Chapter 25

"What are you doing?" The sudden exclaim startled him and he dropped the spoon he was holding, his eyes betraying his surprise as his face took the 'deer in the headlight' expression. He cleared his throat and shook his head, wondering how she managed to sneak behind him so easily. He motioned his hand at the messy kitchen.

"I was making lunch?" He was happy that she couldn't hear the question in his voice and watched with amusement as she sniffed softly before rolling her eyes at him.

"It looks like you're burning lunch, Jack." Sue teased, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

He tilted his head to the right, brown eyes darkening. "Humor me, I still feel a little sore." He tried hard not to grin and instead gave her the most convincing puppy look he could muster. She snorted and his eyes widened in disbelief.

"In case you were trying to persuade me, agent Hudson, I'll have you know that I have become resilient to your charming brown eyes." she said primly and he groaned inwardly, amazed yet again at the marvelous control she had on her tone of voice. He tried a new tactic; he approached her slowly, reaching out to caress her hair, his face millimeters from hers, their eyes focused on each other.

"So, you think I have charming eyes?" He asked softly, her eyes lowered to his mouth and focused on his eyes again. He moved his hand to bring her closer to him, their lips almost touching. He saw her smiling softly before she closed the distance and brought their lips together.

The kiss was gentle and slow. He felt her hands sneaking upwards on his chest before settling on his shoulders. He moved one hand to her lower back and caressed her hair in the other one, deepening the kiss as she tilted her head a little, allowing more access. She brought her body closer, eager to feel the heat that radiated from his body, suddenly feeling relieved that all the tension was over. He leaned against the counter, pulling her against him as he drowned into the kiss, feeling nothing but her warmth.

She broke the kiss slowly and moved to trace a line of warm kisses along his jaw line. She felt the vibration when he moaned and talked and tried to lift her eyes to see what he was saying. He shook his head and took her hand in his, signing frantically. Her heart contracted as he pulled her to another kiss and then made sure she could see him before he talked again.

"I love you, Sue." He said, caressing her hair. She flushed and snuggled closer to him, her head resting on his shoulder.

"I love you too, Jack." She whispered. "I was worried." She said, clutching the sweater he wore in her hand. "When Tara said that there were shots fired…"

"I know." He said softly and saw that she raised her head a little and watched him. "For a moment there, I thought we wouldn't be able to get them out of there. But we did, Sue. We're alright and Perry's dead. I only wish we could find Stanton."

She nodded her head and sighed. "I guess we should talk about work…about what's going to happen."

"Not now." He shook his head. "I already set up a meeting with Garret but right now I just want to be with you. I just want to hold you without any interruptions."

She chuckled. "You might wanna get some take out too."

He groaned at the smell of smoke that enveloped his kitchen. She grinned at him and he pulled her to another breathless kiss before releasing his grip and heading towards the phone. "Chinese?" He asked and she nodded her head, smiling at the prospect of having some down time together.

They were comfortable with each other as they ate their lunch and Jack insisted to clear the dishes on his own before joining her on the sofa, his eyes were laughing as he sat down beside her. "So…" He spoke and signed at the same time. "You are resilient to my eyes?"

Sue grinned. "After working with you for several years I developed immunity." She said proudly, tracing a line on his forearm.

Jack pursed his lips. "I really must do something about it." He gazed at her, brown eyes pleading with her.

She giggled. "What do you want, Jack?"

"A date." He declared. "With me, on Friday night."'

She grinned. "I don't need persuasion to do that." She moved a little closer to him and he licked his lips. "But I do need something else." He swallowed.

"What exactly do you need Miss Thomas?"

"A kiss." She smiled and he raised his eyebrows before lowering his head and exploring her lips again, his hands moving up and down her back as he pulled her closer. Sue snuggled closer, her hands playing with his thick hair. Their tongues danced together and he slowly ended the kiss, smiling at her flushed face.

"I knew you weren't really resilient to my eyes…"

She smacked his arm playfully.

It seemed like eternity had passed before they finally reached his apartment. They both spent hours in the ER and then stopped at the deli to pick up something to eat. They each took a turn in the shower, but their food was forgotten the moment they took a seat on his sofa, their bodies deciding to shut down.

Like he was dreaming, Bobby pulled her with him and covered them with a blanket. He was too tired to talk, his body demanding compensation for so many sleepless nights. Megan moved and removed some papers from the sofa before snuggling to him, careful not to hurt any of them. She marveled at the way her head seemed to fit so well at the crook of his neck and smiled when he pulled her tighter before they both surrendered to sleep.

His sofa was way too comfortable. That was the first thought Bobby had when he woke up. When he opened his eyes, he smiled and raised his hand to look at the time. He smiled when he felt her stirring beside him, her breathe hot against his neck. "What time is it?" She whispered.

"Time for lunch." He chuckled. "We slept for a good four hours."

Megan shook her head. "Wake me up tomorrow morning." She asked and he caressed her back slowly.

"I think we should at least eat something." His stomach agreed with him as it rumbled loudly. Megan sighed and he turned his head and looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Not really." She admitted, shaking her head.

He was quiet for a few minutes. He was never good in talking, always considered himself as a man of action and he knew that she wouldn't open easily about her feelings. He sighed to himself, they both needed to learn how to be with each other. He met her eyes when she raised her head. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

She shook her head and caught the look of disappointment in his eyes. "Not now, I need to sort some things on my own first. Maybe we could eat something, I am a little hungry."

"Do you want to make something or just settle for the goodies we brought from the deli?" He asked, chuckling when she nodded her head enthusiastically when he mentioned the food they brought. "I'll make the coffee, you set the table."

They ate their lunch in comfortable silence and then ate the brownies they bought in front of the TV, watching a movie. She cuddled closer to him when the movie ended and he reached for her hand. "What do you want to do now? Another movie?" She shook her head and he noticed when her entire body seemed to freeze as she breathed softly. He saw the bright eyes and tried to smile at her, ending up in making her cry against his shoulder. "It doesn't make sense." She whispered and he knew that she will talk to him if he'll listen so he just waited for her to continue. "When they told us he did it because he was angry or that he got crazy after seeing his wife dead it made sense. I could see how something like that can happen but now…" She trailed off and raised her eyes to meet his. "He hurt us intentionally. He killed his wife. It doesn't make sense, I can't understand it."

He bit his lips before tucking away a strand of her hair. "It doesn't make sense because there is nothing logical about it. He blamed you for something and then became obsessed with you, he was insane, Megan, you can never understand people like him."

"I keep on thinking if we could have done something differently and every time I consider it I get lost all over again. What were we supposed to do? Leave his wife and ignore all the warning lights we saw?"

"You couldn't have lived with yourselves." Bobby said.

"If I had known that something like that would happen I would have never talked to her." She whispered. "After waking up at the hospital I blamed fate and luck and god, and you name it but now I understand that we were to blame. He said we meddled with other people's business and I keep on thinking…"

"Megan…"

"I could have been a mother, Bobby."

"It's not your fault." He said softly, realizing her silence in the last hours. "You can't think about it like that."

"But it is my fault." She rose from the sofa, backing away from the warmth he gave her. "I tried to help Perry's wife and look where it got me."

Bobby tilted his head and observed her quietly. "Where are you going with this? Are you telling me that from now on you won't help people because it might be dangerous?"

Megan paused, not expecting the question. "I don't know." She sighed. "It's my job and if I'm not doing it all the way then I might as well quit." She whispered.

Bobby smiled gently. "He was crazy, Meg, there was nothing you could do to change that." He patted the space beside him in the sofa and she sat down. "Our job presents us with the horrible side of life, but it doesn't mean that everyone are like that. I know it's hard for you to believe it but not everyone you'll help will stick a knife to your back." He intertwined his fingers with hers. "Hope is a good thing, Megan, don't give it up so easily."

She wiped her wet eyes and sighed. "Thank you."

"Don't ever think like that again." He said sternly. "He was insane and what happened that night was no one's fault but his."

"He said I begged." Megan bit her lips. "I guess that's why he found me so appealing. I bet his wife begged him not to hurt her either…" He kissed her palm, his lips warm and soft. "Do you mind if take a walk outside, I know it's cold, but I want to get some fresh air."

"Sure." Bobby smiled and they both headed towards the door.

"Can I stay tonight?" She almost whispered. "I don't want to be alone."

He traced a line across her cheek as he nodded his head, a smile on his face.

"No." His reply was short and sarcastic, he saw Tara smiling from her position at the entrance.

"Mr. Leland, it is highly recommended that you rest for a few days before getting back to work."

"I can rest at home and I'll be more comfortable. I refuse to stay another minute here." Myles nearly shouted. He was in the hospital for eight hours now and they were eight hours too much.

"Maybe I could take a look at him while he's staying at home." Tara offered and Myles grumbled, just what he needed to be alone with Tara and embarrass himself even more. However, that option was far more inviting then spending the rest of the day and night at the hospital so when the doctor nodded his head reluctantly he nearly jumped from the bed.

His head was still hurting and he suffered from dizziness but he really felt like going home. However, the thought of spending his evening with Tara was a little disconcerting. They seemed to be back to themselves at Christmas Eve but today when she stayed in his hospital room to keep him company things seemed to be a little strained.

Myles sighed at the wonderful smell that came from the general direction of his kitchen and walked slowly, feeling relieved to wear some soft sweat pants and sweatshirt instead of the hospital scrubs. Tara stood in his kitchen and he smiled when he saw her mumbling to herself while setting up the table for a late lunch. She grinned when she saw him and he swallowed his discomfort and sat down in front of her, intent on enjoying the food.

Tara wasn't completely sure she did the right thing by volunteering to baby-sit Myles for the night, of course, he wasn't aware that she was staying over yet but that was really a minor detail. She knew they grew very close in the last week. It was very easy to see him as more than a coworker the minute he dropped his defense mechanism. They worked well together, she already knew that but lately it seemed like she was enjoying his company. He had a unique sense of humor which she found quite appealing and he also seemed to understand her humor which was surely a good sign. She sighed softly, he asked her for dinner and she turned him down. She thought her reasons were right, but he didn't give her a chance to explain and moved on. She hoped she could have a second chance.

Myles tried not to stare at her so openly but when he realized she was deeply thinking about something he allowed his eyes and mind to wander. Her rejection still felt awkward. It's true that he hasn't dated that much in the past, but he could recognize attraction, was it possible that he read all the signs wrong? He took a sip from his water, he could only hope they will grow out of this awkwardness and remain close friends. They only lately seemed to become friendlier towards each other and he didn't want to lose her as his friend.

The sound of her voice brought him out of his musings. He raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly. She returned the gesture and then moved a hand in her hair. "Is the offer still stands?" She asked bluntly and watched with some amusement when he frowned.

"What offer?"

"The dinner at the best Italian restaurant."

Myles gulped as he fought a valiant fight to restore his voice. This was certainly a surprise. "I thought…you said…I thought it wasn't the right time."

She grinned at him and he had the urge to kiss it away. "It wasn't. We were in the middle of a case and I thought it might confuse us even further." She said softly and he chuckled, why didn't he consider that option? "I don't know what's going on with us, but I do know that we should try and see if it might be more than just friendly feelings." She watched with amusement when he opened and closed his mouth again. Her heart beat furiously against her chest, was she too late? "If I had known this was the way to shut you up, Harvard, I would have done it ages ago." She joked, trying to bring him to talk.

His smile was one she never saw before, a mixture of mischief and leering that made her heart beat even faster. He inched a little closer and moved his hand to caress hers. "Tara, dear, there are many ways to shut me up and I'm looking forward to introduce you to some."

It was her turn to gap at him and he laughed at the sudden flush that covered her cheeks. He thought about all the things that could cause that flush and smiled gently at her frustrated pout. "Let me see how I feel tomorrow morning and then I'll make reservations." She nodded her head and bit her tongue, waiting for him to walk over to the sink with the dishes before she spoke.

"So, where do I sleep tonight?"

She heard several dishes falling. "S…sleep?" He asked in an unnatural high voice. Tara grinned; she could play that game too.