Sequel to The Advisory, as part of my Mike/Alex series.

A/N - Firstly I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed any story in this particular series. The support has been phenomenal. I personally like to reply to people who review (since they've taken the time to leave one) so ... - Podie1 - I just want to thank you for taking the time to review every single one. That means alot to me and I appreciate you taking the time to let me know what you think. When I got those reviews I was getting ready for work and it cheered me up so much, I'm delighted. Here's another to feed your new addiction and I hope it doesn't disappoint.

Summary: Alex intended to have a peaceful, lazy Sunday but everyone else seemed to have other ideas.

Pairing: Mike/Alex

Reviews: Please, they are as sweet as candy and taste as good too. ;)

Meet the Parents

Alex Eames stretched her entire body to loosen up every knot she owned. Her body aching with disagreement at the action she had just taken. Fully enjoying the fact that it was Sunday, and for once, she didn't have to go anywhere, she didn't have to do anything. All she had to do was relax and for the first time in her life she had decided that she was going to take the day to do just that. She turned her head, sleepily, and looked at the clock. It read 10.30am, the pre-programmed alarm having gone off hours ago. She vaguely remembered hitting the snooze button and than eventually giving a good, swift smack to shut the disturbing sound off completely when it had interrupted her sleep for a second time.

Finally becoming of bored of laying down she slowly got out of bed, not even bothering to grab her dressing gown as she lazily dragged her feet into her bathroom to brush her teeth. She'd just finished that task when she thought she heard a bell ringing. Strange, she left the bathroom and walked into the living area just as the bell rang again.

It was the doorbell.

Sighing, Alex rushed back to her room to get her dressing gown and returned to open the door. Squinting at the light she found it difficult to see but when she did she was stunned at who was at her door. She certainly hadn't invited anyone over and she wasn't exactly dressed for company.

Taken back a little, she managed to find her voice, "Dad? Mom? What are you guys doing here?" In her confusion she began to worry that she'd invited them round and hadn't remembered.

"Hmmm." Her mom replied, looking slightly unsteady on her feet. Her father, John Eames, was holding her up with his arm around her waist. "I know we taught you better manners than that. I didn't hear an 'hello' in there, did you John?" Her father smirked at Alex and shook his head in response to his wife's question.

"Hello." She said, sarcastically. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Oooh, I take it you're not happy to see us then, honey?" Her father seemed to be finding it funny, but she couldn't be sure. Alex couldn't help but notice that her question had been overstepped again.

"Yes, I am. I just didn't expect you ..."

She was interrupted by her father, "Are you going to let us in?" He asked, his impatience was due to the fact that his wife was getting heavier to hold up. Maggie Eames, her mother, had difficulty walking by herself since her stroke and refused to use a wheelchair for fear of looking like an invalid. There was absolutely nothing wrong with her as far as she was concerned. She just didn't have alot of control of her body. "Or is there some man in your bed that you don't want us to know about?" John grinned when he saw his daughter begin to blush a little.

"Uh, no, no, come in." Alex tried to cover it up but she could see her father had noticed her reaction. She stepped aside to let them past her, and closed the door behind them. John walked with Maggie all the way to the nearest comfortable seat and helped her seat down. Then he turned back to Alex and gave her a smile.

"Does your old man get a hug?" He held his arms, indicating to her what he wanted. Alex's face broke out in a huge smile as she rushed forward and he wrapped his arms around.

"Of course, daddy!" She always called him 'daddy' when they were alone. Although, they'd never do such a thing in public. Both were too proud for that kind of thing. When they let go of each other, she went over to her mother and did the same. Letting go of her mother Alex said, "I'm just gonna change. I won't be long." She rushed off, leaving them alone in her living room.

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When she felt she looked more human and more presentable she went back out into the living room and sat down opposite the seats they'd chosen to sit in. "So, what are you guys doing here? And please, don't say it's just a visit. You never just visit." She asked as she felt the need to find out what was going on. It wasn't like her parents to just show up whenever they felt like it. They would usually call her first if they wanted to do that.

"Well, honey, we've been worried about you." Maggie replied, her voice full of concern for her daughter, who didn't seem to understand where that worry was coming from.

"Why?" Alex asked, watching her parents exchange a look that she couldn't quite work out.

"Because we haven't seen you in months. You haven't called. And whenever we called you, you didn't seem to answer." Her father didn't just sound worried, he spoke with accusatory tone of voice. "We're starting to get very worried about you."

"I've called you." Alex tried to sound convincing but she wasn't sure who she was trying to convince; her parents or herself, "I've seen you. We've spoken lots of times." She watched them both shake their heads, their faces full of concern, "Haven't we?" They continued to shake their heads and she felt herself drop inside as she realised with a pang that she hadn't seen them... but months? "How many months?"

Maggie looked at John and then back at Alex, "You're father is exaggerating a little with that, sweetheart. It's only really been two months... but for your father, that's a long time."

Alex looked at her father who seemed more hurt than worried now. "Oh, dad, I'm sorry. I just... I just didn't realise that it had been that long." She really wanted to hug him but she didn't think it would help. "I've been so busy."

"With what?" He asked, curious.

Alex tried to think of a suitable answer, "Work." She replied, her face must have given her a way somewhat because her father didn't seem to buy her answer and neither did her mother.

"Work?" Her father asked and Alex nodded. He shook his head to say his disagreed. Alex opened her mouth to argue but was stopped short of actually make a verbal sound by her mothers voice.

"Alex, you've always been busy with work. You've never let it get in the way of being with your family. Even if it was just for five minutes."

"I'm sorry." Alex really didn't know what else to say. They seemed to be taking it personally and she really hadn't meant to be so distant. "I'm just sorry. I didn't realise."

"You didn't miss us?" John asked, showing to her that he really was hurt. "You didn't think about us? For two months?" She knew how much family meant to her father and this was one of those 'no, no's' in his unwritten rule book.

"It's not like that, Dad, really. I just lost track of the time." Alex wanted to cry but she refused to do so, not in front of her father. Not in front of anyone.

"Is this about some guy?" Her father asked, suddenly reminding her of a time when she was 16 and she'd come home late several nights in a row.

"Why would you ask that?" She didn't want to answer the question.

"Why didn't you answer the question?" He countered.

"Why didn't you?" She also countered him, refusing to back down.

Her mother put up her hand in the stop sign. "Enough. I don't like it when the two of you interrogate each other. You never damn well answer!" Both Alex and John looked at her, annoyed, that she'd stopped the flow.

John decided to use a different tactic on his youngest daughter, "So, when did you start drinking beer?"

Alex, once again, was confused. Were her parents on drugs? "Beer? I don't drink beer."

"No?" He asked and she shook her head to confirm her answer. "Then maybe you could explain who drank this one." John reached to the side of his chair and pulled out a used bottle of bud that had been left on the floor.

Alex suddenly felt like sinking into the floor and possibly the ground whilst she was at it. She was definitely being reduced to that 16 year old, who had met the full force of her fathers' wrath, and was doing it again now. Funny, how it's only your father that can do that to you no matter how old you are or how 'grown up' you're meant to be. "Uh, it was... Bobby's." She looked at her fathers unconvinced face. "Yeah, he must have left it there the last time he was here." She was nodding a little whilst she spoke, desperately wishing this to end.

"Bobby's?" Her father asked, her mother was putting her face into her hands and Alex knew that something 'big' was about to happen. Alex nodded as her father began tossing the bottle from one hand to another as if it were a juggling ball. "I've come to know your partner really well over the years, Alex and I distinctly remember having a conversation about what kinds of beer we like."

"Oh, really?" Alex asked, feeling a little nervous by the way her father was speaking to her.

"Yes, really. And he told me that he didn't like bud. It wasn't one of his favourite German beers. As a matter of fact he told me he'd only ever had it once and refused to drink it ever again." He spoke, looking at her directly in the eyes. Watching her face as his point hit home. Trust her father to remember details like that.

The doorbell rang again and Alex had to hold back the words 'saved by the bell' as she leaped from her chair and rushed to answer it. She grabbed the door handle and without even checking who was there she swung the door open fully so that her parents could also see who was at the door. She swung it open so fast that the rush of wind blew her hair about. She knew she was standing with her mouth open wide but she couldn't close it. It wasn't because she didn't like her visitor, oh no, she did. It was just that his timing sucked.

"Mike!" She sounded nervous and that was all she could offer in greeting to the man at her door. Mike Logan, the man at the door, looked at her with curiosity. He couldn't help but notice the two unfamiliar people in her living room. Watching her he felt the worry, that she had written on her face, rub off on him.

"Alex?" he asked, unaware of the dangers that lay ahead he continued, "What's going on?"

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TBC