Chapter 4 - Fathers and Sons

Taylor and his father Paul walked into the lobby of the building that housed The Bunker. Paul looked around with interest; this was the first time he had been in the building. Taylor normally just rode the subway to his apartment after school on the weekends he would spend with his dad, and then Paul would drop off the boy at school Monday morning.

Taylor never told his dad that the arrangement, which Paul thought was merely convenient, was more to give Team Machine time to feel him out and see if he would be a threat the security of the Carter/Reese family or Finch's operation. Simply put, Team Machine had some seriously bad enemies and they needed to be sure that anyone who has access to any of their homes, safe houses or the Library wasn't a tool of those enemies.

Paul had passed the test without ever knowing he was being tested. Finch had run a background check on him that the CIA would envy in its thoroughness. Shaw had devoted a considerable amount of time to following him and carefully noting all his friends and associates and then Finch had run complete background checks on them. Everything had come back clean. Lionel, Shaw, and John had all met the man and they felt that he was sincere in wanting to be part of his son's life.

It had not all been smooth. Paul had not been able to hide his disappointment that Joss had moved on and remarried. Interactions had been awkward between Paul and John, but the two men maintained an uneasy truce. Paul did his best to hide his desire to resume his place in the Carter family and John pretended not to notice that Paul resented his very existence.

Despite the awkwardness, once the back ground checks were run and John was comfortable with the fact that Paul would not do anything to hurt Taylor and Joss, he told Taylor that he felt it was safe to let Paul come to the high security apartment they called The Bunker. John decided that he would just deal with any weirdness between Taylor's father and himself for the boy's sake. Now that Paul was sober, Joss was determined that her son know his father and John would do his part to support that goal because it was the right thing to do.

As Paul looked around the obviously high end lobby, Taylor saw his lips tighten. Taylor groaned inwardly; maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. He knew his dad was jealous of John, not just because he had Joss's heart and bed, but because John had money. Taylor had seen how Paul's eyes had traveled over John's expensive suit and overcoat when they first met. Seeing the resentment in his father's eyes, Taylor began to doubt the wisdom of letting his father see the luxury apartment he and his mother now called home with his baby half-sister and his step-father.

"Pretty fancy digs you got here Taylor," Paul said slowly, taking advantage of every calming technique his counselor had taught him over the years as he fought to keep his resentment in check.

Taylor was unsure what to say. "John is very security conscious," was all that came to mind.

Paul was not stupid and Taylor's remark sent up a red flag warning. "Any particular reason he has to be so security conscious?" he asked icily.

Taylor, realizing his mistake, shrugged nonchalantly. "He and mom run into some bad dudes. A couple of years ago, mom pissed off every Mafia Don in the city."

"She never told me about that," Paul grumbled.

"You weren't around then," Taylor said as blandly as he could manage. He didn't want to hurt his dad's feelings, but he did want to remind his dad that he had no right to be upset about the security precautions Joss and John were forced to take. Paul looked unhappy, but took the hint and didn't say anything thing further.

Taylor swiped his card at the elevator and they rode to the top floor in silence. They exited the elevator and Taylor punched in the six digit code to open the door to the apartment.

As soon as the heavy steel door slid open, they heard the unmistakable sounds of Treasure by Bruno Mars blasting away.

Taylor led his father around the corner from the entry way into the big open space that served as living room, dining room and kitchen. There they saw Joss and John dancing around the room to the music. John was singing along with Bruno Mars in his pleasant tenor and Joss was laughing happily as her mate swung her around the room.

Taylor watched the happy scene in front of him grinning like a fool, happy to see John loosen up. As much as Taylor liked his step-father, he was fully aware that the word "intense" was probably the single word that was used most to describe John, with good reason. Very few people were privy to this side of the former operative, the playful doofus that lurked inside the assassin, but was very rarely let outside to play.

Outside the walls of The Bunker, John was always vigilant. His eyes constantly scanned the vicinity for threats, never relaxing or letting down his guard. Taylor had seen John struggle with letting go of what Joss called "Operative Mode" when he came home, trying to shift gears into being a family man. John was getting better, bit by torturous bit, at relaxing in the safety of their home. Taylor had seen his step-father pause as he crossed the threshold, take several deep calming breaths and relax his shoulders. It was like he dropping one persona and putting a different one on.

John had recently suffered a tremendous setback as the family recovered from the battle with his former CIA partner, Kara Stanton. Kara had invaded their home with the intent to kidnap and kill Joss, Taylor, and little Cali, and had nearly cost both John and Joss their lives. Despite the extra security measures Finch had added to their home, John had been unable to relax for quite a while after that. It was good to see that John was finally starting recover from that ordeal, allowing himself to be the loving father and husband again.

It took John and Joss a few seconds to register that they were no longer alone in the room; they were so involved with each other. Taylor could feel the waves of disapproval radiating off Paul as they watched the happy scene in front of them, and he silently willed his father to behave.

Joss and John looked up and saw the newcomers at the same instant. "Hey guys, you're early," Joss said cheerfully as John turned off the sound system. "How was the game?"

"We got our asses handed to us," Taylor said with a smile. "But we had fun."

"Good to hear. Did you guys eat yet? John's making the roast herb-rubbed chicken you love so much."

A flicker of distaste passed across Paul's face at the mention that John was the chef. "No thanks, I wouldn't want to impose," he said stiffly.

Joss smiled reassuringly at her ex-husband, ignoring his obvious aversion to her mate. "It's no imposition, and there's plenty of food," she gently coaxed him. John, trying to be helpful, nodded from behind her and did his best to give Paul a welcoming smile.

"No, I'm good," Paul said gruffly. "Thanks for the offer. I'll see you at the debate next week, Taylor."

Paul turned and left as quickly as he could without running.

John raised an eyebrow. "That went well," he commented dryly.

Joss sighed and shook her head. "Damn stubborn man."

Taylor looked upset. "He's getting better though, right?"

Joss gave her son a reassuring hug. "Yeah, at least this time he wasn't outright rude to John."

John nodded. "I just don't think he's quite ready to break bread with me yet. Did you guys at least have a good time?"

Taylor grinned at his step-father as he disengaged from his mother's arms. "Yeah it was really good. He yelled at the refs a few times, but nothing out of the ordinary for New York."

Joss laughed. "See? Your dad continues to make progress. He and John will be best buds before too long!"

John rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything as he went to check on the chicken in the oven. He would like to think he could at least be cordial with Paul Carter, he was Taylor's father after all, but he also understood Paul's reasons for resenting him.

Paul Carter stuck his hands in his pockets as he walked back to the subway stop. He kicked an empty cup and sighed, angry with himself for letting his resentment get the better of him, again. He couldn't seem to help it though. Every time he saw that John character, he wanted to smash his face in for taking his place in his family.

It was no secret that Paul Carter had anger issues caused by PTSD. All Taylor could remember of his parents' marriage was the fighting. His mom had assured him that before 9/11, before the war, their marriage had been relatively harmonious; but the war had not been kind to his parents.

Joss had returned from Iraq with nightmares and a huge scar on her side from a close call with a land mine that had killed her Marine escort. She had woken up crying and screaming several times a week for the first year after her return, replaying the horror of watching a man vaporize before her eyes in her nightmares. Aware that she needed help, she had sought counseling from the minister at the church who had known her since she was child. The kindly old minister had counseled numerous returning soldiers and was quite skilled at helping battered veterans tame the demons of war. Gradually, her nightmares faded until she only had them once in a while now.

But Joss had gotten off light compared to her husband. Paul had suffered only very minor physical wounds, but the emotional injures were a much different matter. Paul's regiment had seen some of the heaviest fighting of the war and he had seen far too many good men torn apart and die screaming in agony. He once joked weakly with Joss that he knew half the graves in Arlington's section 60**. Joss had said goodbye to a cheerful outgoing man as he left for Iraq and the Army had handed her back an angry, paranoid man who soothed his mental wounds with alcohol.

Joss had done what she could to help her husband back from the brink; but as the saying goes, you can't help someone who isn't willing to help themselves. Paul was so busy stewing in his anger that he simply couldn't see that he needed help and resented Joss's attempts to get him that help. He lashed out at his wife frequently, but she bore it stoically until the night she came home from the precinct to find him asleep on the floor drunk and cradling a gun with only a thin wall between the weapon and a young sleeping Taylor. With a heavy heart, Joss realized that Paul had become a danger to their child and she reluctantly divorced him.

Paul had bitterly blamed Joss for the divorce for many years, taking no responsibility for his actions until the day he landed in jail for the latest in long string of DUI arrests. As a part of his sentence, he was assigned to alcohol abuse counseling when luck finally smiled on him. He had been assigned to a highly experienced ex-Marine by the name of Stewart Bauer.

Bauer was six feet of muscle and attitude in equal parts. His skin was the blackest black, his head was shaved, and he wore a huge diamond earring in one ear. He was one scary looking dude at first glance, but his wife and kids would tell you he was really just a big teddy bear. Despite his soft touch at home; he took no shit from anyone and gave no pity to Paul. Bauer had been there and done that and he was exactly what Paul Carter needed to get him back on track. Under Bauer's tough love tutelage, Paul stopped drinking, stopped blaming others for his mistakes, and got his life together.

While Paul had come a very long way, he still had lingering anger management issues. He deeply resented that his place in his family had been taken by a rich, white Wolf. Paul had no way of knowing everything John had been through. All hel knew was that the cover story that John used with the pack and Joss's friends and family‒ that he was former Army who was now Vice President of Crow Investigations and Security. Paul made the worst possible assumptions he could from that information, assuming John had done a single four year hitch and then landed a cushy job straight out of the service. In his resentment, he could not look beyond the expensive suit, the color of his skin, and his status as a Wolf. All Paul could see when he looked at John was that perfect trifecta of hateful traits. If fate had set out to design someone that Paul would resent, they could not have done a better job than John Reese.

Taylor had done his best to change his father's mind, but he was fighting a losing battle. He had tried to tell Paul that John had a Special Ops background and had seen heavy fighting himself. He had tried to explain that John had once been in a very dark place like Paul himself, but Paul was never in the mood to listen to any defense of the man who was living with his family. It cut Paul to the quick that Taylor liked and admired this rich white Wolf.

To Paul's credit, deep down inside he knew he was being unreasonable. But Paul was not yet skilled in getting his emotions to listen to his brain. On an intellectual level, he knew John had not taken his role in the family away from him. Paul himself had abandoned it, and he knew it was up to him to build his own relationship with his son. He had to accept that if he was truly going to have a relationship with his son, he was going to have to learn to deal civilly with the Alpha Wolf.

As Paul walked towards the subway, the Carter/Reese household was getting dinner on the table.

"Mom", Taylor said as he and his mother were setting the table. "Do you think dad will ever accept John?"

Joss tried her best to reassure her son. "Yeah honey, I do. It will just take some time. We're all just trying to figure this thing out. It's only been a few months."

Taylor sighed; he wasn't so sure. Just as it seemed Paul was making progress, there was a setback like tonight. Taylor had been thrilled that his father was cleared to visit the Bunker, but having father like Paul was awfully high maintenance.

John heard Taylor's sigh as he was slicing the chicken and looked up. "War does bad things to people. Your father is doing his best."

"Yeah, but you and mom went through the same shit over there, and neither one of you is like him," Taylor grumbled.

"Language, young man!" Joss snapped.

John began moving meat from the carving board to the platter, but his attention was focused on the teen. "Taylor, this is hard to explain, and I hope you never have to experience it first hand, but combat does things to you. Sometimes you can't help what you become and how you react to it."

"You think I should cut him slack because he's a veteran." Taylor sat in his chair, folded his arms across his chest and slumped down.

"No, I think you should give him a chance because I believe in second chances. I'm here because I got a second chance." John placed the platter of chicken on the table and motioned for everyone to sit down.

Wanting to change the topic, Taylor decided that it was time to broach a subject he had been thinking long and hard about. "So, you guys know my eighteenth birthday is next month, right?"

John looked up from his plate "I remember," he said while Joss nodded her agreement.

Taylor met John's unblinking gaze, "You know what I want for my birthday, right?"

John set his silverware down and gave the teen his full attention. He had a feeling he knew what this was about. "You still want me to turn you?"

"Yes." Taylor's response was firm and immediate.

"Even after everything that's happened recently? Getting kicked out of school because you mom and I are Wolf? Even after seeing all the prejudice that goes along with being Wolf?"

Taylor put his own fork down. "John, I'm a young black man," he replied matter-of-factly. "You think I don't know prejudice? Yes, I still want to be turned after I turn eighteen," Taylor said.

"Why son?" John asked.

Taylor took a deep breath; he had been expecting this question. "I want to help people like you and mom do and being Wolf will make me stronger and faster."

"You can help people even if you aren't Wolf," Joss said. "I did just fine for years not being Wolf."

"Being Wolf makes it easier, though," the teen pointed out.

"Taylor just how do you want to help people?" Joss's voice was gentle but insistent. This was a decision her son had to be absolutely sure of.

"You guys won't be able to work the numbers forever. Someday, someone else is going to have to take over for you."

"You want to work the numbers?" John could not keep the surprise out of his voice.

"Yeah, I do. So does Lee."

Joss stared at her son in shock. "You and Lee have been talking about this? I didn't even know Lionel had told Lee about the numbers!"

Taylor shrugged. "Lionel didn't, Lee figured a lot of it out after Sam saved him from that HR goon. He doesn't know specifics, but he knows that his dad and you work on some sort of side projects with John and Sam that aren't exactly legal, but save people. He wants to follow his dad onto the force, and he is willing to work with me the same way if I take over for John someday."

Joss put her head in her hands while John quietly laughed to himself. John turned to Taylor. "Dare I ask if you have a computer expert lined up?"

"Caleb Phipps," Taylor answered promptly.

John blinked, "Who?"

Joss raised her head. "Caleb is a year behind Taylor. His number came up while you were in Riker's. Finch and Fusco saved him."

Taylor nodded eagerly. "Yup, he's already a multi-millionaire thanks to a computer program he wrote. Finch arranged for him to transfer to my school and asked me to keep an eye on him. He's brilliant; MIT is already drooling all over him. He's like Root, but without the crazy religious talk. She's been teaching him all sorts of hacking tricks and how to shoot."

"Wait Root's involved?" Taylor had seen never his step-father so startled before.

"Caleb said the Machine asked her to train him."

Suddenly, Joss started laughing and John and Taylor both looked at her like she was losing her mind. Maybe she was, she didn't know.

"Don't you see?" Joss said between giggles. "It's The Numbers: The Next Generation! The Machine knows that we can't last forever, so it's making sure there are replacements!"

"And I want to be a part of it," Taylor said firmly.

John chose his next words very carefully. "Taylor, you still have another month to think about this. I want to you think very carefully about what you are signing up for. Working the numbers can be deadly; Finch lost a couple of people before I signed on. I've been shot, stabbed, and beaten up more times than I can count. Your mother, Lionel, and Sam have all been shot. Lionel has been beaten up, Lee nearly died, and you got kidnapped."

Taylor looked at John silently for a minute, and then he looked the ex-Black Op straight in the eye. "Was it worth it, John?"

John shifted uncomfortably in his seat for while he stared at this plate. John knew better than to lie to the teen. "Yes, Taylor. It was." Then John paused for second. "Except for getting shot by Simmons. I could have done without that one."

"Thanks for being honest man," Taylor said softly.

Joss just watched her men quietly as they returned to eating. She knew at that moment that her son had chosen, and he would not waver. While she was afraid for him on the path he had chosen, she was proud of him. Yes son, it wasworth it, she thought as she looked at her mate.

Then the next thought struck her. What is Paul going to say?

**Section 60 in Arlington National Cemetery is where most of the veterans from the Iraqi war are buried.