Also (quickie add on to prior A.N) much much thanks to indigovioletstargazer, livulmann, Bluestarshine and Eyesdown104 for your reviews and thoughts and feedback, and for providing exceptionally epic Homeland fics to distract me from the craziness that's become mine. :P
Listening to Carrie, looking on as she stared daggers at the sketch of Khaliq, Brody was hesitant to even approach her but knew he had to.
"Carrie..aren't we jumping the gun a little. Look, before you go asking for this guy's head on a spike can we talk about-"
"She wouldn't have drawn him if he hadn't been on her mind. In her recent memory!"
"But you said the drawing's incomplete."
"No but see, it's dated there in the corner. This was not drawn long ago, Brody."
Stepping forward Brody tried to get a closer look, frowning and trying to place the man in the image.
"I may have seen him..."
"You're shitting me! How sure are you, how certain-"
"At the mosque. He was lurking around the foyer, looked suspicious, I asked Bill to take care of him."
"Bill? Who's Bill.."
"Guy that works with me. He could better identify him."
Reaching for his phone Brody hurriedly texted him, telling him they had to talk. When a minute passed, then two with no response, Carrie looked ready to explode.
"Carrie calm down, maybe his phone's just-"
"Look, fuck Bill, okay! Forget Bill! You said you saw Khaliq too, that..that's enough."
"It's nowhere fucking near enough, Carrie. I'm seventy-five percent sure, if that, that I saw the guy in this picture."
"Seventy-five? Jesus, fuck. No that's not enough, you're right. We need more evidence, proof to present.."
After she turned back to the sketches, Brody stood still, staring, trying to decide what the fuck he should do. He knew that had to help Carrie, the question was in which way. Her theory was plausible, but wouldn't be taken seriously by anyone if she was speaking a mile a minute, had that crazed look in her eyes.
Walking to a quiet corner he dialed Maggie. Luckily he'd thought to program her number into his phone.
"Hello?"
"Maggie? It's Brody."
"How is she?", Maggie asked warily. Sensing even over the phone something was wrong.
"I helped her out of the flashback. Got her to respond."
"Thank God.", she smiled, relieved. "I..I have to give you credit, Brody. When she came back from Iraq, the first time..I had no idea what to do. Nothing seemed to get through to her. You, you did good."
"Look, just..hold your applause, okay."
"Why? She took her meds right?"
Not getting an answer her jaw clenched.
"Brody?"
"She..she told me she did, but-"
"Damn it!"
"Maggie, I swear. She looked me right in the eye and said she'd taken them. I-"
"She's manic I take it."
"Well you tell me..", Brody sighed.
"She's talking a mile a minute, barely stops to take breaths. I don't know if she slept last night at all. She was out of my apartment at the crack of dawn and broke into the community center."
"Broke in?! Did the police-"
"No. Luckily the alarms were down for repairs and, obviously I didn't report anything."
"Well it's nice to see you're not completely useless.",
"Good! Glad to hear it.", he scoffed.
"I'm heading over there now."
"Wait, how's your family?"
"They're better, actually. My dad's doing better so he can watch the girls."
"That's good. Listen though, before you break a hundred traffic laws getting here-"
"I don't get speeding tickets.", Maggie growled.
"Okay, noted. Anyway, Carrie's got a theory about Farrah. Who took her."
"You know it's funny about her theories. The last one she had was about you and well hey, we both know where it landed her!"
"We also both know that she was right.", Brody reminded.
"And you can hate me all you want, but it doesn't change that your sister might be right again."
"Brody, I know you want to believe that she's...but you don't-"
"Look when I first showed up and saw her here, I half expected her to run up and tell me Elvis was in the cafeteria making chili and that the sun was purple. But then I got a better look at what she was up all night working at, I did my best to listen to her, and I think her theory holds water. It makes sense. And fuck, if anything at all can help point us in Farrah's direction.."
"What is Carrie saying about her?"
"That Farrah's brother is responsible."
"Her brother?"
"She's convinced Farrah went with whoever took her, willingly. That she trusted the person."
"How the hell could she possibly know that?"
"She's basing it off of Farrah's scream just stopping, not sounding muffled. And these drawings of her's I had in my apartment. One of them is apparently a portrait of this brother, and Farrah drew it recently. Carrie thinks Farrah saw him and had him on her mind, explaining why she drew him."
"None of that explains nearly enough, Brody."
"It's her theory though, Maggie. One she's damn determined to stick to."
"How can you agree with it?"
"The drawing of the brother. He looks like a guy I might've seen at the mosque the other day, lurking around. I know, not exactly a solid case but-"
"Brody. Wait.", Maggie sighed, sitting at her kitchen table.
"I'm not an investigator, okay? I'm not a cop. Carrie's my sister but I don't know, even after all these years, how to interpret these theories of her's. I'm the last person you should be bouncing them off of. I just want to do my job as big sister. I want to help her."
"I know. And you can. I'm not trying to deny you that. Fuck, you've been Carrie's lifeline for years. You think I'd interfere with everything you do for her? You think I'd try to?"
"No, I don't."
"Look, just before you come over here with her meds, do a little investigating at her house. Look in Farrah's room, see if there's anything stashed away. Any drawings, hell, anything at all that would give us some kind of clue in finding her."
"I'd be happy to do that, once I get Carrie going on her meds."
"Are the pills she needs the ones on her now?"
"Well, yes..but-"
"I'll make sure she takes them. I mean it, I'll watch her do it. Just, do this. Not for me, for her. For Farrah. There's more than one way to help Carrie this time, Maggie. You know getting Farrah back to her will do more than any fucking pill out there."
Running a hand through her hair, Maggie sighed, contemplating what he was saying.
"Alright, I don't know what I'll come up with but I'll try. I swear though if you let her skip..."
"She won't. I won't let it happen."
"For your sake you better not. Goodbye, Brody.", she said. Hanging up before grabbing her keys and driving over to Carrie's.