Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Oh come on, you know you’d hit this,” Maggie teased looking back at him with a smirk.

OA paused in shock. Partly because he knew she was right and partly because Jubal’s head snapped in their direction indicating he’d heard her. OA shook his head and went to catch up with his partner waiting for him by the elevators. He stood silently beside her, even as they entered the elevator until the doors closed.

“Just so you know, Jubal heard you,” He said with a satisfied smirk. Maggie looked up at him, horrified.

“He did not,” She exclaimed.

“Oh, he did. His head whipped toward us as soon as you said it.”

“Well shit,” She replied with a nervous chuckle. He chuckled and followed her out of the elevator when it reached the ground floor.

“You want me to drop you off?” OA asked as they continued to walk. Maggie saw something in his eyes that made her say yes.

“Yeah, okay.” She replied. She still rolled her eyes when he opened his truck's passenger door for her. He flashed her a thousand-watt grin and waited for her to get in before closing the door and walking around to get in.

“OA, I don’t know what it is, but I know that you have something to say,” Maggie said gently offering him the opportunity to talk.

“I do, would you mind if we picked up takeout on the way to your place and talked there?”

“That’s fine. Whatever you want to eat is good, my treat,” She responded with a smile and when he went to argue, she stopped him. “Don’t bother, I got it.”

“Alright, how about that burger spot around the corner from your place?” He suggested.

“Yeah, okay, you want your usual?” She asked.

“Yes, please,” He replied as he pulled over to the side once they arrived at the restaurant. Maggie got out and went to order their food. As she waited for their food to be prepared she wondered what OA might want to talk about.

She knew there hadn’t been anything specific about their last few cases that bothered him and she didn’t know of anything outside of work that could be bothering him, unless… She shook her head, no that wasn’t it. No matter how badly she might wish it was, there was no way he reciprocated her feelings for him. And he sure as hell didn’t know about her feelings in the first place. A few minutes later she pushed herself off the wall when she heard her name signaling that their order was ready. She had already paid so she went back outside and got in the truck.

“All set?” He asked.

“Yeah, we’re good,” She replied. OA pulled back into the traffic flow and drove just around the corner before parking in front of Maggie’s building. He got out and walked around the truck to meet her on the other side. He opened the door and took the food from her so she could unlock the door and let them into her apartment.

Once they were inside he set the food on the coffee table where they always sat together and then he went to grab a couple of beers from the fridge as she grabbed plates and napkins. They walked back to the living room together and stood by the coffee table. She set everything down and took the beers from him.

“OA, I’m here to listen. Whatever it is, I’m here,” Maggie whispered as she placed a hand on his forearm.

“I know that Mags, you always are,” He said as he sat down on the couch and motioned for her to join him.

“Omar… is everything alright?”

“Yeah, I’m alright. I just don’t exactly know the best way to put this into words,” He replied in a tone very unlike him. She could see, hear, and feel the anxiety radiating off of him. She fell to her knees in front of him and placed her hands on his face.

“Omar, you’re scaring me, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong. But what I have to say will change us no matter what you say, it will change us in some way and I don’t want to force that upon you because you don’t deserve that, Mags.”

“Hey, tell me anyway. It’s clearly bothering you, and I won’t stand for something bothering my partner like this.”

“You were right earlier. What you said in the office but it’s so much more than that Maggie. I love you. Like I am head over heels in love with you. And I don’t want to disrupt our partnership because our partnership is the most important relationship in my life but…”

Maggie interrupted him by climbing into his lap and pressing a kiss to his lips. He moved his hands to her waist and pulled her closer to him. Moments later they pulled back for air and OA smiled as he brushed a piece of hair behind her ear.

“I love you too, you idiot. I never thought you’d ever in a million years feel the same way,” Maggie smiled.

“How could I not? I mean have you met you? You’re incredibly smart, independent, generous, and kind. You’re always there when I need to talk or just sit in silence, Maggie you never fail to amaze me. No matter how cheesy this sounds, I mean it, there is no universe where I didn’t fall for you.” Maggie smiled and placed a gentle, chaste kiss on his lips.

“You’re cute when you ramble,” She replied and he chuckled.

“You wanna eat now?” He asks despite not wanting her to move but he knows how she feels about cold food and warm beer. He couldn’t help to agree, but still, he found it amusing how much it seemed to bother her.

“I think we could reheat the burgers later. The beers can be replaced with fresh ones from the fridge and we can put those back for another time,” Maggie replied as she trailed kisses down his neck.

“Mags, I don’t want you to feel…”

“I know, but I don’t feel forced and I don’t feel rushed. If you do, then tell me now, otherwise I suggest we move to the bedroom.” She replied before continuing her trail of kisses back up to his jaw.

Chapter Text

OA easily stood with her in his arms and made the trip toward her bedroom. Maggie wrapped her legs tightly around his hips and he groaned as she nipped at his neck and then soothed the mark with her tongue. He moved his hands to her ass and she moaned at the contact. Maggie crashed her lips on his as he pushed her bedroom door open and walked over to her bed.

OA pulled back just long enough to unbutton Maggie’s blouse and toss it to the side. She untucked his shirt and worked the buttons open as she urged him to let her drop to the mattress below. He let go and she pulled him with her as she threw his shirt in the same general direction he’d sent hers. He watched her eyes darken as she ran her fingers down his well-toned chest and stomach.

“See something you like, Agent Bell?” He teased as he took the tender skin of her breast into his teeth. She moaned in response and pressed her chest into his mouth, relishing the contact.

She reached behind her back to unclasp her bra and he pulled it off as soon as it was undone, his tongue exploring the newly exposed skin of her breasts.

Maggie wrapped her legs around his hips and flipped them over before moving her hands to unbuckle his belt and toss it aside. He continued to pepper her chest with kisses as he unbuttoned her slacks.

“OA,” She moaned as he drew his tongue up to her pulse point and sucked it into his teeth, “I have to be able to cover any marks you leave. I am not walking into the JOC with a hickey on my neck.” He chuckled and nodded before moving his mouth to her collarbone. Maggie leaned over him and ground her hips against him.

“Fuck Mags,” He groaned at the friction before gripping her pants and sliding them down, she kicked them off and sat up just enough to pull his off and let them join hers on the floor.

“So sexy,” She moaned as she ran her hands up his muscular thighs and licked her lips. OA’s hands gripped her hips and he rolled them back over so that he towered over her before crashing his lips to hers.

When they pulled apart due to the lack of oxygen he trail kisses down her chest and stomach and just as he moved his mouth where she craved it most, he moved to her thigh. He nipped and sucked at it before soothing it with his tongue.

“OA, please…” Maggie whined as her hips lifted off the bed. He placed a strong hand on her right hip to hold her in place. He used his teeth to slide her panties down her legs before throwing them in the direction of the floor.

“So beautiful,” He whispered before he wrapped his mouth around her and pressed his tongue into her clit. He watched as her head fell back against the pillow and her mouth fell open. He felt her hands on the back of his head drawing him closer to her.

“Fuck, yes…More,” She moaned and he slipped two fingers inside her and curled them against her as he thrust them into her and she let out a small scream as his fingers repeatedly hit against her in just the right spot and his tongue continued its rhythm against her clit.

As she came down from her climax he looked up to see the blush that covered her torso and face. OA watched her chest rise and fall and she gasped as she tried to regain her breath.

Once Maggie had better control of her breathing she pulled him up to her and brought her lips to his. He kissed her back and grunted as he felt her hand slip into his boxers and run her fingers against him.

“Shit, Mags,” He whispers and she grins. She uses her feet to rid him of his boxers and kicks them to the side.

“Condom?” He asks and she lazily tosses her hand towards the top drawer in her night stand. He reaches over and grabs one. Maggie takes it from him, rips it open, and rolls it over him. He hisses as her fingers scrape against his balls. Maggie shoots him a smirk and guides him to her entrance and he enters her slowly, allowing her to adjust to his size.

“Son of a…” She groans in pleasure as she feels her walls stretch around him. After a minute he pulled back out and slammed his hips back into her. Her hips began rising and falling to meet his rhythm.

For several moments the only thing that could be heard the sounds of their bodies connecting over and over again. Soon their moans grew louder and when he could see she was climbing to another climax he brought his lips to hers and moved one hand back to her clit. He rubbed her furiously as he nipped at her neck and her back arched from the bed.

“Ssso close,” She groans into his neck and he bit down on her pulse point and watched as she came undone. Seconds later he joined her and attempted to keep his body weight from crushing her but she pulled him down to her.

“Why on earth did we not do that sooner?” She says with a chuckle as he rolls off of her and onto his side next to her.

“I have no fucking idea. That was so damn good,” He replied as he pulled her close.

“Yeah, no kidding,” She added as she pulled the blanket up around them. They laid there for about an hour before either had the energy to get up. Maggie tossed on a long sleep shirt and panties and OA only bothered to put on his boxers and a pair of his sweatpants which had previously left at her apartment for whatever reason.

They went downstairs to heat up their food and swap their beers for colder ones before resuming their places at the coffee table and turning on the tv for some mindless background noise.

Once they finished eating they cleaned up and headed back up to bed, exhausted after a long day at work and their earlier activities.

They climbed into bed and Maggie rested her head on his chest and OA wrapped his arm around her waist as they fell asleep.

Chapter Text

The next morning OA was awake before Maggie and as it was a Saturday with no case, he decided to let her sleep and got up to go make them some breakfast. He knew his way around her kitchen so he knew he wouldn’t have a problem surprising her.

He grabbed a medium-sized frying pan and mixed the pancake batter that she always had on hand, mostly because she rarely had time to make pancakes. He set them out on a platter before quickly washing the pan and frying up some eggs and turkey bacon for them. He started the coffee maker and before he could turn back to plate their food he felt her arms wrap around his body.

“Good morning, Handsome.”

“Good morning, Beautiful,” He replied and turned in her arms.

“Thank you for making breakfast.”

“You’re welcome. Where do you want me to bring it? Coffee table? Back up to bed?” He asked with an eyebrow wiggle. Maggie laughed and grabbed the plates from the cabinet.

“Let’s put on a movie or something and sit at the coffee table. We have all weekend to go back to bed,” She tossed a wink over her shoulder and he nodded.

“Deal,” He replied as they plated their food and poured their coffee before going to the living room to sit and eat while watching a movie.

After they finished eating their breakfast and setting their plates aside, Maggie and OA snuggled into each other and OA grabbed the throw blanket from the back of the couch and tossed it over them. Maggie tucked her head into the crook of his neck and he ran his hand through the ends of her gentle curls.

“I don’t want to take away from this moment OA, but we do need to sit down and talk about where we see this going, and when we’re going to disclose to Jubal and Isobel, amongst other things.”

“I know, and we will, I promise. What about dinner tonight? I’ll head home sometime this afternoon and pick you up around 7?”

“Okay then, dinner tonight,” Maggie smiled and nodded in agreement.

After they had lunch and cleaned up, OA got dressed in his clothes from the day before so that he could go home to get ready for their date that evening.

Maggie spent the next few hours cleaning her apartment. She wiped the kitchen counters down, picked up anything that was out of place, and put her laundry into the washing machine. She stripped her bedsheets so that they could be washed as well.

She went into her closet and looked through her clothes. She wanted to find something that would drive him crazy, blow his mind, and render him speechless. It wouldn’t be hard, he was crazy for her after all.

She knew as soon as she saw it. The gorgeous emerald green dress that hugged her curves in all the right places, fell just below mid-thigh, and had a plunging neckline that still offered fairly modest coverage. She paired it with a dazzling pair of silver stilettos and laid it out on her bed.

Maggie went into her bathroom and turned the shower on as she stripped her clothes off and tossed them into the laundry basket. She stepped into the steaming shower and let her body relax as the water cascaded down over her.

Meanwhile, OA arrived home and called an Army buddy of his who now owned an incredible restaurant in SoHo and made a reservation for seven-thirty. He turned to pull out his favorite suit from the closet and sat down to shine his shoes. Some may call him ridiculous, but he is anxious and when OA gets anxious, he shines his shoes. It’s a habit he developed during his time in the service.

It was five o’clock by the time he got into the shower. He took his time washing himself before reaching for his towel wrapping it around his waist and stepping out of the shower. He made it a point to trim his beard before getting dressed.

When Maggie stepped out of the shower she wrapped herself in a towel and moved to stand in front of the mirror to do her makeup and fix her hair. She decided to leave it down and add just a bit of a curl to the ends. Once she was satisfied with her hair and makeup she went into her bedroom. She opened her drawers to pull out a matching underwear set so that she could get dressed. Just as she was slipping her earrings in she checked the time only to see that it was six-thirty and OA would be there in half an hour. She quickly switched her last loads of laundry over before pacing around the apartment anxiously.

OA left his apartment by six-fifteen so that he could stop to buy her flowers before he picked her up. He knew traffic would be a little heavier now so he wanted to give himself plenty of time to get to her apartment. With no discussion or knowledge, he had worn his favorite black suit and white button-up with a beautiful emerald green tie that his sister, Eman had given for his last birthday, though he hadn’t worn it yet. He just felt that tonight was the perfect opportunity for him to wear it.

He walked into a florist shop just a few blocks north of Maggie’s apartment and bought her a beautiful bouquet, most of which he couldn’t name but they were stunning and reminded him of Maggie. He had spent longer than he thought in the shop and it was exactly seven o’clock when he knocked on Maggie’s door, flowers in hand.

Maggie paused in her pacing when she heard the knock at the door. She grabbed her purse with her gun and badge tucked nicely under her phone, slid her shoes on, and opened the door to see him standing there with the flowers. She smiled. OA handed her the flowers and leaned in to kiss her cheek.

“You are stunning, Mags.”

“You didn’t have to bring me flowers,” Maggie gushed as a blush crept up her neck and cheeks, “But thank you,” She waved him in as she went into the kitchen to find a vase to put them in. It had been so long she’d kept fresh flowers in the house. He watched as she stretched to reach the vase, filled it with water, and put the flowers in.

“You deserve to be spoiled, and you’re welcome,” OA replied and stretched his hand out for her to take, and after she took it he led her to the door.

“So, what do you have planned for tonight, Agent Zidan,” Maggie teased as she locked the door.

“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see, Agent Bell,” He replied as he opened the passenger door to his truck and helped her in before walking around to get in himself.

As OA pulled away from the curb and started driving to the restaurant, he couldn’t help the smile that graced his face when Maggie rested her hand on his thigh.

“You look incredible, OA.” Maggie watched as his smile widened.

“Thank you, Mags. Apparently we read each other’s minds, too,” He replied and she chuckled. She’d wondered if he had noticed the unintentional matching of his tie to her dress. OA would be the first to admit that with her in that dress and her hand on his thigh he was struggling to concentrate on his driving but he knew Maggie knew what she was doing to him.

As he parked the truck Maggie removed her hand from his thigh and he unbuckled himself quickly, “Don’t get out,” He whispered as he placed a kiss to her cheek. At first Maggie was confused, but then understood that ever the gentleman that he was, he wanted to open the door for her. So as he made his way around the truck she unbuckled and waited for him to help her out.

They walked with his hand in the small of her back and when they got to the hospitality stand OA gave his name for the reservation. As it was only seven-fifteen their table was not quite ready so they’d have to wait just a few minutes before they could be seated.

“How on earth did you get reservations at this place on such short notice?” Maggie asked quietly.

“A buddy I served with owns it and it just so happens that they had a last-minute cancellation as well,” OA replied with a smile.

“It’s beautiful,” Maggie replied as she looked around.

“It doesn’t compare to you,” OA smiled as he looked down at her and she felt her chest and cheeks burning for the second time that evening.

Before she could respond, however, the hostess called for them to follow her to their table. They were led to a fairly private table in the quietest area of the restaurant. OA pulled Maggie’s chair for her and sat across from her once she was settled. The hostess left the menus on the table and left them to their own devices.

Chapter Text

Not long after they were seated, their waiter came to take their drink orders. They both ordered water; OA ordered a bottle of wine for them as well. He left them to look over their menus with a promise to return shortly with their drinks.

Maggie turned to OA as she opened her menu, “Any idea what’s good?”

“I haven’t been in such a long time the menu has probably changed, but I won’t hesitate to trust that anything on it will be amazing,” OA replied as he opened his menu.

“Hey, that Zinfindel you ordered would go well with Lamb, right?” Maggie asked as she spotted a dish she was very interested in trying,

“Absolutely,” He replied as he spotted the waiter coming back with their drinks. After he set them down he turned to ask if they were ready to order.

“Could you give us just a couple more minutes, please?” OA asked kindly and the waiter nodded. OA turned back to his menu and spotted the dish Maggie had her eyes on.

“Oh, are you looking at the roast lamb in the garlic pistachio sauce with the baked eggplant and parmesan truffle fries?”

“Yeah, it sounds incredible,” Maggie answered and barely needed to glance up at him to know that he had decided that he was also probably going to order it.

“It does and it all pairs with the Zinfindel really well.”

“I think that’s what I’m gonna get.”

“Me too. I’m sure everything’s great but the lamb sounds outstanding,” OA replied as he spotted the waiter coming back over to their table.

“Do you still need a bit longer or do you both know what you’d like to order?” The waiter, Paul asked politely as he came to a stop in front of them and OA looked to Maggie who nodded.

“We’re ready, actually we’d both like to order the roast lamb with the baked eggplant and parmesan truffle fries,” OA answered.

“Alright, I will put that in for you and it should be out shortly,” Paul replied before walking over to the computer to put their order in. OA turned to Maggie and smiled.

“Now that we have ordered, what it the first thing we should discuss? The most important thing?”
“I think the most important thing to discuss is where we see this going. That will lay the foundation for everything else,” Maggie answered honestly.

“I agree, do you mind if I start?” She motioned for him to continue.

“Okay, Maggie I told you last night that I am head over heels in love with you, and I meant it. I see this, us, lasting and that’s what I want. I want to wake up to you and fall asleep with you; I want to love you, to cherish you the way you deserve to be cherished. I want you, all of you,” He answered boldly, his eyes never leaving hers. He noted the glimmer that appeared not long after he started talking.

“I want all of that, too. I want the little everyday things as much as I want the big, spontaneous dates and whatever else. I always thought that Jason was my one but I have never felt what I feel for you, ever. I find it harder to breathe when you’re not with me, Omar. I want all of you, too,” She replied as she took his hand over the table and rubbed her thumb across his.

“So when do we come clean to Jubal and Isobel? Because we both know it’s inevitable. I love you and I don’t see this ending, so eventually I see them having to know.”

“We could always rip the bandaid off. Do it Monday morning. What if they split us up?”

“I don’t think they will. We have always been really close, so this shouldn’t affect us in the field. But even if they did we would probably just be switched with Tiff and Scola. It wouldn’t be the same, but we’d still be working together and we can trust them,” OA replied and squeezed her hand.

“Okay, so Monday? To get it over with and prove that we have nothing to hide?” He nodded.

“Monday. With that said, do we also tell Tiff and Scola or hold off for a bit?”

“I don’t know. I’d like us to be the ones to tell them if Jubal and Isobel do decide to split us up, it’s only right that they hear it from us,” She replied before continuing, “But if we do decide to wait, I’d like to not wait more than say about six weeks. Anything longer than that feels like we are trying to hide it.”

“I agree with all of that, should we put that one on the back burner until we see how Jubal and Isobel respond?”

“That’s reasonable. That information will help us decide and maybe we’ll have a better idea either way after talking to them.”

“Okay, is there anything else that we need to talk about right now? Anything else on your mind?” OA asked.

“I think we need to set aside one night a week for just us. It doesn’t have to be the same day every week and with our jobs it probably won’t be. It doesn’t even have to be something like tonight where we go out, but something that we can do to relax and enjoy ourselves together. I’d also like to alternate who plans it, but nothing is too simple and there shouldn’t be any pressure attached,” Maggie replied in a bit of a ramble before he put his finger on her chin and lifted her eyes to his.

“Mags, I agree. We’ll figure that one out, but I’ll add that I’d like at least one night out like tonight, every month. Whether it’s dinner or a show or even a way overdressed picnic in Central Park,” His last suggestion drew a chuckle from Maggie which was his intention, “I promise we will not miss out on time together outside of work, and friends and family, and everything else.”

“I can live with that,” She grinned as Paul brought their food to the table and set it in front of them.

“Is there anything else I can you at the moment?” Paul asked.

“No, thank you, Paul,” OA replied kindly.

“Did you have anything else you wanted to talk about?” Maggie asked OA.

“Just one. Do you have any feelings about when we tell our families?”

“I don’t have any feelings about that. I think we should do that based on how we feel individually.”

“Okay, that makes sense. I think I’ll probably wait just a little while, just because I know my mom and sisters will get really nosy and I don’t want to force you into meeting the rest of them so early.”

“First, I’d be happy to meet them, but I don’t plan on telling my family that soon either. Even thoug Erin and I are on pretty decent terms right now, I don’t think it’s a good idea to tell them this early.” OA nodded.

For a while as they ate neither said much. They simply enjoyed each other’s company and sipped their wine.

“This was incredible,” Maggie said as she finished her meal and swallowed the last of the wine in her glass.

“It was,” OA replied as he spotted his buddy walking over to them, “Heads up Mags, my buddy’s coming over.”

“Okay,” Maggie replied as she sat up a little straighter. OA stood to greet his buddy, Tom Wagner. He shook his hand before pulling him into a hug. After a few seconds, they separated.

“OA, how are you brother?”

“I’m good, Tom. How’re you?”

“I’m doing great,” He replied before turning to Maggie.

“Tom, this is Maggie. Maggie, this is Tom,” OA introduced and Maggie stood to shake his hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tom.”

“The pleasure is mine, Maggie,” Tom replied and turned to face both of them, “How was everything, tonight?”

“It was incredible,” Maggie replied.

“It was, you’re doing good things here, brother,” OA added.

“Well thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it but I gotta know, what kind of anniversary did you forget that you called for a last minute reservation?”

“He didn’t. This was our first date,” Maggie said smiling up at OA.

“Seriously? I’d have never known. I’ve been stealing glances over here all night and I thought you two had been together for a while by the looks of it,” Tom replied.

“Mags is also my partner at work. We’ve been partners and best friends for almost six years,” OA added.

“Maybe that’s what I saw, I’ll leave you to it, but OA don’t let this one go,” Tom said as he shook both of their hands again.

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it,” OA replied as he and Maggie sat back down. OA waved Paul over to the table and asked for the check.

“Of course, sir,” Paul replied and went back into the kitchen to get the check.

“Paul, I have taken care of table 23’s bill,” Tom says as soon as he sees Paul come back into the kitchen.

“Alright, sir, I’ll let them know,” Paul turned and went back to the table and informed Maggie and OA that the check had been taken care of. OA chuckled and shook his head.
“Thank you, Paul. Thank Tom for me, could you?” OA replied and stood up. He discreetly handed Paul a hefty tip before taking Maggie’s hand and walking towards the door.

“He will only argue if you insist on paying, won’t he?” Maggie asked with a grin.

“Yep. He’s stubborn, just like me. I didn’t expect him to do that, but I know him, I should have seen it coming,” He replied as he opened the door and helped Maggie into the car.

“Well it was really nice of him and he’s a good guy, I like him,” Maggie replied after OA got in the car as well.

“Tom’s one of the best. He’s probably the guy I’m closest to from my time in the service,” OA added as he drove back towards Maggie’s place. Maggie nodded barely able to focus on anything but OA’s hand resting high on her thigh.

“Omar, tonight was wonderful, I’m really glad we figured everything out tonight. Thank you,” Maggie said softly as he parked in front of her building.

“Always, Mags,” OA replied and leaned over the console to kiss her.

“OA?”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s go inside,” Maggie replied as her eyes darkened. OA licked his lips and got out of the truck. He pulled Maggie’s door open and offered his arm to her. Maggie took iit and climbed out. She walked up the steps all the while noting the feeling of OA’s eyes on her ass as she unlocked the door.

“You coming, babe?” She asked over her shoulder with a sultry grin. OA ran up the stairs and followed her inside. His lips met hers as he pressed the door closed with his foot and flipped the lock into place.

“Take me to bed,” Maggie moaned when his lips met her neck.

“As you wish, Mags,” OA replied as he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom.

Chapter Text

Two days later Maggie and OA woke up to the alarm blaring on the nightstand. Maggie groaned as she reached over to turn it off.

“Why don’t you go ahead and shower? I’ll make coffee and breakfast.”

“Are you suggesting I smell?” Maggie chuckled as she got up and made her way towards her bathroom.

“No.” OA chuckled back and shook his head as he walked toward the kitchen.

Maggie turned on the shower and walked under the hot spray. She washed herself quickly and wrapped herself in a towel before walking to her closet to pick a suit for work. She chose her favorite black one and grabbed her undergarments from the dresser before dressing herself. She went back into the bathroom to dry her hair and brush it out.

By the time she made it downstairs, OA had coffee waiting alongside eggs, bacon, and sliced fruit.

“Looks delicious, Babe. Thank you. I pulled out some fresh towels for you.” Maggie replied and kissed his cheek as he walked back to the bedroom.

Maggie ate as OA showered and made sure their coffee was in their thermos cups. Since OA had already eaten, Maggie put the rest of the food away. OA came back out dressed in a fresh suit. Maggie sat on the bench next to her front door to slip her shoes on and grabbed her purse. Since their go bags were already in the car, OA grabbed their coffees and they headed out to the car. Maggie climbed into the passenger side and took their coffees from him so that he could get in himself.

They were going in just a bit earlier than usual to talk to Jubal and Isobel. They had already printed and filled out the disclosure forms for Isobel to file with HR. When OA parked in the parking garage they paused for just a moment before getting out.

“Are you sure about this?” OA asked.

“I am. You?”

“Absolutely.”

“Let’s do it,” Maggie replied before kissing him and grabbing her things before climbing out. OA grabbed his go bag and got out. He locked the car and followed her to the lobby of the building.

They signed in and walked to the elevator to head to the JOC. When they arrived they went into the bullpen to put their stuff away and OA waved Jubal over to them as they walked into Isobel’s office.

“Is everything alright?” Isobel asked after seeing the three enter her office and OA shut the door. Maggie laid the file folder that contained their paperwork on her desk.

“Absolutely, but we do need to talk to the two of you.”

“This have anything to do with that little quip on Friday?” Jubal asked. Maggie blushed slightly and OA suppressed a chuckle.

“Yes and no. That led to a very particular chain of events,” Maggie paused before continuing, “As of Friday evening, Agent Zidan and I are in a personal relationship.”

“All of the necessary paperwork is in the file,” OA added.

It took a moment for Isobel and Jubal to digest the information before they locked eyes and started laughing. Logically, Maggie and OA were quite confused.

“I’m sorry, what’s funny?” Maggie asked.

“Sorry, it’s just that it took you two long enough,” Jubal replied.

“Look, as long as you two can keep it professional at work I don’t see a problem with you staying partners. Jubal?”

“Nah, they’re solid, but have you two decided on telling Tiff and Scola?”

“We didn’t want to wait more than six weeks, but other than that we haven’t decided,” OA responded respectfully.

“Look, I can’t and won’t force anything but I do think it may be better if they knew sooner than later. If something came up in the field, it could benefit you all if they had that information,” Isobel chimed in.

“I didn’t think about it that way,” Maggie begins and turns to OA, “Does that change anything for you?”

“Yeah, I agree with Isobel. We’ll try and tell them today?”

“Yeah, we’ll find time,” She agreed before turning back to the ranking agents in the room, “However, unless absolutely necessary, we won’t be telling the rest of the JOC for a bit.”

“Understood, I will file this paperwork with HR, I appreciate you both coming to us sooner rather than later,” Isobel replied and they nodded as they made their way out of her office. Jubal stayed behind and the two older agents watched as Maggie and OA pulled Tiff and Scola into one of the conference rooms just as they finished putting their things away.

“What’s going on, guys?” Scola asked concerned.

“Nothing bad, we just have to tell you both something and we’d like to do it away from prying eyes and listening ears,” OA responded. Maggie took a seat at the small table and the others joined her.

“Hold up, are you two together now?” Tiff asked.

“Yes, but what made it that obvious?” Maggie asked.

“I don’t know, just felt like the only thing that made sense,” Tiff shrugged in response and Scola nodded, his face indicated he had questions.

“Ask your questions, we’ll answer ‘em,” OA said.

“Have you told Jubal and Isobel, yet?”

“We just left her office before we ran into you guys. They’re filing all of the paperwork with HR today.”

“When…I mean how long?” Tiff asked.

“Since Friday. We wanted to tell you guys so that you didn’t think we were hiding it from you but also just in case something comes up in the field. Isobel pointed that second one out and we agreed. Also, we’d like to keep it from the rest of the JOC at the moment. Enough of our lives is common knowledge as it is, we’d like this bit of privacy, for now,” Maggie replied.

“Of course,” Scola replied and Tiff nodded.

“Anything else?” OA asked and they shook their heads so the four headed back to their desks in the bullpen to catch up on paperwork and wait to see if they caught a case today.

It was nearly lunchtime when OA got a call from Amira about their mother. Maggie knew immediately something wasn’t right when he jumped up, tapped her shoulder, grabbed the keys, and motioned for her to follow him. She grabbed her purse and followed him to the elevator.

Chapter Text

Everyone noticed the urgency of their exit and as they were getting into the car, Maggie’s phone rang.

“Hey Jubal, look I don’t know all the details, but something is wrong and it involves OA’s mom. I’ll let you know what’s going on when I can.”

“Okay, take your time. Let us know if we can do anything here.”

“I will,” Maggie replied before they hung up. OA hung up as well and turned to Maggie as he pulled out of the parking garage.

“What’s going on?”

“My mom was attacked right in front of her building. Sh-she was targeted because she’s Muslim and Egyptian, pure hate crime. Amira is already with her at the hospital. My other sisters Eman and Leila are on their way, too,” OA replied while trying to keep his composure.

“Okay, what do you need from me?”

“I don’t know yet, just stay with me?”

“Always,” Maggie answered as he pulled into the parking lot at the hospital. He parked as close as he could and they walked in. They found Amira waiting and made their way over to her.

“Amira, where is she?” OA asked.

“Just down the hall. But her doctor isn’t letting her wear her hijab or listening when I ask him to find a female doctor.”

“Let me handle this one,” Maggie said before heading over to the nurse’s desk, “The personal effects of Halima Zidan, now,” She demanded. The nurse didn’t even look up so Maggie pulled her badge and shoved it into her view, “I said, now.” Upon seeing her badge the nurse complied. Maggie took the bag and walked over to Amira.

“Go put her hijab on. If someone tells you to stop or gets in your way, you call for us and you quote your First Amendment rights to freedom of religion. When she’s ready wave us down the hall,” Maggie said as she handed her the bag.

“Thanks, Maggie,” Amira said as she took it and walked back down the hallway. The doctor who had seen this entire exchange came over towards them.

“Who the hell are you to order my nurses around?” He demands. Maggie and OA pull their badges.

“FBI. And Mrs. Zidan is entitled to her religious beliefs according to the Constitution. This includes her hijab, and a female doctor now that her injuries are no longer in need of emergent attention. You will comply with these laws or you will be arrested. She is here because she is the victim of a felony hate crime and you are committing another against her by not complying with her requests,” Maggie replied, purposefully putting herself between the doctor and OA. She could feel the tension between them and his anger was radiating through him. Maggie knew if she didn't handle this then the doctor would likely be the one in need of medical attention.

“All due respect agent, this is my ER and I make the calls here.”

“Are you refusing to comply, doctor?”

“Yes.” Maggie grabbed his wrist and spun him around before cuffing him.

“Then you are under arrest for committing a felony hate crime on the basis of religion. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?” The doctor struggled against her but Maggie tightened her grip.

“I speak English, bitch,” The doctor spat. OA waved a pair of uniformed NYPD officers over and they handed him over to them as they explained the situation. Amira popped her head out of the room and waved them over.

“Go,” Maggie replied as she turned to speak to Scola and Tiff who had just walked in.

“Did we catch her case?” Maggie asked and they nodded.

“Yeah, what was that?” Tiff asked.

“Her doctor was refusing to comply with requests that she made on the basis of her religion, so I arrested him, you know before OA could snap his neck,” Maggie only half-joked.

“Damn,” Scola replied and they followed OA down the hall. Maggie stepped into the room and put her hand on OA’s back to get his attention. He turned to her and spotted their friends in the hallway.

“The JOC caught the case?” He asked and Maggie nodded.

“They need to talk to her. I’m sure we should be expecting a call from Isobel. You need to make up your mind right now. Can you work this, or do we need to pull ourselves off?” OA looked to his terrified mother and back to Maggie.

“Pull us. I need to be here with her,” He responded just as her phone rang. Maggie went back into the hallway and answered it.

“Hey, Isobel. We know the JOC caught the case. OA said he wants you to pull us off.”

“Okay, I will. How’s she doing?”

“Well, we just arrested her doctor for refusing to comply with her requests including her being allowed to wear her hijab. NYPD should be dropping him off shortly. We advised him about the law and told him that if he refused to comply he would be arrested, and he still refused.”

“We’ll question him, just in case he knows something but I doubt he does. Tell OA and his family that we’ll get this guy and let us know if there is anything we can do.”

“I will. I’ll come get our stuff later. Is it alright if I grab our case files then and we work on everything outside of the office for now?”

“Absolutely. I’m going to pull a couple of agents from Hate Crimes to work on this with Tiff and Scola since we’re pulling you two off. I’ll keep you updated.”

“Thanks, Isobel.”

“Of course. I’ll talk to you later, Maggie.”

“Yeah, bye.” Maggie hung up and motioned for the other agents to follow her.

“OA,” Scola started, “Can she handle this right now?” He asked gently.

“Yeah, but we’re staying.”

“Of course,” He replied. He kept his distance and allowed Tiff to stand a bit closer to Mrs. Zidan. OA turned to his mother.

“Am’ma, my friends need to ask you a few questions, okay?”

“Okay, I will do my best to answer them,” Halima replied, “Help me sit up more, please,” OA pressed the button on the remote to raise the bed and helped his mother situate herself.

While OA was helping Halima, Maggie turned to Amira, “You guys can stay while they take her statement but you can’t interfere, alright?” Amira nodded and relayed the information to her sisters. She’d seen the way that Maggie had rested her hand on OA’s back and heard the gentleness in her voice as she’d spoken to him earlier and as soon as she could get one of them alone she was going to ask them about it. She’s had suspicions about her brother’s feelings for his partner for quite sometime and she knew they were already so much more than partners, had been for years.

The Zidan sisters all took a seat on the small couch in the corner and Maggie stood off to the side. OA sat protectively at the foot of the bed and nodded to Scola.

“Mrs. Zidan, is there anything you can remember about what happened or a bout your attacker?”

“He was white, not too much older than Omar, probably late thirties maybe early forties. He had dark hair but bright blue eyes. He had a scar that cut through his right eyebrow. It was about three or four inches long. He was tall maybe 6’2 or 6’3, average build. The only thing I can remember about the attack is that I could see him coming, he saw me in my hijab and I could see a nasty look on his face. I braced myself for the inevitable comments but I wasn’t prepared for him to knock me over and…” Halima paused and tried to control her breathing.

“Take your time Mrs. Zidan,” Tiff said softly.

“Am’ma, it’s alright, catch your breath, you’re safe here,” OA soothed as he took her hand.

“I’m alright,” Halima replied after a moment, “Anyway, before I blacked out all I remember is him calling me just about every hateful name for muslims and kicking me in the ribs. I saw another gentleman coming but I felt him pulling him away. I don’t know what happened after that,” She finished.

“Thank you very much, Mrs. Zidan, we’re going to do everything in power to catch this man,” Scola replied and he nodded to OA and Maggie as he and Tiff turned to leave and go back to the JOC.

“Am’ma, are you alright?” Leila asked as she walked over to her mother.

“I’m as well as I can be, Leila, Omar’s team they’ll get this guy and I’ll go home and be fine,” Halima rested her hand against her daughter’s cheek.

There was a knock at the door and a new doctor, a woman appeared, “Hello, Mrs. Zidan, I’m Doctor Ibrahim. I understand you’ve had quite the morning, I just want you to know I am going to do everything in my power to make the rest of your day much easier. If there is anything you need, please let me know or have the nurses page me.”

“Thank you, I will,” Halima smiled.

“Before I go, may I do a quick exam of your injuries?”

“Yes, Omar, I’ll have to take my hijab off,” Halima replied.

“Of course, Am’ma. Maggie and I will go grab lunch for everyone. Would you like us to get an assortment from Samra’s?”

“That would be delightful, thank you.” OA nodded and stretched his hand out to Maggie and they shut the door behind them.

In the JOC Kelly and Elise were pulling traffic camera footage from Mrs. Zidan’s block in an attempt to identify her attacker. With her vivid and detailed description it shouldn’t be very difficult.

“Jubal, I’ve got him. Running him through facial rec now,” Elise said as she waved Jubal over.

“Alright let’s see who we’re looking for,” Jubal replied as facial rec gave them a match.

“Donald Mitchell, age 38, former Army Special Forces, dishonorable discharge, several arrests for assault and battery and even a prior conviction for a hate crime against the Muslim community. Let’s get Tiff and Scola a last known address and have SWAT meet them there,” Jubal commanded.

“Got it, last known address on Dekalb Ave in Brooklyn, I sent it straight to Tiff and Scola,” Kelly called out.

Maggie and OA had just walked into Samra’s to pick up food for everyone when Maggie’s phone dinged.

“Is that the JOC?” OA asked.

“Yeah, they got a beat on the guy. Tiff and Scola are at his place with SWAT now.”

“Good, hopefully he’s there. I can’t wait to see this guy behind bars.” Maggie could see just how much this was bothering OA. She knew he was blaming himself even though there wasn’t anything he could have done.

“I know, we’re all rooting for that, babe. I think Amira is onto us, and if she wasn’t before she definitely is after the way we left.”

“Yeah, she’ll try to corner one of us and get her answer but whatever. Thank you for staying with me,” OA said as he paid for their order that Maggie had called in on their way.

“Always. I’m here for whatever you need, babe.” OA leaned over and kissed Maggie as they waited for them to finish making the food.

“I love you,” He smiled.

“I love you, too.”

Back at the hospital Dr. Ibrahim had just finished her exam and looked to Halima, “Everything looks alright, your x-rays look good as well. Luckily none of your ribs are broken, though there are a few small fractures, and you do have concussion but it should heal on it’s own. I would like to keep you overnight, just for observation but I feel very comfortable releasing you around lunchtime tomorrow.”

“Thank you Dr. Ibrahim,” Halima replied as her daughters helped her put her hijab back on.

It was twenty minutes later when Maggie and OA returned to the hospital with the food. They knocked on the door before entering.

“How’re you feeling Am’ma?”

“I’m alright, the doctor is going to keep me here for observation but other than that I’m going to be fine.”

“Good, our team is raiding the address of the man who attacked you. Your description helped them narrow down the suspect pool on the traffic cameras.”

“I’ll feel a lot better when he’s behind bars,” She replied.

“How long?” Amira whispered to Maggie as they were setting out the food. Maggie looked to OA who was watching them and he nodded.

“Since Friday,” Maggie replied and Amira did a little happy dance.

“Finally,” She squealed quietly.

“What are you going on about Amira?” Eman asked. OA flushed and locked eyes with Maggie who shrugged. Amira looked between them and then to Eman.

“Our dear brother and his partner are dating,” Amira grinned, “Finally, if I might add.”

“Is this true, Omar?” Halima asked.

Chapter Text

“Yes, Am’ma. Maggie and I are together,” OA replied and reached his hand out to Maggie who took it.

“And you are happy? Both of you?”

“Yes,” OA replied.

“We are,” Maggie added in unison.

“And it won’t interfere with your work? You won’t get into trouble?”

“No, Am’ma. We’ve already talked to our bosses and they’re alright with it.”

“Alright then, I wish you both well. I’m glad you’re happy,” Halima responded with a soft smile on her face. Maggie and OA smiled back.

“Thank you, Mrs. Zidan.”

“None of that, you can call me Halima, Maggie,” Maggie nodded with a smile.

“Isn’t that your boss outside?” Amira asked. Maggie and OA turned to see Jubal standing at the nurse’s station, probably looking to find them.

“Yeah, we’ll be right back,” OA replied and they went to talk to Jubal.

“Jubal? Everything alright?”

“Everything is fine. I just wanted to check on you all here. Tiff and Scola found Mitchell and brought him into the JOC. He wasn’t even trying to hide.”

“Good, I’m glad we can tell her that he’s in custody. We’re all doing okay. My mom has some minor rib fractures and a moderate concussion. They’re going to keep her overnight for observation but she should be released by lunchtime tomorrow. She’ll make a full recovery.”

“That’s good, I’m glad she’s going to be alright. Mitchell isn’t anything for her to worry about anymore. Isobel said not to worry about coming back today unless you needed to grab anything. Take the time you need with your family.”

“Thanks, Jubal,” OA replied gratefully.

“I’m coming to grab our stuff and some of our case files in just a little while,” Maggie replied.

“Oh and that doctor that you two arrested, he’s going to be charged as well. Turns out he was Mitchell’s cousin and this isn’t the first time he’s done this, the cousin always covered for him with the victims as his patients. They just chose the wrong target and got themselves arrested this time,” Jubal informed the two.

“As much as I am pissed off about them targeting my mother, I am glad that we managed to stop them.”

“Everything is okay with the new doctor she was assigned?”

“Yes, she’s great,” OA assured him.

“Good. Now how are you handling all this?”

“I’m fine, I got Mags and she’s got my back. That’s all I need right now. My sisters are shaken up but they’ll be alright too.”

“Good, let me know if you all need anything.”

“We will, thanks, Jubal,” OA responded and the two shook hands before Jubal left and OA led Maggie back to his mother’s room.

“So much for waiting a bit before telling them,” He joked and Maggie chuckled.

“Yeah, but it seemed to brighten her spirits and at least now it’s out there. I’m glad she’s okay with us, with me,” Maggie replied a bit nervously. OA pulled her to the side.

“Of course, she is, why wouldn’t she be?” Maggie shrugged.

“I don’t know, but I have never been the best at meeting the parents and Jason’s mother hated me for the longest time,” She replied softly and OA pulled Maggie into his chest.

“Well, that’s not what happened here and as much as I love and respect my mother, she doesn’t have a say in who I date, Mags,” OA replied and Maggie nodded as she pulled back.

“I love you. Thank you for putting up with my insecurities,” She smiled up at him.

“Always, you have nothing to worry about here, babe. I love you, too,” He responded and they continued back to his mother’s room.

“Everything alright? Did they get the guy who did this?” Leila asked as they walked back in.

“They did. He is in custody and so is the doctor. It turns out they were cousins and they’ve been doing this for a while and covering for each other,” OA replied.

“Well, I’m glad it won’t happen to anyone else now that they’ve been caught,” Halima replied.

“Yeah, they sure chose the wrong family to mess with this time,” Eman added.

“Yeah, and it sure was fun watching you put that doctor in his place, Maggie. And getting Am’ma her hijab back too. That nurse looked terrified after she saw your badge,” Amira continued. Maggie nodded.

“She was, wasn’t she? I didn’t want to have to use it, but she didn’t give me a choice either,” Maggie chuckled.

“You just jumped in and defended Am’ma like it was nothing, got her belongings and everything before the doctor could do anything about it,” Amira added.

“You did that for Am’ma without even knowing her?” Leila asked impressed. Maggie blushed slightly, being the center of attention made her a bit anxious.

“That’s how things tend to go with Mags, she doesn’t let anyone walk over her or anyone else. She beat me to the punch and I think part of that was to keep me from putting the doctor in the ICU,” OA chuckled but purposefully pulled some of the attention from Maggie.

“Yeah, but only because then I would have had to arrest you,” Maggie grinned.

“You wouldn’t have and you know it,” OA teased.

“Only because it would be so much paperwork and I wouldn’t have a partner to annoy me,” Maggie replied cheekily. OA chuckled.

“I annoy you?” He asked incredulously

“Have you not figured that one out yet?” Maggie asked. OA made a face at her and they laughed. Halima enjoyed seeing them get off track. She got to see how they really interacted with one another and it made her very happy to know that could be so relaxed with each other.

“Anyway,” Eman started, “Shall we eat?” She asked as she tried to bring them back to where they were before Jubal showed up.

“Yes,” OA said as he moved back over to the food and started to pass out plates. He knew exactly what his mother would want and started making her plate while Maggie and Amira helped her sit up and get settled in the bed.

OA pushed the tray table toward her and set the plate on it, “Here you are, Am’ma,” He said and passed her some plastic silverware.

“Thank you, Omar,” She replied and took it from him. The rest of them made their plates and scattered around the room. They carried on a light conversation as they ate.

“So guys, has it really only been since Friday or is that the story you’re going with?” Amira teased.

“It’s only been since Friday, Amira,” OA replied calmly but slightly annoyed.

“Yeah, but we have had feelings for each other for a lot longer than that, we just never admitted it,” Maggie added as she rested her hand on his knee. He nodded.

“That’s true, we spent a lot of time denying it to ourselves, even going so far as seeing other people. There was a chance we could have been separated at work or even reassigned. We got lucky with our bosses letting us stay partners. That’s mostly because they know us so well and they know we can be professional and keep our cool in the field,” OA finished.

“When did you know that you had feelings for one another?” Halima asked curiously. Maggie turned to OA.

“That’s a good question, Omar, do you remember when you realized it for yourself?” He smiled down at Maggie and nodded.

“I do. It was probably the worst time for a realization so big, but it honestly shouldn’t have surprised me as much as it did, “ He replied knowing that if he shared his experience it might bring up a few unwanted memories for Maggie.

“You’re talking about in the lab, aren’t you? During the Sarin case?” Maggie asked quietly.

“Yeah, It kind of hit me as I tried to focus on getting you out. When in fact all I could think about was how much you meant to me and how I didn’t think I could exist without you. That’s when I picked the chair up and then tried to shoot through it. I’m not even going to lie, I panicked until you opened your eyes again almost a month later,” He replied squeezing her hand.

“I don’t think I ever told you, but that first day in the coma and every day after that, I heard you. I heard everything and I do remember it,” Maggie added as she tossed her empty plate in the trash and met his gaze with her own. OA set his plate down and wrapped Maggie in his arms.

“Thank you for coming back to me, I was terrified you weren’t going to, and then I walked in one day and you were just flipping through channels on the TV barely able to move on your own.”

“And you stayed with me all night and filled me in on everything that had happened while I was out. Jubal found us asleep against each other when he stopped by the next morning.”

“Yeah, I was late to work that day, but I didn’t care. You were awake and that was what mattered most to me. Okay, your turn, when did you know?”

“I knew you had me hook, line, and sinker when I was on that ledge fifty feet off the floor in Grand Central Station just a few weeks after I came back to work and it was some kind of bioweapon that we had to keep from going off. I felt a lot of deja vu and the only thing I could think about was you,” Maggie replied. OA pulled her face to his and placed a soft, chaste kiss on her lips.

The women in the room listened as Maggie and OA poured their hearts out in telling their stories and sharing these difficult yet special moments in their lives. It was then Halima knew that this was the woman her son would marry and she was absolutely okay with that. She could see their love and concern for one another and it reminded her of herself and her late husband. She knew that Maggie would take care of her son and that he would be happy for the rest of his life because she would be in it.

Chapter Text

Later that afternoon while Halima was taking a nap, Maggie slipped out to get their things from the JOC. She’d taken the keys to the SUV and driven back to the parking garage. She parked in their assigned spot before walking through the lobby to get to the elevator.

When she got to the JOC she walked over to her desk and packed up everything she needed to take with her. She turned and did the same with OA’s things. She smiled when she saw Tiff and Scola approaching.

“Hey, Maggie. How’s OA doing?”

“He’s definitely got a lot to process as of yet, but he’s okay. I won’t let him keep it in. Although, it’s going to be difficult to get him to leave her in the hospital overnight.”

“That’s understandable. They’ll get through this,” Scola replied.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure he’s still beating himself up over not being there to stop it.”

“Sounds like OA,” Tiff added.

“Yeah, is Mitchell still in holding? I just have something I need to say to him,” Maggie asked.

“He’s still in interrogation, look, we’ll let you talk to him, but we’re coming with you,” Scola said quietly and the three slipped out of the bullpen and down the hallway to the interrogation room. Jubal noticed them and while he knew it wasn’t the best idea, he didn’t interfere. He knew Tiff and Scola would keep Maggie out of trouble if necessary.

When they got to the room where Mitchell was being held, Maggie pushed the door open; Tiff and Scola flanked her, “I just wanted to tell you that the woman you attacked this morning was a US citizen. She is also the mother of an Army Ranger turned FBI agent. So when you want someone to blame for your situation, look in the mirror. You and your cousin may have gotten away with this for a while if you hadn’t targeted her. You can defend yourself all you want, but when it comes down to it, you were the ones doing the terrorizing. You were the problem,” Maggie ranted before turning on her heel and walking back toward the bullpen. She walked past Jubal and he nodded at her. She stopped.

“If you have to write me up for breaking protocol, I get it, She started, not making eye contact with him, “But he needed to hear that and I needed to say it. The tape will show that I didn’t touch or threaten him.”

“Maggie, I saw you all disappear down the hall, if I wanted to stop you, I would have. I knew those two would keep you from doing something stupid,” Jubal replied before walking away. Maggie nodded at him before continuing back to their desks. She grabbed all of their bags and walked to the elevator. She rode it straight down to the parking garage and put everything into the back seat of his truck before getting in to drive back to the hospital.

When she got back to the hospital she found OA pacing outside. She could see how upset he was, she approached him from his line of sight and pulled him into a hug.

“She’s going to be fine,” Maggie says softly looking up at him.

“I know, but she didn’t deserve this, and I wasn’t there to protect her,” OA replied as he wrapped his arms around her.

“First, no one deserves this, and we know that. That’s why we choose to do our job every day. Second, Omar you can’t be with any of us every second of every day. You won’t always be able to protect us but I know that you will always be there to pick us up again. And yes, I do mean us. Because you are just as protcective over your sisters and I. And no matter what, we all know that and because we know that, you will always be our first call when we need help, or don’t feel safe,” Maggie reassured him.

“Thanks, Mags, I needed to hear that,” OA smiled and kissed her head.

“I know, and that’s what I am here for. Let’s go visit while we can, visiting hours will be over soon.”

“Yeah, okay,” He replied and took her hand before walking back in the hospital and to his mother’s room.

A few hours later after they’d said goodbye to OA’s mom and sisters, they climbed into OA’s truck and he pulled out of the parking lot.

“Mags, are you alright staying at my place tonight?”

“Of course,” She replied.

“Do you need anything from your place?”

“No, I have everything I need in my bag, babe.” OA nodded and drove in the direction of his apartment. It was closer to the hospital than Maggie’s and he felt more comfortable there tonight.

Ten minutes later, OA parked his truck in front of his apartment. The two got out and unloaded the backseat and carried their things to the door. OA paused to unlock the door and waited for Maggie to enter before continuing into his home.

Maggie knew her way around his apartment, having been there many times before, so she set her work bag down on one of the chairs at his dining table and carried her go bag to the bedroom and set it down just inside the door. She walked back out to the living room and found OA sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. She could see he was still having a hard time dealing with the events of the day. She walked around to stand in front of him.

OA sat back and reached for her, it was then that she saw the extent of the distress on his face. She’d never seen him with tears in his eyes. She could see that he was probably drawing on the emotions of his own experiences with being targeted. Maggie says nothing, because she knows there’s nothing she can say to help him feel any better, but climbs into his lap and holds tightly to him as he processes everything he is feeling at the moment.

After nearly an hour, Maggie notices that he seems to have calmed down. She leans back just enough to see his face. She wipes the tears from his face and places a soft kiss to his lips.

“Is there anything I can do to help you?” Maggie asked, speaking barely above a whisper.

“No, I’ll be alright, I just need some time. I wish I could better explain how I am feeling, but this isn’t something you can understand unless you experience it. Everything with Am’ma has brought up some bad memories that I wasn’t expecting. I’m okay,” OA replied as he took her hadn in his.

“Okay, let me know if I can do anything, I want to be here for you. I won’t ask you to tell me what you’re not okay with sharing, but if you want to share, I will listen,” She said as she stood and used their joined hands to pull him to stand as well.
“I know, I’m just not ready to share this with anyone,” OA replied as he placed his hands on her waist and pulled her to him.

“I understand that, babe. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” He replied and reached for his phone, “Do you mind if we just order a pizza tonight?”

“That’s fine with me.”

“Our usual?” Maggie nodded.

When the pizza arrived twenty minutes later, they sat at the table to eat before they went about their night routine and got ready for bed. Once they were settled in bed, OA wrapped Maggie in his arms and the two fell asleep easily.

Chapter Text

The next morning Maggie woke to the blaring of their alarm. OA was not beside her and for a moment she was concerned until she heard the shower running through the half-open door. She got out of bed and went to start the coffee maker and breakfast. She pulled eggs and a few other things out to throw an omelet together for each of them.

She pulled out her phone and placed an order for bagels and donuts for OA’s mom and sisters for them to pick up on the way to the hospital. Since they had to go to work after they helped Halima get home, Maggie brought their things to OA’s truck so they didn’t have to grab them later. When she walked back inside, OA was pouring coffee into two travel mugs for them.

“Morning babe. How’re you holding up?” She asked sidling up next to him.

“Morning. I’m alright, thanks for making coffee and breakfast.”

“Of course. I ordered bagels and donuts for us to pick up on the way for your mom and sisters.”

“Thank you,” OA replied.

“Always, I’m gonna shower quick and get ready and then we can go, alright?” OA nodded and pulled her in for a kiss before watching her walk off into his bedroom to shower.

Maggie showered and got ready as quickly as she could. She made sure she had her phone, returned to the kitchen, and nodded to OA. He moved to the door and opened it. Maggie stepped out and waited for him to lock the door and follow her.

After they got in his truck, OA drove to the shop around the corner and Maggie ran in to pick up their order. When she came back OA changed direction and drove back to the hospital.

Once they arrived, Maggie carried the food inside and they went straight to check in for visiting hours. They had to show their badges to the security officer at the door so they could carry their guns inside. As soon as they had their visitor’s passes they rode the elevator to Halima’s room.

The pair were the first to arrive to see her and knocked gently before entering after Halima called out to them.

“Good morning, Am’ma. How are you feeling this morning?” OA asked as he placed a kiss on her cheek and Maggie smiled as she set the food down on her tray table.

“I’m alright. I sleep pretty well and I’m only a little sore. They’re going to send me home with some of the pain medication they have been giving me. I probably won’t take it unless I absolutely need it. I am not a fan of how groggy it makes me feel.” Halima repsonded.

“Well, we’re glad it’s not any worse than that, Halima,” Maggie smiled softly.

“Thank you, Maggie,” Halima smiled and Maggie nodded.

“Am’ma we brought bagels and donuts, are you hungry?”

“Yes, could you hand me a bagel, please?”

“Of course, anything on it?”

“No, thank you,” Halima answered. OA moved the boxes to a spare chair and pulled the tray table to his mother so she could eat. He set her bagel on a spare plate from yesterday’s lunch.

There was a knock at the door and Maggie opened it to reveal Amira, Leila, and Eman.

“Hey, we brought bagels and donuts, help yourselves,” Maggie greeted as they walked in. They nodded and helped themselves as they greeted Halima.

“Has the doctor said anything this morning, Am’ma?” OA asked.

“She said that everything looks really good and that I should still be out of here by noon,” Halima replied.

“That’s good. Listen, Mags and I have to go to work after we drop you and the girls off but if anything happens, call me, please, or have them call me. If we need to leave, we will. We just have a lot of paperwork that we have to get turned into the Prosecutor from our last case and it has to be turned in by the end of business today,” He replied explaining their situation.

“I’ll be fine, Omar. Your sisters will all be with me, “ Halima responded as she patted OA’s arm.

“I know, I just worry Am’ma. Just take it easy, alright?”

“I will, You just do what you have to do and they’ll call you if something happens,” OA nodded.

Just before noon, Halima was discharged with instructions on taking care of her injuries as well as some pain medication for her ribs. Maggie and OA led Halima, Amira, and Leila to his truck while Eman went to her car they all began to make their way back to Halima’s apartment.

“Am’ma do you need anything from the bodega before we get to your apartment?”

“I think I just need a loaf of bread and a fresh gallon of milk, maybe some eggs.”

“Alright, I’ll stop around the corner and go inside to get everything,” OA replied as he switched lanes so that he pull over to park and go into the bodega. When he got out, his hand automatically reached to check that his badge and gun were secure before buttoning his jacket in order to hide them from plain view.

He went in and his instinct immediately kicked in. He knew in his gut that something wasn’t right. Before he could pull out his phone to text Maggie there wwas a gun in his face, he knew that there was no way for her to see him from where the truck was parked. He was on his own.

Initially, he complied with the orders the masked offender barked out, until he knew he could take the upper hand. OA jabbed his elbow into the offender’s stomach while simultaneously gripping the gun and pointing it at the floor. It was then that the offender’s finger slid and the gun went off, thankfully into the tile.

Back in the truck the ladies were chatting about little things until Maggie heard the gunshot. She turned to Amira and told her to call 911 and to tell them that there were two FBI agents on scene. She then climbed over Leila to get out of the car, out of view from the perpetrator.

“Get as low in the seats as you can and do not move until Omar or I come to the window. Halima, lock the doors, now,” Maggie ordered quietly as she pulled her gun from its holster and flipped the safety off. She dialed Isobel’s number and then put her phone in her pocket.

She bent herself low as she made her way to the door. She looked through the door to see OA in a hand-to-hand battle for control of the gun she was assuming had gone off, but didn’t see anyone else. She assumed the clerk was hiding behind the counter and went in. What neither she or OA saw, was the second perpetrator in the back of the bodega. She went in, gun raised and head on a swivel.

“FBI, drop the weapon!” She shouted and continued to move slowly towards the perp. The sudden shout had shocked him enough to allow OA to take full control of the situation or so they thought.

On the other side of the phone Isobel pause suddenly realizing why Maggie had called her but wasn’t speaking, She and OA were in trouble. She ran from her office into the JOC.

“Ian, track Maggie and OA’s phones, now!” She ordered and seeing the look on her face, he didn’t hesitate.

“Isobel what’s going on?” Jubal asked, “I thought they were coming in after they got his mom settled in at home.”

“They were, but Maggie has dialed me into a situation that they’re dealing with. They’re in trouble,” She replied and put her phone on speaker for everyone to hear.

Seconds after doing so, they heard the several gunshots followed by the sound of NYPD finally arriving on scene after Amira’s call. The last thing they heard before Isobel turned off her phone was the dial tone, the call had dropped.

At the sounds of the gunshots Tiffany and Scola had jumped out of their chairs and rushed to the elevators, “Send us that address, Ian!” Scola called over his shoulder.

“Already done,” Ian replied, “Medical is on the way as well.”

Back on scene, the moment OA had the original perp in handcuffs, the second took several shots at Maggie, hitting her in the right shoulder. She dropped to the ground and OA fired back at the second perp, killing him.

Having heard the shots, NYPD stormed through the front door and into the bodega. OA had left the first perp cuffed and moved to check on Maggie. He held pressure on the front of her shoulder and tried to locate an exit wound and sighed in relief when he found it. A through and through.

“We’re FBI, my partner’s been hit!” He called out to the officer who came over to them.

Chapter Text

Just two minutes after the NYPD arrived, the ambulance pulled up and the paramedics took over treating Maggie’s shoulder. As soon as she was in good hands OA ran out to his truck to check on his mom and sisters.

“Am’ma, Amira, Leila, are you okay?” He asked as he got to the window. Halima unlocked the doors and let him in.

“We’re fine, son, is everything alright?”

“Not exactly. Maggie was hit in the shoulder. The good news is that the bullet went all the way through her shoulder. The medics are with her now, but everything else is under control.”

“You ride with her, I can get us back to the hospital and before you try to argue, we’re coming whether you like it or not, Omar,” Amira replied as she jumped out of the backseat and moved towards the front seat.

“That’s fine,” He started before noticing Tiff and Scola pull up, “I gotta go, just go ahead and
start heading back that way and make sure you lock the doors before you go inside at the hospital.”

“I will, you take care of Maggie,” Amira replied climbing and buckling up. She waited until OA stepped away and then pulled into traffic. OA ran over to Tiff and Scola.

“What happened?” Scola asked.

“I went in to get a few things for my mom before we dropped her off and I knew something was off immediately, but before I could figure it out, the first perp had a gun in my face, I went to take it from him, his finger slid and the gun went off. Maggie heard it from the car and came in, we managed to get him cuffed and down but neither of us saw the second perp. He fired several shots at Maggie, one of them went through her right shoulder. Medics are with her now. How did you guys know to come?” OA asked suddenly confused.

“Maggie dialed Isobel and left the line open before she came in, we think she had one of your sisters call 911,” Tiff replied.

“We heard the shots and then the line went dead, Ian had already tracked your phones so he sent us the address and had an ambulance dispatched as well,” Scola continued.

“Can one of you call Isobel and update her? I’m going to ride with Maggie to the hospital. My mom and sisters have already gone back that way,” OA replied before dashing away to jump in the ambulance behind the medics.

“Sir, we can only allow a family member to ride with us,” The medic informed him.

“I’m her partner and her medical proxy,” OA stated.

“Good enough for me,” He waved him in and they closed the doors before racing to the hospital. By this point, Maggie had gone into shock and passed out, though her vitals were fairly stable.

Tiff called Isobel as soon as the ambulance disappeared, “Hey, Isobel, Maggie has a through-and-through in her right shoulder, the medics just left with her and OA.”

“Okay, Jubal and I are on the way, talk to NYPD, make sure they have it under control, and tell them that OA will give a statement at the hospital, Maggie will when she is cleared by the doctors.”

“Alright, his mom and sisters were here but already headed back to the hospital, if their statements are needed, that’s where they’ll be. Although they were in his truck and didn’t have a good line of sight, so I doubt they have anything to add to the case.”

“Okay, just make sure NYPD knows anyway,” Isobel replied before they hung up.

Back in the ambulance, OA responded to Eman’s text asking where they were and told her to return to the hospital because Maggie had been shot and she got back into her car and drove back to the hospital with many questions about what had happened in her mind.

When they arrived back at the ER and the medics unloaded Maggie out of the ambulance OA stood to the side and let them and the doctors work. He listened as they called out to each other and worked to get her set up on the monitors and finally one of them approached him.

“The medics said you were her medical proxy?” He asked and OA nodded.

“I am, what do you need to know?”

“Did she hit her head when she fell? Has she had any recent medical traumas? Does she have any allergies or anything that you know of?”

“I didn’t notice if she hit her head but the way she fell from the force of the gunshot I would assume so, just over two years ago she survived exposure to sarin gas, and she doesn’t have any allergies,” OA responded quickly.

“Alright, thank you. First, she has already woken up from the shock. Second, we’re going to get an MRI on her shoulder to get a look at any damage, since she probably hit her head, I am going to expand it and rule out a concussion as well. I’ll need you to find a place in the waiting room, and I’ll be out to you with those results probably in half-an-hour.”

“Thank you,” OA replied and shook the doctor’s hand before turning to go find his mom and sisters.

“Omar!” Halima called out to him as soon as she saw him, “Is she going to be alright?”

“She should be, they’re running tests to see exactly what they’re working with, but she’s already awake since getting fluids into her to stave off the shock.”

“So we wait?” Eman asked having caught the tail end of their conversation.

“Yeah, we wait. He said he should have an update in half an hour,” He said and waved Jubal and Isobel over and told them the same thing he just told his family.

“Isobel, has anyone called Erin, yet?”

“No, I was going to after I had more information,” She answered.

“I’ll do it, I have her number. She should hear it from me,” He said before pulling out his phone and walking outside to get a better signal.

“Hello?” Erin answered, confused as to why OA was calling her.

“Hey Erin, listen, Maggie was shot. She should be fine, but I know she’d want you here, and I know you’d want to be here,” OA answered quickly.

“O-o-okay, what hospital?” She responded and grabbed her purse as she walked out of her apartment.

“It’s Mount Sinai Hospital, 1111 Amsterdam Ave. I’ll be in the waiting room, just look for me.”

“Okay, I’m on my way, if you see her, please tell her, I’m coming.”

“I will, I’ll see you when you get here,” He replied before hanging up and walking back into the waiting room.

“Is she on her way?” Isobel asked.

“Yeah, she’s coming. She’ll be here soon,” OA replied before sitting next to his mother.

“Omar, Maggie will be fine, stop stressing yourself out or you’re going to be the next one in a hospital bed having a heart attack,” Halima said softly as she placed her hand on his forearm.

“I’m fine, Am’ma,” OA replied knowing that was the farthest thing from the truth.

“Liar,” Amira retorted from the seat across from him.

“Do not start, you two,” Halima replied putting a stop to the argument she knew was coming.

While everyone was sitting in the waiting room waiting to learn her fate, Maggie was lying as still as she could in the MRI machine despite the pain in her shoulder. Though, the noise of the machine combined with her pounding headache wasn’t making that any easier. She sighed in relief when it finally stopped and the bed table slowly pulled her back out. The nurse and the tech helped her back onto the gurney and she was wheeled back to the trauma room while the doctor looked over the results from her MRI.

She lay quietly on the bed as she waited for the doctor to come and tell her her prognosis. She closed her eyes to block out the fluorescent lights overhead. She listened to every beep of the monitor, every footstep, every muffled voice, and attempted to take deep breaths to stave off the anxiety rising in her stomach and chest. She wondered where they shuffled OA off to and just how they’d managed to get him to leave her side. Wherever he was, he wasn’t happy about it but she knew he’d get over it as soon as he was allowed back in. Before her mind could wander anymore, the doctor walked in.

“Agent Bell, I’m doctor Klein, the bullet that went through your shoulder somehow managed to miss everything important. You will be out of work for a while as it heals and it will require some moderate physical therapy before it is up to the standard for you to return to the field, however, you should make a full recovery. Also, as I initially suspected, you sustained a concussion and because you lost consciousness I will have to keep you overnight. As for your shoulder, we just need to irrigate it to prevent infection and remove any debris before we can stitch it up.”

“Okay, will I have to be here for more than the one night or should I expect to be released sometime tomorrow?”

“I estimate that you will spend a maximum of two nights with us, however, it wholly depends on how tonight goes. If anything arises it may require a longer stay.”

“Thank you, how soon can I see my partner? Do you know if anyone has contacted my sister?”

“He’ll be able to come back shortly, I understand that he is your medical proxy?”

“He is, he knows me and my medical history best, he’s aware of all of my wishes.”

“Of course, and I am unsure about whether your sister has been notified but I will find that out for you, and see that she is if she hasn’t already been,” He answered with a soft smile.

“Thank you,” Maggie replied and he turned to leave. He went straight to OA and the others in the waiting room where Erin had just arrived.

“Agent Zidan?” He questioned as he approached the group.

“Yes, doctor? How is she?”

“Agent Bell is going to be just fine. She got extremely lucky and the bullet missed everything important. She’ll be out of work for a while but will only require stitches and moderate physical therapy to repair her shoulder and she should regain full function. She also sustained a concussion and will be kept under observation tonight, should anything arise she may also be here another night, but I estimate she will spend no more than two nights here before being released.”

“Thank you,” OA replied, “When can I see her?” It took everything for the doctor not to chuckle at his response as it matched his partner’s nearly verbatim.

“I can take you back shortly, she has however, inquired as to whether or not her sister was notified,” The doctor responded with a small smile.

“Yeah, that’d be me,” Erin waved from her place beside OA.

“I can take you back as well, it shouldn’t be long before she’s in a private room and you can all join her,” The doctor replied before motioning for Erin and OA to follow him. He led them back to the trauma room where Maggie had only a gown draped over her chest so that the nurses could irrigate the wound and Erin rushed to her left side to grab her hand.

“Mags!” She gasped.

“I’m alright, Erin, they just have to clean it before they can stitch it up,” Maggie replied squeezing Erin’s hand and smiling at OA. He stood just behind Erin and smiled back.

“How are you feeling, habibti?” He asked and Erin looked up at him questioningly.

“I’ll be fine, baby,” Maggie replied.

“Am I missing something here?” Erin asked as it began to dawn on her.

“Yes, we’re together. It’s been less than a week, so please don’t make a big deal out of it,” Maggie answered.

“It took you two long enough,” Erin replied with a smirk, “And don’t worry, I won’t tell mom and dad before you do. Although they might like to know you were shot.”

“I’ll call them in a little while, when I’m a little less out of it. Everything is all twisty right now.”

“That’s your concussion, babe. Close your eyes and rest, we’ll see you when they get you in a private room, alright?”

“Okay,” Maggie whispered as she closed her eyes just as the doctor returned to do her stitches. Erin and OA went back to the waiting room to find officers taking statements from his mom and sisters.

“How’s she holding up?” Jubal asked.

“She’s good, a little dizzy and out of it between the morphine and the concussion,” OA replied. As one of the officers finished speaking with his mother, he walked over to OA. OA recognized him from the scene and the two moved to the side so that OA could give his official statement and for what felt like the hundredth time that day, he recounted the events in the bodega and gave the officer one of his cards so that they could contact him if necessary.

“Thank you, we’ll be back sometime tomorrow to take Agent Bell’s statement. Hopefully she’ll be up for it,” The officer replied.

“Thank you,” OA replied and as they’d all finished giving statements, the trio of officers turned and left.

Chapter Text

Thirty minutes later, they were all led back to Maggie’s private room and before the nurse opened the door to her room, she turned to speak to them.

“I can only allow you all to stay a few hours, only two of you will be allowed to stay overnight. Agent Bell may be a bit dizzy, tired, and out of it but that’s just a side effect of the pain medication and the blood loss,” She stated matter-of-factly.

“Thank you,” OA replied as he let Erin pass in front of him before walking into the room. The nurse gave a small nod and walked away.

Upon seeing Maggie cleaned up Erin could be heard whispering, “Why is she so pale?” OA placed a hand on her shoulder and answered, “Because she lost a good bit of blood. Her body should be able to replenish it on its own by morning, she’ll be alright,” Erin nodded and sat next to Maggie on the edge of the bed.

The others looked on and watched the two interact. Tiff, Scola, Isobel, Jubal, and Halima saw through OA’s facade and knew he was barely keeping himself together. His sisters noticed that he seemed to be attempting to protect Erin as if she were one of them. They all knew that what they saw was because there was nothing of greater importance to OA Zidan than Maggie Bell.

“Alhamdulillah,” Halima whispered when she noticed that Maggie was awake and seemed to be alert. After hearing his mother’s remark, OA looked up to meet Maggie’s gaze.

“Hey you,” He smiles.

“Hey, miss me?” She asks with a knowing grin.

“Always,” He replied and squeezed her hand.

“How’re you holding up? I’m sure this has been a lot to take in for you, too,” Maggie asked turning to Erin.

“Yeah, but I’m okay,” She replied with a semi-forced smile, “Although you should be thanking me, the hospital called Mom and Dad to tell them what happened. When they called me, I managed to keep them from driving eight hours to come nag you until you head back to work,” Erin smirked and Maggie barked a laugh.

“Thanks, I’ll call them in a bit and let them know I’m okay.”

“How long do they expect before you can ride a desk?” Isobel asked curiously.

“Probably a couple of weeks. He said once my concussion symptoms have mostly subsided I can go on desk duty and I can do that while I do work through my PT. He estimates I won’t be out of the field more than two months but that depends on how fast my shoulder heals and how easily I take to the PT,” Maggie answered. Isobel nodded. Maggie noted the grim look on OA’s face at the thought of having to be in the field for two months without Maggie.

“Omar, it’s two months, we’ll get through it. You’ll be with Tiff and Scola, it’ll be fine,” OA gave her a small smile and shook his head. He should have realized she would read his mind. Halima smiled to herself. She was grateful her son had someone who knew him like Maggie does.

“I know, Mags. But they aren’t you, it won’t be the same,” He turned to them to clarify but they waved him off having understood what he meant and knowing that the dynamic between Maggie and OA was very different from any other set of partners either of them had ever met. They also knew that that dynamic is why they had such a great track record and communicated so easily, even without words, with each other. OA nodded gratefully at them for understanding.

“No, it won’t. But this work, our job it has to get done. We all have our strengths on this team and work together well. We can’t be down half of our manpower in the field, that takes away so much and we know more than anyone that this city deserves the best we’ve got, and right now, that’s the three of you out there kicking ass and taking names, two months and I’ll be right there with you, partner. For now, I need you to do it for me,” Maggie encouraged softly and OA nodded, “Besides I’ll still be in the JOC. I’ll still be on your six, every step of the way, theirs too.”

“Yeah, okay. But one day more and I’m out, partner,” OA said with a fake pout on his face.

“Deal,” Maggie chuckled and patted his hand.

“Ugh, you two are so cutesy I’m getting a cavity over here,” Erin joked and Maggie playfully punched her shoulder.

“I second that,” Amira piped up and jumped out of the way before OA could pinch her side. He turned back to Maggie and shrugged.

“Little sisters, can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em,” Maggie smirked.

“I’ll second that,” OA grinned. Everyone laughed before they started to take turns wishing Maggie well and left to go back to work. Omar’s mom and sisters said their goodbyes as well.

“Eman, would you mind taking everyone home or to Am’ma’s or whatever? I’ll order groceries to be delivered to Am’ma’s so you don’t have to stop on the way,” OA asked.

“Yeah, no problem,” She replied as Amira turned OA’s truck key over to him and the four of them left as well; leaving only Maggie, OA, and Erin in the room.

Later that evening, OA went to get dinner for the three of them and a nurse brought a couple of cots for Erin and OA to sleep on for the night. She also brought sheets, pillows, and blankets for them. While he was gone Maggie called her parents to let them know she was alright.

“Hello?” Maggie’s mother, Andrea answered.

“Hey Mom, it’s me. I just wanted to call and let you and Dad know I was alright.”

“Are you sure? We can be out there before tomorrow morning?”

“I’m sure Mom, Erin’s here, and OA is on his way back with dinner, they’re both being allowed to stay overnight and I’ll be able to go home in two days. I really appreciate the offer to come but I promise, I’m okay,” Maggie replied as OA walked in.

“OA, huh? Your partner? Are you sure there’s nothing going on with you two? You seem awfully close to just be partners,” Andrea replied with a slight smirk on her face. Erin barked out a laugh before covering her mouth with her hand and attempting to not give anything away to their mother who was on speaker phone. OA paused and looked in the direction of Maggie’s phone like a deer caught in the headlights. Maggie raised her eyebrow at him. He nodded.

“Well, the answer to that question has actually changed since the last time you asked me. OA and I, we’re together now, Mom, but it’s really new. It hasn’t even been a week.”

“Now, your Daddy and I just have to meet him. It’s already been almost five years since y’all got partnered up, and now you’re dating him. It’s been long enough, Maggie Beth, I simply must meet him soon,” Andrea replied and Maggie had to chuckle at the midwestern drawl that slipped from her mother’s mouth once she got excited about something.

“Listen, Mama, I’ll be out of work for about two weeks after I get out of the hospital. OA will still have to work but what if you Daddy came out here once I was home? You could finally meet OA and I might even let you fuss over me, just let me get home from the hospital and y’all can come out for a week or so.”

“Alright, I’ll let your Daddy know. You think you could pick us up from the airport so we don’t have to drive out there?”

“Yeah, we can do that, Mama. We’ll schedule a night to go out to dinner, and Erin can join us too.”

“That’ll be nice, Maggie Beth, we’ll see you then.”

“Alright, don’t forget to send us the flight info, I love you.”

“I will, I love you too, bye Baby.”
“Bye Mom,” Maggie replied and hung up.

“Maggie Beth?” OA asked with a smirk.

“It’s short for Maggie Elizabeth,” Erin replied with a grin.

“Don’t you dare start calling me that. The only reason I let my parents do it is because I don’t dare tell my mama to call me something else,” Maggie answered.

OA nodded and passed out their food so they could eat. They turned on the tv and let it play some mindless show. Once they finished eating, Erin and OA took turns changing into pajamas. He brought up both his and Maggie’s go bags and Erin borrowed a pair of Maggie’s sweats to sleep in. They’d set their cots up on one side of Maggie’s Bed with OA between the two sisters. He would have put himself on the other side of her but the nurses needed to be able to get to her IV and check her vitals, so he settled for being as close to the door as he could.

They said their goodnights and Maggie was asleep seconds after her head hit the pillow.

Chapter Text

Friday saw Maggie and Erin at JFK waiting to pick their parents up and go back to Maggie’s apartment before getting ready to meet OA for dinner. Maggie was in a sling and unable to drive so she had allowed Erin to drive them to the airport.

“Mags, is that them?” Erin asked pointing their parents out of the crowd that came pouring out of the baggage claim area.

“Yeah, that’s them,” Maggie replied as they walked towards them.

“Hi, mom,” Maggie said wrapping her left arm around her mother and hugging her to the best of her ability.

“Hi, baby,” Andrea replied hugged her back carefully before pushing her into her dad’s arms and taking Erin into her own.

“Hi, daddy,” Maggie smiled and hugged him, too.

“Hi, Maggie Beth, how’re you holding up?” Her father, David asked.

“I’m alright, thankfully I haven’t had too many issues from my shoulder, my concussion has caused me more issues than the bullet wound,” Maggie replied honestly. He nodded and motioned for his daughters to lead the way to the car.

“I’m sorry your head’s bothering you so much, but I’m glad your shoulder ain’t been too much trouble,” He replied as they started walking.

“Thanks, dad,” Maggie replied as they arrived at her car and Erin popped the trunk so they could put their bags in and then Maggie slid in the front next Erin while Andrea and David got into the backseat.

“So, we’re meeting OA at the restaurant tonight, right?” Andrea asked.

“Yes, mama. He had to work and it’ll be easier for him to stop and shower at his apartment before meeting us at the restaurant which is already on the way towards my apartment. It just made more sense,” Maggie answered as Erin pulled into traffic and turned towards Maggie’s apartment.

“Okay, that’s fine, I was just curious.”

“How much do they know about him, anyway, Mags?” Erin smirked knowing that there was probably much that Maggie hadn’t mentioned just because she didn’t deem them important to OA’s character.
“They know enough, Erin. They know he’s my partner and that we’re together. They know that he’s saved my life several times, including three days ago and they know he’s a good man, they’ll learn whatever they want tonight,” Maggie replied not falling for Erin’s bait.

“And yes mom, he’ll answer just about any question you can think of,” She added before her mother could ask her next question.

“Good to know,” David replied as Erin parked the car in front of Maggie’s building. The four piled out of the car and David grabbed both his and his wife’s bags while Maggie unlocked the door and Erin locked the car. They followed her into the living room and set their stuff to the side.

“We have plenty of time if you guys want to sit and relax before getting ready. Erin and I will be in my room and bathroom and I have everything set up for you both in the guest room and it has it’s own bathroom, too. It’s just right across the hallway.”

“We’ll find it, Maggie, thank you,” Andrea replied as she and her husband sat on the couch. Maggie nodded.

“Mags, can I go ahead and shower and then we can ready together in case you need help?” Erin asked.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Does anyone want something to drink?”

“No, we’re all right, Maggie Beth, you rest until it’s time for you to get ready,” David replied and Maggie nodded gratefully. She sat in the recliner opposite them and laid it back so she could close her eyes and stave off her headache.

“Do you need to take any kind of pain meds, sweetheart?” Andrea asked.

“I can’t take it again until right before we leave for the restaurant. I’ll be alright, mom. At least this way it’ll be a lot easier to deal with the lights and the noise while we eat,” Maggie replied softly.

“Alright, we’re going to go take turns in the shower, if you need us, holler, okay?”

“I will,” She answered before her parents got up to bring their bags down the hall to the guest bedroom and take turns in the shower. Since it would take Andrea longer to get ready after she got out, she went first and by the time she was out, Maggie had already gone into her bedroom to get changed and ready. Erin helped Maggie into her dress and Erin allowed Maggie to help zip her’s up.

Once Andrea was dressed and ready, she knocked on Maggie’s door to check-in on the girls.

“Come in, mom,” Maggie called and Andrea walked in to find Erin fixing her hair and Maggie attempting to brush through her own.

“Give it here, Maggie Beth,” Andrea said reaching for the hairbrush and Maggie relented and Andrea combed out her hair.

“Alright, what are we doing with it?”

“I was going to leave it down naturally, I have to keep it out of the way for work so I don’t usually get to leave it like this,” Maggie answered.

“I bet OA likes it, too,” Erin teased.

“As a matter fact, he does,” Maggie replied with a grin.

“Alright, we’ll leave like this then. I’m gonna go check on dad, about how long do we have before we gotta leave, Maggie Beth?” Maggie checked her phone for the time and didn’t realize how long it had been since they got home.

“About twenty minutes, if we want to make the reservation. I’m going to call OA and see if he’s left his place yet.” Andrea nodded and went to check on her husband, only to find he was ready to go.

Meanwhile, Maggie stepped out onto the stoop to call OA.

“Hey Mags, what’s up?”

“Nothing, just wanted to make sure you had plenty of time to get ready.”

“I did. We wrapped up our case this morning and once I finished filing all of the paperwork Isobel let me leave early. I should be leaving the house any minute to meet you there. Did your parents get in on time?”

“Okay, good. Yeah, I think we’re all just about ready.”

“How’re you feeling today?”

“I’m alright, not much pain from my shoulder but my head has been giving me a hard time,” She replied and he paused as he finished tying his tie.

“Do we need to do this another night?”

“No, I can take my pain meds again in just a few minutes and they should get me through dinner. I’ll be alright.”

“Is there anything I can do?”
“I don’t think so,” Maggie answered as David stepped outside to let her know they were ready to leave. She smiled at him and held up a finger so that she could finish up with OA.

“Alright, as soon as there is something I can do, let me know?”

“I will,” She chuckled.

“Promise?”

“I promise, Omar, as soon as there is something you can do, I will tell you.”

“Okay, thank you. I love you,” Maggie grinned and turned slightly away from her dad.

“Love you too,” She replied before they hung up.

“We’re ready when you are, baby doll,” David said once she turned back towards him.

“Alright, I just have to take my meds and grab my purse and we can go,” Maggie replied as she returned to her room and took the next dose of her pain medication that sat on her nightstand and grabbed her purse from its place on the bed on her way out. They returned to the car after Maggie locked the door and Erin drove them to the restaurant that Maggie had already set into the gps.

Chapter Text

OA was the first to arrive and he decided to go ahead and get their table while he waited on Maggie and her family. When they walked in he stood and walked over to greet them. Maggie smiled when she saw him coming towards them and met him in the middle of the restaurant. When they reached each other her he gently pulled her into a hug and kissed her head.

“Hey,” He smiled.

“Hi,” She smiled and grabbed his hand to lead him over to her sister and parents. She dropped his hand for him to hug Erin but took his left hand back in her right as she introduced him to her parents.

“OA, these are my parents, Andrea and David. Mom, Dad, this is Omar Zidan,” She smiled as he shook each of their hands.

“It’s nice to meet you both,” OA greeted them.

“And you,” David said probably squeezing OA’s hand just a bit more tightly than necessary and Andrea nudged him knowing her husband far too well.

“Our table’s just this way,” He replied as he turned to lead them back to a quiet table. Maggie waved at Tom as they passed him on his way back to the kitchen and he smiled and waved back at her.

“David, be nice,” Andrea whispered as they followed Maggie and OA to the table.

“I will, but he’s still gotta prove he’s worthy of my little girl,” He whispered back. Erin chuckled quietly having heard them both.

“Daddy, he is. You’ll see,” She smiled and joined her sister and her boyfriend.

“Did you tell Tom we’d be back again this week?” She asked looking at OA as he helped both her and Erin into their seats while David did the same for his wife.

“I did, he’s around somewhere,” OA replied taking his own seat between Erin and Maggie, across from Andrea and David.

“I just saw him,” She replied and turned back to the table.

“You two have been here before?” Erin asked.

“Yeah, last Saturday. Our first date,” Maggie paused as she realized that it was just a little bit ridiculous that they had only been together for a week and he was meeting her parents and she’d already met his mom and other two sisters. Especially after they agreed to wait a while before telling their families about one another, and chuckled. OA must have understood what she was thinking about and chuckled as well.

“What’s funny?” Erin teased unfazed by their seemingly secret unspoken language. Her parents were a bit more confused at their interaction until Maggie clarified.

“Just that we decided that we were going to wait a bit before we told our families about each other and here we are a week later, I have met his entire family and he’s meeting the rest of mine, except Greg who probably would have come if he’d had more notice.”

“Oh, How is your mom doing?” Erin asked as she turned to OA having remembered the events of earlier this week.

“She’s good. She’s already given up the pain meds for her ribs and concussion, says it’s much more bearable now. She’s still anxious about leaving the house alone but I can’t really blame her for that one,” OA answered.

“If I may, what happened?” Andrea asked. Maggie looked to OA and he nodded before responding.

“My mother was on the wrong end of a hate crime on Monday afternoon. As I said she’s doing well, and recovering. Our team has already arrested her attacker and his accomplice.”

“Oh my, I am sorry about that,” Andrea sympathized.

“Thank you,” OA replied with a small smile. Just then their waiter arrived to take their drink order and Maggie had to stifle another laugh. Paul smiled as he greeted them having recognized Maggie and OA.

“Good evening folks, my name is Paul and I’ll be taking care of you tonight, can I start everyone off with something to drink?” Once they’d given him their drink orders he returned to the kitchen and the conversation continued.

“So, OA where did you grow up?” Andrea asked and Maggie shook her head, of course, her mother wouldn’t waste any time. Paul returned with their drinks and set them down wordlessly before retreating to give them a few more moments to decide on their orders.

“I was born and raised in Queens,” He answered. He was unfazed by what was sure to be an onslaught of questions from Maggie’s parents, but he was prepared to answer every single one. He would do whatever it took to prove to them that he was good enough for her and to get to know her parents. And of course, if he managed to drag out a story or two from Maggie’s childhood it would be all the more fun.

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“I have three younger sisters; Eman, Leila, and Amira,” He replied, predicting her next question.

“How’d you end up working for the Bureau?” David asked.

“That’s quite the story that takes a bit of explanation. First thing after high school, I enlisted in the Army and was soon admitted to West Point. I was a Ranger and served in the 2nd Battalion of the 75th Rangers Regiment. I served two tours in Iraq amongst many other operations before I got my DD-214 on an honorable discharge as a Captain and almost immediately began working undercover with the DEA for two years inside jihadi networks to identify and eliminate threats to the US as well as those behind the threats before I was pulled out and offered a position within the Bureau,” OA answered hoping that wasn’t too much of an over-explanation. David had not expected all of that of the younger man in front of him and he had to admit he was starting to think that Erin had been right to say that Omar Zidan was worthy of his Maggie Beth.

“Impressive,” David started, “Can I assume that since you were undercover inside the jihadi networks that you are a practicing Muslim?”

“Daddy,” Maggie warned. OA placed a hand on her thigh in an attempt to calm her.

“I’m not accusing him of being a terrorist. I know there’s a difference, Maggie Beth. Omar, if that question is over the line, I apologize,” David replied immediately.

“It’s not over the line, and I understood what you meant. You have nothing to apologize for. But to answer your question, yes, I am a practicing Muslim. My parents immigrated to the US not long after they were married in Egypt and soon became naturalized citizens, my sisters and I were all born here in New York.”

There was a pause in the conversation while Paul came to take their orders and promised it would be out shortly. He took their menus and left them to their conversation.

“That leads me right into my next question, how has your family shaped who you are today?” Andrea chimed.

“Well, my father taught me that quitting wasn’t an option and that fostered my dedication, determination, and work ethic and without those things I wouldn’t be where I am in my career. He also showed me the importance of treating all people with respect and dignity regardless of your differences. He showed me the value of integrity and demonstrated what living a life of integrity looked like. My mother taught me patience, loyalty, and honesty should come above all else and that ultimately has made me a better son, brother, friend, and partner,” He paused to smile at Maggie, “She taught me that a real man not only allows himself to cry and express his emotions but knows how to reach out and ask for help when he needs it. She taught me the importance of kindness and forgiveness. My sisters taught me what unconditional love looks like. They showed me how easy it is to love someone even when you don’t always agree. They showed me what true resilience and strength look like,” David could no longer deny it, OA had proved himself worthy of Maggie. Before anyone could respond Paul, accompanied by another waiter, brought their food and set it down in front of them.

As they ate Maggie’s parents continued their onslaught of questions and Maggie thought they’d never stop. OA was unbothered by the inquiries and actually enjoyed answering most of them.

When the check came, before Paul could set it down OA handed him his card. Paul retreated yet again to the kitchen to run the transaction and returned with OA’s card and the receipt for him to sign shortly thereafter. They all began to ready themselves to leave.

“Thank you for another night of excellent service, Paul,” OA remarked as he slid him the tip in cash after signing the receipt and retrieving his card.

“My pleasure,” Paul answered, “You all have great night.”

“You too, Paul,” Maggie smiled and the group exited the restaurant together.

Since Erin had already decided that she was going to sleep at her own apartment and OA had walked the few blocks between his place and the restaurant, she turned over Maggie’s keys to him, bid them all goodnight and climbed into a taxi.

“Ready?” OA asked. Maggie nodded as she turned to lead them to her car where OA unlocked the doors before opening Maggie’s for her and helping her in as David did the same for Andrea. He then walked around the car and climbed into the driver’s seat. He started towards Maggie’s apartment and they rode in a comfortable silence.

When they arrived, OA helped Maggie out before turning her keys over to her and allowing her to let them into her apartment. Since he’d already stashed his overnight bag in her closet, he didn’t have to worry about grabbing anything from her car.

David had wondered if OA would be spending the night at Maggie’s apartment and he got his answer when the man in question followed them inside, shutting and locking the door behind himself.

“Well, I’m exhausted, we’re going to head off to bed,” Maggie began before hugging her father; she continued in a whisper, “Don’t worry, no funny business, but he is staying,” She smiled and turned to hug her mother and bid them goodnight.

“Good night,” Andrea echoed and David nodded politely. The two couples separated into their own bedrooms and readied themselves for bed.

“He’s a good man, I quite like him,” Andrea murmured as she and her husband climbed into bed.

“He is, I do too. He takes care of her, that’s all I could ever ask for,” David responded before the they turned off the lamps and bid each other goodnight.

“So, was that as stressful as you’d thought it’d be, Mags?” OA asked as they changed for bed.

“No, but you definitely won them over,” She replied with a sleepy smile.

“That’s good to know, I really couldn’t get a read off your dad,” He responded before they slid under the covers.

“He’s tough on the outside, but he’s a teddy bear on the inside. He can be a tad bit difficult to get to know, but he does like you,” She repeated confidently before sliding closer to him and resting her head on his shoulder, “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Mags,” He said with a kiss to her head, “Sweet dreams.”

“G’night,” She yawned and was asleep within moments.

Chapter Text

The next morning David and Andrea were awake before their daughter and her partner. They decided to make coffee and breakfast so that it would be ready once they were awake.

“Dave, what’d you think of him? Did he surpass your expectations?”

“Absolutely. He’s as close to perfect for our little girl as is possible. I liked Jason and he adored our baby, but Omar loves her far better than he ever could have,” David answered as he continued cracking eggs into the mixing bowl.

“I couldn't have said that any better. She seems to feel inherently safe with him and while she was safe with Jason, OA definitely makes her feel more secure,” Andrea responded as she finished prepping the coffee maker and pressed the button to start it.

In the other room, Maggie and OA began to stir. OA was the first to open his eyes, he smiled down at Maggie as her eyes fluttered open.

“Good morning,” He spoke, his voice deep and gravelly from sleep.

“Good morning,” She replied as she grabbed his hand and tangled their fingers together. He pulled her to him and kissed her softly.

“Sounds like your parents beat us to making coffee and breakfast,” OA commented.

“Oh, let ‘em. Let’s stay here for awhile,” Maggie teased as she leaned up to kiss him.

“Mags,” He groaned, “Your parents are just outside the room.”

“Door’s locked. Only question is can you be quiet enough that they don’t hear us?” Maggie grinned and moved to straddle him.

“Didn’t you tell your dad there wouldn’t be any funny business last night?”

“That was then, this is now,” She retorted.

“Mags, you know I love you, and you know I want to, but not with your parents in the next
room. It’s too weird.”

“Alright, if it bothers you that much, but it’s going to be a long five days before they leave,” Maggie replied and gently laid down next to him again.

“How’s your head?”

“Eh, not too bad. Better than yesterday,” She replied, rolling out of bed and grabbing her robe, “You coming?”

“Yeah,” He answered and climbed out of bed as well. He grabbed his t-shirt from Maggie’s dresser where he left it folded the night before. Maggie turned to him and stretched out her left hand to him. He took it and they exited her room and made their way to her kitchen.

“Good morning,” Maggie greets as she and OA walk into the kitchen.

“Good morning,” David and Andrea responded in unison.

“What can we help with?”

“Do you have any fruit we could slice up?” Andrea asked.

“Yeah, there’s plenty in the fridge,” Maggie said as she went to grab a cutting board and a knife while OA helped Andrea grab the fruit.

“Daddy, what were you planning on making?” Maggie asked knowing that her dad liked to make a big spread on Saturday mornings.

“I’m making eggs, that turkey bacon that was in the fridge, and was planning on waffles or pancakes, too, I just didn’t grab the mix from the cabinet, yet,” David answered and Maggie grinned because mornings like this were few and far between and they always reminded her of her childhood. Andrea noticed her reaction and smiled.

“You know, I remember when you were little you would count down the days until Saturday every week just so you could sit on the counter in your little nightgown with your hair sticking up in every direction and watch your daddy make breakfast,” Andrea smiled.

“Mama, please, don’t go telling those stories,” Maggie whined and OA chuckled.

“Oh, please do, Andrea,” OA countered enthusiastically. David put the mixing bowl to the side and turned around before leaning on the counter.

“I remember one particular Saturday that she didn’t quite enjoy,” He chuckled.

“Oh yes,” Andrea chuckled and Maggie looked between her parents with a horrified expression.

“Oh no,” She retorted but neither David nor Andrea could be swayed. OA seemed to lean in closer so as to not miss a single detail. Maggie attempted to drag OA out of the room but with only one arm, she was highly unsuccessful.

“How old was she again?” Dave continued.
“She was not quite 16. It was right before she finished her sophomore year of high school,” Andrea smirked.

“Don’t listen to a word they say Omar,” Maggie tried.

“Oh, I’m all ears, for this, Mags,” He said pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her from behind.

“Anyway, she had gone out to her first party the night before, we trusted her to come home before curfew and went to bed, but she had plans of her own. You see we told her 11, but Maggie Beth here heard 3. She came in quite loudly so it woke us up but we let her think she got away with it,” Dave continued as Maggie shook her head.

“Every time you tell this story, I come home later and later, daddy,” Maggie protested. Dave waved her off and continued.

“Saturday morning breakfast preparation always started promptly at 7. So as usual, I woke her up at about 6:55 on my way downstairs. She was still fully dressed from the night before and hungover like nobody’s business. She barely made it downstairs without tripping on her own feet.”

“By the time I was on the counter I realized that they heard me come in late, I was still in my clothes from the night before, and I was in deep shit but I was trying to pretend like nothing was happening. Also, I was probably more still drunk than I was hungover,” Maggie added giving in to the story. OA laughed.

“And David here decided to make her morning hell. He made sure to make as much noise as possible as he made breakfast and tried to break her resolve. Somehow, Maggie Beth made it through breakfast before she broke. Of course, she made the mistake of putting too much food on her stomach and ended up throwing up in the kitchen sink and when we asked her if she felt sick she rambled the whole thing out,” Andrea finished.

“Did you really think you managed to sneak in past your police officer father?” OA asked.

“Yes, Omar, I did. I was 15, I thought I was all that and everything else and on top of that, I was drunk,” Maggie chuckled.

“Okay, that’s fair. What all do we need to do to get this done?” He asked gesturing to all the food they had strewn across the counters.

“Daddy’s the cook, he does everything that has to do with the stove, but we can slice the fruit, and I’ll teach you how to make homemade whipped cream since I know I have everything we need. I’ll need help anyways,” Maggie said as she turned to gather the vanilla extract, sugar, and heavy cream they’d need to make the whipped cream and she showed OA how to get it started. David went back to frying the turkey bacon and eggs while Andrea mixed the batter for pancakes and waffles before turning back to slicing the fruit.

Together they managed to finish making breakfast in the next half hour. They sat down at the table and ate before getting ready to spend the day at the Central Park Zoo, a request of Andrea’s before they even made it out of Indiana.

Chapter Text

After they finished breakfast they readied themselves to spend the day at the zoo. OA helped Maggie into the passenger seat as David helped Andrea into the backseat, they then took their own seats in the car and OA headed to Erin’s to pick her up before driving towards the Central Park Zoo.

When they arrived and were walking towards the entrance Maggie suddenly took off in a sprint and jumped into her big brother’s arms.

“Greg? What the hell are you doing here?” She smiled once he put her down.

“I managed to get a few days off work and Erin told me this was the place to meet you all today. How’re you holding up, Maggie Beth?”

“I’m alright. Look, dad went through the third degree with him last night, can you at least go easy on him?”

“I make no promises, but I’ll try,” Greg answered as the other four walked up to them. Maggie reached out with her good hand and OA took it.

“Greg, this is Omar. Omar, this is my big brother, Greg,” Maggie smiled as she melted into OA’s side. Greg and OA shook hands.

“OA, nice to meet you, glad you could join us.”

“Me too, shall we?” He asked after greeting his other sister and his parents.

“Yeah,” Maggie agreed and led the way to the gate. OA paid for everyone’s tickets and they grabbed a map just in case. As they began their trek through the zoo, they chatted amongst themselves.

“So, OA, how’d you come to know my dear little sister?” Greg asked as the group stood by observing the Red Pandas.

“She’s my partner, we met through the Bureau,” He answered and Maggie chuckled at Greg’s reaction.

“What was I not supposed to fall in love with my partner, G?” She joked.

“Pretty sure you’re not meant to, Maggie,” He replied sarcastically.

“True, but we did, and it’s the best thing to ever happen to me,” Maggie answered and OA smiled before pulling her chin up to kiss her.
“For the record, you’re the best thing to happen to me, too,” Omar replied in her ear.

“I’m not trying to create an issue, Maggie it just…” He paused to think his words through, “I’m just worried about you, Maggie Beth,” Maggie grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side before motioning for him to continue, “I’m worried you lose your career over this. I’m worried that maybe it was just convenient for you to fall in love with him. Which I can see is very real but my concerns still stand,” Greg finished nervously.

“First, I appreciate that you are worried about me, I do, but Omar Adom Zidan is the last person you need to worry about harming me in any way,” Maggie paused because she noticed her voice raising, “I mean for cripes sakes, Greg he exposed himself to sarin gas to save my life. Second, our bosses know about us and are alright with us being together as are our field partners. Third, he and I may have consistently been around each other but I fell in love with him because of the damn fine man he is. I fell in love with the way he treats me, the way he loves me and I am a grown FBI agent, I can make my own decisions. One that I am making right now is to no longer have this conversation,” She finished before walking off in another direction to cool off.

Maggie had not pulled Greg far from where OA stood so heard them both. He would have the same concerns if she were one of his sisters. He walked over to Greg.

“Listen, I get it, I have three little sisters. I don’t have anything against you or your concerns, and I will come back and talk to you, answer to them, but she’s more important to me,” OA commented respectfully before taking off after Maggie. Maggie wasn’t surprised when he caught up to her and rested a hand on the small of her back as he sat next to her on the bench.

“He was out of line,” Maggie started but OA interrupted her.

“No, I would have had the same concerns if I were him and you were one of my little sisters. And I very much appreciate you defending me to him, thank you.”

“Always, you’re my partner,” Maggie smiled and bumped him with her shoulder.

“Come on, let’s go finish our day at the zoo and we’ll talk it all out with Greg later, maybe we take him to coffee or something answer his questions like last night with your parents. Let Erin have some quality time with your parents,” OA suggested.

“Yeah, okay,” Maggie gave in and let him lead her back to her family once she’d had enough time to cool down.

After they made it back, Maggie explained OA’s idea to them and everyone agreed to go with it so everything could be worked out but put it all to the side so that they could enjoy the rest of their time at the zoo.

So they continued to walk through the zoo observing the animals and occasionally stopping to take pictures. A couple of hours later, as they exited the zoo, the all managed to squeeze into Maggie’s car and decided that they would all go to lunch before OA, Maggie, and Greg would be dropped off at Maggie’s apartment before Erin, Andrea, and Dave went to go do some sightseeing.

“Do you need your keys to get in first?” Erin asked as she moved to the driver’s seat after the three got out.

“No, OA has a key, we’ll get in and this way you guys have mine to get in just in case,” Maggie answered as OA began climbing the stairs to unlock the door.

“Alright, we’ll be back in a bit,” Erin replied before pulling off. OA opened the door and followed Maggie and Greg inside before shutting the door behind himself.

“Alright, let’s sit and talk. We’ll answer your questions and tell you whatever you want to know,” OA started.

“Within reason,” Maggie added knowing her brother well enough to know he may try and take advantage of OA’s openness.

“Okay, well let’s start with how you both knew you were in love with each other,” Greg suggested as he sat in one of the chairs across from the couch where Maggie and OA sat.

“That’s an easy one,” Maggie smiled, “For years I knew I was attracted to him, but he was my partner so I told myself that’s all it could be and then we got so close, so quickly. He became my best friend and everything else. When I was trapped in that lab, struggling to breathe, dying I realized how stupid I had been, how in love with him I was, how in love with him I am. And even then, I was still too scared to tell him. Until last Friday after he started the conversation; he opened up and there was no way I was going to let him think I felt any other way about him. I always thought Jason was my one, but then I knew the love of OA, even before we were together. Jason was never unkind to me in any way, but OA just loves me better, and it’s because he knows me better and I don’t know, he just does,” Maggie answers as she grabs OA’s hand and rests her head on his shoulder.

“When did you know, OA?” Greg asked.

“Same time she did. I came to the full realization when I was shooting at the glass, trying to get her out, and it didn’t work, which pissed me off so I threw a chair, anyway, I regretted nothing more than never telling her when I watched her fall against the wall and slide down to the floor. I told her that night in the hospital, I mean not in those exact words, but she was in a coma at the time. Come to find out last Friday, she remembered everything I said. We were both to afraid of losing the other to unrequited feelings,” OA recounted and Greg nodded.

Greg spent the next hour trying to find a reason to dislike OA and now he almost hated himself for it. He would quite possibly never admit that to either party in front of him, but he was really beginning to like Omar, a lot. His little sister had done very well.

Chapter Text

After Maggie and OA had their chat with Greg and her parents and Erin arrived home Maggie ordered chinese food for them and paid for the taxi that took Erin home and Greg to the hotel where he had chosen to stay instead of with one of his sisters.

The family spent the rest of the weekend spending time together and getting to know OA. OA still had to work come Monday and Tuesday morning Maggie’s parents took her to her first PT appointment where she was declared fit to drive even as she continued with her healing and physical therapy. She was also told that she could return to desk duty the following Monday.

Wednesday afternoon Maggie and her siblings decided to have lunch just the three of them so that their parents could do something just the two of them. OA took advantage of this and treated them to lunch as they took a break from yet another sightseeing trip around the city. He spotted them immediately after walking into the cafe they had agreed on and walked over to the table. Andrea and Dave were fairly certain of the reason for this ‘secret’ meeting he’d asked for but were going to let OA lead the conversation.

He greeted them as he sat down and they were soon greeted by their server who took their food and drink orders before leaving them to their devices. OA fidgeted with something in his pocket for a moment before looking up to Andrea and Dave with determination in his eyes.

“I know neither of you is unsure of why we’re here so I am not going to beat around the bush,” He began and put a small satin box on the table before passing it to Andrea, “I know it’s a bit soon and I don’t plan on asking her for a while yet, but I know that Maggie is the one I am meant to spend the rest of my life with and I wanted to ask you both in person,” He pauses and takes a deep breath, “For your blessing to marry your daughter,” He finishes just as Andrea opens the ring box to find an engagement ring, “This ring was my mother’s and my father’s mother’s before that. It has represented two very happy and loving marriages and I can only hope that it will do the same for Maggie and I,” Dave took in the man in front of him and noted the true love, dedication, and hope in his eyes that had slowly began to fill with tears and smiled.

“Omar, there is no better man I could ask for either of my girls, and we are happy to give you our blessing. You have shown us in this last week that there is nothing more important to you than Maggie, and your family. Just do me a favor and never stop taking care of her and loving her as you do now,” Dave answered as Andrea passed the ring to him so he could see it, too.

“I can’t make that promise, Dave. Because I love Maggie more every day and that sounds ridiculously cliche but I do, and that won’t change. So, here’s the promise I will make you, I promise to love your daughter more each day, I promise to always have her six and bring her home from every case we work, I promise that she will never doubt my love for her and she will never doubt that I will always be there to catch her if she falls.” Dave nodded.

“I can accept that, Omar,” He smiled and reached out to shake OA’s hand. OA shook his hand with a smile.

The three ate their lunch and chatted before OA had to go back to work and Andrea and Dave went back out to continue their sightseeing. The ring secured in his pocket and the bill paid, OA strode back to the SUV and drove back towards the JOC.

Wednesday night was the last night Maggie’s family was in town so she and OA decided to make dinner for both of their families and invited them all over to get to know each other. OA had just left to collect his Am’ma as Maggie began to prep the food. Soon, he arrived back to Maggie’s apartment with Halima in tow, who was doing much better, having almost fully physically recovered from her ordeal the week before. Upon hearing them come in, Maggie stepped out of the kitchen to greet her with a hug.

“Hello, Halima. How are you?” Maggie asked.

“I’m very well, Maggie, I have almost fully recovered. And yourself?”

“I get to drive again and I can go back to work on desk duty starting Monday, which is good because even with my family here, I’ve been getting bored,” Halima laughed, “I’m sure, you are used to being on the go 24/7 and you haven’t been able to do that lately, but in just a few short weeks, you’ll be back at it with your team,” Maggie smiled gratefully and turned to go collect her parents to come and meet Halima.

“Hey, OA is back with his mom,” Maggie says as she pokes her head into the guest room where her parents were nearly finished repacking for their trip home in the morning.

“Okay, we’ll be out in just a second, Maggie Beth,” Andrea replies with a smile to her daughter. Maggie nods and walks back to the kitchen to continue working on dinner. OA follows her and Halima sits on one of the stools at the counter.

Maggie and OA seamlessly gather the ingredients they’d picked up for dinner and work together to make dinner with no need for verbal communication. For a moment, Andrea, David, and Halima watch them move about in silent amusement before David breaks the silence with a question.

“Do you two always work like this? No wonder they let you stay partnered at work,” He lightly teased. OA and Maggie stopped in their tracks and turned to look at their parents.

“Pretty much, we don’t necessarily need to talk to communicate. We read each other better than we read ourselves sometimes,” OA shrugged and Maggie nodded in agreement.

“Halima, these are my parents, Andrea and Dave. Mom, Dad, this is Halima, OA’s mother,” Maggie introduced them and the three exchanged greetings and began to chat amongst themselves as Maggie and OA went back to preparing the meal.

“Everyone else should be here within the next half hour,” OA adds when Halima goes to question where his sisters and Maggie’s brother and sister are, “We figured you three might want some time to get to know each other before they get here, too.”

Just as they put the food in the oven to bake and set the timer, there was a knock on the door.

“That’s probably your sisters, Erin and Greg would have just walked in,” Maggie chuckled as she headed towards the door and opened it, “Hey guys, come on in,” She smiled. They all hugged Maggie as they walked past her and she shut the door behind them. She followed them and stood back as OA introduced them to her parents and Erin and Greg burst in the front door and found their way over to Maggie.

“You two could have at least closed the door,” Maggie stated as she went to close the door. Erin waved her off and Greg just chuckled as he hugged their mother.

Again, introductions were made and the group settled into comfortable conversation in the living room while they waited for dinner to finish cooking.

Soon, the food was done and they sat around the table together. Maggie and OA had carried everything to the table.

“So, you get to go back to desk duty in a couple of days, Maggie?” Eman asked.

“Yes, and as much as I hate being stuck at my desk it’s a whole lot better than being stuck at home, unable to do anything. Omar might finally stop moping about having to work without me, too,” Maggie joked.

“I have not been moping,” OA objected and everyone chuckled a bit at the couple.

“You have, but it’s only because you miss me at work, Tiff and Scola have not been shy about complaining about how mopey you’ve been,” Maggie smirked and patted his arm.

“Fine, I’m a total brat without you there, happy?” He grinned at her.

“Yes, you’re finally being honest,” Maggie giggled, “No, I know you’re not really that bad and I’d be the same if it we’re me stuck there without you,” Maggie smiled before leaning into him and kissing his cheek. Their family sat back and watched their banter and enjoyed getting to see them relax.

“You know, after all the mushy stuff I’ve seen since I got here, I don’t know how your team has dealt either of you two for so many years,” Greg joked. Maggie playfully kicked him under the table.

The rest of dinner was spent with more of them getting to know each other and a lot more teasing of Maggie and OA, namely from their respective siblings.

The next morning OA accompanies Maggie and her family to the airport to see them off. He told Jubal he’d be in just a little late that day and Jubal had said it was fine. They all made their way to Greg’s gate first, since his flight was scheduled to leave sooner.

Once they had waved him off and the door closed behind him, they made their way to her parents gate where they repeated their goodbyes with her parents. They waved them off and then Maggie, OA, and Erin turned to find their way out of the airport. They dropped Erin off and then headed to the JOC. Maggie decided she was going to turn in her paperwork that let her come back to desk duty on Monday, today, before she attended her mandatory psych eval.

Together they walked into the JOC and headed for Isobel’s office, noticing the glances from the analysts and the rest of the agents. They brushed it off as curiosity about why Maggie was there and knocked on Isobel’s door.

“Come in,” Isobel called before looking up to see them entering her office.

“Hey, just wanted to bring you these, I’m physically cleared to come back to desk duty on Monday and my psych eval is in less than an hour,” Maggie said as she handed over the paperwork from the physical therapist and her doctor.

“Okay, well thank you for that, I’m sure you’ll bring that clearance once you have it?” Isobel asked.

“I will,” Maggie responded noticing that the analysts were still watching her and OA, “Okay, what the hell are they watching us for, did something happen?”

“I don’t know the whole story, but someone witnessed an event at the zoo and now the JOC is aware of your relationship,” Isobel answered.

“Have they been acting like this all week? I didn’t notice anything,” OA commented.

“No, but you did miss it, yesterday, apparently they thought you were on edge for whatever reason,” OA immediately knew what she meant but he couldn’t let Maggie know so he decided to play it off.

“Yeah, I was just a little anxious, we introduced both of our families last night, and apparently I was really good at overthinking it,” OA lied, and he saw the narrowing of Maggie’s gaze and immediately knew she saw right through his story but Isobel was none the wiser. Isobel chuckled.

“How’d that go?”

“Really good, actually,” Maggie answered, still eyeing her partner suspiciously.

“Good, alright, I’ll let you go get upstairs to psych, hopefully I’ll see you again in about an hour with some more paperwork. I’ll talk to everyone on Monday about leaving you two alone and respecting your privacy. OA, if you have an issue today or tomorrow, please let me know and I will deal with it.” They nodded.

“Thank you,” Maggie replied as they left, OA to go to his desk and Maggie to the elevators to get to where she needed to be for her psych eval.

Chapter Text

After her psych eval Maggie headed back down to the JOC to turn in her clearance letter to Isobel and say goodbye to OA until she saw him later. They had decided to stay at his place this weekend since he had stayed at her’s since her family got into town. Maggie was going to take the subway back to her place and put together her bag and grab his stuff that was still at her pleace and then drive to his place. She had planned to surprise him and cook for him and she had much to do to prepare.

“Hey, Isobel,” Maggie says as she walks into her open office.

“Hey, psych clearance?” Isobel asks.

“Yeah, good to go for Monday,” Maggie replies and hands her the paperwork.

“Alright, I will see you on Monday, then,” Isobel smiled and before Maggie could respond Jubal’s voice roared from the JOC outside. Both women rushed out of the office and from the look on OA’s face, Maggie was sure that it wasn’t anything good.

“What’s going on, Jubal?” Isobel asked. He looked to her and then to Maggie and OA. Maggie understood the look on OA’s face now.

“Isobel?” Maggie questioned.

“Go ahead,” She answered Maggie’s unasked question. Maggie nodded and OA stepped closer to her before she began to speak.

“Look, obviously you all seem to think that OA and I’s private relationship is your business but it isn’t. Both Isobel and Jubal as well as the ADIC and HR are aware of our relationship. I do not care who was at the zoo over the weekend and brought it all here, I really don’t. I do care that it is interfering with the JOC’s business. All of you are gossiping and not working, you are distracting those who are trying to work,” Maggie shot a glance to Scola, Tiff, and OA, “And this is not a place where that can happen. So whatever this high school bullshit is, I suggest you get over it. Because come Monday when I am back in this office, I will not tolerate this drama. So grow up, be adults, and mind your damn business.” Maggie snapped before nodding to Isobel and Jubal and patting OA’s arm on her way back to the elevator. OA grinned at the shocked looks on the other agents faces and watched Maggie leave knowing better than to follow her out. Once she was out of sight, he turned and went back to his desk to finish his paperwork.

Apparently, Maggie’s words were enough because slowly but surely the JOC’s analysts and agents went back to work and no one dared to speak another word, certainly not about Maggie and OA, unless it had to do with their casework.

Maggie walked up the stairs after she got off the subway just two blocks away from her apartment. She stops at the bodega to pick up a couple of things for dinner and then heads to home to finish packing her bag to spend the weekend at OA’s and made sure she had his go bag to take back to his place. She locked the door behind her and juggled everything out to her car and placed it in the backseat before getting in and driving to her boyfriend’s apartment.

When she got inside she tossed his laundry into the machine and started it before putting her groceries into the fridge for the time being and went to sit on the couch while checking her phone and chuckled when she saw a text from Scola telling her that her words had worked and the JOC was back to work. ‘Scared ‘em out of their pants,’ he said.

‘Good, they’ll learn to mind their business,’ she returned before texting OA.

‘You okay?’

‘Yeah. Glad you talked them down, Jubal was pretty pissed.’

‘Yeah, never seen him quite that mad.’

‘Yeah, I should be done a little early, want me to stop and pick something up for dinner on my way home?’ Maggie sighed, she hadn’t wanted to reveal her plans so early.

‘Nope, I’m gonna cook for you.’

‘Okay, anything I can pick up? Wine?’

‘A nice red would go well with dinner.’

‘Okay, red wine it is. See you soon, Habibti, I love you.’

‘I love you, too,’ she replied before setting her phone on the coffee table and leaning back into his couch. OA smiled as he dropped his phone onto his desk and continued to work on his seemingly endless pile of paperwork.

“What the hell did she say that has you grinning like that?” Scola teased.

“She’s making dinner tonight. Before they left, I asked her parents for their blessing. I’m not asking her just yet, but I wanted to be sure I talked to them in person,” OA offered excitedly.

“That’s great, man!” Scola exclaimed. Tiffany who had been eavesdropping turned in her chair to join the conversation.

“You know how you’re going to do it, yet? I mean when you do?” She asked.

“Yeah, I do. At one point I mentioned an ‘overdressed picnic in Central Park’ and she lit up at the idea so I decided I’m saving that for the proposal,” OA answered.

“You’re a damn hopeless romantic,” Scola chuckled.

“Maybe so,” OA started and pulled the ring box out of his locked drawer, “But I love her.” Tiffany snatched the box from him and smiled when she opened it.

“She’s going to love this ring.”

“I hope so. It was my mom’s and before that it was my dad’s mom’s ring. I think it goes back a couple more generations, too,” He replied as Tiffany handed the box back to him and he replaced it in his locked drawer.

“It goes without saying, but not a word to Maggie about any of this.”

“Of course, brother,” The pair nodded before turning back to their paperwork. OA did the same and several hours later, once he was done, he collected his things, bid his friends goodbye and headed out for the night. He stopped only to pick up a good red wine to go with dinner and continued on to his apartment.

Maggie had started dinner not long before he would have left the office. She boiled the fresh pasta noodles and put the sauce on to simmer and get warm. She sliced the fresh bread and set the table. She left the wine glasses on the counter knowing he would want to pour them each a glass as soon as he got home while the pasta was still cooking. Just as she set them down he walked in the front door and called out to her.

“Mags? I’m home,” He called. She stepped around the corner to greet him and his jaw dropped.

“Hey, Baby. How was the rest of your day?” She asked nonchalantly.

“It was good. Not this good, but good,” OA answered while still taking in her appearance, “You look incredible,” He finished as he reached out to her waist to pull her into him and kissed her.
“Thank you,” Maggie replied. She had wanted to dress up and cook dinner for them to have a nice date night in.

“What are we having tonight?” He asked still holding her close.

“I got fresh pasta and bread from the bodega and your favorite sauce. Just some simple, warm comfort food.”

“Perfect, come on, I’ll open the wine,” He said gently pulling her by the hand into the kitchen to grab the corkscrew. He dropped her hand to open the wine and she stirred the pasta and put the bread into the oven to warm it up. Once that was done and there was nothing left but to wait for the food to finish cooking, Maggie turned to OA and took the glass he offered her. She sipped the wine and rested her head against his shoulder as they waited on the food. His left arm wrapped itself low on her waist and his hand rested on her hip.

After just a few minutes, Maggie drains the pasta in the colander she has already set in the sink and shoos him to the table.

“Mags, I can help.”

“No, I got this, go sit and I will be there in just a second,” She responds as she hands him her wine glass and he carries both of their glasses and the bottle to the table.

As Maggie finishes plating their food she can feel his gaze on her as she gracefully moves through his kitchen. She makes sure to turn the burners and stove off before she goes to pull the bread out of the oven and walks that over to him before turning to grab their plates and finally joins him at the table.

“Mags, this looks amazing, thank you,” OA says as he takes her right hand in his left.

“You’re welcome, baby,” She smiled and leaned over to kiss him before they began to eat.

“Do you really not care who was at the zoo?” OA asked curiously.

“No, because if it had become a topic of conversation which would have only prolonged the drama of it all. I have my suspicions but I also really don’t see that person bringing it up and spreading it in the JOC. Do you want to know who it was?” Maggie answered.

“I mean it would be nice to know but you’re right it just would have made it bigger than it was. I am pretty sure that at least most of them know who it was though.”

“I have no doubt they do, but like I said, I hope they can get over this high school drama and grow up. But I do have a question, were you really just anxious about our families meeting yesterday or was there something else?” OA sighed softly and looked away for a second.

“There was something else, but it’s nothing bad and I need you to trust that. I need you to promise you won’t dig for this, eventually you will know, but not just yet, alright?” He pleads as he meets her eyes again and Maggie nods in agreement.

“As long as you’re okay, I can do that.”

“I am, Babe. I promise. Now, you cooked, I’m cleaning,” He replies as he stands to take their now empty dishes to the sink. Maggie watches as he rinses everything in the sink before arranging it in the dishwasher and putting the leftovers in the fridge.

As he finishes putting everything away, Maggie plays music from her phone and as the melody fills the room she stretches her hand out to him and he gladly takes it pulling her close before swaying across the floor. For several moments they dance around the kitchen, quietly enjoying the company and embrace of each other before OA leans down to pull Maggie into a deep kiss. Maggie responds immediately and grips his shirt to pull him closer.

OA leans down just enough to pick Maggie up to carry her into his bedroom and Maggie instinctively wraps her legs around him.

Chapter Text

The next morning Maggie woke to find OA still asleep and surveyed the room with a quiet chuckle. They’d made quite the mess of the room last night. She slipped out of the bed and grabbed a t-shirt from his dresser and tossed it over her head before slinking into the kitchen to start on coffee and breakfast. She knew his alarm would be going off any second and today was the last day he would be heading into the JOC without her.

Moments later, OA slipped into the kitchen behind Maggie and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. Maggie relaxed into his embrace and tilted her head to kiss him.

“Good morning, beautiful,” OA greets.

“Good morning,” Maggie smiles, “Last day going into the JOC without me,” She comments. OA’s smile grows.

“I know, I can’t wait to have you back, even if it’s just for desk duty. It’s too weird sitting at my desk without you next to me. I think Nina is rolling with me today, at least I know her and we’ve worked together before.” Maggie nodded. She knew how much he hated needing to have a temporary partner in the field but she was glad it was someone they both knew and had worked with before.

“Is she gonna tag along until I can go back in the field?”

“I think that’s the plan, but it’s up to Isobel, so we’ll see,” OA replied as they moved to sit at the counter and eat, “Do you have PT again today?”

“Yeah, since we had to drop my parents and Greg off, and I had my psych eval yesterday, I moved it to today. I’ll probably stop my place and grab a few things before I circle back here. Do you need me to stop anywhere to grab anything while I’m out?”

“Not that I can think of, maybe text me before you leave your place and I’ll let you know if it changes?”

“Yeah, okay,” Maggie stands to bring her plate to the sink, and kisses his cheek.

“Thanks for breakfast, babe,” OA smiles before going to get ready for work.

“You’re welcome, love,” She replies before filling his to-go cup with coffee and mixing in the sugar just like he likes it. She tidies up the counter and washes the dishes from breakfast leaving them in the rack to dry.

OA showers, dresses himself, and brushes his teeth before reappearing in the kitchen. He kisses her softly and grabs his coffee before bidding her goodbye.
“Be safe,” Maggie calls as he heads out and she nearly misses his response.

“I will, Mags,” He calls back just as he shuts and locks the door behind himself.

Maggie finishes the laundry she’d started the day before and could not help but to think about how domestic this all felt, but continued nonetheless. She took her own shower and got ready for physical therapy before tidying up the room they’d destroyed last night and grabbed her gym bag with fresh clothes, phone, and keys before she left for the day as well.

As she got into the car, her phone rang, she answered it and put it on speaker as she began to drive to her therapy appointment.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Maggie, how are you?”

“I’m good, Halima. How are you? Is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything is fine, I was wondering if you had time to stop by today, I have made far too many Zalabya and I happen to know they are my son’s favorite. I have set some aside for each of the girls as well.”

“Yeah, I have plenty of time in just a while, I have to go to my physical therapy appointment and run a couple of errands, but I can stop by around one o’clock, if that’s okay.”

“Perfect, I will make us some lunch if you have the time to stay for a while?”

“You really don’t have to do that, but that would be amazing,” Maggie smiled even though she knew Halima could not see it through the phone.

“Then it’s settled! We’ll have lunch and you will take some of these Zalabya, because I truly have far too many to eat on my own.”

“Okay, I will let you know when I am on my way over in a bit.”

“Wonderful, see you soon, Maggie.”

“See you soon, Halima,” Maggie replied before hanging up, just in time to park and go into her appointment.

Maggie gathered her things and went into the building. She signed herself in and sat down until they called her name.

“Maggie Bell,” she rose and walked over to her physical therapist, smiling politely.

“My turn to be subjected to your torture, Jenna?”

“You keep calling it that, and the FBI is gonna show up asking questions,” Jenna retorted and Maggie laughed.

“That’s alright, I’ll show them my badge and tell ‘em it was just a joke,” Maggie replied as she followed Jenna over to the therapy space. For the next hour they worked on stretching Maggie’s shoulder and working on her range of motion exercises before she’d had enough.

“You did great today, Maggie, I will see you next Tuesday, right?”

“Yes, I will be back on Tuesday,” Maggie replied before they said goodbye. Maggie went to the bathroom so she could change out of her sweaty t-shirt and then headed out to the car. She stopped by her apartment and grabbed a few things and set them by the door before sorting through her mail and determining that it was all junk, tossed it in the trash. She loaded everything into her car and texted OA.

‘Hey, leaving my place now, did you think of anything you needed?’

“No, I’m all good. Any plans for the rest of your day?’

‘Just lunch with your mom, she called and asked me to stop by. How’s work? Catch a case?’

‘Have fun, tell her I say hello, it’s good and no, just paperwork so far.’

‘I will. See you tonight, shoot me a text if you catch a case, so I know you’ll be late.’

‘I will, love you.’

‘Love you, too.’ Maggie sent her reply and scrolled to find Halima’s number in her contacts and called her.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Halima, I’m on my way now, I should be there in about twenty or thirty minutes.”

“Okay, I’ll see you when you get here,” Halima replied and the two hung up before Maggie shifted her car into drive and drove towards Astoria. When she arrived she pulled into the driveway and grabbed her phone and keys before reaching into her bag for some Ibuprofen as her shoulder was starting to throb from her therapy that morning. She quickly swallowed the pills with a sip from her water bottle and got out of the car. She made her way to the door and before she could knock Halima had opened it and ushered her inside. Maggie hugged her and the two headed for the kitchen where Maggie began to realize just how much cooking Halima had done between the Zalabya and lunch.

“You weren’t kidding,” Maggie chuckled and Halima smiled.

“No, I sort of just got into a rhythm and by the time I realized I had made far too many, it was too late to turn back,” Halima replied, “How was your therapy? How’s your shoulder doing?”

“It was good but my shoulder’s starting to get sore. That’s good, though, means the therapy is working,” Maggie answered as they sat at the kitchen table.

“Good, I’m glad you’re healing well. I put on some water in the kettle, I figured we could have some tea with our lunch, which is nearly done heating in the oven,” Halima continued, “Do you need anything for your shoulder?”

“Tea sounds perfect, and no, thank you, I just took some Ibuprofen so it should start to calm down in just a few minutes,” She smiled softly and wondered if Halima even realized just how much her concern for Maggie meant. She could definitely see where Omar picked up his habit to worry about and fuss over his friends and family, “How are you doing after everything?”

“I’m doing alright, really. No more headaches, and only a little rib pain when I move too fast. I have been to a couple of appointments with a psychologist, just to help me process everything that happened,” Halima admitted.

“That’s good, and seeing a psychologist to help you with the processing is great, I hope you know that I am always willing to listen if you ever need to, as well.”

“I do, sweetheart, thank you,” Halima smiled and stood to gather the food and tea for them. They plated their food and poured their tea, before chatting as they ate.

The two women the noext hour-and-a-half telling stories and getting to know one another before Maggie decided it was time to head out, her shoulder hadn’t quite calmed down as much as she wished and she needed to get home so she could rest and ice it properly.

“Halima, thank you for today. The food was delicious, and I loved talking to you.”

“Of course, you are always welcome here, Maggie, I hope to see you again soon. Don’t forget these,” She replied as she handed her the Zalabya she had set aside for Maggie and OA.

“Thank you, I’ll make sure he doesn’t eat them all in one sitting,” Maggie chuckled.

“That would be wise,” Halima laughed and the two hugged before Maggie left and got back into her car and drove to OA’s apartment. She unloaded everything from her place, set the Zalabya on the counter, and grabbed an ice pack from his freezer before going to lie on the couch with the ice on her shoulder as she watched whatever she could find on the tv, and waited for OA to come home.

A few hours later, Maggie woke to the sound of OA coming home, apparently she had dozed off. She sat up and stretched her back before getting up and putting the ice pack back where it belonged and hugging him once he reached her.

“Hey, you,” She smiles and relaxes into his embrace.

“Hey, how was therapy?”

“Good, my shoulder started getting sore right around when I got to your mom’s. I took some Ibuprofen and it helped a little but I did have to ice it when I got back. It feels much better now,” She replied honestly. He nodded and bent his head to kiss her shoulder.

“I’m glad the ice helped. What did my Am’ma want?”

“She made far too many Zalabya for herself and divided the extras up between us and your sisters, they’re on the counter. We talked for almost two hours this afternoon and I realized where you picked up your habit for worrying about and fussing over people you care about,” She replied, gesturing toward the container his mother had sent with her.

“So glad you didn’t tell me about these earlier, I would have never gotten anything else done. And yeah, but at least we know I get it honest,” He chuckled as she opened the container and shoved one of the small, fried balls of dough into his mouth and sighed, “She never makes a bad Zalabya, have you had any yet?”

“I had a few while I was with her, just don’t make me a liar and eat all of them in one sitting,” Maggie chuckled.

“You promised I wouldn't, didn't you?” He asked, chuckling and replacing the lid.

“I did, indeed,” Maggie confirmed.

The two decided shortly thereafter to cook dinner and relax for the evening. They made Lemon Chicken Pasta and a bag of mixed vegetables for dinner and enjoyed a few more Zalabya as they watched mindless tv before heading to bed.

Chapter Text

Maggie and OA spent their weekend lounging around, tidying up and preparing themselves for the next week. Maggie found herself getting more restless the closer they got to her return to the JOC on Monday morning. By the time the alarm went off she had already been lying awake for an hour. When it blared into the otherwise quiet room, she reached over and turned it off before watching OA as he stirred from his sleep and rolled onto his side to face her.

“Good morning,” he greets, his voice still thick with sleep.

“Good morning,” She replies as she leans over to kiss him. He kisses her back and sits up, tossing the blanket to the side.

“You shower first, I’ll make coffee and breakfast today,” He tells her as he gets up and pads into the kitchen to get started. Maggie nods and gets up to get into the shower, she finishes quickly and gets dressed before blow drying her hair, her blow dryer having been one of the necessary items she collected from her apartment on Friday, and walking to the kitchen and sitting in his lap at the table where he was nearly finished eating. He wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her head.

“Eat, babe,” He said as he pulled her plate closer so that she could reach it.

“Thank you for making breakfast,” She paused with a yawn, “And coffee,” She chuckled before eating and sipping her coffee.

“You’re welcome,” He replied with a smile before sliding out from under her and going to shower and get ready. After she finished eating, Maggie cleaned up breakfast and noted that he had already filled their tumblers with coffee for work and smiled. She returned to the bedroom and made sure she had everything she would need to take to work and brought it out to the kitchen and waited for him to finish getting ready before they grabbed their bags, coffees, and headed out the door.

They climbed into OA’s truck and he drove towards 26 Fed. He kept an eye on Maggie; he watched her begin to prepare herself for whatever case they may have today, and hoped that everyone had listened to what she said last Thursday and would leave their personal relationship out of the JOC.

Once they pulled into the parking garage and he parked his truck in it’s assigned spot they got out and headed in to ride the elevator up to the JOC. They walk straight over to their desks to get their things situated and prepare for the day ahead.

From her office, Isobel smiles at the sight of the two partners at their desks together. She knew it was going to be a long month or so with Maggie on desk duty. Maggie would miss the field, and OA would miss her being in the field with him and they were going to get just a bit insufferable by the time she was cleared for field duty, but at least she was back and the JOC would always be better off with both of them present, regardless of any duty restrictions or injuries. She watched as they turned to start working on their emails and waiting on the morning’s briefing once the whole team has arrived.

Jubal walked in and put his messenger bag down at his desk in the JOC and turned to see Isobel in her office and noticed her watching the pair of partners through the glass. He walked over and knocked on the open door.

“You know, they probably realize you’re watching them, right?” He chuckled.

“Yeah, I’m sure they do, but it’s nice to see the two of them together in this room again. It has only been a couple of weeks and it’s obvious that it affected him when she wasn’t here, and she’s already antsy to be back in the field even though you can see she’s still in pain if you watch her carefully,” Isobel responded.

“Are you two just gonna keep watching us, because that’s just creepy,” Maggie called without looking up from her screen. OA barked out a laugh from beside her genuinely shocked at her remark though he had noticed the two watching them as well. Jubal and Isobel made their way out of her office.

“Just talking about how nice it is to see the two of you together at those desks again,” Isobel commented as she turned to the JOC as the team had started to filter in. She wanted to get ahead on catching any updates for the briefing. Maggie chuckled to herself and finished replying to her emails and spun around in her chair to greet Tiff, Nina, and Scola.

“Hey guys,” She greeted.

“Hey, welcome back,” Scola replied with a pat on her left shoulder as he made it to his desk.
“Good to have you back,” Tiff smiled as she started unpacking her bag for the day.

“How’s that shoulder?” Nina asked.

“Thanks, it’s alright. Sore from physical therapy and if I move it too quickly but other than that better than was expected so quickly,” Maggie answered and Nina nodded.

“That’s good, maybe I’ll be able to give this back to you sooner than planned,” Nina teased as she patted OA’s shoulder on the way to the coffee maker.

“Hey,” OA complained.

“What would you rather keep Nina as your partner?” Maggie asked with a smirk.
“Listen, I like working with her, but you promised me not more than two months,” OA returned with a grin.

“I did, and I meant it. She’ll have to give you back soon, maybe even sooner than the doctor originally thought, but for now, you gotta behave, she’ll tell me if you’re not behaving, won’t you, Nina?” Maggie asked with a laugh.

“Of course,” Nina replied with a wink to OA.

“Somehow we’re the ones on the outside, and she’s your woman,” Tiff joked with Scola.

“They’ll love us again someday,” He replied with a smirk as Jubal came over to the group and called them into the briefing and they followed him into the JOC.

“Alright, listen up, it is the start of a new week so we have a good bit to catch up on,” Jubal started before shooting a glance towards OA, “First, we will not be taking Mrs. Zidan’s case to trial, both Mitchell and the doctorhave decided to plead guilty and run with the hope of possible parole in thirty years. Further investigation revealed more than a dozen and a half other victims, all willing to testify against them,” OA nodded gratefully; thankful that his mother would not have to testify.

“Second, both the Frederickson and Thomas trials have concluded with convictions all around so great work on both of those again!” Jubal continued and everyone clapped.

“Lastly, the AUSA needs the last of our case and evidence reports from the Cutler case. We do not have an emergent active case so let’s catch up on everything we can today,” Jubal finished and dismissed them to their desks.

“Guess we’re all on desk duty today,” Scola huffed as he plopped into his chair.

“Good, you can all keep me company, then,” Maggie joked as she turned to see if she had any reports to complete from before she was on medical leave and was genuinely shocked to see that she had only two to finish.

“So is that what we are to you now? Entertainment?” Tiff asked.

“Might as well be as long as you’re stuck at your desks today,” Maggie answered and the group chuckled as they all started working through their reports.

By noon they had all grown irritated with paperwork and reports and Maggie had just submitted the last of what she needed to catch up on. So she decided they needed a lunch break away from their desks. She got up and told Jubal they were all going to step out for lunch and walked back over to them, knowing they had watched her every move. No matter how discreet they had tried to be, she knew them better than that.

“Is she okay?” Scola asked OA as soon as she started talking to Jubal.

“Yeah, I think so, she would have said something if she wasn’t okay,” He replied quietly and pretended to go back to his paperwork when he saw she had turned to come back.

“Come on, we’re going to get lunch. None of us can stand another minute of this paperwork, and I know you’re all faking it right now. I was just letting Jubal know we were grabbing lunch,” OA smiled widely, even injured and on restricted duty she was fulfilling her role as Senior Field Agent, and taking care of her team when they needed a break, even if it was just paperwork.

They gathered their things, none of them stopping to question her decision because they knew she was right, and they trusted her with their lives. The group slipped out and into the elevator and once the doors closed, they let out a collective sigh. OA leaned over and whispered in her ear.

“Good call, babe,” She turned to smile at him.

“Please, Scola was about to destroy his computer, Nina has had at least two coffee refills, Tiff was about to rip her paperwork down the middle, and you couldn’t sit still for anything, a kindergartener could have told you it was a good call,” She replied.

“Just gonna whisper over there or are we going to figure out where we’re going to eat?” Scola remarked from the opposite side of the small elevator. Maggie and OA chuckled as the doors opened and they all stepped out into the lobby near security.

“Why don’t we go out here and head up the street to that little burger joint, what’s it called? Benny’s?” Tiff pitched, and Nina nodded.

“Yes! A big, greasy burger is exactly what we need right now,” She answered and the others nodded in agreement.

“Sounds perfect,” OA agreed and the five agents made their way outside and down the street just a few blocks before they reached their destination.

“Is it possible it smells even better than usual?” Maggie asked as they approached the restaurant.

“Definitely,” OA chimed and Scola nodded.

“Probably because we’re pulling ourselves out of the paperwork dungeon,” Scola replied as they walked in and found a table.

“You do have a point, babe,” Nina chuckled as they sat down and waited patiently for the server to come over and take their drink orders.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite FBI agents,” Kayla greeted, “Should I just assume you’re all ordering your usuals?” She asked and they all laughed, nodding.

“Do we really come here often enough they know our usuals?” Tiff asked, only half joking.

“Yes, you do,” Kayla answered, “But that’s okay, we like you guys ‘round here,” They smiled.

“So usuals?” Kayla asked.

“Yes,” They replied in unison and she took the menus that hadn’t been touched.

“Alright, I’ll be right back with those drinks, burgers shouldn’t take long.”

“Thanks, Kayla,” Maggie replied.

“No problem,” Kayla replied as she went to fill their drink orders and came back to set them down before returning to the kitchen to put their orders in.

Twenty minutes later their burgers arrived and as they ate, conversation slowed. Just under an hour after they had left 26 Fed they were on their way back.

“Back to the dungeon we go,” Scola joked and they laughed and then all at once their phones went off.

“Please be a case,” Tiff begged as she read the text from Jubal, “Yes! Forget the dungeon, we got a case, sorry Maggie, we can’t entertain you anymore today,” She commented. OA leaned down to Maggie’s ear before she could respond.

“Well, I am available to entertain you later,” He whispered gruffly.

“OMAR!” She shouted as she blushed.

“Again with the whispering,” Scola started and upon seeing the blush rising on Maggie’s cheeks continued, “Although this time, I don’t really think I want to know what you said,” He turned around and moved to catch up to Nina who was having trouble not laughing at them all. They made it back to the building where they signed back in and headed for the elevator. Jubal was waiting for them when they got off.

“Good, you guys are back, I thought I was gonna have to have Ian track your phones,” He started before walking back into the JOC knowing they would follow him.

“What do we have, Jubal?” Scola asked.

“Child abduction at the Bronx Zoo,” He started with a gesture to Kelly, “Meet Riley Kaitlyn Dunn, 11 years old. Parents are Dawson and Jennifer Dunn,” Jubal continue before Maggie interrupts.

“Mom is one of us, she just got transferred from Indianapolis,” She began slightly panicked.

“Do you know the mom?” Isobel asked.

“That’s a bit of an understatement. I know both parents, we grew up together and we were inseparable. Have they been contacted?”

“We were working on that, Riley was on a school field trip,” Jubal answered.

“Isobel, please let me be the one to tell them, I know I’m tied to the desk but I need to be the one to do this,” Maggie begged.

“I will let you do this, take OA, he’ll keep you from doing anything other than inform the parents. Get them here as soon as possible, we’ll keep working what we have so far,” Isobel answered. Maggie nodded and the two agents headed up one floor to the Organized Crime unit. Maggie spotted her friend and led her partner over to her.

“Jenny,” Maggie started to get her attention.

“Hey, Maggie, give me a minute, we’ve got a case coming in,” She answered.

“Jenny, it can’t wait. We need to talk to you, now. Privately,” She replied and she knew her friend would hear the anguish in her voice.

“What is it? Something happen to Dawson?”

“No, not Dawson, Jenny. It’s Riley,” Jennifer pulled her to the side and OA followed quietly, knowing Maggie needed to do this.

“What the hell happened to my little girl?” She demanded.

“She was abducted from the zoo on her field trip,” Maggie answered and it took both her and OA to catch Jenny when her legs gave out.

“Maggie, you guys have to find her,” She said as she began to cry, “You know the stats,” she finished.

“My team will find her, I’m tied to the desk right now, but I’ll be working from the JOC. We can’t get ahold of Dawson, do you know how we can get him here? We need you to come downstairs with us.”

“What do you mean? He was helping as a chaperone on the field trip. Is my husband missing, too?” Jenny asked. Maggie looked at OA and they decided to get Jenny downstairs to the JOC.

“Come on, we need to find out. Let’s go,” Maggie said as she steered her to her desk and they packed up Jenny’s things as OA briefed her ASAC on what was going on. Then, the three headed back to the JOC.

“Isobel, Dawson was with Riley’s class at the zoo and is unreachable, it looks like he is missing, too,” OA whispered as Maggie brought Jenny to the conference room.

“He’s not missing anymore, he was found beaten, he nearly died trying to fight these guys off his daughter. Have Maggie take Jenny up to Calvary hospital to meet him,” Isobel answered and OA nodded. He grabbed Maggie’s bag and gun and brought it to her.

“Hey, Mags,” He called as he opened the door.

“Hey, Jen, my partner has some information, I’ll be right back,” Maggie said softly as she stepped into the hallway.

“What’s going on?”

“They found Dawson, he was beaten nearly to death trying to fight these guys off. He’s at Calvary. Isobel wants you to take her up there,” OA filled her in.

“Okay, I just gotta get my,” OA holds up her bag, “bag. Thank you,” She finished.

“You’re welcome. Hey, call if you guys need anything,” OA replied.

“I will. Call me when you guys know something, anything,” He nodded. She went back in and filled Jenny in and they went down to the parking garage to head to the hospital.

“Maggie, tell me they’re gonna get my baby back,” Jenny said quietly as Maggie maneuvered the streets on the way to the hospital.

“My team is the best of the best. They will bring her home,” Maggie answered, wholly confident in her team, “Let’s go check on Dawson, okay?” They got out of the car and walked in to the nurse’s station.

“Hi, I’m Special Agent Bell, this is Special Agent Dunn. Her husband was brought in not too long ago. Dawson Dunn.”

“Of course, follow me,” The nurse says as she motions for them to follow her.

They walked into the room where Dawson lie motionless in the bed as the monitors reported his vitals. Jenny raced to his bedside and gripped his hand and Dawson stirred.

“Hey, D, I’m here,” Jenny greets.

“Riles?”

“She’s still missing, but Maggie’s team is gonna find her,” Jenny said, motioning to Maggie.

“Maggie?”

“Yeah, D. I’m right here. My partner and our team will find her, OA will be here shortly to get your statement, I’m sure,” Maggie answered.

“Okay, I’m going to rest until then,” Dawson responded before drifting back to sleep. Maggie and Jenny settled into the plastic chairs in the room while they waited for news from the team and for OA and Nina to come take Dawson’s statement.

Chapter Text

“So, why are you on the desk?” Jenny asks, breaking the silence that felt like it was suffocating her.

“We were escorting OA’s mom home from the hospital after she was attacked, and he went to grab a few things for her in a bodega that we did not know was in the process of being robbed. When he attempted to disarm the suspect, the gun misfired into the floor, but I heard the shot. I called our team and left the line open before going in myself. Neither of us saw the second shooter, and I took one in the shoulder. I still have a few weeks of PT before I am able to get back in the field. Today was my first day back from medical leave,” Maggie answered, turning to her friend.

​

“How’d your mama take that?”

​

“After I spent a few days in the hospital, she and Daddy came to stay for a week. Greg even managed to get a few days off and come. It was actually pretty nice. Erin spent a lot of time with us, too.”

​

“Good, sounds nice. My mama begged us not to leave Indiana, but I couldn’t turn this job down. Right now, I wish I had,” Jenny returned as tears flooded her eyes. Maggie moved to kneel in front of her and took her hands.

​

“You are not responsible for this, Jennifer, and we are going to get these scumbags. We will bring Riley home safely. You are one of us, which means Riley is one of us, and Dawson, too. And the JOC doesn’t stop until our family is safe,” Maggie comforted.

​

“I just wish we could do more than sit here.”

​

“I know,” Maggie began as a knock sounded at the door, “Hey, that’s OA and Nina, they’ll have an update and need to get his statement,” She coached as she handed Jenny a tissue before opening the door, “Hey, come on in.”

​

“Hey, so I won’t beat around the bush, we found the security camera footage, and we have a few leads from it. Dawson also managed to knock them around quite a bit, so we have blood samples from both of them. We also have footage of the vehicle and proof that there are only two of them. It does not appear that Riley was injured in the struggle,” OA briefed as he and Nina stepped in the room, “We do need to know if he has any possible information for us, is he up for it?” Jenny nodded and walked over to the bed to gently wake her husband.

​

“Hey, Daws, they’re here to take your statement,” Jenny whispered. Dawson woke slowly, and the agents gave him space to become more aware of his surroundings and wake up fully.

​

“Okay, where do you want to start? Can I just tell you what happened, and you can ask questions as you need to clarify?”

​

“That’s fine, you take your time, and if you need a minute, just let us know,” Nina answered, and Dawson nodded before taking several deep breaths to regulate his breathing.

​

“Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until Riley noticed two men in ski masks walking around like they were just visiting the zoo, though the masks were obviously suspicious. She quietly told me, and just as I was about to alert a security officer, a gunshot rang out, and that guard went down. It hit him in the vest. I remember the paramedics telling me that when I was in the ambulance. Anyway, then the large one tried to grab Riley.” He paused and took a second to gather his thoughts, “I pulled her away from him and knocked him around quite a bit. I broke his nose, and it gushed everywhere. That’s when Riley yelled at her teachers and the other kids to run. She told them to leave and get help, but she wouldn’t go with them. I told her to go, but she wouldn’t go without me. The second one grabbed her, and she hit him with a right cross and knocked a tooth out. She managed to get a bit away, and then both assailants turned on me, and I just couldn’t keep up with fighting them both off. When I couldn’t get up again, they grabbed her and ran,” Dawson finished and squeezed Jenny’s hand.

​

“Can you describe either of them in more detail?” OA asked.

​

“Yeah, the taller one was about 6’1”, white, with hazel eyes, wearing jeans and a black jacket, and a black ski mask. The way the mask fit on his head made it look like he probably had long hair.” The other guy was about 5’8”, latina maybe he had an accent that sounded hispanic, brown eyes, jeans, red jacket, and I saw part of a tiger tattoo on his hand,” OA nodded and Nina’s phone rang and she stepped into the hallway to answer.

​

“Jubal, what’s up?”

​

“We got lucky when we were tracking down the address on the van’s registration. We have located Riley, and she is on her way to Calvary as we speak. She had already managed to free herself and was running down the street when Tiff and Scola arrived with SWAT. Both suspects are in custody. We still need Dawson Dunn’s statement for the reports, but Riley is safe; Tiff rode with her in the ambulance.”

​

“We just finished up with his statement. I’ll let everyone know about Riley. Turns out she kicked some butt today, too.”

​

“Good for her,” Jubal replied, and the two hung up. Nina walked back into the room.

​

“You two are raising quite the girl,” Nina started, “When the rest of our team arrived with SWAT to check out a lead on the owner of the van, Riley was already running towards them. She escaped on her own, unnoticed by the suspects, and is on her way here. One of our agents rode in the ambulance with her. Both suspects are in custody.” The room stayed silent for just a second before Jenny turned to Dawson.

​

“She’s safe, I’m going to go check on her as soon as she gets here,” Jenny turned to Maggie, “Can you see if the doctor will let him go over in a wheelchair?”

​

“Yeah, of course, Tiff will come find us when they get here, so we’ll know,” Maggie answered as she headed over to the nurse’s desk.

​

“Can I help you?”

​

“Yes, I’m Special Agent Bell. Is there any way we can speak to Dawson Dunn’s doctor and get permission for him to go over in a wheelchair to see his daughter once she gets here?”

​

“Will she be coming in as a patient?” The nurse asked curiously.

​

“Yes, she was abducted earlier today, and he was injured trying to fend off her kidnappers,” Maggie answered.

​

“I’ll get a doctor in there as soon as possible to see if it’s possible.”

​

“Thank you,” Maggie smiled and turned to head back and nearly ran into Tiffany.

​

“Hey, I’m gonna grab Jenny and we’ll follow you over to Riley,” Maggie greeted, and Tiff nodded.

​

“Hey, Jenny, Tiff is here, the doctor will be in to check him out asap. Tiff and I are going to go with you, and I’ll come back to him with an update on Riley.”

​

“Okay, did you hear her, D?” Dawson nodded.

“Go, she needs you more than I do.” Tiff led the other two agents to Riley’s room, where she was eager to see her mother and ‘Aunt Maggie.’

​

“Mama! Aunt Maggie!” She cried out, and Jenny ran over to hug her.

​

“Hey, Baby. I’m so glad you’re alright.”

​

“How’s Daddy?”

​

“He’s in a room down the hall. He’ll be alright, Sweetheart,” Maggie answered.

“Okay, good,” Riley breathed a sigh of relief. Maggie moved to her other side and hugged her.

​

“I’m so glad we got you back, Sweetheart,” She whispered.

​

“Me too, by the way, they took their masks off in the van. I saw their faces, and I can identify them. They put their masks back on, though, so they’re not very bright,” Riley volunteered.

​

“Good, your identifications will help with conviction, but you just worry about getting home and healing up and helping your Daddy do the same,” Maggie replied as the doctor walked in.

​

“Is one of you her mother?” She asked.

​

“I am, you can speak freely in front of Agent Bell,” Jenny straightened up as they turned to listen to the doctor.

​

“Alright, she was complaining of some pain in her ribs, so we ran bedside x-rays and found that she has two that are broken, I assume from the initial struggle she detailed to me, and we also x-rayed her right hand since she threw a punch, and that bruising was a little concerning. She does have a small fracture in her wrist, so we will need to get her in a cast, and she will be here for a couple of days, but she should fully heal up in just a few months,” The doctor briefed.

​

“Okay, is there anything else?”

​

“No, Mama. They didn’t touch me, especially not like you’re thinking. Although I got the feeling that was part of their plan. It’s why I escaped,” Riley answered the question that her mother was trying not to ask, and Jenny nodded before kissing her hair.

​

“Any other questions for me?”

​

“Will it be possible to put her in the same hospital room as her dad? He was injured trying to intervene in the abduction.”

​

“I will make sure we can make that happen so you aren’t running back and forth. Just give me about an hour, and I should be able to get it set up.”

​

“Thank you,” The doctor nodded and left the room.

​

“I’m going to update Dawson and see if they’ll let him visit,” Maggie said as she got up and walked out of the room and headed back to Dawson’s room, where the rest of the team had gathered.

​

“Maggie Beth, how’s my girl?” Dawson asked, and Maggie ignored Stuart’s chuckle in the background at hearing her nickname. She’d never hear the end of it now.

​

“She’s alright. She has a couple of broken ribs and a small fracture on her right wrist from the struggle. They didn’t touch her otherwise,” Maggie answers pointedly, “Her doctor said she is going to make it so you can both stay in the same room upstairs. She does have to stay a few days because of her ribs.”

​

“Thank you,” Dawson replied as the doctor walked in.

​

“Mr. Dunn, I think we can get you in to visit your daughter in a wheelchair until we can get you both upstairs in a room,” She started before recognizing Maggie.”

​

“I assume you’re the designated messenger?”

​

“That would be me,” Maggie replied, and Dawson looked between the two, confused. Maggie noticed.

“She’s the same doctor treating Riles,” She clarified. Dawson nodded, and a nurse came in with a wheelchair so they could take him to see Riley. They helped him transfer carefully into the chair and wheeled him down the hall to Riley’s room. The agents watched as the family of three was reunited and politely bid their goodbyes, with Maggie promising to stop by the next morning before her PT appointment. Jenny got up to hug her friend.

​

“Thank you so much,” She started before turning to the rest of them, “All of you, seriously. Thank you for bringing our girl home to us,” The team nodded, and they left the family to continue their reunion.

​

Jenny glanced up to watch them walk away and saw OA’s arm drape around Maggie’s shoulder, “I knew it,” She whispered, and Dawson looked at her, confused.

​

“Maggie is dating her partner,” Jenny clarified.

​

“Yeah, they made too much of an effort not to stand too close together,” He replied.

​

Meanwhile, OA led Maggie back out to the parking lot, and they walked over to the Tahoe she had driven. They paused and leaned against the front bumper. He reached over and swiped a piece of hair behind her ear.

​

“How’re you holding up after that?”

​

“I’m okay. Riley is my goddaughter. Today was hard. Listen, do you mind if I take the Tahoe back and bring Jenny’s car back here and drop off her keys?”

​

“Of course not, I’ll follow you and grab the rest of our stuff at the office so we can just go home as soon as you’re done handing the keys over,” OA answered before kissing her softly. The two got into their separate vehicles and headed back to 26 Fed. Maggie put the Tahoe in its place before going to the area Jenny described her car being in and found it quickly. She texted OA that she was heading back and to take his time, and returned to the hospital and parked Jenny’s car. She took a picture of the location in the parking garage before making her way inside and speaking to the nurse at the desk to get their new location.

​

“They have been moved up to the fourth floor, room 4326. You can head up, but visiting hours are over in twenty minutes, so I have to ask that you keep your visit brief.”

​

“Thank you, I will,” Maggie answered as she made her way to the elevator and rode it up to the fourth floor. She easily navigated to the room number she was given and knocked before opening the door.

​

“Hey, I brought your keys back. I sent you a picture of where your car is in the garage,” She whispered to Jenny since both Dawson and Riley were asleep.

​

“Thank you. Hey, how are you getting home?” Jenny asked, but Maggie noted the glint in her eye.

​

“OA’s swinging back to pick me up. He’s grabbing the rest of our things from the office,” She answered vaguely.

​

“OA, huh?” Jenny smirked.

​

“Yeah, so? Got something you wanna ask me?”

​

“Nope, not asking anything. I have it all figured out. Just can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

​

“It’s only been a few weeks, Jen, but yes, we’re dating. Everyone in the JOC knows, so does HR. We’ll have a girl’s night and I’ll tell you everything, but not tonight, visiting hours are almost up, so I have to go. All you need to know right now is that he is better to me than Jason was,” Maggie answered.

​

“Okay, good, I didn’t want to have to kick his ass. Or apparently let my daughter do it,” Jenny chuckled.

​

“Yeah, need to get her in some self-defense classes, though it seems she might already know a few things.”

​

“No kidding, good night, Maggie, text me when you get home safe?”

​

“Of course, get some rest, and I’ll see you in the morning before I head into PT,” Jenny nodded. Maggie exited the hospital and found OA parked right outside the door at the curb, and climbed into his truck.

​

“All good?”

​

“Yeah, let’s go home,” She responded and rested her hand on his thigh, needing contact after such a long and draining day.