24-Jack/Chloe-Anywhere with you
Title:Anywhere with You
Fandom:24
Characters:Jack/Chloe
Table:4
Prompt:73. Need
Word Count:747
Rating:PG13
Summary:Jack has a confession to make.
Author's Notes: Thanks to Lisa for the beta.
Chloe had tried.
She would never let anyone say she hadn’t. She had put more effort into this than anything in her life. If it had just been her she would have been gone a year ago, but she had Lizzie to think about, Lizzie who deserved so much better, Lizzie who deserved a chance to know her father. And Chloe believed that Morris loved their daughter, he certainly loved Lizzie more then he’d ever loved her, so the believed, for a while anyway, that she could get things to work.
She thought she was beyond being hurt by him. It had been years since she’d trusted him enough to get her heartbroken, she’d left that behind in D.C. But as she prepared to leave she felt a profound, aching sadness for what Lizzie was losing.
“Hey, darlin’,” Chase said, pulling her out of her thoughts.
“Hi.”
He smiled at her. “You need any help?”
She looked around the almost empty house. “There’s not really anything left to do.”
He nodded. “I have a few things I need to take care of tonight, but I’ll be ready to go in the morning,” he murmured, pecking her on the cheek.
888888888
He found Jack at the third bar he checked, sitting in the back, hunched over the table, a glass of whiskey in his hands. Chase slid into the seat across from him.
"She's leaving, you know," he said quietly.
"Why are you here?" Jack demanded.
"Because you're an idiot, and I love your daughter, and she would really love to see you happy."
"Then tell her I'm happy."
Chase shook his head. "I'm not lying to her for you. You want to do that, do it yourself."
"What do you want from me?"
"I want you to go talk to Chloe. If you'd just talk to her...just stop being an idiot and have a conversation."
"You said it yourself. She's leaving. I've already lost her."
"She's not gone yet."
"What do you want me to do? Chase her to the airport? Beg her to stay?"
"No, I want you to talk to her. You might be surprised."
"I'm not what's best for her. She should go."
"So what's keeping you here? Other than the fact that you must like to be miserable."
“You don’t get to sit here and judge me,” Jack muttered, standing up. “Not after everything you did to my daughter.”
“I spend every day trying to make that right. Why don’t you start making things right, Jack? Or would you rather lecture me on how awful it is to leave the people who love you?”
“Don’t push me right now.”
“Don’t let her go without talking to her. You know where she is Jack. She’s the same place she’s always been. She’s waiting for you.”
88888888
“Hi,” Jack said nervously when Chloe opened the door. “I know it’s early. I could come back…”
“Later,” she filled in. “There is no later Jack.”
“I know,” he said softly. “I didn’t want to wake the baby.”
“She doesn’t really like to sleep.”
He smiled. “Kim was like that.”
“Why did you come here Jack, to say goodbye?”
“I guess.”
“You guess.”
He stared at her. “I couldn’t let you just leave.”
“Why not?” she demanded.
“Because I need you.”
She shook her head. “I can’t help you any more, Jack.”
“I’m not here to ask a favor, Chloe. I’m here to talk to you, before I lose my chance.”
“What chance, Jack?”
“A chance to tell you. To tell you how much you mean to me. To tell you how much I need you. I can’t do this without you, Chloe.”
“What?”
“Anything,” he answered softly. “I’m so lost without you.”
“Why are you saying all of this, Jack?”
“Because you need to know.”
“Because I’m leaving,” she muttered.
He nodded.
“So are you gonna ask me to stay or something?”
“I wish you could. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you.”
She blinked. “You really mean that?”
“I mean all of it.”
She hesitated, biting her lip. “You could come with us. Come to Boston. You’d be able to see Kim all the time. Your grandchildren.”
“You really want that?”
She shrugged. “You probably don’t want to go. Uproot your life.”
“I don’t really have a life. I think maybe I could have one in Boston.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Truly. You are all I need, Chloe. I’d go wherever you were going.”
Fandom:24
Characters:Jack/Chloe
Table:4
Prompt:73. Need
Word Count:747
Rating:PG13
Summary:Jack has a confession to make.
Author's Notes: Thanks to Lisa for the beta.
Chloe had tried.
She would never let anyone say she hadn’t. She had put more effort into this than anything in her life. If it had just been her she would have been gone a year ago, but she had Lizzie to think about, Lizzie who deserved so much better, Lizzie who deserved a chance to know her father. And Chloe believed that Morris loved their daughter, he certainly loved Lizzie more then he’d ever loved her, so the believed, for a while anyway, that she could get things to work.
She thought she was beyond being hurt by him. It had been years since she’d trusted him enough to get her heartbroken, she’d left that behind in D.C. But as she prepared to leave she felt a profound, aching sadness for what Lizzie was losing.
“Hey, darlin’,” Chase said, pulling her out of her thoughts.
“Hi.”
He smiled at her. “You need any help?”
She looked around the almost empty house. “There’s not really anything left to do.”
He nodded. “I have a few things I need to take care of tonight, but I’ll be ready to go in the morning,” he murmured, pecking her on the cheek.
888888888
He found Jack at the third bar he checked, sitting in the back, hunched over the table, a glass of whiskey in his hands. Chase slid into the seat across from him.
"She's leaving, you know," he said quietly.
"Why are you here?" Jack demanded.
"Because you're an idiot, and I love your daughter, and she would really love to see you happy."
"Then tell her I'm happy."
Chase shook his head. "I'm not lying to her for you. You want to do that, do it yourself."
"What do you want from me?"
"I want you to go talk to Chloe. If you'd just talk to her...just stop being an idiot and have a conversation."
"You said it yourself. She's leaving. I've already lost her."
"She's not gone yet."
"What do you want me to do? Chase her to the airport? Beg her to stay?"
"No, I want you to talk to her. You might be surprised."
"I'm not what's best for her. She should go."
"So what's keeping you here? Other than the fact that you must like to be miserable."
“You don’t get to sit here and judge me,” Jack muttered, standing up. “Not after everything you did to my daughter.”
“I spend every day trying to make that right. Why don’t you start making things right, Jack? Or would you rather lecture me on how awful it is to leave the people who love you?”
“Don’t push me right now.”
“Don’t let her go without talking to her. You know where she is Jack. She’s the same place she’s always been. She’s waiting for you.”
88888888
“Hi,” Jack said nervously when Chloe opened the door. “I know it’s early. I could come back…”
“Later,” she filled in. “There is no later Jack.”
“I know,” he said softly. “I didn’t want to wake the baby.”
“She doesn’t really like to sleep.”
He smiled. “Kim was like that.”
“Why did you come here Jack, to say goodbye?”
“I guess.”
“You guess.”
He stared at her. “I couldn’t let you just leave.”
“Why not?” she demanded.
“Because I need you.”
She shook her head. “I can’t help you any more, Jack.”
“I’m not here to ask a favor, Chloe. I’m here to talk to you, before I lose my chance.”
“What chance, Jack?”
“A chance to tell you. To tell you how much you mean to me. To tell you how much I need you. I can’t do this without you, Chloe.”
“What?”
“Anything,” he answered softly. “I’m so lost without you.”
“Why are you saying all of this, Jack?”
“Because you need to know.”
“Because I’m leaving,” she muttered.
He nodded.
“So are you gonna ask me to stay or something?”
“I wish you could. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you.”
She blinked. “You really mean that?”
“I mean all of it.”
She hesitated, biting her lip. “You could come with us. Come to Boston. You’d be able to see Kim all the time. Your grandchildren.”
“You really want that?”
She shrugged. “You probably don’t want to go. Uproot your life.”
“I don’t really have a life. I think maybe I could have one in Boston.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Truly. You are all I need, Chloe. I’d go wherever you were going.”