John sat outside of a bar and grille two nights later, lying in wait for Brandon Reed. John was glad he was given the outside patrol, because he got to see Reed first, and the moment he saw the son of a bitch that shot his wife, he was kneecapping him immediately. He had a vest on, Finch did as well, and everyone inside the bar and grille too. Shaw had arrived about the same time as he and Finch had, to get there before Reed ever showed his face. Some of Elias's men were setting up; Elias and Joss would be arriving shortly. Fusco was driving her here and would report if they saw anyone tailing them the moment he saw it.

"How is Simon?" Finch asked.

"He was happy to see his nana, but I'm sure she is dealing with a mopey boy by now," John admitted. "But then again nana has a knack for distracting him, especially since Taylor is coming in tonight and is heading to see his nana too, then taking Simon home with him to wait for us. I just hope Simon is still awake when we get home so he can see his momma."

"Is his girlfriend, Hayley, coming home too?"

"No, she wanted to stay at school to study, plus Taylor didn't really want her to," John admitted as he lifted his binoculars, making sure he had a nice full scan of the area surrounding the bar and grille named simply E. It wasn't much of a name to John, but it did well with the younger crowd. "Taylor wants to go Christmas shopping for his mother this weekend."

"So early?" Finch sounded surprised. It was near the end of the first week of November, and while he agreed that it was early to start Christmas shopping, he would not tell the boy no. Besides, John didn't remember the last time he got to celebrate Christmas so he was a little excited and didn't mind starting the season early, though he wasn't willing to let anyone in on that fact.

"I guess Joss is really difficult to purchase for and wants to get a head start. And judging by the fact that he didn't want his girlfriend around I guess he'll be shopping for Hayley as well."

He felt Finch's eyes on him. "Have you figured out what you are going to get Jocelyn, Mr. Reese?" John lowered the binoculars to eye him.

"I have thought about it. She's difficult to buy for but I already got something for her," he admitted. "She told me she didn't need a wedding band, that this marriage wasn't necessary to bind us together, that we were already bound to one another spiritually. And that this marriage was needed to adopt Simon, we were already married without the papers stating we were, so the wedding band wasn't necessary."

"Joss doesn't want a ring?"

"No, I offered to buy her a diamond ring and a wedding band, but she didn't seem so keen on that idea."

"What does this have to do with your present you got for her, John?" Finch asked.

"Well I got her this instead." John said as he rifled through his pants' pocket and pulled out the velvet box. He opened it for Finch. Finch stared at the beautiful three-row white gold ring that had one row of diamonds, one row of emerald stones, and one row of rubies. The ring glittered and sparkled with the amount of stones in it, it must have cost John a lot of money. "The diamonds are because Simon's birthday is in April, the rubies are for Taylor because his is in July, and I debated on choosing Joss's birthstone but decided she would be unhappy if I left myself off of her ring."

Finch smiled, he knew his wife so well. The emeralds and rubies surrounded the diamonds, the ring was breathtaking. "Jocelyn will love this ring more than a traditional wedding band," he agreed.

"Since I showed you the ring, will you do me a favor Finch, and keep it in your possession until around Christmas. Keeping small gifts for Joss is fine, but from the way Taylor speaks she's like a bloodhound and I'm sure she'll sniff out this ring before the holiday actually gets here." he admitted with a small smile.

Finch felt silly for being so sentimental over the fact that he was asking him to hold onto this ring for him to give to Joss, but Harold was. John's trust meant everything to him. "I'd be honored to hold onto your special gift for your wife."

"Thanks, Finch," he looked at his watch, missing the elder man's expression. "It's nearly showtime. I can't wait to get this son of a bitch so my boy and my wife are safe."

Joss was reluctantly wearing her sling that Shaw mandated, she wasn't allowed to leave the safe house if she wasn't wearing it, and Shaw would probably break cover to bark at her if she saw her take it off. As Fusco drove them towards the bar and grille they had selected for their trap she felt edgy. She didn't like the idea of John being outside with Finch, out in the open, but she couldn't figure out one way of getting John to stay away. Simon was with her mother, being dropped off their early in the morning so they could set up, and then Taylor was going to pick him up and take him home.

Joss wasn't going to be able to relax until after this night was over and Brandon Reed was apprehended and everyone was safe.

"You ready, Carter?" Fusco questioned as they pulled up curbside near the restaurant but had a little walk before getting into E Bar and Grille. For one of Elias's fronts it got a healthy amount of traffic near it and was in an upscale area. But tonight the restaurant was shut down just for her and Elias's pretend meeting.

"You have no idea how ready I am," she said as she waited for Fusco to open the door for her.

"Me too, since then I won't have to open your door any longer," he agreed with a smirk. She smiled as he shut the door and they walked side by side. He touched his ear as did she. "Can everyone hear us?" he whispered.

"I can hear you loud and clear Lionel, unfortunately," Shaw grumbled. Joss and Fusco walked side by side towards the bar and grille when suddenly she cursed, looking down and trying to hide behind Fusco as a man rounded the corner.

"What is it, Carter, is it him?" Fusco whispered.

"No, Fusco it's not it's…." she started but it was too late.

"Jocelyn Carter?" Joss grimaced as she looked up and watched as Ian Murphy moved his way towards her with a smile on his face. She looked past him, then around her searching for Brandon Reed, hoping like hell he wasn't seeing or listening in on this.

She turned back to face Ian Murphy as he leaned in to hug her. "Oh," she whispered as he gathered her to him, holding her closer than she preferred, and she patted him on the back before she stepped back as he tried to linger. Fusco was looking around the restaurant and she forced a smile. She was about to make a hasty retreat when he spoke up.

"So I heard that you were reinstated as detective after you brought down HR, congratulations." Ian said sincerely as he grabbed her hand to bring it to his lips to kiss the back of it. She rolled her eyes, this guy tried real hard to be charming, plus he was cute, but she wasn't interested. Joss disentangled herself from him, hoping like hell Brandon Reed wasn't watching but more importantly she hoped like hell that her husband was not watching with the binoculars at this moment.

"Who is touching my wife, Finch?" John snarled in her earwig. Joss kept a smile pasted on her face, really wishing luck had been on her side, as she listened to Finch struggle to explain who Ian was.

"What happened, are you alright?" Ian asked as he motioned to her sling.

"Nothing, I'm fine, but uh-this isn't a really good time, Ian, I am working." she muttered quietly. She looked around again, didn't see anything, really hoping her cover hadn't been blown. Ian nodded his head.

"With that friend of yours…what was his name, Fisher?"

"Not really, um, really I need to go," she assured him, distracted. He nodded his head and handed her his business card.

"Call me, Joss; I'd like to take you to a real dinner some time." Joss forced herself to take it and not tell this guy she was married, since Jocelyn Rice wasn't. If Brandon Reed was lurking around and could see them but not hear them, then he might just think this was a guy hitting on her.

"Bye, Ian," she blurted out as she tugged Fusco with her, hurrying away and entering E. She prayed John would not kill Ian Murphy. "John, I'm sorry." she whispered while Fusco helped take her shawl from her.

"We'll talk later," he assured her, sounding rather possessive and more than a little jealous.

"Do you think that Ian guy blew your cover, Carter?" Fusco whispered as they made their way toward Carl Elias who was smiling appreciatively at her in her red dress.

"I really hope not, or there goes our chance at getting him," she whispered back as Fusco pulled out the chair for her and she pasted a false smile on her face as Elias leaned over to press a chaste kiss to her cheek.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Jocelyn Rice," he spoke with a wink and a flirty smile as he sat back down. "This is my associate, Anthony," he introduced, playing up the charade. Joss clenched her teeth together as she kept the careful smile on her face and she offered her hand which Marconi took, but instead of shaking it he kissed it. She heard John curse in her earwig.

"Will men stop kissing my wife!" he hissed.

"Mr. Reese, it's just a kiss on the hand."

"I don't care, no man puts his lips anywhere on my wife." Joss muted them, not wanting to listen to John's jealous commentary. She would much prefer to be in John's company and she was going to show him that once she had him alone and all to herself.

"So Jocelyn, I had been hoping John would be in here so I could get to know him better. He avoids my calls, should I be offended, or does he play hard to get?" Elias spoke as they were handed menus. She wished to say what she was really wanted too, like 'stop calling my husband and trying to bring him into your organization,' but couldn't and this man knew it. If she didn't know any better she would say Elias had a man-crush on John.

"Don't even start," she said with a fake smile on her lips. Elias looked up and nodded.

"Alright, shall we get down to business then, Jocelyn?"

"Let's," she agreed. And for the better part of an hour they posed for Brandon Reed. Elias and she had talked about 'business' while Fusco and Marconi sat with them, just listening. They all ate dinner, shared champagne, and waited. Joss eyed her watch in irritation. Would Reed wait until their meeting was over? They were lingering, hoping Reed would burst in there, and they could take him down. But so far nothing was happening.

Joss reached up unmuting her husband. "This isn't working, guys," she whispered.

"We noticed, Joss, there hasn't been a single sighting of him," John answered. "I should know since I searched the perimeter."

"You did what?" she hissed, flicking a look from the men at the table, and John was so lucky she couldn't lecture him right now!

"I guess finish up the meeting, maybe he's waiting until you guys are about to leave," John suggested. She nodded her head, deciding that was the only real option they had. She just wished Brandon Reed would make his move.

She was a detective? Brandon had followed her to E Bar and Grille for her meet and greet with Carl Elias, a known mobster, and was going to finally purge the world of her, and take out Elias as well in the process. But had stopped from coming out from hiding in the shadows when that man she ran into called her Jocelyn Carter, not Jocelyn Rice. He had backed away, left to go to do some research on this Jocelyn Carter he spoke of and was stunned to realize it was true. This woman was a detective posing as Jocelyn Rice, but what did that mean? Gabby had chosen her. What was he supposed to do?

So he had gone home, maybe his only chance to purge the world that filth was gone. But he needed Gabby's guidance. He ran to the framed photo of her.

"Gabby, I don't know what to do. What am I supposed to? She's a cop, she's lying, she's not who she says she is! Everything is a lie. Please Gabby tell me what to do," he prayed as he shut his eyes, frantic for answers from his beloved. It was her work he was enacting. He needed her to tell him what he was supposed to do.

She's living a double life, Brandon, stay the course. Watch Jocelyn Carter for she is still Jocelyn Rice. Make her pay, she's a cop sworn to uphold the law and yet she is choosing to be like the filth we are trying to eradicate. She's the worst one.

He nodded his head, a smile tugging his lips up, and tears burned his cheeks. "Oh Gabby, you are right, you are always right. Never leave me, please." He whimpered, and nearly sobbed when her voice didn't answer back.

After a few minutes of composing himself, he opened his eyes. "She's the worst one," he repeated to the silent apartment.

John and Joss with their friends sat together in John's car. "I don't get it, why didn't he show up?" Joss wondered as she sat between Fusco and Shaw in the backseat. "There was no way he could see the trap, we were careful."

Finch pinched the bridge of his nose. "There was no guarantee that Mr. Reed was going to show up. Elias and I had prepared for this, we made arrangements for two 'meetings' here, the next one is in a few days in hopes that Mr. Reed would show up for that one."

"Oh joy, we get to do this again." Joss groused, very annoyed at the moment. John agreed, he wanted this done and over with. He wanted his wife home with him, but most of all he wanted his wife and son safe. "Wait, that means I can't go home with John and be with my boys." Joss now sounded really irritable.

"I'll say it; this bites. I was hoping to get to shoot some kneecaps and other body parts since he can't feel a damn thing," Shaw commented before opening the door to climb out. "Coming Harold?—I'll drive you back to the library." Finch nodded before opening his car door to go with Shaw.

Fusco was the next one to leave. "I guess I'll go warm up ours," he said as he climbed out. Once he shut the door, it just left her and John. She climbed out of the car to move to the passenger seat and climbed back in.

"Joss," he sighed as she leaned over and kissed him, wanting to have done that for the better part of a week. His lips eagerly kissed her back, Joss wanted to climb onto him, and just take what she wanted. She missed her husband so much, but after briefing kissing, John pushed back reluctantly. "Be careful," he admonished.

"I don't want to go," she whispered. "Ask me to blow my cover and I will."

"Joss, we can't do that."

"I know," her shoulders slumped. "I just miss you, our little munchkin, and Taylor. I miss being at home, I miss my life, and I just want this over with."

He leaned back to cup her cheek, so he could gaze into her lovely eyes. "You'll be home soon enough, annoyed with us men," he teased gently, trying to cheer her up.

She smiled. "Try to get some sleep, John; hug and kiss our boys for me." He nodded his head, she leaned forward taking his lips with hers tenderly before pushing back. She forced herself to open the car door, climbed out, and walk away from her husband. It was only for a few more days hopefully; she could handle it, and it wasn't like she was never going to see this man again.

AN: Brandon Reed is a slippery one, and let's just say it's not a good thing that he knows who Joss really is. But the little teaser for next chapter is that Joss's REAL social security number comes up :D

Thanks for reading!