O'Leary's was a small, weathered red brick building hidden in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. It had originally been designed to resemble an authentic Irish pub, but over time it had taken on characteristics of its eclectic clientele. It boasted a crowd of a few diverse but very loyal regulars. In the months since his separation from his wife, Jack Bauer had become one of those regulars. He liked the bar's seclusion and the fact that the bar tender and his fellow customers didn't ask him questions. This night was not unlike many other nights; Jack sat alone a collection of shot glasses growing in front of him; tension, memories, and loneliness dulling slightly with every sip of the clear burning liquid.

Nina opened the heavy, weathered oak door slipping off her jacket and hanging it on one of the brass hooks by the door. Jack had taken her to O'Leary's for the first time a few months ago and they had been back many times since.

"Hey." She said sliding on to the empty barstool next to him.

"Hey." Jack said not looking up from his drink.

"Sorry, I'm late. My boss had me buried under a mountain of paper work. I have to cover his ass all the time." Jack looked at her quizzically only to realize that she was smiling a sardonic smile.

"Sorry." Jack said finally, his voice softening slightly and even managing a small sort of half smile before draining the shot in front of him.

"Well, I clearly have some catching up to do." Nina said eyeing the glasses on the bar in front Jack and ordering a shot for herself. The tinny sound of a cellular ring intruded into the otherwise quiet atmosphere of the bar. Jack looked at the number and got up from his stool.

"I'm sorry. I have to take this." He added almost as an afterthought as he walked toward the front hallway. Nina threw back her shot and surveyed the now familiar bar. She hated this place, the strange lack of ambiance, and the lonely isolated figures, it all just seemed so pathetic. She waited five more minutes and then decided to go. It had been a long day and if Jack was just going to drink away his sorrows she didn't exactly want to sit around and watch. She went to the door and reached for her coat but the sound of Jack's voice heavy laden with tension made her pause.

"Teri, I can't do this now… I know, it's never a good time, I'm sorry…That is not fair and you know it…Maybe you were right when you said it was over…I wish we could make it work too." Nina had heard enough she grabbed her coat and was gone.

~*~

Nina soaked in a hot bath letting the tension of the day melt into the steaming soapy water. She cursed herself for being so stupid. Why did she care? Why did she let him get her, when no one else ever did? She was jarred from her thoughts by a rather insistent knocking on her front door. She sat for a second, hoping whomever it was would just give up and go away, but the knocking came a second time. She reluctantly got out of the tub and snatched her robe off the counter tying it securely around her.

"I'm coming." She yelled irritably as she made her way to the front door. She glanced through the peephole and saw a rather inebriated looking Jack standing on her front door step. With a sigh, she opened the door.
        
"What is it Jack?" she said her voice cold and unforgiving.
        
"Can I come in?"
        
"Sure, Jack." Her voice oozed with sarcasm. "You blow me off, leave me waiting while you take a phone call from your wife, but now that you're all good and drunk, I suddenly find you so attractive again!"

"How did you know the call was from my wife?" Jack asked.

"I heard you, Jack." Nina looked away as she spoke, her voice betraying much more emotion than she meant it to.

"Nina, I'm sorry" Jack said reaching forward and gently tucking a strand of her damp hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, I've been getting that a lot lately." Nina said any trace of vulnerability gone from her voice. She brushed his hand off of her cheek and stepped forward to shut the door.

"I think you should go."

Jack caught the door with his hand.

"Don't do that, Nina. Please don't shut me out."

"I'm shutting YOU out? You're such a hypocrite-"

He stepped forward, taking her face in his hands and kissing her hard. Nina knew she should pull away, but the taste of his lips was intoxicating. She kissed him hungrily in return and the rage coursing through her morphed into a consuming passion. They stumbled back into the entry way and Jack kicked the door shut behind them. She pulled away for moment, walking down the short hallway to her bedroom, shedding her robe as she went. Jack pulled her to him again, kissing her deeply and desperately. She slid his shirt off of his shoulders, adding it to the growing pile of clothes on the floor. They collapsed together onto the bed.

"I love you. I love you so much, Nina." Jack mumbled against her lips, his hands eagerly exploring the familiar territory of her body.

Nina knew it was the alcohol speaking and she hated him for saying it. She hated the weakness that made her want to hear it. She hated that she had let him in again. But despite everything, she still found herself feeling the closest thing to love she'd ever felt for anyone in her life. She would never be able to push him away. She knew that this night would end like so many others, exhausted in a tangle of sweaty sheets, and in the morning, Jack would leave, guilty and hung over. She knew that this was the closest she ever had or ever would feel to any one. And she hated that even here, in this moment that meant so much to her, as close as she could possibly be to him, she still had no idea how he truly felt. He said he loved her. He kissed her like he loved her. These long, passionate nights made her feel like he loved her.

But it was Jack. And it was his job to lie. So all she could do after nights like these was lie right back to him. She could do it flawlessly, her voice betraying nothing, when they saw each other at work tomorrow. And, as sad as it was, it was worth it. Almost.

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