Xander looked over the cases that Solomon had opened for him and honestly he felt a little stupid if he was supposed to be in awe right now. In one large case was a small vial with a clear liquid inside. In the other case was what looked like the barrel part of a shotgun and next to it in the other case was what looked like the trigger half. This is what they had been looking for, this was what Sage and Xander had been risking their lives for? What the hell, Xander thought to himself and he rubbed his hand down his scalp. Solomon suddenly laughed and patted the case with the vial.

"You look confused buddy," he said.

"Well unless you wanna explain this shit to me, I sure am," Xander said. Solomon pulled out the vial and Xander took notice to the men around them stiffening up as he pulled it out.

"This is probably the strongest virus out there, a combination of some of the Earth's deadliest diseases, viruses that anyone can imagine," Solomon explain. He put the vile back down and pointed to barrel part of the large gun. "This is the barrel of the gun, easy enough and of course the trigger piece".

"I don't get it though, why are they all separated, you break it on the way or something," Xander asked with a smile. Solomon laughed a little and pointed to the pieces.

"That's the fun part, I gotta admit those Japanese really know how to make a fun toy," he clapped his hands. " All these pieces have to be together to actually work the entire thing"! Xander raised an eyebrow and looked down at the pieces in front of him before looking back at Solomon.

"So none of these work without the other," he asked. Solomon happily nodded his head. "So whoever buys these from you has to work with the other…...you're fucking nuts". Xander laughed at the irony of the situation and took a few steps back as he rested his hands on top of his head.

"So you got the idea," Solomon asked.

"Oh yea I got it, the only way this thing works is if it's put all together or it's useless," Xander said shook his head and pointed at the cases."You don't think that maybe the people who are buying into this are gonna mind that they have to actually work together for this thing to work," he asked. Solomon shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm sure they'll get over it once they realize what they're getting out of it," he answered. "And honestly I don't care, if they can't handle playing nicely then someone else can just take their place".

"I don't know if people will see it that way man," Xander said. Solomon shook his head and walked over to Xander to put a hand on his shoulder.

"Dude, you're missing the point this is going to show who can actually put their money where their mouth is and play with the big dogs," he said.

"I get the point but are the rest of these guys who are used to giving orders and not taking them going to get it".

"That's not for you to worry about".

"Than why you got me here"?

"Like I said to get shit moving, I want you to personally to be the middle man for everything that I'm doing with this thing man, you're going to be working closely with me and the people who buy into this and make sure there isn't any uncertainty with any of them". Xander scoffed and looked and turned to look at Solomon.

"Sounds like you want me to be a mediator".

"You could say that, you're a people person X and you seem to read people very well , you're tough, quick on your feet and it helps that you're not an idiot". Xander wasn't sure if he should be complemented by Solomon's words or if he be insulted.

"Gee, thanks," he just said. Solomon patted his shoulder again and walked back over to the cases and stared closing them.

"Trust me man it's a compliment and don't think you'd be doing this for free, you would be getting paid". Now this did get Xander's attention, even though he would be working for Solomon was just for a small if anytime at all it was nice to know that he would be getting paid for it.

"How much we talking here"?

"About a million a year". Solomon said it like it was money that you dropped on the ground and forgot about.

"Whoa, that's some generous money, especially just to be a mediator"! Solomon waved his hands to the men and they took the cases away.

"You would be the mediator to the largest world organization my man, I honestly think you deserve more but my money guys tell me that it's more than enough for the situations you would be in and if things get alil out of hand you'll get thrown something extra".

"And what am I supposed to tell Sage about all this"? This would probably the only time that Xander saw Solomon actually seem a little nervous about anything that Xander asked him. He wondered if Solomon was a little afraid of Sage, he couldn't blame him if he was. Sage was a fine piece of ass but Xander was sure that if he pissed her off she would still be as sexy and seductive while holding a knife to his balls.

"Are you afraid of my wife man," Xander asked as he laughed. Solomon blew some air through his lips and shook his head.

"No, no I just know she's crazy, hell I probably would hire her for the mediator job if it wasn't for the circumstances".

"What circumstances"? Solomon gave Xander a serious look before nodding his head, telling Xander to follow him as he started walking in the base.

"So lucky for you, you've never met my mother and trust me when I say she is not a walk in the park for my dad either but my dad always kept her out of what actually happened in the business to make sure she got all her pretty thing," Solomon explained.

"What she doesn't know doesn't hurt her," Xander said.

"Exactly like Aja for example, she's not like Sage at all and I think she'd have a breakdown if I let her in on every detail about what I was doing out there and I'm talking about the minor stuff," Solomon said. A man in a outfit that looked like it belonged to Alfred from Batman came over to them and offered them two scotches in small glasses. Xander took one and Solomon took a sip of his.

"Then why do some of your business in front of her, like killing those guys," Xander asked.

"She needs to learn and get use to the fact that she is a boss's wife and sometimes she has to see or do things that are considered morally correct," Solomon said as he took another swig of his drink. He put the drink down from his lips and pointed to Xander. "I'm sure if you were in my position Sage would've taken that gun right out your hand and do the job herself just for the fact that those men disrespected you". Xander chuckled at the thought of Sage killing a man for him. It was kind of hot to be honest, the thought of her getting riled up over someone trying to hurt him.

"I won't lie, she'd probably get to the gun before I would and wouldn't even need to be told," Xander said before taking a sip of his drink. He almost spilled it when Solomon gave him a punch in the shoulder.

"Dude, that's that shit I'm talking about I mean when I told my parents about that shit you guys pulled at the club that night, they could've sworn you guys were a much crazier, sexy version of Bonnie and Clyde with lots of tattoos," Solomon said almost like he was excited.

"I don't know about that man, didn't Bonnie and Clyde get shot up by the police in the end," Xander asked. Solomon thought about it before laughing and nodding his head.

"Oh shit they did, didn't they," he said. Xander and Solomon kept walking around the headquarters and talked as they drank their drinks. It reminded him of the times he had hung out with Yorgi, guy was cool but it all went downhill as soon as that crooked cop turned on him. Xander had to remind himself that this guy was still dangerous and he was a danger to him and Sage while they were here.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxWith Sagexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sage sat in the kitchen at the table with her laptop as she tried to look over the information about Aja and her family. So far looking for proof to prove her innocence wasn't going so easy. There was nothing that could actually state that she did or didn't know what Solomon was doing in his spare time. She knew he had been in Japan around the time the weapons were stolen but no one would believe that she didn't know what he was doing. She had been around the Williams family for years before marrying Solomon and both of their parents on each side spoke on a regular basis. From what it looked like from the guest list they were able to download from one of Solomon's mens computer, Aja even knew some of the wives of the bosses that were going to bid on the weapon.

She sighed and took a sip of her tea. It really did look like Aja was just very sheltered or dumb to miss what Solomon was doing. Sage sighed again and looked at the clock on the stove, it was nine p.m. and Xander still hadn't made it back yet. She knew he couldn't be dead because unless he was stupid and didn't put his contacts in, then she would've been alerted by the old man and high tailed out of the next flight out of there. Sage took another sip of her tea and minimized the windows she was looking at until she got on her music. Her eyes quickly went to Bryant Myers "Porque Sigues Con El" and pressed on it.

As she went to boil more water for her tea she thought back on her meeting with Duchess today. She was still surprised that the sweet old man she met the other night was married to that bat out of hell she met today. What surprised Sage even more was the fact that Duchess almost seemed threatened of the thought of Sage even being around Matias. Does the woman not realize that even if Sage went for men out of her specific age range she wouldn't go for someone who was old enough to be her father.

She just hopped that she didn't get Aja in trouble with her mouth. The girl already had enough on her plate as it is. Sage shuddered at the thought of having to please a mother in law like that on a constant basis and she was glad that she never had that problem. Suddenly Sage's phone ringing made her jump out of her thoughts. She looked around her, like there was anyone else around to actually answer the damn thing. She shrugged her shoulders and picked it up and a large smile came to her face as she realized who it was that was actually trying to video call her.

"Abuela (grandma), what are you doing calling this late, cómo estás (how are you)," Sage said excitedly through the phone. She had gotten a smart phone for her grandmother about a year ago and it had taken forever for the old woman to finally figure it out.

"mi pastel de chocolate (my chocolate cupcake) is that you, mierda (shit) is this thing on right," the small Colombian woman said as she tried to get the screen aligned with her face. Sage's grandmother in her eyes was the most beautiful woman that she knew. She had always been short and very curvy, it's where Sage was sure she got her curves from as well since she never met a member of her mother's family. Yes, Valentina Abila was Sage's idol. Even now with her silver, grey hair in their pink rollers and her small round glasses on the tip of her nose and her purple bathroom she was the embodiment of a true lady to her.

"Abuela, this is late for you and you never call this late," Sage said. Valentina said that after eight thirty it was booty call hours and anyone calling after that time was up to no good. "¿Está todo bien, necesito enviar a Tito? (Is everything ok, do I need to sent Tito over)? Lucky for her, Sage had friends that would check up on Valentina while she was gone but she still worried. They didn't live in a bad neighborhood, her grandmother working three jobs for years made sure of that but she would still her worried about her seventy-three old grandmother.

"No no mi amor solo me preguntaba…..have you spoke to your father lately (No no my love I was just wondering….," Valentina nervously asked. Sage almost dropped the phone. Why would he be possibly calling her, hell she didn't even know what the guy sounded like. As far as she knew the guy was just a shadow of her.

"Grandma, maybe you smoked some of my emergency weed because if you remember correctly, I've never spoken to the man," Sage said. Valentina groaned and patted one of her cheeks. "Abuela, ¿estás seguro de que todo está bien, este tipo te molesta? (Grandma are you sure everything is ok, is this dude bothering you)? Sage watched her grandmother pick up a small box and to Sage's surprise she took out a grinder and started grinding something in it.

"No your father isn't bothering me, he's just been asking about you," Valentina said as she poured the contents out of the grinder. Sage knew she must be lying though. Whenever her grandmother was upset her accent got thicker and thicker to to the point that it was almost hard to understand her if you didn't know her. She took some smoking papers from an unseen corner and started rolling a joint. It was still amazing to Sage to see her old grandmother rolling a joint for herself. She had originally started doing it because she didn't want Sage to use Black and Mild wrappers to smoke when she found out that Sage was.

She told Sage she'd rather Sage smoke weed instead of doing everything else that was on the streets and apparently the leftovers were great as a spice and no one yet has seemed to catch on .She eventually tried it with Sage and every once and awhile would partake in it.

"Eso obviamente no es cierto, ¿qué ha estado preguntando? (That's obviously not true, what's he been asking)," Sage asked as she watched her grandma light up the joint that she had quickly rolled. Valentina took a puff of it before looking back at the screen.

"Just things like wanting to know what you looked like, what you did for your work, Sage usted no está en ningún problema es usted (you're not in any trouble are you), you have been away for a long time and now your father is calling asking all these questions about you, tal vez deberías venir a casa (maybe you should come home)," Valentina said with a worried look on her old face. Sage rolled her eyes as she listened to her grandmother speak. It was hard to lie to her when she was like the mother she never had. She had no idea why the deadbeat dad would want to come around after almost twenty four years but she was sure it had nothing to do with that she was doing her.

"Hey, who you talking to," a deep voice said behind Sage. She yelped and almost dropped her phone as she looked behind her to Xander standing there with a box of pizza in his hand. "Oh shit babe my bad I didn't mean to scare you".

"Sage ¿Estás bien, por qué estás gritando, eso es lo que voy a llamar a Tito (are you alright, why are you screaming, that's it I'm going to call Tito)," Valentina said quickly over the phone. Sage quickly turned back to the screen and put a flimsy smile on her face.

"No, no hay abuela, todo está bien (No no grandma, everything is ok I just got a little spooked)," Sage said. She didn't even notice Xander coming into the view of the screen until it was too late and he was looking down at her grandmother.

"Sorry ma'am I snuck up on her and gave her a scare," Xander said as he gave a small wave to the image of her grandmother. Valentina gave a small gasp and tightened her robe around her chest and patted her rolled hair.

"Creo que tal vez debo ser el que dice lo siento, mi amor, ¿por qué no me dijiste que tenías un caballero y un hombre tan guapo (I think maybe I should be the one saying sorry, my love why didn't you tell me you had a gentleman over, and such a handsome man)," Valentina said, smiling at the view of Xander. He must've realized that he had gotten a compliment as a smile started to appear on his face.

"Confía en mi abuela lo último que es es un caballeros, este es un amigo mío (trust me grandma the last thing he is is a gentlemen, this is a friend of mine)," Sage said.

"Bueno, espero que no por mucho tiempo (Well I hope not for long), just let him try some of your Colombian cooking and he'll be coming home with you for Christmas," Valentina said raising her eyebrows up and down in a suggestive manner.

"I actually didn't know Sage knew how to make Colombian food, you've been holding out on me," Xander said taking the phone away from her and sitting next to her in another chair.

"Oh yes you should try her bandeja paisa or her puchero, I swear I don't know why that girl went into computers when she could've opened her own restaurant with how well she cook," Valentina gloated. Sage couldn't believe what she was seeing, her grandmother and the hot dude she was working with and doing were talking about her cooking skills.

"That does sound good, babe why didn't you tell me you could make all this stuff, I want to try some," Xander asked. Sage watched her grandmother's eyes dart from Xander to Sage before a cheshire smile came to her face.

"¿¡Bebé!? Él te está llamando nena y aún no has cocinado nada de tu herencia, ni siquiera has dejado que tus novios te llamen nena (Babe!? He's calling you babe and yet you haven't cooked him anything from your heritage, you never even let your boyfriends here call you babe)," her grandmother exclaimed. Oh boy here we go, Sage thought to herself.

"Do you think you could find a way to make sure Sage hooks me up with the right stuff," Xander said as he chuckled at Valentina's reaction.

"Ooooooooh yes, you come over to my house and I'll make sure she feeds you till you drop," Valentina said. Sage snatched the phone from Xander and smiled at her grandmother.

"Bueno ok abuela Voy a hablar con usted más tarde bien, si necesita más cosas sólo recordar a Tito que me debe mucho (Well ok grandma I'll talk to you later alright, if you need anymore stuff just remind Tito that he owes me a lot)," Sage said wanting to hurry up and end the conversation before it got anymore weird for her.

"Por supuesto querida te amo y ... mantente en contacto por favor (Of course dear I love you and...keep in touch please)," Valentina said, trying to keep the small smile on her face. Sage could see the worry in her eyes though and it made her wonder what else her supposed 'father' could want from her.

"I will abuela, I'll call you soon," Sage gave a air kiss to the phone before hanging up the phone and glaring over at Xander, who was eating the pizza from the box. "Don't go telling my grandma that you'll be visiting with me, she takes those kind of things seriously". She went over to the box and saw that half of the pizza was veggie and took a slice. Before she could get a bit in he grabbed her around her waist and slid her in his lap.

"Who said I was joking, I think it would be fun to torment you as I look over your baby and embarrassing high school pictures," Xander said as he brushed his nose against the nap of her neck. Sage closed her eyes as she took a bite of the still warm pizza and looked over at him.

"You're definitely not allowed to come to my house now," Sage said getting up from his lap and taking the box of pizza anyway. Xander watched her walk over to the microwave, her hips swaying side to side in her tight shorts.

"So what did your grandma want to talk about, sounded pretty serious when I came in," Xander said, watching as she put a few slices in the microwave. Sage paused before pressing the buttons on the microwave. She turned around and leaned against the counter as she crossed her arms.

"I guess my deadbeat dad has been calling my grandma asking about me," Sage said. Xander almost dropped the pizza in his hand but quickly collected himself before Sage could notice his reaction.

"Wow um really, what did he want," he asked. Sage took her slices out the microwave and shook her head, confused as she sat down and started eating.

"It was really weird, she was saying he was asking about what I looked like, what I was doing, my education shit like that," Sage said as she took another bite. What the hell would Matias want to know that for, Xander wondered to himself.

"Really, she say why," he asked. Sage shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

"No but I could tell that it bothered her, I've never even spoken to the dude before so I don't even know why he's looking for me," Sage said. Did she just say he was looking for her, Xander asked himself. Shit, this was not good, what if Matias realized himself that Sage was his daughter and was trying to put all the pieces together. Xander looked back up at Sage and noticed the irritated look on her face. He took the piece of pizza out of her hand and before she could fully protest took her by the back of her thighs and slid her on his lap. "Hey I was eating".

"I think I know something a little better than that pizza," he said before leaning in and taking her bottom lip in his teeth. Sage gave a low moan and put her arms around his shoulders and brought him closer to her. Xander ran his hands underneath her shirt and felt her smooth skin and the lines of her tattooed back. He was going to have to have a chat with Gibbons about this, if things kept going this way things were going to spiral out of control. His thoughts were starting to fade as he felt Sage start lifting his shirt over his head and run her hands down his ripped abs. Yea, things were definitely going to go bad.

You know I honestly thought it was Thursday or Friday today so I am sorry If I'm posting late because the days are just going past me. SNAFU con is going to be this weekend though so I'm going to try to post another chapter or more before this weekend just in case I don't get to be on my computer since it seems like a 24hour thing. Thanks for reading though and of course aven91's comments as always.