She Doesn't Understand
I'm here for you, as a friend, if you need to talk…
As he stood facing Audrey, Chloe's words began echoing in his head. His girlfriend barely looked up as he approached, and he felt his heart sink even further. He could still see the tears on her pale face, tears he had caused.
"Audrey."
She slowly looked up from her paperwork, and he saw the full extent of the grief etched into her features.
"Yes?"
"We need you to authorise a DOD block transfer for Lee."
She flinched at the mention of the man who had helped cost her husband his life, at the hands of the man now stood in front of her. The same man who that morning she had declared her love for.
"Okay." Audrey glanced back down at her desk, shuffling papers in an attempt to end the conversation.
Jack lingered, hating the unfamiliar ground that was now filling the void between them.
"Audrey, I-"
"I know."
"Please-"
"Please what? Please forgive me? Please try and understand what I did? That it was for the good of this country?" She drew a shaky breath but didn't let the tears fall. "I don't know if I can, Jack. Not yet."
…
Chloe watched the exchange from the safety of the comm. unit, where only minutes before she had offered Jack a shoulder to cry on, should he ever feel the need.
She sighed as she saw him take a step towards Audrey, obviously torn and carrying the full weight of the guilt he'd acquired as a result of Paul's death. He thought it was his fault. He was doubting his decision.
Because Audrey couldn't accept it, couldn't see it through his eyes.
He'd looked at her strangely when she'd suggested the idea of talking, as though the notion was alien to him. She should have guessed that; he was the type for keeping things locked up.
Or maybe it was the notion of talking to her, plain old Chloe O'Brian, that filled him with unease. They'd never exactly been… close. Why on earth should he suddenly start divulging personal secrets to her?
"Chloe."
His voice was low and gruff, but there was no mistaking it. Chloe's head shot up from the computer screen in front of her, expecting to see him stood before her desk, demanding to know whether or not she had cleared the server for the transfer.
But no. She looked up in time to see him walking purposefully towards the back corridors of CTU, the door swinging shut behind him.
"If you think I'm going to come running every time you call," she muttered, hastily standing up and casting an almost guilty look over at Audrey. The DOD liaison remained seated at her desk, now deep in conversation with Driscoll's replacement, Bill Buchanan. There seemed to be no immediate danger of either of them noticing Chloe's departure.
She hurried past Edgar, not bothering to explain to him where she was going. Chloe made sure she wasn't followed, before innocently pulling the door open and slipping into the darkened back hallway.
Feeling decidedly embarrassed, Chloe thought better of calling his name, not wanting him to hear how concerned she was about him. Because she was. This wasn't like Jack, to just walk off the main floor and demand she follow him.
Okay, scratch that. Maybe it was normal.
The hallway to her right led to the main doors of the building. Something told her he hadn't gone that way, so she walked left, the tension increasing with every step she took.
"Chloe?"
She stopped, frozen to the spot, unable to respond.
Jack was leaning against the wall, his head back and his eyes closed. Chloe could see the tear tracks running down his ruggedly handsome face, and she felt her heart break.
"Y-yeah, it's me," she stuttered finally, finding her voice.
He didn't say anything else. They stood like that, him with his eyes shut and her with her eyes wide open, a mixture of panic, anger, embarrassment, and… something else… making her heart pound so loudly that she was sure he could hear it.
Needing to break the silence, Chloe said the first thing she could think of.
"I think you did the right thing, Jack."
His eyes flicked open and he moved away from the wall so that he was facing her properly.
"You do?"
"Yes."
She watched him clench and unclench his fists, the struggle between guilt and inner peace evident in his posture. Chloe knew which one would win out.
"I didn't-"
"Are you okay?"
His sudden mood change frightened her. She took a step back, something that didn't go unnoticed.
"What do you mean?"
"When you were out in the field… I was worried about you."
"Yeah, well, I'm not a field agent. I was worried about me."
"You did it though." Jack managed a small smile. "You came back."
"I guess I did."
"I don't know what I'm going to do," he said quietly, his oh so blue eyes boring into hers, causing her breath to hitch in her throat.
"Give her time."
"She hates me."
"No, she doesn't." She doesn't understand you, she might not accept you but she doesn't hate you.
"How can you be so sure?" The despair was radiating for him, tugging at Chloe's heart. "I don't know how much time I have to give her," he added quietly. Neither of them needed to question what he meant.
"It will work out. Her husband's just died, Jack. She blames you. You blame yourself. Maybe a little time apart would help you both out."
If someone had told Chloe yesterday that she would find herself in the back corridors of CTU giving relationship advice to Jack Bauer, she would have laughed at them.
But then there she was, and he was listening, actually listening to what she said.
"How much time?"
"I don't know that, Jack." Chloe looked down at her feet. "Only you and Audrey can decide. I'm not Audrey."
If Jack picked up on her last comment, he didn't show it. Awkwardly, he stepped towards her and tilted her head up with his hand so that she was looking directly at him.
"Thank you," he repeated.
Chloe swallowed nervously. "It's okay."
Rapid footsteps alerted them to another presence in the hallway. Curtis strode into view, coming to an abrupt halt as he took in the sight before him. He cleared his throat.
"Jack, Chloe, we need you on the floor."
"On our way."
As she made to move away from him and after Curtis, Jack placed a gentle hand on her arm.
"You don't need to say it," she told him. "I won't tell anyone."
She stepped away from him and followed in the direction Curtis had taken, ignoring the curious glances Edgar threw her way as she resumed her seat next to him.
When Jack reappeared moments later, he took a moment to smile sadly in her direction, before turning and following Bill into the conference room.