Chapter 4

When they pulled into Jason's drive, Jason looked up at his apartment looking confused.

"Everything alright?" Mandy twisted to glance up to where he was looking

"Didn't think I'd left the lights on…"

"You worried someone put them on?" Mandy asked him, trying to read the weird look on his face

"More worried I forgot again…" he said quietly as he opened the car door leaving Mandy unsure of what he meant

Mandy was about to open her own door when Jason came around and opened it for her "So chivalrous…" she joked, smiling widely.

"…This is a new side to Jason Hayes" she continued to tease as he took her hand and guided her up the steps to his apartment. But at the top he gestured for her to stop and stay back, suddenly vigilant, a gesture she was used to out in the field but not at home. She stood to the side, back to the railings while Jason carefully tried his door and opened without unlocking it. Mandy could hear music inside, they looked at each other "What kind of intruder puts music on?" Mandy asked.

"The daughters who don't tell their dad they are visiting kind" Jason replied as his shoulders relaxed and Emma came into view in the doorway

"Daughters of Dads who don't return their calls…" Emma laughed as she put her arms around her dad "…I have to say I'm impressed dad, I thought I'd have to go around throwing out old soaps and old food again but it's pretty clean and tidy in here…" Emma trailed off as she realised who was with her dad.

"Ohhhhh, and now I understand the clean soap…" Emma laughed

Mandy burst out laughing "I can assure you I know nothing about the soap"

"Really…? Emma said unconvinced "Because I probably wouldn't know if you were lying"

"Emma, you remember Mandy then…" Jason said as he stepped back out of Emma's hug nodding towards Mandy.

Mandy stepped forward behind Jason unsure of what to do next. "Dad says you're not much of a hugger either, but you make exceptions…" Mandy smiled as Emma gave her a brief hug too.

"Look at you, the CIA's terrifying Mandy Ellis. A hugger." Jason grinned as Mandy thumped him on his arm and followed Emma and Jason into the apartment.

Once inside Mandy hovered inside the open door, suddenly unsure if she was intruding and should make an excuse to call an Uber, Emma had her back to her in the kitchen when Jason realised that Mandy was frozen still in the doorway.

"You coming in Mand?" Jason gestured to come in

Mandy looked unsure and still didn't move "I should let you two catch up…"

Emma turned at that, just as Jason stretched out to grab Mandy's hand and pull her inside as he shuts the door behind her.

"I'm the one intruding here… " Emma says to Mandy

"… I was only coming to pick up a couple things I left here last time and make sure you had some actual real food in your Fridge dad. I should probably get over to my friends house it's getting late…"

Emma looked at her watch then looked back and forth between Jason and Mandy "… very late…" she trailed off, cocking her head to the side as she looked at her dad, raising one eyebrow

Mandy and Jason looked at each other like two teenagers who just got caught. Mandy coughed and hid her mouth behind her hand as Jason looked right at Emma "What?"

Emma just laughed and threw her bag over her shoulder, walking past her dad "you can buy me lunch while I'm back dad… I think you've got some things to tell me" she grinned

"I don't like you driving this late, we'll drive you. You can pick up your car tomorrow" Jason had snapped back into concerned dad mode

Emma looked like she was going to protest until Mandy jumped in "To be honest, I was going to pester your dad to get us some takeout anyway, I'm starving. We can drop you off and then me and your dad can get food on the way back?"

"See? That'll work!" Jason brightened and smiled over at Mandy clapping his hands together

"OK, as long as you genuinely are hungry and aren't just saying that to make him happy" Emma nods towards her dad

"Oh Mandy never lies about takeout" joked Jason

Mandy laughed "It's true, takeout is sacred"

In the truck, Emma insisted on riding in the back, she was enjoying sitting back and watching this new dynamic, whatever it was, between her dad and Mandy in the front seat. Her dad was making some comment about Mandy's bruised nose, calling her Rocky.

Then he glanced over to Mandy "Hey, why didn't you say you were hungry before?"

"I was a little distracted by other things" answered Mandy smiling but still looking ahead.

"Mandy… when did you last eat?" Jason looked serious. Mandy said nothing. "…do you even remember?" Jason asked sarcastically

Mandy shrugged, "honestly, I think I grabbed a sandwich and coffee before my flight"

Emma quietly watched as her dad was starting to look somewhere in between worried and pissed. He was protective of her. Then he seemed to realise something and softened "Wait, you came straight from getting off your flight?"

"Of course, soon as I was stateside, I promised I'd call" Mandy answered.

"But you came in person" Jason added

Mandy shrugged "Same thing, promise is a promise"

Emma realised she had a front row seat to something she didn't normally see. Her dad with his guard down. Mandy Ellis had just told him that he was her first stop after getting back in the U.S. Even from the backseat, she could see he was smiling in a way she hadn't seen in a long time. Someone just told him in not so many words that they'd put him first, made him a priority. Her dad who prioritised everyone else, put everyone else first. Emma was suddenly really happy to know someone was doing the same for him.