CONGRATULATIONS phyl7375! (part 1)

NOTE: I tried imagining what kind of ice cream Sue and Jack would like. Their flavors suits them, right? I tried looking up what flavors are Deanne's and Yannick's, but I couldn't find anything. If anyone knows, I'll change the flavors!

?-? While Jacks is dreaming; LISTEN TO: the second part of I'll Wait For You by Moriah Peters (after the first chorus).

Jack was happy when he arrived home. It was a long day, and he predicted that it was going to be a long day the next day as well. As he was getting ready for bed, he smiled, thinking of what he was thinking about that morning. He smiled as he drifted off into sleep

20 year old Jack looked around. His friends told him to meet at the ice cream shop on the corner. They said they had the perfect girl for him. Only he didn't see them, or the girl anywhere. It was summer break, after his first year at college. It was nice to see all his old friends again.

"Excuse me." 15 year old Sue said. He was blocking the doorway, and she wanted to go inside to meet her friends.

He looked at her and smiled. "Have I met you before?"

She studied him. "Maybe, you seem familiar to me."

"Would you like an ice cream?"

She smiled widely. "Sure!"

They both walked inside and sat at the counter.

"What would you like?" He asked, reading the menu on the wall.

"Sorry, did you say something? I wasn't looking. I'm Deaf, so I read lips."

"Oh, sorry." Jack replied. "I asked what ice cream would you like."

She smiled, looking at the board. "The chocolate mint chip sounds really good." She looked at him.

Just then, the man came by to take their orders. "A scoop of chocolate mint chip, and a scoop of chocolate peanut crunch please." Jack said to him. He nodded, then started their order.

Soon, their ice cream was delivered. Sue took a spoonful, put it in her mouth, and closed her eyes, enjoying the cool desert. "Mmm. This is so good."

Jack smiled as he watched her eat, letting his melt. She noticed this.

"Hey! You haven't taken a bite!" she exclaimed.

Jack looked down. "I guess I haven't." He then took a spoonful. "So…" he started, trying to think of some conversation. "You come here often?" As soon as he said it, he knew it was a dumb question.

She smiled. "Sometimes."

He nodded. "Me too. The ice cream's really good here."

They sat in silence for the rest of the desert, just enjoying each other's company. Just as they were finishing, Jack's friends bounded through the door.

"Jack! Come on! Stop eating ice cream, let's go!" his one friend said.

"In a minute." He said, turning to Sue. Just as he was about to say something to her, her friends came through the door, speaking and signing a mile a minute. She turned to her friends.

"US-FIVE GO NOW" her one friend signed.

Sue nodded. "OK. One minute." She said and signed, turning to Jack.

In that moment, they knew they needed to say something, but didn't know what to say. Then their friends pulled their arms, pulling them in the direction they wanted to go. The two just wanted to stay with each other.

"Who was that guy?" One of her friends asked after Jack's friends pulled Jack out of the ice cream store.

"I don't know," she replied, smiling.

Jack smiled as soon as he woke up in the morning. It was a good dream. But the dream was over, so it was time to get ready for work. He grumbled as he got out of bed, but then smiled, realizing he'd see Sue there.

?-?

"Can you help me with this?" Stanley asked Tara soon after they'd arrived at the bullpen that morning. She ignored him, continuing her work. "Please?"

She glared at him. "Why?" she asked coldly.

He paused, trying to think of an answer that she'd accept. "Because you're the best person I know who can access IP address locations." He finally said.

She looked at him, scanning him. "Aright." She finally said.

He happily smiled, squeezing himself and his computer next to Tara, showing her what he needed done.

"So, how's Anabelle?" she asked, trying to make some conversation.

Stanley stared at her. "I didn't even know you knew my wife's name."

Tara shrugged, not stopping her typing. "We still have many of the same friends. Some like to brag how you're doing so great. Honestly, I try to tune it out, but sometimes things stick, like her name."

He sort-of smiled. "She's good. The kids are too. I miss them a lot."

She quickly turned to him. "Like you 'missed' me?"

Hurt quickly formed in his eyes. "Tara, I told you I was sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just got caught up in work, that was all."

"All those times, you just got 'caught up in work'. You sure it wasn't something else?" she asked as she turned to her computer again so he wouldn't see her tears.

"Tara," he started, but didn't know how to continue. "I'm sorry. If you don't believe me now, OK, but I will keep on telling you that I'm sorry until you actually believe it. Maybe even after that happens, too. Our needs from each other just became so drastically different. You needed someone to be there for you all the time, and I just needed someone to come home to." He smiled. "You have to admit, we have always worked really well together."

Tara slightly smiled, wiping away a tear that had trickled down her cheek. "Yeah, that's the one thing we always have been good at."

He smiled, seeing he finally was getting through to her. "I have an idea. Since I am now on this case, I probably won't be home for Valentine's day. How about you come with me and help me pick out something to send my apologies with to Anabelle?"

Tara started laughing. "You always were bad at picking out things."

Stanley laughed along with her. "Remember that one year anniversary ring I bought you?"

Tara laughed. "Yeah, it was 4 sizes too large."

"Then we couldn't return it, because I got it on sale." He smiled at the memory.

Tara became serious. "I still have that, it's on a necklace chain." She whispered.

He looked at her surprised, but didn't say anything.

"I still have everything." She mostly said to herself, then went back to her research. It got a bit too painful to laugh anymore.

He smiled, and watched her work.

"They're getting along nicely now." Sarah whispered to Sue as she passed her desk.

Sue nodded, watching the two.

Soon, Tara's research was finished. "I have results!" She exclaimed to the group.