"Farrah, lets go! Like I said we can give Calvin a tour of the house tonight!", Carrie yelled up the stairs, running a hand anxiously through her hair.

She felt like what little fruit she'd eaten at Maggie's wasn't going to stay put. Her stomach had been in knots since she woke up, and none of her queasiness had subsided after she checked her phone in Maggie's driveway. No new messages, no missed calls. So much for Brody promising to keep in touch.

"Farrah!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!", the girl yelped, scrambling down the steps and out the door. Carrie couldn't lock the house and get back in the car quick enough.

Checking the clock from the driver's seat she bit her lip. 9:28. She had thirty two minutes to get to the community center, drop Farrah off, then find and smack the shit out of Brody before bringing him to Langley. Making sure by ten he was on the other side of Saul's desk.

She reached the parking lot at the mosque in ten minutes, shaving some time off their usual route after running a red light, or two. Once parked she reached back, unbuckled Farrah's seat belt.

"C'mon honey, I'm going in with you today."
"You grab my backpack?", Farrah asked as Carrie nodded and grabbed the purple bag, saw the larger pocket was unzipped.
"Hey, the last time this happened you lost your snack.", she sighed.

"And Nick give me pretzels!", the girl grinned. After getting out of the car she ran up to the front doors of the community center. Anxious to see Brody and let him know that she'd found his compass.

Once inside Farrah turned down the hallway towards the library, but looking over her shoulder saw Carrie was struggling to catch up to her in her heels. Shyly she smiled, slowed her pace.

"It's okay, I'm used to it. The lbrary's just down this way, right?"
"Yes."
Walking inside, they noticed Zahira in front of a group of kids, finishing up the group book for the day. Frowning Farrah ran up to her, started speaking to her in Arabic.

Carrie stood watching from the doorway and though her Arabic was rusty, she knew exactly what Zahira was saying. The look on Farrah's face when she turned around said it all.

Tearfully the girl ran back towards the door but Carrie met her halfway and knelt to her level, held her close as she started crying.
"Shh, it's okay."
"But Nick? Where.."

"I don't know. But I'm gonna find out and get all of this straightened out, okay? All I want you to do is have a good time today with Mischa and Zahira. Can you do that for me?"

Nodding, Farrah pulled back, wiped at her eyes with her sleeve before taking a tissue from Carrie.
"It'll be fine. I'll see you today after work, okay?"
"Okay.", the girl sniffled. Hugging her once more Carrie kissed the top of her head, then stood up and left the library. Only to hear Zahira call after her.

"I am sorry, Carrie. But I did not want to lie to her about Nicholas."
"Zahira, has he called? Tried to get in touch with you or your husband? Please, if you've heard anything..."

Shrugging, Zahira sighed.
"I'm sorry, but I have not. There have been no texts or calls since he asked my husband and I for time off. But I am worried, what could have happened?!"

Shaking her head, wide-eyed, Carrie's hand went to her hair again.
"I...I don't know, I have to go. Just, let me know if you hear-"
"Of course, of course. Oh, and here. If you don't mind."

Frowning, she took hold of Farrah's backpack being handed to her.

"We are taking the children to the zoo this afternoon. Farrah will not be needing this."
"Are you sure? I mean all of her things-"
"The less things they have to carry, the less things that can be lost, the better."

Zahira said knowingly, getting a small smile before Carrie said goodbye, walked back to the entrance and then through the parking lot. Reeling, her mind in hyperdrive, as she unlocked her car and climbed into the driver's seat.

Setting Farrah's backpack on the passenger seat, seeing it was still unzipped she rolled her eyes. Tugging at the zipper was she found it was snagged on a sheet of notebook paper.
Wondering if it was a drawing, one that had a chance of cheering her up, Carrie unfolded the paper only to see familiar block handwriting.

Carrie. I'm writing you because I couldn't handle saying this to your face. Things right now are complicated, painful even. You don't deserve me. You never have. I'm taking some time. I'm going back into hiding to protect myself and I have help. I don't need you to go crazy again worrying about me. I just need you to let me go, to forget. Go on with your life. It's for the best for both of us.
-Brody

Hot tears filling her eyes, her jaw on the floor by the gas pedal, she didn't even notice the P.S scribbled sloppily across the bottom of the page.

Tell Farrah if she asks that I'm being taken care of. Keep doing your job and take care of her.

The handwriting looked messier than his, especially towards the end of the note. The words on it felt and read all wrong. It was signed by him but didn't sound like him. Carrie reread it over and over, until the words blurred on the page and her head spun.

"Fuck...fucking. Shit!"
Crumpling the note, tossing it aside, she put her head in her hands while her elbows rested on the steering wheel. Forcing herself to breathe in and out, over and over, once she stopped trembling she put the key in the ignition and peeled out of the lot.

Turning out onto the main drag she kept wiping at her eyes with her hand not on the wheel. But the tears kept streaming down her face, cheeks. She couldn't stop them, her heart hurt, and she was having trouble catching her breath.
Finally, after nearly running a third red light she pulled over into a a nearby lot. Slamming on the brakes as soon as she was able she put the car in park, glanced at the clock that now read 10:05.

"Fuck...FUCK!", she choked out. Slamming her hand on the steering wheel she struck the horn but didn't care. The parking lot outside the church was deserted, and now it was starting to rain.

...

"In case you didn't get the memo Max we're not on a job, just getting breakfast. So can you put down those damn binoculars and quit staring out the fucking window!"
"Sorry.", Max shrugged.
"I can't take you anyplace, can I?", Virgil muttered as Max frowned, picked the binoculars back up again.
"Hey, pull over!", he yelled.
"I'm not pulling over so you can creep on unsuspecting women, Max."
"She's not unsuspecting, it's Carrie."

"What?!"
Pulling over Virgil stopped the surveillance van, peered out the window to see Carrie's car parked on an odd angle in the middle of a church parking lot.

"I didn't think she was that religious.", Max mumbled.
"Because she's not.", Virgil said nervously. Getting back into the driver's seat he checked the time. 10:10.
If Carrie was here it meant she was more than three hours late for work, which he knew was never a good sign.

Driving into the lot he parked the van a few feet away from her car.
"Can I come?", Max asked.

"Are you shitting me? No. Stay here but get up front."
"Why?"
"Because if her car's stalled out and she needs a lift, she's not listening to your goddamn mouth breathing the entire ride. Got it?", he asked, getting a shrug as Max clambered into the passenger seat, along with his set of binoculars that Virgil snatched from him, snapped in half.
"Hey!"
"Why do I bring you anywhere. Why?!", he spat. Handing them over he slammed the door shut, then nervously cut through the rain and over to Carrie's car.