Disclaimer: This solely for entertainment purposes. I do not make any profit whatsoever.

Taking Chances

Joss couldn't remember much from the shooting. The bullets lodged into her vest had made it difficult to breathe or think. Her vision was blurring around her but she could remember one distinct thing for certain. Joss would never forget his voice, the concern that it held for her. It didn't matter to her that his face was hidden in the shadows. She knew that the vigilante, the Man in a Suit that she vowed to put in jail, had saved her life.

Her heart was pounding so loud from the adrenaline that she almost didn't hear his words. He didn't sound like a ruthless killer to her and she had met her fair share during her career as a detective. Instead, the man killed someone to save her life. This vigilante now had blood on his hands protecting someone he didn't even really know.

The pain was overbearing. Joss remembered feeling exactly where the bullets struck. If she hadn't worn her vest as the stranger warned her to do, she would have been dead.

Joss couldn't tell how long she had been unconscious. All she wanted to do was go home and hug Taylor until he couldn't breathe anymore. Her eyelids felt so heavy but Joss noticed right away that something was different. Her surroundings felt more welcoming. Instead of feeling the cold asphalt from the alleyway, if felt softer and warmer on her body.

To feel vulnerable would invite some sort of danger to herself like it had when she allowed herself to relax one time in the woman's barracks when she had been on duty a few years ago. Out of nowhere, the place was ambushed by an unknown enemy and Joss had been caught unprepared. Thankfully though, she had survived the encounter but it also taught her a very harsh lesson. She needed to keep her focus. Joss knew she had to do something before what she predicted came true. Her hands began searching for her holster. She stiffened a bit as Joss felt some pain on her upper chest. Flashes of Bottlecap and the alley soared through her mind and her hands instinctively went to the place where the two shots hit. Her breath hitched a bit as her fingers grazed the material of her sports bra.

Now she knew she had to find her gun and fast, before looking for a way out. Some stranger had removed her clothes and that was a sign that she needed to get her rear in gear. Pulling the comforter back slowly to minimize the pain, Joss eased herself off the bed and finally got a good look at her surroundings. Joss was surprised that the place was so well furnished and looked fairly decent. Whoever the perp was that kidnapped her had some taste, but that wasn't going to stop her from getting herself out of here.

Taking her time to stand up, Joss tried to get an idea of what she should do next. If this guy was as dangerous as she thought, it would be a mistake to confront him without a plan if the need arose. There was a chair sitting in the far corner of the room and Joss noticed a few familiar things. To her amazement, all of her possessions were neatly arranged on the table. Joss moved silently, double checking her pistol, surprised that the clip was still intact. It quite confusing and Joss wondered how big of a threat this guy could be or if he was just underestimating her ability.

Redressing herself while being mindful of the bruises, Joss gripped her pistol and slowly approached the door while taking on a defensive stance. She pressed her ear against the door, looking for any signs of life on the other side. There were some unidentifiable sounds accompanied by what Joss recognized as footsteps. Her hand inched forward to grab and twist the doorknob. It opened up to a narrow hallway and Joss tiptoed her way forward. The sounds were getting louder as she continued to focus, holding her pistol up near her head to possibly ambush to the perp.

The sounds she heard earlier were becoming clearer. Joss could make out the sound of sizzling and the clinking of glasses. Confused momentarily, she regained her bearings and approached the corner. Her back was firm against the wall, realizing that the noises were coming just from the other side.

Tucking some hair behind her ear, Joss eased her body around then slowly maneuvered around the corner. The first thing that caught her attention was the guy standing in the middle of what looked to be a kitchen. His back was towards her. Joss noticed that he was wearing a black shirt along with black slacks. She couldn't get a good look at his face, only noting the sprinkle of graying brown hair on his head. The stranger seemed to be occupied but Joss noted that the next door was directly to his left. There would be no way she could make a move as long as he was in the position he was in.

Joss saw that he was busy with something, his hands moving doing something that she couldn't quite make out. Right now, her options were limited to confronting the stranger which may not be a good idea. Joss was still less than a hundred percent from the small pain in her upper chest. Hoping that she would have the element of surprise, she stepped away from the wall and pointed the gun directly at his back.

"Freeze!" Joss commanded. The man didn't even flinch as his hands stopped working. "Hands up where I can see them." The guy was doing what she was saying but that didn't mean that he would cooperate fully. He may have had a trick up his sleeve. Joss would have to be careful. Her grip tightened on the pistol as she took one step closer, being sure to stay at more than arm's length. "Turn around, slowly. I don't want any reason to shoot you."

As he did what she ordered, he spoke. "I wonder if this is how you treat all the men that save your life Detective." It was the deep, familiar voice that had been haunting her senses for however many hours since the shooting. Vaguely remembering a silhouette as she laid on the ground, Joss tried her best to recall the real reason why this man looking at her right now felt so familiar. She couldn't remember their paths ever crossing before. It was then that she looked into his blue eyes and that's when it hit her.

Her defiant posture faltered slightly but Joss caught herself before he could notice. "You…" The clean shaven man before her she only remembered as the lost bum who looked like he was a glutton for punishment and possibly wanted to end it all. Joss admitted that she had been curious about his whereabouts after the precinct released him to his lawyer. She wasn't sure she could say that she was glad that he turned his life around since he had gone down the path of a vigilante, but a small part of her was happy that he managed to pull away from the dark place he was in. That still didn't explain what he had done with her. "So what, you thought that you could suddenly get into my good graces by killing my C.I.?" To her confusion, the guy seemed too relaxed even with a gun pointed at him. "How do I know that you aren't just trying to trick me into letting my guard down and you're actually working with Elias?"

He shrugged his shoulders before saying "I'm often misunderstood." The sizzling sounds were beginning to get louder. "Now if you don't want to eat some burnt food, I would like to finish cooking dinner before you arrest me." Without even waiting for an answer, he defiantly turned around to tend to whatever was on the stove.

Joss didn't really appreciate the fact that this guy was just blatantly disobeying orders. However, a small part of her felt like she could really trust him and there was also the burning feeling in her shoulder from holding up her gun for such a long period of time. Mentally yelling at herself for being so weak, Joss lowered the gun, sighing in relief that the pressure was gone. "Where the heck am I anyway?"

"I brought you to a safehouse near the alley. A few of your friends are investigating the scene as we speak." His hands continued to move until he was finished. Turning around, Joss was quick to bring her weapon back up, causing her to wince in pain. The stranger just shook his head as he put the plates on the table. "Tsk, tsk Detective. Wouldn't want to reinjure yourself and not be able to chase me anymore." He ignored the scowl on her face as he took a step closer, putting his hands up in defense. "I just want to take a look at the bruising. Do you think you can show me? I promise I won't bite."

"And I'm just suppose to believe you?" Joss asked skeptically.

"Well, the faster I help you out, the faster you can sit down and eat." She looked over his shoulder and noticed that the plates were in fact filled with chicken and potatoes.

Her stomach growled at the sight. What in the world was she doing? Joss should be figuring out a way to get back home, not debating on whether or not it would hurt her pride to show this stranger her wounds. Joss didn't like relying on other people for help. But again, she felt comfortable around him and her earlier accusations seemed unjustified now. Even then, she fought back with defiance. "Why did you leave my clip full? That just leaves me with more control in this situation."

"Because like it or not Joss, I trust your judgement." The sound of her name rolling off of his tongue sent shivers up and down her spine. She didn't like telling people her first name, something too personal for her. This guy seemed to know a lot more about her than even some of Joss's friends. Something was wrong about all of this.

It felt too right…

She sighed, she was beginning to get tired of fighting when he clearly wasn't going to back down either. Clutching the pistol tightly in one hand, she reached up and pulled the fabric of her shirt enough to expose the place above her heart. He leaned in slightly which had Joss backing up, still unsure of his motives. "Happy now?"

"Yeah, it looks like the bruising isn't so bad. I've got something that I can give you for the pain." He then backed away from her, inching towards the hallway. "Go ahead and sit down. I'll be right back."

Joss's nose caught the scent of the food and her stomach reminded her once again that she hadn't eaten. She had been so preoccupied with pinning the murder of Ronnie on Hector that she skipped lunch. Joss walked slowly to the wooden table, laying the pistol next to the plate. She heard some shuffling coming from the other room as she pulled out and sat in the chair. There was no way he didn't spike this with something, counting on her obvious hunger that he would have known about if he had been stalking her the whole day.

"If you are so worried that I'm trying to drug you, then just take a small bite. In my time with the CIA, I learned that's a good way to tell if something was spiked."

Joss jumped, she had not hearing him come back. Looking over at him, she saw something in his hand. "And how do I know that even that small bite wouldn't do something?"

He put his hand flat on the table, just next to her pistol. "It will do something, but you will notice the effects and react fast enough before anything serious does happen." He didn't even attempt to grab her weapon, instead pulling back leaving a small pill next to it. Joss immediately recognized it as an Advil. Staring at it, she also saw him put down a cup of water. "I know that you are still unsure about me. I would be surprised if you weren't."

"Who in the world are you?" Joss decided to take the chance. She popped the pill in her mouth before taking a small sip, just in case.

"Let's just say that I'm a concerned third party."

Joss wished she could just get a straight answer from the guy. "Don't suppose you could have found a job that's less hazardous, could ya?"

He took a seat across from her. "I don't really think a desk job would be as exciting. Besides, I like the idea of helping you out the way you tried to do the same for me when we first met a lot more."

"Thanks, I think." Joss then took a small piece of chicken and put it in her mouth. Her taste buds were having a field day at how delicious it was. Joss waited a beat for any signs of drowsiness or nausea. When it never came, she began to relax a bit.

"Now I hope that we can come to trust each other." He began to devour his food like sitting with the Detective that had been pursuing him for months was an everyday occurrence to him. Who knows, maybe it was? Joss did see his background after running his prints and he had quite the history. To Joss, that didn't seem to reflect the stranger that was sitting in front of her. He had shown his training during a few tight situations but no one was killed, just a lot of shot kneecaps. She still had her questions about the German spy from a few weeks ago, figuring that he was involved in that somehow.

"What the heck is your angle? You followed me all day today just to protect me from a threat that you somehow knew about ahead of time? Why are you doing all of this?" Joss began to tap her finger on the table.

"It's because you're someone that the world can not afford to lose." He said simply before going back to his food.

Joss leaned back a bit to stare directly at him. She was still trying to figure out what his plan was. "Do you say something like that to all your prisoners?"

"Who's to say you're my prisoner." This man was always quick to respond back. "You can leave anytime you want. The door is right behind you. I just brought you here so that you weren't an easy target for another assassin. You weren't exactly in a position to be able to defend yourself."

Joss scoffed a bit. "Yeah, don't remind me." She then leaned forward, balancing her head on her hand. "I still can't believe BC would just turn against me like that. He was hell when I first met him, a junkie that didn't look like he stood a chance. After talking with him and getting to know him, he got clean and became my C.I. for years."

"Money changes people. Even people who you think of as good friends can turn on a dime when desperate." He was almost done with his plate whereas Joss barely touched hers.

"Well it looks like it worked out well for you. I mean you cleaned up really good and went to wearing a suit. I didn't recognize you."

"That was the intention," he joked.

Finally giving in to the hunger, Joss started eating without a care in the world. Her stomach thanked her for its long overdue meal. There was silence as she was eating so she decided to ask a question again. "So are you going to tell me your name?" Joss finished up and her plate was left with nothing except bones.

He stood up to grab the two plates and put them in the sink to clean up later. Turning to her, he leaned back, his hands gripping the counter on either side of him. "It's John, John Reese."

Joss shook her head. "No, I know that was your name in the CIA. In your background, John Reese didn't exist until a few years ago. What was your real name, when you were in the service?" She had to fight the urge to make this into an interrogation. Joss wanted to have a real conversation with this guy but also try to find out as much as she could about him before he disappeared again.

"He's KIA" He said bluntly, as he continued to look at her with an intense stare.

Obviously this was a subject that he didn't want to touch on, so Joss decided to move on. "Okay fine then John, don't tell me the truth. You probably know more about me than I like to tell most people. Still…" She found herself hesitating for a second, which was uncharacteristic for her. "Thank you. It's not everyday you have someone save you who you don't even know. I'm still not sure how to take your intentions though. You are a vigilante which means you're trouble to the law, but you killed someone to protect me even though I was your enemy."

"Look, you may not like it but I do know that you have a son that cares and worries about you. Joss, you are someone that finds it difficult to trust people which is why you never had too many partners during your career. Like I told you, I know that I risk getting arrested but I wasn't lying when I told you that you weren't alone." He pushed off the sink to walk up towards her. "What I do, my job, needs me to do things that are outside of the law."

"And what kind of job would warrant such recklessness?"

"I help people, the same as you, even though my methods are a bit unorthodox." John gave her a cocky smile. "How's the pain?"

During the conversation, Joss had completely forgotten about it. Moving her left arm lightly, she had to say she was feeling better which she was glad for. "Not too bad now. So you are trying to tell me that you somehow know when people are going to be in trouble beforehand? Ms. Kovach didn't have any time left and should have been killed by her husband. I should give you her thanks too since you left in such a hurry."

"You're welcome." John watched as she pushed away from the table.

"I should head home. I told Taylor that I was alright and then I get ambushed a few minutes later. He's probably wondering where I am."

"Yeah, it's been about two hours. Here…" He walked up to her just as Joss sat up. "It's enough to get you home." Taking a hand, he placed a twenty inside.

He didn't let go of her right away and Joss felt herself enjoying his warmth. "Thanks, but I can't take this."

"Just think of it as an apology for not getting to you in time to at least stop you from getting shot. You're a fast walker, you know that?" John just smiled which she returned. He felt a little bit better that the Detective was finally understanding that he wasn't trying to hurt her.

"At least you stopped me from getting killed. Besides, maybe you are just rusty." Joss was surprised at the fact that she could go from being on the defensive to just shameless banter in a matter of minutes. Joss collected her things and made her way to the door. Before reaching for the doorknob, she turned around to look at him. "Thanks John, for all of this. It's not everyday you meet someone that carries you to a safehouse and just takes care of you without wanting something in return."

"Don't worry, I will cash that get-out-of-jail-free card soon." He couldn't go one second without his jokes. John opened the door to the chilly night air, helping her put on the jacket she had. "You going to be alright?"

"I've been taking care of myself for years. I'm a big girl." She walked through the door then turned back again. "So I guess I'll see you around, whenever that will be?"

The smile was back. "You'll know when I'm around."

Joss scoffed at him. "Yeah, you're right." With a last goodbye, she went down the stairs and flagged down a cab.

"Mom, are you alright?" Taylor exclaimed when Joss finally got home.

She put her jacket on the nearby coat rack before placing her holster and badge on the table. "I'm fine baby. Sorry for not calling to let you know what happened. I met an old friend on the way home so we had a drink." It wasn't a complete lie, just a small spin on what actually happened. Joss didn't want to worry Taylor with the truth. He always worried about her with her job and everything.

He visibly relaxed. "Okay, just call next time. Your partner called earlier asking if you were alright. Did something else happen at work?"

Joss shook her head. "Nothing more than usual. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a nice long bath before heading to bed. You've stayed up long enough. Don't you have a test tomorrow?" She chastised.

"Okay, nite Mom." Taylor went up and hugged her before going into his room and closing the door.

Without hesitation, Joss rushed to the large bathroom next to her bedroom. She quickly stripped down to nothing as she waited for the water to hit just the right temperature and added jasmine scented bubble bath. Once it was the way she liked it, Joss slowly lowered herself in, sighing at the water's soothing effects. She took her hair and put it into a loose bun before holding it in place with a few clips. Her head leaned back against the wall as she felt herself sinking deeper into the water.

The long sigh she let out echoed off the walls. Her thoughts were filled with the vigilante, John. Joss was in quite the dilemma for sure. Naturally, she should have arrested the man for his activities, and causing trouble the way he did. That kind of lawlessness was bound to spell trouble. Then again, Joss had noticed a drop in homicide cases over the last few weeks. John most likely was the reason for it with his ability to predict the crime before it happened.

Joss pillowed her head on her arms that were folded on the side of the tub. She couldn't understand how someone could have that type of ability. Could there be someone else, an accomplice that John worked with? She had thought that was the case when she investigated the robbery at the evidence locker and one of the victims. Even so, what kind of technology could they have possibly acquired to allow them to do something like that? Joss needed to stop thinking about things that she couldn't understand just yet. She would end up giving herself a headache. Instead, her thoughts went back to John and her fingers subconsciously grazed the light bruising above her heart. Joss couldn't remember the last time someone took care of her like that.

John could have just left her there on the street…but he didn't. Maybe being alone wasn't such a good thing after all. It felt good to have someone watch your back. She somehow felt like she could trust him even though she really only had a few minutes to get to know him. He cleaned up well, she thought. Joss definitely approved of the clean shaven look that seemed to be complimented all the more by his gorgeous tan. Joss had to stop herself right there. Was she seriously thinking about this guy like that? He was a criminal, albeit a handsome criminal, but a criminal nonetheless.

Then again, she wasn't in the precinct. Right now Joss was Joss the woman, not Joss the homicide detective. Maybe just for tonight, she would let her thoughts linger on him for a while. With that being said, Joss closed her eyes as she remembered his silky smooth voice, the one that told her that she wasn't alone.

Joss felt conflicted now. She was the side of the law and yet she didn't arrest John the second she saw him after months of chasing. There was something different about him compared to other vigilantes that she had stopped in the past. He treated her with such compassion, making sure that she felt comfortable with him. John understood that they weren't exactly on the best of terms and yet after a few minutes, the two were bantering with each other.

Maybe if circumstances were different, they could have been friends. Hell the only thing stopping that from happening was the fact that they were on opposite sides of the law. "John Reese…" she whispered slowly to herself.

Joss spent a few more minutes in the water until her body started to prune up. When she got out and dried herself off, she applied some lotion before putting on her pajamas which consisted of a green tank top with black sweat pants. Even though it was cold during the night at this time of year, her apartment felt comfortable enough that she didn't need to put anything extra on. Taylor was already asleep when she had gone to his room so she settled for kissing him on the cheek.

As she walked to her bedroom, the dreaded thoughts of the alleyway came back to her. Joss collapsed on the mattress, reminded of how she hit the concrete after being shot. Taylor would have lost his mother. More than likely, her name would have been corrupted by Elias to dishonor her and her work for the city. Joss's mother would have been devastated to lose her baby girl, and would have had to take care of Taylor in her steed. Joss would have never seen her future grandchildren, tell them stories about her job or life. She would have missed being a part of their lives as well as her son's.

That didn't happen tonight. All it took was a vigilante who sacrificed a part of his humanity to take another life because he wanted to protect her. Joss felt relieved as her eyes began to drift closed, not worrying about the comforter. All she cared about at this moment was when would be the next time they would cross paths.

A/N: Once again, thanks to SWWoman for putting up with my nonsense and thanks to all the Careese fans out there that continue to support these two. It's always good to know that there are plenty of people out there that share a similar hobby and can chat with. Shouts out to Caro, Liz, MB, ASomberCareese, Elev, Sandy, SWWoman, Jakela, Fangirlu, Nicvidmaker, PiscesChikk. You guys are always a blast to talk to. I also want to thank all of the continued support for my work threw reviews and pms. It's people that you that encourage me to write even after almost a year. Much love everyone =^_^=