A/N First of all I have no claim to Covert Affairs. I just like to play with the characters.

Comes right after sagacious and is from Jai's POV.

CHOICES AND DECISIONS

When the gunfire started Jai reacted instantly shoving Annie to the ground while pulling out his weapon at the same time. "Call for back up!" he instructed as he took careful aim at the direction the shots were coming from.

Leaving her to make the call the young man carefully looked around to see two man taking shelter around the corner of a dilapidated building firing in the direction of the two CIA agents.

There was nothing but an old truck to take cover behind and the agent quickly did so continually firing as he did so. Pausing to reload he heard a bullet ricochet off the truck to bury itself high in his right shoulder. Still he managed to not drop his weapon and concentrated on taking out the gunmen watching the first on fall to the ground.

Jai managed to drop the second gunman but not before the man was able to get off a shot that struck the agent in his upper left chest. Hearing Annie frantically calling his name Jai turned and stumbled a few steps toward her before collapsing to the ground as everything grew hazy.

Feeling a sudden pressure on his chest Jai opened his eyes and looked up to see Annie kneeling over him using her shirt as a compress for his wound.

Trying to maintain a pretense of calmness the young woman was saying, "Help's on the way. Just hang on."

"An…nie," he managed to say.

"Shush, Jai. Don't try to talk. You need to save your strength," Annie said encouragingly.

He suddenly coughed and blood filled his mouth making him gag. Feeling his head being quickly turned to the side he choked and gasped watching the blood splatter on the ground beside him.

Feeling Annie gently wiping away the blood on his lips the young man was suddenly filled with an overwhelming sense of regret. There were so many things he wanted to say to her. To tell her that he loved her, that he was grateful that they were still friends even after she learned of his involvement in Sri Lanka. And that some of the best times he'd had recently had been working an op with her or just hanging out at Allen's Tavern with her and Auggie. But he had not even the strength left to speak so all he could manage was to weakly grasp one of her hands and squeeze it. It was a goodbye of sorts and he hoped she'd understand.

The last words he heard were Annie pleading with him to stay with her and his last thought before he slipped into blackness was that if he had to do this all over again he would.