Authors Note: I have some explaining to do.
Recently things have been crazy at work, and I haven't had as much time to write as I would like. I thought maybe things would settle down and I could get back to writing soon but...
I've been unexpectedly cast in two different musicals that run back to back. Add that to the season starting for my charity football league (and y'know, that pesky career thing) it means every night and weekend I am now busy until July.
I will try my best to wrap up all my writing projects quickly. Thanks for your patience!
This chapter takes place right after the last one. It is is right after Johnny's speech and right before Mike is sitting on the steps when Bello calls him.
Mike is not sure when he fell asleep, but the sun coming through his window wakes him. His roommates must have dismantled his alarm clock while he was in the hospital.
Opening his eyes, the first sight he sees is Paige asleep on the bed across from him about a foot away. He pulls him arm under his pillow to prop up his head while he watches her sleep. Her blonde hair is spread out across the pillow, her dark eye makeup is smudged, her lips are parted and her eyelids twitch lightly in REM. Mike wonders what she's dreaming about.
He remembers now. The two of them had stayed up most of the night whispering about Briggs, retelling stories in a new light now that Paige knew all the facts. It felt so good to finally be able to be honest with someone, and Mike had to admit, he was happy that someone was Paige.
While it had started talking about Briggs, somewhere in the night the conversation had naturally morphed into something more intimate. Mike had ended up telling Paige all about his childhood growing up, his grandfather, and his time at Quantico. He'd learned new things about her as well; her favorite band, how she'd wrecked her first car and how much Graceland meant to her. As the night wore on and she let down her guard more and more, Mike realized that these stories were ones that she didn't often tell. He had somehow earned the privilege of hearing these, of seeing the secret side of Paige few got to see.
He had never seen Paige so open and relaxed. It was like they were in their own little island on his bed, whispering, laughing and sharing stories.
She had gotten cold at some point last night, and he'd given her his favorite Quantico sweatshirt to where. She'd fallen asleep cocooned in it, her long tan legs stretching out from underneath the worn grey material. Mike had to bite his lip to keep from grinning like an idiot at the look of her lying peacefully in his bed in his favorite sweatshirt, her chest softly moving up and down with each breath. He briefly wondered if once all this was over if she would consider coming to DC with him. He then shook his head realizing that the thought was absolutely crazy.
Though last night had been one of the most emotionally intense night's of Mike's life, no romance actually occurred. At only one point Mike had seriously thought about kissing her. It had occurred to him sometime around when he was laying on his back with his head in her lap, her fingers running absently through his hair. From that angle he could stare up at the way her lips moved when she talked about her childhood french bulldog. Something about the way her lips curved into a smile, made him almost reach up and pull her down into a kiss. He thought better of it though. Some moments in time are too perfect to ruin with sex.
They must have fallen asleep at some point, each on top of the covers, on their own side of the bed. Mike stares at the sleeping girl across from him, his heart skipping in his chest, realizing this is the first time he's had a woman in his bed at Graceland. It's something he figured would never happen.
Somehow everything that seemed so hopeless yesterday looked different in the light of the new day. With Paige on his side now, Mike feels like he can do anything. Unfortunately even the joy of waking up next to her can't overcome his physical limitations. As happy as Mike would be to lay here and watch her sleep all day, he's feeling the pain in his side and he's left his medication in the kitchen.
Mike carefully rises from the bed, trying not to disturb the sleeping girl across from him. He limps to the door and looks back at her still curled up in his bed. He'll come back in a minute and bring her breakfast in bed. Well coffee and toast at least. He's not much of a cook.
Mike quietly slips out of the room, not wanting to disturb her. As he walked out into the hall, distracted by all the giddy feeling in his chest, he jumps about a foot in the air when he runs straight into Johnny.
Mike tries to wipe the guilty look off his face, but it was too late. Johnny looks past him through the open door way into the room and sees Paige asleep on Mike's bed. Mike's eyes followed Johnny's. He's horrified to see that, from this angle, it looks like Paige is wearing nothing but his sweatshirt.
Mike quickly closes the door behind him, protecting Paige as best he can, and glares at Johnny who has broken into a huge triumphant grin.
"No!" Mike tries to deny the situation immediately, but it is too late and the damage is done.
"I knew it!" Johnny proclaims with a huge grin.
"John, listen to me. It's not- Nothing happened." Mike stutters. The pain in his side shooting through his body. He's not on the top of his game right now. He's not ready to deal with this.
"I knew it!" Johnny simply repeated gleefully. "You both said nothing was going on!"
"Shhh!" Mike grabs Johnny's arm dragging him away from the doorway. The last thing he wanted right now was for the entire house to wake up and find Paige in his bed. "Johnny listen, you can't- You can't tell anyone. It's not…"
"I knew you two were acting weird! How long man? Yo, is that why you and Abby broke up? Because of you and Paige?"
"No, it wasn't that! Well, Paige was a part of it... but no!" Mike is flustered, and his mind is blank.
"Come on Levi! You've got to tell me. You and Paige? This is huge!" Johnny begs.
"No, it is the opposite of huge. It is tiny. It is nothing, because nothing happened. Seriously, can we please just drop it?" Mike is beginning to get annoyed. His side hurts, all the happiness he felt just a few moments ago has evaporated as he's realizing how much more complicated having Paige involved might make things. "Look, we just talked and she just fell asleep."
"Talked about what?" Johnny asks, and Mike realizes this is a whole different problem.
"Nothing, just stuff." Mike scuffs his foot on the floor.
"The kind of stuff people talk about in bed all night?" Johnny asks skeptically.
"Look. I know how that sounds." Mike runs a hand through his hair wishing he could find a way to end this conversation. He considers ripping the stitches out just to put an end to this, but knowing Johnny that wouldn't work.
"Uh huh…"
"Johnny, please man. Can we not talk about this? It's early. My side hurts, and I didn't sleep last night..." Johnny laughs knowingly and Mike doesn't like what that laugh implies. "NO!"
Johnny just shakes his head, clearly not be
"Look man, I didn't sleep with her."
"Yeah that would be a lot more convincing if you didn't just skip out of your room whistling. You got laid." Johnny challenges. "She's in your bed, you two have been acting weird around each other. I see what's going on Levi!"
"Look, it's really early on. I don't want to jinx it." Mike finally gives in, and let's Johnny believe whatever he wants to believe. He has to do some damage control. Mike feels so unchivalrous doing so, like he's throwing Paige under the bus to protect his secret. "Listen, you can't tell anyone."
"Fine, but just tell me how long have you been..." Johnny wiggles his eyebrows, "Y'know. Tapping that?"
"Dammit Johnny! Do you want everyone in this house to punch you? It's none of your damn business! Why don't you grow up? Get a life of your own rather than latching onto everyone else's." Mike loses his temper and screams at Johnny. As soon as the words are out of his mouth he regrets it. Johnny looks like a kicked puppy dog.
"That's how you want it? You got what you wanted so you don't need the rest of us? Fine." Johnny whispers angrily at him. "I thought we were all friends, but this house is just breaking apart. There's too many damn secrets!"
"Johnny, listen..."
"No. Go play with Paige in your little playhouse for two." Johnny says harshly to Mike, "But since everyone in this house is choosing sides, let me just make one thing clear. When you mess up, no one's going to be on yours. That girl is family to me, and you banging her doesn't trump that."
All thoughts of bringing Paige breakfast in bed, all those happy feeling he felt waking in his room seeing her there, are gone. His screaming match with Johnny this morning has put him back in his worried mood.
Mike sits on the stares, staring at the wreckage in front of him, and thought about what the hell he was doing. Johnny was right. This house was falling apart. Now he was lying to Johnny not only about Briggs, but about Paige. The lies were just piling up and someone was going to get hurt. He couldn't let that person be Paige, and yet here he was, selfishly dragging her down with him.
He needed to figure out what her knowing meant for his mission. He can't say he regrets telling her.
He had let her into his world completely last night, something he knew he wasn't supposed to do. He had probably broken the law by confiding in her, and worse, had dragged her into his espionage. This was getting out of control.
He needed to end this as quickly as knew he had to wrap up his assignment with Briggs quickly now, but if he did that then the FBI would send him back to DC. They'd really have no choice once the other roommates found out what he'd done. Paige may have accepted him, but that didn't mean the other four would. Thinking of her sleeping face, he wasn't ready to leave yet. He wondered if there was anyway he could come out of this with no one else finding out he'd been planted in the house, but knew it wasn't likely.
Mike wants to go find her, but he's afraid last night was just a spell and in the morning light she will be mad at him again. He feels guilty for starting another lie with Johnny about her in his room. He failed with the Odin investigation. He can't fail with this too. Bello will never give up the information now, so he has to use all his focus into finding out what is happening with Briggs.
Mike is staring out into the living room, the medicine in the kitchen forgotten. His side aches with pain but he deserves it. Plus the pain killers dull his senses, and he needs to focus all his energy into fixing this. He can't screw up again. Not now.
Mike doesn't know how long he sits on those steps, until the vibrating in his pocket pulls him from his thoughts just enough for him to answer his phone.