A/N: Hey guys! I'm very sorry for taking so long to get this next chapter up. My head just really wasn't in it and I hate forcing myself to write. I'm still not entirely happy with this but hopefully you'll enjoy it anyway. : ) I'm not planning on taking too long for the next chapter but as I'm sure you know, sometimes life just gets in the way.

Thanks very much to those who continue to read, and those who review. It's what keeps me writing!

Chapter 14 – Family Ties

Tony had to take a deep breath before he pulled open the door. For a few seconds they just stared at each other, Tony and his brother. Rick's t-shirt and jeans were a little loose on him now and his muscles were more defined.

"Hey." Rick bit his lip and lowered his dark eyes almost as though he were ashamed. His hand moved to rub the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Hey." Tony's voice hardened and he tensed. Rick stood a good three inches taller than he did, but there was no disputing who was the more intimidating of the two in that moment.

"Look I'm sorry to just show up like this but…"

"Lisa told me you were coming."

"Oh good…" he seemed relieved.

"That's why you called her in the first place, right?"

Rick's eyes lowered again.

"I just wanted to talk, Tony. Honestly." he finally blurted out.

Tony nodded briefly and pulled him in for a gruff hug that was really not much more than a slap on the back.

"Yeah, alright." He jumbled out. "I'm glad you're okay."

Michelle's nerves had subsided slightly when she realized they (meaning Tony) weren't going to attempt a shouting match in front of the entire neighborhood…but it was then it occurred to her it was her turn to meet her estranged brother-in-law. She honestly didn't know what to expect.

She took a step forward as both men stepped inside.

"Rick, this is Michelle." Tony declared and reached for her, as if indicating for her to come closer. She took a few steps towards them and smiled.

"Nice to meet you." Rick stated quietly as they shook hands. She smiled and shook back.

"You too."

"You hungry?" Tony asked him as he headed towards the kitchen. Rick shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

"Well I'm starving…" Michelle declared, hoping to ease a little bit of the tension. "And you know I'm incapable of feeding myself."

Tony laughed and nodded.

"In that case I mean…I wouldn't say no to a pizza or something…" Rick chimed in.

Tony shook his head softly in amusement and reached for the phone.

"Did you guys meet at work?" Rick blurted out in between bites as they sat down at the kitchen counter.

"Yeah…" It occurred to Tony in that moment Rick didn't even know about Nina or Jack or anything and it made him slightly bitterer about his leaving. When everything had gone down he could've used his brother.

Rick nodded and then said solemnly. "I'm sorry I missed your wedding."

Tony laughed hollowly. "I would've never expected you to show up."

Michelle raised an eyebrow at Tony from across the table and nudged his foot slightly. He caught her drift and added in:

"It wasn't a big thing anyway…we didn't really want it to be."

"Still…" Rick rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably again, a habit he most certainly picked up from his brother. "I would've been there."

"Doesn't matter…"

After a few seconds Rick added in quietly, hoping to break the tension:

"I guess I owe you a present or something."

Michelle smiled amiably. "Don't worry about it."

"No…trust me…I'll come up with something good…" he winked at her. "I have excellent taste. Promise."

They ate and drank silently, except for Rick commenting briefly on how much he'd missed beer and pizza. A cell phone rang a few minutes later and they all glanced at each other.

"Mine…" Michelle jumped up, recognizing the ring and left the room.

"So what now?" Tony asked, eyebrows raised.

"You mean job wise?"

"Do you have something lined up?"

"No…not yet. I've had a few offers but it's all desk stuff…nothing exciting."

"What are ya gonna do?"

Rick shrugged. "Shop around I guess. I have some contacts in DC and at Langley. I'll see if they know of anything. I'm good as long as it's field work…You know me and suits."

"Y'know, it wouldn't kill ya to take a breather from all that stuff for a few months." The thing that was really on Tony's mind was that at this rate, it might kill him not to.

"Yeah, I'd rather drink poison." Rick said it so innocuously it made Tony chuckle briefly. Rick smiled a little in relief.

"You lucked out with Michelle…" he commented, when he knew she was still busy in the other room. "I dunno how you managed that."

Tony chuckled. "Sometimes I wonder the same thing."

"It's good you're happy…"

"But it's not what you want?"

"Gimme a break, Tony. It wasn't what you wanted when you were my age either…"

"And yet I still managed not to turn out like you."

"You're never gonna let me live this down, are you?"

Tony shook his head slowly. "I'll just never understand how you could walk away from something like that…how you could cheat on these girls time after time and when it finally catches up with you just…do nothing…it was your responsibility."

"First of all I wasn't cheating… she wasn't my girlfriend…and can you honestly imagine me with a kid? Honestly?" Rick raised his eyebrows.

"After college I was out of the country six months out of every year…I was constantly looking over my shoulder when I came back from the Middle East because Singh's people were still after me…how would it have been responsible to put a baby and Charlotte in the middle of that?"

"You coulda slowed down a bit…"

"Not in this lifetime." Rick uttered under his breath. Noting the look his brother shot him Rick then added: "And there's no way in hell you would've slowed down at twenty-two either…"

"If I got some girl I was - "

"Fucking?" Rick suggested sarcastically, eyebrows raised. "'Cause that's all it was, buddy."

Tony scowled.

"I would've slowed down."

"I'm not you."

"That's for sure."

"We had an understanding…"

"You had a lot of 'understandings'…"

"And y'know what? It's better that way…"

"You're a few years from thirty and you've never had a serious relationship."

"And that works for me. No one asks questions…no one gets hurt."

Tony wanted to argue that he was an idiot if he thought that was true…that there was no way every girl he'd ever been with hadn't expected more than what he was willing to give them. Tony had had more than a few flings in his lifetime but never what Rick did. Picking up girls at bars three or four nights of a week had less to do with them not getting hurt and more to do with him not wanting anything tying him down.

"Have you called Charlotte yet?"

"I've been back for a day…"

"Are you gonna call her?"

"Of course I'm gonna call her…She just wasn't first on my list…I haven't even talked to mom and dad yet."

"Yeah uh…." Tony rubbed the side of his face thoughtfully. "Why don't you leave them to me..."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Otherwise you may be wishing you'd taken the poison."

"Thanks, I owe you one."

"Don't mention it." Tony mumbled, his eyes focused on his hands now.

Michelle entered the room at that instant and extended her phone to Tony. It was obvious the tension from earlier had returned.

"Jack wants to talk to you." She sighed and Tony grabbed the phone and excused himself. Michelle slumped back into her chair beside Rick.

"So you tolerate my brother 24 hours a day, seven days a week?"

She laughed sweetly and he relaxed a little. "Well when you put it that way, it certainly seems like quite an accomplishment."

Rick smiled at her.

"So, what are your plans now?"

He hesitated. "I think I'm gonna stay in LA for a while…My parents…I mean I'll see them and everything but I can't be there permanently. And until I find a job LA just…"

Michelle nodded sympathetically.

"I want to fix this with him. That's why I came."

"He just needs some time..."

As if to prove Michelle's point, when Tony emerged a few minutes later he said nothing of what Jack had wanted but simply asked Rick how long he was in town for.

"I haven't decided yet." Rick admitted warily.

"Where are you staying?"

"Dunno yet… I figured I'd just…"

"You might as well stay here then." Tony mumbled innocuously as he grabbed the empty bottles from the table. Rick looked at Michelle who nodded her encouragement. They needed to bond again.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Tony stated calmly. "Might as well…"

"Okay um…great, thanks."

Later that night Rick was sitting on the bed of the spare rooms; his cell phone resting in his hand. He toyed with it for a few minutes, his thumb tracing the outline before he flipped it open. He scrolled through the phonebook looking for the number he wanted.

The voice on the other end of the line sounded quiet, monotonous when she answered.

She stated emotionlessly. "I thought you were dead."

"I was abroad…"

"For four years?"

"Yeah I know…listen I'm really sorry about - "

"Don't apologize to me." She spat bitterly. "I didn't want you around then and I still don't want you around now."

"C'mon Charlotte, I just wanted to see how you were doing…I wanted to see…"

"You wanted to know if I kept the baby?" she snapped. "Fuck you. You gave up the right to know that when you left without a word."

"I couldn't say anything and you…"

"I didn't want you there? Convenient, eh? That I told you exactly what you wanted to hear? You sure know how to take an opportunity and run with it."

"Charlotte I'm sorry."

"Yeah me too…but I'm seeing someone now. An actual relationship…and you haven't changed a bit… You think you can make up for everything you did by calling me now? You just wanted sex…and I gave you that and so did what's-her-face and that goddamn TA of yours and…" he could hear the emotion rising her voice and felt a strong pang of guilt hit him in the pit of his stomach.

"So don't try to now act like it was something other than what it was." She stated angrily and then paused for a moment to let the words sink in.

"It was a boy…if you really were interested. He got adopted by some couple in Naperville. It was a closed adoption so I have no idea where he is now or what his name is or anything."

"Charlotte I…"

"Don't call me again."

The dial tone resonated in his ear and he sat there on the bed for a long time afterwards.

"How is he?" Michelle asked from her position on the bed. Her legs were bent at the knee and she was applying moisturizer to them. Tony shrugged.

"Fine. He keeps saying he'll start figuring out job stuff first thing in the morning but I uh…I kinda said he can stay here for a while and just…relax if that's…?"

"Of course. He's your brother."

"I think he just needs some time away from it all."

"I agree. He needs to relax."

Tony sighed as he undressed slowly and slipped into the bed beside her, leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss against the crook of her neck. She smiled when his stubble tickled her slightly. He lingered for a moment against her skin, breathing deeply.

"I just don't get it." He said when he pulled away, playing with her fingers now. "I don't get why he does it…"

"Has he said anything about what happened when he was away?"

Tony shook his head. "Not yet. He's different though…I dunno if maybe he's just nervous or something but he used to be a lot more…arrogant"

"Maybe he's just grown up; mellowed out a little?"

"Or maybe something happened when he was away." It was a stupid thing to say. Of course something had happened. Several things had probably happened and he couldn't imagine many scenarios that would've been positive where Rick had been.

"It's good he's here, honey." She twisted to face him on the bed and assured him gently. "It's good for him."

Tony nodded and leaned back against his pillow, where he too was consumed by his thoughts for the rest of the night.

"You don't have work today?" Rick asked as he emerged sleepily, just before 9, with massive bags under his eyes. Michelle was sitting with her feet propped up on the coffee table sipping her mug of coffee. Rick had been with them for two day; two, very silent, very sleepless days.

She shook her head. "This is my day off. I just lucked out it was on a Friday."

"You don't uh…get days off with Tony?" he asked carefully as he sat down beside her on the couch. Michelle seized the opportunity.

"Every few weeks usually. As long as we can get Division to sign off on it and there's someone to cover for us and we're both around in case we're needed."

Rick smiled a little. "No spontaneous weekend getaways?"

Michelle laughed. "Not quite. I don't think we've been away together since our honeymoon."

Rick nodded thoughtfully.

"Well uh…in that case…" he shifted his jaw and studied her carefully. "If you don't have any real plans for the day do ya think you could…help me out?"

She turned to look at him face on.

"What'd you have in mind?"

"How are those ones?" Michelle called from her seat outside the dressing rooms. Rick emerged cautiously, feeling a little bit like he was on display as he watched the heads of every woman in the room turn to study him nonchalantly. His cheeks reddened and Michelle suppressed a laugh. There was absolutely no denying that by anyone's definition, Rick was hot.

"Can you just…" he winced. "Can you come here instead?"

She grinned and gave a quick glance around the room. Noting all the stares he'd been garnering quickly turned in the opposite direction. She uncrossed her legs and stepped into the doorway of the dressing room as he examined himself in the mirror skeptically.

"I still dunno what was wrong with the first four pairs you grabbed." He scoffed a little and she grinned.

"They were too big. All of them."

"I know what size I am."

"Were…" she reminded him.

He shrugged. "So I dropped a few pounds. They'll come back when I start eating like a normal person again."

He raised his faded white t-shirt that had holes in it to examine the waist, inadvertently revealing an insanely defined stomach. Michelle'd decided after the third pair of jeans that, too big or not, they certainly hadn't looked horrible on him.

However, the endearing thing about him was Rick didn't seem to know or care that his textbook, perfectly proportioned face and chiseled jaw, were appreciated by every female they passed over the age of 16. He was quite happy in is worn jeans, scuffed up shoes and holey white t-shirts. There was a scruffy, laid-back attitude to him that was attractive. It made Michelle wonder why he knowingly went out to pick up girls with such a confidence. Perhaps the ego showed up after a few drinks…or maybe he was just on his best behavior for her.

"Well until then," Michelle jumped in. "You'll have to live with being a couple of sizes smaller…at least these ones fit."

He released the shirt and stared at himself blankly.

"What do you think?" she probed.

"Good enough." He decided. "I can't try on any more jeans…or shirts…or jackets..."

"It's only been three hours." She laughed.

"Yeah and that's two hours too long for me. I should probably get a suit or something but I uh…I'll probably hold off on that for a bit." He gave her a pained expression and she nodded as they exited the dressing rooms.

"I really appreciate this, Michelle. I hate shopping by myself."

"I'm happy to help." She smacked him gently on the arm. "Alright, let's get outta here…"

Ten minutes later they exited the store with the entire morning's worth of purchases in their hands.

"How about you?" he queried as they stepped onto the escalator. "Because I will happily go anywhere you want as a thank you."

Michelle laughed. "I have enough clothes as it is…but I appreciate the offer."

He grinned. "Well then, you wanna grab lunch?"

"Sure…" she led him through the mall and into a restaurant. Once their bags were stowed safely under their chairs and they each had a drink he stared at her seriously from across the table.

"So…" he began, eyebrows raised.

She mimicked his expression. "So…"

"So you've probably been told the entire story about what happened before I left and you've yet to ask me a single question about it."

"It seemed a little personal."

"Well it's not. I mean…It's cool if you want to…"

"If you want to talk about it… I'm willing to listen."

Rick sighed heavily. "I know you heard Tony's version…and I'm not saying he's not right about a lot of it but…it wasn't that black and white. I really wasn't trying to be a huge jerk I just… I…y'know…with different people. And uh…it's always been that way with me. Before it was just because I didn't want anything serious and then it became more of me not being able to afford to have anything serious…"

Michelle listened thoughtfully.

"I was always leaving... They had me doing all kinds of stuff all over the world and um…it just wouldn't have made sense. You know how complicated relationships are and my job is complicated enough without all that…extra stuff."

"Relationships are complicated." She stated easily. "But that doesn't mean you can't get involved with someone."

He nodded softly. "And I've yet to meet the person who can make me think complicating my life further is worth it. So, until I do this works for me."

"So what happened with Charlotte?" Michelle probed gently.

He hesitated.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean…"

He took a deep breath. "I've known Charlotte since college and we usually…saw each other a few times a month. I mean… It was just an arrangement we had. No strings…that kind of thing…and then she called me one day and told me she was pregnant. I freaked out." He laughed hollowly. "I really freaked out. I asked her if she was sure it was mine…She got really mad because apparently that meant I was calling her a whore…she said I wasn't thinking about anyone but myself and I never had…told me she didn't want me involved because the fact that we weren't 'serious' meant I gave up my right to have any sort of say in the decision making."

"She was scared too." Michelle told him quietly.

Rick nodded. "And I was 22 and was only thinking about myself. I was an ass…I'm not denying that…but I saw her for sex and only sex and she knew that. I didn't want to be manipulated into anything…" he wet his lips slightly with his tongue and averted Michelle's gaze. "So, the next day my boss tells me I have a meeting with the Deputy Director of the CIA. They want me on a plane to Berlin in four days and I'm not to tell anyone…I'll get further instructions once I arrive."

He paused to take a long sip of his drink.

"I was killing myself trying to get noticed at work…I was top of my class at Quantico…in the Marines…they sent me away on a few covert ops…so when the Deputy Director of the CIA asks you to do something you're sure as hell gonna do it…it would've taken a lot for me to say no and Charlotte wanted nothing to do with me. I wasn't waiting around for her to make up her mind, so I went to Berlin."

Michelle still hadn't said a word, so he continued.

"I'm not the most responsible guy in the world…but… When it comes to work…it's different…"

Her phone rang, cutting him off.

"Sorry…" she dug it out of her bag and snapped it open.

"Dessler."

"Remind me again why you got Friday off…" Tony began softly. She laughed lightly.

"Because I think you like me a little bit or something." She glanced at Rick and mouthed 'Tony'. He smiled slightly.

Tony sighed exaggeratedly. "I guess it must be something like that." He leaned back in his chair, grateful for the break.

"Where are you?"

"The mall."

"Michelle…" he groaned teasingly. She wasn't a shopaholic by any stretch of the imagination but he teased her about it anyway.

"Not for me." She protested. "For Rick. He needed clothes."

That got Tony's attention. He sat up abruptly.

"You went shopping with Rick?"

"Yeah…we're having lunch now…"

"You spent the entire morning together?"

"It was fun." She stated easily. "More fun than work without me I'm sure."

He smiled. "Yeah well, you seem to be the common denominator don't you?"

She grinned. "Well…obviously."

"Alright well uh…I just wanted to see if you were missing me like crazy but I guess not…" she laughed. "So I'm gonna get back to work, I'll see you tonight, sweetheart."

"What time are you getting out of there?"

"Six…if there is a god…"

"Then I'll see you around six."

When the bill came, Rick insisted on paying.

"My treat." He pulled the piece of paper out of Michelle's hand.

"I'll split it with you." She argued. He rolled his eyes.

"You got me through shopping in one piece…at least let me buy you lunch."

Michelle sighed and relented.

"Thanks."

"So what's for dinner?" Rick asked as Michelle pulled a bottle of water out of the kitchen later that night. She stared at him, slightly amused.

"I don't cook."

Rick turned to face her. "Can't or don't?"

"Can't. Tony cooks…and we order in."

He laughed and started opening cupboards.

"What do you feel like?"

"You're making dinner?" she raised her eyebrows at him.

He grinned. "Sure…I mean it won't be anything spectacular but uh…I can hold my own. So what do you feel like?"

"Whatever you feel like making."

He opened the fridge and stared for a few seconds before deciding he was making fajitas and raiding the cupboards for the appropriate cookware. Michelle directed him to the barbeque (something he had to figure out how to turn on himself) and by the time Tony stumbled in the door, dinner was well in progress.

"Hey…" Michelle stepped into the hallway as he hung his jacket in the cupboard. "How was CTU?"

He shrugged. "We had to coordinate with Division and help them bring in former employee they suspected of selling information on the black market. Other than that…just long…"

He sighed heavily. He'd been up since four-thirty that morning and was utterly exhausted.

"Well good news…" Michelle declared as she led him into the family room. "Rick's making dinner so you can relax tonight."

Tony slumped down on the couch and laughed softly. "You two seem to be getting on pretty well."

She slipped down beside him. "We are." she stated softly as she tilted her head against his chest. His fingers slipped into her hair and kissed the top of her head.

"Thanks for doing that today."

Michelle smiled to herself and said nothing. His arm moved around her waist and he tipped her head back slightly so she could see his face.

"I missed you, though." He told her gently before kissing the corner of her mouth. She grinned and kissed him back just as the patio door opened.

"Michelle, the chicken's ready…." He trailed off slightly when he saw his brother.

"Hey, how was work?"

Tony shrugged as they both rose from the couch. "It was alright…I'm starved…" he clapped Rick on the shoulder as they moved into the kitchen. "What'd you make…?"

"So you had a good day?" Tony ventured carefully as he flipped on the TV after dinner. There was a Cubs' game on and Michelle was in the shower.

"Yeah I did." He sighed heavily. "Michelle's awesome."

Tony smirked a little and said nothing.

"Did you call mom and dad?" Rick asked a minute later, feeling slightly queasy now.

Tony shook his head. "Today was hectic…I'll do it tomorrow."

"That's what you've said since I got here…"

"Yeah, and I thought you'd appreciate the fact that you weren't being hounded by mom for a bit."

Rick shrugged. "I figured I might as well rip off the band aid…they don't know about…?"

"Of course not. They don't know and neither does Amy."

"Have you talked to Rach?"

"I mentioned you were back…she wants you to visit her in Boston."

"She's in Boston?"

"Yeah…for a few years. Work moved her there. She loves it."

Rick processed this quietly to himself.

"What about Lise? I thought she'd be in LA still with…"

"Matt was hitting her. Took it too far one night and she called me…she's living with Rachel while she's at law school."

"I hated that guy from day one… Slimy, little weasel…" Rick scowled. "Did you beat the crap out of him?"

"Wanted to…" Tony sighed. "She's fine though…it was a couple of years ago."

"Amy's doing her Master's?"

"Uh huh…Poli Sci."

"Damn…" he shook his head a little. "It seems like the only thing that hasn't changed is that the Cubs are still losing."

Tony laughed. "Pretty much." He sighed heavily. "Everyone missed you…they just tried not to talk about it a lot…"

Rick nodded. "I know…I didn't want to leave the way I did…but the truth is there's a reason I told you…and not just 'cause I knew you understood how classified it needed to be kept…" he fumbled awkwardly with the tattered end of his ripped shirt. "I just…knew you had my back…no matter what I did...no matter how mad you were at the time."

Tony shifted his eyes to study him for a moment and kinked his jaw to one side before speaking.

"Yeah well… that hasn't changed either." He declared, before turning back to the TV.