AN: The italics at the beginning is a flashback. I decided to give you guys snippets into Carter and Reese's night together which most likely will always be at the beginning of chapters if there are any. And it might be because I just wanted to add some more sexiness to this ;D


"Chocolate and sex, you're spoiling me for life Joss," John moaned as she fed him another piece of chocolate.

Joss giggled as she took a piece for herself. After round number three both of them were starving. She reluctantly left her bed with John in it to go find them some grub in her kitchen. She had gotten her robe on which seemed to irritate John as she covered her body, he stretched out on her bed looking like he belonged there. She had forced herself to leave before she climbed back on her bed and ravaged him. They needed food to recharge their batteries so to speak. She never ran down the stairs so quickly in her life. She didn't want to miss a single moment of their one night together, spending it even extra few seconds apart. The longest they were apart since this love fest began was when they each used the restroom separately.

Joss raided her pantry, finding her stash of candy and chocolate. She had a soft spot for chocolate covered caramel. She decided for John, she'd share it with him. She grabbed an armful and managed to grab two fresh wineglasses and the half-drank wine bottle from the living room.

When she entered her bedroom she found him standing up looking ready to come after her naked and unashamed. Not that he had anything to be ashamed of, John was one fine male specimen. Muscles toned his body, so did scars that she had been given tiny little stories of where he received them. Soft hair lining down beginning at his naval directing your gaze, as if you needed direction, to his manhood and his cock hung long, thick, and perfect. The moment her eyes caressed that particular part of his body it lifted and she nearly laughed if she hadn't been aroused by the fact that one look at her and he was hardening.

Chocolate and wine had taken a backseat for another blazing hot round of sex that hadn't even been on the bed. John had taken her where she stood, barely remembering to take the wine, the glasses, and their precious chocolate from her and rest them on the nightstand before he was taking her, robe parted and all. Now after they relaxed and climbed back in bed with her lounging against her pillows and John seated in the middle of the bed taking most of the space up, eating their chocolate and sipping wine.

She grinned coyly at his moaned statement. Someone had a sweet tooth. He had nearly devoured all her chocolate. "You have a bigger sweet tooth than me and my son put together," she teased.

He smiled as he shifted and settled beside her against her pillows. "I love chocolate," he said with a shrug as he set his wine glass down on her other nightstand closest to him.

"I can see that," she murmured as she eyed the waste of wrappers spread out on her bed. "It's like chocolate carnage."

He laughed. "Now you know my weakness: chocolate, well chocolate and strawberries," he admitted softly, ducking his head a little. Joss felt her pulse quicken whenever he gave her a small tidbit of himself and so shyly. Like talking about himself wasn't something he was used to doing. "And better yet chocolate covered strawberries."

She grinned as she leaned into him. "Chocolate covered strawberries are your kryptonite, huh? Too bad I don't have any strawberries in the house or I could see just how to render you powerless, so I can do as I please to you," she purred as she kissed him which he responded to.

Joss sighed in the back of her throat as each new kiss they shared was even more exhilarating than the one before it. She couldn't get enough of it, of him, and she was truly afraid John was her addiction. A craving she wouldn't ever be able to get enough of. She let her tongue slip past his lips and he made a soft growling noise in the back of his throat as their tongues met, tasting the chocolate and wine that settled on their tongues. She shivered as it mixed with John's own taste. He was a unique blend all his own, very male, delicious, and so intoxicating. She ran her hands down his chest pausing to flick his flat nipples with her fingers which puckered at the soft touch. His body responded to hers as quickly as hers responded to his. His arms wrapped around her as he pulled her closer onto his lap as he easily took control of her kiss. She let him. She was exactly where she wanted to be: in his arms, and her body pulled up against his.

John couldn't seem to get a grip on himself or this overwhelming need for her. He couldn't seem to stop tasting her mouth. It was sweet and rich, like the chocolate he so loved and desired. His cock stirred to life as he deepened the kiss and as she pressed close. He nearly groaned as he felt the wet heat of her center of desire against his thigh. John felt his cock harden painfully fast, knowing how ready and aroused she was. When would he get enough? When would this continual need for her dissipate? When would he not hunger after the touch of her smooth velvet skin, to kiss her lips, to slide his tongue across hers, to suck on her womanhood to earn those sexy throaty cries of his name?—or bury his throbbing dick deep inside her to enjoy her tight clasp, feel her scratch his back as he took her again, and feel the way she came around him drawing him over the edge right along with her?

He blocked out the questions. The answers would only serve to ruin the night for them because they would send him running from what he already knew; that tonight wasn't merely about sex. John broke the kiss to stare into her eyes, feeling different, but he focused on her as he rolled her under him, shoving the wrappers off the bed. He lifted her hips as she spread her legs, their eyes locked on each other's as he slid deep inside her, and he shook as it felt like coming home.


Joss arrived in Fort Lauderdale Florida at baggage claim in the airport, ready for her vacation. The flight from New York to Florida wasn't too long, but Maddie had been unusually cranky because of lack of sleep the night before, needing a nap but with the hoopla at the airport, that didn't work out, and she fidgeted for much of the flight. In her daughter's defense this was her first flight, so she was taking in the experience. Joss tried to distract her daughter with her favorite pink stuffed bunny that had blue eyes like her as she earned the ire from irritated passengers and flight attendants alike. Maddie was usually a very quiet little girl with a sweet disposition but during the flight she had been very loud with her displeasure and need for sleep that she was refusing herself. About the only thing that calmed Maddie down was when Joss begun to tell her, her favorite story of King John in search of his Queen Joss and Princess Madeline. She grew sleepy in her arms as she listened to the story about daddy coming for her and slaying dragons for his beloved daughter. All the passengers quietly rejoiced when Maddie fell asleep, her included.

Felicia was all too happy to push her out the door at the precinct yesterday when she gone there to complain at her friend about giving out her personal details to Finch. Felicia refused to be guilted, merely telling her to see herself to the door. Lionel promised to make her pay for coffees for an additional week while he worked their cases alone while she was gone and experiencing a real life, and that to repay him for all the paperwork was to have some fun for once. Having Maddie with her she knew she would, if only her son could have made it, then it would have been a complete family getaway. Maybe someday in the future when her boy was out of college the three of them could go on a mini vacation together. Her son loved to ski. Maybe when Maddie was older they could go to a ski lodge and hit the slopes.

But she trusted her partner to hold down the fort while she was gone. Lionel was a good friend and good partner. When Felicia had been promoted to Captain she had been ecstatic and slightly nervous; happy because her friend deserved the promotion, nervous because she didn't want a new partner. At first it took her a while to warm up and trust in Fusco but now she couldn't be happier.

When she got her luggage it was one hurdle of her beginning vacation that went smoothly. She had been quietly worried that the airport would misplace her luggage. That had happened to her more than a couple times in the past. Joss rolled her giant red floral suitcase that held all of her clothes, Maddie's, and several of Maddie's toys, behind her as she had the carryon bag slung on her shoulder along with her purse that housed her boarding pass and Passport. With her daughter's tiny hand firmly in hers she walked them to the exit. Maddie was slowly coming out of her funk with the little nap on the plane and was excitedly skipping beside her as she carried her stuffed pink bunny.

They exited the automatic doors of the airport, being blasted with warm air and humidity, and Joss looked around for her driver. Harold had said he was going to call ahead and get her a ride to where the Celebrity Silhouette Cruise ship was docked.

"Are you Joss Carter?"

Joss turned and saw a man about as tall as her, standing off to her left and answered; "Yes, and you are?"

"Your ride, I was hired by Harold Finch to give you a lift to the Celebrity Silhouette Cruise Ship."

"Oh, hello," Joss said happily. Maddie didn't care about introducing herself to the man since she was buzzing about going on the big boat and wanted to go like yesterday.

"I'm Leon, by the way, Leon Tao," he greeted with a smile. "You're awfully beautiful," he added, automatically giving her a once-over. Joss had chosen to wear short blue-denim shorts that were frayed on purpose and a white lace tank-top, coupled with white Nike flip-flops to board the ship. Joss had put on light makeup and tugged her relaxed and straightened hair into a ponytail with only her side-swept bangs free.

Joss chuckled softly, flattered by the words, as she followed the man who rolled her suitcase to the waiting silver Ford Focus for her. "Thank you, Leon."

"Are you seeing anyone?" he went on.

"No. But I'm not looking to see anyone either, I'm focused on raising my daughter," she said as gently as she could. Not that there was anything wrong with this man because there wasn't, she just wanted one guy and this man wasn't him.

"Too bad, because, seriously, you're hot."

Joss shook her head. She watched as he popped the trunk and struggled to lift her oversized suitcase into it. She had to resort to biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. She heard a distinct: 'what does she have in this thing, a dead body?' muttered under his breath as he grunted, barely lifting it off the ground.

"Need some help?" Joss offered gently, not wanting to wound the fragile male ego.

"No, no, I got it." he said between clenched teeth as the veins in his neck bulged as he strained to lift the suitcase while doing Lamaze breathing.

Maddie was unimpressed. "Mommy what's wrong with his neck?" her daughter asked not so quietly as she watched the man too.

"Nothing baby, the bag's too heavy for him." she muttered as she sighed. If she didn't help him she was going to miss her cruise.

Joss handed him her carryon bag which was slung on her shoulder and he exhaled in relief. "This one isn't too heavy. What did you do?—load the other one with rocks?"

She didn't pay the question any attention as she lifted the suitcase up and into the trunk in one fluid motion, still holding her daughter's hand. "There, now we can go," she said sweetly.

"She's a behemoth but a hot one," he muttered as he slung the carryon bag in the trunk beside the suitcase before slamming it shut and Joss giggled as she climbed into the backseat with her daughter. Maddie was still jazzed about finding their boat, uncaring about the little man who didn't have any muscles, as her mommy clipped the seatbelt over them both.

Leon climbed inside and drove them for not very long to where the cruise ship was docked. He filled in the silence with chitchat on how he met Harold and such. She didn't pay really much attention, just merely answering to be polite while rubbing her fingers over her daughter's braids with pink beads and watching the car approach a series of cruise ships.

Her eyes grew big as she saw the large Celebrity Silhouette ship. "Oh my!" she said a little breathless as the ship was gorgeous before pointing it out for her baby. Maddie was now bouncing on her lap in excitement.

"Yea, she's big," Leon agreed a little awed too. Joss never went on a cruise before but she had a feeling she was going to thoroughly enjoy the experience. She glanced at Leon and wondered if she should tip him. "I, uh, I guess I should help get your suitcase out of the trunk," he said a little dolefully at the thought as he climbed out of the car.

Joss couldn't help the roll of her eyes. "Yea because you were such a help getting it in the trunk," she mumbled as she unclipped the seat belt and Maddie shot out of the car with her bunny clutched tight and was squealing and looking wide-eyed at the ship, as her momma climbed out much slower. Joss grabbed a hold of Maddie's hand firmly and saw that Leon had already pulled out the carryon bag but she shooed him out of the way to get her suitcase herself. If he couldn't lift it to get it in the trunk than he most certainly wasn't going to be able to lift it out of it either.

Joss got her suitcase out without trouble, before she rummaged through her purse to find her boarding pass and Passport. Once she had those in hand, she slung her carryon and purse onto her shoulder, and eyed Leon.

"Thank you for the ride, Mr. Tao," she said sincerely as Maddie was trying, unsuccessfully, to tug her towards the ship.

"Call me Leon and you're welcome. Harold already paid me, so you go on and enjoy your vacation."

Joss nodded as she started sidestepping the man finding him a combination of adorable and annoying. She paused to smile and wave which her daughter mimicked. "Bye Leon," she said as she backpedaled towards the ship.

He blinked and smiled as he waved back. "Bye, Joss and Maddie, have a fun trip! I'll be here when you get back to drive you to the airport."

Joss winced internally. "Oh, joy," she said under her breath.

She took only a few steps when she was approached by a big burly man pushing a cart loaded with luggage. 'Ma'am, here we go, let me get that for you and your little princess. Can I see your boarding pass, so we can get your suitcase on the way to your cabin?" Joss nodded appreciatively and handed him the requested document. "Oh, your in this ship's really nice suites. Good for the two of you! We'll get this up to your suite pronto. Have a fun time," he said, effortlessly toss her luggage on top of those he had already collected. Maybe Leon could take some lessons from this man. She handed the man a tip and she followed his directions to board the ship.

Maddie was bouncing once again with a wide toothy grin on her face and she wanted to bounce along with her daughter because she couldn't wait to start her vacation.


Eating a bucket full of nails would bring more enjoyment or drinking paint thinner perhaps, anything would be better than what he was currently doing right now. John felt like he was being dragged to his execution. Usually he didn't mind his undercover assignments but he didn't know about this one. Pretending to be a newlywed on his honeymoon was nearly asking too much. He didn't do vacations, even pretend ones.

"Hey, why are you looking pissed?—I'm the one that's pissed, rightfully so, since I have to pose as your doting new wife," Shaw sneered lowly as they stood beside one another as they boarded the ship, presenting their boarding pass and passport.

John glanced at his partner and friend: Agent Sameen Shaw. They had been partnered together for three, going on four years. He remembered when he first met the woman who had a chip on her shoulder bigger than she was. Shaw was at war with the world, thought her shit didn't stink, and she damn well didn't want to be considered a newbie. He hadn't helped matters for their rocky start as he hadn't wanted a partner, he worked better alone. His colleagues and co-workers often referred him as: Wolf, because of his lone wolf mentality. But Control, aka Ma'am, his superior, wanted two man teams, sticking him with the new recruit which irritated him. Bad enough he had to have a partner, but a newly minted FBI agent had made it even worse. Their first case together was a disaster but things changed when he saved her life; now he was good friends with the vulgar, short tempered, sociopath-in-the-making woman.

"Shaw, Reese, you two can play kissy-face with each other for seven days! You guys hang out all the time as it and you should be happy that you guys got the easy job, posing as newlyweds. I got the tough job of butler! I just had to unpack an eighty-nine year old woman's suitcase and she has thongs! Thongs! I don't even want to follow the logical conclusion as to why she has them, and a lobotomy wouldn't erase that sight from my memory!" their third wheel, Donnelly, exclaimed over their earwig, sounding shuddered and disturbed. John chuckled. Donnelly was a good Agent as he was extremely efficient and intelligent. Shaw didn't like him, though Shaw hated everyone.

"Did she have any crotch-less panties?" Shaw asked devilishly, finding amusement in Donnelly's pain.

"Shaw, don't take out your frustrations on Donnelly. Ma'am placed us in these covers," John muttered.

He believed it was because Control was sadistic and enjoyed watching her agents suffer because why else would she force him to pretend to be on a vacation and be Shaw's husband. Sure, they were partners and he'd die to save Shaw, Shaw would do the same for him, and she was like a little bratty sister he didn't necessarily want but wouldn't dream of losing; but that didn't mean he wanted to pose as her husband. They didn't even look like a couple, it was unbelievable and yet Ma'am didn't care stating she wanted only him for this particular assignment. And where he went, Shaw went.

Shaw glared at him. "Yea, but she's our superior and I can't do shit to her. And I hate everyone except you, Reese."

"Thanks a lot, Shaw, you know I can still hear you," Donnelly commented dryly.

Shaw rolled her eyes. "And I care, why?" she demanded.

Shaw wasn't telling any lies; she hated everyone except Reese. She never had any friends, she never had any use for them…until Reese. He was the only exception. When she joined the FBI and was given Reese as a partner; she knew it was because she was the newbie. He had eyed her with disdain because he preferred working alone. So did she, she didn't need a babysitter and at the time that was what she viewed Reese as. So she dismissed him, feeling she could handle her first case herself and prove to Ma'am she didn't need a partner. Until she made a vital mistake that nearly cost her her life. But Reese protected her, taking a bullet for her, and then took the ass chewing from Control for her. Shaw never had anyone do that for her before. Not even during her Marine days, she always looked out for herself. And since then; she trusted him and they were equal partners and became friends. Shaw felt territorial over that. Reese was her first and only friend she ever had, an older brother of sorts, and she would disfigure anyone that hurt him.

"So what room are we anyway?" John asked dejected, as they finally got their sea-passes.

Shaw looked. "We're in one of the staterooms with a fancy balcony," she answered.

"Balcony?—I'm shocked the bureau shelled out the cash to get us one of those," he murmured as he followed her lead to find their cabin. Unlike most of the passengers who handed over their luggage for it to be delivered to their room, they opted to carry on all their bags. Carefully concealed in their bags were newly developed weaponry that would not show up during the ship's security screening and not something they wanted accidentally discovered by some nosy worker.

Posing as a man on his honeymoon meant shorts, flip-flops, swim trunks, and tank-tops. He felt uncharacteristically out of his element wearing black mesh shorts, a stark white tank-top, black flip-flops, and sunglasses. John felt naked without his gun on his person. He looked ridiculous but not as bad as Shaw. Shaw, who preferred black tees or long sleeve shirts with black pants, was wearing a top that looked like a rainbow had a baby. It was bright and un-Shaw like. She was wearing a touristy looking straw hat with white-denim shorts that barely reached the tops of her thighs and pink flip-flops with faux gems decorating the straps. When he saw her climb out her car at the airport he had been sure that she was not Shaw. There just was no way until he saw the murderous look on her face, daring him to say something, then and only then, did he believe it was Shaw in front of him.

Shaw shrugged. "We're posing as newlyweds on our honeymoon, they had to shell out the cash to make it look good, or we would have all been lame butlers like Donnelly." she muttered in reply.

John chuckled faintly when he heard Donnelly sigh loudly over the connection. He followed Shaw as they lugged their luggage behind them and after a while of not finding their room, he realized Shaw had no clue where she was going. "Snookums, do you know where our room is or not?" he teased.

"Shut up. I'll find it."

"Maybe we should go this way." he said but it was met with her lip lifting in a snarl.

"I can find the damn room, snookums!" she said.

He swallowed a laugh. "And I thought it was only men who didn't like asking for directions." he commented dryly. But he let Shaw figure it out herself. After walking the length of the damn ship before they finally managed to find their cabin, at the very aft of the ship, which at that point felt like it was miles from where they had embarked from.

John opened the door for them, entering after her and closed the door as they looked around, both leaving their luggage near the door. "Not bad," he murmured.

Shaw nodded in agreement, eyeballing the balcony, then the queen size bed. "Not bad at all. Better than some of our other assignments, besides the fact that we have to pretend to be married. Monogamy is not for me, even pretending." Shaw said as she flung the hat off her head as if it assaulted her. It would not have surprised him if she had gone over and stomped it into oblivion.

"No, it certainly isn't," John agreed as he looked around.

Shaw looked at him. "It would get so damn boring having sex with one person for the rest of your life."

"Not if you meet the 'one.'"

She snorted. "There is no 'one' out there for you. Don't tell me that John Reese believes in soul-mates and true love. It's bullshit."

"I would have agreed with you a few years ago."

Shaw jumped onto the bed resembling the child she acted like at times. She bounced on it a few times. "So I'm guessing that you had some good pussy that changed your mind?" she said with a smirk.

He cocked a brow. "Sex wouldn't change my mind on such things, Shaw. I have had good sex before," and that was true. But no woman compared to his one night with Joss. Not Jessica, not the nameless women before Jessica, and not the couple women after Joss. Zoe and Iris didn't even realize that he was unconsciously comparing them to a woman that they never were going to be able to measure up to. It was unfair and the sex had been sub-par for him. Not for them but for him it had been…until he resorted to imagining the woman he was with was the tender, caring, beautiful, and intelligent Joss.

"So what did change your mind?" Shaw asked. He couldn't put it in words but that night with Joss changed him. There was something between them, a connection, and for a long time it frightened him. Frightened him enough to stay away, to use Jessica as an excuse as to why he couldn't go in search for her. Now...even if he wanted to go find her in New York which wouldn't be hard if she was still living at the same place, with so much time having passed surely Joss had moved on. Joss was too beautiful and too intelligent to not have someone. And the thought of going to only see her happy with someone else was too much because he had no one to blame but himself. "I'm hungry!" Shaw announced, evidently growing uninterested in the conversation which he was grateful of.

He rolled his eyes. "When aren't you hungry?" he muttered.

"Feed your wife!" she demanded.

"Feed yourself."

Shaw glared at him. "For being a pretend husband, you suck," she complained as she rolled off the bed. He flung her a bag of Doritos that he had in his carryon and she grinned happily, tearing into the bag with impatience.

"I sure hope they provisioned this ship with extra food with you on board. I read that you can get 24 room service and you're going to exhaust the poor guys that'll be delivering." he muttered.

Shaw looked at him and maybe he shouldn't have mentioned that because he could see her eyes lighting up and could almost see the drool beginning to form. But it was time to get down to business. "Donnelly, are you still there?" John asked over their connection.

"Yea, sorry, I was helping this really nice woman and her kid. Her daughter is really cute, reminds me of mine. Ms. Joss is a nice woman, friendly, and beautiful; much easier on the eyes than Mr. Wendell who has more back hair than I have on my head."

Shaw made a face of disgust. "I didn't know they let wildebeests on cruises?"

"Shaw," John warned and she shrugged. Sometimes it was hard coaching Shaw on how to be human. He focused back on Donnelly and what the man said. He mentioned Joss and he flashed to his Joss, to her in the throes of passion, and he shifted as his body responded immediately to the suggestion. "Donnelly, when can you get here to discuss the case?" he asked, forcefully pushing her from his mind.

"I'll have a break in a half hour."

"Be at our stateroom then."

"Sure."

John nodded and muted Donnelly, turning to look at Shaw who was stuffing a handful of Doritos in her mouth. She crumpled the empty bag and flung it in the wastepaper basket in the corner of the room.

She turned to look at him. "What do we do while we wait?" she asked, muffled, as bits of Doritos popped out of her mouth.

John shrugged. "Unpack, I guess."


AN: Ta-da...and I wonder who could have been behind the reason for John being the ONLY one that could do this job on this cruise ;D I had to include Shaw and Donnelly. I think this is going to be my first story that incorporates his character :) Fun! Okay next chapter is;

Chapter 3: A Doppelgänger?

See very small hints in these titles :) Thanks for reading!