Disclaimer: I don't own 24! If I did Jack and Chloe would have been together by now.

A/N: I'm so sorry that I didn't update for a really long time, but senior year in high school kind of does that to you. I hope you like this chapter and enjoy reading!

It's Good to Have You Here

Chloe stared at the computer screen hoping her stepmother's name would somehow delete itself from the company's records. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, uncertain as to what to do next. Her mind came to a numbing shock and the gears creaked to a slow halt. She barely felt Spenser's hand on her shoulder as he gently shook her to get her attention.

"Chloe-" he started but she shrugged his hand away.

"Shut up."

"But-"

"Spenser. Just. Shut. Up." The low, calm, and yet biting voice made him step away warily. Edgar coughed and backed away slightly knowing that Chloe was long overdue for an emotional explosion. Spenser and Edgar glanced at each other before the former nodded somberly. He turned to retrieve Jack from Buchanan but stopped when he heard the wheels of Chloe's chair squeak. She was on her feet still staring at the screen.

"I'll go," she said. Spenser gave her a puzzled look. Chloe turned sharply and bumped into Spenser's shoulders.

"I'll tell Jack that my stepmother is liable to be a terrorist. That all right with you?" she asked acrimoniously. He just nodded and stepped back so that she would have room to get out of the circle of desks. Chloe walked off with an air of stubbornness. Spenser shook his head.

"I forgot what it's like to work with her."

Edgar crossed his arms.

"And whose fault is that?"

Spenser just returned to his desk and typed on his keyboard fully knowing the answer.

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Chloe walked up the stairs laboriously wondering why she was feeling so tired. She had days like this before when everything went straight to hell and she was right besides Jack to help him endure it. This time was different. It was she who was taken hostage. It was her father who died because of her. It was her stepmother's name that popped up on the computer. How did Jack keep himself from crawling underneath his covers and not coming out until judgment day? She stopped right before the glass doors and blankly watched as she saw Jack briefing Buchanan. How did it come to this? She stared right back at Jack when he noticed she was at the door. She opened the door after taking a big breath.

"What is it Chloe?" Buchanan asked not unkindly. Chloe chewed the inside of her cheek before answering.

"We might have a lead," she replied. The two men stepped toward her with puzzled looks.

"Sophie O' Brian. Her name came up on the company's records. She's my stepmother."

Buchanan and Jack exchanged shocked glances before staring back at Chloe.

"So? Aren't you going to do anything?" she asked with a huff. Buchanan cleared his throat obviously shocked at how his analyst bounced back to her normal self so quickly. However, Jack knew that this was just a mask, a shred of something that Chloe could hold onto. It was still a relief to have some of her old self with them. Jack nodded to Buchanan.

"Chloe, go with Jack," Buchanan ordered.

"Of course, I will." And with that she walked out. Buchanan grabbed Jack's arm before he followed her.

"Jack. I need to know. Is she stable enough to do her job?" he asked solemnly. Jack coldly looked at his colleague.

"You just sent her out on the field. What do you think?" Jack reached for the door.

"Jack!"

Jack turned around with an unreadable expression on his weary face. Somewhere inside, it felt as if cold metal was twisting his guts and he wasn't quite sure why. All he knew was that he wouldn't like Buchanan's next words.

"I want you to know as much as I respect Chloe and her talent, I have to know if she's up to this. If I suspect that her emotions are getting in the way, I'll have no choice but to pull her out," Buchanan explained with regret. If the situation did come to that, CTU would be severely handicapped. He had never saw how much Chloe had become an integral part of the team until he realized they might not have her this time around.

"It won't come to that, Bill," Jack assured him. Buchanan crossed his arms.

"Are you sure?"

"I know Chloe. She knows what's at stake."

Buchanan gave him a short nod.

"All right. Get to work, Jack."

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Chloe crossed her arms as she sat in the passenger seat of Jack's car. How many more surprises would she have to take before she went into cardiac arrest? She inwardly groaned as she felt her headache grow and she rubbed her temples. Chloe glanced to the side as Jack slid into his seat. She quickly turned her head when Jack looked up. How did he do it? How did he manage to jumpstart her heart with just one look? Even the death of her father couldn't slow down her pulse, which the very idea of that tugged at her guilty conscience.

"So can you tell me about your stepmother?" Jack asked cautiously. She guessed he had reason to tread with care. Everyone at CTU knew about her volatile temper.

"Other than the fact that she's a gold digger and quite possibly a terrorist?" she replied. Jack nodded. "I don't know how she met Dad but they met. It was love at first sight for my Dad even though she was like old enough to be my sister. Got married within two months. It was supposed to be six but Sophie just couldn't 'live another day without spending it with him'. So they got married, and acted like newlyweds for at least three years."

Jack had a thoughtful look on his face as turned right on the corner.

"Did she have access to your father's business bank accounts? Or did she have money of her own?"

"Dad gave her money once a month when she wouldn't stop bugging him about it. It might have been more than that after I moved out. I don't know. How do you do it?" she asked suddenly in afterthought. Jack glanced at her before staring out through the windshield.

"What do you mean?" he asked quietly.

"All this. This is your life. How do you keep it all together?"

There was a long silence and Chloe could see Jack stiffen. She cursed herself knowing that Jack liked to talk about his personal life just as much as she did. Chloe bit her tongue before speaking.

"Never mind. Sorry." She looked to her window wishing she could melt through the seat.

"I don't deal with it. It's the only way to keep me sane," he paused to gauge his colleague's reactions, "When you have this job, you see things that you wish you didn't. You do things that you can't forgive. At some point, enough is enough. You just got to let it waste away."

"So … you let it all sit there. That can't be healthy, Jack," she said perhaps a little too chidingly.

"Well, what would you have me do, Chloe!" he asked harshly with gritted teeth.

"I don't know. I'm not the right person to ask. Not by a long shot." Jack breathed in deeply.

"Leave things alone and they won't blow up in your face."

Chloe snorted.

"Yeah, but if you don't pick them up someone else will end up stepping in them. And why in the world are we talking in metaphors?" Jack chuckled and continued driving.

Somehow, everything about Chloe seemed like a metaphor to him and maybe that was the very thing that made her…special.

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Sophie O'Brian opened her eyes to find herself in the arms of a very naked man. She pulled away from him slightly and reached for her robe, which had been draped across her lamp haphazardly sometime in the night. The woman pulled it over her shoulders and she patted her hair in hopes of calming it. She glanced at the man still underneath the covers. Scott? Sebastian? Sam? His name had started out with an "S"… Her train of thought drifted off when she heard a car door slam. And then another.

Sophie slipped out of her bed and cautiously peeked through the blinds of her window. A man possibly in his forties was talking to a young woman. It was the woman who caught her eyes. Well, well, well. This would certainly be entertaining.

She dashed to her bed and roused S the only way she knew how. She kissed him passionately until he woke and groan. Sophie pulled away and then shook his shoulders.

"Come on, up up up. You have to go," she said looking over her shoulder to the door. She could hear them on the front doorstep. He groaned and reached for her. Sebastian, that's his name.

"Oh no you don't. Come on. They're here," she hissed. That said, he shot up from the bed. Sophie grabbed his clothes and tossed them. "Now dress."

"What about you?" he asked.

"This is all I need. Don't mess this up."

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Chloe stood in front of the door and then stepped back to see the rest of the mansion. It had been years since she had stepped foot into the place but it hadn't changed at all. She tried to come up with any happy memories that occurred there but she couldn't think of one. It came as no surprise to her. She turned when Jack put his hand on her shoulder and ignored the light flutters in her stomach.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked concerned.

"What do you think?" she replied harshly. Jack nodded and pressed the doorbell. She stared straight at the door waiting. After a full minute, which felt like a godforsaken year to her, the door opened with a clatter and her stepmother came in full view. Chloe let out a breath. She could do this, she could look at her in the eye, she wouldn't be scared, she-her stepmother was in a bathrobe. Chloe was certain there was nothing else underneath and then nearly rolled her eyes. She had forgotten how young Sophie O'Brian was. Sophie still had the long brown hair highlighted with strands of blonde, and she was still lithe and slender. It seemed like nearing the forties did wonders for her stepmother.

"Chloe?" Sophie gasped. Chloe bit her lip. If she was a terrorist, she was certainly a great actress.

"Hi, Sophie."

Sophie put one hand on her hip.

"Chloe, what is going on? You haven't been here in ages. But your father's not home. In fact, I just called him and he wasn't answering his phone."

Chloe willed her tears to stay in their duct.

"Ma'am. My name is Jack Bauer. I'm a CTU agent and we really need to talk."

Sophie looked to Chloe in confusion.

"About what? What in the world is going on, Chloe?"

"Let us in, Sophie. Please," she answered. Sophie stared at her for a long moment and then stepped away from the door. Jack took the lead and went in. Chloe followed soon after. The house really hadn't changed at all. The front entrance led to both the large kitchen and living room. She looked up. Yes, there was the chandelier that her mother had picked out. Sophie went into the kitchen and they followed.

The kitchen seemed barely used but the coffee pot was on brewing away. Chloe ran her fingers over the long counter. She thought she had baked brownies there with her mother once, but she wasn't too sure. Sophie moved past the counter and moved towards the coffee pot. She took out a mug and poured some in.

"I'd offer you some, but I wasn't expecting company." She leaned against the handle of her oven and took a sip. "So what's this all about?"

"Ma'am. Your husband was killed by a terrorist this morning. A terrorist named Timothy Rutgers. It showed up on our records that you gave a large amount of money to this man more than once."

"He's dead?" Sophie whispered. "Oh my God."

"I'm sorry but you're going to have to explain this money situation," Jack said. Sophie straightened up and clenched her mug so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"Are you saying that I had something to do with this? Are you saying that I'm a terrorist?" she snarled. At this moment, something in Chloe broke.

"Yeah, that's exactly what we're saying!" Chloe shouted. Jack glanced at her and put his hand on her arm.

"I love my husband!" Sophie yelled back.

"Yeah? Then why do you look like you just had sex? And I'm pretty sure you didn't have it with Dad considering he's dead!" Chloe growled. Sophie faltered at this.

"I just took a shower," she said. Chloe crossed her arms and out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Jack's hand resting on the hilt of his gun.

"Your hair isn't wet," Jack said quietly.

"I just dried it," Sophie said her voice wavering. Jack took four big steps forward.

"You're lying," he whispered and then ran forward with such energy that even shocked Chloe. He grabbed the woman's arms and slammed her against oven. Her head hit the microwave that was just above the oven.

"Now tell us what you know about Rutgers," he hissed. She let out a small, cruel laugh.

"You don't scare me," she whispered. Chloe's gut twisted into a knot. This was all so wrong. She held her breath as she watched her stepmother snake her naked leg around Jack. Sophie slowly untied the sash of her robes and then stared at Jack in the eyes. Then she covered his mouth with hers.

Chloe nearly threw up when she saw Jack kiss Sophie back with equal intensity.

Suddenly, Chloe heard a muffled scream and saw Jack back away from Sophie. Sophie sank to the floor with blood pouring out from her thigh. Chloe stared at her wide-eyed and then looked down at the white tiles. She saw a silver knife stained with red. Jack squeezed the wound and Sophie screamed once more. Chloe was tempted to cover her ears.

"Tell me what you know about Rutgers!" Jack yelled.

"I'm not going to tell you anything, you bastard!" Sophie screamed back. Jack reached for the knife again but stopped short when Sophie opened her mouth.

"SEBASTIAN! NOW!"

Jack grunted as she kicked him in the stomach but quickly took out his gun. As soon as he did, a man from the doorway took a shot at him with his gun. Jack ducked and the bullet hit a pan over the sink. Jack returned fire and shouted at Chloe to stay down. However, she caught sight of Sophie grabbing the knife and froze for a split second.

"JACK! WATCH OUT!"

Jack twisted in confusion and then groaned as the blade slashed his torso. He then tried to grab hold of Sophie's arm but she was too fast for him. She ran through the doorway behind them. The man now had his attention on Chloe and started shooting at her. Chloe crouched behind the counter hoping that it was enough protection.

"Jack!"

"Chloe, stay down!" He grabbed his gun and took cover behind the side of the oven and the microwave. Jack let out a curse before he stepped out from his cover and shot two times. He then slipped back and heard a bullet whiz past his shoulder. He then jumped back out and emptied his gun into the man a couple feet away from him. The dark-haired man's eyes rolled back and slumped to the floor.

Jack ran over to Chloe and helped her up.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" she asked staring at his wound.

"I'm fine."

"Jack, you're bleeding like a stuck pig. I'd hardly say you're fine," she said.

"It didn't cut too deeply. The bleeding will stop in a couple of minutes. Come on, we have to find her," he said in his no-nonsense voice. Chloe hesitated before nodding.

"She might be upstairs in her room. I mean, she's got to dress, right?" Chloe said. Jack nodded and then followed Chloe as she led them upstairs. He had been too clumsy. He should have heard the man approaching. He shouldn't have been stabbed. He had almost let Chloe get hurt.

They crept through the hallways in order not to alert Sophie. Jack heard a panicked shuffling in one of the rooms. With the gun in his hands, he approached the doorway. The room was like a study. A computer was sitting on a mahogany desk whirring away. Sophie had her hand on what looked like a flash drive.

"Put your hands up in the air!" he ordered. Sophie paused before she did so.

"Now get down on your knees and put your hands on your head!"

He then walked over and handcuffed her before she could cause any more damage. Jack pulled out a switchblade from underneath his jacket. Sophie glared at him.

"Tell me what I need to know."

"No," she whispered. Jack glanced up at Chloe.

"Chloe, I need you to go into the hallway."

"What? Why?"

"Chloe, please." He silently pleaded with her through his eyes. She had already gone through so much today. He was sure that watching him torture her stepmother was something that she didn't need. Jack needed Chloe functional, but it was more than that. He didn't want her to go through more emotional pain. Chloe nodded and stepped out of the room. He placed his full attention on the woman at hand.

"You have feelings for her," she whispered scornfully.

"Shut up," he hissed and placed the blade on her cheek. "What's on that flash drive?"

"Nothing you need to know about."

He grabbed her face and jerked it upwards. He ran his knife over her cheek and then up to her eye.

"I'd hate to ruin this pretty face," he murmured.

"I'm not talking."

"You sure about that?" he asked. She only glared at him and so he sunk his blade into her skin. She gasped.

"That hurt, doesn't it? It's nothing compared to what I'm going to do next, Sophie. No, still won't talk?"

Soon screams filled the room.

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Chloe winced when she heard her scream and rubbed her arms. She was suddenly glad that Jack had kicked her out of that room. Whatever he had done, it had to be painful. But she deserved every bit of it. What Sophie had done was a thousand times worse. Did Sophie marry her father knowing this very day was to come? Or did Rutgers approach her after they got married? Did Sophie get sick of him after the money ran out? Chloe rubbed her temples and let out a shaky breath.

Chloe looked up when she heard muffled yelling from Jack. She sighed and walked away to the window. When she was younger, she had always thought it strange that there was a window at the end of a hallway. But she came to love it. Chloe smiled remembering the days when she just sat in front of the window and stared. Just stared into the blossoms of the pear tree below. She ran her fingers over the windowpane and then finally she let herself crack again. Hot tears flowed from her eyes and she didn't bother to wipe them away.

She frowned when she heard a footstep. Was Jack done? Chloe turned around only to see Rutgers with a gun in his hand. She opened her mouth to scream but the barrel of the gun slammed against her head. Jack!

Everything turned black.

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"Okay, okay, I'll talk," Sophie cried. Jack dropped his knife onto the floor carefully.

"How do you know Rutgers?" he asked. She bit her lip and tried to keep her voice from quivering.

"He's a childhood friend. Ex-boyfriend. He called me one day asking me to help. He wanted money and wanted it soon. Said I owed him and I did. Tim helped me out a bunch of times so I couldn't refuse him. So I sent him money. Then he asked me for more and more that finally I told him that I wouldn't give him what he wanted until he told me what he was using it for."

"What did he tell you?" Jack asked. Sophie sniffled and then cried some more. Jack shook her shoulders. "What did he tell you?" he yelled.

"He told me-he told me-"

She didn't finish. Jack watched helplessly as her eyes rolled backward. Blood spurted from her head and the body dropped to the side. Jack looked up. Four men were in the room with him with their guns aimed straight at him. He got to his feet.

"What did you do to her?" he asked steely.

One man smirked.

"Shot her, of course. Can't you tell?" he asked laughing. Jack clenched his fist.

"Not her."

The man raised one eyebrow and then snapped his fingers. Jack's heart sank as he saw another man come into the room with Chloe draped over his shoulder.

"You mean her? Oh nothing permanent. Just a hit over the head."

Jack stepped forward. "You son of a bitch," he hissed.

The man laughed and crossed his arms.

"Now, now, Mr. Bauer. Language. I suppose you know who I am by now."

"Rutgers," he said with gritted teeth.

"Correct in one. Good thing I'm not working with a complete idiot. It makes my life a tad bit easier you know, but considering you are the Jack Bauer, I should have at least expected that."

"What's in that flash drive?" Jack growled.

"It's not really any of your business. Now get down on your knees and put your hands on your head."

Jack stood still not caring to obey Rutgers' orders. He flinched when one of the men aimed at Chloe's head.

"Now, get down on your knees," Rutgers demanded. Jack dropped to his knees and placed his hands on his head.

"Good. Hopefully, you'll be just as agreeable for the rest of the day. For her sake, anyway."

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The first thing Chloe noticed was that she had a throbbing headache. No, throbbing was putting it lightly. A soft moan escaped her lips as she opened her eyes. She blinked as she tried to stretch but her hands were bound tightly. What? She realized that she was in the back of a van and she could barely see her own two feet.

"Chloe? Are you okay?" Jack asked worriedly. He shuffled to her side. She noticed that he was bound too.

"What happened?"

"Rutgers. He killed Sophie before she could tell me anything and they're driving us somewhere," he replied. She looked around. The van had no windows and there was a tarp covering the front. Chloe bit her lip and then closed her eyes.

"Chloe?"

"I'm fine. It's just I have a headache and all this jostling from the terrible driving isn't helping things."

"Chloe, I'm sorry. I should have seen this coming. You should have never come along."

"Jack, you're not Superman, okay? Besides, this isn't going to help us escape."

Jack just smiled. Chloe licked her lips all of a sudden feeling very conscious of herself.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just…as horrible it is. I'm glad to have you with me," he answered. Chloe knew that there was a goofy smile on her face and she tried to wipe it off. Unfortunately, it didn't work and soon it was joined by a big, great blush.

"Well, that's um good."

There was an uncomfortable silence until Chloe realized that Jack had been stabbed.

"Jack! Your wound! Are you okay?" she exclaimed. Jack looked down and winced. It did look a little ugly.

"Yeah, it stopped bleeding awhile ago. It should be okay."

"But what if it's not? I mean, who knows how long we're going to be stuck like this. It could get infected if you don't get treatment. I mean look at it! Oh my God. The knife had Sophie's blood on it and now it's in you. What if she carries HIV? What if-" Jack brushed her lips softly with her own.

That shut her up quickly. However, Chloe's happiness was short-lived when the tires of the van hit a speed bump. She lurched forward and then slammed backwards. Jack supported her with his shoulder.

"Chloe?"

She moaned and the last thing she registered was the well toned muscles of Jack's chest before she lost consciousness.

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. Once again, I'm so sorry for the wait. Also I am definitely not a doctor and I have no idea if Jack should be still functional after being stabbed. I'm sorry if it's totally ridiculously inaccurate. Also, since I wrote this before Edgar died, Edgar will be alive in this story. Thanks to all past reviewers and please review!