Redemption

Chapter Thirty-Seven

"Before, you told me you wanted to talk to be about you and Danni. Now, I know that isn't true, because you've never been surer of anything in your life… even with the whole Stern fiasco. So, what's this about?" He leaned upon his cue stick, defiant to take his next shot until he got an honest answer.

A heavy sigh escaped the taller man as he leaned upon his own cue stick. He might have not been that convincing in his execution, but he still got Jack out of the bullpen, didn't he? That was what mattered most, other than discovering what it was that was plaguing the American's mind. "You," was all Bobby said as he watched his best friend's expression change dramatically.

"What?" Jack asked, curiously. He crossed his arms over his chest with the pool cue still in his grasp as he waited for Bobby to reiterate what he'd said. He hadn't expected that answer and he felt his heart speed up a few beats with worry.

With a heavy sigh, the Aussie ran a hand through his hair as he tried not to give away what he knew. He'd promised both Sue and Danni that he wouldn't reveal that he knew about Jack and Sue as a couple. All he needed to focus on was Jack and his demeanor for the past few days. He would admit that this was a challenge. For years he, along with the others, had been wishing for those two to get together and now that they had, he wanted to pat his best mate on the back. Unfortunately, that wasn't a possibility at this time. "All I'm saying is that you've been different for the past few days and it's worrying me."

Jack's brow furrowed in confusion. "Different? I haven't been different," he defended when he finally took his next shot. The five-ball was the next to be sunk as it sailed gracefully into the far, left-corner pocket. He found this all ridiculous. Bobby didn't know what he was talking about. 'Yeah, that's right; you've finally convinced yourself that there isn't anything bothering you. Good work, Jack,' his inner voice said to him with sarcasm just dripping from its words. He groaned inwardly at that nagging little voice and wished for it to keep its thoughts to itself. As much as he wanted to let show everything that was on his mind, he couldn't.

Bobby shot him a knowing glance, which Jack completely ignored as he took his next shot. This one was aimed for the one-ball, but since Bobby decided to bring up the current conversation, his concentration had been waning and that caused him to miss his shot. "Well, you haven't exactly been yourself. I mean, since Stern died, you've been snapping at everyone left and right and I noticed how bad you looked at the funeral. I know you didn't like the guy that much, Jack, so I know it has nothing to do with that. I'm your friend and I want to know what's bothering you. Maybe I can help." The sincerity was pouring out of his heart without hinder, but if Jack didn't trust his words, there wasn't much he could do.

The shorter of the two men shook his head as he stood back and let his comrade take his turn. "You can't help me. This is something I need to figure out for myself." He'd said it before he'd had the chance to think about it and he cursed himself under his breath for doing it. He usually told Bobby anything, but this was definitely something he couldn't share. Not until everything was cleared up and he was back on track. That would be when he would reveal everything. Yet, of course, Bobby wouldn't give him that option. The Aussie was beginning to see that this ran so much deeper than pretty little Miss Thomas.

Her head snapped up and he turned around as they both heard the door open. "Oh, well, some kind of research this is!" She proclaimed when she saw who finally exited the room.

DeMarco cursed under his breath that his reaction had not been quicker. He wanted to have his companion remain in the room until Danni left him alone, but he supposed she got a little impatient or thought they were far enough away for Talbot not to notice. "I can explain," he began, until he saw her hold up her hand to silence him. He tried to gauge her reaction, finding it difficult to tell if she was angry or disappointed. It was then that he found that it was a mixture of both she was feeling.

"I don't want to hear it, right now." She spoke firmly and clearly before she turned her attention to the young woman standing behind Jeff. There was so much that she wanted to say to her, but she held her tongue for the safety of her sanity. The young woman's fire-red hair lay about her face in gentle layers and her beautiful green eyes were leveled in embarrassment. "Amber," Danni nodded to her with respect, but not hiding the fact that she was disappointed at her as well.

"Danni, please," the girl began, "no one can know about this. Especially, not…" she trailed off when she saw the stern look Danni was giving her.

"I can't make that promise. This is very bad. You both should know better; especially in the middle of the day and in a file room where anyone could just walk in." Her tone was hushed as she tried to keep their conversation as private as possible. She sighed heavily as she looked from one part of the guilty party to the other. She really didn't need this kind of stress, right now, and even though she knew she couldn't let this slide, she knew she had to. "But, I can see that this is something you both want very badly. I will let this go, for now. If I catch the two of you like this again, though, I am going to go straight to Martone."

She turned her full attention to Amber who looked like she was almost in tears for fear of this getting around. "If I were you, I'd talk to him about it. He might not like it, but at least if he knows, the two of you won't have to sneak around." Amber nodded and after she gave Jeff and smile and a caring touch, she wondered off to find the man she needed to see. Danni then turned her attention to DeMarco who was looking like he'd just gotten his hand caught in the cookie jar. "And you," she said forcefully as she poked him in the shoulder. She waggled her finger in a "come here" gesture as she entered the file room so she could finally relieve herself of the burdensome pile. She set the heap onto one of the file cabinets and stared at her teammate with dissatisfaction.

"I know what you're going to say," he said sheepishly as he looked down at his feet. He couldn't look her in the eye. It only made him feel guiltier than he already was.

"I'm sure you do," she retaliated, happy that she could finally cross her arms over her chest.

Jeff's eyes remained lowered to the floor as he waited for a berating from his new lieutenant. He waited and waited, but it didn't come. Curious, he looked up at her to find her just staring at him. It made him feel even more awkward and because of it, he shifted his feet so he could make a quick exit if need be. "Please say something," he begged as he saw her disappointment slowly fade. "Anything. Go ahead; yell and scream. Tell me how inappropriate it was for us to be in here with the door locked. I deserve it."

A small smirk appeared upon Danni's lips, but it instantly faded when she remembered that she had to remain firm. The problem was that it wasn't so easy to berate her friend. After all, there were a few times when she and Bobby were in a similar situation, though they hadn't been caught. Still, she had to show that she was taking her position seriously and letting him completely off the hook would be a very bad start. "First off, you of all people should know better than to do something this stupid; especially with who she is. You," she said with a sharp poke to his check, "need to march into Martone's office and explain everything…" she trailed off as she thought about what she had just said, then she decided to reiterate. "Just leave out the details, please. I would at least like my best teammate to be virtually unharmed when we start this case tomorrow."

He shook his head in protest as he tried to explain the situation. "You don't understand. He would never condone this. He'd have my head in a noose the moment he finds out; if he can find one, that is."

Her arms once again found their way to her hips as she cocked one up in a stance that said she meant business. She may not have understood whatever kind of relationship this was, but there was one thing she understood. "I may not understand what's going on and, frankly, I'm not sure I really want to know, but I do know that she is Martone's daughter and he will not take it lightly if you keep hiding from him. He's the kind of man who likes the information straight out without any hesitation."

"He scares me," he said, sheepishly.

"Then you probably don't deserve her." She didn't really mean it, though she felt there was no other way to get her point across. She believed that everyone deserved a chance at love; otherwise, it wouldn't exist. The problem was trying to explain it to a man who had no idea that he was in love in the first place. Now that she paid attention, she could see all the familiar signs—she saw them everyday in Bobby's eyes—and her good friend was certainly in love. Too bad he had to be knocked over the head for him to actually get it.

A loud groan escaped the Sergeant's lips and he glared at one of his truest friends; someone he knew he would always be able to trust. "You don't mean that," he said, forcefully.

Danni took a step back when she saw Jeff's face turn a deep shade of red in aggravation. Apparently, this wasn't the first time he was told that, which made her eager to hear what else he had to say. "Well, why don't you tell me why?" She gave a sly smile and ran her tongue over the inside of her cheek as she waited for the answer she knew was to come. How this conversation had panned out so simply was beyond her, but she was pleased that it had.

"Because I love her!" he blurted out only to see her smile and knew he had been had. He lowered his head in defeat as he chuckled to himself. He couldn't believe he fell for her female philosophy, but he was very happy that he did. Because of her, now he could build up the courage to address Martone in the civil manor he needed to. "You win," he conceded before he left her alone in the file room.