The Happiest Place on Earth
Summary: This is a crack fic I decided to write to fill in the huge gap left on the Person of Interest season two finale, God Mode. What happened after Carter rescued Elias? Did they just sit there in the woods? Find a safe house? Where did they go? In this twisted tale, a prison break turns into a spring break vacation as Carter & Elias travel to the "happiest place on earth" where they discover that they have more in common than they realized.
A/N: I just wanted to give a special thanks to Bug Evans and Jakela for helping me brainstorm for this silly fic and coming up with some rather hilarious ideas.
Disclaimer: I do not own Person of Interest or any of its characters. This is for entertainment purposes only, so fall back CBS & Warner Bros.…
Elias pulled the hood from his head to see who his mysterious savior was. He looked at the woman sitting in the driver's seat and was genuinely surprised. "Detective Carter? What a funny old world. Where are we going?"
"I don't know," Carter responded as her mind raced a mile a minute. She started the car and began to drive aimlessly without a real destination.
"After that near death experience, I could certainly go for something to eat. How about you, Carter? Ice cream?"
"Shut-up, Elias."
"Oh, come on. At this point, I think we should set aside our differences because we have a common enemy: HR. As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend," he said with a smirk. He looked to catch her eyes in the rearview mirror.
She saw him smirking at her in the mirror and responded, "I'm not your friend. You're a means to an end."
Elias was intrigued to find out exactly what the end was because they seemed to be going in no particular direction. He thought she was flying by the seat of her pants and decided to test that theory. "What's the end game here, Carter? You can't take me back to Riker's without implicating yourself to my rescue. We can't exactly stick around the city. HR is coming down on you, I have a bounty on my head, and my right hand man was almost murdered. What's your plan? Because I plan to regain the control I've lost to those undisciplined Russians and bring a sense of order to the city again."
Carter didn't really have a plan; she just knew she had to intervene with HR's plan to kill Elias. He was the last piece on the board of this dangerous game of chess being played with Elias on one side and HR and the Russians on the other. After HR set her up, got her suspended for a couple weeks with no pay and a demotion on top of it, and threatened her and Taylor, she wasn't going to sit and take it as Terney suggested. She was determined to do something. But what? "I know about that hit on Scarface." He gave her a look of disapproval. "Sorry, Anthony Marconi. I also know you have your men at the hospital to keep guard until he recovers. It's in your best interest to lay low and it's in my best interest right now for you to be alive."
"I understand that, but it doesn't really answer my question. I'm starting to believe you don't really have a plan. Perhaps it's something to discuss over a meal. I think we should break bread together, Detective Carter."
She looked at the shopping bags in the passenger seat next to her with men's clothing inside. If she did take him anywhere he would have to get out of his prison garb and they would have to be discreet. She sighed and shook her head, not believing she was actually doing this. She pulled the car over to a secluded wooded area and pulled it into park, leaving the engine running. She grabbed the bags and got out of the car.
Elias was curious about what was in the bags and what she was doing as she made her way around the front of the car to come to his side and opened his door. "I'm starting to have a bit of déjà vu. The last time I was taken out to a wooded area, I almost met my maker."
Carter rolled her eyes and sighed in frustration. "Listen, you're going to have to change out of your prison jumpsuit so that you won't stand out. I got these clothes for you earlier and you need to change," she said as she held the bags out to him.
"That's very thoughtful, but…" he raised his handcuffed hands to show her his current dilemma. "I can't exactly change clothes with these on."
She put the bags down and took the keys out of her pocket to unlock the handcuffs and removed one from his wrist, leaving the handcuffs hanging on the other. She pulled her gun from her holster and pointed it to him. "Now you can change. Once you're done those handcuffs are back on."
Elias smirked at her as she pointed the gun at him and wanted to push her buttons even more. "May I at least have some privacy?" he asked as he picked up the bags and began to take out the clothes.
Still holding her gun at him, she replied, "I've been married and I have a son, Elias. You don't have anything I haven't already seen, except maybe smaller and paler." She smirked at him as he frowned upon her joke, clearly displeased at having his manhood discussed in such a manner.
He started to undress and change into his new clothes and said, "At this point, I think we should be on a first name basis. You've seen me practically naked with handcuffs, so you should at least call me Carl. I should at least be able to call you Jocelyn. Or do you prefer Joss?" He smirked at her knowing that he would piss her off.
She glared at him. "You can call me 'Carter'. Now hurry up and get dressed."
After he finished changing into his new clothes, she secured the handcuffs and led him back to the car. Once she settled in the driver's seat to continue driving to the destination of nowhere, he spoke again.
"So how about that meal, Joss? I'm starving." She slammed hard on the brakes and the forward motion of his body made him ram into the back of the front passenger seat.
She turned around giving him a menacing look and said, "You don't get to call me that. Let's get that clear right now."
"I'm sorry, Carter. Could we please go somewhere to grab a bite to eat? I am a prisoner in your care," he said while smirking and rubbing the knot forming on his head.
"Sit back and shut-up, Elias." She turned around to continue their drive.
Frankie's Diner
Carter sat across from Elias watching him as he finished his pastrami sandwich and fries. She sipped on her coffee and looked around the restaurant watching the door, making sure no one followed them or would discover them. The diner was practically empty except for the line cook, waitress, and the two of them sitting in a corner booth near the back. She watched as he looked up at her and wiped his mouth with a napkin, balling it up and tossing it on his empty plate before speaking.
"So are you sure you don't want anything to eat, Carter? It's not best to think of a plan on an empty stomach. That coffee doesn't look all that appealing, either."
"Didn't you see the sign outside?" She asked nodding her head towards the lit sign near the window. "World's Best Cup of Coffee," she quipped as she took another sip of the crappy coffee.
"I don't know about that, but I heard this place serves a pretty good egg cream. Wanna try it out?"
Carter smiled in spite of herself. "I haven't had an egg cream since I was a kid."
"Neither have I. How about we take a trip down memory lane?" He motioned for the waitress to come over and ordered two chocolate egg creams.
"I wonder if they use Fox's U-Bet chocolate syrup?" she asked.
"It won't taste as good if they don't," Elias countered with a smile. It was nice to have some common ground with her, even if it was only over a sweet, fizzy, and creamy beverage.
The waitress came back with two small Coke-style glasses and placed one each in front of them. The foam spilled slightly from the top of the glasses, but still looked very appealing. Both Carter and Elias hesitated before giving it a try. She looked up at him. "After you."
"Oh, no by all means, ladies first. I insist."
She didn't really want to go first because in order to drink an egg cream you have to gulp it down. If you don't drink it quickly, it will become flat. She didn't want to appear like an overeager kid chugging down a Yoo-Hoo in front of the man she was keeping guard over. "Let's just drink it at the same time."
"Sounds like a plan." They both picked up their glasses and drank it at the same time. Elias finished a few seconds before Carter and let out a small belch. "Sorry about that. It gets me every time."
Carter grabbed a napkin to wipe the milk mustache from her mouth and grinned. "They did use Fox's U-Bet syrup. That was as good as I remember."
Elias smiled, happy to enjoy the small moment between the two of them. However, the moment was short lived because they had to discuss the elephant in the room. "So what are you going to do with me, Carter? You can't keep watch over me for too long. You'll eventually have to go back to work and you have to keep appearances to avoid suspicion. How are you going to do that?"
Remembering her current suspension, she wasn't concerned about not being able to keep an eye on him. "Fortunately for you, I have a couple weeks off. We'll be able to spend all our time together," she said sardonically. "Wouldn't that be fun?"
"I'm not so sure about that; unless we go somewhere that's actually fun. I wouldn't mind being in the company of such a pretty lady on a small vacation. Just understand that I don't normally sleep with a woman on the first date," he jibed, continuing to get under her skin.
Carter chuckled at his attempt to rile her. "Don't flatter yourself, Elias. You have to be this tall," she raised her hand high above their heads, "to get on this ride."
"Carter, you wound me. I even bought you flowers once. Doesn't that count for anything? I even hand delivered them to you."
Anger flashed in her eyes at the memory of the flowers he left on her desk expressing his condolences on her impending death. Thankfully, John had been there to save her. She wondered what he would think of them now, seeing her and Elias sitting at a diner sharing memories over an egg cream. She was mad at herself more than anything for even entertaining Elias. "Go to hell."
"Hell is too hot, but I did have a rather warm place in mind since we both have time off," he responded with a smile. "Actually, it's a place I've always wanted to visit, but never had the chance to since I grew up in the foster system." His smile wavered at the painful memories of his childhood, growing up without a mother and knowing a father that didn't want or claim him.
Carter could see the sadness in his eyes as he brought up his childhood and the compassionate side of her seemed to take over. She sometimes hated how she was always able to empathize with even the lowest common denominator of people like Elias. Right now what she should be doing is trying to call Fusco, Finch, or John, but something told her to hold off. She sighed and sat back in her booth. "What place is that, Elias?"
He could see that she was serious in wanting to know where he wanted to go, but he knew he couldn't really tell her. She already thought he was some crazy maniac that would kill anyone or do anything for power- and that was mostly true. However, he couldn't resist his need to tell her and get her to understand where he was coming from. She was now an ally to him. Although they had different methods of getting rid of their common enemy, in order for them to work together, he had to get her on his side. "Have you ever been to Disney World?"
She looked at him as if he had gone crazy. Not sure where he was going with this, she decided to answer. "Yeah… a few times I went as a kid and I took my son once for his birthday when he turned five. What are you getting at?"
"That's where we should go. We should go to Disney World."
She couldn't help it but she chortled at his response. The man had his one-liners, but this had to be the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. Why would she ever want to go anywhere, much less Disney World, with Elias? After her laughter died down she looked at him and noticed that he had the nerve to look sincere. "Be serious, Elias."
"I am serious." He actually felt slightly hurt that she would cackle at his suggestion like she did. He knew that Carter was a compassionate, yet tough woman, and he didn't think that she would outright laugh at him.
She looked at him in bewilderment. "We can't go to Disney World, Elias. You're a wanted man. I can't get caught taking you out of the state. Besides, even if I were to entertain that notion, we don't exactly have the resources to take such a trip. You can't get on a plane and I'm not driving us for 16 hours to get there either. And do you know how ridiculously expensive the tickets are? Just for a one-day ticket? I'll pass."
He sighed and shook his head. "You underestimate me and the level of my reach, Carter. I have connections that extend far beyond New York. We'll have a great time. We can even share driving duties. You won't have to worry about a thing other than having fun… and making sure we're not caught," he ended with a smirk.
"You're really serious about this?"
"Yeah."
Carter looked at Elias trying to read him. Where was he going with this? What was his angle? Why was she even considering this? Well, it's not like I have to go back to work in a few days. No one would ever think to look for either of us in Florida. This is just crazy enough to work until things die down in the city. A small smile crossed her lips as she made her decision. "Okay, let's go."
He was pleasantly surprised at her quick decision, but didn't let it show; instead offering her a smile. "I knew you'd see things my way. We need to make just one small stop so I can pick up some funds and I'll get us everything we need."
Orlando, Florida
Disney World – Magic Kingdom
"So which ride do you want to try first?" Elias asked as he held out the map of the amusement park trying to figure out where they needed to go.
Carter put her hand over her eyes to protect them from the glare of the sun, and also to hide her annoyance at Elias. He was way too excited and into this for her comfort. "I don't know. This is your first time here so I'll leave that up to you."
He looked up from the map and saw that she was covering her eyes. "Joss do you need a hat? Maybe a pair of sunglasses? You know we could have gotten more things from the boutique."
She looked down at the simple but beautiful yellow sundress she wore and shook her head at the memory of Elias picking it out for her. During their 15 hour drive, they bonded and found out they had a lot in common. More than they originally thought. She assumed that the ride would be in silence but was surprised by how easy going Elias was and how open he was at sharing more personal things about himself. She surprised herself in sharing information about herself that perhaps she shouldn't have as well.
Both were Yankees fans, shared a love for rocky road ice cream, laughed at scary movies, and both were afraid of failure. He shared memories of his childhood with her and she shared stories of her time in the military. He told her about his time as a teacher, and she shared how she received the Purple Heart medal. They ended up talking and reminiscing about the old days the whole ride down, took turns driving, and ended up bonding. Now they were addressing each other on a first name basis, much to Carter's dismay.
By the time they arrived in Orlando, they made a few stops for clothes and supplies and Elias chose this dress for her. It wasn't something she would have ordinarily chosen, but it was a flattering style and the color was amazing on her. Plus it was the perfect attire for the extraordinarily warm weather in Florida this time of year.
"I'll be fine, Carl. Where do you want to go? You have the map so I'll let you lead the way."
Elias had a huge grin on his face and almost looked childlike in his excitement. He looked down at the map and pointed to the Tomorrowland section. "Space Mountain, here we come!"
"Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes isn't here anymore," Elias said in disappointment as they made their way from the Frontierland part of the park.
"Well, Splash Mountain was still there. That was fun," Carter said in reassurance as she patted him on the back. "Don't get all mopey on me now; we still have more to cover. I'm ready for the Dumbo ride. Give me the map so I can see where we need to go next."
"I guess you're right. I still want to get on the teacup ride. That always looked fun," he said as they took a seat on the nearby bench. He passed the map to Carter and observed an attendant passing by with a cart carrying frozen treats. He looked over to Carter to see that she was fully engrossed in trying to find out how to get to the Dumbo ride. "Joss, you want some ice cream?"
She looked up from the map and smiled at him. "Yeah."
He nodded his head in the direction of the man pushing the cart. "How about some Mickey ears?"
"I love those!" she exclaimed with a huge grin. "After we finish, we can head over to Fantasyland. Both of the rides we want to go on are over there."
"Sounds like a plan," he said as he got up to go get the sweet frozen treats.
"Ughhh…. Carl, I told you not to keep turning the tea cup. I was already dizzy enough."
"Calm down, Joss." They walked into Gaston's Café and found a booth so that she could sit down and get her bearings. "I'll see if they have ginger ale here."
She laid her head on the table trying to will the room to stop spinning. "Thanks," she mumbled.
He came back with a bottle of ginger ale and sat it next to her. She sat up and took a small sip as her nausea settled. She heard music playing outside and looked out the window to see the commotion. A parade was taking place. She smiled as she saw several familiar cartoon characters walking by, some of them dancing, as the spectators waved. Elias turned to take a look and took in the spectacle.
After the parade came to an end he turned to face her. "Thank you."
She took another sip of the ginger ale and looked at him curiously. "For what?"
"For giving me a chance to experience this. For saving my life. Never in a million years did I think I would be here, especially not with you. You didn't have to do what you did."
"I know I didn't. I still don't know why I didn't just let you die out there. Why I even drove down here with you. But here we are…"
"It's because you're a strong and compassionate person. And you're suspended from work so it's not like you had any plans."
She looked at him in surprise. "What? How did you…"
He waved off her question and cut her off. "To show my gratitude, I have a special surprise for you later."
She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. "The last time you had a surprise in store for me, I almost lost my life. So excuse me if I don't seem too excited."
"This one is a good one. I promise."
"Okay…" she responded, still not trusting him.
"Are you feeling better now?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Good. It says here on this schedule that Winnie the Pooh and Tigger are going to make an appearance to take pictures in the next 30 minutes, and I wanted to get a decent spot in line. Did you want to get a princess makeover at the Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique afterwards? "
She glared at him. "I'm a grown woman, Carl. I'm not five."
"Why not? I think it will be fun."
"If I get a makeover with glitter and princess dresses, you have to get one, too."
Elias shook his head. "Never mind. I guess we'll check out the Hall of Presidents after pictures. See how accurate but creepy those animatronic presidents are. You're such a party pooper, Joss."
Later that evening, Carter and Elias oohed and ahhed as spectators of the Parade of Lights. Soon after, the fireworks began. As the Wishes fireworks show came to a close, she began to wonder what the special surprise was. He hadn't mentioned it since earlier during lunch. She looked over to him and saw the expression of happiness on his face as he watched the groups of people walk by. The parents were worn out for the day while the children seemed to have gotten their second wind, still excited about the fireworks and the parade as they played with their overpriced light up toys from the park. She grabbed his arm to guide him towards the exits of the park so that they could get back to their hotel room. "Come on Carl, it's time to head out. The park is closing and my feet are starting to hurt."
He looked at her with an expression that she couldn't read. "No need, to hurry out, Joss. As a matter of fact, we don't have to leave at all."
"Excuse me?"
"You remember the surprise I told you about earlier?"
"Yeah."
"Follow me."
He led her to Cinderella's castle and stopped in the archway where they waited. Carter admired the mosaic murals until a short white man with a low gray beard approached them and said in a low voice, "Follow me." She detected his accent and figured he was from New York, so this had to be one of Elias' 'connections' that extended down from the city.
"Come on, Joss." Elias motioned at Carter behind the mysterious man, but Carter wasn't willing to follow some strange man. She stopped abruptly and looked at Elias.
"What the hell is going on here? Where is he taking us, Carl?"
"To our surprise. You'll see," he said with a sly grin. She still didn't move, so he pulled her by the arm so they could continue to follow the short man. "Come on."
She rolled her eyes and finally started to move her feet. They walked through a door and climbed a stone staircase. "Where are we going?"
Not providing an answer, Elias continued to follow the attendant and led Carter along. Once they reached the top of the stairs, the surprise was revealed. "Welcome to Cinderella's Suite," he said with a broad grin.
Carter couldn't believe it as she slowly turned around to take the space in and commit it to memory. She'd heard that there was a suite here inside the castle, but thought it was just a rumor. "How did you…"
"I told you I have my connections," he replied, pleased with himself by the look of surprise and awe on Carter's face.
The attendant that guided them there finally spoke. "I take it that this is up to par for you, Mr. Elias?"
"Yes it is. Do we have snacks and movies set up?"
"Yes, there's rocky road ice cream set up in the living area of the parlor and the DVD player is set up to play Remember the Titans."
Carter turned to Elias and smiled. "You remembered that was my favorite movie."
Elias returned her smile but said nothing. He thanked the attendant and saw him out while Carter made her way around the suite admiring all the details of the beautiful space. After he saw the attendant out, he made his way over to the bathroom and saw Carter looking at the tub wistfully. "Later for that Joss, our ice cream is melting and I'm ready to watch the movie."
They walked into the living area and saw a tray with silver bowls filled with rocky road ice cream on a bed of ice. The tray also had other snacks and ice cream toppings. Carter walked over to the tray and grabbed one of the bowls and a spoon. "They kinda went over the top didn't they?" She took a seat on the plush sofa and asked, "Where's the TV?"
Elias walked over to the ornate mirror above the fireplace and turned it around to reveal the flat screen television. "I don't think Cinderella had this in her castle," he joked as he started the movie.
Joss smiled. "How long are we staying here?"
"Only for tonight, then it's back to the hotel."
"Well, let's make the best of it."
"You bet." Elias held up his spoon and motioned for Carter to hold up hers. Once she held hers up, he clicked his spoon with hers and said, "Cheers!"
They shared another laugh and settled in to enjoy the movie.
2 days later
New York City-The Library
"Mr. Reese, we have a bit of a problem," Finch said as he picked up the green tea John brought in for the start of the day.
John sighed. The day had just begun and they had another problem to deal with. They were still trying to deal with the aftermath of the machine moving itself and trying to find its new location. Although he and Shaw managed to suppress the immediate threat of Decima, he knew that they were down, but not out. What could possibly go wrong now? "What is it, Finch?" He opened the box of doughnuts and picked one with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. He saw no need to forego eating; it wouldn't make this problem go away. He picked up the doughnut and took a bite.
"As you know, Elias managed to escape during a prison transfer.
"It's been all over the news, Finch. You hear anything from Carter yet?" John had been trying to contact her since they returned from Washington. She'd been missing for the past two days.
"I'm afraid not, and that is partially the cause of my concern. And the fact that Elias' number has come up," Finch replied as he got up from the desk to tape Elias' picture to the glass.
John stopped chewing; now losing his appetite. He put the doughnut back down and asked, "You still haven't been able to locate her?"
"Well, I didn't until this morning. It appears that she removed the battery on her phone and I hadn't been able to pin her location until this morning. I'm pretty sure she's safe. Or at least I hope she is.
John let out a sigh of relief. "Where is she?"
Finch continued, not quite ready to answer that question. "I was also able to locate Elias. He's currently not in New York."
"Okay, so he skipped town after escaping. That's not really that much of a stretch, Finch. And the Russians are actively looking for him, so I'm assuming that is why his number is up. What does any of this have to do with Carter?" he asked, growing more concerned at Finch's avoidance of the question.
"You have to understand, Mr. Reese that the machine gave me his location. And he's not alone."
"Where is he?" John still wasn't catching on.
Finch hesitated before answering, still not quite believing it himself. "It appears that Elias is in Orlando, Florida. Disney World to be exact."
John gave him a look of confusion. "I'm not sure I understand. Is the machine still dealing with the aftermath of the virus? Why would it tell you that Elias is at Disney World? What would be the reason and how would he even get there?"
"Detective Carter would be able to answer that."
John thought about his last conversation with her and how she told him about HR's plan to kill Elias during a prison transfer. He was certain he talked her out of doing something stupid, but now he wasn't so sure. "Why would she be able to do that?"
"Because that is who Elias is with," Finch answered pensively. He was unsure of how John would react, but since Elias' number was up, it was up to them to find and eliminate the threat. This was their purpose, whether or not the number was someone who may not deserve to be saved in their eyes. However, throwing Carter into the mix of things intensified his anxiety over their current dilemma.
John was still trying to digest this new bit of information, but wasn't ready to accept this new reality. "So Carter and Elias are at Disney World?"
"Yes."
"Together?"
"It appears so."
John felt a vibration in his pocket from his phone and checked it to see a text message from Carter. He opened the text to see a picture of a smiling Carter in a yellow sundress and Elias posing with Winne the Pooh and Tigger. He cocked his head to the side in confusion and looked at the picture again. The phone vibrated once more with another message, this time a text that said
From Joss & Carl in Orlando. Wish you were here!
He knew that looks could be deceiving, but he highly doubted that Elias would hold Carter 'hostage' in this way. Her smile looked genuine and she looked really happy. He felt anger, exasperation, and funny enough- jealousy as he looked at the picture again. He thought back to the time he and Carter talked about their childhoods during a long overnight stakeout. He told her that he'd always wanted to go to Disney World, but only went to Disneyland instead. Why in the hell was she even there in the first place? With Elias of all people? Now he had to find and protect both of them.
"Finch, I need you to book me a flight. Looks like I'm going to Orlando to pick up a pair of runaways."
Orlando, Florida
Disney World – Hollywood Studios
By the time he got off the plane and to the park, John was absolutely furious. He couldn't believe that Carter actually went through with saving Elias and actually had the nerve to take him out of the state to an amusement park as if they were best buds. He walked through the entrance of the Hollywood Studios park and tapped his ear piece. "Finch, can you give me their exact location in the park?"
"I hacked into the park's security camera system and located them coming from the Tower of Terror ride."
"Thanks." He disconnected the call and looked at the park map to see where he needed to go.
"I can't believe you were scared of that ride, Carl. I had to hold your hand the whole time!" she laughed.
"Well, I'm sorry if I have a fear of being trapped in a falling elevator. I only went on that ride to humor you."
"You owed me after you made me participate in that silly American Idol mock audition."
"And you were great! They loved you. Who knew you could sing? You're a jack of all trades, Joss." Elias looked down at his watch. "It's almost time for the second showing of the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show. We've got fifteen minutes to get there and you know I really wanted to see that one."
"Okay, but as long as we get to watch the Indiana Jones one, I'm fine."
They made their way to the opposite side of the park to catch the show and stopped at a concession stand to get a bag of cotton candy to share while they watched the show.
John walked around the park again hot, sweaty, and annoyed. He called Finch again to give him their location and made his way to Streets of America section of the park. He noticed the people giving him strange looks but he didn't give a damn. He walked into the arena for the stunt show and looked for Carter and Elias sitting in the stands. Once he found them he made his way over in long, angry strides.
Carter and Elias were blissfully unaware of the black and white tornado of anger swirling in their direction; completely engrossed in the spectacle of the show. "Fun's over you two. Let's go." They both looked up to see a pair of ice blue eyes filled with anger looking back at them.
They weren't surprised to see John. Elias was a fan of his and wanted John to join them. That's why she sent the picture text. She knew that he would be down here in no time; she just didn't know he'd be so angry.
"You know, John it's pretty warm down here. I would think that you would have at least changed into something more suitable for our current environment. Who wears a stuffy old suit to a place where dreams come true?" Elias asked, smirking. He was happy to see John, but was put off by the anger. He hadn't done anything to Carter so he couldn't understand why John was so mad.
John looked at the two of them. Carter was wearing Minnie Mouse ears and Elias was wearing a green hat with Goofy ears hanging down the side of his face. They both had on matching t-shirts with Mickey Mouse and the other characters on the front. He watched Carter reach down into a shopping bag and pull out a t-shirt and Mickey ears. "He's right John. You really need to relax. And have a seat, the people behind us are missing the show," she said as if this situation was perfectly normal.
He took a seat next to Carter and she passed him the t-shirt and ears. "Here, put these on. Didn't you bring a change of clothes?" she asked, looking at him in what he thought was disapproval. "Really, John? Do better," she fussed at him and his lack of a response.
He pulled her by the arm and leaned in to speak in her ear. "Carter, have you lost your mind? What the hell are you doing here with a wanted prison escapee? We need to leave right now." He pushed the t-shirt and ears back in her hands and looked at her trying to relay his sense of urgency with his eyes.
Before Carter could respond, Elias interrupted, leaning in next to Carter to address both of them. "Perhaps we can have this conversation later? You're interrupting the experience for me."
Carter gave John an apologetic look, shrugged her shoulders, and gave the t-shirt and ears back to him as she sat back up to finish watching the show. She looked down to see John's hand still wrapped around her arm and looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. He looked at her intensely, but said nothing as he removed his hand.
John looked at Carter and Elias as they basically ignored him and enjoyed the show. He watched as Elias and Carter shared a bag of cotton candy. As Elias passed the bag back to Carter, she gave him an appreciative smile and she pulled a piece to eat. She held the bag towards John to offer him some, but Elias shook his head and held out his hand to stop the gesture.
"No. He doesn't get any cotton candy, Joss. He doesn't deserve it."
Carter gave John another apologetic look. "Sorry, John. We'll get you something once the show is over. Maybe a funnel cake? Or the chocolate ice cream Mickey ears? You like sweets, right?" She noticed his frown and continued. "At least put on your ears. You're standing out as it is with that suit."
John was annoyed at how comfortable Elias was with addressing Carter by her first name. He was even more annoyed at how she didn't even blink when he did. When in the hell did these two become so familiar with each other? He felt a twinge of jealousy. "No. I don't want any park food and I'm not wearing those stupid ears. We need to leave right now." He stood up and pulled Carter up with him.
She sighed as she grabbed a few of their bags. "Come on, Elias. I guess the fun is over."
Elias frowned as he picked up the remaining bags and followed them out of the stadium. "Why do we have to leave so soon? I erred when I thought it would be fun for John to join us, Joss."
"Elias, we've been here almost three days. The fun had to end sometime soon," she said despondently.
"Can we go on the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster again?"
John and Carter answered simultaneously. "No." "Yes!"
John rolled his eyes and sighed. He was fed up with both of them at this point. "No! Enough of the bullshit, we're leaving!" he shouted.
Carter and Elias looked John in surprise; mouths agape. In all the time that either of them knew John, they had never heard him raise his voice. They turned to look at each other and burst into a fit of laughter.
"Dammit, Carl, I owe you a dinner. I can't believe you were right!"
"I told you he would get mad. Come on, let's go on a few more rides. What's another hour gonna hurt?"
They gave their bags to John and walked off to find the roller coaster ride leaving John flabbergasted and following behind them. He tapped his ear piece. "Finch."
"Yes Mr. Reese."
"You know when I told you that having a child would be nice… scratch that."
"I'm not sure I know what you mean."
"They won't come home, Finch. They're like acting like best friends now. It's weirding me out. And I've seen some weird shit in my lifetime," he said with regard to his time in the military and the CIA.
"What do you mean they won't come home?"
"We were leaving and now they've run off to go to some rockin' rollercoaster or something. They've got me holding bags of souvenirs and I'm following them now."
"Oh dear."
"I don't have my gun, so I can't shoot them. What am I supposed to do?"
"I suppose you could join them and enjoy your time there. They'll be more willing to go with you if you let them believe that you left the decision up to them."
"What?"
"Put on the Mickey Mouse ears and matching t-shirt and have a good time. Or at least pretend to. I need time to go through the security camera footage to remove evidence of the three of you being there. Right now, no one knows to look for Elias in Florida and I'm starting to believe that's why Detective Carter went along with this."
John frowned as he disconnected the call. He looked ahead at Carter and Elias with their arms linked, looking back at him and laughing at some sort of inside joke. It was going to be a very long day.
The next day
John rolled his eyes for what had to be the hundredth time as Carter and Elias burst into another fit of laughter at another one of their inside jokes.
"Do you want to tell John about the time when… you know, that thing?"
Carter giggled. "No, no, no. You tell him. It's funnier when you tell it."
"Noooo, you tell him."
More laughter. John sighed. He felt like Clark Griswold driving his family home at the end of a crazy vacation. While they chatted back and forth during the ride, he was mostly silent as he drove them up the highway passing over the North Carolina border into Virginia.
Finch was right for the most part. It was best to let them stay at the park for the rest of the day and placate them by pretending to go along with their outlandish requests. After another fireworks show, there were no disagreements or requests for another ride on the merry-go-round. They were leaving the "happiest place on earth" and John didn't have to "wish upon a star" to get them to go. What Finch didn't know was that it was even easier to threaten them outside of the park where he could use his gun…
With that memory, John was finally able to smile for the first time that day.