Counting the Cost
~*~
Chapter Eleven
Killing Me Too
~*~
Lend me your ear and I'll tell you about the things I fear
Open your heart and I'll tell you why I'm torn apart maybe
Give me your hand cause it takes that fire to understand
When was the last time you felt high
Oh you were the best I've ever felt
I don't need you fix me
I just want you to listen
It's killing me too
It's so wrong not to be with you
It's getting harder to stay awake
It's killing me too
It stops my heart just to be with you
So listen cause you are the only one who cares to hear
Show me your soul and I'll shine my light where it seems so cold now
Give me your lips and I'll tell you about all the things I miss the most
~*~
"I'll help you." Jack finally said.
"How?" Nina said chokingly.
"I'll think of something. For now, I'll get you an apartment in my complex. You couldn't really leave the room, but--"
"No, that's a good idea."
"All right. Just please don't leave the room- if Kim saw you…"
"She's going to have to know sooner or later." Nina pointed out.
Jack looked away, sighing heavily.
"I know. I just have no idea how to tell her. Nothing I could ever say would make sense," he looked back at her, "Nothing about this makes sense."
"I know." Nina said softly, shivering slightly in the wind.
"I should probably go back to CTU. Otherwise, Tony and Michelle might get even more suspicious that I didn't "take care" of our little problem." Jack said thoughtfully.
"Oh, that was Michelle?"
"Yes."
"They look good together."
"Yeah, they do."
"I'm surprised Tony went right back to dating people from the office." Nina couldn't help but smile slightly.
Jack didn't smile back.
"I'm sorry." She said, her smile fading.
"You don't have to apologize to me for screwing Tony over."
"I told you, he didn't mean anything to me."
"Oh, well, there's a good excuse."
"Look, Jack, let's not do this. Not now. You're exhausted, Kim's probably dying of pizza starvation, and I'm feeling very mood swing-y. This is not the time to examine our past, all right?" Nina said, trying to lighten the mood.
"You're right." Jack conceded, turning back towards the car.
"Jack?"
"What?" He turned back towards her.
Nina stepped towards him, taking his face in her hands and kissing him deeply. Jack, caught totally off guard, instinctively kissed her back.
She stepped back a moment later, and Jack opened his eyes to look at her with puzzlement.
"Thank you for helping me." Nina said simply.
"You're welcome." Jack replied haltingly.
"Let's go." She said, opening the passenger door.
~*~
As they drove back to the apartment complex, Jack called Kim on his cell phone.
"Hey, sweetheart…yeah, I know, I'm sorry, I ran into Tony and Michelle, and they're not too happy with me for still not coming back to work. I'm almost there. Love you, too."
He hung up the phone, and he and Nina drove in silence.
"She looks so much like you." Nina finally said.
Jack didn't say anything back.
"How are you going to get the room?" She asked.
"I'll say you're my sister. Family emergency. They know me there, they won't ask questions."
"Your sister who's pregnant with your child?" She smiled, looking at him sideways.
"I thought I'd leave that little detail out. They can just think my sister is a little on the big side." Jack smiled as well.
Nina's smile dropped from her face in a flash.
"Are you saying I'm fat?" She asked accusingly.
"No! No, no, no. I was just saying…I-I was just kidding."
"Side-splitting, Jack. Really."
They drove in silence for a while longer, finally reaching the apartment complex.
"Stay in the car. I'll be right back." Jack said, glad to escape the awkwardness of the car.
~*~
"Here you go." Jack unlocked the door to her apartment, four doors down from his and Kim's.
"Night, Jack. Thank you." Nina smiled, stepping into her new apartment.
"So, I'll get you groceries tomorrow. And please, just stay in here."
"I'll be a good girl, don't worry." Nina assured him.
"I'm trusting you. Don't make me regret it." Jack said.
"I won't."
"Goodnight."
Nina just nodded, closing the door after him.
~*~
"The pizza has arrived!" Jack said, stepping into his apartment.
"Finally, dad." Kim giggled, getting up and taking the pizza box hungrily.
She opened the box, scrunching up her nose.
"It's all cold."
"There's this wonderful invention called a microwave." Jack grinned.
"All right, all right." Kim smiled back, going into the kitchen.
Jack took out his cell phone, dialing Tony's number.
"Almeida."
"You answer your home phone like that?" Jack couldn't help but laugh slightly.
"Hello, Jack. I'm assuming you took care of things?"
"Of course. I was just calling you to inform you that Kim and I will both be back on Monday."
"I'm glad to hear that. Look, Jack, we all kind of lose it sometimes. I'm not judging you. I'm just glad you're finally back to normal and that you took care of whatever that little bout of insanity was."
"Yeah, me too." Jack replied.
"All right, I'll see you Monday."
"Okay. Tell Michelle I said hello."
"I will. Thank you for calling me, Jack."
"Of course. You're the boss." Jack said, meaning to come off as sincere but sounding a little mocking.
"Bye, Jack." Tony hung up rather abruptly.
~*~
Nina was falling asleep on the bare mattress at half past midnight when her cell phone rang. She groaned, rolling over to answer it.
"Yes?" She said groggily.
"Hey, girl. It's Mandy." She heard that deceivingly vapid sounding voice on the other end of her phone.
"Hello, Amanda. Oh, wait, before I forget, thanks for selling me to Amador!" Nina said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Sorry. He's a good kisser." Amanda giggled.
"I'm sure." Nina said tightly, her fist clenching in anger.
"Oh, like you can judge me after your sexcapades with Jack." Mandy smiled.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. How stupid do you think I am? I bugged your phone. I've heard every conversation between you and your precious little patriot."
"You bitch."
"I've been called worse." Amanda shrugged.
"So that's how Amador knew I was here."
"Very good, Myers!"
"Why are you calling?" Nina practically spat into the phone.
"I don't know. I'm bored."
"Goodbye, Amanda."
"So you're knocked up, huh? I don't blame you. He was pretty hot. But come on, Nina, what kind of girl doesn't use birth control?"
"This conversation's over." Nina said forcefully.
"Hey, whatever, I don't judge. Maybe you wanted to get pregnant. Maybe you're looking for an excuse to get out of this life."
"Thank you, Dr. Freud."
"Anytime. Anyways, I was just calling to let you know that Amador and I have thought of a much simpler way for you to get out of this life."
"If you think you can take us, go right ahead and try it."
"Ooh, Nina, I'm shaking. The pregnant lady's going to hurt me!" Amanda said in an annoying falsetto.
"I killed six doctors with surgical instruments after jamming a needle into my jugular vein. I don't think swollen ankles will really slow me down that much."
"Well, we'll see, won't we? Bye, Myers." Amanda said in her soft, girly voice that still managed to sound threatening.
Nina hung up the phone, quickly taking it apart and discovering the bug. Man, she was really losing her touch. Of course Amanda bugged her phone. She ripped the bug out angrily, crushing it with her fist on the bedside table and flushing the remains.
She knew she was overestimating her strength right now. But if she didn't believe she could handle this, she'd fall apart. And that was not happening.
~*~
A/N- Leave me a review if you please! Chapter Twelve coming soon!
~*~
Chapter Eleven
Killing Me Too
~*~
Lend me your ear and I'll tell you about the things I fear
Open your heart and I'll tell you why I'm torn apart maybe
Give me your hand cause it takes that fire to understand
When was the last time you felt high
Oh you were the best I've ever felt
I don't need you fix me
I just want you to listen
It's killing me too
It's so wrong not to be with you
It's getting harder to stay awake
It's killing me too
It stops my heart just to be with you
So listen cause you are the only one who cares to hear
Show me your soul and I'll shine my light where it seems so cold now
Give me your lips and I'll tell you about all the things I miss the most
~*~
"I'll help you." Jack finally said.
"How?" Nina said chokingly.
"I'll think of something. For now, I'll get you an apartment in my complex. You couldn't really leave the room, but--"
"No, that's a good idea."
"All right. Just please don't leave the room- if Kim saw you…"
"She's going to have to know sooner or later." Nina pointed out.
Jack looked away, sighing heavily.
"I know. I just have no idea how to tell her. Nothing I could ever say would make sense," he looked back at her, "Nothing about this makes sense."
"I know." Nina said softly, shivering slightly in the wind.
"I should probably go back to CTU. Otherwise, Tony and Michelle might get even more suspicious that I didn't "take care" of our little problem." Jack said thoughtfully.
"Oh, that was Michelle?"
"Yes."
"They look good together."
"Yeah, they do."
"I'm surprised Tony went right back to dating people from the office." Nina couldn't help but smile slightly.
Jack didn't smile back.
"I'm sorry." She said, her smile fading.
"You don't have to apologize to me for screwing Tony over."
"I told you, he didn't mean anything to me."
"Oh, well, there's a good excuse."
"Look, Jack, let's not do this. Not now. You're exhausted, Kim's probably dying of pizza starvation, and I'm feeling very mood swing-y. This is not the time to examine our past, all right?" Nina said, trying to lighten the mood.
"You're right." Jack conceded, turning back towards the car.
"Jack?"
"What?" He turned back towards her.
Nina stepped towards him, taking his face in her hands and kissing him deeply. Jack, caught totally off guard, instinctively kissed her back.
She stepped back a moment later, and Jack opened his eyes to look at her with puzzlement.
"Thank you for helping me." Nina said simply.
"You're welcome." Jack replied haltingly.
"Let's go." She said, opening the passenger door.
~*~
As they drove back to the apartment complex, Jack called Kim on his cell phone.
"Hey, sweetheart…yeah, I know, I'm sorry, I ran into Tony and Michelle, and they're not too happy with me for still not coming back to work. I'm almost there. Love you, too."
He hung up the phone, and he and Nina drove in silence.
"She looks so much like you." Nina finally said.
Jack didn't say anything back.
"How are you going to get the room?" She asked.
"I'll say you're my sister. Family emergency. They know me there, they won't ask questions."
"Your sister who's pregnant with your child?" She smiled, looking at him sideways.
"I thought I'd leave that little detail out. They can just think my sister is a little on the big side." Jack smiled as well.
Nina's smile dropped from her face in a flash.
"Are you saying I'm fat?" She asked accusingly.
"No! No, no, no. I was just saying…I-I was just kidding."
"Side-splitting, Jack. Really."
They drove in silence for a while longer, finally reaching the apartment complex.
"Stay in the car. I'll be right back." Jack said, glad to escape the awkwardness of the car.
~*~
"Here you go." Jack unlocked the door to her apartment, four doors down from his and Kim's.
"Night, Jack. Thank you." Nina smiled, stepping into her new apartment.
"So, I'll get you groceries tomorrow. And please, just stay in here."
"I'll be a good girl, don't worry." Nina assured him.
"I'm trusting you. Don't make me regret it." Jack said.
"I won't."
"Goodnight."
Nina just nodded, closing the door after him.
~*~
"The pizza has arrived!" Jack said, stepping into his apartment.
"Finally, dad." Kim giggled, getting up and taking the pizza box hungrily.
She opened the box, scrunching up her nose.
"It's all cold."
"There's this wonderful invention called a microwave." Jack grinned.
"All right, all right." Kim smiled back, going into the kitchen.
Jack took out his cell phone, dialing Tony's number.
"Almeida."
"You answer your home phone like that?" Jack couldn't help but laugh slightly.
"Hello, Jack. I'm assuming you took care of things?"
"Of course. I was just calling you to inform you that Kim and I will both be back on Monday."
"I'm glad to hear that. Look, Jack, we all kind of lose it sometimes. I'm not judging you. I'm just glad you're finally back to normal and that you took care of whatever that little bout of insanity was."
"Yeah, me too." Jack replied.
"All right, I'll see you Monday."
"Okay. Tell Michelle I said hello."
"I will. Thank you for calling me, Jack."
"Of course. You're the boss." Jack said, meaning to come off as sincere but sounding a little mocking.
"Bye, Jack." Tony hung up rather abruptly.
~*~
Nina was falling asleep on the bare mattress at half past midnight when her cell phone rang. She groaned, rolling over to answer it.
"Yes?" She said groggily.
"Hey, girl. It's Mandy." She heard that deceivingly vapid sounding voice on the other end of her phone.
"Hello, Amanda. Oh, wait, before I forget, thanks for selling me to Amador!" Nina said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Sorry. He's a good kisser." Amanda giggled.
"I'm sure." Nina said tightly, her fist clenching in anger.
"Oh, like you can judge me after your sexcapades with Jack." Mandy smiled.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. How stupid do you think I am? I bugged your phone. I've heard every conversation between you and your precious little patriot."
"You bitch."
"I've been called worse." Amanda shrugged.
"So that's how Amador knew I was here."
"Very good, Myers!"
"Why are you calling?" Nina practically spat into the phone.
"I don't know. I'm bored."
"Goodbye, Amanda."
"So you're knocked up, huh? I don't blame you. He was pretty hot. But come on, Nina, what kind of girl doesn't use birth control?"
"This conversation's over." Nina said forcefully.
"Hey, whatever, I don't judge. Maybe you wanted to get pregnant. Maybe you're looking for an excuse to get out of this life."
"Thank you, Dr. Freud."
"Anytime. Anyways, I was just calling to let you know that Amador and I have thought of a much simpler way for you to get out of this life."
"If you think you can take us, go right ahead and try it."
"Ooh, Nina, I'm shaking. The pregnant lady's going to hurt me!" Amanda said in an annoying falsetto.
"I killed six doctors with surgical instruments after jamming a needle into my jugular vein. I don't think swollen ankles will really slow me down that much."
"Well, we'll see, won't we? Bye, Myers." Amanda said in her soft, girly voice that still managed to sound threatening.
Nina hung up the phone, quickly taking it apart and discovering the bug. Man, she was really losing her touch. Of course Amanda bugged her phone. She ripped the bug out angrily, crushing it with her fist on the bedside table and flushing the remains.
She knew she was overestimating her strength right now. But if she didn't believe she could handle this, she'd fall apart. And that was not happening.
~*~
A/N- Leave me a review if you please! Chapter Twelve coming soon!
