Ending change/tag to 2.6 "Breaking Up is Hard to Do," in which Lucy breaks that evening's plans with Sue so Sue and Jack can go to dinner after all.
AN: This is the second and (for this specific series of one-shots) last of my Newlywed/Breaking Up stories, but I do have another, much longer one that will be posted as its own story sometime after I finish getting all of these Chance Encounter stories up. Keep watch for it!
~0~
"Jack?" came Sue's voice from behind him as he was starting to climb into his car.
He turned. "What do you need? Did you forget something?"
"No, just—um, do you really have plans with 'the boys' tonight, or were you just saying that as part of . . . you know, the joking we were doing?"
He shrugged. "I have no actual plans, why?"
"Well, it turns out Lucy had something come up, so if that invitation for dinner is still open . . . ."
He smiled and gestured for her to join him in the car. She quickly waved bye to Lucy so she would know Sue was all set, put Levi in the backseat, and then climbed into the passenger seat.
"Where to?" Jack asked.
"Well," Sue teased, "I believe you said you're buying, so it seems only fair that you should choose."
"McDonald's it is!"
She whacked him with the back of her hand.
"Ow! Okay, okay, Slappy's!"
"Watch it, Mister," she joked, and he laughed.
"Hey, you did say it was my choice!"
"I did."
She was a bit surprised, though, when she realized they were actually driving back to her apartment. "Jack?"
"Yes?"
"Why are you taking me home instead?"
"Because I'm going to take you out someplace nice and I figured you'd want to change first."
"Jack! You can't do that on a moment's notice! First of all, you usually need reservations for someplace nice, and second, I haven't had time to plan what to wear!"
"Sue, I've seen you in clothing of about every level of formality, from nightgown to ballgown and jersey to jersey knit. I know without a doubt that you can throw on literally anything from your closet and look incredible. In fact, you could go just as you are and look amazing, but I know you and you would feel awkward doing that, so—reservations are at 7, I'll pick you up at 6:30."
"What? You have reser—Jack, why didn't you say that before? If Lucy hadn't had something come up I could still have canceled my plans with her if I'd known you'd gone to the trouble of a reservation!"
He shrugged. "I didn't want you to feel obligated. Now, scoot inside, I've got to get home to see if I can manage to whip this—" he gestured to himself—"into something presentable enough to be seen with you."
She made a face at him for his negative comments about himself, but then, as she was about to get out, asked, "Wait, what level of fancy am I dressing for?"
"Don't go for all-out ballgown fancy, but . . . a step up from Sunday best."
She contemplated a moment, nodded, and said, "Okay, see you soon," then got Levi from the back and she and her canine headed inside.
~0~
When Sue entered the apartment, Lucy was standing at the microwave reheating leftovers.
"What are you doing home?" they asked each other at the same time.
Lucy looked slightly caught out as she said, "I . . . figured you wouldn't be willing to cancel on me to go to dinner with Jack so I figured I'd make the decision easier on you. But why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be at dinner?"
"Apparently he has reservations," she said. "He didn't tell me because he didn't want me to feel obligated but he'll be back at 6:30 to pick me up."
Lucy's eyes widened. "Oh, this is big."
"Luce, stop, it's not that big a deal," Sue said, clearly not convinced of her own words.
"Yeah," Lucy said, "sure. The man you've been into for a year and a half, who is clearly also into you, and who you just spent a week pretending to be married to and living in the same house with, is taking you out to dinner at a fancy restaurant with reservations and it's 'not that big a deal.'"
Sue's eyes grew wider with each emphasis Lucy made. "Oh, Lucy. What am I going to do?"
"First," she said, "we are going to get you dressed and ready to go. Second, you are not going to take Levi the Wonder Pup, because you and Jack need to focus on each other this evening. I'll take care of him. And third, girl, would you please be honest with him about how you feel?"
Sue took a deep breath. "Okay, let's go figure out the first part. Second part, done. Third part . . . we'll see how the evening goes and what he seems to have for intentions. Okay?"
Lucy sighed. "I guess that's as good as I'm going to get from you."
~0~
When Jack rang Sue's doorbell, he was half-afraid she would answer in PJ's and say she'd changed her mind and would see him at work Monday. Instead, to his surprise, Lucy answered.
"My, my," she said, taking in his black dinner jacket and bow tie against a crisp white shirt. "Don't you look smashing, Agent Hudson!"
"I thought you had something come up this evening," he said.
She quickly waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, it was a . . . thing . . . with my Grandma, but it turned out to be nothing. It's fine, though, because she sent me home with some of her famous lasagna and I cannot wait to eat it."
Lucy was a terrible liar, but Jack decided to let her get away with it. "Is Sue ready?"
Just as Lucy was opening her mouth to answer, Sue stepped into view. How she timed that so perfectly without being able to hear him asking for her, he had no idea, but one look at her and he didn't care. She wore a curve-hugging black dress with silvery lines—branches, perhaps?—embossed all over it. The fabric had a slight crinkle, and the crinkle and branches together gave the impression of it spiraling down her body until it ended mid-calf in uneven swishy strings. He had no idea what they were called, but he loved the effect. As if he wouldn't have a hard enough time not staring at her legs as it was. Especially with those stunning strappy silver heels drawing his attention both with the added accentuation of her legs and with the sparkle of the shoes!
If her legs weren't trouble enough, he could just lift his eyes to her top half and get into trouble with the sweetheart neckline and—what was that kind of strap called? They were narrow where they attached to the dress, but wide on top of her shoulder. Whatever they were, they didn't cover enough skin to keep him from wanting to devour her.
Her hair hung loose, but rather than the natural look that he loved seeing on her day to day, it had been separated into a zigzag part and her layers were lightly curled to frame her face even more nicely than they already did.
A silver branch-like necklace with a heart held in the center of the leaves completed the look and he could not get enough of her.
Only Lucy clearing her throat shook him from his reverie and reminded him that they had to get going. "Uh . . . wow. Sue, you . . . amazing."
"You look pretty amazing yourself," she replied with a shy but pleased smile.
He cleared his throat. "I, uh, I knew you wouldn't have trouble looking fabulous even on short notice, but this is . . . wow."
Sue giggled, then grabbed a small black purse from the side table.
"Levi, you stay," she said, signing the command as she said it. Jack offered his arm, which Sue accepted, and they headed out the door.
Jack was just glad Sue couldn't hear Lucy call after him, "Keep her out as late as you want!"
~0~
Sue was glad Jack seemed to approve of her outfit. She had worried it was a bit too much, but his initial response to it was more than worth it. She wished she knew where they were going, though, but the fact that he'd worn a dinner suit meant she probably hadn't overdressed at least.
When he pulled up in front of Renfrenchio's, she knew she hadn't overdressed. "Jack! Are you serious? How did you even get reservations here? You have to get them months in advance."
He only smiled and walked around to open her door before handing his keys to the valet and taking the ticket in return. "I called in a favor," he said simply, offering her his arm once more.
They walked in and when he said, "Hudson," she almost held her breath wondering if they would be turned away. Instead, the maître d' said, "Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Hudson, your table is ready, if you'll follow me please."
Sue looked to Jack in surprise, wondering if he'd registered them as Mr. and Mrs. on purpose, or if the man had simply assumed. Jack just shrugged at her silent question and, arms still linked, led her behind the maître d' to their table. As they walked, she looked at the tables they were passing and whispered to Jack, "It seems kind of dark. I might have a hard time reading your lips." His only response was to reach his opposite hand across and reassuringly pat the hand she had tucked through his arm.
When they arrived at the table, Sue gasped. It was square, with settings on two adjacent edges so they could be sitting kitty-corner to each other. At the opposite corner of the white tablecloth was a vase filled with a dozen roses interspersed with baby's breaths. A bottle chilled in a champagne bucket nearby and two candles completed the picture in the center of the table. The whole set-up was in a more secluded portion of the restaurant, with curtains that hid them from the view of the rest of the tables. Although it wasn't entirely enclosed, it would be unlikely anyone would see them unless they were deliberately looking for what was behind the curtain.
The maître d' started to pull the chair out for Sue, but Jack stopped him, saying, "Allow me, please," to which the man gave a slight respectful bow. Sue had had guys try to seat her before. They had done everything from not push the chair in at all so she barely managed to sit on the edge (at least she didn't fall!) to pushing it in so hard they rammed it into the back of her knees. Jack managed it just right, not even leaving her feeling the need to minutely adjust her position.
The maître d' lifted a bottle of Veuve Clicquot from the champagne bucket beside the table and presented it to Jack, who nodded his approval and gestured for the man to start pouring. Sue realized as she watched this exchange that something was different in their semi-secluded little corner than at any other tables they had passed.
Once the maître d' had left them with their menus, Sue said, "Jack—is it my imagination, or is it brighter over here?"
He smiled. "When I made the reservation, I asked them if it was possible to give us a semi-private area and to keep that area brighter than the rest of the room. I've been here to celebrate a lawyer friend's promotion once and remembered how dark the main dining room is. I thought it'd be a bit difficult for you and I wanted to make sure you were comfortable."
She smiled, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, and impulsively reached out to grasp his hand in gratitude. "Jack . . . that is so thoughtful. Thank you so much."
He shrugged, looking pleased by the thanks but also a little embarrassed. "Just common courtesy."
They perused the menu and Sue's eyes nearly fell out when she saw how much the meals actually cost, but before she could even react to it, Jack was already telling her, "Pay no attention to the prices, my dear. Just assume that in the case of the favors I called in, money is no object."
She widened her eyes. "Jack, I'm starting to wonder if you got involved in some shady dealings here," she half-joked.
He chuckled and said, "I assure you, it is all above board, and you have no cause for concern. Ignore the numbers, just focus on what sounds good."
That was particularly difficult as everything sounded good, but in the end they decided to each start with a butternut squash soup. A wild mushroom risotto for Jack and a lobster pasta dish that she wasn't entirely sure how to pronounce were their pasta choices, with relatively simple salads on the side. For their entrees, Jack got the pan-seared filet mignon with peppered potatoes, while Sue got a citrus lamb shank with couscous, baby carrots, and some sort of sauce that Sue wasn't entirely sure what to expect of but that the waiter had assured them was delicious. To aid in their collective indecisiveness as all the food sounded so good, they had each promised the other to share a bite or two of their entrees.
They decided to hold off on ordering dessert, unsure whether they would even have room after such a huge meal. The waiter smiled and assured them that was fine, while adding, "If I may offer a small tip–eat each course slowly, and with a mind for how much more is to come. Even if you have to sit and wait a while before you're ready for dessert. Trust me, the desserts here are not to be missed if you can find the room for them."
"Oh, don't worry," Jack said, glancing out of the corner of his eye to Sue, "I have no intention of an evening with this woman, especially with her looking like that, going any faster than absolutely necessary."
The waiter gave a knowing reverse-nod and left to bring their orders to the kitchen.
"Jack," Sue said, looking around and really taking everything in. "You said dinner for 'old time's sake.' This is . . . wow."
He smiled. "Well, maybe this is new time's sake, then."
She studied his face a moment, contemplating which of any possible meanings he might have intended there, then raised her champagne toward him. "Well," she said, "here's to new times, then."
"Here's to new times—together," he responded as he clinked his glass against hers.
~0~
Despite Jack's words to the waiter, and despite lingering over each course until their 7:00 reservation turned into their dessert being served after 11, the evening still seemed to fly by. Though the champagne did not keep flowing beyond that first glass—Sue not being much of a drinker and Jack wanting to ensure he was clear to still drive them home after—they didn't need it to fully enjoy one another's company.
For dessert, they had each selected different variations of a mousse. Jack's was a milk chocolate mousse with a mint sauce, while Sue's was a dark chocolate mousse with a raspberry ganache on top. Although the mousses themselves were light, the toppings were fairly rich, and between that and how full they were from the extended meal, they were each glad to see the desserts come in (for Americans at least) small portions.
With each course of their meal that they hadn't ordered the same thing, they had cut a bit off for the other to try–although, by the time of the entrees, they were teasingly stealing carrots, potatoes, peas, and bits of meat from one another's plates about as often as they were eating from their own. Still, it was a little different with dessert, being something so rich and creamy that they would only be able to share if they dug a spoon they'd already eaten off of into the other's food. Sue was about to offer her dish toward Jack to try a bite of, trying hard not to think of the added intimacy of sharing something like this, when he held out his own spoon, laden with a scoop of his dessert, and said, "You have got to try this."
She did so automatically, and when he started to withdraw the spoon again, she grabbed his wrist to stop him and licked the spoon clean first, eyes closed as she savored the flavors. When she looked up at him again, he was watching her with awe and—was that lust? Or love?
She dug her own spoon into her dessert, holding it out for him, and he happily ate some of the dark chocolate treat. "Mmm," he said. "Yup, they're both delicious."
She got some more of hers and ate another bite, keeping her eyes on him. He didn't move back toward his own dessert, focused as he was on her. After she'd swallowed, they stared at one another a moment before he reached toward her slowly, saying, "Oh, you . . . you've got a bit on your . . . on your lip right there."
She swiped her tongue out to try to catch it but didn't taste anything more. "Did I get it?"
He shook his head, leaning toward her slowly as he said, "No, it's . . . it's right . . . ."
She held her breath in anticipation, yet still gasped slightly as his own lips touched hers, nipping at her bottom lip a little. He pulled back just far enough to look into her eyes, then they both leaned forward again, meeting in the middle for a longer, deeper, and far more sensual kiss.
When they finally separated again, Jack cleared his throat and said, "Of . . . of the three desserts, I think that one might be the best."
"I think you're right," Sue replied. Then she got a mischievous look on her face as she added, "But maybe we should try all of them again, just to make sure."
They spent the rest of the evening alternately feeding each other from each of the dishes, kissing in between, and occasionally deliberately "missing" with the spoon just so they could "help" clean it off.
~0~
When they finally left, it was no longer arm in arm, but hand in hand. As they waited for the valet to bring the car, Sue said, "So, are you going to tell me how you managed that or what?"
Jack cocked his head as he considered her for a moment. "Do you really want to know or would you rather keep the magic of it?"
She narrowed her eyes for a moment, giving the question real thought, then said, "I think we've had plenty of magic between us tonight that knowing how you got reservations wouldn't spoil it."
He grinned and stole another kiss before saying, "Remember Curtis Sanford?"
"Of course."
"Well, after he helped us track down that strontium last year, he contacted me to ask my help with tracking down what had happened to a few drug supplies that had been supposedly confiscated by narcotics."
She nodded. "I remember that. It turned out someone was on the take, right? Didn't take long to unearth that once Curtis pointed us in the right direction."
Jack quirked a smile at her. "Well . . . I might have dragged it out and exaggerated a bit in how I related it to Curtis. And since some of the drugs that had disappeared were laced and found their way back to some of his confederates who ultimately ended up dead as a result, it was pretty easy to convince him that he owed me big for it."
"So big that he got you a last-minute reservation and paid for a several-hundred dollar meal?"
He shrugged slightly. "He got me the reservation . . . and told them to treat us very nice."
She raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask more, waiting for him to elaborate. The car pulled up just then, though, and he gave the valet his ticket, handed her into the car, and climbed in. Before he could drive off, she stilled his hand over the gear shift, and reached up to turn on the light.
"Jack?"
He sighed. "I may have tapped into my savings a little for that part."
"Jack!"
"Hey, not that much! Comparatively speaking, I mean. I have plenty in savings still, I don't plan to make it a regular habit, and . . . frankly, you're worth that and so much more."
She bit her lip, thinking. "I . . . Jack, what . . . are we?"
He took her hand and kissed the knuckles. "Can . . . can we go back to my place and talk about that?" Glancing out the window, he added, "I don't think they'll appreciate us taking up the car drop-off and pickup space much longer."
She smiled a little at that. "I guess not. Okay, let's go."
~0~
On the way to Jack's place, Sue contacted Lucy just long enough to say, "Hey, we're going to be out a while longer, you and Levi don't wait up for me, okay?"
She could only assume that the incomprehensible string of letters coming across her screen followed by [unintelligible] were the BlackBerry's futile attempts to express Lucy's squeals and babbling in response so she only said, "We'll talk tomorrow, Luce. Good night."
Back in his apartment, he led her to the couch and sat down, facing her so she could see him but keeping in direct contact with her as much as he could. She had no objection to this, but waited for him to speak. He took a deep breath.
"You . . . asked what we are. I guess . . . not to answer your question with a question but . . . what would you like us to be?"
She bit her lip. "I . . . um . . . ." She hesitated, then cleared her throat, feeling herself blushing. "I don't really . . . know how to answer that without . . . knowing what answer you . . . want . . . ."
"I should think, after this evening, that my desires and intentions are quite clear," he said, though he averted his eyes slightly as though still a bit uncertain of her reception of this.
She exhaled a little in relief. "And . . . I should think, by my response . . . that mine are as well . . . ."
He smiled at her now, leaning forward a bit and sliding his hand along the side of her face, burying his fingers in her hair. "And," he asked, the tease back in his face, "what response was that?"
She smirked coyly and said, "I guess you'll have to make it clear again for me to respond again, won't you?"
That was all the invitation he needed to lean toward her and kiss her once more, and she did indeed make her response quite clear to him. After an indeterminate length of time—no time at all and forever, as far as they could tell—they finally broke apart, breathing hard.
"So," Sue said softly, once she had recovered breath enough to speak, "if we know what we want us to be, I guess the next logical question is . . . how?"
"How?" Jack repeated, confused.
"I mean . . . members of the same team aren't allowed to date. So . . . where do we go from here?"
He smiled. "Ah, that. Well . . . I've been doing some digging . . . asking questions of a few key people . . . and suffice it to say, if we're open and honest and fill out the right paperwork and agree to certain reviews as soon as we're back at work Monday . . . yes, actually, we can. Date . . . and, I hope, so much more."
She smiled cautiously. "More?"
"I hope. If you agree."
Her smile grew and she said, "I think there's a good chance of that," before kissing him again.
~0~
When Lucy woke up Saturday morning, it was to the surprise that Sue was, in fact, still not at home. When Sue walked through the door later, wearing oversized sweatpants with the drawstring cinched tight around her waist and a men's t-shirt that hung loose on her frame, barefoot as she carried her dress and heels from the night before, and hand-in-hand with Jack, Lucy did not squeal, or cheer, or any of the things she would have thought she would do.
She only stared in shock.
Sue greeted Levi almost as happily as he greeted her, while trying to keep her dress away from his exuberance. After he'd settled, she went to put things away in her room and, presumably, get changed.
Lucy stared at Jack for a few moments, who quickly turned toward the kitchen to help himself to some coffee. Lucy finally recovered herself and marched after him, calling, "Jackson Samuel Hudson! What did you do?"
He shrugged, trying to look casual but a smirk tickling at the corners of his mouth. "I . . . took her to dinner. Showed her how special I've always known she is." He paused, his smirk growing into a harder-to-suppress smile. "Kissed her."
"Kissed her?"
Now he broke into a full grin. "A few dozen times. At least."
She whacked his arm with the back of her hand. "And she spent the night at your place and came home dressed in your clothes!"
"Hey, now," he said, becoming serious, clearly intent on defending the honor of the woman he had loved for so long. "Nothing like that—I mean, we didn't do anything, um, inappropriate or anything, we just—"
"Ah, lalalala!" Lucy said, blocking her ears, "I do not need details sir!" Her laughter turned to a soft smile as she said, "Just promise me you aren't going to hurt her."
Placing his hand over his heart, he said, "I pledge, with every fiber of my being, for as long as she'll let me, I will do everything I can to protect her, with no intention of ever hurting her, for as long as we both shall live."
Lucy's eyes grew wide. "Good grief, Jackson, when I said don't hurt her I didn't mean you had to give your wedding vows!"
"I'm not," he responded, then added with a wink, ". . . yet."
As Lucy gaped, then squealed, Sue came back out of her room. She had changed to her own jogging pants, but still wore Jack's shirt. "What are you two talking about?"
In response, Lucy squealed again and ran to Sue to wrap her in a hug so fierce she almost knocked her over. Wanting to join the excitement, Levi started jumping up on them as well.
"Whoa, calm down!" Sue said. "It's not like we're getting married yet or anything!"
Lucy squealed again at that. "You two both keep saying 'yet,'" she teased.
"Well," Sue said, crossing the room to take Jack's hand and exchanging a conversant glance with him. "We figure we should give people a little time to get used to us as a couple before throwing more at them but . . . ."
"But we're pretty sure we both know where this is headed," Jack finished.
Lucy laughed heartily at that.
"What?" they both asked, confused at her amusement.
She gestured them toward the living room, where they sat on the couch, Sue swinging her legs up to the side and leaning her head on Jack's shoulder as he put his arm around her, while Lucy sat in the nearby easy chair. "Get used to you as a couple?" Lucy asked by way of explanation as they were all getting settled. "Good grief, you two, half the Bureau and most of the people you've ever interviewed already assume you're together. The rest have just been waiting to see how long it would take you. Precisely nobody needs time to 'get used to you' as a couple!"
They both flushed at that and tilted their heads to look at each other. Lucy sat grinning at two of her favorite people in the world, so glad they had finally admitted their feelings to each other.
"Was I that obvious?" Jack asked Sue.
"Not to me," she replied, "but then, I was busy trying to make sure I wasn't being too obvious to you."
Lucy waved to get Sue's attention, though she wasn't entirely sure Jack would have heard her right away at the moment either. Once they'd looked back to her, she said, "Yeah, trust me, you both were plenty obvious to everybody except each other! I'm so glad you two finally figured it out. Bobby, Tara, D, and I were talking about whether we'd have to find more ways to make you two have to go undercover as a couple until you finally decided it was more convenient to just stay that way." She laughed at her own joke, and even more so when Sue picked up a magazine to throw at her.
After a few moments, Lucy said, "Well, anyway, I've got to go get some things done for the day, and you two probably want to be alone, so—"
She was instantly met with protests of, "You don't have to leave!" and, "We love your company!" but she held up her hand to ward them off.
"I really do have plans for the day. A bunch of us from my ASL class are going to check out a job fair the Bison Tank is putting on at Gallaudet."
Sue and Jack looked at each other and back at Lucy in surprise. "You're looking for a different job, Luce?" Sue asked.
"Oh, no, no," she quickly assured her. "But it's open to the public and our teacher was encouraging us to go see what we could learn by being in that environment. I was going to ask you to go too, Sue, but—" She eyed them slyly. "Something tells me you'll be otherwise occupied. But I'll see you two later!"
She dashed off to rinse out her mug and finish getting ready for the day before either of them could say anything more.
Sue and Jack looked to each other in surprise, which turned into amusement, which quickly turned into their new favorite activity. When Lucy was actually leaving, she started to bid them farewell, but when she saw them fully occupied with one another, she decided she should just get out of the apartment as fast as she could while the getting out was good. And when she came back, she would make as much noise as she could to alert Jack to her presence before turning any corners!
~0~
Bonus Scene: [because it wouldn't leave me alone]
Jack and Sue were on the couch, having spent the day mostly just hanging around her apartment together, when Jack heard Lucy open the door, walking rather heavier than usual, call out, "I'm home!" and then close the door as loudly as could possibly be without quite being considered slamming it.
Jack rolled his eyes, setting his book down across his chest to sign to Sue what her roommate was up to.
Sue, from the opposite end of the couch where she was stretched out with her legs overlapping his, smirked, then winked at him over the top of her own book before calling out, "Oh, Jack, don't stop!"
Jack had to clap his hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing before composing himself and joining in. "Like this?"
"Oh!"
They waited a moment, and then Jack heard Lucy opening the front door again. "Oh, for Pete's sake, Lucy, get in here," he shouted.
She appeared hesitantly in the doorway of the living room, then narrowed her eyes at them as she saw what an innocent activity they were actually up to. They both looked at her with excessively innocent expressions on their faces, and Sue said, "What did you think you were going to walk in on, Luce?"
"Very funny," she replied, picking up a throw pillow and using it for the purpose implied in its name.
Jack managed to snag it out of the air before it could hit his lady love. "I promise you, we will not be making it awkward for you to walk into your own apartment."
"Yeah," Sue said with a wink toward Jack. "I know how to lock my bedroom door."