A/N: Thanks to PiscesChikk for giving this a once-over for me. Also thanks everyone for the reviews, faves and follows! :)

The restaurant was a lot swankier than she'd expected. Not that Joss had been expecting a dive. But when John had called her this morning to suggest they meet for dinner to discuss their impending nuptials, she certainly hadn't been expecting real silverware and actual ambiance.

From the beginning, their thing had always been meeting at one of the many diners that were sprinkled around the city. Nearly every important milestone in their relationship had been reached at one: their very first meeting, the first time she'd thrown caution to the wind and handed over privileged police information, the first time her trust in him and his mission had been tested. But this new milestone, the first time they'd be officially working undercover together so closely on a case, was getting an upgrade. She couldn't help but wonder what, if anything, it meant.

As she followed the black-clad hostess through the crowded bistro, Joss took in the room. The place was gorgeous. It was classy without the coat of pretentiousness that so many of these establishments often fell victim to. A lofty ceiling painted a pristine, dazzling white soared overhead, and she was pretty sure there were enough crystals in the expensive-looking chandeliers to make several pieces of jewelry for every woman in the room with some left to spare.

Like the city itself, the patrons were a diverse bunch, but there was certainly nothing diverse about their bank accounts. Most of the people here probably made more money in a day than she did in a month, but surprisingly she didn't feel uncomfortable or out of place. No one was giving her a second glance as she crossed the spacious room, and she found herself relaxing more and more with each step.

She also discreetly marked the exits, noting any hallways and alcoves and generally gauging its overall security. She knew that if John had picked this place she needn't worry about any of those things. But like him, she wasn't able to help herself. It was a part of who she was, and with her current investigation into HR and their nefarious activities, the inclination was even more pronounced. And she'd never apologize for it either. That instinct had saved her life more times than she could count. It had also been the sole reason she'd allowed herself to trust John when she should've run in the complete opposite direction.

Given their trajectory, she surmised that the hostess was leading her to a table at the very back of the room. One that was as out of the way as possible while still being in the thick of the action.

She was right.

The small, square table where John was casually watching them approach was tucked into a far corner of the sizable room. All of the exits and patrons were easily visible with just a glance, and the silk-covered wall bracketing them from the back would assure that no one would see John pull his gun if the situation arose. Without even thinking, she nodded in approval. She couldn't have chosen a better position herself.

As they drew closer, he pushed his chair back from the table and stood. She couldn't help but notice how ridiculously handsome he looked. He was wearing the same black suit she'd seen him in hundreds of times, but he'd ditched the standard white shirt for a coal black version that made his blue eyes pop and the silver strands in his dark hair stand out even more than usual.

Joss' footsteps hesitated for a second, and she mentally chastised herself for the lapse. But she hadn't been able to help herself. Because if she didn't know any better, she'd think they were on a date. A real date. Not a couple of friends getting together to discuss business. She was pretty sure that if any of the other patrons were watching them, they'd think the same thing. Knowing John, that was probably the point.

The hostess gave them both a bright smile, informed them their maître d' would be with them shortly to take their orders and quickly headed back to her post.

"So who'd you have to bribe to get a table on such a busy Saturday night?" she said in lieu of a greeting as John rounded the table to push her chair in after she'd taken her seat. It was one of her usual teasing barbs meant to steer them back to their comfort zone. But it was really a play meant to help her regain her shaky equilibrium. The thought of being on a date with him—even a fake one—had thrown her. And his solicitous behavior wasn't helping.

"Lauren."

Placing her black clutch on the white cotton tablecloth beside the glass of ice water John had waiting for her, she eyed him with amusement as he retook the seat across from her. She'd been joking, but clearly he hadn't been. "Lauren?"

"Our lovely hostess."

"You mean Miss Congeniality? She actually allowed herself to be bought?"

He smirked. "It wasn't hard. Most people can usually be swayed when a couple of Benjamin Franklins make an appearance."

Joss knew that better than anyone, but she was too shocked to learn that he'd so nonchalantly dropped a couple of hundred dollars just to get them a table to voice it.

"We could've just eaten at The Lyric, John," she said instead.

"We could have."

"So why didn't we?"

"Didn't want to." When she just continued to stare at him mutely, he sighed and sat forward, resting his forearms on the table. "Because I meant what I said. We haven't gotten to sit down and talk in a while. I figured since it was finally going to happen, we might as well do it in style."

Not sure how to respond to that, Joss picked up her water and took a long sip, eyeing him over the rim. He'd said the same thing to her not that long ago, his low voice just as earnest then as it was now. At the time, she'd just gotten off shift and had been tired and cranky. The last thing she'd wanted to do was go down that road with him, and she still wasn't sure she wanted to. That road was dangerous, filled with all kinds of traps she was hoping like hell to avoid for as long as she could. Falling victim to one was inevitable, but for now, she could at least pretend she had some common sense and a modicum of self-control.

He was staring back at her unabashedly, his face serious but tender as he watched her. Stomach swooping, she mentally cursed her weakness. What it was about this man that made it not only impossible for her to say 'no' to him, but made it so difficult for her to control her emotions around him? She should be used to the intense way he looked at her by now; like she was the only important thing in his world.

She supposed she should also be used to feeling like a schoolgirl with a crush around him, but she hadn't quite managed that either.

"Okay?" he questioned, his voice breaking into her thoughts when she still hadn't spoken. That familiar crooked smirk snuck back onto his face, as if he suspected what she'd been thinking and needed to lighten the mood for her sake.

After a small pause, she nodded. "Okay."

Grateful for his attempt at a bit of levity despite the tension swirling between them, Joss settled back against her padded chair and decided that for once, she'd just go with the flow.

"No." John set his tumbler of Glenlivet down on the table a lot harder than he'd intended. The amber liquid rocked ominously against the sides of the glass, but settled down before any could slosh over the side and mar the spotless tablecloth.

The irony wasn't lost on him that he was echoing the same sentiment that Joss had given him yesterday about joining him on this mission, but he shoved the thought aside. Unlike her, he was going to stick to his guns.

"What? Why not?" she asked, her face a mask of surprise. She'd paused with a spoonful of chocolate mousse halfway to her mouth, but placed the utensil back into the fluted glass bowl as she regarded him curiously. "It's the perfect motive."

His fingers tightened around his glass. "No infidelity."

"What's the big deal?"

He just looked at her, amazed that she truly didn't understand. "You really want to know?"

"No, John, I just like hearing the sound of my own voice."

Despite his best intentions, John couldn't help the tiny smile that snuck onto his face. This was what he'd missed. Their banter. Her quick-wit. That razor-sharp tongue that could so easily cut a person in two, but never failed to make him grin like an idiot.

God, he'd missed this. He'd missed her. So much.

It was part of why he'd chosen this restaurant instead of one of their usual haunts. He'd wanted a quiet, classy place where they could catch up without the backdrop of old grease and screaming children getting in the way. And he'd known the second he'd laid eyes on her that he'd made the right decision.

He'd always thought Joss looked good in anything: her police uniform, the subdued pants suits that she wore for work, the no nonsense outfits that she seemed to favor even during her days off. But the sight he was being treated to tonight was nothing short of amazing. She was a vision in a black, one-piece jumpsuit, all curves and golden brown skin and the most beautiful smile he'd ever laid eyes on.

"Well, since you want to know," he said, holding her eyes while he took another sip of his Scotch, "even in a fake marriage, I'd never cheat on you." As confusion started to settle across her features, he shook his head. "Don't bother trying to figure it out."

He didn't elaborate. Hell, he wouldn't be able to explain it to her even if he tried to. He didn't even fully understand it himself. Because there was nothing logical about it. There was no reasonable justification for nixing what would be a rock-solid cover. But as irrational as his feelings were, it didn't make them any less real. His loyalty to Joss meant everything to him. She was one of the few people in this world that cared whether he lived or died, and the thought of not being true to her didn't feel right. Ruse or no, he couldn't imagine a time or a place or a circumstance that would make him betray her.

"All right." She returned her attention to her dessert and took a small bite.

"All right?" he repeated, not bothering to hide his surprise. He'd expected her to press him on it. This was the second time she'd capitulated without a fight.

"Being the mother of a teenager has taught me to pick my battles." He'd barely gotten a chance to breathe a sigh of relief when she continued, "But since you're being so open tonight, how about telling me why you asked me on this mission instead of Zoe Morgan?"

The unexpected question caught him off guard for a moment, and he blinked at her slowly.

"You thought I forgot about that, didn't you?"

John sighed quietly. He thought she'd decided to let that particular line of questioning go, but he should have known better. The answer he'd given her the other day had been purposely vague because the last thing he'd wanted to do was to drag Zoe into the conversation. He still didn't.

All he wanted to do was bask in Joss' beauty and enjoy having her all to himself for a few uninterrupted hours. And so far, it had been fantastic. They'd spent dinner playing catch up, John delighting in Taylor's various adventures as a newly-licensed driver and Joss laughing aloud at his complaints about Shaw and her uncanny knack for driving him nuts. The wide chasm that had opened up between them lately, mostly by his ill-conceived notion to protect Joss for her own good, had shrunk a little. Not as much as he would have liked, but he was more than willing to take whatever she was willing to give him. At least for now.

But Joss clearly had other ideas. She seemed determined to plop the fixer down in between them until she got a satisfactory answer to her question.

"Thought I answered that," he finally said.

"'Because I wanted to?'" She gave him a pointed look. "That isn't much of an answer, John."

"Well, it's the truth."

As simplistic as it sounded, it was. He wanted Joss with him on this one. Not only did they work well together, but she was damn good at what she did. But it was more than that. He missed her plain and simple. He missed her and he wanted to spend time with her. This was the perfect excuse to do it. And given that she'd been avoiding spending an appreciable amount of time with him lately, this was probably the only way it was going to happen. But he wasn't about to tell Joss that.

"So…you saying you didn't want to ask me the last time you needed a fake wife?"

He paused before answering, noting that her question had been voiced a little too casually. Like she didn't want him to think she cared either way, but he could tell that the complete opposite was true.

Interesting.

"I didn't want to be presumptuous." It wasn't the entire truth, but it wasn't a lie either.

"You didn't want to be presumptuous?" Joss tossed back her head and laughed, a joyful sound that made several people turn to look at her and smile. She pushed back the long spill of raven hair that had fallen over her shoulder. "Right."

"I know you find it hard to believe, Joss, but I am capable of self-restraint."

She stuck her spoon back into her mousse and pushed the shallow bowl off to the side. John noted that she still hadn't finished the rich dessert, but apparently this topic trumped even chocolate.

Folding her arms on the table in front of her, she leaned forward slightly, her large brown eyes pinning him to his seat. "Has anyone ever told you that you're an expert at deflecting?"

"Once or twice."

"And there it is." She tilted her head and slid her gaze over him rather triumphantly. "The perfect excuse for therapy." When he raised a brow at her in question, she continued, "My husband always keeps his feelings to himself, and I've finally had enough."

They stared at each other, the silence dragging out between them, heavy and meaningful. The melodic scraping of silverware across delicate porcelain and the soft babble of voices disappeared as her words and their insinuation burrowed under his skin. Fear, clear and sharp, lanced through him. Although he knew he was probably projecting, it felt as if she was making a declaration on the current state of their relationship. But instead of letting his growing apprehension gain purchase, he seized the frustration he'd been nurturing since they'd begun shutting him out.

"And my wife doesn't confide in me anymore." John sat forward, purposely mirroring her posture. "And no matter how much I try to be there for her, she constantly pushes me away."

Joss shifted away from him, sitting back in her chair, and he scored himself a mental point. He knew it was childish, but it felt good to know he wasn't suffering alone.

Jaw set, arms crossed over her chest, Joss was nearly glowering at him. "Well, it seems we have our cover story then."

She didn't sound happy about it.

And if John wanted to be honest with himself, he wasn't sure he was either. In his estimation, this cover was only marginally better than infidelity. When he'd asked her on this mission, he'd been thinking more along the lines of her having a shopping problem or him being a workaholic. Something simple that many couples struggled with. But as usual, when it came to Joss, he'd easily lost control of both himself and the conversation.

For the first time, he wondered if maybe he should've asked Zoe on this assignment after all. The company would be a lot less enjoyable, but at least he'd save himself some mental anguish.