A/N: Thank you SWWoman for your tireless effort to beta these stories. And a shout out to all guest reviewers that I'm not able to respond to, Thanks!

Tapestry

It was a cold rainy day as John Reese stood at the graveside of Jessica Arndt. She had been dead for over three years now, and the pain was as fresh as if it were yesterday. John stood quietly, and remembered their time in Mexico when she had hoped their weekend would never end. But it had. With the click of the remote, the scene on 9/11 had unfolded before them like some uncut horror film, and John had known his destiny was already written

A quiet beep echoed in John's ear, and he sighed then pushed the earwig to make the connection.

"Yeah, Finch?" John answered.

"John, I'm sorry to disturb you, but we have a new number," Finch sounded truly regretful.

"I'm on my way," John cut the connection, and with a soft touch to the cherub atop the headstone, "I'll be with you soon, I'm sure," he turned to slosh through the wet grass to his car, and once again leave her behind.

"Good morning, Finch," John said as he walked down the semi-dark corridor toward the bank of computers placed strategically on the old round table in the center of the large room. He carried a large black coffee and a Sencha green tea as well as a small box of pastries. Harold Finch, John's boss, sat in front of the array of screens, and tapped rhythmically on his keyboards while Bear, their Belgian Malinois "guard" dog lay in his doggie bed beside him, ever watchful. The protective canine was an exceptional companion for Harold, especially after he had been abducted by Root, a homicidal computer genius determined to find Harold's creation, the Machine, and Harold had developed a minor case of PTSD. In front of the table was a large plexi-glass board where a picture of a very beautiful African-American woman with large, dark, doe eyes was taped. Reese was finding it hard to pull his attention away from the alluring picture.

John set the coffee, tea, and pastries on the table, scratched Bear behind his ears, and then walked over to the board to get a closer look at the intriguing woman.

"Who is she?" John asked in his soft voice.

"Our new number, Jocelyn Carter," Finch said as he rose from his chair stiffly, and walked around the table to join John. "She is the CEO of Tapestry, Inc., a global health and wellness enterprise with over $4.9 billion in revenue last year. Her company just missed the threshold for the Fortune 500 listing." Finch murmured, clearly impressed with their new number. "She was a Warrant Officer then a Human Intelligence Gatherer in the Army between 2002 to 2004 when she left the service, and began her undergraduate studies at Fordham's Gabelli School of Business, graduating 8th in her class, and she is listed #27 on Fortune's 50 Most Powerful Women in Business."

"Beautiful and smart, a dangerous combination,' Reese said quietly. "Do we know of any possible threats?" he asked turning to look at Finch who had returned to his desk, and his comfortable chair.

"Maybe," Finch said tentatively.

"Maybe, Finch?" John asked. "What's the possible threat?" he asked curious about his friends' uncertainty. This was different.

Finch leaned back in his chair and looked at Reese. "Jocelyn Carter, it seems, struggles with depression and anxiety; her own brother had bipolar disorder. Ms. Carter went through a traumatic loss when her son was born breech. He died during childbirth, and she nearly did. As a result her marriage fell apart, and Ms. Carter spiraled out of control and began self-medicating instead of seeking help. She was a complete mess for about a year until family and friends intervened, and got her to a good therapist. Since then Ms. Carter has had her company searching for a non-synthetic alternative for the treatment of bipolar disorder, and anxiety/depression. It would seem she has found it in an innovative new product called Ambutol* that her company plans to introduce to the public in seventy-two hours."

The story in and of itself captivated John. Jocelyn Carter was indeed an intriguing and exceptional woman, but John failed to see how a vitamin would be the cause of a threat to her life.

"I don't get it, Finch. How can a supplement be the cause of a threat to Carter's life?" John asked truly puzzled.

"You don't understand, Mr. Reese. Ambutol is more than just a supplement. This natural alternative is being recognized by the Medical Community as a relevant and scientifically valid method for treating bipolar disorder and anxiety/depression. It has also been approved by the FDA*" Finch said pointedly.

John's eyebrows shot up when he heard what Finch said. "Finch, if that's true then every pharmaceutical company in business will either want her patent or want her dead! Their revenue's will go into the toilet! And…."

"And Tapestry's revenue's will go through the roof because you won't need a prescription. It will be on every shelf, in every store, all over the world." Finch finished for Reese.

"How am I supposed to protect her from so many possible threats?" John softly mused out loud. "I would have to get close to her, gain her trust, infiltrate her life in some way."

"Lucky for you," Finch interrupted Reese's thoughts, "I have already thought of that. Ms. Carter is also a board member of the *Smithsonian's New York branch of the National Museum of African American History and Culture and it just so happens that there is a private exhibit tomorrow night that Harold Wren has been invited to. Unfortunately I have a prior engagement, and I informed them that you, John Warren, would be arriving in my place." Finch smiled broadly.

John frowned darkly. "Don't tell me I have to wear a tux again. I hate those damn bow-ties!"

Finch chuckled softly, "You're in luck again, Mr. Reese. Cocktail attire is the order of the evening. A very nice tailored suit will do."

"Good," Reese breathed. "In the mean-time, I'll try to get eyes on her, shadow her, standard operating procedure," he grabbed his coffee, his camera bag, patted Bear on the head, and walked out of the Library without a backward glance.

It wasn't even 10 am and Jocelyn Carter's Monday was already on a bad roll. The financials she had requested on Friday still were not on her desk, and her very capable executive assistant, Tara, had somehow gotten her Monday schedule confused with her Tuesday schedule, so of course all hell was breaking loose, and she was the only cool head in her office.

Joss was able to get her assistant pointed in the right direction, and she was making the appropriate phone calls to make sure everyone was arriving for their scheduled appointments, and that Joss was still set to arrive for hers. It only took a few clicks on Joss's calendar to switch everything back where it belonged. Crisis averted.

After she went to the finance department, and demanded the reports from Shaw she had asked for last week, Shaw ripped into her people. They were more than happy to print what she needed, and send it to her by noon. By noon, however, she was having lunch with some potential distributors for their new product Ambutol which meant the reports would have to wait until she returned to the office that afternoon. It looked like she was going to have a late night.

Joss was with her CFO, Sameen Shaw or Shaw, at the lunch meeting, and things were beginning to drag out as they usually did with these things. She was about to get bored when something, or rather someone, caught her eye that suddenly made this lunch a lot more interesting. Over by the bar stood a tall, trim man in an expensive dark suit, with dark salt and pepper hair, and when he turned to look in her direction his eyes were a startling silver blue. He was a stunning, masculine specimen of a man, and he took her breath away.

Just then, his eyes caught hers, and she saw a sparkle of mischief in them as he smirked at her. She felt her face heat at getting caught staring at the man, but she'd be damned if she'd let him know he'd caught her flat footed. She lifted a delicate brow, and smirked right back, which made him tilt his head to the side as he regarded her intently through narrowed eyes.

Joss was beginning to squirm under that intense gaze, when she heard someone speak her name. She turned her head to see Shaw looking at her expectantly. She had obviously asked her a question, and Joss had been completely clueless. Damn. She really was off her game today. She had been caught twice unaware, and unprepared. Not like her at all.

"I'm sorry, Shaw, I was…distracted, what did you say?" Joss requested.

Shaw glanced in the direction Joss had been looking, and saw the tall, handsome man at the bar. With a smirk she whispered for Joss's ears only, "I should say you were. He's fine off his ass, which is fine too. Mmm, yummy." Then she said aloud, "I was saying that you would be ready to announce the product on Thursday morning, but distribution wouldn't start for a few months."

"Oh, yes, that's correct." Joss said, sitting straighter in her chair, falling into business mode immediately. She glanced over at the bar, but the man wasn't there anymore; too bad. "That's why we wanted to meet with you today in order for you to have an understanding of distribution on our end," she said with a professionalism honed over years of experience in business. The meeting continued with the men asking questions to which Joss and Shaw gave precise, knowledgeable answers. In turn Joss asked pointed and intelligent questions about their distribution practices, schedules, and transportation. The men left the meeting feeling very good about a future partnership with Tapestry, and very impressed with its CEO as well as its CFO.

With the meeting over, Joss and Shaw decided to get a drink at the bar before going back to the office. It was late afternoon so Joss didn't feet that bad about shirking work for an hour. Besides, she would probably, work late into the evening anyway.

"It's a shame that guy left before you could meet him," Shaw said sliding her eyes in Joss's direction.

Joss didn't bite. "I think our meeting went pretty good, don't you?" she said instead.

Shaw turned her chair to face Joss. "You never get "distracted" during business. That guy was off the charts hot, and you wanted him," Shaw said reading her colleague and friend like a book. Sameen Shaw was a small framed woman, and only 5'2", but you would be making a mistake if you underestimated her due to her stature. She had been in the Marines before she received her MBA in Finance. She had an axis 2 personality disorder, which is one reason Joss hired her beside her impeccable resume, but this didn't slow Shaw down. If anything it made her work harder. Joss admired that. She knew what it took to overcome a mental disability, and although Shaw could be a challenge sometimes, she was well worth it. Shaw was also good to have as a bodyguard because no one suspected she was lethal. She was proficient in Krav Maga, and could handle any firearm made by man. Yeah, Shaw was good to have around, plus, she was just a plain hoot.

Joss sighed, and turned her chair to face Shaw's. She was not going to let this go, so Joss might as well head it off at the front. "Yes, Shaw, he was hot, and I was attracted to him, but it's a moot point since he's not here anymore," Joss said patiently.

Shaw's eyes narrowed. "I'm a little surprised. You don't normally go for white guys," she said blunt as ever.

Joss laughed. "No, no, you're right. I don't." Then Joss became thoughtful. "There was something….I don't know, I can't put my finger on it," she tried to explain. "There was something in his eyes. He's…damaged, but looking for redemption," Joss said quietly.

Shaw tossed back the last of her "diesel" as she called it, and eyed her friend. "You got all that from a five second gaze across the room?" She said doubtfully.

Joss shrugged and finished her drink. What could she say? She saw what she saw. She had always been intuitive, able to feel what others were feeling, and it got in her way sometimes because she felt deeply.

"Come on," Shaw said as she slid from her stool. "We better get back before they send a search party for you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Joss turned to grab her purse from the bar, and saw movement from the corner of her eye. Glancing to her left she thought she saw a shadow blend with the shadows of the hall to the restrooms. She continued to look, but didn't see anything, and just shook her head. She must be seeing things. She slid off of the bar stool and joined Shaw at the front of the restaurant. Throughout the day, though, she would occasionally think about her tall dark stranger with the beautiful silver blue eyes.

John had watched Jocelyn Carter in her office from a tall building across from where her offices were located. Her office was spacious and well appointed, but not extravagant as executive offices go. He had watched her put out fires all morning, and go about her daily routine of phone calls, meetings, paperwork. She handled her position with grace, professionalism, and was open and approachable to the people under her employment. He could understand why her company did so well with someone like her at the helm.

When Carter and her CFO, Sameen Shaw, whom he wanted Finch to investigate, had left to go to their lunch meeting Reese had followed at a discrete distance, and then he had watched as they were seated at their table. As the meeting wore on he could tell that she had needed a distraction because she had obviously been bored out of her mind. So John had made his way over to the bar and had positioned himself just out of her line of sight, but where she would see him if she turned her head.

John wasn't a vain man, but he had been told on occasion that he was attractive, and had a certain way with women. He didn't know what he did or what he said to make this true, but it seemed even that made him more attractive. He had learned to use that to his advantage during his time in the CIA, and he had hoped it would work now. It would help him insert himself into Carter's life if she caught a glimpse of him before the exhibit tomorrow night.

The plan had worked. Sure enough, Carter had looked in his direction, and to his surprise, although he hadn't shown it, she had seemed stunned. He had watched covertly as she had looked him over from head to toe, and had to seriously fight feeling aroused at her heated expression. He had tried to maintain his professionalism, but found it difficult. He recalled that he had been told his eyes were one of his more intriguing attributes, so he had turned his head, caught her eyes, and had thought maybe he was the one who had been captured. Her dark eyes were large and deep enough to swim in. Then he had seen her raised brow and the return smirk on her face, and he had known this was not a woman to be trifled with. He had tilted his head slightly, and studied her. About that time someone at the table had caught her attention and the spell had been broken. It was time for him to move. He had found a table in the back of the restaurant, and had watched her until her meeting was over.

John had blended into the shadows as he always did, but he had almost been caught by the observant Jocelyn Carter. He had been watching Carter with her colleague at the bar from a far corner of the restaurant, but had wanted to get closer and maybe hear what they were saying. Unfortunately, he had moved too late because they were leaving as he slipped into the hall leading to the restrooms. He watched her as she followed the other woman out of the restaurant. She was a very beautiful and captivating woman, he had to be careful he didn't become distracted by this strange allure she had. It was odd, she was not normally the type of woman he would be attracted to, but he had to admit he was definitely attracted to her.

As he stepped outside the restaurant he saw the two women get into the back of a dark colored Lincoln and pull into traffic. He walked a little way down the street to his car, got in, pressed the ignition, and pulled into traffic to follow them. They were on their way back to the office, so once he saw them safely there he returned to the Library.

Finch was in his usual place in front of his computers when John arrived at the Library. John knelt down, and played with Bear for a few minutes, ruffling his fur, and scratching him behind his ears the way he liked. Bear ate up the attention.

"You spoil that dog, Mr. Reese," Finch said without looking up from his computer screens.

"I do?" Reese replied ironically. "Who's the one who bought him that dinosaur bone to chew on, huh?"

Finch's only response was a quirk of his lip.

"Find out anything new while I was gone?" Reese asked as he stood up, and looked over Finch's shoulder at what he had on his screen.

"Oliver Warnack? Who's Oliver Warnack?" Reese asked curiously.

Finch turned stiffly to look at Reese briefly before he pushed away from his table, and, with a picture in hand, walked over to the plexi-glass board as Reese followed. Finch taped the picture of a handsome man in his late forties with dark hair, an expensive suit, striking green eyes, and an air of authority and influence.

"Meet Oliver Warnack," Finch began. "He is the President of Complex, another health and wellness company in the league of Tapestry with gross revenue at 4.5 billion last year. He is a graduate of Harvard Business with a near genius IQ."

"Okay, what's his connection to Carter?" Reese asked.

"It would seem that Ms. Carter is not the only one on a quest for a non-synthetic product for the treatment of mental health." Finch murmured. "Mr. Warnack has also poured millions into research and development of a supplement that would be recognized by the medical community to treat mental health issues." Finch turned to look at Reese. "And Ms. Carter has found it."

Reese looked at the man's picture again, and took a deep breath. Mr. Warnack didn't look like a man who took being bested by anyone very well, but Reese had a feeling that being bested by a female would send Warnack spastic.

"Carter's company already leads his in revenue," Reese murmured softly. "If she developed the supplement he was wanting to market before he did…." He left his thought unsaid. He knew Finch would pick it up.

"Yes, Mr. Reese, a man like that could be driven to do most anything," Finch replied quietly.

"I'll do some reconnaissance on this guy while Carter's at work," Reese turned back to Finch as he remembered something. "Finch, I'd like you to look into Carter's CFO, Sameen Shaw for me."

"Any particular reason why?" Finch asked curiously.

"She just struck me as….capable, in many ways other than just finance," Reese tried to explain his intuition.

Finch had learned early on to trust Mr. Reese's instincts, so if he felt there was a reason to research someone's background Finch didn't question it, he had only asked out of curiosity.

"I'll look into it immediately," Finch replied.

"Thanks, Finch," John said as he turned to leave, and then stopped. "I probably won't be back at the Library tonight so I'll see you in the morning," Reese said quietly.

"Alright, Mr. Reese, see you in the morning," Finch returned as he limped back to his table, and comfortable chair.

"And Finch, don't work too late," Reese said with a faint smile as he turned and walked down the corridor.

*FDA - Food and Drug Administration

*There is NO supplement called Ambutol for depression. I made it up.

*There is NO New York branch of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture to my knowledge. However, there IS a location in Washington if you are interested in looking it up. It has some very interesting information. /visit-dc/guide-to-smithsonian-national-museum-african-american-history-culture

A/N: I know what you're going to say! "I can't believe she killed off Taylor!" For this particular narrative it was important. It magnified Joss's spiral into self-medicating for her depression. I do apologize for any hurt feelings. The next chapter will be posted soon so keep on the lookout! See you soon...