Wow guys, I'm totally blown away by the amazing response the first chapter got and I want to thank everyone who added this story to his/her favorites or alerts and those who left me a review. It really means a lot to me :D

Also I owe a huge, huge, thanks to RiordanHawk & Farmgirl1964 for beta-ing this chapter for me. Seriously ladies, you are amazing!

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Harold Finch.

In a daze, Finch went on with his plan. He answered the officer's questions regarding his presence in the bank without blinking or even considering what he was saying, his mind on John the whole time.

Finch kept his face carefully blank as the officer guided them to the side, asking them to stand on line before walking away.

The truth was he was barely holding himself together under the current situation, helplessly watching everything John had helped him accomplish in the last year crumble around him. He was terrified. Truly terrified for John and what would happen to him now. What they would do to him.

Finch wasn't worried about himself or the Machine. He knew all of his secrets were safe with John, that John wouldn't say a word about the Machine or him no matter what. Not even to save himself.

"I woke up this morning and felt - it took me a while to put a finger on it - but I felt happy."

Finch squeezed his eyes shut as his breath caught in his throat. He had given John a purpose, one that had allowed him the chance to feel a glimpse of happiness again, as small as it could had been, but it had been that same purpose which had destroyed and snatched away any trace of that happiness from him too.

All things considered, he was not so sure he deserved John's gratitude. Especially with him standing there doing nothing, while who knows where John was and what was happening to him.

Finch drew a shaking breath and pressed his lips into a thin line.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Abby and Shayn as they exchanged not so discrete warm looks and he felt a sudden wave of anger toward them. It had been their messy and thoughtless planning what had gotten John in the critical situation he was in, and they were there, out of danger, while John was not.

Finch pursed his lips, brows knitted together. It wasn't exactly fair blame them, he knew. Agent Donnelly and his people were here because of John, not them. Because Finch hadn't paid the due attention to Donnelly's actions and advances toward them. He should have known better than to underestimate the Agent's conviction to catch 'the Man in the Suit'.

Throughout his entire life he always had preferred truth and facts, but right now, Finch wished he could have even the slightest hope John had been able to get away, to hide even, but he didn't. Deep down, he knew the truth.

Finch forced himself to put those thoughts in the back of his head, focusing on what he could and would do now.

John had gone way beyond what Finch had asked him to do to protect Abby and Shayn and to ensure they achieve their goal; give the money Chapple had stolen back to the people to which it was originally intended to. He would make sure that happen. For John. He would get Abby and Shayn out of there and would make sure Chapple would not try to harm them again.

Finch dropped his gaze to the ground, his always quite determination boiling up into a fierce one burning inside his chest.

He will do anything -anything- to help John; He will do whatever it take to get his partner, his friend, back. And nothing was going to stop him. Nothing.

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A/N: Thanks to everyone who read it. I hope you all have enjoyed, and as always feedback is appreciated. Thank you :)

Next one: Carter's POV.