Disclaimer: Not mine. Belongs to CBS and familiar characters belong to CBS
Pre A/N: This showing is going downhill each time they air an episode. The latest casuality is John's character. Not only did he have no involvement with Finch's plan and was stuck with a number who was apparently suppose to be original Zoe, but now the show feels they need to throw another stupid shipper with him and the therapist so that means no more John backstory. It's annoying how people continue to ignore Reese/Carter's kiss like it never happened or come up with half ass excuses. People need to get their shit straight. I was happy waiting the 2 1/2 years to see something happen even though the showrunners said romance wasn't something they wanted to do. What a joke that statement is. Another joke is the constant censorship of criticism for episodes that honestly were poor. Karma received terrible numbers and in S4, that's unacceptable. There have been plenty of people that have given lengthy reasons to validate their problems. Trolls don't take the time to explain their complaints. Recently Ask Matt on TV Insider surprisingly answered a question I posted to him about the storyline and he called it nitpicking. So the audience goes from not being intelligent enough to understand it to having it be frown upon when you think too much about it and I will admit the only episode I watched was Guilty. POI used to be about chatting it up over the smallest things because it was fun and no one put you down for it. Now people think that they are better than you because they kiss the showrunner's asses. If you like the episode, fine but don't bash people who have problems. That's why this fandom is at odds with each other in forums and FB. Ridiculous and sad.
Chapter 3 - Face to Face
It had already been an interesting morning before Joss took her brief walk to the café about three blocks from her home. About a week ago, Snow had confronted her about how Reese could have possibly escaped from them in the snow. She lied, of course, and knew that she would be monitored closely by Snow and Evans after that. They knew what happened but didn't have the stones to confront her outright so they continued to watch her from their surveillance van in hopes of catching her conspiring with John.
Today, Mark had sent an operative to tail her. He was pretty bad at it if she could be honest. The man was so obvious that even a regular pedestrian could tell something was up.
What had brought her out of her home on her day off was simple. John had called her last night, asking to meet with her. It had been almost two weeks since she had taken Snow to him, since they spent that time alone together in the cabin. He had contacted her through her home phone, assuring her that it couldn't be traced when she had asked if it was safe for him to call her. She had felt an immense amount of relief at the sound of his voice; Joss wondered if he was alright.
Their conversation lasted for about thirty seconds but his deep, husky voice stayed with her until she went to sleep. To feel something so strongly for a stranger was unbelievable. She didn't even know what John really looked like; he was hidden behind a mask during both of their previous encounters. Before hanging up, he had promised her that there would be no more masks, no more hiding when he met her at the café.
Joss easily lost her tail by entering the busy lobby of a nearby hotel. She slipped through the backdoor when she was sure that the man had lost her in the crowd and continued to make her way to the café. Occasionally looking behind her to be certain that the coast was clear, Joss entered the café a few minutes later. Thankful for the reprieve from the cold air outside, she took an empty seat near the middle of the restaurant.
It didn't take long for a waitress to ask what she would like. Joss asked for just a coffee, since her nerves made it impossible to eat anything. What had she been nervous about? Surprisingly he didn't sound angry with her over the phone but that didn't mean that he was exactly in a good mood. Joss knew if she had taken bullets from a sniper to the gut and leg, she wouldn't exactly be in the best of moods either.
Her coffee was brought to the table a short time later as she continued to eye the entrance. Every time a man matching John's description would enter, her heart sped up in anticipation before disappointment would set in when she saw it wasn't him. Her finger began slowly tracing the edge of the porcelain cup as more people came in. Joss's thoughts wandered, hoping that John didn't have a change of heart about seeing her. Then the hair on the back of her neck stood up.
John needed to make sure he looked as best as he could. Today he would finally meet the beautiful Detective that had haunted his dreams for months now. Finch had given him a high rise apartment when they first started working together. Thankfully, because of Joss's quick thinking, it didn't take long for him to recover from his injures here. Searching his collection of dress shirts, John picked out the purple one. There was no number today so he didn't want to meet Joss as the Man in a Suit.
Snow had been a relentless bastard. After their confrontation in the woods, John saw that he began tailing Joss the next day and grew angry that Snow was hell bent on pinning his escape on her. John did worry over whether or not Joss would be able to take care of herself but then John remembered her list of credentials and the way she handled herself when she herself became a number. She had carried herself well, with confidence, even at the Masquerade Ball when she would have been most out of her element.
Finch, of course, had been suspicious of Joss and wondered if it was wise to speak to her directly after she had set him up. John brushed off Finch's concerns, understanding that Snow was behind her decision, influencing her to get to him.
Satisfied with his appearance, John threw on his thick coat before leaving the apartment. He began staying here once he began working with Finch. This was the first real place that he felt was some semblance of a home, not like those run down hotel rooms whose sole purpose for him were to pass out drunk on the rundown bed.
Thanks to blue jacking Joss's phone, John knew exactly where she was and felt elation when he followed a good distance behind her towards the direction of the café. He was about to intervene when he saw Snow's agent follow behind her until they entered a nearby building. It was quite the amusing sight to see that Joss had managed to ditch the large man with ease and how he began to panic because he had underestimated her. She could hold her ground, no doubt.
John wasn't in the mood to have Snow and his boys ruining his morning breakfast with Joss; so when the agent went out the backdoor, John followed, relieved him of his pistol and quickly disposed of him into the nearby trash bin. Snow knew he was in New York now so John would just have to teach him a lesson about disrespecting Joss. Snow's cronies looked like they would be the unfortunate victims of that wrath. The GPS on John's phone showed him that Joss had already made it to the café and he didn't want to make her wait any longer than she had to.
The agent's groans fell on deaf ears as John blended into the busy crowd of business people starting their morning. His heart sped up as he got closer to the diner, anticipation growing for their first face to face meeting. Before leaving the library, Finch assured him that he would not be listening but he proposed that John sever all ties with Joss after the shooting. John's mind was telling him the same thing, not to associate with someone who could easily turn against him.
His heart however, couldn't turn a blind eye to the woman that had given him a reason to live before Finch's second proposal. John had already forgiven her for that night in the forest, knowing exactly what Snow did and angry that he took advantage of her. Throughout the night in the cabin, Joss had had a look of regret and fear that he was going to die because of her. John had admired her beauty while she slept as he made arrangements to help her get home. He had felt terrible for abandoning her but he needed to let Finch know what had happened. Of course John was glad that Joss was safe and sound when he called her to arrange the meeting.
John smiled at the upbeat environment as he entered Lyrics Diner. Waitresses were in full swing getting orders together so that patrons could eat and be on their way. John had entered a side door, knowing that Joss's attention would be towards the entrance. He smiled to himself when he spotted her, back to him as she played with her coffee cup. It was good to know that he wasn't the only one anxious. Tired of just observing her, John approached the table.
"Your coffee is getting cold Detective" John pointed out once he was within earshot. Joss's back stiffened when she heard the familiar voice. When she looked up, the first thing she noticed were his stunning blue eyes, the same eyes that haunted her ever since she almost got him killed.
John slid by the table to take the seat across from her. "Nice suit" Joss commented with a smirk. "I wanted to get you a 'sorry I got you shot' card but they were all out." Her fingers were once again tracing the rim of her cup. Joss wasn't ready to look him square in the eye yet as she continue. "I didn't know what Snow was planning, that he would try to kill you."
All he did was smile. "I'm glad that you took me up on my invitation Joss."
"How are you doing?" A waitress came by and John ordered a coffee.
"I could be worse but I've been recovering nicely, in part thanks to your quick thinking." John watched her closely as a range of emotions flashed across her face. He knew that she felt undeserving of his forgiveness because she had almost gotten him killed. "I also couldn't help but notice that you've had some unwanted visitors since our last meeting." The waitress came with his coffee and John took a long sip as he waited for her answer while monitoring their surroundings.
Joss chuckled. "So you've noticed that I've gotten more popular with your friends huh? It's not like Snow will get off my back. He knows that I had helped you. I needed to ditch his tail just so I could meet you here."
"I have to compliment you for that. Those CIA boys train a long time to be invisible."
"If that's the best they got, they need more training." They both shared a laugh and the tension between them began to lift. If felt to Joss as if she was just getting reacquainted with an old friend. She studied John's face, the feature that she had been denied seeing for so long. Despite the fact he was middle-age; the years had been kind to him. His skin was smooth with sharp cheekbones. Those eyes of his were so beautiful and they appeared to light up when he laughed. His hair had a mixture of what could only be described as salt and pepper colors that added to his charm. Joss thought to herself that it was well worth the wait to finally meet the Man in the Suit face to face.
John was enjoying her company but he noticed that Joss was restless. He knew that she was still nervous about Snow finding them together. All he wanted to do was get to know her better but he couldn't do that here out in the open. "Joss, come with me" It was more of a statement, rather than a question. Almost invisible, he saw the van that had been following her just outside the diner.
Of course she was caught off guard. "W-what? Excuse me but I won't go anywhere with you." As shallow as it was, her fears were telling her that he could be leading her into a trap in retaliation.
"Detective, if I was really going to lure you into a trap, I wouldn't point out that our mutual friends are waiting for us to walk out the front door." John saw hurt flash across her face, remembering her mistake in trusting Snow again. He had to convince her somehow that she wasn't at fault for what happened and that he had already forgiven her.
Joss knew that she wasn't done talking to him yet. She needed to get answers but not here when there were so many eyes on them. When John mentioned Snow outside, her heart dropped because she knew he was telling the truth and she was ashamed for thinking ill of him. "Okay, what do we do?" She knew that she was going to follow him, there was no point in wasting any more time.
"Follow me" without waiting, John grabbed her hand and led her away from the table after paying for the coffee. Instead of heading out the front door as expected, he led Joss to the rear of the long counter that left up to allowed staff access to the kitchen. When the coast was clear, the two slipped into the back area. "There's a door back here we can use so Snow doesn't see us."
Still holding his hand, Joss gave it a small squeeze as the memory of their dance came back to her. The way he held her now was the same back then, with such tenderness and care. "How do you know that?"
As they passed a shelf of food, John looked back to her. "I did a bit of recon before choosing this place to meet you just in case we needed to make a quick exit." After passing through the pantry, they reached a metal door. John opened it to the cold New York air, smiling at Joss who began looking left and right in the back alley they were now in.
"Okay so now what? I can't exactly go home and today is my day off."
"I have a place not too far from here."
Joss eyed him. "Should I ask how?"
"I tell you later. For now, let's get to someplace more private before our friends find us. I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly in the mood to wear a black hood today." Truthfully John was more worried for her than himself. He didn't want Snow to lay a finger on her.
"Right." John then began walking up the alleyway with Joss following close behind.
The wooden door opened with a push of John's hand. He was pushed against the threshold so that Joss would be allowed to go ahead of him. "Home sweet home" he announced.
"Very funny" she said before entering the expansive apartment. "Nice place."
"Thanks." John closed and locked the door behind him before taking off his coat. He then offered to take hers. After giving it to him, Joss walked around the small apartment. It was quaint, with all of the essentials one would need. There was also a sort of charm to it. Maybe it was because Joss remembered that John was homeless when they first met.
"So who has been helping you with all of this?" She then turned her attention to John who was turning on the heat to warm the apartment.
John just shrugged his shoulders. "Let's just say someone found me after you interrogated me."
"Uh huh." When he didn't continue, Joss sighed. "Okay, I'll let you off this time but don't think that I won't stop asking."
John approached her with a smirk on his face. "I wouldn't think otherwise and I will answer to the best of my ability next time." Placing a hand on the lower part of her back, John directed her to the living area. He felt her stiffen briefly before relaxing under his touch. John was glad that Joss was still comfortable around him. She took a seat on the long couch that sat in front of a television and stereo system. "I didn't get the chance to tell you this early but I'm surprised that you didn't come armed." Seeing her now in casual wear, John loved seeing how relaxed she was.
"There is no reason to. You already showed me that I could trust you. Snow's guys wouldn't try anything funny in broad daylight. I knew they were just trying to intimidate me." Joss's head fell to the back of the couch.
"What would you like to drink?" He was already heading towards the kitchen.
"Whatever juice you have will be fine." Joss was growing anxious. She couldn't help it. John hadn't so much as raised his voice at her since meeting in the diner. Even if they had to be discreet, if she was in John's position, she would have had a few choice words for the person that almost got her killed. Instead, he was nothing but kind to her and it wasn't to lure her into a false sense of security. It still begged the question from Joss. Why wasn't he angrier with her?
There was the sound of glasses bumping into each other before Joss saw him opening up a drawer. Some of the kitchen was hidden from view thanks to the partition so she didn't know what John was looking for. Joss's thoughts continued to mock her for her actions. Maybe she didn't deserve to be a cop. No matter what the person did, she was suppose to protect them until they could face justice.
A few minutes later, John returned with her drink and a sandwich. He stopped in his tracks at the far away look in her eyes and the sad expression that marred her beautiful face. John also saw the guilt and knew she still hadn't forgiven herself. He put everything on the coffee table before taking a seat next to her. "What's the matter, Joss?"
She shook her head before speaking. "I just keep thinking that I shouldn't be a detective anymore. What I did to you was unforgivable and even if you got over it, the same can't be said for me." Joss then looked him right in the eye before putting a hand to her chest. It was the same place where the two bullets lodged in her vest. "You took the burden of killing someone to protect me. My son didn't lose his mother because you were somehow at the right place at the right time."
"I owed you for helping me find my footing again. Here," John pulled the items closer to her.
Joss looked strangely at the sandwich. "You didn't have to do that."
"My treat." He was glad when she began eating. John knew that the questions would be coming soon and he would welcome them. The sandwich was simple but Joss welcomed the gesture all the same. His presence calmed her down.
John knew exactly what to say to help her understand that he wouldn't hold a grudge. "I've done quite a lot of bad things that I should never forgive myself for and I did them willingly."
Joss placed her half eaten sandwich on the plate and turned her body towards him, examining him closely before speaking. "You mean when you were in the CIA?" When John nodded his head, she was reminded of the state he was in when they first met. He looked like he had given up on everything and was ready to slowly fade away into obscurity. "So what happened to you that made you fall on hard times like that?"
John wouldn't tell her about Jessica, not yet. "The CIA recruited me a short time after I rejoined the army. That was around the time the towers fell. Snow, the man that found me initially, told me that I would be serving my country and that my skills were needed. I was stunned but of course I accepted."
"Of course." Joss understood all to well that those special opportunities don't come around easily. A missed chance could equal years of regret.
"On my first mission, I was assigned to my partner. Her name was Kara Stanton. When I saw how ruthless she was, I knew that I had made a terrible mistake. There was no escaping it because they had let me into their inner circle and the only way out was to kill me. There were people that I knew had to be innocent but I couldn't do anything but follow orders." John sighed sadly as Joss continued to look on. "One day, Kara and I were sent to Ordos. Before we left, Snow had ordered me to retire her because she couldn't be trusted. I couldn't do it of course. Even thought I hated her for being as heartless as she was, I couldn't pull the trigger. She, on the other hand, was quick to clip me in the stomach and explained that she was told to retire me because I couldn't be trusted. We had been where we thought was a pick up point for us and she had laid some lights on the heli pad. After what happened, we both realized what was about to happen. I managed to escape the explosion, Kara died that day. Figuring that the agency thought I perished too, I went underground and managed to stay off their radar."
"Until I ran your prints." His story was amazing and terrifying. "John, I'm sorry…" He held up his hand to silence her.
"No more apologies Joss." He then smiled that beautiful smile that sent a small flutter to Joss's stomach. "I'm glad that I fought those guys on the subway because I was brought to you. Even though you may not think it Joss, you helped me. I wouldn't have met my employer if you hadn't hassled me for so long."
"It was an interrogation" Joss pointed out. She was happy that she was able to help him in a small way, even if she did make a promise to put him behind bars a short time later. She scoffed to herself. "To think that we went from that to our cat and mouse game."
John chuckled before growing serious again. "Joss, the reason why I told you that is because I am a bad person but only because of Snow. You only did your job. If he hadn't convinced you, he would have used other methods because whether he liked it or not, you were his only lead. Now he's using intimidation to scare you because he knows you helped me." Without warning, he took her hand. "You have nothing to be ashamed of because even though you feel like you betrayed me, you've more than made up for it. That's why I can easily forgive you."
Joss was speechless as John went back into the kitchen. After hearing his words, it felt like a huge weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders. She took a sip of her drink when he came back and she noticed that he was holding something in his hand. "What's that?"
John stood in front of her and opened his hand, revealing a flip cell phone. Joss put down her drink as she looked at him strangely.
"It's a sign of good faith. I want you to work with us." John thought it was good as time as any to present the offer. As she went to pick up the phone, their fingers brushed up against each other. Joss felt the same sparks she had felt when they danced together and it sent chills up and down her spine.
She examined the phone a moment before looking back up at him. "Doing what exactly?"
"You would be helping people that might be in danger."
"But how do you know who the victim is before anything happens? Where are you getting all of this information?"
John sighed before sitting back down. He wanted to tell her but Finch had warned him when their work began that this job could cost them their lives because of what they knew. He couldn't put that kind of burden on Joss; she had a life, a son she needed to be there for. "All I can tell you is that we have a reliable source."
"And your employer? I doubt that he's a big fan of mine after I almost got you killed." Joss had to remind him of her not so proudest moment.
"He wasn't exactly on board with this at first. The fact is that I called you because I wanted to make sure you were okay and present the offer. It's perfectly okay if you don't want to work with me. It's not exactly a legal career choice."
Joss waited a beat before speaking up. "Okay, I'll do it." John's expression changed to that of shock. "What? It's not like you are going to get me in too much trouble right? Besides, you've been more than efficient in taking bad guys off the street. Vigilantism is something that I always hated; I don't like someone else thinking they can play God. But there is something different about you John. You aren't doing this because you can get away with it. I saw it in your eyes before. There is a kindness in your heart and all you want to do is help other people."
John looked away from her. "I'm just trying to atone for all of my sins." After he collected himself, he looked back at her. "But are you sure? You answered pretty quickly. I'm really just going to need your help getting information that my employer can't. I would never ask you to go out into the field unless absolutely necessary." John had to be sure that Joss understood exactly what she was getting into. The last thing he wanted to do was pressure her into something she didn't want to do.
She nodded her head. "I want to help people too. That's why I became a cop. Just don't make my job too much harder, okay?"
"I can't make any promises but I'll try to at least keep the kneecapping to a minimum." It was because of her that he had changed. He had taken Stills's life without batting an eye. A few hours later, John had experienced regrets because of how she would feel if she found out exactly how heartless he could be. That's why after that night, he had sworn to not take another life unless it was to protect another, just like he had done with BottleCap. There was no hesitation when he had seen the man Joss had taken care of standing over her with a pistol pointed straight at her. If he had gotten there a few seconds too late, she would have been dead.
John looked at the clock on the far wall and knew that he had taken up enough of Joss's time. Besides, Finch was probably going nuts trying to get in touch with him since John had turned off his phone when he left this morning to go meet with her. He wanted to be alone with her. "You probably have things to do so I should take you home." Joss gave him a look and he quickly added "We can't be sure that Snow's guys have stopped following you."
"You have a point." Joss grabbed her jacket, but she found herself reluctant to leave. After putting it on, John escorted her to the door, allowing her to go through first before locking the door behind them.
Snow must have taken the hint from John handling his guy earlier because when John scanned the streets because there was no sign of the surveillance van. The walk back to Joss's home was quiet but neither of them minded. It was a few minutes later before the two of them found themselves at the steps of her brownstone apartment. Joss went up to the door before turning around to face him. She urged him to follow her inside as she opened the outer door.
Inside, they had privacy as Joss approached the front door of her apartment. Again, she turned around to look at John. Her hand went into her coat pocket and felt the cell phone inside. They had taken the next step in this very unusual relationship. "Thanks for everything. Not just for helping me out back there, but for being so forgiving."
John took a step closer. "Like I said before, you didn't do anything wrong. You are a great cop and have instincts that not many others possess. Don't take that for granted just because Snow took advantage of you." Joss nodded her head, understanding that John wanted to make sure that she didn't have any lingering doubts about herself. She also saw his reluctance to leave and it made her happy because she felt the same. "See you later Joss." Sharing one last smile, John made his way to the door of the building as she opened her door and went inside.
Walking down the steps, John took one last look at the brownstone apartment before making his way home. Seconds passed before his earwig vibrated and he through answered the call. "Hello Harold" he greeted cheerfully.
"I take it that your meeting with Detective Carter went well Mr. Reese? I was growing concerned when I couldn't reach you."
"Everything is fine Finch. She agreed to work with me." John smiled at her quick acceptance of his offer.
"Do you really think that is a good idea after everything that has happened? If you don't let others know about the Machine, I don't have any problems with you obtaining assets but I still feel leery of her."
John knew it was going to take a bit more time to convince Finch that Joss was a good addition to the team, but he didn't mind. "Don't worry. She's worth the trouble." He assured his employer with a smile as he blended into the nearby crowd.
Post A/N: Sorry about that rant at the beginning. I wanted to thank SWWoman for tricking me into doing this chapter and doing the beta. I still like that Carter ponytail in S2. Seriously though, much love. This is the conclusion of this tale and I hope you all enjoyed it.