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Chapter Thirty

Quinn tied his boot laces tightly, pulling his black jeans over the laces- gun and holster hidden by the denim. His second firearm holstered at the waist covered by his jacket.

He was officially back on group- a black ops agent, an elite operative- exactly what he was destined to do and who he was fated to be. He had a mere two days before his deployment, and he was due at briefing in less than an hour- the final pieces being slotted into place.

He knew that he would have tasks to do after the briefing and he was fairly certain that most of his time would be taken up with the last bits of planning, so he finished packing away his belongings- which didn't take long. It was a routine he followed with every new mission- he hadn't stayed in any one place for any longer than six months at any point since he was fifteen years old. He had no idea how long it would be before he was back in Washington for any length of time, so there was no point in maintaining the lease.

He slung his black Bergen over his shoulder and headed out, pulling the door shut behind him.

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"So no air support and no ground teams?" Quinn asked, unsurprised by the update.

"That's right- the nearest team will be Islamabad Peter- even the embassy at Damascus won't know that you are there, we don't know who we can trust here"

"I have my own contacts" Quinn stated firmly, there was no way he would be going anywhere near Islamabad for assistance- he shuddered at the very thought of that place. Dar nodded, deciding not to dwell on that comment.

"What's in place?" Rob asked as he looked at the map.

"There are two CIA safe houses here and here" Dar told them as he pointed at the map. "Latest intelligence has proven that they are secure. Each have two bedrooms and are suitable for the tasks" he continued. Both men nodded as they listened in. "We have three assets for you to make contact with, they have vital intelligence to help us in locating the target" he finished.

"What timescales are we working towards?" Rob asked.

"If current intelligence is accurate in approximately three weeks time target zulu will be visiting family somewhere within Damascus- we need to know who, when and where. We need to be in a position for a snatch and grab" Dar stated.

"Tight" Quinn commented as he worked out it gave them two weeks of operational time to pull everything together.

"But possible" Rob added with a pointed glance at Quinn. The taller man nodded. The three settled back to finalise the finer details and their meeting went on into the night.

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"Read me in Saul" Carrie demanded quietly.

"You know I can't Carrie"

"But why not? My clearance is high enough, it's my area of specialism and I have a vested interest" she reasoned.

"It's the fact that there is vested interest that worries me" Saul stated gravely.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't want you getting so focussed on one thing that you forget everything else" he told her frankly. "I am not sure its healthy" he warned.

"Dar doesn't want me on it does he?" she queried, she just felt that if she could have some involvement in Quinn's mission that she would feel closer to him, and know that he was safe.

"There is very little US based input into this mission Carrie" he told her. "I just don't want you getting obsessed with this" he added, genuinely concerned that his now healthy friend would make herself regress back to the mess that she had got herself into when she was obsessed with Brody.

"I love him Saul" she told him, her voice soft and so full of emotion that he almost felt his heart break.

"I know you do- and that's why it might not be a good idea Carrie- why torture yourself if things don't go to plan?" he told her.

"I have to know what's going on or its going to drive me crazy" she pleaded, and he sighed- knowing that there was no talking her out of it.

"I will talk to Dar, and to Quinn of course- but I can't promise anything" he informed her. She nodded and smiled, grateful for him even trying.

"Thank you" she stated simply, before getting to her feet and heading back to her own work space. She had less than two days until Quinn was due to fly out and she had no idea when she would next see him.

Every time she thought about it the image of him laid in that hospital bed with no idea if he would live or die just swum in her mind. She reflected on the time when they didn't know where he was or how they were going to get him home- but that he was seriously injured. She closed her eyes as the thoughts invaded her mind, she just didn't know if she could go through all of that again. She had to know what was happening and she had to know he was safe, or heaven forbid if he was injured make sure she could help to get him home. She knew it was irrational- he had been in this game even longer than she had, had deployed all over the world with no issues, taken down some of the most dangerous people that could ever be imagined. He was the most capable man she had ever known, able to make a decision in a split second, build explosives or make a crack shot at a moments notice- but he was still human, still as breakable as everybody else. She just needed him to remember that, and not throw himself head first into high risk situations.

She hoped that Saul could convince Dar and probably, less likely, Quinn to at least read her in on the mission so she could get updates. She sat back and turned her attention to her own case load- although she had to admit even to herself that she was distracted and barely absorbing any information.

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Quinn and Rob ran side by side on the treadmills, final preparations well under way for the deployment and each taking the chance for the last work out before they were forced to pack their things. Each man was sweating and breathing heavily, lost in their own thoughts as their feet pounded on the belts. They knew the timings and they knew what they had to do- they also knew that they would be on their own- but they had such shared trust that in some ways it was how they preferred it.

Rob was fully aware that Quinn was the lead for the op- his area of specialism wasn't really surveillance or running assets, but Quinn excelled in that world. He would support his friend and keep them both safe and hopefully out of trouble ready to return to the states within a couple of weeks to plan the ultimate mission.

Half an hour later and both men were spent. Quinn could feel a painful twinge in his knee and rubbed it before carefully stepping from the machine. He leaned against the safety bar as he drank from his water bottle. Rob watched him carefully- the recovering man had worked hard over the last few weeks to get himself fit for duty, but Rob could see he was still struggling with headaches and leg pain. He just hoped he wasn't pushing his friend too far.

"You good?" Rob asked carefully as he drank his own water.

"I'm good" Quinn responded quickly.

"All set for tomorrow?" he asked, knowing that Quinn had little by the way of personal possessions and moved around at such a rate that it took very little for him to be ready.

"Yep- all packed and ready to go. Are the supplies ready for collection?" Quinn responded wiping the sweat from his face.

"Supplies will be in the hangar" Rob responded. "You seeing your lady tonight to bid farewell?" he asked with a sly grin. Quinn sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You mean Carrie?" he asked and Rob rolled his own eyes at the ridiculous question. "I don't know- I mean we go tomorrow, maybe I should just leave her to some peace" Quinn stated as he sat down.

"For someone so bright- you really can be fucking stupid man" Rob reprimanded him. "Do you really think she would have gone to the end of the earth to get us all home safely if she didn't worship the ground that you walked on? Now you listen to me Peter for some strange completely unexplainable reason that woman loves you- now since you are incredibly unlikely to ever find someone else that is as strangely attracted to you as she is you need to make sure you do right by her. Now go and get showered and then drag your sorry ass to her place and make sure that she knows that you love her too" Rob told his friend, showing a rare display of seriousness and speaking common sense. Quinn sighed, caught off guard by the unexpected advice from an unexpected source. He finally nodded, got to his feet and turned to his friend.

"I'll see you tomorrow" he stated before he headed out to do exactly as Rob had just suggested.

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Carrie was startled by a knock on the door- she had just made it back downstairs from tucking Frannie in and had been planning on drowning her sorrows in a bottle of wine with her sister.

She opened the door shocked to see Peter Quinn stood there looking back at her.

"Can I come in?" he asked softly, she noticed straight away that he looked tired, she simply pushed the door open wide so he could come in, and closed it behind him. She headed straight into the kitchen and took out a second glass- pouring wine into each and handing one straight to him.

"I didn't think I would see you tonight" she commented as she headed into the lounge.

"I didn't either" he replied honestly. He sat down beside her and just looked at her.

"I have asked Saul to convince you and Dar to let me be read in on the mission" she told him quickly, and he looked away and closed his eyes.

"What did he say?" he asked.

"That it would be up to you guys to decide" she replied.

"I don't know if it's a good idea" he stated. "If it goes wrong maybe you don't need to hear that" he added carefully.

"I would rather hear it and know what was going on than be left wondering" she told him, keeping her tone reasonable and light.

"I am not sure Dar will go for it" he argued slightly.

"He will if you tell him it's ok" she told him, as she truly believed that was the case. He sighed before nodding.

"Fine- but you have to promise me that you won't interfere and you won't go all crazy if you get news you don't like" he warned her gently.

"I won't- I just need to know. Things end badly when I don't know Quinn" she told him, grateful with every fibre of her being that the man beside her understood her completely irrational streak.

"Ok, ok- I'll speak to Dar" he told her, brushing her hair back from her face.

"Thank you" she stated and she meant it. "Maggie is on the way back with pizzas- do you want to go out or stay here?" she asked him, unsure.

"Just stay here if that's ok with Maggie" he replied.

"She won't mind, in fact she will be delighted- she is fairly smitten with you Quinn" Carrie told him, nudging him in the ribs. He grinned lightly.

"She's a lovely lady" he told her quietly, grateful for the care and compassion she had shown him during the short amount of time they had known each other.

"Have you handed in the keys to your place?" she asked him as if suddenly remembering his habit of moving around.

"Yep- I'll find somewhere new when I get back" he told her, sipping his wine.

"Where's all your stuff?" she asked, unsure how his system worked.

"In the trunk" he told her. "Why?"

"Well why don't you leave it here? Maggie won't mind" she offered, he looked at her in confusion. "Then I know you will be coming home to me" she stated her voice croaking as she was beaten by her emotions. He pulled her closer, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I don't need to leave my stuff here to confirm I am coming home to you" he told her gently. "You don't have to wait for me Carrie" he reassured her. "You have Frannie and a life of your own- I don't want you to put that on hold when I can't guarantee when I will make it back" he told her, choosing his words carefully. He didn't speak the words 'if at all' yet they both knew that was also what he meant

"My life isn't on hold Quinn- and like hell you will get rid of me that easily" she added, her voice steely and leaving no room for argument. She was saved from further comment by the sound of the front door opening.

"Hey Carrie- who's truck is that on the drive?" she asked as she stepped into the lounge laden with food and stopped in surprise as she saw Quinn sat there. She grinned widely in relief. "Oh hi Peter! Are you staying for dinner?" she asked.

"Hey Maggie- I don't want to impose" he replied.

"Don't be so silly- at least this way we can stop worrying that you haven't eaten" she said with a small smile. She gestured at Carrie to drag the table over, and placed the boxes on them, grabbing some paper towel for each of them. She headed into the kitchen and poured herself a drink- topping up the other glasses as she did so.

She sat down on the sofa and smiled at how comfortable her sister was with the man beside her. She took a slice of pizza and flicked the TV on, and within minutes the three of them were eating, drinking and laughing. None of them could remember feeling so relaxed for quite some time, and Maggie had never seen her sister behave like this with a man and she couldn't help but feel a little sad. The two were obviously made for each other- but also destined to spend their entire lives fighting to live, she just hoped her sister could cope with it. She was no fool, she knew that Peter was due to be deployed the following day- way too soon as far as she was concerned, and she had a medical degree to support that opinion.

Some time later Maggie glanced at her watch as the second film came to an end- shocked to see that it was nearly midnight.

"Peter I hope you intend on staying here" she told him as she got to her feet. He looked at her in shock. "It wasn't a question" she added with a grin, clearing up the empty boxes and heading into the kitchen. She leaned on the counter and breathed in deeply as she considered the fact that the man that had come to mean so much to her was off to war the very next day- god alone knew how he could so willingly do it and heaven knew how Carrie was even coping with this thought.

"Hey you ok?" a soft voice asked behind her and she was surprised to see the object of her thought stood behind her loading dirty glasses into her dishwasher.

"Thank you Peter" she stated and he looked at her in confusion. "Thank you for coming to her tonight- she needed to know that you meant it" she told him, and his eyes softened.

"I meant everything- and she means everything to me" he told her quietly, and she knew without doubt that he was speaking the truth.

"You get yourself killed over there and I swear to god you will have me to deal with Peter" she warned him, and shocked herself by the tears that were rising in her throat as she spoke. Quinn couldn't help himself he stepped forward and pulled her into his embrace.

"I will do everything in my power to be right back here to annoy the shit out of her every day" he told her, deliberately keeping his tone and words light. She laughed against his chest, and squeezed him back.

"You'd better" she stated, flicking the switch to set the dishwasher going, and turning to head to her own bed for the night. "Night Peter" she whispered. He smiled lightly, all of this was so new and unfamiliar to him that he didn't fully know how to deal with it.

"So you staying?" Carrie asked as she walked in behind him.

"Not sure I have a choice" he replied with a grin. "Thanks Carrie- goodnight" he whispered as he stepped close to her and kissed her on the lips, his hand cupping the back of her head and his other hand resting on her waist. She kissed him back, lost in the passion and love of his embrace and wished that he would never let her go. After a moment or so Quinn began to soften the kiss, gently pulling away and resting his forehead against hers. He then pecked her lightly on the lips before letting go of her.

"Goodnight Quinn" she replied as he walked away towards the spare room that had briefly been his home. She watched him walk and felt her heart leap. She stayed there for a moment before heading off to her own bed, as she laid down wishing that he was laid beside her.

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Quinn woke up bright and early, and got showered and dressed quickly. He made his way into the kitchen surprised to find Maggie cooking up a storm.

"Morning" he greeted her as she handed him a freshly brewed coffee.

"Morning Peter" she replied. "How do you like your eggs?" she asked him with a grin.

"Scrambled- but you don't have to cook me breakfast Maggie" he told her with a smile in return.

"Well if you would prefer Carrie to cook I'll give her a shout?" Maggie teased and Quinn laughed out loud at the comment.

"Scrambled would be great thanks Maggie" he told her with a smile. She nodded as she turned her attention back to the stove. He sat in silence as he ran through the day's plans in his head.

"What time do you head out?" she asked him, suspecting he wouldn't give her the true answer.

"Not until later" he replied vaguely, knowing that she would realise he couldn't tell her details.

"Will Carrie be able to see you off?" she asked.

"No- but I should only be gone a couple of weeks so she will be grateful of the break" he replied over his coffee mug. Maggie snorted.

"Now we both know that's not true Peter" she chastised him.

"Am I interrupting something?" Carrie asked as she and Frannie stepped into the kitchen.

"Nope-pull up a chair" Maggie told her and within five minutes the four of them were eating their breakfasts together like any other family.

"That was amazing thank you Maggie" Quinn commented as he cleared his plate- surprising both ladies. "I don't mean to eat and run, but I really need to get going" he stated as he got to his feet. "Thank you for letting me stay, and for the food- I'll repay the favour when I get home" he told Maggie as he grinned at her. She smiled, glad for the words.

"I will hold you to that Peter- be safe" she told him, blinking back the tears. He nodded, before ruffling Frannie's hair and pulling a silly face at her as their own personal farewell.

Carrie followed him to the door and noticed he had slung a small bag over his shoulder and grabbed his jacket.

"Will I see you before you go?" she asked him, trying not to sound needy.

"No- I need to get my shit together Carrie and get ready" he told her, and he knew that she would be able to interpret what he meant without him saying that he needed to get his head clear.

"Please be safe Quinn" she told him.

"I'll see you in a couple of weeks Carrie" he told her, leaning forward and kissing her, holding her as tight as he dared and hating having to let go. He walked to his car without looking back- knowing it would break him if he did. Carrie closed the door without watching him drive away. She stepped into the spare room and smiled as she saw that he had left his bag of belongings behind- his own way of telling her that he would return to her.

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The two men walked side by side, each wearing black cargo trousers and black crew neck t-shirts. They were each getting into their own mind sets, weapons were primed and ready, and within minutes they would be aboard the plane and in the air towards Turkey, ready to make their own way across the border.

Dar stood in the doorway waiting for them.

"You all set guys?" he asked them with his arms folded across his chest looking at them closely.

"Yep" Rob replied for both of them.

"Peter can I have a word a moment?" Dar as he guided the younger man away with a nod at Rob. Peter followed as he always did. "Carrie has been speaking to Saul and wants briefing up on the mission, what are your thoughts?" Dar asked him softly.

"It is safer for all of us if you let her. If she's involved officially then she is less likely to be a thorn in your side" Quinn replied with a rueful smile. Dar couldn't help the grin that escaped him at the comment.

"Fair point" he replied. "I will read her in personally once I have confirmation that you are on your way" he assured him and Quinn nodded. "Now you check in at 0700hrs sharp Peter" he instructed, and gently squeezed the younger man's shoulder. He had deployed him hundreds of times- sometimes seeing him off personally, sometimes not- but somehow this felt different. Maybe it was because of how close to losing him they had come, but he felt a strange sense of separation at the thought of his protégé deploying.

"I will do Dar" Peter stated, "anything else?" he asked, confused by Dar's behaviour.

"No- see you in a couple of weeks" Dar told him, clapping him again on the shoulder and walking away. Quinn turned on his heals and walked back to Rob.

"What was that all about?" Rob asked as he watched Dar leave.

"I have no idea" Quinn responded. "We have thirty minutes, lets double check the kit" he suggested and the two moved over to the stack of kit further back in the hangar. The two men worked in silence, well practiced hands dismantling and cleaning weapons before putting them back together as naturally as others tied their shoelaces.

"We're ready for this" Rob stated as he slipped the clip back into his side arm.

"We were born ready" Quinn responded with a grin. The two men grabbed their bags and having each grabbed their kit bags they walked out of the hangar and up the steps onto the agency plane. Bags safely stowed above them they sat down with the aisle between them and fastened their belts.

They watched the sequence of lights and exchanged a glance, no need for further conversation as within minutes they were taxiing down the runway and heading off, back to the place they had left only two months earlier- each hoping that they would make it back, but willing to take the risk regardless. That was what they did.

The End.