Chloe sighed as she dug through her purse, blindly searching for her keys. Nadia had begged her to stay at least until midnight, so that she wouldn't be alone when the ball dropped, but Chloe honestly didn't care anymore. She had spent New Year's Eve married, alone, and with nameless dates…in the end, it was all the same.

Glancing at her watch as she opened her door, she saw that it was 11:47, the new year looming ever nearer. She rolled her eyes and shut the door behind her, throwing her keys on the table to her right and dropping her purse on the floor.

It wasn't until she went to turn on the lights that she noticed there was already light in the room. Frowning in confusion, she turned to look behind her and saw that there were flames burning brightly in the fireplace. A small part of her told her that this wasn't normal and that she should be pulling out her weapon – but the majority of her brain told her that a rapist or murderer probably wouldn't start a fire in the fireplace.

"Happy New Year."

A small smile overtook her lips at the sound of his voice. Looking up, she saw him leaning against the doorframe leading into the kitchen, two glasses of wine in his hand.

"Hey," she whispered.

Walking into the room, he set the glasses down by the fireplace and then turned and extended a hand to her. Chloe only hesitated for a moment before taking his hand and letting him pull her closer. They stood there, just staring at each other, the flames causing shadows to dance around the room. Then he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I was worried you wouldn't come home until after midnight."

Chloe shrugged. "You know me, Jack. I don't do parties."

He smiled. "I'm glad."

Turning to face the fire, he sank to the ground, pulling Chloe with him until she sat between his legs, leaning against his chest. Then he picked up the two glasses of wine and handed her hers. Staring into the flames, she took a sip.

"Where have you been?" she asked.

"Lots of places. Nowhere." At her frown, he shrugged. "After I left…I just drove."

"How far?"

"I got to Fargo."

Chloe turned and stared at him. "Jack, that's halfway across the country. And…it's…it's in the middle of nowhere."

"I know."

"So…why did you go there?"

He shrugged again. "I wanted to see some snow."

She shook her head. "You're insane."

"I know."

They both chuckled at that. Then Jack checked his watch before taking her glass from her and setting it down next to his.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He pointed to the clock on her mantle. "It's almost midnight."

"So?"

"So you have to kiss someone at midnight, Chloe."

"You're joking, right?"

Some of the light in his eyes died, and she felt his body tense. "Do you not want to kiss me?" he asked quietly.

"No, I…" Her voice wavered as she stared into his blue eyes, her defenses systematically failing. "I do," she whispered. "But…are you going to leave me again?"

He swallowed hard at the pain in her voice. "No, Chloe. If I go anywhere, I'm taking you with me."

"Promise?"

"Promise." He checked his watch again before tangling his fingers in her hair and locking his gaze with hers. "5, 4, 3, 2…"

Unable to wait any longer, Chloe leaned up and pressed her lips against his firmly. Time seemed to stop as they forgot about everything else except the way the other felt. As the kiss deepened, Chloe pushed him back onto the floor, letting her body rest atop his. When they finally pulled back to breathe, she stared at him in amazement.

"You're really not going to leave me again?"

"I'm really not, Chloe."

"I'm holding you to that one, Jack."

He smiled. "Promise?"

She kissed him again. "Promise."

The wine, and the world, forgotten, their lips met again and again, the flames sending their shadows around the room as they lost themselves in the other.