Fic: We Part Only to Meet Again Ch. 2
Fic: We Part Only to Meet Again Ch. 2
Author: kaitlia777 (aka SageK on ff.net)
Rating: PG
Fandom: 24
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, just having some fun
Summary: After season 8, what happens?
Link to Chapter 1
She hadn’t really believed she’d find Jack. It had been a hope, a dream she’d clung to with all the tenacity that had kept her alive thought the insanity that had been her employment by the CTU.
But here he was, standing on the same beach as she was, tanned, fit and healthy, a far cry from the bloody, battered mess he’d been the last time she’d seen him. For a moment, it was all she could do to stare.
Always one to prefer short cuts, Jack’s blond hair was neatly trimmed in the style he favored and the sun had lightened it several shades. In contrast, his skin had acquired a deeper tan than she’d ever seen him with. It looked good, but made the increasingly faint scars from his imprisonment (and really the rest of his career hadn’t exactly left him unscathed) stand out, visible due to his unbuttoned shirt. Loose cargo shorts sat low on his slim hips and he was wearing flip flops.
That made Chloe smile. Jack Bauer, he of the perpetual combat boots, was wearing flip flops.
She wasn’t too clear on exactly what happened next, as it seemed one moment she was sitting in the sand and the next she was up and crashing bodily into Jack, arms wrapping around without any direction from her brain.
He held her just as close, strong arms tight around her, hands hot and heavy on her back as he pressed his face into her hair. She felt his lips brush the outer shell of her ear accidentally and she could admit that sent a certain tingle through her tummy.
“Chloe.” His voice was soft and raspy and so close to her ear and she could feel the word rumble in his chest. “Chloe, what’re you doing here?”
“Looking for you,” she laughed, surprised to realize her face was wet with tears. “I just can’t…Wait, how did you know I was here?”
She turned her own face into his neck, inhaling his scent as he replied, “I’ve got a friend in Customs. Asked him to keep an eye out for certain names. I figured if anyone was going to find me, it would be you.”
“The alphabet agencies thing you’re in Asia or Africa,” she mumbled. “Idiots.”
Jack chuckled and agreed, “Not likely.”
“Yeah,” she said, then reluctantly drew back to look into his face. “How are you?”
His eyes didn’t look tired or pained or worse- dead- as he replied, “Good. It’s quiet here…maybe a bit lonely. I missed you. I miss Kim and Teri. How’re they?”
“Safe,” Chloe immediately assured him. “They’re doing well in….”
“Don’t tell me,” he said, eyes closing briefly and she knew it was safer for all involved if he didn’t know. That way there’d be no temptation to visit and possibly draw unwanted attention to them.
“Okay, but I brought you a recent picture of Teri…it’s in my bag,” she said, then was struck by a thought. “How’s your shoulder?”
He placidly let her peel back the left side of his shirt and gently touch the round pink scar on his shoulder. The scar left by her bullet, which she had fired to save his life. She hadn’t thought herself able to do it, but when she saw him turning his own weapon to his head, she’d reacted.
Still, that knowledge couldn’t keep her from having to blink back tears at the sight of the permanent proof that she had inflicted physical damage upon her friend.
“Hey,” Jack said, moving to cup her face in his hands and swipe away the tears with his thumbs. “It’s fine, Chloe. You saved me, remember? You’ve been saving me for years.”
“You saved me too,” she replied, grasping the open edges of his shirt in order to have something to do with her hands. “No one else ever got me like you, you know. Anyone else would have fired me or, more likely, shuffled me off to some out of the way satellite office where I wouldn’t have to deal with other people.”
He smiled at her gently and bumped his forehead into hers. “Most bureaucrats are idiots,” he teased with a conspirator grin and her breath caught as their noses brushed. He stilled for a moment and they shared a few breaths before he pulled back a fraction. “I’m sorry, I should have asked already, how’s Prescott? And Morris?”
“Good.” She smiled with maternal pride. “Prescott won his end of term science fair and he and Morris are visiting family in England.”
“And you came here?”
He was understandably puzzled and Chloe sighed. “Let’s just say Morris is a great dad, but not such a good husband. Again.” She raised her left hand, wiggling the ring less fingers. “I guess the first divorce should have been a hint that the marriage wasn’t going to work out.”
“I’m sorry,” he said sincerely and held her close again. His desire for contact was nice and Chloe guessed it probably stemmed from having been fairly isolated for such a long time.
“Want to hear something funny?” she asked into his shoulder before turning her head to look at him. “They made me Director at CTU.”
Jack smiled down at her. “You deserve it. Very few people have your kind of experience.”
“I know,” she grinned. “Every time I have to meet with the other directors, I get the feeling they’re just waiting for me to pull a gun. It’s like they think I’m feral or something.”
“They’re not used to being on professionally equal grounds with someone the bureaucracy hasn’t managed to suck the soul out of,” he said lightly, then glanced at the sun. “Want some lunch?”
“Sounds good,” she replied and let him lead her back to her car. His, an open air jeep, was parked further up the road.
“Follow me,” he said with a smile.
As if she hadn’t been doing just that since the day they’d met.
TBC……
Author: kaitlia777 (aka SageK on ff.net)
Rating: PG
Fandom: 24
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, just having some fun
Summary: After season 8, what happens?
Link to Chapter 1
She hadn’t really believed she’d find Jack. It had been a hope, a dream she’d clung to with all the tenacity that had kept her alive thought the insanity that had been her employment by the CTU.
But here he was, standing on the same beach as she was, tanned, fit and healthy, a far cry from the bloody, battered mess he’d been the last time she’d seen him. For a moment, it was all she could do to stare.
Always one to prefer short cuts, Jack’s blond hair was neatly trimmed in the style he favored and the sun had lightened it several shades. In contrast, his skin had acquired a deeper tan than she’d ever seen him with. It looked good, but made the increasingly faint scars from his imprisonment (and really the rest of his career hadn’t exactly left him unscathed) stand out, visible due to his unbuttoned shirt. Loose cargo shorts sat low on his slim hips and he was wearing flip flops.
That made Chloe smile. Jack Bauer, he of the perpetual combat boots, was wearing flip flops.
She wasn’t too clear on exactly what happened next, as it seemed one moment she was sitting in the sand and the next she was up and crashing bodily into Jack, arms wrapping around without any direction from her brain.
He held her just as close, strong arms tight around her, hands hot and heavy on her back as he pressed his face into her hair. She felt his lips brush the outer shell of her ear accidentally and she could admit that sent a certain tingle through her tummy.
“Chloe.” His voice was soft and raspy and so close to her ear and she could feel the word rumble in his chest. “Chloe, what’re you doing here?”
“Looking for you,” she laughed, surprised to realize her face was wet with tears. “I just can’t…Wait, how did you know I was here?”
She turned her own face into his neck, inhaling his scent as he replied, “I’ve got a friend in Customs. Asked him to keep an eye out for certain names. I figured if anyone was going to find me, it would be you.”
“The alphabet agencies thing you’re in Asia or Africa,” she mumbled. “Idiots.”
Jack chuckled and agreed, “Not likely.”
“Yeah,” she said, then reluctantly drew back to look into his face. “How are you?”
His eyes didn’t look tired or pained or worse- dead- as he replied, “Good. It’s quiet here…maybe a bit lonely. I missed you. I miss Kim and Teri. How’re they?”
“Safe,” Chloe immediately assured him. “They’re doing well in….”
“Don’t tell me,” he said, eyes closing briefly and she knew it was safer for all involved if he didn’t know. That way there’d be no temptation to visit and possibly draw unwanted attention to them.
“Okay, but I brought you a recent picture of Teri…it’s in my bag,” she said, then was struck by a thought. “How’s your shoulder?”
He placidly let her peel back the left side of his shirt and gently touch the round pink scar on his shoulder. The scar left by her bullet, which she had fired to save his life. She hadn’t thought herself able to do it, but when she saw him turning his own weapon to his head, she’d reacted.
Still, that knowledge couldn’t keep her from having to blink back tears at the sight of the permanent proof that she had inflicted physical damage upon her friend.
“Hey,” Jack said, moving to cup her face in his hands and swipe away the tears with his thumbs. “It’s fine, Chloe. You saved me, remember? You’ve been saving me for years.”
“You saved me too,” she replied, grasping the open edges of his shirt in order to have something to do with her hands. “No one else ever got me like you, you know. Anyone else would have fired me or, more likely, shuffled me off to some out of the way satellite office where I wouldn’t have to deal with other people.”
He smiled at her gently and bumped his forehead into hers. “Most bureaucrats are idiots,” he teased with a conspirator grin and her breath caught as their noses brushed. He stilled for a moment and they shared a few breaths before he pulled back a fraction. “I’m sorry, I should have asked already, how’s Prescott? And Morris?”
“Good.” She smiled with maternal pride. “Prescott won his end of term science fair and he and Morris are visiting family in England.”
“And you came here?”
He was understandably puzzled and Chloe sighed. “Let’s just say Morris is a great dad, but not such a good husband. Again.” She raised her left hand, wiggling the ring less fingers. “I guess the first divorce should have been a hint that the marriage wasn’t going to work out.”
“I’m sorry,” he said sincerely and held her close again. His desire for contact was nice and Chloe guessed it probably stemmed from having been fairly isolated for such a long time.
“Want to hear something funny?” she asked into his shoulder before turning her head to look at him. “They made me Director at CTU.”
Jack smiled down at her. “You deserve it. Very few people have your kind of experience.”
“I know,” she grinned. “Every time I have to meet with the other directors, I get the feeling they’re just waiting for me to pull a gun. It’s like they think I’m feral or something.”
“They’re not used to being on professionally equal grounds with someone the bureaucracy hasn’t managed to suck the soul out of,” he said lightly, then glanced at the sun. “Want some lunch?”
“Sounds good,” she replied and let him lead her back to her car. His, an open air jeep, was parked further up the road.
“Follow me,” he said with a smile.
As if she hadn’t been doing just that since the day they’d met.
TBC……