Incomplete

Songfic. I apologize for the wonky formatting. It just wasn't my friend this morning.

Empty spaces fill me up with holes

Distant faces with no place left to go

Without you within me I can't find no rest

Where I'm going is anybody's guess.

 

                She was gone. It had only been two days since he had gotten back from China, and he needed to see her. But when he got to her apartment, he found it empty. The landlord told him that she had announced she was moving, and she had been gone in less than forty-eight hours. She hadn't left a forwarding address. Biting back tears at the sudden hole he felt in his chest, Jack wandered back home.

 

I've tried to go on like I never knew you

I'm awake but my world is half asleep

I pray for this heart to be unbroken

But without you all I'm going to be is incomplete

 

                He tried to push her out of his mind. He told himself that he shouldn't be surprised by her departure. After everything that she had been through – everything he had put her through – it was only natural that she would finally leave. He told himself that she was better off wherever she was, that she could finally live a quiet life without him.

            So he went about rebuilding his life. He called Kim and they slowly got to know each other again. He got a job that didn't involve guns or terrorists or the government. He tried to be happy.

            But the charade didn't last for very long. Two months later and his heart still ached. He found himself picking up the phone to call her before he remembered that she wouldn't be there to pick up. At night he would lie in bed, trying to think of anything but her.

            Finally he gave up and went to look for her.

 

Voices tell me I should carry on

But I am swimming in an ocean all alone

 

                They kept telling him to give up, that she was too good at hiding for him to be able to find her. Bill told him that she didn't want to be found. He said maybe it was time that Jack let her go.

            But he was like a man possessed. He couldn't sleep, his mind constantly running down any leads that they had found. Kim came over daily to make sure that he ate on a regular basis. She worried about him, but she knew that he had to find Chloe, and that he would spend the rest of his life looking for her if that's what it took.

            And then he found her, out of the blue. Packing a bag, he got in his car and headed toward Las Vegas.

 

Baby, my baby

It's written on your face

You still wonder if we made a big mistake

 

                He caught sight of her as she was walking through the casino on her way out to the parking lot. Her hair was longer and as she neared her car, she pulled it down from her ponytail, letting it dance around her shoulders.

            "Chloe!"

            She froze at the sound of his voice before turning slowly, her mouth dropped open in surprise. Even from a distance Jack could see the tears building in her eyes. He watched hopefully as she took a hesitant step towards him.

            But his hope paled as she turned suddenly and bolted for her car.

 

I've tried to go on like I never knew you

I'm awake but my world is half asleep

I pray for this heart to be unbroken

But without you all I'm going to be is incomplete

 

                He cursed as he watched her climb into her car hurriedly. Knowing that he had no chance of stopping her on foot, Jack raced toward his own car, jumping in as Chloe sped off. He turned the key and slammed his foot on the accelerator, rushing to follow her.
    It didn't take long for him to catch up with her, but he still hadn't figured out how he was going to make her stop. Pulling into the left lane, he brought his car level with hers and tried to signal for her to pull over. One tear-stained glance was all she gave him before she re-doubled her efforts to get away.
    Soon they were out of the city and driving through miles of desert. Jack stayed right on her tail, flashing his lights at her. Chloe continued driving, her car swerving as her motions became more desperate. As they took a sharp bend, she lost control of the car and went spinning into the sand next to the road.

 

I don't mean to drag it on, but I can't seem to let you go

I don't want to make you face this world alone

I want to let you go (alone)

 

                Jack was out of the car immediately. He ran toward Chloe as she opened her door and stepped out, staggering slightly. Taking her arms to steady her, Jack turned her to face him.
           "Chloe, are you alright?" he demanded, worry evident in his voice.
           She roughly shoved him away from her, tears streaming down her face.
           "What the hell are you doing, Jack!?" she screamed.
           "I've been looking for you-"
           "Why!? Why couldn't you just let me go!?"
           "Chloe, you just picked up and left. Without a word to anyone about where you were going or if you were alright-"
           "So I decided to take a play out of the Jack Bauer Handbook! What was so FUCKING important that you had to chase me across state lines? What law do you need help breaking now? What else could I POSSIBLY give you?"
           He took a tentative step forward, reaching out as though he wanted to touch her. "I missed you," he said quietly.

        Chloe laughed bitterly. "Don't give me that bullshit, Bauer. You've never given a damn about me."
          The pain in Jack's chest that had faded when he found her flared anew. He saw the pain in her face and knew that it was mirrored in his own.
         "How can you say that?" he whispered, his voice breaking.
          The anger fell from Chloe's eyes and voice, and she stood broken before him.
          "Because it's the truth," she replied, the emotion choking her. "If you really cared about me, then you wouldn't keep leaving me."
         Jack's breath hitched in his throat as her words sank in. Her shoulders began to shake as her sobs overcame her. He moved closer, relieved when she didn't step away, and pulled her into his arms.
        "I'm so sorry," he whispered into her hair as she cried. "I had no idea I was hurting you."
        "How could you not know?" Chloe asked, her voice muffled by his shirt. "How could you not know I was in love with you?"
        Jack sighed, holding her tighter. "I did know. But I knew that if I admitted that, then I'd have to admit how I felt as well."
        Chloe pulled back slightly to look at him, her hands still on his shoulders. "And would that have been so bad?" she asked.
        He nodded. "I thought so at the time. I wanted to be normal. I hated who I was and I wanted to start over and become somebody new. But you always saw through me, Chloe. I could never hide anything from you. And that scared me."
        She played with the collar of his shirt, staring at his throat. "And now?"
       Jack took her face in both his hands, bringing her eyes up to his. "I don't want to do this without you anymore."
       "Do what?"
       "This. Life. Everything."
      Chloe bit her lip, nodding. Then her hands slid up to his face and pulled his lips down to meet hers gently. When he didn't pull away, she grew bolder, kissing him harder and sliding her tongue in to meet with his. He groaned as he pulled her closer, the pain in his chest all but gone. Pulling back, Chloe rested her head in the crook of his neck.
       "Take me home," she whispered.
       Jack ran his fingers through her hair. "Back to L.A.?" She nodded, causing Jack to smile. "You don't like Vegas?"
      Chloe looked up at him, tracing his jaw line with her fingers. "I don't like anywhere that's not with you."
      He held her close again. "Then let's make sure you're never in any of those places again," he whispered.

 

 

I've tried to go on like I never knew you

I'm awake but my world is half asleep

I pray for this heart to be unbroken

But without you all I'm going to be is incomplete

 

 

               

 

My name is...

Okay, so I realize this is going to come across as weird. I don't care. Well, I do care, but I'll write anyway. This it to all the people who know me from Chlack and Chlack-related things. My online pen name has been Tessa. I gave that originally because I was a little creeped out about giving my real name to online people. But many of you have become my friends, so I thought I'd just make a blanket statement. My name is Lisa. It's easier if I just go by one name since Holly was using my real one and others were using my pen name and I was getting confused with who was calling me what, so...Lisa. You can all call me Lisa. 

Does that just make me uber-weird?