A/N: I've had the outline of this story kicking around in my head ever since I read Chapter 7 of the story "Nothing from Nothing" by the immensely talented SaoirseConnelly. Thanks for the inspiration!

This takes place at some point during the recent episodes. I'll leave it to you to decide where it fits best.

I still don't own these amazing characters. My birthday is coming up soon though, so you never know…

". . . you don't marry someone when you love someone else."

I stood in the very spot where Michael had spoken those words. It wasn't all that long ago but it felt like a lifetime had gone by. Sometimes I wondered whether it had actually ever happened.

It was the most emotion I'd ever gotten from Michael when all four of our feet were on the floor and we were fully clothed. I knew he cared, and he was expert at showing his feelings when we were in bed. But we never spoke about those feelings once daylight came.

I thought back to Samantha's arrival at Michael's door all those months ago. I had been completely blindsided. Michael had been engaged.

The spy who couldn't commit to sleeping in the same place for two nights in a row had made the ultimate commitment to someone. That couldn't be the same man who had walked out on me without as much as a note.

The thing was, I didn't even want to get married. It wasn't about that at all. It was just the idea…

Things were better now. We'd never have the white picket fence—neither of us wanted that anyway—but he wasn't pushing me away at every turn anymore.

So that was how I came to be standing in the doorway to Michael's balcony late at night as he slept in the bed we had just shared. It had been a truly amazing day. We had wrapped up a case in the morning and sent Sam off for a romantic weekend with his latest conquest.

Michael had agreed to visit Maddie, since we hadn't seen her for a few days, and while saying he enjoyed the time we spent there would be a stretch, he didn't seem to hate it as much as he usually did.

He had even suggested we go out to dinner after we left Maddie's house. And he took me home and waited patiently while I changed.

We ate and talked and laughed for so long that there was hardly anyone else left in the restaurant when we left. Michael pressed his hand against the small of my back as we walked to his car, and before opening the door he wrapped me in his arms and pressed a sweet, tender kiss to my lips.

We held hands in the car as he drove us back to the loft, his fingers occasionally caressing mine. At a red light he lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it. It was sweet. We both knew where it was going but it lacked the urgency of many of our encounters.

When we arrived outside the loft Michael made me wait in the car as he opened the gates, and again as he closed them after we were inside. It was a beautiful night, warm but not too hot and for once the humidity had dropped a bit. Michael put his arm around me and guided me to the steps. He sat down and pulled me down on the step in front of him, my back against his chest and his knees on either side of my waist.

He held me like that for a while. Neither of us said a word, the sound of our breathing the only thing that broke the silence between us. Eventually he reached down and laced his fingers between mine, our hands resting on his knees. I pressed myself against him, closed my eyes, and drew in a deep breath. There was nowhere else I would have wanted to be at that moment.

Michael pressed a kiss to the top of my head before gently pulling me up and leading me inside. He hung up his suit while I slipped out of my heels and fancy dress and into the tank top and shorts that he had ready for me on the bed. I set my purse on the counter and brushed my hair before getting a bottle of water from the refrigerator and settling on the bed to wait for Michael.

He returned to my side wearing only his boxers and we lay next to each other on the bed, holding hands and kissing for what felt like hours. He looked at me in a way I hadn't seen since the night Samantha left. I could have looked into his eyes all night.

His hands caressed me through the thin layer of clothing I was wearing. When he kissed me it was so full of emotion I thought my heart would break. He rolled over and drew me on top of him, his hands reaching beneath my tank top to brush against my back and my sides.

He said nothing but with every kiss and every warm touch of his hands and every look I heard him saying, "when you love someone else." I was the someone else in that sentence. I wondered if he knew how much those words affected me, even all these months later.

He gently pulled my tank top over my head and I relished the feel of my bare skin against his. He touched, caressed, and kneaded all of the right places. I ran my hands over his chest and around to his back.

I kissed him deeply and then pulled away, pressing my body tightly against his and resting my head on his chest. I could hear his heart pounding as his hands caressed my back before moving to my waist. Before I knew it my shorts were on the ground and I was naked on top of Michael.

I held tightly to him and quickly rolled us over. Michael knew I usually wanted to be on top, and he put his hands on my shoulders and looked at me before pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"Fi," he whispered in my ear.

I peeled his boxers off and relished the feel of him against me. He hardened at my touch as we continued to slowly drive each other to the edge.

When we joined together it was sweet and tender and full of emotions that usually went unexpressed. He spoke only once more, again whispering my name in my ear as he spilled inside me.

Michael collapsed on top of me, holding me tightly to him, the sweat on our skin causing us to practically stick together. He stroked my hair before rolling onto his side and pulling me close against him. He kissed my lips again before we drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.

When I awoke I didn't know what time it was, but it was still dark outside. Michael had rolled over and his arm rested across my back. I turned to face him, rolling onto my side. He looked truly peaceful, which wasn't a usual thing for him. I reached out and gently ran my fingers over his forehead.

I lay there for a few minutes, just watching him as he slept. His mouth curved into a small smile before he stretched a bit, repositioning himself and withdrawing his arm from my side. He sighed in his sleep.

I was thirsty, so I climbed out of bed, taking care not to wake Michael. I paused alongside the bed in case he woke up, heading into the kitchen when he didn't. I grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and walked to the open balcony door.

It was about as late at night as it had been that night when I stood in the same place I now stood. Then it had been Maddie asleep in the bed. The memories came flooding back. That was a real turning point for me. I was convinced that there was no future for me with Michael.

And then he had spoken those words.

I had to be realistic; there was very little chance that Michael and I could ever have a "normal" romantic relationship. And I wasn't that kind of girl anyway.

But I didn't want any other man and I didn't want Michael to have any other woman. And for him to say he loved me—even if he was talking about the past—was more than I had ever thought I'd hear from him.

I took a sip of water and leaned my head against the door. It really was a beautiful night. I thought of everything we had been through together since that night. He had flown off in a helicopter, been kidnapped, disappeared, and returned to me every time. I had decided to leave Miami, been kidnapped a few times myself, and been saved by Michael or saved myself to return to him. We had fought and laughed and worked out and had sex. We had lived a lifetime and then some.

I had gotten so lost in my thoughts I didn't hear Michael get out of bed. I jumped as his arms closed around my waist. He laughed and leaned down to kiss my neck, holding me tightly against his chest.

Michael quietly led me over to the lounge chair that sat on the balcony. He sat down and I sat in front of him, his legs on either side of me and my back resting against his chest. He rested his chin on my shoulder and we sat together watching the stars in the sky reflected on the water below us.

We might never figure each other out and neither of us knew what tomorrow would bring. But as we sat together, our breaths drawn in unison, I didn't care.

I plan to continue posting short pieces like this from each character's POV whenever something comes to me. Let me know what you think!