A new story...

[ktswaz]

The Life Endeavor 
By: ktswaz (beta'd by Tessa) 
Jack Bauer/Chloe O'Brian

The metal projectile pierced through the charged air. It hit its target squarely. The intended prey felt his warm life’s fluid pump out of him as he fell. He has been ‘dead’ before and went without much regret. Not this time there was so much left unsaid to too many people. This time he had so much to live for, memories yet to be made. Lying there on the cold, concrete he felt his strength slowly trickling away with his blood.

It happened before anyone else could react. While the rest of their assembled team, though shaken by the vision of their ‘general’ sprawled out bleeding on the damp floor of the abandoned warehouse supposedly utilized by the hostile; they went to secure the area. Two men stayed behind, each knelt on each side of the victim feverishly examining his wound. All three instantly knew his fate...certain death. Only one was resigned to that bleak destiny. The other two worked still to spare his life. He stilled the hand of the youngest agent. He saw the wetness in the young man’s azure eyes and knew it mirrored his own.
   As if knowing what the dying man was going to say, he began to weakly protest. He shook his head. "No, I have to..."

"Listen to me." He instructed firmly. He had only a few minutes left to live and he had a few things to say. He attempted to smile. "Tell her I love her. That I thank God everyday that she picked me." He coughed violently. Both could see the current subject of their conversation snort derisively. "I didn’t marry her to repay her for her unceasing loyalty. Tell your sister that I’m proud of the woman she has become." His only answer was a solemn nod unable to speak over the knot of emotions in his dry throat.

The weakening man turned to the other man. "Chase..."

"Jack?" His voice was also thick with unspent emotions.

"Thank you...for loving Kim."

"It’s easy to do." He smiled affectionately as pictured her in his mind’s eye. "I’ll see her through this, I promise. Kim will never be alone again." Edmunds vowed.

The dying man nodded. "I know. And thank you for letting Angie be a part of my life." She had been one of the bright spots of his life. He had treated as a grandchild and spoiled her as such.

He turned his unfocused gaze back on its original face. Graem never deserved such a marvelous gift such as this. "Son, I love you."

Josh bit off a sob. "I know, Dad. I know. We always known that." He confirmed.

"I’m proud to call myself your father. No matter how short the time."

"Thank you." He bawled out.

The declining man frowned in confusion. "For what?"

"For giving me a family. After Phillip and...Graem nearly destroyed our country. And that...bastard." He spat "killed my Mom. You made me your son. Welcome me into your life. Not to mention, traded your life for mine that...that day." He shook his head to shake bad memories.

"I’m proud of you, Josh. You’re a great field operative, maybe better than I. Look after him, son."

"You didn’t need to ask. He’s my brother." But then he realized why their father made that request. Many years from now, when Wils was old enough. Josh could tell him that their father spoke of him momentsa before his death. That young boy alone and scared who sought comfort in his then Uncle Jack’s safe embrace in the conference room at the unfamiliar CTU on that distant day came to the forefront for a split second. However, his training as a counter-terrorism agent took over. The team returned after they bulwarked the perimeter and stood guard over the trio of men. After all he had done in his service for his country he merited a hassle free death. Some quiet time to say farewell to his devoted loved ones.

Bill Buchanan’s cell phone blared. He angrily flipped it open and barked. "Buchanan."

"Bill..."It was a single word but Buchanan could hear the immense pain in the torpid voice on the other end. His usual imperturbable visage contorted into pity and fear. "We need a bus at our location..." The voice was momentarily unable to continue. He waited unprotesting. In their line of work he thought nothing could shock him except..."Dad has been shot and killed." Josh hiccupped.

The unit’s silver haired director closed his tired beryl eyes against the rush of agony. "Damn it!" He cursed under his breath. He may not always have agreed with his senior field agent’s tactics but over the decade theirs had become a tight bond. There wasn’t a man he respected more. Countless of times he willingly sacrificed himself and threatened his sanity for the sake of a ungrateful nation. "I’m sending a med team immediately." He relayed.

"Thank you." He flicked shut his phone. The world had lost her fiercest protector. He gave the order absentmindedly. His thoughts were elsewhere, he had to tell Chloe. The shock of seeing Jack arriving dead on a stretcher just might kill her. He had to prepare her for her worst nightmare. Jack didn’t deserve this fate, he deserved retirement and peace. Ten years ago, this was exactly how Bill saw his colleague’s career and life end. But thankfully a lot had changed for Bauer in that decade. After his sister in law’s tragic death, Jack felt compelled to adopt the young flailing Josh. Which was to say in the least a difficult task for the field agent. Who was unused to having someone depending on him for their essential survival. What he was used to was other field operatives relying on him to return them home safe each night. None of them ever asked for emotional support. It was a part of him he purposely shut off after his wife and their unborn child died then Kim fled to learn about life. That’s perhaps why his relationship with Audrey Raines never worked. Even before Josh came into his life there was only one person who could reach him, Chloe. Only a handful of people truly understood their friendship and why it progressed into more. Sure on the exterior, it was devotion and faith. But when someone dug deeper they would see that both Bauer and O’Brian saw each other as they truly are. Neither wanted to change the other, instead they accepted who they were. Whereas the other women in Jack permanently fractured life wanted to fix him. Chloe’s complete acceptance of him did what they sought to do, heal all of his wounds.

His own daughter came into view. He could use her assistance in telling poor Chloe about Jack. He smiled warmly. "Clare." He whispered.

"Dad," She began happily, but then she took stock of her beloved father. "What is it?" She requested anxiously. He seemed to have aged tremendously in a hour.

He took a fortifying breath. He felt her gentle hand give his tense arm a tender squeeze. "Oh gosh," She gasped. "It’s Josh, isn’t it?" He question dripped with dread. He shook her head. She sighed with relief. She knew whatever her father had to tell her was bad. Her small hands fell to her sides, her fists balled as her apprehension began to build again. Her long fingers straightened but still ached to be busy, they twirled her white gold wedding set.

"No sweetheart. I’ve talked to Josh myself." He assured her.

"Then what is it? Karen?" He shook his head. Shuddering at the awful thought of his own wife dead.

"Jack..."

"How bad is it?" To those who really knew Jack he truly seemed indestructible To ask if he was alive seemed silly.

"He died...Josh and Chase were there with him."

"What?" She must have heard him wrong. Jack doesn’t really die. He fakes death to prevent catastrophic events. No, it can’t be. Life would not be that unfair to Josh, Kim, and Chloe. Chloe, her mind screamed. This might destroy her. How she adored Jack. In her rose colored glasses he could do no wrong. After years of watching him flitting from one doomed relationship to another, she finally got her chance to be with the man she worshiped. It was still hard for her to believe that a man like Jack Bauer could ever love someone so plain and awkward as she. Especially after witnessing each of the preceding woman’s outward appearance; the always perfectly put together Audrey Raines and the sun-kissed homemaker Diane Huxley all were remarkably prettier than she. And yet he picked her as a life companion and not a day goes by that she wasn’t grateful or wonder why. Not that she would ever listen to her friends’ thoughts on the matter. She blinked. "It can’t be, Dad." She murmured in dismay.

"I wish to God it wasn’t, baby." He replied soothingly.

She groaned. "My poor Josh!" She gasped. "Have you told Chloe yet?" She asked with unshed tears in her bright hazel eyes.

He shook his head. "Not yet." He whispered. He wasn’t sure why he lowered his voice.

"I’ll go with you." She stated with determination.

"I wish I could spare you both this pain."

"I know, Daddy." She assured him. "Chloe is my family, more importantly is one of my best friends. I need to be there for her." He knew she was right. He nodded. But how does one tell one’s best friend that the love of her life was dead. Really dead, no parlor tricks, no escaping. No new life. As they walked towards the stairs Clare wondered how she was to withstand watching four of the people she loved most suffer terribly. She barely heard her father call to her mother in law’s station to request her presence in the conference room. Clare could feel her late father in law’s dynamic presence in the room with them. It was here that the happy couples had their quick joyous reunions after every mission. Chloe marched in with ever present scowl on her face.

"Ah, Chloe." Buchanan greeted the brilliant computer analyst. "Come on in."

"You needed those files that David brought in reconfigured. It’s going to take time." She protested at being taken away from her station. She looked at no one. Which was probably for the best because she would have seen the tears. "I talked to Josh a few minutes ago..." Bill heard his daughter quietly swallow a sob, he was quite certain the analyst did not. "He explained to me that Jack..."

"Jack, what about him?" She snapped.

"He was..." Buchanan gulped, who looked at his daughter. She regarded him pityingly. "Killed, Chloe." The computer expert looked dumbly back at him as her brilliant brain dealt with the horrible information.

"No, he couldn’t have been killed. He promised he would come back to me. Jack never breaks his promises." Her voice rose and every word was laced with terror. She studied her boss’ usually stoic face for any sign of deception. Finding none her horror only intensified. "No, no, no. You must be mistaken." She reasoned agitated. She shook her head. It couldn’t be possible, Jack wouldn’t just leave them. Bill and Clarissa watched helplessly as she began to pace tensely. Every emotion imaginable flitted across her face. She ceased her frantic striding as she convinced herself that Buchanan’s words no matter how horrible they may be, are unquestionable. The weight of it made her knees weak. She sank to the hard, cold ground. The cold comfort the floor offered was an inferior substitute to the succor that her husband’s strong embrace offered. Hot bitter tears leaked from her eyes. "He promised me I would see him again. That we would watch all of our grandchildren play." She began to lament uncontrollably. Her dearest friend enveloped her in a loving presence, all the while saying consoling nothings to her. Not that she heard any of them.