#jazmir

“Hey,” Jaz chocked out her throat hoarse.

“Hey, baby, how are you feeling?” Amir asked and reached towards the cup of water that sat on Jaz’s bedside table. Dalton moved his chair closer to her and squeezed her other hand.

“Like I got shot. Did we get Boothe?” Jaz replied after taking a sip of water, this time a bit louder and a little less hoarse.

“We did. He already spilled his guts to Patricia,” Dalton spoke up.

“Good. Wait, how long was I out?” Jaz asked confused. Either she was out for a long time or Patricia was just that good.

“It’s Sunday afternoon, so not too long,” Amir assured her. But what he really thought was that for him every second Jaz wasn’t conscious was a second too long.

“Damn she works fast,” Jaz laughed and then winced feeling the pain in her shoulder more prominently with her movements. Seeing that Dalton went to get the doctor while Amir just squeezed Jaz’s hand a little tighter, happy to have her awake and laughing.

The doc then explained to Jaz that even though they had to do surgery to get the bullet out of her shoulder, the bullet didn’t do damage to any vital organs, so she just needed to heal up and she will be as good as new. Which is why a week later Jaz with Amir by her side was already back in the DIA debriefing about what happened with Boothe and what intel he provided. Her shoulder bandaged up and arm in a sling.

Jaz was a little surprised to see the FBI agents there as well though. Because she thought that they would have been debriefed earlier and returned to the bureau. After she woke up they, of course, came by to visit Jaz in the hospital. As did Patricia and Hannah. But she didn’t expect them to stick around DIA.

“I know some of you might be confused as to why all of you are still here,” Patricia started the debrief, “so I will get right to the chase. The DIA, CIA, FBI and the army were so impressed with how efficiently you all worked together, that they have decided to make this team a permanent fixture. Welcome to the DIA family Special Operations Team 8. Code name: The Brave.”

They went on to learn that they will be stationed right here in D.C., yet operating all over the world which made everyone happy. They also found out that Jaz, Amir, McGuire, Preach and Dalton will be the ground operators, led by Captain Dalton. While Patricia, Hannah, and Noah will be overseeing everything from the DIA. And when Jaz and Amir went to ask Patricia if their relationship won’t complicate things after the meeting, she waved them off assuring that it won’t.

“Well, it looks like we are staying in D.C.,” Amir said as he and Jaz exited the DIA hand in hand.

“Yeah, there goes our plans of traveling the world as undercover operatives,” Jaz replied teasingly.

“Would putting down roots in one place really be such a bad thing?” Amir questioned her as they were nearing their car to drive to the house they now called home.

“With you by my side? Never!” Jaz said leaning in for a kiss.

“Tell me again what you saw after the FBI breached the perimeter of Mrs.Tabbal’s residence?” Boothe questioned Felix in a clipped tone.

“I saw her take out John and Daryl and then FBI arrested her,” Felix replied scared.

“Arrested her, you say? Previously you just claimed that she’s FBI,” Booth pressed.

“Y..yeah, clearly they arrested her to keep her cover,” was Felix’s answer and his words became a bit shakier.

“And you forgot to mention the arrest why?” Boothe asked with menace in his eyes.

“I didn’t think it was that important!” Felix answered and Boothe quickly drew his gun and shot the man point blank. He was dead in an instant.

That shot sent Dalton, Preach, McGuire and the team back in DIA into a frenzy. Because all they had to go on was sound since Jaz was still in the building’s windowless entryway. Luckily, Jaz spoke up before the trio could take that as a sign to breach early, clearly indicating that the bullet wasn’t meant for her.

“You didn’t have to shoot him,” Jaz spoke knowing full well that if she didn’t, soon they would be joined by Dalton, McGuire and Preach.

“Ah but how will I ever instill respect in my men?” quipped Boothe seemingly starting to accept that Jaz isn’t the threat here. Jaz smiled a forced smile at Boothe and just then one of Boothe’s men approached him and whispered something to him. Jaz hoped that Boothe’s men had found the FBI covers DIA built because Boothe still had the gun he just used in his hand.

“Well, Mrs. Tabbal, it looks like you were right! Indeed, the men you killed were FBI working to take me down,” Boothe said after a beat and motioned for the men who were still flanking Jaz to retreat. That earned him a brilliant smile from Jaz. One that could disarm any man on the receiving end of it.

“Please, call me Natacha,” she replied figuring that a little flirting would only soften Boothe up further, “and I am always right. Can I get my husband back now?”

“Yes of course, of course, sorry for this miscommunication,” he replied and told his security to release Amir. In a minute Amir walked into the foyer with two of Boothe’s man behind him. There were cuts and bruises on his face, but it looked like they didn’t have time to do anything more permanent to Amir. Jaz let out a breath and ran into Amir’s arms. To an outsider, she would look like a wife happy to see her husband alive, but in reality, Jaz was ecstatic to see her partner in one piece.

The two hugged and Jaz kissed Amir all over his face, acting out her concerned wife part perfectly, and only when Boothe cleared his throat behind them they broke apart.

“I am sorry for my mistreatment of you Mr. Tabbal, you are one lucky man to have a wife as resourceful as yours,” Boothe said to Amir with a little admiration in his voice that left Jaz thinking that maybe she should have been the one to meet with Boothe in the first place.

“Don’t I know it,” Amir quipped squeezing Jaz’s waist because his arm was still around his partner mainly to reassure himself that she was actually here and that she managed to convince Boothe to release him.

“I will have your car brought around so you can be on your way,” Boothe added, but it seemed like he wanted to say something else. And as they waited for the SUV to be brought around he did, “it really is a shame that the FBI seized those rifles, isn’t it? We would have made wonderful partners.”

Just then Jaz had an idea. She knew that she should get out, be done with this mission and let Dalton, Preach and McG get Boothe. But it would risk the three men’s lives immensely. And Jaz realizes that she had a way to eliminate that risk, yet still lock Boothe up once and for all.

“Not really,” Jaz added nonchalantly and Amir gave her a confused look.

“What do you mean?” Boothe questioned with a spark of hope in his voice. Jaz gave Amir a look and he finally caught onto what Jaz was doing so he replied, just as their SUV stopped in front of them.

“There are a lot more where those came from, we will be in touch,” Amir said in a harsh tone, which luckily could be interpreted as his annoyance at what Boothe’s men did to him. But which really was Amir’s dissatisfaction with the fact that Jaz was willing to continue risking her life to get this man.

You could hear Boothe saying “Very well” behind them but Amir was already getting into the driver’s seat with Jaz tucked away in the passengers. And then the SUV sped off.