Author's Note: An idea came to me. I wrote it down. I did this all in about two hours. It's just a quick one shot. A big thanks to lovesloveandangst and everyone else who gives reviews and messages! Enjoy!
Mike's heart is pounding in his chest as he walks through the familiar doors of The Drop. It's been three months since he's been in California, but somehow, it feels like just yesterday.
His plane had just landed a few hours ago. Briggs had picked him up at the airport, (surprisingly on time) and they'd gone back to the house to drop off his things in his old room. It felt strange to be back, but somehow it felt right.
Briggs had to go back to the bureau to file some paperwork, but he'd promised Mike that he would round up all the misfits for a big bonfire that night, to celebrate Mike's return. It was Tuesday, so most everyone was still at work, but it also meant it was one particular DEA agent's day off. At happy hour on a Tuesday, Mike had a good idea of where she'd be.
So that's how he's ended up here at The Drop, scanning the familiar setting until his eyes settle on her sitting at a table alone. Her back is to him, but Mike would recognize that long blonde hair and those toned legs anywhere.
Ever since he found out he'd be coming back to Graceland, he's had a nervous feeling in his stomach, but somehow seeing her makes him calm down instantly. During the last three months, Mike's thought of about a million different things he could say at their reunion, but suddenly, seeing her sitting there alone in the bar, the perfect pickup line comes to mind.
"Hi. I'm special Agent Mike Warren. I work undercover for the FBI. Can I buy you a drink?" Mike whispers in her ear, leaning in close over her chair. Her eyes widen and her mouth forms a surprised 'O' as she turns to stare at him in shock. He smiles broadly at her and says cockily, "It's nice to finally get to use that line."
"Mike… What are you..." She gasps, looking at him like she's seeing a ghost. He grins at finally being able to surprise her to the point of making her speechless. Finally she squeals, "You're here?!"
She stands up, looking him up and down like this is some sort of trick. He pulls her into a hug. She hugs him back in surprise but then pulls away to look at his face, "Is everything ok? Is something wrong? I just can't believe you're here."
"I'm fine. Everything's fine." He assures her, still keeping his hands on her arms, his fingertips tingling from her proximity and the softness of her skin.
Everything about her seems familiar. Even though he'd missed her every day he'd been away, he didn't realize how much until just this moment. He's so captivated by the sight of her, he doesn't notice the man who's approached them at first.
"Alright. As requested, I won the fight for the jukebox. I had to pay those girls fifty bucks each to stop playing N'sync, not counting the thirty dollars I had to spend on programing the playlist for the next two hours, but I assure you, you can now enjoy your drinks boyband free… Who's this?" Mike breaks his gaze away from Paige to look at the clean cut handsome man who has just sat down at Paige's table and is chatting away in a familiar fashion.
Paige's eyes widen, and she stares at Mike like a deer caught in headlights. "OH! I'm sorry. I should make introductions. I'm sorry. I was just so surprised. I wasn't expecting this…."
"Paige, honey. Breath. Who's your friend?" The handsome man, stands up from where he's seated. He's staring questioningly at Mike, who is still holding Paige in his arms. Paige, realizing Mike's hands are still on her, pulls back from his touch and straightens her shirt.
"Of course. Introductions…" She laughs nervously, and Mike doesn't know if he's ever seen her so flustered. "Mike, this is Adam… My boyfriend."
The word hits Mike like a punch in the stomach.
"Adam, this is Mike. Mike's my… um..."
"I'm her brother." Mike holds out his hand to shake the new guy's hand. He makes strong eye contact and his grip is firm. He's clearly sizing up Adam to see how much competition he is. He finds it disturbing to see that he's basically looking at a brunette version of himself. Adam is far more clean cut then the men Paige normally associates with. He's wearing a neatly pressed button down with pants that are just a little bit too tight. It's almost identical to the outfit Mike is wearing. Adam is about Mike's height, with a similar build, pale skin and blue eyes. The only immediately noticable difference is the hair, which is darker than Mike's and longer, styled similarly to how Mike wore it when he lived in California.
"Oh! It's great to finally meet you. I've been wondering when I'd get to meet Paige's family. She's so secretive sometimes. I was starting to think she had this whole other secret life I didn't know about. Like a superhero or something." Adam grins, and Mike laughs. If only Adam knew how right he was. Paige laughs nervously beside him, her eyes shooting back and forth between the two men. Adam gives Mike a questioning look, "It's funny, I knew Paige had a brother, but for some reason, I thought his name was David."
"Mike, what are you doing here?" Paige asks, changing the subject, with a threatening tone in her voice that Mike wasn't expecting. Turning to Adam she explains quickly, "Mike moved to DC."
"Just thought I'd come home and see the family." Mike says casually, his eyes meeting hers in a challenge. "You didn't tell me you had a new boyfriend."
"I'm not that new. We've been going out for a couple months now." Adam interjects.
"Wow. Good for you. You've stuck around longer than most of them." Mike says, ignoring the glare Paige is giving him. Trying to act casual and teasing her in the way a brother would, he throws a playful, yet possessive, arm around her shoulder and says, "I don't know why this one can't seem to hold onto a man…"
Paige looks like she's about to punch Mike in the face. She shrugs his arm off from around her shoulder, and says in a sharp tone, "Well maybe I've just never found one worth holding onto."
Mike ignores the surprisingly personal jab. She must be really pissed at him. Admittedly, he should have called. He hasn't talked to her since that day she drove him to the airport to leave for DC. He wanted to call her so many times the last few months, but he didn't know what to say. He told himself he would call once he got a handle on things at his new job, but the more time passed, the harder it got. He knew he should have called her to tell her he was coming back to Graceland, but he assumed Briggs would have said something about his return. Plus, he was a chicken.
Now he wants to kick himself for not calling first. What had he expected? Well he knew what he had hoped for. In his head he had pictured this grand reunion. He would walk into the bar, her eyes would light up and she'd run to his arms. They'd catch up, share a few drinks, and stay up talking until the bar closed. With each drink, they'd get more and more flirty, until they'd go back to Graceland and she'd invite him to her room... Obviously with the way the night was going, that was not going to happen.
"Alright, I'm going to hit the bathroom, get us another round, and then, Mike, I want to hear all the blackmail stories you have on Paige growing up." Adam says, standing up. "Mike, what can I get you?"
"No thanks man. I'm driving." Mike says. He refuses to let that man buy him anything.
"Good man. I'll grab you a merlot, darling." Adam leans down to kiss Paige on the lips and Mike grimaces.
"Thanks babe." Paige says, giving him a pained smile. The second Adam walks away, Paige drops the fake smile and turns to glare at Mike. "What are you doing here?"
"Briggs asked me to come back. Since when do you drink Merlot? You hate wine." Mike asks.
"Things change. Like which side of the country you're on, apparently." Paige growls.
"So a boyfriend, huh?" Mike asks, ignoring her hostility. "What is he? A cocaine dealer? He looks more clean cut than your average drug dealer."
"He's a dentist." Paige snaps.
"So nitrous oxide then. Much classier..." Mike says snippently.
"No, he's just a dentist." Paige's nails are digging into the table.
"What does he think you do then?"
"He thinks I'm a social worker." Paige says simply. "A social worker who now has to lie about having a pain in the ass brother!"
"So what? He said it's been a couple months. You must be almost done with him by now." The more Mike thinks about it, the more annoyed he is with her. Did she start seeing this guy the second his plane took off? What use was he to her if he was truly just a dentist. There had to be more. "What's your angle here, Paige?"
"I just like him, ok?" She snaps.
"So wait, you're in an actual relationship?" Mike demands. "After all the shit you gave me about Abby? About not getting too close?"
"That was different!" Paige defends herself. Some things haven't changed. She still wasn't afraid to fight with him.
"Sure it was." Mike laughs bitterly. "Different because it was me. What? Graceland and one night stands aren't fulfilling all your needs anymore?"
"You left!" Paige yells, and then quickly looks around the bar when she hears how loud her voice is. Dropping it back down to a deadly whisper she asks, "Why am I explaining myself to you? It's none of your business."
"What would have happened if I had stayed?" Mike demands. He and Paige had unfinished business. That kiss they'd shared had been real, and he knew it had to have meant something to her.
"It doesn't matter! You left! What are you even doing back here, Mike? You just left all your dreams behind in DC? I thought that was what you wanted since you were six! Or was that drawing just a bullshit scam to convince me to help you investigate Briggs?!" Paige's face is turning red, and her voice is developing that cutting sting it always does when she's mad at him.
"I came back because I was asked to, and I felt like something was missing. But you know what? Now that I'm here, I am realizing more and more that I should have stayed in DC!"
Mike had forgotten. He forgot how angry she made him. He was always cool and calculating, thinking about his next move, staying two steps ahead everyone else, but with her, he was drug straight into the moment. He felt every emotion like salt on an open wound and couldn't see a clear path ahead.
"Well I'm glad you finally figured out what you want, Suit." She calls him a suit like it's a swear word.
"Look I have figured out what I want. I've figured out who I want, and that's why I'm back here! I'm just too late!" Mike yells at her. Paige can bait him into a fight like no one he's ever met. She can also make him speak the truth without thinking about the consequences. Looking at her shocked expression, his voice softens. "Tell me. Am I too late?"
"Too late for what?" Adam asks as he sits down in the chair next to Paige, placing her drink in front of her and throwing his arm around her. Mike looks at Paige's face, but her crestfallen expression tells him he won't be getting an answer. Or maybe that is the answer, and he just doesn't like it. Her sitting there in the arms of another man.
"Too late to meet up with our friend Johnny. We have plans tonight. I just couldn't help stopping by to say 'hey'." Mike says, standing up and forcing a fake smile. "Nice meeting you man."
"Yeah, you too." Adam shakes Mike's hand and Paige keeps her eyes trained on the table.
"Paige… Sorry to drop in like that. I'll let you finish your date."
"Hey it's no problem man. It's a brother's job to annoy their sister! Trust me, I do it to my sisters all the time. It was great meeting you. Hopefully we can all hang out before you have to go back to DC." Adam says kindly. He's being generous, but Mike is surprised how easily Paige is letting him speak for her. He would have thought that sort of thing would annoy her, but she just sits quietly beside him.
"Yeah. Maybe. Not sure how long I'll stay in town." Mike answers Adam robotically, his eyes glued to Paige. "So… See you later, I guess."
Mike turns and walks away from the table, already kicking himself for the way things played out.
"Excuse me. I'll be right back." Paige gets up from the table, and squeezes Adam shoulder, before she follows Mike into the small hallway of the club. Grabbing him by the arm she swings him around so hard he hits the wall.
"You didn't call." She accuses him.
"I know." Mike says meekly.
"Three months. You didn't call. You didn't write…" Paige shakes her head. "Mike, you were one of my closest friends, and then you got on that plane and it was like you never existed. You just forgot all of us. Didn't Graceland mean anything to you? Or was it just a stepping stone to DC? You know what? Don't answer. I don't care anymore."
"I wanted to call. I was afraid of what I'd find. I was afraid of this." Mike admits, and it's true. This feels like his worst nightmare. As long as he didn't call, he could pretend time had stopped and everything was the same. That when he came back she'd still be at that bonfire, waiting for him.
"Now, you just show up here, and expect me to drop everything? For what?" Paige demands. "I have a life you know! It doesn't start and stop whenever Mike Warren decides to grace Graceland with his presence!"
"No. You're right. I had no right to expect you would have waited for me." Mike knows he's being unfair with how angry he is with her. They'd never even officially dated, but he had felt more heartbreak at losing her than he ever did with Abby. "Once I finish up this thing with Briggs, I'll go back to DC and leave you alone. I'm sorry."
"Adam's a good man." Paige states defiantly, her arms crossed over her chest.
"He seems like it. I hate that." Mike admits. "You deserve a good man, Paige."
"Yeah… Yeah I do." Paige says, staring at him warily. It's like she's trying to convince herself, but she seems to be calming down, if only a bit.
"Maybe we can talk later." Mike says awkwardly rubbing his hand down his neck. "Catch up and stuff. As friends, obviously."
"Yeah… Maybe." Paige says. Her walls are still up, and she's obviously still pissed. Mike didn't realize until this moment how badly he'd hurt her.
"You're right. I was a dick. You are one of my best friends. You've always been there for me, and I should have called." Mike apologizes in a rush. "It was just... with the way we left things, I didn't know what to say."
"'Hi Paige.' would have been a nice start." Paige scolds him, but her lips curve up at the corner into the shadow of a smile.
"Right." Mike laughs, rolling his eyes. She was still sharp. "Well… Hi Paige."
"Hi Mike." Her voice is husky and soft, and all the air seems to have left the hallway and his lungs from the way she looks up at him.
Without even thinking, his hand reaches out and he grabs her hip pulling her towards him in a blistering kiss. She doesn't hesitate for a second. Her arms immediately cling around his neck, her fingers gripping his newly short hairstyle, her lips responding to his. His arms wrap tightly around her small waist, crushing her to him. He's kissing her like she's oxygen and he's been drowning. He only now is realizing that he has been drowning ever since he left her.
He pushes back against her, as they crash from one wall to the other, locked in a tight embrace. He lifts her up against the wall, so her legs have no choice but to wrap around his hips. He grabs both her arms lifting them over her head, against the wall, pinning her wrists together, and he pulls his head back to stare hungrily at her. He's looking for remorse, or a sign that he should stop, but all he sees is passion, and his mouth crashes against hers again.
"What the hell?! PAIGE?!" Upon hearing the yell echoing in the small hallway, both Mike and Paige freeze. Mike's body is still pinning hers to the wall. "Oh my God, Paige! That's your brother! Oh my God. What sort of sick family are you from?"
"Adam…" Paige is flush, and she looks over, embarrassed, at the man who she assumes is now her ex-boyfriend.
"WHAT IS GOING ON?"
"I… umm…" Paige stutters, "We were just… Mike's adopted!"
Adam gives Paige an incredulous look. Mike buries his face in her neck to stop from laughing, as he remembers the day Paige told Mike that Abby couldn't have him, because he'd already been adopted.
"I can't believe this." Adam mutters, staring at her accusingly.
She can't think of anything else to say, and the fact that Paige is still in Mike's arms, frozen, with her legs wrapped around his waist, probably doesn't help either. Nor does the lipstick smudged on her lips and Mike's.
"I knew you were hiding something! We are so done! I can't believe... I have to go. I can't even look at you!" Adam screams at her, before turning to storm out of the bar. Paige watches him go, and Mike watches her watching him leave.
"You ok?" Mike looks at Paige with a concerned look. "Do you want to go after him or something?"
"No." She says, and her voice sounds sad. "It's probably better this way."
Mike's feeling jealous, and uncertain of what has just happened. She might need time to grieve. It really was unfair of Mike to just show up like this, and despite the kiss, he now doesn't know where he stands. He hasn't even been back a full day and he's already messed up her life.
"I'm sorry. I know you liked him." Mike says awkwardly, putting her gently down on the ground.
"I did." Paige says simply, and Mike can feel his heart drop an inch. "But I think I was just using him as a stand-in for someone else…"
Those words lift Mike's heart back up, and start it pounding in his chest.
"Come on." She reaches out and takes his hand. "Let's go home."