Hello everyone! I'm so sorry that this update is (very) late. I was away for a week with work and couldn't update as promised. On with the show...

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Chapter 15

Washington, D.C.

September 21

Myles studied the dark-haired man sitting on a bench outside the Hoover Building. It had been this way for a week, since Sue left. Every day at lunch Jack would refuse all offers of companionship. He would come outside, locate the most convenient place to sit, and methodically eat his meal while staring off at the horizon. Bobby had tried talking to him, with no success. Even Lucy had made an attempt; whatever had happened during that effort had left her in tears. Now here Myles was, because Tara had asked. He shook his head in pained amusement at himself. Good Lord, what that woman is doing to me...

Jack didn't look up as Myles sat next to him. "Myles, if I wouldn't talk to Bobby, I'm sure not going to talk to you."

It stung, but he shrugged it off. "That's fine by me. I'll just sit here and eat my lunch to keep Tara appeased."

Something hard flickered across Jack's face. "I wondered about that. You two have been acting strange all week. You're making a mistake there. It will screw up your professional life, and then she'll leave you anyway. She's just like all women–"

"Don't finish that sentence," Myles warned him, his cheeks flushed.

Jack lapsed into silence. Finally he spoke, his voice apologetic. "I'm sorry. It's none of my business."

Myles was still angry and defensive. There were parts of Jack's statement that had hit too close to home. "It's understandable that you're upset, but leave Tara out of it." He wondered again how he gotten into this situation. He hated dealing with other people's emotions; sometimes he barely knew how to handle his own. He was sitting on this uncomfortable bench eating a sandwich - a sandwich - trying to do a job that was completely outside of his comfort zone and area of expertise. He poked with disgust at the wilted lettuce on his turkey and rye. Tonight he was going to insist on escorting Tara to a very expensive restaurant to help erase the memory of this miserable lunch. He would even make her pay for dinner as punishment for getting him involved with this mess. He shook his head, knowing he would do no such thing. He had never allowed a woman to pay for a date in his life, and he wasn't about to start now. The whole thing was a mute issue anyway; he couldn't date her. It was almost tragically funny. They had discovered something that might be worth having but couldn't pursue it. He laughed hopelessly at himself. Isn't that just my luck?

Jack glared at him. "I'm so glad you're getting amusement from this."

Myles realized to his chagrin that he had actually laughed aloud. "Sorry. I was just thinking about something."

"I'll bet." The look on Jack's face was unyielding.

Oh, for the love of God. "If you must know," Myles said icily, "I was just accepting the truth of your earlier statement. Tara and I can't have any kind of personal relationship because we work together. It's an issue you might want to think about, as well." He cursed himself as soon as he heard the words come out of his mouth. He hadn't meant to say that.

The look on Jack's face was one of utter desolation. "Myles, that's absolutely the least of my problems right now."

It was the despair in Jack's eyes that prompted Myles to speak again. It wasn't because the team needed to make peace with the situation, or even because Tara had asked it of him. He wanted to do something, anything, to remove the hurt from the other man's eyes.

"She needs time, Jack," he said gently. "All else aside, her injuries alone were devastating."

For a long moment, Jack didn't say anything. When he spoke, his voice was low and rough. "That night...you saw us."

Myles nodded. The couple had been under surveillance the whole evening. "Rest assured,you can rely upon my complete discretion. Neither Tara nor I would ever discuss this with anyone else, and Tomlinson's team didn't know you well enough to understand the dynamics in play." Myles had been frustrated when the VC agents had suggested the plan. They couldn't have known what they were asking, but he had been worried about the high price that would have to be paid. He had been reluctant to interfere, thinking that it wasn't his place. He had also understood the need to catch the killer, and had hoped that discipline and professionalism would provide some layer of protection. Now he found himself struggling with guilt for standing passively by while so much was risked. "Jack, I'm sorry about what happened. I should have said something to stop it. We could have looked at other options."

Jack shook his head. "No. I made the decision to go ahead."

"So did Sue," Myles said pointedly. "The responsibility was not all yours."

"What if I pushed too far?" Jack asked grimly. "Sue doesn't talk about it much, but I think she was pretty sheltered growing up. What if I terrified her?"

"She could never be afraid of you." Myles didn't want to discuss this, but it had to be said. "Those surveillance cameras...they don't miss much. She wasn't exactly protesting." He held up a hand as temper flared on Jack's face. "Did you know that she never looks at anyone else the way she looks at you? She gave in to her emotions that night, to the way that she feels about you. She lost control, and that's what frightened her."

Jack's face was troubled as he thought. Finally he spoke. "The thing is...I enjoyed it. Not the fact that it upset her, of course, or that everyone was watching, but holding her in my arms, being with her..." Raising tortured eyes to meet Myles' gaze, he said quietly, "I can't imagine never having that chance again."

Myles knew that might be a possibility; it would be cruel to suggest otherwise. He reached out to place a hand on Jack's shoulder. "No matter what happens, I'll be here for you." He was surprised to find that he meant it. "You know that the team will support you both. You will get through it somehow; you'll do what you have to do."

Jack's eyes searched his face, seeking...assurance? Absolution? Finally the tension slid away, leaving in its stead the kind of peace that comes after nothing else is left. "Thank you."

Myles tilted his head in acknowledgement. "You're welcome."

"I really do apologize for what I said about Tara." Jack looked at him curiously. "What are you going to do about that situation?"

Myles looked away. "I don't know." He stood abruptly. "In any case, it won't be solved today. Let's go back inside; you left quite a few people waiting who are very worried about you."