Sue sat in her lounge, absentmindedly stroking the soft fur on Levi's head, and scratching between his ears, while feeling thoroughly confused and miserable. She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't realised Lucy had entered the room, and only noticing when she was standing directly in front of her, waving her hand in her face.

"Oh hey, I didn't see you come in" Sue exclaimed,

"Yeah… I guessed that. You ok?" Lucy laughed;

"Yes... I mean… no... I mean... oh I don't know" Sue replied burying her face in her hands.

Lucy tapped her arm to get her attention, when Sue finally, looked up she asked

"What's wrong Sue? What is going on to make you so confused?"

Sue hesitated for a moment then replied

"I just can't stop thinking about..." she trailed off embarrassed,

"Jack?" Lucy finished for her,

"Yes" she nodded before burying her face in her hands again,

"Sue…?" Lucy said tapping her arm again to gain her attention again

"Are you in love with him?" she asked her,

"I... I... I think so, oh Lucy what am I going to do?" Sue stuttered,

"Well... you could tell him?" Lucy suggested,

"I can't what about the rules and what if he doesn't feel the same way about me?" she replied

"Don't worry about the rules, we can find a way around them… and trust me, Jack feels the same way about you" Lucy grinned.

The blonde woman, blushed and tried to hide her face again, but Lucy stopped her and said

"We'll think of something… but for now are you ready to go?"

"Ready to go…?" Sue asked confused,

"Shopping" Lucy replied, and then seeing the still confused look on her housemates face she added,

"For my party… dress and shoe shopping? We're meeting Tara at the mall remember?"

"Oh yeah sorry Luc… I guess thinking about Jack made me forget... yes; I'm ready let's go" she answered standing up she went to grab her purse and coat.

On the way out Lucy touched her arm to gain her attention, she grinned and asked,

"You forgot about the shopping but... hmmm… I bet you didn't forget that we're meeting Myles, Bobby and... JACK for coffee afterwards did you?" she could see the blush creeping up Sue's cheeks at her question, before she sheepishly replied

"Um... no I hadn't forgotten that part" then added

"Shall we go?" to change the subject, before walking on towards her friend's car, Lucy followed close behind, trying to hide her smile at her friend's discomfort.

Twenty minutes later the two friends arrived in the mall's parking lot, Lucy parked the car. The two friends exited the car and then went to the elevators to meet Tara… who arrived a few minutes after them.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late… traffic was a nightmare" Tara exclaimed, as she reached the elevator,

"Don't worry about it we only just got here. We were late setting off… because I couldn't get someone's attention… she was too busy thinking about Jack, to respond" the dark woman teased,

"Lucy!" Sue exclaimed embarrassed,

"Thinking about Jack huh…?" Tara asked the now blushing Sue,

"Yeah it seems, Sue has it bad… for our illustrious team leader" Lucy replied grinning,

Tara gave her a 'we all new that already' look,

"Trouble is… she doesn't know what to do about it. She won't tell him, because of the rules… and she's scared that he won't feel the same way about her" Lucy explained

"Of course he feels the same way about you Sue. We all know that… well... apparently you don't" Tara replied,

"We all saw the way he reacted when you announced that you were leaving… and how happy he was when you announced that you had changed your mind, deciding to stay. Then there were the times when you went missing… with Dan Malone, then with Jonathon Hammond… kidnapped by Simon, and then by the guys from Mind Prophet… Jack was beside himself every time, he blamed himself. He will do anything to make sure people don't hurt you… he and Bobby threatened Howie for stalking you, and they had words with Ted Garret, when they thought he was going to have you transferred… then there was the thing with Pete Hadley. If that doesn't tell you he's crazy about you… I don't know what will" she explained to a now… even more embarrassed, and blushing Sue, while Lucy had been nodding in agreement.

"I've got it!" Lucy suddenly exclaimed,

"Got what?" Tara and Sue asked simultaneously both looking confused,

"I know what we need to do, to solve Sue's problem" she told them delightedly dragging them inside the elevator, and pushing the button to take them up to the floor, where all the clothing stores were, when the doors closed Tara asked,

"So… what are we going do Lucy?"

"Well... we prove Jack's feelings, to her" Lucy explained

"And… how, are you going to do that Luc?" Sue asked sceptically,

"You wear something; that will get his attention… something that will knock his socks off… then, watch to see how he reacts to it" Lucy continued,

"Okay... and what exactly… am I going to wear, to get that kind of reaction?" Sue asked,

"You leave that… to us" Lucy beamed, as she exited the elevator,

Both Lucy and Tara's eyes were now twinkling with mischief, which made Sue cringe inside,

'What am I letting myself in for' she thought, following them out of the elevator, and towards their favourite clothing store.

Catching up to her friends, Sue asked,

"So, what happens now?"

"Now, we find dresses for my party" Lucy replied,

"We will pick out dresses, for you to try on… then we decide which one you will buy, and wear on the night" Tara added

"Okay, let's get on with it then" Sue said sceptically, cringing inside once again,

'What sort of dresses will they be picking for me?' she thought to herself.

After finding and trying on several dresses, with Tara and Lucy discarding them… as they were, as Lucy had called them 'the safe options' all of which Sue herself had chosen… they had both, finally, settled on the last dress she tried on, it was a white halter neck dress… that they had chosen together. When she had emerged from the changing room, they had both gasped and declared it as "perfect". The dress was low cut… but only showed just the right amount of cleavage, the skirt flowed around her hips, then fell just above her knees, and it emphasised all of her curves. She changed out of the dress, and helped her friends to find dresses of their own for the occasion… which took a considerably less, amount of time than it had to find hers. They moved on to buy shoes and purses to go with their purchases.

When the girls, finally arrived at the coffee shop, where they were meeting the guys… the men were already there waiting for them, and had already purchased their coffee's for them, which they gratefully accepted, as they collapsed into their seats at the table, while dropping their shopping bags to the floor.

"So what 'ya been buying Sheila's?" Bobby asked them, laughing at their actions,

"Dresses, shoes and accessories, for Lucy's birthday party" Tara replied

"Aaah…. so do we get to see the accessories?" Bobby asked raising his eyebrows suggestively, earning him a playful smack to the arm from Tara,

"Not those kinds of accessories" she told him.

"So, what do these perfect dresses, look like?" Myles asked them,

"You'll, have to wait and see tomorrow" Lucy replied,

"Can't wait… so, you guys have fun shopping?" Jack asked all the girls nodded in agreement then Lucy added,

"We had a lot of fun choosing our dresses for tomorrow especially while choosing Sue's dress" and she winked at Sue who started blushing again,

Before giving her a, 'please shut up' look when Tara piped up,

"Yeah she looks incredible. You'll be blown away when you see her" she smiled looking pointedly at Jack, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"So… what have you got planned for tomorrow night?" Jack asked changing the subject,

"Well the party obviously" Lucy laughed,

"We know that" Myles replied sarcastically,

"Yeah, but what kind of entertainment do you have planned?" Bobby asked suggestively,

"Oh… there's a disco and a band. Sorry Bobby, no exotic dancers of the female variety for you… or of the male variety for us... hmm… maybe we could book an exotic male dancer, or even a stripper for us girls" Lucy answered wickedly,

"Yeah definitely…!" Tara agreed enthusiastically as Sue nodded smiling enthusiastically,

"No way!" the three men shouted, jealous of the men they were imagining dancing with and touching the three women, not even realising that the three women were just winding them up… also these men were only in their imagination, they weren't even real.

The women burst out laughing at their reaction, causing the three men to realise they'd been had.

"So now that we've got that out of the way… anyone want another coffee?" Sue asked

"Mm please" Tara and Lucy both replied

"Yes please" was Myles' reply

"Thanks Sheila" Bobby answered, and Jack stood up with her,

"I'll give you a hand" he offered,

"Thank you, Jack" she replied, blushing when she noticed Lucy and Tara grinning at her.

An hour later the group dispersed going their separate ways. Tara climbed into her car, getting ready to follow Sue and Lucy to their apartment, since she was staying with them for the night, while Jack, Bobby and Myles, climbed to their separate cars, returning to their own homes.

When the three women arrived at the apartment, they decided to order pizza and watch a movie with a bottle of wine, in their pyjamas. By the time they went to bed, they were all very giggly and tipsy, after drinking more than the one bottle of wine they had decided on.

Lucy woke up early the next morning and jumped out of bed, she was so happy

"It's my birthday!" she cried out excitedly,

She then ran to Sue's room to wake her up, before going to wake Tara, only Sue wasn't in bed and Tara wasn't asleep in the lounge either,

'Where is everyone?' she wondered when she was greeted by Levi who patted her leg with his paw to gain her attention,

"Hey boy, good to see someone cares enough to say happy birthday" he wagged his tail in response,

Bending down to stroke his soft fur, Lucy noticed the envelope pinned to his collar with her name on it; she smiled and retrieved it, taking the note out of the envelope she read,

'Hey Lucy... HAPPY BIRTHDAY! There's a nice, relaxing bubble bath waiting for you. When you're done in there, let us know and then meet us in the kitchen, for your special birthday breakfast. Love Tara & Sue xxxx'

She smiled an even wider smile, and as she went to the bathroom for her bath, her last thoughts were

'I should have known they would have something planned'

When Lucy had gone into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, Levi walked over and sat outside the door, ready to let Sue and Tara know when she emerged, as Sue had instructed him to do.

Sue and Tara were cooking up a storm, for Lucy's special breakfast, while trying to get hold of Bobby and Jack to make sure they were there, before Lucy was ready for breakfast. They had already managed to get in contact with Myles and D. Myles had said he would be setting off in the next few minutes, because he had something important to do first. D. had said he and Donna were already on their way, having already dropped Davey and Tanya off at their friends' houses for the weekend, freeing them, for both the birthday breakfast and the party.

Tara was trying Bobby again, for the tenth time that morning, when he finally answered…

"Bobby...? Finally! ... Are you still in bed...? Bobby! Will you please hurry up?! Lucy will be out of the bath soon, we need everyone here before she is, so we can surprise her properly... no D. and Donna are on their way, and Myles should be on his way shortly too. Sue's still trying to contact Jack, hang on a sec; I think she may have just got him"

As Sue nodded vigorously to let Tara know she had finally got an answer,

"He just answered so, I guess we'll see you guys soon, bye Bobby" Tara finished,

As she ended the call, she heard Sue talking to Jack,

"Okay Jack, just get here as soon as you can, I'll...I mean… we'll see you soon" she amended, turning an interesting shade of pink as she blushed, knowing that Tara had caught her slip up,

"Okay bye" she said and ended the call,

"You'll see him soon, huh?" Tara asked playfully,

"Oh shut up!" Sue told her, tossing the dish towel at her, Tara caught it, and laughing, she threw it back,

"So what's up? You told him to get here as soon as he could, is something wrong?" she asked,

"Oh, no, he's picking the first birthday cake up. It's not quite ready, so he's; having to wait for it," Sue replied,

"Oh… right so he won't be long then?"

"No" she blushed,

"Door" Tara told her,

"I'll get it" Sue replied, leaving her in the kitchen while she went to answer the door.

"D. Donna I'm glad you're here, you too Myles… nice roses"

"They're a gift for Lucy, that's the important job I had to do… I was cutting them from my garden. I wanted to give her something special and meaningful" Myles replied,

"Oh… where are my manners… come in please? Go straight through to the kitchen, Tara's in there, we're still waiting for Jack and Bobby, we're hoping they will arrive before Lucy's out of the bathroom" Sue was explaining as she walked them through to the kitchen, Tara said hello to everyone, and set them doing jobs to help with the birthday breakfast, she then tapped Sue's arm to gain her attention,

"Door"

"Must be Bobby, I'll go let him in" she quickly explained to her guests, before dashing to open the door.

"Bobby glad you could finally make it, oh and Jack, you're finally here too, it's about time. Everyone else is here already, they're in the kitchen helping to prepare breakfast, go on through" she closed the door, before following them through to the kitchen, checking out Jack's backside as she walked behind him.

"So where's the birthday girl?" Bobby asked after saying hello to everyone,

"She's in the bath" Tara stated, while Myles tried, and failed to cough discreetly at the mention of Lucy in the bath… he had been having indecent images of her ever since it had first been mentioned that Lucy was in the bath.

Sue felt something tap her leg, looking down she found Levi sat at her feet with his paw on her leg,

"Lucy's out of the bathroom" she told her friends,

"Ahh… Levi, was you the lookout pal?" Jack asked going down on his haunches to stroke the canines head,

"Yes he was, and he's done a brilliant job" Tara replied,

"Sue...? Do you wanna see if she's ready for breakfast? Or do you want me to go?" Tara asked her,

"I'll go" Sue replied smiling

"I can't wait to see her face, when she sees you all here" she said, before turning to go to Lucy's room.

Lucy was just putting the finishing touches to her make-up, when there was a knock on her bedroom door, and then Sue's voice called to her,

"Lucy…? It's Sue, are you ready for breakfast?" Lucy smiled, going over to open the door a crack,

"Hey, yeah, I'm nearly ready… I just have to get dressed. I'm not sure what to wear, can you and Tara help me?" she asked,

"Um... Tara's... putting the finishing touches to breakfast, so will I do on my own helping you?" Sue stalled

"Yeah, sure" Lucy replied

"I picked two summer dresses out, but I can't decide between them" she continued, walking over to her bed to pick them up to show her,

"Right um... I like the pink one" Sue decided

"Really...?" the dark skinned woman asked,

"I thought you would prefer the yellow one" she told her housemate,

"Well… I'm wearing yellow and so is Tara… and since it's your birthday… you should look different, special, and I think the pink suits you better" the blonde woman explained,

"Okay, I'll go with that" Lucy replied laughing, grabbing the dress she put it on,

"Right let's go get breakfast" she said, excitedly grabbing Sue's arm.

Sue and Lucy walked into the kitchen to gleeful shouts of

"Surprise…! Happy Birthday!" from all of her friends, Lucy was stunned,

"Wow! How did you manage this? How did I not know you were all up to something?" she exclaimed happily,

"We arranged it via instant messaging, both at work and at home" Tara informed her,

"Whose idea was it?"

"Sue's of course, that's why I stayed here last night" Lucy walked over to her friend and housemate… who had gone over to the other side of the kitchen, so that she could see Lucy's face and read what everyone was saying… giving her a hug then pulled back and said

"Thank you so much Sue. Thank you all for coming, especially you D. and you Donna, I know you have responsibilities and it means a lot to me that you're here this morning, and that you will be with us tonight at my party"

"That's okay Luc; we wouldn't have missed today, or tonight for the world. You're not just a friend, you're family" D told her

"Absolutely" Donna agreed with her husband.

"So shall we have breakfast before we turn any more, soppy?" Bobby chuckled

"Yes" Lucy stated heading to the table

"So… can I seat everyone, since it's my birthday breakfast?" Lucy asked,

"Yeah sure" Sue and Tara replied, so Lucy set about seating everyone,

"Sue you sit here, Jack you next, Tara now you, Bobby, D, Donna, Myles and I'll sit here" she said.

After seating everyone and taking her own seat, D and Donna looked around the table, they chuckled to themselves, when they caught each other's eye… they both knew what the other was thinking,

'Ever the match maker'

The group enjoyed a breakfast of blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes, waffles, toast and a glass of champagne each, and each other's company. Lucy looked around the table and relished in the fact her plan was working perfectly, Sue and Jack had barely been able to take their eyes off each other, and had spent most of their time talking to each other, as had Tara and Bobby… and she wouldn't admit it to anyone but herself but she was enjoying sitting with and talking to Myles. Suddenly she noticed the flowers that had been put in the centre of the table, in her favourite vase, she hadn't noticed what they were before, but as Myles leaned in her and whispered to her… she knew,

"I cut them fresh this morning… I wanted you to have something personal and special. I have another gift for you, which you will get that tonight, but I wanted you to have these this morning"

"Oh Myles, thankyou this means so much to me. I know how much your roses mean to you, and for you to cut some for me... it makes me feel very honoured and special" she breathed,

"You are special Lucy, very special" he replied,

'I know that my feelings for Myles have been returning lately. Is it possible... that he feels the same way?' she thought to herself.

After breakfast was over, and D, Donna, Bobby, Jack and Myles had gone home, promising to see the girls at the party, and Tara had gone for a shower… Lucy took Sue aside,

"Sue… thank you, for this morning. Um, about tonight… I think it may be a good idea if you ignore Jack, until he comes to you. Don't make it obvious you want his attention, make him think you don't even know he's there… then you will have his undivided attention and you'll know he loves you"

"Lucy I don't know about this, I don't know if I can ignore him" Sue replied,

"You don't know if you can ignore who?" Tara asked as she walked back into the lounge, after having her shower,

"Jack, I told her to ignore him tonight, make him think she doesn't know he's there, like he doesn't exist" Lucy explained,

"Ooh... good idea that'll get his attention… make him show how he really feels" Tara agreed,

"I really don't think I could ignore him… I always know when he enters a room, and I seem to always, instinctively know if he's there when I walk into a room… my eyes instinctively find his, I instinctively search for him... I can't help myself" Sue told them her cheeks flaming red with embarrassment.

Tara and Lucy looked at each other, and then back at Sue,

"I'm going to go for my shower… and I will try" Sue said standing and heading towards the bathroom,

"She's got it really bad hasn't she?" Tara asked

"Yeah, and worse than I thought, we have to get them together" Lucy told her

"Agreed…!" Tara exclaimed.

The three women spent the rest of the day getting prepared for the party. At 7pm Tara's cell phone rang,

"Hello... Bobby?... you guys did what?... oh she's going to be so excited... yes, see you all soon bye" Sue and Lucy who had been exchanging confused looks during the conversation waited for Tara to explain what was going on,

"What was that about?" Lucy asked

"Oh...um... everyone is already at the club waiting for us. Bobby wanted to know if we were on our way yet" Tara explained. Lucy and Sue both knew she was stalling, but they let it go,

"Well I guess we'd better go then" Lucy acknowledged,

"Um... I'm just going to the bathroom first" Tara said, after she had gone, Sue's blackberry started vibrating in her pocket, pulling it out, she checked the message,

'Bobby called to say the guy's all pitched together and booked a limousine to take, Lucy… and us obviously… to the party x' Sue smiled

"What's got you so happy?" Lucy asked as Tara came back in, Tara winked at Sue, who answered Lucy's question,

"Jack… he's getting impatient for us to get to the party"

'Wow nice cover' Tara thought, as she followed Sue and Lucy out the door.

The three women walked towards the parking garage, Lucy was about to turn and ask her friends whose car they were using… when she spotted the limousine parked near the entrance of the garage, and stopped dead when the driver got out to open the door, Tara leant forward and spoke in her ear…

"The boys sent it for you, as an extra surprise"

"Oh wow!" she exclaimed

"Let's go!" she squealed, and rushed over to the limousine, smiling at the driver as he held the door open and helped her inside, the other two women excitedly followed her into the car.

"Where are they?" Jack asked for the hundredth time while pacing the floor of the bar,

"Jack… Sue…" Jack glared at him

"I mean… they… will be here soon. Tara just text to say they were in the limo, on their way here" Bobby replied

"So stop fretting"

"I'll stop fretting when they get here"

"In that case you can stop fretting, they're here" D interrupted.

Jack, Bobby and Myles all turned… and all D and Donna heard were three sharp in takes of breath, as all three gasped at the sight of the women from their team… the women they loved.

Bobby couldn't take his eyes off of Tara, who was wearing a blue dress, that flowed to her knees and had thin… almost none existent… straps,

'She is so beautiful, why can't I just tell her I love her' he thought.

Myles was staring at Lucy, who was wearing a red dress that also flowed to her knees, but it had a corset top and was strapless showing off her dark, bare shoulders

'Wow what was I thinking when I let her go?' Myles thought to himself.

Jack of course was looking at Sue, who was wearing the white dress that had been chosen for her.

'She looks amazing in white… I hope one day she'll be wearing a long white dress… and walking down the aisle in church to me' he thought.

D turned to Donna, "The girls look amazing and very...um...what's the word I'm looking for...patriotic" he laughed, his wife giggled and agreed

"Yeah red, white and blue is very patriotic… although I don't think that is what they were aiming for… but I believe they did get the desired effect, they were going for" she smiled, nodding her head towards the three men beside them, D laughed,

"Yeah they certainly did. Let's hope they finally get a clue and do something about it… before some other guys come along and snap those three women up" he grinned, Donna playfully smacked his arm, and laughed.

The three women walked down the stairs into the bar room, going straight to their friends waiting at the bottom,

"Hi" they all said

"Thank you for booking the limousine guys it was amazing, but now we have to get a cab home" Lucy giggled

"Sorry" Tara whispered

"She hasn't eaten since breakfast and we shared a bottle of wine while we were getting ready, and then she had a few glasses of champagne in the limo… so she's a little tipsy"

The men laughed as did Donna, Tara and Sue, Lucy laughed too… although she had no idea what she was laughing at.

The group dispersed Lucy going to say hello to her other party guests, Sue and Tara going to the bar to get a drink followed by Bobby and Jack, D and Donna going to find a table and Myles following the Birthday Girl.

Sue looked back as she and Tara got to the bar, and saw that Jack and Bobby were following them. She had known instinctively that Jack was watching her, but she turned back around quickly, hoping he wouldn't notice, as he and Bobby approached the bar, she tried her hardest to ignore him and pretend he wasn't there… Jack noticed how Sue was acting towards him and it worried him,

'What have I done wrong? Why is she ignoring me? Did I do something to offend her this morning?' were just some of the thoughts going round in his head.

Bobby was confused by the turn of events too… he couldn't understand what was going on and why Sue was ignoring his best friend all of a sudden, so when Sue went over to the table and sat with D and Donna then Jack had gone over too, and Sue was still ignoring him, even turned away from him, he pulled Tara to one side.

"Right what's going on?" he asked her

"What do you mean?"

"What is going on with Sparky and Sue? Why is Sue ignoring him all of a sudden?"

"Oh that, I can't tell you" she replied and bounced away,

"Whoo that little Sheila… I will get an answer from you Tara Williams" and he stalked across the room after her.

Lucy was talking to her mum and grandma with, Myles by her side… which she was thoroughly enjoying… there was no way she would admit it to anyone else, although the looks between her mum and grandma, told her they knew what she was thinking and how she was feeling. The two older women could also see that Myles felt the exact same way, seeing the look in her mum and grandma's eyes, Lucy decided it was time to move on to some other guests… but seemed she had gone through them all… so she and Myles went to sit with their team, she had just sat down, when Tara stood up,

"How about we go dance?" she asked looking at Lucy, Sue and Donna,

"Yeah let's go!" Lucy exclaimed happily, Donna and Sue readily agreed too, leaving the four men sat at the table watching them intently.

The four women were dancing and enjoying themselves immensely. Sue was still trying to ignore Jack, so had positioned herself with her back to the table, Lucy could tell she wasn't happy and seemed upset,

"Sue, are you ok?" she asked

"Yeah, I just don't like ignoring Jack, I saw his face when I turned away from him… it hurt him, and I don't know if I can keep ignoring him"

"I noticed you were ignoring Jack… has he done something to upset you? You always seem so close… what's going on?" Donna asked confused… since she knew nothing of the plan or what was happening.

"No he hasn't" Sue started to reply, but Lucy cut her off

"We told her to ignore him and act like he's not there… like she doesn't even notice him" she quickly explained, even more confused Donna asked,

"Why would you tell her to do that?"

"To prove to her, that Jack loves her… just like she loves him" Tara explained,

"Oh, you mean you still haven't figured out how he feels about you?" Donna asked a blushing Sue, who just shook her head,

"Well… I guess this is one way of getting him to finally act on his feelings" Donna laughed

"That's what we thought" Lucy and Tara replied and glanced at Jack as did Donna.

While the girls were dancing the men were watching them and talking amongst themselves,

"Tara looks amazing tonight don't you think?" Bobby asked the other men, who all nodded their agreement,

"She certainly scrubs up well, I would never have pictured her in a dress like that" Myles replied

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bobby exclaimed,

"Nothing… I just meant that after seeing Tara on a daily basis at work, and knowing her personality, that isn't the kind of dress I would imagine her wearing" Myles replied defensively, when Bobby continued to glare at him he hastily added,

"But I like it, she looks beautiful" visibly relaxing when he saw Bobby smile.

D broke the tension asking

"What do you think of the birthday girls dress then? I think she looks just as amazing as Tara, all the women do"

"Absolutely, Lucy looks spectacular" Myles replied,

"We noticed you were following her around like a lost puppy" Bobby joked,

"Does our Harvard graduate have a thing for our rotor, again?" watching as Myles' face turned a shade of pink with embarrassment

"You do?" D teased grinning

"So what if I do?" Myles asked getting more and more embarrassed

"Woohoo...!" Bobby exclaimed, while D watched Jack who hadn't been joining in the conversation,

"Jack…? Everything ok?" he asked when Jack didn't answer D shouted his name and waved in front of his face,

"Wha...? Huh? Sorry were you talking to me?" Jack asked,

"Yeah... something, wrong?" D asked again,

"N-n-n...no" Jack answered nervously,

"Sue's ignoring him and he doesn't know why" Bobby interjected, Jack exhaled slowly

"I really can't think what I've done wrong since this morning" he said sadly,

"You didn't do anything… that I noticed" D replied

"Why don't you just ask her; what's going on? I mean… I noticed something was going on, but I'm not sure I understand this either" he added as they noticed the four women walk across the dance floor and back towards the table.

The four women returned to the table feeling worn out and thirsty after dancing for so long. Sue was feeling uncomfortable, she was trying, so hard to ignore Jack, just as her friends had suggested… but being in such close proximity to him was killing her, she hated having to ignore him, it hurt too much.

Lucy saw how uncomfortable her friend was so she decided to engage Jack in conversation with her and Myles,

"So Jack are you enjoying my party?" she asked him,

Jack was so busy looking at Sue, wondering what he had done wrong… and imagining her walking down the aisle to him again…. he didn't realise Lucy had spoken to him, until Myles dug him in the ribs and inclined his head towards her,

"Huh...? Sorry Luc did you say something?" he asked sheepishly, she giggled and replied

"Yeah I asked if you were enjoying my party."

"Oh...um...yeah of course" he answered glancing at Sue, who was smiling at something Bobby had said to Tara, Lucy smiled and asked pointedly

"She looks beautiful tonight doesn't she?" Jack looked at her and replied,

"Who does?"

"Sue, who else?" she mocked,

"Oh yeah... yeah she does"

"White looks good on her doesn't it? She'll make a beautiful bride won't she?" she asked him, trying to provoke him into admitting how he had been thinking about Sue in a wedding dress… at least that's what she hoped he was thinking, because that's what she had intended, when she chose the white dress for her.

"Yeah she does look good in white" after a slight hesitation he suddenly bristled realising what she had said

"Wait Sue's getting married?" he asked incredulously,

Lucy smiled he'd reacted exactly the way she had wanted and expected, she seemed to consider her answer for a moment before replying,

"What? You don't expect her to get married? You think she should remain single her whole life?"

"No! Of course not, I meant is she engaged and getting married now?" once again Lucy pretended to consider her answer,

"Um... not that I know of... as far as I know the only guy, she was remotely close to possibly marrying would be David, but that won't be happening any time soon… since he's not on the scene anymore" she slipped in once again gauging Jack for a reaction,

Myles was sat by watching and listening, he was starting to figure out what was going on, why Sue was ignoring Jack, why Lucy was poking and prodding him, trying to gauge a reaction out of him and he smiled at her knowingly, as Jack absorbed the information she had just given him. After a long pause Jack finally spoke up,

"Wait what do you mean David's not on the scene anymore?"

"Oh didn't you know?" Lucy replied sneakily, he shook his head and she continued

"David moved to New York because of work. He asked Sue to go with him, but she decided not to… she thought long and hard about it, and realised her feelings for him weren't deep enough for her to leave with him. She didn't want to hurt him, but unfortunately, she did. They broke up, and he left" she relished in filling him in on her friends private life,

"Oh" Jack replied with a relieved sigh, that made Lucy grin… her plan was working, she was about to plant some more seeds in his head, when Myles interrupted her,

"Lucy would you like to dance?" he asked grabbing her hand and pulling her out of her seat, inevitably, saving his friend from her scrutiny.

Following suit D asked Donna to dance but she declined,

"No I'm fed up of dancing with my husband" she laughed, so Bobby spoke up,

"Yeah, he's not very exciting… wanna dance with a smart, handsome, extremely fun Australian instead?" he asked her,

"Absolutely" she agreed taking Bobby's offered hand,

"In that case… Sue? Since my wife would rather dance with a smarmy Australian… would you like to dance?" D asked,

Sue readily agreed so that she could get away from Jack,

Jack noticed Tara tapping her foot to the music and watching everyone else dancing on the dance floor.

"Tara?" he asked tentatively

"Yeah?" she asked, he indicated the dance floor and asked

"Would you like to dance?"

"Oh I'd love to" she replied, and they joined the others on the dance floor.

Half an hour later everyone except Jack and Tara started to move back to the table and D went to the bar to buy drinks,

"Lucy… I can't ignore Jack for much longer, I really do think your wrong about all this" Sue told her friend, but any reply was interrupted when D returned from the bar, he not only had the drinks everyone wanted, but he also had a tray full of shot glasses that were full of liquid, plus a bottle of tequila, a saucer of lime wedges, and a salt shaker,

"So anyone want one?" D asked indicating the shots of tequila,

"I might need a few to go through with what I'm about to do" Sue replied taking one and watching miserably as Jack and Tara continued to dance.

Sue knocked back another couple of shots… to the surprise of her friends and co-workers… then she stood up and marched across the dance floor, to where Jack and Tara were dancing.

Feeling brave after the shots, Sue tapped Jack's shoulder, and when he turned around she grabbed his shirt, pulled him towards her… then to the surprise of her friends… and Jack… kissed him passionately. Letting him go she told him,

"I love you Jack Hudson" before turning on her heel, walking back to the table… where her friends were whistling and clapping… grabbed her purse, smiled boldly at them and leaving the club, while Jack stood in the middle of the dance floor, staring after her with a stunned expression on his face.

"Jack?" Tara said waving in front of his face,

"Huh…? What?" he said,

"Jack after what Sue just did if you don't go after her, you're an idiot!" she stated,

After looking at her, then at his friends at the table, he turned and sprinted after Sue. He sprinted so fast he barely heard his friends' cat calls and wolf whistles.

Sue had walked around the corner from the club and hailed a cab, climbing inside, she gave the driver her address and shortly after, it pulled away from the sidewalk and set off for the apartment she shared with Lucy.

Once she had arrived home, she paid the driver and walked inside, while entering the apartment, she called out for Levi, who came running out of the lounge into the hallway to greet her,

"Hey boy... well I did it! I finally told him boy, I finally told Jack that I love him" she told her faithful companion, excitedly bending down to stroke him, to which he barked, put his paws on her knees and licked her cheek, making her giggle.

Jack ran outside, in time to see Sue round the corner, he chased after her, but as he turned the corner he was just in time to see her climb into a cab, and then see it pull away, he tried to chase the cab knowing that she hadn't seen him, but… if she did happen to see him in the cabs rear view mirror, she would be sure to wait, but… she didn't see him, and the cab pulled out into the flow of traffic and he lost sight of it.

Jack stopped and hailed a cab knowing that Sue would be heading home to her apartment. He gave the driver her address and asked him to step on it, within minutes the cab was on the road headed to Sue's apartment. He was paying the driver and exiting the cab before it had even stopped, after arriving outside the apartment. Jack ran into the apartment building and up the stairs to Sue's front door. He stopped, smoothed his shirt and jacket, then ran his hand through his dark hair to smooth it down too; he took a deep breath, let it out then knocked. He smiled as heard Levi barking on the other side of the door and Sue's voice telling him to come out of the way of the door, because she couldn't answer it if he was standing in front of it.

Opening the door Sue found herself looking into Jack's hazel eyes,

"Jack!" she exclaimed in a shocked whisper,

"Hey there" he said breathlessly,

"Hi" she returned… then thanks to the shots making her feel bold, she decided to tease him,

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? Or is that why you ARE visiting... for pleasure I mean... like the pleasure you already received tonight, from that kiss on the dance floor?" she winked,

Jack gulped and ran his finger nervously underneath his collar which made her giggle,

"Um...I...I...um" he stuttered making her giggle even more

"So are you coming in? or do you want to give my neighbours a show?" she giggled when he didn't answer or move, she decided to be even bolder… since she was fed up of waiting for him to make a move… she grabbed his shirt and dragged him inside her apartment, kissing him again, when she released him Jack gulped then looked at her.

"What was that for?" he asked,

"Because I felt like it" she told him before turning and walking into the lounge, Jack followed her wondering how she would surprise him next.

Sue sat on her sofa and when Jack entered she patted the seat beside her, winking at him, seeing the nervous look on his face she said.

"O...kaaay… no more teasing, and I won't jump on you if you sit next to me I promise" sitting beside her he asked,

"Sue... do you mean it?"

"Yes, I promise no more teasing" she told him

"No I mean, did you mean it what you said back at the party?" he asked

"Oh… you mean, when I told you I loved you?" she asked he nodded in affirmation

"Yes Jack I meant it... I mean it... I love you Jack Hudson" she told him kissing him again, he fervently kissed her back, then pulled back and told her,

"I love you too Sue Thomas, I have ever since I first met you" they kissed again but this time Jack initiated the kiss, it lasted for quite some time and finally ended, through lack of air and the need for both to breathe,

"Sue, you look beautiful tonight. Lucy's right, white does suit you, and you will make a beautiful bride, it's what I have been imagining since you first walked into the party. You walking down the aisle, towards me, in a wedding dress" he confessed, making her blush.

Back at the party, Lucy and Tara explained to the three remaining men what had been going on all night, much to their amusement, when they had finished laughing Bobby spoke up,

"Well it didn't quite go as planned, since it was supposed to be Jack doing the confessing. Instead it was Sue who stunned everyone, including Jack by downing a load of shots then storming onto the dance floor, kissing him, confessing to him that she loves him" everyone started laughing again.

When the laughing once again subsided Donna turned to Tara and asked

"What did you say to Jack afterwards that made him run out?" Tara blushed and replied,

"I told him after what she had just done, if he didn't go after her then he was an idiot… I guess he agreed"

"Well we all do" Bobby quipped,

"It's about time they got their acts together" D stated to nods of agreement,

"I wonder; what they're doing right now...?" Lucy wondered aloud,

"Hopefully, not pretending they're just friends, and that they don't have feelings for each other" Myles replied,

"Ooh I love this song" Tara said as the band started playing a song by her favourite band Mojo Go-Go,

"Well in that case beautiful, wanna dance?" Bobby asked sweeping a blushing Tara out of her seat and into his arms, then onto the dance floor,

"Hmmm… looks like we have another budding office romance on our hands" D quietly told the remaining members of the table,

"Looks like it" Lucy and Myles both said together then looking at each other they giggled and blushed,

"It seems there may be another two actually" Donna whispered to her husband and indicated Lucy and Myles

"Hmmm you could be right" he whispered back kissing her cheek, then he took her hand and lead her onto the dance floor, a few moments later they were joined by Myles and Lucy. Two songs later while still holding his wife in his arms D looked around the dance floor, and noticed that the two other budding couples were still on the dance floor and each only had eyes for each other.

D and Donna left the party shortly before 11 o'clock bidding farewell to Lucy and Myles and then Tara and Bobby who were still dancing in their respective pairs.

Once he was home D sat and thought about the evenings events, while Donna made them both a cup of tea,

'Well' D thought

'Sue and Jack will have talked by now, I hope they're not procrastinating and talking themselves out of finally being together… because they've taken long enough… and I hope Myles and Bobby don't hang around like Jack, otherwise they may end up losing Lucy and Tara all together. Maybe tonight's the night for romance, and by Monday morning I'll have a bull-pen full of love, due to three budding romances' he smiled to himself.

When the party was over, Myles and Bobby were trying to organise getting Lucy and Tara home safely, and were arguing over who would take who… Myles wanted to take Lucy… and Bobby wanted to take Tara, but Tara insisted that it was silly for the girls to go in separate cars, when they were going to the same place, because once again she was staying with Lucy and Sue. The two men were still arguing about it when a bewildered Lucy approached them,

"What's up Luc?" Tara asked, gaining the men's attention, and putting an end to the argument,

"I had a message from Sue" she replied

"What did it say?" Tara asked,

"Um... Jack's staying over tonight, hope you don't mind" she said grinning and trying her hardest not to scream and jump up and down with excitement,

Tara squeaked and covered her mouth with her hands,

"About time, too" Myles retorted,

"Way to go Sparky!" Bobby exclaimed,

"Hmmm… it's great news. But I wish I could give them some privacy and not go home tonight" Lucy told them and continued,

"But that's not possible, because I don't have a change of clothes, or anywhere to stay, plus Tara you're staying tonight too"

"We could go to my place" Tara suggested,

"I could loan you some pyjamas or a night shirt, and then we can get a cab to your place in the morning, so you can change and I can grab my stuff, and my car then we can go out somewhere"

"That's a great idea" Lucy answered enthusiastically, bouncing a little due to the excitement getting the better of her, while Tara looked in her purse for her keys.

After a few moments Tara started to panic and exclaimed

"Oh! No!"

"What is it? What's wrong?" Bobby asked, and he was by her side in a flash,

"My keys… they're not here, I must have left them at your place" she said looking apologetically at Lucy, who also seemed deflated by the news,

"Well, we'll think of something" Myles said to try and make Lucy's bright smile reappear,

"But… now we'll have to go back to the apartment, and I really didn't want to disturb them" Lucy said sadly,

"Well that settles it!" Bobby stated

"That settles what?" Lucy and Tara asked together, while Myles looked at him non-plussed,

"Well neither of you can go home, so Lucy you'll go home with Myles, and stay at his place… and Tara you will come home with me, and stay at my place" he explained,

"Suits me" Myles returned happily, the two women looked at each other and then the two men and blushed,

"But if we do that, what are we supposed to wear to sleep in? We can't sleep in these dresses" Lucy asked,

"I'll loan you one of my shirts" Bobby offered an embarrassed, looking Tara,

"And I'll loan you one of mine Luc" Myles offered, blushing again both women replied

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely!" the two men replied enthusiastically, making the two women blush even more.

Housing arrangements settled, the two sets of potential couples… went their separate ways to their respective modes of transport, Tara and Bobby to Bobby's car, and Lucy and Myles to Myles' car.

The End (At least for the first part of the story)