And chapter 3 is up! Sorry it's kind of short, but I will be posting another (much longer) chapter later in the week, so stay tuned!

I realized that I forgot the disclaimer for the last chapter, so sorry, and here it is- I don't own 24 or any of its characters, as those all belong to FOX and the show's creators. I haven't based this on anyone else's work- it all came from my mind.

Chapter 3

The next afternoon was the first time that the newly-sworn-in President Gardner was available to meet with Bill and Karen. The pair was walking into the Situation Room to begin the video conference when Audrey walked in behind Bill.

"What are you doing, Audrey?" Bill asked softly. "You shouldn't be here when this happens." Audrey looked at him like he was speaking nonsense.

"Bill, I found this. I brought it to you. I should be here," she said trying to remain professional. Bill knew that this wasn't why she wanted to be there, though.

"You being here is not going to raise the chances of Gardner agreeing," Bill told her. "It'd be a lot better for you if you sat this one out." Bill knew how much she wanted to be there, but he was afraid that Gardner wouldn't agree. He didn't want Audrey to know much of a long shot this was, which would become apparent just minutes into this video conference. He wanted her to still have something to hope for.

"I can handle being here, if that's what you're saying," she argued, her voice rising.

"Audrey, I know what you're trying to do, but I don't want you in here during this," he told her, his tone of voice suggesting that the debate was over. When her face fell slightly, Bill's voice softened a little. "We're going to do everything possible to get Jack out," he assured her. Audrey glanced over at Karen, who nodded in agreement with Bill's statement.

"Fine," Audrey agreed. She looked back up at Bill. "But I want to know the second you know of a decision."

"You have my word; you will be the first to know," he promised. He then ushered her out the door before sitting down next to Karen and waiting for the conference to begin. Soon, Gardner's image appeared on the screen in front of them.

"Good morning Karen, Bill," he said.

"Mr. President," they answered in unison.

"So, what brings us here this morning?" he asked casually. Karen was the one to explain the situation to him.

"This concerns one of our agents, Jack Bauer, who, as you have been informed, went missing shortly after his release from custody last week," Karen said. "We have reason to believe that he did not disappear on his own free will, as we had been assuming until this point. We now have evidence to suggest that he was abducted by the Chinese government."

"What kind of evidence do we have?"

"We found a container ship heading for Shanghai that left Los Angeles within the timeframe of Jack Bauer's disappearance," Bill answered. "Its departure was expedited with a direct order from Charles Logan. Witnesses also say that they saw several Chinese men carrying on what looked to be a body on the ship."

"And you think that this body was Bauer's?" Gardner asked.

"It makes the most sense, sir. Bauer disappears without warning at the same time that the Chinese, who have been looking for revenge for the death of their consul 18 months ago, smuggle a body out of this country with the help of Charles Logan, who would also love to see Bauer out of the way. It's just too much to write off as coincidence." President Gardner paused for a moment, considering his options, before speaking again.

"Bill, I know how much this agent means to CTU, but there is no way that I can start an international crisis for the sake of one man," Gardner told him. "As far as I see it, the Chinese want revenge for their consul's death, and they will either get it on Bauer or the entire United States government. I cannot let it be the government, as it is my duty to protect this country."

"Mr. President, you should consider peaceful negotiations for Bauer's release," Karen suggested. "Prisoner exchange. There is any number of diplomatic options."

"Yes, Karen, but the Chinese still want someone to take the blame. If we are to leave the United States government out of this entirely, we have to look as if we're willing to let the Chinese take revenge on Bauer. If we were to argue, they would question why we're arguing. At that point, whatever we say to defend ourselves won't matter because they will already be suspicious of our involvement in the consulate raid."

"But sir, surely you've read this man's file. Jack Bauer has a long history of service to his country," Bill argued. He could sense that they were quickly losing this argument, and he was trying to pull out all of the stops. "Every citizen of this country owes their life to this man. We can't abandon him now, the only time in his long history of service that he has required our help."

"I can think of no better way for Bauer to serve his country than to give his life to spare it from war," Gardner stated. That was when both Karen and Bill knew it- they had lost. "Now, if that's all you have for me, then my decision stands. We leave Jack Bauer with the Chinese." Karen paused for a moment.

"That's all, sir. Thank you," she said before pressing a button, cutting the video feed. She looked over at Bill, who was still gazing despondently at the blank screen. A thick silence hung in the air between them for a minute before Karen finally spoke.

"You did everything possible, Bill," she assured him. He glanced over at her briefly.

"Yeah," he whispered, although his posture suggested that he did not agree. Karen wanted to do something, but she didn't know what she could do for him. Finally, Bill stood up from his chair.

"I should go and tell Audrey," he muttered. He excused himself and left the room to find her. Through the glass walls of the Situation Room, Karen could see Bill approach Audrey. She looked up at Bill expectantly, but all he could do was look down to the floor apologetically. At that point, Audrey's face changed from expectant to angry to upset. She reached like she was going to hit Bill, but he easily caught her blow and let her collapse in his arms. She broke down in his firm grasp, sobbing into his chest while he supported her and did his best to calm her down, trying to steer her towards one of the offices surrounding the bullpen. Karen's heart melted at the sight. She could hardly imagine what that woman was feeling at the moment. However, at the same time, Karen also couldn't help but wish that she was the one in Bill's arms.

TBC