A/N Guys I just want to say how grateful I am to you all that have reviewed and told me what you think - I feel like this chapter is a bit of an eh one, and doesn't really go anywhere, but I promise you, all roads lead to plot. With that in mind, enjoy :)

Mike slowly went down the stairs, one step at a time, dragging his toy lion (which he had secretly named Lannister) by the tail. It was maybe around 4pm and the last thing he remembered was bawling onto Briggs' shoulder. He groaned at the memory and hoped that everyone had completely forgotten about it. He stumbled slightly into the main room to see that the clothes they had bought were all in organised piles and folded neatly. The toys had disappeared, but he spotted a box in the corner that hadn't been there before. He pushed it open and gaped at the amount of toys in there. He hadn't realised that he'd asked for so many. Propping the lid open, he delved inside before pulling out another box. He opened it and tipped out the contents. What seemed like thousands of blocks were inside, and he started sorting them, creating a large cityscape on the coffee table, before kneeling on the table and holding Lannister up high, roaring for him as the large lion dominated over the small city.

"Having fun?" Mike jumped and toppled off the table, landing on his ass and even bouncing a bit. He clutched Lannister to him and looked around with huge eyes, as if shocked by the pain he was feeling. Briggs stood before him, hands in pockets and a small smile on his face, eyes twinkling. "You alright there?" He held out a hand for Mike to pull himself up with, but the kid kept staring, his lips wobbling. "You're fine." Briggs told him, knowing he wasn't even hurt. He grabbed Mike by the sides and pulled him to his feet.

"You surprised me," Mike told him, frowning. "Where are you going?" He asked, seeing Briggs pull a jacket on.

"We are going to the beach," Briggs told him, holding out the small shoes that Charlie had bought. "So c'mon, grab Simba and let's go."

"He's not called Simba," Mike grumbled, tugging the shoes on.

"No?"

"No."

"Well what's his name then?"

"Lannister." Mike said, although he looked like he was regretting the decision to tell. At Briggs' blank stare, he sighed. "The family in Game of Thrones? They have a lion as their sigil."

"Of course they do," Briggs rolled his eyes. "C'mon." Mike pulled the Velcro fastening tight on the shoes and stood up, holding Lannister around the middle and toddling to the back door, reaching up to open it and stepping outside, rubbing at his eyes.

"I'm still hungry," Mike told him, hearing his stomach growl.

"Alright, alright, we'll get something when we're out. Okay?" Briggs asked, knowing that a hungry child could lead to a very loud breakdown.

Mike huffed. "I guess. Why are we going to the beach?" He stumbled slightly in trying to keep up with Briggs and blushed slightly when the man simply took hold of his hand and slowed down slightly.

"Because you didn't get much fresh air when you were shopping. And I have an appointment with someone and you can help me with it."

"A what?" Mike frowned as they strolled along the path. "Wait, you didn't bring me for one of your dates did you?"

"No, because unlike Johnny, I wouldn't have to rely on bringing a kid to charm the girl," Briggs replied, stopping him before they got any further. "C'mere," he knelt down and took Mike's shoes and socks off. "Go work off some steam, alright?"

"I'm hungry, not hyper," Mike told him, pushing at his leg as if it would do something. "I don't need to work off steam."

"Just play in the sand, Mike," Briggs told him, spotting his 'appointment'. "I'll be back in a while, okay? Stay where I can see you."

He left, walking a bit further along the sand to talk to a man wearing a hoodie, even in the afternoon sun. Mike huffed and sat down in the sand, sulking and hugging Lannister tightly to himself. They were all telling him to stay where they could see him. Why? They didn't worry about that when he was normal, things wouldn't change just because he was smaller. What would he do?

Although the slightly wet sand further down the beach was becoming more and more appealing. He went over, studiously not looking over at Briggs, doing whatever kind of shady deal he was doing, and started to dig at the sand, building it into a pile and patting it down.

"This can be Pride Rock," Mike told Lannister as he had placed the lion a bit further away so he wouldn't be on the wet sand. "Or maybe Casterly Rock is more fitting?" He blamed Charlie for his knowledge of Game of Thrones. Really. He set to work creating a whole landscape, getting lost in it and forgetting that he was even with Briggs.

The man glanced over every so often to make sure the kid hadn't died, still conversing with his 'appointment'.

"Look, Manny, it's really simple," Briggs explained, hands in pockets. "Just, if you hear anything else about any of this, gimme me a call. And just keep an eye out for Mike."

"He lives with you and four other people, Paul," Manny scowled, his strong Brooklyn accent appearing now that he was annoyed. "Why should I?"

"Because I'm asking," Briggs replied. "Look, I don't know what could go down between now and when he gets back to normal. All I'm asking is that if something were to happen, if you could keep a look out."

"Alright, look, I'm a busy man. Here's my deal. You call me if something goes wrong with the kid, and I'll do what I can, alright?"

"And you'll look for Lang?"

"Jeeze, alright, I'll try!" Manny snapped. Briggs nodded before glancing back at Mike, who had finished his structure and was now jumping in the sea, splashing about and having wisely decided to leave Lannister on the shore where he could stay dry.

"Charlie's going to kill me," he muttered, but leaving the kid for the time being. He was enjoying himself.

"So this kid really used to be your housemate?" Manny asked, watching the scene.

"Yup."

"I'm guessing he wasn't always so happy to be around the sea, and that whatever the hell he was injected with did somethin' to his mind?"

"Of sorts," Briggs shrugged. "I'm gonna have to go, the kid hasn't eaten in a while. You find Lang for me within the next day or two and I'll make it worth your while, Manny," Briggs told him. "We have a deal?"

"Yeah, yeah," Manny waved him away. "I'll be in touch."

"You're my man," Briggs said, shaking his hand in goodbye. "I'll be seeing you." Manny walked away, his paranoia regarding being seen working alongside a fed overtaking him, so he walked the opposite way of Briggs.

"No, B.D, no! Bad dog!"

Briggs focussed on Mike, not having really been paying too much attention on his way over. He saw Mike had hastily come out of the sea and was trying to tug his lion toy out of a familiar dog's mouth. The mutt looked like it was enjoying the game, but Mike looked distraught and was pulling with all of his might. Finally the dog yanked and Mike flew back, landing once again on his ass and just sitting there, letting the waves pass around him and soaking him as he stared after the dog.

"Briggs!" Mike finally stood, suddenly noticing the man's presence. "He took Lannister!" With that, the small boy launched himself at Briggs, burying his head in the man's legs and sobbing, clutching tightly to Paul's pants leg material.

"Woah, c'mon, Mike, it's – "

"It's not okay!" He bawled. "You weren't here and B.D stole Lannister! Get him back!" He demanded, and Briggs swore to god the kid stamped his feet into the sand.

"Hey, hey, look at me, Mike," Briggs knelt and held Mike's wrists to move them off his pants and to move him away so he didn't knee the kid in the face. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to push the dog away, alright? I thought you liked that dog."

"I do! But he took Lannister and I want him back," Mike said, in between sobs. "And I'm all wet!" He wailed, deciding that he was already bawling in front of Briggs, nothing else could take his masculinity any lower and so threw his arms around Briggs' neck, clutching tightly and resolutely not letting go.

"Okay, one thing at a time, alright?" Briggs said, standing and smirking at the fact that Mike had clung on so tight that he was swinging from Briggs' neck. He quickly moved to put his arms around the kid (even though he was soaked through) so that he was no longer in danger of falling and started to bounce him gently. "You said this dog stole your flip-flops, right?" Mike nodded, once again finding sanctuary in Briggs' neck. "Did they ever turn up again?" Mike shook his head, snuffling and shaking slightly. "Alright, well how about we go buy you another toy?"

"I don't want another one!" Mike cried. "I want that one back!"

Briggs sighed, walking towards the path deciding not to bother putting Mike's shoes back on, seeing as how he looked set to be a permanent fixture to Briggs' hip for the immediate future. He slowly walked past street vendors before finally arriving at a hot dog stall. He would have liked Hector's, but he somehow just knew that the kid would refuse to eat any of it.

"Want some food?" Briggs asked. Mike shook his head darkly. "You know, being a brat will only hurt you in the long run," Briggs said casually, deciding to walk further until they were past any food. Mike started squirming in his arms, looking back and frowning, deciding he wanted food badly. To his surprise they suddenly stopped at a stall he hadn't really seen before, and Briggs pulled out his wallet from his pocket. "Pick a toy, kid."

Mike gazed at the toys on display. He felt like he was betraying Lannister, but soon hesitantly pointed at a soft, brown dog, and the seller passed it to him as he took the money. Mike held it first by it's long ear, and then lifted it up and cradled it in his arms, holding it tightly to him.

"Better?" Briggs asked, walking back to the hot dog stand.

"Yeah," Mike nodded. "Thanks."

"So what's this one called?" Briggs asked him on their way to get food. "More Game of Thrones?"

Mike shook his head, hiding his face in the dog for a while before answering. "Snoopy."

"It doesn't even look like Snoopy."

"Snoopy."

"Alright, alright."

"Briggs did you throw the kid in the sea or something? He's drenched!" Charlie said, stripping Mike of his top and shorts and leaving him in just his underwear in the middle of the kitchen.

"Charlie!" He squealed, holding Snoopy to himself extra tightly as if it stopped them all from seeing him half-naked.

"Relax, Chuck," Briggs said, throwing a pair of pyjamas at Mike from a clothes pile they still had yet to move up to his room. "Here, Mikey – go put your jammies on," he said condescendingly, having them thrown back at him for a moment before a small hand tugged them back and pulled them on, wincing at the pirate ship picture on the front.

"Looking good, Mikey!" Johnny said, grinning at him. "Yo, I had to clear up all those blocks you left before you went out with Briggs – the least you can do is help me enjoy the mess before I have to clean it up!"

Mike ran over to the box, pulling Snoopy around by the ears, and opening it, finding some dinosaur toys and making them plod around the table, not looking to see if Johnny was joining in or not and instead rubbing his nose on his new toy. Johnny pulled a face but took a dinosaur.

"Hey, yo – you think this one looks like Jakes?"

From the couch, Jakes scowled at him. "Don't even go there, Johnny."

Mike giggled and they began some kind of battle between the dinosaurs, causing Charlie to roll her eyes. "Boys and their toys. Hey, speaking of; what's with the new dog?" Charlie asked Briggs as he took the wet clothes off her.

"Yeah, his lion got stolen by this stray dog on the beach – "

"B.D stole Mike's lion?" Paige piped up, frowning.

"Yeah, and he wouldn't even eat til I bought him a new toy," Briggs told her.

"You are so whipped," Charlie told him, shaking her head and stirring her sauce. "Hey, what's your plan for tomorrow? You said you had a meet with Lang, is Mike going with you?"

"No, he can stay here – you must have something for him to do, right?" Briggs asked.

"Why do I have to look after your kid all day?"

"My kid? Why is it only when it's an inconvenience to you that's he's my kid?"

"Guys he's been a kid for like, 24 hours, how is he either of your kids?" Paige asked, flicking through a magazine.

"The point is," Charlie said, tasting the sauce on the tip of her wooden spoon. "Is that I have a sting tomorrow and I don't think bringing a toddler with me is really the most responsible play. Why don't you take him with you? If you're meeting with Lang, surely the kid'll be good proof for him?"

"Okay, I get it, you can't have him," Briggs shrugged, ignoring her suggestion. "Paige?"

"Busy," she said, not looking up from her magazine.

"Oh for crying out – Jakes!" He walked over and clapped a hand to the man's shoulder. "You're not doing anything tomorrow, are you?"

Jakes looked back at him, suspicious. "Depends on what I'm being asked to do."

"Mike needs a babysitter and I'd ask Johnny but do you really think that'll result in the kid surviving the day?"

Jakes sighed deeply and rolled his eyes. "Fine. But you owe me."

"My man," Briggs gently punched his shoulder before crouching down by Mike and Johnny. "Mikey, here's the plan for tomorrow – I'm leaving you here in the capable hands of Jakes and you can have Johnny here as your playmate. Okay? Then afterwards we'll… I don't know, play hide and seek or something."

Mike frowned at him but nodded, making a dinosaur walk over the table with one hand and brushing sand off his feet with the other. Briggs checked the clock. He'd gotten Mike fed and worn out, so making him have a bath before bed wouldn't take too much time before the kid passed out.

"Mike, I got a job for you." The kid literally jumped up, looking up eagerly, willing to do any job at all. "Have a bath."

"That's not a job," Mike frowned. "But fine," he jumped up and went upstairs, startling as Briggs started walking behind him. "What are you doing?"

"Helping."

"I don't need help to have a bath! Charlie, tell him!" Mike whined, wanting some kind of ally.

"Don't drown the kid, Paul," she said from the kitchen.

"Charlie!" Mike found himself being picked up and he struggled as much as he possibly could. "Briggs lemme go! Briggs!"

He eventually stopped struggling and went limp, just as Briggs walked him into Mike's en suite. Mike was unceremoniously dumped on the floor as Briggs started running the water.

"Get out," Mike pushed at his legs. "I can bathe myself."

"Mike if you can reach the taps from here, then I'll leave," Briggs told him, standing back and smirking as Mike tried and failed to turn the taps. He huffed and sat back on the floor, arms crossed and with a full pout on his face. "Look, I'm just going to run the water for you, alright? I'm not going to scrub you down, unless you think you're not capable of doing that yourself?"

"Get out," Mike frowned at him, but was forced to wait until the bath was ready.

"You want bubbles, Mikey?"

"Leave," Mike glared, pointing to the door for emphasis.

"Alright, alright – towel's right there, shampoo's there, go nuts," Briggs pointed out the various necessities and left the room, waiting to hear the splash of Mike getting in. As soon as he heard it he glanced in to check that the kid hadn't died before leaving.

Mike scowled at the door after Briggs left before wetting his hair and scrubbing shampoo in it, letting it soak for a moment as he breathed out slowly, finally letting his mind catch up with craziness of the last 24 hours. He was worried about how easily he was settling into some kind of childish routine already, and was wondering why no one was saying anything about it. He had just had a breakdown because B.D had run off with a toy lion he'd had for half the day. And had clung to Briggs. Multiple times. He leant back to wash the shampoo out and slipped, his head going under, and hitting the bottom of the tub, causing him to gasp, which meant water rushed into his mouth.

He pulled himself up, choking and gasping, spluttering and rubbing at his eyes, which had a mixture of soaps in them. He pulled himself up and tumbled out, feeling around for the towel and finally grabbing it, rubbing at his eyes until he thought he could blink a bit without it hurting. He snivelled and coughed some more, pulling his pyjamas on hastily, ignoring how wet he still was.

"Mike?" Mike glanced up and saw that Briggs had walked back into the room. "What happened?"

Mike shrugged. "Just slipped," he said, coughing some more.

"Oh, kiddo," Briggs smoothly picked him up, rubbing at his back, causing him to cough and spit slightly down Briggs' back.

"It was an accident," Mike told him, closing his eyes.

"I know," Briggs told him, grabbing the towel and rubbing it over Mike's hair. "I shouldn't have left you alone."

"I'm not a baby, I just slipped," Mike argued, but just found himself nuzzling into Briggs' shoulder. "'M tired."

"Alright," Briggs said, walking him downstairs.

"I wanna go to bed now," Mike murmured, rubbing his nose on Briggs' shirt.

"I know you do, just hold on a second," Briggs told him, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a paper towel, wiping Mike's nose and eyes.

"What did you do?" Charlie asked him.

"Nothing, he just slipped a bit in the bath, that's all," Briggs told her.

"After you left him alone?" Charlie growled. "Dammit, Briggs, he's only small, did you not learn anything after – "

"Don't even go there, Charlie," Briggs cut her off. "He's fine. And it won't happen again."

"Guys, am I missing something here?" Paige asked.

"It's nothing." Briggs said firmly. "Mike's going to bed. Say night night, Mikey," he said, smirking.

"Shut up," Mike mumbled, pretty much already asleep on Briggs' shoulder.

"See you tomorrow, kiddo," Charlie said, moving from her sauce so that she could kiss his forehead. One of Mike's thumbs made it's way to his mouth and she cooed, grabbing her phone and snapping a quick picture.

"Throw me the dog, JT," Briggs said, holding out a hand for Johnny to throw Snoopy over to him. He took Mike back upstairs and sat him on the bed, putting the dog next to him. Mike immediately clutched it to himself and curled up, thumb still in mouth.

"Night, kiddo," Briggs said. "I'll find the cure, Mike, I promise."

He left, but kept the bedroom door open slightly, so that light still shone into the room.

"Johnny… Johnny… Wake up!" Johnny's eyes flickered open and felt his bed moving slightly. He turned over to see that Mike had climbed onto his bed, Snoopy in his arms, and bouncing on it in an attempt to wake him up.

"Mike it's like…" Johnny glanced at his clock. "It's 5am!"

"So?"

"So I'm not even in charge until Briggs leaves. Go wake him up instead." With that, Johnny rolled back over and planted his face back in his pillow.

Mike pouted but climbed down, finding his way to Briggs' room. He was just bored, and had been downstairs for a while, looking through all the toys he had been bought, but he wanted company, there was only so much his imagination and a stuffed dog could achieve.

He opened the door and cautiously climbed onto the bed. It wasn't like with Johnny, where he knew the man wouldn't mind (well, wouldn't be too angry) that he was awoken by a small boy bouncing on his bed. Mike sat there for a while, hugging Snoopy and wondering how to approach waking Briggs up to play with him.

And yes, he had just acknowledged he only wanted someone to keep him company so they could play together.

He sighed and lay down on the covers next to the lump in the bed he assumed was Briggs. He felt himself drifting slightly and let his eyes close, curling up and gripping onto the duvet that Briggs was under.

After a few minutes he twitched slightly, his hand knocking into Briggs' back, and in an instant the man rolled over, seemingly ready to strike whoever it was that was in his bed. Mike made an embarrassing squeaky sound and cowered away, holding Snoopy up in front of himself in a valiant effort of protection.

Briggs breathed out sharply, rubbing a hand down his face. "Dammit, Mike – what did you sneak up on me for? You know how lucky you are that my gun's under the other pillow?"

"I'm just… I was bored," Mike said, knowing it was a pretty weak excuse. "And I wasn't doing anything!" He suddenly argued. "I was just lying there! It's not my fault you're paranoid," he frowned.

Briggs sighed and moved to be more upright. "Seriously, Mike, was there a reason you tried to get yourself killed?"

"I was bored," Mike repeated. "And Johnny said you're still in charge."

"You went to Johnny first," Briggs clarified. Mike nodded. "And he told you to come find me." Mike nodded again. "Do me a favour, kid; go back to Johnny's room and don't leave him alone til he gets up and keeps you company. Okay?"

Mike nodded but almost deflated as Briggs patted his shoulder and rolled over to go back to sleep. He didn't want to play with Johnny anymore.

He wanted to stay with Briggs.

He lay back down and snuggled his face into Briggs' back, once again clutching at the sheets. He heard Briggs sigh but the man didn't do anything, and soon Mike was drifting once more, falling asleep pretty easily.

"… so just keep him occupied, and I'll be back later."

Mike snuffled and opened his eyes, realising he was chewing on his thumb and blearily looked around. He was still curled up in Briggs' bed, but now had a comforter over him, and saw that the man himself was standing away from the bed, talking quietly with Jakes and Johnny.

"Where are you going?" Mike asked quietly, around his thumb.

Briggs turned, looking surprised that Mike was awake. "Got a meeting with Lang, kiddo," Briggs told him. "Keep Johnny and Jakes on their toes for me, okay?" Mike nodded, sitting up and frowning as Briggs left.

"You hungry, Levi?" Jakes asked, leaning against the doorway, watching as the small boy pulled his thumb slowly out of his mouth and gripped his toy dog tightly, shuffling off the bed and nodding. "Alright, we'll find something. Why don't you go play with Johnny?"

Mike grabbed the bottom of Johnny's t-shirt and pulled him downstairs, causing Jakes to huff out a laugh. Johnny followed Mike to his box of toys and just watched as Mike upended the entire thing, causing a huge crash and the contents to spill out everywhere. Mike flinched and looked over at Johnny.

"It's cool, man," Johnny shrugged. "Charlie and Paige have left, so no one's here to bitch about cleaning. Apart from Jakes."

Mike giggled slightly but started to play with whatever came to hand, hoping to distract himself from the thoughts of Briggs leaving him for the day. He knew the man would be coming back, and knew he should be happy – Paul was speaking to Lang and might even find some kind of reversal today. With this in mind, Mike attempted to put all thoughts of Briggs out of his head.

But he couldn't. He felt on edge, and wanted some kind of reassuring pat on his shoulders or someone ruffling his hair.

Dammit, it had only been a day and a half! Maybe this was what the serum did. Weakened your emotional state bit by bit and left you completely dependent on the companionship of one person. Mike huffed and stamped his feet slightly, as if trying to channel his upset and get rid of it. He felt like running to get rid of it, but knew he couldn't go anywhere without at least one babysitter.

"Johnny, you wanna play tag?" Mike asked, fidgeting, holding a toy plane to himself.

"Man I would catch you in a heartbeat," Johnny told him.

"Aren't you supposed to go easy on kids?" Mike asked.

"Nah, I don't like going easy on anyone," Johnny shrugged, before taking another plane and holding it out. "I bet my plane can crush yours in a fight."

Mike brightened and ran off, moving his plane as if it were flying and turning it, making small, shooting noises and flying it around Jakes. He ran from Johnny, who delighted in the game, and who easily made the noises back at him.

Jakes, meanwhile, just huffed as he found some cereal and poured it into a bowl for Mike. He hoped Briggs wouldn't be too long.

Briggs walked into the cemetery, his hands in his pockets as he walked to the edge of a grave and stopped, looking down at one headstone in particular.

Adam Delaney
5th August 2003 – 17th September 2007

That was all it said. Plain and simple. Briggs sighed and ran one hand through his hair, staring hard at the name, as if wishing it would rewrite itself into something completely different.

It was his fault this headstone existed. Completely his fault

He had lied to Mike – to everybody – about meeting with Lang. He didn't know where the man was. He trusted his CI, Manny, to track him down, but he hadn't wanted to kill the kid's spirit. Had wanted Mike to believe for a while that everything would turn out okay.

Briggs didn't want to be responsible for another small child frowning, realising he had been used and lied to.

And he didn't want Mike to end up like Adam. It was all he could think about when he had finally gotten used to Mike being tiny. How he had started to latch onto him, being thrilled to go places with him, asking where he was going. How Briggs too, had easily gotten attached to him – sure, it was Mike, his rookie; he liked his rookie. He still felt the same kind of protectiveness whenever Mike went out into the field, but at the same time this was different.

He just didn't want to make any mistakes until they found a cure. That's why he was lying to Mike. Better he have hope than realise how little hope there actually was.

"Looks like you guys had fun today," Briggs smirked as he walked in. Johnny was flat out on the couch, snoring, and Jakes had fallen asleep in an uncomfortable looking position on a chair. A Disney movie was playing on the tv and Briggs glanced around, unable to find Mike.

"Mike?" He said, loud enough to wake Jakes and Johnny up.

"You lost him?" Was Jakes' first sentence, aimed at Johnny.

"No, man – you were the one properly in charge, I was just here for fun," Johnny shot back, wriggling up. "He was right here like, a second ago."

"You were asleep," Briggs pointed out, smirking slightly. He tried not to panic. He knew Mike wouldn't leave the house, but he still felt a stab of fear.

"When are Paige and Charlie back?" Johnny asked, helping in the search by looking through kitchen cupboards.

"Late. I think they wanted us to have a guy's night in or something."

"Man, do I want to go to the Drop," Jakes sighed. "I need a drink."

"We can do that," Briggs said. "They let kids in there if you buy 'em a meal, right? We'll just start early and then take the kid home, then come back to finish off."

Jakes laughed at the Paul Briggs method of parenting but agreed and they slowly made their way upstairs.

There were signs of life in Mike's room, but the discarded toys and books could have appeared in there at any point during the day, and it was too quiet in there, so they moved on, finally hearing something from their 'costume cupboard'. The seized clothing and props were scattered on the floor and Johnny started laughing as they found Mike in the middle of it, wearing a variety of clothes, but altogether looking like Briggs' washing load had fallen on him, as each item of clothing looked like something Paul would have in his wardrobe.

"Briggs!" Mike said in slight surprise. "You're back!"

"Hey, Mike," Briggs said, kneeling by him and smirking as the boy blushed. "Having fun?"

"I'll clean up," Mike promised, hugging Snoopy close to him. "I got bored. And Jakes and Johnny were asleep. I should tell Charlie."

"You should, but you won't," Briggs said, picking the kid up and chuckling as the clothes fell off him, leaving him in the clothes that he had been wearing all day. "Because we're taking you out for dinner."

Mike grinned and started chattering at a mile a minute, telling them about the movie downstairs, and the different clothes, and what he wanted to eat. None of them understood a word, but just nodded whenever he breathed.

"I spilt it again," Mike said for the fourth time while they were out. They were at the Drop early enough for it to still be inhabited by sober people ordering meals, and so got a table without any hassle. And although Briggs had to applaud Mike for being well behaved (for a toddler), he had to admit the kid's ability to be able to eat in public was somewhat flawed.

"Do we need to get you a bib?" Briggs asked, sipping from a bottle of beer.

"No," Mike frowned, rubbing at his forehead in frustration, before just picking up his food with his hands. Thankfully, he'd ordered a burger and fries, it was just having grown up using cutlery for every meal that had stopped him using his fingers before.

"You realise you were dropping bits of food on Snoopy," Johnny pointed out to him, smirking.

"You know the dog's name?" Briggs asked.

"We spent all day with the kid and he doesn't let the dog go, of course he knows the name of it," Jakes pointed out, causing Mike to blush and hug the toy closer to him.

"How was your day?" Briggs asked, wondering what they'd been doing to wear the other two agents out.

"Man, I swear, Mike has no off switch," Johnny moaned, glancing over but relaxing as he saw Mike engrossed in colouring in some kind of puzzle on the kids menu. "I don't even remember what we did all day. I think most of it was Jakes checking to make sure he didn't have any grey hairs."

"Briggs," Mike interrupted, pulling at his elbow. "How'd it go with Lang?"

Briggs was surprised it had taken Mike this long to ask, but sighed slightly. "He was a no-show, Mikey," he said, watching Mike as those words sunk in. "But don't worry, he said why – got a message saying he was held up and he'd meet with me another time."

"But how do you know he's telling the truth?" Mike asked, eyes watering slightly.

"Trust me, Mike," Briggs said, resting a hand on top of Mike's head. "We'll get a cure. Just relax until then, okay?"

Mike pouted but nodded, falling into silence. They stayed a while longer, until a woman approached Paul and started flirting, and Mike climbed onto his knee, blinking with round eyes and asking innocently if the woman was, "one of Mommy's friends."

They left pretty quickly, with Jakes and Johnny in hysterics.

A/N Bit of an odd place to end, I know, and I promise, again - there will be plot in the next few chapters, honest :) Let me know your thoughts?