I am very sorry for being gone so long, you guys. Life has been wild, hectic… Just generally a mess. But I NEEDED desperately to write tonight, so here. Have the fruits of my labor.

A professor (who has also called me fat, by the by) informed me that "I struggled with writing" and that my FOURTH rough draft for her still wasn't up to par with what she wanted, so needless to say I'm feeling pretty crummy about myself and my writing skills right now. So if you wanted to make me feel better, that would be awesome.

Sorry for being so grumpy sounding… I just need a Tveit hug or something.

~Rosey

Chapter Two:

"Charlie, you're going to wear a hole in the floor," Briggs mumbled gently to his pacing friend, going over and taking her hands in his larger ones. "Sit down, okay?"

"Yeah," Charlie mumbled quietly, taking a seat in between Briggs and Johnny, across from Paige and Jakes. "Just… Mikey's been back there for so long… What if he crashed or something?"

Johnny took hold of the hand Paul wasn't holding as Jakes subtly took Paige's hand, as if the agents were silently pulling all their hopes and prayers together to save Mike. Paige was the next one to find her voice, and it was a broken whisper. "He… He was going to make breakfast tomorrow… he was so excited about it. He texted me today specifically to ask how many eggs make a 'good omelet'… Dork…" but here she broke off as a strangled sob escaped her lips.

Jakes frowned deeply, squeezing her hand. "Hey, Paigey, it'll be okay. Mike's a tough little dude. He'll be alright."

Suddenly, the doctor who had been working on Mike appeared through the doors, approaching the group. They instantly, anxiously, rose to their feet, a collective group, as the man began to speak.

"Friends or family of Mike Warren?"

"Family," Johnny was quick and stubborn to reply.

The doctor offered him a kind smile before speaking again. "Agent Warren is out of surgery and in the ICU. He crashed once during surgery, but he is stable now. You may go back in groups of two to visit him, but he most likely won't waken for a good few hours."

The agents were all very quiet for a moment, letting the information sink in. Finally, Paige stepped forward, her face worried, her eyes filled with silent tears. "I'd like to see him, please."

Two breaths later, Charlie stepped forward as well after a few approving nods from the other special agents. Her face was hard and stoical, but her eyes were teary. "Me too."

The doctor nodded politely, offering the others a kind smile before turning to lead Paige and Charlie back to Mike's room.

Mike lay still and pale in the hospital bed, the dimmed lights making the whole room seem as gloomy and despondent as the situation was. An oxygen tube lay under his nose, and dozens of wires and tubes lead to the other machines around him, his electronic heartbeat beeping harshly in the still air. Wordlessly, Charlie took a step towards the bedside, followed by a trembling Paige.

"I'll leave you with him," the doctor spoke up quietly. "Alert me if anything changes." And with that, he was gone.

Charlie took a seat at Mike's left side, and Paige sat on his right. Charlie whispered to him in a tremulous voice, reaching over to push a strand of his hair back into place. "Oh, Mikey… What did you do to yourself, baby?"

Gingerly, Paige reached over on her side and took Mike's hand, rubbing small circles in it with her thumb. "I knew it was stupid dangerous for you to work with Bello…" she whispered.

"It wasn't Bello who stabbed him," Charlie looked up towards the younger girl. "It was some masked guy."

"And you think it's Odin, don't you?" Paige spoke knowingly, more of a statement than a question.

"Or Jangles," she shrugged, looking back at Mike's still form. "Or some random thug against Bello… Who knows? All I know is Mikey is laying here stabbed and the guy that did it got away."

"It's a good thing he did," Paige grumbled. Then, off Charlie's look, "I would kill him if he was within my grasp."

"Me too, Paigey," the other woman nodded a little, gently stroking Mike's hair. "Me, too."

Meanwhile, in the waiting room, Briggs, Jakes, and Johnny all sat nervously side by side, waiting to go in and see Mike.

"I swear, if I ever get my hands on who put Mikey in here…" Johnny grumbled furiously under his breath, fiddling with the arm of his chair.

"I should have hit him when I shot at him," Briggs whispered guiltily. "I shouldn't have missed."

"You'll have to take some sharp shooting lessons from Mike if he gets out of here," Jakes spoke with a faint smile.

"When," Johnny shot quickly.

"When?"

"When he gets out. You said 'if'," Johnny glared dangerously at Jakes.

"Sorry," Jakes glanced downwards quietly. "When. I meant when."

"You bet your sweet life you did," Johnny grumbled angrily, looking away again. "Mike is going to be just fine, okay? He's a tough guy, and he still has to catch Jangles. He won't give up until he does."

"Jangles is a hard one to catch," Briggs looked nonchalantly out the window. "Believe me. He's as slippery as an eel, and as deadly as a shark. Wouldn't surprise me if it was Jangles who attacked Mikey tonight. Sick little devil."

"What's with the comparisons to sea creatures tonight, Paul?" Jakes snorted softly as he got up to go find some coffee.

"Shut up and bring me and Johnny back a cup," Paul grunted to the other man's back as he vanished towards the stairs.

Johnny sighed deeply when Jakes left, running a hand over his face. "Briggs, man, I don't know what's going to happen to Mikey but… We need him back at the house. Like… Graceland was okay before he came but… He brought this… I dunno, light? Something."

"Yeah," Briggs mumbled quietly. "Scrawny little white boy's doing okay for himself. Smart kid… Green, but smart. And kind. Kid's got a heart the size of California."

"Bigger," Johnny smiled softly. "Shoot, makes me want to be a better person, anyway."

"I think he has that effect on all of us. Even ol' Jakes," Paul chuckled, standing to stretch a little. "And if you can soften Jakes up, you can-"

"This coming from the man made of iron," Johnny arched an eye brow, also standing to pop a crick in his back. "I'm going down to the gift shop to get Mike a little something or two or six. Wanna come?"

"Nah, I think I'll wait here," Briggs shook his head, offering the younger agent a little smile. "Buy me some flowers or something for him. I'll pay you back."

"Will do," Johnny tipped his head a little in a nod. "See ya in a bit."

As Johnny vanished as Jakes had, Briggs sank back into his chair, putting his head in his hands and taking a deep breath. Oh come on Mikey… This is my fault, and as smart as you are you probably know this is my fault and… Michael I swear if you die on me I'll kill you. I will.

"Paul?" Briggs's head snapped up at the sound of Charlie's voice. He leapt to his feet as she addressed him, wiping a few tears from her eyes. "You can go in and see him. Paige won't leave his side… I think she's a little bit in love with him. "

"Yeah," the man took a deep breath and managed a tiny smile. "Ten bucks says they hook up by August."

"Twenty."

"Mmm. Fifty. See you in a sec."

And with that, he headed towards Mike's room.

Good grief it feels good to write this fic again. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please review if you can? It would mean so much to me, especially today.

Stay revolutionary.

~Rosey