Chapter 6: Between Friends

As Tara and Sue ate their lunches, Tara observed that while she was definitely quieter than usual, Sue seemed a lot more relaxed than she had earlier. Her eyes still looked slightly troubled though, and Tara was fully convinced that a certain dark-haired agent had something to do with it. It was blatantly obvious that there was some tension between the two of them today. Tara wondered if it was just the fact that the two of them were living under the same roof or if it was more than that.

Tara gently patted her friend's hand and Sue looked at her. "Everything OK?" She asked. Sue nodded but Tara was far from convinced.

"Is it the case?" Tara asked. Sue looked down, focussing on her salad for a moment before looking up again.

"It's just, well...things are so complicated all of a sudden..." She answered quietly.

"I thought everything was going well with the case---or is something else bothering you?" Tara asked, hoping Sue wouldn't mistake her concern for prying.

"We kissed," Sue blurted out suddenly, much to her own surprise as well as Tara's.

"You what?" Tara wore a look of shock mixed with excitement, and Sue hoped that her friend would be able to keep an open mind in this situation. Sue was pretty sure that Lucy had managed to corrupt Tara just a little bit when it came to her relationship with Jack. Tara had been involved in "buying" Jack for Sue at the hospital bachelor auction so many months ago.

"It happened last night. We were just trying to portray a happily married couple, and the opportunity just kind of presented itself," Sue said, sure she probably sounded just as unconvinced as she felt.

"Something tells me that this kiss had an effect on your relationship as well as the case," Tara said sympathetically. As much as she felt Jack and Sue were good for each other, she knew that now was the time to act impartial.

"Things have been a bit awkward since it happened," Sue admitted. "We haven't discussed it, so I'm not even sure if he feels the same way as I do."

"Sue, did you not see the way he was looking at you all morning?" Tara asked, smiling gently at her. "I'd say you're definitely not the only one affected by your kiss. You should talk to him, tell him how you're feeling," she suggested.

"I don't know how much good that would do," Sue said, glumly. "I definitely felt something when we kissed and it's hard to pretend that I didn't. But even if he does feel the same, we can't act on our feelings. Not while we're working in the same unit."

"So, you can't date right now. I just think that if you ignore the way you feel it may make things worse. Believe me, the tension was palpable in the bullpen this morning. I think you two need to have it out."

"I know you're right. I just have no idea what the result of a conversation like that will be. It's a bit scary," Sue admitted.

"I agree, the unknown is always kind of unnerving. All I know is that you and Jack have such a great friendship, and it would be really sad to see you drift apart because of just one kiss. I think the longer you wait, the harder it will be to bring it up," Tara pointed out.

"I'm glad one of us is thinking rationally," Sue said, flashing Tara a grateful smile. "I'll try and talk to him tonight over dinner. No promises though."

"Good girl. I know you'll find a way," Tara replied confidently.

"Can you do me a favor though?" Sue asked, biting her lip.

Anything, Tara signed.

"Please don't tell anyone else about this. I haven't even told Lucy and I don't want it getting out yet."

"Your secret is safe with me," Tara replied.

Thank you, Sue signed. "And thanks for listening. It felt good to talk to someone about this. I thought about telling Lucy, but you know how she can be about Jack and I..." Sue's voice trailed off and she smiled.

"Yes, I do," Tara said with a grin. "I think Lucy would be beyond thrilled to hear about this; she'd probably want to start planning a real wedding for the two of you." Sue had to laugh at Tara's last comment. It was true that Lucy had been trying to set her up with Jack since shortly after they'd met. Sue had spent a lot of time trying to convince Lucy that she and Jack would never be involved romantically. She could just picture the excited and slightly smug expression that would appear on her roommate's face when she heard about this kiss.

"I know Lucy means well and I will tell her about it--just not until Jack and I discuss it and I feel a little less confused about the whole thing."

"Good call," Tara agreed. "Hopefully you'll feel better after you and Jack talk."

"I hope so too."

"So, what about the case? It seems like it's going great," Tara asked.

"It is. The Ryans definitely seem to be involved, just as we suspected," Sue confirmed.

"That's good," Tara said with a smile.

"I know it is--it means we're on the right track. It's just hard to believe they're involved in these kidnappings though, they seem so nice," Sue commented with a hint of regret in her last statement.

"It's hard to believe that anyone would kidnap babies from their families only to turn around and make money by illegally adopting them out to rich couples," Tara said, shaking her head.

"Well, hopefully tomorrow night we'll have more to go on after we have dinner at their house. They seem to trust us," Sue said thoughtfully.

"I'm glad. Hopefully your kiss will pay off--I mean, why wouldn't they want to help a wonderful, happy young couple like you and Jack get a baby? Obviously you're in love and your marriage is strong. A baby would only complete the picture," Tara said sweetly, an innocent smile on her face.

Sue rolled her eyes and reached for the dessert menu.