Chapter 8

Jack's heart did somersaults as he knew instantly that Samantha was involved somehow. Vivian looked at Jack thinking the same. She was the only one left in the office.

"What's going on here?"

"Agent Spade is being held at gunpoint in the conference room by an Antonio Almeida."

Shit. Jack could have passed out. It was The Table of Contents all over again. Just across the street from her in so much need. They were so near and once again the only thing that separated them was a desperate man with a gun.

"Who's running this?" Jack demanded. Vivian knew that to be his, Don't Bullshit Me voice, reserved exclusively for situations involving people he cared about.

Paula Van Doren appeared and replied, "Me, don't worry Jack, it's gonna work out."

"It better had." He said under his breath as he looked nervously towards the conference room where he could just make out a blonde head.

"Mr Almeida please, won't you put that gun down and talk to me like a human being. You are in a lot of trouble now."

"I don't care."

"Did you ever consider that in the half an hour that we've been in here a large number of agents, as well as armed, special weapons officers have assembled down the hall? How do you think you're going to get out of here?" She asked.

"With you, of course." He picked up the phone which had a direct line to Van Doren. "We're coming out. Anybody moves one inch and I'm gonna to blow her pretty head off." He motioned for her to get up.

Van Doren was two seconds away from going tactical when Jack caught her arm.

"Look this guy hasn't got a clue what he's doing. He'll come out with her in front of him watching all of you, right?"

Van Doren nodded.

"So while he's busy doing all that, what if I sneak around the other side of the conference room, come up behind him and knock him out. He'll never know what's hit him."

Van Doren thought for a moment but hesitated. Jack became impatient.

"Look, what's the alternative, huh? He is not getting out of this building, especially not with her, this guy got in here with a gun, what else do you think he's capable of? It's now or never, I'm telling you."

"Ok, go get her." He nodded and sneaked around, meanwhile Danny and Martin had arrived and been briefed by Vivian.

Martin looked very worried. As Viv watched him she wondered how he would take the news about Jack and Samantha as it was clear he still had strong feelings for her.

Samantha came out first, then Almeida behind her. He had his arm around her, with the other arm holding the gun to her. Her entire body tensed as they slowly walked towards the wall of SWAT officers and agents. She could see the others, but where was Jack.

Suddenly she saw Vivian's eyebrows rise. Out of the corner of her eye she saw someone coming up behind them. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Almeida realised someone was there and turned around. Samantha dropped to her knees and slid across the floor out of the way, covering her head.

Jack knocked Almeida out when he was turned half-way towards him. The force of Jack's gun on the back of his head caused him to fire a shot as he fell to the ground, shattering the conference room's glass door.

The SWAT officer's moved in on Almeida and as Samantha looked up she realised it had been Jack who had saved her and she began to cry heavily as he ran to her and helped her up. She pulled him to her, sobbing uncontrollably. He held her face in his hands,

"Are you ok? Huh, are you ok?"

"I'm ok, I'm ok." She said hugging him even closer, not caring the whole building was watching.

He led her into his office and onto the sofa. "Shhh, Shhh, its ok now, I'm here, I'm here." He said over and over again, knowing that the sound of the firing gun had brought it all back to her.

Martin watched the scene. Samantha leaning on Jack, the relief on Jack's face as he helped her up off the floor and held her close, the concern for her as he held her head tenderly in his hands. He nodded and came to the realisation that they were together.

That night, when they got back to Jack's apartment they sat down on the sofa together, in the dark, still with their coats on and simply held each other. Neither one of them had realised just how much they stood to lose until they had faced it, head on.

"I love you. I never want to lose you, especially not like that." Jack's voice came out of the dark.

"I love you too. I knew you'd be there, I never doubted it for a second." She paused and looked up at him.

"They all know, don't they?" She said. Jack nodded slowly and turned to face her. Softly he stroked her face with his knuckles. She relaxed and closed her eyes.

"You're going to move in ok? I don't want to be apart anymore."

She nodded, still with her eyes closed although some small tears seeped through the closed lids.

"Look at me, "Jack said and she opened her eyes to let more tears escape. "Only if you want to."

She practically attacked him into a hug.

"I do, I want to be with you every second of every day for the rest of my life."

Jack laughed, "Ok, ok, I need to breathe you know!"

She laughed and pulled back, giving him her brightest smile. After a second it disappeared and she asked him,

"What did Van Doren say?" Van Doren had talked to Jack for about half an hour after the incident while the paramedics gave Samantha a check over. When he came back he had a strange look on his face that she couldn't read.

He shifted around so that he was facing her and began.

"Well, she worked out that we were together again. Then I almost passed out when she offered me her congratulations and her sincere wishes for the future."

Samantha was as taken aback about it as he clearly was.

"Then she asked me to sit down because she had something she wanted to discuss with me. She's been offered a promotion, much higher up than she is now, in Washington."

"Wow, what's that got to do you?" Samantha asked oblivious.

"Well, it would mean that she's offering her current job to me. Then it would allow Vivian to take my job and we'd gain another agent for the team from somewhere. In short, everyone takes a step up the ladder."

Samantha exhaled as her heart began to beat wildly. Does this mean what I think it means?

"Of course, then I'd be at a decent enough distance above you for us to "come out" and be official, without one or both of us taking a career nose-dive. What do you think?"

He tried to read her face but she wasn't giving anything away.

"I think that is the best thing that could have happened to us. It's great for you, more money and more regulated hours. And," She sat on his lap and put her arms around his neck, "It means that we have got a great future ahead of us."

He kissed her and silently agreed with her.