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]

He groaned softly at her touch. What she was doing was not, at all, fair. But that didn't mean he wanted her to stop. So he didn't answer her.

[neverwrongagent]

She didn't realized exactly what kind of effect she was having on him, she only knew that she needed to keep him engaged with her and heading in the direction she thought was right. Her hand moved in small circles on his chest in a way she hoped was soothing. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I have to ask this of you."

[posterboymarine]

He groaned again at the small circles, then looked hard at her. "You need to stop doing that."

[neverwrongagent]

Carrie looked down at her hand in surprise, then slowly pulled it back. "Was I hurting you?" She knew that wasn't it, but she didn't want to push at him anymore than she already was.

[posterboymarine]

He snorted softly. "No. Not hurt."

[neverwrongagent]

She had the good grace to wince a little and then look both abashed and proud at the same time. "Sorry. Don't know the power of my own hotness." She shrugged. "I like touching you. You made great noises when I did."

[posterboymarine]

"Are we alone?" He wanted to know if they were being watched or if she was still being trusted. It was important to him.

[neverwrongagent]

"Well, there's an MP at the end of the hall, looking bored, but that's it." So far, so good, with her grand plan of making Brody look harmless and every inch the returned hero. All she was doing was guiding him home.

[posterboymarine]

He reached out and took her hand, placing it back on his chest. "That felt good." He licked his lips. "You make me feel good."

[neverwrongagent]

She went back to caressing him, careful to avoid spots she knew from his records were still raw. "I want to make you feel safe." There wasn't much she could do that would make him genuinely safe, so if touching him would help, then she would do that.

"Is this helping?"

[posterboymarine]

Safe wasn't what he was thinking about at the moment. Just good. He needed to feel good. To feel alive if he was going to pull off this lie for them.

"It's helping."

[neverwrongagent]

She shifted a little closer so she could lean over and kiss his cheek, then his lips. "I want to help. I don't want this to be something you do alone." She kissed him again, still lightly. "You've been alone enough."

[posterboymarine]

Whimpering at the touch, he ran his hand over her hair. "I'll still have to do this alone. If you are in there with me, it won't work."

[neverwrongagent]

She shook her head a little, not wanting to pull away from him at all. "You might not be able to see me, but I'll be right there. I'll be watching." She kissed his jaw. "I'll have your back."

Her promise should have sounded hollow. What use was a slip of a spy? It didn't because of her absolute conviction.

[posterboymarine]

He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. "You better." He wanted, desperately, to use her to forget for a little while. But he wasn't going to push her.

[neverwrongagent]

She shifted in his arms until she was prone beside him, one leg up over his. This wasn't the time to pretend that they hadn't been intimate or to leave any doubt that she was willing to be intimate with him again if that's what he needed. Or even wanted.

"I thought about you even before your picture went up. Thought about seeing you again."

[posterboymarine]

He kissed her forehead. "I went back to that place several time. You were never there."

[neverwrongagent]

"Yeah?" She had to smile at that. She had never imagined he'd come back for her. "I was there a couple times. Must have missed each other." It wasn't a lie, that little dive was one of her few safe places. There had been work, though, and she didn't get back nearly often enough to run into him again. Something occurred to her and her voice caught. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I missed you then."

[posterboymarine]

He shrugged at that. "I'm sorry you did, too. Still, thought about you, while I was..." He pursed his lips, then kissed her, hard.

[neverwrongagent]

He had a wife, a pretty one, and kids, and he was kissing her so hard she was getting dizzy. Of course, she was with him, so it wasn't really fair to judge. In an odd way it made her proud that he'd held her close when he needed comfort. When she pulled away from him to catch her breath, she was shaking. "You're here now. We're here now."

She ran her fingers through his hair, smiling. "Didn't quite believe you were real that night until...round three?" She kissed him quickly. "You know I'm real, right?"

[posterboymarine]

He shook his head. "I don't know that any of this is real. But I want to believe it is. I need to believe that. The alternative..." He shook his head again. "I need you to be real."

[neverwrongagent]

Both her hands went to his face so she could hold him and be sure he met her gaze. "I'm real. I wish that meant more in the long run, but It's true. I'm here. I'm real." She leaned in to kiss him, whispering just before their lips touched. "And I'm on your side."

[posterboymarine]

He needed to believe that she was on his side even more than he needed to believe that she was real. He had to believe she wasn't playing him.

He went into the kiss more hungry than he had been. The physical as going to be the only reassurance he would accept. They'd come so close a few times now. But he wasn't going to stop. He needed that strength if he was going to do what they, what she, wanted him to.

[neverwrongagent]

This was the moment of truth. She'd as much as said he could have what he needed, up to and including the final intimacy. If she back down now, everything would be destroyed. It was a hell of a risk either way. And all that flashed through her mind at the exact same time as she reached down to start pulling at his shirt.

She groaned against his lips. "Yes. God, yes, if you want." She shuddered. If he wanted? She couldn't breathe. "Yes."

[posterboymarine]

He let her pull his shirt off, for the moment not even thinking about the wounds on his body. She made it so he didn't worry about how repulsive they might be.

As soon as his shirt was over his head, he was kissing her again. He was still too weak to take the most active role in what they were doing, but he wasn't going to be a bystander, either.