A/N: A little later than I intended but enjoy :-D

o-xxx-o

26th December (Boxing Day, UK)

"Jack, forget it, it isn't important." Sue stroked his arm reassuringly as they walked back across the park after meeting Jenny's father for the first time.

"Yes, it is. He had no right to treat you that way... as though..."

"I was some kind of an idiot." She finished for him.

"Exactly, he was just lucky I didn't have my gun." The anger and frustration were evident in his eyes.

"I can just see the headline now." She wrote on an imaginary screen with a gloved hand. "'Rogue F.B.I Agent shoots father of two in front of his young daughter at Christmas.'"

"I was thinking more along the lines of 'Hero F.B.I Agent rids world of offensive bigot.'" He almost laughed. "It just makes me so mad."

"I know. But Jack, there are always going to be people like him and, from time to time, we'll run into them. You can't fight them all."

"I could try." He fell silent for a moment. "Please tell me that I never treated you like that when we first met, even unknowingly."

"Of course you didn't, you were kind and understanding, and since that day you've gone out of your way to make things easier for me. Tara, Lucy, D and Bobby have too."

"And Myles..?"

"In the end, but it took him a long while to accept me, remember? Everyone's different. I choose to ignore people like Jenny's father because they're not worth my time or energy. Their attitude only reflects on them, not me. I'm comfortable with the way I am and if they're not it's their problem." She paused for a moment to see if he was going to comment but his mouth remained in a grim line. "And anyway, his hostility wasn't just directed at me. He didn't seem to like the fact that Levi had a biblical name or that you were a 'Fed'. He looked positively edgy about that, maybe you should check him out."

"I noticed that too but," he shrugged. "I don't know. Unless he's a mass murderer or something perhaps I'm better off not knowing."

She put a hand on his arm this time to stop him, her brow furrowed. "Why?"

"It's Christmas and he has at least two, young kids. He may not be much of a role model but he's the only father they have." She leaned in and kissed him softly. "What's that for?"

"To thank you..."

"For what..?"

"...Being you"

Jack shook his head in bewilderment. "Shall we go?"

"Where's Levi?" She looked around just in time to see him chasing something across the now invisible grass. "Levi no..! I don't think that's a good..." She stopped short when she saw the dog run full tilt into the bushes only to reappear seconds later covered in snow. "I told you it wasn't a good idea," she scolded as he returned to her side. The Lab put a paw over his nose and she turned to Jack accusingly. "Are you laughing at him?"

"Sorry," he bent down and gave the Lab an apologetic scratch before looking up at Sue. "...But it is pretty funny."

His smile was infectious and she couldn't help but join in until she noticed the strange look on his face. "What?"

"A déjà vu moment..."

"Care to share?"

"It reminded me of the first time I came to see you at your place over the bowling alley." She frowned and waited for him to continue. "You were soaking wet and Levi was covered in bubbles."

"Oh..."

"And you offered me a cookie-to-go."

Sue felt her cheeks start to burn as they coloured in embarrassment. "I was hoping you'd forgotten about that."

"No chance." He grinned. "I intend to share that story with my grandchildren. Anyway, I didn't know you well enough to ask then so I'm asking now. Why was he covered in bubbles?"

"He needed a bath and I was having one so I thought we'd share and save on water." She explained with a perfectly straight face.

"You... He..?"

"No you idiot! The first time you rang the bell he came running to tell me and I managed to stop him. The second time he just jumped right in. It took me almost an hour to clean up the mess!"

He laughed again and pulled her close as they made their way home.

o-xxx-o

Later that day Jack sat on the couch deep in thought as he tried to decide what to do about Jenny's father, only looking up when Sue came in from the kitchen.

"All done," she sighed, unconsciously playing with the pendant at her throat. Seeing Jack smile she looked at him curiously.

"You really like that, don't you?"

Realising what she was doing she returned his smile with one of her own. "So much I'm not sure I'm ever going to take it off. I just wish..."

"What?"

"I wish I could have thought of something a little more original for you. It's nice but..."

"Sue, I love it. Of course, I'd probably appreciate it a whole lot more if I ever got the chance to actually wear it." He looked her up and down, shaking his head.

"You want it back?"

"It would be nice. After all, it was supposed to be my present."

"Then you'd better come and get it, hadn't you?" She'd barely managed a step before he grabbed her and they both tumbled to the floor laughing. His fingers slipped under the sweater, the amusement fading from his face when he made contact with her soft, bare skin and changing into something else.

"I don't know what it is you do to me Sue Thomas but please, don't ever stop." He captured her mouth in a long and passionate kiss which deepened as his hand slid over her ribcage and higher, their tongues duelling, and then suddenly he pulled away.

Sue moaned in frustration. "Jack..."

"Phone..." he signed and spoke at the same time.

"Leave it."

"It stopped. Now, where were we?"

"I believe you were trying to persuade me to give you back your sweater."

"Oh, yeah..." Lowering his head to hers he groaned when the phone rang again and tried to ignore it, but the caller was persistent and when Levi came running over to let Sue know, Jack surrendered. "Hold that thought."

"Hudson, this had better be important." As Sue watched he coloured slightly and blew out a calming breath. "Sorry, this is Jack Hudson. How can I help you?"

Sue tried to follow the conversation but it appeared to be pretty one-sided with Jack seemingly unable to get a word in. Taking off her slipper she threw it at him to get him to turn. "Who..?"

"Your mother"

She looked at him incredulously. "What...?"

"Looking for you... You forgot to call last night."

Sue put her hand to her mouth. "I'm not here."

"Yes... yes Mrs Thomas, she's here. I'll get her to call you and Merry Christmas." He put down the receiver and winced when he saw Sue's irate expression.

"Why did you tell her that?"

"I didn't have much choice, she heard Levi bark. Blame him, not me."

"You could have told her it was a neighbour's dog."

"Sue..." He stepped towards her but she got up and stormed out of the room.

"I have to call my mother."

o-xxx-o

Emerging from the bedroom just over a half-an-hour later, all traces of the earlier fun and laughter had vanished from her face.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine," she replied a little too sharply, betraying herself.

"No you're not, what happened?"

"She wanted to know why I wasn't at Lucy's and why she couldn't get an answer when she called me."

"And..?"

"I told her that Luce had to go and visit her Grandma so I'd come over to see you."

"You lied to your Mom? Why?"

"...Because you wouldn't." It came out as an accusation.

"It didn't even occur to me."

"It's so easy for you, isn't it? I suppose you told your parents the truth? That you were spending Christmas with a girlfriend?"

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked confused.

"And no doubt they know we're sleeping together?"

"What? I have no idea. I didn't tell them and they certainly wouldn't ask."

"And why is that?"

"...Because, they respect the fact that I have my own life." He regarded her warily, knowing whatever he said was bound to be wrong.

"It must be great to have such wonderfully understanding parents."

"It is, but..."

"Parents that treat you like a grown-up and not a little child."

"Sue, perhaps you should have just told her the truth?"

She huffed derisively. "What? That I didn't want to go home for Christmas because I was spending it with a guy?"

"I was thinking more that you wanted to be with the man you love." He replied somewhat offended and more than a little hurt.

"And I know where that would have led... 'Does he have a large apartment with a spare bedroom, dear?' Oh sorry Mom, did I forget to mention I've been sleeping with him for at least four months on and off, although we're not married and we don't even live in the same State?"

Jack found himself at a genuine loss, her words beginning to really hit home. "I thought it was what we both wanted?"

"It was... It is..." she hastily corrected herself

"You should have said something, I wouldn't have pushed. And, if I remember correctly, it was you who followed me into the bathroom that night." All kinds of emotions were welling up inside him and he breathed deeply trying to keep his voice even and calm.

"And if I'd said 'no' what would you have done, gone back to picking up women in bars?" Even as the words left her mouth she knew she'd gone too far and the expression on his face only confirmed it. She'd hurt him, a lot... and for no good reason other than she was angry with both herself and her mother. Wanting to get away before she said something even worse, she grabbed her coat and the leash from the hook. "I'm going to take Levi for his walk."

"If you wait, I'll come with you."

"No. I'd rather go alone."

"Okay." He watched her leave and then slumped down into the armchair, burying his face in his hands as it hit him that the one memory that had sustained him through all the bad times could have been a sham.

o-xxx-o

She'd started out at a fast pace but as her anger abated so did her speed until she found herself sitting in one of her favourite D.C. places by the fountain. "Oh Levi, why didn't you stop me, I said some terrible things." The Lab settled beside her, his head in her lap. "This is worse than the Christmas I blew up at my Mom but at least what I said to her was the truth. What am I going to do?" The dog sat up and put a paw on her knee.

"What is it, Boy?" Somehow, she'd hoped to see Jack standing in front of her and just about managed to mask her disappointment. "Howie, what are you doing here?"

"Well pardon me for wanting to say 'hi' to an old friend, I'll just..." He started to walk away

"Howie wait. I'm sorry it hasn't been a good day."

"That's okay. You wanna maybe get a coffee somewhere? It's cold out here."

"I hadn't really noticed."

"Come on, I'll even buy." He gave her the pleading look she could never seem to resist.

"Why not..? Coffee, Levi?"

Leading her through the back streets, he found an old haunt that was open, although it wasn't much warmer inside than out and quite unexpectedly, she found herself pouring the whole sorry tale out to him, minus the more intimate details.

"Oh, boy"

"That's one way of putting it."

"So let's get this straight... You dumped Christmas with your parents for a guy?"

"Pretty much"

"And not just any guy," he added when he caught the flash of the diamond in her ring. "Who's the lucky man, someone you met in the Big Apple? I went there once but it was too noisy and ..."

"Howie... If it was someone in New York why would I be here?"

"Good point. So if you're gonna marry this guy, why would your Mom be upset?"

"Because... I haven't told her about him yet." She sighed miserably.

"Why not..? Is he in jail or married or something?"

"No."

"Then I don't get it. Isn't it every Mom's dream to see her daughter happily married?"

"With mine, it's complicated."

"Why, because she wouldn't approve of the whole se... erm..." He cricked his neck nervously. "I mean... er... the shacking up thing?"

"The, what...?"

"Shaking up thing... you know..." He leaned in conspiratorially "...sharing the same bedroom."

"Oh," she felt herself flush. "She's very strict about things like that."

"But it's not her life, it's yours and if you're okay with it... You are okay, right? I mean he didn't force you or anything?"

"No, Jack would never do that and I thought I was okay with it until the phone call."

"Did you say Jack, our Jack? Jackie?"

She nodded.

"Oh wow, I'd just about given up on you two ever getting together. He must be stoked."

"Stoked?"

"You know... like thrilled."

"He was until today."

"You want my advice?"

"Right now I'd settled for anyone's." She looked up and saw the hurt in his eyes. "I didn't mean..."

"That's okay. I know I'm not the first person on your list, probably not even at the bottom." He looked around as though he was expecting to see someone he knew.

"I'm sorry... I seem to be saying all the wrong things today, I'm just thankful I can't hear myself. What's your advice?"

"Really, you really wanna hear it?"

"Yes Howie, I really want to see it."

"Oh yeah, right... very funny... You love your parents, right?"

"Of course I do."

"But, you chose to spend Christmas with Jack because you love him too and it's where you want to be."

"Yes," she nibbled her bottom lip unhappily.

"And I'm guessing that right now your Mom's surrounded by the rest of her family."

"Yes, Howie" She'd forgotten just how long it took him to make a point and was beginning to wish she'd turned down the offer of coffee.

"And, what about Jackie..?"

"What about him?"

"He usually goes home too, am I right?"

"Back to Wisconsin"

"But instead he's alone in his apartment, probably worrying about you and whether you're safe."

"Howie"

"My point is, you chose to spend Christmas with him so he gave up celebrating with his family to be with you and now, you and Levi are here with me and he's on his own at home. No one should be alone at Christmas, Sue. You of all people should get that, and especially not someone you love."

"I know but..."

"There's no but... You made the decision to be with Jack. It was yours to make, not your Mom's. You'll never be able to please everyone however hard you try and besides, it's a mother's job to make you feel guilty and a disappointment. Believe me, I know. You want my advice? Go home to Jack and make things right with him. He's a great guy and he loves you, any fool could see that, even me. Then tomorrow, whip out the plastic and order the biggest bunch of flowers you can afford. Send them to your mom with an apology note and a promise to go visit at the first opportunity. Trust me, it always works." He waggled his eyebrows cheekily. "Oh, and tell her about you and Jack, she could hardly disapprove of someone like him. You don't need to share all the details and if she figures it out then tough. Like I said, it's your life not hers. She needs to get with the times. After all, in your line of work, you could both be dead tomorrow."

"Thanks."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do, believe me."

He watched as she collected up her gloves and scarf. "Oh, Sue..." She turned when Levi touched her arm. "Is Jackie okay? Only he was supposed to be part of an operation I set up with the Team but D said he wasn't up to it and the last time I saw him he looked pretty rough."

"He's just tired."

"Thank goodness, I thought it might be that heart thing of his, you know."

Sue stood barely stifling a cry, appalled that she'd been so wrapped up in her own problems she'd forgotten he wasn't feeling well. She'd done that once before when Levi had disappeared. He'd helped her look and held her when she'd cried but although she'd known he was worried about Bobby, she hadn't even tried to support him. She'd vowed then to never let it happen again and yet here she was... "Howie, we have to go. Thank you for the coffee and the advice. I might even put you at the top of my list in future."

"Any time... And Merry Christmas"

"Merry Christmas"

"Oh Sue, say 'hi' to Jackie for me."

"I will." When she got outside she checked her watch and was shocked to discover that they'd been gone for almost three hours. She felt around in her pockets for her Blackberry and then remembered she'd left it in the bedroom. "Come on Levi, we have to hurry back. I just wish you could tell me how to put this right. It was a wonderful Christmas until I went and spoiled it."

Levi barked loudly.

"I know Buddy... you don't have to tell me, it was all, my fault in the first place. If I'd just called Mom when I was supposed to, none of this would have happened."

o-xxx-o

By the time they reached the apartment it was past 10:00pm, but luckily she still had the key in her pocket from earlier. The room was lit only by the faint glow of the tree lights and she bent down to remove Levi's leash and motioned to him to stay where he was. Moving further inside, her breath caught and tears threatened when she saw him curled up on the couch, his eyes closed and her Blackberry on the table with his cell, both close at hand. Taking off her coat, she knelt down, gently stroking his face and when he looked at her she could see the worry and misery in his eyes.

"Jack... I..."

He signed for her to be quiet and then moved until his body was pressed against the cushions creating enough space for her to join him, before guiding her down so that she was laying with her back to his chest. He slipped one hand across her waist and hooked his leg around hers to make sure she didn't fall off the edge and as she closed her eyes, she felt his fingers on her arm as he signed "its, okay" and she cried silently in his arms.

Sometime later she felt him stir and sat up so he could move.

"I'm going to take a shower and go to bed. I'll leave you to lock up and turn out the lights. You know where I'll be if..."

She had no idea if there was more to the sentence as he turned away from her, but somehow she doubted it. Staring after him her tears began to flow again; his choice of words and the look on his face telling her just how badly she'd hurt him and the weary way he walked to the door said he was stressed out to the point of exhaustion. Levi padded over to her side and put his head on her knee, letting out a whimper she couldn't hear. "Oh Levi, how do I fix this?"

The lamp on her side of the bed was still lit when she walked into the bedroom but the other one wasn't. Jack was on his right side with his eyes tightly shut although it was impossible to tell if he was asleep or not. Stripping off her jeans and his jumper she climbed in beside him, still in her underwear, and snuggled as close as was humanly possible.

"I'm sorry..." Her repeated apology was punctuated with soft kisses that peppered his back and shoulders until he rolled over and she pressed her lips to his chest and abs, not missing an inch. His arm went around her and she looked up into chocolate-brown eyes that were dull and miserable. "I'm sorry," she whispered again, kissing his lips over and over until he responded.

Their lovemaking was tender yet filled with sadness and regret and when it was over they lay quietly in each other's arms until sleep finally claimed them.

o-xxx-o

27th December

Sue couldn't believe that they'd slept so late but, thinking about it, she shouldn't have been surprised. They'd made love once more during the night although again she'd been the one to initiate it and it had seemed tentative on his part. Laying quietly she went over in her head all the things she could recall saying to him the day before and it didn't take very long for her to understand once she'd remembered that she'd insinuated she'd only slept with him the first time because it was what he'd wanted. It hadn't been true, she'd wanted him just as much as he had her.

Slipping quietly out of bed she made her way to the bathroom and on impulse, removed his supplementary heart medication from the cabinet and counted the contents, letting out a relieved sigh when she found he hadn't touched them since she'd arrived. After a quick shower, she dressed and took Levi for his walk.

Taking extra care not to make a noise, Sue prepared breakfast and carried it into the bedroom, placing it on the dresser before sitting down beside him and caressing his cheek until he moved and opened his eyes. "Hi."

"Hi, yourself..." He blinked several times to adjust to the light. "What time is it?"

"Almost 11:30."

"Why did you let me sleep so late?"

"Because you needed it... I've made breakfast." He sat up and attempted to lift the covers but she held them firmly in place. "No, stay there..." Retrieving the tray, she set it down across his legs.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Take your time."

Having busied herself in the kitchen for an hour or so, she made her way into the lounge and found him in his usual spot. He looked over and gave her a faint smile but the sadness still lingered in his eyes. "Jack..."

"Mmm..."

She repeated his name, not able to detect his response.

"That's me."

Sitting on the floor in front of him, she rested her head against his leg. "I'm really sorry about what happened yesterday. I was upset when my Mom called and interrupted us. Then she told me off like a naughty school girl and you didn't seem to care and I wanted you to hurt as much as I did, so I lashed out."

"Well, you'll be pleased to know that it definitely worked." He sighed.

"I'm sorry about that too and I really didn't mean anything I said."

"That's okay."

"No, no it isn't. You should be shouting or telling me off, something."

"You wouldn't hear me if I did, remember?"

"I know but it might make you feel better. Why aren't you angry with me?"

"Honestly? I'm too tired to be angry and what good would it do anyway? We'd still both be miserable."

"I know," she conceded. "Forgive me?"

"Always, you know that." Getting up she sat beside him nibbling on her bottom lip. "Sue, it's okay, really."

"But I ruined our first Christmas together."

"I thought you blamed your mother for that?"

"I did," she confessed guiltily. "That was until I talked to Howie."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, I guess I didn't get the chance to tell you. He asked me to say 'hi' by the way."

Jack rubbed his eyes hoping to dispel some of his confusion. "I guess I must be more tired than I thought. Where does Howie come into this?"

"He found Levi and me by the fountain last night. Bought me a cup of coffee and gave me some advice."

"Howie gave you advice."

"Jack, I know he can be annoying but sometimes he talks sense."

"I must have dozed off during those parts of our conversations."

"Anyway, he made me realise that Mom was just being well... Mom and I over-reacted. You may have noticed I have a tendency to do that where she's concerned." She paused for a moment, expecting a witty comeback and was disappointed when none was forthcoming. "Is there anything I can do to make things right? I want you to be as happy as you were on Christmas Day."

"Sue..."

"I mean it. Jack, there must be something."

He shook his head and blew out a breath. "Nothing I can think of..."

She looked crestfallen and very close to tears.

"But, there is something that would make me even happier..."

Her face brightened immediately. "What's that?"

"Marry me."

Frowning, she gave him a crooked smile. "I already said 'yes', remember?" To prove her point she waved her left hand in front of his face, her ring sparkling in the sunlight. "And, we sort of have a date in July."

"Sue," he took her hand in his and held it tightly. "I don't want to wait another seven months. I'm scared to death that something bad is going to happen and we'll never be together."

That last statement had explained so much to her about his mood over the past few days. "Then when did you want to ..."

"New Year's Eve" He jumped in before she could finish the question.

"But that's less than five days away."

"I know."

"You're out of your mind! How could we? There's no one who..."

"I spoke to Father Waring after church on Christmas Day and with a little cajoling he said he could do it but we'd have to be there by 11:15."

"Now I know you're crazy. There are Services at that time of day."

"No... 11:15 pm, that way we can exchange our vows at midnight and start the New Year with a new life... together." He finished breathlessly.

Sue was dumbfounded by the sheer romanticism of the idea and she hastily cleared her throat before replying. "But the Team..? We won't be able to get them back in time."

"I know this might sound selfish but I don't want them to be there. We'll only have a couple of days together before you go back to New York and I want you to myself. If the others know, we won't get a minute's peace. Please understand."

She mulled over his words and then asked "And our parents?"

"Mine will be okay, especially Mom. The thought of all those potential grandchildren she'd almost given up having, will more than make up for it and anyway, she'll just be happy that I'm happy."

"And mine?"

"Okay... It'll probably be a bit more problematical but we can still keep the July date and do the full thing. The cake, the reception, the meringue dress..." He grinned. "Bridesmaids... You could even let your Mom organise the entire event but instead of a Wedding, it will be a Blessing." He could see she still wasn't convinced. "And... it will be hassle-free. She can do whatever she wants and you won't have to stress because it will just be the icing on the cake, so to speak. And, I'll go with you to Ohio and personally take all the blame."

Sue sat quietly, weighing up the pros and cons. "You've thought about this a lot, haven't you? I'd still need help, though I'm sure Jennifer and Amanda would be happy to lend a hand and you can be certain they won't 'say' a word." She teased mischievously. "That way Kevin could be there for you and I guess Levi could give me away... No, this is completely nuts, we can't... Can we?" She looked at him for some kind of input and was blown away by the expression on his face; a combination of hope, excitement and uncertainty.

"What are you thinking?" He asked nervously, afraid of what her answer would be.

"That I must be out of my mind to even consider it and you're as bad for coming up with the idea in the first place."

"Never a dull moment"

"That's the truth."

"So what do you think?" He asked again.

"I think... I'm going to need a dress... Fast"

The last time he'd heard those words was when she was going out with Dog Boy and he'd been as jealous as hell but now the excitement on her face was for him. "Is that a 'yes'?"

"I don't believe I'm saying this but... Yes."

"Really..? Yes?" He wasn't sure that he could quite believe his ears.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes..." She almost screamed as she threw herself into his waiting arms.

o-xxx-o