failegaidin

Sex
Chloe tried to convince herself that it was just sex. They never went out on dates. No one else knew that they were sleeping together. But after work some days she would go to his place and he'd cook her dinner. As soon as the dishes were done (and sometimes as they were being washed), Jack would move behind her and start kissing her neck. They didn't always make it to the bedroom. The kitchen floor, the couch and even the stairs worked just fine.

But it was becoming harder and harder to ignore the way her stomach fluttered whenever he touched her. Just a glance from him would have her biting her lip in an attempt to quash her smile. It was getting more difficult to go back to her apartment, and she found herself showing up at his place almost every night.

Instead of going home one night, Jack stopped at her station, watching her with an intense gaze.

"What?"

"Are you almost done?"

"Yeah. Why?"

He shrugged. "I thought we could go get dinner."

Her eyes widened and he though he saw a twinge of fear.

"Dinner?"

"Yeah."
"You always cook."

"Might be nice to go out."

"Like a date?"

"Maybe."

She bit her bottom lip.

"I thought this was just sex."

He tried to keep his face impassive.

"Do you want it to be?"

She could hear the fear in his voice.

"No."

He smiled. "So you'll have dinner with me?"

Chloe stood up and gave him a quick kiss.

"Yes."

88888888

Touch

He sat on the couch, his head in his hands. Almost everyone else had gone home, and he let his mind sink into the silence. Flashes came to him, taunting him, scolding him. Audrey, Marilyn, Teri – they all had something to blame him for. His head was filled with their voices, and they were soon joined by others – Heller, Kim, Tony, Cheng…the sounds grew louder, leaving his head and filling the room, echoing against the walls. He moved his hands to his ears, trying desperately to block them out.

A whisper of fingertips against his skin made everything stop. He lifted his eyes to see Chloe standing between his knees. With a soft look, she moved her fingers across his forehead and through his short hair. He closed his eyes at the feel of her, suddenly wishing that she would touch him forever.

And then she was sitting next to him, dragging him down until he rested his head in her lap. He took a deep breath as he let her lead him, wrapping an arm around her knees.

He slept then, breathing her in and reveling in her touch.

88888888

Weakness

Jack Bauer didn't like to admit that he had weaknesses, but he knew that it was the truth. He would do anything to protect his daughter. Teri was a soft spot, even after all these years. He still felt guilty about Audrey, and he knew that a lot of his actions towards her had been borne out of that guilt.

But as he watched Chloe from across the floor, he realized that she wasn't just another weakness to add to the list. She was his strength, the only thing that kept him going some days. And he hadn't known how much he depended on her until he had almost lost her. When he heard the gunshots coming through the radio, his vision narrowed and his knees turned to jelly; his chest constricted and he began to shake.

Even from a distance, he could see where she had been thrown to the ground and hit her head. But there she was, back at her station, doing her job. She didn't realize it, but he knew that she was stronger than him. And he knew that none of his weaknesses mattered as long as he had her.

Drabble.

Death was freeing, Chloe decided. The red and orange leaves rustled around her as a light breeze whispered through the trees. A man was talking somewhere to her right, but his words had become indistinguishable from the other sounds, and Chloe found that she no longer cared what he was saying. She was barely even aware of the people around her anymore, their presence fading into the background.

The sun wasn't very strong, but she was hot. But even if the circumstances had permitted it, Chloe knew that she could not make her body move, to break away from what was going on around her. There was some pain – her chest felt constricted and she was having trouble breathing. She focused on her heartbeat, trying to keep it strong, trying to keep herself from panicking. There was nothing she could do now – it was no longer in her control. Maybe it never had been.

And then they were leaving. The people around her began to move away, holding quiet conversations as they gave her a wide berth. She made them uncomfortable, and it was easier to just ignore her. She noticed that one person stayed by her side though, completely unwilling to leave her alone, to abandon her like everyone else. Even without looking, she knew the pained expression that lay heavily on his face as he watched her, a questioning look in his eyes. She could feel the worry and anxiety rolling off of him in waves, and it comforted her to know that he was there, that he felt for her, that he cared enough to take on whatever pain she was feeling right then.

She reached over and slid her hand into his, gripping it tightly as she stood up, pulling him with her. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear before placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"You ready?" he asked.

She nodded. "Let's go."

Without another glance, she and Jack walked away from her father's grave.

Current Mood: good
Current Location: Office
Current Music: Iris - Goo Goo Dolls

Another drabble. The prompt for this one was "Name" and I did it all by myself (smiles proudly).

His legs refused to hold him up any longer, and Jack sank into the nearest chair. Nurses and doctors moved around him, all oblivious to the fact that his entire world had just shattered at his feet. He was vaguely aware of a woman standing nearby, watching him, but he couldn't draw in enough breath to ask her what she wanted it. His eyes stayed glued to the floor, his hands shaking and his head pounding. Memories danced through his mind, teasingly, and he struggled to grasp them. But the woman was speaking now, and her voice pushed the memories farther away.

"Mr. Bauer?"

He lifted his eyes to her, trying to focus, and she recoiled slightly from the pain she saw there.

"My name is Melinda Busch. I'm with Child Protective Services."

Jack looked at her in confusion, vaguely wondering if the woman was lost. He struggled for some kind of appropriate response, but he couldn't remember what you were supposed to say when someone was lost.

"Sir, do you remember what the doctor told you? About Mr. and Mrs. O'Brian?"

The mention of Chloe's name sent pain rippling through his chest. He tried to breathe, but he couldn't seem to pull in enough oxygen. "Dead," he croaked.

Her eyes softened as she saw just how badly he was affected by all of this. "Yes. But do you remember what else? Do you remember him talking about the baby?"

The words echoed around in his head, and slowly he did remember the doctor saying…something. But it was lost, and he was too tired to dig around for it. Melinda saw this and repeated the doctor's words for him.

"Mrs. O'Brian was pregnant…the baby survived the crash and the doctor's got her out of the womb soon enough that there was no brain damage."

"The baby…the baby's alive?" He looked around wildly. "Who…who's going to take care of it?"

She smiled at him gently. "That's why I'm talking to you, Mr. Bauer. Mr. and Mrs. O'Brian wrote in their wills specifically that if anything happened to them, they wanted you to take custody of their child."

Jack's eyes widened as the implications of her words began to sink in. "But…but…Morris hated me. He never would have wanted…"

"Sir, I already had the department's lawyer's look over the document. Everything is legitimate. There is no one else to take this baby. Mr. O'Brian's brother has already said he'll stand by the wills."

He was no longer having trouble breathing, but he couldn't pin a single thought in his head down long enough to actually look at it. He had swung from abject grief to…wherever he was now…so quickly, that the rest of him was still trying to catch up.

"Sir?"

His head snapped up as another woman came up to them. She was holding a bundle of blankets in her arms.

"Sir? Would you like to hold her?"

He nodded dumbly, automatically stretching out his arms to take the baby. He stared down at her perfect face as she slept, blissfully unaware of everything that had been taken from her that day.

"We need a name for the birth certificate, sir."

He looked at the nurse for a moment, not comprehending. "They…Chloe hadn't picked out a name yet?"

"Not that we know of."

His eyes once again traveled to the little girl in his arms. "Elizabeth," he rasped.

"Excuse me sir?"

"Elizabeth Jean…Jean was her mother's name. And Elizabeth…Elizabeth was Chloe's middle name," he choked out.

"O'Brian or Bauer?"

His head snapped up. "O'Brian," he said fiercely.

The nurse nodded and walked away, leaving Jack with Elizabeth and Melinda. The older woman watched him as he stared at his new ward.

"There will be papers to sign," she said gently. "But they can wait. We'll call you in a couple days."

Jack nodded and she moved away. When they were by themselves, he slowly sank back into the chair.

"Elizabeth," he whispered.

Current Mood: sad
Current Location: Office
Current Music: You Won't Be Mine by Matchbox 20

A little drabble. Sorry, Jess. I went with something different than what we talked about. Prompt was "ears."

Chloe cursed as she came to a stop. Corn stalks rustled around her, the wind whispering through them. She shivered slightly, turning around in a circle as she tried to determine in which direction their suspect had run. But everywhere she looked, all she could see was more and more corn. For a brief moment, she contemplated running again, but at the very thought, the stitch in her side flare anew, and she decided that running aimlessly through a cornfield was a very silly thing to do.

Still breathing heavily, Chloe reached for the cell phone she had clipped to the waistband of her jeans. Her heart sank as she realized that it wasn't there. Frantically, she checked all around her, retracing her steps for a little while, but only succeeding in getting herself more lost. She opened her mouth to call out for help, but then shut it promptly – she didn't want the suspect to know her location and the fact that she was alone.

Panic started to rise in her chest as she floundered for what she should do next. She had no idea where she was, and no idea in which direction their car lay. Alone, she did the only thing she could think of. When she had been little, her mother always told her that if she ever got lost, she should just stay where she was. Fighting back tears, Chloe pulled out her gun and sat down.

***

Jack sighed as realized that their search was futile. The suspects were probably long gone, and there was no way to find them in this maze. Forcing himself to stop, he leaned his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. When his chest didn't hurt as much, he straightened back up and reached for his phone, dialing Chloe's number.

She didn't answer. An ache was slowly growing in his chest, and it had nothing to do with being winded. Moving forward slowly, he hit the redial button again and again, the pain in his chest spreading.

***

Ten minutes later, he found her phone. His only problem was, it wasn't with Chloe. He knew that it had been clipped to her jeans, and he suddenly couldn't rid himself of the image of her being dragged through the field, dislodging the phone. Shaking his head, he studied the ground around him, looking for any traces of her. He noticed that an ear of corn had been dislodged, and the stalk it had been on was broken. Sending up a small prayer, he moved in that direction.

***

The sun was setting, and Chloe was shaking. Tears were falling down her cheeks as she struggled to keep her anxiety down. But her body refused to comply as her mind raced through images of what would happen to her out here. She didn't know what kind of animals lived in the Midwest, but she was sure that they wouldn't be too friendly to a lost human in the dark.

A sound up ahead caused her head to jerk up, and her right hand to raise automatically, aiming the gun forward. She bit her lip to keep from crying out as a figure walked out of the corn stalks and moved toward her.

"Chloe?"

"Jack?" She cringed at how her voice broke as she lowered the gun.

He walked to her quickly, helping her up and dragging her against his chest. She managed to keep from sobbing, but she wrapped her arms around his waist and clung to him, using his presence to steady her breathing.

"I was so worried," Jack whispered, tightening his hold on her. "I thought maybe one of them had taken you…"

"I'm okay," Chloe assured him, pulling back slightly so that she could look at him.

He studied her face, bringing up one hand to brush away the tears that were still on her cheeks.

"Really?"

She shrugged. "I don't like being lost."

He smiled at her in the growing twilight. "Let's get you out of here then."

"Do you know which way is out?"

Jack pulled something out of his pocket. "I have a compass."

"It's getting dark."

"It glows."

"Are you sure it works?"

He laughed. "Chloe, I promise that I will get you home. And then I'm going to cook you a nice dinner to thank you for coming out in the field with me even though you hate it."

"And then what?"

Nearly choking at her question, Jack searched for an answer. "And then, Chloe…I'm going to have a beer and work up the courage to kiss you."

"You need a beer to do that?" she asked, thankful that the spreading darkness covered the shock on her face at his response.

"Helps loosen the nerves," he said quietly.

"You're nervous about kissing me?"

"A little…maybe a little more than a little." He took a deep breath. "Chloe-"

She cut him off by pressing her lips against his, her hands on either side of his face. Jack's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly recovered and leaned into her. All too soon, she had pulled back again.

"You don't have to be nervous about that," she muttered.

Jack smiled. "Good."

Reaching over, he took her hand in his, the compass held out in front of him. "You ready to get out of here?"

"You have no idea."

Current Mood: hungry
Current Location: Office
Current Music: Clumsy by Our Lady Peace

Another drabble. The prompt was "Telephone."

By the time Chloe got back to her desk, she could barely see through the tears pooling in her eyes. She had gone to Morris because he was the only thing she had left, but he had made it clear that he didn't want to be with her anymore – and then he too had walked away. Now her hands were shaking violently as she suddenly found herself lost. She had no one left. Milo was dead, Jack was gone, Morris had moved on, Buchanan had been fire…Chloe struggled to stay standing as reality rushed her in a torrent.

Then her eyes fell on her desk and she immediately stopped. In front of her computer was a yellow sticky note with a phone number scrawled on it. Her breath hitched as she realized that she recognized that scrawl. She reached out a trembling hand to pick the note up, her pulse spiking and the rush of blood filling her ears. Looking around the room wildly, she saw that there was no one watching her and no sign of the person who had left her the number. With one last breath, she grabbed her purse and headed out of the building, the number clutched tightly in her hand.

***

She was nearly home by the time she worked up the courage to dial the number. Her hand continued to shake as she held the phone to her ear. The ringing bored through her, fraying her already-thin nerves. He answered on the second ring.

"I was afraid you weren't going to call," he said softly.

"I thought you were gone."

"Did you really think I'd leave without saying goodbye?"

"Yes," she whispered, her voice breaking.

His silence on the other end was pained. "Where are you?" he asked finally.

"Pulling into my driveway."

"Good."

She heard the phone click off as he cut their connection, just as she put her car into park. She stared at it in confusion, her mind unable to comprehend what exactly was going on. Throwing the phone down in disgust, she grabbed her purse and got out of the car, searching for her keys as she walked towards her front porch.

She was on the steps when her front door opened, bathing her in warm light. Looking up, she nearly stumbled at the sight of Jack leaning against her doorframe, his hands in his pockets. He stared at her, his gaze moving up and down her body before settling on her eyes, a strange expression dancing across his face.

It was too much for Chloe. Dropping her purse to the ground, her sobs overtook her. Her cries were deep as she covered her face with her hands, blocking out his image. At the sight of her crying, Jack's relaxed demeanor fell and he was immediately by her side, wrapping her in his arms and bringing them both down to sit on the top step. He rocked her gently, one hand running through her hair as he whispered soothing words to her. Eventually her tears subsided and she looked up at him, confusion plain on her face.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came for you."

"Me?"

He smiled at her gently. "I couldn't walk away without you. I'm tired of being without you."

Instead of the smile he was expecting in return, Jack was met with angry eyes. She pulled back from him slightly, her lips twisted in bitterness.

"You bastard," she whispered. "You left without a word. You made me think I meant nothing to you. That I never even crossed your mind. You made think I was alone. That I had no one left."

He looked at her in shock, his hands coming up to cradle her face. "Oh, Chloe. That's not what I meant to do. After I got off the helicopter, I didn't know where I was going or what I was doing. I just started walking – I wanted to get as far away from CTU as I could."

"Then how did you end up here?"

Jack shrugged. "It didn't feel right without you."

"You've never missed me before," she protested.

"Chloe, I've always missed you."

Leaning in, he brushed his lips against hers softly. She automatically responded, sighing and bringing her hands up to his face. Seconds later though, she was pulling away, her eyes filled with hurt.

"You don't get to do this, Jack. You don't get to kiss me and then leave me again."

"I don't want to leave you, Chloe. I want to leave with you."

He could see the battle going on in her head. "Promise me," she whispered.

Smiling, he nudged her nose with his. "I promise."

The words were barely out of his mouth as she catapulted herself at him, her lips hungrily seeking his. Matching her pace easily, Jack wrapped his arms around her waist and laid back with her on top of him. She moaned as his tongue invaded her mouth, their bodies moving together with harried desperation.

Then she was pulling back again, and fear leapt into Jack's throat. But she didn't get off of him – she just stared at him.

"You hurt me," she finally said.

His lip trembled at the pain in her eyes. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Not just tonight."

He didn't want to ask, but he had to know. "How long?"

"Since right before you left for Washington."

His eyes closed at the pain that overcame him. His throat didn't want to work, but he knew he had to tell her. "Chloe," he said, opening his eyes again. "By the time I realized how I felt about you, I thought you'd be better off without me."

"When?"

"Chloe-"

"When?"

"I knew it when I came to get you that day with the helicopter. When you ran into my arms. I knew."

"But…you never said anything."

"I didn't have a chance."

"Bullshit."

"I was afraid."

"You made me think I wasn't good enough. You made me constantly compare myself to Audrey and always come up short."

A tear slid down his face, falling down the side and onto the wood beneath him. "Are you going to make me leave?"

"No."

"But-"

"I love you, Jack."

"But I hurt you."

She shrugged. "That's what people do when they love each other." Standing up, she reached a hand down to him. "Come on, let's go in."

He picked up her purse and followed her inside, wondering if he could ever make things up to her.

Current Music: 24 by Jem

Drabble time!!

She wasn't happy. As she stood in the middle of the bustling floor, she looked around at her coworkers. Nadia was sitting at her station, visibly fighting back tears. Bill was sitting next to her, a gentle hand on her shoulder as he tried to comfort her about both Milo and Doyle. Milo's station was empty, and Chloe found herself quickly averting her eyes as she felt her own tears threatening to overwhelm her.

And then her eyes settled on Morris. He was focused on the screen in front of him, his eyes narrowing as he studied something. Since breaking up with her a couple hours earlier, he had simply returned to their normal routine of bickering and snarking. But she noticed that his eyes didn't quite meet hers when they spoke.

If she were honest with herself, Chloe could admit that she hadn't been happy for a long time. Lately there had been an ache building in her chest, spreading until it encompassed her heart and slowly squeezed the air out of her lungs. She had been surprised when some of the pain eased after Morris left her, her breathing coming just a little bit easier.

Sighing, she turned to go back to her station. Eyes making one more sweep around the room, she saw him, standing in the doorway. She felt a small smile grace her lips as their eyes locked, and she saw that it was mirrored on his face. Without walking any further into the room, he held something up. Chloe squinted in an attempt to see what was in his hand, frowning when she saw that it was a plane ticket. Her frown deepened as Jack winked at her, a smirk dancing across his lips. Without taking his eyes from hers, he shifted his fingers so that another ticket came out from behind the first one.

Her breath hitched in her throat and Chloe felt as though the rest of the room had suddenly fallen away. She found herself staring at him, trying to read him to find out exactly what his intent was. Finally she broke eye contact and moved toward her station, keeping her head down as she gathered her things and shut down her computer. With one last look around the room, she put her purse over her shoulder and walked over to him.

"I was afraid you wouldn't come," he murmured.

"I was afraid you wouldn't ask."

Smiling at her shyly, Jack reached out and took her hand in his, leading her gently away from the noise behind them. Chloe returned his smile, but then stopped suddenly as she realized something. Jack stopped too, looking back at her with a look of fear.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice tight.

She took a deep breath as she realized that the ache was gone. Her chest no longer felt constricted and her breathing came easily. Looking up at Jack and seeing the worry in his eyes, she squeezed his hand and leaned into his side.

"I'm happy," she whispered. He looked at her in confusion and she shrugged. "It's been a long time."

He nodded in understanding and tugged gently until she continued to follow him out of the building.

Current Mood: sore
Current Location: Office
Current Music: Crawl by ThisWay

Another drabble. 'Cause that's what I do. This is set just a short while after S3.

He had been hoping the break room would be empty. But as he pushed open the door, he was immediately greeted by the sight of Chloe O'Brian sitting on the couch and watching TV while she munched on Wheat Thins. Her eyes casually flicked to the door to see who had come in, but she froze in surprise when she saw Jack standing there. Swallowing what was in her mouth, she gave him a nervous smile.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey."

Awkward silence descended as they ran out of things to say to each other. Chloe tried to go back to her show, but she couldn't relax with him just standing there. Finally, she turned to look at him again.

"What are you doing here so late? It's almost one in the morning."

"I could ask the same thing of you," he replied, giving her a small smile.

She gave him a pointed look, telling him that she expected an answer. Eventually he shrugged, moving to the fridge.

"Had some paperwork to do. Not ready to go home yet. You?"

"I just finished my work. Wanted to unwind a little before leaving." She paused, biting her lip. "I'm glad you're back," she said quietly, staring at the television screen.

Jack looked at her thoughtfully as he closed the refrigerator door. Walking over to her, he a took a seat next to her on the couch.

"So what are we watching?" he asked casually.

"American Gladiators," she answered, refusing to look at him. Jack raised his eyebrows. "It's the only thing on," she said defensively.

They sat quietly then, watching as men with grotesque muscles beat the crap out of scrawny business accountants. Chloe tried to focus on the show and not on her racing heartbeat or sweaty palms. She waited for Jack to get up and leave, but he only seemed to make himself more comfortable, as though he were settling in for a while.

"I'm the one who turned you in," she finally blurted, closing her eyes and silently cursing herself for her lack of tact.

"I know," Jack said, looking over at her with a smile.

She was thrown off by his reaction. "You're not mad?"

He shook his head. "I was a heroin addict, Chloe. I needed to be caught. It made me get clean."

She frowned, seeming to process his answer to find the truth in it. Eventually she nodded, reaching back into her box of Wheat Thins. "Then I'm glad I caught you." She saw his smirk out of the corner of her eye and turned to look at him again. It was then that she noticed what he was eating.

"Those are your chocolate bars in the fridge?" she asked, frowning at him again.

He nodded. "It's the only thing that helps."

"That helps what?"

He looked at her seriously. "My cravings. Every time I want a hit, I just eat some chocolate. Calms me down again."

Chloe chuckled and turned back to the TV. "Jack Bauer has chocolate cravings."

He scowled at her, his eyes dancing with amusement. "I have heroin cravings. The chocolate is just a substitute."

"Chocolate cravings too woman-like for you to admit to?"

Jack nodded. "Heroin is much more manly," he said in mock seriousness.

They continued to watch the show in companionable silence. Jack rested his feet on the coffee table in front of them and leaned his head back. Soon after, he was fast asleep, chocolate bar still clutched in his hand. Chloe smiled at him before returning her focus to the TV, but then nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt his head resting on her shoulder. She turned again to look at him and saw that he was still sleeping, but with some of the tension lines gone from his face. Shifting a little closer so that he would be more comfortable, Chloe dropped a light kiss to his temple before once again turning her attention to the television.

Current Mood: ditzy
Current Location: Office
Current Music: Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani

She ran straight into the storm, Nadia's words echoing in her head. He was leaving. As soon as Medical cleared him, he was disappearing again. At first her heart had broken again, the pain causing her knees to almost buckle there in front of everyone. But as she stared at her computer screen, her pain slowly turned to anger as she realized that once again he was going to desert her, to leave her alone without a real friend. Hands shaking, she stood up and gathered her things, running out of the building and towards her car.

The rain drenched her immediately, but she ran on, no longer caring. Her chest heaved as her high heels caused her to stumble, but she kept her balance and ran on. The downpour kept her from hearing the pounding footsteps behind her, and she was caught off-guard when she heard her name being called.

"Chloe!" She ran on, ignoring the familiar voice. "Chloe, please!" he shouted, desperately trying to get her attention.

She was at her door when his arms enveloped her waist, forcefully turning her around. As soon as she was facing him, her hand shot out, slapping him hard across the face. He stared at her in amazement for a moment before slamming her back against the car and crashing his lips down onto hers. She struggled for a moment, but her body went limp when his tongue invaded her mouth, overwhelming all her senses. Moaning, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed her body closer as he pushed her harder against the car.

Suddenly remembering why she had been so angry, Chloe fought to pull away, reluctantly dragging her lips away from his. She looked up at him with accusatory eyes.

"You're leaving me again."

He took her face in his hands and gave her a pleading look. "Not you, Chloe. I wasn't leaving you."

"Every time you leave here, you leave me."

"Not this time, Chloe. I was coming by your station to ask you to come with me. Nadia told me what happened when she told you I was leaving. I couldn't let you go without making sure you knew…I don't want to leave without you anymore. I want you to leave with me."

Blinking back tears, she pulled his lips back to hers and kissed him desperately, afraid that he would take it back, that it would all disappear. He gathered her up in his arms and tangled his hands in her wet hair.

"Leave with me," he whispered when they pulled back again.

"Where?" she asked, her head still clouded by the effects of his kiss.

"Anywhere."

"When?"

"Now."

"Okay," she breathed, kissing him again.

Current Mood: annoyed
Current Location: Office
Current Music: Hello by Evanescence

She ran straight into the storm, Jacks' words echoing in her mind. Tears streaming down her face, Chloe felt her pain burn into fury as she began to hate the man she'd been in love with for years. His laughter filled her head and she started shaking with barely-controlled rage as she headed toward her car.

She was walking by the break room when she was stopped by the sound of Tony and Jack laughing. It was so good to hear them enjoying themselves that she smiled and stopped just outside the door to listen.

"She's obviously got a thing for you, Jack."

He sighed. "I know. It's been this way for years. It was such a relief when I went to Washington . I didn't have to see her at all."

"You need to say something, Jack. You can't just let this keep building. You have to tell her it's never gonna happen." Tony paused. "It isn't ever gonna happen, is it?"

Jack laughed so hard that he started choking. When he had cleared his throat, he replied, "Of course not! Can you see the two of us together? Hell would freeze over before I was that desperate."

"Then you need to tell her. She's got this pathetic look of hope in her eyes every time she sees you."

Jack hesitated. "I can't, Tony."

"Why? Because you feel guilty? Because you think you owe her something? That's the worst reason to string her along Jack. You need to let her know that she doesn't have a chance with you."

Chloe had heard enough. Fighting back tears, she rushed to her station to grab her things before she ran out into the parking lot.

She heard pounding footsteps behind her, and she tried to run faster. The heel of her shoe slipped in the rain and she tumbled to the ground. Strong hands were there immediately, lifting her, steadying her. With a strangled sob, she pushed him hard, knocking him off-balance and forcing him to the ground. Struggling to her feet, she ran again for her car.

"Chloe!" he yelled, desperately trying to get her attention as he got back up and chased after her.

She was struggling with her keys as he came up behind her. He reached his hands out to take her shoulders, but she shoved him again. Growling in frustration, he spun her around and slammed her back into the car, forcing her to look at him.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked.

Chloe sneered at him. "Don't worry, Jack. You won't have to see that pathetic look of hope anymore. I'm leaving."

His face clouded in confusion before the reality of her words dawned on him. Searching her eyes, he grabbed her face and kissed her hard, forcing his tongue into her mouth as she went to protest. He pinned her against the car with his lower body and continued his assault on her mouth until she stopped struggling and began to tentatively kiss him back. When he finally pulled back, he rested his forehead on hers, rubbing his thumbs across her cheeks.

"You thought we were talking about you," he said quietly.

"Weren't you?"

He gave her a gentle smile. "No, Chloe." He pulled out his cell phone to illustrate his point. "Marilyn has called me three times today. And four times yesterday. Tony was making fun of me for it." His face grew serious again. "You really thought I would say those things about you?"

She shrugged. "It wasn't much of a stretch in my head. I was always afraid you thought that about me."

"I've never thought those things about you," he said fiercely.

Then his lips found hers again, and this time she kissed him back with equal fervor, both ignoring the rain as they pushed their bodies closer. A car stopping next to them suddenly forced them to pull back.

The window rolled down and they found themselves staring at Tony. "What is this, some damn chick flick?"

"Go away, Almeida," Jack called over the rain, a smile on his face.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll leave you guys to it. Just make sure she doesn't catch her death out here, Jack. I'm sure a nice warm bed would be much more comfortable." With a smirk, Tony shut his window and drove off, leaving them alone again.

"He's an ass," Jack whispered as he moved to kiss her again.

Chloe moved away from his lips. "He's not wrong though," she replied with a pointed look.

Jack sighed. "You want to go home, then?"

She shrugged. "I think a hot shower sounds like a wonderful plan."

Leaning down, Jack moved his mouth to her ear. "I hope that shower fits two."

Current Mood: annoyed
Current Location: Office
Current Music: Hello by Evanescence

'Nother drabble. Fluffy to make up for the earlier angst...

Jack and Chloe stood side-by-side in front of the kitchen counter as they made dinner. She made the salad as he focused on peeling and washing the potatoes before placing them in the large pot to his right. Glancing over, he watched her from the corner of his eye. She hummed a simple tune quietly and Jack smiled before returning his attention to the task at hand.

"Thank you," he whispered. He didn't want to ruin the moment, but he knew that the words needed to be said.

She stopped humming and frowned up at him in confusion. "For what?"

Jack smiled as he continued making dinner. "For this. For giving me…a chance to be normal. Making dinner and peeling potatoes and doing work around the house…it feels good. Thank you."

Chloe opened her mouth to make a sarcastic reply, but then thought better of it. "You're welcome," she said, giving him a crooked smile.

As she finished the salad, Jack continued to watch her, the potatoes momentarily forgotten. Hesitating slightly, he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Afraid of her reaction, he started working on dinner again.

Caught off-guard by his sudden affection, Chloe found herself unable to focus at all. Fidgeting, she kept stealing glances at him, hoping that he wouldn't notice.

Jack silently fought with himself. She hadn't reacted badly, and he desperately wanted to know if she would let him take it a step further. On the other hand, he thought it might be best to quit while he was ahead. Glancing over at her, he caught her looking at him before she quickly averted his eyes. He kept his gaze locked on her until she was forced to look at him again.

They stared at each other for a long moment before Jack leaned in and pressed his lips against hers firmly. He let the kiss linger, savoring the feel of her mouth on his.

When he pulled back, he found Chloe staring at him, a strange expression on her face. She turned once again to the counter, trying to hide the huge grin on her face and failing.

"Get back to your potatoes, Bauer," she said, bumping his hip lightly with hers to let him know that they would continue that conversation after dinner.

Current Mood: dirty
Current Location: Home
Current Music: When You're Gone by Avril Lavigne

Another drabble.

It hurt. She stared at her screen blankly, her thoughts gnawing on Bill's words. He was gone. Again. And it didn't look like he'd be back for a long time, if ever. She had managed to keep a stoic face when he told her, trying to avoid his sympathetic gaze and the feel of his reassuring hand on her arm. She had nodded, giving him the smallest of smiles before turning back to her computer, silently wishing he would leave her alone. Watching her for a moment, Bill had sighed, walking away and giving her the space that he knew she needed.

She wasn't surprised that he had left. One way or the other, he was always gone after days like these. Too much had happened…too much had been taken from him. She understood why he couldn't stay.

But still…she was hurt. He hadn't even said goodbye. Aside from their meeting after he had saved Morris, they had barely said anything to each other. And now he was gone again, without a single word to her.

Chloe suddenly found it difficult to breathe as the realization came crashing down on her. He didn't actually care about her. She was his colleague, someone he could go to get things done when he needed to stay under the radar. But they weren't friends – she suddenly realized that they never had been. She was just something he used when he had nowhere else to turn.

She closed her eyes against the burning tears that were threatening to spill out. She felt like such an idiot. Of course she and Jack weren't friends…she had been a fool to ever think otherwise. If he had cared at all, he would have said something before leaving. If he cared, he would at least think twice about leaving her over and over again.

The pain was overwhelming and Chloe clenched her fists in an effort to keep from sobbing. Opening her eyes, she looked across the floor, to Morris sitting at his station. There was nothing else for her to hold onto…no one else who loved her. Giving him a small smile when he looked up at her, she stood on slightly shaky legs and walked over to him.

Current Mood: UBER busy
Current Location: Office
Current Music: Here By Me by 3 Doors Down

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.

Current Mood: complacent
Current Location: Office
Current Music: Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap

Okay, so lately, every sentence that I try to write feels painfully awkward when I go back over and read it. This, of course, is not going to stop me from trying to write (at least, I hope not). I'm just going to keep writing these damn drabbles until my brain decides to function again.

This one was for "Kiss." Thanks to

roryliefor the bunny.

Chloe was surprised to find that she had just as many customers at the kissing booth as Nadia did. When the younger woman had first asked her, Chloe had done everything she could think of to get out of it. But it was for a good cause, and Nadia was a very persistent nagger. And although she hated to admit it to herself, she was really enjoying herself.

She turned to watch Nadia for a moment, doing a double-take when she saw her tongue wrestling with Milo. Smirking at them, she loudly cleared her throat, forcing them to finally pull apart.

"You're not going to raise much money if you keep making out with your boyfriend, Nadia."

"You guys are closing in ten minutes," Milo argued.

At Chloe's continued raised eyebrow, Nadia giggled. "Don't worry, Chloe. Milo's paying for all ten minutes." She pointed to the cash on the counter that Milo had set down.

Chloe rolled her eyes and smiled at them as they resumed their kissing. Thinking that she would duck out a little early, she was stopped by an all too familiar voice.

"I'd like to book your last ten minutes."

She turned her head to find herself staring at Jack Bauer. He laid the money down on the counter giving her a grin that sent shivers down her spine. Swallowing nervously, she shot him back with a seductive smile.

"You sure you can handle that?"

That made him outright laugh. "Well," he said, his voice low as his face neared hers. "I'd sure as hell like to try."

He kissed her softly at first, his mouth moving slowly over hers. Reaching over the counter he took her face in his hands, tilting his head and nudging her lips open with the tip of his tongue. As her senses went into overload, Chloe moaned softly into his mouth, letting his tongue tangle with hers while his hands locked in her hair. She went to quicken their pace, but Jack tightened his grip on her and forced her to slow down again as he took his time exploring her mouth. The world around her forgotten, Chloe gripped the front of his shirt, her brain frantically trying to keep her body from jumping over the counter and into his arms.

When he finally pulled back, both were breathing heavily. Jack leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes still closed and his hands still in her hair.

"I'd like to take you home," he whispered, finally looking at her, a small nervous smile on his face.

Chloe nodded before turning her head. "Nadia-" she cut off as she saw that both Nadia and Milo were staring at her and Jack with gaping mouths. Scowling, she rolled her eyes at them. "Oh, grow up, you two. Nadia, can you close up here?"

The other woman nodded slowly. "Sure…you two…have fun."

"Oh we will," Chloe smirked as she hopped up on the counter and swung her legs over, Jack helping her down. With a little wave, she let herself be led away by Jack.

Current Mood: frustrated
Current Location: Office
Current Music: Schizophrenia by Blue October

It's a drabble.

She was afraid. The sound of ricocheting bullets still reverberated in her ears, bouncing inside her head and slowly driving her insane. As Jack took a sweep of the perimeter, Chloe walked herself slowly over to the bed, her whole body shaking. The hotel room was swathed in darkness, but she had no problem finding her way through it, lowering herself down onto the soft mattress.

When Jack came in ten minutes later, he found her curled in the fetal position, still shaking. Locking the door behind him, he walked quickly over to the bed, taking off his shoes and crawling in next to her. He gently brought the covers over her before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against his chest. He could feel the rapidity of her heartbeat; taking deep breaths, he used his body to calm her. Slowly her breathing came under control and fell into sync with his.

Eventually she turned in his arms, bringing her face close to his. They laid there like that for a while, just staring at each other.

“I need you,” Chloe finally whispered.

“I’m right here,” he replied.

She leaned in and brushed her lips softly against his. His lips moved against hers gently, soaking in the feel of her.

“You’ll be here when I wake up?” she asked when she pulled away.

“Always,” Jack answered.

Current Mood: exhausted
Current Location: Home - going to bed
Current Music: Our Farewell by Within Temptation

Don't worry. These are just for one-sentence "drabbles." Not full-fledged fics. I'll get to these little by little.

#01 - Comfort	#02 - Kiss	#03 - Soft	#04 - Pain	#05 - Potatoes
#06 - Rain	#07 - Chocolate	#08 - Happiness	#09 - Telephone	#10 - Ears
#11 - Name	#12 - Sensual	#13 - Death	#14 - Sex	#15 - Touch
#16 - Weakness	#17 - Tears	#18 - Speed	#19 - Wind	#20 - Freedom
#21 - Life	#22 - Jealousy	#23 - Hands	#24 - Taste	#25 - Devotion
#26 - Forever	#27 - Blood	#28 - Sickness	#29 - Melody	#30 - Star
#31 - Home	#32 - Confusion	#33 - Fear	#34 - Lightning/Thunder	#35 - Bonds
#36 - Market	#37 - Technology	#38 - Gift	#39 - Smile	#40 - Innocence
#41 - Completion	#42 - Clouds	#43 - Sky	#44 - Heaven	#45 - Hell
#46 - Sun	#47 - Moon	#48 - Waves	#49 - Hair	#50 - Supernova

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December 2011

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Three Drabbles
Death
Elizabeth
Lost
Hurt
Happiness
Chocolate
Rain Drabble Version 2
Rain Drabble Version 1
Normal
Pain
Soft
Not only does my writing hate me, but so does LJ....
Comfort
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Entries tagged with claim: one_sentence

Three Drabbles

Death

Elizabeth

Lost

Hurt

Happiness

Chocolate

Rain Drabble Version 2

Rain Drabble Version 1

Normal

Pain

Soft

Not only does my writing hate me, but so does LJ....

Comfort

One-Sentence Prompts

Profile

December 2011

Syndicate

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags