Hi there guys. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. This story is about two thirds of the way through now. Michael has had a lot of realisations so far, a lot earlier than he did in the actual season 7, and now he's going to start making decisions regarding those realisations. This is one of the longest chapters I think I've published, so I hope that holds you over since the next one will take a little bit longer than usual. I've had most of this story prewritten, which is the reason I have updated fairly regularly. However, I've been so caught up with work lately that I've fallen behind with the newer chapters. Since I still need to write the next one, plus it's Easter next week, the next chapter will take a bit longer than usual, but I will do my best to have it up as soon as I can. Thank you to those people who say that they check for updates all the time, it really makes me happy. Thanks as well to those people who are still reviewing, I really appreciate it and it motivates me to update faster. Please continue to let me know your thoughts.
Chapter Ten:
The next morning, Fiona woke slowly. She could feel Michael's arm draped across her midsection and feel his soft breaths against her shoulder. She opened her eyes to take in the sight of her still peacefully sleeping boyfriend. She smiled at him. It wasn't too often that she woke before him, and she always appreciated the fact that she was the only person who got to see him this way; completely free from the weight of the world that constantly affected him.
She shifted her body slightly to face him better, and let out a small gasp as her body protested slightly at her movements. She winced; taking catalogue of her aches and bruises from her altercation with Gamble the day before.
Her sounds woke Michael, who transitioned from total slumber into complete alertness at a speed that most people could not contemplate.
"Fi? Are you alright?" He asked worriedly.
She smiled, touched by his concern. "I'm fine, Michael. Just a bit sore today, that's all."
He reached over to stroke her face gently. "You sure?"
She brought her hand up to hold his palm to her cheek. "I'm sure."
"How's your arm?" He asked, her bandaged forearm catching his attention. He took it into his hands gently.
"It's fine, just a scratch." She reassured him.
They laid in silence for a few moments before she spoke again.
"How do you feel about what you decided last night?" She asked, unable to hide the slight hesitation in her inquiry.
Michael's chest clenched at the realisation that she was still unsure about his intentions.
"Fi, I'm not changing my mind this time. This is the right thing to do. This is what I want." He attempted to reassure her.
She nodded slowly. She wanted so badly to believe him, but she wouldn't be able to completely until he was officially out. She had been down this road with him so many times before, and while she'd forgiven him and understood his reasons, she remained apprehensive.
"But Michael," she continued hesitantly. "How are you possibly going to quit when they have a contract from you? They've made the terms of your agreement very clear."
Michael sighed, knowing she was right. It was going to be very difficult to find his way around the contract he'd signed under duress. He certainly didn't want any of his family to be locked up in a CIA prison for the rest of their lives.
"I'll worry about that." He reassured her. "We'll think of something."
Fiona fixed him with her signature look that she used on him, but he just responded with his overly charming grin, to which she rolled her eyes.
"I've been thinking about how ridiculous it all is." Michael mused, when Fi did not speak. "You told me all those years ago to just leave the burn notice alone and move on. If only I'd listened to you, I could have saved us a lot of trouble. Maybe things would be different."
And Nate would still be here he thought to himself, but didn't voice it.
She squeezed his arm gently. "We can't do anything about that now, Michael. I understand why you couldn't let go of it back then. And in some crazy way, I think everything happened for a reason. The main thing is that we're here now." She said soothingly.
He nodded, taking in her words but still going over it all in his mind.
"Your mom's getting back from Vegas today." Fi reminded him, changing the subject. "Didn't you tell her you'd pick her up from the airport?"
Michael sighed. "Yeah, I did. I completely forgot after everything that happened yesterday."
"Well, we'd better get ready soon then. We can take something for lunch with us for when we take her home." She suggested.
He sighed again. "Okay, I guess we'd better get going." He said, relaxing back onto the mattress, pulling Fi with him to rest against his chest.
She laughed. "This doesn't look like getting up, Michael."
"Five more minutes." He mumbled into her hair.
"Okay, five more minutes." She conceded, settling against him and letting her eyes fall closed again.
/
"Hi, Mom." Michael greeted Madeline as she walked up to Fiona's car. His mother smiled at him fondly, giving him a quick hug and handing off her luggage to him. He went to the back of the car to place it in the trunk before returning to the driver's seat. Fi hadn't been very cooperative when he'd insisted on driving, but he'd put his foot down as he'd reminded her of what she'd gone through not even twenty-four hours ago.
"Hi, Madeline." Fiona smiled as the older woman climbed into the backseat.
"Hi, Fi." She returned the greeting. Her brow furrowed in concern as she caught sight of Fi's bandaged left arm that rested against the centre console. "Honey, what happened?" She was used to seeing her son with stitches or bruises, but Fiona was generally more careful with such injuries, believe it or not.
Fi's eyes dropped to her arm, as if she'd forgotten the bandage was in fact there. "Oh, um, don't worry, Madeline, it's nothing."
"Michael," Madeline demanded as soon as her son settled himself into the driver's seat. "What happened to Fiona's arm?"
Michael sighed. "It's a long story, Mom."
"We've got time now, Michael." Madeline leaned back in her seat, showing that she wasn't going to take no for an answer.
Michael sighed again. Fi reached over to rest her hand on his thigh reassuringly. She knew he was still feeling guilty about her altercation with Gamble, even though she had assured him that she didn't blame him in any way.
"We had a busy day yesterday." She told Madeline, as a way to start their story.
/
"So, how are Ruth and Charlie?" Fiona asked, as the three of them sat at the dining room table in Madeline's house, their lunch in front of them.
Madeline smiled at the mention of her grandson. "Charlie's great, he's grown up so much since you saw him last. He's talking, and he has his own little personality. It's really sweet."
"And Ruth?" Fiona pressed.
Madeline sighed, her expression changing immediately. "Ruth, she's not doing so well. She's still not coping with Nate's death."
A sombre feeling draped itself across the three of them. Michael's chest tightened at the mention of his brother. He still preferred not to think or talk about Nate, for the guilt he felt at the circumstances surrounding his brother's death still affected him. In true Michael Westen fashion, he pushed it down and went on with life, but his discussion with Fi that morning about his decisions in life were still making him think about how Nate could still be with them if he'd done things differently.
"How so?" He asked quietly.
Madeline turned to her son. "She's turned to drinking, and she's really got a problem. She moved back in with her mother so she'd have some help with Charlie, but her poor mother has her hands full with the two of them. It's taking a toll on all of them."
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Fiona asked softly.
"Well, I actually have some news about Charlie. It's getting too much for Ruth's mother to take care of both of them, and she doesn't like Charlie being exposed to what's going on. He's getting older now, so he's picking up on things. Ruth's mother really needs to focus on getting her some help, and she and I agreed it would be better for Charlie to be away from it all. So Charlie's coming to stay here with me for awhile."
Michael stared at his mother, a shock filled expression on his face. "What? For how long?"
"Well, we're not quite sure yet." Madeline answered. "At the moment, it's for a few months. She'll keep in touch with me about how Ruth is doing after awhile and we can see what happens, then decide what would be best for Charlie."
Michael sat in silence, staring at the wall. Fiona could see that her boyfriend was digesting the news, and a quick look to Madeline confirmed that she saw it as well.
The older woman rose from her chair. "I'm going to go outside for cigarette. I've been trying to cut back now that Charlie's coming, and I don't want the house to fill up with the smell."
Fiona watched in total surprise as Madeline left to smoke, but Michael's eyes were still blank as he stared at the wall. She wasn't even sure he'd heard his mother leave.
She stood from her chair and made her way over to Michael, sitting beside him. She reached a hand out to rub at the back of his neck.
"Michael, what are you thinking?" She could so often tell what he was feeling, but his expression was so blank that she had no idea what was going on inside his head.
He blinked a few times and swallowed uncomfortably before answering her. "I don't even know. I … I think it's even more important that I leave the Agency now."
"What do you mean?" She asked softly.
Michael turned to face her, his eyes filled with a clearly anxious look. "I have to get out. I can't let them affect a child's life the way they did mine, the way they did to Nate's."
Her heart clenched at the pain in his eyes. There was that guilt he still felt over Nate, and his typical attitude of playing the white knight. For once though, she completely understood his reasons for doing so.
"Are you going to tell your mother?" She asked.
Michael shook his head. "Not yet. I'll wait until I know more before I fill her in. It'll be easier."
"Okay." Fi murmured, bringing a hand up to stroke his jaw gently. "Whatever you want."
He locked his eyes on hers, silently thanking her for giving him strength when he felt as if he had none. They didn't need words to tell each other how they were feeling. Her eyes showed that she understood.
They were broken out of their reverie by the sound of Madeline coming back inside. Sure enough, her cigarette gone, she joined them back at the table.
"So when is Charlie coming?" Fiona asked, still holding Michael's hand in hers.
"At the end of the week." Madeline answered. "Which gives me just enough time to get things together so he's got a room, and toys, and everything else."
"Whatever you need, Mom, we can help." Michael offered quietly, but sincerely.
His mother smiled at him. "Thank you honey. I know you've both got a lot going on, and I know you still have work to deal with Michael, but I'd really like you to be a part of his life as much as you're able to be. I want him to know his aunt and uncle."
Michael nodded slowly, the prospect dawning on him. He wasn't entirely comfortable around children, but he felt a strong responsibility for Charlie, even though he hadn't seen him in a couple of years. The thought was terrifying, but he knew Charlie deserved to know his family.
"Of course, Madeline." He heard Fiona answer for them.
"Great. Michael, can you help me clean out the spare room tomorrow? I need to do that before I can start doing anything else."
"Sure, Mom."
This will be interesting he thought to himself.
/
A few days later, Michael made his way into an office building for his meeting with the Agency. His latest promise to Fiona repeated itself through his mind as he made his way into the interview room.
"Westen." Agent Strong said in greeting. "How's Miss Glenanne?"
Michael nodded. "She's alright. She's tough."
"Glad to hear it. I hope I gave you enough days off to deal with the aftermath of that situation, but I needed to speak with you today, which is why I've called you in for this meeting."
"Actually, I needed to speak with you as well." Michael cut in. "And I'd appreciate it if I could go first."
Strong waved a hand, gesturing that Michael was able to do so.
"I want out." He said bluntly.
Strong stared at the younger man. "I'm sorry, I have to assume I misheard you, or that you're joking."
"It's no joke, Strong. I'm done." Michael said with a shake of his head. "I've given my entire career to this company, and I don't want to do it anymore. I know you have a contract from me, but there was no discussion about how long that contract would be in place for. We need to have that discussion, and after all the Agency has done to me in the last few years, I don't think you have much of a leg to stand on."
"Now wait just a minute, Westen, let's not forget all the things that you did as well –"
"You think I can forget about it?" Michael said incredulously. "I have done some truly terrible things in the last few years, and they may have been my decisions, but they were decisions I had to make as a result of what this company did."
"Just stop, you –" Strong tried to speak, but Michael ploughed on through.
"This Agency refused to believe that I was innocent, cut me off and threw me out like yesterday's trash. They got my brother killed, used my friends and family against me, and almost cost me everything that is important to me! I still haven't been given access to my bank accounts, even after six years!"
"Michael, I can see how upset you are." Strong held his hands up, trying to calm the irate operative. "You have valid reasons to be, but I feel that your anger may be clouding your judgement."
"No, Strong, I'm finally seeing everything for how it is for the first time in my life." Michael answered honestly.
"Alright. How about this, we won't talk about this anymore for today. I will have your accounts unfrozen, as that should have been done already. We'll hold off on a new mission for you for a bit longer while I talk to some of the higher ups, and we can have another meeting to discuss this in a few days. You can take this time to really think through what you're doing, so I can know that you're really serious about this."
Michael glared at the older agent, but nodded reluctantly. He should have expected that his issue wouldn't be solved straight away. At least he was finally going to have access to his bank accounts.
"Okay." He said simply.
"But I have to warn you Westen," Strong cautioned him. "This may not be possible. I'm not sure how the guys upstairs are going to react to this."
Michael leaned forward in his chair, a look of complete seriousness covering his face. "You tell them that I will not take no for an answer. I want out, and I deserve to have my life back. And if they won't do that, then they should remember just how dangerous I can be. You should all know that. Take that as a warning."
/
"Hey, Fi." Michael greeted his girlfriend as he made his way into his mother's house. He had come straight from his meeting to be there for when Charlie arrived.
She smiled as he pressed a kiss to her temple in greeting. "Hey. How did your meeting go?" She asked quietly, making sure that Madeline couldn't hear them from the next room.
He nodded. "We haven't quite reached an understanding yet, but it's a start. I've got another meeting scheduled in a couple of days."
Fi nodded at his words, but he could see the hesitation that still clouded her eyes.
"Hey." He said, pulling her focus back to him. "I will make it happen, Fi. It might take a little longer, but I won't take no for an answer."
She gave him a small smile and nodded again. "Okay."
A knock at the front door broke them out of their moment, and Madeline rushed out from the bedroom to open it.
"Grandma!"
"Charlie!" Madeline opened her arms to hug her grandson, who threw himself into her grasp. An older woman stood behind him, who Michael assumed to be Ruth's mother. Madeline ushered her inside, gesturing with her head for Michael to take the bags on the doorstep. He obliged silently, placing them into the living room.
"Charlie, I want you to meet some people." Madeline said with a tender voice that Michael had heard on only a few occasions in the last few years. "This is your Uncle Michael, and Auntie Fi. You haven't seen them since you were a very little boy."
Fiona knew Michael was hovering, unsure of how to handle the situation with a child he hadn't seen in years, so she stepped forward, and placed a hand on Charlie's back.
"Hi, Charlie." She smiled warmly at the young boy. "I'm so excited to see you again."
Michael watched in surprise, unable to remember the last time he saw Fi acting this way.
"And this is your Uncle Michael. He missed you too." Fi waved him over to them, knowing that she needed to give him a push.
Michael moved forward slowly, and has to stop himself from reacting too visibly. This child, his nephew, looked just like Nate had at that age. It was enough to knock the air right out of him.
"Hi, Charlie." He managed to say, trying to force himself to relax.
"Hi." Charlie answered in his high pitched voice. "Will you play trains with me Unca Michael?"
Michael glanced at Fiona, who nodded at him reassuringly.
He turned back to his nephew. "Sure, Charlie."
The young boy gasped in excitement and wiggled himself out of Madeline's grasp. He grabbed his uncle's hand instantly, pulling him over to where his backpack was, and plopping himself down on the floor. Michael joined him slowly, helping him take the toy trains out of his bag.
He might have felt completely out of his element, but he knew what he had to do, and that was to get to know his nephew, just like Nate would have wanted.