I seem to be having trouble again with submitting this document, so I apologize for any lateness in updating.

Thanks for the reviews, chezlovesyou, Hannah, Claire M C, tigster5, happyhooligan2001, and beauty0102! I never thought about the twins being the image of Jack, but it's true, isn't it. For his own safety, Jack won't be talking to them about his military experience. Being on the run has definitely made him a bit jumpy, and a lot lonely, I think, so he's enjoying any bit of family life he can get while still keeping an eye out for any threats.

(happy face)

"Can you drive me to the bus station?" Jack asked as Chloe backed the car out of the driveway. As she stopped to change gears, she gave him a look. Her mother had asked her to run to the store for some milk, and to her surprise, Jack had asked to come along. Now she knew why.

"Just to buy a ticket," he added hastily.

"When are you planning on leaving?"

Jack turned his head away from her. "To-morrow."

"If you wait until I fly back on the twenty ninth, we can drop you off in Chicago on our way to the airport," Chloe pointed out.

"I've been here long enough already," Jack said quietly, still looking out of the window on his side.

"Just as long as you don't try to sneak out again without saying good-bye," Chloe snapped.

"I'll say good-bye," Jack said. Neither of them looked at each other.

They got the milk, and then Chloe drove downtown. She knew there wasn't any point in trying to find an empty parking space right next to the combined train and bus station, so she steered towards a nearby garage. With shoppers trying to get the after-Christmas sales, the garage was almost full, but she managed to find an empty space close to the top.

Jack took one look at the elevators, then headed for the stairs instead, not saying anything, just expecting Chloe to keep up. She was only a few steps behind him until they got closer to ground level and oncoming pedestrian traffic, and the gap between them widened as she was squeezed to one side by a brawny teenager. As soon as he'd pushed by, Chloe put her foot out for the next step.

She never knew which came first; the pain or the fall. All she knew was that she was hurtling down the stairs until she landed in a sprawled heap, and there was agony radiating from both her ankle and her wrist. Feeling someone next to her, she lifted her head slightly, hoping it was Jack, but it was the teenager. After he'd ripped her purse from her hand, he turned and ran out through the open door that led to the second level of parking.

"Jack," Chloe called out between sobs. Jack had pounded up from the landing below, but to Chloe's surprise, he didn't stop, just leaped over her and raced through the door in pursuit.

Still crying, Chloe pulled herself up to a sitting position, trying not to move her legs as she hugged her arm to her chest. She didn't think she'd ever felt physical pain like that, it wasn't exactly the sort of thing that happened routinely around computers, and frankly, she was surprised at how much it hurt. Her thoughts flew to Jack, and the way he'd calmly laid down and let her take a bullet out of his back. Okay, so he'd twitched a little, and shouted a little, but she didn't think she'd have been able to stand anything of the sort without fainting or trying to run away. Good thing she wasn't a field agent.

"Here's your purse," Jack said, coming back in. "You okay?"

Gritting her teeth, Chloe shook her head. Jack dropped her purse next to her and squatted down. "Where does it hurt?"

"Left ankle," she choked out, suddenly ashamed of her tears and not wanting to cry in front of him. "Right wrist."

"Let me see." He eased her boot off, then felt along her leg. Chloe tensed up as he worked his way down to her ankle, but his touch was gentle.

"I don't think it's broken," he finally announced, letting go of it and reaching for her arm. "Probably just sprained."

"Hey, old man," said a voice from behind Jack. Looking up, Chloe saw that the teenager had returned, with blood under his nose and something in his hand. She screeched a warning, but Jack had already straightened up and was blocking the blow. The piece of pipe fell with a clatter to the asphalt and rolled away, and after a few well-placed punches, the teenager followed it, landing face down and groaning.

"Right wrist, Chloe?" Jack asked, glancing to her for confirmation before walking over to where the pipe had rolled up against the back tire of a car. When he returned with the pipe in his hand, the teenager was trying to get to his feet, but Jack grabbed his right arm and twisted it behind his back, turning his hand outward almost to the breaking point. Chloe watched in horrified fascination as Jack swung the pipe and connected with the boy's wrist. The boy screamed, and Chloe flinched.

Letting go, Jack reached into the boy's back pocket and pulled out his wallet, flipping it open to the driver's license. He leaned down and spoke quietly into the boy's ear. Chloe couldn't hear what he was saying, but it was obviously some kind of threat, because when Jack leaned back, the boy couldn't crawl away fast enough. Jack tossed the wallet beyond him, and with the clumsiness of panic, the teenager used his left hand to grab it before straightening up and starting to run. Looking disgusted, Jack came back to where Chloe was sitting.

"Come on," he said. He leaned down and picked up her purse, then slipped it over his arm and reached for her good hand. "Let's get you back to the car."

The adrenaline rush that Chloe had experienced while watching him in action faded, and the pain returned abruptly. She got awkwardly to her feet, hissing occasionally, and was just about to start hobbling towards the elevators when Jack suddenly started down the stairs.

"Climb on my back," he said, stopping on the third step. "I'll carry you."

"What about that bullet hole?" Chloe asked. "I don't want to hurt you."

"It'll be fine," Jack said. "Come on."

Chloe opted not to be slung around, and leaned forward until she could slide her arms around Jack's neck, then lifted her legs. He caught her immediately, holding her around his waist as easily as though she were a child, and as he carried her to the elevator, she rested her head briefly on top of his, inhaling the clean scent of his hair. Although she wanted to tell him how sexy he was just after he'd beaten up other people on her behalf, she didn't dare. He would be leaving in another day, and it wouldn't be fair to either of them to make it more difficult. Closing her eyes, Chloe concentrated instead on how sheltered she felt, just being so close to him.