11
Title: And My Heart Says….
Rating: K
Disclaimers: Not mine, too bad
Genre: Missing episode, five chapters in all
Summary: Sue must make a decision about her relationship with David. Is it love?
Author's Note: I wondered what happened to the adorable David character as portrayed by Jeff Douglas. He's just so darn cute and totally smitten with Sue. Here's my take on what could be a missing episode.
A/N2: Yeah, I know "Changes" is not done but minor glitch turned into something a little more major so it's being fixed.
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Chapter 1
Bullpen
"Thanks, Marty," said D, "I'll let the rest of the team know." Hanging up the phone, D walked over to the group chatting by Sue and Tara's desks.
"Good news, ladies and gentlemen," announced D as he stood to the side of Sue. Perched on her desk, Bobby nudged Sue and nodded towards D.
"We got a pay raise?" remarked Lucy.
"A day off?" asked Tara.
"That new car I requisitioned months ago?" suggested Myles.
"Now why would that be of interest to the rest of us?" Lucy said acerbically. "He specifically said good news for all of us—you know, ladies and gentlemen—not gentleman?"
Myles rolled his eyes. "Because if I'm happy the whole team is happy. You do know that I'm the barometer of this team?"
"Is that what you call it?" she said dubiously.
Bobby and Sue glanced at each other in amusement. That remark was so typically Myles.
Jack listened to the give and take flowing around him with a smirk. "I think D would tell us if we just stopped talking and listened."
D bowed slightly to Jack. "Thank you. At least one person wants to hear what I have to say."
"Why do I feel as though I'm in grade school again?" commented Myles as he turned to face D.
D just shook his head. Sometimes it seemed like that to him, too.
"Marty Pavone has extended his congratulations to the team," he shared. "Due to our efforts, the grand jury has indicted Wilson Gregory and company on five counts of interstate transportation of stolen goods and one count of attempted murder of a Federal agent," referring to Gregory's try to run over Bobby in his escape effort.
"Yay!"
"Let's hear it for the good guys!"
"Terrific!" could be heard as well as clapping.
"Let me just say," said Bobby, "since it resulted in an indictment, I don't mind giving up my body for the team," he stated holding up his left arm. Only recently had he been able to discard the sling.
"Well," began Sue, "I think we'd prefer if you didn't do it again." She recalled the horror she felt when she saw the car headed straight for Bobby. Fortunately, he'd been able to jump clear but in the process had jammed his shoulder.
He flashed a smile. "I won't make it a habit," he promised.
"Good."
A hand on Sue's arm drew her attention to her roommate. "Looks like you'll be home in plenty of time to get ready for tonight."
Bobby's interested eyes darted from Lucy to Sue. "Something special happening tonight?"
Sue smiled agreeably. "Dinner with David."
"At Michael's," Lucy added.
Bobby's eyes widened and his lips pursed in a silent whistle. "Business must be very good if he can afford to take you there," he responded. "However, if anyone deserves to be wined and dined in such elegance, you do."
"And I have just the dress for it." She stood up. "I better finish that report so I can wear it!"
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Sue and Lucy's Apartment
"You're gonna knock his socks off," predicted Lucy when she spotted Sue coming out of her room.
"You think so?" She spun around to show off her dress.
"Actually, it doesn't matter what you wear. You could wear a paper sack and you'd impress David," Lucy declared. "He's crazy about you."
"A paper sack would have been less hazardous on my bank account," Sue joked as she smoothed down the skirt.
"True but the color wouldn't have worked as well. That salmon pink is great on you."
"Thanks, Lucy." She looked at her hands. "Oops! I left my wrap in the bedroom."
The doorbell rang and Levi was about to follow Sue when Lucy grabbed him. "Hold on, Levi. Not tonight. We don't want doggy hair all over that gorgeous dress." She pulled him with her towards the door.
"David, come in." she greeted when she opened the door. "Sue just went to get her wrap."
"Fine," smiled David. "Good to see you, Lucy." He bent down to scratch the canine's head. "Hey there, Levi! It's good to see you, too, fella."
Levi barked once.
"I'm glad you feel the same way," kidded David. He stopped and straightened when he spotted Sue.
"Whoa!" he said softly. "You look…great," he said sincerely. His expression spoke volumes.
"Thanks." When she came near enough, he bent down to give her a quick kiss.
Gazing at the couple, a feeling of delight filled. They looked so cute together, she thought.
"Don't forget tomorrow is still a workday," she reminded them. "Try to get her home before the sun comes up."
"No promises," smiled David. "I may just decide to keep her."
Lucy's eyes widened in approval. Yup, smitten through and through.
He looked at Sue and gestured towards the door. "Shall we?"
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Hotel
"Dinner was wonderful," said Sue sincerely as they strolled in the gardens of the hotel. "I just hope you won't have to work for the next ten years to pay for it."
David smiled sweetly. "It was worth every penny just to be with you. I've missed you."
"I've missed you, too, but I know how busy you've been with work."
"Yeah, those government contracts have kept us pretty busy. Have I ever thanked you for mentioning us?"
"Many times. "
"The positive side of all of this busyness is that business is doing great, better than I ever expected."
"You deserve it," she smiled. She was happy he was doing so well. His hard work and talent contributed greatly to his success.
"But there is a down side to all of this success, too," he said seriously.
"And what's that?"
He gathered her hands in his. "I don't get to see you enough and that got me thinking."
She looked at their clasped hands and then at David. "Thinking about what"
"That I don't like not seeing you…not being with you," he said. "And that got me to thinking some more on how to remedy the situation."
"And what's the solution? You need to hire more people?"
"That maybe we need to be together—permanently."
He waited for her response.
Sue could barely breathe. His words had taken her by surprise.
She swallowed. "Did you just say what I think you said?" she asked.
"What I'm saying is…what I'm asking is," replied David nervously, " will you marry me?"
"Marry you?"
He held up a hand. "I know this is a big surprise, particularly since we haven't seen much of each other the past month or so. But I've thought and thought about it and I miss having you in my life. If we were married, at least I'd get to see you asleep each night when I got home," he smiled lovingly. "I don't want you to give me an answer now," he instructed her. "I want you to think about it. Take all the time you need."
He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes to get an indication of her feelings. "Have you thought about it?" he joked semi-seriously.
There was uncertainty in her eyes. "David, you took me by surprise," she admitted. "I thought tonight was going to be a celebration about the new government contract you landed. I…I had no idea you were planning to propose."
Disappointment clouded his eyes for an instant then disappeared in a blink. "I'm sorry but I didn't know how to bring it up other than just blurting it out like that. I guess I should've used a little more finesse, huh?"
"Oh no! You said it perfectly!" she assured. "It's a wonderful proposal. It just took me by surprise," she repeated.
"Well, do you promise to think about it?"
She nodded. "I promise."
"Good." He pulled her close to kiss her. "I love you, Sue," he said when he released her.
"You mean a lot to me, too," Sue admitted.
"I'll be waiting for your answer."
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Apartment
"You came in late last night," Lucy commented as she poured milk on her cereal. "I take it dinner went well?" She reached for her spoon.
Sue was idly stirring her coffee. "It was nice…very nice."
"You have to tell me all about it. I think Tara wants the details, too. Stanley wants to take her some place special for dinner for their anniversary of the day they met. Isn't that sweet?"
"He asked me to marry him," Sue uttered out of the blue.
"What!" Lucy exclaimed, her hand frozen in mid-air.
"David proposed last night."
"Oh my God!" breathed an astounded Lucy. "Sue! Why didn't you wake me up?" she demanded. "Girl! That is wonderful news!" She rushed to give her friend a hug.
At Sue's less than enthusiastic response, Lucy pulled back and looked quizzically at her roommate's face. "Do I sense a certain lack of excitement here?" She stared at Sue. "You did tell him yes, didn't you?"
Sue's dark green eyes looked back, her uncertainty apparent. "I didn't give him an answer at all. He told me to think about it."
"Why? Aren't you in love with him?" Lucy was puzzled. "It's as plain a day that he's in love with you."
"I like him, Lucy, I like him a lot," shared Sue. "I think I love him but I don't know if I'm in love with him, if you know what I mean."
"Oooo," Lucy grimaced. "I do. What're you going to do?"
"I thought about it all last night and I decided I'm going to think about it…just like David said to. Maybe I do love him more than I think I do. It's just that we've just been so busy with the Gregory case and everything else that I haven't had a chance to really think about him recently."
Lucy didn't want to point out that if Sue really was in love with David she would be thinking of him anyway regardless of how many cases they had. But it was not her call to make. Instead, she patted Sue's shoulder.
"I think that makes a lot of sense. You think about it." Her eyes flicked to the wall clock. "That being said, I need to get out of here now if I'm going to make it for that Rotor meeting. I'll see you at the office." With a nod, Lucy picked up her bowl to dump it in the sink.
"Go ahead, Luce," urged Sue. "I'll do the dishes. I have a few minutes before I have to leave."
She flashed a quick smile. "Thanks. See you soon." And she was gone.
Sue gathered the few dishes and quickly washed them. Squeezing out the sponge, she swiped the counter and laid it down to dry.
"Time for us to go, too, Levi."
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"Nickel for them," said Bobby after laying a hand on hers to get her attention. He'd noted his companion's pre-occupied expression as they headed back to the office after an interview.
"It's nothing."
His eyes slid towards her. "You can't fool me, Sue Thomas," he declared. "I can tell when you have something on your mind." He slowed to a stop at the red light. He turned to her and tilted his head. "I'm a very good listener when the need arises and there is definitely a need here."
She looked at the tall Aussie. They'd become close during her time at the agency. Maybe it would help to talk.
"It's David."
"David?" Bobby frowned. "I thought his business was doing very well."
"It is," she assured. "This has nothing to do with his business." She stopped. "Well, maybe a little since that's what made him realize that he missed me."
"Huh?" asked a puzzled Bobby struggling to follow her train of thought.
Sue sighed. "David's been so busy with work and we've been so busy with the Gregory case and everything that we haven't seen much of each for the past few weeks."
"True."
It was one of the hazards of working for the FBI and the cause of many a broken relationship. A thought occurred to Bobby.
"Does he resent your job?"
"Oh no!" said Sue quickly. "Nothing like that. It's just that because we've been so caught up with our jobs that he said he realized he missed not seeing me."
Bobby nodded sagely. "I can see his point." He slowed down for another red light.
"So, he had a solution."
Sue looked at Bobby.
"He asked me to marry him."
"What!" Bobby was about to step on the gas but immediately jammed on the brake when he heard her words. The driver behind honked angrily. Bobby ignored it and faced Sue. "He what?"
"He asked me to marry him," she repeated. She was perplexed at Bobby's reaction. She thought he liked David.
Bobby was flabbergasted. Sue marry David? It wasn't something he expected. Though come to think of it, it shouldn't have been a total surprise. David seemed to care very much for the kindhearted blonde. Finally aware of the horns beeping, Bobby stepped on the gas.
"I guess congratulations are in order then," he commented. He wondered why he felt depressed at the news.
"That's the problem. I haven't said yes or no," she admitted. "He told me to think about it."
"And have you?" Relief flooded him that she hadn't answered in the affirmative.
"That's all I've been doing since last night," she shared. She looked at the direction Bobby was heading. "Didn't you just miss the turn to go back to the office?"
"I think we should talk about this more over a cup of coffee away from the office," he told her, "that is, unless you want the whole bullpen aware of your dilemma."
She shuddered. "I don't think so. You know and Lucy knows. I think I'd like to keep that way."
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"David seems to be a great guy, Sue," Bobby told her. "He obviously cares deeply for you. He has excellent taste in women," he smiled.
Sue's dimple flashed quickly. "He is a great guy and I care about him, too, but I don't know if I love him enough to marry him."
"That's honest," said Bobby. "All I can suggest is that you think about it like David wants you to." He smiled at her warmly. "I know you'll do what's best for the both of you."
Sue found it impossible to resist his smile and show of confidence in her judgment. She reached over to squeeze his hand. "Thanks for listening, Bobby. I really appreciate it."
He returned the squeeze. "Any time. That's what friends are for." He glanced at his watch. "We'd better head back to the office before anyone starts wondering what happened to us. They may think we've taken the day off and played hooky together," he joked.
"Maybe another time," she kidded.
"You're on, Miss Thomas!"
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