Redemption
Chapter Forty Eight
Kat slipped away from the briefing room seemingly unnoticed. Following her outburst the room had erupted into several somewhat shocked but excited conversations regarding the latest Rambaldi development. Jack had launched into a heated discussion with Ben Devlin, while Sydney and Vaughn argued with Kendall and Dixon regarding the public spectacle they'd made of Kat.
The rotunda was oddly quiet as she stepped slipped down one of the corridors needing a reprieve from The Rambaldi insanity. She wasn't anyone special. It was ludicrous. She wasn't the giver of peace or the deliverer of evil. She was just a seventeen-year old girl from New York City trying to live a normal life.
"What is normal anyway," she sighed to herself. Kat sank to the floor wrapping her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. "I want a drink."
Well that wasn't entirely true. Kat had never been a drinker. She'd been in the presence of far too many alcoholics over her life span to even think about touching the stuff. Not that she'd never had the opportunity however. Living in foster care had granted her many opportunities as she'd cleaned up after several alcoholic foster parents. Even living with Jack, she'd often woken in the middle of the night and taken a half-empty glass of scotch from his hand and covered him with a blanket. Not that they ever spoke of it of course and sometimes she wondered if he even knew. She knew Jack could control himself but she still feared that with the consistency of his drinking and the high stress demands of his job, not to mention the high maintenance daughter who'd suddenly been forced upon him, he could potentially be in danger of alcoholism.
"Miss Bristow?" a voice called to her from across the hallway and Kat peeked out from the small alcove she'd been hiding.
"Could I see you in my office please?" Lindsey asked walking back to his office and holding the door open expectantly.
"Mr. Lindsey," she sighed dragging her feet towards him. "I'm sorry about my little outburst in there but come on, you have to admit this whole idea of a prophecy is just ridiculous-"
"Miss Bristow," Lindsey cut her off and held the door open wider. "My office now please, we need to have a talk."
She gave him a curious look as she walked past him and entered the office. He was unusually quiet and somewhat polite for a change. She couldn't help but get a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.
~ ~ ~
Jack exited the briefing room allowing the door to slam shut behind him. Scanning the rotunda, he was surprised not to see Kat in any of her usual places. He'd seen her slip out some twenty minutes before but had left her alone knowing she needed to herself to process everything that had happened.
The others were still in the briefing room discussing the prophecy and Sydney and Vaughn were preparing to go on a Rambaldi related operation.
Jack caught the attention of a passing agent and inquired as to Kat's whereabouts. The younger agent pointed him in the direction of Lindsey's office.
The blinds had been drawn but from where Jack he stood he could see in through the window on the door.
He caught glimpses of his daughter as she paced the office floor seemingly in a verbal dispute of some sort with Lindsey. Jack approached the office but was immediately warded off by Lindsey's secretary who informed him that Director Lindsey was in a private meeting and he was not to be disturbed for any reason. Jack backed off. Katarina was clearly upset and he knew he would only make matters worse.
It left him unsettled to be turned away from a meeting with his own daughter and he sat down at Sydney's desk to prepare the operations file and keep an eye on Katarina. On more than one occasion he looked to Lindsey's office and saw Kat watching him through the window. The moment their eyes met, her gaze was diverted and he had a feeling there was something more than just the Rambaldi Prophecy that was bothering her.
Jack stood the moment the door opened and began walking towards Katarina as she exited Lindsey's office. Lindsey called her back and she stopped turning towards him. The spoke quietly for a moment and then Lindsey held out his hand. Kat's eyes met her fathers briefly and he thought he saw a flicker of regret as she extended her hand to Lindsey and they shook.
As much as he wanted to go to her, Jack remained where he stood. Kat took her time and walking over to him.
"What was that about—"Jack demanded crossing his arms over his chest.
She didn't respond right away. She held her arms against her chest and avoided his gaze as long as possible. When she finally looked up he saw sadness.
"I need to talk to you," her breathing was uneven and shallow.
Jack nodded expectantly fighting the urge to go and slit Lindsey's throat for whatever he had said to her.
"Not here," she said softly and took his hand guiding him to the corner of the rotunda where they had complete privacy behind closed doors.
Kat studied his face and opened her mouth to speak several times but no words came out.
"What is it?" he asked impatiently.
"There's something that you're not going to like," her voice shook with a nervousness he had grown accustomed to hearing far too often. "Jack---Dad, I'm going away," she tried to smile but it was a failed attempt as she feared his reaction.
His expression did not change and it made it that much harder for Kat to look him in the eye.
"Did you hear what I said?" she asked biting her lip.
"Yes."
"Well, then say something," she pleaded.
Jack shook his head unsure of what she wanted to hear or more so what he could say. She wasn't just going away, there was far more to it than that. That part had been clear from the handshake he'd witnessed between Kat and Lindsey. Jack crossed his arms over his chest and spoke through gritted teeth. "Katarina, what have you done?"
"I did what I had to do," she spoke quietly obviously affected by his reaction. "I made a deal with Lindsey, with the CIA."
"What kind of a deal?"
"I'm going away," she repeated.
"You've said that already."
"I-Jack I had to make a choice," she said her eyes filling with tears. "I had to choose and I can't live in a prison, Jack you know I can't." She couldn't stop the tears that began to fall.
"Katy, what did you do?" he asked again and gripped her arms tightly.
"I joined the CIA," she whispered.
She nearly cried out in pain as Jack gripped her arms tighter. "You did what."
"I had to, Jack they were going to put me in protective custody, I can't live like that." Her chin trembled as she tried to stay in control of her emotions. I had to choose between witness protection and you and Sydney. I chose my life here. I'm going now, for training."
"Damnit Katarina, why, why did you do it?" Jack asked angrily.
"I didn't have a choice," she tried to explain. "I just found you and Sydney. I can't leave you forever, that's not an option."
"I would have made alternate arrangements, you should have come to me first."
"And what would you have done Jack? Hid me away somewhere? Pretend I didn't exist anymore?" she threw up her hands in frustration. "Don't you understand, it doesn't matter where I am, or what I do, they'll get to me if that's what they want. They'll find me and if they want to they'll kill me, nothing you do can stop that from happening. But I can do something about it. I can at least be happy."
Kat was on the verge of tears once more and Jack looked away hoping to prevent her from crying again.
"I'm happy here, I know it seems crazy with everything that has happened but I am. I won't give up my life here. My friends, my family, Sydney, I won't give them up." She reached up to touch Jack's shoulder forcing him to look at her again. "I can't give YOU up. It's not an option." Jack shook his head and was about to speak but Kat cut him off.
"I'm tired of running, and hiding. This is the only way. Khasinau, or The Covenant, or whoever else is after me, they're not going to stop. This won't be over until one of us finds The Contessa and I'm not going to stop until I do. This is my life, and this ends on my terms, not with a prophecy by some 500-year-old head case whose idea of fun was to screw with people's lives. I'm going to find The Contessa but if something happens to me in the meantime you have to understand that this is my choice, you can't protect me from it."
Her strong voice echoed through the hallway bouncing off the walls as if only to emphasize her point. She'd hoped he would say something but he remained silent.
"I know this isn't what you wanted but it's out of my hands. It was one or the other; I couldn't just stay with you or Sydney anymore. I just did what I had to do."
"No," Jack shook his head. "You did what you wanted to do." He never faltered. His face was stone and his voice calm and steady. "You can be anything that you want to be. You're smart and you're talented, you could be anything. "Doctor, teacher, lawyer, scientist. Anything Katarina, anything and you choose by not this. This is going against everything I've told you, everything that I've wanted for you."
"It's what I have to do." Kat looked past him seeing Agent Cole waiting expectantly for her at Sydney's desk. "I have to go now, Agent Cole is taking me. They just started a new recruit session at the farm and I'm only a few days behind." She hated leaving things this way between them. "Lindsey promised me that I would be placed in this office, with you and Sydney if I successfully completed the training. And I got that in writing," she joked. She smiled at Jack but he made no effort to return it. "I'll be back in a few months. Say good bye to Sydney for me," she requested. "Tell her that... tell her I'll miss her. Bye Jack." She opened the door abruptly but allowed the handle to slip from her fingers when Jack called her name.
He turned to face her, a potential look of sadness on his face and took her hands.
"You probably already know this Katy, but I love you," he said sincerely and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, allowing her his fingers to brush across her cheek and wiped away the remaining tear stains from her cheek. "While I may not agree with your decision, you are old enough to make it and it is your decision. I respect it." Kat looked down at their hands, large ones encompassing small ones.
"Thank you," she whispered blinking back tears as she opened the door again but allowed it to shut once more.
Jack didn't even have time to react before Kat turned and flung herself in his arms, locking her arms around hid neck. He hugged her close, lifting her off the ground sighing contentedly, eyes closed momentarily as she near squeezed the breath right out of him.
"I love you Daddy," she whispered in his ear just before he set her on her feet. "Miss you," she said softly wiping her eyes once more and then she was gone.
Jack watched from behind glass doors as Kat and Agent Cole met and then left the office together with no one suspecting that it would be months before she returned. He was proud, she didn't look back. "I love you too sweetheart," he whispered to her retreating figure. "Miss you."
Chapter Forty Eight
Kat slipped away from the briefing room seemingly unnoticed. Following her outburst the room had erupted into several somewhat shocked but excited conversations regarding the latest Rambaldi development. Jack had launched into a heated discussion with Ben Devlin, while Sydney and Vaughn argued with Kendall and Dixon regarding the public spectacle they'd made of Kat.
The rotunda was oddly quiet as she stepped slipped down one of the corridors needing a reprieve from The Rambaldi insanity. She wasn't anyone special. It was ludicrous. She wasn't the giver of peace or the deliverer of evil. She was just a seventeen-year old girl from New York City trying to live a normal life.
"What is normal anyway," she sighed to herself. Kat sank to the floor wrapping her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. "I want a drink."
Well that wasn't entirely true. Kat had never been a drinker. She'd been in the presence of far too many alcoholics over her life span to even think about touching the stuff. Not that she'd never had the opportunity however. Living in foster care had granted her many opportunities as she'd cleaned up after several alcoholic foster parents. Even living with Jack, she'd often woken in the middle of the night and taken a half-empty glass of scotch from his hand and covered him with a blanket. Not that they ever spoke of it of course and sometimes she wondered if he even knew. She knew Jack could control himself but she still feared that with the consistency of his drinking and the high stress demands of his job, not to mention the high maintenance daughter who'd suddenly been forced upon him, he could potentially be in danger of alcoholism.
"Miss Bristow?" a voice called to her from across the hallway and Kat peeked out from the small alcove she'd been hiding.
"Could I see you in my office please?" Lindsey asked walking back to his office and holding the door open expectantly.
"Mr. Lindsey," she sighed dragging her feet towards him. "I'm sorry about my little outburst in there but come on, you have to admit this whole idea of a prophecy is just ridiculous-"
"Miss Bristow," Lindsey cut her off and held the door open wider. "My office now please, we need to have a talk."
She gave him a curious look as she walked past him and entered the office. He was unusually quiet and somewhat polite for a change. She couldn't help but get a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.
~ ~ ~
Jack exited the briefing room allowing the door to slam shut behind him. Scanning the rotunda, he was surprised not to see Kat in any of her usual places. He'd seen her slip out some twenty minutes before but had left her alone knowing she needed to herself to process everything that had happened.
The others were still in the briefing room discussing the prophecy and Sydney and Vaughn were preparing to go on a Rambaldi related operation.
Jack caught the attention of a passing agent and inquired as to Kat's whereabouts. The younger agent pointed him in the direction of Lindsey's office.
The blinds had been drawn but from where Jack he stood he could see in through the window on the door.
He caught glimpses of his daughter as she paced the office floor seemingly in a verbal dispute of some sort with Lindsey. Jack approached the office but was immediately warded off by Lindsey's secretary who informed him that Director Lindsey was in a private meeting and he was not to be disturbed for any reason. Jack backed off. Katarina was clearly upset and he knew he would only make matters worse.
It left him unsettled to be turned away from a meeting with his own daughter and he sat down at Sydney's desk to prepare the operations file and keep an eye on Katarina. On more than one occasion he looked to Lindsey's office and saw Kat watching him through the window. The moment their eyes met, her gaze was diverted and he had a feeling there was something more than just the Rambaldi Prophecy that was bothering her.
Jack stood the moment the door opened and began walking towards Katarina as she exited Lindsey's office. Lindsey called her back and she stopped turning towards him. The spoke quietly for a moment and then Lindsey held out his hand. Kat's eyes met her fathers briefly and he thought he saw a flicker of regret as she extended her hand to Lindsey and they shook.
As much as he wanted to go to her, Jack remained where he stood. Kat took her time and walking over to him.
"What was that about—"Jack demanded crossing his arms over his chest.
She didn't respond right away. She held her arms against her chest and avoided his gaze as long as possible. When she finally looked up he saw sadness.
"I need to talk to you," her breathing was uneven and shallow.
Jack nodded expectantly fighting the urge to go and slit Lindsey's throat for whatever he had said to her.
"Not here," she said softly and took his hand guiding him to the corner of the rotunda where they had complete privacy behind closed doors.
Kat studied his face and opened her mouth to speak several times but no words came out.
"What is it?" he asked impatiently.
"There's something that you're not going to like," her voice shook with a nervousness he had grown accustomed to hearing far too often. "Jack---Dad, I'm going away," she tried to smile but it was a failed attempt as she feared his reaction.
His expression did not change and it made it that much harder for Kat to look him in the eye.
"Did you hear what I said?" she asked biting her lip.
"Yes."
"Well, then say something," she pleaded.
Jack shook his head unsure of what she wanted to hear or more so what he could say. She wasn't just going away, there was far more to it than that. That part had been clear from the handshake he'd witnessed between Kat and Lindsey. Jack crossed his arms over his chest and spoke through gritted teeth. "Katarina, what have you done?"
"I did what I had to do," she spoke quietly obviously affected by his reaction. "I made a deal with Lindsey, with the CIA."
"What kind of a deal?"
"I'm going away," she repeated.
"You've said that already."
"I-Jack I had to make a choice," she said her eyes filling with tears. "I had to choose and I can't live in a prison, Jack you know I can't." She couldn't stop the tears that began to fall.
"Katy, what did you do?" he asked again and gripped her arms tightly.
"I joined the CIA," she whispered.
She nearly cried out in pain as Jack gripped her arms tighter. "You did what."
"I had to, Jack they were going to put me in protective custody, I can't live like that." Her chin trembled as she tried to stay in control of her emotions. I had to choose between witness protection and you and Sydney. I chose my life here. I'm going now, for training."
"Damnit Katarina, why, why did you do it?" Jack asked angrily.
"I didn't have a choice," she tried to explain. "I just found you and Sydney. I can't leave you forever, that's not an option."
"I would have made alternate arrangements, you should have come to me first."
"And what would you have done Jack? Hid me away somewhere? Pretend I didn't exist anymore?" she threw up her hands in frustration. "Don't you understand, it doesn't matter where I am, or what I do, they'll get to me if that's what they want. They'll find me and if they want to they'll kill me, nothing you do can stop that from happening. But I can do something about it. I can at least be happy."
Kat was on the verge of tears once more and Jack looked away hoping to prevent her from crying again.
"I'm happy here, I know it seems crazy with everything that has happened but I am. I won't give up my life here. My friends, my family, Sydney, I won't give them up." She reached up to touch Jack's shoulder forcing him to look at her again. "I can't give YOU up. It's not an option." Jack shook his head and was about to speak but Kat cut him off.
"I'm tired of running, and hiding. This is the only way. Khasinau, or The Covenant, or whoever else is after me, they're not going to stop. This won't be over until one of us finds The Contessa and I'm not going to stop until I do. This is my life, and this ends on my terms, not with a prophecy by some 500-year-old head case whose idea of fun was to screw with people's lives. I'm going to find The Contessa but if something happens to me in the meantime you have to understand that this is my choice, you can't protect me from it."
Her strong voice echoed through the hallway bouncing off the walls as if only to emphasize her point. She'd hoped he would say something but he remained silent.
"I know this isn't what you wanted but it's out of my hands. It was one or the other; I couldn't just stay with you or Sydney anymore. I just did what I had to do."
"No," Jack shook his head. "You did what you wanted to do." He never faltered. His face was stone and his voice calm and steady. "You can be anything that you want to be. You're smart and you're talented, you could be anything. "Doctor, teacher, lawyer, scientist. Anything Katarina, anything and you choose by not this. This is going against everything I've told you, everything that I've wanted for you."
"It's what I have to do." Kat looked past him seeing Agent Cole waiting expectantly for her at Sydney's desk. "I have to go now, Agent Cole is taking me. They just started a new recruit session at the farm and I'm only a few days behind." She hated leaving things this way between them. "Lindsey promised me that I would be placed in this office, with you and Sydney if I successfully completed the training. And I got that in writing," she joked. She smiled at Jack but he made no effort to return it. "I'll be back in a few months. Say good bye to Sydney for me," she requested. "Tell her that... tell her I'll miss her. Bye Jack." She opened the door abruptly but allowed the handle to slip from her fingers when Jack called her name.
He turned to face her, a potential look of sadness on his face and took her hands.
"You probably already know this Katy, but I love you," he said sincerely and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, allowing her his fingers to brush across her cheek and wiped away the remaining tear stains from her cheek. "While I may not agree with your decision, you are old enough to make it and it is your decision. I respect it." Kat looked down at their hands, large ones encompassing small ones.
"Thank you," she whispered blinking back tears as she opened the door again but allowed it to shut once more.
Jack didn't even have time to react before Kat turned and flung herself in his arms, locking her arms around hid neck. He hugged her close, lifting her off the ground sighing contentedly, eyes closed momentarily as she near squeezed the breath right out of him.
"I love you Daddy," she whispered in his ear just before he set her on her feet. "Miss you," she said softly wiping her eyes once more and then she was gone.
Jack watched from behind glass doors as Kat and Agent Cole met and then left the office together with no one suspecting that it would be months before she returned. He was proud, she didn't look back. "I love you too sweetheart," he whispered to her retreating figure. "Miss you."