Just a quick little one-shot that came to me last night about 11pm! Merry Christmas!

Better Late Than Never

By WritePassion

It was late, and he thought he would be the only one out shopping on Christmas Eve, but he was sorely mistaken. The chain drugstore parking lot was nearly full. He was lucky to get a spot in the shadows of the building. As he approached the automatic doors, he looked left and right. He was good at identifying a tail, and for this mission, he was especially diligent. The bright lights inside the store spilled out onto the walkway, drawing him inside like a moth to a flame. The doors slid open, he suddenly found himself being pushed inside, and when he turned toward the unseen force, a younger man shoved past him and hurried on to his destination. He checked his back pocket, found his wallet still there, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Then he stood in the first aisle and waited for the merchandise overload to wear off so he could concentrate on why he was there.

He pulled out his list. It contained names, but no gifts, because he had no idea what to buy. He grabbed a basket and combed the aisles, hoping something would catch his eye for each person. As he struggled to pass through aisles littered with people and discarded merchandise, he wondered why anyone would want to do this. Dealing with a jungle full of well-armed militia is easier! He jumped back as an Easy Bake oven fell and came close to beaning him in the head. The woman whose stretched out fingers caused it to fall didn't even look at him, let alone apologize. She just snatched up the prize and pushed past him to make a break for the checkout line. He kept his back against the shelving for a few moments, reassessing the insanity all around him.

If I'm going to do this, I have to look at it like a special op. Be ruthless, no regrets and no apologies to anybody.

He continued roaming the aisles, except now it was all about getting what he wanted no matter the cost, whether monetarily or other people in his way. It took him a lot longer than he would have expected and then he had to wait in line. It was no wonder some people had no Christmas cheer! If it were up to him, he would have just skipped it altogether, but the people who were most important in his life expected him to be there on Christmas Day. Gifts or no gifts. It would have been bad form to show up empty handed, and so he made the effort.

As he shoved the receipt in his back pocket and settled the bag into his other hand, he hurried to the exit. He wasn't sure how he would get everything wrapped before he had to be at the gathering, but somehow he would try, even if it meant going to the roof. He was so deep in thought that he didn't pay attention as he rounded the corner toward his car. He saw the flash of brightly colored flowers just before he collided full on, and the momentum caused him to stumble backwards into a brick column.

"Mikey?"

"Sam?" Michael's wide eyes took in the sight of his best friend recovering from their run-in. "What are you doing here?"

Sam glanced down at the bag in Michael's hand and grinned. "Obviously the same thing you're doing. Last minute shopping."

Michael turned away, embarrassed at the flush of his cheeks. "Yeah, well...you know how it's been lately..."

"Yeah, the burn notice thing," Sam spoke softly so that their conversation remained private. "I understand completely."

"So what's your excuse?" Michael handily deflected his chagrin.

Sam chuckled, because he knew Michael Westen very well. Yet he didn't mind his friend's tactics, because he probably would have done the same thing. He grinned and replied, "I was busy shopping with Elsa, and then I played Sammy Claus at the shelter again." He paused and let out a breath. "Man, I tell you, those kids are something else! I needed a nap after that party!" He chuckled and continued. "So, Elsa and I, well, we...we took a nap, and when I woke up, I realized we'd been so busy lately with cases and stuff, I never got to finish shopping for my friends. So here I am."

"If I were you, Sam, I'd just forget about it. It's brutal in there."

He flapped a casual hand. "Ah, how bad can it be? Worse than Bosnia?"

"Yes."

Sam frowned. "Oh. Maybe I should have worn a vest, huh?"

Michael glanced at his watch and noted the time. It was getting really late and he needed to catch a few winks before they met again at his mother's house. "If you know what you're going for, it'll be a lot easier." He glanced up again and watched as a couple of men entered the store. Something about them didn't seem right. "Sam..."

Sam kept his voice low. "Yeah, I saw 'em, Mikey, and one of 'em was fiddling with a piece in his pocket."

"Are you armed?"

"Are you kidding? Not in this crowd!"

"I'll be right back." He ran to his car, threw his bag into the passenger seat, and grabbed two sidearms that he kept in his glove compartment. He kept them concealed and passed one off to Sam as he tucked the other into the back of his waistband. Sam did the same and they entered the store together. Michael nodded for Sam to go right, while he walked straight up the first aisle. His earpiece chirped. "Yeah, Sam."

"They're in back, at the drug counter."

"I see them."

"I'll wait until you're in position."

"Copy."

Michael took a hard right and evaded a lady bogged down with packages and zig-zagged around other shoppers blocking his path. He was within twenty feet when one of their targets drew a gun and pointed it at the pharmacist behind the counter. He and Sam were only a few strides away, and as he reached them, he gently pushed other people out of the line, pulled his own gun and stuck it into the side of the perp's friend as he began to draw a gun from his pocket. "I'd think about that if I were you."

At the same time, Sam stepped up beside the man with the raised gun, leveled his own weapon at his head, and said, "Drop it, or you're gonna be on Santa's really naughty list."

The guy's wide eyes glanced at Sam, and he dared to turn his head enough to see Michael restraining his friend on the floor with a pair of kid's handcuffs from the toy aisle. Taking advantage of his captive's change in focus, Sam grabbed his wrist, twisted it until he cried out and released the gun, and fell to his knees.

"Hey Mike, did you bring two of those?"

Michael smiled slightly, waved a pair in the air, and tossed them to Sam. With the gun pressed into his captive's back, Sam caught the cuffs and put them on him.

"The police are on the way," a pharmacy clerk announced with a shaky voice.

"Where on earth did you two guys come from?" The pharmacist asked, still in shock.

"Lucky for you we waited 'til the last minute to do our shopping," Michael replied as he straightened but still kept his eye on the men on the floor. "Sam, we better get moving."

"Yeah, got a lot more to do before the night is over." He grinned at the staff. "Merry Christmas!"

They hurried out of the store and walked toward the back of the parking lot. Michael let out a sigh. "This is the last time I let Christmas shopping slide. This was too much in one night, and I still haven't wrapped anything!"

"Hey, you're in better shape than I am. I still have things to buy, and this is the only place open right now. I can't go back in there with the cops showing up and everything." He frowned. "Thanks a lot, Mike, for getting me into that mess."

"You could have stayed out here, Sam. But I know you. There was nothing else you could do."

He glanced at the entrance, where a couple of police cars slid to a stop and cut their sirens. "You're right."

"Thanks for your help. Not just tonight, but all the other times." Michael held out his hand and Sam shook it. "I wish...I wish I could tell you just how much it means to me."

Sam drew him into a quick hug and replied, "No problem, Mike. You know I always have your back." As they parted, he had a spark in his eye. "I just thought of some other place I can go to get the last couple things on my list."

"You had a list?"

"Oh yeah, I've been working on it for weeks!" He handed Michael his spare gun and said, "I better run or Santa will beat me home! See you tomorrow, Mikey!" He laughed. "Or rather, later today."

Michael nodded and glanced at his watch. It was after midnight, and it was now officially Christmas Day. He had approximately eleven hours to wrap his gifts and get some sleep. Fiona probably woke up several times already wondering where he was. "Yeah, see you later, Sam."

"Merry Christmas, Brother."

"Merry Christmas, Sam."