One on One
Jezyk
Spoilers: Through Many Happy Returns
Disclaimer: Sadly, still not mine.

Reese was exceedingly thankful for the ringing of his phone. Finch had been ranting about the internet again, about how people gave out so much personal information or didn't have good passwords or something like that. Reese wasn't sure because he hadn't been listening. Though he wasn't much of a reader, he'd taken to keeping a book with him whenever he was near the older man just so that he'd always have something to do when he was ignoring his boss.

Pulling the phone from his pocket, he offered his confused boss a shrug. Finch was usually the one calling. Fusco and Carter had his number, though they used it rarely. Either one would be a welcome respite from Finch's diatribe.

Instead, he was terrified when he read the display. Taylor.

He'd given the boy the number months earlier in case of a dire emergency. His blood ran cold when Reese thought about why he might be calling.

"Taylor, what's wrong?" He was on his feet, ready to run in whatever direction he was needed. His head was filled with images of something terrible happening to Carter, that she was injured badly or Taylor was hurt or no end of horrible things that reminded Reese why it was much easier to not care about anyone besides himself.

"You said I could call in an emergency."

Something about the boy's voice calmed him, probably the utter lack of panic and fear. "Yeah, so is this an emergency?"

"If mom finds out where I am, she'll kill me, does that count?" The humor disappeared entirely from his voice. "Please, John? Mom will be so mad and Emily's dad really might kill her."

"Where are you?" He had every intention of helping Taylor, but he felt compelled to get more information before he admitted that he'd do anything the kid asked.

"Philadelphia."

"Philadelphia?"

"Please?" Taylor's voice was soft and scared, as though Reese really was his last hope.

Reese shook his head even as a smile formed. He loved the idea that Taylor had thought of him when he needed help. Certainly Carter had given Taylor the ok to contact him in an emergency, the boy ran everything, everything except a trip to Philadelphia apparently, by his mother. "I'll come get you and then you can explain to me why I shouldn't tell your mother."

Once he had the address, he slipped the phone back into his pocket and regarded the still perplexed Finch with a smile. "I need to borrow your car."

#####

Two extremely relieved teenagers climbed into the back of the Lincoln. Reese had planned to glare disapprovingly at them, but they were already hanging their heads and the lingering redness in Emily's eyes revealed that she'd already been crying. Satisfied that the two were physically ok, he turned in his seat to look at them.

The girl seemed beyond terrified, and so Reese felt compelled to put her at ease. He pulled Stills' badge from his pocket and showed it to her. "I'm John, I'm a friend of Taylor's mom."

She looked up, the corner of her mouth turned up. "I'm Emily. I'm really sorry about this." Her tears started to fall again and Reese watched with a smile when Taylor reached for her hand to comfort her.

"Ok, what the hell is going on, Taylor?"

Taylor moved his hand away from Emily's. "It's Em's birthday, so I was going to take her to see Lil' took the bus down and I had money for tickets and everything. Some guy offered to help get our bags for us and he took them."

"My wallet was in there! My mom's credit card and everything!" Emily choked through her tears. "My dad is going to kill me!"

Taylor's chin trembled too. "I borrowed one of mom's cards too and Emily was carrying it in her wallet."

Reese reached up and activated his phone. "Finch, I need to you to put a hold on one of Carter's credit cards." He nodded at Emily. "What's your mother's name and which card was it?"

"Stephanie Akers. I don't know what card."

"You get that, Finch?"

"Any of their cards used in Philadelphia. I'll take care of it."

Reese grinned. "Thanks. Taylor owes you."

"I'm confident I'll never collect on that, Mr. Reese."

"I see no reason to tell him that. " He disconnected the call and glanced at the kids. "Credit cards are taken care of. What you're telling your parents, however, is up to you."

Taylor looked up hopefully. "They probably don't even know we're gone yet."

Reese chuckled. "Not a chance in hell I'm keeping this from your mother, Taylor. She will kill me." Taylor's face fell. "But I'm pretty sure you've learned an important lesson, so I'll tell her to go easy on you."

Taylor's eyes darted to the girl. "What about Emily?"

Reese smiled at the blonde as she wiped at her tears. "I don't know Emily's parents. What she tells them is entirely up to her." He was rewarded with a wide smile.

#####

It was late afternoon by the time Reese dropped Emily off at her house and returned to Carter's place. Taylor had been silent since Emily's departure. As soon as Reese cut the engine, Taylor spoke up.

"Do you have a key?"

The question threw him, and he found himself wondering exactly what Taylor thought was going on. He shook his head. "No, I assumed you did."

"It was in my bag."

It wouldn't be hard to break into the apartment, but it was ill-advised, considering that Reese didn't really want Carter to shoot him. And Taylor would absolutely rat on him in the interest of saving his own skin under the circumstances.

"What time will you mom be home?"

Taylor checked his phone and shrugged. "She didn't call and she usually calls if she's going to be late. I'm sure you're busy. I'll tell her, I swear."

Reese chuckled. "You're staying with me until I can hand you over to her. Obviously you can't be trusted on your own."

Taylor rolled his eyes. "I was just trying to impress Emily."

Reese laughed out right. "There's your first mistake. If you have to do something stupid to impress them, they're not worth it."

Taylor nodded and then cocked his head to the side. "How do you impress a girl?"

"Ask your mother." He bit back a request for Taylor to report back when he got an answer. It might be good information to have, since the best he'd gotten from Carter was a thank you. A heartfelt thank you for saving her son's life, but still only a thank you.

"Aw, come on, I don't have anyone to ask. My dad died when I was really little." He leaned over the seat and grinned. "I bet you have moves."

"I'm trying to avoid having your mom kill me, you know. I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to teach you how to pick up girls." Reese was flattered at Taylor's question. Maybe Taylor didn't have any older brothers to ask, but Reese didn't have any one to give advice to either. It probably wouldn't hurt to help the kid out. "Give me a minute."

He called Carter, knowing from the relaxed sound of her voice that she had no idea what her son had been up to. "Hey, Carter, how late are you working tonight?"

Her voice turned suspicious and Reese could imagine the curious look on her face. "Probably about six, why?"

"Oh, no reason."

"John!" She paused, dropping her voice from a shriek to a whisper. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing. I was just curious."

"You're up to something." She was trying to be stern, but he could hear the smile in her voice.

"I'll see you about six, Carter." He disconnected the call, trying to hide the grin that talking to Carter always produced. It wasn't normally a problem, but with her son watching him, he thought it was best to keep it to himself. Turning back to Taylor, he nodded toward the basketball court at the end of the block. "We've got a couple hours. Want to play some one-on-one?"

Before Taylor could answer, his phone rang. "Hi, mom." He paused, Carter's muted voice filling the silence. "Yeah, ok, see you later." He grinned back at John. "She said she might be late."

He couldn't hide the smile that time. Carter knew something was going on, but she had no idea what. "So, that game?"

Taylor nodded. As they headed down toward the court, his eyes kept drifting over, a thoughtful expression on his face. "She likes you, you know."

If there was one thing Reese had learned in the CIA, it was how to hide his emotions. Surprise, happiness, suspicion, he hid them all behind a blank mask. He didn't have time to work through all the possible meanings behind Taylor's statement. "I saved her son's life. Women like that sort of thing."

Taylor ducked his head, embarrassed at having needed to be rescued. "Yeah, but she really likes you."

Reese bit back the desire to smile stupidly at the pronouncement. Taylor was probably mistaken, hell, he'd just asked Reese for advice about girls. Still, the thought that someone thought it was possible made him happy. "What makes you think that?"

Taylor smiled. "The way she talks to you. The way she talks about you." He opened the gate to the court, holding it for Reese. "I know how she talks to the rest of the guys she works with." He showed his teeth in a wide grin. "She likes you."

Reese picked up the ball that had been abandoned. "We're friends, Taylor."

Taylor was still grinning as Reese passed him the ball. "And you like her."

He wanted to be encouraged by the fact that Taylor was entirely ok with it, but he recognized that Taylor was hardly the biggest obstacle to any sort of relationship with Carter. He fixed Taylor with a glare that usually scared the crap out of people.

Rather than being intimidated, Taylor broke out in a sing-song voice. "Mom and John sitting in a tree."

"You can either stop that right now, Taylor, or I'll call your mother and tell her what happened."

Taylor stopped mid-sentence. "You're not kidding, are you?"

"Do you want to find out?" He didn't want to threaten the boy, but he wasn't about to be mortified, not with the chance that Finch could, and would, listen in at any time without warning.

"Still want to play?" Taylor's amused grin was long gone, replaced with an almost pathetic hopefulness. Reese had learned plenty about him when he'd been looking into Carter's background. Taylor was a good kid mostly, full scholarship to an expensive high school, straight A's, never got in any trouble at school, even after having both of his parents shipped out before he started school and having only one of them come back. Carter had done a great job raising him, but she was his mom. Taylor could use a male role model and, though he doubted Carter would approve, Reese figured he was better than nothing, at least until Carter found someone else.

"Show me what you've got."

#####

They played for nearly an hour before Reese asked for a break. He tried to blame it on the fact that he was playing in a suit and dress shoes, but the fact was the kid was good. He'd let Taylor have the first few baskets without much of a fight, so by the time he realized there was no reason to let Taylor win, he was already behind. It was a hell of a fight to get the score even after that, even with the benefit of his height.

The sun was beating down on the blacktop, leaving it uncomfortably warm. Taylor raced for the water fountain and Reese used the time to peel off his jacket and shirt. He followed Taylor's steps, finding the boy boasting to some girls who'd been walking by. Reese just shook his head, listening to how Taylor was bending the truth and the way the girls giggled in response.

When they continued on their way, he smiled at Taylor, who'd tried and failed to get one of their phone numbers. "Want some advice on girls?"

Taylor's eyes widened. "I need some."

"Be nice. Listen when they talk."

Making a face, Taylor waited until he realized Reese was done. "That's it?"

"Trust me, Taylor. Being polite will get you further than lying ever will. And everyone, male or female, likes when someone actually listens to them."

Taylor nodded thoughtfully. "That seems pretty simple."

"It is and you'd be surprised how well it works."

"So you ready for another round?" Taylor passed the ball back and forth between his hands.

"I'm not going to let you win this time."

Taylor grinned and headed back to the court. "You didn't let me win last time!"

They got right back into it, Taylor managing to keep the score even despite Reese not going easy on him. It had been a long time since he'd had the luxury of relaxing and playing basketball and having nothing else on his mind besides the game. Time slipped away from him as he and Taylor played, having a good time and laughing at the barbs they sent flying at each other. Reese jumped, knowing it gave him a few inches Taylor couldn't overcome, and watched as the ball sailed through the hoop.

Taylor grabbed the ball, but stopped suddenly. "Guess we'll have to continue this later."

"Chickening out on me?"

"Hardly! You're only one point ahead. I can make that up." He nodded to the far end of the court. "Mom's here and I bet I'm about to be grounded for about five years."

Reese's head jerked to where Taylor was looking, wondering how the hell he'd lost that much time and how exactly he'd gotten so wrapped up in a game with a teenager than he hadn't noticed someone joining them. Sure enough, there was Carter, sitting on one of the benches, relaxed and, if he didn't know better, perfectly content to watch them finish their game. It didn't look like she'd just sat down either. He bit back a grin as he wondered how long she'd been there, telling himself she was probably watching her son rather than him, hoping that some part of her smile was meant for him.

As Taylor ran ahead to meet her, Reese noticed that her eyes weren't on the boy.

No, they were on him.

And he promptly remembered taking his shirt off. Though Taylor had been kind enough not to ask, he was sure she would notice the multitude of scars that riddled his body. He'd had more than his fair share of close calls and if Carter saw a reminder of that, she would be none too happy with him hanging around with her son. Given his choice, he would have preferred a moment to put on his shirt and jacket before he talked to Carter about how he'd spent his day. But Carter had walked onto the court, meeting Taylor halfway, leaving Reese no options. If he walked away from them to get dressed, his discomfort would be clear.

Instead he sucked it up, pretended that he didn't mind looking like a well-used target, and approached the pair. "Carter."

She folded her arms over her chest, her eyes slow to move up to his eyes. "Is this why you wanted to know when I was coming home? Because you wanted to shoot hoops with my kid?"

"Ma-"

She held up her hand, effectively cutting off Taylor. "I'm asking John."

Great, she was mad. Well fuck, now he really wished he had a shirt on so she wouldn't see how obviously human and easy to injure he was. His suits made him feel invincible. At least, they seemed to make other people think he was invincible.

"I wasn't about to let your son out of my sight until he explained himself to you. I asked how late you were working so I had some idea how long I'd have to wait."

She stared at him, taking her time to decide if she believed him.

It bugged him that she never trusted him, that she couldn't ever assume that he was doing something on the up and up, but he couldn't call her on it. He didn't want to reveal that it mattered to him, that her opinion mattered to him, that she mattered to him.

How the hell could Taylor be so far off on reading his own mother? Reese wasn't sure Carter could stand him, let alone harbored anything even remotely romantic toward him.

But then, he narrowed his eyes and questioned his own conclusion. Taylor would know her, would be familiar with a further range of emotions than Reese had seen. And Reese knew almost everything about her, knew she would never have gotten so involved with someone she hated. Though she generally questioned his methods, he realized she liked him. She might not like that she liked him, but she did.

And there was the matter of how her eyes had dropped from his face, slowly drifting over his chest and stomach. She turned away suddenly, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Reese had never seen that look on her face and, if he was reading it right, he knew Carter never had either.

Her eyes returned to her son, a dark expression coming over them that Reese was quite thankful she hadn't aimed at him. "Tell me you did not try to go to that damn concert with Emily." When he didn't answer, she shook her head. "Did you hear me when I told you absolutely not?"

Taylor stared at the ground. "Yes, mom."

"Then how the hell did you think you could get away with it? What the hell were you thinking?"

Taylor shrugged one shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Taylor, explain this to me. Right now. Why is John here?" She was furious, Reese could feel it radiating off her in waves, and he was absolutely certain that she hadn't really been all that angry with him. In fact, when she'd looked at him, it seemed more like she was checking him out. And damn near so deliberately that even Taylor was bound to notice. Still, for the time being, the boy who'd impressed him on the basketball court was about to get ripped a new one. He felt really, really bad for Taylor.

"Carter-"

"Oh, you feel like explaining this?" The anger turned on him quite easily, making him immediately rethink his conclusions again.

"Not really. Part of our deal was that he had to tell you." He smirked, faking a confidence he didn't feel when facing an angry Carter. "You're less likely to shoot him." Testing the waters, he smiled at her and waited to see if his humor would fall flat in light of her mood.

Taylor waited until his mother started grinning before he spoke up. "I wanted to surprise Emily for her birthday."

Carter turned back to the boy, her grin disappearing instantly. "I know I said you weren't going anywhere with anyone I've never met."

"But it was her birthday, mom!"

Reese couldn't seem to stay out of it, especially not when Carter apparently seemed far more receptive to him at the moment. "Emily seems like a nice girl."

"Why does John know more about her than I do?"

It was the way Taylor's face crumbled that clued Reese in on the fact that there was more going on that he knew.

Reese had done his part. He'd helped Taylor out of trouble and he'd made sure that Carter would be made aware of Taylor's transgression on her trust. He figured it was time for him to leave before both of them turned on him. Even though he was in no way responsible for any of it, he'd seen it happen. He took a step back, hoping Carter would be so wrapped up with Taylor that she wouldn't notice.

Her eyes locked on his in an instant. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

Reese swallowed hard. "This is between the two of you. He's safe, you're home, I'm done here."

"I haven't decided if I'm going to kill you yet for helping him." She pulled her jacket back, revealing the gun at her hip. "I can get to mine before you can get to yours."

She had a point. His gun was in his jacket, lying across the court and she knew it. Damn it.

He sighed and moved back next to Taylor, earning a smirk from Carter. Satisfied that Reese wasn't going anywhere, she turned back to Taylor. "I'm waiting for an answer, Taylor."

Taylor looked up with tears in his eyes, making him seem much younger than his fifteen years. "I really like her, mom."

As Reese expected, the sight of her son's tears made Carter's anger fade. "I understand that, but I need to know who you're hanging out with, that's the rule, Taylor."

"I'm afraid you won't like her."

Her eyes darted to Reese, who shrugged. He hadn't picked up anything, but then again the girl had been deathly silent on the ride home. "Why wouldn't I like her? If she's as great as you say?"

Taylor bit his lip and took a deep breath. "She's white."

Reese hadn't been expecting that. The one thing he'd learned repeatedly in his life was that looks could be deceiving. He'd never cared about skin color because there were far more important things, but he realized that other people did. He turned to Carter, wondering if the woman he was falling for had already discounted him because of something that didn't mean a damn thing. He wondered about Taylor's earlier teasing, wondering if maybe the kid thought it was funny because he firmly believed it was ridiculous.

But the shocked, confused look on Carter's face told him everything he needed to know. "So?"

Taylor shrugged. "I don't know, you never talked about it. I've never seen any pictures of you dating a white guy."

Carter laughed as she shook her head. "I married my high school sweetheart a month after we graduated. You've never seen any pictures of me with anyone besides your father."

"So you don't have any problems with interracial relationships?"

"No, of course not. Why would you think that?" Even as she spoke, her eyes wandered toward Reese, slowly looking him over again, a hint of a smile forming on her lips. She liked what she saw, regardless of his race.

Taylor looked back at Reese and smirked.

Holy shit. Taylor was a smart son of a bitch.

Snapping out of her hormonal fog, Carter turned back to Taylor. "Lying and sneaking off to a concert I explicitly told you not to go to, however, now that I've got a problem with."

Recalling his promise to try to intervene, Reese spoke up again. "Carter, he made a mistake and he knows that, but considering what happened, he's not going to ever do anything that stupid again."

"What happened?" She glanced back and forth between the two of them, her eyes finally settling on Taylor. "And you still haven't told me why he's here."

"You said I could call him in an emergency. He said so too. It was an emergency. So I called him to come get us."

"Taylor, if I have to pull this story out of you, I will take that into account when I decide how long to ground you."

Taylor sighed and started talking, giving his mother details that Reese hadn't gotten. He explained the whole thing, including his attempt to get local tickets and how he'd decided to go to Philadelphia when the New York show was sold out, he even confessed the discussion he'd had with Emily about calling Reese. He wrapped up his tale with a particularly poignant, if over-the-top, supposition that Emily had no doubt alerted the entire school of his failure and that he'd be laughed out of the city.

Carter opened her arms, waiting until Taylor hugged her before she spoke. "I'm glad you're safe, T, and I'm really glad you had the sense to call someone for help." She smiled at Reese over Taylor's shoulder and then backed up to hold her son at arm's length. "That said, you're going to be grounded until forever, so cancel any plans you and Emily have for the foreseeable future."

"Aw, mom," Taylor's face fell, his shoulders drooping as his voice morphed into a whine. "Really?" Evidently he'd hoped that owning up to his indiscretion would result in a lighter punishment. He turned to Reese. "John?"

Reese backed up a step out of fear Carter might hurt him. "I said I'd come get you. I didn't say I'd take on your mom."

"Smart move." Carter grinned at him unabashedly, then looked back at Taylor and offered her keys. "Home. Now. No Emily, no TV, no basketball, no fun whatsoever until I say."

Taylor didn't make it two steps before her hand reached out, palm up. "Phone."

Groaning, he handed over the device, then stalked toward the house.

Satisfied that he was doing as instructed, Carter faced Reese once again. "You drove all the way to Philly to get my son?"

He shrugged, pretending it didn't mean the world to him that she was appreciative. "I didn't have anything better to do today."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He caught movement out of the corner of his eye, looking up to see Taylor gesturing wildly at him. The kid was motioning at his mother and Reese could only imagine he was getting the go-ahead to make a move on Carter from her son. He tried to fight the grin that was forming because she would know.

She knew anyway, suspicious of Reese's lack of attention, and turned into time to see Taylor's lips puckered in a kiss. "Taylor, get your ass in that house right now."

Reese winced when she turned back to him.

"You've got five seconds to explain that to me."

At least she was giving him a chance, he decided. "He asked for some advice on girls."

She didn't look at all convinced as she motioned vaguely behind her where her son had stood. "And that's what you gave him? I guess I should thank you for ensuring my son with never have a girlfriend."

Feeling incredibly vulnerable and yet encouraged by Carter's utter lack of outrage at the idea of him giving Taylor advice, Reese shrugged. "Taylor is also apparently confused as to the nature of our relationship."

Her jaw dropped open as she stared back. "Is that what that was about?"

Biting back the desire to inquire exactly how far off Taylor was, he nodded. "Maybe you should set him straight."

"I will. I don't know where he got that idea." Her cheeks darkened with her blush, thinking he was blaming her for it. At least she wasn't likely to think it had anything to do with him.

"I should get going." He didn't want to, but he supposed standing there and staring at the woman for no reason would give away his feelings.

"Actually," she nodded toward the street, "I was going to treat Taylor to dinner because I felt bad about saying no about the concert, but that's not going to happen now, so can I treat you instead?"

His eyes locked on hers, his eyebrow raising the slightest bit as he smirked. "Are you asking me on a date, Carter?"

She started to laugh as she blushed again, shaking her head and snickering. "I would have said it was to thank you for driving four hours to save my son from his teenage stupidity, but never mind. I'm sure you have plans." She was still grinning as she turned away, taking what she read as rejection quite well.

"Crime seems to have taken a holiday." He waited for her to glance back before he continued. "Or maybe I forgot to charge my phone and Finch can't reach me. Either way, I'm free." He jogged across the court to grab his clothes and returned, almost missing the way Carter's eyes watched him.

This time, however, there was something else in her eyes as she looked him over, though he couldn't place it. As he pulled his t-shirt over his head, she reached out, her fingertips feather light on the scar on his stomach. The one from Snow. Her smile shifted downward, her rapid blinking giving away threatening tears.

"This is my fault." She didn't look at him, instead mesmerized by the mark that was still fresh enough to be an angry red.

He knew it would fade in time, they all did, but for the time being, the relatively recent scar stood out starkly against his skin. "Carter-"

She shook her head, dropping her hand and finally meeting his eyes, unafraid of letting him see that she was crying. "I never really apologized, John."

"You don't have to. You didn't do anything wrong." Even if there had been anything to forgive, which he didn't believe there was, he would have forgiven her long ago.

"You really believe that, don't you?" The tears continued to fall as she held his eyes. "I wish I could go back and change it."

"If you hadn't seen what they were like, Carter, you never would have realized I wasn't the bad guy." It had been the lengths to which Snow was willing to go that convinced Carter to take another look at him, after all, and they both knew that. It had taken watching an ambush, inadvertently setting him up, to convince her that he wasn't guilty, that he was worth protecting. Though it had been physically painful, Reese wouldn't change it. It had earned him Carter, her respect, her loyalty, her friendship, her attention.

He finished buttoning his shirt, tucking it in and pulling on his blazer. "Are we still on for dinner?"

She'd had a moment to pull herself together, to stop her tears, but instead she was just standing there, staring at him, tears still falling. Her head cocked to the side. "John-"

His hand reached out, his fingers touching her cheek, his body instinctively trying to comfort her even though physical contact was hardly commonplace for them. "It's ok, Jos."

They were frozen there, transfixed by each other, by the emotions flowing between them.

It was the most intimate moment they'd ever had and probably ever would and Reese wanted to file it away in his memory, pause it there in time so he could call it up any time he wanted, or needed, to feel connected to someone, to her.

Instead, the sound of Taylor's voice rang out from the apartment window. "Kiss her!"

Reese dropped his hand immediately, his head whipping around to see if they had any other witnesses. Carter backed up several steps, putting her hands on her hips and sending her best 'if looks could kill' glare down the street toward the apartment.

It would have been funny, he decided, had it happened to anyone else, had he not been so unsure that he hadn't had that very thought in his head when Taylor had voiced it. He was loathe to meet her eyes, knowing he had no choice. If he didn't, she'd know how uncomfortable he was and that would clue her in on the fact that Taylor had hit the nail on the head. He reluctantly raised his eyes to hers, only to find her laughing.

If he were the type to admit such a thing, he would have said it hurt. To see her laughing like that at his expense. To grasp how ridiculous the entire concept seemed to her. To understand how completely impossible it would be for her to ever return his interest. Luckily, he wasn't that type. So he chuckled along with her, pretending it was the funniest damn thing he'd heard in ages.

He wished he'd turned down her offer of dinner to allow him to lick his wounds in private. But changing his mind then would be too obvious, leaving him to accompany her around the corner to what she declared was her and Taylor's favorite restaurant. He barely heard the small talk she made, simply forced himself to appear interested, smiling uncomfortably when there was a pause that he suspected was waiting for a response from him.

#####

The only time he actually heard her was while they were eating, when she tossed her chopsticks to the side and picked up her fork. "How the hell do you eat with those?"

He stopped with his food halfway to his mouth and shrugged. "It helps if you learn how."

"Where'd you learn?"

"China." His mood turned darker, when he recalled that god damned trip he'd taken with Stanton when the life he recognized went completely to hell.

Though she either hadn't noticed his mood before or she'd ignored it, she definitely noticed now. She bit her lip and looked away. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

He felt bad when he saw the way she kept her eyes down, chastised by his behavior. "No, it's ok. Just wasn't a fun trip." He waited for her eyes to dart back to his, giving her a small grin, deciding he needed to give her something. "My last trip with the CIA. Snow sent me and my partner with orders to kill each other while he sent the Marines to blow up the survivor. Needless to say, Cara and I parted ways and she was the one who was fluent in Chinese."

She stared, openly amazed by the fact that he confessed so much. "Snow mentioned her. He said you killed her, but I didn't know whether or not it was true."

He tried to put his personal feelings aside and measure the look on her face. To the best of his knowledge, she was being entirely honest. He shook his head in an attempt to reward the one thing she hadn't already convicted him of. "No, after she shot me, I warned her and then I took off. I was clear of the blast and she wasn't injured, so I'm certain she got out." And that the backstabbing bitch hadn't spent six hideous weeks in the hellhole of Ordos trying to get the hell out with a bullet in her gut and no ability to communicate.

Carter shook her head slowly. "Should have known every fucking thing that man said was a lie."

"I guess I never mentioned he was the deception expert." He smiled when he saw her confusion. "Man never said an honest thing in his life."

She rolled her eyes. "You could have told me that."

"It wasn't entirely innocent on my part." He shrugged at her surprise. "When you met him, you still wanted to arrest me, Carter. I figured a couple rounds with him would keep you occupied for a while. Besides, you wouldn't have believed me anyway."

"I've never known anyone as cold and calculating as him in my life." She snickered for a moment. "You know, I actually believed him when he said he was your best friend, seemed like the most honest statement out of the whole conversation."

Then it was Reese's turn to laugh. "My best friend? Fuck no. He was my boss and I did what he told me, but I hated him and he knew it." He sighed and stirred his food around, no longer interested in eating it. "He told me to kill my partner and I was done. Even if they hadn't been trying to kill me, I wouldn't have gone back."

"Can't say that I blame you." She reached across the table, squeezing his hand for a moment. "And I'm sorry, truly sorry, for any part I played in their plan."

He nodded. "I know, Carter. We're past that. Let it go."

She smiled widely. "It seems we are. According to my son, we're dating."

"I did not tell him that." He remembered, after he said it, that issuing the denial would make him look guilty. That was the whole reason he'd attempted to blame her earlier.

"Oh, I know." She waved her hand in the air. "Taylor barely remembers his father. He's been bugging me about giving him a step-dad for years. So, I guess when you saved his life, he decided you were a good option."

Pretending not to be flattered by even the notion of it, he laughed. "Pretty sure no one has ever thought I'd make a good option for a father."

"With your protective streak? Of course you would." She was grinning to herself while she returned to her dinner. He was grinning too hard to eat another bite.

#####

Finch's car was still parked in front of her building, that was the excuse for walking her to her door. His phone, which evidently had been fully charged, had been vibrating unhappily in his pocket for an hour, undoubtedly Finch demanding Reese's attention. And though he was well aware of it, Reese didn't give into Finch's repeated calls.

He was amazed at the complete ease that had taken over his interaction with Carter, especially when the evening was feeling more and more like a date.

Which explained why he was nearly overwhelmed with nervous butterflies he hadn't felt in twenty years as he faced Carter. She was still smiling at something, possibly just at having had a nice time, and Reese was proud to say that he'd been a part of it. They'd joked about it being a date and they'd joked about Taylor's idea of them dating, but all the joking had left Reese more or less completely at a loss as to how she really felt.

Maybe she simply hadn't wanted to eat dinner alone and he'd been there.

Maybe she really was trying to repay him for doing her son a favor.

Or maybe, like himself, she just couldn't seem to resist the idea of them spending time together, especially since it was the first time they weren't working.

He wanted to kiss her. Really wanted to kiss her. He was actually quite desperate to kiss her. But he had no idea how she'd take it. If she'd laugh at him. If she'd be offended. If she'd let him do it. If she'd encourage more. The uncertainty paralyzed him.

She was lingering, he tried to convince himself, just standing there with nothing to say and no reason to stay.

And still, though it seemed like a perfectly valid reason to give into the urge, Reese couldn't move. It would be unfathomably wonderful to touch her like that, but he knew the pain of her rejection would do far more damage than he could withstand. He resigned himself to leaving it how it was, with their relationship blossoming into a friendship he'd never expected but was pleased to have.

It was better, he rationalized, to leave the idea in his head so that he could always have the hope of being well received.

She stepped up onto the first step, evening out their heights as she turned back with a full smile. "I honestly haven't had this good a time in years."

He couldn't possibly resist grinning back, offering a flippant remark that he hoped she didn't know wasn't actually the least bit sarcastic. "Maybe Taylor had the right idea."

He expected her to laugh, then head up the steps, possibly throw a "good night" or another "thank you" over her shoulder.

Instead, he quite unexpectedly found her hands on his face, holding him still while she leaned in to kiss him. She wasn't aiming for his cheek either.

Reese was pretty damn sure he'd died and gone to heaven when her lips pressed against his. He couldn't believe his luck and didn't dare miss his chance. He grabbed her hips, pulling her body against his while his arms wrapped around her. It might well be that she was swept up in the moment, in the high of having had a good time, and that he would never get another chance to kiss her.

So he was damn well going to do his best to get his fill and give her a reason to come back.

While one of his hands pressed against the small of her back and secured her against him, the other reached up to tangle in her hair, using her hair to angle her head, giving her no warning at all when he deepened the kiss. He didn't even have a warning himself, he just couldn't stop as he tasted her. He couldn't stop touching her, running his hands over her back and neck.

For her part, she didn't appear to mind, not with the way she was gripping his shirt and trying to pull him somehow closer.

It actually crossed Reese's mind, in the millisecond he was capable of coherent thought, that they were going to have a problem getting past Taylor and into her bedroom.

And then, once again, a familiar voice sounded from above them. "Get a room!" He was laughing as they sprang apart.

"I'm going to kill my child," Carter muttered as she raised a hand to her mouth.

"Want some help?" He couldn't be embarrassed, not with the way she was grinning at him. "You really do need to have a little talk with him about ruining the mood."

She nodded, moving closer and laying her hands on his chest. "You're the one giving him advice. You do it."

Never in a million years would he have expected to be standing on Carter's stoop, with his arms around her while she played with his lapels. And now that he was, he never, ever wanted to move.

With a smile, he accepted the fact that he'd gotten more than he'd ever hoped for and that he shouldn't be greedy. "I should probably take Finch's car back before he has a stroke."

"I figured that was him texting me all through dinner. I didn't bother to look."

Reese chuckled as his phone started to vibrate again, knowing Carter could feel it against her leg. "Oh, it's him. He should know by now that I'll answer the phone when I'm god damned good and ready." His eyes darted up to glare at the camera above the door, fully expecting that Finch knew exactly what he was trying to interrupt. Turning a much softer expression on Carter, he sighed. "Thanks for dinner."

She closed her eyes as she took a deep breath and then smiled back at him. "I'd invite you up, but-"

It wasn't a good idea for a whole host of reasons, not the least of which was that Taylor would be sitting there.

He couldn't bring himself to release her just yet, though, and so he winked. "Maybe you should send him to stay with his grandmother."

"That is really tempting."

When his phone started up again, he shook his head. "I wouldn't put it past him to call the cops and claim I stole his car."

"I might have a problem explaining this." Carter winced. "So, I'll see you around?"

He nodded, leaning in to steal a quick peck before he dropped his arms and backed toward the car. "Good night, Carter."

"Night, John." She turned and made her way up the steps.

"Carter?" He hadn't made it any further than the car when he turned back. "What are you doing for breakfast?"

She laughed as she pulled open the door. "I bet you can find me."

"Is that a challenge?" There was nothing he enjoyed like following people and he loved that she knew it.

"Probably not much of one for you." She went to step through the door, but paused and looked back again. "I'll see you then?"

He answered her with a grin and kept on grinning after the door had closed behind her. In fact, he was still grinning when he handed a dismayed Finch the car keys. The grin only faded for a moment, just long enough to let Finch know that he had every intention of being late for work in the morning.

~end~