Jack joined them a little before 2200. Jennifer had gone to Modern Aerodynamics and set up cameras an hour earlier, so she now had eyes on Sam's apartment building and work. She also tapped into the building security system, giving her eyes on the corridors of all six floors, the gym, the foyer, and the pool.
"There are a lot of signals coming from the building, but I found three coming from Colonel Carter's apartment, only one with sound."
Jack looked over the monitors and nodded. "You two go get some sleep. I'll keep an eye on all of this."
"Are you sure sir?" Jennifer tightened her lips into a line. "I'm good to go for a couple more hours."
"I'm positive but come back before her morning run and when you guys come back bring coffee and some of those cheese danishes I like."
"Yes, sir."
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Daniel and Jennifer made it back just before Sam left for her run. The same man magically appeared just as she took off and quickly caught up with her. Once they were out of sight Jack stood and stretched. He popped the last of his cheese danish in his mouth and washed it down with the overly sweet coffee Daniel had sworn he'd love. Jack adjusted an earpiece before moving towards the backdoor of the van. "Tell me when she's on her way back into the building."
"What are you going to do, Jack?" Daniel leaned back in the small metal folding chair.
Jack put his hand on the door handle. "I'm going to find out if she's undercover or not."
Jennifer looked over at Daniel as Jack stepped out of the van. "How exactly is he going to do that?"
"We have a code." Daniel could see that didn't clear up Jennifer's confusion. "Jack went undercover once, and it was hard on the whole team thinking he had turned his back on us. We came up with a code so if one of us had to do something similar we could let the others know without giving away the whole mission."
As Sam and the man rounded the corner Jennifer gave Jack a heads up. As soon as she entered the building Jack headed down the stairs, purposefully running into her as she entered.
"Excuse me. Hi." He gave her a broad smile as he stuck out his hand. "I'm Jonathan but my friends call me Jack."
Sam lightly gripped his hand. "I'm Laura." She let go of his hand.
"You look like the perfect person to ask where I could go for a run this morning."
"New here?"
"Yep, just moved in actually." He put one hand on the back of his neck. "Haven't had a chance to scope the place out yet, you know somewhere to run and the best place to get cherry pie."
Sam's lips twitched. "I can't give you any hints about where to get cherry pie but there's a park two blocks south that has a one-mile track that isn't too busy this early."
"I am getting a late start so an easy run would be good."
Sam's brows rose. "A late start?"
Jack shrugged. "I'm used to being up and going by five. It's a hard habit to break even though I don't have to go to early PT anymore."
"PT?"
"Physical training, I'm military."
"Oh? Which branch?"
"Air Force."
"Thank you for your service."
"It's been my pleasure."
Sam gestures towards the stairs. "I better get ready for work. It was nice to meet you."
"I look forward to bumping into you again soon." Jack watched her walking away and was pleased to see her look back, obviously hoping to check him out. He gave her a quick wink. Her cheeks flushed pink at being caught looking.
Jack waited until Sam went up the stairs before heading back out to the parking lot.
"You have a new friend." Daniel alerted Jack to his new tail, the guy who usually ran with Sam.
"I know. I'll lose him before I go get a nap. I'll bring you guys some lunch later. Maybe tacos."
Jennifer looked over at Daniel. "But what about Colonel Carter?"
Daniel blew out a slow long breath. "If she'd been undercover but safe, she would have said something about liking ice cream with cherry pie. And if she'd been in trouble, she would have said she preferred a different kind of pie." He shook his head. "It was as if she had no idea about our code."
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After Jack got what little sleep he could force himself to get, he came back and met with the apartment manager, a former Navy Seal. Jack told the man Sam was suspected of selling top secret plane designs to China. Once he verified Jack's identity, he was happy to help Jack secure one of the two open apartments in the building and give Jack a key to Sam's apartment. By dinner time Jack was in his new barely furnished apartment, leaving Jennifer and Daniel splitting shifts in the van.
Jack had no reason to be subtle. He stretched outside the apartment building as he waited for Sam to come out for her morning run. She showed up right on time, a little surprised to see him clearly waiting on her.
She was wearing pink yoga pants and a grey tank top. "Good morning, Jack."
"Good morning, Laura. I hope I'm not being too forward, but I thought you might be willing to be my running partner this morning." Jack was wearing grey sweatpants and an Air Force T-shirt.
"That would be the neighborly thing to do. Today's a strenuous day though. I hope you can keep up."
Jack saw Sam's usual partner come around the corner a moment too late. "I'll do my best." The man's eyes narrowed as he saw Sam and Jack take off down the street. She was being honest when she said it would be a strenuous run. She didn't hold back, and she was in better shape than Jack, but he managed to keep up, mostly. He knew his knees would make him pay for this later. They didn't chat much on the run, because she was kicking his butt, but on the cool down lap and walk back to the apartment he told her he grew up in Minnesota and she told him she grew up in Connecticut. She told him she was an only child, and her parents died a few years back. She attended MIT for her bachelors and doctorate degrees.
When they reached the second floor, Sam's stop, she reached out and gently wrapped her fingers around his forearm. "There's a diner on 5th street. I don't know anything about their pies but they make an excellent burger with big fat steak fries."
"Those are the best fries."
Her eyes lit up. "Yes, they are." She briefly bit her lower lip. "Any interest in joining me for dinner?"
"I'd enjoy that. 1830?"
Sam's eyes briefly narrowed. "6:30?"
"In regular people time, yeah."
"Well, I am a regular person."
Jack smirked. "Somehow I seriously doubt that."
She diverted her eyes as she blushed again. "I'll see you downstairs tonight."
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Jack went to his new apartment and took a shower before checking in with Jennifer and Daniel. They let him know when Sam had left for work. Jack gave it an hour, so most of the other apartment occupants that were going to work were out of the halls. Jack looked like he belonged as he casually walked down the hallway towards Sam's apartment. Jennifer scrambled the signals from the building's security system and the cameras in Sam's apartment. Jack knew he didn't have long before whoever was watching her got suspicious.
He signaled Jennifer as he got back to the stairs and she turned everything back on. He stopped by his apartment before heading out to his car, leaving Jennifer and Daniel wondering what he had found. He returned an hour later and called them from his apartment. He played the radio loudly while he talked, in case he was being monitored.
"So?" Daniel was anxious to know what Jack found.
"I'll know more in a few hours."
"More about what?"
"Her apartment doesn't have much character, no pictures of family and very few personal items. The refrigerator had diet soda and lots of partially eaten take out, so some things have stayed the same. I found some vitamins in her bathroom. Sent those off to be tested along with samples of things from her kitchen cabinets. Carolyn sent me a list of what to collect." He didn't mention the birth control pills he found. She'd stopped taking those two months before she disappeared but now, she was back on them. The paperback beside her bed was a title he knew she had read before, part of a mystery series she liked. The colors in her apartment were very bright, with a few floral accents, not her usual style. Everything just seemed off. It had bothered him more than he cared to admit.
As Jack left his apartment an hour later, he saw a man wearing a maintenance outfit working in the hall. He was tailed on the way to the grocery store and then through every aisle. The juvenile surveillance made Jack internally roll his eyes. Was this really the best they had to offer and if it was how did they ever trap Sam? Jack shopped like he was staying longer than he hoped he would need to stay. His cart was full, and he chatted up the cashier, playing the "I just moved to town" act for all it was worth. He played the radio in the car so he could call Daniel and let him know he was being watched. Jennifer confirmed the fake maintenance man had been installing a camera pointed at Jack's door and she was now watching that feed too.
Jack busied himself with unpacking his groceries and organizing the kitchen. He found a game on tv and caught up with his emails while he waited for dinner time. He checked his earpiece and mic before heading down to the lobby. He got there early and was casually leaning against the wall when she stepped out of the stairwell. Her smile matched his grin.
"Laura, you look lovely."
"Thank you, Jack."
Jack bent his arm and held out his elbow. "I can drive or we can walk."
Sam curled her hand around the inside of his elbow. "It's a lovely evening. I'm all in favor of walking."
"Good, that will help me earn a slice of pie."
"You're really into pie."
"What's not to like about pie? There's the flaky crispy crust and then so many different fillings. I mean you have all the fruits and then there's chocolate and pecan and sometimes chocolate and pecans together. There's at least one pie for every season."
"I guess I had never thought about it that way."
"I look forward to guiding you through the intricacies of pie." Jack gave her a killer smile, knowing it would charm her. She often complimented his smile when they were alone together. "There is much to learn."
Jack picked a booth in the corner that let him see the door. One of Sam's tails came in and took a booth close to the door. Sam and Jack both ordered cheeseburgers and fries. She got a diet soda and he ordered root beer. She told him about her aerospace research and he talked about flying jets based on the principles she had spent her life studying. He even volunteered to take her up in one. After the burgers Jack asked about pie but found out they instead had fresh cherry and apple cobbler. It wasn't pie but it would do so he ordered one of each with ice cream. Sam nibbled at both desserts and Jack ate more than he should have but even so they left some uneaten. On the walk back Sam reached out and thread her fingers through his. They detoured through a small square admiring the water fountain on the way back to their apartment.
Jack walked her back to her apartment door and watched as she unlocked it.
"You could come in if you'd like." She looked up at him through her lashes. His heart clenched at her attempt to be both brazen and coy. His Sam was very straightforward, letting him know what she wanted and when she wanted it. She could also tell when he wasn't in the mood, which was fairly rare, especially when they were together. Even after several years together they were as bad as teenagers when they got together, possibly because they spent so much time apart.
"Maybe next time." Jack pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "I should go. We both have to be up early for work tomorrow."
"Right." She didn't even try to hide her disappointment.
"How about I meet you for another run in the morning." Jack rubbed his abdomen. "I've got some cobbler to work off."
"A run would be good."