A/N: This is my take on how Jack and Audrey met and fell in love. I have read so many of these types of stories (but many seem to have disappeared from the internet) so I hope it isn't too repetitive or boring and gives a realistic look into what could have transpired between Jack and Audrey prior to season 4.

April 2004

"That one was worse than the last guy," Secretary of Defense James Heller said, as he walked into his daughter's office and sat down across from her, feeling frustrated.

"I didn't think that was possible," Audrey replied, taking the file that her father had put down and flipping through it. "We have to hire someone soon, but I can handle the work until we find the right person. You shouldn't settle."

"Maybe we are being too picky," Heller sighed. They had been searching for a new advisor for a month now. "These candidates have excellent credentials. But, I don't know. I wanted something different. Someone who isn't so cookie cutter."

"I agree," Audrey said. "Would you like me to look into some new options?"

Heller nodded. "If we can't find anything, we'll have to go with Tim Green. He's the best option we have right now."

"I'll let you know what I find," Audrey said. Heller left her office and she let out an exasperated sigh. She had been essentially doing the work of two jobs since the previous Special Advisor to the Secretary of Defense had left the position.

She picked up the phone and dialed her husband, Paul. They had been having problems recently. Paul was constantly away on business. It was as if they didn't even live together. Audrey understood that work was important to both of them, and she traveled frequently with her father too, but she found that the time they did spend together was no longer fulfilling. Paul was not interested in hearing about Audrey's trips or about her work. He barely shared details about his own travels with her. He was expressionless when she told him updates about her friends or about funny stories about her day. They had nothing to talk about anymore.

For a while, they had tried filling the uncomfortable silence with sex, thinking that it would be enough to fix things between them. It seemed to be the only time that Paul was remotely interested in her. Audrey, of course, felt terribly about this, not enthused to have sex with a man that she was no longer in love with, but obliged in the act in hopes it would change things, as she wasn't really sure what else to do. However, she quickly realized that even the sex had changed. It seemed to her like Paul just wanted satisfaction as quickly as possible, forgetting about any romance or intimacy, leaving her underwhelmed by every experience.

Eventually, Audrey had decided she wouldn't keep pretending that she wanted to have sex. Paul would try to initiate and Audrey would tell him she wasn't in the mood, followed by Paul convincing her that they should. Audrey would relent, not wanting to fight. After a while of that pattern, Audrey had finally learned the right excuses that would stop Paul from asking. Suddenly, she started having her period more frequently and for longer periods of time. Paul had mentioned that it seemed to be obnoxiously more frequent than usual but wasn't enough of an expert on female anatomy to know she was lying. She had more headaches and stomachaches than ever before. Until Paul had finally given up.

Audrey had spoken to him a few times about being unhappy over the last several months, and Paul had insisted that things would get better. He would work less for about a week, listen to her, take her on expensive dinner dates, buy her flowers and then go right back to the same behavior. Audrey wasn't really sure where to go from here.

"Hey," Paul answered. "I'm about to take off. What do you need?"

"I just wanted to let you know I'm going to be home late tonight," Audrey told him quickly. "Wait. Take off?"

"Yeah," Paul said. "I'm flying to Houston. Remember?"

"You never told me you were going to Houston," Audrey insisted. "When will you be home?"

"I'll be home on Friday," he answered. "Look, I have to go. They are telling us to turn off our phones. See you Friday."

Audrey heard the click of Paul hanging up. She dropped her head into her hands and ran her hands through her hair in frustration before getting back to work.

A few days later, Audrey sat down at her father's desk and handed him a file.

"I found someone new," Audrey said. "He recently applied to jobs at DSS, NSA, and DHS offices in Los Angeles."

"Jack Bauer?" Heller questioned, flipping through his file. "He has a clear record of insubordination. He was fired from CTU six months ago for a heroin addiction. You're joking, right?"

"He also comes highly recommended by President Palmer," Audrey told Heller. "His insubordination is a concern but always seemed to lead to him stopping terrorist threats. He clearly has good instincts."

"And the drug addiction?"

"According to his file, he picked it up as part of his cover during an undercover operation," Audrey said. Heller looked at her skeptically. "Obviously, if he is still addicted then we won't hire him."

"He's a field agent. He doesn't have experience with policy."

"You wanted something different. And, Bauer is definitely different. He would bring a whole new perspective to the table. I think we should at least ask him if he'd be interested in an interview."

"Let me read through his file and I will let you know."

After reading through Jack's file, Heller agreed to invite Jack in for an interview. There were numerous red flags surrounding this man, but Audrey was right that Bauer had shown good instincts and would provide a fresh viewpoint on defense policies. He had expected that Bauer wouldn't accept the interview. He lived in Los Angeles which was across the country from this job. He had been applying to desk jobs but it was hard for Heller to imagine that someone who had worked the field that long would be interested in such a job. Either the man was desperate for work or was looking for a fresh start.

"Mr. Bauer," Heller greeted, walking into the conference room where Jack had been waiting. Jack stood and extended his hand.

"Mr. Secretary," Jack said, shaking Heller's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Sir."

Heller and Jack sat simultaneously. Jack was nervous. He had applied to a handful of desk jobs in Los Angeles over the past few months. It was no surprise to him that he never heard back. He had considered applying for field work again. But, he had been fixing his relationship with Kim. Field work had taken so much from him and he was avoiding having to go back. The call from Heller's people had been shocking. He hadn't even applied for the job.

"I'll cut right to the chase, Jack," Heller said. "We don't usually seek out people to come interview for DOD positions. But, your history has me intrigued. I'm surprised you haven't been looking for work in the field since you were fired from CTU. Why is that?"

"That's no longer what I'm looking for. I have lost a lot because of my job and I'm looking for something more secure."

Heller knew immediately that Jack was referring to his wife who had died while Jack was working at CTU.

"Why do you think this position is a good fit for you?" Heller asked.

"To be completely honest, Sir," Jack started. "I was surprised to be asked to interview for this job. I'm sure you have plenty of candidates with experience in policy, which I clearly don't have. But, I can offer a different perspective. I have experience with how the policies and strategies affect what actually happens in the field."

Jack gave a tasteful example. Heller smiled to himself. He liked Jack. He could tell that Jack could easily go on and on about the instances where there was a discrepancy between policy and practical application but that he was holding back out of respect. Heller asked Jack more interview questions and found that Jack was exceeding his expectations.

"I think you'd be a good fit here, Jack. I'd like to offer you the job," Heller told him. "Do you need time to consider?"

Jack thought for only a moment before accepting. He liked and respected Heller. He had done his research on the man as soon as he had been offered the interview to ensure that he was a good man and not a corrupt politician. Jack was excited to start a new career. Heller told him that they would coordinate his move and that he would start in just two weeks. As he was walking out of the conference room, Heller stopped him.

"There will be a mandatory drug test before you can start," Heller said, having almost forgotten why Jack was currently unemployed. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"No, Sir," Jack insisted. He had been clean for a while now.

"What about this one?" Kim said excitedly. "Spacious apartment in Alexandria."

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "That looks good."

Kim rolled her eyes at her father. He had said that about every single apartment she showed him. He was so minimalistic that as long as it had a bedroom and bathroom, he was fine with it.

"I still can't believe you're moving. I'm so excited for you," she told him. "A desk job. The east coast. It's like a fresh start."

Jack nodded. He was excited too. He knew his resume was hardly traditional and raised a lot of red flags, and was happy that Heller had taken a chance on him. The only part that was difficult in accepting the job was living so far from Kim. They had become close recently and he was afraid that moving away would disconnect their relationship again. However, Kim seemed happy for him and Jack was ready to start a new life, away from the field.

Over the course of two weeks, Jack managed to rent the apartment Kim had found, coordinate his move with human resources who made the transition very easy, shop for suits and ties, and arrive in his apartment, ready for work on Monday. He used the weekend before to finalize unpacking, at least unpacking the essentials that is. He didn't feel comfortable unpacking everything yet. For all he knew, he might be flying back to Los Angeles very soon. He had no idea whether he would be any good at this job.

A/N Part 2: Thank you for reading. I know it was mostly a precursor chapter but please let me know what you think! For those who might be worried about getting attached to stories that don't continue (I assume there must be others like me out there), please know that I have this entire story written so it shouldn't be too long between updates.