QUOTE
“This man thought he was doing the right thing . . . thought he was doing this for the good of his country . . . and it was all a lie.”
Isn't there a saying that goes something like "The road to hell is paved with good intentions?"
Full Version: Dog Day Afternoon - Ginasue
RomanceFanFiction.net > The Highlights - A Place To Start > Seasonal/Holiday Challenges > 2008 Seasonal/Holiday Challenges > Dog Daze of Summer Challenge 2008
Isn't there a saying that goes something like "The road to hell is paved with good intentions?"
Oh gosh...
Josy
Josy
Tony... we should have known. It was only a matter of time before he screwed up so royally that he'd get somebody killed. So sad that it was a man that left behind a grieving wife and three kids. And before long, Tony's family will be greiving too. What a tangled web we weave... QUOTE
Turning toward her, she could see the frustration in his face as he turned in her hand and kissed her palm before drawing her to himself, drawing strength and comfort from her as he bent to kiss her, at first almost furiously, and then gently, tenderly, before pulling away. “I’d better call D,” he said hoarsely.
“Yeah . . .,” Sue said, her round, almost frightened eyes never leaving his, her hands unconsciously kneading his shoulder muscles that seemed to be bunched up in knots. “Jack?”
He looked at her, put his hands on either side of her face, and kissed her forehead as he sighed raggedly, trying to regain his composure before making the call. “It’ll be alright, Sue. It’s out of our hands . . . or at least it will be as soon as I hand this off to D. Go ahead and fix your attachment and email it to both him and Tara while I call, OK?”
Sue simply nodded, and turned to do as he said.
Jack got up. He felt the need to pace while he talked. “D? Jack. Sue’s sending the transcript to you, as we speak, and a copy to Tara. It’s not good . . .”
“Yeah . . .,” Sue said, her round, almost frightened eyes never leaving his, her hands unconsciously kneading his shoulder muscles that seemed to be bunched up in knots. “Jack?”
He looked at her, put his hands on either side of her face, and kissed her forehead as he sighed raggedly, trying to regain his composure before making the call. “It’ll be alright, Sue. It’s out of our hands . . . or at least it will be as soon as I hand this off to D. Go ahead and fix your attachment and email it to both him and Tara while I call, OK?”
Sue simply nodded, and turned to do as he said.
Jack got up. He felt the need to pace while he talked. “D? Jack. Sue’s sending the transcript to you, as we speak, and a copy to Tara. It’s not good . . .”
Such a wonderfully phrased exchange this was! Very descriptive without excess verbage - I could see every turn, every look. AND I was drooling by the end of it, despite the gravity of the situation. 'Scuse me while I go make myself presentable...
Tina
I know Tony is just a character, one of the kind that you love to hate!! So, why do I feel so sad that he has sunk even lower than he already had?? I feel bad for the team too - they have to turn in one of their own!!!
Brilliantly written, Regina!!!
Joy
Brilliantly written, Regina!!!
Joy
Well written, Gina.
QUOTE(marlo29 @ Aug 9 2008, 02:04 AM) 
QUOTE
It did NOT include trying to help both Sue AND Levi out of the tub . . . although that part wasn’t so bad, come to think of it.
See, I'm still stuck in the bathroom with Jack trying to help Sue out of the tub
wait a minute, did I read that right and then read it again...and a third time and then tore through the rest of the post for more details only there wasn't any....you can't just gloss over something like that...it's in the rule book somewhere, I'm sure it it.kav
I know... I'm way behind. 
I'm up to Chapter 25 Regina and I'm hoping to catch up on the next... 15 pages (according to Microsoft Word) of this delightful story.
I just got to the part where Jack and Sue made up from their little tift and I have to say... what a way to make up! Whoo-hoo!
Definately worth the arguement.
Lindsy
I'm up to Chapter 25 Regina and I'm hoping to catch up on the next... 15 pages (according to Microsoft Word) of this delightful story.
I just got to the part where Jack and Sue made up from their little tift and I have to say... what a way to make up! Whoo-hoo!
Definately worth the arguement.
Lindsy
Would you believe that when I started this, I wondered if I'd be able to make it a full-length story? 
Who knew? 
And for Marlent and Kav . . . remember, it's just PG, after all . . . . . . I just haven't gotten brave enough for water features . . . yet . . .
Thanks for your encouragement! Only two more posts to go after this one . . .
Regina
Chapter 30
“Undersecretary Howard, please,” D gently said to the secretary outside the large office. “You remember us from the other day?”
“Yes. Let me see if he is in,” she said efficiently, going into the office rather than using the intercom system.
D and Tara looked at one another and shook their heads, turning back to the secretary when she came out, looking rather harassed.
“Um . . . Undersecretary Howard said that he has a meeting in a half-hour, but he can spare you a few minutes.
“Thank you,” D said, and looking at Tara, said under his breath, “I think he’ll be sparing more than a few minutes, don’t you?”
“You’re not kidding,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief, as they proceeded to enter the large, opulent office with their signed warrant to make their arrest.
*
Not far away, Bobby, Myles, and Agent Childress from the Department of Homeland Security were parking in the garage of the FBI Field Office in Baltimore.
“I can’t help but wish Jack were going to be in on this,” Bobby said, shaking his head as he got out of the car and the trio made their way to the elevators.
“Probably just as well. Jack would have wanted to deck him, and then we’d have to arrest two FBI agents,” Myles said, Agent Childress laughing with them.
Making their way to the bullpen of another FBI team, the rotor of their team asked pleasantly, “May I help you?”
“Myles Leland the Third, and Bobby Manning. You I know, but I don’t know your friend,” a cocky voice behind them said.
Turning slowly, slow smiles on the faces of Myles and Bobby, Myles spoke first. “Tony Campono,” he said. “Just the man we were looking for.”
Bobby reached into the breast pocket of his suit jacket, removing the signed warrant for the arrest of Special Agent Tony Campono, on charges of aiding and abetting terrorist activity, accessory to murder, links to organized crime . . . and treason.
*
The murders of Robert Simpkins, the security guard at the Raeburn Senate Office Building, and two DEA agents, were attributed to a terror cell caught on a small aircraft landing field in Silver Springs, Maryland. The sting included agents from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and the DEA. The terrorists were purchasing weapons, paying for them with high-end drugs acquired by another terrorist group, but this time an American one . . . organized crime.
The evidence against Undersecretary Howard and Agent Campono, and the confession of one Randall Peters, painted a picture of drug abuse, greed, and terror at the highest levels. Peters had been approached for a simple drug sale, he thought, but soon found out that he was more desirable because of his connection to the federal government – through his wife’s position in Senator Whitson’s office in the Raeburn Building. While in some operations animals and even people were used as “mules” to carry drugs from one place to the next, in this instance, service animals had been used as “mules” to carry intelligence information to terrorists.
Tony Campono had forged links to organized crime long before he was involved in the case in which Jack deemed him unfit to carry an FBI badge, and unfortunately, two DEA agents and a federal security guard had to die in order to prove what he knew to be true – that he was dangerous . . . and was going to get somebody killed.
*
The arrests made headlines all over the country. The unlikely plot that read like a blockbuster movie included an Undersecretary from the DC office of the Department of Homeland Security, an FBI Special Agent on loan to the Baltimore Field Office, a petty criminal turned informant, a terror cell with connections to Hamaas, and Organized crime in the US.
The press conference in the White House Rose Garden had been scheduled for noon, a week to the day that Sue had read the lips of the man talking to Robert Simpkins. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff was making his way through the group, shaking hands with individuals on all the teams involved in the arrests, including Sue Thomas ensconced in a wheelchair, Jack Hudson and Levi by her side.
“I understand that you are to be commended for your work in identifying the key players in this tragedy?” Secretary Chertoff asked Sue, holding her hand after shaking it, looking directly into her eyes. He'd heard about Sue Thomas, and had been anxious to meet her, finally. He understood that she had given up a great career move as a Senior Analyst assigned to the New York office to stay in DC in her current position. At this point, he didn't understand why, but he was glad she did.
“It was a team effort, Mr. Secretary,” Sue said, looking up at Jack, down at Levi, and over to her team mates and the people on the teams of the other agencies. “None of us can, alone, accomplish what we can all accomplish together.”
“Very well put, Ms. Thomas,” he said. “And thank you for your dedication. I understand that you were able to do this while on sick leave, no less,” he said.
“Actually, Levi and I were both on sick leave, and Jack was there taking care of us,” she said, blushing slightly, her hand resting on Levi’s head as she spoke his name.
The Secretary looked down at the well-groomed Golden Retriever, and then at Jack closely, twisting his lips in a smile as he noted the blush on Sue’s face and the tinge of red on Jack’s ears. “You take your Team Leader title seriously, eh, son?”
“Yes, sir. I only did what was best for the team, and I hope I would do the same for any member of the team,” Jack said smoothly, trying to ignore the spastic coughing coming from the area of a certain Bobby Manning.
“Very commendable, I’m sure,” he said dryly, quirking an eyebrow at the younger man, and thinking to himself that he really should talk to his friend Hank – the FBI director – the next time they played golf, about that notorious non-fraternization rule that he’d heard about from some of the DHS employees who used to be with the FBI. It would be a shame to let an outdated rule like that force good people out of jobs they love – and at which they had exceptional talent. He had a feeling he knew, now, why Sue Thomas opted to stay in DC.
“Mr. Secretary, the press is ready for you,” Special Agent Bell with the Secret Service said, interrupting the Secretary’s thoughts.
“Oh, yes,” he said, and then turned back to the team a paused a minute, looking at them, amazed at what they had accomplished. “Thank you for all you do. I know there has been some animosity about the fact that you were investigating us, and we were investigating you, but in the end, both our agencies were hurt, but strengthened at the same time, if that makes sense. I’ll be expanding on that in my statement, but I just want you to know that any time we can rout out the ‘bad apples’ in this line of work, we become stronger for it. Now . . . the show must go on, I suppose!” he said with a smile and a scratch to Levi’s head, and turned to approach the podium, the scent of roses freshening the air as this time of confusion came to an end and a time of commendation and celebration began.
Who knew? And for Marlent and Kav . . . remember, it's just PG, after all . . .
QUOTE
.....you can't just gloss over something like that...it's in the rule book somewhere, I'm sure it it. - Kav
If it makes you feel better, the last chapter (ch. 32) will feature chocolate prominently . . . . . . I just haven't gotten brave enough for water features . . . yet . . . Thanks for your encouragement! Only two more posts to go after this one . . .
Regina
Chapter 30
“Undersecretary Howard, please,” D gently said to the secretary outside the large office. “You remember us from the other day?”
“Yes. Let me see if he is in,” she said efficiently, going into the office rather than using the intercom system.
D and Tara looked at one another and shook their heads, turning back to the secretary when she came out, looking rather harassed.
“Um . . . Undersecretary Howard said that he has a meeting in a half-hour, but he can spare you a few minutes.
“Thank you,” D said, and looking at Tara, said under his breath, “I think he’ll be sparing more than a few minutes, don’t you?”
“You’re not kidding,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief, as they proceeded to enter the large, opulent office with their signed warrant to make their arrest.
*
Not far away, Bobby, Myles, and Agent Childress from the Department of Homeland Security were parking in the garage of the FBI Field Office in Baltimore.
“I can’t help but wish Jack were going to be in on this,” Bobby said, shaking his head as he got out of the car and the trio made their way to the elevators.
“Probably just as well. Jack would have wanted to deck him, and then we’d have to arrest two FBI agents,” Myles said, Agent Childress laughing with them.
Making their way to the bullpen of another FBI team, the rotor of their team asked pleasantly, “May I help you?”
“Myles Leland the Third, and Bobby Manning. You I know, but I don’t know your friend,” a cocky voice behind them said.
Turning slowly, slow smiles on the faces of Myles and Bobby, Myles spoke first. “Tony Campono,” he said. “Just the man we were looking for.”
Bobby reached into the breast pocket of his suit jacket, removing the signed warrant for the arrest of Special Agent Tony Campono, on charges of aiding and abetting terrorist activity, accessory to murder, links to organized crime . . . and treason.
*
The murders of Robert Simpkins, the security guard at the Raeburn Senate Office Building, and two DEA agents, were attributed to a terror cell caught on a small aircraft landing field in Silver Springs, Maryland. The sting included agents from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and the DEA. The terrorists were purchasing weapons, paying for them with high-end drugs acquired by another terrorist group, but this time an American one . . . organized crime.
The evidence against Undersecretary Howard and Agent Campono, and the confession of one Randall Peters, painted a picture of drug abuse, greed, and terror at the highest levels. Peters had been approached for a simple drug sale, he thought, but soon found out that he was more desirable because of his connection to the federal government – through his wife’s position in Senator Whitson’s office in the Raeburn Building. While in some operations animals and even people were used as “mules” to carry drugs from one place to the next, in this instance, service animals had been used as “mules” to carry intelligence information to terrorists.
Tony Campono had forged links to organized crime long before he was involved in the case in which Jack deemed him unfit to carry an FBI badge, and unfortunately, two DEA agents and a federal security guard had to die in order to prove what he knew to be true – that he was dangerous . . . and was going to get somebody killed.
*
The arrests made headlines all over the country. The unlikely plot that read like a blockbuster movie included an Undersecretary from the DC office of the Department of Homeland Security, an FBI Special Agent on loan to the Baltimore Field Office, a petty criminal turned informant, a terror cell with connections to Hamaas, and Organized crime in the US.
The press conference in the White House Rose Garden had been scheduled for noon, a week to the day that Sue had read the lips of the man talking to Robert Simpkins. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff was making his way through the group, shaking hands with individuals on all the teams involved in the arrests, including Sue Thomas ensconced in a wheelchair, Jack Hudson and Levi by her side.
“I understand that you are to be commended for your work in identifying the key players in this tragedy?” Secretary Chertoff asked Sue, holding her hand after shaking it, looking directly into her eyes. He'd heard about Sue Thomas, and had been anxious to meet her, finally. He understood that she had given up a great career move as a Senior Analyst assigned to the New York office to stay in DC in her current position. At this point, he didn't understand why, but he was glad she did.
“It was a team effort, Mr. Secretary,” Sue said, looking up at Jack, down at Levi, and over to her team mates and the people on the teams of the other agencies. “None of us can, alone, accomplish what we can all accomplish together.”
“Very well put, Ms. Thomas,” he said. “And thank you for your dedication. I understand that you were able to do this while on sick leave, no less,” he said.
“Actually, Levi and I were both on sick leave, and Jack was there taking care of us,” she said, blushing slightly, her hand resting on Levi’s head as she spoke his name.
The Secretary looked down at the well-groomed Golden Retriever, and then at Jack closely, twisting his lips in a smile as he noted the blush on Sue’s face and the tinge of red on Jack’s ears. “You take your Team Leader title seriously, eh, son?”
“Yes, sir. I only did what was best for the team, and I hope I would do the same for any member of the team,” Jack said smoothly, trying to ignore the spastic coughing coming from the area of a certain Bobby Manning.
“Very commendable, I’m sure,” he said dryly, quirking an eyebrow at the younger man, and thinking to himself that he really should talk to his friend Hank – the FBI director – the next time they played golf, about that notorious non-fraternization rule that he’d heard about from some of the DHS employees who used to be with the FBI. It would be a shame to let an outdated rule like that force good people out of jobs they love – and at which they had exceptional talent. He had a feeling he knew, now, why Sue Thomas opted to stay in DC.
“Mr. Secretary, the press is ready for you,” Special Agent Bell with the Secret Service said, interrupting the Secretary’s thoughts.
“Oh, yes,” he said, and then turned back to the team a paused a minute, looking at them, amazed at what they had accomplished. “Thank you for all you do. I know there has been some animosity about the fact that you were investigating us, and we were investigating you, but in the end, both our agencies were hurt, but strengthened at the same time, if that makes sense. I’ll be expanding on that in my statement, but I just want you to know that any time we can rout out the ‘bad apples’ in this line of work, we become stronger for it. Now . . . the show must go on, I suppose!” he said with a smile and a scratch to Levi’s head, and turned to approach the podium, the scent of roses freshening the air as this time of confusion came to an end and a time of commendation and celebration began.
You know what made me laugh was the fact that even a Secretary of DHS saw the chemistry between Sue and Jack!!! 
And Tony - Yes, he got done!!!
Sam
And Tony - Yes, he got done!!!
Sam
QUOTE
It would be a shame to let an outdated rule like that force good people out of jobs they love – and at which they had exceptional talent.
Amen to that Mr. Secretary!!!
And Tony.... Shame on you!
Josy
You brought Tony down, Regina - Good Girl!!!
Secretary Chertoff, you must surely have that little conversation with the F.B.I. Director, and soon!!!
Joy
Secretary Chertoff, you must surely have that little conversation with the F.B.I. Director, and soon!!!
Joy
That was good to see Tony reaping the consequences for his diabolical actions.
Reading along as the team got the praise and recognition that they deserve was so heartwarming. I chuckled right along with the Secretary as he observed the chemestry between Sue and Jack. The Rose Garden was the perfect setting.
Reading along as the team got the praise and recognition that they deserve was so heartwarming. I chuckled right along with the Secretary as he observed the chemestry between Sue and Jack. The Rose Garden was the perfect setting.
Ch 2-P1-12 – Okay, Regina, I can’t make myself stay away any longer, so I’m on a mission to read as fast as I can to get caught up. With 18 pages, 28 posts, I wasn’t going to comment, but I just can’t help it… 
I love your stories! Be back later!
Lynn
QUOTE
“OK, Jack . . . did you just call me sweetheart?” she asked, and then was out like a light, leaving a smiling Jack sitting next to her, holding her hand.
I'm swooning, at first his 'darling', and now his 'sweetheart'! I love your stories! Be back later!
Lynn
It amazed me to see/read that almost everybody can see the chemistry between Jack and Sue--that mean it is VERY strong!!! 
Mayby strong enough for a lifetime... What do think, Jack???
Capono just got what he deserve for his action, even if he should have got it sooner...
Mayby strong enough for a lifetime... What do think, Jack???
Capono just got what he deserve for his action, even if he should have got it sooner...
Ch 3-P2-20 - This scene was so beautiful, it made me 
Ch 4-P2-26 - Yippee!!!! Jack's going to take care of Sue for THREE, make that 1-2-4, WEEKS!
My heart went pitter-patter and my stomach did flip-flops at this: .
Ch 6-P3-44 - Now I am going to
Jack told Lucy he loves Sue!!!!!!! That whole conversation was
I told you Lucy wouldn't mind Jack moving in....and I loved Jack's response...
Ch 7-P4-54 - Another picture of fun-loving Jack.
Now, this tape D wants Sue and Jack's help on...why do I have the feeling it is a set-up to get Jack and Sue together?
Ch 8-P5-62 - Jackeyes said what I’m feeling
Lynn
QUOTE
Dragging his eyes from Sue to face both Lucy and his own fears, he looked up. “Afraid she’d leave me anyway, and if she did, it would be my own fault,” he said, letting one tear fall, and then another, onto the still, white hand that he held.
You exceptionlly portrayed his angished heart, Regina! I love it when Jack professes his love for Sue to others, almost as much as when he finally tells Sue. Ch 4-P2-26 - Yippee!!!! Jack's going to take care of Sue for THREE, make that 1-2-4, WEEKS!
My heart went pitter-patter and my stomach did flip-flops at this: .
QUOTE
“As to why? I’ll let you work on that one on your own.
Ch 5-P3-34 -"Sweetheart" again! Oh, be still my heart! I can't wait for the talk! And, uh, Jack, you don't know Lucy as well as you think. Never fear, she'll be more than happy to let you stay on the couch and be Sue's servant! Ch 6-P3-44 - Now I am going to
Jack told Lucy he loves Sue!!!!!!! That whole conversation was
I told you Lucy wouldn't mind Jack moving in....and I loved Jack's response...
QUOTE
“Lucy, I hate to tell you this, but there’s only one room mate I want, and she’s asleep in the next room,” Jack said as he winked at her, reaching over to turn on the oven.
And what wonderful advice Lucy gave to Jack. Regina, you captured love in a nutshell...She/you are soooooo right....we want to be told and not just shown that we're loved. Ch 7-P4-54 - Another picture of fun-loving Jack.
Now, this tape D wants Sue and Jack's help on...why do I have the feeling it is a set-up to get Jack and Sue together?
Ch 8-P5-62 - Jackeyes said what I’m feeling
QUOTE
No words can describe my feelings right now...but a puddle of mush.
TbcLynn
Ch 9-P5-73 - Agree with Lindsy; Kim summed this post up very nicely. 
: 
And they're definitely going to need that tape as a distraction.
Ch 11-P6-89 -
I guess this is a real case...not what I originally thought! What an interesting mystery, Regina! I love it! 
Again, great news about your hubby's job. Hope it is calming down just a bit. Gotta run to the store. Be back in awhile.
Lynn
QUOTE(audiokim @ Jul 24 2008, 01:56 PM)
Together...what a perfect way to face the world!
Ch 10-P6-80 - I'm not sure why, but I'm bawling at this beautiful sentence, Regina...maybe its really a delayed reaction from what Sue said just before... QUOTE
“Oh Lucy . . . I don’t know how I’ve survived until now. Does that make sense? It’s as if once he’s kissed me, there’s no going back. I honestly think I would wither away and die if I were to lose him, now,” Sue said, tears threatening to spill over.
: And they're definitely going to need that tape as a distraction.
Ch 11-P6-89 -
I guess this is a real case...not what I originally thought! What an interesting mystery, Regina! I love it! Again, great news about your hubby's job. Hope it is calming down just a bit. Gotta run to the store. Be back in awhile.
Lynn
P7-Ch 12-98 - I loved this paragraph, Regina!
P7-Ch 13-104 - I love role-playing! I love massages!
P8-Ch 14-114 - I don't see how Tara can think it will be three weeks before Jack and Sue are an item. She has eyes...and what she just witnessed should have her rethinking that, especially with Lucy's "sneaky" look!
P9-Ch 15-124 - I like it too when Jack and Sue can talk about their feelings with each other now! 
And love all these fuzzies....a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
Halfway thru...plugging along! This is a fantastic story, Regina!
P9-Ch 16-133 - Hey, that plastic knife works to cut warm brownies. Someone told me about that several years ago. I found it works even better if you turn the knife upside down and use the smooth side rather than the teethy side!
Now, lots of info on the two women and an interesting twist with the husband of Kristi. The fact Janie didn't ever talk about her dad would raise my suspicions too. And he would have easy access to the helper dog to remove whatever the security guard smuggled out. I think along with SOG watching Randall Peters, they need to take a closer look at his bank accounts, comings and goings, etc. Tbc....
Lynn
QUOTE
Sue was so independent, most of the time, resenting when people tried to make things easier for her. She was finding, through this experience and her limited mobility, that it felt good to have him here, pledging to take care of her, to protect her even from people who loved her. This had nothing to do with her deafness. This accident could have just as easily happened to any one of the team, but it happened to her, and it happened for a reason. She knew that all things happen according to God’s plan and purpose. Maybe that reason was for Jack to come to the realization that life was too short to wait any longer to tell her his feelings. Maybe it was to show her that it was OK to depend on people who love her. Maybe it was to make her slow down long enough to learn what was important in life. Right now the most important thing in her life was her newly found freedom to love Jack Hudson. And she did so love Jack Hudson.
And the fuzzies were delicious too! P7-Ch 13-104 - I love role-playing! I love massages!
QUOTE
He just hoped he didn’t have to make a decision that any of them would regret.
But you have me a little concerned about D's thoughts here.P8-Ch 14-114 - I don't see how Tara can think it will be three weeks before Jack and Sue are an item. She has eyes...and what she just witnessed should have her rethinking that, especially with Lucy's "sneaky" look!
P9-Ch 15-124 - I like it too when Jack and Sue can talk about their feelings with each other now!
And love all these fuzzies....a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
Halfway thru...plugging along! This is a fantastic story, Regina!
P9-Ch 16-133 - Hey, that plastic knife works to cut warm brownies. Someone told me about that several years ago. I found it works even better if you turn the knife upside down and use the smooth side rather than the teethy side!
Now, lots of info on the two women and an interesting twist with the husband of Kristi. The fact Janie didn't ever talk about her dad would raise my suspicions too. And he would have easy access to the helper dog to remove whatever the security guard smuggled out. I think along with SOG watching Randall Peters, they need to take a closer look at his bank accounts, comings and goings, etc. Tbc....
Lynn
QUOTE
“You take your Team Leader title seriously, eh, son?”
“Yes, sir. I only did what was best for the team, and I hope I would do the same for any member of the team,” Jack said smoothly, trying to ignore the spastic coughing coming from the area of a certain Bobby Manning.
“Yes, sir. I only did what was best for the team, and I hope I would do the same for any member of the team,” Jack said smoothly, trying to ignore the spastic coughing coming from the area of a certain Bobby Manning.
Somehow, picturing Jack helping Bobby get out of the bathtub has dampened my enthusiasm for water scene
Did I say I loved reading the charges against Tony
P10-Ch 17-142 - What a powerful post, bringing out all Sue's fears. I'm glad Jack came in when he did so they could talk and get past her fears. And the reference to the Bible scripture on Love, you have me
with the beauty and love here, Regina.
P11-Ch 18-152 -
Now, Regina, your team moments just keep getting betterer and betterer, to quote others on the board. And Sue's boldness is awesome! You are amazing!
P11-Ch 19-162 - This made me chuckle...
And I thought D was going to talk to them about the no-dating policy!
Tbc
Lynn
with the beauty and love here, Regina.
P11-Ch 18-152 -
QUOTE
He smiled at her, and simply said, “I was with you,”
Oh, I'm melting here.... Now, Regina, your team moments just keep getting betterer and betterer, to quote others on the board. And Sue's boldness is awesome! You are amazing!
P11-Ch 19-162 - This made me chuckle...
QUOTE
“He’ll be OK. He’s still getting around better than me, and as long as you don’t start throwing things around for me to catch, we’ll be OK,” Sue said shaking her head as she pursed her lips with good humor.
Oh No! Sue's going undercover? With a cast on her leg? And I thought D was going to talk to them about the no-dating policy!
QUOTE(kmt123 @ Aug 2 2008, 10:26 AM)
Now Jack, what are you suggesting man? You've got Sue all to yourself for just a bit longer and you go and volunteer her for undercover work??? Perhaps Jack could go in too, as her interpreter, like Marley Maitlyn has. After all, Levi isn't up to par right now. But of course if Jack takes Levi's place, that means that someone might try to plant something on Jack...
Ooooh, ooooh-oooooh... can I be the "planter"?? PLEEEEEAAAAAASSSSSE??!!??
Tina
Oh, Tina, I love your imagination and humor! Ooooh, ooooh-oooooh... can I be the "planter"?? PLEEEEEAAAAAASSSSSE??!!??
Tina
Tbc
Lynn
You know, I seem to remember someone telling me they didn't like writing cases... only I can't for the life of me figure out why! That whole scenario sounded so real that I turned on my TV to see if Secretary Chartoff was on CNN!! (He wasn't. 
Thought I might get a glimpse of Jack )
Now that all that nasty business (and nasty old Tony) has been handled, I guess that clears the way for fuzzies... water logged or otherwise!
Tina
Thought I might get a glimpse of Jack )Now that all that nasty business (and nasty old Tony) has been handled, I guess that clears the way for fuzzies... water logged
or otherwise!Tina
Excellent two posts Regina! I pass from being this 
and 
, then this 
and , to 
Sad because there will be only 2 more chapters
can't wait for them!
Tere
and , then this and , to Sad because there will be only 2 more chapters
can't wait for them!
Tere
P12-Ch 20-169 - Well, getting into the Raeburn bldg seems to have been planned out; but what equipment are they going to have Levi sniffing, and why? Guess I'm getting tired! Somehow, I have a feeling they're not going to make that Dr appointment! 
P12-Ch 21-177 - Well, I was wrong, as usual!
So it was a bugging device planted on Kristi's helper dog as opposed to a chip with smuggled information out.
I thought it was the latter.
Ah, ha! I see the point of this little exercise, Regina. Very clever! And of course, how could the security guard resist that wink!
P13-Ch22-186 -
Now I know I need to quit and hit the sack...I'm totally confused on Tara's theory!
Well, I just can't make these last 7 posts, plus one I forgot to mark, which means it will probably be 9 after you post again in the morning. But, never fear...I shall return...and finally catch up. This is a great story with lots of fuzzies and mystery, Regina! I love it!
Lynn
QUOTE
Bobby’s voice came alive in his ear. “Sparky . . . I think I may be hearing the clanking sound of that ball and chain . . .” he said as he laughed loudly, causing Jack to wince.
I loved Bobby's comment! BUSTED, BIG TIME!!!! P12-Ch 21-177 - Well, I was wrong, as usual!
So it was a bugging device planted on Kristi's helper dog as opposed to a chip with smuggled information out.
I thought it was the latter.
Ah, ha! I see the point of this little exercise, Regina. Very clever! And of course, how could the security guard resist that wink!
QUOTE(kmt123 @ Aug 3 2008, 10:09 PM)
Tina (who managed to respond to a post without using the "b" word. I'd explain, but then I'd have to use it... )
Aw, Tina, I think you're just trying to make brownie points here!!!! ) P13-Ch22-186 -
QUOTE
“This has to be bigger than just Raeburn, don’t you think?” Bobby asked. The wheelchair angle was puzzling . . . almost as puzzling as bugging service dogs.
It is puzzling...especially the wheel chair. I mean, the guard couldn't have known where Sue was going in the wheel chair, so someone must just be fishing for any information they can use. Interesting development, Regina. Reading on.... Now I know I need to quit and hit the sack...I'm totally confused on Tara's theory!
QUOTE
Jack’s head shot up as he considered her words. With a faraway look in his eyes, he began to smile – a slow, dreamy smile. “You know . . . if we put my bullpen fantasy in a room that has a lock on it . . .”
“Jack!” she said with a nervous giggle, slapping him playfully on the chest as his lips landed skillfully on hers.
But, Oh, certainly can understand a good fantasy! “Jack!” she said with a nervous giggle, slapping him playfully on the chest as his lips landed skillfully on hers.
Well, I just can't make these last 7 posts, plus one I forgot to mark, which means it will probably be 9 after you post again in the morning. But, never fear...I shall return...and finally catch up. This is a great story with lots of fuzzies and mystery, Regina! I love it!
Lynn
Phew...I finally got caught up on the last several posts...
Excellent job, Regina. Nice to see Tony get his comeuppance...would have loved to see his reaction to Jack and Sue being together...some just desserts for trying to steal Sue away from Jack during the Duponte case (after all he had to have known how Jack felt about Sue...everyone else did!)
So what's this 'surprise' that Jack has for Sue??? Now that the case is solved do we get to find out??
- RSL
Excellent job, Regina. Nice to see Tony get his comeuppance...would have loved to see his reaction to Jack and Sue being together...some just desserts for trying to steal Sue away from Jack during the Duponte case (after all he had to have known how Jack felt about Sue...everyone else did!)
So what's this 'surprise' that Jack has for Sue??? Now that the case is solved do we get to find out??
- RSL
QUOTE
“Yes, sir. I only did what was best for the team, and I hope I would do the same for any member of the team,” Jack said smoothly, trying to ignore the spastic coughing coming from the area of a certain Bobby Manning.
Hope Bobby didn't choke! And if he did that Tara was around to administer CPR. Now wouldn't that have impressed the director even more? Great case, Regina -- very professionally done!
kav
Thanks for the comments about the case! That's the one part I'm always very unsure about, and you always manage to make me feel better! But the case out of the way, only this post and one more to go, and it's done! Here's a short one, today, to bridge the gap between the case and . . . um . . . fuzzies to come?
Hope you enjoy!
Regina
Chapter 31
The press conference over, much to the relief of the group of people who were not accustomed to public accolades, everyone started making their way back to their vehicles.
As Jack was carefully putting Sue and Levi into the car, Bobby sprinted up to him and said, “Jack, Sue . . . and Levi, of course . . . sorry, buddy. We’re going for lunch at Tony Chang’s. Wanna come? Celebration of sorts?”
“Could we get a raincheck on that, Bobby? We’ve got some, uh, unfinished business to take care of,” Jack said, smiling down at Sue, who was looking at him curiously.
“I hope you plan to feed me, Hudson, because I don’t usually turn down a trip to Tony Chang’s. I love their Sesame Chicken!” Sue said, quirking an eyebrow at Jack. “Unless this has something to do with a certain surprise that I was promised over a WEEK ago?”
“It just might,” Jack said, still smiling at her, forgetting Bobby for a minute.
Sue looked at him, narrowing her eyes as she looked at him closely. “Sorry, Bobby. Raincheck it is. I’ve never waited this long for a surprise in my life, and I’m not going to wait any longer than I have to if Jack’s in a surprise-giving mood,” she said.
Bobby laughed. “Alright then. Sue, if the surprise doesn’t meet expectations, call me up and I’ll take care of this drongo and take you to Tony Chang’s, myself,” he said, tapping the roof of the car and winking at her.
Jack closed the car door, and was about to turn when Bobby grabbed his arm. “You’re going to do it, aren’t you, Sparky?” he said quietly, a gentle smile on his face.
Jack took a deep breath, looked at his best friend, and smiled nervously. “That I am, Crash. Wish me luck?”
“Ah, Sparky, you don’t need luck. You’re blessed, mate. You know that,” Bobby said, a suspicious glint of moisture in his eyes as he clapped Jack on the shoulder.
“Thanks, Bobby. I know I am. Uh . . . I think somebody over there is looking for you,” Jack said, noting that everyone else on the team had gotten into their cars to make their way to the restaurant . . . except for one person . . . Tara Williams, who was looking over at them expectantly.
“Righto, Jack. Gotta go,” he said with a grin and a wink. “Might be new revelations coming from all quarters tonight, if all goes as planned.” And with that, Bobby Manning sprinted back over to the smiling girl that could very well be his destiny.
*
“So, Jack, where are you taking me?” Sue asked. After stopping at the apartment to change and switch to Sue's car, the Mustang Convertible, they had stopped at a gourmet shop where Jack went in, and ten minutes later emerged with a picnic basket that he placed in the backseat. “Our last picnic was quite productive, if I recall”
“Yes, it was. Actually, we’re going back to Potomac Overlook Regional Park,” he said, glancing at her as they stopped at a stoplight, leaning over to kiss her as the light stayed red for a few minutes. Honking horns behind them got Jack’s attention as Levi covered his eyes with his paw in embarrassment.
His two favorite humans were at it again. But he’d heard the word “park,” and when there is a park, and Jack is involved, there are probably balls and squirrels, and . . . bunnies! And he didn’t have that heavy thing on his leg anymore! This could turn out to be a good day, after all.
“Going back to the scene of the crime, Jack?” Sue asked, quirking an eyebrow at him as she recalled the newness of their love as declared at the last picnic they shared.
“I guess you could say that,” he said, smiling. “It’s a nice place for a picnic, and you’re a little more mobile than you were the first time.”
“I still won’t be doing any hiking, but looking at the lighthouse and the river is nice,” she said. “Maybe Levi can actually CATCH the ball this time, right buddy?”
Levi groaned in agreement, blinking as he wagged his tail with excitement there in the backseat.
“Don’t worry, Levi, I’ll keep that last trip’s experience on the down-low, OK?” Jack said, looking at the dog in the rear-view mirror, getting a bark of agreement from Levi as he laughed.
“Levi says ‘thank you’ for not embarrassing him,” Sue said.
“Oh . . . we may embarrass him, but not the way he was embarrassed last time,” Jack said, waggling his eyebrows at Sue as he winked at her outrageously. Reaching over, Jack grabbed her hand and pulled it to him, spreading her fingers out on his thigh as he began massaging each digit. He smiled as he felt her fingers responding by brushing her nails gently along the hem of his khaki shorts onto bare skin.
“Why, Jack Hudson, what ever do you mean?” Sue answered a little breathlessly, batting her eyelashes at him and letting her fingers wander as she began to blush in anticipation of the picnic to come. She was beginning to think that picnics were her favorite form of dining . . .
(just had to get that in . . . )
But the case out of the way, only this post and one more to go, and it's done! Here's a short one, today, to bridge the gap between the case and . . . um . . . fuzzies to come? Hope you enjoy!
Regina
Chapter 31
The press conference over, much to the relief of the group of people who were not accustomed to public accolades, everyone started making their way back to their vehicles.
As Jack was carefully putting Sue and Levi into the car, Bobby sprinted up to him and said, “Jack, Sue . . . and Levi, of course . . . sorry, buddy. We’re going for lunch at Tony Chang’s. Wanna come? Celebration of sorts?”
“Could we get a raincheck on that, Bobby? We’ve got some, uh, unfinished business to take care of,” Jack said, smiling down at Sue, who was looking at him curiously.
“I hope you plan to feed me, Hudson, because I don’t usually turn down a trip to Tony Chang’s. I love their Sesame Chicken!” Sue said, quirking an eyebrow at Jack. “Unless this has something to do with a certain surprise that I was promised over a WEEK ago?”
“It just might,” Jack said, still smiling at her, forgetting Bobby for a minute.
Sue looked at him, narrowing her eyes as she looked at him closely. “Sorry, Bobby. Raincheck it is. I’ve never waited this long for a surprise in my life, and I’m not going to wait any longer than I have to if Jack’s in a surprise-giving mood,” she said.
Bobby laughed. “Alright then. Sue, if the surprise doesn’t meet expectations, call me up and I’ll take care of this drongo and take you to Tony Chang’s, myself,” he said, tapping the roof of the car and winking at her.
Jack closed the car door, and was about to turn when Bobby grabbed his arm. “You’re going to do it, aren’t you, Sparky?” he said quietly, a gentle smile on his face.
Jack took a deep breath, looked at his best friend, and smiled nervously. “That I am, Crash. Wish me luck?”
“Ah, Sparky, you don’t need luck. You’re blessed, mate. You know that,” Bobby said, a suspicious glint of moisture in his eyes as he clapped Jack on the shoulder.
“Thanks, Bobby. I know I am. Uh . . . I think somebody over there is looking for you,” Jack said, noting that everyone else on the team had gotten into their cars to make their way to the restaurant . . . except for one person . . . Tara Williams, who was looking over at them expectantly.
“Righto, Jack. Gotta go,” he said with a grin and a wink. “Might be new revelations coming from all quarters tonight, if all goes as planned.” And with that, Bobby Manning sprinted back over to the smiling girl that could very well be his destiny.
*
“So, Jack, where are you taking me?” Sue asked. After stopping at the apartment to change and switch to Sue's car, the Mustang Convertible, they had stopped at a gourmet shop where Jack went in, and ten minutes later emerged with a picnic basket that he placed in the backseat. “Our last picnic was quite productive, if I recall”
“Yes, it was. Actually, we’re going back to Potomac Overlook Regional Park,” he said, glancing at her as they stopped at a stoplight, leaning over to kiss her as the light stayed red for a few minutes. Honking horns behind them got Jack’s attention as Levi covered his eyes with his paw in embarrassment.
His two favorite humans were at it again. But he’d heard the word “park,” and when there is a park, and Jack is involved, there are probably balls and squirrels, and . . . bunnies! And he didn’t have that heavy thing on his leg anymore! This could turn out to be a good day, after all.
“Going back to the scene of the crime, Jack?” Sue asked, quirking an eyebrow at him as she recalled the newness of their love as declared at the last picnic they shared.
“I guess you could say that,” he said, smiling. “It’s a nice place for a picnic, and you’re a little more mobile than you were the first time.”
“I still won’t be doing any hiking, but looking at the lighthouse and the river is nice,” she said. “Maybe Levi can actually CATCH the ball this time, right buddy?”
Levi groaned in agreement, blinking as he wagged his tail with excitement there in the backseat.
“Don’t worry, Levi, I’ll keep that last trip’s experience on the down-low, OK?” Jack said, looking at the dog in the rear-view mirror, getting a bark of agreement from Levi as he laughed.
“Levi says ‘thank you’ for not embarrassing him,” Sue said.
“Oh . . . we may embarrass him, but not the way he was embarrassed last time,” Jack said, waggling his eyebrows at Sue as he winked at her outrageously. Reaching over, Jack grabbed her hand and pulled it to him, spreading her fingers out on his thigh as he began massaging each digit. He smiled as he felt her fingers responding by brushing her nails gently along the hem of his khaki shorts onto bare skin.
“Why, Jack Hudson, what ever do you mean?” Sue answered a little breathlessly, batting her eyelashes at him and letting her fingers wander as she began to blush in anticipation of the picnic to come. She was beginning to think that picnics were her favorite form of dining . . .
(just had to get that in . . . )
Well, I'll be sorry to see this end, but I'm exciting about the fuzzies to come! Maybe Jack will go all 
on Sue...or he could get carried away and.. oops, guess not, but there's always and...well...anything's possible, isn't it?
kav
on Sue...or he could get carried away and.. oops, guess not, but there's always and...well...anything's possible, isn't it?kav
So... Jack and Sue
and maybe Bobby and Tara in a near futur...
I loved the way Bobby teased Jack when he told Sue about if she didn't like the surprise ... but knowing her and expecting what is coming (hoping that I'm right this time! ) I'm ABSOLUTELY sure she'll LOVE it!!!
You're going to make our dreams come true, hen, Regina?! You will?... PLEASE!!!!
and maybe Bobby and Tara in a near futur...
I loved the way Bobby teased Jack when he told Sue about if she didn't like the surprise ... but knowing her and expecting what is coming (hoping that I'm right this time!
) I'm ABSOLUTELY sure she'll LOVE it!!!You're going to make our dreams come true, hen, Regina?! You will?... PLEASE!!!!
Back to the park we go - what a wonderfully delicious idea!! Bunnies for Levi, and kisses for Jack and Sue?? Plus, let's not forget Jack's surprise, which I have a feeling Sue is going to love, not to mention what we are going to think of it!! I can't wait!!!
Joy
Joy
I enjoyed that conversation between Bobby and Jack. What a wonderful contrast from the conversation that they had about Jessica. That talk was sad, but this one was full of joy. Now, on to that picnic and Jack's surprise.
Hi Regina...I'm back...and ready to finish catching up just in time for the end... P22-Ch 23-195 -
What a way to start off reading, Regina! It is a good thing I'm in my recliner with arms...I would have fallen off the bed or couch! Poor Jack!!!! Absolutely Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!
Now, with murder & mayhem in the Raeburn bldg, the case is heating up! I'd go hide behind the couch, except I used up my allotment of smilies already!
Lynn
QUOTE
Apparently, unbeknownst to Jack, if the STOP button is pulled, manually, on an elevator for more than five minutes, an alarm starts to go off that can only be turned off by a maintenance worker with a key, and only when they get to the ground floor. Fearing a hostage situation when contact could not be made with the inhabitants of the elevator, not only maintenance was called out, but also SWAT. Jack was aware of the alarm only when he heard the ding of the elevator doors open after the manual override was utilized to bring the elevator to the ground floor. To say Sue was embarrassed was an understatement.
“You’ll pay for that, Hudson,” she’d said, red-faced, as they exited the building.
And he had . . . and still was
“You’ll pay for that, Hudson,” she’d said, red-faced, as they exited the building.
And he had . . . and still was
What a way to start off reading, Regina! It is a good thing I'm in my recliner with arms...I would have fallen off the bed or couch! Poor Jack!!!! Absolutely Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!
Now, with murder & mayhem in the Raeburn bldg, the case is heating up! I'd go hide behind the couch, except I used up my allotment of smilies already!
Lynn
I'd post a coherent response, but I can't seem to pull my mind away from the hem of Jack's khaki shorts and BARE SKIN and Sue's fingers wandering....
Tina...your response was just as hilarious as Regina's post! Pink RFF police cars? Do they have those little RFF heart icons painted on the them? Or, maybe as a hood ornament?
Lynn
Once again Regina...
Can't wait for the rest...
- RSL
Can't wait for the rest...
- RSL
I'm just going to sit here and think about Jack in shorts (possibly without a shirt as well ) until you post again... Em
P14-Ch 24-206 - What a lovely, delicious, I-feel-good-all-over makeup that was!
Definitely enough fuzziness to forget all about the case.
P15-Ch 25-216 - So Peters didn't know Lizzy was bugged? Great interrogation by Bobby and Myles, Regina.
And Sue's going to have to work on those fingers walking up Jack's chest.
She's not going to be able to do that in the bullpen.
P15-Ch 26-223 - D and Tara's talk and D's subsequent thoughts were so real.
Great job, Regina!
Tbc
Lynn
Definitely enough fuzziness to forget all about the case.
QUOTE
“I love you, too, Jack. And I wasn’t ignoring you. I could never do that . . . I just had to come to terms with my own embarrassment and insecurity. You’re good for me, you know,” she said,
Isn't that part of what love is supposed to do? Help us to overcome our insecurities? P15-Ch 25-216 - So Peters didn't know Lizzy was bugged? Great interrogation by Bobby and Myles, Regina.
And Sue's going to have to work on those fingers walking up Jack's chest.
She's not going to be able to do that in the bullpen.
P15-Ch 26-223 - D and Tara's talk and D's subsequent thoughts were so real.
QUOTE
Tara laughed. “The actual admitting-they-have-feelings-for-each-other, or the being-in-love-with-one-another? They are two totally different things. The former? I think just since the accident. The latter? How long has Sue been with us?” At that, they both laughed.
I loved Tara's lines... and the bantering in the office...perfection Regina! This is like watching an epsode, only better now Jack and Sue are together! Oh, I really did write my comment before reading all the others that agree with me...or would that be that I agree with them! Great job, Regina! Tbc
Lynn
P16-Ch 27-233 - Oh, that was just the post to read after running out in this 90 degree heat to mow another small strip of lawn. I'm trying to do it in stages so I don't get myself in trouble like the last time. And a perfect 30 minute exercise after sitting and reading for a couple of hours.
I know this is going to get me in lots of trouble here, but I loved that Sue left some dirty dishes in the sink. She is my kind of gal. Of course, I'm sure she rinsed them off first!
And did she make the ice cream / oreo cookie desert for Jack?
What a fantasy dream in the tub....
Where's my Jack?
Now, did Jack buy a ring? Is that the surprise? I hope, I hope, I hope!!
And I'm also wondering just how Levi woke Sue up...
P16-Ch28-239 -
And I was right about the ice cream desert!
I know this is going to get me in lots of trouble here, but I loved that Sue left some dirty dishes in the sink. She is my kind of gal. Of course, I'm sure she rinsed them off first!
And did she make the ice cream / oreo cookie desert for Jack?
What a fantasy dream in the tub....
Where's my Jack?
Now, did Jack buy a ring? Is that the surprise? I hope, I hope, I hope!!
And I'm also wondering just how Levi woke Sue up...
P16-Ch28-239 -
QUOTE
“Oh! I forgot to tell you. Lucy’s going out with Tara tonight. I think they said something about going elevator-hopping,” Sue said, a wicked grin on her face as Jack rolled his eyes and smiled.
Oh, Regina, I just love the way you write! Show him your dream sometime Sue! And I was right about the ice cream desert!
P17-Ch 29-248 -
QUOTE
“JUST YOU WAIT,” Jack signed
Oh, I'm getting giddy with the knowledge that I'm almost caught up. When I read Jack's sign, the song by the same name from My Fair Lady just popped into my head. Uh Oh, is it...could it be...no...not HIM...! Not TC! I can't help myself, Regina, but I just have to say this....AAP - Another Awesome Post! 
Lynn
Tere
P18-Ch 30-258 - Regina, what a way to pull this all together, with the FBI and DHS working together; and such a high up official in the DHS...and TC...finally going down!
You didn't think this would be a full-length story? As much as we clamor for all the fuzzies, which you give us plenty of PG ones, this could have been a season 4 episode. You should write more season 4 episodes...you do it so well.
P19-Ch 31-275 - I'm keeling right over at this...
Waiting impatiently, but sad. I want to read what happens next but I don't want this story to end. Now, didn't I read somewhere that this epsode was a two-parter? And at the end of the next post, as the final scene fades away, don't those three little words display on the screen in big bold letters....
QUOTE
“Yes, sir. I only did what was best for the team, and I hope I would do the same for any member of the team,” Jack said smoothly, trying to ignore the spastic coughing coming from the area of a certain Bobby Manning.
“Very commendable, I’m sure,” he said dryly, quirking an eyebrow at the younger man, and thinking to himself that he really should talk to his friend Hank – the FBI director – the next time they played golf, about that notorious non-fraternization rule that he’d heard about from some of the DHS employees who used to be with the FBI. It would be a shame to let an outdated rule like that force good people out of jobs they love – and at which they had exceptional talent. He had a feeling he knew, now, why Sue Thomas opted to stay in DC.
Then using Chertoff to get rid of the non-dating policy. Magnificent...masterful...awesome... I'm running out of words to say here! “Very commendable, I’m sure,” he said dryly, quirking an eyebrow at the younger man, and thinking to himself that he really should talk to his friend Hank – the FBI director – the next time they played golf, about that notorious non-fraternization rule that he’d heard about from some of the DHS employees who used to be with the FBI. It would be a shame to let an outdated rule like that force good people out of jobs they love – and at which they had exceptional talent. He had a feeling he knew, now, why Sue Thomas opted to stay in DC.
You didn't think this would be a full-length story? As much as we clamor for all the fuzzies, which you give us plenty of PG ones, this could have been a season 4 episode. You should write more season 4 episodes...you do it so well.
P19-Ch 31-275 - I'm keeling right over at this...
QUOTE
Reaching over, Jack grabbed her hand and pulled it to him, spreading her fingers out on his thigh as he began massaging each digit. He smiled as he felt her fingers responding by brushing her nails gently along the hem of his khaki shorts onto bare skin.
“Why, Jack Hudson, what ever do you mean?” Sue answered a little breathlessly, batting her eyelashes at him and letting her fingers wander as she began to blush in anticipation of the picnic to come.
I have shivery goosebumps at just the thought of Sue's fingers brushing bare skin! “Why, Jack Hudson, what ever do you mean?” Sue answered a little breathlessly, batting her eyelashes at him and letting her fingers wander as she began to blush in anticipation of the picnic to come.
Waiting impatiently, but sad. I want to read what happens next but I don't want this story to end. Now, didn't I read somewhere that this epsode was a two-parter? And at the end of the next post, as the final scene fades away, don't those three little words display on the screen in big bold letters....
"TO BE CONTINUED"
Lynn
Oh boy! I can't wait for the picnic! And I'm not much on eating where I might have to share the food with ants and mosquitoes and other creepy crawlies. But I can't wait!
Kim
Kim
Oh my... Can`t wait for the picnic!
Josy
Can`t wait for the picnic!Josy
Sigh. Do you KNOW how difficult it is for me to post the LAST CHAPTER? It's as if seeing those words, "THE END," at the bottom of the page are so . . . FINAL! Anyway . . . Thanks for reading this story that I figured would be too short and has turned into one of my longer ones!! Who knew? Hope nobody's allergic to chocolate . . . because if you are, you might have to skip this post . . . And now here's the last chapter . . . and the challenge is complete . . .
You guys are the greatest!!
Regina
Chapter 32
“Ready for dessert?” Jack asked, arching an eyebrow at her as he finished putting the lunch things away. Levi was snoozing nearby, apparently dreaming that he was chasing a bunny through a field, judging by the movement of his legs and the occasional “woof” that escaped in sleepy contentment. Jack had brought her back to the very tree that they had leaned on a few weeks earlier, at which time they discovered many things about one another and had only improved on their discoveries in the interim.
“Depends on what kind of ‘dessert’ you have in mind, Sparky,” Sue said flirtatiously. “Is there chocolate involved?”
“You betcha,” he said, smiling, as he pulled a container out of the basket and opened it to reveal an assortment of various shades of chocolate truffles.
“Oh, Jack . . .,” she said, her mouth watering as she took in the sight and smell of the assorted chocolates. “They’re almost too pretty to eat . . . but I’ll be willing to make the sacrifice.”
As she reached for one, Jack pulled it back. “Not so fast. I plan to feed my ladylove today,” he said huskily.
The look on his face mesmerized her to the point that she couldn’t respond except to nod mutely.
“Open wide,” Jack instructed, his eyes never leaving hers. She did as she was told, taking the chocolate in her mouth and closing her eyes as the chocolate shell burst and the creamy, fudgy filling filled her senses.
“Oh, Jack . . . this is wonderful,” she said, a dreamy quality coming on her face.
“Now you feed me,” he said, putting the box on the blanket between them.
Looking carefully at each one, she selected one. It was a mocha fudge truffle. “Open wide, Jack,” she said. Instead of taking in the whole piece, he bit it in half, grazing her fingers with his teeth. Seeing her shiver involuntarily, he smiled, then took the rest of the piece.
“Oh, look . . . there’s some chocolate on your fingers,” he said, and proceeded to clean it off by taking her fingers into his mouth, his eyes staying on hers the whole time. “Your turn.”
Sue had never felt this way before. She literally felt like she was being turned inside out. His eyes drew her in as he reached down to select another. He held something in his hand. Another chocolate, she assumed, until he said “Sue, look down,” and she did.
What she saw, instead of another chocolate truffle, a brown velvet box, no bigger than the truffles in the candy box. “Is this my surprise?” Sue asked, her eyes round with wonder as he nodded to her.
“Open it,” he whispered.
She took it from his hand, opened it, and put her hand to her mouth as she gasped. The 1.5 carat diamond solitaire set in platinum was simple but elegant. The square cut of the diamond set off the sparkles that flew from the center of the diamond. In the sunlight, she could see all the colors of the rainbow reflected in the precious gem.
Looking up at him, tears beginning to overflow, she just said, “Jack?”
Jack took the box from her, took the ring out of the box, and took her hands in his. Clearing his throat of the tears that were gathering there, he looked down at her hands, and then up into her eyes. “Sue, I love you. I wish I could say I was sorry you had that accident, but I can’t. This is crazy, but because of that stupid kid on a skateboard, I’ve had the best three weeks of my life,” he said, a chuckle escaping as he shook his head. Not how he wanted to do this, but he had to go with it now. He looked deeply into her eyes. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Sue, not just a few weeks. Sue . . . will you . . . could you . . . marry me?” The tortured look on his face brought her hands out of his and onto his face as she pulled him to herself and kissed him tenderly through her tears.
“Yes, Jack. I can . . . and I WILL marry you. And you’re not crazy. Except for the pain and the inconvenience of being immobilized, it’s been the best three weeks of my life, too,” she giggled, a shy look coming across her face at the admission.
Pulling her hands down, Jack took the ring and placed it on her third finger, left hand, and sealed it with a kiss. Sighing deeply, Jack moved the candy over and leaned over to kiss her deeply, pushing her onto the blanket without protest on her part.
Making sure she was comfortable with the new brace on her knee, he was pleased to note that the newer, more flexible brace was much more in keeping with the activities he had in mind for this particular picnic. As their kiss escalated, he felt her knee brush up his leg, almost sending him over the edge of reason as her hands played with the collar of his polo shirt. He had found, to his delight, that the tank top she was wearing tended to ride up, thereby revealing a large expanse of bare midriff to be explored. He discovered again that tender, ticklish spot at her waist that made her jerk when he brushed it with his hand, interrupting the kiss with a gasp and a slight giggle as her knee came up again, causing a groan to emanate from his very being as he rolled to his back, pulling her with him, gently.
“What’s the matter, Hudson? To much dessert?” she asked him playfully.
“You know it Thomas . . . soon to be Hudson,” he said, smiling happily at her as she rested her elbow on his chest and leaned her chin on it as she played with the buttons on his polo. “When can we get married?”
“I’d rather not limp down the aisle, if it’s all the same to you,” she said, smiling at him as she dreamed of floating up the aisle in a long white dress to meet her handsome groom at the altar.
“OK, we’ll work with that. Where?” he asked. “Ohio?”
“I think it would be more appropriate for us to get married here, in our church, don’t you?” she asked. “I don’t think I could handle wedding preparations long distance with the kind of jobs we have, and our parents are much freer to travel than we are.”
“True. A DC wedding it is, then. How long do you think?” he asked, a pained look beginning to grow on his face as he rubbed her back as she lay half on top of him.
Sue smiled down at him, confident in the knowledge that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. “Well, Jack, I guess all this got started on a ‘dog day afternoon’ of summer, so I guess we could wait until next summer to get married,” she said, quirking an eyebrow as he looked at her in outrage.
“Are you trying to make me grow old before my time?” he said, glad she couldn’t hear the whine in his voice, but relaxing as he heard her laugh at him. “Young lady, if we’re going to get married in the dog days of summer, then I’d better talk to Bobby about booking us a flight to Australia to elope. Christmas is high summer there, you know.”
“Tell ya what,” she said. “How about a Christmas wedding in DC, and a sunny honeymoon closer to the equator?” Reaching down to smooth his furrowed brow with her touch, she was able to bring out a smile as he grabbed at her and pulled her flat down on himself, determined to kiss her senseless, which he did.
“I think that would be much easier than an Australian wedding, don’t you?” he asked, holding her closely, enjoying her breathlessness.
“Oh, most definitely,” she said. “Simple is better.” Sue was still trying to regain her breath when she spied the chocolates nearby. “Um . . . Jack . . . how about some more dessert before Levi wakes up and decides he’d like to try some? I could feed you some more,” she cajoled, winking at him suggestively.
“I could go for that,” he said, “although I’m enjoying this kind of dessert better than anything chocolate I’ve ever had.” Kissing her thoroughly as she smiled, she pushed him away after a few minutes.
“True. But let’s live dangerously and have both kinds, OK?” she said, scrambling up to grab the box of warming chocolate. Looking into the box at the shiny chocolates, she turned her batting eyelashes upon him and said in a sultry tone, “Oh no, Jack, they’re getting all melty.”
“Hmmmm . . . I guess we’ll just have to take our chances, sweetheart,” he said pushing himself up on one elbow to make it easier for her to feed him, and for him to clean off her fingers. There was a distinctly lecherous look on his face as he chose a chocolate to feed Sue.
Several truffles later, Jack had decided that messy was more fun . . . and Sue didn’t argue. Somehow, when he was feeding Sue, before the chocolate ever reached her mouth, it found it’s way to touch her neck, shoulder, lips . . . just about anywhere that he thought would be a fun place to clean it off. Sue wasn’t quite as messy, satisfied to make sure she left plenty on his lips and occasionally along the column of his throat so that she could thoroughly clean it all off with a kiss.
Finishing the chocolates, they lay together against the tree, Sue content leaning against Jack’s chest once again as he threw the ball for Levi, who caught it without faltering this time, and who dutifully brought the ball right back every time. It was as if he knew that his mistress and his favorite male were not to be disturbed by actually getting up and running with him, so, being the good retriever he was, played along . . . for now.
Trotting back with the ball, Levi observed how Jack’s left arm stayed tightly around Sue, his hand resting on her stomach, stroking and caressing it gently, while he kept his right arm free to throw. Sue sighed happily, occasionally lifting her left hand up into the filtered sunlight that dappled through the leaves to see her ring sparkle, and then her hand would come down to cover Jack’s as he leaned down to kiss her tender shoulder, sometimes her hand going up to bring Jack’s head down so that she could reach his lips with her own.
Levi had gotten used to Jack being around all the time, and he had a feeling that these dog day afternoons, part of the dog days of summer, were just the beginning for their little family.
And that’s what they were. They were a family. He didn’t know what people complained about. Seemed to Levi like the dog days of summer were pretty good . . . just look at his two humans . . .
“Jack,” Sue said, a dreamy quality to her voice interrupting Levi’s thoughts as she leaned her head back to be able to see her fiancée.
“Yes, sweetheart,” he said, smiling as he adjusted her in his arms so that she lay sideways, looking up at him, playing with the fringes of hair on the back of his neck with her fingertips.
“Where do you want to live?” she asked, looking at a bit of chocolate that she apparently missed on his chin.
“I’ve got some money saved up. How about we start looking for a house?” he said, enjoying seeing her eyes light up at the prospect of a house with a yard.
“That would be wonderful . . . a house . . . a yard for Levi . . . Um . . . Jack? Do you think we could get a big table to put in the dining room . . . ?” Sue asked a little absently, looking off into the distance. Her question was cut off as Jack devoured her lips with his, looking forward to living out that conference room fantasy that Sue apparently had been thinking about just as much as he had dreamed about his bullpen fantasy.
“We’ll go shopping for a dining table AND a desk as soon as we get a house to put them in . . . I can promise you that,” Jack said, smiling as Sue reached up to lick away the chocolate that had mesmerized her on his chin, totally disrupting his resolve. “You can count on it . . .”
As the shadows of late afternoon grew longer, Levi settled in for another nap. He had a feeling that Jack and Sue were going to milk this long summer afternoon for as long as possible . . .
Anyway . . . Thanks for reading this story that I figured would be too short and has turned into one of my longer ones!! Who knew? Hope nobody's allergic to chocolate . . . because if you are, you might have to skip this post . . . And now here's the last chapter . . . and the challenge is complete . . . You guys are the greatest!!
Regina
Chapter 32
“Ready for dessert?” Jack asked, arching an eyebrow at her as he finished putting the lunch things away. Levi was snoozing nearby, apparently dreaming that he was chasing a bunny through a field, judging by the movement of his legs and the occasional “woof” that escaped in sleepy contentment. Jack had brought her back to the very tree that they had leaned on a few weeks earlier, at which time they discovered many things about one another and had only improved on their discoveries in the interim.
“Depends on what kind of ‘dessert’ you have in mind, Sparky,” Sue said flirtatiously. “Is there chocolate involved?”
“You betcha,” he said, smiling, as he pulled a container out of the basket and opened it to reveal an assortment of various shades of chocolate truffles.
“Oh, Jack . . .,” she said, her mouth watering as she took in the sight and smell of the assorted chocolates. “They’re almost too pretty to eat . . . but I’ll be willing to make the sacrifice.”
As she reached for one, Jack pulled it back. “Not so fast. I plan to feed my ladylove today,” he said huskily.
The look on his face mesmerized her to the point that she couldn’t respond except to nod mutely.
“Open wide,” Jack instructed, his eyes never leaving hers. She did as she was told, taking the chocolate in her mouth and closing her eyes as the chocolate shell burst and the creamy, fudgy filling filled her senses.
“Oh, Jack . . . this is wonderful,” she said, a dreamy quality coming on her face.
“Now you feed me,” he said, putting the box on the blanket between them.
Looking carefully at each one, she selected one. It was a mocha fudge truffle. “Open wide, Jack,” she said. Instead of taking in the whole piece, he bit it in half, grazing her fingers with his teeth. Seeing her shiver involuntarily, he smiled, then took the rest of the piece.
“Oh, look . . . there’s some chocolate on your fingers,” he said, and proceeded to clean it off by taking her fingers into his mouth, his eyes staying on hers the whole time. “Your turn.”
Sue had never felt this way before. She literally felt like she was being turned inside out. His eyes drew her in as he reached down to select another. He held something in his hand. Another chocolate, she assumed, until he said “Sue, look down,” and she did.
What she saw, instead of another chocolate truffle, a brown velvet box, no bigger than the truffles in the candy box. “Is this my surprise?” Sue asked, her eyes round with wonder as he nodded to her.
“Open it,” he whispered.
She took it from his hand, opened it, and put her hand to her mouth as she gasped. The 1.5 carat diamond solitaire set in platinum was simple but elegant. The square cut of the diamond set off the sparkles that flew from the center of the diamond. In the sunlight, she could see all the colors of the rainbow reflected in the precious gem.
Looking up at him, tears beginning to overflow, she just said, “Jack?”
Jack took the box from her, took the ring out of the box, and took her hands in his. Clearing his throat of the tears that were gathering there, he looked down at her hands, and then up into her eyes. “Sue, I love you. I wish I could say I was sorry you had that accident, but I can’t. This is crazy, but because of that stupid kid on a skateboard, I’ve had the best three weeks of my life,” he said, a chuckle escaping as he shook his head. Not how he wanted to do this, but he had to go with it now. He looked deeply into her eyes. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Sue, not just a few weeks. Sue . . . will you . . . could you . . . marry me?” The tortured look on his face brought her hands out of his and onto his face as she pulled him to herself and kissed him tenderly through her tears.
“Yes, Jack. I can . . . and I WILL marry you. And you’re not crazy. Except for the pain and the inconvenience of being immobilized, it’s been the best three weeks of my life, too,” she giggled, a shy look coming across her face at the admission.
Pulling her hands down, Jack took the ring and placed it on her third finger, left hand, and sealed it with a kiss. Sighing deeply, Jack moved the candy over and leaned over to kiss her deeply, pushing her onto the blanket without protest on her part.
Making sure she was comfortable with the new brace on her knee, he was pleased to note that the newer, more flexible brace was much more in keeping with the activities he had in mind for this particular picnic. As their kiss escalated, he felt her knee brush up his leg, almost sending him over the edge of reason as her hands played with the collar of his polo shirt. He had found, to his delight, that the tank top she was wearing tended to ride up, thereby revealing a large expanse of bare midriff to be explored. He discovered again that tender, ticklish spot at her waist that made her jerk when he brushed it with his hand, interrupting the kiss with a gasp and a slight giggle as her knee came up again, causing a groan to emanate from his very being as he rolled to his back, pulling her with him, gently.
“What’s the matter, Hudson? To much dessert?” she asked him playfully.
“You know it Thomas . . . soon to be Hudson,” he said, smiling happily at her as she rested her elbow on his chest and leaned her chin on it as she played with the buttons on his polo. “When can we get married?”
“I’d rather not limp down the aisle, if it’s all the same to you,” she said, smiling at him as she dreamed of floating up the aisle in a long white dress to meet her handsome groom at the altar.
“OK, we’ll work with that. Where?” he asked. “Ohio?”
“I think it would be more appropriate for us to get married here, in our church, don’t you?” she asked. “I don’t think I could handle wedding preparations long distance with the kind of jobs we have, and our parents are much freer to travel than we are.”
“True. A DC wedding it is, then. How long do you think?” he asked, a pained look beginning to grow on his face as he rubbed her back as she lay half on top of him.
Sue smiled down at him, confident in the knowledge that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. “Well, Jack, I guess all this got started on a ‘dog day afternoon’ of summer, so I guess we could wait until next summer to get married,” she said, quirking an eyebrow as he looked at her in outrage.
“Are you trying to make me grow old before my time?” he said, glad she couldn’t hear the whine in his voice, but relaxing as he heard her laugh at him. “Young lady, if we’re going to get married in the dog days of summer, then I’d better talk to Bobby about booking us a flight to Australia to elope. Christmas is high summer there, you know.”
“Tell ya what,” she said. “How about a Christmas wedding in DC, and a sunny honeymoon closer to the equator?” Reaching down to smooth his furrowed brow with her touch, she was able to bring out a smile as he grabbed at her and pulled her flat down on himself, determined to kiss her senseless, which he did.
“I think that would be much easier than an Australian wedding, don’t you?” he asked, holding her closely, enjoying her breathlessness.
“Oh, most definitely,” she said. “Simple is better.” Sue was still trying to regain her breath when she spied the chocolates nearby. “Um . . . Jack . . . how about some more dessert before Levi wakes up and decides he’d like to try some? I could feed you some more,” she cajoled, winking at him suggestively.
“I could go for that,” he said, “although I’m enjoying this kind of dessert better than anything chocolate I’ve ever had.” Kissing her thoroughly as she smiled, she pushed him away after a few minutes.
“True. But let’s live dangerously and have both kinds, OK?” she said, scrambling up to grab the box of warming chocolate. Looking into the box at the shiny chocolates, she turned her batting eyelashes upon him and said in a sultry tone, “Oh no, Jack, they’re getting all melty.”
“Hmmmm . . . I guess we’ll just have to take our chances, sweetheart,” he said pushing himself up on one elbow to make it easier for her to feed him, and for him to clean off her fingers. There was a distinctly lecherous look on his face as he chose a chocolate to feed Sue.
Several truffles later, Jack had decided that messy was more fun . . . and Sue didn’t argue. Somehow, when he was feeding Sue, before the chocolate ever reached her mouth, it found it’s way to touch her neck, shoulder, lips . . . just about anywhere that he thought would be a fun place to clean it off. Sue wasn’t quite as messy, satisfied to make sure she left plenty on his lips and occasionally along the column of his throat so that she could thoroughly clean it all off with a kiss.
Finishing the chocolates, they lay together against the tree, Sue content leaning against Jack’s chest once again as he threw the ball for Levi, who caught it without faltering this time, and who dutifully brought the ball right back every time. It was as if he knew that his mistress and his favorite male were not to be disturbed by actually getting up and running with him, so, being the good retriever he was, played along . . . for now.
Trotting back with the ball, Levi observed how Jack’s left arm stayed tightly around Sue, his hand resting on her stomach, stroking and caressing it gently, while he kept his right arm free to throw. Sue sighed happily, occasionally lifting her left hand up into the filtered sunlight that dappled through the leaves to see her ring sparkle, and then her hand would come down to cover Jack’s as he leaned down to kiss her tender shoulder, sometimes her hand going up to bring Jack’s head down so that she could reach his lips with her own.
Levi had gotten used to Jack being around all the time, and he had a feeling that these dog day afternoons, part of the dog days of summer, were just the beginning for their little family.
And that’s what they were. They were a family. He didn’t know what people complained about. Seemed to Levi like the dog days of summer were pretty good . . . just look at his two humans . . .
“Jack,” Sue said, a dreamy quality to her voice interrupting Levi’s thoughts as she leaned her head back to be able to see her fiancée.
“Yes, sweetheart,” he said, smiling as he adjusted her in his arms so that she lay sideways, looking up at him, playing with the fringes of hair on the back of his neck with her fingertips.
“Where do you want to live?” she asked, looking at a bit of chocolate that she apparently missed on his chin.
“I’ve got some money saved up. How about we start looking for a house?” he said, enjoying seeing her eyes light up at the prospect of a house with a yard.
“That would be wonderful . . . a house . . . a yard for Levi . . . Um . . . Jack? Do you think we could get a big table to put in the dining room . . . ?” Sue asked a little absently, looking off into the distance. Her question was cut off as Jack devoured her lips with his, looking forward to living out that conference room fantasy that Sue apparently had been thinking about just as much as he had dreamed about his bullpen fantasy.
“We’ll go shopping for a dining table AND a desk as soon as we get a house to put them in . . . I can promise you that,” Jack said, smiling as Sue reached up to lick away the chocolate that had mesmerized her on his chin, totally disrupting his resolve. “You can count on it . . .”
As the shadows of late afternoon grew longer, Levi settled in for another nap. He had a feeling that Jack and Sue were going to milk this long summer afternoon for as long as possible . . .
THE END
Word Count - 42,871 words
Regina, this story is beautiful, and you are wonderful!! I will never be able to eat chocolate again without being transported back to that picnic in the park!! Jack's proposal was just............!!! **sigh**
Great ending to a very entertaining story!! Jack and Sue get each other, and Levi gets a family!! You can't get any better than that!! Thanks for joining the challenge and sharing with us once again!!!
Note to Lynn: You don't suppose that the hood ornament on the RFF police cars is a sculpture of Jack, do you?? I'll have to keep my eye out for pink police cars and check it out!!! LOL
Joy
Great ending to a very entertaining story!! Jack and Sue get each other, and Levi gets a family!! You can't get any better than that!! Thanks for joining the challenge and sharing with us once again!!!
Note to Lynn: You don't suppose that the hood ornament on the RFF police cars is a sculpture of Jack, do you?? I'll have to keep my eye out for pink police cars and check it out!!! LOL
Joy
WONDERFUL STORY!!! Thanks Regina!! 
Have a beautiful day!
Tere
I loved it! Any chance we get the wedding story now?? Em
Each story you write is a little gem, Regina! And this one made no exception!
You have your own way to picture JAck and Sue's relationship that touch me so much!
That was a beautiful proposal and a delicious picnic that you gave us!!!!
Thanks a lot for sharing it with us!!!
You have your own way to picture JAck and Sue's relationship that touch me so much!
That was a beautiful proposal and a delicious picnic that you gave us!!!!
Thanks a lot for sharing it with us!!!
I believe I may have rushed to judgement when I told you once upon a time that I don't crave chocolate.... 'cause the cravings have commenced!
Why? Because....
A. Jack picked them out and brought them to the picnic, how sweet is that?
B. Diamonds look sooooooooo good with Chocolate Brown
C. They match Jack's eyes
D. They melt!!!!!!!!!
E. Ummmmm chocolate on Jack's neck... OY.
I think they need to celebrate each anniversary with Chocolate!! OOOOH, I think I've got a few ideas - starting with a honeymoon in Hershey PA... but poor Jack might gain a few pounds before it's over!!! After all, he'll want to do a very thorough job of kissing the chocolate bath off Sue!!
If you had to end this Regina, at least you left us with a very 'sweet' post!
Thank you once again for sharing your talent and allowing us to come along for the ride...
Tina
Why? Because....
A. Jack picked them out and brought them to the picnic, how sweet is that?
B. Diamonds look sooooooooo good with Chocolate Brown
C. They match Jack's eyes
D. They melt!!!!!!!!!
E. Ummmmm
chocolate on Jack's neck... OY.I think they need to celebrate each anniversary with Chocolate!! OOOOH, I think I've got a few ideas - starting with a honeymoon in Hershey PA... but poor Jack might gain a few pounds before it's over!!! After all, he'll want to do a very thorough job of kissing the chocolate bath off Sue!!
If you had to end this Regina, at least you left us with a very 'sweet' post!
Thank you once again for sharing your talent and allowing us to come along for the ride...
Tina
Fantastic, Regina. Absolutely fantastic! I loved the story from beginning to end.
- RSL
- RSL
That was wonderful!
Kim
Kim
Wonderful! Really enjoyed this.
thanks,
Terie
thanks,
Terie
This was such a great story Regina, with such a delicious ending.
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.