him on the bed and hugs her tightly. "Your mom would have been proud of you. I am proud of you. You've done nothing wrong, Kim. Nothing, do you understand me?", he whispers. "These people wanted to get to you, they would have done so no matter where you were or what you were doing. Nothing was your fault. I should have protected you."

"I just hate being here, everywhere. This place...and today-" Kim stops talking when the door opens. George steps in, "I'm sorry," he apologizes, "Jack, I've got the President on the line. He'd like an update but when I told him you had arrived, he wanted to personally congratulate you."

"Kim, excuse me for a sec, okay? Try to get some rest." Jack gives her a quick kiss on the cheek and gets up from the bed, quickly puts on the clean t-shirt George brought in earlier, then grabs the phone from George and exits the room. "Mr. President. This is Jack Bauer."

"Jack. Welcome back. I heard the mission was successful. Congratulations."

"Thank you, Sir." Jack replies politely, though he doesn't really feel that way at all. "Mr. President, I think that you should know that we've got several suspects in custody and the SSBNs are safe and secure. However, there has to be an investigation as to who authorized the continuation of the project after it had been abandonned."

"I understand... There will be. How does this man Taylor fit into all this?"

"Apart from the grudge he had against me and George Mason, we do not know for sure yet, Sir. We are working on connecting the dots, but that will take some time."

"Alright, Jack. Keep me up to date. I won't take up any more of your time, I know you want to be with your daughter."

"Thank you, Mr. President."

Palmer hangs up.

Jack calls up Tony. "Hey, it's Jack. Could you check up on Lisa for me? Tell her the medics are ready for her and don't take no for an answer, okay?"

George pulls Jack aside after the phone calls are finished, "Look, I acted like a real jackass today while you were doing nothing more than what you should have been doing. Too bad all my employees aren't as heroic as you."

Jack shakes his head. "No, I did nothing heroic today George, I did what any father would have done, only most fathers wouldn't have to."

Jack's eyes are on George, but they're not looking at him. George glares at him, he's clearly suspecting what's coming.

Lisa's office

Tony steps into Lisa's office after she fails to respond to his knock. It's clear she has been crying though now he interrupts her working on her computer. "Lisa, Jack wanted me to let you know the medics are ready for you."

"Okay," she sniffs and wipes her face with the back of her hand, "Just let me finish here."

"You don't have to work on any reports. We've still got the debrief and that can wait."

Lisa chuckles, "The debrief, can't get out of that one."

She reaches for a paper that has printed and stuffs it into an envelope which she puts into her pocket. "I don't need a check up, Tony. My head wound was given to render me unconconscious, my wrists are raw from being rubbed against ropes used to keep me from moving, and the bruise on my face is from being slapped."

Tony doesn't know how to respond.

"The physical wounds aren't in need of repair.", she adds.

And he understands. It's not the pain inflicted upon her that will be the scar she carries forever. It's what she saw.

Tony holds open the door and lets her pass infront of him.

Clinic gangway
Jack finds his focus again. "George, I can't do this any more. I cannot allow for Kim to live in fear every day, I don't want to put her at risk any more. She can't go through something like this again, and frankly, I don't think I can, either."

George is giving him the are-you-kidding-me look, but Jack doesn't care. "I'm retiring for good, George. And I'm not coming back."

"You're going to give up now?" George rubs his forehead to fight from yelling, "After everything... after today... Jack, there's so much you can still do for this office, this country! We don't have to send you into the field, you can stay here. You can network."

Tony has been following Lisa to the clinic after she reluctantly agreed the wounds to her wrist could easily get infected. George and Jack are talking and it's clearly not good.

"Hey, Lisa's going to get looked at quickly..." The looks he gets from both men say he has interrupted an important conversation. "I need to do some follow up work."

Tony retreats to his desk. Michelle meets him there.

"Tony, look at this. Jack and Lisa retreived this disc from Taylor. It has our files on it. It's what Catherine made available to them." She points to the files on the screen. "Including the one on our undercover agents. I can't be absolutely sure yet, but it does seem like it hasn't been manipulated." She smiles at him "Maybe their only aim was to discover if anyone worked against them on the inside and not to sell the information."

Tony nods absent-mindedly. She thinks she hears him mumble something like 'That's great' but she understands it makes no difference to him. The mistake he made last morning will bug him for at least a while.

clinic

"George, could you excuse us?" Lisa waits for George to leave before addressing Jack. "You made Tony bring me to the clinic?"

"Yeah." Jack brings Lisa into an empty room. "Look. Lisa, with what you've been through today, you should really just take some rest. You shouldn't just keep working." Finally, they have a moment to themselves. He gently caresses a cut on her brow. "I'm so sorry. It breaks my heart to see you like this."

"Jack..." She lays her head against his shoulder for a few precious moments. He's making it harder than it already is for her to do what she has to do. Lisa looks into his eyes, soft and calm. How long has she waited for this? How long has she wanted this? And now... she is willing to walk away? "I... uhm... Wow, I didn't think this would be so hard."

She pulls the envelope from her pocket and hands it to him. "I wanted you to be the first to know." Even as he is removing the letter and reading it, Lisa is fighting for the right words to explain her motivation. "Today was the first day I actually understood what it was to be afraid. I can't do that, Jack. I can't ever do that again."

Jack knows exactly what she's talking about. And yet, he stares at her letter incredulously. "Resignation? You're too good an agent, Lisa. You were afraid, but you got out. You made it through."

"But I failed, Jack." Lisa clasps his hand tightly in hers, "You always told me the first thing to do with a case was to never make it personal. I did. I lost Kevin, I watched Michael die, I saw you beaten, and I kept thinking... I couldn't protect Kim from any of this."

She steps forward slowly and kisses him, "I'll always adore you, Jack Bauer. But now is the time for you to be with your daughter."

CTU main office
Kim has made her way from the clinic to Tony's desk. "Have you seen my dad?"

"Uh... Kim, why don't you wait here? Just relax, okay? He's got a lot of things to deal with right now but he'll be out as soon as he can." Tony pulls a chair beside him and hands her an unopened water bottle. "You made it. Take some time to breathe."

Kim smiles and thanks him for the water. "I just want to go home."

clinic room

Jack closes his arms around Lisa's waist. "I will be. But that doesn't mean I can't be with you, too." Lisa just shakes her head no, a teardrop falling from her eye. She tries to turn around, but Jack won't let go, he pulls her back towards him. "Lisa, you're a big part of the reason Kim is still alive. I owe you everything today." He can't just let her walk away like that. Not after all that's happened.

"If it wasn't for you, Tony would have put me behind bars, we never would have found Kim, and Taylor would have gotten what he wanted...", he smiles. "Hey, you're much better at this game than what you are giving yourself credit for." Jack hands the letter back to her and is suddenly serious. "I understand your reasons for wanting to quit CTU. I'll support that. No-one should go through what you've gone through today."

A strand of hair is hanging down covering her eye, he moves it gently to the side. "But you can't just give up on us. I haven't felt like this since..." Jack closes his eyes for a second, then looks at her again. "Don't leave. Please."

"I have to," Lisa whispers softly fighting back a full onslaught of tears. The look in Jack's eyes is tearing her apart and is nearly making her change her mind... but it's not enough. She has hurt too many people because of her selfishness over the years and this will be the last. "Please let me go."

As if a spell is broken, Jack relinquishes her to the future. Lisa feels his arms slip from her waist and she can step back. "I'll call you," she holds his hand for a second more and then walks out.

As Jack lets go of her hand and watches her walk away without turning back once, he realizes he lost her for good this time. After Lisa disappears behind the door, he leans his hands and head on the wall infront of him. This job has destroyed everything he ever loved; taken away any chance of happiness; Kim has never been the same since Teri's death and this day won't help get things back on track, either.

It takes him a while to get himself back to normal, but he does. He lifts his head up again and heads for the door. At least he's going to try and make things right with Kim.

CTU gangway

On his way to CTU's main office, Jack sees Catherine being led away from the interrogation room by two security guards.

"Jack! I see you made it. I don't know whether I should congratulate you or send a killer after you.", she calls out to him.

"Stop!" Jack orders the security guards and walks over to her, pointing a finger to her face. "You have done nothing more but cause chaos today and you've proven you're just like your father. For sale."

"Jack you scum, I'll get to you! I'll kill you!" she screams and tries to break away from the guards, but the cuffs and the tight grip they have on her prevent her from doing that.

Jack shakes his head in disgust. "Well, he would have been proud of you, Catherine. I hope you have someone who is just as fond of you because they'll have many years time to visit you in jail. Congratulations, Cath. You've made it." He motions to the guards. "Take her away."

As they move again, Catherine is still shouting something, but Jack ignores it. He won't waste another minute with her when he should be with Kim. He walks down the hallway, without turning back.

CTU main office
Jack finds Kim at Tony's desk. "Hey, sweetie..." He wraps his arms around her as she gets up from the chair. "Let's get you home."

Michelle glances at Tony, then at Jack. "Aren't you supposed to do the debrief? You know how this works. George won't just let you go, Jack."

"I don't care. I'll come in later. I'm taking my girl home." He spots George coming right at them. "Michelle, Tony, you did a great job today. Thanks for everything. I won't forget it."

He takes Kim's hand and goes to meet George. "George, listen up. This whole thing is over, the debrief can wait. I want Kim to get some rest. I wanna take her home."

"I know it's over," George isn't smiling or showing much emotion. He has just finished talking with Lisa and they've said their goodbyes. "Don't worry about the debrief right now. Lisa will be back tomorrow before leaving for New York. Convenient that two of the best agents decide to quit on the same day."

Tony and Michelle stare in shock at George. Lisa, who had been walking past with her computer and briefcase, knows she was meant to hear those words. But Tony asks the question, "What are you talking about?"

"Didn't you know? Jack here has decided that he's been hero enough. Seems he's decided to resign for good."

The room is quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

Lisa takes a deep breath. Her decision has been made and she's going home, she won't turn back now. She would hurt Jack and Kim. With a slight but noticeable final look at Jack and Kim, Lisa walks out of CTU.

"Jack," George shakes his hand, "I'll contact you later. Get Kim home, watch a movie, do something to relax."

Once George is out of the way, Tony - still shocked - says his goodbye. "Keep in touch, okay? This place won't be the same without you."

"Yeah... alright..", Jack answers absent-mindedly. He has no intention of walking within these walls again in this lifetime. Without further ado, he walks past Michelle, who's too shocked to say anything, and curtly states "I'll send in a report.", before he exits the office, still holding Kim's hand.

CTU garage

Kim and Jack head down to the garage and climb in the SUV. He can clearly see that she is still processing the events of the day. Before he starts the engine, he kisses her cheek and looks at her affectionately. "I love you, sweetheart. I'll take care of you now. Everything's going to be just fine, Kim. I promise."

The drive home is quiet. Neither Kim or Jack speak, both lost in their own thoughts. But, as they pull up to the house she never thought she would see again, a flood of painful memories returns.

Bauer house
Kim stands behind Jack as he opens the door. The morning light reveals the house in disarray - just like they left it yesterday. Jack has gone further in, placing his gun and CTU badge on the counter, but Kim stands in the front hall staring straight ahead, then suddenly she speaks, "Mom's never coming back and Lisa's gone."

She watches Jack turn to give her a quizzical look. "I'm not stupid, Dad. I know that you two were more than just working partners and I know you're hurting because she left. You've got that look, just like when Mom died. You're lost again."

Agonizing thoughts of the past few months run across her mind. Kim crosses the room and sits on the sofa, burying her head in her hands for a moment. "Dad, I can't live here. I can't be in the place where... where you won't forget and I won't forget that she was here."

Jack stares at her, not moving from the spot. She is right. He's feeling lost. In pain, but not because of the bruises he's been given. And yet he can sense that this house isn't the only thing she wants to part with. He takes one step towards her. "Kim, don't do this. Please, I can't lose you too..."

"Dad..." Kim walks from her place on the couch to where he is standing and hugs him tightly, "You'll never lose me, never. But being here can't be easy on you, either. When I'm here, all I think of and see is Mom... I need to be away from here."

She holds him tightly for a moment longer than lets go. "Please understand how hard this is for me too." Her eyes glisten with tears, "I've been thinking about this for a while. School just isn't going to work out, not now. I can get a job and... we'll work out something."

"Quit school? What are you gonna do? You can't just walk away from everything. Believe me, I tried. It doesn't work."

Jack takes a deep breath before continuing.

"Kim, listen.. I know I haven't been the father that you needed me to be. I didn't care about what happened to me and I know I didn't do enough to help you get through these past few months. I know I wasn't there for you and I'm sorry. But right now you and I need to stick together on this. We have to try and work things out with each other. Let me be there for you now."

Maybe he was right... At least about sticking together. But Kim knows she isn't going to be able to talk to him right now, they're both too emotional.

She hugs him again, "We can talk later, okay? I really need some sleep. You, too, okay?" Kim quietly heads for her room. Before closing the door, she turns to Jack and says, "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, sweetie." Jack nods and tries to smile at her while she leaves the living room. What he'd give to make this day go away, to just sit down and play a nice game of chess with her.

Once inside her room, the tears come again.

As Jack watches her walk away, he knows she had grown up. The little girl that she was yesterday was gone forever. She had somehow managed to live a somewhat normal life after what Gaines had done to her and after Nina had killed Teri. She hadn't forgotten, but she was learning to cope, even though he hadn't been there for her.

But she would never just carelessly walk down a street, she would always be looking over her shoulder for as long as she lived. He had failed to protect her from that, from Taylor, from having to go through all the horror she had faced.

And suddenly, Jack understands. He would never be able to protect her as long as his past could come back to haunt him at any given time and threaten them both. He can hear her sobbing in her room and it'is breaking his heart.

Gun in his hand, Jack drops to his knees and closing his eyes, breathes in and out deeply once, but then lets himself fall sitting on the floor, next to the pieces of the shattered phone. He stares at the gun next to him on the carpet.

And cries.

07:59:57 --- 07:59:58 --- 07:59:59 --- 08:00:00

Dedicated to the one and only Kiefer Sutherland and his greatest character to date :-)

Written somewhere between July and November 2004. At that point I had only seen s1 and s2 of 24, so any similarities with s3 or s4 are purely because our minds tick 24 ;-). thanks for reading and I hope you liked it.