Disclaimer: I do not own Homeland, or any of its characters or plots. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners.

Carrie groaned when her cell phone alarm went off the following morning. She had the feeling she had just fallen asleep a few minutes ago and her head was pounding from the last of sleep. And she could also feel her body stiff. She then remembered that she had not been sleeping for most of the night and that during all that time she had tried to be as still as possible in order not to wake Quinn.

"You okay?" Quinn's hoarse voice came from the other side of the bed. She usually jumped off the bed and hopped in the shower as soon as she heard the alarm, but today she had not made any attempt to leave the bed, stretching and quietly yawning instead, and he had noticed the change in her behavior.

Carrie groaned again. "Tired," she mumbled under her breath.

Thinking this was not like her at all, Quinn rolled on his side and looked at her, leaning on his elbow. In the dim light of their bedroom he was able to notice dark spots under her closed eyes and his heart sunk. He had been afraid that Saul's call and visit could take a toll on her, and there it was. Apparently she had barely slept and was too tired to start their morning routine for the first time in over two years.

"Hey, I told you I could be wild…" he joked, trying to get her talking.

Carrie snorted, her eyes still closed but a smile forming on her lips. "You're so full of yourself…"

"You didn't think that a few hours ago…" he retorted, relieved to see that, at least, she was in a banter mood.

Carrie finally opened her eyes and tilted her head to rest her gaze on his. His warm blue eyes spoke volumes and her right hand reached for his, squeezing it. "That was great, I've got no complains…" she whispered, letting his hand go and rubbing her eyes.

"What's wrong, then, Carrie?" he softly asked placing his right hand on the side of her neck and gently caressing her cheek with his thumb.

When Quinn had fallen asleep after their romantic interlude in the middle of the night, Carrie had thought that she would follow him in no time, relaxed as she was. But as minutes went by Saul's words and texts came back full force, and memories from Islamabad, the Embassy and Farah started to flood her mind. Guilt and remorse washed over her while she desperately did her best to think about something else. Sensing that she was definitely not going to sleep any time soon, she focused on being still and keeping her breath at a normal pace so Quinn would not notice something was off. She really loved her husband, but in that very moment she found it really annoying that he was the person that knew her best. The thought made her freeze. She had always liked that since they had decided to become a family, and she hated that Saul and the CIA had turned her world upside down with only two texts and an short meeting. Carrie was certain that there was no way she would be able to hide it from Quinn that Saul's irruption in her new life was making her relive some situations and memories she had worked very hard to bury for the last three years. In fact, she had been struggling with herself since the moment she had gotten that last text from her former mentor and boss right after she had exited the SUV.

Remembering the dark thoughts and memories that had filled her night, Carrie gulped and rested her hand on his. She had no doubt her husband was not going to like was she was about to say next, but deep down there was no way she could overlook the call for help he had gotten the day before. The least she could do was sharing her thoughts with Quinn. He deserved that much. "Maybe… maybe I could help, you know…" she softly trailed off, watching closely for his reaction.

Quinn stayed still for a moment. Finally there it was, she was really considering it, his worst fears since Saul had called the day before were coming true at last. He resumed caressing her cheek and sighed. "Carrie…"

"Saul said it'd be just a job behind a desk, Quinn, he said I'm the only one who can track down that son of a bitch…" she muttered, her lower lip quivering as she pronounced the last words.

"You really believe that shit, just behind a desk? Come on Carrie, you know better than that. You're out, remember? You wanted out…" Quinn softly said, trying not to push too hard. He had been worried for the last weeks that her discontent about her civilian job could end up triggering a depressive episode, as her health wellness was the most important thing to him, along with Franny's wellbeing, so the mere thought that an eventual job for the Company could jeopardize all that made him sick.

"I know, but.. apparently he's planning an attack on American soil, Quinn. Lives are at stake. Maybe I can help…" she insisted.

Peter withdrew his hand from her neck and sat down on the bed. He was well aware that when she had been working for the CIA and duty had called again over the years, she had never been strong enough to resist that call. He understood her back then because, to be honest, neither had he been. But he had changed since then, as now he cherished the life they had been able to built together, and he was worried and disappointed to find out about her reaction.

"I can't believe you wouldn't wanna help if that were the case, Quinn. You were in Islamabad too and…" Carrie explained as she lifted herself from the bed and sat against the bed headboard.

He sighed again turning to look at her. "Carrie, yesterday we were thinking about having a baby and now you're considering going back to work to the fucking CIA..." he said, trying to convey the consequences of her decision, if she finally decided to re enroll.

"That hasn't changed, Quinn. Of course I want a baby with you. It's just a fucking desk job…" she echoed again, tiredness evident on her face as she spoke.

For the first time since there were living together, Quinn did not know how to proceed. His feelings for her had only grown since they had become a family with Franny, if that was even possible, and the prospect of losing her and their life or, worse, the possibility of her mental health deteriorating were preventing him from thinking clearly. "Can we discuss this later? Franny's gonna be late for school…" were his only words as he got up from the bed and padded to the bathroom. "Maybe a flash of real life is what she needs right now," he thought as he hopped in the shower, leaving a confused Carrie still sat on their bed.

Meanwhile Saul Berenson drove to a small town in Virginia, made his way into a cozy diner and sat down on a table beside Dar Adal. In a work like theirs the fact that his old colleague strictly followed the same eating routines made things much easier. No need to schedule their meetings nor use their cell phones. Saul often wondered how that pattern had never been noticed by Dar's enemies and therefore taken advantage of it, as he had managed to earn quite a few during the more than thirty years that he had been in the business. That was just another mystery of the many that surrounded Adal. He and Saul served for a period at the CIA station in Nairobi, Kenya, mainly on covert operations in neighboring Somalia, and since then Berenson had known that Adal was an outstanding CIA Black Operations Director but also had a deep dark side.

"Lucy's pancakes for breakfast every Tuesday. I tell you Dar, you're too easy to find. Ever thought this could be dangerous?" Saul greeted Dar quickly taking off his winter cap and gloves and placing them on the table.

Adal just shrugged and chuckled. "You know, some habits die hard, I guess."

Saul shook his head and cut straight to the point as he raised his hand to the waitress. "Any news from Quinn?"

Dar locked eyes with him. "Quinn? Why? I thought you talked to your golden girl. Any luck by the way?"

"I'm sorry to be the one breaking the news to you, my friend, but they're married. And I'm inclined to think that they're happy, so…" Saul trailed off.

Dar held his hands up. "Please, don't remind me… Quinn should be on the field and not playing house with her…" he complained once more. Suddenly he was not hungry and Lucy's pancakes were not appealing anymore.

"I know her, Dar, and she's never looked so happy before…" Saul added.

"Well, forgive me if I'm not ecstatic about it…" To say that Dar Adal had never liked Carrie Mathison was an understatement. He had always seen her as an obstacle for all his goals during the multiple operations they had both been involved in, and ultimately had blamed her for Quinn's change of life. Too selfish to consider anyone's point of view but his, he had never cared to know how Peter felt about the life he had been leading since he was sixteen. Dar just considered him his star assassin, a key asset in his chessboard, and that is why he had been so shocked to learn that Quinn wished to leave all that behind.

"You should be… Here's the good news for you: I'm afraid Carrie won't help us unless Quinn's on board too..." Saul quickly explained. "And that's where you come in again… Push him…" he added.

To his surprise, as he was hearing Saul's words, Dar discovered that he was comfortable pushing Quinn to convince Carrie to come back to the Agency. But not for Mathison herself, as he wished they did not have to resort to her. What Dar really longed for was to have Peter working under him again, and he had lost hope about that more than two years before, when he had finally faced facts and helped his star operative get a good civilian job as a security consultant in a multinational company based in Virginia. Maybe Saul was serving him a golden opportunity on a silver platter.

As he drove back to Langley, Dar Adal had time to assess the situation. He knew Peter had been willing to leave the Agency for years and now that he had not only made it but also built a new life in which he was happy (just as Saul had noticed Carrie was happy, Dar had known over the last two years that Quinn was happy too), he really doubted he would be able to press Quinn to convince Carrie to step up, unless… unless he threatened him in some way.

Dar sighed. that was a dead end, as he had already used that card when Quinn had shown his wish and determination to leave the CIA three years ago, and, much to his dismay, Peter had not be worried at all about his threats, insisting that he would be willing to take responsibility for his past actions it that could lead to a new life. In the end, and hoping to gain some points for an eventual comeback, Dar had made sure to provide him with a good job as a security consultant in a multinational company, hoping that soon enough his best soldier would be tired of playing house. But he had been wrong, and now the opportunity to have him back had suddenly presented in the form of Carrie. Maybe it would be better for him to let Quinn know, as a personal favor, that the Director of the Agency and the NSA top rank would not hesitate to reveal some information about Carrie's dark past in order to get her on board, assuring him that he would do everything he can to stop it as long as she starts collaborating part-time behind a desk. That way he could kill two birds with one stone: Carrie would be working with the CIA, possibly dragging Quinn with her as soon as she would need him, and Dar would still be in Peter's good graces somehow.

As always, Dar Adal was taking the long view and playing both sides of the fence. If Quinn was so in love with Carrie as he thought he was, he would not like certain information involving his wife to become public knowledge. "And if it ends up going sideways, we can always turn to Carrie and play the same game regarding information about Quinn," he coldly thought as he made a sudden turn on the deserted road and headed for D.C.