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]

He really didn't want to talk, either. But they needed to pass the time somehow. He pulled her up to sit in his lap and he wrapped his arms around her and leaned against her, not really trying to suppress the random shudders that moved through him.

[neverwrongagent]

She petted his arm lightly, trying to give him anything else to focus on. She leaned into him with a soft sigh, feeling better already. She was touched that he didn't bother to hide his physical reactions. It was a step forward. "One storey or two?"

[posterboymarine]

"Mmm? Oh. One. Easier to take care of." He shuddered harder and whimpered. "This is hard."

[neverwrongagent]

Easier to escape from, too. Not that she liked to think about that part. She shifted slightly so she could pet him properly and didn't answer him right away, thinking the touch was more important. Finally she sighed softly. "It's incredibly hard."

[posterboymarine]

He shuddered even as he leaned into her touch. Then he started bouncing his foot, energy coiling up inside of him. The upside to opiates was that there was no twitching once you were stoned. Now all he left like he was doing was twitching.

[neverwrongagent]

She put her hand on his knee, but she didn't press. It was going to be hard for a while and she just wanted to say she was there. "What can I do?"

[posterboymarine]

He shuddered hard again, then shrugged. "Stand up. I can't sit here anymore right now."

[neverwrongagent]

She got up, stretching long, then groaned. Way too much time in the car. When they found a place, she was going to walk everywhere for a week. She looked at him for a long moment, then gave him some space while she looked through the motel's listing of local food joints.

[posterboymarine]

All he did with the space she gave him was pace. It's all he could do. Small circles, from one end of the room to the other, and back. He started rubbing his arms again, scratching lightly. When he caught himself doing it, he cussed and sat down, his foot starting to bounce again.

[neverwrongagent]

Watching him broke her heart. This was her fault--she'd left him out there all alone. Watching him pace wasn't that great for her and she tried hard not to do it. When he finally stopped, or mostly stopped, she waved the little flier thing at him. "About a mile and a half away is a shopping district. Restaurants. That kind of thing." People, which wasn't great, but things to look at and talk about, which was.

"Come with me?"

[posterboymarine]

He knew if he said no, she wouldn't go. And he'd make her crazy. "Should probably get dressed, then yeah." He pulled on slightly cleaner clothes then waited by the door, rubbing his arm through his sleeve.

[neverwrongagent]

She groaned dramatically and took a quick look at his ass. "I knew there was a flaw in this plan."

She dressed quickly, not caring much about what she wore so long as she was covered. She did pull her hair back, though. She was going to have to color it soon. "And away we go."

There wasn't much to the town, but it looked nice enough. Small town America at it's most achingly mundane. She spotted two places that looked good to eat, but figured walking for a while was better.

They were going to end up in a town like this. Bigger, but not different.

[posterboymarine]

After they'd been walking a little while, he took her hand. It was her turn to ground him and that connection worked while they were moving. He actually looked around this time, past noticing where the proverbial other side of the tracks was.

They were absolutely bound for a place like this and the thought of it made him randomly smile. When he wasn't trying to look at everything without looking like he was trying to look at everything.

[neverwrongagent]

Feeling him relax made her relax and she glanced up at him now and again. When she saw him smile, she stopped them for a quick kiss. That made her even happier. This was a much better feedback loop. Maybe when they settled they could be happy.

"I forget how small it can feel." She shrugged. "Of course, I've been in more small towns overseas than here."

[posterboymarine]

"Only difference is who has the guns." He pulled her into a hug, then shuddered hard, which elicited a whimper from deep in his chest. "Sorry," he whispered before pulling back.

[neverwrongagent]

She didn't let him get far, pulling him back for a deeper kiss. When she pulled back, she didn't go far, staying firmly against him for a while. "Don't apologize for that. I say things like that, too." They'd both been there. Both knew the truth of it. She got them walking again. "Maybe I'll take up antiquing."

[posterboymarine]

"Antiquing?" It sounds more than a little silly to him, but he nodded. "Guess that's something, anyway." He shuddered again and shook his head. "Should have just found a liquor store." Or a heroine dealer.

[neverwrongagent]

She didn't hear that thought, of course, but she felt him tense and could figure it out. She shook her head. "Or told me what was going on so I could help." She wasn't going to let him off the hook about that part.

"Not antiquing? Okay. I'll garden. More useful."

[posterboymarine]

He conceded her point with silence on the matter of what he should have done. "Gardening might be good. Means we'll need a yard."

[neverwrongagent]

"Oh absolutely." She smiled a little. For some reason she kept picturing some storybook cabin with a picket fence. "You should see me in my little bandanna. Very cute."

[posterboymarine]

The only way he could repsond to that was to roll his eyes. "Carrie, you are cute in everything." Or nothing.

[neverwrongagent]

She reached down and smacked his ass sharply, getting a big grin from an older man walking past them. "Glad you think so." He didn't know she was going to make him walk around shirtless in that big back yard they didn't have yet. Slathered in lotion, of course, so he didn't burn. That meant she got to do the slathering.

This whole plan was looking up. "We're going to be so disgustingly domestic."

[posterboymarine]

He blushed at them having an audience, then turned toward her once they were alone. "I'm hungry. I could eat now."

[neverwrongagent]

That blush was charming and she kissed his cheek to feel the heat. "Oh yeah? Then we'd better eat, huh?" She dropped her voice just a touch at the end and glanced down his body. The suggestion of what they could do for dessert was subtle, but clear enough. "There's a pizza joint over there."

[posterboymarine]

Since he'd already commented on sex on speed, he would have been disappointed if there wasn't sex. "Pizza sounds good." He let her lead, still holding tightly to her hand.