A/N Sorry for the long wait. Hope you enjoy the chapter. No beta, so forgive any errors you might find.

**Disclaimer ~ I don't own Person of Interest or its characters.


Picking up Dean Richards had been easier than Reese had anticipated. They'd found him at his apartment in Brooklyn having dinner, but instead of taking him back to the 8th, he and the Captain drove for about an hour and a half to a Sheriff's station in Bedford. Even under the stark lighting in the interrogation room and one of his hands cuffed to the desk, he was still defiant. Whoever had hired him to go after Carter must have paid him well for his silence, because right now he was being less than forthcoming with his responses to Torres' questions.

Reese seethed inwardly thinking of him being anywhere near Joss. His firearm was at the small of his back, but his fingers itched to hold it, press it against Richards' temple and pull the trigger. If the Captain hadn't accompanied him here, he and Richards would be having a very different type of conversation. One that didn't involve as many words, but one that would involve more action.


Three Hours Ago

"Riley."

Reese and Fusco both abruptly turned as the captain called to him from her office door. The expression on her face gave them both pause. Fusco removed his glasses, resting them on the desk in front of him as his gaze passed between them.

"Captain?" Reese asked, standing up.

"My office please," she responded, retreating and sitting behind her desk once more.

When he sat before her, door closed behind him, he watched her toy with her cell phone in her hand, a look of disbelief on her face. She seemed at a loss for words, not sure how to begin the conversation.

"Captain?" he repeated.

"This morning I asked you if you had any mail for Joss Carter."

"You did. And I told you that I didn't."

"So you said. But then you went on to pretend as if you didn't know who she was, or the circumstances that surrounded her death at all."

She looked at him for a moment, pausing, an awkward silence fell over the room.

"I'm not sure I understand what it is you're getting at, Captain."

Reese thought it better to feign ignorance especially since he didn't know what Carter might have told her about him or how they knew each other. Was his cover as a detective blown? Did she tell the Captain about how they really met? In addition to concerns he held about his real identity, he still wasn't a hundred percent sure they could trust her, and he wanted to feel her out as much as possible since Carter's life was still in danger.

"I thought it was curious that you wanted to know about where her mail was going and who got it. Why it would interest you, you know?"

She watched his face carefully, and Reese thought that she seemed just as wary of him as he was of her.

"Did you call me in here to talk about the Detective's mail?"

"I called you in here because the Detective is very much alive, and it's something she just informed me that you've been very much aware of. The fact that you've conveniently hidden that knowledge for the last two days at least or God knows how much longer is what concerns me. I want to know why."

"As you said, she's very much alive, and given the substantial reasons she has to keep that secret, I felt it warranted equal pretense."

"I've been looking for her for the last thirty six hours."

"Unfortunately, you're not the only one."

"You're right about that, Riley. The house she was staying at in Montauk was broken into yesterday. Someone tore the place up looking for her."

Apparently he'd gotten to Carter just in time. One day later and she might have been lost to him forever. He took the photo of Richards out of his pocket and slid it across her desk. "This is the guy who's most likely responsible. His name is Dean Richards."

"She mentioned him," Torres replied, looking at the photo. "She said she noticed him in her neighbourhood, and she felt something was off about him. She said she contacted you because the only other two people who knew she was there were me and Bill. She wasn't exactly sure who to trust."

Reese could see from the tilt of her head that she was a little disappointed with the information. Had he been in her place he might have felt the same. But he was sure she knew that in a situation such as theirs, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"I find it hard to believe that the two of you went to the Police Academy together and worked a beat for two years before you got a new partner." She eyed him skeptically from across her desk.

"Why is that?"

"You and Fusco are like fire and water. I can't imagine you and Joss Carter lasting two years, let along two months working together without wanting to kill each other."

He smirked as she shook her head. "Who says we didn't?"

"She said that she trusts you. A whole lot. Which is why you were the first person she thought to call."

"And I'm grateful for that. She's been there for me more times than I can count."

She pondered his admission. this revelation about the two of them being partners and friends piqued her curiosity. Her eyes were full of questions. None of which she would ask, probably because she wasn't sure she wanted to know, or because she was sure he wouldn't answer them.

"What do you want to do, Riley?"

"Pick Richards up. Question him. There's a warrant for his arrest in Montauk. He killed Carter's regular mailman when he was looking for her. Bernard Davenport ."

"You've been busy in the last couple of days, haven't you?" she asked, amazed at how many details of the case he already had.

"I say we go question him, see how he found her. And don't talk to her contact at WITSEC. Not one word till we find out who Richards is working for."

"What about Fusco?" she asked, opening her top drawer. She pulled her firearm out and stood up.

"The Washington Heights case isn't fully wrapped up. And after the fingerprints come in from that gun, he has a few arrests to make. That'll keep him busy for a while. You just gave me a new case, and you want me to start working on it right away."

"Sounds good to me."

She fed the story to Lionel, and though he nodded, the look on his face suggested skepticism. He didn't say anything as he and the Captain left the precinct, but Reese knew the questions would come later.


The smell of herbs and seasonings filled the air as Carter combined baby spinach, garlic, and plum tomatoes before drizzling pasta sauce over them in a saucepan. She turned the heat down on the stove and stirred them slowly. As the ingredients married together she sipped on a glass of white wine and tried not to think of the conversation Torres must have had with John after she'd called her or their subsequent questioning of Richards later on. She wanted to be there. Wanted to look him in the eye when he told them who'd sent him after her. She was sick of sitting around waiting for her life to start again. Sick of running away. It was never something that she was good at. Not that there weren't moments in her life when she was scared or had doubts, but she never let them get the best of her. She was the type to meet things head on, and sitting idly by while John handled things without her was terribly difficult for her to do.

So while he was gone, she busied herself with fixing dinner. Shrimp fettuccine seemed like a good idea. It was quick, simple, and easy. and maybe when she sat down to eat it, maybe when she'd had enough wine, she'd feel a little better.

She drained the pasta, the steam from the boiling water rising up in the air. The last time she cooked pasta it was for Taylor. Spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread and parmesan cheese. She remembered the exact date, what they watched on TV afterwards, the conversation they had that night before he went to bed. She'd committed it all to memory and held onto it tightly since she'd been gone. It hurt being back in NYC, being so close to him but not being able to see him, hear him talk, hold him.

She started thinking of the moments they shared and suddenly felt overwhelmed. She'd abandoned him. yeah, there were people who wanted to kill her, but she left her boy behind, something she thought she'd never be able to do. What if he hated her when he found out the truth? What if he never forgave her for what she did?

She felt like she couldn't breathe. Felt like the walls were closing in. and finally she let herself do what she wouldn't for a long time. Cry. She let the colander drop in the sink and once she allowed the first tears to roll down her cheeks, they triggered a release of suppressed emotion that she had tamped down for so long. It felt like fire breaking free from her chest, and her hands moved to her stomach, trying to bring comfort to herself. Trying to soothe the hollow feeling she had in her womb as if she'd truly lost her child.

She needed to see her son.


Reese was growing impatient. So far he'd let the Captain do all the talking, but her questions were not yielding them any answers. Not any that he was satisfied with anyway. He sighed, looked up at the mounted surveillance camera on the wall and knew they were running out of time. He walked over to it, quietly disengaged the cable that powered the camera and effectively shut off the feed to the room.

"I think this has gone on long enough, don't you Dean?" Reese said, his voice quiet and raspy.

His action didn't go unnoticed. both Torres and Richards looked at him nervously as he returned to the table.

"Hey, man. What are y -?"

Before Richards could finish his question, Reese grabbed him by the hair and slammed his head onto the table. He ignored Torres when she called his name. Ignored whatever she said next as he pointed the barrel of his gun at Richards' temple.

"Okay. Okay. Take it easy," Richards said.

"Who sent you to kill Detective Carter?"

"They'll kill me. They'll kill me, man."

Reese raised his head momentarily before slamming it on top of the cold steel once more.

"Are you more worried about them right now, Richards? Or me?"

"Ok," he said, shakily. "Ok, ok…there's a guy…over at WITSEC. He works for Alonzo Quinn. I don't know the details of how he found out, but he knew someone was hiding her. And he knew she was the one who'd led the investigation against Quinn. They hired me to get rid of her so she couldn't testify. Quinn thought with Carter and Simmons dead and nobody able to identify or prove that he was in charge, he'd walk."

"Detective Fusco knew Quinn's identity," Torres said, standing over him.

"Until a few years ago he was rumored to be a dirty cop. A defence attorney would rip his testimony to pieces on the stand."

"Who's the guy at WITSEC that knew about Bell?" Reese asked. "I want his name."

"Martin," Richards squealed. "Timothy Martin. He's the one that hired me."


Carter pulled at the lapels of her jacket and pulled the zipper all the way up to the top. She looked around nervously and adjusted the hoodie that was over her head.

So far, so good, she thought. she entered an apartment building in Brooklyn and headed straight for the elevator. She rode it all the way to the top floor then climbed the next half floor of steps to head to the roof. Once outside under the New York sky, she walked to the edge and dropped the backpack that was on her shoulder to the ground at her feet.

The building she'd gone to was about two floors higher than the one adjacent to it, and it provided the perfect vantage point to look through the front window of an apartment on its fifth floor. She knew it wasn't really safe to be out here alone, but she had to come. She had to. Taylor was here studying with his friend, and if she only got to see him for five minutes, that would be enough.

With Reese gone and her not knowing when he'd be back she decided to go see Finch, and he was more than surprised to find her waiting for him in the subway car at their new headquarters. He listened to her request for her to find Taylor, to find out where he would be. He was reluctant to use the machine to track the boy's GPS on his phone, Samaritan was still watching their every move, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. She was determined to see him. He half heartedly let her take the binoculars and one of Reese's weapons on her way out. And though he begged her to wait for John so he could accompany her, she wouldn't. She knew instead of tagging along, he would only try to talk her out of it. It had been a year and two days. She couldn't wait any longer.

Her hand trembled as she took the binoculars out of the bag and peered through them, looking around the apartment for any sign of him. From what she could see the television was on, there was movement in the kitchen, but the living room was empty. She kissed her teeth, anxious for a glimpse, her eyes welling with tears in anticipation before he suddenly came into view. He was taller. Much taller than he was the last time she saw him. His hair was cut low, his shoulders broader and there was a new air about him as he walked from the kitchen to the living room to plop down on the sofa. Some of the playfulness was gone; he seemed more…serious, sober, mature. Even at this distance she noticed the subtle changes in him.

She let out a heavy sigh and looked away for a minute, thinking of the parts of his life she'd missed, time she'd never get back. She continued to watch as two other teens emerged from the kitchen, snacks in hand and joined him. After another fifteen minutes passed they cracked open the books and she stood rooted to the spot. Another fifteen minutes passed, and then another, and pretty soon Carter lost track of how long she'd been standing up there. It didn't matter. If she could watch him for the rest of the night, she would.


It was almost eleven o'clock when Reese made it back to Manhattan. His first stop was at Finch's condo to look for Carter, but when he got there, the place was empty. His heart hammered in his chest and he went from room to room while he called out her name. He clutched his gun tightly, feeling a strong sense of déjà vu. He'd charged into her house when he realized she was the one who'd hijacked Yogorov's shipment of drugs and taken his truck. His heart had been in his throat at the time too.

Where the hell was she? Did Richards lie when he told them he was working alone? He said after finding her in Montauk he had no idea of where she'd gone afterwards. Reese had been inclined to believe that he'd been in enough fear of losing his life at the time that he'd been telling the truth.

There'd been no signs of forced entry, no struggle, so she either left on her own or she'd gone with somebody she knew. He dialed Finch's number, waiting impatiently for him to pick up. When he did, Reese questioned him without preamble.

"Finch, have you heard from Carter?"

"I have, Mr. Reese."

"Do you know where she is?"

Finch sighed heavily on the other end before speaking again, and Reese feared the worst. He couldn't lose her again. He couldn't. Not when things between them were finally out in the open. Not when he was doing all that he could to make sure she was safe.

"Yes, I do. And you're not going to like it."


A/N Sorry to end on a cliffhanger but I didn't want the chapter to be too long. Next one will be interesting. Thanks for reading.