AN: This was supposed to be posted yesterday but I ran out of time :( Although I do still plan on posting Friday.

-UNSECURE LOCATION- LYRIC DINER

DATE: 7/26/2013

TIME: 9:01:27

Joss climbed out of her car, dreading this. It had taken her three days to work up the nerve to call John for this meeting over coffee. Sure she could shirk out and meet with Finch or Shaw, but that's the coward's way. And if she wanted to try to make things work with Cal and have a future with him then this was necessary.

She opened the door to Lyric Diner and found John waiting for her. Joss pasted on a smile. "Hey, thanks for meeting me," she greeted, before sliding in the seat across from him. John nodded with a gentle smile. This wasn't going to be a very easy conversation so she avoided it for now. "I haven't heard from you lately. Is everything okay?"

Now she was worried because John looked worried. "Remember Decima?" he asked.

"The bastards that strapped you with a bomb vest to upload a virus into the machine that nearly cost Cal his life, yea I remember them," Joss sneered quietly so to keep the conversation between them. Those bastards were next on her list to arrest. Not only had they almost killed John but they were to blame for why her friends almost received Cal's number too late.

"Well, they got their hands on something they shouldn't, and we need to stop them before things get worse," he murmured. That didn't sound good. How could she talk to John about her problem when things were bad for them? But if she didn't then was she really putting everything she had into her relationship with Cal? "You're upset, what's wrong Carter?" The fact that he could easily read her worry told her all she needed. She wasn't hiding it well and it was only going to get worse until she talked to him about why they were here. "If it's about what I just told you, don't worry. I won't let them do what they want."

She felt a presence, glanced up and smiled in thanks for the coffee that the regular waitress who they saw often had placed in front of her. Joss waited patiently for the woman to walk away before speaking, "I am upset but not about that, or rather that wasn't why I called to see you."

"Is this about my not calling back? I couldn't."

Joss waved off that. John returned the call as soon as he could and reassured her that everything was alright. Seemed that had been premature. And honestly since then all she could think about was making her relationship with Cal work.

"It's not that, John," she admitted and finally managed to look him in the eyes. This was so damn hard but necessary. "I need to ask you for some time off from helping with the numbers." Joss didn't see a change in his expression; it was still the same unreadable mask. So she continued, "Cal is in love with me. He's open and honest, and I'm not. I feel guilty having to lie to him about what I'm doing when I helping you guys. I know I can't tell him about you, Shaw or Finch, and you know that." she murmured, as her eyes drifted to the camera in the corner of the diner. "But that's why I need to take a step back from helping out. I need to try to put our relationship first and see if we have a future together. I won't string Cal on if I don't feel the same but I need to put the effort in and give it a shot."

Joss searched his gaze and still couldn't find a morsel of emotion on his face. "Okay, Carter, we'll sit you out until you want to come back."

That was easy, too easy. "I'll admit I was worried about asking," she acknowledged, looking for some direction from him but he offered none.

"Why?—you're not required to help us, Carter. This isn't your purpose."

Something was wrong. She could feel it in her bones. It felt like he was slipping through her fingers but that was stupid. All she asked for was time off from working the numbers, not their friendship. "I'm not sure," she murmured. "I guess I thought you'd be upset."

He smiled then, but it looked different than usual and she couldn't pinpoint why. "I'll be fine, Carter," he reassured.

That didn't relax her, not in the slightest.

-SECURE LOCATION- DETECTIVE CARTER'S HOME

DATE: 7/31/2013

TIME 2:05:55

Cal knew she was holding back. He held Joss to his side, running his hand up and down her bare arm. He knew she was mortified. Tonight, they made love and Joss failed to climax. She apologized and looked so torn up about it. If anyone should be apologizing it should be him. He failed her. It was up to him to make sure she was enjoying herself too, not just him. But there was no reasoning with her.

He noticed that recently they were seeing each other more often. Cal thought it would help. When they first started this relationship, they took their time going to bed together. This wasn't some affair he wanted with her. Their first date had him hooked. She was beautiful, intelligent, and so damn funny. Their relationship evolved and got deeper but for a while now it felt like Joss was drifting away from him, and he had no clue how to stop it. It was why he decided to tell her that he was in love with her. He wanted her to know that he was committed to making their relationship work. Cal knew she had some issues from her past relationship with Paul. She liked to do things on her own but he was hoping to prove to her that he could be someone she trusted.

Joss pushed out of his arms and slid from bed. Her eyes were averted and he watched as she disappeared into the bathroom, still very much naked. Cal got up after a minute, stopping to pull his boxers on, and headed for the bathroom. When he entered he found her crying, just as expected.

"Don't cry, Joss," Cal said reassuringly. She scoffed as she rubbed at her tears. "It's my fault."

"It is not," her words came out raggedly. "It's me. It's been me for a while now."

Cal decided to try a different tactic. "Joss, honey, it's only natural to go through this. Your first relationship ended in divorce and you don't want to go through heartache again. It's up to me to make you realize that we won't. We'll fight but we'll always make up. You just got to talk to me, okay." Cal turned Joss and cupped her cheeks. He met her wet eyes, and rubbed her tears away with his thumbs. "I'm in this for the long haul."

She smiled but he could see it didn't reach her eyes. Cal realized then that she might not be. They might be in two different places. He was in love and she didn't feel the same and might not ever. That was always a possibility in any relationship. You can't make someone love you, but it made him pull her close and hold onto her because possibly in the future he might not be able to.

"We'll make this work, Joss." he whispered, trying to believe it himself.

-SECURE LOCATION- SAFE HOUSE

DATE: 8/02/2013

TIME: 21:47:20

Zoe had a few personal rules for the men she chose to bed. She had three, really. First, they had to understand to not get attached because she wasn't looking for a boyfriend or husband, and if they did then it was not her problem. Then she'd call them when she wanted to enjoy their company, not the other way around. Lastly, when the passion ran its course, it was then they parted ways other than if they had a situation they needed fixing.

With John, she broke two of her cardinal rules. She had gotten attached and she often times called him for a night that tended to go unanswered. Worse, she felt jealous of Joss Carter, who seemed to have captured John's interest and affection. Usually only having a man's body was all she needed but she found herself envious of Joss Carter. It was clear, back when she first met the detective, that she was who John wanted but Zoe was who he settled on.

Zoe looked at John, who was standing perusing a paper. John never seemed aware of his affections for the detective but as of late she wondered if he wasn't so oblivious. Recently, he seemed even more distant than usual.

She gazed into the mirror and fixed her hair. "What are your plans for the rest of the evening?" he asked distractedly, and she looked at him from the reflection of the mirror.

"I can rearrange my night for you if you have other plans for us tonight." she suggested coyly. He looked up from at the paper. Before he could decline, she turned to face him. "Still not over your crush on the detective, are you?"

"I don't have a crush on Fusco."

Zoe smiled in response. "Cute, John, but Joss is in a relationship with a man that isn't like us. We suck at letting people in. But Detective Carter isn't. She's honest, open, and met someone who is just as open and honest. Holding out hope that your friendship could be something else is nothing more than a fool's errand."

John didn't bat an eye. "You don't know me half as much as you think you do."

"I think I know you better than you know yourself."

A faint smile made it on his face. "And I think I know you pretty well myself, Zoe." he leaned in closer, close enough that their lips were inches apart, and her eyes drifted down to them knowing just how they felt against her skin. "You don't wear jealousy well."

Zoe rested her hands on his chest. "Can't seem to help myself, John," her eyes lifted to his. "I'm all about myself, and you're an extremely generous lover."

He eased back which was entirely expected but still disappointing. "Thank you for your help on this case, Zoe." John spoke as he went back to looking at the paper in his hand.

She sighed. John was firmly rooted in his denial. It was okay. John was an intelligent man and would come to his senses soon about Joss. She could wait to experience his raw passion. But until then she'd just have to make do.

"Always," she drawled, earning his gaze. "Call me whenever you need me…for anything." she said with a sinful smile and then headed for the door.

AN: Honestly, I thought this chapter was going to be harder for me to write with all the Cal and the Zoe and not Carter/Reese stuff but it wasn't. Thank you for reading!