Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to the creators of the FBI Tv Show. I make no profit from this story.
Key Point: This story is based heavily on their private lives, with a little FBI work in order to keep the story going.
Chapter 4: SAFE
Maggie and OA grab their coats and make sure they are armed for the day, before heading out the door. As OA heads to the front door, Maggie is desperate to break the tension that is hanging in the air. She so wants to feel the ease and happiness that she had felt last night, and the comfort and safety of the early hours of this morning. She was furious and frustrated with this threat as it pulled her out of that happy bubble and straight back into the harsh reality of her life… of their lives.
Still in the apartment, Maggie broke the silence and tension with a child-like suggestion, "I'll play you rock, paper, scissors to see who drives."
"Ok. Definitely. Best of three?" OA responded confidently. He knew Maggie really well and she always chose 'rock', making it easy to beat her.
"Wipe that smirk off your face. Today will be the day I finally beat you."
"Give it your best shot! Ready? Rock. Paper. Scissors. Go!" And with each word they hit their fists against their palms until they each revealed their piece on 'Go'. As per usual, Maggie went with 'rock' and OA beat her with 'paper'. OA immediately started laughing when he saw the disappointment sneak onto Maggie's face.
"We said the best of 3, so are you ready? Rock. Paper. Scissors. Go!" and again they hit their fists against their palms until they each revealed their sign. This time OA went with scissors just to put a smile back on Maggie's face and to make round 3 more fun, but Maggie saw through it immediately.
"You cheated! You let me win! Just for that, I'm driving." Maggie said with a smirk across her face, as she took the keys from OA's hand and headed out the front door. OA followed suit pulling the door closed behind him. He turned back just to double check that the lock was definitely in place before joining Maggie on the stairs.
As they made their way down to the car, the tension was back, and both OA and Maggie were extra vigilant - constantly scanning the surrounding areas, analysing every person's body language and searching the surrounding buildings for threats. Maggie and OA were trained for exactly this - to scan every building, sidewalk, alleyway, terrace and to access the risk associated with every person and obstacle that posed an active threat to them and the public around them. But neither one spotted anything. And neither one could shake the feeling of being watched.
Maggie climbed into the driver's seat and moved the vehicle into traffic, she tried to find her 'spot' but her mind was racing. She couldn't stop it from running back over the past 24 hours and all the emotions that she has felt. She had appreciated that OA had waited to ask her to dinner until after they had caught Jason's killers. Somehow, he had known that catching them would slowly allow her the opportunity to say goodbye to Jason and let go of some of the anger, grief and sorrow that she had been feeling. It would allow her in time, some time, to make space in her heart for someone else; for something or someone that made her happy again. It wasn't her fault that Jason had been killed in that car accident. If she hadn't been working and had been with him, they would have just found another way to kill him; to silence him.
The drive to Maggie's favourite coffee shop was uneventful and quick. "A pot of 'uck" was only a 5-minute drive from Maggie's apartment but she never got to pop in there as often as she'd like. The owner, Sinead, was so friendly and helpful, and Maggie connected with her the second she moved into the neighbourhood all those years ago. OA didn't mind Maggie driving – it gave him the opportunity to properly watch and check for tails or any other signs that someone was following them.
On arrival, the parking gods were playing in Maggie's favour, and she was able to park right in front of the "Pot of 'uck". Maggie stayed in the car while OA quickly ran in for their coffees and donuts.
Sinead was behind the coffee machine this morning and greeted OA in her sweet Irish accent as he walked through the doors, "Mornin OA. How're you doing? The normal order?"
"Good morning, Sinead. Yes, please. Normal coffee order but can you double the donuts. It's going to be a long day for Maggie."
"Well, of course." and off Sinead went on the coffee machine.
When the coffees were ready, OA made his way over to Sinead to settle his account. Sinead handed him the coffees and a red envelope addressed to Maggie as she said, "I was really hoping that Maggie would come in today. I found this piece of mail amongst my mail this morning. I see she's in the car. Would you mind giving that to her?"
OA saw the red envelope and his stomach dropped, his body immediately tensed and for the umpteenth time in the last 24 hours he felt his pulse begin to race and the hairs rise on the back of his neck. His hand immediately went to the gun on his hip, as he spun around to check on his partner, three shots were fired directly at him. The flash of something propelling through the air directly towards him, had his gun out of its holster and levelled directly at the building opposite them, but to his surprise he couldn't see anything out of the front window. The shots that had been fired were paintball bullets and the pink, blue and yellow paint covered the front window of the coffee shop. OA grabbed the coffees, donuts and envelope while mumbling an apology to Sinead as he ran out of the coffee shop and towards Maggie.
Maggie was out of the car, hunkered down on the sidewalk, checking each building on the opposite side of the coffee shop for any sign of a 'paintball sniper'. People seemed to continue moving about their day, looking at OA and Maggie as if they were crazy.
Each looked at the other, and silently and unanimously, they decided to get into the car and head to the JOC. They needed to brief the team and debrief themselves on what had happened in the past 12 hours.
Maggie exchanged the keys with the envelope, coffee and donuts. As OA pulled away from the curb Maggie pulled out a pair of gloves and picked up the envelope. She looked at the writing on the front of the envelope and the unstamped postage mark. This letter hadn't been mailed. It must have been hand delivered and purposefully put amongst Sinead's mail. Maggie's blood ran cold and her stomach dropped. For a split second she thought she was going to be sick and there were small black dots filling the sides of her sight. Her lungs felt constricted and it burnt to take in air. OA quickly pulled over onto the curb and reached across the console. He placed his hand in the middle of Maggie's shoulders and pushed her head between her legs.
Maggie complied with OA's movements and could hear him whispering over and over again, "Maggie, I'm right here. Deep breathes, ok? Deep breathes. Nothing is going to happen to you. I'm right here."
Through her struggling breaths and soft sobs, OA could softly hear Maggie saying, "Don't you get it, OA, it's not me I'm worried about. It's you. I CAN NOT lose you! I can't go through that again. I won't survive losing someone else that I love. I just can't."
Not sure what or how to respond, OA just continued to rub her back and whisper that he was there, right there with her. When oxygen finally found its way back into Maggie's lungs and she could sit up normally again, OA pulled back into traffic and continued on his way to the JOC.
Maggie looked across at OA, with a soft smirk on her face, "Maybe I should leave the opening of the envelop to you, OA. I can wait until we've parked in the basement before you open it."
"Me? Why am I opening the envelope? It's addressed to you. Shouldn't you open it? You know it's a federal crime to open someone else's mail."
"Oh no, I give you full permission. It's just that we know it's from someone that is trying to kill one of us and he has already made an attempt on your life, so I think you should be the one to open it. Continue with that good luck run of yours." Maggie explained, trying to keep the fear and nauseous at bay.
OA just laughed and was happy that the previous tension had broken in the car.
"Yeah, that's fine. I suppose you're already trying to kill yourself with all those donuts you're eating over there. Wouldn't want to double those odds."
Maggie snorted in shock at his remark and play smacked him with the back of her hand, before wiping all the excess cream and sugar off her face and clothing.
As OA parked the car in the underground garage, Maggie pulled out a fresh set of gloves for him and handed him the gloves and envelope. Together they opened the envelope and took out the folded note. Maggie leaned in and OA held the note in between the two of them so that they both could read it:
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots to the heart. You're dead!
I know you well, better than you know yourselves or each other.
Maggie, your biggest fear has just come true.
You have lost the person that you love again.
You weren't able to save or protect him.
Omar, you are dead and unable to protect, care for or look after Maggie just as you have always thought.
I could do anything I like to her now and I will when you're gone.
Can you save each other?
Are you really safe?