- Sue, Jack! – D stepped into the bullpen. The trial in the Perkins – case starts soon. Garrett wants you to be there as well.
- All right – Jack replied. – I have to check a few more files and we can go.
- I hope our suspect won't be acquitted – Myles threw a file on his desk. – I wouldn't like having to search for him again once we have enough proof for his arrest.
- We'll do everything for that – Tara said.
- OK, we can go – Jack looked at Sue, then hurriedly put the things on his desk in order. The woman went to get her coat, but Jack was quicker and helped her with it. Sue smiled at the man, then grabbed Levi's leash and headed to the door.
- We'll meet later! – Jack said and followed the woman.
A little later Jack and Sue arrived at the court.
- Do you think he will be acquitted? – Sue asked, entering the building.
- Unfortunately, as things are standing now, this isn't impossible at all… - the man sighed. – But let's hope the team and the guys in the lab will find something…
- We have gone through the whole case so many times, sometimes I start doubting we can solve this anytime soon… - Sue admitted.
- We'll succeed – Jack smiled encouragingly. – Soon the culprit will be behind bars and we can close this case as well.
- I hope that too… And if you say that, it will definitely be so – Sue smiled back. – Can I leave you alone for a few minutes? I'll come back in a moment – she said, and, not waiting for the man's answer, went away.
The woman exited the room, where one of her meetings had just ended, and watched the picture before her contentedly. You are here at last, close to me... where you should have always been. But you can't escape now… The moment, for which I have been waiting for years, has come at last. She headed to the man's direction, and smiled when he noticed her.
- Hi, Jack!
- Rhonda! – the man said surprised. He hadn't seen the woman for years… he broke up with her when Sue entered his life. He knew immediately that Sue was the One for him… and since their meeting he hadn't dated any women. This was strange from a man like Jack Hudson… but when Sue stormed into the bullpen on that morning, he knew that she was the one he wanted… from that on, no women existed for him, just Sue.
He wasn't happy about this encounter… He closed their relationship for good then, but he knew that Rhonda couldn't accept this. He knew the woman still wanted him… although his heart belonged to someone else. Sue. When he saw the love of his life approaching, he came to a decision.
- I'm back – Sue said, as he got beside Jack. To her greatest surprise, the man kissed her cheek and put his arms around her shoulders.
- Hi, honey. Rhonda, do you remember Sue? – he asked.
The lawyer forced a smile on her face.
- Yes, of course. Glad to meet you again – she said, but it was obvious she didn't feel this way.
- I'm glad too – Sue smiled.
- And, how long have you been together? – Rhonda pretended to be interested in what she was asking.
- Unfortunately, not as long as I would have liked, although I have known for years that she is the woman I love – he tightened his embrace around Sue. Rhonda wanted nothing more than to run away; she found it hard to bear that the man whom she wanted for herself was in love with someone else.
- I'm glad you've found happiness – the lawyer continued smiling, although she didn't feel this way at all. – Nice to meet you, but I have to run now. I hope we'll meet sometimes in the future – she said just for politeness, but hoped that she wouldn't have to see them together again.
- Sorry – Jack released Sue, after Rhonda was out of eyeshot. – I just didn't want her to believe that there is a chance to continue our relationship… Those few weeks we were together was just enough. If only you knew that… I would like nothing more than being with you… But I don't want you to believe that I am doing this just to keep my ex-girlfriends away from me.
- Sure, I understand… - Sue nodded, barely able to hold her tears back. I could have thought that this scene wasn't real… But what were you expecting, Sue Thomas? That a man like Jack Hudson would admit in tears that he is in love with you, and that you are the only woman in his life? Dreaming is good, but now it would be good if you woke up.
- Can we go? – Jack asked, bringing the woman back from her musing. Sue nodded, and they headed towards the courtroom. I hope all this will end soon and I can tell you how much I love you and you are the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.
- How did the trial go? – Tara asked, when Sue and Jack got back to the bullpen.
- We managed it to be postponed… So we have some more time to collect evidence – Jack replied. – But this is not the most important… Guess who the lawyer of our suspect is…
- I have a few ideas, but I'll rather wait for you to tell it to us… - Myles replied.
- Rhonda Walters, in person…
- Rhonda… your ex-girlfriend Rhonda? – Lucy asked in disbelief.
- Yes, exactly… - Jack replied, not enthusiastic at all.
- And what did she say when she saw you? – Myles asked. – She can't have too pleasant memories of you; after all, you broke up with her so suddenly…
- If you want to know it, she was very happy, but I can't tell this about myself… - Jack grumbled. – But couldn't we talk about something else?
- We visited Bobby in the hospital – D said. – He is recovering well and he will hopefully regain his memory soon. Darcy is with him all the time and will tell us if there is any change in his condition – he added.
- As for the case, we haven't really found out anything new… We are still waiting for the results from the lab, hopefully they will provide us with enough evidence – Tara informed them. – Hopefully Baker will also regain his consciousness and will tell us what he saw.
- OK… If there is nothing new, I think we have finished for today… Maybe tomorrow we'll be luckier –Jack said. – I still have a few things to do, so I'm leaving… Is anyone coming?
- Now that you were so generous to offer that we can go home, I wouldn't miss the opportunity… - Tara smiled.
- I'm also almost done with the daily paperwork and will go home after that… - Sue said. – I believe I'll sleep all afternoon, this day has been really tiring… I've finished, we can go! Lucy, are you coming?
- I think I'll join you in sleeping… this paperwork is terrible, I'm really exhausted.
- Then we can go – Jack said and left the bullpen, following his colleagues.
Jack was standing under the shower after the tiring day and thought back on the events of the past hours, as the hot water cascaded down his body. So Rhonda is the lawyer of our suspect… She defends Joshua Davis… the man who killed Harold Perkins… He didn't expect to see the woman again after all these years. It took him completely by surprise when the woman suddenly appeared… and he wasn't happy about that. Throughout the years he realized that he should have never gone out with her… but at that time he was the type of man who could hardly resist women's attractiveness. But then Sue entered his life… and suddenly everything changed. From that on, he was interested in no other woman… And he, Jack Hudson, who was famous of his high popularity among women, didn't date any of them any more. Sue stole his heart… and Jack knew he could only be happy with her… that she is the woman beside whom he wants to fall asleep every night and wake up in her arms every morning. The woman with whom he wants to spend the rest of his life with.
On the evening of Bobby's birthday party, when Rhonda appeared, he saw the pain in Sue's eyes… He would have done everything to be able to tell her that Rhonda was just one woman among the others… that this relationship didn't mean anything to him. But Sue ran away, and Rhonda didn't let him go after her… although at that moment, this was what his heart told him to do. At their next meeting he put an end to the relationship… He knew they didn't have a future together and didn't want the woman to believe otherwise, since he knew he fell deeply in love with Sue.
Rhonda didn't bear the break-up easily… she tried to get him back, called him for months, waited for him at his office or apartment… Jack repeated in vain over and over again that their relationship was over. When these attempts stopped, Jack thought the woman accepted his decision… And now she was here again. As a lawyer of a criminal. I hope all this will be over soon, and leave each other's lives for ever… And that I can be with the woman I love more than anything.
He turned the tap off, and putting a towel around him, he stepped out of the shower. Entering his room, he stretched his arms to grab his T-shirt, when he heard the sound of the bell. Still in the towel, he went to the entrance door… and was surprised to see who his visitor was. Sue was standing before him… The woman didn't expect that the body of the man would only be covered by a towel when opening the door. She stared at Jack's bare, muscular chest in amazement… and wished the towel to fall off the man. Sue, what are you thinking of, stop this stupid fantasy! – she tried to instruct herself, but her brain didn't obey. She could only think of what it would be like to touch Jack's perfect chest… to stroke it, then shower it with kisses… Suddenly she realized she couldn't take her eyes off the man.
- Sue, are you OK? – Jack asked worriedly.
- What? – the woman recovered from her musing. – Yes, I'm OK… sorry, I was just thinking.
- And what were you so lost in? – Jack asked with his irresistible smile.
- I… well… Wouldn't you take something on? It's quite hard to concentrate on what I want to say… - Sue replied. No, Jack, don't take anything on! You are perfect this way… Well… almost perfect… You are just a little overdressed…
But the man looked at her apologetically and headed to his room to get dressed.
- Sorry, I had just stepped out of the shower when you came… But I'll get dressed in a minute, I'll be right back.
- So, what can I thank your visit for at this late time? – Jack asked a few minutes later, already dressed. Sue had to admit that the man looked breathtaking in his jeans and T-shirt as well.
- New information in the Perkins - case. I was just told that now we can arrest Davis.
Sue knew that she didn't need to come to Jack's apartment to let the man know about the news, it would have been enough to phone him… But she grabbed every opportunity to see him, so on this evening, she purposely walked there with Levi. And what a good decision it was… she still couldn't get rid of the previous scene, when Jack opened the door wearing a single towel… although she didn't really want to do that.
They arrived at the bullpen soon, where the others were already waiting for them.
- The doctor told me a short time ago that Bobby regained his memory, and Baker also regained consciousness and is ready to tell us what he saw – D informed them. – The description Baker gave matches Davis exactly, and as the results from the lab show, the bullet found in the victim is from Davis' gun… And he did have a reason to kill Perkins. They had a serious difference of opinion… the victim didn't agree with an initiation Davis supported, and what would have brought great profit… so Davis thought if he kills Perkins, the initiation is accepted and he gains a lot of money.
- As for the person in the car, both Bobby and Baker identified the culprit – D continued. – They both recognized Rhonda Walters in the person who drove the vehicle. The examinations in the lab also proved this, while the evidence found on the scene proves unambiguously that the crime was caused with her car.
- Rhonda Walters, the lawyer? – Myles asked in disbelief. – Jack, you could choose your girlfriends better… - he looked at his colleague, after D nodded. Jack gave him a „stop it, I know that myself as well" – look.
- Yes, exactly. She is the lawyer of Joshua Davis… and since too much was at stake at the result of the trial, she thought she would leave nothing for chance, and get rid of the eyewitness who could have the suspect imprisoned and thus would deprive her of the honour of winning a trial of such a great importance. And Bobby's presence wasn't desirable for her either, as the leader of the case… and thus she wanted to remove him as well from the way.
- How can anyone be so evil… - Sue mused.
- The promise of success and money can make people do lots of things… - D looked at her. – Davis was arrested a short time ago – he added -, now it's Rhonda's turn.
The woman opened the door with a smile on her face when she saw her visitor.
- Jack! – she exclaimed. – I wouldn't have thought I would see you again so soon…
- Rhonda Walters, I arrest you with the charge of attempted murder – he said, then told the woman her rights.
- But Jack… How can you do this to me? We spent such a great time together…
- The attempt to murder an FBI-agent is a very serious crime by itself… but this is about two attempts of murder – Jack replied coldly. – I would have never thought that you are capable of such a thing.
- But Jack… I love you… - Rhonda looked at him, but the man handed her over to his colleagues to take her away.
- It's over at last – Jack sighed, looking at Lucy, who was standing beside him. – I hope that with this, she left my life for ever.
- Jack, calm down. I know it was a great shock you had to arrest her, since you were close to each other at a time… But it's over now, and think of what is waiting for you in the future. For example, tomorrow is Valentine's Day…
- Indeed, and I would like to ask something from you… I would like to prepare a surprise for Sue.
Lucy listened to the plan smiling. Tomorrow is the most romantic day of the year… and they will get together at last.