We all fall down

[neverwrongagent]

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.

Comments

[neverwrongagent]

She didn't bother explaining sleep since it wasn't something she was that well versed in it. Instead she rubbed his back, then moved her hand down to his ass. "Seducing me doesn't take that much work." She kissed his chest, half snorting with laughter when water went up her nose. "Not like it's heavy lifting."

[posterboymarine]

That got her a smirk. "It's not the lifting I'm worried about." He turned them so she was under the water.

[neverwrongagent]

She closed her eyes and leaned back, letting the water run over her. It was still warm enough that it felt good and she moaned softly. That and his hands on her were enough to turn her to liquid inside, too. Her hand came up to caress his chest, but she kept herself from giving him any nails. He'd had enough of that.

[posterboymarine]

He ran his hands through her hair, then back down her back, before pulling her close. "Shall we go back to bed, spend our last few hours together and get some sleep?"

[neverwrongagent]

She whimpered loudly. "Fuck, please?" She reached up to touch his face. "And will you keep doing that? Touching that way?" She pressed close against him. "Because that's nice. Really nice."

[posterboymarine]

"Rubbing your back? I can do that." He let her stay under the water another few minutes, then pulled back and shut off the water. "The towels here suck."

[neverwrongagent]

She'd meant in her hair right up until he mentioned her back. Then she was sold on that. "You should have told me. I could have brought nicer ones." Among other things.

[posterboymarine]

"I didn't think you were a delivery service." He kissed her nose, then climbed out and handed her the best of the towels. It was easier for him to dry off with little, he had no hair.

While she got dry, he went out to clean up just a little and properly turn down the bed. He opened another beer and set it on the night stand, then cracked the curtains enough that dawn would wake him.

[neverwrongagent]

She kept the towel on her hair once she was mostly dry and flopped down on the bed with a harumph. She'd come bearing other useful things, why not towels? Stretching her arms up over her head, she settled in so he could reach everything. "Where would you want to go? For a vacation." She glanced back. "Not the cabin. Somewhere new."

[posterboymarine]

He settled next to her and started rubbing her back as he thought. "Maybe somewhere in South America. Some place I haven't been already. Maybe Brazil, or Argentina." He leaned over and kissed her shoulder.

"How about you?"

[neverwrongagent]

She hadn't expected something so exotic, but she liked it. "We could disappear there for a while. Be no one." That sounded much better than it should have. "I always thought Alaska might be fun as a place to visit." She shrugged. "I want to see a polar bear."

[posterboymarine]

He kissed her shoulder again, then straightened to keep rubbing her back. "If we go to Cape Horn, in Chile, we could see penguins."

[neverwrongagent]

She stretched herself long, then sagged against the bed with a whimper. "Penguins are good." They'd probably never go, so she was willing to agree with anything. And penguins were cute. "I'd like to do something like that with you. Something outside us both."

[posterboymarine]

Given their jobs, that was no small task, getting outside of both of them. But it was worth a shot. "It would be nice." He worked the towel off her head and got his fingers into her hair. "You have to promise me something."

[neverwrongagent]

She groaned deeply. "Keep doing that and I'll promise you almost anything." And if he limited it to personal things, she'd take out the almost "What?"

[posterboymarine]

He grinned. "Eat at least one meal a day until I come back. A real meal." While he asked, he massaged her scalp.

[neverwrongagent]

Picking that moment to massage her scalp had to be calculated and she tried to glare at him, but it just didn't work. "Only one? I can do that. I'll write it down."

[posterboymarine]

It was absolutely timed to limit her ability to argue. He was not a fool. "Good." He worked on her scalp for another few moments, then let his hand drift back down to her back.

[neverwrongagent]

Maybe if she mentioned the promise to Saul he'd help and he'd think better of Brody. It might not be his business, but it was still important to Carrie that he approve.

She reached for him, petting his hip for a moment, then she gave up and enjoyed. She was supposed to be there to take care of him for a few hours, but maybe this was part of it, giving him something that was good.

[posterboymarine]

He let the rhythm of his hand on her back calm him and he started to hum softly. Then he gave up all pretense and settled down next to her, on his side all he could keep touching her.

[neverwrongagent]

In the end she turned toward him, curling against his body with a soft sigh. What they had was a refuge from the storm, the quiet spot in the middle. She knew she'd be asleep in a minute, but she wanted to tell him how important it was. Her intention was to tel him how much she loved being with him, but all she managed was to whisper, "Love."

[posterboymarine]

He smiled as she whispered, then kissed her forehead. "I love you, too." He stopped fighting his own need to sleep and held her gently as he drifted off.