Die Hard (Sue Thomas FBEye)

Chapter Nine

Jack marvelled at Sue's and his mother's resourcefulness. In one morning, they managed to organise a dream wedding. He pinched himself on many occasions just to make sure this wasn't one of his daydream fantasies.

Over delicious cinnamon buns they talked about faith and commitment with reverend Brown who told them he would be honoured to perform the ceremony. And from then on, Jack and his father became at the mercy of the two women.

"You sure you're ready for married life, son?" had joked his dad.

"I'm already doing all Sue's bidding," Jack countered with a smile, "might as well make it official."

"That's the spirit," laughed his dad who drove him to the county office where one of his friends could expedite the wedding licence.

Then Jack was asked to review the guest list to which he added only one name, James Buchanan, since Sue had already included both families and closest friends. When the women sought his opinion about flowers and food, he quickly learned to agree with Sue's every choice and to ignore his father's smirk.

Jack was discovering a new and fascinating aspect of his mother. She had great organisational skills. And while he had always seen himself more like his father and grandfather, it seemed he inherited some of his mother's traits... traits he was very proud of.

At one point, and he wasn't certain exactly when that happened, Lucy's and Tara's contributions were brought in. The news of the wedding didn't surprise them. During the church bake sale, someone had mentioned their inquiries about a quick wedding to Lucy. So much for discretion, Jack thought, amused by the girls' exuberant reaction. With his mother, they would take care of the invitations and the guests' travel arrangements.

By early afternoon Jack was almost relieved to take the road and leave the madness behind. He'd intended to drive as far as the Ohio border, maybe even inland if the weather held, though they were not planning on stopping by her parents until the next morning.

Personally, he had mixed feelings about the journal. If Carla Thomas didn't listen to her daughter, he couldn't see her reading the journal in time for the wedding. But his mother, and now Lucy and Tara from the sound of it were thinking otherwise. Sue was chatting on her blackberry with them. The words wedding, dress, shopping and DC in the same sentence sent goose bumps over his skin. He just hoped Sue wasn't planning on dragging him along.

"Shouldn't they be working?" he commented at one point after catching Sue's attention.

He clearly imagined Lucy's and Tara's laughter mixing with Sue's chuckles. Later, as Sue related the conversation, Jack would learn that Bobby, D and Myles were in debriefing after being part, over the weekend, of the DEA taskforce that arrested Miranda Martin, Tom Hanley's daughter, heiress of his criminal organisation.

Jack peeked over her arm at the small screen when the girls began talking about rooming arrangements for the week to come.

"Jack, keep you eyes on the road, I would prefer not to spend the night in the ditch," she whispered to his ear before returning to her conversation.

He grinned at the mischievous twinkles in her eyes. After being forced to behave at his parents' house, he had definite plan for tonight, and she was right, it didn't include a ditch, but a nice hot bath or shower and a soft bed in a nice hotel.

***

They delayed dinner to give Levi a long walk in a park after the long ride he endured. The stars were shining in a cloudless night and the blue moon offered enough illumination for Sue to catch his words.

"Where would you like to go for our honeymoon?" He also tried signing it as he said it.

"Honeymoon," she corrected, her right middle finger moving across her mouth.