Chapter 16

When he heard the knock at the door, Jack threw down the papers he was looking at on the coffee table and grabbed Levi before he could notify Sue. She was talking with Lucy via relay, and he didn't want to disturb her.

"I've got it, buddy," Jack told Levi, scratching him behind his ears. Even from the living room, he could distinctly hear the two mean arguing on the front porch. Shaking his head, Jack grinned at Levi, "I think we better go open the door before those two kill each other."

"I thought the mountains were supposed to be tranquil and QUIET!" Jack stated sarcastically as he opened the door.

"Myles…" Bobby started, only to be cut off by Jack's raised hand.

"Save it or you'll both be doing everyone's paperwork for the next month," Jack threatened.

Jack struggled to hide a satisfied grin when they both clamped their mouths shut. Disgruntled, Bobby shoved his hands in his pockets, looking almost like a little boy who had his toys taken away. Jack couldn't help but laugh at the way the two grown men were acting.

"Now, if you promise to behave, I'll let you come in out of the cold," Jack offered, eying them both carefully. Slowly to prolong the aggravation, Jack stepped back holding the door open for them to enter.

"Hi, there, boy," Bobby stated, leaning down to affectionately pet Levi as they entered the living room. "Keeping these two lovebirds out of trouble," he joked, not missing the glower from Jack.

Bobby and Jack moved to sit on the sofa when they noticed Myles staring at Sue while she talked on the phone. Myles gawked at her as she spoke into the receiver, and then laid it down on the cups atop the typewriter-looking thing to read the response it typed out. He already knew the typewriter thing was a TTY that Sue sometimes used, but he'd never seen her use it like that before.

"Myles," Jack called from the sofa, looking at Bobby with a confused look when he didn't respond.

"Earth to Myles," Bobby teased, earning another glare from Jack.

"Do you want to wait outside, Crash?" Jack warned, feeling more like a referee than a F.B.I. agent.

"Myles?" Jack called again, tapping the blonde agent on his shoulder breaking his trance. "Is something wrong?"

"Uh, no," Myles stammered. "Um, what is she doing?" he finally questioned, indicating how she was using the phone and TTY.

"Oh, she's talking to Lucy," Jack replied simply, moving back to the sofa to sit. "You normally see her using the computer and microphone at work, or the special phone she and Lucy have at the apartment," he continued, leaning back as Myles settled onto the chair across from him.

"Yeah," Myles said, urging him to go on. "How is she talking on a regular phone?" he wanted to know. "Doesn't she need some type of special phone, special technology or something? I thought you just type on that thing"

"Well, she has it," Jack admitted. "This is just an older version of the voice carry over phones that she uses at home," he began to explain. "She still calls voice relay to put her calls through and the communications assistant…the operator," he clarified when Myles looked confused, "the communications assistant types the responses back from whoever she calls."

"But why doesn't she just type what she want to say in?" Bobby questioned.

"Well, she can, but this way the other person can hear her voice, instead of the communications assistant," Jack answered, then pointed towards the TTY and added, "and she can still read the responses on the screen."

"Wouldn't it have been easier just to bring her phone from the apartment?" Bobby wondered, beginning to understand. "I mean, she's used to that."

"Trust me, Crash, she's used to this too," Jack smirked. "Anyway, you know how late it was when we were packing. Sue said she didn't want to unhook her phone so she just grabbed a spare TTY out of the closet." He looked over at Sue talking and gave her a soft smile when she glanced in his direction adding, "We didn't know if we were going to have a phone up here, but with the TTY she could use my cell to make calls. All we needed was some place to charge the batteries."

"Interesting," Bobby said grinning, but his quick look over at Myles indicated that his statement wasn't totally directed at the information Jack was providing about the TTY. While they didn't say anything, both men caught the look between Jack and Sue. Apparently, they were still very comfortable living with each other, even though this time they didn't have to pretend to be married.

Before Bobby could say anything about the obvious tension in the room, Sue finished her call and turned towards the living room. Jack's eyes meet hers, momentarily holding them before Bobby saw her take a deep breath, moving into the room.

"Hi, Myles, Bobby," Sue smiled broadly. "Did you have an easy trip from the city?"

"Don't go there!" Bobby warned.

"Don't ask!" Myles cautioned at the same time.

"What did I say?" Sue wondered, turning to Jack. Obviously these two didn't have such a great trip, she thought as Jack grinned wryly, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, how about I fix something for lunch then?" Sue offered, smiling at Jack and looking around at the men with her.

"Turn down some of Sue Thomas' famous cooking," Bobby replied, giving her a dimpled grin, "not in this lifetime!"

Chapter 17

Sue swung away from the stove, brushing passed Jack as he took the plates and silverware to the table. She gave him a brief smile before pulling the butter from the refrigerator and turning back to her cooking. When she was finished, Jack was there to put the butter back.

Bobby and Myles intently watch the action from the door, since the kitchen was too small for more than two people. Amused at the picture of pure domestic bliss, they couldn't help but notice their friends' almost silent communication as they prepared the meal. Except for a few quick signs here and there, they seemed to instinctively know the other's needs before it could be expressed.

"Hey, Sparky," Bobby called, shooting a scheming glance at the blonde agent standing next to him. "You two sure have settled into this 'playing house' thing quite well." Sue had turned around in time to see what Bobby had said and felt her cheeks warming as she realized she rather liked the idea of 'playing house' with Jack. Of course, Bobby and Myles didn't miss the telltale pink tinge on her cheek, both men smiling broadly at Jack.

"Maybe we should see about making this deal permanent," Bobby suggested. "I've never seen Jack this efficient in a kitchen before. Obviously, our Sue is a better influence than we thought," he teased, laughing at the embarrassed looks on the pair's faces.

"Anything you want to tell us, Jack?" Myles asked, raising his eyebrows questioningly.

"Yeah," Jack replied, noticing Sue's blush and down turned eyes. "It's time to eat." He picked up some of the food, handing it to Bobby to take to the table before turning back to help Sue with the rest of the things. Placing his hand over hers on the casserole dish, Jack got her to look up at him.

SORRY, Jack signed, his dark eyes pleading for forgiveness. "Sometimes they can be such jerks."

"It's okay," Sue said softly, her eyes meeting his. Her breath caught as the room around them faded, and they could only see each other. Jack traced her features with his eyes as if he was trying to memorize every line, yearning to reach out and touch her, but afraid at the same time.

"You two coming!" Bobby called from the other room, breaking the spell for Jack.

"Better get it over with, before they kill each other," Jack smirked with a nod towards the door. Reminded of their company, Sue blushed deeply again at where her thoughts had taken her.

"That might not be a bad idea," she smiled devilishly, but disappointed. Squeezing her hand gently, Jack took the dish from her, following her into the other room. Silently vowing to get rid of the other two agents as soon as he could, he promised to find out what had he thought he saw in the look.

Chapter 18

The cabin was finally quiet again, Bobby and Myles having left shortly after lunch. While initially silent during the beginning of the meal, Sue opened up once the conversation turned to the case. Gradually, she forgot about her earlier embarrassment, joking and laughing with the guys like they did back at the office.

Since Bobby had delivered her gloves, after being threatened by Lucy not to lose them, Sue and Jack spent much of the afternoon outside, letting Levi run through the woods. Standing side by side, they laughed as Levi bounded behind a rabbit, darting back and forth through the brush. Suddenly, the rabbit vanished down a hole, leaving Levi searching the ground for him.

"What happened, buddy?" Jack called, leaning down to console the furry canine when he ran over. "Did the bunny disappear?" he asked and signed, since he was looking down at the dog. He heard Sue laugh behind him when Levi put his paw up over his eyes, like he was trying to hide too.

"Don't worry Levi," Sue told him. "I've got your bunny back at the cabin, and you can play with him," she smiled as Jack stood back up beside her.

When he reached out to cup her cheek, Sue thought her heart was going to stop. She could feel his warmth even through his gloves as she lost herself in his eyes. Her breath quickened as he stroked her cheek with his thumb.

Jack just meant to pull a leaf out of her hair that the wind had blown in there, but when he put his hand out, he found it drawn to her soft cheek. He felt like he was going to drown in the cool ocean of her eyes as their gazes locked. Despite the cold wind that was picking up, all he wanted to do was to pull her in his arms and kiss her, until the world slipped away permanently.

He took a cautious step towards her, wanting to give her time to pull away. When she placed her hands on his chest but didn't push him away, Jack put his other hand on her hip, pulling her close. He slowly trailed his finger across her cheek, his body on fire with desire.

Sue shivered at his touch, moving closer to lift her hands to his shoulders. He slowly lowered his head, feeling a jolt of electricity as he capturing her lips in a tender kiss. His hands slipped to her back, caressing her through her coat, coming to rest on her hips.

Reluctantly, Jack broke the kiss resting his forehead against hers as they both fought to control their raged breathing. His hands ran up her sides as if they couldn't believe he had her in his arms.

"I've been wanting to do that for a long time," Jack announced softly, his voice still husky with the passion he was fighting to manage. "I think I'm falling for you," he admitted, not expecting the reaction he'd get from her.

"No, no," Sue squealed, pushing at him to get him to release her. "You don't know what you're saying, you don't know what you want…" she moved to stand away from him, needing to distance herself so she could think. He doesn't realize what it would mean, she thought fearfully. He doesn't understand the differences.

"Oh, no, I think I do know what I want," Jack told her, taking her chin to get her to look at him. "I want to be with you, Sue."

"Listen, if we date, we both know one thing's going to lead to another," Sue pleaded, tears forming in her eyes. "We come from different worlds. I don't want to lose your friendship," she cried, pulling herself free, running back to the cabin with Levi on her heels.

Jack stood by the edge of the woods looking after her. How can I get her to understand that I want to be a part of her world and her mine? he thought frustrated. There's got to be some way. I don't want to lose her. Sadly he started to trek back, his hands deep in his pockets and his head down, shutting out the cold wind picking up intensity around him.

Chapter 19

When Jack returned to the cabin, he went to talk to Sue, only to find her bedroom door locked. He knocked knowing Levi would tell her, but apparently she didn't want to talk to him because she never came to the door. Frustrated, he ran his hand through his hair, not knowing what to do. Disjointed, he returned to the living room, flopping down on the sofa putting his head in his hands.

Sue found him there the next morning, going through their papers on the case. Though rumpled, Jack still wore the same clothes he had on yesterday. She couldn't help but think how cute his hair looked like that, all ruffled.

When he turned around, apparently hearing her come in, Sue's heart sank in her chest. While he gave her a slight smile, his face was etched with sadness. She wondered if he'd even slept at all last night, he looked so tired.

"Would you like some breakfast?" Sue asked, fighting the urge to run to him. All she wanted to do was to pull him into her arms and tell him everything was going to be alright.

Jack studied her face when he saw her, noticing her puffy eyes despite her attempts at covering it with makeup. He never meant to make her cry, but he didn't know if he could let her go.

"Sue, we need to talk," Jack stated quietly. "Please," he pleaded when she seemed to hesitate. He released the breath he was holding when she came towards him, sitting on the sofa beside him.

"I don't know how long we have to be here together, and I don't want to make things difficult for you," Jack told her, his heart breaking at the sorrow in her eyes. "I apologize for yesterday. I know it was all so sudden, but I'm not sorry for kissing you, for telling you how I feel."

I can't do this, Sue thought, bolting from the sofa. Her mind at odds with her heart she was so confused and only wanted to escape the torment inside her. Jack caught her arm before she could flee back to her bedroom.

PLEASE, he signed, turning her to face him his eyes begging. "Please hear me out." Jack waited, hoping she'd give him a chance to say what he'd been thinking about since she left him last night.

When she finally nodded, he felt relief but also anxiousness over what he had to say, praying that he'd find the right words to express the emotions flowing within him. Leading her by the hand, Jack pulled her down on the sofa beside him, keeping her hands cradled in his.

"Sue, you're in my thoughts all the time. Even when we're not together, I can't stop thinking about you…what you're doing…when I can see you again," Jack started, his heart pounding. "That first day when I found you in the cafeteria, I hadn't been able to get you out of my mind. I HAD to find you, to see if talking with you again would get you out of my head." He paused, looking deeply into her eyes, hopeful that she could understand the meaning behind his words.

"Some time, since the day we met when you thought I was Personnel, you worked your way into my heart," Jack confessed, his face full of the love he felt for the woman sitting across from him. "I've fallen for you, Sue Thomas. I can't just flip a switch and turn it off no matter how hard I try. I don't know where it will take us, but I want to find out."

"But you don't understand…" Sue began, tears filling her eyes again.

"I know we have hurdles to overcome. I've lived with you twice now remember," he smiled, wanting to stop her tears. "I know Levi can get a little rambunctious when he wakes you in the morning," he remembered their interruption from the day before. "But he's also been a big help for me communicating with you when you can't see me, like in the Arif Dessa case." Both of them blushed slightly at the reference to him needing her when she was in the shower.

"Even thought you've taught me so much, I know there is so much more I need to learn about your world," Jack cupped her face in his hands. "I want to be a part of your world, I need to be! We can take it as slowly as you need, but please give me a chance. Please give us a chance," he begged.

Sue wanted to believe that he wasn't the same as all the others, and he wouldn't soon grow tired of the sacrifices he'd have to make. She already knew how easy it was for him to adapt to captioning when they watched movies together, or setting up a VCO phone at his apartment. Could it really work for us? Sue wondered as he watched her.

"What about work?" she asked, knowing the rules about dating would hinder relationship.

"Well, I'll talk to Garrett and see if Bobby or D can be reassigned as your training agent. I don't think me staying as your TA would be very good whether we took it slow or not," he admitted. "There are no guarantees, but we're in a job were we take risks every day."

"I don't want to lose you," Sue cried, tears flowing down her face.

"I don't want to lose you either, but I can't live without knowing," Jack asserted, his thumbs caressing her cheeks wiping away her tears. "Please don't give up on us before we have a chance to see what we have."

O-K, Sue finally signed with a watery smile, still not sure about everything, but willing to take it one day at a time.

Elated, Jack's heart felt like it was doing back flips in his chest. Leaning forward, her face still cupped in his hands, he brushed his lips against hers. When he sat back, he felt her hands snake around his neck pulling him to her again as she pressed her lips to his, sparks flying as they gave way to the joy in their hearts.

"Mmm, it's getting a little warm in here," Jack joked, struggling to control his frayed emotions. Sue felt the hot flush on her face as he looked so longingly at her.

"Why don't you go take a shower and I'll fix breakfast?" she offered, her voice still just a little shaky.

"Why don't I take a shower, and then we can drive into town for breakfast?" Jack countered, knowing what a struggle it was going to be for him to take it slow if they stayed alone here at the cabin. "Bobby and Myles left the car yesterday, so we might as well use it."

"Do you think you can get us to town without getting lost?" Sue teased, biting her bottom lip as she looked up at him through veiled eyes.

"With you as my navigator, it will be a snap," he confessed, pressing his lips to hers before bounding off the sofa, heading for the bathroom a renewed spring in his step.