Hi and thanks again for the reviews. I'm really pleased with the response. Here's part 3. Now it's Jack's turn.

The Debriefing

Day 5: 11:28am

Part III: Jack

All eyes were on Jack Bauer as he walked into CTU. He knew that it was a natural reaction; it wasn't every day that a dead man strolled through the building. The last time he had that many eyes on him as he walked through the bullpen was the night that Teri was murdered. That time the eyes were filled with sadness and some tears and Jack had been in shock and far too grief stricken to notice or concern himself with the stares. This time was different. The eyes were filled with utter amazement and it made him self conscious.

Jack made his way through all of the stares, stopped to talk to Chloe for a moment and finally was led into a conference room where he met Lynn McGill. He knew that he shouldn't pass judgment so quickly, but McGill reminded him of virtually every stuffed shirt that they ever sent over from Division. He was less condescending than Ryan Chappelle but far more solicitous and Jack found that, in a way, even more annoying. McGill did tell him that he was no longer a suspect in David Palmer's assassination and gave him a low level security clearance, but he still didn't like or trust him completely.

McGill left and Jack was alone with Bill Buchanan. Jack was happy to see that Bill was now the Special Agent in Charge at CTU. He had only worked with Buchanan for a short time prior to his disappearance, but in that time he had grown to respect him. He had a quick, analytical mind and he knew the regulations by heart, but he wasn't afraid to break them or at least bend them sharply when necessary. And, despite all that had happened to him because of CTU, deep down Jack still loved the place and the work that went on there. He was glad to see it in Buchanan's capable hands. He suspected though that Buchanan and McGill were probably butting heads. Their styles were too disparate for them to work well together.

The two exchanged brief conversation before Bill took a short breath and dropped the bombshell on Jack. "Jack, Audrey's been working for us," he said.

"Audrey's here, in the building?" Jack responded. He squinted as if not understanding the simple statement that Bill had just made. "Where is she?"

"She's debriefing Diane Huxley."

"Why is she talking to Diane?"

"Because Lynn asked her to," Bill replied simply with a slight shrug. He felt like it was a lame answer, but it was the truth and the best he could do at the moment.

Jack wondered what else could possibly happen today. Right now his current and former girlfriends were in the same room together. Diane was at a distinct disadvantage and that bothered Jack. First of all, Audrey was on her own territory. Nothing in Diane's background could have prepared her for today or for CTU. Secondly, Diane knew nothing of his relationship with Audrey, while Audrey was pretty likely to put two and two together and realize that Diane was more to him than just his landlady. He hated that Audrey would have the upper hand. He doubted that she would use it to her advantage; that wasn't her style, but he still didn't like seeing Diane put in that situation.

When Jack thought about Audrey and Diane, he couldn't imagine two more opposite people. Audrey came from old money and all of the trappings that went with it: the education and the manners and the way of dressing and speaking. She was single-mindedly focused on her career. Each position that she took was a stepping stone to the next. Diane, on the other hand, had been living from hand to mouth for her entire life. Her parents had lived that way and she had not been able to break the cycle. Pregnant by the time she graduated from high school, she was intelligent but never had the chance to get an education or rise above the only way of life she had ever known.

Jack's relationship with the two women was yet another study in contrast. His relationship with Audrey was hot and intense and physical. When he first started working for Jim Heller, Audrey was still living with her husband, although if the office rumor mill was to be believed, Audrey and Paul were "having problems."

Jack generally tried to stay out of the office gossip, having been the subject of it more than once at CTU, but the spy in him was not averse to taking in whatever was said within his earshot. Audrey and Paul, whom Jack hadn't met at the time, were apparently cut from similar molds, or so the coffee pot talk said. They were both rich kids who were Ivy League educated. They came out of graduate school with goals to reach the pinnacles of their chosen professions and planned to let nothing stop them. Paul and Audrey loved each other, but marriage was more of a convenience than anything else. They made a beautiful couple at cocktail parties and each liked having the other at such events. They were both workaholics who could be in their office by 7 o'clock in the morning and still there at 10 o'clock that night. They saw little of each other and both traveled extensively for their jobs. Eight years of it had taken a toll on both of them. Paul's businesses were becoming more and more successful and he wanted to settle down and play the part of company CEO and president with a wife who was home to host dinner parties and jet around the world with him. And he made it clear that that was what he expected Audrey to do. Audrey had just taken on the role as Senior Policy Analyst for her father and being the good wife who spent her day trying to decide between watercress and cucumber sandwiches for the next client luncheon that Paul had planned was simply not her cup of tea and she had no intention of doing it. She was far more interested in traveling around the country and the world with her father to promote US defense policy. Her office was adorned with pictures of herself on the deck of a carrier surrounded by Navy pilots or in Germany with that country's senior defense officers, in London with the Prime Minister of England.

Little by little the marriage drifted and the two distanced themselves until one Monday morning about three months after Jack started working for the Secretary of Defense when he heard that Audrey had separated from her husband. He noted when they sat together in a meeting later that day, that she no longer sported a wedding ring or the huge diamond engagement ring that she had always worn. Audrey's separation didn't change Jack's relationship with her. The worked well together but that was it. At the end of every very long day, the two said good night to each other as they did to their co-workers and went their separate ways.

It was about 9:30 one Friday evening when Audrey walked past Jack's office door. Everyone else had gone home by then and the two of them were alone in the office suite.

"It's late Jack," Audrey told him. "Time to go home." She had her bag over her shoulder and her keys in her hand.

Jack looked up and smiled at her. Although they were co-workers, her good looks and kind personality hadn't been lost on him. "I'll be leaving in a few minutes," he said as he surveyed her fine, straight nose and her high cheek bones. "Have a good weekend. I'll see you Monday."

Audrey returned the smile and waved good night as she continued out to the parking garage. Jack looked at his watch and sighed. Audrey was right. It was late and it was time to go home. He had a few more things to work on, but he could do that at home over the weekend.

Jack was on his way to the far end of the garage where his car sat all alone, when he caught sight of Audrey's car still sitting near the elevator. She tried repeatedly to turn the engine over but the battery was clearly dead. He watched her as she let her head thump back onto the headrest quite obviously exasperated that she had to deal with this late on a Friday evening when all she really wanted to do was to go home. Jack called her name and rapped lightly on the driver's side window knowing that he was going to startle her and not really wanting to.

As expected Audrey jumped as his knuckles hit the glass but smiled when she saw Jack's face. She opened the door and stepped out. "Dead battery," she said stating the obvious. "I guess I have to call my auto club."

"Listen, why don't you just leave the car here and deal with it in the morning. I can take you home," Jack offered.

"That's too much trouble. I don't live anywhere near you, but thanks for the offer," Audrey declined.

"Audrey, this is silly. It's Friday night. You're going to wait a couple of hours for a tow. Don't worry about the distance. Let me take you home and then you can have someone look at the car in the morning." He could see her taking his offer seriously. It was late and the parking garage was creepy at this time of night. Waiting for the tow truck and then for a cab to finally take her home didn't seem like much fun.

"Thanks, Jack. I'd really appreciate it," Audrey said finally accepting his offer. She grabbed her bag and locked the car, then followed Jack toward his car. "Did you have any dinner?"

"No. How about you?"

"Nothing. I'm starved. There's a nice diner near my house, kind of a retro place. They make great breakfast food. Why don't we stop there? My treat."

Jack started to shake his head and say "no", but Audrey interrupted. "It's my way of thanking you for driving all the way out to Georgetown when I know all you want is to go home."

Jack smiled. "Okay. Deal."

They got into the car and Jack pulled out of the garage and onto the street. The two chatted quietly about the day's events and other work related issues and in a half hour Jack pulled into the parking lot of the diner that Audrey had directed him to. Once inside, work conversation ceased. Much of what they did was classified and they knew better than to talk about it in public. They both knew that work was the only thing they had in common and any remaining conversation was likely to be stiff and awkward.

A hostess, dressed in typical 1950s diner uniform to match the retro theme of the restaurant, led them to a booth near the window and handed them menus. With little to say to each other, they both busied themselves by pretending to be overly interested in the menu.

"So, what's good?" Jack asked.

"The omelets are great, so are the pancakes," Audrey answered as if she was writing a review of the place for the Washington Post.

They continued to mull over the menu and chatted for a moment with the waitress. They gave her their orders and she brought them both coffee. It wasn't until the food arrived that Jack and Audrey started to feel a little more comfortable. The conversation was superficial at first. Audrey asked Jack about where he grew up and went to school and he did the same. By the end of the meal they were laughing and joking about co-workers idiosyncrasies and dysfunctional families.

Neither of them noticed the time as they drank coffee and topped of the late night breakfast with fresh peach pie. The diner, which was largely deserted when they arrived, was beginning to fill up with the revelers who had stayed for "last call" at the Georgetown bars.

Jack looked at his watch. "It's 2:30. I think I better take you home," he said as the decibel level in the diner began to rise.

"Two-thirty!" Audrey exclaimed looking at her own watch. "I had no idea. I hope you don't have to be anywhere tomorrow morning. You still have a long drive home."

"Don't worry about it. I can sleep in," he said as he held the door open for her and they exited the diner into the humid Washington night.

Audrey's brownstone was less than a mile away but despite its nearness to the restaurants and bars, it was set on a side street rather off the beaten path. She gave Jack directions: a left at the bottom of the hill, then another left at the first stop sign, two more blocks, a right and her house was the third one on the left.

"Thanks so much for the ride, Jack. I really appreciate it," she told him as he helped her out of the car.

"Thanks for dinner," he said with a smile. "I had a good time."

Jack walked Audrey to the door and waited while she opened it and stepped into the foyer. He was about to say good night and that he would see her Monday when Audrey put her hand on his arm.

"Ah, I don't want this to sound forward, but would you like to come in for a nightcap?"

Jack thought for a moment. That was a loaded question and he knew it. It was late and they were both tired. They were also both lonely. The subject had come up in no-so-many-words during their dinner conversation. As much as Audrey was tired of fighting with Paul, she also hated being alone. Jack admitted that he missed his daughter and his friends and all that was familiar to him in Los Angeles. He needed to start over and he knew it but in the last few months he had felt very alone.

Jack looked down for a moment before bringing his eyes up to meet Audrey's. "If I come in for nightcap, there's a distinct possibility that it won't end with the drink," he stated matter of factly.

"I know," Audrey whispered in return.

"Is that a bridge that you want to cross?"

"Would it be so bad if we did?"

"It would change everything."

"I know. I'm prepared for that."

Jack stood on the porch looking at Audrey, pondering the possibilities. The thought of going home to an empty apartment and an empty bed for what seemed like the millionth night in a row was less than appealing. In fact, it was down right depressing. Despite that, his brain was telling him to get the hell out. He had slept with a coworker before and he knew how hard it was to separate the personal from the professional selves. In this case it was far worse: the coworker in question was the boss' daughter. Parts far south of his brain were telling him now nice it would be to find themselves cavorting with opposing parts of the beautiful creature standing before him. He hadn't been with a woman since he had had sex with Claudia in Mexico nearly a year earlier. It was a mindless affair but it had been exciting. Had Hector found out he would have killed them both. The risk of the illicit union was exciting and Jack had been turned on beyond belief. Thinking back, he was pretty sure that he enjoyed the risk and excitement far more than he really cared for the girl.

Jack said nothing as he took a tentative step into Audrey's house and slowly closed the door behind him. The previously offered drink was instantly forgotten as the two moved closer together. Jack reached out nervously and touched Audrey's face. He pushed a few stray strands of hair behind her ear and then leaned in for a kiss. Audrey's lips were parted and without another thought, Jack pushed his tongue into her mouth.

Audrey groaned as she played with his tongue; sucking on it and leaving him to wonder what it would feel like to have her do that to other parts of his body. As hard as he tried, Jack couldn't remember what happened next. All he knew was that Audrey wasn't shy. By the time they reached the stairs that led to her bedroom, they were both naked from the waist up. Jack could see his jacket and shirt lying on the floor, but for the life of him didn't know how they had gotten there. They stood at the foot of the stairs kissing wildly. Jack was dizzy with excitement and so aroused that he didn't know if he could make it all the way upstairs and into Audrey's bed without deeply trapped bodily fluids exploding from tight confines and making a forceful exit.

He may have forgotten how they got to the stairs, but he would never forget what happened next. Never the shy, retiring virgin, Audrey reached for Jack's belt buckle and began to open it. Less than a minute later, his pants and boxer shorts were around his knees, Audrey was sitting on the steps and he was in her mouth. Jack's knees nearly buckled and he grasped the wall on his left and the stair rail on his right for support.

"Audrey, I can't hold out," he gasped. Audrey increased the speed and pressure. Sweat beaded up along his forehead and upper lip. "God…it's so good," he panted. It had been so long since he had felt the sensation that he knew that he would succumb way too soon but there was no way to prevent it.

Jack nearly collapsed on top of Audrey as he gathered her into his arms and began kissing her. She pushed herself up a couple of steps effectively leaving his face at the level of her breasts. Jack attacked them with a fury, kissing and fondling and sucking as if starving for the taste of her skin.

A few minutes passed before Audrey once again pushed herself up a couple more steps. Again Jack was a foot-and-a-half below her and her desires quite evident to him. Her skirt was now around her waist. Jack left it where it was and pulled down her stockings and panties. She lay back on the stairs while Jack returned her of a few minutes earlier. Now she was the one gasping and panting and begging him for more.

At some point they pulled themselves from the stairs and into her bed where Audrey took Jack on a guided tour of her body. Like any good tour guide, she showed him all of the hot spots. Once that was accomplished, she initiated her own self-guided tour of his body to seek out his hot spots and try them out for herself.

Jack had never been with a woman who was so in control before. She was in charge of their lovemaking and he knew better than to challenge her. Frankly, he had no reason to challenge her. He loved what she was doing. He had never been this excited before or had as many orgasms in a single night. Audrey took him to a level of excitement that he had never known existed. He was perfectly satisfied to have Audrey be in charge and by the next day at noon, the two were finally asleep in an exhausted heap lying the wrong way across the bed.

The rest of their relationship was basically more of the same. Audrey wanted to keep it from her father so they rarely went out, nor did they acknowledge each other any more than necessary at work. The secrecy of the affair made it exciting for a while, but Jack eventually grew tired of parking blocks from her house and limiting their outings to an occasional movie in an out of the way theater where they would be unlikely to meet anyone that they knew.

On the other hand, the sex was great. It was easily the best sex he had ever had in his life. When they weren't having sex, they enjoyed each other's company. They liked the same books and movies. Audrey wasn't much of a sports fan, but she would watch a little baseball or football with Jack. All in all, he was enjoying himself and it felt as much like love as any other relationship he had ever been in.

Even now as he thought back, he had to suppress the stirring that memories of Audrey evoked. He wanted to see her, to touch her again. But the relationship had ended and it had ended badly. She hated him for who he really was and for the decisions he had to make. That hurt more than he would have ever imagined but deep down he was sure he still loved her.

Jack's relationship with Diane was so diametrically opposed to that with Audrey that he couldn't name a single similarity. Instead of carrying on a furtive, highly sexual affair, he and Diane had a warm, slowly smoldering love for one another. It wasn't as exciting as his affair with Audrey, but, he had to admit, it was far more comfortable. They had never made love, but they weren't sneaking around either. They shared meals and quiet time together just talking. When they walked down the street together, their hands were entwined. When they went to Derek's recreation league baseball games, they sat on the bleachers together and shared popcorn. In truth, Jack knew more about Diane, how she felt and what she thought, than he had ever known about Audrey.

Thoughts of Diane brought stirrings similar to those that occurred when he thought of Audrey. The difference was that he didn't have to imagine what it was like to be with Audrey. He had first hand knowledge of that. With Diane, he got to imagine and idealize. He imagined how soft and warm her body would be against a set of satin sheets. He knew that she had never slept on satin sheets in her life and he wanted to do that for her more than anything in the world. He imagined holding her and caressing her and showing her what it was like to really be loved. Their discussions regarding her ex-husband and previous lovers, although not specific, had given him the impression that they were interested only in their own satisfaction and had no idea how to treat a woman.

Jack squeezed his eyes shut, trying to put thoughts of both women out of his mind. He loved them both but in different ways. He wasn't sure that he loved one more than the other. But what he did know, was that he would not get to be with either of them. Yes, he had come out of hiding today. He had done that to find the man who killed David Palmer. That mission was accomplished. Now he wanted to clear his own name. Once that was complete, he was destined to return to the shadowy life that he had been living for the past 18 months. He would assume someone else's identity and move on. Where would he go? Maybe east this time. He liked the east coast when he lived in Washington DC, but thought he would go further north, like Massachusetts or Rhode Island. The idea of working on a fishing boat had crossed his mind more than once. That would keep him out at sea for months at a time and make him even more invisible than he had been when he was bumming around Chicago or working on the oil rig. He was hoping that he could enlist Bill's help getting an identity and transportation but given the fact that everyone who had helped him in the past had been targeted and some were now dead, he would make sure that Bill understood that he was free to decline and there would be no hard feelings. Jack Bauer had made his way in life in the past and could do so again. But before any of that could happen, Jack had the painful task of saying goodbye to both of his loves.

Although this completes the perspectives of the debriefing by the three principals, it felt very incomplete to me to let the story end here. I have outlined an epilogue to the story that takes place the next day. As it stands now, each character will have a chapter in the epilogue, however since it's not written yet, I'm not sure if that will play out exactly the way I am seeing it right now. Hope you'll stay with me for the continuation.