Title: 4:37 a.m.
Disclaimer: I don't own Law and Order, Jack, or Claire. I'm only borrowing them for a while.
A/N: Claire's POV. Takes place fairly early in Jack and Claire's relationship.
It's 4:37 a.m. The bedside clock says so, at any rate. The clock on the far wall reads 4:39; I'm not sure which is right.
Jack's still asleep, of course. I've been awake all night. I've spent these early hours staring at the wall, at the ceiling, out the window, and sometimes at him.
I could just go home. There's no need for me to be here any longer. But for some reason I want to be there when he wakes up; I want him to think I was sleeping next to him even if I wasn't.
Maybe I want me to think I was sleeping next to him. That would make everything a little simpler.
4:40 now, or 4:42, depending on which clock you're looking at.
I could turn on the TV, or start a pot of coffee. It wouldn't wake him; he's managed to sleep through his own car alarm before. But I can't help wondering if he'd know I wasn't there, even for a few minutes. Or if it would matter to him.
Why do I care so much if it matters to him or not?
I could use another hour or two to think.
It's 4:43 (or 4:45) a.m. I pull the covers up higher and go back to staring at the wall, and at the ceiling, and out the window, and sometimes at him.