Chapter 5: A Walk to Remember
Jay and Chloe go out the back door and follow the path into a piney forest. Chloe shivers a little, and Jay takes off his dinner jacket to wrap it around her.
"Thank you. But aren't you cold?" Chloe had returned to the way she talks at SGC.
"I'm a "damn Yankee," remember?"
"Now don't you start that again." The southern drawl returned.
"All right. " From that point on, they walked in silence, fingers intertwined, until they got to a bridge. (Yes, the same bridge that was show in Avenger 2.0). They stood at the top and warmly embraced each other. The moon was shining down so brightly that they could see every detail of each others faces as if it were the middle of the afternoon.
"Why did you kiss me the other day?" Jay asked with a look that pierced right through Chloe. Her ease and calmness shuddered as she ran as fast as she could away from him. He chased after her and grabbed her by the arm.
"Chloe, if you have feelings for me, it's all right. In case you haven't noticed, I feel the same way about you. You really do have nice eyes, Chloe. You should wear contacts more often." Jay wrapped his arms around Chloe's waist.
"Thank you." Chloe rested her head on Jay's shoulder, feeling a lot calmer.
"I want to tell you something, but I need you to promise that you won't freak out."
"I'll do my best."
"Allrighty. Chloe, I love you."
Chloe had been waiting forever to hear him say that, so it took her a couple seconds to catch her breath. Then a bright smile came across her face. "I love you, too." She whispered as she threw her arms around his neck and planted a big wet one on his cheek. They kissed passionately for about two minutes before Chloe pushed him away.
"Wait. Wait. Wait. What about Carter?"
"What about her?"
'"You were drooling all over her about three days ago. And now you want a relationship with me? I cannot be your second choice."
"You're not. I guess you do deserve an explanation."
"Darn right, I do."
He leads her to a nearby bench where he sits her down. Then he sits on the other side of the bench facing the other direction.
"Well, when you and I first got together, I knew within a month that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, take care of you, have children with you. You stirred feelings in me that I had never before experienced before. I longed to have you by my side forever. But at the same time, I feared your rejection more than I have ever feared the Goa'uld. You mean everything to me. Carter was just an infatuation. You're my love."
"So why have you been a jerk to be for so long if you love me as much as you claim to?" Jay gets up and starts pacing back and forth.
"Protection. I went out of my way to be a jerk to you so that you would have no idea how I truly felt. Carter turned into a convenient way to throw you off the scent. But everything changed when you kissed me. There was hope. The possibility existed that you might love me, too. So I decided to risk it all. Hence, tonight. You know that when I do something, I do it big. I know I promised I wouldn't do this again, but I had to.
You see, I resigned SGC and fired you so that you and I would no longer be bound by professional restrictions. I told your dad that if something went wrong, he was to just show up at your apartment tomorrow claiming to want to help you move and not tell you anything about my calling him. You know me. I'm a risk taker. I don't expect you to understand everything or even a small part of what's been going on, (he sits back down on the bench and takes her hands into his.) but I hope that you will at least believe me when I say that there's only one other women in my life besides you, and she's in that house. I hurt you in the name of protecting myself.
I have ignored you, berated you, dismissed some of your best ideas, and even made you watch me throw myself at another woman, and you have taken it all better that any other woman in the entire galaxy would have, including Major Carter. I don't think she has even one millionth of the patience that you do. In spite of how I treated you, you continued to be the sweet and supported angel that I love. Anyway, I'm sorry. You deserve better in a lover."
Chloe takes a deep breath and sits silently for a few seconds with no real definite expression on her face. Jay sits back down and puts his hand on Chloe's hands which are folded in her lap. The silence is killing him. "All I want right now is to hear your voice. Just say something. Anything." Chloe stayed silent for a couple more minutes. "Are you angry?" Jay asked desperately.
"I was being quiet because right now because I am afraid that my alarm clock will soon go off and this whole evening will have been a dream." Jay scooted a little closer and wraps his arm around her. She rested her head in his bosom, and they both just sat there for a few minutes to savor the moment. Then Jay opened his mouth again.
"I'm going to take one more risk, them I swear I will stop. Chloe, will you marry me?"