This is for the Winter_deaddrop AU fic for a LJ ficathon. For briar elwood's challenge,

It turns out that Sam is Michael's father. This takes place in season 2, right before Double you to jebbypal for the beta.

Spring Gleaning

Michael hated helping his mother with spring cleaning, especially when she never threw anything away. He was on his hands and knees going through the closet in the guest bedroom, while inhaling forty-year old dust. He was in the process of pulling out a vacuum cleaner than was more then likely discounted before he was born when something caught his eye. In the back left-hand corner was a folder stuffed between two shoe boxes. He took the folder from its hiding place, and opened it to find an old Polaroid picture and his birth certificate. Why was his birth certificate hidden in the back of a closet with a picture? He'd seen his birth certificate before, so was this something else?

He looked at the birth certificate again. It was apparently an original, because Frank Westen's signature wasn't in the designated spot. The name in its place was Samuel Axe. Was this really happening? Was he seeing what he thought he was seeing? How could Sam be his father? This had to be a typo, or a mistake made by the hospital.

"Yeah a pretty big typo, spelling Sam Axe instead of Frank Westen." Michael said under his breath, as he examined the photo that accompanied the birth certificate .

It was him at four years old. He was sitting in his mother's lap at what looked like the Carlito. Sam sat in a chair next to them with his arm resting over his mother's shoulders. The picture has a date on the back, 1/7/74.

"Michael, are you finished cleaning this room?" He looked up at the sound of his mother's voice "Oh, I forgot I still had that vacuum."

"Forget about the vacuum and tell me how the hell Sam's name is on my birth certificate." He thrust the papers at Maddie.

The color drained out of Madeline's face when she saw what her son was showing her. She walked over, sat on the bed, and lit a cigarette. She watched her son's expression become more angry with every minute.

Madeline knew she was wrong keeping this from Michael; it was something she lived with for thirty eight years. It had been a one night stand while on vacation with Frank. They were in San Francisco during one of the extremely rare times he was actually, a civilized human being. So why would she wreck such an occasion? Well he was only civilized until something she said set him off, and this had caused him to leave her in California.

"Mom, is there something you need to tell me?" Michael was now sitting next to her on the bed. He took her hand in his and lightly squeezed it.

"Remember that time you asked if I ever considered leaving dad?"

"Yes, you said you stayed to keep the family together."

"I did leave once after a fight we had, while on vacation in California."

"What happened?"

"We were having a nice time- he was actually being civilized the whole time we were there." She took a long drag of her cigarette, and then blew out some smoke. "Until I said something that set him off and he disappeared. I didn't see him for almost a month after that."

"Wouldn't you have come back to Miami to wait for him?"

"While he was gone, I met Sam. We had an affair that lasted until he enlisted in the Navy."

"So that means..?" Michael knew when Sam joined the Navy. That meant their affair lasted the span of Sam's college career.

"Sam is your father," she said finishing the sentence for him.

Michael felt like he'd just been hit by a car, like his whole life was a lie. Sam had known the whole time they worked together? Everything they'd been through together, and he still kept this from him. Sam was his best friend; how could he do this? Would things ever be the same between them again?

"This is not happening. You had a four year affair with Sam and managed to keep it from your husband? Did Dad know that I wasn't his son?" He would never be able to call, or accept Sam as his dad, even if it was biologically true.

"Yes, he knew." Madeline stubbed out her cigarette. "When I came back to Miami, I found out I was pregnant. I told Frank and he accused me of ruining his life, saying it wasn't his, and he wanted nothing to do with it."

"He didn't want kids?"

"No, I think he just married me to avoid the draft."

"How did Sam find out?" Michael asked.

"In the fall before you were born, Sam attuned Florida state." Madeline said. "I didn't know until a month before you were born."

"What happened?"

"One night Frank beat me so bad I almost lost you." Madeline took a deep breath to hold back the tears, Michael put a comforting arm around her. "After the fight he left on another drinking binge, and I didn't see him this time until the day after you were born. I called a friend of mine to take me to the hospital. My friend had to get home, so she found someone sitting in the waiting room to wait with me. It was Sam- he was there because he'd broken his arm during a bar fight. While I was resting the doctor told him I was pregnant, but had almost lost the baby. He must of thought Sam was my husband."

"He didn't ask?" Michael stood and started pacing. "What did Sam do?"

"He was on winter break from school at the time, so he stayed with me. He had a paternity test done, and was actually happy when he found out he was the father. "

Michael stopped pacing and stared at his reflection in the mirror above the dresser. He saw the anger in his eyes, mixed with confusion. His mother came up behind him, and stood next to him. She placed her hand on his back, and just stood there for a moment.

"Sam was there the day you were born, because Frank was God knows where. When the nurse gave him the birth certificate, I was still out so he signed both our names."

"What about the one I've seen, the one with Frank's name on it?"

"I had that done at a printing shop." She picked up the picture Michael had placed on the dresser, to avoid his shocked stare. "That was taken on your fourht birthday, right before Sam went back to California."

It was hard for Michael to take this all in, everything was just too surreal. He looked straight ahead not wanting to make eye contact with his mom. She lit another cigarette knowing what was coming next.

"Why did you never tell me about this, especially when I came home and was working with Sam?"

"I should've told you when you were old enough to understand, but by the time I got the courage. You had already enlisted. I ran into Sam when he first retired to Miami, and he said you two worked together."

"That still doesn't answer my question."

"When you came home, Michael, you were so focused on your burn notice that it just didn't seem like the right time."

"When would the right time have been?" He looked at his real birth cirtificate. "When I found these?"

"I'm sorry I kept this from you. I was wrong."

Michael took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. He knew he'd have to talk to Sam, and things between them would be awkward for a long time. Right now he wanted to scream, he wanted to scream at Sam for well the same reasons he wanted to scream at his mom. How could she keep this from him? Another thought occurred to him; were Sam and his mother a couple now? Michael cringed at the thought, but tried to hide it.

Madeline saw his expression and chuckled. "Sam and I aren't a couple, we're just friends."

"I need to finish cleaning."

"I ordered lunch, want some?"

"Sounds great."

They both walked out of the room without speaking. They entered the kitchen where Madeline had ordered take out. Michael sat at the table across from his mom, and made a plate of food. All the while he was thinking about the talk he'd have with Sam tomorrow when they went looking for Carla's sniper. He had page full of people with the name Bill Johnson from the phone book. It amounted to a lot of garbage cans they'd be going through; Michael smiled at that thought.