II.  THE FIRST STEP

It had been exactly three weeks since Jack had been released from the hospital. His life had changed a lot since then, understandably. CTU was out of the picture – at least for now. The doctors told him that he would have to take leave -- six months at the very least -- and to be honest, that didn't bother Jack one bit. He was pretty sure of the fact that he wasn't going to go back. Not now, not ever.

His days had taken on a life of their own -- one he never would have imagined would play out. For example: last time he checked, Jack wasn't exactly the kind of guy who got sucked into soap operas, or TV in general, even. Yet, within the last couple weeks, he found himself not only watching General Hospital everyday, but also enjoying it. It was not natural for him -- Jack Bauer -- to find such entertainment in soaps. And it was exactly that fact which prompted him to start up his daily jogging routine. He had been attending physical therapy to build up his strength and energy again, but since the sessions ended, he didn't get much exercise. Aside from bringing groceries in from the car, that is. And even then, Kim made a point to take the heavy stuff for him -- to avoid the stress on his "weak heart" of course.

It was a bright Tuesday afternoon when he got ready for his third consecutive day of jogging. It was nice to finally get some sort of routine back in order. Just as he laced up his tennis shoes, Kim burst through the doors holding an armful of carry-out.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked jokingly as she placed them on the counter.

"Sorry, sweetheart, I'm going out for my jog now. If you just came home ten minutes earlier, maybe I would have been able to eat lunch with my lovely daughter." Jack joked as he walked up to Kim, planting a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Oh, I wholeheartedly agree. I should tell Professor Saunders that next time...That my father is home waiting for lunch, so maybe she could hurry it up a little..."

"Yeah, not so sure she'd like that," he replied, peeking into the bag.

"Oh c'mon, Dad. I did you a favor...Plus, I won't be back 'til real late tonight since I have that huge psyche test tomorrow. Is your daily run really more important than spending time with your only daughter?"

"Of course not," Jack replied, shaking his head. "But take some advice from me: pizza might have sealed the deal. Thai? Eh, I don't know. Not exactly 'stop everything and eat' material. I'm gonna head out. Call Julie -- I'm sure she'd love to help you down some of this."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kim said with a smile as she pulled a fork out of the drawer.

---

Jogging always helped clear Jack's mind. He never quite understood why, though, but it did. It helped him relax -- something he was never good at, especially after Teri's death.

The park was bright and vibrant; full of life in every imaginable way. People walking, dogs barking, flowers blooming -- cliché but comforting in it's own predictability.

Lost in his thoughts, Jack didn't even notice the blonde woman crouching down beside her dog until it was too late. Luckily, he caught himself before he came tumbling to the ground, but the woman wasn't as lucky.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry, miss..."

"Jack?!"

Jack's head whipped around, and his eyes met with a somewhat bewildered, yet familiar face.

"Kate." He said with a smile, his voice softening the way it always did when he said her name. He shook his head, suddenly realizing that Kate was still on the ground, and he wasn't helping her up. "Oh, I'm really sorry, I guess I was caught up in my own--" He extended a hand out to Kate and she gladly took it, cutting him off as he helped her up.

"Don't worry about it, Jack. You saved my life a few times...I think you're entitled one knock down, by mistake." She smiled as she brushed the dirt from her jeans and readjusted the dog leash in her hand. "So, how've you been?" She asked, suddenly serious.

The smile quickly faded from Jack's lips, and he looked down towards the ground, before meeting her eye contact. "I've been good. Really good, actually." He said with a laugh. "Been spending a lot of time at home with Kim -- away from CTU."

Kate nodded her hand as she fidgeted with the leash. "Well, that's great. The last place you need to be is in an environment like that!"

Eager to change the subject, Jack kneeled down to Kate's Golden Retriever and started patting it's side. "So is this guy yours?"

"It's actually a girl," Kate responded with a grin as she kneeled down, also. "Her name's Sandy, and yes, she's mine. Actually, she's my father's, but I end up caring for her most of the time."

Jack looked up from the dog, back to Kate. "How's he doing?"

"My Dad?" Kate asked, prompting Jack to nod. "He's better, I guess you could say. Well, not really, but he's back to work, which is a good first step, I think," she finished, standing up once more.

"Definitely." Jack said, nodding his head. "Definitely."

They stood in silence for a moment, before Jack spoke up once more.

"So what are you doing in the park in the middle of the afternoon? Don't you have to be at work or something? You make me feel like my privileged lifestyle isn't so privileged after all."

Kate laughed and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I actually have Tuesdays off, so..."

"Wow, impressive."

They looked at each other for a long moment.

"Would you like to...Get some coffee or something?" Kate asked, breaking their gaze, then looking back up at him with a shy smile.

Immediately, Jack felt uncomfortable. He wasn't used to flirting or arranging dates -- he hadn't had to do it since him and Teri were in college. It was strange, and he wasn't sure if he really wanted to make that step. He only knew the woman for a day, for Gods sake.

But at the same time, there was an undeniable connection between the two of them. He still didn't quite understand why Kate made such a strong impression on him, but she did. And that couldn't just be thrown away. The fact that they just happened to run into each other in the middle of the day had to be a sign. Things like that don't just happen -- they happen for a reason.

"You know, I was just in the middle of a run, but..."

Immediately, Kate backtracked nervously. "Oh yeah, I'm sorry, don't worry about it. I don't know what I was th--"

"But...Um...I am free tonight." He didn't know where the words came from, but they were suddenly there. Outside, in the open, ready for her to take in. Kate's head snapped up, and she looked at him, somewhat confused. "Yeah, Kim's going to be out late -- She said something about a big psyche exam. So I guess that leaves me alone for the night, and..."

Kate sensed Jack's discomfort, and smiled politely. She reached out her hand, and placed it on his forearm.

"You know what? Why don't I come over and cook you some dinner tonight? You shouldn't have to be alone and forced to fend for yourself on the food front. Especially seeing that I have nowhere special to be tonight."

She didn't exactly know what prompted her to take this huge leap of faith with this man, but something drew her to him. They had known each other for a day -- but that day seemed like an eternity. And that look on his face when he comforted her in her own kitchen still lingered in her mind -- it was there for her when things got tough, and she couldn't just disregard that.

Jack looked at her for a moment, unsure as to what to say. He thought maybe they could grab a bite in the night, catch up, whatever...But having her come over and cook for him? Wasn't that a pretty big jump for a first date?

A First Date.

Oh God, Jack thought.

He had to take the first step. It had been over a year, and he still hadn't forgiven himself for what happened to Teri, but he had to move on. If anything, running into Kate again was a sign. A sign that told him it was okay to live his life.

"That sounds great."

FIN II