failegaidin

            The fifth time she finally kissed him. She waited for him while he talked to Bill, her arms crossed and her eyes down. He kept glancing at her, knowing that she wanted to see him. Finally he managed to circumvent the older man with promises to visit Medical as soon as he was done with one last thing. Then he was striding toward her, concern etched on his face. Before he could get a word out, she grabbed his hand and dragged him down the hallway, finally opening the door to one of the holding rooms and leading him inside. She shut the door behind them, pausing for a moment to gather her thoughts.

            He turned to face her, surprised when he saw that she had her back to him, her head bowed against the door. Gently he reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to convince her to face him.

            “Chloe…” he whispered.       

            He was stopped by the sudden sting across his left cheek as her hand made hard contact. When he looked at her again, he was surprised to see rage and worry in her eyes, mixed with the tears that were falling down her face.

            “Chloe…” he tried again.

            She grabbed his face and kissed him, pressing her body flush against his. Jack was caught off-guard, but it didn’t take him long to recover. He wrapped one arm around her waist and tangled the other in her dark hair as he backed her up against the door. She plunged her tongue into his mouth, causing him to groan lustily and push himself against her even harder.

            And then he was lifting her, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist for support. With that his hands were freed, and he let them roam all over her body – her legs, her stomach, her breasts. He let them trail seductively up her thighs and under her skirt, stopping just short of her panties. Meanwhile Chloe grounded her pelvis into his, soaking in the moans she was eliciting from him.

            She pulled back suddenly and Jack’s heart dropped into his stomach. He gave her a pleading look, tightening his hold on her. “Please…”

            Chloe grabbed his face brought her forehead to his. “I love you,” she whispered, her voice breaking. She searched his eyes, more tears falling down her cheeks. “Do you still love me?”

            Jack ran his fingers through her hair. “Chloe, I could never stop loving you. All I wanted was to get back here to you, to tell you...even if you still didn’t believe me.”

            “I believe you,” she said quietly, a small smile on her face.

            Jack returned her smile before leaning in slowly to capture her lips again. He took his time, exploring her mouth, reacquainting himself with the feel of her body. He ran his hands over inch of her, teasing her and making her shiver with desire. Finally he dragged his lips away from hers and rested his head against her chest. Chloe held him close and gently ran her fingers through his short-cropped hair.

            “I missed you,” he told her, his voice mumbled in her shirt.

            “I missed you too.”

            He pulled back to look in her eyes again, his hand coming up to brush the hair from her face. “Run away with me.”

            “What?”

            “After we save the world again. Let’s run away. Anywhere. I don’t care.”

            “Chase and Kim are in Boston,” she said quietly.

            “Boston?”

            She nodded, wiping the tears that were now falling from his eyes. “She misses you.”

            “Boston,” he repeated, nodding this time.

            “That means you’re not allowed to get killed today,” she said, glowering at him.

            “Agreed.” He smiled at her and gave her a gentle kiss before setting her down. “I love you, Chloe.”

            “I know. I believe you now.” She took his hand in hers and kissed his palm. “And I love you too.”

            They stared at each other a moment longer before Chloe rolled her eyes and moved to unlock the door. “Back to work?” she asked.

            “Back to work,” he confirmed, squeezing her hand once more before they walked back out onto the floor together.

 

             

            The third time he kissed her was while he was on the run. He had been legally “dead” for almost a year, and he had to change identities again. Too many coincidences and too many close calls forced him to pick up and move – and for that he had to call her. She was the only one who could help him, who could keep him safe. So he had picked a small hotel in the middle of nowhere and checked in under a fake name. And then he sat on the bed and waited, his stomach growing more and more twisted with each passing minute.            

            The knock on the door made him jump and he cursed himself for his anxiety. They had done this several times – she knew what she was doing and she made sure that she was never followed. Trying to calm himself, he walked slowly to the door, checking the peephole before letting her in.

            “Hey Jack,” she whispered as he closed the door behind her.

            “Hi Chloe,” he responded, leading her over to sit on the bed.

            Their business was done quickly. Chloe was efficient and had covered all the bases, handing him his new identification and a new cell phone. When she had finished, she sat there awkwardly, looking down at her hands as she wrung them in her lap. Jack stared at her hands too, not wanting her to leave, but unable to make himself say anything. Slowly, he reached out his hand, his fingers gently entwining with hers. They both just stared, reveling in how good the smallest touch could feel.

            And then his lips were brushing against hers. She kissed him back, tilting her head to deepen the kiss, her hand tightening its squeeze on his. Jack groaned as her tongue invaded his mouth, his other hand coming up to tangle in her hair. He pushed her back onto the bed gently, his body covering hers. Her fingers skimmed up his sides under his shirt, causing him to groan again and kiss her even harder. Leaving her mouth, Jack trailed his lips down her neck, stopping at her pulse point and sucking on the skin.

            “Oh God, Jack,” she moaned, writhing under him and causing him to grow harder as he moved his lips down to her chest. Pulling the neck of her shirt down, he kissed the tops of her breasts as her hands locked in his hair and held him closer.

            Jack suddenly found himself on his back as Chloe straddled him, kissing and nipping at his earlobe. His hands moved to the buttons of her shirt, struggling to undo them, frantic in his haste to be closer to her. Chloe pushed his shirt up his chest, kissing the exposed flesh and making Jack moan her name.

            The sudden phone ringing brought them up short. For a moment they just stared at each other, both aroused and breathing hard. Frowning, Chloe climbed off of him, digging in her purse and then answering her phone.

            “I have to go,” she said quietly after hanging up.

            “Don’t,” he whispered, his voice strangled.

            She bit her lip and looked down. “We both know this was a bad idea Jack.”

            His head sank into his hands as he sat on the edge of the bed. “When are you going to believe that I have feelings for you, Chloe?” he asked in an anguished tone.

            She walked to the door, her hand on the knob. “You don’t love me, Jack,” she said quietly, not facing him. “You can’t.”

            And with that she was gone.

            The first time he kissed her was after he got back from visiting Chase at the hospital. He walked into his office, keeping the lights turned off and heading straight for his desk. He sat down in his chair, slowly lowering his head into his hands. He took deep breaths, trying to steady himself, but his emotions fought back, eventually overwhelming him. Hot tears coursed down his cheeks and his shoulders began to shake.

            He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the door slowly open. Looking up, he watched as Chloe crept into his office, a stack of files under her arm. She looked around nervously, but the shadows hid him from her sight. Reassured that the room was empty, she strode purposefully toward the desk. As she reached out to set the files down, he shifted slightly, causing the chair to creak. The sound caught her completely by surprise, and she dropped the files with a startled yelp.

            “Jack?” she asked, her voice shaky.

            “What the hell do you think you’re doing Chloe?” he growled.

            His angry tone immediately put her on the defensive. “I was just dropping off the files you wanted. I didn’t want you getting all pissy when you came in tomorrow if they weren’t here.”

            “Then leave them and go.”

            “Fine,” Chloe snapped back. She picked the fallen files off the floor and slammed them onto his desk, turning to leave. She stopped at the door as a sudden thought struck her. Turning back around, she walked toward his desk again, nervously wringing her hands. “Jack…are you crying?”

            He tried to snap at her, tried to yell something at her that would make her go away. But the words caught in his throat, forming a huge lump there. His mouth moved as he continued to try and force something – anything – out, but the only sound he could make was a strangled sob.

            Caught off-guard by this display of emotion, Chloe was surprised to find herself walking around his desk and awkwardly wrapping her arms around Jack’s shoulders. At first he tried to pull away, but she continued to hold on to him, and he eventually turned into her, nuzzling his face into her neck. As the tears came fell, Jack wrapped his arms around Chloe’s waist, dragging her unceremoniously into his lap. His shoulders shook harder and his grip tightened. Chloe rubbed comforting circles on his on his back and held him close, letting him take the strength he needed from her.

            Finally he pulled back slowly until their noses were touching. He stared at her, seemingly searching her eyes for something. Leaning in slowly, he touched his lips to hers. When she didn’t pull back, he grew bolder, tilting his head to deepen the kiss. He explored her mouth with his tongue slowly, drinking in the taste of her. Her fingers threaded through his short hair, tightening their hold and pulling him even closer. Their kisses grew more urgent as Chloe shifted so that she straddling him, her thighs clenching his. Jack moaned at their closeness, his hands inching up underneath her shirt.

            And then she was pulling away and scrambling off of his lap. Her hand was on her mouth and she looked at him in shock. Both were breathing heavily.

            “We can’t do this, Jack,” she said, shaking her head.

            “Why not?” he asked her, longing in his voice.

            Chloe continued backing away until she was at the door. Opening it, she turned to look at him again. “Because you don’t want me, Jack,” she whispered.

            Two weeks later, Jack accepted a job in Washington D.C.