I got some of the sweetest reviews on my last story, with many people asking for more. Thank you so much to those people, and I assure you I have plenty of Burn Notice stories in the works. Hope you enjoy this one. Where There's Smoke is one of my favourite episodes, and I've wanted to write this for quite awhile. Obviously I don't own Burn Notice, any of the characters or anything else associated with it. Any lines taken from the episode that appear here are not mine, they belong to Matt Nix and the writers.
As Long As You're Here
This morning she had been angry with him. Then for a moment, she thought she would never see him again.
Fiona Glenanne was overconfident in her abilities, but she wasn't an idiot. Today she had been in a very dangerous situation, held captive by men who she knew wanted to kill her. She had managed to maintain the situation, along with Michael, Sam and Jesse's help from the outside, but there had been a brief moment where she thought it was all over. As she waited for that light bulb to heat up enough to explode while Jacob held a gun to her chest, she said her prayers (a last reminder of her Irish Catholic upbringing) and thought of Michael. The thought of dying when their last moments together had been less than happy was almost too much to handle.
A bump in the road jolted her out of her thoughts, her battered and weary body moving with the car. She blinked hazily, focusing on the road outside. They were almost back at the loft.
"Sorry, Fi." Sam murmured. He'd been treating her a little more carefully since he insisted on driving her back to Michael's. His actions would normally irritate the hell out of her, but she was way too tired to argue with him, so she gave in quite easily. It was very sweet of him, she supposed. Sam Axe was a good friend to have, she mused, although she'd rather not admit it to his face. It was just the way their relationship worked.
They finally arrived at the loft, and Sam pulled the car to a stop outside.
"I'll leave and Mike to it, I have some stuff to take care of." He told her. He really didn't want to interrupt their private time, especially after the day they'd had. He'd witnessed Michael's behaviour today, and it had been further proof of how his friend felt about the fiery Irish woman.
Fiona smiled, knowing his real reason for not coming upstairs. She was very grateful for it.
"Thanks for everything today Sam." She smiled at him in a way she rarely did, letting him know how grateful she was. He grinned back at her, knowing what she meant.
"I guess I'd miss ya if anything happened." His tone was joking, but his words were completely serious. He hoped she picked up on it.
She gave him another smile, letting him know that she understood, before hopping out of the car. She climbed the stairs to the loft slowly, her tired, aching body preventing her from going any faster. Not even the thought of seeing Michael could make her move any more than she already was.
Inside the loft, Michael focused his eyes on the door as he absentmindedly conversed with Jesse. He needed to see Fi. He'd spoken with Sam after the operation was completed, who had assured him that she was fine. His friend's words hadn't soothed him completely though, and he needed to see her for himself, to prove she was still there with him.
"Well, it just goes to show you, man. Payback is a-"
"Fiona." The word fell from Michael's mouth as the door pushed open and she entered the room.
She swaggered forward, putting on a confident display as always. She held her battered dress and shoes in one hand, coming to stop in the middle of the room.
"You should see the other guy."
Michael moved towards her instantly, covering the ground between them swiftly. Fiona stepped forward the last few steps into him, her uninjured arm reaching up to him. He caught her in his embrace immediately, one arm reaching around her neck and shoulders, the other around her back. Their hands caressed each other as they kissed, conveying every feeling they'd experienced throughout the course of the day. Neither of them noticed Jesse as he placed down his beer bottle and exited the loft silently. Fiona dropped her shoes to the ground so that she could bring her other arm up to hold on to Michael.
The two of them remained locked in each other's arms for several minutes. It wasn't until Michael pulled Fi closer into his body that she moved back, gasping at the action that had caused her injured shoulder to protest.
"Fi?" Michael's voice was filled with concern as he tried to figure out why she had pulled away.
She moved her left hand to cup the top of her right shoulder, wincing at the pain that the slight pressure caused.
"I'm okay."
Michael gave her look that showed he didn't believe her, gently taking her shoulder into his own hands.
"What happened?"
"Dislocated it trying to get out of my handcuffs. I popped it back in, but you know how it is."
Michael did know, he'd suffered from the same injury many times. However, no matter how simple he knew it was, it didn't stop the worry settling into his chest.
He reached up to brush the hair from her forehead, and discovered the bloody scab she'd caused earlier in the day.
"What about this?" He ran a thumb over it tenderly.
"An excuse to get to the bathroom and call you. My fault, too."
Michael smiled despite her injuries. His Fi certainly was resourceful. He'd never doubted her abilities, and he was thankful she'd managed to keep herself mostly out of harm's way.
"Good thinking. I'm glad you're ok." His eyes told her just how genuinely he meant it.
She smiled back at him. "Thanks for doing your part."
"Of course, Fi."
He brushed a hand over her injured shoulder again. "You need to put some ice on that."
"I need a shower first." She wrinkled her nose at the thought of what she must look like. "I feel disgusting."
Michael chuckled at her response. "Ok, you head into the bathroom and I'll find some ice and a shirt for you."
She grinned at him before heading off to shower. Michael set about finding an ice pack and one of his blue button downs that he knew she favoured over his other shirts. He headed into the bathroom to place the shirt inside so it would be ready for her. He found Fi in front of the small mirror, dabbing a washcloth against the cut on her forehead.
"Let me help you with this." He murmured, standing behind her and slipping the zipper to her dress down her back.
Fi sighed in despair. "I really loved this dress."
"I'll buy you another one." Michael promised, kissing her shoulder softly.
Fiona's eyes sparkled as she grinned at him in the reflection of the mirror. "I must have scared you pretty badly for you to offer buying me a dress." She laughed.
"Yeah, you kind of did." He admitted, his voice low and sobering.
Fiona's heart clenched when she saw the left over remnants of fear in his eyes. She knew how much Michael cared for her, but she couldn't remember the last time his expression had made it quite so obvious. He was an expert at concealing his emotions, after all. She twisted herself around in his hold, reaching her good arm up to wrap around his neck and pull his lips to hers. She kissed him softly for a moment, pausing and leaning back slightly.
"Sorry for scaring you." She practically whispered against his lips.
"Not your fault." Michael whispered back. He knew the risks that came associated with their line of work. He was used to being put in dangerous situations, but Fiona being in harm's way was one of his biggest fears, something he preferred not to think about.
"Take a shower, I'll go find something to eat." He kissed her quickly before leaving her to her own devices. He knew if he stayed in the bathroom he'd have difficulty controlling himself, which was not what she needed at the moment.
Rifling through the fridge he tried to find something in the form of dinner for Fi that did not come in a yogurt cup. Considering it was his fridge, that was a bit of wishful thinking. Man, he needed to go shopping.
Settling for the prospect of toast, he slid a couple of slices of bread into the toaster and set about making Fi's favourite tea, the only other thing he consistently kept in the kitchen, besides beer and yogurt.
He was just pouring the milk into the cup when she emerged from the bathroom, clad in his blue shirt with her damp hair draped over her shoulders. He didn't think he'd ever seen anyone more beautiful than her.
She slid over to the counter, pressing her cheek against the centre of his back.
"Did you make me toast Michael?" Her tone drifted somewhere between touched and teasing.
Michael smiled sheepishly. "I need to do a grocery run, but you need something to eat. I'll make you a proper dinner tomorrow night."
She lifted her head from his back to press a soft kiss to his shoulder. "I like the sound of that."
She moved to the other side of the counter to sit and eat her dinner. Michael leaned against the bench, eating a yogurt as he watched her.
"We'll need to go visit my mother tomorrow." He warned her. "She already demanded it. She was quite worried."
Fiona felt touched at the sound of Madeline's concern. "How sweet of her. We can go and see her in the afternoon." She unsuccessfully attempted to stifle a yawn.
Michael smiled and grabbed the bag of frozen peas he'd left in the sink to thaw, wrapping them in a tea towel. He took Fi's hand in his and led her over to his bed.
As soon as his body hit the mattress she was curled into him, one arm draping over his and her arm over his chest, her head settling into the crook of his shoulder. He leaned over to press the makeshift ice pack to her injured shoulder, and kissed the top of her head slightly. She was asleep almost instantly, exhausted from the events of the day.
Sleep eluded Michael, and he was content to watch Fi. Her face relaxed in slumber, making her appear so much younger. Fragile was not a word one would use to describe Fiona Glenanne, but when she surrendered to the darkness, it actually suited her. In her waking hours, Michael often forgot she wasn't invincible, her larger than life personality and fondness for weaponry overshadowing her human vulnerabilities. Of course, days like the one they'd just had brought him back to reality very quickly. They were the hardest days, and although he'd never admit it, the ones he feared the most.
Tiredness started to overtake him as the adrenaline of the day finally wore off. He pulled her closer and nuzzled her hair softly. In his mind he whispered the three little words that were so difficult to say, hoping that she somehow knew. Finally, he thanked whatever higher being there was that she was safe and in his arms. Then he let himself lose consciousness.
"I promise I'm fine, Madeline." Fi assured Michael mother for what seemed like the millionth time since they'd arrived. She and Michael had come over after lunch, and Madeline's hug had almost squeezed the breath out of Fiona. While she considered it a little excessive, she couldn't help but feel incredibly touched by how much the older woman cared. It was a strange but comforting feeling to have a mother like figure worry about her.
Her gaze flitted over to Michael who stood in the kitchen, watching the interaction between his mother and girlfriend as leaned against the counter with his arms folded over his chest. While it was unnerving at times how well the two women got along, especially when they ganged up on him, he was thankful that they had a good relationship.
"Now, you need to be more careful Fi, because there are too many people who would miss you if something bad happened."
Michael rolled his eyes at his mother's unreasonable request, but he knew she meant well. He couldn't help but agree with the second part of her statement, knowing how important Fiona was to all of them.
"Okay Madeline, I will." Fiona reassured her. While she knew it wasn't exactly a promise she could keep, she supposed she could try a little harder. She looked over Madeline's shoulder, making eye contact with Michael, letting him know she intended her comment towards him as well. His head lifted in a slight nod, letting her know he understood her.
Fiona Glenanne was not a cautious person, but for her life with Michael, she would do anything.