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The rain was pouring again. This was LA not the jungle, yet all week the storms kept coming. Michael didn't care, the more it rained the less people around. It suited him perfectly.

He ran across the beach, the sound of the waves crashing on the sand making a perfect backdrop for him to run without thinking. He'd gone ten miles this morning, ten miles on just a yoghurt. It wasn't a good move, he could feel the bile rising up his throat as he pushed himself further.

Dropping to his knees, he threw up. The pounding in his head sounding to a crescendo. He'd really done it this time. Gone too far. But he didn't know if he cared anymore.

"You need to take better care of yourself Michael." Said a voice behind him.

Michael was up on his feet and facing the unknown voice, ignoring the fact that his vision greyed in places.

"Careful, Michael." A hand gripped his arm, guess he didn't hide it too well. "Sit down." Michael didn't have a choice; he was sitting on the sand his head between his knees. He figured if this guy wanted him dead, he'd be dead already.

Michael looked up at the man standing in front of him. He couldn't have been more surprised if an elephant had come by. But it was close. He hadn't seen the man standing in front of him in more than six years. How the hell did he find him? Here of all places? Nobody knew he was here.

"What are you doing here?" Michael asked.

"What, no small talk?" Bly grinned. He looked completely relaxed. That irked him more than anything else. So he continued to glare at Bly. "Fine, I came looking for you because someone you know needs help."

"I'm a little busy, right now." Michael smirked.

"Hmmm, I can see that." Bly grinned, "Is there somewhere we can talk? About your brother, and the deep shit he's in."

Michael stared at Bly, "If you've hurt him, I'll..."

"I haven't hurt him." Interrupted Bly as he sat in the sand next to Michael, it was clear they weren't going anywhere. "But the man I'm working for will do just that if he doesn't get what he wants."

"The man you're working for?"

"Yeah, I got hired by this Raymond Calitri. He hired me to find you."

"Why?"

"He hired your brother for a job. Nate didn't come through. Calitri wants the job done. He figures you're the one to finish it"

Michael stared at Bly, "What kind of job? Actually why are you for hire? And come to think of it how the hell did you find me?" his voice rising with each question.

"Transporting weapons. A lot has changed in the last six years. You would know that if you bothered to call home."

Michael huffed in response. Yeah, a lot had changed. He was no longer black listed, but could never have his job back. He was no longer confined to one city, and he was playing bodyguard for rich who were under death threats, and he was alone. It was what he wanted, wasn't it? No one depending on him. No one trying to get him to do thing. He made his own choices. Was it worth it? Six years ago, he thought so.

"This Calitri is a nasty piece of work. He even scares the shit out of me." Michael looked at Bly in surprise. "He will kill Nate. And if you don't come back, he will kill your mother. Then he'll kill Fiona and Sam. He'll kill everyone you ever had contact with no matter how brief a time. He'll find all those people you helped when you were burned and he'll kill them. He'll keep on killing until he gets what he wants."

"Can't you just kill him?"

Bly looked up at Michael like he was seeing a different person. Six years ago, Michael would never have just offered to shoot someone. Trap them in their own game, yes. Hand them over to the cops. Hell, get the bad guys to kill each other. But to just go ahead and kill them. That wasn't like him.

"No, I can't. It goes against my orders."

"Your orders?"

"I'm to gather intel. Calitri is only a small fish in a bigger pond. We're after the bigger fish."

"And you just happen to come across Nate? I don't believe in coincidences."

"Neither do I. But then your brother has been taking any job he could get. It's not a coincidence our paths crossed, just a matter of time."

Michael pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes screwed up in frustration. He'd left so they would be safe. Bly took this opportunity to get back to his feet. He knew it had been a hard choice for Michael to leave. He'd spent so long trying to get back in to covert ops. But it had never happened. He was given the all clear but he had to choose. Did he stay, or did he go?

"Take me to see this Calitri." Mumbled Michael. His mind was made up, Nate probably didn't want his help. Nate would probably try to kill him when he saw him, and he wouldn't expect anything less. But he was family. For the first time in his life he actually missed what he left behind.

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