Title- Loving Again
Summary: After the events of Day 5, Jack and Audrey begin a new chapter in the book that for so long sat untouched. Memories are made and remembered, lost time is made up and love is renewed.
Special Thanks to AgentRez my beta, without whom this story would have never come to life.

"Audrey may I have a moment please?" asked Bill. Her father had reinstated him after learning about what had happened and him coming out of hiding. Audrey had been released at 11:30am from CTU Medical after Jack had asked the nurse to give her meds to help her sleep for the past 4 hours, thankfully her arm was a good as new. Bill and Karen were both authorized to co-run CTU.

"Yes, of course Bill, but 1st may I ask where Miles is?"

"He is currently in holding room 1 waiting for your father to arrive." he said

"Ok, so what did you want to tell me, I need to debrief and then Jack, and I are going to leave?"" I know that you have been put through hell today Audrey, you of all people should know that as well as Jack and your father as well, hell half the country knows this. On behalf of CTU and D.O.D.I would like to express our apologies for what happened here today."

"Thank you Bill." she responded very touched at what he had said.

"I have something for you and Jack."She looked very quizzically at him. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope that read Hilton Garden Suites on it.

"This is for you and Jack, a gift from all of us, we all think you guys deserve a new start. So forget all of the debriefing crap and go and Audrey, you guys take all the time you need, as of now both of you are on paid leave."

"Thank you so much Bill," she told him with tears in her eyes. She then proceeded to find Jack. As she walked down the hallway she came upon her father walking to holding room 1.

"Hey baby," he smiled. "I thought you would have left by now."

"Yeah I am on my way out Daddy." She told him. "What is going to happen to Miles?"

"I am not sure, the fact he did not believe you, Jack, Bill, or Karen and helped Logan is very hard to comprehend, and he'll be lucky to have a done after I am done with him."

"Ok," she mused looking away from him

"What?"

"It's nothing, Daddy, I just I was so upset when you drove into the lake and I thought I would never see you again and I."

"Shhh, Audrey we can talk later go find Jack, and I guess you and Jack had some quiet time huh?"

Yeah we did"

But I want to talk to you before you go and take this, it is a panic button use it if you need help."

"Okay" and with that said she went to find Jack. She found him talking to Chloe and as she walked up to him he looked up.

"Hey Audrey, Chloe I'll be in touch."

"Have a good night you to" she told them.

"You too." Jack said.

"So, um, come on back here."

Jack lead her down a hallway and into a part of CTU Audrey had never seen.

" Jack why are you not in custody?

"Because Logan's last act has to call the Chinese and tell them that he ordered me to attack them."

"Oh Jack, wow!" she suddenly looked sad.

"What is it baby?"

"Its nothing, Jack." She lied

"Audrey Elizabeth Rains it is not nothing, sweetheart."

"I, I don't want you to leave Jack, you told me you were unsure." She had tears in her eyes. Jack looked at her and wiped the tears away.

"I'm sorry I'm so sorry baby, I never will leave you I promise. What I told you earlier was true. I never stopped loving you."

"I know Jack," she said. "I thought that you would have stopped by to see me and then left, instead you spent the entire time with me why?"

"Three words Audrey, I love you."

"And I love you, thank you for being with me when I was in medical it really meant a lot to me, and I hope you never have to leave me again, but if you do I go with you ok?"

At this point Jack made a crucial decision, earlier that day he had every intention of leaving again, but Audrey had changed him, She still loved him after all this time.

" Ok, and I would not dream of leaving you now, today and all of the last 18 months and all the time we spent together before any of this, I loved you." Jack gradually pulled Audrey into a kiss. The kiss was light, but it soon began to get deeper as Audrey opened her lips to let him in. Jack pulled her in close to him his hands around her waist as she tangled her fingers in his hair. Just then Myles and Burke walked in and Myles drew his gun.

"Jack do not move or the bitch gets it," He sneered at the look of horror on Audrey's face.

Jack pulled Audrey into him whispering.

"My gun is on my side grab it."

She did and Jack drew it on Myles and Burke.

"DROP THE GUN OR I'LL KILL YOU BOTH." Jack yelled.

Audrey thought rapidly what could she do she pushed the button from her bag and then a few moments later shots were fired and the last thing Audrey felt was Jack pulling her to the floor. Jack had shot Myles and Burke in the leg and they were both in severe pain.

"Audrey?" he asked. "AUDREY!"

"I tried to kill the bitch Jack, she is dead." Myles yelled

"Jack," Audrey murmured softly.

"Oh no," he gasped. "You were hit, come on I'll take you to medical. Jack slowly began to help her up when Audrey's Father came running into the lounge.

"What happened?" her father asked.

"Audrey was grazed by the bullet, nothing serious, when Myles shot at her, I need you to get a med team here now." As he hurried away Jack knelt down by Audrey,

"Hey just hang on baby just hang on ok."

She nodded and began to close her eyes

"No baby, keep them open, ok look at me and only me ok?"

Again she nodded this time keeping her eyes on him. Jack grabbed her hand and held it tight.

"Baby, do you remember the last night in the hotel that we spent together?"

"Yes," she rasped out.

"I want you to think of that night, because when we get out of here, I am taking you out for the anniversary dinner we never had and we are going to walk the beaches and do so much more."

I am going to find the perfect spot and we are going to start over and I am going to ask you to marry me that's what I am going to do. He thought to himself.

She nodded, and then briefly blinked remembering that night so long ago. She could see Jack and her in the hotel room, her in a spaghetti strap midnight blue nightgown with her hair curly and full and him in a white t-shirt and pair of flannel pj pants and that goofy grin, cuddled on the king size bed in the room, laughing and kissing and snuggling. She tried to laugh

"What?" Jack asked her.

Just them her father came back with medical and they helped her onto the gurney and whisked her off to medical.

"Jack, go, I really want to stay but I have to go call my cell when they are done."

"I will sir," he said.

"It's James Jack," he yelled over his shoulder as he raced to meet the agents who would take him to see the new president.

Jack hurried down the corridor to medical as fast as he could. On his way down Bill stopped him.

"What happened?" Bill asked looking flustered, "I just talked to her and now she is being rushed to medical what the hell is going on here?"

"Burke and Miles came in to get their stuff after being fired by Secretary Heller and Miles drew his gun and tried to kill Audrey, Bill she is hurt and I need to be there come with me if you want but I need to be there."

"Hang on I am going with you." And with that the two men began to run down the halls to medical

"Jack, Mr. Buchanan, Audrey is fine she will be put under anesthesia and should wake up in about an hour after finish the surgery."

"How bad is it?"

" Not bad, some muscle tissue was torn that is why she will be under, but other than that she is fine, you can see her if you want before we start."

"Yes, Thank you." Jack responded moving toward the doors and pushing them open. There he found Audrey lying down with an IV and oxygen.

"Hey you, do not try and talk, ok. You are going to be fine, I love you my Audrey and always will ok?"

She nodded. Jack grasped her hand and kissed it.

"While you're in surgery, I am going to call LA Memorial, I want you there because they have suites and it will be better ok?" Again Audrey nodded.

Jack kissed her cheek and left.

"Thank you," he said to the doctor "It meant a lot to know that she is ok."

"Sure, I will talk to you later,"

Jack and Bill slowly walked back to his office.

"Bill, can you get a suite over at LAM secured for Audrey please?"

"Sure, Jack, why don't you go and pack yours and Audrey things and I'll arrange everything."

Jack left Bill's office and went to Audrey's workstation. He began to gather her bags, and then he took them to the back conference room. After he did that he grabbed his own gear and 2 spare laptops from the computer room. He went back to the conference room and brings to look through Audrey's things. What he found was a binder labeled "Our Book of Memories" on the cover was a picture of the 2 of them taken by her friends at a dinner party. Inside were notebooks, CD-ROMS and bunches of photos. Jack Bauer began to cry as he looked through the book. She must have done this before and after I went missing. He thought. She will never be alone again.

He flipped to the last page in the binder in which was inscribed in Audrey beautiful script the words

My dearest Jack,

I know that you will never get this but I need something to write and here goes. I wish that I could take back all I said to you. I hate myself knowing that the last words I told you were that I hated you. I LOVED YOU JACK BAUER, with everything I was and still am. My love for you will always stay strong. I wish that everything could be undone, that we were different, I love you Jack Bauer, and had you at the end of the day asked me to continue our relationship I would have, GOD JACK I MISS YOU. I wish that we could have gone farther, my wish was and still is that we could have dated, you could have proposed, I would have said yes, we would have gotten married and been happy. After today I realized who you really were and I accepted you for that, no longer do I want you to leave CTU. God, I am writing this to you like you are still alive. My father once said that live is full of could's and would's, I guess I have learned that today, I miss you so much Jack you have no idea. Tonight will be the hardest of all nights knowing that you and I were supposed to be here in this hotel room. This I hope this not goodbye Jack, but in many ways it is.
Goodbye Jack,
My love forever will stand
Audrey Heller-Rains

He continued to look through the binder; he was astounded at the number of photos of him. He quickly turned on the computer and slipped one of the disks inside of it. When it began to play, Jack's heart began to break. Audrey must have had her friends taping the dinner party because all the footage was of them kissing, laughing and having fun. She had been so happy and now she was, but according to her father, until Jack had come back, the happiness had been gone from her eyes. Just them his cell phone rang and he jumped looking at the clock already an hour had passed.

"Bauer?" he said slipping into agent mode again.

"Mr. Bauer this is Doctor Melondi, Audrey is fine and we will move her in about 5 min time."

"Thank you doctor where will the ambulance be?

"The back doors into medical, Bill already called with everything and Audrey will remain under anesthesia until will get her to LAM."

"Thank you I'll be in the Black SVU with the license plates G56HYL" and with that Jack grabbed all off the stuff and headed to the suv. As Jack headed out to the car whipping out his cell he called Bill.

"Hello."

"Hey, Bill its Jack can you give me the number to Audrey's suite please?'

"Yeah, Sure Jack, it is 538 in the new wing, and the hotel knows that you will not be coming tonight and they will hold the room."

"Thanks so much Bill," Jack said really meaning this, Bill did not have to do anything for him and yet he had done so much.

"Jack how about I take the suv and you can ride with Audrey?"

"Thanks Bill, I just put everything away, it is in row 3 number 6 with the plates G56HYL."

"Ok see you at LAM." Bill hung up the phone and went to kind Karen.

"Karen, a word please," Bill said poking his head into holding room 1 were miles was being treated. Burke was in holding room 2. Karen and Bill had both decided that if they were in medical they might try something so having them in holding was the best idea.

"Sure Bill." She responded quickly walking out of the room and shutting the door behind her. "How is Audrey?"

"She is doing well, Jack got her a room at LAM so they are moving her now and I offered to take their car over the LAM so jack could ride will her and I was wondering if you could cover for me?"

"Sure no problem, Bill. After all that has happened I am sure you are hungry so how about after you get her come back with the medical team and you and I will go out for lunch."

"Sounds great Karen." He said turning around and heading out toward the exit. At the opposite end of CTU in Medical Jack was waiting as they moved her into the vehicle.

"Jack"

"Yes"

"We are going to head to LAM now if you would like to be with her?"

"Yes thank you." He said and climbed into the back, he sat down and lightly kissed her forehead.

45 Minutes later about 1:30pm

Audrey has been moved into a suite complete with bathroom, couch, table and chairs, TV and state of the art medical equipment. Audrey moved and began to flutter her eyelids as she opened them she saw Jack talking on his cell. Jack looked at her and stopped mid sentence.

"……... Jack are you there?"

"Sorry Bill, Audrey's just woken up call you later." He rushed and flipped the phone shut grabbing Audrey's hand in the process.

"Jack?" she whispered.

"Hey Audie, how are you feeling?"

"Ok I guess, were am I?"

"LAM, remember I told you I was going to get you a suite and I did."

" Jack you did not have to." She said a small grin spreading across her face.

"Yeah, well I did." He said, smiling with that goofy grin of his.

"Hold me?" she asked him.

"Sure, baby." He climbed on the bed and being careful of her arm and IV he pulled her into his arms.

"So are you okay?" she asked him. "I mean you can't be okay but are you ok?"

"Yeah, we did it baby, its over, we saved the world, and I am with you so yes I am okay."

"Yeah, its over, it really is over isn't it?"

"Yeah, right now all that matters is you Audrey, that's all that matters." He said gently brushing her face with a kiss. She looked up at him and for the first time she was really smiling truly smiling, not just her yeah I am good smile but HER smile, the one she only gave two people Jack and her father.

"So, when do I get to get out of here?"

"In about three days," Jack and Audrey jumped "Hello I am doctor Jonathan Perston, everyone calls me Doctor John and you must be Audrey and Jack, if I am correct?"

"Yes, I hope you do not mind me holding her?"

"Of course not and if you need anything let me know." And he turned around and left them alone once again.

Audrey yawned, Jack noticing this pulled her in closer

"Audrey sleep ok, I've got you." He whispered. "Just sleep I am not going anywhere."

Audrey nuzzled into him and closed her eyes and within 5 minutes was sound asleep. Jack looked down at her and seeing that she was asleep pulled out his cell. He dialed a number and waited for a pick-up.

"Hello, LA Floral?"

"Hello can I get 2 dozen roses of all different colors, but not black?"

"Sure, name, place of delivery and credit card number."

"Jack Bauer B-A-U-E-R, LA Memorial Hospital suite number 538, 8-52169-55596329 (this number was odd because it was a card issued only to CTU employees).

"Ok they will be there by?"

"Oh, yes of course around 7:30pm?"

"Sure."

"Thank you." Said Jack closing the phone and settling down and closing his eyes. Sooner than he expected he drifted off for the first time in about 30 hours.