Anything For Love (Chapter 5)

[failegaidin]

I present you all with Chapter 5...thanks again to sparky_girl82, who helped despite being swamped by annoying people at work. And don't worry, this isn't over yet!       

                The ride back to CTU was awkward. Jack and Chloe sat in the backseat while Curtis drove, both avoiding the other's eyes. Curtis kept glancing at them through the rearview mirror. He had seen them talking on the beach, Jack laying on top of her. The scene had made him hopeful for his two friends, but the tension permeating the SUV made him question what had actually happened.

                "How did you find us?" Jack asked, pulling Curtis out of his thoughts. 
                "Chloe." Both stared at him in confusion, obviously not understanding. "Her vest. I had a tracker put in it."

"You what?" Chloe screeched.

Curtis chuckled. "Come on, Chloe. I knew you were going to get yourself into trouble on this one. I figured it would be a good idea to keep track of you in case you got lost. When Jack went after you, I realized that if there was any chance you were alive, he would find you."

At the mention of the rescue, Jack risked a glance at Chloe. He was still mad at her for almost getting killed – but only because he was so afraid of losing her. He'd almost kissed her on the beach, but Curtis had gotten there before he could. Now he wondered if he had scared her off. He had asked so much of her in the past; he wasn't sure he could ask her to love him as well.

As his eyes traveled down her body, he finally saw that she was bleeding from multiple wounds. Her face was pale and drawn, and he saw that her eyes were losing their focus.

"Chloe!" he yelled, reaching over to take her face in his hands. "Chloe, look at me! Baby, I need you to look at me. Please." A note of desperation seeped into his voice.

She didn't even register the term of endearment. The pain in her legs and shoulder was drowning out everything else. She tried to focus on Jack's face and the feel of his hands, but the world went black before she could.

 

***

 

Chloe was rushed to medical as soon as they reached CTU. Jack was just left staring in shock as they wheeled her inside. He couldn’t do anything for her now, and he found that he hated that fact. Standing next to the SUV, he looked around, unsure of what he was supposed to do next. Seeing his confusion, Curtis walked over and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"She'll be okay, Jack." The other man just nodded, not trusting his voice to speak. "Audrey's in Medical 3. She's probably awake by now. You should go see her." Nodding again, Jack walked toward Medical.

 

***

 

James Heller was standing outside his daughter's room, waiting for Jack Bauer. He knew that Jack would come eventually, especially since he had been in the field when Audrey had been brought in. He was not prepared, however, for the broken man that appeared before him.

"Mr. Secretary," Jack greeted, shaking the older man's hand.

"It's just Jim now, Jack. I left the political arena when they told me Audrey was dead."

Pain flashed in his eyes at the mention of her name. "How is she?" he asked shakily.

"She's actually going to be okay. It looks as though the Chinese didn't do too much to her. They were just…holding her until they could use her." Heller peered closely at Jack, noticing the worry in his eyes and the slight shake of his hands. "It's alright, Jack," he reassured him. "She's going to be alright."

Jack shook his head, trying to focus on what Heller was saying. "I'm sorry, sir. I was actually…one of my friends was just rushed in here. I'm worried about her."

"Oh?"

"Chloe O'Brian."

Heller frowned. "Isn't she a computer analyst?"

"Yes. But she's the one that rescued Audrey today."

His eyes widened in surprise. "I was under the impression that Agent Manning brought her in."

Jack closed his eyes, fighting back the image of Chloe tied to a chair, Cheng reaching for her. "He was with her, but…Chloe managed to get Audrey out with Curtis, but she was taken in the process."

Heller placed a hand on Jack's shoulder, sorry that that tragedy kept leaving a mark on this man's life. But what he needed to say to Bauer was important, and he didn't want it to wait.

"We need to talk, Jack."

The younger man walked over to a chair and sat down, his head in his hands. "If this is about me staying away from Audrey, you can save your breath."

"Look, Jack. I understand that you love her. But she just doesn't belong in your world. She can't handle it. And I can't handle her being hurt or kidnapped because some terrorist wants something from you. Please, Jack. You've got to let her go."

Heller was surprised by the deep chuckle that emanated from the man in front of him. "Did I say something funny?" he asked, anger evident in his voice.

Jack look up at him, quelling his laughter. "I'm sorry sir. It's just that I'd already made that decision. Audrey and I don't work. We can't."

"Really?"

Jack smiled. "Yes. That's why I'm here. I just wanted to say goodbye."

Heller nodded. "Thank you, Jack."

 

***

 

Audrey looked up as Jack entered the room, unable to stop the smile on her face. She still couldn't believe that he was alive and free. Despite continuing her search for him, she had started to believe that he had been killed. He walked over to the side of her bed and took her hand.

"Audrey," he whispered.

"Hi Jack." She paused, unsure of how to say the next part. Looking up at him nervously, she asked, "Did you talk to my father?"

Jack smiled gently, realizing what she was asking. "Yes. And don't worry – it's okay. I had made the same decision before I came."

Audrey breathed an audible sigh of relief. She loved Jack, but she knew that she couldn’t be with him. Her mind flashed back to the events of the day, and she suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, God. Chloe," she gasped. "What about Chloe? Is she alright?"

Jack's smile vanished and he fought to keep his voice from quaking. "She's…they're taking care of her now. I don't…I don’t know if she's okay."

Audrey tightened her grip on Jack's hand. "I couldn't believe it when I saw her there today. I never would have thought she'd rescue me. She even saved my life when the Chinese came in and shot at us. She pushed Curtis and I out the door…all these months that you've been gone, Jack…she's done nothing but look for you. I heard Morris yell at her for it on more than one occasion, telling her to accept the fact that you were dead. But she never gave up. She refused to believe that you were gone."

Jack's looked at her sharply. "She looked for me?"

"Of course she did, Jack. After everyone else gave up, she kept looking, disobeying direct orders from Division. I…I gave up too. But she just kept going, and eventually I asked her if I could help. I used my resources at DoD. But when I told her I was going to China, she told me not to. She said I would just get hurt or taken, and that you wouldn't want that. I went anyway. I should have listened to her. Then she wouldn't have had to come after me."

Jack bowed his heads, tears streaming down his face. "I thought…I thought she had given up on me. She didn't say anything about it when she told me what happened to you. I had no idea she kept looking."

Audrey smiled sadly. "Of all the people in this world, Jack, did you really think that Chloe would give up on you?"

"No," he whispered. "And that's why it hurt so much when I thought she had."

"Go, Jack. Go be with her. Make sure you're the first thing she sees when she wakes up. She deserves that much."

Jack nodded. "Goodbye, Audrey."

She squeezed his hand again. "Goodbye Jack."

 

***

 

Bill was surprised and a little perturbed to see Chloe at her station. She was going to be alright, but she hadn't been cleared by Medical to return to work. They wanted her to rest, seeing as how they had found nine nails embedded in her flesh from the Chinese. They hadn't been enough to seriously endanger her, but combined with the scare of torture and the stress of swimming to shore after the boat exploded, she had passed out and gone into shock.

Chloe stared at the paper in her hands. It was time. She fought back the tears, knowing that Buchanan wouldn't be happy with her. Not only had she seriously broken protocol, but she had almost gotten herself and Curtis killed.

Jack's actions had confused her. She hadn't expected him to come after her. He was supposed to just take Audrey home and be happy. And then the things he had said on the beach…she shook her head, refusing to let herself go down that road. He had just been relieved that she was alive. She knew that he was with Audrey now, and that they could finally be happy together. Things were the way they were supposed to be, even if they weren't the way she wanted them to be.

She looked up to see Bill walking over to her. Putting on her usual scowl, she crossed the distance to where he was.

"Look, Mr. Buchanan, I know you're mad at me, but-"

Bill raised a hand to cut her off. "Chloe, what are you doing out of Medical?"

She floundered, caught off-guard by his question. "I needed to print something."

"What could you possibly need to print right now?"

"This," she said, handing him the piece of paper. "I'll stick around for the debrief. You can just find me here when you're ready." Turning, she walked back to her station and sat down.

Bill frowned as he found himself looking at Chloe's letter of resignation. 

Chapter 6