THE FOLLOWING TAKES BEGINS
JUST AFTER 9:00 A.M.
Turning the key to cut of the ignition of her SUV, Chloe closed her eyes and just sat in her driveway for a moment. At quarter of 9, she had left the CTU for the first time in over two days. That was a long stretch in the office, even for her, but they were all maxing out on overtime in an attempt to track down the terrorists whom had been staging attacks for the past 3 months.
She was utterly exhausted, both physically and emotionally. For the moment, the threat had passed, Fayed and his associates were all dead (save Cheng, who was facing a long stay in Federal Prison).
Bill had returned to the CTU with Jack's nephew Josh in tow and a shackled Cheng. As thrilled as she was that they had saved Josh, Chloe was very concerned by the fact that Jack was in the wind. The fact that she had overheard Josh's loud retelling of Jack's intentional fall from the ladder…well, that wasn't helping matters any.
To top everything off, only a few hours earlier she had learned that she was pregnant! By Morris, obviously it had happened not long before their break up. Earlier in the day, after agents had debriefed him, Chloe had spoken to Morris for a few moments and he had reiterated that their split was the right choice. She didn't disagree, but not for the reasons he espoused. They just weren't a good couple, the fact that they had already been divorced once should have been the first clue attesting to the truth of that.
As a modern woman of the 21st century, she knew she had options and some time to think about them. Heck, when she was ready, if she decided to have the baby, she could tell Morris. If he wanted to take part in the baby's life fine, if not, also fine. But for now, she just wanted to sleep.
Climbing slowly out of the car, Chloe sighed and looked around her neighborhood. Most of the neat little houses had a couple cars in the drive ways, as non essential businesses and schools were still not open. The area might as well have been abandoned though. It was silent, not children playing, no one mowing lawns, not even pets in the yard. She supposed that was in reaction to the nuclear blast in Valencia the day before and really, she didn't blame them for being cautious.
In all honesty, she would have preferred the convenience of apartment living, no upkeep, a landlord to deal with maintenance, but had decided the solitude of owning her own small home was better. In a neighborhood full of young families and retirees, no one tried very hard to get to know the single lady who worked strange hours, often rushing out in the middle of the night.
Shouldering her purse, she all but staggered up the walkway, tossing a brief wave at Mrs. Nomberto, her elderly neighbor, who was peeking out from behind her curtains. Which was why she was nearly at her door when she noticed something that made her freeze. A smile ghosting over her tired face, she asked, "Enjoy your swim?"
Leaning back against the wall by the door, head back, Jack's eyes popped open, regarding her with an exhaustion she could sympathize with. "Refreshing," he murmured, giving her a tiny smile of his own. "Cathartic."
She had an inkling that there was a story behind that comment, but that could wait for now. As for how he remembered where she lived…Wait, no, she'd only moved in a year ago. He must have…actually, she wasn't sure how he'd gotten her address but she shrugged it off as one of those inexplicable Jack things.
"Let's get inside," she said, extending a hand to help haul him to his feet.
The fact that he allowed her to help him to his feet let her know how truly wrung out he really was. As she opened the door, she noted that he continued to hold on to her hand, could feel the raised scars under her thumb.
They entered quietly, without any comments about the hand holding. Chloe dropped her keys and purse on the small table by the door, then led him into the living room.
She had a feeling Jack wouldn't care that she lacked whatever freakish genetic mutation Martha Stewart had managed to convince the country all women should possess, the thing that allowed them to decorate and select the perfect lamp to match the perfect drapes. Honestly, the thought of wasting time on that sort of stuff turned her stomach. He furniture was comfortable, electronics high end and shelves stacked with books. No, knick-knacks, doilies and throw pillows were just not her thing.
Settling Jack onto the couch, she wandered into the kitchen and peered into the fridge. Scowling at the contents, as there wasn't much food and what was there seemed to be developing a layer of green fuzz, she grabbed two bottles and returned to the living room.
With a relieved sigh, Chloe sank onto the couch beside Jack and offered him one of the bottles.
It was nice to hear him laugh, a real happy sound. He took one of the bottles and this time, his smile was much broader. "Sunny Delight?"
"It's tasty and better than soda…but we need a little sugar," she reasoned, twisting the lid off of her drink and sipping it. The cool, sweet tanginess of the juice tasted wonderful, especially after days of subsisting on nothing but coffee.
Jack took a drink as well. "Not bad. I haven't had this…since Kim was a little girl."
With a start, Chloe said, "I can get her number…her address." She really should have known he would want to get in touch with Kim. He hadn't seen her in nearly two years!
Chloe had started to push herself off of the couch when Jack caught her arm and pulled her back. "No, Chloe…not yet…I can't…Kim isn't…."
As usual, Chloe knew what Jack was saying. She might not have been particularly adept at dealing with some…all right, most people, but there had always been an understanding between Jack and herself. They shared a defining trait, a dedication to their work that pushed aside other loyalties. In some respects, they were misfits, outcasts, not really comfortable function amongst people who weren't like them. Jack didn't judge her for her lack of people skills (he was much better at faking them than she was) and she knew about everything Jack had done in the service of his country, understood his reasons for doing them and didn't judge.
"Okay," she said and they lapsed back into companionable silence, tipping her head back and allowing her eyes to close, just for a moment.
When she opened them, what seemed like seconds later, she found she had the most uncomfortable crick in her neck and the bottle of Sunny D against her leg had grown warm in the un air-conditioned room. Blinking, she glanced at the clock on her DVD player and her jaw dropped. It was, according to the display, 3:47 pm.
How the hell had that happened?
Turning her head, she tried to work the kink out of her neck and caught sight of Jack, still ensconced on the other end of the couch. He too appeared to have nodded off and at some point had pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.
Chloe recognized a defensive posture when she saw one and her heart hurt for him. Even in the peaceful safety of her living room, his automatic response was to protect himself from attack even as he slept.
If she was longing for her bed after a couple of days of doing without, she couldn't even imagine how Jack must have felt. An internal debate raged. Wake him, see if maybe he would like a shower, then sleep in a real bed, or let him continue to sleep on the couch.
The loud protests from her muscles made the decision for her and she scooted closer to him in order to shake him awake.
In retrospect, not the best idea.
As soon as her fingers touched his arm, Jack was awake and in motion, lunging towards her, forcing her prone onto the cushions, one hand reaching up to wrap around her throat. His eyes were wide and full of rage, but cleared almost immediately, before he even had a chance to exert any pressure on her neck, which she was quite thankful for. He stared down at her, breathing rapidly, before asking, "Chloe?"
Pinned underneath him, Chloe knew she should be afraid. After all, it wasn't everyday that someone with a body count that numbered in the hundreds got a hand around her neck. But as she lay there, arms sprawled loosely above her head, hips between his knees and faces inches apart, she felt no fear, no shot of adrenaline, no panic. He could probably fell the slight jump in her heart rate under his thumb, but that was mostly due to being startled.
Her trust in Jack was stronger than her fear though and her voice was even as she said, "We fell asleep on the couch."
"Oh." He glanced down and for a moment seemed fascinated by the flesh under his fingers. In another circumstance, were they not both still over tired and he probably heading towards some sort of PTSD crash (Jack freaking Bauer or not, he was only human and had been through hell), she might have allowed herself to enjoy the feeling of his rough fingers stroking her throat. Some random part of her brain noted that he smelled like a mixture of salt water and man sweat. She remained quiet until he came back to the present, shook his head slightly and climbed off of her. "Sorry, Chloe, I didn't mean to…Did I hurt you?"
He sounded more panicked than she had even contemplated feeling and shook her head as she pushed herself back upright. "No, I'm fine," she said, then waved a hand in the direction of the bathroom and bedroom. "The bed's just more comfortable than the couch…or you can grab a shower, clean up while I grab some food. And maybe a change of clothes for you. I don't think I have anything that will fit you."
This seemed to shake him out of the strange, complacent haze they had been functioning in since she had found him at her front door. "I'm fine, Chloe…I should go. Let you…"
"You should stay!" she interrupted him with more force than she had intended to use, but really, the situation called for it. Maybe it was like she saw on that show with the creepy guy who talked to dogs. When Jack got something in his sights, he fixated and it was imperative to snap his attention away or else complete tunnel vision would set in. Then she'd never be able to change his mind. "I'd like you to stay, please."
She reached out and wrapped her fingers around his un-scarred wrist lightly and watched him. He visibly relaxed and she knew she'd won even before he nodded. "A shower would be nice," he agreed with a small smile.
"Okay, good," she said. "You take a shower and I'm gonna pop out to the market, then stop and grab some sweats or something for you. You like pizza? Or I could pick up some…Tacos."
She caught herself just before she offered Chinese food. That probably wouldn't be the most appropriate thing to say.
Jack didn't seem to notice her little hesitation and his smile grew. "Pizza? Pepperoni?"
"Sure." She stood and pointed to the hall. "Bathroom's the second door on the left. Towels are in the closet. New toothbrush is in there too."
He nodded, then said, "Chloe…thank you. Again."
With a smile, she stepped toward the door, then hesitated, turning to face him. "You are going to be here when I get back, right? Cause, if you're not, I need to know. I don't think I could deal with that today…It's just…."
"I'll be here, Chloe," he said softly. "I promise."
With his promise soothing her nerves, she headed out into the afternoon, still quiet in the shadow of the previous days horror. But she felt safer than she had in a long, long time.
TBC…………..
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