Face-off
Saturday, 09:33 pm LT, San Diego

"Mr. Bauer?" a voice called him from behind.
The man who sat at the bar, sipping at a bottle of beer instantly turned around.

There he is, Jack thought, nodded at the bar stool to his left. "Please. Sit down.", he answered, then he put the beer down to shake hands with the stranger. He had only seen him once before, as he had picked up Audrey. In the days they spent together, he had never asked her anything about him, since he thought he wouldn't be able to cope with the fact that she wasn't his anymore. Seeing him at the airforce base had almost broken him apart. He had acted strong, wouldn't show her how he really felt like, because he didn't want her to feel the same way. Compared to that moment back there it was now surprisingly easy to look into the other's eyes. He had done the right thing, leaving her, he knew it back then, and this meeting now confirmed it. He felt no guilt, not like when he had looked into Paul's eyes, years ago.

Right now, before their meeting, he had done some research on that Miles Anderson guy because wanted to know who he'd be dealing with. Actually that man was a doctor, at one of L.A.'s biggest hospitals. His life's story just showed him to be a decent man, one that Audrey deserved.

"Jack Bauer."

They shook hands.

"Miles Anderson.", he replied as he sat down.

Audrey Anderson, shot through Jack's head. Now that was her name.

Miles ordered a beer, too. As he waited for it there was an awkward silence, filled only by the loud talking of all the others and the background music from the bar. It was a rather dark environment, lighted only barely by the few Watts of electric power which they had been granted by the army committee. The bar was close to the casern of Round Heights, just out of San Diego. It was filled mostly by soldiers. As he looked around, Miles found himself as one of the very few persons who didn't wear a uniform.

Even Jack was wearing one. Two small, connected silver stripes decorated the shoulder epaulets of his uniform. Miles wasn't sure what they stood for, but he guessed they gave him the rank of a captain.

"Have you been with the military for a long time?", Miles asked, nodding at the symbol.

Jack shook his head. "Actually, no.", he answerd. "I've joined again only a few days ago and they gave me back my old rank of a Captain."

"Alright.", Miles answered, nodding his head.

Then they sat again, neither of them had a word to say, though they both knew that a lot had to be told.

"Awkward silence.", Miles remarked.

Jack said yes and sipped at his beer again. He just didn't know where to start.

Miles finally took a deep breath and turned to him. "Captain Bauer...", he began.

"Call me Jack.", he interrupted.

"Alright, Jack. Thank you. I… I can't tell you how deeply grateful I am that you saved my wife.", he continued.

My wife, again these words resounded in Jacks head. I would like to call her that. I should have never let her go.

"Maybe you don't know why I called you, and why I wanted to meet you in person…", he stammered.

Jack turned and looked into his eyes. "I know it very well.", he answered, and really tried not to sound too harsh. "Believe me, I know it." He waited a few seconds to find the right words. "And if I were in your position, I'd probably do the same."

Miles was relieved to hear this. "Then you already know what I'm going to ask you, Jack. She's not the same any more. Something happened during the time you two spent together, don't think I wouldn't notice."

Jack nodded and turned back to the bar. "You came to hear it from me? That there was nothing that happened between us? Don't you trust her?"

Miles also turned back. He couldn't stand it to have this conversation with the man who he accused to be the… the what? The lover of his wife? The one she had probably gotten close to within the last couple of days? Her old love who had suddenly returned?

"As I asked her what happened, she couldn't tell me one word about it.", Miles continued. "It's like that every time when I asked her something about her past, regarding anything that somehow had to do with you. Jack, I don't know you, I don't know anything about your and Audrey's past and honestly, I'm not interested in it. I don't need to know everything to be in love with her."

Jack reflected on his and Audrey's past. He said nothing. The man next to him clearly was in love with her. Otherwise he wouldn't have taken the long way to come here – especially this day – just to talk to him.

"There was absolutely nothing.", Jack replied. "I give you my word on that."

"Why have you gone to a nuclear blast site to get my wife out?"

"It was not a nuclear explosion.", Jack remarked.

Miles' voice got loud. "You didn't know it at that time!"

Within the blink of an eye Jack pulled around and leant over to him. His face was only an inch away from Miles'. "What do you want to hear from me?", he hissed.

Miles wasn't frightened. "The truth.", he hissed back. "Why have you done it? What do you still want from her!?"

Jack didn't know what to tell him. The truth? What was the truth after all? That Heller had used him, because he knew he would do everything for Audrey? That he hadn't known she was married again? No, no matter if married or not, that would have made no difference.

Jack took a last look into Miles' eyes, thereafter a deep breath and turned back to the bar. He reminded himself to calm down. He had saved Audrey so she could continue her life. There was no place for a fight with her husband.

"I would do anything for Audrey.", he said. "Anything."

"To get her back?"

"No." Jack took a big gulp of the beer. "For her good. Those years she spent with me… I think they were the worst of her life. I owed her that."

Miles nodded, though he didn't quite understand. "Do you still love her?"

"I'm not answering that question.", Jack murmured. Yes, with all my heart, he told himself.

But Miles could guess it, even without an answer. A cold shiver ran down his back, as he watched the man next to him out of the corner of his eye. "Are you going to mess up our lives now?" He was afraid of the man named Captain Bauer, who had come out of the nowhere and suddenly taken a role in their lives which he couldn't deny.

Jack shook his head. "No."

"I see.", Miles answered. His view got stuck at the ring at Jack's hand. "You're married yourself?"

A bit confused Jack looked up, first at him, then at the ring. "No, I'm not.", he said and pulled it off his finger. In the dim light he almost couldn't read what was engraved on the inside. It was Teri's name and their wedding date. "My wife died, quite a while ago. I still carry the ring around with me."

"I see.", Miles said again. "Look, Jack, I don't know what to do or to say. I feel like I need to set things straight. I want her back."

"She never was away." Jack put his marriage ring back on. All of a sudden, he felt like wearing it again. Wearing this uniform always reminded him of his time with Teri.

"She is right now. I saw it in her eyes. She is so changed."

"Miles, she went through hell, there. We are at war, do you realize that?" Clenching his teeth he thought back. "We both fought for our lives. Don't you think that alone could be a reason she's somehow changed? That she doesn't want to recall all these memories to talk about it?" He took a deep breath and tried to push the pictures of China away, which had come back to his mind for a second. "Believe me, I've been to some very dark places in my past, Miles. I can understand her. I prefer to push the memories aside rather than talking to anyone about it and having to live through it again."

Miles somehow seemed to understand. This life was so far away from his – so different. There were things which he couldn't ever imagine. But still it left him back heartbroken, that Audrey didn't want to talk with him about it, not even though he loved her that much. "Let me ask you a question, Jack. Wouldn't you even talk, if it was she, who asked you?"

Jack really wanted to reply something, but he was at a loss of words. I did. And she did, these words burned at his lips. He simply couldn't place this dagger in Miles' heart. Suddenly another officer approached them. "Captain Bauer, Sir?", he asked, saluted. Thank god, Jack thought, thank you for getting me out of this conversation.

Jack stood up, turned to him, saluted. "Yes?"

"Major Young is here. He would like to see you in his office."

"Now?" Jack had a look at his wristwatch. It was past 9 o clock in the evening. "I've already been out of duty.", he replied, waving at his beer.

"That doesn't matter. Please follow me, it's important."

"Alright. Give me one minute, I'll be right with you, outside.", he sighed.

"Sir." The other Captain nodded to Miles, before he left.

Jack turned to Miles, for a final time. Now, as there was no time left, he suddenly found words for a thousand more sentences which he could have told him. But he decided to make it short. After placing ten dollars at the bar, he began, "Miles, I have to go now. I don't ever want you to tell Audrey about this conversation, ok?"

Miles nodded.

"I won't come back. I won't mess with your lives, and I told Heller that already. I'm being transfered to DC, anyway. I didn't want her to have the illusion that this could possibly work out." He remembered Paul, Audrey's first husband. As she had stood before the final decision, whether to take him or Paul, she had decided for her husband. Jack knew that he had nearly broken their marriage apart when he had that affair with her. "I don't want to have an affair with her." …again, he silently added in his mind. "so just please go home and take good care of her, will you?"

He still nodded. "I will."

Jack took his baret and then he went away.

Miles sat there and watched him leave. Even after this he stayed for a long while, watching the door through which Captain Bauer had left. He had gotten an answer on a few of his questions. Some of these he hadn't liked to hear, but he was still grateful that this man just walked away now.

Six days ago, as Audrey had returned, he had been happy and grateful to see her.

Now he had seen him. He had seen his face, when he talked and thought about her.

He had seen her face, when she had been thinking about this man. He was afraid that Audrey would never watch him like that.

He had seen him leave, breaking her heart.

He had seen him leaving now- with a broken heart himself.

Finally, Miles stood up. He couldn't fight this awful feeling in his chest. Secretly, he feared that Audrey would never be the same again.

.

.

Enough now. That was fallout.

I would be really happy if you review.

Thank you all.

UPDATE September 14, 2013:
I've decided to continue in 'Truth'.
Audrey is going to see Jack again. I promise.