Vivian walks into the room. She spies Marshall sitting at his usual table. He already has a second glass
of whiskey on the table. He was expecting her. She takes the seat next to him. "It has been a long time
Vivian." She takes a sip from the glass. "It has." She adjusts herself in the chair. "So what is an assassin
like you doing in a place like this?" She smiles at him. "Well I usually prefer less provocative terms."
Marshall returns the smile. "She asked you to come." Vivian nods her affirmation. "Does Nico know."
Vivian pauses for a moment. "If you are asking me if he knows that I am here… the answer is yes. If
your question is if he knows why I am here, the answer is no." Marshall watches her closely for a few
more moments. Vivian takes another sip from the glass before standing and placing it on the table. He
holds Vivian's arm. He sees them. The same tattoos the same tattoos as Maggie. "Life is precious my
dear Marshall… treasure every moment." She vaporizes before his eyes.
Nico is pacing in Maggie's study. His eyes are drawn to the photos that line the shelves. His mind
wanders back to Christmas and the extraordinary gift that Maggie gave him. She gave him love and
returned him to her family. He had grown distant from them and had missed the connection. She
restored him, centered him and gave him Dani. Now, the clock is ticking. He can hear it like a time
bomb in his head. Maggie's life is slipping away and yet she is still settling affairs. He is at the rare
juncture of not knowing what to do. He knows there is an impending event. Maggie and Vivian are at
the heart of it and Gabby is in the cross hairs. Maggie pulled in all of her assets and a trained assassin.
Nico is trying to figure out the end game. Maggie's entrance into the room startles Nico back to the
moment. "Hi." Nico turns towards her. There is a very distinct change in Maggie from the last time he
saw her up close which concerns him greatly. At the marina, he had only seen her from a distance. Her
skin had an unmistakable tinge of grey and her eyes… her eyes are weary. Nico had never seen
Maggie this way before. Maggie is aware of her appearance but brushes it off to keep Nico's questions
at bay. "Hey, yourself, so what is on your mind, Nico." Nico pauses trying to put his thoughts to words.
"Vivian was with you in A-stan." Maggie realizes that at some point Nico managed to see Vivian's
tattoos. "Yes, Nico… she was. I have known Vivian since boarding school." That revelation shocks Nico.
He thought their connection was through the Agency. He did not know it went so much deeper than
that. "She is closer to me than most of my family." As he stares straight ahead, he realizes that the
history of Maggie and Vivian is right in front of him. Field hockey photos from school, graduation from
Harvard, boot camp… Vivian and Maggie are in half of these photos together. They are hidden in plain
sight. "What is the game, Maggie?" Maggie watches Nico. She can see how tense and torn he is talking
to her. "The game, Nico, is to get Gabby out alive. She is in too deep with the wrong people." Maggie
walks towards Nico and touches his arm. She knows that Nico is struggling with this. "Why Vivian?"
Maggie pulls Nico closer. "Because she is the best sniper I know. I trust her with everything that I am."
Maggie pulls Nico even closer. At this moment, Nico lets go. He pulls Maggie into him like it is the last
chance he will have to do this. His mind is flooded with all of the moments that they shared as friends,
as family and as lovers. He just holds on. Maggie holds on to him with the same thoughts running
through her head. She knows the bargains that she has made. She knows the requests that
accompanied them. She is at peace with this… the problem… is hoping that those closest to her find the
same peace. She is dealing with Nico… the true test of her fortitude is going to be… Marshall.
She holds Nico for as long as the moment allows. Marshall appears in the doorway. "Am I interrupting
something?" Nico looks up to see him. Marshall can see the pained expression in Nico's eyes. It is
unmistakable. He can also see the marked change in Maggie's appearance and it thoroughly alarms
him. "Not moving in on my girl are you?" Nico manages a small smirk as he settles himself and centers.
Nico finds and excuse to leave them. He remains twisted up inside, any long in Maggie's presence and
he would no longer be able to contain his emotions. She has enough to deal with in Marshall.
Marshall circles closer to Maggie. He gently caresses her face. "You stopped taking your meds… why?"
Maggie knows he knows. There is no reason to lie to him and she doesn't want anything to keep her
from making the most of every moment that is left. "Marshall, they don't cure anything… all they did
was make the pain tolerable." He pulls her into an embrace. "I don't want you in pain." She turns
within his embrace. "The pain assures me that I am alive, Marshall." He holds her face with that ever
familiar "what am I going to do with you woman" look that she has always adored. Marshall knows that
despite the will, he has no way to control this situation. For once in his life, he let's go and allows
himself to just be with Maggie completely on her terms. He is just too close to losing her to be stubborn
about the whole thing. He wants to weep…. He wants to pull her close and never let go… but he has a
better idea… he wants to make love to her. He wants to spend whatever time is afforded him at this
moment wrapped up in the love of his life. He wants to hear her laugh… he wants to see that look in her
eyes… he just wants… her. If these are the moments that he is going to have to remember for a
lifetime… he is going to make them memories worthy of a lifetime.