John took another sip of whiskey from the glass and continued to look out into the lobby, watching the guests come and go through the entrance of the hotel. He had what he considered the best seat in the house– the corner seat of the bar. From there, he could see her if she walked through those doors, and he'd know immediately if she'd said yes to his offer.
He reached into his pocket and fiddled with the card key to the hotel room he booked for the night. Joss hadn't sent a text back to him with a yes or no, but he hoped she'd said yes. He hoped she'd made the decision to be with him. He hoped that she'd decided to stop pretending that whatever had happened between them the first night they met was just a fluke. He hoped that she felt the same feelings about him as he had about her.
He wanted her to stop pretending that all they were now were just good friends who happened to meet each other under precarious circumstances...
Six months ago
John walked into the dim, smoky bar and took a seat in the booth in the back corner, giving him a view of everyone there. His assignment was to infiltrate the organization of corrupt cops known as HR under the guise of being a new detective of the 51st precinct vice squad. He was to find out who was clean and who wasn't, as well as discover the identity of the true leader of the group. The NYC branch of the FBI thought they'd caught everyone in their big crackdown against HR, which even included local politicians, but over the past year, HR had managed to come back stronger than ever.
In the briefing, he'd been given files on who had been arrested in the first sting and their connections with anyone that was still in the precinct. There were files on who currently worked there along with suspected members at other precincts. His new director, Nicholas Donnelly, had warned him that these people were extremely dangerous and very close knit. It would be hard to infiltrate this organization, so they had to be sure that he had the right background to cover his tracks. John was, for the moment, to settle into the city and continue to work on the case in the local office. After about a month or two of preparing for his assignment, they'd transition him in when the vacancy opened up after the captain retired.
John was anxious, more than anxious to be honest, to get started. He hadn't even found a place to live yet, had only been in the city for a couple days, and had just gone through his briefing this morning, but he couldn't help his need to get started on the case right away. Even if it was something as simple as watching a group of cops known for being dirty hang out at a small neighborhood bar. He knew he wasn't supposed to be here and if anyone remembered his face he might blow his cover, but this would be his first major assignment since his transfer from the Seattle office. He had been recommended after leading an investigation on a major drug bust for trafficking between the US and Canadian border. It had been an intricate case that revealed involvement from local and state police, who were getting paid to look the other way at times and at other times, were paid to enforce the laws of the streets instead of the laws on the books.
At first, John wasn't going to accept the offer of a promotion and a move across the country, but this was an opportunity he knew he couldn't pass up. After thinking on it for some time, he thought a change of scenery would do well for him and his wife, Jessica. With the new job offer came more money, a higher title, a bigger and more exciting city, and a chance to start over in a sense. Moving expenses were covered and it was his responsibility to find a place and get settled in before he started his assignment.
He'd gone house hunting with a realtor this afternoon, but he really hadn't been all that interested in anything she'd shown him. It would have been easier for him if Jessica had joined him. She was adamantly against this move and he couldn't help but think that her boss, Dr. Peter Arndt, had something to do with it. Just thinking about it brought a hard frown to his face.
Jessica had insisted that there was nothing going on between them, but he knew she was lying. He knew her ticks and knew when she was keeping a secret. She had kept him a secret for nearly six months, before she started telling everyone that they were a couple. And even then, she hadn't even told her mother about him, as if she were ashamed of him. She reassured him that wasn't the case, and that her mother wouldn't understand their relationship. She'd said that her mother would do everything she could to destroy what they had together.
He'd bought her story hook, line, and sinker; so in love with Jessica that he ignored all the blatant tells of her dishonesty.
He'd planned a weekend getaway with just the two of them in Mexico. A long weekend had turned into a week and on a whim, they'd gotten married in a little chapel on a Wednesday afternoon. The next day, everything had changed. He'd never forget the way he felt when Jessica had turned on the television and they both watched the Twin Towers burn for hours before both buildings collapsed.
It was right then and there that he'd made the decision to reenlist and serve his country again. Sometimes he wondered what kind of person he'd be today if he'd stuck to that decision, but Jessica had changed his mind. They were married now and she didn't want to lose him, she'd said. She wanted him at home with her, safe and raising their future kids, she'd said. So he'd decided to stay, but not without some resentment. They'd left the resort in Mexico and came back to Puyallup, Washington to make a small and quiet life for themselves.
He became a police officer and she worked at the local hospital as a registered nurse. They had been married for nearly a year before she finally told her mother about their relationship. He should have seen the red flags back then, but when you think you're in love, you don't always make the best choices. They'd tried to have children, but after two early-term miscarriages, Jessica didn't want to try anymore and had grown distant. After a while he had suggested adoption, but she had been against it. The more he tried to pull her back, the more it seemed as if she would push him away. He still loved her and made sure he told her and had shown her that daily, but it was like fighting a losing battle.
After six years of working as a police officer, John itched to do something more. He'd applied for a position at the FBI. After testing and more testing, a physical fitness test, a thorough background check that included polygraph testing, and a full medical examination, he'd been cleared and scheduled for special agent training at the academy in Quantico. He would be gone for nearly six months to complete his training before he'd become an official agent.
Jessica seemed to be happy for him and glad to see him follow his passion. In hindsight, it seemed as if she were pushing him out of the door. He should have known better then, but foolishly thought that things were getting back on track for them. At first, things were pretty hard. But with all the phone calls and text messages and video messaging that they'd done, it almost felt like how things were at beginning of their relationship. As the old saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
John would discover upon his return that their marriage was completely off the rails. Nearly two weeks after he'd come back home, she had refused to let him touch her. He'd confronted Jessica about why she hadn't wanted to make love with him. They'd been separated for months and he'd missed her, why didn't she want to be with him? In tears, she'd confessed to him that she'd had an affair.
She told him that she'd ended it and that she loved him. He'd forgiven her, but she had lost his trust. John focused on his new career and their relationship was as strained as ever. The wakeup call came two years later when she'd asked for a divorce. He wasn't quite ready to call it quits so they'd decided to try to work things out. Shortly after that, he'd been offered the promotion to move to New York. It honestly couldn't have come at a better time for them.
John was pulled from his thoughts when a waitress came to his table to take his order. "You look like you've got a lot on your mind," she said with a knowing smile. He wasn't the first person to come to a bar to drown their sorrows and he wouldn't be the last. At least this one was easy on the eyes. "What can I get ya?"
"Beer," he answered.
"Any kind in particular?"
"Surprise me," he said with a smile, hoping she'd take the hint that he didn't want to be bothered at this time. She left right away to get his drink.
Smart lady, he thought.
John focused once again on the patrons of the bar, some of the faces he already knew from his briefing. Detectives Terney, Beecher, and Stills were yucking it up and looked to be several drinks in with a group of other detectives and officers that he couldn't place right now, but would know of very soon. He looked up to see a hefty, middle-aged man with curly brown hair walk inside the bar and look around as if he were expecting to see someone in particular. Stills, one of the more boisterous members the group, called out to him.
"Hey Lionel! Why don't you join us? Or are you too good to be seen with us anymore," Stills bellowed with a sneer.
Lionel frowned deeply at the belligerent man. "Stop busting my balls, will ya? I'm not putting up with your bullshit tonight." He walked over to the bar and took a seat, turning his back on the group and ignoring their taunts.
John hadn't seen this Lionel guy's face in the files, but if he was well-known by this group, John figured he should keep tabs on him also.
"Here's your beer, hon'," the waitress said as she placed the dark brown glass bottle on the table in front of him. "Just holler if you need anything else."
"Thanks," he looked at her name tag, "Holly." He handed her a couple bills to cover his tab and to include a generous tip before she made her way back to the bar.
John slowly drank his beer and continued to watch the interactions among the people in the bar. It was your typical neighborhood bar, with its fair share of regulars, women with heavy makeup and low cut shirts trying to catch a man's eye, and a few youngsters who were just barely old enough to drink. Overall, it was just another night. He'd finished his beer and was about to call it a night and head back to his hotel when he saw her walk in.
The woman was strikingly beautiful. Nothing she did could hide that. Not the frumpy suit or the low heels. Not the simple light makeup or the low ponytail that pulled the long ebony hair that grew past her shoulders away from her face. He didn't know what it was about her, but he was drawn to her, unable to take his eyes off of her.
John watched as she looked around the bar, her eyes scanning the place until she found who she was looking for. She walked directly to the bar and sat next to the man he only knew as Lionel, ignoring the catcalls and lewd comments from the group of cops behind them. He couldn't hear what was said, but the body language between the two of them spoke of a deep friendship. It looked like she was trying to get him away from the bar. He watched her toss a few bills onto the bar, pull on his arm, and drag him away, leading him towards the exit, taking on some of his weight as he stumbled out.
She was his partner.
Present Day
That was the first night John ever saw Joss, but it wasn't the first time they'd met. He would later meet her on another night, and on that fateful night, things would never be the same. For either of them.
The shrill ring of his cellphone pulled John away from his walk down memory lane. He looked down at his phone to check the caller ID.
HOME
He diverted the call to voicemail, took another sip of the whiskey, and continued to watch the lobby for the woman who'd changed everything.
A/N: I know that the 51st precinct vice squad isn't where Carter and Fusco work, but as the story develops you'll see how John ends up in the same precinct as Carter and Fusco. Also, this story is unbeta'd so any mistakes/errors you see are mine.
