-1Chloe O'Brian was struggling to get out of her padded office chair. Dammit, she thought to herself. This wasn't so hard last week. This wasn't as hard yesterday, come to think of it. She sighed angrily. The aching muscles in her back pleaded with her to just stay seated, but the sharp pangs in her bladder told her that it would be in her best interest to suck it up and head to the bathroom.

Maybe if I just roll my way over there…

Desperate thoughts were interrupted by the familiarly concerned voice of her co-worker. "You okay, Chloe? You look like you need some help." She scowled. "I'm fine Edgar. I don't need you to watch over me all the time. I'm a big girl." She inhaled deeply and made one more valiant attempt to hoist herself out of the plush rolly chair, but to no avail. She cursed herself quietly as she admitted defeat.

"Edgar?"

"Yeah Chloe?"

"Can you help me up?"

0000

Chloe was not the mothering type. She never had been, and she especially wasn't now. As a child she had always been more accustomed to playing with toy soldiers and cowboys n' Indians rather than playing with Barbies or playing house. She liked kids well enough, she supposed. She was pretty good with Chase's daughter Angela, but then again when she got fussy she could always give her back to Chase to take care of. She had decided long ago that having kids wasn't for her. She was too coarse. Too blunt to be tender. She didn't know how to comfort a crying baby or wipe a runny nose. None of those motherly things. Her own mother wasn't that much of one, maybe that's where she got it. Or lacked it, as the case may be.

But she'd had eight months to learn, and still had one more month left. As she lowered her head onto the pillow that night she gazed sadly at the picture by her bed. Those had been better times. The picture was from the CTU Company picnic, one of the few times she had seen him really enjoy himself. The last time they had gone out together. Looking at the picture she was flooded with memories. The storm that had ruined the food, the way he kissed her in the rain when no one was looking, the love they made that night after they had gotten home, soaked and tired. She never would have believed that eight months later he would be dead and she would be alone. Not that she could say she was surprised. Nothing in her life ever seemed to go as planned. She would make it work, though. Just like she always did. For now though, she would rest. As she closed her eyes, she touched the glass frame and whispered.

"Good night, Jack."

0000

She woke up the next morning feeling uneasy. Not sure if it was the soup she had eaten before bed, or something else, She took some Tums to be on the safe side and made her way to the shower. As she let the warm water hit her face, she couldn't help but feel like something was going to happen. Something major. Worry consumed her, but she shook it off as best she could. She didn't have time to worry. She was running late. Pulling her hair back into a wet ponytail, she put some clothes on and headed to work.

She arrived late, no thanks to the bumper to bumper traffic on the freeway. As she walked to her workstation she noticed an eerie feel to CTU today. It looked like business as usual, but everyone seemed to be focused on something in Bill Buchanan's office. Her mind drifted back to the feeling she'd had this morning and she swallowed nervously. Spotting Edgar out of the corner of her eye, Chloe drew his attention from Buchanan's office by handing him a donut.

"What's going on?" She murmured, not wanting to attract attention. Edgar ravaged the pastry, shrugging. "I dunno. Bill's been up there all day talking to someone. Rumor has it it's the new head of field ops."

"Is that all?" Chloe replied, mildly disappointed at his answer.

"Like I said. As far as I know."

She nodded and sat down at her workstation, opening her laptop. "Thanks Edgar." She sighed as she began her work, her mind quickly forgetting the stranger in the office.

Hours passed and Chloe found herself delving deep into her assignments. She had to get them done before she went on maternity leave, because she knew enough about babies that she knew she would never get them done if she waited. Working through lunch, she only stopped when she felt the familiar pang in her bladder that signified it was time for a break. As she headed towards the ladies room, she heard the soft metal clank of Bill's door shutting, followed by a voice that stopped her in her tracks.

"Chloe."

She turned slowly, her mouth agape as she recognized the man who had called her name.

"…Jack?"

His blue steel gaze softened at the sight of her, a small smile almost forming on his face. Chloe blinked a couple of times, frozen, making sure her eyes weren't playing cruel tricks on her.

They weren't.

In an instant she was overcome with a flood of emotion. What first came to her as shock and relief at his appearance quickly turned to shock and anger. He was alive. He'd been alive all this time. As she snapped back into the moment, she noticed the alert eyes of everyone on the floor, watching them. The silence was deafening. She needed to get out of this situation.

Swallowing tightly, she turned and walked away, leaving Jack Bauer standing on the cold metal steps alone.

0000