"John, don't let this…." Carter gasped with her last breath before her chest hitched on final time and her eyes fluttered closed."
"Joss…." Her name escaped his lips even as he turned his head away from her. She wasn't dead. She couldn't be dead. This wasn't happening. But the tears and the crashing reality crashed through his body and he held her tightly, kissing her forehead and wishing this was all a bad dream. This wasn't happening again. It couldn't be happening again and those were the last words that he thought before the darkness crept over him like a snake in the grass.
Bam!
John Reese opened his eyes to the sound of pounding feet, hysterical laugher, and a small crashing sound that made him jolt awake with a start while pulling the gun that he usually kept under his pillow out and aiming for some unknown assailant. Only… his hand came up empty and he searched underneath the pillow and pulled out a piece of paper.
No guns around the kids John.
John looked at the paper for a full five minutes before taking in his surroundings. He was in what looked like a bedroom that seemed simple and homey and noticed that this was definitely not his loft in New York. Especially since there was a lot of green peeking in through the window from all the trees and he appeared to be on a second story of a house of some sort. He immediately noticed he was wearing a pair of sweats and a grey t-shirt, and knowing himself so well, he reached beneath the mattress and pulled out is SIG with a silencer on the end. He raised it as he went to the only exit in the room and slowly opened the door and looked down a hallway. It had burgundy carpets and wood walls and warm amber light lighting it up. He indeed was on the second floor of some home and eased out into the hallway with his gun trained to shoot anything that moved. And something did move. He heard small pattering and turned to see two little girls… one with dark brown skin and long braids put up in two pig tails wearing boy shorts, a t-shirt, a headband, and a backpack dash down the hallway toward him along with a caramel skinned little girl with long brown curls, glasses,and a dress who looked a little bit uncoordinated. They were playing and didn't seem to see him until the little girl with pig tails ran straight into his leg.
"Ouch!" She said rubbing her forehead as the other little girl crashed into her from behind. They both looked up at him and stared for a minute as if waiting for a scolding and when it didn't come. ..They looked at each other for a minute and looked up at John slyly. "Dad, can we have a cookie."
John blinked hard a couple of times as he looked down at the girls and realized the he had hidden his gun behind his back. They were staring at him with such wide eyed innocence that they probably could've gotten away with murder and asked him to bury the body… and he would comply. He blinked again and cleared his throat.
"Sure." He said and they both jumped up and down and dashed down the hallway and down the stairs. John tapped his ear and realized that he did not have an earpiece. He must've been uncover or something of that nature and for some reason couldn't remember why-
"John!" A familiar and yet hostile voice yelled from downstairs. John felt himself go immediately still and felt a panic streak through his body as he forgot all caution and headed down the stairs. That voice… it couldn't be. He went down the stairs, through a living room, and straight into the kitchen where the voice seemed to be coming from. He stepped around toys of all natures as he entered the kitchen and saw a familiar figure with long dark hair, a baby strapped in a carrier to her back, a bugling stomach, and a hand on her hip as she stirred something in a big pot. She seemed to be glaring at the two little girls from earlier as they'd they sat on tall stools at the island and were eating huge chocolate chip cookies.
Joss Carter stood before him in a large grey sweater and black tights and looking all sorts of irritated as she stared at the girls.
"But dad said we could have some!" The little girl with pig tails proclaimed as she finished her cookie and was going for another one when Joss pointed her finger at her and barked out. "One more." The little girl grumbled but gave into to Joss as she turned to him and gave him a glare that could melt the North Pole. He stood there wide eyed and frozen to the spot. The last time he'd seen her she'd been bleeding out on a sidewalk, and now she was here….
"John." Joss said tersely, "We talked about Jazz's sugar intake. Jessica's okay…. But Jazz will be bouncing off the walls in five minutes and everyone will be hear soon and—"
She suddenly paused and stared at him.
"John, baby, are you okay?" She said suddenly concerned as she put the large spoon she was stirring with down on the counter. The baby on her back gurgled a bit as she turned towards him and walked toward him in sock covered feet. She walked toward him and stopped a foot away from him because her stomach was in the way. She rubbed it one hand and put the other hand on his chest.
John suddenly couldn't breathe as his eyes filled with unshed tears. She was alive….
"Joss." He choked out. He saw her face immediately soften.
"John, you forgot again didn't you." She said gently as she reached up and gently touched his face, "You forgot I didn't die on that sidewalk… didn't you."
John swallowed against the lump in his throat. He found it hard to speak and his head was spinning.
"Apparently so." John said quietly and he suddenly didn't know what to do with his hands. As a matter of fact he didn't know what was going on. Joss settled that question for him by wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him as close as her bulging stomach would allow.
"Well, I'm alive. We're married. We've got three very bad kids that you spoil rotten and I'm currently pregnant with your oversized spawn." She said gently, "The memories will come back John. You always remember by the end of the day."
She stood on her tip toes and kissed him on the lips and he kissed her hungrily back. Nipping at her until she leaned back and pushed on his chest.
"Unh-unh." She said raising a finger and wagging it at him. "Every time you forget I always end up pregnant. I'm pregnant now because nine months ago someone forgot again. I may have to get my tubes tied. I'm not in my prime anymore John and are kids are so bad—even the devil would give them back."
There was a large crash in the living room.
"Jasmine Issabella Reese." Joss yelled at the top of her lungs, " And Jessica Samantha Resse… get your little butts back in here right now young ladies! What did I tell you about running in the house?!"
"Because someone gave them cookies." Joss muttered under her breath and turned her back to John and so he could see the baby strapped to her back. It was a little boy with pale skin and large black curls on his head. He had large green eyes. "Here take your son. Sam needs his diaper changed."
John picked up the big baby and watched as Joss turned and began scolding the two little girls who came back into the living room. John looked at the baby, Sam, who was sucking on his fist and was looking at him like he thought something was funny. The last baby he changed was Leila…well, apparently this was his third child. Maybe his body would remember how to change the diaper if this wasn't some weird dream or he was in a coma or…. John looked up to see Joss scolding the little girls and smiled. Well, if this was a dream—this wasn't a bad one. He wouldn't mind dreaming for a little while.
The Alonzo Quinn Trial. That's when Joss came back into his life and he gave up his vigilantism. He thought about this as he changed his son's diaper… Harold Sam Reese. He remembered thinking Harold wasn't exactly a cool name to give a baby, but the reclusive billionaire had seemed flattered by the naming of the child. He had two daughters. Twins. They were fraternal and looked nothing alike and acted nothing alike. Jasmine, the little tomboy with the pig tails was a little ball of energy. She looked so much like Joss with those intense brown eyes of hers and her attitude but something about her smile reminded her of him. He loved the smell of Jasmine… a scent that Joss always wore and when Jasmine was born the name just fit. The other daughter, Jessica…. Was much more reserved even though she would often be seen chasing after his older sister. She had intense grey eyes… much like his own and had long brown curls and would often smile sweetly at him. Something about her reminded his of Jessica… and that name just fit too. Jasmine and Jessica… his two little angels. Even if one of them tended to be a little more devilish.
He picked up his son and stared at him. So far, he was a mystery. He looked more like John than his daughters did. The paleness of his skin and the eyes and the hair—he had a mischief to his eyes his baby smile was smirkish. Yep, this was his son all right. They would do all sorts of father and son things together… like clean guns and do surveillance and cool father son bonding stuff. He walked back into the living room littered with toys and saw Joss doing her best to clean it. She had her hand on her lower back as gave him a playful glare as he entered the room.
"You sure took a long time changing his diaper." She said suspiciously. John shrugged.
"We're bonding." He said simply and he held his son in front of him. They really looked too much alike.
"You're stalling John." Joss snorted, "Now help me clean up this living room before I shoot you with the Sig you've got hidden in the crest of your back."
John smirked.
"Taylor will be here any minute now and we're gonna try to be a normal family if only for one hour…" Joss said determinedly.
Just then the doorbell rang and the door suddenly opened and Taylor stood there grinning as he held a lock pick in his hand. A very pregnant girl stood beside him glaring at him. She had very dark skin and long dreadlocks.
"Why'd you ring the doorbell if you were just gonna pick the lock." She said with a Caribbean lilt. Taylor rolled his eyes. He was taller…. Almost John's height and he'd filled out quite nicely with muscles. He had dreadlocks that reached his shoulder as he turned and smiled at the girl. "Just to prove that I could."
Then he turned laughing eyes on his mother who stood there with her mouth open.
"Taylor Carter… you did not just pick my lock!" She said in exasperation. Taylor just shrugged and came in for a hug.
"Okay mom…" He said dryly, "I didn't pick your lock. Wow mom, you look like you're about to burst. How many little devils are you and John planning to have?"
"This is it." Joss said and then glared at him. "And don't try to change the subject you…."
But Taylor just shrugged it off as he walked over to John to shake his hand.
" 'Sup John." He said and then reached for his little brother. "Lil' Sammy! Man, you've gotten big. What are you guys feeding this kid?"
Taylor held Sammy above his head as Jazz and Jess came running into the room and nearly toppled Taylor with hugs. He was obviously enjoying the attention and then John remembered that Taylor was the catalyst for this whole thing. The Alonzo Quinn trial….Taylor's number had come up. Only he was the perpetrator and tried to kill Quinn… turns out the kid had joined the army instead of going to college and turned out to be an expert marksman. A sniper to be exact… and he was smart too. Smart enough to evade John, Shaw, Harold, and Fusco and if Joss hadn't come out of witness protection… Quinn would be dead right now. Joss's death had brought out something dark in Taylor and John had witnessed it firsthand. But everything was fine now…. Joss had given him an ultimatum. It was either Quinn or her…. He couldn't have both. Of course Taylor chose her… that wasn't even an ultimatum in his eyes. He'd choose his mother over anyone any day of the week. The dark skinned girl just stood with her hand on her hip and then hugged Joss and came over to hug John.
Taylor's girlfriend.
Ex-crime boss Destiny Ross. John remembered that much… she was the one who provided Taylor with all the ammo, guns, and bombs he needed when he planned to murder Alonzo Quinn. But she was just a normal person now and was clean… even though Joss still kind of didn't like her. Taylor pointed out that she'd married John and he could date whomever he wanted as well.
The doorbell rang again.
This time Fusco and a pregnant Shaw were at the door with Harold and Grace. Shaw looked like she wanted to puke. Morning sickness.
"God, I'd never thought we'd get here. You guys really moved out to the boonies didn't ya." She said dryly as she rubbed her oversized stomach. " I almost killed Fusco three times in the car on the way here. There's only so much whining I can take."
"There's only so much hormonal crap I can take from you either." Fusco muttered as he hugged Joss. "She's just mad 'cause I prohibited her from drinking while carrying my baby. How's it going Carter?"
They all exchanged niceties while Joss did her best to straighten up the house some more. John walked up to Harold.
"Harold." John said to him blankly. Grace was helping Joss straighten up and Shaw was with the girls and he heard Jazz exclaim she wanted to see Aunt Shaw's new nano. Shaw whispered after dinner and he heard Fusco tell her to stop corrupting the children. Shaw just rolled her eyes and walk into the kitchen. She needed something to eat like five minutes ago with the girls on her heels.
"John." Harold replied coolly. "I know this was just supposed to a nice gathering… but the machine spit out some numbers. Something you need to be aware of and the real reason we're all gathered here today."
"I don't work the numbers anymore Finch." John said quietly. That was Root and her team's job now.
Harold pulled some photos out of his bag. Three pictures.
John' s vision turned red as he saw the pictures of Sam, Jasmine, and Jessica.
"It appears Mr. Reese… someone is targeting your family." Harold said quietly. "I thought it was best to inform you in person and see how you wanted to proceed. I've informed Shaw and Fusco already but I don't want to alarm Joss, Taylor, and the children."
John just stood there staring while his blood boiled.
"What are you guys whispering about?" Joss said strolling over. John slipped the pictures behind his back as she wandered over with a curious look on his face. "What are you guys hiding?"
"It's a secret." He said with a smirk. She rolled her eyes at him, she'd just find out later, that she was sure of. John waited till she walked away to pull the pictures out again. He'd kill anyone who came near his family.
"Tell me what you know Finch." He said dangerously, "Everything you know."
The killer John Reese was about to come out of retirement.