After the last encounter, Carrie had floated into Langley a few times over that first month as the Congressional hearings continued and laid low.
One evening she had been flipping through her salvaged files from Islamabad, discarding some of the photos she couldn't stand to look at into her trash basket that was sitting in the middle of her desk. It was her routine, go in late, avoid everyone and go home. Carrie jumped when she heard her name from the doorway. She looked up and saw Lockhart staring back.
"I am sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." he apologized as he slowly walked in a bit, awkwardly leaning against the door.
"Uh no it's fine, I am just going through some of this crap from that godforsaken place." Carrie threw the pile of files she had been holding onto her desk and leaned back in her chair folding her arms, shaking her head. Finally studying Lockhart for a minute, "You look like hell. Should I even bother to ask how the hearings have been going?" she asked.
Lockhart sighed and let out a small laugh before responding, "The hearings are going exactly how I look."
Carrie had come to respect him, like him even and she felt for him in this moment as he stood there defeated.
"I know my career is over Carrie. It ended the second I set foot in Islamabad and now it's just a matter of time.
"What if your career isn't over?" Carrie states more than asks.
Lockhart stops in his tracks and backs up, and looks at her quizzically, "I'll bite. What are you getting at?"
"What if there were a way for you to remain Director?" Carrie tests the water with Lockhart, knowing she had to get to the point and soon. He was used to her tactics.
"Do I even want you to continue or should I walk out of here now and keep my last abilities to make good decisions?" Lockhart sighed, knowing Carrie had something up her sleeve but at that point he was open to anything.
Carrie leans forward in her chair looking at him closely, "Saul is making a play for Director, with the help of Dar Adal. They've made a deal and I am hoping you and I can make one of our own."
Lockhart stared back at her, Carrie Mathison always knew how to hook him in. "Regardless of whatever moves Saul might be making, I highly doubt there's anything I would be able to do for you anyway given my current state."
"Look..hear me out." Carrie stood up walking around her desk, "this deal that Saul's made is wrong. Really wrong." she took a deep breath and continued, "all the shit that went wrong over there it wasn't all your fault and we both know that. I have a lot of blame to take and I can -"
"Carrie stop right there." Lockhart shook his head and walked across the room closing the gap between them. "If you think for a moment I would ever let you take any sort of blame for me you ARE out of your mind."
"Not blame, responsibility. Some sort of responsibility, it doesn't matter what kind. I can tell a different story then what those one-sided assholes have been listening to in these goddamn hearings. Let me do this, let me tell a different story. Saul would never think for a second that I would stand up like this, speak the actual truth." Carrie almost pleaded with him.
"I don't know Carrie. This can get complicated." he sighed and shifted his weight, taking his glasses off rubbing his head "Dare I ask what you want in return.."
Carrie inhaled deeply, "I need you to get me as close to Syria as possible. I'll take anything, any drop I don't care. I just need to get close."
"What?! What the hell are you talking about? Syria, Carrie?" Lockhart looked at her surprised but not shocked because nothing she says or does really shocks him anymore. "No way. Absolutely not, there's no way in hell I can pull that off and even if I could I wouldn't. Do you have any idea how -"
"Three weeks ago Dar Adal deployed a team to Syria to take out three high level ISI targets." she paused, "Quinn was on that team." Carrie lowered her voice her eyes were dark and empty.
Lockhart sighed and looked away, "Jesus, Carrie.." he paced a bit.
"You know I wouldn't ask if I didn't really need this...And you really need this too." She stared at him intensely, "Please, I am begging you here, I am fucking begging you. All of the bad shit that went on over there I can't stop thinking about. All of things I can't make right in my life...this is the only thing I can." Carrie stopped, feeling tears coming. "I need to get Quinn back. I need you to understand how much I do."
Lockhart just looked back at Carrie for what seemed like an hour. She seemed broken, her eyes showed how completely desperate she was and Lockhart felt her pain. What he had been going through the last few weeks in the hearings was absolute hell and they had been relentless with him. He could use a break and he could certainly use an image boost.
Finally he spoke, "What else do I have to lose at this point." Lockhart said nodding his head.
Carrie let a sharp breath out and almost laughed, "Thank you! Thank you, sir. I don't know how to begging thanking you.." she gave Lockhart a quick embrace, taking him by surprise and he awkwardly patted her before she pulled away.
"Ok, ok..just remember I can't promise anything, Carrie. I'll do the best I can to get you over there but you need to keep in mind it may not happen." he shoved his hands in his pocket, confirming his decision.
"I know, I get it, I do. I want you to know that I'll give my deposition - in your favor - regardless." Carrie assured him and he nodded back at her, "Thank you."
Two days later Carrie's cell phone rang and for the first time since he had left she had hoped it was someone other than Quinn. "Hello?" Carrie waited for Lockhart to give her news.
"I can get you to a drop point in Turkey. That's as close as I can do." Lockhart informed her and paused, "This is dangerous Carrie and I need you to know I don't think this is the best idea right now. I needed to say that."
Carrie shut her eyes, "I know but Quinn didn't hesitate when he went in and neither am I."
"Alright. You'll need your own team I can only get you two men for security on the ground." he informed her, knowing pulling together a team was never a struggle for Carrie.
"Got it. You'll never know how much I appreciate this." Carrie told him and hung up.
Now all I have to do is convince Max, she thought.