Sorry for the long wait guy, the only excuse I have is that I was too thrilled and amazed by the season premiere and the wonderful second episode to be able to concentrate on writing this chapter :P Seriously, how freaking amazing was that?! I've seen like three times each episode and I still can't get over it. Anyway, enjoy it and remember any comment or criticism will be appreciated.

Thanks to the lovely PJTL156 for the beta :D

I don't owe Person of Interest or any of its characters.


OoOoO

Chapter VII: A Shining Light of Hope.

Finch shifted nervously in his chair as the strong impulse of adjust his glasses, as he always did when he was nervous, filled his head. He wished he could do it, but with his hands tied behind his back, it was impossible.

Ever since his last encounter with Root, and his complete understanding of the larger magnitude of the matter, he had been thinking thoroughly about what he was going to do now; even more thoroughly than he had before.

Undoubtedly, the unique opportunity he have was through Mr. Martinez; Javier, one of the men guarding him in this place.

There was no other way.

He had used every trick, every possible and compelling argument he could think of, all in an attempt to lead Root to believe he didn't know about the Machine; to make her believe his and John's involvement in both situations had been purely incidental.

Finch never, not even for a second, deemed the possibility she might believe what he was telling her and would just let him go. That had never been a realistic possibility, just wishful thinking, but he had hoped to gain time before she reached her breaking point and decided to use more harmful methods to make him confess.

Root had put her own life in jeopardy just to find him and drag him out. She was sure he possessed the information she wanted and could give her access to the Machine, and even if she was right only about the former, she wasn't going to accept that; she wasn't going to accept anything less than what she was asking for, and she would never believe him even if he were telling the truth.

The only reason why he hadn't taken the decision to seek Javier's help until now -what had made him hesitate- was that even after having observed the man closely, even more closely after he had learned about his misfortune and the threat to his daughters made by Root, was that Finch still wasn't quite sure he could trust him. There was something far too important in peril for Javier; significant enough that he might not want to take the risk of being caught by Root, all just for trying to help a man he didn't even knew.

Furthermore, there was a thought lingering in the back of his mind; the kind of thoughts he always wished to dismiss but couldn't, knowing that regarding such thoughts had saved his life more than once. He was afraid that perhaps Javier coming closer to him, being kind and thoughtful, was all some kind of twisted plan devised by Root, all in an attempt to make him feel compassion or perhaps even guilty toward the man's difficult situation and surrender, giving her what she wanted, hoping she would leave him and his daughters alone.

But even with that thought in his head, he still believe that the possibility of success -if the Hispanic man did what Finch asked him- would overcome the risk a failure represented. Besides, he wasn't going to say or ask something that could give Root information or details that would be new to her, or even unexpected, so if Javier informed her about Finch's request Root wouldn't have anything new; only the confirmation that Finch would use any opportunity he had to get out of here.

Taking a deep breath, Finch tried to calm his rising nerves. It shouldn't be so difficult. He just needed to be himself, or as much as he could be; be direct but not raw and be positive but without providing empty promises. He had to make sure Javier fully understand the situation and its possible outcomes and repercussions before he could make a final decision.

The option of asking Javier to help him escape had been dismissed from the beginning. For starters, as much as he had tried, Finch still hadn't managed to get more than two words out of the man that was with Javier at the other side of the door, so the likelihood of a possible cooperation on his part seemed unlikely, if not impossible, assuming those two men were the only ones watching the place and him, which Finch thought was the case, but he couldn't be absolutely sure.

Finch shook himself mentally. The important thing now was what he would say and how he would say it. It wouldn't do any good if he was extremely anxious when he spoke to Javier about this. That would only make the Hispanic man nervous.

In an attempt to relax his stiff posture, caused by both having been sitting in this odd and uncomfortable position for a long time and by his nervousness, Finch closed his eyes, loosening up his shoulders slowly, causing a grimace to appear on his face at the pain the small and controlled motion caused.

Without opening his eyes, Finch took a deep breath, holding it for a moment. He could tell it had worked when he started to feel how the strain on his shoulders was lowered. The strain was still there of course, but it felt better.

In an attempt to stay that way and almost without realizing, Finch started to quote Shakespeare, his voice soft, barely above a whisper, just as he had done before.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, immersed in the wise, beautiful words in his mind, when the door was finally opened and someone stepped inside; someone he immediately recognized as Javier.

Finch's sense of hearing had always been good, probably to compensate for his poor sight, he supposed. In addition to that, his hearing had developed even further after months working with a man with an odd fascination for lurking and 'sneaking up' on people. Who would have thought all of those annoying times in which Mr. Reese followed him or came out of nowhere trying to catch him by surprise might prove to be useful?

The corner of Finch's lips curled up. That was something he would never repeat out loud, let alone to Mr. Reese.

Unintentionally, that thought helped put Finch more on ease, allowing him to stay calm as Javier came closer.

Without a word, Javier started working on the rope tying Finch's hands, making the billionaire's eyebrows draw together. Something was wrong; something else was wrong. Javier always let Finch know it was him. Whether it was by getting in his line of sight or speaking; it was some kind of a routine the man had adopted.

The rope slipped off Finch's hands, and only a couple of seconds later Javier walked to stand before Finch.

Finch blinked, looking up at the man. He opened his mouth to say something, to ask him what had happened, but then closed it again, watching as the Hispanic man reached inside his jacket pocket.

Heart beating faster, Finch watched as Javier took something round wrapped in a white napkin out of his pocket and handed it to him. He reached out with trembling fingers, took it and cradled it between his hands.

After a moment's hesitation, Finch unwrapped it, finding an appealing shiny red apple. Finch looked back at Javier, a puzzled look on his face.

"I've seen what she gives you to eat," Javier shrugged nonchalantly, "thought you might be hungry."

Finch blinked again, astonished by the man's attempt to appear indifferent at such an action and his attention to detail, as Finch had already assumed Root was feeding him just enough to keep him somewhat 'healthy' physically.

His gaze dropped to the apple in his hand. He truly couldn't remember the last time he had eaten one. Between working with the numbers, and all the work involved in have and maintaining more than enough aliases to not draw any unnecessary attention, he usually ate take-out food, or at some luxurious restaurant if he had to, or if he had the time.

"Thank you." Finch murmured after a moment, realizing he hadn't thanked the man yet. He was about to take a bit but then stopped, remembering there was more pressing matters to attend. Placing the apple carefully over the napkin on his lap, Finch turned back to Javier.

"Were you able to bring what I asked you, Mr. Martinez?"

Javier regarded Finch for a moment, carefully considering his answer, because though what Finch had asked him wasn't something really significant, it still could have a major impact for him in the long term.

After what felt like hours to Finch, Javier finally nodded slightly while reaching into the pocket of his pants and retrieving a small, black notepad and a pencil. After a moment of hesitation, he handed both to Finch, a torn look on his face.

Finch took them between his hands with great care, as if they were the most cherished items for him, and perhaps they were at the moment, representing his greatest opportunity to get out of here.

No having somewhere else to lean, Finch supported the small notebook in the palm of his hand and immediately began to scribble on it.

After reading several times, to be certain he hadn't made any mistakes (that was the last thing he needed) Finch handed it back to Javier.

With a touch of uncertainty, Javier took the notepad back and looked over what Finch had written on it. Eyebrows furrowed deeply, he lifted his gaze back to Finch's.

"What's this?"

"Is the phone number, of a friend of mine. He-"

"No." Javier cut him off before Finch could finish. He wasn't yelling, but his voice had raisen notably.

"I can't do that. If she finds out..." Javier trailed off, shaking his head. "I can't take any chances; I cannot risk the safety of my daughters. I'm sorry."

"Mr. Martinez, please," Finch leaned forward, almost unconsciously. "I can't force you to do anything, and quite frankly, is not something I'd be comfortable doing. All I'm asking is for you to hear me out, that's all. Please."

Finch could hear the sound of his heartbeat fast and irregular in his ears as he waited, his gaze not sliding away from Javier's face, not even for a second.

"Okay," Javier said barely above a whisper, nodding ever so slightly.

Finch let out the breath he had been holding, unable to keep hidden the immense relief he was feeling. "Thank you." He murmured, his voice barely covering his immense gratitude. He had to clear his throat to speak.

"That's the number of my friend; his name is John, John Reese. He's a very... skilled and qualified man, but above all, he's a good person. He can help you."

"What?"

"John can help you. He can protect you and your daughters, perhaps place you somewhere safe."

Javier gave Finch a wary look. "Is he a cop? Cuz I don't wanna mess with cops."

"No, no, he's not, but he can help you. You just need to call and tell him what's happening; tell him that Caroline Turing is blackmailing you."

"Is that her name?"

"No, I don't think it is, but that's the name by which John knows her."

Javier regarded Finch for a long time, his expression sober. "You're telling me that if I help him find you, if I tell him where you are, he's gonna protect us from her?"

"I wouldn't deny it would be extremely helpful and certainly invaluable if you could tell him where to find me, Mr. Martinez, but that's not a condition. Once you are certain that both you and your daughters are safe you may choose to tell John or not, it would be entirely your decision."

Finch notice that Javier did not seem to believe him, at least not entirely, not that he blamed him, of course. All of this was too uncommon to say the least, but even so, Finch continued, not knowing how much longer they had.

"If you decide to call him you have to make sure it's not from your own phone, but rather from a payphone. The farther away from here the better." Watching as the Hispanic man opened his mouth, probably to question him about it, Finch explained it. "I'm almost certain she would be monitoring your phone, listening to any call you realize, to make sure you don't tell anyone about what is happening."

Javier shook his head. "Who are you? And if you know that much about her, why don't you just give her what she wants?"

"Because I can't give her what he wants, to her or anyone else, because she wants something I don't have."

It wasn't a complete lie. She wanted access to the machine, which Finch himself did not have, or could give her even if he wanted to. Not that he ever would, but that was beside the point.

Finch cleared his throat. "I realize that what I'm asking you to do is extremely dangerous, Mr. Martinez, and believe me that if there was any other way I wouldn't even suggest this to you, but there isn't. She's absolutely certain I have what she wants, and wouldn't change her mind no matter how many times I tell her I don't."

"I can't promise you anything," Javier said after a moment.

"I don't expect you to," Finch said quickly, focusing on the fact the man hadn't give him an emphatic no yet. That simple fact gave him hope; hope he hadn't allowed himself to reach. "All I am asking is for you to think about it, that's all."

Watching Javier nod ever so slightly after a moment's hesitation, Finch felt the corner of his lips curl up. Now all he had to do was wait; wait and pray Javier would make the right decision, and something deep down told him he would.

OoOoO


*dun dun duuuun*lol! What do you guys think? Will Javier make the call and that's how Reese would rescue Finch? Or is he really on Root's side and would teel her about this? You will have to wait until the next chapter to find out!