"Keep that up, I'm running this knife through your hand." Root hears in low warning as she toes open the door after a successful trip to the market a few blocks from the apartment.

The hacker's eyes immediately drop to the dog yet to move from his loyal place beside her a shopping bag of his own still held between Bear's teeth as he gives another lazy wag of his tail at being able to help in some way. Given the dog's more easygoing state and the fact 'Big Sister' hadn't yet given Root her own warning about Shaw needing backup Root had to assume her Persian was as alright as Shaw could be.

"I'd rather not risk getting blood on any of these thank you." A coy tone sassed back "not easy to find her preferred flavors in the big city."

"The ones you're leaving her anyway. You've eaten almost as many as you've cut up as it is." Shaw argued back

"You know what they say about great minds…" Hannah reminded then the soft crunch of an apple being bitten into floats into Root's good ear in the quiet of the apartment.

"I already have one psychopath to deal with I don't need you on my plate too." Shaw growled as Root tiptoed closer with Bear faithfully shadowing her.

Root winces when a few of the pans shifted louder than needed as they were moved from place to place along the stovetop, but she was already forgiving her girl considering Shaw's earlier frustrations. She only wished 'Big Sister' had sent some warning so Root could have headed Hannah off and let Shaw cool off a little longer.

"So, I'm guessing you didn't call me over early just to be sure this pie recipe came out edible considering from what I've seen you could give Sam a literal blackened mess call it a pie and she'd still eat it with a smile cause you gave it to her."

That did get Root's attention. 'Shaw called Hannah?'

"Her name is Root." Shaw snarled back like the cool human of an attack dog she was.

Just the way her name sounded on Shaw's lips when she was angry like this made Root's pulse speed up a few steps in tempo. Not to mention the heat pooling low in her belly and between her jean clade legs with those four simple words.

"Maybe, but she'll always be Sam to me." Hannah counters around another bite of an apple.

"Take any more and I'm serious about stabbing your hand," Shaw answers in her usual low kitten-like mew of warning only for her words to end in a rather un-Shaw-like grunt of disgust that has Root edging along separating space between the door and the apartment kitchen taking particular care to keep the two in the kitchen unaware she'd returned.

Even Root makes a face when she sees via a reflection from the microwave of Hannah's now turned-away figure as the hacker's not-so-dead childhood friend munches on an apple slice Hannah had generously dunked in a small bowl of what Root guessed just on the reflective color was queso dip as Hannah's boot clade feet kick idly against the kitchen cabinets as she sites against the countertop, as Shaw worked.

An odd quark Root was saddened to realize she'd forgotten about her one-time best friend.

"Alright let's try something else then, shall we?" Hannah questions again, pulling Root's attention over the sounds of Hannah munching on an apple slice. "When was the last time you'd needed the drive?"

The Drive?

Shaw's reflective hand reaches up to brush against the necklace she'd taken to wearing ever since Root had woken up after Samaritan's final permanent fall. A surprise for Root considering her knowledge of Shaw and her dislike of anything that could be considered jewelry around her neck. Root having foolishly thought the arrow charm hanging from the chain Shaw seemed so jealously protective of having to do with Shaw hearing Root's 'if the worst comes to pass message, she'd left with the Machine in what she'd honestly thought of as her last moments after Blackwell's bullet burned into her skin.

"My crutch you mean." Shaw corrected as she pulled a freshly finished backing pan of mac and cheese from the oven. Replacing it with the newly de-thawed turkey Hannah had been in charge of minding since her arrival.

"You know that's not what that was meant for." Hannah reminds "the Machine was worried for you Sameen."

Another slammed-down pan sounds from the kitchen making Bear press more against Root's leg as the human also winces from the sound.

"Or this is just another of your boss's tricks." Shaw points out "poke around in my head long enough you find something I'm less likely to destroy." Root can't help but smile a little at that as she watches Shaw's reflective hand reaching up to toy with the 'drive' hidden under the collar of her shirt.

"If that's how you see it then why keep wearing it?"

Root's jaw ticked in annoyance at Hannah's newest tone when talking with Root's girl. Given how Shaw's voice was fast moving to the worrying tone she'd used in the park after shooting out the Samaritan agent's knees only for her than to turn the shaking weapon on herself all whilst Root watched in heartbroken horror, the eavesdropping hacker decides she's snooped long enough as she reached back for the grounding feel of the door handle against her palm.

One quick twisting a small tug then a not-so-light pushing has the door closing loudly making at least Hannah start in surprise as Root goads Bear to go ahead of her the grocery bag, he'd set down picked back up and carried off as his wagging tail disappears as he trots loyalty toward his favored of the two usual occupants of the cozy apartment.

"Sorry, we're late sweetie." Root says making herself know so as to calm at least Hannah's worries as the hacker follows the light jingling of Bear's collar to find Shaw kneeling to greet him.

"Hey, Sam." Hannah smiles but Root ignores her joining Shaw in her kneeled spot on the kitchen floor.

"Shaw?"

Unfocused eyes meet her own before Shaw blinks back a sense of awareness as she holds Root's gaze.

"Hey, Root."

The hacker cocks her head mirroring one of Bear's moves when anyone on his trusted list of caretakers mentions food or going for a walk.

"Foods not going to make itself." Shaw reminds but she doesn't make a move to stand as Root's hand cautiously moves to cover one of Shaw's own. Shaw the one to close the slim distance Root had left hesitated on the action as she tried to gauge the other woman's mood.

"Danny wants to know if there's any last minute something…." Hannah jumps in now tapping away on her phone as she spoke, still sitting idly on the countertop.

"More apples." Shaw decides not letting go of Root's hand as the two stand almost in the same motion. "Actually, I'm genuinely surprised your robo…"

"Not a robot." Root hummed her thumb tracing lightly over Shaw's rough knuckles

"You robot hasn't found some out-of-the-way orchard to take over considering it's like 97 point whatever percent of your food intake."

Hannah laughs aloud at that, her eyes still downcast on her phone before giving a reminder "it's your birthday coming up soon Sams?" her question ending in a surprised squeak when a butter knife lands warningly between the reaching woman's fingers as she'd attempted to sneak one more of the sliced fruit pieces sitting so temptingly a few spaces down from where she sat.

Shaw rather than Root picks up the eyed fruit piece with a huffed "What have I asked about throwing knives in my kitchen?" as she pops the slice into her mouth rather than offer it to a hopeful-looking Root.

A few beats later during which Hannah averts her eyes as she slid from the counter to take momentary charge of the different bits of this and that leaving the other two to their not-so-innocent kiss whilst their dog pawed at her leg giving pointed looks between Hannah and the stove then licking his lips a few times as if his attempted begging wasn't so obvious to the chuckling human now in charge of the work in progress holiday meal.