Chapter 9:

Jack and Sue were seated at a small cozy table near the back of the lavish restaurant. Jack had been rendered speechless when he had picked up Sue. She was dressed in her new black dress and strappy sandals, her hair flowing down, as she knew Jack liked it. She looked in the mirror, as the dress hugged her at all the right curves, knowing full well that in a few months time her body would be changing dramatically, happy she took advantage of getting the dress while she could still wear it.

They entered the beautiful restaurant hand in hand. Jack had made a special request for a private table near the back. The waiter had offered a bottle of their finest champagne, but they declined, explaining that Sue was not able to drink. Instead he brought them sparkling water in wine glasses. The dinner was lovely; Sue was happy that her morning sickness had remained in the morning and not clouded the rest of her day. She felt so comfortable, so at home with Jack. Before she had been kidnapped, whenever she thought of the possibility of a relationship with Jack, she always thought things would be a bit awkward, but time only proved that they weren't. Jack studied her face intently. She was glowing. Her eyes seemed more vivid, her face more elegant.

"Thanks for bringing me here Jack, it's wonderful." Jack smiled. She smiled back. They looked like a young couple in love to everyone else but in their hearts they knew how much more their relationship held. Jack began to feel a bit nervous. He knew his moment was coming soon; he just wasn't too sure how she would react.

"This has been a wonderful evening. There are some things we need to talk about." She nodded and smiled serenely.

"What in particular?" This was his chance.

"Actually..." She looked at him curiously, her smile warming her eyes. He had gone over what he was going to say so many times, but now that the moment had come, he couldn't find the words he had struggled to remember. Instead, he just spoke from his heart.

"Sue – you mean the world to me. I've wanted to tell you for so long how much I've loved you but never did. Finally, there came a moment when I realized that I couldn't live my life without you anymore. After I found out you were pregnant, something in my brain clicked and I realized how much I really loved you and needed to be with you, no matter what challenges life held. The instant I knew about the baby, I knew that I wanted to be apart of his or her life too. I wanted your baby to be my baby. Nothing is ever going to change that." The tears started to form in Sue's eyes. They made them look like crystal and gleam in the soft candlelight.

"Jack…" he took her hands in his.

"Sue Thomas. I want to marry you. I want to spend the rest of my life waking up with you next to me. I want to raise our child together, as a family. I want to have more children one day. I can't imagine what my life would be without you. I don't ever want to have that life – only one with you in it. I know it's soon and we haven't been dating that long but I know that you're who I'm supposed to spend forever with. Will you marry me?" He took the ring out of his pocket and opened it. Sue sat in shock, the tears still streaming down her face. Small sobs started to well up in her chest. She covered her face with her hands. Jack sat anxiously, wondering what she was thinking, not knowing what she was going to say. Finally, her tear stained faced appeared from behind her hands, one with a huge smile. She nodded.

"Of course I'll marry you Jack. I love you." Jack was ecstatic. He went over and kissed her. The kiss went on for what felt like forever. The waiter interrupted as he brought their desserts. They both sat back in the seats, holding hands and staring into each other's eyes. Sue felt so joyful, and completely in denial that she was going to marry the man of her dreams. Jack couldn't contain his happiness. They were going to be a family, he was going to have her forever and they were going to raise this baby together. He slipped the beautiful diamond on her finger. It fit perfectly.

"There are a few other things we should talk about too, now that we're getting married." The smile on his face was priceless, like a little boy that had just been given the world. Sue still sat in a haze of disbelief.

"I can't believe this is happening, it's so…unbelievable!"

"I know – I can't believe it either but I've got to be the happiest man in the world right now. When do you want to get married? I don't mean to rush you – don't get me wrong I would marry you tomorrow if I could, but the baby does change things a bit." Sue frowned slightly, thinking.

"Yeah, I would prefer not to be huge in my wedding dress. Although…I would like the baby to be born into a family. Do you think we could fit in a wedding before my 4th month? That doesn't leave too much time." Jack thought about it. Her fourth month would be in January. Until then, she shouldn't have too much of a pregnancy belly.

"What about at Christmas time?" He suggested.

"That would be lovely. I don't need a big wedding. Just friends and family would be nice during the holidays. Jack this is so weird talking about our wedding." He grinned.

"I know. But at least when the baby is born we'll be married." After a few minutes of finishing up their dessert and some talk about what they wanted at their wedding, Sue had a thought.

"What did Ted want with you today? You never told me." Jack had totally forgotten about the business trip. He explained that he had to go, but only for a week. She seemed fine with it. "Well, at least you're lucky you won't miss my parents visit. They're coming 2 days after you get back. They're only staying a few days though. I wonder what they're going to say now when they find out we're getting married!" Sue rolled her eyes, knowing that when her mom came she would grill Jack about treating Sue and the baby right. Jack knew it was coming but was completely prepared for the questions, after all they would be his in-laws soon enough.

"There was one more thing Ted told me." Sue looked at him curiously, wondering what else there could be. "He has a friend who's a realtor and Ted stumbled across a house he's selling." Jack pulled the piece of paper from his pocket and showed it to Sue, trying to gage her reaction. She looked at the house and immediately the tears started to flow down her face.

"But then Lucy has to find a new roommate." She said with a smile.

"So you like the house?" She nodded.

"It's perfect. When can we go see it?" Jack laughed. The excitement was contagious. Sue's eyes gleamed with anticipation. Jack told her that he would call up the realtor so they could go see the house after he got back. "But what if someone else buys it before?" Sue asked him.

"Ted already told his friend to keep this one quiet. No one knows it's for sale yet. Ill give him a call and tell him we're definitely interested." Sue grinned. A baby, a husband and a beautiful new house – what more could a girl want in life?

"So…what are you thinking – boy or girl?" Jack asked. They hadn't really discussed it much yet. They both knew that everyone back at work was talking about it all the time. Jack even had a slight suspicion they were betting on it, but couldn't prove his assumptions.

"Well, I'd obviously be happy with either…but I have the feeling it's a girl." She said with a small smile.

"Don't tell Bobby but me too." Sue's eyes lighted up when Jack said that. He could tell she loved the thought of him raising the baby – girl or boy.

"Do you think we should find out? I don't know if I want too, but then again it's easier with decorating the babies room and such." Jack thought about it for a minute then had an idea.

"How does this sound? How about we get the doctor to tell me and I'll decorate the baby's room. You can tell me what things you want – for a girl and for a boy. We can still pick out furniture together, and everything. Then when we bring the baby home, you'll see his or her room."

"That's perfect – are you sure you want to find out? What about the rest of the team and our parents?" Sue asked, with a sparkle in her eye.

"Lets not tell them – its better to keep them in suspense. We won't even tell them that I know. I don't mind finding out." Sue looked pleased at the idea.

"Sounds like a deal! I just hope we have a house to decorate for the baby before he or she arrives."

"I have a good feeling about this house," Jack said, "It's a good price, we can afford it if we're together. We'll check it out." Sue nodded. Life certainly went fast. The evening continued on, but by 9 o'clock, Sue was barely able to stay awake. Jack drove her home; his hand in hers the whole time, imagining what the rest of his life was going to be like. He walked her up to the doorstep.

"When are you going to tell your parents?" He asked her quietly.

"I'll probably give them a call tomorrow. You?"

"Well, I'll probably call Bobby tonight because I have to tell someone." Sue just grinned, "But probably tomorrow too – they'll be ecstatic. They already know about the baby – this just makes things even better." He leaned in and kissed her. "You should go in before it gets too late, I'm sure you and Lucy will have plenty to talk about." Sue just laughed and rolled her eyes.

"I love you Jack. I can't wait to be your wife." Jack smiled at her.

"I love you too, and our baby. I can't wait to be married to you and be a family." They kissed one more time before Sue opened the door and stepped inside. Jack couldn't wipe the smile off his face. Since it was still early, he started to walk away, intending on paying Bobby a visit when he heard a shriek of excitement coming from Sue's apartment. He just grinned even more and made his way to Bobby's place.

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A/N – hehehe! I was in a really romantic mood today, so I decided to go all out with the proposal. It's about time they got together – its just too bad it never happened on the show. But we can dream right guys? Anyways, more to come – its really only the beginning…dun dun dun…