Sam pried her eyes open and squinted at the sun streaming through the open curtains of the window. She groaned softly. The pounding in her head was immense, she wasn't sure if it was the result of the alcohol or the head injury, probably both.

Jack stirred next to her and threw his arm around her and pulled her close. His deep, even breathing told her he must still be asleep. Oh my god, what happened last night? The last thing she remembered was storming out onto the balcony after his withdrawal from her. Everything after that was just a blur, she didn't even recall how she got into the bedroom.

She could tell they both still had their clothes on, but why was he in bed with her, holding her so close? Against her better judgment, she remained where she was, safely ensconced in Jack's arms. She wanted to feel like a normal person for just a moment, not an agent embroiled in the middle of an investigation, so she tried not to wake him.

Eventually, the sunlight woke Jack too. He opened his eyes and found his arm over Sam, holding her body close to his. He knew he shouldn't have slept here with her, it was too tempting, thinking he could have this type of closeness again. But she had pleaded with him, and he just couldn't say no, not after all they had been through that night. It scared him that he felt so comfortable with her, he needed to get out of here, so he carefully peeled his body away from hers and slipped out of bed.

Jack went to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on his face and looked in the mirror. The same face always stared back at him. The face that knew it was unwise to start down this road again, that knew he had a job to do.

He needed to make a call. Jack went out to the deck and dialed. "CTU, Henry."

"Chris, it's Jack."

"Jack, thank god you're alright. Sam's boss has called looking for you and Murphy. Where are you?"

"We're somewhere safe. Look, someone set us up. They knew we were coming last night. I need your help."

Jack explained what he knew to Chris and they worked up a plan. He wanted to bring the traitor out into the open, and possibly expose Salazar in the process, but he needed Chris to do it. He hoped he could trust her, and she knew it was a leap of faith for Jack to ask for her help.

"Jack, do you know what you are getting into?"

"I can handle it."

"If it does turn out to be who you think, you're going up against the FBI hierarchy."

"Yeah, I know. Call me back with any background you can find on Sam's superiors. And keep it low key, ok?"

"Yeah, no problem. I've already got Chloe working on it. What about Murphy?"

"Don't worry, I can take care of her. She's safe with me."

"Jack, be careful."

Sam walked out on the balcony with two mugs of coffee and overheard the last comment. Jack's back was turned and he didn't know she was listening. Didn't he know by now that she didn't need taking care of?

"I will, thanks. Make sure that no one else finds out about this." He listened for a minute, then ended with, "Copy that." He hung up the phone and stared out at the pounding surf.

She startled him when she walked up behind him and asked, "Make sure no one finds out about what?"

He turned around and noticed her pale complexion. "How are you feeling? You don't look so hot." He went over to her side and examined the blow to her head, "Looks better today. It'll bruise, but I think you'll live."

"Thanks, besides the headache, I'm fine." She handed him the coffee. "Who was that?" She nodded towards his phone.

"My new boss. She is going to help us. I don't trust anyone on your side."

"Are you sure you can trust her?"

"I don't have a choice right now." She sat down, held her pounding head in her hands, and groaned. Jack grinned at her, "I told you not to drink so much."

She scowled and replied, "Dammit Bauer, why do you have to be right about everything?"

He chuckled and took a sip of coffee. Sam swallowed her pride and said, "Jack, I—"at the same time that Jack said, "Sam, look—."They both exhaled a small, nervous laugh and Sam motioned for him to continue. "We don't need to talk about this right now. You drank too much last night, let's just forget it. We need to focus on the investigation."

She nodded, thankful that he let her off so easily, "Yeah, ok. You have a plan?"

Jack sat down next to her, "Yeah."

Sam nodded and listened to his plan, adding her opinion and suggestions. When he finished, she asked, "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"No, but we don't really have a choice. Unless you want to face Juan and Filipe again, we have to find out who is behind this and use them to get to Salazar."

Sam stood up, "Alright, but I definitely need a change of clothes and a fistful of aspirin first. Can we stop by my apartment?"

Jack was relieved that the tension between them had abated a little. They locked the beach house and found the truck on the next block over. They stopped at Jack's first so he could shower and get a fresh set of clothes. Sam wandered around his tiny apartment and looked at several pictures of his daughter he had displayed around the room. She thought his bachelor apartment seemed dreary and impersonal.

The only sign of Jack she found in the room was the bookcase stuffed with books and the pictures of Kim. She walked over to the bookcase and thumbed through it. In between a spy novel and a worn copy of Shakespeare, she found a dog-eared picture. She picked it out and studied it. It was a much younger-looking Jack with his arm around what must be his wife, and he was kissing a teenage Kim. They all looked very happy, a family.

She studied Teri's picture, wondering what she was like. She was plain, but pretty, and her smile was warm and friendly. Sam knew from his report that Jack had gone through hell when she died, and she wondered how he managed to keep going. She knew that she had almost shut down when her old boss was killed in a routine bust. It nearly killed her when she lost her lover, she couldn't imagine losing a spouse.

She heard the shower shut off and quickly shoved the picture back where it was. Sam sat down and waited for Jack, who came out of the bathroom in a pair of faded jeans and a fitted gray t-shirt. His hair was still wet, and he hadn't shaved. Sam sucked in her breath, and quickly looked away. She needed to clear her mind for the task at hand and she resolved right then and there to stay focused.

"You ready? I'm dying to get out of these clothes." Jack's eyebrows rose behind her, but he just slipped on his shoes and followed her out the door.

They drove up to her apartment building and walked up the stairs. Sam, in the lead, noticed her front door was cracked open. She put up her hand to stop Jack. They simultaneously unholstered their guns and stood on either side of the door.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I hope you like this story, it's been a lot of fun to write so far. I thought it would be fun to give Jack a love interest who was an agent too, that he didn't necessarily have to protect all the time and who he could share everything with. But of course there are problems with that too....