Do not ask the price I pay, I must live with my quiet rage
Tame the ghosts in my head that run wild and wish me dead
Should you shake my ash to the wind
Lord forget all of my sins and let me die where I lie beneath the curse of my lover's eyes
Lover's Eyes – Mumford & Suns
Like Nico, a thousand thoughts are rattling around in Maggie's head. She feels a bit better now that Nico
finally knows her secret. It was so hard to keep from him. She never overtly lied to him but the
omission of detail isn't the truth either.
The easiest place to hide was in plain sight. She knew Nico tried to find her so
many times. Marshall had plenty of affairs. Nico found out about every one of them except her. She
was always where she was supposed to be… in plain sight. Her mild freak out in front of Nico acted as
a much needed pressure release. She actually feels a bit better. Too much was building up in her. The loss she feels is
profound. The clues are confusing the hell out of her. She is lost whether or not to even hope. She is
also painfully aware of the f'ed up world she lives in. The hardest part of this job is the distorted reality
that you are immersed in. Too much time in… and the distortions become your reality… the curse of the
CIA.
She is at her family's brown stone on the Upper Westside. She sits in the study mindlessly swaying in
her grandfather's rocking chair. She is facing the bookcase in the room staring at the framed photos
that line the shelves. She is trying to figure out what she is missing about this situation.
She found yet another "gift" on her doorstep. With her tired mind… the only clarity the fortune
cookies provide at the moment is that she is suddenly and clearly craving Chinese food… She holds
the necklace in her hand. She rubs her finger across the inscription. It is bringing back memories. The
spur of the moment trip to Paris for dinner for her birthday which led to a first kiss… well, the first
romantic kiss, during a walk along the Seine. The cold winter Paris air… the magic of those couple of
days… the surprise that it happened at all. The chemistry, the attraction and the flirtation that went on for years...
that moment it went from theory to reality. It was so wrong but it felt so, so right. She laughs for a
moment as she thinks to herself. "Dear Lord, what have I become… my life is a freaking ABBA song."
She looks up at a photo. "I miss you M… so... so much." The tiredness from the mission and the non-stop
activity since take their toll and Maggie falls asleep in the rocking chair. She has no idea that she is
being watched.
After several hours of sleep, Maggie wakes with a start. Her eyes open and focus on a picture. She
stands up and takes the picture into her hands. It is a picture of her, Marshall and Nico outside of her
Heilo. It was taken in the desert. The wheels of her mind start to whirl. She goes to her dresser and
fumbles for the letter from Marshall. She rereads it. She sits back down in the chair. She shuts her eyes
and tries to sort her thoughts. The Russians… she takes another look at the picture. It clicks…. Iraq….
It's not Marshall… it's Nico. His prison term would be up… How the hell would they know where to find
Nico… Maggie grabs her phone and calls Rock. She greets him and then begins to speak to him in
Russian. She hangs up her phone and heads to the shower.
Rock is sitting on the stoop of Maggie's brown stone sipping coffee. Maggie walks out to join him. He
hands her a coffee as she sits down. "So you are thinking this goes back to when we did the retrieval?
Maggie pauses for a moment. "It is the only thing that makes sense." Rock takes a few sips. Something
is bothering him and Maggie cannot get a read which is odd since they have worked together for a long
time. "By the way… where were you… Columbia?" Rock looks forward for a moment after presenting
the question to Maggie. "BINGO mission… yes… Boga." He looks at her again. Maggie is not sure why
Rock is asking her these particular questions.
"Who's team were you on?" Maggie looks at him for a moment. "DEA needed some subs." Rock
accepts the answer. "We managed to seriously put a damper on their plans and got them into a hell
storm of trouble. So you think that Marshall wasn't the target... you think Nico is. You think Marshall is
alive?" Maggie looks forward as she speaks. "Rock, I don't know but there is some weird ass shit going
on." He sips more coffee. "You talk to Nico yet?"
"Not yet… wanted your take… I'm too close to everything. I need perspective." Rock leans back on the
steps as they people watch. "Well baby girl… I would agree. I can't figure the deal with Pitt. You think
Gabrielle is the source of our current woes?"
"I hope not but… not many people knew about that… it was completely off the grid. It would have been
the end of our careers. She was one of the few who knew everyone involved."
"But why would she say something now… to them?" Maggie reaches into her pocket and pulls out a
print out. "Guess who is finally sprung." She hands the paper to Rock. "Ain't that some shit. You think
she would put them after Nico for some type of revenge?"
"I have no idea… I would never figure her for that level of vindictiveness but who the hell knows these
days."
"So how do you figure the funeral?" Maggie looks at Rock. "Plan B or forcing a hand."
Nico watches as Dani sleeps. He finishes dressing and leans down to Dani's sleeping form. He nuzzles
her neck and gently kisses her cheek. He waits for her to wake. "Hi." Nico smiles as he kisses her again.
"I have to go into the office. But I will see you later." He touches her nose. Dani smiles as she snuggles
into the covers. "Sleep well." He waves with a wink from the door.
Nico finds an envelope on his car. Written across the front is… Marin Mairead O'Brien which is
Maggie's actual name. Nico has almost never seen it written down. Mary Margaret is a translation.
Maggie is what she has always been called. He slips it into his pocket and gets into the car. He calls
Maggie.
