9

Mistaken Identity

Rating: K

Disclaimers: Not mine

A/N: It's been a long time since the last chapter but I think the wait will have been worth it. Bobby and Sue are together! The reviews for the last chapter were wonderful and very encouraging. Thank you to all of you who took the time to read and/or review. All suggestions are carefully considered. Your interest and support are very much appreciated. One more chapter to go.

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Chapter 6

The restaurant was filled with couples celebrating Valentine's Day. As he and Sue chatted about everything except the day's events, Bobby found his thoughts kept returning to the case and how fragile relationships could be. Monica Temple's future with a man she loved ended before it really began. Drew Stoddard never got a chance to propose to the woman he loved. Daniel Pressman lost the love of his life—fifty years together hadn't been enough.

That's how he felt about Sue. Three years, thirty or more—it wouldn't be enough. He wanted to be with her. He needed to be with her. He came to a decision.

"Sue," he said suddenly as she was about to take a sip of water.

She blinked at the abruptness of his question and the urgency in his expression. Slowly she lowered her glass, "Yes?"

"Do you remember our conversation in the stairwell?"

She nodded with a smile. It had been the brightest spot of her day, "I do."

He reached for her hand. "I love you," he stated quietly.

A warm glow spread through her at his words. "I love you, too," she admitted just as quietly.

"I want to be able to see you," he said seriously, "…to be with you."

"I feel the same way, Bobby," she agreed wistfully. "But there's still the Bureau's no dating policy among team members."

"Then I'll transfer," he declared emphatically.

"You can't do that!" she protested, startled at his decision.

"Why not?" he challenged. "We could see each other openly and that could lead to…to other things in our future," he added meaningfully.

There was a quick intake of breath as his eyes clearly communicated his intent.

"Maybe I should be the one to transfer," she suggested breathlessly.

He shook his head quickly. "No. You stay with the team. I'll transfer."

"You've been with them for years, Bobby," Sue protested. "I'm the newcomer. I should transfer."

"No," he said firmly. "I want you to stay."

"But…"

"It would make me feel better to know you're with the team," he interrupted squeezing her hand for emphasis.

"Can we talk this over?"

"We can talk about it all you want but it won't change my mind," he warned her.

"I've been known to be pretty persuasive," she said lightly.

"So can I…when it's important enough and this is important…to me…to us." His blue-grey eyes gazed into her dark green ones.

"This discussion is not over," Sue replied spiritedly.

"I didn't think it would be, but I'll enjoy discussing it further with you," he grinned in delighted anticipation.

"Are you open to continuing this in private?" she asked pertly.

"Oh but definitely, Miss Thomas," he responded with a wicked grin as he signaled the waiter for their bill.

In a few minutes, they were ready to leave. As they stood up to depart, Bobby reached for Sue's hand and laced his fingers through hers. At her questioning look, he replied gently, "No more hiding. We're off duty."

Sue just smiled and tightened her grip.

"I know just the place to continue this conversation," suggested Bobby. "Somewhere private where we won't be disturbed."

"Lead on, Special Agent Manning," she answered.

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"D….D," Donna reached over and tapped his hand to get his attention. "Honey?"

"Huh? What?"

"What's so fascinating?" she asked curiously. "You haven't heard a word I've said for the past five minutes."

"Bobby's here."

"Bobby? Where?" she asked scanning the restaurant with interest. She knew he hadn't been dating since Darcy left. After a few seconds, she became aware that her husband hadn't responded. Curiously, she turned to look at him.

"Would you come here for dinner with a friend? A very close friend?" D asked in a carefully neutral tone.

Frowning at his apparent non sequitor, she scoffed, "On Valentine's Day? At these prices? I think not."

"That's what I thought."

"Why? What's going on? Does this have anything to do with Bobby?"

"Uh-huh."

Frustrated, Donna resisted the urge to shake her recalcitrant husband, "Dimitrius Gans, what aren't you telling me?"

"He's here with Sue."

"What?" blinked Donna in surprise. "Are you saying…you mean…Bobby and Sue?" Her voice trailed away as the full impact of the situation became clear. Well aware of the no dating policy among team members, she asked carefully, "What are you going to do?" As their supervisor, D could not turn his back on the situation now that he was aware of it.

"Nothing for now," was his surprising response. In fact, since this morning when he'd become aware something might be going on between the two, he'd begun making discreet inquiries about the no dating policy. Rumor mill had it that there was change coming—and possibly soon.

"Are you going to talk to them?"

"As their supervisor, I should."

Donna eyed her husband. Never a fountain of conversation, sometimes he could be aggravating in his reticence. "But?"

"Let's just say I may not need to say anything and just leave it at that. All right, honey?"

She looked contemplatively at D. He had something up his sleeve but wasn't ready to share—yet. Well, being married to an FBI agent had taught her one thing—patience. Her eyes narrowed as she discreetly watched Bobby and Sue threading their way among the tables.

She turned to her husband with a thoughtful expression, "You might have to speed up your timetable to not say anything."

His brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

She nodded towards the pair as they headed towards the door. The look on their faces was unmistakable—they were in love.

He sighed. He'd better talk to Bobby and Sue tomorrow. Their relationship was much more serious than he first realized.

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"Do you mind Jonathan sent those roses?" asked Sue as she snuggled in Bobby's arms.

For a moment, a ripple of jealousy surfaced, then quickly disappeared. Sue loved him. She was in his arms. He pulled slightly away so she could see his lips. "Would you believe me if I said no?"

Her eyes twinkled. She saw his face after she read the card and it wasn't a happy one. "Is that your final answer…your honest final answer?" she teased.

"Why should I mind when a handsome, mysterious, secret agent sends the woman I love, an expensive and extravagant bouquet of roses on Valentine's Day?" he grimaced facetiously.

"Beats me," Sue grinned. "So why are you frowning?" She gently smoothed the creases in his forehead.

"Because although I trust you implicitly," he stated righteously, "that does not mean I trust the gentleman equally as much. I think I should be allowed to feel a tad bit suspicious of Secret Agent Man's motivations."

"His name is Jonathan," she corrected him gently. "You're being silly, you know," she chastised lightly, shaking her head. "Motivations or not, you have nothing to worry about."

"I know," he said cheerfully. "Can't help it. However, if you would like to demonstrate to me that any and all concerns I may have of another man sweeping you off your feet are groundless, feel free to do so," he invited with a slightly lascivious grin.

In response, her hands framed his face and pulled him closer for a thoroughly satisfying kiss. "Are you convinced?" she said breathily.

"Not yet," he whispered bending over her.

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"I should walk, Levi," Sue insisted as she inserted her key in the lock. "He's not Lucy's responsibility."

"It's late," Bobby said firmly. "I'll go with you."

"You don't have to. The neighborhood is safe. Besides, Levi will protect me if anything happens."

"I'll protect you if anything happens," he corrected. "Go get Levi."

"All right," she conceded as she pushed the door open. "I'll just be a…."

She stopped when she spotted Lucy sitting on the couch TV on. "Lucy," she said in surprise. "I…I didn't think you...I wasn't…"

"Couldn't sleep," replied Lucy. She turned off the TV with the remote as she yawned, "I was just about to go to bed."

Peering at the mantle clock, she exclaimed, "It's almost midnight! Where…?" her voice trailed off. "It took you this long to finish the manpower report?" she asked in astonishment.

"Um…" fumbled Sue, unsure of what to say.

"No, she had dinner with me," announced Bobby as he appeared beside Sue.

"That must have been one heck of a waiting line at the restaurant." Lucy's eyes darted from the tall man to her roommate.

Bobby and Sue exchanged glances and at her slight nod, he grinned and slipped his arm around her shoulders. Lucy's jaw dropped and her eyes widened in surprise as Sue's hand reached up to hold his.

"I see." There was a pause as she assimilated this new development. "When did this happen?"

"About four months ago," answered Sue, smiling happily at Bobby.

"Four months ago…four months ago,"' muttered Lucy wracking her brain. "Wait a minute." She peered at them suspiciously. "Was that the night you went to that benefit dinner?"

They nodded as their matching smiles illuminated their happiness.

"I knew it! I knew it!" Lucy crowed in delight, "I thought something happened when you brought Sue home but when I didn't see anything after that I thought it was my imagination because I was watching one of my most favorite movies so I thought it was coloring my judgment a little and you know how I love that movie. It's so romantic. So when I saw Sue I wondered…what?"

Bobby and Sue exchanged amused glances of affection at their excited friend.

"I'm talking too much, aren't I?" Lucy said ruefully, but she couldn't contain her excitement as she added quickly, "You gotta tell me all about it."

"I thought you were ready for bed."

"I'm wide awake now," she declared.

Bobby flashed a grin. "Well, you just have to wait. We're walking Levi, remember?"

"I already walked him."

"Then would you mind giving us a few minutes while I say good-night to Sue/"

Lucy snorted. "Don't take too long. There's not much of the night left and I want to hear it all!"

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The two women stayed up into the wee hours of the morning discussing the new developments in Sue's life.

"I can't believe you didn't say something to me!" Lucy said in incredulity. She looked nonplussed. "For that matter, I can't believe I didn't suspect anything."

"We didn't want to say anything because we weren't sure where our relationship was going," explained Sue placatingly.

"And now?"

"I can't imagine my life without him," Sue said simply.

Lucy looked affectionately at her friend. "I can't say I'm totally surprised."

"You're not?" Sue was taken aback. Lucy had given her every indication that she had wanted Sue paired with Jack.

Lucy continued as if Sue had voiced her thoughts out loud. "Much as I like Jack—and he's a great guy—I wondered why it was taking him so long to make a move. Was it because women usually throw themselves at him. I thought maybe he wasn't used to a woman who waited for the guy to make the first move."

"Then David came along and he was a really great guy, too," continued Lucy, "and you seemed to really like him but things didn't work out there."

Sue found herself nodding in agreement. In retrospect, she realized why she hadn't been able to accept David's proposal or why a deeper relationship with Jack wasn't possible. It had taken her the past four months to acknowledge that it had been Bobby who had touched her heart in a most unexpected way from the beginning. The spark of attraction from the moment they'd met had grown steadily and inexorably into love.

"And of course," said Lucy, "Bobby was involved with Darcy and when Bobby is in a relationship that's the one person in his life."

"Have there been many women?" The question slipped out before Sue could stop herself. She looked aghast at Lucy. "Forget I asked that."

"He's dated but there've been only a couple of serious relationships," Lucy supplied ignoring Sue's last comment.

Against her will, Sue waited for Lucy to continue.

"It was always the job," shrugged Lucy. "You know how demanding it is and how unpredictable. They couldn't handle the erratic hours, not knowing if he'd show up or cancel a date. That's another reason I'm not totally surprised you and Bobby found each other. I always thought he needed someone who really understood his job. The others made him choose between them and the job. He always chose the job. With you, he has the best of both worlds. Although…" she looked at Sue thoughtfully, "from the looks of things, I do think he'd choose you if it came down to it." She smiled indulgently as Sue blushed, "So, what's next?"

"It's business as usual and we keep our relationship out of the office," stated Sue, "and hope it'll be a long time before anyone notices what's going on between us. When that happens, I wanted to be the one to transfer but Bobby insisted I stay with the team."

Lucy understood Bobby's reasoning. He knew the team would support her in every way. Even after all this time, there were still people within the agency who didn't feel Sue belonged in the FBI let alone out in the field.

"Good plan. I'll help you in any way I can," Lucy promised. "Now, we need to get some sleep—although I'm not sure what good three hours of sleep is going to do for us," she smothered a yawn as she glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece.

"I don't know if I can sleep," confessed Sue. "I'm just so…so…?"

"Happy? Delighted? Overjoyed?" Lucy suggested humorously.

"All those and more." Sue was literally glowing with happiness.

Lucy stared at her friend fondly. "Well, I'm happy you're happy, but I need my beauty sleep. C'mon," she said throwing an arm over Sue's shoulder. "Try to get some sleep. Maybe you'll dream about Bobby," she teased gently.

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