Missing scene from 3.9, "Fraternity," in which, after Sue jokes about Jack's examples of how a girl could say she was interested in him meaning that she should lie to him, she notices Jack slip into the conference room looking upset and goes to find out what's wrong, only to find out what's wrong is . . . that she's upset him more often than she'd realized.

AN: You may notice that there have been several stories here in which I'm addressing Sue's tendency to make possibly mean-sounding jokes to Jack. Now, I tend to joke around like that with my friends a lot, but we also check in with each other to make sure we know we're joking, we know each other well to know what things we would not take well as jokes, and if we ever are actually hurt by something we'll mention it to each other. I tend to think that Sue and Jack are like that too, if only off-camera, and that canonically he really doesn't get upset with her barbs because he knows they're all in fun; but I'm not ignorant of the idea that a few of the things she says really could genuinely be hurtful to him, even if he knows she's joking. So, Jack's had to make amends for his own errors a few times (particularly regarding his comments after "The Kiss") so now it's Sue's turn.

~0~

"Jack?" Sue had gone into the conference room, having noticed him slipping out of the bullpen looking somewhat upset.

He was sitting back-to when she opened the door, and he didn't turn around when she spoke either. She quietly closed the door and moved around to the chair next to him, to see his face so she could read his response.

What she did not expect to see were tears in his eyes, which he was hastily trying to wipe away. In fact, in all the different moods she'd ever seen him, the happy and sad ones, the serious and funny ones, she didn't remember ever seeing him cry. "Jack?" she said again, this time far more concerned. "What—what's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing," he said quickly, trying to brush it off. "I just . . . um, I guess the pressure of trying to figure out this case is getting to me."

She gave him a disbelieving look. "We've worked on much harder cases than this with much more pressure. What's going on?"

"Nothing. Uh, we should get back out there."

He stood to go but before he got very far she said, "Is it me?"

He froze.

"Did I—did I upset you? Is that why you don't want to tell me?"

Slowly, he turned back to her, and the truth of this was written all over his face. "It—it's fine, it's nothing, Sue, let's just go back to work."

She frowned, focused on trying to figure out how she might have upset him. "Is it because we were joking about men being 12-year-old boys?"

"What? No, of course not. It's really not a big deal, don't wor—"

"Oh." Realization struck suddenly. "It was when I said the girl should lie."

"It's fine, I know you were joking."

"No—I mean, yes, I was, but we were talking about if you were a 12-year-old boy. I mean, I didn't know you at 12, but I don't recall any 12-year-old boy ever being especially charming, intelligent, all those different things."

He rolled his eyes. "Then, now, anytime, gotcha. It's not like this is the first time you've made that abundantly clear."

She frowned, standing and approaching him where he still stood halfway between the table and the door. "No. Jack, no, not at all. Is that really what you think I think of you?"

He shrugged. "Like I said, I know you were joking, don't worry about it." Once more, he turned to go.

She couldn't let him leave thinking she thought so badly of him. "Jack—I joke like that because—because I'm not supposed to agree. Because I'm not supposed to think what I think of you."

That stopped him. "What—what is that supposed to mean?"

She hesitated. "I think you know."

"Pretend I don't." But she saw it. She saw the hope in his eyes, the smile he was trying not to allow to play around his lips.

"Really?" she teased, walking toward him slowly. "An intelligent, handsome, funny, charming man like you?"

"And here I thought you didn't lie," he teased back.

She fixed him with her most sincere expression, willing him to understand just how much she meant it when she said, "I don't."

Neither of them could ever say who kissed whom. When it came down to it, it seemed less like either of them kissed the other, and more like the magnetic pull between them finally snapped them together all at once. What they did know was that they could not get enough of each other.

It was only by sheer force of will, several minutes later, that Sue managed to murmur against Jack's cheek, "We should really stop before someone comes in, and pick this up later."

Jack muttered something against her neck, and she laughed and pulled back, saying, "However much I'd love many more opportunities to try, I can't actually read your lips by feel."

He grinned at her. "I said, let them come in, I've waited too long for this."

She leaned in and gave him another slow kiss before pulling back and wiping her lipstick off of him while saying, "We should probably both keep our jobs. We'll talk—and pick this up—after work, okay?"

They helped each other straighten their somewhat disheveled clothes and hair, attempting to eliminate any signs anyone else might detect of what they'd been up to in there.

"You know," Jack observed, trailing his finger along the edge of her shirt where her collarbone was exposed, "I've gotten to kiss you on two separate occasions so far, and both times you've been wearing a very flattering, form-fitting red sweater."

"Hmm," she responded, tapping her chin in consideration. "I have a lot of blue in my wardrobe . . . I think I need to go shopping for some more red!"

He smiled and leaned in for one final kiss. "Well, now that I know I'm allowed to, I can guarantee what you're wearing will have no bearing on how often I kiss you."

"Good."