Shaw sighed in relief as she closed the door behind her. Any time she got out of the house now was a relief. Normally, she hated going outside at this time of year. November in Chicago was brutal. But inside the house was Root. Who still walked around nearly naked and bent over in front of Shaw and found reasons to touch her and just could not give it up. Shaw wasn't sure who she was more irritated with; Root, for trying to entice her for another go, or herself for wanting it so damn much.

Worse yet, she didn't seem to care that it was winter, which Shaw thought might inspire her to wear more clothes. No, she just kept the house toasty warm at all times. Shaw tried to turn off the heat, just to fuck with her, only to find that Root had hijacked the thermostat so she couldn't alter it. Fucking hackers. Shaw had cursed up a storm, and when Root played innocent, Shaw nearly threw her laptop across the room. But such a display would only have given Root satisfaction, so she'd taken out her frustration at the gym. Every day for the last week.

She needed a distraction. Which is why she was meeting Tomas at the range today. They'd finally coordinated their schedules to go shooting for the second time, and she was looking forward to it. Both for the guns and the company.

She still hadn't slept with him. She was reconsidering it, hoping it would get her mind off Root, but she wasn't so short-sighted as to see the flaw in that plan. Because they still had to work together, and if he went all doe-eyed...

Shaw growled, slamming her car door shut. Fuck, Tomas wasn't her answer, either. Maybe she'd fuck him anyway and just quit. She'd miss spending hours surrounded by guns, but she had money set aside and her student loans covered most things, so she didn't need the work. Plus, she could focus on school better without the distraction of a job. On the flip side, that would then eliminate one of her reasons for being out of the house, away from Root.

She had yet to find the winning solution to this. All the more reason to go shooting. She was meeting Tomas there in half an hour. Separately, of course; one less thing to be construed as a date.

When she parked, he was already there, lounging comfortably against the driver-side door. She tried not to eye him too obviously as she got out. "Hey, sexy," he called out, having so such compunction. She let him look, choosing not to admonish his childish greeting. "You ready?"

"You have no idea how much I need to shoot something today."

He chuckled. "Rough week?"

"Don't want to talk about it."

"Sure thing."

They signed in and picked their guns for the day. Tomas had learned the hard way after their first visit to the range not to make any recommendations. That was only mistake number one; his recommendations had been based on a list of guns that were, apparently, 'best for women'. Upon the deadly look she'd given him, he'd mumbled something about the list not being his idea or anything, just a starting point. She'd snapped back that she didn't need his tips, or any assessment on what she could fire. She made her own point by not using a single gun from that list. Tomas had been impressed.

A little too easily impressed. Shaw had left that not-date feeling disappointed in him. Her attraction remained, but it wasn't quite as...heated as before.

Today, he knew better. He let her pick out whatever she wanted without comment. He'd better not drool when she tried out the gleaming Remington 700 that had caught her eye. She was not in the mood for drooling.

"Do you want to-"

"I want to shoot," she snapped. Why was he always trying to start a conversation? Shaw shook her head and picked up the first gun.

When she got back into her car an hour later, it was with a huge sigh of relief. Both for the release of the activity, and because Tomas was no longer in front of her. Fuck, this had been a mistake. Shaw rubbed her hands over her face and tried to erase the disaster from her mind.

He'd finally stopped talking to her. He got the hint, zipped his lips, and let her do her thing. He even walked her back to the car in silence. Just when she'd started to feel relaxed, Tomas had to ruin it. Somehow, he'd gotten the vibe that it was time to make his move.

So instead of leaving her at her car like he should have, he pressed her up against it and kissed her. In his defense, it wasn't a bad kiss, and for a second, she thought about trying to get into it. But the taste of his last cigarette brought her right back to her prior level of annoyance. She'd pushed him away and told him as much.

"Oh, sorry." He'd chuckled awkwardly, running a hand over his short hair. "Bad habit, I know. But, uh...I can brush my teeth." She'd just stared at him, leaving him to cough and add hesitantly, "At my place?"

"Look," Shaw had tried to throw him a bone, but the annoyance thrumming her veins made that tough as she tried to formulate a response that wasn't too harsh. "We work together. This," she'd gestured between them, "isn't going to happen."

Tomas had frowned, disappointed and confused. "Really? I thought we kind of hit it off."

"So? Still work together."

As she'd unlocked her car, he tried one last time, "If you're worried I'd be unprofessional-"

"No, Tomas, I think you can't hit it and quit it, and that will be awkward, and then I'll be out of a job," she'd rushed out. "At the risk of sounding egotistical," she'd tacked on as an afterthought, right as the door closed on her.

Tomas had stared in shock for a moment before realizing he'd well and truly bombed, and went back to his own vehicle. Shaw stayed where she was, tense and frustrated. She'd gotten what she needed from this excursion, but it was being counteracted by this whole...thing. A part of her still debated sleeping with Tomas anyway, but she needed to be clear-headed before she made that decision. Maybe she needed to come and do this shit on her own next time. Maybe then her mind could be truly free of turmoil.

It only took two days for her to do just that. She just couldn't resist. The man who ran the shooting range seemed surprised to see her alone, but only for a moment. He handed over everything she asked for without question, and unlike some people, didn't feel the need to point out that she was only five feet and four inches, and some of the guns she expressed interest in trying were almost as tall as her. She took her choices happily outside, looking forward to some quality alone time.

Shaw laid out her guns in the order she wanted to try them out, savoring the peace and quiet. Fuck, coming alone had been the best choice. She was so focused on preparing that she didn't see she was being watched at first.

And when she did, she did a double-take. "Fuck me."

"Right here, sweetie?"

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Root just grinned at her. "This is my place. Has been since I moved into town. What are you doing here?"

Shaw didn't answer her. She didn't see anything worth saying. Not in response to that, anyway. What she wanted was to tell Root to go away. But she wouldn't go, and she would probably enjoy defying Shaw too much to make it worth even trying.

"Didn't know you would be here, I swear." For some reason, Shaw believed her. "Just wanted some target practice."

"Sure you did," Shaw muttered.

"Don't worry, I was about to leave." Root unloaded the pistol in her hand with a click, catching the single unfired round that had been in it with a casual motion that made Shaw's mouth go dry. "I've already been here for over an hour." She picked up a new gun. "Last one," she said with a wink.

Shaw noted that the collection of toys in front of her was quite impressive, though it did contain at least two guns that were on the 'best for women' list. But Shaw couldn't quite fault her for it. First of all, because it was only two out of the whole lot, and second, because the one in her hand, the Walther P22, was one Shaw loved the feel of in her hand. She just wouldn't ever pick it up around Tomas.

Shaw knew she was staring, she just didn't care. She couldn't focus on her own pile with Root in what was supposed to be her space. Or at least, her afternoon. She never would've guessed she'd run into her here, and it had thrown her off. She had every reason to accuse Root of planning this, but Shaw somehow didn't believe she had.

And so she watched her go through two rounds with the Walther before taking her headset back off. She grunted in satisfaction, squinting at her target.

"So...you really come here all the time?" Shaw managed to ask around the lust clouding her brain and making her tongue thick.

Root shot her a look that said she knew what she was suggesting. "Since I moved to town. There's a place closer to us, but their gun selection isn't as good, and the facility is just okay."

Shaw marveled that her roommate seemed to know her town better than she did. Must be all her free time, working for herself.

"Stick to this place, trust me." Root smirked. "We might not even run into each other again." Shaw scoffed half-heartedly. "Well, Sameen, I'm out. It was a nice surprise, though." Shaw didn't respond as she loaded up, feigning disinterest a little too late. "And it'll be nice to see you later." She grinned happily, backing away.

Shaw waited until she was long gone before she even picked up a gun. The kick of the first shot she fired unsettled her, but she settled into a rhythm after a minute. She settled into it so well, she went through twice as much ammo as she'd planned on. By the time, she called it, her arms were shaking. But there was a peace inside her that could not be denied.

She signed the guns back in, paid, and went to her car. Root's was gone, not that Shaw had noticed it in the first place. How had she missed that? Her level of distraction really was becoming a problem. She'd never before been so unobservant.

Shaw took her time pulling out, conscious of her trembling muscles. Now she was in dire need of food, a hot shower, and a long night's sleep. But her drive to the closest drive-in was just long enough for her thoughts to wander. And for some reason, her brain kept picturing Root, casually popping a round out of a pistol's chamber like she'd done it a thousand times. And her smooth, confident stance as she fired off one of Shaw's favorite guns, all while never missing her target. Yeah, Shaw had noticed that, too. She was no first-timer.

It irked her how much she couldn't stop replaying that in her head, but that didn't stop those images from repeating on a loop. Fuck, it was hot. That was just a fact. And inevitably, it left her comparing it to Tomas. From his 'suggestions' on which guns she should try to how he looked holding a weapon in his hands. Funny, it didn't give her the same kick. She'd seen him fire a dozen different weapons, and none of them had made her want to fuck him on the shooting range.

Fuck, this hasn't helped her situation, had it? Now she was comparing them in her mind! And truth be told, it made her less attracted to Tomas than ever. Why would she risk mediocre sex with him when she could have mind-blowing sex with Root? She already knew what that could do to her. Plus, Root was more readily available, which just increased the temptation. Shaw was not proud of how many times she'd had to masturbate just to keep from sneaking into Root's room in the middle of the night. It was becoming a problem.

Shaw couldn't get the thoughts in her mind to quiet until she had a full stomach. The combination of food on top of her full afternoon just made her sleepy. It allowed her to have a quiet ride home, at least. Root was in her room when she got back, so at least she didn't have to look at her again. Shaw took a hot shower, as hot as she could stand, before going to bed. And just for good measure, she also gave her vibrator a good workout. Better safe than sorry, right?