**SPOILERS IN STORY ALL THE WAY TO SEASON 8**

Title: The Remains

Genre For Chapter: Romance/Drama/Friendship/Hurt

Note: I am so evil. You guys are going to be so pissed at the ending of this chapter but I swear. The next chapter will be up sometime during the weekend.

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Spanish Sunrise: Haha. Ur review made me laugh out loud, literally. So here ya' go. Hope you haven't passed out during the wait =)

Chapter 2: A Rejoining Of Two

Chloe had immediately dropped her car keys and the divorce papers she had been carrying up to her apartment. Her breath was uneven and much uncontrolled. Soon she felt herself start to go limp and then it wasn't too long until she faded into the darkness.

She woke up on the ground to her displeasure but then found herself being cradled by Jack. His warmth was welcoming and his natural scent was intoxicating. Almost mind blowing.

She had missed him a whole bunch and so much relief flooded into her. But a tad bit of resistance and confusion hit her. She tried to pull back to look at his face but Jack seemed to be in a trance and wouldn't let her get that far away from his hold. She rolled her eyes and huffed.

This is not going to be easy.

She mumbled against his shoulder, "Jack."

His back was against the counter of her kitchen island table and he had her in a cradle/ hug position. She was sitting in his lap in an awkward but strong hold, his arms strongly around her petite waist.

When she didn't hear him respond, she felt her neck get slightly wet. She gasped. Jack Bauer had never cried in front of her none the less on her. She lifted up her limp arms to come around his neck to give him a stronger and reassuring hug. He closed his eyes as he took in the scent of her hair, it smelled like Lavender. He liked it and it just made him burrow his head further into her neck.

Chloe's heartbeat quickened when she felt his lips brush across her neck. Sure, it was a mistake but still. She couldn't control her pulse quicken. He continued to sob quietly and it made Chloe start a few tears to know he was hurting so much. He was an outlaw, and how he got into the country without anyone knowing was beyond belief. She was curious but for once she thought before she opened her mouth. And she decided that questions would come after Jack stopped sobbing. And, of course, when she stopped too.

They just stayed that way for a while but then Chloe let out a snuffled, shaky breath, Jack froze from where he was slowly stroking the back of her hair. He brought her away from his shoulder and from his embrace. The minute their eyes met, blue on blue, Jack shook his head and said, "I'm sorry."

Chloe was surprised and annoyed at him for apologizing. "Jack, you have absolutely no reason to apologize."

Jack stilled his head and kept it down looking at her thigh over his and replied, "But I don't belong here. I shouldn't be here. I just cause you to have pain and grief. I'm so sorry."

Chloe thought that he must be in shock but what really scared her was the thought that he really believed that. Either way she was going to set him straight. She put both her palms on his face and brought his eyes up to meet hers and she said, "Jack, you have never caused me pain. Well that sleeper-hold you put me in, the last time I saw you, wasn't pleasant but you have never caused me emotional or any REAL pain."

Jack gave a tiny microscopic smile at her comment about him putting her in a sleeper hold, up in the building, where he had almost assassinated Russian President Suvorov. "I thought you would hate me when you woke up from that. But instead you still helped me."

She scoffed and smiled, "Well, I have to admit. You weren't my most favorite person at that moment. And, of course, I couldn't let you assassinate Suvorov. That would have created World War III. Duh, silly Jack."

Jack smiled his normal smile this time. He was amazed at how she could be so at ease an sarcastic.

She rubbed her thumb across his cheek in soothing circles and continued, "Why are you so tense? Except for the fact you're on the run from both the Russian government and the American government."

Jack sighed and tried to relax. "I guess I'm just waiting for you to come to your senses and go off into a rampaging fit. Maybe a few insults or a slap to the face."

She shook her head with a frown on her face. "Jack, why on earth would I go off on you? Damn, you've been through enough horrible things through your life. I have no reason to be mad at you. Sure maybe confused or grateful. But mad? No."

Jack frowned. "I just thought you'd be angry that I showed up at your door step out of no where."

Chloe had to laugh at this and Jack was startled. She suddenly stopped but kept smiling. "Well I'm not saying that I wasn't surprised that you showed up, but really? I didn't expect you to call or e-mail me. You're way too careful and smart for that."

Jack sighed, a deep sound coming out of the back of his voice. "I'm just glad Morris wasn't here."

Jack suddenly saw in her face that he had said the wrong thing. "Oh god, Chloe. What happened?"

Chloe shook it off. She replied with a small smile and said, "We got a divorce. It just wasn't working and he didn't understand the lengths I was going to protect you."

Jack quirked his eyebrow and asked, "What did you do?"

Chloe looked down and said, "I got arrested for not telling them where I last saw you."

Seeing the horror stricken face Jack gave her, she reassuringly said, "I wasn't there for long. President Taylor gave orders to let me go."

Jack brought her into an embrace again. If possible, Chloe thought this hug to be more welcoming than the last and she wrapped her arms around his neck again. Jack slowly started stroking the back of her hair again, combing through her dark silky locks. "You risk so much for me, Chloe. Why?"

Chloe sighed in annoyance and said, "We've been through this before. You're my best friend. I would do anything to keep you on this earth."

Jack felt at peace with these words and this time rested his head in the crook of her neck. She got goose bumps when she felt his breath tickle at her neck and also the presence of his lips on the side of her neck. Even though his lips weren't moving, which she thought she'd about die if they did, she'd never felt this close to Jack before in her life.

Chloe whispered into his shoulder as a few stubborn tears escaped, "I thought I would never see you again."

Jack closed his eyes and breathed deeply which sent shivers up Chloe's spine as Jacks lips barely but surly moved on her neck. He laid a gentle kiss on her neck and she breathed in sharply. He pulled far enough away to look at her face, a nervous but joyful expression covering her features. "I didn't either. But I have connections and they got me to New York safely in hiding, of course. Now trying to find you was hard but not after I got the local newspaper and saw that there was a new Director at the CTU. I was very curious to see who it was and was even more baffled to see your picture and your name there. I wasn't stunned that you got it; I was more stunned that you still lived here and took the job. I then looked you up in a library."

Chloe smiled. Jack swore that this day had to be the first day he had actually seen her smile this much. He could definitely get used to it.

"You only came back to find me? You risked your life for me?"

Jack smiled back at her and nodded as he said, "It's the least I could do to make up for all the things you risked for me."

Chloe shook her head, "No Jack. You owe me absolutely nothing. Stop thinking you do."

"Well, also, I couldn't get you off my mind. The last thing I saw of you was you leaving to upload that chip. And the last thing I heard from you was you crying and giving me good luck. It wasn't satisfying for me. I wanted to come back and give you a proper goodbye."

Suddenly Chloe's blood ran cold and she stifled a sob by biting her lip. "So you're not staying."

Jack's expression changed from peaceful and happy to depressed and distressed when he felt her tense and shake. He nodded and said, "I can only stay for so long until someone recognizes me from the news or something. I just didn't want things to end there for us. Like that."

Chloe started getting angry as she felt every rip and lash her heart felt as he said that. He wasn't staying. He was just going to have a last moment with her and then say goodbye. She knew it had been too great to be true. He could see that her attitude dramatically changed in the matter of minutes and it wasn't good.

Before he could say another word she got off his lap and ripped out of his hold as he grabbed for her, grabbing desperately for her.

She tried hard to keep the tears form overflowing right there. She could already feel her vision blurring already. She also could hear Jack right behind her and she raced for her bedroom but he was too quick and grabbed her arm from behind dragging her back a few feet.

She suddenly let herself go. She immediately broke down, crying and hitting his chest. Jack couldn't take it. Her hits didn't hurt as much as her next words did when she stopped and pushed him away.

"So, you just wanted your damn conscience cleared. Wanted to give me a proper goodbye? What the hell is that?" Chloe wiped her eyes and grimaced as she felt a clawing feeling to her stomach. She crossed her arms over her chest and around her tank top, suddenly feeling cold.

Jack looked distraught and hurt. But what really got him was when she yelled, "It would have been better if you had just stayed where you were! At least I wouldn't have gotten my hopes up to finally see you! You never gave a damn about me! I hate you, Jack Bauer."

Now it was Jack's turn to get angry. Despite her heartbreaking words he grabbed her arm roughly and yelled, "How can you say 'I never gave a damn about you'? You know that's a damn lie!"

She tried to get out of his hold but he was much stronger than her and she yelled/choked out, "Just let me go and you can leave like you always do!"

He shook his head. If she kept saying these things, he didn't know how long he could take before he fell down from the poison. She finally got out of his grasp, her words paralyzing him, and ran into her bedroom and slammed the door, locking it behind her.

Jack ran after her and put his face against the door and wailed, "Chloe! Please. I need you to- don't leave it like this. Please."

She slid down the length of the door and pulled her knees up to her chest and put her head between her knees and let her tears and sobs out.

Jack could hear her through the door. He suddenly turned away form the door and put his hands behind his head and walked into the living room. Pacing was not helping. Finally his cell phone rang. It could only be one person and he knew who it was. It was Steve, his connection. He answered running his hands through his hair. "Yes, What?"

"Sur, we are ready to leave."

"Well I'm not."

"We have to go now. The copter is distracting attention and if we don't go now they're going to be on to us."

Jack looked toward Chloe's room. Not taking his eyes away from the doorway he sighed deeply.

What the hell am I going to do now?