Carrie woke the next morning, her eyes slowly opening, adjusting to the light. For a moment she had forgotten what had happened and where she was. Then she remembered she had fallen asleep with him. Now he was gone. She sat up quickly, jumping up off the couch, "Quinn?!" she yelled and grabbed her side, "Agh, fuck!" she hissed. The pain medication had worn off and she was now feeling the effects of her injury - mixed with rough sex. That's right, they had sex. Rough, wild, uninhibited...sex. She shook her head, snapping herself back to the moment.
"Quinn!" She yelled again and started turning all around, not seeing him in the kitchen area or near the bed. Carrie rushed over to the bathroom and threw the door open, anticipating seeing him. It was empty. "Fuck...fuck! No you didn't.." she rushed back into the main room and headed for the kitchen, scooping up her pants from the floor. "Agghh!" as she bent down, pain shot up her torso and she gripped herself tightly. "Dammit!" She screamed and pulled herself to the sink.
"Carrie?" she heard the front door open and Quinn's voice. He had heard her yell as he was unlocking the door, and dropped the bags he was carrying, rushing to her. "You ok? What do you think you're doing moving around like this?" His tone was disapproving and she didn't want to hear it. He put his arm around her, and placed a hand on her stomach, leading her back to the couch. She couldn't get used to his intimate touch. It was different now.
Carrie started talking frantically, as he helped her sit "Where were you? I woke up and you were gone...I thought you left, I looked in the bathroom and you weren't there. I thought you left me here, in this place. I was about to go out and find you." she took a breath and said quietly, "I thought you left me again."
Quinn sat with her on the couch, his arm still around her back. She broke his heart when she said things like that. He looked at her, his eyes serious, "Carrie, listen to me. I am not leaving you again, I promise...I would never leave you here." He told her and placed his other hand on her arm that was resting on her lap. She closed her eyes at his touch and nodded her head, "Ok."
Quinn took a deep breath, "You were still pretty out of it earlier, so I showered and went to get you something to wear - and eat." he explained to her where he was, "and I had to make a phone call." She didn't need to know that he had called Saul to let him know he got her, subtly letting him know his threat was off.
He looked at her carefully and touched her hair. She tilted her head slightly, meeting his palm and he pulled his hand back. She looked at him feeling a bit rejected and he noticed. "You need a shower." Quinn told her and Carrie looked back at him scrunching up her face, "What?" He laughed slightly, "You have chicken feathers in your hair." he said and yanked a tiny bit of feather from her blonde locks. Carrie closed her eyes and felt disgusted, "Great." she said.
Quinn laughed a bit, "It's fine, I was a mess this morning too." He stood up and extended his hands out to her, "Come on...I'll help you." he said gently. She took his hands and couldn't say no to him. She liked this side of him and it felt good being taken care of for once.
Quinn led her into the bathroom and he had her stand by the sink while he turned on the bathtub, adjusting the water for her. She watched his every move and couldn't help examine his perfect features. How did she never realize how damn sexy he was? She realized that he was running her a bath. It was probably a better idea anyway, she thought. He moved back towards her and stopped within inches of her body. Carrie immediately tensed up, unsure of what would happen next. Even though they had been incredibly intimate the night before, there was still a sense of uncertainty between them and the tension could be cut with a knife.
Quinn reached down between them and slowly lifted his shirt that hung loosely on her body. She shivered and held her breath, knowing she'd be completely exposed to him. It was nerve wracking for her. He waited in equal anticipation, eager to see her perfectly slender body in the light. He carefully pulled the shirt over her head and discarded it onto the floor. She stood in front of him, naked and she didn't move an inch. He felt powerful in a way...he was fully clothed and she was in front of him, exposed, beautiful and he wished he could say she was his. Carrie breathed in and out slowly, and he kept his eyes fixed on hers. He's not actually an asshole, she thought.
Quinn slid his hands down either side of her arms until he linked her hands with his. "Come on...I'll help you." He led her over to the bath and let go of one of her hands to shut off the water. He turned back to her and took her other hand, holding her steady as she stepped in. "Wait...we need to get this bandage off first." He leaned down, ignoring the fact that her perfect breasts were right there tempting him. Quinn slowly peeled off the soaked through bandage and she made a small sound, before he ripped it completely off. "Ok, now sit down slowly. It's going to sting." He told her as he stood back up and he knew it was going to hurt. She listened to him without saying a word and slowly lowered herself into the water. As she dropped down, Quinn noticed terrible bruises forming on her ribs where the man had kicked her the night before. He felt anger boil up inside him and he tried hard to suppress those feelings and focus on taking care of her.
He let go of her once she was completely in the tub, and she allowed her head to rest against the porcelain. The warm water stung her wound and she winced a bit but settled in quickly. Quinn walked back towards the sink to get a washcloth and some soap. She watched him and felt as if she couldn't even blink, her body feeling more sore than she thought. He circled the tub and got down on his knees next to her, "Does it hurt?" he asked. "Not really." she lied.
There was silence between them and he slowly dipped the washcloth into the water. She breathed in as his hand glided against her arm, sending ripples over the water. One part of her felt a desperate need for him to touch her, while the other part pulled her back, still feeling unsure.
"So, what's the plan?" Carrie asked him, as she dipped her head under the water and emerged again. How was he supposed to answer her when she looked as incredible as she did, he thought. Quinn lathered some soap onto the washcloth and reached for her left arm, pulling it slightly out of the water.
"We can't get picked up until tonight." He told her briefly and gently rubbed the washcloth along the length of her arm. "Then a friend of mine will give us a ride home." He continued to wash her and reached around, taking her other arm.
"You have so many friends, I had no idea." She said a bit sarcastically, flashing him a small smile and made him scoff. Carrie watched him as he watched closely at how he was touching her. He dipped his hand into the water and lifted her leg, her skin was smooth and soft. She caught her breath quickly, "You know I can do this myself, right?"
Quinn stopped immediately when she said this, allowing her leg to hang in the water under his hand. He met her eyes and decided not to let her have her way. "I know." he said confidently and continued washing her. She was slightly taken aback by his response but didn't complain. She liked when he took charge like this, she enjoyed this side of him.
He allowed his fingers to run up her thighs, but knew not to touch her intimately. Last night was different, it was intense and sudden and they were emotional. Who knows what she would want now or if that would ever happen again. Her body almost shook when she felt his fingers make their way up her thigh as she waited in anticipation, but he moved right to her torso. Maybe that was a one time thing, she thought. What the fuck. "You know what...I'll finish.." She said and reached for his hands, halting his motion. "It's ok.." she told him, taking the washcloth. Quinn looked at her and went to speak, but didn't. He gave her a tentative smile and stood up from the floor, turning to leave. He must have done something wrong, obviously she wasn't interested in any of this. "Quinn..." he turned to look at her, "thank you." She gave him a small smile.
"If you need help getting out, I'll be right out there." he told her and left a towel next to the tub. She just nodded and looked away.
Quinn sat on the edge of the bed trying to figure out what the hell to do next. She was safe and that was most important to him. But now he had probably ruined it by fucking her the way he did last night. It was a mistake, he knew it. It all was. He had to call Dar Adal and get back to Haqqani. That was his job. Shame on him for thinking he could have a different life than this. Quinn took the phone from his pocket and looked down at it. He clicked the keypad and stared at Adal's number for a minute before pressing the green button. He stood and walked towards the kitchen area, listening to the ringing on the other end. "Yea...it's me."
Carrie finished washing her hair and slowly hoisted herself out of the tub. The water wasn't as warm anymore and she shivered a bit. It hurt like hell, but she didn't want to call for his help. She didn't want to be Quinn's damsel in distress any longer, but she also didn't want to push him away. She loved being close to him, feeling concern and compassion for him, kissing him and feeling loved. She wrapped herself in the large white towel he had left for her and allowed her hair to drip onto her shoulders. She walked into the main room and saw him standing near the window, phone in hand. "Got it." was all she heard him say and he hung up the phone, remaining at the window.
"Who was that?" Carrie asked him, as she tightened the towel around her body. Quinn spun around, not realizing she was there. She knew by his face that she had caught him by surprise.
"How much did you hear?" He asked her, his tone serious and his expression, stoic. Fuck, he thought.
"Enough." she lied, "So what now, Quinn?" she asked him impatiently and neither one of them moved, standing across from each other.
"Nothing. We stick to the plan, we leave tonight. I just confirmed." He lied to her and walked to the side of the bed where he had left his gun.
She didn't exactly believe him but didn't want to fight either. "Ok..." Carrie held her towel up, standing in place and watched his movements carefully. He was checking and reloading his gun, something he did almost as a nervous tick. "Look..Quinn..about last night.." she started, not having any sort of plan as to what she'd say next.
Quinn shook his head, not being able to bear anymore rejection from her. "Carrie...don't, it's fine." He snapped his gun back, tucked it into the back of his pants and met her eyes. "Look...I don't know what happened between us... so I just want to let you know you don't have to worry about it. We can pretend like it never happened."
She was taken aback by Quinn's comments and furrowed her brow, "Is that what you want? To forget it happened?"
Quinn sighed and adjusted the bandage on his arm. "Does it matter Carrie?"
She scoffed, "YEA, it matters." she took a few steps forward and folded her arms across her chest. Why the fuck did he have to be so difficult?
Quinn shook his head again, "We both know you think it was a mistake. So no, it doesn't matter." He broke their stare and started moving past her, until he felt her smooth hand grip his wrist, holding him back. He didn't look at her but could feel her eyes on him.
"I don't think it was a mistake." Carrie said softly. Frozen in place, Quinn looked at Carrie and wasn't sure what to do - or say. She had a tendency to have that affect on him. What he wanted to do was scoop her up in his arms and throw her onto the bed, but he thought better of it.
Carrie could see the doubt and uncertainty in his eyes and she blamed herself for that. She could kick herself for being so guarded even after all they had been through. She unfolded her arms and reached down, finding his hand. She felt his fingers grip hers apprehensively and she took a few steps, guiding him to follow her. And of course he did. Carrie sat on the edge of the bed and turned to her side, pulling Quinn's hand, to make him sit with her. He didn't say a word and sat next to her, keeping only a small distance between them.
"I am not sorry for what happened between us last night and that's what I was going to say before you jumped down my throat." she said firmly then paused, "Look, Quinn...I am sorry I am how I am. I don't mean to be closed off or standoffish, I just don't know any other way. I prepare myself for the worst because that's all I seem to deserve in my life." He shook his head when she said this but she continued, "It's true. After my father's funeral when you said what you said...I am not used to anyone wanting to be with me, let alone having something normal and steady. I panicked." Carrie looked down, breaking their gaze. She knew how he was too...she could put herself out there and he could be gone tomorrow. "I called you after I spoke to my mother but you were already gone..." She took a long breath and kept going, "For years I thought that I couldn't be happy, that I couldn't get close to anyone because they'd just leave me, not being able to deal with my condition." she shook her head and looked back up at Quinn, who was listening intently, "It wasn't true." she let out a tiny laugh, "Turns out my mother just wasn't capable of being with anyone for her own selfish reasons. It had nothing to do with my father's condition - or mine." Carrie paused and he opened his mouth to speak, but she didn't allow him, "I called you to tell you that...I called you to tell you yes." she said quietly, tears forming in her eyes.
Quinn's entire world came to a stop when he heard those words escape Carrie's mouth. It was a yes. She called to tell him yes after sorting out her family issues and he had left her, assuming the worst. Fuck. "Carrie...I am sorry...I didn't know, I just assumed..." his voice trailed off and he knew she knew what he had thought. "It was a yes you wanted to try this together or yes, you wanted to try this AND get out?" he had to ask.
She looked at him closely, "Both...I want a normal life..I NEED a normal life for Frannie, Quinn. I know I need to get out of all this shit but can't do it alone...and you've told me, neither can you." She placed her hand on his thigh and squeezed gently.
Quinn reached over and brushed her still wet hair from her face and held his hand on her cheek. She shut her eyes and then looked at him. "Ok, Carrie." Was all he said and she moved her hand from his thigh to around his waist and quickly shifted her body onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and could feel her running her fingers through his hair and she kissed him fiercely. She didn't care if her towel came loose, it would probably be better if it did. He kissed her back passionately, and allowed his lips to find her neck and bare collarbone. She moaned slightly and that sound shook him back to reality. What had he just done? He could feel Carrie taking control, finding his lips and then letting her tongue meet his ear and neck. "Carrie.." she didn't stop only let out a "mmm.." and continued, she was now straddling him and he had his hands on both her thighs, pushing the towel up. "Carrie.." he tried again but she didn't seem to get that he was trying to stop for a minute. It was hard to stop her, given how aroused she had gotten him already. She suddenly pushed him back with such force that he was on his back on the bed, gun digging in. She climbed on top of him and began tugging at his belt, feeling his hard erection over his pants. "Carrie..." Finally he sat up, and put both his hands around her upper arms, turning her on the bed to face him.
She was confused; why the hell had he stopped her? "What?" she asked impatiently and she saw his face fall, his look turning serious. "What is it Quinn?" she asked, knowing this couldn't be good.
"I fucked up... I made a mistake. Earlier...when you came out of the bathroom and asked who I was talking to, I lied." Quinn told her, not looking away and could see her expression change. "I was talking to Dar Adal." He paused and could see her grow angry at the mention of his name.
"Well I hope it was to tell him to go fuck himself." she said quickly.
Quinn took a deep breath and knew what he'd say next would kill her, "He's sending me back in, Carrie...I volunteered to finish the job."