This is set after Mike leaves Fi, but before Sam retires and before the burn notice.

I believe… that true friendship grows, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

Leaving people was what he did. If he had to list the things he was good at from worst to best they would be: talking about relationships, relationships, staying put, cooking, tactical analysis, hand-to-hand combat, and leaving. He rarely tossed that into the list, though. For good reasons; most people he had that sort of conversation with already knew how good he was at it and those who didn't, well, he would prefer they not find out just yet, and it was a sore subject.

The wound was still fresh, too many of them were. Sam would be retiring soon and get to live somewhere nice for a while, until he got bored. Fiona was thousands of miles away and probably wanted nothing more than to watch him die. He didn't blame her, even if he had good reasons for leaving. Everyone he tried so hard to keep from caring about was far from him and he missed that kind of human contact.

Despite what he knew she thought, it was Fiona or no one for him. That's not to say he wouldn't sleep with someone for information or to satisfy a cover or because he was lonely, but it never meant anything and his heart had only ever been fully in it with Fi. He wondered if she knew that. And he was sure Sam would disagree, but his SEAL team was the best to work with in Michael's opinion. They were good; they were strong; and they welcomed him. He hoped his friend would believe him one day.

Even thousands of miles apart, he knew each day that Sam was more his friend than the day before and if he ever needed something, that would be the old buddy to call. Sure he was loud and cheesy and sometimes obnoxious, but a friend is a friend and that doesn't end just because you're on the other side of the globe.

Just as far physically, but even more so emotionally, was Fiona. His love for her grew by the day, much the same. He would see a petite woman walking down the street and look back at her face, only to see that it wasn't her at all. It reminded him how much he missed her. He would exchange letters with Liam, her eldest brother, and that made him think of her, too. It wasn't ever something he thought would happen to him, but it had. Above all things, he hoped she knew that he loved her, that he loved her more each day, and that he would always love her. Of course, reality told him that she didn't because he was so terrible at talking about relationships.

Throughout the course of his life, those were the most important of his interpersonal relationships with people who weren't family. They had become so close by that time, though, they had practically become family. Sam was his brother and Fiona was his…something, significant other. He smiled at that simple thought as he laid his head against the pillow and drifted off, trying to dream of the good old days.