This is spying. Isn't it FUN?

[neverwrongagent]

Brody attending the meeting Walker had so casually mentioned turned into a three ring circus. More than one person involved was convinced the whole thing was a wild goose chase, including Carrie occasionally. If she hadn't seen Walker as up close and personal as she had when they were first rescued, she could have been convinced. Maybe sending Brody to a regular meeting for returning vets who were also Muslim was just a kind of fuck you from a man who felt he'd been betrayed by a brother soldier. Or it could be something much more sinister. The problem was, no one could really figure out what that sinister was supposed to be. Carrie continued to maintain that Brody had no idea what was going on.

The questions Brody faced right after the meeting ranged from if he knew any of the people there already to how was he planning to overthrow the US government. When the questions headed that way a majority of the time, Carrie called foul and got Brody out of there. With full understanding of the irony involved, they had decided that the cover that would work best with his family was that he was working with other vets on integrating back into the world. Carrie would have felt a lot worse about that if it was just being used to cover up them fucking around. She still felt pretty shitty about it given how much stress it was putting on him.

They took their own cars back to her place. She got there before him and immediately opened a fresh bottle of wine, leaving a full glass on the counter for him, then she went upstairs to change into something decidedly less official looking.

Comments

[posterboymarine]

He nodded again. "Which do you want to manage?" He nuzzled her cheek. "Then can we build a blanket fort?"

[neverwrongagent]

"We'll build the best blanket fort ever," she promised him with a swift kiss. Food seemed like too many steps for her, though, so Carrie claimed the fire. Her only request was that he bring back something sweet. She remembered cookies being a part of the grocery run.

While he was in the kitchen, she gathered up as many spare blankets and pillows as she could find, dumping them at the foot of the bed and pulling over a couple chairs from the dining table. They could make a kind of tent out of that.

[posterboymarine]

He headed to the kitchen, pulling on his pants to keep warm. He managed some toast, some bacon, some wine, and some cookies. Surely, between all those things, there would be something she wanted. He considered starting coffee, but that counteract the wine and he wasn't ready to be an adult again yet.

[neverwrongagent]

The moment he'd said blanket fort, she gave up any pretense of adult. That cabin was her childhood, before her own disease kicked in, before she understood the force of her father's, before she was anything but happy and innocent. She took the food from him, sliding it under the bed, then got to work helping him finish up the fort.

[posterboymarine]

Once the food and wine was stowed and they set to work finishing the fort, he fully relaxed again. By the time they had a more than passable fort, he was laughing and spending as much time tickling and groping her as he was building.

[neverwrongagent]

His abuse made her jump a few times, enough that they ended up having to rebuild the top parts before they could finally settle underneath. Then it was her turn to abuse him. She grabbed his face so she could hold him in a long kiss. "You are impossible."

[posterboymarine]

He gave himself to the kiss and grinned when she chided him. "You like it." He pulled her close and settled himself before offering her a cookie. "I'm going to apologize in advance for cookies, bacon, and wine not really going together. I couldn't decide what I wanted."

[neverwrongagent]

She nibbled on the cookie, then fed him the last bite of it. "I have no idea what you're talking about. It's exactly what I wanted." What they ate didn't matter nearly as much as getting something in their bellies and in having fun.

[posterboymarine]

He grinned at her amusement. "Good." After he shared a piece of bacon with her, he propped his head up a little to watch the fire. "I like this. It feels safe."

[neverwrongagent]

Cookies and bacon were a new combination and she took a moment to savor it before responding. "It's the safest place I know. I always feel better when I come here." She caressed his thigh casually. "I'm glad we came."

[posterboymarine]

He nodded as he kissed her forehead. "So am I." It had been helpful, even in the short time they'd been there. "I'd like to come back sometime."

[neverwrongagent]

Coming back meant him staying a part of her life. It meant staying an intimate, important part of her life. She nodded slowly. "I'd like, that, too. We both need it."

[posterboymarine]

He snuggled closer to her, then closed his eyes. "We do." He was quiet for a few moments, then opened his eyes and looked at her. "It's so peaceful here."

[neverwrongagent]

She'd closed her eyes when he went quiet, content to enjoy the moment. "Only really peaceful place I know." She shifted so she could kiss him. "Well, almost the only one."

[posterboymarine]

He chuckled softly at that, then offered her another piece of bacon. "Never would have thought, all things considered..."

[neverwrongagent]

Once she'd finished savoring the bit of bacon, she cocked her head at him. "Never would have thought, what?" She had a feeling she knew where he was going with that, but since they'd been saying dangerous things to each other all night, she figured she'd ask.

[posterboymarine]

He smiled at her. "That, when we met, that passing one night stand, it would come to this?" He tucked in close and laughed softly. "That's we'd be under a blanket fort, drinking wine and eating bacon."

[neverwrongagent]

She laughed, shaking her head. "Honestly, the weirdest part is the bacon. The rest of it seems perfectly reasonable." She caressed his chest for a long moment, losing herself in the path that had gotten them there. "We were kids, hiding from the storm, just in a not kid way." She kissed him lightly. "I like this version."

[posterboymarine]

He looked around their fort and smiled. "Me, too." He touched her face, then kissed her softly. This was better, less random, even if it had started out that way.

[neverwrongagent]

Most relationships started out as random encounters. They met in a place where they had something in common and they made something of it. She wanted to think that no matter where they'd met they would have made something of the connection they felt. She felt safe enough to be thinking about telling him truths about herself that she didn't share with anyone.

She shifted against him so she could kiss him comfortably for a little while. This was them. Kids running away and hiding in a safe place.

[posterboymarine]

He settled in with her, the food and drink forgotten in favour of her. There was going to come a time when this blew up on their faces, but they hadn't reached it yet

[neverwrongagent]

Dozens of things could go wrong, starting with his wife and her boss, but those things weren't there now. They were all that mattered. She shifted again so she was almost in his lap and she wrapped her arms around his neck. If only life were really as simple as it felt like when she was alone with him.

[posterboymarine]

He rubbed her back as she rested on him, his eyes closing. "You're warm. I like that."

[neverwrongagent]

She laughed softly. "That's what you like?" She nuzzled at him. "I'll remember that." She went back to nuzzle at him more, taking her time to explore under his ear and along his jaw. "It's an easy one to maintain."

[posterboymarine]

"It's not all that I like. But I like it." He leaned his head back, so she had more of his neck. "I like that, too."