Disclaimer: #3 in the bunch. Not mine. If it was, Joss would have been better treated then she was.

Insanity

What in the world did John Reese get her into this time? Joss found herself occasionally asking this question during their almost two year working relationship. It wasn't a secret that trouble followed John everywhere he went and yet she continued followed him through the hoops of mayhem. She didn't mind it as much when he did his own thing without involving her, leaving a parting gift in the form of unconscious criminal or incriminating documents on a crooked investor, but she was honestly getting tired of it all.

If John had chosen a different career path, Joss could have sworn that he would have been an interrogator like her. The man had a voice that would convince you of anything. She had seen this happen when she helped John with the numbers. The way he spoke gave a sense of comfort to the terrified person in danger. He sure as hell had a way with words. Maybe it was that skill that convinced her to go with John tonight. Joss had just been on the phone with him earlier when he asked her to join him on a stakeout. Of course she had objections to going out. Joss was only in the mood for staying home and relaxing under a thick, warm blanket.

Sensing she was going to decline, John took a second to mention that this was actually for her case and it involved learning more about Cal Beecher's background. She had stared at the burner phone in disbelief. John really did need to understand boundaries and that she was perfectly capable of doing a simple background check. After losing her job opportunity with the FBI, Joss just wanted some answers. Cal refused to even look at her when she asked him and it made her more suspicious. John didn't have to waste his time doing this when he had bigger things to wrap his head around, like when he had almost lost his life to Kara Stanton's bomb vest.

That night, it felt like a lot of things changed between them but at the same time nothing had really happened. When Joss found out that he was safe and sound thanks to Finch, she had to fight back the tears when she saw him. It had been a horrible couple of days for him. First he was incarcerated at Rikers, and then taken prisoner by his old partner. Joss wasn't surprised when he decided to take some time away from her. It hurt her a bit, but she understood. They weren't anything more than work associates, but now and then she couldn't help but wonder if he was alright.

She cursed the voice in the back of her head saying that it may not be such a bad idea to join John. The problem was that she didn't really have any form of transportation to meet up with him. Her cruiser was in the auto shop so she was limited to using cabs in the meantime. John agreed to pick her up and she was fine with it. She was always fine with their arrangements. Joss never did understand why she just followed along with his stupid plans. Maybe his voice worked wonders on her too.

Standing on the porch of the brownstone, Joss bounced a little, hoping to generate some body heat in the cold night air. The streets were practically deserted so the loud roar of an engine caught her completely off guard. As she looked around the corner, she could make out some headlights. Wondering who would be insane enough to be riding around on a motorcycle with it being so cold now. Joss rolled her eyes as he recognized the rider once he got closer. Typical she thought to herself as she walked down the stairs to meet with John.

"Are you crazy? Who in their right mind would ride a bike in this cold ass weather?" He didn't say anything, instead grabbing another helmet from the back and holding it out to her. Joss waved her hands in front of her, refusing the gesture. "No way buster, where's your car?"

John put the helmet back in place before reaching under his chin and undoing the strap. Pulling it up off of his head, he held it on his hip and looked at her with a frown marring his beautiful features. Joss was caught off guard. Normally his responses would start with a signature smirk. "Unfortunately Detective, the meeting place is on the other side of town and we don't have enough time to be hampered by traffic. With this…" he tapped the front of the bike in an affectionate matter. Joss quickly wondered how long he had been using it to grow so close to it. "We'll get there before they finish up their business."

She refused to believe that it was their only option. Joss tried to come up with a reason, any reason in the world, to not ride the very dangerous vehicle. She had ridden them before but it just didn't seem like it was worth the risk. "John, maybe we can wait until we know more information. Then we can catch them sooner and not need to go through such drastic measures."

He didn't look convinced and her lips pursed in a thin line. She knew that he wouldn't give up. "Joss, please listen to me. My source might not be able to catch them in the act again. Please come with me now so that you can have the answers you want. I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

There was that damn voice again. She was an army interrogator and never in her life had she met someone that could outtalk her. It warmed her heart that he really went through all the trouble for her. Normally a girl would be flattered with flowers and candy, but John always brought her perpetrators and was a strange relationship alright. Even though she hated to admit it, he was right. HR might be trying to hatch a plan to cover their tracks and she would lose the opportunity to get any sort of evidence.

"Just don't make me regret this okay?" The warning was only meant to keep John from acting too crazy while driving. He looked to be capable of handling things but the situation called for them to race through the streets at break neck speed. She took the helmet that was offered to her and straddled the bike, trying to ignore the fact that she was encompassed in his body heat immediately and welcomed it to shield her from the cold. "So any idea how many guys are there?"

John strapped his helmet up as she did the same. "From what I gather, it sounds like your ex-boyfriend and a few of his cop buddies decided to have a little party. I thought we could maybe just check out the place and take a couple of pictures while we're at it."

"So nothing else right?" Joss thought she heard a growl coming from him when he mentioned Cal, but she didn't have a clear view of his face to see his expression. She decided to just shrug it off as nothing.

"Nothing else" he repeated. John pulled back the kickstand and started the engine. Sitting behind him, John hoped that maybe Carter would take the more intimate approach and wrap her arms around his waist. Of course he was hoping for too much. When he felt her fingers dig into his hips, he revved the engine and got them on their way.

Carter never would have suspected that a simple stakeout could have gone so wrong. Her hair was being whipped violently as she wrapped her arms around John's stomach, while he tried to lose their 'friends' with the bike.

The meeting had been underway when they got close to the abandoned warehouse. Unfortunately, the only good vantage point they could find was in the upper part of the building.A garbage bin provided them a platform to get the height that they needed along with a boost from John to get Joss up there. John pulled himself up without any help and Joss couldn't help but be impressed with his strength. It was something that she hadn't really seen very much.

They managed to settle into a small alcove and Joss watched as Cal waltzed around on the ground floor, bragging to his fellow officers about some plan that was about to take place involving the Russians. Joss gazed over at John, who had been actively taking pictures the moment they spotted their target. She hoped that he wasn't looking at her sad expression. Joss didn't want to look so weak to him because it would have been too personal. It hurt to see that Cal really had been with her just to keep tabs on her. She hadn't allowed herself the luxury of dating in a long time and he said all the right words to convince her he genuinely liked her. She was a fool to believe it, especially with all the craziness in her life.

Looking over again, Joss allowed herself a small smile at the man beside her who almost died a few nights ago. She had never felt as helpless as when John shoved her away just to protect her. John was the kind of guy who would put other people before himself. Joss wished that he had just allowed her to try to disarm the vest. Just having him here now brought up feelings in her that she thought she had found in Cal. It was stupid to really think about things in that way. Their relationship was work-related and she would go so far to say that they were friends. She wasn't lying when she told Donnelly that.

Sitting here in the dark with him was the norm for them. They tended to walk inbetween the white and black, but they always did it together. John showed her that in order to find the truth, sometimes you had to ignore the rules. When the hell did she start to feel that small bit of attraction towards him? It didn't help matters that John was drop dead gorgeous in every sense of the word. It didn't matter what he was wearing, when she saw John, Joss would feel that small stirring in the pit of her stomach. Before her thoughts went too far, she shook her head and focused on what they came here to do.

A few more minutes passed before things looked to be wrapping up. Just as the men were about to leave, a large piece of metal underneath their hiding place broke off the roof and fell, attracting everyone's attention. All hell broke loose soon after and it turned out that Cal and his friends were quite trigger happy because shots were fired towards their position. John grabbed her hand without thinking and got them off the roof. John made it down first before helping her soften her fall as she jumped after then ran across the road and made it back to the Ducati. There wasn't enough time to get their helmets on before a car camebarreling their way with the glare of the headlights almost blinding them. All Joss could do was hold on tight as John revved up the engine and dashed out of there.

The back roadswere deserted so Cal and his friends unloaded a few more rounds from their pistols, some whizzing by close to them. Both John and Joss knew that they were sitting ducks unless they did something and fast. John couldn't do any evasive maneuvers at the risk of the uneven terrain causing an accident. He then formulated a plan. "Joss, grab my pistol and take a few shots at them to buy me some time!" he yelled, the wind whipping around them, making it hard to hear each other.

"What's the plan John?!"

He cranked the handles to get a bit more speed. "If I can lose our tail, there's a safehouse we can use until the coast is clear!"

"Alright!" Joss pulled away from him , keeping a grip on him. Noticing the bulge in his back, she reached just under his jacket and felt the weapon. She had to ignore the small shiver that passed through her when her fingers brushed up against a small patch of his bare skin. Pulling the pistol from his waistband, Joss let her grip go slightly so she could turn around. She was fighting the wind against her back while she aimed behind her and took a few shots. Some missed the car completely while others managed to find their way into the radiator.

In response, Cal and his buddies unloaded again. Thankfully, the bullets went right by her and John. Joss had to say she was impressed with John's driving. Despite the dire straights of their current situation, John had managed to remain calm and focused. Understandably they were on a vehicle where a twig would be the end of them, but she was impressed regardless. Reloading the pistol with a clip she found in John's waistband, Joss tried harder to get a better shot. This time she managed to scare them a bit by having the bullet shatter the windshield, sending small shards of glass in the face of the diver and his passenger. Her eyes bulged out a bit as she stared at the gun, never seeing anything like that from such a small weapon. The smashed window forced the men off the road, leaving them alone so they could get back to the city.

Sighing in relief as she returned the pistol to its former position, she snuggled closer to John, looking for some sort of shelter from the harsh wind. The temperature was dropping. John definitely chose the wrong time to joyride on a damn motorcycle.

"Nice shooting!" he acknowledged while keeping his eyes on the road. Carter couldn't help the smug smile on her face at him compliment. He wasn't a man who was easily impressed but she always enjoyed the fact that she could always surprise him.

"Yeah, well they weren't exactly too keen on letting us go!" she yelled back. Joss noticed the lights of the city approaching and began to relax a bit more. Why the hell was she so calm after John almost got them killed for the umpteenth time? At the same time, she couldn't help but be grateful. John wasn't going through all this trouble for another number. Damn that weird feeling in the pit of her stomach after remembering he had done all this to help her.

Joss felt something moist touch the upper part of her arm, drawing her attention. Despite their speed, she noticed that there was something white beginning to fall around them. Joss grew anxious, wondering if they would make it to her house before a predicted snow storm was ready to come in. John didn't let the snow bug him, since he needed to concentrate on getting them back to the city safely. He had seen the forecast too, which was why he made the safe house at the edge of the city a priority stop. If he couldn't get Carter back home, they would hole up there until the storm passed.

"John, we need to get off the streets quick!" Voicing the obvious, John scanned the road to make sure that they weren't being followed as they reentered New York city limits.

"We'll have to stayin that safe house I told you about after all!"

"Just get us indoors before we have another problem on our hands!" She gripped him a bit tighter as shefelt the bike picking up speed. She felt like she was on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Joss's body tried to rid itself of the adrenalinefrom the gunfight as she pressed herself more against John. Why did all of this feel so good to her? Thiswasn't anything but her on the back of the Ducati as John rushed to get them to the safe house and away from HR for the night.

Joss was beginning to get tired as the adrenaline died down and she closed her eyes, though she continued to be aware of every bump in the road and turn that John was making. The snowflakes were beginning to come down and she couldn't stop herself from shivering. John had felt the small shake behind him before taking the last turn into a quiet neighborhood. After parking in front of an apartment complex, he shut off the engine, drawing Joss's attention. "I'm just going to hide this in the garage. Just wait for me on the porch there." He pointed in the direction of the building.

"Aright" she said before swinging her leg over the seat and stepping to the sidewalk. She understood that there was still the possibility that Cal could have recognized the bike and they didn't want to take any chances. Getting it inside the small garage next door, John pushed the bike near the back before setting the kickstand. When he got outside, he made sure that the door was locked up tight before heading back to the front to meet with Joss. He noticed that the snow was beginning to stick on the asphalt of the street.

"Looks like someone was looking out for us" Carter commented as she looked up at the building, waiting for him to join her. John just shrugged his shoulders as he made his way up to the door. On the keypad off to the side, he input a code, changing the light from red to green. Opening the door, he allowed Joss to go in first before following behind her. "And here I thought that chivalry was dead" she joked. Joss then let John take the lead as he went to another door close by that was once again locked by a keypad. "So would it be dumb to ask how many places Finch has?"

John walked up and began to input another code. "I couldn't answer that question. I wouldn't be surprised if Finch owned half of New York." He escorted her through the now open door.

"I did hear about his newest purchase of that hotel you guys were looking into." Stepping past him, Joss let out an impressive whistle. The décor was tasteful, not overly extravagant. It had a very homey feel with the peach colored wallpaper. There was a large panel window on the far end of the room, allowing a view of the street and the increasingly heavy snowfall. There were some oak chairs that sat around a small coffee table with what looked to be a laptop sitting on it. There was a kitchen in the far end with what looked to be furnished with appliances that you would find in any home such as a coffee maker and toaster. Joss took off her jacket as she walked around another beautifully crafted coffee table, putting it on the back of a couch next to it. To her left, she could see a king sized bed a few feet away from a narrow hallway. Joss wondered how many paychecks she would have to save to pay a months rent for a place like this.

"If you want, you can get cleaned up in the bathroom. Finch stashed some extra clothes for you in one of the dressers." John remained stoic as he said this, like this was a normal thing for Finch to be doing.

She looked behind her, an eyebrow raised in suspicion. "Why in the world would Finch do something like that?"

John slipped off his jacket too while he continued to explain. "Well, these safe houses are mainly for his assets like you and me. Finch figured that he would just have a few things on hand if we were ever forced to hide out. He doesn't mean anything else by it. I'm sure he bought quite an assortment for us in those other places too."

Joss couldn't help but smile at how Harold spent his fortune. "Well I guess I'll let it slide for now. Should I be worried if he guessed my size correctly?"

"Finch is a very observant man Carter. He managed to tailor my suits without ever really asking me mine. He's his own tailor." John raised a hand in the direction of the hallway. "From what Finch told me, the left door is where your stuff is while the right is the bathroom. Go on ahead while I figure out what we have in the kitchen and talk with Finch about processing the pictures."

Joss was still a bit unsure but she couldn't really turn down the opportunity for a hot shower. "Thanks" she said before making her way to where he pointed. The noises of John rustling around reached her ears as she opened the door to another bedroom. The décor was identical to what was in the living room with the exception of the large wooden dresser that stood tall next to the door. Closing it behind her, Joss opened the drawers. Even though John had told her about what Finch had done, she was still shocked to see the large array of clothes folded neatly inside.

Joss sat on her knees while she began digging inside for something to sleep in. One of the drawers had been organized so it had quite a bit for that very purpose. Despite the storm that was now in progress outside, the apartment was quite warm. Opting for some red drawstring pants and a white tank top, she went out and across the hall into the bathroom.

It was a bit smaller than the other rooms, but that was actually an advantage. The warm air inside would be able to circulate and make things more comfortable. Joss hadn't had the chance to relax like this in what felt like centuries. With the hassle of her job as a homicide detective and moonlighting as a vigilante's sidekick, she earned this for sure. Finding a few scented oils in the cabinet, she set up the Jacuzzi tub with a few drops of jasmine. With how warm it was getting, it almost made her forget about why she was here in the first place. When the water was to her liking, Joss just stripped down and eased inside. She had to bite back the moan that threatened to escape her lips as the water did its magic and began to unwind her tension.

In the background, she heard a muffled voice and figured that John had gotten in touch with Finch. That man really did need to learn to just relax. Maybe she should invite him in here with her and she could show him how. Joss's eyes widened at what she had just thought. The water rippled while she rubbed some gel over her skin to get rid of the rust and dirt from their little trip. The scents surrounding her offered a welcome distraction from the direction her thoughts were heading earlier.

After a few minutes, her skin began to prune up letting Joss know that she had soaked long enough, much to her dismay. After getting out and toweling herself dry, she put on the pajamas, surprised that they indeed fit her quite snuggly. The towel was left on the rack and she opened the door, hearing John's end of the phone conversation.

"It's just a graze Finch. I don't need to have a doctor look at it." Joss stopped short of the living room when she heard this. John was hurt" she thought. Peeking around the corner, she spotted him in the kitchen area. It looked like there had been a second bathroom that he didn't mention because he had cleaned himself up before dressing in his own drawstring pants and tank top. A spot of red on his arm caught her eye as his hand moved to cover it. The phone was put on the table and the speaker was activated.

"Mr. Reese, you really should be more careful than to attempt something so dangerous, even if it was for the detective. There was no question that those men would have killed the both of you after the damning pictures you sent me."

John gritted his teeth as he looked around for something to hold some ice that he could press against his arm. "Those guys were chumps anyway Finch. They didn't even allow me the common courtesy of dropping her off before they started shooting." John took a moment before he spoke again. "He shot at her, Finch. Cal said he cared about her and then turns around and breaks her heart in more ways than one. I just wanted to help her because I had been avoiding her and I made a promise."

Joss's memory kicked in as she watched. She remembered that they after they left the building where that young woman worked, John had known that her relationship with Cal was getting serious. He had also said that Cal would have to answer to him if he ever hurt her. John didn't know that even though she was annoyed with him at using Marshal Jenning's badge at the time, she secretly appreciated his protective nature.

"I understand. I received the pictures and will have them processed for you to pick up in the morning if the storm lets up."

John took the chance to look towards the window and it was absolutely covered in white. When he turned back, he caught sight of Joss as she hid around the corner. She hadn't bothered to hide the fact that she had been caught, instead stepping away from the hallway. John just smiled to Joss, inviting her to the kitchen with a nod of his head. She looked out the window as well and couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her. She lived in New York all her life and never remembered seeing a storm this bad.

"Yeah, there's no telling from the looks of it. I ended up in a safe house if you don't mind Finch."

"Of course not Mr. Reese, I designed them for you and anyone on our team in need of assistance. That was my intention when I purchased specific ones."

"Well thanks for looking out for us either way. I'll call you in the morning." John then hung up the phone just as Joss was entering. "Looks like we're stuck here for a while." He then took a moment to look over what she was wearing. Joss looked quite domesticated with her hair down and walking barefoot on the hardwood floor. John soaked in the image a bit longer than intended before forcing himself to look away to continue the task from earlier.

"Yeah it does. Why didn't you tell me you were hit?"

John discovered a dish towel and filled it with ice from the freezer. "Well, it wasn't really something that was worth mentioning." Removing his hand to show her, Joss saw the horizontal slash of bruised skin with blood oozing out. "Besides, it'll be fixed by morning with this." John held his solution up triumphantly before pressing it firmly against the wound, sucking in a small breath at the cold.

"When did it happen?" Joss hadn't intended to nag him so much about it but it was starting to eat away at her that he had gotten hurt helping her again. It was something that she didn't want, which was why she didn't want John worrying about her affairs so much. She watched as he rolled his shoulder, getting a few kinks out.

John took a moment to remember. "Since you are so curious Detective, it was when I kindly asked you to distract our mutual friends by unloading a few rounds from my pistol. One of the close calls was able to hit a mark." It bugged her that he was brushing it off like it was nothing. Joss wondered what other scars besides the one she could see he didn't think much of. There were similar marks on his upper arm, a place that wouldn't be protected by a vest. That night in the parking lot, he hadn't been wearing any protection. Joss couldn't stop the curiosity and the urge to lift the tank top an extra inch to have a bit of a peek.

"Sorry about acting like a mom" she said, shaking those thoughts out of her head again. "I just didn't know and I guess it's just a reflex. Want any help?" she offered. John looked at her, he understood where she was coming from. She was great mother to Taylor and had raised him right. John would never hesitate to protect Taylor or her.

John beckoned her over. "How about you hold this for me while I update you on what's going on?" Joss nodded her head and stepped up to him. Their hands brushed against each other as she replaced his and pressed hard against the wound, the small hiss not going unnoticed. She just smiled reassuringly while he went on. "I just talked to Finch and he's going to clean up the pictures and gather all the info we collected to hand deliver it to the FBI and IAB in the morning." Watching her, John noticed her focusing way too hard on just holding a tea towel. "Look Joss…" The way he said her name drew her attention. She didn't mind hearing it in that silky smooth voice of his. "I'm sorry that it didn't work out between you and Beecher."

Her shoulders shrugged as she took away the towel to check the wound, noticing that it had stopped bleeding. "It's alright. I guess I was just fooling myself. This looks better." She reached over and grabbed a dry towel to wrap around the graze, securing it with a tight knot. "Let's just leave this there for now." She knew that he was staring at her, hoping that she would elaborate more on the comment she just made. Hopefully if she ignored him, John would stop looking at her. Somehow he had this power with his eyes as well as his voice. He said so much with them and could make you spill your darkest secrets if you fell for them. "I'm okay John, really."

"Well I'm happy to help if I can and I'm here if you need a friend to talk to."

"Thanks, and give Finch my thanks too."

"Will do" he said with a smile then looked down at what she did. John lifted his arm up slightly. "Thanks for this."

"It's the least I could do since you did get shot for me."

They just stood their looking at each for a full minute before John spoke again. "Is Taylor going to be alright?"

Joss nodded her head. "He's over at a friend's house tonight. After I saw the weather report, I told him that if things got too bad to stay over for the night and I would see him in the morning. He's more than capable of taking care of himself."

"I don't doubt that." He saw that the storm was still coming down hard. There was already a noticeable amount of snow building up on the ground. "I'm guessing he's going to be having a sleep over tonight."

"Yeah." Joss moved away from John and leaned up against the counter. She crossed her arms over her chest and decided to let him in on what she was thinking. "I was going to let him meet Taylor before I found out." John knew she was referring to Beecher.

He couldn't say he wasn't surprised. He had been sure to keep his eye on Beecher since he decided to approach Carter romantically. The excuse may have been that John only wanted to protect her and also a small bit of jealousy. He didn't know all her reasons for staying out of the dating scene, but he couldn't say that he was happy to see someone other than him asking her out. John knew he had no right to think that, but he did.

John reached up and began scratching his head while he took the space next to her, being sure not to have any contact with her skin. "I must have been such a fool, thinking that a guy like him could be so interested in me without having some sort of motive." Once she started, Joss couldn't stop her lips from moving, unsure if she was making a mistake to open up this much to him. She couldn't help but feel comfortable around John. He was a guy that you could freely open up to despite his hard exterior and that was why she enjoyed his companionship.

"That's not true, Carter" he responded to her earlier statement. "No one could ask for more in a woman. I'm sure there is someone out there for you." John knew he had to exclude himself from that large list. He was a danger to her. He continued to question why they even kept associating with one another. He never forced her to take their relationship any further then the work they did with Finch. Yet during the course of their two years together, they had spent quite a bit of time in between cases just talking to one another, mostly about Taylor or their cases.

Joss just scoffed at the statement. "I don't know about that but thanks for the reassurance. Maybe I should have you do some background checks next time" she joked. "How are things between you and your 'wife'?"

"Well we had a divorce after getting out of the suburbs a few weeks back. I saw her at a convention while I was working a case."She recalled during one of their conversations when they sat down and just talked about what happened between them after John took some time to himself. "Not found the right person yet."

"And how long have you been looking John? I'm sure that women are constantly throwing themselves at you."

"Now who's the one being reassuring Carter?" John appreciated the compliment. In reality, she had been hiding the fact that she thought she was lucky to be able to spend so much time with him.

It was then that she recalled what almost happened to him a few weeks ago with the bomb vest close call and felt a strong tug on her heart. She looked down at the small gap between them, noticing he had placed his large hand there. Without thinking, Joss slid her fingers over the knuckles before kneading them into his hand, holding him tight. She looked at him to judge his reaction. John seemed calm, even content with what she had done. She felt him flip his hand over and began to pass his thumb lightly over her skin.

"Thanks for all that you did for me. After what happened, I thought that things may have changed between us" she admitted. "When you almost were killed, I thought about how things could have ended up. I can't stop thinking about the fact that you might not be here right now if it hadn't been for Finch." Joss clenched his hand a bit tighter, remembering the pain of almost losing him.

John could feel her pain. It was that same pain he could see in her large brown eyes. The way she looked at him when he had been determined to go to the roof to protect any bystanders. Joss had been desperate to convince him to not go. It hurt him to the core to turn around and walk away from her but he couldn't risk her getting hurt because of his past. It was the one thing that he never wanted to happen. That's why John couldn't tell her about the machine. It would have been a death sentence.

"I'm here now so you don't have to remember that anymore Joss" he whispered as he placed his other hand on her cheek. She leaned into his touch, almost as if she wanted to convince herself that he was telling the truth.

Joss indulged in their intimacy for a few more minutes before she looked into his ice blue eyes. She noticed that they would shift to different shades and she couldn't help but be fascinated by them. Nodding in understanding, she reluctantly decided that she should turn in for the night. "Well, I'm a bit tired. I guess getting shot at while riding on the back of a Ducati drained me. Where can I sleep?"

John removed his hands and Joss found herself instantly missing his warmth. "You can have the bed. I'll just relax on the couch."

"Are you sure? You don't have to be chivalrous if you want the bed John. I can take a hint" she said with a smile. John just refused her offer and led her back across the room to the bed. "It's really nice in here. I'm sort of glad that I didn't go home. My heater is a bit messed up and I can't get it checked until tomorrow." She sat on the edge of the bed and sank into the mattress.

"Well Finch does a great job maintaining these places. His advantage is that he does have the funds for anything."

"Have any idea how much?" Joss bounced a bit before putting her hands on either side of her.

"Not a one." John had questioned the answer himself. Finch was more than willing to pay him a generous amount for his work with the numbers, even if he knew what John did with most of the money. "Let me get you a blanket" he offered before disappearing into the hallway.

John came back moments later with something in his hands. He noticed that she was now sitting fully on the bed with her back against the headboard. "You know John, if you don't want the couch, we could just share the bed. We are two perfectly mature adults, right?"

John considered the offer for a moment before shaking his head in refusal. "As appealing as that sounds Joss, I don't think that's a good idea. I might accidentally knock you off the bed," he joked.

She just rolled her eyes. Joss wasn't surprised at all that he would refuse. It was asking too much from him, but she wasn't mad. "Whatever you say John, I guess I'll see you in the morning." She slid her body down until she was laying flat on the mattress. Once she was comfortably settled, Joss pulled the comforter up over her, burying herself underneath the blankets and going to sleep without a second thought.

Giving her a smirk, John moved back over to the living room to settle on the couch. In the morning, everything would be like how it is any other day. He noticed that when he was alone with Joss, there was some sort of invisible force that wanted to push them closer together. This time it had been her offer to have him join her in bed. John could swear some unknown power was tempting him to break down those walls that he built to protect her and give away all his secrets.

No, there was no way he could do that. Joss had a life, a son. He couldn't ruin all that she worked so hard to achieve, with his feelings that she didn't return. Because the relationship with Cal fell through, Joss would be more cautious before she would open up again. Finding a good place in the cushion before lying down, John used the armrest as a makeshift pillow.

Feeling a bit drowsy, John's eyes drifted shut. Before fully giving himself over to sleep, he had one more thought. Joss's friendship was more than enough for a monster like him.

A/N: Thanks SW for the beta. Virtual hugs and cookies. #JossCarterIsEternal C'mon people, the day isn't over yet! Let TheRealTaraji know how you feel on Twitter!