In spite of the sweltering temperatures outside, John Reese remained cool and unbothered in his usual black suit. Standing on a small hill overlooking North Cove Marina, he watched with interest the flurry of activity below.
Captains and their crews worked expertly to prepare their boats for launch. Located a short walk north from bustling Battery Park, it was a secret oasis hidden amongst the throngs of glass high rise apartment buildings. Besides for the marina, the park itself was virtually empty with most locals holed up in their air conditioned apartments.
One sailboat after another glided out of its slip and into the mouth of the Hudson River, the clear blue sky and moderate wind creating the perfect conditions for a day on the water.
John's mind began to drift away too, its destination never changing.
His safe haven. His sanctuary.
Joss.
He knew it was her day off, knew she had plans to sleep in and relax. She had told him as much when he had woken her with his early morning call. She had also made no attempt to hide her irritation at his request.
He didn't care.
It had been two long weeks since he'd last seen her and his insatiable craving had taken on a mind of its own. He hungered for her like a junkie needing his fix.
The horn of a nearby tugboat broke John's trance and he checked his watch anxiously once again.
She was never late. Not without a call or text first. It wasn't her style.
He contemplated asking Finch to trace her whereabouts when he heard the crunch of footsteps on the gravel path behind him.
The corners of his mouth turned up into a soft smile as his eyes remained fixed on the large schooner below.
He didn't need to look up for confirmation. The sweet waft of jasmine preceded her arrival.
She stepped up next to him and handed him a long envelope.
"This better be important, John. Bothering me on my day off. Dragging me out of my cool apartment in this awful heat."
She huffed the last of her words out, seemingly annoyed at the inconvenience.
"I could have just emailed them you know. Why did I need to meet you all the way down here? And aren't you hot in that damn suit?"
"Finch didn't want to risk sending it electronically."
John slipped the envelope into his jacket pocket without a glance. His nonchalance and lack of interest in its contents sent Joss's lips curling up into a knowing smirk.
"Do you know the strings I had to pull to get my hands on that? Don't you want to look at it?"
"Look at what?"
Removing her sunglasses, she feigned a bemused scowl as he turned to face her.
In the blink of an eye every bit of his confidence, all his smug self-assurance, was instantly gone. It took all his will power to remain standing and not melt into a cowardly pool at her feet.
Gone was the pant suit, the conservative top and practical boots. Her hair was pulled up in a loose top knot, accentuating the elegant arch of her neck and her high cheek bones. Her usual small hoop earrings were replaced with long golden drops and her full lips glistened with pink gloss. Her casual sandals revealed raspberry colored toe-nails that matched her fingertips.
Dressed in a low cut navy maxi-dress, the fabric swirled in the breeze, hugging her hips, rear and trim thighs. John's eyes were transfixed, however, on the endless stretch of her perfect skin. The mid-morning sun bounced off the curve of her shoulders, the swell of her breasts, and her long toned arms. Arches of shimmering bronze dipped into valleys of burnished copper. His hands twitched to touch her, to bathe in her ethereal glow.
In all the time that he'd known her, he had forced himself to separate her. To split her down the middle. Divide her into two.
It was the only way he knew to cope, his only option. There was no other way.
This alter ego version of Joss unnerved him, threw him off his balance and left him floundering. Standing there next to him she was no longer the detective, the decorated military interrogator, the fearless woman with the perfect shot who could handle herself confidently with even the most degenerate of scumbags.
This was the Joss with the soft curves, large entrancing chestnut brown eyes and thick glossy hair that he longed to run his fingers through. The woman with the infectious laugh and the kind hearted soul. The one who visited him in his dreams and whose mere presence brought him a peace and contentment he hadn't felt in years.
He knew this side of her existed, every now and then he'd allow himself a brief glimpse, but he purposely forced himself to ignore it. To ignore her.
As she stood within arm's reach, encroaching on his space and saturating his senses, he felt suddenly vulnerable, exposed. She was the only person capable of breaking him down like that, stripping him bare.
"So?"
He blinked at her, a rush of blood flooding his cheeks; he couldn't recall how long he'd been staring.
"Huh?"
"Aren't you gonna open it?"
John took the envelope back out from his suit jacket, opened the clasp and reached inside.
He pulled out a lone yellow sticky note and read the handwriting scrawled across it.
Joss worried her bottom lip as she watched for his reaction. She relaxed as the comprehension slowly crept across his face, softening his features. She saw his deep in-take of breath, the rise and fall of his chest, and the twitch at the corners of his mouth as the words sunk in.
His long eyelashes fluttered up and he gazed at her briefly as if suddenly seeing her for the first time, his vision crystal clear.
At that very moment she instantly became complete, the two pieces merging as one. For years he had made it so complicated, had built an intricate labyrinth to keep them apart and suddenly all the walls disappeared.
Joss cocked her head dramatically and raised an eyebrow, impatiently waiting for a response.
Crumpling the note, John tossed it into a nearby garbage can. He turned back to her, his devilish eyes and amused smirk a mirror of her own.
Slowly he ran his thumb over the curvatures of her shoulder and along her bicep. Her skin was deliciously warm and soft as he continued on to her tiny wrist, eventually lacing his fingers through hers.
Beneath the hot rays of the sun, she shivered at his touch. Her mouth parted slightly as her breath hitched and her eyes, a mixture or surprise and anticipation, remained fixated on his lips.
He tugged her closer to him, trailing his lips across her knuckles and reaching his free hand up to cradle her cheek gently. Tracing her cheekbone and jawline with his finger, he slowly leaned in. Her warm breath was sweet and inviting, the remnants of her morning coffee mixing with her perfume.
Slowly he brushed his lips over hers.
With every glide he replayed in his mind the long journey that brought them here, the fate that entwined their souls.
With every sweep she showed him a future filled with love; a place he had long ago lost sight of.
With every nip he made a promise to give her all of him, to hold nothing back, and to cherish her completely.
With every stroke he thanked her for taking a chance on him and for having the courage he lacked.
Parting their lips, he continued to caress her cheek, marveling at the unexpected turn of events.
"You know, you didn't have to make up an excuse to see me, John."
He tried his best to hide the boyish grin that was beginning to creep across his face.
"I guess old habits die hard, Detective."
A/N- Terra Incognita *sigh*
It was so wonderful to see my favorite detective and couple one last time but I was NOT emotionally prepared for it! I knew it would be sad and hard to watch but I didn't expect the huge hit to the gut I felt. I've been living in Careese fanfic land for 18 months where Joss is alive and happy (marries John, has his babies, vacations with him, has lots of hot sex!) so the episode was a cruel reminder that she's really gone. They're gone.
But then I realized that at the end of the day they're just fictional characters and, just like the show's writers, WE can tell their story. They can continue on as long as we want. So now I return to the land of denial again.