Shaw lay sprawled across the sofa, her head nestled in the comfort of Root's lap. Root ran her hands through Shaw's hair, idly stroking it in the same way she did with Bear when he wanted attention. Shaw enjoyed the peaceful moment and soon she found her thoughts wandering as she reflected on her recovery over the past few weeks.
Since almost killing Root that night, Shaw had begun to gradually recover. She'd found the first couple of nights particularly difficult as she had been too afraid to sleep for fear of hurting Root in the night again, but she'd also been too tired to do any of the things Root had wanted to do.
In the end, Shaw had found herself doing everything she could to delay going to bed each night, though she was eventually convinced to at least try to sleep by Root who was persistent in insisting that it was the only way she would begin to recover.
As much as Shaw hated to admit that Root was right, she was grateful for the support. She knew she could be a difficult person at times, especially when she was tired and frustrated, so Shaw wouldn't have blamed Root for getting annoyed at her. But Root had been nothing but patient with her, and it had made Shaw realise just how much she cared and understood.
Despite all of the support, Shaw still hadn't fully recovered, and if she was being honest she doubted she ever would. Thankfully she hadn't hurt Root again since the strangling incident, but she'd still had her fair share of difficult nights. Root had been there for her every time. Sometimes Root would talk to her, hold her, or even just lie with her in silence. She'd given Shaw whatever it was she'd needed at the time, and Shaw had to admit she'd grown to quite like Root's attentive care.
The numbers hadn't stopped coming, but they'd all been quite straightforward. Normally, Shaw would've been bored with the simplicity of the problems the Machine had sent them to deal with, but for once she found herself appreciating the slower pace. It had given her more time alone with Root, a luxury they'd struggled to afford back when Samaritan had been hunting them. A break had been long overdue, in any case.
Strangely, Samaritan hadn't resurfaced since the incident with Finch and Grace. At first, Shaw had been suspicious that they were planning something big, but as more time passed without any sign of Samaritan's agents, she'd began to wonder if maybe they were gone for good.
When she'd mentioned that idea to Root, she hadn't been so convinced. Root seemed certain that something was coming and saw the silence as a worrying sign that Samaritan's agents had gotten even better at avoiding the Machine's detection. Shaw knew she was probably right, but she liked the idea that maybe it really was all over.
"You alright?" asked Root, noticing that Shaw had drifted off into her thoughts.
"I'm fine," replied Shaw with a smile, and for the first time in a long time, she actually meant it. Any hint of concern was wiped from Root's face as she realised how genuine Shaw's reply was.
"There's clearly something on your mind, though," added Root, gently caressing Shaw's cheek.
Root clearly wanted to know what Shaw had been thinking about, but Shaw knew that if she brought it up it would only lead to a conversation she didn't want to have right now, and would most certainly kill the mood.
"I was just thinking… we should go out tonight," replied Shaw, raising her eyebrows up at Root.
"Like on a date? I didn't realise that was your kind of thing, Sameen."
"Why not? I like food, I like alcohol, and I suppose you're not so bad either."
Root shook her head and smiled at Shaw's comment. "I guess that's the closest I'm ever going to get to you saying that you love me."
"Take me out tonight and maybe we'll see," said Shaw, a reply that surprised herself just as much, if not more, than it did Root.
It hadn't been that long ago that Shaw had believed she was incapable of feeling anything for anyone and yet somehow here she was, ready to admit that she cared for Root on the deepest level possible. In some ways it made no sense. She was a sociopath, it should be impossible for her to care for someone else this much.
But in others… in many ways it was the only thing that made any sense at all. Maybe she'd just spent so long repressing these feelings that it had taken her torture and Root's death to finally put it all into perspective for her. Shaw couldn't tell exactly what it was that had made her realise she loved Root, but now that she had, she'd never been more certain of anything else in her life.
Root took a moment before she replied. She'd probably also needed a second to fully process the implications of what Shaw had said. Her eyes seemed to shimmer with joy as she realised that Shaw was being serious and that she wasn't just teasing. Her smile widened as well, and Shaw noticed how she appeared even more beautiful when she was happy.
"I like this new side of you, Sameen," said Root at last. "It's nice not being the only one flirting in this relationship."
Shaw rolled her eyes at the tease, just as she knew Root had wanted her too. Shaw chuckled quietly to herself, realising how childish they must've looked, not that it really bothered her that much.
They continued to tease each other back and forth for some time, flirting in a way that would have made an outsider believe they couldn't stand each other. At some point Shaw must have dozed off, because she found herself being woken up by Root a few hours later.
Shaw groaned as she sat up, freeing Root who'd been trapped underneath her while she slept.
"I was tempted to just let you sleep," she said, stretching out her legs which must have been pretty cramped from being in the same position for so long.
"Why didn't you?" asked Shaw, still barely awake.
"Well, for starters, I didn't want you to have a go at me," said Root, standing up and stretching out her arms. "Plus," she added, "the Machine booked us in somewhere nice. It would be rude of us not to show up."
"Right…" said Shaw sarcastically. "So it's got nothing to do with what might happen afterwards then?"
"That might have something to do with it," replied Root with a grin.
Root left and went into the bedroom to get ready and change into what she described as 'something nicer' before they went out. Shaw supposed she should do the same but she chose to stay behind for a few minutes, not exactly ready to leave the comfort of the sofa just yet.
By the time Shaw entered the bedroom, Root had already changed. She'd replaced her top and trousers with a blue, close-fitting dress; nice enough that it had Shaw raising her eyebrows when she came into the room. Root gave her a satisfied smirk when she noticed her reaction.
Shaw opted for a simpler black dress, though from the way Root was looking at her she could tell she approved. Shaw couldn't quite reach the zip at the back of her dress so Root came over to help her.
"You look good, sweetie," observed Root as she pulled up the zip. "Well, you always look good, but I've got to admit I like seeing you in a dress."
"You don't look so bad yourself," commented Shaw, turning around to face Root.
Root smiled at Shaw for a moment, then her eyes suddenly widened.
"I almost forgot," she began to explain as she walked back over to the wardrobe whilst Shaw frowned at her. "I've got something for you."
"A gift?" asked Shaw. "I didn't know we were doing that kind of thing."
"It's not really a gift," said Root, rummaging around in the wardrobe. "It's more a replacement, really."
She pulled a long coat out from the wardrobe, almost identical to the one Shaw had been wearing on that day at the stock exchange.
"It's kind of my fault you lost the last one," said Root sheepishly, handing Shaw the coat.
"Firstly," said Shaw, accepting the coat from Root as she handed it to her, "that wasn't in any way your fault. It was my decision. Secondly… thanks."
Shaw knew that she probably wouldn't wear the coat that night but she felt, at least for Root's sake, that she should try it on. Shaw felt slightly awkward with the ritual of trying it on but she wanted to show Root her appreciation and this was the best way she could think of doing it. It was comfortable and fit quite well, but the coat itself wasn't anything special. What it represented though, now that was something special.
"When did you get this?" Shaw wondered out loud.
"It wasn't long after you were taken by Samaritan," answered Root, brushing her fingers down one of the sleeves. "I was still going through identities whilst I followed every lead I could find on where you might have been. I can't remember which one it was now," she added with a small laugh. "I saw it in a shop I was passing through and it reminded me of you. I thought I could give it you once I found you."
"How did you even know I was alive?" asked Shaw, curious.
"I didn't," admitted Root. "But at the time I couldn't let myself believe anything else. Everyone else had already given up. I couldn't do that."
Shaw could see that Root was doing her best to smile, but the pain of the memory must have been too bad as her lips trembled, barely twitching upwards. Shaw pulled Root into a tight embrace, unsure of how to properly comfort her. It seemed to work. Root held onto her, burying her face against her neck and shoulder.
Shaw didn't know what to say. Words couldn't possibly do justice to what she wanted to tell Root. Shaw thought that being tortured by Samaritan had been bad, and it was, but Root had tortured herself every day with guilt and grief, shouldering the blame for something that hadn't been her fault. Shaw just wanted her to know that she didn't need to feel guilty, but she knew that no matter what she said, it wouldn't take the guilt away.
So Shaw did the only thing she could. She held Root for as long as she needed, and was prepared to stay there all night if she had to. After everything that had happened, it was the least she could do. Shaw just hoped it was enough.
When Root did pull away, she immediately hid her face in an attempt to hide the fact that she'd been crying. Shaw had assumed that's what she'd been doing anyway, and even if she hadn't then the redness around Root's eyes would have given it away. She didn't mention anything though, realising that Root had obviously hidden it for a reason. Maybe that was a discussion for another time.
Although she was still rather keen to go out, Shaw did offer to stay in for another night if Root wasn't up to it. To her surprise, Root seemed eager to leave and was insistent that they still go out. When Shaw attempted to ask if she was sure, Root silenced her with a kiss, to which Shaw couldn't help but smile.
There was a thud, rather than a knock, at the door which interrupted them. Irritated, Shaw retrieved her gun, glaring in the direction of the other room.
"I swear to god if that's Fusco I'm gonna kill him," she said, approaching the door.
It was Fusco who'd arrived, but Shaw's initial anger was quickly replaced by concern as she saw the state he was in. Dried blood and bruises covered his face, and his breathing was laboured as if he'd run all the way there, which Shaw realised he probably had. His expression was a dangerous mix of pain and anger which meant Shaw knew without asking that something terrible had happened.
"They took my kid," explained Fusco, stumbling into the room.
"Who did?" demanded Shaw, instantly prepared to kill anyone involved.
"Who do you think?"
So Root had been right. Samaritan had been preparing for something, and worse still they'd managed to pull it off without the Machine noticing. But why take the kid and let Fusco go, thought Shaw. Unless, of course, they wanted something that he couldn't give them.
Fusco stood in the middle of the room, holding his head in his hands before turning angrily to Root.
"I thought you were meant to know about these things before they happened. Or is my kid not important enough?"
"I'm so sorry," said Root, placing a hand on Fusco's shoulder. "She didn't know. When we got good at working in the shadows, so did they. But we'll get your son back, Lionel."
Fusco's face softened a little at that reassurance.
"I didn't mean to snap," he said. "They want you. Any of you. I don't know what it is they want from you, but they're willing to trade."
Root glanced over at Shaw, and just from her face Shaw knew what she was about to say."
"They can have me."
"Like hell they can," said Shaw sharply. "I'm not losing you again."
"Normally, I'd be happy to go in guns blazing," said Root. "But we can't risk Fusco's son getting caught in the crossfire. One of us has to go."
"Then it should be me," said Shaw.
Root shook her head, a soft smile on her face. "They've already spent far too much time with you, Sameen. Besides, I'm the only one who can continue to communicate once they take me."
She gestured to the scar behind her ear, presenting it to Shaw as a way of making her point. Shaw let out a frustrated sigh. Once again Root was right. She hated it, but there weren't any other options. If they stood any chance of getting everyone back out alive, Root had to go. Reluctantly, Shaw agreed to the plan.
As they went to gather the weapons and other equipment they would need, Shaw pulled Root aside.
"Listen," she said quietly. "I don't know if we're both gonna get out of this. But I'm not risking losing you again without telling you exactly how I feel."
"Not now," said Root, stopping her before she could say any more. "I don't want you to tell me out of fear. I know this is going to work, and I trust you completely. When we both come back, which we will, I'll take you somewhere and you can tell me then."
Root cupped Shaw's cheek, her fingers lightly brushing against her skin. She then gave Shaw a brief, gentle kiss.
"I know this means more to you than it does to most people, so let's not waste it here." She ran her thumb along Shaw's cheek, giving her a reassuring smile. Shaw couldn't find the right words, so she nodded her head slowly to show Root that she understood.
Not wanting to waste anymore time, they finished getting ready as quickly as they could. The pair then headed back to the door where Fusco was waiting for them, the anger from earlier replaced with a fresh determination. Whatever happened next, they were certainly going to give Samaritan's agents a fight to remember.