"Jack, does Michelle know I'm alive?" Tony pressed further. Jack assumed it was safe to say he hadn't kissed Tony or, maybe, he was just showing Jack how much he never wanted to think about this moment again, but Jack somehow didn't think it was the latter.

Both men were still relatively close to each other, and Jack could feel Tony's ragged breath ghosting across his jaw line. Jack's eyes flickered to Tony's mouth and watched as his tongue darted out to wet his bloody lips. It took a lot of concentration to bring his gaze up to meet Tony's own. However, when he finally did, the look on Tony's face reminded him that he hadn't answered his question. He was looking on expectantly, with a hint of confusion in his eyes, at Jack.

Jack struggled to come up with an answer, and when one was on the tip of his tongue, movement caught his eye. There was a particularly nasty looking cut on Tony's lower lip that kept shining with blood. When it congealed enough, Tony's tongue would lap it up. Jack found he couldn't look away.

"Jack…" Tony reached up to unclasp Jack's hand from his face. As soon as the hand touched his skin, Jack jumped back into action.

"No, she doesn't. Not yet." Jack stepped back, leaving Tony room to move away from the car door he had been pressed against. Tony glanced over his shoulder to see Curtis and another agent carrying an unconscious Mandy to the car. Her hands were tied, what looked like quite painfully, behind her back, and her head was lolling about from the movement of being carried.

When Tony turned back to Jack, he saw him staring at the ground with a far away look on his face. A loud voice boomed behind them both, and Jack's head shot up. His body alert and his reactions fine-tuned, once more. Curtis told them they were ready to return to CTU, whenever he was. With that, Jack ran a steady hand through his hair, and stepped back towards Tony. He placed a comforting hand on Tony's shoulder, silently urging him to move. A part of Tony wanted to speak up, but he decided against it and just wordlessly let himself be helped to the car.

* * *

The first couple of minutes of the journey were silent, but not painfully so. Jack found himself sitting across from Tony in one of the many vans returning to CTU. Nameless agents that had helped in the rescue surrounded them, but Jack barely noticed any of them. He, instead, stared intently at Tony who, in turn, was leaning back with his eyes closed. Every breath caused his bloody shirt to rise then fall.

A sudden bump in the road jostled the van and its inhabitants. Jack sent an annoyed look at the driver. Curtis had offered to ride with Mandy, and since Jack couldn't even begin to think about being trapped in a confined space near her without tearing her limb from limb, he agreed someone should accompany her. But he hadn't thought ahead that that meant yet another nameless body would have to drive him.

Jack focused on Tony again, only just then realizing how pale he was. The blood stained patches of skin stood out stark against his ashen face. His lip had stopped bleeding and even looked to be scabbing over, but they still looked dry and chapped. No matter how many times he tried to wet them; and Jack had counted many, they didn't seem to be getting any better.

Another pothole in the road, and Tony's head banged loudly against the metal side of the van. His eyes shot open and locked with Jack's, who had been staring for quite a while now. At first, Tony gaped ahead, not really remembering where he was, then recognition shined through; he sighed heavily then rested his head back again, turning away from Jack's gaze. When he shifted slightly to get more comfortable, pain shot through his chest and a scowl crossed his face. He clutched at his rib, obviously trying to rid himself of the pain, but it didn't work. All he could do was take in sharp hiss of air, and even that only caused his rib to move more.

Jack sat and watched intently as Tony sifted through these emotions in a matter of seconds. When he saw Tony wince, something flashed in Jack's head. Before he knew it, he had crossed the van and was settled next to him.

"You're hurt." His hand, as a reflex, reached out towards the darkened bruise he could see beginning to bloom through Tony's shirt.

"I'm fine, Jack." Tony couldn't help but flinch when he felt Jack's fingertips tenderly brush the fabric covering his battered skin. He was about to bat the hand away when he met Jack's pointed glare. With that, he sighed, knowing it was useless trying to argue. He simply rested his head back.

Jack took this as an invitation; he reached for the hem of Tony's shirt with surprisingly stable hands, and lifted it up far enough to reveal the, already purple, bruise. It was in a very awkward place, starting just under his armpit and stretching on to just past his ribs. Every breath, coupled with any movement would result in disturbing the tender area. Jack poked and prodded the flesh, smiling slightly at the unsettled grunts coming from the body under his hands.

"You'll live. But it's going to hurt to move for a couple of days."

"That's what I figured." Tony shivered due to the raised shirt and the drying sweat. Jack felt the skin quiver. He dropped the shirt back into place and turned in his seat to face Tony. His head was back and his eyes were closed again. It looked as though he was fighting sleep, because every once and a while he would shift. Maybe his hand would tighten around the bench, or his leg would tense then relax.

For some reason, Jack noticed every little move Tony made. The other bodies in the van were off in a different world to Jack, although he saw them out of the corner of his eye, he ignored them. He only had eyes for Tony now.

Before he could stop it, the situation from earlier popped into his head. He remembered the heat of Tony's skin; the taste of his lips and the feel of the cuts and bruises against his hands. Despite the fact that he imagined them, he could vividly recall every touch and sensation. And, although his tired mind kept telling him the opposite, his body told him he wanted the touch back.

Tony must have felt the gaze on him, because he weakly opened his eyes to peer at Jack directly. What he wasn't expecting, however, was for Jack to be sitting so close. He, also, remembered how Jack had been acting strange lately, but he couldn't, for the life if him, figure out why. Obviously, whatever it is was still bothering him, because this wasn't exactly normal behavior for him.

Jack kept Tony's eye for a few moments, until finally giving in. He leant forward on the bench. Tony noticed the movement and sat up. Something told Jack that maybe Tony wasn't moving for him; maybe he was actually trying to get away. However, it didn't stop him; he just blocked the noise of everything else out. Including the sound of the fidgeting bodies around him. Relishing the thought of touching warm skin again, Jack raised his hand to Tony's arm. It jolted slightly from the contact, but Jack didn't remove it. He, instead, drew it further up until he reached Tony's neck. Next, Jack leaned his face closer, his eyes and their opposites never leaving each other in the process. Jack noted in the back of his mind, that he didn't see Tony move away when he closed the last gap between them. Then again, he was also sure that none of this was real or actually happening.

He tasted the familiar salty tang to Tony's lips and felt the rough texture of the cut rub against his own lips. They were still dry but Jack ignored it, in favor of just enjoying the moment. The fact that he was currently in a van, surrounded by several other men, never crossed his mind; he made sure of it. A small part of him panicked when he took in how real this felt, but nothing could have pulled him away now.

Tony remained motionless throughout the kiss, as did Jack's hand on his neck. He didn't respond, but he didn't wretch away in disgust either.

When Jack ran his tongue across the uneven bottom lip, he felt Tony's neck twitch. He repeated the action, only to feel the skin quiver again. Thanks to the added confidence, Jack relaxed and closed his eyes. His thumb gently stroked Tony's face, urging him to respond and kiss back, but nothing he did seemed to persuade him.

After a while, Jack pulled back, removing his hand from its warm, comfortable spot and down to clutch at his own leg. He waited until his breathing was stable before he risked opening his eyes. He was anything but surprised, and slightly grateful, to find himself seated back on the other side of the van, away from Tony. Everyone else was off in their own world, not giving any insight into what they might have just seen. That was a good sign. Tony was right where he had been sitting all along. Straight across from Jack, head tilted backwards, eyes closed. He glanced down to see his hand clasped tightly around his leg, his fingernails digging in sharply. Jack let out a breath he had been holding.

It was obvious what his brain was trying to tell him. He was attracted to Tony. However, what he couldn't figure out was why it was trying to tell him. Why would focusing on this now, help him. It clouded his head and made it hard for him to think clearly. Jack didn't like that, he was use to being right on task, but now he was at a loss of what to do.

Unexpectedly, the van rolled to a halt. Seconds after, the doors were thrown wide open, letting the bright floodlights outside stream inside. Jack squinted away from the sudden harsh lighting, even bringing up a hand to shield his eyes. Tony groaned loudly when the intense light disturbed his uncomfortable slumber. Jack recognized the bleary stare he wore after first opening his eyes, from just moments ago. All the other bodies quickly scrambled out while Tony tried to get his bearings back. Jack waited with him because he knew he would need a hand.

Before long, Tony had managed to locate Jack, remind himself he was in the back of a van and rub a hand over his tired eyes. After that, he attempted to make a move to get out; but that didn't go quite as smoothly. He had tried to stand, putting most of his weight on his unsteady legs. Although, he was still supporting himself with an arm on the bench, he stood hunched over and not quite sturdy. The short nap had obviously taken its toll on him, and reminded him how long how had been awake today. As he shuffled towards the open doors, he wobbled; took a moment to regain his footing, and then carried on moving.

Jack watched tensely from the side, waiting for any chance that he would need to jump in to help. Thankfully, he wasn't needed, and Tony made it out of the van without an incident. Jack quickly followed, hopping off the step in a huge contrast to the way Tony had stepped down, slowly and carefully.

People were walking in many directions behind and around the men. Everyone seeming to have a goal in mind. Curtis passed by with Mandy in tow, nodding at Jack as he went. When he turned back to Tony, he saw he was also studying them, though mainly Mandy. Jack waited until they were a good few meters ahead before he dropped a hand onto Tony's back. He began stepping forward right away and Tony noiselessly trailed along with him.

After they slipped through the doors, they were met by the quiet commotion that often littered the CTU floors. He felt every available pair of eyes in the room, turn to glance at them. Curtis and Mandy carried on going, bypassing most of the people to get to the holding rooms in the back of the building. Tony and Jack, on the other hand, ran into Michelle. Jack stayed back when Tony went forward to wrap his arms around her. A part of him felt guilty seeing them together, despite knowing that whatever was happening with him wasn't real. He heard breaking voices and hushed tones coming from the pair, and when he pulled his gaze up from the floor he saw the tears in Michelle's eyes. He saw Tony smiling for the first time since this incident began. He saw the simple affection radiating off them both, and Jack's heart plummeted

It wasn't as though he had thought there was any possibility that Tony would be his, but it just hurt to see it, right there, in front of him. Despite this, Jack couldn't help but smile to himself when he caught sight of Tony pressing a gentle kiss to Michelle's forehead. Jack dropped his head again, and was about walk away when Curtis appeared in front of him. He didn't look happy.

"She's not talking until she has immunity signed by the president."

Jack was ashamed to say that he had forgotten about Mandy, but as soon as Curtis reminded him, he sprung into action. He was surprised by how gravely his voice sounded to his own ears, but he guessed that it had something to do with the sudden animalistic urge to rip someone to shreds that was coursing through his veins.

"Let me talk to her." Curtis nodded, fully understanding the tone in which Jack spoke. He disappeared in a direction nowhere near the holding room.

The path to the holding room was past Tony and Michelle, so Jack set off towards them. The pair had pulled away from each other and looked Jack's way as he moved. Both were smiling but there were still tears threatening to spill. Jack could see the dark patch of skin through Tony's shirt, and when he stared at it, Michelle noticed it too.

"Tony, the medic should be waiting for you when you want to get checked out." Tony sighed and answered without malice.

"I'm fine, Jack."

Jack ducked his head, trying to hide a smile, then decided against it and looked up at Tony, who was smiling slightly back. His hand itched to moved forward and grab Tony. Just to grasp anything, his hand, his arm, his shirt, anything. But he didn't. Instead, his hand stayed by his side, forming a tight fist.

"I'm glad you're okay, Tony."

He didn't stick around after that. He didn't really stay long enough to see Tony's reaction either, but that didn't bother him. He probably wouldn't have liked it anyway. There were more important things to worry about, at the moment, and he could see the holding room from where he stood. Tony could wait.

As he strolled away, Jack heard Michelle speak up softly. He couldn't make out what she had said, and he thought himself better off because of it.

When he reached the door an unexpected image popped into his head, his hand paused on its way to turning the handle. The image was of him and Tony standing exactly as they were just moments ago, Michelle positioned mere inches away. Each man had a smile on their face, directed at one another. However, instead of keeping his hand at his side, it stretched out towards Tony. Jack's fingers brushed against Tony's shirt, the course material threaded itself between them. It was surprisingly warm. Then it was gone. In its place was the cold metal door handle, which he turned and then entered into the dark room it revealed. Mandy would have no choice but to tell him everything.