Author's note: Because the first two days were important, I kept the clock. Now the situation is somewhat more manageable for those involved, so the clock is gone. Song is "California Bound" by Frank Black and the Catholics (I highly recommend anything by Frank Black). Also, in hopes of attracting more attention, the rating has been changed to T. Nothing teens can't handle and certainly nothing graphic! Just cursing. Actually, a lot of it. Sorry.
Jack walked purposefully from Dr. Swofford's office at around eight in the morning. He had just completed the process of signing release and liability forms for Mandy. Because of her situation, she had to be remanded to Jack's personal custody, making him legally responsible for her. It was temporary, of course, until they could be accommodated by the California judicial system to sort all of this out and get her life back together again, at least from a legal perspective. The more Jack thought about it, the more he decided it was best to make up some story about Mandy's whereabouts. He had powerful friends in California and they'd be willing to help the ruse go off without a hitch. But that was something he'd force himself to think about later. For right now, he and Mandy had a ten o'clock flight out to LA to catch in just under two hours. His right hand tightened its grip on the plain black leather bag in his hand. His arm was starting to ache a little, since he'd been carrying it off and on since six in the morning. Luckily, he only had a few more feet. He turned down Mandy's hallway and was notified by the orderly that she was still asleep. Jack felt the mild twinge of annoyance that people who wake up early and then have to wait on others feel, but pushed it aside. Annoyance wasn't appropriate for her reintroduction into the world. He had the orderly unlock her door as quietly as possible as he set the heavy bag down on the hallway floor. After the orderly left, Jack crept quietly into the cell.
She was curled up in a fetal position on her left side, her head facing the door, legs pulled up and her left hand beneath her pillow. A thin sheet covered her legs and rustled with the breeze that was blowing from the open window. The morning sunlight was cascading through the panes of glass and her black hair, spread out around her and standing out against the cream-white of the pillow, caught the rays of light and shimmered in the still air of early morning.
Jack didn't wake her up immediately. He let his gaze wander over the outline of her legs beneath the sheets, the flat plane of her stomach where the hospital gown clung to her, the milky white skin of her slender wrists, her thin, elegant fingers curled in sleep, and her lips, parted slightly as her breath softly came and went. Something in him enjoyed seeing her like this, completely off guard and vulnerable and simple. Her face was smooth and unlined, not grooved with the lines of concentration or worry or doubt. Jesus, her hair is black, he thought as his eyes studied her. He wondered if she dyed it and before he could stop himself, he was slowly moving one hand forward to run a finger through the silky, cool length of it. He felt a tingle as the base of his spine as her hair slipped over his finger and he used his hand to brush a stray strand out of her eyes. He watched as her eyes fluttered open under dark lashes and focused on him. Not knowing what to do, he froze. He figured she would be surprised as to why his hand was intimately brushing hair out of her eyes as she slept, maybe a little angry or put off. But to his surprise, she smiled sleepily and reached up to wrap warm fingers around his hand, her thumb stroking his palm gently.
"Mmm…how long have you been here?" she said, stretching in bed, legs writhing slowly beneath the sheets as she tried to wake them up.
"It's time to wake up. You're released, and we've got a flight to catch at 10," Jack rediscovered his voice while trying to ignore the feeling of her thumb sliding against his palm.
"What time is it now?" Mandy asked, voice rasping slightly and eyes still heavy with sleep.
"It's...uh…about eight thirty," Jack watched as her eyes grew wide and awake.
"So you woke me up two hours before our flight? Christ, you owe me coffee," Mandy let go of his hand and tossed the sheets aside, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and rubbing at her eyes. Jack watched her get up and go into the hallway and down the hall, presumably to the bathroom. While she was gone, Jack stared without focus out of the window, trying to forget her touch and the feeling that its absence created within him. Subconsciously, his mouth turned into a deep frown and he dug around in his pockets for his cigarettes. He knew they were bad for him, as did anyone with half of a functional brain, but he had needed something to replace his dependence on heroin and nicotine was the lesser of two evils in that sense, so his smoking went from occasional to regular. He didn't find any cigarettes in his pockets so he had to settle for chewing on the cuticle of his right thumb. He wasn't sure how long he waited before she came back in, hair damp and clinging to her head, pushed hurriedly back away from her face.
"You shouldn't chew like that. It's a bad habit," she scolded, looking around for clothes and remembering that she only had the pair she had worn the night of her attack, and those had been destroyed in the hospital emergency room. Not knowing what to do, she looked over to Jack, about to ask just what the hell she was supposed to wear, when he crossed the room and reached outside the door, bringing in the heavy bag and setting it down on her bed. She looked at it, a question apparent in her eyes.
"Clothes. I figured you'd need some. And before you ask, no I didn't get your sizes or whatever from your files: I had a wife and a daughter, once and I learned from them how to size strangers just by looking. It was a game they used to play when we went out or on long car trips or whatever," he rambled a bit at the end, gesturing emptily around the room with his hand before letting it fall to his side. Mandy smiled at him warmly and he rolled his eyes and left the room to let her change. He leaned against the wall stiffly, drumming his fingers impatiently against the wall. Just five feet away, beyond a door…Jack's mind traveled to places it shouldn't have and it made him all the more unsettled and he hoped she would hurry up. After a few moments, Mandy stuck her head out from the cell. He made a move to go in, figuring she was done, but she hastily pressed a hand against his chest, holding him back as tiny points of her warmth leeched through his shirt. The temperature in the hallway seemed to increase a bit.
"Not yet, only the top half of me is ready. Anyway, there's no panties…," Mandy let her hand linger on his chest longer than she needed to, fingertips pressing lightly into the muscle beneath his shirt. This is a bit compromising, she though, distracted for a second by her state of half-dress and the fluttering reaction in her stomach just at touching him.
"Yeah…I don't do that. I mean, I could have, but the…salesperson would have…you know what? It's easier to lie and say it slipped my mind," he smiled shyly, a bit embarrassed. She looked at him with amusement obvious in her expression.
"You said you had a wife and a daughter," she pointed out.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'd go into a store alone and buy them shit I'd feel like a jackass paying for by myself…with no female present. You know exactly what the sale's person would think," he said defensively.
"Alright, you might have a point," she said, retreating back into her cell to finish changing. Jack blew out his breath heavily and drummed his fingers a little harder. When she was finally dressed, it was close to nine o'clock and Dr. Swofford saw them out the door with a smile and a wave after Jack had shaken his hand, thanking him for all of his work and cooperation. Mandy smiled brightly, looking exponentially better in the jeans, long-sleeved black button down shirt, and sandals she decided on wearing, as she got into the passenger seat of Jack's rental car. He slid behind the wheel and pulled the car out of the hospital, heading towards the city and the airport that lay within its limits.
Mandy's window was rolled down and the wind flooded the car as Jack hit sixty on the straight road into Boston, wanting to be early enough to clear security in time. He looked over at the woman next to him, the sun kissing her face and the wind throwing her hair around the car. She had a blissful smile on her face and her eyes were shut languidly as she sank into her seat and let all the tension of the past month run from her body. With her eyes still closed, she reached her hand out to turn on the radio, not caring what was playing, just wanted something to go with what she was feeling.
Don't worry, hey, no need for you to hide among the trees
Come into the light and you'll be free
Don't scurry, hey, it's such a lonely life up in the hills.
The valley's gonna cure your every ill
Don't worry, hey, I know that you are lost but you'll be found
God willing, we are California bound
God willing, we are California bound
Mandy opened her eyes and looked at Jack, who looked back at her from behind his sunglasses. They both grinned at each other. How fitting is this? Jack asked himself, still grinning and shaking his head.
This is so…good. To be leaving, to be heading off to something better, to have someone to help me for a change, Mandy thought to herself, smiling a smaller, secretive smile now at the man sitting next to her.
The plane landed after an uneventful flight early in the afternoon. Rather than choke down the airline food, they decided to eat after disembarking from their flight and grabbing their luggage. There was a restaurant just down the street from the airport, so they stopped in there after Jack picked up his car out of long term parking. Later on, they pulled up outside of Jack's apartment building and he carried her bags upstairs, her following behind him in confusion. He saw her expression and explained over his shoulder as he led her to his apartment.
"Your release happened pretty fast, so until we're able to find more suitable living arrangements, you'll be staying with me. I've got a guest room that's basically filled with nothing that can't be moved someplace else," Jack led her into the lobby and up the stairs to the fourth floor. As they walked down to his apartment, Mandy stepped forward and brushed against his arm to get his attention.
"You could have stuck me in a hotel, you know…" her eyes focused on his facial expression as she chewed her bottom lip, waiting to see how he'd answer.
"You've spent too much time by yourself as it is. I wouldn't feel entirely comfortable putting you back in a situation where you're by yourself at the end of the day. And it's easier for me to keep on eye on you if you're in the next room," he explained, smirking at her look of mock indignation. He opened the door to his apartment and motioned her inside. After the short tour of his living space, he excused himself to change into something more comfortable than a suit and tie. He found her in his living room, looking over his music and books and movies, her hands clasped behind her back as if afraid of breaking something fragile. She turned and smiled at him when she heard him enter. He only half-smiled back, his mind preoccupied and slightly nervous.
"What?" Mandy picked up on his mood, her own smile fading as she focused on Jack.
"I've got to go in to CTU and check in. I talked with Bill Buchanan this morning about bringing you on and he wants to meet you. I…uh…I've gotta warn you: the staff has heard about you and some people remember you, not fondly of course, and by now I'm sure everyone who wasn't aware of you now knows everything I know, minus your personal history, of course. Only Bill and Chloe have had access to that and I trust them completely, so you don't have to worry…" he trailed off, noticing her stricken look. He rolled his eyes and smiled slightly, moving closer to her and placed his hand in hers to squeeze it reassuringly, the contact with her skin making his heart rate speed up.
"Hey, it's not going to be all that bad. I mean, people will get used to you. They've just got to meet you and let the person you are now overwrite any previous perceptions they have about you. It'll take some time, and some people…one in particular…will be resistant towards it, but you've just got to tough it out for the time being. You're capable of that. Both you and I are aware how strong you can be," his attempt to calm her down seemed to work. The lines of her face smoothed out and she attempted a smile to show him that she could handle this. Be a big girl, Miranda, she chastised herself, squeezing his hand in return.
She's putting on a brave face, Jack noticed with an oddly strong desire to protect her, to act as her keeper, and he made the resolve to make this transition as easy as possible for his new, albeit temporary, roommate.
After fighting slightly to get Mandy out of the apartment and into the car (despite her insistence that she was tired from the flight and would make a better impression after she had rested the night), the two pulled into the CTU parking lot and Jack killed the engine. He made eye contact with Mandy, but said nothing. She looked back at him, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth, and nodded once, opening the door and exiting the car before she could change her mind. Jack did the same and the two walked across the parking lot. Jack walked with the relaxed indifference and confidence of someone who had made this very same walk, or a near perfect facsimile of it, every day for a long while. Mandy, however, was in foreign territory, walking stiffly and unsurely towards the building standing before her, a steel and glass structure seemingly aflame in the setting sun, iridescent light glaring off of its surface. She took a few steps closer to Jack until their arms brushed against each other as they walked. The contact with him made her feel…not exactly confident, but she could better cope with whatever was about to happen. She made a mental note to try and stick as close to him as physically possible. Without looking fucking attached to the man, she amended to herself angrily. She wasn't sure where exactly her emotions were headed lately when they concerned Jack Bauer, but she pushed that to the back of her head, focusing completely on the task at hand.
After making their way through security, they entered the main floor of CTU. Several heads turned to look at the woman Agent Bauer was so insistent about bringing onto the team. Not too bad, Jack thought, looking over at Mandy's nervous expression and then scanning the floor. Spotting Chloe, Jack wound his way through the work stations over to her. Chloe stood up and gave Jack a hug.
"Good to see you again, Jack. Hope the files and everything worked out fine for you," Chloe said after Jack released her. Jack smiled at her.
"Yeah, they worked out fine, Chloe. Thanks for getting them ready as quickly as you did, it definitely helped expedite the process," he took a step backwards, smirking, "And now I'd like you to meet someone…"
Mandy's eyes widened a bit in slight panic, but Jack stepped backwards until he was able to slide his arm around her shoulders and walk her forward to meet Chloe. The instant his arm was around her, her eyes drifted shut and she immediately calmed down. Opening her eyes, she stepped forward to clasp the outstretched hand of a small blonde woman smiling, albeit somewhat uncomfortably, at her.
"Chloe O'Brian, this is Miranda Stapleton. Mandy for short…" he watched the two clasp hands before continuing, "Mandy, this is Chloe. She generally looks angry and uncomfortable, but don't mind that, she has to put up with a lot of shit around here. She's our senior analyst."
"Nice to meet you," Mandy smiled nervously, being as polite as she could. Chloe also seemed nervous.
"I know you're a killer and everything. Well, at least you were…and I understand that you've changed and that Jack trusts you enough to bring you into CTU, so it doesn't matter to me what you've done," Chloe rambled. Jack rolled his eyes.
"She does this often. Seriously, it will probably happen again. On top of that, she's nervous when meeting new people, so forgive her," Jack smiled and glanced between the two of them. Chloe was glaring at him and Mandy was sheepishly smiling down at her shoes, occasionally peeking up at the two of them. After saying goodbye to Chloe, the two moved into Buchanan's office to discuss more official business.
"…so you'll be working directly under Jack, since this all was put into action because of his confidence in you. Frankly, your credentials are damn near exactly what we look for, and we…uh…already know how well you've operated in the past," Bill cleared his throat uncomfortably, "…and I think you're going to make a fine addition to our agency. Welcome to CTU, Miranda." Buchanan rose and shook Mandy's hand. Mandy, for the most part, couldn't stop smiling what felt to her to be a goofy sort of smile. After she and Jack had left his office, the smile still stayed on her face. Jack looked at her, one eyebrow raised.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, defensive but still smiling.
"Because you're grinning like an idiot, that's why," Jack grinned along with her until he heard quick footsteps coming steadily towards him and then, from behind, his name being called. He sighed, feeling a headache coming on.
"Jack! Jack, what the hell is going on here?" Audrey stepped up into his face, very obviously pissed off.
"Audrey…" Jack started, only to be cut off.
"What the hell is going on here? I receive a phone call informing me that Agent Jack Bauer is bringing a 'reformed terrorist mercenary' back to Los Angeles with him and I don't know what to think. What is this?" Audrey's voice had reached an impressive volume just shy of a full blown scream and Mandy, for the most part, averted eye contact with the woman standing before her, cringing at the words "reformed terrorist mercenary" knowing they could only be about her.
"Audrey, this started when the Boston FBI gave us a call telling us they had a person of interest appear on their radar. Miranda Stapleton, also know as Mandy. She's worked with a number of groups before, some terrorists, but mostly ambiguous entities. She was in a state mental institution when I got the call. Apparently, she suffered some…" Jack was cut off again.
"Jack, I'm not an idiot, I read the fucking files! I made Chloe give them to me as soon as I heard what you were up to. She is a terrorist, Jack. She attempted to kill President Palmer, she has killed who knows how many people, and she kidnapped your friend! Oh, but she's had a mental breakdown? Wow, Jack, so you've got not only a bitch on your hands, but a crazy bitch as well! And you brought her to CTU. Terrific," Audrey threw her hands up in the air, her face flushed from yelling.
"First off, you don't have the whole goddamn story, so you should probably shut up right now, Audrey. There are extenuating circumstances that you might not be aware of. Secondly, Bill already signed off on her joining. It's done, it's over, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. And finally, what the hell are you screaming at me for? You're blowing this out of proportion," Jack's voice had raised to a tone no one at CTU liked hearing, let alone have it directed at them. Audrey's face slipped into impassivity.
"Where is she, Jack? I want to see what she looks like. I'm starting to get the impression that you have a thing for victimized girls, Jack. Where is she?" Audrey's voice was deceptively calm.
"Audrey, you're basing this on absolutely nothing and you're being completely irrational and I want to know, right now, what this is about?" Jack said, long since fed up with whatever she was trying to do.
"Jack, where is she?" Audrey asked, voice strained and hinting at a whole new round of yelling.
"I'm right here," a tiny, quiet voice spoke up. Mandy was making eye contact with Audrey, chewing her bottom lip, as her eyes projected to Jack the nervousness and tension she was feeling. Audrey's cold gaze moved over Mandy systematically. During her inspection, Mandy cast her eyes downward and kept them glued to the floor. Audrey was finally done and looked to Jack.
"Isn't she pretty, Jack? No wonder so many people…including her father…have fucked her. Have you fucked her yet, Jack?" Audrey's cold gaze held onto Jack, "Jesus, I don't want to know that. I thought we had something, Jack. I thought you agreed we could work things out."
Jack was dumbfounded by what she just said. Her voice was low enough so the rest of CTU didn't hear, but the one person that shouldn't have heard actually did. Mandy, no longer able to keep control of her emotions and remain as impassive as possible, had tears streaming down her face, her mouth pressed into a thin line. She sniffled and reached up with her right hand to wipe tears from her eyes and her sleeve slid back, revealing the long stitching on her forearm. Audrey's eyes widened.
"Oh, and she cuts herself. How 'teenage angst' of her," Audrey said, her voice illustrating her amusement. She shook her head in pity. Mandy had more than she could take and she excused herself in a shaky voice and quickly crossed the floor, disappearing into the CTU break room. Seeing how upset she was, Jack felt his anger welling up inside of him.
"Audrey, you can't begin to fathom what that woman has been through, and you can't begin to understand her situation, so I suggest that you shut your fucking mouth before I have you forcibly removed from this building. As for you and I, I said we had issues to work out, but I made it perfectly clear that you and I were through, so that bullshit is irrelevant," Jack got right up in her face, pointing his finger a hair's breadth from her face to emphasize his point, "And whom I choose to fuck is no longer any of your business, not anymore, but no, I'm not having sex with her. There, you've made your scene and gotten the attention you craved. I suggest you leave right now."
Audrey was speechless. Plastered across her face was a mixture of total shock, outrage and indignation. She opened her mouth to protest and Jack called for security and told them to escort her out of the building. After she had left, he looked around for Mandy, remembering that she had left for the CTU break room only seconds ago. He rushed across the floor and entered the break room. As soon as he threw open the door, he stopped dead in his tracks.
Mandy was in the tiny kitchen area of the break room, face streaked with tears, mouth crumpled into a stream of uncontrollable sobs, sitting dejectedly on the floor in front of the sink. In her hands she clutched a small but sharp knife and she held it above the pale flesh of her left forearm with its pink, closing wounds starting to heal, threatening to create more. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut, locked in a struggle with herself. Shouldn't be here, shouldn't have come, shouldn't have come, shouldn't be here, shouldn't have…she repeated in her mind, over and over again. When she finally noticed she wasn't alone in the room, she opened red, watery eyes and looked at Jack, managing to control her sobs long enough to form a coherent sentence.
"I shouldn't be here," her voice was broken and cracked, sounding wet and choked as tears continued to run down her face, dripping onto her black shirt. Jack slowly approached her, hands spread out in front of him.
"Whenever I was going through heroin withdrawal, I'd fight with myself: whether or not I should cave in and shoot up again, or to stick out the fight. To help myself, I thought of what was good in my life. Back then, I still had a daughter, some friends. Now, I don't know if that line of thinking would help me. Just…you're starting new, Miranda. Put the knife down. Please," his voice was low and calm, attempting to be as soothing as possible.
"I don't have anything like that, Jack," her eyes never left his.
"You've got me. I'm not much, but you've got me," he said without hesitation, a crooked grin spreading slowly across his face. She looked at him and seemed to calm. She stood up slowly and threw the knife into the sink, pushing her sleeves down to completely cover the entirety of her arms and hands before wrapping them tightly around Jack's neck. His arms encircled her waist and he embraced her as hard as she was embracing him, pulling her closer to him, eyes closed in relief that they had avoided her hurting herself. She buried her face in his neck, inhaling the scent of his aftershave. I'm not alone…I can belong here with him, maybe…she thought to herself. She pressed her lips against his neck and, exhaling a shaky breath, kissed him lightly.
"Thank you," she whispered quietly into his skin. The kiss and the brush of her lips against his skin sent electricity coursing down his spine. Thank you…God, don't do that again, Mandy, his mind raced, slightly spinning from the intimate contact with her. He simply mumbled back a "you're welcome" and, after saying goodbye to Chloe (who all the while apologized profusely for allowing Audrey to threaten the files out of her), the two left for their shared apartment.
Hours later, in the darkness of night, in a room lit only by the silvery flickering light projected by the television screen, Jack and Mandy were together on the couch in the living room. Empty beer bottles and one severely overflowing ashtray littered the coffee table. After getting home, they had decided they both needed some serious downtime after the scene that had taken place at CTU. After calling Bill Buchanan (who witnessed the entire scene) and letting him know that they wouldn't be in tomorrow, as Jack wanted to give Mandy some time to adjust to her new surroundings and didn't want her to be alone for that, the two sat on the couch, watching old black and white movies and drinking beer and smoking cigarettes, and sometimes talking. Telling stories about their youth, their old friends from high school, their military experiences, and talking about relatives and loved ones in a dreamy, almost sedated tone, the two passed the hours together.
It was now into the early morning hours and Mandy had just fallen asleep. Jack was slumped far down into the cushions of the couch and Mandy was curled up asleep, her head on his chest, left hand tucked under her chin and right arm thrown over his stomach, gripping him tightly. His hand rested on the exposed skin just above her hip, her shirt having slid down when she adjusted herself to get comfortable, tracing smooth, even circles on the soft, warm skin beneath his finger tips. Mandy made a satisfied sound and Jack could feel himself begin to fall asleep. Shaking his head to wake himself up, he tried to sit up, only to be stopped by the warm, female weight pressed against him, her hair cascading over her face and over his stomach.
"No…you're warm," she mumbled into his shirt. He chuckled, a low rumbling sound in her ears and she smiled sleepily into the fabric beneath her. He pried her arm off of him and stood, turning back to lift her up off the couch easily, her small frame seemingly weightless. She groaned and pressed her head into his collarbone, tightly wrapping her arms around his neck, fingers lightly playing with the nape of his neck as her carried her back to her bedroom and deposited her on the bed. He went to stand up, assuming she'd let him go, but her arms only released their grip on his neck a little bit.
"Stay here," she looked up at him through heavy, half-closed lids, smiling dreamily. He didn't respond verbally, instead smiling gently down at her and leaning down to press a chaste kiss against her forehead as her fingers again caressed his neck. They both knew he couldn't stay there tonight. He stood slowly and exited the room, wishing her a goodnight and promising to see her first thing in the morning.
After that, he lay in his own bed, drifting towards sleep, his mind focused only on her eyes, big and blue and constantly searching him, and the feeling of her fingertips, warm pressure on the back of his neck. He thought of her lips, earlier in the day, softly against the skin of his neck and the feeling of her hair, his fingers idly and drunkenly playing with it long before, when they were still awake and watching movies. So soft…she's so soft…
For the first time in a long while, Jack Bauer fell asleep with a smile on his face.
Note: I hate Audrey. I apologize for the language if it offended anyone, I just felt that it was necessary to convey the proper feelings. I also apologize for the lateness in updating. But here it is now! Please read and review! Thank you.