Fanfiction Rec-List: Person of Interest plus FanVid
If a FF caught your interest and you follow the link, please heed the warnings/ratings to be found at the archive/authors site.
1. The Third Time by drifterskip (AO3)
Excerpt:
The second time Reese was shot in this line of work, it was a lot less... neat. There wasn't one small-caliber anything; there were two messy rounds from a sniper. One to his side which burned as it tore through him and did other clichés that boiled down to a lot of pain and force that pushed Reese to the ground, another to his leg that was probably meant to keep him there. It wasn't a kidnapping but betrayal of another kind. And it didn't involve Reese stalking back to receive first-aid attention from a mildly worried Finch.
Instead, Reese activated his ear bud and thought to try to say goodbye to the reclusive man he would have, in better circumstances, called a friend.
2. A Caged Bird Sings of Freedom by poi922 (FF.net)
Excerpt:
Several times during the year he'd had to clear out partially constructed nests, all built in the most inappropriate, haphazard locations. The bird had seemed oblivious to the fact that a nest built on a fan blade was destined to fail as the weight of her chicks would send the entire construct sliding to the ground far beneath. And that locating her compact little cup of leaves and twigs on top of Harold Finch's precious collections was viewed nothing short of a declaration of war by the fastidious book worm.
Fortunately for the bird, and him, none of the nests had yet been occupied, forestalling the guilt that would have resulted from having to destroy eggs or dislocate fledglings. Since his boss wasn't physically or emotionally up for such an undertaking, that task too would have fallen to him.
"It's not the wren, Mr. Reese." Finch answered, his voice still calm. "You boarded up that broken pane, remember?"
"po-ta-to-cheep!"
3. Dimensions of Human Interaction by annchi (AO3)
Excerpt:
A few seats down on the opposite side, Louise Fletcher did the same. Whatever was going on, at least it would keep her in one place for a while.
Fusco snorted. "Oh man, he's so screwed. You're lucky you're in here with me, my friend."
There was a pop of feedback and Carter's voice joined in. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Reese said. "No movement yet, and no threat that I can see."
"Says you," Fusco said, at the same time Finch said, "Mr. Reese, I might need some help, I think this is --" and the woman with the clipboard said, "Welcome to Eight Minute Dates!"
4. The Man He Was Meant to Be by x_art (AO3)
Excerpt:
He parked, then rolled down the window and sighed at the cool stream of air that crept in. The days were changing, getting shorter and colder. Years ago, he would have changed with them, eagerly accepting assignments that took him overseas or down south. But those days, it seemed were gone and New York was it. At least for a while.
There were only few people out this late at night and those that were had their heads down, hurrying to wherever they were hurrying. What would they do if they knew what they were rushing by? Storm the castle? Hold Finch hostage or kill him outright for creating something so invasive?
He sighed again and reminded himself that Finch had the goon squad for protection, that he was smart and resourceful. That he wouldn't have managed to stay off the grid if he hadn't been and there was no point in worrying.
Except…
5. Proof of Life by Keiko Kirin (AO3)
Excerpt:
"Not that I'm complaining, Finch, but sometimes your machine could use some refinement." Reese spoke into the darkness to break the labored rhythm of his breathing.
There was no reply. As there hadn't been for... He'd lost count. Damn. He knew better than to lose count. He marshaled his thoughts, mentally repeating the calculations he'd made when he'd regained consciousness: tight, cramped, sealed space with twenty, maybe thirty cubic feet of air.
No wonder he'd stopped counting.
"This isn't good," Reese murmured wryly. He flexed his fingers behind his back, turning his wrists within the heavy handcuffs. If he could dislocate his thumbs... Difficult with his weight pressing down on his hands. And the handcuffs were tight, too tight.
6. What Dreams May Come by Lenore (AO3)
Excerpt:
One of John's earliest memories is learning to swim, a patchwork of sensations: the aqua dazzle of the pool, warm arc of sun across his bare skin, bite of chlorine in his mouth, and his mother, the white-gold strands of her hair lifting in the breeze, her laughing mouth, her arms wide flung and encouraging. Come on. You can do it. That's my boy. It's one of his only memories of her.
He's always loved the water, but he has no idea how he got here now, so deeply submerged that everything is cold and dark. His lungs burn, and it's tempting to linger. Let go. It would be so easy, except easy isn't how he does things. Fight. That's what he's made of.
The way back takes all his strength, up and up until he's exhausted. Come on. You can do it. No matter how hard he struggles, though, everything stays chilly and black around him. His lungs are watery and weak, and he's beginning to think he might not make it when he finally breaks the surface and emerges into the light.
7. The Significance of Birds by epkitty (AO3)
Excerpt:
Reese brings tea for Finch and coffee for himself, and by now it almost feels like routine, but he's learned not to associate familiarity with Finch. It's never appreciated, at least not in words. Tea, yes; words, no. So, Reese can bring the tea and order the eggs, and always have his guns ready -- despite Finch's professed dislike of them -- but he can't say anything suggestive of routine or habit or custom. He can't imply that something is typical or ask about something that isn't. He can't take anything for granted, or ever hope to. It's as though they are but coworkers passing in a hallway or two men only ever on conference call, and he has to be more careful with his smiles.
The lesson has always been: nothing is standard, nothing assumed.
There is no intimacy and there is no run-of-the-mill.
8. Moments of Revelations by Azar (AO3)
Excerpt:
It isn't what he said in so many words, but the intent is the same: "Think of the numbers." May as well admonish a failing marriage to "think of the children." In both cases, the argument is only as valid as the odds of greater harm coming from the dissolution of the partnership than the maintenance of it. Finch remains convinced they still do more good than harm. He's no longer certain Reese would agree.
Offering to shoulder half the blame doesn't seem to have worked either. Apparently Reese has blame enough to go around.
He contemplates chasing after the man. While unlikely to catch him on foot, he did have car and driver at the ready to whisk them both to safety before the remainder of the police arrived. That Reese would prefer to depart the scene under his own power, considering the circumstances, is hardly surprising. And that considered, perhaps it would be unwise to pursue him as well. It might be taken as attempting to belabor the point, and could have the opposite of the desired effect.
Better that Reese come to his own conclusions about whether or not to continue their joint venture.
9. our fate is stored with taciturn hearts by whiplash (AO3)
Excerpt:
He trips over something soft and falls to his knees, hands reaching out first to slow his descent and then in an attempt to make out what caused the fall. Smoke fills his mouth and throat, causing his eyes and nose to run but he pushes that aside, focusing instead on the smooth fabric of an expensive suit and then, as his fingers trail further up, short hair and, there, glasses.
"Finch," he coughs, his voice coming out cracked and barely audible over the sound of the fire.
Also:
Bad Company
Fly on the Wall
1. The Third Time by drifterskip (AO3)
Excerpt:
The second time Reese was shot in this line of work, it was a lot less... neat. There wasn't one small-caliber anything; there were two messy rounds from a sniper. One to his side which burned as it tore through him and did other clichés that boiled down to a lot of pain and force that pushed Reese to the ground, another to his leg that was probably meant to keep him there. It wasn't a kidnapping but betrayal of another kind. And it didn't involve Reese stalking back to receive first-aid attention from a mildly worried Finch.
Instead, Reese activated his ear bud and thought to try to say goodbye to the reclusive man he would have, in better circumstances, called a friend.
2. A Caged Bird Sings of Freedom by poi922 (FF.net)
Excerpt:
Several times during the year he'd had to clear out partially constructed nests, all built in the most inappropriate, haphazard locations. The bird had seemed oblivious to the fact that a nest built on a fan blade was destined to fail as the weight of her chicks would send the entire construct sliding to the ground far beneath. And that locating her compact little cup of leaves and twigs on top of Harold Finch's precious collections was viewed nothing short of a declaration of war by the fastidious book worm.
Fortunately for the bird, and him, none of the nests had yet been occupied, forestalling the guilt that would have resulted from having to destroy eggs or dislocate fledglings. Since his boss wasn't physically or emotionally up for such an undertaking, that task too would have fallen to him.
"It's not the wren, Mr. Reese." Finch answered, his voice still calm. "You boarded up that broken pane, remember?"
"po-ta-to-cheep!"
3. Dimensions of Human Interaction by annchi (AO3)
Excerpt:
A few seats down on the opposite side, Louise Fletcher did the same. Whatever was going on, at least it would keep her in one place for a while.
Fusco snorted. "Oh man, he's so screwed. You're lucky you're in here with me, my friend."
There was a pop of feedback and Carter's voice joined in. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Reese said. "No movement yet, and no threat that I can see."
"Says you," Fusco said, at the same time Finch said, "Mr. Reese, I might need some help, I think this is --" and the woman with the clipboard said, "Welcome to Eight Minute Dates!"
4. The Man He Was Meant to Be by x_art (AO3)
Excerpt:
He parked, then rolled down the window and sighed at the cool stream of air that crept in. The days were changing, getting shorter and colder. Years ago, he would have changed with them, eagerly accepting assignments that took him overseas or down south. But those days, it seemed were gone and New York was it. At least for a while.
There were only few people out this late at night and those that were had their heads down, hurrying to wherever they were hurrying. What would they do if they knew what they were rushing by? Storm the castle? Hold Finch hostage or kill him outright for creating something so invasive?
He sighed again and reminded himself that Finch had the goon squad for protection, that he was smart and resourceful. That he wouldn't have managed to stay off the grid if he hadn't been and there was no point in worrying.
Except…
5. Proof of Life by Keiko Kirin (AO3)
Excerpt:
"Not that I'm complaining, Finch, but sometimes your machine could use some refinement." Reese spoke into the darkness to break the labored rhythm of his breathing.
There was no reply. As there hadn't been for... He'd lost count. Damn. He knew better than to lose count. He marshaled his thoughts, mentally repeating the calculations he'd made when he'd regained consciousness: tight, cramped, sealed space with twenty, maybe thirty cubic feet of air.
No wonder he'd stopped counting.
"This isn't good," Reese murmured wryly. He flexed his fingers behind his back, turning his wrists within the heavy handcuffs. If he could dislocate his thumbs... Difficult with his weight pressing down on his hands. And the handcuffs were tight, too tight.
6. What Dreams May Come by Lenore (AO3)
Excerpt:
One of John's earliest memories is learning to swim, a patchwork of sensations: the aqua dazzle of the pool, warm arc of sun across his bare skin, bite of chlorine in his mouth, and his mother, the white-gold strands of her hair lifting in the breeze, her laughing mouth, her arms wide flung and encouraging. Come on. You can do it. That's my boy. It's one of his only memories of her.
He's always loved the water, but he has no idea how he got here now, so deeply submerged that everything is cold and dark. His lungs burn, and it's tempting to linger. Let go. It would be so easy, except easy isn't how he does things. Fight. That's what he's made of.
The way back takes all his strength, up and up until he's exhausted. Come on. You can do it. No matter how hard he struggles, though, everything stays chilly and black around him. His lungs are watery and weak, and he's beginning to think he might not make it when he finally breaks the surface and emerges into the light.
7. The Significance of Birds by epkitty (AO3)
Excerpt:
Reese brings tea for Finch and coffee for himself, and by now it almost feels like routine, but he's learned not to associate familiarity with Finch. It's never appreciated, at least not in words. Tea, yes; words, no. So, Reese can bring the tea and order the eggs, and always have his guns ready -- despite Finch's professed dislike of them -- but he can't say anything suggestive of routine or habit or custom. He can't imply that something is typical or ask about something that isn't. He can't take anything for granted, or ever hope to. It's as though they are but coworkers passing in a hallway or two men only ever on conference call, and he has to be more careful with his smiles.
The lesson has always been: nothing is standard, nothing assumed.
There is no intimacy and there is no run-of-the-mill.
8. Moments of Revelations by Azar (AO3)
Excerpt:
It isn't what he said in so many words, but the intent is the same: "Think of the numbers." May as well admonish a failing marriage to "think of the children." In both cases, the argument is only as valid as the odds of greater harm coming from the dissolution of the partnership than the maintenance of it. Finch remains convinced they still do more good than harm. He's no longer certain Reese would agree.
Offering to shoulder half the blame doesn't seem to have worked either. Apparently Reese has blame enough to go around.
He contemplates chasing after the man. While unlikely to catch him on foot, he did have car and driver at the ready to whisk them both to safety before the remainder of the police arrived. That Reese would prefer to depart the scene under his own power, considering the circumstances, is hardly surprising. And that considered, perhaps it would be unwise to pursue him as well. It might be taken as attempting to belabor the point, and could have the opposite of the desired effect.
Better that Reese come to his own conclusions about whether or not to continue their joint venture.
9. our fate is stored with taciturn hearts by whiplash (AO3)
Excerpt:
He trips over something soft and falls to his knees, hands reaching out first to slow his descent and then in an attempt to make out what caused the fall. Smoke fills his mouth and throat, causing his eyes and nose to run but he pushes that aside, focusing instead on the smooth fabric of an expensive suit and then, as his fingers trail further up, short hair and, there, glasses.
"Finch," he coughs, his voice coming out cracked and barely audible over the sound of the fire.
Click to viewAlso:
Bad Company
Fly on the Wall