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Thank you everyone for your kind reviews. Please, keep them coming.
Once again, it was a great adventure, and believe me, I had a lot of fun writing this story, specially this chapter.
I will probably be back with another story some day, but it might take a while. Why don't you visit my profile, and check my other stories until then?
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"Levi, what's up, big boy?" Lucy asked when the dog, who had been sleeping quietly one minute before, started barking.
"Maybe he missed me as much as I missed him," Sue said, as she entered the bullpen. Levi immediately ran to her feet, and she petted him affectionately.
"Sue. Jack. Glad to see you back – in one piece, might I add," Dimitrius welcomed them, with a pat on Jack's shoulder.
A few minutes later, Sue was retelling her colleagues what had really happened in the theatre, giving some more details of what she remembered from the explosion, when she noticed that Jack was squinting and grimacing slightly. Before she could ask him why, Lucy grabbed her left hand and pointed at one of her fingers. "That's not the ring you had when you left!"
"Euh…" was all she could pronounce, as she glanced at Jack, who shrugged sympathetically.
Tara took her hand from Luce's grip and checked the ring more closely with a smile, while Jack made another face. "Definitely not standard FBI issue. There's no way Randy approved that expense report."
"You know, sheilas, your squeals could be considered as very dangerous weapons," Bobby commented, rubbing his ear.
"Jack gave me that ring when we were in Vegas," she said, only to regret her choice of words the moment she pronounced them. "Uh… I mean… That's not what you think…" she stuttered, trying to do some damage control.
"Good choice, mate, after the kiss you two shared at the casino," Bobby chimed in.
Seeing the grimace on the men's faces, Sue was almost happy to be deaf. "The KISS?" both Tara and Lucy shrieked.
"She… She kissed me," Jack tried to clarify.
"It's not like you tried to stop her," D commented, the corner of his mouth twitching up.
Myles stepped up, staring alternately at Jack and Sue. "So, is the Hudson undercover duo finally a legal couple?"
"We're not… we're not married," Jack answered, dodging the underlying question.
Sue noticed that Tara had moved back behind her desk, and she was now waving to get everyone's attention, saving Jack from further questioning. "Just got an email from the Bureau in Las Vegas. They convicted Steve Pearson for money laundering. The lab found some of his DNA on a few bills, under the forged ink, so there was no way his lawyer could pretend he wasn't part of the operation. They also retrieved high quality printers from one of the rooms at the hotel, and more forged money in a safe, accessible from the lobby. Great work, folks!" Lifting a finger in the air, she faced the others once again, like she had forgotten something. "Oh, by the way, the explosion was indeed just a pyrotechnical accident, so there were no attempts on federal agents."
Sue was glad they were not the center of attraction anymore, until Bobby spotted something on his friend's collar. "Care to explain where this hickey came from, Sparky?" he asked, with a dimpled grin.
The shade of crimson on Jack's face must have matched her own, as she felt her cheeks burning. He stared at her with his eyes wide open, dumbfounded, and she leaned in to check the mark she had left on his neck. However, there was nothing to be seen.
Taking a step back, Sue sighed when she realised what had just happened. They'd been had like beginners. Everyone was laughing, even Myles. Bobby pointed an accusatory finger at her, smiling from ear to ear. "Gotcha!"
The End...