Disclaimer: Credit to Jonathan Nolan, Greg Plageman, and the POI writing team for these lovely characters (though Elena is mine). Any bolded sections come straight from the episodes.
THE DETECTIVE AND MRS. RILEY
Nicknames
Timeline
• Queensbridge Park
• Elena Cassidy's Home for Retired Assassins (ch 3)
• Fusco Meets the Rileys (ch 4)
• Little Mistress Normal (ch 5)
• Drinks (ch 10)
• Detective Darkness and Little Miss Sunshine (ch 12)
• Bear's Collection (ch 2)
• Home Safe Home (ch 9)
• Hell in the Hamptons (ch 13-16)
• Risque Business (ch 20)
• Detective Cassidy (ch 21)
• Bets on Broadway (ch 11)
• Toast (ch 19)
• NICKNAMES
• Swingers Cruise (ch 6)
• Knockout (ch 8)
• Ellie with the Pink Hair (ch 18)
• Queen E (ch 1)
• Toxic (ch 17)
• Get to the Chopper! (ch 7)
• Queensbridge Park epilogue
Episode inspo:
REESE: You know, it's funny. Best parts of your life, you don't need a name. You get to be 'Dad', 'sweetheart', 'pal'. Seems like the only time you need a name now is when you're in trouble.
— Pilot (s1e01)
John Reese has had several names over his several lives.
Fusco calls him 'Wonderboy', but he comes up with a new nickname every other week. Mr. Congeniality. Mr. Fabulous. Mr. Tall, Dark and Fearsome. Tall, Dark and Deranged. The Urban Legend. Detective Sunshine. The Coiffed Columbo.
Shaw calls him Reese, just like he calls her Shaw. Simple, straightforward, no fuss.
Zoe had called him 'dear' when they'd played husband and wife in the suburbs. Stanton had called him 'lover' when she'd come back from the dead and kidnapped him.
Elena usually calls him 'John'. Just one syllable, though it's amazing how many ways she can say his name. Teasingly. In warning. In exasperation. To calm him. With passion.
Elena uses 'honey' in front of others, when she's making it clear that he is taken. And he does the same for her.
When they're undercover, Elena calls him 'babe'.
"Strut, babe," Elena instructs as they walk past their latest Number.
The slight hitch in Reese's even stride is the only indication he hears her direction.
"All that man does is strut," Shaw points out in both their ears.
"I know," Elena sighs appreciatively.
"Ugh. Can you go strut over to that 7-Eleven and get me a refill instead of mooning over that tall, skinny ass?"
In private, Elena calls him 'Johnny Bunny', or 'Bun' for short. Partly just to see him blush whenever she uses it. Partly because there's nothing farther from a bunny than John Reese when he's on a Mission. But mostly because when he wakes up in the morning, his ungelled hair is as fluffy as a bunny's tail. The nickname earns her a glare every time. But she knows he secretly likes it.
She also calls him 'sweet cheeks' when she's being particularly impish.
"That one doesn't work, Cassidy," Shaw objects, the first time she'd heard the nickname. "This one's got cheeks that could cut glass."
Reese tries not to look too smug. He fails.
"Oh, I wasn't talking about *those* cheeks, Sameen."
And the cheeks Shaw can see turn bright red.
"El," he mutters in a scandalized tone.
Shaw gives him a critical once-over. "Hey, Reese, lift up your jacket?"
"Why?" he grits out.
"I wanna see if Pixie's telling the truth."
When he doesn't move, Elena reaches over and lifts it up for him. And since he's busy keeping their Number in his crosshairs, he can't move to stop her.
"Meh. I've seen better."
"Oh, yeah? Who?"
"Brad Pitt in Troy. Christian Bale in American Psycho."
"Can we please stop ogling my ..."
"Assets?" Elena suggests.
"El."
"Well, I haven't seen better, Bun," she consoles him, letting go of the hem of his jacket, but not without a last, lasting caress.
"El!"
Elena has more than her fair share of nicknames. It seems everyone has their own way of referring to her. Ellie. Lenie. Lane. Elliegirl. Cassidy. Pixie. Little Miss Normal. Little Miss Sunshine.
El.
One syllable. The simplest, shortest version of her name.
It's amazing how many ways John can say her name. Teasingly. In warning. In exasperation. To calm her. With passion.
She's 'sweetheart' when they're undercover, but never in earnest. Jessica had been 'sweetheart', as had Iris, briefly, and it doesn't feel right to Reese to call Elena that too. So in particular, tender moments, she's 'angel'. Even though she acts more like the devil sometimes, tempting and teasing him at the most inopportune moments. Maybe because of that.
She's never had Lionel's talent for making up nicknames on the fly. Sometimes she calls Sameen 'Sam' when she thinks it won't get her shot. She gets away with calling John 'Bun' and 'sweet cheeks' because she knows she's the one person in the world he won't shoot.
But nicknames come easily for her last roommate.
Bear. Beary. Care Bear. Teddy Bear. Pooh Bear. Honey Bear. Holly Beary. Bearby.
And Bear adores each of the names she gives him, almost as much as he adores Pretty Lady.
"Come on," Reese says to Bear. Bear barks. "Yes, we're taking Pretty Lady with us."
Elena lets out a laugh. "What did you call me?"
"Pretty Lady. It's what Bear calls you." Reese smiles. "He's a very good judge."
She rolls her eyes. "All right, John, you don't need to use Bear to flirt with me."
"You're already married, you don't need to flirt at all," Shaw grouses.
"Don't be jealous, Shaw. Elena flirts with you all the time." And if it had been anyone else, they would have been described as pouting. "And I'm not using Bear."
"All right, then what does Bear call Sameen?" Elena challenges.
"Hammer Lady," Reese replies calmly, without missing a beat.
"And what does he call you?"
"Tall Man," Reese answers nonchalantly. "Can we go?"
Elena and Shaw exchange a look, now not sure if Reese is being serious or teasing them.
"Nah," Shaw says decidedly. "He dunno what Bear thinks."
"I suppose ..." Elena says uncertainly.
Reese winks at Bear as they hold the doors open for the ladies and pile into the car to go save their next Number.