Author: SoThatHappened

"What were you planning on doing?" Shaw asked once they were outside and away from the bar, glancing at Root's weaponry that she had tucked into every available pocket.

"I don't know" Root said. "Fuck him up?"

Shaw raised an eyebrow. "He's our number, sweetie"

Root didn't like that condescending use of her nickname and grabbed Shaw's arm in a hard pinch not letting go until Shaw groaned and yanked her arm away.

"Stop it" Shaw growled and Root just shot her a look.

"You stop it" Root said. "He doesn't need a babysitter."

"I wasn't babysitting" Shaw said and Root scrunched up her nose.

"Gross" she muttered and Shaw just rolled her eyes.

"Nothing happened." Shaw said. "We had a drink."

"And probably eye fucked" Root said and Shaw just stared at her.

"I mentioned you like three times" Shaw pointed out and Root glanced over at her as she stormed down the road. Shaw was almost at a run trying to keep up with her long legs.

"Oh yeah, what'd you say Sameen?" Root asked "I married a selfish, psychotic bitch?"

Shaw frowned. "No, I didn't, I told him you were pretty and you'd kill him."

Root screeched to a halt and looked at Shaw.

"You said that?"

Shaw nodded. Root let out a sigh and pulled a pair of handcuffs out of her back pocket. Shaw eyed them carefully.

"What are you doing with those?" she asked and Root slapped one of the cuffs on Shaw's wrists, then the other on hers. Shaw let out a loud groan.

"This is unnecessary, Root" Shaw complained. Root ignored her and started walking again. "Aren't you just going to get mad that I'm attached to you?"

"I'm already mad, Sameen" Root said dragging Shaw along with her.

"Are you gonna explain this to Harold then?" Shaw asked. "Because if he gets shot..."

"The only person whose gonna shoot him, is me" Root said. Shaw rolled her eyes.

"He's a decent guy, Root" Shaw said and Root cringed.

"Okay, Sameen" she said.

"Is this what it's like when you get jealous?" Shaw asked and Root huffed.

"I'm not jealous" Root insisted.

"So the handcuffs are for?"

"Precaution."

"And we're being cautious of what?" Shaw pressed, feeling quietly amused at Root's protective behaviour. It made her smile a little, on the inside.

"Stop questioning me" Root snapped, and Shaw just stepped in front of her, forcing her to stop walking.

"You're freaking out for no reason" Shaw said to her and Root rolled her eyes.

"I'm not freaking out" she said and as Shaw studied her face she realised Root was telling the truth. She did trust Shaw, and she wasn't freaking out about Tomas. The truth was, she actually was just angry. Shaw frowned, she hadn't wanted Root to so much as touch her after she'd had that bad cheating dream, but here was Root cuffing them together. The ultimate proximity test.

"Fine" Shaw said quietly staring into Root's eyes trying to find anything. "Can you at least be reasonable?" she asked and rattled the cuffs.

"No." Root said stubbornly. Shaw sighed looking to the side and then shaking her head.

"Babe I get the protective thing, I do" Shaw tried. "But seriously, I already need to pee and I will duck behind a car if I have to."

Root frowned and looked down at their cuffed wrists.

"I left the key at Finch's" Root said and Shaw's face fell.

"It's the thought that counts" Shaw muttered.

"I'm still mad" Root added. "We're having a shitty day, and then you go out and start flirting with tall, dark and desperate"

Shaw quirked an eyebrow and smiled a little. "I wasn't flirting."

"Tell that to your face, Sameen" Root frowned. "I've seen those eyes before."

"What eyes? Root," Shaw protested "I was probably talking about you."

"Adorable." Root said sarcastically as they started walking towards Finch's.

They walked for a few blocks in silence, whenever they came too close to other people Root would grab Shaw's hand to hide the metal then quickly drop it again once they'd past.

Shaw was the one who broke the silence though, unable to stand the angry silence for any longer.

"Are you giving me the silent treatment?" Shaw asked looking at the back of Root's head as she trailed along behind her like a naughty child.

"If I wanted to do that I'd handcuff you to a pole and walk off" Root snapped and Shaw just smirked. Shaw suddenly remember that Root always kept a paperclip in her back pocket in case of emergencies, eyeing Root's jeans she wondered how she could manage to slip it out without Root noticing, or slapping her hand away.

"Are you really that mad at me?" Shaw asked.

"I'm mad for a lot of reasons" Root answered and went one way around a pole while Shaw went the other way without further thought, then suddenly both their arms were wrenched back as the metal cuff hit the pole. Root growled and Shaw just winced.

Root stared at her and Shaw made the effort to go around the other side of the pole.

"Sorry" Shaw muttered and Root sighed lightly, Shaw could tell she was softening, at least a little. "Root," Shaw said deciding to take her moment to try and get that paperclip.

Root looked at her impatiently.

"I just, I'm sorry" Shaw said "for how I left earlier"

Shaw used her cuffed hand to move a strand of Root's hair back and slipped her other hand behind Root's back while she was distracted.

"I know we're adults, and we're allowed to get annoyed at each other sometimes but" Shaw paused briefly as she realised the clip wasn't in Root's pocket. And Root was staring at her with a smirk.

"It's in the other pocket you asshole" Root said the smirk immediately fading as she grabbed Shaw's hand and threw it back to her side. "Cute apology though, if only you meant it."

Shaw groaned. "I did mean it, kind of"

"You're sleeping on the couch tonight" Root said and Shaw frowned.

"No I'm not."

"Yes" Root said pulling open the door to Finch's and dragging Shaw in.

"I didn't even make you do that when I saw you cheating" Shaw protested.

"I didn't fucking cheat on you" Root argued as they walked inside.

Finch was back at his desk and heard the two of them come in, looking between them with a frown hearing their bickering, and then seeing the cuffs attaching the two of them together.

"Sameen" Finch said "Need I ask?"

"No" Shaw said and rattled her cuffed wrist at him. "I don't know where he is, but the only threat here is my wife"

Finch looked at Root who folded her arms neatly, taking Shaw's hand with her.

"You better have the key Harold" Shaw gave him a warning look before she looked back at Root, who was contently ignoring Shaw.

"Why would I have the key?" Finch raised an eyebrow and Shaw looked desperate. Root just rolled her eyes and dragged Shaw over to the computers, reaching around the back of one of the screens and grabbing the key, then tucking it into her jacket pocket.

"What are you doing?" Shaw asked with a frown.

"You're not really making a good case for me to release you" Root said and Finch lifted an eyebrow at the two of them. Shaw looked at him and then back at Root.

"Shouldn't you be cuffing him?" Shaw asked and jabbed a finger at Finch. "This is his fault anyway."

"He wasn't making eyes at Tomas" Root pointed out and Finch stared at Shaw.

"I wasn't making eyes Root" Shaw groaned loudly.

"I'm going to leave you two..." Finch started but the immediately both turned to look at him.

"No" Root and Shaw said at the same time and Finch quietly pulled up a chair at his desk and sat down.

Shaw turned back to Root with a sigh.

"I don't get why you're mad, Root" Shaw said. "I feel like you're making this a big deal and it's not."

"Like you made a big deal out of a dream you had that I cheated on you?" Root asked and Shaw just frowned.

"Harold asked me to take this number, I was just doing my job" Shaw said calmly.

"Oh yeah, since we do we go for a drink with our numbers?" Root asked then looked at Finch. "Harry?"

Finch just shook his head, refusing to partake in this marital argument.

"I was tailing him and then I got made okay?" Shaw said "He saw me and then asked me to get a drink"

"You could have said no" Root said.

"He's our number" Shaw groaned "if it meant keeping him out of trouble for the night, then of course I was going to."

"And you wanted to see him" Root said and Shaw frowned at her.

"Why are you being like this?"

"Like what, Sameen?"

"This mood," Shaw shook her head "it's... impossible."

Root just stared at her, lips tight, jaw locked. Finch looked away from the two of them.

"You're the one that left this afternoon" Root said her tone adjusting from loud and argumentative to quiet, and almost sad. Shaw felt a twang of guilt.

"I was trying to talk to you" Root said "And you just left."

"You have barely spoken to me for days" Shaw pointed out "I didn't realise you had suddenly turned into an actual human being again and were ready to chat."

Finch almost winced at that comment, feeling the sting that Root had also felt. She glared at Shaw angrily. Instead of arguing back though she just reached into her pocket and undid the cuff on her wrist, yanking her hand free and then dropping the back onto the desk. Root looked at Finch her jaw clenched, she didn't say a word.

"I'll see you later" Root said mostly to Finch, before turning and walking towards the door. Shaw glanced at Finch before looking at Root.

"So you're just gonna leave?" Shaw asked and Root stopped.

"I don't know Sam," Root said before she turned around to face her "I thought I'd take a page from your book, considering you're so good at walking out."

Shaw glowered. "Root."

Root stared at her waiting for her to say something else, anything else. Seconds passed. Root rolled her eyes and turned to leave, making it all the way out the door this time without Shaw saying a word.

Finch stared at the spot where Root had been standing seconds ago, dumbstruck but what he had just witnessed. Of course he had seen them argue before, he'd watched Shaw shoot Root in the shoulder, he'd seen them flirt and...he'd seen more than he had ever signed up for. But he had never seen them fight like that. There was so much emotion that he had never realised flowed between the two of them. They were so connected, more than he had ever anticipated, and he could see that when one of them was upset it hurt the other too.

He looked over at Shaw with a slight frown.

"Can I make a suggestion?" he asked and Shaw said nothing for a few seconds before she tore her eyes away from the door and looked at Finch. "Go after her. Now."

Shaw looked at Finch for another few seconds before grabbing the key off the desk and heading for the door.