The Price We Pay, part 2

Dinner was his idea. Reuniting a young mother with her children had been supremely satisfying. The lives they were saving, the good they were doing never felt more tangible, and Harold had been in the mood to celebrate. His crazy crusade with the irrelevant numbers was actually working. The tiny restaurant was one of his private places, but last night he found himself wanting to share it with John. His relationship with his partner was something else that was working. Trust was difficult for him, but lately Harold had been tempted to lower his walls around the younger man. Even more surprising, he was yielding to that impulse. It was a warm, unguarded evening, and he had enjoyed the sense of fellowship between them.

He felt a sudden, sad twinge, and wondered if John was even still alive. He had no idea if Root's poison had killed him or only incapacitated him, and he realized that he may never know.

They were only a block from the restaurant when John stopped short, his tall frame wavering precariously. He turned sheet white and collapsed with shocking quickness, before Harold could reach him. He was still kneeling over John, when Bear snarled and pressed himself against Harold's side, barking ferociously. Harold sensed someone behind him, and the dog's barks became deafening. Even after the bullet hit his flank, Bear continued his furious uproar. In the din and utter chaos, a familiar figure approached and calmly tased the dog into silence. Then she turned the gun on him and smiled. He felt his entire body go cold. "So nice to see you again, Harold," she said as she jammed the syringe into his neck.

Drugged and in shock, he looked back helplessly at the unmoving bodies of John and Bear as she drove him away.

He tried to focus, and fight off the effects of the sedative. He was in big trouble here. But everything he had done with the Machine and with the numbers, everything leading to this moment, had been worth it. For so long, the pictures of all the people he couldn't save - the ones before John – had haunted him. They always would. But now he also had a gallery of new faces, the faces of people still living and breathing because of their work. So many precious lives saved. The thought always brought him satisfaction, and now it brought him solace as well.

At first he thought he might be able to reason with Root. She could have easily killed Bear but hadn't. Harold hoped that was a sign she still had a glimmer of decency left that he could prevail upon. But he quickly abandoned that notion. The first time she had taken him, she was still under the illusion that they could be partners, friends even. She made it clear to him now that she had given up that idea, and planned to get her information by less amicable means. He couldn't pretend not to be afraid. But he would never provoke Root into taking an innocent life if he could prevent it.

She mostly left him alone during the day while she finished her arrangements. He knew that she planned to move him tonight. And that would be that. She wouldn't make the same mistakes again. Even if John was alive, there would be no trail for him to follow this time.

If this was indeed the end, he would take with him something else that brought him deep and abiding satisfaction - the salvation of John Reese. When he first recruited the younger man, Harold had gambled on what he perceived to be John's inner strength and character. And as much as he appreciated his partner's skills in the field, Harold had come to admire and respect his qualities as a man even more. He quietly watched as his friend made his way out of the shadows, as he slowly put himself back together. John had come back to life before his very eyes. And that he was part of that process gave Harold more pleasure than he ever let on. During their time together, many lives had been saved, all worthwhile, all equally valuable. It's just that the saved life that made him happiest belonged to John Reese.

Root was back in the room, waving another syringe. "Time to go, Harold."

It was over in an instant and yet it appeared to happen in slow motion. He watched - not comprehending at first - as his friend stormed the room and fired a bullet into Root's head. John had executed the woman in cold blood, right in front of him. It violated every law of human decency and every principle that Harold believed in.

"John!"

He didn't try to keep the shock out of his voice or off of his face. And he couldn't let in the relief and gratitude he knew he should be feeling. He was utterly stunned and appalled by what he just witnessed. He stared at his friend in disbelief.

John's hands were trembling as he cut off the restraints on Harold's wrists and ankles, and Harold felt his body tense at the other man's touch.

The John Reese who burst through the door was not the man he had come to know during these past months. This was a man from long ago - the CIA assassin who had grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against a wall with terrifying, unbridled fury. Harold had never expected to see that man again, and he was frightened.

John seemed to be coming out of whatever state had possessed him. But even as his eyes began to focus on the body in front of him, and the full impact of what he had done seemed to settle over him, he said simply,

"I would do it again, Harold. I would do it again."

Harold understood. A wave of compassion washed over him. Even John Reese had a weakness, and that weakness was Harold himself.

The fact that a woman - even such an evil woman - lay dead for his sake was not the outcome he would have chosen. And he ached that John had relinquished some of his hard-won humanity, and that he had done so for him. He felt John's eyes searching his face for some sign of hope, some sign of understanding. There were many thoughts going through Harold's mind, but only one thing he wanted to say.

"Let's go home, Mr. Reese."

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FIN

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A/N: Of course, Harold forgives John! But they will always be two very different men, and I wanted to bring those differences into conflict. And I wanted to kill Root. Thank you so much to everyone who left reviews and comments, and everyone who favorited and followed the story. It's appreciated more than you know!