Tuesday, December 05, 2006
When Fiction Meets Reality - Pt. 9
"Don't get out." Jack warned as Kiefer reached for the handle.
"Give me your keys." Kiefer handed over his keys. "Do you have an alarm?"
"Yes." Kiefer replied, fighting back a smile, "Her name is Molly and she'll bite you in the ass if you go in without me."
Jack chuckled and opened his door. "I'll shoot you if she bites me in the ass."
"Shoot me?" Kiefer exclaimed.
"Yeah, the mutt can't help it, you're the one who messed up her education."
Jack climbed out of the car and went around to the door, a smile still on his face. He had his eyes wide open though, scanning the sidewalk as he crossed it. He reached the door and inserted the key into the lock. Seconds later he heard a vicious bark on the other side. The dog was there, alive and well, ready to take a nice big bite out of his ass. He opened the door just a crack and turned back to the car, scanning the sidewalk and street this time. The dog couldn't get a paw between the door and the frame, he made sure of that, but he would be able to get Kiefer inside without wasting any time. He reached the car and opened the door, stepping out of the way and shielding Kiefer between the passenger door and his body.
"Let's go."
Kiefer was already on the move. He knew this was where he was the most vulnerable. Jack slammed the passenger door shut when Kiefer cleared it and used the remote on his keys to lock the vehicle, staying half a step behind Kiefer as he crossed the sidewalk. Kiefer called out to the dog a split second before his hand touched the door to push it open and Molly jumped back at the sound of his voice. They were inside moments after leaving the car and Jack slammed the door shut behind him, staying motionless for a moment to let the dog calm down. It was the cutest sheepdog dog he'd seen in a very long time, but right now, she was growling viciously, teeth bared, ears flat against her head.
Kiefer crouched down and petted her on the head, telling her she was a good girl and everything was okay. The fact she was there and this alert probably meant the place was clear but Jack didn't want to take any chances and he drew his gun.
"I have to check the premises, can you keep her calm?"
"I'll go with you, she'll calm down along the way."
"I would prefer if you stayed here."
"There are people at work in the studio, I don't want you barging in there, gun drawn and scaring the living hell out of them."
"What studio?"
"The recording studio, I have a band in there this evening." He checked his watch. "They'll be here for at least another hour. Look, put your gun away, I'm sure the place is as safe as it was this morning when I left."
"I can't take that chance."
"We'll check together, just holster your weapon, you're making me nervous."
Jack holstered his gun and followed Kiefer down the hall, checking rooms as they passed by them. The first one looked like it was a repair shop for guitars, the second one was a storage room for all kinds of instruments. On the far end of the hall, a sound proof door opened into the recording studio. Kiefer carefully opened the door, not knowing if there was a recording under way and not wanting to disturb it if it was. A man seated at the controls held a finger to his lips at once, making eye contact with him and Kiefer nodded, relaying the info to Jack, motioning for him to be quiet. Jack followed him into the room and his jaw nearly dropped when he saw the massive control panel the man was seated at. Kiefer shook hands with him but said nothing, picked up a headset and put it on, listening for a moment. Through the large window, he could see the band and he obviously liked what he heard because he gave the other man a thumbs-up sign, then took off the headset and left the room again, taking Molly and Jack with him.
Only when the door was closed, did they speak again.
"That was Jude, my partner in the studio."
"You own it?"
"Half of it anyway." Kiefer replied with a smile.
"What kind of music do you record?"
"Anything that sounds good enough to make it out there in the big bad world of showbiz." Kiefer replied melodramatically. "Come on, let's check upstairs."
"What's upstairs?"
"My apartment."
Kiefer started up the stairs, but Jack stopped him, drew his gun and went up ahead of him. Kiefer let him even though he knew they wouldn't find anything. Jack went through the apartment, looking in each room and checking every window, then declared the place safe. Suddenly, Molly shot down the stairs, barking viciously and Jack shot after her, gun drawn, ready for anything.
Molly stood barking at the front door, about three feet away from it. She looked dangerous enough to scare anybody away, which was probably the reason why these people had threatened to poison her. For a moment Jack thought someone might be trying to break in, but then he saw the envelope. It had been slipped under the door and Molly had heard or sensed it, reacting to it the way she had. Jack pushed past her and yanked the door open, his gun at the ready, but there was nobody there. He stopped Molly from getting out into the street by pinning her against the wall with his knee and half a second later, Kiefer got in there, grabbed her by the collar and pulled her away.
"Get back upstairs." Jack ordered dryly. He waited a few seconds, giving Kiefer time to reach the stairs and start up before he moved. The sidewalk was empty. On both sides of the door. "Dammit!" Jack cursed.
"What's wrong?" Kiefer asked from halfway up the stairs.
Jack came back inside and closed the door, fishing out his cellphone. "This is Jack Bauer, I need a forensic team." He gave the address and pocketed his phone again. "Dammit." he cursed again.
"What?" Kiefer asked, coming down the stairs.
"I told you they slide the letters under the door minutes after I get home didn't I?"
"Yeah, which means I should've nailed them."
"How?"
"If I had been out in the car like I should've, I would've nailed them."
"They would not have come if you had been sitting out in your car." Kiefer said quietly, "I don't think they're that dumb."
"Maybe not." Jack agreed, "But Chapelle is going to have my skin over this."
"Why?"
"Because I should've been watching your apartment."
"Hey, we barely got back, you were checking the apartment. You can't be inside and out at the same time."
"No, you're right, but he's not going to like this."
"Tell him he should've agreed on that team you requested, if they had been parked down the street, they would've seen who slipped the letter under the door and they could've intercepted him."
"So what are you saying here? I should tell Chapelle it's his fault we didn't get these people because he refused the team I asked for?"
"Well if he's trying to screw you over, you might as well return the favour."
"I'm starting to like you." Jack said with a smile.
"Good, it can only make this thing easier for the both of us. Now what's going to happen?"
"Well I requested a forensic team to come pick up the letter so they can check it for prints and anything else they can find."
"I'd like to read it before they take it away."
"I'll see what I can do."
"Let's go wait in the studio."
They went down the hall, leaving the letter untouched on the floor. Jack didn't want to disturb it in any way. The band was done with the song they had been recording and Jude was in the actual studio when Kiefer and Jack came in, so they went in as well. The first thing Jack noticed was the collection of shiny guitars lining the side of the studio. Kiefer introduced everybody and Jack shook hands with all five men, Jude, the partner, Rocco, the lead singer of the band, Ryan, Dave and Greg. They all knew of the threats, especially since Kiefer had been getting most of them here, in his home and he most probably had the police over more than once. Knowing the proper authorities had taken over the investigation seemed to put Jude at ease.
He slapped Jack on the shoulder repeatedly, treating him like he was an old friend and including him in their jokes and conversation. Jack felt out of place, he had no idea what they were talking about once the conversation shifted to music and he kept gawking at the set of guitars. They were absolutely beautiful and he wondered for a moment who they belonged to. Kiefer solved that mystery for him, seeing his gaze shift to the guitars repeatedly.
"Do you like what you see?"
"Absolutely, that is one fine collection."
"Mine." Kiefer said proudly. "Well, most of them are anyway." he added quickly when Jude jabbed him in the shoulder.
"Do you play?"
"Some. Do you?"
"I wish. I've tried my hand at it when I was a teenager, but I found more interesting things to do in life."
"Like what?" Kiefer asked, suddenly intrigued.
"Like serving my country."
"How did you find out?"
"My father was a high ranking officer, I followed in his footsteps and joined the army right after college."
"Was?"
"Yeah...was." Jack replied softly.
"I started buying these years ago," Kiefer said, dropping the subject, "I never stopped."
"How many do you have?"
"Over thirty. All Gibsons."
A buzzing sound interrupted them and Kiefer answered the intercom. "CTU Los Angeles sir." a man said, looking up into the security camera above the door. "Agent Bauer requested a forensic team at this address."
"Just a moment." Kiefer replied. "Jack, it's your forensic team."
"Can you lock this door?"
"Yes."
"Lock it and stay in here until I tell you it's safe." Jack instructed. Kiefer nodded.
Jack left the room and waited by the door until he heard the lock engage. The man sure had an amazing resilience to react the way he did under this amount of pressure.
He went to the front door and checked ID's before letting the men in. They picked up the letter with tweezers, but before they could slip it into an evidence bag, Jack asked them if they could open it on site.
"Those are not standard procedures agent Bauer." one of the men said.
"Mr. Sutherland would like to read the letter before you take it away for testing." Jack explained.
They took out their equipment and opened the letter very carefully, cutting through the bottom fold of the envelope instead of the top one. Then they used tweezers to pull out the paper, opened it and slipped it into an evidence bag, sealing it. They did the same with the envelope, sealing it in an evidence bag and put that away in a special case. They handed the other bag to Jack who took it back to the studio at the end of the hall. He knocked on the door, twice, then twice more.
"Jack?"
"Yes. I've got the letter here if you still want to read it." The lock disengaged and the door opened a crack. Jack noticed Kiefer's foot was blocking it and it made him smile. Kiefer had told him they have excellent security advisors for the show and Jack was certain they had taught him a few tricks to be safer in his daily life as well. He stepped back and let Jack open the door himself. He put the evidence bag down on top of the control panel so they could both have a look at it. There wasn't much to look at though. It had a single sentence on it.
‘Don't even think of attending the Golden Globes, you will not walk away from it'
"The Golden Globes?" Jack asked.
"An awards show. The show is nominated and so am I."
"When is this?"
"In three weeks, January 18th." Kiefer replied. "I'm going." he added.
"Kief-" Jude started.
"I don't give a fuck what these sick bastards say." Kiefer interrupted his friend, "I am not going to let them scare me. I am going to the Golden Globes."
He pushed past Jack and shot up the stairs, heading for the privacy of his apartment. Jack felt a hand on his arm and turned to face Jude.
"You've got three weeks to find those assholes. He's serious about this shit and if I can't talk him out of going, nobody can."
Jack shrugged Jude's hand off and took the letter back to the forensic team, instructing them to get on it straight away and to keep him posted. Once they were out the door and on their way, he went upstairs to find Kiefer. He was standing by the kitchen window, smoking, with Molly pressed tightly against his leg, his hand absently petting her on the head.
"Are you okay?" Jack asked quietly.
"I'm not letting those bastards dictate my life." Kiefer replied softly.
His entire attitude screamed rebellion against these people, but Jack could tell he was scared. From the hunch of his shoulders and the ever so slight tremor in his voice; it was barely audible to the untrained ear, but Jack was used to looking for those details. He was certain to see the fear in his eyes too, even though he would be trying to hide it.
"I am going to the Globes, whether you like it or not."
"I don't get paid to like what you do," Jack replied, "I get paid to keep you alive."
"You're not going to try to talk me out of going?"
"No, that's not my job. If we haven't solved this problem by then and you decide to go, I'll be there to protect you."
"But I'm going to do everything I possibly can to solve this thing as soon as possible and let you get back to your life."
"Thank you," Kiefer replied, his voice hardly louder than a whisper, "I appreciate that."
"Are there other entrances to this building?" Jack asked, getting back to the problem at hand.
"No, just the front door. There are two emergency exits, but you can't open them from the outside."
"Okay, I guess I should get moving then, you have my number, don't hesitate to call if you need me."
"Where are you going? I thought you said Chapelle wanted you to stay with me?"
"I'll be in the car. I'm going to park it down the block and I'll keep an eye on the door from there."
"Are you out of your mind?" Kiefer exclaimed, turning to face him. "Are you really planning on spending the night out in your car?"
"Of course, it wouldn't be-"
"I don't want to hear it." Kiefer interrupted him. "I'm not going to let you spend the night out in a car. You can sleep in Sarah's room."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"Can't sleep on the job." Jack replied.
"So what? They expect you to stay awake all night while you've already been up all day guarding me? That Chapelle is even crazier than I thought he was. You told me you've been up since yesterday morning. Do you really think I'm going to believe you'll be able to stay awake all night again?"
"I have a few tricks to keep me awake, besides, it gets cold enough out there at night, it helps."
"Like hell it does." Kiefer said. He wasn't going to take no for an answer. "I don't care what your boss thinks...you are not going to spending the night in a car freezing your ass off on my behalf."
"You will sleep in Sarah's room, that way, if anything happens, you'll be right here."
Jack started to object, but Kiefer cut him off again.
"Do you think I'll be able to sleep knowing you might fall asleep in that car and not notice someone breaking in here in the middle of the night?"
'Damn the man made good points.'
"Okay fine." Jack said, "I'll stay here, but I'll sleep on the couch."
"You can't."
"Why not?"
"Molly sleeps on the couch and I don't think she likes you enough to share beds."
"Fine, whatever you say." Jack replied, throwing his hands up in surrender.
"That's more like it. Come on, I'll show you your room."
Kiefer took him down the hall to the first room.
"Remember, it's a teenage girl's room." Kiefer warned before opening the door.
He pushed it inward and Jack understood why he had said that. The walls were littered with posters and pictures, the overruling colours were all pastels, pink, yellow, green and some blue, the sheets on the bed were of her favourite boys band.
"I'll change the sheets."
"No, that's okay, just show me where they are, I'll get it."
They went into the room and Kiefer opened a large closet, rummaged through it for a moment and retrieved a set of dark blue sheets.
"These are plain." Kiefer said, handing the sheets to Jack.
"Thanks." Jack chuckled. He would not get any sleep if he had to sleep in a boys band bed.
"There's a bathroom right across the hall."
"Where do you sleep?"
"Last door on the right."
"Are you turning in any time soon?"
"Probably not, but you can."
"Like hell I can." Jack sighed, dropping the sheets on the chair in the corner. He quickly stripped the boys band off the bed and Kiefer took the sheets to the bathroom, stuffing them in one of the laundry baskets. By the time he got back, Jack was almost done with the bed.
"What are your plans for the rest of the evening?"
"I'm going down to the studio, I'd like to sit in on the rest of their session. You're welcome to join."
"What kind of music to they play?"
"Rock. Pure, fresh and powerful."
"I don't mind listening to that. ”
They went back to the studio, finding Jude and the band fiercely discussing something. The way the conversation died when they entered, both Jack and Kiefer knew they had been talking about them or about the threats. Either way, the conversation was dropped the moment they walked in. The tension remained though and nobody seemed to be able to concentrate on what they were doing. After a while, Jude called it quits and suggested they ‘jam' for a bit to unwind. Jude, Kiefer and Jack joined the band in the other room and much to Jack's surprise, both Jude and Kiefer picked up a guitar to join in. The whole thing started with a bit of ‘picking the strings', then a rhythm started to form, a simple tune, and the others fell in, Dave first, giving it a solid base and allowing the others to work away from the basic rhythm and improvise at will.
Minds wandered, thoughts drifted, eyes closed and frowns formed.
Slowly the tension seeped out of the room and everybody relaxed, enjoying the tune they were making up as they went and Jack sat in silent admiration of so much talent gathered in one room. They were making up a song as they went, single phrases formed, rhymes were made, feelings expressed. After a while, Molly jumped on the couch next to Jack, dropping her head in his lap. He was the only one without an instrument, the only one who might possibly give her the attention she was looking for and Jack's hand automatically moved to pet her on the head, scratching her ear absentmindedly. He was absorbed by the music and so was everybody else in the room. He was at full attention though, ready to move at the first sign of trouble, first sign which would probably be given by the dog, now completely relaxed in his lap. She would be the first to hear or smell anything that might pose a threat.
Time ticked by slowly and the rhythm changed, heated up. Old songs were played, songs everybody knew, songs everybody sang along or at least hummed to, tapping the rhythm with a hand or foot, enjoying the peace it brought. There was no better way to find peace. Music had the amazing ability to wash all the stress and strain away, to shield you of all your troubles and Jack let it.
The music made him forget about Chapelle, made him forget how tired he was, made him forget he had felt like crap getting this assignment and more importantly, it made him forget his prejudices about Kiefer. He was seeing him in a totally different way from what everybody was used to. In the privacy of his own home, surrounded by his friends, Kiefer turned from a Hollywood schmuck to a passionate man. Passionate about what he cared for. Everything he cared for.
He cared for the music and from the expression on his face while playing the guitar, Jack could gather the love for the music rooted very deeply. He cared enough about the music to start up a recording studio and allow young artists like this one to develop their skills and record an album, helping them to get started in their career.
He also cared for his friends, deeply cared for them. He didn't want them to get sucked up in this whole deal, that's why he had reacted so strongly with Jude earlier, this didn't concern him and he didn't have to worry about it. Worrying about it was what had cut their recording session short; they couldn't keep their heads clear.
But as it did with Jack, the music also soothed Kiefer and when they stopped playing, the burden had lifted off him. They returned the instruments to their places and bid each other good night. Kiefer let them out, locking the door behind them and when he turned, he found Jack leaning against the doorframe leading into the studio, looking beat and stifling a yawn. Without further need for words, they headed upstairs and went to their rooms, Jack used the bathroom across from Sarah's room but rechecked the apartment before turning in, leaving the door wide open. He slept with his gun under his pillow. If he needed it, it was hidden but within easy reach.
Sleep was on him in no time, his slumber light but repairing.
"Give me your keys." Kiefer handed over his keys. "Do you have an alarm?"
"Yes." Kiefer replied, fighting back a smile, "Her name is Molly and she'll bite you in the ass if you go in without me."
Jack chuckled and opened his door. "I'll shoot you if she bites me in the ass."
"Shoot me?" Kiefer exclaimed.
"Yeah, the mutt can't help it, you're the one who messed up her education."
Jack climbed out of the car and went around to the door, a smile still on his face. He had his eyes wide open though, scanning the sidewalk as he crossed it. He reached the door and inserted the key into the lock. Seconds later he heard a vicious bark on the other side. The dog was there, alive and well, ready to take a nice big bite out of his ass. He opened the door just a crack and turned back to the car, scanning the sidewalk and street this time. The dog couldn't get a paw between the door and the frame, he made sure of that, but he would be able to get Kiefer inside without wasting any time. He reached the car and opened the door, stepping out of the way and shielding Kiefer between the passenger door and his body.
"Let's go."
Kiefer was already on the move. He knew this was where he was the most vulnerable. Jack slammed the passenger door shut when Kiefer cleared it and used the remote on his keys to lock the vehicle, staying half a step behind Kiefer as he crossed the sidewalk. Kiefer called out to the dog a split second before his hand touched the door to push it open and Molly jumped back at the sound of his voice. They were inside moments after leaving the car and Jack slammed the door shut behind him, staying motionless for a moment to let the dog calm down. It was the cutest sheepdog dog he'd seen in a very long time, but right now, she was growling viciously, teeth bared, ears flat against her head.
Kiefer crouched down and petted her on the head, telling her she was a good girl and everything was okay. The fact she was there and this alert probably meant the place was clear but Jack didn't want to take any chances and he drew his gun.
"I have to check the premises, can you keep her calm?"
"I'll go with you, she'll calm down along the way."
"I would prefer if you stayed here."
"There are people at work in the studio, I don't want you barging in there, gun drawn and scaring the living hell out of them."
"What studio?"
"The recording studio, I have a band in there this evening." He checked his watch. "They'll be here for at least another hour. Look, put your gun away, I'm sure the place is as safe as it was this morning when I left."
"I can't take that chance."
"We'll check together, just holster your weapon, you're making me nervous."
Jack holstered his gun and followed Kiefer down the hall, checking rooms as they passed by them. The first one looked like it was a repair shop for guitars, the second one was a storage room for all kinds of instruments. On the far end of the hall, a sound proof door opened into the recording studio. Kiefer carefully opened the door, not knowing if there was a recording under way and not wanting to disturb it if it was. A man seated at the controls held a finger to his lips at once, making eye contact with him and Kiefer nodded, relaying the info to Jack, motioning for him to be quiet. Jack followed him into the room and his jaw nearly dropped when he saw the massive control panel the man was seated at. Kiefer shook hands with him but said nothing, picked up a headset and put it on, listening for a moment. Through the large window, he could see the band and he obviously liked what he heard because he gave the other man a thumbs-up sign, then took off the headset and left the room again, taking Molly and Jack with him.
Only when the door was closed, did they speak again.
"That was Jude, my partner in the studio."
"You own it?"
"Half of it anyway." Kiefer replied with a smile.
"What kind of music do you record?"
"Anything that sounds good enough to make it out there in the big bad world of showbiz." Kiefer replied melodramatically. "Come on, let's check upstairs."
"What's upstairs?"
"My apartment."
Kiefer started up the stairs, but Jack stopped him, drew his gun and went up ahead of him. Kiefer let him even though he knew they wouldn't find anything. Jack went through the apartment, looking in each room and checking every window, then declared the place safe. Suddenly, Molly shot down the stairs, barking viciously and Jack shot after her, gun drawn, ready for anything.
Molly stood barking at the front door, about three feet away from it. She looked dangerous enough to scare anybody away, which was probably the reason why these people had threatened to poison her. For a moment Jack thought someone might be trying to break in, but then he saw the envelope. It had been slipped under the door and Molly had heard or sensed it, reacting to it the way she had. Jack pushed past her and yanked the door open, his gun at the ready, but there was nobody there. He stopped Molly from getting out into the street by pinning her against the wall with his knee and half a second later, Kiefer got in there, grabbed her by the collar and pulled her away.
"Get back upstairs." Jack ordered dryly. He waited a few seconds, giving Kiefer time to reach the stairs and start up before he moved. The sidewalk was empty. On both sides of the door. "Dammit!" Jack cursed.
"What's wrong?" Kiefer asked from halfway up the stairs.
Jack came back inside and closed the door, fishing out his cellphone. "This is Jack Bauer, I need a forensic team." He gave the address and pocketed his phone again. "Dammit." he cursed again.
"What?" Kiefer asked, coming down the stairs.
"I told you they slide the letters under the door minutes after I get home didn't I?"
"Yeah, which means I should've nailed them."
"How?"
"If I had been out in the car like I should've, I would've nailed them."
"They would not have come if you had been sitting out in your car." Kiefer said quietly, "I don't think they're that dumb."
"Maybe not." Jack agreed, "But Chapelle is going to have my skin over this."
"Why?"
"Because I should've been watching your apartment."
"Hey, we barely got back, you were checking the apartment. You can't be inside and out at the same time."
"No, you're right, but he's not going to like this."
"Tell him he should've agreed on that team you requested, if they had been parked down the street, they would've seen who slipped the letter under the door and they could've intercepted him."
"So what are you saying here? I should tell Chapelle it's his fault we didn't get these people because he refused the team I asked for?"
"Well if he's trying to screw you over, you might as well return the favour."
"I'm starting to like you." Jack said with a smile.
"Good, it can only make this thing easier for the both of us. Now what's going to happen?"
"Well I requested a forensic team to come pick up the letter so they can check it for prints and anything else they can find."
"I'd like to read it before they take it away."
"I'll see what I can do."
"Let's go wait in the studio."
They went down the hall, leaving the letter untouched on the floor. Jack didn't want to disturb it in any way. The band was done with the song they had been recording and Jude was in the actual studio when Kiefer and Jack came in, so they went in as well. The first thing Jack noticed was the collection of shiny guitars lining the side of the studio. Kiefer introduced everybody and Jack shook hands with all five men, Jude, the partner, Rocco, the lead singer of the band, Ryan, Dave and Greg. They all knew of the threats, especially since Kiefer had been getting most of them here, in his home and he most probably had the police over more than once. Knowing the proper authorities had taken over the investigation seemed to put Jude at ease.
He slapped Jack on the shoulder repeatedly, treating him like he was an old friend and including him in their jokes and conversation. Jack felt out of place, he had no idea what they were talking about once the conversation shifted to music and he kept gawking at the set of guitars. They were absolutely beautiful and he wondered for a moment who they belonged to. Kiefer solved that mystery for him, seeing his gaze shift to the guitars repeatedly.
"Do you like what you see?"
"Absolutely, that is one fine collection."
"Mine." Kiefer said proudly. "Well, most of them are anyway." he added quickly when Jude jabbed him in the shoulder.
"Do you play?"
"Some. Do you?"
"I wish. I've tried my hand at it when I was a teenager, but I found more interesting things to do in life."
"Like what?" Kiefer asked, suddenly intrigued.
"Like serving my country."
"How did you find out?"
"My father was a high ranking officer, I followed in his footsteps and joined the army right after college."
"Was?"
"Yeah...was." Jack replied softly.
"I started buying these years ago," Kiefer said, dropping the subject, "I never stopped."
"How many do you have?"
"Over thirty. All Gibsons."
A buzzing sound interrupted them and Kiefer answered the intercom. "CTU Los Angeles sir." a man said, looking up into the security camera above the door. "Agent Bauer requested a forensic team at this address."
"Just a moment." Kiefer replied. "Jack, it's your forensic team."
"Can you lock this door?"
"Yes."
"Lock it and stay in here until I tell you it's safe." Jack instructed. Kiefer nodded.
Jack left the room and waited by the door until he heard the lock engage. The man sure had an amazing resilience to react the way he did under this amount of pressure.
He went to the front door and checked ID's before letting the men in. They picked up the letter with tweezers, but before they could slip it into an evidence bag, Jack asked them if they could open it on site.
"Those are not standard procedures agent Bauer." one of the men said.
"Mr. Sutherland would like to read the letter before you take it away for testing." Jack explained.
They took out their equipment and opened the letter very carefully, cutting through the bottom fold of the envelope instead of the top one. Then they used tweezers to pull out the paper, opened it and slipped it into an evidence bag, sealing it. They did the same with the envelope, sealing it in an evidence bag and put that away in a special case. They handed the other bag to Jack who took it back to the studio at the end of the hall. He knocked on the door, twice, then twice more.
"Jack?"
"Yes. I've got the letter here if you still want to read it." The lock disengaged and the door opened a crack. Jack noticed Kiefer's foot was blocking it and it made him smile. Kiefer had told him they have excellent security advisors for the show and Jack was certain they had taught him a few tricks to be safer in his daily life as well. He stepped back and let Jack open the door himself. He put the evidence bag down on top of the control panel so they could both have a look at it. There wasn't much to look at though. It had a single sentence on it.
‘Don't even think of attending the Golden Globes, you will not walk away from it'
"The Golden Globes?" Jack asked.
"An awards show. The show is nominated and so am I."
"When is this?"
"In three weeks, January 18th." Kiefer replied. "I'm going." he added.
"Kief-" Jude started.
"I don't give a fuck what these sick bastards say." Kiefer interrupted his friend, "I am not going to let them scare me. I am going to the Golden Globes."
He pushed past Jack and shot up the stairs, heading for the privacy of his apartment. Jack felt a hand on his arm and turned to face Jude.
"You've got three weeks to find those assholes. He's serious about this shit and if I can't talk him out of going, nobody can."
Jack shrugged Jude's hand off and took the letter back to the forensic team, instructing them to get on it straight away and to keep him posted. Once they were out the door and on their way, he went upstairs to find Kiefer. He was standing by the kitchen window, smoking, with Molly pressed tightly against his leg, his hand absently petting her on the head.
"Are you okay?" Jack asked quietly.
"I'm not letting those bastards dictate my life." Kiefer replied softly.
His entire attitude screamed rebellion against these people, but Jack could tell he was scared. From the hunch of his shoulders and the ever so slight tremor in his voice; it was barely audible to the untrained ear, but Jack was used to looking for those details. He was certain to see the fear in his eyes too, even though he would be trying to hide it.
"I am going to the Globes, whether you like it or not."
"I don't get paid to like what you do," Jack replied, "I get paid to keep you alive."
"You're not going to try to talk me out of going?"
"No, that's not my job. If we haven't solved this problem by then and you decide to go, I'll be there to protect you."
"But I'm going to do everything I possibly can to solve this thing as soon as possible and let you get back to your life."
"Thank you," Kiefer replied, his voice hardly louder than a whisper, "I appreciate that."
"Are there other entrances to this building?" Jack asked, getting back to the problem at hand.
"No, just the front door. There are two emergency exits, but you can't open them from the outside."
"Okay, I guess I should get moving then, you have my number, don't hesitate to call if you need me."
"Where are you going? I thought you said Chapelle wanted you to stay with me?"
"I'll be in the car. I'm going to park it down the block and I'll keep an eye on the door from there."
"Are you out of your mind?" Kiefer exclaimed, turning to face him. "Are you really planning on spending the night out in your car?"
"Of course, it wouldn't be-"
"I don't want to hear it." Kiefer interrupted him. "I'm not going to let you spend the night out in a car. You can sleep in Sarah's room."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"Can't sleep on the job." Jack replied.
"So what? They expect you to stay awake all night while you've already been up all day guarding me? That Chapelle is even crazier than I thought he was. You told me you've been up since yesterday morning. Do you really think I'm going to believe you'll be able to stay awake all night again?"
"I have a few tricks to keep me awake, besides, it gets cold enough out there at night, it helps."
"Like hell it does." Kiefer said. He wasn't going to take no for an answer. "I don't care what your boss thinks...you are not going to spending the night in a car freezing your ass off on my behalf."
"You will sleep in Sarah's room, that way, if anything happens, you'll be right here."
Jack started to object, but Kiefer cut him off again.
"Do you think I'll be able to sleep knowing you might fall asleep in that car and not notice someone breaking in here in the middle of the night?"
'Damn the man made good points.'
"Okay fine." Jack said, "I'll stay here, but I'll sleep on the couch."
"You can't."
"Why not?"
"Molly sleeps on the couch and I don't think she likes you enough to share beds."
"Fine, whatever you say." Jack replied, throwing his hands up in surrender.
"That's more like it. Come on, I'll show you your room."
Kiefer took him down the hall to the first room.
"Remember, it's a teenage girl's room." Kiefer warned before opening the door.
He pushed it inward and Jack understood why he had said that. The walls were littered with posters and pictures, the overruling colours were all pastels, pink, yellow, green and some blue, the sheets on the bed were of her favourite boys band.
"I'll change the sheets."
"No, that's okay, just show me where they are, I'll get it."
They went into the room and Kiefer opened a large closet, rummaged through it for a moment and retrieved a set of dark blue sheets.
"These are plain." Kiefer said, handing the sheets to Jack.
"Thanks." Jack chuckled. He would not get any sleep if he had to sleep in a boys band bed.
"There's a bathroom right across the hall."
"Where do you sleep?"
"Last door on the right."
"Are you turning in any time soon?"
"Probably not, but you can."
"Like hell I can." Jack sighed, dropping the sheets on the chair in the corner. He quickly stripped the boys band off the bed and Kiefer took the sheets to the bathroom, stuffing them in one of the laundry baskets. By the time he got back, Jack was almost done with the bed.
"What are your plans for the rest of the evening?"
"I'm going down to the studio, I'd like to sit in on the rest of their session. You're welcome to join."
"What kind of music to they play?"
"Rock. Pure, fresh and powerful."
"I don't mind listening to that. ”
They went back to the studio, finding Jude and the band fiercely discussing something. The way the conversation died when they entered, both Jack and Kiefer knew they had been talking about them or about the threats. Either way, the conversation was dropped the moment they walked in. The tension remained though and nobody seemed to be able to concentrate on what they were doing. After a while, Jude called it quits and suggested they ‘jam' for a bit to unwind. Jude, Kiefer and Jack joined the band in the other room and much to Jack's surprise, both Jude and Kiefer picked up a guitar to join in. The whole thing started with a bit of ‘picking the strings', then a rhythm started to form, a simple tune, and the others fell in, Dave first, giving it a solid base and allowing the others to work away from the basic rhythm and improvise at will.
Minds wandered, thoughts drifted, eyes closed and frowns formed.
Slowly the tension seeped out of the room and everybody relaxed, enjoying the tune they were making up as they went and Jack sat in silent admiration of so much talent gathered in one room. They were making up a song as they went, single phrases formed, rhymes were made, feelings expressed. After a while, Molly jumped on the couch next to Jack, dropping her head in his lap. He was the only one without an instrument, the only one who might possibly give her the attention she was looking for and Jack's hand automatically moved to pet her on the head, scratching her ear absentmindedly. He was absorbed by the music and so was everybody else in the room. He was at full attention though, ready to move at the first sign of trouble, first sign which would probably be given by the dog, now completely relaxed in his lap. She would be the first to hear or smell anything that might pose a threat.
Time ticked by slowly and the rhythm changed, heated up. Old songs were played, songs everybody knew, songs everybody sang along or at least hummed to, tapping the rhythm with a hand or foot, enjoying the peace it brought. There was no better way to find peace. Music had the amazing ability to wash all the stress and strain away, to shield you of all your troubles and Jack let it.
The music made him forget about Chapelle, made him forget how tired he was, made him forget he had felt like crap getting this assignment and more importantly, it made him forget his prejudices about Kiefer. He was seeing him in a totally different way from what everybody was used to. In the privacy of his own home, surrounded by his friends, Kiefer turned from a Hollywood schmuck to a passionate man. Passionate about what he cared for. Everything he cared for.
He cared for the music and from the expression on his face while playing the guitar, Jack could gather the love for the music rooted very deeply. He cared enough about the music to start up a recording studio and allow young artists like this one to develop their skills and record an album, helping them to get started in their career.
He also cared for his friends, deeply cared for them. He didn't want them to get sucked up in this whole deal, that's why he had reacted so strongly with Jude earlier, this didn't concern him and he didn't have to worry about it. Worrying about it was what had cut their recording session short; they couldn't keep their heads clear.
But as it did with Jack, the music also soothed Kiefer and when they stopped playing, the burden had lifted off him. They returned the instruments to their places and bid each other good night. Kiefer let them out, locking the door behind them and when he turned, he found Jack leaning against the doorframe leading into the studio, looking beat and stifling a yawn. Without further need for words, they headed upstairs and went to their rooms, Jack used the bathroom across from Sarah's room but rechecked the apartment before turning in, leaving the door wide open. He slept with his gun under his pillow. If he needed it, it was hidden but within easy reach.
Sleep was on him in no time, his slumber light but repairing.
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