Written quickly, because I like to have my stories posted before the new episodes come out and they go out of canon because then I have problems finishing them.
Mike sat bleary eyed at the kitchen counter. He supported his cheek against his palm, leaning over a still full cup of coffee that had long ago gone cold. He turned around hopefully as he heard someone approaching, but slumped in his seat again when he heard the flirtatious whispers of Charlie and Briggs.
Charlie and Briggs walked into the kitchen with Briggs walking behind her, his arms wrapped around her so his hands pressed against her flat stomach. He kissed her neck affectionately as they walked, and Charlie leaned back into Briggs' embrace, a knowing smile on her face. Her smile became sad as her eyes fell upon the broken young man leaning against the counter looking defeated.
She pulled away from Brigg's embrace, not wanting to flaunt their affection. She walks ahead of Briggs into the kitchen, to lay a hand on Mike's shoulder. Briggs followed her, walking over to the coffee pot pouring himself a mug. He grimaced as he took a sip, wondering how long the pot had been sitting there, but didn't say anything.
Mike doesn't make eye contact with either of them. He just focuses on the mug of coffee he manipulates between his fingers.
"Rough night Mikey?" Charlie asks sympathetically.
"I've had worse." Mike says simply. He doesn't mention that the only nights worst than this was the night his Grandfather died, the night Eddy shot himself, the night Lena died and, worst of all, the living nightmare when Paige went missing.
"What's keeping you up?"
"Well let's see. My career in DC is at a dead end. No one in the house is talking to me. There's a dirty cop who murdered seven people in front of me, who knows I'm out to get him. I need to hurry up and close this Solano thing before they figure out what we're doing and execute Johnny, and with Sulla dead, I don't even know where to start." Finally Mike adds quietly under his breath the real thing that's bothering him, "Paige, didn't come home again last night."
"She's fine Mikey. I talked to her on the phone earlier. We're meeting for brunch." Charlie tries to comfort the agent. The entire house had been affected by Paige's disappearance, but none so much as Mike.
"Did she say where she was last night?" Briggs asks, sounding casual but Charlie knew he was up to something. She shot him a look, and he made a subtle head motion over to Mike, who had perked up a little, listening carefully for Charlie's answer.
"She didn't say. She's not talking to much of anyone in the house these days." Charlie replies.
"Except Jakes…" Briggs says, as Jakes comes strolling into the kitchen right on cue, but hearing the tone in Briggs' voice, he turns right back around and exits the kitchen without getting anything.
"Oh no, I know that tone. I'm not getting involved." Jakes mutters to himself, fleeing the house and heading out the door to find coffee elsewhere.
"This is the fourth time this week she's been out late." Mike mutters to his cold cup of coffee. "Something's going on."
"She's not talking to you at all, huh? Something happen? You two seemed pretty close…" Briggs digs for information from Mike. He wasn't stupid. Everyone knew something was going on with the two blonde agents, but no one knew any details. It was one of those things no one talked about.
Mike just ignores the question and sips his cold coffee defiantly.
Realizing he wasn't going to get an answer, Briggs turns to Chuck. "What do you think Chuck? Any idea of what our little blondie is up to? Think she's moonlighting as a DJ again?"
Charlie rolls her eyes at the antics of both the men. No one in this house ever just talked anymore. They were always playing some angle, especially these two idiots. They were no where near as smooth as the two of them seemed to think they were. Charlie saw right through both of them. She walks forward and plucks Mike's cold cup off coffee from his hands, dumping it down the sink. She cuts in front of Briggs who has just made a fresh pot and pours Mike a new glass.
"I didn't ask and she didn't say. What? Like neither of you ever kept some secrets? Give the girl some space." Charlie says, slamming the fresh cup down in front of Mike.
"Well things have been a little tense around here recently, and you know Paige. She's probably just found herself a new boyfriend to take the edge off." Briggs says the words to Charlie with a casual air, but he is clearly watching Mike for a reaction. Mike is clearly listening intently now, his fingers curling around the hot cup of coffee.
"Yeah, it could be. I mean it has been a while…" Charlie sees what Briggs' plan is and joins in on goading Mike. As much as he denied it, everyone knew the kid was in love with her. It was about time he admitted it.
"Yeah, it has been… When was the last time P-funk came out to play? She usually has a new boy toy each week." Briggs said. Sure he was slightly exaggerating Paige's dating activities, but he had given up trying to keep track of her many suitors months after she first came to Graceland. The men never lasted very long. Ever since Mike had arrived at the house, Paige's habits for bar and bed hopping had cooled, and it hadn't gone unnoticed by Briggs. At first he thought maybe she was just calming down and getting sick of the dating scene, but now he's suspecting she just stopped outsourcing her sex and was getting it from someone within the house.
Mike's fingers nearly break the handle of the mug but he remains silent.
"I don't know. At least since before Bates left. Do you think anything was going on with the two of-" Charlie ups the ante of taunting Mike, and Briggs looks at her with admiration for using the Bates card.
"No." Mike's voice rings out firmly, interrupting Charlie before she can finish. "Nothing happened with her and Bates."
"How do you know? You were in DC. Something could have-"
"She told me." Mike interrupts simply, not letting himself dwell on the thought an instant longer, "And even if she did, which she didn't, Bates was transferred to New York. So it doesn't explain why she's not coming home now."
"Relax Mikey. So Paige goes out every couple of nights. Even if she's got a guy out there, she's not the type to let a man get in the way of her work. She's not going to go fall in love and start making stupid mistakes. She's really good about keeping her feelings separate from her work."
"She didn't with Lina." Mike mutters under his breath.
"That's different. That is her work and her passion. It's why she does the job. I'm talking about sex. She's not going to fall in love with some guy and completely lose her head over him. She doesn't work like that. She can keep them separate." Charlie lectures.
"Believe me I know." Mike grumbles to himself.
"Then why are you really worried?" Charlie asks, hoping Mike will finally just admit that he's in love with the girl and he's jealous as hell.
"Because I need her here!" Mike says harshly, and then covers his tired eyes with his hand, knowing how that sounded. "I need everyone here. We had a major setback with the Solano's, and I've got Markum breathing down my neck, we're almost ready to do this bank robbery, and I need everyone's full focus on this case. I can't have her distracted right now."
"You seem pretty distracted yourself. Go get some sleep. You look like shit." Charlie ruffles his messy hair.
"You talked to her? Like actually heard her voice? She's safe?" Mike's voice gets soft as he asks Charlie.
"Yeah, Mikey. She's fine. I'm going out to meet her for brunch right now. Get some sleep."
"Yeah… Yeah ok." Mike says, dragging his tired body up from the kitchen towards the stairs,
"Get some sleep man." Briggs pats Mike on the shoulder as he walks by.
"Tell her…" Mike turns to Charlie and thinks about what he wants to tell her. "Tell her that I need a write up of all the Dealers we could have possibly linked to Solano on my desk by four o'clock."
"What do you want now?" Jakes grumbled at the agent who was waiting for him outside his room.
"What's going on with her?" Mike cuts straight to the point.
"Paige? I think she's out to brunch with Charlie." Jakes says noncommittally, trying to walk past Mike to leave, but Mike puts a firm hand on his shoulder to stop him.
"Not now, I mean at night. Where's she going?" Jakes remains tight lipped, and Mike sighs with frustration, "You're the only one in the house she's talking to. I'm leading this op. I need to know where my agents are."
"So pull rank and ask her yourself."
"She won't talk to me." Mike admits.
"Then what makes you think I will?" Jakes asks, pulling back away from Mike's hand on his shoulder. "Look, you blew it. Just give it up. Move on. It's not like you seem to have a problem finding new girls to get in your bed. Paige? Blondie? Maryland? I can't quite keep them all straight. They all look the same to me."
"I don't…" Mike started to argue but then realized it would be pointless. "Paige is different."
Jakes gives him a doubtful look.
"Look I just want to make sure she's safe. She's been acting strange and she won't talk to me recently. Jakes, I gotta know she's ok, man. Can you please just tell me anything?" Mike pleads his voice desperate.
"Look, I'm not going to become the middleman for whatever shit the two of you have going on." Jakes says grumpily, Mike's face falls and Jakes hesitates before his voice softens and he adds, "Look, I can't tell you, but maybe we can meet for a drink or something, say Jackson's hole around eleven?"
"Jackson's hole? That's clear on the other side of town-" Mike begins to argue but Jakes gives him a meaningful look.
"Look you want to learn about your girl or not? Just be there. Eleven."
Mike is sitting at the bar. It's 11:25 and there's no sign of Jakes. Mike has called with no response. He clearly got stood up. He's about to leave, but then he notices Paige across the bar sitting at a table with an attractive older gentleman. Mike doesn't know the guy, but he's impeccably groomed with a dark haired man in a suit. Mike groans to himself. His intuition was right. Paige has a new man.
He watches the two sadly across the bar. It must really be over between them. Despite all odds, Mike had still held out hope that once this case was over, the two of them could find a way back to each other. He thought as long as she was mad at him, that it meant she still cared for him. That he could still get under her skin. But now it seems that she has moved on without him.
Mike has seen enough. He throws down money to cover his check and gets up to leave before she can see him.