The Sound of Music

Okay, second prompt fic done! This was requested by sparky_girl82 and she helped me out with it quite a bit. Enjoy!



                When Jack walked into the apartment, the first thing he saw was Chloe stretched out on the couch, watching TV. She didn't turn or acknowledge him as he shut the door and put his keys on the counter. Walking over to her, he stood by the couch and waited for her to notice him. The minutes crept by, however, and she remained silent.

"Hey," he ventured quietly
"Hey."
"You okay?"
"I'm fine."
"I don't believe you."
"Too bad."
"Chloe, you're obviously upset."
"So?"
Jack sighed. "So what's bothering you?"
"At the moment? You are."
"What?"

 It was Chloe's turn to sigh as she finally turned to look at him. "You, Jack. You're interrupting my movie."

Jack smiled as she turned her attention back to the television. "Well, if you'd

make some room for me, I could watch the movie with you and stop pestering you about what's wrong."
            I'm already comfy," she protested.

            Slipping off his shoes, Jack stepped onto the couch behind Chloe. She gave him a startled look, but he just gently pushed her over so that she was lying closer to the edge. He then laid down beside her, wrapping his right arm around her waist.

            Chloe tried not to freak out. But Jack's body was pressed up against her back and he was using his arm to pull her even closer. She bit back a yelp of surprise when she felt one of his knees pry her legs apart so that he could rest his in between. She was finding it suddenly very difficult to breathe.

            Jack's stomach was tied in knots as he settled his body against Chloe's. He had been staying with her for the past six months, and he had found himself at a level of comfort with her that he hadn't felt with anyone for a long time. It had seemed natural for him to curl up on the couch with her, but now that their bodies were pressed flush against each other, he was suddenly incredibly nervous.

From his new vantage point, Jack could see a bowl full of cookie dough with a spoon in it.
"Must have been a pretty bad day," he commented.
"You said you'd drop it, Jack."
"For now," he said. He turned his attention to the TV. "So what are we watching?"
"The Sound of Music."
"Never seen it," he whispered before finally falling silent.

 

***

 

"The Captain is kind of stupid," Jack pointed out later in the movie.
"Why?" Chloe asked as they watched the Von Trapp children react sadly to their father's engagement to the Baroness.
            "He had a good thing staring him straight in the face. Why on earth would he choose the Baroness?"

            "Because men are stupid," she replied simply.

            Jack snorted in disbelief. "Not ALL men, Chloe. I would never choose the Baroness."

            "You already did," she said quietly.

            Jack reached for the remote and paused the movie. "Excuse me?"

            Chloe shut her eyes and silently berated herself for letting that slip. "Nevermind, Jack. Can we please just watch the movie?"

            "No, Chloe. I want to know what you meant by that."

            "Yeah, well, I don't want to talk about it."

            Jack gently turned Chloe over so that she was lying mostly on her back and facing him. He brushed some stray hairs from her face, letting his fingers linger against her skin.

            "Who, Chloe?" When she gave him a confused look, he hurried to clarify. "Who's the Baroness?" he asked softly.

            Chloe shut her eyes again, fighting back the tears. "Please, Jack...just forget I said anything."

            "Chloe," he urged quietly. He playfully nudged her nose with his own, finally getting her to open her eyes. He smiled at her. "Tell me."

            Looking up at him, Chloe took a deep breath. "Audrey," she whispered so quietly that Jack almost missed it.

            "How?"

            Chloe laughed bitterly. "Oh come on, Jack. Just look at her. She's beautiful, smart. She's comfortable in just about every social situation and pretty much oozes grace. She's the epitome of the Baroness."

            Jack was silent for a moment before responding. "Didn't the Baroness kind of trick Maria into leaving because she knew the Captain was in love with her?"

            Chloe frowned. "Well, yeah. But the Baroness is pretty much evil for the first half of the movie, so you shouldn't be that surprised." She paused. "I take that back. She's not evil. She just knows she can't hold on to the man she loves. And that would make anyone do something mean."

            "So that begs the question, Chloe...who's my Maria?"

            Chloe couldn't answer. The conversation had taken a turn she wasn't expecting, and now she was more confused than ever. She wanted to leave the room, to leave Jack and his intense gaze. But his lower body was draped over hers, and she would have had to throw him off of her in order to get up.

            Jack watched as the gears in Chloe's brain turned. He knew that he had hit on something, and he didn't want to stop until he figured it out. But he could also tell that Chloe was starting to shut down on him - that she was looking for any way out of the conversation. He decided to try a different route.

            "Does this have anything to do with why you were upset today?" he asked suddenly.

            His sudden change of course threw Chloe completely off. She hadn't expected him to be so close to the mark, and her surprise left her floundering for a response.

            He could tell from the look in her eyes that he was right. Stroking her face with his hand, he urged her to open up to him. "Please, Chloe. Just tell me."

            There was really no way out of the conversation, and Chloe knew that. She could push him off and tell him to leave her alone, but the truth was, she really didn't want to. Maybe if she finally told him, she would feel better. Or things would just become incredibly awkward. Either way, she suddenly had to know.

            "I overheard some people talking at work today," she began.

            "About what?"

            "Me," she paused. "Us."

            "What about us?" he prodded.

            Chloe took another deep breath, closing her eyes so that she wouldn't have to see his reaction. "They were talking about how pathetic I am. That you could never love me when you've got someone like Audrey. And I know they're right, Jack. I know I don't compare. I know the hero never chooses the quirky sidekick. He always ends up with the beautiful princess. But it got to me today."

            "So you came home and watched The Sound of Music?"

            Chloe nodded. "The Baroness doesn't get the guy in the end. Maria does."

            Jack smiled. "Does that make you my Maria?"

            Chloe opened her eyes again, scowling at him. "Yeah. Except for the whole getting-the-guy part in the end. I'm pretty sure Audrey wins in this dimension."

            Jack's expression grew serious. "Chloe?"

            "Yeah?"

            "Who have I been living with for the past six months?"

            "Me. Jack-"

            "And who do I have dinner with every night?" he continued, effectively cutting her off.

            Chloe sighed. "Me, but-"

            "Who do I fall asleep next to every night?"

            "Jack-"

            "Answer the question, Chloe."

            She huffed. "Me." She was confused by his line of questioning, afraid that she was misunderstanding and that she was getting her hopes up for nothing.

            "Who am I lying on top of, trying to convince her that I choose her?"

            Chloe just stared at him. Half of her told her that this was a dream, that Jack wasn't looking down at her with that look on his face and saying those things to her. But the other half realized that she was awake and told her that she better not screw this up.

            "Me?" she whispered.

            "You," he confirmed, the smile back on his face.

            "You choose me?" she asked again, needing to hear him say it.

            "I choose you," he said, bring his lips against hers gently, fleetingly. "I love you," he whispered before bringing his lips back down and kissing her with the passion he had been trying to fight for the past six months.

            Chloe kissed him back, ordering her brain to shut the hell up and to let her enjoy this. The movie and the cookie dough lay forgotten, as did the office gossip that had plunged her into her self-pitying depression. All that fell away as she reveled in Jack's touch.

            She didn't know it, but Jack was very much relieved at her response. He had been scared to death that she didn't want him that way – that he was mistaking friendship and loyalty for love. But as she kissed him back and ran her hands up and down his spine, he finally realized what he had been missing all this time.

            Suddenly her lips were no longer on his and he felt himself being pushed off of her. His heart sank into his stomach as he had the thought that maybe she didn't feel the same way. He fought back the lump in his throat and forced himself to look her in the eye.

            "Chloe," he started, his voice hoarse.

            "If you think I'm going to let you have your way with me on my couch, you've got another thing coming, Jack Bauer." She paused, disentangling herself from him and standing up. It was then that she saw the broken look on his face and the crestfallen slump of his shoulders. Realizing her mistake, she took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her.

            "Oh God, Jack. I didn't mean it that way. I just meant I wanted to go upstairs. More room on the bed." She searched his eyes, hoping that he understood. "I love you," she whispered.

            Chloe was nearly blinded by the smile that appeared on his face. Pulling her down into his lap, he kissed her hungrily, plunging his tongue into her mouth. Chloe reciprocated, groaning at the heat erupting between them.

            "Jack," she whispered in between kisses.

            Jack stopped, looking in her eyes. "Right. Bedroom. Sorry, I got distracted."

            Chloe grinned at him mischievously. "I distract you?"

            "You have no idea," he growled. He stood up, still holding her and forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist. Leaning in he kissed her again, carrying her upstairs to the bedroom.