In honor of Valentine's Day (Single Awareness Day for a lot of us), I decided to update late the day before! It's a few hours shy of the 14th, which is when I'm supposed to upload, but this was too...I don't know. I just didn't want to keep it to myself another day. Enjoy, review, and let me know where this should go! What is it that YOU want to read...Feel free to let me know anything at all.

Sorry you miss certain things, but I think I make up for them as time goes on... ;)

******IMPORTANT: In this chapter, there are things mentioned that I have directly taken out of my family's life. Please be gentle if you choose to rub salt in those particular wounds.

Songs in order of appearance (for those that care):

- "When You Wish Upon A Star" - Jesse McCartney

- "Curacion" - Carlos Santana

- "Best of My Love" - The Emotions

- "Human Nature" - Michael Jackson

As John cleared the table, Jos tried and failed to help him clean up. He'd outright told her she wasn't allowed to help him clean up, and Amelia tag teamed with her father by pulling her away and taking her up the stairs to her room. Their dinner had been full of laughter and standard questions, but without the awkward pauses and silences. Amelia had kept them entertained with her tails of preschool and what they'd be doing the next day since she only went three times a week. John had joined in the conversation occasionally, but mainly let his daughter have her own interrogation as he watched. Jocelyn took it all in stride and answered her questions and shared her own stories, watching as Amelia hung on every word. As she pulled herself back into the present, she watched as Amelia jumped onto her bed and grabbed a stuffed animal, and motioned for Jos to sit next to her.

"Jos, this is Leroy, he's my moose" she said lovingly as she squeezed the life out of him before handing him to her. Jocelyn picked up the moose and looked at its cute baby antlers and brown fur as she looked at its cute cartoony face.

"I love moose Amelia, they were my favorite animal growing up" Amelia's eyes grew wide as she nodded vigorously and hugged Leroy tighter as he was handed back.

"Daddy says Leroy's here to protect me while he's gone. Leroy's always with me" she said, moving his antlers back and forth as Jos just watched her. They sat for moment before Amelia got up on her knees and faced Jos, Leroy laying on her left as she pulled the necklace from the pocket on her dress. She pulled the string out and grabbed the beads in her hand as she looked at Jos with wide eyes.

"What's that sweetie?" Jos questioned gently, leaning to her side on her right arm as her left rested in her lap. Amelia smiled and stood up on her bed, steadily standing in front of the detective as she took the string and reached around her neck to give it to Jocelyn. John had snuck into the entry of Amelia's room a few minutes ago, and couldn't help the smile that overtook his face as Amelia tried to place the necklace around Jocelyn neck. Jocelyn helped her by holding her sides steady as the string was placed over her ponytail and on her neck. She smiled at Amelia as she grabbed the beads in one of her hands, them sitting right in her cleavage with ease. John wanted to swallow his tongue when Jocelyn looked at the beads and slipped then into her shirt and hugged Amelia, his daughter hugging her back fiercely as she smiled and closed her eyes. Amelia's eyes popped open and met her father's knowingly and watched him before she let go of Jocelyn, pretending her father wasn't there.

"So honey, when did you make this pretty necklace?" Jocelyn reached back into her shirt to pull out the beads and John had to run a hand over his face to keep from staring. He really did an amazing thing by putting a mirror at such a strategic angle.

"Daddy bought me a box of these, so I made one for you. I didn't want you to forget me" Amelia admitted, lying down in Jocelyn's lap, curling into a ball while Jos rubbed up and down her back soothingly before she spoke.

"Sweetheart, I won't forget you I promise. You remind me of someone I used to know, and now I have this necklace to remind me of you everyday"

"Really? You'll wear it all the time?" she asked astonished, her head turning into Jos's body as she smiled with all of her teeth. It shocked Jocelyn when she shot up and hugged her fiercely again, this time making them both topple over and laugh as they laid on their sides facing each other just smiling as Jos touched Amelia's hair. Amelia yawned and Jos smiled, getting up and telling Amelia that it was past her bedtime. Amelia immediately got up and changed into her pajamas, crawling under the covers as Jos went to sit besides her facing the door after she turned the light off. John had the common sense to move out of sight, as Amelia got ready for bed, feeling the need to be within earshot in case there was anything worth hearing. He felt bad that he was spying on them, but he just couldn't help it.

As Jos sat on top of Amelia's blankets, she slipped her heels off and crossed her ankles as Amelia leaned into her, Leroy resting on her lap as she grabbed Jos's hand and put it over her shoulders so she could snuggle deeper into her side. Jos smiled and leant into her, unconsciously kissing the side of her head as they sat in silence. Amelia turned her head forcing Jos to look down at her, the Goofy night light the only light in the dim room.

"Daddy usually sings me a song or reads me a bedtime story. Can you sing me a song Jos?" Amelia asked in a small voice, her hand finding Leroy and squeezing him to her chest. Jos smiled softly as she tried to think of a song she could sing the little girl, laughing softly as she thought of the perfect one.

"Ok sweetie, but you can't laugh at me alright?"

"I won't laugh I promise! Daddy says that too but he's really good too" she nodded confidently as she laid down and turned her head to face Jos as she had her head rubbed again. She was getting used to Jos rubbing her head it was a soothing gesture.

"When you wish upon a star

Makes no difference who you are

Anything your heart desires

Will come to you

If your heart is in your dreams

No request is to extreme

When you wish upon a star

As dreamers do

Fate is kind

She brings to those who love

The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing

Like a bolt out of the blue

Fate steps in and sees you through

When you wished upon a star

Your dreams come true

If your heart is in your dreams

No request is to extreme

When you wish upon a star

As dreamers do

When you wish upon a star

Your dream comes true"

Jos trailed off as she heard the little girls breathing even out, moving her arm slightly off of her so she could get up without waking her. She stood up with her heels dangling in one hands as she used the other to tuck the blanket around Amelia before leaving. She heard John come in as she was getting up, but ignored him until she turned towards the door to leave the room.

"Next time you want to spy on someone, make sure they can't see you in the mirror too" she murmured as she slid by him, laughing quietly as she heard him chuckle, the sound fading as she made her way into the living room. As she put her heels next to the rack where her jacket was hung, andd he came out and leaned against the doorframe of the living room, simply looking at her as she pretended to be going through her phone.

"Does your phone have music on it Jocelyn?" she looked up at him puzzled, but nodded anyway as he smiled and made his way towards her. She knew he was going to ask her to see it, and she didn't have it in her to refuse. It was just music, how bad could it be?

"Yeah, go ahead and take a look" she handed over the phone as she went over to sit on his couch, a bottle of red wine, a glass, and a beer resting in front of her. She smirked at his back and shook her head as she poured herself a glass, leaning back into the comfortable sofa as he takes her phone over to his impressive hidden stereo in what she thought was a cabinet. She smiled at the guitar opening as he plugged in her phone, immediately recognizing the song as it played and her smile softened and her eyes fluttered closed. John just watched the way her body relaxed and practically felt her ease into a state of happiness. He went to sit beside her on the sofa and grabbed his beer, taking a sip as she held her glass delicately in her left hand, her right one sitting on her lap. John angled his body towards her and watched as the music took her somewhere away from here. She suddenly opened her eyes and blushed prettily, ducking her head and taking a sip of her wine as the song changed from the seductive melody to an upbeat song from her childhood.

She looked at him, but he was looking toward the stereo with a smile, one that rested mostly in his pale blue eyes. He turned back towards her and took her glass out of her hand and rested their drinks on the table as he stood up, holding his hand out toward her. She stared at it dumbly as he rolled his eyes, asking her to dance with him. She continued to stare at him before shaking her head no, saying that she really didn't want to.

"Aww, come on Detective Carter, I'm sure it can't be that bad" he mocked, knowing that she would concede when he saw the fire in her eyes simmer down to a playful challenge. She stood up and grasped his left hand as he spontaneously twirled her as she laughed softly. He took each of her hands in his own as they did quick steps to the beat of the song, the smile on Jocelyn's face the most mesmerizing he's seen from her so far. He pulled her in closer as they kept up the quick movement of their feet before he spoke.

"You're face may crack from that gorgeous smile Detective…" he teased, watching as she tilted her head back and giggled, the sound surprising him as he watched the way she exposed her neck and a considerable amount of cleavage to him. He hungrily devoured her skin in his mind, wondering if her skin tasted like the subtle vanilla and coconut scent he picked up when her hair moved. He quickly snapped to attention when she brought her head forward again, her hands swinging with his as the music started to wind down. She kept smiling as she released him and sat back on the couch, crossing one leg over the other as she slouched relaxingly as she waited for him to join her. He just shook his head amused as he followed her lead, slipping into the opposite corner of the couch and turning his body towards her. His arm came to rest on the back of the couch, his fingertips a few inches away from her right shoulder. She quickly uncrossed her legs and shifted slightly as she pulled one leg beneath her as the other rested on the floor. He watched, as she got comfortable, her arm bending on the back of the couch as well as it supported her head as she looked at him and spoke. The song had changed again, this time to Michael Jackson.

"I take it you chose my 'Home' mix," she observed, her left hand resting in her lap as she looked down.

"That I did, it seemed like we could agree on a lot of the songs on that one" he replied, watching her as he waited for her to speak again.

"Well, obviously you know that the first song was by Carlos Santana…that was actually a recent addition to be honest. But The Emotions, that's a group I've been listening to forever" she whispered, her eyes glassy as she shook her head and continued.

"When I was a kid, I used to love to watch my mother cook, so I'd just sit at the table and watch as she moved around like she didn't even have to give it much thought. My house was never quiet, so we always had a radio going when we did anything, and cooking was no different. She'd put on the radio and it was all R&B for Ma. Anyway, this specific time was the day before my seventh birthday and she was making my favorite cake because I had soccer practice the next day. I remember every time that song came on, my mom would stop whatever she was doing and grab my hands, bringing me off my stool to dance around the kitchen with her. When she was cooking you just didn't interrupt, so when she dropped everything to dance with me, I felt like the center of her universe…" she trailed off, a single tear sliding from the corner of her right eyes and going down her wrist. John wanted to hold her, but her eyes were happy despite the tears.

"Ma wasn't known for showing the soft side of her, but she did when it came to me. I was her baby, and she did any and everything for me. That's why, despite everything, I can't do anything but laugh and smile through this song. I even got her to dance with me to this song at home after I graduated from high school. I was class of '98, and I had told her that I'd never get too old to dance with her. I think that's the more memorable of the two incidents because she cried through the entire dance, but was laughing and had me crying by the end too," she said in a strangled whisper, wiping the tears that were flowing down her cheeks faster now. She sniffled and smiled at him, as she was able to breath properly again.

"I have no idea why I just told you that…" she said embarrassed, picking up a pillow to hold on her lap. He smiled at her again, this time reaching out to put a hand over hers much like he did yesterday at lunch.

"When did she pass?" he asked gently, feeling the way she tensed beneath his hand. She sighed and pulled her hand away to rub the left side of her neck as she thought about it.

"It'll be 10 years this June, she passed away when I was 22"

They sat in silence as she reached forward for her wine, her and John drinking in silence as her mix started over again. She put down her half full glass of wine and got up, smiling her apology as she moved to put her heels back on. He just sat and watched her movements as she leaned over to put her heels on, and he swore there was a higher power trying to kill him. She looked over her shoulder at him and stood up straight, him following her to the door to help her with her coat.

"I appreciate you singing Mia to sleep," he whispered to her back, her coat going on as she turned to him. His eyes danced mischievously as she flushed, her neck heating up at the obvious praise in his voice.

"No big, she made it easy for me. It's the song I sing for Boo so I thought…" she trailed off, shrugging as he reached out unexpectedly to hug her. She stiffened for a moment before bringing her arms up to wrap around his neck loosely as his hands wound around her back. She had been trying to avoid thinking about him the last 48 hours, but this man had a way of getting under her skin in the sweetest way possible.

"Still, I appreciate it. My brother usually gets a fight when I'm gone, so you must be amazing for her to be so compliant" he spoke into her hair, the words making her shiver as he pulled a little ways away from her only to lean in again. She knew he was going to kiss her, so she let him lean in before she panicked at the last second and turned so he got the corner of her mouth again. He pulled back, hurt evident in his eyes as she frantically looked between his eyes and settled on staring at his chest as his arms loosened around her.

"John, I barely know you. There's something about you I'd like to get to know but…Amelia thought I was going to forget her after 48 hours. I don't want to hurt that little girl because I don't know what I want yet" she said, removing one of her hands to grab the collar of the right side of his shirt.

"When I do, you'll be the first to know, but for now…Can we just keep it light?" she asked, practically begging him with her eyes to let this slide for now. He sighed and nodded, kissing her cheek before pulling away from her completely. He opens the door and watches as she steps out, only to turn back and stare at him a moment. He refused to react as she came back and cradled his head in her hands, bringing him to level with her as she kissed the corner of his mouth, getting a sigh from him as she pulled away.

"You're one confusing woman Detective" he states, leaning against the door as she turns to walk away. He hears her laugh as she waits for the elevator, the doors sliding open as she responds to him.

"I am Mr. Reese, but I think you have me all figured out already" she winks at him as she steps on the elevator, her laughter cut off by the doors closing behind her. He shook his head and walked back inside before running his hands over his face again in frustration. Her music was still playing he noticed a minute later, and she had forgotten her phone. He smiled as he unplugged it and held it in his hand.

I guess I'll just have to drop it off before work tomorrow…he grins as he walks into his bedroom, looking forward to seeing Detective Carter in uniform bright and early.

Enjoy it? I hope so, I aim to please and keep you coming back for more! Let me know how I'm doing.