Heyyy! Okay, so first of all, last night's episode... Dear lord! I could not handle the ending. I was on the floor! Mike, stop crying!
Anyway, in this chapter, we have a little sibling fighting stuff. This was probably the easiest chapter to write, because I fight with my brother constantly, so I had loads of inspiration.
A special shoutout to Sissymac, who was reviewed every single chapter! You are beautiful, hon!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to this amazing show that makes me weep.
Mike and Jenny spent most of the rest of the morning and the afternoon together. Jenny did manage to convince him to go swimming in the ocean, but after he realized that she only did it to see him without a shirt, he quickly decided to suggest renting bikes. She agreed to, and a mere bike ride turned into an intense race. Jenny won, but Mike would claim that he let her win.
As they spent more time together, Mike felt his defenses go down bit by bit. Sure, Jenny was a bit intense, but underneath her tough exterior, she was a fun person. She was a lot like Briggs that way, except Briggs had tougher walls. He really enjoyed their time, even though she flirted with him every chance she got, making him blush.
They eventually made their way back to Graceland, joking and laughing the whole way. "I'm serious," Jenny insisted as they stumbled into the government house. "You have to teach me how to surf sometime."
"Well, once I learn how to stay on the board, I'll let you know." Mike told her. It was true. Johnny and Briggs had made it their goal to make Mike a surfer, and spent all the spare time they had on making it happen. But with Mike being an East Coast guy, surfing didn't necessarily come naturally.
Just then, Briggs rounded the corner, arms folded, and he stepped right in front of them. By the look on his face, he wasn't too happy. "Did you have fun?" He asked coldly.
The stupid grins that were on Jenny's and Mike's face quickly evaporated as Briggs' brown eyes stared them down. "As a matter of fact, we did," Jenny answered, placing her hands on her hips. "Is there a problem?"
Briggs regarded his sister very carefully, as one would watch a time bomb without a visible clock. "Mike, can I have a moment with my sister?" He asked, not breaking eye-contact.
All of sudden, Mike felt like the elephant in the room. He looked over to Jenny, whom nodded, as if to say that things were okay. Then, he silently went to his room.
Once she was sure Mike was gone, Jenny spoke up. "What the hell are you doing?"
"What the hell are you doing?" Briggs countered.
"I asked you first." She spat back almost child-like.
"Jenny, you told me you were here on official business. Few days in, then you're gone, I think were your exact words."
"And? It's only been a day."
"So, I'm not sure what 'official business' means to you, but to me, it means that you would be working on a case or something. Not frolicking in the meadows with the new guy."
"'Official business' means 'my business', Paul." Jenny walked past him to sit on one of the sofas in the living room. "You're not dad."
"No, and you're not thirteen years old anymore, Jenn," He snapped, following after her. "Why are you here? I mean, truthfully." He had not uncrossed his arms the whole time. Jenny could see the blood vessels thicken as the seconds ticked by.
"I don't need to explain myself to you. I told you, that I would be gone in a few days, and that is a guarantee."
"But why are you here in the first place? What's this official business?"
"Don't worry about it."
"I am actually going to worry about it. You're hanging around my rookie."
"It was his day off!"
"That doesn't change the fact that you told me you had work to do!"
"Paul, will you just chill out? I'm not here to assassinate you, if that's what you're worried about."
"Why won't you tell me why you are here? Just tell me."
Jenny smiled bitterly and shook her head. "You wouldn't understand."
"Try me."
"I don't have to..."
"Just tell me!"
"To check on you! Alright?" Jenny finally snapped. Briggs closed his mouth, as Jenny ran a hand through her hair. "Truth is, I was worried, because I hadn't heard from you in a while, and you never answered my calls or emails." She said in a much quieter tone. "So, I just thought I would spend the weekend here, to keep on eye on you."
Briggs uncrossed his arms and looped his thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans. He sighed heavily, looking down at the ground. "I don't need you to check up on me..."
"Oh, don't start that again, Paul!" She cut him off, rolling her eyes.
"You're my little sister. I'm the one who should be checking up on you."
"Yeah, but you don't. Paul, you haven't 'checked up on me' in... a very long time." Jenny started to stand up, her blue eyes ablaze with the fierceness of a tiger. "You don't call. You don't visit. You don't even send me a freakin' text message. The only way for me to see how you're doing is through a lousy computer, after getting past a bunch of firewalls and blocks and federal tags. I'm your sister. I don't deserve to be shut out like the rest of your friends."
"You're not shut out." He said.
"No, you don't speak." She commanded pointing her finger centimeters away from his chest. "Ever since... that situation last year..."
Briggs shook his head, and started to walk away. "No, don't talk about that."
"And why not, Paul?" She challenged. "Because you don't want to remember or you don't want anyone to know?" He stopped in his tracks, but refused to turn around and face her. "These guys, in this house, are your friends. They care about you and look up to you. Hell, that Mike kid held you on a frickin' pedestal. You can't hide from it forever, you know. They deserve to know what happened."
A silence fell over the two of them. Of course, Jenny had plenty more to say, but it was his turn to do the talking. He remained with his back to her, until he slowly turned to face her. He stared into her eyes, thinking how much they looked like their mother's, and how he used to look into those eyes and see nothing but sweet innocence. There was a time when he would tell her everything, and vice versa. He still cared for her, and loved her, but he had grown up now. His problems were a bit more complicated than way back when. Although, every ounce of him wanted to tell her, to have his old sister back, he couldn't bring the words to his mouth.
"Well," He said, breaking the silence. "You got what you came for. I'm fine, as you can see. So, I would appreciate it if you were gone by morning."
And with that, he walked off, neither one of them saying a word.
Yay! Happy fun times! :)
Reviews make Mike's smile wider!
