Sorry, it's been forever, I know. We're nearing the end of the story!

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By the time both Shaw and Root joined Reese in the kitchen, he had covered the kitchen table with pictures that he had taken earlier that day.

"Okay, so this is the security detail by day. There are more men than we thought. The two alleys here and here," he started as he pointed them on the pictures, "each have two men patrolling but no camera. That's why the Machine didn't know about them."

"Greer seems to think he's in danger. Why else would he have all these security guards?"

"He knows we're after him. There are probably other people who want his head on a plate, too."

"Any glimpse on the men inside?" Root asked.

"I could make out six but there might be others."

"Nothing we can't handle," Shaw said confidently.

John nodded. They could do this, just the three of them.

"I'll be on the roof of the building across the street. From there I can clear the two alleys but you'll have to hurry inside to catch the others off-guard."

"What time are we doing this?"

"Our window is closing, so tomorrow at night. We'll go there in separate cars and we'll need to make a quick exit."

"What about the rest of Decima?"

"The Machine says we'll handle that later. Without Greer, they're going to be disoriented and it will give us time to come up with a plan. I wouldn't worry too much about it," Root declared with a small smile.

"Okay then."

Shaw looked at John, an eyebrow raised. There was a moment of silence before Reese cleared his throat and spoke.

"Alright, well, we'll meet at the Library tomorrow night."

"We'll see you then, Johnny," Root purred.

He didn't bother to reply and walked away after a last glance at Shaw. Once they were alone again, Shaw gathered the photos that John had brought and placed them in a pile, on a corner of the table.

"What do we do now, sweetie?"

"You do whatever the hell you want," Shaw replied. "I'm going out for a run."

"Fine. Maybe I'll cook you dinner."

"Dinner's in three hours."

"Maybe I want to make something special. I have a few ideas, but I'm really undecided about dessert."

Shaw looked at Root and saw the salacious smirk plastered on her face. She rolled her eyes and simply muttered that she'd be back in an hour before she left the apartment.

The farther from her apartment she ran, the angrier Shaw became. She could not stop thinking about what had almost happened back in her training room. The run was supposed to help her clear her mind and yet, all she could see was Root above her, looking at her with so much… affection and desire in her eyes. It was pissing her off big time. She should have listened to her instincts and stayed far away from the hacker.

"Damn it," she swore as she turned back and started jogging the other way.

There was no point in wasting her energy if it wasn't even going to help.

Root was busy typing on her computer when Shaw came back. She seemed to be totally absorbed in whatever it was she was doing and Shaw shrugged and decided to take a shower. When she emerged from the bathroom twenty minutes later, Root had not moved an inch.

"What are you doing?"

"Hacker stuff," Root replied without looking up.

"Right. And, uh, what exactly does that mean?"

"I'm busy, Shaw. Can we talk later?"

Shaw was surprised to be dismissed so coldly. She stared at Root for a few seconds and wondered why she almost—almost—felt upset by the dismissal.

"Fine," she said. "Whatever."

"It helps me focus. I'm good at this."

"So, like, it calms you?"

"Sort of, yes," Root said, still typing on her keyboard. "Like you and the punching bag."

"Right. So, you don't think we should train more?"

Root's fingers stilled for a brief moment and she grinned; her eyes stubbornly refusing to meet Shaw's.

"After what almost happened back there earlier, I don't think it would be wise for us to keep training. After all, we're going to need to get some sleep tonight to be sharp tomorrow. And we both know that this would keep us awake for most of the night."

There was a moment of silence during which Shaw desperately tried to think of a come-back but her brain had started to form pretty vivid images of what exactly would have happened if John hadn't showed up and she couldn't find the right words. Eventually, she gave up and walked to the fridge, opened it and grabbed a beer. She put another one next to Root and the hacker smiled at the gesture.

"Thanks."

"You better pay for the next pack. You drink more than I do," Shaw retorted.

"I doubt that. But I will buy you another pack, since you ask so nicely."

"I'm going to watch a movie."

"Hmm," Root replied distractedly, as she focused on her screen once more.

"Well? Don't you want to join me? A movie is relaxing, too."

"Why, Sameen, I'm starting to think you just can't get enough of me…"

"Ugh, forget I asked," Shaw replied hastily with a roll of her eyes.

Root followed her to the couch nonetheless.

So maybe asking Root hadn't been Shaw's brightest idea. They were half an hour into the movie and Root was staring. And not at the TV. Shaw could feel the hacker's eyes drilling into her and she tried to ignore it for as long as she could before she snapped.

"Okay, what?!"

"Nothing."

"You're staring. Why are you staring?"

"I was thinking."

"Oh, really? And what about?"

Root, who was sitting close to her, looked at her with a smirk and she drank from her beer before she set it down on the coffee table and turned to face Shaw fully.

"About tomorrow. What if we fail? What if one of us doesn't make it?"

"Root. That's not going to happen. I've taken down more men than that on my own."

"But you never know what could go wrong. It's a possibility."

"Alright, fine, it's a possibility," Shaw conceded. "What's your point?"

"My point is," Root started as she crept closer, "that we could die tomorrow. Wouldn't that be a shame?"

"It's not exactly news," Shaw replied as she looked away, tense.

"But, Sameen, I don't want to die without knowing what it feels like."

At this point, Root was well into Shaw's space and Shaw knew exactly what the other woman was trying to do. She swallowed hard and tried to change the topic and ignore Root's closeness.

"You said you needed to focus, to be on top of your game tomorrow."

"You're the one who insisted I watch that movie with you."

"Yeah, so we could relax before we eat dinner and go to sleep," Shaw explained.

"Shaw."

Root's hand landed on Shaw's thigh and the shorter woman fought the urge to break Root's fingers.

"Don't you want to know how good it could be, us together?"

"Root," she warned.

The hand slid higher.

"I am feeling very tense, doctor. I'm sure you could do something to fix this."

Shaw finally met Root's eyes.

"One day, I'm going to kill you."

"Of course you will."

"I mean it."

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Root purred as she let her hand slip between Shaw's legs.

Shaw grabbed her wrist to stop her move and she growled:

"Screw you."

And then she kissed her.

Root let out a tiny whimper as soon as Shaw's lips roughly collided with hers, and Shaw smirked proudly into the kiss. She was sure the hacker hadn't expected her to actually give in. Shaw had let go of Root's wrist to grab hold of Root's collar and bring her closer, so Root's hand settled on Shaw's neck and applied a firm pressure there, making it impossible for Shaw to lean back.

They broke apart several seconds later.

"Well," Root chuckled, "that's pretty much what I had imagined. Only even better."

Shaw said nothing. Her eyes were fixed on Root's lips and Root's words didn't register. Instead, she leaned forward and, once again, crashed her lips onto Root's. The hacker returned the kiss eagerly. She moved to find a more comfortable position and decided that straddling Shaw was the best option, so she did, without breaking the kiss. Her hands cupped Shaw's neck while the other woman wrapped her arms around Root's waist and pulled her against her.

In the back of her mind, a voice was screaming at Shaw to stop this, that it was a bad idea, but Shaw was done listening to it. She had been resisting Root's relentless flirting for weeks and she didn't even know why exactly. She wanted this. It felt good. Root felt good.

One of Root's hands traveled down from Shaw's neck to the hem of her black shirt and slipped underneath, touching smooth skin. It made Shaw shiver in anticipation and she bit Root's bottom lip, not so gently.

"Like it a bit rough, huh?" Root whispered against Shaw's lips.

"You talk too much," Shaw mumbled, as her mouth found Root's neck.

She bit the skin there, softly this time. Above her, Root moaned, her fingers tangling in Shaw's hair.

Shaw's phone rang.

They froze.

"Ignore it," Root said, her tone pleading.

The ringing stopped. The hacker sighed audibly and Shaw grinned against the skin of her shoulder, proud of the effect she clearly had on the other woman. But then, just as they were about to kiss again, the annoying ringtone started again.

"Damn it," Shaw swore as she grabbed the phone that was on the couch next to her.

"Sameen…" Root tried.

Shaw raised one hand to cut her off and she answered her phone.

"What?" she growled.

"Miss Shaw, I'm sorry to bother you but we've received a new number."

"Can't John take care of it?"

"I'm afraid Mr. Reese can't do this on his own."

Still straddling Shaw, Root seemed to want to keep going, despite knowing who was calling. She slid both of her hands under Shaw's shirt, and the ex-ISA agent glared at her. With the hand that wasn't holding the phone, Shaw grabbed Root's neck and squeezed. This only seemed to turn Root on even more.

"Miss Shaw?"

"Yeah?"

"Mr. Reese needs your help now."

"Fine," she huffed. "I'm on my way."

Shaw hung up the phone and threw it on the couch.

"Get off me, Root."

"I'd rather get you off, Sameen."

Root complied nonetheless. The moment was over. Shaw stood up and walked toward the fridge where her weapons were stocked. Root watched her silently, waiting for an acknowledgment.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, but it might be a while. You should… get back to your computer. Or, I don't know."

Shaw was flustered, that much was clear. Root went to stand behind her while she packed her guns, and she waited until Shaw turned and faced her. When their eyes met, Root leaned forward slowly and, when Shaw didn't take a step back, she let their lips brush together. Shaw remained oddly passive but she didn't push her away, so Root kissed her once, fully, and stepped back.

"Be careful out there, Shaw. I'd hate for you to miss tomorrow's fight."

The other woman rolled her eyes at her and left the apartment without another word.

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OTH-FOQ