Author's note: Hi! Here I bring you a new story. I know it's crazy, since I'm still working on the other one. But, after the disappointment that was Live Another Day I had to do something. I hope you like it.

Unlike my other story, this will follow the canon of the show, respecting everything that happened in Day 8 and LAD. This story happens a few months after LAD. Those who haven't seen LAD might not understand what's going on. Feel free to ask questions.

I think all you need to know is that Audrey's dead and Jack turned himself to the Russians. He was taken to a prison in Moscow. Before LAD, Jack spent some time in Serbia, where he befriended a member of the Serbian mob called Belcheck, who is kind of awesome.

Some flashbacks that will appear in this story were used in my other story, but I kept them because they fit in this one too.

Renee's past before Day 7 will be pretty much the same one I invented in my other story, since we never got any new information in the show that contradicts what I stated. There are only a few changes, because we now know she was 36 when she died and I had her age wrong.

IMPORTANT consideration: I'll use the following time line:

Day One: March 2, 2004 (Primary Day of the 2004 election, Super Tuesday)
Day Two : September/October 2005
Day Three: September/October 2008
Day Four: March/April 2010
Day five: September/October 2011
Day Six: April 6th 2013
Redemption: January 20 2017 (President Taylor's inauguration)

Day Seven: March 25 and 26 2017 (It was stated that it takes roughly 65 days after President Taylor's inauguration)
Day Eight: May 20 and 21 2018 (this was stated by Fox)

LAD: Around May 2022.

Fall seven times, stand up eight

Chapter One:

You must remember this

YEAR 1886

Malibu, California

Teri Thomson was a happy twenty year old woman. She had met a man who was the most perfect man in the universe to her and he had been with her for six months. She was madly in love with Jack Bauer. The two of them had soon become inseparable.

At that moment, the young couple was at the beach, having a lovely time. They were busy making out. But, all the sudden, it began pouring. People began running away from the beach frenetically. But not Teri. She simply stood up, looked at the sky and closed her eyes.

"Come on, sweetheart. We have to go", Jack urged her.

"No way!". Teri thought the rain made the day more fun. She took his hands and practically dragged him to the ocean. Once there, she began spinning around, while trying to catch the raindrops with her tongue.

Jack observed her feeling fascinated. He loved how Teri made everything fun. She truly enjoyed life. She was funny, innocent, pure and so extremely beautiful. Her long brown curls seemed to dance as she spun around. Then she stopped spinning and gave Jack the sweetest smile he had ever seen as they locked eyes.

It was then when he couldn't take it anymore. "Marry me!"

Teri's steel blue eyes widened in shock. She couldn't believe what Jack was saying. "What?".

Jack was shocked too. He had surprised himself. The words just had impulsively come out. But as he thought about it, he realized that it made sense. "Please, don't be scared". He approached her and took her hands. His heart was racing. "Listen, Teri… I… I never had a loving family. But I want to start one now, with you. I love you. I didn't even know what love was until I met you. When I'm with you I don't think about my past. I think about our future. We are both really young, we have so much future before us and I only want to walk towards it with you. I want us to be together forever. Please, would you marry me?".

Teri didn't hesitate. Not even for a second. "Yes… Yes… yes!". She kissed him avidly.

Jack was pleasantly surprised with her answer. He was so extremely happy. He kissed her back and hoisted Teri up. The two lovers remained kissing under the light rain. They felt they were the only two people in the world.

March 20th 2010

Los Angeles- California

Audrey opened the door to her hotel room. It was dark, but she didn't turn the lights on.

"Hello?", she spoke to the seemingly empty room. She looked around, with surprise. She expected Jack to be there, since she had given him a copy of the keys. She left the keys on a table "Hello?"

Suddenly, Jack grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth. She startled.

"Don't move", he whispered. "Slowly, slowly, turn around"

She smiled, already feeling aroused, and obeyed him. They both loved to play games like that. They had been together for six months. Those were the most passionate six months of his life.

He kissed her. Their tongues caressed slowly. They began undressing each other as they headed to the bed. He pressed her against a wall and kissed her breasts, and then her abdomen. He hoisted her up and carried her to the bed while she kissed his neck.

The next morning, Jack woke up feeling happier than he had been in years. His wife's death had nearly destroyed him. But now, because of Audrey, the pain was subsiding. It was still complicated, though. Audrey wasn't divorced yet, and she wasn't ready to tell others about their relationship. But Jack was falling in love with her.

He left the bed and found her in the bathroom, taking a shower. He walked into the bathroom without making any noise. He heard her singing a very old song.

You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh.
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by.

And when two lovers woo
They still say, "I love you."
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As time goes by.

Jack smiled. It was the from the movie Casablanca. They had seen that movie together on their third date, when they had sex for the first time. It was their song.

He stepped into the shower and took her in his arms.

May 21st 2018

New York City

Summoning all her strength, Renee looked into Jack's eyes and decided to set him free. "I know that we've said a lot of things to each other, and you've made promises to me about... I just want you to know that I'm not gonna hold you to them."

She was full of doubts about the way he felt about her. But he felt exactly as she did. And as long as they both wanted to be together nothing else mattered at that point. He knew they had a lot to talk about. But they had all the time in the world for serious conversations. They could talk about anything later. With determination, he stepped towards her.

Renee barely noticed he was getting closer. She was too sure he couldn't possibly want her that way. So she remained lost in her rambling. "It's been a terrible day and I know that we… we say things in the moment, and I just... I don't want you to..." That was when she was suddenly interrupted by gently taking her face and planting a kiss on her lips. She was a bit slow to reciprocate at first, she was too overwhelmed. Jack was actually kissing her with so much passion. It was so astonishing but he actually wanted her. It felt like a dream and it terrified her that she could wake up. She finally dared to kiss him back with equal fervor, putting a hand on the back of his head and the other one on his cheek.

It was all that took for things to begin heating up uncontrollably. She put her arms around his neck. He hoisted her up and carried her to his bedroom as they kissed desperately. Once they were over the bed, they quickly began undressing each other. But then he remembered how badly she had been hurt the night before. What if it was too much too soon for her? He reluctantly moved away from her, gasping for air. "Hey" he whispered softly "are… are you okay with this?"

Saying she was 'okay' would have been the understatement of the century. She didn't reply with words though. Instead, she finished undressing him like she absolutely owned him and every clothe covering his body. Soon even his bandages were off, leaving just two small dressings protecting that damned wound in the stomach and another one by the shoulder. As they kissed, she made him lay fully on his back and positioned herself on top of him, taking control of the situation. It was a position she needed to feel safe and confident in bed again. She kissed him and then his perfectly formed chest. His was the only body that actually belonged as close to hers.

After the spectacular lovemaking, Jack laid on his back, trying to recover his breath. Renee rested her head on his chest and keept one arm around him. He loved just watching her, running his fingers through her dark auburn hair and smelling it. He could sense the smell of his own shampoo on her hair, which meant she had taken a shower in his bathroom the night before, during her two-hour break. Noticing that essence automatically made him at ease. While the possessive-male in him celebrated his victory, the sweet-gentleman in him was deeply concerned about her. Was she truly as great as she seemed? As he caressed the soft skin of her back, he made the natural question. "Are you okay?"

Renee thought it was adorable how he worried about her even though she hadn't been able to stop smiling ever since they had reached one spectacular climax. Her joy was obvious. "I'm great…"

Glad to hear that, he began kissing her neck, then her shoulders and then her breast. It particularly fascinated him that small rose she had tattooed in black ink, right on top of her left boob. She could be so unpredictable and complex. Brushing the rose with the tip of his fingers, he commented "I love this tatoo"

Renee's features darkened. She had gotten that tattoo six years before. "It was my initiation tattoo. When you are accepted in a Russian gang you get a rose in your chest", she spoke barely in a whisper, avoiding his gaze. A rose on her chest was an indication that a person was a new member of a Russian mob, but it could also mean 'ruined youth'. Which was why Renee had thought it suited her perfectly. "Every sin leaves a mark" she added bitterly, quoting the tagline from the movie 'Eastern Promises'.

Jack then felt like an idiot for unwillingly bringing up that topic. He held her tightly in a protective and comforting way. And then he said sincerely "You know? I still like that rose very much". He was clearly not talking just about the tattoo. Couldn't she see how desirable he found her? And how beautiful he found her inside and out? "Why wouldn't I like what makes you be you? Renee, now I know more than I ever did about you. And… I've never wanted you more" Jack admitted sincerely. Everything he had learned about Renee during the past thirteen hours made him care about her even more than before. He felt more connected to her than ever. When he saw that beautiful girlish smile on her face again, he realized she had understood him.

"Jack" she shook her head marveled by him. "You can't possibly want me more than I want you" Before he could dissent, she shut him up with a very passionate kiss.

When he lived in Africa, Jack had learnt that during a mating bout lions copulate between twenty and forty times a day. Of course, he didn't intend getting anywhere close to break that impressive record. However, after making love to Renee for the second time, he wanted to have her again. He couldn't have enough of her. Except that, for the moment, they were just making out, taking a short break from other activities. That was also amazing. He loved just watching her gorgeous face, caressing her hair and staring deep into her beautiful blue eyes. But even though she had shown no sign of discomfort, he had to make sure once more that she was feeling at ease. "You okay?"

"Perfect" She whispered the only word that described accurately how she was feeling at that very instant. It was the way he made her feel. Through a huge and horrible storm they had reached their shore together. And if Jack could look at her with such loving eyes after everything he had saw and learnt about her, she was sure they could face anything together.

"Promise?" He asked needing to know for sure the joy she seemed to feel next to him was real.

"Hmm." She mumbled as she nodded to reassure him. Suddenly, she was the one who wanted to stay silent. She just wanted to enjoy his proximity, the feeling of his skin making contact with hers and his face with those gorgeous eyes and those lovely wrinkles around them. She wanted to take a moment to enjoy that it was truly him the one so close to her.

'Perfect' described the way Jack was feeling at that very moment too. Except for one small trouble, his mouth was dry. He felt incredibly thirsty. He hadn't taken anything to drink since… well, since that disgusting shot of Vodka, indeed. With Renee currently in his arms, Jack just wanted to hold on to her and never let her go. Yet, he had to get up and get some water, which sucked because he longed to spend all day just glued to her in bed. So the timing to desperately need some water was truly a bad one. That made him chuckle as he stated "I am so thirsty."

"Me too." She admitted, giggling along with him.

"Do you want me to get you something to drink?" He offered while caressing a lock of her hair, glad to notice her smile was reaching her eyes.

"Yeah"

"Okay." He just needed to kiss her one more time before leaving the bed. They kissed briefly and then he assured her "I'll be right back."

Renee watched him sitting on the side of the bed, putting his jeans again. She brushed his scars with her hand. Those lines on his back were truly like a map of his life, a life that had been full of pain and sorrow for too long. But that life had made him who he was now, and frankly, she wouldn't have him any other way.

She grinned as he took a white shirt and put it on. For a second there she wanted to tell him not to get dressed, since she would have to undress him again. But she bit her lower lip and restrained herself.

"Don't move." He whispered to her as he left to the kitchen.

May 27th 2022

Moscow, Russia

He was tied to an uncomfortable chair, wearing only a grey t-shirt and matching pants. The strong lights were blinding him. The loud music wouldn't let him think. The Russians had beaten him up and put him in that room where it was impossible to sleep. He had been there for two nights and three days. All he felt was the pain of his broken rib.

Suddenly, the music stopped and the room became normally lighted. A young blue-eyed man appeared. He was a security guard Jack hadn't met yet. There was another guard with him, that one was huge, older and had tick eyebrows.

"Hello, Mr. Bauer. We meet, at last", the young man said in a tick Russian accent. Jack remained silent. "I'm truly sorry I wasn't on duty yesterday, when they brought you", he told him, while prepping a syringe.

Jack looked at the man preparing the syringe and his heart began beating fast. He knew what they would give him. It was substance he knew too well. He had used it hundredths of times. The Chinese had used it on him for twenty months. The memories of China still made him shiver.

He showed no emotions, though.

One more man came in. But that was unnecessary. Jack didn't intend to fight. He was broken. He was dead inside. He didn't care about anything.

Two men held him, while the man with blue eyes gave him an injection.

After a moment, Jack felt an agonizing pain in every inch of his body. It fell as if he were on fire.

He let out a loud scream and took deep breaths while sweat ran through his face.

"Mr. Bauer, don't you wanna know who I am?", the blue-eyed Russian asked. Jack merely gave him a confused look. "I'm not just another prison guard. You killed someone who was important to me".

Jack had no idea who the man was talking about. He remained silent.

The Russian gave him another injection.

"Who are you?", Jack finally asked, after screaming in pain and gasping for air.

"I want you to guess", the guard said, with a smirk on his face. "If you guess correctly, I'll let you go back to your cell, where you'll be able to sleep. Jack didn't say anything. The man hit him on the face, making him bleed. "Who am I?" Jack spitted on his face.

The man wiped the mixture of blood and saliva from his face, while another guard gave Jack electric shots with a taser gun.

"Who am I?", the man asked him, yelling.

"I don't know", Jack admitted, with fury in his eyes. "And I don't care"

The man nodded at the other guards as if saying now. One guard grabbed Jack, while the other one removed Jack's shoes and socks.

The blue-eyed man grabbed a knife.

"If you don't guess, I'll cut your toe. If you give the wrong answer, I'll cut your toe", the man informed coldly.

Jack stared at the man silently for a long time. For the life of him, he didn't know who the man was. What did he knew about the man? The man was Russian and Jack had killed someone important to him. Jack had killed so many Russians that trying to guess which one was related to the man was impossible.

"You are Novakovich's son", Jack said, just to venture a guess.

It was the wrong answer.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Bauer. Your little toe has to go", the man said.

Jack widened his eyes in horror.

Two guards held him while the man cut Jack's little toe of the left foot.

Jack cried loudly, feeling an enormous amount of pain.

"Who am I?", the man asked. "You still have nine toes and ten fingers. That means you have nineteen guesses left"

"You're a son of a bitch!", Jack yelled. "I'm done playing your game!"

The guards held him again, and the man cut Jack's second toe of the left foot.

Jack screamed and sweated profusely. Involuntary tears fell from his eyes.

"Who am I?", the stranger asked, yet again.

Jack stared at the man's face, searching for some clue. He focused on the man's eyes. They were pale blue, hooded and almond-shaped. Jack remembered seeing eyes like that before. He also remembered the big ears and the triangular nose.

"You're Ivan Tokarev, Pavel Tokarev's brother", Jack affirmed.

"Yes, I am", Ivan confirmed, with a smirk. "And I'll make your life here a living hell"

Six months later…

Jack woke up in the tiny bed, in his tiny cell. He was shaken up by a horrible nightmare. He gasped for air and wiped the drops of sweat from his forehead. In the dream, he saw Audrey getting shot. Suddenly, Audrey became Renee, who was bleeding in his arms and gasping for air.

It was the middle of the night. He didn't have a wristwatch or a window to look outside, but he could tell the time because he didn't hear a sound.

He thought about them every day. He was haunted by the memory of the women who had died on him. They died because he failed to protect them.

He thought about Teri. About how she loved romantic comedies and songs by Frank Sinatra, and how they danced "The way you look tonight" on their wedding, during their first dance as husband and wife. How he loved spending Sundays with her and Kim. They had a lot of great moments, even though they had their share of fights. His job had ruined everything.

He thought about his daughter. He missed her every day. He wanted to play chess with her, like they used to. He wanted to go to the zoo with little Teri. He wanted to meet his grandson. He didn't even know his name. It broke his heart in tiny pieces.

He also thought about Audrey's love for carnations and classical movies. He regretted not having a real conversation with her when he last saw her. All he simply touched her nose with his and cried. He mumbled some apology for killing all those people. He asked her if her husband was good to her and made her happy. She never answered. Mark said to him "She loves you". Jack wondered if that was true.

Jack thought about Renee as well. He thought a lot about her. Her long auburn hair. Her expressive pale blue eyes. Her freckles. Her tattoo. He missed her. He missed her courage and her strength. He missed her bluntness.

He had spent only two days with her. He didn't really know much about her. And it hurt. He never had time to find out about her favorite movies, her favorite food and what music she liked. He didn't even know how she liked her coffee. It hurt. It hurt so badly he could hardly breathe.

A month after her death, he hacked into the FBI database and read her file, in a desperate attempt to get to know her. He found out that her father died in the first Gulf war. Her mother died of cancer on 2007. Her grandparents were all gone as well. She was an only child. There was no mention of any other relative. She was never married. She was born on January 20 of 1982. She would be 40 years old. She was considered gifted. She graduated from the University of Columbia at the age of 19, with a double major in American studies and Russian studies. She started a master in international affairs, but dropped out to join the FBI in 2002. Jack wished he knew why.

He hated learning those facts from reading a file. He wanted to talk to her more than anything.

His thoughts were brusquely interrupted.

Two guards walked into his cell: Vasily and Simeon.

"What do you want?", Jack asked them, annoyed.

They dragged him out of his bed.

"Don't make a sound", Vasily ordered, while covering Jack's mouth. "We'll get you out of here. Trust us".

Jack didn't trust them at all. He didn't wish to go anywhere with them. It could all be a trap. He fidgeted and tried to get rid of their hold. Vasily quickly gave him an injection.

Then everything went black.

When he woke up, he was in the back of a moving car. Vasily was driving, while Simeon was in the passenger's seat. He looked through the window. There were mountains.

"Where are you taking me?", he asked.

"You'll see. We are close to our destination", Vasily said.

"Where the hell are we?", Jack asked.

"We are in the south of Russia", Simeon answered.

After ten minutes, the car stopped next to a cliff. The three men got out of the vehicle.

Then, a green car parked next to him. The driver was Belcheck.

Jack widened his eyes, surprised to see him.

"Jack, are you okay?", Belcheck asked. His friend nodded.

"He's fine", Vasily said sharply. "Now we want our money"

Belcheck took a laptop and transferred two million dollars to the men's accounts.

"I'm gonna need your car", he told them.

"Fine", Vasily agreed. "A pleasure doing business with you".

He and Simeon left walking.

Belcheck opened the trunk of the green car. There was a dead body in it, a blonde man of Jack's size. He looked like he had died very recently. He had been hit on the head repeatedly.

"Who is he?", Jack asked, intrigued and alarmed. What was going on?

"He's you", Belcheck replied. "Let's dress him with your clothes"

Jack then understood what his friend wanted to do. He took off his uniform and got dressed with the dead man's clothes.

"Now help me put him in the driver's seat of the other car", Belcheck said.

The men placed the corpse in the driver's seat of the car. Afterwards, they pushed the car until it fell off the cliff. The car exploded as it hit the ground.

"The guards will say you attacked them and stole Vasily's car", Belcheck explained. "The Russians will think you died while trying to escape".

"It's not gonna work", Jack stated. "What about the finger prints? The DNA test?".

"We already bribed the people who will be in charge of that", Belcheck explained.

They got in the green vehicle and took off.

"Belcheck, you don't have enough money to bribe all those people", Jack stated. He knew his friend wasn't rich. Bribing the guards and the forensic team must have cost several millions.

"I'm not the one who put the money", Belcheck said.

Jack was more intrigued than ever.

A few minutes later, they arrived to a gorgeous cabin in the middle of nowhere.

They walked into the cabin.

Someone was sitting on a couch, waiting anxiously for them.

Jack widened his eyes and mouth, feeling astonished. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

He was looking at Renee Walker.

To be continued…

Please, tell me what you think of this!