AN: Thanks for the reviews.

BurnedmichaelY- Michael with figure out about Max in the next chapter if I can fit everything in I need to.

Ok- from the comments. I just want to clear the air- the CIA is not involved in the plot to hurt Michael at all. I am not going to turn something at Michael wanted so desperately in the beginning of the show bad. Does it have its failings? Yes, no organization is perfect. Todd is a double agent in the CIA working for himself and the clients he takes on. Forgive the late posting, but my rl took over some of my writing time and this was a very hard chapter to write.

Chapter 21: Flash Flood

In any kind of covert, intelligence operation, it's important to be careful of what you wish for. The information that you fight so hard to get, may be everything you wished for, or it may just make your life more complicated ~ Michael Westen

Today was the day. Michael was going home. He had already been discharged. Now Max waited with his father while Fiona went to get their car. "I hope I'm not keeping you from something important," Michael said.
"There's nowhere else I'd rather be," Max replied, "Ready for this?"
"Dr. Briggs is hopeful that more of my memories will return in familiar surroundings," Michael nodded.
"That's what the numbers show," Max encouraged him. Fiona pulled up the car. Max walked Michael over to the passenger side door.
"Thanks, Dr. Max," Michael shook Max's hand.
"You're welcome. Any questions or anything you need just call me," Max instructed.
"Will do," Fiona replied. Max closed Michael's door and waved at them as they drove away.
"We have a stop before we get there- it's on the way to the house," Fiona said.
"All right," Michael replied.
"Nate, Natalie, and Andrew are going to be joining us at home later," she continued, "I'm surprised Sam canceled."
"He's having dinner with his daughter," he said.
"Sam having a daughter isn't exactly a shock- he could have brought her," Fiona replied.
"He will eventually- he just wants Abby to himself for a little bit," Michael mentally planned to schedule a day for some one on one time with Natalie while she was over. It could only help the both of them. "Maybe Abby will bring that Dr. Max along when she does come," Michael threw out.
Fiona bit her tongue. Max would be over with or without Abby. Fiona wasn't going to let this charade stand much longer no matter how much Max insisted that he wanted Michael to figure out their connection for himself. He hadn't expected it to take so long. "How are you doing?" she changed the subject.

"Fine," Michael said. They drove for another fifteen minutes in silence before they parked. "Where are we?" he asked.
"This is where our old loft used to be," Fiona unbuckled. Michael got out after her. They walked to the building.
"How did you managed to get the ok to come here?" he asked.
"Sam knows the new owner," she shrugged. They climbed the stairs to the as just unfinished second floor.
They carefully avoided the construction material that littered the floor. The couple made their way to the Michael stood silently, taking in the view that would have been from his balcony. Fiona lean on exposed beam and watched him wistfully. He turned to fully face her. The look took him back to a night many years ago. Michael heard his own voice. "You knew a part of me she never did. And I left her because… you don't marry someone when you love someone else."
Fiona saw his face change. "I know you," his eyes shone. For that moment she was speechless. Michael closed the gap between them. Tenderly he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

Bang, Bang. Michael sat in his living room. An old photo spread open in his lap. He heard it again. Bang, Bang. Nate noticed that his brother had been studying the same group picture for quite a while now. One last look at Jesse and Michael closed his eyes. Everything was still a blur. Bang, Bang. Michael returned Jesse's shots. Bang, Bang. Out of ammo He took the cover of a car. The bullets still kept coming, but not in his direction. Saw Michael lifted his head and looked in the direction Jesses was firing. He saw Natalie pinned down and exposed. Her gun had jammed. Michael ran to his daughter. He dove over Natalie and then everything went black. Nate pulled Michael from those dark thoughts, "Are you alright, Bro?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," He slammed the book shut, "Everything is fine." Nate knew Michael had remembered something that hit a nerve, but wasn't ready to share so he let it drop. The doorbell rang. "I'll be right back,"

Michael went to answer the door. Natalie & Andrew waited outside holding hands. "Come on in," Michael waved them inside. They complied.
Natalie hugged her father, "Hi, Daddy."
Fiona joined the group when she heard Natalie's voice. She embraced her daughter. "Andrew," Fiona cleared her throat. He nodded to her. Not looking Natalie caught Andrew's hand in hers. Natalie stepped up by his side until their arms where aligned and touching. Michael smiled. There seemed to be a magnetic field drawing the two together.
"Had any time to explore the house?" Andrew asked his mentor.
"Mainly downstairs," Michael replied.
"We have some suspects for you to look over- see if they jar something," Natalie offered.
"Great," Michael nodded. Andrew handed him the file they had brought. Michael stood still and stared at him for a moment.
Michael leaned on his desk in his office. He heard the door open. "Hey, Mike," Andrew stepped inside.
"Hi, Son," Michael replied.
"Got a brief for me?" Andrew said.
"You'll be working with a new agent this assignment," Michael handed him a printout, "Her name is Natalie."
Andrew looked over the picture, "You're giving me a Rookie?"
"Yes, in fact this is her first assignment- watch her back," Michael instructed.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of her," Andrew tipped his head.
Michael smiled. The introductions were just secured. Andrew wasn't going to know what hit him. Neither would Natalie.
Andrew looked Michael in the eye, "What's with the smirk?"
"Just thinking about the hotdogs at Grapeland Park," Michael replied.
Andrew grinned, "It's the mustard that makes them taste so good." The two men shared a chuckle. Natalie grinned wide. Not that she got the inside joke, but she knew it meant that Michael had regained some memories of Andrew.
Michael felt Fiona bristle. "Why don't we go sit in the living room?" she said.

They sat down on the couch, Natalie between the two men. Fiona sat in a chair next to the one Nate was seated in. They started right in on the list.
Michael opened the file Andrew had given him. "Simon is a psycho, but this is too hands off for him," Michael said.
"You remember him?" Fiona said.
"The people that burned me used his record to frame me," Michael threw out. He had no clue how he knew that. Bits and pieces of memories where hitting him left and right since he left the hospital. They switched to the next suspect. Anson's was up. Michael sent a death glare toward his picture, "Don't know him."
"Anson pretty much vanished after he was taken to Guantanamo," Natalie said, "Not even Elizabeth's clearance could get through to what happened to him." They moved on.

Fiona was sure that she heard them talking about Vaughn. But her head was elsewhere. There was her little girl neck deep in the spy world again. She got up and went to the kitchen to take a breather.
"Excuse me," Michael got up and followed her.
He found her getting a drink of water from the fridge. Fiona didn't have to turn around to feel him "You are way too ok with this," she charged.
"It's not all that surprising that Natalie would follow in my footsteps," Michael replied.
"Even at her age?" she asked. He tilted his head. "She told me you helped her get in. Do you remember that?" Fiona continued.
"Vaguely," Michael answered. Fiona snorted. "I opened doors for her- never pushed her through," he asserted.
"You went behind my back!" Fiona yelled.
"I did what I did for my daughter!" Michael thundered.
"What happened to us being partners? Natalie is my daughter too!" she retorted.
"Maybe there was a better way to go about it, but I didn't see you accepting it until she was already in," he countered.
"She was in two years ago!" Fiona spun around. Her back hit the sink. She grabbed onto it with her hands, "Don't you think seventeen is a little too young to understand turning your back on a normal life?"
"We're talking about Natey here," Michael replied. The fact he used his nickname for their daughter didn't go unnoticed. "She hated high school, had no real friends."
"Because for the first half of it the cancer made her too sick to go out and do normal teenage stuff," Fiona countered.
"It also matured her so much that the type of stuff bored her out of her skull when she could go out and do it," he argued, "Trying to force her into society's mold of what a 'normal' teenager is would crush her. She wouldn't be Natalie." His shoulders sagged. "Natey and I- we're not normal. Whatever that is," he added.
"So you think the CIA is the answer?" she challenged.
"Not a perfect one," he admitted, "The CIA has it flaws, but she's so good- we haven't seen half of what she can do."
"You setup them up too?" Fiona asked.
"Andrew & Natalie? I just made sure they worked the same cases- everything else was up to them." Fiona glared at him. "Andrew is a good man," Michael argued, "Hasn't he taken care of her?" Fiona crossed her arms over her chest, but didn't answer. Natalie probably wouldn't have survived the six months they thought Michael was dead without Andrew. "Do you think any other guy could handle our daughter?"
"She hasn't had time to look for someone else," Fiona frowned.
"I'm always wrong, aren't I?" he snapped.
"That's not-," she began
"Just like when you turned yourself in or when we met Jesse," Michael continued.
"That was over twenty years ago," Fiona said
"Both you and my mom took his side. Attack me for him- some guy the two of you barely knew," Michael charged.
"You got him burned," Fiona defended.
"Something that was totally unintentional on my part!" Michael countered.
"The lies were intentional," she pointed out.
"I was trying to help him and stay alive," he countered.
"He became a friend," Fiona said.
"That 'friend' shot at our daughter!" Michael scowled, "He shot me, Fi!"
"I know that! What I can't wrap my head around is why," she rejoined.
"I guess it's only other peoples' motives that count," he spat, "Jesse wanted me dead!"
"There has to be more to it than that," she said.
"You want to find a way to absolved him? Fine! Do it without me," Michael stomped off.
"Michael," Fiona said incredulously. That had turned quickly. "Michael!"
Michael stormed out of the house only pausing to grab a pair of keys. He slammed the front door behind him. Fiona called after him again, more desperation apparent in her voice. She ran to the front door to go out and stop him. Fiona had her hand on the doorknob. Nate caught her by her arm, "Let him go, Fi." They heard Michael's truck start and drive off. Natalie stared out the window after her father. Where was he going?

Michael drove on auto-pilot. Once he parked he had no idea why he ended up where he did. Michael stayed still. He couldn't even unbuckle. His heart hurt so much he couldn't move. Maybe he didn't have the right to be so angry and hurt over things that transpired decades before, but with these memories resurfacing it was like these things just happened. The events were fresh. They all seem to hit him at the exact same time. So there he sat in his truck, not moving, completely overwhelmed by raw pain.