Title: Five Days in LA
Author: M.
Disclaimer: Don't own Chloe Sullivan, or the characters of Alias or 24. Just playing with them temporarily.
Category: Alternate Universe (plural *G*), Crossovers.
Pairings: Chloe/Other (including one slash pairing. f/f. second section)
Spoilers: Not really. Some for season 2 of 24 in section 3.
Summary: Five little Chloes...all in a row.
Note: This is a five things fic. Basically I experimented with five different ways Chloe could meet up with the gang from Alias. ;-p
Borrowing a page from the Alias genius celli and dividing up each section with a lyric from a song.
"Five Days In LA"
by M.
-------------
"i'd rather be with you...i'd rather not know..."
"Honey, I'm hooommmeee!!!"
His deliberately exaggerated greeting earned Eric an amused laugh which he followed into the kitchen to find Chloe standing before the open oven which was dark and quite empty. "Hey gorgeous," he murmured, slipping his arms around her waist.
"It's dead, Jim." She told him solemnly, turning her head to receive her kiss hello.
"Takeout it is then." He agreed amiably, dipping his head to deliver the expected kiss. "Any suggestions from the peanut gallery as to what?"
Chloe looked down at her rounded midsection. "I do believe they're in the mood for spicey." She reached for the stack of menus which had taken up permanent residence by the telephone. "Me, I'm thinking chicken."
"So we're having spicy chicken?" He offered in compromise, releasing her.
Picking up the phone, Chloe sat down and flipped through the menus until she found the one she wanted.
"So, how was the exciting world of investigative journalism today? Next issue all ready to shake the very foundations of our society?"
His wife rolled her eyes. "Barely ready. I swear, if Will wasn't such a damn good writer I would have fired him months ago."
"Pushed it right to the deadline again, huh?"
Chloe, on the phone to the restaurant, nodded. Her on-going aggravation with the magazine's star reporter, Will Tippin, was the stuff of legend in the Weiss household. In the months since the errant reporter had joined the magazine, Eric had sat through many a rant on the subject of Tippin's antics. On more than one occasion, his wife had been known to mutter words that would have given the roughest sailor pause.
Covering the mouthpiece with one hand, Chloe held it away from her ear. "Usual?" When he nodded, she returned to ordering.
After watching her for a moment, he crouched before her, resting a hand on her rounded midsection. "Hey kids," he murmured in deference to the phone conversation, "You guys being good for your Mom?" He felt one of them kick almost as if in response and he grinned. "If that's supposed to be a yes, I should point out that kicking your mother is not the best demonstration of good behavior."
"Neither is making her leave a staff meeting twice for potty breaks but they still did it." Putting the phone down, she smiled at him. "So, how's the world of high finance?"
A flash of guilt then he smiled. "Boring. Tell me again why I work there?"
She curled her hands into his coat, pulling him up for a kiss. "Three reasons: wife, kids, mortgage."
"Oh, yeah, those." Eric nodded absently, leaning in for another kiss.
"Yeah, those." She agreed with a laugh, pulling him to her again.
---------
"So, how's Chloe?" Sydney questioned, taking the file from him.
"Hormonal, uncomfortable, and about ready to kill your boyfriend." Weiss grinned at the end. "He's a bit of a prima Donna."
She laughed. "I know. Chloe's a miracle worker though, she gets the best writing out of him I've ever seen him do." Closing the file, she nodded. "This is good. Did Sloane notice anything?"
He shook his head. "No." Pacing away, he looked back. "We need to bring Vaughn in on this. He's starting to suspect something...he *will* figure it out soon, Syd."
She slanted a look at him. "It's a risk."
"Not nearly as big as the risk of him finding out what's going on by himself and taking action by himself. He could do serious damage, Syd, not to mention get himself, and probably me, killed in the process." He shrugged. "I may not have a choice soon, things are getting dicey."
Sydney sighed. "I'll clear it with my father."
---------
Eric was lying to her.
Chloe stared, unseeing, at her laptop's screen while her hand absently rubbed a spot one of the babies had kicked. Eric was lying about something, had been for some time. It was big, whatever it was, it was big and it had to do with his job, she could see it in his eyes when she asked him about it.
He lied to her every day and hated himself for it. She could see that too.
"Mrs. Weiss?"
Her secretary's voice interrupted her thoughts and the editor looked up. "Yes, Francie?"
The other woman smiled apologetically. "Sorry to interrupt but...Will's here to see you."
Chloe groaned, closing the laptop, and sitting back in her chair. "He's seen the layout I take it?"
The other woman grinned and nodded.
"Okay," Heaving a sigh, the blonde sat up and folded her hands. "Send him in."
As Francie pulled back to speak to Will, Chloe forced herself to put her concerns aside. Eric would tell her when he was ready...until then she had to be patient.
And try not to kill her star reporter.
*****
"so I will just let go...let you turn me inside out..."
"Son of a..."
Chloe watched with amusement as her roommate stomped into the room, slamming the door, and threw herself onto the couch with an exaggerated groan of frustration. "Something vexes thee?"
From beneath her disheveled mop of hair, Sydney Bristow glared at her in accusation. "You've been watching Robin Hood again."
"It's for school, I promise." The other girl defended. "It's a study group I'm leading, the media one, it's one of the movies they'll be looking at. How am I supposed to be the all-knowing grad student if I haven't ogled Kevin Costner's ass like the rest of them?"
"Have I mentioned I hate you lately?"
Chloe laughed, abandoning her beloved laptop and her favorite chair to sit on the floor next to the couch. "Bad class?"
"Oh, god, you have no idea. Why I let Sloane talk me into taking his damn seminar, I'll never know."
"Simple." The blonde said in her most perky of tones. "Professor's Sloane's the best in the field next to -- "
"My Dad." Sydney shifted to face her friend, propping her head up on her palm.
"Your Dad, exactly, and you wanted to take the seminar and impress Sloane who will then sing your praises to your Dad, exclaiming how wonderful and brilliant his daughter is and then demanding to know why she's still just a grad student and not off wowing the world of academia with her intellectual prowess." Chloe inhaled then pertly added. "In short, Syd, you've got Daddy issues."
"Yes, I really hate you."
"Na uh. You love me." Chloe argued promptly. "No one else is willing to put up with the drama. Besides," she grinned, "you think I'm cute."
Sydney's lips curved up into an impish smile. "Well, you are."
"Mmhmm...just so we're straight on that." Chloe teased, letting the other woman draw her in for a slow, leisurely kiss.
"I'm not sure straight really applies to us." The brunette murmured when they paused to breathe. Looking at the smiling face so close to hers, she lifted a brow and grinned. "Did you have fun ogling Kevin Costner's ass?"
"Well, of course! But, I promise, your ass is much better than his."
"Nice save." Sydney complimented, grin widening. "Very smooth."
Chloe laughed as the other woman pulled her onto the couch with her. "I think fast on my feet." She grinned, amending her words in deference to her new position. "Or, off them, as the case may be."
"Handy skill."
"Mm...so I've been told." She shifted closer and nipped playfully at the other woman's earlobe.
Sydney made an appreciative noise, her hands skimming up beneath the blonde's shirt, brushing over her back. "Any other handy skills you've been told you have?"
"Mmhmm...a lot of them. Some very interesting ones, really."
"Care to show me a few of them?"
Before covering Sydney's mouth with hers, Chloe grinned and cheerfully responded, "Love to," then their lips met and they got the demonstration underway.
*****
"the world keeps spinning round...and my world's upside down..."
"Tony? It's Chloe Bauer, where's my Dad?" Emerging into the daylight, Chloe walked into the parking lot, holding her cell phone to her ear.
On the other end of the line, Tony could barely be heard over the noise in the CTU office, people and machines working frantically to get the office back up and running. "No, he's not, Chlo', he's still out in the field. What's wrong?"
"Kim's not at the hospital..." Before he could say anything, she hurried to add, "It gets worse, Tony, she stole a car. She and her boyfriend. I have no idea where they are but they're probably heading out of town if she listened to Dad at all."
"Hopefully, she did." Tony paused, conferring with someone before coming back on the line. "Listen, Chlo', you need to get out of the field. With the situation your Dad's in, you're at risk out there. Somebody may try to use you to get to him. It wouldn't..."
"Be the first time, I know, so where do I go?" Fishing for her keys, the journalism student started for her car, keeping a watchful eye out for anything that looked out of place. *Anyone* who looked out of place. "CTU?"
"No, it's still a mess over here, I can't say for sure where you'd end up. Listen...I've got a couple friends over at Division. I'll call over there, tell them you're coming in. I want you to go there and stay put. The only way you leave is if one of them accompanies you, got it?"
"Yeah, I got it. Who're the friends?"
"Michael Vaughn is one. If he's not there, Eric Weiss should be. Tell either one I sent you, okay?" Tony hesitated then, in a softer voice warned, "Be careful, Chloe."
"I'm *always* careful," Chloe responded flippantly before ending the call and slipping her phone into her purse. "Well...mostly."
--------------
"Yowza."
"Good afternoon to you too." Vaughn said dryly in response to Weiss' greeting. "Am I supposed to assume that's an update from CTU?"
"No, that's telling you there's a hot blonde out front and she says Tony Almeida sent her over here. Says she's Bauer's daughter. And, just so you know, CTU says Bauer's running something down in the field. They'll let us know as soon as he lets them know."
The other man's eyebrows rose. "Jack Bauer's daughter? Kim? The one the police are chasing?"
"Naw, that one's about nineteen. This one's the older sister, Chloe. Perfectly legal and well...perfect. She went to the hospital to pick up her sister but the kid had already made a run for it. Tony thinks the girls might be targets so he sent Chloe over here, get her out of the open." Weiss glanced over his shoulder and grinned. "Speak of the devil...here she comes. How much you wanna bet she takes after her Dad?"
Turning, he moved to let a young blonde woman pass. She flashed a smile of thanks then focused her attention on Vaughn.
"Michael Vaughn?" At his nod of confirmation, she held out a hand. "Chloe Bauer. Tony Almeida sent me here." She smiled wryly. "He wants you to babysit."
Shaking her hand, Mike returned the smile, "But that's not what you have in mind, is it, Ms. Bauer?"
"Chloe." She corrected automatically. After a quick glance round the office, she shook her head. "No, it isn't. Is there somewhere I can set up my laptop?"
----------
"Are you sure you haven't followed in your father's footsteps?" Setting a cup of coffee beside the laptop, Vaughn watched her with interest as Chloe's fingers danced rapidly across the keyboard.
"I'm sure." She replied absently, reaching for the coffee without looking away from the screen. "Believe me, after what happened to mom, if the CIA so much as looked at me twice...my father would hit the roof."
Vaughn's silence drew her attention and Chloe sat back. "Oh..." She looked away for a long moment, then inhaled slowly. "I'm sorry, I'm so used to everyone knowing, I guess I take it for granted. My mother...my mother, Teri, was murdered last year. She was in the CTU's LA office at the time. After that, my father...well he and CTU haven't been on the best of terms since then."
"I'm sorry." His voice was subdued, understanding, and he took a step back.
"It's all right," she reassured with a sad smile, "it's only been a year but, with everything that's gone on in that period of time, it feels like a decade and, after today, it will probably feel like a lifetime."
Taking a cautious sip of the steaming hot liquid, Chloe shook her head. "What is it about LA that makes it decide to go to hell every year?"
Vaughn chuckled quietly. "I thought it was more like any other Tuesday. Well, whatever it is, I wish it would cut it out."
"Hear, hear." She responded, lifting her mug in salute.
******
"everything I know has let me down..."
He was staring at the photo of she and Alex at the park when she walked in and Chloe felt a peculiar feeling of wrongness wash over her. She couldn't pinpoint why exactly but she had the inexplicable urge to snatch it up, away from his prying eyes.
A quick, calming breath quelled the urge and she crossed the office, turning it away just a little as she passed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Vaughn look away, his reaction almost a flinch and she instantly regretted the action but did her best not to show it.
Schooling her features, Chloe seated herself behind her desk, lightly brushing nonexistent wrinkles from her suit as she did so. She took her time before speaking, giving the other agent a chance to compose himself. What he'd been thinking about, she couldn't begin to imagine. From her own brief look at the pages he'd written, her mind was a jumble of confusion. Add to that the maelstrom of emotion he had to be in the middle of, she marveled at his composure.
Finally, with her most disarming smile, the one which could charm even Devlin, she met Vaughn's eyes. "Well...this could be interesting..."
"Is that your way of saying I'm in?" He interrupted flatly, not giving her a chance to finish.
"No," she said patiently. "It's my way of saying this is going to be very interesting." Pausing, she considered her words carefully. "And no, you aren't, 'in' yet. They're still reviewing your statement." Her smile returned as she elaborated. "And given that War and Peace was about twenty chapters shorter...it could take weeks to verify."
She sat back in her chair, restraining a wince at the livid bruises marking his face. "I'll be honest, we could definitely use another double agent in SD-6. But, for now, we need to get you under wraps. I've arranged for a car to take you out of here. First, you need to see a doctor and a dentist then we'll hide you somewhere...why are you shaking your head?"
Her question came out with a sharper delivery than she had intended but Chloe's one guaranteed trigger was being patronized. She *hated* it. "What?"
"You said another." He managed what she imagined was a ghost of his usual smile. "You wouldn't tell me you had another double agent in SD-6 unless I'd already been authenticated."
"You don't know what I would or wouldn't do," Chloe countered smoothly. "You don't know me." She rose from her chair and went to the door, taking a cloth and a bowl from Weiss. "Thanks."
He flashed a smile at her then cast a glance over her shoulder at the subdued man in the chair. Lifting a curious brow, he inclined his head.
Chloe shook hers in a negative gesture before turning back to Vaughn and continuing on. "Let's just say I have a feeling about you and leave it at that." Putting the bowl on her desk, she wet the cloth and handed it to him. "Here." Perching on the edge of the desk next to the bowl, she regarded him with sympathetic eyes. "I think I know the theory you're considering. Want me to share what I'm thinking...You're considering the idea I could be bluffing in the off chance you're actually a triple agent who'll carry the information back to SD-6 which would hopefully cause all sorts of upheaval for us to capitalize on. Am I close?"
"Scarily so." Vaughn allowed, gingerly patting at his bruised jaw with the cloth.
"Well, that's not it." She reached out to take it from him, finishing up cleaning away the blood. "Like I said, I just have a feeling about you. I'm not trying to play you, Michael, I wouldn't. All things considered, that's the last thing you need." He lifted his gaze to meet hers and she gave him a smile, a genuine smile this time. "Can I get you anything else?"
There was something in his eyes, an indescribable longing, as he lifted his hand to stop hers. "I'm fine." He assured her quietly.
Like hell.
"Not yet you aren't." She disagreed, just as quietly, "but you will be."
----------
"Miss Sullivan?"
Chloe looked up. "Agent Bristow?" Closing her briefcase, she gestured to a chair before her desk. "Come in, have a seat."
"They verified Michael Vaughn's statement."
Chloe felt a faint sense of amusement at Jack's trademark delivery. She couldn't remember a time when she'd ever heard him speak with anything but the direct staccato delivery which was his trademark. More than once she and Weiss had entertained themselves immensely by trying to imagine Jack ordering at a restaurant. The results...always as funny as hell.
"He's in?" She asked, putting the thoughts out of her mind before she started laughing.
A curt nod answered her question then Jack added. "You've been assigned as his handler, I suggest you read up on our SD-6 files. I'm going to go see him, give him the news." The senior agent advanced further into the room, presenting her with a disk. "The pertinent information on Michael. The number for his agency cell is included."
She took the disk with a nod of thanks.
His message delivered, Jack turned to go but she wasn't quite done with him. "Vaughn's fiancée, Sydney, she...she was your daughter wasn't she?"
Bristow didn't look back at her but she could hear the pain hidden beneath the layers of discipline in his voice when he responded, "Yes."
"I'm sorry."
Still, he didn't turn but she saw his shoulders square. "So am I."
----------
"Hello..."
Vaughn's cautious voice filled her ear and Chloe grinned. "Told you I had a feeling."
He chuckled, a faint tinge of pain in the sound. "You did. So what now?"
"Well, tell me, Mr. Vaughn...have you ever given blood?"
******
"all my life has found it's meaning..."
The welcome smell of spaghetti wafted out to meet Mike as he unlocked the apartment door and let himself in.
"Hey, hero!" Chloe emerged from the kitchen, a piece of spaghetti pinched lightly between her fingertips. "Taste that."
Obediently, he opened his mouth and tasted the pasta. "It's good." Dropping his coat on the nearest chair, he reached out and tugged her close.
She smiled at him, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "Saw you on TV, Detective Michael Vaughn is the talk of Metropolis."
"He is, huh?" Adjusting his grip on her, he leaned back against the wall, watching her expressions.
"Oh yeah, he is. Lois has called twice, next time I bet she gets Clark or Will to try instead." Her amusement faded and her eyes gentled. "You did a good thing, talking that kid down."
"It's my job." He pointed out logically.
"Yes,. but few cops do it as well as you." She punched him in the arm. "Though, I could've done without seeing my fiancé climb out on a bridge's railing with nothing between him and Hob's Bay except a very long drop."
Mike grinned. "Like I would have actually fallen."
She slanted a suspicious look at him. "He..."
"Was with Weiss, waiting behind the van. Either one of us fell...Superman had us covered." He kissed her lightly. "I was perfectly safe."
"Unless you both fell in opposite directions, moving at the same speed, right around the time there was a huge bus accident or Lois got herself kidnapped/taken hostage/nearly killed at which point..." Chloe noticed the grin playing about the edges of his mouth, hitting him on the arm again. "Stop laughing, this is Metropolis! It could happen. Especially the Lois thing. I swear, she does it just so Superman will save her."
"She is like the biggest fan he has." Mike agreed, nodding. "Kind of borderline stalker really."
"She is not." The blonde protested, hitting him on the arm yet again.
"Ow! Stop that." He grabbed her hand, laughing. "No more hitting."
She grinned wickedly. "Okay, no hitting. What then?"
He leaned forward as if to kiss her but the insistent rumble of his stomach interrupted them and both looked down.
"Right," Chloe did an about face and started for the kitchen, "dinner."
"I'm going to get cleaned up." He informed her, shrugging out of his coat and hanging it up.
Something in his manner caught his fiancée attention and Chloe gave him a sympathetic look. "Long day?"
He groaned. "God, you have no idea, I'll tell you in a minute."
-------------
"There's this new officer, Sydney, she transferred in last week." Mike said by way of announcing his presence as he walked into the room, pulling on a sweater. Leaning around Chloe he reached for the refrigerator door, opening it to survey the contents.
"Pick something already." She scolded lightly. "You drive up the electric bill doing that."
"Do not." He argued automatically. Nevertheless, he grabbed a drink and closed the door. "Anyway, this new cop , she's fresh out of vice, a real hotshot from everything I've heard."
"And is she a good hotshot or just-trying-to-make-detective hotshot?" Chloe carried the spaghetti to the table and glanced behind her to confirm he was following with the sauce.
"Both." Putting aside his bottle, Mike carefully picked up the pot and brought it over.
Sliding a cloth over for him to put it down on, she looked curious. "Both?"
"She's definitely trying to make detective. Her father's the captain of I.A. and she's got *serious* daddy issues to go with the boatload of other issues she already has. She takes risks. Stupid ones, sometimes, but somehow she pulls it off and comes out of it in one piece." He shook his head. "She's either very, very good, or..."
"Very, very, lucky." Chloe slipped her arms around his waist. "Here's hoping she's just very, very good. Luck has a bad habit of running out at the worst possible times and I don't like the idea of you being anywhere near when it does."
He smiled gently, kissing her. "I'll be fine. With your friend flying about everywhere I look, how could I not be?"
She smiled sadly. "You never know. Even Metropolis has it's off days. Even heroes fail..."
"Maudlin today, aren't we?" Mike teased, smiling.
"A little." She agreed. "I had my doctor's appointment this morning."
He frowned, "I thought..."
She shook her head. "I had it moved up, last time was so hard on you..." She half-smiled. "I got Martha to go with me."
"Mrs. Kent?"
"Yes. She's gone through the same thing."
"And?" He watched her face carefully, searching for the faintest sign of what the doctor had told her.
Chloe lowered her gaze, looking away.
He closed his eyes.
Damn.
"We'll keep trying," he promised, holding her close.
"I know." She agreed, his sweater muffling her words.
There was a long stretch of silence then she revealed, "Lana's pregnant. Three months. Baby's due in January."
He quelled the urge to hit the nearest hard object. "When did they find out?"
"A month ago." Looking up, she shrugged. "She didn't want to tell me right away...not with everything going on. I wouldn't know now except Nell left a message on her machine about going shopping for baby furniture and I overheard." She sighed heavily. "I know she meant well but..."
"You don't want people treating you like you're made of glass." He nodded. "I know."
"It's just so frustrating! When did I become the one everyone worries about? The one everyone coddles?" Chloe gestured wildly, her hand moving in an exaggerated arc. "Me?? I..." She sniffled and pulled away, reaching for a tissue and regarding him with a rueful look. "Guess this would be the mood swings the doctors warned me about."
"Gotta love those hormones." He agreed, chuckling. He pulled her close to kiss her forehead. "We said we'd try this but only if we both wanted to do it. If we were both behind it. 100 % or nothing, remember?"
"I remember." Chloe agreed. "I still want to do this, Mike, really I do. It's just..." She sighed and smiled wryly. "All some people need to become parents is a bottle of Tequila and a backseat while others do everything short of sell their souls and get *nowhere*." A pained laugh punctuated her words. "I feel like stamping my foot and wailing, 'it's not fair!' to anyone who'll listen."
"Let me know when you want to do it," her fiancé teased back, "I may just join in. Deal?"
She laughed, a genuine laugh, and nodded. "Deal."
Finis
lyrics come from the Lifehouse song "Spin"
"Spin"
Stanley Climbfall
Why would I chase your shadow all my life?
than be afraid of my own
I'd rather be with you
I'd rather not know
Where I'll be
And you and all the comforts that I know
When the world keeps spinning round
My world's upside down
And I wouldn't change a thing
I've got nothing else to lose
I lost it all when I found you
And I wouldn't change a thing
No, you and I wouldn't change a thing
Everything I know has let me down
So I will just let go
Let you turn me inside out
Because I know I'm not sure
About anything
But you wouldn't have it any other way
When the world keeps spinning round
My world's upside down
And I wouldn't change a thing
I've got nothing else to lose
I lost it all when I found you
And I wouldn't change a thing
No, you and I wouldn't change a thing
It's burning, Turning, Watching, Learning
All my life has found it's meaning
Walking, Crawling, Climbing, Falling
All my life has found it's meaning
You and I wouldn't change a thing
No, you and I wouldn't change a thing
Author: M.
Disclaimer: Don't own Chloe Sullivan, or the characters of Alias or 24. Just playing with them temporarily.
Category: Alternate Universe (plural *G*), Crossovers.
Pairings: Chloe/Other (including one slash pairing. f/f. second section)
Spoilers: Not really. Some for season 2 of 24 in section 3.
Summary: Five little Chloes...all in a row.
Note: This is a five things fic. Basically I experimented with five different ways Chloe could meet up with the gang from Alias. ;-p
Borrowing a page from the Alias genius celli and dividing up each section with a lyric from a song.
"Five Days In LA"
by M.
-------------
"i'd rather be with you...i'd rather not know..."
"Honey, I'm hooommmeee!!!"
His deliberately exaggerated greeting earned Eric an amused laugh which he followed into the kitchen to find Chloe standing before the open oven which was dark and quite empty. "Hey gorgeous," he murmured, slipping his arms around her waist.
"It's dead, Jim." She told him solemnly, turning her head to receive her kiss hello.
"Takeout it is then." He agreed amiably, dipping his head to deliver the expected kiss. "Any suggestions from the peanut gallery as to what?"
Chloe looked down at her rounded midsection. "I do believe they're in the mood for spicey." She reached for the stack of menus which had taken up permanent residence by the telephone. "Me, I'm thinking chicken."
"So we're having spicy chicken?" He offered in compromise, releasing her.
Picking up the phone, Chloe sat down and flipped through the menus until she found the one she wanted.
"So, how was the exciting world of investigative journalism today? Next issue all ready to shake the very foundations of our society?"
His wife rolled her eyes. "Barely ready. I swear, if Will wasn't such a damn good writer I would have fired him months ago."
"Pushed it right to the deadline again, huh?"
Chloe, on the phone to the restaurant, nodded. Her on-going aggravation with the magazine's star reporter, Will Tippin, was the stuff of legend in the Weiss household. In the months since the errant reporter had joined the magazine, Eric had sat through many a rant on the subject of Tippin's antics. On more than one occasion, his wife had been known to mutter words that would have given the roughest sailor pause.
Covering the mouthpiece with one hand, Chloe held it away from her ear. "Usual?" When he nodded, she returned to ordering.
After watching her for a moment, he crouched before her, resting a hand on her rounded midsection. "Hey kids," he murmured in deference to the phone conversation, "You guys being good for your Mom?" He felt one of them kick almost as if in response and he grinned. "If that's supposed to be a yes, I should point out that kicking your mother is not the best demonstration of good behavior."
"Neither is making her leave a staff meeting twice for potty breaks but they still did it." Putting the phone down, she smiled at him. "So, how's the world of high finance?"
A flash of guilt then he smiled. "Boring. Tell me again why I work there?"
She curled her hands into his coat, pulling him up for a kiss. "Three reasons: wife, kids, mortgage."
"Oh, yeah, those." Eric nodded absently, leaning in for another kiss.
"Yeah, those." She agreed with a laugh, pulling him to her again.
---------
"So, how's Chloe?" Sydney questioned, taking the file from him.
"Hormonal, uncomfortable, and about ready to kill your boyfriend." Weiss grinned at the end. "He's a bit of a prima Donna."
She laughed. "I know. Chloe's a miracle worker though, she gets the best writing out of him I've ever seen him do." Closing the file, she nodded. "This is good. Did Sloane notice anything?"
He shook his head. "No." Pacing away, he looked back. "We need to bring Vaughn in on this. He's starting to suspect something...he *will* figure it out soon, Syd."
She slanted a look at him. "It's a risk."
"Not nearly as big as the risk of him finding out what's going on by himself and taking action by himself. He could do serious damage, Syd, not to mention get himself, and probably me, killed in the process." He shrugged. "I may not have a choice soon, things are getting dicey."
Sydney sighed. "I'll clear it with my father."
---------
Eric was lying to her.
Chloe stared, unseeing, at her laptop's screen while her hand absently rubbed a spot one of the babies had kicked. Eric was lying about something, had been for some time. It was big, whatever it was, it was big and it had to do with his job, she could see it in his eyes when she asked him about it.
He lied to her every day and hated himself for it. She could see that too.
"Mrs. Weiss?"
Her secretary's voice interrupted her thoughts and the editor looked up. "Yes, Francie?"
The other woman smiled apologetically. "Sorry to interrupt but...Will's here to see you."
Chloe groaned, closing the laptop, and sitting back in her chair. "He's seen the layout I take it?"
The other woman grinned and nodded.
"Okay," Heaving a sigh, the blonde sat up and folded her hands. "Send him in."
As Francie pulled back to speak to Will, Chloe forced herself to put her concerns aside. Eric would tell her when he was ready...until then she had to be patient.
And try not to kill her star reporter.
*****
"so I will just let go...let you turn me inside out..."
"Son of a..."
Chloe watched with amusement as her roommate stomped into the room, slamming the door, and threw herself onto the couch with an exaggerated groan of frustration. "Something vexes thee?"
From beneath her disheveled mop of hair, Sydney Bristow glared at her in accusation. "You've been watching Robin Hood again."
"It's for school, I promise." The other girl defended. "It's a study group I'm leading, the media one, it's one of the movies they'll be looking at. How am I supposed to be the all-knowing grad student if I haven't ogled Kevin Costner's ass like the rest of them?"
"Have I mentioned I hate you lately?"
Chloe laughed, abandoning her beloved laptop and her favorite chair to sit on the floor next to the couch. "Bad class?"
"Oh, god, you have no idea. Why I let Sloane talk me into taking his damn seminar, I'll never know."
"Simple." The blonde said in her most perky of tones. "Professor's Sloane's the best in the field next to -- "
"My Dad." Sydney shifted to face her friend, propping her head up on her palm.
"Your Dad, exactly, and you wanted to take the seminar and impress Sloane who will then sing your praises to your Dad, exclaiming how wonderful and brilliant his daughter is and then demanding to know why she's still just a grad student and not off wowing the world of academia with her intellectual prowess." Chloe inhaled then pertly added. "In short, Syd, you've got Daddy issues."
"Yes, I really hate you."
"Na uh. You love me." Chloe argued promptly. "No one else is willing to put up with the drama. Besides," she grinned, "you think I'm cute."
Sydney's lips curved up into an impish smile. "Well, you are."
"Mmhmm...just so we're straight on that." Chloe teased, letting the other woman draw her in for a slow, leisurely kiss.
"I'm not sure straight really applies to us." The brunette murmured when they paused to breathe. Looking at the smiling face so close to hers, she lifted a brow and grinned. "Did you have fun ogling Kevin Costner's ass?"
"Well, of course! But, I promise, your ass is much better than his."
"Nice save." Sydney complimented, grin widening. "Very smooth."
Chloe laughed as the other woman pulled her onto the couch with her. "I think fast on my feet." She grinned, amending her words in deference to her new position. "Or, off them, as the case may be."
"Handy skill."
"Mm...so I've been told." She shifted closer and nipped playfully at the other woman's earlobe.
Sydney made an appreciative noise, her hands skimming up beneath the blonde's shirt, brushing over her back. "Any other handy skills you've been told you have?"
"Mmhmm...a lot of them. Some very interesting ones, really."
"Care to show me a few of them?"
Before covering Sydney's mouth with hers, Chloe grinned and cheerfully responded, "Love to," then their lips met and they got the demonstration underway.
*****
"the world keeps spinning round...and my world's upside down..."
"Tony? It's Chloe Bauer, where's my Dad?" Emerging into the daylight, Chloe walked into the parking lot, holding her cell phone to her ear.
On the other end of the line, Tony could barely be heard over the noise in the CTU office, people and machines working frantically to get the office back up and running. "No, he's not, Chlo', he's still out in the field. What's wrong?"
"Kim's not at the hospital..." Before he could say anything, she hurried to add, "It gets worse, Tony, she stole a car. She and her boyfriend. I have no idea where they are but they're probably heading out of town if she listened to Dad at all."
"Hopefully, she did." Tony paused, conferring with someone before coming back on the line. "Listen, Chlo', you need to get out of the field. With the situation your Dad's in, you're at risk out there. Somebody may try to use you to get to him. It wouldn't..."
"Be the first time, I know, so where do I go?" Fishing for her keys, the journalism student started for her car, keeping a watchful eye out for anything that looked out of place. *Anyone* who looked out of place. "CTU?"
"No, it's still a mess over here, I can't say for sure where you'd end up. Listen...I've got a couple friends over at Division. I'll call over there, tell them you're coming in. I want you to go there and stay put. The only way you leave is if one of them accompanies you, got it?"
"Yeah, I got it. Who're the friends?"
"Michael Vaughn is one. If he's not there, Eric Weiss should be. Tell either one I sent you, okay?" Tony hesitated then, in a softer voice warned, "Be careful, Chloe."
"I'm *always* careful," Chloe responded flippantly before ending the call and slipping her phone into her purse. "Well...mostly."
--------------
"Yowza."
"Good afternoon to you too." Vaughn said dryly in response to Weiss' greeting. "Am I supposed to assume that's an update from CTU?"
"No, that's telling you there's a hot blonde out front and she says Tony Almeida sent her over here. Says she's Bauer's daughter. And, just so you know, CTU says Bauer's running something down in the field. They'll let us know as soon as he lets them know."
The other man's eyebrows rose. "Jack Bauer's daughter? Kim? The one the police are chasing?"
"Naw, that one's about nineteen. This one's the older sister, Chloe. Perfectly legal and well...perfect. She went to the hospital to pick up her sister but the kid had already made a run for it. Tony thinks the girls might be targets so he sent Chloe over here, get her out of the open." Weiss glanced over his shoulder and grinned. "Speak of the devil...here she comes. How much you wanna bet she takes after her Dad?"
Turning, he moved to let a young blonde woman pass. She flashed a smile of thanks then focused her attention on Vaughn.
"Michael Vaughn?" At his nod of confirmation, she held out a hand. "Chloe Bauer. Tony Almeida sent me here." She smiled wryly. "He wants you to babysit."
Shaking her hand, Mike returned the smile, "But that's not what you have in mind, is it, Ms. Bauer?"
"Chloe." She corrected automatically. After a quick glance round the office, she shook her head. "No, it isn't. Is there somewhere I can set up my laptop?"
----------
"Are you sure you haven't followed in your father's footsteps?" Setting a cup of coffee beside the laptop, Vaughn watched her with interest as Chloe's fingers danced rapidly across the keyboard.
"I'm sure." She replied absently, reaching for the coffee without looking away from the screen. "Believe me, after what happened to mom, if the CIA so much as looked at me twice...my father would hit the roof."
Vaughn's silence drew her attention and Chloe sat back. "Oh..." She looked away for a long moment, then inhaled slowly. "I'm sorry, I'm so used to everyone knowing, I guess I take it for granted. My mother...my mother, Teri, was murdered last year. She was in the CTU's LA office at the time. After that, my father...well he and CTU haven't been on the best of terms since then."
"I'm sorry." His voice was subdued, understanding, and he took a step back.
"It's all right," she reassured with a sad smile, "it's only been a year but, with everything that's gone on in that period of time, it feels like a decade and, after today, it will probably feel like a lifetime."
Taking a cautious sip of the steaming hot liquid, Chloe shook her head. "What is it about LA that makes it decide to go to hell every year?"
Vaughn chuckled quietly. "I thought it was more like any other Tuesday. Well, whatever it is, I wish it would cut it out."
"Hear, hear." She responded, lifting her mug in salute.
******
"everything I know has let me down..."
He was staring at the photo of she and Alex at the park when she walked in and Chloe felt a peculiar feeling of wrongness wash over her. She couldn't pinpoint why exactly but she had the inexplicable urge to snatch it up, away from his prying eyes.
A quick, calming breath quelled the urge and she crossed the office, turning it away just a little as she passed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Vaughn look away, his reaction almost a flinch and she instantly regretted the action but did her best not to show it.
Schooling her features, Chloe seated herself behind her desk, lightly brushing nonexistent wrinkles from her suit as she did so. She took her time before speaking, giving the other agent a chance to compose himself. What he'd been thinking about, she couldn't begin to imagine. From her own brief look at the pages he'd written, her mind was a jumble of confusion. Add to that the maelstrom of emotion he had to be in the middle of, she marveled at his composure.
Finally, with her most disarming smile, the one which could charm even Devlin, she met Vaughn's eyes. "Well...this could be interesting..."
"Is that your way of saying I'm in?" He interrupted flatly, not giving her a chance to finish.
"No," she said patiently. "It's my way of saying this is going to be very interesting." Pausing, she considered her words carefully. "And no, you aren't, 'in' yet. They're still reviewing your statement." Her smile returned as she elaborated. "And given that War and Peace was about twenty chapters shorter...it could take weeks to verify."
She sat back in her chair, restraining a wince at the livid bruises marking his face. "I'll be honest, we could definitely use another double agent in SD-6. But, for now, we need to get you under wraps. I've arranged for a car to take you out of here. First, you need to see a doctor and a dentist then we'll hide you somewhere...why are you shaking your head?"
Her question came out with a sharper delivery than she had intended but Chloe's one guaranteed trigger was being patronized. She *hated* it. "What?"
"You said another." He managed what she imagined was a ghost of his usual smile. "You wouldn't tell me you had another double agent in SD-6 unless I'd already been authenticated."
"You don't know what I would or wouldn't do," Chloe countered smoothly. "You don't know me." She rose from her chair and went to the door, taking a cloth and a bowl from Weiss. "Thanks."
He flashed a smile at her then cast a glance over her shoulder at the subdued man in the chair. Lifting a curious brow, he inclined his head.
Chloe shook hers in a negative gesture before turning back to Vaughn and continuing on. "Let's just say I have a feeling about you and leave it at that." Putting the bowl on her desk, she wet the cloth and handed it to him. "Here." Perching on the edge of the desk next to the bowl, she regarded him with sympathetic eyes. "I think I know the theory you're considering. Want me to share what I'm thinking...You're considering the idea I could be bluffing in the off chance you're actually a triple agent who'll carry the information back to SD-6 which would hopefully cause all sorts of upheaval for us to capitalize on. Am I close?"
"Scarily so." Vaughn allowed, gingerly patting at his bruised jaw with the cloth.
"Well, that's not it." She reached out to take it from him, finishing up cleaning away the blood. "Like I said, I just have a feeling about you. I'm not trying to play you, Michael, I wouldn't. All things considered, that's the last thing you need." He lifted his gaze to meet hers and she gave him a smile, a genuine smile this time. "Can I get you anything else?"
There was something in his eyes, an indescribable longing, as he lifted his hand to stop hers. "I'm fine." He assured her quietly.
Like hell.
"Not yet you aren't." She disagreed, just as quietly, "but you will be."
----------
"Miss Sullivan?"
Chloe looked up. "Agent Bristow?" Closing her briefcase, she gestured to a chair before her desk. "Come in, have a seat."
"They verified Michael Vaughn's statement."
Chloe felt a faint sense of amusement at Jack's trademark delivery. She couldn't remember a time when she'd ever heard him speak with anything but the direct staccato delivery which was his trademark. More than once she and Weiss had entertained themselves immensely by trying to imagine Jack ordering at a restaurant. The results...always as funny as hell.
"He's in?" She asked, putting the thoughts out of her mind before she started laughing.
A curt nod answered her question then Jack added. "You've been assigned as his handler, I suggest you read up on our SD-6 files. I'm going to go see him, give him the news." The senior agent advanced further into the room, presenting her with a disk. "The pertinent information on Michael. The number for his agency cell is included."
She took the disk with a nod of thanks.
His message delivered, Jack turned to go but she wasn't quite done with him. "Vaughn's fiancée, Sydney, she...she was your daughter wasn't she?"
Bristow didn't look back at her but she could hear the pain hidden beneath the layers of discipline in his voice when he responded, "Yes."
"I'm sorry."
Still, he didn't turn but she saw his shoulders square. "So am I."
----------
"Hello..."
Vaughn's cautious voice filled her ear and Chloe grinned. "Told you I had a feeling."
He chuckled, a faint tinge of pain in the sound. "You did. So what now?"
"Well, tell me, Mr. Vaughn...have you ever given blood?"
******
"all my life has found it's meaning..."
The welcome smell of spaghetti wafted out to meet Mike as he unlocked the apartment door and let himself in.
"Hey, hero!" Chloe emerged from the kitchen, a piece of spaghetti pinched lightly between her fingertips. "Taste that."
Obediently, he opened his mouth and tasted the pasta. "It's good." Dropping his coat on the nearest chair, he reached out and tugged her close.
She smiled at him, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "Saw you on TV, Detective Michael Vaughn is the talk of Metropolis."
"He is, huh?" Adjusting his grip on her, he leaned back against the wall, watching her expressions.
"Oh yeah, he is. Lois has called twice, next time I bet she gets Clark or Will to try instead." Her amusement faded and her eyes gentled. "You did a good thing, talking that kid down."
"It's my job." He pointed out logically.
"Yes,. but few cops do it as well as you." She punched him in the arm. "Though, I could've done without seeing my fiancé climb out on a bridge's railing with nothing between him and Hob's Bay except a very long drop."
Mike grinned. "Like I would have actually fallen."
She slanted a suspicious look at him. "He..."
"Was with Weiss, waiting behind the van. Either one of us fell...Superman had us covered." He kissed her lightly. "I was perfectly safe."
"Unless you both fell in opposite directions, moving at the same speed, right around the time there was a huge bus accident or Lois got herself kidnapped/taken hostage/nearly killed at which point..." Chloe noticed the grin playing about the edges of his mouth, hitting him on the arm again. "Stop laughing, this is Metropolis! It could happen. Especially the Lois thing. I swear, she does it just so Superman will save her."
"She is like the biggest fan he has." Mike agreed, nodding. "Kind of borderline stalker really."
"She is not." The blonde protested, hitting him on the arm yet again.
"Ow! Stop that." He grabbed her hand, laughing. "No more hitting."
She grinned wickedly. "Okay, no hitting. What then?"
He leaned forward as if to kiss her but the insistent rumble of his stomach interrupted them and both looked down.
"Right," Chloe did an about face and started for the kitchen, "dinner."
"I'm going to get cleaned up." He informed her, shrugging out of his coat and hanging it up.
Something in his manner caught his fiancée attention and Chloe gave him a sympathetic look. "Long day?"
He groaned. "God, you have no idea, I'll tell you in a minute."
-------------
"There's this new officer, Sydney, she transferred in last week." Mike said by way of announcing his presence as he walked into the room, pulling on a sweater. Leaning around Chloe he reached for the refrigerator door, opening it to survey the contents.
"Pick something already." She scolded lightly. "You drive up the electric bill doing that."
"Do not." He argued automatically. Nevertheless, he grabbed a drink and closed the door. "Anyway, this new cop , she's fresh out of vice, a real hotshot from everything I've heard."
"And is she a good hotshot or just-trying-to-make-detective hotshot?" Chloe carried the spaghetti to the table and glanced behind her to confirm he was following with the sauce.
"Both." Putting aside his bottle, Mike carefully picked up the pot and brought it over.
Sliding a cloth over for him to put it down on, she looked curious. "Both?"
"She's definitely trying to make detective. Her father's the captain of I.A. and she's got *serious* daddy issues to go with the boatload of other issues she already has. She takes risks. Stupid ones, sometimes, but somehow she pulls it off and comes out of it in one piece." He shook his head. "She's either very, very good, or..."
"Very, very, lucky." Chloe slipped her arms around his waist. "Here's hoping she's just very, very good. Luck has a bad habit of running out at the worst possible times and I don't like the idea of you being anywhere near when it does."
He smiled gently, kissing her. "I'll be fine. With your friend flying about everywhere I look, how could I not be?"
She smiled sadly. "You never know. Even Metropolis has it's off days. Even heroes fail..."
"Maudlin today, aren't we?" Mike teased, smiling.
"A little." She agreed. "I had my doctor's appointment this morning."
He frowned, "I thought..."
She shook her head. "I had it moved up, last time was so hard on you..." She half-smiled. "I got Martha to go with me."
"Mrs. Kent?"
"Yes. She's gone through the same thing."
"And?" He watched her face carefully, searching for the faintest sign of what the doctor had told her.
Chloe lowered her gaze, looking away.
He closed his eyes.
Damn.
"We'll keep trying," he promised, holding her close.
"I know." She agreed, his sweater muffling her words.
There was a long stretch of silence then she revealed, "Lana's pregnant. Three months. Baby's due in January."
He quelled the urge to hit the nearest hard object. "When did they find out?"
"A month ago." Looking up, she shrugged. "She didn't want to tell me right away...not with everything going on. I wouldn't know now except Nell left a message on her machine about going shopping for baby furniture and I overheard." She sighed heavily. "I know she meant well but..."
"You don't want people treating you like you're made of glass." He nodded. "I know."
"It's just so frustrating! When did I become the one everyone worries about? The one everyone coddles?" Chloe gestured wildly, her hand moving in an exaggerated arc. "Me?? I..." She sniffled and pulled away, reaching for a tissue and regarding him with a rueful look. "Guess this would be the mood swings the doctors warned me about."
"Gotta love those hormones." He agreed, chuckling. He pulled her close to kiss her forehead. "We said we'd try this but only if we both wanted to do it. If we were both behind it. 100 % or nothing, remember?"
"I remember." Chloe agreed. "I still want to do this, Mike, really I do. It's just..." She sighed and smiled wryly. "All some people need to become parents is a bottle of Tequila and a backseat while others do everything short of sell their souls and get *nowhere*." A pained laugh punctuated her words. "I feel like stamping my foot and wailing, 'it's not fair!' to anyone who'll listen."
"Let me know when you want to do it," her fiancé teased back, "I may just join in. Deal?"
She laughed, a genuine laugh, and nodded. "Deal."
Finis
lyrics come from the Lifehouse song "Spin"
"Spin"
Stanley Climbfall
Why would I chase your shadow all my life?
than be afraid of my own
I'd rather be with you
I'd rather not know
Where I'll be
And you and all the comforts that I know
When the world keeps spinning round
My world's upside down
And I wouldn't change a thing
I've got nothing else to lose
I lost it all when I found you
And I wouldn't change a thing
No, you and I wouldn't change a thing
Everything I know has let me down
So I will just let go
Let you turn me inside out
Because I know I'm not sure
About anything
But you wouldn't have it any other way
When the world keeps spinning round
My world's upside down
And I wouldn't change a thing
I've got nothing else to lose
I lost it all when I found you
And I wouldn't change a thing
No, you and I wouldn't change a thing
It's burning, Turning, Watching, Learning
All my life has found it's meaning
Walking, Crawling, Climbing, Falling
All my life has found it's meaning
You and I wouldn't change a thing
No, you and I wouldn't change a thing