Chapter 38:

Jack hurried down the corridors, anxious to make sure Sue was okay. He turned around to make sure he hadn't been followed when he opened the boardroom door. He immediately saw her, sobbing in the corner. Jack rushed over, as Levi nuzzles her leg. Sue turned to look at him, her eyes red and swollen, her face wet with tears. They both stood there for a moment, Jack unsure of what to do, when suddenly Sue flew into his arms.

Jack held onto her tightly, as she sobbed like she never had before, letting everything go. She had been crying a lot the last few weeks, but nothing like she was now. Sue didn't noticed the door open, as her back was turned, but Jack saw Bobby poke his head into the room, and looking surprised when he saw them. Sue loosened her grip on Jack and turned to see Bobby, through still leaning next to Jack.

"Are you okay?" She nodded, though the tears and sobs that continued said otherwise.

"Why don't you find everyone else, and let them know she's safe" Jack suggested, Bobby getting the hint that they needed to talk privately before Sue faced everyone.

"I have to tell them." Sue said quietly, once her sobs had died down. Her and Jack had taken a seat next to each other.

"I'll be right here with you. Just remember – it's over. We caught him and you can finally heal. Everyone wants to help."

"I know." Sue looked up, surprised, as Lucy hurried through the door. "Luce?" She said, confused to see her best friend, but quickly hugged her, grateful that she was there.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Lucy responded, her face showing her obvious concern.

"I have something I need to tell everyone, as soon as they get here. When did you get back?" Lucy took the seat on the other side of Sue, and explained, while noticing Jack was still holding Sue's hand, though she knew it was not the right time to bring anything like that up.

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Once everyone had come to the boardroom and kept asking if Sue was okay, and what was going on, Sue started to explain, looking at all her friend's concerned faces.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you all what was happened. I know you all have been wondering since the day I left the bullpen and didn't come back for 2 days." Lucy looked at Myles, confused, who shook his head, telling her that he would explain everything that had happened later. Sue continued,

"I had received news from my mother that my brother Ben, his wife Gracie and my 3 nieces and nephew had been murdered." Everyone looked at her in shock still trying to absorb the news, it being different having her confirm the stories that the news reporters had been questioning. Sue continued to retell the story she had told Jack only a few nights ago. Silence echoed in the room, as Sue turned to look at Jack, whose eyes were filled with love and support, as he squeezed her hand encouragingly. Dimitrius finally spoke up,

"I am so sorry for you and your family Sue. We had no idea." She nodded, thankfully, having trouble with words, overtaken by emotion. Lucy moved over and hugged her best friend tightly, the tears of grief running down her own face.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Myles asked quietly. Sue could feel all the eyes on her, wondering the same things. She knew that this was going to be one of the hardest parts, having kept such information from her closest friends.

"I was going to when I got back; until I found out you guys were working the case. At first, I wanted to be the one to catch him, until it got too much for me. After that, I was considering it, but I knew that you guys wouldn't stop until you caught him, and I couldn't risk the case being taken away because I was personally involved. I'm really sorry." She ended, her eyes looking down at the table. Jack decided to step in for her,

"It wasn't that she didn't trust you. It was a really hard decision, and it took her awhile to finally tell someone. The point is though, we caught him and now Sue has a chance to heal from what happened, and she needs all of our support." Tara reached over the table and grabbed Sue's hand encouragingly. As Sue looked around the table at all her friends, she didn't see anger that she had hidden such important news from them, but caring and love.

"Thank you." She whispered gratefully.

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Jack finished bringing the bag down to his car, as Sue came down with him. Lucy was upstairs, unpacking her things, and Jack knew he was no longer needed to stay at the apartment.

"Thanks for staying with me Jack." Sue said, as she stood with him next to his car.

"I'm glad I did. To be honest, I'm going to miss having you around, as hard as it's been." Sue smiled sadly and nodded.

"Me too. Jack – there's something I wanted to tell you." Jack looked at her curiously. She went on, "I think I'm going to ask for some time off and go back home for a few weeks. My mom's not doing very well, and I think I need to be with my family right now. I kind of ran off right after the funeral…" She drifted off, and looked into Jack's eyes, wondering what he was thinking. He spoke very quietly, and Sue could tell his voice was filled with emotion.

"I think it's a good idea, but I'm really going to miss you. Promise me you won't stay away forever…" Sue shook her head and moved closer to Jack.

"I won't stay away long. I'm going to miss you too." She looked at him more seriously, "When I come back, I'm going to ask Dimitrius for a transfer." Jack gave her a small smile.

"I already told him I wanted a transfer, and he already turned me down. Dimitrius got the rules changed, as long as we behave. Does this mean there is going to be a 'we'?" Sue reached for Jack's hand.

"No more pretending, remember. We've been through too much together."

"You know I love you." Jack said in a whisper.

"I love you too." Sue said, moving into his arms, grateful that she had him by her side to get through this, knowing that once she got back, they had a chance to explore what a life would be like together, and that gave her hope.

END OF PART 1

A/N – Thanks for all your support on this story! I will be starting part 2 very soon, I promise!