Disclaimers: I do not own Person of Interest.

Shaw's eyes open wide and her right hand immediately went for the gun near her bedside after hearing a noise from outside. After calculating the sound for a few more seconds, she released the vice grip she had on the handgun. It sounded like Root was opening the front door with her own key. Shaw closed her eyes again for barely ten seconds before she heard a loud crash outside her bedroom. She sprung up in a sitting position and shifted her legs to the left side of the bed before standing and walking out into the hallway. Shaw's steps moved faster when she saw that Root was struggling to get up from the floor and was holding onto her left shoulder, blood spilling through her slender fingers.

"Who the hell shot you?" Shaw asked with an angered undertone. Root flinched as Shaw went to push her back down from standing up. Holding Shaw's gaze, Root backed down and let Shaw guide her out of her black blazer. She hissed as she had to bend her arm in an angle that made pain shoot from her shoulder all the way down her arm.

"I do love it when you play doctor." Root said as she bit down on her bottom lip. Shaw stopped mid-movement and gave Root a stern look before she maneuvered over to Root's injured side.

"You won't be loving me so much when I press my thumb into that entrance wound." Shaw responded as Root's smirk turned upside down. She helped Root out of the blazer and set it across the back of the couch before she went back down and kneeled on her knees as she without a warning got Root out of her white and bloody red sweater. Root bit down onto her bottom lip again to keep from yelling out in pain, so much that her lip started bleeding.

"Stop biting your lip. It's bleeding." Shaw pointed out the obvious as she brought a hand up to Root's face and removed her lip from her teeth after she's gotten Root out of the sweater and left her in the white skin tight tank top. Root stared up at her with mixed emotions in her eyes, not knowing whether to be grateful or embarrassed that Shaw was witnessing this much pain and weakness in her. Shaw frowned down at the woman beneath her, wondering how she'd come to care so much for Root even after she'd diagnosed herself with Axis II Personality Disorder almost a decade ago. She ran her thumb over Root's lower lip again, so focused on it that she hadn't realized Root's moved her hand to the back of Shaw's neck. Shaw felt herself being dragged forward and down towards the other woman. She let Root pull her in. She let her see how her protective instinct arise when Root gets hurt. She let Root see how much she is angered and hurt that Root got herself shot. Shaw let Root see how much she cared as her gaze lifted up to meet Root's stare. They were inches apart but still calculated each movement with precision and care.

"You're not sleeping on the couch tonight," Shaw said a hair-breadth away from Root's lips.

"Sameen…" Root barely retorted as Shaw pulled back an inch.

"Root." Shaw addressed her sternly as she looked hard into Root's brown eyes.

"You know...we can't…" Root started to say.

"Please." Shaw said, almost as much as begged Root. Shaw was using that sweet like honey tone that Root would fall for and have a hard time resisting when used on her, and Root looked away and rolled her eyes as her breath got caught in her throat.

"Fine, but I'm going back to the couch after I am feeling better." Root said still looking away. Shaw nodded and turned Root's face back to her.

"Stop looking away. Hiding isn't my style." Shaw said as Root's eyes expressed surprise at her words. Shaw leaned in to press her lips against Root's before she could react any more than Shaw wanted her to. She heard the gasp before the kiss and smiled as she took Root's bottom lip between hers and kissed it gently. Root kissed her back with more fervor and Shaw took her time with Root's lips while she trailed her left hand away from Root's face and down to her good shoulder. She felt a shiver run through Root and it made her feel even more triumphant that she could cause such a reaction in another body, especially the one in front of her. Shaw kissed Root's lips once more before pulling away slowly, pressing their foreheads together as she listen to Root's heavy breaths. She opened her eyes and found Root's staring right back at her. Shaw gulped at the desire she saw in Root's eyes, knowing that there were more important things to do now. Pulling herself completely away from Root, she let her eyes settle on Root's wound and sighed seeing the ballistic trauma near the scarred gunshot wound she had caused Root over half a decade ago. Shaw told Root to remain where she was and went to sterilize her hands and get the first aid kit she had in the bathroom before returning to exactly where she was a minute ago. Root was looking at her with intention and she rolled her eyes to avert the tension. Shaw carefully dressed Root's wound after tending to it and tried her best to keep her gaze away from Root's chest. She bickered with herself internally as she scolded herself about staring at Root so blatantly when she's hurting and needs attention for her gunshot wound. Shaw looked at the gauze closely to see if anymore was needed to cover the wound and when she looked up, she saw Root staring down at her with a smile on her face.

"What?" Shaw said and grunted as she backed away from Root, cleaned up the area, taking Root's bloodied sweater with her, and went to the kitchen to throw out all the medical supplies she used on Root.

"Is today maybe someday?" Root asked as innocently as possible. Shaw was pouring whiskey into her hands to sterilize them and stopped knowing immediately what Root was talking about. Her back still turned to Root. She suddenly took a drink from the bottle and put it down on the sink before twisting the cap back on, and turned around with her hands resting against the sink's edge as she closed her eyes and breathe a heavy sigh.

"Why? Do you want it to be?" Shaw asked seriously as she open her eyes, her head shaking back and forth a little as she let the words slip into the space between them. Root sat still against the couch on the floor, looking at Shaw contemplatively.

"I don't know, Sam… You're in an awfully good mood today." Root teased as she watched Shaw squirm beneath her gaze. Shaw doesn't squirm. Ever. Not with anyone else anyway.

"What is this? Some kind of punishment? You're the one who wanted this." Shaw questioned in confusion. She actually just wanted to say, "Fuck you." instead but thought better of it. She wanted Root to take her seriously. She didn't understand why Root kept up this push and pull thing between the both of them. Why wasn't Root ready? What was wrong with Shaw? Everything. A little voice said in the back of her thoughts.

"No. I just don't think you know what you want yet." Root said so surely that it made Shaw sick.

"If that's what you think, then you don't know me at all." Shaw said fierily. She pushed herself off the edge of the sink and gave Root one hard stare before walking past her and into her bedroom. The door slammed after her. Hard. Root smiled sadly at the door and dropped her gaze to the ground before her where Shaw had once kneeled just minutes ago. Root knew she wanted Shaw. She wanted every piece of her. She wanted Shaw to be hers and only hers, and she knew Shaw couldn't give her that. She wanted to take all that Shaw could give, and Root wasn't sure Shaw would ever be able to do that. She sighed before trying to lift herself up from the ground with her good side. It took a few minutes struggle and she really wish she had some painkillers, but she didn't. Root slowly walked over into the small kitchen and twist the cap open of the bottle of whiskey Shaw had used to sterilize her hands and Root's wound from earlier and took a drink from it. Her face scrunched up at the strong content of alcohol even as she reveled in it and its taste. Root took a swig every five to ten seconds. Before she knew it, the pain had dulled and she was beginning to feel quite light headed. She made her way over to the couch and sat down as she leaned her head back against the somewhat soft cushion. Her eyes grew heavy and only began closing when she felt arms around her and was suddenly being lifted from the couch she was on. She knew it was Shaw, or else she would've fought the protective arms that wrapped around her. Root tried opening her eyes to see her, to watch her, but she was too exhausted after getting shot and upsetting Shaw to even do a simple task as that. She felt the lightness of her head and everything around her, but the most amazing feeling was when she finally felt the firm but soft cushion beneath her. Root felt content. She and her thoughts quickly fell into a deep abyss of unconsciousness as Shaw laid on her side next to her watching her sleep. Shaw caught herself mid-movement as her hand had unconsciously drew closer to Root's face to brush away the stray strands of hair on her eyes. She pursed her lips for a moment but soften immediately as Root's face twitched slightly. Her fingers carefully moved Root's hair out of her face, but they lingered on her features as Shaw questioned why Root made her feel this way around her and why Root didn't want to continue whatever this was between the both of them. It was like the crazy woman was taunting her, and then retreated when Shaw finally responds to all of her flirting and innuendos. She just really rubbed her in the wrong way that was so right, and that confused Shaw to no end. Shaw watched Root unconsciously twitch in her sleep again as her even breaths fill the quiet space with a calmness Shaw never knew existed until she had met Root. She retracted her hand but allowed herself to move several inches closer as she pulled the comforter over the both of them. Shaw then turned around and faced the doorway. She closed her eyes and tried to shake off the feelings she was experiencing. It really didn't help that she felt the warmth beside her twitch again in her sleep, but before she knew it, her reality was slipping away into that same deep dark abyss as well.

Root woke up to a sharp pain in her shoulder and breathed out heavily as the pain rain through her side. She clutched onto her upper arm with her right hand as she tried to sit up on her own. She felt Shaw shift beside her and looked over her shoulder to see Shaw with a worried expression on her features. She swallowed the dryness that rested in her throat and closed her eyes. The pain relented and she breathed easier breaths as she focused on relaxing. She felt Shaw moving and the next thing she knew, she was wrapped up in her arms and was being guided to lie back down. Root laid down on her right side and Shaw's arm was under her neck and cradling her head close and burying Root's face into her neck. Root breathed in Shaw's scent and relaxed even more at being this close in proximity to Shaw. She couldn't help herself when she brushed her lips carefully over Shaw's skin. She felt the smaller woman flinch but loosen up a few seconds later when she trailed small kisses up and along Shaw's jawline. Root was surprised when Shaw dipped her head at the very next second and pressed her lips to Root's. They didn't close their eyes. It was an intense look shared between the both of them. It didn't escape Root that Shaw's eyes expressed that of confusion and anger.

"I'm sorry." Root's whispered apology surprised even herself.

"For what?" Shaw said against her lips.

"For wanting more than you can give." Root answered sadly without skipping a beat. Shaw looked at her carefully, and thoughtfully, and Root wish she could just hack into Shaw's brain to figure out everything about her and see how her codes really work. Or maybe should've just kept her mouth shut.

"Who says I don't want the same thing?" Shay finally responded as Root's eyes widen in surprise.

"You couldn't possibly…" Root trailed off in bewilderment.

"Love you?" Shaw finished for her. Root gulped and looked at Shaw seriously with an unwavering look, too afraid to miss a thing Shaw would say next. Root slowly nodded and look into Shaw's eyes, seeing flashes of emotions she didn't recognize. Shaw's stare suddenly hardened and Root braced herself for the next influx of words to come. After several minutes of silence, Root became confused, even more so when Shaw just pulled her arm away from underneath her and closed her eyes to go back to sleep. They remain inches apart and facing each other. Root didn't understand. How could Shaw just leave the conversation at that? She felt she was right all along. Shaw was her own person. She didn't want to be anybody's anything. She doesn't want to be owned. She was not Root's. When Root sighed a loud sigh and finally gave up to start going back to sleep in this new compromising position, Shaw suddenly spoke.

"I don't...do relationships." Shaw's voice held a tenderness at the edge of it but that was it. The rest of her tone was cold and controlled. Root opened her eyes and looked into Shaw's. "But I feel the need to protect you. I repress wanting to do the protecting. I mean I...just can't...if anyone hurts you. Touches you. Looks at you the wrong way. Whisks you away into some dark alley...and presses you against a brick wall. I mean...besides me of course." Shaw said pointedly as she looked seriously into Root's eyes. Root blink rapidly at the words she couldn't quite understand and process quick enough, seeing Shaw's face fall and frown at her reaction.

"Sameen...I'm already yours." Shaw's name lingered upon her lips. Shaw looked at her stoically yet bordering on almost disbelief. "And I'll take whatever you can give me. I just want you to be sure." Root spoke as she looked straight into Shaw's eyes.

"That's what these last three years have been about?" Shaw questioned in frustration and shook her head back and forth and turned on her back looking up at the ceiling. "I want to kiss you. And I want to hold you when you're hurt. Is that sure enough for you?" Shaw asked in annoyance. Root smiled and nodded.

"Yes, Sameen. That's good enough for me." Root sighed as she pulled Shaw close by the tank top and brought their wanting bodies together. Shaw kissed Root back and moved her arm back underneath her neck and Root bunched the front of the tank top in her fist as she pulled her as close as possible. The urgency in their kiss slowed after a few minutes as they went back to brushing gently against each other's lips. Root was the first to pull away this time and she settled a few inches away from Shaw. They lied next to each other in silence and kept their eyes locked on one another. Root couldn't help it as her eyes grew heavy again and she blinked slowly at Shaw watching her from where she was. She noticed the still figure beside her moved in a little closer, and she knew Shaw would continue to watch her even after she fall asleep. Root fell asleep soundly as Shaw stared at her in wonder.

"And the sex is better than any filet I've ever had in my life." Shaw whispered quietly to the sleeping figure. Root unconsciously moved towards Shaw and she grinned at the reformed killer for hire turned hacker. She hesitantly let her hand rest on Root's hip on top of the covers and she decidedly close her eyes to go to sleep. Tomorrow would be another day.