Running away from home. Just like kids.

[neverwrongagent]

Briefings with Saul were getting more and more tense. Carrie could feel the strain on all of them as a real, palpable thing. Beside her, no one had ever had much faith in Brody, which was largely her fault. How could she explain her change of heart without explaining it was exactly that. What was harder was not telling him about how bad it was. Every time she was vague it was a physical pain.

The final straw was a heated conversation about what they would do if he were found out, revealed to be on a mission. They had escape plans, but it was clear very few people in that room gave a damn if they worked. Or if they even existed. She'd been through hell for the man they were dismissing like so much dross and all because... She wasn't that sure why because at this point. It was about Saul, really, and she knew that. That's why when he made a passing comment that made it sound damn like he'd made his decision and Brody didn't figure into it at all, she felt her stomach lurch so badly she almost had to leave the room.

She didn't go to him that night, that would be stupid. She waited a day, all of which was spent wondering when she would throw up. She got there late, just before dark, and sat back to watch the men finish up before meal break. He looked good. Better than when she saw him last, even.

Comments

[posterboymarine]

"I don't have any hair to dye." He shook his head at her, trying not to laugh at her almost falling over.

"What were you just picturing me in?"

[neverwrongagent]

She ignored his reaction so she didn't throw something at him. "Hats, that's all." She got her pants on and stood looking at him. "Maybe the cowboy hat would work. Make you look even taller." Freaking giant. "And you will have hair." She said it more as a command than a statement.

[posterboymarine]

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Cowboy hat? Maybe the right one..." He winked at her, then pointed at the keys. "We're getting rid of the sedan today, too. So grab those."

[neverwrongagent]

That meant cleaning it out, which made her groan, but he was right. "Something big. To go with the hat." And with his long legs." She got her shoes on and grabbed the keys. "It'll be a busy day. We should plan to take dinner back to the room."

[posterboymarine]

He laughed. "Breakfast, houses, lunch, car, clothes, dinner, sex." He nodded. That sounded perfect.

[neverwrongagent]

She snorted a laugh. "Pretty bad if we have to put that last one on the list to remember it." Not that she wasn't glad he thought to put it on the list. "But that about covers it, yes. Busy day. I'm going to sleep like the dead tonight."

[posterboymarine]

He laughed and opened the door for her, following her out to the car. He took the keys from her and got in the driver's seat. He'd spotted a good place for food while he was on his run and he wanted to try it out.

[neverwrongagent]

Picking good food was something she had no trouble trusting the Marine with. She curled up in her seat and closed her eyes, thinking about what kinds of houses they'd see. The whole thing was so surreal. They hadn't even picked names, they'd have to decide that. At least their first names were so normal, they could just pick a last name. "Reynolds."

[posterboymarine]

He looked over at her in confusion. "Reynolds?" Then he caught on and nodded. "First names?"

[neverwrongagent]

She shrugged a little. "We could keep ours. Nick and Carrie are pretty run of the mill and no one would expect it. Less chance to slip up." Not that she ever called him Nick. His wife didn't call him that.

[posterboymarine]

"No one calls me Nick. Hell, I don't call myself Nick. This is going to be hard." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "But I'll try."

[neverwrongagent]

She turned her head so she could kiss him properly. "It's a good name. Strong. Solid." She shrugged. "We'll need to get new ID, which will take some doing." Not that she was too worried about it. She had some of the basics in her stuff. Just needing names. "It's a fresh start."

[posterboymarine]

He nodded. "Going to need to do that before we can sign. I hope I didn't burn all your contacts."

[neverwrongagent]

She laughed. "Fully half of them don't really know who I am. Works better that way." She'd have to make some new ones in their new region, but she was good at that. "I'll take care of it tomorrow."

[posterboymarine]

He nodded, then focused on getting them where they were going without getting pulled over. If there was one thing he knew, it was that small town cops got bored. And they had out of state plates.

He pulled into the parking lot of a clearly local place that was seeing the end of its breakfast rush. He nodded to himself, then leaned over to still another kiss.

[neverwrongagent]

She laughed softly at the kiss, grabbing his head to keep him there for a moment. Then she pulled back and climbed out of the car as her stomach growled. "This place better be good because I'm going to eat one of everything." She groaned. "I'm going to gain a million pounds." Not that she couldn't stand to gain a few.

[posterboymarine]

He inhaled as they got out of the car. "Smells good." He came to her side and put his arm around her waist. "You'll get plenty of exercise, I'm sure." He was teasing her, of course. They both knew she would put on weight. But it certainly wouldn't be a million pounds.

[neverwrongagent]

She'd probably be lucky to gain enough weight, given what a nervous hummingbird she was on the best of days. Still, it was good he had some faith in her. She leaned into him happily. "We should check out all the restaurants around. Really get to know the area." The more normal they seemed, the better. No hiding in the house, seeming like...well, terrorists.

[posterboymarine]

He kissed the top of her head as they walked in. "If we're going to live here, that seems like the best idea."

They were greeted by the waitress, who told them to sit wherever. Brody surveyed the room, then found an empty spot that was not so far out of the way as to be clearly isolationist, but not in the main line of traffic. He wanted to watch the people, see how they interacted with each other. He was going to play the politician to see how their new home ticked.

[neverwrongagent]

She let him take the seat with better views, choosing to watch the waitress station more. He could watch his people, she would watch hers. Between them, it wouldn't take long to figure out the town. Damn place probably had an active chamber of commerce and everything. That idea made her shiver a little. "It's so small."

[posterboymarine]

He chuckled softly. Compared to some of the places he'd hidden, or just been, this was huge. Of course, compared to others, it was tiny. Still, it was just working a room and Brody knew how to do that.

The waitress came by to get their drink order and tell them the specials. Brody had an open smile for her and she smiled back. That first smile was the first victory, so he pressed on and never picked up the menu. Instead, he asked her what she liked best, then ordered that. And coffee, lots and lots of coffee, which earned him another smile and some small talk.

Her name was Darcy, according to her nametag, and he switched to addressing her by name as he explained that he and Carrie were newlyweds looking to start their life together someplace away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. He told her they'd picked Idaho for the scenery and Coeur d'Alene for the lake and the college. He went on to explain that Carrie was an ESL and foreign language teacher and the college was a huge draw for her, while Brody like to fish so it was the lake for him. Darcy nodded through it all, then started telling them about the town hotspots.

[neverwrongagent]

Carrie practically beamed at him through the entire performance, happily playing the blushing bride. It occurred to her that their impending third party would really sell the story. Ran off to start a slower life, to start a family, settle down. It was all so bizarre. She jumped in here and there, but mostly left the talking to him. She'd held up two fingers to indicate she'd have the same as him and very nearly held up three fingers for the coffee.

And then she paid very close attention to the hot spots, paying careful attention to the basics. Darcy was kind enough to point out the best grocery store and that the mall on the far side of town was better. That would help them picking the house. It was the simple things. She very nearly asked about doctors, but that would probably play better with the real estate agent.

[posterboymarine]

Brody let Carrie ask the questions about hotspots, since it seemed that play into the social culture of the area. Brody asked a couple questions about fishing, and dogs, then let Darcy get back to work. They would have to remember to leave a decent tip, but not too outrageous. They'd rather be talked about as the nice new couple, rather than the rich couple.

Once they had coffee, Brody turned to Carrie and lifted an eyebrow. "I do okay?"

[neverwrongagent]

She clapped softly, grinning at him. "I'm starting to think you took the wrong career path. You should have come to work with us from the start." Everything she'd seen him do said he'd be damn good. Too damn good, really. She sipped her coffee happily, completely ignoring that she should have ordered decaf. There were limits.

"I think we chose well."

[posterboymarine]

"Imagine all the things that would be different if I had..." He winked at her, then lost himself in his own coffee for a few minutes.

He finally glanced at her coffee cup and rolled his eyes. "I'm going to have to start monitoring your coffee intake, aren't I?"