A/N - thank you for your comments. Enjoy :) Watch the Italics format for parts that happened in the past

January 6th

Leland residence

09:05 AM

His first conscious thought was that he didn't want to open his eyes. The bright light was teasing his closed eyes and he turned away from it, burying his face in the pillow, smiling a little when he inhaled her scent. He opened his eyes groggily, finding himself alone in his king size bed, he wondered once more if he dreamt about her when his nose picked up the wonderful smell of breakfast that came from downstairs. Suddenly hungry after several days he stood up and headed for a quick shower.

When he finally walked into his kitchen he found her humming to herself, cutting some fruit while drinking her coffee. The entire picture made him smile, momentarily forgetting the events that led her to his doorstep. She turned to face him, a smile on her face. "How do you feel?" She asked as he sat down next to the kitchen table.

Myles shrugged his shoulders. "I've had worse headaches." He admitted. "But I am a little hungry."

"Always a good sign." She said, handing him a plate.

They ate in comfortable silence, sharing glances every once in a while. Hadar smiled to herself, over the long flight she had several moments when she battled her own decision, fearing that he wouldn't want her to be with him, that their time on Christmas was only a one night thing that he'd already forgotten about. Their night was amazing but it didn't guarantee any loyalty from him and she tried not to expect too much, settling for being with him as a friend. And now, she was happy with her decision, he seemed to accept her presence, it almost felt natural to be with him.

Myles cleared his throat when he finished eating and glanced at the woman beside him. "I hope I wasn't…I hope I didn't offend you last night."

"You didn't." she reassured him. "You fell asleep almost immediately. Besides, I'm a big girl."

"I know you are." He smiled a little. "But I was drunk and to tell you the truth my thoughts about you haven't exactly been innocent."

"Last night or in general?" She giggled and he pursed his lips for a moment before taking her hand in his.

"I would say in general."

She smiled at him and he got up from his stool, reaching for her. She snuggled into his arms and he sighed. "I don't know what made you come and see me but I'm very happy to see you."

"I only wish I had more time." She whispered and then raised her eyes to meet his. "Do you want to talk about it? About him?"

He shook his head forcefully. "No." offering no explanation, he pulled her after him to his study. "Just stay with me for a while, will you?"

Hadar nodded her head and Myles pulled her into his arms, sitting on the sofa. He was quiet for a long time, every once in a while placing a kiss on the top of her head. Eventually, he spoke, telling her about the last few days, about the funeral and the way none of them cried and how everything was so perfect he wanted to scream, about how he never said goodbye. Eventually, the tears came and she held him close when he cried, trying to offer some comfort.

The day passed too quickly for both of them. He drove her to the airport; sitting with her while she waited for her flight. He squeezed her hand and she looked at him, a smile on her face. "With everything that happened…we didn't talk about us." She raised her eyebrow and he continued, before he lost his nerve. "I don't know if we are friends or more or just lovers. All I know is that I have to say goodbye again and I hate this feeling."

She traced a line along his cheek and he leaned into her touch. "I think this is the wrong time to talk about us." She said. "Maybe you can come and visit me in the next month or so…I know it's a long flight…"

He placed a finger on her lips. "I would love to." He whispered, the desire to kiss her intensifying as he touched her lips.

She smiled, turning her head when they both heard the call for her flight. She stood and he followed, handing her the small bag. She reached out for him and their lips met softly, a tender kiss with a promise for more. "Thank you for being with me, Hadar." He whispered to her ear, trying to memorize her scent.

"Any time, Myles, I'll e-mail you when I get home."

He watched her walking away for the second time in two weeks and sighed, already looking forward to see her again, her touch only stirring memories from that stormy Christmas. He smiled to himself, watching through the large window as the plane took off, taking another piece of his heart with it.

March 2nd

Hudson Apartment

11:25 AM

Sue sat down, her feet refusing to support her weight anymore. She was having a hard time grasping the situation. Jack was missing and the world seemed to crash around her. When he didn't show up to work that morning she dismissed her own worry, assuming he simply over slept and would show up all rumpled and annoyed with himself. But he wasn't just late, he was missing.

She closed her eyes with frustration, the previous night was incredible and she remembered walking to bed feeling happy and content, the memory of his kisses still lingering in her mind. She had no sense of foreboding, she was happy and content while he went missing. She opened her eyes again, the stain of blood on the floor seemed to ever grow in her eyes, was it a gunshot? Her breath caught in her throat, he was kidnapped and she didn't even feel that, what did it mean about them?

The comforting hand on her shoulder did nothing to calm her and she recoiled from the touch, raising hunted eyes to look at Bobby. "It's probably not a gun shot." He said quietly, reading the anxiety in her eyes. "Most likely a blow to the head." She winced and he placed his hand on her shoulder, pulling her closer, not allowing her to shut inside herself.

Sue allowed him to hold her, fighting tears of frustration. No one knew about them and she was suddenly very afraid, missing his comforting presence. She didn't know who to turn to, who would understand the helplessness she now felt. She sniffed. "Do we have any leads?" She asked, turning her head when someone touched her shoulder.

Myles smiled grimly. "Forensic found nothing so far but they did match the blood on floor to Jack."

She nodded her head. "We should start working." She whispered and watched when D shook his head, a fatherly look rising on his features.

"Sue, do you want to take some time off?" He asked and she shook her head.

"No, D. I need to do this. Jack wouldn't have wanted me to give up." If things had been reversed he wouldn't rest until he found her, she knew it and she felt the same. The world ceased to spin when he wasn't around and she couldn't sit aside and wait while others did their job.

"Tara already started searching for recent threats." Myles said.

"D and I will start talking to the neighbors." Bobby rose from his position on the sofa, squeezing her shoulder and heading towards the door, Dimitrius following him.

Myles extended his arm to her. "Shall we, Miss Thomas? I believe we can be of use in the bullpen."

A small smile on her face, she accepted his hand and they walked outside.

March 2nd

12:04 PM

"You are here for a noble purpose." The voice washed over her like a soft fabric, cool and pleasant with his touch, for a moment it reminded her the night she spent in his bed after his father died and the way the silk felt around her body. She opened her eyes slowly, finding that it was nothing but a memory and that she was still trapped in the semi darkened room. The other agent, Hobson or something was waking up as well and he blinked slowly, startled to find himself beside her on the dirty floor. "You both sinned greatly." The man in the white mask continued to speak.

They shared a look, examining each other's face as they lay side by side. Jack reached a hand to touch her lips and she hissed, backing away from the touch. "It's bleeding." He mouthed and she nodded her head, she knew, she could taste her own blood.

"She doesn't deserve you, she is incomplete, defective." The masked man averted Jack's attention from the woman who lay beside him on the floor. "The fact that she had managed to succeed so well in your organization only indicates its weakness. Knowing that people like her dictate our way of life is humiliating, I will not let the likes of her to control me." He turned towards the woman, his cold eyes reflecting his disgust. "And you don't deserve him; you will not be allowed to taint our blood. God knows he could find you to be of use in certain areas in his life, after all, we all have our needs…but your connection is insulting, it hurts our pride."

The hatred oozed from his body, enveloping them with its darkness, chocking with its intensity. His eyes mocking, he approached her and reached out to touch her cheek. She stood her ground; staring at him with courage she didn't posses. "What do you want from us?" She asked; her voice loud and proud, not flinching as he laughed softly, his eyes leering, molesting her with his gaze as it traveled down her body.

"Perhaps you could be of use to me as well…"

"Leave her." Jack spoke, his voice hard and collected. Their captor shifted his gaze and locked his cold eyes on his for a moment before removing his hand, wiping it on his white cloak before talking again.

"I have an assignment for you. Some mistakes need paying for."

March 2nd

Hoover Building

16:05 PM

Bobby gritted his teeth with frustration and slammed his phone, rising to his feet and leaving the bullpen in a hurry. Tara raised her head from her computer and followed him with her eyes, wincing when his shoulder bumped at the wall and he cursed, fleeing away from the bullpen. She sighed, scanning the room with her eyes. D and Myles were still on the streets, trying to find any information from their snitches. Sue was by her side, the two of them searching the database for any new released prisoners who might held a grudge against Jack. Lucy was in constant contact with the unit who still worked at Jack's place.

The petite agent placed her hand on her friend's forearm and watched when troubled eyes looked at her. "Do you need something, Sue?"

Sue tried to smile and then shook her head. "I'm fine, Tara." A far away look crossed her features. "I'll be fine once we have more to work on." She said decisively and Tara squeezed her shoulder gently, knowing Jack and Sue were close, probably closer then any of them knew.

"The computer's still searching." She said. "Do you mind if I go check on Bobby?"

Sue frowned for a moment and looked over to his desk. "Bobby?"

"He stormed out." Tara shrugged.

"Sure, I'll call you when it's done."

Sue watched her leave quietly, her gaze wandering towards the clock on the wall. It'd been approximately 18 hours already and the feeling of helplessness already consumed her. She closed her eyes for a moment, imagining the feeling of his hand on the small of her back, guiding her, imagining his lips as they gently touched hers, his arms enveloping her when she needed a place to hide. She blinked furiously, fighting her tears as she glanced at the computer screen, refusing to give up.

Tara found him in one of the small conference rooms, sitting on a leather chair, facing the wall. She swallowed before clearing her throat, he ignored her and she approached him slowly, sitting beside him on one of the chairs. "Bobby?"

His eyes snapped into alert at the sound of his name. He turned to face her, a small smile tracing his lips. "Tara?"

"Are you alright?"

He sighed. "I'm worried, something seemed off." He bit his lips "Usually, we would get some kind of a lead by now but the entire building had the power cut last night and no one saw anything, no one heard a struggle. They left his gun and his badge on the floor, so they know he's a Fed. Whoever did this, had an agenda, it can't be random."

"We're still checking the people Jack arrested in the past couple of years. So far we found nothing."

"They were smart." He said. "Sue said she was home around ten, Sparky must have got home a half an hour later. We only found out he was missing eleven hours afterwards." Bobby sighed. "He could be anywhere."

"We already started spreading his picture around the States." She said, reaching out for his arm and squeezing it. Bobby focused his eyes on his arm, thrilled by the excitement her touch brought him. He forced himself to back away; this wasn't the time for him to be distracted, not when his best mate was missing. He sighed. "We were supposed to catch the game tonight." He said and Tara smiled a little.

"He'll be fine, Bobby; we had worse situations in the past." She rose from her seat and offered him her hand. "You wanna come back with me?"

He shook his head, averting his eyes. "I'll be over in a couple more minutes."

Tara smiled, feeling an unreasonable disappointment rising inside at his reluctance. She shook her head and left the dark room, leaving him to stare at the wall.

March 2nd.

20:08 PM

His eyes were burning, the tears stinging as he fought to keep them at bay. His head pounding, he closed his eyes only to wince when someone shook him and his eyes opened once more. Everything he feared of was about to come true, one of the reasons for not getting into a relationship raised its ugly head and stared at him with mocking eyes, dictating his moves.

His life, for hers.

He watched helplessly as the pictures repeated in front of his eyes again and again until they made him nauseous. He tried to stare right ahead, pretending to look at the pictures but seeing nothing. They dragged him from the small room and he heard the woman coughing uncontrollably as they led him outside the room. He strained his ears, trying to hear if she was still alright but heard nothing other then the sound of the tall man who sat in the room, talking to him.

"She is a woman of great beauty." The man whispered softly, his breath hot and sickening against his ear. "You can't see that she is incomplete…that she is not like the rest of us. But you saw something in her, agent Hudson."

"I don't care about her." He spat. "She's nothing but a fling."

The man clicked with his tongue. "No, agent Hudson, that won't work. We know everything about your relationship with Miss Thomas and denying it will only rush her…disposal." He moved away only to step in front of him, his white mask covering everything but his eyes and lips. "Why don't you take a few moments to think about it?"

Jack gritted his teeth, tempted to open his mouth and tell him exactly what he thought about him and his ridiculous plan. He restrained himself when the door opened and someone entered the room. They whispered among themselves and then untied him from his chair, pulling him after them back to the room he woke up in.

He blinked his eyes when they entered, the room was brightly lit and he saw a desk filled with papers and pictures standing in the centre of the room. On the corner, he saw the other prisoner, lying on her side, her eyes closed. "She needs something for her cough." He demanded, cursing when they pushed him and locked the door. Swallowing, he approached her slowly, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

"I'm fine." Her voice was raspy. "They gave me something for the coughing and fever, it makes me drowsy."

"How long have you been here?"

"Check for listening devices." She said quietly and he nodded his head, scanning the room for a good half an hour and finding nothing. He sat beside her and touched her shoulder.

"The last date I saw was February 25th." She said, opening her eyes a little.

"Almost a week." He said quietly, his eyes wandering towards the large desk, the pictures still taunting him.

His eyes wandered around the small room, trying to see any way of escaping, any way to avoid the dark future that was around the corner. His hands were tied and his captors knew it, he would gladly give his life to save Sue, he would do anything for her. The feeling of helplessness chocked him and he raised his head to the dark ceiling, the sight blurry as unshed tears sprang to his eyes. Analytical thought was pushed aside by desperation.

He was trapped.

He swallowed as he approached the desk. They were still following her; he hadn't noticed, hadn't been paying attention. How could he not have known? Not have sensed that someone was following them? He was upset with himself for not paying attention, for not sensing that someone was following them. If only he knew, if only he'd paid more attention, she would have been safe. Behind him, the woman rose slowly on her feet and he reached out to stabilize her.

"Are you C.I.A?" She asked and he snorted a little.

"Jack Hudson, F.B.I." He replied, meeting her eyes and waiting for her to speak.

She nodded her head. "Hadar Weiss, the Israeli Mossad."

Jack's eyebrows rose. "The Mossad?" He nodded his head, picking up one of the pictures. "Is that why you're here?"

December 24th

Hudson Apartment

21:00 PM

b-l-a-c-k-o-u-t He signed into her hand and she nodded her head, still trying to overcome her sense of panic at being in complete darkness. They were in his apartment drinking hot chocolate when the lights turned off and it took her less then a second to loose her orientation and balance. She clutched his arm, unable to understand as he signed more in her hand and pulled away from her.

She found her voice. "No, don't go." She pleaded, feeling humiliated at the way she must have sounded. He squeezed her hand and pulled her after him, slowly walking towards his kitchen. He stopped and moved her hand to his sweater. She clutched at the soft material while he looked for something. Sue had no idea how long she stood behind him, clutching his shirt, it could have been forever. Her eyes widened as her synapses recognized soft light and he turned to face her, holding a flash light in his hand. She sighed with relief.

Jack paused for a moment, the soft light allowing him to see her pale features and the traces of fear that still lingered in her eyes. He aimed the flashlight at his face, smiling a little, hoping to calm her fears. She nodded her head, her smile not yet reaching her eyes. He squeezed her hand again and moved to the other side, opening a drawer and pulling out some candles and another flashlight. He pulled her after him to the living room and started lighting the candles until the soft light enveloped them. Sue was smiling again and he faced her. "Can you read me in this light?"

"Yes." She said. "I'm sorry for before, I just panicked."

He shook his head. "It's perfectly fine, I guess now you're thinking how lucky it is that we're together." He grinned and she rolled her eyes at him. "Wait here for a moment, I'll go and get us some blankets before it gets too cold."

He headed towards his bedroom, the flashlight lighting his way. They were both spending the holiday in the city. They were supposed to drive to the airport together but the storm prevented it, it was really their luck that they got stranded in the city and not at the airport. After trying to drive and getting stuck in traffic and the heavy snow and rain they both decided to head back and spend the evening in his apartment. At first, Sue insisted that she didn't want to impose and that he should drive her to her apartment but he was just as insistent that they should spend Christmas Eve together. She agreed eventually and they had a wonderful evening until the power went down.

Jack glanced at the window and opened it a little, discovering that the entire city was under a blanket of darkness. He gathered the heavy blanket in his arms and hurried to the living room. He never fully realized how terrifying it must have been for her to be in complete darkness. He admitted that he didn't like being in the dark himself but he could hear and Sue relied fully on her eyes.

Sue twisted her hands in her lap, her head fixed in the direction of the hall Jack had disappeared into. The candles and the light they brought gave her comfort but she still felt nervous as she waited for him to return from the darkness. She sighed softly when she saw the light of the flashlight first and then saw him, carrying a large blanket. He turned off the flashlight and sat beside her on the sofa, covering them with the blanket. She turned to face him, curling her feet beneath her, her boots were drying next to the heater and he gave her some dry socks to wear while they waited for the storm to pass.

Jack waved his hand in front of her and she blinked, smiling at him. "The power is out all over the area." He said. "It might be a while before it kicks in again."

"It's okay; I'm fine with the candles." She said. "I am glad that I'm here. I wouldn't want to be alone in the apartment." She admitted and he smiled, reaching for her hand and holding it tight.

"I'm glad you're here too, I wouldn't want to be alone either." She chuckled and he joined her, snuggling deeper into the blanket and closer to her.

They talked about their plans for the holiday and he laughed when she almost looked relieved at the idea of postponing her visit back home. Sue explained that she and her mom were having some arguments and that she much preferred spending a quiet Christmas with him. He raised his eyebrows at her words.

"Really?" He asked, smiling when her face took on a darker color. Swallowing, he reached out to caress her cheek, it was hot to his touch and she averted her eyes, effectively blocking his words. He trailed a line with his finger from her cheek to her chin, tilting her head upwards, forcing her to look at him. "Sue, I prefer spending Christmas with you too." He whispered, barely hearing himself over the beating of his heart.

For a moment, he thought Sue would bolt away from his touch, he saw panic in her eyes and insecurity but then everything disappeared when she smiled at him. "You do?" She whispered and he nodded his head. "Why?" She asked and he swallowed hard.

"Because I enjoy spending my time with you." He managed, happy that she couldn't hear the way his voice rose.

She licked her lips and he wished for strength as she drew closer to him, a small grin tracing her lips. "As a friend?" She asked and he grinned suddenly.

"Are you playing with me, Miss Thomas?" He asked, their faces very close to each other.

"I…" Sue hesitated for a moment, not entirely sure she was ready for their banter to turn serious. Jack's face drew closer and his hand traced her neck, pulling her to him. She knew what was going to happen and her eyes fluttered closed in anticipation, fear and excitement consuming her.

Her lips were soft against his and he traced them with his lips, hearing her breath catch in her throat as he increased his pressure a little, asking for more. She opened her lips, gasping as the kiss deepened on its own, pulling her into a whirlwind of emotions. She grabbed his shirt with her hand, holding on as he enveloped her in his arms, his kiss gentle and exploring. He sighed into her mouth, the vibration causing her to sigh in return. Slowly, she pulled away from him, opening her eyes to see him smiling at her, his hand moving to caress her cheek. "Much more then a friend." He whispered.

Sue swallowed. "Jack…"

He pulled her close for another kiss. Different, more passionate, he couldn't contain it anymore. It seemed like his dreams; his fantasies were finally coming true. He couldn't remember how long he'd been dreaming about her now, how he longed to taste her, to hold her. She arched into him and he hoped he wasn't pushing too far, that she wouldn't back away from him, he knew he wouldn't, he couldn't back away, not after he touched her.

Sue allowed him to take the lead, matching his every move as he kissed her. She almost couldn't believe it was happening. She had almost given up on him, expecting things to change after she turned down the New York offer, disappointed when they didn't, she almost convinced herself to forget about him. She arched her neck backwards, allowing him access as his lips trailed lower, nibbling on her neck. "Jack…" She whispered and he slowly raised his head, watching her with hungry eyes.

"Sue…" He whispered.

"I…" she stammered, having no idea what to say next.

He smiled, gathering her in his arms as he leaned backwards with her. "I suggest we try and sleep some and talk tomorrow." He said, caressing her hair. "Stay with me on the sofa?" He asked and she nodded her head, watching as he turned on the flashlight and blew out the candles, leaving the room darker. He placed the flashlight on the table and pulled her closer, her back against his chest, their legs tangling together. She sighed softly, feeling safe as she closed her eyes, allowing sleep to take her.