A/N This is a transition chapter and so it is dialogue heavy. I felt there were a few things these two needed to talk about, but I wanted it dealt with and out of the way before we got to the actual mission and the danger ahead. I felt they needed this tender moment since things are about to heat up. Also, there was a tumblr post not too long ago that Chellero and Wolfmusic would have seen and I just wanted to tell them to use that visualization here since it's relevant. That is all. Bwahahahahahahha. So anyways forgive any errors or mistakes you might catch, and I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer ~ These things still don't belong to me.

Carter licked at the corners of her mouth, tasting the last bit of cheesecake and swallowed. Instead of heading for the bed after their lovemaking on the floor, the bed had come to them. Reese had gotten all the pillows and blankets and spread them out beneath them. He sat with his back to the couch, while her head lay on his bare thigh. She'd held his hands, he fed her cheesecake, and he'd pressed more than a few kisses to her forehead and lips. For a moment she felt like a woman on her honeymoon and not an agent on a mission.

The suite they'd gotten had done a fine job of contributing to that feeling. It boasted an enormous bed, a sitting area, a bar, and even a small fridge and stove. There was a balcony outside that allowed them a panoramic view of the city, which was glorious from every direction. The lights on the street outside combined with the flood lights in the room to cast a warm glow on them both.

Something had happened. They both knew it, but neither of them was willing to speak of it. She could see it in his eyes as he watched her devour every bite of the dessert. She could feel it in the way he touched her or how he reacted when she touched him. Something had most definitely changed tonight, perhaps since the very moment he kissed her when she arrived at the Berger mansion. She felt a bit scared, nervous even, but there was no turning back now.

His hand moved over her stomach and she looked up at him. He was watching her with a worried expression on his face. Instead of looking away, she raised her hand to touch his cheek, running her hand along his jaw line.

"Klaus kept asking questions about you," he said softly, and turned his lips toward her palm, kissing it. "He can't wait to see you being dominated."

"That was always the plan wasn't it? We have to get into his bedroom any way we can. We need to get to the safe any way we can," she answered him. "We know what he likes, what turns him on. Now we can use that against him. He won't be expecting it."

She knew the idea of them being intimate together in front of someone else didn't appeal to him. He was probably as repulsed by the thought as she was. Not only did they have to perform in front of a complete stranger, but she'd have to pretend to be turned on while John took control in a possibly demeaning and abusive way. Despite the nature of their job, he was still very uncomfortable with reducing her to nothing more than a plaything for Klaus' perverted tendencies.

"I don't have a problem with you being in control, John," she assured him. "I don't have a problem submitting to you in that way because the nature of this assignment calls for it."

Her voice was quiet as she sought to make him feel better about what they both had to do. The situation had the potential to get out of control quite easily. She realized though, that she was trying to make herself feel better too.

"The good thing about it is that he only likes to watch, not participate. I don't think I could be comfortable with his hands - or any other of his body parts for that matter - anywhere near me."

"We don't have to do anything you don't want to. It's up to you, Joss. The minute you feel uncomfortable, the minute you want to leave, just say the word and we will."

"I'm not sure Snow would be happy to hear you say that." Reese closed his eyes as she ran her thumb across his brow. She tried to joke, to cast a bit of humor on the situation, but she was just as apprehensive about the whole thing as he was.

"I don't care about Snow. I car…."

He stopped mid sentence, and she realized that their being together might compromise the mission and their objective. She never wanted that. She wanted them to be able to work together effectively despite how they might feel about each other.

"If there's anything I can't handle, you'll be the first to know. I promise."

"We're in this together, Joss. We're partners, remember? You can trust me. I have your back."

She put her hand around his neck, pulling him down for a quick kiss, and she smiled against his lips.

"Did you and Stanton ever play husband and wife?"

"A few times, yes."

"And were you a good husband?" she asked, grinning.

"She complained about me not showing her enough affection every now and again."

"So I guess I should feel honoured that you caused that scene earlier, kissing me in front of a room full of people."

"Let's just say that Kara wasn't the type of woman that inspired you to be affectionate. She was nothing like you. She was cutthroat, and cold, and she was ruthless."

"She was everything you didn't want to become."

He looked down at her and by the look in his eyes, she could tell she'd hit the nail on the head.

"How did Snow feel about her?"

"He believed that she was a good agent."

"But she wasn't one of his favourite people…"

"No. But he likes you, though."

She scoffed at Reese's statement, not quite believing it to be true. "I'm sure he does."

"No, really. Before you first sat down with us he was very impressed with your work, how you led your team. He thought you were the perfect candidate to be my new partner."

"Did he pick me because of this assignment? Because he knew that Klaus liked interracial couples? Did that have something to do with it?"

"Maybe it did…I don't know. I know the entire time he was watching you he never mentioned it once. We went over footage of your missions, how you handled each of them. He was more concerned about your being a female SEAL than anything else. He practically bragged about you and how you handled the interrogation."

"He did?"

She shook her head, feeling the memories of those four days flood her mind again. A wave of anger threatened to billow over her, but she didn't want to ruin the evening. He could sense the slight change in her mood and tucked his finger under her chin, turning her face toward him. He looked so apologetic and full of empathy. He seemed at a loss for words, but his silence said so much. He still felt guilty, still had yet to forgive himself. He slid his finger lightly along her earlobe, and she was warmed by the comfort the brief touch brought. It was time that they talked about it.

"How was it for you?"

It was a rhetorical question really. He knew just how awful it was, he'd gone through it himself, but he knew she needed to say it aloud.

"I'm used to gun fire, bullets grazing my head, bombs going off around me, but this…this was different. It was intimate, it was close…it was personal. It was someone treating me like…I was nothing but a piece of meat to be carved up and discarded afterwards."

She felt tears sting her eyes, she felt him reaching for her hand, and she knew she wasn't alone.

"Joss….."

"The bruises are gonna fade, they're just about gone now. But it's gonna be a long time before I forget about it. It made me angrier, cold. I think of the scenarios that Snow talked to me about over the phone during his first call…the things he asked if I'd be willing to do….now they don't seem as gruesome or as unthinkable anymore."

"It changes you," he said, and his voice was hoarse. "Which is something they never tell you. You're never prepared for it. This job changes who you are, you become a different version of yourself. "

"You don't believe you're still a good person."

She squeezed his hand, and in the dim light she could see tears glistening in his eyes. "You are, you know. The fact that you still struggled with what happened to me says a lot. It means you're not like Snow at all. Your soul isn't quite dead yet."

She got up to sit beside him and she watched as he gazed outside, his eyes staring at the traffic below. He was thinking about what she'd said, wondering about the worth of it all.

"I know that I'm different with you. When I'm around you, I feel different, but…."

"Somehow you don't believe me," she said, and rested her head against his arm.

He put his arm around her, holding her close to him, and for a long time neither of them spoke. She was becoming like him, just as she feared in the beginning. The cold look in his eyes that covered up his smiles and the warmth that lay underneath was threatening to overtake her too. But he was becoming like her. Now the good in him was coming to the surface, now he was afraid of the light that had started to come from him.

"Well, I guess if you can see it; there must be at least a little something left of the old boy scout."

"Well," she said, as she got up to straddle him, "That boy scout is far from little."

Reese smiled as Carter's eyes travelled downwards, before she raised her lips for his kiss. She put her arms around his neck, and his hands went around her back. Softly his fingers trailed along her spine as his mouth moved over hers. She ran her hands along the muscles of his arms, his shoulders and his face. She kissed him deeply, hungrily and Reese was shaken by her apparent need for him. She was so small, so delicate in his arms, and yet she wasn't afraid to match his growing desire with her own.

She threw her head back as he kissed her throat, and his fingers caressed the tender spot of her nape. Her hand moved from his chest and over his belly, till her fingers wrapped around his shaft. Her tiny hand gripped his already growing erection, and she stroked him gently in her palm. He kissed her hard, sucked on her lips, and he moaned when her tongue finally slid over his.

He was hers. It was all he could think of. He was hers, and with every touch of her hand she was staking her claim.

"John…" she murmured it against his mouth.

Her breathy moan of his name travelled to his ears and all he could think about was sinking into her warmth. She gasped as his thumbs brushed against her nipples, they hardened underneath his touch. She was reaching for him, touching him everywhere, moving closer and closer as if she couldn't get enough of him. Her hands on his cock, her lips kissing his; Reese felt as if she was the one doing the taking. He was under a spell, trapped, helpless, but he couldn't think of a woman he wanted more.

Carter felt like an overeager school girl desperate for the touch of her high school crush. Her hands moved over John's body trying to touch him, trying frantically to get closer. She couldn't stop kissing him, running her tongue over his, and felt overcome with the need to have him inside her again. He held onto her roughly by her hips and she felt desire surge through her. His touch was possessive, demanding, and it began a warm fire in her belly, a pool of fierce want.

"Joss…"

The more she stroked him in her hands, the harder he got. The more she stroked him to hardness, the more her anticipation of him grew. They were both frenzied now, both panting, and breathing out each other's name. Both were caught up in a haze of not only lust and desire, but something else that was strong and tangible.

She felt dizzy, euphoric, and she was shaking when he hadn't even entered her yet. He gathered her in his lap and moved to set her on her back. In the dark she heard fumbling, an impatient tearing of a wrapper and when he was near her again, she was frantic for his touch.

They both needed each other desperately, and the mutual release that could only be found together. When he finally took her, her legs were over his shoulders and he slowly pushed himself all the way inside her. She gasped loudly, turning her face to the side so she could breathe. She closed her eyes at the feel of him, so full and thick inside her. He let out a slow controlled breath, and reached for her hands at her side. She hissed as he pressed a warm kiss to the side of her face.

"Look at me, Joss."

His quiet command was strained. He was using a tremendous amount of control to remain still. He squeezed her fingers, his grip on her hand tightening, and he rocked their hips from side to side.

"Look at me."

She was finally able to grant his request, and he finally started to move. He stared right at her, watching her every expression, running his tongue just along the inside of her mouth while she gasped at the way he moved within her. She felt as if she couldn't move, but even trapped, she was a willing captive enjoying the waves of pleasure her captor was inflicting.

When she screamed out her orgasm, it was to the feeling of his cock pounding inside her. He was hitting her walls, driving her to ecstasy, and he sunk his teeth into the skin of her cheek. He eventually reached his peak too, drawing out his last strokes till he remained still inside her.

Much later on, they were both silent as she lay snuggled against his chest. His breath was steady and even, but she knew he wasn't asleep. There was too much ahead of them, and the view outside presented a clear picture of the brightening sky. Morning was upon them, as was the work that had to be done.

"You're not asleep are you?" she asked.

"No."

She sighed and turned around in his arms so she could face him. He touched her cheek, leaning his forehead onto hers.

"We're in trouble, aren't we?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Yes."