For so many months Audrey had wanted this. Just to be here with him. To have him lying in her bed, next to her. To be able to have him hold her, to smell him, to feel him, to touch him. She had dreamt about it so many times, hoping it to be real, only to wake up, alone, cold and empty inside. But now he was here, and she was still trying to believe it was real. Hoping that if it wasn't, if this was all a dream that she would never wake up.
Jack was still asleep, and his face was so peaceful. Audrey couldn't stop looking at him. She was his, and he was hers, and that was all that mattered. She knew that he would think that all the things he had done would lessen her love for him, but it all didn't matter. While he did things that some thought were unorthodox, she knew it was all for the greater good and that only made her love him more. All the things that he did, and went through, made into the man that she loved, and she wouldn't change one thing about him, never.
Her eyes traveled down the smooth column of his neck to his shoulder, and saw the pink scar that marred the pale skin, and tears welled up in her eyes.
When he was kidnapped by the Chinese, she went though all hell and high water to get him back. Her father devoted almost all of his resources to getting him back, and it was made CTU's top priority to do the same. Every day that he was still missing was another day that she died a little more. When they finally found him, relief over took her. He was alive, and it was the only thing that she could think about, but then, Bill explained to her that if they went to go rescue jack, and they failed, they would most likely kill him. It was a risk that she was willing to take. She knew that the Chinese were torturing him, to an extent that she couldn't bear to think about, they would either get him back, or his suffering wouold be put to an end. She waited and waited for the day of his rescue, but when it came, she couldn't bear it. What was going on? Did they have Jack? Was he alive? Was he dead? But then the phone call came, he was alive, they had him, and he was coming home. Audrey broke down. He was alive, god, he was alive. That was all that mattered.
When he came back, it exposed another horror, how badly he had been tortured. He had been in a cell, in which he couldn't stand, or stretch out his legs, and was made to sit in his own waste. He was barely fed, and what little food he was given, was stale, moldy, and infested with bugs. The physical torture was unbearable. They had burned him, cut his skin and poured acid in the wounds, used pain inducers, put acid in his bear skin, electrocuted him, beat him, and so many other things that Audrey couldn't bear to hear. His body was covered in black and blue marks, crusted over wounds and pink scars from his torture. His tattoos stood out against his ghostly pale skin and his very slim frame.
Audrey stayed by his side every day that he was in the hospital. She would only leave to get a change of clothes and take a shower. She had lost him for so long; she felt that she couldn't leave him again.
It took Jack many months to fully recover, not just physically, but mentally. The torture he had endured has eaten away at his mind. He had become a shell of the man he once was. When he was released for the hospital, he and Audrey had moved in together, because neither of them wanted him to be alone, and more over, Audrey wanted him to be as close to her as possible. There were nights where he would have nightmares so severe that he would scream in his sleep, and throw him self around the bed. When she woke him up, he would break down in her arms, sobbing into her shoulder, about how bad it was,and how he wanted all of the painful memories to go away.
Although it was difficult, Jack slowly started becoming himself again. He and Audrey moved towards a more normal relationship, and he started working for CTU again, but at Audrey's displeasure. But she knew that he needed his work, and that his work needed him.
As she looked at him, she could hardly believe that it had been 5 years since then. Sometimes it was hard to believe. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. 'I can not lose him again' she thought.
After looking at a sleeping jack for a few more minutes, he slowly started to wake up. When his eyes opened, she saw that Audrey was crying.
"Baby, whats wrong?" He asked, propped up on his elbow. Audrey looked away from the man, but could feel his water blue eyes on her.
"Audie, baby whats wrong?" now his soft hand gently pulling her face to towards him.
"I love you so much Jack. God I love you. Promise me you'll never leave me again, promise me."
"Never baby, never, never in a million years. I love you, you know that. Whats this all about?". Worry now filled his blue eyes, and he ran a hand through is short blonde hair as he looked at her.
"It's nothing, it's just..." Her voice trailed of as she broke down into tears.
Jack took her into his strong arms as she sobbed into his shoulder, making his shirt wet with her tears. He held her close to him, one hand stroking her hair, and one hand slowly rubbing her back as sobs racked her figure.
She was unable to stop crying. All of the fear of losing him and the fear of him being hurt came out in those tears. After sometimes, her sobs lessened and then turned into shaky breaths. She laid her head on his shoulder and breathed in his scent, trying to memorize it, as if it was her last day with him.
Jack put two fingers under her chin and gentle pulled up her head as it was level with his. A slight smile curved his lips, and he kissed her, with his hands cradling her face. It was a gentle kiss, but it was a good one.
"So many bad things have happen, and I'm just so scared that I'll lose you" Audrey whispered, almost as if to herself.
"Nothing could take me away from you baby, nothing, I promise you that, ok?"
All she could do was nod her head
Jack laid back down on the bed, and said "Come here baby"
She laid her head down on his shoulder, and he rapped his arm around her.
"I love you Audrey, and nothing else matters, ok?"
"I love you too Jack. God I love you"
Jack reached across his body to stoke her hair. She curled tighter in to his body. Soon the two were fast asleep