A/N: Thank you for reading! :)

June 2004

Audrey sat on the couch in her new townhouse with her dinner and turned on some music while she ate in front of the TV. After returning from Chicago, Audrey had sat down with Paul to talk about trying couple's counseling, to which he gave a very adamant no. Audrey had explained to Paul that she didn't think she could do this anymore and that if he wasn't willing to go to counseling with her, then she wanted to separate. Paul initially reacted poorly, telling her that it wasn't fair of her to give him that ultimatum, as she knew how he felt about letting a shrink into the confines of their marriage. He assured her that they could fix things without counseling, but Audrey knew from previous attempts that that hadn't worked. After some convincing, Audrey got Paul to admit that he hadn't been happy in their relationship either.

Audrey told him that she felt it was best if they separated for a year and thought about what they really wanted. Paul had left on a business trip, giving Audrey some time to gather her belongings and find a new place.

Audrey thought she'd miss her home when she moved out, but surprisingly found herself obsessed with her townhouse. The Victorian style townhouse had antique light fixtures, a fireplace, and large windows that let in the natural light. Audrey was enjoying decorating the place however she wanted. It felt like she was starting fresh and she had been needing that kind of feeling for a while.

Already she could tell her mood was improving. The first couple days after telling Paul she wanted to separate, she kept second guessing whether it was the right decision and constantly felt guilty for making that decision. After all, she was leaving him because she felt unbearably lonely but wondered if not having him around at all would make her feel more lonely. However, she was happy to realize that she did not feel lonely at all. It was strange since she was now spending more time alone than ever before. But, perhaps being alone was less lonely than being with someone who made you feel alone even when sitting right next to you.

Audrey was finding all sorts of ways to enjoy her alone time, reconnecting with activities that she enjoyed. She was cooking and baking again. She explored the Georgetown neighborhood. She watched TV shows that she hadn't in a long time because Paul hadn't been interested in the same ones. She read books in front of the fireplace. Audrey felt more like herself than she had in years and actually found herself being excited to leave work so she could fit in these activities.

However, Audrey was not completely alone during these times, her friends were being fantastic, as usual, making sure to offer themselves to Audrey for support. After seeing Audrey so miserable for so long, they were happy to see Audrey leave Paul and find herself again. They had wanted to cheer and throw a party for her when she moved out, but thought it'd be distasteful, so they merely offered to help her with the move. Audrey was still going to Friday night drinks and Sunday morning yoga with her friends, but even was able to meet with them more frequently now.

Two weeks after moving into her apartment, she met up with her friends on Friday night as usual. They always met at the same place, McCarthy's Tavern, and found their way to the same semi-circle booth where everyone always sat in the same seats. Audrey was on one end, followed by her best friend, Jen, who had been not only her best friend growing up but also her roommate in college.

Although many people had warned them against rooming together at Yale, Audrey and Jen had insisted that they would be perfect together. Yes, they had their fair share of arguments during this time of their lives, but they argued like sisters more so, having a deep love and appreciation for each other. They also laughed with each other like sisters and could practically read each other's minds at this point in their friendship.

Next to Jen was her husband, Brian, who Audrey believed should be nominated for a Best Husband Award, if there was such a thing. Audrey knew Jen could be a bit crazy and over-the-top sometimes, and Brian was a saint for putting up with it. He also had to put up with two little girls who were just like Jen, and he was an excellent father, always putting away his masculine exterior to have tea parties with them and their dolls. Audrey looked up to Jen and Brian's relationship loving how they were always a team when facing life's challenges.

On Brian's other side was Brian's brother, Logan, and his girlfriend Megan. It was through Logan and Audrey that Jen and Brian had ever met. Audrey and Logan had met in one of their classes at Yale and had been assigned each other as partners for a final project. Audrey couldn't stand Logan who had taken a laid back attitude towards the project. Audrey was not a procrastinator, while Logan was happy to wait for the night before. Logan would chuckle at how frustrated Audrey was by his lackadaisical approach, which only made her more frustrated, but he assured her that he never handed in subpar work. He kept telling her she needed to relax, have a drink, and stop being so uptight. They had made a deal that Logan would help Audrey get the project done over the weekend, well before the project was due, if she went to the party he was throwing at his apartment that Friday night as his date. Audrey had no problem going to parties, but she didn't want to go to this guy's party and certainly not as his date. However, she wanted to get this project done, so she agreed, thinking it couldn't hurt, and dragged Jen along with her, not wanting to be at a party with a bunch of people she didn't know. When Audrey and Jen arrived, Logan introduced them to Brian who was a couple years older than them. Audrey was surprised that the four of them actually had a lot of fun together at the party, and although she and Logan agreed that they were not romantically compatible by any means, the four of them started hanging out together frequently.

Megan was the newest addition to their table. Logan and Megan had been dating for almost a year and had hit it off easily with Audrey and Jen. Audrey and Jen tried their best to make Megan feel included, knowing it was hard to make friends with two women who had already known each other for so long. They found Megan fit in really well with them and they hoped that Logan would hold onto her as some of his previous girlfriends had not been as well liked.

On this night, the five friends were all laughing, drinking, and catching up as usual when their favorite waiter, Dan, who knew them all as regulars and very good tippers, came carrying a drink.

"I don't think we ordered this, Dan," Jen told him.

He set the drink in front of Audrey. "It's from the guy at the bar."

Jen's face lit up while Audrey's turned a light shade of pink.

"Oooh," Jen said, peering very obviously to see. "Which one?"

"The one in the suit that probably costs an entire year of my income," Dan said.

The whole table peered at the clean cut business man who met Audrey's eye. Audrey turned back to Dan.

"How do I give it back?" Audrey asked, awkwardly.

"No!" Megan insisted. "You take it and go talk to him. He's cute."

"I'm not interested," Audrey shrugged. Audrey met eyes with the man again and held up her left hand and pointed to her ring finger to show him that she was married. The man nodded in understanding.

"I can't believe you just did that," Jen said, shaking her head in disapproval. "You should have talked to him."

"Damn, Aud," Logan said with a laugh. "You're out here leaving your husband and then using him to avoid being hit on because you're too scared to date again? So cold."

Jen and Brian gave Logan a look to not bring up Paul, Audrey realizing lately that they seemed to think bringing up her separation would upset her. But, Audrey had accepted the separation and was doing well.

"I'm not scared of dating again," Audrey corrected. "I'm just not interested in dating right now. I'm single - well, single-ish - for the first time in ten years. I want to enjoy that."

"Okay, but the best thing about being single is flirting. One night stands," Logan said, getting himself a smack on the shoulder by Megan.

"I'm not really a one night stand kind of girl," Audrey reminded him.

"That's because you're too uptight," Logan muttered. Audrey rolled her eyes.

"Don't listen to him," Jen insisted. "But, you should flirt and date and have some fun. I think it'd be good for you."

"Look, I'm really happy right now," Audrey promised. "I'm not opposed to dating. I'm just not actively seeking anything out."

The group dropped the subject and continued their night. When Audrey got back home, she put her necklace into her jewelry box and caught sight of her wedding and engagement rings on her finger. She held her hand out examining them closely.

Although she stuck by what she had said about not wanting to jump back into dating right away, she knew that Logan had been right about one thing. It wasn't fair of her to hide behind her marriage anymore. Not when she was feeling so good about the separation. Audrey slipped the rings off her finger and put them in the jewelry box. At first, her hand felt weird without them and she was sure that she would have a couple moments in the coming days where she would panic that they had fallen off before remembering she had taken them off herself. But, she was happy with this decision, feeling like she was ready for this fresh start.

Jack was happy when his day started with Audrey popping into his office holding two large coffees and a folder under her arm that was full of paperwork. Jack quickly helped her by taking the coffees and setting them down so that she didn't drop everything.

"The one on the left is for you," Audrey told him, sitting in her normal seat across from Jack.

"Thank you," Jack said, happily surprised by the gesture. "You didn't have to do that."

Audrey took a sip of hers and shrugged. "I figured we could both use it for going through this proposal. I don't know about you but I have a lot of comments."

Jack agreed with her. He let her take the lead in the discussion and he sipped his coffee. It was perfect, exactly how he always ordered it with just a small amount of cream and no sugar. He wondered if she remembered that from the couple times they had walked to the coffee shop down the road for a pick me up.

He found that nothing had changed for him over the past few weeks, his attraction to Audrey still very much at the forefront of his thoughts. It didn't help that as they spent more and more time together, they became more comfortable with each other, leading to more personal conversations throughout their work day. And each of those moments made his attraction for her stronger.

Although nothing had changed for him over the past few weeks, he knew that things were changing a lot for Audrey. The sadness that he had seen in her ever since their first meeting had dissipated. She seemed a lot happier, smiling more, and Jack found her newfound happiness to be contagious. He wondered why this change had come and soon learned it from a co-worker who was spreading the rumor that Audrey and her husband had separated. Jack, of course, wasn't going to trust a rumor, but Audrey had casually confirmed that rumor in a conversation one evening before heading home.

And, a few days ago, Jack had been surprised as he looked her over and saw that she wasn't wearing her rings anymore, the one thing that had always served as a reminder to him that he should not be looking at her. Now however, he found it harder, having to remind himself of all the other reasons that he shouldn't be thinking of her in that way.

Jack knew she was off limits, but his feelings for her confirmed something for him. He was ready to date again. He had moved to Washington for a fresh start and he couldn't deny that he craved a loving relationship like he had had with Teri all those years ago. His grief and his job in fieldwork had gotten in the way of that after Teri died, but now he could see himself being able to have a healthy relationship that he put time and effort into.

Of course, imagining it with Audrey had been a huge mistake for him. His feelings for Audrey had become strong enough where he couldn't picture being in a relationship with anyone else. Not to mention he didn't meet and get to know many women outside of work since he was reserved, spent his free time alone, and didn't really know anyone in the city to branch out at all. Jack felt that until his feelings for Audrey passed, he was kind of stuck where he was.

As much as Jack was open to dating again, he wasn't opposed to sticking to himself either. The thought of dating after so long was a bit scary. Having to be open about your past and trusting someone felt difficult to do after having the past that he did. There were things he couldn't tell a girlfriend about because it was classified, not that he had to worry about it if that girlfriend was Audrey, and things that he just didn't want to talk about with anyone. He wasn't the best at wearing his emotions on his sleeve, something people expected when trying to get to know someone.

So, Jack put away his thoughts of dating and continued to let his attraction to Audrey grow with no intention of doing anything about it.