Disclaimer: Credit to Jonathan Nolan, Greg Plageman, and the POI writing team. Bolded sections are straight from the episodes.
QUEENSBRIDGE PARK
Chapter 46: mid Guilty
After the Machine herself tells them to stop looking for Shaw, Finch and Reese return to helping the Numbers, determined not to let anyone else help.
"When we started, you told me we'd both wind up dead," Reese reminds Finch as they sit across from one another at a diner. "This is worse."
"You're right," Finch agrees.
"If we're short-handed, we're short-handed. We're not bringing anyone else into this."
"It's just you and me again, Mr. Reese."
That lasted about a day.
Because Zoe Morgan had caught Reese at the courthouse spying on their Number, who is serving on a trial jury with Finch. And so Zoe offered to help them swing the jury to help their Number.
And, as Finch says disapprovingly to Reese: "Saying 'no' to Miss Morgan was never your strong suit, was it?"
"You got plans?" Reese casually asks Zoe later that night, after they wrap up coaching Finch.
"Night's still young," Zoe says as she freshens up in front of the mirror. "Thought I might hit up some contacts, see if I can find out who Chad hired to fix this trial." She reconsiders. "Unless you have something else in mind?"
Reese backtracks. "I still got other work to do."
Zoe turns to face at him. "Well, I'll be damned. You're interested in someone, aren't you?" she asks, walking over to him.
"You don't know me as well as you think you do."
"I think I know you better than you know yourself," Zoe counters. "And whoever she is, it won't last." Reese looks down at the hand she places on his chest. "People like you and me, we're great for a night or great for a weekend, but we really suck at letting people in. We're just not built that way." She smiles. "Sleep tight, John."
Back at his apartment, as Reese eavesdrops on Elena and Fusco next door, something twinges. His conscience? He thought he'd gotten rid of that a long time ago.
He knows it isn't healthy to be eavesdropping on her like this, listening through the walls and through the phone he still has bluejacked. But he'd never pretended to be an example of a well-adjusted person.
"Lionel, what happened the night Sameen ... just what happened?" Elena is asking.
"Someone took her," Fusco sighs. "Wonderboy and Cocoa Puffs tried to get her back, but they couldn't find her. The Professor? I don't think he thinks she's still alive."
"And I'm guessing this isn't something you can report to ... well, you are the police. Some other authority?" Elena says helplessly.
"Whatever they're doing is so off the grid, I don't think there is an authority."
"Then ... what?"
Reese hates the despair and helplessness in her voice.
"Look, I think we should just be thankful the rest of us made it out alive," Lionel reasons. He glances at the crutches propped on the wall next to her. "And that includes you, Ellie."
She looks down at the untouched pint of ice cream he'd brought for her. "So eat ice cream and be merry, for tomorrow we die?"
"That's pretty cynical for you," he says, digging deeper into his own half-finished pint. "But yeah, why not?"
"I'm not really in the mood."
Fusco stares at her. "You love ice cream. And don't give me that bullshit about a diet. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure you could put on some weight, not lose some more."
"You know better than to say something like that to a lady, Lionel."
He doesn't let her detract him. "So I take it you've not had a lot of warm, home-cooked meals recently?"
"The microwave was invented for a reason."
Lionel nods. "So Wonderboy's freezing you out, too. Yeah, I'm getting the third degree from my so-called partner. And not just him either. Everyone: Glasses. Cuckoo's Nest."
Elena sets down her mug with a slight rattle that Fusco pretends not to notice. Despite her bright smiles and breezy dismissal of his concerns, it's obvious she's still recovering from her near-death experience.
"So that's what they're doing," she realizes. "They're shutting us out to keep us safe."
"Yeah," Fusco agrees. "And I don't think they're necessarily wrong, Ellie. At least not with you."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Elena asks coolly.
There's a long moment of silence.
"C'mon, Ellie ..."
"I think we've had this conversation before, Lionel." If Elena's voice had been cool before, it's icy now. "This is the part where you tell me you're a big, bad cop, and you signed up for this. But I'm just a secretary/grad student/sales girl who shouldn't worry my pretty little head about these things, right?"
"No, Ellie." Fusco's voice is gentle. "I think we all know you're so much more than that. To me and Lee. To John."
Elena blinks hard at the pricking she feels behind her eyes. She's already cried too many tears over John Reese.
"But maybe this is better," she reflects. "Because the man I talked to right before he and Tree Lady left on their little rampage? I ... don't know who that was ... and I'm not sure that I want to."
On the other side of the wall, Reese pulls back as if he'd just been hit.
He still remembers the look of terror that had crossed Elena's face that night, in that split-second when she thought he was about to strike her. He doesn't think he'll ever forget it.
"Ugh, it's too damn cold for ice cream," Elena is saying. "Let me go put on another layer."
"Yeah, go ahead. I'm gonna order us a pizza. And I'll take a look at your heater."
She hobbles into her bedroom. As Lionel waits for her to return, he hears a scratching at the window. He investigates and sees Bear pawing at the glass.
He opens the window, and the dog jumps in and allows him a few scratches before going to find Elena.
Fusco pokes his head out of the window and can just make out the shadowy form of his partner standing on the fire escape. He has no doubt Reese has been listening the whole time.
"I know you think you're keeping her safe, and I get that. Believe me, I do. But you're hurting her anyway, partner."
Later that night, after the pizza had come, Bear had returned, and Fusco had gone, Reese catches sight of movement on his fire escape.
His gun jumps to his hand as he silently crosses the small space of his kitchen.
A moment later, he's tucking the gun back into the waistband of his pants and hurrying out his window to stop Elena from toppling off the fire escape.
"What are you doing?" he demands, steadying her as she begins to lose her balance.
"Oh, just getting some fresh air," she says breezily.
He sets her against the brick wall, right in the middle of the fire escape, as far away from the edges as possible. He glares down at her.
"Really?" he challenges.
"Well, no," she says, crossing her arms over her chest and looking up at him. "I wanted to talk to you. And I figured the only way to draw you out was to put myself in a tiny bit of danger."
His jaw tightens. "Elena, we've lost Shaw —"
"You know, Sameen was — is my friend, too," she says fiercely. "I miss her, too. I'm scared for her, too. And I know I can't help look for her or help with your secret side project. But I don't understand how not talking to me does anything, other than make both of us miserable."
"People around me get hurt, Elena. Anyone I get close to. Everyone."
"Me, too, John," she shoots back. "Only, they don't just get hurt or disappear. They die."
He blinks.
"You know, I always thought it was just some awful coincidence that everyone close to me has died. My mom, my dad, my best friend, my fiance. But by your logic, it must all be my fault. Well, Ken is my fault, so —"
"Elena, no —"
"So what if Sameen is my fault, too? We were co-workers, friends. At least, as much as she has friends."
"You know there's no way you were responsible —"
"No, I don't know!" she exclaims. "I don't know because you don't tell me anything!"
"I can't, Elena."
"Can't or won't?"
"Both."
She stares up at him for a long moment.
"So ... is this it, John?"
He doesn't answer. He simply lifts her up and carries her to her window. He sets her on the sill, feet inside, and steps away.
"Stay inside, Elena," he orders. "Stay safe."
"John —"
"And stay away."
A/N: I couldn't be mean enough to post just the last chapter, and right before the holidays, too!