Show: The Agency

Title: The American Family: Chapter 14

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

A/N: Sorry about the delay, school's been a real pain in the behind. Thank you very much for

much for last chapter's comments, it was very good to know that I settled plenty of debate as to

Michael's status and yes, Michael does talk a good game doesn't he? How many of you would

have been taken in by his personality? Answer honestly. Anyways, onto bigger and brighter

things, did you guys hear that apparently Paige Turco (Terri Lowell) and Jason O'Mara (A.B.

Stiles) got MARRIED!!! Isn't that fantastic…? I guess the sparks flew in reality. I guess many of

you are wondering will that ever happen in this fic… yes it will, eventually, so until then, sit back

and enjoy the rest of the ride!

*~*~*~*~*~*

He looked like crap.

Stiles' glacial blue eyes were bloodshot and swollen from imbibing too much alcohol after he'd

dragged himself home from Dinah's apartment the night before, there were violet crescent moons

beneath his eyes and his cheeks were rough with the night's growth of beard. He splashed his

face liberally with ice-cold water at the tap before glancing at his reflection in the mirror again.

Not only did he look like crap, but he felt like it as well. His jeans were rumpled as they hung on

his lean hips; he had long disposed of his T-shirt. As he blinked rapidly to shake off the last

vestiges of his hangover and dry-swallowed two aspirin, he still couldn't manage to slake the

alarm bell that was clanging in his head or the feeling that *something* was wrong from clawing in

his belly.

Never one to ignore his instincts – they had saved him one too many times in the field – Stiles left

his bathroom and headed to his small office off the living room and dialed the secure OTS

extension line.

"OTS," came Lex's sleepy voice after only the first ring.

"Hey, Lex, it's Stiles. Any progress?"

"Nope," the tech clerk replied with a sigh. "Been here all night," he continued, stifling a yawn, "and

there hasn't even been one hit."

"Shit," Stiles cursed softly.

"What's wrong?" asked Lex.

"Nothing, it's nothing," Stiles replied, rubbing his exhaustion from his eyes. Maybe he was just

overreacting – the effects of too much alcohol and too little food.

"Sure?"

"Yeah. Hey, Lex," Stiles called before he could hang up, "call me the second anything pops up."

"Will do, Stiles."

Stiles set the phone back on the receiver, a frown still marring his features. Something was

wrong, he could feel it, but he couldn't quite put his finger on to why, but like Spiderman and his

spider-sense, he could feel it. He stared at the phone again, debating as to whether he should

call Terri or not. As soon as the thought crossed his mind he dismissed it. If Terri needed help,

she could get it from *Michael*! Stiles cursed again and went to the fridge for his breakfast –

beer… again.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Terri's heart dropped to her stomach as her eyes focused on the gun gripped so steadily in

Michael's hand. She tried to scramble away from him in the bed as she gripped the sheets closer

around her nakedness. "You bastard," she hissed, much to her dismay, her fear laced those

defiant words.

"My ma doesn't think so," he chuckled darkly. He pulled himself up to his full height and came

slowly towards her, always trailing the gun on her forehead. Her eyes widened as she watched

his progress and she tried to scramble away, but with the combination of being cocooned in the

sheets and the effects of the drug running through her veins, there wasn't much Terri could do

before he tossed a black silk robe into her face. "Dress," he barked disdainfully.

Terri hurried to do as he asked, feeling more secure when at least the scrap of silk covered her

nakedness. Before she could tie the sash properly, her cruelly grabbed her by her long hair and

pulled her to her feet, spinning her around so that her back lay flush against the hardness of his

front and he pressed the muzzle of the gun against her temple.

Just then, the door to the bedroom and a man walked in holding Alex's hand. Waves of dread

splashed over her as her son's frightened blue eyes met hers. Terri whimpered in fear as she met

the cold blue eyes of none other than Jonathan O'Brien himself.

"What to you want from me?" whispered Terri, disgusted as tears started to roll down her cheeks.

Behind her, Michael used the barrel of the silencer to tuck a stray strand of chestnut hair behind

her ear.

"Whoever said we wanted something from you?" he whispered huskily, before her raised the butt

of the gun and hit her across the back of her head.

The last thing Terri heard before falling into the black pit of unconsciousness was Alex's scream,

"Mommy!"

Alex struggled against Jonathan's tight hold against the scruff of his T-shirt collar, he tried using

his karate moves against the taller man, lashing out at his shins with his feet. John-boy cursed

before backslapping the little boy into the door where his head connected with the door and he

too slid into unconsciousness.

"Must you settle everything with violence?" Michael asked, scooping Terri into his arms and

walking past the other man.

John-boy rolled his eyes as he scooped A.B.2 into his arms. "Talk about the pot callin' th' kettle

black."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Stiles took the dusty shoebox from the top of his closet. Dusting it off, he opened it as he sat on

his bed. The box smelled like old memories, both good and bad. The box smelled like Ireland.

Reverently, he took out the stack of photographs. The ones at the top of the pile were black and

white and slightly fraying around the edges. They were pictures of his grandparents when they

had been a good ten years younger than he was now, standing in front of the pub that had been

in his family for years after they'd just gotten married. They were smiling for the camera and his

grandfather was proudly holding his wife's stomach, protruding with their firstborn. His father. He

looked at the photo of his fifteen-year-old father, standing with his parents in front of the second

pub they'd bought when they moved to America. He cycled through the photos, moving from

black and white, to grainy colour, to Polaroid, to photos from a few years ago. A photo of Terri at

Thanksgiving at Joshua's when she had been sixth months pregnant. Lex had taken it in secret

and, with a red face, given it to Stiles after he'd gotten it developed. She'd looked so beautiful,

motherhood had suited her.

He frowned as he cycled through the rest of the pictures: Terri at eight months, Terri, holding Alex

for the first time, him holding his son, Terri rocking Alex to sleep in the neo-natal unit, numerous

birthday parties… the frown couldn't help but fade as he looked at the pictures of his flesh and

blood.

He sifted through the other numerous knick-knacks from his past and found what he was looking

for. He emptied the contents of the envelope onto the bed. Photos of himself when he was just an

awkward teenage boy peered up at him, from the days when he had gone back to Ireland to live

with his grandfather after his mother had died and his father had been stationed far away. In

those boyhood days he had done some things he was not proud of today, things that had cost

him a lot if they ever became friends. Things that had governed the man he had become now…

his eyes bypassed the photograph of him as one of Martin Archer's bodyguards when Northern

Ireland had first become democratic – an assignment only Quinn and Gage had known about –

his eyes sifting until he found what he was looking for.

With heart clenching, he gazed at the photo taken seventeen years ago, the year 1990 and he

had been twenty-two, barely enlisted in the Marines four years. His eyes narrowed at the photo,

he was dressed in fatigues and a blue beret – battle garb for the Sumac Cell and smiling for the

camera with his 'friend' and 'comrade', Jonathan O'Brien.

TBC…

A/N: I know a lot of you are going to like 'What the hell?' Truthfully, I don't have the slightest clue

where I took the story with this revelation… I had another plan for this story, but as I sat typing at

my computer, this is where my muse took me and who am I to argue? I hope you like it, R&R to

tell me what you thought. Bye for now.

P.S: I've been meaning to answer the question posted, 'Why didn't Stiles and Terri get married

after they found out she was pregnant?' The answer is, I didn't think it would be good for them to

get married just for the sake of the child. All their relationship was based on before was sex, and I

didn't think that, even if a child was involved, that that was the best thing to base something as

important as marriage on. Hope that cleared it up.