failegaidin

Yes. It's fluff. Some angst forced its way in, but for the most part, it's fluff. I hope you enjoy it.

As Jack stared out over the ocean outside of Heller's home, he was startled by the unexpected ringing of his cell phone. When he had waved to Bill at the beach, he thought that the older man understood his intentions and would leave him alone while he figured things out. He contemplated not answering, but a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach finally forced him to flip the phone open.

"Bauer."

"Jack, it's Bill. I know that you wanted to be left alone, and I had every intention of respecting that, but…"

"What is it, Bill?"

"It's Chloe."

Jack's entire body immediately tensed at the tone of Bill's voice, and worry flooded over him. "Is she okay?" he choked out.

He could sense Bill's hesitancy over the phone and those moments of pained silence nearly killed him.

"She needs you, Jack," he said quietly, and Jack could hear the older man's voice crack slightly.

"I’m coming."

***

Silence followed in his wake as Jack once again entered CTU, his eyes searching desperately for Bill. He found him standing at Nadia' station, the two conversing quietly. Their talk ceased as soon as they saw Jack coming up to them.

"Jack…" he began.

"Where is she Bill?"

Bill looked down at the ground, trying to think of a way to tell Jack without the younger man exploding. Nadia cut in.

"She's in Medical, Jack."

She could clearly see his jaw tighten and his fists clench by his side. "What happened?"

Nadia looked to Bill, but she could tell that he was uncomfortable telling him. Walking around her desk, she put a comforting hand on Jack's arm.

"She had a miscarriage, Jack," she told him quietly.

Jack's head immediately dropped as tears sprang to his eyes. "I didn't…I didn't even know she was pregnant…" he whispered.

"Neither did she. Not until she found out that she lost it."

He tried to fight back the tears. He had barely seen her all day long, too wrapped up in his own problems to even notice anything that was going on with her. He remembered yelling at her about Audrey and demanding that she help him when he went rogue. He mentally kicked himself for putting so much pressure on her, for putting her through more than her body could handle.

"Jack," Nadia's voice broke through his thoughts. "She doesn't need your guilt right now. This is not something you get to put on your shoulders. It was a long day. Yes, a lot of her stress came from you – but not from anything you asked of her. She worried about you all day. And then Morris got taken and tortured, and then he broke up with her…For the past year she's been driving herself too hard, never letting her body rest…"

His head snapped back up. "What do you mean? What has she been working on?"

Nadia pulled back slightly, suddenly realizing that he didn't know. Bill explained, "You, Jack. She's been working on finding you. Over the past year she's been hospitalized four times for dehydration, malnutrition and exhaustion. I finally had to tell her that if she was going to continue hunting for you, she had to promise me she would take better care of herself or I would have her put in the hospital by force."

This time tears escaped his eyes, but he didn't bother wiping them away. "I want to see her," he whispered.

Bill nodded. "Go ahead, Jack. I'm sure she'll be glad to see you."

Jack turned to walk away on unsteady legs. "Jack!" he turned back at the sound of Nadia's voice to find her staring at him with a serious expression on her face. "Don't go down there because you owe her. Or because you feel responsible. If those are your reasons, just leave now. She needs a friend."

He nodded and continued down to Medical.

***

As he approached the room she was in, Jack heard voices drifting out into the hallway. He came to her door and stopped, keeping himself hidden from the occupants, but still able to hear what was being said.

"Chloe, love, I am so sorry…"
"Just leave it, Morris. I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

"Look, you dumped me, remember?"

"I know, and I'm promise you I'm not trying to weasel my way back in. We're over and we both know that."

"So why are you still here?"

Jack leaned it slightly to see Morris rest one of his hands on Chloe's stomach. "Love…Chloe. I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through. And as much as the loss breaks my heart, I know that it can't even begin to compare with what you're feeling. I know that I'm effectively out of your life right now, but I can't leave until I know that you've got someone to take care of you."

Chloe looked down, trying to hide the tears in her eyes. "Look, Morris, I appreciate your concern. But I don't need anyone to take care of me."

Morris cradled her face in his hands. "Yes, you do darling. If only in case something happens. The doctor told you there could be more bleeding. You'll need someone to take you to the hospital. I understand that you want me to walk away, and I will. As soon as I know you're taken care of."

"She will be."

The couple turned toward the unexpected visitor. Chloe was shocked to see Jack standing there, a look of pain etched across his face. Morris had told her what happened on the oil platform, but she had expected him to just leave again. Her ex-husband smiled at the sight of the agent.

"You'll take care of her?"

He nodded. "Of course."

Morris turned back to Chloe. "Alright, love. That's good enough for me. No one I'd trust more with your well-being." He leaned in and brushed a kiss across her cheeky gently. "My brother stopped and picked up my stuff earlier. So you don't need to worry about me dropping by the house. Take care, Chloe. Please call me if you need anything."

He smiled at her one last time and moved toward the door, stopping in front of Jack. He shook the man's hand and whispered in grave voice "I swear to God, Bauer, if you leave her again…"

"I won't."

Morris nodded. "Good." And with that, he left the room.

Jack waited until they were alone before walking up to Chloe and placing a hand gingerly on the side of her face. He looked at her closely, trying to hold in the tears that threatened to overwhelm him. Chloe just stared back at him, still shocked at his return and his offer to take care of her. She chewed her lip in nervous thought, wondering what came next.

"I don't need you to take care of me, Jack," she whispered.

"But I want to," he said gently.

Chloe shook her head. "No. I'm not like the other women in your life, Jack. I don't need you to protect me from the world. I'm not gonna go all whiny and fall apart. I'm not going to be needy and clingy. I won't be another responsibility that you have to take care of."

Jack laughed softly. "Good to know what you think of my ex-girlfriends."

She frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"No, Chloe. It's okay. I get it." He lifted his other hand to her face as well, so that he was cradling her head, forcing her to look at him. "But this isn't about responsibility, or obligation. You've been taking care of me for so long. It's my turn to take care of you."

She shook her head again. "No, Jack. I know what you've been through, and I'm not going to let you take care of me when you need to be taken care of."

"How about this, then?" he suggested. "We take care of each other."

"Each other?" she asked, her brow furrowing as she considered it.

"Each other," Jack confirmed. "We both desperately need a friend, Chloe. And there's no one I trust more. Let me stay with you for a while. We'll help each other, okay?"

She continued thinking, but finally nodded her head. "Okay. As long as you promise to let me take care of you and this doesn't become some sappy Hallmark movie where you're hovering and being over-protective."

Jack laughed. "I promise. You might have to smack me once in a while though, if I start getting over-protective."

"Trust me, I will," Chloe muttered as she slid off of the bed, Jack's hands steadying her. She took one of his hands in hers, squeezing it tightly. "Let's go home," she said quietly.

Jack nodded and followed her out.

***

Two years later…

Jack gently crawled out of bed, doing his best to not wake Chloe. She'd had nightmares the night before, and he wanted to her to be able to get as much sleep as possible. Most nights she stayed up comforting him and making sure that he could sleep, and he wanted to repay the favor as much as he could.

Slipping his t-shirt on, he crept down the stairs, deciding that a cup of coffee was definitely in order. As the coffee maker whirred to life, he smiled to himself, suddenly remembering what day it was.

A sudden burst of thunder shook Jack out of his reverie and he cursed as he looked out the window. The weather forecast had told him that it was going to be bright and sunny all day, but from the appearance of the clouds and driving rain outside, he could see that the sun would not be coming out.

Sighing, he began to get the things together anyway, an idea forming in his head.

***

Chloe slowly opened her eyes as her brain woke up, telling her that she had been sleeping for far too long. Lately she had been averaging three or four hours a night, but her body instantly told her that she had slept at least double that the night before.

Glancing at the clock next to her bed, she groaned – it was almost noon. She was surprised that the sun had not woken her up earlier, until she saw that there was a nasty rainstorm raging outside. Slowly she sat up, taking in the room. Jack's side of the bed was empty, but that was to be expected with the late hour. Scratching her head and yawning, she swung her legs off the bed.

"Good morning."

Chloe jumped and nearly fell over at the unexpected sound of Jack's voice. Stumbling slightly and righting herself, she turned to see him standing in the doorway, leaning against the jamb with a secretive smile on his face.

"Morning," she mumbled. "Why did you let me sleep so late?"

He shrugged. "You needed the rest."

"You could've too."

"Yeah, but we promised to take care of each other, remember?"

Chloe frowned, but nodded her agreement before walking groggily towards him and the door.

"Where are you going?" he asked curiously.

"Gotta pee," she muttered as she brushed past him.

***

She took her time in the bathroom, running a comb through her hair and vigorously brushing her teeth. She sighed and looked down at her ratty shorts and tank top, thinking back on a time when she would have been embarrassed for Jack to see her in such clothing. But they had been staying together so long now, that her embarrassment threshold was basically non-existent.

Rubbing more sleep from her eyes, she flipped the bathroom light off and walked out, heading downstairs. Her stomach was growling at her, demanding food, and her brain was screaming at her, demanding coffee. She walked into the kitchen, surprised to see the lights off and the room empty. She had expected Jack to be down here, doing…something. She wandered back into the living room, but he wasn't there either. After a thorough search of the downstairs, she realized that he must not have come down. Torn between wanting her morning caffeine and wanting to know where Jack was, Chloe finally decided to head back upstairs.

She stopped short in the doorway to her bedroom, shock evident on her face. The bed had been completely made, and an extra blanket lain over the top. On top of that blanket, there was a picnic laid out, complete with drinks and little sandwiches on paper plates. A confused frown on her face, Chloe looked up to see Jack standing next to the bed, looking at her with an intense gaze.

"What is this for?" she asked, her voice awed.

Jack took a couple steps closer to her. "Happy Anniversary," he said quietly.

Chloe's brow furrowed and she looked at him as though he had three heads. "Jack, we're not dating."

"I know."

"Then…what kind of anniversary? The only thing that I can remember happening on this day is…" Her face fell as the memory came flooding back to her and tears threatened to spill over onto her face.

That was not the reaction that Jack was expecting, and he went to her quickly, cradling her face in his hands and forcing her to look at him. "Chloe, what it is?" he asked, worry evident in his voice.

Tears ran down her cheeks. "My miscarriage."

Jack closed his eyes and cursed, mentally kicking himself. "Oh God, Chloe. That's not what I meant at all." He pulled her close, leaning his forehead against hers. "I am so sorry. Please…I didn't mean to make you remember that. I should have thought before…"

Seeing the pain on his face, Chloe interrupted him. "Then what is this all about it?"

Jack opened his eyes and gave her a sad smile, his fingers locked in her hair, keeping her there with him. "Two years ago today I moved in. We promised to take care of each other. I just…I wanted to celebrate that. I'm sorry, I didn't even think…"

Chloe placed her fingers against his lips, silencing him. "It's okay, Jack," she smiled through the tears. "Those things are worth remembering. Besides, if I hadn't had my miscarriage, you never would have come back. I'm not saying I didn't want my baby, because I did. But some good came out of losing him…or her. You came back to me."

Jack unlocked his fingers and ran them through her hair, bringing his face to settle in the crook of her neck. Chloe's arms came to wrap around his waist, and they held each other, both desperately soaking in the presence of the other. Finally Chloe pulled back.

"You made me a picnic?" she sniffed, smiling gently at him.

Jack nodded. "I was going to take you to the park, but the weatherman lied to me. So I thought we could have it inside instead."

"This is perfect," she whispered, caressing his cheek with her hand. "Now feed me, I'm starving," she said with a laugh.

He returned her smile and took her hand, leading her over to the bed. They gingerly sat down, not wanting to disturb the food. They ate the sandwiches Jack made in comfortable silence, watching the storm rage outside. As she ate, Chloe noticed a vase with beautiful flowers in it sitting on her nightstand.

"What are those for?" she asked.

Jack smiled at her. "You."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "You can't have an anniversary without flowers, Chloe."

She laughed at him. "Thank you, Jack. They're beautiful."

"So are you," he said quietly.

Chloe blushed and continued eating.

***

When the food was finished, Jack cleared everything off the bed, putting the stuff back into the picnic basket on the floor. With everything cleaned up, he laid on the bed next to Chloe, both on their sides so that they could face each other.

"You even had a picnic basket?" she asked.

Jack nodded. "It's okay. I'm sure we can have a real picnic when the weather's nice again."

"I liked this one," she said quietly, and Jack smiled at her warmly.

They laid there for a few minutes, just looking at each other silently. Slowly, Chloe noticed a strange look coming over Jack's face. Just as she was about to ask what was wrong, he reached out his hand and laid it gently on her stomach. The gesture startled her, and she almost pulled away. But she forced herself to lie still, enjoying the touch of his hand.

"You wanted a baby?" he asked quietly, a strange tone in his voice.

Chloe swallowed, taking a deep breath before she nodded.

Jack turned his gaze to her stomach, watching as his thumb stroked her through her shirt.

"Do you still want a baby?" he asked.

Emotions flooded over her as Chloe desperately tried to maintain some semblance of control. The conversation had taken an unexpected turn, and she wasn't sure where Jack was going with this.

"Yes," she whispered, her voice choked with tears. Clearing her throat, she spoke louder. "But I've pretty much resigned myself to the knowledge that it'll never happen. I missed my chance."

Jack frowned. "Why?"

Chloe laughed hollowly. "Who am I gonna have a baby with, Jack?"

He kept his gaze fixed on her stomach as he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss where his hand was resting.

"Me," he whispered.

"What?" she asked, shocked at the gentleness of his actions.

He finally raised his eyes to hers. "I love you, Chloe," he told her, his voice still quiet.

"Since when?"

"I'm not sure," he answered truthfully. "I know I realized it sometime in the first year I moved in. I think I've loved you for a lot longer than that, though."

Tears fell from Chloe's eyes. "Do you mean it?" she asked desperately.

"All of it."

"All of it?"

He nodded "Every part." Jack looked at her stomach again, where his hand was still resting. "I want a family with you, Chloe. I want a baby."

Chloe smiled as she started to cry. Grasping the hand he had on her stomach, she leaned in and kissed him softly. His hand gripped hers as he returned the kiss, and then they slowly pulled apart.

"I love you," she whispered.

Pulling her closer, Jack ran his hand through her hair as he kissed her deeply this time. When he pulled back they were both breathing heavily. Wiping away the last remnants of her tears, he replied, "I love you too, Chloe."