Two Falling Sparks

Annie sees it coming, but it's already too late. One of the adolescent boys surrounding the car picks the lock, opening the trunk.

He might as well have opened Pandora's Box.

"Hey- Hey!"

She's shouting and out of the car before anyone realizes what's happening, but it's not fast enough. Wide eyed in disbelief at the sight of the battered and beaten man in the trunk, the young man only freezes for a fraction of a second before his shocked silence gives way to screams of terror.

"Policía! Policía!"

Fitz and Jim both dart from the back seat, each of them taking off after the sprinting delinquents who are yelling at the top of their lungs, turning every head in the vicinity in their direction, including the guards. McQuaid races to the back of the BMW, slamming the trunk shut, and Annie circles around to the front of the car where she has a clear view of the security station. More men in uniforms emerge with the escalating commotion, and more guns.

Shit.

"Get back in the car, Ryan!"

Annie doesn't wait for an argument and he doesn't give her one. This time she climbs into the drivers seat, McQuaid taking shotgun while Fitz and Jim dive into the back. The sound of slamming doors, various profanities, and shouts from the guards are barely audible over the roar of the engine as she throws the car into reverse and floors it.

The screech of metal tears at the air as she rams into the car behind them. Annie quickly uses the extra space to move them out of line, but the sight that greets her is hardly ideal. A row of guards now race toward them, guns in the air, threatening them to stop.

Following the rules has never really been her style.

Taking a breath, Annie puts the car in reverse one more time.

The BMW flies backwards from zero to sixty in four seconds flat, traveling a hundred yards at what feels like the speed of light. Ignoring the wide-eyed looks of the two men in the backseat, and McQuaid, Annie hits the breaks once they're parallel with the main road. In a simultaneous move she spins the wheels, whirling the car around to face the opposite direction before shifting back into drive and gunning for the exit. She skirts the edge of the ramp, cutting a supply truck off in the process, and she watches with a satisfied smirk as one of the security trucks in pursuit of them t-bones it.

The three men in the car are temporarily stunned into silence.

"Holy hell, Jeff Gordon." Jim breathes, awestruck, both he and Fitz releasing their white knuckled grips from the doors. "Where did that come from?"

"That-" Fitz concedes, "-was impressive."

"I'll sign autographs later." Annie smarts back.

Meanwhile, McQuaid's initial astonishment quickly gives way to childish glee. He chuckles beside her as they fly down the highway, as if there wasn't a terrorist in the trunk of their car, or an entire Venezuelan police force chasing after them. She's almost certain he'll drive her insane by the time this is over - his audacity nothing short of maddening. As far as she's concerned the fact that they're even in this situation to begin with is his fault.

"What's so funny?" She demands.

Ryan grins, and shrugs - entirely insufferable.

"You."

It's an eight hour drive to Caracas with only an incapacitated Borz and one Ryan McQuaid for company.

Annie agrees to go to McQuaid's safe house, because as much as she hates to admit it, she knows he's right. Nothing is certain anymore, a concept that isn't unfamiliar to her, but unsettling none the less given the circumstances. The idea that an agency safe house might not be safe is a bitter reminder of what Annie already knows; that sometimes the things you want to believe in the most are the very things you learn you can't trust.

"You're sure Jim and Fitz will be ok on their own?" She asks, trying to tamp down her mounting anxiety, and focus on the passing Venezuela countryside outside her window.

"Not a doubt in my mind." He assures, back behind the wheel of the car.

Annie nods, readjusting her position so that she's facing him again. She studies him, taking note that he seems just as distracted as she does, not that it surprises her. As reckless and arrogant as he can be, Ryan's not oblivious to the fact that they're playing with fire. There's no denying the gravity of the situation, or the collateral damage waiting for them if they fail again. She can see how it eats at him, knowing he's made a mistake, and the look of regret on his face is something she's well acquainted with.

As the minutes pass, McQuaid seems to grow more agitated, and he finally breaks the uncomfortable quiet.

"I'm sorry."

Annie tilts her head, her expression quizzical.

"For what, exactly?"

"For not listening."

"We should stop and give Borz water soon." Annie suggests, watching the rising temperature on the BMW's thermostat. "With the way our luck's been…" She doesn't finish the sentence. She doesn't have to.

McQuaid nods in agreement, and a few minutes later they pull over.

He stands guard watching the road while she coaxes a bound Borz to drink from a plastic water bottle. Her expression is grim as the injured man coughs most of it up. She checks his pulse, watches his breathing, and after a few moments decides they're steady enough.

At least for now.

She throws the water bottle back into the black bag in the back seat, and that's when she spots the brief flash of gray and red plastic nestled amongst the money and other supplies there. Auto injectors, at least five of them, still in the packaging. It takes her by surprise, and she realizes that in the wake of everything she'd forgotten all about them.

Ryan must have put them there.

"Everything ok?" He asks as she climbs back into the passenger side.

"I…" Annie hesitates, embarrassed. "I didn't even think about my medicine."

"Oh." McQuaid's expression softens. "Yeah, I assumed they were on the must-have list."

"Ryan McQuaid, he reads poetry and makes lists." Annie teases.

"My mother was an English teacher, and I was a boy scout before I was a seal." He explains humorously.

Annie rolls her eyes, but smiles, and they fall back into a comfortable silence as Ryan pulls onto the road.

"Thank you." She adds quietly.

Their eyes meet again, as they have so many times before over the last forty eight hours. It's a fleeting glance, but what is usually a simple gesture between two people has somehow become something far more complicated.

When she looks away from him this time, it feels indescribably different.

AN: More love to Primadonna001 for betaing for me, you rock! Shout out to MrMsMingus too, for being my soul sister. I did a lot of research, Maracaibo to the border to Caracas and back is a lot of driving haha, but that just means more "deleted" scene moments for me to write for you guys! Also, as requested, Annie showing off her mad driving skills. Primadonna001 mentioned how Annie is sorely missing friendship/camaraderie in her life, and these guys could definitely be an outlet for that in theory - it's at theory I like at least. Hope you guys love it as much as I do. Stay tuned for more. xoxo