Disclaimer: Hi everyone, got another one here for you. As usual, the material used below is solely for entertainment purposes only. This is also unbeta'd so please forgive any grammatical and spelling errors. I'm only human;) Enjoy.

Taking Out the Trash

Another hard shot to the jaw had John coughing. He thought that there was metallic taste in his mouth and knew that it was his blood. Even though he was outnumbered three to one, everything had gone according to plan.

It had only been a week after Carter's successful case that brought down the organization HR and when he thought his number had been up. Things didn't quiet down though. The few people that were convicted and given light sentences began to attack her in different ways. If it hadn't been threats sent to her desk, they would appear in her mailbox outside of her home. Even though Carter tried to remain strong on the outside, John could see how terrified she was that the people responsible were so close to Taylor.

Despite her very vocal objections, arrangements had been made until the situation was resolved. The Machine hadn't been much help in pinpointing the perps since there hadn't been enough evidence of any sort of premeditated attack against Joss. Taylor had been sent away to his grandmother's house for the time being and John volunteered to have Carter stay in his loft until things quieted down.

That first night she stayed was nothing short of wonderful. Carter…Joss came to his humble abode with an overnight bag. It was good to finally be able to have her see the home that he received as a gift so long ago. She was impressed to say the least, joking about having Finch remember her birthday in the future. Joss was still shaken up by the current situation though she tried not to show it and it worried John. She was a strong person, even in the face of adversity. That's why he admired what she had done, even though he still to this day wish she had involved him in her plans to take down HR sooner.

John had hoped they would talk about what happened in the morgue that night. He had to admit that his emotions were running high but that didn't mean that his feelings for her had been a lie. John meant ever word that he uttered to her in those last few seconds before he finally did something that he wanted to do for such a long time now. It was hard for him to be in the same room as her and not reach out to her. John didn't want to make a mistake assuming something that she didn't want. Even if he couldn't have her romantically, the friendship that they shared was just as important to him. Joss kept him on the right path ever since they first met two and a half years ago in that interrogation room, stopped him from falling back into the darkness that held a place in his heart.

He was worried that Joss would be none to happy with him once he carried out the plan that was brainstormed to lure out the men that threatened her. They were from HR which meant that they were well aware of the Man in a Suit. How much would their mouths water at the chance of apprehending him when his guard was down?

They really believe that they got the drop on John. These three former officers had nabbed John just outside Lyrics diner and took him to a warehouse. No time was wasted as he was tied down to a chair and hit by each one of them. The questions were all the same.

"Where is she?" The tall, lanky man asked before throwing a fist into John again, having him grunt. Thanks to his military training, John endured the hit while looking for his opening. "It's not like anyone is going to come and get you Mr. Man in a Suit. You might as well tell us where that bitch Carter is and get it over with." Funny thing is that these guys were so hell bent on getting the information that they didn't bother checking John's body for the tracking chip just on the inside of his suit.

John just shrugged. They had only really taken body shots at him now to soften him up. He wasn't sure how long he had been missing but John knew he could take a few lumps until the cavalry arrived.

His indifference didn't help the situation as the short, chubby guy took a hard swing at his face. John moved his jaw to ease the pain. He knew one thing though, if back up didn't come soon, John damn sure was going to take care of things himself. No one was allowed to talk about Joss like that in front of him, less they pay dearly. A third man, who was also tall with balding hair, looked at him with a sadistic look on his face. A small blade appeared in his hand.

"Now now, there is no need to be so protective of her. If you tell us where she is, well pay you handsomely. Quinn may be in jail but a deal can be worked out. Besides…" He then licked the blade clean. "I would like to have a bit of fun with her before we kill her. Tell me…" he then put it under John's chin to lift his head. "How is she like in bed? I bet she's quite the moaner. Being a person of authority, she probably secretly loves to be dominated by a man." John gritted his teeth as his hand began to work against the crudely tied ropes. "It's quite a surprise that she's more into the white men than we first thought. I figured that we'd take turns once we get our hands on her." The other two guys laughed at the vulgar comment.

The ropes slipped off of his wrists and John smiled, catching the short one's attention. "What the hell's so funny? Don't you care what happened to your girlfriend?"

"I do" he responded in a low voice. "That's why I let myself get caught in the first place." John suddenly attacked. His first move disarmed the knife from the one guy and broke his nose, having him fall to the ground. The short man tried to charge him but John easily stepped aside, having him bash his head into the nearby wall. Looking at his fallen comrades, the last man standing tried to swing a punch. John easily caught his fist in his hand, twisting it roughly until there was a loud crack followed by a scream.

It was then that there was pounding on the large door before the voice of his detective bellowed out. "NYPD, put your weapons down and come out with your hands up!"

He couldn't help with smile, even while the guy was on his knees whimpering in pain. John then yelled out to Joss. "It's alright. Everyone's been taken care of." He thought he heard a sigh before the door was pulled opened. She stood there with her mouth slightly agape while Fusco scratched his head.

She returned the gun to her holster before looking at him. John knew that she was not happy with him. He didn't exactly share this plan with her but hopefully she would take it easy on him. "And what would you have done if we hadn't found you?"

Looking at the unconscious bodies that laid before him, John just shrugged. "I'm sure that my new friends would have entertained me until you got here." He then knocked the last man unconscious before heading out, Joss insisting that Lionel stay behind to wait for back up.

"What in the world were you thinking?" Joss asked when she came back from the bathroom with a first aid kit. The two of them just got back to the loft and she demanded that he sit tight on the bed while she cleaned him up. He had removed his dress jacket and draped it over the kitchen chair he passed on the way. Joss changed out of her work clothes into her pajamas which consisted of boy shorts and a tank top.

He watched her start to take out the kit's contents and put them on the mattress. "Well I just wanted to have a few words with those gentlemen."

Joss took his face in her smaller hand, examining the small cut on his eyebrow. She then took a cotton ball and mixed it with alcohol. When she pressed it lightly against the wound, he didn't flinch. "I thought I told you I had this under control" she chastised. Her voice then dropped before spoke again. "You don't need to look out for me all the time."

Her hand stopped moving thanks to his lightly grabbing her wrist. "I didn't need to but I did it anyway." When he let her go, she continued with the task. "I saw how scared you were Joss. You were hiding it but the fear was there and I understand why. I couldn't stand the thought that you were attacked like this under my watch."

Once she had finished, Joss went over to the sink to wash her hands. "John, you can't be everywhere at once." Coming back to the bed, she then grabbed a bandage. "I'm the one that started this whole thing by putting Quinn behind bars." The cut was then covered. "But I do appreciate the fact that you did hurt those guys for me. I'm flattered." Joss's face relaxed a bit. "Lionel is going to have a lot of paperwork to do in the morning though." She then realized something as she stood straight up and began to put the things away. "I guess that means I can go back home."

She missed the look of disappointment on John's face as she walked bare foot back towards the bathroom. He was so caught up with what she had said that John was actually surprised when she came back without him hearing a thing. Of course Joss would be the only person in the world to throw him off despite all of the training. Her head was tilted to the side as she looked him in the eyes. "You okay?"

John hesitated a moment with his answer, debating on the pros and cons with telling her the truth. Before he could formulate something, he spoke. "No, I'm not Joss." He could see that she was slightly shaken by his answer but waited for him to explain. "I want us to talk about what happened…"

"Back at the morgue" she finished for him.

"I know what you must have thought. It being me and all" he started only to be stopped by her.

Joss scoffed. "Yeah, you're right about that." She then surprised both of them by grabbing the hand that broke through those barriers that night and placed it against her cheek just as he had before. "I'm glad that we both made it through all of it." Her hands tightened around his. "When you left me, I was so scared that that was it, you know."

John nodded, remembering how hard it was to send her away so she wouldn't try to talk him out of what he was going to do. "You really are stuck with me." She looked away briefly before punching him hard in the arm. "What was that for?" He feigned innocence. Before another snide comment could be made, Joss slipped between his knees before throwing her arms around his neck. Her head fell against his shoulder before John wrapped her tightly in his arms, remembering the magnitude of his actions that night.

The tears were threatening to come out. Joss could feel them building in her eyes but she fought against letting them go. Even though she was with the one man that she could allow herself to be vulnerable with, Joss couldn't bring herself to believe that they were finally here. Things had gotten more hectic after Quinn was taken into custody. John had been the only one to see how terrified she really was and even though she fought against his protectiveness, Joss was reminded that things could have been much worse. "Your number was up John" she uttered softly to his ear and could feel his grip tighten. "You didn't say anything to me because you didn't want me to worry but I still could have lost you a-and I don't know what I would have done if that had happened."

"Hey, hey" John chided softly as he began to pet her head. "I'm still here. Simmons only grazed me back there in the alley remember and besides, those cops chasing us were amateurs." Joss subconsciously started rubbing his right arm where a bullet had grazed him but long since recovered. John pulled her away and forced her to look at him. "Joss, listen to me. What happened back there I wouldn't have changed for anything."

She shook her head. "If I hadn't dragged you into my mess, it would have never happened. That's why I was trying my best to keep my activities a secret from you." She was starting to sound like a broken record, remembering their conversation on the train.

"I wouldn't have come to help if I didn't want to." He took her hands in his large ones, squeezing them gently. "What do you say I cook us up something? I could use some food after being the bait." John waited for her to say something, anything to ease his worry. Normally Joss was a hard ass but still happy. Now she was different. She had the same soft eyes that she had given him when he took a step over that line that was their relationship. Was she having second thoughts about working with him? He wouldn't blame her if she did. John didn't exactly plan everything that happened that night. He especially didn't plan on falling for her the way the way he had for almost three years now.

The small smile on Joss's lips was quickly followed by her lips crashing into his. John's eyes widen at her actions but he followed soon after, moving his hands from her hips to her back. He changed the angle of the lips, starting to trace the slit of her lips with his tongue.

Joss jumped slightly at his response. She had spent the last few seconds debating on what to do next before she laid it on him. Tasting John's cooking had definitely been the last thing on her mind. Judging from his reaction, it was on the back of John's mind too. Her body shivered as those long fingers of his slowly trailed up her back.

Pushing him back on the bed, Joss let her fingers roam the crisp white shirt and felt his abdomen clench under her touch. When their lips parted, Joss let out a slow sigh. She then pressed a kiss to the bruise over his eye. "You are an idiot."

John raised an eyebrow at her. "If that's true, then why do you keep coming back? It couldn't be because of my looks and charm? Or did I manage to win over the heart of New York's hardest Detective?" His gave her a soft smile.

"You just got lucky" Joss teased. "So can a girl get fed or not?"

She tried to slide off to let John up but he kept his grip. Joss yelped in surprise when instead John pulled her down until she was lying next to him. "Well I was offering before I was so rudely interrupted."

"Well chop chop" she ordered. John smiled before getting up. Pulling Joss to her feet, he gave her another sweet kiss before leading her to the kitchen.

A/N: Thank you very much for getting this far. In all honesty, this story had been sitting on my hard drive for months. My muse has been quite slow these last few months. SW is currently betaing a second chapter to A Thousand Words that I did in response to Ravenhusker's review so expect that in the near future. I love all of you that continue to support authors such as myself that continue to move forward despite what the show has done. See y'all next time;)