Bring Me To Life

            Jack stopped breathing as his world crashed down around him. Everything else fell away as he saw her body, lying motionless on the cold concrete floor. With a strangled cry, he ran to her, falling to his knees by her side. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her up to his chest as he rocked back and forth, his tears spilling out of his eyes. He wept as he looked into her blank eyes, his hand coming up to shakily push the hair away from her face. Gently he brushed his finger across her bottom limp, flinching at how cold they were. Burying his face in her neck, he cried louder, the words tumbling out of his mouth, broken by his sobs.

            "Oh, God, Chloe…no…please, you can't be…I can't lose you, Chloe…Oh God, I love you. I love you and I'm sorry. I should have told you. Forgive me…I'm so sorry…Chloe, please…don't leave me…don't leave me here alone…"

            And then there were hands on him, trying to pull him away from her. He struggled, unwilling to leave her there, unwilling to accept that she was really gone. Distantly he heard Tony's voice as he quietly tried to urge him off the floor. As he continued staring at Chloe's lifeless face, the fight suddenly drained out of him and he went limp in their arms. They lifted him up gently, half-dragging, half-carrying him out of the room as his eyes stayed fixed on her, not even noticing as the medics placed Curtis on a stretcher and rushed him out. The tears continued to stream down his face as he realized that she was really gone, that there was nothing they could do to save her. Hanging his head in sorrow, he wept as they took him to the car.

 

***

 

            Bill met them just outside of Medical. As soon as they were through the doors, Jack shook Tony and Doyle off. Taking one last look as they brought Chloe inside in a body bag, he walked away, unable to stand being near anyone else for the moment. Tony watched him sadly, wishing that he could do something to help him.

            "What happened?" Bill asked quietly, tears escaping his eyes as he watched them bring Chloe in.

            "She was already dead when we got there," Tony answered. "Curtis was unconscious and bleeding from a gunshot wound. Jack…he lost it, Bill. I think this hit him harder than anything before. Maybe even harder than Teri's death…I've never seen him break like that." He sighed. “He was going to tell her today.”

            Bill looked at him curiously. “Tell her what?”

            Tony gave him a sad smile. “He was going to tell her that he loved her. He told me this morning. He was done waiting. He wanted to be with her.”

            Clearing his throat, Bill tried to contain his emotions. "Do they think Curtis is going to make it?"

            Tony nodded. "Doctor on-scene said his chances were good. His vest deflected a lot of the hit, so the bullet didn't go as deep as it would have."

            "Excuse me. Agent Almeida?" a nurse asked, sticking her head out into the hallway.

            "Yeah?"

            "Agent Manning is awake and asking for you. He says he won't let us treat him until he's talked to you."

            Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Tony followed the nurse into the room, where several people were trying to pin down Curtis' arms and legs. He walked over to him quickly in an effort to calm him.

            "Tony," Curtis gritted, his face wincing in obvious pain.

            "Curtis, you have to let the doctors help you. You were shot."

            "Chloe…"

            "She didn't make it, Curtis. I'm sorry."

            "She's not…"

            "She's gone. She was gone before we even got there. I'm-"

            Tony's words were cut off when Curtis suddenly sat up on the bed and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him close.

            "Chloe's not dead, Tony," he bit out. "I saw what Mandy did to her. And she's not dead. She's paralyzed…it…it was a…spider bite…" His words trailed off as the blood loss made him light-headed. Tony eased him back down onto the bed.

            "A spider?"

            Curtis nodded. "Mandy said…she had been hired to…to destroy Jack. She said the spider would paralyze her for about eight hours, and that it would be hard for even a doctor to be able find a heartbeat. She wanted Jack to think she was dead so that he would go over the edge…and she figured that if he ever found out that she hadn't really been dead, it would…be too late. Chloe would be buried alive and already dead." His eyes fluttered shut.

            "Curtis…Curtis!"

            The other man's eyes opened again, but Tony could tell that he needed to get into surgery immediately.

            "The spider. Did Mandy say what it's name was?"

            "M…Me…Medusa," he stuttered out before falling unconscious again.

            The nurses pushed Tony aside as they began to work on the other agent. As his head swam in confusion, he began to run down to where they had taken Chloe's body. If Curtis was right, he had to stop them before they took her out of the building.

            He ran into the room they had brought her into, rushing to her side. Nervously he unzipped the bag, trying not to flinch when he saw her lifeless eyes staring up at him. He reached out to feel a pulse, but didn't find one. Frowning, he reached over for the phone, dialing quickly.

            "I need Dr. MacAvoy in Medical 3. Now."

            When Dr. MacAvoy entered the room, he found Tony staring down at the body, a confused but hopeful look on his face. When he heard footsteps, the agent looked up quickly.

            "Shane, thanks for coming." He took a deep breath, knowing that the doctor wasn't going to believe him. "I need you to hook Chloe up to a monitor."

            "Tony…she was announced DOA at the scene."

            Looking back down at Chloe, Tony spoke quietly. "Have you ever heard of the Medusa Spider?"

            Shane nodded. "It's a rare spider that resides in the South Pacific. Why?"

            "The agent that was with her when it happened said that she was bitten by one. Is that possible?"

            The doctor paused, frowning. "It would be very difficult to get one, but…let's hook her up. If you're right, that means she'll wake up in five or six hours."

            Tony moved aside so that Shane could hook her up to the heart monitor. A couple minutes later they were both staring at the screen in shock. Her pulse was faint, but it was there.

            "She's alive," Shane whispered.

            "I have to find Jack," Tony said as he raced from the room.

 

***

 

            Twenty minutes later had Milo, Bill, Doyle and Tony searching CTU frantically for Jack. As the time passed without finding him, Tony's panic began to rise. He thought back to how Jack had been when he found her, how he had held her and wept. He remembered the look on his face when he walked away from them in Medical. If he didn't find him soon and tell him that Chloe was alive, he was afraid that he would end up breaking the news to Chloe that he was dead. Shaking his head, he stopped in a back hallway, leaning against the wall and wracking his brain for some place that Jack could be hiding. It was then that Nadia came up to him.

            "Have you guys found Jack yet?"

            He shook his head. "No."
            "Did you try the roof?"

            Tony looked at her in confusion. "Why would he be on the roof?"

            Nadia shrugged. "It's Chloe's favorite place to hide when too much is going on. Jack knew that."

            Without another word, Tony ran up to the roof.

 

***

           

           

            When Tony first got to the roof, it looked deserted and he feared that they would never find Jack in time. But as he turned to go, a sound caught his ear and caused him to turn back. He walked to the other side of the roof, stopping when he found Jack huddled in a corner, weeping like a lost child. Tony’s heart broke for his friend and he started to walk forward to tell him the good news.

            That was when he saw the gun. Jack was holding it in his lap, staring at it as the sobs continued to wrack his entire body. Taking deep breaths, he steadied himself, lifting the gun until it was against his temple and closed his eyes.

            “Put the gun down, Jack,” Tony said sharply.

            Jack flinched at his voice and opened his eyes, staring at Tony hollowly. His eyes held nothing but pain and brokenness and a desire for it to all go away. Tony could actually see the guilt eating away at him, taking his soul bite by bite.  He took a few steps closer.

            “Go away, Almeida,” Jack rasped as he raised the gun again.

            “She’s not dead, Jack.”

            “Don’t fuck with me, Tony. I saw her. I held her body. She’s gone.”

            Tony took a few steps closer, kneeling in front of Jack. Gently he reached out and placed his hand on the gun, not yet taking it away. “Curtis woke up, Jack. He told us what happened to her. Mandy put a spider on her and let it bite her. It was a Medusa Spider. They paralyze the victim for about eight hours and then they wake up again. She’s alive, Jack. Chloe is alive.” He watched Jack’s face, and pushed on when he saw his features begin to relax just a little. “She’s been down for about three hours. That means in another five she’ll start to wake up. And I don’t want to have to tell her that you’re dead, Jack. That would break her.”

            Jack loosened his grip on the gun and Tony took it from him swiftly, sticking it in his waistband. “I want to sit with her. Wait for her.”

            “We’ve got to catch the bad guys first, Jack. We’ll go, we’ll get it done. And then you can sit with her as long as you want. She’ll be happy to see you when she wakes up.” He reached out a hand to help Jack up. When they were both standing, Jack glared at him.

            “If this is a trick, Almeida…”

            Tony glared right back. “I wouldn’t lie about something like this. Listen, she’s hooked up to a monitor and they can see her heartbeat. She’s not dead.”

            Jack stared at him for a moment and then nodded. “Let’s go kill the bitch who did this.”

 

***

           

            It took them four and a half hours to track down Mandy and dispose of her. When they found her, she had hostages and the warehouse was rigged with C4. By the grace of God they managed to get themselves and the hostages out before it blew. As they climbed into the SUV, Jack caught sight of Mandy trying to flee. Pulling a sniper rifle out of the back, he took aim and put a bullet in the back of her head. They called a team for cleanup and rushed back to CTU, Jack breaking every driving rule to make sure he got back to Chloe before she woke up.

           

***

 

            He sat by her bed, clutching her hand. He tried not to glance at the clock, every passing minute causing his stomach to twist tighter and tighter. Closing his eyes against the tears, he laid his head on the bed by her hand, praying that she would wake up.

            His head shot up when he felt fingers brushing against his hair jerkily. Eyes watering at the sight, Jack watched as Chloe’s hands and legs between to twitch. Slowly her eyes opened and she looked around in confusion, her gaze finally coming to rest on Jack. She grimaced as she tried to sit up, the movements jerky and stiff. He rested his hands on her hips, helping her up and then steadying her as her limbs continued to work off the stiffness.

            “Jack,” she whispered, resting a hand on his cheek.

            “Are you okay?” he choked out.

            She tried to shrug. “I guess. Everything hurts. Not being able to move for so long pretty much sucks.”

            Jack nodded as his hands moved to her shoulders, gently kneading them. He moved up and down her arms, slowly working the muscles back to life. Then he focused on her legs, lifting up her shin so that he could get at her calf, working out any cramps before they could settle in. Tears were streaming down his face as he touched her, his movements slow and steady, despite Chloe being able to feel a desperation to them.

            “Jack.”

            He shook his head, his vision significantly blurred by his tears. He bit down on his lip, trying to keep his sobs in.

            “Jack.”

            He refused to meet her gaze, even as her hands came up to cradle his face. He just continued massaging her shoulders and arms, ignoring the fact that she was no longer twitching.

            “I heard what you said. When you were holding me. I heard everything.”

            A sob escaped his lips. His face contorting in pain at the memory, he took in a ragged breath. His hands stopped moving, resting on her shoulders as his eyes lifted to hers. Raising a hand shakily, he let his thumb drift across her bottom lip, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt its warmth. He leaned his head into the crook of her neck, letting his hands fall to her waist, and cried. Chloe stroked the back of his neck, trying to soothe him. Holding him close, she gently rocked him back and forth.

            “It’s okay, Jack. You can take it back. I know you were just upset because you thought I was dead. I’m not going to hold you to any of it. I-“

            “Shut up, Chloe,” Jack begged.

            Lifting his head from her shoulder, he stared at her deeply, brushing a stray hair away from her yes. Then he leaned in slowly, brushing his lips against hers. Chloe’s first instinct was to run, to deny that he could really mean this. But she remembered his cries and his words as he had held her body, believing her to be dead. Forcing herself to trust him, she kissed him back, her hands shaking as they ran through his short hair. As their mouths moved against each other, she tentatively ran her tongue along his bottom lip. Without hesitation, Jack opened his mouth to her, letting his tongue dance with hers as they clung to each other.

            “I love you,” Jack whispered when they pulled back. “I was going to tell you today. Tony convinced me to stop being such an idiot. But then we found you and you were-“

            His words were cut off by Chloe’s lips on his . She kissed him softly but decisively, letting it linger for just a moment. “I love you too,” she replied, wiping the tears from his face.

            Giving her a small smile, he nodded, letting his head rest against her neck again. His arms stayed around her, his body unwilling to let her go out of the fear that it would all turn out to be a dream. Chloe moved her head to whisper in his ear.

            “It’s okay, Jack. I’m not going anywhere.”

            “I don’t want to let you go.”

            Chloe smiled and lifted his head so that she could look in his eyes. “You don’t have to,” she assured him. “Let’s go home, Jack. I just…I just want to be with you. I want to go home and lay next to you and just know that you’re there. And that you love me,” she added, lowering her eyes.

            Jack nudged her nose with his, a matching smile on his face. “Sounds like the best plan I've heard in awhile," he agreed, leaning in to kiss her again.

           

Soft

Another drabble.

            Chloe couldn't have explained the plot of the movie if her life depended on it. From the moment Jack sat down next to her, she had been distracted by his proximity. They sat with a small space between them, both unsure of how close was 'too close' on a first date.

            Their plans had been put on hold when a new crisis arose, causing them to miss their dinner reservations at a fancy restaurant downtown. They were finally able to leave CTU a little after eleven, both nearly staggering with exhaustion, but neither wanting to accept that their night had been ruined. So they had driven to Chloe's place, ordering takeout on the way and picking up a movie from Blockbuster.

            Now the food cartons were empty and discarded, and a few empty beer bottles dotted the coffee table in front of them. Chloe sat straight and stiff as a board, her hands twisting nervously in her lap, while Jack tried to lean back and look relaxed despite the eruption of butterflies in his stomach. He kept reminding himself that this was Chloe – his best friend, a woman he had known for years – there was no reason to be nervous. But he found himself continually wondering what he was expected to do and if he should try to kiss her and if sex was allowed on a first date when you'd known the person for so long.

            Ever so slowly he reached his right hand over, hesitating slightly just before untangling her hands and entwining his fingers with hers. He heard a small gasp, but was reassured by the slight squeeze that she gave his hand. Relaxing a little bit more, Jack allowed himself a small smile at how right this felt.

            His hand was soft – that was what surprised Chloe the most. She had always expected them to be rough and calloused from everything he did, from everything he had gone through. But instead they were smooth and soft, and…comfortable. Her hand rested in his gently, as though it had belonged there all along. Her body slowly relaxed as her nervousness slid out of her. Keeping her eyes locked on the TV, she gently slid her hand from his, crossing the distance between them, and moving his arm so that she could lean against his chest. Jack jumped slightly before reaching around her waist and tugging her close. As her head came to rest against him, he moved his left hand onto her knee, palm up. Chloe looked up at him and smiled as she placed her right hand in his, their fingers once again entwining.