Soccer, Secrets, and Love

Back To Work

Ashley's pov

Well unfortunately my two week break turned into 5 days as I was needed for an important mission. So now here I am going to work at 4:45 am on a Saturday because the Director wouldn't stop calling.

Luckily Mal was still awake when I was woken up and made me some coffee for the road. Mal also insisted on driving me to work for some reason even though she still hasn't told me why she's still awake.

"Soooo Mal care to tell me why you're still awake at this time and why you made poor Nico come with us for the drive?"Mal takes a deep breath before answering "Well I just I was on the phone with Lindsey giving her advice I guess she's been fighting with her boyfriend" Now it's my turn to release a deep breath and a very loud sigh. "Mally you broke up with Dansby like 4 months ago because you have feelings for Lindsey so please tell me why you haven't confessed these feelings or at least tried to date a different girl to try and get over her? Clearly a guy won't do it since yano you're gay which I have been telling you since we were like 12 but whatever" Mal takes a minute to think of how to word her answer before finally answering "Ashy it's just I don't think Lindsey feels the same way about me I know you claim she gives me some sort of look but I've never seen it and sonny said Lindsey seems in love with her boyfriend and I don't wanna ruin that"I swear at the end of her sentence it sounded like she was crying but we're only 5 minutes from headquarters and I gotta choose my next sentence carefully. "Look Mal I get it I do but you'll never know if you don't try and every time things have gotten rough over the years for either me or you Lindsey has come to help take care of us like when I was super sick and you got super sick she rushed here to help and when you hurt your knee a couple months ago she was on the first flight here to help since I'm so busy with my job but I respect you being scared but just don't rule it out yet". Now I can tell Mal is definitely crying but unfortunately we just pulled up to headquarters. "I'm sorry Mal I didn't mean to upset you but just go back home get some rest I'll have some food delivered to you and I'll call you as soon as I find out what this whole meeting is about". Mal wipes her tears as I give her a hug. "Thanks Ash and remember be safe don't get shot I can't handle taking care of you by myself you're too much". Before I could make a snarky comment back she had already pulled away.

I adjust my suit coat as I'm walking through the front doors so I look slightly more put together. Our front desk guy Chester scans my badge and lets me past. As he's scanning my badge we have some small chit chat gotta make a mental note to bring him a congratulations card he just found out his wife is expecting their first child. I take the elevator to the third floor and drop my briefcase at my office and head to the meeting room.

As I enter the meeting room I see the Director and Torres talking to a man in a Military uniform and a woman I assume to be his wife given the way he's consoling her as she cries. I enter the room and address everyone "Director. Torres, General and Miss. How may my partner and I be of service?". I'm slightly confused given as we don't typically deal with military unless it was someone undercover or some sort of terrorist attack but I assume there's good reason to pull me and Torres off our break for this mission. The Director starts speaking and I'm pulled out of my thoughts. "General Blake Masters and wife Judy Masters these are the best agents we have special agent Adam Torres and special agent Ashley Hunt." The General looks at me before speaking "Oh my...are you the daughter of John and Marsha Hunt?" I'm shocked by the question but keep my composure "Well yes sir I am. Would I be correct in assuming you were the famous general friend my parents were always talking about?". Before the general answers he stands up and gives me one of the biggest hugs I've ever received "You know I asked for the two best agents and I'm not shocked one of the best is Johns daughter. I couldn't make it to their funeral to do my duties but I'm sorry for your loss I know it's a little late"

I must have zoned out a little bit after the hug because I'm brought back into the conversation when the General starts speaking again. "Now I know this a lot to ask of you agents and I know you don't deal with military very often but I reached out to Director Marshall and he said we could keep this off the record and discreet. With that being said my son Blake Jr. always wanted to be like me growing up so when he said he wanted to enlist a couple years ago I couldn't argue with him would've made me a hypocrite. The other day I was informed that Jr. was on a simple mission they had been watching a group of people to protect them from a terrorist group in there town and one of them a little girl went missing. My son agreed to going and finding her except when he was about to escape terrorist camp with her he was shot and taken captive. They refuse to do anything to help because it puts a lot of people at risk and I understand I've had to make these calls before too but I can't sit here and think of my boy dying over there so please agents will you help get our son back?"

After that story I look at Torres and as soon as we make eye contact I know we're thinking the same thing. That boy needs to come home. "Yes sir we will help. We'll keep it discreet and off the records. We will do everything we can to bring him home to you."

About an hour later after discussing the game plan and figuring out our flight will head out in a couple hours around 5 pm so when we arrive there it will be close to nightfall and easier to strike. Torres gave me a ride back to the apartment and told me he'd meet me at headquarters around 4:30 to get ready for our flight. I walk into the apartment it's about 9:45 am now so I have some time to think and prepare and gather my appropriate weapons I'll need. We'll be going dressed in all black and strapped fully so we can sneak around and be prepared.

As I'm making myself an omelet I hear Mal shuffling into the kitchen half awake. Great how am I going to tell Mal I'm going to Afghanistan in a couple hours on basically a suicide mission and no back up.