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Liam wakes up to frantic knocking on the door of the mansion. It's Jess, he knows it's her, because no one else would be knocking like this. He's surprised she doesn't just walk in though, since she has a key.
Maybe giving his girlfriend a key to his house is a bit rushed of a step, since they've only been together for two months. But all things considered, she's had rights to this house longer than he even has, and she's had a key since before they were even together.
He hurries down the hall, pulling on a flannel shirt over his bare chest to embrace the Louisiana night breeze, and just gets to the doorway before the door opens itself and Jess walks in.
She sees him and meets his eyes, lips in a mild pour before giving him that awkward teeth smile he's grown to love, just like the way she smiled at him at Graceland. "Sorry. I know it's late."
It's two in the morning, the clock in the hallway shows. But Liam shrugs it off. "You're welcome here anytime, Jess. That includes in the middle of the night." He notices her attire: a backpack over an oversized tee and sleep shorts, feet in flip flops. She must've scootered here, he realizes. "Come on, I'll get you something warmer to dress in."
"Thanks, but I really only have one thing to ask," Jess says.
"You can ask after you get warmer, babe. I cannot believe you scootered here at 2 in the morning."
Jess pads after him in the hall, reaching for his hand as they walk upstairs to his room. "I took the bus. Then I scootered for like, four minutes."
Liam stops walking, and turns to Jess. Safety has been a big thing for them lately, especially since the fake feds situation and Jess's old apartment break-in.
She notes the (probably concerned) look on his face, and speaks before he does. "I'm safe. I carried pepper spray with me, and I have 911 on speed dial. I'm fine." Jess squeezes Liam's hand for good measure, and it works, much to Liam's mild annoyance. "I'm fine, Liam."
"We should get a car when the treasure hunt money comes in," Liam says, continuing down the hall. "We won't have to worry about this, then."
"Then I'll have to get a license," Jess points out, as Liam takes out a sweatshirt and tosses it for her to change into. She drops her backpack on the ground near his dresser and shimmies out of her tee and shrugs on the sweatshirt without so much as turning around, and Liam's cheeks heat up a little at all the skin she's putting on display.
(Yes, he's seen it all. No, it doesn't help make things easier.)
She reaches behind her neck to pull out the hair tucked into the collar of the sweatshirt, and looks up at Liam. "Do you think I'd be a good driver?" she asks.
"You don't have to worry about that, Jess. I have a license. Just haven't used it in a while."
Jess steps closer to Liam, a little hesitantly. "Speaking of licenses." She takes his hand, nervously, and looks him in the eye. "You know how I want to get a green card for citizenship?"
"Yes," Liam answers, not knowing where the conversation is going. "Is something happening?"
Shaking her head, Jess replies. "No, it's still slow. But I was thinking earlier, and it hit me and I couldn't hold this idea in until morning, so I got here instead."
"I have no idea where you're getting at, Jess," Liam says, watching as the sparkle in her eyes grows brighter.
"By marrying a US citizen, I have a higher chance of getting a green card faster. And there will be less time to citizenship," Jess says, faster than Liam's ever heard her speak.
The words connect in Liam's brain, and he feels a stutter in his brain function as he realizes what Jess wants to say. She wants to marry him. Jess wants to marry him. Jess wants to marry him. The fact that they're 22 and 23 doesn't stick in his mind as much as the fact that she wants to marry him. Maybe for the convenience, but she has feelings for him and he's pretty sure he loves her. "Are you asking me to marry you for convenience?"
"That, and the fact that I love you. But the convenience is a little part of the rush," Jess says, her eyes suddenly widening at what she's said. "Shit. Liam-"
"I love you too," Liam says, his heart almost exploding with the idea that she loves him too. She is the one, and by looking at her expression, he knows he is for her too. "But I'm guessing there's another reason for this sudden question," he says, seeing her still nervous posture.
Jess sighs, pulling back slightly but still holding onto his hand. "It's only been two weeks since the end of the hunt, and I know the FBI wants to ask some questions. And there are some things I've done that only you know of." She tilts her head at that, and Liam nods in understanding. "This can also be a precaution. You can't testify against me or anything if needed. Because I know the state wants to take some things to court, but I don't know if they will. If you're unable to testify against me, it's likely they won't." Her hand reaches up to touch his face. "I just want to protect you, too."
Liam smiles at that. "Divorce isn't an option."
"I think you've been the one since the day you sang Suspicious Minds to me," Jess replies, eyes thinking with the memory. "You do realize it's our song now, right?"
"Yeah, I figured." Liam realizes he's the one who will have to circle back to Jess's original inquiry. "Ask me, Jess."
Jess smiles, widely. It's her closed lipped smile, the one that is all in the eyes. She keeps one of his hands in hers, and drops down to one knee in front of him, tossing her head to let her hair fall out of her face. "Liam Sadusky, will you marry me? Tomorrow?"
Liam nods, the smile on his face growing larger by the second. "Yes, I will marry you, Jess Valenzuela."
Laughing, Jess stands up and wraps her arms around Liam's neck, hugging him tightly before pulling back and kissing him breathlessly. "I love you," she says into his skin.
"I love you too, Jess," Liam replies. He lets her drop back onto her feet and hop into his bed before he speaks again, turning off the light and sliding in next to her. "Move in with me,"
Jess turns to her side, blinking. "Really?"
Liam nods, running his hand through her hair. "You already have a key here. It's closer to campus, and a requirement of the marriage is to live with your spouse, so."
"Is our marriage a way for you to ask me to move in with you?" Jess teases, running her hand along Liam's chest. "My answer is yes either way, amor."
"Good," Liam says, kissing her forehead. "To be clear though, are we not telling everyone?"
Jess shrugs. "Wait until all the media and the FBI calms down. Then we'll see?"
"Alright. Now I think for maximum results we should go to city hall tomorrow, and we both need sleep for that," Liam says. "You have all your papers in your backpack, don't you?"
Jess simply giggles into his shoulder in response.
Ross is hard at work when she gets a knock on her desk. She looks up, and sees Hendricks staring at her. "Sir?"
"The DA wants to take the treasure hunters to court."
Intrigued, Ross folds her hands in front of her. "And what do you want, sir?"
Hendricks leans against her desk. "Jess Valenzuela has gone through undetected by any of our systems. As far as physical evidence goes, she hasn't committed a crime."
"So ask her friends," Ross replies. "I'm sure they know something."
"See, that's the thing." Hendricks taps his fingers on the desk in thought. "Tasha Rivers, Oren Bradley, and Ethan Chow, on all systems, are also clean. But there's something interesting."
"And what's that, sir?"
Hendricks pauses, before speaking again. "There's a 30-hour period during their hunt in which no one knows what happened. No system or agency has been able to know what occurred, and we have evidence Rivers, Bradley, and Chow were in Baton Rouge, with no reason to suspect they were doing anything treasure hunt related. Then, thirty hours later, we have two police cars flipped on the highway, alerts for the FBI, Homeland, and local PD, and the discovery of a treasure worth tens of billions of dollars. I want to know what happened, and there's only one person who can possibly testify against Jess."
Ross nods. "Liam Sadusky?"
Hendricks points to Ross's computer. "I need information on him, right now. If he's able to give us what we need, this case goes to court. If he has an alibi, we're left with a mystery that only a group of young adults know the answer to, and a hell of an explanation to the ADIC."
"Got it, sir. Pulling up Liam's information right now. Aged 23, works at Squeaky Pete's, and-" The screen flashes his profile, and Ross groans. "You've got to be kidding me."
"What is it?" Hendricks asks, standing up straighter to head to see what's on the screen. "What happened?"
Ross sighs, cursing these kids to be so smart, yet so unnerving. "Liam Sadusky married Jess Valenzuela two days ago."
"So now he legally doesn't have to testify against her." Hendricks sighs, dropping a hand onto Ross's desk. "Damn them. You think they planned this?"
"Probably. But it's a smart move," Ross says.
Hendricks picks up a file off her desk, then makes a move to leave. "Keep an eye on the records. Let me know the second they file for divorce."
"Will do, sir." Ross stares back at the screen, at the marital status on Liam's file, and the name Jess Valenzuela next to it. "Damn," she whispers, laughing at this development.