When Carter got back to work two days later she learned that Fusco had questioned Jason Davis about the shooting. He was pretty tight lipped even after he found out that they had him on tape and that they had a witness that could place him at the crime scene. He was nervous as hell about being charged with a double homicide, but for two days he wouldn't give up who the other two guys were or who they were working for. It seemed he was more than willing to go back to prison, alone if he had to.

She would have loved to have pinned this on him, but Carter was determined to find the other two guys. Davis had a history of priors, assault and battery, armed robbery; he'd been implicated in murders before, but had never been convicted. He'd always had good representation and this time was no different.

Two attorneys in expensive suits had bailed him out by the end of her first day back and she recognized one of them. He was one of the attorneys for David Frazzano one of the capo's for Don Facile.

She crossed her arms in front of her and watched as he walked out feeling triumphant.

"How much you wanna bet he doesn't last a day once he's out?" She said to Fusco who was perched on the top of her desk beside her.

"He thinks he's home free, but they're just getting him outta here to make sure he keeps his mouth shut. Permanently."

Carter shook her head, going to sit behind her desk and smiled as she saw Beecher walking in. Fusco scowled as he approached them, nodding his head curtly when Beecher said hello.

"Hello, Detective." He said smiling at Carter.

"Hello, Detective." She answered, smiling back.

"How's your case going? Is Davis talking?"

"Not a word. He won't say who he's working for despite us having him on tape. He's given us nothing. And he just walked out with his expensive attorney."

"Yeah I knew that guy looked familiar when I came in. Doesn't he work for Frazzano?"

She nodded.

"That could mean Facile's involved. The Italians never liked Manny. Him coming back might have rubbed them the wrong way."

"It's possible."

"What's your next move, Joss?"

"Fusco and I'll figure it out. Did you come to ask me about my case?"

"Actually I wanted to know if you'd given my offer any further thought."

"Actually I have." She shuffled some files around her desk but didn't meet his eyes. Truthfully she had given it some thought. But for two days she kept thinking about her hands on John's face and how it felt so natural with him being that close to her.

"And what have you decided?"

"Nothing definite yet, Cal. I'm sorry. I promise I'll let you know by the end of the week."

"Just five short days away, Joss

"I'm aware of that." She said sweetly.

"How bout we grab some lunch?"

She glanced at her watch, not even realizing it was so late in the day.

"Sure. Just give me a few minutes to finish up this paperwork."

Three days. It had been three days Reese thought, that Carter had been in his bed, and in his house. He and Finch had been working on a new number and he'd been busy, but each spare moment he had, he thought of her.

He'd spoken to her briefly a few times to get information on his case and he was glad to hear that she'd completely gotten over her flu. Something he had said amused her and he was treated to the sound of her laugh on the phone. It stirred something inside him. Something he'd buried for a long time.

He wanted to see her. He wanted to finish whatever it was that was started in his kitchen.

"Lionel." He said without turning around.

"You seemed pretty deep in thought there Wonder Boy." Said Fusco. "Who you spying on tonight?" He asked looking in the direction of Reese's gaze. It was locked on a group of girls in a local pub who were having drinks and a really good time. "I see. I'm surprised though. They don't look your type."

"What do you want Lionel?"

"Beecher's been asking a lot of questions about the case with the dead Croats."

"Has he?"

"Yeah, been questioning Carter about it this afternoon."

"And what's she told him?"

"Nothing much. But there's nothing much to tell. Davis didn't give us anything."

"I'm sensing there's a 'but' somewhere Lionel." Reese said turning to him, waiting for him to respond.

"He could be working for the Italians. One of their attorneys came to bail him out on Monday."

"Facile?"

"That's what we think."

"I'll look into it."

"Oh I'm sure you will."

"So since you were the first person to scream tonight, I get to pick the pizza topping tomorrow." Said Taylor with a grin. Carter shook her head as they headed for her car.

"I don't know how you convinced me to see that movie Taylor. You know I hate horror flicks. I only went cause you had to see it. What's wrong with the other movie I suggested anyway?" She joked and he took the food tray from her.

"Thank you." She said as he opened the door for her and they stepped outside.

"Mom that other movie is ridiculous. Only old….."

"If you call me old, I'll kill you. I love you baby, but I'll kill you." She threw her arm around his shoulder and they walked towards the car.

Her cell phone rang just then and she picked up.

"Carter." She answered.

"Ignoring me, Detective?" Asked Reese on the other end.

"John…no. I….I was just in the middle of something. I didn't hear my phone ring. What's up?"

"I wanted to give you a heads up about something."

"Actually John….now's not a really good time. I'm kind of in the middle of something….stop it…." she whispered to Taylor who was pulling on her arm.

"You're on a date." He deduced by the sound of her sudden laughter.

"Well…..not exactly but….. Can I call you back?"

"Sure, Carter." He said before he hung up and she heard a trace of disappointment in his voice. Or was she imagining it? She wasn't sure.

"Everything alright mom?" Asked Taylor as she started the car. He watched as the knot between her eyebrows appeared.

"Of course Taylor, baby." She thought of Beecher's invitation again and the knot deepened. If she decided to go away with him she needed to know her son would be alright with it. "We've been on our own for a while and it hasn't been easy, but we've been okay right?"

"Yeah."

"I know growing up without a dad has had its challenges….."

"Let's not forget the fact that you're an amazing mom…."

"You know I am an amazing mom, you're right." They both laughed together. "And you know I love you so much, Taylor and I always put you first no matter what."

They were almost home now with just a few miles to go.

"What's going on? Should I be worried?"

"It's about Cal. You know we've been seeing each other for a while. And I really like him. How would you feel if we saw a little more of him in the future?"

Carter was on pins and needles waiting for him to answer. She guessed he was mulling it over in his mind trying to think of what to say. She didn't realize she was holding her breath till he finally spoke.

"How much more?"

"Well if things get serious in the next couple of weeks; a whole lot more. But you know it's always been me and you. You're the most important person in the world to me. I need to know if you'd be okay with that."

"Can I be honest?"

"Of course."

"He says the right things, seems to do the right things and I won't lie and say that I don't think he's interested, but…there's just something about him that seems….off."

"Like what?" They were at a red light and were just two blocks away from home. She turned to him in the seat next to her. Even in the darkness of the car she could see a similar knot in his forehead like the one she had earlier.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm imagining it. But look mom; honestly, I want you to be happy. You deserve it. If he makes you happy, then I guess its okay, I'll get over it."

She was proud of how mature he sounded, she was glad he wanted her to be happy. But she didn't discount the fact that he was uneasy about Cal and basically told her in a roundabout way that he really didn't like him.

They got home shortly afterwards and as they got inside, Taylor made a beeline for his room and his laptop.

"Don't stay on there too long." She shouted after him.

"I know." He called back.

She went into her bedroom and closed the door. She slipped out of her jeans and top and lay down on the top of the covers in her bra and panties. She rested her hands on her stomach and closed her eyes thinking of the last person she dated before Beecher.

Brian Sanders. He was tall, dark skinned and built like a line backer. She admitted to herself he was more of a booty call than a boyfriend. Taylor had never met him and she was glad. As interesting as he was, accomplished even, Carter hadn't seen him as a permanent fixture in her life or her son's. But he'd been a sweet diversion from sleepless nights and provided a good escape from an empty bed.

She missed the bliss of being made love to by someone you were in love with. Nothing topped that, nothing, she thought. And it had been too long. She missed being comfortable with someone so much that you could be yourself around them, flaws and all and still feel accepted, still feel special. She missed the feeling of being taken care of.

She smiled at the sudden image of John rubbing vapor rub on her chest. Days later and the very thought still hadn't ceased to make her smile and feel warm all over. And it was ridiculous that she was having these thoughts of him after all this time. But was it?

She had felt taken care of. She had felt special. But Reese was a protector by nature. They'd always had each other's backs, so her being sick was no different she guessed. Still their brief moment at his place was…interesting to say the least.

She wondered if he felt as affected by it as she was.

Knowing what she knew about Jessica she wondered if he was capable of feeling that type of love for anyone again.

Why was she even thinking about love? She thought. That was ludicrous.

THE NEXT AFTERNOON

Simmons swallowed hard, the whiskey burning the back of his throat as it went down. He sat near Quinn who waiting for him to speak. They were watching a news story on the recent homicides down in Washington Heights.

"Fusco hasn't been too forthcoming with information on the case so far. They arrested Davis, but he's not talking."

"And he won't." Said Quinn. "Facile will make sure of that."

"Is that right?"

"We should hear some progress on it in a few hours to be exact."

"Detective Carter might be onto who hired Davis and his friends to take out the Croats. She's checking out a tip that could lead straight to Facile."

"I'm not too worried about Carter. My source tells me she's got nothing really, just speculation. And if she gets too close, I'm sure our friend Elias would still like the opportunity to deal with her after his last attempt was thwarted."

"By the man in a suit. The knee capping guy."

Quinn nodded, getting up to pour himself another glass.

"I thought he was her personal guardian angel."

"Yeah. But even angels can't be everywhere at once. Besides Gabric's shipment should be in by the end of next week. Facile wants to relieve him of it, force him to bring in more product for him or retire permanently from the trade."

"And of course we get our cut."

"Yes we do my friend. Yes we do."

6:30pm

"Come here!" Said Carter grabbing the suspect by his shirt collar. He was about to break into his neighbour's apartment and rape her. Unfortunately, he encountered Reese who was waiting for him. His neighbor was one of Reese's numbers and he'd called Carter to take him into custody after he'd subdued him.

Reese watched from a distance as she read him his Miranda rights and smiled as she pushed him into the back seat of the squad car. He loved to watch her work. He loved working with her. He was glad that she was a part of the team. She was confident, fearless, she reminded him of himself when he saw her in action.

He gave her a nod as she closed the car door. Fusco was in the front seat and drove off to take him in for booking.

"Think she's gonna be okay?" Carter asked walked over to where he stood away from the scene and so many officers. She looked at the young girl standing near her front door being questioned by another officer.

"Eventually she will." He asked looking down at her.

"You never did tell me what you wanted to give me the heads up about the other night."

"You never called." He replied.

She smiled and shook her head. He was right. "So where you headed?" She asked, swearing inwardly because the question came out before she could stop it.

"Nowhere in particular, Carter." He said. He watched as an almost childlike look came across her face as if she was unsure she wanted to give voice to her thoughts. Her lips parted and she smiled almost shyly at him. He turned his head slowly, blinking so he wouldn't stare.

"Well it's Friday night….."

Pizza night, he thought.

"….and Taylor and I normally have pizza on Friday nights. Would you like to hang out with us?"

"You've never invited me to your house before Carter." He said with a smirk.

"So you better answer fast before I come to my senses." She said laughing.

"What about Cal?" He asked.

"He's working tonight." She said quickly.

"Well in that case, I'd love to."

7:00pm

Carter called ahead to tell Taylor that company was coming over and to order three large pizzas, some hot wings and bread sticks.

"Three pizzas, Carter?"

"Yeah." She said looking at him out of the corner of her eye as she drove. "You look like a man with a healthy appetite, John. And besides, Taylor practically inhales those slices." She said laughing. "How do you feel about sausage as a topping? Taylor won a bet the other night so he got to pick the topping for one of the pizzas."

"Sausage is fine. What bet did he win?"

"Who would scream first when we watched a horror flick. We were at the movies the other night when you called."

Reese stared out the window as they neared the apartment.

"So he was your date."

"Yeah." She admitted noting the almost imperceptable nod of his head.

She and John walked up the steps to the apartment both of them aware that this was the first time she'd actually invited him in. It seemed like a big step and she pretended that she wasn't doing it because she'd been wanting to spend time with him since he'd taken her to his apartment. She pretended that she wasn't nervous about finding out how Taylor reacted to him. She pretended that it was nothing more than her offering him someplace to chill and have a bite to eat.

"Taylor." She called out and he came walking down the hallway cell phone in hand. "Say hello to…"

"John." He said remembering him as the man who'd rescued him when he'd been kidnapped. He seemed curious, but excited at the same time.

"Hello Taylor." Reese said. Carter invited him to sit in the living room and she took his coat hanging it in the closet along with hers in the hallway. She rolled up her shirt sleeves and kicked off her shoes to walk barefoot on the carpet.

She never knew John to be a man of many words, but he surprised her by keeping up a steady conversation the entire evening with her son who all of a sudden turned into a 'chatty Cathy' himself. He wanted to know where John learned to fight, how he learned to shoot a gun. Was he a soldier? He bombarded him with questions and she was grateful as he patiently answered them all.

He ate the pizza and wings and she was right about his appetite. He was just as bad as Taylor.

She stole glances at him, watched him move, the way he sat, moved his hands. And she knew that even though he talked with her and with Taylor, he was observing her too. It made her a little nervous him being so aware of her. It made her even more aware of him. She felt her body flush under his gaze as she got up to move the empty boxes to the kitchen. There was only a half a pizza left.

Video games were next and she stood against the wall of the entryway watching them play black ops, call of duty and other military games. Being that it was his field John did well, but Taylor gave him some stiff competition. John even let him win a few times. Upon his last victory, he jumped up laughing, and John turned to her winking.

She smiled back at him and walked over taking one of the controls from Taylor.

"Alright, John. Let's see what you really got. You might have beaten Taylor, but I don't think you can take me."

"We'll see about that, Joss." He said her name so softly that Taylor looked at the both of them for a brief moment, squinting, then smiling.

Their first game was neck and neck, so close, that he only beat her by a few points. The next game she won, but on the third, he came back with a vengeance. Just when it looked like he was about to score the winning point she knocked his controller out of his hand and took the win. Taylor shook his head and both he and Carter laughed.

"I'm going to my room mom."

"Aw….goodnight Taylor." He kissed her cheek and said goodnight to John, then walked down the hallway.

"You cheated." He said turning to her. She sat next to him on the couch and smiled.

"Only a little." She said leaning her head on the back of the sofa.

"Thanks for inviting me." He said quietly.

"You're welcome, John."

When she looked over at him she could see a conflicted look in his eyes. She felt the same. She wondered what he was doing here. What did she want right now? Her heart quickened as he put his hand up to rest on her face. Her chest rose and fell and she closed her eyes. she enjoyed the feel of his hand against her skin. It was the simplest of touches, she knew, but she loved it nonetheless. She felt him moving closer to her and when she opened her eyes; his face hovered just above hers.

"Joss…."

She tilted her head closer to him; his lips were almost on hers, almost touching when her phone rang.

She turned in the direction of the noise and let out a long breath. "I'm sorry." She walked over to the table near the door and picked it up.

"Cal." She said and listened as he spoke. She didn't hear John's footsteps behind her. "No Taylor and I already ate. We're fine…." She jumped as she felt John put his arms slowly around her waist and he pulled her flush against his chest. She felt a jolt of electricity run through her, shocking her so much, she gasped.

"You alright?" Beecher asked. John spun her round in his arms till she faced him and tilted her head upwards.

"I'll have to call you back, Cal." She hung up and John took the phone from her and placed it on the table. He ran his thumb across her bottom lip twice before he lowered his mouth onto hers capturing it between his own. His hand was in the back of her neck pulling her closer and she melted into him. He claimed her mouth slowly, expertly, passionately. He allowed her no air, no separation, no respite from his seeking lips. And when his tongue darted between her lips to touch hers she moaned softly and put her hand on the nape of his neck.

This was the passion she missed, the quickening of her breath, her heartbeat and her whole body responding to the fire being poured over it.

When he finally lifted his mouth from hers, she was breathless, almost dizzy and he smiled.

"Just like I imagined."