A/N: It's going to be a longer note, but I think I should say a few things before I leave you to reading. Firstly, I promised to myself I'm not going to publish this story until I have some chapters written, so I'll be able to publish regularly. I have 7,5 chapters, five pages of plans for all the characters and even though it's not exactly what I had in mind, I decided to show it to you. For now I will update this story once a week, on Saturday (European time). According to my plans, it's going to be long, probably my biggest one, including all the characters. Of course, Jack and Sue are going to be the most important, but in contrary to my other stories, others will play a big part in it, too. Secondly, it is an AU story, but not completely. I change the way things went after Jack's heart attack, but a lot of things, which we watched in the show happened, either the same way or adjusted to better fit my idea. I am making sure not to let anyone get lost and describe everything I have changed. Lastly, the story starts ten years after Jack's heart attack. I imagine it taking place around March 2003, and the story starts at the end of November/beginning of December 2013. Obviously, a lot happened during all those years and things and people are not exactly the same they used to be back then. I guess some of you may think that my imagination went a little too far with some things, well... I certainly hope you're going to give this crazy little idea a chance and end up liking my story!

CHAPTER 1

He sighed, when he made his way into the bullpen and took the place behind his desk. There was nothing more he wanted than going home, but there was this high-profile case they were working on and as long as the investigation wasn't finished, he could forget about spending a night asleep in his bed. Instead he would be drinking more coffee than he actually should. It was Thursday, the last time he was at home was on Monday and he missed his family terribly. It was so difficult to believe that a little over ten years ago he didn't really look forward to going home, but his life was so different back then. There used to be an empty apartment and lonely evening in front of TV awaiting for him, now he had his girls.

If someone had told him then, that at this point in life he would have a wife and four kids, he would have called the person crazy. There was only one woman he could imagine his life with, but as long as they kept being in the same unit, the rules were clear – they couldn't be together. It was only after his heart attack that his eyes finally opened and he realized, that he had to act if he didn't want to lose the possible future with her. This whole thing made him understand, that they had no idea how much time they still had left, and they shouldn't waste a precious second of it. He decided to take this risk, take a step forward in their relationship and now he knew that it was the best decision in his entire life. It brought him such a huge happiness, that he didn't even know such existed and the sole thought that it could be any different was painful. He just couldn't imagine his life without Sue and their four daughters, and anyone, who thought that he would be happier if he had a son, couldn't be more wrong. The girls all had their good and bad features, but just the simple fact that they were the result of his and Sue's love made them absolutely perfect in his eyes.

He took one of the framed pictures, standing on his desk and a dreamy, loving expression appeared on his face. It was taken by him barely few weeks earlier, and he could see Sue surrounded by their four little angels.

Michelle, their oldest, was the best daughter and older sister anyone could imagine. She was a spitting image of his wife, with her blonde hair and beautiful, hazel eyes. Since the earliest years of her life, she always wanted to help her parents and was overly excited when it turned out she was going to be a big sister. Even though she was still very young, everyone could see that she was a caring, protective person and it only was only becoming more obvious as she grew older. She was very polite and kind, and her wonderful personality was able to capture everyone's heart.

Emma, born about two years later, was their little genius. She had dark hair and hazel eyes, hidden by a pair of glasses she needed to wear since a very young age. She was a very curious child, wanted to know everything and was in heaven when she could listen to one of Uncle Myles' lectures. The man, too was delighted that he found a person interested in them, even though there was still going to be some time before he wasn't going to have to watch his language and the topic. The stubbornness she inherited after her mother made her never give up, until she knew something or did it correctly and she also learnt very quickly. She was also very hard-working, and it was visible even in the kindergarten. She always wanted to be the best, at absolutely everything.

Vanessa, born almost three years after Emma, was her daddy's girl. She had his dark hair and, much to the delight of her mother, also his big, brown eyes. But it wasn't just his looks she inherited; if she was a boy she would be an absolutely perfect copy of little Jack. It was not uncommon to hear, that even though he didn't have a son, he had Vanessa and she was the one, with who he could do everything that men always dream about doing with their sons. She was a little bit of a tomboy, from early years making it visible in her fights that she didn't want to wear a dress or have a nicely done hair, not to mention that she seemed to dislike everything, what was clearly girly. As much as her sisters usually were following their mom, whenever Jack was at home it was clear that she was going to be with him. It didn't matter if it was watching him repair something, playing in the garden with him, or just watching a game on TV. Her family and numerous aunts and uncles (not necessarily related to her by blood) called her Vane, because she was exactly like a vane, turning and changing her mind about everything all the time. The only thing that seemed to be permanent was her huge love for sports, hockey in particular and while there were a lot of things she wanted to do over the short four years of her life, one could always her that she couldn't wait to be old enough to start practicing this sport.

And when speaking of the Hudson girls, one could never forget about the youngest one. Jade was a family star. Even on the day she was born, she got all the attention focused on her, being the first baby, who was born in the hospital in 2011, few minutes after midnight. She was stunningly beautiful little girl, with golden locks, big brown eyes, long lashes and a charming smile. Since the very beginning, she seemed to know how to use her charm. Even though her parents made sure to be resistant to it, much to their displeasure, others weren't able to do it the same way. She was very stubborn – her grandfather often joked that she was as stubborn as his wife and daughter combined – and always wanted to make everything her own way, no matter the circumstances. Jack and Sue quickly got used to the fact that she didn't want to listen to them, but there were situations when both were just losing their patience, like the time she wanted to wear a thin, summer dress in the middle of cold winter.

He sighed again, his heart aching at the thought that he simply didn't know when he was going to have the chance to go home to them. He looked around the empty bullpen, his eyes stopping at every empty desk, as everyone else was elsewhere. It was amazing how the team managed not to change much during those ten years. Him, Bobby, Myles and Tara still kept working together. The FBI obviously pleased with results of their cooperation, was very far from breaking one of the best task forces in its history. Changes were, of course, inevitable. Sue was the first one to leave the team after they pursued their relationship, and later the FBI after Michelle was born. Lucy wasn't very much behind her, when she found out she was pregnant. After almost losing the baby, she was sent onto the doctor's leave but it turned out to work for the best, as it allowed her to see that the father of her baby, who she met about a year earlier, was a good man and cared for her very much. It brought them even closer together, and they got married when their son was about eight months old. It was the wedding he was never going to forget; he has never heard Sue complain as much about her look as then, when she complained she looked like a whale, and threatened to do something to Lucy for choosing such a date for it, when she was nine months pregnant. But he also had a heart attack, when in the middle of ceremony, she informed him that her water had broken. Yes, all of the people, who attended as well had to have the fun of their lives, watching him. Lucy had never returned to work after maternity leave, because when she was just about to go back to work, Jonathan received a better job offer in Florida. It wasn't an easy decision to make, as they were both very fond of DC, but in the end decided to move to Florida. Still, they made sure not to lose contact with their friends, and they had a lot of visitors during the year, when they were all coming to them for holidays.

Hopefully, soon he will be the next one to leave. For a very long time he wasn't convinced that he could be satisfied by a desk-job, but the more time passed, the more certain he was becoming that it was what he wanted. He needed to think about his family, he wasn't as excited by going into the field and risking his life than he used to be. He wanted for his working hours to be more regular, to spend more time with his wife and children.

"Jack?" he almost jumped at the sound of D.'s voice and looked up. For few years now the man was their supervisor, and all of them were sure that they couldn't dream about a better one. He understood their team perfectly, thanks to being a part of it for so long, and they could never complain. "Go home. You are much more needed there at the moment, than here."

Sue sighed, glancing through the window in the kitchen as she was preparing their dinner. There was still no sign of Jack, who she hadn't seen since Monday. She knew he was working on a very import_ant case, and was terribly worried. She was constantly scared that something might happen to him, but this time she had a horribly bad feeling. She wished he would finally come home, so her nerves would get some rest but also for their daughters. They all missed him very much, and even though they understood he was at work, they had troubles with accepting this explanation for such a long absence – especially younger ones. They kept asking when he was going to be back, and it was breaking her heart every time that she had to tell them as soon as he could, because she simply didn't know. They were all occupied right now; Michelle and Emma were sitting behind the table and doing their homework, while Vane and Jade were in the living room, watching a cartoon. There were no questions, but she was sure that one of them was going to ask about Jack during dinner.

She was so lost in thoughts that she didn't even notice the car pass the house, and few seconds later, the girls jumping up from their places to run to the door. It was one of those things he loved about returning home, the moment he stepped inside he was always greeted by two happy brown-eyed girls, and in situations like this, when he wasn't at home for quite a while, his two other daughters joined their younger sisters. He smiled, giving each of them a tight hug and a kiss. It felt like he wasn't home for three months, not three days. Then he went to the kitchen, where he knew he would find Sue at this hour. He prevented Levi, who was sitting beside her, from informing her of his presence in the room as she seemed to be completely focused on she was doing, but he was sure she knew he was there anyway. It had to be this bond, this connection between them but they always felt when the other was around and he got certain, when she completely didn't seem surprised as he wrapped his arms around her from behind, hiding his face in the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent.

She closed her eyes, relief spreading through her but it soon stopped being enough. She turned around in his arms, wrapped hers around him and rested her head against his chest. She was about to move away when his embrace tightened and for a moment longer they just stood there, enjoying the closeness of each other. He let her go a little only to move his hand to the back of her neck, lean closer and capture her lips in a kiss. They quickly got completely lost in it, the passion inside them raising only to be stopped by a loud 'Eeewwww" coming from their daughters.

"So good to be home…" he smiled, and left the kitchen to go upstairs to their bedroom to quickly shower and change.

Soon, all six of them were seated behind the table eating dinner. Eating meals together was something Sue always insisted on, and he agreed with her wholeheartedly. He glanced across the table at Jade, who played with her fork and chewed on the meat with a huge pout on her face and puffy, red eyes. Just few moments earlier she did one of her scenes, that she wanted to eat her dinner in the living room, so she could watch a cartoon. Just like she usually did when Sue didn't let her and he was at home, she went to Jack, even though he has never disagreed with his wife when it came to allowing something to their children or not. Yes, he sometimes had a different view on something, but never showed it to the girls, only talked straight to Sue either in the evening when their daughters were asleep or occupied with something in another room. It wasn't that he was uninterested, but it was Sue, who was with them all the time, while he was at work all week and sometimes on weekends too. Telling her how she should raise them - while much to his discontent, he was spending more time at work than at home - just wouldn't be right. Still, whenever Sue told her no, Jade was stubbornly trying her luck with daddy. Even at two, she knew that he was much more receptive to the look of her big, brown eyes than mommy, and it was easier to get what she wanted if she went straight to him, so she always tried to 'negotiate' with him. Her negotiating, however, usually ended in the same way – hearing a 'no' from him as well, starting to cry and – in response to his attempts to calm her down – kick and squirm, what resulted in him losing his patience. It was a surprise for everyone, but it turned out that he had much more of it towards Jade than his wife, and the girl seemed to understand that when daddy was raising his voice, she really could be in trouble, as it happened rarely. This time Jack just picked her up, resentful towards the whole world, carried to the kitchen and sat in her high-chair..

"Is something wrong, Ems?" he asked, seeing the distant look on his second daughter's face and she just sighed.

"She got a pink heart instead of a red one for today's math task." explained Michelle, with a voice, telling them she completely couldn't understand her sister, because the pink sticker meant that she's made a smallmistake.

Jack only smiled slightly and gently nudged the girl, so she was going to cheer up. He was probably never going to know who she was so overly ambitious after. It wasn't like he and Sue didn't care for those things, but not as much as she seemed to and she was only in the first grade! He couldn't even image what it was going to look for her in high school, if this attitude wasn't going to pass. Emma glanced at him, and when there was still this sad look in her eyes, he stole few slices of cucumber from her plate.

"Hey!" she immediately protested and the 'fight for food' began between them, as the child tried to steal the slices back.

Sue only rolled her eyes at her husband's behaviour; sometimes he really acted like an overgrown little boy. Still, his childish attempts to cheer up their kids always seemed to be working, and soon she saw a big grin on Emma's face and was sure that the girl was laughing along with him. It mattered the most. He wasn't perfect, nobody was, but she couldn't imagine anyone being a better husband and father than he was. Even though he worked a lot and came home tired, there was nothing that could stop him from spending the evening with the girls. When only he was at home, it was the time of the day, when she didn't have children. They were all with him and no matter what, he wasn't going to share with her. It was him, who read them a bedtime story, leaning against the wall between Michelle and Emma's beds, with Vane cuddled to his side and Jade on his lap. At first he thought it was going to be better in younger girls' bedroom but the older ones were falling asleep quicker and because they were bigger and heavier, it made them more difficult to carry. This way it was just working better.

He tucked Jadie in, gently stroking her hair and kissing her forehead, and after glancing once again at Vanessa, turned off the light and left the room, silently pulling the door close but leaving them slightly ajar, so he – or Levi – were going to hear them at night in case something was happening. Then he went to his and Sue's bedroom, finding his wife sitting on the bed with her back leaning against the headrest, completely lost in the book. Levi was sleeping curled in her legs, snoring quietly. He was an old dog now, being thirteen years old. He was tiring easily and sleeping and resting a lot during the day, and there was a well deserved dog's retirement in front of him in a close future, when Sue's new hearing dog was going to finish the training.

He took his shirt off, changed into a pair of sweatpants and smirked, when he noticed his wife watching him. It's been ten years and he didn't really look the same way he did back then. Still, the passing time was much less visible in him, and nobody wanted to believe him that last month he has turned forty-three. He gained a little weight – he believed it was impossible not to with his wife's amazing cooking skills – but not too much; his body was still in a good shape, his muscles outlined gently but visibly. His hair wasn't as thick as it used to be, and there were some small, gray places on it but he was far from turning gray or going bald. Of course, the passing time – with the addition of four pregnancies – had the influence on Sue, as well. She said goodbye to the figure she used to have before Michelle was born some time ago; she lost most of the pregnancy weight but not all, and her hips were wider than they used to be. It wasn't anything surprising that wrinkles were starting to grace her face more visibly, but it wasn't anything that couldn't be covered by some make up. But no matter what, she was always going to be the most beautiful woman in the world for him, and there was nothing what could make him see her as less attractive. Obviously, the same could be said about her.

He approached the side of the bed, and slipped under the duvet, making himself comfortable. He didn't even realise it earlier, but he was absolutely exhausted. Sue didn't waste any time and snuggled to his side, but there was something about her that just didn't let him doze off. It was the way she was gently moving her fingertips over his chest, just like she always did when there was something on her mind, and she wanted to talk but she didn't really know how to start it. Fighting with the tiredness, he carefully rolled over to his side so she had no problems reading his lips. His hand cupped her face, his thumb gently stroking her cheek and he just kept watching her; he knew her well enough to know that all she needed to open was an intense look and the chance to gather her thoughts.

"Promise me you'll be careful, Jack..." she finally spoke, after a long moment of silence.

"You know that I'm always careful." he was a little taken aback by her request. 'Be careful!' was something she always told him, when he was leaving in the morning and he knew that there had to be something more to this sudden anxiety.

"Yeah, I know, but... I have this feeling that something bad will happen... And now you are working on this investigation... I know only as much as they say in news, but it seems these terrorists are very dangerous... We can't lose you..."

"And you are not going to. We always take any precautions, and I am not going to go against them, putting my life at risk..."

"There are situations when you don't have a choice..."

"And I do everything I can to avoid them. We all have too much to lose, and neither of us wants to be in this situation. Why do you think I asked D. to keep an eye on a vacancy, which would allow me to stop working in the field? But you are aware of all of this..."

"It's just... It's been a long time ago and there are moments when I wonder if there aren't any or you just deliberately don't apply for any..."

"Hey, Sunshine, where did those ridiculous thoughts come from? I go to D. every now and then to ask if there isn't anything, and there are only positions in other cities... I don't apply because we agreed that we want to stay here..."

"I just know how much you love to work in the field..."

"And I love you and the girls indescribably more! Sue, you know that family is in the first place for me... I have beautiful, wonderful wife and four amazing daughters... What could I want more, other than spending more time with you?" he leaned closer and pressed his lips against her forehead, placing a loving kiss there.

"Perhaps a fifth amazing daughter..." he chuckled, but his eyes widened when he looked into hers and noticed, that there was no playfulness inside them. She looked completely serious and the way she was biting her bottom lip, while watching him carefully told him that she was also slightly worried.

"Are you suggesting that you're..." she nodded her head before he even managed to finish. "Are you sure?"

"As sure as I can be after taking the home test... Tell me you're not angry..." she added after a moment, when he didn't say anything.

"Angry?" he asked, shocked. "Sue, we're going to have a baby! Why should I be angry?"

"Well, after Jadie was born we did agree that we aren't going to have any more kids..."

"Obviously God had a little different plan for us, considering that we were careful and still, we got this little one." his hand made its way to her abdomen and his fingertips gently caressed her skin. "So, just for the record, there is no way I would be angry. I'm happy! Surprised, yes, but happy!" he moved his face closer to hers and placed a lingering, loving kiss on her lips. "She's going to be as great as her older sisters."

"What if it's a boy?" she asked, and Jack's eyebrows moved up.

"He will be great, too. But I'm telling you, it's a girl." he kissed her again, his arm tightening around her waist and pressing her tightly again him, before he rolled them over, so he was lying on top of her, supporting his weight on his arms and knees, never letting go of her lips.

"I thought you were exhausted..." she teased, when he moved his kisses to her neck and she could feel his hand slip under her shirt, raising it as it was moving higher. The only response she got were his lips back on hers, preventing her from saying anything else.