We all know the drill here. I don't own 24, as much as I would like to. I also don't own Jack and Chloe...they all belong to Fox. Le sigh This fic is a total work in progress, and I'd really like to know what you guys think. Your reviews help me decide whether or not to finish this bad boy. Anyway, here's my extra-long prologue. Enjoy and happy reading!
-A
The warm rays of the sun woke Chloe O'Brian that morning. Her window was open, letting the breeze tousle her already mussed hair and filling her with the sweet smells of Spring. She smiled to herself. She knew Jack had done this. Turning over, she saw his side of the bed was already made, his badge and gun already gone from the nightstand. She sighed, wishing that he could have gotten a day off today. They never had their days off together, not even when they tried. Something always came up, and today was no exception. Stretching, she pulled her robe around her and headed down to the kitchen where she was greeted by toast, bacon, and eggs that were slightly cold, but delicious none the less. Under the carafe of juice on the table she saw the note.
Chloe,
Sorry I had to run. Got a call from CTU, had to go in for a while.
I'll be back soon, hopefully by the time you're back from the doctor's office.
Hope you're feeling better.
All my Love,
Jack
She sipped the juice and smiled inwardly. Life was looking up for Chloe O'Brian. She had been promoted to Head Computer Analyst at CTU, and had was finally in the relationship she had longed for for so long with Jack. Six months now they had been together, and the two had never been happier. They even moved out of the city and into a beautiful, albeit heavily secured old home in the outskirts of town in order to live a quieter life. In fact, the only thing bothering her at all was the stomach virus she'd had for the past week, and she was going to get that taken care of today. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was almost 10:30. Her appointment was at noon. After calculating things in her head for a minute, she decided she would have just enough time to shower, get dressed, fix her hair (something she rarely did,) and get on the road. She thought about calling Jack, but decided against it. He was probably too busy to talk anyway.
0000
Chloe sat on the paper sheeted table and felt the blood drain from her face. "Are you serious?" She stammered, staring at the smiling doctor across the room from her.
"As a heart attack!" Dr. Gold laughed. When he didn't get the reaction he wanted from her, he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Just a joke. But yes, Miss O'Brian. Our tests show that you are in fact, pregnant. Congratulations."
Chloe nodded, her face a mixture of a grimace and a smile. "Thanks." She managed, as she grabbed her jacket and headed for the door. Walking out to her car, she was numb. Pregnant…Me. I'M pregnant. We're pregnant. We're having a baby. She thought, even saying it out loud a couple of times hoping it would make it seem more real.As she started the engine of her Chevy Malibu, she suddenly felt like she was bursting with happiness. She had to tell him now, it couldn't wait. She grabbed her cell phone and quickly punched in Jack's number. "C'mon Jack…pick up for once…" She muttered, hardly able to contain her excitement. Finally, a voice on the other end of the line. "Hi, you've reached Jack Bauer. I'm not available at the moment, so leave me a message." Chloe hesitated for a second, trying to think of exactly what to say. Finally she settled on, "Jack, it's Chloe. I'm pregnant. Come home." She decided a split second before hanging up that this sounded too coarse, so she added an "I love you" to the end and hung up. Then she exhaled, and began her drive home.
It wasn't long before her cell phone rang. The distinctive ring signified that it was Jack calling, so she picked up quickly. "Hey Jack!" She began cheerfully. "Chloe, it's Bill Buchanan." The voice on the other end replied, his tone subdued and foreboding. "Bill? Why do you have Jack's phone?" She asked, a hint of worry beginning to form in her gut. "Chloe we need you to come to CTU as soon as possible." "Why?" "I'll debrief you when you get here. Just come fast." Static rang out as he hung up, and Chloe's fears began to grow. Something wasn't right. Making an Illegal U-turn in the middle of the parkway, she sped towards CTU headquarters as fast as she could.
Walking in, she felt that something was wrong. The room was silent, and all eyes were on her. Bill Buchanan took a step toward her and offered his hand. "Chloe…" He began. She swallowed, trying to keep her cool "Bill, where is Jack? I need to talk to him about something." She could feel her hands beginning to tremble, and Bill took one in his hand. "Chloe, Jack's not here." He told her slowly, his voice even and falsely soothing. Panic began to register in her brain, and was becoming evident in her increasingly shaky voice. "Wh…What do you mean he's not here. He works here. He left me a note saying he was…was coming in. What do you mean he's not HERE Bill?" The silent, somber expression on his face confirmed her worst fears.
"Chloe…" He began after a beat. "I'm so sorry. There was nothing we could do."
She stopped hearing after that, the ringing echo in her head too loud for her to decipher anything else. "No…" She whispered, running a hand through her brunette hair. "No Bill…this isn't happening…" She staggered, feebly searching for a chair. C'mon Chloe, calm down. This is a mistake. It has to be. Just get a grip. She told herself, breathing deeply and slowly to make the ringing in her ears go away. Bill handed her some water and laid a hand on her back, saying some more things she still couldn't make out. Taking a sip of the tepid tap water, she drew in another breath, exhaling slowly. She was in control now. She could get answers. "What…happened to him." She whispered softly, her words slow and shaky.
Bill rubbed the back of his neck. "There was a tip that one of Yassir Al Amin's men was in the Los Angeles area. Our teams concluded he was hiding out in a warehouse near Koreatown. We sent Jack to check it out since he's been working the case for the past month. There wasn't supposed to be any risk…no one knew." He stopped, collecting his thoughts.
Chloe's eyes narrowed. "Knew what, Bill?"
"The warehouse was rigged with state of the art motion sensing equipment. Jack went in…and it went up. There was…" His voice cracked and he swallowed a heave. "There was nothing we could do. I'm so sorry Chloe. He's dead."
He's dead.
The words hit her like a punch to the gut. Even though she had known from the moment she walked into CTU, the words "He's dead" made it so….final. She sat, stunned. Unable to speak. She hadn't felt this helpless since…never. She had never felt this helpless. Noticing the gathering of onlookers behind them, Bill waved a hand signaling them to disperse. "Chloe…perhaps you'd like to come to my office for a while before you go to the morgue. You'd have more privacy up there…" She shook her head feebly. "I'm fine. Take me to the morgue."
Bill hesitated a moment. "Are you sure you don't want to wait? They haven't…cleaned him up yet." "I said now, Bill." She snapped, shutting her eyes afterward. "Sorry." He nodded and helped her up. The hall leading to the morgue seemed so foreign to her now, though she had been down it countless times during her time at CTU. She stayed silent, clutching Bill's hand as they got nearer to the room.
"Chloe, are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yeah Bill. I…I'm sure. Best to I.D him now, right? Since I'm here and all."
As he opened the door, the stench of death overwhelmed her. Chemical fumes from the sterilizer used to clean the instruments, the antibacterial soap in the dispenser. And under it all, the smell of burnt rubber and flesh. She swallowed, stepped toward the cold slab where Jack lay under a white sheet. The morgue worker slowly pulled it back, and she gasped audibly.
It was true.
He lay flat, lifeless and slightly warm on the slab. His face was black from ashes and burns, his eyes puffy and swollen shut. Normally pink lips were now turning ashen, and his hands…she took one in hers, stroking its calluses gently as the drying blood stained her flesh a dark red. The hands she loved so much. The hands that held her. The hands that would now never hold their child…
Their child who now had no father.
For the first time since she heard the news, she cried. Soft tears dripped from her cheek and ran down the still arm of the man she loved.
"I'm so sorry Jack…I'm so sorry…"
From the doorway, Bill Buchanan watched, hoping he had done the right thing.
00000
The funeral was held on the Monday after Easter, and Chloe was shocked at everyone who had shown up to pay their respects. The service was beautiful, the closed casket draped with an American flag that reminded her of a presidential funeral. Afterwards there was a catered reception, but she had no interest in going. The morning sickness was keeping her from eating much of anything. Her view on her pregnancy had changed drastically since Jack's death. Once glad and full of optimistic hope about bringing a new life into the world, she was now angry and scared. She was going to have to raise this baby alone, something she didn't think she could do. She contemplated abortion for a day or so, but ultimately decided that like it or not, she was carrying her only link to Jack. So the days, weeks and months passed, and as her belly grew larger, the sympathetic looks grew more and more frequent. She hated being "Poor Jack's girlfriend," "The one having Jack's baby" and the like. When Bill suggested maybe she should work from home, she blew up at him. Why would she want to go home when there was nothing to go home to? She hated that house. She hated everything and everyone, especially the tiny being she was now sharing her existence with.
Life was easier when she was just Chloe.
