Here we go with the latest foray into my little world I have created for Jack & Kate. I have to admit that I'm a little amazed that I am currently posting the seventh chapter, that the story is already over 20,000 words and initially I had imagined it as just a second part to the Coming Back to Her fic I had posted separately. It had actually begun as an add-on to that original file on my hard drive, but clearly it has taken on a bit of a mind of it's own. But, I'm taking back the control. I have this chapter to post, then another and an epilogue. The next parts are mostly written so we should see the end of this "little fic" very soon.

Thank you for reading and coming along the journey. Please, if you have some thoughts, drop me a note or leave a review. I am not making any money off of this (and no harm intended, please don't sue) so reviews are my only form of payment:)

And now here we are...

Chapter Seven - Two months later.

Kate closed the magazine with an exhale of frustration. She had thought that reading the parenting publication might distract her from worrying about Jack while also relieving a bit of the stress from her typical workday. She hadn't succeeded. Sure, she wasn't thinking about the upcoming London meeting and the contract negotiations with the people at Matthey. And, it was true that a part of her mind had briefly stopped worrying about what was keeping Jack at work so late. But she hadn't found the magazine articles relaxing at all.

First, they reminded her of how much work she still needed to do despite the efforts she had already undertaken. She had hired a contractor to carve out a small office space from her formal living room so she could reclaim the third bedroom for a nursery. Jack had suggested that she just convert the spare bedroom, but Kate had wanted to keep it. She didn't often have guests, but with Jack giving up his apartment, she wanted to make sure that Kim felt welcome to stay whenever she wanted. She had moved in with Chase after the surgery that reattached his hand, but she didn't want Kim to feel that she didn't have a place with her father any longer. Besides, Kim was young and young love didn't always last – especially not one that already had so many outside stresses. Kate didn't want Kim to make any decisions that were influenced by her thinking that she didn't have anywhere else to go. So the office renovation was a necessity in her mind even if it did take extra time.

The renovation was nearly completed, but the nursery was barely started. It had been painted a soft, pale grey and the carpet was replaced, but that was all. She still needed to furnish the nursery and it would be nice to decorate it as well. Plus, she still needed to purchase all of the clothing and miscellaneous accessories that babies needed in the short eighteen weeks that remained until her due date.

If it wasn't enough that the magazine had driven her to start a baby shopping list, it also had countless articles about the benefits of making your own organic baby food, the environmental benefits of cloth diapers and why she should be well-versed in the basics of sign language so she could teach her baby to express itself in advance of natural language development. She was seriously questioning whether she could handle motherhood and her hectic career or if she was setting herself up to fail miserably at both.

Still, she likely could have handled most of these 'revelations' since they were considerations she had already undertaken if it hadn't been for the happy pregnancy stories. These were filled with women who had sailed through their pregnancies, effortlessly and energetically. Kate could not say that, so far, her experience had been anywhere near the same.

The exhaustion had hit her almost instantly although she would have to concede that her first weeks of pregnancy had been marked by the tailspin of her relationship with Jack after his return from Mexico. Still, within a few weeks the 'morning sickness' had kicked in and had decided to ignore it's namesake so that she fought nausea all hours of the day right up until Jack had returned to her. The nausea had disappeared (although occasionally triggered by the odd smell) but the exhaustion was such a permanent part of her existence that she had taken to closing the blinds in her office to take a brief nap after her lunch and sometimes again when she arrived home at the end of the day.

Despite having been in the best shape of her life at the time that she became pregnant, she already felt huge and awkward even though she had only gained eighteen pounds so far. She had tried to maintain some sort of fitness routine, but between her persistent exhaustion and nagging back pain, she found even the occasional evening stroll more difficult than her worst boot camp sessions. It was like her body was telling her that clearly she was not made for this. Especially after reading articles about women who felt so amazing while they were pregnant that they almost didn't want the pregnancy to end.

She blew out her breath in frustration and then decided to treat herself to some milk and cookies while watching a bit of the evening news. She stood, pausing for a moment to gain her sorts and wait for the brief light-headedness to pass that came with standing. It seemed to be happening a little more frequently and she resolved to discuss it with her doctor during her next visit.

She relaxed in the den and after listening to the headlines to reassure herself that nothing serious seemed to be afoot, she opted to settle on an episode of Will & Grace instead. Her goal, after all, was to reduce her stress and settle her mind so she might be able to sleep despite the fact that Jack hadn't yet returned from work.

She knew she shouldn't worry. He had called her in the early afternoon and had told her that there was something at work that was going to run late and that she shouldn't wait up for him. He had also made a point to remind her that he hadn't yet been cleared for field duty and was still filling in as interim director so she didn't need to worry. Still, she knew how things could change in an instant at CTU.

She knew about late nights and lost days. The years she had been with Jack prior to his undercover assignment in Mexico had been spotted with cancelled dates, missed dinners and rescheduled vacations. She had learned to live with the worry, to not let it overwhelm her. To trust in Jack's abilities that she had witnessed firsthand and to forget the one time when she had witnessed him offering his life in exchange for the safety of countless others.

This was the first time he had stayed late since his recovery from the heroin addiction. The months of recovery had not all been smooth sailing. He hadn't relapsed, had not once plunged another needle in his arm. But there had been times when she thought that he might. That she wouldn't be able to convince him to stay sober. That whatever pain he had been experiencing was better felt fully until it faded away naturally than to just bury it only to have it rear its head a day, a week, a month or even years later.

It has been difficult being that person for him. The person who took in his pain so he could be freed from it. She had always known that he was able to do things that most people would never consider but now she was privy to so many more details of the horrors he lived with and had faced. She wondered why he hadn't broken so much sooner.

The sound of the deadbolt releasing reached her ears over the low hum of the television. The sound of the door opening and closing preceded his soft footfalls as he entered their home. She sat up in anticipation of his arrival. Within a minute, his lean form was framed by the light from the hallway. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall framing the opening to the den.

"Kate, you shouldn't have waited up," he said and even though she could hear how tired he was in the tone of his voice, she also heard the chastisement in it as well.

"I couldn't sleep," she answered, shrugging her shoulders before standing and crossing the short distance to him.

He reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear, the pad of his thumb stroking along the edge of her cheekbone. She leaned into the caress. He pulled her forward until she was wrapped in his arms, her head dropped against his shoulder and she felt the length of her day pulling at her.

"C'mon," he said softly while turning so that they faced the hallway. She leaned against him as he walked them slowly to their bedroom. "I'm just going to take a quick shower," he added while pulling back the covers on her side, tossing the decorative pillows to the side.

She climbed into the bed and lay on her side, watching him undress as he made his way to the bathroom. She was grateful to see there wasn't any evidence of new injuries. He had been true to his word and had remained at CTU headquarters while keeping whatever threat might have been threatening at bay.

Her eyes closed briefly as she listened to the water running in the other room. The sound was soothing, of course, but it was also his presence as much as she didn't want to admit it. Even though the past two months had been stressful with much of the stress coming from her trying to minimize Jack's stress, she always felt a sense of calm when he was at home.

He soon joined her within minutes, his hair still damp and his clean, soapy scent filling her nostrils. "C'mere," he said before pulling her up against him and pressing a kiss against her forehead. He stroked the curve of her belly slowly and within minutes she had drifted asleep.

#####

A week later, Jack was slowly walking up the front steps of the home he shared with Kate. He had moved in with her officially a month earlier although he had barely left after the day he had returned to her. It had been the same when he had been with her before going undercover. Most days and nights found him in her spacious home in Hancock Park but he had still maintained his own apartment. He had said it was because of Kim, but he knew that even back then, he had still wondered if Kate could truly love him. If these past weeks hadn't convinced him that she did, then he would be a bigger fool than he had been when he had left her.

She had spent the past weeks taking care of him. She had listened to him and fought with him. All for him. To keep him sober. To keep him sane. She gave so much and when he really thought about it, she always had. It was just that he hadn't trusted it. To be sure, her being pregnant had pushed the move. He didn't want his child growing up with a father who kept an apartment on the side. But, he felt like it was the push he needed, they needed. Because for all of the amazing qualities Kate held, her biggest fault was not asking for the things she needed or wanted. Not putting herself first.

Even through the haze of his recovery, he had recognized that she had pushed herself too much, taking on too much and asking very little of him. He would often wake on weekends to find her already out of bed, breakfast made and laundry started. The first weeks his body had still been in recovery and once he returned to work, he had needed extra sleep often. But it had continued even after those weeks. It seemed no matter how early he rose, she was always awake before him. It was taking a toll on her, he knew. And days like these didn't help matters. Even though he had called her and told her not to worry and wait up, he was sure she didn't get a good night's sleep. Just like he was sure that even though she hadn't slept much, she still would have worked a full day today. He had tried calling her before she would have left for work to convince her to work from home but she must have been in the shower because she hadn't answered. The rest of the day had passed in a blur of caffeine and conference calls until surprisingly he found himself coming home an entire day later than he had originally planned.

"Kate," he called while emptying his pockets on the table in the foyer. "Why don't I order us some takeout? Are you still on your Mexican kick?"

He wandered into the kitchen but found it empty with the only sign that anyone had been there being a single stool pulled haphazardly away from the island. He passed the length of hallway that led to their bedroom, looking in the nursery to check for her as he passed. He refrained from calling out again in case she was sleeping which he hoped was what he would find. She wasn't in the bedroom.

He checked the new office and the den next, his steps coming more quickly. She wasn't in the house. He checked the garage again to confirm that he hadn't just assumed that she was home, his eyes automatically seeing her car in its spot. He hadn't; her car was there.

He grabbed his cell phone and called her number. It went straight to voicemail. Frustration was mounting as he paced across the entrance way. He checked the call history on his phone and saw only the one missed call from her around nine the night before but she hadn't left a message. He remembered seeing that missed call about two hours later and he had decided not to call her back, hoping she had already gone to sleep.

He called her office, hoping to find someone working late. After trying a few different extensions other than Kate's and her assistant's, he gave up. He walked back into the office and shuffled through the desk drawers until he found Kate's directory. Finding her assistant, Claire's home and cell phone numbers, he tried both as well. Both of those lines went to voice mail as well.

"Dammit!"

He slammed the desk drawer shut and stalked out of the office. 'Where the hell is she?' He took a moment again and carefully looked around the house. Her car was here, but her purse was not. She went somewhere and likely not just for a walk because she wouldn't bring her purse with her if she did. Did she have plans for the night or did they? He racked his memory but even though his mind was a little hazy with sleep deprivation, he was certain that they didn't. He returned to the office and pulled out her day planner and confirmed that there was nothing in the book for this week, never mind tonight. He called her number again and it went straight to voicemail – again.

He dialed a different number and finally had someone answer his call.

"What do you want, Jack? I'm getting ready for bed. I haven't slept in thirty-six hours you know."

"Chloe, did you forget to tell me that Kate called?" He ignored his assistant's caustic personality and went straight to the point of his call.

"What are you talking about, Jack? You're calling me at home because you think I forgot to give you a message? I am more than capable of that simple task and really overqualified for it. I don't know why we don't get someone to answer phones instead of wasting analysts' time with it."

"Chloe, just answer the question. Did Kate call for me and leave a message and you forgot to tell me?"

"No, Jack. I just said I am more than capable of passing along a message if there was one to pass along."

"I know that Chloe," he replied, trying to keep the emotions that were mounting inside him from his voice. "It's just. I'm home and Kate's not here and she's not at work and she's not answering her phone. I thought maybe she had called earlier to say that she was going somewhere tonight and you forgot to give me the message."

"Kate's missing?"

He tried to ignore his gut reaction to her question – the question he had been avoiding all along. He tried to think rationally even though he had to admit that as soon as he had noticed the out of place stool in the kitchen, he had felt that something was wrong.

"Chloe, I don't know. She's not here, but she has her purse with her, her keys, her cell phone. But she didn't take her car. It's like she went somewhere with someone, but who? Lately, if she goes out, it has been with Michelle or just to dinner with her Dad."

"Did you try Mr. Warner?"

"He's in London, so I know she's not with him."

"Maybe she called Michelle directly instead of CTU and maybe Michelle forgot to tell you. She has a lot to worry about with Tony's trial starting soon."

He took a deep breath and let it out. "Yeah, okay, I'll try Michelle."

"I'll get on the network and check the emergency channels to see if her name comes up anywhere, but I really think she probably just went somewhere with a friend."

"Thanks, Chloe," he said before ending the call. He hoped Chloe was right but he couldn't ignore the pit that settled in his stomach telling him that it wasn't something as simple as that at all. But what could he do? Was she missing? He hadn't seen her since the morning before – Wednesday – before they had both left for work. He hadn't actually spoken to her since Wednesday afternoon when he had called her to tell her that he wouldn't be home until late and that she shouldn't wait up for him.

He ended the call and immediately dialed Michelle. She answered after the fourth ring – which felt like a lifetime – and he thought either he had caught her just after she had fallen asleep or just after she was getting out of the shower. Her slightly breathless 'hello' told him it was the latter.

"Michelle, it's Jack, do you know where Kate is?" he said without preamble.

"What? Kate? Jack, what are you talking about?"

His heart fell with her answering questions as he realized that he had been hoping Chloe's theory about Michelle forgetting to give him a message had been correct.

"She's not home with you?" she asked after he hadn't responded to her earlier questions.

"No, she's not. Her car is here but she's not. Her keys, purse and phone are gone. It's like she went somewhere with a friend, but that friend would normally be you. I knew she wouldn't be with you after the day we had, but I thought maybe if she had to go to something for work or something like that and she called CTU and couldn't get me then she would call you."

"I haven't heard from her since last weekend when I saw her. Do you think something happened?"

He shoved his hand through his hair and started pacing again. He hadn't wanted to think that something had happened to her. He had tried not to let his mind go straight there. But all signs were pointing in that direction.

"I don't know, Michelle. I'm trying not to jump to conclusions here. All signs point to her leaving the house of her own accord."

He thought about the stool again. Kate was nearly compulsive in how orderly she kept the house. It was highly unusual for her to leave without tucking it back into place. To be honest, it wasn't even the stool she usually used. The island had seats for four, but the one that was out of place was closest to the hallway that lead to the bedrooms. They always used the two on the other side near the den – the ones that were closest to the fridge and the stove.

"Okay, think back to the last time you talked to her. When was that – this morning?"

Jack realized he hadn't even spoken to her in more than twenty-four hours.

"No, I… I called her this morning, but I think she must have been in the shower when I called because I got her voicemail."

"She didn't call you back?"

Jack heard the sound of worry and realized that he should have noted that fact as well. Kate always called him back. Especially when he was tied up with a situation at CTU. Why hadn't he worried this morning when she hadn't returned his call?

"Oh god, Michelle, something must have happened to her."

He started pacing more quickly. He needed to do something. He needed to go somewhere and find her. He was a man of action but in the moment, he couldn't think of what his next step should be, of what action would quickly get him to the finish.

"Okay, Jack, let's think about this. You didn't talk to her this morning so when was the last time you talked to her?"

"I talked to her when she was at work yesterday. It was just after the president asked us to prepare our potential casualty assessment for the joint chiefs. When was that – about three?"

"Umm, yeah, I think that sounds about right," Michelle confirmed. "Nothing else?"

Jack wasn't sure if it was his own conscious yelling at him or if he really did hear the sound of accusation in Michelle's voice. The unspoken 'she's the future mother of your child and you haven't tried to get in touch with her in over a day'. Then he remembered the missed call that same night.

"She called me last night around nine but we were in the middle of running support for the operation at the air field. By the time, I saw that I missed her call it was nearly midnight and I didn't want to wake her so I waited until the morning to call her back."

The silence stretched from the other end of the line and Jack continued pacing. He returned to the garage and looked at her car, wondering if it could give him an answer somehow. He put his hand on the hood and found it cold, but realistically that didn't tell him much. It was nearly seven and Kate kept flexible hours. She could have left work as early as four depending on how her workday had gone.

Suddenly there was the sound of another call coming on his other line. He looked at the call display hoping to see Kate's number on the screen. He held back a grimace when he recognized Chloe's number instead.

"Michelle, hang on, this is Chloe. Maybe she found something."

He switched over. "Chloe, tell me you have something."

"I don't have details, Jack, because it would take too much time, but I found out that Kate was checked in at Cedars Sinai last night."

"What? Is she okay? What happened?"

"Jack, I just said I don't have details. I just did a basic algorithm to access their patient information so I could get through quickly."

"Okay, Chloe. Thanks," he said, his mind swirling with what could have brought Kate to the hospital. Instantly, his mind went to concerns over her health and that of the baby. He needed to get to the hospital before his mind conjured up all the scenarios that might have brought Kate there. He ended the call with Chloe and returned to the line that had Michelle holding. He was telling her about Kate having been checked into the hospital the night before while reloading his pockets with his keys and wallet when he noticed someone coming up the steps to the porch. He opened the door before she had time to put her keys in the lock.

"Kate, you're home," he said, shocked to find her seemingly whole and well after having just learned that she had been in the hospital

For the record, I could have ended this chapter before Kate returned home so please reward my not resorting to a shameless cliffhanger to drum up reviews, by leaving a little note to let me know your thoughts. Not begging or anything... just asking nicely after pointing out how nice I was to put a little bit of resolution at the end of this chapter. I would also appreciate feedback in the POV changes and if I have managed to portray both of their voices realistically. And, as always, thank you for reading. SS.