A/N: And finally we have the third chapter. I hope it's worth waiting for. If you have time to review, I'd appreciate it.
Yawning as she rubbed her eyes, Lucy slowly made her way to the kitchen the next morning so she could fix herself some breakfast. She paused as she rounded the corner, surprised to smell fresh coffee. Tapping her roommate on the shoulder, she smiled. "What are you doing up so early?"
"Oh! Good morning!" Hitting send on a text, Sue giggled softly as she held up a slip of paper. "I've been making a grocery list. It looks like we're out of a lot of things…" She tried to hide her happy smile as she sipped her coffee. "How's Alice?"
"What?" Surprised by the sudden change of subject, Lucy shrugged as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "Oh...she's fine. I took her some Chinese food last night and we had a nice visit. She was just down in the dumps a bit...nothing a little girl talk couldn't fix. "
"That's good." Sue turned back to her list. "Do you need anything?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do." Sitting down across from Sue, Lucy tapped her hand, leveling a serious gaze at her. "I need some information."
"Really?" Sue gave her roommate an innocent look. "About what?"
Rolling her eyes, Lucy laughed out loud. "About what happened last night, of course!"
"Oh...okay. Well, I finished the report I was working on and submitted it to Randy…"
Lucy felt like screaming, but she knew it wouldn't do any good, especially since Sue couldn't hear her. "You know what I mean! What happened between you and Jack? You went out to dinner with him, right? And then he walked you home…and it was a beautiful moonlit night...a very romantic setting...and you're telling me that nothing else happened?"
"That about covers it. We went to Parnelli's Pizzeria and had a deluxe house special...and then we went for a stroll through the park on the way back here." Sue shrugged, laughing to herself as she looked over her list. "I think we need laundry soap…"
"Fine." Clenching her jaw, Lucy took Sue's list and set it aside. "So what did you talk about while you were at dinner and on the way home? Come on...please tell me before I die of curiosity! Surely he had something more to say about your decision to stay...something of a more personal nature..."
"Humph." Pretending to be annoyed, Sue sat back, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, we talked about work. Jack said that he thought Deputy Director Chastain had suggested me for the analyst's position in New York." She pinched her lips together to keep from giggling at Lucy's annoyed expression. "Jack's been offered a position with the field office in New York, too...being a lead agent in the Major Crimes Division...and since that's where Allie lives…"
"No way! I can't believe it. He's not leaving DC, is he?" Lucy was horrified. "Not with you choosing to stay here…"
"I don't think so, but, you know, they're good friends, and she's really pretty, so he might be considering it. Maybe that's why he wanted me to stay here...so I wouldn't be in New York at the same time he was. I'd be out of the way, and he could do what he wanted with Allie without worrying about me. Maybe he wants to be more than friends with her and he's afraid I'd be jealous or that my feelings would be hurt...which is kind of thoughtful in a weird way, I suppose. Anyway, you never can tell about him. He's definitely full of surprises, and the position they offered him would be a good career move, so he might be inclined to take it."
Sue crossed her fingers under the table, knowing she wasn't actually telling her friend the whole truth, but, after all, she had said 'maybe' and 'might be'. On the other hand, she didn't really want Lucy to be angry at Jack, so she added another detail. "I think he's going to stay in DC, though. I guess his relationship with Allie is one of those on again/off again things, and from what he said last night, it's in the 'off again' stage...most likely for good." Reaching for her list, she added more items. "He's coming over for dinner tonight, so I guess you can ask him…"
Lucy was beside herself in frustration as she listened to Sue's rambling explanation. "So you two talked about Allie...one of Jack's old girlfriends...while you two were at dinner...by yourselves...on a romantic moonlit night? That's it?"
"No, we discussed some other things, too. We talked about Jessica...and David...and sushi...and how hard it would be for me to move to New York by myself...his credit problems...FBI work regulations...using ASL...Tony Capono...lots of different things…" Pausing, she tapped her pencil on the table. "We talked about meatloaf, too, since that's what we're having for dinner tonight…"
"I see." Lucy gave Sue a sly wink. "I guess I'll just have to make myself scarce this evening. I don't want to get in the way of a romantic dinner for two. Maybe you could talk about some more important things tonight...you know, things besides work and your old flames..."
"No...you don't need to do that." Rolling her eyes, Sue shook her head as she looked over her list again. "To begin with, you promised to lay off the matchmaking, right?" Seeing Lucy's guilty expression, she gave her friend a pointed glare. "Besides, we're having meatloaf, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, a mixed green salad, and that layered ice cream dessert. That's not really a 'romantic' dinner menu...it's just regular stuff. I promised him a real home cooked meal, that's all…" Seeing that Lucy was unconvinced, Sue shrugged. "Anyway, I think Jack's going to ask Bobby to come to dinner, too, so you might as well stay and eat with us. Maybe we can play some sort of game after we eat. It'll be fun...four good friends getting together to share a pleasant evening."
As she thought over Sue's description of their mundane dinner plans for that evening, Lucy pursed her lips slightly, wondering how she'd misjudged Jack's intentions so badly. She was sure he was very much in love with Sue, and she'd expected to hear Sue gush over how he'd told her about everything he felt for her. She just knew that's why he'd stayed late at the office last night...and why he'd given her the hint about leaving the office without her roommate. She thought it was so he could be alone with Sue so he could make his move...but now she wasn't sure about anything.
Then another bothersome thought crossed Lucy's mind. Maybe Jack did say something, and Sue turned him down! Would she really do that? She's crazy about him, but she loves her job, too. Maybe she didn't want to risk running afoul of the non-fraternization policy...but if she wasn't interested in him, then why would Jack be coming over for dinner? It's not like her meatloaf is all that great…and if she turned him down, he'd be upset...not in the mood to see her, right? What is going on? I'd better find out...it may not be too late to fix things between them...
Realizing that Sue was waiting for a response, Lucy nodded. "Sure, I suppose...I mean, if you two don't mind, I'll be glad to stay and have dinner with you." Rising from the table, she studied her roommate for a few seconds. "Um...I think you're right...we do need laundry soap."
"Okay." Sue smiled brightly as she added the item to her list. I think we're going to have a lot of fun at dinner this evening...
Oooooooooo
Jack Hudson felt like he was on top of the world that morning. He'd never felt so blissfully happy...so happy that words couldn't come close to describing it. He couldn't actually believe his good fortune. Sue loves me! She asked me to marry her and of course, I said yes! Wow...how amazing is that? I'm getting married to a wonderful woman!
The only thing better than sharing that good news with his family was knowing he'd soon be sharing it with his friends. As he enjoyed his second cup of coffee, Jack hit the speed dial button for Bobby's number, laughing out loud when he heard the gruff, sleepy voice that answered with a low moan.
"H'lo?"
"Hey, man...it's 9 AM! Aren't you up yet, Crash?" Jack smiled as he imagined the scowl on his friend's face. "I guess you had a hard night, huh? Too much partying?"
"Aw. mate...you have no idea how hard it was...and believe me, it was no party!" Stretching his tall frame across his mattress, Bobby groaned softly. "I got called in on an SOG assignment because Halloran came down with the flu...although I think that drongo just called in sick because he's allergic to work." He puffed out an aggravated sigh. "Anyway, I got home a couple of hours ago and hit the rack right away. I'm beat...and I should be sleeping in peace, but people like you keep calling me!"
"Wow...that's too bad." Jack chuckled softly as he listened to Bobby's complaint. "Maybe you shouldn't have signed up to take on all that voluntary overtime, buddy…you're gonna make all that extra money but you won't have any time to spend it...or else you'll be too tired to enjoy it..."
"...or maybe you should hang up and let me go back to sleep. Night, mate…"
Jack cleared his throat softly before continuing. "Wait a minute, Bobby. I wanna ask you something...something important."
Surprised at his friend's sudden change in tone, Bobby hesitated. "Sure...what's up?"
"Do you have a date tonight?"
Rolling his eyes, Bobby laughed softly as he lay back on his bed. "Since when have you cared about my love life, mate? No, of course I don't have a date tonight. I haven't had much of an opportunity to meet anyone 'date worthy' since Darcy left. Anyway, why do you care? Who wants to know?" He grumbled softly as a thought crossed his mind. "Hey, don't bother setting me up with some random sheila, okay? I mean, I know that's Lucy's hobby, but you needn't bother getting her to help me. I don't need any help in that department. I can take care of things by myself when I'm ready..."
"Right. Whatever." Jack chuckled merrily. "It's nothing like that, okay? It's just that Sue invited me over for dinner this evening, and she wondered if you'd like to come, too. She says there's gonna be plenty…she's making meatloaf and mashed potatoes with carrots and dessert, too. Nothing fancy, but it'll be good. She's actually a real good cook."
"Meatloaf, huh?" Bobby thought things over for a few seconds. "Well, it's not my favorite, but you know I've never been one to turn down a free meal, right? What time?"
"Six o'clock at Sue's apartment. Do you want me to pick you up?"
"Why are you suddenly so concerned about me, Sparky?," Bobby growled. "I'm a big boy, alright? I don't need a nanny…"
"I don't want you to miss out on a good meal, that's all. I know you've been having to eat your own cooking for the past few weeks, and I'm afraid you'll waste away from starvation. So six o'clock. See you then, okay?"
Bobby finally agreed. "Yeah, alright. Now, if you don't mind...I'm gonna go back to sleep so I can be socially acceptable this evening."
"Okay. Good night, Sleeping Beauty…"
"Shut it, Jack…" Ending the call, Bobby stared at his bedroom ceiling for a few minutes, wondering what had made Jack so unusually cheerful at this hour of the morning. His friend was notoriously not a morning person...especially on the weekends. "I wonder if he and Sue are finally on the same page.," he mumbled to himself. "Maybe he finally took the plunge and told her how he felt...but why not just say so? Why use the whole 'come to dinner' thing?" Scratching his chin, he shrugged slightly. "Well, I guess we'll just have to do some surveillance on the sly this evening to see what's going on…but first..."
Fluffing his pillow, he turned over and returned to his slumber.
%%%%%%%
Laughing again as he tossed his phone aside, Jack nodded in satisfaction. It looked like the scheme that he and his fiancee…"Yeah, that's right...my fiancee!"...had cooked up was going to work to perfection. He couldn't wait to see how Bobby and Lucy would react to the news.
Glancing at the clock on the microwave, he got up and put his coffee cup in the sink. He had to make a couple more phone calls and then run some errands so he'd be ready for that evening.
"Yup…," he said to himself with a grin as he loaded the dishwasher. "Bobby and Lucy aren't the only ones getting a surprise tonight…"
Oooooooooo
Sue was carrying in the last bag of groceries when she felt her blackberry buzz in her pocket. She couldn't help but smile when she saw who was calling.
Checking to make sure Lucy was gone, she happily spoke into the tiny microphone. "Hi, Jack."
What he said in response popped up on her screen.
Hey Sue.
So did we ever decide what we're gonna call each other? Is it gonna be Honey or Dear?
She giggled softly. "I think maybe I'll just call you my Hunky Boyfriend. Will that work? Or maybe Sweetheart…although I guess Honey would be okay..."
So I can be your Hunky Honey right? That's great. I think I'm gonna call you Sugar.
"Because I'm always so sweet, right?"
Absolutely! So what did your parents say when you called them this morning?
"My parents were really happy, although my mom already wants to take over planning the wedding. I told her it was going to be simple...that we want to keep costs down so we'd have more money to put toward a down payment on a house. It'll be okay...she finally agreed that simple would work, and we'd still be married even if it isn't a grand production. She's going to call my brothers and make sure they know what's going on. My dad says he approves since you're getting that fancy new job, but he wonders who's gonna take care of me when I'm working out in the field. I told him not to worry...I can take care of myself." She giggled softly. "He says he'll be glad to have you in the family. I guess you made a good impression on him when they were here for Christmas. What did your parents say?"
Well, it was kind of strange at first. My mom had left me a message late last night asking me to call her as soon as possible, so of course I did first thing this morning. She wanted to tell me that Allie is getting married before I heard it somewhere else. She thought I'd be upset, but when I told her you and me were getting married, she and my dad were both really happy. I swear they must've heard her excited squeal all the way to St. Paul.
"Did they think it was weird that we haven't ever officially 'dated' each other? That was one thing my mom said...she said she didn't know I'd been dating anyone other than David, and I said I hadn't been...not really…but we've worked together for so long and we knew each other really well...and we love each other. What did your parents say about that?"
Actually, I don't think they were surprised at all about it once I said it was you I was marrying. My mom said she'd suspected something was up in the romance department because for the last year or so whenever I've called home I've been going on and on about how 'Sue did this' and 'Sue said that' and saying things like 'Sue's so wonderful' and 'Sue's so pretty'. She said I've been real sappy about you. and I guess Allie had said something to her mom about me having a crush on you, and it got back to my mom which surprised me. because I guess I didn't know Allie knew about that. but as I said last night, I haven't been doing a good job of hiding my feelings for you. And anyway I think we've been sort of 'dating' for a while, but we just didn't call it that…I mean, we went to the football game when you bought that date with me...we went to the basketball game...and out with Randy and his new girlfriend...to the movies with Amanda and her crush...we have meals together a lot...you know, stuff like that...
"I think you're right…and besides, remember when we were investigating that plane crash outside that small town? We were eating lunch in that cafe and you said we had to stop dating like that...so I guess we were dating all along, right?"
Come on...you know I meant to say meeting like that...or so I thought at the time. So...are your parents okay with the date for the wedding? My folks said it's fine whenever we want to have it. My sister's gonna be able to come to DC on that weekend so that works out well.
"My mom was a little concerned about getting everything ready in time, but I think we'll be fine. I'll call the church office Monday and check on availability…if the main sanctuary is in use, maybe we can use the chapel or the garden..."
Listen, we're gonna get married on April 30, even if nothing at your church is available, okay? It's going to happen one way or another. We'll find another venue if we have to, but that's when we're getting hitched. We may have to have our wedding in a vacant lot somewhere, but it's gonna happen as soon as possible.
Laughing, Sue shook her head. "My, aren't you the forceful one?"
Well, I'm not taking any chances on you changing your mind. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I can't wait to marry you. I love you so much, Sue. I can't even explain how much, but trust me, I do.
"I love you, too." Levi nudged Sue with his nose, and she turned to see Lucy walking through the front door. "I have to go. Talk to you soon. Bye."
Giving her roommate a strange look, Lucy tilted her head to one side. "So...who were you talking to?"
"Oh…" Shrugging, Sue put her blackberry in her pocket and got up to put the groceries away. "My mom. She said to tell you hi."
Confused, Lucy shook her head. "But I thought you talked to your mom this morning…"
"I did, but I forgot to tell her something." Sue gave Lucy an irritated look. "Can't a girl talk to her mom whenever she feels like it?"
"Yes, of course." Lucy picked up the bottle of laundry detergent. "Sorry. I guess I was being nosy, wasn't I? I mean, you can talk to whoever you want..."
"It's no big deal. I don't really mind." Smiling, Sue put a package of hamburger into the refrigerator. "I think I'm going to straighten things up a bit before I start dinner. It looks like we have enough dog hair laying around here to make another dog…"
Lucy laughed as she scratched Levi's ears. "Too bad we can't make money selling it...we'd be rich, right, buddy?"
They both laughed as they began to get their apartment ready for company.
Oooooooooo
Glancing at the clock, Sue suddenly felt nervous as she thought about the upcoming evening. "I hope everything goes according to the plan. Wow...it's 5:30 already? I'd better go change. Now, what to wear…"
Walking into her bedroom, she stood before her closet for a few minutes, signing to herself as she considered her choices. "I think the pink shirt…or maybe the blue one...these jeans...hair down...earrings…check my makeup..."
She was so busy concentrating on her choices that she didn't realize Lucy was standing in the doorway, watching as her friend decided on her outfit.
"Hmm…," Lucy said to herself. "Something's definitely up. This is no ordinary dinner with friends...she's too concerned about her appearance for it to be that…"
Turning to get her earrings from her dresser, Sue was startled when she saw Lucy standing there. "Oh, hi. What's up?"
"Nothing, really…" Lucy wore a sly grin as she entered the room. "I was just wondering if I should set the table…"
"Yes, that's fine. I'll be right out to help you." Feeling awkward, Sue cleared her throat as she held up two hangers. "What do you think? Pink or blue?"
Laughing, her roommate walked over to the closet. "Neither. I think this one…" She pulled out a red sweater. "I happen to know Jack likes this one a lot. I heard him say something to Bobby about it when he didn't think I was listening…"
Rolling her eyes, Sue pretended to glare at her friend as she pulled the sweater from its hanger. "Are you sure you don't work for the CIA? Besides, why would I be concerned about what Jack likes me to wear?"
"Oh, I don't know." Lucy grinned as she watched Sue undo her ponytail. "Probably for the same reason that you're going to wear your hair the way he likes it." She chuckled as she dodged the wadded up sock that had been thrown at her. "I'll go see about setting the table…"
"Okay." Sue giggled as she slipped on the sweater, well aware of how it accentuated her curves. "Now...let's see if Lucy knows best."
Oooooooooo
Jack arrived promptly at 6, and Bobby showed up a few minutes later. Sniffing the air hungrily, both men grinned.
"Whoa...thanks for asking me to come to dinner, Sue.," Bobby said with a smile. "Something certainly smells delicious."
"It's almost ready." Winking at Jack, Sue produced a small tray from the refrigerator. "How about an appetizer while you wait?"
"Wait a minute...you bought sushi?" Picking up a small roll from the tray, Jack looked at her in surprise. "I thought you hated it…"
"But you like it, so I decided to give it another chance.," she said, choosing a piece of a California roll. "I tried a sample of this variety at the grocery store, and it was okay. Who knows? Maybe someday I'll be brave enough to actually try something raw…"
"Yeah...maybe someday." He paused, feeling his heart skip a beat as he saw the affectionate expression on her face. She tried sushi again to make me happy...because she loves me! I'm a lucky guy!
Taking another roll, he couldn't help but grin. "So what if I'm right and you decide you like sushi after all?"
"What if you're right?" She laughed as she handed the tray to Lucy. "Well, in that case...I'd say there's a first time for everything…"
Jack narrowed his eyes at her silly smirk. "Har de har...very funny…"
"I thought so." She paused as Levi nudged her leg. "Okay...I guess the timer's going off, so dinner's ready. Let's eat."
Oooooooooo
Dinner had been a smashing success, with the four friends enjoying good food and good company. Grinning broadly, Bobby pushed his plate away.
"Jack was right, Sue. You're an excellent cook." He wiped his mouth with a napkin and sat back in his chair. "I feel right full…"
"Oh, that's too bad. So no dessert for you, right?" Sue laughed as she rose from the table and picked up some of the dirty dishes. "Jack will be happy to hear that. When I made that layered ice cream dessert while we were undercover as the married couple, he practically licked the dish clean…"
"I did not!" Jack laughed as Sue narrowed her eyes at him. "Okay...so the only reason I didn't actually do that was because Levi beat me to it." He stood up and nudged Bobby. "Hey, hand me your plate, buddy...I'll help Sue with the dishes so we can have dessert sooner…"
"I'll help!," Lucy volunteered. "After all, Jack, you're our guest…"
"I don't mind!," he was quick to say. "Besides, like I told Sue when we were on that undercover job, the rule when I was growing up was that cooks don't have to clean, so the least I can do is help her pick stuff up, okay? I'll just carry the rest of them to the kitchen for her..."
Giving him a sly glance, Sue nodded. "It's really no big deal, Lucy. I'm just going to put them in the sink for now. Why don't you and Bobby relax in the living room for a few minutes? I'll be right back with the ice cream…"
After watching Jack and Sue carry the plates away, Bobby turned to Lucy. "They're in love up to their eyeballs, aren't they?"
"You're right. They were way too anxious to be alone with each other in the kitchen, weren't they?" Lucy chuckled softly. "Good call, Bobby."
"Yeah, well...I'm an observant federal agent, right? Hard to pull one over on me! Besides, it's pretty obvious..."
Lucy tilted her head to one side as she listened to the laughter coming from the kitchen. "So do you think they know that they're crazy about each other?"
"I dunno...maybe? Jack was pretty chipper when he called me this morning and asked me to dinner…"
"You know, Sue's been acting odd all day, too…"
Their conversation was quickly shut down as Sue came into the living room holding a glass serving dish and some bowls. Jack was following close behind with some spoons and napkins.
"Here we are, Bobby…" She handed him a bowl filled to the brim. "Enjoy…"
Bobby's eyes lit up with happiness as he took a spoonful. "Wow...this is good stuff!" He ate another big bite and winked at Jack. "You'd better hang on to this one, mate. A woman who can make desserts like this is a treasure."
"Yeah, I know." Blushing slightly, Jack concentrated on his own bowl. "Anyway, tell us what happened with SOG last night…"
"Nah, I don't wanna talk about work. Let's talk about something else. What do you think, Lucy? How's the old matchmaking thing goin'?"
Coughing softly before Lucy could answer, Sue put her bowl aside with a bright smile. "I know...let me put the ice cream away and then we can play a game."
"Nah...no need to put it away." Jack divided the last part of the ice cream between his bowl and Bobby's before putting the dish on the floor for Levi to lick. "See? Problem solved."
"So no leftovers. Right." Shrugging at Lucy, Sue continued. "As I was saying...I think we should play a game…"
"That sounds like a great idea." Jack grinned as he patted her knee affectionately. "What kind of game did you have in mind, Sugar?"
Ignoring Lucy's raised eyebrow, Sue quickly retrieved some notecards from a cabinet. "Well...it's like this. People are always asking me how I read lips, right? It takes practice, and it can be hard, because sometimes the words run together, so that you don't know where one word ends and another begins. You have to try to figure out what people are saying by using context clues and by knowing how words are usually put together." She held up the cards. "So I wrote some examples down, and I want you to see if you can guess what they mean, okay?"
Seeing everyone nod, she smiled as she showed them what the first card said. "Let's start with an easy one."
Nor eye tur non red
"Easy, you say?" Bobby shook his head in surprise. "Wow…"
"Just say it out loud a few times.," Sue prodded. "See if you can figure it out…"
"I got it!," Lucy blurted out after mumbling to herself for a minute or two. "No right turn on red!"
"Very good! So now we see how the game is played, right?" Handing a card to Jack, Sue smiled sweetly. "Let's see if you can get this one. It's kind of hard…"
He studied the words carefully, muttering them quietly to himself.
Gowol vereens bead dabad gers
Finally he threw up his hands in mock disgust. "Go Wolverines, beat the Badgers? No way...as a guy from Wisconsin, that's a terrible thing to make me say! I can't believe you had me say anything good about Michigan…" He pointed a finger at her as she giggled. "You'd better watch out, young lady, or you're gonna be in trouble…"
She quickly signed, "Sorry! I forgot!" before handing a card to Bobby. "Here...try this one…"
Ewe arun dera rest yayob bo
Bobby stared at the words for a few seconds, trying to make sense of the gibberish written on them. Finally, he shrugged at Sue. "I got nothing…"
She nodded. "Try saying it out loud…"
Shaking his head, he spoke softly. "Ewe arun dera…" Rolling his eyes he sat back in his chair. "You are under arrest, ya yobbo…"
The friends played the game for a few more minutes before Sue handed both Lucy and Bobby a card. "Since you've gotten the hang of it, these should be easy."
Lucy's card said...
Pleas beam eye may dove on her
...and Bobby's card said…
Uni to ren tatux edo bud dee
After studying it a few seconds, Bobby looked up in surprise. "You...I mean, I...need to rent a tuxedo? No way…," he began as he turned to Lucy. "Does this mean what I think it does?"
"Please be my maid of honor? Oh my God!," she squealed. "I hope so!"
The happy couple laughed as Sue held up the last card.
Jacken sewer gettin mar reed.
"Jack and Sue are getting married!" Bobby reached over to shake hands with his friend. "Congratulations!"
"Thanks!" Jack beamed happily at Sue. "We're so excited. Hey, you'll be my best man, right?"
Bobby gave a resolute nod. "Try and stop me!"
"Oh my God, Sue!," Lucy exclaimed happily. "I can't believe you hid this from me all day. When did this happen?"
Taking Jack's hand, Sue smiled. "Last night. I asked Jack to marry me…"
"And I said yes!" He bent over to give her a kiss. "I'm no fool…"
"So you knew last night and you didn't wake me up to tell me?" Lucy couldn't believe her ears. "And you didn't tell me this morning…"
"We decided to tell our parents first…," Sue began.
"And we thought it might be more fun to do it this way, too." Jack was grinning from ear to ear. "Were you surprised?"
Lucy hesitated for a minute. "Yes? No? Maybe? I mean, I've always known you two belonged together, but I guess I thought you'd...I don't know...date for awhile?"
"You sound like my Mom, Lucy." Sue giggled softly as she snuggled next to Jack. "We decided we didn't want to wait any longer than we had to. We both know how we feel about each other and what we want for our future."
Biting her lip, Lucy was suddenly concerned. "But what about that 'no dating in the division' thing? I assume you can't be married and work in the same division, right?"
"True.," Jack said softly. "That's why I took a new job with agent recruiting." Seeing Bobby's fleeting frown, he shrugged. "I'm gonna miss working with you, too, Crash, but hopefully you understand why I had to make a change...and it's not like we won't ever see each other every day if we want. I suggested to D that you take my spot as lead on the team."
"I completely understand, Sparky. If I had a chance to marry a woman like Sue, I'd do the same thing. By the way, mate...when is the wedding?"
Jack grinned as he looked at his bride to be. "April 30."
"Three months? Oh my goodness!" Lucy was shocked. "That's not much time to put everything together…"
"Well, as much as you like weddings, Lucy, I think you can help me out with everything." Sue smiled at Jack. "It's not going to be anything fancy, okay? It'll be fine…we just need the basics..."
"And I've already taken care of one little detail…" Grinning at Sue, Jack pulled a small velvet box from his pocket and handed it to her. "Here…"
"An engagement ring?" She gasped in happy surprise as she saw the diamond solitaire inside. "It's beautiful! But how did you know what I wanted?"
"When we were undercover as the married couple, you kept saying how much you liked the wedding ring you were wearing, so I called the guy in charge of that stuff at the Bureau and got the details, including the ring size. Do you really like it?"
Brushing away a tear from her cheek, she nodded. "I love it…"
"Okay then...put it on…"
She extended her hand and he slipped it on her finger. "I love you, Sue...thanks for asking me to marry you…"
"I love you, too, Jack…"
Lucy let go another ear splitting squeal as she looked at Sue's engagement ring. "It's gorgeous! Wow…"
"Good job, mate. I don't know how you managed to get a smart woman like Sue to fall in love with you, but more power to you. If anyone deserves to be happy, it's you two."
"Thanks, Bobby…"
Oooooooooo
The friends talked for an hour or so before Bobby stood up to leave. "Well, it's been an eventful evening, hasn't it? Good food and good news definitely go together. So I'll see you Monday, mate?"
"Yeah. I've got a few loose ends to tie up before I take that new job. I'll see you then. Bye."
Clearing her throat when Bobby left, Lucy picked up the dessert dishes. "I'm beat. I'm going to put these in the kitchen and then go to bed. Good night."
As Lucy left the living room, Jack pulled Sue close. "Alone at last.," he whispered, giving her a kiss. "So…" He reached behind her to turn off the lamp. "Here we are…just you and me, Sugar..."
"Very observant, Honey." She could see his silly smirk even in the dim light. "What's so funny?"
"Well…I was just thinking about when we kissed in that lawyer's office, and everyone gave us such a hard time about making out…"
"We weren't making out...we were undercover…," she protested "That's what you said...it was just a work thing…"
"Nope. We were making out...at least that's what I was doing." Seeing her surprise, he laughed out loud. "Yeah, I know I said it was just a work thing, but I never forgot how good it felt to kiss you, and seeing how you're wearing the same sweater tonight...and since we're engaged now, we don't have to make any excuses, right? Now we can make out anytime we want..."
"As long as we don't wake up Lucy…," Sue laughed before giving Jack a kiss.
"I think she's gonna be disappointed if we don't wake her up!," he laughed. "Come here." He took her into his arms and kissed her passionately. "You know what? I can't wait until we get our own place together so I never have to say good night and then leave."
"I know...I don't want you to leave, either." She caressed his cheek tenderly. "Maybe after church tomorrow we can go for a drive and figure out where we want to live. Would you like that?"
"Yeah, I would...especially if we can find a secluded place to park on the way home." He chuckled when she pretended to look shocked. "I thought you liked kissing me…"
She giggled as he nibbled on her ear. "I do...but you need to behave yourself until we get married…"
"Does this mean we're getting married tomorrow?" He waggled his eyebrows at her. "Because I'm not sure how long I can be good…"
"I think you can manage." She paused as her dog put his head on her lap. "Oh...sorry, Levi. I guess in all the excitement I forgot to take you for your walk, didn't I?"
"Fine. I guess I know how I rate now.," Jack chuckled. "You know, I think maybe someone's jealous of your affections."
"Well then, why don't you go with us? He might as well get used to you being around all the time, since we're going to be married."
"Very true. Alright...let's go for a walk."
After pulling on his jacket, Jack took Sue's hand in his. "You know, I wish I hadn't waited so long to tell you how I feel about you. I feel like I wasted so much time...time that we could've enjoyed spent together as a couple…"
Putting her hand over his heart, she shook her head. "I don't think it was wasted time. I think it was God's own time. I think I had to become confident in myself...in my own decisions about what I wanted out of life…"
"And maybe I needed to know what it would feel like to live my life without you." He shuddered slightly. "I can't stand to think about that...I almost lost you."
"But you didn't, and I didn't lose you...and so here we are. We're together now, just like we were meant to be all along."
"All along. I think I knew that was the end game from the moment I met you." Putting his hand over hers, he sighed. "I love you, Sue. You've made me so happy."
She smiled as she kissed him tenderly. "Me, too, Jack. Me, too."