"Before the Worst"

The clock read four twenty-three. Jack tossed and turned trying desperately to find sleep and escape the raging war going on inside his head. It was no use; he felt nauseous and sat up, his head spinning.

He looked at Audrey who wouldn't be awake for another two hours and all his fears intensified. Thoughts of whether she would leave him for this added to the "what if's" that had been running through his mind all night.

Today he was going to meet with Heller, unknown by both Heller and Audrey, and was going to try to work out some sort of truce.

If he was really going to leave in three months like Palmer had asked him too, then he needed to know that Audrey would be taken care of. She was still recovering from their time in China, and even though Chloe or Bill would've been glad to keep an eye out on her, Jack wasn't taking any chances.

Heller was the only one that could watch her full time, and one of the few people Audrey trusted completely. She was still weary of people and sudden movements and loud noises still scared her. She still jumped even when she knew it was him when he touched her.

There was no way Jack could just leave her on her own.

Jack leaned back against the headboard, thinking about all the promises he had made to her since they got back; all the promises that would be broken once he got on that plane to Sangala.

The last promise he made still playing through his mind where he told her he would never leave. Jack was surprised at how she could tell exactly what he was thinking. After all these years she still knew him so well. And truthfully, she caught him off guard.

He was so close to telling her, ready to hear the disappointment in her voice, and even ready to watch her walk out. But before he knew it he was telling her everything she wanted to hear and nothing he could actually give to her.

A few minutes later Audrey woke up, obviously sensing that something wasn't right. Jack watched her quickly turned towards him, surprised to find him awake.

"Jack what are you doing up, what's wrong?" She looked nervous, and Jack tried to hide the expression of grief on his face. She seemed on edge lately just as he was, hoping that whatever was bothering Jack wasn't too bad that they couldn't deal with it.

"I'm just thinking, it's all right, you can go back to bed" he said softly, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

Audrey lay against his chest and listened to the sound of his heart beating.

"Is it China again?" She asked holding on to him a little more thinking he had been having another nightmare.

"No... It's this thing with Palmer."

"Oh"

"He wants me to meet someone in Washington"

"Then why do look so uneasy?"

"I'm not looking forward to being so far away from you for the whole day that's all" Jack said smirking painfully.

Audrey grinned "I'm sure we can find something to make up for it when you get home"

Jack laughed flipping her on her back and leaning over her. "I'm sure we will"

Jack got ready about two hours later, taking his time. He was in no rush for this because if things went bad with Heller, he might lose everything.

"I'll be home sometime late tonight. I wrote my number, Chloe's and Bill's down on a piece of paper just in case."

"Jack..." she protested.

"I'm also leaving one of my guns, the safety is on and it's loaded. I don't think I need to tell you to use it if you have to."

"Jack I'll be fine"

"I know I'm just worried" he said pulling her to him.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come?" Audrey said almost sadly.

Jack closed his eyes briefly "I'm not sure exactly what's going to happen when I get there, and I don't want you involved in this" It was mostly the truth, but Jack still hated not telling her.

Audrey sighed "alright"

Jack let go of her and went to get his suit coat. He was wearing a black suit and a white shirt, nothing too spectacular, just enough to make him blend into the Washington scene.

Audrey helped straighten his tie for him. As she did, she swayed a little and closed her eyes as a flashback of their time in a hotel like this, just before she and her father were kidnapped.

Jack held her tight and waited for her flashbacks ended.

"You okay?"

"Yeah I'll be fine"

Jack looked worried as he stared into her eyes.

"Are you sure? I could stay home if you want me too"

"No, it's okay. I'll be fine. You need to go do this, straighten things out"

She looked a little far off even though Jack was holding her in his arms.

"Look I'm sorry about keeping you in the dark about all this. It's just that I'm not sure if this is going to work out like I want it too, and things hardly ever doo. I don't want to get your hopes up."

"It's alright, do what you have to do. I'll be waiting here when you get done"

"Thank you"

Jack kissed her softly, pressing her up against him. Her soft fingers on the back of his neck sent shivers down his spine.

"I'll see you later" Jack said kissing her once more. He knew she'd wait up for him, and it was no use to tell her to do otherwise.

"Okay... I love you... so much" Audrey said in-between breathes as Jack placed kisses down her neck. It would be the first time since they got back, that they would be separated for this amount of time.

"I love you too" Jack said finally pulling away from her. "I'll call you on my way"

"Alright"

Audrey watched painfully as Jack looked back once more at her before closing the door behind him.

Jack arrived in Washington a little less than eight hours later; he hadn't hit as much traffic as he'd thought he would.

Driving down familiar streets brought up bitter sweet memories of the last time he was in D.C. Every street reminded him of the time him and Audrey spent together in the city those first six months, months that should've been years only he had to go and mess that up.

He parked his car down the street from Heller's house and walked to it cautiously. Chloe had carefully planned it so that Heller's guards were dealing with a glitch in the security cameras.

Jack opened the front door swiftly picking the lock. Shutting it behind him he looked around the living room. Pictures of Audrey were on every wall. There were some pictures of her and Richard, others with her and her mother. Jack took a deep breath, holding in the tears that threatened to fall.

It was his choice leaving her now. He wasn't being dragged off and it wasn't a matter of national security, it was him leaving.

Before he could examine his thoughts further, the door opened. Jack raised his gun waiting. Heller looked up tiredly but somewhat not surprised as his came inside. He seemed to pay no attention to Jack as he set down the newspaper he had in his hand and shutting the door behind him.

"Jack... It's about time you show up like this"

"Sit down Sir; we have a few things to discuss"

Heller didn't move as the two stared at each other.

"How about you start by telling me where my daughter is!"

Jack raised his gun a little higher

"All you need to know is that she's safe and happy"

Heller scoffed "No one's safe with you around, you should know that"

"I didn't come here to be reminded of the mistakes I've made in the past, but for the record I never asked Audrey to come to China..." Jack stopped. He let his gun drop as he stared down at the floor.

"I know what they've down to her, how they treated her there, and I have to live everyday knowing that all that suffering was because of me."

"You realize you just said..."

"She went to China looking for me. There's nothing I could've down to stop that. But when I wouldn't talk, when I wouldn't give them the answers they needed, they would bring her in."

Heller's face turned red as the anger he felt blazed through. "I'm listening" he said through clenched teeth.

"By this time Sir, I could no longer distinguish between what was real and what wasn't. To me the only thing that was real was pain."

Jack looked down to the floor ashamed. Heller took a moment to try and grasp what he was saying.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that I really am"

Jack seemed far away as memories started coming back.

"They brought her in the first time, I didn't even... I didn't even recognize her. I didn't want to believe that she was actually there. It's probably what kept both of us alive. If I had recognized her, I would've broken in seconds. Once they got what they wanted we would've been killed."

"Does Audrey know any of this?"

"I haven't found the right way to tell her..."

They both became quiet and Jack became worried that his plan wouldn't work after all. Before he could begin to explain why he was here after all this time Heller interrupted.

"What it comes down to is that I don't trust you anymore, especially after recent events. You can't fix this, you're a wanted man. You have enemies who would stop at nothing to see you suffer, as they already have. I can't let Audrey be used for your suffering again, so I'm begging you to let her go."

"That's why I'm here"

Heller finally sat down and Jack followed, sitting in a chair opposite the couch.

"President Palmer offered me a deal. In exchange for a pardon I have to go undercover in Sangala. There I'll have to report inside information on Juma and his army back to the White House."

Heller scratched his chin thinking. "It's not as easy as that. Reports are saying that Juma already has started an army. You'll have no contacts there, no one to help you if things go bad. You get to deep in this and they'll kill you without a second thought."

"I know, but if I don't go then we'll have no idea if the new government in place there will remain secure."

Heller stood up and turned his back to Jack.

"I take it Audrey knows nothing about this"

"She would want someone else to go. Sir, there is no one else. I'm the only one that'd be able to carry this out. Besides, if it works then Wayne Palmer can start working towards a pardon from Daniels."

"I thought that Daniels was behind this?"

"He will be once he realizes that I'm the only one that could've stopped Juma."

"And the Senate hearing?"

Jack didn't say anything as he looked down.

Heller turned around studying him.

"This is a huge risk as I'm sure you know. There's no guarantee that Noah Daniels will even consider taking your part in Sangala under consideration never mind a Pardon. He's out for blood. Three months and so far none of his plans have worked, including taking you down. There's no guarantee that you'll even make it out of Sangala alive."

"Right now this is my only option left."

"I still don't get why you're really doing this. If you wanted a new life you've had plenty of chances to take yourself and Audrey out of the country. You're risking everything here for what?"

Jack stared down at his bruised hand.

"I know those people in the Senate hearing, I know what they'll think, and I know I won't come out of it a free man. I've done things that I should serve thousands of years in prison for. And that's exactly what they'll sentence me to just to prove a point. Nothing I could ever say will change their minds. They won't understand the difference between doing everything possible to find out what a terrorists main objective is and giving that same man his rights. Neither is the right answer, so you tell me where does interrogation end and torture began?"

"How can anyone know? I wouldn't be here today if you'd had made the other choice."

Jack nodded regretfully and looked at Heller who had picked up a picture of Audrey from when she was young.

"You asked me why I didn't take Audrey and leave the country. The truth is that I never meant to take her away from you. I just couldn't take losing her again. All that time I spent in China was spent thinking that at least she'd be able to move on. You've been here thinking that you've lost her for good. I felt that for only hours and it almost killed me. I can't imagine the pain you went through."

"Thank you"

"Sir if I go and try and track Juma, he may try and send someone after Audrey. I need to know she'll be looked after, and you're the only one I know that can protect her like no one else can."

"You didn't have to ask me to look after my daughter Jack"

"I know, it's why I've already agreed to go"

Heller looked at Jack with something akin to pity for him.

"Audrey's not going to be so willing to forgive us for this."

"I know... I'm going to explain it all to her tomorrow. I'm just hoping she won't leave."

"She risked everything to go find you Jack; she's not going to go anywhere."

Jack nodded and stood up.

"I'll be in contact with you once I've arranged everything. It'll be about three months until I have to leave. Until then I'd like to keep Audrey with me if that's okay."

"Of course, it'll give you two time to catch up"

"And Sir"

"Yes"

"Audrey can never know about this"

"Understood, but Jack if anything happens to her in the next three months then Sangala will be looking pretty good compared to what I'll do to you."

Jack smirked and nodded. He was more worried of the fight he felt was coming when she found out his plans.

Ahh I'm a bad updater I know. I'm going to do the other stories and then I'll have this one up by the end of the week. Reviews as always are awesome in my book!!! And I need some advice on whether I should cut this into two different stories because the next part is season 7. Ideas?