A/N: No fanfare. I hope you enjoy...

Chaos 24

Hang on Joss I'm coming... Joss's eyes fluttered open as she heard John's voice whisper softly in her ear. She lay on her side, disoriented, blinking her eyes as she tried to remember what happened and where she was. At the moment she was on an old, tattered sofa in what appeared to be a living room or den, but, like the sofa, it was old, and in need of repair.

The last thing Joss remembered was Snow pushing her into the backseat of his car, and then a needle stick in her neck. After that everything was blank. She slowly sat up, and then realized her hands were bound, but she was still able to push herself upright. The room had only one window, and it desperately needed cleaning. Hardly any light filtered through the dull panes of glass, which made it hard to say what time it was, especially since it was night out. Old, faded, wallpaper decorated with waterlilies was peeling away from the walls, and the wood floors were dull and scratched. The room was sparsely furnished with just the sofa where she was sitting, a matching wing-back chair that needed reupholstering, a scratched, oval wood coffee table with claw feet, and a matching love-seat pushed over to the side, where a woman sat staring at her.

Sitting on the love-seat with her hands bound was a pretty, pale, and very frightened red head who was looking at Joss with wide green eyes. Joss could only assume that this was the kidnap victim, but as Joss took in the woman's appearance, she noticed that the woman didn't look like a model, and Joss frowned.

"Um, Hi. May I ask, who you are?" Joss asked tentatively, "and where are we?"

"I'm Grace. Grace Finch." Grace answered quietly, and Joss's eyes flew open wide. "As for where we are," she smiled softly, "I couldn't tell you, I was brought here earlier today by the same man that brought you."

"Oh my god, you're Harold's wife!" Joss exclaimed, and the woman looked at her with surprise, and then dawning realization.

"You're Joss, aren't you?! John has told me so much about you!" Grace declared, and Joss smiled in confirmation, and both women forgot their predicament for a moment.

Their smiles faded slowly as they both remembered where they were, and what they were facing. Joss looked at her wrist, but Snow undoubtedly had tossed her watch just as John had said he would. Covertly, she glanced around the room to see if there were any hidden cameras in small places as John had taught her to do in case of this very scenario. She couldn't see anything that looked suspicious so she reached up to check for her earrings, and was relieved to find they were still there. Even if Snow took them, John would have found her location by now, and that would explain why she awakened the way she did. She smiled softly to herself, shaking her head. She should probably feel sorry for Snow, but, damn, she just didn't have it in her. John was bringing hell to that man, and he deserved it.

Joss glanced at Grace, and noticed that Grace was watching her curiously. Joss wanted to tell her that help was on the way, but she didn't dare in case Snow had the room bugged. Snow may not be watching, but that didn't mean he wasn't listening. She tried to smile reassuringly, and tell Grace with her eyes that everything was going to be alright. It seemed Grace was very good at reading expressions because she relaxed just a bit, and smiled back.

All they could do now was wait, but Joss was not the waiting type. She looked down at her bound hands, and brought them up to examine the bindings. Having been in the Army she was familiar with most types of knots, and she thought this one was one she knew. That didn't necessarily mean she could get out of it though, but it didn't mean she couldn't either. She dropped her hands back into her lap, and looked around the room once more. Snow hadn't bound their feet so he must believe that he had sealed them in the room securely enough that they couldn't escape.

Over in the corner was an ornately carved wood door. Joss rose to her feet and walked over to the door to examine it from top to bottom. Snow had reversed the door so that the hinges were on the outside which meant she couldn't jimmy the hinges loose to open the door. The door knob was a latch type, and was locked, of course, when she pressed down on the latch. She ran her fingers lightly over the inside frame of the door looking for cracks where the door met the wall, but it seemed he had sealed these also. She sighed, realizing that it was unlikely she would be able to use the door as an exit.

Joss turned her back resolutely to the door, and focused on the other obvious exit; the window. She walked slowly toward the window, while Grace watched her intently. Joss stopped in front of the window, and stared at it for a while. It wasn't a large window, but it wasn't small either. It was just an average, double window with a latch, easy to reach, and surprisingly not encumbered with any lock or seal that she could see. The window was so dirty she couldn't see out of it and the paint was peeling away from the frame. She was careful though. Snow wouldn't have left this window unattended for them to escape through.

The latch. As Joss focused her attention on the latch again, she noticed a small wire soldered to it. The wire was thin, unobtrusive, and she wouldn't have seen it if she hadn't been looking carefully. She followed the wire as it ran along the edge of the window through a small hole to the outside. Joss smiled ruefully to herself. If she or Grace had tried to touch the latch in any way, she was quite sure they would have received the shock of their life. But, Joss thought as her smile turned wicked, wires can be cut. The problem would be finding something to cut it with. Joss turned to Grace, and nodded her head for Grace to come to the window. When Grace arrived, Joss pointed to the latch with the wire attached, and then mimicked electrocution. Grace nodded her understanding, and then Joss made a motion with her fingers like scissors cutting. Grace smiled.

First things first though. They had to get out of their bindings. Joss took two fingers, pointed at her own eyes, pointed at Grace's eyes, and then pointed at Grace's bindings to tell her to watch Joss as she undid Grace's bindings so Grace would be able to untie Joss once she had untied Grace. Grace nodded again in understanding, and Joss blew out a breath of relief.

Then Joss set to untying Grace...

Harold Finch, John Reese, Lionel Fusco and Tom Branson took a short break because Harold needed to stretch his stiff muscles after planning tirelessly for two hours straight. They were running out of time, and all of them were getting a little testy as the hours ticked away without a solid plan in place.

Tom had arrived at the office beside himself for losing Joss, and it took a good half hour to calm him down, explaining that they knew where Joss was, and they were making plans to rescue her and Grace. They also had to tell Tom about the Machine. Tom respected John and Harold enough to simply take them at their word, and focused on rescuing Joss and Grace.

The four men had finally settled on a plan of action which played to each of their strengths. Harold, of course, would remain at HQ to work with the Machine connected via earwigs to the other men while John and Tom would handle the tactical aspects of the mission with Lionel providing police backup as well tactical, as needed.

Harold had been able to tap into a few more cameras surrounding the home where Grace and Joss were being held, and this gave them a better view of the area around the home. Unfortunately, there wasn't much ground cover, very few trees or bushes, and buildings were practically non-existent since it was a suburban area with the homes spaced far apart. Their one saving grace was on one side of the home where a small tree-line stood, which was very thin, and had a few trees in odd angles. This could prove to be a good thing or a bad thing. It was possible there was enough coverage and shadows to blend into the surroundings, especially at night. But it was at the close of winter, so there was no foliage on some of the trees.

The lot the home was on backed up to another lot with a similar home on another street. This would be their entry point to the property. John, Tom and Lionel would park three streets behind Snow's place and advance on foot over the property behind Snow's, along the thin tree-line. Lionel would be stationed on the street of the entry point property, to be available if John needed him. Tom would enter with John along the tree-line. They didn't have a visual of that side of the home due to the trees blocking it and no camera angle, so they were hoping there would be a soft entry there. If not, they would either find one...or make one. Desperate times call for desperate measures. John was tired of playing Mark's games. He wanted this over and done with. The sooner the better.

John motioned for Tom and Lionel to follow him over to one of the polished wood panels on the far left of the Machine console. John pushed a hidden button to his right, and the panel slid sideways opening into a room filled with Military issue tactical equipment of every kind. Lionel whistled as he walked in behind John.

"Damn, John, where'd you get all this shit?" Lionel asked as he looked around in wonder.

John looked at Lionel with a raised eyebrow. "Do you really want to know, Lionel?" he replied tossing him a black duffle bag.

Lionel looked back, and then shook his head. "No. No I don't," then he started picking out the equipment he would need for the night ahead.

Tom didn't say a word. He simply gathered his equipment with grim determination.

John watched Tom out of the corner of his eye, and couldn't help but feel for the guy. John knew he would feel exactly the same way. That's why he didn't try to comfort Tom or make his load lighter. John knew he couldn't. Tom wouldn't be satisfied until he had reckoned this, and the only way to do that was to save Joss.

John shouldered his MK-20 semi-automatic assault weapon, placed two sigs behind his back, and then threw his bulging rucksack over his other shoulder. Tom and Lionel followed suit.

"We need to breech by 10:30 pm which is an hour and a half from now. We need to get moving." John said as he walked out of the weapon room, and pushed the button to re-close the door. "Finch, is there any movement on any of the cameras yet?"

"I was just about to call for you Mr. Reese. Come look at this, if you will," Finch responded.

John hurried over to the console with the other two men right behind him, dropped his bag, and then looked up at the screen Finch was pointing at. John had to squint slightly at the grainy image from a camera they had linked to from a home next to Snow's. It was Mark alright, but he couldn't see what he was doing. It looked like he was beneath a window on the clear side of the home where the porch wrapped around the house.

"Can you get any closer Finch?" John asked furtively. He wanted to see what Mark was doing.

"Thanks to big brother, and the Machine," Harold said softly tapping a few keys, "yes I can." He finished with a smile as the image zoomed in and became clearer.

John tilted his head to the side as he watched Mark checking a box, and then following what looked like a tiny wire that led to the window. John stood up straight, sucking in a breath.

"What is it Mr. Reese?" Harold asked urgently.

"That's where he's holding Joss and Grace. That wire is electrically charged and connected to the latch of the window. If either of them tries to open the window, they'll be electrocuted.

"Oh my god," Harold breathed.

"He's a sick son of a bitch, ain't he?" Lionel whispered.

Nobody answered. There was no need.

John looked at his watch, 9:15 pm. They had to go. Now.

"Gear up," John said darkly, and everyone gathered their gear, putting their earwigs in place. "Watch that house, Finch. I want to know the minute there's movement."

"Yes, Mr. Reese."

With that, John, Lionel and Tom left Harold to watch over the ones they loved.

Unknown to John and the others, Joss and Grace had a plan of their own...

Grace had untied Joss with little effort. She was obviously a quick study. After they had freed themselves from their bonds, they had scrounged around the small room looking for something to cut the wire that wouldn't electrocute them in the process.

Snow had done a very good job of clearing the room before he brought them there, but not quite good enough. By pulling the cushions off of the sofa they found on the corner of the sofa a sharp metal piece in the shape of a triangle. If the sofa had been in good repair, they wouldn't have been able to remove the metal piece because normally it was held in place by two small screws. These screws were missing from the metal piece, but it was still hard to remove because it was wedged tightly into the corner of the sofa. With perseverance, and a lot of wiggling back and forth, Joss was finally able to remove the piece.

The only problem was that it was metal. If Joss or Grace tried to cut the wire with the metal piece without some type of buffer it would still shock them. They needed something plastic to act as a handle to buffer the current running through the wire. They had to search again.

Once again, the sofa gave up its riches where they found plenty of bendable plastic that they could wrap around part of the metal piece to hold it for cutting the wire. Joss and Grace grinned at one another after finding their treasures, but the smiles froze on their faces as they heard footsteps coming toward their room.

The footsteps were getting closer, and this snapped Joss and Grace into action. She and Grace quickly cleaned up the small mess they had made hunting for what they needed, stuffing everything into the sofa before replacing the cushions. They placed the coffee table exactly where it had been sitting and then Joss loosely retied Grace's binding after which Grace retied Joss's. They had both just seated themselves when they heard the latch to the door being unlocked and Grace glanced down at Joss's foot, her eyes growing wide! The metal piece was sitting on the floor by Joss's foot! Joss was just about to reach down to pick it up when the door opened, and she straightened up quickly, moving her booted foot over the piece instead.

The door swung open, and Mark Snow walked in arrogantly, sweeping his eyes over Joss and Grace disdainfully. He stopped between the sofa and the love-seat, and then looked down at Joss with a sneer on his face.

Joss just smiled sweetly back at Snow, imagining all the ways John was going to torture this puny piece of shit when he got a hold of him. She almost giggled, but, thankfully, was able to restrain herself. A slight frown flashed across his face before he spoke.

"I assume you ladies have gotten acquainted with one another, and know why I chose the both of you instead of the beautiful women I normally prefer."

"Yeah," Joss answered with a sneer, "because you're a sick bastard who gets his rocks off by torturing, and murdering helpless women who can't fight back. The problem is...I can fight back. All you have to do is untie me." Joss finished raking his body with a look of disgust.

Without warning, Snow drew back and backhanded his fist into Joss's left jaw, splitting her lip, and making her head whip to the side. Grace screamed when she saw blood spurt from Joss's busted lip, but to her credit she didn't fall over, she just turned her head back around, and looked at Snow while she wiped the blood from her chin with the back of her hand.

With a hard look in her eyes Joss told Snow, "You have no idea what kind of hell you just brought down on your head do you?"

Joss saw the flash of fear in Snow's eyes before he covered it with his classic sneer.

"You think I'm afraid of John, do you?" he said with a slight tremor in his voice.

"I think you're a dumbass if you aren't," Joss replied without a trace of fear.

Snow clenched his fist by his sides. He didn't dare hit Joss again. Instead, he turned on his heel, and left the room, slamming the door behind him. Joss and Grace heard him lock the door, and stomp angrily away from their room.

Grace shot up from her seat shaking off her bindings to see about Joss.

"Oh my god, Joss, why did you do that? He could have killed you!" Grace said nervously, still shaken from what took place.

"Snow won't kill me." Joss replied. "He needs me to control John. He won't hurt me very much either. He knows John will tear him limb from limb if I'm hurt. He's already going to pay for this." Joss said pointing to her lip.

"You're right there," Grace agreed ruefully. "John will be livid when he sees what he's done to your face. Does it hurt much? There's really not much I can do for you here," she said regretfully.

"Yeah, it hurts. I won't lie." Joss said, trying to smile, and wincing. "But let's forget about this and concentrate on getting out of here. I know John and Harold will be coming for us but it won't hurt for us to give them a hand, and get out of here to get to a phone. Let's get to it." Grace nodded in agreement, and helped Joss clean up as best she could. Then they got to work.

Little did Joss and Grace know that John, Lionel and Tom, at that very moment, were cruising through the back streets of the very same neighborhood…

Tom pulled the black SUV into the driveway of an abandoned house three streets behind Mark Snow's house. It was deathly quiet in the car as each of the men gathered their thoughts as well as their gear.

All John could think about was Joss. He knew Joss wouldn't be afraid in the sense that most people in her situation would be afraid. Joss was a former homicide detective, former soldier. She knew how these things went. The time it took to put a plan together, and then put that plan in motion. But she was still human being; susceptible to the same fears, and anxieties that ever human in captivity has. He had to get her out of there before Mark did something stupid or she did something reckless.

John looked up and saw Lionel and Tom staring at him. He smiled ruefully at them both.

"Sorry guys, I just needed a moment."

"Don't worry about it, chief, it's kinda nice to see this softer side of your personality," Lionel said with a grin.

John's smile faded quickly as he remembered why they were there.

"Okay. Lionel, you're to stay alert for anything or anyone out of the ordinary, and stay in touch with me and Tom via the earwig," John said pinning Lionel with a hard look. "Tom, follow my lead. You know the signals without me having to speak, right?" Tom nodded that he understood. He hadn't said a word since arriving at HQ and trying to explain how Mark had gotten a hold of Joss. Tom was completely focused on redeeming himself and returning Joss to John safely. "Alright, Finch?" John called out.

"Yes, Mr. Reese?" Harold answered immediately.

"Com checks, Finch," John replied.

"When you're ready, Mr. Reese," Harold returned.

All three men exited the SUV dressed in Kevlar and black all the way to their boots. Once they reached the street behind Mark's property, Lionel took his station behind an electrical shed at the edge of the street while John and Tom moved silently as ghost along the tree-line that ran along the side of both properties.

John stopped a few paces into the tree-line, knelt, and tapped his earwig.

"Com check," John said quietly.

"Com check, Fusco," John heard Lionel respond.

"Com check, Finch," returned Harold.

"Com check, Branson," replied Tom.

"Com checks clear," John said, and then he and Tom rose to their feet, making their way soundlessly through the trees along the border. They had only gone a few steps when John heard Lionel call Finch.

"Finch, I see movement in the backyard of house behind Snow's but I can't make it out from my angle. Can you see anything?" Lionel whispered urgently.

John and Tom dropped, and froze where they were. They flipped down their night vision goggles and tried to see what Fusco had seen moving. They were still on the side of the house, and hadn't made it to the backyard yet so, even though they were closer, the house blocked their full view of the yard.

Moments later Finch broke in. "John, there's a very large dog in the backyard of the house you are now. It may be a stray, but it could still be dangerous or at the very least make some noise that would attract Snow's attention. You need to use extreme caution."

To the group's surprise, John replied with a grin in his voice while Tom looked in amazement at the real thing on John's face. "Don't worry, Finch. You know how I told you Mark and Kara always called me a boy scout? I'm always prepared."

John very quietly removed his rucksack from his shoulder, and then reached inside pulling out a large tinfoil wrapped packaged. He zipped up his pack hoisted it back on his shoulder and signaled for Tom to follow him. They quietly moved forward again, and sure enough, just as they reached the corner of the house a large, black, Rottweiler rounded the corner, too. The dog began a low rumble deep in his chest, slowly baring his large teeth. John once again knelt on the ground and unhurriedly began to unwrap the tinfoil package.

The dogs' ears suddenly perked up, and he began sniffing the air. John kept steady eye contact with the beautiful animal as he continued to unwrap the foil. The dog stopped growling, lowered his head and began sniffing the foil package avidly with a gentle whine. When John finally had the package completely unwrapped, it revealed three strips of rare steak which he fed to the lovable pooch, which ate it up with gusto. John scratched him behind his ears as he ate his treat, and then the dog nuzzled close to John as he petted him for a few minutes, then the dog turned and walked away around the other corner of the house.

John looked at Tom who was actually smiling, shaking his head.

"Mr. Reese, you will never cease to amaze me," Finch said over the coms with a chuckle.

John rose to his feet motioned to Tom again, and with his eyes focused forward, they moved stealthily toward their goal...

Getting the plastic wrapped around the sharp metal piece Joss and Grace had removed from the sofa wasn't as easy as they had first thought it'd be. Joss's mouth and jaw was hurting pretty bad by now, and it had swollen alarmingly since they didn't have any ice or a pack to put on it to control the swelling. Eventually, though, they were able to get it wrapped securely enough that they were confident to use it, and not get shocked.

They decided to let Grace do the honors because Joss was in so much pain with her injury and she didn't trust herself to be steady enough to cut it. Plus, Grace was taller than Joss. Joss assured Grace that she would be right beside her to help her every step of the way.

So here they were, Grace standing in front of the window ready to cut the tiny wire with Joss beside her as she said she would be. They waited just a moment to listen if they heard footsteps coming their way, but all was quiet. Mark Snow really was over confident or he just thought women really were stupid.

Grace took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then opened them while breathing out. She raised her hand with the sharp metal piece wrapped securely in plastic, being sure to touch only the plastic. The wire itself was wrapped in a sheath of plastic coating so lifting the wire was not a problem. It was the wire inside the sheath they had to worry about. With her other hand, Grace lifted the wire only enough to be able to slide the sharp edge of the metal underneath and slice upward. She placed the sharp edge underneath the wire and in one fast upward slice... cut the wire.

For a moment Joss and Grace just stood there waiting. They weren't exactly sure what they had expected, but this eerie silence was slightly unnerving. Grace turned to Joss, and smiles split across both their faces at the same time.

"Okay," Joss began after taking a calming breath. "It's not over yet. We don't know what will happen when we slide this baby open. We need to be ready to haul ass if an alarm goes off. Alright?"

"Okay," Grace replied. "When we get it open, and hopefully no alarm goes off, who goes out first?" she asked.

"I think you should go out first, and then I'll follow," Joss raised her hand when Grace started to object. "Only because I know how to fight if Snow happens to come in while we're trying to get out. I can incapacitate him long enough to get out."

Grace's lips thinned, but she agreed.

Grace reached up again and slid the latch open. Nothing happened. It took Joss's help to push the window up after so many years of disuse, it was a little stuck. With some effort they got it pushed up and they felt the night air flow over their faces. It was the most wonderful feeling Joss had ever felt, and still that eerie quiet.

"I wonder if Snow's out of the house or something," Grace wondered aloud. "It's so quiet."

"I know. I was wondering about that, too." Joss replied. "Well, let's not dawdle. If he is out, we don't know when he'll be back, so let's move the coffee table over here to step up on to get over the window sill..."

Just then Joss and Grace heard a door open and shut, and they froze. They heard nothing for a few minutes, and then they heard what they had dreaded to hear. Footsteps.

Joss and Grace rushed to get the coffee table and place it under the window. It was heavier than it looked. They got it placed, and then Joss helped Grace up and Grace slid through the window, all the while the footsteps were getting closer, pounding in Joss's ears like her heartbeat. Finally, Grace was out, and Joss was on the coffee table, but she could hear Snow unlocking the door. He was going to be in the room any second!

Joss didn't think, she just moved! Just as she slid her right leg through the window, she heard an ungodly roar, and then Snow had her by the hair pulling her back into the room.

"Run, Grace! Get help! Hurry!" Joss shouted at a frozen and terrified Grace. Her shouts must have shot through Grace like that electric wire because one minute she was there, the next she was sprinting away from the house.

Snow dragged Joss back into the room by her hair, and continued to drag her to the sofa, then threw her on it. He jammed his knees between her legs and leaned over her with an expression of pure sociopathic rage. It was the most terrifying thing Joss had ever experienced in her life, and something she hoped to never experience again.

He backhanded the side of Joss's face that wasn't injured. He then reached down and ripped her shirt, his fingernails digging into her soft skin, and she screamed. He backhanded her again, this time on her already injured jaw, and the room began to spin. She knew if he hit her again, she would blackout, and she couldn't let that happen. He began pawing at her breast still in her bra, but she slapped at his hands, and fought with all the strength she had left, trying to keep him off of her. She saw him raise his fist this time and knew this would be the punch that did her in. Then she heard the most heart-rending roar of pain and rage... then suddenly Snow was gone...

It was dark underneath the trees that John and Tom crept their way through as they reached the beginning of Snow's property. They were going to have to be very careful here because of the open backyard to their left. Harold had checked, but couldn't find any cameras on Snow's lot which surprised John. He thought Mark would have been more careful, unless he was so confident John and Harold would play his game by his rules that he didn't need them. A very big mistake.

John and Tom had just crossed over into Mark's backyard, staying in the shadows, when they heard Harold gasp, and then breathe an agonizing, "Oh my God it's Grace!"

John stopped, still as a statue. "What did you say, Finch!" he said hoarsely.

"It's...it's Grace," Harold stammered again. "She's just climbed out of that window that had the wire attached to it, and is now running toward the street! John, you have to stop her! You have to save her!" Finch was beside himself as he watched the screen, and saw Grace running for her life. Then his eyes were drawn back to the window when he saw movement again. "Oh no," he breathed in desperation.

"What is it, Harold?" John asked, as a feeling of dread stole over his body.

"John, Snow caught Joss before she could get out through the window. He yanked her back into the house by her hair!" Harold cried out.

John was in motion before Finch finished his sentence. His vision tunneled and his blood rushed in his ears. He knew Tom didn't need to be told to go after Grace because Tom was sprinting ahead of him to cut Grace off at the street.

All plans for stealth were out the window, so to speak, since it seemed Joss and Grace had already planned an escape of their own. The whole mission had gone sideways, and his only thought was to get to Joss before Mark could hurt her.

John reached the veranda, and vaulted over the railing, his heavy boots hitting the wooden porch with a thud. He saw the open window, ran toward it, and his rage ran hot as he heard Joss scream in pain and terror. Without taking time to look through the window, he slid through, stepped on the coffee table, and then down to the floor. He rose to his full height, and his fury boiled over as he saw Joss on the sofa, her shirt torn, her face swollen and bloody, beneath Mark who had his fist raised, ready to strike her again. John saw the resignation in her eyes, and the man he had buried for years, the black-hearted killer came to full and glorious life.

John bellowed like a wounded animal, leapt toward Mark, and yanked him off of Joss by the scruff of his neck. He held Mark in the air for a moment, seeing the absolute horror in his eyes and on his face. Then John threw him like a rag doll across the room where he hit the wall and slid down, landing in a heap on the floor.

Mark struggled to get to his feet as he saw John pound toward him with the devil in his eyes. Mark knew that look. He had cultivated that killer in John, and had seen it in action. Now that killer was coming for him, and he was scared shitless.

John reached Mark, picked him up by his shirt, and set him on his feet. He would give Mark a fair chance. With an evil grin John baited Mark, dared him to come at him. Mark really had no choice. He knew if he didn't defend himself John would kill him anyway. At least this way he might have a chance, at least that's what he thought. He didn't know how wrong he was.

Mark brought his fist up fast, and tried to catch John off guard. John blocked him, and came back with a swift, hard uppercut to his left jaw which made Mark stumble. He righted himself quickly, though, and tried to come back with a back kick to the head, John ducked, and caught Mark in the groin with his forearm. John wanted to hurt him, not disable him...yet. Mark stumbled backwards again, moving further into the center of the room. John followed slowly, almost casually, and waited for Mark to attack again.

After John had pulled Mark off her, it had taken Joss a few minutes to recover her wits. When she did, she sat up slowly to keep her head from spinning off her shoulders. That's when she spotted John advancing on Mark who was slumped against the wall on the floor. She watched in fascination as it seemed as if John was only toying with Mark, like a cat with a mouse. John's back was turned to her so she couldn't see his face, but she could see Mark's, and he was desperate. They finally made their way to the center of the room, and John was facing toward her, although he didn't seem to see her. Joss gasped at what she saw. The man who was playing cat and mouse with Mark Snow was not a man she recognized. His face was cold, without any expression, and his eyes looked dark, dead, no spark of life in them at all. A shiver ran down her spine as she realized this was the man John had been, and who he was again at this moment. This man who had done so many evil things that he had to bury him so deep that only the threat to her life could bring him out. Joss didn't want that. She didn't want to be the reason he became a killer again. She rose quietly from the sofa, and began to make her way to John.

John was getting bored. Mark had gotten a few good licks in, but nothing an ice pack and aspirin wouldn't cure. Meanwhile, Mark was looking a little worn out. It was time to put him out of his misery. John walked toward Mark, that same wicked grin on his face he had when this play began. Mark brought his fist up defensively, breathing heavily with sweat shimmering on his face. John reached him, and out of nowhere swung his fist like a hammer, and caught Mark in the left side of his face. Blood spurted from Mark's lip as John's fist connected, and it split open. Mark's head spun to the right as he stumbled, he didn't fall, but before he could right himself John caught him with an uppercut to the right jaw that spun him to the left. Mark stumbled backward, and tried to gather himself, but before he could, John had spun on his heel, connecting his left foot to the side of Mark's head. Mark fell to the floor on his side, propping himself up on his arm, trying to remain conscious. John was about to move in for the kill when he heard Joss call his name softly from somewhere in the distance.

"John," Joss said softly.

John shook his head, and focused on Mark. He couldn't listen to Joss's sweet, innocent voice, and do what he needed to do. Pulling the sig from behind his back he pointed it at Mark's temple, and released the safety.

"John, please," Joss whispered softly, and John blinked, shaking his head again, taking his stance to shoot.

Then John felt Joss's hand on his shoulder. He turned his head, and looked into her soft brown eyes. "Joss, you don't need to see this. Go outside, and wait for me." He turned toward Mark again, his voice growing colder, "I'll only be a minute."

"John, no. I don't want you to become a killer again for me. Please," Joss's hand tightened on John's shoulder as she begged him not to kill in her name.

Something inside John broke. He couldn't bear to hear the plea in Joss's voice. His hand holding the gun began to shake slightly as he fought with the man that wanted Mark dead. But that man was selfish, and cruel. He would only be killing Mark for his own selfish need, not for Joss.

John slowly lowered the gun, and turned to face Joss with tears shimmering in his eyes. The gun hung loosely at his side as he stared into her tear-filled eyes. "I'm sorry he hurt you," John said hoarsely as he brought his other hand up to gently touch her bruised and swollen face, Joss carefully removed the gun from his other hand, and he didn't resist.

Joss tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace. "Nothing an ice-pack and some aspirin won't cure." She said and John chuckled lightly.

John looked over his shoulder at Mark Snow, beaten, broken, and defeated. "Let's clean this mess up," he said, and tapped his earwig as he turned back to Joss.

"Lionel, have you called the police in yet?" John began as they both turned to walk toward the door Mark had left open when he rushed in.

But as they turned to leave, Joss saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and turned just in time to see Snow pull his gun from behind him, pointing it at John. Joss didn't even think twice.

John spun around as he heard a shot ring through the room, and saw Joss standing in a side shot stance, arm straight, hand steady. Mark lay on the floor, his lifeless eyes open, and a pool of blood forming beneath his head where Joss had shot him right between the eyes.

Joss lowered the gun to her side, and then looked at John. "Now, it's over," she said, and handed him his gun back with a knowing look.

John stared into her dark brown eyes, and suddenly understood. "You knew he would do that, didn't you?" He asked, almost accusingly. Almost.

Joss looked down for a minute then brought her gaze up to meet John's. "No, but I thought he might. That's why I took the gun away from you. I told you, John. I didn't want you to become a killer again because of me."

John narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why you, and not me?"

Joss looked at John as seductively as she could with a busted up face, sidled up to him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Call it...a woman's prerogative."

"Hm," John said as he put his gun back behind his back, and then slid his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. "Are there any other...prerogatives you might have?" He asked as he kissed the side of her ear.

"Maybe one or two," she sighed blissfully.

"You know, you two are the only people I know that can get hot and bothered with a dead body in the room!" Lionel groused from the doorway of the room. "The police are rolling up, and Finch is here with Grace. Time to tell your story. You ready?" Lionel asked.

"Yeah, we're ready," John and Joss said together.

John and Joss chuckled and then separated; arms linked around each other they left Mark Snow's dead body for someone else to clean up.

They had a life to start living. Together.

The End

A/N: I want to say thank you to all the readers who followed me on this wonderful adventure. This was supposed to be a one-shot, but somehow grew into a life of its own. I'm sure when you guys asked for more you weren't expecting what it became...neither did I, but I'm thankful for the opportunity it gave me to learn and use my imagination in ways I've never done before. I want to give a Special Thanks to SWWoman and a Special Friend who encouraged me to begin writing fics in the first place, and then held my hand through this amazing journey, answering all my annoying questions, and shoring up my fragile confidence in my abilities. Last but not at all least, I'm thankful for the support and encouragement of my amazing husband without whom I wouldn't be able to do what I do. There will be an epilog in the near future to tie up lose ends, but for now, See you soon...