A/N. Thanks for the reviews. Strong language. Adult scenes. In this fic I think Carlos knows the effects that he has on people and just wants to go after anyone. But he'll calm down in later chapters.
Spurned. Yes he'd failed to get Nick. He didn't know why. Maybe Nick played hard to get, maybe Carlos had put too much pressure on him. But he couldn't think of Nick's rejection right now, he had to meet Dominick and his friend Billy for a catch up. Carlos was training his ass off, but he'd take a few minutes out his day to see Dom, maybe he could give him some advice. "Hey, are you guys buying?" Billy asked when Carlos got to the cafe. "Sure" Carlos said getting a few dollars out of his wallet. "How's the leg doing?" Carlos asked Dominick. "Getting there I hope" Dominick said. "GSP's just around the corner" Dominick said. "How are you feeling?" Dominick asked. "embarrassed" Carlos said. "I just don't want to screw up and have people judge me you know" Dominick nodded.
"Carlos my man, you're gonna be in front of millions of people. You're getting paid to be judged" Billy said. "It can't be easy having all the pressure" Dominick said. "I thought punching people was the most easiest thing in the world" Billy said putting his arm on Dominick's shoulder. Billy could feel Carlos's irritation and excused himself. "I better start looking around for a hobby of my own" Billy said getting up with his coffee carton. He had business to attend to and if that meant nuzzling in on the inside someone else's investigation then so be it. He tracked Tommy down at Miller's. He'd never met Tommy Conlon before, but had heard of him. A righteous asshole, thinking that he could cover up wrongs, by playing a Samaritan. Fun, but it was one of the oldest tricks in the book.
He knocked on Miller's door to find Mr Conlon half asleep. "Hey there Tommy" Billy said. "Who the fuck are you?" Tommy said. "Your eviction notice" Billy said walking past Tommy and into Miller's apartment. By the time Miller got home from training he found Dom's friend Billy in his house. "Don't freak out...or call the police, I'm not Jim okay? I'm not gonna pull that shit" Billy said. "Fine what do you want, tell me and get out" Miller said. "I just need to be here that's all. Tommy's moved out" Billy said. "Is this a George Moore thing?" Miller asked. "It's a protection thing" Billy said. Miller shrugged and went to the gym to meet Mark.
Miller called Carlos when he got there, with Mark, who gave him a thumbs up in support. "So Carlos what you doing?" Miller asked. "Training...Jase...I just need to clear my head" Carlos said. "I get it, without me right?" Miller asked. "Yeah" Carlos said. Carlos ended the call and Miller chucked his phone on the floor" Hey!" Mark said picking his phone up. "If Jim comes back you won't be able to afford another one" "That's it Marky, there's...there's nothing else I can say to him" Miller said. "I'm just gonna leave him to it" Miller said. "Let's train your ass off, that will keep your mind off Carlos" Mark said. They trained for a while with Pete Sell, Kyle Kingsbury and Danny Downes among others. They were left alone to clean the sweat off the mats at the end, when a sulky shadow entered through the door.
"You wanna train Nate?" Mark asked. "Nah" Nate said. "Miller...have you got a sec?" Nate asked. Miller looked at Mark and Mark told them he was going to get a drink. Miller sat on the bench as Nate walked around in a circle. "So now nursery's finished early what drawings are you gonna show me Nate?" Miller asked. Nate ignored that comment. "I'm gonna make this quick okay? You're a fucking prick, but I shouldn't I have hit you. It weren't my place to do that shit" Nate said turning away. "Okay...who are you and what have you done with the real Nate Diaz?" Miller asked. Nate began walking away and Miller asked him if he'd like to stay and practice for a while. "We ain't friends asshole" Nate said walking out of the training centre. Mark came back a few minutes later.
"What just happened?" Mark asked him.
"A miracle" Miller said.
The next morning with Billy asleep on the couch, Miller got an early phone call. He secretly hoped it was Carlos, but it was his M-I5 boss John. "Mr Miller we can now reveal that you've been accepted into Mr Moore's band of not so merry men. Jim didn't spend any money on your cards, he just scanned them. We'll be keeping an eye on that. He will be contacting you in order to give you little tasks at first. You realise that under no circumstances can you fail these tasks" John told him. "You betcha boss" Miller said. "But I'm not sure if I can just take time off" Miller said. "We talked to Strike-force, they permit it, and to keep you under surveillance Billy will be assisting you" John said. Miller nodded, but he wasn't sure about Billy. "Great" Miller said "Mr Miller stay calm, and be yourself" John said ending the call. Miller wasn't sure if he was joking or not.
"She needs you...take care of her"
"I'll try" Those two words were full of shit. He tried to get her to a better private hospital, but by the time he joined the academy she was too sick to move. It pissed Billy off that that shit hole was going to be her deathbed. Her bright red hair had turned to grey, her healthy curvy figure was a skeletal transparent sack of bones. He'd buried her on his first day of the police academy, he hadn't told anyone. Not even Brown, or Jim. He was determined to make it in her memory. To become a real officer he'd have to go undercover first. The fights that Billy had to put himself through to get Costello's attention still haunted him in his dreams, but he finally got the mighty Costello's approval. Then good old arrogant Sullivan screwed up it up.
Bill opened his eyes and turned on Miller's television. He was going to go back to the force with a vengeance , but he had to prove himself and was going to use MMA's own Mayhem Miller to do it. He hadn't seen any of wacky Miller's fights, but he'd seen his interviews with Ariel Helwani. That was one of the reasons he wanted to team up with Miller. In Billy's mind they made sense as a team and maybe something more. But he didn't want to complicate things with labels. As Miller tried to get to sleep he got the call John had been waiting for. "Mr Miller...ready to cause Mayhem?" Jim asked. "Aren't I always?" Miller asked sleepily.
"So Mr Miller, you, me, Chris, Mr Moore and Mexico...that sound good to you?" Jim asked.
"Bring it on" Miller said as Jim ended the call. "Shit" Miller whispered to himself. "You got the call, you should be pleased" Billy said opening the door wider. "Are you going?" Miller asked. "I go where you go" Billy said. "This'll be your first task, so it won't be too full on" Billy said. "Hope not" Miller said. "Don't worry, I'll be there...buddy" Billy said as he closed the door. "Mexico?" Mark asked when he told him hours later in the gym. "Sorry I can't pack you in my suitcase" "You said M-I5 wouls go easy on you" Mark said. "I have someone going with me" Miller said. "Like a bodyguard?" Mark asked. "Look at me, dude I don't need one" Miller said. "Well you need someone there to keep an eye on you" Mark said.
"You're seriously smuggling that over the border?" George Moore asked. "Why the fuck not George? You're smuggling your Grand-kid" Jim said tucking his gun under his waist. "We've got Miller on board so we've got all the muscle we need" George said. "Yeah well...we can't be too careful. Miller checked out, but he could still be a backstabbing mole. We need to keep our eyes open" Jim said. "I've got paid eyes...trust me" George Moore said as he lit a cigar. "Go on, have one" Jacqui said putting the bag of crisps underneath Nick's nose. "Nah" Nick said shaking his head. "You dunno when you're fighting" Jacqui said. "It could be anytime, you might as well eat what you want" Nick looked at the television. "Don't wanna Jinx it" He said as Jacqui leaned on his shoulder.
After watching one of Jacqui's favourite movies on DVD he dropped her off at her mother's house. I might see you later yeah" Jacqui said kissing him on the cheek. Nick nodded and went out for a run. Ever since Nick had told his little brother what he really thought Nate had been out with Cath most nights. Nick knew his little brother was avoiding him to punish him, but he knew Nate would come around. He ran through the streets jabbing his fists in the air when he paused to see Dom smiling at him. "You okay?" Nick asked. "Yeah, leg's still weird" Dom said. "Heard you got company" Nick said. It was always a pain in the ass when friends stayed over when you're were training or even worse, injured like Dom was.
"Yeah, but Billy's crashing at Miller's now" Dom told him. "Right" Nick said nodding. Dom talked a little about his injury and Nick nodded in the right places before Dom had to go and Nick finished his run. He came back to place that was still empty and wondered who this "Billy" guy was. If Billy was anything like Tommy, Nick was going to have a problem with him. He got up to make himself a salad when he heard a knock at the door. He thought even hoped it was Jacqui. He opened the door and Miller was standing there sheepishly. "Umm...can we talk?" He asked. "Why?" Nick asked. "Your Robin to your Batman showed up at my training camp" Miller said. Nick stared at him confused. "Nate showed up" Miller said. "So?" Nick said. He left the door open and Miller followed him in.
"Little Nate in a roundabout way changed his tune about well, beating my ass" Miller said. "Where would he get that crazy idea to do that from?" Miller asked. Nick shrugged. "I just came to get some answers...before I go" Miller said. "You moving house?" Nick asked. "No. M-I5 are giving me a free holiday...to Mexico" Miller said. "This is the part where you say awesome, way to go and high-five me" Miller said. Nick got up and went to make that salad in the kitchen. Miller stood at the door frame before stepping in. "Carlos know?" Nick asked. "Carlos doesn't have time to know" Miller said. "Carlos had GSP and training and stuff" Miller said. Nick opened the salad bag and emptied it in a bowl.
"Why tell me Mill? I don't give a shit" Nick said as he took the salad dressing out of the cupboard. "You gave a shit to get little Nate at my camp" Miller said, grabbing the salad dressing. "Don't be a shit-bag, give me the sauce" Nick said trying to grab the salad dressing from him, but failing. "Whatever, I'll have it dry" Nick said getting a fork and eating the salad. He took the bowl and walked back into the lounge. "How does the zero calorie salad taste?" Miller asked following him. "Fucking awful" Nick as Miller passed him the dressing. Nick snatched it off him and spread the dressing over his salad.
"You know, you can fuck off now" Nick said turning up the volume on the television.
"I will after I've said thanks. Thanks for bribing little Nate to act like a grown up. To say thanks Nick, I'm gonna have some of your salad" Miller said walking over to Nick's chair side and roughly kissing Nick on the mouth. Nick wanted to lean forward, wipe the dressing off his mouth and take it further, but Miller was jetting off to Mexico. Within hours Miller would have forgotten all about this. All about Nick. Nick wasn't about to become a regretful afterthought not even for Miller. Miller paused in-front of him leaning in again until Nick swerved away and got out of the chair.
"Go...you know...just get the fuck out" Nick told him.
"Fine...whatever" Miller said as he went back home. Billy was there eating when he got back. He didn't get why Nick had thrown him out. He thought Nick wanted it to happen although now Nick had Jacqui. He probably liked her more than Miller thought. How could he have misread Nick's mind so badly? He'd rather go to Mexico with Jim, Chris, Mr Moore and Billy than have to face Nick right now.
"You ready for Mexico?" Billy asked eating a fruit salad.
"Yeah" Miller said, high-fiving Billy. "I'm more freaking ready for Mexico than ever"