A/N: Thanks to everyone who's still reading. I really appreciate the reviews I've gotten. They definitely make me want to write faster. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Audrey woke up the next morning to the sound of her phone ringing. It was Paul. She ignored the call and rolled over. The sun was gleaming into the window so she knew that it must be pretty late in the morning. But, she hadn't slept well. She cried for hours after Jack left and kept tossing and turning trying to figure out how to fix things. She hadn't fallen asleep until really late and had no motivation to get up. Her phone rang again and she ignored the call for a second time. When it rang again she figured it could be an emergency.

"Hi Paul," Audrey answered with no enthusiasm.

"Good morning, beautiful. I was starting to worry about you. You're usually here by eight but it's almost eleven."

"Sorry," Audrey said, throwing the covers off of her and rummaging through her clothes to find something to wear. "I'll be there soon."

Paul hung up the phone and was disappointed. He figured Audrey was late due to spending an eventful evening with Jack. He had been so sure that he could convince Jack to leave her. Now he prayed that Jack hadn't told Audrey about their conversation. He tried to think of how he would calm her down and tell her how it was a misunderstanding.

When Audrey walked into the room Paul realized he had been wrong. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. He tried to contain his excitement. Jack had ended things.

"Are you okay?" Paul asked. "You look like you've been crying."

"I'm fine," Audrey said, trying to put on a happy face. "What do you want to do today?"

"I was thinking we could watch a movie," Paul said. "I'll even let you pick it out."

"You hate my movie choices. You say they're too sappy."

"They are. But, you do so much for me so I'm willing to watch whatever will make you happy," Paul answered.

Audrey smiled at him. But, the last thing she wanted to watch was a romantic movie after a break up. She put on an action movie that she knew Paul would enjoy. She wouldn't be paying attention anyway. Her thoughts were on Jack.

She didn't understand how he had gone from loving her to not caring about her at all over the course of a few days. She thought back to the beginning of their relationship. They had agreed that they would stay friends if things didn't work out in the future. Audrey was sure that they would be able to. It was also a necessity since they worked together. But now she felt heartbroken and unwanted. She didn't know how she would ever face him again. She couldn't help but think of how unfazed Jack seemed while breaking up with her. As if it were just business. Audrey felt embarrassed for caring so much when he clearly didn't. She knew that she had made mistakes but Jack had decided to leave her before even attempting to fix things. She was shocked that for once she saw a quality in Paul that she didn't in Jack. Paul at least tried to fix their marriage, even after finding out that she was in love with Jack.

She looked over at Paul who was focused on the movie. She reached out and grabbed his hand, silently thanking him for actually caring about her. Paul was surprised but smiled at her and squeezed her hand. Paul felt confident that she was going to come back to him.

Jack got home and started packing. Although Jack was basically living with Audrey, he had still kept his own apartment. Every time they would go on business trips, Heller would have his car pick up Jack and Audrey or drop them off when they got home. So he had kept the apartment for appearances. He was glad that he had now so that he didn't have to spend the night in his and Audrey's apartment. He grabbed what he would need for the next few days and then left the rest that he could come back for later.

Jack felt terrible. He wanted to call her to see if she was okay. But, the last thing he wanted to do was confuse her more than he already had. He drove to his apartment and unpacked. Jack went to the fridge hoping that he still had beer in it but, of course, it was empty. His cell phone rang and he jumped at the chance to answer it, hoping it was Audrey. It wasn't Audrey; it was Brian.

"Hey, are you coming?" Brian asked, referring to the fact that the whole group had plans to meet at the bar tonight.

"I would have thought your wife would have uninvited me by now," Jack admitted. Olivia was Audrey's best friend and she would not be happy that Jack broke up with her.

"Why's that?" Brian asked.

"You didn't hear about me and Audrey?"

"No. What happened?" Brian asked.

"We broke up."

"Shit," Brian said, clearly shocked by the news. "Sorry, man. Now get over here. You need a beer."

Jack agreed that he would go. He still wasn't sure why they would want him to go if he and Audrey weren't together anymore. But, he went to the bar and ordered a beer then headed towards their table. Jess stood up as Jack approached.

"Jack!" Jess said, throwing her arms around him in a hug. Jack could smell the alcohol on her. "It's okay. You are way too good for Audrey."

"Jess, let him go," Olivia said, which Jack appreciated. Jess let him go and they both sat down at the table.

"Are you going to tell us what happened? Or do we have to guess?" Pete asked. "My bet is that she went back to Paul, right?"

Everyone was staring at Jack, waiting for an answer. "She might. I don't know."

"So that's not why she broke up with you?" Brian asked.

"Actually, I broke up with her," Jack admitted. Everyone gasped in surprise.

"Why would you do that?" Olivia asked, getting angry. "Go call her and take it back."

"Liv, I'm sure he has his reasons," Brian argued.

"Well they are stupid reasons," Olivia said.

"You haven't even let him tell you what they are," Brian countered. "Jack?"

"She wanted to be with Paul. She just couldn't admit it," Jack said. Brian, Jess, and Pete seemed to accept his answer but Olivia looked like she was going to explode.

"Is that what she said?" Olivia asked.

"She didn't have to say it," Jack answered.

"So you broke up with her because you think she wants to be with Paul but you have no proof that she actually wants to be with him? Because I know her and I know she wants to be with you."

"Things are different now. Paul was shot and Audrey's feelings for him resurfaced."

"So you're just going to give up on her? You should be fighting to keep her! You giving up on her is exactly what will push her back to Paul," Olivia yelled, standing up. Her face was red with anger. "I need to go."

She got up from the table and left the bar. Everyone was quiet for a minute, trying to process everything that happened.

"Wow," Brian said, breaking the silence. "I haven't seen her that mad in a long time. For what it's worth, Jack, I think you showed Audrey that you were the right guy for her enough. If she still wasn't sure about her feelings for you versus her feelings for Paul then I think you made the right choice. Just don't tell Olivia I said that."

"Agreed," Pete said. "Like we said, Audrey and Paul always end up back together. Better to get out of that mess now."

"Yeah, she couldn't see what was right in front of her. She doesn't deserve you," Jess slurred.

"Thanks," Jack said. He still felt terrible but was grateful that his friends, except Olivia, had his back. He certainly hadn't expected it since they really were closer to Audrey. He had decided that telling them about his conversation with Paul was too risky. They were likely to tell Audrey which would essentially ruin everything. She would hate both him and Paul. The rest of the night the group avoided talking about her, which Jack appreciated since he really didn't want to think about her.

"Please, Paul, I could really help," Audrey pleaded.

"No way. You are not coming into the training room," Paul insisted. Paul's doctors had started him on an intense physical therapy session twice a day to build up the muscles in his legs again and eventually work on walking. Paul was able to feel his legs again and could move them, although it took significant focus and effort to do so. Audrey wanted to help however she could and wanted to go to the physical therapy sessions with him.

"Why not?"

"It's embarrassing. I don't want you to see me like that."

"Paul, I want to help. I'm not going to see you any differently."

"Look, Audrey, I really want to do it alone. Please," Paul begged.

"Okay," Audrey agreed. The past few days with Paul had been nice. She had talked to her father about working remotely from her laptop. She was avoiding thinking about Jack by staying busy. During the day she could keep her mind busy but at night, when she would return to the hotel, she would go crazy thinking about him. She was so distracted that she couldn't eat or sleep. She had spent one night in the hospital in the chair next to Paul's bedside to avoid having to be alone. She was also ignoring calls from her friends, especially Olivia, who she figured had found out about their break up and wanted to talk. Audrey did not want to talk about it.

Audrey found herself truly enjoying the time she was spending with Paul. It was feeling like old times. They hadn't been fighting and she found Paul to be extremely comforting over the past few days. He was complimenting her and was willing to do what she wanted to do each day. Of course, Audrey didn't realize that Paul was doing this since he knew that Jack had broken up with her. He knew she was particularly vulnerable right now and that arguing would just push her away. He wanted her to feel comforted and loved. It was the perfect time to win her back.

Jack was focused on his work and hadn't looked up from the piles of paper on his desk since he started the day. He liked that he was so busy. He didn't have to think about Audrey when he was busy. He finally looked up when there was a knock on his door. Jess was standing in the doorway.

"You didn't eat today, did you?" she asked. Jack looked at the clock. It was two o'clock and he hadn't even thought about lunch.

"I've been busy. I guess I forgot."

"Well, come on, we're going to lunch," Jess insisted. Jack followed her out expecting that the rest of their group would meet them. They stopped at a cafe that they occasionally got lunch at and Jess sat them at a table for two.

"Aren't the others coming?" Jack asked.

"No, Pete ate earlier today and Olivia and Brian are at some parent's day for their daughter's school."

"Oh," Jack said, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the thought of being here with only Jess. The two of them never spent time together unless it was in the group.

"Don't look so disappointed," Jess said, noticing that he seemed uncomfortable. "I'm just as fun as the rest of them."

Jack tried to relax and tell himself that there was nothing strange about Jess and him eating together without the others. Technically, they were friends and friends eat lunch together. They made small talk while they ate and started walking back to the office.

"Are you doing anything this weekend?" Jess asked, casually as they walked.

"Probably just going to focus on work," Jack admitted. "What about you?"

"Well, there's this street festival this weekend that I was going to go to. You should come with me," Jess said, as they stopped for traffic.

"Um, Jess, that's not a great idea," Jack told her, feeling uncomfortable again. This time he could tell that she was specifically asking him out.

"Why not?"

"Well, we're friends and I think we should keep it that way."

"You and Audrey were friends before you started dating," Jess pointed out.

"Right. And it didn't turn out so good," Jack countered. "I'm not really looking to date right now."

"Because you're still hung up on Audrey?" Jess asked. She could tell by his face that he wasn't over the break up. "Jack, you broke up with her, remember? You need to move on. The best way is to find someone else."

"Jess, I'm sorry. I'm just not interested," Jack said. He couldn't believe that Jess was trying to date him. She was one of Audrey's best friends. "Besides isn't there some girl code. You can't date each other's exes."

"Well, Audrey broke girl code first because I liked you way before she ever did," Jess said, angrily. The light for the crosswalk changed. "Whatever, just keep pining over someone who doesn't want you."

Jess stormed off back to work and Jack let her get far ahead of him. He felt bad for turning her down but he could never date her. She was Audrey's friend and he still loved Audrey.

Days passed and Audrey was still doing everything in her power to not think of Jack. She worked remotely from her laptop and was being extra attentive in helping Paul. She had even gone shopping over the weekend to buy all new clothes as most of her things were in D.C. She had considered going back to get some clothes but decided that there was too much of a risk of seeing Jack. She did not want to see him. It would hurt too much.

Paul was enjoying the fact that Audrey was more focused on taking care of him. She would bring him food and was spending most of the day with him and even some nights she would sleep at the hospital.

Paul was doing a crossword puzzle while Audrey sat in the chair next to his bed working on her computer. A doctor came in telling them that Paul would be cleared to leave the hospital in a few days as his surgical wound was healing nicely. Paul still was not able to walk but as long as he had a wheelchair accessible place to live, he would be fine with Audrey's help. They would even have occupational therapists come throughout the day to help teach him how to get around and care for himself. The doctor left and Paul noticed that Audrey's face looked terrified.

"Audrey, this is great news. What's wrong?" Paul asked.

"What's wrong?" Audrey repeated as if it were obvious. "Paul, we don't live here."

"We'll get a place to live around here until I finish my physical therapy. It will be nice. It's like a fresh start for us."

The next day Audrey came in with a list of potential places for them to live around the hospital. Paul looked through them and noticed that they were all two bedroom houses and apartments all of which were handicap accessible.

"What do you think?" Audrey asked.

"Well, I'm happy that you've chosen places with a room for our future kids," Paul said.

"What?" Audrey asked, completely taken aback. She realized that he thought the second bedroom was an extra room. "Paul, the two rooms are for us."

"That's a bit unnecessary," Paul responded.

"I know we've been spending a lot of time together. But, I just don't feel ready to share a room with you yet."

Paul wanted to yell but he held back. She was his wife. How could she not want to sleep in the same bed as him? He forced himself to relax. It was only temporary.

"Okay. Whatever you want," he insisted.

Audrey and Paul had gone through the house-buying process quickly and now owned a house close to the hospital. Paul had been released a week ago and was having difficulty adjusting to moving around in a wheelchair. He was frustrated by the fact that Audrey had to help him do everything. He felt completely helpless and felt like Audrey was more of his nurse than his wife. His physical therapy was going well but he still had a long way to go.

It was a Saturday night and Paul wanted to have a romantic night with Audrey. He had asked Audrey to run out to the store to get him something so he could have time to prepare a surprise for her. Paul had called a local Italian restaurant and had them deliver food and a bottle of wine to their house. He also had a dozen roses delivered which he put on the table with the food. Audrey came home and saw what he had prepared and was surprised. He had clearly put a lot of effort into it.

"What is all this?" Audrey asked.

"Well, you've been doing so much for me, I just wanted to return the favor," Paul said as he transferred from his wheelchair to the chair at the table. "I could use help getting glasses down for the wine."

Audrey grabbed the glasses from the cabinet and sat down next to him at the table. She wasn't sure how she felt about the fact that this was clearly a date. Part of her was happy because she loved the effort Paul was putting in. But, she was also scared that Paul would end up hurting her as he usually did. She also felt sad that she wasn't with Jack. She had only heard from Jack once since they broke up. He had emailed her to ask her for her insights on a proposal for work. His email was straight to the point and emotionless which made Audrey feel even worse. She decided that she needed to enjoy tonight and start putting Jack behind her.

"Thank you for this," she said, sincerely. She poured herself a glass of wine and was about to pour one for Paul. "Aren't you not suppose to have alcohol with the meds you're on?"

"Oh, right," Paul said. "Well, all the more for you."

"The food looks great. Which can only mean that you didn't make it," Audrey teased.

"I wouldn't subject you to that kind of torture," Paul joked. They dug into their dinners and talked lightheartedly. It almost felt like a first date in that they were learning about each other all over again as they had become different people over the years.

"I really love this house," Paul said. "I know it's pretty empty but it is nice. If you want we could hire movers to move some furniture and decorations from our old house to here."

"Seems a bit unnecessary considering this is just temporary," Audrey said, pouring herself a third glass of wine.

"You still want to go back to D.C.?" Paul asked.

"Of course," Audrey said. "I work there and my father is there. I love living in D.C."

"Fair enough," Paul responded. "When do you want to go back?"

"As soon as you can walk," Audrey said.

"Right," Paul agreed. They were both finished with their dinners. "Did you enjoy your dinner?"

"It was great," Audrey said. "Thank you so much."

"Now, I also got us some cannolis for dessert. I figured we could eat them while watching a movie," Paul said. They made their way to the couch in the living room with the cannolis and the wine. Paul found a romantic movie that Audrey would be interested in on TV.

Half way through the movie, Audrey poured herself another glass of wine. She hadn't had a drink in a while and was feeling the effects of the alcohol. She had been nervous when she first saw the date Paul had put together for her but now she felt relaxed for the first time since before she and her father had been kidnapped. It felt great. She felt Paul put his arm around her shoulders and slowly felt herself nestling into him. It felt good to have him there. She felt comfortable.

"I hope you're having a good night," Paul whispered into her ear. She turned her face towards him putting their faces only a few inches away from each other. She nodded. Paul closed the gap between them and kissed her gently. Audrey kissed him back and Paul deepened the kiss. Audrey wasn't entirely sure that this was a good idea but it felt so good being connected to someone that she didn't bother to stop it. Paul's hands moved to Audrey's waist guiding her into a position where she was straddling his lap. As Paul's lips moved down from her lips to her neck and his hands traveled from her hips to the skin just underneath her shirt, Audrey pushed away and moved off of him.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, surprised by her sudden decision to stop.

"Sorry," Audrey said, feeling out of breath but also light-headed. "I just think it would be a mistake to move too quickly."

"Audrey, we're married. How slow do we need to go? It's not like we've never had sex before."

"I know. But, it has been a while. I'm just not sure I trust you," Audrey told him.

"Trust me with what?" Paul asked.

"I need to trust that you're not going to hurt me. You have let me down so many times. I just don't want to fall in love with you again for you to break my heart," Audrey admitted.

"Audrey, I've changed. I'm determined to be a better husband. How can I prove that to you?" Paul asked.

"It's just going to take time," Audrey said. "I'm sorry."