Dani wraps her body around Nico. She can feel that twinge of magic that she felt at Christmas. She
gazes down at him. The sex is incredible. His presence in her life…is incredible. He reminds her so much
of her youth and of careless moments. Nico does not want to leave. He wants Dani to remain where
she is currently wrapped around his body and his heart. He knows there is only one way to end this.
This end runs directly through the valley of death…. Which ironically runs right between Maggie and
Gabrielle.
Nico rolls on his side and kisses Dani. She knows he has to go. She knows he has to do this. If he is truly
going to be with her, he needs to come to terms with his past like she is coming to terms with her own.
"I have to go." Dani touches his face for a moment after the tender kiss. "I know." Nico attempts to
speak again but decides to hush his own words. These thoughts… well they are just not clear enough to
share right now. He slips from under the covers and begins to dress. This is a sight that Dani loves. She
loves to watch him with the wonder of new love. She hopes it never changes.
Docks:
Maggie and Vivian sit on the edge of a pier with their feet dangling like schoolgirls. Maggie's family has
dispersed within the warehouse and the girls have a moment alone. "Are you sure this is what you
want?" Vivian watches Maggie's face closely. They have been friends for a long time. The finality of
what they are planning warrants continued discussion. "Yes Viv, I have never lied to you. This is what I
want." Vivian and Maggie have a long history together. They found each as school girls and every move
they have made has been together. Vivian is going to miss her more than she could ever express. They
have followed each other everywhere… prep school… Harvard… Marines and CIA. Their lives have been
a mirror of each other for decades.
Nico has arrived and is watching the girls with Maggie's brother Piaras. The men do not speak as to not
draw unwanted attention. Nico notices something as he observes Vivian's and Mairin's interaction. As
Vivian's shirt shifts in the wind, it reveals something that intrigues Nico. He can see the outline of…
butterflies. The tattoos. The same tattoos as Maggie. Piaras notices what has captured Nico's
attention. "They were together in A-stan." Nico's full attention is now concentrated on Piaras. "Mairin
and Vivian… the lasses are closer than sisters. A bit more like thicker than thieves." Nico had heard of
Vivian… through the alphabet soup. He had never known her association to Maggie let alone her
association to Dani. The world has become so small that it feels like it is suffocating him. This is less
than six degrees of separation. "What is the plan." Piaras gives him a curious look in return. "To try to
get everyone out alive I suppose." Nico's reaction is profound. This is bigger than even he realized.
"Nico, Gab has strayed too far. She got greedy. She has all the money in the world… a child… and it was
never enough. She needs the thrill like a drug… it's an addiction… like any other." The breaks in his
speech reveal that Piaras is choosing his words with care. As Nico reflects, he can see it too. Why Gabby
wanted him even after marrying Marshall. The thrill of their stolen moments, the thrill of the secrets
they kept… of her lying to him about Juliette. It was all part of this insatiable need of hers to be on the
edge. Why didn't he see that? How could he not see that?
Nico thought he knew Maggie inside and out. The last few weeks have proven to him that Maggie was a
bit like an iceberg. So little of who she was and who she is sits on the surface; beneath the surface…
there is so much more. As time closes in with her illness his mind makes the automatic and obligatory
Titanic reference.
Nico does not realize that Marshall is also there. He too is fixated on Maggie and Vivian. There is a
foreboding sense of finality in the air. He fears the worst of the events that are about to unfold. He has
had this feeling in the past. He had it before missions. Missions that went wrong… the ones where
there were casualties. The ones where the best laid plans fell apart. His life or rather afterlife is coming
apart at the seams. The worst part of it is that he is helpless to do anything about it… He has to wait and
watch like everyone else involved. Patience has never been a virtue that he possessed. He laughs as
that thought passes through his mind. Damn you, Maggie… you are still trying to change me, woman.