Chapter 33

So, I know there is a lot of speculation going on to the future of Jessica Pare and I'm just trying to stay positive in that this will all work out. I think so much has been affected by COVID which affects the budgets and there is just so much uncertainty of even how much will get filmed. I was incredibly happy to see online that there are Mandy lovers out there like me. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one out there lol. I'm on twitter if you'd like to follow: jaszy21. Anyways, on with my story!

It'd been a couple hours since Mandy had hunkered down in the abandoned building on target. She'd taken a look around to make sure the building was cleared. So far, it'd been quiet. Mandy lightly dozed while she waited. She hated waiting. This was just like the trip here, having time to think.

Of course, her thoughts went to Jason and his words. As much as she thought the words were sweet, she wanted to deck him for doing it the way he did. She was touched by his words and yet she'd wished she'd been there in person to hear them. She was never a romantic person but damn it, a small part of her wanted all that. On the other hand, this was them. They weren't normal or conventional. They were complicated and messy, and, in a way, it just worked for them. At the same time, neither wanted to waste more time than they already had. Mandy sighed and figured that would be a battle for after tonight.

Suddenly she heard voices outside and crept up to a window to peek out.

"Flyer one this is HAVOC, you have three unknown combatants walking towards you," Lisa said over the comms. "I really hate we didn't give her a two comm," Lisa muttered to the room.

On the chopper, the team over heard Lisa's message and all held their breath again. It was killing Jason he was in the air and had no visual of what was going on. They would be dropped about a few clicks out from the target so the choppers couldn't be heard. They still had a decent hike up to the target.

Mandy looked out to see the two unknowns pass by without trouble and for the millionth time let out a breath. Suddenly the door to her hide out started to jiggle.

Back at HAVOC everyone had taken a break from the screen as they saw the unknowns walk by. Lisa looked up and saw two more figures trying to get in. "What the hell?" Lisa muttered.

Mandy braced herself for whoever was coming through and got a knife out. She didn't want to create too much noise or the whole op was blown. The door opened and someone walked in. Mandy was behind the door as it opened and quickly pinned the person to the wall at the same time hearing a gasp by the door.

She looked at her intruder and realized it was Al-Hazred's sister. "Basheera? What are you doing?" Mandy asked as she quickly grabbed the little girl in the doorway and pulled them before anyone saw.

"I wanted to check on you to make sure…" Basheera trailed off looking at Mandy unsure. "This is my daughter Asha," she said picking up the little girl who looked at Mandy shyly.

"Hi," Mandy replied softly. She didn't have much experience with kids but the way the little girl looked at Mandy, something in her heart tugged. Mandy was going to do everything to get these guys out.

The little girl smiled and spoke, "Pretty."

Mandy huffed out a laugh, "You're prettier."

Back at HAVOC, everyone was watching the ISR footage.

"Mandy doesn't seem to be in trouble," Blackburn observed.

"Maybe it's the sister, but who is the third?" Thomson said. "Whoever it is, Mandy doesn't see them as a threat."

"Okay, listen, you need to get back before they notice you're missing," Mandy replied as she peeked out the window. "We follow the plan and I get you both out. I promise."

Basheera nodded her head and headed for the door but turned around, "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," Mandy replied and then nodded at her to head back to the main building.

"HAVOC this is Bravo one, passing Balieys," Jason called as the chopper landed.

"Copy Bravo one," Lisa replied.

"Any word on Flyer one?" Jason asked as they got off the chopper.

"All clear," Lisa called back as Jason took a breath.

"Copy," Jason said. "Heads on a swivel guys."

"Whose idea was it to go with a drinking theme?" Sonny complained as they started their hike. "Makes me want a drink."

"Some would say you have a problem Sonny," Clay joked back.

"I do not have a problem. I just enjoy the simple luxuries in life," Sonny replied.

"It was Mandy's idea. Something about if we were successful, she'd get her stash of the good stuff out," Trent commented.

"Wait a second, what good stuff? You mean to tell me she's been holding out on us all this time?" Sonny asked.

"She always has the good stuff," Jason smirked thinking back to the times she had shared with him.

"Yeah, Naima always says when Mandy buys it's always the good stuff," Ray added. "Last Christmas she bought me a case of this fine Scotch that probably cost me my whole salary."

"Wait, that was her? Last Christmas there was some whiskey in my apartment with no note after we came back from an op. Best whiskey I'd ever tasted in my life and expensive," Sonny said. "Woman's got taste, boss," Sonny commented as the rest of the guys agreed.

Jason smiled to himself. That was Mandy. She did subtle things like that. Wasn't a fan of the attention and wouldn't ask about whether they liked their gift or not. He'd always noticed she took care of the guys in her own way and he was grateful for that.

"Got me some limited-edition craft beer last Christmas. I looked it up and still can't figure out how the hell she got her hands on it. Seeing as her Dad is a director in the CIA, she must have some deep connections," Clay added.

"How come she never said anything?" Sonny asked.

"Cuz that's just Mandy," Jason replied.

"Well then we better hustle and get her back cuz I'd like some of the good stuff," Sonny said as the rest of the team laughed.

Mandy was starting to get anxious. She tried taking small cat naps, so she would be ready for what was to come. She hoped Basheera coming to her didn't spook anyone and that her daughter wouldn't blow their cover.

Thinking of the little girl, Asha, Mandy felt something deep within her stir. Maybe it was her maternal instincts. Mandy had never thought about having kids of her own. Sure, she had said something in the past to Jason saying she thought about some version of settling down. However, with everything that went on in their lives, she never seriously thought it out. These days though she found herself thinking about the future more. She was thinking about there being more to life than just the job. She wanted to come home to something more than an empty place where she barely lived. She wanted to come home, maybe to someone she loved.

She thought about Jason again. She knew father time was knocking on his door and it was only a matter of time before Jason had to fully face it himself. What did Jason want in the future? He already had kids. Would he want more? He said he was "all in" with her but he'd said the same about Natalie. At the same time, Mandy was confident in them lasting. They knew the different sides of each other that many others didn't. Their worlds weren't separate, nor did they collide. They just fit.

"God, I hate waiting," Mandy muttered to herself. She then got up from where she was sitting and did a check around to make sure things were clear. "And now I'm talking to myself," Mandy huffed.

Meanwhile it had been about an hour since the guys had started hiking. They had gotten to a peak point on the mountain and were looking down towards where Al-Hazred was holed up.

"HAVOC this is Bravo one, passing Johnnie Walker," Jason called over comms.

"Copy Bravo one," Blackburn replied back.

"You think she has some Johnnie Walker in her hooch?" Sonny asked as they figured out their next move. "Jason should know since he practically lives there now."

"If I told you, she'd kill you and then me," Jason smirked. "She'd get away with it too."

"Probably persuade us to drag your sorry asses across the floor too," Ray laughed.

"She is one person's bad side I do not want to be on," Clay commented as the rest of the team agreed.

"Well if we don't want to be on her bad side then we better bring Al-Hazred in alive," Jason replied. "He's the key to taking down Tahara and getting Roman. Now we keep heading down this side and use the trees for coverage."

"Doesn't look like they have spotters out, at least right now," Ray said looking through his night vision binoculars. "We should be good to head down towards them."

"Once we get down there, clay you set up overwatch and then we start a war. Remember, avoid the target building and we need to keep a clear line for the sister to head for Mandy," Jason said. "Let's go."

The guys carefully and quietly headed down the mountain towards the small town. It was dark and quiet. They hurried yet took their time making sure there weren't any traps in the foliage they were trekking through. The last thing they needed was to alert the enemy that they were there.

"HAVOC, this is Bravo one, passing Bacardi," Jason called over comms.

"Copy Bravo one," Lisa replied back. "Well it's time to wake up the neighborhood," Lisa said looking around HAVOC. This was it. They were going to get Al-Hazred.

"Bravo one this is six, all set on overwatch," Clay said over comms.

"Copy six," Jason replied back as everyone got into their positions. "HAVOC this is Bravo one, we're in position," Jason checked in.

"Copy Bravo one, hold," Lisa replied back. "Flyer one this is HAVOC, Bravo in position," Lisa transmitted.

Mandy heard and got up once again and took cover by the entrance ready for Basheera and Asha. She was as ready as she could be for any enemy combatants.

"Bravo one this is HAVOC, you're clear," Lisa called to Jason.

"Copy HAVOC," Jason replied back. "Execute, execute, execute."

The team started making their way into the town towards Al-Hazred's building. They came to a corner and looked around it to see a handful of combatants coming out of the main building ahead.

"We've got at least a half dozen tangos coming of the target's building," Ray said to Jason.

"Okay, here's what we do, Sonny, Brock, Trent head across and we go forward and flank the building," Jason said. "Remember, we need to keep Al-Hazred and his sister alive."

"Bravo six, ready on overwatch?" Jason asked.

"Copy one," Clay responded back as he got ready to take out the targets making their way towards the team.

Jason counted down and they all coordinated to take down the combatants in the area which then lead to more coming out. Suddenly the air was filled with gunfire and smoke as the guys tried to move towards the target building.

Meanwhile Mandy heard the gunfire start and a few guys outside run by. She continued to be on the lookout for Basheera and her daughter. She hoped they would make it and not get caught in the crossfire. Mandy didn't know what she would do if they didn't.

Gunfire was going off and sounded like it was getting closer to the main building. Mandy peaked out and saw Basheera with her daughter in her arms coming from the backside and disappearing behind another building trying to make her way towards Mandy. Mandy decided she'd need to create a distraction.

She took another look outside and briefly saw the guys advancing down the other open area towards the target building. She decided to slowly open the door and peek her head out. She needed to conserve her supplies since they needed to blow up a building claiming the sister was dead. Mandy slid across the wall looking around and then hid in the alley.

"What is she doing?" Lisa asked seeing Mandy move.

"Distraction," Thomson said. "The figure behind the building must be the sister and Mandy is going out to get her. Tell the team to hold, Mandy's gonna go for one of the buildings closer to the target as a distraction."

"Bravo one, this is HAVOC, hold your positions. Flyer one making a move on the northeast building to your position," Lisa transmitted.

"Copy HAVOC," Jason confirmed. "Everyone hold, Flyer one making a move northeast building."

Mandy had just made it to the last building before where she saw Basheera peeking out. Basheera saw Mandy and made her way towards her. Suddenly, someone came out the building Mandy was passing. Mandy was shoved against the wall and she threw a kick at the offender and grabbed his gun and hitting him in the head.

"C'mon," Mandy waved to Basheera as Mandy grabbed a grenade from her vest and got ready to throw it into the northeast building to the guys. "Run!" Mandy yelled towards Basheera as she tossed the grenade. The guys saw the building explode and they started moving in towards the target. Mandy, Basheera, and Asha made it back to Mandy's cover. Once they got in Mandy shut the door and turned around to look at Basheera who was holding Asha close to her chest. Little Asha had a stuff animal tightly clutched in one hand towards her chest while the other gripped her mother's shoulder. The little girl looked scared but when her eyes connected with Mandy, she could see how much this little girl trusted her to get them out of here.

"Pretty lady," the little girl said looking at Mandy.

Mandy took a few steps forward and spoke softly, "You can call me Mandy. I'm gonna get you and your mom out of here."

Mandy started leading them towards the back of the building. She had seen a truck back there that they would use to get to their exfil. Halfway there, Mandy heard commotion by the front of the building and quickly pulled out her gun.

"Stay here and stay down," Mandy said to Basheera.

Mandy moved back down the hallway towards the front door. She looked around the corner and saw two guys entering. They must have seen them earlier. She took a deep breath went around the corner and fired at them. Both went down with a few bullets flying from their guns. Mandy approached them slowly and made sure they were dead before grabbing their weapons just in case she needed more. She hoped she didn't catch too much attention.

After Mandy's grenade, things had quieted for the team as they made their way to Al-Hazred. In the brief quietness, the team could hear he muffled sounds of gun fire from the other side of the buildings.

"Was that-," Ray asked softly as the team stopped in front of the target building.

Jason looked towards where the sound came from knowing where it probably came from. He just hoped everything was okay.

"Bravo one this is six, we got activity by Flyer one increasing," Clay said over the comms.

"Sonny and Trent, you head towards Mandy and help get them out safely. Ray, Brock, Full Metal, you're with me to get Al-Hazred," Jason said. "Six, overwatch on Flyer one. Three and four are headed over for support."

"Copy one," Clay confirmed as Sonny and Trent left the team.

Brock got Cerberus ready and let him lose into the building as the rest followed. They cleared room by room coming across a few women and of course the mother. When the mother saw them, she started yelling in Arabic claiming her son wasn't there.

Meanwhile, Mandy went back towards Basheera but before she could make it back bullets started flying everywhere. Mandy dove down to the floor and saw Basheera and Asha down as well.

"Get behind the wall!" Mandy yelled and then turned to crawl towards the front again. She found a window and crouched down with the guns she took off the earlier shooters and started shooting back.

Sonny and Trent had just turned the corner when they heard the gunfire going off and saw it all being aimed towards where Mandy was. Clay started to fire off a few rounds from overwatch to take down some of the guys on the street. Sonny and Trent moved as Clay laid down cover and started distracting the tangos from the shooting at the building.

Mandy peeked out to see the combatants distracted. She figured Bravo must have spilt up to help her. Just as Mandy was about to take a breath a grenade was thrown through the window above her. Mandy's eyes widened as she jumped up and ran.

"Get out!" Mandy yelled out towards Basheera and Asha who started turning for the door to head outside. Just as Mandy reached the back door the grenade went off. She was thrown outside and landed hard onto the ground.

"We gotta get in there," Sonny yelled.

"Three and four this is six, I'll cover you," Clay said.

Jason and the rest of the team were just coming up to the last room to search in the target building. So far, they hadn't found Al-Hazred. Cerberus barked and pawed at the door, ready to go in. They opened the door and Cerberus went through the entrance barking. No one seemed to be in the room but there was an afghan hanging on the wall with a little dirt on the floor. Jason got the attention of the guys and pointed towards it.

"Clear," Jason said out loud pointing his gun at the afghan ready to attack.

Full Metal pulled the afghan and there he was. Al-Hazred was holed up in the wall with a look of surprise. Jason grabbed him roughly and threw him to the ground as he secured him.

"HAVOC this is Bravo one, jackpot, passing Crown Royal," Jason said just as they heard an explosion outside.

Ray could see the direction the smoke was coming from and then heard Clay over the comms. Cerberus whined by the door, almost like he knew something.

"Three, what's going on?" Jason asked as they started heading out of the building. "Sonny?"

Clay, Sonny and Trent took down the offenders. Trent and Sonny headed into the building calling out for Mandy.

"Bravo one, this is six, three and four are checking the building," Clay communicated.

"Bravo three this is HAVOC, outside on the back side of the building are three figures. One seems to not be moving," Lisa transmitted.

"Copy HAVOC," Sonny said as they headed down the hallway towards the back.

Jason and the rest of the team had just come back outside, "You three take him, I'm headed over to Sonny and Trent." They had heard HAVOC's message.

Sonny and Trent had made it to the door and headed outside where they saw a woman and little girl hovering over someone on the ground.

"Help her," the woman pleaded as the little girl looked up. Sonny and Trent recognized her as the sister of Al-Hazred.

"Flyer one is down," Sonny called over the comms which made Jason start running faster.

Trent leaned down to flip Mandy over onto her back. She didn't look to have any serious injuries. She probably just got rattled. Suddenly Mandy took a breath and opened her eyes. She started having a coughing fit and sat up just as Jason was in the doorway.

"Mandy," Jason exclaimed kneeling down in front of her.

"She's just a little shaken up," Trent said as Mandy made a move to get up. Jason and Trent helped her.

"I'm good," Mandy said in between coughs.

"That's a relief, thought we weren't gonna get the good alcohol I hear you have," Sonny said trying to lighten the mood.

"What?" Mandy asked confused. "You told them?" Mandy asked Jason incredulously.

"You wanna talk about this now?" Jason joked backed.

"No, but we're gonna be talking about a lot once we're back," Mandy said with a knowing look reminding him of his confessions.

"You heard then," Jason stated as Mandy nodded back.

"Hate to break up this lover's spat but we should start moving," Sonny broke in.

"Agreed," Mandy replied as she started heading for the vehicle.

Before she could make it though something ran into her legs. It was Asha hugging her tight and Mandy patting her back. Jason watched the tender moment with awe. He thought she'd make a great mom, but that thought was for another time.

"Bravo one this is two, sit rep," Ray asked.

"Exfil isn't far from here for us," Mandy said.

"HAVOC this is Bravo one, what's Flyer one's path looking like," Jason asked.

"Bravo one this is HAVOC, path to exfil looks clear. No activity in site," Lisa answered.

"Good copy HAVOC," Jason replied. "Two this is one, we're headed your way. Six make your way to two also."

Jason helped Mandy into the truck and threw a few more guns in the front seat for her.

"Be careful," Jason said cupping her neck with one hand.

"You too," Mandy said squeezing his hand and turning the truck on. "See you back at base."

Jason nodded and watched her drive off. The op was almost completed and hopefully they'd have answers soon.

"She'll be okay. Handled herself fairly good here," Sonny said as they headed towards the rest of the team.

"You just had to say something about her secret stash?" Jason asked as Trent and Sonny laughed at their boss's accusing tone.

"I'm sure you can make it up to her," Trent replied sarcastically causing Sonny to laugh again.

"Yeah, a lot of making up," Jason muttered causing the guys to chuckle again.