AN: Thank you for the reviews. After a sit down I have outlined the story, at the end of the day, it's more a romance between John and Carter but I'll try to build the story to the best of my abilities. Please let me know if it's getting boring. I took some creative license here, I have not watched POI past 3x10 and only watched 4x20 recently, so it might not correlate with the show. Cheers!

Once again I'm sorry, this is not beta read. If anyone is interested in taking the job on, let me know!

"You said you reap just what you sow
So tell me where does your garden grow
You said in time the pain would pass
Looks like the end is here at last"

All Those Friendly People by Funeral Suits

Chapter 4

Anna Bradford was a creature of habit, she frequented the same coffee shop every morning, took the same path to the office, so when this particular morning she saw John Warren standing across the street with the phone to his ear and a small smile playing on his face she couldn't help but watch him. She would've noticed him before. John Warren wasn't the kind of man one did not notice. She pushed some invisible hair from her face and without realizing it started to follow him.

John spotted her as soon as she walked out of the coffee shop, he just hadn't expected her to walk towards his direction. He ended his call with Carter softly merely with a "See you later honey, work calls." Her laughter on the other side made his heart thud a couple of times before she said goodbye. He kept his body at an angle watching her approach him when suddenly he saw her crossing the street while an oncoming taxi charged at her, moving quickly he ran across the street and grabbed her from stepping onto the street and pulled her back to the sidewalk.

He grabbed her quickly before the car could make contact, pulling her towards him and watching the initial shock dissipate from her face, her fingers grasped him tightly for a second longer before she let them loose. "Are you okay?" She heard him ask in that raspy voice. She closed her eyes before nodding and feeling him slowly settle her away from him. The warmth of his body and the scent of what reminded her of Tabac & oud wood. She took inventory of everything on her body, her purse still on her arm, the dress still pristine, hair slightly askew and finally her coffee which she looked down to find spilled and the cup flattened. She felt John's hand on her shoulders, faintly moved by the concern in his deep blue eyes.

"I'm okay, thank you so much." She said with a slight shake of her head. "I'm not sure what happened, how I was so careless."

John gave a slow chuckle and simply said. "It happens to the best of us, are you sure you are okay? Do you need to see a doctor?"

She nodded again trying to get her mind back on track, "My coffee on the other hand is not." She grimaced.

"Let me buy you a new cup," John offered her already steering her back towards the coffee shop she came out of.

She let him lead her, the morning heat making her feel just a little hectic with her almost fatal accident. She chastised herself for being so careless. She needed to pull herself together. "Thank you," she found herself say to John as they fell into step together. "I'm sorry about that."

"Well I got to play the hero, so no problem." He shrugged with a small smile.

"What brings you around here?" She asked, finally getting her wits on about her.

"Joss. She works a couple of blocks down, thought I'd stop by and say hello since I left early this morning while she was still sleeping. We had plans for french toast this morning, but I needed to run." Anna had forgotten that Mrs. Warren's law firm was located only a few blocks from her own office. She felt once again annoyed with herself for forgetting something like that. It did, however, lead to genuine conversations and new insight into the Warren's.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you behave like newlywed Mr. Warren."

John laughed, "well that woman knows how to keep me on my toes, feels like just a few days since she finally said yes to being Mrs. Warren." Once they entered the coffee shop John had turned towards her asked her what she'd like to drink. She nodded towards the barista who served her most morning, Brian his name tag read, he merely nodded in comprehension and marked up her cup. John paid against her protest.

"Didn't realize it was such a battle for you," she said as registering the information away as he handed her the coffee cup and took his own from the barista with a small 'thank you.'

"Joss is as stubborn as they come, but that is one of the things I love about her. She wouldn't be so good at what she did if she didn't have a tough backbone." John said softly as they walked towards Anna's office, she could hear the fondness in his voice, the admirations evident even in the casual manner in which they spoke.

"It's wonderful how you speak of her, she is one lucky woman," Anna said tightly, not sure why it bothered her so.

"I'm the lucky one." They had arrived at her destination and smiled at her. "If anyone deserves what they want it's her. And I really hope you can help us with that."

Anna scanned his face, he truly wanted this to work. He wanted to give his wife everything she wanted. He loved her deeply. She pursed her lips and gave him a nod and extended her hand. "Thank you for what you did for me this morning. And I will help you with all that I can." And she meant it. John took her hand and gave it a firm shake before wishing a good day and walked back in the direction they came from, no doubt to see his wife. She watched him for a moment before entering the building housing her office.

It was already an exhausting morning, she was greeted with her assistant following her and telling her about later appointment and meeting with her brother, she simply nodded and dismissed her, asking for an hour without disruption. She sipped her coffee thoughtfully. Her free hand found her keyboard and she typed in what she was looking for. She knew how wrong it was to spy on these people, but it was necessary she thought, to know where these children would end up. It never bothered her to go to the extreme, to keep them on top of things after all exclusivity is what worked in this city.

She hated these complacent women that frequented her establishment, the ones that thought they had any real power over their men. In reality, they were weak and pathetic, a pawn deceived to believe it was dictating its own fate. Her own mother was such a weak and cowardice woman. Her hand balled into a fist at the thought of that woman. Her eyes watched them again on the screen, the feed from the night before playing before her. The Warren's, however, were fascinating, Jocelyn Warren, in particular, was somehow different. There was a quiet strength that emanated from her, she was all business and straight forward. Yet she was oblivious to the effect she had on her husband.

Anna's lip twitched, John Warren was devilishly handsome. Something about him had intrigued her, not in the usual way she was sure women were drawn to the man. It was a dark intensity that seems to be present even in the most genuine of moments. She let her eyes lazily watch the lines of his face and the way his lips always curved into a smirk, especially around his wife. Her mind went back to this morning and she couldn't help but close her eyes and let herself have a moment when his blue eyes and strong hands were focused on her. Anna had worked with plenty of couples, their husbands had given her the once over, couldn't help but check her out. And why not, she knew she was an attractive woman.

John, however, wasn't like them, his eyes held that sentiment for his wife, and her alone. As she watched his eyes close, his long dark lashes brush his cheek, he seemed so content in that moment as his wife laid wrapped up in his arms. Something stirred within Anna, she pushed back in her chair and issued the silent challenge to herself. She would test John's love for his wife. She would see just how far his devotion to Jocelyn ran if that sparkle would burn with the same fire after she'd had him. This would require a bit more surveillance than usual. Most men weren't like John Warren, so her methods needed tweaking. But she was determined to turn his attention.

II

John out of habit woke early that morning, feeling more rested than he's felt in years. His mind savored and locked away the way she felt in his arms. He had showered and dressed in his suit, remembering to kiss her good morning, to which she groggily hummed. The action warmed his heart further. He'd know he was in trouble from the moment she walked through that holding room door. He had watched with a drunken daze at the way her skin still glowed under the harsh florescent lights. But it was the moment she sat down in front of him that she became beautiful. She saw him, not the bum that most people saw but him. A fellow soldier in arms.

Later when he had time to get himself together he thought about her, in that moment deciding that he'd protect her, make sure she was okay whether she was hunting him or not. Back then he had wanted to preserve the person she was, making sure to help her keep her goodness. It never occurred to him that eventually she'd find him and fall into the trap that he seemed to be. He felt guilty at the time for everything that's happened but nothing solidified the sacrifices she made than Rikers. Those moments sitting next to her as she called him a friend, stood up for him, and saw her make her peace with the situation he knew he fucked up. He got too close. How stupid was it for them to meet on that bridge? He'd replayed it in his mind every day since wondering how they'd become so careless. The answer was simple. He needed to see her.

He shook himself out of those thoughts, it seemed no matter what she was bound to him. She was stuck with him whether she liked it or not. Even if he had to be her shadow, he'd gladly spend the rest of his life making sure hers was smooth. That was a vow he took a long time ago and he intended to keep it until his last breath. There was really no good excuse even now for him to visit her, other than the simple fact of needing to see her.

He walked into the floor housing her firm, sometimes he wonders just what Harold couldn't do. The staff all greeted him with a "Good Morning Mr. Warren!" He wondered if he'd had this place ready and going for as long as they'd known Carter for a maybe case such as this one. Rounding to the corner he saw her, through the glass walls dividing the space. He wondered if Harold actually gave her cases to work on, after all, she did pass the bar. Hell, it wouldn't surprise him if Harold took so much a precaution to pay for her bar membership dues for the past 12 years. The man thought of everything of course.

Something about this Joss Carter fit so well as well. He for a second let his mind entertain that they were actually these people. He watched her reading a file intently, her white tailored suit pants hugging her curve perfectly, the way her silk sleeveless blouse accentuated her graceful neck, the pristine white making her skin radiant. Really she could've been in a burlap sack and he'd think she wore it beautifully. But it was the sparkle of her ring that made his heart swell without consent, here in this moment she was his and he hers. He knocked on the glass and smiled at her. Not all undercover work was horrible.

"Good morning!" She said a surprised squeak to her voice. "What are you doing here?"

He simply shrugged, "Wanted to stop by and see how you were carrying on. Say good morning, Sorry about the french toast." taking a seat in one of the chair positioned in front of her desk. She rounded the desk and sat on the edge as she smiled down at him. God, there was something infinitely sexy about the man when he was being coy, she was taken back to their first meeting and her smile widened. The irony was the name of her life at the moment. From the turn of his lips, he'd read her mind.

"What do you think then?"

He gave her a once-over and nodded, "nice, working on anything particular?"

"Actually I am, consulting on our friend Andrea's class action suit she's pursuing against the city." Her brow arched at him and his ears perked up.

"How is Andrea?" He asked already reading between the lines of where this was going. Leave it to Andrea to take on the cases no one thought to touch. So she would be the other part of this case. Harold really did think of everything, or maybe sometimes things just worked themselves out in the favor of the less fortunate. Either way, this case was going to be one big mess when it was over for more than one reason.

"She's a force to be reckoned with. Hustler through and through. She asked how you were doing." She said as she stepped up to him. They both knew that the likelihood that they were being watched right now favored more it happening than not. She put her arms around his shoulder and leaned close to him.

Instantly his eyes closed as he took in her scent of Jasmine and bergamot. His hands finding her waist easily. He opened his eyes to look into her own and smiled. She smiled back and their lips met. He let his lips move over hers, feeling her breath fan over him as she opened her mouth to capture his top lip. Until now they had the one kiss at Cybele in front of Anna. Here it wasn't really necessary except that they could as Mr. and Mrs. Warren.

She knew how reckless she was being, but why the hell not take advantage of this situation when it presented itself. It's not like she's sleeping with the man, what could a kiss or two do? 'You know exactly what!' her mind rebelled. Even then she didn't protest when John took that moment to deepen the kiss. His tongue sweeping softly against her own.

He didn't know why she kissed him then, but in all honesty, he didn't care. He could be with her like this forever if it were possible. It was the soft sigh and the tightening of his fingers on her hips that brought him back to his senses and he slowly pulled away from her. Looking up he smiled at her, and she smiled back. Her thumb slowly wiping at the lipstick stain she left there. "Figured that's what you came for."

"You always know how to read my mind." And she did, it was uncanny how she knew. His thumb brushed her cheek and with that she pulled away from him. straightening and walked behind her desk to put distance between them, which was a good move, he didn't trust himself.

"Andrea asked if we had time to grab dinner with her sometime soon."

He rose then, "I'm sure we can arrange something. When are you finished here today?"

She looked through her phone, "Around 5:30 I think." For the time being they had decided to play it normally, she would be at her office and him at his, they could find legitimate excuses to run out but for the most part, they would stick to this persona.

"Lunch?" He asked and she nodded. "I'll let you know when I'm heading down."

She nodded, she looked down at her file when she felt him linger, her eyes met him once more and she heard him say "those pants look great on you Joss." Instantly heat shot through her body to her cheeks. Damn him for always doing that to her. With that he was gone, no doubt with a smile on his face. She knew they were playing with fire, but god did it feel good just to feel wanted by him. Telling herself to get herself together, she set to actually work on the files in front of her. Pretend or not, she was going to help Andrea build a case for the families that have lost their children. A cold chill ran down her spine thinking about just how many of these babies went missing and how they would get them back. Detective Carter was back on the job.

Later when they would meet for lunch, he'd tell her to meet her at the Lyric Diner, casually telling her that he missed their usual spot and was carving a slice of their chocolate pie. She didn't argue and met him there. She wondered how much of the adoption cost went into stalking their clients, as she gave the slip to her tail. When she felt that they were safe she discussed her concerns with John. She would be meeting Andrea at her apartment, where she assumed they would be safe enough to discuss the cases. They planned a meeting with Finch at one of the safe houses.

He smirked as he heard her layout the day. What she intended to find out, what she knew from the files that Andrea had sent over. Her detective brain already working to solve this case. She never ceased to amaze him. While he gives her his own bit of information about what happened earlier that morning with Anna Bradford. Her concern mirrored his own, they wondered if the taxi earlier had been intentionally trying to harm her, to which John told her that he'd already give the plate numbers to Fusco. It felt like old time, yet here they were with rings on their fingers. Maybe staying married wouldn't be so hard for them after all he thought.

II

Shaw easily broke into Anna Bradford's apartment. For someone who seemed as paranoid as this woman, she expected better security. It was freaky how neat some people were. She had her military induced organization but nothing to this point. As Finch concluded, she was meticulous, a total control freak no wonder she was stalking clients before handing them a baby. In some sense, Shaw could see the justifications.

People were never what they seemed, so of course when a child was involved it was almost okay. But then she knew that anyone who worked this hard to keep order was trying to hide something. She snapped pictures as she went. checking vents and placing video feed for Finch. Turnabout was fair play, if you spy on people, it's only fair that people intrude on you. There is the whole she might be innocent in all this, but Shaw's gut told her otherwise and for the most part her gut always leads her to be right and occasionally to delicious steaks.

Shaw scanned the bedroom, another perfectly made room, "what a shocker" she mumbled. Suddenly her eyes caught a mahogany jewelry box, it took her back to her past for a second. Her mother kept her most important things. Pressing her lips into a hard line, she carefully opened the box. Giving it an eye roll until she reached the tiny locked drawer under. "Bingo."

Carefully she picked the lock, and once opened she knew she found she was looking for. A picture of a baby girl with blue eyes and blonde hair could've been Anna herself but something told her it wasn't. She turned the old photography around in her hand. From the looks of it, it was from those processed films, nothing is written on the back. She snapped a picture of it and placed the photo back just as she found it. Once again being careful to leave as she found the place.

After about 45 minutes, she walked out of the building, now on to the brother, but first, she was going to grab a hot dog for the road. Michael Bradford seemed to be a regular jock. While his sister was prim and proper, he was a mess. His apartment looked neat enough, she could see the tell-tale signs of a slob that had enough money to get himself a cleaner. Her eyebrow perked at a pair of hot red lace undies peeking out from under the couch. It was as if these two were night and day, she wonders what it was like growing up in the same house for these two but then her mind wandered to more interesting things.

Michael, unlike his sister, was arrogant and careless Shaw concluded. After about 14 minutes she found a black book with random letters and numbers. Snapping pictures of all of the pages she carelessly threw on the table she found it. 20 more minutes and she found his 5 flag bag and decided anyone who was deemed normal didn't have a 5 flag, they had a 401K and a low-risk savings account. once all the cameras were in place she walked out of the bachelor pad feeling accomplished for the day. Maybe she'll grab a gelato while she took Bear for a walk.

II

At the safe house, they sat together to formulate a plan. It seemed the most natural course of action for John to start cooking them dinner, even Shaw seemed to be happy with the gesture. Carter stood back and watched as Finch typed away on the computer while Shaw played with Bear. It was surreal how far they've come. The smile she found herself sporting made her realize how fast these people come to mean so much to her. Her eyes met Shaw's who smirked at her, that was another relationship she didn't see growing to what it had, she never thought Shaw would take to her the way she did. In that moment she felt so full and blessed and just a little more sure of her internal battles arranging from her war with HR, her side job here, and her ever-growing fondness for the man who was focused on the sauce he was concocting.

He watched her as she quietly nursed the beer bottle in her hand, her eyes scanning the buildings outside, the smile that played on her lips told him that she was in deep thought and it was a good one. Her smile brought on a smile of his own. He was one lucky son of a bitch, he thought at times. He truly got a second chance at life, at a purpose, at love and happiness. There were moments of happiness he's felt since working on the numbers, this moment, in particular, was one of them.

"It was good that you save Anna's life this morning. Got yourself some brownie points there." Shaw said as she took a long swing from her beer bottle.

"I was just at the right time." He said nonchalantly. It hadn't even been part of their plan, but somehow of her own accord, she put herself in that position.

"Yes, Mr. Reese it seems that you may have won her trust for the time being," Finch said without looking up. "Though it was peculiar, she seems like such a cautious individual with strict routines. Not to mention where she almost got run over by that car was the wrong direction from her office. I suspected perhaps that might be our perpetrator but as detective Fusco pointed out from the plates you gave him, Mr. Hirstov doesn't seem to have any connection with the Bradford as far as I can tell."

"I paid him a visit earlier this evening, Hirstov just happens to be driving as Anna almost stepped in front of his car," John said nonchalantly.

Shaw chuckled lightly, "someone's got the hots for Reese here."

It didn't take Carter long to realize that Anna was indeed attracted to John, of course, the man had god-given good looks but was totally unaware of the hoards of women swooning behind him, ready to find religion again just for a chance to get his attention. She scoffed softly and drank her beer, so it was no shocker to see the lithe blonde have heart eyes for him.

"Maybe you should pursue her?" she said almost absently, her mind working up a plan. She didn't notice the way John stopped stirring, or how Shaw straightens on the bar stool and placed the bread she had been chewing on the back on the counter. It was when Finch stopped typing that she looked up back at them. They were all waiting for her to elaborate, well almost all of them, John's face was a hard mask. His eyes already saying the 'no' his mouth had yet to. "I mean think about how much closer you could get if you actually responded to her."

"That's not a good idea." John simply said and turned his eyes down back to expertly chopping some tomatoes.

Finch picked up his green tea and looked thoughtful, "it could possibly jeopardize moving forward with the adoption. Our goal here is to stop these kidnappings, and also to decipher if Ms. Bradford and her brother are the perpetrators."

"I think you could play this to your advantage, that's all." Carter shrugged.

Shaw rolled her eyes at all of them and went back to working on the bread and butter in front of her, lifting her head to check the sauce Reese worked on. It had become increasingly obvious to her how John felt for the woman now playing his wife. She figured that this was his fantasy come true, she couldn't blame him, though. Joss Carter was one of a kind, beautiful, funny, tough, and smart as a whip with a tongue for a whip. Hell if Carter swung that way she'd be interested. For two people who could hold their own, it amazed her how much time they wasted denying there was anything there. The tension between the two was like the humidity that will soon weigh down on the city with an almost unbearable intensity. So sometimes she liked to fan the fire just a bit. "I mean Carter does have a point. You could use her heart eyes for you to your advantage."

If looks could kill, she chuckled internally. She turned to see Carter smirk. So at least one of them knew the game, that's why she always liked the woman. "Running into her for coffee and having casual conversations, it's not like you're taking her against a wall or something." That apparently made everyone wince a little, she simply leaned over and dipped a piece of bread into the sauce in the distraction.

John could've killed her, wanted to a few times. His glare stopped her from trying his sauce again, then drifted to Carter, she was affected deeply by this he knew, having Taylor he assumed that it was hitting her the hardest. But before he could voice anything, Shaw spoke up once again to his agitation.

"Oh, I almost forgot, she has a picture of a baby in her secret vanity drawer." She pulled out her phone and shared with the rest of them. "It looks old."

Finch took her phone and examined the picture, "well as far as that's known Anna Bradford isn't married or on any birth certificate of any child. So who is this baby?"

"Maybe it's the first one. She kept it as a souvenir or something." Shaw deadpanned.

Carter grimaced at the thought, "God…" Her skin crawled at the thought. John watched her carefully, wanted to wrap his arms around her, but here they were detective and man in the suit.

"I've been deciphering the black book you found Ms. Shaw, it could be the key to finding out if they are criminally involved but I must say so far evidence points to foul play."

Shaw nodded, "that is not a black book of dates I can tell you that. The guy seems like a douche but he doesn't need a book, pretty sure that's on his phone."

"I met with Andrea earlier today, it turns out that the babies missing so far are all taken from either young couples or single mothers of lower to the middle-class background," Carter said as she finally took a seat at the table across from Finch. "We're going to meet with some of them tomorrow and I'll ask Fusco to head over to the hospital to get statements from the nurses, doctors, anyone that was there at the time of the delivery and actual kidnapping. It's strange that this hasn't come up in my neck of the woods."

"What are you thinking detective?" He asked as he plated the pasta.

"I'm wondering if our friends at HR knows something if this has happened before and all of it was paid away then...I don't know I think we're missing something." She shook her head lightly.

John Placed the plates in front of everyone, the table had been set earlier by Carter. He took a seat next to her. Children was a weak spot for them all. under the table, he slowly took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "We'll dig around, and get to the bottom of this." He assured her but knew that a deeper conversation was coming. He'd ask Fusco to look into the HR portion of things.

Shaw dug into her plate and nodded, "not bad Reese," she said around a mouth full of food. Carter couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her. Finch looked slightly perturbed by her eating, he has yet to get used to her habits. What an odd band of people they made. Carter supposed this is what really went down at the Batcave with Alfred and Robin. Even with the current situation weighing on her, she was thankful for having these people in her life, especially the man next to her. He was a pain in the ass but he was always trying.

II

She didn't understand his standoff attitude once they left the safe house and walked to the car. It wasn't that bad of an idea to seduce Anna. She pursed her lips before she let out her breath and looked at him, "What's bothering you, John?"

"No infidelity, I would never do that to you. Real or not."

Her eyes soften, so that's what was bothering him. "John."

It amazed him how she could just say his name and it conveyed all that needed to be said. He wanted to touch her now, but there was no ruse to justify it. They had made sure to clear themselves of any tail. It frustrated him that in the past two days he'd forgotten how to be normal around her, because normal was touching her, kissing her, letting her know that no woman would ever come between them. "I think we should stay on the plan." How could he tell her that he was a selfish bastard?

"It wouldn't be cheating if you just happen to meet her for coffee every morning before coming to see me." She said as she walked towards him. It was silly really the way they were behaving, they had bigger things to worry about than their fake marriage. The fact that she was moved by his reaction was an incentive to keep moving forward and finishing this off. She didn't know how much more of this John she could handle before throwing caution to the wind and telling the man how she felt. How he made her feel. And what would it do to her heart if he didn't feel the same way?

He knew they were all right about this. He could try charming Anna into giving him information, maybe even trusting him enough to move this along. "Fine." He nodded and opened the car door for her, she looked at him once more and got in. She chewed her bottom lip wondering where this was going. The drive was a quiet one, her mind wandering in all directions. They were home a short while later, wordlessly they arrived at their door, she needed a shower, needed to go over the files that Andrea gave her, she knew she needed to be careful here but she felt so restless. She pulled out her phone to call Taylor.

But before she could make a move to do any of the things she outlined for the evening, John's arms were around her shoulders pulling her against him. His breath fan across her neck, suddenly her shoulders relaxed and she closed her eyes and let him hold her. She didn't bother wondering if this was the act of a husband or just John. She let herself enjoy it, the words that passed in the inhale and exhale of their breaths. He told her things would be okay, and she told him she understood him.

II

He found his sister in her office glued to her screen. Michael knocked on the door before entering. She looked up at him and pulled the earphone she had in. "What happened to you today?"

"What do you mean?" She asked as she straightened in her chair.

"Shelly called to say you almost got hit by a car today, that some guy pushed you out of the way. Are you okay?" He edged her desk.

She smiled at him and nodded, "I'm fine, nothing to worry about."

"Anna,"

Anna stood and took a couple steps and put her arms around her brother. "I'm really okay. My knight in shining armor saved me."

Michael could usually tell when his sister was heading down an obsessive path and he had a feeling this was just the beginning of it. "Who are you surveilling so closely?"

Anna sat down her eyes transfixed on the screen in front of her, "The Warren's, our newest clients, John Warren saved my life this morning."

He watched the lazy smile that came across her face as she watched the couple in their foyer holding each other, the gleam of something he couldn't yet place in her eyes. Michael pressed his lips together and wondered if his sister was about to lose herself again. The last the mess was a hard clean up, he didn't know if they'd manage another almost scandal. He needed to think fast and steer her attention elsewhere.

TBC

Please Review!

Wardrobe Notes:

Carter's office look is from the DC Magazine cover where she's wearing an all white pant suit.

Also the scent Anna smelled on John is not of Tabaco but this really amazing scent that consists of Bergamot, Vanilla, oud wood and Tabaco flower. Archipelago candles make an amazing candle that smells like what I imagine John's aftershave to smell of.