Rescued?

[neverwrongagent]

When the posters went up showing the two members of the Marine sniper team who'd gone missing, Carrie Mathison stood and stared at them. She didn't see two Marines in their uniforms, though, she saw only one of them half dressed on a rooftop looking up at the blanket of stars. She saw a sweet smile from a man who was too far from home and was trying to hold onto his humanity. Every time she passed the posters, even if she didn't turn to look, she was as aware of them as if someone had reached out and grabbed her. Months went by and the sensation never weakened.

Then came word that they'd been found, that two Marines had been found in neighboring camps. Both men were in rough shape: dehydrated, beaten and demoralized. One was worse than the other, but first reports didn't make it clear which it was and Carrie held her breath until she knew that Brody was in better physical shape. Not that she asked or spoke to anyone about knowing him. The moment she said a word, they'd pull her out of it all and that wasn't happening.

The men were kept apart while they were cleaned up. Carrie read both files, but it was Brody's she kept going over and over in her head. She knew every detail of what they'd found out so far. On the outside it probably seemed cruel to interrogate the men so soon, but the sooner they got it done, the better. These men were headed home, at least for a while, and it would be harder to get solid information from them when they were there.

It wasn't until minutes before she walked into the room that Carrie knew for sure which man she was going to debrief. She was ready to bounce out of her skin by the time she walked in, a feeling that vanished immediately when she saw him. "Sergeant Brody? I'm Carrie Mathison. I'm here to ask you some questions."

Comments

[posterboymarine]

Having Carrie user his wife's name made him cringe a little, but he still shook his head. "She tells me when people leave messages. Never got any from him."

[neverwrongagent]

Carrie had never said Jess' name when they were together intimately because it made her cringe a little, too. In her case it was because he found it hard to think of the woman without a flare of anger. Even though it was in her best interests to have them in conflict, she hated how her reactions hurt him. "But she'd know him, so if he talked to her a couple times but didn't say to have you call, would she still mention it?" That seemed unlikely.

[posterboymarine]

He thought about that for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. She'd mention it." Brody didn't know what else he was supposed to say. He believed that she would tell him. She had no reason not to, that he knew of.

[neverwrongagent]

She nodded. "So she hasn't talked to him and he hasn't been able to find you without letting someone else know." She thought for a moment. "We need to know what he wants with you, Nick. If it's just personal, that's important, but if it's more, that's crucial."

[posterboymarine]

Brody did not want to deal with Walker, at all. He just wasn't ready. Of course, he might never be ready, but that was beside the point. He rubbed his face, then shook his head. "Carrie, I don't know what he wants."

[neverwrongagent]

She finally reached for him, taking his hand loosely, inviting him to tighten his grip if he wanted. "We need to know and the only real way to find out is to ask him." She licked her lips. "For you to ask him." Anything else would tip their hand in so many ways.

[posterboymarine]

He squeezed her hand, then let go to clench his fists. "So you want me to go home?"

[neverwrongagent]

That was the very last thing she wanted. Realizing that hit her low in the gut hard enough that she pulled back and stared at him. She very nearly told him no. Finally she shook her head. "I want you to talk to him. If you go home now to do it, I'll be right there behind you. If we pick another way, I'll be there."

She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Not leaving you alone again."

[posterboymarine]

It was a nice sentiment, but he would be alone if he talked to Walker. Still, maybe it was the best was to get on with his life, such as it was.

"Fine. Let's just get this over with, please."

[neverwrongagent]

She glanced over at Saul and nodded very slightly. Then she turned back to Brody. "Okay. Do you have a phone number for him?" They could get the number, but that would look suspicious if he didn't already have it.

[posterboymarine]

"I have his number from before we shipped out. I doubt it'd have changed, since he's got a wife, too." Which was a round-about way of saying yes. "Guess you want me to call him?"

[neverwrongagent]

"I think you should. Ask him to meet, someplace we can see." Hearing they would work out on their own. "Well make this go as quickly as we can." She smiled slightly. "You and I have unfinished business."

[posterboymarine]

He looked around, then leaned in and kissed her shoulder. "We do." He glanced toward Saul. "Get me a phone. Let's get this over with."

[neverwrongagent]

She touched his leg lightly before standing. "I'll be right back with one." Scaring up a phone that couldn't be easily tracked back wouldn't take long, just long enough to tell Saul what had been decided. Even knowing Saul was watching, she touched Brody's hair before heading to her mentor's side.

"Need a secure phone. He's going to make a call."

[posterboymarine]

"Going to make a call to who?" Saul wanted the answer to be Walker, but, for all he knew, it would be his wife, or for take-out.

While Carrie was getting the phone, Brody out his face in his hands and rubbed his face hard. He never should have left the house. For all the good it had done, this was the flip side. There was no way this could end well.

[neverwrongagent]

Carrie actually rolled her eyes at Saul. "Santa Claus. He wants to complain about missing presents while he was in that hole." She shook her head. "We need to know what Walker wants. He'll find out." And if they were lucky, it could be done without revealing their secret.

[posterboymarine]

"Alright. Get him a phone." Saul would back Carrie's play, but they would be having another chat about her choice in men a little later.

[neverwrongagent]

The worst thing, of course, was that Brody was one of her better choices in men, possible terrorism aside. She waited off to one side for a moment until the phone was fetched. Then she sat down next to Brody and handed him the cell. "You'll do fine."

[posterboymarine]

He took the phone with a weak smile. "Thanks." He dialed Walker's number and got his wife. Tom wasn't home, which made sense if he was at Brody's house. So he left a message, then hung up.

"That number will come up on the caller ID, right?"

[neverwrongagent]

She nodded. "And you can keep that phone. We'll track it." She looked around for a minute. "You know what? We should get out of here. He'll call back when he does. Sitting here won't make that happen any faster."

[posterboymarine]

He pocketed the phone and nodded. "Please? This place makes me nervous."

Saul watched the whole thing and knew they were going to leave. He was not keen on letting Brody out of his sight, even if Carrie was still with him. He waved the blonde over.

[neverwrongagent]

She gestured to Brody to wait right by the door for her, knowing that it would mean she couldn't stay long. "I know, I know, but keeping him here is going to make him nervous and make it harder to focus when he gets the call back." She met Saul's eyes. "I worked with him before, remember?"

[posterboymarine]

After snorting, Saul shook his head. "You may have worked with him, but make sure you aren't being worked by him. Make sure he keeps that phone on him, even after this. I want to know what he's up to."

[neverwrongagent]

"Fine. I'll staple it to his ass." She was being more mouthy with him than usual, but not really any more difficult. "And you know how to find me." She very nearly grabbed Brody by the hand as she headed out the door.

She didn't say a word to him until they were in her car and away from the building. Too many eyes and ears. "Are you working me?"

[posterboymarine]

Saul very nearly yelled at her, but then she was leaving and he decided to let it lie for a while.

Brody frowned at her silence, then scowled at her question. "What? You found me. How could I be working you?"