Author's Note: There was really no good place to split this scene, but it gets hard to read long chapters.
"Look, being in Graceland has challenged every truth I've ever had faith in. About myself, about the job, about the world… but it has never made me question my faith in you." Mike promises her.
Mike says he never lost faith, but he must have, if he knew everyone would accept that Paige could betray him like that.
"You knew they would believe it. I didn't think they would, but you knew." Paige whispers.
"That's not you." Mike assures her, "They believe it because they are thinking about themselves. Their thoughts are all clouded by their own shit. They don't know you the way I do, Paige."
There is that possessive tone in his voice again, and Paige wonders how Mike can be so arrogant to think that he knows her, when everyone else obviously sees her an entirely different way. The majority is rarely wrong. If so many think Paige is capable of betraying someone in such a way, she must have given them a reason.
Mike sees this doubt and knows he needs to convince her.
"Listen to me. Sid killed his entire team. People he'd worked with for years. His friends and colleagues just to frame me. He knew you already went behind my back to shut down Sylmar, do you really think he would think twice about you betraying me again? He's a psychopath."
"It wasn't just Sid. Everyone at the house thinks I did it." Paige appreciates Mike trying to comfort her guilt, but it's not just Sid. Everyone believed it without batting an eye.
"Paige, two weeks ago, when we set up the bank robbery, Briggs arranged to have Amber shoot me." Mike says with an exasperated sigh.
"HE WHAT?!" No one had told her this.
"It's true. Charlie told me." Mike says, stating it like it's just a fact and not an important part of the story, "He tried to have me killed over the tape from the car. He's seen all the fighting we've done recently. I mean we've done nothing but scream at each other for months. He waterboarded Lawrence, and assumed I would do it just as easily as him. Not because of me, but because that's who he is, and he sees his reflections in others."
"But you did torture Lawrence." Paige says weakly.
"To find you." Mike says firmly, "And even with all of that riding on it, I almost didn't. But he preyed on my weakness. My feelings for you."
"He didn't see that weakness in me." Paige says, feeling guilty. What did it say about her that Briggs could see in Mike feelings he couldn't see in Paige?
"No. I knew he wouldn't." Mike says, in a sad but accepting voice.
Paige wants to tell him that she did have feelings for him too, even if she didn't show them like he did, but before she can find the words he continues on.
"Briggs was the main one to convince. Once he believed that you killed me, the others will too. Jakes knows how much Lina meant to you. He knows what I put you through. He probably wishes he killed me himself."
"And Johnny? I flat out told him and Jakes what I thought you did and he didn't believe you could do it."
"No, but he believed you believed I could. If everyone else is saying you killed me, Johnny will accept it. Also as much as I wish this wasn't true… He knows about us." Mike runs a hand down his face.
"What does he think he knows? I mean, everybody has always suspected..." Paige asks.
"Yeah, he shares a wall with my room, and he told me that he heard some stuff…" Mike groans, embarrassed he has to admit this to her. He wasn't planning on telling her about this, and had threatened Johnny when he'd asked Mike for details.
"What does he…? Nevermind. I don't want to know." Paige shakes her head. "Ok, so he knows we slept together. Why would that make him think I would kill you?"
"Fun fact, Johnny has had three separate exgirlfriends try to kill him. One multiple times. Once again, I knew he'd project his issues onto you." Mike explains.
"And Charlie? Charlie should know I would never-" Paige knows that Charlie should know her better than that. Should give her the benefit of the doubt.
"Charlie knows about Briggs's tape of Juan's murder."
"She what?"
"She gave it to me. She turned over Briggs, the man she loved, to Jangles last year, and she gave me the tape to incriminate him. Charlie will assume you would turn me over to Sid in the same way."
"Charlie's intuitive. She'll figure it out-"
"Briggs made her think she was crazy last year and couldn't trust it. Any extra doubt she may have, you have to kill it Paige. Make her think the pregnancy's making her crazy, because she can't know I'm alive."
"She's taking your death so hard Mike. It's not good for the baby. If she turned Briggs over to you, maybe she could keep this secret too until we can clear your name."
"She can't know, Paige. We can't trust anyone." Mike insists. He doesn't know who he can trust these days, and he needs to keep this small until he has his strength back. Right now he's a sitting duck.
"You trusted Zelanski." Paige points out the hypocrisy.
"I trusted you to handle Zelanski." Mike says, his voice developing a cold edge, "So far he's ok, but you may still need to convince him."
Paige feels an icy chill down her spine, and she is suddenly remembering when this logic was reversed on Mike. Already feeling she knows the answer she asks, "What do you mean… convince him?"
"Look, I'm just saying, whatever you need to do… I understand. I know we had something in the past, and as much as I didn't want to let it go, I realize now it's over. I know this doesn't change that. I'm just saying I appreciate what you're doing for me. So if you need, or want to do something with Zelanski or anyone..."
"Shut up before I change my mind and go give you up to Sid again." Paige snarls at him. How dare he give her his blessing to go fuck someone. What gave him the right?
"I'm sorry. I guess I'm not as over it as I thought." Mike admits, "I do appreciate this though, Paige. Everything you've done for me. I know it doesn't mean you- I mean I know I don't deserve it. I'm trying-"
"Look, I'm trying to forgive myself too. And you. For everything we've been through." Paige shouts at him, harshly interrupting his awkward apology, "But you're not the only one suffering, Mike! Just because I don't have a bullet hole in my side, doesn't mean I'm not hurting. Just because I'm not bedridden, doesn't mean I don't feel trapped. And just because Briggs can't see my feelings, doesn't mean I don't have them."
The silence fills the small apartment as they both take in the depth of Paige's outburst.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say you… I think the pain killers are just messing with my brain. I just need some rest." Mike apologizes.
"The drugs you're on are nothing you big baby. I'll grab you some of the good stuff tomorrow at work. That hole in your side will feel like a rainbow." Paige smirks at Mike's attempts to blame the pain killers. She knows what he's on, and she knows it's not enough to make him any more of a pain in the ass than usual.
"Does that mean you're leaving?" Mike asks.
"Yeah, I'm going to go. Do you need anything before I leave?" Paige turns to retreat.
"Are you going back to Graceland?" Mike asks quietly, still not over her confession.
"No. I need to give them some time to let it sink in you're really dead. Plus if I had really killed you I would get drunk and stumble in tomorrow afternoon. If I go back too early it will look suspicious. Plus I can't deal with them right now. I'll just go to a bar and-"
"Stay here." Mike interrupts her plans.
"I think I just need to be alone right now. Think about how I'm going to handle all this."
"You won't be alone in a bar, you'll be fending off creeps all night. How much more alone can you get than in a small apartment with a dead man?" Mike asks. Seeing her hesitation he again asks, "Stay here tonight."
"Mike…" Paige needs to keep her guard up. She can't keep fighting with Mike like this. She also knows they can't just fall back into old habits. Until she has a better handle on herself she needs to stay away from Mike for fear of making things worse.
"Don't make me beg." Mike says, trying to assure her this is not as big of a deal as she's making it he continues, "Come on just one night. I may need help. Remember all those jars I opened for you when you hurt your hand?"
"That was your fault!" Paige defends herself with a grin. Not only was that his fault but they'd been sleeping together at the time. It wasn't that Paige didn't want to nurse Mike back to health, it was that if she did she was worried that they might fall back into old romantic patterns. They needed to keep things professional.
"Well yeah, but admit it. I opened an impressive amount of jars." Mike gives her a playful grin. Paige finds herself smiling as well, and see, this was the kind of shit she was hoping to avoid.
"Ok. One night, just in case." Paige says, cautiously putting down her bag. "But you realize once you're healed and we've cleared your name, you owe me. You owe me big time."
"Oh, I know."
"I'm talking paying my bar tab forever."
"I will build you a tequila castle." Mike promises.
"I better never see another bathroom duty on that chore wheel ever again either."
"I will build you a castle of booze and clean it forever." Mike promises, scooting over in bed and holding up the sheet for her to join him.
Paige eyes it warily, but after a moment's hesitation kicks off her shoes and her pants and crawls into bed beside him. She figures he's seen it all before, so she might as well get comfortable. The small bed leaves them no choice but to spoon to get comfortable, but not too close due to Mike's wound.
"You ok?" Paige asks as she settles in.
"Yeah, you?" Mike murmurs from behind her, afraid of scaring her off.
"I'm ok." She says, settling in. Sheer exhaustion will soon overtake her, but before it can she mutters a sleepy, "Mike?"
"Hmmm?" She can feel the murmur vibrate from his chest against her back.
"I'm glad you're not dead."