"Jack is right. You are gorgeous. All pink and clean."
Jack smiled as he watched from the doorway.
Oblivious to Sue's sweet talk, the baby screamed louder than his neighbours when they got into a fight.
She caught his reflection in the mirror and their eyes locked. For an instant, Jack saw his future play in front of him. She was his partner, his friend, his confidante... his better half. The day he met her, he became a better person. If there was any chance to spend the rest of his life with her, he wanted to grab it with both hands.
"I'm almost done, Jack. Would you hold her while I clean myself, please?"
Before she finished wrapping her in a towel, he placed his load on the roomy counter top.
Her face lit up. "Where did you find all this?"
"Day care. And I also have this." He lowered the gym bag he'd retrieved from her locker onto the floor. "I thought you might want to change."
"Jack Hudson, you're a real sweetheart."
The compliment went all the way up to his head. He wasn't just a sweetheart, he was a real sweetheart.
"Would you help me with the diaper, please? It's a bit big, so I need to fold it."
For her, he'd do anything she asked. "Just tell me what you want me to do."
***
Jack Hudson.
The janitor memorised the agent's name in case it might come handy. So far, he'd learned more than he wanted to know and he had no desire to stay any longer, but he also didn't want the couple to see him. At the first suitable occasion, he'd dash outside the office and leave them to the consequences of their actions.
***
When she handed the infant to Jack, Sue tried not to laugh.
"You can hold her closer, Jack. You won't break her. She's a tough little cookie."
While she had experience taking care of her brothers' children, it didn't look like Jack had spent lots of time around babies.
***
That was the cue the janitor waited for. With the attention of the couple solely focused on the child, he hurried outside.
***
The bathroom door closed behind him. Jack was alone with a crying infant he had no idea how to console.
"Your bottle will be ready soon. Sue just needs to mix it and put some clothes on. It won't take long."
The infant didn't understand of word of what he was saying, and yet, he felt compelled to talk to her. Mystified by his own behaviour, Jack paced the room.
"Please, be good for me. We want Sue to think I know what I'm doing."
The office door was open. As he cuddled the baby against his chest to free one hand, he stilled near the doorway.
He could have sworn he'd closed the door with his foot when he came in with the supplies. "I must be more tired than I realise." It'd been a long day. No wonder his imagination played tricks on him.
"Jack? Something wrong?"
Sue stared at him from the doorway of the bathroom. At the sight of the bottle in her hand, he sighed in relief.
"Not anymore." He shut the door to keep the heat inside the office then followed Sue to the couch. "Did I get the right formula?"
"I think so. I just hope it was fine to mix it with warm tap water."
If Jack excluded the rum that rumours said Duncan kept in his office, tap water was the only thing available.
"I'm sure it won't harm the baby." He handed her the crying infant and watched in wonderment as Sue cradled her against her breast to feed her the bottle. A silence punctuated by suckling sounds fell upon the room.
"Are you hungry?" He'd signed so he wouldn't distract her as much from her task.
"I'm starving."
"The cafeteria should have some food left. Can I leave you alone again?"
A serene smile adorned her lips. "Only if you promise not to shoot your way into it."
He tapped the tip of her nose with his finger. "Very funny. I'll be right back."
***
Jack didn't shoot the cafeteria lock but he broke it. At the rate he caused damages, the Bureau would have his head.
When he re-entered Duncan's office, the extent of their trespassing became obvious to him. While cleaning would need to be added to the ever-growing list of repairs, they also deserved a commendation for resourcefulness, or at least Sue did. She had tipped over one of the drawers over the desk and papers filled the desk. Judging by the amount of paper over the Assistant Director's desk, Sue had tipped over the full content of the drawer now resting by the fireplace. She'd lined it with a blanket and transformed it into a makeshift crib where the infant was peacefully sleeping.
"Sorry, I could only find lukewarm hot chocolate and sandwiches." He offered her a cup and a wrap, which she accepted. "I promise to take you out for a real meal in a nice restaurant once we are rescued."
A faint smile enlivened her faraway expression. "I will hold you to that, Jack... Her airway was clear. Someone took the time to tie her cord and cut it, and yet, she was discarded like...
Her voice broke and she lowered her head toward the makeshift crib.
Jack sat beside her and wrapped her in his arms. When she didn't recoil, he grew bolder. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. As her hand came to rest over his heart, he placed his over hers, intertwining their fingers together. Peace settled over him. He had no answers. Only one certitude. If it hadn't been for the storm, the jammed garage door and Sue's timely visit to the washroom, no one would have ever known about the little girl.
They may not have given birth to her, but in twisted turn of fate, they gave her life.
***
Sue must have dozed off because she didn't recall falling asleep over Jack's chest with his arms wrapped securely around her. Unsure what woke her up, she looked in the drawer. The little infant wiggled under the blanket.
She must not be crying yet.
Jack's chest rose and fell regularly under her head. Had the baby been crying, he wouldn't still be fast asleep. She tried to get up without rousing him, but as soon as she pulled slightly away, he tightened his embrace, pulling her back against him. The intimacy they shared sent the butterflies in her stomach soaring wildly.
She'd dreamed of this so often. Her chin up, she gazed at his face.
Jack... With the pad of her fingers, she gently brushed over his face. The worry lines around his eyes had disappeared and he looked so relaxed. When she neared his lips, she hesitated for a second.
Through narrowed eyes, Jack observed her as he tried to stay as still as possible in order not to scare her away. He wondered if Sue could feel his frantic heartbeat.
A mystical smile blossomed on her face as she stroked his unshaved chin. When she grazed his lips, he sensuously licked the tip of her fingers.
Jack's puppy move startled her, but she resisted the basic impulse to pull away. She liked where she was.
His mouth curled up and his eyes opened a tiny bit wider.
"How long have you been awake, Jack?"
"Long enough to know I like what you're doing to me."
One of his hand traveled from her back to her neck, leaving behind feathery sensations, then lost itself in her silky blond hair. She shivered under his touch despite the warmth of the fireplace. Their eyes locked. The fire burning into his was a reflection of the one burning inside her.
So many unspoken words already loomed between them, and neither of them seemed any closer of finding the right ones.
The kiss was soft as his lips skimmed over hers in a gentle caress. When she began to respond, he slowly let his restraint go until he completely lost himself in her arms. He leisurely explored her mouth, allowing her to catch up with him, which she was more than willing to do. His hands grew bolder venturing along the gap between her sweatpants and t-shirt, caressing her bare back, while she wrapped hers around his neck slowly loosening his tie. When he pulled away, she groaned.
He smiled at her, stroking her cheek, his deep brown eyes staring intently at her. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?" The words flew out of his mouth before he could recall them.
Stunned by the confession, she whispered. "No."
"I love you, Sue." Heartened by the stars shining in her eyes, he repeated it freely, until it sank for both of them.
"Jack—" He didn't give her a chance to finish as he captured her lips once more.
"Love... you." She murmured in the kiss, abandoning herself to the sensations he awoke in her.
When he cupped her head to look into her hazy eyes, she complained at the interruption.
"I'm not going anywhere, Sue." A grin slowly cracked his face as he brushed her hairline with his thumb. "I intend to finish this conversation."
"We're not having a conversation, Jack." She teased him, liking his definition of conversation.
"Are you sure?" As he followed her gaze, she blushed.
Her hand had disappeared inside his shirt, but when she attempted to retrieve it, he moved his over hers, stopping her. His tie was nowhere to be found and his shirt was unbuttoned halfway.
He winked at her. "I expect you to remember where you were when we resume this... non-verbal conversation."
A darker shade of crimson spread on her face.
"In the meantime, we have a little missy that is waking up." As he turned his head toward the drawer, he loosened his grip around her. "Do you think you could prepare her another bottle?"
"Are you going to change her diaper?"
"Me?" The idea that she might toy with him didn't prevent panic from rising inside him.
"Do you see anyone else in the room, Jack Hudson?"
She placed a quick kiss on his lips before escaping his arms to go retrieve the infant.
***
"Sue... I think she's finally falling asleep."
Though she couldn't be certain, Sue suspected that the cold formula she'd fed the infant had caused her stomach to rebel. Unfortunately, they had nothing else to give her, so after feeding her, they'd taken turn pacing the room with her against their shoulder until she burped herself to sleep.
"Should I try to put her down?"
The infant's fist held tight to the collar of his shirt, so Sue doubted she would appreciate the disruption.
"Probably won't work, Jack, but you can try."
He hadn't lowered her halfway that he already lifted her up again. "Your turn."
Without given her a chance to stand up, he handed her the baby as she still sat on the couch. To her surprise, little baby calmed down instantly against her chest, so she snuggled against Jack as he sat beside her and wrapped his arms around them.
"Her eyes are wide open, but she doesn't cry. You have a magical touch, Miss Thomas." As he tightened his embrace and sought her lips, small feet kicked them apart. "Looks like we have a little chaperone here. I better behave."
He stroked the infant's head while gazing adoring at the woman who stole his heart many years ago.
"It may not be a bad thing, Jack." A wandering hand had ventured under her shirt to caress her back, eliciting all kind of sweet sensations. "Abigail will—"
"Abigail?" Though he liked the name, to hear that Sue had named her astonished him.
"She needs a name, Jack. Don't you like it?"
"Yes, I do. Abigail suits her. I'm just curious as how you came up with it."
"When I was little, I loved the name Abigail. Jack..." She searched his face as she gathered her courage. "Do we need to turn her to children services right away? Could we keep her for her first Christmas?"
His expression remained unchanged. "Aren't you driving to your parents tomorrow?"
Stating the plan she'd made before they became trapped didn't enlighten her on his opinion.
"I'm thinking a change of plan might be in order." She smiled at him. "And maybe we could spend some time together since you're staying in D.C."
"Or maybe I could go with you meet your parents since I'm dating their daughter. Your choice." His brows wiggled mischievously. "Either way, spending the holidays with you will be wonderful."
He kissed the top of her nose, making her feel all giddy inside.
"We can flip a coin." She had no preference on where they spent the holidays as long as she was with him. "But that didn't answer my question about Abigail."
"She doesn't belong to us, Sue."
Her temper flared now that she had time to process the events of the night.
"She doesn't belong to anyone, Jack. It's not like someone will suddenly miss her after throwing her away like... like a piece of trash." As she fought to keep her voice from quivering, she cuddled the little warm body cradled in her arms. "She deserves better than to be sent into a foster home with people who may not care about her."
"I don't think it's a good idea to keep her, Sue. We will grow attach to her and giving her back will be too hard."
Unwilling to listen to reason, she lowered her head and let silence speak volume.
When he lifted her chin, she couldn't hide the unshed tears shining in her eyes.
"It doesn't matter when I let Abigail go, Jack..." Motherly love had grown in her heart while she unintentionally bonded with the infant she'd found and named. "It will hurt."
***
Once the electricity was restored in the middle of the night, many alarms were triggered inside the building.
Their weapons drawn, the two agents cautiously entered the Assistant Director's office. They secured the bathroom first where they stumbled onto bloody woman's clothes on the floor.
"What happened here?" The rookie agent whispered to his partner who gestured toward the fireplace. A gun was on a side table.
Wilson quickly and quietly retrieved it. "Look on the floor, Junior."
The rookie's gaze settled down on the couple cuddled on the floor by the fire. "Is that Special Agent Hudson?"
Wilson holstered his gun, imitated by Junior. "Yah, and the blond on his shoulder is Thomas. His partner."
"Partner?" An astounded look washed over Junior's boyish face. "Some guys have all the luck. Do you think the clothes are hers?"
"Who knows?" Wilson shrugged. "Hey, Hudson."
The veteran agent roused the sleeping male agent unceremoniously. Hudson bolted and gripped the older agent by the throat. Startled by the sudden commotion, the blond woke up instantly and the baby began to cry.
"We're security, Agent Hudson." The rookie yelled as he grabbed Hudson's arm to rescue Wilson.
Hudson released his partner.
"Sorry. I'm... I was just protecting them." The special agent ran his fingers through his hair to chase the fog from his sleepy mind. "Where's my gun?"
"Here." Wilson returned the firearm on the table while suspiciously eyeing the baby that Thomas was soothing. "Can you tell us what happened? Someone left a trail of destruction in the building."
"Yah... hum... the baby was born during the storm and... and we needed a place to keep her warm." Hudson was becoming more coherent with each passing minutes. "I knew Duncan's office had a fireplace, so I broke in."
That explained the broken locks and the blood on the clothes in the bathroom. "Did you also raid the day care and the cafeteria, agent Hudson?"
Hudson nodded. "We'll return the baby's clothes on Monday, and I'll pay for the food. Sorry for the mess on the Assistant Director's desk, but we needed a drawer for the baby to sleep in."
"Very resourceful, Hudson." Wilson was impressed. "But why were you here to begin with? Wasn't everyone sent home?"
"We missed the announcement. Then the garage door got stuck and we couldn't leave. You need to secure the ladies restroom on the first floor in the east wing. The baby was born there. Get forensic to go through it."
Wilson exchanged a dubious glance with his rookie partner. "The ladies restroom?"
"Yes. And I believe there's a camera in that wing, too. I want the tape from yesterday, and the results from the lab on my desk by Monday morning."
"Whatever you say, Hudson." The veteran shrugged off the weird request. I believe maintenance is working in the garage as we speak,. Someone reported being trapped."
Hudson pointed at himself.
"That makes sense. We'll sort the rest later. You're good to go, but I suggest you give your supervisor a full report at the earliest convenience." Wilson's gaze travelled from Hudson to Thomas, then lingered on the baby. "You may want to take them to the hospital. The power has been restored at St. Vincent, but the entire southeast district is still in the dark. Be careful, the roads are treacherous and the phone lines are still dead."
Hudson picked up their belonging, including the ones in the bathroom, and an arm around Thomas' waist, he led her outside.
***
Wilson and his partner had gone through every restroom in case they misunderstood Hudson, only to come back to the one the special agent had indicated.
"What exactly are we supposed to secure?" The rookie's voice rang with disbelief. "This restroom has been thoroughly clean."
"And recently." The smell of ammonia assailed the veteran's nose. "I wonder what Hudson expected us to find."
As they exited the washroom, they came face to face with a rugged looking man wearing a janitor's nametag.
"Hey... Joe?" Wilson had trouble reading the faded name. "Do you know anything about a baby being born in there?"
"Yap. I took care of it." The janitor puffed his chest like a proud papa. "No traces left."
"Really?" The veteran stared him down in dismay. "Then you better start talking, Joe. Did you see anyone suspicious?"
"I saw everything."
The security agents listened in stunned silence. When Joe was done with his tale they questioned him thoroughly, but his version of the events never wavered.
Wilson sent the janitor home before turning toward his partner. "It confirms what we saw upstairs. I wonder why Hudson wants the tape."
"To erase it maybe... I mean it places them in a compromising position, doesn't it?"
Something didn't add up in Wilson's mind. "Hudson is known to play by the book. He wouldn't send us on a wild goose chase in a washroom. Let's find that tape."