Um...is it legal to follow one post with another post

kav

Well, you girls are so smart, that I don't think I can keep the truth from you any longer (though I will not change my story). So, it's what you think... and that's all I'm going to say.

The bullpen seemed different when Jack entered, though he knew nothing had changed. Maybe it was because his heart seemed so much lighter and it let him see and enjoy so much more than before. He now embraced the beautiful weather, when before he only tolerated it as a nice day.

He gazed out the window and to the park in the distance. The trees might have still been bare and there were no blooming flowers to speak of, but it was still a beautiful sight in the late morning sun. It certainly was a beautiful day, yet as he tried to concentrate on it, his suspicion would not be kept at bay.

He and Garrett had continued their conversation well after the reveal of the notice so Jack could gain more insight. He couldn’t help but follow his agent instincts and ask the questions that had been on his mind. A few Ted answered with his honest opinions, because that was all he could give. He hadn’t been the one to send it out, though he had recommended the option to his superiors a number of times. Either it had finally worked or they had come up with a reason for it all on their own.

Jack’s team wasn’t the only one who’d earned the “reward”, he knew. He probably shouldn’t have known at this point in time, but he’d noticed Travis, an agent in a similar surveillance unit, enter Garrett’s office shortly after he’d exited. What was the reason for it, though? The upper brass didn’t take making a decision like this too lightly. This had to have been thought over thoroughly, which he was sure they had; but, why had they done it so suddenly and so close to Valentine’s Day, of all days?

Wow! Im sorry to have missed so much! This story is really interesting and Im really hoping that what I think it is is what you think I think it is! Loving it!

Linny, you're so cute when you're keeping us out on a limb!!!

Joy

Kav, I'm not too sure if its legal to follow one post with another post, but I'm darn sure its a federal offense to follow one post with another post with another post!!!


And beginning a post with cryptic replies to our insistent badgering isn't helping your case either, Linny!

well ditto to that...linny not nice

too much...come on let us down from here!

I'm just glad you said it's what we all think and hope it is!!!

Em

-Smiles sheepishly and blushes- Aw, thank you. As I said before, I will not be changing anything because you want me to hurry. So, please just hang in there until it is revealed. It shouldn't be too much longer, now.

By the way, thank you for all the wonderful replies. I know it seems like I'm trying to be difficult and making you suffer, but I'm not trying to do any of that. I never expected it to take so long in revealing, but we're almost there and then you'll be very happy that I drew it out.

Anyway, here's another post for today. If I'm able to later, I just might post again.

Jack was jerked from his deliberation as an unexpected paper ball bounced perfectly off his nose and landed in his freshly-poured cup of coffee. The chuckling of his fellow team members, Sue included, reached his ears as he was knocked so unceremoniously from his thoughts. He felt heat rise to his cheeks as he removed the paper ball from his cup and threw it in the nearest trashcan. He glanced over at Sue who was laughing at his embarrassment and that just made him blush more. He was able to hide the color from his cheeks as he threw his head back and rolled his eyes.

“Ooh, bonus points,” Myles proclaimed with a chuckle. He wasn’t the culprit, Jack knew. Only one person had good enough aim. He turned his gaze to Bobby who wouldn’t deny the accusations that would be thrown at him.

“Do I win a prize?” he asked with a cheeky grin; one that lit up his entire face and made him look like a kid again.

“I’d say so,” Tara complied as she tossed him a mini candy bar from her seat behind her desk. She had a stash of the sweet concoctions in her desk drawer and she was more than happy to share for that great shot he’d made.

She’d caught an amazing sweet tooth with the holiday of love looming in the nearby distant future. She was usually a slave to her cravings because of lack of dates around this time of year, so she’d decided to treat herself to the sweets.

Her happy mood diminished slightly. Another Valentine’s Day without a valentine, it was a sorrowing thought. She wouldn’t usually buy into all of the commercialism of the holiday, but it was hard not to. Couples would walk to and fro around her as if taunting her. She almost expected a few of them to stop in their tracks to point and laugh at her because she was all alone.

There was only one person she wanted to spend February the fourteenth with and that man was sitting on the other side of the room, probably oblivious to her and her feelings. After she and Bobby had shared their kiss, they seemed to fall back into their normal routine without ever discussing their true feelings. She was half-convinced that Bobby had gotten over their private interlude and gone on with his life. The other half of her, though, was sure that he still held a flicker of a flame for her in his heart; especially when he looked at her like he was doing now.

“Thanks, Luv,” he said with a heart-melting wink that made his eyes light up so much that she had to turn away for him not to see her blush. She heard him give a chortle and looked up in enough time to see him pop the delicious chocolate in his mouth. He let out a moan of pleasure as he closed his eyes. “Mmm, caramel.”

She rolled her eyes at his behavior. He was so silly when he acted like a child. She had to admit that she liked that side of him more than when he was in full-agent mode with very little emotion, he almost didn’t seem human. She liked the very human side much more. It made him look so attractive and her heart soar.

She didn’t reply to his thank you with words. She only gave a smile with a nod of her head before ducking back behind her computer screen. She was well hard at work by the time Bobby stood next to Jack to get his own cup from ol’ Betsy, but when she heard Bobby spark up a conversation, she couldn’t help but let her ears prickle to attention. She wanted to catch every word and that only meant her computer project would have to wait.

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This smilie was so cute, that I just had to.

Great post.... Bobby wake up and pay attention to Tara That smilie is really funny!

I know! Don't you just love it I love this story.. Can't wait to find out if what I think is happening is happening

Great job!

I love the picture I got in my head reading this line. You described Bobby so well.




I agree with Tara whole-heartedly. As attractive as Bobby the agent is, Bobby acting like a child is so much cuter! Just plain lovable.



I think you really got into Tara's head with this one. Very realistic emotions for a single person around Valentine's day.

Awesome post!

Em

I concur, that smiley is just too cute for words!

I hope that the memo Jack got will help Tara feel better about Valentine's Day especially where one certain foreign (oh, I don't know, maybe Australian) agent is concerned.

just caught up, great posts

cath

The day's just gone by so quickly, hasn't it? Never enough time....

“So, what’s on your mind, Spark?” Bobby asked, pouring sugar and a bit of powdered creamer into his mug.

On instinct, especially with all of the over-active imaginations and the well-known eavesdroppers, Jack glanced around to make sure that their conversation wouldn’t be overheard. He noticed how close he and Bobby were to Tara’s desk, so he made his way back to his own, Bobby at his heels. “Crash, do you ever wonder what would happen if you had the chance to ask Tara out?” He asked in a hushed tone so they would not be overheard. It would be very awkward if they had to explain their conversation, especially with the bunch of yahoos they worked with.

The Aussie cleared his throat in a discomfited manner. Jack had been the only person he told about his feelings for Tara. He was the only person who knew about their kiss and that fact that he would, more than anything, love to be with her and only her. But, why that question had exited his best mate’s mouth was beyond him. There had to be a reason behind it and he had to question it. “Why do you want to know?”

“I’m just curious. What if the no-dating policy was abolished and you had the chance to go after our spunky, little computer whiz?” He managed a small smile as he lightly motioned his head in Tara’s direction, which caused Bobby to look her way for a split second before turning his attention back to Jack.

“Well, yeah, I’ve thought about it, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon, isn’t it?” He seemed a but disgruntled by the idea and that caused him to glance over, once more, at Tara, this one lingering a few beats more than the first.

She didn’t know how he felt. He’d kept his emotions well-hidden to everyone, except Jack. But, he hadn’t even told Jack everything about his feelings. There was more than just the initial attraction to her. She held a small piece of him that he never wanted back and hoped she never wanted to give back. In truth, he loved her, but there was nothing he could do about it.

He wished he was able to tell her, but every time he thought the moment was perfect, he remembered that they worked together and were good friends. If they were to take it any farther than their friendship, he was worried that they would ruin the special bond they already had. If he couldn’t be without her by his side forever, he at least still wanted her in his life as a friend.

He turned his attention back to Jack with a grimace. “Thanks for opening old wounds, Sparky.” He grumbled under his breath and lowered his head to his paper work. He didn’t want to think about love or Tara or loving Tara anymore today. It hurt deep inside of his heart that he would never be able to taste her lips again and to feel her wrapped in his strong arms.

“What if I said that what you’re thinking could be a possibility?”

That question made Bobby look up with curiosity, which Jack knew it would. The Aussie scanned the other man’s face before he asked his next question. There was sincerity in Jack’s dark brown eyes that drove deep into Bobby’s soul. There was something that Jack wanted to tell him but couldn’t. “What do you know that I don’t?”

The sigh that Jack let escape was to be expected. He couldn’t tell him; not yet. “I can’t say right now, but trust me when I say that it’ll make your worries a thing of the past.” He grinned as he checked his watch. The morning had passed by so quickly and Jack had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed. With a pat on the shoulder, he told Bobby that he was going to head out for lunch, which made the Aussie only nod as an answer, his gaze flickering back to the bubbly computer wizard every few minutes. What Jack had said had really hit hard, but in a good way. There was a light at the end of the dark tunnel he’d been traveling through and Tara was that light.

Aww Tara is Bobby's light at the end of the tunnel! How sweet!!! Great post! I loved the lines.. they were perfect.. and all the actions and thoughts..

Great job!

The whole post was great, but this last line was just beautiful!

I am yet again Linny...come on!

Very interesting!! I wonder when Jack can tell what he knows???

Joy

And... continue... please If you continue it is what we all gonna do I am sure...

cute post, i love jack/bobby talks

cath

I'm loving this.

Please just hang in there a little longer...

When Jack had asked Sue to lunch, she didn’t expect to see an uneasiness flow through him. They’d gone out to eat a number of times, but this was different for some reason. He barely touched his chicken salad because he was too busy doing a number of things such as tearing his napkin to pieces and wiping his hands upon his slacks.

There were times when he would stare at her as she ate, which made her feel slightly uncomfortable, yet she said nothing about it. She could tell there was something on his mind, but wouldn’t pressure him about it. It was doing things like that that made him push away and she loved the closeness they had. She knew he would tell her in due course, though she wasn’t sure how much more of his staring she could take.

She pretended not to notice, though it was very difficult not to notice when his gorgeous dark gaze was set upon her. Chills ran up and down her spine in that exciting way they always did when he looked at her. She loved the feeling; she wouldn’t lie. Only Jack could do that to her and she knew she never wanted it to stop.

She braved a glance in his direction when she noticed his gaze lower to his lunch. He’d picked up his fork and proceeded to lightly shuffle the lettuce on his plate. He seemed discourage for whatever reason and that made her feel for him and wonder what was on his mind.

Her heart ached slightly. She’d seen that look before. It was the same look he’d gotten in his eyes when Allie had first come back into his life, after his heart attack. She shook her head as she told herself how preposterous that was. He’d told her that it was over between them and she believed him. There was no reason for him to have lied to her. Allie was truly out of the picture and that made Sue’s heart ache more. Could it be that he was never interested in her in the first place?

That was as ridiculous as anything else she’d come up with. She’d seen it in his eyes. He had some feelings for her buried deep down inside. Whether or not he knew that, though was beyond her and she couldn’t dwell on what could have been possible. She could only embrace the here and now and enjoy his company.

Maybe if he didn't tear up his napkin, he could use that instead of his slacks for wiping his hands.




Allie's out of the picture! No time to waste dwelling on her Sue. Just toast to her being out of your lives and enjoy the relationship!

I hope Jack just spits it out...


~laura michelle~

Sue, I think Jack needs a little encouragement!!!

Joy

Come Jack just say something...

yup, sue you ned to do more than stare at him, although i think every woman with a pulse will understand why you want to spend hours staring at him

cath

I agree with Joy! Give him a boost

Em

I think Jack needs a boost, what about you?

“You seem quiet,” she said after another moment of sitting in silence. She didn’t like it when they just sat there without having one of their usual conversations. She loved laughing with him and seeing him smile. She never knew how much she could miss it until he stopped doing it. He looked up at her, giving only a curl in the corner of his lips. It wasn’t the smile she’d been hoping for. She rolled her eyes at his sullen demeanor. She really did not understand that man. One moment he would be on the top of the world and the next he would either be a nervous wreck or down in the dumps. He was a mystery to her. She just wished for once he would suck it up and speak his mind. “What’s on your mind?” She took a sip of her iced tea as she watched him continue to push the lettuce around on his plate. What was going on in that head of his?

“Lot’s of things,” he answered as he finally put his fork to his mouth. He was hungry and he had really wanted the salad in front of him, but when he’d finally realized what his feelings for Sue would mean his appetite faded. His mind couldn’t focus on his hunger anymore. It was too worked up over what her answer might be and that made his stomach churn apprehensively.

“Care to elaborate or am I supposed to guess?” She gave a little snigger when she saw a light pink dust his cheeks. He was always so handsome, but there was something about when he blushed that made her heart flutter uncontrollably. She enjoyed seeing the very human side to the stone-cold agent façade he’d created.

Since his talk with Garrett, he’d been thinking about how to phrase his question. If he asked it wrong, she would turn him down and he wouldn’t be able to handle such rejection. He wanted nothing more than to woo Sue Thomas and sweep her off her feet so he could carry her off into the sunset. The only problem was finding the right words. “Do you like to eat?”
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Thank you for the wonderful comments!

What?! That was oh my gosh...Jack...*note to Linny I am in mode to get Jack to be not so stupid!

Not "Sue, would like to go to dinner with me?"
Not "Sue, what's your favorite restaurant?"
Not "Sue, I'm in the mood for a good taco, how about you?"

The boy needs cheat notes written on his hand so he doesn't forget how to talk!

Thankfully, Sue's patient... she'll give another chance.

Tina

Oh Jack, you think you can do it -- I know you can!

kav

Do you like to eat???? ..... Do you like to eat????

Jack, what kind of question is that??

Well, at least it'll likely make her laugh.

jack hn, we all know you're nervous but spit it out

cath

He can be really pathetic sometimes, can't he? -sighs- Oh well.

Since his talk with Garrett, he’d been thinking about how to phrase his question. If he asked it wrong, she would turn him down and he wouldn’t be able to handle such rejection. He wanted nothing more than to woo Sue Thomas and sweep her off her feet so he could carry her off into the sunset. The only problem was finding the right words. “Do you like to eat?”

Her laughter reached his ears with a questioning “what?” as the end. That was neither the right question nor the reaction he’d been hoping for.

“I… er… that is… Would you like to eat with me tonight… for dinner?” It was closer, just not what he’d been looking for. A dark blush rose to his cheeks as he lowered his gaze from hers. He was finding it hard to ask her when he looked into her gorgeous hazel eyes. It was hard for him to even construct a coherent sentence when he looked into them. That was why he had to look away.

“Are you asking me out to dinner, Hudson?” She raised a questioning eyebrow as she felt her cheeks warm at the thought of them going out to dinner. It was a usual reaction, yet she was usually able to hide it well enough for him not to notice. Maybe it was the fact that he found the question so difficult to ask that made her blush more than usual. He was awfully adorable when he stuttered. Of course, it could be because it seemed like he was asking her out on a date. They’d gone out to dinner numerous times as friends, like lunch, but there was something in his eyes that told her that he wanted something more.

He pursed his lips as he closed his eyes. She was still giggling at him and he thought she was making fun of him. Yet, that wasn’t in Sue’s nature. She would never willingly make fun of him because he’d made a nervous mistake. At that realization, he opened his eyes and nodded. “Yeah. That’s what I meant.”

“Oh,” she said half-heartedly, her eyes widening then, drooping at the thought of what this meant. It wasn’t the reaction he’d been hoping for. She seemed kind of disappointed, which she was. If it had been any other day, she would have been more than willing to accept. Unfortunately, this wasn’t just any other day. “I wish I could,” she said truthfully.

This isn't right....what's going on....

~laura michelle~

What do you mean this wasn't just any other day??????? Sue -- you do realize that you've just shattered Jack's fragile confidence, don' t you?

kav

That's right, this isn't just any other day.....this is the day Jack finally asked you out, so you go change whatever plans you had and say yes!

Ok, my little rant is over. Love your story!

Okay...what does Sue have going that is more important than Jack...

Usually I'm yelling "Jack"!! But, I'm afraid this time it's going to have to be "Sue"!!!

We suffered, Sue suffered, through Jack's nervous try to ask her out; he finally gets it out and she says she can't?? What could possibly be more important than accepting an invitation that you have been waiting for years for???

Joy

DITTO to everybody! Sue, what the heck are you thinkin' girl? You've got JACK sitting there bumbling his way into an invitation to dinner.... A DATE... and you CAN'T?? Unless you've got major surgery scheduled (and ah, we should know if that's the case, by the way) then get out that blackberry and start dialing. "Sorry, something terribly important has just come up and I'm afraid I can't make it tonight. We'll reschedule? Thanks, Bye." There... see how simple?

Tina

just caught up....

Fantastic read Linny!



Oh Tara... just what did you overhear before Jack and Bobby went back to Jack's desk...

and just what were they all arguing about at the beginning? eh?

Honestly, girls, Jack is not the only fish in the sea... though he is the right one for Sue, isn't he?

“Oh,” he replied sadly. At least he’d tried. He’d tried and failed, but he’d been brave enough to take a chance.

“It’s just that I have plans for tonight.”

He was taken aback by that information. Did she have a date? Was she seeing someone no one knew about? Surely if she was, either she or Lucy would have said something about it. Of course, she was a free and beautiful woman. If she’d found a man who made her happy, he knew he couldn’t compete. He didn’t have to like it, though he wouldn’t gripe about it. Perhaps a better man had beaten him to the punch.

Who was he kidding? There was no better man for Sue than he and he knew that. If she was with someone else, he certainly wasn’t right for her. “Do you have a date?” He tried not to let his sadness show. It was hard, but he managed it, though his eyes might have given something away. He cleared his throat in that awkward manner and scratched his ear; the usual sign that he was uncomfortable with asking that question.

She shrugged her shoulders in a playful manner, a smirk appearing on her lips. “I don’t know about that. Granny certainly is wonderful company, though I wouldn’t exactly call her a date.”

His head perked up as he looked into her eyes once again. They held a playful sparkle and her nose was scrunched up in her usual teasing behavior. She looked so beautiful when she did that and he couldn't help but smile because of it. “Granny?” he asked, incredulously.

Oh...LOL....that's good....


~laura michelle~

you little tease!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cath

Granny is not a date! I know there are other fish in the sea, but I can't seem to find the right one, so why not Jack!

Cute!