Disclaimer: Anything you recognize does not belong to me.

Pre A/N: I've never done author's notes before a story but I just wanted to explain the origins of this two parter. So this story came about after chatting with ASomberCareese in the chatroom one day. She had expressed how she felt as though the Reese/Carter introduction was rushed and wanted to see them play a bit more cat and mouse. I understand that the reason for this was because CBS wanted to bring the demo which is why Carter was brought into the team so early but it made for an interesting idea. After getting some ideas from her and of course SWWoman for betaing this, I present this. Hope you enjoy;)

Chapter 1 - Masquerade Ball

"Is everything in order Mr. Reese?"

As John took a small sip of Bourbon, his eyes scanned the field of decorative masks in front of him. This charity masquerade was sponsored by his current number who made himself easy to keep track of with his unusually colored masks. Instead of the traditional gold or white normally associated with masquerade balls, he decided to go for a more green tone. It helped immensely in that John wouldn't lose him despite the huge crowd. "Other than looking proud of himself, nothing seems out of the ordinary. How about you Finch?"

While John monitored the lower floor, Harold hacked into the security system and gained access to all of their cameras. "Everything appears to be quiet upstairs as well." Taking a sip of tea, he used the joystick to maneuver the lens for a better view. There were businessmen discussing this and that with their wives in the foreground looking less than happy with attending. As his eyes moved towards the cameras posted at the entrance, Harold saw something that grabbed his attention. After following the new attendee for a few minutes, his suspicions were confirmed as to the identity. "Mr. Reese, it appears that we have a problem."

"Have the hit men shown up?" John was beginning to shift to protection mode.

"Not exactly, it appears that a young woman has come late to the event and causing quite a commotion."

John again went on alert for a whole new set of reasons and was just about to ask Finch where she was when he noticed a group of men shift their attention to the stairs off to the side. Hurryingly slipping through the bodies, John positioned himself along with the crowd to see what the fuss was about.

The sight before him left him speechless for the first time in his life.

Two days ago

Joss went into work as she had every day for the past few years; however this day was different. When she approached her desk, she noticed a large white box with a blue ribbon wrapped around it. She took it in her hands and began examining it, looking for any clue as to who it was from. This caught the attention of her partner Fusco who had been doing some paper work.

"Hey Carter, got a secret admirer or something?" He teased as he watched the bewildered expression on her face.

"Not that I know of." Joss sat down and began to untie the ribbon. Once she slipped it free, she lifted the lid and her eyes widened at the black Armani wrapping paper. Slowly pulling it back, she saw something sparkling back at her. Joss began looking around hoping to catch a glimpse of who had left such an expensive gift. "Did you happen to see who dropped this off?"

Fusco shook his head. "I just got back from talking with my CI and it was already sitting there. Whoever this guy is, he's got expensive taste. My wife asked me for scarf from them for our anniversary. It took me a month's salary to get the damn thing."

"Thanks anyway." Just then, her phone rang. She suspected that the caller was the one responsible for the very generous gift. Joss pulled the receiver up to her ear. No greeting was offered to the man on the other end. "You just think that you are so clever, don't you?" Joss asked as she looked down at the open package.

"Detective, I only suggest that if you really wish to speak with me face to face that you attend this event. The directions are underneath the dress." He knew that she was growing tired of not knowing what he looked like but it just added to the fun, at least for him. To watch her from afar had been quite the learning experience. But this would have been out of her element. Jocelyn Carter was a reserved woman that only took time to enjoy herself in the company of friends or her son.

Despite the fact he watched her constantly, John only ever saw her in her work uniform that consisted of black slacks that hid her hourglass figure and a variety of colored blouses that did her no justice either by hiding her beautiful, dark skin. Even though John kept her under constant surveillance, he had refrained from breaking into her home to plant bugs and cameras. That was her sanctuary and he wouldn't intrude on it…yet.

Joss had continued with her conversations with the Man in a Suit even though she had made a promise to put the mysterious vigilante behind bars. Her moral compass was screaming at her for continuing to even associate with this criminal to the point that he had somehow acquired her cell phone number to continue the back and forth that had started when she finally contacted him with the walkie talkie a few weeks ago. She wasn't a fool because Joss knew that with the kind of training this guy had, it would be difficult to pinpoint his location unless he wanted to be found.

That was why she was taken aback by the challenge that was presented before her. Finally she could have a moment with her vigilante but it was a double edged sword kind of deal. He would allow her to talk to him but only in disguise at this charity event that was being held on the other side of town. There was no way that she could do something like that.

"Good night Joss." His voice was but a whisper when he uttered her name before hanging up the phone.

The vision standing before him was something to behold. These other men were completely smitten with this mysterious woman. However the woman's attire gave way to the real identity of the person underneath the silver mask that covered her eyes. He recognized it as the dress that he'd had delivered to Carter's office, challenging her to come here with the simple intent of just speaking face to face.

Her hand took hold of the railing and there was a noticeable sway to her lips when she began her decent. Part of the dress was pulled up in her fingers to keep it from getting in the way of her six inch stiletto heels that echoed off the tile floor. John's gaze moved further up, admiring the view of her legs that the slit in the black dress offered. The train of fabric flowed behind her, gliding down along with her. The middle of the gown glittered with the assortment of silver jewelry arranged in a floral design that hugged her hips, accentuating the often hidden curves she possessed. It also dipped low in the front, offering a generous view of her cleavage. Her neck was left bare, the only accessory being a pair of simple silver hoop earrings. She had taken the time to pull up the tresses of her hair into a sophisticated bun, leaving a few strands to frame her face. Her lips were a sinful shade of blood red with her large brown eyes encompassed in eye shadow.

John was smitten with her beauty in an instant. It was a reaction he hadn't expected. Following her for so long, he had felt like he knew more about Jocelyn Carter than he knew about himself. The woman in front of him was radiant and yet still held a bit of modesty. Through her mask, John could see her eyes moving back and forth across the floor with urgency. It was a pleasant surprise that she had accepted his challenge but John stayed back to observe.

When Joss reached the lower landing, three potential suitors approached her and began bombarding her with questions. Despite being uncomfortable, Joss remained composed as she politely rejected the men's advances. Nerves were still racking her body and her brain was asking her what in the world she was doing here. Feeling so feminine was an out of the ordinary thing for her because of her occupation and Joss also felt a bit overwhelmed. The dress that her mysterious stalker delivered to her was beyond gorgeous and she was highly suspicious as to how he knew her exact size. For now, she would push those worries aside and focus on making this man keep his promise to meet her. There were countless faces looking back at her but their identities were cleverly hidden.

She knew that hiding her identity would help with the meeting. It was bad enough that he knew exactly how to avoid a tricky situation. If there was so much as a wire, he wouldn't show, so Joss had to go at it alone.

The hair on the back of her neck was standing up. He was close by but she didn't recognize anyone that fit his description. Joss did see that his eyes were on her at the moment, adding to the discomfort she felt earlier. These people probably could tell just by looking that she made a middle income salary and now she was worried that she would be confronted before she could meet her stranger.

It was then that she heard his voice close to her ear. "I have to say that for someone who doesn't go out often, you sure draw quite a crowd Detective." Joss had to fight the shiver that ran through her body as his hoarse voice tickled her ear.

Composing herself, Joss slowly turned around. She was taken aback by how much she had to lean her head up, the man towering over her. "Well this isn't exactly my type of party but I got an impromptu invite." The mask was framing his blue eyes that appeared to sparkle at the comment before he smiled at her.

"I do have to make sure that you don't try to keep your promise and put me in jail since I'm also working right now." John's focus momentarily went back to his number who was across the room speaking with an associate. "How about a drink?" His hand hovered above her back to direct her towards the catering table. The dress left her back bare, stopping just above her hip. John was careful not to touch her for fear that once he did, he wouldn't want to stop.

Even though this man was a criminal, Joss found that she was comfortable in his presence. There were no the judging stares or disgusted comments. He just saw her. While being escorted, Joss noticed a large open room off to the side where most of the party attendees were. There was also a large stage. She figured it was meant to host some kind of charity auction later in the night.

They paused underneath an archway where numerous tables covered with silk sheets and expensive silver lay. The catering table that they reached held a banquet of exotic meals appropriate for the type and amount of people that were being hosted tonight. John watched Joss as she debated what to pick. "Maybe if you are nice to me tonight, I could treat you."

"Funny." She then turned her body towards him, placing a hand on her hip. "So what do you go by? Maybe Man in a Tux suits you better" she joked before expression turned serious again. "I looked up you prints and got so many alias back that I lost count. Who are you?" Now she was getting into interrogator mode. Joss had her man in front of her and she was going to make it count.

Much to her surprise, he took her hand. "You can just call me John." He then pressed his lips to her knuckles. Even though she was shocked at his actions, Joss didn't pull away. If it was another guy, he would have gotten a shot to the groin and a good night. John didn't give her any bad vibes though. It was the same like back when Joss had first interrogated him.

"Well John, it's good to see you doing well except for the all the vigilante annoyance you're causing me."

She then grabbed a flute of champagne that was on a silver tray and took a small sip. "So why be a vigilante? With the kind of background you had, there were other things out there like being an police officer."

John shrugged before picking up another flute and taking a drink from it. "I doubt that kind of career offers the kind of excitement this one does. Besides, this pays well enough that I can get through each day."

Joss's eyes drifted up and down to give him a closer examination. "You do look better. I'm guessing that you've stopped drinking." He nodded. The two of them then began to walk around the room. "I'm glad. As weird as it sounds, I did wonder if you were alright. Still why meet in a place like this to talk? I know that you have to watch your back but really" she tugged a bit at the dress. "This is out of my league."

"You looked pretty confident when you came in here. What happened? Don't do parties?"

"No" Joss angered, growing annoyed at the smirk on John's face. "I especially don't do parties when I'm surrounded by the most snobbish people in our society."

"Well this party will probably be ending soon." He saw his number heading towards the dance floor with his wife. Without waiting a beat, he asked "Would you like to dance?"

Joss had to cover her mouth to keep from spitting the champagne in his face. "This is not a social call between us. I want some answers."

"I know that. As I've said, I'm currently working and right now I need to make my way to the dance floor and it would draw too much attention if I went alone." He saw that she was still hesitant to go. "You do know how to dance, don't you Detective?"

"Of course I do, it's just that…" Joss tried to come up with some excuse to not be pressed close to this man. It was already bad enough that a mere whisper had her body shiver in desire for more. She then turned her head defiantly. "You know what, I don't have to answer to you."

John then held out his hand. She eyed him warily, weighing the pros and cons once again. Sighing in defeat, Joss finally gave in and took his hand, noticing how large it was compared to hers. The two of them slowly walked towards the ballroom. As they passed a few people who were deep in conversation, their eyes began watching the two of them.

The classical music was heard throughout the large room as many of the guests danced the night away. Joss began feeling nervous despite herself but to her surprise, John offered her hand a squeeze to calm her down. How did he know exactly what she was feeling? It was amazing that he had become so in tune with her in such a short period of time.

Joss calmed down as they approached the dance floor. A few couples closest to them parted to let them through and John noticed the surprise on their face. He couldn't stop the smile on his face, as he realized he was about to dance with the most beautiful woman at the party.

They just reached the middle of the hardwood floor just as another slow song began playing. Without hesitating, John's hand tugged on Joss's to bring her closer to him until she was at a comfortable arms length distance. He then took his free hand and helped wrap hers around his neck before placing his on her hips. As soon as he did this, John watched her eyes darting back and forth before she took a deep breath.

Their bodies slowly but surely began swaying back and forth in time with the music. Joss had to get her focus back on the task at hand and that was to figure out everything about this man's motives. "So what is it that you actually do when you are breaking the law John?" Her voice was just loud enough for him to hear.

The dancers around them disappeared and suddenly it was just the two of them gliding together as if they had done this all of their lives. Why did it feel so right for her just to be around this guy, a criminal? Joss must have lost more than her sanity tonight. She was out of her element tonight and the man towering above her was her only anchor.

"I offer my assistance here and there" John answered vaguely.

Joss was spun out and pulled back into his arms. "So you are one of those vigilantes huh?"

"Well I haven't exactly left you any presents that didn't have a pulse Detective. I take good care to make sure they are delivered to you alive."

"That's what they all say." Joss looked him straight in his eyes for the first time since they started dancing. "Vigilantes say that they are just trying to help but then the power goes to their heads. Eventually they think that they are above the law and can do what they damn well please. What's make you any different?"

John didn't answer right away. Instead he brought her body just a bit closer. She could see the sincerity behind the mask. "All I want to do is make up for all of the bad I've done in the world." The hand on her hip flinched ever so slightly.

He spun her in circles with his left hand, the bottom of the dress lifting ever so slightly with the movement. Joss was worried that the long train would accidentally wrap around her and trip her up. Before something happened, John wrapped his arm around her waist and dipped her to the floor. The song had ended and clapping reached their ears. When Joss was straightened up, they looked around to find that the other dancers had stood back and watched the two of them. They hadn't even noticed, too enthralled with each other to care.

Taking a small bow before making an exit just off the floor, John saw that his number went back to entertaining his guest. The night was almost over and he knew if the hit was going to happen, it had to be now. But before making his exit, he had to thank her for the interesting evening. Taking her hand again, he gave it a kiss just as he had before. Instead of letting go, her grip remained strong. "You know that you won't escape me. Tonight is the night that I finally catch you."

John could see the determination in those stunning brown eyes behind her mask. He smiled before answering "I'm looking forward to seeing you try Detective."

Joss's was distracted for a second when the two of them heard something break on the other side of the room. That was all the time John needed as he quickly disappeared into the crowd behind him.

Finch spoke up for the first time since John had seen Carter. "I'm glad that you are having fun with Detective Carter but let's try to stay on mission here please Mr. Reese."

John smiled as he approached the stairs. "I am on a mission here Finch. I have everything under control." As if on cue, he spotted two men dressed in black on the upper landing running towards the number's office. "Well I had things under control." He then went to work.

Joss was annoyed. Even though she was handed the culprits in the attempted murder of the charity's host, she had lost her Man in a Suit once again. She couldn't believe how fast he moved when she had only looked away for a second. There was also a hint of disappointment that their night together was cut short. She suspected that John gave her the perps as a way of apologizing for their evening getting cut short, but she quickly ruled out that farfetched theory.

Something that he said to her earlier was still haunting her. When she asked about his motives, all John told her was that he wanted to repent for all of the bad that he had done. Joss had gotten little information from his time in the CIA. The defeated tone in his voice when he made that one statement made her wonder if it was not what he thought it would be.

Looking around as the people were finally allowed to leave after the crime scene in the office was processed, Joss couldn't help but wonder when their next encounter would be.

From afar, John watched the striking woman that had made it her mission to arrest him. He hadn't expected her tonight but her appearance had made the evening more pleasant. The drive to learn more about her was still there, tonight was just a taste.

She still had all the intentions in the world to arrest him. The slip he gave her tonight irritated her and that meant Carter would work even harder now that she was so close. He didn't mind the challenge. She had intrigued him since their first meeting and John suspected that she would continue to surprise him if he kept playing the cat and mouse game that was theirs and theirs alone.

With a silent goodbye, he disappeared into the night.

Post A/N: As you may have noticed by the title, this is only the first chapter. This story is two parts and I will post the second tomorrow. Again thanks to ASomberCareese for the prompt and SWWoman for the beta. Have a very sweet Valentine's Day everyone and may you indulge your sweet tooth.