The next morning Harold awoke in a strange place to a stream of golden sunlight glaring in his face. For a moment he remained frozen but a few seconds of looking around the strange bedroom reminded him where he was; Harbor's apartment. It had been the mid afternoon when he'd shown up to see her and give her the book but clearly the sun had risen once again so he must have been there all night. Had his body been that desperate for sleep? Knowing himself Harold didn't have a hard time figuring out the answer to that.

As he put on his clothes, pleased they weren't overly creased – he found his bizarre absence hadn't caused a panic because he only had one text from Mister Reese informing him that he'd had to 'take care' of something before Reese met him at The Library.

He pulled Harbor's closet door opening suspecting there was a mirror on the inside and sure enough there was, however, he'd not seen a closet so packed since … well, ever really. Harold suspected one could get lost and never seen again if they didn't know their way around. Finch ignored it in favour of doing up his tie and straightening his waistcoat and pocket square. Once his shoes were securely back on his feet Harold took a breath and went in search of Harbor.

The second he left her bedroom the scent of fresh toast filled his nose and his stomach rumbled agreeably. When he glanced over to the small kitchen area he spotted the raven-haired escort with her back to him as she went about her morning. She must have heard him or maybe the door close because green-eyes flashed up to him brightly. Harbor sauntered over to the suit clad man to give him a kiss and a cup full of steaming tea.

"Morning." Harold couldn't resist snaking the hand not holding the cup around her waist. "I don't have any green tea so I hope Earl Grey is alright, it's the only tea I like."

He wasn't quite sure what was happening her, this strange domestic-ness but he knew deep down it was nothing but dangerous for Harbor. He sipped his tea, perfect.

"No, I don't mind and thank you."

"You're welcome." God she felt so good pressed against him. "Breakfast?"

Harold shook his head as much as his neck would allow before he took a larger sip of tea.

"Thank you but no, I have to go to work."

Harbor chuckled as she suspected 'go to work' didn't really cover the extent of what Harold did. Those green orbs continued to sparkle up at him. She still wore her pyjamas but he could see her hair had been brushed and loosely curled.

"Are you ever going to tell me what you really do?" Harold just flashed her a look. "Didn't think so."

She didn't try to force or coax answers out of him, just accepted his lack of an answer; it was why Harold felt he could relax around her. Harbor rose up onto her tip-toes and pressed her lips to his, it wasn't a deeply passionate kiss but it wasn't chaste either and Finch felt his arm tighten around her without his permission.

"Thank you for my book, Hank. I love it, I really do." Another kiss, softer this time. "I need to go get dressed and do my make up. If you want toast just help yourself."

With that the younger woman vanished off into her bedroom leaving Harold alone. He stood there in the space between her sofa and her bedroom door a time while he finished his tea then set the cup down in the sink and finished straightening his suit as best he could. After a breath he left the apartment calling out a 'goodbye, Harbor' just before the door shut behind him.

Finch limped down onto the street and breathed in the morning air a moment, people were already rushing around despite it still being early but Harold didn't mind the hubbub. He glanced up to Harbor's apartment then started his journey towards The Library; he had a spare stash of clothes there for him to change into before Mister Reese showed up and started to interrogate him.

He let himself into the old library and up the stairs into their headquarters in silence, clearly Reese hadn't arrived yet so Harold had plenty of time to change. However, as soon as he had pulled a pile of fresh folded clothes from a drawer he ground to a halt hearing a voice he knew well; a voice he'd heard purr his name.

"So this is your hidey-hole."

Finch's eyes went wide as he dropped his clothes down onto the desk that held his mass of screens. He stood there amazed without turning to face her. He always noticed when people tried to follow him, how had she? Because you didn't think she'd follow you, his mind told him unhelpfully, you weren't paying attention to her. Finally he turned to face the escort.

"Harbor-"

She sighed and cut him off. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm not supposed to be here. Sorry, I was just curious and I honestly didn't intend to follow you and by the time I realized I was it was sort of too late to give up." She came closer, her heels clacked on the floor. "I know I told you I wasn't going to try and figure you out but after the guy with the keycard I just had to know, I'm not asking for details I just want to... I don't even know. Are you CIA? NSA? Some other government acronym?"

Harold sighed as he looked at her, if this had happened a few months back he'd have assumed her a spy of some sort and cut her out completely, moved their HQ and killed off any alias she could have known about but … it wasn't months ago and he knew she was no spy. Harold sighed again.

"We're not government, Harbor, and I can't tell you what it is we do."

She'd suspected that and nodded. "I understand. Just answer one question and then I'll leave and never come back here. Never ask again if you don't want me to."

It took him a moment to force all his paranoia and worry down into a box and secure it but finally Finch managed it.

"And what would that be?"

"Do you help people?"

That question alone told him Harbor meant him, Reese nor their operation any harm. She didn't care what he did or how he did it just so long as he helped people. So he nodded when she came closer.

"Yes, we help people. It's basically our sole purpose."

Harbor seemed sated with that answer. "Okay then."

She slipped her arms around his neck and drew him into a kiss before those skilled hands of hers went up to mess up his hair.

"I love how fluffy your hair is."

Fluffy? Good God is that really how people saw it? That thought would come back to irk him later. It was nice to not have his paranoia burning away for once. He was quite surprised when he found his lips on Harbor's instead of him ushering her out of The Library. She looked delectable in her white cold shoulder top and little black skirt, her lips were a dark plum indicating she'd not be seeing a client that day as well.

Somehow Finch ended up with her on his desk as he plundered her mouth, her legs wrapped around his already crinkled and creased suit pants. Neither were exactly sure if it was him, her or both of them that tasted of Earl Grey but neither overly cared.

Bear barked then and Harold turned bodily to see Reese and Bear stood halfway down the hall just staring at them. Finch instantly backed up for propriety's sake while Harbor pushed her skirt back down to cover her thighs then hopped down from the desk. With a smile she approached Reese only for Bear to growl. 'Ontspan' Reese called which got Harbor's eyes to light up as she bent to address the dog.

"Ooh, Dutch! Af Liggen."

Bear quickly lay down only for Reese's eyebrows to shoot up to the point they almost vanished into his graying hair. She must have noticed the tall man's sudden distress because she straightened up and flashed Reese a smile. And wasn't this girl way out of Finch's league.

"Sorry, I taught myself Dutch among others."

It was Harold's turn to raise an eyebrow, he'd already known she'd learnt French, German and Russian with a lot of help from her photographic memory but he'd not realized Dutch was in there too. There can't be any more … can there?

Reese mentally shook himself then stuck his hand out for Harbor to shake. "I'm John Reese, this is Bear."

"Hi, I'm Harbor." Green-eyes noticed the looks Hank and Reese shot one another. "And I was just on my way out. Bye, Bear." She tickled the animal's ears then peered over her shoulder to Harold who – quite frankly – looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Bye, Hank."

Once she was gone Harold found himself pounced upon by John, the very second Harold had sat in his chair Reese was there by his side with that questioning face of his.

"How the hell did she find this place, Finch? We don't just bring our girlfriends over whenever we feel like it."

Harold sighed. "She is not my girlfriend, Mister Reese, and Harbor is of no threat. I have been through her history and there isn't a single discrepancy, she is who she claims to be. Yes, she's a little odd but then again so are you and I."

"Doesn't mean you can go letting her in here, Finch."

Harold fully understood John's concern, roles reversed he'd have been worried as well.

"It was a mistake to let her follow me here, I know that, but I … trust her."

Well, that surprised him. Harold never trusted anyone, he made it a rule. In fact the only person he'd trusted since Nathan had died was Reese but Harbor? Trusting her had crept up on him, he'd had no idea until that very moment.

John's concern softened when he saw how serious his friend was. He still wasn't overly pleased but he'd pretend to be for the time being; wasn't like Reese couldn't deal with Harbor if he needed to. With a sigh he sat down and put his feet up on the desk near Harold's keyboard – something he knew deeply annoyed his boss – and tickled Bear's head.

"So, Harbor is a pretty girl." He began knowing Finch didn't want to talk about her.

"Indeed she is." Came his curt response.

"Way out of your league. On a scale from one to ten that girl is a fifty."

Finch turned bodily to face him and growled out far more viciously than he'd intended to. "So why does she seem to like me, is that it, Mister Reese?"

John shook his head, he wasn't upset by the bespectacled man's accidental outburst, not in the slightest.

"No, Finch. I wasn't being negative just … well done. That girl's probably out of most men's league."

The two men and Bear settled back into work after that, Harold was a private person after all. Although, Reese knew he'd be keeping an eye on that girl from now on, watching her like a hawk.

~X~

John Reese wasn't a man who got much down time and even when he and Finch did end up on a day with no Number he still ended up working. That was why Reese stood out on a rooftop with the hectic street below sipping his coffee and watching Harbor through her apartment window. A few days ago he'd found her in The Library, and while Harold seemed convinced she posed them no threat Reese wanted to make sure. He'd not been able to see her probably for a while but he knew she was moving around behind the frosted window in her bathroom. He'd never put much stock in the stereotype that all women took forever in the bathroom but this girl had made him re-think that.

When she vanished completely Reese set down his coffee cup and searched the windows and then the street through his monocular until he spotted her exiting the building. She was fairly easy to spot in her bold blue dress with it's white turn down collar and sleeves.

This hooker was far beyond Finch's league but maybe the guy had some secret game Reese didn't know about … and didn't want to know about. She was young, stunning and surviving on her own which was usually a dangerous combination as far as Reese's life experiences had taught him; they were either gold diggers or highly intelligent and capable of getting their own way. If Miss Caldwell was a gold digger then she would hurt Finch when she got enough money, which John wouldn't allow. If she was highly intelligent – which he suspected she was – then she could be anything from a spy to the sweet young girl Harold thought she was.

He made quick work of getting down to the street and following her at as safe distance. Harbor didn't do anything all that interesting or noteworthy though, just a couple of errands. One of which was so boring he nearly gave up. He was still on her trail when she passed the carousel in the park after she'd gotten coffee, either this girl was on to him or Harold had been right about her.

Eventually he tracked her to the Park Lane Hotel where she disappeared inside for a good hour. John waited though, he was good at waiting, just stood there with more coffee and waited. He knew exactly what an escort would be doing in a hotel at – he glanced to his watch – twelve-forty on a Wednesday; didn't need eyes on the inside for that.

Reese was jolted out of his inner thoughts when Finch's voice sounded in his ear.

"Mister Reese, we have a new Number. If you'd be so kind as to return to The Library."

"Is it urgent?" Asked Reese in that deep baritone that was practically a trademark. "Maybe Shaw could deal with it."

"You sound as though our work has started to bore you, Mister Reese. It's not like you. Might I remind you people's lives are at stake."

Finch was right, he couldn't go letting following a prostitute get in the way of saving people, if he did that then Harbor would be a threat to them.

John raked a hand over his face. "Sorry, Finch, I was running an errand."

"Hmm." Reese could hear Finch typing at his desk and if he wasn't mistaken Bear was snoring quietly in the background. "Well, unfortunately it will have to be postponed until Miss Goldman is safe … or prevented from doing something depending on if she's our victim or perpetrator."

"Alright, I'm on my way."

John downed the last of his more or less cold coffee then tossed the cup in the trash and started towards The Library, but not before he'd flashed a glare at the hotel's main entrance. The Man in the Suit knew where she'd gone and her morning hadn't been all that amazing or eventful, besides he could track her down later. John had given real thought to sticking a tracker on her but the girl was an escort so she changed her clothes semi-constantly and would have noticed pretty fast. Shame, would have made my life far easier.

~X~

A few days had gone by with John Reese following Harbor everywhere she went and, other than spending an astounding amount of time going through different second-hand book stores, he'd not found anything strange or suspicious about Harbor Caldwell. Reese had actually started to wonder if Harold was right and this girl wasn't a threat. Reese had started to get a little paranoid as well, he'd gotten so used to there being a threat around every corner that maybe he'd started seeing them were none existed. He could accept he'd been wrong about the hooker, she wasn't a threat to his and Finch's operation, she wasn't dangerous.

As a sort of mental peace-offering to Harold for following the guy 'she's not my' girlfriend around Reese arrived at The Library with a box of donuts, coffee and Harold's favourite tea, all of which he set down on Finch's desk beside his boss only to spot the tension in Harold's shoulders. Bear had jumped up from his bed to greet his friend but the dog went unnoticed in that moment.

John paused to look his friend over, Finch didn't seem to have even noticed him, just continued to stare at his computer screens with his fingers unmoving atop the keys. Had he not been able to see Finch's chest as it rose and fell Reese would have assumed him dead and posed. He said nothing, just softly rested a hand on Harold's left shoulder which had the man jolting. At the back of his mind there was a little voice that cursed Reese because that jolt must have hurt Harold's neck; even if the bespectacled man did have a ridiculously high pain threshold there was no reason for Reese to make it worse.

"You okay there, Finch?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Reese let the silence linger on knowing these pauses were often a part of conversation with the older man; he even got a few gulps of coffee in.

"No, Mister Reece, I don't believe I am." Harold finally began. "Mister Tao's name has occurred twice now on our list but I'd not expected someone else we knew to appear. I'd hoped-" Finch trails off into a sigh.

"Who, Finch?" Was all Harold got in response.

Reese rounded the table while still sipping at his coffee and looked at the set of screens. He sighed much as Harold had not a minute earlier. They both really should have seen this coming. There on Harold's monitors was a photograph of Harbor Caldwell and Reese's heart dropped for his friend. The man had just started some semblance of moving on from Grace and now here was the girl who'd sparked it on their list of Numbers.

"Don't worry, Finch, we'll protect her." The taller man promised solemnly.

Harold peered up at him then with a slightly furrowed brow to give Reese that look he did when he'd not quiet expected something.

"You don't believe her to be the perpetrator?"

Reese shook his head, if this had happened last week the answer would have likely been different but it wasn't last week.

"No, Finch, I don't."

Knowing Mister Reese was firmly on side Harold quickly set back to work, he pulled his tea a little closer and started to type.

"I'll track her phone. Find out where she is."

For a moment John felt the need to point out that Harold could have just called the hooker and ask but Finch was already engrossed and frankly tracking her was likely faster. Sure enough before Reese had even swallowed his next sip of coffee Harold had was supplying him with an address.

"She's on Madison Avenue. Lotte Palace."

A hotel, why weren't either of them surprised?

"Ooh, fancy. She's done very well for herself since we shut down Fowler's little escort ring."

Finch let out that little disgruntled hum of his. "Harbor is remarkably good at her job." Very quickly the elder man realized just how that had sounded and looked up at Mister Reese bodily. "No, I mean … I didn't-"

Reese took pity on him. "It's okay, Harold. Never thought you'd pay for her."

Despite having shown he understood Finch still went red all down his cheeks and neck but quickly turned his attention back to keeping Harbor safe.

John downed the rest of his coffee ignoring how it burnt his throat and tossed the cup at the trash, it missed and rattled onto the floor only for Bear to rush after it like a toy.

"I'll go find your girl." He said gruffly. "Keep an eye out and follow her."

Harold nodded as best he could. "I shall remain here and track her phone, start looking into her history as well for anything she could have done to get The Machine to give us her Number. She probably knows the wrong businessman but we can't rule out her past." He cleared his throat. "I will need you to Bluejack her phone for me so I can search through her contacts."

Reese raised an eyebrow clearly surprised that Harold hadn't already done that when they'd first met.

"Giving people privacy now, are you, Finch?"

"I Bluejacked her phone quite some time ago but when it didn't show anything I needed to be aware of I terminated my connection. I was trying to respect my friend's privacy as I try to do with you."

John chuckled, try was the best Harold ever managed, something always got him back into your phone or security cameras.

The taller man went off to Madison Avenue in search of Harbor while Harold did … whatever it was Harold did, however, both suspected it would be her Client List that provided the most interesting data.

Meanwhile Harbor had just finished up with a client and had made her way out of the hotel onto the busy street. She hated the short, pink dress she wore even if the tulle lace was beautiful, still, her client always insisted she wore pink as it fed into his Daddy Kink; didn't matter she hated pink. Frankly she wanted a shower more than anything else, she'd not been disgusted by her client, no, just that she always felt stick and clammy after a meeting.

She took a taxi back to her apartment and got into the elevator quickly, her shower was calling to her. When the elevator dinged she clicked her heels down the long hall towards her apartment while rummaging for her keys in her white clutch bag. However, when she got to her apartment the door was wide open and she came face-to-face with a man in a ski mask. Harbor saw him and he saw her. There was a split second that lingered between them, both amazed to see one another, a gun in his hand, and then Harbor was gone back down the hall as gunshots rang out behind her. Later she'd be impressed at how quickly she could run in four-inch heels.

Harbor slammed her hand down on the elevator button and waited a few seconds as panic grew before she realized this was stupid and launched towards the stairs. She pushed the door open only to find a tall man in a suit in her path. He grabbed her by the wrist and tried to tug her down the stairs but she wouldn't let him, yanked her arm free and was just about to duck under his arm to the stairs when he spoke and she finally looked at him. Reese!

"Wanna party?"

Harbor didn't speak, just nodded at the taller man's stupid attempt at teasing her and let Reese grab her by the wrist again. This girl trusted Harold Finch so if he'd sent Reese she'd happily go with him. Harbor peered down at the gun in his hand and felt a wave of safety wash over her; Hank would keep her safe.

Fortunately Harbor only lived on the third floor so it wasn't too much of a run down to the ground floor and back out onto the street. Noticing the pink Reese quickly stripped off his suit jacket and slung it around her shoulders so they could easily slip into the crowd of people. He slipped his weapon into the jacket pocket as they walked and took out is phone so he could forcibly pair it to Harbor's own; the whole time he found himself rather impressed about how agile she was in her shoes. In his ear he registered Harold muttering about being into her phone but Reese ignored him in favor of checking on the prostitute.

"How are you doing? I heard gunshots." There was genuine concern in his voice which sparked worry in Harold but Reese assured the man that Harbor was fine after he'd looked her over.

Harbor grabbed him by the hand and gave it a squeeze as they walked, she wasn't trembling but he sensed she needed the contact. John couldn't help but notice an elderly, set in her ways looking woman as they passed her and the 'she's too young for you' expression on her face. It took him a moment to clock it all, Harbor's pink dress, the way she was draped in his suit jacket and holding his hand; it did sort of look like an older man and his trophy girlfriend out for a walk. That was fine with Reese, if people thought that they'd not be thinking someone had just tried to kill her and he was armed.

"Thank you, Mister Reese. I don't know what is happening or why but thank you."

"How do you know I'm here to help?" He smiled back as they continued down Madison Avenue towards the safehouse.

"I asked Harold if he helped people and I believed him when he said yes. So, if you're here, his best friend is here, then you are going to protect me."

Reese just brushed off her 'best friend' comment as they walked. He didn't have any other friends and Harold certainly hadn't since Nathan had died so maybe they were best friends; John could think about that later after Harold's girl was nestled away at the safehouse.