Disclaimer: I do NOT own 24, 20th Century Fox does.

Description: As Jack Bauer mends his relationship with his daughter, Kim, he must take CTU's newest agent under his wing. However, a plot to destroy CTU and kill thousands lies right under their nose. Can the new agent shed some light on it?

A/N: Warning: This may be AU depending on how Season Five turns out.

XXXXX

The following takes place between 10:00 A.M. and 11:00 A.M.

Jack Bauer, former Delta Force operative now back to being Director of Field Operations at Los Angeles CTU, kept a regular routine: up at six followed by a morning run, shower, and breakfast and in his office ten before eight; usually. Even on days like today where he had a few hours off in the mornings he was still in by a quarter to ten. Today traffic was bad because of an accident on the freeway involving a semi-trailer and a taxi cab so he arrived twelve minutes late; no big deal. Except today he was meeting the CTU's newest field agent; one who held some promise.

The agent was originally a loaner to the Los Angeles unit following the nerve gas attack just six months before. He reinforced one of the tactical teams during that crisis and apparently CTU caught his interest and soon sent a resume to Division. Volunteers to CTU were hard to come by; most had to be scouted out and recruited like a basketball team. But they took and evaluated volunteers whenever they could.

"Jack," Audrey Raines called to him as he finally arrived.

"Hey, Audrey," Jack replied to his consort and love interest. "Is my ten o'clock here?"

"Since, seven forty-five," Audrey grinned as she walked him up the stairs. "The new kid seems eager to get to work."

"'Kid'," Jack quizzed. "He's twenty-six years old."

"He looks twenty, twenty-two at the most." Jack entered his office and met the new agent face-to-face for the first time. Audrey was right. Sure Jack had seen his photograph in the dossier but, seeing him in person, Ingram Walther Fuchs did look younger than he really was.

"Sorry I'm late," Jack apologized, "traffic was worse than normal."

"No need to apologize, sir," Fuchs responded. "I was early as it was."

"I heard about that, still sorry to make you wait." Jack learned something he already guessed about the new agent: he still retained some of his prior military training. "We usually don't have a lot of activity around here. But in the past things have gotten very hectic on a few days. So we'll have to break you in fairly quick. Are you well rested?"

"Yes, sir," Fuchs replied.

"Okay, first, you don't have to say 'sir' all the time. I'm your superior, but this isn't the military. You can just call me Jack, unless I give you an expressed order; understood?" He got a nod and a slight grin as the 'kid' relaxed. "Good. Last night we got lead about a meeting between the leader of a local gang and an unknown arms smuggler." He grabbed a folder off his desk and handed it to the blue suited agent. "Marco Rivers, a.k.a.: 'Big Fish'."

"'Big Fish'?" Ingram asked with a look Audrey found to be much like Jack's.

"He's never been caught. He's been arrested half a dozen times for gang related activities but never imprisoned. The arms dealer is known only by an alias: 'Dr. Strangelove'."

"How original," Ingram chuckled. "We've got a Big Fish and a Dr. Strangelove. Now all we need is a Buck Turdgeson."

"We'll be coordinating with LAPD on this. Once we're sure of the targets they'll arrest Rivers and we'll detain Mr. Strangelove."

"Watch 'em, tail 'em, grab 'em?"

"More or less; you ready?"

"Just tell me when we leave boss," Ingram smiled.

"The meeting takes place at a nearby mall," Jack informed him. "Sometime around noon, so we should go now."

XXXXX

The voice-line was encrypted and electronically garbled for security. 'Dr. Strangelove' preferred to speak with his clients that way. "You cargo has been delivered to the pick-up site, Mr. Marks," the garbled voice spoke over the intercom.

"Good," the deep eerie voice of Mr. Marks replied from the shadows. "You're payment satisfactory?"

"Indeed it is. And I noticed that you added another half to it as well," Strangelove replied as he confirmed the wire transfer.

"Consider it a bonus for delivering the cargo ahead of schedule; you deserve it Dr. Strangelove. As for our previous arrangement, how does that go?"

"As planned. The contact is in the dark, as is the unit. What I don't understand is why you asked me to make contact with her."

"I thought you never asked questions."

"I didn't say 'never'. I keep them 'minimal' and relative to the job. What is it you want from this contact?"

"When the time comes, I will call you. Until then keep focused on the job and remain a professional about it."

"Of course, she's not my type anyways," Strangelove chuckled before hanging up.

XXXXX

As Agent Fuchs changed into more casual clothing in the locker room Jack got on his cell phone. Kim said she had the day off and he wanted to see if he could meet her for dinner. She was still seeing the clinical psychologist Barry Landes, to Jack's fuming. Still, ever since he had to play dead Kim had been rather distant and Jack was now trying his best to patch things up with his daughter. Of course Barry didn't seem to be of any help.

"Kim Bauer," her voice rang through the phone.

"Kim, it's me," Jack replied lowly.

"What is it dad?"

"Look," he paused, "I was wondering if I could meet you for dinner. I know we haven't been on good terms lately but…just give me a chance, sweetheart."

"Well, there is something I wanted to tell you so, sure, I'll call you back later," she replied, "bye."

"I love you, sweet-" She had already hung up and Jack was beginning to think that they wouldn't be meeting. She had said 'yes' but he was paranoid about Barry's involvement in whether they would meet.

"Family?" Ingram asked as he exited the lockers dressed in a black windbreaker and brown cargo pants.

"My daughter," Jack replied as he put the phone back in his pocket.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to spy."

"I'm just worried about her and her boyfriend doesn't understand."

"What's not to understand about a father being concerned for his daughter? I mean I've only known you for less than an hour but you seem like a good guy. What's the dude's problem?"

"He's a psychiatrist," Jack replied. "Her psychiatrist."

"Ohh. I never cared for those much anyways. Trying to mend the fence with her?"

"Trying is the key word. And I don't like to talk about it," Jack barked as they entered the elevator.

"Sorry. It's just I don't have any family of my own. Just close buddies back in the army and Border Patrol."

"Sorry to hear that, Ingram."

"I've gotten used to it, much to my dislike."

"Who was that?" Barry asked Kim as he exited the shower.

"My dad," Kim said lying back on the bed. "He wanted to meet me for dinner."

"Is that wise? He wasn't very polite last we saw him."

"He's not normally like that, you know. Just, overly protective, I guess."

"Or overly possessive," Barry said as he sat down next to her. "He still treats you like a little girl and thinks he has a say in your life. You're an adult, Kim, you can make your own choices now. Like last night." Kim smiled at the thought; she had found Mr. Right.

"Yeah, I guess. Still I should tell him."

"Okay," Barry conceded as he leaned down to kiss her. Kim replied the kiss as she wrapped her hands around his head; a diamond studded ring perched on a certain finger of her left hand.

10:59:59