A/N Here's the latest installment of the fic. We flash back to John and Joss' time in Paris. Hope you enjoy. I own nothing you see here.


MARCH 2003

Joss was still reeling from the intensity of their coupling in the alley. She felt giddy and not quite herself as his fingers gripped hers tightly. The walk back to his place was brief and they got there just a few minutes later. He quickly turned the key in the lock and let them both inside. He turned on a lamp on a table by the door, giving a little illumination to the room, and she looked around for a minute. His place was small, sparsely furnished, but it had a cozy feel to it.

She turned around and saw him taking off his jacket and he looked at her with a sly smile on his face. She smiled back and moved over to him, kicking off her heels. He was so tall and without her shoes on, she barely reached the top of his shoulder. Her hands moved to his chest and her fingers splayed over the expanse of it. He captured her hands in his and spun her round, bending his head to kiss her bare shoulder, then her neck. She leaned into him as his hands travelled over her thighs, up and down, then over her butt and she could feel his hardness at her back.

He turned her to face him again pulling her closer to him still all the while his mouth was blazing a hot trail over her neck, her collarbone, and along the side of her face. She was giddy.

She pressed herself into him, feeling heated, wet and ready for him again. He grappled impatiently with the fabric of her dress and pulled it over her head. Her hands were on his chest under his shirt, she was impatient too. She pulled off of him while he undid his belt, then his zipper, until his pants joined her dress on the floor. He stood naked before her and she took a few seconds to gaze at his body, admiring his muscular physique. His shoulders were broad and toned, his chest hard, his stomach flat. His abs were firm and chiseled just like his thighs, she noticed as she let her eyes roam over the lower half of him.

"Mmmmmmm…" she muttered as she looked between his legs. He was hard and at attention practically staring her in the face. He pulled her against him roughly, kissing the smile off of her lips.

His hands pulled her panties down forcefully and he lifted her up placing her on the bed. He was ready and so was she. There was no more foreplay, no further preamble. Her legs parted as he moved over her and between them. He opened the top drawer of the night stand next to the bed and she watched in the dark as his hands opened a condom and he slipped it on.

He entered her abruptly, pumping into her at a steady pace. Their union was raw, hard and intense. His thrusts were swift, and brutal. It was the kind of sex that pulled everything out of her. The kind where she could barely speak or even make a sound. She was surprised by how snug he fit her and she felt like she was swallowed up underneath him, wound tightly and consumed. Her body was rocked with wave after wave of concentrated feeling. She could barely contain it. She could only grab at him, digging her fingers into his back, his neck, his shoulders, holding onto him while meeting every one of his thrusts. He pushed her and she pushed back, matching him move for move, touch for touch. They were in this together, writhing, feeling, tingling and stroking.

All night it went on like that. He was like an insatiable creature, taking her in every way and position she could imagine. Their cries, their moans, filled the small apartment. They marked each other, with lips, teeth, fingers, tongues that would remind them of their night together. She was drowning, drifting and he was the forceful wave that was carrying her out to sea.

At the end of it, they were nothing but slick, tired bodies, wrapped up and tangled with one another under the sheets. Her body was drained and she lay in his arms with her head to his chest and her leg thrown over his.

He was tracing light circles over her back with the tips of his fingers. The light, gentle movements made her feel relaxed, safe and comfortable. Though he felt warm against her, the chill of the night air made her shiver a little. He pulled the sheets up over them and around her shoulders.

"Better?" She heard him whisper in her ear.

"Hmmm….yeah." She answered. Her eyelids were drooping.

Outside, she could still hear music playing quietly in the distance, but it was the sound of his heartbeat in her ear that finally lulled her off to sleep.


The sun was up, high and bright.

It was morning and John was the first to wake. He rubbed his eyes, feeling a little groggy and slowly sat up in bed. Joss was asleep beside him, her face still buried in a pillow, her mass of long black hair covering her face.

He smiled thinking of the night before. It hadn't been that long since he'd been with a woman. His unspoken arrangement with Kara fulfilled his physical needs enough, but last night had been different. Last night Joss had given as much as she took. She wasn't selfish, she wasn't cold, but she had been fire, a consuming one at that. He couldn't get enough of her.

He brushed the loose strands of hair from her face smoothing them along her hairline. It caused her to stir a bit and she moaned a little putting her knuckles under her chin. She was beautiful. He moved the sheet lower, kissing her shoulder softly, moving his fingers over her back. His hands played along her thigh, her stomach, then lower where her thighs met.

Her eyes opened abruptly and she looked around as if trying to figure out where she was. He smiled at her bewilderment.

"Good morning, Joss."

She looked at him for a moment, trying to find something to say. "Good morning." She finally said with a slight look of embarrassment on her face. He wondered why. "Sorry I overslept. I'll be out of your way in a minute. Just let me get dressed." She got out from under the sheets and got out of bed.

"Who said there was a rush?" He asked and she turned to face him.

"I just thought that….well you know….after last night, that…."

"I'm perfectly fine with you oversleeping. In fact I'm glad you're still here. You want something to eat?"

"Eat?"

"Yeah. You know? Food. I can fix you something or we could go out. There's a nice place just around the corner or….."

"I don't know…."

He stood in front of her sensing her discomfort, and touched her shoulder, running his fingers over her skin. She closed her eyes, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry. But this is….this is not something that I just do. I don't sleep with men I just met in countries I've never been to….."

"Neither do I. So we have that in common." He interrupted, trying to inject some humor and he was glad when she smiled, though reluctantly. "Look you said last night you were excited about coming here. You wanted to have fun, enjoy the city, the people, the food. Here's your chance. It's only a week and you have to admit last night was fun." He bent to kiss her neck and her eyes fluttered. "There's so much more fun that we can have together."

She seemed to be thinking it over. Her sense of responsibility was at war with her desire to just let go, he could tell. It made him like her even more.

"Don't you want to have just a little more fun?"

His hands were around her waist and though he was thinking of taking her to Adele's Rose, the little café further in town, he was getting hard just standing next to her.

She looked at him as if she guessed what he was thinking and smiled. "How about you feed me first before we have some more 'fun'?"

"You're right. You're going to need your energy."

"Is that so?" She asked.

"It is."

He showered and changed and they headed back to her hotel where she did the same. She pulled her hair back in a pony tail and she wore some dark slacks with a cream shell tunic over it and some flats. They had breakfast at Adele's Rose, he took her sightseeing through the city and even bought her a bouquet of flowers.

They took photos of the Arch of Triomphe near the Champs Elysees, ate some West Indian food at Marché des Enfants Rouges. It was the oldest covered market in Paris and they sat on one of the terraces enjoying their meal and each other's company. By the end of the evening they were on the second level of the Eiffel Tower and she was awed by the beauty of the city. They ended up at the top of the monument looking out over the city together.

"It's so beautiful up here." She said. He'd been here and seen it so many times he was used to it. But it was good to see the city through her eyes of someone seeing it for the first time. She seemed full of wonder and amazement as she took it all in. He stood behind her as they were out on the balcony, pinning her to the railing.

"Have you ever made love on top of the Eiffel Tower?" He asked as he ran the tip of his tongue lightly over her neck.

"You know I can't recall ever doing that, no." she said as his hands came around her waist. "John, stop." She said as he pressed himself into her. "People are gonna see us."

"I don't care." He said and spun her round.

"Well I do." She said, but he could feel her start to shiver under his hands.

He kissed her anyway, tasting her mouth with his tongue, pulling her closer so he could feel her against him. "Joss…..what is it about you?"


"Joss…..what is it about you?"

She couldn't answer his question because his lips claimed hers again. His kiss was deep, and as he pulled her yet closer still, she felt shivers travel down her spine.

This was crazy. The craziest she'd ever been. She was fresh off of a break up. This was supposed to be her honeymoon. This man was little more than a stranger, but it felt so natural to be in his arms like this. She couldn't care less about who passed by and saw them. She didn't care. His mouth, his touch made her feel hot, desired and she lost all sense of reason the moment he put his hands on her.

Later in bed after she'd been thoroughly made love to, she stared up at him as he lay between her legs.

"What are you looking at?" He asked.

"Your nose." She said smiling.

"What about my nose?" He asked as she ran her finger along the bridge.

"This is the most peculiar nose I've ever seen. I just….I love it." She giggled.

"Well thank you." He said and kissed her neck. She moaned, surprised at herself for wanting him again so soon.

"You know, you're the first white man I've ever been with."

"I am?" He said laughing at her confession. "Well….thanks, I think, for stepping out over to the other side and trying something new." He laughed a little, shaking his head. "I don't know. I kinda feel like there's pressure on me to represent the rest of my people here."

"Oh believe me you've outdone yourself. Any preconceived notions I might have had have been destroyed."

"Like what?" He asked as he settled next to her side.

"Like…size." She said pulling the sheet over her face, blushing.

"No, no, no, no…you don't get off that easy. What about my 'size'?"

"Well you are rather…large." The both of them laughed. "But what about you? Have you ever…..you know, slept with a black woman before?"

He shrugged. "To me, women are like….ice cream, soft, delicious and you should try a different flavour every now and again."

"Oh. So you're an ice cream connoisseur then." She said rising up, leaning on her forearms.

"Now don't put words in my mouth. I didn't say that, exactly. But I have developed a taste….for a little chocolate." He pulled her back down next to him, grabbing her hand. "And it seems that now, you like the taste of vanilla. It's not as bland as you thought it'd be."

"Don't you go getting a big head over that, now." He took her hand and held it over his cock. She could feel it pulsing underneath her hand.

"Too late for that, I think." He was right. She could feel him starting to get hard.

She pulled the sheets back and stared at it, watching it grow under her gaze.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I wanna see it." She said matter of factly and ran her finger along the length. It rose at the touch, then rested again. He made a hissing sound. "You like that?" She said, her eyes meeting his. His hands were beneath his head and his eyes were hooded now.

"You know I do." He whispered back. With her eyes still on his, she pressed a kiss to his stomach. The hardened muscles twitched under her mouth. Her tongue snaked out licking the skin just under his navel and he hissed again.

"Ahhhhh….so that's your spot." She murmured and kissed him there again. He let out a few ragged breaths and she looked at his cock again. It was even harder. She ran her tongue along the length, watching him close his eyes tightly. She wrapped her tongue along the head, then up and down his shaft. She released it and watched as it slowly moved up toward his navel and past it. Her eyes widened and she licked her lips taking him in her hands.

She sucked on him for a while, watching his chest rise and fall at the sensations she knew was going through him. She tenderly kissed at the insides of his thighs, running her tongue along the sensitive skin till he was hot and writhing underneath her tongue.

She stroked him in her hands over and over, her hands slick with his precum. He handed her a condom and she opened it, putting it on him. He pulled her closer, till she hovered right over him. His hands were on her hips and he guided her down on top of him until she took all of him in. She rocked back and forth over him, squeezing him as she moved. He buried the back of his head in the pillow, and held onto her hips as she rode him.

He was so deep and thick and she felt like she was floating. His hands moved over her breasts, squeezing her nipples and she looked him in the eyes. His gaze bore into hers, holding her there so powerfully, so sensually.

They found release together in each other, both taking and giving. Both pouring into each other, both not holding back. He hit something so deep inside her, she couldn't describe it. She didn't know if she wanted to.

The next few days went by so quickly.

Before she knew it, it was Thursday afternoon and they were in her hotel room about to go to the beach. Problem was she hadn't brought a swim suit with her. But he told her she didn't need one. He'd chartered a boat and they were going on a short excursion to a secluded island where they'd have a stretch of sand and blue water all to themselves with no prying eyes for hours. He told her all she needed was a towel, her slippers and some sun block.

She quickly threw on some shorts and a t-shirt and they left her room hand in hand headed for the pier. They walked toward the ramp, and she put her sunglasses on while she watched him speak with a tall lanky old gentleman in rapid French. It was all lost on her; she couldn't understand a word they were saying. He soon beckoned to her and when she walked over to him he held her hand and helped her onto the boat.

She sat on one of the cushioned seats at the back and put her feet up. The water was relatively calm, the weather was warm, and it seemed like the skies would be clear for the rest of the day.

"How long is the ride?" She asked when he came to sit next to her.

"About a half hour."

"Where'd you learn to speak French?" She asked, but he took a while to answer which she found peculiar.

"Picked it up here and there."

"Did you pick up your German from the same place?" She asked and he smiled. "I heard you when we were at the market yesterday when you were speaking to the lady about the beer."

"You don't miss anything do you?" He said rubbing his hands up and down her arms.

"Nope I'm pretty observant, it's my job, paying attention to details. Could be the difference between winning and losing."

"At the supermarket back home, right?" He said sarcastically.

She felt a little embarrassed remembering the story she gave him about being a store manager at a local Food Lion back in Virginia.

"Right, right."

She couldn't help it but she wanted to know more about him. But she realized with the week quickly coming to a close, maybe it didn't matter. But what if it did? She wanted to know where he was from, where he lived, what he wanted out of life. These questions nagged at her all of a sudden, but she was wondering if she should ask them.

"You're looking pretty serious there. I thought we were supposed to be having fun." He ran his finger down the bridge of her nose.

"We are." She said and sat in his lap. "So tell me about this island."


What are you doing, John? He asked himself this question over and over for the past few days he spent with her. Every night they spent together and she fell asleep in his arms he asked himself what he was doing.

She was only supposed to be fun for one night, then he was supposed to send her packing, albeit gently. He didn't need or want any emotional attachments this week. He knew that, but something about her made him want to spend more time with her. Of course it made no sense to like her, after this week he'd never see her again. His type of life, his career, made that impossible. Jessica's marriage was a reminder that he could never have normal, what made him think being with Joss would be different.

He should walk away. Many times he was about to. He planned to leave her hotel room and never call or see her again. After their last day at the market, he planned to leave after their meal was done. He'd tell her it was fun while it lasted, but he wasn't interested any more. But he couldn't do it. A part of him wanted to be normal if only for this one week of vacation. One week that was rapidly coming to a close. Then he'd have to ditch the Boy Scout again and become the killer once more.

She wouldn't want him anyway he thought, if she really knew what he was, what he did. But she looked at him with her brown eyes and he'd feel like he could be someone else. So he pretended for just another day instead of walking away.

Now they were on this boat and she was asking questions. His guess was, she was an attorney, probably worked at a law firm, probably was moving up the ranks very quickly. She struck him as very intelligent, shrewd, intuitive. She wasn't just an average Jane. She was heads above the rest.

What had brought her here, he wondered. He wanted to know. Answers would come with consequences. If he got any, he'd have to give some of his own. For now he'd keep his mouth shut and enjoy her as much as he could before it all had to end.

He told her about the island, its secrets and legends and the rumors he'd heard about it. She balked at the story about ghosts roaming the shores at night.

"I don't believe in ghosts, John and I'm sure you don't, either."

"What if I told you I did?" He said suddenly serious.

"Something haunting you, John? Or someone?" She asked staring at him. With her hands caressing his face he felt almost like he wanted to tell her all. To verbalize what had been eating away at him for so long. But he couldn't.

"The only thing haunting my dreams at night right now is you."

"Hmph. We both know that's not true."


They pulled up to the dock of the island and he was right, white sand stretched before them for miles. There was a large cabin where they could change and rest until the boat came back. She jumped over the side, her feet hitting the water. It was cool on her skin. She waved goodbye to the boat captain and John ran alongside her as the boat sailed away.

"You may be able to fool other people with your smooth talk and those blue eyes of yours, but you don't fool me."

"Joss…."

"Come on. Let's go have some of this fun, you promised me." She was pulling his hand and together they went into the hut to put down their bags and take off their shoes.

"I didn't see anyone else on the beach. You sure no one's gonna sneak up on us?" She had a worried look in her eyes and he walked up to kiss the pout that found its way to her lips.

"I promise."

"Okay cause these clothes are coming off." She started to strip off her shorts and shirt, then her underwear till she was standing in her birthday suit.

"I am one lucky man."

She laughed and opened the door to the cabin. "Yes you are." She said putting her hair in a bun high on her head. "Take your clothes off too, I'm not gonna be naked alone." With that she disappeared outside and took off for the water.

He joined her minutes later and ducked her underneath the waves. She squealed.

"My hair! John I didn't want it to get wet!" His answer to that was to duck her under again. They fought after that, and she started a splashing match, throwing water at him till he could barely see.

"Stop it." He warned grabbing her and pulling her under again. She tried unsuccessfully to get away from him, but his grip was too strong for her. After a while she conceded defeat.

"Okay, okay. You win. I give up." She said laughing. She was tired and didn't have it in her to struggle anymore.

"Good." He said grabbing her about the waist. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"You better stop unless you want to end up naked in this sand."

"Who says that's not what I want." She said nipping at his bottom lip.

"You don't want that. It may sound romantic, but you don't want sand on certain parts of your body, trust me."

She laughed and for the rest of the afternoon and early evening they both did. He was glad he came to Paris. He was glad that he'd met her even if he'd never see her again. They ate a light snack of baguette sandwiches and fruit that he'd bought for them and they sat on the porch of the cabin drinking wine and she fed him grapes and strawberries.

"These are good." He said between bites and stuck out a piece of strawberry from his mouth for her to taste. She took it into her mouth chewing on it and nodded her head.

"Yes this whole day was good. Thanks to you. Thanks for bringing me here. I had a really nice time today. I wish I could stay here and not go back. This whole trip has been….just…."

"What….?"

"It's just been so good. It's just what I needed after…"

"After what?" He turned to her and noticed she had tears in her eyes.

"Nothing." She answered, shaking her head. "I don't wanna spoil it. Let's just enjoy the rest of the night.

"Hey….." He said touching her face. "What's the matter?" She looked up at him and he knew. He just knew. She was going through the same type of pain that he was. She'd come here looking to be free of someone. Just like him. He'd felt connected to her through what they'd both been going through and had been suffering with in silence.

He wanted to comfort her, he wanted to soothe her. He wanted to make those tears that were threatening to fall just disappear right now. She didn't answer his question. She didn't seem like she wanted to break whatever spell that had been cast over them this week. She wanted to remain in their bubble; she wanted to remain in denial of what her life really was.

They were the same.

They needed the same things.

They needed each other right now.

He kissed her and felt her sigh, almost like the touch of his lips had lifted a heavy burden off her shoulders. She pulled at his shirt, grasping at him, wanting to get as lost as he was in this moment. Her mouth opened and he pushed his tongue inside seeking hers. She tasted of wine and fruit, her mouth was sweet, warm, and so inviting.

She moaned and put her hand on his chest. It ignited something in him, called to something deep inside him.

They were the same.

He needed her.

She needed him.

He wanted her.

She wanted him.

Their lips parted, but they didn't move. His lips still near hers, their faces touching. She reached up to touch his cheek.

"You're something else, John Reese." She whispered.

He didn't know what came over him, but he couldn't stop the words that came out of his mouth next.

"Lucas."

"Hmm?"

"My real name is…..John Lucas."