Enough Part Four
He sat in the car, unsure of what to do next. He'd told Audrey he would go back to CTU, and that's where he now found himself, in a parking bay on the lower level of the car park.
Switching off the engine, he replayed the scene over in his head, trying to understand how it had been so… painless… to let go. Surely he should have felt something, something other than immense relief.
He rested his head against the steering wheel, exhaustion suddenly overwhelming him. He wanted nothing more than to sleep, yet it evaded him, just like it had for the last twenty months.
Jack's troubled mind searched for a source of comfort, something to calm him down.
Her face came to him instantly.
Sitting up slowly, Jack recalled how Bill had told him she'd had to step out during the mission. That wasn't like her. He hadn't been able to pursue the fact further at the time, and Bill didn't seem to want to elaborate.
Thinking clearly now, Jack opened the car door and climbed out, locking it behind him as he strode purposefully towards the elevator.
People on the floor turned as one as he pushed the main doors open.
Silence fell, the only sound being that of the low humming of the computers. He froze in the doorway, suddenly unsure. He'd walked through those doors so many times, just pushed them open and continued on his way, yet now he felt as though he had nowhere to go.
She wasn't there. He'd been so sure she would be sat her desk, fingers tapping away, a scowl of concentration on her face. But she wasn't there.
He felt himself fall back, stumble. No one reached out to help him, no one spoke as he turned and walked back out of the doors and into the corridor where he looked frantically around him, desperately hoping to see a flash of her dark hair or hear the click of her heels on the tiled floor.
The corridor stretched on in either direction for what seemed like an eternity. Moonlight was filtering in from the skylights above his head, and the fluorescent lighting had been dimmed, casting an eerie yet somewhat calming glow. It was unusual for the place to be to so quiet; normally there were agents running up and down the corridor no matter what time of day it was.
Voices entered his thoughts, broke through his momentary confusion. He looked up from the floor, tracing the source of the noise.
"Buchanan wants department heads in the situation room, didn't you hear him? Curtis is back."
"I've already spoken to Buchanan."
"But you're a department head, Chloe. I wish you'd come out of the bathroom, I hate talking to you through a door."
"Then go away."
"What shall I tell Bill?"
"Whatever you like, Milo. I told you, I've spoken to him, now I'm leaving. Please go away."
Milo muttered something but Jack wasn't quite listening. She was leaving?
He quickly made his way left towards the direction of the ladies' bathroom, and could just make out Milo's tall frame walking in the opposite direction. He was still muttering to himself but Jack ignored this and approached the door hesitantly.
He pressed his ear to the door and could hear the sound of running water, of footsteps pacing up and down, of Chloe muttering to herself under her breath.
Not able to stand outside any longer, and not caring who walked down the corridor behind him, Jack pushed the bathroom door open with such force that it bounced off the wall behind. He put his hand out to stop it slamming shut, his breathing heavy.
Stunned at the interruption to her thoughts, Chloe felt her legs almost fail her again as she took in the motionless figure framed in the doorway.
"Jack?"
"Don't leave." His voice was shaky, pleading. "Please, Chloe."
Before she could react, he let go of the door, letting it close quietly behind him.
"Where were you? I asked to speak to you and you weren't there."
Her heart ached at the look of sheer helplessness on his face. "I-I-uh… I thought you were with Audrey," Chloe stammered, both avoiding and answering his question.
He shook his head slowly.
"I'm sorry, Jack," Chloe told him, unsure if that was what she was supposed to say.
"It's fine." His tone was surprisingly calm; she could hear the honesty in his words and believed them. But Chloe couldn't quite understand one thing.
"Why are you here, Jack?"
He laughed bitterly. "You know, I don't even know. It seems all I can do is come back here, I haven't got anywhere else to go. Two years in China and now I've come back to the place that put me there in the first place." Tears were threatening behind his eyes, and he could feel a lump forming in his throat. Closing his eyes, he whispered, "Don't go, Chloe."
Chloe took a deep breath. She had to find a way to explain it to him, make him understand. "Morris-"
"Morris? After what he did today… he isn't good enough for you," Jack spat before he could stop himself. He saw the light dim in her eyes, instantly regretted what he'd said for the pain it had caused her. "Chloe…"
The ferocity of his words took her breath away. "Morris and I are through," she continued, closing her eyes. She felt tears squeeze out and slide down her face. This didn't go unnoticed by Jack.
This time it was Jack who was unsure how to respond. "I'm sorry, Chloe," he said finally, opting for the same tactic she had.
A small smile played on her lips. "I know."
His eyes strayed to the small bag at her feet. He could see a few possessions which normally belonged on her desk, and he felt his heart lurch. "You're really going." His voice was empty now, a sad look in his eyes.
"Yeah." She knelt down and picked the bag up, placing it on one of the wash basins. Her head bowed, she began moving things about in an attempt to get the bag to close. Her small fingers struggled with the zip, and she tugged at it in frustration, refusing to give in to the tears now flooding her eyes. "Come on," she muttered, biting her lip as the zip became stuck once again.
Jack silently walked up behind her, placed his hands over hers. Chloe looked up at his reflection in the mirror, but his eyes were focused on the zip, his hands guiding hers until finally the bag was closed.
Task completed, Jack's hands tightened their grip on Chloe's, intertwining his fingers with hers. She leaned her head back against his chest and closed her eyes, not daring to believe that any of it was real.
She realised then that she hadn't answered Jack's question.
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"This goes beyond today, doesn't it?"
Chloe was torn between scowling and lying, or avoiding Bill's eyes and telling him the truth.
"Yes," she whispered, finally sitting down at the chair in front of Bill's desk, her eyes looking anywhere but at the concerned face of the regional director.
"I know it's none of my business," he went on, "but you've been through a lot. Both of you. Today and in the past. Seems to me he's the only one you trust, and vice versa."
Chloe didn't deny it, didn't bother to correct him and add that she was starting to trust him too, for everything he had done for Jack that day.
"What Morris did was inexcusable, I'm sure you're aware of that."
"Yes, I am. I swear, Mr Buchanan, if I had known-"
"It's okay, Chloe. I know."
He regarded her seriously. "Jack's going to get through this, whatever he and Audrey decide to do. You, Chloe, are also going to get through it. Jack's going to need to know you're there for him, God knows he needs all the support he can get right now. Can you do that for him?"
"Of course I can!" Her tone was indignant, just like he'd known it would be.
Bill sat back in his chair and watched as the effects of his words hit Chloe, who scowled at him.
"I can," she repeated, more determined. "I will."
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He needed her.
It had hit her as she'd descended the stairs back to her station, and stayed with her as she watched Curtis stride through the main doors of CTU. When she realised he was alone, it hit her with renewed force, and she nodded mutely as Curtis walked by and smiled.
It was only when Bill had called the debrief did she finally escape the clamour of the floor and retreat to the locker room, pulling her spare overnight bag from the top shelf of her locker. She'd run back to her desk, safe in the knowledge that the debrief would last a good half hour, and hurriedly shoved anything and everything into the small compartments, barely aware of what she was doing.
Moving quickly, Chloe had shut down her station and, with one eye on the situation room, dashed across the floor and out into the hallway. Once in the bathroom, she'd stopped and thrown the still open bag to the floor, at a loss for what to do next. She hadn't thought far beyond emptying her desk; she certainly hadn't planned her exit route and she definitely hadn't counted on Milo coming to look for her.
As he'd given up and walked away, Chloe ran some cold water and splashed it over her face, trying to slow her breathing and think calmly. She tried to reason with herself that this would be the right thing to do. Jack didn't need her, it would be better if she took a few weeks away, thought about her next move-
The door crashing open had brought Chloe to her senses, and it had only taken one look at Jack's crushed and emotionally battered face to know that she'd been wrong. He did need her. And… this terrified her more than anything else… she needed him.
Running away wasn't going to solve that; it wasn't the answer they were looking for.
Jack stood back suddenly, breaking contact.
"You should go," he said quietly, his eyes meeting hers in the glass.
The air around her was cold now that he had moved away, and Chloe pulled her jacket tighter around her, shivering involuntarily.
"I never told you where I was." She turned around so that she could face him.
Jack shrugged. "It doesn't matter." The look in his eyes told her that it was okay, he already knew the answer. "Thankyou, Chloe," he smiled, "for everything."
He turned towards the door.
Chloe felt panic start to rise up inside her. "I'm not leaving," she blurted out.
Confusion flitted across Jack's face. "What?"
"No more running." She shyly held out a hand to him. "We're doing this together."
"We are?" Jack sounded unsure, but a smile spread across his face as he realised that Chloe meant what she said. She'd never lied to him, never let him down.
"We are." Chloe returned his smile as Jack took her hand and gripped it with a renewed strength. She wished she could find the words to tell him how much he meant to her. She'd pleaded with Nadia earlier in the day… had it really only been that morning?... telling her that she obviously didn't know what Jack meant to her. In truth, Chloe herself didn't know the words to explain her feelings, if indeed there were words to express how she felt about Jack Bauer.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Jack shook his head. He knew. He understood what she was trying to say because he was unsure how to say it himself. Instead, he pulled her to him, and they stood like that for a few minutes.
This time it was Chloe who pulled back. Keeping hold of Jack's hand, she picked up her bag and walked towards the door.
"Where are we going?" he asked, following as she walked out into the still empty corridor.
Chloe didn't answer him straight away. He caught up to her and released her hand, preferring instead to put an arm round her waist and pull her close. She didn't resist, leaning against him as they took the elevator back to the car park.
Jack repeated his question as he realised they were headed towards her car, parked, he now noticed, only a few spaces away from his own.
She unlocked the car and threw the bag unceremoniously onto the back seat, watching as the contents scattered across the floor. Jack hesitantly opened the passenger door and looked at her, wanting reassurance that this was okay. Chloe smiled at him, and he took his seat, watching as she silently did the same.
He waited patiently for her to answer him, knowing she would in her own time.
Chloe started the engine and backed out of her space, before accelerating through the darkened lot and up into the moonlit night.
"I don't know," she said honestly, as CTU disappeared from the rearview and empty road stretched ahead of them. "But we're going together."
