The Scarf Dreams: The Ferry
A/N: Folks who have read The Scarf know about the dreams that John had about Joss. I am working on a separate no plot story that details several of those steamy dreams, but this non-steamy one popped up, so I am posting it separately.
The usual disclaimers: Nothing you recognize belongs to me.
He went to the ferry every day.
"Not today, John." The ferry man would smile, "Come back tomorrow."
John Reese never thought he would die in his own bed, but he did, almost forty years after he met Jocelyn Carter in that police station so long ago. He'd kissed her good night, closed his eyes and several hours later, died peacefully in his sleep.
When he walked down to the lake, he didn't know what to expect. He had done so many things in his life, many good, but also many evil. There were two ferries there, a red one and a white one.
The ferry man on the red one beckoned him forward.
They crossed a huge lake, the water smooth as glass.
As they approached the shore, Reese heard barking. A dog was running down the bank to the dock.
It was Bear, no longer grizzled and arthritic, bounding and leaping like a puppy in his excitement.
Walking behind him was Finch, his stride smooth and even now, impeccably dressed as always.
Tears sprang to Reese's eyes.
The ferry man smiled at him. "Where did you think you were going?"
He walked down the gangplank and greeted his friends.
XXX
Of course, Bear had taken the ferry first. Harold's passing wasn't a shock – he was more than a decade older than Reese, but it was the debilitating effect of his injuries that ultimately led to his demise.
Fusco had choked to death on a piece of gristle in a falafel and Zoe had died when a client wasn't happy with the solution she had engineered for him.
Leon, surprisingly, had died actually trying to help someone.
Reese met Harold's friend Nathan and they exchanged stories about their friend, much to Finch's annoyance.
He spoke to Jessica and they forgave each other for things not said, paths not taken.
So many had already arrived, except the one that he was waiting for.
XXX
The ferryman smiled at him. "She'll come when she's ready."
"I know. I just want to be here when she arrives. I don't want her to think that…"
"She knows she's not alone, John, even though you're not with her… She prays for you, every night."
Reese smirked. "Doesn't she know I can't get into trouble here?"
The ferry man chuckled. "She said when she buried you, that 'whenever you showed up somewhere, trouble was right around the corner'. She says that she's 'just making sure that you have some extra credits in your account.'"
Reese looked across the huge lake as if he could see the other side and smiled. "Yeah, she always has something in her bag of tricks."
XXX
Reese met the ferry every day, the days blurring into each other as he greeted other people he knew, people that he had helped, but she didn't come.
Harold would ask him if he wanted company and Bear looked up eagerly as Reese put on his jacket to make the walk, but Reese always said no.
He wanted to it to be just the two of them, when she arrived.
Then one day as Reese stood on the dock, he heard a faint sound.
A horn.
The sound became louder and louder as the ferry crossed the lake.
The ferry man waved as they got closer and Reese knew the day that he had waited so patiently for had finally arrived.
She walked down the gangplank, her stride a little slower than he remembered, but still energetic and strong. Her hair was pure white now and she had cut it, emphasizing her cheekbones. Like many dark skinned women she looked decades younger than her actual age, her skin smooth and unwrinkled, her waist still small. As she came towards him, the years faded away and she was as young and beautiful as when he first met her
"Were you angry that I stayed so long?," Joss asked, tilting her head.
"No, I know seeing that first great grandchild was special."
"It was, and he's healthy, plump and happy, but I missed you."
Reese took the scarf out his pocket. "I think this should be returned to its rightful owner."
Joss had buried him with it.
He swirled it around her neck three times, secured it in a loose knot at the base of her throat, let the ends tease the swell of her breasts. Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her softly. "Let's go see everyone."
"I'd like that," she smirked, "I need to make sure that you all stay out of trouble."
Reese whispered in her ear, "The only one I plan on getting into trouble with tonight is you."
"I'd like that, too."
They walked up the bank, hand in hand.