A/N: Felt a bit inspired (and Missing Reese is a little blocked up again, go figure), so here's a little more of this one.
The car sped away just as John was able to get a shot off the mirror of the passenger side window, his own vehicle screeching up alongside it. His hand gripped the steering wheel tightly, as he drove with one hand and shot with the other, the task of keeping his eyes on the road and on his two targets a test of true will. The henchmen, no doubt minions on the good senator's payroll, traded off their own shots as the getaway driver did his best not to become the city's latest driving fatality.
The commotion was loud enough and fast enough to get the attention of the neighborhood's residents, who were not used to car chases in their rather quiet and well-kept area. 911 was called; but by the time any of the bystanders had time to react, both cars were long gone, Finch's town car fitted with a new, untraceable license plate in the process.
In the end, however, the driver managed to get away. Not wanting to risk damaging a nearby school with the wreckage of the henchmen's vehicle had he maintained the pursuit, he let them. But he wasn't happy about it. They should be dead. They had come too close to his baby girl and to Joss for his comfort. And they did so following Zoe.
"Dammit," he swore once again. But it wasn't at Zoe this time. It was at himself. He hadn't sewn up this one air tight the way he should have. He let them on. They'd be back. And now, the very real possibility that he might not be able to protect Zoe the way he'd been able to up to that point was a real factor.
And then, there were Joss and Alyssa. They were his world. But now his job, his duty, could have put them in jeopardy, too. He only hoped that if the ladies were curious about all the commotion outside her door, they were merely witnesses behind a window shade. However, knowing that Joss still had the cop's instinct, she wouldn't have left it there. She'd have come to see what was going on in her neighborhood, after making sure that Alyssa and Zoe were safe. And she might have noticed him trading shots with the senator's men. That was an argument for another day, most surely.
He tapped his fingers atop the town car's hood as he stood contemplating his next move. If he could get the Machine to get a line on where the senator's men were headed, he could finish what had been started. Or he could head back to Joss' place to sit and keep watch.
To sit and listen in on their conversation. To find out exactly what game Zoe was playing at.
"Dammit!" he swore yet another time, as he sheathed his gun back into its holster. He couldn't seem to stop repeating himself. It was the only word that fit the monumental screw up this afternoon had become.
##
"Baby, it's okay. The bad people are all gone. It's okay." Joss sat cowered in the corner with her daughter, the little girl's cries now reduced to a light whimpering. Zoe, too, had crouched down in the same spot, her entry into Joss' home not long before the fireworks outside. For a moment, the three were joined in a mutual relationship of fear and bewilderment, the shots and screeching tires giving no time for Zoe to even announce the purpose of her visit. But within fifteen minutes, the shooting had stopped and the sounds of tires screeching could be heard off in the distance, until it could be heard no more. Cop instincts told Joss to keep all three of them on the floor for a bit longer, until she could assess the scene as much as possible before giving the all clear. The phone call to 911 turned out not to be necessary, as police units were already in pursuit. The few details she was able to give from the crouched position away from the window had been helpful, but not necessary, either.
Luckily, nothing had been shattered or broken, given how close all the action had been to the house. Taylor was at his father's place, which Joss was thankful for, given the situation, but whatever had been the cause of the shootout, it was indeed too close to her door.
Upon finally getting Alyssa to rights, she was then able to come back to earth a bit, and then realize that she had Zoe Morgan—Reese—standing in front of her, in her home. Reality made a place for itself then. The reality she had to get an answer for.
Zoe, for her own part, seemed, once the dust had settled, cool as a cucumber. That didn't surprise Joss. From the time she'd met her, in a moment when she had only pretended to be John's wife in order to help him and Finch bust up a suburban mob threat out on Staten Island, Zoe had always been unflappable. Not a hair out of place, not a ruffle of feathers, she'd always kept it together. Joss found herself admiring that about her. She'd have made a great detective. As it was, being a fixer paid more.
But then, it also may have made life a lot more dangerous. More than likely, the disturbance from a few moments prior had followed her there. But she was none the wiser for it. At least, not yet.
"Well, wasn't that interesting?" she breathed, after smoothing her dress and hair and standing to face Joss and the baby. The meticulously wrapped parcel she brought with her, a present for the baby, rested on the floor nearby.
"Yes. Yes, it was. I'll need to check in with the dispatcher reports to see what that was all about," Joss said.
Zoe waved nonchalantly. "Probably just some thug drug dealers in a bad way with each other. You know, Joss, you might want to talk to John about helping you get out of this neighborhood. He could. What are you in the market for, a two-bedroom flat? Oh, wait, you have Taylor as well, so there'd need to be more space than that. Or maybe he wouldn't mind sharing his room with a toddler?"
Joss bristled under Zoe's criticism. "Zoe, the neighborhood is fine. That's not something that happens here every day. In fact, that's the first time I can recall such a thing, and I've been here since Taylor was a little older than Alyssa. Can I ask you what you're doing here?"
"Oh, I was just in the area. Thought I'd drop by to see how you and the baby were faring. And to bring a gift for her. It's been some time since I've seen her, save for pictures on John's phone."
Joss allowed the sad smirk to come. Scoping his phone? Zoe, that's not your style. Not when it comes to John.
Marriage. It had a way of making a woman do things she wouldn't normally do, in order to keep that marriage together. Women in fear of losing were like that.
"We're fine, as you can see," Joss replied, her tone slightly impatient as she put Alyssa down in her playpen. "If you wouldn't mind, I need to get supper started and then get my daughter her bath."
Zoe wrinkled her nose and paused a second before speaking. The silence, though brief, was deafening. Joss could feel a bead or two of sweat on her forehead.
"This won't take long. I wanted to see you, see Alyssa. See what John sees when he comes here."
Joss played it as cool as she could, knowing she was in the midst of a pro, who made her living knowing people and what their weaknesses were. However, inside, with every second Zoe stood in her living room, she was fighting a battle she didn't think she was equipped enough to win.
She raised her hands. "Well, this is it."
"Is it really? I find that surprising," she said, softly. Her words dripped with the accusation Joss knew she had every right to make. But it didn't come. She allowed her chest to rise in preparation for battle if the time came when it did.
"Yes, of course, Zoe. Sorry that we don't have Park Avenue or whatever, but it does us well, me and the kids."
Zoe raised her eyebrow, her gaze on Joss. "Yes. Yes, of course it does. You do keep it well, I must say, even with a little rug rat to contend with." She turned her gaze, to Joss' relief, to the mantelpiece behind her. There she found the photo gallery. A picture of Taylor in Cub Scouts was first in line. From there, photos of Alyssa as a newborn, Taylor again, with his Student of the Month Award for fourth grade science, photos of Joss with the two of them.
But she stopped when she reached the one of her with Taylor, Alyssa—and John. They were at a park setting, when Alyssa had just been a few days old, all smiles and sunshine. He looked like the happiest man on earth. His face glowed with vibrant life.
She had never seen a man so happy.
The three of them had brought that out in him.
It couldn't be helped. The image did something to her, turned her inside out. She wasn't responsible for what happened next.
"Did you know that John and I are trying for a baby of our own now?"
Her hand played, there was no help for it now.
Joss had picked up a glass to bring to the kitchen, but now that glass was in danger. Her hand gripped the tumbler to keep from letting it go, her wooden slat floor no protection against the bombshell she had just heard. In comparison, the shoot out from several moments before was nothing.
"Uh...no. No, I didn't know that. Congratulations," she said, willing her voice not to break, not to falter as she took a quicker step to the kitchen island to put the glass on the counter. With her back to Zoe, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The voice of her daughter in the playpen was the segue she needed to return, while not losing face. Not with Zoe Morgan. Not over John. No, she wasn't going out like that.
"We're very excited, as I'm sure you can imagine. I've never seen myself as the diaper changing type, but I have to say, being married to John has definitely made me reconsider a lot of things. We can have our own pictures on the mantelpiece. Alyssa would be a part of that, of course."
"Well, John is...indeed a very loving and attentive father. Not just to Alyssa, but to Taylor as well. It's like he has two dad, which I've been grateful for. He really is a wonderful daddy."
"No need to tell me how wonderful he is, Joss," Zoe said, a touch of resentment in her tone, which she quickly surprised, her hair whipping just ever so faintly as she reacted to Joss' words.
"No. No, I guess I don't. Well, again, if you'll excuse me, I really do need to get supper started before Alyssa's bath. Thank you for the present. I'm sure whatever it is, she'll love it."
"You're welcome, Joss. It was good seeing you. Take care of yourself—and those two gorgeous kids you have. I may need to rely on you for some pointers."
As they walked to the door for Zoe's exit, Joss slowly pulled on the door jamb.
"You too, Zoe. Take care of yourself. I hope—I hope the family planning works out."
"Yes, well...good afternoon, Joss."
"Good afternoon, Zoe."
##
Zoe sat in her car outside Joss' house yet again, much as she had earlier. The danger of the shootout had long passed, and the street resumed as if nothing had ever transpired in that fashion, just as Joss had said. But she sat there, alternating between the scene on the street and the visibility of Joss' window. Pretty soon, however, her attention was fully on Joss' place, as she noticed the detective get a rather spirited phone call. She could only venture to guess who it was from.
An earpiece would have been ideal. But then, she didn't really need to hear anything. Just watching the woman who had John's child and his history—who had his happiness, way more of it than she should have—was enough. To hear would have been the death of her.
Back at the brownstone, Joss had indeed picked up the call from John. He was ten shades of frantic, breathless, about her and the baby's safety, as well as Zoe's welfare.
"Hey, Joss. Are you okay, honey? Our little girl? Everything all right?"
"Hey. Yeah, we're fine, John. Were you involved in that earlier? What was that all about?"
"Zoe. They followed her there, to your place. Is she okay? I know she's left you."
"Yes, yes, we're all fine. We crouched low, from the windows. Alyssa was plenty scared, though."
"I'll bet she was, my poor angel. Thank God you're okay."
Joss grinned softly, in spite of everything that had happened. "It would take more than a few bullets and guys driving cars like maniacs to ruffle these feathers."
John didn't return the humor.
"Joss, look, I'm sorry about all this. I didn't know she was planning on coming to see you for any reason. The organization trailing her this time must have some kind of tracker on her, or either her tail is just that good. I'll have to check it out. Again, I'm so sorry you guys got caught up in that. Good that Taylor's at Paul's."
"Yes, well, I'm a big girl, I can handle a few bullets, like I said. But John, we can't have this at our house. Zoe's safety is your responsibility, not mine. You need to keep better tabs on her. Especially after what I learned today."
"Oh? What was that?" he asked.
"Your family is expanding? Zoe says you're trying to have a baby of your own."
"What? Wait, wait, Joss, no. Tell me exactly, what did she say?" Joss could hear the nuclear bombs going off in his head over the line. Somehow she figured that John may not have been let in on these parenting plans—or at least, if he had, he hadn't fully agreed to them.
"Uh huh. She says you two are trying for a baby. Gotta hand it to you. When you say you're married, you mean it. At least as far as she's concerned. Of course, she only suspects that your feelings are divided. But then, you're a good man, a good husband, aren't you? She'll believe in you because you'll do the right thing by her, won't you, John?"
Her tone was not angry. In fact, she was calm. As calm as could be—even if her world was coming apart.
"Joss, don't-"
"No, John, you don't. God, I can't believe I let it get this far. This isn't me. This had never been me. Not until you, John. Not until you."
A pause. A long one. Then, an exhalation.
"Joss. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about all of it. That you had to be caught in the crosshairs of this. That all I ever seem to do is make you unhappy. That's not what I want. You know that, don't you?"
"I don't know, John. I have two kids to raise. That I know. And I really think it's time we let this go."
"Our little girl needs me. She needs both of us, as her parents."
"Yes, she does. But you and I, we can't keep this up. Your wife wants you. Maybe she needs you too. Whether or not you believe it a real marriage, you're obviously doing your bit to make her think it is. And I don't want to be a party to this anymore. I...I love you, but-"
"No, Joss. Listen to me, we're close, baby. We're close to getting all the threats to Zoe's life out of the way. She has a black book of enemies a mile deep, but we're getting there."
"And then, John?"
"And then, I'll leave her, sweetie. And come home to you and the kids. Where I belong. Can you just hold on a little longer? Please!" His teeth gritted themselves as he spit out that last plead, his voice near whisper soft.
"Do you think she'll go for that, John?"
"She'll have to."
"If I were her, I wouldn't."
"Well, Jesus, Joss, you seem to not be having much problem in doing it now, do you?"
"John, that's not fair. Are you thinking about me in this? Or just what you want?"
"Of course, I am, honey. I want what's best for all of us. Including Zoe."
"Well, maybe what's best for me...isn't you, John."
"Joss, yes I am. And you're what's best for me. You always have been. From that first time in the precinct, when I had no hope. You gave me hope. You changed me. Come on."
"That may be, John. But change is constant. If there's one thing in life I know, it's that."
"What are you saying, sweetheart?"
"I'm saying, go home and make a child with your wife. Give her what she wants. And from now on, we keep our hands and bodies to ourselves."
Another pause.
"Can you do that? Can you go for so long without my touching you? Loving you? Because I don't know if I can without you. Come on, baby..."
"We'll have to. Just the way it will have to be. It's Alyssa's dinnertime now, John. I gotta go."
"Joss-"
"Goodbye, John. I'll give her a kiss from her daddy."
"This isn't over, Joss. Not by a long shot."
"I love you."
She disconnected the call. And the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding seemed to leave her body slowly, like a wave cascading over sand. But she had no time to think about the monumental thing she'd just done. Her baby babbled and cried in hunger. It was indeed dinnertime for baby Alyssa.
"Come on, love," she said, going over to pick her up. "Daddy wanted me to give you a kiss."
"Wa' daddy?" the child asked.
Upon bestowing John's wish on her child's temple, Joss held the baby close to her bosom. For a moment, she just stood there, holding the child, her tears full and fat, held back during the call, now given full reign to spill.
She had done the right thing. She had knew it. But her heart was broken, as surely as if it had been John to end it all.
Outside, Zoe closed her eyes upon what she believed she'd just witnessed. A decision of some kind had been made. Perhaps it was to open up space, to make room for her. Perhaps.
She didn't know whether to be angry at Joss' influence on John, and what that might have meant beyond Alyssa's existence, or to be grateful to her for willingly taking a step back from John. To give her a chance to love him. And he, to love her.
She wasn't the crying type. Not Zoe Morgan. But she sat there, her eyes closed in relief, her spirit alight.
On to the future, she thought. On to the future with John. Baby steps. Indeed.
A/N: If John wasn't sexin' Zoe up as he has been Joss, she'd have much less of a case for thinking she had a chance for more with him. But he knows Zoe well enough that a marriage of convenience wouldn't work for her, and he's determined to keep her alive. For those of you who don't like this John Reese, I agree, he's a bit of a bastard. But again, I like messing around with that sometimes. After all, part of the lore of POI is the fact that he, as are all the characters save for Carter perhaps, are deeply flawed. John is the poster child for the flawed character. Here, his flaws are a bit more conventional, but he comes at it from a good place (or he thinks he does). Poor Zoe. She knows for sure that they aren't just parenting Alyssa, but part of her keeping cool is to go with the program a little. But if she finds out why John married her, it may not go well. We'll see.
Hope you enjoyed. Happy summer, everyone.