#waiting for all the Istanbul HQs to come out

[faithinlouisfuture]

LTWT22: ISTANBUL (x)

[obita-wanita-kenobi]

The Old Guard ficlet?

Love that the fandom has decided that both nicolo and yusuf stay true to their own religion, and not try to convert each other. But this gave me an idea. Keep in mind that i havent read nor wrote a fic ever since the old days of 2013. So i have no idea what this is, wether its a ficlet or a prompt or whatever.

Anyway imagine this:

During mission, or long period of back to back mission, it's difficult for Joe to keep up with his five times a day-prayers. During mission there's often just no time nor opportunity to do so. Nicky and Nile often manage to sneak in some prayers during their travels from A to B. Sometimes alone or together, since they're both Christian/Catholic. Neither of them are really churchgoers anyway. For Joe its just difficult.

So whenever they're back at Safehouse HQ aka home Joe tries to make up for all his lost prayers. Him being absolutely not a morning person doesnt stop him from getting up early. Softly kissing Nicky's hair, who's pretending to still be asleep, silently leaving their bedroom to go pray in a different room. Nicky is awake the moment Joe lifts his head up from the pillow, but understands his husband's need for this moment alone with God. So he, and the others of the team, avoid the room Joe is praying in. Even Andy, who lost faith many millenia ago, respects this ofcourse. So none of them react to it whenever Joe disappears to pray throughout the day. Nicky keeps a close eye on Joe, knowing it can weigh heavy on him that he often misses out on prayer during missions.

So imagine, after they start working with Copley. A couple years into the new set-up with Copley they end up having pretty much back to back missions due to shit happening in the world. These back to back missions go on for years. Sometimes with barely even a day in between them. Like i said, Nile and Nicky pray on the road, if they feel the need to. During a couple of missions in Italy Nicky and Joe manage to find the time to go to a cathedral somewhere for Nicky to go to confession, Joe waits outside for him. 

During these years Joe keeps telling himself that he’ll catch up and make amends once they have some time in between missions. Obviously not expecting this back to back to last for years. Somewhere during these years Nicky notices a shift in Joe. It’s barely visible, the rest of the team doesnt pick up on it. But Nicky does, Nicky always does. He keeps an even closer eye on Joe and notices one day, while they’re in a safehouse packing and re-stocking for the next mission that Joe doesn’t pack his prayer mat. He’s deeply attatched to it and always brings it. So he can pray in whatever safehouse they are. After years of not having be able to, Joe figured it’s just extra and unnessacary weight to lift and leaves it behind. Being a religious man himself, and knowing Joe better than anyone, he has picked up on small signs before that Joe is straying from his faith. He’s less cheery, and awfully quiet for his doing. He stopped looking up to the sky when he’s thinking deeply or in stressful situations. It’s the small things like that. 

The red flags really start waving when they, weirdly enough, have two whole free days between missions. Nicky, like all the others, expects Joe to wake up early and go pray in a different room. But instead he stays in bed. When Nicky is sure the timewindow of him usually rising has passed he turns around in the bed and looks at Joe, who’s staring up at the ceiling, wide awake. That’s not good, Nicky acts immediately. 

He scoots closer to Joe in the bed and rests his chin on Joe’s chest, looking up at him. He starts talking softly, in his rough morning voice, to Joe.  ‘‘Habibi, shouldn’t you be praying? What time is it?’‘, he asks softly. He’s speaking Arabic. Despite being Joe’s mothertongue, not a language often spoken between them. When they still were getting to know each other at the beginning of their immortal lives, Nicky had trouble with the Arabic tongue. Joe, who’s amazing with languages, quickly picked up on Nicolo’s Italian and soon they spoke Italian with each other. Ever since it’s kinda been their default language, despite Nicky being fluent in Arabic aswell. But this, Nicky figured, needs to be spoken in Arabic. 

Joe doesn’t really reply to the question. He just kinda shrugs and wraps his arms around Nicky’s waist, holding him tightly.  ‘‘It doesn’t really matter’‘, he replies after a little while, in Nicky’s Italian. Joe’s religion is very important to him, so this worries Nicky. 

He goes to talk to the team about it. And they all agree, they have to talk to Copley. Not only Joe needs a break from the back to back missions, they could all use it. And so it is decided that after three more time sensitive missions they get to have a couple of months to a year off. 

Their last mission ends up being in Istanbul. Nicky couldn’t be happier. He packs Joe’s prayer mat with his gear and they head off. The mission goes smoothly and they’re back in the Istanbul safehouse in a couple of days. The next day, Nicky doesn’t press on it when Joe doesnt get up to pray in the morning. In fact, he’s still asleep. So Nicky just gently cuddles him. 

But that evening he drags Joe to the Hagia Sophia, for evening prayer. Prayer mat under his arm. Joe, knowing what his husband is trying to do for him, only insists once that they don’t have to. They can just go out for dinner, it’ll be more fun. Besides, they’re early for prayer anyway. In the courtyard of the Hagia they meet up with an Imam, who pulls Joe aside and takes a walk with him through the gardens. Afterwards Joe joins the evening-prayer. 

When Joe comes back late in the evening, he stayed talking to the Imam some more. Nicky has made friends with some people in the courtyard. It was there that he made the concious decision to converse with Joe more in Arabic, knowing how important the language is to the religion. And just overall wanting to be there for his hubby. 

After that the usual rituals find their way back. But Joe stays in contact with the Imam

[thekittykitsune]

Kissed By Fire ~ Part II

SUMMARY: Mitch Rapp was the best of the best. He was cunning, ruthless, and more importantly he has never failed. Not once. But all of that is about to change.

PAIRINGS: Mitch Rapp X OC

WARNINGS: Language; Violence; Death

WORDS: 1,617

MASTER LIST

To say that Stan Hurley was livid was an understatement. He was a natural surly bastard, and he would be the first one to admit it. The whole mess in Istanbul, however, made him unusually ranked. He didn't want to take it out on his niece but his temper got the better of him.

He and Irene Kennedy had spent the better part of the last hour yelling at the top of their lungs and it didn't seem like they were going to stop anytime soon. Kennedy, who's usually so calm and collected, was on her feet shrieking like a banshee in an effort to get her point across Hurley's thick skull.

"I warned you since day one that this would happen, but you didn't listen." Hurley snarled. "You keep that dog on too loose of a leash."

"That dog," Kennedy hissed. "That dog has racked up more field experience in two years than your ten operatives combined."

"The point is he still fucked up." Hurley said enunciating every word and cocked his head at the young spy who was sitting patiently still behind the glass wall.

Mitch Rapp paid his two bosses no heed. He closed his eyes and tuned out their voices the minute they started bickering. He replayed in his mind the series of events that led to this debacle, carefully assessing every detail.

It wasn't long after Katrina and her men left that Rapp forced himself up ignoring the stabbing pain that shot across his body. He would tend to his wounds later. For now, his mind was solely focused on getting out of there as fast as he could before the cops showed up. If he got caught that would jeopardize the entire operation and put an end to his career, if he still had one to begin with.

Rapp surveyed the destruction before him. Dead bodies and shell casings littered across the floor. Stepping over them, he made his way out of the safe house. Soon enough, he heard sirens blazing in the background and saw police cars heading towards the scene.

As casually possible, he headed towards the market in search of a payphone. He kept his head down but his guard up the whole way. He had to call his handler. It was of utmost importance for him to check in else the powers that be would get more nervous than they already were.

As soon as he found one, he informed Kennedy of the development in a coded message. Her voice betrayed no surprise. It was one of her traits that Rapp admired. In a calm voice, she told him to head back to HQ and so he did.

Throughout the travel home, Rapp let his brain wander in the past. He thought about Katrina. He met her during freshmen year in high school. He was trying out for the lacrosse team when he first saw her. It wasn't love at first sight. It was something better. And it was the start of one of the greatest love affair he had ever seen.

From then on, they spent every minute possible together. They planned everything. They talked about college, career, kids, etc. And just before graduation, he proposed. He never considered even the slightest possibility that one of them would be gone.

All was perfect –until that dreadful day that basically changed everything.

Katrina and her family had been on a road trip. One of their bonding moments before she goes off to college. They were at a gas station when the car blew up instantly killing everyone inside including two innocent bystanders. Some of the remains were so badly burned that they were impossible to identify. Further investigation revealed that a bomb was planted underneath the car.

When Rapp heard the news he was devastated. He refused to see or talk to anyone. He wallowed in his grief not able to bear the thought of not seeing, smelling, touching her ever again, and the list went on and on.

When it was time for the funeral, he pulled himself together. It was during the mass that he allowed himself to feel again. He shoved his self-pity in a corner and let his anger riot. He then vowed to kill those responsible for her death. And since then, he had been killing terrorists one by one and brought retribution to the table in honor of her memory.

The elevator ding brought Rapp back to the present. The man they had been waiting for finally arrived. Rapp stood up and shook his hand.

"Mr. Rapp. I wish we could've met in a far better circumstance." Thomas Stansfield said. He motioned for Rapp to sit down. Stansfield didn't like to dilly-dally so he cut right into the heart of the matter. He had already heard what happened from Kennedy and Hurley yet he still wanted to hear it from the man himself.

Rapp recounted what happened. Stansfield was quiet the entire time allowing Rapp to finish his story without interruption. After he was done, Stansfield asked, "What about Ms. Reilly? Finding out she's alive must have been a shock for you."

Rapp shrugged, unsure of what Stansfield was asking.

"Is it possible that maybe you let your feelings get in the way?"

"I won't lie to you. Was I surprised? Yes. Anyone would be. But did I let my feelings get in the way? No. That's what compartmentalizing is for."

Stansfield leaned on his chair. "Hurley thinks it would be a mistake to send you in again."

"The mistake was I didn’t go alone." Rapp deadpanned.

Stansfield arched a brow. "Care to elaborate?"

"If I was alone I could've handled the situation better and I wouldn't have to worry about a double agent smacking me at the back of my head." Rapp said without flinching.

Stansfield stroke his chin as if deep in thought. He looked at Rapp and smiled.

"Thank you, Mr. Rapp. I'll keep that in mind."

With his usual composure, Stansfield stood up and walked in to the glass office.

"Thank God," Hurley announced.

With great disappointment, Stansfield glared down at the length of the table first at Hurley then at Kennedy. "Sit," He ordered. Kennedy sat. But Hurley remained standing. "The first one who raises their voice will be stuck behind a desk for the rest of their life."

"You can't put me behind a desk," Hurley called his bluff.

"No. But I can think of something much worse," Stansfield threatened.

That was enough for Hurley to shut up. He knew all too well what Stansfield was capable of.

"How bad is it?" Stansfield asked both of them.

"Bad," Kennedy answered.

"And Richards?" He inquired.

Hurley shook his head. "The only information we have is from what Rapp told us. For all we know, he could be lying and he's the traitor."

"You're really still milking that?" Kennedy asked annoyed.

"Yes. I'm still milking that."

"So you think that Mitch Rapp and Katrina Reilly conspired with terrorists to kill her entire family then fake her own death, all so that he could be a mole in the CIA? Do you hear yourself?"

"With all the yelling I've been doing, I do and you should too." Hurley said sarcastically.

Wanting to avoid another screaming match, Stansfield changed the subject and asked Hurley, "What did your sources in Zurich say?"

"Nothing specific yet. All they know is it'll be in Moscow." Hurley replied.

Of course it is, Stansfield thought. From their enemies’ perspective, it would make perfect sense.

"I'll put my team together and we'll fly to Moscow first thing tomorrow." Hurley offered.

"What about Rapp?" Kennedy asked.

"What about him? The little shit fucked up. Sending him in would be a preposterous."

"And sending you wouldn't?" Kennedy pressed. She looked at Stansfield and pleaded her case. "I know we don't usually let it get personal here but think about it. She has history with Rapp, yes. But she also had the chance to kill him but she didn't. You know I'm right."

Stansfield pondered on the thought for a moment. That definitely was a complication but it could still work in their advantage.

"I agree with Irene." Stansfield said.

Kennedy inwardly smiled but kept her face neutral. Hurley on the other hand was furious.

"What?" He exclaimed. "You can't be serious."

Stansfield stood up and with finality said, "Rapp will go alone. End of discussion." As he turned to leave, he motioned for Kennedy to follow him as they needed to discuss matters in private.

On his way out, Stansfield nodded at Rapp signaling his approval. He then made his way to the elevators with Kennedy on his tail.

As the elevator doors closed, Rapp turned to Hurley who was now standing next to him with an incredulous look on his face. He crossed his arms and waited for Hurley to speak; bracing himself for the mouthful he would surely receive.

Hurley lit a cigarette and said, "I don't care what Stansfield says, you're not going alone." He was well aware that he would be disobeying a direct order but he didn't care at this point, not when the stakes are these high. He took a long drag off his cigarette and asked genuinely curious, "What are you going to do if she comes at you?"

Rapp asked himself that same question since their encounter. And after a lot of thinking he made his choice. The Katrina he once knew and loved was dead and whoever he met in Istanbul was an empty shell. He gave Hurley an icy glare and with a voice devoid of any emotion answered, "Then I'll put a bullet in her head."