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resowrites · 2 years

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We Were The Better Kind - a Lloyd Hansen oneshot.

Summary: Lloyd Hansen is now one of the most feared and revered contract killers in the world. But after a particularly hard day at work, he reminisces on where it all began…

Pairings: AU!Lloyd Hansen x OC!Maria

Warnings: NSFW, 18+only MINORS DNI, angst, language, kidnap, interrogation, abuse, torture, humiliation, waterboarding, violence, threatening behaviour, murder/mention of death, mention of blood, adult/dark themes, misogyny, lightly proofread.

WC: 4324

A/N: My work must not be copied, reposted, or translated elsewhere. Likes, follows, reblogs and comments are thoroughly welcome and appreciated! No copyright infringement intended, gifs/pics not my own, my asks are open so please feel free to message me your requests/questions/critiques. Please also message me if you want to be added to the taglist. I hope you all enjoy!

We Were The Better Kind - a Lloyd Hansen oneshot.

Lloyd sat comfortably in his armchair, a drink in hand and the fire roaring loudly. It had been a long day and all he wanted to do was rest. He'd managed to get the intel from the target he'd been torturing all afternoon. It took a more ingenious method on this occasion but as he often found, persistence was key. As was usually the case on these cold, December evenings, his mind flit back to how it all began. He wasn't a sentimental man, not by any means, but even he was surprised at the turn his life had taken.

He had no intention of working for the government. He'd majored in football, and fully expected to turn pro when he and two of his friends were approached one hot summer's afternoon and offered the opportunity to train for the CIA. Lloyd had been benched almost the entire season recovering from a foot injury, so he saw no harm in giving the training a go. Despite being in peak physical condition already, it was a lot more full on than expected, especially the theoretical work. Although he considered himself shrewd, he wasn't the academic sort, and some of the more technical training threw him for a loop at times.

But Lloyd was determined to do his best, his supervisors thought he showed great promise and would have a distinguished career if he applied himself. That was certainly the goal throughout his first four months on the job. He remembered the morning of the mission that changed everything like it had happened only yesterday. He remembered pressing his suit and coiffing his hair, even giving his shoes an extra shine though, for the particular job he was about to partake in, it wouldn't really matter.

His particular team had almost captured one of the most notorious criminals their country had ever seen. Far more deadly and scheming than the mob lords on their lists and even internationally, Carlos Mondalez was both well known and feared. From humble beginnings as a drug dealer on the streets of Buenos Aires, Mondalez now operated a multi-billion dollar arms trade and sold on whatever intel or data he could get his hands on. Although they'd missed the opportunity to bring him in after a six year chase, they had managed to capture his girlfriend, an American woman fifteen years his junior named Maria.

Except she was suspected to be far more than just a girlfriend. Apparently, Maria had planned and orchestrated most of Mondalez's major deals and was at least partially responsible for his now considerable wealth. The CIA suspected she was agency trained, though without interrogation this would be hard to prove. Lloyd's team, headed up by his supervisor Harold Finch, had been read into the case and permitted to employ 'enhanced interrogation techniques.' What this actually meant was that they'd be allowed to systematically torture Maria using methods otherwise employed in remote facilities such as Guantanamo Bay.

Harold Finch, a hardened, long serving officer who didn't suffer fools and had about as much patience to match, was especially looking forward to the task. There were rumblings that Finch had gone off the book many a time during his long career and this made newer members of the team, like Lloyd, especially nervous. He didn't know what granted Finch that much power, or what it was he knew, but he definitely didn't want to get on the wrong side of him. Much of Finch's team felt the same way, he was a hard taskmaster and didn't tolerate even the slightest indiscretions. Many a time he sent home officers home for being tardy or even wearing creased suits. He took his job incredibly seriously and that was at least one quality Lloyd did admire.

He remembered how cold the building was that morning. Of course, now that the 'official' preliminary interviews had taken place and Maria had been as tight lipped as a clam, she'd been moved to another facility that was regularly used to detain their more important captives. Lloyd remembered trailing after Finch with his hands behind his back, wishing he'd worn a heavier coat. The building used to be a meat packing facility and as such was used to being kept at low temperatures to prepare and store raw meat. He couldn't help but note the irony, the building's purpose really hadn't changed that much at all. When they finally came upon Maria's cell, he was shocked to see her being led out in nothing more than a thin tabard that didn't even cover her knees.

She was exceptionally beautiful but then they'd all been warned ahead of time. But most of what he'd read about her was far less conclusive. They still had no idea of any prior affiliations or even her educational background. She knew more than one language and appeared to have excellent reasoning and mathematical ability. So far, so predictable, thought Lloyd. To move in the sort of circles Mandalez operated, one had to have above average qualities. What concerned them most, especially Finch, was her loyalty. They'd promised her a new life in witness protection if she agreed to give them the information they needed. But Maria simply wouldn't play ball. She'd been cross examined until Finch's colleagues were blue in the face.

So this was to be the next step. With little information even linking her to Mondalez, they already had a tenuous grasp on the situation, but Finch always got results and he was certain this time would be no different. Everybody has a breaking point, they just hadn't found Maria's yet. Lloyd was tasked mainly with observing and assisting with the techniques used where necessary. He was still very green and not overly looking forward to seeing a helpless woman battle the will - and cruelty - that he knew his agency was capable of. Yet he also knew people like Mondalez had caused almost limitless suffering for the poor unfortunates of the world. Thanks to him, Argentina's drug trafficking and gang violence had reached critical condition and much was the same in many of the world's more vulnerable populations.

Still, to look at her as she was led to a large, sparsely furnished room, he could hardly believe she was some criminal mastermind. Already he could see she'd been starved and sleep deprived, her pale face and purple eyes didn't signify a well kept prisoner. Maria was marched towards a desk in the middle of the floor and shoved onto a hard metal seat. Lopez, one of Finch's more experienced officers, then shoved her into the edge of the desk which caused the chair to scrap loudly against the floor.

"Well Maria, I'm sorry it's come to this I really am, but you're not leaving us much choice are you?" Finch lazily opened her file and glanced down at a couple of sentences towards the top of the first document. "You won't tell us how you met Mondalez, how long you were associated, or just how much you were involved in his business. So, we're gunna cut to the chase… unless you tell us where he is or at least where you suspect he's gone, and why, you'll be tortured for the foreseeable future. How does that sound?" He didn't even bother to look at her, instead, he spoke as though he was a waiter reading the day's specials. Maria said nothing but quietly cleared her throat. Finch pursed his lips and snapped his fingers in Lopez's direction. "Force her into position."

With that, Lopez dragged her from the table and practically kicked her to an empty spot on the floor. She was then forced to squat on her feet with her hands tied behind her back and her eyes blindfolded. It was a difficult position to hold even for several minutes, but Finch was determined to conduct the rest of that morning's interview that way. Maria made no noise at all. She didn't whimper or whine, she didn't even grunt as her legs already began to shake with the strain.

"Alright Maria, now that you're all set up, let's discuss the idiocy of your little plan. Here you are, bound and gagged, while the man you supposedly love is far away without a care in the world. He's made no attempt to contact us or negotiate for your release. You're as good as dead to him. So why defend someone who doesn't give a fuck about you hmm?" Finch stood in front of her with his legs splayed and his chest stuck out proudly. Lloyd noticed that he seemed to be enjoying himself, though he personally couldn't see what was so enjoyable about a vulnerable woman cowering on the ground.

Eventually, Maria collapsed on her side and panted quietly though she continued ignoring Finch's questions. Becoming more and more fed up, he decided to try another tactic. Again Lopez pulled her to her feet, keeping her hand restraints and blindfold in place, and led her to another small but much colder room. Lloyd noticed the drain on the floor and looked up to see an otherwise blank ceiling. What on earth did Finch have in mind next? He didn't have to wait long to find out, he ordered him to strip Maria naked and suspend her tied hands from a hook on the ceiling. Lloyd did as he was told though he tried to be as gentle as he could. He didn't look her in the eyes though he thought he could sense her trying to make eye contact with him several times.

Her body was in a similarly bad state, he could see the faint outlines of lash marks and many ugly, black bruises. In all honesty, she'd gotten off easy until now, Lloyd had already witnessed many detainees injured far worse for a lot less. He felt a particular uneasiness about this line of treatment being conducted against a woman though. He tried to remind himself that she was just as much a hardened criminal as their other prisoners, capable of the same treachery and diabolical behaviour. Maria coughed as a gust of cold air flew in through the barred, but open window. Lloyd felt freezing in a three piece suit and coat, so God only knows how she was managing completely naked. When she was finished being undressed, Finch started to unfurl what appeared to be ropes at first.

It was in fact a hose and his objective now was to blast Maria with a harsh jet of freezing cold water until she begged them to stop. She screamed as the first salvo hit her skin and stung worse than being knifed over and over in the back. Finch would stop after thirty seconds and question whether she was ready to tell them what they wanted to know. But she continued her silence, that was until the hose started up again and she yelled in agony. After another half an hour of this exercise, Finch was again losing his patience and threw the hose to the floor in a fit. He walked swiftly towards her and struck her hard across the face. His ring must have caught her cheekbone as large amounts of blood began streaking down the side of her face.

"Alright enough you stubborn little bitch… tell me what I want to know or you're going to regret it. I'll leave you here all goddamn night if I have to!" He'd now grabbed her weary, bloody face and was bending so low she could feel his spit hitting her cheeks. She took a deep breath and screwed her eyes shut, determined not to make eye contact. Finch was close to blowing his top and quickly turned toward Lloyd.

"Cut her down, I've got a much better use for the hose…" Lloyd gulped but silently followed his orders, taking care to be as gentle as he could with Maria's exhausted and visibly shaking body. He had to help hold her upright while Finch ordered Lopez to bring something else to the room. He couldn't overhear what it was exactly, but knowing Finch, she was probably about to regret not submitting to his earlier line of questioning. Carefully and without Finch seeing, Lloyd placed his hand gently on her lower back in support. He could feel her shudder at his touch.

It turns out Maria was indeed foolish for not caving in. Lopez had dragged in a tilted wooded platform that Lloyd immediately recognised from his textbooks. This time, however, he was ordered to strap her down and as he was being carefully watched by Finch, he wasn't able to take as much care of her aching wrists and ankles. Lopez was then ordered to wrap her face in a thick cloth and Lloyd regretted not being able to perform this particular task himself though he wasn't sure how he could have somehow made it easier for her. It was at this point that he started having doubts. They'd catch Mondalez in time, no one was able to run from the government forever, so surely whatever information she had wasn't worth this degree of extraction. He wanted to say something to his boss and even went so far as to look at him a couple of times. But what could he have said?

It didn't take long for Maria to start panicking, she stoically took the first two bursts of water directly to her face with as minimum fuss as she could muster. But then she started writhing in agony, her naked limbs flailing uncomfortably as she was slowly but surely being drowned. As before, Finch gave her multiple opportunities to confess what she knew about her boyfriend's whereabouts. But she could only manage to cough and splutter in response. Lloyd knew then that the situation was hopeless. She was clearly prepared to die for Mondalez, and no amount of inhumane treatment was going to change that. Out the corner of his eye, he could see Finch turning a gradually deeper shade of red. In fairness, most people didn't hold out as long as Maria but Finch was not a man accustomed to failure. He'd hold out as long as she did, whether that meant several more hours or weeks, if necessary. Finally, she'd grown suspiciously quiet and Finch ordered Lopez to revive her if necessary. Instead, it turns out she was just playing possum and when Lopez removed the cloth from her face, she swiftly spat in his eye. Lloyd tried desperately to hide a smirk.

"You dirty little bitch…" Lopez looked to Finch who nodded his permission. He then smiled back down at her and punched her right between the eyes. That left her out cold and for the first time since they began, Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief. They'd have to resume their interrogations the following day and at least that would give her some time to recover and rethink her obstinance. Lloyd made a move to untie her from the bench but when he hoisted her into his arms, Finch bellowed at him to put her back onto the floor. Once lying there, he kicked her sharply in the side, eliciting a strangled moan from her throat. Lloyd stared at him in equal parts confusion and horror.

"That bitch isn't to leave this room, nor is she to be fed, watered, or even dressed. Let her spend the night freezing her perky little tits off, maybe she'll then think twice about assaulting my god damn guards…" He then ordered Lloyd to keep watch until that evening when Lopez would come to relieve him. The two men hurried out of the room with Finch promising to get Lopez, who was still rubbing his eye, a large drink. Once they'd left, Lloyd quickly ran into the other room to fetch her clothes. He had no intention of dressing her again, but he did want to dry her off as best he could. The room the pair were in had no cameras, even the CIA wouldn't risk that, but he knew someone would come to check on them eventually. He had to be quick then, and once he'd finished drying her off, he wrapped her in his coat. He’d leave her to sleep off her pain for the next few hours.

Eventually she began to stir and Lloyd pulled her up by her shoulders. It took several minutes but she eventually came round. Her eyes were already swelling up though he felt the bridge of her nose and determined that it wasn't broken. When she fully came too, she quickly pushed him away, shocked that he was kneeling beside her and putting his hands on her face.

"H-hey… what the fuck are you doing?" But he just motioned for her to stay quiet.

"Be quiet, or you'll alert the rest of the guards." Maria blinked at him a couple of times, still heavily confused about what was happening. Lloyd sighed and wrapped his coat around her tighter, sensing her vulnerability at being sat naked on the floor. When she was fully covered, he laid her back down and bundled her now damp uniform behind her head as a pillow. She breathed a sigh of relief and took a moment to gather her thoughts.

"So what's happening now? Are you playing good cop or something?" Lloyd smirked but said nothing, instead, he checked his watch and tried to puzzle out when another guard would come to check on them both.

"Hardly, I'm to watch over you until I’m relieved me this evening." At this, her eyes hardened and her mouth set in a frown. But he was determined to keep her talking.

"You know you were pretty impressive back there, do I gather you've been waterboarded before?" She squinted her eyes at him as though she was struggling to see his face clearly.

"What's the matter? Vision a little blurry?" Maria scoffed and let her head roll to the side on her makeshift pillow.

"Well, wouldn't yours be?" Lloyd chuckled and considered her for a moment. They must have been around the same age and yet their lives had already taken significantly different paths.

"Well, that's what you get for hocking a loogie." He smiled at her again but she was staring at the ceiling, deep in thought.

"You know, he's not gunna stop. He'll kill you if necessary and sooner rather than later. Trust me… you don't wanna piss him off." Maria furrowed her brow and looked at him incredulously.

"You think I'm frightened of your boss?" Her voice was hoarse, he didn't know when she last had a drink.

"No, no… you don't seem frightened of anything." He wiped down his jacket sleeves and she couldn't help but notice the hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Why won't you just give him what he wants? Is Mondalez that important to you?" He didn't expect her to answer so when she cleared her throat and motioned for him to help her sit up, he was surprised at how complaint she was now being.

"No… he's not. But I was prepared for this outcome as was he. He knows his days are numbered." Lloyd could see from her eyes that she was sincere.

"So why get involved with someone like that, to begin with? You clearly have a lot of skills, they would have been put to better use elsewhere." At this Maria scoffed again and rolled her eyes.

"Before I met Mondalez I was a nobody, a pregnant teenage runaway fleeing an abusive stepfather with no money and no future. He helped me get an abortion and trusted me to learn his business despite my lack of experience. I don't know where I would have ended up without him." Lloyd shook his head unconvinced.

"That doesn't excuse your line of work, crime is crime no matter the personal motivation or reward." She then tried to meet his eyes, determined to get through to him.

"And aren't crimes being committed here? Against me and all the other prisoners? Look, to be honest, I know nothing of the true extent of Carlos's business. What I did for him amounted to very little in the end and wouldn't provide you all with any new evidence." She winced as a surge of pain ran up her left side. Lloyd placed the palm of his hand against her waist and applied pressure.

"Thank you." She looked up wearily into his cold blue eyes and a thought seemed to flash across her eyes.

"Tell me, Mister…" She waited for him to provide his name but he simply smiled and shook his head.

"Well, no matter. Tell me Mister Blue Eyes, what led you to the CIA?" Lloyd bit his lower lip and wondered if he should answer her. But then he'd already questioned her a lot, it was only fair he gave some information in return.

"Happenstance mainly, I went to college to play football…" She looked at him in surprise but said nothing. Several moments passed in silence. The wind outside was gathering speed and left them both shivering on the floor.

"Much the same as myself then. It was circumstance that led me into Carlos's life and it's circumstance that led me out of it." She gazed towards her feet, once again deep in thought. Lloyd wanted to say something but decided against it.

"Do me a favour though Mister Blue Eyes, whatever the reasons for your future decisions… stick to them. Integrity doesn't count for much in this life, but it's really all we have. Prince or pauper, lead your life with intention and leave the rest to fate. You won't have any regrets…" Maria smiled at him weakly before closing her eyes, intending to rest before whatever Lopez had in store for her that evening. But Lloyd couldn't help himself.

"So you don't regret getting mixed up with Mondalez? You know, someone like you could have had it easy…" He looked away from her shyly and she could have sworn he was blushing. Again she sat up and rested a hand gently on the side of his face. He turned to look at her earnestly.

"Oh Mister Blue Eyes, don't feel sad for me. I've had a great life, I had the freedom to do as I pleased and I took full advantage of it." She then winked at him which caused Lloyd to blush even harder.

"So you really loved him?" Maria tilted her head and looked at him almost pityingly.

"Of course, and I hope you find someone you can devote yourself to as well. No matter how we behave, love is always our salvation. Don't close yourself off to it." He nodded slowly and she smiled, glad to have finally had the chance for a normal, human discussion. He wanted to respond or do something to help her at that moment. But Maria seemed sanguine about whatever fate would befall her and Lloyd couldn't help but admire her fortitude. Nor could he stop himself from falling in love with her just the tiniest bit either.

Suddenly they heard footsteps approaching and he motioned for her to give back his coat and the rest of her clothes. By the time Michaels, another of Finch's guards, popped his head in the room, Lloyd was standing far away from Maria. He kept his head bowed and hands behind his back, as though he was struggling to stay awake. Maria had her back to them both as she lay on her side, simulating light snoring.

"Just an FYI, you’ll be relieved you in another ten minutes." Lloyd nodded the man away and looked at his watch, the whole day really had flown by.

The present day.

Lloyd let his empty glass fall to the table with a clunk. He was pleased with the pleasant warmth now spreading through his tired, aching limbs. At least now he'd have less trouble getting to sleep tonight. He felt his eyes flickering shut when suddenly one of his goons burst into his office.

"Mr. Hansen sir, we've got him, we've got Carlotto! Managed to locate his broad as well, when dya want them bought in?" Lloyd's eyes flung open and he coughed to clear his throat.

"I'll deal with Carlotto tomorrow morning, let the woman go though. She's not gunna tell us anything." His guard stared at him dumbfounded.

"What? You know we don't take women, besides they're never fountains of information when it counts. It'll be a waste of time and manpower bringing her in. Now get out of my sight, it's been a long day…" The guard mumbled his apologies and fled the room, leaving him to his thoughts. He stared over at his drink but decided against refilling it. He'd need to be sharp for tomorrow. His mind then roved back to Maria.

She was found dead in her cell the following morning. The autopsy declared it was suicide but from Lopez's insufferable smirking and arrogant swagger, he was sure he'd killed her. He handed in his resignation to Finch later that day. He figured if the CIA employed no greater morality in their line of work than any other agency, he may as well work independently. However it would be untrue to say Maria’s death hadn’t hardened him considerably. He was now one of the most brutal contractors in the world though he took no real pleasure anymore in his line of work. Mondalez was eventually captured and tortured to death, though not before handing over his empire to his illegitimate son. Lloyd couldn't help but pity Maria. She'd loved a man to death even though he continued whoring about and made no effort whatsoever to avenge her. Lloyd decided on another drink after all. As much as he continued to love Maria and always would, he wouldn't let the same fate befall him.

A/N: I hope you guys like this new Lloyd Hansen oneshot and please feel free to send me any more requests for stories/series. I love hearing from you all! Thanks so much for all your continued support and I hope you enjoy the story ~ Reso x

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nyx-lyris · 1 year

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best laid plans - h.f.

fighting your own heart is among the hardest battles in the world.

ruth erwin is a college student at nyu in pursuit of a degree in english literature. though a bit older and more experienced than most of her peers, she has no trouble settling into university life once again. she decides to take a class in coding to spice up her schedule a bit - only to find herself struggling more than she would like.

in search of assistance, she finds herself in the office of one harold wren, her gentle and mysterious professor. she finds herself drawn to him, wanting more from him, despite the forbidden nature of such a relationship.

harold, too, despite his better judgment, finds himself wanting more and more of this lovely student of his. he knows there are a hundred and one things that stand between them, but he can't help but feel drawn to her.

but, when her number comes up, the two are placed in an impossible predicament. with so many dangerous secrets standing between them and so many unforeseen variables tying them inextricably together, the way forward seems cloudier than ever. what, in the end, will prevail?

chapter two: something new

weeks passed, each one finding ruth in harold’s office at least once, if not twice. harold had to admit, he’d been taken aback by her desire to do so well in his class - she was majoring in english literature and was hoping to teach someday, either as a high school creative writing teacher or as a university professor. and yet, she came in once or twice a week, like clockwork - always with a new question, a new problem to solve. she invigorated him in a way he hadn’t known was possible.

harold hadn’t been terribly sure of himself at first, taking a job as a college professor. he knew most of his students were fulfilling a requirement for a major. though there were a few bright, passionate students he’d encountered over the years, they were fleeting. His students mostly did the work and attended the lectures, behaving more like automatons than human beings. he’d virtually lost hope that any of them really cared about anything beyond grades - moving on to the next activity, the next job, the next paycheck - existing day to day, without truly living.

then he met ruth erwin. she was older than most of his students - somewhere in her thirties, he guessed - but she had ambition and curiosity that rivaled most of them. she didn’t speak much of her personal life or even of her educational life - not that he expected her to - but he found himself unusually curious about who she was. he often found himself looking forward to her visits - a fact which terrified him.

why did she capture his attention so fully? she was intelligent, determined, beautiful - but there were plenty of students he’d met over the years who fit at least one of those criteria. there was nothing about her that should have piqued harold’s interest. and yet.

a knock sounded at the door and harold jumped, cheeks coloring as he realized he’d become absorbed in his thoughts. rather inappropriate thoughts about a student, who was likely standing behind his office door at this very moment.

“it’s me, professor wren,” ruth’s voice called, confirming his suspicions.

“come in, miss erwin,” harold answered, shifting his attention to the papers in front of him.

the door opened and shut. harold ignored the inappropriate flip of his stomach, the skip of his heart, as she entered the room.

“i have something for you,” he heard her say and he looked up in curiosity. her blue eyes glittered cheerfully behind her glasses and she smiled. his heart fluttered again.

“oh?” he responded, giving her his full attention. wordlessly she handed him a circular tin. a small smile flickered across his face and he carefully removed the lid, the smell of warm cookies filling his nose.

“i hope you like chocolate chip,” she said, drawing harold’s attention back to the girl in front of him.

“is today some special occasion i should know about?” he asked. her smile widened.

“no,” she answered simply, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. “i just made these for you because... well, you’ve helped me so much over the past several weeks and i wanted to say thank you.”

harold couldn’t help the smile that spread across his features. “thank you very much, miss erwin,” he said. “this means a lot to me.”

his stomach flipped at the way her face brightened, and he turned away to organize some papers, inwardly chastising himself. she was a student and far too young for him. this must be what a midlife crisis feels like, he thought, helplessly thinking of nathan and the young woman he’d been seeing when he was in the midst of his divorce. he thought of grace.

“so,” he said, forcing himself from his dismal reverie. “what seems to be the trouble today, miss erwin?”

the rest of the hour was spent assisting her with her work. harold was grateful for the distraction - coding and programming, computers, and machines had always made more sense to him than people. he was so dismally ill-prepared to deal with human emotion, especially his own. he was not one to act on impulse, to let his feelings on a matter interfere with his principles - but this young woman...

she was so close now as she looked over his shoulder at her computer, watching his demonstration of an example of the code she was trying to replicate for her homework assignment. the scent of her perfume tangled with the smell of the cookies from the still-open tin, creating a heady mixture that harold was surprised didn’t have young men swarming about her for her attention. he could smell a tinge of what he suspected was her conditioner as well, her long, light-brown hair falling in gentle waves as she leaned forward to inspect the screen.

harold closed his eyes for a moment, allowing himself a respite while she was distracted. this was getting out of hand, fast. he knew it had to stop. if he allowed this to continue... he shuddered quietly at the thought. he couldn’t allow himself to become absorbed by passion. she was a student. even if she was an adult she was still too young - vulnerable. he had a duty to protect his students, even if that meant protecting them from himself.

he would resign. it was the only option he had. if feelings got hurt, so be it.

“professor wren?”

harold’s eyes snapped open and his cheeks flushed red. her eyebrows wrinkled together in concern.

“is everything alright?” she asked.

“yes,” he answered, clearing his throat. “yes, i’m quite alright, i just... didn’t get much sleep last night.”

that wasn’t entirely a lie. he rarely got much in the way of sleep these days, between the numbers he worked with john and the pain caused by his injury.

she nodded, though he could see the disbelief in her eyes. she didn’t ask any questions though, merely typed the required code into the program. then she ran it, grinning when the desired results came through. harold couldn’t help the small, proud smile on his face.

“thank you, professor wren,” she said, turning to him, a playful glint in her eyes. “you’ll make a master coder of me yet!”

harold’s smile widened and he chuckled warmly, rising with her as she gathered her things to leave.

“have a good afternoon, miss erwin,” he said, watching her leave. “and thank you for your gift.”

she paused in the doorway, an odd smile on her face. “you’re very welcome, professor wren.”

and just like that, she was gone.

the relative warmth of september gave way to the chill of october. harold and john managed to save investigative reporter maxine angelis without becoming a front-page news story. ruth erwin continued to stop by harold’s office. the resignation papers remained unfinished on harold’s desk.

a few more numbers came and went. graham wyler and his family. the brilliant dr. madeline enwright and her wife amy. daniel and sabrina drake, co-owners of a publishing company. ruth continued to ask for help and harold continued to give it. the resignation papers became buried under a swath of papers in need of grading.

he knew he needed to finish them, submit them to his employer, and find somewhere else to work. maybe go into insurance, as he had initially planned, or find some smaller community college, somewhere more low-profile. after all, the further under the radar he could stay, the better. but, despite his inner chastising and determination to finally sit down and finish the job, he always seemed to find some excuse not to do it. he told himself he was doing it for his students - at least waiting until the end of the semester, so his employers wouldn’t have to go through the hassle of finding a new professor in the middle of the term.

otherwise, things seemed to be going just fine. it was a saturday and harold was out for a walk on new york’s busy streets, bear trotting along contently beside him. despite the general hubbub around him, the day felt strangely peaceful. however, as with most good things in harold’s life, the peace didn’t last long.

the sound of a payphone ringing pulled harold from his thoughts and he paused, giving himself one more moment before limping over to the booth and picking up the phone. he’d long since figured out a way to memorize the string of words the machine gave him, so he had no need for a pen and paper. it was safer, he figured - he couldn’t risk someone finding his note, should it fall out of his pocket, and use it to find him and john and potentially expose the machine.

he contacted john, informing them they had another number, then returned to their base of operations. he moved with ease through the library, finding the three books he needed, then settling down in his chair to type in the number.

his eyes widened at the image of the young woman who appeared on the screen, his blood running cold.

their new number was ruth erwin.

prev chapter - next chapter

a/n: i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter from harold's perspective! the perspective will jump around a bit as the story needs it to, so i hope that adds something to the story. i'll post this chapter to ao3 tomorrow if you want to read it there. hope you guys are doing well and thank you so much for reading! let me know if there's anything i can do to improve my writing :)

ao3 link to best laid plans

#person of interest #harold finch #john reese #michael emerson #harold finch x reader #harold finch x oc #person of interest fanfiction

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nyx-lyris · 11 months

Text

best laid plans - h.f.

fighting your own heart is among the hardest battles in the world.

chapter five: so close to something

ruth’s heart didn’t stop pounding all day. she felt as if she had a bomb in her bag, and if she burned too hot she would set it off. she knew with absolute certainty that she shouldn’t do this, but she had to do something. if he rejected her, that was fine. it was what she expected him to do, gentleman that he was. she hardly allowed herself to imagine him saying yes, giving in to her plea.

ever since the day she first saw him at the front of the computer lab, frazzled and apologetic, she’d been intrigued by him. now that she’d spent nearly every other afternoon with him, she was even more so. everything about him pulled her in. his intelligence and impressive vocabulary. his elegance and politness. his excellent taste in literature and suits. the quiet way he commanded a room. his old-fashioned manners and way of speaking. but especially the air of mystery that burned her mind and heart, made her want to know as much about him as she could.

it was only when she saw him smile for the first time - that day when she brought him a tin of chocolate chip cookies - that she realized just what she was feeling. she’d been writing letters to him for weeks, had even written him a few poems, and still, she hadn’t understood until that moment just what she felt for him. this mysterious, kind, odd professor of hers had captured her heart.

but that’s just it, she reminded herself. he’s a professor - not to mention at least twenty years older than you. even if he was interested - which he likely isn’t - he wouldn’t risk it. he’s no fool and neither are you.

despite her internal reprimands, however, her heart still skipped at the sight of him as she entered the computer lab. her cheeks were already burning red and she was grateful for the relative privacy she had behind her computer screen. here, she was expected to watch him - to listen intently, as his student - and she took full advantage of this fact.

she was amazed at how much he had endeared himself to her without even trying. his wide, intelligent blue eyes, hidden behind his glasses, that seemed to hold a thousand secrets; his spiky, fluffy hair that she wanted to run her hands through; his large, worn hands she wished she could hold in hers; the way his suits fit him just right; the gentle set of his mouth. everything about him seemed so soft and gentle - and yet there were moments when he commanded the room, an undercurrent of fervor and passion running beneath his words. she was particularly paused by this, as it appeared to come very naturally to him, despite his apparent disposition.

ruth hardly registered the meaning of the words professor wren was saying, too caught up in the soothing quality of his voice. she could swear his eyes flickered to hers more than once throughout his lecture, but she quickly dismissed it - she was probably just seeing what she wanted to see. and even if he was looking at her, there was probably something more official on his mind. she refused to allow herself to consider the possibility that he felt the same pull to her that she did to him.

class ended far too soon, but now that it was over ruth was keen on getting out of the room as quickly as possible. she had a free period, then history with professor hawkins - then she waited three agonizing hours to see harold in his office, as per usual. she needed to get some air, clear her head. she felt almost dizzy with the weight of her emotions, the volume of her thoughts - like someone had trapped her in the smallest, loudest box they could find.

so caught up in her thoughts was she that she hardly noticed when nicholas and lucas began to approach her.

“hey, babe,” nicholas’s voice filtered through her consciousness and she froze. “i noticed you haven’t been returning my emails. something wrong?”

ruth looked up at nicholas, praying her face betrayed none of the fear roiling in her gut.

“you know exactly why i’m not returning your emails, nicholas,” she answered icily, heart pounding. “i hardly know you and i’m not interested in you romantically. i’m not going to give you what you want and you’re going to have to deal with that.”

she’d met nicholas wood at a club that her friend emily had taken her to. she hadn’t wanted to go out - clubs were precisely the opposite of her usual scene - but she’d gone on the shopping trip to find dresses with her friend, so she figured she should go if only to be polite. emily had gushed over nicholas nearly the whole ride over - “blond hair, dreamy blue eyes, and muscles - he's gorgeous!” - but she’d known from the instant she laid eyes on him that she wasn’t interested. he had playboy written all over him and she’d never been terribly fond of the chris hemsworth/chris evans types anyway.

truthfully, she’d been more pulled toward his friend, lucas newman. he had skin the color of milk chocolate, flecked with freckles, and a pair of bright brown eyes that instantly drew her in. he wore glasses, too, which only increased her attraction. he was more polite than nicholas, too, and seemed a bit more intelligent. but even him ruth was careful with - anyone hanging around a guy with a reputation like nicholas’s was more than likely nothing but trouble.

both boys had flirted with both her and emily - but as soon as emily slipped away to use the restroom, it was as if she’d never been there. ruth allowed them each a kiss, despite her better judgment. but, as soon as she felt nicholas’s hand sliding up her thigh, she excused herself, leaving emily to flirt with them a little longer before suggesting they leave.

neither of them mentioned the incident again and, when she and emily were paired up with them for a class project, they were polite as could be. however, it was only a respite. soon they were finding excuses to talk to her outside of class, emailing her with sexual promises she had no intention of showing up for. they’d tried every angle of manipulating her, trying to get her alone, to convince her that she wanted them. she, in turn, had explained that she didn’t just give herself to every guy she found attractive - she would give herself to the man she fell in love with, and only him.

of course, that didn’t stop them.

and here they stood again, ready to harass her once more. nicholas was laughing now and the smile on lucas’s face was enough to send chills through her.

“oh, come on, ruth. why are you fighting this so hard? i can see it in your eyes,” he murmured. “you want us. badly. why don’t you just give in?”

she hated to admit he was half right. she did find lucas attractive, and even nicholas she could agree was objectively good-looking. but good looks meant very little in the long run.

“i happen to have standards for the guys i date,” ruth bit back, her anger swelling. “harassing me will get you nothing. and if this doesn’t stop, i will go to the authorities.”

“oh you will, will you?” lucas’s low and seductive voice filtered into her ear, and ruth suppressed a shudder. he chuckled. “we’ll get you one of these days. and you won’t just like it - you’ll love it.”

ruth opened her mouth to speak again but was cut off by an all-too-familiar voice.

“what’s this about?” professor wren asked sternly.

nicholas smiled pleasantly. “oh, nothing, professor,” he answered. “just asking this lovely lady out on a date is all.”

professor wren’s face remained neutral, but there was steel in the set of his jaw.

“by the sounds of things, this young woman is not interested,” he said, a dark edge in the marrow of his words. “i suggest you move along.”

nicholas appeared completely unphased. “we’re not looking for any trouble, professor. we’ll be on our way.”

then he turned and walked away. lucas lingered a moment to offer ruth a wink before following him. ruth shut her eyes, unwittingly imagining punching the self-satisfied smirks off their faces so hard they bled - before quickly shaking her head.

thinking like that makes you just as bad as them, she reminded herself sternly. they deserve punishment, not cruelty.

“are you alright, miss erwin?” professor wren’s voice sounded in ruth’s ear, pulling her from her thoughts.

she gave herself another moment to gather herself, then met his gaze, pointedly ignoring the way her heart fluttered at the genuine concern in his eyes.

“yes,” she answered, surprised by the steadiness of her voice. “i’m alright.”

he seemed to hesitate for a moment. she waited, letting her eyes run over his face as he considered.

“if you ever need anything,” he said slowly, his eyes averted. “or if they ever bother you again - tell me.”

his eyes lifted to meet hers and she inhaled sharply at the look in his eyes. then she smiled tightly and nodded.

“of course,” she answered, tone again surprisingly steady. now it was her turn to hesitate. “see you later?”

a ghost of a smile flickered over his face. when he answered, his voice was warm.

“of course, miss erwin.” ruth smiled. nodded. then turned and left, heartbeat pounding in her ears.

ruth’s heartbeat was somehow even louder than before as she made her way to professor wren’s office later that day. her hands were trembling something fierce, and she was afraid she would drop the boxes of sencha green tea and pastries she was holding in her hands. a million thoughts shot through her head at once, mostly telling her she never should have slipped that letter under his door. there were a million reasons why she shouldn’t do this, and yet here she was.

when she finally arrived in front of professor wren’s office, she hesitated. he was right there, behind that door - all she had to do was open it.

she stood there for fifteen minutes, barely noticing the time passing as her thoughts raced back and forth.

you gave him the letter, she thought finally. you brought this upon yourself. it would be cowardly not to own up to it.

so, she shut her eyes. took a deep breath. and knocked on the door.

it was silent for a moment.

“come in.” she took another shaky breath, then opened the door. she knew exactly how she looked - like a lovesick schoolgirl, desperately trying to win the favor of her person of interest. her eyes were wide, though she did her best to school her features into something resembling normalcy.

“hello, professor,” she said, cringing at how small her voice sounded. “i brought you something.”

she couldn’t bear to meet his eyes, so she focused on setting her gifts down on the desk. then she busied herself with slipping out of her bag and her coat. she was almost certain he could see her shaking. the silence between them was deafening.

“i received your letter.” his voice was quieter and more fragile than she’d ever heard it before, and she couldn’t help but look up at him.

his eyes were averted and his features were tight. she could almost see the thoughts racing behind his eyes, and she held her breath.

he didn’t say anything for a long moment.

“i’m sorry,” she whispered. he looked up, eyes wide. “i know i shouldn’t have. i don’t expect you to... reciprocate. i've just been living with this for weeks now and i... i guess i just had to say it.”

she couldn't meet his eyes. the silence stretched for so long ruth wondered if he would respond at all. tears began to prick at the corners of her eyes. this was too much. she should have just kept her mouth shut, left well enough alone. her vision blurred and she bowed her head even lower.

“you have nothing to apologize for,” he finally answered, voice shaky. she dared briefly to look up, inhaling sharply at the broken look on his face.

his mouth was open, motions paused, like he wanted to continue but wasn’t sure if he should.

"you have nothing to apologize for," he repeated, gaze still averted. “because i feel just as you do.”

ruth’s mouth fell open. that was not what she had been expecting. she’d been expecting him to turn cold - to politely inform her of the fact that her actions were extremely inappropriate and that if she wished for more help with his class she could find a tutor or a classmate to help her. she expected him to push her away. in all the scenarios she had concocted, she had never once allowed herself to consider this as an option.

quickly she shut her mouth, pulling her glasses off and wiping away her tears. she didn’t know what to say.

“and as much as it pains me to say,” he continued, his voice strained. “and though i’m sure you already know - we cannot continue in this vein.”

fresh tears began to fill her eyes, but she quickly swiped them away. he was right - she’d known this was what was waiting for her. but, his confession had made her brave and she wasn’t about to lose this. she wanted now more than ever to see where this went, risk be damned.

“i know what the rules say,” she began carefully. “but... i’ve never been terribly fond of rules.”

he met her eyes and she could see something spark within them like he wanted badly to agree with her. but that spark quickly faded, covered with some darker emotion that she couldn't place.

“it’s more than that,” he continued, a heaviness filling his voice. he paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “i am... not who you think i am.”

“what do you mean?” she asked. he looked as if he were about to shatter.

“i can’t tell you,” he answered. his voice was tight. he cautiously met her gaze. “all i can tell is that to be with me would put you at great risk, and i cannot allow that.”

ruth’s eyes widened a fraction, then narrowed as she considered the implications of his words.

“are you in some kind of legal trouble?” she asked. his eyes widened as he looked at her. “are you running from someone - or hiding?”

she saw something flicker in his eyes at her last word. then her eyes widened. it was no wonder something had felt slightly off about his office - his was the only professor’s office she’d ever been to that was so empty. there were no pictures of family and friends, no personal knick-knacks, nothing to indicate much about who he was - except perhaps the few books on his shelf. she’d always pinned him as a loner - though likely not by choice - but she’d never thought about why. her eyes found his again.

“harold wren isn’t your real name, is it?” she whispered. “and this job - your life - it’s not...”

“please,” he said, voice quiet. “i understand your need to know more, to understand for yourself - but for your sake - and, quite frankly, for mine - please...”

he left his sentence unfinished but his meaning was quite clear. ruth didn’t move, eyes fixed on his. if he was hiding from someone, his cover had to be quite good for him to have remained hidden for at least several months, if not several years. and if his cover was good enough to protect him from people that made him fear for his life as well as the lives of the people around him, that meant the people after him had to be powerful.

“please - just answer me one question,” she said, voice wavering. “are you... did you... commit a crime? is it police who’s after you?”

no, that didn’t sound right. if he was this afraid, it wouldn’t just be some group of cops after him. it had to be something larger than that.

“is it the government?” she asked quickly, careful to keep her voice low.

he pressed his lips into a thin line, eyes widening a fraction, warning her, pleading with her. she kept her eyes fixed on his.

"please," she said. "i need to know if you're not the man i thought you were."

after a moment, he nodded briefly, averting his gaze. she could almost see him calculating the risk of telling her the truth. the pain in his eyes nearly made her regret what she'd just said. someone who had committed something truly atrocious wouldn't look as pained and heartbroken as he did now. or maybe he's just manipulating you and you're too blind to see the monster lurking beneath. ruth swallowed hard at the thought - but after a moment dismissed it. he was too gentle, too kind, too polite. he wasn't intentionally charming or domineering. he wasn't like nicholas or lucas. he was different.

ruth closed her eyes and took a deep breath. then she made her way around his desk to kneel beside his chair. hesitantly, she place her hand over his arm, a spark coursing through her hand at the contact. his gaze immediately turned to where her hand was placed, before slowly sliding back up to her face.

“please,” she murmured. she fixed her gaze intently on him, hoping that her eyes would convey the truth in her words. “you can trust me.”

his mouth fell open for a moment, then he shut it again, mind still seemingly running a million calculations a minute. ruth hesitated a moment, then stood up halfway, reaching up and cradleing his cheek. his breath hitched at the contact and a spark of electricity flew through her. she wasn’t too close, but she was close enough. she caught his eyes flicking down to her lips and she couldn’t help but smile.

“i don't think you committed any truly heinous act,” she whispered. “and whatever it is you did, i’m sure you had a good reason. i don't believe you hurt anyone.”

he remained silent. her hand was still on his cheek, her other hand resting on his arm. her eyes flickered over him for a moment, suddenly remembering something.

“your injury,” she continued. she felt him tense beneath her and she nodded. “it was their fault wasn’t it - the people who are after you.”

“no,” he replied, voice soft and broken. “they may have manufactured the incident, but it was my fault it happened in the first place.”

ruth searched his face for a moment. “you lost someone.”

his gaze slipped from hers and he swallowed hard. it was a long moment before he spoke again.

“everyone i’ve ever been close to i’ve either lost or had to leave behind.”

then his eyes met hers, wide and honest and full of pain. ruth hadn’t realized how close she’d gotten, but she couldn’t bring herself to pull away. he didn’t say it, but his meaning was as clear as a summer’s day. don’t make me lose you, too.

she smiled, tears pricking her eyes. he was so broken, so alone - and he would rather survive alone with a broken heart than put those he cared about in danger. there was a part of her mind telling her to do what he said - to respect his wishes, to trust him, to make the safe choice, the smart choice - but she couldn’t move. they were so close now, foreheads almost touching. his lips were barely an inch from hers - and she could see his eyes flicking down.

“we can’t do this,” he whispered weakly, but it was clear his resolve was breaking.

ruth’s lips brushed his once and a shiver flew through her body. professor wren took a shaky breath but didn’t move. she brushed her lips against his again, barely suppressing the whine snaking its way up her throat.

“miss erwin, we can't,” he murmured, likely in a last-ditch effort to stop what was happening.

“harold, please,” she whimpered. his breath hitched at the sound of his name on her lips.

the moment that passed next seemed to last a hundred years. ruth’s pulse roared in her ears.

then he pressed his lips to hers, gentle and chaste, and ruth couldn’t help the whine that escaped her. she began gently rubbing the skin of his cheek with her thumb and she felt his hand come to rest over her wrist. her other hand slid up his arm to his shoulder and she felt him hum at the contact, causing her to shiver.

when they pulled apart they were both breathless, and ruth couldn’t help but blush. she felt a giddy feeling rising within her, but she stamped it down - just because he lost himself to passion for a moment didn’t mean he’d changed his mind. he seemed frozen beneath her, and when ruth pulled away slightly, it took him a moment to remember himself, to open his eyes and close his mouth. his cheeks were flushed just as red as hers and she couldn’t help but smile.

then he began to slide out of her grasp. she nodded, stepping back as he rose from his chair. she was about to turn around to gather her things when she felt a gentle hand close around her wrist - first holding her in place, then pulling her close. normally, he was a good five inches taller than her, but her three-inch heels put her only a couple of inches shy of his height, and well within reaching distance. even so, she didn’t move. it was purely his choice what happened next - even if that meant she left and never came back.

she hadn’t realized she’d closed her eyes until she felt a hand on her cheek, causing her to open them. he was so close. she did everything she could to keep her eyes on his.

“we shouldn’t be doing this,” he whispered.

ruth smiled, one hand resting on his arm, the other slipping from his grip and landing on his shoulder.

“but we are,” she whispered in return.

she hesitated, then met his gaze.

“i don’t care if this is the only moment we have,” she said. “if this is it, or... or there are a thousand more to come...”

his eyes widened a fraction at her implication and she smiled, her cheeks burning.

“either way,” she continued. “thank you. for everything.”

a small, pained smile flickered across his face. then, he leaned forward, pressing his forehead to hers.

“truthfully, i... don’t want this to be the last moment,” he murmured. ruth’s heart fluttered. “perhaps, you’ll meet me for dinner one night?”

ruth pulled away, searching his eyes. he's serious.

"when?" she asked, unable to keep the surprise from her voice.

"how about wednesday? nine pm?"

ruth gave him a look. “that’s a little late for dinner, don’t you think?”

his eyes met hers, a serious expression crossing his face.

“i thought it might be best to avoid the rush hour,” he answered.

“oh,” ruth answered. "right, of course."

there wouldn't be as many people in the restaurant then - and the fewer people who knew they were together the better.

he nodded, then smiled, wider and more genuinely than she had ever seen him. it made her heart flutter to know she was the cause of that smile. in response, she gently wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him close, relishing the feeling of his arms around her back and waist. then she pressed a kiss to his cheek, a smile spreading across her face as she stepped away.

just as ruth was headed out the door, she paused, turning back once more to face him. his eyes found hers and she smiled.

“see you wednesday, professor wren.”

“see you wednesday, miss erwin.”

prev chapter - next chapter

a/n: the next chapter, as promised! i hope you all enjoyed it and thank you so much for reading!

ao3 link to best laid plans

#person of interest #harold finch #michael emerson #harold finch x reader #harold finch x oc #fanfiction #person of interest fanfiction #michael emerson x oc #michael emerson x reader

4 notes · View notes

nyx-lyris · 11 months

Text

best laid plans - h.f.

fighting your own heart is among the hardest battles in the world.

chapter four: imminent

as soon as harold heard the door to the library close, indicating john had left, harold removed his glasses and let his face fall into his hands. john was a highly observant, highly intelligent man and harold knew his affection for this young woman would not remain secret for long. a mixture of guilt and frustration swirled in his gut, and he took a deep breath, steadying himself. there wasn’t time for this. miss erwin was in trouble and it was their job to save her.

harold put his glasses back on and tapped a key on his computer, the sound of a phone number being dialed echoing in his earpiece. detective carter’s voice was soon heard through the speaker.

“good morning, detective,” harold greeted, sitting up a bit in his chair. “i was wondering if you might run a background check for me.”

“sure,” carter answered. he could hear her walking to her desk through his earpiece.

“on who?”

“a young woman by the name of ruth erwin. i'll send you her information.”

“alright, i’ll see what i can find.”

“of course. thank you, detective.” “no problem, finch.”

a beep sounded, indicating she’d hung up. harold sighed quietly, then began to busy himself with looking into her credit history. he had a job to do and he wasn’t about to let his personal feelings get in the way.

hardly forty-five minutes went by before john returned to the library.

“here,” john said, placing a flash drive on harold’s desk. “the files from her computer.”

“oh, good,” harold answered, quickly plugging the drive into his own computer.

“you find anything else while i was gone?” john asked, coming around the back of harold’s seat to look at his screen.

“nothing that would clue us in to who’s threatening miss erwin’s life,” harold answered. “her credit history is clean. no evidence of criminal activity, no overdue payments - not even student loan debt.”

“impressive,” john said. “almost seems a little too clean.”

“i highly doubt she’s the perpetrator in this scenario, mr. reese,” harold responded. “she seems to have had a bit of help from family in paying off her student loans. other than that she’s simply been fiscally responsible, as far as i can tell.”

john chuckled behind him. “it seems like we found the most boring woman in new york,” he said.

harold made no comment, watching as the files from the flash drive uploaded to his computer. she had several file folders - for school, for work - but what immediately caught his eye was a folder labeled ‘stories’.

“she’s an author,” he murmured, almost to himself. he nearly opened the folder but decided against it. these were her creations - hers to share, not his to pry into.

he then began sifting through her emails. her inboxes were clean, so he slipped into her deleted messages. harold vaguely registered that john was no longer behind him as he worked, opting for pacing around the room instead of watching. harold was just about to deem this avenue useless when he noticed something.

“oh, here’s something interesting,” he murmured.

“you found something?” john asked, quickly returning to harold’s side.

“several emails from two fellow classmates,” harold answered, quickly typing their names into the college database. “students in my class - nicholas wood and lucas newman. the older emails appear to be about a group project from last year, but the more recent emails are of a much more... graphic nature.”

“graphic?” harold could almost hear john’s arched brow.

“originally, they were just persistently asking her out,” harold elaborated. then his voice darkened. “however, the more recent messages imply something more sinister.”

john leaned in closer and harold moved aside allowing him to read some of the messages.

Nicholas Wood To: Ruth Erwin

Hey babe, last night was fun. I was thinking we could do something even more fun this time… See you at the club tonight? Nicholas

Ruth Erwin To: Nicholas Wood

No thanks, I’m busy tonight.

Nicholas Wood To: Ruth Erwin

Come on, baby. I got something big to show you… Can’t wait to have it inside you…

Ruth Erwin To: Nicholas Wood

I’m busy. And besides, you know I’m not that kind of girl.

Nicholas Wood To: Ruth Erwin

Oh, come on, you know you want me.

Nicholas Wood To: Ruth Erwin

Babe, answer me.

Nicholas Wood To: Ruth Erwin

Don’t make me come find you…

Nicholas Wood To: Ruth Erwin

Lucas and I will find you, babe. And when we do… you’re in for one hell of a ride, baby girl.

john stepped away from the screen and harold shifted back into position, printing off their pictures, doing his best to ignore the anger and protectiveness roiling in his gut. a glance back at john as he went to retrieve the pictures told him he was feeling much the same way.

“i’m gonna go check out nicholas,” john said, a dark edge in his voice. “i’ll get fusco on lucas. send me their addresses.”

“will do, mr. reese,” harold answered. “i’ll ask detective carter to run a background check on them as well.”

“good. i’ll call you when i find him.”

“i looked up your girl, ruth erwin,” detective carter’s voice sounded in harold’s ear. “she’s clean, no prior convictions - not even a speeding ticket.”

“and what about the other names i sent you?” harold asked, tapping his fingers gently against his desk.

“nicholas wood and lucas newman,” carter answered, the sound of rustling paper accompanying her words. “technically, neither of them have a record, but they’re both connected to several accusations of stalking and sexual harassment. however, the charges against them are consistently dropped.”

harold sighed quietly.

“thank you for your help detective.”

“wait, finch,” carter continued. “do you think this woman could be their next target?”

“that is our current theory, yes,” harold answered, voice tight.

there was a pause. when carter spoke again, there was steel in her voice.

“if they make a move, call me.”

“i most certainly will, detective,” harold answered.

then he ended the call, quickly dialing john’s number.

“mr. reese,” harold began. “have you found anything on mr. wood?”

“we’re up on his phone,” john answered. “he just sent another email to ruth and he texted lucas an address.”

harold’s fingers flew across the keyboard to access wood’s screen.

Nicholas: [address] - this good?

Lucas: yeah, that’s good. wednesday, 10:00 pm?

Nicholas: sounds good. i’ll make sure she’s there.

Lucas: good. i'll tell hawkins. see you then.

harold’s eyes widened.

“finch, it looks like they’re gonna do this at the college.”

“yes, i know.” harold’s voice was quiet for a moment. then he straightened up. “you stay on wood. i’ll enlist detective carter to keep an eye on miss erwin.”

"any idea who hawkins is?"

"no," harold answered. "perhaps you and the detective can extract that information from our aggrieved young stalkers."

there was a stretch of silence as harold returned to work. the fire in his gut still hadn’t settled, so he used it to focus, determined to find out as much as possible about all the players. he would let nothing happen to ruth. nothing.

“finch?” john’s voice caused harold to jump.

“yes, mr. reese?”

“is there anything else you want to tell me about this woman?”

harold swallowed hard. he managed to keep his voice light.

“i don’t believe so - why do you ask?”

“no reason,” john answered. “i just want you to know if there is anything else... you can trust me.”

harold’s eyes widened at john’s statement. he knows.

“i’ll keep that in mind, mr. reese.”

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a/n: hello everyone! i'm so sorry this is a week late - i've been so busy lately that i just spaced it. so this time i'm doing a two-for-one special and giving you guys two chapters to enjoy - i'll upload the next one momentarily. thanks so much for your patience!

ao3 link to best laid plans

#person of interest #harold finch #michael emerson #harold finch x oc #harold finch x reader #michael emerson x oc #michael emerson x reader #john reese #person of interest fanfiction #fanfiction

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nyx-lyris · 1 year

Text

best laid plans h.f.

fighting your own heart is among the hardest battles in the world.

chapter three: a discovery

harold was at his desk, typing away at his computer as usual, when john walked into the library.

“i got your message, finch,” he said by way of greeting. “what are we dealing with here?”

harold glanced up at john, then rose from his chair, motioning to the glass board in front of them. taped to it was a picture of a young woman with long light brown hair, blue eyes framed by a pair of dark glasses, and a round face. she appeared innocent enough, but john knew very well that appearances could be deceiving.

“her name is ruth erwin,” harold began in his usual neutral tone. “she’s thirty-two years old, single, lives alone. she’s currently attending college with aims to become a professor of english literature.”

“she have any friends or family?” john asked, approaching the board. he had to admit, there was something familiar about the girl’s face, although he couldn’t say exactly what.

“her family lives out of state,” harold answered. “she has a few friends in her apartment complex, and she keeps in touch with a few out-of-state friends, but that’s about it.”

“you said she’s single,” john continued. “was she ever in a relationship? maybe an ex-boyfriend came back to haunt her?”

“as far as i can tell, she’s had very few romantic attachments,” harold continued. “it’s unlikely that’s the source of the threat.”

“you manage to dig up anything else about her?”

“yes. she previously graduated college with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. she worked for a small firm that designs hvac systems for commercial buildings.”

“any threats there?” john asked, turning to face harold. “not that i can tell. the company went under a few years after ‘09. they had some financial trouble, but it’s doubtful anyone would go after miss erwin on that account.”

john turned back to the glass board, examining her photo once more. why did she seem so familiar?

“so we have no idea where the threat is coming from,” he murmured.

when harold didn’t respond, john looked back. harold was focused intently on whatever was on his screen, but there was something slightly off about his posture.

“finch?” john asked. harold looked up, eyes guarded. “everything alright?”

harold opened his mouth to answer, then shut it again.

“miss erwin,” he said after a moment. “is not entirely unfamiliar to me.”

john watched harold’s face, patiently waiting for him to continue.

“she’s one of my students.”

john returned his gaze to the board. he had seen her before. several weeks ago, he’d gone to visit harold at work to inform him the threat to their number at the time had been neutralized. just as he was about to enter his office, a young woman with a backpack over her shoulder opened the door. now he had a name to put to the face.

john gently traced her image on the board, his brow furrowing. he remembered something else about that day as well. harold had seemed different - lighter, brighter, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, if only momentarily. john’s gaze returned to his partner. his fingers had frozen on the keys and he, too, was staring at the photo on the board. he hadn’t seemed to notice that john was watching him. there was something strange in his eyes, something john couldn’t place.

“finch?” john finally asked, tentatively breaking the silence. harold seemed to return to reality, gaze falling on john as if remembering that he was still there. john arched a brow. “are you sure you’re alright?”

harold’s eyes were more guarded than john had ever seen them.

“i’m fine,” he answered.

no, you’re not, john thought in response. but he knew better than to push harold - he would talk when he was ready, and right now he wasn’t.

“i’ll send you her address,” harold continued after a moment. “you can get into her apartment, see what you can find out. i’ll stay here and dig up more clues.”

john nodded and began walking toward the staircase, sparing one last glance back at his partner, before making his way out of the library.

john picked the lock and slipped into ruth’s apartment with ease. he was still for a moment, listening to ensure she wasn’t at home, before stepping inside. the apartment itself was small but lived in. there was a living room just to john’s left; along the left wall was a coat closet and sliding glass door that led to a balcony overlooking the city; straight ahead of him was a door that he assumed led to ruth’s bedroom; and to his right was a conjoined kitchen and laundry room, and a small dining area.

immediately what stood out to him was how bright the place looked. there wasn’t much in the way of a coherent theme. splashes of turquoise and pink stood out against the whites and greys of most of the apartment. she had several plants - a couple of larger, tree-like plants, as well as several orchids and bamboo plants scattered throughout. pictures of her family and friends and a couple of well-done paintings - which, from the signatures at the bottom, john surmised were painted by a family member - filled the walls.

john slipped into her bedroom, sticking a flash drive into the usb port on her laptop. in the meantime he began poking through her things. there was a file cabinet beside her desk that contained primarily financial, educational, and work records. from what he could surmise at a glance, nothing seemed particularly out of the ordinary.

the rest of her room proved to be just as unhelpful in determining a threat. her desk drawers were filled mostly with journals filled with old diary entries and jotted-down ideas for what appeared to be characters and stories. the bookshelf to the right of her bed proved useless as well - though john learned that she appeared to be fond of a variety of subjects. she had several keepsake boxes underneath her bed, filled with old drawings and paintings, school projects, and old photographs, some from when she was just a kid.

he heard a beep from her laptop, indicating that the upload to the flash drive was complete. john sighed, rising to retrieve it, hoping that perhaps the contents of her computer would be more illuminating. but, as he pulled the flash drive from the computer, something caught his eye - a small box, tucked away in the corner of her desk. he wasn’t sure why, but something told him to open it.

john hesitated a moment, the rational part of his mind telling him it was probably just more of the same. then he shrugged, placing the flash drive in his pocket and picking up the box - it was the last box and he might as well cover all the bases.

it was a square-shaped cardboard box, the lid tied on with a string of twine. her initials were written on the bottom right corner, but other than that it was fairly nondescript. carefully, he untied the twine and removed the lid, placing them on the desk. what he saw made his eyebrows fly up. a collection of what appeared to be letters and poetry filled the box, all addressed to one person - professor wren. for a moment, john let his curiosity get the better of him, and he began to read a few of the most recent additions to the box.

they were well-written and rather touching, telling him all about her life and her interests. the poems were surprisingly lovely as well, and john found himself smiling. the woman clearly cared about harold. for a moment, john contemplated telling harold but quickly decided against it. these were her feelings to divulge, not his. instead, he took pictures of each of the pages, to read later.

his mission completed, john slipped back out the front door and through the back entrance of the apartment building, unnoticed as usual. as he walked down the streets of new york back towards the library, he made a mental note to watch harold’s behavior more closely. perhaps there was more to harold’s relationship with this number than met the eye.

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a/n: hello everyone! i apologize for posting a day late - there was a lot distracting me over the weekend... anyway, i hope you enjoy this latest installment of best laid plans and thank you so much for reading!

ao3 link to best laid plans

#person of interest #harold finch #john reese #michael emerson #harold finch x reader #harold finch x oc #fanfiction

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nyx-lyris · 1 year

Text

best laid plans - h.f.

fighting your own heart is among the hardest battles in the world.

chapter one: in the beginning

whatever ruth had been expecting upon walking into professor wren’s class it hadn’t been this. the scene before her was colorful, to say the least, and she nearly dropped her bag at the sight. several students were crowded in the middle of the computer lab, shouting and cheering at what sounded an awful lot like a fight. she recognized several faces in the crowd - a bunch of freshmen and sophomores who were required to take this class for their engineering majors. the professor had yet to arrive and ruth wasn’t about to let a bunch of idiots ruin her first day of class after she’d had such a lovely summer break.

“hey!” she shouted. a couple of helpless onlookers turned, but few others reacted. she cleared her throat and tried again.

“hey!” she yelled, a little louder this time. a few more people looked up but it still wasn’t enough.

she huffed and rolled her eyes. “do you morons want me to call campus security? the police maybe?”

the cheering and shouting stopped, although the sounds of punching took a bit longer to dissipate.

"some of you i’ve caught doing some pretty shady stuff on campus,” she continued. “i won't go into detail, but i’m pretty sure most of you don’t have enough money to bail yourselves out of jail - or have families who care enough to do it for you.”

the silence in the hall was deafening.

“now, if you don’t mind, i’d like to enjoy my first day of class.”

she caught a few eye rolls and middle fingers as the students began to take their seats. she took a seat near the front of the room, heart pounding.

a moment later, the professor entered the room, looking frazzled.

“i apologize for being late,” he said, quickly unpacking his briefcase. “i had a bit of car trouble this morning.”

professor wren had a gentle face. he appeared to be at least in his fifties, with wide, intelligent blue eyes that sat behind a pair of dark, square glasses. his brown hair was spiky, likely touched up with some kind of hair gel and he was dressed in a suit, modest but neat.

“i’d like to formally welcome you all to an introduction to coding,” he continued, his careful eyes drinking in every detail of the room. “i hope sincerely you will enjoy this class, even if some of you were not placed here of your own volition.”

he began to pass out the syllabus, explaining in a calm and measured voice about the assignments, grades, and his office hours. he walked with a pronounced limp, ruth noted, and she wondered briefly how he’d been injured. she was willing to wager it was an old injury as there was an element of complacency to his gait. perhaps he had been in a car accident many years ago? taken a particularly bad fall and never healed quite right?

professor wren had returned to his desk at the front of the class by now and ruth realized she hadn’t heard a single thing he said. she felt herself flush slightly at getting so caught up in her thoughts. he was just a professor - what did it matter how he was injured?

“coding is something of an art form,” he was saying. “it requires patience, dedication, and precision to achieve one's desired results.”

the professor’s eyes swept the room again and he seemed to sigh quietly as if he knew his words were falling on deaf ears. ruth found herself leaning closer, wanting to hear more.

“this class represents only the beginning,” he continued, his voice strangely heavy. “the tip of the iceberg. though you may not appreciate it now, there is much more to coding than meets the eye.”

a week later found ruth at the door of professor wren’s office, looking rather sheepish. the assignment he’d given shouldn’t have been that hard. it was so simple, just a basic function - and yet here she was. she huffed as she stared down the door, contemplating whether it was really worth all this trouble. this wasn’t the first coding class she’d taken - although, she admitted to herself, that was over ten years ago now, and she’d never been all that good at coding to begin with.

she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, reminding herself that her professor wouldn’t think any less of her if she came in and asked for help - it was his job to assist his students, after all.

finally, she opened her eyes and knocked on the door.

“come in,” a muffled voice sounded from behind the door.

she took another steadying breath - why am i so nervous about this? - and opened the door, stepping into his office.

the room was well-sized, for an office, and brightly lit from the sunshine outside. there were several file cabinets behind and to the left of him and, to the right, was a small cabinet bursting with books and decorated with a few fake plants. his desk stood front and center, organized but not overly neat. despite its friendly appearance, there was something off about the office, though she couldn’t say exactly what.

“hello,” professor wren said, pulling ruth from her thoughts. he smiled gently up at her. “how can i help you today, miss...”

“erwin,” ruth answered. “ruth erwin.” she hesitated a moment, blushing. oh, get over yourself.

“i’m having trouble with the assignment you gave us yesterday,” she said.

“oh, of course,” he answered. then, gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk, “please, sit.”

ruth pulled her laptop from her bag and quickly pulled up the code she had written for the assignment. it had been a bit of a pain just to pay for and download the necessary software onto her computer. she knew technically she hadn’t needed to - she could have just used one of the computer labs on campus - but she had convinced herself it would be easier to simply have it on her own machine than to rely on the school’s computers.

“now,” he said, settling into the chair next to her. “what seems to be the trouble?”

though the issue with the code itself was a simple fix, ruth stayed longer. she had only barely scraped by in terms of understanding the last time she’d taken a coding class, and she was determined to truly understand what it was she was doing this time around. that and, though she would never admit it out loud, she found professor wren’s presence comforting. he was well-spoken and his voice was soothing. it was apparent he felt strongly about the subject of coding as well - he described it in an almost poetic way, and ruth could hear the undercurrent of passion in his words as he spoke. it was rare to find a teacher so passionate about that which they taught - and his fervor was inspiring.

by the time ruth left professor wren’s office, she had a much better handle on the current subject than before, though she was certain this wouldn’t be the last time she visited his office. she’d never been the best when it came to programming, and she would need all the help she could get - at least that’s what she told herself.

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a/n: hello everyone! chapter one, as promised. i hope you all enjoyed this, though it is kind of short. i will add a directory of the chapters to my pinned post so you guys can find each of the chapters as easily as possible. i will also upload this to ao3 and i will leave a link to that as well. please let me know if any of the links don't work - i'm kind of new to this and i might do it wrong lol. anyway chapter two will be posted next sunday, so look forward to that.

thank you guys so much for reading!

@javicstories - tagged, as promised! (i hope it worked lol)

ao3 link to best laid plans

#person of interest #harold finch #john reese #michael emerson #harold finch x reader #harold finch x oc #person of interest fanfiction

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