Something that just popped into my head. Takes place roughly four to six months after Fail Safe. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Not mine!
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Even sleep is a tricky thing for a spy.
When you're sleeping, you're at your most vulnerable. Early on, you learn to sleep very lightly, so your ears can detect a stranger's footfall against your floor, or the chamber of a gun turning.
Long before he even became a spy, Michael was a light sleeper. Sometimes waking easily meant the difference between a good night's sleep, and a night curled up in his closet hiding from his father's drunken rages. It wasn't until the first time he saw his dad hit his mom and Nate that he finally fought back.
Light sleeping was a definite plus in the Army, and later on when he joined the CIA. And then, just a few months ago, he slept lightly with the fear that Fiona could be stolen from his side at any moment.
Outside, thunder rolled ominously in the distance, and Michael's eyes suddenly flew open. For a moment, he wasn't sure what had woken him. Then he saw Fiona sitting up in the bed, her eyes wild and a gun in her hand.
Moving slowly, he sat up and reached out cautiously to take the gun. "Fi, it's okay…" His fingers closed over the barrel of the gun, and he gently took it from her small hand. "It's okay…" Setting the gun aside, he wrapped his arms firmly around Fiona and gently pulled her into his lap. "Shh…" He rested his head lightly against hers.
Less than a week ago, after months of uncertainty and a lot of burned favors from unsavory characters, Michael had finally gotten Fiona out of that damn cage. The moment she walked out, he knew that something in her had changed. Something bad. That first night, even after they made love and she lay in his arms, she had woken up with nightmares. Sometimes he was able to ease her back into sleep with a whisper and a gentle touch. Other times, she woke up screaming and not knowing where she was, or even that she was with him.
She curled up in his arms and buried her face in his chest, her slender frame shuddering. "Michael…"
He kissed her head and smoothed his large hand over her hair. "I'm here, Fi. I've got you. You're safe." Burying his face in her hair, he scowled. He should have gotten her out of that hellhole sooner.
Her fingers clutched the material of his undershirt, and her tears splashed against his skin.
"Everything's okay," he continued, slowly rocking her back and forth like a small child. "I'm not going to let you go. I love you, Fiona." How could he have been so stupid? He had loved her since he first saw her in Ireland, but it had taken her nearly being ripped away from him forever to make him realize that. "Shh…"
After a few minutes, she relaxed against his chest, and he could feel her breathing grow deep and even. With a soft sigh, he continued to rub circles slowly over her back.
A flash of lightning briefly lit up the loft, followed by a clap of thunder, and he tightened his hold on her tiny form when she jerked in her sleep and whimpered.
"I'm never going to let you go again, Fi. I swear."
The End.
A/N: Aww, protective Michael! Gotta love him. Thanks for reading, and please review!