Disclaimer: They don't belong to me! These two are entirely the property of the fine folks of Person of Interest, Sarah Shahi, and Amy Acker.
About Shoot : It's been a long time, and what better way to return to the hallowed Bard halls than with a Shoot story? For those who don't know, Shoot is the pairing of Sameen Shaw and Root from Person of Interest . Root was introduced as a villain in S1, not making an onscreen appearance until the finale. Near the end of Season 2, an entire episode was devoted to the introduction of Shaw, a self-diagnosed sociopath. The very first scene Root and Shaw had together involved torture, drugging, tasers, and a threat with an iron. The actresses found a way to make that scene flirtatious, and the writers decided to see where it went. Because of the writers, actresses, and fans, the pairing has gone from subtext to canon. And the show it's happening on just so happens to be one of the best-written, most interesting shows on television. Even though S1 was basically just CBS's formulaic “two white guys and their token woman friend do procedural-type episodes,” it was still clearly something unique. By Season 2, it was obvious they weren't interested in just being a run-of-the-mill case of the week show.
Spoilers : That said, this story contains a ton of spoilers, specifically for an event mid-Season 4. If you're planning to check the show out, I highly recommend doing so (Seasons 1-3 on Netflix now, and Season 4 should be there soon. It was due a month ago, but no one knows what happened).
Copyright © 2015 Geonn Cannon
Reese scanned the space before he stepped out of the loft's door. Shaw made a point of hitting his arm with her shoulder as she entered. She'd been trying to duck him ever since they left the subway, but the lummox was like a bad penny. Eventually she resigned herself to the escort. Now she stood in the loft that had become her home since coming to New York. After spending so long in a Samaritan cell positive she would never see the outside world again, its familiarity felt alien to her. She ignored the surreal feeling of the moment and turned to look at her unrequested bodyguard.
“Here I am,” she said. “Home safe and sound. Are we done with the protective detail now?”
“Better safe than sorry,” he said.
“I'm sure if anything was going to happen, my number would pop up and one of you would swoop in and save me. So unless you and Harold want to start baby-proofing this place, I think I can take care of myself.” She took off her coat and winced as one of the wounds in her side was pulled. Reese took a step forward, but she stopped him with a glare. “I've been hurt a lot worse than this before and I made it through just fine. I appreciate the assist getting out of there, but babysitting? I can do without it.”
Reese gave the room another look. “Okay. You know where we are if you change your mind.”
She forced a smile and sketched off a salute as he stepped back out into the hall. “Listen... about Root. Finch tried to track her down once the dust settled, but...”
“She won't be found unless she wants to be found.”
He lingered another moment before Shaw finally rolled her eyes and slammed the door on him. She winced and put a hand against her side, moving carefully away from the door. Now that she didn't have to put on a show, she allowed herself to take smaller and more careful steps. Samaritan had good doctors, but there was only so much that could be done for two gunshot wounds to the abdomen. One was a through-and-through, the other required surgery to get the slug out, and neither had been dealt with under optimal conditions.
Shaw sat down on the edge of the mattress and lifted the hem of her shirt. The wounds had mostly healed, save for a bit of angry redness around the edges. She figured she would be back on her feet by Monday. She dropped the shirt and planted her feet on the floor. “You could at least bring me a beer.” The loft remained silent. “Oh, come on. I know you're there. Stop being a child.”
The fridge door opened and closed, and Root came into the main room with a bottle of beer. “I would have brought the bottle opener.”
“But I don't have one.” Shaw took the bottle from her, twisted the top off, and flicked it toward the far corner. She took a long drink and ran her thumb across her lips to wipe away the excess moisture. Root remained arms-reach away, hip cocked, hands by her side, head to one side. Shaw returned her stare without saying anything. If seeing her loft again was surreal, then seeing Root again was... well, whatever it was, it was worse.
“Didn't see you at the reunion.”
“I... had...” She smiled and looked away. “I thought maybe you would be overwhelmed enough as it is. I mean, just Bear by himself would be a lot for your first night back.”
“So you decided to break into my place instead.”
Root sighed a laugh. “For old times' sake.”
“Right.”
Root took a step forward and Shaw flinched back. Root retreated. For a moment, neither of them said anything.
“I was just going to check your wounds.”
“You went to med school while I was away?”
“No, but I've been a doctor. And a nurse. Thoracic surgeon was fun.” She stepped forward again and Shaw managed to keep still. Root knelt in front of her and gently lifted her shirt again. Shaw awkwardly looked for something to focus on while Root was looking at her stomach. She ended up just sweeping her eyes back and forth across the room until the cotton was lowered again. “It looks like it's healing well. You might have a scar.”
Shaw said, “I have plenty of those already.”
Root cupped the back of Shaw's head and pulled her forward. Shaw furrowed her brow as if tasting something rotten, but she parted her lips when she felt Root's tongue against them. Shaw let the kiss last a few seconds longer than she was comfortable with before she bit down on Root's bottom lip. Root grunted and twisted her head, cutting her lip on Shaw's teeth before she pulled away. Root rocked back to sit on her feet, still kneeling between Shaw's knees.
“I owed you one,” Root said.
Shaw said, “Root... about what I did...”
“I know why you did it.”
Shaw met her eyes. There was a small bead of blood on Root's bottom lip, and Shaw brushed it away with her thumb. Root never broke her gaze, even after Shaw rested two fingers on her lips as if shushing her.
“I'm not in love with you. I don't love people. I just don't get that... that feeling everyone talks about when they talk about love. That's not me. But...” She stared into Root's eyes. Those damn eyes that she couldn't escape even when Samaritan was holding her prisoner. No matter what lie Root was telling or whose skin she was wearing, Shaw couldn't believe how anyone could miss those eyes. “The whole world fell away. Everyone. And everything. That I cared about. Was gone. And the only thing that I missed was you. I missed your voice. And I missed knowing you had my back.”
“I always had--”
“I know,” Shaw whispered. She wasn't blinking, preternaturally still in a way that made her look as if there was a gun barrel pressed against the base of her skull. “Even when I figured you should've given up, I knew you wouldn't have. You're the woman who tracked down God.”
Root closed her eyes and bowed her head. Shaw leaned forward and kissed Root's hair. Root stiffened at the intimate touch, her hands on Shaw's thighs. She tightened her fingers against the tense muscles and lifted her head, their faces inches apart again. Root moved closer and Shaw didn't retreat. Root put her hands on Shaw's cheeks.
“God wasn't there when I finally found her. I never saw Hanna again after she was taken from me. But I finally won. I found you. I got you back in one piece, Sameen.”
“Thank you, Samantha.”
Root closed her eyes and a tear fell down her cheek. Shaw leaned in and kissed her again, this time grabbing Root's lapels to bring her closer. When she fell back onto the bed she pulled Root on top of her, spreading her legs and letting Root's weight settle on her hips. Root moved her hand to Shaw's side and lifted up, trying to ignore Shaw's lips and teeth on her neck.
“Your wounds...”
“Root... I need this.” She dragged her lips up to Root's ear. “Fuck me.”
Root groaned and slipped her hand lower, over the front of Shaw's jeans. She sat up so she could look at Shaw as her fingers explored. Shaw dropped her hands to either side, palm-up. Root looked at her with the question obvious in her eyes.
“We've been dancing around this for over a year now, Root. You dragged me out of that hellhole. So no more games. No deflecting. I know you want this. Take it.”
Shaw moved her hand down and unbuttoned her pants. Root held eye contact but her breathing faltered when she heard the sound of the zipper. Shaw gripped Root's wrist and guided her hand down between skin and jeans, and Root had no choice but to slip her fingers into the soft cotton of Shaw's underwear. She drew in a shaky breath and let it out as she brushed her fingertips through Shaw's hair.
“You're wet.”
Shaw swallowed and moved her hands back to the mattress. “I want to give you something no one else can. Something I don't give freely or often. It's yours, Root. I'm yours.”
Root shifted her weight and straddled Shaw's hips. She arched her back and pushed her hand farther, cupping her palm against Shaw's sex. Shaw gasped and closed her eyes.
“I want to take off your clothes.”
“Don't fucking narrate. Just do it.”
Root got up and grabbed the pockets of Shaw's jeans. She yanked them down, pausing with the denim at her knees so she could pull off Shaw's shoes. The pants were removed and tossed aside, and Root turned on the bed to look at Shaw. She was naked from the waist down, legs parted, exposed to Root's gaze. Root swallowed hard and lowered her head like a supplicant, kissing one thigh while her fingers scratched across the other.
“Take off your shirt, Sameen.”
Shaw did as she was told, reaching back to unhook her bra. Root finished teasing Shaw's inner thighs and pulled her closed to the edge of the bed. She breathed deeply, wet her bottom lip to make sure it wasn't still bleeding, then pressed a long-overdue kiss to Shaw's folds. She couldn't prevent herself from moaning, and Shaw stiffened under the touch. She brought her hands up but stopped herself from clutching Root's head, her hands hovering like talons by her sides.
Root opened her eyes and said, “Look at me, Sameen,” before brushing her tongue against the sensitive skin, moving up to close her lips around the hood of Shaw's clit. Shaw managed to open her eyes, and Root reached out with one hand to link their fingers together. She pulled Shaw's hand down and lifted her head to suck two fingers into her mouth. Shaw trembled, gasping for air as Root moved her wet fingers down and guided her to masturbate her clit. The touch was electric - her fingers, Root's spit, and Root directing her.
“Are you going to come for me, Shaw?”
“Well... you came for me...”
Root grinned and bit Shaw's finger. She sat up and said, “Don't stop touching yourself. I want to watch you.” Shaw did as she was told, and Root stood up beside the bed and slowly undressed herself. Her eyes strayed only from Shaw's hand to her face, running slowly over the landscape in between. She stepped out of her pants, dropped her bra, and gingerly stepped out of her underwear. She stooped down to pick them up and leaned over Shaw's body with them balled up in her hand.
“Just to show you our relationship isn't going to change...”
“What are you ta--”
Shaw grunted angrily as the panties were stuffed into her mouth, pushing her tongue back so she was momentarily choked. She glared arrows at Root, who straddled her thighs and pinned them together. She reached up and dragged her middle finger over her bottom lip.
“Mm. You taste yummy, Sam.” She popped the finger into her mouth and tossed her hair to the other side, swaying against Shaw's thighs. The lilting tease was back in her voice, an almost musical tone that made it sound like she was a breath away from laughing. The moisture in her eyes betrayed the humor in her voice, and Shaw knew exactly how much this moment meant to her.
“Are you going to sit there staring all night, or are you going to do something?”
Root grinned, that wild manic grin Shaw had been craving, and she put one hand on Shaw's stomach. She splayed her fingers to cover Shaw's wounds, then turned her hand upside down and pushed it between Shaw's thighs. Due to their position, Shaw had no choice but to squeeze the hand tightly with both legs, and two of Root's fingers felt impossibly thick as she pushed them inside. Shaw grunted and rocked her hips from side to side, her entire body electric as Root began to slowly thrust into her.
Shaw grabbed for Root again, but her hands were slapped away. She tried to sit up, but Root put her forearm against Shaw's shoulders and pushed her back down. Pinning her to the mattress, thrusting with her whole body, Root used her whole arm to push her hand harder against Shaw. Shaw bared her teeth and grunted, “Harder,” her voice breaking as Root's arm slipped onto her throat.
“What's that, sweetie?” Root's hair was hanging in her face, the sweat on her chest dripping onto Shaw's.
“Fuck me harder,” Shaw demanded.
Root's reply was a moan. She put her shoulder into it, her palm slapping Shaw's mound with each forward thrust. Shaw pressed her head into the mattress, her face turning dark. Root lifted her arm and replaced it with her hand. Shaw knew it would be easier to control how much air she was cutting off, and she appreciated the gesture. Root's thumb dug into the soft skin under Shaw's jaw, her fingers pressing their prints into the other side of her throat, while their twins pushed into Shaw with enough force to shake the entire mattress.
“Come for me, Sameen,” Root moaned, her voice desperate. “I came for you, so you fucking better come for me.”
“Root,” Shaw choked out, trading a breath of oxygen in the midst of orgasm for the chance to say her lover's name. The last letter of the word was swallowed by a gulp, and she arched her back. Root's lips parted in silent shock, and she looked down to watch her hand as she held it tight against Shaw's mound. Shaw tightened around her and then, after a moment when it felt like Shaw's whole body was about to shake itself apart, she went completely still.
Shaw dropped to the bed, and Root lay down on top of her. She still had two fingers inside Shaw, the muscles twitching erratically around them, and she eased it free as she rested her head on Shaw's chest. She looked in wonder at the juices on her fingers. Shaw's juices. She smelled it, then lovingly took the fingers into her mouth to suck them clean. The taste made her own center twitch and convulse, and she moaned as she curled her tongue around her fingertip.
“I'm alive,” Shaw murmured. She put her hand on top of Root's head and tangled it in her hair. “I'm alive.” The second time, it almost sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
Root moved her head until her ear was over Shaw's heart. She closed her eyes and smiled. “You're alive,” she confirmed.
“Thank you, Root.”
“You're welcome, Sam.”
Shaw took a deep breath and trembled as she let it out. “Let me fuck you.” The raunchiness of the demand was lost in the fact Shaw yawned in the middle of it.
“Soon,” Root said. Her eyes were so heavy. She couldn't remember the last time she'd gotten a good night's sleep. To be honest, sleep wasn't really her thing. She could go for days sometimes with only a few catnaps here and there to refuel. But lately, she hadn't even been stopping long enough for those. In fact, the last time she'd gotten any quality sleep had been... well... before...
Shaw listened as Root's breathing became slower, steadier, and she realized the psychopath had fallen asleep on top of her. The room reeked of sweat and sex, and her beer was getting warm on the floor next to the bed. She knew she should at least roll Root off of her, or wake her up so they could finish what they started. She really did want to fuck her, make her come. She hated foreplay, and she had already suffered through more than she could stand when it came to Root. She wanted the prize, the orgasm at the end of all the games.
She stroked the hair out of Root's face and realized she couldn't destroy such a peaceful slumber. She'd never seen the other woman look so relaxed or at peace. She sighed and dropped her head, content to wait until morning to finish her off. Besides, at that moment, post-orgasm and finally safe in her own home, in her own bed, sleep sounded just as glorious as an orgasm. Shaw wrapped her arms around Root so she wouldn't disappear in the night, closed her eyes, and decided to try falling asleep.
She was unconscious before their sweat finished drying on their skin.