A/N: One shot scene addition. I watched the episode 'Political Agenda' the other day and this just came to me out of the blue.
Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me, they belong to Paxson Entertainment. I'm just having a bit of fun with them.
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Musings and Muesli
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Jack yawned and stretched, feeling as though he'd only just crawled into bed and yet the alarm persisted in telling him that it was time to get up and begin another day. Sleepily making his way to the bathroom, he showered and dressed, pulling on a T-shirt, his tracksuit bottoms and trainers. He'd promised himself that he'd make up for skipping his run over the past few days by jogging all the way to his favourite restaurant for breakfast.
As his feet pounded the pavement he mentally went through the details of their latest case, the Liz Bradley murder but he'd hardly gone a block before he slowed to what could best be described a brisk walk; a vision of a certain blonde woman who was the cause of his sleepless nights, resurfacing in his mind.
Since they'd been undercover as man and wife, he'd started to think of her differently. There had always been an attraction there but day by day it had grown into something more and he found himself entertaining the possibility of a future he'd never even considered until then... One that included a wife, children and of course, a dog... His musings were brought to an abrupt end when he crashed into someone coming the other way and after making a hasty apology for not looking where he was going, he stopped to ascertain where he was. Realising that he'd already passed his destination he walked on a little further and picked up a newspaper before retracing his steps.
On any other morning he would have sat by the window where he could look out onto the world but today he was feeling more introspective so he chose instead, a secluded booth in a quiet corner where he allowed his mind to wander again as he waited for someone to come and take his order.
The prospect of a relationship with Sue seemed to be impossible right from the start. There was the F.B.I policy on fraternization to contend with and the fact that technically, he was still her Training Agent made it a double no-no and yet he still couldn't completely discount the idea. The way they'd fallen right into the whole married couple routine had been so convincing that they'd fooled the neighbours they were surveilling and that had started him thinking... At the beginning he'd expected that there would be problems created by her deafness but they hadn't materialised in any great number and when the odd one did occur he'd merely improvised.
The only really awkward moment had come when she'd stood on the hamper in the bedroom so that she could see out of the window... Afraid that she was going to fall, he'd automatically reached out to steady her, his hands resting on her slender waist and he hadn't been even remotely prepared for what had happened to him... Feeling the heat of her skin through the thin robe she wore had him swallowing back a groan and the speed that his body had reacted to the touch had stolen his breath away...
"Sir, are you ready to order?" The voice came to him as though it was a thousand miles away. "Sir, I have other customers waiting."
He lifted his head to see a young woman standing beside him, an exasperated expression on her face as she fidgeted impatiently from foot to foot. "Sorry, I was miles away."
"I wish I was." She sighed wistfully.
He gave her one of his more disarming smiles and almost laughed when she all-but melted on the spot. Why was it that he could never seem to trigger that kind of reaction from the one woman who could do it to him so easily?
Perusing the menu he was sorely tempted to order his usual meal but was attacked by a sudden pang of guilt at not accomplishing his morning's exercise. "I'll have the muesli and orange juice, please." The waitress just stared at him. "Is something wrong?"
"Sorry but you just don't look like a muesli kind of guy."
Jack just shrugged and then decided to indulge himself a little. "Could you add coffee to that?"
"Leaded or unleaded?"
This time his smile was one of amusement. "Leaded..." Watching her walk away he found himself wondering exactly what a muesli kind of guy did look like.
He had to concede that she'd been right. He'd stared at the bowl for a full five minutes, added milk and a little sugar and even stirred it with a spoon to see if it would miraculously transform itself into something that looked a little more appetising but nothing had worked. Despite his best efforts it still reminded him of something you'd find at the bottom of a rabbit hutch. Defeated, he took a large swig of coffee almost spitting it out again when he unfolded the newspaper he'd bought earlier and saw Sue staring back at him from the front page.
She looked amazing, sitting in the obviously expensive restaurant and posing for the camera as though she'd been doing it all her life. He stared bewildered as he felt as though he was just now seeing her for the first time. When had she changed from the uncertain girl who'd stood in front of his desk demanding a transfer and fleeing in embarrassment when she'd realised her mistake, into this beautiful woman with Capitol Hill at her feet?
Growing up in Wisconsin whenever he'd been sick or off school for some reason, his mother had often made him sit on the sofa with her and watch her favourite movie and he'd hated every minute of it but right at that moment he could actually appreciate how Henry Higgins had felt in 'My Fair Lady'.
He'd been both fascinated and dumbfounded by her ability when they'd met, plucking her out of fingerprinting because even then something about her had touched him inside and he'd wanted... no, needed to give her the chance that she craved so much and to his delight, she'd seized the opportunity with both hands. Like the professor, it hadn't even entered his mind that he might just fall in love with her in the process. His coffee cup hit the saucer with a crash and the couple who were sitting nearby glanced over in his direction tutting their disapproval, but he chose to ignore them.
That was completely ridiculous! He cared about her, of course he did and probably more than he should but he couldn't really... Could he?
Taking another look at the newsprint picture he huffed in self-derision... What was he thinking? She was being photographed with Senators and sharing dinner with an up-and-coming Senator's Aide and she already had a boyfriend. As far as she was concerned he was probably just another co-worker like Myles, no hopefully not Myles, like Bobby or D and if he was very lucky then maybe she regarded him as a friend, that was all. But then again, sometimes when their eyes met he could swear that he saw...
"...More coffee?"
"Sorry, what..?"
"I asked if you wanted more coffee." The young woman grinned as she waved it in front of his face.
"Yes, please." He felt his cheeks burn slightly convinced that she could read his thoughts.
"We've barely spoken but now I know two things about you."
"And what are they?"
"You definitely aren't a muesli person," she indicated the still-untouched cereal with her index finger. "And, you're not a morning person either." She finished triumphantly.
"What gave me away?"
"The 'should-have-stayed-in-bed' spaced out look."
"Thanks..." To get his revenge he flashed her another megawatt smile, feeling somewhat vindicated for being so transparent when she accidentally tilted the coffee pot and the contents started to drip onto the table. "Do something for me?"
"Anything..." She blushed furiously but he decided to behave like a gentleman and pretend not to notice.
"Take this away..." He pushed the bowl towards her. "...and bring me the full breakfast. Sausage, eggs, bacon, the works..."
"My pleasure... My name's Lisa, by the way."
"Jack."
"My pleasure... Jack."
As he waited for his revised order, he carefully placed his fantasy of a family life with Sue back where it belonged in the secret place inside him and turned his mind to the task in hand... tracking down a cold-blooded killer.
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