neverwrongagent | This is spying. Isn't it FUN?

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

neverwrongagent

"Hello, Saul, I'm fine, Saul." Carrie didn't bother with pleasantries because it would take too long. She messed with the mp3 player on her dresser while she waited for him to chastise her.

From:

posterboymarine

"Virgil would not agree with that statement. And there was a gun involved? What are you doing there, Carrie?"

From:

neverwrongagent

"Trying to take a bath." She cursed when the mp3 player didn't go into the base right the first try. Then there was music and she sighed in relief. "My gun, which was locked. And if you really want to know, listen to the tape." She had only the slightest handle on what she was doing, so giving him a decent answer was a bit rough. "We were...communicating. It got physical."

From:

posterboymarine

Saul sighed heavily. "Do you need medical attention? Virgil said your throat... Do you need a doctor? Do we need to take him home?"

From:

neverwrongagent

"Fuck, Saul, seriously? I'm fine." She knew as bad as Virgil made it sound, it would look worse by the time Saul saw it. Her tone softened. "I swear, I'm fine. Bruised up, but fine."

She went to stand in the bathroom door because it couldn't hurt for Brody to hear her say it. "I knew what I was doing, was fine with it. I'm a big girl."

From:

posterboymarine

Brody looked up at Carrie coming back to the bathroom door. It was the first time he'd gotten a good look at her and he shuddered before looking away. Just because she said it didn't mean he believed it.

Saul was equally as doubting. "When he leaves, you and I are going to have a talk."

From:

neverwrongagent

"I'll be sure to come right to you." After a good night's sleep and some make up. "Pinky swear." Without giving him a chance to give her anymore shit, Carrie hung up and set the phone on the dresser. She went immediately to climb into the tub. She was getting cold and she was really done with being away from him.

"Make room, big boy, I'm cold." She climbed in carefully, watching where she stepped.

From:

posterboymarine

He made room for her even as he tried to survey the damage clinically. Then he groaned softly. "Jesus, Carrie, I'm sorry."

From:

neverwrongagent

She settled in his lap, leaning back against him so she could have his arms around her and her head on his shoulder. It also meant she could put his hand on her breast later when they relaxed, something she fully planned on. "Please don't? I'm not sorry."

From:

posterboymarine

He held her around the waist and kissed her ear. "They aren't happy, are they?" He knew they weren't, knew that they'd start watching him harder now.

"I've never done that before. I don't know why I did it."

From:

neverwrongagent

She reached back to caress his cheek. "Fuck 'em. They're chasing their tails and tripping over us." If she thought for a minute that Brody was a bad guy, she'd be much nicer about them, but right now she was just annoyed. Later she might manage embarrassed, but not yet.

"You're angry, frustrated." She shrugged. "Pretty sure you've never been close to the things you're feeling lately before." She turned a little so she could look up at him. "Believe me, I get it."

From:

posterboymarine

He met her eyes. "Getting it and wanting it..." He frowned deeply. "I should have asked, not taken. Taking was wrong."

From:

neverwrongagent

She snorted softly. "You think I couldn't have ended that with a word?" If she'd picked the right one, it would have stopped him. Another would have brought the idiot cavalry right away. "And you did ask. Not in careful, legal like terms, but you asked and I said yes." She shook her head. "I wanted it. Wanted you."

From:

posterboymarine

"I don't know that I'll ever really understand why you would want me. I'm broken." He nuzzled at her ear just the same.

From:

neverwrongagent

She sighed deeply. "No one else understands me." Saul did to a certain extent. Her father and her sister understood other parts, but none of them could offer her the kind of connection he did.

From:

posterboymarine

"And you think I do?" It wasn't that he didn't believe it, so much as he didn't think he could understand anyone anymore. Not even himself.

From:

neverwrongagent

She turned in his arms and kissed him softly, careful with how her lips were on his. The moment they touched, she sighed deeply, immediately comforted by the sensation. "Thought so from the moment we met."

From:

posterboymarine

He hugged her tightly against his chest. "We're gonna be the death of each other. You know that, right?"

From:

neverwrongagent

She shrugged. "There are worse ways to go." She didn't believe that they would be, not if people would leave them alone to be what they needed. Of course, that discounted her agency, his family, and whatever else was going on with Walker and Nazir. "We're in it now. Not sure what other options we have."

From:

posterboymarine

She had a point and he managed a smile for her. "Deny it and be miserable?" Not that he believed he could do that, or that she could.

From:

neverwrongagent

She rolled her eyes. "Because that worked so well for us when we were apart after you got back?" She kissed him again, lingering against his lips. "We might as well be honest about it."