Redemption

Chapter Twelve

It had been a very long day at the Bureau and Bobby was more than happy to be home. There were only a few new developments on the case, but none that would classify as big. They'd gotten a warrant to search the flower shop and they'd returned without much luck. Tara was searching the computer's hard drive, he and Myles were to look through customer files and business expenses, and Sue was to transcribe the surveillance videos. The brothers had had a few regular customers come every weak, but, on a few occasions, it didn't seem like they were talking about plants.

But, he wouldn't worry about that, now. Danni was his only priority. He'd called her on lunch, though he would really have loved to stop by. But, with the acquiring of the brothers' possessions, there was no way he could have worked that out. The phone call had sufficed. She was sounding healthier and she had only put him on hold once to run to the bathroom. He was fortunate she'd been pleasant enough to leave her cell upon the bed while she did. Hearing her be sick over the phone would not have been a great experience.

He peered into the bedroom to see her sleeping soundly. She was curled up in a ball and the cover was pulled tightly over her. He smirked at her as he snuck into the bathroom. His eyes hurt and he needed to wash the stress of the day from his face.

He splashed himself with cold water and dabbed his tired face with a towel. As he looked into the mirror, he placed the towel on the edge of the counter, from where it fell into the wastebasket. With a sigh, he bent down to pick up the hand towel, but as he did, something caught his eye.

With a sigh, Sue rubbed her tired eyes. They were getting exhausted from her squinting to read the men's lips. She'd transcribed most of the tapes, but she knew she had to call it a night. With a yawn, she tossed her notebook and pen onto her desk and stretched. It was time to go home.

She turned off the television and went to grab her jacket. A few moments before, she'd glanced around the room to see if there was anyone else there with her, but when she saw no one else, she figured they'd all gone home.

Myles was going out to dinner with his sister; they'd done it more and more since Callahan and Merced. They were slowly becoming the family they'd always wanted to be and that made Sue feel good. She hadn't had a hand in their reconciliation, but she felt it was a great thing when family reunited on a kind front. If only Danni could do that with her mother. She knew there was nothing she could say or do to sway either woman, so she butted out of that battle.

Bobby, she knew, wouldn't have stayed very late, due to the fact that Danni wasn't feeling well. She'd promised her cousin that she would keep the reason for her tardiness a secret. No one needed to know of the girl's fears and when Bobby was ready to know, the truth would be revealed to him; everyone else could wait. For now, the Aussie would just pamper the love of his life until she was strong enough to tell him. If she'd read him correctly, while he was speaking to Jack, he was looking for some sort of ring. The conversation had meant to be private, but she just couldn't resist. Now, she had to hold that secret in until the question was popped. Hopefully it was soon, because she was ready to burst with happiness.

She couldn't help but grin. Danni getting married was definitely big and she couldn't wait to help plan a wedding.

Tara and Lucy had both said something about dates earlier in the day and Sue just figured that's where they were. D was most likely with Donna and the kids; he'd wanted to spend time with them for a while and there was no time like the present. It was the perfect time for that kind of gallivanting, due to the fact that they could have a break in the case at any time and there would go their chance for fun.

She hooked up Levi's leash and took a long look at Jack's empty desk. He'd simply avoided her all day and only spoke to her about the case if someone else was in the room. Every other moment he could have said anything he sat quietly at his desk, leafing through the brothers' files. If only that man wasn't so complicated.

A heavy sigh escaped her as she turned off her computer and turned to leave the office. But, as she did, she never expected to see him standing there. He wore his old leather jacket and his hands were slipped into his pockets. It was like he'd been waiting for her to finish up before he could reveal himself, which he had. He enjoyed watching her hard at work; she was always so beautiful when she was deep in thought.

"Hi," he said simply, pulling his hand from his pocket to wave at her.

She tried to avoid his apologetic stare, but she couldn't avert her eyes. "Hi," she replied as she just stood by her desk and as far away from him as possible.

"Can we talk?"

She shook her head. "We have nothing to talk about, Jack." She wanted to keep up an angry façade; that way she wouldn't be tempted to taste his delicious lips again. She wanted to pull her eyes away and completely ignore him, but there was no possible way. It was like something inside of her was forcing her to look at those gorgeous lips.

"You know that's not true. I want to explain myself." He wished she could hear the pain in his voice, but he knew his eyes showed the same.

She shook her head again, but this time, it was to make the tears in her eyes go away. She didn't want him to see her cry because of him. "You don't need to explain. We all make mistakes."

"I'm not so sure it was a mistake," he replied quickly.

She felt her breath catch in her throat and she tried to swallow it to no avail. She continued to stare at him in awe as she contemplated on what to say. "What?" was all she was able to ask.

He took a few steps closer to her, his hands now at his sides just in case he needed to sign to her. "We really need to talk," he explained as he took a seat upon her desk. She nodded and took a seat next to him. "I don't know what possessed me to… do what I did." He would have loved to say it, but the words caught in his throat. "And I admit that I was scared at first. You know me. I'm a by-the-book kind of guy… at least I used to be, until you came along." He saw her cheeks tint a light pink as she smiled and took that as a compliment. "Something like what's happening between us was something I'd never thought would happen, but I feel like it's a good thing." He took one of her hands in his and used the other to push a stray hair from her eyes. "I'm not great at expressing my feelings, so my reflexes just kicked in as if telling me what I should be doing. I think I should have listened to them a while ago, though." He gave a smirk at that admission. He knew it was true, so there was no use denying it.

"You're scared of the rules, aren't you?" Her eyes were smiling, which showed she understood his speech. He was proclaiming his love for her in his own way and she wanted to cry. It was the sweetest thing he ever could have done for her. But, she knew why he decided to break the ice. That stupid no-dating policy would be the final nail in their coffins if they hid their relationship from anyone.

He nodded. "I am and I'm willing to change teams if it means I can be with you. I just don't want to lose you." He let his hand glide through her soft hair in a gentle caress. His only regret with switching teams was that he wouldn't be working with her everyday. Of course, the balancing factor would be that he could be with her without retribution.

She shook her head in protest. "No, Jack. You can't. You are a part of this team and it wouldn't be the same without you." Boldly and completely by instinct, she placed a soft kiss upon his cheek.

"Well, I can't ask you to transfer. You're our secret weapon." He'd said it before her lips collided with his cheek. It had come totally unexpected and all he could do was blush before he looked into her eyes. "Maybe I can talk to Garrett and work something out."

She giggled softly as she saw his dumbfounded expression and the wanting in his eyes. She knew he wanted to kiss her again, but she couldn't let him just yet. They weren't done with this, yet. "Jack, did you forget? He's not going to be back until the end of next week." She laughed even harder at his disgruntled expression.

"Right. I forgot," he replied, but continued to look in her eyes. He always found her hazel orbs to be so beautiful. He felt like he could stare into them for eternity. "Then, maybe we should just keep this between us." His lips inched ever closer to hers until he saw her pull away slightly. "What's wrong?"

She felt a panic rise inside of her. She didn't know if she could keep this to herself. There were so many who'd been waiting for the two of them to finally come together. It wasn't that she couldn't keep it inside, far from it. It was just that she was usually an open book to everyone. They'd be able to see it right away. She turned her gaze to his gorgeous brown eyes and felt the panic subside. If he thought this was what they should do, she couldn't argue. More than anything, she wanted to be with him. Now that she had the chance, her heart wouldn't let her turn him away. "Nothing," she said with a shake of the head. "Just between us," she settled with a smile. She felt her skin become hot as his fingers gently caressed her cheek. She closed her eyes for a split second as she wallowed in his touch. He'd touched her so many times before, but this was so different from any of the other times. This was a touch of love; of compassion. She opened her eyes again only seconds before his lips captured hers in a loving embrace.

The brown paper bag was what caught his attention at first. But, then there was the box underneath it. He picked it from the trash and examined it. He shifted it around in his hands to study every angle. When he turned it one way, its contents fell to the floor. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Danni wasn't going to come in as he picked up the stick. This was the last thing he'd expected to find and his heart pounded rapidly as he looked at the result.

He collapsed onto the floor as his breath caught in his throat. He closed his eyes as if in pain before he called out, "Danni!"