Podie1 - Although there isn't a direct new chapter for the previous story. This is it's continuation of sorts. Thank you for your kind words and WOW. I think the word 'phenomenal' stuck in my head for hours after that.

Summary: Mike had expected to be the fall guy. Turned out it was someone else.

Pairing: Mike/Alex.

Series: Sequel to After Life, Before Death and part of my M/A series.

Disclaimer: The show does not belong to me but these stories do. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while.

Spoilers: To The Bone, On Fire & The Good.

Reviews: Yes, please. That's how I know how well I'm doing.

A/N: Italics are flashback scenes - both my own and scenes from the episode On Fire

The Wake

Fire. The burning sensation had to be mind crippling to the point of total insanity. The churches went down in flames but so did one man's career. But he did cause the fire to burn out before it completely burnt his whole life, to his credibility.

It had happened without warning, without any kind of clue. Just seemed to begin and the stress it caused was evident from moment one, although he'd never show it.

When in a moment of panic and uncertainty one does tend to feel like they are on fire, rushing around in blind panic, trying to cause the flames to die out but they won't until you stop panicking, stop running and think clearly for a small moment and allow your brain to take over and remind you how to extinquish flames.

"Find out and quick. Tomorrow I'm gonna be tied up over at IAB." Deakins said, mostly looking at Alex but also keeping an eye on the map that was pinned to the board showing the location of the churches that had been burned down in one night.

As Deakins walked away, Alex asked, "Whose turn in the barrel?"

"Mine." He replied, only turning to face Alex and Bobby when he reached the door of the interview room. "It's the Logan shooting." He explained as he saw their worried faces, "First patrolman on the scene got bumped up to the Steet Drug Task Force. IAB thinks it's a reward for keeping his mouth shut."

"A reward from you?" Alex asked, incredulously. Bobby stayed next to her as he thought it over in his mind.

"Head of the taskforce claims I called him and they have an email they say came from me." He replied, not showing any anger over the subject. "Somebody's idea of a joke. Just get that off my desk, fast huh?" He opened the door and left them before receiving an answer. Alex looked at Bobby and she could tell he was just as concerned as her.

Mike had been told about what was happening by Alex, the moment he had he began to feel guilty. She'd attempted to tell him it wasn't his fault but Mike wasn't the kind of guy that would listen to reason. He was still struggling with his guilt from the shooting and the effect of Chesley Watkins was still strong in his mind, that was something that not even Alex could help him with. She knew he had to deal with it on his own but it was starting to eat at her a little.

She might not have been able to directly help Mike but she wanted to be able to help Deakins, she wasn't sure if it was passing the need from one to the other but she wasn't going to ignore it. Maybe she could help put out at least one fire.

Looking at Bobby, across from her desk, the email from the taskforce in his hands. "The email from the taskforce? All that staring you find anything?" Alex asked, whilst they worked late again and not for the first time either.

"Yeah, I've been comparing the header to emails I've gotten from the Captain. Doesn't match any of them except-" Bobby passed her the paper, "-for one. Captain sent me that one six weeks ago."

"Six weeks ago our server was down-" Alex noted, recognising the time frame, "-for three days because of a virus, we had to use a different one."

"Whoever forged the taskforce email copied the header of an email the Captain sent during those three days." Bobby theorised, after a moments thought.

"We just have to figure who he sent emails to." Alex said, turning to look at Deakins' office, an idea forming inside her head. "He's gone for the day." Bobby looked at his office as Alex spoke, "His computer might be lonely."

The moment they found out about Frank Adair, and what he was doing from inside prison, they had taken this information straight to Deakins but he hadn't acted the way Alex had thought he would. Maybe he acted better, certainly better than what she thought she would do with that kind of information.

Instead of taking that information and using it to clear his name with a full apology, Deakins just allowed the plan to succeed because of who he was inside, because he refused to allow the flames to make him go into that blind panic.

"So this Frank Adair is what? An old buddy?" Mike asked Alex, as they sat together at Mike's apartment, as Mike took a swig of bud and Alex held back the sudden urge to pull the bottle away from his mouth.

"I guess you can call him that." Alex replied, dryly. She could tell what Mike was thinking and she guessed it probably involved violence against Frank Adair and she was thankful the man was in jail so that Mike couldn't get anywhere near him. She knew what Deakins meant to Mike, although he'd never say it, he'd never admit that Deakins was responsible for giving him his second chance. Mike muttered something incoherent.

It didn't matter what it was, it was irrelevant, "So what's being done about it?" Mike asked, looking for a way to help.

Alex shrugged, "I don't know. The Captain told us to drop it."

Mike shook his head for a moment, in thought and then looked at her, "Where is he?"

"Adair?" Alex asked, without waiting for a response, suddenly grasping onto his train of thought. "Prison, and no, you can't see him."

Mike walked into the Major Case Squadroom, late at night, dressed reasonably in smart clothes, freshly showered and a small smile on his face as he spotted Captain Deakins in his office, putting items in his boxes, getting ready to leave for good. Mike walked over to the office, stood at the open door and knocked his fist into the frame two times to make his presence known. "Hey, uh, can I come in?" Mike asked as Deakins turned to see who was there.

Deakins smiled at nodded, "Sure, it's not my office anymore, you can come in as much as you want." Mike could tell he was trying to be lighthearted about the situation.

Mike offered a small smile, "Listen, uh, if you're ready to change your mind, you know I'll go to bat for you. Hey, I'll even beat the crap out of Adair for you."

Deakins shook his head to stop Mike from talking, "I appreciate what you're doing, Mike, but don't get yourself into trouble over me."

"Captain, seriously, why are you letting him get away with this?" Mike asked, he'd never understand it.

"Weren't you there for my goodbye speech, Mike?" Deakins asked, knowing full well that Mike had been there when Deakins had walked into the squadroom to announce his retirement and offer his explanation as to why he was. "And I'll bet you got more information of Alex, so you probably know more than most." Mike nodded, it was true, Alex had been feeding him all the information. "Don't blame yourself, Mike, you're a good cop. A great cop, and I don't want you thinking otherwise."

Mike stayed quiet for a moment and Deakins gave him a hard look, stubborn right to the end. "Alright." Mike spoke with a sigh, "Let's go."

"Go?" Deakins asked, looking at Mike strangely. "Go where?"

"Ah, that's for me to know and for you to... well, you get the idea. Let's go." Mike headed for the door and then shot Deakins a stubborn look to match the one given to him. "Now."

Deakins closed his office door and spoke as he turned to face Alex and Bobby, "You're the first in the squad to know. I turned in my resignation today." Alex and Bobby shared a look of surprise and concern, "The email proves what it proves, I appreciate you looking into it."

Deakins looked at Alex as she spoke, "They why quit? Why give Frank Adair what he wants?"

"It's what I want." Deakins argued, softly, pointing to himself. "I worked it out so that Officer Martinez would be okay. I could fight it, demand a public exoneration but I'd just be letting Frank Adair use me to give the department a black eye."

"Well, you don't deserve this." Bobby reasoned, quietly.

Deakins shook his head, "Frank needs people to worship at his feet. I just need to know I'm right by the people who know me; my Detectives, my good Detectives." Deakins gave a small laugh as he realised just how sentimental he was starting to sound. It must be old age. There was a moment of quiet in the office. Bobby felt a new respect for him and Alex still wanted him to fight it but she saw how futile it would be to argue with him over it. "Uh, go on, get back to work." Deakins opened the door, "We'll hold the wake later, huh?" They walked out of his office and Deakins closed the door, momentarily watching the bull pen as everyone busied about their jobs, unaware of his decision.

"Where are we going?" Deakins asked, as Mike drove his car and Deakins sat in the passenger seat. "And why do I feel like a kidnap victim?"

"The answer to your first question is a mystery and the second is simply because you are." Mike replied, in jest, a grin forming on his face. It had taken a few weeks but he was starting to at least feel like he could be back to normal soon. Mike owed it all to Alex and how she'd supported him, he'd never had that before and to have a support system now showed him what he had been missing all these years. Of course, he'd known in the back of his mind that other people had it easier than him but to actually see that for himself first hand was an eye opener.

"Well, it had better be somewhere good." Deakins told him, as he leaned back into the seat. Mike wasn't stupid, he knew that Deakins knew what was going on but it was still fun to yank his chain, it was going to be his last chance to do so as well.

The rest of the drive was in relative silence, the only sound in the car was the music softly playing in the background, on a low volume and Mike barely noticed it. Reaching their destination and Deakins looked at the building in front of them with confusion. It just looked like an average building, lights were on but for the most part he'd expected to be driven to a pub or a bar, somewhere where they could get completely drunk stupid and have a great time. "Mike, where the hell have you taken me?" Deakins asked, humor in his voice despite his confusion.

Mike chuckled slightly, "Let's go." They stepped out of the car and walked into the building only to meet the echoing sound of nothing; an eerie quiet air and a feeling of expectance seemed to pulse through Deakins, he recognised the signs, something was amiss; and he was going to be the victim of...

"SURPRISE!!!"

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TBC