"Really, John? No tie?"
Reese jerked his head in surprise at the sound of the comm. Zoe frowned, but he merely smiled awkwardly and put a hand up to his ear.
"Root?" he asked shortly. "What do you want?"
"Just checking in," came the answer from over his left shoulder. He turned around to find Root standing behind him, grin as bright as a 200-watt bulb.
"Root—" he started, but she overrode him with her best charming psycho voice.
"You must be Ms. Morgan," she stated brightly, stepping forward to shake hands. "I've been looking forward to meeting you."
Zoe threw an amused glance at a glowering John before taking Root's offered hand.
"Nice to meet you—"
"Root," the hacker supplied. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Well," Zoe started, giving John another look, this one slightly confused, "I hadn't realized John—"
"No, not from him," Root rushed to explain. "A different friend."
"Root, what do you want?" John asked impatiently. He gestured around the quiet, romantically-lit restaurant with frustration. "I can't help right now. Get Shaw."
"In the kitchen," hummed a voice in his ear. "You should have ordered the salmon, by the way. It's better than the sole."
"Then get Lionel if you need help," John ordered. "Or Finch, or Harper, or Silva, anyone, but I'm busy."
Zoe watched it all with interest, and listened to the parts of the conversation she could hear. She looked up in surprise when Root spoke again, her happy gaze still fixed on the fixer.
"Actually," Root drawled, "we need Zoe."
"No," John started, but Zoe put a staying hand on his arm.
"What do you need me for?" she asked with interest.
"Something illegal," Root answered gleefully. "And fun."
"Sounds like something I'd be sorry to miss," Zoe replied, looking at John. "As long as John can come, I don't see why not."
"Gee, thanks for including me," John said sarcastically, but he said it to an empty chair. Root had already whisked Zoe up and was urging her toward the kitchen, the hacker's arm linked through the fixer's.
"I've only heard of your work second-hand, but I have to say, I would love to hear more about it from you," Root gushed.
Shaw met them at the kitchen door.
"Stop talking her ear off," she ordered Root. "She gets obsessed," she explained shortly to Zoe, who seemed to take it in stride.
"Why the kitchen?" Zoe asked curiously.
"Yeah, our coats are in the front," John added with annoyance.
"We may have some people following us," Root admitted. Then she smiled brightly again. "The car's around back."
The three women walked quickly toward the back exit, Shaw still trying to restrain Root's inquisition into Zoe's methods of operation. John sighed and followed.
"Can I at least drive?" he asked plaintively.
"No," Shaw and Root chorused. Shaw looked put-out, but Root only grinned as if it were her birthday.
"So, that state legislature election last year…" she began as she opened the door for Zoe.
Reese barely managed to make it in the door before Shaw roared off. He heaved another sigh and settled in. With these three, it could be a different kind of late night than he had expected.