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Carter quietly marvelled at Zoe Morgan's ability to walk into any room like she owned it. Her friend removed her dark red jacket, slipped gracefully into their booth and gave her a warm smile.
“You're looking better, Joss,” said Zoe. “Plotting brings a glow to your cheeks. Makes your eyes sparkle.”
Carter returned the smile. The diner was warm, well lit and surprisingly clean given the amount of semi-sober college kids. She was in the company of an ally rather than the snakes at her precinct and she felt infinitely better already.
“I'm almost there,” said Carter.
Zoe pulled out a UBS drive and slid it to her across the table.
“Everything I have on every judge in New York City,” said Zoe quietly. “I took the liberty of giving you a short list of candidates.”
Zoe pursed her lips and Carter frowned. Her friend was rarely fazed by anything. She practically sashayed into life threatening situations with nothing but a smirk, blackmail material and a pink taser.
“Listen, Joss,” she said with a hint of urgency. “The head of HR… whoever the slimy, rat bastard is… has managed to fly under my radar. A judge under his thumb could easily do the same. I don't want you to get hurt.”
She tried not to look too touched by Zoe’s declaration. Neither women were one for overt displays of affection.
“I'll be careful,” promised Carter.
Zoe didn’t look satisfied by her answer.
“It would make me feel better if you have John or Shaw as back up,” she said. “Preferably with a big gun.”
“I can't put their operation at risk, Zoe,” said Carter softly. “They help so many people... I can't risk them getting hurt.”
Zoe looked very much like she wanted to argue but they were interrupted by Sameen Shaw striding towards their booth.
“Ladies,” said Shaw, slumping into a seat with somewhat less grace than Zoe and dumping several items on table. “I come bearing super-secret, spy equipment.”
Shaw had borrowed (probably without Finch’s permission) the electronic surveillance devices Carter had asked for. One of the items, however, stood out.
“That's a bottle of tequila,” said Carter lightly.
“Excellent observation,” said Shaw dryly. “We'll make a spy of you yet.”
The waiter brought three shot glasses, and a bowl of hot fries which Shaw immediately pounced on.
“I could do with a drink,” said Zoe, a smile returning to her features.
“I've got work,” said Carter, shaking her head.
“You've got blackmailing your baby gangster partner, handing out parking tickets and daydreaming about stabbing Simmons in the face,” retorted Shaw. “Do you really want to do that sober?”
Carter opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it. She could hardly argue with that logic.
“One drink,” she relented. “A small one.”
Zoe cheerfully opened the bottled and poured all three of them a drink. Shaw promptly downed hers and poured herself another.
“Laskey behaving himself, Carter?” Shaw asked.
Carter took a small sip before answering.
“More than that,” she said. “He's actively helping.”
“You going to let him off?” asked Zoe. “Or are you handing him over with the rest of HR?”
It was something Laskey clearly expected her to do. He didn’t ask her not to throw him to the sharks. Carter wasn’t so sure what she was going to do herself.
“I couldn't have done this without him,” she said finally. “He has it in him to be a good cop. He just needs a chance.”
“You're blackmailing him, Joss,” said Zoe sharply. “The kid isn't helping you out of the goodness of his heart.”
“I think he is,” said Carter.
Zoe made an frustrated noise in her throat, but didn't say anything else. Carter turned to Shaw.
“How are you doing, Shaw?” she asked, dropping her voice. “You had a rough few days.”
Shaw frowned.
“What are you on about?” she asked, genuinely confused.
It was Carter’s turn to frown in confusion.
“Lionel said you were abducted,” she said.
Shaw blinked almost comically. Her confused expression quickly turned into an angry scowl.
“I was not abducted,” she insisted. “It was... involuntary recruitment.”
“Groves tasered you,” said Carter incredulously. “Again.”
“Groves?” asked Zoe, her forehead creasing. “The mousy little shrink who turned out to be a diabolical mastermind?”
Shaw’s scowl grew more pronounced.
“She is not a diabolical mastermind,” she said sharply. “And her name is Root.”
Zoe's eyebrows shot up and Carter froze.
Oh. Oh.
Shaw pointedly ignored the looks her friends were giving her.
“Shaw...” said Carter slowly.
“What?” asked Shaw through gritted teeth.
“You didn't,” said Carter, horrified.
“Didn't what?”
“She did,” said Zoe with an incredulous laugh.
Shaw’s shoulder’s slumped in resignation and blood drained from Carter’s face. Oh God…
“We had ten hours to kill,” muttered Shaw.
Carter couldn’t think of what to say, so she finished her shot. Shaw grimaced.
“Don't be judgey about this, Carter.”
Shaw was trying to be dismissive, but a mental image of Kara Stanton formed in Carter’s mind. She thought of John in a bomb vest and Donnelly staring up at her with vacant eyes.
She wanted very much to seize Shaw by the shoulders and shake her.
“What the hell were you thinking?” snarled Carter.
“Says the woman socialising with the mafia, corrupt cops and ex-government killer vigilantes."
Carter crossed her arms and put on a scowl to match Shaw.
“I’m not dating any of you,” she said coldly. “Try again.”
“She's... kind of helping us now,” said Shaw defensively. “I think. It’s under control.”
That was news to Carter. She had a mind to call Finch or John and yell at them for not sharing. But Zoe’s files felt heavy in her pocket, and at this point she was she was just as guilty of keeping secrets as they were.
“Does this have something to do with the thing that I'm not supposed to know about?” asked Carter quietly.
"You’re going to have to be way more specific than that," said Shaw flatly.
“Is it that thing that has absolutely nothing to do with illegal government surveillance?” asked Zoe helpfully, pouring herself another shot.
Carter had seen Shaw take on a half dozen men without flinching, but now the smaller ex-agent was staring at them both like a deer in the headlights.
“Well?” pressed Carter. “Does this have something to do with Finch’s computer?”
Shaw looked from Carter to Zoe, utterly speechless. Zoe rolled her eyes.
“...no,” said Shaw, after a suspiciously long pause.
That answered that question.
“International spy, huh?” remarked Carter dryly.
Shaw’s mouth twitched.
“No one likes a smart ass, Carter,” she said before devouring a handful of fries with gusto, and grabbing another.
Shaw seemed determined to let the subject, both Root and the computer, rest. Carter thought of Kara Stanton and Mark Snow again. She thought of Alicia Corwin and Finch and almost shuddered. She wouldn’t let Samantha Groves hurt any of them again, no matter how helpful she was apparently being.
“I hope you know what you're doing,” said Carter quietly, “because if she hurts any of you again, I'll shoot her.”
“You both better be careful,” said Zoe, delicately eating a few fries before Shaw could eat them all. “I like having drinking buddies.”
Shaw finished the fries, looking uncharacteristically pensive. A terrifying thought crossed Carter’s mind. Carter wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the truth, but it was better to be prepared.
“You don’t actually… just how fond of Groves are you?” she asked hesitantly.
Shaw shot Carter an oddly Finch-ish look.
“You people keep forgetting I’m a sociopath,” she said, playing with the empty bowl. “This was a pissy serving of fries.”
Carter wasn’t quite sure if Shaw was telling the truth, but she doubted her friend would admit it. She decided to let it go. For now.
“I’ve got a pot of spaghetti bolognaise in the fridge, if you’re still hungry,” she said with a sigh.
Both Zoe and Shaw perked up at that.
“Meatballs or mince?” asked Shaw, very seriously.
“Chicken and pork meatballs from Aperitivo’s deli,” said Carter, deciding not to mention that Elias had recommended it.
Shaw and Zoe jumped to their feet in unison. Shaw grabbed the tequila and strode purposefully towards the door.
“Dinner at Carter's it is,” said Zoe brightly.
Carter laughed, picked up her leather jacket and followed her friends out.