neverwrongagent | We all fall down

Carrie would remember the next few days as some of the best of her life. She was living with a man she was more comfortable with than she could have imagined, working together for a common goal. Even the visit with his kids went well. She gave him most of Saturday with just them, showing up at dinner time with pizza and cookies. They played board games and chased around her little house until it was time for him to take them back. Then it all went to hell.

They finally found evidence that Walker had met someone on one of his random seeming runs around the District. Before they could act on it, a series of small bombs took out three Metro buses as they approached the city center. A half dozen people were killed, twice that were injured. Had it been one bomb, it would have been bad enough, but three in a concert was particularly frightening for the city. It also put CIA on high alert. The work they'd been doing before was nothing compared to the sudden anger and frustration everyone showed. Plenty of people looked at Brody, and Carrie, as though they'd done something wrong. Brody should have come forward sooner. Carrie shouldn't have trusted him so much. Maybe if they'd come up for air this wouldn't have happened.

Carrie though all that and more, although she never really blamed Brody. At least, not any more than she blamed any of them for missing it. They'd messed up, not gotten to the answer fast enough. For her, everything else fell away. The work was everything and she spent as many hours as she was allowed at work. She had to be shoehorned out of the building to go home and rest, but when she was there she didn't sleep. She only ate when someone put food in front of her. This was the Carrie Brody had never seen, that her family worried about, that Carrie held on a tight leash.

She paced her dining platform, looking at the notes and schedules she had posted to her wall, sure she was still missing something crucial. She had music playing, the kind of jazz that normally settled her, but it wasn't doing shit and she could feel her skin start to crawl, but she had to work, had to figure out where they'd gone wrong.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

posterboymarine

Brody nodded, then watched Walker go. He stayed in his seat for a long time, then walked back to his car. He didn't immediately go back to the safe house, instead driving around for an hour to throw off any followers.

He then took the time to eat breakfast at a dinner and find a mosque. Since he was quite sure he was being watched, and would be for a few more days, he decided to put on the show.

He did not pray, but he sat in silence and paid his respects. Only after all of that had been done did he check in.

From:

neverwrongagent

His choices brought on a whole new round of discussion of just who Brody belonged to. In large part, Carrie stayed out of the conversation because the answer she could give wasn't going to go over well. And then there was the useless speculation of just what the next target was going to be. Carrie was of the opinion it was an assassination, but there wasn't enough evidence for that yet.

When she finally saw him again, she smiled gently. "I like hearing the poetry better."

From:

posterboymarine

He smirked slightly. "I like reciting it better, believe me." He looked around at the gathered people. "So, who's going to shoot me first?"

From:

neverwrongagent

The young Feebie, the one with a drop of common sense, raised his hand. "But I'm a crap shot, so you're fine." There were a few chuckles, then Saul broke in.

"I think we can all agree our goal here is for no one to get shot." Not even Walker, Carrie reminded herself.

From:

posterboymarine

Brody wasn't sure if he should be reassured or not. But it was the hand he had. "Give me a map."

Once he had it, he got his field journal out and looked at that for a while. Then he marked a spot on the map. "It'll be here. But you are going to have to super light. These guys are not fucking around." And if anyone doubted that, he'd just take off his shirt to remind them.

Then he sat down and waited for the questions to come.

From:

neverwrongagent

They came in a rush. The first batch were about the operation he'd just referenced, how he was sure he'd found the right one, and why did he think it was that one. Then came the ones where he was clearly meant to be reading the minds of people none of them knew. Some of the questions were good ones, others not so much.

From:

posterboymarine

Whereas Brody trusted Carrie enough to explain the logic and logistics behind the mapping, he didn't trust these people. And he certainly wasn't about to give away a ton of operation intel from DIA or USMC to a bunch of civilians. Still, he put enough of it out there to shut most of them up.

As for the rest, mostly he stared and rolled his eyes at them. Surely they had to know how idiotic they were being. Finally, Brody called a halt to the whole thing. "I'm going to get some sleep. You can continue my interrogation later."

He stood up and headed back toward one of the safe house's bedroom. He'd sleep there, to make them happy, but he was going to sleep.

From:

neverwrongagent

Some of them knew, but had to ask anyway. Others didn't care and somehow thought they were entitled. For Saul it was another chance to watch them all. For Carrie it was just exhausting. She wanted to really work. Or really do. And she couldn't do either. After a look from Saul, she left the others to bicker and followed Brody into the bedroom.

"Wow, yeah, that's our crack team."

From:

posterboymarine

He looked up at her from his place on the bed and smiled tiredly. "I say they're just doing their jobs, but I can't give some of them that much credit." Not that it was much of a secret how the military felt about civvie intel, but Brody really was getting a first hand look at why.

He rubbed his eyes with one hand and held the other out to her. "Lay with me?"

From:

neverwrongagent

She kicked off her shoes on the way over. "Fuck, can I?" She took his hand and climbed in beside him, putting her head on his chest. "I'm going to make a case for transferring out the worst of them." She didn't think there was much hope, but she'd try.

From:

posterboymarine

He brushed her hair from her face and tilted her chin up. "They know too much to go. Don't waste your breath." He kissed her forehead.

"You know that when I walk out of here again, I won't be able to come back until after the meet. Someone is going to get eyes on me fast, once I'm back in the wild. I can't risk you."

From:

neverwrongagent

In the wild. She didn't like the idea of it, didn't like any of it, really, but it was the play they had. "I won't be far." She licked her lips. "Promised I wouldn't be."

From:

posterboymarine

He kissed her hair and nodded. "I know. Right behind me, watching my six." She was pretty much the only one there he trusted completely. Saul, he trusted a little, but he knew that man was only looking out for his agency.

From:

neverwrongagent

Carrie touched his face lightly, then kissed him with great tenderness. She didn't trust them either, not most of them, and it might be his life, but now it was their future. "It won't be easy, whatever they want from you."

From:

posterboymarine

"I know. And I'll probably end up with blood on my hands. Some of those people in that room will want to throw me in jail afterward." He hugged her tightly. "You'll come visit me, right?"

From:

neverwrongagent

She shook her head. "I'll break you out. Run off with you." It was easy for her to joke because she knew in her heart that wouldn't happen. "I make a mean cake with file filling."

From:

posterboymarine

That got a laugh and he nodded. "I'm gonna hold you to that." He rolled slightly so he could feel more of her against him as he closed his eyes. "If you have to go back to work, I understand. But I need some shut eye. At least two hours."

From:

neverwrongagent

She should go back out there. She'd have to go back out in a little bit. She wanted to go back out. Feeling his body on hers made her want to stay just as badly. "I'll stay a minute, until I feel you relax some, so I know you'll sleep."

From:

posterboymarine

He nodded and settled in such a way that she would not wake him when she got up. Then, in true combat veteran manner, he forced himself to sleep. Because it was forced, it was going to be dreamless, more reset than rest.

From:

neverwrongagent

She stayed longer than she should have because she needed to see him sleep. Even though she knew it wasn't the right kind, it was still better than nothing. Finally she dragged herself away, going to the side of the only other person in the mix she gave a damn about.

Saul gathered her in with a welcoming hand, letting her take over the planning for a bit. A fresh voice, one that didn't sound like the rest of the testosterone in the room, helped. And with Brody not there, she was able to plead his case some which helped. Finally they got work done.

From:

posterboymarine

Brody shifted when she left, but didn't get up. Someone was going to have to come wake him up. That was just the way that shit worked for him.

From:

neverwrongagent

Carrie put off coming back to him as long as she could. She knew waking him was the beginning of the end of their being together for a while. What surprised her was Saul's reaction. After almost three hours, he corralled her away and indicated she should go have some time before the next step.

She came into the dark room and sat on the edge of the bed. "Babe?"

From:

posterboymarine

His eyes opened and he smiled at her. "Hey, you." He reached out to touch her side, then pulled her down into the bed with him.

From:

neverwrongagent

She laughed softly as she went into his arms. In the midst of all that, it was good to have such a soft waking from him. "Hey. I got you as long as I could."