Hidy! None of this is mine except for the plot. Let's run through some formatting quickly.
Italics Intensely or emotionally spoken.
Bold ASL
Underlined Titles
"What do you mean there's a hit out on me?" Sue asked in confusion.
Garret stood in the middle of the bullpen, having addressed everyone as he entered, saying that he had a very important situation that needed to be taken care of. All the agents gathered around as Garret told them that the Profiler department had found what seemed to be a legitimate threat against Sue. It declared that she was "no FBI agent" and that she was a "danger to herself and her peers" and that, if she was not removed or if nothing was done, the person would "take care of the problem themselves."
"Fine," she said hopelessly. "So, some psycho is after me and now, I'm going to let him dictate my life?" she asked in mild outrage. Garret sighed softly and when she saw that he had no protest to her argument, it only served to fuel her anger. "Garret, you can't be serious? Please, tell me you're not serious. I'm not going into hiding!"
"I'm very sorry, Sue, but the powers that be tell me to get you into a safe house as soon as possible and even assign one of the team to protect you. Don't!" he said forcefully, cutting off the protest Sue was about to give. "I'm sorry, but if you don't agree, I'll have to suspend you to get you out of the office until we find this creep. If you go quietly, it's not your fault and you'll be on paid leave. So will the agent assigned to you. That's part two." Garret looked around the room to observe the other agents. "Since Sue knows you all best, I asked my superiors if I could assign one of you to guard her. He gave me the go ahead. I need you to let me know who I'm sending with Sue."
The entire bullpen looked around while Sue's gaze went to Lucy and she immediately spoke up.
"Wait! Couldn't Lucy possibly be in danger, too, if he knows where I live?"
"We've considered that, too, and we'd like her to stay with one of the other agents. Since you're the target, we're taking extra precautions. Lucy, do you think you could make arrangements with someone?"
"You can stay with me," Tara chirped immediately. Lucy thanked her quietly.
"So? Who's it going to be?"
"Sparky!" Bobby said immediately. Jack's head snapped towards his friend along with Sue's and Myles' while Bobby just gazed at Garret as if it were the most obvious choice in the world. "Ex-sniper means best shot. I don't think there's anyone better to take care of our Sue. Besides, they've lived together before and they know each other's quirks, so they know what they're getting into."
Garret looked over to Jack who had a sick feeling in his gut that reflected a little in his expression. "Jack," Garret said quietly, "he's right. You were actually my pick, too. You're the best shot, you two are good enough friends and we need someone with her. We don't know how long this will take. Are you willing to do this? It means you're not coming into the office for the entire duration. You'll be set up in a safe house just outside of the main city. Sue, do you want Jack to be with you?"
Jack's gaze slid subtly to hers and he watched her swallow and nod very slowly. He felt a smile spread inside of him at being chosen by her and looked solemnly up at Garret to nod as well. The boss nodded and sighed quietly.
"I'll go make the arrangements. Sue, Jack… go pack a bag and plan on it lasting more than three days."
With a look of fear-tinged giddiness, they both left and went home to fill a sack, leaving the rest of the team to look at each other with worried smiles. Bobby was the first to say anything.
"Well, it's too bad it came to this, but there is one heck of bright side; they'll be completely alone for as long as this takes. If it weren't for the horrible circumstances, this would be incredibly romantic. I, for one, hope something comes out of this. Something productive…on both their parts!"
"So," Jack murmured quietly when Sue emerged from her apartment with one large bag packed full of clothes, "you ready?"
"Yeah," she sighed with a smile. 'It's not like last time. I know what to expect this shot and I was able to mentally… prepare myself." Jack stared at her with an insulted smile. "You do know that I'm joking, right?" she asked seriously. "I'm very thankful that you agreed to do this for me," she whispered to him.
Jack just smiled and opened the car door for her before taking the bag and putting in the back seat. With Sue safely installed and Levi sitting in the back of the car, Jack closed her door and went around to the driver's seat. With a sudden idea, he lowered the visor in his place and adjusted it so she could see his lips in the mirror. She reached back and scratched behind Levi's ears. He smiled at her, but as she withdrew her hand, she found it covered with small blond hairs.
"Jack, wait a second. Levi's full of hair," she warned as Jack pulled onto the highway.
"I should hope so; he's a dog!"
"I mean he's shedding. Your car's going to be full of dog hair," she said nervously.
"Sue, stop worrying," he said, pinning down her emotions, "I have a vacuum; I'll take care of it when we get to the safe house. It's not a big deal." Sue looked at him with a softness in her eyes that unsettled Jack a little bit. "What?"
"It's just… most people do care and they can get a little mad at me or Levi about it. After everything you've done for me, I didn't want to cause you any trouble."
"It's no trouble, Sue. Not everyone is the same. Now, relax and enjoy the ride. We're going to be on the road for about an hour. The house has been set up with a secure computer, a secure phone line, washer and dryer and stocked fridge. Plus, I think there's a pool or something since we can't really leave too much. It's a home away from home," he reassured softly. She smiled weakly. "Sue, we've done this before. Will you stop worrying?" he asked, squeezing her hand reassuringly.
"I'm worried about Lucy. This guy is-"
"This guy is a sicko! He's never met you, he doesn't know you and he's going down. And Lord help him if I get my hands on him after all those things he said about you!" Jack countered forcefully. "He doesn't have a clue who he's talking about."
"Jack, he's not entirely wrong. The very first time I got involved in a case-"
"Sue, that was an accident and my stupidity for not telling you straight out. You couldn't have known what was going on because I didn't keep you in the loop. I can never apologize enough to you or Levi. Anyway, Lucy is with Tara, she'll be fine and you have to forget about that letter. You can't take what that psychopath said seriously. Okay?" he asked softly. She nodded her head and leaned back. "Take a small nap. Lucy told me you didn't sleep much last night."
"Thank you," she whispered and almost immediately fell asleep.
"Sue," he whispered as he nudged her shoulder to get her to wake up. She stirred gently and opened her eyes to smile at Jack, refreshed yet stiff. Stretching, she felt her neck pop into place. The muscles were sore after the angle she had fallen asleep at. "C'mon, honey, we're home," he grinned with a light mocking tone to his voice that Sue could see in his expression. A part of her mind hated that she recognized it. How nice it would have been to be able to pretend just for a few moments that he wasn't joking.
As Sue got out of the car, she saw the large building in front of her and had to hold in the small gasp at the back of her throat. Inside with their bags, they toured the house and each picked their room. After they dumped their bags on their beds, they stepped back into the hallway and started looking into the other rooms. They found the bathroom to be almost as big as a bedroom. It had a walk-in shower with a closing frosted door, a large footed bathtub and the basics of a bathroom like toilet, sink, cabinet, et cetera.
"This kitchen is gorgeous," Sue said softly as she looked around the large cooking area with stainless steel everywhere. She smiled up at Jack. "Looks like I'll be able to cook us up some great suppers again."
"Sue, you could be equipped with one pan and an old fireplace and you'd find a way to make something delicious. You are an amazing cook."
They wandered out the back door and found they had a gorgeous backyard with a small in ground pool and deck for just sitting around in the sun.
"Looks like I'll finally be able to work on my tan," she said jokingly. Jack chuckled softly and they went back inside. "I packed a deck of cards, too, so we'll have some thing to do. I'm going to check out my room and unpack."
"Holler if you need me. I'll be doing the same." With a small sigh, they both headed off to their rooms and began unpacking slowly, Sue hanging up almost everything and leaving her underwear and such in the top drawer of the large dresser. The last thing she placed was her shampoo and conditioner on the shelf in the shower. As she stood in it, she didn't hear Jack coming in behind her. The next thing she knew, the shower was on and she hopped out quickly before she was soaked through. She jumped out so quickly that she landed in Jack's arms and swatted him gently before letting out a short bark of laughter and grinning at him. Then, she went off to change into a simple summer dress.
When she came back out, she went straight to the kitchen and started supper since it was already five in the evening. About twenty minutes later, Jack came downstairs, his hair combed back wearing a clean t-shirt and track pants. He sniffed at the air and walked over to tap Sue on the shoulder. She spun on him.
"That smells delicious. What is it?" he asked amicably. She gave him a steely glare.
"Just some poisoned cat food. That was an awful stunt you pulled earlier."
"Sue, lighten up a little. It was just water." She scoffed and turned back to cooking the meal. "I'm sorry," he signed to her. She turned slowly towards him and watched as he gave her his biggest smile and his puppy eyes. She laughed softly and he felt the vibrations of her chuckle rush through him like a dose of adrenaline.
"Fine. I just didn't want to make it too easy so you thought you could always get away with stuff like that."
"Sue Thomas, you obviously haven't spent enough time with me. I can be far worse than that," he mumbled and poked her side as he left, making her twitch with ticklishness. When she looked back up, he was gone and she continued cooking their meal in peace and quiet. The food simmered in the stir-fry pan while she set the rice to boil and, within half an hour of her starting time, supper was on the table. She wandered out and found Jack punching away at a large leather bag in the corner of the yard.
"Jack!" she called out. "Supper's ready and it's already getting cold. Hurry up."
"I'm coming," he said as he jogged up the couple steps to the patio door and into the dining room. On the table, there were already plates set with the meal and the cutlery was out along with a bottle of diet lemon-lime soda and glasses. The stir-fried broccoli, onions and steak smelled great and, as Jack sat down, he dug into his food with gusto. After a brief second, he recognized the homemade beef-broccoli as what he enjoyed at the Chinese buffets. He went to the fridge and pulled out a jar of cherry sauce and poured a dollop on his broccoli. Sue smiled and ate lightly at hers, watching with enjoyment as he finished one plate and helped himself to a second serving. He looked up at her and found her starring at him, smiling.
"I'm glad you like it," she explained before he even had a chance to open his mouth. "I think there'll be some leftovers for your lunch tomorrow."
"You won't take any?" he asked, pouring on more sauce while she watched him in wonder.
"No, I usually only take a tin of tuna or some cottage cheese for lunch. Not big on that meal time. Cherry sauce?" she asked, unable to contain herself any longer. He grinned.
"This is how I eat beef-broccoli at the restaurant. I found out about this combo by accident. I take cherry sauce on my Soo-guy chicken and it dripped on my broccoli. Turned out it's delicious together. Here," he said, picking a piece with his fork and holding it out to her. She grinned and tried to maneuver herself to avoid a mess, but it wound up trickling down her chin and she swiped at it as she chewed on the cherry-covered food. She moaned softly in delight and held a hand over her mouth as she chewed on the juicy piece.
"That is really good. Pass me the sauce please," she murmured and soon smothered her stir-fry in the cherry sauce. Jack chuckled and watched her start eating with more enthusiasm than before. They chatted between bites and talked about pending cases with curiosity. About an hour later, they pushed away from the table, both infinitely happy that she had opted against making dessert.
Crashing on the couch, they turned on the movie channel and waited for The Godfather Part III to start. Sue tried to get comfortable, but the muscles in the back of her neck wouldn't let her. Instead, she took a pillow in her lap and leaned her chin on it, hoping to support it and ease the pain in her neck. She never even noticed Jack waving at her. She looked up and found him smiling and beckoning her to sit in front of him on the floor. With a confused expression, she did as he asked and was rewarded with his hands going to work on her shoulders. She moaned as the warmth of his hands on her bare skin melted the knots out of her neck and she couldn't help the long whimper of pleasure as his thumbs found the exact spot and played it back and forth, getting rid of any remaining tension.
"Thank you," she whispered, her voice huskier than she'd have liked, but thankful, nonetheless. Jack smiled and extended a hand to help her back up. With a appreciative grin, she hauled him off the couch. "Your turn. Sit." He grinned and tried to decline, but she wouldn't let him. "It's my way of saying 'thank you'," she explained. "Sit down," she smiled.
"Okay," he conceded. Jack sat down and Levi came over to lie beside him while Sue's hands went to his shoulders. He felt the heat in her fingertips and bit back the grunt of pleasure that rippled along the tense sinews in his upper arms. Her touch was almost magical and within seconds, Jack felt himself relax to a degree that he hadn't in years. What felt like both an eternity and an instant later, Sue's hands eased off his shoulders and he couldn't help the small moan that rolled out of his lips as her nails dragged against his skin.
"Better?" she asked innocently. He sighed softly and turned to her with a big smile and nodded.
"You know? I'm actually kind of tired. I think I'm going to hit the sack. Sorry to ditch you."
"It's not a problem. You didn't have a nap and you were working out before. Go on to bed. I'll be down here. Good night, Jack." He smiled and signed back to her before dashing up the stairs two at a time and rounding a corner, disappearing from sight.
Sue sighed silently and leaned back against the couch with a tiny thud. She covered her face with her hands and bit her bottom lip. The feel of having Jack sitting in front of her receiving a massage felt as if they'd done it every night. It felt natural and normal, but it shouldn't. She groaned a little and pulled herself off the couch and up the steps, Levi at her heels. After brushing her teeth and changing into a long nightdress, she climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling for nearly an hour before finally drifting off into a restless sleep that kept her tossing and turning all night with indecent dreams.
The next morning, Sue woke up around nine and looked around her room. She pulled on another white summer dress, tied up her hair at the nape of her neck and poked on a pair of tiny earrings, only because she hadn't worn any in a few days and didn't want her holes to close up on her. Tiptoeing out into the hall, she walked by the bathroom and went to Jack's door to find he wasn't asleep. With a murmur of surprise, she went downstairs and looked around the rooms.
"Jack?" she called softly, but there was no answer. She stepped out into the yard and instinctively looked towards the punching bag. "Jack!" she called out, louder than before. Still, she received no answer. Panic wedged its way into her mind and she ran though the house calling to him, scared she was alone in the building. "Jack!" she yelled, sprinting up the stairs and colliding with the very man she sought, clad only in a white, fluffy towel, gun drawn.
"Sue, what's wrong?" he asked quickly, her, flushed and stammering. "Sue?" he asked again, taking her by the shoulders and giving her a gentle shake back into reality. She stared back up at him, her gaze wandering down his torso. Suddenly, he became aware of her reason for being slightly flustered. He concealed his grin and tilted her face back up to his. "What happened?" he asked.
"I, uh… I couldn't find you and… I got a little scared," she murmured softly. He grinned and relaxed a little bit.
"Yeah, well, the way you were screaming, that makes two of us," he murmured softly before pulling her into a brief hug. She blushed scarlet as her arm automatically coiled around his neck and all she felt warm bare skin. Her breathing faltered and she couldn't seem to inhale anything except his sweet masculine aftershave. When he finally let go, he noticed her pink cheeks and faked looking around before 'realizing' he was half-naked. "Sorry. Ha," he chuckled softly, "you've got little water spots all over. I'm sorry," he apologized. Sue grinned back and excused herself and, before Jack could say another word, she turned her heel and sprinted down the stairs.
Sue ran out of the house into the backyard at a brisk pace and looked out over the pool. The sun was warm and she felt her cheeks become pink from the heat, then darken dramatically when Jack reappeared dressed in navy blue Bermuda shorts and a sky blue polo shirt. He waved at her and she sat up.
"Hey, uh… I've got something I need to do on the computer. I'm supposed to contact Garret at least once a day. If you need me, I'll be in the office. Just yell out my name. You've got practice," he said with a grin before excusing himself, a smile on his face after witnessing her cheeks turn the deepest shade of pink he'd ever seen on a person.
After she felt certain he was out of earshot, she turned her face into a pillow and muffled a frustrated scream at her lack of self-control. She moved the bench into the sun and thought for a moment about where the office was. Front of the house. That's good. She turned to Levi and took his jaw in her hands.
"Levi, go sit inside and let me know when Jack is coming. Got it?" He barked once and went inside right away. Sue looked inside again and, positive that Jack was out of sight, Sue lowered her summer dress and stretched out on the terrace in her panties and strapless bra to take some sun. She rubbed herself down with a little bit of tanning lotion and, with a great deal of flexibility, managed to get her back, too.
After about thirty minutes, she turned over and tanned her back, laying on her stomach as she ran through all the cases she'd left hanging by going into hiding. She kept an eye open for the approach of her faithful dog, but as long as he stayed away, she stayed in the sun. Another thirty minutes flew by and she turned over again, letting her front deepen in color for another half hour, then flipped again.
A cool wind rustled through the yard and chilled her a little, but it was a wonderful reprieve from the harsh heat of the high sun. She flipped over again and found herself gazing up at the wide open skies. The air was almost cold against her toasted skin. Her head lolled to one side and she nearly screamed when she saw Jack sitting on a deck chair next to her, staring at her. She snapped up and yanked the dress on over her head immediately, almost pulling off her bra, but she managed to place herself quickly enough, although it was too late to salvage any shred of nonchalance she had in her body as her cheeks flamed red.
"Jack Hudson, that was completely inappropriate of you. And you!" she screeched at Levi, who cowered behind Jack. "You were supposed to be my lookout! What do you have to say for yourself?" she asked pointedly, standing to accentuate her disapproval. Levi shrank away from her, but Jack stood up and intervened.
"He didn't do anything wrong, Sue. I shushed him before he even had a chance to bark. I wanted to surprise you. It seems you got the better of me," he jested and, as he guessed she would, her cheeks became even darker. "I've come to announce that you won't need to cook tonight. I've ordered some Thai food from a nearby restaurant. The food will be here in about ten minutes. In the meantime, I think I'm going to throw a few at the bag." Sue turned to look in the direction that he'd thrown his head and realized he meant he was going to punch the bag for a while. He tapped her shoulder and she looked back at him. "Would you like me to teach you?" he asked softly. She grinned and nodded her head as he led the way to the leather sack.
"So, what do I do?" she asked quietly. He grinned and took her hands in his, folding them over into the proper form so she wouldn't hurt herself as she punched. She delivered blow after blow to the bag, the punches growing more and more furious. Soon, Jack stepped back as he watched her land hit after hit after hit until she began to wind up kicks against the bag, making it sway until he thought it might fly off the anchoring.
"Sue?" he asked tentatively as he gently tapped her shoulder. She jumped and spun around in the middle of a kick. With quick reflexes, he caught her approaching leg and, as she teetered out of balance, he felt himself sway ominously. They both came tumbling to the ground and, with barely a second to spare, he threw his arms out and broke his fall with them instead of her. He couldn't help the laughter that bubbled inside of him and he began to chuckled, softly at first, but harder as he found her laughing with him.
They lay there quietly for a moment before Jack jumped up, pausing just long enough to sign the word 'door' to her before sprinting into the house and to the front door while Sue came in slowly behind him. By the time she got to the table, he was there with the food and was serving it up on the plates of the already set table. She smelled the air subtly and picked up the spicy scent immediately. She smiled up at him.
"I like this surprise a lot, but I'll need to go to the gym daily to work all this off," she said jokingly.
"After that little stint outside, I doubt you need much more working out. What were you thinking of that got riled up enough to attack the sack like that?" he asked curiously. Sue eyes were downcast and she was just about to answer when she caught herself suddenly. She looked up at him with an obviously plastered-on smile.
"I, um… I was frustrated about being away from work for so long. I could be doing something a bit more productive than taking sun and playing solitaire all day."
Jack nodded knowingly, but what he knew was that she was holding back. He smiled and went back to lighter banter during the rest of the meal and watched her face fall when he would be quiet for more than a few minutes, as if some painful thought returned to her when she was no longer distracted by senseless small talk. When the meal was over, Sue stood up and started clearing the dishes. Jack tried to stop her, but she shrugged him off lightly.
"You said the cook never cleans, but I didn't cook, so tonight, I'll take the shift," she explained softly.
"Since neither of us cooked, why don't both of us clean?" he suggested lightly and tried to gather up the cutlery, but she spun around on him with a iron stare.
"Drop them, Jack. Tonight, I'll take care of it. Tomorrow, I'll be back to cooking. Go relax," she insisted, softer than when she had first addressed him.
"Actually, I'll go have that workout I didn't get around to earlier. Someone hogged the punching bag," he said accusingly. Sue grinned sheepishly and cleared her throat before continuing with her dish chore. With a wide smile, Jack turned before she saw it and went out into the yard, knowing, even without looking, that she was staring intently out the window, watching him beat the bag, his blows measured and nowhere near as frenzied as hers were. He knew she was thinking it almost as he was and, if she wasn't yet, she would soon be blushing as she'd remember her moment of abandoned self-control.
Jack beat at the bag for what seemed like only minutes, but was actually almost an hour. He felt the tension in almost every muscle of his body and knew that he would be sore within a few hours. When he finished fighting the inanimate object and looked back up at the house, he saw that she wasn't at the window anymore. He wandered inside and found her sitting, watching a romantic comedy of some kind with soft tears dripping down her cheeks.
"You okay?" he signed after tapping her shoulder to gain her attention. She sprung up and swiped at her tears, sniffling as she dabbed her cheeks with her hands. Jack smiled and handed Sue a small Kleenex from the coffee table. She accepted it and blew her nose quietly before wiping off the residual dampness from under her eyes. "Better?"
"Yeah," she mumbled softly. "Just a touching movie," she continued, trailing off as he took the remote and checked the title of the movie and he description.
"Gigi?" he asked with a grin. "A Parisian movie?" She grinned.
"It's a favorite of mine. It's sweet and touching. He wants to have her, but settling isn't good enough. When she does, he realizes that he…he loves her too much to ruin her reputation. So, he marries her in the end."
"And they lived happily ever after?" he mocked lightly. She scowled a bit and stared up at him with wide and slightly watery eyes.
"So, I guess you don't believe in happy endings?" she asked carefully. He grinned a bit sadly.
"Never had one, so no, I don't. I hope to someday with a certain someone special," he said, giving her his boyish grin and, in that instant, she felt her heart plummet, knowing he already had someone in mind. Putting on as genuine a smile as possible, she chuckled, nodded and excused herself to bed.
"Good night, Sue." Almost instantly, she made her way briskly up the steps and closed the door behind her to dissolve into silent tears. He moved gently to the door and listened to her crying, hearing her breathing heave with each inhale. His heart broke into pieces as he listened, but he knew she thought she was being quiet, so he left her alone and sat in his room, waiting to see if she'd stop crying.
Jack stretched out on his bed and tried to ignore the kinks in his neck. His light was out and the ceiling fan was turning overhead, making him dizzy rather than sleepy. He sat up a little too quickly and felt a particular muscle twinge in his shoulder. Deciding the warm water and physiotherapy of swimming would help, he peeled off his clothes and, as he was pulling on his swimming trunks, he heard her tiptoe past his door, down the creaking steps and listened as the patio door slid open to let her out then slid closed again. He grinned and, now knowing he didn't have to worry about waking her, walked into the bathroom and pulled out a towel, then went outside.
Sue was sitting on one of the chairs from the table set, staring blankly at the water's rippling surface. She was deep in thought and didn't sense or feel Jack approach her. Tears stained her now lightly tanned skin and he swallowed hard as he prepared himself for a new set of lies. Ever so gently, he tapped her shoulder and she jumped nearly a foot in the air. She choked on air and fear as she got shakily to her feet, her knees as unstable as ever to see him once more in little more than underwear. He felt it, too, and slung his towel over his shoulder, covering half his chest with the white terrycloth.
"What's wrong, Sue? Are you going to dodge me every time I try to help you?" he asked quietly.
"No, it's… it's weird to talk about with you. I'm better at sharing with Lucy or Tara than with you."
"Gee, thanks…" he said, rolling his eyes and throwing down his towel on the nearby chair.
"Jack, don't dive here!" she yelled quickly. He spun and looked at her in amusement. He stepped closer to the edge.
"Would you rescue me if I drowned?"
"Don't even joke!" she said, a tremor of fear in her voice and, with a small sigh, Jack decided he was better off not acting immaturely. He crouched down and stepped easily into the three feet of water in the shallow end. He saw her muscles slacken a bit and knew she was a little reassured. With another sigh, he dove beneath the surface and swam a lap before coming to rest at the edge of the shallow end, floating on his stomach with his arms on the ledge.
"Sit down here and talk to me."
With a weary expression on her face, she came closer to the lip of the pool and sat down, hiked a skirt an inch or two and put her feet into the water. He smiled and stayed there a few moments before she finally started to unload.
"I… I think I've… No, I know I've fallen for someone and I just can't take it anymore. He doesn't see me like that. He can't and I'm not sure if any guy could. My deafness isn't an issue, but between being deaf, an FBI agent and needing a dog almost everywhere I go…"
"Sue, that's part of who you are," he comforted, no longer sure that she really did love him like he thought. Surely she couldn't be so blind that she couldn't sense any of his embarrassment around her or feel his heart beat out of his chest whenever they were close. "This guy, what is it about him that you love so much?" he asked cautiously. She chuckled.
"Him. Just everything about him. From our first meeting, I thought he was a great guy. Great looking at first, then just great. He accepts me for who I am, enjoys spending time with me… I'm just not sure he is as in love with me as I am with him. And if he isn't, I don't want to ruin the amazing friendship we have. If I didn't have that, I'm not sure what I'd do. When I'm with him, I feel like I wish I could always feel: confident, feminine… unflawed."
"Whoa! One second here!" he said, his face contorting in anger as he stood up out of the water and walked around to stand straight in front of her. "You are not flawed! You're an absolutely amazing woman, Sue Thomas, who has done more in a few decades than some people do in their whole lifetime. Don't you ever let yourself think you're flawed in any way, shape or form. Do you hear me? You're perfect the way you are and don't let anyone tell you otherwise." He close to her… very close. With a tiny sigh, he stepped back from her a little and watched her smile. "Now, c'mon," he said with newfound lightness. "Go change into your swim suit and get in here. The water's great."
Sue's cheeks started to go a little pink, but she pushed it back down. She'd gone red enough for one day. "I don't have one. I didn't think to pack it. I doubted the FBI provided houses with pools and internet." A slow mischievous grin spread across his face and she leaned back instinctively. "Jack…" He stepped closer to her and she tried to get away but her caught her wrist and held her in place, standing to close that she couldn't move her legs without kicking him somehow. Once he was close enough, he caught her other wrist and held on tight. "Jack, don't!" she warned nervously, but he didn't listen. With a kick off from the wall, he swam backwards and she came tumbling in after him.
Jack stood, laughing as she emerge from beneath the water. Her white dress clung to her frame and she tried to tug it down into place, but the wetness of the material made it cling to her no matter how she tried to place it.
"Jack, I asked you not to!" she asked, somewhere between annoyed, amused and embarrassed. The thin white material was nearly translucent when wet and she was trying to hold it off her skin to give her some concealment from his wandering gaze, but she couldn't.
"Would you give it a rest? After earlier today, I can tell you honestly that you don't need to worry about showing off your figure. It's absolutely great. Now stop fretting and come swim with me."
Sue swallowed and swam over to him with strong strokes through the water. Jack watched her silently, taking in the beauty of her body as she swam through the water, a siren that only he could enjoy. When she pulled up in front of him, his stare unsettled her and, after quickly mumbling that she was going back inside, she took off toward the ladder. He instantaneously set off after her and as she stepped onto the first step, he caught her by the waist and pulled her back in, spinning her towards him as he pinned her between himself and the wall. She stared at him, concern plastered all over her expression, but he just smiled and stared at her with a glowing fire in his eyes, intense and intoxicating.
"Jack, what are you-"
"You certainly feel feminine to me," he breathed, watching her eyes widen in horror.
"You knew?! You knew I was talking about you?!" she half asked, half yelled. Jack smiled and watched Sue start to ramble on about being so embarrassed and began to apologize profusely until he laid a finger over her lips. She grew quiet and still and stared at him with big round eyes. He just gave her a small crooked smile and chuckled softly.
"Would you just shut up?" he whispered before pressing his lips to hers in a fiery kiss. She felt herself melt instantly and wrapped an arm around his neck as he kissed her deeply and completely. One of his hands found its way around her waist while the other tangled in her wet locks. She whimpered beneath him and felt his fingers massage both her hip and her scalp at once, holding her close and not letting her go. Her lips were warm and supple, as were his, and as they moved over each other, she dared to let the tip of her tongue poke out from between her lips to massage his mouth. With a moan of approval from both of them, they sealed the kiss and peeled apart gently.
"I can't get enough of you, Sue." Jack's words were husky and delicate. Suddenly, she looked worried. "The rules?" he asked softly. She nodded in bewilderment, unsure of how he knew what she was thinking. "Don't worry about it, Sue. That computer work? It was contacting Garret. I spoke with him days ago and today was to finalize the last 'terms of agreement', so to speak. Sue, I asked him if there could be an exception could be made or something. I asked him for permission for us…" he trailed off.
"Jack, why would they give us permission to date? It doesn't make any-"
"No," he breathed. She stared at him again as he lifted her and twirled her in the water. "Not date, Sue. Marry. Sue, would you give me the infinite joy of marrying me? I want to spend my life by your side, Sue. I want the wife, couple of kids and a dog and I want it with you. Sue Thomas, I am… hopelessly, madly, crazy in love with you and I have been for a while. Please say you'll marry me. Please."
A smile spread across her face along with a few stray tears and she nodded her head vigorously as he settled her back into the water, her skirt ballooning around her. She squealed and tried to push it back down, but he hoisted her out of the air and threw her into the water, making her squeak with laughter before the splash resounded along the water's surface. He waited for her to resurface and, when she didn't, he went under to look for her and found her a foot in front of him. They rose out of the water together and laughed before he pulled her into a tight, securing hug.
"I love you, Sue Thomas," he whispered to her. She smiled at him and, after a brief second, leaned in and pressed her lips to his. He grinned and accepted it entirely, responding with lightness and emotion. She pulled away and looked at him with an undeniable warmth in her eyes.
"I love you, too, Jack Hudson," she said brightly, her voice low and full of wonder.
-Fin-