I just want to make it clear that I will write my characters the way that I hear them. Maybe you won't like it, and maybe it will piss you off, but this is my story. Yes, Joss will have her bitchy moments, Reese will play the martyr on occasion, and Fusco will be the voice of reason when warranted – it is keeping true to the show. If you believe that you can write it better, there is nothing preventing you from putting your fingers on the keyboard and typing it out. As for reviews...yeah, some can be hurtful and spiteful, but every single one of them will be posted for everyone to see – anonymous and signed. That said, here is the new chapter.

No Easy Way Out

Joss forked the warmed up lasagne into her mouth and chewed quickly. Two days without a hot meal had nearly done her in. Now nestled in the warm security of her kitchen, she tried to take it slow, but the food was so delicious that she couldn't help herself.

"There is more where that came from," Reese told her as he filled the wine glass.

"It's delicious," she complimented between bites.

"I thought I'd make you something special." He sat down opposite of Joss.

"I wish I could have seen Jessica before she went to bed," Joss said regretfully. Maybe if she had started out an hour earlier she could have avoided the traffic jam on the bridge. But that couldn't be helped, and she would have time to make it up to her daughter later.

"Long day at school. She was pretty tired by the time dinner came around, so I fed her and put her to bed. You can see her in the morning."

"I hope so. Tomorrow is the funeral." Joss set the fork down. "We still don't have any leads. One person thinks they heard an accent from one of the robbers, but they couldn't identify it," she relayed the information.

Reese reached over and covered her hand with his and gave a comforting squeeze. "You'll get them, Joss."

"I hope so." She rubbed her hand wearily across her forehead. "It's frustrating. Does Finch have anything?" she wondered.

"Well, since it wasn't premeditated, the information is sketchy, but he's working on it." He looked at the empty plate. "Do you want any more?"

Joss shook her head. "I'm good. Thank you." She grabbed her wine glass and leaned back as Reese took the plate over to the sink. She closed her eyes and tried to relax.

"Joss, I think we need to talk," Reese announced as he turned off the faucet and put the plate in the dishwasher. Closing the door, he turned it on.

"We do," she confirmed. "I'm sorry for lashing out at you for teaching Jessica self-defense. I was wrong."

"What changed your mind?"

"Lionel."

"Ah. The voice of reason."

"Yeah. He can be pretty insightful when he needs to be," Joss agreed.

"Honestly, it was nothing against you," he apologized. "I thought it wouldn't hurt her to know a couple of things. I should have discussed it with you first."

"It's okay. I was wrong to fly off the handle." Joss swirled the dark liquid around in the glass, then set it on the table. "I don't want to think that with everything we've been through, that our daughter would be in danger."

Reese's eyes softened. "I know." He sat down in the chair.

"HR might be gone, but it's out there. Bad people every where."

"There is."

"And it's our job to make sure that she can protect herself – in case we can't be there. I don't want to think of anything bad happening, but..."

"Your fears are legitimate. But we can't wrap her up in a cocoon for the rest of her life. We have to let her live life."

She nodded in agreement. "I know. I know."

"Nothing is going to happen, Joss," Reese stated firmly. "I promise. You and Jessie and Taylor are my reason for living, and I would lay my life down before I let anything bad happen to any of you."

"I know you would, John." She wiped a tear away with the back of her hand.

"That said...I want your permission to do my own investigation."

Joss gave Reese a dumbfounded look. "What do you mean your own investigation? You want to...help? How?"

He shrugged. "Maybe I can find some evidence the detectives have missed," he reasoned. At least it sounded good to his ears.

"How?"

He look down at his hands before flicking his gaze upward. "I have my ways. Maybe get in touch with some of my old contacts."

"If they are still around. You've been out of the loop for six years," she reminded him. "Contacts move on."

"That's not exactly true, Joss," Reese replied slowly. Joss pulled her hand out from under his as she fixed her eyes on him.

"What are you saying, John? That you've been playing vigilante during your lunch hour?" She tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but from the way he shifted in his chair, that doubt was flying out of the window. Her memory tried to recall any perps being kneecapped.

"Not exactly."

"Then what, exactly?" she demanded.

"I've gone out a few times with Shaw," he confessed.

"A few? A few?!" Joss stood up. "You promised!"

Reese looked pained at her outburst. "I know I did. It was just to help. I didn't kneecap anyone," he offered the olive branch.

"Oh, that's comforting. Why did you do it?"

"To help. To feel needed." He slumped his shoulders. "To make the world a safer place for our daughter."

Joss shook her head. "I don't know what to say. I'm a captain in the NYPD; I can't let you do things like this that could jeopardize my job."

Reese stood up. "I'm not, and I won't, Joss."

"You don't know that, John. There are still cops looking for the 'The Man In The Suit'," she told him angrily.

"Except I'm not wearing a suit," he half-joked to help ease the tension.

Joss rolled her eyes. "That's comforting." She buried her face in her hands. "John..." She didn't know where to begin or what to say. She was still wrapping her head around his confession. "Why do you want to do this? Why is this so important to you?" she asked earnestly.

Reese moved so that he was standing in front of her. He cupped her face in his hands. "Because I owe him."

Joss tried to make sense of the words. "You-you owe him? What do you mean?" She tried to make the correlation between the fallen cop and her husband, but came up empty.

"Remember that fateful night the transit cop brought me in to your precinct for starting the fight on the subway?" Reese asked hoarsely.

Joss nodded. "I remember."

"It was him, Joss. He was the cop who arrested me and brought me to you. He is partially responsible for saving me."

"John..."

"Without him I wouldn't have found you, and I wouldn't be here. I owe him to find out who killed him." Reese brushed back a lock of Joss's hair from her cheek. "Let me help. I promise I'll stay under the radar."

"What about Jessica?"

"I already spoke with Grant and Connie, and they wouldn't mind watching Jessie for a couple of days after school," he said.

"You already planned this?"

"I put feelers out just in case," he hedged carefully. "I hoped that you would say yes."

"And what about work? You are the CEO."

"My meeting isn't until Friday; that gives me a couple of days to go underground and see what I can find."

Joss weighed the pros and cons. "I don't know, John," she hedged carefully. "If you get found out or caught, or..." she trailed off. She didn't want to voice her worst fear of all should it come true.

John's smile flashed to try and give her comfort. "Nothing is going to happen, Joss. You're stuck with me, remember?" His arms dropped to wrap around her waist and bring her flush against his hard body.

"You never know what's going to happen," she warned.

"Your captain position is safe; I'm not going to do anything that is going to jeopardize that."

"Okay. And there is one more thing," she continued. "You can teach Jessica some moves. Nothing drastic, though," she added at the last second.

"I would never dream of doing that, Joss. If it's alright with you, I want to teach Taylor, too," he suggested cautiously. Joss looked at him in surprise. "From what he told me, he's been taking some self-defense classes on campus," Reese relayed the information.

Joss weighed the information before relenting. "I guess so."

"Thank you, Joss." He kissed her gently, and the spark that was always between them quickly grew. Moaning low in his throat, he deepened the kiss. Hands searching, tongues tangling, they tried to make up for the two days they had been apart.

Pulling away, Joss tried to catch her breath. "John. John," she panted against the crook of his neck. "Wait. Wait."

"What's wrong?" he wondered as the moment was halted before it could begin.

"We're making love in the kitchen."

Reese took a moment to mull over her remark. "Oh. Well, then..." He picked her up in his arms. "I guess I need to take you somewhere private so I can ravish you." Stepping with purpose, he hurried down the hallway to the master bedroom.

"Ravish away," she laughed softly.

Carrying her inside the room, he used his foot to shut the door behind them.