Summary:

Root breaks into Shaw's apartment while Shaw tries to convince herself that she doesn't care. A collection of moments from Shaw's perspective to the end of the series.

Chapter 1: Two In the Morning

"Miss me, sweetie?" Root smiled through to the reflection of Shaw in the bathroom mirror. She was standing shirtless and bloodied at the shoulder. Dark red dripped down the black lace bra she was wearing and on down to her stomach.

"What the hell, Root?" Shaw snarled back although she wasn't mad. Not this time. She was actually relieved but she didn't let it show. The weight that Shaw felt hanging over her, almost like she was being held underwater, completely evaporated. She finally was starting to understand the reason why. Every time the taller woman disappeared going on some wacky errand for the Machine, Shaw felt it. The first time Harold deflected an answer and mentioned sacrifices when referring to Root, Shaw knew. This feeling was caused by Root. Shaw shouldn't care, they fucked a few times but she shouldn't care. At least that's what she told herself.

It was 2 in the morning and Shaw had just gotten back from tailing the latest number. She wasn't expecting to find that Root had broken into her apartment. Shaw dropped the black bag of weaponry along with the gun she was carrying on the floor with a thud. After laying eyes on Root, she hastily and rather grumpily made her way to Root's side. The bathroom looked like a murder scene after all and Root apologetically stared at her at the center of it with a slight pained expression.

"Looks like I ran into some trouble, care to fix me up Doc?" Root smiled at her with a slight grimace after Shaw twisted her around and started examining the wound.

"Shut up, Root," Shaw responded as she tried to get a better look. Root's shoulder's seemed to be a magnet for bullets. Shaw ran her finger across scar tissue from a past wound that basically was just centimeters from the newest addition.

"Well, what's my diagnoses?" Root teased making sure she smirked as Shaw looked up at her.

"That you are a reckless idiot," Shaw responded with an eye roll. She put pressure on the wound and guided Root's hand to hold it still. Root flinched slightly at the pressure but the smile she wore never left her face. She watched as Shaw grabbed the first aid kit that was dangling dangerously close to the edge of the sink and sorted through it's contents. Luckily, the wound looked worse than it actually bullet only grazed Root's shoulder despite all of the blood that was dripping down. Shaw finished dressing the wound and placed the bandage.

"Want to help me clean up?" Root asked with raised eyebrows holding a clean washcloth over to Shaw. Root was obviously in pain but that always just made her more dangerous. Shaw took it with a smirk on her face as she met Root's eyes.

"Raise your arms," Shaw ordered and Root did, lifting her arms slightly away from herself. Shaw took the washcloth and let cool facet water run on it before bringing the cloth to Root's body. She made sure that it was a little too cold and her smirk turned into a smile when Root gasped as the cloth made contact with her skin. Shaw felt Root's eyes on her as she moved the washcloth across Root's body. It was always unnerving and exciting to have Root watch her. She made sure to move deliberately slow, starting at Root's stomach and making her way up to her shoulder. When she got up to Root's shoulder, they locked eyes.

"Have you taken any pain pills yet?" Shaw asked, she was tempted to add pressure to the wound but she didn't. Not this time, anyway. Instead, she ran the washcloth across Root's collar bone.

"No," Root responded, they were dangerously close, Shaw could feel the warmth of Root's body from where she stood. Shaw kept eye contact for a few seconds longer before leaning over the sink to the medicine cabinet. She crossed over Root in the process who had to steady herself by gripping on to Shaw's upper arms or risk being knocked over the sink. With their line of work, Shaw always had a big medical stash in her apartment and she pulled out two pills from the bottle.

"Open," Shaw ordered, Root did and allowed Shaw to pop the pills into her mouth. Shaw then handed her a glass of water in a little dixie cup that also came from the medicine cabinet. Root swallowed and handed back the cup.

"Are you in the mood for?" Root inched the remainder of the distance and let the sentence hang in the air. She had her hands inching up Sameen's shoulders and if Root's lips connected with any part of her body, Shaw knew she was done for. Instead, she held Root in place and moved first. Tilting her head, she placed a rough kiss on the taller woman's neck because she was in the better position for it anyway and bit down hard. Root gasped and Shaw stayed for a couple more seconds as she traced a few light kisses up her jaw. Before she could loose herself completely, Shaw pushed away. Root tried to follow but Shaw didn't allow it.

"Payback," Shaw smirked as she tried to gather herself. Root had done the exact same thing to her more times than she could count. Shaw didn't exactly enjoy explaining the marks to the boys the next day. Once, she even had a number that was annoyingly observant and thought he was a comedian at the same time. He accidentally fell out of the car, twice. Reese then had to sit between them.

"Sameen-" Root looked back at Shaw who just handed her another clean washcloth.

"Clean this place up for me?" Shaw asked but it was more of an order than a question. Shaw then left the bathroom before Root could respond and walked into the hallway, she looked back at Root with a slight smile. It took a second for it to register what just happened but when it did Root tilted her head back and laughed.

"Sweetie, did you just-?" Root called back and Shaw smiled and rolled her eyes at her.

"Don't come to bed until everything is shiny," Shaw turned around and stripped down to her underwear on the way to the bedroom. It was 3:30 in the morning by the time Root joined her.

"Root," Shaw called out sleepily to her when she felt the bed dip as Root rested herself down beside her. Sameen couldn't sleep, she was thinking about Root getting shot. About Root not coming back. It was comforting watching the light from the bathroom and then watching the woman herself walk up to the bed. Root shifted herself to face Sameen and she propped herself up on her elbow. She then used her free hand to trace Shaw's scars with her fingers. Shaw did the same and lazily traced Root's bandage and scars with her own hand. Shaw didn't remember much after that.

The next morning Shaw woke up and reached out beside her. The space that Root filled was now empty. She was gone, like how she was always gone. Either in the mornings or in and out of Shaw's life. Shaw didn't care, she really didn't care, was what she kept telling herself. Shaw stretched and got up.

"I don't care," She said out loud, voicing her thoughts, that maybe if she said it out loud it would be true. She glanced at the empty space beside her. She felt like she was back underwater.