Back Alley

Alrighty, I finished my first prompt fic. This one was requested by sej_1986. The prompt was "Back Alley." Enjoy!!

 

            Chloe's world turned upside down as their SUV plowed into oncoming traffic and flipped over onto its side. Glass shattered all around her and her body was flung hard against the seatbelt. As the car slid to a halt by the side of the road, Chloe looked out what had once been her window.

            The intersection was now a convoluted mess. Multiple cars had been dragged into the accident, and a couple were now on fire. People were crawling out of their damaged vehicles and were now milling about, trying to piece together what had actually happened. She noticed the car that had been chasing them had crashed as well, and she didn't see any movement from the occupants.

            "Jack," she whispered, praying that he wasn't seriously injured.

            She shook him – gently at first and then with more force. Her panic began rising as she took in the large cut on his forehead. Just as she was about to get out and call for help, Jack stirred.

            "Jack?"

            When he didn't immediately respond, Chloe took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her.

            "Jack! Come on, Jack! Look at me!"

            She watched as his eyes finally focused on her. Relieved that he was coming around, she began to unbuckle herself.

            "What happened?" Jack asked, still somewhat groggy from slamming his head into the steering wheel.

            "We crashed," she answered tersely, finally untangling herself from the seatbelt. "But luckily, so did the bad guys. So we need to run. Now."

            Jack continued to stare at her blankly, not fully comprehending what was going on. Chloe sighed and leaned over to help him out of his restraint as well. He watched for a moment as her hands fumbled with the button, and then everything hit him in a rush. He remembered the field mission they'd been on and the car chase that had resulted. He remembered losing control of the SUV and spinning out into the middle of traffic.

            With his brain functioning again, Jack swatted Chloe's hands away and undid the buckle himself. The pair scrambled out of the demolished vehicle, climbing up and out of Jack's window since Chloe's was against the pavement. Glancing at their pursuers' vehicle to make sure they weren't being followed, Jack grabbed Chloe by the arm and raced away from the intersection.

            The confusion from the accident and the dark of night helped them make their escape. They ran quickly, getting off of the main roads as soon as they could. Ducking down a dark side street, Jack led Chloe through a maze of back alleys that soon had her turned around.     

            Just as Chloe was sure her heart was going to explode, Jack finally stopped. Looking around, she saw that they were in an alley that looked just like all the others they had raced through. As the sound of blood pounding in her ears began to fade, Chloe heard the sound she most dreaded right then – footsteps. Both she and Jack turned to look behind them in disbelief. It seemed impossible that anyone could have followed them.

            Chloe's brain worked furiously to find a way out. To continue running was absurd – they were already winded, and the noise would lead their pursuers right to them. Standing their ground didn't sound much better. They had no way of knowing how many there were or what kind of weapons they carried. They might be able to hide and create an ambush…

            "Chloe, get in."

            She turned at the sound of Jack's voice to see him standing in front of a dumpster, holding the lid open for her. He looked at her expectantly.

            "No."

            Jack sighed. "Come on, Chloe. It's the only place to hide."

            "Since when do you hide?" she shot back.

            "Chloe…" he said, his voice low in warning.

            The footsteps were getting closer. From the sound, there more than two, and they were running hard. Scowling and stamping her foot, Chloe moved toward the dumpster.

            "I hate you, Jack Bauer," she muttered as she climbed in. She could have sworn she saw the faintest hint of an amused grin on his face.

            The dumpster was disgusting – there was no getting around that. Chloe covered her nose in an attempt to block out the smell, and sat down gingerly as Jack crawled in after her and shut the lid. He sat down next to her, the bags around him crunching beneath his weight.

            Chloe tried to keep her composure as the oppressive heat and smell crowded in around her. She wasn't fond of enclosed spaces to begin with, and this was the most unpleasant one she'd had to endure. She worked on controlling her breathing to keep from hyperventilating, but she let out a frightened squeal as something furry rubbed against the small of her back. Jack looked at her sharply, afraid that her outburst would draw attention to them.

            "Something just touched me," she whispered, her voice full of tension.

            "Get over it."

            "Excuse me?"

            "It's probably just a rat, Chloe. It's not a big deal."

            "Just a rat!?" she exclaimed, her whispered voice rising a couple notches. "I swear to God, Jack Bauer, if something else touches me I will leap out of this dumpster. I don't care WHO'S chasing us."

            Realizing that she was telling the truth, Jack reached over and grabbed her arm, dragging her until she was sitting in his lap. Wrapping his arms around her waist and bringing his lips to her ear, he whispered, "Then I guess I'll just have to protect you from the rats."

            Chloe shivered at the feel of his breath against her skin. She began to forget their surroundings, only being able to focus on his proximity, and the beat of his heart against her back. She tried to think of something witty to say, but voices outside saved her from having to come up with anything.

            "That was insane!" they heard a boy exclaim.

            "Yeah! There were like, ten cars piled up! Did you see that SUV flip?"

            "And then some of them caught fire!"

            "Come on! Hopefully the cops haven't noticed the alarm going off yet. That accident will keep them busy for a while. Let's go!"

            Chloe and Jack sighed in relief as the boys ran off, realizing that they hadn't been chasing them after all. They sat in silence for a few minutes, just to make sure there was no one else coming. As time passed, Chloe grew more and more uncomfortable. Not only was she still sitting right up against Jack, but the smell in the dumpster was growing stronger, and the heat was becoming unbearable.

            "Jack?" she whispered.

            "Yeah?"

            "They're gone."

            "I know."

            "So you can let go now."

            "I know."

            But he didn't let go. Chloe was enjoying the feel of his arms around her, but she desperately needed to get out the enclosed space before she went raving mad.

            "Jack?"

            "Yeah?"

            "You can hold me again when we get out of the dumpster, you know."

            "Really?"

            "Yeah."

            Jack's hands slowly slid around her waist as he released her, and Chloe tried hard not to shiver at his touch. When he had let go of her, she stood up and pushed up the lid, breathing in the fresh air that rushed at her. Climbing out of the dumpster, she brushed her hands all over her body, trying to rid her clothing of the random flecks of garbage that clung to her. She glanced down at her pants in disgust, seeing stains forming from whatever she had stepped in. She turned at the sound of Jack shutting the dumpster lid.

            "We should get back to CTU," Jack said, awkwardly avoiding her gaze.

            "We're closer to my place," Chloe pointed out.

            Jack's head snapped up. "What?"

            "Now that we're not running for our lives, I know where we are. My place isn't far."

            "Why would we go to your apartment instead of CTU?"

            Chloe looked at him pointedly. "I need a shower, Jack. I'm not walking back into CTU smelling like this. Milo will never let me live it down. Besides, it's close enough to walk and our car was destroyed, remember?"

            Jack nodded. "Alright. Your place it is."

            "You could use a shower too, Jack."

            "Chloe, we don't have time-"

            "We would if we showered together."

            Jack's mouth fell open at the baldness of her suggestion. His brain tried to comprehend what she had just said, but he found himself stupidly devoid of most of his vocabulary.

            "Really?" he asked, shocked at how breathless he sounded.

            "Really," Chloe whispered as she placed a slow and gentle kiss on his lips. Jack smiled as he kissed her back, amused at how their field mission had turned out.

            Chloe broke away and took his hand, leading him back down the alley and toward her apartment.