Okay here's the latest. Had a little trouble with this segment but think I finally got it where I need it to be. Thanks muchly to Bookworm and Indigo for the feedback and for your fabulous fics! :) More to come soon on this one.
"Surprised they let you in here.", Lauder muttered as Carrie let out a snort.
"What do you mean let me? I'm wearing a shirt and shoes!"
"I meant in your condition.", Lauder scoffed, gesturing to her bump.
"Unlike you I know how to fucking control myself."
"So what brings you here? Aside from you trying to threaten me. Knowing your boyfriend he's not thrilled.", he said as Carrie bristled.
"Shut up. I came here to tell you to cut out your bullshit blogging before I break your fucking fingers.", she snapped as he rolled his eyes, turned more towards her.
"You know last I heard, there's something called freedom of speech in this country I spent three years defending."
"There's freedom of speech and then there's spreading ridiculous lies!"
"If it was that goddamn ridiculous you wouldn't be here harassing me about it.", Lauder scoffed as she let out a hollow laugh.
"You're one to talk about harassment. What would you call barging into the Faber home and scaring their baby? Or you coming up behind Brody like the fucking coward you are to knock him unconscious! You put him in a goddamn coma for two weeks. That wasn't enough damage though?"
"Well what about the damage he did?", he bit back. "What about what Sergeant Nick Brody did to his family, his kids, friends? Everything he used to fucking stand for? What about the damage he did to you?", he challenged. Leaning closer as Carrie's eyes narrowed.
"Or did all of that just go away when you went and got your brain zap blasted?"
Glaring at him Carrie shook her head, went to stand.
"Yeah, that's right. You just keep...AGH! Fucking shit!"
After bringing her right arm down on the back of Lauder's head, neck so the side of his face was smushed into the wood of the bar, keeping her hold on him Carrie bent so they were eye level.
"Don't pretend for one second that you know shit about me. Or Brody. If you did you'd know he and I worked through the bullshit you're so fucking bent on bringing up."
When he started laughing Carrie shook her head incredulously, wanting more than anything to just slap the smug look off his face.
"What? I wouldn't be laughing if a pregnant woman put me in a headlock, in the middle of my damn bar!"
"I'm...laughing, at something you just said.", Lauder grinned. "You're a funny one, you know? Really.", he said, earning a snort.
"You can compliment me all you want. I'm not letting you up."
"What's to say...that I'm bringing up his bullshit?"
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about, how I have ways to fuck with Brody that got nothing to do with him. If you'd dug a little bit more you'd have probably figured it out."
"I dug into everything I had to. I read the goddamn newspaper headline! And it was completely off base. Nicholas Brody was not a deserter.", Carrie spat as Lauder rolled his eyes.
"I thought that you said you read the headline.", he muttered. "Look, if it makes you feel better, I get you not wanting to delve too deep in all this. Trust me, you keep rooting around, you won't like what you fucking find. I mean I was even surprised."
Frowning, Carrie scoffed, hoped she didn't look as puzzled as she felt.
"What's there that's left to look into? Drunken moronic ramblings, more of your inane ideas?", she spat. "In case you didn't know I've got more to worry about then your fucking warped thought process, Lauder."
Looking up at her from where his head lay on the bar he snorted.
"So you know, sweetheart, my warped thought process stumbled on stuff your network of spooks couldn't have in a million years. Something that'll fuck your boyfriend up way more than any of his so called fucking brainwashing.", Lauder growled.
When Carrie tightened her hold he laughed, rolled his eyes before hearing an unfamiliar voice.
"Hey! What's so funny you drunken fuck?!", Nicki spat, nodding for Carrie to step to the side.
"Nicki it's fine, I don't-"
"Relax, I got this. Give your skinny ass arm a rest."
After she reluctantly stepped back, Nicki eagerly dug her elbow into the back of Lauder's neck. Smirked when he let out a groan, whimper.
"You're giving my friend a hard time. In my bar. I don't take kindly to that shit.", she said as Carrie rolled her eyes, frustrated.
"Nicki...Jesus! You don't-"
"What? I happen to be finding this very enjoyable right now."
"Well that makes one of us at least.", Carrie spat, shaking her head before storming out of the bar.
Standing, Nicki waved to one of the men playing pool. "Steve! Take over here."
"Huh?"
"Don't let this gimpy fuck out of your sight, okay?", she ordered before going outside. Seeing Carrie in her car, visibly upset, the redhead sighed and approached, knocked on the passenger side window.
"What the-"
Rolling her eyes, Carrie reached over, opened the car door to let her in.
"Glad I caught you. Nice ride.", Nicki grinned, reclining the seat back before stretching out, resting her feet on the dashboard.
"It's just a rental.", Carrie snorted.
"It's a Rolls compared to my piece of shit. Anyway, I got eyes on the fucker inside. Until you give the word he's not leaving that bar."
"He's a useless drunk. Of course he's not going to leave.", Carrie scoffed. "And so what if he tries? Confronting him didn't accomplish shit."
"Well, what did you hope it would accomplish exactly?", Nicki asked curiously as Carrie rolled her eyes, crossed her arms.
"Something besides me feeling even more fucking vulnerable.", she muttered.
"Hey, who's calling you vulnerable? Are you saying that asshole in there made you look weak?"
"No. Just...he knows he has the upper hand! He does have it."
"Okay, you've got to fill me in here. What lie is this douchebag spreading that gave him the upper hand over a fucking ex intelligence officer?"
Reclining her seat back as well Carrie sighed. "The man I'm seeing. The one who..."
When she gestured to her belly Nicki nodded. "Knocked you up. Continue."
"Him and Lauder served together. They were in the same unit overseas, and a lot of shit happened."
"Not much of a surprise.", Nicki snorted, listening as Carrie went on to explain what had happened at the hunting lodge.
"Geez. What a goddamn prince.", she spat as Carrie nodded.
"Now, Lauder's published a blog claiming Brody was a deserter.", Carrie said bitterly. "The press ran with the story and camped out on my fucking lawn."
"No wonder you're after the son of a bitch."
"Well I can go after him as much as I want. It's not going to make a fucking difference! The damage is already done. I can't change it."
"You kidding? You could at least try and get the story redacted.", Nicki suggested. "If it's all lies as you say, you could threaten to sue Lauder's ass if he doesn't take it all back. Or you could disprove every point the prick made, give the press proof that your guy couldn't have been a deserter. Either way you nail the drunk to the goddamn wall."
"But to do that I'd have to dig into the article. And according to Lauder I'll just dig up worse shit."
"Worse shit then this?", she scoffed. "You can't seriously tell me you believe the bastard."
"I don't know what to fucking believe any more.", Carrie sighed, looking defeated as Nicki got her seat upright, swung her legs off the dashboard and turned to face her.
"Well you want to know what I'm starting to believe? That if that drunk in there was a high ranking terrorist, and the you sitting here now was the officer responsible for bringing him down, the whole country would be fucked."
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"I get we're in the private sector but for Christ's sake, your training hasn't gone completely out the window has it?"
"I don't-"
"You confront a suspect and it doesn't go the way you want, so you give up? Let him spew hate and blow shit up while you just sit in your car?", Nicki asked, getting a shrug.
"Look, your first strategy backfired, so resort to a different one. Instead of attacking Lauder over his argument, attack the argument itself. Tear it apart. Not only are you smarter than that son of a bitch, you just said this Brody was your goddamn case study. So dust off your books and notes about him and find out where he really was when this fucker claims he went AWOL. Who cares if you don't like what you find? You've dealt with shit before."
"I know I have. I just...I haven't got time to dissect a damn article, do research. I've got less than three days! I-"
"If you don't have the time find someone else who does. You got friends right?"
"Aside from you just a select few.", Carrie snorted.
"Well a select few is better than none. Go recruit some of them to take over this op, and then go track down who you really want to spend your two plus days of freedom with."
"Nicki, I-"
"C'mon. Take it from me, you need this. When you start taking a drunk in that shithole bar seriously, you need to get someplace to regroup. And while you're at it do a little research. Get up close and personal again with the fellow ginger that won your heart.", Nicki grinned.
"How the fuck did you know that he...", Laughing, Carrie was met with a shrug.
"Lucky guess I guess."
"Listen, you've really helped. A lot."
"Well I try. And trust me, if Lauder tries anything else I've got three guys in there who will gladly bust up his computer. And him if need be."
"I appreciate it. Really. I...I don't know how to-"
"Thank me?", Nicki asked before grinning. "Well I'd say buy us a round of drinks but in your condition, a hug will suffice."
Nodding Carrie reached over. Her gesture getting met with a pat on the back.
"Also for the record, you're a good kisser, great hugger. Usually, excelling at both of those means you're a pretty good-"
"Oh yeah. I am.", she said slyly, pulling back as Nicki snorted, shook her head before opening the car door.
"You know you're quite the fucking tease, Mathison.", she scoffed. Exiting the car she shut the door, peered through the still roll down window.
"Yeah? Tell me something I don't know.", Carrie retorted.
"If I didn't consider you a close friend I'd find that to be problematic."
Shaking her head, laughing, Carrie turned the car on, rolled the window back up.
"Very problematic!", Nicki yelled, knowing she'd been heard when Carrie smirked and turned up the radio before waving goodbye to her. Flipping her off in return the redhead shook her head, still smiling even after she drove off.