Autumn turns to winter with Aria trying to adjust to retirement. Like Mack, she is finding it difficult to make this particular adjustment much to the amusement of her staff. A life of leisure is just not her thing.. She throws herself into her writing trying to find solace and answers. These books are nothing like the romantic ramblings of Veronica Storm. Wendy is the only one who has read them. The publisher has managed to hear that Aria is writing again and is curious about these rumored writings but Aria is not offering them for potential public consumption.
Wendy borrows some of the chapters from Aria under the pretense of business as usual. Aria's attention is focused elsewhere. Wendy can see the distraction growing within her friend and it concerns her. She knows how much Aria has sacrificed. Mack has told her of what he saw on that final mission. She can see Aria trying to come to terms with her life. She saw Mack go through something similar but Mack had the safety net of their family.
Wendy realized that when Aria forced her boys out of their violent life, she put a net under the tightrope for them all. With Mack, Aria gave her the gift of Veronica Storm. Veronica Storm gave her the opportunity to fulfill a dream and it gave them a blanket of financial security and the benefit of time for him to adjust. Vance, she funded his political run. She preserved the meaning and mission that he needed to transition. With Eliot, though he had resources from his life under Nate Ford, Aria gave him roots and stability.
The exception was Shelley. Aria knew that he needed to remain with the SEALs at least for a while. Despite her overwhelming desire to keep him safe, Shelley had to come to terms and function within his new life first. They always knew that Shelley's lifestyle had to potential for child to appear out of nowhere. He was a classic military player with a woman in every port. It was a trait that was not uncommon among the members of the elite units. The wildcard is that the child had no one left. His mother was gone and she had no family. Shelley was all that he had. Shelley accepted the change of condition as a result of consequence and embraced it.
Aria and Shelley had just begun to explore the potential of their relationship when the child arrived. Aria realized that she was an unneeded distraction in his life. Her own history had made her intimately aware of the child's circumstance. She had walked a similar path. Though it broke her heart, she gently removed herself from the equation of Shelley's life.
Wendy begins to realize that Aria every movement was by intention and by design. She had known Aria has long as her own husband. She had always joked that they came as a set, like salt and pepper. She knew the darkness that existed in all of them. It had to exist to allow for them to do what they did. Wendy acknowledged how the darkness grew when the moved from the Marines to the agency. She also became aware of how Aria protected her husband. Aria absorbed as much of the darkness as she could to protect Mack. Aria never allowed him to succumb to it in the way she had witnessed many others.
The angel of death had a tremendous amount of love within her. Love that is expresses in the most unusual ways. Wendy had realizes that Aria is trying to function in a world that she does not understand. The chaos of Aria's world had functioned as the structure. The others were grounded by their families, Aria lacked that grounding. Aria is adrift. Wendy decides to reach out to a new friend. Wendy reaches out to Sophie.
Sophie had always been fascinated by Aria. She remembers the first time that they had met. She was staking out wonderful collection of rare old world artists. Aria was at the debut gala. Sophie never figured out why she was there but she had learned who this mysterious woman was. They moved in similar circles for quite some time. She also knows that Aria has always known her true identity. Though Aria once acknowledged that she held that information, she has never held it over Sophie. She has grown fond of Aria since their formal introduction through Eliot.
Sophie meets Wendy in Washington. Sophie listens to Wendy's reveal about Aria. She is intrigued. The romantic within her wants to write a fairytale. Aria's life fascinates her. She has enjoyed her travels with Nate but she was grown a bit bored. This could be her paramilitary Pygmalion but she is going to need help… and the perfect help just might her loveable rouge… Eliot.
