This is really early on, like around the time of Carter and Donovan's 1st year with the FBI.

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Carter coughed the taste of dust sticking to her tongue and coating her throat. With a second cough, she managed to dislodge the grime choking her. Wiping her eyes, she squinted at the world around her, trying to see. A single beam of light from her fallen flashlight cut into the darkness and highlighted a gray wall marked with graffiti.

A moan beside her drew her attention. She made out a prone figure, watching as it rolled onto its side. At least that answered one question she had. The figure swore and Carter pinched her nose, the voice one she wished was anyone else's.

"What the hell happened?" Mason asked.

He shook his head, sending out a cloud of dirt.

Carter didn't answer. She ground her teeth at having something go wrong and more than that having to be in a situation with Mason at all. She pushed herself up to a sitting position. She was shaky, but she didn't seem to be hurt.

Mason clambered to his feet and snatched up the flashlight, casting the beam around them. The metro tunnel was a patchwork of faded graffiti and old tracks. When the light hit one end of the tunnel it was to find that part of it had caved in.

"Guess that means that our job is done," he said, "since getting near to where the embassy would be likely to be infiltrated from below is out of the question."

"Obviously," Carter said.

She climbed to her feet but the second she put weight on her right leg, she let out a cry and crashed back to the ground, rocks digging into her skin. Mason spun around, spotlighting her. She turned her face away and twisted her leg. Along her thigh was a bleeding gash. She swore as Mason crouched down next to her.

"Got any medical supplies in that backpack of yours?"

Carter glared at him. "No. This was supposed to be a recon mission. Why do you think they let you go on it? You would be next to useless if we were put in real danger."

Mason stared back at her. "Oh, how you wound me."

Fighting back the urge to punch Mason, Carter gently brushed aside the dirt around the cut with her jacket sleeve. The more she revealed the worse it looked. She closed her eyes, trying to clear her head and figure out the next step. Beside her, Mason unzipped his jacket and took it off. She eyed him as he reached for the hem of his shirt.

"What are you doing?" she said.

He paused so he could give her a condescending look. "This next to useless human is going to help you not bleed to death. Try to keep your hands to yourself."

"Mason, the only time I've ever wanted to touch you was when I had my hands around your throat." 

Shaking his head, Mason pulled off his shirt, revealing pale skin and a toned torso. After dropping his shirt, he tugged his jacket back on and zipped it. "Your brain can now start functioning again, I'm covered up."

"How very much like a guy you are to think that I could lose my ability to think because some guy took off his shirt."

"Not some guy. Me."

"I would rather watch two lions mauling each other than see you shirtless again."

"That doesn't surprise me you're a very violent person." Mason took his shirt and ripped it into three long strips. As he went to wrap her leg, Carter snatched the fragments from him.

"I'm not some weakling you need to take care of." Mason raised his hands in mock surrender and leaned back on his heels. Carter tied off the three strips, gritting her teeth against the flare of pain.

"Call this in," she said.

Mason pulled out his phone, wincing at the light in his face. "No reception. I am utterly shocked."

Carter took out her own phone, finding the same result. Swearing, she stuffed her phone back into her backpack. Twisting onto her knees, Carter braced herself for the pain to come. When she stood, she swayed and Mason grabbed her arm to support her. She wrenched it out of his grip.

"I'm fine," she snapped.

"Clearly."

When Carter took a step forward, she bit back a cry of pain as agony sliced up her leg. Mason cocked his head. "You going to ask for help or are we going to die down here?"

"I don't need help," Carter ground out.

Mason spread his arms around as if he were talking to a large audience. "Of course, the great Carter Owens doesn't need help. The Superwoman of your time will fly herself to safety!"

"Shut up."

"No! You are full of it! Thinking that you are better than everyone else. That you don't have weaknesses, that you don't need to be helped." He took a step closer. "Get off your high horse, Carter because the rest of the world is tired of having to break their necks to look up and talk to you."

Carter shoved Mason. "Me and my high horse? Look who's talking? You walk around like you own the world and the rest of us are the dirt beneath your shoe! It's been this way since high school. Everyone has to bow down to Mason or else their life will be miserable!"

Mason barked out a sardonic laugh. "As opposed to you?" He stabbed a finger at her. "Carter, how many people did you cut with that tongue of yours?"

Angered, Carter balled her fists, wanting to hit something, and at that moment it was the superior expression on Mason's face. "I only gave back what was given to me."

Mason nodded in mock agreement. "Of course, you had to fight instead of doing the logical thing and walking away!"

"They asked for it! Those students came after me."

Crossing his arms, Mason rolled his eyes. "Right, poor poor Carter Owens, her life is so terrible her father could die at any minute." He glared at her. "My father was the freaking President. Every time he walked outside his life was at risk!"

"Yeah! But whose father was it that was standing there ready to take the bullet!"

Mason flung his arms out. "Your father didn't need to join the Secret Service!"

"And yours didn't need to go into politics!"

"So both our fathers are idiots!"

"Clearly!"

They fell silent as their shouts faded into the distance, neither wanting to admit they agreed on anything, their emotions still too charged to be set aside. Carter clenched and unclenched her fists, trying to disperse her frustration. Mason dragged his hand through his hair, looking anywhere but at her.

"We need to get out of here," Carter said.

Mason waved a taunting hand towards the unobstructed tunnel. "After you."

Carter stared at him, roiling with anger. Mason held her gaze, waiting for her to break. She couldn't ask for his help, wouldn't ask for it.

"You know," she said, "you're a real pain in the a-"

"And so are you! Why do you think no one will work with you? You pull all that lone ranger crap making it impossible for any team to deal with you. You're in the FBI, try to at least act like these people are smart enough to help."

The statement hit a nerve and she dug her nails into her palms, wanting to break Mason's jaw to keep him from talking.

"Are you going to accept my help?" Mason asked. "Or do I have to leave you down here?"

"I don't play the lone ranger," Carter bit out.

"No, I guess you don't, you have that Boy Scout of a boyfriend to work with. The only one in the Bureau that seems able to handle your personality."

Carter raised her eyebrow. "Look in the mirror, no one ever wants to deal with you or else they have to restrain themselves from murdering you. They put me on this job because I'm the only one that can handle you."

"And you're doing a fine job of it," Mason mocked. "I don't feel like murdering you at all!"

Carter buried her face in her hands, growling with annoyance. They needed to get out of here or else one of them wouldn't make it back at all. She couldn't walk. Even if she tried to bear the pain eventually she would blackout from blood loss or the stress she was putting on herself. She needed Mason. She didn't want to need Mason. She wanted Mason to get crushed by a rock.

Taking in a deep breath, Carter raised her head. "I hate you, Mason. I truly hate you."

"Yeah, the feeling is mutual. Now can we get the hell out of here?"

Gritting her teeth, Carter lifted her arm and Mason draped it over his shoulders. After handing her the flashlight, he wrapped his other arm around her waist. They moved forward and Carter grimaced but managed to keep from making a sound.

Slowly, they left the collapsed wall behind, moving further and further into the tunnel. The tapping of their footsteps echoed around them. The air smelled stale and tainted with the decay of something that had died down there. When it felt like they would continue in the state of tense silence forever, Mason spoke.

"Why?"

Carter frowned. "Why what?"

"Why do you hate me?" he asked.

She side-eyed him but his face was in too much shadow for her to make out his expression. "Was all the things I yelled out not enough?"

"Those are annoyances, common traits that we share and dislike seeing reflected back at us, they aren't legitimate reasons for hatred."

"Wow, that had the sound of intelligence. It's strange hearing it coming from you."

Mason didn't respond forcing them back into the void.

"Why do you hate me?" Carter asked.

She misstepped and tripped but Mason tightened his hold on her, stabilizing her.

"Thanks," she murmured.

"Yeah."

The darkness grew around them, a yawning black hole that seemed to suck everything away. Carter felt her energy waning and she dipped to the side as her body grew heavier. Mason shifted his grip on her waist upwards, offering more support.

"I don't hate you, Carter. I find you extremely irritating and stubborn and smart and strong-willed."

"Don't stop there those last two almost sounded like compliments."

Mason gave a dry chuckle and Carter relaxed further into his hold.

"I don't hate you," Carter said. "Well...not all the time." Mason laughed. "If I'm being honest I've never forgiven you for the way you treated Link in high school. Not only did he have to live in your shadow, but he had to deal with you taunting him for it."

"But we've worked through our issues, why are you still pissed?"

"Because you hurt my best friend when he was already at his lowest."

Mason went quiet and stayed that way for a while.

"I'm sorry, Carter."

She sensed him turn his head to her and she shifted the light up, letting him see as she locked eyes with him.

"I'm sorry too. Hating you for this long seems pointless in hindsight."

Mason raised his eyebrows. "Is Carter Owens admitting she was wrong?"

"Shut up. And it will only happen once."

"Of that I'm sure."

They held each other's gaze, feeling as the tension melted from the air replaced by an equilibrium.

"I could work on not finding everyone less than," Carter said.

Mason shrugged. "And I want to live so I think that means I need to stop giving people reasons to want to murder me."

"Good luck with that."

They continued on, their strides more evenly balanced.

In the distance, they heard the beat of boots and saw spots of light darting back and forth along the ground. A rumble of voices companied the approaching footsteps and Carter sagged in relief picking out one that was as familiar to her as her heartbeat.

"Let me guess," Mason said. "That's Boy Scout coming to your rescue."

She looked at him and smiled. "No, he's coming to our rescue."

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Here's looking at you kid!

(Ha! That's right! Be afraid of my classic movie quote! Quake in your boots because there's plenty more where that came from!)

Okay! Before I drop some knowledge on you and when I say knowledge I mean random thoughts go ahead and drop your knowledge or random thoughts on me. I accept all gladly! 💭🗯💬🐠

So I wrote this because I find the dynamic between Carter and Mason to be interesting because they are both strong headed and will happily push back against the other.

This was me figuring out how they came to tolerate each other. Though let's face it they still get on each other's nerves a good amount of the time!

Also I like the nickname of Boy Scout for Donovan. What do you think?

Also if I was going to write more Mason chapters what would you want to see?

Vote, comment, follow because that's how this works people, I slave away and you give me undying love, obviously!

Haha just kidding, only do the upon mentioned if you feel like it. I legit don't care.

(That sounds like a do but I really don't)