June 18 and July 14 & 18, 2010 – tweaking on the 20th.
I was watching "He Said, She Said" tonight and had a thought: what if Ally hadn't been in Jack's apartment when Sue got there?
Alternate scene. Incredibly random.
"Hi!" Jack greeted her as he opened the door. "Come on in!"
Sue stepped inside the apartment, informing him, "I just wanted to let you know that Hadley came to see me. I was out walking Levi and suddenly he just appeared—told me I didn't want to mess with him."
"Did he hurt you?" Jack asked immediately, dropping a hand on her shoulder.
Sue shook her head and he sighed, clenching his other fist as his eyes narrowed.
"Good, 'cause if he had… Oh, he'd be dead…"
"Jack, I'm fine," Sue insisted, "and you don't need to go beating anyone up."
"Sorry," Jack smiled sheepishly. "I just… You're my teammate, my friend. I don't want anything happening to you."
"I know," Sue smiled back. "But I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."
Levi whined from his spot at her feet, pawing at her leg, and Sue laughed, "Plus I've got Levi."
Jack grinned and patted the canine's head.
"Yeah, you do a good job of keepin' her outta trouble, don't you, buddy?"
Levi barked in affirmation and Jack smiled, though the joyful expression was quickly replaced by one of almost horror.
"Oh!" he cried suddenly, bolting for the kitchen.
Sue stared after him curiously before shrugging and pulling Levi with her into the kitchen.
Jack stood at the oven, staring dejectedly at a smoking pan of something sitting on the range and Sue asked, "Was that your dinner?"
"What's left of it," Jack informed her, smiling slightly. "I forgot to take it out and now it's burnt."
Sue slipped her coat off and draped it over a chair, asking, "You want some help making something that won't get burned?"
Not waiting for his reply, Sue took over, searching through the kitchen for everything she'd need to make something without the aid of the oven.
"Where do you keep your—"
Her question was cut off as she looked up to find Jack holding a mixing bowl and a head of lettuce.
"This what you were thinking?"
Sue smiled at him before raiding the refrigerator for dressing, cheese and tomato.
Jack slipped seamlessly into work with her, grating the cheese and cutting up tomato as Sue washed and ripped the lettuce.
In just a little while they were sitting at the kitchen table finishing their salads, a content Levi resting at their feet.
"We make a pretty good team," Jack commented as he finished eating, and Sue smiled in agreement.
"Lucky for me dessert is frozen, with no potential for the fire alarm to go off," Jack smiled as he stood and took their dishes to the sink before heading for the freezer.
Moments later he handed Sue a bowl of ice cream, shrugging at her curious expression.
"I haven't had the chance to go shopping recently."
Just as easily, he asked, "Would you like to move to the living room? We could turn on the TV or something…"
Sue glanced down at Levi, asking, "What do you think, buddy? Living room?"
Levi was at attention in seconds, and Jack laughed.
"But no couch for Levi," Sue decided, and the dog whined.
"Aw, he's welcome on my couch any time," Jack countered, waving Levi into to the living room.
"But—" Sue began to protest, her comment interrupted when Jack waved his hand. "No worries. It's fine."
When they reached the living room, Levi was sprawled on the couch, taking up nearly the whole thing.
"Levi, there are three of us. We have to share," Jack informed the dog, who reluctantly sat up and moved over.
Jack and Sue settled themselves on the couch, careful to keep space between them, and ate their ice cream as DOC played on-screen.
Jack handed Sue the remote, letting her turn on the closed captioning, and both pretended not to notice the way their fingers brushed.
During a commercial, Sue asked suddenly, "Would you really… attack… Hadley if he hurt me?"
Jack blinked at the blunt question but answered without hesitation, "And anyone else who laid a hand on you."
He shifted his position so that he was facing her, one leg on the couch and the other foot touching the floor.
He rested one arm on his knee while the other slipped to the back of the couch, his hand resting just behind Sue's shoulder.
"You're my teammate," he reminded her, "and friend. If anything happens to you…"
He closed his eyes for a moment before finishing, "Well, let's just say I doubt anyone would hold my actions against me."
Sue stared at him for a moment as she processed that statement, her gaze bouncing from his lips to his eyes.
Jack knew the only reason for that was to read his lips, and to match his words to his expression, but he found himself mirroring Sue's actions and slowly inching his face closer to hers.
Sue stared at him, confused, but didn't protest.
Just before his lips brushed hers, Jack stiffened and groaned, pulling away.
Sue blinked and Jack explained, "Phone" as he reached for his cell phone on the coffee table.
"Oh," Sue nodded and watched as Jack answered the call.
"Hudson."
He ran a hand through his hair, glancing over at Sue as he continued, "Oh, hi, Ally…"
Jack sighed. "You know, I'm kind of busy right now."
Another sigh. "Yeah, sure; tomorrow. If I find it, I'll bring it to you. … All right. Bye."
He closed the phone, letting it fall onto the table, and looked at Sue.
"Ally thinks she left something here when she stopped over earlier. She asked me to bring it to her tomorrow if I find it."
Sue nodded slowly, reaching for Levi's leash as she stood.
"I should probably go; Lucy might be wondering where I am."
Jack stood, too, grabbing both of their coats. "I'll go with you, make sure you get there."
Sue started to protest, but he insisted, "Sue, it's late. I'm driving you home."
He looked down at Levi, asking, "You agree, don't you, Levi?"
Levi barked, walking over to Jack and raising a paw off the ground.
Jack shook the Retriever's paw, looking at Sue pointedly. "See? Levi thinks it's a good idea."
Sue sighed. "Well, I guess if Levi insists…"
She glanced at him sheepishly, smiling as Jack threw her her coat.
"Cute, Thomas," he chuckled, smiling back. "Come on, let's get you home."
Jack led the way to the door as Sue pulled her coat on, his hand settling easily on the lower part of her back as they left his apartment.
Notes: Eh. Kind of a dumb ending, but I wanted to get it done.
Um, yeah. Salad is easy. And Jack hasn't been shopping recently.
I like speculating. :)
Words: 1100
Time: Forever. Lol.