A/N- Thanks for the reviews guys! Usual disclaimers apply, the lyrics belong to The Cranberries' "Linger."
Counting the Cost
~*~
Chapter Thirteen
Fool For You
~*~
And I'm in so deep
You know I'm such a fool for you.
You got me wrapped around your finger
Do you have to let it linger?
~*~
Kim wrote a big C for "clothes" on her last packing box.
"I think I'm finally finished." She wiped her sweaty bangs off her brow, putting her hands on her hips triumphantly.
"I didn't even know you had this much stuff." Jack laughed, picking up some of the boxes.
"Suddenly, my apartment is seeming very insufficient." Chase grinned as well, grabbing some of the other boxes to take out to his truck.
"Come on- I'm not as bad as most girls. Actually, I couldn't find a lot of my clothes." She said; her brow furrowed slightly.
"What?" Chase looked confused as well.
"Yeah, it was the strangest thing. Dad, you remember those jeans that I like obsessed with and that blue turtlenecky thing I used to wear all the time?"
"Yeah." Jack said, keeping his expression neutral.
"They weren't in my closet."
"Weird." Jack said simply.
Kim shrugged, grabbing the smallest box.
"Let's go."
~*~
The three of them unloaded all the boxes from Chase's truck and Jack's SUV after they arrived at Chase's nice apartment complex.
"Well, this is it." Kim leaned against the car, smiling at her dad.
Jack nodded.
"Thanks for helping me move out, dad."
"Of course. I'll see you at work tomorrow."
"Yeah. Love you." She hugged him tightly, reverting back to the day she'd left for college and panicked completely that she couldn't make it if her dad wasn't there with her.
"Love you too." Jack smiled, hugging her back.
Chase stood awkwardly by, and Jack and Kim parted, Kim looking over at Chase and smiling.
"What, Jack? No hug?" Chase grinned.
"I don't know if we're there yet." Jack smiled back.
"Fair enough."
"Take good care of her. Or you're fired." Jack raised his eyebrows at Chase, patting him on the arm and smiling at them both before getting back in his car and driving back home.
~*~
Jack reached his apartment, and looked around it forlornly. It seemed so empty now.
Suddenly, he realized he hadn't checked on Nina all day, he'd been so distracted with moving Kim out. He remembered Kim asking about her clothes, and it reminded him to grab something for her. He walked down the hall, knocking on Nina's door.
"Hey." She smiled; answering the door wearing a black, stretchy dress of Kim's Jack had given her.
"Hey. I think this is the only time I've ever seen you in a dress."
"Not by choice. It's the only thing that still fits."
"Well, until now." Jack handed her what he had brought.
"Your old CTU sweatpants and shirt. I'm touched."
"I just thought they'd be comfortable."
"Actually, good thinking."
"You sound surprised."
"That's because I'm far superior to you." Nina smiled sweetly, taking the clothes and walking back into her bedroom to change.
Jack waited outside, looking around. The apartment was still completely bare and looked very lonely. He sighed heavily, speaking towards the door.
"Hey, Nina?"
"Yeah?"
"Chase asked Kim to move in with him."
"Oh, he did? I liked Chase."
"I could tell by the way you almost shot him."
Nina grinned, coming out of the bedroom in the sweats.
"Well, I do that to all the boys I like."
"Anyways, it's just me in the apartment now."
"And?" Nina put her hands on her hips, not cutting him any slack.
"And…I mean, it would be a lot easier to help you if you were just…right there."
Nina clapped her hand to her heart in mock surprise.
"Jack, are you asking me to move in with you? This is such a big step for us! Are you sure we're ready?" She said, her voice edged with sarcasm.
"Yes or no, Nina."
"Oh, why not?" She shrugged.
"Good. You can just have Kim's old room."
"Just let me pack- oh wait. I have nothing."
"Then let's go."
~*~
Jack brushed his teeth in the bathroom as Nina sat on the couch, watching Conan O'Brien and eating popcorn.
"Oh, Conan, you slay me." She grinned, popping another piece of popcorn in her mouth.
"I don't get him." Jack said, wiping off his mouth and entering the living room.
"Are you kidding? He's a comic genius!"
"How would you know?"
"I've been holed up for three months now, Jack. TV becomes a bit of a necessity."
Jack shook his head, sitting on the other end of the couch.
Suddenly, Nina winced slightly.
"What's wrong?" Jack looked over at her.
"Nothing. The baby just kicked." She said, holding her stomach.
"Really?"
"Yeah. It's so strange- this little person just kicking around in there."
"I know. It's good strange, though, right?"
"Definitely." She looked back at him, and a long silence fell between them.
Abruptly, all the electricity in the apartment went out and Jack and Nina were suddenly plunged into total darkness. Nina's cell phone rang from the table beside her. A bit shaken, she picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Hey, girl. Hope we're not interrupting anything."
"We just wanted to stop by. You know, to offer our congratulations." Nina heard a heavy British accent join Mandy's voice on the phone.
She slammed the phone down on the bedside table, looking at the vague outline of Jack's face with alarm.
"They're here."
~*~
Counting the Cost
~*~
Chapter Thirteen
Fool For You
~*~
And I'm in so deep
You know I'm such a fool for you.
You got me wrapped around your finger
Do you have to let it linger?
~*~
Kim wrote a big C for "clothes" on her last packing box.
"I think I'm finally finished." She wiped her sweaty bangs off her brow, putting her hands on her hips triumphantly.
"I didn't even know you had this much stuff." Jack laughed, picking up some of the boxes.
"Suddenly, my apartment is seeming very insufficient." Chase grinned as well, grabbing some of the other boxes to take out to his truck.
"Come on- I'm not as bad as most girls. Actually, I couldn't find a lot of my clothes." She said; her brow furrowed slightly.
"What?" Chase looked confused as well.
"Yeah, it was the strangest thing. Dad, you remember those jeans that I like obsessed with and that blue turtlenecky thing I used to wear all the time?"
"Yeah." Jack said, keeping his expression neutral.
"They weren't in my closet."
"Weird." Jack said simply.
Kim shrugged, grabbing the smallest box.
"Let's go."
~*~
The three of them unloaded all the boxes from Chase's truck and Jack's SUV after they arrived at Chase's nice apartment complex.
"Well, this is it." Kim leaned against the car, smiling at her dad.
Jack nodded.
"Thanks for helping me move out, dad."
"Of course. I'll see you at work tomorrow."
"Yeah. Love you." She hugged him tightly, reverting back to the day she'd left for college and panicked completely that she couldn't make it if her dad wasn't there with her.
"Love you too." Jack smiled, hugging her back.
Chase stood awkwardly by, and Jack and Kim parted, Kim looking over at Chase and smiling.
"What, Jack? No hug?" Chase grinned.
"I don't know if we're there yet." Jack smiled back.
"Fair enough."
"Take good care of her. Or you're fired." Jack raised his eyebrows at Chase, patting him on the arm and smiling at them both before getting back in his car and driving back home.
~*~
Jack reached his apartment, and looked around it forlornly. It seemed so empty now.
Suddenly, he realized he hadn't checked on Nina all day, he'd been so distracted with moving Kim out. He remembered Kim asking about her clothes, and it reminded him to grab something for her. He walked down the hall, knocking on Nina's door.
"Hey." She smiled; answering the door wearing a black, stretchy dress of Kim's Jack had given her.
"Hey. I think this is the only time I've ever seen you in a dress."
"Not by choice. It's the only thing that still fits."
"Well, until now." Jack handed her what he had brought.
"Your old CTU sweatpants and shirt. I'm touched."
"I just thought they'd be comfortable."
"Actually, good thinking."
"You sound surprised."
"That's because I'm far superior to you." Nina smiled sweetly, taking the clothes and walking back into her bedroom to change.
Jack waited outside, looking around. The apartment was still completely bare and looked very lonely. He sighed heavily, speaking towards the door.
"Hey, Nina?"
"Yeah?"
"Chase asked Kim to move in with him."
"Oh, he did? I liked Chase."
"I could tell by the way you almost shot him."
Nina grinned, coming out of the bedroom in the sweats.
"Well, I do that to all the boys I like."
"Anyways, it's just me in the apartment now."
"And?" Nina put her hands on her hips, not cutting him any slack.
"And…I mean, it would be a lot easier to help you if you were just…right there."
Nina clapped her hand to her heart in mock surprise.
"Jack, are you asking me to move in with you? This is such a big step for us! Are you sure we're ready?" She said, her voice edged with sarcasm.
"Yes or no, Nina."
"Oh, why not?" She shrugged.
"Good. You can just have Kim's old room."
"Just let me pack- oh wait. I have nothing."
"Then let's go."
~*~
Jack brushed his teeth in the bathroom as Nina sat on the couch, watching Conan O'Brien and eating popcorn.
"Oh, Conan, you slay me." She grinned, popping another piece of popcorn in her mouth.
"I don't get him." Jack said, wiping off his mouth and entering the living room.
"Are you kidding? He's a comic genius!"
"How would you know?"
"I've been holed up for three months now, Jack. TV becomes a bit of a necessity."
Jack shook his head, sitting on the other end of the couch.
Suddenly, Nina winced slightly.
"What's wrong?" Jack looked over at her.
"Nothing. The baby just kicked." She said, holding her stomach.
"Really?"
"Yeah. It's so strange- this little person just kicking around in there."
"I know. It's good strange, though, right?"
"Definitely." She looked back at him, and a long silence fell between them.
Abruptly, all the electricity in the apartment went out and Jack and Nina were suddenly plunged into total darkness. Nina's cell phone rang from the table beside her. A bit shaken, she picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Hey, girl. Hope we're not interrupting anything."
"We just wanted to stop by. You know, to offer our congratulations." Nina heard a heavy British accent join Mandy's voice on the phone.
She slammed the phone down on the bedside table, looking at the vague outline of Jack's face with alarm.
"They're here."
~*~
