Translations: Sam See, Sam Saw, Sam Say

Shaw has a personality disorder that doesn't let her feel empathy, but it doesn't mean she hasn't noticed that John Reese and Jocelyn Carter are more than 'just friends' – even if they don't know it yet.

This covers the conversation between Shaw and Reese as they watched Ian Murphy cook dinner for Carter in the episode Lady Killer.

This was what was said. This is what Shaw heard.

I fleshed this out a little and added some additional dialogue to this tale, which contains spoilers from God Mode, Liberty and Lady Killer.

XXX

"What do you think? You want to get out of here?" Shaw whispered to her handsome companion seductively.

Bear snuffled happily.

"Okay. But you're sleeping at my place."

He barked softly in agreement.

The two friends left the bar and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

"She is the shit, isn't she?" Shaw watched Joss Carter stride away, as confident and assured in a t-shirt and leggings as she was in her uniform or a form fitting leather dress that left nothing to the imagination.

This time, Bear barked loudly, wagging his tail furiously, his body straining towards Carter's disappearing figure.

Shaw laughed. "Yeah, I knew it. I saw the way you looked when she scratched you behind the ears. But don't get any ideas – you're mine tonight."

They started walking to Shaw's apartment, a tiny one room affair that met all her needs – a closet for her weapons, a table for her meals and a big bed for sleep and sex. Normally after a case or in the past, a mission, she sought out no strings companionship to work off the adrenaline, the mashing of lips, hands and genitals an eerie erotic echo of fists, knives and bullets hitting soft flesh.

Shaw believed in EOO – Equal Opportunity Orgasms. Gender, color, beliefs or profession didn't matter to her – being bored did. If you managed to catch, and keep her attention, she was yours – at least for a few hours.

Last week it was an over caffeinated NYU film student who thought he was the next Scorsese, the week before that a burly dock worker whose tattoos she read while he slept and three weeks ago it was a coolly sophisticated patrician couple who enjoyed many of the unique and painful pleasures that Shaw did.

She'd met the wife alone twice since, clasping her pale slender body against hers, her long dark hair and reedy yet steely voice reminding her of a woman currently languishing in a mental institution.

The wife had texted her evening, but for once, Shaw wasn't interested. She just wanted to go home, hang out with Bear and think about what she'd seen and heard over the last few days.

John Reese and Jocelyn Carter.

Shaw knew Reese cared about her. Hell, the man called Carter as they were tearing across the city in a stolen car weeks ago and after they saved that squid, she'd heard him softly asking her if she was okay. She'd pieced together that they had worked closely together and were friends, good friends.

But something wasn't right between them.

His hands gave him away.

Reese's hands were strong, certain and still – except when it came to Carter. They would twitch when her name was mentioned, flutter before he talked to her, and then splay open wide after they talked.

Something had broken between them, but after this last case, Shaw wasn't interested in finding out more about that, at least not for a while.

No, she was more interested in other things.

Shaw was interested in finding out what made Carter tick, how a woman who was a mother, a veteran, a lawyer, a cop, had become a willing participant in the dangerously fun insanity that was the Finch and Reese show.

And she was even more interested in finding out if Carter felt the same way about Reese that Reese felt about her.

Shaw and Bear got to her place and she fed him, showered and changed and then stretched out on the bed beside him, absently rubbing his belly as she thought.

Carter reminded Shaw of Cole – someone who would call you on your crap, but was there for you, no matter what. She could see a certain calmness come over Reese when Finch reported that Carter had agreed to join them, as if he knew she was the one he could trust of the three women who were going to the club that night.

But when Carter walked into the safe house in that dress, all glowing skin, incredible curves and long, long legs, Reese managed to keep his face smooth and unaffected, but his hands spoke instead. They flexed and curved as though they wanted to pull her body against his.

He became agitated when he thought she wasn't carrying and after Ian Murphy picked Carter as his target and invited her to his place for dinner, Reese insisted on staying with Carter, calmly telling Shaw when she showed up to the safe house the next morning to relieve him, that he would be spending the entire day with Carter, until her date.

Then that evening he busted into Shaw's sniper's nest, ignoring her when she rightly pointed out that he should be on the street, ready to break into Murphy's apartment if needed. As Carter laughed at Murphy's jokes, Reese tightly held the scope in his hand, but when Carter opened up to Murphy about her demotion, even in the darkness, Shaw could see his knuckles turn white as they clenched the slender instrument.

Reese: She doesn't have her guard up.

Translation: Yeah, Carter opened up to a stranger, not to you, buddy. How does that make you feel?

Shaw: You're joking. That woman has a guard of steel. You two have a thing or somethin'? 'Cause I mean, I clocked you and Zoe right off the bat…

Shaw chuckled to herself about that.

It wasn't just that the other woman appreciated Reese – most women did – but the look in Zoe's eyes as she looked at him meant that appreciation was justified.

And the fixer wanted everyone in the room to know that she knew it.

Especially Carter.

Announcing that Reese had given her that cheap-ass pink Taser said one thing, setting it off just inches from Carter's face said something else.

But Carter wasn't fazed by it. She was focused on the mission.

Unlike the man sitting next to Shaw.

Keeping her eyes on Murphy, Shaw decided to probe a little.

Shaw:…but I never thought you with Carter…

Reese: We're just friends.

Translation: Oooh, our boy is rattled. Not only did you take your eyes off the target to eyeball me hard as you answered me – fail, Reese – but the tone of your voice - you just want to shut me down. But I'm just gettin' started.

Shaw: Well, your 'just friend' is doing her job. She gets this guy to trust her, maybe he makes a move and we can finally shoot him.

They listened to Carter and Murphy talk, then Shaw decided to probe a little more.

Shaw: So…how long have you and Zoe been 'special friends'?

Out of the corner of her eye, Shaw saw Reese take his eye off the target again, but this time he didn't look at her.

Reese: Well, I haven't counted the days, Shaw.

Translation: I bet you haven't. You like Zoe, feel comfortable with her, like fucking her, but I know for a fact that you haven't spoken to her or even contacted her since we went to the club. You were so focused on protecting your 'just friend' Carter, you didn't even tell Finch where you were.

Reese: What about you? Any big dates lately?

Shaw: Been too busy saving the world from bad guys. Besides relationships are for amateurs. Guys these days, they have so many…emotions. They cry, they want to be held. I just don't know what to do with them.

Reese: So, you're a nun?

Shaw: I'm a pragmatist, John. I go out, have a fun night, or three. And then, uh, I move on, you know? No muss, no fuss.

Reese: Hmmm.

Translation: Yeah, I'm cold. And I know that you and Finch and Carter and even Poppin' Fresh Fusco like chasing at windmills, like the thought that you can actually make the world a better place. But you're also a romantic, Reese. Deep down you believe in happily ever after, at least for everybody else. And that's what scares you shitless about Carter.

She makes you want happily ever after – with her.

Shaw yawned, turned the light off.

So when Zoe asked you to walk her home and then made you wait for her tonight, you let her play her little game, let her get you back for ignoring her. You deserved it and while she couldn't see it – I could.

Every once in a while, your eyes were on Carter.

And they lingered on her.

Shaw pressed her face into Bear's neck, smiling as she drifted off to sleep.

This was going to be fun.