Nightfall
by wordsthatfail
Rating: PG-13 for angst and mild language
Characters: Teri, Jack; beyond brief mention of
Kim
Spoilers: This is set pre-Day One, about three
weeks after Operation Nightfall. (Which may count
as a tiny spoiler for the first season? Question mark?)
Summary: “Are you okay?”
Disclaimer: The characters aren’t mine; the
words are. Please don’t take legal action —
lowly copy editors aren’t worth suing, anyway.
A/N: As always, feedback is love, but be brutal; I
welcome comments and criticism of all kinds.
Harsh, erratic pants fill
the pre-dawn silence of the bedroom.
Teri’s eyes blink open in confusion.
Jack’s lying completely still, muscles locked and
body rigid. His chest is heaving and his mouth is an
unforgiving line.
Concerned, she stifles a yawn and props herself up on one
elbow. “Jack,” she says softly.
He doesn’t respond.
She frowns. “Jack.”
He’s trembling now, his jaw clenched and eyes still
screwed shut.
“Jack?” She places a hand on his shoulder.
And then she’s on her back and her chin is stinging;
Jack’s forearm is pressed against her throat and his
blue-green eyes are centimeters from hers, his face red
and contorted.
Oh my god.
She swallows with difficulty, willing herself not to
panic. Her heart’s hitting her rib cage so hard she’s
not sure he’ll hear her over the noise.
“It’s me.”
Jack blinks in the gray half-light, and something snaps
into place behind his eyes.
“Teri?” he breathes.
He jerks his arm away and scrambles backward. When he
sits up, she can see that his hands are shaking.
“Teri, I — ” His eyes are wide and he’s
sweating.
She sits up and brings a hand to her neck, unconsciously
rubbing the raw skin.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart — Jesus, I’m
sorry.” He lets out an audible breath. “Are you
okay?”
No.
But she nods, not trusting her vocal cords just yet.
He’d never hurt you on purpose.
“You sure?” His eyes are soft, his voice rough.
No, Jack, you just scared the hell out of both of us.
She nods again, her throat tight.
His shoulders slump and she can tell he doesn’t
believe her. “I’m sorry — ”
“I’m all right,” she interrupts, keeping
the waver from her voice. “But what was that,
Jack?”
Tell me it’s training, tell me you were having a
bad dream, just tell me the truth
—
He scrubs his eyes and shakes his head. “I’m
sorry. God, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean …
” He trails off, rubbing at the back of his sweat-slick
neck.
Teri frowns at the non-answer, her clammy fingertips
still brushing her throat. “It’s fine,”
she lies, “but — ”
“It’s not fine,” Jack snaps, raking
a hand through his hair. “Christ, I could’ve
— ” He stops short and presses his lips
together.
Teri sees something she can’t quite identify pass
over his features, and the base of her spine tingles at
what he’s not saying.
“You didn’t,” she offers quietly,
adjusting one strap of her camisole and feeling cold all
over.
His Adam’s apple jumps, but he doesn’t say
anything. He stands abruptly and walks into the adjoining
bathroom, closing the door with a click that
echoes in the quiet bedroom.
Teri listens to the water running in the sink behind the
door. Acid churning in her stomach, she draws her legs up
to her chest and rests her forehead on her knees.
* * * * *
Kim’s asleep and Teri’s in bed when Jack comes
home and enters the bedroom.
Teri looks up from her book. “Hi,” she says,
almost hesitantly.
Jack gives her a thin smile in return. “Hey.”
He reaches for his pillow and turns to leave.
“Jack?”
He stiffens and looks back, his expression unreadable.
“I’ll be on the couch.”
Teri listens as his footfalls fade down the carpeted
hallway. She turns her attention back to the novel in her
grip, but the words are blurred and watery.
She wipes her eyes with unsteady hands.
What’s happened to you, Jack?
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