I am so sorry (again) that this has taken so long! The last part was very hard for to write and figure out, but now that I have, everything else is planned out. I just have 2 or 3 more chapters left, and hopefully the story will be wrapped up before season 2 continues (Nov. 1st!).
Please review and enjoy! :)
Arthur and I managed to slip out of the Agency just before eight, walking quickly to our car with our arms linked and laughing like we were teenagers breaking the rules. It almost felt rebellious, leaving work so early. But we deserved it.
When we got home, I changed into a comfy black jersey wrap dress and Arthur slipped into jeans and a t-shirt. We had decided that instead of going out to a fancy restaurant, which we did a lot anyway, we would have dinner at home. Like the good old days, when we had just moved in together and would cook dinner together almost every night, singing along to our favorite bands. R.E.M, The Goo Goo Dolls, and Pearl Jam had filled the kitchen along with Arthur's smooth, jazz-singer voice and my okay-ish one. It had been domestic and comfortable, but at the same time fun and exciting.
I was standing in the kitchen, looking around in the pantry for a box of spaghetti when Arthur came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing my neck.
"Hey, sweetie," I said, turning around and wrapping my arms around his neck. We kissed again and it was slow and loving. When we broke apart, Arthur smiled at me with that warm look of pure love that made me blush. I was happier than I remembered was possible.
"This was a good idea," Arthur said, locating the box of spaghetti and a pot. I grinned and filled the pot with water.
"Yeah, just like old times."
"That's right!," Arthur exclaimed, grabbing his iPhone out of his pocket and scrolling through it excitedly. I laughed and put the pot on the stove to boil the water. A few seconds later, "Better Man" by Pearl Jam was playing on the iPod speakers on the kitchen counter. Arthur grinned at me and I placed a quick kiss on his lips as I walked past him to the cabinet. I grabbed a can of tomato sauce and started to follow the instructions on the side of the can while Arthur stirred the cooking spaghetti, singing along with Eddie Vedder.
"She lies and says she's in love with him, can't find a better man/ She dreams in color, she dreams in red, can't find a better man..."
I laughed and started to hum along. He rarely did, but I loved it when Arthur sang. 20 minutes later, out dinner was on the table and Arthur was pouring a Scotch for himself and a glass of white wine for me.
We sat across from each other at the kitchen table and talked about everything we could think of besides Henry Wilcox and his case. Tonight was about us and having some much needed time to relax, not work.
"So, how do you think Serena is doing with Annie?," I asked Arthur casually. I couldn't help but worry about her, even when she was with someone I trusted. Call it major maternal tendencies. Arthur sensed this and took my hand, massaging my fingers softly.
"I think she's having a blast, and will probably be calling in about half an hour to say goodnight," Arthur said, finishing off his Scotch. I nodded.
"Sounds about right."
"Who would have pegged you as such a mommy?," Arthur teased, winking at me. "Certainly not me."
"Hey!," I said, swatting his shoulder, playfully, not gently. His eyes flashed playfully and he got up from the table.
"Oh, you're gonna get it."
I shrieked and jumped up from the table, running through the hallway and up the stairs. Arthur chased after me, both us of laughing like children the entire time. He finally caught up with me at the door to our bedroom, grabbing me around the waist and picked me up, tossing me on the bed. I giggled as he joined me, pushing my dress up and kissing my stomach to the point where it tickled.
"Not bad for an old man," I said, panting slightly from the workout. "You caught me pretty fast."
Arthur grinned. He was panting too. "I would've caught you faster, but I gave you a head start."
"Surrrre." I rolled my eyes and laughed. Arthur pulled me close to him and kissed me, deeply, tangling his finger in my hair. I kissed back, moaning happily.
"This is so nice," Arthur whispered, taking my hand and intertwining his finger with mine. "Why didn't we do this more often before Serena was born?"
"I don't know," I said, snuggling deeper into his body. "But we did have our share of fun."
"We did," Arthur agreed.
I didn't know about him, but I was thinking about the time when our power went out, about 2 years after we were married. We had lit candles and eaten Chinese takeout in the dark at our coffee table, smiling at each other lovingly over our plates of chicken chow mein. After we ate, Arthur put on some Frank Sinatra and we slow-danced in the middle of the living room for the longest time, barely speaking, just enjoying the feel of our bodies moving together in a slow waltz.
Or the reconciliation following Arthur's impressive defense of me and Annie during her op in London just a few months after she started working in the DPD. We had been going through a rough patch, and Arthur had been sleeping on the couch for close to 3 weeks. I lifted the ban and we had some pretty amazing makeup sex. I was pretty sure that's how Serena came about.
I was so glad we had her. Sometimes I wondered how our marriage would have been these past 4 years without her. There had been time when I had been afraid that we would have lost our way. And life would be much harder without Arthur in it. Sometimes it was difficult with him in it too, but that was only some times. Everything was worth it for him.
Arthur kissed my hair and my neck, sending shivers down my spine. I responded with a little moan and then I started to pull his shirt off. I kept getting distracted by the kisses he was giving my face and neck, so he stopped and pulled it off for me, tossing it on the floor.
We were just starting to sink into it when Arthur's cell phone rang. He went to pull it out of his pocket, but my leg wrapped around his waist, blocking it. I laughed as he gently rolled me off to the side and answered the phone.
"Hi baby! Call to say goodnight?"
I could hear Serena's excited voice through the phone. Arthur put it on speaker and we listened to her explain everything she and Annie had done this afternoon in detail.
"That sounds fun, sweetie," I said, smiling at Arthur. He smiled gave me a look that said 'See? You had nothing to worry about.'
"Mommy, can I play with Annie tomorrow too?"
"No, honey. You have school."
I heard a giggle. "No I don't! Tomorrow is Saturday, silly!"
Arthur laughed. "Yeah, silly," he said, poking my shoulder. To Serena, he said," Have fun with Annie, honey. Call us when you want to come home."
"Okay! I love you daddy! And you too, mommy! Goodnight!"
Annie came on the phone. "Hey."
"Hey, Annie," I said. "Call us when she gets to be too much."
"Never," Annie said sweetly. "You guys doing anything fun tomorrow?"
"Maybe…," I said slowly. I didn't want Annie to worry about me any more than she already did. "We might be making significant progress on Henry's case."
"Joan, be careful," Annie said. I agreed to, and she hung up.
Arthur looked at me curiously.
"What was that about?"
I shrugged it off. "Annie is just really worried that Henry could try to hurt one of us, in an attempt to save his ass. I told her not to paranoid about it, but she won't rest."
He grinned. "Stubborn as always."
I laughed and kissed him. "Yes…, but tonight is not about work. Where were we?"
Arthur pulled my dress over my head and then dragged me down on top of him, kissing me passionately.
"I think I can remember," he whispered.
The next morning, Arthur and I decided today was the day we go for Liza Hearn. I was wearing capri yoga pants, a sports bra, sneakers and an old tank top. The plan was for me to intersect with Liza in the park. She had been told to meet "a potential source" there, through the same channel that Arthur arranged to meet her a few years ago, when Annie was stuck in Zurich and we didn't know Liza's source yet. However, Liza didn't know her source was . The first thing she would ask me is what information I had for her.
We were drinking coffee when Arthur brought it up.
"You'll have to tell her you're CIA," Arthur said.
I looked at him in horror.
"You don't have to give her your name," he reassured me. "Just tell her you know me. You don't even have to say you're my wife. In fact, don't tell her that just yet."
"Ok," I conceded, nodding. "Do you want me to play rough with her?"
Arthur spat out the coffee he was drinking. His face turned red and he started to cough.
"Whatever you see fit," he stammered. I whacked him on the head with a newspaper that was sitting on a nearby counter.
"My God, Arthur! I was asking if you wanted me to go easy on her or play hardball. You know, interrogate vs. soft approach? Focus!"
"Sorry," Arthur said, with an apologetic yet playful look in his eyes. I narrowed my eyes at him in mock anger for a few seconds, then smiled. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail. It would be nice to get some exercise before I saw Liza. Running always helped me think, it made me feel like I could breathe.
I got up from the kitchen table and put my coffee mug in the sink. I stretched while Arthur watched me with a grin.
"Okay, I'm off," I said, walking over to the table and giving Arthur a kiss.
"You'll do great," he whispered, kissing me again. I nodded.
"I know."
"You have your phone?," He asked as I walked to the front door. I held my iPhone up.
"Good. I will text you if I hear from Serena and Annie. Be safe!"
"I will, honey. See you later," I smiled, closing the door behind me. I sprang down our front steps, taking off at a jog. It felt so good to just run.
I had to admit, I was a little anxious. I had enjoyed field work back when I was an operative, but now I felt out of practice. All I needed to do was convince Liza that when Henry went down, she would too.
After about 40 minutes of running, I came to the park. We had gotten lucky that the park closest to Liza's office wasn't anywhere we ever took Serena to play, it was too far from our neighborhood. I ran a lot less of a risk of seeing anyone I knew here.
I spotted Liza on a bench, dressed in a black pantsuit and a clean white blouse. I took a deep breath. Here we go.
"Liza Hearn?," I asked, not loud enough for anyone but the two of us to hear, as I approached her. She looked up at me and nodded, a slight smile on her face. She gestured to the bench.
I sat down next to her and began carefully, "Liza, I'm here on behalf of Arthur Campbell."
She looked me up and down.
"Are you C.I.A?," she asked in a hushed tone. I nodded.
She sighed. "Is this about the leaks a few years ago? Because I haven't spoken to my source in a very long time."
"We know. Henry Wilcox has been in jail for the last four years. Now, this whole ordeal was never publicized, but Henry has a court date set. He wants to appeal and get out early. And we can't have that. If he succeeds, we will be forced to bring the entire scandal out of the dark, nearly four years later."
Liza was speechless. She stared at me.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that if Henry goes down, he will most surely try and bring you down with him. And you have a promising career, Liza. I'd hate to see you lose it."
"Is that a threat?" She narrowed her eyes.
"No," I said calmly. "It is an offer. Help us keep Henry in jail, where he belongs. Clear your own name, in the eyes of the C.I.A. It will definitely cause us to cooperate more in the future."
Liza considered it. "And how do I contact you?"
I handed her a slip of paper with a number on it. Arthur and Auggie had created a phone line for her to contact us that was untraceable. Auggie would answer if she ever called.
I got up from the bench and shook her hand.
"Nice to meet you, Liza."
She nodded. "Likewise."
I turned and started to run towards home. My veins were on fire and my hands were shaking slightly. Adrenaline came over me and I started to sprint. I'd done it!
I came to stop for a a moment and texted Arthur to tell him I was on my way home. We were gonna get Henry this time. For good.
