A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting this. I was on vacation all last week and managed to come down with a cold which wasn't too helpful in keeping up with the urge to write.

The living room floor was littered with used tissues. Samantha Groves aka Root was lying prone on the couch with an arm slung tiredly over her eyes. Her usually immaculate hair was a tangled bird's nest. It was the kind of hairstyle only pulled off by those who had spent a night or two tossing and turning in bed in a desperate attempt to get some much needed sleep. A fit of coughing wracked her body and she bolted upright from the bed and raced to the bathroom where she was once again violently ill.

Sameen Shaw did her best to ignore the sound of Root throwing up what little food remained in her stomach. She remained seated on the couch in the nest room and continued to idly flip through the channels on the television trying to find something of interest. She knew it was pointless, she'd already flipped through the whole thing twice and had found nothing but the usual annoying daytime television and holiday specials that were being run constantly on every station.

She had come to check up on Root after the woman had been a no show at the Library yesterday. While that was not entirely unusual Shaw had just had a feeling that something was not entirely right. So without letting Finch or John know she had decided to check up on the woman. While she did have skills when it came to tracking people down, as evidence when she successfully tailed Harold Finch to his little hideaway, Root proved to be much more obstinate in remaining hidden. It was not till she had received a text from an unknown number that she had been given a starting point for her hunt.

Still it had only been the first breadcrumb and had led her to another followed by another. It had taken her the better part of the morning, but finally she had tracked down the woman's apartment. It had felt odd knocking on Root's door especially when she wasn't entirely certain that she had the right location. She'd felt a fool when she'd stood outside the closed door for three minutes without an indication that anyone was home. Shaw had been debating on whether or not she should break in when there was the telltale sound of a bolt being drawn. That had been followed by the door opening a crack.

A pair of tired bloodshot eyes gazed out at her through the small crack. There was a weariness to them that Shaw had not seen before, but she had still recognized Root's familiar gaze.

"What…how did you get here?" The woman managed to croak out in a voice that was eerily similar to Shaw's Drill sergeant on the fifth day of yelling himself hoarse.

Shaw had said nothing and had settled for giving Root her usual serious look.

A wordless war of wills had played out between them before a sneezing fit had broken Root's concentration. She had wiped her nose on the sleeve of the bathrobe she wore, inadvertently giving Shaw a brief glimpse of bare skin that hinted at the hacker wearing nothing beneath it. Finished wiping her nose the taller woman gave Shaw a defeated look and had closed the door and undid the small chain that did little to keep her safe.

Sameen did not wait for Root to re-open the door. She simply turned the knob and barged her way inside. Root could do nothing as Shaw pinned her to the wall with one hand. Her other hand was occupied with the woman's forehead and she felt a small sense of relief when she detected only a minor fever. "How long?"

"It started the night before yesterday. Minute I got undressed I couldn't stop shivering. I crawled into bed and spent a good hour huddled up in the fetal position since I shivered so violently whenever I tried to lay out. When I woke up my nose was stuffed up and my stomach felt like it was at war with me. Couldn't keep anything down at all yesterday, and I doubt I can today."

While Shaw really only experienced emotions at a more muted volume than most people she still felt a pang of sympathy for the hacker. The woman's voice alone belied her feeble state. At that moment Shaw knew how hard it had to be for the hacker. She herself would almost rather die than allow anyone to see her in that kind of state. The knowledge that Root was at least willing to share this side of her with the former assassin spoke volumes.

She removed her hand from Root's chest and moved further into the room. She was not surprised when the other woman said nothing and meekly allowed her unrestricted access. Shaw's first destination was the kitchen and she began ransacking the cabinets to see what Root's food supply was like. The hacker had a decent collection of fruits, vegetables and canned soups but she was sadly lacking on any real protein. There was a quite snuffling, as Root attempted to breathe through her nose, before she turned and shakily made her way back to her bedroom.

It took roughly a half hour, mainly since Shaw had little experience cooking for someone other than herself, but she managed to put together a soup that was composed of several vegetables and made from Chicken stock. Setting it on the tray with a glass of water and some crackers she quietly made her way into Root's bedroom.

A single light was on in the bathroom. An assortment of tissues, towels and discarded clothes littered the floor of the room. Further evidence of their owner's illness since the rest of the room was quite tidy. Root appeared to be resting and was huddled beneath a single sheet that was wrapped around her torso like a child's blanket. At a glance Shaw could see it was damp with sweat and likely provided little warmth for the woman. It was also doing little to actually cover the woman, but Shaw refused to let her eyes linger on the sick woman's form. Normally she'd have little hesitation in actually taking advantage of the situation, but her concern for Root's wellbeing trumped her more base desires.

She set the soup down on a nearby dresser, left the room and pulled the door closed behind her. That was roughly two hours ago and she was sorely tempted to check up on the sick hacker. Each violent cough and sneeze sent a pang of pain to her heart. She felt utterly helpless at the fact she could do little to help the other woman.

There was a sound of a toilet flushing and then the quiet hum of an electric toothbrush. Shaw was becoming familiar with Root's routine. The woman always brushed after each time she was physically sick. Likely she could not stand the foul taste in her mouth despite the dulled sense of taste.

Once more there was silence from the bedroom and Shaw turned her attention back to the television. She finally found something semi interesting. Some show dealing with a group of people trying to stop cataclysmic events triggered by magic. It was somewhat amusing and she could not help but smile at the irony of the character's base of operations being run out of a library. Apparently the network was running a marathon and she made herself comfortable on the couch and settled in to watch.

It was several hours later when Shaw finally stirred. Woken by a clammy hand on her shoulder. Snapping instantly awake she grabbed hold of the hand and directed her attention to its owner.

Root's face was a pale white and yet there was a ghost of a smile on her lips. Though her eyes were tired there was a small fire of amusement dancing behind them as managing to catch Shaw unaware.

"Are you feeling any better?" Shaw asked quietly her attention focused solely on Root's face, and not on the pale flesh that was visible from the moonlight spilling in through the window.

"A little. I think the worst of it is over. Though I'm still rather weak. Do you think you can help me change the sheets on my bed? I'd rather sleep on fresh clean sheets as opposed to ones saturated with my illness." There was a slight pleading look in her eyes that caused Shaw's heart to pause for a moment before resuming beating at a frantic pace.

Sameen said nothing and simply nodded. Sitting up she left the couch and followed Root to the hall closet. Getting the sheets down she followed the taller woman into her bedroom. Shaw did most of the work, since Root was still rather weak. The food that Shaw had prepared early had bene eaten a couple hours previously and managed to be kept down. Once the bed was made Shaw turned to head back to the couch to spend the rest of the night when she was stopped by Root's quiet voice.

"I don't think I'm infectious anymore. If you want…we can share the bed. It's more comfortable than the couch."

Her mouth curved slightly at the corners and she turned to Root. "You are probably right. Better to keep a close eye on my patient than to be a room away."

Root climbed beneath the covers and looked on as Shaw undressed and climbed in beside her equally naked. Turning on her side Root allowed the other woman to cuddle her and felt her body instantly relax in the shorter woman's embrace.

2 Days Later

"ACHOO!" Shaw sneezed violently into the Kleenex. Blowing her nose she only managed to get a small amount of mucus out of her stuffed up nose.

"You really should take better care of yourself Sam." Root's singsong voice came from the open bedroom door. "I can't always drop everything to come and play nursemaid when you catch a simple little cold."

The hacker giggled at the attempted glare the shorter sick woman shot her. Its effect dramatically lessened by her runny nose and the pink nightgown she wore. The nightgown borrowed from Root and apparently the only thing the hacker had that might fit the other woman. Shaw did not believe her for an instant but had reluctantly took the offered clothing.

"Oh shut up." She grumbled as she tossed the used Kleenex into a nearby wastebasket before turning her attention back to the hacker. "Do I even need to ask how you managed to find my apartment, or why you chose to break in?"

Root grinned as she shut the door. "Well I figured since you were sick you could use a little company. And seeing how you took care of me, and aren't nearly as sick as I was, I thought it was the least I could do to help make you feel better." Her hands dropped down to fiddle with the belt holding closed the coat she wore. "While I might not have your medical experience…" She began before opening the coat "…I do know a thing or two about making you feel good."

Shaw's mouth went dry at the sight of Root in the silk black teddy that did little to cover her lithe form. While it kept the woman's intimates covered its semi see through fabric did a good job at hinting at the delights that were hidden from sight. Her brain was still trying to process everything even as Root sauntered over to the bed and climbed beneath the sheets. Just as she finally formulated a response it was lost as the taller woman hiked up the nightgown and began kissing her way up the flesh that had so recently been concealed.

With a moan born more of pleasure than pain Shaw settled back in the bed and decided that she could handle being sick if she received this kind of bedside treatment all the time.

A/N: Well I hope you guys enjoyed this. Please let me know what you thought and if there are areas that need improvement. All input is welcome. Here are your next three options.

1. Shaw and Root have a heated argument. Inadvertently Root lets her true feelings for the other woman be know.
2. It's Shaw's Birthday and Root manages to find her the perfect gift. Of course Shaw has to show the hacker how much she appreciated the gift later that night.
3. Shaw is rather turned on by just about everything Root does. Of course Mr. Reese notices and has to tease her about it. Which leads to Shaw quietly admitting her feelings for the hacker unaware that someone is overhearing the conversation.