A/N: Thank you for reading! Here's a nice long one for you. Thanks lavashchips and amacma for your reviews!

November 2004

Audrey and Jack spent the end of October and the beginning of November traveling for work. They visited New York City, San Francisco, Tampa, and Houston all in a relatively short time period. As much as they were enjoying getting to explore these cities together at night, after work had concluded, they were both excited to be back in Washington. It had been a marathon event and they were tired of living out of suitcases.

They both agreed they needed a day to unwind and unpack after their trip, both of them spending the first day of the weekend back alone in their own apartments, catching up on laundry, grocery shopping, and other household chores.

Sunday morning, Jack laid in bed, thinking of Audrey and how he was surprised that even after spending so many days in a row with her, he actually missed her. He knew he wasn't typically the type to want someone around all the time, finding that people could get on his nerves after spending too much time with them or that he couldn't relax around others, but not Audrey. He couldn't get enough of her. Jack sent Audrey a good morning text to let her know that he was thinking of her and asked what she had planned for the day. Not with the intention of making plans with her, just because he was interested in her life. He knew that she might need a break from seeing him so much lately, and that was okay with him if she did.

Audrey smiled when she woke to Jack's text, thinking that it was sweet that he was thinking of her. One of the things she liked so much about him was the little things he did to show he was thinking about her regularly. Texts, flowers, bringing her coffee or a bottle of water throughout the day at work, always making sure she was inside and the door was locked before walking away at the end of a date. Jack wasn't always the most talkative or expressive person, so these small gestures reassured her of his feelings.

Audrey missed Jack so instead of replying to his text she decided to call him.

"Hey," he answered.

"Morning," Audrey replied. "How was your day yesterday?"

"I think unpacking might be my least favorite thing to do," Jack told her honestly.

"Mine is the endless amount of laundry," she responded. "And the jet lag. I barely slept."

"So, I'm guessing you skipped 6 AM yoga?"

"Yeah," Audrey answered. "Didn't stop Jen from calling me at five this morning to try to convince me."

Jack chuckled. "What are you going to do today?"

"Probably read and order pizza for dinner. How about you?"

Jack smiled, thinking it was nice that they had the same idea for a relaxing day. "I had the same plan as you."

Audrey knew they both needed a relaxing day like this, but couldn't help but want to spend time with him anyway. If they were going to be doing the same thing, why not do it together?

"Hey, so, I had an idea," Audrey mused. "And, you can definitely say no. But, maybe it'd be nice to just read together. Like not the same book but just like each of us reading our own book just like we're planning to do right now, but instead we'd be in the same room. I totally understand if you want a day to your-"

"Audrey," Jack interrupted, smiling at her rambling. "Yes, I'd like that."

After they agreed and hung up, Jack showered, got dressed and made his way to Audrey's, bringing his book with him. When he arrived, Audrey opened the door for him and Jack smiled when he saw that she was wearing gray sweatpants and a thin white tank top, attire that was not at all typical for her. He liked this look on her, thinking it was nice to see her comfortable and that she trusted that he found her beautiful no matter what she was wearing. And, he did find her beautiful. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun high on her head, leaving her entire neck exposed, and her tank top left her arms and shoulders bare and was cut low enough to show off her cleavage.

"Hey, we agreed on comfy clothes," Audrey said accusingly, seeing that Jack looked as handsome as ever in his jeans and black t-shirt. She felt underdressed.

"This is comfy," Jack told her with a shrug before grabbing her by the hip and pulling her in for a kiss. Audrey let her hands rest on his biceps, not having gotten the chance to touch his arms directly since he seemed to wear long sleeves all the time.

After their kiss, they got some coffee and then went to the living room to relax, the fireplace crackling across from them. They got comfortable on the couch, Jack sitting on one end, facing sideways with his legs stretched out to the other end, while Audrey lay on her side in between his legs, leaning against his chest.

They read their books, neither of them feeling the need to talk but both of them appreciating each other's presence. They both held their book with one hand, using the other to hold onto each other. After a little while, Jack noticed that Audrey's arm had gone limp, no longer holding her book in a position for her to see it. He looked down at her, lying on his chest and smiled. She had fallen asleep. He tried to stay as still as possible, wanting her to catch up on her sleep, and soon he followed suit, dozing off too.

When Audrey woke up from her nap, she smiled at the feeling of Jack's arms wrapped snugly around her waist. She turned her head slightly and saw that Jack had fallen asleep too. She only got to enjoy the peaceful look on his face for a moment before he woke up, having felt her stir in his arms.

"Hey," Audrey said as he woke. "Sorry I fell asleep."

"Mmm don't be. This was nice," Jack insisted. It was a short rest but felt incredible, loving the way Audrey's body acted almost like a blanket across him. Audrey turned the rest of the way over, hovering over him with their faces now inches from each other. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment before Jack tucked a strand of hair that had fallen out of her bun behind her ear and then guided her face the rest of the way to his, kissing her.

Audrey ran one hand through Jack's hair as they kissed, while her other hand found the hem of his shirt and slipped underneath. Jack kissed her hard as he felt her hand make contact with the skin on his stomach, thinking her touch felt electrifying. As Audrey felt around his abdomen and lightly brushed across his chest, Jack was also reciprocating her touch, finding that her tank top had ridden up giving him easy access to touching her bare stomach, sides, and lower back. Audrey let out a slight whimper into their kiss at the feeling of his hands on her. Jack continued to move his hands up the sides of her body, pushing the tank top up with it, as his thumbs brushed over the smooth skin of her flat stomach and abdomen.

Soon, they both need air, despite neither of them wanting to end this moment, leading to Jack trailing kisses along her jawline to her ear then down her neck to her collarbone, where he pushed the strap of her tank top and bra off her shoulder to have more access to her skin. Audrey caressed his neck and the back of his shoulders, almost massaging them while Jack kissed back up her neck, along her jawline, and caught her lips with his again for one more short-lived kiss. He then pulled back and kissed her forehead gently.

When Jack pulled back, he looked at her, thinking she looked incredibly sexy. Her face was flushed, her lips slightly swollen, and her tank top in disarray. He had wanted to go a lot further, having gotten caught up in the moment, before remembering their agreement not to rush.

Audrey was also feeling similarly, his tender, intentional touches having only made her want him to touch her more. She looked at him, his gorgeous blue eyes looking back, and admired every inch of his face, thinking he was the most handsome man she had ever met.

"You're so handsome," Audrey whispered, dropping her head down to nuzzle into his shoulder, hugging him tightly. She took in his masculine scent and wondered if it was possible for her to be any more attracted to him.

Jack hugged her back, running a hand through her hair, and smiled slightly, not sure how to respond. He wasn't used to getting compliments before he had started dating Audrey and he still found it strange to think she might be just as attracted to him as he was to her.

Later, they ordered pizza and had ice cream for dessert, both of them appreciating this date as possibly the best one yet. Of course, dinner dates and exploring new cities was fun and exciting, but this date gave them insight into what an ordinary day would look like with each other. They could both imagine spending their weekends like this together, further confirming that they felt happy in the relationship.

When Jack arrived at Jen and Brian's on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, he found that Audrey was already there and was working in the kitchen with Katie and Emma who had on aprons that were far too big. They were acting as Audrey's little helpers, doing everything that Audrey asked to prepare for the Friendsgiving feast that Jen and Brian were hosting. Audrey had offered to cook, and Jen, who knew Audrey was an excellent cook, took her up on her offer.

It smelled amazing in the house and Jack was excited to eat. He went into the kitchen to say hello to Audrey, getting to only greet her with a light touch on the arm before Katie was pushing on his legs.

"No, too many cooks in the kitchen," Katie insisted, pushing him out. Audrey smiled at him and shrugged, and Jack put up his arms in defeat and left the room. He spent time with Jen and Brian, catching up with them and soon Logan and Megan arrived too.

When dinner was ready, everyone moved to the table, Emma and Katie trying to get seats on both sides of Audrey.

"Katie, come sit next to me, sweetie," Brian suggested, wanting Audrey and Jack to get to sit together.

"I want to sit next to Auntie Audrey," Katie complained.

"I know, but she needs to sit next to Jack," Brian explained.

"Why?" Katie asked, moving into the seat next to her dad, obviously disappointed. She turned to Audrey. "Is he your boyfriend?"

Audrey smiled as Jack sat down next to her. "Yes, he is."

Jack tried to remember the last time someone had used the word 'boyfriend' to describe him. It had been a while. Kate? No, although she probably could have referred to him as such based on the fact that they had been dating and sleeping together for a couple years, but they had never really defined their relationship. It never felt overly serious or like it was heading anywhere, much to Kate's dismay. So, then it hadn't been since he had dated Teri. It felt like a lifetime ago.

Meanwhile, Katie looked genuinely confused, remembering a couple occasions of meeting Paul when Audrey had babysat her and Emma at their house. "But, what about the other guy from your house?"

"Well, we aren't together anymore," Audrey told her.

"He wasn't very fun," Katie admitted. She turned to Jack. "I like you a lot better."

"I think we can all agree with that sentiment," Logan agreed. He held up his drink. "Cheers! Happy Thanksgiving!"

They all clinked their glasses together and dug into the delicious feast that Audrey and the girls had prepared.

After dinner, they spent time catching up with each other. Audrey enjoyed spending time with her friends even more now that she and Jack were dating. It was nice to be able to hold hands and be open about the relationship with people she cared about. At work, they tried to hide their relationship so this setting made it feel less like sneaking around and more like a real committed relationship.

"So, you and Jack are official, huh?" Megan asked Audrey when the women separated from the guys to have their own private conversation.

"You knew that," Audrey said, confused, having told her friends that she and Jack were dating from the beginning.

"She means because you're calling him your boyfriend now," Jen clarified.

"So you two must have talked about being exclusive," Megan said.

"Well, I don't know that we specifically said that," Audrey told them. "But, it's implied. We're not just dating for fun; it's serious. I know he's not seeing anyone else."

Megan shook her head. "Oh sweetie, never assume that. Always make it clear that you don't want him dating other people."

"But, he wouldn't-"

"But, he could and you'd have no recourse to be mad," Megan replied.

Audrey sighed. Did people really date multiple people at a time these days? She was confident that Jack wasn't seeing anyone else but she felt weird about asking him not to.

"How could I even ask him not to when I am literally married?" Audrey asked her friends.

"It just means that you wouldn't be seeing Paul," Jen reasoned. "Which you aren't so, all good."

"Do you think he felt uncomfortable by me saying he was my boyfriend?" Audrey asked, originally not thinking anything of it but now very worried.

Jen shrugged. "He seemed fine."

"He looked a little surprised," Megan said, giving her analysis. Audrey groaned and rubbed her temple, hoping this didn't ruin anything between them.

After catching up with each other, Megan and Logan left, followed by Jack and Audrey shortly after. Jack led Audrey to her car, his hand on the small of her back. It was still early in the evening and they both felt that they hadn't had enough time together today since they had been hanging out as a group.

They agreed to spend more time together, Jack inviting Audrey to his apartment and to walk around Alexandria to walk off their pre-Thanksgiving feast. Audrey followed Jack to his apartment, not having been there before. She felt confident that he must not have been too bothered by her boyfriend comment otherwise he would have probably ended the night or brought it up.

When they arrived at Jack's apartment, they agreed to walk first. They explored Alexandria together, walking along the Potomac River under the street lights, holding hands and talking. After their walk, they went back to Jack's apartment.

"I'm so excited," Audrey told him as they walked to his door.

"It's really nothing special," Jack assured her. "It's nothing like your place."

Audrey shrugged, her excitement not fading. It wasn't about what his apartment looked like; it was about him feeling comfortable enough to bring her into his space. When they went inside, Audrey was pleased to see that she obviously knew him very well since the apartment looked exactly as she imagined. Neat, simple, with no decorations or really anything extra than what was needed. However, it had a comfortable feel to it.

Jack told Audrey that he didn't have much to offer her to drink, but Audrey accepted a beer, which surprised Jack, having only seen her drink wine and champagne before.

Jack showed her around and Audrey took in everything around her. She smiled when she saw his couch and saw that he had put out the throw pillows she gave him. They sat down on the couch together, getting comfortable. Their hands found each other's naturally.

"Hey, Jack, did I make you uncomfortable earlier? When I said you were my boyfriend?" Audrey asked, deciding just to get the conversation over with so it wasn't on her mind any longer.

"No," Jack answered. "No, not at all."

"Good. So, you're not, like, seeing anyone else?" Audrey questioned.

"No, Audrey, of course not," Jack assured her. "Trust me. You're the only person I want to date."

Audrey smiled. "Good. Me too. Well, date you, I mean."

"Where did this come from?" Jack asked, thinking that she hadn't come up with this concern on her own.

"Megan," Audrey answered. "She said you looked surprised and that I shouldn't have said you were my boyfriend without checking that you were okay with it. I told her it was ridiculous but she got into my head."

Jack chuckled. "She was right that I was surprised. It's just been a long time."

"When was your last relationship?" Audrey asked as they drank their beers.

Jack began shifting nervously, unsure of how to answer that. Claudia had been the last woman he had slept with but he would hardly call that a relationship since he was high for a lot of it and it was really more of an affair since Claudia was with Hector. What would Audrey think of him if he told her about that? But, the last woman he dated was Kate. He was worried that if he told Audrey about Kate and how he didn't treat her with the same level of care and intention that he treated Audrey, that she might question his actions now and maybe think that he was going to become indifferent to their relationship just like he had with Kate.

Audrey could see that Jack was thinking hard about the question, which she hadn't realized was so complicated for him. She felt bad that he looked uncomfortable. "Jack, it's fine. You don't have to answer that. I was just curious."

"No, no, I want to," Jack protested. "I was just thinking."

"Okay, but I want to make sure you know that if I ask something that makes you uncomfortable, you can just tell me that you're not ready to talk about it yet," Audrey assured him.

Jack nodded in understanding, but he still wanted to tell her. Not opening up was exactly what had made him feel so disconnected to Kate.

"I was involved with a woman named Kate," he said. "A little over a year and a half after Teri died. She was honestly really patient with me, more than she should have been, and I wasn't good to her."

"I find that hard to believe," Audrey told him, thinking that he was by far the most caring and thoughtful man she had been with.

"Really, Audrey, it wasn't like this," Jack tried to explain. "She wanted it to be serious, but I wasn't there. I realize now that I hadn't been ready to date again at that point. I was also never around because of my job and, when I was, my mind was elsewhere. None of it was fair to her."

Audrey put her hand against Jack's cheek, sensing that he felt guilty. "It's really okay, Jack. I mean, you can't blame yourself for not being ready."

"I know," Jack agreed. "In hindsight, I should have been honest with her about it, but I really thought that eventually I'd be ready and that I'd want to be with her when it came time."

Audrey nodded. "I'm really sorry, Jack. I can tell you're uncomfortable now. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, Audrey, it's fine," Jack assured her, looking away from her gaze. "I'm not uncomfortable about my relationship with Kate. It is what it is. It's just hard to admit to you that I'm not the man you see me as. I worry that you're going to hear things about my past and decide you can't see yourself with me. Not just this, but everything from my past."

"Jack, your past is just that, the past," Audrey told him. "You are an incredible man and I feel so lucky to have you in my life. No matter how you may have been previously, I'm only making decisions based on how you are with me now. When I ask about your past, it's just to get to know you. See what's shaped you into who you are right now. And, right now, I see a very caring, thoughtful, and attentive man."

Jack looked into her eyes and saw that she was completely serious about what she had said. He felt less worried and let himself relax slightly. It became much easier to relax when Audrey kissed him, reiterating to him that she was not judging.

Jack kissed her back, tangling his fingers into her hair and holding her close to him by the back of the neck. Audrey melted into him, leaning her body into his, and Jack placed his hands on her hips, drawing her even closer. The angle they were at made them have to strain their necks to reach each other's lips, so Audrey shifted, with Jack's hands on her hips guiding her, into his lap, straddling him. Audrey ran her hands through his hair while they kissed and Jack's hands found the smooth skin of her legs, right above her knees. As the kiss deepened, Jack moved his hands upward along the back of her thighs, Audrey's dress pushing upwards with his hands.

Jack loved touching her bare skin and, with Audrey's body pressed against him closer than ever before, he felt more turned on by her, and wondered if she could feel his excitement growing between them. Audrey was turned on as well, the tension between them having built up for a couple months now. She was lost in the moment, loving the way his strong hands felt on her skin. He seemed to know exactly how much pressure to use in his touch to be gentle but also show how much he wanted her.

When Jack had pushed Audrey's dress up to her hips, he ran his fingertips across the lace outline of her panties along her bottom. Audrey whimpered in response, losing the connection between their lips. Instead of continuing the kiss, they smirked at each other, both realizing that they had broken the agreement to move slowly. Jack withdrew his hands from under her dress and Audrey moved back to her original position next to him on the couch. They sat in silence for a moment, both trying to regain their composure. They picked up their beers and took a sip.

"Your turn," Jack told her. Audrey looked at him questioningly. "Last relationship."

Audrey shrugged. "Not much to say, Paul and I-"

"No, last one before Paul," Jack corrected, wanting to hear about something he didn't already know about her.

"Oh," Audrey said, biting her lip. "Well -"

Jack saw her picking at the label on her beer bottle nervously. Audrey felt it was only fair to tell him since he had opened up to her about Kate.

"I'll preface this with the fact I was twenty-three and really stupid," Audrey started. The next part Audrey said so fast that Jack felt his brain struggling to catch up afterwards. "I was a legislative assistant for a representative on the House Armed Forces Committee and he took interest in me and, long story short, I slept with him which was all he really wanted. Then when he and my father started disagreeing on legislation he told my father that we had slept together and that if he didn't step down as Chairman that he would make sure to ruin my career and reputation, so my dad stepped down."

Jack felt bile rise in his throat as the words hit him. He had so many questions, the biggest one being: how could anyone do that to her? He definitely hadn't expected that story when he asked. Jack swallowed, trying to figure out what to ask or whether he even should. When he looked into Audrey's eyes, he saw that her face was red and her eyes were brimmed with tears.

"Come here," he whispered, pulling her into a hug. Audrey hugged him and cried into his shoulder, still feeling emotional about this story over ten years later. Whenever she thought of this time in her life, she felt a tightness in her chest, the anxiety she had felt coming right back to the forefront of her mind.

When her tears stopped, she pulled out of the hug and looked into Jack's eyes. He wiped away tears on her cheeks. "Can I ask some questions? It's okay if you don't want to talk about it anymore."

Audrey nodded. "It's okay. You can ask."

"Who was he?"

"I'm not going to answer that one," she said.

"Why not?" Jack questioned.

"Because, you'll probably meet with him at some point with my father and you'll be expected to get along with him," Audrey answered. The man was now a Senator and, although she avoided the meetings with him, she knew that her father would want Jack present, since they obviously didn't get along.

Jack let it go, figuring it was probably best that he didn't know. He might kill the guy. "Was he much older than you?"

Audrey shrugged, nervously. "Eleven years."

Jack tried to hide his facial expressions that showed he was getting angry. Yes, Audrey had been an adult, but she had also been young - only a couple years older than Kim was right now and he still considered Kim to be a kid. This guy had used his position of power over Audrey to get in her bed. It was disgusting.

"We went on dates almost every night for a month. He treated me really well and did and said everything he was supposed to to be the perfect boyfriend," Audrey explained further. "Now I realize how calculated everything he said and did was but back then I was absolutely convinced that I'd spend forever with him. And, I did want to wait to have sex with him, but I guess I felt a lot of pressure because he was so much older and I thought if I really wanted to be an adult in a real relationship then I needed to put out. So, I did."

Jack rubbed his brow, frustrated that this guy, who had been her boss, had manipulated her feelings and pressured her into sex. Now he understood why she had wanted to go slow in their relationship, not wanting to be blindsided by someone who wasn't with her for the right reasons.

"After that, he started treating me like crap at work, just constantly belittling me and claiming that it was so nobody would suspect that we were together. After work, he was a little nicer, but kind of controlling, and it felt like our whole relationship revolved around sex," Audrey told Jack, who was now rubbing her shoulder comfortingly.

"I'm sorry he did that to you," Jack sympathized.

Audrey fidgeted, remembering how a week later he said he wasn't into her, which had completely shattered her. She could still remember having a panic attack before work every day, afraid of facing him and his comments, and feeling embarrassed for the way she had let him use her like that. It only became worse when he used their relationship to affect her father's career.

"Jack, can we maybe talk about the rest another time?" Audrey asked, seeing that Jack was about to ask another question.

Jack nodded. "My question was about us though."

"Oh, then, yeah, of course," Audrey agreed.

"Um, earlier, that kiss. I know we talked about taking it slow and I just want to know if I went too fast for you."

Audrey smiled, thinking it was sweet that Jack was so concerned. "No, Jack. I really enjoyed that. I hope you don't take that story to mean that you need to be worried about touching me. I'm not a naive twenty-three year old anymore, if you did anything I didn't feel ready for, trust me, I'd let you know."

Jack smiled. "Okay. Good."

"One more thing."

"What?" Jack asked.

"I feel like we're at a point where I do feel comfortable taking that step with you," Audrey told him. "If you aren't yet, I completely understand, but I-"

"I am too," Jack agreed, with a smile. Audrey smiled back.

They agreed that the next time things progressed to that stage, they would let it happen if it felt right. After a little while, Jack left, both of them needing to get ready for their work day tomorrow.

Jack and Audrey were both excited by the prospect of sleeping together soon, not just because they were so attracted to each other but because they also were excited just to spend some nights together, rather than having to part ways like they had done tonight.

It was a short week because of the Thanksgiving holiday, and soon enough Audrey and her father were traveling to New York to visit family for the holiday weekend while Jack flew to Los Angeles to visit Kim. Neither Jack nor Audrey were particularly happy about being apart for the long weekend, both of them wishing they could have their next date, one that they were both extremely excited for after their previous conversation.

In Los Angeles, Jack spent time with Kim, Chase, and Angela. On the day after Thanksgiving, Jack helped Chase hang up Christmas lights outside, as Kim was not interested in waiting any longer to get into the Christmas spirit. In fact, Kim was particularly excited about their plans for Christmas this year. She, Chase, and Angela would be visiting Jack in Washington for Christmas, hoping it would be all of their first times seeing a white Christmas. The three adults got Angela excited about sledding and snowball fights, and then realized that now if there was no snow that they would have one disappointed child on their hands.

In upstate New York, Audrey enjoyed preparing the Thanksgiving feast with her aunt and playing Christmas songs on the piano. It was strange for all of them to not have Paul at dinner, as he had been for the last ten years. But, Audrey's family could tell that she seemed much happier than at gatherings over the previous year, and attributed this newfound happiness to her leaving Paul. Only Audrey's aunt seemed to clue in on the fact that Audrey had a new man in her life. When her aunt asked about it privately while cooking dinner, Audrey smiled shyly and admitted that she was dating someone that she was very excited about but that it was too early in the relationship to announce it to everyone. Audrey's aunt was happy for her and managed to get a few more details about Audrey and Jack's relationship from Audrey before dropping the subject when Audrey's father walked into the kitchen, clearly him being the one that she was reluctant to tell about the relationship.

Jack and Audrey both returned home from their trips late on Sunday, not seeing each other until Monday morning at work. As usual, they were one of the first people at the office. They greeted each other with a smile as they met at the elevator, both wishing they could kiss instead. It was the longest the two of them had been away from each other and they both were longing for physical contact and confirmation that they still felt the same way for each other.

They talked as they made their way to Audrey's office, and Audrey closed the door behind them. Jack was pleasantly surprised when Audrey turned to face him and kissed him hard. Jack responded by cupping her cheek and pulling her even closer, running his thumb along her jawline. It was a short kiss, but felt incredibly relieving.

"Sorry, I couldn't wait," Audrey admitted, knowing that they had agreed not to bring their relationship into work. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Jack agreed, kissing her forehead before they broke apart. They got to work, wishing that they could have spent the entire day just catching up from their trip.