Redemption

Chapter Thirty

Sue's fingers intertwined perfectly with Jack's as they sat together on her couch. He'd driven her back to hers and Lucy's apartment so she could change into something more comfortable for her to wear in the bullpen. By this time, she had already changed and was ready to go, except for the fact that Jack wasn't so eager to leave. She'd taken his hand in hers to get his attention; unfortunately, it didn't see to faze him. "Jack?" she asked softly.

He'd been so lost in thought that he was surprised to find her sitting next to him. "Hm? Oh, sorry," he apologized as he got to his feet and looked at her expectantly. "Ready?"

She was willing to shrug the worry of his demeanor off and only think of it as stress. The problem was that she knew him better than he thought and she knew that there was something severe on his mind. She gazed into those chocolate-brown pools of his—the ones she could stare into for hours—before a heavy sigh escaped her. "I think we need to talk."

"Okay, we can talk on the way."

She shook her head. "No, Jack. You and I need to sit down and talk about this." She confidently took his hand in hers and pulled him down onto the seat beside her.

"Talk about what?" A large lump formed in his throat. Had she found out? Had his secret been discovered? Would she hate him now? Would she think him weak?

"You," she said, imply. "You've been different, lately; ever since Stern died. I want to know what's wrong and how I can help you." Their fingers intertwined again, forcing their bond to grow even more at that moment. "If it has something to do with the case, then please tell me… or one of the others is you don't feel you can trust me with this." She felt as though her heart would break if he thought he couldn't trust her. They had started off as great friends and it only grew to what it was now.

"Oh, Sue, I'd trust you with my life… and I believe I have at one time or another, if my memory serves right." He's said it only to mask his true feelings. He didn't want her to know the truth; it wasn't safe.

"Then, please tell me. I worry about you when you're like this. I'm afraid of what you might do. You're not exactly rational in this state of mind. And don't' try to pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about," she added sternly. She knew that he would act like it was nothing, when it was something that would tear her apart from the inside. If anything happened to him, she would never forgive herself. If she had the chance to help him, now, it would save her the pain from the loss.

He couldn't keep the smile from his lips as he saw the fire burning within her beautiful hazel eyes. "You're worried about me?" She nosed, which made him nod in return. "Please, don't. I'm just stressed. Every single thing about this case had twisted my stomach into knots and it's been getting worse as everything falls into our laps. Stern's murder was what sent me over the edge. If they were able to take him down, how do we know one of us isn't next? Or worse, what if they're going to pick off every last member of Stern's team?"

"Unfortunately, we haven't come across that, but when we so, we won't let anything happen to anyone else." Her voice wavered for only a second as she spoke. The thought of losing him so soon would break her heart.

"I feel useless, Sue; for the first time in a long time. I don't know what to do next." All of the strains of worried suddenly appeared on his face. There was still more that he wasn't telling her, but she wouldn't push it anymore. She'd gotten him started on the right track and he would tell her in due time.

"I know how you feel," she replied as she laid her head upon his shoulder in a comforting motion.

It was supposed to be comfort for the both of them, but it was affecting him more than he ever thought it would. On instinct and by habit, he leaned his head upon hers in the guise of thanks, but he'd only done it to catch a whiff of her hair. His whole body warmed at the scent. For years he'd dreamed of coming this close to it and now that it was within reach, he knew he couldn't let it go. She meant too much to him and he was willing to reveal everything to her. He just hoped she wouldn't despise him for his weakness. "Thank you," he signed to her.

"For what?" she asked as she pulled away so she could see him clearly.

"For being here for me; for letting me voice my concerns." 'For letting me love you like I do,' he added in his mind. He placed a kiss upon her forehead before his heart took over. He gently cupped her cheek, his thumb softly smoothing her soft cheek as they stared in each others' eyes. Words were useless between them, now. They had nothing more to say and there was no way either of them could have found their voices before their lips connected in a passionate embrace.

Demetrius checked his watch for the fifth time in twenty minutes as he and the others, minus Bobby, waited for Jack and Sue to arrive. They still had to go over a few things and they weren't going to do it until everyone's favorite couple made an appearance. "Myles, what time do you have?" he asked with an aggravated tone. He didn't like to be kept waiting, mostly because they were starting to run out of time. The longer the delay, the farther away the culprit was getting.

"Uh, 1:15," he answered and therefore confirmed that D's watch was running on time.

"Maybe they're stuck in traffic," Tara suggested as she looked up from her computer screen to gauge the reaction of her teammates. They didn't seem to believe that as much as she did. They'd all noticed Jack's sullen demeanor and knew that it wasn't a good thing for their team leader to feel the way he did. They were all in trouble if he didn't get his head in the game and focus on what was most important.

"You saw how empty the streets are," Lucy said. "I highly doubt that's the reason. Jack did seem a bit odd today, though."

"But, not as bad as Danni did," Myles pointed out.

"Did Garrett ever approve of her team working with us?" The tech asked D who had to think about it for a moment.

He nodded as he perched himself upon Bobby's desk. "Yup. He called it in last night. We're going to have to accommodate them all, which means sharking work spaces and actually being civil toward them." The last part was directed toward Myles who usually didn't show the most enjoyable side of himself when he was working with this particular Metro team.

"I never said I didn't like her," the Harvard grad explained in his own defense. "Can I help it if Koala Boy's girlfriend scares me at times?"

Tara and Lucy both giggled at the New Englander. He could be so pathetic at times. "Myles, she's not that bad," said the techie.

"Yeah, don't alienate her, just because of who her lieutenant used to be." It was Lucy who spoke up.

Myles rolled his eyes at the two women before he turned his attention to D. "Why do women always either hate each other with no remorse or stick together like they're best friends?"

The supervising officer couldn't hold back his laughter. "I've been asking myself that same question since I met Donna… To tell you the truth, I still don't know the answer."

Laughter rang throughout the room once again and only dissipated when the couple of the hour entered the bullpen. They both looked around the room in confusion as everyone else tried to avoid their gazes. It seems they'd entered the room at the wrong moment.