Jack Bauer sat in his office in stunned silence, looking at the screen in front of him in disbelief. The profile of a dead MI5 operative had flashed up on the screen only moments before. Charlotte Harper had been twenty five when she died following an undercover terrorist raid that had gone very badly wrong. She had been working undercover but during a raid by her MI5 colleagues she and five other agents had been killed.
In itself the profile held nothing unusual. Government agents were killed all the time and it was a risk that all agents were aware of but tried not to think about too much. The shocking aspect of this profile was that the agent in question was very far from dead. In fact Charlotte Harper was sitting at her workstation in the bullpen in Jack's direct line of vision.
How the hell had this happened? Jack thought back to when he first recruited her and how she had passed through every one of CTU's convoluted employment checks and processes. He'd overseen her appointment himself and had verified every single background check and psychological test. He got up from his seat and walked to the glass partition separating his office from the rest of the building. As he looked out over the busy hub of the Counter Terrorist office he caught the eye of the woman in question. She met his gaze with a questioning look as though she could see through the mask that he usually wore when at work. He frowned and looked away but not before he recognised the confused look on her face.
He ran his hands through his hair, trying to decide what his next move should be. He knew that protocol dictated he should pull her into his office immediately and have her arrested pending an investigation. He knew he should treat her as a threat to national security. But he was having a problem dealing with that; he couldn't believe that she was a threat. She had been his greatest ally for god's sake. He'd been betrayed before and had sworn he'd never trust anyone again, but he'd trusted her with his life, with his secrets.
He looked at his watch and saw that she would be leaving within the next half hour or so unless he wanted her for anything. Just then his phone rang and he hit the intercom button.
It was Chloe "Jack, you ok?" she asked.
"Yeah" he replied, knowing his tone was slightly distracted, that she would know he wasn't really focused.
"Do you need anything before I go?"
He didn't respond at first, having not decided yet what to do about Charlotte Harper. At Chloe's prompt he shook himself out of his thoughts "no, Chloe it's fine. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Ok" she said before hanging up. He knew she would know he was preoccupied and was probably trying to figure out what she could do to help him – that's what Chloe did; she helped him, was driven by a need to do the right thing and balance the needs of many just as he was. She had stood by him when everyone else had been prepared to throw him to the wolves.
He sighed as he moved to the closet and pulled out his jacket. He needed to act fast if he was going to get to the bottom of what was going on, he saw that this would be the best opportunity to get the answers he was looking for. He printed out the page from his computer then deleted it from the stored files, using his access code to erase all traces of its existence. He didn't want anyone else finding it and taking the decision out of his hands.
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She walked through the parking lot and shuddered against the cool breeze that blew through the open air. She got to her car just as another vehicle was pulling away nearby; she didn't notice the driver but saw that the SUV had government plates so assumed it was a CTU agent. She shrugged, wondering why she felt suddenly apprehensive as she opened the car door. Suddenly she was being grabbed from behind, an arm snaking around her middle while a hand was clamped over her mouth to stop her from calling out. She struggled for a moment but visibly relaxed at the sound of his voice.
"Don't. Move" he bit out harshly.
His grip loosened and he turned her around in his arms while backing her up against the car. She saw that he had a harsh smile on his face, the type of smile he usually reserved for terrorists and dirty agents. Chloe stared at him in shock, she really didn't have a clue what was going on.
"Jack, what the hell…..?"
Her words were cut short by the pressure of his mouth on hers. His lips were bruising and the grip of his hands in her hair was strong. Chloe tried to process her thoughts into some kind of logical format but she failed. Her body responded to his touch even while her mind was screaming for him to stop, she needed to understand what was happening. It wasn't as though this was the first time he'd kissed her, but it was the first time in months. Not that they'd had a relationship as such, but they had indulged in some of the benefits of being the only person that the other one trusted. The result had been a period of months where they had occasionally spent the night together where both of them knew nothing more would come of it but they'd both benefited from the arrangement.
But why the hell was he kissing her now?
Eventually he dragged his lips from hers and leant his head against her, his breathing harsh. He knew that if he'd asked her to go with him she would have argued. After all, it had been Chloe who'd ended their previous arrangement, insisting it wasn't healthy for either of them. And if he'd forced her against her will he would have alerted security. So, the only way had been to use this ploy that would surprise her into partial submission and would leave the security guards speculating but not particularly concerned.
"Get in the car Chloe" he said, pushing her gently.
She got in and, at his encouragement she scooted into the passenger seat while he got in and put the car into drive.
"Jack?"
"We need to talk"
"What about?" she asked in confusion.
"Not here" he said; the anger barely audible in his voice.
"Where're we going?"
He looked over at her and she shrank away a little from the look in his eyes. She decided to keep quiet for the moment, she knew he wouldn't hurt her but her mind was occupied with playing over everything that had happened in the past few hours in the hope of finding answers to the questions she wanted to ask.
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Eventually they pulled up outside his apartment, Jack leading Chloe from the car and through the front door into the sparsely furnished living room.
"Drink?" he asked
Chloe just stood looking at him, wondering what this was all about. She could see a combination of controlled anger and confusion in his expression. She'd spent most of the journey trying to figure out what had prompted his reaction to her.
"Sit" he said as he returned from the kitchen carrying a couple of beers. Chloe sat but not without sighing in frustration. She blew the hair out of her eyes and sat with a scowl on her face.
Jack sat on the coffee table opposite her and, taking a swig from his beer he gave her a considered look. Chloe got angry then.
"Jack, what the hell is this about? You can't just drag me here then sit there calmly drinking beer and looking at me like I've just arrived from the moon. I'm tired and really not in the mood for this."
She stood and turned away from him but was quickly blocked by his hand grabbing her wrist. He dragged her towards him so she was held tightly against his chest.
"You're not going anywhere Chloe."
"You think?" she asked sarcastically, pulling away from him and struggling to withdraw from his grasp.
His hands reached around so she was pulled even tighter into him. She growled in frustration, colour creeping up her neck and face at the exertion it took to fight his hold on her. He laughed at her struggle and she pushed against him, trying to get some leverage to get away.
"Chloe, stop" he said calmly "you're not going to get away. We need to talk."
"Then talk Jack. This is ridiculous, you keep saying we need to talk but you're not telling me anything."
He pushed her back onto the couch than reached into his back pocket, handing her the folded paper. Chloe looked at it, then at him. She slowly unfolded the document then gasped in surprise as she saw her own face staring back at her.
"Shit" she exclaimed.
"Indeed".
They sat in silence until Chloe eventually spoke. "How did you find out?" she asked.
"It was sent to me by a contact in London. I've been investigating links to the Rodriguez case and was asking questions about similar investigations over the last ten years or so."
"All traces of this were supposed to have been erased" she said, tears clouding her vision as she looked up from the page.
He sighed and took the paper from her, studying her profile then and now. She looked down at her clasped hands now sitting in her lap, struggling to find the words to convey her thoughts.
"I suppose you think I'm some kind of mole now" she said simply.
He smiled "Hardly Chloe, I know you could never betray me."
Her head snapped up at his words "How can you be sure?"
"I just know you Chloe and I trust you. I admit I was shocked but I don't believe you are living a double life, or that you would do anything to hurt the people you're now working with."
Relief swam across her face as she closed her eyes and sat back against the couch. When she opened them he was sitting beside her, holding her hand and running his calloused fingertips over her now open palm.
"Tell me what happened" he said simply.
She looked at him, not really sure where to start.
"From the beginning Chloe" he said at her look of uncertainty.
Chloe sighed, but proceeded to tell him how she moved to London after her parents died when she was thirteen. She'd gone to live with her uncle who was a police officer. When she'd graduated from college, she'd gone to work for the government and had eventually been recruited by MI5. She'd worked as an analyst but also had some field experience and had been involved in the take down of an IRA cell that had received funding from another government agency. Chloe had been a central player in exposing the other agency but it had all backfired.
Her team had been alerted to the operations of another cell that had been funded by the same agency. However when they'd arrived for the take down, they'd discovered it to be a trap. Chloe had been seriously wounded but her colleagues had all been killed. Chloe had only survived because of the quick thinking of one of her colleagues who had pushed her out of a second floor window just as the raid had begun. She had been found by a police officer who had known her uncle and he had arranged for it to look like she'd also been found dead. Once she'd recovered she'd been placed into a witness protection programme and had returned to the States.
"They gave me the name of a man who would find me work and somewhere to live. I got off the plane in DC and was met by Chase who arranged for me to work at the CTU office there then set it up with you for me to transfer here shortly after he'd arrived." She rolled her eyes "he saw it as his personal mission to take care of me".
Jack smiled. "So tell me, all those times when you've found yourself in the field in the last few years and were waving a gun around and apparently only hitting the target by accident, you were acting?"
Chloe scowled "Not really, it had been a long time since I'd legitimately been in the field and I really was terrified, but yeah I could have done better if I'd put my mind to it. That's why a couple of years ago I asked to be sent on basic combat training, I thought that if I was going to keep finding myself in the field anyway I should be able to use my skills without worrying about anyone becoming suspicious."
Jack looked at her in amazement, then shook his head as if to clear his thoughts before standing and walking to the other side of the room.
"I'm sorry I lied to you Jack, I didn't want to but once I'd started I couldn't think of a way out of it. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I just couldn't." Chloe looked over at him, unable to stop the frown crossing her face; she felt as though she'd betrayed him but at the same time knew she'd had no other choice.
Jack sighed and turned back towards her "its ok Chloe, I don't blame you. It's just, I . . . I've often wondered about you, about your life and how you got to be who you are now and this is the last thing that had crossed my mind. I don't know why, I've always known that you would continue to surprise the hell out of me." The last words ended with a slight smile.
Chloe stood up from the couch and walked towards him. "So, we're going to keep this between the two of us?" she asked.
Jack frowned "of course we are Chloe, do you honestly think I would jeopardise your safety by telling anyone."
Chloe was quick to reassure him that that wasn't what she'd meant. "I just meant you're my boss Jack and I lied to you about my background. I don't want you going along with this, making things difficult for you if anyone does find out later."
"They won't find out Chloe."
"You did."
Jack sighed "now we know there's a flaw in your cover we can sort it out Chloe. No one need ever know. You can do anything with a computer so I'm sure you can hack in to any government archive and alter any reference to you."
Chloe smiled, of course he was right. She felt relieved that he wasn't angry with her, that he understood; not that she would have expected anything else from him.
"Thank you" she said simply.
"You're welcome." He responded, his face unreadable but his eyes boring into her in a way that made her a little uncomfortable.
"Well, I . . . guess I should go, we've got an early start tomorrow. Can I call a cab?" she asked.
"No."
"What?" she asked with a scowl.
He moved closer towards her so that his body was almost touching her. Chloe swallowed nervously at his closeness. Dammit, why did he always have to do this?
"Stay" he said simply as his hand reached out so his fingers fluttered gently down the side of her face.
"I can't"
"Why not?" he asked, his eyes never leaving hers.
"You know why not Jack".
"No I don't, I know the excuses you've made as to why not, but I don't know of any real reason."
Chloe felt flustered and frustrated all at the same time. "Ok, well you tell me why you want it then."
He smiled "want it Chloe?"
She sighed "You know what I mean Jack. What is it that has made you want me? I mean, we've worked together all these years then suddenly in the last few months you decide that you want to sleep with me. I just don't get it. I mean, the sex is good" she ignored his smug expression "but, you can get sex from anyone" his smile grew wider and she wanted to slap him. "Why me?"
"Because the sex isn't just good Chloe; its very, very good" the last words were whispered seductively against her mouth.
Chloe sighed as his lips moved against her and his fingers lodged themselves in her hair. He really was a very good kisser and she found it hard to resist him, but she was determined not to give in to this.
As difficult as it was she pulled away from him and, at his surprised expression she couldn't stop the smirk that came to her lips. He really could be arrogant sometimes and he obviously thought she wouldn't be able to stop this once it had started.
"Chloe" he groaned in frustration.
"Jack, we can't do this. I just want to go home, it's late and I'm tired."
She turned away from him but was stopped by his hand on her arm, his grip wasn't painful but it was firm. She turned back towards him and was surprised at the expression on his face; it was as though he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I just don't want you to go." He said simply, as though that would be enough. Chloe wanted it to be enough, the last thing she wanted was to walk away but at the same time she knew she would end up getting hurt if she stayed. Plus she had her pride and she didn't want to feel used, not that Jack would use her intentionally. It was just that she was no Audrey, or Kate or Teri. She was a geeky computer girl who guys like Jack never really went for.
Only Jack had gone for her. Chloe recalled the comment of a previous guy she'd slept with a few years before, they'd been colleagues and had slept with each other several times before he had ended it. He'd told her he couldn't see the relationship going anywhere, that they just weren't compatible and he wanted a relationship with someone who he could consider his equal. Chloe had been fine with the not having a relationship part, after all she wasn't interested in him that way either but she was hurt by the fact he didn't see her as his equal in the relationship stakes. His parting shot to her had been that he'd first started sleeping with her as a dare but that he had continued it because she'd been surprisingly 'hot' in the bedroom, he seemed to think she would see that as a compliment after his previous insult.
Chloe's concern with Jack was not that he was using her, but she also knew they weren't compatible for the long term and she knew that this time she would be hurt beyond anything she'd ever before experienced when he ended it.
She shook herself free from his touch and walked back towards the door. "Please call me a cab Jack, I'll wait outside."
"Chloe, please" he said in a pleading tone, but she was determined not to give into it. She opened the door but stopped still at his next words.
"I love you", it was said so quietly she thought she was hearing things but as she turned and saw the complete and utter despair in his expression she knew she had heard him right.
"What?"
"You heard me."
"Only barely" she said in response, chewing her bottom lip in uncertainty.
He quickly closed the gap between them and leaned behind her to push the door shut. Then he grabbed her. Chloe let out a yelp of surprise at the sudden movement as she was backed up against the door, his body pressing against her and his hands gripping either side of her face and forcing her to look at him.
The intensity of his expression left Chloe in no doubt that he was telling her the truth. "I love you Chloe. It's that simple. I've tried to fight it but I can't, I thought having you close would be enough and it was for a while, but then you called time on us. I managed to deal with that because I still saw you every day at work but having you here tonight, I . . . I just can't bear to let you walk out of here."
"Oh" she said, not knowing what else to say.
His thumbs were stroking her cheeks and he gave a ragged sigh as he continued speaking, "There is so much about you that is a mystery to me Chloe, but with you that's a good thing. I don't need to know everything. I trusted you without knowing anything about you and that has never happened to me before. Then today I found out something that would normally have every cell in my body screaming at me not to trust you but I did trust you. I instinctively knew that whatever was in your past, none of it would be bad; none of it would go against what we have. I love you and I want to love you Chloe. Please, . . . let me."
Chloe felt tears fall from her eyes and, as he brushed them away with the pads of his thumbs she leaned into his touch, closing her eyes briefly. When she opened them again she saw the truth in his expression and she smiled lightly. "I love that you love me" she said simply.
"You're perfect" he said as his head swooped in towards her and his mouth captured her lips in a kiss that had her heart rate accelerating at speed. Chloe met the force of his kiss every step of the way and before she knew it she was tugging at his shirt in an effort to be closer to him.
Jack was equally urgent in his efforts to get her out of her clothes and by the time he was picking her up and carrying her into the bedroom she had already lost all but her underwear. In his hurry he dropped her onto the bed so that she bounced slightly and her breath hitched in her throat as she watched him removing the remainder of his own clothes before joining her on the bed.
Their lovemaking was urgent and was over all too quickly but Chloe had never felt so in tune with anyone in her life and, besides that, she now knew she could spend the rest of her life making love with this man. She finally understood that whatever happened in the future each of them was the one true match for the other.
"I love you Jack Bauer" she said as she lay on top of him, stroking his forehead where his hairline was.
"I love you too Chloe O'Brian. Or is it Charlotte Harper?" he asked as he flipped her over onto her back, ready to go again.
"Actually, it's Catherine Winters."
Chloe laughed at the shocked expression on his face. Meanwhile Jack stuttered in an attempt to gain control of his shock.
"God, I'm going to enjoy getting to know you" he eventually said.
"Good" she said as she leaned forward and kissed him passionately.
When she leaned back he just stared at her before gently rubbing his nose against hers.
"Whatever other names you have up your sleeve you will always be my Chloe, don't ever forget that."
"I won't" she said right before he kissed her again.