Conner always knew that Mike was brave and heroic but he also knew that came with problems. He was ten when Mike Banning saved his father from a car crash but was unable to save his mother. He wasn't stupid he knew it wasn't Mike's fault but he didn't understand at the time why his mother had to die. Yet again it appeared neither did his father as he requested Mikes transfer. He was twelve when his home and country came under attack. He was twelve when Mike Banning pretty much single handily saved the white house, his father and Conner himself. After that Banning was once again the head of his Fathers safety. Everything would be fine with Mike Banning by their side.

For the next three years Mike became a close friend to the Presidential family, his job came first mind you but out of all the agents he was the closest to the president and his son. Mike joined Ben in teasing Conner when he hit puberty and got his first girlfriend, or when Conner got into a spat with his father. Throughout some of Conner's hardest years Mike was there. So yes Conner knew the problems that came with knowing one Mike Banning.

Yet despite knowing this he never thought he would see the day where he saw Mike Banning die. The day started off normally or as normally as it could being the President's son and all. Conner got up, argued with the secret service that no, his cereal was not poisoned and got changed. He spent the day doing homework and later got changed into a tux, getting ready for the date with his girlfriend. His father came in to his room and smiled.
"You look so grown up!" he said. Conner smiled, he knew his father had to pull strings to let him have this date with only a handful of agents.
"Thanks dad" the president pulled him into a hug.
"Your mum would be proud with you "pulling back Asher wiped a tear.
"Now there are only twenty agents so you should be safe and Mike will never be more than a few seconds away. If you need him just yell and he will come running okay?" Conner nodded.
"Come on dad I'll be completely safe, you know Mike and the others would die before anything would happen to me or Charlotte" President Asher nodded.
"Okay, come on in Mike" the agent in question came in and ran over the security detail on Conner and his girlfriend when a shout of
"Red Hearts" came through the radio. Mike grinned
"Well I guess it's time to woe your girlfriend."

Charlotte herself was impressed that her dear boyfriend had managed to call off the armed search and had hugged him.
"Hey Con" Conner smiled
"Hey Charlotte" they stared at each other as Ben coughed. Both teen looked down blushing.
"Hello again Charlotte" The girl smiled
"Hello Mr President" Mike laughed at the two of them
"Charlotte, I don't know if you remember me-"
"Your Mike Banning, the head of the security detail" Mike smiled shook the teens hand
"That is correct. I am in charge or Conner's protection tonight but I just want you to know, we will respect that you are both teens and this is a date. We are only there to prevent hurt coming to both yourself and Conner." The girl smiled and nodded. Mike turned to the president.
"We will be leaving now Mr President I have left Paul in charge of your safety tonight and rest assured I will keep your son safe." Ben Asher nodded and everyone moved out.

The date that Conner had set up was a picnic (and yes he made most of the food himself) and a walk through the gardens. He was impressed that Mike had said yes, it had taken a while but after he had done surveillance Mike had said that he knew no one would be here or they would at least be told to go the other way. .
"You know you didn't have to go through all this trouble, I would have been fine doing something that would have been approved right away." Conner laughed
"I like you a lot and I don't want you to be confined by my father's job, besides Mike wouldn't let us do this if it wasn't safe. He wouldn't risk his job." Charlotte laughed, her blonde hair fell across her face making her look innocent.
"I've seen the way you two act, this isn't a job to him, sure he's going to protect you to the best of his ability but you are much more than just an assignment. You are his brother Con, he wouldn't let you do this when it's obvious that it's a lot less secure if he didn't think of you that way."

Hidden behind a tree Mike laughed at the two who were now chasing each other and playing something that looked like tag. He remembered being young once and was glad that Conner was being youthful for once. His laugh attracted another agent.
"It great isn't it that our jobs can ensure the happiness of others" he said
"Yeah it is" the other agent was about to reply when someone shouted through the radio.
"INCOMING FIRE, I REPEAT INCOMING FIRE" Mike jumped up and ran towards Conner and Charlotte.
"GET DOWN" he screamed at the moment that heavy fire rained down on the couple and the agent. Mike wasted no time in grabbing the both of them and taking them to cover, only for a bullet to pierce the side of his Kevlar and knock him down to the ground, he grunted and turned the teens.
"You two need to get out of here, take my radio and run to the safe point" Conner stared at him before kneeling down beside him.
"We're not leaving you" he said, he face reflected his stubbornness. Charlotte knelt down beside Conner and Mike.
"Conner, I need you to take your shirt off, we need to stem the bleeding" Mike stared at her
"Sorry kid but your crash course in the ER won't save me" as he said this, he grabbed a knife and launched it at an oncoming figure.
"You two need to go" Conner shook his head
"You're one of us' remember that?" he asked, pulling out his very own secret service badge.
"I'm not leaving" he repeated.

The ceasefire outside was mute to Conner who was sobbing into Charlottes shoulder. Mike pulled Conner closer, his body felt on fire with every touch.
"I love you kid, you and… and y-your f-father are my Brothers" Conner shook his head
"Don't say that, don't act like you're gonna die!" Mike smiled grimly
"Just… just promise you'll tell Leah… tell her I loved her and that it was painless" Conner nodded and sobbed harder. Mike turned to Charlotte who looked at him helplessly. She liked Mike he was the only one that welcomed her, she knew she would always be a security risk, she was an outsider but Mike was always friendly and stopped everyone from searching her for guns or something.
"You take care of him you hear? He's a great kid Charlotte"
"I know, I will" and then with one last push of effort Mike saluted and closed his eyes. Conner banged Mike's chest and screamed for him to wake up, he only stopped when Charlotte laid a hand on his shoulder.
"He's gone Conner, he's gone" and then Conner collapsed in her arms. He stayed there until the others found him, he stayed with her as they saluted the man that had been through hell with him. He only parted from Charlotte when his father arrived at the hospital with Leah. With her child. He knew it wasn't the best time but he did it anyway, he walked over to the woman and hugged her.
"His last words to me where to tell you that he loved you and your child" Leah nodded and hugged Conner tighter.

When the funeral came Conner stood at the podium and looked over the crowd. The entirety of Mike's family was there, along with the president and Charlotte who smiled at Conner glumly.
"Mike Banning was one of the most selfless people I have met, he was as you know the head of my father's detail but he was much more than that. He was a comrade, and friend, a husband and father. Mike Banning was one of my closest friends and it won't just be his heroic acts that I shall remember him by. It shall be the way he would tease me mercilessly over my relationship or how he would make me hot chocolate just because he thought I was upset, or how he would wake me up at the crack of dawn because 'Conner you haven't ran all week and that ends now'. I shall remember Mike not as another person who was just there but as a man who was my brother." He saluted
"To Mike Banning the greatest man I knew" there were tears as everyone reciprocated. Conner turned to Mike's coffin and let alone tear roll down his face.

Conner never thought he would see the day that Mike Banning fell because to him Mike was his brother and Brothers never fell.