Chapter 10

The vibrations shook her body and she shivered in reply, the colors lighting her face in a warm light. Jack's arms tightened around her body and he pulled her closer, his head resting on her shoulder, his gaze directed to the heavens, taking in the marvelous sight. Around them, their friends sat on the grass, together as a family while they watched the display. Jack nudged her shoulder and she half turned to face him, surprised when he captured her lips in a gentle kiss, his lips caressing hers sweetly. She raised her head in question when they broke the kiss but he just smiled at her, his warm eyes showing fondness and something else, more passionate that she found she couldn't wait to explore.

When the fireworks stopped, they all helped themselves with some food, kindly delivered by the Gans family, Donna and Dimitrius sitting curled together on the grass while their children roamed the open, crowded space with delight. "Where is Bobby?" Jack wondered out loud, ashamed that he didn't notice his best friend's absence before.

"Koala boy is not picking his cell phone and he's not at home." Myles explained, expertly snatching the last fries from under Tara's nose and then giving her a half when she protested loudly.

"Shouldn't we check on him?" Jack asked.

"He told me last night that he wasn't sure he's going to make it." Tara said. "Maybe he has plans of his own." She pondered for a moment. "He looked a little sad; maybe we should go over and cheer him up a little."

"Maybe he needs some time to himself." Myles mused, eyeing the way Jack's arm rested possessively around Sue's shoulders.

Sue pursed her lips. "We should probably just let him be for tonight." She glanced towards Jack. "Is your friend still in town, maybe we could meet her for a while. It's not fun to spend Independence Day alone."

Jack nodded his head and pulled out his cell phone, regretting not thinking about that idea sooner, he knew Jay had a flight to catch in the morning but the thought of her spending the holiday alone was sad and it was partly his fault. He shook his head. "She's not answering."

"Maybe she disappeared with Bobby." Tara giggled suddenly and Myles took away her glass.

"That's it, no more drinks for you young lady."

"Who is she anyway?" D. asked suddenly.

"An old friend of mine." Jack shared a look with Sue. "We met for coffee in the morning and she…enlightened me, you can say."

"Did she?" D. shared a knowing smirk with his wife.

"Let's just say that we might need to have a talk after the holiday and see what we can do about a certain Bureau policy." Jack allowed a few moments for his words to sink in, surprised when knowing grins appeared on everyone's faces. Even Tanya and Davey rolled their eyes at him before resuming their activities.

Myles pulled out his Phone and mumbled to himself, Tara edging closer to see. "We thought you'd be surprised." Sue shared a look with Jack. "Did they all just snort at me?"

"Yes, we did." Donna clarified, grinning at their astound faces.

"It's a pity Lucy is at her grandmother's."

"I know it took you a while to figure it out, Jack, but some of us knew for a long time now that you two are meant to be together." Myles drawled, still eyeing his phone.

"Yeah, like the over protective mode you always went into when Sue was around." D. grinned.

"Or the way you unknowingly gazed at each other all day."

"We did not…"

"The innocent touching." Myles feigned faint.

"And the not so innocent touching." Tara had a knowing smile as she fingers spelled 'Calahan and Merced."

"Alright, alright…" Jack chuckled, placing his arm around Sue's shoulder. "Since you're all okay with it then we will bid you good night."

The gang all waved at them and Sue laughed quietly as they walked towards his car. "Where are we going now?" She asked innocently, grinning when he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"To have some quality time, Miss Thomas…apparently, I have a lot to make up for." He paused when he heard the commotion behind them.

"Ted!" Myles' voice rang out. "Ted won the office poll!"

"What was that?" Sue whispered, watching his face as he smiled.

"I think they had an office poll involving us…" He trailed off, grinning at her. "They really are crazy, are they?"

She shrugged her shoulders, a wide smile on her lips.

Sharing a chicken salad and a home-made bread; they enjoyed a quiet meal in a small restaurant. Jay found that she was indeed hungry and found comfort in focusing her mind on the mundane act of eating; it distracted her from the close proximity of the man beside her. She wasn't exactly sure why they spend their day together, she knew the attraction was mind blowing and they both seemed to be on the same wave length and she didn't really want to admit it, but she was a little heartbroken over Jack. She knew she lived in a nice illusion, but it was nice to pretend and now that the bubble broke she found out that it hurt…more then she thought it would.

Bobby watched her from the corner of his eye, wondering what might happen after they finish their food. He knew what he wanted but somehow it seemed strange. He never jumped into bed with a woman he didn't develop a relationship with before and the more he thought about it, the more he realized that Jay wasn't the kind of woman that you have a one-night stand with. But still he wanted her and knowing that the attraction was mutual certainly boosted his ego, especially after the Darcy fiasco.

Jay chewed her food decisively, she was a grown woman and so was Bobby…a grown man, that is and they both could look into it as some sort of a deal, people did it all the time; jumped into bed and said goodbye afterwards, the fact that she never done it before shouldn't matter, there's a first time for everything. But all those decisions couldn't ease the sudden nervousness that held her. She chewed even slower, the delightful chicken salad turning tasteless in her mouth.

They haven't spoken a word, he realized. They've been quiet since the moment they left the pool and besides ordering their food, they haven't spoken a word. He reached out for her, wondering why he was so nervous while all he wanted was to have some harmless fun. "Jay?"

"Hmmm…" She raised her head from her plate.

She allowed him to hold her hand, his warm touch reassuring her somehow. She placed her fork on the table and reached for her glass of wine, the bottle slowly emptying. "So…" He started, not even sure what he wanted to say.

"So…what are we doing now?" She asked, motioning towards their dinner and the wine. "After we'll finish I mean."

He moved his other hand in his brown hair, moving the hand that was holding hers so that their fingers were laced together. "I guess it's your turn to choose." He said softly, his eyes telling her without words that it was her choice.

She watched their laced fingers, the rough texture of his hands a contrast to hers. Following her earlier decision, she tried to look as seducing as possible while speaking, her eyes searching his. "Maybe we can go back to your place." She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her own words, it didn't even sound like her but luckily, Bobby didn't notice and he looked interested.

"You sure?" He squeezed her hand and she reached for her glass of wine for another sip.

"Yeah, I'm sure but I think we need a drugstore first." Jay pursed her lips, her heart skipping a beat when his hand moved to her knee, his fingers hot against the thin material of her skirt. He trailed his hand from her knee higher to her thigh, the sensation tickling and leaving her breathless, making her forget her doubts and her heartbreak.

"Let's go then." He said softly, squeezing her knee before signaling to the waitress. Jay nodded her head and followed him outside after they paid their bill. She startled when he pulled her after him to one of the corners, enveloping his arms around her and holding her closer, leaning against the wall.

"Bobby?" She raised her head from his neck and held her breathe when he tilted her chin upwards, his lips meeting hers in a passionate kiss. She gasped, the sound swallowed by his mouth, the soft tingling sensation slowly turning into soaring heat as his tongue met hers.

He moulded their bodies closer and moaned when her hand sneaked under his shirt, caressing the feverish skin with trembling fingers. She eased away from him and he took a moment to compose himself before opening his eyes to look at her, her disheveled appearance doing nothing to calm his ardor. He grinned and was relieved to see her smiling in return. "Let's go."