Arising very early, John had a light breakfast and began executing his plans for the day. At 7:30, knowing that Joss was getting ready for work, John texted her. Have a wonderful day and I will see you this evening. Love, J. He phoned Finch, letting him know he'd be in late, but needed the night off except in case of a dire emergency.

"No problem Mr. Reese," was the response. "See you when you arrive."

"Oh and Finch. Do you by any chance own a travel agency?" John asked.

Hours Later

By 10:30, John had completed all his arrangements and was on his way to the library. In fact, one activity had already been carried out, for at 9 am, a bouquet of 2 dozen blood red roses arrived for Joss at the precinct with a card that read "For a very special lady, Always, J."

The female officers and female detectives crowded around Joss's desk, ooing and aahing over the beautiful arrangement and teasing Joss about her "reward" for a great night.

Carter reveled in the attention then settled down to work.

Fusco watched this with great interest, smiling. Way to go Wonderboy. Let's see what else you got.

Along about 11:30 a delivery man arrived with 3 shopping bags in hand. "Jocelyn Carter?" he asked at Fusco's desk. "Over there," Fusco pointed.

The deliveryman turned and approached her desk. "Ms. Carter?", he asked.

"Detective Carter, yes."

"Is there a conference room we can use?" he asked.

"Sure," Joss said. "What is this about?"

There was no response to the question, but Joss began walking to the conference room. The deliveryman followed her. Not being able to stand the suspense, Fusco followed as well but stopped in the hallway outside the door after Joss and the deliveryman entered.

"Please be seated," the deliveryman instructed. He removed his coat, revealing black pants, a crisp white shirt and a black vest. He used some hand sanitizer then began to unpack the bags.

First came a small vase with a single yellow rose, then a placemat and a china place setting complete with cutlery, a champagne flute and water glass. He placed crystal salt and pepper shakers on the table as well. He then asked, "Will anyone be joining us?"

Joss, having spied Fusco in the hall, waved him in.

"What's all this?" he asked, seating himself.

"You know as much as I do, Lionel," Joss said.

The deliveryman began busily putting out a similar place setting for Fusco. Once this was done he took linen napkins from a bag then draped them, one over Joss's lap then the other over Fusco's lap, each with a grand sweep of his arm.

Finally, he removed a covered casserole from a heated quilted bag, then a bottle Evian and a bottle of sparkling cider. He filled their flutes and water glasses, pulled a card from his pocket and began to read.

"Detective Carter – You work so hard that you tend to skip lunch, so I prepared a quick little something to carry you through the day. I also packed an extra place setting in case you wanted to ask someone from the precinct to join you (wink). Will see you this evening for dinner. Bon appetit. Love, J. PS. There will be dessert later…."

Fusco looked at Joss, who was nodding in vigorous anticipation.

The waiter, whose name was Carl incidentally, lifted the casserole lid with yet another flourish. "Monsieur J has prepared Maple Roasted Chicken Quarters with an array of roasted vegetables. Bottled water and sparkling cider complete the meal. Carl then placed the serving cutlery in the dish. He added, "I will be sitting in the waiting area outside in case you need anything more. When you finish I will be back to clean up. Enjoy." With that, Carl left the room, bags in tow.

"Oh my gosh. This smells so good," said a highly impressed Fusco. "Did Carl say that Wonderboy cooked this?"

"Yes, he did," said Joss, giving Fusco a healthy serving, before serving herself. Then, after an earnest and sincere grace, the colleagues dug in.

"Damn," said Fusco, his mouth full of chicken and veggies. "I can't believe that the Bane of My Existence cooked this."

"Oh yes – he's a great cook. And his desserts…"

The two finished their meal in silence. Fusco had seconds and there was still plenty left. Joss went to the door and summoned Carl.

"Everything was delicious," she said. "May I have the leftovers for Detective Fusco? I think I can find some Tupperware or something around here."

"No need, ma'am." Carl brought the bags back to the conference room, reached into a bag and removed a container into which he scooped the remainder of the dish. He put the container into an empty shopping/doggy bag, along with the remaining water and sparkling cider. He then put the china, cutlery, glasses and napkins into a separate bag. Carl removed a canister of Lysol wipes and wiped down the table.

He presented the doggy bag to Joss. "Do you need anything more?" Carl asked.

"No," she responded. "But wait here while I get my purse. Your service was excellent."

"Thank you, Ma'am, but everything has been taken care of."

"Are you sure?" she asked Carl.

"Absolutely. You have a great day, Ma'am." With that, he and the bags swept out.

Joss then presented the doggy bag to Fusco.

"Thanks partner," Lionel said, taking a healthy whiff of the bag.

I don't see how Tall Dark and Menacing can top this, but the day isn't done. I wonder what else he has in mind other than dinner, Lionel wondered, plodding back to his desk.

He found out at 2:30 when a huge teddy bear arrived for Joss with a small velvet satchel around its neck. She opened the satchel and found a note. "Wear this. More Love, J," it read. (The bag's contents - not the bear.) See you soon. She lifted a bottle from the satchel, opened it and was met by the most delicious, earthy floral scent. Fusco could tell Joss was pleased by the twinkle in her eye. After a few more sniffs, she went back to work with a grin.

At 3 pm, Joss, still on cloud nine, left the office to prepare for her big evening with John. She couldn't wait. She had been so angry and hurt that he gave her Bahamas tickets. Yes, she had forgiven him for the Bahamas doings. But still. In what universe did he think that Bahamas tickets were a good idea. She knew that he was trying to do something for her that she shared with him she always wanted, but did it not occur to him that his being down there with Zoe threw water on that? At this point, she could care less if she ever saw the Bahamas! Seeing those tickets just brought back so many bad memories about her and John's rough patches…and she didn't want to think about them. She just wanted to enjoy what was turning out to be a great day.

Arriving at home and having deposited her days bounty, Joss washed her hair, dried and moisturized it. Then she picked out the lingerie she had planned to wear for him later. She hung it on the bathroom door – a black lace bra and thong panty set. After locating and setting the items in the bathroom along with a pair of black stilettos, she retrieved her present for John and packed it into her evening clutch bag along with a couple of other necessities.

Prepared, Joss lay down for a short nap.

She awakened at 5:30, shaved, waxed and bathed, then curled her hair. She lotioned, applied dramatic eye makeup and a pale matte lip gloss, then dressed – the red sheath of course. The dress was so tight that underwear wasn't an option. No matter.… Joss accessorized with a bold pair of gold earrings and a gold cuff bracelet. She stepped into her red 4 inch ankle strap heels, applied the perfume, checked her appearance in the full length mirror, then repaired downstairs to wait for John.

She didn't have to wait long. At exactly 7 pm, John arrived at her door, knocking, rather than picking the lock and letting himself in. She opened, expectantly.

"Wow," John uttered as he took in the whole of Joss's appearance. "You are so breathtakingly beautiful." He kissed her on the neck and the cheek. "You smell beautiful too."

"Thank you," she responded. "You are quite the vision yourself," she said, eyeing John appreciatively in his gray herringbone topcoat, black cashmere scarf and dark brown leather gloves.

"I almost forgot…these are for you." John handed her the bouquet of a dozen yellow tulips he had been holding. "Joss, I'm so sorry about yesterday," he whispered contritely. "I wasn't thinking…"

No, you weren't, she thought. "But let's not talk about this now," she said. Joss took the tulips and walked toward the kitchen to put them a vase. John closed the front door then watched Joss's retreating figure. The dress accentuated everything about her body - her fulsome breasts, tiny waist, toned back, and luscious juicy bottom. And those shoes…those cfm stilettos? John smiled wickedly, wondering about her underwear and vowing to find out later.

"Where's Taylor?" John called out.

"He's staying over with a classmate until tomorrow," she answered.

Joss returned and took her black evening coat from the coat closet. John took it from her and held it dutifully while she put it on. Once she picked up her clutch, they headed out.

Joss took note of the limo waiting at the curb. She also saw a few of her neighbors peeking through their blinds. As they walked, John rested his hand at the small of her back, leading her. The driver had hopped out and was holding the door for them both and they entered the back seat.

It was 25 minutes to their destination, a mid-town restaurant called Top of the Clock, on the top floor of a 65 story skyscraper. It offered American fine dining cuisine but the real draw was that the restaurant revolved at the rate of one revolution per hour, giving beautiful views of the city. John and Joss rode the elevator up and checked their coats. The maitre'd seated them immediately at a window table for 2 and they ordered.

The food, wine and ambiance were excellent, and the dinner went swimmingly, far better than the previous day. I've gotta hand it to Fusco, this is going great, John thought, during coffee after the meal. But not because he was attempting to manipulate Joss or placate her, but because he loved making her happy. He loved the smile on her face when she got the flowers as he watched through the Joss cam on Fusco's desk. He heard the co-workers teasing Joss about the new man in her life and heard her cheerfully deflect questions.

He saw the lunch delivery, the bear and perfume delivery, and he saw how she continued to brighten over the course of the day. He knew in those moments that he would surprise her regularly because she was his woman and he wanted her to feel not only special but truly, deeply loved.

"Hello, John." His reverie interrupted, John looked up to see Zoe Morgan standing beside their table. "I hope you are enjoying this evening at least as much as you enjoyed the one yesterday. Hello Joss. You look nice."

John scowled. "There you go, Zoe. Implying that I had a night with you yesterday to throw water on my date with Joss. You know full well that we weren't together last night or any night for months now and that our arrangement has been over for some time. Not only that, Joss looks way more than nice," he added, stroking Joss's cheek. "She looks drop dead gorgeous." John's blue eyes were flashing in anger.

"I wasn't implying that at all," Zoe argued. "It's just that we were playing phone tag yesterday so I assumed you were working. Have a good night," and she turned to leave.

John stood up and threw his napkin on the table.

"We were not playing phone tag. You called me – several times. I saw your calls and I chose not to answer, period. I will never answer just so you know. You need anything from now on, call Finch."

"No need to be cruel," Zoe protested. "We had good times together."

"I'm not being cruel. I am being brutally honest, because you just don't get it. Good times or not, I love Jocelyn Carter and I am not interested in spending time, energy, or conversation on any other woman. Now – YOU have a good night."

John sat down, picked up his coffee and had a sip.

As Zoe walked away, Joss was staring at John, wide-eyed. "Was that necessary?" she finally asked.

"Yes," John promptly responded. Don't tell me you feel sorry for her."

"No, not in the least. Just asking," Joss answered, not wanting to give away her pleasure at Zoe's dismissal.

Joss then smiled and sipped her own coffee.

"I almost forgot." Joss reached into her clutch, pulled out a jewelry box and handed it to John. Happy Valentine's Day."

John took the box and opened it carefully to reveal a white gold and platinum heavy gauge necklace chain. On it were a bullet – THE bullet and a dog tag with January 9, 2015, engraved on it. It was the night that John and Joss met and his new life, filled with blessings, began.

Fighting back tears, he wanted to lift the necklace from the box and examine it more closely. Instead he gently fingered the tag and the bullet then closed the box. He smiled at her, lovingly, warmly.

"I love it, Jocelyn. Thank you so much. I love you." John took Joss's hand in his, lifted it to his mouth and planted kisses on her wrist, the back of her hand, and her palm. After holding her hand for moment longer while gazing into Joss's eyes, he whispered, "Let's get out of here." He motioned for the check.

When the black leather folder arrived, John opened it, removed four 100-dollar bills from his wallet, placed them inside and rose. They retrieved their coats from the coatroom, and John summoned the limo. The couple then exited the restaurant.

The limo was at the curb when they arrived downstairs and the driver was at the door. Within moments, John and Joss were settled in the back and the limo took off. After a short ride, the driver announced over the intercom that they were 5 minutes out from their next destination.

Good thing he did, too, as John and Joss had steamed up the windows with their sexy goings on back there. They straightened their clothing and Joss repaired her makeup. They briefly inspected each other, Joss removing lipstick smudges from John's mouth. The couple then awaited their arrival.

A/N: One more chapter to go (I think – smile). I don't need to tell you what's coming next, do I? Thank you for the reviews as always. New ones welcome! Hugs!

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