Chapter 16:

"We should hear her out." Sue said quietly, noticing the tight set of his jaw when he drove and the way his hands grasped the steering wheel tightly. Jack nodded his head and looked sideways at her, making sure she could see his lips.

"I promise to behave." He winked. His entire posture seemed to calm down as she laughed.

"You should, agent Hudson, or you will suffer the consequences." She grinned. She laughed when he raised his eyebrows and grinned.

"Exactly what consequences are we talking about, Miss Thomas?"

He enjoyed seeing the sudden blush that covered her cheeks and he reached out for her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. He was amazed with the way a simple sentence from her lips could calm him so much. He was so upset just moments ago, feeling a sense of betrayal and now he was ready to listen and understand. He parked the car and reached for her, cupping her face gently.

"Thank you." He said. "I was in no position to ask questions. You amaze me sometimes." He whispered. "You're always willing to listen and understand."

She opened her mouth to respond but words seemed to fail her. Instead, she signed 'thank you' and he returned the gesture, smiling softly. The desire to kiss her was consuming him, he needed to feel her lips against his but he knew that the public street was the wrong scenario, especially after he saw Charlie Rash from SOG standing at the corner, watching the apartment building.

He cleared his throat and walked out of the car, hurrying towards her side to open the door for her. "Come on, let's get this over with." He said.

They were quiet as they climbed the stairs towards the second floor. Sue reached for his hand and squeezed gently, earning a smile of gratitude in reply. When they reached Megan's door, they were surprised to see her just opening it, her bag on the floor. "Hey, Megan." Jack said quietly.

She turned with surprise and smiled at them. "Hey, good morning." She opened the door and let them inside the apartment. "What can I do for you?" She asked.

They sat in front of her on the sofa while she took a seat on a large fluffy couch. "We wanted you to look at some data we collected." Sue said, handing her a stack of papers. "See if you remember anything."

Megan nodded her head. "Sure, give me a second." She rose from her seat and moved to the kitchen, returning with three cups of hot coffee.

Jack smiled gratefully but shook his head. "No, thank you."

"I'll leave it here just in case you'll change your mind." She smiled. "The central heating isn't working, it's pretty cold in here." She concentrated on the papers for a moment. Jack and Sue brought a list with names, dates and locations of previous violent acts. She raised her eyebrows at one of the names. "I didn't know Johnson was involved in a fight…" She shook her head, flipping to the other page. She snorted when she read one of the names. "This I remember." She said.

Jack raised his eyebrows. Why was she laughing? He shared a look with Sue and she shrugged her shoulders. "Brad Wance and Terry Caine were called to a heart attack call. The address was a well-known Motel down town where rooms were rented by the hour." She told them. "The man collapsed in the middle of…you know and Caine and Wance did CPR on the scene. They managed to get a heart beat and loaded the man to the ambulance when Caine saw his wife watching him. She was standing right next to her very rich, very young boss." Jack laughed and Sue raised her hand to her mouth. "And there you go…another violent act to the statistics."

Jack turned serious. "Do you remember the last one on the fourth page?" he asked, waiting patiently as she flipped through the pages.

Sue bit her lips when Megan's eyes closed briefly before opening again. The woman in front of her seemed shocked for a moment and it seemed like she was having a hard time speaking; she opened and closed her mouth several times before speaking; "December 26th, 2000." She said. "Yeah, I remember."

James was silent for a long time and Bobby and Myles shared a look. They were sitting next to the kitchen table and waited for response. James tossed the papers on the table. "Yeah, I remember." He said quietly, his eyes glued to the floor.

"What happened that day?" Myles asked, shooting a warning glance at Bobby who was about to kick something as he paced all around the small kitchen. Myles stomped his foot and Bobby huffed and leaned against the wall, drumming his fingers on it.

"We were called by a man who claimed he heard yelling from his neighbor's apartment. It was my mistake, the door was open and we walked in without waiting for the police." He leaned his head on his hand, sighing. "We checked the place and when we reached for the bathroom we found the body."

Bobby sat beside him, his expression worried. "What happened then?"

"I walked outside the room to call and see what's keeping the cops. Someone hit me and I collapsed. I woke up at the hospital with a serious concussion."

"That's it?" Myles asked and James shrugged his shoulders.

"The scene was horrible. I still dream about it sometimes. Suicide…the women shot herself in the head.

"I was in the bathroom when I heard James from outside the room." She hesitated before continuing. "I don't remember what happened afterwards. I think someone pushed me to the wall and I blacked out." She shrugged her shoulders. "The police found me at the bottom of the stairs."

Sue shuddered and Jack laid a protective hand on her shoulders. "You were pushed you down the stairs?" She asked.

Megan shook her head. "I don't remember. I had a severe concussion and was in a coma for several days. Both James and I had multiple signs of beating."

"How can you talk about it and stay so calm? Why haven't any of you told us about it?" Jack exploded, rising from his seat. He paced the room. "Didn't it occur to you that this information is vital to our case and for your life?"

James' eyes measured him as he stood in front of him, eyes dark with anger. Bobby gave a frustrated sigh and turned away from him. "We spent the night shifts with you and you didn't think this information was crucial? How could you hide something like that from us?"

James shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't think it was relevant." He said simply. "The guy who did this died five years ago. They found his body in the Potomac."

"What?" Jack frowned.

"That's what the DA said when we talked to him about the case." Megan looked at him. "Didn't you see that information when you checked about him?"

"We couldn't find any identification or suspect list." Sue said quietly. "Did you see any kind of documents?"

Megan hesitated. "I think so. I didn't really pay attention, I was relived, I guess, that it was over."

Sue and Jack shared a look. "It doesn't make sense." Jack said softly. "We found no records on the incident other than your medical records and even they were very vague."

"Well, the guy is dead." Megan said. "It was a simple case. The officer in charge said it was a passion crime, in the heat of the moment. Revenging the loss of this wife." She shrugged her shoulders, averting her eyes.

Jack pursed his lips and turned to Sue. "We need to do some digging." Sue nodded her head and rose from her seat. Megan followed them to the door, looking rather disturbed. She smiled shakily before saying goodbye and Jack smiled back at her. "We'll keep you posted, okay?"

She nodded her head and closed the door after them, sighing deeply. Her morning took a turn to the worst and she moved towards her bedroom, intent on changing into something more comfortable. She'd better start cleaning the place; there was no way she could sleep after remembering what happened. The nightmare will wake her up anyway.

Jack sat inside the station, lost in his thoughts. When they returned to the office and shared their stories they all agreed that the two paramedics were telling the truth. Lucy and Tara found some even more disturbing facts.

"The case was closed three days afterwards." Tara said, handing them a few papers. "There is something weird in the archives, tough. You see, the computer documents report that it was an accident but both Megan and James told you that the case was closed because the man who attacked them was dead. I sent a request for someone to bring me the file itself, it should be here by tomorrow morning…hopefully."

"An accident?" Bobby exclaimed.

"Falling two sets of stairs can't be an accident." Sue shook her head. "Something doesn't add up."

"Maybe both Megan and James are in it?" Myles offered and then shook his head at Bobby. "Don't give me that look. You know there is something terribly wrong with this story. What if they're covering for someone?"

Bobby bit his lips. "What about the medical documents? Megan said she was in a coma for several days, right?"

Lucy nodded her head. "We managed to find more information. Megan was in the hospital for more than a week." She hesitated before continuing. "Several broken bones, severe internal bleeding, concussion, she woke up after five days and made a full recovery. James suffered from a minor concussion and heavy bruising he was released from the hospital after three days."

"Who was the DA five years ago?" Jack asked and Lucy moved to her desk.

"I'm working on it." She said.

The former DA no longer lived in the area. Jack enlisted the help of another unit and sent two agents to interview Nelson Ben. He hoped the interview will shed some new light on the case, but they won't know until the next day. A soft cough from the door startled him and he turned to see Megan standing there. He smiled and she returned the gesture, sitting beside him on the sofa. "Are you alone here?" she asked and Jack shrugged his shoulders.

"I think so. Bobby is running late, he had some problems with his car and he just left his place in a cab."

Megan chuckled. "James slept through the alarm clock." She said. "He'll be late too."

He eyed her from the corner of his eye. "I'm stuck with you then?"

She bit her lips, trying to muffle her laughter. "Why? Are you scared?"

Jack laughed. "Should I be?"

The phone ringed and Jack picked it up. They had a call. He looked at his watch; it was only a quarter past eleven. Megan shrugged her shoulders and walked towards the parking lot. It was impossible to have two quiet nights in a row; she guessed they were in for a long shift.

Surely, someone decided he hated them. Bobby simply couldn't find a different explanation. He arrived the station a half an hour late and found James already inside the ambulance, grumbling to himself. Since then, there was no rest as they kept receiving calls.

They saw Megan and Jack once. They just returned to the station and the other couple was just leaving. Bobby faked insult when he saw Jack in the driving seat; he hurried towards the other side and opened the door. "Sheila, I can't believe you're letting him drive." He said, his eyes glaring at his best friend as he pouted.

"Well, Crash…I heard he didn't ruin his bureau issued car in record time." Megan laughed at his stunned face and Bobby turned to Jack.

"You just wait, mate…you just wait." He grumbled.

Jack laughed and handed Bobby a box with several doughnuts. "Here, we already ate."

"Bribes will get you nowhere, Sparky." Bobby grinned widely, already munching one of the doughnuts.

"Sparky?" Megan's eyes widened. "That's interesting."

"I'll tell you over breakfast." Bobby smiled at her and she nodded her head. Jack rolled his eyes.

"Do you mind? We need to get going."

Bobby licked his lips, his eyes moving from her lips to her eyes. After they received the information about the incident he had the urge to talk to her but decided a face to face conversation would be better. However, it didn't look like it was going to happen any time soon and right now he was simply consumed by the desire to kiss her. He didn't know why but he was suddenly afraid of doing that. He settled for squeezing her hand and smiling as goodbye.

Levi was frantic.

Sue felt her heart was going to burst when the golden retriever nudged her over and over again, disturbing an interesting, and very vivid dream.

In her dreams, her future was very much set. She often dreamed about a family and great love but in all those dreams she never saw the man who was destined to be with her. In the last few days, it changed. At first, she was surprised at the revelation but then laughed at her own blindness. How could she be so blind? Blind and deaf, what a combination…

He was the man of her dreams. Her feelings for him became obvious after she turned down the NY job offer. She tried to convince herself that it was because of her friends. He was her friend, no doubt, but he was so much more. When they kissed each other for the first time in the bullpen, she knew that it was meant to be. She knew that everything led them to that exact point.

But it was such a wrong time.

The case was heart wrenching and consumed every waking moment. Her day was horrible as she recounted the story Megan told them. Both paramedics were acting as tough they weren't affected by what happened, but she felt for them, noticing the way Megan's eyes wouldn't meet theirs. Her mind was replaying a scene of a woman being tossed down several flights of stairs. She shuddered.

Jack and Bobby seemed shaken as well, each of them quiet as they worked. They were missing something and she had a feeling they were drawn into some kind of a sick game. Jack went home early, intent on sleeping some before the night shift. He kissed her softly, their bodies close together in a quiet hallway. The slight chance of being caught only seemed to excite them further and he deepened the kiss, his hands reaching to cup her face.

They were breathless when they broke apart and her heart missed a beat at the sight of his dark eyes, almost black with desire. His gaze was predatory, needy and hungry; she swallowed hard and shuddered in his arms. Her hands moved to his shoulders, caressing softly and she felt him sighing. He murmured something to her hair and smiled when she raised her head to see him. "You know I didn't understand what you just said."

He grinned. "I know."

And he said nothing more; instead he kissed her on her cheek and promised to call before his shift started.

They talked for a long time and then she fell asleep in front of the T.V. Lucy was at her grandma's place and she was alone. Her dreams were soft and warm and passionate and he was there, kissing her and making love to her under the stars. The only thing that bothered her was the sudden nudges to her leg. She opened her eyes and saw the dog in front of her, nudging her and turning towards the door.

She glanced at the clock. It was almost two o'clock, who could it be at such a time? A sudden feeling on anxiety took a hold on her and she looked through the peephole, there was no one there. She looked down at Levi.

"There is no one there, Levi." She said.

Levi kept on turning, scratching the door. She sighed and opened it slowly, noticing the long package that was on the floor. Her heart pounding heavily, she grabbed the package and locked the door again. She frowned when her nose picked up the horrible stench that arose from the package, she opened it carefully.

She had to blink several times before she reached for the small note that was inside. The roses inside were black and dead and their stench was horrible. She unfolded the note with trembling hands.

Black for death.

Her heart in her throat, she reached for her coat and headed outside.