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

[neverwrongagent]

She grinned broadly. "God knows you know how to move." She loved the way he moved with her. "It would be fun. Something just about us, about being free."

[posterboymarine]

"You have noticed that I'm very white, right? " Still, the idea of going dancing had some appeal and he nodded. "We should go while we are here, where we don't have my shadows."

[neverwrongagent]

"You're pink." She leaned over and nipped at a freckled spot on his jaw. "Strawberries and cream. I like it." She was more peaches than strawberries. They were both ridiculously pale, really. "God, yeah, fuck them. They don't get to enjoy the good music."

[posterboymarine]

He laughed deeply, pulling her into his arms. "I trust you know a place nearby?"

[neverwrongagent]

She had to think about that for a minute. There were places she'd gone with Maggie when they were younger, but she thought most of those were closed by now. Then she smiled. "Oh yeah, I know a place. They even play jazz sometimes."

[posterboymarine]

He kissed her again. "Then we'll go tonight." He rubbed her back a moment, then laid back, pulling her down with him.

[neverwrongagent]

They stayed by the water for another hour or so, enjoying the setting until they decided it would be more comfortable to nap in a proper bed. Carrie called to be sure the place she had in mind was, in fact, still open. They got showers and something light to eat before heading out.

It was more an old fashioned dinner club than a bar, but the crowd was an odds mix of bikers, hipsters, and couples who had probably been coming for thirty years. The band that night played a mix of soft Rick and jazz, perfect for slow dancing. When they got there, they were playing Coltrane, which made Carrie beam.

[posterboymarine]

Brody saw the look on her face when they walked in and smile as he pressed a little closer to her. They got a table and a pitcher ordered, then he wasted no time dragging her out on what passed for a dance floor.

[neverwrongagent]

The moment she was in his arms, Carrie forgot about everything beyond the music and the way they moved. In the same way that being in bed with him always worked for her, this cleared her mind so she could focus on the smallest details. The smell of him, the way his shirt buttons rubbed on her, everything.

[posterboymarine]

He sighed contently as they danced, just letting the world slip away. When it was like this, when it was just them, everything was so much easier and more peaceful. He'd never been captured and wasn't being used when he felt this way.

And maybe he wasn't as rhythm-less as he would have had her believe.

[neverwrongagent]

She hadn't believed him on the rhythm thing between how he was in bed and his training. Her eyes closed so she could heighten her focus that much more as they moved. She brought a hand up to his hair, tickling at the base of his neck. Her fingers played in time with the music. This was as happy as she could remember being in a long time.

[posterboymarine]

He danced with her for a few songs before finally pulling her back to their table. Their beer was getting warm and they had all night to dance. Once they were seated, he finally looked around, taking in the scenery.

[neverwrongagent]

She didn't stop moving once they were in their seats. Her fingers tapped on the table and she bounced a little in place. They'd painted at some point since she was last here, now it was all dark greens and wood instead of red and gilt. It was nicer. And the waitstaff was younger. But the tables still had some distance between them so they could have some privacy.

[posterboymarine]

The band wasn't half bad and they had some range, which made Brody smile. He wasn't as into the jazz as Carrie was, but he didn't mind it. The rock was more his pace, though.

Once he'd had a few sips of his beer, he leaned close and whispered in her ear. "You are just full of good ideas, aren't you."

[neverwrongagent]

She glanced at him, then smirked and stole a kiss. "I picked you up, didn't I?" That was absolutely, hands down, one of her better ideas. Before pouring herself a fresh beer, she kissed him again. "I love jazz. The math of it, the patterns. It helps everything fit together."

[posterboymarine]

"You picked me up?" He quirked an eyebrow at that, then winked. "And you would. You need those patterns, don't you."

[neverwrongagent]

"I totally picked you up." Or let herself be picked up. The difference was pretty negligible. "They're all out there, those patterns. Most people don't see them. They don't even look." She shrugged. "I see them."

[posterboymarine]

He nodded. "And that's why you are in intel and I just shoot stuff."

[neverwrongagent]

She glanced at him, then shook her head. "You see things. Things I don't." Like deer. And angles and odds she could never figure out the way he could. She also thought he could probably read people nearly as well as she did.

[posterboymarine]

He shrugged. "That's all training." Of course, it wasn't, but he was humble, on occasion, in regards to his skill. Besides, he'd already done his bragging for the day.

[neverwrongagent]

She shook her head again, but didn't press him. "We make a great team." She laughed. "We'll take over the world, run it the way we want." She thought about it for a minute. "I have no idea how I'd want to run it."

[posterboymarine]

"Then we probably shouldn't take anything over until you know." He flashed her a grin, then glanced up at the bandstand. The band was taking a break and Brody excused himself.

Leaving her at the table, he went and exchanged a few words with the singers. There was laughter and a pat on the shoulder, then the band moved to the bar for drinks. With a glance over his shoulder, Brody sat down at the piano that was pushed against the wall.

He looked at it for a moment, thinking, then he started to play. It was definitely not jazz. It was blues, in a minor key, from easily 20 years ago.

[neverwrongagent]

When she saw him go to the stage, she thought he might be requesting something for after the break, which would be incredibly sweet. What he did instead left her staring at him. Nowhere, at all, did it say that he could do anything like that. If she'd known the night they met, she never would have let him walk away. As it was, she doubted she'd ever be able to now.

She got up from the table and went to stand beside the piano. People all over the bar were watching them, but she only saw him.

[posterboymarine]

When she arrived at his side, he looked up at her and smiled. He used the song as a warm up, working out the kinks from having not played in a while.

Then he started into some Elvis, because he could.

[neverwrongagent]

She wasn't the only one who was clapping along, though, not by the time he was midway through the song. People who had looked up at first because of the gentle song or because of the inherent romance of the moment, were now caught up in the good nature of his performance. He was solidly talented with surprising showmanship.

And now she was done in. Completely.