AN: I wanted to post this yesterday night but ran out of time, and I was going to earlier today but FF here just wouldn't let me for some unknown reason. This site can be so glitchy sometimes, lets me post one story but not the other, ok that makes sense. Okay small warning of some intense smut near the bottom ;D

Joss walked to her front door, ignoring her aches, hoping against every hope that it was John but was crushed when it was only Fusco. Fusco eyed her. "Sorry to disappoint, Carter."

She forced a smile. "No, it's just…after Harold and John dropped me off at home from the factory and I got to call my son to talk his head off I can't get a hold of John. He hasn't returned any of mine or Harold's phone calls. I'm worried about him," she said with a slump of the shoulders.

"I could look for him for you," Fusco offered, never seeing his partner look like this. She looked one step away from crying. Being strapped with a bomb vest and watching your life tick down had to be a traumatic experience and if she wanted wonder-boy to feel better, he'd go find and get her wonder-boy. Carter was always there for him. He wanted to be there for her.

She shook her head. "No, don't, I know John, whenever something happens he needs time. He's distraught about Kara being back, and what she did, but he'll come to me."

"How do you know?"

"Because I just do." she said, unreasonably optimistic but she trusted in what she felt for John and what he felt for her. "What's that?" she pointed to the manila folder he held, wanting to focus on anything besides what almost happened about three hours ago.

Fusco shifted and looked around. "Well when four eyes asked me to help him find you and Mr. Sunshine we started our search with where we knew you were both last, thanks to Einstein tracking yours and the big guy's phones. It brought Glasses and I to a wrecked SUV with a very dead Agent Donnelly, who I guess four eyes tried to help but too late. Glasses rambled on about having three names all at once: Donnelly's, yours, and Stanton's. Anyways Mr. Peabody asked me to gather the file, your gun, and wipe the backseat down of any prints and DNA of you and wonder-boy." he said handing both of the items to her.

Joss looked up in shock. "You did what?"

Fusco shrugged. "You're my partner and more importantly a friend, I'll deny saying this: but Reese saved me. If the big guy never got me to you, I don't know where I'd be. It wouldn't be my first crime scene tampering and if it's for you, Reese, or the weird little guy, I'd do it again in a heartbeat," Fusco admitted gruffly. He wasn't proud of the fact that he knew how to tamper with a crime scene or had done so in the past for ill-gotten gain, but if his dirty past helped his friends right now then so be it.

Joss reached out touching his burly forearm. "Fusco, I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything, partner, you don't need to."

She didn't because she honestly didn't know what she wanted to say: thank you for committing a crime for her or lecture him along with a smack upside the head for committing a crime for her. Joss needed to sit down. This last day and a half was one of the longest 36 hours of her life.

Joss opened the file up and blinked in surprise before looking up at Fusco. "This is the file on John and these are Donnelly's notes, how he suspected I was a mole for John in the NYPD," she said slowly.

"Yea, needless to say that didn't need to be found any more than the prints or DNA in the car. I suggest you burn that file. They're the only hard copy as Einstein did his voodoo and wiped Donnelly's notes on you that were on his work computer. I don't even want to know how Glasses hacked Donnelly's work computer. Einstein also told me to pass along a message that he dealt with the NYPD and FBI's databases on John."

"Let me guess he wiped it just as he wiped Donnelly's."

"Better, Glasses changed the documentation on the man in the suit to fit Snow's DNA. Three hours ago a bomb went off at the same building a bomb threat was reported at. The same place our brunette psycho took our pal Snow. There were two fatalities. Needless to say no real details are coming to light and we both know who one of those causalities is," Fusco said. Finch had given him the low down on what happened to Reese and Carter, and who had done it and why. He wasn't sad knowing Snow was dead, now the big guy would be safe from the CIA, but if the other dead person was innocent he was sad about that.

Joss shook her head. "Damn it, couldn't Snow have just gone somewhere without any civilians around," she hissed. Snow was always a selfish bastard even till the bitter end.

Fusco shrugged. "An Agent Moss is taking over Donnelly's cases and his murder. Glasses is confident that they'll believe Snow is the man in the suit. Only thing is Moss might come to the precinct and ask you if Snow looks sort of like the guy who saved you the night your C.I. shot at you."

"And I'll tell him yes if he comes," she said without a second thought. This was a way to effectively take the heat off John from the FBI's taskforce but as well as the NYPD's would dissolve, thinking that the man in the suit was dead. All she would need John to do was wear damn gloves, no matter if he wanted to or not. "Thanks for everything, Fusco."

"No thanks necessary, Carter, you're my partner and friend." And with that he turned and headed for the door and left.

She laid the manila folder on the table and climbed the stairs. She wanted a nice relaxing bubble bath. She was just grateful that her son didn't ask her what was wrong or why she needed him to stay at his grandmother's on short notice or her mother call her to find out why she needed Taylor to stay with her. Both her son and her mom were sports with not asking and probably figured she had a long day at work still. She missed her son, he was gone all weekend at his friend's and she was going to have him back tonight and she was going to hug him so hard but she needed to be alone tonight. After what nearly happened she didn't want her son to see her as a mess.

Joss entered her bathroom and ran a bath, needing the relaxation. She chose the raspberry scented bubble bath and once the temperature of the bath was warm but not scalding hot, she took off her clothes, and took her time climbing into the tub. She had bruises and cuts galore from the crash and sawing off the binds that she was in. Joss closed her eyes as she settled in and sighed. The warm water and bubbles were already soothing her aches and pangs. The dull stinging pain as the bubbles settled in between her cuts were noted and ignored. But nothing was helping with the emotional pain she was feeling. She knew time would heal that wound and some rest could help too.

Joss didn't even realize she was crying until she opened her eyes and her bathroom was blurry. She cried for Donnelly, for all the innocent lives lost, for John, for her, and what could have happened as the bomb counted down and just cried tears of joy that they were safe. She didn't know how long she sat in her tub crying, but once she was utterly spent her eyes opened. She leaned her head back against the tub and sighed, trying to calm herself.

Joss sat forward when the water was too cold to sit in any longer, before grabbing the plug and pulling. She got to her feet while the water gurgled as it tried to speed down the drain. She turned and grabbed the sprayer off the hook up top and turned the shower head on and sprayed herself clean of the bubbles. She felt better since crying. Once she was clean of bubbles, she turned the water off and grabbed a towel drying herself off, before putting her robe on.

It had been a horribly long and taxing day and a half and she was so damn glad it was over. Maybe she was going to take some personal days off of work, give herself a chance to recuperate. Joss walked out of her bedroom to go to the stairs. She was going to sit and call John before trying to go to bed. She wasn't even sure if she'd be able to sleep but she was going to try. It was past two in the morning already. Joss reached the landing when her front door opened and she tensed.

John entered before shutting the door behind him, and locked up. "I came to make sure you were okay." he said quietly, as he slowly moved forward. Joss nearly made a smart remark about him breaking in the front door this time but remained silent. Shadows crossed his face before he moved into the light of her lamp that was on in the living room. His eyes were exposed, showing just how vulnerable he was right now after what happened and he rarely allowed that to show. "Are you okay, Joss?"

She swallowed hard to remove the lump from constricting her from speaking. "Yea, I'm good," she reassured him but it didn't sound convincing.

He didn't say anything as he took a step closer. "You look like you were crying."

"I was." Tears welled up against her will. He reached out, brushing the tears away.

"I'm sorry for causing you pain. I just needed to think and walk around for a while," he whispered and she grabbed his wrist.

"I know that, John, and you're not the one that caused me any pain. Kara did," she clarified. "But there might be some good from what Kara did to us."

He looked nonplussed. "What does that mean?—she strapped you with a bomb Joss."

"I know and I'm not talking about that. Kara gave Snow the same amount of time she gave me, Snow died." She left off about the other casualty feeling John did not need that death hanging over his shoulder too. She would carry that burden herself. Maybe she could ask Finch to find out who the victim was so she could leave flowers at his grave to pay her respects.

"How does his death help us any?" Besides that, he wouldn't be showing his face anymore.

Joss smiled as she grabbed the file from the table near her. "Because of this, John."

"What is it?"

"Fusco and Finch arrived at the scene of our accident with Donnelly before the cops did. Donnelly is dead which we can't change, but he had his file and notes on you with him. Fusco grabbed them and erased our existence in the car," she explained and John's look grew darker. She wasn't sure if he was happy or upset at what lengths Harold and Lionel went to help them. So she carried on. "Fusco came by while you were restlessly walking and told me that Finch hacked the FBI and NYPD databases to change your DNA that is listed there with Snow's. John, Finch is making it so that Snow was the man in the suit. All I need to do if he asks is tell Agent Moss, who is taking over Donnelly's cases, that I recognize Snow as the man in the suit. And you'll finally be in the clear."

"No you won't," he growled.

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You will not drop kick your career for me again. You will not lie to this agent to protect me."

Joss clamped down on her anger because she was still raw over what happened earlier with the bomb vest and she knew she wasn't thinking clearly. "John, you do not get to tell me what I can and cannot do. I'm doing it. Finch and Fusco did the main part, all I have to do if he asks is lie to Agent Moss about who saved me the night BC shot at me. But what you need to do in the future is start wearing damn gloves! Do your part in keeping yourself out of jail. This plan will effectively close the case in the eyes of the FBI and the NYPD of the man in the suit. The only person who knew the truth is dead thanks to Kara and we will get Donnelly justice because he was a good man. But this keeps you from going to prison and I'm doing whatever I have to do to make sure that happens," she said as she turned and he grabbed her arm.

"Joss I'm not worth your career. You could go to prison if they figure it out that you lied. Your son needs you."

"I know that and yes it's a risk, but it's a risk worth taking because no one will ever figure it out as long as you wear gloves," she reiterated, putting it back on him, forcing him to help himself, knowing he'd do anything to protect her as she ripped her arm free of his grasp.

"Tampering with a crime scene, erasing my DNA and fingerprints, and you possibly lying for me is wrong. If I get caught I get caught."

"Well, good thing no one listens to you," she snapped. This was not the time to fight about this, they both were hurting over what had happened earlier.

"Damn it Joss, you were nearly thrown in jail for me, now you want me to be okay with you doing this."

"I'm not asking you to be okay with it because I'm doing it with or without your approval because newsflash: you aren't the boss of me!" she growled, angry now that they were fighting over something that she might or might not even have to do. But if she had too she would do it.

John was staring at her with anger and something else in his eyes before his mouth was on hers. She kissed him back hungrily, maybe even angrily, before he deepened it. Joss rested her hands on his shoulders, gasping into his mouth as his hand slipped under her robe, possessively palming her bare breast. She tore her lips free as he dragged his tongue down her neck.

"John," she tried, not sure if she wanted to yell at him or what.

He didn't say a word as he tugged on the sash tied at her waist, loosening her robe so it parted, latching a hungry mouth to her breast. Joss sighed as her head leaned back, feeling his teeth nip and bite against her nipple. A mix of pain and pleasure shot through her, she moaned hotly as he pulled his head back tugging on her nipple hard. She twisted in his hold, letting the robe drop unwanted. Joss let out a strangled sound as he lifted her up, cupping her butt. He held her against him intimately and she whimpered. His hard, strong body against her soft one was so highly erotic. John carried her to her couch where he laid her down, covering her as his mouth sucked at her breasts.

"John," she whispered. But the man was blatantly ignoring her as his hand slid down her body. He groaned against her breasts as she moaned loudly while he slid two fingers inside her easily. Her body was so starved for his touch that the moment he kissed her she had grown embarrassingly aroused with need. Joss's hips lifted as he shifted his attention to her other breast, showering it with the same attention as he sped up his fingers. He moved his thumb over her clitoris in a soft circular and teasing motion.

John needed her. He felt his cock jerk in response to the amount of wetness coating his fingers as he listened to her soft moans of his name. Her hips jerked up, matching the rhythm he set with his hand. He loved just how responsive she always was, and he worked her before lifting his head from her breasts feeling her body grow taut with need, knowing she was close. John halfheartedly slid his hand free from between her legs, licking his fingers clean of her.

Joss stared at him, her eyes glazed, feeling bereft of his wondrous touch because her body yearned for the orgasm that was just out of reach. He leaned back and unashamedly stared between her legs. "Beautiful," he whimpered. Joss was a goddess, and he tugged her to the edge of her couch possessively. He closed his eyes, inhaling her.

"Oh, John," she whispered as her hand slid in his hair. His eyes lifted to meet hers that were clearing up. He wanted to let go and let this woman catch him, but he had a feeling he would never recover his footing again.

"Your son, where is he?" John demanded as he trembled with barely contained need.

Joss blinked as she struggled to focus on his question. "At my mother's home," she answered slowly, trying to work some of the fog from her brain.

John tore his gaze off of her, having the answer he wanted, focused on her tantalizing sex, and submerged himself in her glory, loving the cries she gave as he took what he wanted. He fixated on her, just her, and doing exactly what he wanted to do to her. He held her thighs up, keeping her parted for him. Joss's swollen nub of her desire was quivering under his merciless tongue as he lavished affection to every secret she held. He felt his weak hold on himself slip as her grip in his hair grew harsher, biting, and stinging as she held him closer.

"John," she moaned loudly. John felt her hand tugging on his hair harder and harder, trying to tug him from between her legs. "I need you inside me right now." She demanded, not giving an inch on this. Joss needed to feel John filling her, loving her, reminding her they survived.

He lifted his mouth from her and she immediately sat up taking his mouth with hers. He pulled back, tugging her off the couch and her knees landed hard on the hardwood floor, before he spun her around. She went to lean back against his chest, but he pushed her forward. He undid his pants and pushed them along with his underwear down just enough to jut free. Joss groaned as she felt his thick erection against her ass.

"God, John, fuck me," she commanded. John nudged her legs wide apart, positioned her, and pushed forward into her from behind, sliding to the hilt inside her wet core on one long thrust. Joss moaned as she leaned into her couch cushion.

He let her adjust a bit, as he rested his forehead against her spine, hands holding her hips tightly. "Joss," he whispered faintly before he slowly pulled out only to thrust back in. John straightened as he grabbed her right hip while moving the other to rest on her shoulder, bringing her ass back to him, thrusting into her slowly obviously wanting to find and assault her G-spot. She moaned hotly as he found it effortlessly. She whimpered in ecstasy at his thrusts hit her G-spot over and over again, making her nearly mindless with need in seconds.

Her orgasm that had almost tore through her under his mouth washed over her the moment John slid his fingers between her legs, barely touching her clitoris in time with his movements. Joss cried his name as she surrendered herself over to this thrillingly dark and sexy ride. Having him take her from behind while fully clothed was so primitive and so sexy. She heard him moan as she clenched onto him unconsciously as the spasms from her orgasm rocked her.

The tremors of her orgasm were just fading when tension coiled tight in her once more as he filled her so completely. His cock kept penetrating her slick folds. Her body hankered for more, for more of him. "Please fuck me more," she pleaded as she twisted her body to view him from behind her.

John's eyes were black, his face was open and raw, and his gash that mirrored hers was ignored. She was focused on was the fact that at some point during this John had let go. Joss reared up pushing back as he pushed forward, taking his mouth with hers in a sloppy sideways kiss. She wished to touch his skin. His one hand still between her legs, the other on her hip, before he pushed her away and back down, John slapped a hand across her ass.

"More, please John, I want more," she begged. John gave her another hard slap that stung but was so damned sexy, before he began fucking her wildly. She cried his name repeatedly into the cushion as John thrust into her with tremendous power foregoing the shallow thrusts for deep ones, pushing her entire body forward. He withdrew till just the tip was touching the outside of her sex when he shoved himself back into her again.

She was getting close again, judging how unhinged he was getting, he was as well. "Joss," he whispered her name breathlessly. Joss felt his hips bucking, his hands biting into her hips as he urged her back onto his thick cock hard. She felt cherished and ravished at the same time as their cries mixed together.

Joss moaned. "Like that, John, please, I'm about to come." She spurred him on, she slowly crossed her one knee over the other, it felt amazing, and judging by his cry of ecstasy it was heaven for him.

The pleasure spiraled inside him tighter, hotter, and made him weak in the knees. The added pressure against his shaft as she crossed her knee over the other had his vision blurring, he felt deafened to her screams of his name due to his own buzzing in his ears as his climax was just in his reach as she came violently in his arms. The force her orgasm had her convulsing, but he barely felt it.

He shoved hard again and again into her. "Joss," he cried out hoarsely as his orgasm slammed into him, blindsiding him.

Joss closed her eyes, his hoarse cry of her name was the sexiest thing she'd ever heard in her life as he held her to him as he came. She felt his warmth spreading through her, filling her, and loved the desperate way he held her to him to have her swallow him whole. He held her tightly to him as they both rode out their orgasms until finally it was over. Joss collapsed to the cushion with John laying on her, they shook viciously as they struggled to breathe and come off of their intense highs. His hands lightly rested on hers with their fingers linking together, his mouth buried in between her neck and shoulder, his breath warm on her face. Joss felt surrounded by John in the most splendid way.

Their breathing was ragged, she felt John's clothes against her sweaty back, and his damp cheek was on hers. "Mmm," she sighed as she shifted her head barely to kiss his lips as best as she could. "That was incredible, John, we should have make up sex more often," she whispered.

He didn't say anything in return but he did nuzzle his face close to hers intimately. "You tasted like raspberries, Joss." He said quietly as he kissed her arm.

She smiled as their breathing slowly regulated. "I just had a bubble bath before you came to feast on me," she teased playfully. He slowly withdrew from her and she immediately felt the loss. He helped her to her feet, her thigh muscles jerked and jumped under her skin from the position she had been in. Her knees screamed in agony from kneeling as did the rest of her body from the accident but the little pain didn't take away the sheer bliss of being taken by John in that sort of way. John had totally lost himself in her and she loved every single moment of it.

Joss eyed him sharply as he pulled his boxer-briefs and pants up, fixing his clothes. She grabbed her robe that was flung aside in his haste to get between her legs. She needed to go get cleaned up, but first things first, she had to talk John into staying the night, and then take a shower. She hadn't even gotten him out of his clothes yet.

"I want you to stay the night," she said as she tied the sash at her hips before flicking her hair from underneath the collar.

"Joss…"

"Stay the night, John. We fought, we got over it, and now I want to go to bed, curled up with you and get some sleep," she said softly. John eyed her. "What, John?—that sex, was amazing makeup sex! And perhaps we both needed the connection after what we went through."

"Joss, what you are going to do…"

"Is to help you, besides I might not even have to do it and Finch and Fusco did the worst of it so be mad at them," she said. "Nothing else to it, you agree to wear gloves from now on so we never have to do this again and that would be a help. Please, John, I want to sleep with you, it's been a long day and a half." And if he stayed the night, in bed with her, then she could try to make sure he got some sleep too. Surely his insomnia was going to get worse, thanks to Kara rearing her ugly head again. Right now he wasn't shutting her out but who knew what the morning would bring and she could fight his need to run if she had some sleep. And she wouldn't get that if he wasn't in her bed tonight.

John hesitated for only a moment longer. "Alright," he agreed and she smiled.

Joss grabbed his hand and escorted him upstairs. "But first things first, I need a shower now," Joss said and looked back at him.

"So do I," he said with a tiny smile.

"Well, promise to wash my back and I'll wash yours," she said as they climbed the steps together, he didn't say anything but let her lead him to her bathroom.

Kara called up Greer. "It's done," she reported. Now she wanted what he promised her if she did this one job for him.

"Yes so I see, nicely done. We'll take it from here," Greer assured her.

"Now I want what you promised me," she demanded. She didn't work for his wrinkly ass for nothing. Kara needed the name of the person that did this to her.

"Ah, yes, the person who sold the laptop that took you on your unfortunate journey to Ordos, or fortunate, depending on one's view," Greer murmured.

"The name," she growled.

"A name is all I have for you, for someone who seemingly does not exist. Perhaps you'll have better luck in your search."

"Go ahead," Kara instructed with pen ready, poised above the paper.

"Harold Finch," Greer supplied.

Kara scribbled it down. "It was nice doing business with you," she said.

"Likewise Kara Stanton, likewise," Greer murmured before hanging up.

Kara eyed the paper with the name she wrote. "I'm going to find you and make you suffer."

AN: Surprise! I bet you guys didn't see that coming, the smut I mean. But John and Joss needed connection after what they went through. And I wish the show never killed crazy Kara Stanton off because she could have been an epic villain for the team. Oh well. Next chapter caters to the morning after with a maybe brooding John along with a few other goodies. Thanks for reading!