Mike stood there with the gun in his hand happily satisfied with his work
as he saw both father and son lying unconscious next to each other. He had
finally gotten his revenge, and as they say- it was sweet.
"The doc looks dead to me, boss," one of his men said, kneeling down beside him.
"Good. That's how I intended it to be," he replied smiling smugly.
"Want me to check out his kid, too?"
Mike shook his head. "No. Frankly I don't care if he's dead or alive. Doc Sloan is the only one I want pushing up daises. The kid is just an added bonus. Come on, let's get out of here."
They then ran away, just as Amanda and Jesse were running up, immediately concerned when they saw Steve and Mark lying still on the ground. "Oh, my god!" Amanda screamed, running over to Mark. "Mark? Mark, can you hear me?"
Jesse left Amanda with Mark and ran over to Steve, hoping that he didn't lose his best friend as well. "Steve? Can you here me, buddy?"
Steve stirred slightly, giving Jesse a sigh of relief. "Mmm... Dad..."
"Steve's alive, Amanda! What about Mark?"
Amanda took a deep breath and shakily turned Mark over, finding him still unconscious. "I don't know he-"
Mark cleared his throat some, and soon his words were heard as clear as day. "Is Mike gone?"
Amanda shrieked, prompting Jesse to run quickly over to them, not knowing what to expect. "What?! What's wrong?!"
"He's alive!" Amanda said, pointing at him.
"Well of course I am," Mark replied, his eyes still closed. "You don't think I would want someone to kill me, do you?"
Jesse grinned and started laughing slightly, as Amanda smacked him on the arm. "Do you think this is funny? He nearly scared me half to death!!"
"Well, you know, given the situation and that it was you that he, well..."
Amanda hit him again and got up from the ground. "You are SO not funny right now! So I'm just going to leave you two and your humor and go check on Steve."
"She's so touchy, sometimes," Jesse replied, grinning. "So how are you feeling, Mark? He didn't get you, did he?"
Mark sat up with help from Jesse, and shook his head. "Nope. Got a bullet proof vest."
"From who?"
"From me," Chief Masters said, coming out from behind the trees. "Mark told us what happened and so we gave him that, while I hid behind the trees and I had back up on radio. As soon as Mike and his friends left, I radioed to follow them. So we should be getting an update on that, soon."
"Well good. I'm glad that you didn't do anything stupid," Jesse replied towards Mark.
"I can't believe I was even thinking of doing anything so stupid. I guess this guy really gets to me."
"So what made you change your mind?"
"You and Amanda. I guess you both can be some pretty smooth talkers sometimes."
Jesse grinned. "Yeah. I guess so!"
Mark's look of happiness suddenly turned into a look of concern. "Wait a minute, where's Steve? Is he alive?"
"Yeah, I'm fine... Somewhat," Steve responded, walking slowly up to his father and Jesse.
"Thank god," Mark said, letting out a sigh. "Are you allright?"
"Oh yeah. You know clumsy me. When I was diving towards you, I tripped over a rock and knocked myself out."
"Wow, you're right. That is clumsy," Jesse replied, laughing.
Steve glared at him. "I wouldn't push if I were you Mr.-"
"Ah! Not one word about Sally!"
Chief Masters looked slightly confused. "Who's-"
Amanda rolled her eyes. "Don't ask."
Jesse's glare at Amanda was suddenly interrupted by the Chief's cell phone ringing, to which he picked up without hesitation. "Yes?... What?! How could you possibly lose him?! I gave you specific instructions to- yeah, well I don't care if he was driving too fast for you, that's the lamest excuse I've heard! Now I'm going back to precinct and I want you in my office when I get there, is that understood?... Good!!"
Mark rubbed his face as he watched the chief hang up. "Let me guess... They lost Mike, didn't they?"
The chief sighed and nodded. "Don't worry, we're not giving up, Mark. We'll get this guy if it's the last thing we do." **
About a year had passed and the fab four were back with their regular lives. A few months ago, there had been a car wreck on the PCH and though the person inside was completely almost destroyed, they determined from dental samplings that it was indeed Mike Pearson. They were all a bit shaken up and confused as to how exactly it happened, but they were also glad that the whole mess was over.
"I still can't believe you found a car exactly like your old one," Amanda said to Jesse as they were eating dinner at Bob's one night.
"What's wrong with that?" Jesse replied, in-between a mouthful of ribs.
"Nothing... I guess. It's just that I think Sally would want you to move on."
"And I am- with her twin!"
Amanda placed a hand on his. "Yeah, but Jesse you have to realize that- oh god, what am I saying? It's a car for crying out loud!"
"Hey, it's-"
"Not just a car, we know, Jesse," Mark spoke up.
"Darn right it's not just a car. It's special," he said, stabbing his fork into the potato salad on his plate.
"Hey, guys," Steve said, walking in and sitting next to Jesse.
"Hi, son," Mark greeted him. "Anything good happen at work today?"
"You mean, do I have any cases for you to help solve?" he responded, grinning.
"Mm, whatever," he replied, taking a sip of his iced tea.
"Nah, nothing much. The thing with Mike Pearson took up a lot of our time. We're just now getting back into the swing of things again."
"Well hey, I for one am happy that he is out of here," Amanda said.
"Me, too," Jesse said with a mouthful of food.
Amanda looked grossed out, as she handed him a napkin. "Must you talk with your mouth full?"
"Hey, it's my restaurant, I'll do what I want," he said, grabbing the napkin from her and wiping the part of the table he got food on in front of him.
Mark shook his head. "I don't know."
"About what, dad?" Steve asked.
"About Mike. I mean, I want to believe he's dead, but a part of me just feels like he isn't. That he's still out there somehow."
"Mark, that's crazy. They proved it was him. I mean, the dental records showed it," Amanda said.
"Yeah, but that could have been fixed."
"Dad, come on. I mean, you have to stop with this. He's gone. We're all safe again. Please, can't we just let it go?"
Mark sighed. "I guess. Yeah, you're right. I'm being too paranoid. We should be celebrating. Here's to life, and living it to the fullest," he said, holding up his glass. "And knowing that Mike Pearson is out of our lives for good."
They all drank to that, but was soon interrupted when the once happy and popular restaurant disappeared as it exploded into the night air.
TBC...
"The doc looks dead to me, boss," one of his men said, kneeling down beside him.
"Good. That's how I intended it to be," he replied smiling smugly.
"Want me to check out his kid, too?"
Mike shook his head. "No. Frankly I don't care if he's dead or alive. Doc Sloan is the only one I want pushing up daises. The kid is just an added bonus. Come on, let's get out of here."
They then ran away, just as Amanda and Jesse were running up, immediately concerned when they saw Steve and Mark lying still on the ground. "Oh, my god!" Amanda screamed, running over to Mark. "Mark? Mark, can you hear me?"
Jesse left Amanda with Mark and ran over to Steve, hoping that he didn't lose his best friend as well. "Steve? Can you here me, buddy?"
Steve stirred slightly, giving Jesse a sigh of relief. "Mmm... Dad..."
"Steve's alive, Amanda! What about Mark?"
Amanda took a deep breath and shakily turned Mark over, finding him still unconscious. "I don't know he-"
Mark cleared his throat some, and soon his words were heard as clear as day. "Is Mike gone?"
Amanda shrieked, prompting Jesse to run quickly over to them, not knowing what to expect. "What?! What's wrong?!"
"He's alive!" Amanda said, pointing at him.
"Well of course I am," Mark replied, his eyes still closed. "You don't think I would want someone to kill me, do you?"
Jesse grinned and started laughing slightly, as Amanda smacked him on the arm. "Do you think this is funny? He nearly scared me half to death!!"
"Well, you know, given the situation and that it was you that he, well..."
Amanda hit him again and got up from the ground. "You are SO not funny right now! So I'm just going to leave you two and your humor and go check on Steve."
"She's so touchy, sometimes," Jesse replied, grinning. "So how are you feeling, Mark? He didn't get you, did he?"
Mark sat up with help from Jesse, and shook his head. "Nope. Got a bullet proof vest."
"From who?"
"From me," Chief Masters said, coming out from behind the trees. "Mark told us what happened and so we gave him that, while I hid behind the trees and I had back up on radio. As soon as Mike and his friends left, I radioed to follow them. So we should be getting an update on that, soon."
"Well good. I'm glad that you didn't do anything stupid," Jesse replied towards Mark.
"I can't believe I was even thinking of doing anything so stupid. I guess this guy really gets to me."
"So what made you change your mind?"
"You and Amanda. I guess you both can be some pretty smooth talkers sometimes."
Jesse grinned. "Yeah. I guess so!"
Mark's look of happiness suddenly turned into a look of concern. "Wait a minute, where's Steve? Is he alive?"
"Yeah, I'm fine... Somewhat," Steve responded, walking slowly up to his father and Jesse.
"Thank god," Mark said, letting out a sigh. "Are you allright?"
"Oh yeah. You know clumsy me. When I was diving towards you, I tripped over a rock and knocked myself out."
"Wow, you're right. That is clumsy," Jesse replied, laughing.
Steve glared at him. "I wouldn't push if I were you Mr.-"
"Ah! Not one word about Sally!"
Chief Masters looked slightly confused. "Who's-"
Amanda rolled her eyes. "Don't ask."
Jesse's glare at Amanda was suddenly interrupted by the Chief's cell phone ringing, to which he picked up without hesitation. "Yes?... What?! How could you possibly lose him?! I gave you specific instructions to- yeah, well I don't care if he was driving too fast for you, that's the lamest excuse I've heard! Now I'm going back to precinct and I want you in my office when I get there, is that understood?... Good!!"
Mark rubbed his face as he watched the chief hang up. "Let me guess... They lost Mike, didn't they?"
The chief sighed and nodded. "Don't worry, we're not giving up, Mark. We'll get this guy if it's the last thing we do." **
About a year had passed and the fab four were back with their regular lives. A few months ago, there had been a car wreck on the PCH and though the person inside was completely almost destroyed, they determined from dental samplings that it was indeed Mike Pearson. They were all a bit shaken up and confused as to how exactly it happened, but they were also glad that the whole mess was over.
"I still can't believe you found a car exactly like your old one," Amanda said to Jesse as they were eating dinner at Bob's one night.
"What's wrong with that?" Jesse replied, in-between a mouthful of ribs.
"Nothing... I guess. It's just that I think Sally would want you to move on."
"And I am- with her twin!"
Amanda placed a hand on his. "Yeah, but Jesse you have to realize that- oh god, what am I saying? It's a car for crying out loud!"
"Hey, it's-"
"Not just a car, we know, Jesse," Mark spoke up.
"Darn right it's not just a car. It's special," he said, stabbing his fork into the potato salad on his plate.
"Hey, guys," Steve said, walking in and sitting next to Jesse.
"Hi, son," Mark greeted him. "Anything good happen at work today?"
"You mean, do I have any cases for you to help solve?" he responded, grinning.
"Mm, whatever," he replied, taking a sip of his iced tea.
"Nah, nothing much. The thing with Mike Pearson took up a lot of our time. We're just now getting back into the swing of things again."
"Well hey, I for one am happy that he is out of here," Amanda said.
"Me, too," Jesse said with a mouthful of food.
Amanda looked grossed out, as she handed him a napkin. "Must you talk with your mouth full?"
"Hey, it's my restaurant, I'll do what I want," he said, grabbing the napkin from her and wiping the part of the table he got food on in front of him.
Mark shook his head. "I don't know."
"About what, dad?" Steve asked.
"About Mike. I mean, I want to believe he's dead, but a part of me just feels like he isn't. That he's still out there somehow."
"Mark, that's crazy. They proved it was him. I mean, the dental records showed it," Amanda said.
"Yeah, but that could have been fixed."
"Dad, come on. I mean, you have to stop with this. He's gone. We're all safe again. Please, can't we just let it go?"
Mark sighed. "I guess. Yeah, you're right. I'm being too paranoid. We should be celebrating. Here's to life, and living it to the fullest," he said, holding up his glass. "And knowing that Mike Pearson is out of our lives for good."
They all drank to that, but was soon interrupted when the once happy and popular restaurant disappeared as it exploded into the night air.
TBC...
