Disclaimer: I do not own Person of Interest or its characters.

A/N: So originally the epilogue was going to just be a fluffy Careese moment, however a reviewer made a very good point, that there was one relationship in the story that needed some resolution. Ask and ye shall receive. This first scene is for you ravenhusker.

Epilogue

December 23, 2013

As John entered the warm diner, he immediately spotted Taylor in his usual booth. It was hard to comprehend that the last time he met the teen was a mere two weeks earlier. So much had happened since that tense meeting. John had been surprised when he checked his phone and saw Taylor's phone number on the screen. John slid into the booth facing the teen.

"I hadn't expected to hear from you, Taylor. You weren't too happy with me the last time we spoke," John stated.

Taylor stared at his hands and then looked John in the eyes. "I know that everything with Mom wasn't your fault. We've talked about a lot since she came back and she said that she was the one who put herself in danger. There was nothing you could have done. You were an easy target to blame, John."

John interrupted Taylor, "Taylor, you don't owe me any explanation. When I thought your mom was dead I did a lot of things I was not proud of. I'm sorry I couldn't have prevented all of this. There are times that I think about how things unfolded and what I could have done to change the course of events."

"John, I appreciate you giving me a pass, but my mom taught me that a real man admits when he's wrong and apologizes. I'm sorry, John. I shouldn't have blamed you. I know that you would do anything to protect my mom and this wasn't your fault. You were hurting like I was and it was unfair of me to take my anger out on you." Taylor extended his hand and John firmly shook it.

"You know a lot of men my age can't take responsibility for their mistakes and they sure won't apologize. Thank you, Taylor." The two sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes watching the patrons come and go. Taylor stood from the booth and John followed.

"Taylor, do you need a ride home?" John asked.

"No, I'm good. My dad is picking me up. We're having a guys' night. And I know you have somewhere to be. I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon, John." Taylor smiled and waved as he slipped into the cold night air. Suddenly, the door opened again and Taylor popped his head in. "Oh and John, Merry Christmas."

John smiled to himself. It certainly would be a Merry Christmas, the first he had had in longer than he cared to admit.

Joss hadn't heard from John since he left her with Agent Moss nearly two weeks ago. Both had decided that with the attention the FBI would be giving Joss, it would be best for John to stay off of their radar. Although they acknowledged it was the smart thing to do, it didn't make it any easier.

Joss had taken off for a few days after her return to straighten out her affairs and cleanup her brownstone. She also tried to get some much needed rest, but she couldn't stay away from the precinct for long. A couple of days ago, she had been approved to return to desk duty. Normally she would go stir crazy but between catching up on her cases, meeting with the AUSAs about the Quinn case and trying to spend time with Taylor, light duty was actually working out well for now.

She had received John's text message around lunchtime and had counted down the hours until their meeting. Jocelyn Carter couldn't keep the stupid grin off of her face when she read the destination on her phone for the hundredth time.

When Joss arrived, John was leaned casually against the railing, the Queensboro Bridge lit up behind him. Snowflakes had started falling again. The City was still in the grip of the polar vortex, so they had the spot to themselves. As she approached she could hear the first strains of "As Time Goes By."

"Fancy meeting you here, Detective. Waiting for someone?"

"No one in particular," she smiled as she stood next to the railing.

"Oh really?" John spun her around and into his arms, moving them in time with the music.

"You know John this is really cheesy," Joss laughed.

"And you absolutely love it because you're a sucker for romance."

"Guilty," she responded leaning her head against his shoulder as they danced under the stars. As the last notes of the song died in the air, John and Joss stared at each other for a long moment. There was still so much to discuss—so many details that had to be worked out if they could ever make a go of whatever this was. However, tonight, none of those questions mattered.

John took off his black leather glove and cupped her cheek in his hand. He tilted her head up to meet his lips. As he slowly pulled away he whispered, "Merry Christmas, Joss."

"Merry Christmas, John."