Chapter 30

Tara jerked awake, looking nervously around her bedroom as the morning sun peeked through the window. As her breath came out in raged gasps, she halfway expected to see Myles hiding in a corner.

Thank God, THAT was only a dream, Tara thought as she sagged back against her pillow in relief. Still tired and more than a little confused, she knew she was going to have trouble getting back to sleep.

Not that getting to sleep last night was easy, Tara sighed. The arrival of Hannah and Myles, not to mention the unexpected visitor in the laundry room, had postponed the talk she was planning to have with Bobby. However, now she wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved.

Maybe it was never meant to be, Tara thought as she flipped onto her side to watch the sunrise. Dinner with Myles had reminded her of the life waiting for them back in DC, the reality she'd left behind. That had to be what the dream was about, she reassured herself. It had to be, she resolved. She worried that she was living a fantasy that would disappear as soon as the undercover assignment was over.

Frustrated, Tara threw off the covers, swinging her legs off the side of the bed. On an impulse, she pulled on a bathing suit, then donned a striped T-shirt and denim cut-offs over it. Maybe I'll spend some time out on the back patio today, she thought. Alone.

The sound of the doorbell drew her attention before Tara could make it very far. That can't be Jack and Sue already, Tara thought. It's way too early, she looked at her watch as she headed towards the front door.

"Good morning, Mrs. Manning," Jack exclaimed brightly as the door swung the door open. Tara's mouth dropped open at the sight of the dark-haired agent standing on her front porch with his arm around her longhaired blonde friend.

"Jack? Sue? What are you doing here?" Tara stammered.

"Now, is that anyway to greet two friends that traveled halfway across the country just to see the 'newlyweds'," Jack teased, his grin turning into a grimace as Sue elbowed him playfully in the ribs.

"We were able to catch an earlier flight," Sue explained, turning towards Tara after watching Jack finish speaking. "Aren't you going to invite us in?" she asked curiously.

"Uh, right," Tara backed up opening to door wider. "Come in. Come in," she invited belatedly.

"It's so good to see you," Sue smiled, pulling the petite blonde into a hug as she preceded Jack into the house. "Lucy says hi. We've missed you," she continued.

"I've missed you guys too," Tara stated when Sue pulled back enough to see her lips.

"How's old Crash treating you?" Jack asked as he gave her a hug.

"Being 'married' to him is probably just about as bad as it was being 'married' to Jack," Tara grinned mischievously at Sue.

"HEY!" Jack tried to look hurt, but his face just caused the women to laugh harder.

"Is Bobby a late riser like Jack?" Sue teased as they turned towards the living room.

Before Tara could think of anything to say, she heard movement in the direction of Bobby's room. Figuring the doorbell woke Bobby, she instinctively reach for Sue to let her know he was there smiling when she noticed Jack doing the same thing.

Turning, the smile she wore faded as she took in the sight before her. Framed in the doorway of his bedroom, Bobby stood wearing just a pair of hunter green boxers and a sleepy smile. Tara's mind was brought back to the brief swim trunks he wore the day before as her eyes scanned the broad expanse of his chest.

"Uh, Crash, I don't know how you dress when you and Tara are here alone," Jack's voice at her ear brought Tara out of her reverie. "But out of respect for Sue, how about putting on some clothes," he joked as she felt a hot flush creep up her cheeks.

"Uh, right," Bobby stammered, causing Jack to chuckle as he recalled Tara's exact words from just a few seconds earlier. As quickly as he had appeared, Bobby disappeared back into his room, shutting the door on the others and Tara's errant thoughts.

"Well…" Tara started breathlessly, looking uncomfortably at the floor, not quite knowing what to say next. Looking down, she missed the knowing glance between the other couple as they watched her intently.

"Er," Jack muttered, waving his hand slightly to get Sue's attention. "I'm going to, um, get the, uh, stuff out of the car," he hesitated, his eyes darting to Tara as he spoke.

NO-PROBLEM, Sue signed, smiling reassuringly as Jack backed out of the room.

"So how are you doing?" Sue asked, after she was sure Jack was gone as she led Tara towards the kitchen.

FINE, Tara signed. DRINK YOU WANT, she raised her eyebrows questioningly. TEA SODA WATER ANYTHING, she signed, shifting slightly with each choice.

TEA PLEASE, Sue signed simply. "Now, why don't you tell me the truth, Tara," she persisted as her friend turned away to get the drinks. "Is everything okay?" she continued when Tara glanced at her nervously.

"Yes, of course," Tara answered, but only after a momentary hesitation.

"Then why do I get the feeling something has happened between you and Bobby?" Sue observed perceptibly, noticing the way Tara stiffened. "I don't mean in a bad way either," she maintained.

Tara's head snapped around at this comment, her feelings of guilt evident on her face. Slowly Sue crossed the distance between them, placing her hand reassuringly on her friend's arm.

"It's okay, Tara," Sue smiled. "Bobby's a great guy. Lately, he'd been constantly asking Jack and Lucy about you, especially when the two of you weren't talking before you went on this assignment," she told the petite blonde.

"He was?"

"I don't know what happened between you two, but something was there. We all saw it after Jack was shot," Sue told her sincerely. "He really cares about you," she insisted.

"He does?" Tara couldn't believe what her friend was telling her. Could it be true? she wondered.

"You haven't seen the way he looks at you?" Sue asked astonished. "It's evident you having feelings for him."

"But I can't," Tara shook her head slightly as if to clear her thoughts. D-A-R-C-Y, she fingerspelled with a sigh.

"Darcy?" Sue questioned confused. "I think they still talk occasionally, but Bobby hasn't seen her in months. Before Jack and I went to Berkeley Springs, I think."

"He hasn't?" Tara muttered. "So they weren't dating when he kissed me at the hospital," she mumbled, looking at the floor.

"Did you just say he kissed you?" Sue asked a smile on her face.

"Uh, um," Tara stammered. More than once, she thought as she felt a warm flush come over her.

"I know it's hard for me to read your lips when you talk too much at once, but you can string more than two or three words together. I think I can handle it," Sue joked with a smile.

SORRY, Tara grinned, rolling her eyes as they moved back to the table with their drinks. "After Rob and Stanley, I'm just not so sure about things anymore," Tara groaned reluctantly.

"Not sure about what? You and Bobby?"

"I don't want to get hurt again, Sue," Tara sighed. "Sometimes I think we are so opposite that there is no way it could work out, but then he walks into the room and I can't breathe," she moaned, looking down at the cup she played with nervously in her hands.

I'm so scared that the way I feel,
Is written all over my face
When you walk into the room,
I wanna find a hiding place.
We used to laugh, we used to hug, the way that old friends do.
But now, a smile and a touch of your hand,
Just makes me come unglued.
Such a contradiction, do I lie or tell the truth.
Is it fact or fiction?
Oh, the way I feel for you.

So complicated, I'm so frustrated.
I wanna hold you close, I wanna push you away,
I wanna make you go, I wanna make you stay.
Should I say it?
Should I tell you how I feel?
Oh, I want you to know.
But then again I don't. It's so complicated.

Oh…just when I think I'm under control
I think I got a grip.
Another friend tells me that, I'm always on your lips.
They say I'm more than just a friend, they say I must be blind.
Well, I admit that I've seen you watch me from the corner of your eye.
Oh, It's so confusing. I wish you'd just confess.
But think of what I'd
be losin, if your answer isn't yes.

So complicated I'm so frustrated,
I wanna hold you close, I wanna push you away,
I wanna make you go, I wanna make you stay.
Should I say it, should I tell you how I feel.
Oh I want you to know, but then again I don't,
It's so complicated.

Oh, I hate it. Cuz I've waited.
So long for someone like you
Oh, what do I do?
Oh, should I say it?
Should I tell you how I feel?
I want you to know, but then again I don't.
It's so complicated...
It's so complicated...
It's so complicated.
Ohh…

"Tara?" Sue called, tapping the petite blonde on the arm to get her attention. "I don't want you to make a decision you might regret, but sometimes you have to take risks. You're one of my best friends, and I would love for you to have what I've found with Jack. A man you can love, who will love you in return. A soul mate," she continued, all amusement gone from her voice.

"How am I supposed to know when I meet this 'soul mate'?" Tara asked, as bewildered now as she'd been for the last several weeks. "How did you know Jack was the one?"

"Jack's and my relationship is different. We have more issues than just my hearing, or lack of, but also the difference in cultures," Sue warned. "But if Bobby is the one, you'll know. It won't necessarily be instant recognition, or a blinding flash of revelation, but there will come a point when you'll just know," she tried to reassure her friend.

"But what if I never know?" Tara worried aloud. "What if I never find that person or I do but I let him go because I'm afraid?"

"Don't agonize over it. God intends for everyone to find that someone special," Sue maintained, taking the petite blonde's hand. "Whether that is Bobby or someone else, I can't say, but there's someone out there waiting for you, someone with whom you will be very happy."

"You always make me want to believe in impossible things," Tara chuckled, shaking her head. "I can only hope that you're right."

Song: Complicated by Carolyn Dawn Johnson (Lyrics: Carolyn Dawn Johnson/Shaye Smith)

Chapter 31

Finally dressed, Bobby came out of his room, catching a glimpse of one of the photos on their mantle as he passed by in search of the others. When did she become so important to me, he wondered, his eyes falling on one of the photos he and Tara had taken for this assignment. Pausing, he lifted up the picture, running his fingers across the smooth glass as he looked at the petite blonde face smiling back up at him.

I like blue eyes, hers are green
Not like the woman of my dreams
And her hair's not quite as long as I had planned
Five foot three isn't tall
She's not the girl I pictured at all
In those paint by number fantasies I've had

So it took me by complete surprise
When my heart got lost in those deep green eyes
She's not at all what I was looking for
She's more

No, it wasn't at first sight
But the moment I looked twice
I saw the woman I was born to love
Her laughter fills my soul
And when I hold her I don't wanna let go
When it comes to her I can't get enough

So it took me by complete surprise
When my heart got lost in those deep green eyes
She's not at all what I was looking for
She's more

More than I dreamed of
More than any man deserves
I couldn't ask for more
Than a love like hers

So it took me by complete surprise
When my heart got lost in those deep green eyes
She's not at all what I was looking for
She's more

"Crash?" Jack called, returning to find his best friend standing motionless in front of the fireplace. "Hey, Bobby, you okay?" he asked, slapping the tall Aussie in the shoulder to get his attention.

"Uh, yeah, Sparky," Bobby stammered quickly, replacing the frame on the mantle. "So you're here early, mate. The sun is barely up," he muttered, shuffling away as he hoped he could draw Jack's attention away from the picture.

"Yeah, lucked up on an earlier flight," Jack replied, glancing briefly at the mantle before following Bobby out onto the back patio. "You know how flying is hard on Sue. Anyway, I thought getting an earlier start would give her the opportunity to get some rest this morning at the hotel but…she wanted to come see Tara," he sighed, joining his friend as they stared out into the yard.

"Can't keep those two shelias away from each other long?" Bobby smirked.

"Yeah, that's true" Jack agreed with a smile. "So any new leads?" Jack asked, changing the subject back to the reason they were both here.

"Nothing since I talked to you last," Bobby shook his head grimly. "Every major transaction I can trace during the last six months has taken place on cases where Franklin was lead," he shrugged.

"We've had two sources mention his name in anonymous tips as well as solid evidence implicating at least one of his team," Jack confirmed. "Rumor still has it there will be an important meeting sometime this week between Franklin and whoever he is selling the information to," he told the tall Aussie.

Bobby felt the tension low in his neck, a sure sign that the case was nearing a resolution. Knowing that Jack and Sue would be with her helped, but it didn't make feel any better about the situation.

However, Bobby still didn't like that Tara was working so closely with the man. He was glad Jack would be with Tara, especially with him being sidelined in Austin. His instincts were usually right on target, but she'd spent more time with the man.

Could it be she was right, and he was just an innocent bystander? he wondered. Even if it was just a series of coincidences, Franklin couldn't be that unlucky, he doubted.

"Tara doesn't want to accept that Franklin being crooked might be a possibility," Bobby groaned quietly, running his hand wearily through his hair. "Keep an eye on her, Jack," he pleaded passionately, his eyes locking with the dark-haired agent, wishing he wasn't so far away in the Austin RA.

There was a notable silence in the room as Jack stared at the tall Aussie. "What's going on, Bobby?" he asked quietly.

"Nothing okay?" Bobby insisted impatiently, walking away. "I just think Tara's misjudged Franklin and is putting too much faith in him, letting it cloud her judgment. I don't want her being in the wrong place at the wrong time without backup, that's all."

"This is me you're talking to, Crash," Jack insisted, grabbing his arm, forcing him to turn around to look at him. "I've seen that look before…in a mirror up until a just a few months ago, when I finally admitted to Sue how I felt," the shorter agent told him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bobby muttered, trying to pull away.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Jack held firm. "I know everyone at the office saw what was going on between Sue and I before we ever wanted to believe it. We saw it with you and Tara at the hospital…"

"We're just friends," Bobby maintained, rubbing a hand over his weary face.

"You WERE just friends, but it's developed into something more," Jack persisted. "You're talking to someone who knows and tried to deny it for years."

"We're just friends," Bobby repeated. Wasn't that a whopper of a lie? he asked himself.

"Don't make the same mistakes I made, my friend," Jack warned quietly. "I missed out on a lot of time with Sue because of my stubbornness. I hope you know what you're doing," he finished pointedly before turning and walking back into the house.

Alone on the patio, Bobby thought about what Jack had said. Realistically. he knew he hadn't been fully in control of his actions since that day in the hospital when he kissed Tara for the first time.

With a groan, Bobby collapsed against the wall of the house. He needed to be thinking about his job, preparing for the expected meeting this week – yet all he could think of was Tara. He couldn't stop himself from wondering when he would be alone with her again, when he could kiss her again.

"Dang, Manning," he mutter, shoving his sleep tousled hair off his forehead. "What the heck ARE you doing?"

(Lyrics "She's More" - Andy Griggs)

Chapter 32

Boudro's was a quaint little place built on the River Walk in downtown San Antonio. It was busy, but Bobby had been lucky enough to get a table for four. Both he and Tara ordered tea while they waited for their friends to arrive from their hotel.

"Are you sure we shouldn't have gone by the hotel to pick up Jack and Sue?" Tara asked after the active waitress had returned with their drinks and left them to look at their menus.

"Jack said Sue wanted to rest a bit and they'd meet us here," Bobby shook his head briefly. "I'm sure they will be here shortly." As if almost on cue, his cell phone rang in his pocket.

While Bobby answered the call, Tara glanced idly around the room. A short, dumpy woman with toffee brown hair sat alone at a table in one corner. Though she bore little resemblance otherwise, the brown hair reminded her of Bobby's partner, Hannah.

Tara cleared her throat, taking a sip of her tea as she tried focusing on the Mexican painting above their table. She had no right to quiz Bobby about his friendship with the woman, despite how their closeness at dinner the other night made her feel. After all, we're just friends, right? she tried to tell herself.

"That was Jack," Bobby stated, breaking into her thoughts. "Sue overdid it a bit this morning so he's just going to grab her something from room service," he explained, snapping his phone shut and putting it back into his pocket.

"Oh, well, um…I guess we can go home then," Tara started, moving to get up.

"Why?" Bobby asked, reaching across the table to place his hand on hers, holding her in her seat. "We've got to eat, so might as well do it here," he told her, giving her a brief smile.

"Oh, um, yeah," she stammered, jerking her hand out from under his as she felt the warmth creep up on her cheeks. His touch sent electricity through her as her heart raced and her breathing came out in labored gasps. How can I be alone with him when I can't even breathe when he's around? she wondered.

"What's wrong, Tara?"

She looked up quickly in response to his perceptive question. "What do you mean?" she stalled.

"You've started frowning. Something I said?" Bobby asked curiously.

"No," Tara lied. "I was just…um…thinking."

"About what?" he persisted, taking a leisurely sip of his tea.

"I should have known not to try to hide anything from you," Tara sighed, noting the faint tensing of his shoulders as he leaned forward. "You and I have always been very honest with each other, haven't we, Bobby?"

Something crossed his face. If Tara had been a more suspicious person, she might have called it guilt, but she told herself that she must be mistaken.

"Er…" Bobby started, staring down into his tea glass as if it had become the most fascinating thing in the world to him.

"We have been honest with each other in the past, haven't we, Bobby?" Tara repeated, watching him closely, suddenly uneasy. What if now isn't the right time? she wondered. What if I'm wrong about us?

"Stop trying to change the subject, shelia," Bobby scrambled. "Why are you frowning?"

Maybe I am trying to change the subject by trying to get him to confess first, Tara thought making a face. I just need to suck it up and say it, she decided.

"I was thinking about your partner," Tara confessed, looking everywhere but at him.

"Hannah?" Bobby looked confused as he waited for her to continue.

"You two have very good chemistry," Tara continued reluctantly. "She's very beautiful."

"Oh." A glimmer of amusement flashed through the Aussie's eyes. "Yeah, Hannah's really beautiful," he admitted, trying to suppress a smile.

"Tall, too."

"Mmm."

"I hear she's made several big arrests on her own…more than any woman agent in the San Antonio field office," Tara continued as she nervously played with the tablecloth. While she had her attributes as a computer specialist, Hannah seemed to have everything she was lacking as a woman and an agent. "She's certainly in good shape," she mentioned with a sigh.

"Yeah," Bobby sipped his tea, murmuring over the rim of his cup. "Nice pecs."

Tara kicked him under the table.

"Sorry, but you made that so easy," Bobby sputtered laughing. "She and I had a community outing at the local Boys and Girls Club in Austin, and we worked out with some of the kids. That's all there was to it," he reassured her.

Of course, Tara thought as the waitress came back to take their order. Another one of those 'wonderfully funny' stories that he and Hannah had shared last night at dinner with Myles, she sighed quietly.

"Well, she seemed very nice," Tara muttered after the waitress left the table.

"Nice? I don't know. She's more like a barracuda once you get to know her," Bobby mused, looking amused at what was obviously a private joke between him and his partner.

Tara thought of kicking him again, but decided to let it go. "Sorry," she said stiffly. "It's none of my business what you do while you're at work; we're on an assignment. It's not as if I was jealous or anything," she grumbled, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"Why not, shelia? I've sure as heck been jealous of Franklin!" Bobby bellowed loud enough to cause the others in the restaurant to turn in their direction.

"Shhh," Tara warned, sinking low in her chair. The blunt admission rather surprised her, though from his actions over the last week, she couldn't say she wasn't expecting it. She sat twisting the tablecloth into knots, wondering what to say in response.

As Sue had pointed out this morning, this was happening very fast between them – whatever it was. They'd known each other a long time, but their relationship had taken such a drastic change. What was the next step? Tara wondered.

When their meals where brought, they ate in silence for a time before Tara set her fork down and looked across the table. She'd already forgotten the dumpy woman across the room, and all the other patrons, as well. She and Bobby might have been alone in the crowded little restaurant, for all the attention that she spared her surroundings.

"Bobby?"

"Yeah," he swallowed the last bite of his steak and looked up.

"We have to talk," Tara admitted frankly, more than a little nervous.

"I know," Bobby smiled his expression rueful, his tone sincere. "And I'm scared as hell," he stated, placing his hand over hers on the table.

"Good to know I'm not the only one," Tara grinned with relief as she melted into his eyes.

"Can I get you folks anything else?" the waitress asked, suddenly appearing beside their table, recalling them abruptly to their public surroundings.

"No, shelia, not for me. Tara?" Bobby reluctantly released her hand and sat back in his chair.

She shook her head, disappointed that they'd been interrupted yet again.

The waitress nodded in reply, slipping their tab onto the corner of the table. Bobby picked it up, glanced at it, and laid a bill on top of it.

"Are you finished?" he asked Tara.

"Yes."

"Let's go for a walk," Bobby offered, glancing at his watch. "Someplace quiet…where we can talk."

"All right." Tara set her napkin on the table and rose.

Casually, they strolled down the River Walk wanting to touch, but trying hard not to. There were quite a few people out this evening, Tara noted, trying to distract herself from the tall Aussie next to her. Joggers, college-age kids, and couples mingled about.

Bobby led her back in the direction of the car. He said little, but kept looking at her like he wanted to. Finally, he sighed, stopped, and ran a hand through his hair. "We have to talk."

"Yes." She'd already said that before, and he'd already agreed, but Tara didn't bother pointing it out. Something important was going on here, and she wanted to see it through before she lost her nerve.

The ringing of his cell phone interrupted him again. With a muffled expletive, Bobby shoved his hand into his pocket, flipped it open, and barked a response. His smile faded from his face as he spoke, and Tara could feel her nerves knot somewhere low in her stomach.

"What is it, Bobby?" Tara prodded when he slowly closed the phone again.

"I've got to go," Bobby muttered quietly.

"Huh? What happened?"

"Paul Freeman, one of the kids Hannah and I've been working with in the COPS program, was just found pretty beat up in a bad section of Austin," Bobby explained. "He'd been trying to get out of a gang in his neighborhood."

"Oh, Bobby," Tara sighed, placing her hand comfortingly on his arm. "Do they think it was the gang?" she asked.

"They said he'd never make it out alive," Bobby stated without emotion, covering her hand with his large one. They stood for several minutes in silence before he finally spoke again, his words just barely above a whisper. "Tara, I told him that everything would be okay. I promised him that he would be okay," he groaned, lowering his eyes to the ground.

"You couldn't have known this was going to happen," Tara tried to reassure him, but he was lost in his own world.

"I'm sorry, Tara," Bobby moaned. "I wanted a chance to talk to you, but I've got to go to him, to his family," he told her.

"Don't apologize." Tara shook her head, wryly assuring him. "I understand."

"I'll just take you back to the house…" Bobby started as he took her by the elbow as they moved towards the parking lot.

"You'll do no such thing," Tara pulled her arm out of his reach, stopping. "I can get myself home. Go to the boy," she stated.

"Thank you." Bobby leaned down, placing a brief kiss against her brow. "It may take a while, but I'll call as soon as I'm free. I don't want you leaving for the office tomorrow until Jack can come with you," he suggested. Unfortunately, to Tara, it sounded more like an order.

"Why should I wait for Jack?" Tara demanded, her anger overriding any compassion she tried to feel for him at this point. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Tara, you don't understand." Bobby looked frustrated. "I just want to keep you safe."

"Safe from what?" Tara wondered for a moment before realization hit. "Franklin! You can't still be serious, Bobby. Franklin isn't going to hurt me."

"You don't…"

"And don't tell me again I don't understand," she exploded, shoving her hands against him.

"I'm sorry, Tara," Bobby groaned, pushing his hand through his hair again. "It's just…"

"Never mind," Tara cut him off with her hand. "Just go. Check on your friend. We'll take care of this later," she told him bluntly.

"I don't want to leave you." Bobby placed his hand at the back of her head, her face tipped up to his.

"I don't want you to," Tara admitted softening. How could I not? she thought. "But you have to," she reminded him.

Leaning down, Bobby kissed her, lightly at first, and then harder, deeper. Tara wrapped her arms around his neck and responded with everything inside her. They were both breathing heavily by the time he drew reluctantly away.

"I have to go, but we'll talk later," Bobby promised, caressing her cheek lightly before turning and walking away.

Tara lingered for a moment, watching his retreating figure as she struggled to control her erratic heart. Oh, you can bet your sweet 'bippy' we're gonna talk later, she vowed, raising her arm to hail a cab. One very long and intense talk, Mr. Manning.