Dare To Dream
"Go home."
"No."
"That's an order, Chloe."
"Well, I'm disobeying it."
Bill sighed. He knew he shouldn't have been surprised by her response. He didn't know why he'd thought she would even consider going home to rest when she knew Jack was still out in the field.
"Then at least go and sit in the break out room for five minutes." Bill eyed her cautiously. Despite being tired, she hadn't lost her attitude and ability to make even he, the regional director, feel about one inch high. "You've been here twenty hours straight. I have a good mind to have you escorted from the building."
"Fine. Call security." Chloe continued working away at the satellite feed on her screen, trying to ignore Buchanan's hovering presence behind her.
"You know I'm not going to do that."
"Whatever."
Bill reached over her shoulder and turned the monitor off on the computer.
"What are you doing?" Chloe shrieked, loud enough to attract attention from some of the nearer agents on the floor.
"I'm ordering you to the break out room. Now." The tone in his voice had changed. At a loss for a witty retort, Chloe pushed back her chair angrily and stood to face him.
"Fine. But you'd better get someone covering those satellites. I swear, if anything happens…." She didn't finish her sentence; both knew she had probably already said too much. Scowling, she turned on her heel and marched towards the stairs.
XXXXX
The door creaked as Jack pushed it open. Letting it slam shut behind him, he was halfway across the room before he realised he wasn't alone.
"Chloe?"
He stepped closer, gently lay a hand on her back. Her head was resting on her arms, dark hair splayed across the table. With a smile he realised she was asleep. He found himself wondering how long she had been there. She'd been running comms five hours previously, and he'd known then that she was already running on empty. Not that she would have ever admitted that.
Pulling up a chair, Jack sat down and studied her intently, knowing he could never do that if she were awake. It took him a full ten minutes to work up the courage to push her hair out of her eyes, terrified of the reaction she would have if she woke up and saw him there.
Chloe muttered something and shifted on the chair. Jack pulled his hand away quickly and stood up, but she remained asleep.
His eyes fell on the couch in the corner of the room. The break out room was almost the only room in the whole building which didn't have a phone; Bill must have been serious sending her up here. Jack shook his head incredulously- he could only imagine what the director must have said to make her take a break.
The couch was worn but comfortable enough. Before he could talk himself out of it, he gently lifted Chloe into his arms and carried her over to it, noting how light she was. Reluctantly, he set her down, smoothing her hair once again out of her face. She sighed and turned away from him, tucking her legs under her in order to get comfortable.
Once satisfied, Jack dragged a chair from the table and placed it beside the sofa, his original purpose for coming into the room forgotten. Taking her hand in his, he closed his eyes.
XXXXX
The sound of a door slamming penetrated into Chloe's consciousness, and she unwillingly opened her eyes. It took her a few minutes to remember where she was, taking in the pale blue walls, the dark blue carpet and the cushions-
Cushions?
As her head slowly started to clear, Chloe cursed herself for having fallen asleep. She shifted on the sofa, her mind refusing to remember. Something was wrong.
She looked over at the table, where all four chairs were tucked innocently away as though they hadn't been disturbed for days. She knew that wasn't right. Surely she had come in, sat down at the table… hadn't she? She wouldn't have sat on the sofa, not trusting herself to stay awake.
Maybe she had. Maybe she had been so tired that she'd been instinctively drawn to the couch, its soft yet shabby fabric providing her with the calm she so desperately needed.
No. She wouldn't have.
Things were starting to come to her now, fragments of memories. Bill had sent her up there, of that much she was certain. The room had been empty, and she'd sat down at the table, anxious not to be away from the floor for too long, but wanting to stay put long enough to satisfy Bill's orders.
Yes. Yes, that was right.
No, it wasn't. Something else was fighting inside her brain, urging her to remember. Chloe rubbed at her temples in frustration. This wasn't helping. She needed to get back down on the floor, help find Jack-
Jack. Jack had been there.
She glanced wildly around the room, but it was as empty as it had been when she'd first opened her eyes. There was no trace that anyone had even been there; no glass in the sink or bottle of milk left out on the side.
How could he have been there, the rational part of her mind asked. He was out in the field, or at least he had been when Bill had sent her up here… holy crap, how long ago had that been?
Chloe almost shot off the sofa, but was hindered by the cramp that suddenly attacked her legs. She rubbed at them impatiently, the pain bringing her mind back into focus.
It had been a dream. Most likely one of those stupid, recurrent dreams in which Jack appeared in one way or another and declared his love for her.
Yes. That must have been it, she told herself. There was no way it had been real.
Convinced, Chloe slowly sat up and pushed the blanket away from her.
Blanket?
Fully awake now, Chloe grabbed the offending item from where it had landed on the floor. It didn't feel like a blanket…
XXXXX
Suddenly uncomfortable, Jack opened his eyes and stretched. He looked at his watch and saw that he'd only been asleep for half an hour; it felt like so much longer.
His eyes went next to Chloe, who still had her back to him. He saw goose bumps on her arms, her thin shirt providing little warmth against the chill that was pervading the room.
Jack slipped off his jacket and placed it over her, tucking it in around her and making sure her arms were covered. Her breathing was slow, deep, but her eyes were flickering behind the lids, a sign that she would soon be awake.
He stood once more and replaced his chair under the table, careful not to make too much noise.
Before he left, he turned and walked back over to the sofa, his head to one side as he watched her sleep. Crouching down, he brushed his lips against her cheek and whispered three words into her ear.