The former couple existed in a weird vacuum, one consisting of polite albeit stilted greetings and ever increasingly awkward farewells. On many occasions, more than one person among the tight circle of friends each had held that the latter was because of the underlying attraction—and love—which after all this time and distance existed between them still. It was an assertion neither gave any pause to; for to do so would require addressing the issues which had divided them. Issues, it seemed, that had no resolution in sight—or at the very least neither, in the other’s opinion of course, was willing to make any attempt to compromise on. Which made their parting of ways all the more frustrating, for compromise was not the issue; said act was a truly foreign concept to them both, as either rarely if ever engaged in said behavior when it came to their personal lives.
No, the issue at hand was—as it had been from the very beginning—submission.
He demanded nothing less; she, in turn, had attempted to give everything but that—attempting to negotiate in response to what he wanted from her. And as was often the case in a battle of such formidable wills, with no surrender in sight, they parted ways. In hindsight, some would say the severing of their ties to each other had been a long time coming, inevitable even. Their relationship’s break was preceded by an argument—particularly nasty even by their standards—in which Doctor Sabrina DeLane questioned the validity of the thing Federal Agent Jack Bauer treasured most, that which he basically lived and died by.
His word.
He had insisted repeatedly that even though past missions had dictated he bed his current partner – the determined, tenacious dark-haired beauty Rosa Sanchez – he was in no way a potential candidate for paternity if she was indeed pregnant…
Jack deliberately put distance between him and his maddening lover. Suddenly, the luxury hotel’s massive Presidential Suite seemed to be the size of a bread box. If ever he regretted not having Sabrina reside at his place instead of the usual “family holding” hotel during her weekend stay in California, it was now. If they were at his place, he was certain she would’ve left long ago, her frustration getting the better of her. But they were on her turf, so that was not happening; besides, Jack sensed, for some reason it was vital he see this disagreement through. It wasn’t an ‘argument’ as far as he was concerned; that would imply a point of view—which it was apparent Sabrina believed to be his—was erroneous.
“It’s simple to me, Jack. Either you slept with Rosa or you didn’t. Which is it?"
“Do the damn math, Bri.”
“I have!” she shot back.
“Then you know I haven’t been on a mission with Rosa in nearly five months…”
“Exactly.”
“And that mission was more administrative than covert. I never even had to—”
“What, Jack? Whip out your ‘gun’?”
Invading Sabrina’s personal space, Jack came to rest in front of her, so close they were almost nose to nose. It always seemed to be that way between them; they could not deny each other physical contact. Even when the argument was one of a lighthearted nature— something this was a frighteningly far cry from.
“Be in the same room with her,” he ground out, cutting her off and ignoring her crude play on words. “That is what I was going to say!”
“Well, then, Bauer, we have a problem—with your math. You said she told you if she is pregnant, she’s around two months along. You even said so yourself she’s not involved with anyone. So, unless she is and he’s laying pipe so good she wouldn’t even tell upon pain of death – and, again, your words, Babe, the two of you are ‘pretty tight and know just about everything about each other’ – given you haven’t mentioned anything about her saying she’s got a new man?” Sabrina stepped back, arms folded; brow arched, her visage was a living portrait of incredulity. “Again, I say, do the math. There’s only one logical conclusion as I see it,” she bit out. “That. Leaves. You.”
“And, again, I say, either you’re gonna believe me when I tell you I’m not the father, Bri, or you’re not,” he hissed. “Know what? I’m fucking sick…sick and tired…of being on my knees about this—about every fucking thing, especially when it has to do with my job!”
A perfunctory blink was Sabrina’s initial response. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware you’ve ever been on your knees when it comes to anything in this relationship.”
That she was unmoved was evident. Her response had been delivered in that icy, aloof manner that got under his skin like nothing he’d ever experienced before. That she’d obviously landed a crushing blow was evident in how deathly still her lover’s body became. Whatever he felt, whatever emotions he was consumed by—or trying to force to a corner of his soul—was in no way displayed on his face. But his eyes were another story. Fury dueled with pain within the depths of his azure orbs. At that moment, she did not know which gave her greater cause for concern. She never for a moment feared for her physical safety. Emotionally, however, the alarms were sounding wildly.
And in the midst of it all, for some insane reason she was reminded of the actress Whoopi Goldberg’s character in the movie Ghost—and the entire time all she could hear was Oda Mae Brown crowing, “Molly, girl? You in danger!”
“Obviously,” her reply was slow and measured, “we need some time apart.”
“Works for me,” he ground out. His visage was unblinking.
“Same here,” she agreed. “Besides, I need to spend more time closer to home.”
In silence he exited the living room. Upon reaching the door, his grip upon the doorknob tensed ever so slightly as it opened. He knew once he stepped across the threshold he was letting her go. He’d meant what he said when he told her he was tired. A part of him knew she was, too. But as with so many things when it came to dealing with his headstrong lover she simply refused to surrender. Jack cast a glance over his shoulder at Sabrina; the look was equal parts sadness and frustration.
“Good for you, Bri.” Jack made a rude noise. “At least now you won’t have to worry about dragging around that damn umbilical cord you’ve been tethered to since the day we met.”
