Jesse looked in on Jack and smiled as he was asleep again. She thought he sure could sleep a lot, but she didn't blame him after the day's he has had. She went to the living room and turned the radio on while she went to cook supper for them. But cooking supper quickly turned into her usual ways of singing and dancing through the hosue to whatever song that came on. She had forgotten Jack was there so she turned it up and let in to the urge to dance and sing with the music.

When I look into your eyes
I can see a love restrained
But darlin' when I hold you
Don't you know I feel the same

'Cause nothin' lasts forever
And we both know hearts can change
And it's hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain

Jack heard the music and slowly opened his eyes. He heard Jesse singing it and smiled even if he found the song to be depressing and bring up old memories. He slowly pushed himself out of the bed standing up he looked at himself in the mirror and almost laughed at how horrible he looked. He slowly walked to the door avoiding moving to fast as it brought pain to his torso.

We've been through this auch a long long time
Just tryin' to kill the pain
But lovers always come and lovers always go
An no one's really sure who's lettin' go today
Walking away
If we could take the time
to lay it on the line
I could rest my head
Just knowin' that you were mine
All mine
So if you want to love me
then darlin' don't refrain
Or I'll just end up walkin'
In the cold November rain

Do you need some time...on your own
Do you need some time...all alone
Everybody needs some time...
on their own
Don't you know you need some time...all alone

Jesse was in the middle of the song really into it. She loved the song it had always been one she could listen to and find a new meaning in it ever time. She was in the kitchen playing the air guitar while she searched for a pan to cook with. She was getting ready to go into a drum part when she saw someone out of the corner of her eye. She jumped dropping the pan she had grabbed. "God Jack. Could you have been a little more louder when you were coming down the hallway?"

"Sorry didn't mean to interrupt your concert there."

"Sorry I didn't mean to be so loud. We are going to have to get you some bells so I can hear you coming."

"You didn't wake me. What are you cooking?" Jack said ignoring the last part.

"Food go sit down or something."

"I can help." He said feeling useless.

"No doctors orders were for you to rest. Now go rest or I'll drive you right back to the hospital."

Jack glared at her and smiled. He left and went and sat on the couch. The blood stain was gone from him he thought as he lowered himself on the couch. He was lying there when he heard something come running down the hallway. He knew by the sound of it who it was. "JESSE!" He said urgently.

"Jack be nice to Jack."

"Who's suppose to be nice?"

"Both of you. Just don't make any sudden movements and I'm sure he won't attack you."

"That's not funny." Jack said tensing as the dog walked up next to him. He sat down and growled at Jack. Jack looked at him trying not to seem to intimidating he knew if he intimidated the dog it would attack him.

The dog lunged up at Jack hitting him in the chest and Jack groaned in pain as the claws sat on the cuts. The dog licked Jack's face before he could kick him off.

Jesse heard Jack groan and ran into the room to see Jack on Jack licking him. She watched as Jack moved him off him gently as to not hurt the dog any worse. Jack grabbed his stomach and closed his eyes blocking out the pain.

"Jack are you ok?" She asked looking at him worried.

"Yeah. Just hurts a little. I don't think he broke anything open."

"I was talking to the dog." She said. She almost laughed when Jack the human looked up at her with a hurt look on his face. She smiled at him and started laughing. "God you are so gullible some times." She petted the dog and sat down next to Jack. "pull your shirt up so I can look."

Jack looked at her as if she were crazy.

"I've seen you without your shirt on. And believe me Bauer it's not my ploy to see it again, it's not the best sight in the world." She lied it had got her attention last time she saw it.

I know it's hard to keep an open heart
When even friends seem out to harm you
But if you could heal a broken heart
Wouldn't time be out to charm you

Sometimes I need some time...on my
own
Sometimes I need some time...all alone
Everybody needs some time...
on their own
Don't you know you need some time...all alone

She helped him lift the shirt up and there was a little blood where one of the staples had been moved. She almost got sick looking at the stab wounds and the bruises they weren't the best things to look at. "Doesn't look bad. Sorry about that. I should have told you he's usually pretty kind to strangers especially when they aren't pointing a gun at me."

"It's ok." Jack said looking into her eyes. He smiled at her to prove everything was fine and he even petted the dog. "Of all names you could have chosen you had to choose Jack for him?"

"Hey I knew him before I knew you."

Jack stood up slowly trying not convey the pain he felt, "I'm going to take a shower if that's ok?"

"Yeah. The towels are in the cabinet. Dinner should be done by time your finished." She smiled at him.

Jack and Jack walked down the hall. The dog followed Jack all the way into the bathroom and lay on the floor looking up at the new man in his house. Jack smiled at the dog and grabbed a towel out of the cabinet.

Jesse tried not to laugh as she watched Jack follow Jack down the hallway. That was the quickest she had seen him take to someone new. She knew she had to talk to Jack when he got out of the shower. She couldn't stand the tension between them. She knew he liked her, she didn't need Kate to tell her that, but it did give her the courage to confront Jack. She didn't want to get hurt again she didn't know if her heart could take another breaking it had been broken so many times that it might not heal again. She heard the water turn off as she set the table and worked up all her courage. She walked down the hall and knocked on the door. Jack opened it with the towel around his waist and smiled at her as she looked at his chest. "Yeah?"

"Hurry up suppers done."

"Oh ok." Jack said walking out into the bedroom, the dog following him. He quickly found some suitable clothes. When he walked to the dining room she was already sitting there waiting for him. He sat down and began to eat, he felt like he hadn't eaten in a long time. Hospital food didn't count because it was probably the worst tasting food he had ever had.

Jesse worked up her courage she lost the minute she saw him in the towel, "We need to talk Jack."

"About what?" He said getting worried he had done something wrong. He liked her and he didn't want to loose her even if he hadn't had her yet.

"About us."

"Oh." He said in a way that made her doubt everything she thought she knew. "I knew this would come up." He smiled at her reassuringly.

There was a silence neither of them sure how to broach the subject. "Um. Well would you like to go out some time? A movie or something?" Jack asked finally with all the courage he could muster.

"Yes. I would love that." She smiled at him it was weird because they had jumped all of the normal phases of the first date and so on and it was already at the point where he was staying with her, even if it was just so she could take care of him.

"Good. Glad we got that over with. I really do like you a lot even if you are a pain in the butt." Jack said smiling.

"Excuse me I'm the pain in the butt?" She looked at him smiling, "Who was the big baby that complained every minute he was in the hospital if it wasn't the food, it was being there, or the nurse of anything you could find to have to leave."

"Hey you try drinking liquids for awhile and calling that a meal. Right now this taste so good, and I'm sure Allen was correct about your cooking skills and later I'll be sick from this, but it taste good now because I haven't eaten decent food in a long time." Jack said poking the burnt mean on his plate he couldn't quite identify.

And when your fears subside
And shadows still remain
I know that you can love me
When there's no one left to blame
So never mind the darkness
We still can find a way
'Cause nothin' lasts forever
Even cold November rain

Don't ya think that you need somebody
Don't ya think that you need someone
Everybody needs somebody
You're not the only one
You're not the only one

A FOLLOW UP TO COME: QUICK PRIVIEW. Life for Jack Bauer is almost back to before that fateful day. But Aharon comes back to town, and Jack just might not survive the day. Can he save the people he loves, and himself before the clock runs out. NEW FIC coming whenever I get of my lazy ass and write it. Thanks to CrazyNut24 from the forum for the music video that was the inspiration for this fic.

AND THANK ALL WHO READ. I know it was quiet a chore. Thank you though.