A/N: Should have this one posted earlier, but couldn't. This post takes things more in depth, it's as much as a learning experience for me as it could be for you. So without further ado...

Let me know what you think, what part struck you, what made you thinking etc.

Italics in QM is signed. Many thank you's to my beta Ducky for reading thru. And also for her valued opinions and thoughts regarding the Deaf Community and her beautiful language earlier...I'm proud she's willing to share her world and the insight it gives with me... zonder jouw hulp was dit niet mogelijk.

oOo

Sue and Lucy came back and saw the two men sitting very relaxed looking smug. "WHAT HAPPEN?", Lucy informed suspiciously. "We missed something?"

"NO", both Jack and Troy replied simultaneous looking innocent. Sue had a pretty good hunch what they had been talking about. She had been talking with Troy about a lot of things today, but the dark haired man next to him was the direct object of many of those conversations. She decided to have a more private talk with Jack later.

"TOMORROW WHAT HAPPEN WILL?", Sue asked Jack. He frowned, then he understood "K-O-N-E HIM HELP US WILL", he signed. "He decided it's probably better to cooperate, to cut some time off his sentence." Sue placed two wine glasses on the table and placed a bottle of Californian 2004 E. & J. Gallo Chenin Blanc next to it, she looked questioningly at Troy and Jack. They held up their bottles.

Troy had both his hands in a flat 'O' handshape fingers touching of both hands touching, his index-finger of his right hand up, he brought it down to his thumb, up again and down once more. "ONE MORE?", he asked pleadingly and glanced at his empty bottle of beer. Sue rolled her eyes but smiled. "O.K. ONE MORE", she looked at Jack. "J-C-K YOU SAME?" He nodded "If you have another cold one, I'm in."

Sue got them their drinks and sat down. "So, what about this surprise you had for me?", she asked Jack. His face lit up in a broad smile. "Oh, right, I nearly forgot." He got up, "I'll get it for you", he signed with an impish grin. He got back holding a DVD disc. "That's your surprise?", she smirked. He shrugged "I'm on official leave for today, no work", she stated and she took a sip of her wine. "You don't have to look at it now", he replied. "Tomorrow will be okay." She took the disc and looked at it. "What's on it?"

"Some men loading military hardware. They're quite chatty, so maybe it'll give us something like names, where they're going..."

"And there's me thinking you'd come to see me", she quipped. "Business before the girl", he replied. "J-C-K!", she signed with emphasis on each syllable and looked at him chastising, then she swatted his arm. He held up his hands in surrender, laughing.

oOo

They had a good time together, telling stories, reliving old cases and time went by unnoticed. At one point Troy glanced on his watch, he frowned. "It's late, I think I'll head home. Early start tomorrow." They started talking about the work Troy had to do, what he had done. One led to another and nearly twenty minutes were gone when Troy actually got up to leave. It took at least ten minutes before he actually left.

"I had a great time, Sue. Whenever you want me to baby-sit, I'm your man. Thanks for the food and drinks." She kissed him on his cheek. "I was very happy to have you here. We have to do this again soon. Promise?" Troy smiled. He put the index-finger of his right hand, his hand in a '1' handshape palm facing left, on his lips. His left hand was a fist in a 'S' shape, then he moved his right hand down, spread his fingers in a '5' shape, and put his palm on top of his left hand. "PROMISE"

"Now that's what I would call a proper Deaf good-bye", Lucy stated when she finally sat down again. Sue nodded. "They tend to be long, yes. Because we always have millions of things to talk about."

Jack nodded, he had first hand experience last week at the Halloween party at Gallaudet, but up until now he hadn't put two and two together. Lucy yawned openly. "I'm going to sleep too, let's leave all this till tomorrow", she gestured at the glasses. She glanced at Jack and Sue. "Unless you like to do it, knock yourselves out. I'm off."

"GOOD NIGHT", Sue signed.

oOo

'So', she said after Lucy was gone. 'Now it's just the two of us.' She reached for her glass. 'There's some more if you want.' Jack shook his head. "No thanks", he replied. She looked at him. 'How are you. You look tired', she informed. He tried to wave it off. 'No, I'm serious Jack. Are you okay, have you even slept today?' He shook his head, smiling a bit sheepishly. 'That's not good for you...' He interrupted. 'That's so typically you, in case you forgot, you had to be in hospital. Not me, and yet you ask how I'm doing?'

She looked at him confused. 'That makes you upset?'

'What?' Now it was his time to be confused. 'You look upset', she said carefully. He shook his head vigorously. It struck him his expression didn't match how he felt. She was unable to hear the differences in his voice and had to rely on his expression and body language. Those did not match with what he intended to express. He felt stupid for not realizing again how things could be explained otherwise. This is exactly what I meant earlier, I won't learn...

She obviously could see he was chastising himself inwardly over it and tried to relax him. 'It's okay, don't hit yourself on your head for it.'

'I'm so sorry, Sue. It didn't come out right.' She smiled. 'No, I'm sure it came out right, but I couldn't hear it, there's a difference', she said a little mischievously.

He sat back and looked at her, his face expressing awe. 'How do you do it?', he asked. She bit her lip. 'Do what?' He leaned forward again. 'What you just did...I mean, once again I mess up and you smile it off, make me feel good along the way. How do you do it?'

She bit her lip again and stared at her glass before she looked at him again. 'Because I'm raised to be like that. I could blame my mother, if I could. But I believe it's more rewarding if you support people in their efforts, rather then discourage them. God rewards you for who you are, that's what I believe. When you're kind to others, that kindness will be returned.'

'But what about all those people who look down on you, refuse to see just how amazing you are, what you're capable of? What about them?', he asked. Sue nodded slowly as though she was weighing her answer. 'I can only hope that, one day, their eyes will be opened, eventually.' He pressed his lips and shook his head somewhat. 'I don't know if I could.'

oOo

She took hold of his hand. 'I have two choices. This world is pretty ignorant and sometimes downright hostile to our culture. I think, or I hope actually, that it is because they're afraid to take the step to get to know us. It's difficult to open up, to make yourself vulnerable. ' She squeezed his hand and rubbed her thumb over it. 'Now, I could let them get down on me, and affect my self-esteem, make me doubt about my abilities.'

'But I refuse to do that, I choose to swim against the stream. It has made me strong and independent. I know what I'm capable of, and I want other to see it too. That doesn't mean I will fight it every time, sometimes it does get me down, depressed. But I have God to help me through. I have a team that believes in me, that guards me and let me be me. But most of all, I have you.' Her eyes were a little wet, she pressed her lips tightly to keep the tears down.

He had to swallow hard. 'But I keep making mistakes all the time...' She silenced him.

'You make mistakes, everybody does. I hate to break your bubble, but you're not perfect.' She smiled again though her eyes were still wet. 'But you're learning, you want to learn and you have learned so much since we met.' She leaned over and kissed him tenderly. 'And for that I want to thank you, Jack Hudson.'

He looked at her. "I guess this is for real then...", he signed. Sue nodded. "You're special. And I want you in my life..." He kissed her. "Then I think we have to do something to make it work. I want you too Sue. I want to spend my life with you." She gave him her radiant smile.

"That's why I requested a transfer", he continued. "Such a noble thing to do", she signed teasingly. "Why you? You're the team leader, I'm not. I could get a transfer too..." He rubbed his chin. "But you're every bit as valuable as I am, I don't think Garrett will agree."

"Then we are both going to see Garrett and explain, don't you think so? It took me a while to get you and I'm not planning on letting you go again." He laughed. "We'll work something out, Garrett holds quite a few strings and knows a lot of people. Who knows..."

oOo

He couldn't suppress a yawn. She looked at him concerned. 'You need sleep, Jack. You look very tired.' He nodded. Then he took her hand and somewhat shy he explained why he felt tired. 'I feel ashamed to admit that all the signing is really demanding for me, like I have to be on full alert all the time. Yet I know that's what you have to do all the time and it makes me humble, Sue. I still have to come a long way...'

She smiled her eyes soft. 'It's okay, Jack. I'm very happy you're so honest about it.' He looked her in her eyes.

'Will you help me to get there?' He was at his most vulnerable now, and she couldn't think of a greater gift given to her, she always had hoped someone would ask her this, asking for her. She couldn't help it, tears rolled down her cheek.

'More than anything my love. More than anything.'