CHAPTER 2

Breathing heavily, John and Elise circled each other. Bathed in sweat, their movements were becoming sluggish from fatigue. They had been sparring for about thirty minutes and John was exhausted. He was healing quickly from his latest brush with death but his stamina had not completely recovered.

Blocking a punch from Elise, John swung around and used his elbow in a downward motion. It just missed Elise and she checked his elbow and threw another punch up and under the same arm. Catching him off balance, John staggered. Elise immediately ran to his side and declared practice was over.

"Enough John. You've proven enough today."

Pulling his arm over her shoulder, she helped him walk over to the bench up against the wall despite his attempts to pull away from her. Turning around, she quickly brought him back a bottle of water and gave it to him. Twisting off the cap of her own bottle, Elise used the bottle to hide her look of concern. Watching John sit there with bowed head, breathing deeply and eyes closed she was more than anxious that he had pushed himself too far, too soon. She knew he wanted to be back at full strength, that he was worried about her being out in the field without proper backup, but she needed to make him see that killing himself like this would not help. Reaching over, she took the bottle from him, took off the cap and handed it back to him.

A slight smile was her reward. John drained the bottle in one long swallow. Leaning his head back against the wall, he closed his eyes once again. Fatigue radiated from his body. Sweat soaked the black t-shirt he was wearing, showing the contours of the muscles of his shoulders and arms. He'd been able to use small free weights for his arms and shoulders while he recovered from being shot in the stomach but having to stay propped up in a bed for week taking it easy had weakened his midsection. Walking on the beach daily with her and Bear had kept his legs in good shape but his core was sorely lacking.

Elise cleared her throat, about to suggest taking a day off from sparring when John's cell phone rang. The noise was jarring and out of place. There had been no contact with the outside world for these last three weeks. Since driving back from NYC, the phone had not rung once, for which Elise was eternally thankful. But the strident and insistent sound of its ring, brought the real world crashing back.

John slowly stood up and walked to the table where the phone rested. Picking it up, he answered without checking the caller id.

"Hello Harold." John said quietly into the phone. Only two people had his number, Harold and Elise so it wasn't a big stretch to guess who was on the other line.

Elise stood to the side and sipped her bottle of water, watching John's face as he listened to Harold. She knew it had to be something about a new number and she knew it had to be very serious for Harold to call. Harold had been handling the numbers that came up with the help of Carter and Fusco. Having them on their team had been a God-send since John had been out of commission.

"Have you talked to Joss or Lionel yet?" was all John said. That got Elise's attention.

"Call them now and explain as much as you feel comfortable with. Elise and I will be back in the city within two hours." Snapping shut his phone, John bowed his head.

"What is it John? What's wrong?" Elise asked quietly. She knew it was VERY serious from the reaction she was seeing in him.

Shaking his head slowly, John raised his head and looked at Elise. "Two numbers came up this time. Two. And they belong to Taylor Carter and Lee Fusco."

Concern clearly showing in his eyes, John pushed away from the wall and started toward the house. Having only one car and one bike in the three car garage, they had turned one of the empty spaces into a workout area. Walking past the weight equipment, the elliptical and the treadmill, John made his way into the house.

Grabbing the empty water bottle, Elise followed Reese into the house, her own mind whirling with the knowledge that the new numbers were kids. Kids that she knew. Children of Friends. How could they both possibly be in trouble? She became very anxious to get back to the city to find an answer to that question.

Bear padded behind her into the house. Sensing her distress, Bear pushed his nose into her hand until she acknowledged him by scratching his ears. That simple action had a calming effect on her. Worry about John's physical condition coupled with the worry about the kids, had her stomach in knots. This was not good. Not good at all. John was far from his usual 100% peak condition. He might believe he was at least 90% but he still tired easily. But she also knew that he'd do whatever was necessary for his friends and his friends' children, regardless of what it did to him. She didn't blame him, would in fact do the same, but she also needed to watch out for him too.

Following John up the steps to their bedroom, her mind was already processing things that needed to be done once they got back to the city. Absent mindedly, she pulled off the clothes she'd worked out in and dropped them on the floor. She started toward the bathroom but then stopped, went back and picked up the clothes. Walking into the bathroom she saw that John was already in the shower. And of course his clothes were already in the hamper. Sighing deeply, she opened the hamper and dropped hers in and then smiling slightly, she realized he was rubbing off on her. His military background made him a neat freak while her bohemian upbringing tended to make her ...well, to be honest, a slob.

Stopping outside the shower stall, Elise paused to admire John Reese in all his glory. Standing under the shower with his head thrown back, the hot water cascading down his tall, lean muscled body made her smile grow into a grin. Even with that angry scar from his latest bullet wound on his lower stomach, John Reese was a very fine specimen to gaze upon. And he was hers. With that thought in mind, she opened the door and stepped into the shower.

Reaching for the washcloth and the liquid soap, Elise began to wash the sweat and grime from John's body. Their workout had been intense and neither held back, working as hard as they could for as long as they could. It was difficult not to let one thing lead to another, as they were wont to do, while taking a shower. They needed to be on the road back to NYC within thirty minutes. John quickly took his turn taking care of Elise's needs. Turning the water from hot to cold quickly took their minds off of anything else.

Within the required thirty minutes they were locking up. Bear jumped into the back seat of John's Porsche and lay down on the sheet put there to protect the leather seats. Turning the car on, it roared to life and settled into a deep purr as it warmed up. Throwing a few bags of clothes and food for Bear in the trunk, they climbed in and buckled up. Setting the house alarm remotely, they drove down the long winding driveway to the highway. Carefully checking for on-coming cars, Elise pulled out onto the highway and quickly put the powerful car through its paces. Soon they were cruising at 100 mph down the highway toward NYC.

Taking a deep breath, Harold dialed Detective Carter. His mind was racing as he waited for her to pick up. Where would he start? How do you tell a woman that her precious son was in danger but not tell her HOW you knew? Or that you don't know where the danger is coming from?

Carter's voice was suddenly online "Homicide, Detective Carter".

"Joss, how are you?"

"Finch! So good to hear from you!"

"Joss, you're to call me Harold. We've already been over this." Harold smiled into his phone.

"I'm sorry...it's a habit that's hard to break. What can I do for you?"

Knowing Detective Carter like he did, Harold decided the blunt, direct approach would be best. "Joss, your son is in danger. Extreme danger and I'm afraid something may happen to him within the next 24-48 hours"

His words were met with silence. Finch listened intently and could hear Carter breathing, but she said nothing.

"Joss? Are you still there? Did you understand what I said? Your son is in danger." Harold's voice rose slightly in apprehension wondering if his approach was the right one.

"I'm...I'm here ...Fi...uh ...Harold. What makes you think Taylor is in trouble? What do you know?" Carter responded in a measure monotone, giving nothing away.

"I have...come upon some information, reliable information, that Taylor is in trouble. Something is going to happen to him soon. Someone wants to do him harm." Harold said quietly, trying to keep the panic out of his voice to keep Carter from panicking in turn.

Carter placed the phone receiver on her desk and covered her eyes with her hands. This was not what she wanted to hear. This was not what she NEEDED to hear. She had been on hyper alert status since Tierney had threatened Taylor. She made sure the school kept a wary eye out for any strangers; she checked on Taylor herself during the day just so she could touch base and know he was ok. Being a typical teenage boy, he was chafing at her constant hovering and was starting to push back. But now….now it seemed she was right to be worried and she wasn't happy about that fact.

The silence on Carter's end of the phone was unnerving. Harold knew he had shocked her but he was surprised at her silence.

"Joss, are you still there? Are you ok? Did you understand what I said?"

Through the fog of fear surrounding her, Carter heard Finch's voice. Picking the receiver up, she answered him, "I'm here Harold. I understand what you are saying. Harold, I think I might have an idea of where the danger might be coming from."

"Talk to me Joss. I can't help if I don't know who all of the players are."

Carter then told Finch about Tierney's threat to her, Taylor, Lionel and Lee. She told him that Tierney was blunt about the threat and that he didn't have a problem threatening her when almost anyone could have overheard him. He obviously felt confident that HR would be able to wield enough power to protect him.

That caught Finch off guard but also got his mind running in a new direction. Last time Taylor was threatened and kidnapped, it was Elias pulling the strings. HR had been the worker bees but had then been called off thanks to some maneuvering from him and John. Now it seemed as though HR was taking the lead on the threat to Carter AND Fusco and their kids.

"Did you tell Detective Fusco about Tierney's threat? Does he know that he and his son are in danger?" asked Finch.

"Yes, I did. I knew he needed to be more vigilant about who Lee was with and where he was when not in school. Why?" She questioned.

"Because both Taylor AND Lee are in danger. I have that knowledge from a very reliable source. And the threat is imminent."

The word imminent got through to Carter. Standing up at her desk, she asked if she needed to go get Taylor but Finch assured her he was safest at his school for the moment. However he did advise her to get Lionel up to speed ASAP about the danger both boys were in.

Before hanging up, Carter asked, "Does John know? And Elise? I remember how he promised me he'd protect Taylor. Does he know about this?"

"Yes Joss, he knows and they are on their way back to the city as we speak. I'm going to get them both up to speed with the information about the threat and that we now think we know the probable source of the danger: HR".

Hanging up with Carter, Finch quickly dialed Reese's phone. John answered on the first ring.

"Harold, how did Joss take it?" No preamble, he just got straight to the point. His biggest concern was how Joss would handle another threat to Taylor. He knew Taylor was her world and that she would move Heaven and Earth to protect him.

"Very well actually. She was already aware of the threat but not how immediate it was. Tierney showed his true colors and threatened Joss and Taylor, while at the same time admitting he was part of HR."

"HR? I thought we'd pretty much pulled their fangs and left them full of holes." John asked as he put the phone on speaker.

"Apparently we helped rid the department of a lot of the lower echelon players but the bigger heads are still around calling shots. Tierney had no problem threatening Joss, in the interrogation room, right there in the police station. I don't like what that implies, what Detective Tierney believes in regards to his immunity and invincibility. He verbally threatened her and Taylor as well as Detective Fusco and his son. HR is making this personal, John, and that worries me…" Harold trailed off, deep in thought.

"Lionel? He specifically mentioned Lionel? That's not good. We need them to keep thinking he's one of them. We may need to push him more into the fold to get some answers." John said with a grimace.

"Where are you now, John? How long before you get back to the library?"

Glancing over at Elise, behind the steering wheel he cocked one eyebrow. "About 45 minutes out Harold." She answered. "I'm driving and I'm not quite the daredevil driver that John is."

"Not in my car you better not be!" John smiled teasingly at her for a second before his face took on a more serious mien.

"Please hurry, I really don't know how much time we have. I'd feel much better having the boys somewhere safe so we can concentrate on the threat of HR." Harold said as he hung up.

Snapping the prepaid phone shut, Reese's mind started forming a plan using the information Harold had just given him. Leaning on his right elbow, he absently rubbed his chin, staring out the window, but seeing nothing.

Elise concentrated on her driving while being very aware of John in car next to her. She knew better than to interrupt his train of thought and so she had to gnaw on her bottom lip to keep her questions to herself. In the backseat, Bear had sat up the moment he heard Harold's voice. His ears perked straight up and almost touched the roof of the Porsche. He let out a small whine after John had hung up and Harold's voice ceased. Elise reached back and scratched him under the chin to let him know she understood.

"We're going to need Fusco and his knowledge of HR to handle this." mused John.

"That's going to be difficult since this threat includes his son. He's not going to want to do anything that would jeopardize Lee's life."

"I know, that's why we've got to get both boys to safety before we can make a move on HR. I'll handle Lionel."

"John! When are you going to realize that Lionel is more than an asset for you to exploit!" Elise almost shouted.

"I take care of my assets." John answered almost harshly.

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Reese paused and exhaled. Opening his eyes he looked over at Elise. He recognized that tight look on her face; he knew there was more she wanted to say. He also knew she was right. He'd come to rely on Lionel to do the right thing when asked, or in many cases, do what he was told to do. He knew Lionel was a good cop with good instincts that had saved John's life more than once. But to admit that Lionel was more than an asset, more like a friend...that would expand his circle of protection even farther; he wasn't sure HE was ready for that. It already included Elise and Harold and Grace... Carter and Taylor...but to add Lionel and Lee….that meant there were more people in his life he cared about than he'd ever expected. John would have done anything to help save a kid but this time, it was the son of someone he knew, someone he CARED about, he admitted to himself. Once someone passed over that line to become someone he truly cared for, it became his natural urge to protect them at all costs. Shaking his head he realized that Lionel had already come under his protection when he'd saved the man from being shot in the woods that night.

"Think how many times he's gone beyond what you've asked him to do! How many times he's saved your life! And mine! How can you still think of him that way?" Elise asked in an exasperated voice.

Before she could continue, John interrupted her tirade, "I take care of my assets. But, you're right Elise. He is more than an asset. And you're right, I owe him...for myself, for Harold and Grace...and you."

"Is that what I am John? Am I considered an asset too?" Elise said softly. She didn't want to ask the question but a tiny part of her needed to hear the answer.

Reaching over and brushing her hair behind her shoulder, he wrapped a tendril around his finger, loving the softness and the darkness. Tucking it behind her ear he leaned over and whispered, "You are more than an asset. You have been from the moment I jumped into your car."

That brought a smile to her face. Glancing over at John, Elise visibly relaxed. Her grip had gotten tighter on the steering wheel during the conversation and she consciously relaxed that as well.

"I'll make sure Lionel and his son are safe but that still doesn't alter the fact that we need to use his contacts to infiltrate HR. Without his help, we'll never be able to completely cut the head off the snake. For now, we need both boys completely safe so we can focus on HR. They are going down so completely this time that they will no longer be a threat to anybody ever again." John said with finality.

John called Harold back and told him to have Carter and Fusco meet them in the library as soon as possible. Being his usual cryptic self, all John would say was that he had the beginnings of a plan but needed everybody together to work out the details. Again, snapping the phone closed, John struggled to find a comfortable position in the car. Absentmindedly, he rubbed his side where Stanton had shot him. The length of the ride was starting to make him ache and though he noticed the discomfort, he forced it from his mind as he'd trained himself to do in the past. Elise noticed out of the corner of her eye and bit her bottom lip. John was not 100% but would never admit it to anyone, especially not now when someone he cared about was in danger. Which meant it was all the more reason for HER to worry.