Disclaimer: I own nothing from 24.
Chloe finished making breakfast for herself and Prescott as she kissed Morris goodbye. He was currently working at a private-sector software firm in White Plains, NY. Morris thought the work was somewhat dull compared to the frantic pace at CTU, but it was steady, gainful employment and the hours allowed him to spend plenty of time with his wife and son. He made enough there to afford a nice house in Scarsdale.
After CTU was first disbanded, Chloe didn't adjust well to unemployment- she jumped at the chance to get back in the game when Bill offered her the opportunity. Now, after the trauma she went through that day, she was more than content to live the life of a stay at home mom.
As her thoughts wandered to that day and the horrible events they had to go through, she thought about her best friend and how he was coping with the aftermath. Jack was recovering well in DC. She learned that he left the hospital a week ago, and was currently living in an apartment with Kim looking after him.
As if beckoned by her thoughts, his name popped up on her cell phone's caller ID as it started ringing. She ushered Prescott into his chair before picking it up and stepping outside of the room for privacy.
"O'Brian." It didn't matter if she knew who it was, her CTU phone protocol was drilled into her head, especially when the name Jack Bauer popped up.
"Chloe, it's Jack. I was wondering if we could get together to talk soon." Just as Jack wasn't one for pleasantries, he wasn't one for random heart to heart chats. Whatever he wanted to discuss was obviously business related. Chloe was thrown only slightly off balance- she could count only a handful of occasions when Jack didn't insist on urgency.
"Hi Jack. I can be in DC this weekend if you need me, but I'd have to take Prescott. Morris is out of town this weekend." Morris going to a software convention in Dallas had been a point of contention for the family, but it was finally decided he was needed as the company's representative more than he was at weekly game night.
"That'd be great, Chloe. Kim and Teri are still in town for the next couple weeks, they could look after Prescott while we talked."
"I don't want her to have her hands full or anything, Jack." Since she first brought him home, Prescott had barely been alone with anyone but his parents. Though he was typically mild-mannered, the few babysitters they had over the years seemed exhausted after a day with him, and very few offered repeat service.
"It'll be fine- I won't take up too much of your time, and Renee could probably help out. Please, Chloe."
Jack Bauer saying please was something of a weak spot of Chloe's- it always had been. While she never had a crush on him, per se, he really could render her defenseless with just a few words. She also didn't miss the bit about Renee- Chloe didn't miss much of anything, typically. Chloe hadn't seen the two together since the night Jack was infected, but their connection and loyalty to each other was apparent, even after such a short time knowing each other. In her last update from Kim, she mentioned that Renee was spending a large amount of time helping the family, though she didn't mention in what context. Jack's tone mentioning her just now cleared that up.
"Okay, Jack. I'll see you Saturday."
Morris never fully understood Chloe's devotion to Jack. They both owed him their lives, several times over, but that wasn't the extent of her connection to him. He knew better than to be jealous, that it wasn't a sexual tie, but he sometimes wondered what would happen if his wife were forced to choose between the two. It was clear that Prescott came first in Chloe's life, but who held the number two position he couldn't quite tell.
When Chloe informed him that she would be visiting Jack while Morris was out of town for the weekend, he was a bit uneasy- last time they were in that city, Chloe threw herself in the fight against a chemical attack, not allowing Morris or Prescott to be anywhere near. Jack almost died that night, and Morris saw what that did to Chloe. He joined her in the hospital only once to visit Jack, but the short amount of time watching her by his bedside was enough to reaffirm that their connection and loyalty to each other was still as strong as ever. Jack gave equal thanks to all members of the O'Brian family for visiting, but his smile only reached his eyes fully when he was speaking to Chloe.
Morris never spoke to Chloe of any of these thoughts since Jack returned from China. He made the mistake of bringing it up once when she threw herself into searching for him, and received a shrill earful in return. He'd seen her get anxious and wound up before, but never like this. For weeks it seemed as though her life had only one purpose- to get Jack back. He'd never forget hearing her sobs through the bathroom door the night she was told that the government wouldn't do anything to retrieve him. She had spent months trying to find him, and weeks after that trying to develop an extraction plan. Secretary Heller had been the one to shoot it down as too risky, and Chloe nearly quit her job that day.
Morris said nothing when Chloe informed him that she and Prescott would be going to visit Jack that weekend while he would be in Texas. When Jack asked Chloe to jump, she would track down a trampoline. She'd never seen her say no to him before, and it was doubtful that it would change now. His mind was full of these thoughts as he boarded the plane for his business trip.
xxxxx
Jack still had difficulty walking distances, so Kim met Chloe and Prescott at Union Station.
The two women hadn't gotten along spectacularly when they first met, but their brief reconnection in the hospital helped improve their relations. They were the two women Jack trusted and cared about implicitly- though now that number had swelled, what with Renee's arrival into his life. With the exception of being trapped in a conference room together by nerve gas, an event they both blocked from their minds, Kim hadn't seen Chloe and Jack together since she worked with them at CTU. Back then, Jack and Chloe seemed to butt heads a fair amount. They were each the best at what they did, but she didn't see them work together well. Since then, she learned that Chloe was probably the one person in Jack's life who never let him down- including Kim herself.
Their ride to Jack's apartment was short and silent. The women may have improved their relations, but they still didn't know what to say to one another. Chloe considering asking if Kim knew what Jack wanted to talk to her about, but the point would be moot as soon as they arrived at his place. She settled for watching the streets and buildings around her, listening to the buzz of traffic and the beeps from Prescott's game console.
"Thanks for meeting us, Kim. I'm not very familiar with DC."
Kim smiled at the older woman and shrugged. "It's definitely not LA, but I think I've started to get used to the east coast."
Fortunately they were saved from any more awkward chit-chat by the cabbie's abrupt stop in front of Jack's apartment building.
Chloe looked around- it was in a far nicer part of town than the hospital had been. Though she kept a firm grip on her son's hand, she didn't feel the need to look over her shoulder in every direction. The doorman nodded in recognition at Kim, and ushered the trio into the lobby. The blast of air conditioning was welcome on the balmy August morning, even for the natives of southern California. Kim led them into the elevator when Prescott finally spoke up.
"I wanna push the button!"
Kim smiled and moved aside so he could stand in front of the panel. "Okay, Prescott, we're going to the twelfth floor." She watched as Prescott located the twelve and stood on his tip-toes trying to reach it. Seeing his struggle, Kim picked him up under his arms to assist.
To Chloe's surprise, Prescott turned around after Kim lowered him and beamed at the young woman. Prescott typically didn't like being picked up or even touched by strangers, but he was perfectly content interacting with Kim. Chloe hadn't seen Kim with her own daughter much, but she recalled her skill at dealing with Angela when the child was brought to CTU, and later when she moved in with Chase. Chloe let a rare smile out at Kim as the elevator ascended, feeling much more at ease.
Kim led them into the spacious two-bedroom apartment with little fanfare. Jack was reclining comfortably on the couch with Teri, playfully arguing over what to watch on the TV. He turned at the sound of the door opening and greeted his daughter before catching Chloe's eye.
She didn't often get to see him smile, at least not this fully. He was positively beaming at his granddaughter when they first arrived, and if anything his joy only grew at the sight of his daughter, and again when he caught sight of his best friend. After passing Teri to her mother, he stiffly got up off the couch to greet them.
"Chloe, it's good to see you." He murmured as he pulled her in for a hug. Despite his illness, he was determined to properly greet his friends. He kneeled down to level himself with Prescott.
"How are you doing, Prescott? Keeping your mother busy?"
Prescott's shyness, hidden around Kim, burst out again in full force. He clung to his mother's leg as he offered a shy smile to Jack.
"Hi, Uncle Jack." This had been Morris's influence- it was difficult enough to describe the relationship between Chloe and Jack, so he insisted that Prescott consider Jack family. The two had only met a couple times before, but the moniker was firmly in place.
Jack smiled at the boy's timid behavior before bringing himself upright.
"Can I get you any-" before Jack finished his sentence, there was a light knock on the door just before it opened. All eyes were cast toward Renee as she entered, arms full with two brown paper bags.
Jack had given Renee a spare key the day after he moved back in, citing his illness and potential inability to get to the door in time. He insisted that she was welcome any time, and didn't need to knock. It had taken her a couple days to shake the feeling that she was intruding, but now she finally felt comfortable enough to let herself in with little fanfare.
She paused when she noticed everyone looking at her, and gestured toward the bags in her arms.
"I picked up brunch."
Jack moved towards her, grabbing a bag with one arm and escorting her in with the other, closing the door behind her. He murmured a soft thank you as they pulled out a dozen bagels and plenty of toppings. Renee pulled out a plastic bag with a carton of orange juice from the bottom of her bag.
"I noticed you were out of juice yesterday." Jack didn't drink much orange juice, but Kim and Renee both seemed to live off of the citrus. Between the two of them, they couldn't keep a carton for more than three days. Jack smiled at her thoughtfulness- she had mentioned yesterday that she wanted to pick up food for Chloe's arrival, but this unwarranted gesture touched him. Jack wasn't used to such domesticity. For a long time now, he fended for himself. Now he had Kim, if only temporarily, making sure he took his medication, and Renee picking up his groceries.
Jack and Renee finished assembling the food and brought the plates over to the table. Prescott grabbed for a bagel before Renee had even set the plate down, only to be admonished by his mother for his impatience. The others smiled at the interaction, none of them used to seeing Chloe as a mother. Renee didn't know her well, but her limited interaction with her colored the woman as a capable analyst, but not what she would call a 'people person.' Kim and Jack had known Chloe for years, and rarely seen her voluntarily interact with others. Seeing her with Prescott was jarring to their grasp on Chloe, but a very welcome change.
After an amicable brunch together, Renee and Kim took the children to the guest room to play while Jack ushered Chloe to the couch, where several files were at the ready on the coffee table in front of the TV.
He wasn't quite sure where to start, so he just dove in- the way he was used to dealing with Chloe.
"The president offered me a job."
When he didn't offer any more information, Chloe spoke up. "That's great, Jack. I'm glad she's not going forward with the whole Senate hearing. That was just rough."
While her heart was always in the right place, Jack wasn't sure Chloe would ever know the right thing to say. Despite her tactless interjection, he had to smile at her words.
"Yeah, Chloe, me too. The thing is, she wants to restart CTU. A new CTU, with different restrictions than we're used to. And we need someone to program a new system for it. You're the best there is, Chloe. I was really hoping you'd be up for the job."
A thousand excuses could have run through her head. Prescott needed her at home. Morris needed her at home. She was still too spent from the emotional turmoil of losing Bill and finding out Tony was a traitor.
But this was for Jack. No excuse would do. She'd heard people say that once they owed someone their life, they would do anything for them. Sure, she owed Jack her life several times over, but that wasn't what kept her loyal to him. Jack owed her his life. She hid him, kept him safe when everyone else thought he was dead. Most people might think that would give her a sense of entitlement, that he should owe her something from that fiasco. In fact, it did the opposite. Jack entrusted her with his safety, and the safety of those he loved. If anything, that somehow made her feel more indebted to him. Jack Bauer trusted her with his life- who was she to break that trust?
"Okay. But I'll need-"
Before she could jump into the technical specifications, Jack cut her off.
"You'll get everything you need later. For now, let's just enjoy the day and take Prescott and Teri to the park."