15minuteficlets
"Jake...it's me. You've probably heard what happened in L.A. by now, well, I'm going, and..."
Jennifer was standing at the gate at Newark, and her hand was shaking, just a little, as she held the cell phone to her lips. She stopped in mid-message, not knowing why this was so damn hard. She didn't need to call Jake at all, except for that it seemed to be something they did. The world ended, and at least they warned each other.
The end of the world... she thought to herself, and that was when she realized she'd paused too long, because there was a click and then, "Jen?"
Fuck.
"Yeah, Jake," she said, swallowing softly. She tried to imagine what he was doing at this hour: sleeping, probably, unless the news of the nuke had kicked everyone at every CTU office awake. Which, it would do so soon, if it hadn't already. "I'm here."
"You're going?" he asked, not bothering to hide the hint of surprise in his voice. "Did Jack call you?"
"No, he didn't call. I'm just going to see what I can do."
"He doesn't know you're coming, does he?"
She exhaled. "No, he doesn't," she replied. "I just can't not do anything, Jake. If I can do one thing that helps, that's...that's something better than sitting on my ass watching it on TV and worrying that he's gonna get nuked."
There was no love lost between Jack Bauer and Jake Hannigan. Jack had hated Jake almost from the moment he'd been assigned to Los Angeles. In turn, Jake had hated him back. But none of that mattered that much right now. She could hear Jake exhale, and then say, "You're going alone?"
Who the hell do you think I have to go with? she thought to herself, but she knew why he'd asked the question. As another form of a statement he couldn't say. She shook her head, even though he couldn't see it. "Don't even think about it, Hannigan. He hates you, and you're more useful where you are. I...I'll be okay, promise."
"Will you?" he asked. "Jen, it's been a whole year."
Now he was starting to sound like House. Which made her think of the conversation she'd had with House before she'd left, and she twitched. But her mind was made up. "This is Jack we're talking about," she said quietly. "Even if I just hand him coffee, I've got to do something."
There was a long silence, then: "Call me when you get there."
"I will. I'll...we'll be fine," she murmured quietly, before she snapped the phone shut and put it back in her jacket. She didn't really know if that was true, and maybe she was doing something stupid, but it was something she felt like she had to do.
Privately, she hoped that it wouldn't be the last time she heard his voice. And that note in it that sounded like compassion. To say nothing of empathy.
Jennifer was standing at the gate at Newark, and her hand was shaking, just a little, as she held the cell phone to her lips. She stopped in mid-message, not knowing why this was so damn hard. She didn't need to call Jake at all, except for that it seemed to be something they did. The world ended, and at least they warned each other.
The end of the world... she thought to herself, and that was when she realized she'd paused too long, because there was a click and then, "Jen?"
Fuck.
"Yeah, Jake," she said, swallowing softly. She tried to imagine what he was doing at this hour: sleeping, probably, unless the news of the nuke had kicked everyone at every CTU office awake. Which, it would do so soon, if it hadn't already. "I'm here."
"You're going?" he asked, not bothering to hide the hint of surprise in his voice. "Did Jack call you?"
"No, he didn't call. I'm just going to see what I can do."
"He doesn't know you're coming, does he?"
She exhaled. "No, he doesn't," she replied. "I just can't not do anything, Jake. If I can do one thing that helps, that's...that's something better than sitting on my ass watching it on TV and worrying that he's gonna get nuked."
There was no love lost between Jack Bauer and Jake Hannigan. Jack had hated Jake almost from the moment he'd been assigned to Los Angeles. In turn, Jake had hated him back. But none of that mattered that much right now. She could hear Jake exhale, and then say, "You're going alone?"
Who the hell do you think I have to go with? she thought to herself, but she knew why he'd asked the question. As another form of a statement he couldn't say. She shook her head, even though he couldn't see it. "Don't even think about it, Hannigan. He hates you, and you're more useful where you are. I...I'll be okay, promise."
"Will you?" he asked. "Jen, it's been a whole year."
Now he was starting to sound like House. Which made her think of the conversation she'd had with House before she'd left, and she twitched. But her mind was made up. "This is Jack we're talking about," she said quietly. "Even if I just hand him coffee, I've got to do something."
There was a long silence, then: "Call me when you get there."
"I will. I'll...we'll be fine," she murmured quietly, before she snapped the phone shut and put it back in her jacket. She didn't really know if that was true, and maybe she was doing something stupid, but it was something she felt like she had to do.
Privately, she hoped that it wouldn't be the last time she heard his voice. And that note in it that sounded like compassion. To say nothing of empathy.