Tere

We already know that he eventually finds his way to Sue, but like Kav, I want to know why he didn't want her to know in the first place? What aren't you telling us, hmmmm?

Angst is the pathway to happiness... how very zen...

Tina

Wow! Jack is really torn up, isn't he? I'm glad he sought out Sue in his time of distress - now he just has to open his mouth and talk to her!

Looking forward to more - especially the fuzzies!

I'm just as curious as Tina and Kav. WHY didn't Jack want Sue to know about this?

Lindsy

I'm here! I'm sorry I didn't get to post yesterday. I was out all afternoon in town after my friend dragged me there. I went a bit mad in Greggs (the bakers) and bought 3 sandwhiches (Two cheese salads and a chicken salad) and some drinks. 'Twas good fun.

Anyways, enough about my life, here is the next part - fluff as promised. Explainations to come within the next chapter (If Jack and Sue behave that is... )



Chapter 7

Sue leaned back against the sofa, exhaustion finally beginning to set in. After Jack had recounted the story behind his mystery disappearance he had shed the tears on her shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably on her shoulder. It had been heartbreaking to see a grown man break down like that, especially when that man is someone you love. She had tried her best to comfort him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace and whispering words of comfort in his ear. After a good half an hour his breathing had evened out and his chest has started to rise and fall rhythmically. He now lay sprawled out across the sofa, his head resting on Sue’s lap, his face relaxed in sleep, the lines that had creased his forehead before having disappeared.

Sue’s eyes raked his face; taking in his dark hair that was now up on ends, partly from behind outside for so long, partly from running his hand through it constantly. She allowed herself to play lightly with the thick strands, twirling them gently around her fingers and smoothing them out. Her fingers slowly started a trail of their own down the side of his face, taking in his defined features and chiseled cheeks. The dark shade of his long eyelashes contrasted against cheekbones. She remembered vividly the time she had once commented about his eyes when the team was talking about the perfect F.B.I agent. She couldn’t help the red tinge that coloured her face at the memory. There was something about the man that made her do and say things that she would never have dared to say before she moved to D.C.

Jack fought the urge to sit up and kiss her senseless. The light trail of her fingers scorched his skin, threatening to send him up in a blazing inferno. She didn’t know what she was doing to him: pretending to keep still was torture. His stomach was flip-flopping and his heart was threatening to burst out of his ribcage. Her timid exploration of his face was driving him to the brink of insanity.

His breath caught in his throat when her finger traced the outline of his lips. He resisted the urge to capture her finger in his mouth and return some of his own unique brand of sweet torture. When she trailed her finger across his bottom lip it was his undoing.
He reached for her hand, taking it in his larger one. In one swift movement he reversed their positions, flipping her so she was lying on her back, his knee in between hers, pinning her down while he tickled her sides, her laughter filling the apartment.

“Jack!” she gasped, trying to ward off his hands. “Jack I’m ticklish!” she continued, her laughed filling his ears.

His fingers found their way under her top, finding the ticklish spot on her stomach. She squealed, wriggling underneath him. She tried to turn away and escape his merciless torture. She grasped for his arms as she lost her balance, rolling off the side of the sofa, landing in a heap on the floor, Jack landing on top of her, his body pressed intimately against hers. Her eyes focused on his lips as he began speaking.

“Payback,” he whispered, glad she couldn’t hear the huskiness in his voice. “For the torture you put me through,” he continued, his face inches from hers. He was only vaguely aware of their compromising position: all of his focus was entirely upon her.

The air seemed to change around them, suddenly becoming full of high voltage electricity and unspoken truths and promises. His dark pools bore into her hazel ones. The intensity in his eyes stunned Sue. His eyes promised her many things that she couldn’t put names to. Fear and uncertainty engulfed her, her insecurities and doubt surfacing once again. Was what she seeing really there or was it a figment of her imagination. Would she wake up in a few moments and it turn out to all be just a dream?

Jack saw the insecurity in her eyes, the panic that filled them. In the past he would have pulled away, backpedaling and acting like he was sorry. But that was in the past. The rollercoaster of emotions that he had experienced in the last few weeks had made him realize that life was too short to beat around the bush: if you wanted something, and wanted it badly enough, you would get it. His grandmother had told him on many occasions to follow his heart. “Rules were made to be broken Jackson.” Sandra Ruth-Hudson’s words reverberated around his mind. He had been given a second chance; he wasn’t going to waste it.

He slowly closed the distance between them, giving her a chance to back away if she wanted to. Her eyes slowly fluttered closed as his face drew nearer, his breath tickling her cheek. Slowly, he pressed his lips against hers, gently teasing her soft lips with his own. She gasped as unfamiliar sensations claimed her body, wiping memories of all other kisses from her mind. Jack took advantage of her gasp to deepen the kiss, pouring all of his pent-up emotions into the kiss, determined to show her how he felt, their tongues timidly dancing around each other as the kiss threatened to turn into a blazing inferno.

Levi raised his head, watching the couple as they occupied each other. It looked like dinner was going to be out of the equation for a while.

Tere

Looks like Jack is moving forward after all those years of pent up emotions...lets just hope Sue accepts this.

This post has everything Jenna. Sue's emotions after having Jack in her arms in tears to Levi's pov at the end.

Loved it.

Levi ol' buddy, I love you, but I hope you have to wait for a good long while for that food...

Tina

YES!!!!!

Lindsy

Nearly there folks. Just one more post to go after this. I promise to have all - or most - of your questions answered by then.

Not sure that the last partof this post makes sense though...



Chapter 8

Sue’s hands traveled up Jack’s arms, feeling the muscles quivering underneath the shirt material, leaving trails of fire searing his skin through the material. They rested at his shoulders, gently kneading the tense muscles there. She sighed contentedly as she lay within the circle of Jack’s arms, processing the emotions of the last half and hour. His sudden pounce on her had taken her by surprise. His kiss had been spine tingling. A little unexpected: definitely. But welcome. She had dreamed of him kissing her. In her dreams it had been wonderful. In real life, words could not describe it. She could feel the thumping of his heart beneath her cheek while one of his hands traced lazy circles on her lower back. She snuggled closer into his chest, allowing the aroma of his cologne to play havoc with her sense of smell.

Jack allowed himself to experience the pleasure of holding Sue close. He hadn’t meant to let things get so out of control. He only meant to press his lips to hers for a few seconds. That idea went out the window when she had returned his advances, running her fingers through his hair, making his scalp tingle. Every single coherent thought had been blown from his mind. He had reluctantly pulled away from her in need of air. He had rolled off her and onto his back, his chest heaving as he dragged oxygen into his lungs. She had rolled onto him, missing his contact; he had gladly encircled her waist, not wanting to let go of her just yet. He knew they had to talk – something like that couldn’t be passed off as an undercover kiss.

Sue’s soft voice broke the spell that had been cast around them.

“Jack… What just happened?”

Jack’s hand stilled. Sue pulled away slightly, sitting up so she could see Jack’s lips.

“I mean… I know you kissed me and I kissed you back but…” she paused for a moment, blowing her bangs in frustration. Why couldn’t she form a single coherent question? She took a deep breath and tried again.

“What I mean is what happens now?”

Jack raised his eyebrows. She was asking him?

“Sue…” he began, pushing himself off the floor and into a sitting position. “I guess I owe you an explanation.” He paused for a moment, collecting his wayward thoughts. There was nothing to stop him now. No phone calls, no urgent cases to deal with and no-one to interrupt them. He’d been given a second chance. He couldn’t blow it now.

“Sue I… I never meant to kiss you.” Sue felt her hopes shattering all over again. He was doing what he had always done; backpedaling.

“Oh,” she said, looking away as embarrassment and disappointment started to creep into her system. She let herself read too much into it.

Jack noticed her change in demeanor, regretting what he had said. He reached out, touching her cheek with his hand, turning her head to face him. He waited until she had focused her eyes upon his lips before talking again.

“That came out wrong. What I meant to say is I never meant to kiss you before telling you something you really deserve to know.” He waited for her to process his statement, watching her eyes as they flickered up to his own. He watched as a glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes before traveling down to look at his lips again. He swallowed, praying to God to help him say the words he needed to say.

“Sue, I know I’ve not been myself of late. What with everything going on in Wisconsin I’ve not had time to catch my breath. But all this business made me realize that life is too short to play things safe. Life is too short to let opportunities slip away from you.” He trailed off for a moment, caressing Sue’s cheek with his fingers. “I know I’ve been foolish and I know I’ve hurt you time and time again. But I never meant to hurt you. I knew you were special the moment you, literally, stormed into my life. You captured my attention. I was just too scared to admit it. I knew you were the forever kind of girl. One I’d like to have eventually settled down with. As time went on I found myself growing more and more attached to you. All them times we went out to lunch and had dinner under the guise of friendship… I just wanted an excuse to be near you. What with the no dating within units, I knew I couldn’t act upon these… urges… without either of us having to suffer the consequences. So I guess I used the rule as an excuse for not saying anything sooner.”

Jack paused once again. He withdrew his hand from Sue’s face, instead reaching out for her hand, taking it in his and giving it a gentle squeeze. He then released hers and raised his left hand, keeping his middle and ring finger bent with his pinky, index and thumb fingers extended.

“I love you” he said and signed.

Sue felt her breath catch in her throat. This was something she had dreamed about since she had met him. She sent a pray heavenward, praying for a sign to tell her that this wasn’t a dream that she would cruelly awaken from.

Sue’s silence worried him. She doesn’t love me he realized. He had bared his heart to her, told her things even Bobby didn’t know. He had wrecked one of the most important friendships of his life.

“Please tell me this isn’t a dream,” Sue finally whispered her voice thick with unheard emotion.

“It’s not. I promise you,” he said quickly, reaching for her hands. “It’s very real.”

Sue felt the tears prickle her eyes.

“Jack,” she whispered. “You do not realize how much I’ve wanted to see you say those words.”

Without warning Sue launched herself into his arms, sending them both topping backwards in a tangle of arms and legs.

“I love you too Jack,” Sue said softly as she pressed herself against him, burying her face in his neck while he showered her cheek and hair with kisses.

Lately he had thought that he hated the darkness of winter. Hated getting up in the dark and coming home in the dark and dealing with all that is dark in the hours in between. The season hadn’t even begun but he was growing more and more morose as each day passed.

He suddenly had a whole lot more to live for.

Now that is what I wanted them to do

I had the meltilicious opportunity to catch up on the LAST TWO POSTS!!

What a wonderful way to use the challenge passage!! It could so easily have been used in a dark, depressing scene, but to use it like this? WONDERFUL!!!!!!

Wow . . .

Wahooooo! That's what I'm talkin' 'bout.

Wonderful job and such a great way to incorporate the quote you had to include.

Cha-ching! There ya go... there's the money scene! LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT! I agree with Regina; using the guote at a moment when we know things are starting to look up was a real surprise. When I read that, all I could imagine was a very long journey out of despair. I'm so glad we, and Jack, have already taken that journey!

Tina

Well here we go. The last chapter. I haven't had a chance to send it to my beta reader yet, but I'm anxious to get this posted. I hope it's okay. I'll edit it if I find anything terribly wrong...

Thank for reading this. It's been good fun writing this and I hope you've enjoyed it. Hope to write again soon!



Chapter 9

The snow was still falling, painting the city white. All flights leaving the city had been cancelled, leaving many passengers stranded at the airport; the main roads leading out of the city were jammed, many commuters unable to get home to their families.

In a park on the outskirts of the main city center, a Golden Retriever was rummaging in the bushes, searching for his small furry friend with the fluffy tail while his owner stood a little away, walking around the park with her arm wrapped around the waist of a handsome dark haired man. To the unassuming onlooker they looked like any other couple that had been in a long-term relationship. They couldn’t have been further from the truth.

A contented silence had enveloped the couple as they watched the antics of the Golden as he sniffed around the large bushes on the outskirts of the park. The silence gave the young woman a chance to ponder her thoughts, unable to believe what had transpired between her and her partner within the last few hours. However, something was still bugging her. She stopped, turning to her companion.

“Jack, why didn’t you tell me about your grandmother soon?” Sue asked, searching his face for signs of him wanting to pull away. She noticed him hesitating slightly as he opened his mouth.

“I don’t know,” he finally said with a small shrug of his shoulders. “I guess I just didn’t want to give you more cause for concern, what with the case. It was pretty intense.” He knew it was a lame excuse. He knew she would see right through him. She was too good.

“Now tell me the real reason,” she asked, not missing a beat. His eyes gave him away every time. It really was true: someone’s eyes really are the windows to their heart.

He sighed. He should have known better than to avoid telling her. Truthfully, he didn’t know why he didn’t tell her. It was just one of those things.

“I guess I just didn’t want you to think any less of me,” he said sadly. “It’s not very coming of an F.B.I agent to get upset, not where they deal with bigger and often worse things than that. I was close to my grandma. She was always the one I went to if I had something on my mind and I just needed to talk about it. She also knew Bobby and treated Bobby like one of her own. I guess that’s why I told him. I guess he’s always had a soft spot for Grandma Hudson.” He gave a sad laugh.

The truth was he didn’t want Sue to think he couldn’t handle problems. He knew there were thousands of families that were affected by cancer. His was just another one. Why should he have been any different?

Sue knew there was more to it than that. She decided to let it slide for the time being, knowing that Jack had been going through a rough time. He would talk about it when he needed to. And when he was ready she would be there to help him through it. Moving forward into the circle of his arms she embraced him, holding him close, letting him know that she was prepared to wait for him to open up completely.

Jack held her close, grateful that she had decided to drop the subject for the time being. He looked up over her head, a goofy smile spreading across his face. He couldn’t believe that he was holding the woman of his dream in his arms, that he had told her he loved her and that she loved him too.

Levi looked up from his perusal of his furry little critter friend. He watched the two humans in a close embrace. Something had definitely changed between the two. The had taken to wrestling on the floor not long before they left the apartment and now they were standing close together, glued at the mouth. He watched as the couple separated, Sue turning to look towards the bushes. Uh-oh Levi thought. I am not going anywhere. Not until I find Bunny.

Jack took advantage of Sue’s distraction to bend down and scoop up some snow. Expertly molding it into a ball he took aim, throwing it at Sue, where it collided with Sue’s lower back. She turned around, slightly shocked. Jack’s grinning face gave him away. Narrowing her eyes, she slowly bent down, keeping Jack within her line of sight all the time. In one grace movement, she had scooped up, molded and thrown the snowball at Jack, her laughter filling the air.

“You asked for it Hudson,” she laughed before taking off through the snow, shrieking with laughter as Jack chased her around the park.

Something told him there would be some very warm memories in the near future.


The End

Word Count
With quote: 8,334
Without quote: 8,287

I have thoroughly enjoyed your story!! The ending was beautiful, playful, and promised so much for the future of our favorite couple!! Thank you for sharing your talent with all of us!!

A very beautiful ending. Seeing Jack and Sue off on the beginning of their new relationship... just perfect.

Lindsy

BRAVO!!!

Wonderful story! Thanks for share!!

Tere

A lovely story, Jenna. Thank you for sharing. I wonder if there just might be a story in the future where the topic that Sue dropped regarding his grandmother resurfaces.

I just love Jack and Sue in a beautiful romantic setting... snow in the park... wonderful.

Thanks for joining the challenge Jenna, and I hope to see more from you soon!

Tina

Great job!

Kim

A snowball fight and a tussle in the snow with Jack is the perfect ending to your story. (Who am I kidding? A snowball fight and a TUSSLE IN THE SNOW WITH JACK is simply perfect. Period.)

Wonderful story. Thank you for sharing.

Wonderful, Jenna! I enjoyed your story a lot. Look forward to seeing more from you.

Hi JennaLouise. Like everyone else welcome to the challenge. My first story I wrote was for a challenge, so I know how you felt.

P1-1 - But by the words of your opening post, you are going to do just fine. It was a real grabber….leaving all us
fans in agony over him sobbing on the sidewalk in DC.

And Regina, how could you say that about me? Oh, wait, you didn’t name names. Whew! My secret is still a secret!

Reading on…..

Lynn

P2-Ch 4-27 – Hooray for Levi I love it when Levi decides to help cupid along!

P3-Ch 5-35 – I’m thinking his father must have had a heart attack? But if that’s the case, why did he come back after only staying a couple of days in Wisconsin?

P3-Ch 6a-42 - Well, it isn’t his dad, but his beloved grandmother. What a wonderful grandson Jack is. But, I’m with Kav, why couldn’t he tell Sue? She, of all people, would understand.

P4-Ch 6b-48 – Oh, I’m crying buckets right along with Jack, JL. I love this story. Your descriptions are beautiful and pull the emotions out of me as though they were real.

But, like everyone else, I still don’t understand why Jack didn’t want Sue to know.

Lynn

P4-Ch 7-55 –

P4-Ch 8-60 – He finally told her! Exquisite recovery after that first botched sentence. Sly of you to do that, JL.

Oh, and I agree with the others, great use of the challenge quote leaving us with an uplifting feeling instead of one of despair.

P5-Ch 9-66 – What a great ending. I have enjoyed this story immensely, your writing flows beautifully.

Now, I think there just might be some more Jack and Sue moments that are begging to be told in a sequel.

Lynn

I just read your story and I must say you did a wonderful job. I thoroughly enjoyed the tale. Keep up the good work.

- RSL

All caught up and disappointed that it's over. This is a great story, Jenna, and I love how you tied in the story quote!

kav

Awh shucks

Thank you. I'm glad you all liked it.

I am thinking of making a sequel but I'll have to wait until after I've done my mock exams to start writing again. Maybe we'll find out why Jack didn't want to tell Sue about his grandmother. We might even get an insight into what happened while he was there...

And Jack's avoidance of Sue on the day the story is set

And don't worry too

Thank you for reading - it was fun to write. Although I might have to make sure I keep ahead of the story next time...

Jenna

Jenna, I just caught up in time to catch the happy ending!! This is an amazing story, with all the emotions entering into it!! I love the quiet, calming way Sue comforted Jack - so like her!! And, the way you brought them together is perfect!!!

I agree you used the snippet in a very unique way, bringing the whole story full circle, yet leading us into a very promising future!! The snowball fight is perfect, as well as Levi looking for the ever elusive bunny!! Very well done!!!

Thanks for sharing!! Looking forward to more from you in the future!!!

Joy

Amazing way to open up to love! I’m glad that he finally realized how much she cared about him and he could confess his love for her.

You’ve given us a beautiful portrait of their relationship...

Thanks for sharing this story with us.

I love how you changed their sadness to joy. Lovely story JennaLouise.

Well done! Very nice story!

Donna

Good story I would definatley like to read more.
I am glad that Jack finally shared his feeling with Sue.

Dianna