Too Late (2) NC-17

            She was surprised when she arrived at the address on the envelope and found herself staring at a good-sized house in a quiet neighborhood. Pulling into the driveway, she turned the engine off and sat there quietly trying to calm her nerves. There were lights on inside, which meant that he was home, and a pickup truck was parked in front of her.

            Taking a deep breath, Chloe finally opened the door and climbed out of the car. She shut the door quietly and walked up the gravel path leading to the front porch. Standing in front of the door, she tried to steady her breathing, closing her eyes and telling herself that he had been clear in her letters, that this was easy. But a little voice in the back of her head kept reminding her that he probably thought she hated him because she never returned his letters – he probably had given up and moved on. Shaking her head, she opened her eyes and knocked on the door.         

            It wasn't long before she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She held her breath and willed herself to stand still as the door before her swung open and she found herself face-to-face with Jack Bauer.

            He stood there in shock, just taking in the sight of her. His eyes ran over her entire body, finally coming back up to rest on her face, searching for something. Slowly a smile grew on his face and he let out a quiet laugh.

            "Chloe…" he said in quiet disbelief.

            Dropping her purse to the porch, Chloe launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him close. Jack immediately hugged her back, pulling her body against his and resting his face into the crook of her neck. He brought one hand to her hair, running his fingers through it gently as he breathed her in.

            It felt so good to be in his arms, and Chloe could have stood there forever. But then she remembered the letters and that she owed him an explanation. She pulled away suddenly, putting distance between them again.

            "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I didn't mean to-"

            Jack just kept smiling at her. "Chloe, it's okay. I'm just glad to see you."

            She looked up at him then, a small smile growing on her face to match his. Then a voice from another room made her blood run cold.

            "Jack, are you coming back upstairs?" a woman called.

            Jack had turned at the sound of the voice, and when he looked back at Chloe, he saw pain and defeat in her eyes. He frowned, unsure of what had changed so quickly. She took a step back from him, bumping into the doorframe.

            "Oh God," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I'm too late, aren't I?"

            And then Jack understood. But Chloe had already turned and picked up her purse from the porch, stumbling down the steps. Jack looked up the stairs again, and then back to where Chloe had been standing.

            "Dammit!" he yelled before running out the door and chasing her.

            He raced down the steps of the porch and hurtled towards her car. Chloe was at her door, struggling to find the right key and jam it into the lock. She was sobbing and her hands were shaking, causing the key to go everywhere except the lock, making little scratches around her door handle.

            When Jack got to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, trying to pin her arms as well. She pushed and struggled against him, still desperately trying to unlock her door so that she could just drive away.

            "Chloe, please," he pled, trying to hold her still and turn her around at the same time. "Please, just listen to me, Chloe."

            She shook her head as the tears continued to fall. Finally Jack gave up on pinning her arms and just went for the keys. Wresting them from her grip, he threw them in the garden and then wrapped his arms around her again.

            With her keys gone, Chloe sagged against him in defeat, her sobs overcoming her. Jack held her against his chest, leaning his head over her shoulder so that he could whisper in her ear.

            "It's okay, Chloe," he said soothingly. "You're not too late. I promise you. You're not too late."

            He repeated the words over and over, trying to get through to her. Her breathing slowed and she turned to look at him, her tear-stained face breaking his heart.

            "Oh Chloe…" he whispered.

            "You mean it?" she asked, her emotions still threatening to break her. "I'm not too late?"

            Jack smiled and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "You're not too late. I'm right here. I've been waiting for you Chloe. I would have waited forever."

            She closed her eyes at his words, unable to believe that he was really saying those things to her. Then a thought came to her and she frowned, opening her eyes again.

            "But who…who…" she struggled to get the words out, not really wanting to ask the question.

            Jack turned slightly so that Chloe could see over his shoulder. Her eyes widened as she saw Michelle standing on the porch, watching them with an amused expression on her face. The other woman walked down the steps and over to the couple.

            "Hey Chloe," she said gently.

            Chloe frown deepened as she struggled to understand. She looked to Jack with questioning eyes.

            He smiled at her. "I called Michelle to come over and fix my computer. Hard drive crashed."

            "So you called Michelle?"

            Jack laughed. "Well, I would have called you, but you'd been ignoring my letters for five months, so I figured that would have been awkward."

            Chloe opened her mouth to respond, but Michelle cut in. "Well, the computer's fixed, so I'm going to leave you two alone. It seems you have some catching up to do." She walked over to Chloe and wrapped her arms around her in a tight but gentle hug. "I heard about the baby, Chloe. I'm so sorry."

            Jack's eyes narrowed in confusion as Chloe hugged Michelle back. "Thank you," she whispered.

            They pulled apart and Michelle walked across the street to her car, giving them a little wave as she climbed in and drove away. Left alone, Jack and Chloe stared at each other, both unsure of what to do next.

            Jack tucked her hair behind her ear. "I guess we have some things to talk about," he said quietly.

            Chloe nodded at him, biting her bottom lip. Jack gently took her by the hand and led her back up the steps and into the house.

            "We'll find your keys tomorrow," he said as he closed the door behind them. Leading her over to the couch, they both sat down, awkwardly leaving some space between them. "Why didn't you answer my letters?" he asked eventually.

            Chloe leaned against the back of the couch and tucked her legs underneath her, turning to face him. "I didn't get them until today," she answered simply. Jack looked at her sharply, and she continued. "Morris intercepted them. He read them and hid them in a box. He finally gave them to me today when he moved out."

            Jack closed his eyes and cursed under his breath. "I thought you wanted nothing to do with me," he said quietly. Then he opened his eyes again to look at her. "He left you?"

            She nodded. "It wasn't working. It never really did."

            He looked down at the couch, at his hand lying between them. "What did Michelle mean about the baby?" he asked in a subdued tone.

            It was Chloe's turn to look down as her bottom lip trembled. "The day you left…I found out I was pregnant. Morris and I decided to give it another chance. But…six weeks ago I lost it. The baby. I had a miscarriage."

            Jack took her hand, entwining their fingers and gripping tightly, letting her know that he was there. "Chloe…"

            "After that…we couldn't even speak to each other. I'm surprised it took him so long to move out." She looked up at him, her eyes shining with tears. "I'm sorry, Jack."

            "For what?"

            "That I didn't get your letters. That you had to think that I'd moved on, that I didn't want you in my life. It's not true, Jack. You don't know how much I've missed you."

            Her voice broke and Jack pulled her into his side, wrapping his arms around her and rocking her gently back and forth. He whispered soothing words in her ear as she clung to him. The floodgates broke and she cried, finally mourning the loss of her baby.

            Eventually her sobs subsided and her breathing evened out. Pulling back, she looked in his eyes, surprised to see his own tears there. She brought her hand up slowly to wipe them away, her breath catching at the pain in his expression.

            "Will you stay?" he asked her, desperation and longing evident in his voice.

            "If you still want me," she answered.

            Leaning in, he brushed his lips against hers softly. Chloe held his face in her hands and kissed him back slowly, taking her time and memorizing just how his lips felt. They sat like that for awhile before Jack tilted his head to deepen the kiss. He sucked on her bottom lip before nudging her mouth open slowly sliding his tongue in. She moaned deeply as they tasted each other, their grips tightening as they held on desperately. Finally they pulled back to breathe, letting their foreheads rest against each other.

            "I'm sorry," Jack whispered. "If this is too fast…we don’t have to do anything tonight…"

            He was cut off Chloe straddling his lap and pulling his mouth back to hers. She let her tongue toy with his as her hands drifted down to the buttons of his shirt. Slowly, she undid each one, letting her fingers trail in the hair on his chest as she made her way down. Dragging her lips from his, she kissed down his neck and then his chest, making him hiss in pleasure. Her hands roamed all over his skin, leaving a trail of fire wherever she touched. Groaning, Jack cradled her face in his hands and brought her mouth back to his, pulling her flush against his body. Chloe ground her hips against his, causing him to buck against her in anticipation. He shivered as she pushed his shirt off his shoulders, leaving his torso completely bare.

            Jack stood up, holding her against him and forcing her to wrap her legs around him. He walked them up the stairs slowly, reveling in the sensations she was causing in him. Their kisses were long and deep as they took their time to explore every inch of each other's mouths.

            He carried her into the bedroom, climbing onto the bed on his knees, Chloe still wrapped around him. He laid her down and pinned her there with his body, using the vantage point to undo her buttons as well. Letting his lips trail down her chest and stomach as he released each button, he smiled at the throaty moans coming from her. He pushed the shirt off of her, taking a moment to appreciate her bra-clad breasts before him.

            "You don't know how many times I've imagined this," he whispered, bringing his hands around her back to undo the clasp.

            Chloe held his face so that he was looking right at her. "Then show me."

            He slid the straps down her arms, revealing her bare breasts to him. Throwing the bra to the side, he pushed her back down, bringing his mouth to her right breast while kneading the other with his hand. Chloe threw her head back and groaned in pleasure, her hands tangling in his hair and holding him against her. She arched against him as he moved his mouth to the other breast, his tongue toying with her sensitive nipple.

            Then he was moving down her stomach, pausing at the waistband of her jeans and placing tiny kisses right above the fabric. He slowly undid the button and slid the zipper down, causing her to roll her hips in anticipation. He pulled the material down, kissing her thighs as he went. Then her jeans were gone and he was hovering over, taking in the glow of her face and the beauty of her body.

            Jack brought his lips back down to her skin, this time pulling her panties off slowly, tantalizingly. She called his name, begging him to touch her. When she was completely naked, he kissed along her inner thighs, letting his tongue drag across her enflamed skin. Chloe bucked her hips again, calling his name louder.

            And then his mouth was on her, his tongue moving inside her. He tasted her slowly, taking his time and becoming more aroused as her cries grew louder and more desperate. Finally he sucked on her clit, pulling her orgasm out of her. She shuddered and came, his name still on her lips. Sitting up, he brought his face back to hers and kissed her eyelids gently.

            Smiling at him coyly, Chloe pushed him onto his back. "You still have too much clothing on." She straddled him and ran her hands up and down his chest as she rolled her hips against his, causing him to moan her name. Then she teased him through the zipper, and he bucked beneath her. Copying his earlier movements, she pulled his jeans off slowly, kissing the exposed skin. She did the same with his underwear, smiling at him before lowering her mouth to him. Jack's eyes rolled in the back of his head as she took him in her mouth, the feel of her surrounding him nearly sending him over the edge. He took ragged breaths as she moved her tongue against him, his body shaking with the effort of controlling himself. Then she placed a gentle kiss on his quivering head and brought herself back up to kiss his lips. She kissed him slowly, teasing his mouth open before pulling back.

            "I want you inside me," she whispered.

            Jack nodded and pushed her back on the bed, hovering over her. Nudging her thighs open, he positioned himself at her entrance.

            "Wait, Jack."

            He looked at her, sudden worry knotting in the pit of his stomach. Chloe gently took his face in her hands and kissed him briefly.

            "I love you," she said quietly, a contented smile on her face.

            The worry evaporated and Jack leaned his forehead against hers. "I love you."

            And then he was inside her. He thrust against her as Chloe wrapped her legs around him, urging him deeper. Their cries grew louder and they came closer to the edge. Jack's lips sought hers and their tongues tangled as their bodies moved together. He pulled back to watch her face as Chloe reached her climax, her muscles contracting around him and pulling him over with her.

            When it was over he rolled to his side, tugging her until she rolled to face him. Brushing the hair out of her eyes, he smiled at her. "Wow."

            "Wow indeed," she answered, her fingers lightly tracing a random design on his chest.

            "I missed you," he said seriously. "And I’m sorry I wasn't there when you needed me."

            Chloe shrugged. "You didn't know what was going on. You're here now. That's all that matters."

            He brushed a kiss against her forehead. "Sleep."

            "You too."

            Jack nodded and pulled her tighter against him. Then he reached over and shut off the light, throwing the room into darkness.

            "I'm glad you came back to me," Jack whispered as he closed his eyes.

            "I'm always yours, Jack," Chloe answered with a yawn. "I always have been."

            They fell asleep in each other's arms.