Honeymoon
Disclaimer: I don't own Jack, Chloe, or anyone else from 24. I came up with this story one night at work. My job usually consists of me sitting alone in a darkened room all night not really doing much. (Hey it's a living) This night was pretty cold because in spite of it being a very cold Fall night outside, the AC was going full blast and someone with a much higher pay grade than me put a padlock on the controls. Naturally I was thinking about somewhere sunny and warm.
Jack carried the Styrofoam cooler to the beach umbrella and set it down next to the brown haired woman. Before plopping down on the blanket next to her. " Chloe, you really should have worn the bikini I bought you."
"I'm not wearing that ridiculous thing! I'm not eighteen anymore! I haven't been eighteen for a long time! I don't think I ever was eighteen!" Chloe, ever the nerd, had decided to wear a more practical one piece blue bathing suit and a wide straw hat to protect her from the sun. "Calm down Jack, you'll get to see as much of my withered middle-aged body as you want later tonight."
Jack grabbed her and pulled her on top of him. "There's nothing withered about you, Chloe!" he growled kissing her. Chloe grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him back repeatedly. Her kisses were awkward, somewhat clumsy. Audrey, he remembered, was a much better kisser. Audrey was better at the whole sex thing. But what Chloe lacked in skills and experience she more than made up for in sheer enthusiasm. She wore him out last night. Chloe wasn't the only one who wasn't eighteen anymore.
Chloe eventually rolled off him and lay beside him resting her head on his shoulder. She was sure to lay on his left side leaving his right arm free and resting on the folded towel that concealed his weapon. She lay there and carefully traced the scars on his chest with her finger. So much pain. She and her new husband didn't get much sleep the night before and now she felt tired, sore, warm, happy, and very, very loved. She didn't think she ever felt happy and loved before in her life and it felt delightful. She knew this happiness wouldn't last. Good things never do. The path she and Jack had chosen led only to misery and destruction. But right now she was tired, sore, warm, happy, loved, and she planned on enjoying every second of it basking under the umbrella in the warm tropical sun watching the waves rolling up on the beach.
"Chloe, you're not going to get a tan hiding under this umbrella all day."
"I don't tan! I burn, peel and blister but I don't tan. And I don't want to spend all night rubbing lotion all over my skin. I'd rather rub you all over it." She looked out to sea. "When the sun gets low I might do a little swimming but until then I'm staying right here in the shade."
Out on the sparkling blue sea Chloe saw a beautiful ship leaving the harbor and heading out to sea. Cruise ships were very common out here in the Caribbean but they rarely if ever visited these waters. This ship was much smaller, sleeker and deadlier than any cruise ship. She could make out the sharp angular hull and boxy superstructure of a Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser. She could just make out the number 60 painted on her bow and it was as if a switch clicked in her brain.
USS Normandy CG60. Built at Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine. Commissioned 9 December, 1989. Homeport Norfolk, Virginia. Crew 24 officers, 340 enlisted. Armed with. . . Stop it! Stop it! She didn't know why her brain worked the way it did. Wasn't it enough to just lie here on this beach towel in the arms of her husband without thinking about the Normandy's entire biography? Just to see that beautiful gray lady move through the water? Why she could calculate it's speed in knots by using her digital watch to time how long it traveled one hull length. It's 529 feet at the waterline. Just calculate the. . . No! Down brain! Down! Down! That's a good girl. Behave yourself and I'll buy you a book of logic puzzles later.
Jack was also watching the cruiser, just enjoying the day and the feel of Chloe's body pressed against his. She was clinging to him as if she was afraid he would disappear if she ever let go. Not too unreasonable considering how many times he did disappear from her life. He pulled her in tighter.
"Jack, I want kids."
"Are you sure? Did you think about this?"
"You mean did I think about our ridiculously dangerous lives? Or that there's an excellent chance that dog chasing the Frisbee down the beach will outlive both of us? Of course I did! We could die any day. So can everybody else in the world. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life waiting for the Grim Reaper! I'm alive right now and I'm going to live! I've spoken to my sister and she'll take in the children if anything happens to us."
Jack smiled. "I can see you've already made up your mind."
"I made up my mind the day you proposed. I've made a lot of sacrifices for my country but not this! This is where I draw the line!"
"So how many do you want?"
"As many as we end up with. It won't be too many. The expiration date on my ovaries will come up soon enough."
"Well, I guess we have another problem. Last night you took every last one of my sperm cells. I'm afraid I don't have any left."
She punched his chest in mock indignation. "You'd better make more! And by tonight! Besides they're not your sperm cells anymore. From now on every last one of those little buggers belongs to me to do with whatever I want."
"My, you're a greedy little bitch."
"Damned right I am! I'll give you some time. We'll have a nice candlelit dinner and short walk on the beach." They knew they couldn't walk too far on this beach without running into the chain link, razor wire, and it was rumored land mines.
"I might have you tonight but tomorrow you'll be with another man!"
"Who? Ismael?"
"Yeah! I'd like to have a little chat with Mr. Ismael!"
"No! You said I can have him! You wouldn't even know what to say to him. Besides, I think he likes me."
"He spit in your face!" Jack growled angrily.
"That's just when he first saw me. You think of him as being just an evil, murdering, terrorist fanatic while I look on him as being an intelligent, shy, computer geek who happens to be an evil, murdering, terrorist fanatic. I know his type. They're the same all over the world. He's delighted to have a woman notice him much less talking to him. Why today we spent an hour talking about that new Apple laptop."
"We don't need information on the new Apple laptop! You should let me have a go at him."
"No! You have your own people to question! Once a pair of geeks start talking shop you can't get them to shut up. I'll get something out of him. After all you catch more flies with honey than vinegar."
"We don't need flies. I bet you don't get anything."
"What do you bet?"
Jack thought a while. "If you get some actionable information out of Ismael tomorrow I promise to do whatever you want tomorrow night without question."
Chloe lay her head on his stomach and grinned up at him. "Are you sure? You don't know what kind of perversions I can come up with."
"I'll take my chances. If you don't get actionable information then you have to do whatever I want!"
"OK Jack, you've got a bet!"
Chloe squealed as Jack pulled her up and sealed the bet with a kiss. Then he just let her lay on top of him. After a few minutes they heard a trumpet fanfare blare over the base warning them of what was about to happen. Everyone on the beach stopped what they were doing and turned to face the direction the sound came from. Chloe got off Jack and the two of them stood at attention as the Star Spangled Banner was played for evening colors. After the conclusion of the ceremony Chloe ran to the surf to do a bit of swimming before dinner.
Jack followed along behind her. He was glad he let Bill talk him into this. This place was great. Sun, sand, surf, the most desirable woman in the world, and hundreds of captive terrorists to harass for information. Best of all, Uncle Sam was actually paying them to come here! Who knew Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was the perfect spot for a honeymoon!