Warnings: Careful. It's oozing with sap and cheese.
Rating: M
Spoilers: Anything up to episode 5x16.
Notes:
Takes place at the end of season 5. Probably AU, considering we haven't seen how season 5 ends yet.
The threat is over. Audrey turns out to be a traitor mole after all. Jack (somehow) manages not to have to be turned over to China. And Homeland Security is not in charge of CTU.
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It was over. Finally. She could go home soon. They could all go home, everyone that had worked through this long, nerve-racking ordeal. All that were still alive that is.
Chloe's eyes wandered across the room, landing on Edgar's desk. Edgar. Her friend. Her friend, who had always been so nice to her, always tried hard to impress her. The memory of him as he called out her name then crumpled to the floor replayed in her mind. She tightened her jaw to hold the tears at bay. Poor Edgar. All he'd ever tried to do was be her friend. But she'd been so mean to him, never really let him in. She'd kept Edgar at arm's length, never really let him past her defenses, just like everyone else. Well, almost everyone else.
"Chloe?" a deep, silky voice cut through the silence.
She jumped. She had thought she was alone, everyone else either having left for the night or in the meeting to brief the replacement personnel who would temporarily handle CTU now that the crisis was over.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," he continued from behind her.
"It's okay," she muttered as she brushed away the moisture from her eyes. Satisfied that she'd erased all traces of her emotional display, she spun her chair around to face Jack Bauer.
He looked like hell.
Chloe could easily say that if anyone's day had been worse than hers, it was Jack's. Not only had he narrowly evaded death multiple times, including gunfire, explosions and numerous close encounters with nerve gas, he'd truly lost everyone he cared about. Former president Palmer, one of his dearest friends and a man who'd saved his life, had been assassinated. Tony, his most trusted friend, had died in his arms. His daughter, Kim, had turned her back on him and refused to let him be a part of her life. And Audrey, the woman he loved, had turned out to be a traitor.
When Jack had first 'come back from the dead', he had been aloof and distant toward Audrey. Yet after he had saved her from Burke's interrogation, it seemed obvious to Chloe that he had opened his heart to her again.
Chloe had felt a pang of jealousy, but since she'd never even considered herself in the running for Jack's affections, she was happy for him. A man who had saved as many lives as he had deserved happiness. He deserved a woman who could fully accept who he was and the awful things he had to do. It seemed like Audrey had done that. Jack must have thought so too… right up until Chloe had discovered Audrey had been in on the plot from the beginning. She had played him and used his feelings to her own advantage.
The manipulative, cold-hearted bitch. Chloe couldn't fault Jack for trusting her. Audrey had fooled a lot of people, Buchanan and herself included. But she didn't know how Jack would ever trust another person again.
Chloe was surprised she hadn't said all this aloud. She did, after all, have a bad habit of blurting out inappropriately blunt comments at the worst times. She supposed it was the look in Jack's eyes or maybe the dejected slump in his shoulders as he crossed the room toward her that made her say instead, "I'm sorry, Jack."
Those simple words couldn't express how she really felt. How it'd killed her to have to be the one to deliver the news to him that he had been betrayed by the woman he loved and trusted. How she had crumbled inside when she saw the look on his face as the truth sank in and broke his heart. How she blamed herself for not discovering it sooner, and how she knew if she had only worked harder, searched more thoroughly, she would have seen Audrey's deception before Jack reopened his heart to her.
Chloe would have done anything to spare Jack the anguish, sorrow, and anger she saw darkening his eyes. She could have. She could have kept his heart from breaking once again. But she hadn't. She'd failed at her job, and worse yet, she'd failed her friend. Quite possibly the one friend she trusted most and cared most deeply about.
"I'm really sorry," she muttered and cast her eyes to the floor as Jack stopped in front of her.
He didn't answer. He didn't move. Chloe glanced up at him and saw an expression she couldn't quite name, but she was sure she saw at least a hint of confusion in it.
"I mean," she tried to explain, "…if I'd have found out about Audrey sooner, you..." Her voice trailed off as she realized she was doing it after all: saying exactly the wrong thing. The situation with Audrey was the last thing Jack needed to be reminded of. Her face scrunched into a grimace. "Never mind."
After a brief silence, Jack responded, "Chloe, none of this is your fault."
"We both know that's not true, Jack," she argued, gaze still fixed on the floor. "I could have prevented this, everything that happened to you and all those innocent people."
She felt his hand rest firmly on her shoulder as he knelt in front of her. "Chloe," he began, but stopped when she shook her head to indicate she wasn't open to argument.
With his free hand, Jack pushed her chin up to meet his eyes. "Really. You did everything you could, a lot more than anyone else could have." With her gaze steadily locked on his, he continued, "You did more than anyone else would have. I can never thank you enough for that."
"Yeah. Thanks, Jack, but you really don't have to say that just to make me feel better."
Something close to amusement flitted across Jack's face before he responded, "I mean it, Chloe. You've risked your job, hell even your life for me."
Not knowing how to answer, Chloe muttered, "I only did what I thought was right."
The corner of Jack's lips turned upward into a half smile, then his gaze drifted away. Chloe studied his features as his face grew pensive. She couldn't guess what he must be thinking, but after a moment, she felt his hand relax on her shoulder. When he finally spoke, his voice was so low she wasn't sure whether he was talking to her or himself. "You've always been there for me no matter what. I wouldn't even have to ask, and you'd be there for me."
When Chloe felt Jack's hand move very slightly down her shoulder then back up again, her body tingled.
"There's no one I trust more than you," he finished. When his eyes returned to hers, his features had softened. His gaze momentarily dropped to her lips, causing Chloe to consider the possibility that he might kiss her. Instead, he whispered, "There's no one I need more than you."
Chloe's cheeks flamed. Her mind scrambled to explain the emotions she swore she saw in his eyes. She must be imagining it. Jack couldn't possibly mean that in the way she'd heard it. Even if he could ever have those kinds of feelings for her, there's no way he was over Audrey enough to be acting on them now. Yet, she desperately wanted to be right. After this nightmare of a day, she longed to escape into the comfort of Jack's kiss, to be wrapped in the safety of his arms, the arms of a man who had, despite her best efforts, worked his way past her armor to become someone she trusted completely, someone she loved.
Before she could rethink, Chloe leaned forward in her chair and pressed her lips to Jack's. When he didn't respond immediately, she began to regret her bold action. Yet as she pulled back and tried to stammer out an embarrassed apology, Jack's hand went to her hair, drawing her lips back to his.
Jack stood slowly, drawing Chloe up with him, his lips never leaving hers. Then, he wrapped his arm around Chloe's waist and pulled her tightly against him.
The kiss was deep and intense, and it felt to her as if he were searching for something. She knew she was. And she knew she had found it. She wondered, had he?
Chloe's eyes remained closed when Jack finally pulled away. "You kissed me back," she said before she could stop herself.
Jack chuckled softly, and her eyelids fluttered open in time for her to be rewarded with the rare but beautiful treasure that is Jack Bauer's smile. She smiled back.
"Yeah, I did," he answered.
"But. . ." Chloe ran her fingers across her lips, trying to process the fact that Jack Bauer's lips had just been in that very spot. Her brow furrowed as she asked, "Why?"
Jack's eyes met hers, and Chloe noticed that the darkness that had once been there was replaced by a hopeful spark. Jack's fingers gently caressed her hair as he answered, "Because it feels good being this close to the one woman I'll always depend on."
Chloe didn't know what to say. Of all probable ways she could have imagined the day ending, this wouldn't have even been on her list. After all, only a few hours ago, Jack had been acting very lovey-dovey with Audrey. Suddenly feeling like second-prize, she blurted out, "You're not just using me as a replacement for Audrey are you?"
Jack looked like she'd punched him in the stomach, and Chloe immediately regretted saying what she had. Yet he didn't get upset. He simply answered her question. "Chloe, I would never do that to you. After everything you've done for me, I'd be a pretty big sleazebag to do that. I won't try to tell you that I'm completely over Audrey and what she did, because I'm not. But anything that happens between me and you is only about us, not anyone else, okay?"
She nodded, "Okay."
Chloe was taken by surprise when Jack planted another, brief kiss on her lips. She was even more surprised when she heard someone loudly clear his throat a short distance away.
"Am I interrupting?"
Jack turned to face the owner of the voice. "No, Bill. I was just asking Chloe if she'd like me to take her home."
All Bill Buchanan managed to get out was a bewildered, "Oh."
Jack turned back to Chloe, and gave her a questioning look. "Well?"
"Sure, if you want." Chloe nodded then turned to Buchanan. "I can leave now, right?"
Buchanan remained speechless for a moment before he replied, "Yes, of course. The replacement personnel have been briefed, and we should be able to handle things without you from here on out."
"Thanks," Chloe answered as she scrambled to get her bag.
Buchanan stepped closer. "But before you go, I want to thank you both for all your efforts today. We couldn't have stopped this threat without either of you."
"Thank you, Bill," Jack replied as he and Chloe turned to leave.
Before they could take a step, Buchanan called out. "And make sure I don't accidentally not interrupt anything again while you're on duty."
Chloe's embarrassment and the reddening of her cheeks replaced her usual snarky response, and she looked sheepishly at the ground. Jack nodded and placed his hand on the small of her back as they made their way out of CTU.
As they approached the CTU-issued car Jack had requisitioned, Chloe stopped to ask, "Will you stay with me? When you take me home, will you come inside and stay with me?" Nervous that Jack might answer in the negative, Chloe began to ramble. "You don't have to, but… well, you don't really have anywhere else to stay, and I'd…"
Jack placed a finger on Chloe's lips to stop her. "Of course I will."
He kissed her softly, then, to Chloe's surprise, he walked to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for her. They drove in silence, neither wanting to waste words with frivolous small talk, and neither wanting to say what was really on their minds until they'd reached a more intimate, more private setting.
Once inside, Jack watched Chloe lock the door then took her hand and pulled her to him. He tucked her hair behind her ears and gently kissed her lips. Then he looked into her eyes and whispered, "I want you to know that if you need to talk about what happened today, that I'm here for you."
"Thanks. I'm here for you, too." Chloe bit her lip and squeezed Jack's hands. "But, um. . . Can we talk about that later? I'd rather not think about it right now."
Jack nodded, but before he could voice a response, Chloe's lips were caressing his.
Hands explored unfamiliar areas of each other's bodies, and clothes were shed and left abandoned on the floor as they inched their way into Chloe's bedroom. Once there, Chloe had the best sex of her life, and judging by the sweat dripping from his hair and the way he kissed her afterward then breathlessly whispered, "You're amazing," she thought Jack enjoyed it too.
Chloe snuggled into Jack's arms and found she could barely keep her eyelids from sliding shut. Jack began to stroke her hair, and she knew he had found what he was looking for. Now she would make sure his heart never broke again.
As she drifted off to sleep, Chloe's final thought was that only in her wildest dreams had she ever expected to end this day naked in Jack Bauer's arms. But she had.