A/N: A huge thank you to everyone who has hung in there through the opening chapters of Season Seven Songbook, for reading and reviewing, and now we come to a somewhat lighter offering. Michael has kept his promise, even though he and Fiona are utterly miserable, to make this right for Sam and others.
Details about Sam's visit to Elsa, wherein our hero leaves his friends overnight that took place between 6.14 "Down and Out" and 6.15 "Best Laid Plans," can be found in Chapter 3 of "What Sam Knows."
Thanks again to Matt Nix for creating Burn Notice, though I'm not so sure how grateful I am about S7, and I don't own any of it or "Start of Something Good" by Chris Daughtry. There is a playlist for Season 7 Songbook on YouTube on Ruth Westen's channel for anyone interested in the lyrics or the music.
This vignette is set a few months before Sam's first appearance in 7.01 "New Deal."
"Start Of Something Good"
"Another mojito, Mr. Axe?"
"Why yes, I believe I do have time for one more." He motioned for the younger man to sit down in the empty lounge next to his in the far corner of the pool deck. "Listen, Javier, I need your help."
"Isn't it a little early to be planning something for Ms. Dearborn's birthday?"
"Oh no, my friend, you can never start planning too soon for a mission of this importance," said Sam, a big grin forming on his face as he took proffered libation. "There's a lot of serious disinformation that needs to be planted to keep this operation under wraps, I'm talking about a full on psych ops campaign."
"Of course, sir…"
The ex-SEAL took a huge slurp of the mint and cane sugar infused rum. "Ahhhh," he sighed with satisfaction. "Nothing like making up for lost time…" His drinking had been severely curtailed for a while.
After being shot through a car door while trying to escape with Mike and then almost dying on a pool table in a coke head doctor's house, the next three weeks had been spent cuffed to a hospital bed on pain medications under heavy guard, but at least he'd gotten to see Elsa in a couple of monitored visits.
"Good man… I'll get the rest of the team in place and then you'll get your assignments."
Javier stood up, smiling back at the owner's boyfriend and an unofficial overseer of the Darabont Hotel.
"Very good, Mr. Axe, we'll be ready. Will you be leaving for the Keys as soon as Ms. Dearborn returns?"
"Yep, I made sure they're ready to weigh anchor cuz our bags are already packed. Thanks, Javi."
As he watched the young man retreat back into the building, Sam leaned back in his chair, feeling the sun shining down on him and remembering how close he had come to never seeing it or Elsa again.
The day she had come to bring him a change of clothes in preparation for his release, she had been very stressed out and really angry. Not only had the CIA suddenly informed her that he was not being let go and instead was being transported to a secure facility pending the outcome of their final investigation into the matter, but there had been a massive air conditioning failure in the entire building overnight and a swarm of technicians were now running around her hotel and even invading her private penthouse.
She'd looked at him with fire in her eyes and promised the CIA hadn't heard the last of Elsa Dearborn.
After their return from a black site prison, he'd been so relieved to see her there, running across the tarmac towards him, in no small part because Fiona had just shot out of the parking lot in the white pearl Cadillac she'd purchased for him. But instead of censuring him for lending the car to a lunatic, Elsa had swept into his arms and kissed him with as much passion as the night he'd snuck into her secret shelter.
And as bad as he had felt for Tinkerbell, he had been all too happy to go home with his woman and do some serious recuperating. Of course, as he was still on painkillers for the GSW, there'd been no alcohol in his immediate future, but right then he couldn't have cared less. Elsa was all the medicine he'd needed.
Taking another long pull of his favorite beverage, Sam thought about the irony of it all: him sober and sweating bullets over the CIA throwing them all back in prison because Little Miss Terrorist had apparently dropped off the radar and was on a bender somewhere out in the Everglades. Not that he blamed for her for that. Of course, of all the things she could have done, that had probably been the least troublesome.
He had breathed a huge sigh of relief when she'd finally made contact and another one when the Caddie had come back in one piece, though it had taken a bit to get the odor out of it. Now he could smile about Elsa's reaction to the wild Irishwoman who'd showed up at the staff entrance reeking of hard liquor, gun powder and body odor, but there really hadn't been anything funny about Fiona's filthy, bloody, muddy, overall unkempt appearance at the time when she'd finally turned up back at the hotel.
But his love was a lady through and through. Since she'd been involved procuring clean clothing for them while Team Westen has been locked away somewhere unknown, she'd been thoughtful enough to have extra outfits on hand for everyone once they'd been released. Fiona had certainly been in need of a few new things once she'd finally come in from her version of 'walk about.' Elsa was one amazing woman.
~~You never know when you're gonna meet someone
and your whole wide world in a moment comes undone~~
He remembered the first time he'd seen the leggy brunette sauntering across the pool deck very late one evening, not realizing that it was the owner of his new favorite hotel pool bar. He'd been determined to get to know her better. Preparing the Sam Axe charm for a full-on assault, he'd asked her to join him.
~~You're just walking around and suddenly
Everything that you thought that you knew about love is gone
You find out it's all been wrong~~
He chuckled about their Big Mama and Boy Toy phase. His friends might have made fun of him, but he knew how to show a gal a good time and not just in the sack, though he was second to none in that department. He had buddies everywhere, but not all of them were guys. He thought he'd been happy.
~~And all my scars don't seem to matter anymore
'Cause they led me here to you~~
As he sipped the last of his mojito, Sam thought about all the women in his life, the ones who had just passed through and the ones who had really left a mark on his heart and despite what his friends thought about him and what he very frequently thought about himself, he really had been looking for the one…
And he thought he found the one a couple of times, believed that things would work out in the end, but it wasn't until the tall shapely hotelier with the beautiful smile had entered into his life that he knew…
~~I know that it's gonna take some time
I've got to admit that the thought has crossed my mind
This might end up like it should~~
He had been so close to walking away from it all for Elsa. Asking her to get their supplies had been one thing, but leaving her to be interrogated by the CIA, telling her to forget that she'd ever known him, that had wounded him deeply. Sam knew he had to talk to her, even if it meant abandoning his best friends.
~~And I'm gonna say what I need to say
And hope to God that it don't scare you away
Don't wanna be misunderstood~~
Suddenly, the former SEAL realized what had just crossed his mind and he had laughed out loud.
Yeah, friends plural… He hadda history with Mike a mile long, but that tiny terrorist who'd made his life miserable had grown on him… like toe nail fungus or something… Sam laughed again.
They'd been frenemies for so long that it felt weird to admit that he cared about the little Irish pixie and it had pained him to see her hurting so badly while he and Elsa were finally free to enjoy their happiness. Mike had made it right for him, just like he had promised, and Sam was very grateful for that.
~~But I'm starting to believe that this could be the start of something good~~
Unfortunately, there had been a lot of collateral damage for everyone else while Mike had been keeping that promise to him. Sam felt a little bit guilty how well things had gone for him compared to the others.
~~Everyone knows life has its ups and downs
One day you're on top of the world and one day you're the clown~~
Of course, he had done his best to help out where he could. Jesse's going on the run with them after Panama had been the end of his job at Securicorp, which was always on thin ice due to the amount of time he spent assisting with Team Westen side projects. A phone call to Lucy Chen had landed the young man another chance with the branch office in South Florida of the new company she had recently opened.
~~Well I've been both enough to know~~
His call to Mr. Porter's cell went straight to voicemail, so he left him a message to circle Elsa's birthday on his calendar and then almost reluctantly dialed the next number on his speed dial list.
~~That you don't wanna get in the way when it's working out~~
He'd tried to help Madeline out as much as he could, doing odd jobs and such around the house, and having a security system put in, as the house had been broken into while they were all in lock up. Jesse had stayed with her at first, but had gone back to Atlanta to visit relatives for a while, or so he had said.
~~The way that it is right now~~
When the call went to voicemail as well, he didn't leave a message. Her additional boozing and rising bitterness had been hard to take and he wasn't sure what to do about it. Although none of them would verbalize it, they had all been waiting with varying degrees of expectation to hear something from Mike.
~~You see my heart, I wear it on my sleeve
'Cause I just can't hide it anymore~~
He understood better than all of them the necessities of a deep cover mission, but even he had begun to worry just a little bit about his friend and the women in Mike's life had been taking his silence worst of all.
~~I know that it's gonna take some time~~
It used to be they were all missing Mike and just not admitting it, but now… Sam shook his head. He was all about loyalty, but just like that crap situation they'd gotten into with Anson Fullerton, he couldn't be supportive of one of his best buds without it being at the expense of other. This just sucked…. But Fiona deserved a chance to be happy and she could have come up with worse solutions than Carlos Cruz.
~~I've got to admit that the thought has crossed my mind~~
Like blowing up the frickin' CIA headquarters in Langley… She'd suggested it once and he had been pretty sure at the time that she hadn't been joking. So he had sucked it up and shaken hands with her man. Fiona had watched him with an expression that was both pleading and daring him to challenge her on it.
~~This might end up like it should~~
"Hola, Sam, hang on a minute... Oye, Fiona, Sam for you..."
He tried to put on his best game face and not flinch when Carlos answered Fiona's phone. He couldn't think of too many reasons why the redhead would have allowed it. Even as he was telling her about his upcoming plans and she was sounding way too much like the cat that had swallowed the canary whole, Sam couldn't shake that sick feeling that settled in his stomach whenever he talked to her these days.
~~And I'm gonna say what I need to say~~
He hated admitting it; Carlos was a decent enough guy. But he was no Michael Westen… Then again, that was unfortunately the point. Mr. Cruz wouldn't have been in the picture at all if Mike had been around. Part of him hoped he didn't have to be there when Mike finally came home and found out… if he came home… Sam shook off those thoughts. His pal would be back whenever the mission had finally wrapped.
~~And hope to God that it don't scare you away~~
And then what…?
~~Don't wanna be misunderstood~~
He'd tried standing up for Mike… The CIA wasn't just gonna let 'em all go… there was a price to pay and Mike was paying it. But he couldn't in good conscience tell Fiona to put her life on hold when he'd had nothing to offer her but his gut feelings and he couldn't stand watchin' her die every day Mike didn't show.
~~But I'm starting to believe that this could be the start~~
Sam heard the staccato clack of some very expensive pumps on the pool deck and he shook off his sad reverie. There wasn't a damned thing he could do about that sorry situation between Mike and Fi. But he sure as hell could show his lady he loved just how much she meant to him in every way possible.
~~Cause I don't know where it's going
There's a part of me that loves not knowing
Just don't let it end before we begin~~
"There she is! Give me some sugar, baby," the tan man on the lounger leaned towards the brunette who was settling onto the seat next to him, kissing her cheek as she sat down in the chair.
"Thank God today is finally over! Those idiots have no idea—" She stopped herself mid-rant and looked at him with big blue apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry… How was your day? How are you feeling?" Elsa asked.
"Better now," he grinned.
~~You never know when you're gonna meet someone
And your whole wide world in a moment comes undone~~
She shook her head, the sunlight catching on all the red highlights in her beautiful brown hair, and she beamed at him, that indulgent smiled that he loved the best.
"Are you ready to go because I am so ready to get out of here," she declared.
Sam sat up and took her hands into his larger ones. "Tough day at the office, dear…?"
"You have no idea…"
"Yeah, you're probably right," he chuckled. "I'd rather take on a boardroom fulla lawyers with a M16A2."
The image of that had her laughing, just like he'd intended, a light sound that was music to his ears.
"Come on, baby," Sam urged, coming to his feet and pulling her up along with him. "The boat's ready and our bags are packed. We can be in Key West in time to catch the sunset if we get moving."
I know that it's gonna take some time
I've got to admit that the thought has crossed my mind
This might end up like it should~~
"Ooooh, that sounds really good. A whole week off, no one to deal with… nothing to do…"
"Oh, I'm sure we'll find something," he said seductively before kissing her soundly, all the things he'd contemplated throughout the afternoon disappearing from his brain as his world narrowed down to her.
~~And I'm gonna say what I need to say
And hope to God that it don't scare you away
Don't wanna be misunderstood~~
He'd had a lotta close calls while he was wearing the uniform and quite a few while he'd been hanging around Miami with his best buddies; however, having woken up on Jed's pool table after he'd been having coffee with his dearly departed Nana had certainly clarified his priorities. Because Sam Axe knew exactly what he wanted and needed in his life and she was right there in his arms and he wasn't about to blow it.
~~But I'm starting to believe
Oh, I'm starting to believe that
This could be the start of something good~~
