Only a couple of hours had passed since Jack put Chloe to bed but the sun was already beginning to peak through the curtains. For a little while he just sat there at the side of her bed looking at her, soaking in her peaceful sleep. Jack wished he was able to sleep like that, peacefully. He hadn't slept properly for 18 months; you could say he was a virtual insomniac.

Jack couldn't bear it anymore. He had been waiting to be near her for so long that he just couldn't wait any longer. He walked over to the bed, took off his shirt, pulled back the covers and slipped in next to Chloe.

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Chloe woke up feeling terrible. Her head was splitting and she was pretty sure that at some point she was going to be sick.

She was wrestling around in her bed, trying to drag herself out of it when she suddenly felt something warm lying next to her. She didn't own a cat or a dog so she was wondering what the hell it was. Then she remembered Jack was there last night, they talked and she had passed out then blank.

He must have put me in here and then fallen asleep. Oh my god! Chloe do not panic!! Do not panic!! OH MY GOD!!! WHAT THE HELL DO I DO??? Chloe turned slightly and rubbed up against Jack's arm. Holy Crap he's so warm…Focus!!

Chloe was so busy having a fight with her brain that she didn't notice that Jack was beginning to wake up. He actually slept for the first time in over a year.

"..Chloe?..." Jack whispered on the tip of his tongue.

Chloe nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned completely onto her side and was now looking Jack right in the eye.

"Jack? What are you still doing here? In my house? In my bed with me?"

Jack felt this was the perfect time to get things off his chest.

"..Well Chloe first I should start with, if you say one word while I am talking then I will go back to CTU and flash the picture I found of you last night, naked at a Halloween party...agreed?" a big smile appeared on his face.

"Yes I so agree with that" Jerk

"Good because I don't think I could do this if you talked.."

Jack moved, sat up on the bed, turned towards Chloe and crossed his legs. Chloe didn't know why but she did the same thing. They were both sitting so close now, staring intensely into each others eyes.

"Chloe this may be hard for you to hear but I can't wait anymore. I have to tell you. When I was being held in that god forsaken place I was so angry. They would torture me in the mornings and then dump me in this dark, cold room for the rest of the day. This happened everyday.."

Chloe was clearly becoming upset by Jacks ordeal.

"But I realised something after a while I shouldn't be angry. Getting angry just meant that they had won and you know how I hate to lose"

She nodded with a smile knowing this to be completely true.

"So I started to focus on something else. Something that didn't make me angry and I found something Chloe, something wonderful…someone wonderful"

Chloe looked like she was about to say something but Jack cut her off.

"..Remember the picture!"

She clamped her mouth shut.

"Well this person got me through all those hard times. Without her I think I might have gone mad. She made all the anger go away. Well apart from the times I remembered how much of a pain in the ass she could be.."

Chloe suddenly stiffened up. Jack seeing this placed his hand on her knee and gently drew circles on it.

"You see Chloe that person, my saviour, my hero, my love. That person is you…"

Jack looked up from Chloe's knee and noticed she had small tears running down her cheeks.

"I am so sorry that I didn't see it before. I didn't see you I mean really see you… but now I finally do I don't think I could live another day without you"

Chloe looked away. Jack needed to get her attention so he touched her cheek with the back of his hand and then quickly placed a soft kiss on her lips before she had a chance to protest.

Chloe stiffened up again "GET THE HELL OUT JACK!!"

"Look Chloe I know this must have come as a shock to you but…"

"GET OUT NOW!!" she screeched at the top of her voice

Jack didn't seem to be fazed by this.

"I am not going anywhere until you tell me how you feel about what I just told you" a sad look appeared on his face.

"I don't feel anything about it Jack. I don't feel anything about you!" she snapped.

"Then why did you start drinking so much when I was gone??"

"…because.."

"..Well why Chloe?? Why??"

"…because…"

TBC