Author's Note: Right now oddly my the events in my life seem more like fiction than my writing. So I'm enjoying living in my very very strange life and there seems to be little time for writing. But I'm working on it! I promise. Thank you so much for the reviews and encouragement.

"Are you sure you should be doing this so soon?" Mike asks in harsh breaths, his muscles straining with effort.

"I've got to start again sometime." Paige whispers, all of her concentration focused on what her body is telling her as muscles she hasn't used in months come back to life.

"How are you even bending like that?" Mike mutters in awe.

"Just go a little deeper. Yes! Feel that?"

"Am I doing this right? Is this ok?" Mike's voice shakes.

"Yes! You've got it. Just like that." Paige gasps.

"Ow!"

"Just breathe." Paige tells both herself and Mike.

"Oh fuck!" Mike yells as his muscles give out. He loses his balance and falls over on the sand beside Paige in a heap. She quickly changes positions so she's arched over his sweaty body, staring amusedly down at him.

"You're pigeon pose could use a little work." She says simply, grinning down at him from her downward-dog pose, their noses almost touching. She's having to modify the poses a bit because of her injuries, but she's still doing better than Mike who has never done yoga before.

"From here on out, maybe I should just go for runs, and leave yoga alone." Mike pants, staring up at her. "I'm not very good at it."

"That's why you practice. To improve your flexibility, clear your mind, reduce stress..."

"Paige, you know me. By nature I'm an inflexible stressed individual with a mind that doesn't shut off." When she starts what he knows will be a smart aleck response, he says firmly, "And I like it that way."

"It also makes sex amazing." She grins cockily down at him, her hands on either side of his head, her body stretched so her hips are high in the air.

"I do ok." Mike says, from where he lies on his back staring up at her. She just gives him that same amused smirk she always does. The one that seems to be daring him to prove it. As Mike gasps for breath, he resists the urge that smirk gives him, to reach up and drag her down on top of him and make love to her right here on this beach. Instead he chooses to change the subject to something less sexy. "Briggs loves this stuff. I just don't get it."

"You're not him." Paige says simply, as she twists out of downward dog so she's sitting in the sand beside him. Giving him an appraising look she says warrily, almost to herself, "You're becoming more like him everyday."

"Is that a bad thing?" Mike asks, matching her solemn tone, gazing over at her.

"I don't know." Paige mumbles, looking out towards the ocean. "You've just changed so much since I first met you."

"How am I becoming like him?"

"More confident, more tortured, the lies are coming easier to you. You're angrier. You keep more to yourself." Paige says, and Mike wonders how long she's been thinking these thoughts. "I worry about you."

"Hey. I'm still me. Ok?" Mike reached out and redirected her gaze towards him. "And I don't know if becoming like Briggs would be a bad thing. The man's a legend. He's two steps ahead of everyone."

"Yes, but at what price? When you're two steps ahead of everyone it means you're all alone." Paige says.

Mike sits quietly and thinks about her words. He values Paige's opinion and advice. He'd be an idiot not to. The woman is smart. He know he's changed since coming here, the lines have blurred more than he ever could have imagined. He wants to improve, become better. He knows he's changing but he's not necessarily sure he's improving. Paige's words make him sit and evaluate himself. He wants to become more like Briggs, but a better Briggs. He wants to become a man Paige admires. He doesn't want to disappoint her ever.

"Are you scared for your hearing tomorrow?" She asks, bringing Mike out of his head and back to the moment.

"I wanted to talk to you about that. I don't want you there." Mike says firmly, stealing himself for a fight. He knows she'll argue but he doesn't want her there.

"Mike, I want to go. I need to testify on your behalf." Paige insists.

"If you go, they're going to make you relive everything. In front of everyone. They'll ask you all sorts of personal questions and it will all go on record. I don't want to put you through that."

"They need to hear it. Trust me, they'll take one look at all this mess and want to give you a hero's medal." Paige grins, gesturing to her injuries which are healing but still make her feel disgusting.

"Look, I appreciate it, but don't come. Other people can testify-" Mike doesn't want her to think he's ungrateful he knows she's trying to help him, but he doesn't want her to do so at expense of her.

"Not like I can." Paige says firmly. "I was there."

"You were unconscious." Mike corrects.

"Mike, if you lose this, they will kick you out of Graceland. You'll be lucky to be working at any branch of the FBI, they might even press criminal charges."

"I won't lose. People besides you can testify as to what the story is." Mike tries to assure her, "I'll be fine. Everyone's broken some rules at some point."

"Mike you're still new, they can make the story whatever they want." Paige says seriously. "If you do it your way, you might win. If I testify you will win. Because then it's not about whether some new kid broke the rules and used excessive force. If I testify the story becomes about me. The kidnapped girl who was tortured and would have died if she weren't heroically rescued."

"We can tell that story without you there. Briggs can back me up."

"Briggs is known as a wildcard agent. His word could damage you more. I have the cleanest record in the house. No citations."

"Paige, do you have any idea what sort of questions they'll ask you?" "They're going to make you relive every moment of the abduction. They're going to grill you for details about what happened to you, they'll ask questions about all your sexual partners, questions about me."

"What happened was I was kidnapped, tortured and raped for twenty nine hours. I've had fourteen sexual partners. And the Mike Warren I know is not a murderer deserving this hearing. He's a hero who deserves a medal." Paige answers bluntly. Sighing, she looks at Mike, trying to make him see reason.

Mike knows it's his turn to argue back. He knows she's said something about him. But all he can think is "Fourteen." He wants to ask about the Fourteen. Who they were. If she loved them. If she was still seeing any of them. He wonders if Paige is counting the six men who raped her, or if they are in addition. Fourteen seems like a lot to Mike.

After a moment of Mike's atypical silence, Paige calls him out. "You're thinking about the number aren't you?"

"No."

"Mike." She just looks at him, clearly not believing him for a second.

"It just… I mean. Wow." Mike begins to talk, but she rolls her eyes and starts to get up from where she's sitting. He doesn't want her to go. He'll have to choose his words carefully, but she's already getting up to leave.

"No! I don't mean it like that. Come here…" Mike reaches out and pulls her into a backwards hug. He makes sure her back is pressed to his chest as he kisses the top of her head protectively and tries to think about what to say. Since she's no longer facing him he can concentrate a little more. "I… I just didn't expect it to be that high."

"You can't get too close here, and that means relationships don't last very long. A girl gets lonely." She says quietly.

"I know and I'm not judging." Mike defends.

She glares up at him. She still obviously doesn't believe him.

"I'm not." He states firmly. "Look, I just… my number's not that high."

"Don't tell me Abby was your first…"

"She wasn't…" Mike hesitates before adding, "...She was my second."

"What?!" Paige jerks around to gape at him, genuinely shocked. "How is that even possible? Look at you!"

Mike took some pride in the compliment Paige had inadvertently thrown his way.

"I'm just a relationship guy I guess. I don't do one night stands. Before Abby, I dated the same girl for ten years." Mike says casually, immediately wishing he could take back what he just revealed about himself. She must think he's a sap.

"You dated a girl for ten years?" It's now Paige's turn to feel insecure and jealous. Her longest relationship hasn't even made it ten months.

"Why don't you ever talk about her?"

"Do you really want me to?" Mike asks, in a rare moment of acknowledgment of the tension between the two.

No, him and Paige weren't a couple, but Mike knew he didn't want to hear about any men in her life, and he hoped she would be equally bothered if he were to talk about his exes. Though given the fact that she had set him up with Abby and even gone on double dates with them, maybe Paige just didn't feel the same way about him. He couldn't read her in that regard. He was so good at reading people, but with Paige he'd always get it wrong. He'd kiss her when she didn't want him to. He'd try to flirt with her and she'd set him up with someone else. He couldn't figure her out.

"Do you want to?" Part of Paige wants to know everything about Mike's ex. What she was like, why they broke up, every detail. The other part of her just wants him to shut up already and he hasn't even said anything. Is he still in love with her?

"Not really." Mike says simply. Things feel strange between him and Paige right now. Awkward. Mike wishes he had never brought the subject up.

"She was a big part of your life for a decade. How come none of us know about her?"

"There's not much to tell Paige."

Looking back on it, it doesn't seem important. His past life feels like a dream he doesn't mind he woke up from. "We started dating in high school. We went to the same college together. Once we graduated and I went to Quantico, she went to school to get her masters in teaching. It was long distance. We tried to make it work, but it didn't. I'm not sure if it was the distance or whether we'd just grown apart over the years."

"Oh so that's why you want to get back to DC so bad. She's there."

It all makes sense to Paige now. She's filled with an unexpected feeling of loss. She never knew why Mike was so intent to leave Graceland, because to her it felt like he belonged here. Now she knows why. His heart is somewhere else.

"No, she's in New York in my home town teaching school, but DC's just a train ride away. So, at the time, I thought maybe we'd give it another shot." Mike answers honestly.

"You don't think that anymore?" Paige asks, her question cautious. Her voice filled with hope and suspicion.

"No. I don't. I've changed. I want different things."

"So what I'm hearing is you're done with the relationship phase and want to try the player lifestyle now?" Paige always jokes when she's uncomfortable. "Johnny will be thrilled."

"No, I'm still definitely a relationship guy." Mike laughs. "I just used to have my future planned out you know? And now, that plan just doesn't seem to fit anymore."

"So you're lost?"

"No. Not lost. I've got a plan. A new plan." Mike says confidently. "It's just changing from what I thought I wanted before."

"Does that plan still have you as an FBI agent?"

"Yes. That part hasn't changed." Mike has seen some horrible things since his time here, but at his core he still believes that being an FBI agent is the best way to fight evil in the world.

"Does part of that plan involve staying here at Graceland?"

"For now." Mike looks down at the top of her head from where she's leaning against him facing out towards the ocean. The lifestyle is stressful, but it's become home.

He waits for her to ask the next logical question. To ask if the plan involves her. As he thinks about it, he realizes the plan doesn't just involve her anymore. She is the plan. He's going to make sure nothing like this ever happens to her again. He's going to do whatever it takes to make it up to her for what she's been through.

The expected question doesn't come however. Instead she just says resolutely, "Great. Then it's settled. I'm definitely testifying at your hearing tomorrow."

"Paige-" Mike begins to argue again, but she cuts him off.

"No. Listen to me. I'm not scared of them, Mike. I'm scared of losing you." She says firmly. "I have to do this. I'd never forgive myself if you got in trouble because of me. If you lost your job. Your life."

"It's not your fault. I can't ask you to do this." Mike doesn't doubt her sincerity, but he has to protect her. If she goes and speaks on his behalf she will be vulnerable to all sorts of disgusting questions. She will have to relive everything.

Moreover, he's afraid it might change how she looks at him. He knows tomorrow they are going to try to paint him in the worst possible light. They will go into full detail of how he mercilessly killed and tortured those men. Paige and Mike have never talked about what lengths he went to to save her. He knows she's aware of the deaths, but she doesn't know how ruthless he got. What if she hated him?

"You didn't ask." She says simply. "Mike, there's no question for me. I'm keeping you here."