I'm sorry that the last two chapters are a little bit rushed. I just wanted to end the story as fast as I could. Forgive me for any tense mistakes or other mistakes cause I rushed and English is obviously not my mother tongue. I think it will be my last Chlack story. I still love them when I watch reruns but fanfiction wise, I think I'm done with that pairing. But never say never.
A few days later when Chloe had calmed down a bit but was nowhere near ready to forgive Jack yet. Mainly because she just couldn't understand Jack anymore. Killing Keith was one thing because he put her to a hospital in a serious condition but Tim had done nothing to Jack or Chloe.
Those couple of days had been very tense between them and they had talked strictly about work but one day Jack asked her to join him in Interrogation 1. He waited patiently for her answer by her desk.
"I'll be there in ten minutes, Jack."
"Ok, be there. Because I really need to talk to you about something. Privately."
When Chloe got there, she was barely inside, when Jack closed and locked the door.
"Is that really necessary, Jack?"
"Chloe, please sit down. All the surveillance to this room is cut off. So it's just you and me and we're gonna talk about the issue between us and that door stays locked until you see, that all I did, I did out of love for you and I messed up but I never meant to hurt you"
So Chloe sat down and motioned him to start talking.
"OK, I went to talk to Tim, I made some accusations about the death of his wife and he got upset. He got even more upset when I asked him to leave you because I couldn't trust him with you. So during the discussion I turned a side when he suddenly pulled out a gun. It was totally my fault, Chlo', cause I didn't check him before hand for weapons and I left my gun in the car. So we fought for the gun and during that he pulled the trigger and I managed to turn the gun on him on that second."
"Otherwise it would be me you were buring today. Do you understand that Chloe?"
Chloe had lost her ability to speak and was paler than ever so she only nodded slowly.
"Can you please forgive me? What I did I did out of love not malice"
When Chloe was able to speak again she answered and the answer hurt Jack more than anything in the world has ever hurt him besides his wife's murder.
"I don't know. Jack, trust is such a fragile thing and right now I don't think that I can trust you anymore".
With that she went past him, unlocked the door and went home for the day, being sure that Jack as her boss would understand.
Both Chloe and Jack were visited by the NY PD about the death of Tim Burns that night. Long time ago, they had made a pact that whenever one another got interrogated by the police, Division or whatever law enforcement agency, they would say that they were together that time, meeting in a restaurant because they were good friends and they did a lot. Which was mainly true. But not the night of Tim's death. Even though that visit was such a ordeal for Chloe, she lied for Jack again. So did Jack and the cops left them alone. For the time being.
The next afternoon, after work, Chloe got another visit from Jack and this time he was totally messed up and obviously drunk. The second she opened the door Jack fell to his knees and hugged her waist.
He kept saying "I'm sorry, please forgive me, Chloe"
"Jack, I've got neighbours you know"
"I don't care" he murmurs
"Well, I care. Get up and get inside, Jack. I mean it" orders Chloe.
Jack got up and walked inside and with his back towards her, he said "What you said to me yesterday, that you can't trust me anymore, it's the most hurtful thing you could say to me."
"I know," Chloe's voice is almost a whisper.
Jack not listening to her, turned towards her and walked closer to her, "Tell me you hate me, that you don't love me anymore, but don't say you can't trust me."
By the time he finished, he was visibly crying and all of sudden Chloe felt the need to hug him so she did. "I'm sorry honey, I didn't mean it, I was just so hurt that you would try to control my life like that. But I was wrong, I should know by now that when you say that something is off about someone then 99.9% times you are right"
By that time they were both crying and Jack stopped hugging her and they looked in each other eyes for a moment and something got clear for both of them. In the heat of the moment they started to kiss passionately and Jack lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom.
Chloe had woken up before Jack and was just looking at him. The sun was already high in the sky and luckily the both had a day off.
Suddenly Jack begun to stir.
"Good morning, Jack"
Jack didn't answer her, he just rolled on top of her to kiss her and after that said with a smile "Good morning, sunshine".
"Jack, this is serious, we have to talk, that night never should have happened. We made a huge mistake in the heat of the moment"
"Yes, in the heat of the moment," Jack murmurs against her lips, definitely not ready to face the consequences of their passionate night.
Chloe pushed Jack away and got out of the bed.
"I'm serious Jack. You need to go now."
"Hey," Jack said taking her hand in his, "It's my marriage, I need to figure out what I want"
"What is it that you want?"
"You!"
"Jack…"
"Look, Chloe, I can do this, I can be with you and be a father to my son."
"And live with Audrey…" Chloe said with a ice cold voice.
By that time she had walked to the door of her bedroom but it slammed shut before she could leave the room and she felt Jack hands on her shoulders, turning her to face him. Now she was pinned down between the closed door and Jack.
"No, Chloe, I want to live with you, be with you, have sex with you, love you everyday"
"Can you really do that Jack, not live with your son and see him couple of days a week?"
"I don't know, but I know that I can't be without you anymore. I can't live like this anymore, seeing you in CTU and outside of work with different guys who don't deserve you. I won't do it anymore;" Jack seemed more determined than ever.
"Ok. What you gonna do then?"
"I'm gonna," and he kissed her a second, "leave Audrey," and kissed her again, "I'll be back in an hour with my things ok?"
Chloe felt like she was on a roller coaster with the world spinning when he kept giving her little kisses and talking about the things she had always wanted.
And with that Jack gor dressed and left her apartment.
He was gone maybe half an hour when her phone rang and when she saw that it was Jack, she answered with a "hey" and smiled.
Jack was clearly upset. At first she didn't understand a word he was saying until she started to hear individual words like "Audrey", "note", "left the country", "my son".
It turned out that when Jack got home, he found the letter on the desk from Audrey, saying that she had left the country with their son, that she knew about his affair with Chloe and that she wasn't sure if Jack was going to able to communicate with his son anymore.
1 year later
Jack and Chloe were together in Africa, trying their best to help the children in need. On a walk to their home Jack said " I really miss my son but right now I'm more happier than I have ever been in my life."
Chloe said that it's exactly what she has ever hoped for him but she never ever tought that she, Chloe O'brian, the computer nerd and bitch of the year, would ever be able to give him that.
Jack teased, " Really? I always thought that you were the one."
"Ri-ight…"
"Ok, seriously though, I guess nobody could have expected it to go like that, but I've always known that you are special. We went from employer and his employee to coworkers to friends to lovers and back to friends and lovers to husband and wife.
The both smiled to each other.
"And I know it's such a cliche, but I got to tell you, that you are the best thing that ever happened to me, besides Kim and Matthew."
„Of course i am, who else could have saved your life time and time again. You need me, Jack, you always have."
"I do. And I trust you. And love you." Jack more seriously now, "Need, Trust and above all Love. That's us."
"That's us"
And they kiss.
THE END