Dangerous game.
I'm an idiot. Jennifer leaned back in her chair, mentally kicking herself. She had been a fool to think that she could hide her surging emotions from the man who knew her best. Jake had sensed her unease from the moment that he had picked up the phone, caller ID telling him that it was her on the other end.
Surprisingly, he had yet to mock her about it.
"Are you okay?" he asked her, and it seemed like an honest question, not the kind of condescending tone which meant it was the sarcastic indicator of somebody's mental health. She thought back to his reaction when she had called him from Newark. The hesitation. The way he'd almost been waiting for her to ask him to get on that plane.
She bit her tongue gently, listening to him breathe on the other end. This would only add fuel to the fire of her former boss's contentious relationship with her former boyfriend. But the residual shock of what Jack had said, that she wasn't worth anything without Jake to hide behind, was heavy on her heart. It wasn't just that it was coming from a man who had never said a bad word about her. It was also that he had known exactly what to do to stab her through the heart, and he'd done it without hesitation.
Only people like Jake would do something like that.
"No, I'm not okay," she admitted, sensing that he was about to repeat the question. "Jack flipped out a little while ago."
"You're surprised? The question should be why he hasn't done it earlier."
"Jake. That's not funny." Jennifer exhaled, not in the mood for his sarcastic sense of humor. "He said that I wasn't worth anything, since I didn't have you to hide behind."
"What?" The disbelief was evident in Hannigan's voice. Despite the fact that there was no love lost between him and Bauer, he knew it was out of character for Jack. It was something that Jake's other ex-boss, Christian Brady, would have said. Not Jack. That, and although Jake wouldn't admit it, he was still somewhat protective of his ex-girlfriend's honor. "You have got to be fucking kidding me."
But Jennifer said, "I think you know this is the kind of thing I wouldn't find funny."
Jake was quiet for a long moment before he said, "You've never hid behind me or anyone else. I wouldn't let you."
"I know."
"You know he didn't mean it. You're one of the oldest friends he has."
"Yeah, and I'm also the one who's the least in touch with him anymore. I don't know." She leaned back in her chair. Jake was being surprisingly comforting. That was unlike him, but also somehow soothing. They might not always get along, but she knew he would always get her back. "He's off somewhere, I don't know where..."
That was when she saw Mark Holden walking towards her. "Jake, I'm gonna have to call you back," she said quietly. "They need me here."
"Okay." He exhaled. "Take care of yourself, Jen," he said, and honestly seemed to care.
"Yeah. You too." She hung up on him, and swiveled in her chair to face the older agent and current senior field operative. Mark looked concerned, no doubt because he'd been the first victim of Jack's case of bad attitude. "What do you need?" she asked, sitting up a little straighter.
He nodded his head away from the bullpen, "I need to talk to you for a minute. Alone."
Jennifer had no idea what he would need to talk to her about, given that he was running half of CTU and she was merely Milo Pressman's assistant for the day. Still, she trusted Mark, and she followed him until they stopped at a corner of the floor under the stairs, well hidden from sound and view. "What's going on?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest and studying the look on his face again.
Mark paused. "What do you know about Jack?" he asked quietly. "About his family? What he's been through. Not counting Teri and Kim. I need to know about before that."
Her face was scrunched up in confusion. She was the only member of the team to have worked with Jack Bauer before he came to CTU, and now she supposed that was what he was getting at. "He's got a brother, a sister...Carol, she lives in Bakersfield. He hasn't spoken to his father or to his brother since he joined CTU. I'm not sure why they stopped talking, Jack doesn't like to discuss it. But I've never met any of his family members. Why? Are they involved?"
"I don't know. I don't know everything going on right now." Mark shook his head. "But with everything that's been happening? The way Jack's been acting? I'm concerned about him doing something stupid. The last time he acted like this, his family was involved. If that happens again...I hope he can control himself."
Jennifer just shook her head. "I don't know anything, Mark. Just because I used to know him doesn't mean I know him now."
"Yeah. I just thought it was worth a shot. Thanks, Jen."
"Mark," she called after him. When he turned back, she paused. "Do you think...did I really hide behind Jake?"
Mark shook his head. "You heard him, Jen. He didn't mean a word he said. This isn't like Jack at all. He's just going through a hell of a time right now. Don't take it personally."
She watched him walk off. There was definitely more going on than he was telling, or at least that he knew about. Standing there, Jennifer took a slow, deep breath. She might not have been hiding behind her ex, but she could have used him to be there right then. To tell her that she would make it through this, or he would kick her ass.
She almost missed him, but she didn't want to know what that might imply.
She headed off after Mark, determined to get to the bottom of the situation. The better to push aside those things which still stung somewhere inside of her.
Surprisingly, he had yet to mock her about it.
"Are you okay?" he asked her, and it seemed like an honest question, not the kind of condescending tone which meant it was the sarcastic indicator of somebody's mental health. She thought back to his reaction when she had called him from Newark. The hesitation. The way he'd almost been waiting for her to ask him to get on that plane.
She bit her tongue gently, listening to him breathe on the other end. This would only add fuel to the fire of her former boss's contentious relationship with her former boyfriend. But the residual shock of what Jack had said, that she wasn't worth anything without Jake to hide behind, was heavy on her heart. It wasn't just that it was coming from a man who had never said a bad word about her. It was also that he had known exactly what to do to stab her through the heart, and he'd done it without hesitation.
Only people like Jake would do something like that.
"No, I'm not okay," she admitted, sensing that he was about to repeat the question. "Jack flipped out a little while ago."
"You're surprised? The question should be why he hasn't done it earlier."
"Jake. That's not funny." Jennifer exhaled, not in the mood for his sarcastic sense of humor. "He said that I wasn't worth anything, since I didn't have you to hide behind."
"What?" The disbelief was evident in Hannigan's voice. Despite the fact that there was no love lost between him and Bauer, he knew it was out of character for Jack. It was something that Jake's other ex-boss, Christian Brady, would have said. Not Jack. That, and although Jake wouldn't admit it, he was still somewhat protective of his ex-girlfriend's honor. "You have got to be fucking kidding me."
But Jennifer said, "I think you know this is the kind of thing I wouldn't find funny."
Jake was quiet for a long moment before he said, "You've never hid behind me or anyone else. I wouldn't let you."
"I know."
"You know he didn't mean it. You're one of the oldest friends he has."
"Yeah, and I'm also the one who's the least in touch with him anymore. I don't know." She leaned back in her chair. Jake was being surprisingly comforting. That was unlike him, but also somehow soothing. They might not always get along, but she knew he would always get her back. "He's off somewhere, I don't know where..."
That was when she saw Mark Holden walking towards her. "Jake, I'm gonna have to call you back," she said quietly. "They need me here."
"Okay." He exhaled. "Take care of yourself, Jen," he said, and honestly seemed to care.
"Yeah. You too." She hung up on him, and swiveled in her chair to face the older agent and current senior field operative. Mark looked concerned, no doubt because he'd been the first victim of Jack's case of bad attitude. "What do you need?" she asked, sitting up a little straighter.
He nodded his head away from the bullpen, "I need to talk to you for a minute. Alone."
Jennifer had no idea what he would need to talk to her about, given that he was running half of CTU and she was merely Milo Pressman's assistant for the day. Still, she trusted Mark, and she followed him until they stopped at a corner of the floor under the stairs, well hidden from sound and view. "What's going on?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest and studying the look on his face again.
Mark paused. "What do you know about Jack?" he asked quietly. "About his family? What he's been through. Not counting Teri and Kim. I need to know about before that."
Her face was scrunched up in confusion. She was the only member of the team to have worked with Jack Bauer before he came to CTU, and now she supposed that was what he was getting at. "He's got a brother, a sister...Carol, she lives in Bakersfield. He hasn't spoken to his father or to his brother since he joined CTU. I'm not sure why they stopped talking, Jack doesn't like to discuss it. But I've never met any of his family members. Why? Are they involved?"
"I don't know. I don't know everything going on right now." Mark shook his head. "But with everything that's been happening? The way Jack's been acting? I'm concerned about him doing something stupid. The last time he acted like this, his family was involved. If that happens again...I hope he can control himself."
Jennifer just shook her head. "I don't know anything, Mark. Just because I used to know him doesn't mean I know him now."
"Yeah. I just thought it was worth a shot. Thanks, Jen."
"Mark," she called after him. When he turned back, she paused. "Do you think...did I really hide behind Jake?"
Mark shook his head. "You heard him, Jen. He didn't mean a word he said. This isn't like Jack at all. He's just going through a hell of a time right now. Don't take it personally."
She watched him walk off. There was definitely more going on than he was telling, or at least that he knew about. Standing there, Jennifer took a slow, deep breath. She might not have been hiding behind her ex, but she could have used him to be there right then. To tell her that she would make it through this, or he would kick her ass.
She almost missed him, but she didn't want to know what that might imply.
She headed off after Mark, determined to get to the bottom of the situation. The better to push aside those things which still stung somewhere inside of her.