Title: A Spy's Life (1/?)
Author: cdub77
Pairings: Michael/Fiona
Rating: K
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: Years into the future, the life Michael Westen had fought so hard for is suddenly in danger.
Notes: My first fic in this fandom. English is not my first language, so please excuse any mistakes.

--

Chapter One

My name is Michael Westen, and I used to be a spy…until I walked away from it all seven and a half years ago and began…lets just say, a different sort of life.

Eleven years ago I was at the top of my game, one of my country's greatest assets abroad until, well, until I was burned by the people I worked for. I found myself dumped in Miami, without a job and I realized that the only way to get my life back was to find out the reason I was burned.

A year later, I was able to uncover the entire sordid affair behind my burn notice, which I will share at another time—it makes for a good story, and discovered that during the year in Miami had changed me for good.

I am still the same guy as I was back then, but there have been some big changes. Huge changes, in fact.

That's where this story begins.

--

"Dad!" a boy shouted, bursting through the front doors and running down the sidewalk towards me.

"Ciaran!" I said with a big smile, dropping my duffel bag down before crouching down with open arms.

"I'm so happy you're home," he said, wrapping himself tightly in my arms. "I hate when you go away for business."

"Me too, buddy."

"Did you bring anything back from Mexico City?" Ciaran asked, pulling back and peering over towards my bag.

"I might have picked something up for you, but you'll have to wait until later… Where's everyone else?" I asked, looking around at the unfamiliar quiet home.

"Connor's inside working on our science project, Clare's playing in her room and Mom's doing something out back…" Ciaran replied, ticking off the whereabouts of the rest of his family. "Oh, and Grandma was here earlier and said you should call her the minute you get back…"

We walked inside the house together and I quickly placed my bag at the foot of the stairs. I heard the sound of tiny feet coming from the floor above and a second later heard a familiar voice.

"Daddy! You're here!" Clare shouted from the top of the stairs. My eight-year-old daughter was the split image of her mother and was currently decked out in a pretty sundress with two braids.

"Clare bear!" I said, catching her easily as she leapt into my arms. "How's my favorite girl?"

"I'm good daddy. I missed you so much!" she replied in a fit giggles, as I blew raspberries in the crook of her neck.

I shifted Clare onto my hip and quickly placed a kiss on her temple. "And I missed you, too, sweet pea."

"She cried the entire day when you left," Ciaran said.

"Did not!" Clare replied adamantly, sticking out her tongue at her older brother.

Ciaran stuck out his tongue in return. I chuckled at the sight before me.

As Clare continued to babble away about what I had missed the last four days, we walked into the kitchen. Sitting at the kitchen table, hunched over a clay model of a volcano, was my son Connor.

He looked up and gave me a smile.

"Hi dad."

"Connor," I said with a nod. "What are you working on?"

"Ciaran and I are making a volcano for the science fair next week."

"It's going to be so cool! Mom said she's going to show us how to make it explode!" Ciaran said, rejoining his brother at the table.

Leave it to Fi to incorporate some sort of explosion for the kids' science project!

"That sounds like fun. You'll explain it to me later?"

"Uh huh," the two boys said in unison, turning back to the model in front of them.

"Can I have some chocolate milk Daddy?" Clare asked, giving me a smile that she knew I could not resist.

I sat her down on one of the kitchen stools before pouring her a glass of milk.

"Did you say your mom was out back?" I asked, taking a spoon as I popped open the lid.

"Yeah, she's been back there since Grandma left this morning," Connor replied.

Realizing that the kids would be fine, I made a quick detour back to my duffel bag to grab something out of it before cutting across the kitchen towards the side French doors that led to the backyard and pool.

I found my beautiful wife busy working on one of her favorite hobbies—gardening. Even after all these years and giving birth to three kids, she still looked amazing. She still turned heads whenever we went out and prided herself in keeping herself in tip-top shape. I can't fall apart and have your eyes wandering, Michael she would always say with a smirk, knowing full well she had nothing to worry about. She just enjoyed keeping in shape…plus, she was still a big part of Westen Corporation and took part in many cases when her expertise was required…

She was deep in concentration over a new hibiscus pot, her back turned to me.

"Are you just going to stand there all day watching me Michael?" Fi said, breaking the silence as she continued to work.

"I didn't want to interrupt you," I said, with my hands behind my back to hide what I was holding.

"Oh, you know me, life's no fun without interruptions," she said, turning around with a brilliant smile. "Plus, I haven't seen you in four days and you know how attached I've become to you," she finished, adding a wink for emphasis.

"So, you missed me, huh?" I said, looking down at her as I stood next to her.

"Terribly," she said, leaning up to place a tender kiss.

"I've missed you and the kids, too."

"Did everything in Mexico go well? You and Sam stayed out of trouble?" Fi said, drawing back and searching my eyes for the answers.

"Everything went as planned," I replied, "the client was more than happy with our results."

After my retirement from covert ops, I launched my own security consultation company. In the years since then, we've developed a pretty strong reputation in getting the job done efficiently and effectively. With the team I had in place—still centered around myself, Fi, Sam and even my brother Nate—we kept busy with various jobs and assignments.

"I hope Sam bought an extra special something for Veronica to make up for missing their anniversary…"

"Ugh, don't remind me. The whole trip all he talked about was the different ideas he had to 'make up' to Veronica for missing the big day…"

"If it makes you feel any better, Sam called me a few times with ideas, too."

"Well, you are his 'girl consultant'…" I said with a smile. "Enough about Sam, tell me what's going on with you and the kids…what's on the schedule for the rest of the day?"

"The twins have to work on their science project…it's due on Monday. I promised Clare we would hit the mall today—she wants to go shopping for big girl shoes…" Fi said with a smile.

"I take it that you two can handle that on your own? I'll keep an eye on the boys."

"Of course," Fi said, winding her arms around my neck and reaching up for another kiss. She trailed her lips towards my ear and I sighed as she nibbled on an extremely sensitive spot.

"Are you going to show me what's behind your back, or do I have to force you?" she whispered.

"Oh right, I forgot about that. I got you something…" I said, showing her the object I was hiding.

She smiled at the snow globe—it depicted a mariachi band in a Mexico City square. She took it from my hands and gave it a shake.

"A Mexican snow globe? I find that a bit odd…"

"It took me forever to find it…but, a tradition in a tradition."

She leant up and gave me another kiss.

"Thank you. We're going to need to add another shelf to the display."

Fi's snow globe collection has grown considerably over the years. She was still in the habit of buying one to commemorate every job she did and I began doing the same. The walls of our office were lined with snow globes and the kids were into them as well. We had snow globes from Disney World and San Diego Zoo mixed in with ones from Istanbul, Seoul and Copenhagen.

"How was your flight? You look all…frumpy," Fi commented, noticing my disheveled appearances.

"We had an early morning flight."

"Go take a shower…you need it. I'm almost done here…I'll check up on the kids and maybe I'll join you…you know, give you a proper welcome home," she added suggestively.

I wasn't going to argue with that. I proceeded back towards the house as Fi turned back to her plant.

"And, don't forget to call your mother!" she called out, "she was saying there was something important she had to discuss with you when she came by this morning…"

Yup, I was home.

--

Family has become a big part of my life now… I never saw myself settling down and planting roots anywhere, but that has totally changed.

To go back over ten years ago, as the dust settled and the truth from my burn notice came out, I realized that despite everything I had said and put her through, Fiona was still at my side. She was my partner in crime, my shadow, my confidant and I discovered that she was the one person I've grown to trust and count on.

With the burn notice no longer in affect, I could have left Miami and picked up where my old life left off. I was in the process of packing up my loft when I realized that I didn't want to leave; that I was happy in Miami and more importantly with the people I loved.

One thing led to another, and after a lengthy period of soul searching on both our parts, Fi and I decided to give our "relationship" another go, and see what would happen if we really did put the time and effort into it. That led to an awkward period of "dating"—I mean, I wouldn't even call it that when you know the person so well and have all this history with them. One week of dating led to a few weeks, which led to a month and then another…and before we knew it a year passed and we were both still happy and in love with each other.

Maybe I gave this love thing a bad wrap in the past, but it was a pleasant surprise to discover that I could be in a healthy relationship with a woman. Not just any woman, but a woman that knew all the skeletons in my closest and understood my psyche and actions. She didn't ask any questions as I ran around with various jobs and oftentimes was right there beside me.

And then, a huge surprise came. Fi woke up one day extremely sick—I could count on one hand the times I've seen her sick at all. We realized that something must be very wrong when a week later she was still not feeling any better. A series of tests were taken and we sat together at her doctor's office, expecting the worst of news possible. We had to collectively pick up both of ours jaws from the floor of the office when her doctor announced with a big smile that we were expecting.

Fi was going to be a mother. I was going to be a father.

Shit.

But, we rallied, and together we surprisingly handled the news calmly. In fact, deep down, I was pretty excited about the baby's arrival and I think Fi's maternal side started to kick in and she became the posterchild of an expectant mother.

We both read through books like "What to expect when you're expecting" like they were field manuals and Fi was popping prenatal vitamins and signing us up for new parents' classes. She was even abstaining from exposing herself to any of the materials and devices that were commonplace in her life—it wasn't good for the baby to be around things like paint thinner and explosives. We were taking everything in stride, and I loved every moment of it.

A few months later we found out that we weren't just expecting one baby, but two. Dr. Reyes had to suppress her smile at our reaction to her news. We had just wrapped out minds about one baby, and now we had to get ready for two. Turns out that multiples ran in Fi's large Irish family…

Picking out the names for the babies was quite a process. We both poured over books that suggested names that ranged from the mundane (I will not have a son named Bob) to the unique (Moonglow Westen has a nice ring to it, right?). We argued a lot about it, I had my list and she had hers. We still hadn't agreed on the names when Fi went into labor three weeks before her planned delivery date.

Our bickering over baby names was the furthest thing from my mind as I watched Fi deliver our kids. She's a small woman by nature, and it was difficult to see her in so much pain. But, Fi also had an extremely high threshold for pain (she credits all those years she lived in IRA camps) and delivered a pair of healthy boys seven minutes apart. The doctors were amazed that she was able to deliver the babies naturally without an epidural—that's my Fiona.

When we met our sons for the first time together a couple of hours later in Fi's hospital room, we were completely overwhelmed by the moment. Identical boys in every way—they had their mother's spirit and my stubbornness already.

There was still, however, the business of naming them to settle…and I could tell from the spark in Fi's eyes that she was ready to dig in and fight for her names. As I held one of my boys in my arms, I noticed their birthday printed on their hospital tag: March 17. I couldn't believe I didn't realize the significance of the date.

I told Fi, and a few minutes later we had names for the boys.

Conner Aedan and Ciaran Dillion

Not only were we honoring their birth date, but also Fi's Irish heritage. I was surprised we didn't think of it earlier.

Soon after we brought the babies home, I did something else that I never thought I would so. I went down on one knee and asked the mother of my children to marry me. I was a bit apprehensive about asking Fi to marry me, especially after hearing many of her rants about marriage as the root of patriarchal system worldwide. But, Fi surprised me by accepting and telling me she had been waiting for me to ask for a long time now.

We got married in a small, quiet ceremony on the beach when the boys turned six months. We would have done it sooner, but Fi was relentless in regaining her pre-pregnancy figure before taking the plunge. Fi made a beautiful glowing bride, and I was the luckiest guy around as I watched her walk down the small aisle we created.

Surprisingly, marriage and family life suited us well.

The next year we started our company—Westen Corporation—a mix of security consultation and private investigation. I was the happiest in my whole life and didn't think things could get any better. I was wrong. A few months after the boys turned two, Clare Briana entered the world and completed our family. Fi and I had talked about perhaps trying for one more, and Clare was a welcomed addition to our family.

Like her brothers, Clare took the best from both of her parents. She was daddy's little girl and had me completely wrapped around her finger since the first moment she laid her eyes on me. Fi loved having a daughter, and enjoyed satisfying all the "girly" things she liked together with Clare.

It's been eleven years since I ended up in Miami, and as each year passes, I am more and more grateful of the life I have.

The only worry I have is that my past—our past—would come back and haunt us. It's something I try not to think about, but it's always hovering there, in the far reaches.

I'd do anything to protect my family and the ones I love.

Anything.

--

"We'll be back in a few hours, ok?" Fi said, grabbing her keys from the mail table and slinging her purse over her shoulder. "Boys, be good for your dad."

Fi gave me a quick kiss before grabbing Clare's hand and disappeared out the front door. I was sitting at the kitchen table, watching as the boys concentrated in following the instructions to make the volcano explode. They both had the single focus mind that Fi and I have when it came to tackling technical tasks. I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

I felt the phone in my pocket vibrate. Pulling it out, I sighed, as I flipped it open.

"Hi Mom."

"Michael! You're home…why didn't you call me??"

"I just got in Mom."

"Did Fi and the boys pass along my message to you?" Madeline said, ignoring the familiar tone in her son's voice.

"Fi said you had something important to talk about? What is it?" I asked, bracing myself for the myriad of possible answers from my mother.

"Do you remember Ricardo? The gentleman I met a few weeks ago?"

"Yes, I remember Ricardo…you introduced us when we came over for dinner before I left for my trip."

Ricardo was a guy that my mother had met at a wine festival a few weeks ago. I'm not one to criticize or worry about the men in my mother's life…but this Ricardo guy was twenty years her junior and needed a green card. You put two and two together.

"He invited me to go on a week long cruise to the Caribbean with him! Should I go Michael? I haven't been on a vacation in such a long time…"

I wanted to tell her that she shouldn't go…that the guy's motives for involvement couldn't be entirely pure. But, I bit my tongue. If my mother wanted to go on a vacation with him, what was there to loose? Plus, I could take the necessary precautions to make sure everything went smoothly and my mother was safe.

"I think that's a great idea Mom. You deserve a vacation."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I'm going to call Ricky right now to tell him! I'll call later tonight and let you know more about the cruise…"

"That sounds great Mom. Bye."

--

The clock on the oven was telling me it was dinner time. The boys had cleared up their project and had set the table. Lasagna, a family favorite, was in its last stages in the oven.

It had been more than a few hours since Fi and Clare had left for the mall. It was unusual for Fi to not call if they were running behind, but I didn't think anything of it. When it came to shopping, there were times when Fi would lose track of time and place.

The ringing of the phone startled me, and I walked over to the handset and picked up.

"Hello?"

Silence.

"Hello? Who's there?"

I heard a slight whimper and a small whisper.

"Daddy?"

"Clare? What's wrong?" I asked, alarm rising in me quickly.

"Mom's gone…somebody took her…"

"What do you mean she's gone Clare?" I asked, trying to remain calm.

"She was waiting for me to finish up in the bathroom when I heard some shouting and loud noises. When I came out some big guy was carrying her…she wasn't moving daddy," Clare said, sobbing. "And then this other guy told me I couldn't tell anyone what happened if I didn't want them to hurt mom…"

It was happening, my biggest fear.

"Where are you now Clare? Tell me where you are and I'm going to come get you."

"I'm by the bookstore…the man said I should go read books…he gave me a phone to use, but I had to wait until it was 6:30…"

"Clare, stay there. Do not move, do not talk to anybody, and I'll be right there."

"OK daddy. Hurry, I'm sacred."

As I hung up, I quickly jumped into action. I switched off the oven and ran into the adjacent family room where the boys were sprawled out on the couch watching television. They saw my features and quickly knew something was wrong.

"What's going on?"

"I'm going to drop you guys off with Sam…I need to go pick up your sister…and find out what's happening…"

They didn't ask any questions, knowing that this was something serious. They quickly followed me out of the door and jumped into the truck.

This couldn't be happening.

Not now.

TBC

Reviews are welcomed, thanks.