Chapter 6

Sam stayed late discussing the locations that they would consider for the final meet. It all came down to what Harding felt most comfortable with, but they analyzed each one for its strengths and weaknesses. When they were confident they covered everything and decided which one Michael would try to steer him towards, Sam went home. Kira was already in her crib sleeping, Maddie was also asleep, and it was just Michael and Fiona awake sitting on the couch. She snuggled into him and put her arms around his waist, and he put his arm around her shoulders. Neither of them spoke for a long time as they sat half in darkness, because they both knew that the events of the past week brought to the forefront a subject that should have been broached a long time ago. And neither one knew how to begin.

"Fi, we need to talk about this. The baby, Kira, will probably be going home soon."

"I know." She looked up at him, fighting the wetness forming in her eyes. "Michael, I tried just making it about a job, to protect and care for Kira, but she was too easy to fall in love with." She ended the sentence with a tender smile. "She's a good baby, and I know they're not all like that, but I know now that I can do this. I can be a mother." She paused. "I want to be a mother."

"I'm worried," Michael blurted without calculating his words. "Just think about it, Fi. Right now we're protecting a stranger's child from harm, but when it's our own, how often will you need to go into hiding with him or her to keep them from being kidnapped or hurt, or maybe even killed? You know what my life is like! Remember when Management removed its protection? Just think what that would have been like with a child. It's risky enough for the two of us."

"Then maybe it's time to live less dangerously. Perhaps it's time to settle down, Michael, and try to live a normal life."

A sound came out of him. "Like I even know what 'normal' is! Do you, Fi?"

She shrugged. "We'd have to make some friends who are normal and learn from them."

"Somehow I have this feeling we wouldn't like it."

Fiona pushed him away. "Michael, don't pooh-pooh it until we try!"

Maybe I don't really want to try. What if I like things the way they are now? But Michael knew that eventually things would have to change. He couldn't keep doing this forever. Whenever he tried to picture the future, it came out murky as if a thick fog guarded it from his eyes. He just always assumed Fiona would be there, but her temporary loss shook him to the core. When she regained her freedom, he was amazed at how quickly he went back to status quo. It wasn't right. There were no more excuses to be had. He knew what he wanted, and it was Fiona. He would never lose her again if he had any say in it.

Michael tightened his grip around her shoulders and pulled her into his lap. She moved and settled in, her eyes never leaving his, searching for the reason for this action. He dipped his head and kissed her, holding her where she sat, and she quickly responded to him. He pulled away before the kiss deepened and their passion ran away with them.

"Fi, I love you. So many times I thought you and I would be better off without each other. Then when it happened, I realized it wasn't true. I need you, Fi. I'll always need you. If you feel the same, say yes, and I'll marry you."

She looked up at him with a tender smile and spoke softly. "Yes."

Michael smiled at her and he felt a relieved laughter bubble up from inside. He kissed her again, holding her, feeling the bonds of commitment tighten around them. It was confining and freeing, confusing yet a pleasant sensation at the same time.

Kira cried, breaking the spell. Fiona chuckled under her breath. "We better get used to this, Michael, for when it's our turn." She stood, kissed his lips one more time, and hurried upstairs to check on the baby.

Yes, that was something he would have to adjust to. He had a feeling there were a lot of other things in the near future that would challenge them, but together, they could overcome. With the friends he and Fi had, no doubt his mom, Sam and Jesse would be there to support them in whatever they did. He and Fi, Sam, and Jesse would still be a team, but in a different way. It would just mean being more selective about the cases they took on, avoiding anything that might create a safety issue if he had a family. His main concern, however, was his relationship with the CIA. Just how much would they expect from him? Speculating only brought worry, and he was too tired to deal with that now. Other issues took precedence for the time being, like getting some sleep.

Jesse had been watching Rob Lennox for hours. He tailed him from the time he left Aerocorp until he arrived home. Then he went inside and came out not long after with his entire family. Everyone barely fit into the wife's minivan, and they took off. Jesse kept a comfortable distance. He endured a trip to a fast food restaurant.

"Man, what I wouldn't give for a burger right now," Jesse muttered as he watched them go inside. It would make it easier to keep an eye on them if I went in. But then, it might be easier for them to lose me, and then I'd have to answer to Mike. Nope, I'll just stay here, smell that fryer grease, and just...wish.

A half hour later the family piled back into the minivan and Rob drove them to a ball diamond. Two of the older kids launched out of the van in matching uniforms. Rob opened the back, the kids grabbed bats and gloves, and ran toward the dugout. Jesse found a parking space that hid him from Lennox's sight and gave him a good view of the entrance.

Oh yeah, now I get to sit here for a couple hours. Good thing I got a hot date tomorrow to make up for this. What a way to spend a Friday night. Could have gone out to dinner, and dancing... His stomach growled, and he glanced over at the snacks he supplied himself with before going on this assignment. None of it looked good.

After the game, Rob drove his family home and parked the van in the garage. The door went down, closing them off from Jesse's sight. Lights went on in the house, and from his vantage point in the dark he watched a typical family going through typical evening preparations for bed. Jesse yawned. Anyone who says they enjoy stake outs is just plain crazy. Wonder if I can sit here thinking of all the ways I hate 'em? At least it might keep me from getting bored. The lights went out one by one, until the house was completely dark except for a lamp in what he assumed was a bedroom. It stayed on for quite awhile, then went out. Now was the time to act.

Jesse stayed in the shadows until he reached Rob's car, planted a tracker underneath the back bumper, and returned to his vehicle. Just a little insurance policy in case I lose him. Not long after, Rob left the house through the front. Jesse sat up as the man carefully closed the door, trying to be as quiet as possible. Rob got into his car and drove away. Jesse gave him enough space to avoid arousing his suspicions.

When Jesse discovered where Rob was going, he called Michael. "Michael, it's me, Jesse."

"Yeah, Jesse." He could tell from the gravelly voice that he'd awakened him.

"Our guy Rob is on the move. He went to Aerocorp and just got into the building. He's heading for Kyle's office."

"Keep an eye on him."

"He just went into the office. What do you wanna bet he's going to get those files that contain what Harding wants? That'll throw a wrench in our plan."

"No doubt. We'll just have to intercept him and get those files." Michael sounded a lot more awake now. "Keep following him, let me know where he goes, and I'll call Sam."

"No problem." Jesse hung up and waited for Rob to emerge from the building.

Sam's phone rang, waking him from a really great dream. Only it wasn't a dream, it was real. He lay with his new lady love in his arms, burrowed under the covers after a passion-filled evening. It took all his strength to break away from her, roll over, and pick up the phone. Throwing it across the room would have been tempting, but he knew it was not an option.

"Yeah, Mike," he answered softly, trying not to wake her.

"Sam, Lennox is at Aerocorp. Jesse said he went right for Kyle's office, and as soon as he gets out, he'll tail him. He's probably going to meet Harding on his own."

"Great. Okay...I'll be on my way in a bit. Just give me a call and let me know where he's going." Sam carefully disengaged himself from her and dragged himself out of bed. She moaned and rolled over, but didn't awaken. Good. No sense in bothering her. He quickly put on his clothes and left a short note on the kitchen counter before running out the door. He was in his car, starting it up when Michael called again.

"He's heading for Pelican Harbor Park."

"Okay, that's promising. With three vehicles, we can block the entrance so there's no way out."

Michael added, "If we go in without headlights, it will make us a little less visible."

"Not the best plan, but we're kind of limited," Sam said as he drove north to the bridge that would take him to the park. "I'll see you and Jesse there in about ten minutes. Do we want backup?"

"It's already been taken care of, Sam."

"Perfect. See you there." Traffic was almost non-existent after two in the morning, which made it easy to get to his destination. At the light, Sam saw Jesse and Michael's cars opposite him. When the light turned green, they pulled even in the middle of the intersection.

"Jesse is blocking that entrance back there, and you and I will block this one over here." Michael inclined his head toward the one at their intersection. Sam nodded. He turned his car around and followed him into the lane going the wrong way and parked at an angle. Their front bumpers almost touched, completely closing off both lanes and part of the side of the road in the green space. They got out and met Jesse there. Two cars sat in the lot, but no one was in either vehicle.

"They're probably over there," Jesse spoke softly and pointed toward a stand of trees and bushes.

"Sam, you go around that way. We'll give you a couple minutes to get into position and then we'll come around from the left. If you see anything, let us know."

"You got it." Sam hurried along the street side of the greenery and scouted a good place to go in without making a lot of noise. Except for the gentle lapping of waves against the shoreline, there was no masking sound.

Michael and Jesse took a few steps closer, and when Sam disappeared into the vegetation, they made their move. Side by side with guns drawn they ran for the clearing.

"I see them," Sam whispered over his commlink.

"Okay, let's do this," Michael replied and quickened his pace.

He and Jesse came around to the area sheltered by the trees and large bushes and palmettos. Two men stood in the shadows, and they turned at the sight of them. Michael and Jesse had guns drawn, but that didn't stop Harding from pulling one of his own. Rob, caught in the middle, cowered and moved to the side. Michael noticed something silver flash in the light from the street lamp, and he realized that the transaction had already gone down.

"You're too late, West. Mr. Lennox has already sold the plans to me."

"I see. And thank you for clarifying that, because now the police will have something solid against you. Your own confession."

Harding grinned. "Really. And why would they believe you over me?"

"It certainly helps if a member of the Miami PD heard it. Not to mention that you're holding the evidence in your hand," Sam said as he emerged from behind Harding with Detective Paxson. Both held guns on him. Seeing he was outmanned and outgunned, Harding dropped the gun. "Good boy. Now the folder."

Harding had no choice. As soon as he dropped his weapon and the manila folder, officers swarmed around, pulled his hands behind his back, and cuffed him. Another officer grabbed Rob and arrested him. Both men were quickly removed from the scene, the evidence bagged and tagged, and only Paxson remained with the trio.

She looked up at Michael and said, "You know, Westen, I'm actually kind of disappointed."

"Why do you say that?"

She stood with one fist on her hip. "Well, no gunfire, no pyrotechnics...it was a pretty lame collar if you ask me."

Michael grinned. "Hey, we don't always need C-4 to end a case. Do we, guys?"

"No, but you gotta admit, it does make it more dramatic," Jesse replied.

"Thanks for your help on this one, Westen. I can assure you, buying government secrets aside, we can now start pinning a lot of things on this guy. Good thing for him he's got a lot of money. He's going to need it, and even then I doubt he'll see freedom any time soon."

"Thank you, Detective. But we still need to track down Kyle and his wife."

"Hopefully he'll see the news report in the morning and know it's safe to go home. That is, if he's innocent."

"If Rollins had something to do with this, he might hunker down deeper," Michael said as he speculated aloud.

"We'll find out soon enough, once we start leaning on Rob Lennox." She said as she started walking back to her car. "I don't think it will take much for him to start talking."

"He's got too much to lose to not talk." Sam said. "Cop a plea deal and his family gets to keep him around for awhile. Depending, of course, on what the government decides to charge him with."

"He's definitely dug himself a hole," Paxson said with a shake of her head. "Sometimes it still amazes me what people will do even with so much at stake."

"There's one other thing." Sam asked, "What about Harding's dogs? Who's gonna call them off?"

"Not a problem. We're rounding all of them up too, on charges from extortion to murder." Paxson looked quite pleased with herself as she stood underneath a street light. "If I were you guys, I'd get that baby back to Fiona's. No doubt the Rollins couple will be looking for her there when they come out from hiding."

"We'll wait until morning," Michael said.

"We'll have an unmarked unit nearby watching, just in case."

Michael was about to say that they had things covered, but he decided to accept her olive branch. He didn't want to ruin the rapport she had with Sam, because every now and then she proved useful to them. Like tonight. With Fiona taking care of the baby they were down one team member. They could have handled things just fine without Fi, but having the detective swoop in with her team made the whole operation go a lot smoother. Yes it was anti-climactic, but nobody got hurt. It was a good night.

The three men walked back to their cars. "So, tomorrow bright and early, back to Fi's?" Sam asked as he pulled out his keys.

"Are you volunteering to help move?"

Sam chuckled. "Actually, I have other plans."

"Hey, don't look at me, Mike. I've got a date."

"In the morning." Michael looked at him sideways.

"Yeah, we're going fishing on a charter boat. I need to be up in a couple hours to get ready."

"Hey, Jesse, just a little tip," Sam said, "Go easy on the cologne. It scares away the fish."

"Oh yeah, I suppose you'd know about that." Jesse shook his head and broke away. "I'll see you guys later."

Sam ignored the jab, knowing the spirit in which it was intended. "Yeah, I'll see you later, Mike. I'm going back to Gina's."

"Her name's Gina," Michael said with a nod. "Have a good night, Sam. See you tomorrow at Carlito's?"

"Sure. I'll be there!"

Sam walked away to his car, and Michael noted a couple of cruisers still were on the scene parked along the curve. Because of Jesse's parking maneuver, they weren't able to get in without running over the grass and creating a ruckus that would have put a damper on their surprise. Michael moved his car out of the way and sat at the light, waiting for it to turn. Sam was behind him, but when the light changed, he turned right. She must be another one of those rich women living in Miami Beach. I wonder if we'll ever get to meet this lady friend, or if she'll be like all the others, except for Veronica. Yeah, there was something different about her. Maybe some day he'll find another woman that he's not ashamed to bring around to meet us. Then we'll know it's serious!

He had something serious himself, and the thought of Fiona warmed his heart. He looked forward to getting back to his mother's house. He half expected Fiona to be awake and waiting for him with a disappointed look that he left without taking her along. He missed her on this job, but if she wanted to have kids, she would also need to get used to the fact that she couldn't come along and help all the time. Change was definitely coming. But were they ready for it?

NOTE: This is not the end. There's more coming soon!