Jack and Chloe

Jack glanced out the window again. "Have you seen that car before?"

Chloe sipped her coffee. "What car?"

"The black one."

Her eyes flitted to the window. "I don't know. Why?"

"I've seen it somewhere."

She swallowed. "Where?"

"I'm not sure."

"What are you thinking?"

"It would be easy to find us here. I meet you for breakfast once a week."

"Do you recognize them?"

"No. We need to get out of here."

"And go where?"

"Safe house."

She nodded. "I'll meet you there."

His eyes narrowed. "Where are you going?"

"To get my laptop."

"I'll go with you."

They drove silently to her apartment.

"I think I lost him," Jack muttered. "For now."

"Good."

"This is a bad idea."

"It will take two minutes."

"I'm going with you." He left the car running in front of her apartment building.

She started to push the elevator button when he pulled her into the stairwell. She followed him slowly up the steps until he stopped.

"What?" she demanded.

"We have to go."

"Why?"

"They've already been here."

"How can you know that?" She tried to peer around his body and gasped. "Oh my God," she whispered.

"We need to get out of here," he said, steering her away from the dead body.

"My laptop."

"Is not worth dying for."

She nodded slowly as he put her back in the car.

He flipped open his cell phone and dialed quickly.

"Hello?" Tony answered blurrily.

"I need you," Jack said simply.

"What's happening?"

"Get Kim out of the city now."

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Kim and Tony

"Tony?" Kim asked when she opened the door.

He grabbed her arm. "We have to go."

"What? Where?" she was nervous, he was holding onto her so tightly it hurt.

"I can't explain things." He pulled her down the hallway.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on." She could feel the blood pounding in her head.

"There's no time," he snapped, clearly frustrated.

"What's going on?"

"You have to trust me," he said as he pushed her into the car.

She stared out the window. "Why should I?"

He shrugged. "Don't you know I wouldn't hurt you?"

"I don't really know anything any more."

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She wasn't sure where they were or how long they'd been driving, she'd fallen asleep even though she tried not to.

"Why won't you tell me what's happening?" she asked.

"I will tell you, later."

"You kidnapped me."

"No I didn't."

"You grabbed and forced me into a car and you won't tell me where you're taking me."

"I'll tell you once I figure it out."

She stared at him. "You're supposed to be dead. I went to your funeral."

"Your dad was supposed to be dead too."

"Chloe brought you back to life too?"

"Something like that."

"So does this have something to do with all of that?"

"No," he muttered. "At least I don't think so."

"You don't think so."

"I'm not entirely sure what's going on."

"What?!"

"I didn't have time to ask, I was too busy saving your life."

"Are you waiting for me to say thank you?"

"I'm waiting for you to go back to sleep."

She rolled her eyes. "Sorry you find the company disappointing. I'll try to be more stimulating."

"Don 't you even care that you were almost killed?"

"I don't even know why I should believe you."

"Why would I lie to you?"

"You faked your death. You lied to everyone who ever knew you."

"It wasn't like that."

"Trust me, it's not that different."

"Suddenly you're an expert?"

"On what it feels like to find out you've been mourning someone, destroying your life, and they're not even really dead? Yeah, I know a few things."

He watched her out of the corner of his eye. "I'm sorry."

"I don't want your apology."

"We'll stop soon."

"I don't care."

"Kim."

"I don't. I don't care that you're sorry, I don't care that we're stopping, drive until you get bored with me and leave too. I don't care any more, Tony, I don't care!"

"We'll find a place to stay."

"Whatever."

Tony opened his mouth to reply when he was cut off by a car slamming into his side of the car, sending them into a tailspin. He grabbed at the steering wheel, trying to keep the vehicle under control. Eventually he was able to straighten the car out, and he slammed his foot on the gas pedal to get away from their pursuers.

"What the hell was that?" Kim demanded breathlessly, her knuckles white as they clutched the handlebar above her head.

"I don't know," Tony growled. "But I'm sure they're not done with us."

As they continued to speed along the highway, a red jeep pulled up alongside them, the doors and cloth roof removed. Kim stared in horror as the man in the back pulled out a gun, aiming it right at her.

"Tony!" she screamed.

Turning his head, Tony cursed as he maneuvered the car, swinging in and out of lanes and pushing the speedometer as far as it would go. Kim kept her eyes on the jeep, which was having little trouble keeping up. Her fear had closed down her vocal cords and she found that she could only stare as the other vehicle weaved in and out of traffic, chasing them relentlessly.

When traffic permitted, the jeep was right alongside them again, but their guns were gone. Kim watched them in confusion as they pulled up ahead of them a little, until the back was level with her. Then one of the men reached out, his hand going for her door handle. Kim didn't realize what he was doing until it was too late, and her door was wrenched open. The jeep sideswiped them hard, breaking the door right off of its hinges.

In her anger and confusion at being dragged out of her apartment so suddenly, Kim had never put on her seatbelt. The man in the back of the seat reached out, grabbing on of her arms and entangling his other hand in her hair. He pulled, obviously expecting that it would be easy to lift her out of the car. But Kim fought back with everything she had – she even managed to bite the guy's wrist.

Tony tried to help, but his abilities were limited. He had to keep maneuvering the car, or they would definitely get Kim. But he also knew that she couldn't fight the guy off all by herself. He moved to wrap one arm around her waist, to anchor her to her seat.

But then everything went wrong. The traffic in front of them forced the driver of the jeep to swerve to the right – and away from the car. At the same time, Kim managed to sink her teeth into her attacker's wrist again. He let go, cursing, but still had his other hand clamped in her hair. As the vehicles moved apart, Kim was dragged out of the car by her scalp, her body hitting the asphalt as the man held onto her with one hand. The jeep picked up speed, dragging her along the road. Other cars honked and beeped as they moved to avoid her, but it was obvious that if she wasn't lifted soon, she was going to be killed.

Tony immediately pulled up behind the jeep, keeping pace with it, his front end mere inches away from the back. Setting the cruise control, he pulled out his gun and leaned out his window, taking as careful aim as he could on a busy highway. He controlled his breathing, reminding himself that this was his only chance to stop them from taking her.

The bullet ripped through the guy's wrist just as he reached down with his other hand to pull her up. He let go with a loud curse, and Kim was dropped to the pavement, where she curled into the fetal position, trying to avoid being hit.

Tony slammed on his breaks immediately, coming to a stop right next to her. He got out and lifted her into his arms without hesitation, trying to keep his eyes off of the blood soaking the left side of her shirt. Placing her gently in the backseat, he got back behind the wheel, roaring down the nearest exit as the jeep turned and tried to find them again.

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He carried her into the motel, yanking the bedspread off of the bed and dragging it into the bathroom where he laid her on the floor. He peeled her clothing off carefully, stopping when she winced or hissed in pain, moving slowly until it was done. She watched him dully.

The wounds on her side were the worst, the only ones that were still bleeding. He'd decided to avoid the freeway and stick to back roads, stopping after an hour to switch cars, and then again, another hour later, switching license plates.

He grabbed a towel to stop the bleeding, pressing it to her skin as gently as he could. She winced and closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"You saved my life."

"I almost got you killed."

"Who are they?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "We're trying to figure it out."

"Why would they come after me? What did I do?"

"It's not just you."

"Who else?" she demanded.

"Not sure about that either," he muttered, finally satisfied that her bleeding had stopped. He started cleaning her wounds.

"My dad?"

Tony nodded. "Either him or Chloe."

"Are they okay?"

"As far as I know. They took off. Jack told me you get out of the city."

"Why didn't he come for me himself?"

"There wasn't any time. He was already being followed, and if you weren't a target, he didn't want to lead them to you."

"Why didn't you tell me this when you came to my apartment?"

"I didn't want to scare you."

"I was scared anyway."

"I'm sorry."

"It hurts," she whimpered.

"I know. Nothing's broken."

"Lucky me."

"I'm almost done."

"It's still going to hurt."

He walked back into the room to grab his bag. He filled a glass with water and pressed a pill into her hand. "Take this."

She swallowed slowly.

"You should try to sleep." He lifted her up and tenderly carried her back to the bed, wrapping the blankets around her.

Once she was settled he pulled out his cell phone.

"Are you okay?" Jack demanded before Tony could say anything.

"Yes," Tony assured him.

"And Kim?"

"She's fine," he lied.

"Can I talk to her?"

"She's sleeping."

"Oh. You got out of the city?"

"Yeah. You?"

"We were tailed for awhile but I think we lost them."

"Where are you?"

"CTU safe house north of the city." He looked out the cabin windows and across the lake.

"Where did you end up?"

"I went east. We're in some no tell motel in the middle of nowhere. Chloe doesn't know what's going on yet?"

"She's working on it," Jack sighed, glancing at the woman next to him. "We still don't know anything."

"Dammit," Tony muttered. "Call me the minute you do."

"Take care of her," Jack said before ending the call.

"That was my dad," Kim said, more a statement than a question.

"Yeah."

"He's okay?"

"He's safe."

She nodded.

"You need to sleep Kim. It will help."

"I haven't talked to him in years."

"I know."

"Sleep?" she asked.

"Yes."

"What if they come back?"

"I'll keep you safe," he said, stretching out next to her on the bed.

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Bill and Karen

"I'm hungry," Karen murmured as she pushed play on the remote.

Bill sighed. "I suppose that means you'd like me to get you something."

She gave him a coy smile. "I'll let the previews play. You won't miss a thing."

"Yes, dear."

He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek before getting off the couch and heading toward the kitchen. As he rifled through the cupboards in search of a snack, his eyes wandered to the window. He looked out across the backyard, his gaze running along the tree line out of habit. Just as he was about to continue looking through the cupboards, something outside caught his attention. It had been only a quick flash, and Bill tried to tell himself that it was just a lightening bug. But a small voice in the back of his head told him that he knew exactly what it was - and it certainly wasn't a bug.

Taking a deep breath, he moved out into the hallway, stopping at a framed painting of a sailboat. He reached up and lifted the picture off the wall, setting it on the floor. Without hesitation, he began entering his pass code into the keypad.

"Karen? Could you please come in here for a minute?"

There was something in his voice that made Karen get off the couch immediately. She ignored the previews dancing across the television screen and moved slowly into the hall, her body tense and her senses going into hyper drive. She came around the corner and found herself watching as Bill pulled money and firearms out of their safe.

"Bill, what's wrong?"

"I don't know. I saw something outside...I have a bad feeling, Karen. I think we should just get out of the house."

It didn't surprise him when she immediately nodded her agreement. They had both done their jobs too long to ignore those feelings that told them someone was watching them, someone was coming after them. She moved over to stand beside him, reaching for a couple of handguns, one of which she stuck in the waistband of her jeans, and the other she kept in her right hand. Bill threw the money and extra weapons into a backpack he pulled from the closet, grabbing their wallets from the table that stood next to the front door.

He didn't know which exit to try and take until he heard a soft footfall in the kitchen. They were coming in through the back, not wanting to be seen by any of the neighbors. Grabbing Karen's hand, he moved quietly down the hall, trying to stay in the shadows as he heard more men enter the house. He hadn't set the alarm yet, and Bill thanked his forgetfulness as he wrapped his hand around the doorknob and went to open the front door.

It was only a shadow on the surface of the deadbolt that gave him any warning. With a quick turn, he propelled himself and Karen into the living room, both crashing to the floor. Bill felt a sharp sting as a bullet grazed his arm, but he found himself ignoring the pain as he watched his wife sit up and fire three quick shots toward the kitchen. One man went down immediately, and the others took cover.

Then they were moving again, across the living room and toward the window at the far end. Karen passed Bill her gun and slowly worked the window up, popping out the screen as quietly as she could. As they heard footsteps moving down the hall toward them, the couple slid out the window, moving into the driveway and toward Bill's truck.

"Dammit!" he cursed.

"What?" Karen asked, her gun raised and her eyes fixed on the house.

"My keys. They're inside."

"The bike."

"What?"

"The bike," she said desperately. "You always leave the keys to the bike in the truck!"

Suddenly understanding, Bill reached his arm through the half-opened window of the pickup truck. Pulling the visor down, he felt the keys to his motorcycle fall into his hand, a sigh of relief escaping him. He rushed toward the hood, grabbing Karen and pulling her to the side of the house, where he had parked his bike to make room for a party they had last week. Without a word he grabbed the bike and began moving it across his neighbor's yard, Karen following close behind. They could hear the men moving through their house now, checking each and every room. When they reached the end of their street, they both climbed on, Karen wrapping her arms tightly around her husband's waist as he started the motorcycle.

"Where are we going, Bill?"

"I don't know, Karen. I don't know."

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Chase and Nadia

Nadia glanced up at the man sitting across from her as she finished her dinner. "You don't like it?"

"The food's fine," Chase grinned. "I'm just enjoying the view."

"Does that line actually work?"

"Sometimes. It's not my fault you're so hard to impress."

"I have high standards," she smirked.

"I like a challenge."

"How promising."

"Dessert?" he asked as the waitress made her way to their table. "The chocolate cake looks good."

"I'm not ready for dessert. Maybe later."

"I like the sound of that."

His arm was draped over her shoulder as they walked through the parking lot. Chase pulled her against his body and paused to unlock the car, looking down briefly to avoid fumbling with the keys, his eyes catching a reflection of light.

"Nadia Yassar, you look beautiful in the moonlight," he whispered.

"There's no moon," she laughed.

He frowned, dropping the keys.

"What's wrong?"

"We need to get out of here."

She glanced around the parking lot. "Why?"

"Something's wrong with the car."

Her eyes narrowed. "What's the plan?"

He took her hand and pulled her down the street. "We need to find a new car."

Two blocks later he found a car. Nadia slid into the driver's seat.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"North. CTU has a safe house. It's by a lake or something, some kind of cabin."

He nodded. "We can lay low until we figure out what's going on."

"What about Angela?"

"She'll be fine. She's with my sister. We worked out a plan, she knows that if Chloe or I don't show up when we're supposed to pick her up that something went wrong."

"What do you think this is about?"

"I have no idea," he muttered.

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Chase and Nadia parked in the trees, some distance from the cabin. Both had their weapons out in front of them as they moved ahead cautiously. There was nothing to indicate that anything was wrong, but that in itself was unsettling.

They paused when they reached the treeline, watching the cabin and waiting to see if anyone revealed themselves. Chase's eyes swept over the property, stopping on a car parked to the side.

"Chloe," he whispered.

"What?"

He pointed. "That's Chloe's car. Why would she be here?"

Nadia paused. "Maybe she's being chased too. Chances are, if she's here, so is Jack."

"Come on."

Chase led them around to the back, moving across the grass and toward the door. He couldn't hear any noises coming from inside and he wondered if they were sleeping. But he knew that if they were being pursued, at least one of them would be keeping watch. Quashing the nauseous feeling that was creeping into his stomach, he moved forward.

The explosion threw them both off of their feet and back toward the trees. Heat engulfed them as fire erupted from the cabin, the wood quickly burning. Flaming debris lay all around them and a nearby tree had caught on fire as well. As he and Nadia looked on in shock, Chase realized that there could be no survivors.