failegaidin

Don't worry, I'm still working on Unexpected Gift. But Glory requested some HFA (hot frontseat action) and even lent me a cute (albeit evil) little plot bunny for the occasion. Enjoy.

Chloe nearly jumped out of her skin when she threw her door open and found Jack Bauer on the other side. His hand was raised and poised to knock, but now they just stood staring at each other, both unsure of what to do.

"What do you want?" Chloe finally snapped.

He shrugged, lowering his hand to his side awkwardly. "I came to see you."

"Yeah, well, I'm busy."

"Where are you going?"

Chloe frowned. "None of your business."

"Where's Morris?"

"Out."

"If Morris is out, and Milo and Nadia are having date night, and I'm here…where are you going?"

"Out."

"Out where?"

Chloe bit her lip, frantically wondering how she could get rid of him. "For a drive."

Jack leaned against the doorframe, an amused grin playing across his lips. He let his eyes slide down her body, taking in the messenger bag she was carrying and the all-black attire.

"Do you usually go for a drive dressed like a spy?"

"I like black."

"What's in the bag?"

"Stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"The kind of stuff that goes in a bag. Will you please get out of my way?"

"No."

Chloe stopped to think, thrown off by Jack's answer. She had to figure out some way to make him leave, but it seemed he was intent on staying.

"Why are you here?" she asked, turning the tables.

"What?"

"Why are you here?"

He shrugged. "I told you. I wanted to come see you."
"Why?" she pressed.

Jack dropped his eyes to the floor, trying to come up with an answer. "I don’t know. I thought we could…hang out," he finished lamely.

"Since when do we hang out?"

He cleared his throat and pushed off of the doorframe, refusing to meet her gaze. "You're right. I'm sorry…" He backed away, turning to leave.

"Wait! Jack, that came out wrong."

He looked back with a sad smile on his face. "It's okay, Chloe. Have fun, wherever you're going."

Chloe stamped her foot and cursed her stupid mouth. She hadn't meant to hurt him, and on any other night she would have jumped at the chance to spend time with him. Closing her eyes and mentally kicking herself, she called out, "I'm going to spy on Morris."

Jack stopped and slowly turned around, his eyes wide in surprise. "You're what?"

Chloe rolled her eyes and shut her apartment door, making sure that it was locked. Pocketing her keys, she walked over to him and they continued down the hall and toward the parking lot.

"I think Morris is cheating again," she said in a quieter tone. I found at the name of this girl he's been spending time with and I got her address."

"How do you know he's going there tonight?"

"Because his excuse for going out was really lame. And I know him…that's where he's going."

She fell silent as they continued on toward her car. When they got there, she went to the driver-side door and looked at him. "So that's why I can't hang out with you tonight," she stated, hoping that he would finally go away.

Jack smiled at her and walked over to the passenger side. "We can still hang out."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm coming with you."

"No you're not."

"Oh come on, Chloe. It'll be fun."

"Spying on my ex-husband together? What it actually is, is twisted."

Jack's face grew serious. "I'm coming with you, Chloe."

Opening her door, Chloe smirked at him. "I just won't unlock your door."

She climbed in, very satisfied with herself. As she shut her door and put the key in the engine, she was startled by the other door opening and Jack sitting down next to her.

"That's okay. It was already unlocked."
She glared daggers at him. "I hate you, Jack."

"I know. Let's go."

***

Two hours later they were still sitting in her car, parked across the street from the address Chloe had gotten. She had her binoculars out on the dashboard, but they had proven to be unhelpful. She sighed in frustration for the hundredth time that night and Jack looked over at her in sympathy.

"Maybe we should just go."

"I want to make sure."

"Chloe," he said gently, using his fingers under her chin to guide her eyes to his. "I think you have all the proof you need. You saw what she was wearing when she closed the curtains and you saw him standing behind her. I'm sorry."

Biting her lip and holding back tears, Chloe turned to look out her window, willing herself not to cry in front of Jack. It was then that he saw the ugly bruise inching up from her right shoulder up to her neck. He reached out and gently ran his fingers over it, causing her to gasp.

"What the hell is this?" he growled.

Chloe sighed. "Morris got really drunk last night and-"

"He hit you?" Jack asked, anger and shock clear in his voice.

She turned to look at him with a withering gaze. "Of course not! When he was stumbling all over himself, I tried to help him into bed. He tripped me up and I fell into the dresser." She paused, watching the anger in his eyes give way to concern. "Did you really think I would stay if he was hitting me?"

Still tracing the bruise with his fingertips, Jack kept his eyes locked on her shoulder. "He cheats on you and you still stay."

"Yeah, well…" She wasn't so good with keeping the tears in check this time – one slid down her cheek. Jack reached up and wiped it away with the pad of his thumb.

"Why?" he whispered.

More tears escaped her eyes. "I have nowhere else to go," she whispered in a strangled voice.

"Oh, Chloe…how could you think that?"

She sniffled. "Morris is right-"

"Morris," Jack broke in, the anger back in his voice. "What did he say?"

"Just…stuff. Don't worry about it Jack. It’s not your problem," she said, trying to regain her emotional balance and get her tears under control.

Jack brought his hand to her face, making her look at him. "Like hell it isn't, Chloe. You're my best friend, so don’t give me this crap. Tell me what he said."

She dropped her eyes, not wanting him to see any more of her pain. "He was drunk, Jack…"

"Tell me."

She sniffled again. "He's just…been saying things…about me. About no one wanting me. About me being lucky that he puts up with me."

Jack hissed. He knew that Morris could be an ass, but he had no idea that he had been tearing Chloe down so badly. Looking at her downcast eyes, he knew that she was holding back.

"There's more, isn't there?" he asked gently.

Chloe nodded, the tears flowing freely now.

"Tell me."
She shook her head desperately, still refusing to lift her gaze. Jack cradled her face in both his hands and brought his lips to her ear. "You can tell me anything, Chloe. You don't have to be scared or embarrassed. Just tell me."

The gentleness of his touch and his soothing voice was her undoing. Sliding closer to him and laying her head in the crook of his neck, she started to tell him.

"Last night…after I finally got him into bed, he…he started telling me how pathetic I was. He criticized everything…my personality, my clothes, my body…even how I was in bed," her voice dropped to a broken whisper at that last statement. Jack ran his fingers through her hair, trying to focus on being a friend for her instead of on the rage that building up inside of him. He closed his eyes as Chloe continued.

"And then he brought you into it. And our…friendship." Jack caught the hesitation in her voice, but she kept going. "He said that I should stop deluding myself into thinking you could ever feel anything for me. He said that a guy like you would never go for someone as plain as me, someone who could barely even turn a guy like him on. He said…" she took a deep breath, knowing that she needed to get this out, even if it killed her. "He said you wouldn't even sleep with me as a desperate drunk pity fuck."

She pulled back from him slightly, needing to see his reaction. What she saw in his eyes scared her, and she tried to pull farther away, but his hands were now locked in her hair.

"I don't want your pity," she whispered.

"Then you'll never have it," he answered gruffly as he crashed his lips into hers. He held her head steady as he moved his mouth against hers, his hands wandering down to her hips. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her over the armrest and settled her in his lap, straddling his thighs. As his tongue tried to coax her mouth open, she pushed against him hard, bringing their kiss to an end.

"No, Jack."

"Why not?" he asked, confusion and hurt on his face.

Chloe took his face in her hands. "You don't want me. You just don't want me to feel bad about what Morris said. It's okay, Jack. I've always known that you couldn't feel that way about me."

"Chloe?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you trust Morris?"

She snorted. "Of course not. Especially not after tonight. Morris is an ass."

"Do you trust me?"

This time she frowned. "Of course I do, Jack, but…"

"But what?"

Tears filled her eyes again. "How do I know that this is for real? How will I know if…if…"

"Just ask Chloe. Don't worry about how it sounds."

"What if I am really bad in bed? How will I know if you're just saying things because you don't want to hurt my feelings?"

Jack wanted to laugh, but he bit his tongue, not wanting to accidentally hurt her. "Chloe. Can you tell when I'm lying?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course."

"Then look at me." When he had her attention, he held her gaze and spoke gently but firmly. "I love you."

She frowned. "You do?"

He chuckled. "Yes. I thought for sure you could tell from my lame excuse for showing up at your place tonight."

"Why were you there?"

"I really did just want to see you. I was hoping I could work up the courage to tell you how I felt. But I was afraid that you were happy with Morris…I didn't want to mess that up."

"Jack," she whispered. "I was never happy with Morris."

He smiled at her and tugged her a little closer. "So we know Morris was wrong about my feelings for you…And that he was wrong about the other thing…"

Chloe's brow furrowed in confusion. "Which other thing?"

Jack laughed. "Chloe, you can pretty much turn me on even when you're not there. Any time I even think about you…"

"Really?"

He took her hand and brought it down to his groin, where she could feel how hard he was. She gasped, unconsciously squeezing her legs tighter around him, causing him to groan.
"Jack…" she whispered.

"And," he continued. "I happen to like your personality, your clothes and your body." He emphasized his words by trailing his hands down her sides and back before bringing them up her stomach and stopping just under her breasts. "Statistically speaking, I think that means he's probably wrong about the bad in bed thing, as well."

Removing his hands from her torso, Jack brought them back up to cradle her face. "I love you," he whispered before kissing her gently.

This time it was slow and sweet, and Chloe let herself sink against him, her arms coming up to wrap around his neck. She pushed her body harder against his as she opened her mouth to let his tongue in. Moaning, she bucked her hips against him as he turned his head to deepen the kiss.

Their kisses became fast and frantic as their hands moved to explore more of each other. Jack began to focus on her neck as Chloe unbuttoned his shirt, kissing the skin as it became exposed. He leaned back and closed his eyes and she let her hands wander back down to his belt, teasing the zipper. He rolled his hips urgently, wanting more. She smiled at him shyly, and Jack couldn't take any more. Bringing his mouth back to hers, he ripped at her black t-shirt, hurriedly pulling it off over her head. He stared in admiration at her bra-clad breasts heaving in front of him, running his finger along the tops of them.

"Jack," she moaned, the sound of her calling his name driving him crazy.

He slowly freed one breast from its confines, pulling it gently into his mouth. Chloe's hands tightened their grip on his head, holding him close to her chest. She was so caught up in the feeling of his tongue playing with her nipple that she was completely unprepared when his hand brushed against her denim-covered core. Bucking hard against him she gasped his name, all coherent thought escaping her. Deciding that a little payback was in order, she brought her mouth to the sensitive spot behind his left ear, gently sucking on the skin there. He groaned as he moved his attentions to her other breast, but sat up quickly when he felt Chloe's fingers undoing his zipper and reaching inside his boxers. He brought his face close to hers and they looked intensely at each other as their hands continued their ministrations. Sighing her name in desperate need, Jack leaned in again to kiss her, his hand moving up to undo her pants, needing more access to her.

A sudden knock on the car window made them both jump. They turned to look out, finding themselves face-to-face with a livid Morris. Holding Chloe tightly, Jack rolled down the window.

"What?" he snapped, irritated at the interruption.

"What the HELL do you think you're doing to my girlfriend?"

"Everything you couldn't."

Sputtering, Morris turned to Chloe. "And what do you have to say for yourself? Your tits hanging out like some common whore!"

She kept a restraining hand on Jack's chest. "Just proving you wrong, Morris," she said smugly. "Why don't you go back in to your new girlfriend? We're kinda busy."

"Fine," Morris said, deciding to wash his hands of the whole situation. "You and Captain America have fun. But don't come crying to me when he drops your pathetic ass because Audrey decides she'll take him back."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Morris. Just make sure your stuff is out by tomorrow night." With that, she rolled the window back up, watching Morris stomp back inside from the corner of her eye. She smiled seductively at Jack.

"So, your place?"

"What's wrong with right here?"

Chloe frowned. "Not enough room."

Jack smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Think you can drive?"

She climbed back over the console and put her shirt back on. "As long as you keep your hands to yourself."

"I'll try," he said, his smile broadening.

"Liar," she grumbled as she pulled the car back out onto the road.