Mike pulled the car over to the side of the street, pulling the keys out of the ignition and following Ryan as he jumped out of the car and started to walk.
"So what's the plan?" he asked.
"My sister's restaurant is a few blocks up, it's closed. I'm gonna do whatever Maggie says," Ryan told him. "The moment I know my daughter and my sister are safe, I don't care after that."
"…I think you need a better plan," Mike commented. "Take my gun," he offered. Ryan turned his head slightly, barely making eye-contact with Mike before he turned away again.
"No. She said to come unarmed. Are you a good shot?"
"I'm an overachiever, Sir," Mike nodded his head.
"Alright. There a kitchen door, side alley. I'm gonna leave it unlocked. Something happens, you don't worry about me, you make it all about them. You understand?"
"…Yeah. Yeah, I understand," Mike whispered.
They walked the rest of the way in silence, Mike's stomach knotting itself together in nerves as Ryan pointed him in the direction of the alley. He nodded silently, hiding round the corner and waiting a few minutes for Ryan to enter the restaurant before he crept towards the side door. He paused, pulling his gun out of the holster and slowly pulling open the door.
He stepped inside cautiously, his gun raised as he looked around, freezing when he saw a body lying on the ground.
His eyes widened and he felt the blood drain from his face as he rushed forward, turning her over and moving her hair out of her face.
"Sasha?" he whispered. "Sasha, wake up," he gently tapped her face and she moaned groggily. Mike let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and he dropped his gun to the floor, moving quickly to untie her hands from behind her. "What did she do to you?"
"'unno," she muttered, wincing and bring her hands in front of her, rubbing at her wrists as Mike removed the rope from around her ankles. She gingerly pressed a hand to her forehead, wincing when she felt a stab of pain and pulled her hand away, shaking when she saw blood on her fingertips. "I'm- I'm bleeding."
"It's okay, it's just a cut. You're alright," Mike took hold of her chin and lifted her head, brushing her hair off her face. "You'll survive. What happened?"
"I don't know," she swatted at his hands and he let go of her. "I walked in and- the door was open so I came in and I was calling for her and it was dark and I heard- Jenny- I heard her tell me to run and I turned around and then I don't know. I don't know what happened. What's going on?"
"Maggie," Mike whispered and Sasha's eyes widened as she sat up, the room spinning slightly. "Hey, whoa, are you alright? Maybe you should-"
"Dizzy. I'm fine. Where is she?" Sasha hissed. "Does she- oh my God she has Jenny? I'm- what are you doing here, what's- where's Ryan?"
"He came in ahead of me, I- Maggie told him to come alone," he sighed. "He's-" Mike stopped, a scream ringing through the building and Sasha scrambled to her feet, Mike wrapping his hand around her wrist and pulling her back. "You can't just go running in there, she'll kill you!"
"She think I'm unconscious!" she hissed.
"Sasha if you go running in there she will kill you, do you understand that? I promised your dad I'd get you out of here, now stop being so eager to get yourself killed, and get the hell out of here!" he pushed her towards the door.
"I'm not going anywhere Weston, that's my family in there!" she pointed towards the restaurant. "You can't expect me to just leave when she's- she has my dad in there, I'm staying here until I know they're both okay!"
"Jesus, you're just as stubborn as he is," Mike muttered. "You any good with a gun if I need you to take it?"
"I-" she bit her lip and shook her head. "I've never had to use one."
"Just… just stay behind me and if anything happens, you run, okay? Take my phone," Mike pushed his phone into her hands. "You take that, you get out of here, call Parker and you do not come back no matter what, alright?"
"Got it," she nodded quickly, wincing at the throbbing in her head and slipping Mike's phone into her pocket. He looked at her in concern, his eyes darting to the blood trickling down her face.
"I don't think you should-"
"I'm fine," she grumbled. "Please. It's my family, what would you do if some mad woman on a murder spree had your dad? Would you run away?"
"Do not make a sound," Mike pointed a finger at her. "Stay low, and stay behind me. Don't do anything stupid."
"Scouts honour!" she whispered and Mike rolled his eyes with a scoff. He walked quietly towards the door leading into the restaurant, Sasha close behind him. "Oh my god," she whimpered, peeking round Mike's shoulder and seeing Ryan lying on a table, his feet taped together and his arms over his head.
"You can kill me," he whispered. "You can kill me, but please let her go," he pleaded with Maggie, looking towards his sister.
"Do you really think she's going to walk out of here, Ryan?" Maggie asked. "There's too many knives in this place for that…"
"Do something!" Sasha hissed.
"I can't!" Mike shot her a look. "I don't have a shot and if I fire and miss, then she kills them both."
"Joe doesn't want you to kill me," Ryan shook his head, looking up as Maggie crouched down next to him.
"That's the beauty of it, I'm not killing you – Joe is," she smiled sadistically. "He's the one who stabbed you in the heart, I'm just shutting down your heart gizmo so that Joe actually does kill you. I think it's perfect," Maggie leaned in closer to him, before turning her head and looking at Jenny. "Jenny, you watching? How cursed your family is? You know, Ryan, it's a shame I got a little too heavy handed with your kid… Would have been fun having here watching this before I killed her, too."
"Don't-"
"I'm sorry, what?" Maggie raised her voice, bringing her ear to Ryan's lips. "Don't what? Don't hurt her? Do you really think I'd leave her alone in this place if she wasn't' already dead, Ryan? I bashed her skull in. But, it was accident. You see, I wanted you to feel how I felt when you killed my husband."
"She thinks you're dead," Mike mumbled.
"No, she doesn't," Sasha shook her head slowly and rubbed at her wrists. "She knows I'm alive. If she thought I was dead, she wouldn't have tied me up. She's just doing this to mess with him. You have to get in there, she's going to kill him. Just shoot her – give me your gun, I'll do it!" she reached a hand out but Mike pushed her back, giving her a warning look and she dropped her hand back to her side. "I don't care what you promised him, agent, I need you to promise me that you're not going to let him die."
"I'm not going to let any of you die," Mike whispered. "Hey. I'm not. But you're my main concern right now, you're injured and I can get you out of here. If I'm worrying about you then I can't focus on getting them out of here if this goes bad and that why you need to run, alright?"
"I will, I promise," she looked down. "Just please get them out of there," she whispered. Mike sighed, turning his body slightly and blocking Sasha's view of what was going on inside the restaurant as Jenny screamed. Sasha jumped, but Mike moved in front of her and pushed his car keys into her hands.
"Get out of here right now. Call Parker, call the police, go to the car and wait there."
"I'm not leaving without you and-"
"Sasha I am begging you to get out of here," he groaned quietly. "I can't protect all three of you. Please."
"O-okay," she nodded her head, staring at the keys in her hand. "Please don't let her kill them."
"Hey," Mike reached out, giving her hand a squeeze. "I won't. Now get out of here," he pushed her towards the door and she paused, before she pulled Mike's phone out of her pocket and crept out of the restaurant.
Mike turned around and pushed his way into the restaurant, his gun raised in front of him as he watched Maggie lean over a blonde woman he knew was Jenny. He crept up behind her as she dragged the chair Jenny was tied to across the ground.
Maggie whirled round and Mike quickly hit her in the face with the butt of his gun.
"Stop!" he yelled, as Maggie jumped to her feet, the knife in her hand raised as she charged forward. So Mike did the only thing he could do.
He fired his gun.
Maggie crumpled to the ground and Mike lowered his weapon, immediately kneeling down next to Ryan and pulling the magnets off his chest.
"Okay, hey! Hey, come on. You okay? Come on, wake up," he shook Ryan gently. "Ryan she was lying, Sasha's fine, she's okay and I promised her I'd get you out here, okay? She's safe but you gotta wake up because I'm not in the habit of breaking promises. …Ryan? Ryan!"
"He needs an ambulance!" Jenny shrieked. "Call an ambulance."
"I called one!" Sasha breathed. "I called one- I-"
"I told you to get out of here!" Mike looked up at her, his jaw set as she knelt beside Jenny and started to untie her hands. "Sasha!"
"I know you did, I know," she whispered, her eyes meeting his for a few seconds. "And I told you I wasn't leaving without you and my family. Is Ryan okay?"
"He's unconscious," Mike mumbled. "You shouldn't have come back, I told you to go to the car and stay there. What if you'd come running in here and-"
"You expect me to stay outside when I hear a gunshot? Are you kidding me?" she frowned, helping Jenny to her feet. "Are you alright, Jenny? Did she hurt you?"
"Did she hurt me?" Jenny gasped. "Sasha, honey, your head-"
"I'm fine," she waved her off and moved over to Mike and Ryan, Jenny following behind her as they crouched down next to them. "He's going to be okay, right? When the ambulance gets here, they're going to- they'll do something and he'll be okay, won't he?"
"They need to get his blood circulating properly but yeah, he should be okay," Mike ran a hand over his hair, looking up as he heard sirens approaching.
"Parker's gonna have your ass for this," Sasha whispered. "I'm not sure if I can bail you both out like last time."
"We saved your aunt," Mike frowned. "We saved you, we stopped Maggie. I did my job."
"You saved my aunt," Sasha corrected him. "You saved her, you saved me, you saved Ryan and you stopped Maggie. I… Thank you. Thank you for not letting him come alone and thank you for trying to warn me. I guess I owe you one, huh?"
"Call it even," Mike smiled softly. "For what you did this morning, with Franklin," he added. Sasha nodded in understanding and looked away from him, wrapping an arm around Jenny's waist as tears ran down the older woman's face.
It was barely half an hour later when Mike stepped up to the ambulance to see Ryan buttoning his shirt back up, seemingly unscathed from Maggie's attempt to kill him. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Ryan sat up. "You?"
"Uh," Mike shrugged his shoulders and held up a small plastic bag, a black cell phone inside it. "Maggie Kester's cell phone, it was on her. I got calls,
e-mails…"
"I thought it was on a secure server," Ryan mumbled, his head in his hands.
"Yeah, but if there's a bump or a delay on an incoming and an outgoing, I can pull a location."
"Does Parker know?"
"Oh, yeah," Mike scoffed. "She still chewed my ass out. Sasha's, too, I think. They're still talking, but I'm guessing you're next on her list."
"Sasha. She's okay?"
"Yeah she's uh, she's okay. She's just getting checked over and she's a little shaken up… But she's okay," Mike paused. "Ryan… I'll get suspended over this," he mumbled. Ryan pursed his lips, unsure of what to say. "We should go. I gotta get back."
"Yeah, Mike, just… Give me one minute, okay? I'll be right with you."
Mike followed Ryan's gaze over to where Jenny was finishing up with the police, and he nodded slowly, turning round and walking back towards the second ambulance. He saw Sasha sat on inside, her legs dangling off the back of the ambulance as she rubbed her forehead, clearly aggravated.
"…Yes, I appreciate that Debra and I apologise, but I was hardly to know that Maggie was holding my aunt hostage, was I? I wasn't aware I had to report my every move to you. Yes, I understand that but- no, please listen to me Debra because right now I am sat in the back of an ambulance, my father nearly died tonight, and Weston saved both of our lives. My head feels like it's about to split in half so I'd prefer it if you lowered you voice and let me get back to Virginia so I can sleep," she grumbled, looking up and smiling weakly when she saw Mike. "Yes. Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow," she sighed in relief and quickly ended the call. "Thank you," Sasha smiled weakly at the paramedic, gingerly pressing her fingertips to the cut he'd just finished tending to. She winced, grumbling under her breath when she realised it was more than likely going to leave a scar.
"Hey… you alright?"
"Yeah," she whispered as Mike hopped inside the ambulance, taking a seat next to her and taking his hands out of the pockets of his jacket. "It's just a scratch," Sasha handed him his phone back.
"Scratches don't usually need stitches," he raised his eyebrows. Sasha shrugged half-heartedly, looking towards the people swarming in and out of the building she'd been dragged from less than an hour earlier. "Your- Ryan's okay, he's gonna be fine."
"Is she dead? Did you kill her?" she turned to look at him and he nodded slowly. "Good," she frowned. Mike looks at her in shock, opening his mouth to say something, but letting out a sigh instead as he ran a hand over his hair. "Don't look at me like that. The bitch tried to kill my dad, she would have killed my aunt and she would have killed me too if you… if you hadn't…" she trailed off, waving a hand dismissively as her throat tightened.
"Hey," Mike rubbed her shoulder. "But I did, and she's gone. It's okay."
"Stupid bitch. I'm going to have a scar now," Sasha huffed. Mike chuckled, looking at her questioningly as he reached his hand up to brush her hair out of her face. She nodded slightly and he smiled, his fingers brushing softly over the still red skin.
"It should only be small, I wouldn't worry about it if I were you," he whispered, tucking her hair behind her ear before letting his arm fall back to her side as he nudged her with his elbow. "You'll still be beautiful."
"I-" she paused, chewing on her bottom lip. "Uh, thanks."
"Yeah uh, it's- you're welcome?" he laughed uncertainly. "So I uh, I think it's time you started calling me Mike, now. I mean, y'know… I did sort of save your life back there."
"Yeah I guess you did," she smiled, putting a hand over her heart and pretending to swoon. "My hero, however can I thank you?"
"I have a few ideas," he smirked.
"Mike," Sasha frowned, rolled her eyes at him. "Now is so not the time for sex jokes."
"Wh-who said anything about sex?" Mike shrugged his shoulders. "I was talking about you getting buying me dinner or bringing me coffee every day until this thing is over!"
"I- uh, oh," Sasha coughed, bowing her head so her hair covered her face and she tried to hide her blush. Mike scoffed beside her and nudged her with his elbow.
"I'm kidding. I was totally making a sex joke."
"I hate you."
"Be nice. I saved your life," he smirked. "And uh… it doesn't have to be a joke… you know, if you don't want it to be. I mean… I don't know. Just a thought, just… putting it out there…"
"Are you-" Sasha stared at him incredulously, her mouth dropping open in shock. "Are you asking me if I want to have sex with you? Are you serious right now?"
"I'm- oh wow," Mike's eyes went wide as he realised what he'd said. "I didn't mean it that way, that wasn't- wow I actually said that out loud, huh?"
"As opposed to just thinking it?" she seethed. "You are unbelievable!" she grabbed her jacket in her hands and jumped down from the ambulance, wobbling slightly and putting a hand to her head. Mike reacted instantly as he stood up, wrapping an arm around her waist and steadying her.
"Hey, whoa, are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" she snapped, pulling away from him.
"You're clearly not fine if you're all wobbly on your feet. Just shut up and let me look after you. Free of charge and I'll be on my best behaviour, I swear. I'll even drive all the way back to Virginia."
"You have to drive, they told me not to," she mumbled. "I thought maybe Ryan could drive Debra's car back, if he feels well enough."
"He's fine," Mike told her quietly. "She gave you quite a knock to the head, huh? Are they sure you don't have concussion?"
"No, I'm fine, honestly. I just feel a little dizzy but they said that's to be expected. Uh- Debra said- she said not to go back to Virginia tonight. I feel like I've been grounded. She's pretty mad, she told us just to make sure we're there in the morning. I was thinking maybe- I mean, if it's not too much trouble and seeing as we're here and all… Would you maybe come somewhere with me? I don't really want to go alone but I understand if you want to go back, I can get a cab or something and-"
"Sasha!" Mike interrupted, interrupting her rambling. "It's fine, I'll go with you," he dangled his car keys in her face, before he grabbed her hand in his and pulled her towards the car. "Come on, let's get out of here."
Mike turned the keys in the ignition as the car rolled to a stop and he looked glanced at Sasha who was still staring out of the window. She'd been silent for most of the two hour journey, only mumbling directions to Mike when she needed to and now, as Mike stared at the cemetery next to them, he understood why.
"You can wait in the car if you want," she whispered. "I'll only be a few minutes."
"I can come with you, if you want?" he suggested quietly. "If you don't want to be on your own. It's- it's kinda dark in there, is it even open?"
"No," she shook her head, glancing at him with a small smile. "I never come when it's open, there's too many people. I can't talk to her with everyone around. There's a side gate that doesn't have a particularly strong lock, it's kind of easy to get in."
"Uhh…" Mike shifted. "Y'know, I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that? Because you're sort of breaking and entering and I'm pretty sure I'd have to report it, but we can let it go. You can buy me coffee on the way back and I'll act like this never happened."
"I can do one better than coffee, I can take you for some of Nana's homemade carrot cake. They only live two blocks down," Sasha told him, pointing in the direction of her home as she pushed the car door open. "Just wait here, I won't be too long."
"Take as long as you want," Mike told her. She smiled softly and hopped out of the car, closing the door quietly behind her and walked towards the side gate, giving it a gentle tug and raising her eyebrows in surprise when she found it was unlocked.
She walked the short distance to her mother's grave, thankful for the streetlights outside casting a glow across the dark cemetery. Not that she needed them, she'd found her way to her the grave probably hundreds of times before in the dark, she was just a little on edge tonight and in hindsight, it probably hadn't been her best idea to visit this place in the dark while she was still jumpy from the events earlier in the night.
But, she was here now, and she felt tears prick her eyes when she saw the fresh bunch of pink roses lying next to the headstone.
She hadn't been in a couple weeks, and she knew it was hard for her grandparents to visit their only child's grave, but it made her feel a little better to know that her Nana must have stopped by. She should have made Mike stop somewhere for flowers.
She knelt on the grass, brushing away a few leaves that littered the bottom of the headstone and pulling at some overgrown grass, throwing it to the side and letting her fingers trace over her mother's name.
"Hey, Momma," she whispered. "I uh, I hope you don't mind but I sort of brought a guy with me?" she winced. "But it's okay, he's waiting in the car and… I don't know. He's nice? His name is Mike. He's a nice guy. He's kind of a smartass, but he's nice, and he saved Dad's life so I guess I have to be nice to him. I think Nana is trying to set me up with him and she hasn't even met him yet, but she's invited him round for dinner already, she's so embarrassing. How did you put up with her when you were growing up, seriously? It's not like that, though. He's cute, but I'm not interested in guys right now. We're working together, I suppose. Hey, I'm working with dad on this case, can you believe that?" she laughed quietly. "Would you have imagined me ever working with him when I was a kid? It's a little unbelievable. He won't really give me any room to breathe, I don't think he has any faith in me, but I'll prove him wrong," she sighed. "I miss you, Mom. I sort of really need you right now. I was- tonight was bad. I was scared, I was really scared and I just wanted to go home to you but I guess this is the best I can do. It's been like a family reunion – I saw Jenny tonight, too, and I'm going to pop in on Nana and Gramps before I have to go back to Virginia. I'm helping the FBI, isn't that exciting?! It's weird being around it all, being around Dad and seeing how he used to work. He's still drinking a lot as well, carrying around his vodka in a water bottle like we're all dumb and don't know what it actually is," she rolled her eyes, brushing her hair out of her face. "I'm sorry I have been in a few weeks. I was going to swing by but I had to leave quickly, I promise next time I come I'll bring flowers. Nana isn't… She wants to come see you, she really does, but it's hard for her to come alone. Gramps won't come at all, but he misses you and he loves you. He hates the thought you of you being here and he's getting even grumpier as he gets older so Nana leaves him alone and doesn't bother him too much," she laughed quietly, her head snapping up as she heard the creaking of the gate. "Wow, it's uh, it's kind of scary here, huh? I never noticed it before, but I think I'm a little shook up. Maybe I should uhm, maybe I should go. I'm sorry it's such a short visit but I'm exhausted. I have a headache and I feel a little dizzy so I should go. I'll- maybe I can call back, you know, with some flowers? Before I leave. I could come back in a few hours? I'll see if we have time. Mike is driving and, well, I don't know. But I love you, Momma, and I miss you so much it hurts. I hope you're proud of me. I hope you're looking out for me," she whispered, kissing her fingertips before pressing them against the stone. "And I promise next time I come, I won't bring a boy with me," she sniffed, laughing weakly and wiping at the few tears that had escaped. "Bye, Mom," she whispered. "I love you."
Standing up, Sasha brushed the dirt off her knees and turned around, shrieking in surprise when she collided with someone's chest and stumbling backwards, trying to keep her balance.
A pair of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her upright, making her yelp in surprise as she tried to pull away from the person who had hold of her.
"Sasha, Sasha it's me! Stop!"
She stopped struggling, her eyes wide and her breathing heavy as she stared up at Mike, their noses almost touching. He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding in and looked down at her, opening his mouth to apologise but Sasha grunted angrily and pushed him away from her.
"You jackass! You scared the shit out of me!" she squeaked, hitting his chest and making him wince. "Has no one ever told you not to sneak up on people in graveyards at night time? You're lucky I didn't shoot you right between the eyes."
"You can't hold a gun," he mumbled, rubbing at his chest. "Jesus, that hurt, Sasha," he whined. She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest and turning to look at her mother's headstone.
"I take back everything I just said, Mom, I hate him," she rolled her eyes and Mike grinned, dropping his hand from his chest and rocking back on his heels.
"You told your mom about me?"
"I told her you were a smartass. No I can add 'jackass' and 'creep' on to that list, as well," she snorted. Mike smirked, looking past Sasha, his eyes landing on the grave.
"Don't listen to her, you daughter is pretty difficult to get along with sometimes. She's sort of stubborn, I think she gets it from her dad."
"Don't talk shit about me to my Mom!" she growled, punching his shoulder. "Or I'll kick your ass. I didn't take two self-defence classes for nothing, you know?" she balled her hands up into fists and held them in front of her.
"Oh yeah?" Mike chuckled, his tongue snaking out and wetting his lips. "I bet I can get you on your back first," he murmured. Sasha lowered her hands and blinked up at him in surprise. "And yes, I meant that exactly the way it sounded."
"Are you for real? Are these words actually coming from your mouth? Do you engage your brain before you speak? Take a look around you, Mike," she waved her arms about. "You're coming on to me in a fucking cemetery. You're creepy as hell, no wonder you don't have a girlfriend. What are you even doing in here?"
"I saw someone coming in through the gate and I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he shrugged his shoulders. Sasha raised her eyebrows, looking around the empty cemetery before smirking and bringing her eyes back to Mike's. "…Okay, so I didn't like the thought of you walking about a cemetery in the dark, so sue me. I can give you a few minutes, though, if you want?"
"No, it's okay, I'm ready to go," she glanced behind her one last time and stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets. "Do you mind if we go see my grandparents? Do we have time?"
"Uh…" Mike glanced down at his watch. "Yeah, we have time. It's just a little before nine, we can go for a couple of hours."
"Are you sure? If you want to get back-"
"You want to see them," he shrugged. "I get that. Besides, I really want to meet your nana," he added with a grin, pushing the gate open and gesturing for Sasha to walk through ahead of him.
"I bet you do," she groaned quietly as she climbed into the car. "On second thoughts, I'm not sure I want to take you there. All I'll hear for weeks is, 'oh Sasha, Mike is such a nice boy, why don't you bring him round again'?" she pulled a face. "Can't I tell her you're gay?"
"But I'm not gay."
"She doesn't know that."
"If you tell her I'm gay now," Mike glanced over at her as he pulled away from the sidewalk. "How will you explain it when I actually take you out on a date and you fall in love with me?"
"You're still on that, huh?" she snorted. "Straight ahead, second left, and then third right," she pointed. "Gramps wouldn't let me go out with you, anyway."
"…Sasha you're 26 years old."
"Yes and I have a great deal of respect for the man who practically raised me!"
"Why wouldn't he let you go out with me?" Mike frowned. "He doesn't even know me."
"He doesn't like cops," she shrugged her shoulders. "Especially FBI. It's because of my dad, I guess. He says he want better for me than that."
"I-" Mike turned to her, sounding offended. "Well that's a little unfair? I'm a nice guy, I'm nothing like Ryan."
"They don't know that," she shrugged her shoulders.
"They don't not know it either," Mike grumbled. Sasha raised her eyebrows at him and he sighed, following her directions. "Which house is it?" he asked, and Sasha sighed heavily. Mike glanced over at her, grinning when he saw the slight blush on her cheeks. "What?"
"It's the house with the gnomes," she mumbled.
"Wha-" he started to ask what she meant, but stopped when he turned the corner and saw a house with dozens of gnomes scattered across the lawn. "Nice. Do they have names?"
"Please don't think I won't take your gun off you and use you as target practice," she growled. Mike chuckled in response as he pulled the car over to the side of the road, shutting the engine off and pulling the keys out of the ignition. Sasha unbuckled her seatbelt an paused, her hand on the door handle. "I should probably warn you about my nana… She's not the most conventional of grandparents and I apologise now for anything that she might say," she winced. Mike raised an eyebrow in confusion and Sasha ducked her head down to hide her blush. "And if you could please not tell them what happened tonight, I'd really appreciate it," she whispered. "They'll just worry and they don't need to."
"How are you going to explain that?" he pointed towards her forehead. "How are you even going to explain being in New Jersey?"
"Easy," Sasha shrugged her shoulders. "We had to come here to chase a suspect, and I tripped and banged my head. I was pretty clumsy when I was a kid so they'll believe it. Will you just… Please go along with whatever I say? I'll do anything. I'll even put up with your perverted sex jokes," she gave him a pleading look. Mike scoffed, but nodded his head as Sasha gave him a wide smile and hopped out of the car.
Mike followed her out of the car and up the driveway, his hands in his pockets as they stepped on to the porch and Sasha knocked on the door. She gave Mike a nervous smile and he grinned, watching her as she took d deep breath when the front door swung open.
"…Sasha?"
"Hey, Nana," she tucked her hair behind her ear. The older woman froze in front of them, her eyes wide as she turned her head to the side.
"Robert! Robert! Sasha is home! Button your pants up honey, she brought a boy with her and he's a cutie!" she looked Mike up and down approvingly, giving Sasha a thumbs up.
"Nana!" she hissed, pushing her way into the house. "Stop. It's not a boy, it's just Mike."
"The Mike?" Geena turned to him, a huge smile on her face and she wrapped him in a hug and pulled him inside the house. "Robert! She brought a man home!"
"Nana," Sasha's tone was warning as she pointed a finger at the older woman. "Leave him alone, you'll scare him and I need him to drive me back to Virginia."
"Oh I'm sure you need him for certain things, darling."
"Nana!"
"Now, now…" Geena waved a hand dismissively. "What are you kids doing here? Don't tell me you stopped by just to bring Michael here to dinner."
"Yeah, sure, I hauled my ass all the way here just so he could have some of your chicken pot pie," Sasha snorted. "No. We were here for work, it was a last minute thing but we're not needed back in Virginia until the morning, so I asked him if we could stop by. I gotta say, I love how you give him a welcome hug and you totally ignore your only grandchild."
"Oh, hush your whining and give your nana some love," Geena cooed, pulling her into a quick hug and holding her at arm's length. "Your head," she frowned. "How did you do that?"
"I- I uh, it was-"
"She tripped," Mike interrupted quietly. "Getting out of the car. She fell and banged her head, but it's okay. I made sure she got it checked over."
"Oh, Sasha," Geena sighed. "What have I told you about being careful when you're wearing those boots of yours," she shook her head, glancing down at her feet. "I don't know how you walk in them at all. Listen, you two go on through to the kitchen and I'll be through in a minute, I'll just go make sure your grandfather is ready for human company," she spun Sasha around and pushed her towards the kitchen.
"Yes, ma'am," Sasha rolled her eyes, grabbing hold of Mike's hand and pulling him along with her. "Thank you. I don't know what happened, I froze. I didn't know what to say to her."
"It's okay," he shrugged his shoulders, his smile faltering when Sasha let go of his hand and sat herself down at the kitchen table. "So uh… She's not exactly what I was expecting? I was picturing some little old grey haired lady with an apron or something."
"Yeah, she struggles to let go of being a blonde," Sasha giggled, kicking the chair opposite out and gesturing for Mike to sit down. "She's probably going to try and force feed you now, I apologise."
"Hey, so long as I get cake, I'm good," Mike smiled and Sasha snorted at him, looking up as Geena walked into the kitchen.
"Your grandfather is grumbling about you bringing someone from the FBI into his house," she sighed. "He's going to stay in there and finished watching CSI. It's probably for the best, he won't button his pants up and we don't want him embarrassing you in front of Michael, do we, hmmm?" she reached a hand out, pinching Sasha's cheek.
"What, like you are, you mean?" Sasha rolled her eyes. "Hey, Nana? I told Mike about your famous carrot cake, do you have any? I don't know about him, but I'm kind of hungry."
"Oh… I'm sorry, dear, we ate the last of it this afternoon. …I can make another one! I can make it tonight and you can take some with you when you leave tomorrow- oh, Michael, do you need me to set up the spare room for you? Or will you be staying with Sasha?"
"We're not staying overnight Nana and if you could stop pimping me out then that would be great," Sasha grumbled. "We can only stay for a couple of hours, we have to be back at work in the morning and it's going to take us a while to drive back to Virginia. Well, it's going to take Mike a while to drive there, anyway. I fully intend on sleeping for the entire five hours."
"I fully intend on waking you up when we're halfway there and making you switch," Mike smirked.
"I can't drive, moron," she pointed at her head. "They told me not to operate heavy machinery. I class a car as heavy machinery. Plus you even said I could sleep! I'll put up with your lame pick-up lines for the rest of the week, I promise," she whined.
"Sasha be nice to the boy, he's not a moron. He's sweet. Michael, can I get you a sandwich?"
"That would actually be really nice, Mrs… Uh…" Mike trailed off, looking towards Sasha for help.
"Oh, dear, don't be silly. You can call me nana," Geena patter his shoulder.
"Uhm, no!" Sasha snorted. "Geena. Her name is Geena. Do not call her nana."
"A sandwich would be great, thank you, Nana," Mike smirked towards Sasha and she rolled her eyes. "What? She told me to."
"I know what you're doing," she hissed, leaning forward as Geena busied herself with making them both something to eat. "She already loves you because you're a guy, you don't have to try and win her over. Save some of your so-called charm for my gramps."
"Can't I just be nice?" Mike raised an eyebrow, mirroring her actions and leaning towards her. "You heard her, she thinks I'm sweet. I'm just being friendly, that's all. I swear I'm not trying to get in your pants by making your grandmother love me, because that'd just be weird."
"It's already weird," Sasha grumbled, sighing and sitting back in her seat. "I might go change into some pyjamas or something."
"Need a hand?"
"I hate you."
"You love me," he grinned, looking up as Geena placed an over-piled plate in front of him. "Wow, this looks good!"
"Well a busy guy like yourself could do with a proper meal!" Geena pinched at his arm. "You're too skinny. If only you had a woman who could make you home-cooked meals every night, hmmm?" she smiled, nudging his shoulder and pointing towards Sasha.
"Nana please, he can cook for himself. He's a man, not an invalid," Sasha told her, taking a bite out of her sandwich and moaning quietly. "I didn't realise how hungry I was, this is great. Thank you, Nana."
"You're welcome, sweetheart," Geena leaned down, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. Mike paused, chewing on his food as he watched Sasha wince and rub at the cut on her head. "Sorry, honey, did I hurt you?"
"No, it's okay," Sasha smiled weakly. "I just have a little headache but I took some painkillers before so I should be okay. Do you uh, want to go try and persuade Gramps to be nice to our guest?"
"Darling if you want to be alone with him, all you have to do is ask," Geena winked. Sasha rolled her eyes and waved a hand dismissively. "If you need anything else, just let me know," she ruffled Sasha's hair, shooting a warm smile towards Mike as she walked through to the living room.
"So, this is like a dinner date. You've brought me to dinner at your house."
"You-" Sasha narrowed her eyes. "You're not going to let this whole date thing go, are you? I guess you're lucky. Two dates in one day, and you saved my ass back there. I owe you one. But you're still driving back to Virginia, I feel a little groggy. I'm tired."
"Are you sure you don't have concussion?" Mike asked in concern, dropping his sandwich back on to his plate and moving round to the other side of the table. "What did the paramedics say?"
"Just that I'd have a headache and it would leave nasty bruise, but other than that I was okay."
"…Maybe I should take you to the hospital-"
"I'm fine," she swatted Mike away from her as he reached for her face. "It's just been a long day, that's all. Between last night and what's happened this evening, I'm just exhausted. I'm going to change into some pyjamas before we leave here so I can pass out in the car and then go right to bed. You don't mind driving, do you? If you really want to switch then we can-"
"I was kidding," he whispered. "I'm not letting you behind the wheel when you've hurt your head. You need to rest, I'm perfectly fine driving back to Virginia."
"Thank you," she smiled softly, looking down at her plate and picking at the crusts of her sandwich. "Thank you for coming here with me, too. I just really needed to see them tonight, I needed to be back home for a little while."
"You live here with them?" Mike took a seat next to her.
"Yeah, it's lame, I know," she sighed. "I'm 26 years old and I still live at home with my grandparents. I did live Eric for- I mean, I had a little apartment but- well. Things didn't work out the way I planned and so I moved back in here. It's okay, though. They get that I'm an adult and it's not like I have curfew or anything. Plus, you heard Nana, you can sleep over in my room if you want," she smirked, pinching his side.
"If only you'd have me, hmmm?" he murmured with a smile. "You're probably too good for me."
"Oh I'm definitely too good for you," Sasha nodded in agreement. "Come on, come meet my gramps," Sasha stood up, taking his hand in his hers and pulling him out of his seat. Mike followed behind her as she tugged him through the house and he couldn't explain why, but his stomach was turning with nerves. For reasons he couldn't explain, he desperately wanted this man to like him. "I'm really sorry if he's a little rude to you," she whispered, pulling Mike over to the sofa and letting go of his hand. "Hey, Gramps," she cooed, leaning down to kiss his cheek. "I'm home for a couple of hours, just wanted to say hey before we head back to Virginia."
"Hmm," he huffed. "What happened to you head?"
"I feel down," she shrugged her shoulders, chewing on her bottom lip. Mike watched at the older man studied her carefully, his eye narrowing and his lips pursing as he grumbled under his breath.
"You're lying. How did you hurt your head?"
"I-I told you, I fell down," she stuttered. "Mike was there, he-" Sasha gestured for Mike to come closer and he did, but the grey-haired man gave him a disinterested glare before turning his attention back to his granddaughter. "I was getting out of the car and we were talking, I just slipped, I…"
"She caught her heel as she walk getting out," Mike told him quietly. "It got caught on the step down and just fell. I made sure she was checked out though, sir, and she's fine. The paramedics said-"
"Paramedics?" Geena sat up in her seat. "You didn't tell me about any paramedics!"
"We had to call them anyway, it was no problem," Mike reassured her. "The suspect, she- we had to call them for her, so I asked them to check Sasha over. They gave her the all clear and she's fine."
"Did they take you to hospital?" Robert asked with a frown, purposely ignoring Mike. "You should go to the hospital. I'll get my keys."
"Gramps you're being really rude right now," Sasha frowned at him. "You're being totally ignorant towards my friend and you have absolutely no reason to act that way. He's trying to tell you that he helped me earlier on, he made sure the paramedics checked me over. The least you could do is say thank you."
"Thank you?" Robert scoffed, eyeing Mike suspiciously. "Thank you for what? Putting you in harm's way? Doing his job by making sure you were checked over after you were injured?"
"He didn't put me in harm's way, it isn't his fault I fell!" she huffed. "Jesus, Gramps. Stop treating me like glass, I'm not going to break. I'm fine. Mike made sure I was okay."
"Sasha it's okay, really-"
"No it's not okay," she interrupted Mike with a frown. "I told you he'd be like this. He's got a bee in his bonnet because you're FBI like my dad and he doesn't like that. Mike is nothing like Ryan, Gramps. I know Nana told you what happened last night, with that agent dying and the suspect getting away. Do you know who stayed with me to make sure I was okay? Mike did. There really is no reason for you to judge him the same way you judge Ryan," she crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for him to say something back to her, but he just turned his head and kept his gaze fixed firmly on the TV screen. "Unbelivable," she mumbled, rubbing her forehead. "Fine. We'll be upstairs. Come on, Mike," she turned around and grabbed hold of his wrist, pulling him towards the stairs.
"It was nice to meet you, Sir!" he called over his shoulder.
"Don't be nice to him, he had no respect for anyone. Being old isn't an excuse for rudeness," she grumbled, leading him upstairs and into her room, laughing quietly when she saw the ball of grey fur lying on her bed. "Mike, meet Bagpuss."
"That- that's a cat?" Mike raised his eyebrows. "It just-"
"Looks like a huge ball of fluff, I know," she giggled, picking the cat up as it let out a half-yawn, half-meow. "He's very friendly, aren't you, Puss?" she pouted. "Say hi to Mike!" she held on to its paw, waving it in the air as the cat purred sleepily.
"Sasha. It's a cat."
"He's my baby," she pouted, cuddling the cat closer to her and kissing the top of his head before putting him down and watching him waddle over to the old armchair in the corner of her room, jumping up and falling back asleep within seconds. "Uh… Just, keep yourself occupied for a couple of minutes," she glanced at Mike as she pulled a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants out of her closet. "I'm just going to throw these on instead," she held them up.
Mike nodded, his eyes following her as she walked to the bathroom. He looked around her room, stuffing his hands in his pockets as the cat mewed at him curiously. He scoffed, running a hand over his hair as his eyes landed on a picture frame on Sasha's bedside table.
He walked closer, picking it up and smiling when he saw Sasha, her lips painted bright pink as she smiled at the camera, the girl in the picture with her grinning wildly. They had similar eyes and Mike wondered if they were related.
She had a lot of pictures taped to her walls, there were quite a few of her and this girl and a couple of her and her grandparents. He noticed there was none of her and Ryan, or of her and anyone who could possibly be her mother, but his gaze stopped on a picture hanging next to her wardrobe. He recognised the other woman immediately as Claire and knew the laughing toddler sat on top of Sasha's shoulder must have been Joey.
Sasha couldn't have been more than 19 when the photograph was taken and Mike snorted at the bright pink streaks in her normally plain brunette hair. She was laughing, her eyes sparkling and Joey had one of his hands shoved in his mouth, the other on top of Sasha's head. He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.
He hadn't seen her smiled properly in the couple of days they'd been working together and he felt a smile tug at his lips as he looked at the picture.
She looked happy, and so did Claire. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened to make Sasha so nervous about seeing her again.
"Having fun?"
"You told me to keep myself occupied," he told her, keeping his back to her as he glanced at a few more pictures. Sasha in a prom dress, some blonde guys arms wrapped around her. Sasha with the same girl in the picture he was still holding in his hands, Sasha and a group of girls wearing facemasks and pulling stupid faces at the camera. "You're kind of a dork."
"And you're kind of a creeper," she replied, reaching a hand out and snatching the photo frame away from him, smiling as her fingers traced across the glass. "That's my cousin, Max. She lives in New York, she works for the police. I haven't seen her for a few months now, we're always busy. It's bullshit. She lives so close and yet neither of us can spare a few hours to meet up for coffee."
"You have the same eyes."
"You keep commenting on my eyes, I'm starting to feel like I'm in a Harry Potter movie," Sasha cocked her head to the side. "Keep on like this and I'll get the distinct feeling that you like me, Agent Weston."
"Go with that feeling," he nodded with a grin. Sasha laughed, wincing and groaning quietly as Mike frowned.
"Don't make me laugh, my head hurts."
"Still?" his mouth twitched in concern.
"I was hit over the head with a something heavy and metal, Michael, yes my head still hurts."
"You were hit over the head with a pan, and don't call me Michael," he grunted, stepping her and sitting on her bed, his legs crossed as he pulled a pillow into his lap. "Lay down," he patted the pillow and Sasha raised her eyebrows suspiciously. "No funny business, I swear I'm not coming on to you. I have no ulterior motives at all, I'm just trying to help."
"Hmm…" she shifted, chewing on the inside of her cheek and sighing as she did what he said, placing her head on the pillow in his lap. "If you try anything, I'm in a fairly good position to reach round and pull at your leg hair. That can hurt like a bitch, so watch where your hands wander."
"I'm thrilled at the amount of faith you have in me," he deadpanned. Sasha smiled widely in reply, her eyes closing as she shifted to get comfortable. He paused, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip as he glanced nervously as her open bedroom door before sighing and bringing his hands up, his fingers gently touching her temples as he started to rub them. "See?" he whispered. "I'm being nice."
"So you know more than one to get rid of headaches," she murmured.
"Yeah," Mike grinned, recalling their conservation earlier in the day. "The other way is much more fun, though. I'll prove it to you."
"I'm not having sex with you."
"You don't have to have sex with me for me to give you an-"
"Pervert," Sasha interrupted quickly.
"Be nice, I saved your life," he reminded her again, his fingers digging into her scalp. She sighed contentedly, her body relaxing as her eyelids fluttered. "Better?" he asked in a whisper.
"Mhmm, yes, much better," she moaned quietly and Mike froze, his hands going still as he shifted on the bed. "Don't stop," she groaned. "Please. That felt good."
"Sasha…" Mike trailed off warningly, moving forward so his face was directly over hers. "I know I promised I had no ulterior motives, that I wouldn't try anything… But if you make the noise again, I will not be held responsible for my actions," he growled. Sasha snorted, her eyes still closed as she sat up, immediately letting out a yelp as her forehead collided with Mike's chin.
"What the hell, Mike?!" she shrieked, bringing a hand up to her and groaning. "You're such a creep, Jesus! Was there any need to be so close to me?!"
"You have a really hard head," he grumbled, rubbing his chin as Sasha punched his arm. "Ow! I saved your life and get rid of your headache and this is how you repay me?!"
"My head is pounding, you jackass!" she grunted. "God, it's ten times worse just because of your inability to keep your hormones in check."
"Well we can always try the other way-"
"You have got to be fucking kidding me, Weston," she growled. "What, was this your plan? Give me an even worse headache so you can fuck it out of me?"
"Of course not, but if you're suggesting it-"
"If you finished that sentence I will personally make sure the police never find your body."
"You're so aggressive," he chuckled quietly.
"Besides," she stared calmly. "If I do decide to take you up on the offer, it certainly won't be happening in my grandparents' house."
"What?" Mike looked up quickly. "I'm- you- what?"
"You should see your face," she snorted. "You're like a permanently horny sixteen year old boy. It's-"
"Endearing? Charming? Adorable?"
"Annoying," she nodded. "And funny. But mostly annoying," she smirked. Mike opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when Geena called upstairs.
"Kids! I made you some hot chocolate!"
"I- kids? I'm 30 years old and she called me a kid," Mike grinned. "I like your nana. She makes hot chocolate."
"She makes the best hot chocolate!" Sasha clapped her hands excitedly. "Come on, you'll love it!" she giggled, gesturing for him to follow her back downstairs. Mike trailed behind her as she bounced down the steps and he fought back a smile.
Sasha at home, happy and relaxed, was much better than Sasha at work, uptight and seemingly permanently stressed out. He was glad he'd seen this side of her, she was like a completely different person.
She wasn't sure if it was because she was at home with her grandparents and not around Ryan, or because she knew she was safe, but she was much more laidback. She was more open and he could almost see the wall she'd build up begin to crack.
He didn't know how, and he didn't know why.
He just knew that he liked it.
woaaaaahh... what did you think of last nights episode?! i'm still crying! i don't know what to think, i can't believe we have to wait a week to find out what happened!
okay so first of all, thank you so so so much for the reviews ^_^ i love reading them and it means a lot that you take time out to review! and thank you for the follows and the favourites, too! i'm so glad that people are enjoying sasha's story, her and mike have come to mean a lot to me, i'm very attached to them both as characters, and i'm really invested in building their relationship.
so this chapter was mostly original and didn't follow the episode, and these ones makes me nervous, so i hope you enjoyed it!
don't forget to let me know what you think :)
becca
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