YAY update, that's somewhat on time :D !

Little Lion Man

Chapter 9

Sam sighed, pulling a hand through his graying hair. He swore he had a gray hair for every time Michael nearly got himself killed.

He walked onto the balcony, pulling his phone out of his pocket to look through his contact list. Sam didn't see the man in black hiding just outside until he had a cord wrapped around his neck cutting off his air.

Sam gasped, hooking a finger underneath the tight cord to try and get some leverage. He could feel the weight of someone pressing against his back, so he did the only thing could. He let himself fall backward, trying to smash the assailant into the ground so he would loose his grip. It worked. The wiry man let out a cry and swore vehemently in Russian.

Russian. Of course. Now Sam was on their hit list too. Michael so owed him.

Sam took in a short explosive breath and scrambled to his feet, trying to get a good look at the person who just tried to strangle him, but the criminal was already on his way out.

"Hey!" Sam shouted after him, his voice a little scratchy. "If you gonna try and kill me, at least have the guts to try and finish the job, damn Cossack!" Sam rubbed his throat, thinking, I'm starting to sound a little like Madeline.

*(*)*

Michael picked up his phone on the second ring. "What's up Sam?"

"We're out of beer again Mikey."

"Did you call me just to tell me we're out of your favorite alcoholic beverage?" Michael said incredulously. Fi snickered beside him as he stopped the car and opened the car and started walk to the front door of his mother's house painfully slow.

"Ehh. No. Wait. What did I…? Oh yeah. One of your Russian buddies just tried to kill me."

Michael stopped in his tracks. "What? Someone tried to kill you and beer is the first thing on your mind?" Fiona bumped into him, startled by the sudden stop. She raised an eyebrow at the words 'tried to kill you'.

"Well, you know me Mike, the ever drinking, never drunk guy." Sam said jokingly.

"Any idea who it was?"

"He swore in Russian, so I'm guessing it was one of Merenovs—oops sorry, Sergei's goons."

"You gonna be okay by yourself over there?"

Sam snorted. "I'm not that old. I'm on my guard, so I should be fine. Later brother."

"Bye Sam."

"Who tried to kill Sam?" Madeline asked, standing in the door way, a cigarette in hand.

"Sam's fine, ma. Where's Nate?"

"Right here bro. Wow, you're looking less dead than usual." Nate peered around his mother. "Mom, let um in. There gonna be here awhile."

Madeline let Fi and Michael come past her before shutting the door and making smoke swirl around in the bright sunlight.

Michael coughed. "Jesus, Ma. How many packs have you gone trough today?" He plopped down on the nearest chair with a grunt of pain.

"Two, Michael, but I have plenty good reason." Madeline croaked.

"She's right you know." Fi agreed with her just to get on Michaels nerves.

"Quiet Fiona. You're part of it too. I haven't seen you use those crutches once since you got hurt. Go get them and use them. They're in the back room." Madeline shot at the unsuspecting Fi, whose eyes grew wide at the accusation. She stood and wobbled to the backroom to receive said crutches rather than face the wrath of Mama Westen.

Nate chuckled. "Hate to say it, but I love seeing you get grilled, Mike."

"Nate. Shut it. I know of plenty times where Michael saved your ass and got his in trouble."

"I got shot in the shoulder for you. " Michael reminded him proudly.

"I pulled the bullet out," Nate stated, crossing his arms.

"With the delicacy of a klingon." They slowly started raising their voices until they were shouting.

"I did what you told me too, and I don't even know what that is."

"I said small incision."

"Well, excuse me princess-"

"Both of you stop it!" Maddie snapped, whacking each of her sons over the head with a magazine she grabbed off the table. "Quit acting like a bunch of kids. You aren't ten anymore. Now, talk about whatever you have to then we're going to have dinner. God help you if I'm making a cake if cause if boys don't settle down, I'll burn my recipe book and cook without."
Nate and Michael instantly stopped their bickering, much to Maddie's approval.

Maddie walked into the kitchen, pulling out her cookbook and setting it dangerously close to the oven as a way of saying, do it, you won't.

"So what's up bro? Any recent near death experiences I should know about?

"I got stabbed." Michael replied evenly, crossing his arms so that he mirrored Nate.

"Ouch. Same old same old, then. Where's the other guy?"

"Sam is at the loft." Michael stressed the name, knowing that Nate still remembered it but just wanted to annoy him.

"And you girlfriend is still here. Surprising she's still here. You're a suckish boyfriend."

"Nate." Maddie warned, pushing the book just a little bit closer to the edge of the stove.

"We're not dating. Can anyone get that through their head?" Michael wondered out loud. "Just forget it. Who told you I was dead?"

"This guy said he was from the FBI. Said you'd died in some kind of car accident? I dunno."

"Did he give you a name?"

"Just called himself Lt. Johnson. Which, is probably about as generic as you could get."

"Did he have an accent or anything?"

"Yeah…. He had a little trouble with w's and v's. Like, he kept switching them around, but other than that he spoke great English."

Michael massaged his temples. "This is gonna be harder than I thought."

"Michael, do you know where Fi went?" Maddie called from the kitchen.

"You told her to get her crutches."

"Well, what's taking her so long? I need some help making this spaghetti."

"I'll find her." Michael said simply. "I'll be right back Nate."

"Gotchya Bro. Go find your girlfriend.

Michael ignored him.

He found Fi in his room, sitting on the floor and looking through his closet. "Fi… what're you doing?"

"Just looking, really. I didn't know you liked classical music Michael. I always figured you to be more of a hard core rock guy." Fi said, holding up one of the Mozart CD's she found.

"I'm not. My mom played these for us when we were kids. She thought it made us smarter."

Fi poked her head out to look at him and smiled. "Well, I'd say your pretty smart. Ooh. What's this?" Fi cooed, pulling out a dusty bottle. Inside was a little pirate ship he had made when he was twelve.

"That's ancient." Michael said, smiling as he remembered making it. One time he had gotten so frustrated that he had thrown the half made ship inside the bottle across the room, shattering the glass and ruining it. He had started over the next day.

Fi put it back and brought out another object from his past. A picture. It was his mother, still young and pretty, holding a baby. Michael stood next to in between his mother and a man. Everyone was smiling in that picture, Michael and his father included.

"You look adorable."

"Thanks Fi." Michael gave her a tiny smile and took the photo from her, discreetly putting it in his pocket. "Come on. My mom wants you to help her make dinner."

"All right." Fi smiled back up at him brightly, seeming to have finally lost her snippy mood.

*(*)*

ehhhh. Sorry it's a day late. I've been having a little trouble concentrating on some of my fanfics lately. I'm writing another story that's totally taking my attention right now . sorry, I'm trying to keep updating fairly regular, but even though it's summer, it's proving difficult :D I jusft had a lot of fun writing that fight scene between mike and nate. Hope you like it too

oh, and Sam calls the russian guy who tried to kill him a cossack. for those who don't know, cossacks were kind of like these totally sick and twisted russian soldiers that would, like, weat their victims. yeah. not nice people. so, it's a major insult to them nowadays.

reviews plz?

Oh, and thanks to the few people who just added this to alerts and favs! You guys make me happy! :D don't forget to leave a review