Next chapter, as promised. I just couldn't leave you with a cliffhanger haha

Jack ambled to the door, dressed in shorts and a tee shirt.

"Alright, hold your horses, I'm coming," he shouted in a rather grumpy tone

None too pleased to be interrupted on his day off, Jack angrily opened the door.

"WHAT?...oh shit...M" he said, almost in a state of shock

"Hello Jack..." she said as she stared at him uneasily "Not exactly the response I was expecting,"

"I...I... I wasn't expecting you," he said as he glanced back suspiciously into his sitting room

"Have I come at a bad time?" she asked as she attempted to look past him to see what or who he was looking at

Jack let go of the door handle and pulled M into a tight embrace

"No" he said with a wide grin as he kissed her deeply and pulled her inside "It's just that if I had known you were coming I would have straightened up the place" he finished as he came up for air

M wrapped her arms around Jack's waist and snuggled against him, with her head against his chest as she looked around the rather disheveled sitting room. There was a jacket or two thrown across the back of a chair, newspapers strewn across the sofa, a plate of half-eaten pizza and a half a dozen beer bottles adorning what one could only assume was a coffee table.

"Maids day off I take it" she said with a laugh

"I didn't see much point in cleaning since I wasn't expecting company" he said sheepishly "Aren't you supposed to be on a business trip?" he asked suspiciously

"I am" she replied with a grin "But the meeting is not until Monday" she smirked

"That's four and a half days away" he said as kissed her forehead and began to work his way down the side of her face to her neck

"Yes..." she said as she tilted her head to give him better access "I am aware of that"

"Whatever will we do until then?" he asked playfully as he captured her lips in a passionate kiss

M wrapped her arms around his neck and eagerly returned the kiss, pulling away only when the need for air became claimed her.

"We could start with tidying up your flat," she said breathlessly

"You flew across an entire ocean and all you can think of is housekeeping," he said as he stared at her in disbelief

"Well..." she said as she looked around the room

"Alright I see your point." he said as he kissed her forehead and released her "But you sit and I clean...understood," he said as he cleared a spot on the sofa for her and began to pick up a few things.

"I could dust for you?"

"Dust? I like to think of dust as a protective covering for the furniture" he said with a grin

"Typical male thinking" she replied with a laugh

"No...Typical male thinking would be to scoop you up and head straight to the bedroom"

"So what is stopping you?" she asked curiously

"Well, as luck would have it,... the sheets are in the wash" he replied, with a hint of embarrassment and frustration

"It would appear that our bad timing extends to both continents," she giggled as she folded the newspapers and stacked them neatly on the end of the sofa

"True, but on the upside...there is no way that the boy wonder will be busting in and surprising us here in the states" he said as he sat down beside her, put his arm around her and leaned back against the sofa cushions, placing a kiss to the tip of her nose as he propped his feet up on the coffee table "What did you finally end up doing with him anyway?" he asked as she snuggled closer.

"I gave him a week's reprieve. I told him that I would deal with him after my "business" trip, and that he should pray that I am in a forgiving mood when I get back" she said thru a yawn. "What time is it?" she asked quietly as she closed her eyes

"It's about 5:00 p.m. why?"

"It's just that I keep forgetting how draining it is to "chase the sun" so to speak. At home it's 10:00 p.m. which isn't late by my standards, but..."

"Why don't you just curl up here and take a short nap?" he said quietly as he stood up and repositioned her on the sofa with a pillow under her head and covered her with an afghan before sitting down beside her "When you wake up, I'll have the sheets on the bed and you can move in there where I know you will be more comfortable" he said with a wink

"Jack!" she said suddenly as she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him close, burying her face in his shoulder

Jack wrapped his arms around her, and held her tightly

"Yes M, what is it?"

"You're not angry that I came are you?" she asked in a worried tone

"M, what on earth would make you think I would be angry? I Love you, and I'll take whatever time I can get with you...planned or unplanned" he said as he cupped her cheek and kissed her gently

"Do you suppose that we could dispense with the formal title while I'm here?"

"If it's what you want, but are you sure?" he asked cautiously as he pulled back to look her in the eye "You won't change your mind and have me shot the first time I say it out loud will you?" he asked as he cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes suspiciously

"I would like to just be Olivia for a little while, as long as we are here at the house and it's just us. That being said, when we are out in public, it's back to M...Deal?"

"You can be Rumpelstiltskin for all I care," he said as he leaned down and kissed her soundly "You get some rest. I'll try to be as quiet as I can while I finish tidying up around here and once you've rested I'll take you out to dinner" he said as he laid her back down, and pulled the blanket up around her.

M was asleep, with a smile on her face before her head ever touched the pillow. Jack did his best not to make too much noise as he finished his housework. He was just finishing the last of the dishes when he felt two arms come around his waist.

"Hey...I thought you were asleep," he said as he turned to look at her

"It turns out that all I needed was a cat nap" she said playfully "Do you want some help with the dishes?"

Jack stepped aside so that Olivia could reach the sink. While she finished rinsing the last of the dishes, Jack stood behind her and brought his arms around her as he began to plant delicate kisses along her neck while his hands began to wander up to unbutton her blouse.

"You know," she said breathlessly as she leaned back against him "If you keep doing that, we will never get the dishes done"

"To hell with the dishes" he said as he took the dish she was holding and flopped it back into the sink and turned her around, capturing her lips in a deep kiss.

Olivia smiled into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss.

"What's so funny?" he asked

"I could have sworn that we had the discussion about how the kitchen is not the best place for this," she said with a giggle "Or does that only apply to my kitchen?"

"Call it a senior moment," he said with a laugh as he held her close "Not to change the subject, but are you hungry?" he asked as he let himself enjoy the closeness

"Not especially, however, there is one thing we need to do" she said pulling back to look up at him

"And what is that?" he replied as he rested his forehead against hers

"Luggage"

"What?"

"My luggage. We need to go and retrieve it from the field office"

"Well why the hell is it there? Why didn't you just bring it with you?"

"Because I wasn't sure what your reaction was going to be when you opened the door," she replied with a nervous look

"What? You seriously thought I would turn you away?"

"I've never done this before, and I just wasn't sure how you would react to me showing up unannounced..."

Jack began to laugh as he loosened his hold slightly and nuzzled his nose against hers

"Darlin, you can show up unannounced anytime you want," he said with a grin "Come on. Let's go get your luggage. On the way back we'll pick up something for dinner, and if you are very good I have a surprise for you," he said mysteriously

"Oh I do love surprises" she squealed

"Really? I got the distinct impression you were not all that fond of them?"

"That's only when it's James doing the surprising. His are usually more of a headache than a surprise, and they are usually expensive and entail a lot of explaining to the PM." she said as she reluctantly released him and started toward the door "But, since as you said, there is little chance of him showing up, then I am perfectly fine with surprises"

TO BE CONTINUED...