Only the Beginning

Title: “This is only the Beginning”
Rating: PG or PG-13
Summary: Dina has a few surprises for Marwan…since NOTHING will stand between her and her son. (This is how S4 8:00 to 9:00 SHOULD HAVE gone!!)
Disclaimer: If I owned 24 or the Araz family, I wouldn't have time to write fanfic. It's pretty logical, really...


Marwan handed Dina a gun and pointed to Jack. “Kill the man” he ordered. Dina trembled. She trained the gun on Jack’s head…and at the last second, turned the gun on Marwan. Click! No bullets. “Just as I thought, Dina” Marwan said coldly…

He addressed the man next to him in Arabic so Dina couldn’t understand (since she only spoke Farsi and English). “Dispose of her when we arrive at our destination” he said quietly. The man nodded. Soon, they pulled up to the building. Two men dragged Jack’s unconscious form away, while the third man yanked Dina out of the van and dragged her into an empty back room. She fought back, but he slammed her against the wall. Ouch. She decided it was best not to resist. The man’s fingers were digging into the gunshot wound on her arm, sending waves of pain shooting through her body. She bit her lips and didn’t protest. The man reached into his jacket…and pulled out a gun.

Dina trembled. Behrooz…she thought desperately. I cannot die here. I must get to my son. She tried to yank free, but the man slammed her against the wall again. She sagged, barely holding herself upright. The man smirked. He aimed the gun at her and pulled the trigger. The impact threw Dina backwards, and she hit the ground hard. This time, she didn’t move. She lay there, limp and motionless. The man fired a few more shots for good measure, and then left the room. He returned to where Marwan waited.

“The woman has been taken care of” he told Marwan. Marwan nodded, and together they stepped into the next room, where Jack Bauer was chained to the wall.

~*~*~*~

Dina still lay motionless on the floor. Suddenly, her eyes opened a crack. She looked around as much as she could without moving her head. Good. The man was gone. Dina opened her eyes the rest of the way and slowly pulled herself to a sitting position. Ouch. Bad idea, Dina. Her body ached from where the man had thrown her against the wall. Slowly, she sat up the rest of the way. She inspected the bullet holes in her shirt. …Four…five…six. She smirked to herself. You shoot me six times, but still I live, Marwan. The thought made her laugh softly. She felt the thick bulletproof vest under her clothing, and silently thanked Jack for being kind enough to provide her with it.

I’m lucky Marwan didn’t see the vest, she thought, or else I would be very dead right now! Then again, Marwan always was a bit dense in the head.

She grimaced in pain. Her entire body was sore. Mentally, Dina ticked off the Pain Moments in her day today. Navi shot me in the shoulder…that idiot Agent Castle held me down and pressed on my wound to get me to talk…Tony Almeida slammed me up against a wall in interrogation…I hit my head on a wall a few minutes ago when stupid Marwan ordered that guy to kill me…What else can happen to injure me today?! She thought.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching. Quickly, Dina slumped back to the floor. The person came closer. Then she heard Marwan’s voice. “Put the body in the car, Saied. We’ll leave it for Bauer’s friends to find.” He laughed. “Then we’ll go get the boy.” Dina flinched inwardly. Did he mean Behrooz? She heard Marwan speaking on his phone.

“Dessler? This is Marwan. Bauer is alive. I’ll return him to you in exchange for Behrooz Araz….Excellent!...I’ll call with exact details in a few minutes.” The call ended, and Marwan’s footsteps faded as he walked away. The man named Saied picked Dina up. She took a deep breath, and then held it, as he carried her. He tossed her like a rag doll into the back of the van. Then he climbed into the front seat, and drove off. Dina allowed herself to breathe, since he wasn’t paying attention to the “body” in his backseat.

Soon, the car came to a stop. Saied picked Dina up—she held her breath again—and carried her to another car. She felt him lay her down inside it. Then the door slammed, and darkness descended on her. She heard Saied drive away in his car, and then everything was silent.

~*~*~*~
Behrooz’s neck ached. Marwan had discovered the tracking chip in his neck (the one that Curtis said he wouldn’t find!) and carved it out with a knife. Then he dumped Behrooz in this tiny dark room and left him there.

Behrooz trembled. Surely Marwan had been lying about Dina’s death. She couldn’t be dead. Curtis had promised that they would protect her! Still, Behrooz knew Marwan’s ways. Habib Marwan didn’t fool around. If he and Navi were determined to kill Behrooz and his mother…then Dina was most likely dead. Behrooz bent his head and sobbed. “Mom” he whispered. “Mom! Why didn’t you listen to me? Why did you go? You can’t be dead. No….” He gave in to his tears. The cell door opened, and Marwan stepped inside. He yanked Behrooz to his feet.

“Come with me” he growled. Behrooz glanced at him.
“What do you want with me?” he pleaded. Marwan didn’t answer; just dragged him down the hallway. They stopped in a room that contained only a table and a chair. Marwan shoved Behrooz onto the chair and, in a few seconds, had Behrooz handcuffed to it.

“We shall chat” he said coolly, bringing in another chair and sitting down across from Behrooz. Another man, that Behrooz recognized as the one called Saied, stepped into the room. Marwan stared into Behrooz’s eyes. “Tell me what you know” he growled. Behrooz shook his head. “No. I’m not telling you a thing.” Then he gasped as Saied slapped him hard across the face, three times. “Tell me. I will keep hurting you until you do!” Marwan shouted. Behrooz didn’t answer. Saied dealt him a heavy blow with the butt of his pistol. “Tell me what you know!” Marwan bellowed. Behrooz glared at him, but didn’t answer. Marwan nodded to Saied, and the man grabbed Behrooz by the shirt collar. The two men began to beat him furiously. “Tell me what you know, Behrooz. Tell me, and I’ll stop! I know I’m hurting you!” Marwan snapped. Behrooz couldn’t answer.

Suddenly, he slumped over and fell to the ground, only semi-conscious. “Very well” said Marwan’s voice. Behrooz heard the click of a gun’s chamber, and then the gun went off. Pain filled his body, and then everything went black. Marwan turned and left the room, leaving Behrooz crumpled on the floor.

~*~*~*~
Jack sat in the clinic at CTU. “I’m fine, doctor. Really, I am. I need to get back to work!” he insisted. The doctor barely acknowledged Jack’s protests as he continued treating his injuries.

Audrey burst into the room. “Jack! Oh, thank God!” She hugged him tightly. “Are you all right?” He nodded. “Yes. Quite fine. How…how’s Paul?” Audrey’s expression clouded. “Still in surgery” she said softly. Jack pointed to the door. “Go, then. I’m fine. Go be with him, Audrey. He needs you.” Audrey hugged him one last time, and hurried from the room.
Michelle Dessler entered the room then. “Jack…we just got a call from Marwan” she said grimly. “And…he told us where to find a van. He said that Dina Araz’s body is in it.” Jack grimaced. “Dammit!” he whispered. Michelle glanced at him. “Tony’s going to go check it out. Do you want to go along?” she asked. Jack nodded. “Yes. I’ll go.” The doctor reluctantly released him, and he and Tony drove away.

~*~*~*~
Dina sighed. Lying here in the dark was getting very tiresome. She prayed that Marwan wouldn’t return….and she prayed frantically that Behrooz was all right.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps. Quickly, she closed her eyes. Please, please, don’t let it be Marwan…she prayed. Then she heard Tony Almeida’s voice, and sighed with relief. “Oh, my God” Tony whispered. “It’s true. Marwan killed her.” Then Dina’s eyes fluttered open. Tony looked as though he’d seen a ghost. “Holy cow, Jack!” he cried. “She’s alive!” Jack hurried over to them. “Dina!” he gasped. “What the--?” Dina smiled.

“I can be a good actress. Thank you for the vest, Jack” she said fervently. “Marwan would have succeeded in killing me if you hadn’t given it to me.” Jack smiled. Though Curtis firmly called Dina and Behrooz terrorists, Jack had somewhat of a soft spot for them. He knew what it was like to see your child in danger.

“You’re welcome” he replied. “Now, let’s get you back to CTU.” He helped her sit up. “How’s that shoulder?” He checked his watch. “The painkiller should be worn off by now. I’ll have the doctors give you more when we get back. Let’s go.” Dina sat up, and climbed out of the car. “Where is Behrooz?” she asked. Jack and Tony exchanged glances. “Well…Marwan made a deal with CTU” Jack said. “He released me…but took Behrooz instead. But,” he said hastily, “we’re going to go get him. The security detail will take you back to CTU, and Tony and I will come when we find him.” Before Dina could argue, Jack placed her in the back of the CTU van, and it drove away. Then Tony and Jack drove off in search of Behrooz.

Edgar’s satellite led them to an old warehouse that Jack knew was Marwan’s base. “I was held here earlier. Please, let’s not repeat that little adventure, okay?” Jack muttered to Tony. Tony grimaced and nodded. Jack radioed CTU, and in minutes backup teams were in place around the building. Then Jack and Tony moved in. “This time, Habib Marwan won’t capture me so easily” Jack said smugly. “I’m armed, and I’m wearing Kevlar. Let’s go.”

~*~*~*~
Habib Marwan stared out the window at the approaching figures. “It’s Jack Bauer!” he exclaimed. “The fool!” He turned to Saied. “Get the snipers ready.” Saied nodded and hurried away. Marwan sat back to wait.

~*~*~*~
Jack heard the gunfire before he saw the sniper. He and Tony flattened themselves on the ground and ducked for cover. “Okay, that’s not good” Jack hissed. “Marwan knows we’re here. Hey, we need backup!” “Got it” a voice in his headset replied. CTU snipers and agents swarmed towards the building. Jack and Tony slipped inside unnoticed, and headed down the hallway. “Let’s split up until we find the boy” Jack whispered. He went down the left hallway, and Tony turned right. A few minutes later, Jack heard a yell.

“Jack! Get over here now!” It was Tony. Jack raced down the hallway…and stopped short. “Oh, my God.” Behrooz Araz lay motionless on the floor. “We need a medic now!” Jack yelled. “Help me carry him, Tony!” Together, they picked up the boy’s limp form and raced down the hallway. They bolted out the nearest door, and ran to the parking lot. An ambulance was waiting, and it raced back to CTU. Come on Behrooz, Jack thought. We’re here now. Hang in there.

In minutes, the ambulance arrived at CTU. (Paul Raines had just come out of surgery, and was in the recovery room. He would be taken to the local hospital as soon as he was stable.) Audrey looked up in surprise as Jack ran down the hallway. A nurse was waiting, and she rushed Behrooz into the operating room.

Then Jack turned…and saw Dina Araz sitting on a bed in the clinic, staring in horror in their direction. Jack pushed open the door and hurried to her. She stared at him. “Jack! What happened? What did they do to Behrooz?” she cried. Jack sat down next to her. “Dina…Marwan shot him” he said softly. “He’s in pretty bad shape.” The woman was trembling, and she burst into sobs. “Why? He’s only a child!” she shouted angrily. She turned a tear-streaked face towards Jack. “Will he be all right?” she whispered.
Jack sighed. “We don’t know, Dina” he said softly. “He’s in surgery now. They’ll tell you as soon as they know anything.” Dina trembled. “Can…can I see him?” she whispered. Jack shook his head. “Not right now. You can see him soon, though” he promised. Suddenly, Dina broke down.

“I can’t take this!” she sobbed. “Isn’t it enough that I got shot in the arm and that Marwan captured you and tried to kill me? Does he have to kill my son, too?” Jack looked startled. “Dina…” he began. “Dina…calm down, please. You’re hurt enough as it is. You won’t get any better if you stay like this.” She would not be calmed. She continued to sob. A nurse hurried into the room, and took Dina’s arm. Jack held her as the nurse administered a sedative injection. Then Dina went limp, and Jack laid her back against the pillows. Then he went to check on Behrooz.

The boy had come out of surgery and was sleeping in an adjacent room. His head and side were bandaged, and an IV was in his arm. Jack sat down next to the bed. “Hello, Behrooz” he whispered. “I don’t know if you can hear me, but…I have some news. Your mother is here waiting for you. She’s not dead. She’s just fine, and she’s waiting for you to wake up.” He continued talking to the boy for awhile longer, and then he left the room.

~*~*~*~
Behrooz’s body ached even more than before. He vaguely remembered something about Marwan, an interrogation, and a gun. But, if that was true, then where was he now? And why did he hear Jack Bauer’s voice? He willed his eyes to open, and saw Jack next to him. “Where am I?” he whispered. It hurt to talk. Jack jumped.

“Behrooz! You’re awake!” he exclaimed. “How do you feel?” The boy grimaced. “Hurts” he muttered groggily. “Everything hurts. What happened?” Jack took his hand. “Marwan shot you” he said softly. “Tony and I found you, and brought you here. You’re in the clinic at CTU. You just had surgery, and that’s why you’re so sore.” Behrooz glanced at him. “Jack…I had a dream that you said my mother wasn’t dead” he whispered. Tears slid down his cheeks. “But it was just a dream, wasn’t it? Marwan killed her, Jack! He killed her!” He started to sob, ignoring the pain that it sent through his body. Jack smiled at him. “No, Behrooz” he said softly. “It wasn’t a dream. Your mother is alive.” Behrooz stared. “What? But…but Marwan told me she was dead!” he exclaimed. “Where is she? Can I see her?”

Jack gently pushed him back against the pillows. “Take it easy, son. You got hurt pretty badly. Just stay there and I’ll go get her.” Behrooz heard footsteps, and then he heard a very familiar voice. “Behrooz?” He turned quickly, ignoring the pain that it sent through his body. “Mom!” he exclaimed. Dina wept as she hugged her son.

Behrooz pulled back and stared at her. “Marwan told me you were dead” he whispered. Dina smiled. “He thought I was. Jack gave me a bulletproof vest before we left, though, so none of the bullets hit me. I just held my breath and pretended to be dead when anyone walked by” she said.
“Marwan still hasn’t learned that he can’t outsmart me” she continued. “He thinks I am dead. But Habib Marwan hasn’t seen the last of me. This is only the beginning…..”