AN: The long awaited dinner / confession scene. I hope that it lives up to your expectations.

Sitting at her desk, Sue was just biding her time. She had finished her work close to twenty minutes ago, but she wanted to finish the conversation Jack had started this morning, so she sat rereading her report for the fourth time. She knew the instant he approached her desk, but took her time to acknowledge his presence. When she looked up he seemed to be struggling to find something to say. When he reverted to signing an invitation to dinner, she knew once again she had made the right choice to stay. These people were her family – they had taken her in and even gone the extra mile to learn at least a little sign language to make things easier for her. Shaking her head slightly and bringing her focus back to the man in front of her, she saw him ask Levi "Mexican, Chinese, pizza?"

"Mexican would be perfect" she voiced.

"The place around the corner or across from the park?"

"Across from the park" she replied after a moment, "Levi and I didn't get to go for much of a walk at lunch today."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Dinner awaits!"

The ride to the restaurant was passed in mostly comfortable silence each caught up in their own thoughts. Sue trying to figure out how to reintroduce that morning's emotional conversation, and Jack trying to plan out the best way to tell Sue that he was in love with her.

The companionable silence continued as they took their seats at the table and perused the menu needlessly. They both knew what the end result would be – Jack would order the chicken taquitos rancheros with extra sour cream and Sue would order crispy pollo fundido. After their orders had been placed though, the silence took a more awkward turn. Generally speaking, there was never a shortage of topics for conversation between them, but tonight, with minds preoccupied with other things, none of those easy topics seemed to be readily available.

"So I bet Amanda's glad that you decided to stay in DC."

"Yes, she was so excited that she started trying to plan a sleep over and shopping trip for tonight. Lucy and I managed to convince her to wait until the weekend though."

"Well, I know I already said this, but I'm glad that you decided to stay too. I really would have missed you" Jack added a bit shyly.

"Me too … I mean missed you." Thinking that this was the perfect opportunity she opened her mouth to ask what he was going to say this morning, but was interrupted by the waiter bringing out their food.

Slipping back into routine, Sue slipped one of her fundidos to Jacks plate and he dropped a spoonful of sour cream in its place before trying to pawn his tomatoes off on her too. "Jack, don't even try it. You need to eat those tomatoes – they're good for your heart" she scolded without lifting her head from her plate.

"All the more reason for you to have some" he sassed when she looked up.

"If you don't want them, why do you get them? You could always order it without the tomatoes."

"But then we wouldn't get to have this argument" he answered with a cheeky smile. When her look didn't soften, he turned to Levi, "Come on man, give me a little help here." With that prompting, Levi proceeded to lay his head on her knee and pout.

"Fine, I give up. There is no way that I can fight both of you" the blonde laughed.

The atmosphere suitable lightened, the two friends ate amidst easy conversation about their friends and work and plans for the weekend.

*~*

Silence once again reigned as the couple walked side by side through the quiet park, Levi investigating something a few feet ahead of them. Coming upon a park bench, Jack lead his female counterpart over to it with a hand at the small of her back. As they settled in, Jack tried to find the courage to admit his feelings. Brushing his hand across her arm, he gained her attention. "Sue … earlier I … this morning when … why did you change your mind?" he asked chickening out.

Unable to hold his gaze, she returned her attention to Levi as she answered. "Last night when I was getting ready to leave, all of these memories came back to me. I thought about when we first met and all of the cases we have worked together and … and how you put so much trust in me when you didn't even know me. I remembered how everyone, well not Myles, took me in and accepted me as part of the team. You all have become like my family these past three years. Especially you and Lucy, my two best friends. I don't know what I would do in New York without you, I would be lost. … Basically what it all came down to was the fact that a job was not a good enough reason to give up what I have here, it just wasn't worth it."

Jack watched her carefully and didn't fail to notice the slight tremor in her voice of the lone tear that slid down her cheek. He wasn't sure if what she had just told him would make it easier or harder to tell her his feelings. She would 'be lost' without him – so did that mean that she would be more or less willing to start a romantic relationship with him?

"Jack, this morning … what were you going to say before Myles interrupted us out in the hall?"

'So much for letting it go, I can't lie to her now.' Taking a deep breath, Jack attempted to gather his thoughts. "When you told us that you were going to take the job in New York, it started me thinking. … And I figured some stuff out last night, and I couldn't let you leave without telling you … but then you ended up staying and I wasn't sure if I should still say anything …"

"Jack, whatever it is you can tell me. Just say it."

"OK, here it goes – Sue Thomas, I have fallen in love with you."

Sue was stunned. That was definitely not what she had been expecting – what she had secretly hoped sure, but not what she had expected. Her first instinct was that she must have miss read what he said or missed a qualifier somewhere. Unable to speak, she questioned him in sign, "You love me?"

A small nervous smile made its way to his face. "Yes, I love you" he signed back.

It seemed like a century passed before she reacted. First her eyes teared up and a brilliant smile lit her face. As the first tear fell, she threw her arms around his neck and whispered "I love you too" into his neck.

Jack suddenly remembered that breathing was necessary and took a couple of deep breaths wrapping his arms around the woman next to him. He couldn't believe this was happening – she loved him back?! Just like that the fears that had been weighing him down all day disappeared, only to be replaced by new uncertainties. What were they going to do now? Technically they couldn't date and stay in the same unit. And what about telling people? If they wanted to keep working together, they would have to keep a relationship secret – or at least keep it hidden from superiors.

Pulling back from the embrace, Jack looked into Sue's eyes and in that instant, just before their lips met for the first time that wasn't to protect a cover story, all of those problems and uncertainties fled his mind, along with all other coherent thought outside of the fact that he and Sue had just admitted that they loved each other.