A/N: It's been a while... hope you still enjoy it...

oOo

Thursday, 07.16 AM

When she woke up she let her hand slide towards the place where he would be, only to discover he wasn't there. She got up a little and saw he was no longer in bed. Just for a fraction of a second she felt disappointment coming up. Then she relived the night before, and was sure it wasn't a dream, for she never felt better in her life. She got up and slipped into the first thing she could find. Then she went out to look for Jack.

The moment she walked out of her bedroom she smelled fresh coffee. And her lips curled up into a smile. This was definitely something she enjoyed and would enjoy in the future. She decided to take a quick shower first. After she was done she slipped into a soft-blue blouse, a pair of dark slacks and dried her hair a little. She liked the feeling of the still moist hair, the perfume of it. Normally she would've draped a towel around it, but today she couldn't wait to get to him, so she left that part out.

She went to the kitchen and saw him rummaging through kitchen drawers, obviously searching for something. He hadn't noticed her and she stood there for a while observing him. In his pants and half unbuttoned shirt loosely hanging over his pants, barefoot and unshaved he was something everyone would want to see in their kitchen in the morning, preparing whatever he had planned. Especially after such a night.

oOo

A spoon fell on the floor and he turned a little to pick it up. He was about halfway into the process of picking it up when he saw a pair of feet standing on the threshold. Very attractive feet. His eyes traveled up over her features towards her face. She was smiling.

"GOOD MORNING", she signed.

"GOOD MORNING", he responded. He was struck by her looks, almost as if she had become even more pretty overnight. Of course it could have been the aftermath of this particular night. It seemed like she glowed a little, full of warmth, even though she was only wearing a blouse and a pair of slacks. Or at least it appeared so. Her skin was still a little moist from the shower, her hair still a little wet. Does she know how hot she looks?

He went over to kiss her. It was a sedate, not very long but nevertheless sparkling kiss. A good morning kiss as he hadn't experienced in a very long time, if ever.

"HOW YOU?"

"Still in the process of asking myself if this isn't a dream", Sue responded signing with slow gestures, almost sleepily. She jolted a little when he pinched her arm. He was grinning when she looked at him. "Guess that's your answer."

"A good answer", she responded rubbing over the tingling spot on her arm.

He held up a cup of coffee. "YOU WANT SAME?"

She nodded. "Sure, coffee is safe."

He squinted his eyes a little, acting hurt. "And what's that supposed to mean? Are you mocking my abilities in the kitchen again?", he signed with raised eyebrows, his head somewhat leaning forward, but the sparkle in his eyes was not in accordance to the chastising meaning he tried to bring across. She took a sip of her coffee, trying to suppress a laugh, something she failed in. Failed miserably, in fact.

oOo

He was near her within a split second, his fingers tickling her sides. She nearly lost the cup of coffee as she screamed a little, trying to flee from him. He pursued relentlessly anyway. Sue tried to twist away, unsuccessfully at first, but then she managed to get away. She was near the couch as he caught up with her, but this time his hands slipped round her waist as he pulled her close. Both somewhat out of breath they looked each other in the eyes, nothing else.

As he held her close he inhaled her scent once again, something he hadn't done in what seemed ages. It completed the picture, added to the experience of total, unconditional falling in love.

'Thank you', she said softly. 'For last night.'

'You're worth it, Sue. And thank you too, for last night. Thanks for letting me be part of your world, your life.'

He gave her a kiss on her cheek, his beard prickling a little, a feeling she enjoyed. He looked round. "L-C-Y, HER WHERE?"

"She stayed at a friend."

"How considerate."

"She's a very considerate friend. One of the best I have", Sue responded.

He nodded in agreement. "You've made a lot of friends since you moved to DC, it comes naturally with you." She looked at him, a hint of uncertainty. "It's not something I've experienced a lot, to be honest."

"BECAUSE DEAF YOU?"

A shadow of sadness went over her face, it lasted only a fraction of a second, but he saw it. She nodded. He squeezed her hand softly. She smiled. No words were needed, his response was enough.

"S-U-E, we take you for who you are, never forget that."

"I won't."

oOo

She glanced at him, he returned her glances. 'What?'

'How about your offer?'

He frowned, 'what offer?'

'That tarmac you call coffee', she joked. He shot her a look, but failed to convince. He handed her a cup of it. She looked at it and then at him again. "You sure it's safe?"

He rolled his eyes. 'Why is it that every time I'm in a kitchen, people start making fun of me...'

Sue's eyes sparkled with mischief. 'Well, due to the fact past experiences haven't really made people confident in your cooking skills.'

He huffed, wrinkling his nose, to make it more visible. 'Making coffee isn't cooking', he said, signing simultaneously.

She pursed her lips, "ALMOST SAME, there's still a lot you can do wrong..."

He held his hands up in disbelief. "I give up..."

She took a sip, judged it to be not too bad after all and took another sip. His eyes started to twinkle.

'See? I knew you liked my coffee.'

'I never said liked but it's something I will have to put up with from now on, whenever you're up before I am.' She finished her cup.

'Well, it should be a comfort then to know that I'm not a morning person.'

'No, you're not.'

"Guess that means you'll be doing most of the coffee-making."

Sue's lips curled into a grin. "Somehow, I don't see any downsides to it."

oOo

They bantered some more when Sue finally checked her watch. Almost eight.

'It's nearly eight.'

'So?'

'Shouldn't we be on our way?'

'We should.'

He finished a glass of orange-juice. Then he tapped her hand. She looked up. "Have you read what is in the file Ted gave us?"

Sue shook her head. "NO, ME TRY READ FINISH" She began to smile a little mischievously. "But I got distracted over and over again"

"ME GO BATHROOM, in the meantime you could page through it, there are quite useful things in it."

When he was gone, she picked up her copy and began to read it's contents.