Hi everyone! Here is a story. I've had written for a while that I'm finally gettin around to posting. It is essentially an alternate finale, and is about what could have happened if Fiona hadn't confronted Michael up on the roof. I hope you like it!

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Fiona Glenanne awoke with a throbbing pain on the side of her head. She gingerly touched her fingers to the sore and felt a sticky patch of blood. It didn't seem like a horrible wound, but she did feel a bit woozy. She suspected she had a mild concussion.

She looked around the darkened room and took a few deep breaths, determined not to panic. The last thing she remembered, she had been breaking into a building that had once been used by James Kendrick's organization.

Having been told it was abandoned, she had been unprepared for the blow to the head that had knocked her unconscious. Truth be told, she had no reason to be in that building to begin with. Anyone else could have easily gotten in, since the building appeared to be free of any modern security measures. But she had felt the need to explore it herself, and had even decided against calling Sam or Jesse for backup. This was personal. It had ripped the man she loved out of her life, and she was determined that if anyone took down the organization that the recently incarcerated James had begun, it would be she.

Within a few minutes, Fiona's eyes had adjusted enough for her to be able to make out a metal table in front of her and the matching chair to which she was handcuffed. Other than that, the cement room was empty of objects. The table and chair were bolted to the floor, and there didn't seem to be anything lying around that could be used to break free. Fiona had no choice but to wait until someone came to check on her. Then maybe she could figure out how to escape.

Fiona didn't have to wait long. Less than half an hour later, she heard footsteps approaching her cell. She glared fiercely at the door, not wanting to appear weak to whomever walked through it.

As the door creaked slowly open, the figure that entered looked hauntingly familiar. She couldn't make out the face, but she didn't need to. She would know that body, that stance, anywhere.

Fiona's angry expression turned to one of shock and disbelief. The man standing before her was at once the person she most and least wanted to see at this moment. He had always held her heart and soul in his hands, figuratively, and now literally. When she finally regained he ability to speak, she uttered his name, sounding both hopeful and petrified.

"Michael."

Two months earlier

"Fiona was wrong about Mike," Sam hung up his cell phone and turned towards Jesse. "He told me the truth about where he was and what he was doing. It's exactly what it looks like."

Jesse breathed a sigh of relief as Sam began to drive away. "Good, 'cause if Mike switched sides, we'd all be in trouble." He took out his own cell phone so he could tell Fiona the good news.

Fiona answered immediately and listened to what Jesse had to say. She was glad Michael was still on their side, but had some reservations.

"Remember, Jesse, just because Michael wasn't doing anything suspicious now doesn't mean he won't. There is something...off about him."

"Give the guy a break, Fi. He's in the middle of a huge undercover mission. It would make anyone act strange."

Fiona reluctantly agreed and ended the call. She sat staring at her phone, wishing she could call Michael, just to chat. However, he no longer answered her calls, leaving her longing for the days when he would answer on the first ring. She supposed she deserved his silence, considering how much her relationship with Carlos had hurt him. She had pretended not to notice, pretended her new boyfriend was an acceptable replacement, but she knew he had been in pain because she was too.

No, she corrected herself, I may have thrown the first metaphorical punch, but he returned the blow by sleeping with Sonya.

Fiona cleared those thoughts from her mind. Michael had nearly completed his mission and this would all be over soon. Then maybe they could begin to rebuild their relationship, even if it had been downgraded to friendship. She'd never admit it to her ex-boyfriend, but she'd take any part of him she could get.

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Later that day, Michael stood on the roof, watching James exit his helicopter and Sonya enter it. As soon as the helicopter had taken off, James gave Michael a small smile and a barely perceptible nod, and Michael raised his gun to point it at the leader of his new cause. At his signal, the SWAT team that had surrounded the building came storming in to take James into custody.

Gunfire surrounded them, as James's men put up a valiant effort at defending their leader. But it was pointless; the CIA had them outnumbered and outgunned. When the last of James's men had been taken out, James turned to face Michael. The terrorist threw Michael one last meaningful look and let himself be handcuffed without a struggle. Michael looked up at the blue sky one last time before walking down the stairwell, ready to lead James's organization on his own terms.

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Michael spent most of the afternoon at various debriefings, recounting every little detail of his long-term undercover mission. By the time night fell he was glad to be able to drive home to the loft, wanting nothing more than to lie in what remained of his bed and fall asleep.

Upon parking the Charger however, he saw that a dim light was already on in the burnt-out loft. He made his way cautiously up the metal stairs and pulled out his gun as he swung the door open.

"It's me," Fiona said in a tone that suggested that Michael hadn't surprised her in the least.

"What are you doing here?" Michael was proud of the distant, unaffected attitude he had adopted.

"I just...I wanted to...congratulate you on your...on getting the mission done." Fiona looked at the floor, wishing she had just gone back to her own place. For some reason though, she felt the need to be at the loft. Perhaps it was because it had been her home, once. Or maybe it was concern for Michael; she just wasn't convinced that he was being honest with her.

"Thanks Fi." Michael decided to remain polite, even though if anyone could make him lose his cool it was the woman in front of him.

"If you need anything..." Fiona tried again, "I mean, Sam and Jesse have lined up some jobs already so if you need money..." She let the sentence hang in the air between them.

"I should be fine. The CIA will keep me busy."

Fiona quickly looked down at her shoes and nodded. "Okay, I understand. Congratulations on getting your old job back. If you need any help, let me know." She hoped her last comment hadn't sounded too needy.

"I won't." Michael said this in a harsh tone."You can't get involved in anything I'm doing. Do you understand Fi?"

Fiona could tell he was serious and couldn't help but feel a combination of hurt and worry. She decided against pushing Michael any further though.

"Okay, well, good night," she said, heading towards the door.

"Goodbye, Fiona," Michael replied.

As Fiona closed the door behind her, she tried not to dwell on how final that goodbye had sounded. Brushing a tear away, she returned to the house that was not her home.

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For the next few days, Michael finally had a chance to rest. Agent Strong had forced him to take two days off, and for the first time, he was grateful for the chance to relax. He had spent most of his break sleeping, deciding to take full advantage of not being needed by the CIA and not having been contacted by Sonya yet.

When he arrived at headquarters on his first day back, he was immediately called into Strong's office. His supervisor gave him a firm pat on the back and congratulated him once again on a job well done. Then he sat behind his desk and motioned for Michael to have a seat as well.

"I'm not sure how to tell you this, Westen. I guess I might as well come right out with it. We have reason to believe that James's network is not completely destroyed yet."
Michael schooled his features to appear shocked with hints of outrage. Strong held up a hand and continued.

"What you did has absolutely made a difference," he assured Michael, "but I may need you to do just a few more things to ensure that Kendrick's followers don't rebuild his organization.

Michael nodded, trying not to give away how pleased he was. Now that he was tasked with capturing James's followers, it would be even easier for him to bend the investigation into what he wanted it to be. He once again tuned in to what Strong was saying.

"...and with Ms. Glenanne, Mr. Axe, and Agent Porter helping you, I know you'll finish this mission even sooner."

"Wait," began Michael. "My friends are not going to be working with me."

"But you work so well with them. You were practically begging me to let you see them this past year!"

"I'm done with them. I don't want them to have anything to do with this." There was an unspoken threat behind his words.

"Okay, Westen," Strong conceded. "Have it your way. But I expect you to find these bastards fast."

"You know I will," replied Michael. He was glad that his friends wouldn't be involved. The last thing he wanted was for them to have to deal with fallout from his betrayal. They had been through so much for him already, and he wouldn't let them suffer anymore.

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A mere fifteen minutes after Strong had finished his conversation with Michael, Fiona was awoken by the ringing of the phone on her bedside table. Not recognizing the number, she answered cautiously.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"This is Agent Strong," answered the voice on the other end of the line.

"What do you want?" Fiona asked rudely. "Michael completed his mission, so I'm free. That was the deal."

"Yes Ms. Glenanne," assured Strong, "you are indeed free. I'm only calling to ask for your help."

"Why should I help you?" Fiona's voice was low and dangerous.

"I'm not asking you to help me. I'm asking you to help your boyfriend."

"Michael's not my boyfriend," Fiona was quick to correct. "And if he wants my help he can damn well ask me himself."

She was about to hang up when Strong quickly added, "He's not himself." Fiona was silent. "If I noticed it, then I know you have. This assignment affected him, and I don't think he's back to normal yet."

"So why are you asking me for help? If he doesn't want me around what do you expect me to do?"

"You can try to find the remnants of Kendrick's organization too. Make sure Michael isn't doing anything odd, keep tabs on him."

"Why should I?" Fiona repeated in a cold voice.

Strong sighed. It was time to play his wild card. He had never really understood Michael's connection with the fiery Irishwoman, but he knew it ran deep.

"Look," Strong began, "I could give you plenty of half-assed reasons why you should help Michael, but I'm not going to bother. You're too smart for me to convince you to do something you don't wanna do. But here's the thing, I know you, and I know Michael. I've read both of your files cover to cover. And I know that no matter what anyone says, you are going to help Michael. You've never been able to turn your back on him, and I'm confident you never will. So you can either help him later, after he really messes up, or start helping now, when you have the CIA on your side."

Fiona let out an angry huff, but didn't disagree. Finally she bit the bullet. "Alright, what do you need me to do?"

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"So, Strong wants you to spy on Michael Westen, super-spy? Is he nuts?" Sam asked incredulously.

Fiona had just described her conversation with Strong to Sam and Jesse. They were not as agreeable as Fiona had been.

"Fi," Jesse began delicately, "You can't keep protecting Mike. I know you have trouble letting him go-"

"I have let go of Michael!" Fiona exclaimed. "I'm not protecting him, I'm protecting the world from him."

Sam and Jesse exchanged furtive looks of disbelief. Neither had the guts to disagree, even though they hadn't fallen for her justification.

"Okay Fi," Sam said calmly. "Why don't you do what you have to do. Jesse and I have a job we just took on, but if you need anything, don't hesitate to call."

"Thanks Sam, I will. I just need to know that Michael is really doing what he says he's doing."

"We get it Fi," assured Jesse. "We'll be in touch."

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For the next six weeks, Fiona worked constantly. She spent her days researching every little detail about James that the CIA could give her, and her nights spying on Michael and sleeping when she could. She was exhausted, but welcomed the busyness because it kept her mind off of what was lacking in her life. She supposed she should just move on, stop worrying about Michael, and get herself a new, emotionally available boyfriend. But she could no longer fool herself. She had tried to move on but had never been able to escape her feelings for the spy.

Strong was right, if she left now she'd just end up coming back to clean up an even bigger mess. She had finally resigned herself to her fate. And the worst part was that helping Michael, even though he didn't know it, gave her a sense of purpose.

I really am pathetic, she told herself. I never thought my life would revolve around a man.

Fiona turned her attention back to the receiver of the bug she had planted in the loft. Spying on Michael hadn't gotten her very far in the past few weeks. He hadn't made any suspicious calls or had any mysterious visitors. She was beginning to think that he had been telling the truth after all. Just as she was doubting her instincts about Michael, the man in question pulled his ringing phone out of his pocket and answered it.

"I was wondering when you'd call," he said, sounding pleased. "Are you ready for the next step of the plan?" There was silence for a moment as whoever was on the other end of the phone replied.

"Okay, I'll keep things with the CIA under control, and meet up with you next week." He hung up the phone and Fiona could hear him opening the cooler to get a yogurt.

The call itself hadn't been particularly alarming, but Fiona had a feeling that it was the break she had been waiting for. She got into her bed and drifted off to sleep listening to the familiar sounds of Michael moving around the loft.

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Thanks for reading! I hope you're finding it interesting so far.

Please review!