A/N: Thank you again for all of your kind reviews and PM's. I really do appreciate it.
To a couple of reviewers regarding Fiona being emotional. Pregnancy is a strange thing that affects women in different ways. My first pregnancy was pretty much like Fiona's. I went from being fine one minute and crying over everything the next. So yes, it can be pretty much a sobfest!
This chapter is more light hearted and has gushy romance in it. After the last couple of intense chapters I got carried away with all the romance in season 5. I'm posting this early because I'm off on a girls night at the weekend to see Harry Potter, and I know I'll be too distracted.
This is dedicated to the wonderful Purdy's Pal and DaisyDay, two of the nicest people I've ever known
8
It was 2am on a Sunday morning when Michael opened the door to the loft and made his way inside. It had been two weeks since he'd left Fiona in the restaurant and the look of disappointment in her eyes had haunted him the entire time he was away.
Placing his bag onto the floor he crept inside and tried to be as quiet as he could, intent on crawling into bed beside her while she slept.
At first it didn't register that the loft seemed strangely quiet until he made his way over towards the bed to find it empty. Panic soared through him when he looked around the loft for any signs of disturbance, but there were none that he could see.
"Fi," he called out into the darkness, hopeful that she was only in the bathroom. When silence greeted him he pulled out his phone and dialled her number, hoping he could hear her voice over his raging heartbeat.
When the call connected it went straight to voicemail, causing him to moan in frustration while he redialled her number only to have the same message again. Where was she?
In desperation he dialled Sam's number, pacing back and forth until he heard his friends groggy voice at the other end of the phone.
"Sam?"
"Mikey?" Sam's voice was thick with sleep when he answered. "It's two in the morning, don't you know by now to work out the time difference?"
"I'm at the loft, Sam. Where Fiona? She's not here," his voice was near desperate as he cast another look around the loft, hoping that there may have been something he'd missed on his first observation.
"Calm down brother, she's at your mom's. Probably sleeping if she knows what's good for her."
"My mom's…why? She didn't want to stay there while I was gone…Sam—"
"Listen Mikey, she didn't have any choice. Your mom took charge when Fi got hurt on a job two weeks ago. Now she won't let her out of her sight."
"WHAT?" Michael's voice boomed. "She got hurt? How? What happened?"
"Look Mike she's fine, she just got knocked over by some guy out robbing his step mom's house. The doc checked her over and her and the baby are doing okay."
"Why didn't anyone try and get a message to me? I'd have tried to get home sooner. God Sam—"
"Look I don't know what's going on between you two but Fi was insistent that we didn't try and get in touch. I think she was more worried about ruining your chances of getting back into your old job."
"I'm going over there, DON'T warn her," Michael told him forcefully while he was already opening the loft door to walk outside into the darkened night. "And Sam, when I see you, I want his name."
Closing the phone he shoved it inside his pocket as he raced down the metal steps towards the heavy metal gates, pulling them open before bringing the silent charger to life.
When he got to his mother's house it was in total darkness. His mind was racing with questions as he used his key to slip inside, being as quiet as he could. Closing the door behind him he allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness before moving silently towards his old bedroom, knowing that's where Fiona would be.
When he saw her his heart jolted inside his chest. He could see her rounded stomach protruding from beneath the loose sheet she had draped over her while she slept. He couldn't believe how much her body had changed in just two weeks. Two weeks, he mused as he slipped off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt, leaving them to fall into a pile on the floor. Two weeks had felt more like a lifetime.
When he got to the bed, he took a few moments to watch her while she slept. Her beautiful features were even more serene now that they were highlighted by the moonlight streaming in through the window.
Pulling off his shoes and socks, he stood up to remove his pants before climbing quietly into the bed, trying not to wake her when he shuffled closer towards her warm body. His heart shuddered inside his chest when he turned onto his side to drink in her features. He'd missed her so much.
Moving closer he reached out a hand to slide it over her swollen stomach and instantly felt the small movements of his baby daughter beneath his palm. He smiled to himself as he whispered a quiet hi to the baby. He couldn't help the sudden rush of emotion flooding his eyes when he was rewarded with a sharp kick into his palm.
Fiona's eyes snapped open and he only just caught her fist with his hand before it landed on his jaw. Fiona blinked the sleep from her eyes as she tried to focus on his face.
"Fi," he spoke softly, her name escaping from his lips when he took in her wide startled eyes.
With sudden force she launched herself into his arm, holding onto him so tight that they fell backwards onto the pillows. Her lips were on his before he could tell her how much he'd missed her. He followed her blindly, allowing her to take the lead when her kisses left him breathless.
"Michael," she whispered his name as her lips left his to travel over his face placing tiny kisses over his skin. "Michael…"
Michael's hands roamed over her shoulders, flexing his fingers over her soft skin until he moved them upwards to frame her face in his hands. Their eyes met and held as his gaze drifted over her body in awe. When she leant in to him, he could see the intensity in her eyes and he found himself gulping back a breath before she captured his lips once more. Shifting closer to him, Fiona wrapped her arms up around his shoulders to encompass his neck in her possessive embrace.
Opening his mouth beneath hers, he plunged his tongue into her depths, causing her to groan into his mouth as she returned his kiss with equal passion.
Fiona's hands began to wander down his chest, her fingers scraping over his skin as he slowly pulled his lips from hers and covered her hands with his own to still her movements.
"Fi," he whispered against her when his lips sought her neck to kiss the beckoning skin. Fiona tilted her head to grant him access, and allowed herself to be overtaken by the feelings she could feel raging throughout her body.
Finding her lips in the darkness, Michael crushed his mouth to hers, causing them to sink further down into the bed where every other thought disintegrated into the swirling passion that surrounded them.
Later, they lay together in a tangled heap. Michael held her close to him and ran the tips of his fingers over her shoulders and closed his eyes in complete contentment. He couldn't believe how much he had missed her, or how being away had felt like months instead of weeks.
"I missed you," she whispered against him as she placed a soft kiss onto his chest and tugged him closer.
"Me too," he smiled before he shifted slightly so he could look down at her. "What happened while I was away?"
Fiona tore her gaze from his and closed her eyes. With a heavy sigh she shook her head against him. "You spoke to Sam?"
"Yeah, I spoke to Sam," he told her. "Why wouldn't you let him get a message to me?"
"I didn't even think we could get a message to you," she sighed as she took hold of his hand to lay it over her stomach. "I'm fine and she's fine."
His gaze slipped to her stomach, still marvelling over how big she had got since he'd last touched her. That awe was short lived however when he caught sight of the dark bruise that was beginning to fade just below her ribcage.
"Fi," he gasped as he moved his hand over the bruise, covering it with his fingers.
"It's okay," she told him with a reassuring smile, capturing his hand in hers to bring it to his lips. "We're both okay."
"I'm not sure I'm okay," he told her with an exasperated sigh. "It could have been a lot worse. He could have seriously hurt you. He could have hurt her…"
"Stop it," she told him in a hushed whisper when his voice rose a notch. "You sound just like your mother. Don't you think being confined to this house is punishment enough?"
Drawing his hand back, Michael saw her eyes cloud over and everything he was planning to say to her suddenly disappeared.
"Has it been that bad?" he asked sympathetically as he pulled her back into his chest and rubbed his fingers over her shoulder. "I'm sorry."
"Please tell me you're staying," she sighed against his skin. "I love her, but she's driving me nuts. She's even hidden my C-4 just in case I try and blast my way out of here!"
Michael couldn't help it, his chest rumbled with laughter when she looked up at him with disdain.
"It's not funny Michael," she huffed. "I've had to eat overcooked meatloaf for the past three days!"
Michael pulled her close to his chest and placed soft kisses onto her forehead and chuckled softly as he spoke. "I'm sorry…I know she can be a little domineering…"
"A little?" she squawked when she pushed herself up onto her elbow to poke him in the chest with her finger. "You are not funny."
"Sorry…sorry…" he chuckled as he pulled her back down to him. "I promise I'll spring you free in the morning."
"You'd better," she told him as she yawned tiredly. "And tomorrow you can come and see the house."
"Huh?" he asked in confusion, suddenly wide awake. "House? What house?"
When she didn't answer he looked down to see her eyes closed tight and her lips holding just a hint of a smile. She snuggled against him and he couldn't help but let the feeling of complete bliss overtake his senses. Closing his eyes, he reached for her hand on his chest and threaded his fingers through hers. His last thought before he drifted off to sleep was how happy she made him feel.
000
Sunlight was streaming through the windows when Madeline tapped lightly on the bedroom door. Opening it just enough to look around the door she stopped in her tracks when she saw the entwined couple asleep in the bed.
At first she didn't know whether to be shocked that her son had managed to creep into the house at night without waking anyone or whether she was more shocked that Fiona hadn't killed him.
She smiled with complete joy when she saw how Michael's arm was wrapped possessively around Fiona's waist and their fingers were linked together. She couldn't have been more delighted. Stepping backwards she pulled the door closed quietly behind her and hummed happily to herself as she walked towards the kitchen.
She was cooking eggs when Michael came in to the kitchen later that morning. He winced when he saw the lit cigarette dangling from her lips when she flipped the overcooked eggs onto the plate and silently prayed that they weren't meant for Fiona.
"Hi mom," he spoke from behind her and couldn't help smiling when she threw the frying pan onto the stove when she jolted with surprise.
"Michael," she beamed as she came towards him, moving the cigarette to her fingers as she put her arms around his bare torso and pulled him into a tight embrace. "Welcome home baby."
He answered her with a wide smile as he pulled away to hold her at arms length. She surprised him by reaching up to pat her cheek with the palm of her hand affectionately.
"Is Fiona still asleep?"
Michael's face flushed slightly in embarrassment and he suddenly felt totally ridiculous. He was a grown man, not a teenager who'd been caught sleeping under his mother's roof with a woman in his bed.
"Oh Michael," Madeline mock scolded when she moved away from him. "Fiona's pregnant and I think I know by now how she got that way!"
"Uh…Yeah…" he stumbled over his words and was about to vacate the kitchen when Fiona came walking into the room wearing his discarded shirt. She handed him one of his polo shirts that he'd left in the dresser on their last stay here, and smiled up at him before moving away again.
"Morning sweetheart," Madeline beamed a large smile in her direction and opened the refrigerator to take out some freshly squeezed orange juice and handed it to her.
Fiona smirked at Michael's open mouthed expression when she'd moved towards his mother and hugged her with one arm before taking the offered drink.
She smiled gratefully and planted a kiss onto Madeline's cheek before she turned to walk towards Michael, leaning in to kiss his lips.
"Morning," she whispered softly as she met his gaze with a searing one of her own. "I'll go and get dressed."
His eyes followed her when she turned away from him to walk back towards his old bedroom. He was so engrossed in her retreating form that he didn't hear his mother come to stand beside him, holding a cup of coffee out to him.
"Michael," she told him forcefully, snapping him out of his reverie. "She's really okay. Don't worry so much."
Michael took the cup from her hands and placed it onto the kitchen table before slipping the shirt Fiona had given him over his head. When he tugged the shirt in place he sat down at the table and took a deep breath. He rubbed his hands over his face before he fixed her with his steady gaze.
"What happened ma?" he asked, his gaze dark. "Sam said some guy hurt her…I wanna know everything, don't leave anything out."
"There's not much to tell honey," she sighed when she came to sit down opposite him. "She was helping Sam with this teenage kid who was robbing every house in his neighbourhood. He'd sprung the traps Fi had wired up to his step mothers house and was causing a ruckus. Sam called her and told her that he'd got the boy tied up while his mother decided what she wanted to do…I was in the house when it happened. I came rushing out when I heard Sam yelling her name and found her clinging on to his hand."
Michael's jaw twitched when he lowered his gaze and Madeline could already see the deep seated anger rolling off of him in waves.
"Honey, she hasn't been out on a job since," Madeline told him as she reached out to clasp his hand. "She was terrified of losing that baby."
Michael stood up abruptly and pushed the chair backwards. He sighed when his mother's hand slipped from his, offering her a tight smile. "Thanks for watching out for her ma."
"I love that girl, Michael," she told him honestly. "Even if you two weren't together I would still love her."
"I know ma," he told her, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder. "I'm not leaving her alone anymore. Not after this."
"I'm fine Michael," Fiona's voice came from the doorway as she made her way back into the kitchen.
"Well I'm not," he told her, striding up to her to grasp her by the shoulders. "I'm not going anywhere until after she's born, and then when the time comes we'll all be going together."
Fiona's voice died on her lips when the meaning of his words seeped into her. Her eyes lit up with understanding and she automatically melted into him, pressing herself as close to him as possible.
The baby between them moved, pushing a kick into her father's abdomen in protest. Fiona giggled lightly when he moved back to place his hand over her stomach, swirling his fingers in circular motions.
"She's not even here yet and already she takes after you," he told her with a wide smile. He couldn't seem to stop doing that lately, even when he was away. Max had warned him to get the dopey smile from his face every time his mind drifted to her.
The back door flew open and Sam came through carrying parts of a new wooden cot covered in plastic wrappings hooked in his arms. He huffed and cast Michael a frustrated groan when he dumped the wooden bars onto the floor, propping them up against the wall.
"You know Mikey, there's more of it in the car."
Taking the hint, Michael left Fiona's side and followed his friend out of the door.
000
Later that afternoon Fiona walked into the loft and took a deep breath. She turned to Michael when he walked in behind her and reached for his hand, pulling him further inside.
"I never thought I would miss this place as much as I have," she told him with a smile. "It's so good to be home."
Michael couldn't seem to find his voice. Her smile was infectious and she had a beautiful glow about her. Pulling on her hand, he reeled her in towards him and wrapped his arms around her as he pressed his forehead to hers.
"I missed you too," he told her softly, his gaze meeting hers as he spoke. "I never got the chance to tell you."
Fiona's smile melted him from the inside out and he was still amazed that even after all these years she still had the power to leave him breathless.
Her cell phone sprang to life in her bag and she swiftly moved away from him to retrieve it. Michael shook his head and made his way over towards the refrigerator and opened the door to take out one of the bottles of beer still inside.
"We can come by this afternoon," Fiona's voice echoed around the loft and he closed the refrigerator door to look in her direction. "No, that's fine. Thank you, we'll see you after lunch."
"Don't tell me that was a job," he groaned when she made her way towards him.
"No, that was Lucy our realtor," she told him with a sly smile. "I went to see the perfect house for us a few weeks ago and she managed to get it for a good price, thanks to your mom."
"My mom?" he asked curiously when Fiona stood before him and linked her fingers through his, holding his hands.
"You should have seen her Michael," she told him proudly. "She was a real pro. She got twenty grand knocked off the price."
"That's great," he told her, flashing her a smile. "She has a way of being…persuasive!"
"She had Lucy eating out of her hand," Fiona laughed. "She was fantastic."
"And you like this house?" he asked her as he squeezed her fingers. "Is it what you want?"
"It's perfect for us," Fiona told him as she leaned up to place a soft kiss onto his lips before drawing away to smile up at him. "There's even a separate garage for the charger with enough space left over for everything else."
"Okay," he nodded, encouraged by her enthusiasm. "If it's what you want."
Fiona knew that he had something else on his mind by the way he was too agreeable. Since he got back he was much more affectionate and she couldn't move without having his eyes instantly on her.
Her face became serious when she caught his gaze. She untangled her fingers from his and reached up a hand to touch his face.
"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"
"What?" he asked quickly, shaking his head. "Nothing's wrong…why—"
"You've been watching me like I'm going to disappear," she sighed. "I'm fine Michael."
"I know," he told her as he pulled her hand away from his face to kiss her palm. "I'm sorry; I've had a lot on my mind…"
"Is everything okay?" she asked softly, instantly worried.
"It's fine," he told her with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Moving away from her he walked towards his discarded bag that he'd thrown onto the floor the night before and placed it on the bed. It was when he was zipping it open that he turned to her. "Why did Sam say you wouldn't let anyone contact me because of my job?"
"Michael," she sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "You want your old job back—"
"No I don't—" he interrupted but she stopped him.
"Yes you do," she told him. "You've wanted it for so long and…I don't want to ruin things for you more than I have already."
Michael's hands stilled and he dropped the crumpled shirts from his bag back to the bed. "You haven't ruined anything, Fi."
"Yes I have," she sighed. "Just by being with me you're jeopardising your chances. I know what it means to you."
"Fi, we've been over this already. I've made my choices and I chose to be with you," he told her as he made his way towards her, crouching down so he could see her eyes. "Whatever happens from here on, we decide it together, okay?"
Fiona could see the sincerity in his eyes and even though she knew he was giving up a huge part of his life for her, she couldn't seem to shake the sadness. She nodded silently, knowing that she would do everything she could to help him find his path again, regardless of how much their separation's hurt.
Michael's hand sought hers and squeezed her fingers to draw her gaze back up to his. "You okay?"
"Yeah," she told him with a reassuring smile when he pulled her up from the bed. She rubbed her stomach and winced slightly. "She's active today."
Stepping closer, Michael laid his hands over her swollen stomach calming the baby's movements almost instantly.
"See she's already a daddy's girl," she told him with a wide smile when his eyes seemed to light up with her words.
"Come on," he told her. "Let's get out of here and go eat somewhere nice before we go and see the new house."
000
Michael walked into what would be a very large living room and looked out of the windows. He could see why Fiona had wanted this place; it had everything they could possibly want.
Fiona came to stand behind him and rested her chin on his shoulder, slipping her hand into his.
"What do you think?"
"I think," he started, turning his head to catch her eyes as he spoke. "You found us the right house."
"I did, didn't I?" she laughed. "And when you're away it has plenty of room for your mom to come and stay."
"When I'm away?" he asked quickly, turning around to look down at her. He was just about to question her when Lucy came bounding into the room, gushing at him as she spoke.
"Oh it's so nice to finally meet you," she told him, blushing slightly when he looked at her. "Fiona said you were in the military."
"Uh…" Michael's voice died on his lips and he reached down for Fiona's hand, squeezing her fingers.
Fiona couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Michael Westen could take down dictators, battle his way through foreign countries and fight armed combat without blinking, but when a woman admired at him he was like a frightened little boy.
"Yes, he came back last night," Fiona supplied, squeezing his hand in hers. She couldn't decide whether she wanted to kill the woman before her or if she wanted to shout out with some feminine pride that this man was hers. Shaking her head she fended off the young realtor with a large smile. "We can come by your office sometime tomorrow if that's okay with you. We have some more," she looked up at Michael with a smouldering gaze, leaning into his side. "Pressing things to take care of."
"Oh yes, yes of course…"Lucy blushed. "I'll…I'll…see you both tomorrow."
"You will," Fiona told her as Michael grabbed hold of her hand and practically pulled her from the house.
TBC