Hazy tendrils of sleep clearing from her thoughts, Root rolled over to face Shaw and propped herself up on one elbow. It had been two months and she still did the exact same thing every night as if it was engraved into her soul. Gently, she reached over and ran her fingers through Shaw’s hair to cement the idea that it was real. Shaw had come back to her. She drank in the silky texture and faint shampoo smell of her long hair. All those months had passed yet Root had never given up on the last thing in Pandora's box - hope. Maybe this was her reward. She moved her hand to Shaw’s shoulder. It was warm, and even through the sleeves of her jumper she could feel the other woman's clearly defined muscles. Root’s touch was gentle; even now she was afraid of breaking Shaw. Or that if she moved too quickly or too forcefully everything would dissolve around her like a dream.
In sleep Shaw’s face was softer. Her lips were parted slightly and every few seconds a quiet snore escaped her. Root couldn't resist the urge to caress her cheek, her touch as soft as a breeze.
“What the hell are you doing?” mumbled Shaw sleepily.
Root retracted her hand as if she'd been burned and rolled onto her back, giving Shaw plenty of space. “Sorry.”
“Don't be.”
Root was sure she'd misheard her. “Sorry what?”
Shaw sat up, giving Root a better view of her lips. “I said: don't be.” She took hold of Root’s hand and placed it on her own cheek. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“Sameen, I…”
“Finch, Reese and your other half told me what happened to you while I was away.”
‘Away’. That was their term for 10 months of psychological torture.
“I don't blame you for anything,” continued Shaw. “But I’m here. This is real, Root.”
Root rubbed at her eyes with her free hand. Tears had welled in her eyes without her realising. “I’m the one that should be telling you this is real.”
“It helps. To tell someone else,” said Shaw. “Nothing Greer and his crew conjured up was like this. Guess they didn't know you all that well.”
Root took Shaw's hand and placed it on her own cheek so they were matching. “So we’ve both agreed this is real,” she said quietly.
“Yes,” whispered Shaw.
“Then this seems like a good idea,” she said breathlessly, drawing Shaw closer for a kiss.
*
“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” protested Root. She was sat on the sofa in an apartment belonging to their latest number who was currently unconscious in the bedroom. Her laptop was open on the seat next to her and her glasses were perched on the end of her nose.
Shaw took a deep breath and counted to five. Twice. “In what universe does using our number’s bank account constitute as a ‘good idea’?”
Root shrugged one shoulder but didn't speak. So what if she bought herself a new taser using their number's money. It wasn't like a guy stupid enough to get on the wrong side of the Russian mafia was going to put it to better use. Besides, she'd had to part with her favourite taser on their last mission which involved her having run out of bullets but being in dire need of a projectile. Long story short, she wouldn't be seeing it again any time soon. “Would it help if you also bought yourself something with his money? A new gun perhaps?” She tapped her black painted nails against the armrest of the sofa. “Or would you prefer something...more fun?”
*
Their kiss grew more aggressive, their tongues fighting for dominance. But before it could evolve into anything else, Shaw broke away.
“What is it, Sweetie? If you're not in the mood we can stop.”
Shaw shook her head. “It’s not that. In the simulations...we did this.” She gestured between them. “Every single time. While Greer and company watched.”
Root pressed her fingertips to her lips. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. Her brain instantly began ticking away, searching for a way to prove to Shaw that this was not a simulation. She scrolled through various options, discarding those she didn't think would work. Eventually she chose one that seemed to fit the bill. She pounced on Shaw and tickled her stomach. “Bet I didn't to that in any of the simulations.”
Shaw squirmed and swatted her hands away. “No. I’ll grant you that, there was no tickling in any of the simulations.”
Root tilted her head to the side. “I don't suppose there was a food fight in the simulations either?”
Shaw gave her a worried look. “Where are you going with this?”
*
“Where are we going?” asked Shaw as she followed Root down a surprisingly wide sewer tunnel. “And why can't we go there above ground?”
Root turned her head to look at Shaw. “Sorry what?”
Deaf in one ear. Right. Shaw let Root overtake her then moved to her other side. “Where are we going?”
“I have no idea. She said we needed to be at the other end of this tunnel and this was the fastest way. Also the one with the least background noise,” she added quietly, almost to herself.
Their footsteps echoed in the deserted tunnel, the whoosh of rushing water just audible in the background. “I’m sorry about your ear,” said Shaw. Expressing sympathy had never been her strong suit but people seemed to appreciate it.
“Me too. It’ll take some getting used to, but on the plus side it’s harder to get woken up in the middle of the night by stupid neighbours or whatever.”
They reached a fork in the tunnel and Root took a right turn. “Alright. We’re nearly there.”
*
Root his behind the kitchen counter and reached one hand over it to lob a handful of flour at Shaw. The two women were covered from head to toe in all sorts of cooking ingredients, and Shaw had the remains of an egg dripping down her head. Root’s hair was slick with butter.
“I have to say, this is actually quite therapeutic,” called Shaw from where she was squatting behind the sofa.
“That’s what I was going for,” replied Root, accompanying her words with a perfectly aimed slice of bread.
“What the heck Root?! You can't just Frisbee bread at people!”
“Watch me!” She commando rolled out from behind the counter and in one slick movement hit Shaw right on the forehead with another slice of bread.
The two women caught sight of each other and had to laugh.
“We’ll need to shower now,” mused Root. “And it would be such a shame to waste water.” Shaw was already taking her top off.