I'm so happy with the response the first chapter received! I'm glad there are people who find this idea as funny as I do... :D

Chapter 2 - There Is No T-shirt
In which Jack receives another sign...from Erica!

Erica stood facing the door to Jack's office until he arrived to let her inside. She ducked in, head bowed to cover her blushing cheeks, and he closed the door behind them.

"It figures." Erica said as he crossed the room to get to his closet. "The one day I leave my house without a jacket..."

Jack let out a polite, nervous laugh in response to Erica's nervously sarcastic comment. He crouched in front of the closet and opened his gym bag, rummaging through it to find the promised shirt. He was too afraid to look at her directly, but from the corner of his eye he could see she was still holding her t-shirt tight in her fists. The size of her bust made it difficult for her to cover what needed to be covered. The fabric of her t-shirt had already been pulled tight across, and the slit that had been so abruptly created left a gaping, cleavage-revealing hole no matter how hard she pulled. Don't look. Jack thought to himself sternly. Don't look, don't look, don't look...

"I'm sorry..." he mumbled aloud. "I could have sworn I had an extra t-shirt in here..."

An idea came to him then. Jack was a gallant man, and giving anyone the shirt off his back was, in his mind, a small sacrifice. Giving Erica the shirt off his back was the perfect solution, for more than a few reasons. "Here," Jack said haltingly. "I'll just," He raised himself up from the crouch and turned cautiously to Erica, making sure to keep his eyeline from dipping below her neck. "I'll give you mine?" he offered, his fingers hesitating as they reached for his collar.

"Oh," Erica started and stopped, eyes widening in panic. "I...?"

"It's fine," Jack reassured her, though he was also trying to convince himself. "Father Travis will have something for me to borrow. I've got a t-shirt on underneath, it's really no big deal."

Erica smiled politely, and smile turned to sheepish grin as the absurdity of the situation hit her again. She watched Jack take off the white collar - removing the symbol of his priesthood - an action that meant more to her than perhaps it should have. It was only when he was out of that uniform that she allowed herself to think of him as a normal man, a man that it was okay to be attracted to. Now he was unbuttoning that black shirt, revealing the white t-shirt - wait, no, there was no t-shirt underneath, only his bare skin, bare skin and muscles, rippling muscles, toned pecs and washboard abs...

Erica's mouth moved, but it took a few seconds for any sounds to come out. Wow. She thought idly. He must work out with that punching bag every day. He's probably frustrated.

"Jack." she said, watching his waist as he untucked the dress shirt from the pants. "Jack, there's no t-shirt. You're not, you're not wearing a t-shirt underneath."
"What- ?" Jack looked down. "Oh." he said. He'd forgotten it that morning. What a coincidence. Now they were in the same position, upper bodies revealed. He didn't have to, but out of solidarity with Erica, Jack pulled his shirt closed and buttoned one button. "I'll ask Travis, we've got to have something here, even if it's from the donation bin..."

Oh god, now he's offering me clothes from a church's charity drive? Is there anything this man wouldn't do to me? I mean, for me?

"Jack." Erica said softly as he passed her on his way to the door. She transferred the fabric from her left hand to her right, and reached out for his arm. When she made contact, Jack froze in place, momentarily thrown from his strict range of vision. His gaze flicked all over her body, bouncing like a pinball. Erica didn't seem to notice; she was speaking very earnestly about...something? He couldn't tell, he could barely hear her.

"I want you to know that Ryan and I appreciate everything you do for us. We know it's not easy for you, pretending everything is okay while you're leading this double life as priest and freedom fighter. It's not easy for any of us, but you're so good, Jack. Your heart is so pure. It shines through in everything you do, even when what you're doing would be considered wrong under normal circumstances. I feel like I've been putting you in that position every day..."

Putting me in what position...? Jack's conscience slapped him back into the moment, her earnest words turning to innuendo in his fevered mind. The pinball started bouncing wildly. He felt trapped in place, not willing to move his arm lest he lose her touch, but still afraid to look at her. Did she realize her t-shirt was now gaping open at the top? The way she held her t-shirt closed only served to call attention to what she was trying to keep covered. Boobs! Jack's inner adolescent kept shouting, at which both his inner adult and inner child could only blush. In spite of his inner struggle, he was beginning to understand her words, and the fact that she cared about him as much as he cared about her. Jack cleared his throat, trying to respond.

"You know I don't mind helping you, Erica. It's the right thing to do. Without you and the Fifth Column, I'd be completely lost."

"I feel the same." said Erica, leading Jack to wonder if she knew what it would take for that to be true. "But maybe I've been relying on you too much. You're the only person I really trust, and...Jack? Jack, what's wrong?"

It looked like he was having trouble breathing, and he couldn't keep his eyes on one spot for more than a second.

"I'm so sorry, Erica, but I have to say it!" Jack looked straight at her cleavage, an awe-struck chuckle escaping his throat. "The Lord hath blessed you with an amazing rack!" Straight afterward, he looked absolutely horrified that he'd said it out loud. Erica was also beside herself with shock. Jack turned away, walking back toward his desk, and he missed the stunned smile that spread slowly across Erica's face. She was so happy he'd noticed.

"Oh, jeez..." Jack breathed, clearly losing it. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me lately, I just find myself...lusting after you, and I can barely control my thoughts let alone my words and heaven forbid my body should actually make contact with yours, I think my head would explode and you're always there, so patient, and, and understanding and strong, and when you smile at me I wonder if it means what I think it means and I-"

"Jack." Erica said sharply, interrupting the verbal barrage. Jack stopped talking, his jaw still slack, and his eyes, the eyes of a lost puppy, searched hers for some sort of meaning to the feelings he was fighting. She was smiling at him, like she was on the verge of laughter, and he thougt it would be as good a time as any to tell her,

"I'm in love with you." he blurted.

At this, Erica let go of her t-shirt, closed the distance between them, grabbed his face and kissed him. For a second, he was in shock and time felt frozen, but then Jack realized that this might be the only time he would get to experience a kiss from Erica, so he relaxed into it, wrapped his arms around her and kissed back. It was better than anything he'd imagined. Feeling her lips and her tongue and the curve of that amazing rack pressed against his chest made him feel alive in a way he thought he never would. Suddenly, Erica pulled her head back. They remained tangled in each other's arms.

"Tell me if you want me to stop." she breathed, in a rush to find out either way.

"I don't want you to stop." Jack replied desperately, shaking his head. "I never want you to stop."

Erica made their lips crash together again, even more turned on by the passion in his voice. It was getting steamy, but when his hands began to wander she made a sound; it started out as a moan but then became a protest, and she pulled her head back again.

"MM-, but, Jack, we're...you're a..." She didn't want to say it, she couldn't, not while she was in his arms and could still feel the skin of his bare stomach against hers.

"I know." he said woefully. "And it's the only reason we haven't done this already. I understand if you can't, though. If you want me to stop- "

"No." Erica interrupted him. "I don't want you to stop either." She looked into his eyes, and it made him feel like a wish he'd made as a little boy had just come true. He didn't know it yet, but the innocence in the wide eyes that looked back at her inspired thoughts so naughty they would have made Hobbes blush.

Jack wanted it. Father Travis was all for it. Even God was into the idea. Now he just needed a sign from Erica.

She stepped back and took the sides of her shirt in her hands, but instead of pulling it closed, she pulled hard in the opposite direction, tearing the fabric clean through in one smooth motion.

"I don't need a t-shirt, Jack." she said, pulling the fabric away from her body and tossing it aside. "I need you."

Jack gulped. He looked down at her breasts, at her belly button and the button of her jeans, and then back up again, looking into her smoldering eyes.

Bless me father, they both thought. For I am about to sin.