The Runaway Groom - Chapter 14

Apologies for the delay in posting everyone....things have been a bit manic recently.

Bobby and Lucy looked at each other as Jack repeated those three words over and over. Despite her initial anger, she was now worried about her friend and team leader. 

“Jack, tell us what happened. Maybe we can help, or at least understand why Sue has gone.”

“It’s my fault. It’s all my fault. She saw me telling.....someone that I loved her and it all went downhill from there.” 

Lucy sat back and listened to Jack. Sue had run off because Jack had told her he loved her. It didn’t make any sense. She knew that Sue was deeply in love with Jack. When he’d announced his engagement to Allie, Sue had been devastated. Only Lucy knew how she’d really taken the news. 

“That doesn’t make any sense Jack. Why would Sue run when she feels the same way about you?” 

Lucy watched as Jack lifted his head suddenly and looked at her.

“She never told you did she?” Lucy asked, the look in his eyes telling her the answer. “Oh Jack.”

“If she loves me Luce then why has she gone?

All Lucy could do was look at her team leader, his heart breaking right in front of her. She looked at Bobby, hoping he would know what to say, but he remained silent.

“I don’t know Jack, but I think it might have something to do with Allie.”
“Allie? I called it off with Allie because I love Sue.”

“I know that Jack, but think of it from Sue’s point of view. You cancelled your wedding to a woman who clearly loves you because you loved her.” She paused before continuing, seeing that neither of the men were following her. “In Sue’s mind, she feels guilty for causing so much pain to Allie. It’s because of her that you two aren’t married. She is the reason why Allie is now alone.”

“That ridiculous Luce. I am the one who ended it with Allie, not Sue. She had nothing to do with it.”

“You said it yourself Jack, you called off your wedding to Allie because you love Sue. Sue is the reason you couldn’t go through with it. Don’t you see? Sue blames herself for what’s happened.”

Hear No Evil - Chapter 40

After scribbling a quick note for Sue’s parents, Jack and Sue left for the airport. Tara had sent Jack a message to let him know she had rearranged their flights and they were due to leave Ohio in a little over an hour’s time. They had packed their things and left the Thomas house, arriving back in the bullpen several hours later.

“Have we heard anything more Bobby?”Jack said as they walked in.
“It’s just been confirmed mate, the two women pulled out of the Potomac are Claire Williams and Sophie Morgan. It looks like our kidnapping has just escalated to a murder.” Bobby said as he ran his fingers through his hair.
“That’s not all Crash. All four of the women went to the same speech teacher in Ohio. They were all taught by Barbara Casey around the same time as Sue did. Ms Casey couldn’t say if the women knew each other back then, or if they did as adults.”

Sue caught the look that Bobby was giving her and knew what he was thinking. Like Jack, Bobby could be over-protective, as could all of the guys, but at that moment, she still didn’t believe she was in any danger. There was no indication she was at risk.

“I know what you are going to say Bobby but I am not going into a safe house. We still have no reason to believe that this person will come after me.” Bobby opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Sue’s hand. “No buts Bobby, I appreciate your concern but I am staying at home with Lucy. This person is not going to scare me out of my own home.”

Sue watched as Bobby turned to Jack, obviously looking f or his best friend to agree with him. Jack looked between them before speaking.

“Sue, I understand how you feel but it is not just a kidnapper we are dealing with now. Two of these women have been killed. You can’t deny that the connections between the women also connect you. There are too many coincidences here Sue and I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I didn’t act on my instincts. It’s not very often that I pull rank, but I’m going to now. Seeing as you won’t move into a safe house, then we shall have to bring the safe house to you. You a Lucy will be having a house guest so make your choice.”
“But Jack...”
“No buts Sue. Neither you nor Lucy is armed so if anyone did come after you, you would be a sitting duck. One of us is going to stay with you until this case is over or we know with 100% certainty that you aren’t at risk.”

Sue looked at Lucy who had the biggest grin on her face. She inwardly groaned at what she knew her friend was thinking. The obvious choice would be Jack and judging by the looks on the faces of the others, they all thought she would pick Jack too. Under normal circumstances, she would love having Jack stay at her for a few days, but seeing as this was for a case, and when she and Jack were alone all thoughts of work went out the window, she decided that Jack probably wasn’t the best option.

“Okay, fine, if I have to have someone babysit me, then I pick Tara.” Sue said as she smiled at the only female agent in the bullpen.
“Great. Okay, Tara, you can go home and pack a bag for a few nights. “Jack said to her as the petite agent grabbed her purse and left the bullpen. Jack turned to Sue, “You and I have to go and speak with the women’s parents, see if they can tell us why they took their daughter’s out of Ms Casey’s class.”

Nodding, Sue followed him out of the bullpen and waited with him for the elevator. It was a few moments before Jack spoke.

“I know you think I’m being over-protective Sue, but I can’t say that I’m not worried about you. There are too many coincidences in this case and I’ve been around long enough not to believe in coincidences. I’m not going to risk anything happening to you Sue.”
“It’s okay Jack, I know you’re only doing what you think needs to be done. Besides, it might be fun having another woman in the house. Although poor old Levi is going to feel greatly outnumbered.” Sue said as she smiled down at her faithful companion who just lay on the floor and covered his nose with his paws.

Both Jack and Sue laughed at the canine before stepping into the elevator.

Hear No Evil - Chapter 39

Several hours later, Jack and Sue returned from an afternoon in town. Sue had taken Jack to some of her favourite childhood haunts and Levi had been in his element chasing pigeons and squirrels in the park.

Despite the case they were working, Sue was happy being home, especially with Jack by her side. They had bumped into a couple of people that she’d gone to school with, many of whom still lived at home with their parents.  She felt so proud of all that she’d achieved, especially with her disadvantages. What felt even better was introducing Jack as her boyfriend. That had gotten several “no ways” and “get out of here’s” from the girls they had bumped into. They had been practically drooling over him and she had never felt better about herself with him on her arm.

As they walked into the kitchen, Sue dropped her purse on couch and went through to the kitchen th get them a drink, picking up a note that had been left on the counter top.

Sue and Jack

Had to go out, Aunt Sylvia is not well. We will hopefully be back before you leave for D.C tomorrow but if not, it has been lovely seeing you both again. Please don’t leave it so long next time!

Love

Mom and Dad

P.S Dinner is in the oven.

“Looks like we have the place to ourselves.” Sue called to Jack as he came into the kitchen, “Mom and Dad had to go to Aunt Sylvia’s.”

“You mean I have you all to myself for the rest of the day.” Jack said with a smile.

Sue smiled when she saw Jack waggle his eyebrows at her. She knew exactly what was running through his mind by the way he was looking at her, mainly because the same thing had popped into her mind too. Spending some alone time with Jack was always a good thing, and usually she would jump at the chance, but this was her parents house.  When they were on their own, things tended to get pretty heated pretty quickly. They’d come close to crossing that barrier a few times and she didn’t feel that she could trust herself to stop if things got that far again, which she knew they would. She racked her brain to try and think of something for Jack to do, smiling when it came to her.

“Hadn’t you better get on the phone to Bobby to let him know what we have found out after speaking with Ms Casey?”

Sue almost laughed out loud as Jack’s shoulders slumped and he stuck out his bottom lip. She almost caved when he tried to turn his dark eyes on her but she turned to the fridge to get their drinks, opening the door and to let the chilly air cool her rapidly overheating body.  Turning back she saw Jack was now in the living room about to dial when his phone rang. Answering, he turned and mouthed to her that it was Bobby.

“Hey Crash, you must be psychic, I was about to call you. I think we may have something here.”

“Well we definitely have something here Sparky. Two bodies have just been recovered from the Potomac. They haven’t been formally identified but the description matches those of Claire Williams and Sophie Morgan. I think you should get back here pronto.
“On our way Crash.”

Hear No Evil - Chapter 31

They arrived back at the bullpen to a flurry of activity. Myles was having an animated conversation with someone on the phone. The amount of gesticulating he was doing with his free hand told Jack that whoever it was on the phone wasn’t in the Bostonian’s good books. Bobby was having what looked like a rather heated debate with someone who Jack didn’t recognise and Tara was busy running between her desk and the printer. Lucy was nowhere to be seen. As Sue was about to sit, Tara spotted them and came rushing over.

“Jack, Sue, I think we have a break in the case, we found a connection between the women apart from them all being deaf. They were all born and raised in Ohio!”

Jack immediately turned to Sue and saw the look that crossed her face. This was getting a little too close to home and too close to Sue. He knew that if all of the women lived in DC, were oral deaf and came from Ohio, then Sue could be at risk. As he looked at her he felt an overwhelming urge to do nothing put protect her. He knew that she would think he was being silly and they had no reason to suspect that whoever took the women would be after her too but the coincidences were a little too much for him to ignore. At that moment Bobby spotted Jack and Sue by Tara’s desk and strode over to them. 

“I take it Tara has told you what we have found.” Jack nodded. “So you know the situation that this puts us in. What do we do about Sue?” 

Jack knew that Sue was right by him and would be reading the conversation between him and Bobby.  

“Excuse me, I am standing right here you know.” Bobby looked at her, suitably chastised, “Nothing is going to be done about me at this stage. I appreciate your concern guys but we have no reason to suspect that this person is after me so until we do, there is no point worrying.” 

She deliberately looked at Bobby to make her point before looking back to Jack, recognising the look on his face.   

“I don’t need to be protected Jack.”

“Okay, but the first sign that this guy is after you we are putting you into a safe house.” He smiled when Sue nodded. “Good. Tara, this is a list of Rosemary White’s friends from back in Ohio. Her husband said she kept in touch with quite a few of her friends from back home. Seeing as we now have the Ohio connection, I think that we may find that someone on this list could be connected to the others in some way. Let me know as soon as you find anything.”

Tara took the list off Jack and immediately started working her magic.  He turned back to Sue and took her hand.

“Come with me, I wanna talk to you.”

Despite her initial resistance, Jack led Sue to a nearby conference room. After checking that it was empty, he led her inside and closed the door. As he turned the lock, he stood in front of her and pulled her to him into a warm embrace. He felt her relax against him as her arms wrapped around his back and he heard her sigh, her head resting on his shoulder.   

He loved just holding her like this. If he had his way, they would stay like this forever and he would never let her go. Unfortunately, he knew that this wasn’t possible as he slowly pulled her away from him, but kept her in the circle of his arms.

“I know I’ve asked this before, and you’re probably getting sick of me saying it, but are you sure you’re all right? I mean with this case?”

Jack watched her as she sighed, her hands moving to rest on his upper arms. He could tell that she was thinking as her fingers absently played with the material of his shirt. He had to wonder what she was thinking about. She began to chew on her bottom lip, a small gesture that she did often, but whenever he saw her do it, he wanted to kiss her and this time was no exception.  

“I would be lying if I said that the thought of me being next haven’t crossed my mind. All of these women appear to have done nothing wrong other than being deaf. I know that some people think that being deaf is a liability and that we shouldn’t be allowed into normal society, including me……” She stopped when Jack cut her off with a finger to her lips.

“Now you stop right there. Don’t you ever think that you are a liability to any one. Everyone in that bullpen is a changed person since you came onto the team. I have never seen Bobby being so considerate towards others and what you have done with Myles is nothing short of amazing.” Sue smiled at his comments. “As for me, you have affected me in so many ways that I can’t even begin to tell you how my life has changed. You have opened my eyes to a whole new world and I will always be thankful that you came into my life. If we even get the slightest hint that this person is in any way after you, I shall be the first one to do something about it. I am not going to do anything to risk losing you.”

Jack tightened his hold on her and watched as she smiled, her hands snaking round his back.

“Now this is one of the things I love about you. You always look out for me and try to protect me. But for your information Special Agent Hudson, this isn't one of my favourite cases, but I will be okay with it, I promise.”
“Good.” Jack said as he placed a kiss on her nose “Now, how about I take you and Levi out for dinner tonight? Chinese, Mexican or Italian?”

“Erm……Chinese tonight I think” Sue said.
“Chinese it is. Let’s get back before the guys come looking for us.” 

Placing a quick kiss to her lips, Jack released hid hold on her and took her hand as he unlocked the conference room door and they both headed back towards the bullpen.

Hear No Evil - Chapter 27

Thirty minutes later, Sue and Lucy walked into the bullpen. As soon as she entered, Sue’s eyes were drawn to Jack’s desk and she tried to hide her disappointment that he wasn’t there. She unclipped Levi’s leash and sat down at her desk as her faithful friend he dashed off in search of his bunny. As she switched on her computer, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Smiling, she turned, hoping to see Jack but was greeted by the smiling face of his best friend.

“Jack is in with Garrett. He asked to see you too as soon as you came in.” Bobby explained.
“Did he say why?” She asked curiously.
“No, but he grabbed Jack as soon as he walked in ten minutes ago. He didn’t even have chance to take off his jacket.”

Nodding as Bobby returned to his desk, Sue placed her purse in her desk drawer and left the bullpen. Allsorts of things were running through her mind. What could be so important that Garrett wanted them as soon as they arrived? She knew it was probably something to do with the case, but if that was it, why weren’t the rest of the team here? Reaching Garrett’s office, she knocked on the door, smiling when Jack opened it and stepped aside for her to enter.

“You wanted to see me sir?” Sue said
“Yes Thomas, please take a seat.”

Sue took one of the two seats opposite Garrett’s desk as Jack took the other. Knowing their relationship was against the rules, Sue resisted the urge to look at him, knowing that the images of her dreams would return and she wouldn’t be able to hide the blush that she knew would fill her cheeks.

“Thomas, what I have to say concerns both you and Agent Hudson. I haven’t said anything to Jack as of yet because I thought it only fair that you were both here at the same time.”

She couldn’t stop herself as she looked to Jack for answers. She was getting worried about the reason they’d been called in here and she could tell by the look on Jack’s face that he was too.

“A little over an hour ago I received an e-mail from someone in this building. I am not at liberty to reveal the name at this time as I do not feel that it is relevant. I have asked you both in here to either confirm or deny the content of this e-mail and I would appreciate your honesty.”

Both Jack and Sue took the pieces of paper that Garrett handed to each of them and started to read:

Mr Garrett

As I am sure you are aware, there are rules within the bureau that prohibit inter unit dating. I feel that you should be made aware that two of the agents under your supervision have been seen out and about enjoying what can only be described as a date. The two agents concerned are Jack Hudson and Sue Thomas.

I thought that it best that I bring this matter to your attention so that you can deal with Hudson and Thomas in line with standard bureau policy. I trust you will take the appropriate action in this matter

Thank You

Sue and Jack looked at each other and then at Garrett, who was watching them both intently.

“I’m not going to deny that I haven’t seen the chemistry you two share. Personally would like nothing more than to see you two explore your feelings but as the e-mail says, it is against bureau policy for two agents in the same unit to date. Now, I trust from your silence that the e-mail is correct and you two are now dating?”

Sue turned from Garrett and looked at Jack. There was an unspoken question in his eyes and Sue knew what it was. Smiling at him, she nodded as Jack turned back to their supervisor

“Yes we are Ted.” Jack confirmed.
“I see. Can I ask how long this has been going on for?” Garrett said.
“We’ve only been dating for a couple of days, but, whilst I can’t speak for Miss Thomas, I’ve had feelings for her since the day she joined the team. It’s only been recently that I’ve had the courage to admit it, to myself and to her.”

Sue smiled at Jack’s admission and turned to Garrett.

“I feel the same way sir. And I would like to mention that, Jack and I have had feelings for one another for almost two years and it has never affected our working relationship or the way that the team performs. I’m sure that the fact we are now dating won’t change the way we work as a team, or as partners.”

“I’m counting on that Sue. Since I received the e-mail, I’ve checked into this rule and it does say that two “agents” can’t date. Thomas, as you’re not an agent, I can’t enforce the rule. However, if I find that your work or that of the team does begin to suffer I will have no hesitation in reassigning one of you to another team. Is that clear?” Garrett said.
“Yes sir.” Jack answered.
“Okay. I trust you will both be discreet when you are at work?”
“We will sir.” Sue replied.
“Good. Now I am assuming that the others on the team know?” Both Jack and Sue nodded. “Okay, well I am prepared to keep it within the unit for the time being as long as you two don’t push the limits on this. Don’t make me regret trusting you.”

Both Jack and Sue stood and turned to leave when Tara opened the door.

“Excuse me for interrupting but we have another victim.”

Glancing at Garrett who just nodded, Jack hurried after Tara with Sue close behind him. Within minutes they were all gathered together in the bullpen and Tara had provided them with the details on the latest kidnap victim.

The woman’s name is Rosemary White, thirty three years old, married just under a year, one young daughter, only six months old. Apparently, she was on her way back from deaf club when she vanished. No one has seen her since last night.”

Sue stood up from her position on Tara’s desk and walked up the screen. After a few seconds, her hand went up her to her mouth and she gasped. Lucy and Jack were immediately by her side.

“Sue, what it is? What’s wrong?” Jack asked.
“I know her. She used to attend the same deaf club that I go to.”

Hear No Evil - Chapter 16

It was seven in the evening and despite their best efforts, they had learnt nothing new since Garrett had handed them the case. Bobby, Myles and D had returned to the bullpen knowing nothing more than when they left and their frustration at the lack of progress was clear. The girls had struck out too and so far the only connection they had was that all the women were deaf and lived in Washington D.C.

"Could they have attended the same college or something like that?" Sue said as she sighed. 
"We've considered that, but they are all different ages so even if they did attend the same school, the chances of them knowing each other would have been slim." Myles answered as Sue nodded.
"The first thing that I checked was the schools they attended and they all went to different schools and colleges so their paths didn't cross that way. I am still running the checks on the parents, nothing so far apart from a few parking tickets." Tara said as she continued to work away at her keyboard.

The noise of Tara's keyboard was the only thing that could be heard as Jack looked around at his team. He hadn't seen them look so defeated in a long time. Checking his watch, he saw the time and stood. 

"Okay guys, I think that is enough for today. Everyone go home, get some rest and be back bright and early Monday morning. I think we all deserve at least one day off this weekend."

Jack watched as everyone began logging off their computers and grabbed jackets from hooks and chairs, obviously eager to get out. Turning to Sue, he watched as Lucy approached.

"Sue, you coming home or do you have other plans?"She said as she threw Jack a knowing smile.

He tried his hardest not to eavesdrop of their conversation until Sue stood and looked between them.

"I don't know Luce." Sue said before turning to him. "Am I going home Jack?" She asked with a smile on her face.

Jack smiled at her from his desk and nodded. Taking a few steps he came to stand beside her. He was well aware of Lucy standing the other side of Sue but that didn't stop him as he gently ran his fingers down her arm, smiling when he felt her shiver at his touch. He took her hand in his and squeezed gently.

"Yes you are. You have exactly ninety minutes to get home, showered and changed because I am taking you out for dinner tonight. That is if Levi doesn't mind me taking you away from him again?"

Keeping hold of her hand, Jack bent slightly to ruffle the retriever's head, chuckling when the canine barked his thanks at the attention. Straightening, his eyes met hers and he smiled. They got lost in the moment until he heard Lucy clear her throat, causing him to break contact and smiled.

"So, you up for dinner?" Jack asked, taking her other hand in his so she stood facing him.
"See you in ninety minutes." Sue said as she quickly placed a kiss on his cheek before turning and leaving the bullpen.

Hear No Evil - Chapter 15

After Lucy's call, Jack had woven in and out of DC traffic and they had walked into the bullpen ten minutes later to find everyone already there. Everyone looked up when they entered and Jack watched as his best friend grinned at them. He turned his eyes away and he inwardly groaned, recognising that look anywhere. Bobby knew and he had feeling he knew who had told him.

"So guys, how was the first date?" Bobby said as he clapped him on the back, confirming Jack's earlier thoughts.

Jack tucked his tongue in his cheek, trying his hardest to avoid looking at his friend who he knew was grinning widely. Instead, he turned to Sue and watched as looked at Lucy, an accusing look on her face. He grinned to when he saw Lucy shrug and walk over to her.

"You didn't expect me to know about you two and not tell anyone?" Lucy said as she came to stand next to Sue. "It would have been around the building in super quick time anyway. Everyone has been waiting for the day that you two finally came to your senses and admitted how you feel."

Jack looked between the two women and Sue's cheeks flooded with colour. He had to smile at how easily that happened to her. He began to wonder if simple words could make her blush like that, what colour would her cheeks go when they were alone together?

At that moment Garrett walked into the bullpen, grabbing everyone's attention. Knowing that their relationship was against bureau policy, Jack instinctively moved away from Sue and went to lean on his own desk. He felt bad doing it but Sue's smile and small nod told her that she understood. He nodded his head towards Garrett as he started to speak.

"I'm sorry to drag you all in here when you'd been given a few days off but a high profile case has come to our attention and it's been assigned to us at the request of the Director himself."
"The Director?" Jack queried.
"Yes Jack. He requested this team for reasons that will become clear." Garrett paused and looked at each member, knowing he had their full attention. "I trust you have all heard about the kidnappings that have occurred over the last two weeks."

Garrett paused as all the team nodded.

"It would be hard not to. They've been all over the news." Lucy said, as curious as the rest of the team.
"That's right Miss Dotson." He paused again. "The case has been given to us because all of the victims have something in common." Garrett said as he turned to face Sue. "All of the victims are oral deaf."

Garrett watched his team as they all looked at Sue, trying not to make it glaringly oblivious that they were doing so. Jack moved from his desk to sit beside her on hers, his hand covering Sue's, a move that didn't go unnoticed by anyone. Garrett cleared his throat before continuing.

"I have the files on all three of the missing women right here." He said as he held the files up to show them. "I have no doubt that you will all give 100% on this case as you do every case." Garrett paused for a moment and looked each of the team in the eye. "I don't need to tell you what needs to be done. I want this person found before another woman goes missing." Pausing again he handed the files to Jack. "Jack, do your magic." He said as he turned to Sue. "Thomas, can I have a word please."

Glancing at Jack as he squeezed her hand and smiled his encouragement, Sue moved from her desk and met Garrett in the hallway outside the bullpen.

"I think you know what I am going to say Sue. If you don't want to get involved with this case I will understand. It's close to home for you. No one will think any less of you for pulling out."

Sue smiled up at their supervisor, appreciating that he had thought of her wellbeing in this way.

"I appreciate you giving me the choice sir but I shall be fine. If all of the missing women were deaf, chances are their parents and friends might be too. While Lucy and Jack are improving day after day, I'm the only one fluent enough in ASL to communicate effectively."

She watched Garrett nodded and smiled.

"You have me there Thomas." He said as he paused. Against his better judgement, he nodded. "Okay, but only if you are sure? If you think it's getting too much for you, let me or Jack know. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir. Thank you."

Garrett turned and walked into his office, leaving Sue to return to the bullpen. As she entered, she saw Jack watching her, an unspoken question in his eyes. Sue recognised the look straightaway and nodded to him, smiling back when he smiled at her. She kept her eyes on him as Jack walked over to Tara and gave her the files on the three women, images of the kiss they'd shared less than an hour ago filling her mind. She felt the blush on her cheeks and forced herself to come back to the present as she watched Tara push a few buttons on her keyboard. Tara gave the files back to Jack and a picture of a young woman appeared on the big screen for everyone to see.

"The first woman is Claire Williams, 26 years old. She lives in D.C with her mom, dad and two brothers. She was last seen at college eating her lunch in the corner of the park opposite. Her friends have said that one minute she was there, the next minute she was gone. Metro checked the scene and said that there was no evidence of a struggle so she may have known who took her."

Tara pressed a few buttons on her keyboard and another image appeared, this time a woman of similar age came onto the screen.

"Girl number two is Sophie Morgan, 25 years old. She is an only child and lives in D.C with her dad. She moved to D.C a little over a year ago when her dad suffered a stroke. Mom died three years ago of a drug overdose. Police concluded that it was an accidental death and that suicide was not intended. Sophie went missing after leaving one of her friends at the local cinema to walk the five minutes to her house. She never made it back."

The last picture was of the latest girl to go missing.

"Our latest girl is Maria Lopez, 27 years old, lives with her mom, brother and sister in D.C. No dad on the scene, from what we can tell. It appears that he walked out when Maria's younger sister was born, two years later. Apparently, all three children are deaf or have hearing difficulties and dad couldn't cope with it. Maria went missing after swim class. Her brother was meant to pick her up but was late due to traffic. When he got there she was nowhere to be seen. A friend said that she saw her waiting by the front gates. One of her sneakers was found on a grass verge about five yards away. At present, it is the only piece of evidence we have."

As Jack finished, the screen went blank and he turned to the team, casting a quick glance in Sue's direction.

"Tara, I want you to begin doing background checks on the immediate families to see if there are any other connections apart from them being deaf. Bobby, I want you to go over the evidence that was collected at all of the scenes, see if there are any similarities there. Myles, D, I want you to visit each of the crime scenes again, see if anyone saw anything or heard anything that we don't already know about. Sometimes things can come back to people after a few days. Get any CCTV cameras that haven't already been checked, I'm willing to bet that the cinema had some and the complex where Maria swam. Lucy, can you gather a list of the girls' closest friends at school, in the neighbourhood where they live, anything like that."

When Jack finished speaking the whole bullpen came to life as everyone started their assigned tasks. Myles and D grabbed their coats and left the bullpen. Tara's fingers were already flying over the keyboard and Lucy already had the phone glued to her ear. Smiling as his team got to work, he looked across at Sue, who was staring into space.

Standing, he took a few steps until he stood in front of her, seeing the sad look that marred her normally worry free face. Crouching in front of her, he took her hand. She looked up at him and smiled. He could see the worry in her blue eyes and her smile didn't quite light up her face like it usually did.

"You going be okay with this?" He asked her in a hushed voice as he took her other hand in his.
"I'd be lying if I said that it didn't bother me." Sue said with a sigh, "I'll be fine though. Thank you for worrying."
"Hey, it's my job to worry now. That is, if you don't mind?" Jack said as he smiled.
"I don't mind Jack. In fact, it's actually kind of nice knowing that you worry about me."

Jack held her gaze, getting lost in those deep blue eyes. Finally forcing his eyes away from hers, he looked down at their joined hands, his thumb brushing across her knuckles. Turning her hand over, he drew small circles on her palm, smiling when her fingers closed over his and she smiled. At any other time he would have pulled away, not wanting anyone to notice their brief moment, but now it didn't seem to matter. He didn't care who saw them together.

Lifting his eyes to look at her, he noticed Lucy watching them. Meeting her gaze, he saw her smile at him and look away quickly. She had been their strongest supporter from day one and had been trying to get them together since she'd joined the team. She'd pulled him up many times for not admitting how he felt about her. At those times, he hadn't been ready to admit how he felt to himself, at least not how deep those feelings ran.

He remembered back to Bobby's birthday party during their first case. He had felt so bad when Rhonda had turned up when he and Sue were talking outside his apartment. As they'd been talking, he'd felt those familiar feelings and he knew that Sue was a woman he wanted to get to know better. He also knew he couldn't do that with another woman in his life so he had finished with Rhonda the following week.

Apart from his mother and his sister, Sue had been only woman who held a place in his heart from the moment he'd bought her onto the team. He knew she was special. Seeing her come into the bullpen on her first day and leave, closely followed by Levi had intrigued him. Her unique abilities were what made him notice her, what made him want her in his team and ultimately in his life.

Giving her one last smile, he squeezed her hands and returned to his desk, dreading the amount of e-mails that he knew would be waiting for him.

Hear No Evil - Chapter 2

An hour and a half later, Bobby potted the black and pulled out the rack to set up the table for another game. After breaking the balls, he stopped and looked at Jack. They’d played four games so far and Bobby had won them all, which was unusual considering how well matched they usually were. Bobby sensed that there was something on his friend’s mind and guessed that it had something to do with a certain blond analyst that he had been spending so much time with over recent weeks, not to mention a whole week undercover “married” to her.

He’d always known that Jack had a soft spot for Sue. Ever since she’d joined the team he’d seen a change in him. All of the guys on the team were a little protective of the women they worked with, but Jack was even worse with Sue. When he’d learnt that they were to go undercover as a married couple, he’d assumed it had been Jack’s idea, his way of getting a bit closer to her, to spend more time with her. He been surprised when he discovered it had been Sue’s idea and that had got the cogs working and he started thinking that maybe she returned his feelings.

“Hey, you okay there Sparky?” Bobby said as Jack shook his head and looked at him, “You were out of it for a second mate.”
“Yeah I’m fine, just more tired than I thought I guess. Think I’m going to shoot off after this game.”
“Okay mate, but are you sure you wanna play another game, you’re not really on form tonight, I would win with one hand behind my back.”

Bobby smiled at his friend as he accepted the unspoken challenge. As he had been the one to break, it was now Jack’s turn. He watched as Jack got into position, and smoothly began to pot ball after ball after ball until there was only the black left. He smiled and shook his head as he watched his friend pull back the cue and strike the white ball, the black rolling cleanly into the top left pocket. He chuckled as Jack placed the cue on the table and slung his coat over his arm.

“Yeah I’m sure Crash. See you Monday. Have a good weekend.”
“Yeah, see ya mate.”

Bobby watched as Jack left the bar and he sighed, hoping that one way or another, whatever was going on between him and Sue would be resolved quickly, for all their sakes.

Hear No Evil - Chapter 1

“Okay Sparky, that’s enough for today. I am taking you out for a few beers and several rounds of pool.”

Jack looked up at his best friend and teammate and gave him a weak smile. Sighing, he moved back from his computer and loosened his tie. He had to admit that it had been a long few days. The team had finished their investigation into international terrorist Arif Dessa, a case which had involved him and Sue going undercover, as a married couple no less. The whole team had spent the day completing the paperwork and they had all double checked and triple checked each other’s reports. Even though Dessa had vanished into the ether, they wanted to make sure that there were no discrepancies that could compromise their case against his four accomplices that they had dubbed “the four freshmen.”

Checking his watch, he saw that it was almost nine and he and Bobby were the only ones left in the bullpen. He couldn’t quite believe how late it had gotten. Myles had finished his report in super fast time so that he could get in some well-deserved rest over the weekend. He had vanished from the bullpen a little after five. D had done the same thing so that he could go home and spend a weekend with Donna and the kids, something that he hadn’t done in a long time because of work. As for Sue, Tara and Lucy, they had decided that a nice relaxing evening at the local spa was in order, not to mention quality time to catch up on the gossip that they had missed whilst Sue was undercover. Returning to his computer screen, Jack looked up, seeing his friend hovering by his desk.

“Five more minutes Crash, I’m almost done. I don’t want to give Garrett any excuse to drag me in over the weekend. I don’t intend to see this place again until Monday morning.”

Jack watched as his friend narrowed his eyes before responding.

“Okay, five more minutes but I’m timing.” He said as he tapped on his watch before returning to his desk to pack up for the evening.

Jack laughed at his friend and continued to type the last of his report. Trying to remember what he was in the middle of typing before Bobby distracted him.

True to form, five minutes later, Bobby strode over to him car keys in hand and jacket over his arm. Before Bobby could say anything, Jack hit the print and save button and the printer sprung to life as it produced the pages of Jack’s report. He collected all of the pages off the printer and placed them in a folder before rushing out of the bullpen to leave his report on Garrett’s desk. Returning, he grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair and checking that he had turned off his computer, he followed Bobby out of the bullpen.