I have been dreading writing this for weeks because I kept thinking I was going to have to clearly organize my thoughts-and I've just been too tired. But imagine my surprise when I opened Word to find that it was already written and that I had finished it months ago! There will be one more chapter to finish it all off but I think that you'll find this update answers a lot of questions. Enjoy!

Without saying a word we both climb into bed and snuggle under the covers where its warm and nothing can break us.

"First," he starts. "I just want to tell you how much I love you and how sorry I am. When this whole thing started-" he lets out a huge sigh. "I just never meant to put you in danger. You have to know that honey, I love you and hurting you emotionally or physically was the last thing I wanted to do. In fact I'd rather die than put you through that."

I smile, through tears, and place my hand over his and he squeezes it. "I know that sweetheart."

"When Jack showed up all those months ago he came to me with a plan. He figured that after the last terrorist attacks he was not only wanted by the Chinese, but also several Russian and Arab terrorist groups."

"Those who supported Fayed and Grendenko."

"Exactly. Jack thought that the only way out of this whole mess would be to fake a death and leave the country. If they thought he was dead then they would stop wasting time looking for him, especially if he was 'killed' by one of their own."

"Makes sense."

"Yes, but my only involvement was just to set it up and not actually take part. All I had to do was get the proper death certificates, new identification, and settle him somewhere else. Just the usual administrative stuff-I hate field work."

"You said you liked flying that helicopter," I smirk. Laying here like this feels right, just so like us. "What happened?"

"I didn't say I liked it, I said I got an adrenaline rush," he grins pulling me closer. I tuck my head under his and begin to draw patterns into his chest. "Besides you know from experience that things never turn out the way they are suppose to."

I can't argue there. I suddenly remember all those people who were there last night.

"Bill?"

"Hmm?"

"How does this explain why half of CTU was in our house last night? And why those two goons thought you were dead," I trail off and try to hold back more tears. "I thought I had lost you."

Bill brushes fallen tears with his thumb and presses a gentle kiss to my forehead.

"We needed all the help we could get. And who better to help than people who know the back roads of the government system as well than the former staff of CTU? I had my job but there were other things that needed to be taken care of the most important being the show down. But in order for that to happen we needed to profile the major players of the three groups and that was Chloe and Nadia's responsibility. Chloe tracked them down through the system, translated documents and phone calls and Nadia acted as a behavioural analyst predicting next moves and so on. Morris and Doyle were in charge of setting up the 'execution' and making the terrorists think that they did it."

He lets out a huge sigh and I finally begin to see all those things that have kept him awake at night.

"And then there was Audrey."

"I was surprised and a little shocked to hear her up and doing well."

"She has been for quite some time which is another thing I am truly sorry for. I know how much you care for her and how much you worried about her. I didn't want to keep that from you either and I promise you that before Jack arrived I didn't know she was coherent either. Apparently her brainwashing was not as complex as the Chinese would like to have thought. A few mind exercises and visits from family and she seemed to gradually get her memory back. When she remembered Jack she threw such a fit that her father banned Jack from seeing her Heller had but no choice to get in touch with Jack. He told Jack that he would back off of his and Audrey's relationship if Jack could assure him that nothing would ever harm her-I guess faking their deaths and getting a clean break was the only thing Jack could think of."

"Why not just go through Witness Protection?"

"Well Daniels promised Jack safety and freedom but you know better than anyone that Daniels was just as much of a broken man that day as anyone else. When he stepped down and President Pearson was sworn in the new administration refused to follow through on a lot of promises the Palmer/Daniels campaign made. Which basically left it to us to handle and if there's one thing I've learned working at CTU it was that we never leave a team member to fend for himself. Especially one like Jack Baur."

A calm silence falls over us and Bill seems to be content just laying here enjoying the final days of warm sunlight that fills up the room. I, on the other hand, am just dying to ask that one question that has been on my mind for months.

I can't hold it in!

"Are you bored?"

He seems startled. "What-Karen, no! It wasn't like that I swear!"

"So you're telling me that this only had to do with Jack and Audrey's safety and not because you are bored with retirement or with me?"

I can't help but get emotional.

"Karen," he rolls on his side so he is facing me square on. "I swear to you that this had nothing to do with me being bored. I love you and our life and I wouldn't change anything. If I had known then what I know now I don't think I would have gotten involved. And not because of Jack or Audrey-I am very glad that I was able to help them out but because of how much danger it put you in. My involvement was supposed to be very minimal and we didn't think that your safety would be jeopardized. This is why Jack was staying here in the first place and why we didn't let you in on this. The last thing I wanted to do was drag our marriage back into the lifestyle. But as things progressed and everyone started getting in deeper we all became moving targets."

"I didn't know until I had already left the house last night with you here by yourself that we were being watched," he voice drops so low I can barely hear him which is always a sure sign that he is upset. "More specifically you. Audrey, her job was surveillance, something she could do from her house without blowing her cover; she was assigned to watch what the other side was watching. Counter-surveillance I guess would be a better term. Anyway, she didn't pick it up at first but we were on our way to the site when she called to say that the Russians had been actively watching the house for weeks. I called you right away to tell you to set the alarm just in case a break-in was attempted while I was with Jack. This way the alarm would go off and the police would arrive if I couldn't make it there in time." He shakes his head. "We need to do something about those cellar doors."

A jolt of panic rushes through me.

"Why? Are we still in danger?"

Bill gives a small smile. "No, it was actually very successful. Most of the key figures were killed in a shoot out, the FBI already has their names and bodies and is claiming that this was a government operation so they get all the credit for taking out well known terrorists. The others are in custody and as far as any remaining members back in the old countries-Jack is dead and Audrey is institutionalized. The only two who got their signals confused were the two bastards here but they're dead now so we don't have to worry."

"So let me reiterate. I just want to make sure I have the right story: Jack shows up a wanted man, turns out Audrey is just fine but is faking her disorder as a cover, you and the rest of CTU plot to have well known terrorist comes to the States, stage an attack where such terrorists 'kill' Jack, and then have he and Audrey shipped off to..?"

"Canada, very northern Canada."

"And have them settled in Canada. Anything else I should know?"

"Yes. Everyone was here so late last night that I put them up in the guestrooms."

I nod. Of course he did.

"You're forgetting one more thing."

"What's that?"

"You still have to tell me why it came back that you were dead.

"Well…"

I pull back to look at him.

I don't like where this is going.

"I did take several hits to chest," he stammers. "But I was wearing a vest! I swear, Karen, I would never be that reckless! See?"

He lifts his shirt to show several small bruises along his stomach and chest. I let out a huge sigh and roll on my back running my hand over my face.

"You know-I think they're kind of cool."

I send him my best disapproving look but he is grinning like a small child.

"Honey, think about it. If we had grandchildren this would make for a good war story."

I shake my head and lean over to place a soft kiss on his chest before leaning up to kiss him. Bill instantly wraps his arms around me and I get lost in the closeness.

Its been way too long.