Every time John Reese thought his job couldn't surprise him, he was promptly proven wrong.
He'd been on missions which had resulted in him thinking that that was it: he'd seen it all, done it all. But every time, without fail, Finch had found a new mission which would result in pure shock for his team.
Reese had honestly thought that watching Shaw convince a security guard that she was an Iranian popstar who had been hired for a private performance for a UN ambassador – complete with an array of her "greatest hits" to perform at said guard when he didn't believe her immediately – was a sight that could never be beaten.
In this case, however, Reese was overjoyed to be wrong; nothing would ever be able to surprise him as much as Sameen Shaw stomping around Disneyworld dressed as Maleficent. Even if he could only see her through the eyes of a Pluto costume.
The mission today was simple in its description: get eyes on the number to confirm that he was still alive. Whenever somebody reappeared from the dead, it was always best to verify the fact in person – recordings could be faked, after all.
It was going to be easy, they'd thought. Scope out the places he regularly visited, get confirmation of his identity, and report back to Finch ASAP.
The situation became slightly more complicated when it turned out the only purchase he had made on his credit card was two tickets to Disneyworld.
The original plan was to go as tourists. In fact, Reese wasn't sure why they hadn't gone as tourists. Despite Finch's statement that three single adults hanging around Disneyworld taking pictures without children may attract attention from security, Reese and Shaw had protested at the alternative plan.
Root had stayed silent, smiling a little too much for Reese's comfort.
Finch had assigned the characters; none of the three had wanted to know how he had gotten them jobs for the day in Disneyworld, only being told, as they were handed plane tickets to Florida, that the real character actors – and their understudies – had fallen sick, and replacements were conveniently needed.
And so, John Reese was standing in the Magic Kingdom dressed as Mickey Mouse's dog ("so that you won't have to actually speak, Mr Reese," Finch had told him. "Your voice doesn't align with any of the characters, and I thought you wouldn't want to do the, ah, funny voices."), watching as Maleficent made her way over to him, her frown fierce enough to send children and adults alike speed-walking in the opposite direction. She stopped by him, hesitating for a moment. He realised there were a few Plutos running around the park, and whispered "Hey, Shaw," to show that he was the right one.
She grabbed his arm and pulled him into step with her, walking towards a door marked 'Employees Only!" They went into the changing room they'd been in that morning, and shut the door behind them. Making sure it was secure, and that nobody would walk in on them, Reese pulled off his costume head, cradling it in his arms.
"So, are you going to tell me why exactly you've brought me to a changing room instead of letting me keep watch in the Magic Kingdom?" Reese asked.
Shaw's eyes scanned the room, noting the lack of security cameras before turning to Reese.
"Root's not responding when I speak to her through the wigs. I haven't heard from her in over an hour. The mission might be jeopardised."
Reese raised an eyebrow.
"Shaw, you know she's been given a popular character. Watching Belle talk to herself might put the kids off, and blow her cover if she sees the number. She's probably just busy."
Shaw raised an eyebrow, frowning, and Reese thought that Finch had definitely picked the right character for her. Shaw was scary enough before; as Maleficent, she was slightly terrifying.
"Yes, Reese," she said sarcastically, "shockingly, I thought of that. But even if that's the case, I need to check."
A smirk flickered on Reese's face. "And you're telling me this because...?"
Shaw's frown darkened, and for a split second Reese wondered if Sameen Shaw had just pouted.
"I need you to look for her. I may or may not have been told to take a break," Shaw answered flatly. "Apparently I'm 'scaring some of the kids', which you would think would be the point of this damn costume, but apparently not. I figure I can ditch the costume and hack into the security feeds to try and find Root and the number, but it would be useful to have you moving around as well. Cover more of the park."
"Isn't that what Finch is meant to- you know what? Never mind. Go for it. There are a few hundred cameras in this place, Finch probably needs the help. Makes more sense than three of us wandering around in these outfits... Why Maleficent, anyway? I would have thought Finch would get you a princess too."
"It was this or Jasmine, and Finch made the call," Shaw said, her make-up emphasising her glare as she pulled her horns from her head, releasing her hair.
Reese grinned, leaning against the wall.
"I think you'd have made a great Jasmine. I mean, I'm sure A Whole New World would be no problem for you to perform. Kids make a much better audience than security guards, I hear."
Shaw hit him on the arm, causing him to nearly drop his Pluto head.
"Ouch, Shaw. Living up to your character's reputation, I see."
She hit him on the arm again.
"Okay, ouch!" Apparently his costume provided very little protection from punches.
"Shut up. Look, I'm concerned about Root, and I need you to go look for her."
"Shaw, we're in Disneyworld. How much trouble do you think she can get into?"
Shaw raised an eyebrow. "It's Root."
"...Point taken."
Reese sighed, mentally preparing himself to be assaulted by children hugging him for another few hours. He envied Shaw's costume; he would happily dress up as Maleficent if it meant he could look for the number without children tackling him every few minutes.
As he readied himself for what lay ahead, Shaw staring at him impatiently as she tied her hair back, the changing room door swung open. A figure slipped through the entrance, shutting the door swiftly as her giant skirt caused Reese and Shaw to have to take a step back. Root spun round, her dress twirling around her gracefully, and grinned at the pair.
"I found him!" Root sang at them. As Shaw and Reese blinked at her, she cleared her throat.
"Sorry, I've been in character all day. Hard to break the habit," she said, eyeing up Shaw. "Love the dress. Definitely the cutest Maleficent I've seen," she winked. Shaw rolled her eyes.
"Thanks, Princess. Now why have you been off the grid for the past hour and a half?" the shorter woman demanded.
"Why, were you worried about me?" Root asked, grinning. Shaw frowned.
"Just worried about what mess you might have got into."
Root smirked. "Sure you were."
"Anyway," Reese interrupted, trying to remind the two women that he was still there, "what happened, Root?"
Her eyes flicked to Reese, tilting her head slightly as her smirk slipped into a slightly unnerving smile.
"There were a lot of kids, and one of them grabbed my wig instead of my hair. Dropped it, ran away, and then the rest of the little stampede stepped on it in their rush to hug me. I've been mobbed ever since, but I tried to find you to let you know." She was looking at Shaw again by this point, her doe eyes watching every movement.
"The good news is, when I was mobbed by kids, I found our number. He asked me to sign his books along with his kid's, and he's definitely going by Paul. It's the same guy, I'm certain of it. I've messaged Finch to let him know his location so we can track him, but we need to go so we can figure out our next move."
Reese nodded, moving away from the wall to the door leading out of the changing rooms and into the exit.
"Okay. Good work, Root. Let's change and go. The sooner I'm out of this dog suit, the happier I'll be," Reese said to the pair. "I'll head to the changing room next door. Meet you in five outside, okay?" Root and Shaw nodded their affirmation, and Reese turned to walk out the room.
"You're awfully chipper for someone prancing around in a ballgown in this heat," Reese heard Shaw say behind him as he closed the door.
"What can I say?" Root purred back at her, "I like costumes."
"I'll bear that in mind," Shaw said, the corners of her lips quirking up.
"Good," Root said, her voice slightly lower.
Reese walked speedily to the changing room next door; there were some things he didn't need to hear.
Eight minutes later, Root and Shaw walked out of the door in their regular clothes, their hair only slightly messed up.
Really, Reese pondered to himself, the only thing he'd seen in his job that was more surprising than Sameen Shaw dressed up as Maleficent was Sameen Shaw falling in love with Samantha Groves.
Then again, he thought, as Root slipped a pair of Mickey Mouse ears on Shaw's head once they had left the park, maybe it was actually the least surprising thing of all.