The best way to keep your friends is not to give them away.
-Wilson Mizner

Looking at the three women in his life dressed up as bait to attract a stalker seemed like a good idea─ at first. John had seen Shaw in dresses enough times during their work undercover, and he'd seen Zoe in a dress nearly every time he saw her… and she'd come out of her dress nearly every time he saw her as well. But he'd never seen Joss like this. She was always an attractive woman, but last night she was stunning. He tried not to stare at her in the form fitting dress she wore. "I think this might work," he whispered to Finch. Only now he wished that it hadn't worked so well.

"Just once, I wish you fellas would call with something that didn't require a firearm."

"Why? Are you not carrying?"

"I know better than to show up unprepared."

John had been on full alert last night when he thought she wasn't carrying. He felt his anxiety levels reaching unparalleled heights and he wasn't sure why. He knew Joss was a strong woman who was very capable of taking care of and defending herself, but there was a part of him that needed to protect her and make sure she was safe.

"This is our chance, Detective Carter. Please say yes."

"Yes."

He was outside the club last night, so he wasn't able to see Ian approach her. As he paced back and forth on the sidewalk across the street from the club's entrance, he could only listen to the open feed and hear him flirt with Joss and hear her flirt back. He knew she was simply doing her job, but her laughter sounded real. It sounded like she enjoyed his attention, and it annoyed him. He was sure that creep, that stalker ─ Ian didn't seem to mind her attention either. In John's mind, this predator was leering at her as their conversation went on. He continued to pace to try to shake himself of this… this… feeling he had. He knew what it was, but was in denial about what it could mean.

"Heads up partner, our guy's watching you…. Now he's tailing you."

After, Joss left the club, he and Fusco saw Ian tail her and start to follow her. With all his senses still on high alert, he went the opposite direction as Fusco followed Ian. His long strides were fast paced and he willed himself not to run, in order to meet Joss on her way and cut off any potential danger Ian could bring her way. He paced around the block and saw Joss walking up the street. She looked scared; truly scared. This wasn't Detective Carter speeding up her pace with fear in her eyes; it was Joss Carter the woman. He could see that Joss the woman was exposed, carrying or not. The "armor" of her police uniform or her traditional detective gear was missing so the swagger he usually saw was not in place that night.

"He's still on your tail so don't go home, okay?

"Where am I supposed to go, Fusco?"

John crossed the street to meet her as she crossed. Her pace was faster now and she turned her head to see if Ian was still following her, not paying attention to look ahead. Her guard was down. She ran right into him and was very startled. The look of relief on her face told him she was very happy to see that it was him.

He couldn't lose her. He wouldn't lose her. Their bond, while currently strained, meant so much to him. Probably more than he'd like to or would want to admit. This wouldn't be Jessica again. He wouldn't let anything get in the way of being there for her. He wouldn't be too late this time. She wouldn't be alone.

He wondered if she still knew that.

"Are you okay?" He couldn't take his eyes off her. She was there, she was safe, and she was with him.

"Yeah. I'm good. Where'd he go?" she asked, still looking over her shoulder.

"I saw the guy disappear up the street. It's safe to say that if he was looking for his next victim, he found her," Fusco said with concern. "I don't think it's safe for you to go home, Carter. I don't trust that guy."

Joss took a deep breath and stepped back, crossing her arms across her chest. "You said it yourself, he disappeared. I'll be fine."

John wasn't going to let that happen. "No, you're staying at the safe house tonight."

Joss looked at him with her arms still crossed but said nothing. She allowed him to drive her to the safe house, and was a woman of very little words for the rest of the night. Getting her to talk about anything was like pulling teeth.

Shaw came by the safe house this morning with a change of clothes for Joss and to relieve John of his duties as her bodyguard or, guard dog as she sardonically called him. He let her know that she wasn't needed and he asked her to meet up with Finch at the library for more intel. He would stay with Joss until her date tonight. Now they were at Lyric's Diner for breakfast and she hadn't said much to him.

For the first time in the push-pull story of their friendship, John was genuinely concerned. She was keeping something from him. She wouldn't open up. To an outsider, she seemed fine. After being demoted, she "kept calm and carried on", but he knew better. Something had changed. She was no longer the Joss Carter he once knew.

She was still distant. She sat across the table from him and engaged in small talk. Anytime he would ask her how she was, she'd give him the same response. It almost felt rehearsed, it was so shallow.

"John." She looked at him and made eye contact briefly. "Like I told you all the other times you've asked, I'm fine." She broke eye contact and looked away from him, watching the passersby outside their window at the booth where they sat. "I'm still a cop. Always will be," she said with resignation in her voice.

John decided not to push the issue any further. It was clear that she wasn't ready to open up to him yet. He wasn't sure how to address the elephant in the room, but he knew he had to do something. He still had questions on how she was able to get information on the Russian diamond fence. He had a feeling that whatever source she was using, wasn't the kind of source she should be dealing with. She was walking on dangerous ground. It made him feel uneasy that she'd keep anything from him. He wouldn't know how to protect her if he didn't know what to protect her from.

To make matters worse, she was putting herself in danger by going on this date with Ian tonight and they still weren't sure how much of a threat he was. Ian by all appearances was a hunter and he chose Joss to be his prey. They both needed to keep their guard up and stay vigilant tonight. He wanted ─ no he needed ─ whatever this distance or standoffish attitude he felt coming from her to be gone. He wanted to be able to sit and talk to her like they used to, but he didn't want it like this. Sitting in their favorite diner and talking over a cup of coffee, by all appearances looked the same, but it wasn't. It felt... superficial… forced, at least from her.

After a long period of silence between them, Joss spoke again. "John, you know you don't have to babysit me all day. I'm capable of taking care of myself. You stayed with me all night. Why didn't you let Shaw relieve you? Does Finch know about this?" Joss asked as she continued to look out the window, sipping on her coffee as she waited for him to answer.

He looked down at his hands as he fiddled with the paper napkin and looked up at her. She wouldn't even look at him. It was almost as if she refused to do so. It felt as if she was drifting further and further away from him. He decided to give a more diplomatic answer.

"We don't know if he is going to follow you and track you down again, Joss. I don't trust him to not make a move and I don't want to give him the opportunity."

"You didn't answer my questions," she said with a hint of irritation in her tone. She finally turned her attention to him.

He feigned ignorance of any wrong doing. "I didn't?"

She smirked at him and took another sip of coffee. A smirk. It wasn't a smile but he'd take that for now. He gave a smirk of his own and tapped his earpiece to answer an incoming call from Finch.

"Mr. Reese, Ms. Shaw and I have discovered some new information about Ian Murphy."

John automatically became tense. "What is it, Finch?"

"Perhaps it will be best to share with you and Detective Carter. We'll meet you both at the safe house to discuss the best course of action to take tonight."