Disclaimer: Does not belong to me. If it did, some creative choices would have been removed ASAP.

Pre A/N: Hi everyone. This story is my way of welcoming the New Year since as of right now it is 2016 where I am. Much love and here's to another year of Careese even if she hasn't been on the show;)

Cooking Lessons

"You know what John, this isn't funny" Joss pointed out, holding up the hardcover book.

"What?" John asked, innocently shrugging his shoulders.

Knowing the game he was playing, Joss plopped the book on the coffee table with a loud thud before leaning back into the couch and crossing her arms over her chest. "I know what you're trying to tell me and I can confidently tell you that I don't need any help."

John help up his hands in defense. "I never said you did Joss. I just thought that maybe it would help you expand your skills." He did his best to hide the smirk that threatened to break out as he watched the scowl on her face grow.

Joss wasn't amused at what John thought would make for a good birthday gift. In fact, she found it down right insulting. This man had a lot of nerve to give her something like this.

Seeing that Joss was really mad, John took a seat next to her but she turned her head away. "Joss, I wouldn't have gotten you something just to hurt your feelings. I wanted us to try it out together.." It was cautious treading by the former CIA operative. He had no idea that this topic would have been so sensitive to her.

Of course she did her best to stay mad at him but it was just too damn hard with the man batting those pretty blue eyes at her. It was such a dirty tactic. Joss stood up and made her way to the kitchen, feeling a small shiver when her bare feet touched the cold hardwood floor. She turned to face him. "Fine but don't you dare say anything more than you have to John, otherwise I'll shoot you and it won't be in the knees."

With a smile, he followed. "Relax, we are just going to try a simple recipe so that you will be comfortable."

"Why in the world would you wait until I came here tonight to do this?" Joss thought that they would just spend the night relaxing and catching up on the day's events.

"Well I got a good look at your fridge and honestly Joss, you are lacking what is needed. Since there were no bad guys to catch today, I went and got everything myself. Figured it would be easier to just invite you here" he explained

At his assessment, Joss turned around in a huff and stormed into the kitchen with John close behind. "How many times are you going to break into my house and look through my stuff? I need to remind you again about a thing called boundaries one of these days." There was a small sense of worry at the thought of John entering her house in the dead of night while she was sleeping. She could only hope that it wasn't during the nights when she had dreamed of him in a not so professional way. Taylor had told her a few times that she wasn't a silent dreamer.

"Usually you can tell the caliber of someone's cooking skills by what's in their fridge. Your fridge would make a five star chef weep Joss" John joked, loving the scowl that she gave him because he knew that it wouldn't be there long. They reached the kitchen where Joss saw a slew of ingredients place all across the middle island.

"A little bit presumptuous don't you think John? I could have just told you no." Her hand grazed over the items to get a feel for what she would be dealing with.

Instead of answering, John just gave her that signature smirk before diving right into things. "So I'm going to help you with doing a beautiful chicken with mash potatoes."

Joss threw her hands up in frustration. "Okay, I'm sorry. It's not like I knew that the oven was just going to explode on me the way it did." It was such an embarrassing moment, one that she wanted to forget.

All John could do was chuckle which didn't help matters. "Joss, the reason why it did that was because the chicken was still frozen. When you don't properly thaw the meat, it can cause problems. Granted that was the first time I have ever seen an oven catch on fire the way it did but I guess there's a first time for everything, even for you."

"We put it out!" Joss argued.

"Yes, we took care of the problem with your fire extinguisher. I just want to help you improve, nothing else." John held out his hand to her.

Normally Joss wouldn't have been swoon so easily but there was something in John's voice, the tone it held, that was nothing short of comforting. This was the definition of a love/hate relationship with the two of them. Even without asking, John could sense when something was wrong and do his best to make her feel better however he could. Guess it helps when he has a sort of sixth sense for people. He knew exactly how to read someone. There were no guessing games with John. He wasn't trying to humiliate her or foul her mood further. John was just being John.

Joss slowly took his hand, doing her best to ignore the small spark that ran up her body. She was led until she stood in front of all of the ingredients. Instead of standing off to the side to offer instructions, John surprised her by going directly behind her and leaning into that personal bubble. Without even asking, he inched his hands over Joss's arms until he reached the buttoned cuffs of her work blouse. One by one, he undid them and slid the sleeves up just above her elbows, removing another barrier between them. His close proximity enveloped Joss in a masculine scent that was uniquely John's and she felt herself getting lightheaded from it.

Slightly shaking her head to pull her out of the daze caught John's attention. "You okay Joss?" It was an innocent enough question but if Joss had eyes on the back of her head, she suspected that she would see that silly smirk on his face. The man was deliberate and knew exactly what kind of reaction he was getting from her. It was momentarily jarring because Joss wasn't sure if she was just imagining the feelings she suspected he felt for her.

Nope, there was no way she was going to let herself think about that again. It was already annoying Joss some nights when she would lie in her bed because she would try to define the 'whatever this is' relationship that they had. "I'm fine, just get it over with already John." She couldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had riled her up. John had a sick sense of humor because it seemed like aggravating her was his third favorite past time, the others being numbers and stalking her.

"I didn't want you to ruin your beautiful blouse." He explained.

Joss scoffed. "I'd be more worried about your vigilante uniform."

When John chuckled, she could feel the vibrations through her. How would it feel to have such a strong body such as his to press up against if they bathe together…

"So one of the first things to do is prep the chicken before seasoning" John's voice broke through her reverie. Joss almost forgot that she had to act annoyed with him because of the impromptu cooking lesson. He reached over and grabbed a large knife. "So it would be best to cut little slits on the skin so that the meat will be seasoned and cooked evenly." His left arm reached around to grab her right hand, embracing Joss as those long, dexterous fingers showed her how to properly hold the knife. John slowly took his time as he guided each individual finger to its place and then proceeded to help her slice against the chicken's skin as per his earlier instructions. The movements were slow and deliberate but Joss was questioning whether it was to show her the proper technique or for more personal reasons.

That question lingered in Joss's mind as he continued on, showing her what kinds of seasoning to use to really bring out the taste. Instead of demonstrating himself, John intertwined their fingers again and helped her put things such as salt, pepper, and other herbs on the chicken before having her gently massage them into the skin. When John leaned forward to get a better look, he placed his chin on top of Joss's shoulder. It was such an intimate action, something that a loving couple would do when they were doing something together.

After finishing with the seasoning and washing up, John had Joss put the bird on the pan and slip it into the oven which he had opened for her. "Then you just go ahead and put it to 350 degrees for about two hours. It'll come out nice and golden for our eating pleasure." Joss was leaning against his kitchen island, eyeing him carefully during his explanation. He then looked at a wall clock. "That should leave me plenty of time."

"For what?" She asked suspiciously.

"To enjoy my dessert.' John tugged Joss to him before giving her a sweet kiss.

Joss was shocked by the action but turned on with how his kiss sent electricity throughout her entire body. His hands were splayed on her back while hers quickly wrapped around his neck, trying to pull John even closer. It was better than Joss could have imagined and judging by John's attempts to deepen the kiss, he was enjoying it just as much as her. Before long, they were forced to pull apart due to the lack of oxygen. She looked up at him with a smile before saying "You are going to spoil dinner John."

He took a hand and tenderly brushed the side of her cheek. "It's worth it." He then kissed her again before lifting Joss off the ground, her legs clamping around his waist. When they separated again, John rubbed her back in slow circles. "Besides, we're going to need to eat something to get our energy back once we're finish." He then nuzzled her below her ear as he started walking them out of the kitchen.

Joss let out a hardy laugh then a gasp before her hands began playing with his hair, pulling at it roughly. "I bet we do." She was happy that it wasn't all in her head, that he had felt something for her that wasn't just friendship. John placed Joss gently on the bed and began to give her many more gifts that lasted well into the night.

As she lay against him, Joss looked up at his slumbering face. Her heart swelled with love for John but she was nowhere near ready to tell him that. She was content with having this relationship with John and taking things slow. Joss suspected that he would appreciate the gesture. She moved her head off the pillow and on to his chest, feeling the thumping of his heart underneath that tough exterior. Its sound started lulling her back to sleep and Joss threw an arm around his waist to be even closer. In response, John subconsciously wrapped a protective arm around her smaller frame, his warmth engulfing her body before they both fell back into a peaceful slumber as the leftovers from their earlier lesson sat in his fridge.

Post A/N: Many hugs and kisses to everyone and I hope that 2016 will be your year for whatever you wish for:D