Chapter 46

I still don't own any part of STFBE. No copy write infringement is meant, this is only for enjoyment- mine and yours. I love writing, and love hearing from all of you who have kept with the story. THANK YOU!

X

Sue pushed the top of the beat up metal box up. There were paint splatters and scrape marks covering the outside. The hinge cracked loudly due to a dent making the cover stick straight up.

Sue reached inside gingerly, unsure of what was really in there. She pulled out a phone book that looked to be at least ten years old. There were old bills, credit card statements and house hold bills. Buried at the bottom were birth certificates for each of the children, along with their social security cards.

Anita, Vinny and Jacob all had the same man listed as their biological father, Mitchell Palmer. Sue hoped since she had a copy of his social security card in the box, it wouldn't be too difficult to find him. She was hopeful too that she would be able to find him through his child support payments.

Lanie's father was Jarrod White. There wasn't much info on him that she could find. His name was listed as the biological father, age 24, from Baltimore. Lizzie's father was listed as "unknown" on her birth certificate. Not good news. There was a lot of pictures in the box. Most were of a woman, Sue assumed it was the kids' mother, and some were of her with each of the kids. There were also a couple of pictures of the woman with different men. Sue managed to sort through the pictures and find one that had the name Jarrod on the back, and another with the name D. Campbell on it. Sue thought it could be Dusty.

She closed the box, picked up the information she was able to track down and called Tara. She jotted down a quick note for Jack and bolted to Tara's loft.

Tara was waiting when Sue arrived. Tara was nearly giddy to be able to help her friend. This was something she liked to do just for fun, which made her job that much better. Tara eagerly spread the papers in front of her on the floor of her living room, grabbed her lap top, and joined the organized mess. She began to log into her favorite back ground sites, and started feeding in information. She felt confident she would be able to find Mitchell Palmer fairly quickly, so she would start with him. She wanted to feel some sense of accomplishment.

The perky computer genius was able to filter through numerous men with the same name by use of the social security number. Fifteen minutes after starting her search, Tara had a current photograph and a location of the man who had fathered and seemingly abandoned three children.

The news wasn't what they were expecting… Tara printed what she could, and gave it to Sue. She began to search for Jarrod White. Sue read the sheets Tara had printed, and she read them again. Could this even be true? She was shocked.

Sue's Black Berry vibrated in her pocket- it was Dr. Kerswell's office.

"Hi Sue. It's Dr. Kerswell. I just wanted to remind you of your appointment with the mammogram department on Monday." The doctor said. Sue was so caught up in "other" things going on in her life at the moment, namely this whole fiasco of Anita's family and her own wedding, she'd forgotten, if only for a few days, she had just had major surgery. This surgery had resulted in the removal of her left breast.

"Dr. Kerswell! I wasn't expecting to hear from you." Sue said. Just the mere mention of the doctor's name stopped Tara's fingers in their tracks. She tried to pretend she wasn't listening, but Sue noticed the slow motion attempt to continue typing. Tara gave up pretending, and just stared at Sue. "I'll be there. I'm sure I have it in my calendar. Thank you for calling though, I really appreciate it. You could have had your secretary call." Sue paused, apparently "listening" to the doctor on the other end of the phone. "OK. I'll see you soon. Bye."

Tara was still staring in Sue's direction. Sue slowly looked back at her friend. "It's just a reminder about a routine, prescheduled mammogram. Just a precaution, no worries." Sue tried to reassure her.

"You sure?" Tara asked nervously. Sue nodded. "Good." Tara let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "You know, if you want to take that, and figure what to do about it, this is going to take a while. Probably a couple of days."

"Oh. Are you sure?" Sue asked.

"Yes. It won't help for you to be staring at my fingers working." Tara answered.

"Thank you for this." Sue said holding up the small folder of papers. "I'll be at Jack's if you need anything. Thanks Tara, I really appreciate it."

"No problem." She answered.

When Sue arrived back at Jack's, she found the apartment dimly lit with candles scattered around the living room area. There was a fire crackling, throwing a golden glow on the bare floor in front of the hearth. A tray of cheese and crackers sat on the edge of the coffee table with a bottle of wine breathing in an ice bucket propped up against the leg of the table. A slow smile grew on Sue's lips the further she got into the room. She let Levi loose from his leash, put his tether and her jacket on the chair closest the door. She walked slowly toward the crackling flames that shown scarlet and auburn as they licked the dry logs hungrily craving and searching for more fuel.

Sue was about to call out her fiancé's name when she saw a glimpse of the bathroom light just as it flicked off. Jack walked down the hall wearing shorts and a tight t-shirt, fresh out of the shower. His hair was mussed from being towel dried, and his five o'clock shadow was thick. Damn he looked sexy Sue thought.

"Hi." Jack said smiling at her. As he passed the hamper, he flipped the wet towel that had been around his shoulders. "I thought you'd be longer."

"It's OK. I just got here." Sue answered, smirking at him. She leaned in to kiss him softly. "What's this?"

"Ah… this, is, bribery." He chuckled. Sue looked at him confused.

"For?" She asked.

"To tell me what's going on." He said. He offered his hand, pulling her to join him on the blanket spread in front of the fireplace.

"Not sure I follow." Sue said.

"Well… I know you've been up late working on something that isn't work or wedding. I know that you called Bobby the other day and asked to meet him for a favor. I know you went to Tara's to ask her to help with a certain research project. Care to share the secret to your late night, private rendezvous?" Jack teased.

"No." Sue said flatly.

"No? Seriously? Sue…" Jack began. He paused and laughed as if he understood the joke. "OK, I get it now. You're retaliating for not telling you where we're going on our honeymoon!"

"No, although, that is genius." Sue admitted.

"Then what?" He asked deflated.

"Jack, honey, I love you, and I just don't want you in the middle of this. This is something that has the potential to get me in a huge pot of hot water. Please stay out of it until I can say something, OK? Please trust me enough to stay out of it." Sue pleaded.

"Why is it OK to drag Bobby and Tara into it and not let me in? I bed Lucy knows." He said off handed, slightly bitter.

"Lucy knows no real details. Tara is helping me with computer background research, and as for Bobby… I needed someone I could trust to take care of some sensitive material without drawing attention to me." Sue explained.

"You don't trust me?" Jack asked taken aback.

"I didn't say that Jack. Don't put words in my mouth. If Bobby were asked about it, he could say a friend gave it to him to get rid of and that would be the truth. You wouldn't be able to say that." Jack opened his mouth to argue, but Sue put up her hand. "Please, just trust me and let it go."

"Are you in danger? Can you tell me that much?" Jack asked, suddenly serious.

"No. It's nothing like that." She rested her head against his chest, feeling him breathe in her scent.

"OK." He said. She looked back at him. His eyes said he wasn't convinced, but he nodded.

Sue smiled, tempted to spill the beans, but bit her lip instead.

"So, really what's the occasion?" She asked nodding her head to the tray of goodies.

"Ahh, well, this you see, was to entice you." Jack began.

"Into what?" She asked blushing lightly.

"Ehh, since I can't get you to spill the beans, let's play it by ear." Jack said kissing her softly. He reached for the bottle of wine, pouring two glasses and handing her one. They sipped on the fruity alcohol and nibbled on slices of extra sharp cheddar and butter crackers.

"Have you thought any more about the job?" Jack asked. Sue smiled, suddenly looking excited.

"Yeah, I have. I talked with Wes the other day, told him I have some questions about hours, concerns that I will be away from my family too long."

"What did he say?" Jack asked.

"He assured me that it would only be a few days a month, and I could switch my days if I have a family obligation. My hours for work, which include travel, would be right around 40, which, if you think about it would be less than we work now." Sue paused. "What would you say if I said I was going to take the job?" Sue asked with a nervous excitement in her voice.

"I'd say, you're going to be an awesome inspirational speaker. I'm sure you'll reach a lot of young people." Jack said kissing her. "I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks. I've been wanting to talk to you about it before I tell D or Mr. Barkley. You're sure you're OK with it? It will mean a lot of traveling." Sue said.

"Hun, if you really want to do it, we'll deal with the travel." Jack said reassuringly.

"Well, the travel is mostly local…" She reassured him. "We just won't see each other during the day anymore."

Sue jumped up, grabbing her coat, taking out her Blackberry. She quickly typed something, then rejoined Jack.

"Luce?" He asked.

"Nope. I just accepted the job. I'll wait to hear back from Wes about it before I go to D." Sue informed him.

Jack raised a glass to his bride to be. "To new adventures. Congratulations."

Sue clanked his glass and smiled, grateful for his support. "Thank you."

Jack pushed himself from the floor and headed to the front door. Levi walked to Sue, pawing at her to go answer the annoying door bell. Sue patted him on the head, scratching behind his ear, whispering to him that Jack had it under control, and he could take the night off.

Jack closed and locked the door, carrying a large paper bag back. The aroma was quickly filling the room.

"Hmm, what is that?" Sue asked.

Jack ignored the question, making his way to the kitchen. A few minutes later, he reappeared with a tray. On the tray were two plates, steaming with fragrant food, and a vase of fresh flowers.

"Signorina" He said as he handed her a dish. She sniffed appreciatively.

Jack sat with his plate, putting out a bowl of warm rolls.

"You spoil me." She said.

"Because you deserve it, and I love you." He kissed her knuckles. Sue tasted her meal. "You like?"

"Hmmm, delicious. What is it?" Sue asked.

"It's veal Gabrielle. I heard it was incredible." Jack said as he lifted his fork.

"What do you have?" She asked eyeing his dish.

"Veal Sal Timbocca." He explained. "Want some?" He offered her a fork full. She nibbled his and smiled. They exchanged food, shared the rolls, and ended their meal with tiramisu. Jack picked up their 'table' and put everything away while Sue relaxed in front of the warm fireplace.

A few minutes passed when Jack reappeared. He slid back into his spot next to Sue leaning against the couch. Sue nuzzled into Jack's chest. He wrapped his arms around her, locking his fingers together across her stomach. She let her eyes close and enjoy the moment as Jack's lips found her forehead. A smile graced her lips as Sue lifted her head to him to see he too had a smile planted on his face. Sue turned as she got on her knees. Jack straightened as Sue put her hand on his cheek and leaned into him, kissing him. Jack instantly allowed his lips to mold to Sue's and let her take the lead.

Sue's hand went to his neck and into his thick hair, pulling him closer, enhancing their kiss. Sue licked his bottom lip silently asking for permission to join him in their now familiar tongue dance. Jack's hands traveled from her back to her arms, then neck and face. His fingers entangled in her blonde locks, then back to her sides. Sue broke their kiss, but allowed her lips to travel along his jaw to his neck. Sue swung her leg over Jack's lap as her hands traveled to his chest. Jack put one hand behind her neck, twisting her hair around his fingers, and the other rested on her hip. Jack pulled her tighter to him, pushing their passion to the brink. Sue pushed herself back from Jack. Both were out of breath, and full of passion and desire. Sue kissed Jack once more softly on the side of his mouth while she held his face in her hands.

"I love you." She whispered. Jack smiled.

"I love you too." He said back to her, leaning into kiss her lightly on the temple.

"But, if I don't go home…" She began. Jack smiled and chuckled at the same time.

"I know. Can I take you home? I can give you a ride back tomorrow for your car…" He suggested.

"Nah, I'm good. I'll text you when I get home." Sue said as she got up and walked to the door.

Jack walked her to the car, kissing her before the door closed.