Happy New Year everyone! I am SO sorry it took so long for me to post. The weeks have flown by. Anyway to apologize I posted two chapters.

We never said our love was evergreen or as unchanging as the sea
but if you can still remember stop and think of me

"John, it's not a big deal," Taylor said, not that John gave his words any thought. Pulling Taylor by the arm, he steered him past Finch's desk and into a chair. Shaw and Finch watched quietly judging from John's stiff posture that now wasn't the time to ask questions. Finch's eyes narrowed in concern. His heart pounding as he rose from his chair.

"John," Taylor complained, keeping his hand pressed firmly on the side of his forehead. Tired of John fussing over him.

John removed Taylor's hand from his face revealing a large blackened bruise and a gash near his temple. Finch sucked in a breath, understanding the reason for the tension between the two. Meanwhile Shaw's lips pursed together.

Looking the gash over, John opened the first aid kit he had been holding in his other hand.

"Seriously? You're going to clean me up too? John I can do that myself. I won't faint if I see my own blood."

Shaw had a little pity on the kid when he threw an embarrassed look their way. "Come on Reese. You let the kid get hurt at least let him clean himself up."

John swung his eyes sharply to Shaw. The fire that darkened his eyes made Shaw scoff, but keep quiet. She knew John's buttons could only be pushed so far where Taylor was concerned. She did her best to throw Taylor a silent apology before leaving the room to try to spare as much of the kid's dignity as possible.

Finch, smarting from her exit, tried to relax. Lowering his body back to his chair he tried to focus on his computer. But his eyes slid again over to Taylor at John's next order.

"Pull up your sleeve." Taylor did as told and this time revealed a long cut on his forearm.

Finch felt faint. This wasn't Taylor's first mission, but it was his first injury. Of course they knew injuries were inevitable, but still.

"Are you okay young Carter?" he asked carefully.

"I'm fine Finch. Thanks."

John went to work pressing a cloth to Taylor's head.

"Ow!" Finch jumped, his eyes shooting to Taylor who jerked away from John and grabbed his wrist stopping his administrations. "No offense John, but if you have to do this, can you be a little more gentle?! Just because I said I'm fine doesn't mean I want you to beat that stuff on me!"

Harold unleashed a breath and then bit back a laugh.

"Sorry."

Taylor let go of John's wrist seeing John's guilty and now unsure face. "Look just pretend it's my mom you're cleaning up. You wouldn't be rough with her."

With a nod, John tried again. Instantly Taylor noticed a difference. He clamped down his pride and let John take care of him. It was an odd feeling. He was so used to his mom coming to his aid for things like this. Having a man suddenly handling the job had been at first threatening. Had wounded his male pride. But as he forced himself to endure John's help it proved to not be so bad. John was old enough to be his dad and with each day, John was feeling more and more like the father he had gone years without. So Taylor couldn't blame John for going all parent on him, especially since it was his first injury while on a job.

"You look so much like your mother." John hadn't meant to say the words out loud. Especially when they were emotion filled.

Taylor's eyes lit. "Really?"

John nodded trying to be nonchalant. "Having you around," he cleared his throat, "is like having her around." He taped the gash on the side of Taylor's head, before going to work on Taylor's arm.

"I think the same thing about you."

"I'm nothing like your mom," John said almost instantly not looking up. Refusing to entertain the thought. He wasn't worthy to be compared to Joss.

"But you are!" Taylor insisted. "You always push yourself too hard. She did that all the time," he added with a smile. "You urge me to do better and aim for higher things in life, just like she did. She always made time to hear me out whenever I was frustrated or just wanted to talk and now you do that. You even hover like she did."

John made a sound in his chest somewhere between a cough and laugh. "No I don't."

Taylor gave him a pointed look. "Really? What do you think you're doing right now?"

John smirked even as his eyes lit. "Acting like her," he admitted touched by the thought and accepting the truth that maybe a little piece of Joss lived on in him too.