Elias and Scarface had moved far enough away from John to believe that they were safe. Elias was certain that John had intended to kill them both had he reached them. He had forgotten about the scarf John was holding when he first found him. It had somehow gotten entangled around John's arm and was now caught on some concrete to John's left. It briefly registered with Elias that the entire time he had been talking with him John had been lovingly holding that scarf. How it became wrapped around John's arm and hung up on the concrete had entirely escaped his notice. However it had happened, he was glad that something had stopped the juggernaut, John Reese, in his tracks. Elias knew that that confrontation would not have end well for any of them.

Even though his nerves were still jangling from the adrenaline surge his body was suffused with Tony noted to Elias, "Boss I think he's talking to his lady." Elias' heart and breath were still racing from the almost fatal confrontation just seconds before. Brushing bits of detritus from his clothes Elias looked at John and shook his head sadly in agreement. They had heard John call Joss' name when he first started speaking. A few months ago he would have given the order and Tony, following his orders as always, would have brought this chapter, John, this sad echo of a man, to an end. That's what he would have done...a few months ago...before he got to know Joss.

His debt to her, though technically settled with Simmons' death, and his honor would not let him put John out of his misery. Elias was a practical man and to be honest he knew it was really because of the respect and admiration he had for Detective Carter that he would do, had done all he could for John. It baffled Elias and amused him even more that though he had cleared his debt with his detective he still wanted to do something for her. This man who meant so much to her that she freely gave up her life to protect didn't know how much she was in love with him. It made him a little sad to know that they will never be able to walk that road together. For Joss he had wanted to save her monster, her man.

Watching John have a conversation with his dead love made Elias sigh with resignation because he could now see that John's time was up. They were no longer close enough to clearly hear what he was saying. Snippets of words from John's one sided conversation reached Elias and Scarface riding on the wind that was starting to pick up. The light snow flurry that had been falling and dusting their shoulders since they first found John had changed to large fat flakes that were now falling at a steady rate. He knew there was no way to convince John to go with them to get him out of the worsening weather. Elias could see that John's shoulder wound was not good and had started to bleed again. If it kept bleeding like it was and wasn't attended to soon John would probably bleed out in about three or four hours. Elias was under no illusion that John wanted to or in his current state could do anything to help his self.

Elias turned to Tony to let him know he was done here. "It's time to go Tony." If he called Harold to let him know where John was he was positive that John would be gone by the time Harold could come for him. John would run away and hide, collapse in on himself until he quietly faded away and died. John, lost to this world in conversation with Joss, did not hear Elias tell him with sadness and a remorse that surprised even Scarface, "I am honestly going to miss you John." Elias and Scarface turn to leave and start walking back to their car.

The wind has collected one last ragged piece of John's conversation and with a gentle push delivers it to Elias's ear, "...protect Taylor...", as well as a hint of something floral that tickled his nose. A frisson ran across his skin as he unconsciously recognized the scent.

Tony has walked a couple of steps when he notices that his boss is not at his side. Turning to look for him he sees Elias has stopped walking and is now looking back at John. Tony walks over to Elias and questions him by simply saying "Boss?" "Perhaps my work here is not yet complete Tony." Elias says slowly as he turns and starts back towards John. Not forgetting what just almost happened, Elias stops at a safe distance from John. Tony ever by Elias' side had positioned himself slightly off side and to the front of his boss, his gun at the ready. Elias felt that there was one more chance to reach John and he was going to take it.

John stumbles back and ends up against the piece of concrete with the scarf caught on it. "I have to finish this, finish this, finish this..." is chasing around in John's mind as he frantically tries to extricate the scarf from the concrete and rebar it is seemingly embedded in. His right hand is swollen and become numb from the cold making it almost impossible for him to get a purchase on the scarf to unwind it from his arm. At a sound to his left John raises his head and wonders how Elias has gotten so far away from him. Gone is his chance to protect Taylor, he's failed Joss again. And he's failed himself. The quick death he had hoped for at Tony's hands has vanished while he was talking to Joss. But he didn't deserve a quick death. He deserved what would happen to him now. He knew that he would bleed out in a few hours or die from the freezing temperatures. Either way they were both too easy and painless deaths, much nicer then he was owed. All the fight has left John and he slides to the ground cradling his left arm while caressing the scarf.

Looking at the beaten down defeated man in front of him Elias is amazed that John is still alive when it dawns on him what John was trying to do when he made his last move. He tsk, tsks at John and tells him "John, John. I came to you extending my hand of ...assistance and you tried to bite it off. I know what you were trying to do John. You figured that if you could get to me and kill me then Tony would kill you, put you of your misery. Well that's something I'm not going to give you John. There was a time I would have accommodated you. I would have asked Tony to put a bullet in your head and he would have gladly carried out my order. But I won't do that now. Do you know why John? Let me enlighten you. Your death at my hands would be a dishonor to Jocelyn's memory, to my Detective Carter."

John's head raised slowly at Elias' use of Joss' first name and Elias could see a little of that fire return in his blue eyes. "That scarf wrapped around your arm John, is it her's?" John reflexively covers as much of the scarf with his battered right hand as he can. "I thought so. That's all you have left of her isn't it? I'm pretty sure they won't put it in your unmarked grave when the find your body in a couple of days. Taylor might miss it though. Perhaps I'll get him another one John. He won't even know that it was missing." Elias could see that talking about Taylor was bringing life to John's dull eyes. Taylor was the way back for John. A small corner of Elias' heart remembers how at one time in his life he had wished for a father who wanted to take care of and protect him and who he meant a one hundredth as much to as Taylor did to John. Taylor wasn't even John's kid but John would defend him as such because he was Joss'. And if for no other reason than that, John would always love, and protect Taylor.

"Does Taylor know what his mother meant to you John, how much you loved her? No? How about what a brave woman she was. Hum.... I think I need to have a talk with Taylor and let him know what she meant to me."

Elias sees that John is struggling to regain his feet but not doing so well. The blood loss, grief and exposure had sapped most of strength. He also knows that he needs to push John a little further to make him want to turn around and rejoin the living. Lord knows that John is anything but, so Elias chides him and calls him "Coward." The look John gives Elias is one of consternation. "You're taking the easy way, the coward's way out. You're such a coward that you won't even stay alive to honor the gift she bought you with her very life. I don't think I will ever understand why she loved you. You really are, well were, extraordinary at what you did but she deserved someone so, so much better than you. She deserved a man not a monster like you John."

John has struggled to his knees but his waning strength won't let him rise any farther. "I'm disappointed in you John. You haven't spoken to Taylor or even seen him since she died? No you haven't, have you. Why is that John? Is it because you can't bear to look in his eyes and see the same grief reflected back at you or his disappointment at you because you failed to protect his mother? So you lost your love, your heart, possibly even your soul. Well, Fusco lost a partner, Jocelyn's mother lost her child, and New York lost a very good cop. But most importantly Taylor lost his mother. You're not the only one who loved her John - it's not all about you."

"I understand Taylor's pain John. You know I lost my mother at a young age. He can talk to me about it and I'll understand. So When I leave here I'm going to look in on him."

Listening to Elias tell him his plans for Taylor has a rage stoked by fear growing inside John. He struggles to his feet fighting the scarf all the while the blood loss has black spots swimming before his eyes. The weather and his injuries are making it harder for him to breathe each minute and it feels like a million pins are stabbing his lungs with every breath. But John grinds out, "Stay away from Taylor or I'll...."

Elias gives a hearty laugh at John's words. "Or you'll what huum? What will you do John? "Elias responds with contempt. "Since you've decided to die I don't think you'll be able to do much of anything John. Just like the much of nothing you've been doing all this time since her death. You've even abandoned her child. It's very hard on you when you lose your mother at a young age John. I remember looking for support and help from anyone when my mother was murdered because I certainly wasn't going to get any from my father. It's a lonely time John when you lose your mother. Support from anyone who knew her, who can tell you things about your mother would be welcomed...from anyone...even someone like me." A whimsical smile plays about Elias's mouth as he says," My, what stories I could tell Taylor about his mother.

"Promise me you'll look in on him!" Joss' voice implores John to watch over Taylor. Mockingly her words from long ago echo in his mind. "Glad to see you keep your promises." But he hadn't promised, he couldn't promise then because if he had it would have meant she wasn't going to make it. Yet when he finally crawled to her side, held her in his arms and saw the wound in her chest, he knew she wasn't going to make it. "John, don't let this, don't let this..." her last words to him. John agonized over those words a million times. John's thoughts have become frantic. "Don't let this, her death -what, Joss? Don't let this bring the monster back? Don't let this rip your heart out? Don't let this destroy your world? Don't let this kill you? ‘This' had done all of that and more. "I tried Joss but I couldn't stop it." As he speaks his last words aloud his legs fail him and he sinks to his knees facing Elias.

As Elias and Tony watch John fall they hear the anguish in his voice and catch his last words,"stop It." Elias, thinking John is speaking to him sees his opening and takes it. He answers John. "Stop it? Who's asking John, the monster or the man?" Elias studies John's face for a moment. With a dispirited expression in his eyes Elias says "I see it is the man." With a sigh he continues. "I can't stop it John. Only you can. If you don't want me in Taylor's life in such an intimate way, then you need to be. And you can't do that if you're dead John. You want me to stop it, then I have a proposition for you. I will stay out of Taylor's life if you stay in it - something which you'll have to stay alive to do John. I will not approach, watch or otherwise insert myself or intervene in Taylors life as long as you are here protecting him and helping him. So John, what's it going to be? If you agree to this I'll be out of his life for good. I'll contact Harold and have him come help you. All you have to do John is agree and promise to wait for Harold.

Jasmine, jasmine, her scent is so strong it seems to enfold John. The scarf has been dislodged from the concrete and has mostly untangled from John's arm. Once again he holds the scarf close to his face and is breathing Joss in.

"Promise me you'll tell him." Gently, loving Joss asks for one last promise from him.
She did trust him, Joss did love him. She had trusted him with the most precious gift in her life - her child. She was counting on him to keep Taylor safe and make sure he was able to move on after her death. She was counting on him to deliver her last message to her son. He couldn't do that if he was dead. How could he have been so selfish! She never asked anything of him yet gave and gave so much to everyone. She had given the ultimate for him so how could he not give the rest of his life fulfilling this one promise. Finally with clarity of mind that John had been lacking since Joss' death he makes the promise he denied them both the night their life ended on a dark street corner. With tears in his eyes John looks at Joss' beautiful face, nods his head and gives her his answer, "I promise."

"Good, good John. So we have a deal." Elias is almost beaming because with John's words he believes he has finally gotten through that thick head of John's and helped him see what is really best for Taylor. "I'm contacting Harold now John, however the hour is getting late and I do have other pressing business to attend to. Since I know you keep your promises I have no worries that you will still be here when Harold comes to collect you. Take care John. Taylor really does need you in his life, now more than ever."

The wind has picked up even more and tosses the trash at their feet in the air as Elias and Tony return to their car. The temperature has continued to plummet. The snow is falling very heavily and has deposited an inch or two on the ground and their surroundings. Elias might have been concerned with leaving John in the elements but he knew that before he had even ended his call to Harold he was on the way here with whatever John needed to survive. Elias was done, his debt paid. He had kept John, for now, in the land of the living. He knew John would make it, as would Taylor.

The chilling wind chases Elias and Tony into their car and Tony hurriedly starts the engine and turns the heat on high. Elias looks at John and sees he is now slumped against the concrete remnant behind him. He started thinking about John and Joss' relationship and how tragic it sincerely was. Eros and Psyche. On second thought they were really more like Beauty and the Beast. Not that Disney drivel but the classic original French story of course. The love of Joss, a good, wonderful, kind and beautiful woman had turned John from the beastly monster back to a man. Elias was sure however that John knew he and Joss could never have had a happily ever after.

Jasmine! That's what he had smelled when he was talking with John. Elias smiled remembering that it was Joss' scent he detected then and faintly now as if she had stood at the open car door and the wind had trailed it in from her. As Tony drives off Elias takes one last look at John through the back window. From his position it looks as if John has slid to the side but he is still on his knees and his head is hanging down in front of him. Elias thinks John may be unconscious and silently bids Harold to hurry. Once again John has a death grip on that scarf which to Elias seems to have remained oddly unsullied during this whole tour de force. He watches as the wind forcefully grabs the long end of the scarf and pulls it up and out from John's body. Elias is sure the wind will rip it out of John's battered and bruised hand and carry it away from him-lost forever.

Instead the wind gently lays the scarf over John enveloping his shoulders and face. It wraps around him like a lovers arms embracing her beloved, keeping him safe and warm.

Finis~~~~~~