Chloe switched the server mode before closing the front panel then turned on her heel and made her way to leave the tech room just as the automatic door opened. She smiled as she heard the familiar low chuckle and was just about to call out to him, to ask him what was making him laugh when an accompanying giggle reached her ears; a giggle that certainly didn't belong to Jack Bauer.

Chloe swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and retreated to the shadows behind her, not wanting to be seen. The only problem with her current course of action was that it kept her in the room with them. She screwed her eyes shut tight as she heard the sounds of them kissing passionately. She still hadn't figured out who the woman was and a part of her just didn't want to know. She felt as though her heart was breaking.

"Soooo," came the sultry tone of the woman, "you want a repeat of last night?"

Chloe couldn't make out his whispered response, mainly because of the blood rushing through her ears at that moment. She recognised the voice as that of the new addition to the admin team. She couldn't recall her name but she recalled quite clearly that she was blonde, sophisticated and beautiful; everything that Chloe was not. She blinked back the tears that were forming in her eyes, determined not to break down now.

"Come on," she heard Jack say, his voice low and sexy, "we need to get back to work."

"You didn't answer my question," the woman said.

It was then Chloe looked up and could make out the pair leaning against the door, the woman's arms were wrapped around his neck and his hands were planted firmly at her hips. Chloe felt her heart break a little bit more as she saw Jack lean in to brush his lips against the woman's.

"Sure. Sounds good," he said before turning and opening the door.

When they'd gone Chloe sagged against the wall and took several deep breaths. It would be so easy to give into the tears that threatened but that would mean having to explain her red eyes and blotchy face to anyone that cared to notice. Chloe O'Brian was not a pretty crier.

00000

She curled up on the couch under the blanket and tried to block out the world. She didn't know why she was so upset. It wasn't like he'd promised her anything. They were friends, nothing more, nothing less. He could sleep with whoever he wanted, it was none of her business. Just because he'd been spending more and more time with her didn't mean that he wanted more from her. She cursed her wishful heart for being so stupid.

00000

"Where's Chloe?" Jack asked Milo as he approached his work station.

"Sick," Milo responded distractedly.

"Sick? Chloe?" Jack asked in surprise.

Milo finally looked up from his screen. "Yeah," he said with a smile, "I know it doesn't seem like it sometimes but she is human you know."

Jack nodded but the concern remained etched on his face. "How long has she been off?" Jack had been out of town for a few days and had been working on an assignment that meant he hadn't been able to contact her.

"Most of the week."

"Has anyone checked on her?" Jack asked.

"I tried calling a couple of times but she didn't pick up."

"So you did what?" Jack growled.

"Um . . . nothing?" Milo replied, suddenly unsure.

"Dammit Milo," Jack bit out, "Did it not occur to you that she could be really sick?"

00000

Chloe sank down into the bath, the chilling water encompassing her slight frame but she'd barely noticed. The cold helped to numb her aching heart; that and the bottle of wine she'd consumed earlier that evening. She didn't even notice the pounding on her front door as she closed her eyes and withdrew further from the world.

00000

When Jack couldn't get a response from pounding on the door he dug around in his pocket searching for Chloe's spare key. He breathed a sigh of relief when his fingers came into contact with the cold metal and with trepidation he opened the door.

"Chloe?" he called out as he entered the darkened apartment.

His eyes narrowed as his gaze fell on the empty wine bottle sitting on the coffee table next to the couch. He scanned the rest of the room, noting the stack of papers strewn across the floor next to a broken vase. He called to her again as he gently nudged open her bedroom door. He felt panic grip him as he saw the room deserted, the bed unmade and the floor awash with clothes.

He quickly stepped out of the room and headed in the direction of the bathroom. The door was closed so he tapped gently, calling out to her through the wooden panelling. When he got no response he took a deep breath and turned the handle.

The windowless room was pitch black but he sensed her presence as soon as he entered. In a rush of activity he moved to turn on the light and gasped in shock at the sight of the pale, lifeless woman in the tub.

At first he thought she was dead, but as he dropped to his knees next to her he caught the steady rhythm of her breathing.

"Oh my god Chloe, what have you done?" he asked wretchedly.

His hand reached into the water and he jumped back when he felt the icy cold against his flesh. Moving quickly he reached in and gathered her into his arms, pulling her out and balancing her still body against him as he reached for a towel and wrapped it around her.

"Chloe," he whispered harshly, shaking her and trying to get her to open her eyes.

Her skin was icy cold and her breathing shallow. He pulled her up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom, laying her carefully onto the bed. He reached for her pulse and breathed a heavy sigh when he felt it strong. Moving quickly he grabbed a second towel and started drying her damp hair before moving to her body. The rigour of his movements caused her to moan out loud and he felt a wave of relief wash over him.

Her eyelids fluttered open as he removed the damp towel from her body and wrapped the heavy blankets around her, tucking her in, in an attempt to get her warm.

"Shhh, it's okay," he whispered softly as she whimpered.

"Jack?" she choked, "what . . .?"

"It's okay Chloe," he said again reassuringly as he perched on the edge of the bed, his fingers brushing softly against her cheek.

"Cold."

He took in her shivering form and in a moment he was removing his damp shirt and climbing in beside her, knowing that the quickest way to get her warm was to use his own body heat. He slipped beneath the covers and dragged her into his chest pulling the blankets over them and wrapping his arms around her.

"Put your arms around me Chlo'," he whispered gently.

She hesitated a moment before doing as he said, her arms slowly inching around his shoulders so she was pressed tightly against him. Her mind was sluggish but she instantly felt his warmth seeping through her skin.

Jack took a shuddering breath and willed his body not to react to her skin pressed against his. His hand moved to stroke the back of her head as he encouraged her to relax against him. She buried her face in his neck and on a sudden wave of emotion the tears began to fall from her eyes.

Jack began gently rocking her as he felt her tears fall onto his skin.

"Oh Chloe," he whispered softly.

The soothing sounds coming from him just made her cry harder and soon she was shaking with pent up sobs. She felt his lips flutter against her brow as he continued to rock her, his hands running up and down her back soothingly.

Eventually she was warm and she slept.

00000

Jack lay with her warm body still pressed against him. He gazed into the darkness of the night, not wanting to let her go but struggling with the feel of her in his arms. He shifted slowly and carefully extricated himself from her grasp, hesitating slightly at the soft moan that escaped her lips.

He reached out and gently rolled her onto her other side before settling against her back, a far safer option for him than having her naked breasts pressed against him. He curled around her, his hand resting on her stomach.

He sighed as his mind refused to close off. So many possibilities came to him about why she had been like this, but only one rang true. He knew it was him and he knew there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He dropped a kiss to her shoulder and instantly regretted it as he felt her press into him. He was playing a dangerous game that come the morning would have to stop.