I went back to work the next day, despite the pain I was in. I told Heller I'd be taking the afternoon off when he questioned me about the state of my bruised, bleeding face. Unfortunately, he didn't take that answer, and pushed me further. "C'mon Jack, just tell me. If someone tried to hurt you, my daughter is in danger. I'm sure you know how that feels."
I narrowed my eyes, but said nothing. I didn't want Heller to hear the truth from me. Audrey should have been the one to tell him. However, he continued to press me on the issue, which he probably regrets. He probably didn't want to know that his daughter was sleeping with Tony Almeida. Well, she's slept around enough in her days. I should know; she told me about how she met Paul. "Jack, I want the truth, and I want it now."
"Trust me, you don't want the truth. Besides, Audrey'll kill me if I say a word." I focused my gaze towards a panel of wall directly above the secretary's head. "I won't say anything. If you want to know, maybe you should ask Audrey." I was definitely not expecting the next actions of James Heller. For the second time in 12 hours, I found myself pressed up against the wall.
"Tell me…" He growled menacingly. "Tell me what is going on here, and how Audrey fits into this." I met his angry eyes before nodding quickly. I didn't want to get beat up by the Secretary of Defense, and at the moment, he looked pretty capable of doing that, besides the fact that I was horribly hung-over. Anyways, I had no choice but to answer, and answer truthfully.
I sighed, and nodded slowly. "Fine. I'll tell you everything I know." He released me and I gasped a few times before finally speaking. "Look, Audrey and I broke up about a week ago. Yesterday, I went back to our apartment to get some stuff, and I saw some things I'm regretting. You see, Audrey's going out with Tony Almeida, and it seems pretty serious." I watched Secretary Heller's face change to something akin to sorrow; the only thing I had felt in what seemed like a long time.
"What else do you know?" He asked me, and I suddenly understood. He actually liked having me and Audrey together. Maybe it was that he knew I could protect her. Maybe it was that he didn't like Tony. Did it really matter? Audrey and I were over.
"Everything," He replied, and I sighed, exasperated. I didn't want to give away the dark secrets of her past, secrets that her father didn't know. I knew better than to spill that to her father. Audrey should be the one to tell him, I thought, and looked at the ground for a moment.
"I'd tell you, but it's really not my business. Maybe you should talk to Audrey about it." I nodded to him before walking out of my office, carrying several file folders downstairs. However, as I neared my destination, I turned down a skinny corridor that led towards her office. "Damn you, Audrey. Do I have to clean up every mess you make?" I finally reached her office and burst through the door, not bothering to knock. "Audrey, how could you be that irresponsible? I just told your dad that we broke up. He looked pretty upset, and… Look, you can't do that. You have to communicate. And I want answers." She seemed disinterested, and I almost cried as she continued to type calmly on her laptop, her eyes not even flickering in my direction. She obviously didn't care about me any more. Fine, let her. Except I couldn't just watch as someone else tore us apart, as if it never mattered. It did matter. It mattered to me.
However, what she said next only made me realize how much she hated me. Whether it was for what I did the previous night, or for speaking to her dad, I didn't know. I doubt it would have mattered. "Jack, it's my life, OK? I don't have to go running to my daddy every time something happens. It's my personal life, and you and my father can just get your nosy asses out of it right now." That hurt. She didn't even look up as she said the words. She didn't care. Why couldn't I get that through my head? I just couldn't understand why she would hate me. Yet I couldn't lose this battle of words, either.
"Audrey, I was your personal life for nearly a year. I was going to—." I cut myself off abruptly; I couldn't have her know what I had been about to do. "Look, Audrey. I'm not going to lie to your father to save your ass. You've done some stupid shit before, and… You can't change that, Audrey. You can't change the past. But you need to talk to him before he comes around asking questions. And believe me, he will. Ms. Heller, you are acting very immature. There are people out there who care about you, who are looking out for your well-being. Maybe you don't know that, but I do." I turned to leave, but her voice stopped me.
"Jack?" Her voice was calm, but there was something cold and calculating about it now. It was something that hadn't been there before. Did she hate me? Did she want to rob me of the chance for a new beginning? I sighed and stopped at the door.
"Yes?" I turned to face her, meeting those gorgeous brown eyes for a moment. I remembered times we had spent, just staring into each other's eyes, talking. I remembered hugging her, comforting her. I remember everything, but it didn't seem to mean anything to her. But she had asked me not to leave. That must have meant something.
Except it didn't. It was just another chance for her to insult me, to degrade me. It probably made her feel powerful. Maybe she felt she was better than me. Well, she was. Audrey Heller never was addicted to Heroin. Audrey Heller never had familial problems. Audrey Heller never watched someone kill the one she loved most in the whole world. But she did watch me torture him. "You have blood on your face."
"You have blood on your kitchen wall." I turned and stalked off, feeling pretty angry. How could she say this to me? Like it didn't matter? Like I didn't feel horrible enough already? Soon after that, I saw Secretary Heller walking towards her office. I went about my business, outwardly calm, but inwardly, I was seething.
I took that afternoon off, and as promised, I went into town to rent an apartment. After that, I took my stuff there, and settled into the place. It was pretty dingy, and I still spent most of my time at work. One day, Heller called me into a meeting, one that I normally wouldn't have been involved in. Audrey was there; she looked gorgeous, as usual. I could see her smiling face, clean and rested. It stuck in my mind, that vision of her with Tony. I knew what they had done, and it pained me. It just hurt that she would not only abandon me so quickly, but also that she would move on without any warning. Or that was the way it seemed to me. I almost whispered her name across the table, but looked down at my papers to prevent that. What about us? It was as if it didn't even matter anymore. But then, why would it? She had slept with Tony. I couldn't believe it. Finally, Heller called the meeting to order, and I had a bit of an opportunity to force my thoughts away from her. Why did she still consume my mind when all of this was over? Why did she still have this, this power over me? Did she know? Did she care? I called my attention back to Secretary Heller.
"Now, as you all know, there is a congressional hearing on terrorist activities and the consequences of basically downsizing CTU." I couldn't believe it. How could they presume to just get rid of one of the main organizations fighting terrorism in America? It would destroy the U.S. It would compromise both the FBI and CIA. Why would they do this? How could they? Did they know what they were getting into? "Okay," Heller continued. "The hearing is going to take place on Wednesday. I want my people in Washington by Monday. And this bill will not go through. Is that understood?"
I watched everyone else nod slowly, forcing myself not to look at Audrey. Finally, I raised my and upon being acknowledged, I spoke up. Audrey didn't seem too pleased that her father wasn't treating me any differently. However, I didn't allow this to distract me. "Why would they dismantle CTU? I mean, without it, there would be…" I paused, thinking of all the people we had brought in over the years. "So many terrorists who got away."
Heller took a deep breath and sighed. "I don't have all the details, but CTU apparently went to extreme measures to extract information from someone, and they went insane." At this point, Audrey interrupted, her voice cold, her gaze focused directly on me.
"You mean, they tortured someone?" She sounded almost falsely horrified, and I tore my eyes from hers, slightly embarrassed. Would she continue to torment me for the rest of my life about this? How could she hate me so much?
"Audrey… Yes, I suppose that is what I mean," He answered, continuing with his explanation. "Well, anyways, they went insane and now their family, who happens to be extremely rich and influential, is suing the government over this. However, CTU is not subject to most of the United States laws, so they're trying to pass a bill that would undermine CTU's authority. Jack, you worked at CTU for nearly seven years. This is why I'm sending you to Washington."
Audrey spoke up before I could register all of this. "Dad…"
"Audrey, right now it's 'Sir.'" Heller corrected.
"Sir… You might want to consider why Jack was fired from CTU in the first place."
That was more than enough. I finally spoke up, but I didn't give my ex-girlfriend the benefit of acknowledging the accusation. "I'll go. I really don't think what they're trying to do is right. As I glanced around at the jealous faces in the conference room, my eyes met hers. There was something there that I missed, and suddenly, I felt incredibly guilty about my words to her earlier. What did she feel? How much had I hurt her? 'I'll go,' I thought. 'It's not like I have anything better to do.'
"Great," The secretary said quietly, beginning to give out instructions. "Audrey, I want you to brief Jack on our policies on the situation, and help him come up with some arguments that will win senators over. I don't want ya'll playing politics. Just make your case. The rest of you, I want you getting Jack information on the case in your folders. CTU transferred their files here this morning. It's on the Delta 3 server. It is important to the survival of this country that this works. Get going. Audrey, Jack, I'd like to speak with you for a moment."
As everyone else filed out of the room, I obediently stayed behind. What could he want to talk to us about? Our relationship? I didn't know now if I would even take her back if she offered, or even if she begged. Still, I couldn't help but glance in her direction as the last of the employees left. Once again, it was Secretary Heller who spoke. "Audrey, Jack, I am sending you both to D. C. I need this to work, and you both have what it takes. And Jack, I'm not sure I trust you on your own."
I laughed softly before exhaling. "I'm glad to get out of town." Well, I was, even if I never wanted to see her again. Audrey scoffed, and I glanced towards her.
"Sir, I wish I could, but there are certain people that I can't work with. I mean… If it was anyone else…"
I piped up once more, much to the anger of Audrey Lynette Heller. Well, it was worth it. "I don't see the problem. I mean, it's just work. It's not like anything is going to happen."
Heller spoke again. "Well Audrey, if you don't want to go, I'll arrange for someone else to go." He picked up a phone that rested on the table and dialed an extension number. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I need you up in the conference room immediately." He hung up. "She said she'd be up in a second." I didn't bother to ask exactly who I would be working with, though I was truly curious. I would have much rather had Audrey wait around with me. I chanced another glance towards her. She looked exasperated, or as if she wanted to murder someone. I was willing to bet that whether or not she went through with this chosen course of action depended on who the Secretary had called up.
Heller was right; we didn't have to wait long. A woman I had only met a few times walked through the door. Of course, I couldn't help but notice that she was gorgeous, and that her shirt was rather low cut… Audrey wouldn't have approved. But that didn't matter anymore, I had to remind myself. She was gorgeous, and I couldn't seem to keep my guilty eyes off of her. She was wearing a fushia silk shirt, very low cut, along with a black skirt of a somewhat respectable length. There was a bow tied in the center of the chest, and two pink ribbons dangled. I knew that if I went on this trip with her, I would come home having slept with her several times.
Not that I would regret that. She was about an inch taller than Audrey, with a slender frame and hips that I wanted to feel. She was tan from the California sun, and her platinum blonde hair hung freely over her shoulders. Intense green eyes met mine, and my heart skipped a beat. I knew it was lust, but I didn't care. I wanted her to take me in.
Heller spoke again. "Jack, this is Brooke Fields. She knows our policies almost as well as Audrey, and I'm going to send her on the trip with you since my daughter refuses to go. Brooke, this is Jack Bauer."
"Oh, this is great," She said enthusiastically, smiling at me. In fact, I had set my eyes on her for a few days before Audrey came onto me. "I can't wait. What do we have to do?"
"Well, I'd like Audrey to brief you both on the situation, and…"
Audrey cut her father off once more. "Look, it's alright. I can deal with it."
"Are you sure?" Audrey nodded and I watched Brooke wink at me before leaving. Why did she have to ruin everything I had going for me? I was angry at her. I had to have my revenge, and I knew what I would have to do to get it. Yes, I knew every one of Audrey's weaknesses. Heller left and I found myself face to face with Audrey for the second time that day. "Jack. You son of a bitch. What the hell were you thinking?"
I answered calmly. "Audrey, I don't have an issue with it, and if you do, than that's your problem. But I'm not going to let someone like you get in the way of my career."
"Someone like me?" She screeched. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that you were horrible to me. Now we have to work together, and I can accept that, but if you're trying to prove something here, maybe you shouldn't be going. Because I don't even care what happens to you anymore." I had told her what I thought, and I didn't care if she beat me up over it. Besides, we were over, and I had forced myself to forget about her. She was dead to me, or at least, the part of her who had loved me.
"Well, it's about time you moved on, Jack, because I don't care about you, either. But you can bet your sorry ass that I'm going to DC." Her words didn't hurt nearly as much as I expected them to. Perhaps I had moved on after all. I met her angry eyes for a moment and pulled my laptop onto the table.
"Good, then we can get started." To tell the truth, that afternoon was the worst of my life. By the end of the day, I wanted nothing more than to never see her face again. I don't know how many times she slapped me, but it only hurt more every time her hand collided with my bloody cheek. What did she want? I walked back to my apartment that night; it was close enough that I didn't need to take a car. The sad part was, it was after 8:30 when I finally left the office, despite the fact that I had to unpack, and then pack again. In fact, Audrey still had most of my stuff. I walked home in the dark, huddling into my dark-green, canvas jacket that I've had since my army days. I hunched over as protection from the wind, and kept my head down. I didn't want to be noticed; my apartment wasn't in the best part of town. Besides, I had quite a bit to think about. Audrey had given me quite a bit to think about.
Thanks to all my lovely reviewers. I hope this chapter was a little more detailed. (Let me know!)
Sara.Chappelle
