Date Night

Cause you know...why not?


***********************************


Carter woke to a faint throbbing in her head. Disoriented, she raised her hand to feel where a bump was surely forming but found that her hands were bound, palms pressed together.


Confused, she opened her eyes but nothing changed. Everything was black. She closed her eyes, pinching them shut. When she opened them again, still the blackness continued. Tentatively, she lifted her bound hands, looking to stretch out and feeling what lay before her. Her fingers hit solid metal.


Panic spiked through her, wiping away her pain. She breathed and the sound bounced back at her, taunting her. The ties around her wrists dug into the skin, tearing away at the flesh. Trying to stave off the mounting fear, she felt around the cold, unyielding surface. As she did she could almost feel the pressure of the dirt weighing down on her tomb. Her chest constricted and she found she could barely breathe beyond shallow gasps.


She was buried alive.


Everything inside her screamed to claw at the metal, to shout until her voice was hoarse, even knowing that her attempt would be pointless. All she could think about was the earth crushing her. The air slowly getting used up.


When the box she was trapped in jolted, making her bounce and smack her head on the ceiling, she let out a shaky breath.


Not buried alive, in the back of a trunk. She relaxed against the hard surface, relieved.


As her panic and terror subsided, she became aware of the presence of something warm beside her. Moving as best she could in the confined space, she twisted onto her side.


Still, she couldn't see anything. Slowly, she reached out and brushed her fingertips along what was there. She felt a plain of muscle up to a solid chest that rose and fell.


"You can stop groping me," a deep voice said.


Tears of relief filled Carter's eyes and she exhaled in a rush.


"Donovan."


Even with the cold metal box pinning them in, she felt safe. She wasn't alone. Even if not being alone meant they were both trapped inside a trunk heading to an unknown location by an unknown attacker.


Donovan let out a deep breath, the sound ricocheting around the cramped space.


"Please tell me we're not two FBI agents that got jumped and stuffed into the back of a trunk?" he said.


"Okay, I won't tell you that we're two FBI agents that got jumped and stuffed into the back of a trunk."


"Good, for a second there I thought this would be really embarrassing."


"But if we were I would say that not sleeping for the past 48 hours would explain if that did happen."


"True."


For a moment, they were both quiet, the only sound around them their breathing. Beneath them, the ground thrummed, the vibrations worming their way through their bodies. Donovan shifted, his knee knocking against Carter's calf.


"I can't feel my gun or my knife. What about you?"


Carter rubbed her tied ankles against each other, trying to feel the familiar weight of her gun strapped to her or the knife in its holster. Neither were there.


"Mine are gone as well."


Carter felt as Donovan nodded, his hair brushing hers, the motion making a scratching noise on the metal.


"No weapons, no phone, and stuck in a trunk. This is not our best day."


"I never said I didn't have any weapons," Carter said.


Donovan jerked his head back in surprise and managed to hit against the side of the trunk, letting out a soft groan.


"You said-"


"The knife in my ankle holster is gone, but I have one sown into the back of my sports bra."


Donovan let out a breathy laugh, the warmth of it easing the tension in Carter's muscles.


"Have I told you I love you?" Donovan asked.


"No, and after six years of marriage you think I would have wondered about that."


Again that laugh that seemed to keep all fear at bay.


"I can't reach it though," she said.


"I can."


Donovan bent his elbows, digging his fingers into Carter's stomach as he did. Apologizing, he kept raising his hand and knocked her chin. She winced.


"Who knew you would turn out to be such an abusive husband," she said.


"Sorry."


He wormed his hands up and managed to drop them over her head, making her lean towards him. When he lowered his arms to her shoulders, he stopped.


"I'm too cramped," he said.


"Hold on."


Carter wiggled her wrists upward, able to go through the same motions as Donovan but without hitting him. When she got her arms over his head, she rested one elbow on the metal floor and raised her body. Her hair fell across her shoulder, strands of it dropping into Donovan's mouth. He blew at them, dislodging them.


"Sorry," she said.


He paused and sniffed.


"Did you get a new shampoo?" he asked.


"Yeah, strawberry. They were out of the coconut one that you like."


Donovan raised his head, burying his face in her hair.


"It's not bad."


"No, but it's still not the coconut one."


"No, it's not."


He shimmied his arms down her body until he was at her waist. Gritting his teeth, he twisted his wrists at a sharp angle in order to grab hold of her shirt. With agonizing slowness, he inched the hem upwards until he was could slide his hands underneath. Carter sucked in a breath.


"Man, your hands are cold," she said, feeling the icy tips of his fingers along her spine.


"Sorry."


As he fumbled with the edge of her bra, her body shook from the exertion of holding herself up.


"Almost there, just hold on."


She didn't answer, all her focus on keeping her body raised. Donovan located the narrow blade and slid it out, careful not to knick Carter in the process. When the hem of her shirt dropped down, Carter sank to the floor, pinning Donovan's arm beneath her. He didn't protest, concentrating on sawing at the zip ties eating away at his skin.


"When did you learn to sew?" he asked. "Maggie teach you?"


"No, I looked it up on Youtube."


Donovan paused, looking down at her even though in the pitch blackness he couldn't see her.


"Wait, did you sew that button on my gray shirt?"


"Yeah."


He leaned forward and kissed her head.


"Thanks."


"Of course. You take out the trash."


Donovan went back to cutting the bindings. "I still think it's funny how you can beat up men twice your size but trash makes you squeamish."


Carter buried her face in his chest. "It's so gross. Sometimes there's juice that leaks out and gets on my feet." She shuttered. "I hate it."


Smiling, Donovan broke through the plastic and flexed his fingers, bringing feeling back into them. At his side, Carter pulled her arms back over his head, as he trailed his hands down her biceps to her wrists and worked at the zip tie. When she was free, Carter took the knife and folded herself in half, cutting bindings on both their ankles.


When she stretched back out, Donovan's arm was no longer under her. In the tight space, they shifted, trying to get feeling back into their limbs. Once sufficiently loosened, Donovan ran his hands along his side of the metal box as Carter trailed her fingers over the surface of hers.


"I found a vent," Donovan said. "You?"


"Nothing but metal. There's no headlight to kick out. That means this car was modified for kidnappings. Should we feel special that they knew we could break out of a normal car?"


"I would if I wasn't aware that it slightly smells so we're not the first ones to be locked in here."


"Well, that's disappointing."


Donovan twisted back to his side and Carter moved to face him. To compensate for the cramped enclosure, she ended up draping her legs over his knees so he could straighten his legs as much as he could. In the darkness, she searched for his hands. When she found one, she rubbed it, trying to bring warmth back into the extremity. When the first hand was no longer icy she moved to the other.


"Thanks," he said.


"Of course."


The car hit a hole and the trunk shuddered with the impact, making the pair roll and bump into each other. Carter shivered, the metal cold against her skin. Donovan pulled her to him, wrapping her in his arms, warming her. She curled into him, resting in the safety his arms offered her. After a beat of quiet, Donovan spoke.


"You know what I'm thinking of?"


"Your father's waffles."


Donovan stared down at her. "How'd you know?"


"He uses that strawberry syrup and that's what my hair smells like." She tucked her arms close to her. "Do you know what I'm thinking?"


Donovan dropped his head to the ground, staring up at the nothingness around them. "How we haven't had date night in a long time."


"So long. We're really bad at this."


"Does this technically count? We're alone."


Carter laughed, the sound humming against Donovan's chest.


"With two mobsters in the front of the car."


"So we're chaperoned."


They both laughed at this, holding onto the moment of levity. When the happiness of the sound faded away, their smiles dropped off. Wishing to take them somewhere else, Carter broke the stillness.


"What did you get Danny for his birthday?" she asked.


Donovan rested his head on top of her hair. "I got him the completed set of The Ranger's Apprentice books since I knew you got him new boxing gloves. I figured I would help strengthen his mind."


Carter smiled at the thought. She gripped the front of Donovan's shirt. "Danny is going to be so mad if we die and don't show up for his party."


Donovan nodded in agreement. "At least we're not dead yet. Either they plan to torture us for information or it was too messy to kill us where they took us. We are going to get out of this."


"Mason is going to have a field day if we live through this. It's going to be proof that he should inject trackers into us."


Shifting, Donovan held tighter to Carter. "Yeah, I'm not letting him do that. I don't want Mason to be able to stalk us wherever we go."


"Even if it means he loses us 40% of the time we're on missions?"


"I don't care."


Sighing, Carter snuggled deeper into Donovan's hold. "I agree with you."


She closed her eyes, feeling the weight of too many sleepless nights and the illusion of safety that Donovan's presence had on her. Sensing her drifting off, Donovan shook her awake.


"Carter, you can't go to sleep. We need to be ready when they open the back."


She blinked, rousing herself. "Fine, talk to me then."


For a moment, nothing came. Only the rumble of the engine filled the void.


"Do you ever wonder what it's like to be normal?" Donovan asked.


Carter raised her head. "Are you saying that other couples don't spend date in trunks?"


"As far as I know, no."


Carter lowered her head to his chest. "Strange."


"We've never been normal, have we?"


"I don't believe so." She reached up and cupped his cheek. "Do you wish you were normal?"


He hesitated. "It would be nice to not wake up in a trunk every now and then."


"Don't tell me you've been in this position before with another agent," Carter said, extremely aware of how closely they were pressed together.


"Yes, but don't worry, Rogers was a complete gentleman and didn't grope me like you did."


Carter chuckled, running her thumb along the stubble on his jaw.


"At least this will be an interesting story to tell our kids," he said.


Carter looked up at him. Even after the stretch of blackness, she tried to see any part of his features but she still couldn't.


The complete lack of sight gripped her, forcing the reality of their position on her like a wrecking ball.


Her chest caved in, and she found breathing nearly impossible. Donovan heard the change and rubbed her upper arm.


"What's wrong?"


"Donovan..." He tensed at the fear in her voice. "We're never going to be able to have kids." She shook her head, trying to break from the renewed fear. "How can we? We're trapped in a trunk for crying out loud." She tried to take a deep breath but it didn't calm her. "We're not normal, we can't do this. We're never going to be...I'm never going to be...you're not going to...We're not going to make it."


All the future memories Carter planned on making were burning to ashes in her mind. The unknown child disappearing from her arms. The celebrations of birthdays that she was a part of crumbling. The gray hairs that she counted on Donovan's head were stolen away.


The metal box was shrinking and she couldn't press it back, couldn't stop it bearing down on her. She sucked in a breath, but it was if her lungs weren't working, wouldn't let the air in, as if they had already given up.


As thoughts dive-bombed her, memories of waking up hanging from a ceiling slammed into her. The echoes of being strapped down to a chair and tortured sent tremors through her body. The endless pain that left scars.


"Donovan." His name was a strained gasp on her lips.


He squeezed her shoulders. "Carter, listen to me. Focus on my voice. Don't do this. I need you to stay with me here. Right now. I'm not going anywhere. Stay with me."


She couldn't breathe, she gulped in air but it was never enough. Her mind was taking her back to the torture she had endured. The fear of never getting found. The ghosts of faces that sneered at her as she tried to keep it together. She felt the scream climbing in her throat ready to explode. After four years she was still haunted by the pain.


"Carter, you're spiraling, you need to stay here with me."


She shook, no longer present in the trunk but swept up in memories that would never fully leave her.


Before she could scream, Donovan cupped her face and kissed her. It wasn't a gentle kiss, it was hard and demanding. Commanding her to return to him. The shock of it kicked Carter out of her head, out of the past and back into Donovan's hold.


When she pulled back, she sucked in air as if she was drowning. Tears fell over her eyes and were wiped away by Donovan.


"Are you with me?" he asked.


She nodded, knowing he could feel the motion but she didn't have it in her to speak. She pressed her face into his chest, breathing him in, letting it be the only thing she could concentrate on. Donovan held onto her, his own breathing ragged, a different sort of fear having taken over him. He stroked her hair and whispered to her.


"I got you," he said. "We're going to get out of this. I'm right here."


Carter nodded again, letting him know she was still there with him. They said nothing for a long while, trying only to stay in the moment. In the feel of the other person.


When her heart finally stopped jackhammering in her chest, Carter let out a slow breath. Beneath her, she felt Donovan relax. They remained there in silence. The trunk rocked with the sway of the car, an eternity stretching out around them.


"Why don't you ever freak out?" she asked. "I would feel a lot better if I wasn't the only emotionally damaged one in this relationship."


Donovan laughed, releasing the last of his tension.


"All my nightmares and anxieties are about you," he said, kissing her hair. "When I'm about to freak out, all I have to do it wake up or look around and I find you. That's when I know I'll be okay because you are okay."


"That is debatable. I'm not sure how okay I am."


"Okay or not, just knowing that you are still here is all I ever need."


Carter listened to the steady beat of his heart, knowing that she didn't deserve him yet she still had him.


"I love you," she whispered.


He smiled. "This would probably be a good time for me to finally admit it as well then, right? I mean six years of marriage is a long time, I should just say it back."


Carter laughed, found his chin and kissed him.


They were jolted from their moment by the crunch of gravel and the whine of brakes as the car came to a stop. They tensed, waiting. They heard the slamming of two car doors. Carter twisted around, facing the opening to the trunk. Behind her, Donovan retrieved the small knife and clutched it in his hands.


"You ready?" he asked.


She didn't have to answer as the trunk was popped open. Though the world outside was dark, Carter still squinted against the suddenness of any light. Through her blurred vision, she could make out the form of a man. Reacting, she grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked hard on it. The man's head collided with the lip of the trunk and he crumpled to the ground.


As the second assailant rushed forward, Donovan reached over Carter and stabbed the man in the shoulder. Blood gushed from the wound and he clamped his hand over it, sinking to his knees, grunting with pain.


The pair waited for backup, knowing that their position was the best at the moment. When no one else came into view, Carter hauled herself out of the trunk. When she hit the ground, her legs buckled and she collapsed, her limbs unresponsive.


Behind her, Donovan climbed out but sat on the edge of the trunk. He leaned over and slipped his arms around Carter's waist, helping her up. She sank onto the narrow ledge and dropped her head onto Donovan's shoulder, breathing hard.


Only then did she take in the view around them. They were pulled onto a small viewpoint overlooking a forest of pine trees far below. The air smelled fresh and invigorating. The breeze was chilly and ruffled their tangled hair. Overhead, a night sky scattered with stars peered down on them. Carter breathed in, filling her lungs with the clean air.


Able to finally feel his legs, Donovan bent down, knocked out the stabbed attacker and searched his pockets. When he found a phone, he returned to his spot beside Carter.


"Mason, it's Donovan," he said as a few rings.


Carter heard the shouts on the other line and smiled.


"We're fine," Donovan said. "We were jumped and thrown into the back of a trunk."


At this Carter made out the burst of laughter from Mason. Donovan looked at her and they shook their heads.


"Send a retrieval team to this phone's location," he said.


After a minute more of talking, Donovan hung up.


"He's never going to let us live this down."


"Nope, he's not."


They let a peaceful quiet wrap around them, as they gazed out on the landscape.


"This is really beautiful," Carter said.


"It is." He glanced at her. "Want to hide the bodies in the trunk?"


"Sure."


They stood up and together they crammed the two men into the back. After closing the trunk, Donovan climbed up and pulled Carter up beside him. Wrapping her in his arms, he leaned back and they stared up at the constellations.


"You know what I'm thinking?" he said.


"That this is one of our better date nights?"


He laughed. "No, I'm thinking that I'm okay not being normal if it means I get to have moments like this with you."


**********************************************************************


Rawr!!


(Gosh don't look at me I don't know anymore. I think my brain stopped working ages ago)


Okay! There you go, that's how Carter and Donovan spend their date nights together. Really romantic, isn't it? Go ahead and leave your thoughts about it here and I share our concern about their sanity.


Now, I have a question to ask you. It's a difficult question and it will take a lot of thought but I believe you're up to the task. So here it is: forgetting the casting of Carter, forgetting what I ever described her as how do you think you would have pictured Carter? (And I mean skin tone, body type, eyes, hair. Those details)


Now, would she look a bit like yourself or would she look like someone you've seen?


I'm really curious about this so think hard and let me know.


Random fact: my mother is writing a musical based on the characters from A Secret Service. I say based on because she's changed aspects of the story. So far the songs are amazing and I love what she's done with it!


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