Burn Noticee: I don't own it, I just play with it.

Season 6 spoilers.

Accidents Happen

By WritePassion

Michael Westen was a spy. A burned spy who'd recently regained his status as an agent with the CIA, although the relationship was still quite tenuous. He was keenly aware of his fragile situation, so when his former trainer Tom Card demanded his cooperation on a job, he had no choice but to give it all his attention. It didn't matter that he was missing Fiona and dealing with the loss of his brother. As in show business, the job went on despite everything else.

Being under Card's command is what got him into this situation. He raced down the street in his classic black Charger with Sam riding shotgun, literally. As they chased the SUV through the streets of Miami and onto the island where a construction project had been halted due to the economy, they passed a residential area. He vaguely registered that there were kids playing on the lawn in front of one house. Sam leaned out the window to shoot at the vehicle ahead, but he saw the kids too and pulled back inside.

Neither of them said anything. They just looked at each other, shook their heads, the thought that this was getting too close for comfort silently communicated between them. The SUV almost disappeared into a cloud of dust as the vehicle ran onto the construction site. Michael slowed a little. He spoke into his ear piece. "Pearce, we need that roadblock in here right now."

"We're coming! Just give us five minutes."

"I don't know if they'll be around that long."

Sam prepared the rifle. "Mike, just run parallel to them, and I think I can get clear."

Michael turned the wheel, put on the gas, and cut off the SUV so that it took a different direction. He followed and, with his powerful engine, he was able to get alongside them. Sam shot at the driver's side window and shattered it, but he missed the driver. Someone rolled down the back window and shot at Sam. The SUV made a sharp right, Michael followed, and Sam took another shot as they pulled up alongside. The guy in the back seat screamed as the bullet hit its mark.

"We're running out of real estate here," Michael warned as they neared the road that put them on the island to begin with. The bridge was narrow, just barely wide enough for two vehicles, and the SUV inched closer, trying to run them off into the water.

Michael wouldn't give in, and neither would Sam. He took another shot at the driver just as they got to the bridge. The SUV swerved and nearly scraped the side of the Charger. Sam ducked inside at the same time, narrowly missing being squashed between the two vehicles. They raced across the bridge. Sam pulled out his Beretta and aimed up at the driver.

"Pull over," Sam yelled at him.

The driver responded by shooting at Sam, but he missed. Sam ducked inside, just in time; he could feel the breeze as the bullet whizzed past his chest and shattered the window to Michael's left. The two men looked forward and saw they were seconds from going back into the residential area. There were parked cars along the street, and the SUV would be in the parking lane.

"Mikey."

"I know." Instinctively, Michael jammed on the brakes and let the SUV go ahead. It slipped between a parked car and the Charger's front end. Sam used the opportunity to take another shot. The bullet hit the driver in the arm, and he lost control of the SUV.

At the same time, Michael rammed the side of the SUV and pushed it into a parked car stopping everyone abruptly. Both men breathed heavily in the stifling confines of the Charger. In the distance, they could hear sirens. They weren't worried about those, since Peace would be there by the time the cops arrived and she would be able to smooth things over. They were more worried about their suspects getting away. The two got out of the car and approached the SUV with guns drawn.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sam saw those kids again. They stood on the front lawn across the street and watched the action, mesmerized.

Michael saw them and yelled, "Hey! Go on! Get in your house, right now!"

Sam tore his attention away and hoped they'd listen. He had to cover Michael. There was no time to be worrying about bystanders. Still, he came around the back of the Charger to the same side as his friend, because there was no way anyone was getting out of the vehicle on his side of the car, and maybe his presence there would help shield the kids.

"Get out of the vehicle, now!" Michael ordered the three dazed men. "Drop your weapons, put your hands up where I can see them, and get out."

It was a difficult request, since the Charger was still crunched up against the SUV. The driver opened the door as far as he could to get out. His body was turned away slightly, but as his foot hit the pavement, he shot at Michael and Sam. How he missed was anybody's guess, and how he managed to leap over the Charger's hood and run, that was an even bigger mystery.

"Cover these guys!" Michael spun on his heel and ran after him, leaving Sam alone to take care of the two passengers.

"Okay, buddy. Come on out of there, and don't try to run. I've got a hair trigger here." The sirens got louder. No doubt they were within seconds of arriving and he would have backup, but he wouldn't relax. Not until the cuffs were on these two bozos.

"Throw your guns down on the pavement before you come out. Now!"

The guy in the back seat did as he was told. He held one hand up and grimaced in pain. With the other he opened his door, but it would only go so far. "I'm trapped!"

"Fine. Stay there, but toss out your weapons."

Metal rattled as an assault rifle hit the asphalt, followed by a handgun. Sam kept his attention on them both as the injured one lost his weapons. He saw the passenger up front reach behind himself. It was like slow motion watching the gun come up over the window frame and aim at him. Sam turned his gun to aim as a shot rang out. It missed him, but his return volley hit the shooter in the arm. He cried out, dropped his weapon and retreated into the SUV.

Another shot rang out and hit Sam in the upper chest. It felt like a freight train coming at full speed. He staggered a step from the impact and the unexpectedness of the shot. Another in quick succession sent his shocked body falling to the pavement. His head whipped back and made solid contact with the curb.

Police cars screeched to a halt. Agent Danielle Pearce led them there, and she got out of her vehicle and ran to Sam's side as the police surrounded the SUV. "Sam. Sam, talk to me!" She lightly slapped the side of his face, but he was out cold. Her eyes wandered down to his chest where two bullet holes marred the front of his shirt. No blood. She placed her hand on the collar, pulling the cloth aside to see a bullet proof vest. "You're one lucky guy. They didn't pierce the armor." She smiled with relief, then slapped his cheek a little harder. "Sam, come on, wake up. Where's Michael?"

Sam was out several minutes before he groaned and his eyes slowly opened. He waited for his vision to adjust before speaking. "Pearce. Is... is Mike okay?"

"I don't know. Where is he?"

"He ran off... after the driver. What... what the hell happened... to me?"

"You were shot, but you had a vest on," Pearce replied as he fought her in order to sit up. "You better just stay down for a minute or two. You were unconscious when I found you."

"Oh, uh, yeah," Sam mumbled. He reached up behind his head and felt around until he winced. "Ow. Guess I musta fell back and hit my head."

"Yeah." She gave him a look. "I don't want you getting up until you're cleared. Got it?"

"You're not my boss. I don't have to listen to you." He tried to rise again.

"Technically, on this operation I am." She pressed her hand into his chest, causing him to wince, and he struggled to get out from under the pressure. "No, don't do that. Sam!"

He was too stubborn to pay attention to her. Pushing her away, Sam rolled to his side and slowly got up. "Gotta find Mike." The world spun around him when he sat. He shook his head and observed the action on all sides. Police were everywhere, taking the perps into custody. The ones Sam shot were on their way to a prison hospital. The guy who ran off was still missing, and so was Michael. His vision blurred again, and he scrunched his eyes closed for a moment, then opened them. Across the boulevard, he saw another ambulance.

"Pearce. What happened over there?"

"I don't know. I was more concerned with you and Michael." Her gaze wandered to some movement to the east as she helped Sam get his footing. If he wouldn't stay down, the least she could do was help keep him on his feet. "It's Michael."

Sam turned to follow her gaze and watch his friend, now soaking wet, pulling the SUV driver toward the cops. He laughed. "Oh man, he must have taken a dive into the bay to get that guy!"

"It amazes me sometimes what he'll do," Pearce said with admiration in her tone.

"I got him." Michael pushed the man toward a police officer who took him into custody. "He almost drowned me, but I got him." He stood with hands on hips, looking around at the scene, and his eyes locked onto the ambulance across the street. Then he turned to Sam. "Are you okay?" He saw the bullet holes and stuck a finger into one.

"I knew it was a good idea to wear a vest today, even though it's close to 100. It didn't stop me from almost busting my melon open hitting the pavement, though." He swayed a little, and both Michael and Pearce reached out to hold onto him.

"We better get you over to the ambulance, Sam. Get you checked out at the hospital." Michael grasped his arm a little tighter, because he knew his friend well. Sam would protest and make light of his injury even if he was bleeding, which he wasn't, thankfully.

When Sam didn't resist, Michael looked at him. Then his gaze followed Sam's across the boulevard. He suddenly realized that the ambulance wasn't there for his friend. The paramedics crouched on the ground in front of a house. Police officers stood flanking three adults, two men and a woman. The woman wept loudly, and the men's grips were the only thing keeping her on her feet. Sam moved forward, and the three crossed the median.

"Jeez, Mike," Sam muttered as he halted in the street. "That kid... the one we told to go inside..."

"It was an accident, Sam."

"That kid got shot because of us, Mike!" His breath came in short bursts. "We should have stopped them on the island. There was nobody out there. Nobody would have gotten hurt but us!"

"Michael, let's get him out of here." Pearce turned Sam away from the scene.

Sam turned back. "I shoulda shot first, Mike."

"It's not your fault." Michael tried to stay calm. If he hadn't run off after the other guy, he might have been in the other shooter's trajectory. He might have been hit instead. He might have been lying in the boulevard at that moment, bleeding, dying. "Pearce, we better get him to the hospital and have that head looked at."

"I'll drive him."
"Hey, you! Westen!"

Michael looked around, unsure who called his name. He stopped in his tracks, closed his eyes and let his head fall back. "It's her. Paxson."

"We haven't seen her for awhile." He glanced at the woman. "Uh oh, she looks like she's out for blood."

"Dani, get Sam out of here. I'll take care of this."

"Michael..."

"Don't worry. I know just how to handle this woman." He smiled thinly. "She and I have had dealings before."

"Sorry I can't help you, brother." Sam felt a wave of dizziness overtake him and his knees buckled. Pearce could barely keep him upright.

"Woah there, Sam! Come on, get into my car before you fall over." She led him to the vehicle and opened the door. She shielded his head as he got in, then closed the door. From where she stood, a tree obscured her view of Michael and Detective Paxson. "I hope you know what you're doing, Michael." With a shake of her head, she walked around the front of her car, started it, and carefully turned her vehicle around.

"Ma'am, you can't leave yet," an officer said, trying to stop her.

She held out her credentials. "I am leaving. I need to get my operative some medical attention and then we'll do a debrief." She smiled at him and spoke in a condescending tone. "Don't worry, your superiors will get a copy of my report, with all high security items redacted, of course."

The cop handed her back her identification. "Alright, Agent Pearce. Be careful weaving through there. It's kind of tight."

She nodded and moved forward at a crawl. When the car was finally free of the pack blocking the street, she turned her head and looked at Sam. His head lay back against the headrest and his eyes were closed. Sleep probably wasn't a good thing for him right now, but he and Michael had been awake for over 48 hours before this happened. It was one of the hazards of the job. Although Sam wasn't one of her operatives, unlike what she told the cop, he was an asset, a very good asset, and he deserved the same treatment that any of her agents would receive if they were in a similar situation. Dani drove her car to the correct side of the boulevard and put on the gas to get him to the nearest hospital.