#11
"Yeah, I'm with her now"
[…]
"Sure, hang on a second…" Mike replied, before handing the cell phone to Grace "Say hi to your aunt, shortie"
Grace took the phone and started talking very excitedly with her aunt
Mike was getting nervous about what Sidney could hell her niece. He didn't know how Grace would react when she found out he was dating her aunt.
When Grace suddenly turned her attention back to Mike, staring him down. Mike knew instantly what Sidney had just told her niece. Mike suddenly was more afraid of that little girl, than he had ever been afraid of Hetty Lange
….
"Mr Renko. I think I have a task that is well suited to your skills"
Mike would take any job, anything to get some distance between himself and the glowering teen
"Anything. Just… make sure someone gets her in to see G as soon as he's out of surgery"
….
"Been hearing all abut your adventures… But I'm wondering why you'd drag shortie into it"
Mike knew just how much anger he held towards Nell, for what she had done to Callen, to his family… but especially for what she had inflicted upon Grace.
"I don't answer to you, Renko"
"Yeah. You don't. But you seem to forget that you and Beale stole highly classified government files. That's domestic terrorism. You traffic'd that information across borders… so that's international terrorism. You and Beale are in a whole heap of trouble. If it's up to me… you'd both be headed for Guantanamo bay…"
"Yeah, But it's NOT up to you is it!?. Hetty won't let us spend a day in prison" Nell spat at Mike
"You want to bet on it, Jones. You took advantage of her good nature. And whether you want to believe it or not. Despite her being here… She doesn't hold as much sway as she used to. You made choices… you, and only you… are to blame for what happens to you. See… while we've all been sat in that waiting room, Grace was questioned… and, yeah. What she had to say was very helpful in tracking Beale… No, sorry… I mean tracking your new husband"
"She wouldn't. You don't know anything…" Nell stuttered, determined that Grace wouldn't have sold her out
"Wanna bet!. What is it that Deeks used to call you, hmm? 'Big Stones' Jones. You thought you were untouchable. That boy of yours… he'll grow up knowing that his parents were terrorists. You… will NEVER see that boy, or Beale …." Mike started, as he headed for the door to the interrogation room "…EVER again" he added just before he pulled the door closed behind him. As he walked away from the room and signalled to the agents from the local office to take her to holding, prior to extradition back to the US
….
"You lock her up?"
"Your mom?, Yeah. And we've got Beale… thanks to your statement"
Mike could see the conflict within Grace, but he was unsure about how to help the teenager
"You know, I was thinking… maybe you and Jake, come stay with me and your aunt"
"What about dad…"
"I know what you're thinking, shortie. Look… I'm not meant to tell you this. But even he comes out of surgery. He… may not ever be the person he was. When …Oh god this is hard. He lost all hope he would ever see you again. He tried … he tried to kill himself. It was a low period. He wasn't the same… he… owed a debt, and gave himself over to a research project…"
"You…"
"We didn't have a choice. He was already on suicide watch…Hetty… your grandma, she… didn't accept it, But it was his choice. But the one thing that… he didn't want 'wiped'... the one thing he never wanted to lose… was you. It was buried deep, but I think… I think that's how you found one another…"