Welcome to my AU version of what happens after Day 7. The twists and turns that the writers have given us have been great this year, but I have my own ideas of what should happen in Day 7 and how it should end. My Day 7 follows along with the show for about the first 12 hours. After that, the events on the show are largely unimportant. I go AU at that point. Jack, Tony and Bill all survive the day and are all heroes. This is the story of what happens to our heroes after Day 7 ends and they have to put their lives back together. Who will they turn to for help?

Disclaimer: I don't lay claim to any of the characters that you know and love. They all belong to Fox. I may bring in an original character later in the story, in which case, that one is my creation.

MENDING BROKEN HEARTS

Chapter 1: Jack

Jack circled the block for the third time. He felt conspicuous; as if everyone were watching him. But, in fact, parking on this residential street in Georgetown was so hard to come by that circling the block three, four, five times was commonplace. No one would give a second thought to the black SUV rounding the corner yet again. Jack eyed his destination warily. It was the third brownstone townhouse from the end of the street. As he passed it for the third time he slowed down almost imperceptibly. If someone had asked him if he had slowed down, he would have denied it. Lessening the pressure on the gas pedal was an unconscious movement or maybe better described as a subconscious movement. He glanced at the residence. The solid front door was closed and the curtains drawn just like its neighbors on the right and left. There was nothing suspicious about that. The late afternoon sun was low in the sky and the western exposure of the houses resulted in their getting an inordinate amount of sun at this time of day.

Jack made another right turn at the first corner past the brownstone and began to rethink his position. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. It felt right earlier when he climbed into his car and began driving, but now that he was here it no longer felt right. He sighed and increased his speed with every intention of going straight as he neared the end of the block and leaving the neighborhood. That was his plan until he saw the backup lights on a parked car near the end of the block. The driver put on his left turn signal to make it clear that he was leaving the parking space and moving into the flow of traffic. It's now or never, Jack thought. He responded by putting on his right turn signal to indicate that he was taking the soon-to-be vacant spot.

Jack waited for the driver to pull out and then drove just slightly past the space, put the car into reverse and easily slipped the big SUV into a space just big enough to accommodate it. He straightened the vehicle carefully and checked his distance from the curb twice. He turned off the satellite radio that he hadn't really been listening to. He checked to make sure the headlights were turned off and adjusted all three rearview mirrors. Anything to stall for time. He finally got out of the car and stepped over to the sidewalk. He felt naked. He had no back up. No perimeter had been set up. He didn't need one. The house he was staking out didn't belong to a dangerous criminal. No devious mind was sitting inside thinking up ways to kill innocent people. The house belonged to Audrey Raines.

Jack walked hesitantly along the street. His movements were usually purposeful, but not today. He thought about what had happened in the last two days and why he was here. It was a little more than 24 hours since Jack had made his way back to his apartment from the White House. Henry Taylor was in intensive care but doctors were optimistic that he was going to live. Dubaku and Juma were dead and the names of the conspirators in the government were known. Most of them had been arrested. Federal warrants had been issued against those that hadn't yet been arrested and FBI and DC Metro police were busy chasing them down and bringing them in. It would probably be several days before they were all apprehended. But at this point, Jack was off the hook. He was free to go; free to live his life. That was all thanks to Bill Buchanan. It was Bill who sat down with President Taylor and negotiated pardons for Jack, Tony, Chloe, Renee and himself. The Attorney General wasn't happy, but President Taylor overruled him. In the end, the agreement, in the language Bill put forth originally, was signed, sealed and delivered. Jack Bauer, Bill Buchanan, Tony Almeida, Chloe O'Brian and Renee Walker left the White House with no fear of prosecution.

Jack, like the others, had gone home and collapsed on his bed. He had been awake for a little over 30 hours and he was dog tired. He hadn't noticed it earlier, but he ached from head to toe and carried more bruises than he cared to count. Without bothering to shower or even undress, Jack went to sleep. Almost eleven hours later, at 2 a.m. he woke up disoriented and with his stomach growling menacingly. It took a few minutes to regain his senses and remember all that had gone on the previous day. Once he did, he dragged himself out of bed and into the kitchen.

Like most bachelors, Jack didn't spend much time cooking, thus he didn't spend much time shopping for groceries. As he opened nearly empty cupboards he made a mental note to do a better job keeping his pantry stocked. He couldn't help but notice the beer in the refrigerator but thought better of it, grabbed the orange juice and closed the refrigerator door. He stood for a moment with the refrigerator door handle still in his grasp and thought again about the beer. He had to admit it; the thought of alcohol was more than a little appealing. Instead of opening the refrigerator door, he sighed and walked away. He feared that drinking alone after all he had been through would result in him finishing a six-pack and more. And as attractive as it was at the moment, dulling his senses with alcohol was useless. He had learned that long ago.

After eating his middle of the night snack, Jack headed off to the shower. He stripped off clothes that felt like they were plastered to him and stepped into the hot stream of water. The water cascaded over his aching body and by the time he got out of the shower, he had to admit that he felt almost human. He dressed in clean sweat pants and a tee shirt and laid back down on his bed hoping to catch up on more sleep. It was, after all, still only 4:30 in the morning. But sleep eluded him as the ugliness of the last two days ran through his mind. He didn't try and stop it. There was no point to that. He had learned long ago that it was better to allow his thoughts the freedom to roam than to try and bottle them up. If he did that, they would find a way to haunt him. They would come back to him in his sleep or weeks and months and years later when he was trying to relax or enjoy a moment. No, it was better to allow himself to think it through now and give his brain a chance to process it all. He had done this enough times to know that in a couple of hours his mind would start wandering to different places and before he knew it, he would be thinking of something all together different. So no matter how ugly it was, no matter how much it hurt, he gave in and gave his mind the room to think it all through.

It all went as he expected and about three hours later, Jack's mind had cleared. Unfortunately, what he was thinking now was, in many ways, more distressing than the thoughts of the terrorist attack. Now he was thinking about himself and his current situation. Until two days ago, his life had been focused on the Senate investigation and the possible charges and trial that could ensue. Now that that was behind him, there was a sudden void in his life. Not that he was unhappy that the Senate investigation was over. To the contrary, he was thrilled, but nonetheless, it left him with a lot of empty time and a general lonely feeling. It was then that his thoughts turned in a direction he had avoided for the last four years. He began to think about Audrey. He wondered where she was and how she was doing. He wondered if she hated him for deserting her when she most needed him. He wondered if there was any chance that she still loved him the way he loved her.

It was pointless to lie in bed wondering about things he couldn't answer, so Jack got out of bed and tried to find something, anything else to think about. Only it didn't work. There simply was nothing else for him to think about. He sat down in front of his computer and pretended to interest himself in the news but soon found himself doing what he long ago promised himself that he would not do. He was searching for Audrey.

The search was brief and fruitful. Audrey lived in Washington; in Georgetown to be specific. Which wasn't much of a surprise since she had always loved Washington, and Georgetown was her favorite section of the city. Within a half hour he found a street address, cell phone number and where she worked. It was tough to remain anonymous in the information age especially when the person looking for you had above average understanding of how to perform such a search. Chloe had taught him more than the basics and there was almost nobody that Chloe couldn't find. A little more searching and Jack determined that she hadn't remarried. That, of course, didn't mean that she didn't have a boyfriend.

Armed with all of this information, Jack had to decide what to do about it. That was this morning. Now, standing less than half a block from Audrey's house, Jack still wasn't sure what to do with it. What he did know was that he couldn't just walk away. He had to see her. He had to say hello and let her know that he still cared. If she didn't return that affection, if she was involved with someone else or worse, if she hated him, well, he would just have to live with that. Jack continued his trek. And that's what it was. It was no simple walk around the block. It was a trek; a journey into the unknown.

Finally he stood at the door. There was no turning back now. He rang the bell and waited. It was only a few seconds before the door opened and all that stood between the two of them was the glass panel of the storm door. Jack stared at her. Audrey was still beautiful. Her blond hair was cut about jaw-length and layered. The shorter layers curled slightly and framed her face. She stood tall and thin, in a slender pair of jeans topped with a coral pink cotton sweater. The color of the sweater seemed to heighten the color of her cheeks and eyes.

Audrey gasped, her eyes wide with shock, "Jack!"

He watched as she fumbled with the lock. He could hear the bolt slide back and just as quickly Audrey pushed open the storm door. "My God, Jack! What are you doing here? How did you find me? It's so good to see you!"

Without hesitation Audrey reached for Jack's hand and drew him into the house. In the same movement she pulled him into a deep embrace. "I thought I'd never see you again," she confessed. Her voice was cracking and Jack could feel a soft sob emanate from her as his arms closed around her.

Tears filled his own eyes as the realization that she obviously didn't hate him came over him. She may not still love him as he loved her, but she didn't hate him and that was a start. "I had to see you, Audrey. I had to know that you were alright," he whispered softly.

Audrey stepped back to look at him. "You look good, Jack. I heard that your senate hearing was on C-SPAN but by the time I turned it on, the proceedings were already in recess. With all that happened in the last couple of days here in Washington, there wasn't any more coverage. What happened? Are they going to press charges? I want you to know that I've talked to my father. He has friends on that committee. This is a travesty, Jack. My father will do whatever he can to help you."

"It's okay, Audrey. It's over. The investigation was dropped. There won't be any charges." Jack knew full well that James Heller was paying his daughter lip service when he told her that he would help. President Taylor did some digging and was able to find out that Heller was instrumental in having CTU dismantled and had pressed hard for the investigation into Jack's actions. Apparently the man's hatred ran even deeper than Jack realized.

"That's wonderful!" she exclaimed. "I guess my dad still carries some weight in this town."

"I'm sure he does," Jack agreed pleasantly, "but in this case it was President Taylor who asked the committee chairman to drop the investigation."

"President Taylor? How did she get involved?"

"It's complicated. Audrey, can we sit down?"

"Of course, Jack. Come in and sit down. Can I get you a drink?" she offered.

"Nothing right now, thanks," Jack said as he followed Audrey into a comfortable sitting room. The tall windows and high ceiling along with the light colored furniture made it feel big and airy.

"Now tell me how the president got involved," Audrey asked as they sat together on an overstuffed sofa.

"The FBI asked me to help in the field during the terrorist attacks two days ago. Based on the outcome and the role I played, President Taylor arranged to have the investigation dropped."

"Jack, I had no idea that you were working for the government again."

"I'm not. The FBI needed my help with a specific project. I agreed to help and I just seemed to get sucked into the rest of the operation."

"Why did the FBI need your help?" Audrey asked.

Jack looked away for a moment unable to make eye contact with Audrey. "They needed me to help in taking down a suspect. It was someone who I used to work with."

"Who was that?"

"Audrey, this is going to come as a shock."

"Who was it, Jack?"

"Tony Almeida."

"Tony Almeida has been dead for over five years. I was there with you when they zipped him into a body bag," Audrey said incredulously. "What are you talking about?"

"Tony wasn't dead. I had no idea. I thought he was dead, too."

Audrey stood abruptly and began to pace. Her face flashed with anger. "What is it with you CTU people? Everybody thinks you're dead. We have funerals for you. We bury you. We grieve for you and a couple of years later you turn up alive! What about Michelle? Is she alive, too?"

Embarrassed, Jack hung his head and stared at the polished hardwood floor. "No, she's not. I'm sorry to spring this on you, Audrey."

She turned her back to him and walked toward the window. "I can't believe this! Do you need a drink yet, because I do?"

Jack stood and came up behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. "I'm sorry, Audrey. I was afraid you'd find out somehow and I thought it would be better if you heard it from me." He stared into her eyes. "I'll do whatever you want right now. If you want me to leave, just say so. If not, I'll explain everything."

The anger left Audrey's face as she shook her head. "Don't go. I didn't mean to get angry, Jack. It's just such a shock."

"I know. Let's open a bottle of wine and I'll tell you everything."

With that Jack spent the next hour recounting all that had happened or at least as much of it as he could without giving out any classified information.

"Jack, that's incredible," Audrey said shaking her head. "I can hardly believe it. Tony, Bill and Chloe are amazing. And you! I always knew you were amazing," she said with a smile. "So now that I know how you spent your last 48 hours, tell me where you've been for the last four years. I tried to find you."

Jack gave her a wry smile. "I spent most of the time traipsing around the world trying to stay one step ahead of a subpoena. I don't want to talk about that right now. I want to talk about you. How are you, Audrey?" he asked as he took her hands in his own and immediately noticed that her hands, like his, bore the scars of their imprisonment in China. He prayed that Audrey's emotional scars were less severe.

She looked away as tears filled her eyes. "I'm doing better. The days are pretty good, but sometimes the nights are bad. I'm jumpy. Noises scare me and I have a lot of nightmares. I'm still in therapy."

Jack had suspected as much. He noticed on entering the house that there were too many locks on the door and that the home security system was too sophisticated for this simple dwelling. He swallowed hard. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. You never should have gone to China. I wouldn't have wanted you to do that. It was too dangerous."

"I had to, Jack. No one else would help. Bill and Karen tried, but their hands were tied. They still worked for the government and they could only press the issue so hard. I had to do something. My father tried to stop me but I couldn't live with myself if I just let you die in a Chinese prison. You didn't deserve that."

"What I didn't deserve was someone who was as good to me as you were."

"Don't say that. You shouldn't feel that way about yourself," she admonished him. "Tell me something. Why did you run away, Jack? It wasn't the subpoena. From what I could find out, that subpoena wasn't issued for almost two years after you came back from China."

"I ran for a lot of reasons, Audrey, and none of them were good. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you. At the time it seemed like the right thing to do. I was afraid that I couldn't provide the support you needed. Your father was there to take care of you and make sure you got the help you needed and I felt like I'd just be in the way. So I left. I couldn't stay in LA and not see you, so I started traveling. I went where the wind carried me."

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

He smiled slightly. "Yes and no. What I eventually figured out was that I had to stop running. That's one of the reasons I came back. I needed to face the charges regardless of what the consequences were. My conscience is clear. People may disagree with some of the things I've done, but very few of them disagree with my successes. In the end, I hoped that if I was charged and went to trial that the twelve people sitting in the jury box would side with me. If they didn't I'd just have to live with that."

"But you would have had to live with that in prison."

"I understood that, but I also knew that it wasn't doing me any good to keep running."

"I'm glad it's all over for you. I'm glad you don't have to face that." Audrey smiled at him and the conversation lulled for a moment. "Are you hungry? That Italian place we used to order from when we first started dating still has great food."

"Do they still make that antipasto salad?"

Audrey nodded, "It's got to be one of the best in the city. Let's order an antipasto salad and a pizza."

"And some cannolis," Jack agreed. He sat down on the sofa while Audrey called in their order and was surprised to find how comfortable he felt.

Audrey finished the call and sat down close to Jack on the sofa. "It'll be 45 minutes. That gives you plenty of time to tell me exactly where all you've been in the last four years.

Jack draped an arm around her shoulders and Audrey settled against him. It felt like the years they had been separated simply vanished. As if they had never been apart and none of the bad things that were part of their past had happened.

"Tell me, where did you go? Did you just travel?"

"To be honest, most of the time I didn't care where I was. I was in Australia for awhile and then in India. I eventually made my way into Turkey and some of southern Europe. I ended up in Africa. I actually thought I might settle down there. An old friend of mine ran a school for boys in Sangala. I liked it there. I liked the kids. It was so different than anything I've ever done before. It was peaceful."

"Sangala? Peaceful? Jack the country has been in the middle of a revolution for almost a decade."

"I didn't say that the country was peaceful. The school was peaceful. Trying to keep the kids from getting mixed up in the revolution and trying to give them some kind of education so they could grow up and make something of themselves was really rewarding. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I found peace there. Now enough about me; tell me what you've been doing. When did you move back to D.C.?"

"My dad and I moved back about three years ago. I lived with him out in Arlington for the first year. Then I decided that I wasn't going to get any better if I didn't try and live a more normal life. So I got a job with a victims' rights advocacy group and I bought my own house."

"You didn't want to go back and work at DoD?"

Audrey shook her head. "I thought about it but I couldn't stomach it. That place was a pressure cooker, you know that. My mind just doesn't work that way anymore. I needed a slower pace. I needed to feel needed. If you had asked me five years ago if I would ever take a job like this I would have told you no. I would have said that it wasn't enough of a challenge for me, but right now life is enough of a challenge. I need to feel secure at work and this job is what I need."

"I'm so sorry that this is what it's come to, Audrey, but I'm happy that you've found something that works for you."

"Stop apologizing, Jack. None of this was your fault. I wish you didn't feel so guilty. I know that if you could have protected me, you would have. You couldn't protect me. I take full responsibility for what happened to me. To be honest with you, I'm pretty proud of myself. I took a stand when no one else would. I failed but at least I can say I tried. Since then I've fought to get my life back to normal and I think I've done a pretty good job. My life will never be the same, Jack, but that's okay. I've learned a lot about myself and I'm a much stronger person for it."

Jack smiled warmly, pulled her close and pressed his lips into her hair. "You told me earlier that I was amazing. I think you're the one who's amazing."

The tender moment was, unfortunately, interrupted by the doorbell. Jack felt Audrey jump as the bell rang.

"That must be our food," she said trying to cover the reaction.

They both stood. "I can get it," Jack said as he started toward the door.

"No, I need to do it myself," Audrey told him firmly.

Jack nodded. "How about if I go to the kitchen and get out plates and silverware? I'll be right here if you need me," he offered.

"Sounds good," she replied.

A few minutes later the two were sitting at Audrey's kitchen table eating one of their favorite dinners and sharing quiet conversation. By the end they were holding hands across the table and sipping the remainder of the wine from earlier in the evening. It was more than Jack could have hoped for when he set out from his lonely apartment at 4 o'clock that afternoon. He was just about to suggest that they get together over the upcoming weekend when Audrey's phone rang, again startling her.

She glanced at the caller ID. "It's my dad. He's so over protective. He finds an excuse to drive past my house every evening on his way home. He's going to be so surprised when I tell him that you're here."

I bet he is, Jack thought.

"Hi, Dad," Audrey said into the phone. She held it between her ear and Jack's so that he could hear the conversation.

"Hi, sweetheart," he returned. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"I was driving past and your first floor lights are still on. You usually turn them off and go upstairs by this time. I just wanted to make sure nothing was wrong."

"Are you still out front?"

"Yes, I just pulled over to call you."

"Park the car and come in. I have a surprise for you."

"What kind of surprise."

"Dad!" Audrey said with an animated lilt. "If I tell you, it won't be a surprise. Just come in."

"Alright. Give me a minute to find a parking space and I'll be right in."

Audrey hung up but her animated mood remained. "I can't wait for Dad to see you," she giggled.

Jack wasn't surprised that Jim Heller had never told Audrey what happened between them the morning after he returned from China. It would have reflected badly upon him as a father. In the meantime, Jack made himself look bad by deserting her, something that Audrey obviously didn't resent. Regardless, Jim had used the situation to his advantage.

Audrey made her way to the door. "You stay here," she instructed Jack as they walked into the sitting room. She opened the front door and waited anxiously as her father approached.

"Now what's the big surprise?" Jim asked as Audrey leaned toward him to kiss his cheek.

"You'll never believe who's here," she told him happily.

"Obviously it's someone you're happy to see," Jim returned in a warm tone that reflected a happiness that he felt when his daughter was happy.

They stepped into the sitting room and Jack watched with a certain amusement as Jim Heller recognized him.

"Hello, Mr. Secretary," Jack said respectfully. "How are you, sir?"

"Jack Bauer. This is a surprise," Heller said. He was genuinely surprised and Jack could tell.

Audrey beamed. "Isn't it great to see Jack again?"

"It certainly is," Jim agreed less than enthusiastically. He stepped forward to shake hands with Jack.

"Have you heard the good news?" Audrey asked her father.

"No, what news?" he replied.

"President Taylor got Senator Mayer to drop the investigation against Jack. Isn't that wonderful?"

"That's great," Heller said smiling weakly. "Congratulations, Jack."

"Thank you, sir," Jack said with a brisk nod.

"Jack, why are you being so formal?" Audrey asked. "You're acting like the two of you don't know each other."

"How did President Taylor manage to get Mayer off of your back? He seemed pretty intent on pinning something on you from what I could tell," Heller commented in order to head off Audrey's concerns.

"Jack was part of the group that stopped yesterday's terrorist attacks," Audrey explained.

"Oh, so it was a quid pro quo," Jim said in a patronizing tone meant to downplay the importance of Jack's role. "You do a little something for her and she keeps you out of prison."

"I think she'd agree that it was more than a little something. I think the president and her advisors would agree that I took significant risk that warranted a reevaluation of my situation," Jack said. His tone had a quiet edge to it but his face remained neutral.

The room became quiet for a moment. It was Heller who broke the silence. He turned to Audrey. "I don't want to interrupt your visit. I'm going to head home."

"No, Dad, stay and have a drink with us, please. I have your favorite brandy." Audrey still seemed not to notice the tension in the room.

Jim shook his head. "I had a long day, sweetheart. I need to go home."

"I'm sorry you have to go, Dad, but I'm glad you were able to stop in," Audrey said as she turned to walk him to the door.

"Oh, Audrey, I almost forgot. Remember those two books I loaned you a while back?" Jim asked.

"You mean the one on Lincoln and the spy novel?"

"Those are the ones. If you're finished with them, I'll take them back. I'm having lunch with Jerry Morris tomorrow and I wanted to loan them to him."

"Sure. They're upstairs in my room. I'll go get them for you." Audrey crossed the room and headed for the stairs leaving Jim and Jack alone.

Heller moved toward Jack. "I thought we had a gentlemen's agreement that you would stay away from my daughter," the former Secretary of Defense hissed.

"A gentlemen's agreement? I don't remember either of us being nice enough to be considered gentlemen. As I recall, it was more like you taking the upper hand when I was in no position to argue. I've had 4 years to rethink my position and I've decided to come back. And what's more important is that Audrey wants me back. If I weren't welcome, I wouldn't still be here, Jim."

"So help me God, if you don't leave Audrey alone, I'll make you pay!"

"How? By sending one of your friends in the senate after me?" Jack waited for a moment to give Heller time to react, but he remained silent. "Don't try and deny it. I know all about it. It was you that wanted CTU decommissioned. It was you that pushed Senator Mayer to investigate me."

"You can't prove that."

"Yes, I can. I have statements that President Taylor gave me from Senator Mayer. And you know what, if you try and keep me from seeing Audrey, I'm going to give them to her. I'm going to make sure that she knows just what kind of a bastard her father really is and you'll lose her. Can you stand that, Jim? I know just how painful it is to be estranged from your child. Believe me, I live it every day. You're already estranged from your son; can you stand to lose Audrey, too?"

Heller glared at Jack, his eyes menacing.

"And by the way, I've made copies of those documents. They're in a safe place with Audrey's name on them. I've left instructions that if anything unusual happens to me, you know, like an unfortunate car accident or getting caught in a drive by shooting or maybe a heart attack, the information is to be brought straight to Audrey."

"You're bluffing," Heller spat.

"Maybe I am," Jack smiled vaguely. "But are you going to take that chance?"

Jack wasn't bluffing. He had anticipated exactly this reaction by James Heller if he and Audrey resumed their relationship. He knew that the President's order would prevent Heller from convincing friends in high places to create legal problems for Jack, but it wouldn't stop Heller from arranging an attempt on Jack's life. As farfetched as that seemed, Jack knew Jim Heller well. He could be vindictive and protective as a lioness when it came to Audrey. After their confrontation at Heller's beach house four years earlier, he feared that James Heller could actually go so far as to try and have him killed rather than have Audrey spend the rest of her life with him. Before coming to Audrey's house, Jack had mailed the documents and instructions for their use to Bill.

"You two certainly are having a serious discussion," Audrey commented as she returned to the room with the two books in her hand.

"Not really," Jack said mildly. "Your father was just asking me about the President's decision to end the Senate investigation."

"You need to stay and hear the whole story some time," Audrey told her father. "Maybe we could all have dinner together next week."

"I'll have to check my schedule," Jim told her as he took the books from her. "Take care, Jack. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon." Jim nodded in Jack's general direction of didn't bother to look at him.

"Yes, sir. I'm sure we will. Have a safe drive home."

Audrey walked her father to the door and gave him a quick kiss. She returned to the sitting room where Jack was finishing off a glass of wine.

"Is everything okay between you and my father?"

"Fine. Why do you ask?

"I don't know. He seemed a little cool and you were awfully formal."

"The situation's a little awkward," Jack admitted trying to make it sound less important than it was. "You went to China to negotiate my release and you almost died there. In fact, for months your father thought you were dead. And when you did come home, your life has never been the same. I can understand that your father resents me for that. As a father, I'm not sure I'd feel any differently given the same set of circumstances. I'm sure your father would rather that I stay away from you."

Audrey smiled and walked toward Jack. She took the empty wine glass from his hand, put her arms around his waist and kissed him gently. "Whatever my father thinks isn't important, Jack. I'm glad you're here and I don't ever want you to leave."

Jack pulled her close. "I don't want to leave, Audrey, but I'm concerned that your father is going to put a lot of pressure on you to stop seeing me." He released his hold slightly so that he could look at her face. "Your father may make this very uncomfortable for us. I know how close you are to him and I know how much he's done for you especially since you've been back from China. I don't want to put you in the middle of a battle of wills between two stubborn people. Audrey, I love you and I would never want to do anything that would hurt you. My being a part of your life may cost you your relationship with your father. If you can't live with that possibility, then I need to leave now."

"I know that my father isn't always the most reasonable man on the planet, just ask my brother. And maybe right now he's still angry with you over my kidnapping. But I think that he'll come to terms with our relationship. He'll have to, Jack, because I just told you that I don't ever want you to leave and I meant it. If that ultimately ends my relationship with my father, then I'll have to live with that. The reality is that I'll still have you. It's Dad who'll be left alone. I think in the end my father will agree that all he wants is for me to be happy. Once he realizes how happy I am with you, he'll back off."

"I hope so. I don't want to create any problems for you. You don't need that," Jack whispered as he tucked some stray hairs behind her ear.

"As long as you're here, Jack, there aren't any problems that I can't handle." With that, she pressed her lips to his and kissed him deeply. Jack eagerly returned her kisses.

They stood kissing for a long time before Jack slowly peeled himself away. "It's getting late," he said softly as he kissed Audrey's forehead and the tip of her nose. "I better go and let you get some sleep."

"I don't want you to go, Jack. Besides, tomorrow's Saturday. I don't have to go to work. We can sleep in," Audrey said coyly.

"Whoa," Jack said as gently. "Don't you think you're moving a little fast? Are you ready for this? I thought we might try dating for a while first."

"We've already dated. I'm past that point. I've wanted you back in my life and in my bed every moment since the day I thought you died at CTU. I even had an affair with Walt Cummings just to try and make myself forget you. It didn't work. Nothing did."

"It's been a long time, honey. A lot has happened to both of us. We've both changed in that time. You might find that I'm not the same person that you loved five years ago."

"We haven't changed, Jack," Audrey said adamantly. "We've grown; we've experienced new things, but fundamentally we're still the same people that we were when you disappeared. You're still the man I fell in love with. I have to assume that the reason you came here today was because you still love me, too. If you just wanted to find out how I was doing, you would have called."

Jack stared at Audrey for a long moment. He spoke quietly, tenderly. "You're right. I do love you. I came here today hoping that you'd still love me, but I was prepared for the worst. I was prepared for you to tell me you hated me. I wasn't sure you'd let me past the front door. Once you let me in, I was hopeful that we could at least be friends. Even then, I had no intention of seducing you."

Audrey pressed her finger against his lips to silence him. "You didn't seduce me. This is what I want and what I've wanted for a long time. If you really think we should wait, I'll agree to that, but I am very clear on the fact that I invited you into my bed." Audrey kissed him softly and smiled playfully. "Let me be blunt, Jack," she said, giving him a look of mock seriousness. "Either come upstairs with me or leave so I can take a cold shower!"

Jack kissed her back. "If you make it a warm shower, I could join you," he offered.

Audrey smiled and angled her head toward the stairs. Jack said nothing more and followed her. He took her hand as she stepped onto the first riser. His stomach turning somersaults with each new step. Audrey led Jack into her bedroom. They stood next to the bed kissing for a long time before Audrey leaned over and turned off the lamp that stood on the nightstand. Jack noticed immediately that the room was no darker than dusk with light from the street coming in through the windows and a nightlight glowing from the attached bathroom. He instantly remembered the cells in China that were dark as pitch and knew that the level of lighting in the room was intentional. Audrey could have put a heavier blind or curtain on the windows, but chose not to do so. She still feared the dark, a thought that made Jack feel sad and guilty all over again. He pulled her tightly to him as if trying to protect her despite the fact that the damage had already been done.

"Sweetheart," he whispered. "I'm going to ask you one more time. I want to know that you really want me to be here and that you want to do this for the right reasons. I want to know that you want me here because you love me and not because I make you feel secure."

"Jack, I gave up feeling secure a long time ago. Yes, I feel better with you here, but I don't think I'll ever feel totally secure either with or without you. If all I was looking for in a man was security, I would have found one by now. I've dated over the last couple of years. One of them got pretty serious and he was a very nice guy who would have provided a lot of security, but I realized that I didn't love him. I want you here because I love you with all my heart."

Jack was never quite sure whether he was actually satisfied with Audrey's answer or simply overcome by his desire for her. It was hours later before he and Audrey lay still. They snuggled, comfortably exhausted and completely spent, among the sheets and blankets on Audrey's bed. Jack felt as if every nerve ending in his body had been dead up until now and had suddenly come alive. He felt as if his senses were heightened. He was aware of a million wonderful sensations: the light touch of the sheets, the warmth of Audrey's body, the scent of her hair which was still damp from their shower, the softness of her skin. They lay in the semidarkness facing each other.

"You're smiling," Jack commented as he reached over and stroked Audrey's face.

"That's because I'm so incredibly happy," Audrey returned. "That was wonderful, Jack."

"It was wonderful," Jack agreed.

"Did you notice a difference?"

"A difference? In how we made love?"

"Yes, it was different than when we dated. We used to be like a couple of teenagers, the faster and more furious the better. We'd steal ten minutes in your office or mine or we'd sneak into each other's hotel rooms. Even when we had plenty of time, we still were frantic. It was different this time. It was slow and quiet, but it was more intense than I ever remember before. Maybe you were right when you said we'd both changed. Maybe we've finally grown up."

"I didn't think about it that way, but you're right. It was different. It was better, wasn't it?" Jack found himself smiling now. "I'd suggest we do it again, but I'm too tired."

Audrey laughed. "We don't have to wear ourselves out in one night. We have a lifetime." Her tone turned serious. "Nothing's going to come between us this time, Jack. Nothing. Not our government. Not the Chinese government. Not my father. We deserve some peace and some happiness and I think we've finally found it."

"I hope so," Jack said. He playfully pulled Audrey to him and rolled them both over so that he was on top of her. "Because now that I've got you, I don't plan on letting go."

Audrey kissed him lightly. "I thought you were too tired for more?"

"I am. I just did that for effect," Jack laughed. "But then again, since I'm here…" He dropped his face to hers and kissed her deeply. "Maybe we could."

"Maybe we could sleep and resume this in the morning," Audrey suggested.

"Can't blame a guy for trying," Jack sighed as he slid off of Audrey and back onto the bed.

They curled up like spoons, bodies pressed tightly together in the middle of the bed. Jack's arm was wrapped around Audrey's body. They both relaxed and reveled in the feeling.

So much had happened in the last 24 hours. In many ways, it was more than in the previous 24 when he was chasing down terrorists and trying to save the president. He had his life back for the first time in years. No hiding under assumed names and working on an oil rig. No Chinese prison. No traveling around the world trying to avoid his past. He had him name, a home and the love of a wonderful woman. It was a good start and for the first time that he could remember, he drifted off to sleep happy, genuinely happy.

Next up: Chapter 2: Tony. Hope you'll come back to read it. If you have a second, I'd appreciate a review!