Last chapter! Thanks to everyone who left a review, I'm glad you all enjoyed this so much!

Another big hug to my betas ReeseisLAVAhot and SassyJ.

Chapter 11 – End Game

Later the next morning, when Lionel and Joss had answered all the questions and the suspects had all been safely booked and thrown in jail, the team met at an anonymous little diner not too far from the apartment for a very late breakfast.

"The entire gang minus Wesley is in jail and not going anywhere," Joss reported wearily.

"Caleb and I have been searching for Wesley using facial recognition software; I expect to find him shortly. Will you be able to arrest him when we find him?" Finch asked.

Joss shook her head, "No proof. We can only get the gang members we caught red handed with the stolen goods. There was no evidence left behind in the vault and the gang members we caught aren't talking. I'm guessing they are afraid of what Wesley will do to them and their families if they finger him as the ringleader."

"That means we still have a very serious problem," John said quietly.

Finch, Carter and Fusco all looked at him.

"Wesley will still come after Joss. He said he would kill her if I interfered with his plans and his pride and reputation demand that he follow through on that threat. We need to come up with a plan to protect her."

"I've already thought of that, Mr. Reese," and Finch removed a picture from his inside suit jacket pocket and pushed it across the table to John. John and Joss looked at it and John pushed the picture back. "No," he said firmly. "That's what Wesley would do, that's what the old John Reese would do. I'm not that person anymore." John paused and looked at Joss. "I won't be that person anymore," he said softly, his voice choked with emotion.

Joss's eyes had tears forming on the bottom lids and she placed her hand over John's, "I agree. I want to be safe, but not at that cost." John turned his hand so he was holding Joss's hand firmly.

Finch pushed the picture back over to John, "Mr. Wesley doesn't know you aren't the same man he observed in the marketplace in Turkey. Mr. Wesley is the same man he always was. It would never occur to him that you are not. You see Mr. Reese, it doesn't matter who you are, what matters is who Wesley thinks you are."

John looked at Finch for a minute absorbing the implications of that statement and then he nodded. He looked over at Joss and she nodded too, her eyes still glistening with tears.

Finch's phone buzzed and he put it on speaker, "Caleb, have you found Mr. Wesley yet?"

"The facial recognition software just picked him up in one of the bars in the international terminal at LaGuardia."

"When is his flight?"

Caleb chuckled, "Don't worry about that, Mr. Finch. His flight has been cancelled. Seems there was a problem with the maintenance records of the plane. He can't get on another flight for a few hours."

John got up from the table, "On my way."

He bent over to kiss Joss goodbye. "Go back to the library with Finch. Stay there and wait for me. Fusco, you stay with them. Make sure you're not followed; I need you someplace safe while I handle this. For all we know Wesley may already have people looking for Joss."

"Roger, Boss," Fusco replied.

Joss tenderly cupped John's cheek with her hand, "Be careful."

John turned his head and kissed her palm tenderly, "I will. See you soon." And then he turned and strode purposefully out of the diner.

John walked into the airport lounge where Alistair Wesley was passing the time waiting for the next flight.

Reese sat down on the stool next to Wesley. Reese could feel the man's muscles tense as Wesley realized who was sitting next to him. "Hello, Alistair," John said casually with a slight smile, keeping himself relaxed. He waved to the bartender, "Just coffee, black."

Wesley took a sip of his own drink and turned to Reese, "You won't be able to hide your little pet detective from me forever," his eyes were hard and cold.

"Won't have to," Reese said coldly as he reached into his inside pocket, withdrew the picture that Finch had given him and placed it on the bar. Wesley looked down at it and sucked in his breath with an audible hiss.

"My daughters! You wouldn't DARE!" Wesley was furious.

Reese placidly took a sip of the coffee the bartender placed in front of him. "I didn't start this, Alistair. I'm just finishing it," he softly reminded the other man.

Wesley glared at Reese, "I assume this means that if I touch your family you will go after mine?"

Reese sat his coffee down and looked hard at Wesley. "You were in that marketplace. You saw what I'm capable of. I have access to money and resources; you won't be able to hide them, any more than I could hide my family from you."

Reese and Wesley remained staring at each other for several seconds. Then Wesley visibly relaxed, his shoulders slumping just the tiniest bit, and he sighed. "Mutual Assured Destruction, MAD. It worked during the Cold War; I suppose that's fair." He tossed back the rest of his drink. "Alright Reese, you have my word that I will not touch the lovely Ms. Carter or anyone else who is important to you."

Reese nodded, his face the hard and cold mask of the trained killer, "As long as you keep your word, I will keep mine. I will not strike first, but rest assured, Alistair, I WILL strike last."

Wesley said simply, "Understood." And he got up, but before he could walk out, John's voice stopped him.

"Stay out of New York, Alistair. This is my home."

Wesley gave John a hard stare and he left the lounge without another word.

Reese smiled, and then left for the library and Joss.

John entered the computer room of the library a short time later. Finch was at his workstation and Fusco was relaxing in the only other chair in the room.

"How'd it go?" Fusco asked. "Did he buy into the whole détente thing?"

Reese nodded. "He wasn't happy about it, but he clearly thinks I will kill innocent children if he touches a hair on Joss's or Taylor's heads."

"Of course he does, because that's what that sick bastard would do," Fusco snapped.

John looked down at the floor, ashamed of what he was about to admit. "He believes it because there was a time when I would have hurt those kids."

Finch broke in, "That man died a few years ago in Ordos, Mr. Reese, we all know that. Fortunately for us, Mr. Wesley does not."

Fusco nodded his agreement, "Yeah John, I seen you with kids. I know you wouldn't do nuthin' like that."

"Thanks, both of you, for you faith in me," John said softly.

Finch's gaze didn't waver. "You earned it John, you truly have."

John looked around the room, "Where's Joss?"

"She went to take a shower and wash off all trace of her recent incarceration. I suspect that by now she is in your room changing into fresh clothing," Finch told him

"Thanks."

John walked up to the next floor that held what used to be conference rooms, offices and a small employee locker room that held the shower. Several of the rooms had been converted to bedrooms that could be used in a pinch. They were functional rather than luxurious; each room was equipped with a bed from a furniture store that sold unassembled furniture since boxes were easier than whole beds to smuggle into the building in the middle of the night. Clothes were hung on functional clothes racks rather than in closets or armoires and cardboard boxes were used instead of dressers. Despite the somewhat Spartan accommodations, the rooms were comfortable enough to be used for several days at time if needed. It was not unusual for Finch and Reese to stay there while working on a case, and on occasion Joss and Fusco would stay was well. Fusco and Finch each had their own small rooms and Joss would stay with John in his. Joss had also been eyeing the room next to John's for Taylor for emergencies.

John walked into the room and was rewarded with the sight of Joss standing in front of the clothes rack in nothing but a towel as she flipped through the clothes looking for something to wear. Her back was to him and she had no idea he was there. He decided to watch her for a few minutes before he announced his presence.

She was beautiful. Her long black hair fell loosely down her back and the towel did nothing to hide her exquisite figure. Joss was of average height, but her legs were surprisingly long in proportion to the rest of her.

John smiled and shut the door and the sound caused Joss to turn around.

"Well?" she asked. Then she nervously bit her lip while the frown line appeared between her eyebrows.

"It's done. Wesley fell for it. You and Taylor are safe, at least from the British invasion."

Joss let out a deep breath and briefly closed her eyes. "I don't know what we would have done if that hadn't worked."

John stared at her, his eyes soft with love, "I would have taken you far away from New York and stood guard over you night and day if I had to."

"Oh John…"

"You were in danger because of me. I'm sorry Joss. I shouldn't have brought you into my world."

"This was not your fault, John. You did everything you could to convince me not to pursue this. I knew what I was getting into when you brought me in. You've never once lied to me or tried to gloss anything over. It was my choice, and I have not regretted it, not for one minute. You've been worth it, all of it. You're a good man, John."

John was unable to meet her eyes. He was humbled by the fact that someone like her thought he was worthy of her love and respect.

"If I'm a good man, it's only because you make me want to be one."

"Then we're even. You've made me a better person too."

John looked at her in surprise, "But you've compromised your principles so often…"

"I think they needed compromising. No, wait hear me out," Joss held her hand up when John opened his mouth to protest. "Yeah I've broken a lot of rules since you and have been working together, but you were right when you told me that I could have my rules, or I could save lives. I chose to save lives and it was the right choice. There is such a thing as being too rigid, too rule bound, and that's exactly what I was.

"Don't get me wrong, I struggled with it at first. I struggled a lot. I think moving Stills body for Fusco and then saving Elias's miserable butt were the low points. But you know what? It turned out to be the right thing to do, because I do believe in second chances and I do believe people can reform and change for the better. I just needed to back that up with my actions.

"I've never been one to color outside the lines, and you don't even seem to know that there are lines, but the truth, the right thing, seems to lie somewhere in the middle. You helped me find that middle just like I helped you."

John looked down at his feet, "I think you come closer to the right thing more often than I do."

Joss sighed and rubbed her temples, "You're just not going to let me off the pedestal are you?"

John grinned at her, "Nope, if anything, you just convinced me that you belong up there even more. When I grow up I want to be just like you."

Joss smiled at him, "You're going to have to lose a few inches, get out in the sun more and change gender."

John laughed. He crossed the room swiftly and put the shirt Joss was holding back on the rack. "You're not going to need that for a while," he said with a smile. One quick tug and the towel fell to the floor and Joss was gloriously naked in front of him.

Joss laughed and pushed John's jacket off his shoulders, "You're overdressed Mr. Reese."

John hastily divested himself of his clothing with Joss's help. He needed to feel her beneath him, to reassure himself that his anchor was still there, that she was still his. She seemed to need the reassurance of his touch every bit as much as he needed hers.

They fell together on the bed, touching, feeling, and tasting each other. John pinned her beneath him and stared down into her eyes while a tear rolled unchecked down his cheek. Joss gently reached up and brushed it away.

"Don't," she said. "Don't, baby. I'm here, I'm fine."

She was there, and she was fine. John gently kissed her with so much love and tenderness that Joss had never felt more cherished than she did at that moment.

Their bodies entwined lovingly in a dance that was very familiar to them, but they could never seem to get enough of.

John entered her gently, reverently. He needed to be surrounded by her, to find his place within her again; to reassure himself she was still with him. She was precious and irreplaceable and he had come too close to losing her.

Joss was once again amazed that this former man of violence could be so gentle, so tender. She loved him, she loved him with her whole heart and she meant every single word she'd said to him earlier.

They started slowly and the dance grew hotter, faster, more urgent. They climaxed together, with other's names on their lips.

Reese rolled over onto his back, holding Joss to his chest, unashamed of the tears that ran down his face. Joss noticed and reached up to brush them away. "John…"

"I could have lost you."

"You didn't. I'm right here."

John gently touched the bruise on the side of her face from when Douglas had hit her, "I can't lose you. I will never let you go."

"I'm not going anywhere."

John just held her tightly for a long time.

Approximately six months later the Organized Crime Unit of the NYPD arrived to work to find a several boxes mysteriously placed on their desks. No one saw who put the boxes there and the security cameras in the precinct were inexplicably not working.

Upon opening the mysterious boxes, the detectives discovered all the evidence they needed to indict Don Grifoni and all of his top men with breaking over half the criminal codes of the state of New York. There was a very large party in the Organized Crime Unit that night and a lot of street hardened cops suddenly started believing in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny.

Despite the efforts of the best lawyers money could buy, the evidence was overwhelming and airtight. Grifoni and his men were convicted of numerous counts of murder, conspiracy, racketeering, money laundering and a very long list of crimes too numerous to list. The Don's organization was completely destroyed.

On the day of his final court appearance, as Grifoni was led out of the courthouse in chains to begin a sentence that was more than long enough to ensure he would die in prison, he spied the Man in a Suit standing among the crowd with a big smirk on his face. Grifoni turned to look at the Suit in surprise, wondering what the mysterious man was doing there and why he looked so damn smug. Then the Don suddenly realized that his conviction may have been more than just good police work. His mouth fell open and he glared at the Suit. The Suit merely gave Grifoni a cheerful nod and then vanished into the crowd.