December 2004

The rest of the week, Jack and Audrey caught up on work, told each other about their trips, and made up for kisses that were missed over the weekend. However, the opportunity had not come up for a more romantic evening. They were both hopeful that the weekend would be a better opportunity to connect in the way they had been waiting for.

On Saturday, Jack and Audrey walked to dinner at a restaurant near Audrey's townhouse. It was a chilly night and Audrey teased Jack for not having gotten a winter coat yet. Jack had insisted in the fall that his coat was warm enough, but was now realizing that he had no real comprehension of just how cold it could get on the East Coast. Jack agreed it was probably time for him to get a jacket, and maybe a winter hat and gloves at Audrey's insistence. In the meantime, Jack was keeping warm by walking close to Audrey.

At the restaurant, they had a delicious meal and lighthearted conversations which put both of them in a great mood as they walked back to Audrey's apartment. When they got inside, Jack started the fireplace for them while Audrey made coffee to warm them up. They drank their warm beverages on the couch in front of the fire, cuddling up under a blanket.

"This is nice," Audrey said, putting down her mug. Jack followed suit, putting down his mug and turning to her. He pulled her in for a kiss, their noses still cold against each other, but quickly warming up. Audrey ran her hand down his back, while Jack held her cheek with one hand and her hip with the other, pulling her even closer. When they parted for air, they smiled at each other knowing exactly where this was heading.

They quickly resumed their kiss, this time more passionately. Audrey's hands made their way to the hem of Jack's shirt, untucking it and slipping beneath it. Jack shivered at first at the coldness of her hand on his skin, but quickly realized how good it felt to feel her soft hands on his sides. Jack's lips left Audrey's as he kissed his way down her neck. Audrey used this opportunity to unbutton his blue dress shirt, Jack loving the way her fingers brushed his skin as she made her way down the buttons. Soon, the buttons were undone, and Audrey pushed the shirt off his muscular shoulders, revealing his fit torso. Audrey was incredibly impressed by his body, having always known how in shape he was, but not realizing just how good he looked. His body was perfectly balanced. Clearly strong without his muscles being too defined like a body builder's. Slim but not too thin. A small amount of light blonde hair across his chest. And, the perfect amount of tattoos: the two arm bands on his biceps and the one on his forearm that Audrey still wanted to know more about, but not right now.

"You're so sexy," Audrey whispered in his ear, running her fingers through his hair before moving her hand back down to feel every inch of his torso. Jack kissed along her jawline and his hands held onto her thighs, slowly moving upward with his thumbs tracing her inner thighs. Audrey bit her lip as his hands traveled further and further up her legs, taking the bottom of her dress with them. Audrey caught Jack's lips with hers again and kissed him passionately as his hands continued their journey up her body, brushing past her hips over the sides of her panties and up further until the only option was to take off her dress. Their kiss only stopped for a moment as the dress came between them, but quickly resumed once the dress was discarded. Jack wanted to look over her body, having wanted to see her this exposed for some time now, but decided that kissing her took precedence. Instead, Jack touched her shoulders and traced her bra strap while they kissed. He could sense her excitement as he felt her chest rising and falling quickly and her skin becoming hot.

Finally, Jack pulled out of the kiss, unable to stop himself from looking at her for another second. He was mesmerized when he looked down at her body, seeing her smooth skin, her amazing cleavage framed by her black bra with lace that matched her panties, her flat stomach, and her long, sexy legs that he had imagined wrapped around him many times before. When he looked back into Audrey's eyes he saw a glimmer of insecurity which he immediately squashed. "God, Audrey, you are beautiful."

Audrey smiled at the compliment and they resumed their kissing and touching for a short time before being ready to continue. When their kiss came to a brief pause, they rested their foreheads against each other. Audrey tipped her head in the direction of the bedroom. "Let's go in there."

Jack nodded and stood, extending his hand to help Audrey off the couch. Before moving, they stood for a moment, kissing, their torsos pressing into each other. Audrey's arms wrapped around the back of Jack's neck, practically using him to hold herself up, while Jack held her around the waist, his hands on her lower back before falling lower and passing over her butt. Audrey soon reached between them and undid his belt before undoing the button of his pants and pushing them off. Jack helped by stepping out of them, now only in his boxers. They resumed their kissing and hugging, Audrey now able to feel Jack's excitement growing between them.

Audrey took Jack's hand in hers and led him into her bedroom, Jack looking over her backside as they walked. Jack couldn't remember the last time he felt this excited for sex. Not with Kate. Maybe with Claudia? But, not like this. That sex had been exciting because he was high on heroin and because she was taken. They weren't supposed to be sleeping together and the risk only made it more exciting. But, it was different with Audrey. Everything he was feeling for her physically was only heightened by their emotional connection. He felt so strongly for her and felt like each move they were making was bringing them closer together as a couple. He had been craving this type of deeper relationship for a while and it felt amazing to know he could have this again.

A/N: WARNING: This part is rated M. Skip to next section break if not interested in reading.

When they got into the bed, they laid facing each other, resuming their kiss. Audrey gently massaged the base of his neck while they kissed while Jack let his hand wander over her smooth back, over her butt to her thigh, pulling her against him. Audrey felt his excitement pressing against her leg and was so excited to expose the last covered part of Jack's incredible body. She pressed her body into him until Jack was on his back with her on top, straddling him, their kiss never breaking.

Audrey took advantage of this position to explore every inch of Jack's body, running her lips, tongue, and hands over his torso trying to find every sensitive spot that could turn him on. Audrey could tell when he liked something that she did by the way his body relaxed, taking away a tension in his muscles that he probably hadn't even realized was there, while his head tipped backwards in enjoyment.

Audrey kissed lower and lower down his abdomen, her hands trailing behind as her fingernails grazed his skin gently and caused Jack to get goosebumps. He touched her head gently, stroking her hair as she moved closer to her intended target. She hooked her fingers into his boxers and pulled them off, Jack lifting his hips off the bed to assist. Audrey bit her lip at the sight of Jack's fully naked body on display for her, holding back a groan of admiration at how sexy he was.

Jack reached for Audrey, pulling her back in for another kiss. As they kissed again, Audrey reached between them to stroke his newly exposed manhood. Jack groaned into their kiss, loving the feeling of her hand on him. Audrey was determined to finish her exploration of Jack's body, not having gotten a chance to thoroughly examine what she had just uncovered. She pulled out of the kiss and picked up where she left off, her hand unrelenting from stroking him as she kissed downwards once more. She licked up and down his shaft a few times before taking as much of him into her mouth as she could and pleasuring him.

"God, Audrey," Jack groaned as she brought him close to release. Jack couldn't believe how amazing this felt. Jack looked down at Audrey, seeing how her skin had turned a sexy shade of pink and how her long hair cascaded down to his thighs, tickling a little. Seeing her like this brought him even closer to the brink and as much as he loved what she was doing to him, he wanted a turn to give her the same kind of attention that she had been giving him. Jack pulled Audrey back to face him and shifted so they were lying side by side again. Jack kissed her.

"That felt incredible," Jack assured her.

Audrey smiled. "I enjoyed it too."

Jack kissed her again and rolled to place her beneath him this time. As Jack pulled out of their kiss, he admired how beautiful she looked with her hair fanned out smoothly across the pillow. Jack kissed his way down her body, her moans telling him that she loved when he kissed the crook of her neck at her collarbone and when his fingers traced the upper edge of her bra. Jack made Audrey sit up slightly for a moment so he could unclasp her bra. He slipped it off her arms and admired her beautiful body beneath him before kissing his way around her torso while gently caressing her breasts with his hands. Audrey ran a hand through Jack's hair and rubbed his neck and the backs of his shoulders while he kissed down her stomach, ran his tongue along the top of her panties, and then kissed back up until his lips caught her breast causing her to moan. Audrey arched her back slightly as Jack moved to her other breast, his warm hands running along the sides of her body.

Jack continued to kiss her upper body as he swiftly removed her panties. Jack slowly made his way down her body, Audrey's anticipation rising. Audrey couldn't remember any man she had been with waiting so long to get to the main event, appreciating that Jack obviously wanted her to enjoy this, which she truly was. As Jack moved further down her body, Audrey's breath caught in her throat at the thought of him finally touching her where she wanted him most, but instead Jack placed kisses on the insides of her thighs and massaged her legs. Audrey was desperate for him to touch her and realized that her anticipation for it was only turning her on more. She was confident she had never been so excited for sex in her life.

Jack was using all of the willpower he had not to move more quickly, sensing that this slow, sensitive approach was driving Audrey crazy. He could tell by the way her breathing hitched in her throat and the way she squirmed that she was loving every second of this and wasn't used to getting this much attention to every inch of her amazing body. Finally, Jack decided that he had left her in anticipation for long enough and brought his hand up to explore between her legs, still kissing her thighs.

Audrey moaned at this initial touch, the anticipation finally over. Jack brushed his thumb over her clit as he found her entrance and slipped two fingers inside, causing Audrey to unintentionally thrust her hips, pushing his fingers further inside. Jack felt his excitement grow as he felt how wet she was, thinking it incredible that he could have this effect on her. He expertly used his fingers to pleasure her, listening closely to her moans to learn what she liked. Soon, Jack let his mouth join, continuing to use his fingers while his mouth closed in around her clit, making her whimper in approval.

Audrey's mind felt completely numb, unable to think about anything besides the incredible sensations that Jack was giving her. It didn't take her very long to feel like she was on the brink of climax, and as much as she wanted to give in, she even more so wanted to share this amazing feeling with Jack.

"Jack," Audrey said, unable to stop it from sounding more like a moan than trying to get his attention. She placed a hand on his shoulder and Jack paused to look up at her. "I-I'm ready."

Jack had been so thoroughly enjoying what he was doing to Audrey that he had almost forgotten the main event. But, at her request, he kissed back up her body, more quickly than he had before, before finding her lips again. They kissed passionately, both of them confirming that they wanted this. Audrey reached for his manhood and began to stroke him again, guiding him towards her entrance.

They looked into each other's eyes as their bodies merged together, both feeling incredibly connected to each other. Jack stroked her cheek before kissing her again, their bodies beginning to move in rhythm. Their hands continued to explore each other's bodies, heightening the sensations they were feeling. Heat was emanating from them and their breathing became ragged, making it difficult to continue kissing. Jack dropped his head to the crook of her neck, nuzzling and kissing the spot near her collarbone that he had found earlier, while Audrey let out moans that only excited him further.

Jack felt like he was close and could tell Audrey was too. Audrey wrapped her legs around Jack's hips, pulling his body even closer and changing the angle just enough to bring about new exciting sensations that quickly caused both of them to peak, clutching onto each other until their bodies finally felt relief and fell limp. They gave each other several short kisses as Jack rolled to the side and onto the bed, still facing Audrey.

Jack gently stroked Audrey's cheek and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as they smiled silently at each other. They stayed silent for a minute, letting themselves catch their breaths.

"That was incredible," Audrey told him when her mind had finally come back from its foggy state.

Jack smiled. "Yeah, it was."

They laid in each other's arms cuddling for a while. Their hands still wandered over each other's naked bodies but in a more comforting than sexual way. They spent the night together, neither able to stop smiling as they fell asleep.

A/N: Resume reading here if skipping M rated section.

Jack was spending a few nights a week at Audrey's townhouse, realizing quickly after the first few nights apart that they much preferred their nights together. Jack began bringing a change of clothes with him so he could stay over. Audrey loved waking up to Jack more often, the only trouble being that it seemed impossible to go to work those mornings. It was hard to get out of the warm bed and even harder to get out of the shower when Jack would join her, neither of them able to resist the incredible feeling of the hot water dripping between them as they tangled up in each other. Audrey insisted that Jack was insatiable and Jack insisted that it was Audrey who was making them arrive later than usual, although still earlier than they truly needed to be at work. Truthfully, it was both of them that couldn't get enough of each other.

However, it was soon the week of Christmas and Jack prepared himself for his week off for Kim's visit, knowing that he would miss seeing Audrey. He hadn't told Kim about his relationship with Audrey yet. He wasn't sure why. Maybe because he didn't want to jinx something that was going so well. Maybe because he didn't want the attention that Kim would give him, trying to pry for information as he knew she would. Or, maybe, because he truly believed that this could be heading somewhere significant which he couldn't have said about anyone since Teri died. He wasn't sure how Kim would react to that. She had told him over the summer that she thought he should date again, but it still seemed like a big deal to tell her. But, he felt that maybe he would tell her this week, not wanting to keep waiting and having Kim wonder why he waited so long.

Kim's plane landed safely on Saturday and Angela was bummed that it was so cold yet no snow had accumulated on the ground yet.

"We're supposed to get snow on Monday night," Jack told her, causing Angela to jump up and down excitedly. Jack, Kim, Chase, and Angela went to Jack's apartment and caught up with each other. Kim was disappointed but not surprised at the lack of Christmas decorations in her father's apartment and insisted that they go buy decorations and decorate. They spent the weekend decorating his apartment.

"Daddy, is Santa going to know I'm here?" Angela asked Chase. Chase assured her that Santa knew and would bring her presents here instead.

"I'm glad we did our shopping early and sent her gifts here," Kim whispered to Jack while Angela was busy hanging ornaments on only the lowest branches of the fake tree they had set up. Jack had been stowing away all of the gifts that Kim had sent in his closet for safekeeping and out of the way of where Angela might see them.

Once the tree was decorated, Kim started setting out gifts under the tree from herself to Chase and her father as well as Chase's gift to her. "Any gifts to put under the tree, Dad?"

"Yeah, a couple for you, Chase, and Angela," Jack told her, fiddling with the lights on the tree. "In the hall closet. They have your names on them."

Kim went to the closet and Angela followed closely behind, having heard that there was a gift for her. Kim saw a stack of wrapped presents in the closet and found three with Angela's name on them.

"Here, put these under the tree Angela," Kim said, handing her the gifts. "But, remember, no opening until Christmas."

"But, I can try to guess!" Angela said excitedly before running back to the tree to put the presents down.

Kim smiled and grabbed the presents with hers and Chase's names from the closet, noticing that there were two more unlabeled presents in the closet. Kim looked over her shoulder to see if her dad was looking and when he wasn't, she picked up one to figure out what was inside. One was clearly a long box, like the type that a new necklace would come in. She raised her eyebrows and smiled, thinking that perhaps they were for a woman and quickly put them back where she found them and entered the living room as if she saw nothing. If they were for someone he was dating, he obviously wasn't ready to tell her yet and as much as she wanted to ask questions, she didn't want to pressure him into talking about something he wasn't ready to talk about yet.

"Did you figure out what your gifts are Angela?" Kim asked, trying to act casually.

"No," Angela said, still feeling the package in her hands.

"Me neither," Kim agreed, putting the other presents under the tree.

"Well, luckily they aren't breakable," Jack said. "Otherwise, Angela's would be in a million pieces with all the shaking."

On Monday, Jack's apartment looked completely transformed and the four of them explored Washington D.C. for the day, Angela being completely exhausted by the end of it. However, she regained her energy when it started to flurry. She ran around trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue. Jack, Kim, and Chase found the snow to be really beautiful and mesmerizing to watch. Jack wished he could see Audrey as the snow fell around them, knowing that she loved the snow. He texted her at the end of her work day, warning her to drive safely home from work. Audrey smiled at his text, liking that he was obviously thinking of her even though he was with his family.

On Tuesday, Jack woke up to eight inches of snow out his window. He was awake before the others and decided to give Audrey a call.

"Hey," Audrey answered, knowing it was him by the caller ID on her phone.

"Hey," Jack said. "What are you up to?"

"Walking into the office," Audrey answered.

Jack looked at the time. "Already?"

"It's amazing how quickly I can get ready in the morning without distractions," Audrey teased. Jack smiled. "I wasn't sure how the roads would be so I got up early so I could drive slow."

"And how were they?"

"Fine," Audrey insisted. "Getting the car unburied from the snow. That's a different story. What are you up to today?"

"Taking Angela sledding," Jack explained. "You might have some competition for who likes snow more."

Audrey chuckled and asked about how the rest of his time with his family was so far and Jack told her about what they had been doing for the last few days.

"And, when do they leave again?" Audrey asked, wanting to know when she could see him again. "Wow, that sounded mean. I don't mean that I want them to leave. I just- I -I miss you. That's all."

"I miss you too," Jack insisted. "I was thinking that maybe I'd tell Kim about us."

Audrey smiled, liking the idea that Jack felt like this was serious enough to need to tell his daughter about it. "Really?"

"Yeah," Jack said. "Well, maybe. I don't know. What do you think?"

"Jack, I can't answer that for you," Audrey insisted. "Whenever it feels right for you. No pressure."

"Maybe," Jack said, still unsure but leaning towards telling her this week.

"Hey, I have thirty emails and a voicemail from a very angry Senator Walther to deal with this morning," Audrey told him, obviously having logged into her computer.

"Alright," Jack said in understanding. "I'll talk to you soon. Miss you."

"Miss you too. Bye," Audrey said, before hanging up.

The day went by quickly, their fun in the snow taking up most of the day. Wednesday and Thursday were full of fun as well. On Thursday night, Kim and Jack outlasted Chase and Angela and sat on the couch together talking and playing a round of chess.

"You seem happy, Dad," Kim told him, as he moved his knight.

"Well, yeah, I'm taking your queen on my next move," Jack told her, knowing that there was no move she could make to protect her queen without moving into check.

"No, not in the game," Kim said, rolling her eyes. "I meant just generally."

"I mean, yeah," Jack shrugged. "It's nice having you guys here."

"Hmm," Kim grunted skeptically, hoping he would open up more. She focused on her move in chess and let him consider telling her. She moved her piece and looked up at her dad who seemed to be struggling with whether or not to tell her. "Dad, look, I already know. You don't have to tell me. Or stress or whatever. I'm happy for you."

"You know?" Jack asked, surprised. "How?"

"Besides the general mood improvement, we have the secret morning phone calls, the texts, the gifts in the closet for her, and I noticed when I was wrapping Angela's gifts in your bedroom closet that half your suits are missing."

"Oh," Jack said, realizing that he had been less than conspicuous. "I'm sorry you found out that way. I should have told you."

"I mean, I told you last summer that I thought dating again would be a good idea," Kim said. "Did you think I would be upset?"

"I don't know," Jack said. "No, I guess not. Telling you just makes it feel - I don't know - real."

"Well, is it serious?"

"Yes," Jack admitted. "It is. Audrey is incredible."

Kim smiled. "Good. You deserve to be happy, Dad."

Jack smiled and focused his attention back on the game of chess.

"So, how long have you two been together?" Kim asked curiously.

"Almost 3 months," Jack answered.

"Can I meet her?" Kim asked. Jack looked up at her, surprised by the question. Kim sensed his hesitation. "Or not. I just figured I don't know the next time I'll be in Washington."

"Um," Jack considered. "Well, she's going to be celebrating Christmas with her family and then you guys leave the next day so I don't think -"

"Next time," Kim interrupted, sensing that he wasn't ready to take that step yet.

Christmas flew by for Jack and he was not looking forward to Kim leaving. He had enjoyed watching Angela open her gifts from Santa and reminiscing with Kim about Christmases past which inevitably made him think of Teri. However, he found that thinking of Teri setting up Christmas so that it was perfect for Kim made him happy rather than sad as he usually felt when he thought of her.

Once Jack said his goodbyes to Kim, Chase, and Angela at the airport, Jack drove straight to Audrey's. It was late on Sunday and both of them were exhausted but wanted to hear about each other's Christmases and exchange gifts.

Audrey handed Jack a gift and he opened it to reveal a book that he had expressed interest in reading and a new travel bag as his was worn down and was not ideal for bringing dress clothes with them when they traveled for work. Jack thanked Audrey with a kiss and then gave her the gifts he bought her, slightly nervous about whether or not she would like them. Audrey opened the long rectangular box first, revealing a necklace that was very much her style. Then, she opened the larger gift bag that contained a wooden bath tray, fancy bath soaps, chocolates, and wine. Audrey smiled at Jack for obviously listening to her. She had talked to Jack about how she loved taking long baths to relax but found the bathtub in her townhouse to have small ledges that she couldn't rest her wine or book on. Audrey thanked him and made sure that he knew how much she loved her gift and was excited to use it.

Audrey and Jack were so tired that they went to bed afterwards, just happy to be back in each other's arms for the first night in a week. They fell right to sleep, Audrey's head on Jack's shoulder.