Thank you and remember, BOLD means sign language.

Lindsy

Deception

Chapter Four

She didn't recognize her at first. Her hair was longer and darker; her attire was something she wasn't used to seeing her wear; the way she even stood wasn't as she remembered. What had given her away had been the girl's face. There was no doubt about it that it was her cousin as she saw her electric-blue eyes light up even more as she spotted Sue. "Danielle?" Sue was beside herself. It was definitely a change to what she had been picturing for so long.

She looked down at Levi as if for reassurance that she was actually seeing what she thought, but he was no help. He just looked back up at her as he sat at her feet.

She had half-expected the teenager she had seen so long ago, clad in one of the floral-print dresses she always wore; but standing before her was a woman, clad in a leather jacket and t-shirt with the same logo that was airbrushed on the helmet she held in her hands.

Before Danielle knew it, Sue's arms were tightly wrapped around her slender, but muscular frame which made her smile. It felt good to see her favorite cousin once again. She was just so sorry that it had been such a long time since they had seen one another. "It's been a long time," she signed perfectly as she spoke, something she had always done around Sue. It had been years since she'd done any signing; fortunately, it was just like riding a bike. "I've missed you so much. You look wonderful!"

"So do you." A smile crossed Sue's lips. "You changed your hair," she pointed to Danielle's head and smile approvingly. "It looks great." She was being honest, though it might not seem so. Danielle's hair had gotten a drastic makeover. It used to be such a beautiful medium blond color and it hung only just past her shoulders; the perfect look for her flawless pale skin. Now, her dark brown hair hung practically to the small of her back, but it blended very nicely with her lightly bronzed skin. Sue had never seen her cousin look more beautiful.

"Thank you," Danielle signed. "I'm sorry to visit you here… I wanted to surprise you, but I didn't have your address."

The blond nodded and wrapped her arm around the brunette's shoulder like she always did all those years ago. It was a sign of affection, but it also comforted them both. They had missed out on a lot together and they wanted to get that back. "It's all right, but you could have gotten the address from your mother, couldn't you?" Sue felt her go suddenly rigid and looked at her face. Danielle was chewing on her lower lip as a shadow passed over her eyes. Sue didn't know. "What is it?"

The pain that resided in the girl's eyes made Sue's heart wrench. "You don't know, do you?" The clueless expression Sue wore was answer enough. "My mother and I aren't getting along as well as we used to." She gave a look of apology, though she had no real reason to apologize. But, the surprised look on her cousin's face made her feel so much worse. She had to explain to her, as hard as it would be, but she didn't want to do it here. "Um, how about we go for a cup of coffee? We still have a lot to talk about."

She nodded, and then looked at the helmet in Danielle's hand. "One thing, Danielle; I'm driving."

The girl nodded and smiled coyly. "Okay, but only if you do me a favor; call me Danni. Everyone calls me Danni." She looked down at Levi and bent down to pet him. "Is this the Levi I've read so much about?" As if to answer her himself, he began to give her warm, wet, doggy kisses.

The smile that crossed Sue's lips was one that Danni remembered very well. It was the one she always wore when they were together. The girl felt relaxed about that, considering there was so much that she needed to tell Sue and only hoped that she would understand.


A heavy sigh escaped his lips as his mountain of paperwork began to diminish very slowly. A cramp had formed on the back of his neck and he rubbed it to relieve the tension. He set down his pen and leaned back in his chair to stretch. Surprisingly, he still had a smile on his face.

Jack grinned at the smile Bobby had. He felt that it was about time. "Do you think you could stop that for a sec?"

Bobby shook his head. "Nope."

"Geez, I'd hate to think of how you'll act when you actually meet her. Now, that's a scary thought." He expertly dodged the paper ball that he knew would be thrown at him for that comment.

"Oh, come on, mate. You act like you've never been able to stop smiling before. If my memory serves well, and I'm sure it does, you do that every time our Ms. Thomas enters the room." He chuckled until he saw the "shut up" look Jack was giving him. Bobby immediately stopped, but his grin remained. "What? Come on, Jack. Of all the people in this office, I would think even you could admit to that."

"Yeah, well, our relationship is…"

"Non-existent?" Bobby offered with a chuckle.

"… Complicated," Jack finished with finality.

"Have you even tried to make a move?" Jack's "shut up" expression returned. "Okay, all I'm saying is: make a move before someone else steals her away. Remember David?"

Jack remembered all too well. Luckily, though, they had decided to just be friends. When Sue decided against the job in New York, Jack had been determined to tell Sue his feelings. Unfortunately, he had just been too chicken or the topic never came up. "You know I can't do that, Bobby. I don't want to put both of our jobs in jeopardy."

"But, sometimes, it's worth it if you love her. And don't say that you don't know what I'm talking about." He pointed his finger and looked at Jack like he knew what he was talking about.

Jack shook his head, yet his smile gave everything away. "Okay, I won't." His thoughts were forever on Sue. He loved her so much that it hurt. But, that was why it would never work. He loved her, but he still didn't know how she felt about him.

Bobby's smile fell and his eyes went wide in shock. "What was that?"

"Nothing. So, Myles, D, and I were planning on going to dinner before Boomer's. Do you want to come?" He tossed a file on his desk and leaned against it to speak to Bobby.

"As great as that sounds, I think I'll go home and get some rest before dealing with Stern. I'm going to drain all of my energy and sanity trying not to hit him."

"Yeah, I know what you mean."