Enough Part One

Bill Buchanan had called her at 9pm, asking her to come into CTU. Instantly she knew it had to be something to do with Jack.

She hadn't set foot in CTU for almost two years- it was too painful. It just brought back memories of Jack, memories of how they had planned to leave that part of their lives behind and return to D.C.

She considered ringing her father. He'd been so understanding, letting her take time out to think about what she wanted to do. It hadn't taken long for her to decide to return to work; what use was she to Jack just sitting round her empty apartment and crying?

She reached for the phone and had dialled her father's private number before changing her mind. The Secretary of Defense was a smart man- he'd been practical about the whole situation, allowing his daughter to hold on to the belief that Jack was alive while deep down, she knew he probably thought he was dead.

Audrey wouldn't- couldn't- allow herself to believe that. She still loved him, despite…

"Honey, who was on the phone?"

Audrey looked up from the briefcase she was packing. "Bill Buchanan."

She saw Eddie tense. "What did he want?"

"He didn't say." She laid a hand on his arm.

"Strange that they call you," Eddie muttered. "Especially after all this time."

Audrey sighed tiredly. "Okay, so it might be about Jack. I don't know. But Eddie." She looked into his eyes, saw him look away. "I have to go. I have to help them."

"I know you do," he said finally. He kissed her cheek. "So go. I'll be here when you get back."

"Thankyou, Eddie."

"I'm going out to John and Claire's remember?"

Audrey's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh… I forgot."

"It's okay, they'll understand."

"Tell them I'm sorry."

Eddie smiled, kissed her. "See you later."

As she returned to her packing, she heard the front door close and Eddie's car backing out of the drive.

She and Eddie had been staying in LA while Eddie was on a business trip. Audrey wasn't surprised CTU knew where she was; her father had probably told them. He knew how much Jack meant to her…

A noise outside brought her back to reality.

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"Audrey Raines will be here soon," Bill told Chloe. "Can you bring her up to my office when she arrives?"

Chloe wanted to reply that she wasn't his personal receptionist but something told her now wasn't the time for smart comments.

Bill walked away, no doubt back up to his office. Jack was out in the field; he'd just rung in to say he was on his way back.

Obviously Audrey was being called in so she could be reunited with Jack. Chloe could think of no other explanation. She'd heard Bill on the phone to Secretary Heller- his tone had been friendly, relaxed. If it had been a crisis Audrey would have been at CTU already.

Chloe tried to shake thoughts of Jack and Audrey together out of her mind and focus on the task in hand.

It was quarter past nine when Jack and the tac team returned. The floor was suddenly noisy; that always happened when field agents came back from a mission, everyone wanted to know what had been going on.

"The hero returns," muttered Morris. Chloe turned to see him stood behind her, glaring at Jack.

"Get back to work," she snapped at him.

"Defending him as always," he retorted, but it was his parting shot. Relieved, Chloe returned her attention to her screen.

"Hey."

"Hey." She didn't look at him.

"Thankyou for getting us back here alive." His tone was gentle and Chloe felt her stomach doing somersaults.

"Just doing-"

"-your job, I know." Jack smiled and Chloe looked at him. She reminded herself that in a few minutes he would be reunited with the love of his life, and forced herself to be blunt with him.

"Right. So I've got loads on here, is there anything else you need?"

It didn't work quite as expected.

"Not right now," he replied, smiling as he walked away.

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Four armed men were pacing around the tiny lounge, their weapons trained on the visibly scared woman tied up on the couch. They'd warned her not to scream and she didn't dare. She'd seen enough dangerous men to know when they were being serious.

One of them suddenly produced a phone. Striding over to Audrey, he untied her hands and shoved the phone at her.

"Ring Mr. Bauer," he whispered dangerously. "Invite him round."

Instinctively, and with a jolt of fear, Audrey knew where this was going.

"No."

She instantly regretted her choice of words when she felt the barrel of a gun pressed to the back of her head.

"I think you will, Miss Raines." The voice in her ear was menacing. Audrey felt more tears spring to her eyes but was determined stay strong.

Taking a deep breath, she snatched the phone out of the man's gloved hand and held it. Her hands were defying her; they were shaking and she dropped the phone twice before getting a good grip and forcing herself to dial.

She still had his cell number plugged into her speed dial. Trying this, it diverted to answer phone after two rings. Either it was off or he no longer used it. Audrey suspected the latter.

"What's taking you so long?"

"He's not answering."

"Try again."

Biting back tears, Audrey dialled the only number she could think of.

"CTU, this is Buchanan."

Suddenly unsure, Audrey paused, flailing for an idea of what to say to him.

"Hello? This line is being monitored so if you're trying to hack in we will find you."

Audrey almost sobbed at the authority in his voice. Bill Buchanan was someone to trust. However, she resisted the urge to blurt it all out, opting instead for a calmer tone, something that wouldn't give her away.

"Hi, Bill, it's Audrey Raines here. I appreciate you've got a job to do but I would like to know why you have called me in. Is it to do with Jack?"

Hesitation on the other end told her she was right.

"Can I speak to him, Bill?"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea right now, Audrey."

"Don't patronise me, Bill, I understand what's been happening these last few weeks. What I don't understand is why I have suddenly been called after two years of no contact. After all that I went through with CTU, don't you think I have a right to know?" She hoped the abruptness in her tone would get through to him, although she hated talking to Bill in such a way. She still thought about that day… the day Jack was taken… and how she had stood back and let Homeland Security remove Bill from his position. She wasn't sure she had ever forgiven herself for that; the look on his face as he'd strode past her had certainly never left her mind.

"Okay. I don't have time to argue this right now. Yes, it is about Jack. Yes, he's here. I'll patch you through to his station, hold on." Bill sounded annoyed but Audrey had achieved what she wanted.

"Okay, Audrey. You're through." A click on the line told her Bill had hung up. Audrey silently thanked him for his discretion.

"Bauer."

Hearing his voice threw her completely.

"Oh, God… Jack, it's me."

"Audrey?"

"Yeah, it's me." A small sob escaped and she closed her eyes, trying to block out the armed men around her.

"Audrey, what's wrong?"

A sharp nudge on the back of her head brought her crashing back to reality. "Hurry up," someone snarled, their breath uncomfortably close to her ear.

"Jack, can I see you?"

"See me?"

"Yeah. Bill has asked me to come in but I really can't make it just yet. I've really missed you, Jack."

She heard a sharp intake of breath. "I've missed you too."

"I'm staying in LA for a while. Can I meet you?"

"Oh, um, of course. Hold on. Okay, where are you?"

As she told him her address, she wished she could warn him, scream at him not to come. She was effectively leading him back to his captors, captors who, it seemed, hadn't been too happy about handing him back over to the US government that morning.

"I'll be there soon," he promised, then the line went dead. Audrey didn't know what else she'd expected. An "I love you?" But why should he? And why should she expect it, if she wasn't sure she could now say it back to him.

She looked back up at Cheng, hate filling every fibre of her being.

"The Secretary of Defense will find out about this. You won't get away with it!"

Cheng laughed, a horrible, chilling sound. "Please, Miss Raines. Don't make empty threats. The phone, please?" He extended a hand.

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"Jack, where are you going?"

Bill Buchanan had taken the stairs two at a time as soon as he'd seen Jack hang up the phone. He didn't like the way this was playing out.

Jack glanced up, already on his feet. "I'm going to see Audrey," he replied, shrugging on his jacket.

"But she'll be here in a minute."

"She said she won't be able to make it just yet. Listen Bill, I don't work for you any more. You can't make me stay here indefinitely."

Bill chose to ignore this act of apparent insubordination, although Jack was right.

"Jack, listen to me. When I spoke to Audrey earlier on she told me she would be here in twenty minutes. That was thirty five minutes ago. Something's not right."

Jack suddenly recalled her anguished sob as she'd spoken to him. He cursed himself for not having picked up on it straight away.

"What do you suggest?"

"This could be a trap. I want to send a tac team with you. That's final," Bill added, holding up a hand as Jack started to voice his opposition to the idea. "And you're wearing a wire. A discrete one, obviously. We want to be prepared."

"Fine. Then let's do it." Jack's impatience was clear but he followed Bill across the floor to Curtis's station.

"Curtis, get a team ready to leave in five. Chloe," he yelled across the floor, "I need you to pass everything you're doing to Milo and run comms on an operation for me. Now."

The floor came to life at Bill's commands. Jack cast a look over at Chloe, who was eyeing him worriedly. There was no time to explain it to her; he just hoped she would trust him.

"Okay, let's go!" Bill shouted. "There can be no mistakes here."

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Less than five minutes later, they were roaring past security and onto the main road, Curtis at the wheel.

Jack sat beside him, his eyes on the road. He was trying not to think about what might have happened to Audrey. He didn't think he would be able to live with himself if anything happened to her.

"It might be nothing," Curtis offered, although both men trusted Bill Buchanan's instinct enough to know that this was far from nothing.

He got no response from Jack.

"CTU, we're eight minutes out," he almost shouted into his comms unit.

"Copy that," came Chloe's voice.

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Both Audrey and Cheng looked up at the sound of a vehicle approaching the house. One of the men walked over to the window, pulled back the blind. Obviously satisfied with what he saw, he dropped the curtain and turned back to Cheng.

"He's here."

"Alone?"

"Yes. There's only one vehicle."

Cheng nodded slowly. "Okay. Here's what's going to happen. He's going to knock on the door, and Miss Raines is going to answer it. Then, you will lead him back in here, where will we be… hidden… and shut the door. If you say anything to him, one word, and we will not hesitate to kill you both."

As if to emphasise the point, all three henchmen lifted their weapons and aimed them at her.

"Am I clear, Miss Raines?"

Audrey nodded mutely.

Several seconds passed before Jack knocked on the door. Cheng motioned to Audrey to go and answer it, and as she left the room she noticed them positioning themselves out of sight of the door.

"One word."

"I know."

The walk from the lounge to the door seemed to take no time at all. Brushing tears from her eyes, Audrey composed herself as best as she could and opened the door.

Jack stood on the other side, looking worried, thin, and downright exhausted. "Audrey…"

He stepped inside and pulled her to him, and she collapsed gratefully into his arms, shaking with tears.

"I'm so sorry, Jack."

"Sorry? What for?"

She bit her lip and shook her head. Closing the front door, she risked a peak outside, praying for a glimpse of another CTU vehicle. There wasn't one.

"This way," she told him, holding out her hand and leading the way to the lounge. He took it without question, knowing she would answer him when she was ready.

"I'm so so sorry," she whispered again as they stepped into the sparsely furnished lounge. The door clicked shut behind them. Suddenly wary, Jack reached for the gun at his belt.

"Who's here, Audrey?"

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you."

Cheng stepped out of the shadows. "You didn't really think you would get away from us that easily, did you?"