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

[neverwrongagent]

Carrie was happy to enjoy the silence because it meant enjoying the heat and weight of him. She got enough of her bones back to pet his hair softly. Finally she groaned and shifted under him. "My turn to be on top."

[posterboymarine]

He slowly rolled them so she could play the role of blanket. With another sigh, he settled under her with his arms around her waist.

[neverwrongagent]

Once she was comfy enough to breathe, she closed her eyes and it took barely any time at all for her to be drowsing in his arms. She was so comfortable there, so content, that it was a wonder she didn't fall asleep immediately. All she wanted was to enjoy it.

Only the smallest, most professional part of her managed to remember she was going to have to wake early.

[posterboymarine]

He did not doze so easily. From where they lay, he could turn his head and look through the gauze-curtained window. Everything was hazy through that window, which well described how he felt.

[neverwrongagent]

Periodically a form walked past the window, one of the building's guards doing rounds. Carrie didn't notice the first couple, but when she did wake, another was going by. She watched until he was completely out of sight before turning to kiss Brody's neck. "Hey."

[posterboymarine]

Brody had been timing the guards and was both pleased and disappointed that they varied their schedules. So much for sneaking away.

When she kissed his neck, he refocused on her and smiled. "Hey sleepy head."

[neverwrongagent]

She flushed slightly, looking shy. "Not my fault you wore me out. You're healing up nicely." She shifted in his arms, seriously reluctant to leave him even long enough to go to the bathroom. "Did you sleep at all?"

[posterboymarine]

He shook his head. "You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to disturb you with my dreams." He squeezed her tightly for a moment.

[neverwrongagent]

She curled against him, deepening the hug. "You don't have to do that. Said I wanted to be here for you, that's what I meant." If they spent too many more night together, he would end up seeing her startle wide awake at least once. "You don't have to hide anything from me."

[posterboymarine]

That got her another smile. "Not hiding it from you, just letting you get some sleep. I'll sleep soon enough." If they spent too many more nights together, he might start saying stupid, dangerous things.

[neverwrongagent]

"I'm going to hold you to that." She needed him rested and alert, but beside that, she cared if he was doing well. "If I have to wear you out again, I will."

[posterboymarine]

"I'm sure you would." He shifted a little under her, carefully moving her off him. "You, stay put." He drug himself from the bed so that he could relieve himself.

[neverwrongagent]

She saluted him with exactly as much precision as she could manage, which wasn't much, then flopped back down onto the bed with a grunt. She'd have to get up to pee soon, too, but that meant getting out of the warm bed that smelled of them. She had no interest at all in that.

Her eyes closed again, not in sleep, but to allow her to picture the things that came next for them. She didn't get very far before grunting again. Too many variables.

[posterboymarine]

When he finished, he took a moment to watch her from the doorway. Her eyes were closed, but he could tell she was thinking. He wasn't sure if he should ask or if it was even any of his business. He wasn't terribly sure either way.

[neverwrongagent]

Well away that he was watching her, she didn't say anything for a while. She'd watched him plenty. Finally she reached an arm out to him without opening her eyes. "I'm lonely. And getting cold."

[posterboymarine]

He laughed and came back to the bed, climbing in with her. "Well, we can't have that, can we?"

[neverwrongagent]

Carrie practically clambered back onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck. The gesture was silly, nearly childish, but she didn't care. Their time together was limited enough that she wanted every experience in it. "Much better. You were too far away."

[posterboymarine]

That earned her a lifted eyebrow, but nothing more. He wasn't going to question any reason to not have to sleep alone. He kissed her forehead. "Sorry."

[neverwrongagent]

She cuddled as close as she could and tucked her head against his chest. "It's your turn to sleep. You need to rest." His body needed it to heal and his mind did, too. "I won't go until I know you've slept a couple hours."

They had time enough for that before she had to go back to her room.

[posterboymarine]

He nodded as he tightened his arms around her. If she thought she was just going to be able to slip away, she was mistaken. He was going to keep her close enough that he was grounded if she was insisting that he sleep.

[neverwrongagent]

She petted his shoulder gently, if a touch awkwardly given her position, encouraging him to fall asleep. So much of what she was asking him to do was making it harder for him to sleep, making him keep focusing on things he had to want to get as far away from as possible.

The thought made her consider just what it would be like when she was far away from him again and she bit back a sigh for fear she'd wake him.

[posterboymarine]

He finally fell asleep, but it still took a little while for his grip on her to loosen some. His body took its time shifting into dream sleep, but once he was there, his mind did not disappoint.

[neverwrongagent]

Once she was sure he was asleep, she shifted so she wasn't so much on him as beside him. She kept an arm firmly around his chest as she lay there watching him breathe. Every breath was filed away in her memory as a part of him. As a part of them.

She mixed those moments liberally with the images of him with Walker, of course, because that was how her mind worked.

[posterboymarine]

Once his dreams finally found them, they were not as bad as they had been. They were not about the torture, they were about being alone. He twitched and whimpered, but did not kick out, not like the first few nights.

As his dreams shifted, he rolled toward her, tucking himself in against her, searching for comfort.

[neverwrongagent]

She tried caressing him, petting his side and chest, to settle him. When that didn't work, she tried whispering his name. "Nick, I'm here. You can sleep, baby. I'm still here." It didn't feel like much to offer him. "Won't leave you."