A/N: I'm glad everyone who left a comment on Chap 9 was so cool with the tour of John's abode in the woods. In truth, as I envision it, he's not that remote from the central city, but as SWWoman remarked, Golden isn't that big, so his being out in the wilderrness only goes so far. The landscape changes quickly, is all. Sam's bar can be accessed from the main road leading into town, but John's spread is further down the road from Sam's bar, where town indeed turns to trees and streams and wild animals sometimes. I toyed with the idea of having him truly turn all Grizzly Adams on us, living in a tent and that, but I figured, since he was going "home" in "Lethe," in a sense, I decided to have him be the inheritor of a nice little place his parents left him, one that was not too ostentatious, but nice enough, cozy enough, that Joss would be won over in staying there, and that would actually allow her to get to know more about him. As we know from the show, there is more to John Reese than the kneecapping bad ass, though tragically, Joss doesn't get that far, so him being a bit of a book nerd with old movies and records in his house? Sure, why not! :-)

Anyway, this one brings us to supper, storm prep, washed hair, music, and...temptation. Oh-and a phone call or two from Jenni. Yeah, can't forget the "girlfriend"-though John is certainly acting as if he has already!

Enjoy, and leave comments, please, if you feel. Thanks again!

Joss came downstairs after her shower and hair wash feeling like a new woman, even though she was still a little weak from having not had any solid food for hours. She was dressed in a pair of black workout pants, a white baby tee and a pair of cheap flip-flops, ones that showed off her freshly pedicured feet, black polish covering her dainty toes, as it did her fingernails. The aroma of the soup made her mouth water with hunger, and if it tasted anything like it smelled, it would be delicious.

John heard her approach and stepped away from his setting of the table to turn and look at her. His groin tightened almost immediately, the stirring of a different kind of hunger taking hold of him, never to let go. The clothes she picked to wear would do little to facilitate that. Both the workout pants and the baby tee fit her curves like a damn glove, her widened hips and fulsome ass swaying and sashaying with every step as she found her worn clothes bag in her suitcase to put her travel clothes in.

He watched her bend over, and he could just make out the lines of a thong riding up her ass. When she stood up, her fleshy, firmness jiggled seductively, tantalizingly in front of him, just ripe for his hand to give it a few good smacks. Did she like being spanked? How would she react to a hard swat on that luscious bottom? Would she scream? Would she be afraid? Or would she moan and beg for more? His body instantly, undeniably ached to find out. He'd love nothing more, at that moment, than to skip dinner, pick her up, throw her on the sofa bed and learn all about what she liked for certain...

Bear's bark of annoucement at Joss' arrival broke him of his impure thoughts, and he continued with the task at hand. The dog scampered over to Joss, eagerly sniffing away at her, her things, still in the effort to get a read on this strange woman who wasn't Jenni now occupying his home. She giggled at him, and kneeled on the floor to pet and rub him, the first time since she'd been there to have such an opportunity.

John was glad for Bear giving him a change in thought patterns. He smiled, happy that his buddy seemed to be taking a shine to their new guest.

"Ah, he likes you already, Joss. That's good."

"I like him, too, though this is the first time we've been formally introduced to one another. Good boy, Bear. That's a good fella."

He laughed as Bear lapped up the attention the way he lapped up water out of his bowl. His tail wagged eagerly, his tongue hung out of his mouth, and he did his special four-paw shuffle dance, just for her. She also got a few more welcoming barks.

"You're lucky. It took him months to warm up to Sam that way. Every time he'd see him, it was all about wanting to attack. Snarling, barking, the whole bit. The feeling was mutual. But they're good now. For Sam's sake, I'm glad."

"Sam seems quite a character," she said.

"Yeah, he is. Known me since I was born. He was buddies with my dad in Vietnam, originally from Texas, but found himself here when my dad came back after his second tour. Dad went back when mom was pregnant with me, Sam stayed here, looked out for me and mom. I really would have been just a baby then. When the war was over, we got this cabin, and Sam, with no family of his own, came here too, and opened the bar. He's been here ever since. When I lost my dad as a teen, Sam was there to help me through that. And he was here this time..."

Joss stood up, and walked over to the table, Bear following her. She took a deep breath before she spoke. "John...you know why I came here, right? I mean, you remember from the bar what I told you?"

John wiped his hands on a dishtowel. The table was set, including food. He'd also whipped up a salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

"Yeah, I know why you came. Finch pressed your emotional buttons and persuaded you to do something he believed he couldn't. He would have been right about that."

"Well, not exactly-"

He waved a hand, cutting her off. "Let me guess: You had no intentions of coming out here yourself. You didn't even know I was gone for sure, just hadn't heard from me, as you wanted it when we broke off our partnership that day in the park. But one day, recently, Finch came to you with a tidbit of info, the bus station receipts, perhaps, that he got by hacking into their servers, and then told you how you were the woman for the job to get me back. How am I doing so far?"

She couldn't dispute his accuracy. But somehow, though, when he said it back to her like that, it all seemed so much more...sinister, manipulative. Did he really believe that his old friend was that conniving?

"He cares about you, you know. We all do. Even Fusco."

"Hmm, I suppose. But the problem is, Joss, that Harold still believes that this world is capable of being saved, that the people in it, even some of the bad ones, can be. I used to believe that, too, with my whole being. It's why I redeployed when the Towers fell. It's why I became a Green Beret, and an agent for the CIA. But the truth is, in the end, it doesn't work that way. And after what happened with Leila, I know that now more than ever. After the Agency attempted to decommission me, hell, even before that, I lost most of that hope. With Finch, I started to believe again. Then, I had to make a deal with a devil. And Leila lost."

But after a few moments in his reverie, the smirk came to him. "But you say Lionel's been asking after me, too? I find that hard to believe. I'd have thought he'd be glad to see the backside of me, once and for all."

Joss chuckled. "Yeah, so did he. But you know what they say about not realizing what you have until it's gone."

A heavy silence befell them then. Just for a moment, they allowed Joss' words to linger on, each weighing in their hearts just how profoundly such a commonplace sentiment applied to them both.

He spoke first, gesuring with the sweep of his hand to the table. "Well, supper's finally ready. Shall I pull out your chair for you?"

"Why aren't you ever the gentleman, John? I'd be delighted if you would. Thank you."

John pulled out her chair with a grand, exaggerated gesture of chivalry, and Joss sat down to her meal. The soup really smelled delicious, thick and hearty, perfect for a night like theirs. He'd topped it with shavings of cheddar cheese. Fabulous, she thought as her belly rumbled in agony.

With only the light of the lit candles and the warm fireplace to guide them, Joss thought she was in some sort of rustic, romantic restaurant, with the perfect date to spend her time with. He had somehow taken the time to slick back his long, tosseled hair away from his face, which made him almost look like he used to, though the length still curled over past his neck a little. He was still wearing the pullover v-neck she remembered from under his coat and jeans, and clothes never fit any man as well as they did John Reese. His height and broad shoulders made it possible, and even though he had acquired a tiny beer belly, it did nothing to diminish the manliness, the masculinity he'd always carried about him. The fact that erudition existed alongside those Alpha male tendencies he exhibited on the streets of New York added one more layer of charisma to this already compelling man, and make no mistake, her senses were heightened by it all.

"Hey, where did you go?" he said softly, almost seductively, after she'd become quiet.

Joss allowed a slow smile to creep across her face, as she put a spoonful of soup in her mouth. "Mmm, John, this soup is delicious."

"Thank you. I'm glad you like it. But you haven't answered my question. What are you thinking about?" He had his stare fixed on her, much like she imagined Bear would if he were waiting for a scrap to fall from the table. His eyes shown silver in the candle light on the table as he waited for her to answer, zeroing in on her like a target. It was the same intensity he gave her when they met up again at the diner and she agreed to work with them-with him possibly being the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen.

"Umm, nothing. It's silly." She scooped another spoonful of soup in her mouth.

"Not silly enough to take you away from the conversation. Come on, Joss. What were you thinking about?"

"Well...it's just something that Fusco told me at the 8th the other day...about...you...and me..." She was suddenly bashful, suddenly warm, and the crackling fire nor the hot soup had anything to do with it.

"Yeah? What did Lionel tell you about me...and you?"

She began nervously twirling her hair, and looked away from him. "He said that...he said...you were...attracted to me..."

She could see him smirking again, as well as allowing a 'you got me' thought cross his mind. He slowly shook his head.

She deflected there, not wanting to step into it anymore than she had already, lest she be making a fool of herself. "Yeah...just Fusco talking crazy like he does...nevermind...nevermind...I don't know why that came to me...like that...um..."

When he didn't say anything, she lowered her head to return back to her soup. At that moment, John apruptly got up, came round to her side of the table, gently pulled her up by her arm and pulled her into his. The soup spoon clattered on the floor as she was swept into his kiss. Almost immediately, his lips landed on hers and his tongue, not waiting for permission, demanded entrance inside her mouth. Joss let out a whimper as her hands splayed across his broad back and he pressed his very evident arousal against the front of her workout pants and flimsy thong. Besides the crackle and pop of the sparks in the fireplace, the only sounds to be heard were the licks and smacks of lips and tongues and the whimpering, soft groaning, and panting emanating from their mouths.

John deepened the kiss even more, his hand finding Joss's hair, which had indeed been transformed into loose curls after her shower, without benefit of a hair dryer. He reveled in its softness, just as he did the softness of her full, gorgeous lips, and the wetness of her mouth. His other hand slid downward and found her ass, and he rubbed and squeezed to the point where she moaned fully this time, inspiring a grunt from him in response. Tiny as she was, it was nothing for him to lift her a couple inches off the floor with one arm, in order to meld her body to his even more intimately than he already had.

He soon broke the kiss to catch his breath and to rest his forehead on hers. They were both wild with need of one another. Joss murmured in protest, which caused John to smile and grin through his catch of breath.

"You know, Lionel is many things, most of which is perceptive. Keenly so. That's why I picked him to work with us, in part. He's perceptive-but he also knows how and when to keep his mouth shut. Well, most of the time, anyway."

"So...he wasn't just fooling around when he told me that? You sure that this isn't still the booze talking from earlier?"

John opened his eyes and matched them up squarely with hers. "Nope. Perfectly sober now. I can do that, you know, for the right reason." After she failed to respond, he heatedly asked, "Dammit, what do you think, Joss?"

"I don't...I don't know..."

"Okay. You don't know. That's fine, then." He shook his head again, still smiling.

"What?"

"Nothing. Hey, I like your hair this way. All pretty and curly. You should leave it like that, maybe." He changed the subject for them. This wasn't safe water for either one of them to be wading in.

"Oh, right. Yeah, my hair. It does that after a wash and condition."

"I like it very much. Listen, I'll get you a new spoon. Your soup will get cold."

So he did, letting her slide down back to the floor, and disintangling himself from her, taking his body heat with him. He left Joss to stand there, wondering what had just happened-again. It was the second time in as many hours that he'd kissed her. Before, she felt justified in retaliating against him for acting like a brute. But this time? That wasn't brutish behavor. That was...that was...hot. She touched her lips, felt the twist of her tongue, and the imprint of his big body against hers as if she'd been burned. Most definitely hot.

While he went for the spoon, she heard a phone ring. It wasn't hers, but his. She saw him take it out of his pocket, look at the caller ID. She thought she saw just a shadow of a frown, or at least a grimmace cross his face at seeing who it was-but he answered anyway.

"Hello?...hi. How's it going? How are you holding up? Good, good...um-hmm, I'm okay here...um, so far no need, but I'll get out with the plow soon for a few rounds, stay on top of it as best I can...yep...um, I don't know...depends on when the storm lets up and it starts to melt...are your parents okay? Everything good there? Yeah...yeah...no, no, look...I said, I don't know...well, because I don't know...the best I can tell you...yeah, yeah..."

Joss tried not to eavesdrop, but it was hard not to. Who was he talking to? She didn't think it was Sam. But then, who?

She quietly slipped behind him and got herself another spoon, and as she did so, he turned to her with that same grimmace, and, as if given a cue to move, he turned his back and walked away from her, towards the upstairs doorway, disappearing into it. The door closed behind him, with him still on the phone.

Joss sat back sat back down at her seat and took some more sips of her soup and bites if bread. She was still hungry-but the empty chair in front of her, with its own half-eaten contents on the table, had her paying more attention to that upstairs door than her appetite.

Have I walked into something I shouldn't have? she thought.

In a few minutes, she heard his heavy boot heels come back down the steps and into the living room. Soon, he was back at the table.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Finish up. Dessert awaits, Joss."

"Are you sure everything's okay?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Now, eat."

They returned to their meal, finishing up quickly after the interruptions, and dug into the chocolate cake with gusto. Joss offered to clear the table and wash up, but he wouldn't hear of it. She still wanted to know who was on the phone, but she wouldn't pry; it wasn't her place to do so. Instead, she ventured back into to the den and prowled around some more. Bear, officially her canine shadow, got up to follow. Thumbing through the records, she scoured the stacks until she came across one with a track she hadn't heard in years: Earth, Wind, and Fire's "Reasons."

"Ooh, we gonna play this one, Bear. Yes, sir. You know how to dance?"

"He doesn't-but I do. Here, let me put it on for you."

She gave him the record, and he got it set up. Pretty soon, the unmistakable falsetto of Phillip Bailey filled the room, and the rhythm was infectious to Joss' hips.

"Oh, yes, John! You are the man to still have this record. This used to be my song, when I was a kid. Oh, my God..."

Her body did dips and spins, and she twisted her hips in a way that would give the best belly dancer a run for her money. John was mesmerized and he couldn't help but join her, his own body falling in sync with hers. She let out a hoot when she saw just how much natural rhythm he had.

"Ooooh, John Reese, look at you! My Man in the Suit can dance too! I love it! She laughed heartily, freely-and his heart soared at the sound. He reached for her again to kiss her, pulling her lower body into his as they danced. His lips connected once before she stopped him.

"John, no...let's just dance. Just dance with me."

He nodded his head. "Okay, but forgive me if I step on your toes a little."

"I'll keep that in mind."

And so, they danced and laughed and danced some more for the next few hours. At the last, John kissed her one last time, quickly, yet deeply, before informing her that he had to get dressed to do some plowing before the snowdrifts wouldn't allow him to, trapping them inside. Bear still needed to go out too, so he'd take care of those things while it was possible, and then see how things were in the morning. She nodded, and said she'd try to get some sleep after the long day.

So, each went their way, John fitting himself in his high performance winter gear, Joss in her cotton nightgown once he'd headed out. She found the heavy blanket he'd left her upstairs. The room was even colder than before, but she'd make the best of it. Getting into bed, the bedspread and blanket wrapped round her, her body crouched in a fetal position, she waged a valiant battle against both the cold and the noise of the plow for another two hours awake before she gave up the damn ghost and headed back downstairs.

"Oh, I don't think so. I can't sleep in that cold-assed room."

Blanket, spread, and pillow in hand, Joss found the recliner in the corner near the fire. Instantly, she felt warm and snug, and the sleepiness that she knew wanted to claim her did so, as soon as she curled her petite body into the recliner and covered herself.

In a little while, John, red faced with cold and exertion, returned inside with Bear, having plowed the front entrance, the path down the road and the shed area, where his truck was stashed, and where he had Joss' rental stored out of precipitation's way, as Sam had left her keys on the end table near the sofa bed. He would have to get up later on to do it again, but for now, that should help keep the snow from completely burying them inside. And he was, frankly, exhausted. The wind was the worst about it all.

Upon entering, though, he was arrested by a sight that broke his heart. There was Joss, curled up in his recliner, fast asleep, tucked in like an innocent little one, her body tiny enough to fit well into the recliner without hanging. Poor thing. It still must be too cold upstairs, he thought.

But that wouldn't do. He couldn't have his guest sleeping in a chair. He removed his coat and other winter items, dropping them at the door before going over to unfurl the linens on his sofa bed. Then, he carefully, lovingly picked her up and put her in his bed, removing the blanket and spread that he gave her, and tucked her in. She stirred and moaned in her sleep, but she didn't waken, merely turned on her side and remained still.

He then took her place on the recliner and watched her for several moments before he pulled the covers up he took from her and let sleep take him too.

For some reason, he didn't think the bad dreams would come this night. He didn't know why. Just a feeling he had. Just a feeling. A good one.

A/N: And just who do you think was on the phone, eh? This a pickle, isn't it? John's not really thinking, just acting on impulse right now with Joss, though he's kind of trying to remember what his situation is. Kind of. And yes, Joss will have to tread carefully here. Because it's just too easy with him. Too easy.

But there will be some more fun before the encounter with Jenni. She'll prove to be Super Bitch with Joss-often though, the best strategy is to do nothing in retaliation. We'll see!

You guys got spoiled this weekend. I don't usually have time for two chaps in a row. Don't get used to it, haha! No, really, enjoy, and onwards!