A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, Pm'd and favoured this story. I appreciate every single one of your comments.
Huge thanks as always to my amazing friend's Purdy's Pal and DaisyDay for the many segment read throughs and suggestions.
Finally this chapter is especially for storyfan101, lots of Sam and Fiona just for you!
4
Sam and Fiona clinked their bottles together as they waited for their meals to arrive. Neither of them batted an eye when their laughter raised a few eyebrows from the other patrons around them. This had been a good idea on Sam's part when he refused to let her stay alone in the loft to wallow in grief. With Elsa away on business and Michael away on a job with Pearce, this was what they both needed. So he'd insisted they went out to eat, and they ended up at Carlito's.
So far they had covered every subject from Sam's Navy Seal days to her time causing mayhem back in Ireland. Fiona's cheeks had a rosy tint when she downed her fourth beer in the space of half an hour as she drowned the loss of her father and Michael's absence with alcohol.
"Do you miss it Fi?" Sam asked her curiously when he noticed her staring into space. "Ireland I mean."
Fiona turned to look at him and couldn't help but smile. This man had become so special to her and she was finding it increasingly difficult not to tell him. The alcohol in her system was loosening her tongue, her Irish accent slipping through her words, but she didn't care. Shifting a little in her seat she looked at him thoughtfully before she spoke.
"Sometimes…maybe occasionally…but no, not really," she ran her finger down the glass bottle and watched a watery droplet follow her finger. "What about you?"
"Oh I don't miss Ireland," he told her seriously, his answer earning him a kick from under the table. He stared at her in disbelief when his hand slipped over his ankle. "Ow Fi…What was that for? You know if this leaves a bruise Elsa's gonna wanna know who's been hurting her boy toy!"
"Oh Sam, you bruise like a girl," she told him sweetly. "And anyway, she'll probably feel sorry for you and give you another car!"
"You're just jealous sister," he quipped. "It ain't my fault Mikey's gone off on another one of his jaunts."
"With Agent Pearce," she told him, her lip curling with distaste.
"Now Fi, you know Mikey's not the kinda guy to play around. That guy's always been nuts about ya," sitting back in his seat he ran a hand across his face and cursed himself for letting that observation slip. "Okay, that part was supposed to stay in my head!"
"Really?" she asked him incredulously. "So, how long have you known?"
"I don't know. Can we talk about something else? How about…" He tried to think of something to say to change the subject but nothing came into his mind. He could see her watching him thoughtfully and he hoped she wasn't going to ask him things about her boyfriend because he wasn't sure how he was going to answer. To his immense discomfort she sat up in her chair and looked at him seriously, her voice dropping into a conspiring whisper.
"Did you know I was flashed at once, back in Ireland," she waved her hand in the air nonchalantly as she giggled with the memory. "You should have seen the look on his face when I pulled a gun on him and threatened to shoot it off. He never went near anyone again!"
"I'm not surprised!" Sam chuckled in relief as he lifted his beer to his lips to take a long sip and swallowed it down. "What about Mike?"
"Oh I didn't threaten to shoot bits off of him," she told him with a mischievous smile. "At least not right away!"
Sam was mid-way through taking another mouthful of beer when she spoke, and he had to swallow it down quickly before he choked.
"Fi," he groaned as he wiped the droplets of beer off of his shirt, shaking his head. He couldn't stop the smile from gracing his features when he lifted his eyes to meet her amused gaze. She sat back in her chair and cast him an infectious grin, knowing that he couldn't resist her.
"Well you asked," she told him incredulously as she reached for her own bottle and lifted it to her lips. Her mind drifted as she thought of her family and the green fields from home. Sometimes she missed the smell of her mother's Irish stew or the freshly bakes apple pie's that she used to leave to cool on the windowsill.
"You okay?" Sam asked her from across the table, his words bringing her out of her daydream.
"What?" she asked with a smile. "I'm sorry Sam…what were you saying?"
Sam regarded her fondly and shook his head. "You know if I'm boring ya—"
"Oh shut up Sam," she grinned as she picked up her beer again. "I'm fine. Thanks for being here with me."
"Yeah, well someone has to keep an eye on you," he told her as he signalled for the waitress to bring them another two beers. "I didn't want to wake up tomorrow with half of Miami in flames!"
"Now why would I do that?" she asked innocently, unable to stop the smile lifting her lips. "I told you I'm fine."
"Yeah well don't ya be planning any midnight firework parties in that Irish head a yours missy," He quipped
"Aww Sam?" she grinned as she raised her bottle to him. "You really like me don't ya?"
"I wouldn't say that exactly but yeah, maybe a little," he grinned as he held his almost empty beer bottle up to meet hers. "Let's drink to…what shall we drink to?"
"Friends," she told him with a smile as their bottle clinked together.
"Friends," he repeated before he downed the last of his beer.
000
By the time Michael and Agent Pearce returned to their hotel room it was already past midnight. Looking down at his watch, Michael wondered if Fiona would still be awake as he debated on whether to call her.
He knew he should be keeping his focus on the job, but when he looked down at the gold wedding band on his finger he couldn't help but think of her. Her presence was everywhere within him. She invaded his senses and caused the part of him that needed to act like a married man to the surface. Being away from her had slowly become more painful since they had moved in together, and he knew without any doubts that he had made an unspoken commitment to her.
"Hey, are you okay?" Pearce's soft voice broke through his thoughts and he lifted his eyes to look at her.
"I'm fine," he nodded as he undid his bowtie and made his way to the smaller room in the suite. "I'm going to turn in. Goodnight."
"Michael wait," she called quickly her voice halting his movements. When he turned around to face her she struggled to find an excuse to keep him there. "I…uh…do you want to get room service or something?"
Michael regarded her for a moment before he shook his head. "No thanks, I ate earlier."
"Listen, we're here to a job" she told him with a deep sigh. "We're supposed to be married…"
"Outside of this room, not in here," he told her officiously as he glanced down at his watch. "I'll see you in the morning, agent Pearce."
Kim Pearce saw him look down at the watch on his wrist and knew right away what was going through his mind. In the whole time since they'd got here she had tried numerous times to shake him out of his official stance, but nothing seemed to move him. The only emotion she had seen him display so far had been when she mentioned his girlfriend by name. Moving forward she placed a hand on his arm and smiled, hoping to distract him with his only weakness.
"Call her."
Michael's eyes sparked with recognition when she spoke and he suddenly resented the fact that he was sharing this hotel room with the wrong woman. Pulling his arm away he nodded slowly and forced a smile to his lips as he stepped away, "As soon as I've typed up my notes."
She watched his retreating form and growled in frustration. He was such a stubborn man and she wondered how he had managed to form any kind of relationship at all. Walking towards her bag she pulled out a small brown envelope and looked down at it cautiously. She knew if she did this there would be no turning back. With a heavy sigh she slipped her finger beneath the seal and pulled the envelope open.
Taking out the card inside she looked down at the list of telephone numbers printed on the card and focused on Fiona Glenanne's name. All she had to do was plant the insecurities into his girlfriend's mind and the rest would fall into place. Taking a deep breath she focused on the phone before she pressed down the keys and typed a simple message on the screen. Her thumb hovered over the send button as she warred with herself about the reasons why she would willingly destroy a relationship. Her fiancé's face flashed in her mind, forcing her to remember the pain of his loss. Clamping her eyes shut she shook her head and forced the guilt of what she was about to do away. Before she could talk herself out of it her thumb pressed down hard. After a few seconds the phone vibrated in her hand and she opened her eyes to see the screen flash up a message delivered report.
It was done…
000
Fiona erupted into a fit of laughter when Sam climbed out of the taxi and almost fell onto his face. Both of them had had more than their fair share of beer and when they left Carlito's slightly worse for wear, they had a hard time propping each other up.
Sam shot her a mock scowl when he finally extracted himself from the Taxi and threw ten dollars towards the driver before Fiona caught hold of his arm.
"Oh Sam, what was that about holding your liquor?" She laughed as she slipped a supporting arm around his back and stumbled against him before she pulled herself upright.
"I'm not drunk," he protested as he tried to pull himself up straighter and let go of her just to prove it. "See…no hands!"
"Impressive," she beamed a smile at him and reached out for him when he wobbled slightly.
"Hey, Fi, stand still would ya, you're making me dizzy!"
Fiona shook her head and slipped her arm around him again, taking him towards the steps that led up to the loft. "Sam…Sam…what are we going to do with you?"
"Hey, you ain't doin' nothin' sister," he told her indignantly. "I'm spoken for!"
"And I'm going to have to shoot you if you don't shut up!" She sing songed as she physically pushed him up the steps.
"Hey…how come you're so perky?" he asked grumpily, sobering quickly when she shot him a wide smile. "You drank way more that I did!"
"Oh please…I'm Irish…me da' knew how ta drink!" She told him, her accent slipping into her native tongue.
"That's not fair Fi," he griped miserably when they got to the top of the stairs. "You were probably weaned on Whiskey!"
"You'd have ta ask me ma about that," she laughed as she unlocked the door and pushed it open. "Now get ya ass inside."
The loft was bathed in darkness when they both entered. Fiona clicked on the light and let her eyes drift over the empty bed and tried not to think of her errant boyfriend. Sighing heavily she turned to look at her friend when he sat heavily into Michael's favourite green chair.
"You okay Sam?" she asked him with an affectionate smile as she turned to rummage around the cupboards. "I have some coffee here somewhere."
"How about a beer?"
Fiona ignored him as she stood on tiptoe and pulled the unopened coffee jar out of the cupboard. Looking across to Sam she waved the jar at him, grinning triumphantly. "You drank the last beer before we left, so you'll have to have coffee!"
"Fi, you're killin me here," he groaned as he laid his head back against the chair and closed his eyes. "How long's Mike gone for anyway?"
The mention of Michael's name caused the smile to slowly fall away from Fiona's lips. Sighing heavily she turned away from him to fill the kettle before she placed it onto the burners.
"When he's finished whatever he's doing I guess…I don't know."
Sam regarded her for a few moments before he pulled himself out of his chair and moved towards the kitchen, pushing her out of the way.
"Let me make the coffee, you go call Mike."
Fiona's hands stilled on the kettle as she lifted her eyes to meet his. No words could have possibly described how much she adored this man, even though she would never admit it to him. Lifting her hand she patted his arm before she moved passed him and walked to where she had thrown her bag on the chair. Her heart was hammering inside her chest when she pulled the phone out and looked down at the screen, surprised to see she had an unread message.
By the time Sam figured out what was actually happening, Fiona was already pacing the floor and muttering obscenities that were enough to make even him blush.
"That RAT bastard," she growled as she finally flung the phone onto the bed in disgust before striding towards one of the wire racks to pull a dusty bottle of whiskey out.
"What happened?" Sam asked worriedly when she grabbed a glass from the cupboard and poured herself a hefty amount before downing it in one gulp. "Fi?"
"Read it for yourself," she growled, inclining her head towards the bed. "And then I'm gonna call the son of a bi—"
"Fi," Sam cut through her words when he picked up the phone and regarded her worriedly when she downed another glass of whiskey within seconds of finishing the previous one. Her eyes were slightly glazed over and her words had slipped back into her native accent when she became more agitated.
Looking down at the phone for a second he read the message that lit up her phone and felt his stomach drop. No wonder she had been so upset, hell, so was he…he expected more of his friend.
Fiona banged the glass on the table and jarred him out of his musings, bringing his eyes up to hers. She looked completely lost, her eyes losing all of their vibrancy and for those few minute seconds he was afraid for her.
"Fi, why don't you slow down on the booze…you'll regret it in the morning," he offered cautiously as he inwardly cringed, waiting for her stinging retort.
"Why?" she asked in a voice that was tinged with sadness. "What's one more regret to add to the pile?"
Shaking his head Sam placed her phone back onto the bed and moved into the kitchen to take the whistling kettle off of the burners to pour boiling water into two cups. Having Fiona to full capacity was bad enough, but adding alcohol to the mix was out-and-out dangerous. He knew she was upset and she had every right to be, but there had to be a reason why Mike would tell her about it this way.
"Look Fi," he started as he turned around to face her. "I know you don't wanna hear this but—"
"Then don't say it, Sam," she told him abruptly, cutting through his words with her own. "Look, you can go if you want… I'll be fine on my own."
"No, I ain't leaving you alone like this Fi," he told her as he tried to keep his voice from rising in exasperation. "I know you're upset—"
"Upset?" she hissed, turning on him with fire sparking in her eyes. "Oh I'm beyond upset, Sam."
"Fi, you've lost your father and now this thing with Mike. Look I can forgive you for being snippy, but you gotta snap out of it…drinking yourself unconscious isn't gonna do you any favours."
"Oh, believe me Sam by the time I've finished with him he's going to wish he'd never met me," she growled angrily, getting to her feet only to sink back down into the chair despairingly.
Sam sighed heavily when she seemed to have finally run out of steam and cautiously took a steaming cup of black coffee to place it in front of her. He wished he could come up with the reasons to why Michael had done what he did, but he couldn't. Instead he placed a comforting hand on Fiona's shoulder and vowed that whatever it took he would protect her, even if it was from herself.
000
It was almost four am by the time Michael had finished his notes and washed up. Sitting on top of the bed he lifted his phone and turned it on, waiting for the phone to come to life before he looked down at the screen. The cell phone vibrated in his hand and he was surprised to see he had several missed messages, all from Sam. Apprehension burst into his mind as he punched in a number he knew by heart. Placing it against his ear he waited until he heard the connection click, followed by the ringing tone. His heart was in his throat while he closed his eyes and hoped that she was still awake.
When a groggy voice muttered from the other end he was struck with sudden worry when someone else answered the phone.
"Sam?" he asked, worry sparking in his eyes. "What's going on?"
"Mikey?" the other man groaned. "Why are you calling so late?"
"Sam what are you doing at the loft this time of night? Is Fiona okay?"
"Yeah, she's fine brother. We went out to Carlito's for dinner and ended up coming back here. Let me tell ya Mikey, your girlfriend sure knows how to drink!"
"Sam," Michael sighed heavily and ran a hand over his eyes before sitting up a little straighter. "What are you doing with her phone?"
"Oh I confiscated it when she was gonna call you. Y'know some of the words coming out of her mouth coulda made my hair curl! You sure got some serious grovellin to do when you get back brother!"
"What?" Michael was confused; when he'd left everything was fine between them. What could have possibly gone wrong already? "What's going on Sam?"
"You should really talk to her, Mike. I can't get involved in this."
"Get involved in what?" Michael groaned. "Sam put her on the phone. I want to talk to her."
"Mikey, now you know as well as I do she needs time to calm down. You can't expect her to be happy for you when she gets to hear about it this way…you shoulda been the one to tell her."
"Sam," Michael hissed out his name and got up from the bed to walk towards the window. "What the hell is going on? What message?"
"The message that says you're back in," Sam sighed. "The same message that tells her she's a liability."
"WHAT?" Michael growled and slammed his fist against the wall. "Sam, I want to talk to her NOW…I need…"
His words trailed off when he heard her voice at the other end of the phone, sounding so cold and so empty. "So, when were you going to tell me?"
"Fi, I had no idea. Listen to me, it's a mistake—"
Behind him the bedroom door opened and Pearce poked her head around the door. "Michael, I heard a…" seeing him on the phone she waved a hand and mouthed sorry as she backed out of the room, a slow smile forming on her face.
"Michael…what the HELL is THAT woman doing in your room? YOU told me she—"
"FI—" he ground out her name, causing her to stop talking and he could practically hear her seething down the phone. "Just STOP and listen to me. What happened? What was this message?"
"Oh like you don't know," she growled. "Why didn't you tell me I was the one stopping you getting your job back?"
"Fiona, if I was back in don't you think I would tell you? You know me better than that…I would never do that to you…"
"You said you trusted me," she told him, her voice losing some of its anger. "Why didn't you just tell me?"
"Believe me I have no idea about any message. I haven't heard anything to say my burn notice has been lifted…" he told her softly, wishing he was with her in the same room instead of here. "Don't you think with news like that you're the first person I'd tell?"
"I…I don't know any more…"
"Fiona," he whispered her name and closed his eyes briefly when heard the catch in her breathing on the other end of the phone. Leaning his head against the wall he wanted nothing more than to be away from this fancy hotel room and be back at the loft with her. "I don't know who sent you that message. Whoever it was has got it all wrong…I'm not back in."
"What's happening to us Michael?" she asked softly, the anger all but gone from her voice only to be replaced with sadness. "First the photos and now this…what's next?"
"Nothing," he told her honestly. "If my burn notice is lifted then we'll deal with it together, just like always." When she didn't answer he let out a slow breath before he whispered her name again, needing nothing more than to hear her voice.
"I'm here," she whispered brokenly, her voice catching in her throat. "Someone wants me out of your life, Michael…"
"Yeah?" he nodded when a few names sprang to his mind. "Let them try Fi. We've survived so much worse."
"A lot worse…" her voice trailed off until he heard rustling coming from her end of the phone, instantly recognising her shifting position. "So," she started, her voice dropping lower. "You never answered my question."
"Which question is that Fi?" he asked in confusion before he suddenly realised he had a lot of explaining to do. "Oh…it's not—"
"What is THAT woman doing in your room, Michael?"
"She's not in my room," he told her quickly as he desperately tried to salvage the situation. "I mean… we're sharing a suite…but…have different rooms."
"Well I hope for your sake she isn't going to be paying you any more visits, Michael," she warned lowly and he had no doubts in his mind that she was already planning his punishment.
"No visits," he nodded. "Got it."
She was silent for a few moments before Michael spoke again, hoping to ease the niggling doubts away from her mind.
"When I get back we'll go out to dinner, just you and me."
"Why?"
"Why what?" he asked despairingly. "I want to take you out, is that so unusual?"
"Coming from you…yes!"
"Fi!" he groaned, his voice rising with irritation. "When I get back we're going out."
"Okay, okay," she muttered softly, "you don't have to raise your voice at me…"
Michael sighed with frustration and rubbed a hand over his eyes. She wasn't going to make anything easy on him and given the situation he could forgive her for having doubts. He was ready to tell her that he would be home as soon as they wrapped up this case when she spoke again, taking his breath away.
"So…what are you wearing?" she asked teasingly.
"I…Fi…" his words tangled in his throat relieved to hear her soft chuckle at the end of the phone. "So…are we okay?"
"We'll always be okay, Michael," she told him softly.
"Yeah, we will," he smiled, moving towards the bed to sit down. "Always."
"Michael?"
"Yeah Fi?"
"Wanna know what I'm wearing?" Her voice dropped to a sultry whisper, causing him to gulp heavily before he shook himself.
"Fiona, Sam is in the loft!"
"You're no fun Michael," she laughed softly before she sighed into the phone. "Jesse's going to put a trace on the number, maybe then we'll know who we're dealing with."
"And I'll see what I can get out of Pearce," he nodded thoughtfully when suspicion already swirled around in his mind.
"You're not helping your case Michael," she told him testily. "Don't you be getting anything in…or out …of that woman!"
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," he chuckled before he let out a serious sigh. "I'll see you when I get home, okay?"
"Okay…"
"Fi…I…" he whispered, stopping before he could break the spell with words. He heard her breath hitch in her throat and he briefly closed his eyes against the intense emotion filling his senses.
"Me too," she told him in a soft whisper. "I'll…see you soon…"
The phone clicked off and he lowered it from his ear, instantly missing her. Closing the phone he placed it onto the bed and looked down at it silently. Whoever was trying to drive him and Fiona apart was going to be very disappointed.
The list of suspects swamped his mind and as he lay back against the pillows. There was one name that kept coming up, over and over, and if his suspicions regarding the woman in the next room were right, no explanation from her would ever be good enough…
TBC
