Finally

[failegaidin]

Yeah, so...this fic came to me about 15-20 minutes ago. And then I wrote it. So here it is. Hope you enjoy.

            He stared out over the city. The fresh air helped clear his brain, and it calmed him after another hectic day at CTU. Sometimes he was still surprised by his decision to come back. But he had nowhere else to go.

            “Jack?”

            He turned to see Milo approaching him. He had really begun appreciating the younger man. He was good at his job, especially when petty jealousies didn’t get in his way. He had also tried to make sure that Jack acclimated to life again – making sure he went out once in a while and didn’t completely retreat into himself. Jack supposed he could call him a friend.

            “Yeah?” he asked as Milo came to stand by the edge of the roof with him.

            “I kinda got a question for you.”

            Jack smirked. “Kind of?”

            Milo leaned his back against the edge, while Jack leaned his arms on it so that he was looking down on the city below. “Well, I guess I’m just curious about something.”

            “What?”

            “Wait – are you armed?”

            Jack chuckled. “No, Milo.”

            Milo breathed an audible sigh of relief. “Oh good. And please don’t hit me either. That wouldn’t be pleasant.”

            “I’ll try not to.”

            “Okay.” Milo paused, gathering his thoughts. “I want to know why you keep choosing women that don’t make sense.”

            Jack looked at him sharply. “Excuse me?”

            “I mean, you keep choosing women who can’t understand you. They can’t live in your world and they can’t deal with who you are and what you do.”

            Jack turned his attention back to the scene below him, his face a dark mask. Milo decided he might as well continue.

            “For example, and please remember your promise to not hit me – Teri. Now Jack, “ he rushed to calm the other man’s evident anger. “I know that you loved her. And that she loved you. Nobody is disputing that or belittling it. But you have to admit, she could never understand you. She could never make allowances for who you were or what your job demanded. It doesn’t matter how much you loved each other – she never would have come to accept it.”

            It took a while, but Jack finally nodded. He knew that Milo wasn’t trying to cause trouble. He was just stating the truth.

            “Keep going,” he said quietly.

            “What?”

            “It seems like you have a list. So keep going.”

            Milo nodded. “Okay. Well, Nina was evil. So she doesn’t count.” When he saw no objections from Jack, he continued. “Kate. Now, I realize I didn’t know her, but I’ve heard about her. She was closer to being able to accept you. But you still felt like you had to protect her from your life and the things you go through. So she didn’t really make sense either.

            “And then there was Claudia. But I think she was an anomaly too. You felt you had to save her. And in that kind of intense situation, it led to more…but I don’t think you two ever would have hooked up otherwise.”

            Milo took another deep breath. “And then there’s Audrey. And she made the least amount of sense, Jack. I mean, she never even wanted to believe that you were capable of…the things you have to do. She wanted to completely forget your past and just make you into this perfect Washington, D.C. Ken doll. It was all because she loved you, but…how could that have ever worked, Jack?”

            “It couldn’t,” the older man whispered. “It didn’t.”

            “I just don’t understand why you don’t choose a woman who can accept all of you.”

            Jack laughed a mirthless laugh. “And where do you expect me to find one, Milo?”

            Milo looked at him seriously. “That’s just it, Jack. You already have.” When the he turned to stare at him in disbelief, Milo continued. “She doesn’t judge you. She holds you accountable for your actions, but she doesn’t judge you. She trusts you completely, and not because she’s blinded by love. She does it because you’re right. Because she knows you. She accepts every part of you. She wouldn’t ever walk away from you because you had to make a hard decision.”

            Milo watched the emotions fight on Jack’s face. He knew that he had struck a nerve, and that was exactly what he had been meaning to do. He had kept a close eye on him since he had returned to CTU, and he had realized that the other man just needed some things pointed out to him.

            But he was still surprised when Jack went tearing past him, rushing off the roof and down the stairs. Milo ran after him, shouting his name, but Jack just ignored him. He realized that he was headed for the CTU floor, and he suddenly became nervous, wondering what Jack was up to. He was only a few feet behind him as Jack burst through the doors. Everyone stopped to stare at him, curious as to what was wrong.

            Jack looked around wildly, searching for something. His eyes rested on Chloe as she walked across the floor, completely oblivious to everything around her as she read a file she was carrying. Taking a deep breath, Jack rushed up to her, brought a hand behind her head, and pulled her mouth to his.

            Everyone watched in shock as Chloe’s files fell to the floor completely forgotten. She reached her hands around Jack’s waist as his settled in her hair. She returned his kiss with equal passion, her tongue meeting his in a wild crash. They pulled away as the room erupted in applause and cheering, Jack blushing as he smiled down at her.

            “It’s about damn time,” she snapped at him.