A/N: I know, I know, I know. ANOTHER fandom?! I literally have hundreds of thousands of words written for Brio, for Nadalind, for Jax and Tara, for Jeresa, for now Ross and Demelza, and even some for Olicity, but when I sat down at the dealership this morning while I waited for my car to be serviced, I didn't edit or post any of those other stories; I wrote this. Sorry (not sorry). As with anything I write, for those who read this, I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks,
Charlynn

"He… Jimmy," Thony swallowed thickly, refusing to look at Arman when she said the name of the man she had, no matter what he told her in reassurance, played a role in murdering that day. The name stuck in her throat - like it had claws, and it was digging its way inside of her larynx, so that, no matter what else she said in the future, the dead man would always be there as well. She was a doctor. She was supposed to save lives, not sacrifice them in order to save her own. Thony could only justify her actions so much, so far, with the rationalization that what she did wasn't for herself but for Luca. Eventually, however, she was going to reach a limit, a line, that she couldn't cross for her son, and it felt like that moment was speeding towards her now like a bullet train.

Instead of looking at the man beside her - the man who seemed to both rescue and damn her with his every action, Thony kept her eyes focused on her son as she straightened her shoulders, blinked away the moisture gathering in her eyes, and took a deep breath. Centered once more, she continued, "he wasn't the only odd encounter I had today."

"Jimmy was working with someone?"

"No, no," Thony was quick to deny. God, she couldn't be responsible for two deaths. Before Arman's mind could spin out wild and threatening scenarios, she reassured him, "it was nothing like that."

Turning away from the window and angling himself towards her, Arman, hands on hips, demanded, "then what was it like?"

"I was working - cleaning," she explained. "At a bowling alley."

It was so obvious to Thony that, after Arman's warning just moments before - that his boss, the boss, would now consider her in - in the know, in the inner circle, in not just the mob but the family… as much as that meant, considering that even she knew enough to know that the sentiment only went so far as she was useful to Hayak's actual blood relatives, she had no choice but to tell Arman about the FBI. She could fight deportation. She could run; she could hide; she could beg, borrow, and steal her way back to the United States as many times as it would take to save her son. But if she was dead? A dead woman couldn't do anything. It didn't matter what Arman promised her. It was one thing for him to find a way to keep her alive after she witnessed Hayak's son kill Theo. But if he continued to protect her and it was revealed that she was a rat? Thony wouldn't be the only person dying for the good of the family.

Yet… despite her conviction of what she needed to do, it was a hell of a lot easier to come to that conclusion than it was to actually act upon it.

Arman offered her a small, crooked grin. "While I can't say that I frequent bowling alleys regularly, I don't think it is unusual for strange men to be hanging out there."

His teasing, his dismissive tone - like she would bother him with something as trivial as someone looking at her a little too long or a little too closely after she sentenced a man to death that day and Arman performed the execution? - irritated Thony, and she found herself challenging him, "and is it common for FBI agents to corner cleaning women in a bowling alley bathroom or perform a raid to round up illegal workers just so that they could question that same cleaning lady's sister-in-law about the night of a certain underground fight?"

At first, Thony felt a sense of satisfaction as she watched not only the smirk but also the color drain from Arman's face, but then she realized that his reaction meant more than finally surprising him, than finally getting one over on him; it meant that he was genuinely worried - perhaps even nervous. He took a step closer to her, narrowing the distance between them to mere inches. The move, however, wasn't meant to intimidate. It was instinctual - like the closer they were, the better he could protect her, himself, them. His voice dropped in both volume and register, so that it was practically a rasp when he demanded, "tell me everything, and start at the beginning."

So, Thony did just that. She told him about how the agent - Garrett Miller - had used a baby to put her at ease, how he talked to her as a parent first to get her guard down before cornering her with photos of not just Arman but others he worked with in an attempt to see if she knew any of them. Thony assured him that she had lied, but it was obvious that the agent didn't believe her. But then they had been interrupted, and then Arman had called her to the warehouse, and then she thought that was it… only to go back hours later to find Fi, her sister-in-law, scared out of her mind and being interrogated about Thony's comings and goings, Thony's work, Thony's actions. Fi had been traumatized, believing that she was going to be deported, and Thony had gotten her out of there as quickly as she could… only to receive a call from her niece, informing her that Luca was sick.

"But how did they connect you to me," Arman wanted to know.

"It was Theo's funeral." Arman's brow twisted in confusion, and Thony fidgeted, licking her lips and reaching for her necklace as her anxiety compounded. "I, uh, I went to it, spoke to his daughter afterwards, gave her the gift that Theo had picked out for her sixteenth birthday."

Almost snidely, he accused, "I thought you were just the cleaning lady?!"

"I am!," Thony defended hotly. "I was," she emphasized pointedly. After all, it wasn't a bad idea to remind the both of them of who and what she was as well. "But I liked Theo. He was nice to me. I would have gone to his funeral even if I… even if… well, you know." Finding her strength and becoming frustrated with him once more, Thony turned the tables by asking, "why was the FBI watching Theo's funeral in the first place?" She witnessed the query land, as it seemed to rock through Arman. He didn't physically sway away from her in shock, but his intensity dropped, and the disapproval she had felt coming from him all but disappeared. "Theo wasn't anybody important. He hosted illegal fights, and he rented out his warehouse. He wasn't in," she reminded Arman.

She could see his mind working as he sifted his way through what they knew and what they didn't know, and Thony would be lying to herself if she denied his obvious intelligence, the competence he wore just as well as he did his tailored suits and leather jacket, and how much she liked that about him. "He wasn't in with us, but what if he was in with the FBI," Arman suggested. As quickly as he had come to that conclusion, he seemed to accept it. "Theo was an informant, and now that they've lost him, they're scrambling. Cases have fallen apart for less. They need someone else - and fast, and you gave them exactly what they needed when you went to that funeral."

"Do not blame me for doing the right thing!"

"Right, wrong; good, bad," Arman reproached her. "Those words don't mean the same thing for you now, Thony." But he didn't just mean because of him. Without a word, both of their gazes turned to fix on the little boy, her little boy, behind the glass walls - unconscious with fever and infection and probably dying no matter what - right or wrong, good or bad - either of them did.

Not wanting to dwell on what she had already done or what she would likely need to do in the future to survive and save her son, Thony refocused both of them on the topic, on the problem, at hand. "They think you killed Theo."

"Trust me, they don't care about Theo, and they're after more than just murder charges."

"But if I just tell them that Tarik…"

"No!," Arman denied, dark eyes flashing back to her with more intensity, more immediacy, than she had ever seen from him before… and that was heartstopping in and of itself given everything they had faced together during their brief association. And then he kept talking, and Thony felt her chest clench with anxiety and dread. "Tarik is Hayak's son," he stressed. "He won't just kill you if you roll on him; he'll burn your entire world down - and mine. And it wouldn't work anyway. Once you talk to the Feds, they own you, You're theirs, and you'll never get away from them - at least, not unscathed."

Nothing he said was a surprise. Somehow, despite being new to his world, Thony had known what Arman would say in response to her suggestion, and she knew that he was right, too. But she had to try something! She couldn't not cooperate. It was the FBI, and she had no legal standing in the United States. Her son, her sister-in-law, and her nephew had no legal standing either, and none of them had the financial means to challenge the U.S. government. But she also couldn't be the reason why anything happened to Arman… and not just because he was the only person standing between Luca and near certain death. "Even if I don't give this agent anything, I'm still as good as deported, and if that happens, Luca dies."

"I won't let anything happen to either of you," Arman practically growled. Thony understood that his anger, his fear, his frustration wasn't with her but the situation, and she also knew that he was making her promises that logically he couldn't keep… yet she believed him anyway. What's more, she recognized that, despite every horrible thing they were facing, and doing, and would still need to do, the riskiest thing of all would be to ask Arman and allow him to voice why he cared so much. He tempered his tone somewhat when he added, "I gave you my word, and I meant it," but even that was just another vow, not an explanation.

"What about Fiona? Her son Chris? They have nothing to do with this." It was an unnecessary reminder for the both of them, but Thony voiced it anyway. "But that won't stop Agent Miller from trying to get to me through them."

Arman only considered her questions for a moment before he posed his own. "How far would your sister-in-law be willing to go to secure citizenship?"

Remembering that Fi had seriously considered selling drugs just to get a better job, Thony felt secure in telling him, "for her children, she would do anything."

"Then I'll make a call."

Wanting to roll her eyes at his obliqueness, Thony insisted upon more information. "What does that mean?"

"It means this is Vegas, and Hayak isn't the only one who has men who will do whatever he tells them."

She gasped, felt her eyes go round and wide - not just with surprise but also with… more. It wasn't necessarily intrigue, but it wasn't repulsion towards the idea either. In fact, there was a small part of Thony that was envious that such an option wasn't available to her as well. It would solve… so much. "You're going to have one of your men marry Fi?"

"It's the quickest, easiest, and most logical way to block the FBI from blackmailing you into cooperating with them." It would still mean telling Fiona about Arman, about what Thony was doing for him, and there would be so many other changes they would need to consider and then likely undertake. Astonishing her further, he added, "and, if necessary, Carlos can even adopt your nephew and niece." He made it all sound so simple. There would be challenges, of course, but what surprised Thony the most was the fact that Fi had not thought of and attempted such a solution before now. As if he was reading or sharing her thoughts, Arman remarked, "I realize it's ridiculous that, in five minutes, we can secure what your sister-in-law has been fighting years to accomplish… but not ridiculous enough not to take advantage of it."

"And me," Thony wanted to know. This time, it was her turn to take a step closer to Arman. It forced her to tip her head back even further so as to maintain their eye contact. Her feet slotted between his, and her shirt brushed against his coat. "Will you have one of your men marry me as well?"

She needed to tell him that she was already married, that such a solution wasn't an option for her, but Thony felt driven to see his reaction to the idea of anyone else saving her… even if it was only through a marriage of convenience that he, a married man himself, orchestrated on her behalf. It was more than curiosity, too; it was… a need. If she couldn't ask him why she and her son mattered to him, she at least wanted a glimpse of how much. They had only known each other for a few weeks - mere days, really, but Thony was willing to put not only her own fate but the fate of her son in his strong, capable hands. The reassurance that he felt what she felt - emotions that she refused to put into words let alone acknowledge but needed to see from him anyway - would mean more than any oath he could give her. After all, words - I'll quit gambling, Thony, I swear; your son can have my bone marrow - were cheap.

Arman's reaction, though nearly silent, was everything Thony was looking for… and more. His lips thinned, his nostrils flared, and his eyes burned. They stood so close that she could feel the tension vibrating from his body. The way he stared down at her? She felt claimed, branded, possessed. It took him several moments to regain control of himself enough so that he could speak, and all he managed to say was a single word. But it was enough. In fact, it was more than enough. "No," Arman gritted out through clenched teeth.

"Good," Thony responded just as succinctly. "Because I'm already married."

Her revelation didn't cause a similar reaction, which told her that he was bothered more by the idea of someone else taking care of her and Luca than he was by the sanctity of marriage vows. "So am I."

"None of this helps me, though, the next time the FBI approaches. And we both know there will be a next time."

"Between Luca's trial, a reference from Dr. Saroyan, and my money, we shouldn't have any problem expediting a renewal of your medical visa." And it would be that simple. It didn't matter where you went or what the situation was but who you knew and how much money you had. Through Arman, with Arman, Thony now had both. "When Agent Miller tries to contact you again, tell him to talk to your lawyer." To reinforce his point, Arman retrieved his wallet, extracting a business card and handing it to her. Nodding towards it in encouragement, he explained as she slipped it, unseen, into her back pocket, "we have the firm on retainer. I'll have their immigration specialist reach out to you."

And now that she was in, there would be no need for Arman to lie about or hide how he was helping her; and now that she was in, Hayak would not object to Thony having access to his resources.

It was so much, though - not just the clinic and Dr. Saroyan, but now Arman was offering Fiona and Chris a path to citizenship through an arranged, fake marriage with one of his men, and he was giving her the means to stay in the United States and save her son's life. All she did for him was mop up blood and make crime scenes all but disappear - the mob's version of a magician. At that point, she knew next to nothing about his business - far too little for a prosecutable case. The easy and smart thing for him to do would be to just cut her loose - to allow the Feds to chew her up and spit her out, while he walked away whole and untouched. Rather than risk him realizing this when she was already in too deep, Thony repeated the words he had taunted her with earlier, the words she herself had used on the night they met to convince him to spare her life. "I'm just a cleaning lady."

It was only when he looked down that she realized, when speaking those words, she had reached out for him, twisting her fingers around the edges of his leather jacket. Arman waited for her to once more lift her gaze and meet his own before he responded. "You're not just anything, Thony. You're mine."

And there it was: the why of it all. And just as she thought, just as she feared, just as she secretly, even from herself, craved, for them, the why was the greatest danger of all.

A/N2: So, a few quick notes about this piece. First, frankly, I'm shocked that the idea of a marriage of convenience has not been floated on the show yet. Like the story says, this IS Vegas, and it seems like the most obvious solution for Fiona. I know it's tropey, but so is The Cleaning Lady. (And that's not an insult; I love me some tropes!) Second, I completely acknowledge that this could kickstart an entire AU where I reimagine the first season... and beyond, because by Thony telling Arman about the FBI all the way back in episode two, it would change so much... both personally and professionally between them. I have no idea if I will pursue it, though... let alone write anything else for Armony. And, finally, while I enjoy a good trope (or five), I hate triangles and poor or even a lack of communication between my ships. So, I fixed that here by having Thony confide in Arman about the FBI right from the beginning. If only, right?

Thanks again,
Charlynn