[JMM] Every dark cloud has a silver lining.
[Cowritten with feel_theburn. Sam = freelncesuphero. Set after THIS.]
Michael was sitting at the kitchen counter with a yogurt. It was a few mornings after he and Bela had told each other their respective news, and things were starting to feel more real about it all. Everything was feeling pretty good, actually. And he figured he would still help clients until they moved. It was a good way to put a little more money into their future after all. And he got to spend more time with Sam.
Bela was on the phone at the moment, talking to one of her clients in the city. She wanted to line up another job as soon as she could, trying to get as much work in before she couldn't anymore. Michael himself didn't have much planned for the day, but he was finding he had no problem just sitting around. And then there was a knock on the door, before it pushed open a crack. Sam's nose stuck through it like a sniffling puppy dog.
"Mikey? Bela? Is everyone clothed and decent?"
"No," Mike said evenly, eating his yogurt. Bela just rolled her eyes and continued with the phone call, moving further into the apartment.
Sam walked in and went to the fridge. "No beer."
Michael glanced at the clock. "It's not even eleven, yet."
"And?" Sam grabbed a yogurt instead and stood against the counter across from Michael. "So I've got someone who wants to talk to you."
"Should I be worried?"
"No. He wants some help."
"They all do," Michael said quietly, continuing to eat.
"And there's always someone out there looking for the help," Bela sighed.
Sam grinned over at Bela. "It makes me a living, who am I to complain?"
She gave him a thin smile, before shaking her head and making her way over to the fridge. Michael hadn't exactly planned on telling Sam yet, but he suddenly decided it was a good time as any to fill him in. He cleared his throat, glancing Bela's way.
"Sam, we do have something we want to talk to you about.." he said slowly.
"Yeah?" Sam looked back and forth between them. "What?"
Bela swallowed slightly, before crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Well -- we're moving."
Sam nodded. "Finally gettin' a real place? About time."
"No," Michael said. He looked at his friend. "We've decided to leave Miami."
"What?" Sam's eyes got wide and he looked between them again. "How far out of Miami?"
"We're going to New York," Bela sighed. "I have a place there."
Sam looked crestfallen. "Mikey?" He looked over at Mike.
"I know...but, Bela has a lot of business in New York, and now I'm not stuck here. You can always come and visit."
"Precisely. I do have a guest room."
"But...you can't leave."
"Sam, Michael can do whatever he wants," Bela said, giving him a look. "He's a free man now, remember?"
Sam's eyes narrowed a bit defiantly at Bela. He'd always liked her just fine, but now she was taking his best friend away. "C'mon, Mikey. You really wanna leave all this sunshine?"
Mike sighed. "Sam, you can go back to being retired and not almost being killed every day. It'll be good for you."
"I happen to like almost being killed every day." He waited a beat. "Well, okay not exactly that way, but I've been having fun."
"Me too, Sam, but change is inevitable."
"It's the best for everyone concerned right now," Bela sighed. "Michael's wanted to leave Miami anyway."
"I've got too many enemies here, now, Sam. It's not safe. I have responsibilities to look after now." He hesitated and glanced at Bela, silently asking who should tell him the next part. Bela raised her eyebrows back at him, telling him that he could take it if he wanted it. "The thing is...we have a bit more on our plate now." He looked to Sam. "We're...going to have a baby."
Sam froze and stared at Michael. "Why in God's name would you do that?"
Mike actually smirked slightly. "Because Bela's pregnant. We didn't exactly plan it."
Bela chuckled slightly. "We can't exactly raise a child here, can we?"
Sam frowned and thought that over. "Yeah, it might turn out like Mike. Or worse, like Nate."
"And all we need is another idiot Westen," Mike nodded.
Sam sighed. "You kids are growing up on me."
"Yes, well -- we had to do it sometime, didn't we?" Bela said.
"What did Madeline say?" Sam asked. Bela swallowed slightly, before turning back to the fridge, letting Michael take that one.
"We...haven't told Mom yet."
Sam was quiet for a moment, then laughed. "Oh this'll be a good one. Can I be there?"
Bela shot him a glare, before rolling her eyes. "Are we going to be able to stop you?"
Sam grinned, but Mike set his jaw. "Sorry, Sam. You're not invited." Bela shrugged, closing the fridge behind her and leaning against the counter.
"Are you leaving before the baby's born?"
"Most likely," Bela said with a sigh. "I have to finish up a job here, but after that -- we're free and clear."
"Don't worry, we can do one more job for old times sake," Michael nodded.
"What are you going to do with the loft?"
"Keep it," Mike answered quickly. Bela kept quiet on this one, not weighing in on it either way.
"You, uh...need someone to keep an eye on it?"
"Aren't you shacked up with...what's-her-name this week?"
"No, she turned me out," Sam replied.
"We'll see."
"It wouldn't hurt to have someone living here, Michael," she pointed out. "Just to make sure everything's safe."
Michael nodded. "We'll see," he said again. He was protective of his loft. Bela just rolled her eyes slightly, before going back to the work in front of her. Sam sighed and sat quietly for awhile, just thinking. Michael let himself enjoy the silence and kept to himself.
After awhile, Sam spoke up. "I'm taking you out for drink tonight, Mikey. Celebration."
Michael eyed Sam and then Bela. "Sam.."
"Come on! It'll be fun." Sam looked at Bela. "Can Mike come out and play tonight?"
She smirked a bit at that before nodding. "Go ahead."
Sam grinned. "You're the best."
Michael glanced around. "Wait, who says I want to go out tonight?"
"Go somewhere quiet, low key -- spend some time with Sam before you leave him for a while."
Sam nodded. "Not like it's a funeral."
Mike smiled slightly at that. "Okay, we'll go out." He glanced at Bela. "Want me to call Mom to come visit you while we're gone?"
"No," she said, giving Michael a look. "I'll be fine on my own."
"Yeah, careful," Sam added in. "Don't you know pregnant ladies are supposed to avoid stress at all costs?"
"Point taken," Michael nodded, as he got up to toss his empty yogurt cup away. "Not that it'll get her out of telling Mom the news with me." Mike smirked Bela's way. Sam just giggled.
1179 words
Michael was sitting at the kitchen counter with a yogurt. It was a few mornings after he and Bela had told each other their respective news, and things were starting to feel more real about it all. Everything was feeling pretty good, actually. And he figured he would still help clients until they moved. It was a good way to put a little more money into their future after all. And he got to spend more time with Sam.
Bela was on the phone at the moment, talking to one of her clients in the city. She wanted to line up another job as soon as she could, trying to get as much work in before she couldn't anymore. Michael himself didn't have much planned for the day, but he was finding he had no problem just sitting around. And then there was a knock on the door, before it pushed open a crack. Sam's nose stuck through it like a sniffling puppy dog.
"Mikey? Bela? Is everyone clothed and decent?"
"No," Mike said evenly, eating his yogurt. Bela just rolled her eyes and continued with the phone call, moving further into the apartment.
Sam walked in and went to the fridge. "No beer."
Michael glanced at the clock. "It's not even eleven, yet."
"And?" Sam grabbed a yogurt instead and stood against the counter across from Michael. "So I've got someone who wants to talk to you."
"Should I be worried?"
"No. He wants some help."
"They all do," Michael said quietly, continuing to eat.
"And there's always someone out there looking for the help," Bela sighed.
Sam grinned over at Bela. "It makes me a living, who am I to complain?"
She gave him a thin smile, before shaking her head and making her way over to the fridge. Michael hadn't exactly planned on telling Sam yet, but he suddenly decided it was a good time as any to fill him in. He cleared his throat, glancing Bela's way.
"Sam, we do have something we want to talk to you about.." he said slowly.
"Yeah?" Sam looked back and forth between them. "What?"
Bela swallowed slightly, before crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Well -- we're moving."
Sam nodded. "Finally gettin' a real place? About time."
"No," Michael said. He looked at his friend. "We've decided to leave Miami."
"What?" Sam's eyes got wide and he looked between them again. "How far out of Miami?"
"We're going to New York," Bela sighed. "I have a place there."
Sam looked crestfallen. "Mikey?" He looked over at Mike.
"I know...but, Bela has a lot of business in New York, and now I'm not stuck here. You can always come and visit."
"Precisely. I do have a guest room."
"But...you can't leave."
"Sam, Michael can do whatever he wants," Bela said, giving him a look. "He's a free man now, remember?"
Sam's eyes narrowed a bit defiantly at Bela. He'd always liked her just fine, but now she was taking his best friend away. "C'mon, Mikey. You really wanna leave all this sunshine?"
Mike sighed. "Sam, you can go back to being retired and not almost being killed every day. It'll be good for you."
"I happen to like almost being killed every day." He waited a beat. "Well, okay not exactly that way, but I've been having fun."
"Me too, Sam, but change is inevitable."
"It's the best for everyone concerned right now," Bela sighed. "Michael's wanted to leave Miami anyway."
"I've got too many enemies here, now, Sam. It's not safe. I have responsibilities to look after now." He hesitated and glanced at Bela, silently asking who should tell him the next part. Bela raised her eyebrows back at him, telling him that he could take it if he wanted it. "The thing is...we have a bit more on our plate now." He looked to Sam. "We're...going to have a baby."
Sam froze and stared at Michael. "Why in God's name would you do that?"
Mike actually smirked slightly. "Because Bela's pregnant. We didn't exactly plan it."
Bela chuckled slightly. "We can't exactly raise a child here, can we?"
Sam frowned and thought that over. "Yeah, it might turn out like Mike. Or worse, like Nate."
"And all we need is another idiot Westen," Mike nodded.
Sam sighed. "You kids are growing up on me."
"Yes, well -- we had to do it sometime, didn't we?" Bela said.
"What did Madeline say?" Sam asked. Bela swallowed slightly, before turning back to the fridge, letting Michael take that one.
"We...haven't told Mom yet."
Sam was quiet for a moment, then laughed. "Oh this'll be a good one. Can I be there?"
Bela shot him a glare, before rolling her eyes. "Are we going to be able to stop you?"
Sam grinned, but Mike set his jaw. "Sorry, Sam. You're not invited." Bela shrugged, closing the fridge behind her and leaning against the counter.
"Are you leaving before the baby's born?"
"Most likely," Bela said with a sigh. "I have to finish up a job here, but after that -- we're free and clear."
"Don't worry, we can do one more job for old times sake," Michael nodded.
"What are you going to do with the loft?"
"Keep it," Mike answered quickly. Bela kept quiet on this one, not weighing in on it either way.
"You, uh...need someone to keep an eye on it?"
"Aren't you shacked up with...what's-her-name this week?"
"No, she turned me out," Sam replied.
"We'll see."
"It wouldn't hurt to have someone living here, Michael," she pointed out. "Just to make sure everything's safe."
Michael nodded. "We'll see," he said again. He was protective of his loft. Bela just rolled her eyes slightly, before going back to the work in front of her. Sam sighed and sat quietly for awhile, just thinking. Michael let himself enjoy the silence and kept to himself.
After awhile, Sam spoke up. "I'm taking you out for drink tonight, Mikey. Celebration."
Michael eyed Sam and then Bela. "Sam.."
"Come on! It'll be fun." Sam looked at Bela. "Can Mike come out and play tonight?"
She smirked a bit at that before nodding. "Go ahead."
Sam grinned. "You're the best."
Michael glanced around. "Wait, who says I want to go out tonight?"
"Go somewhere quiet, low key -- spend some time with Sam before you leave him for a while."
Sam nodded. "Not like it's a funeral."
Mike smiled slightly at that. "Okay, we'll go out." He glanced at Bela. "Want me to call Mom to come visit you while we're gone?"
"No," she said, giving Michael a look. "I'll be fine on my own."
"Yeah, careful," Sam added in. "Don't you know pregnant ladies are supposed to avoid stress at all costs?"
"Point taken," Michael nodded, as he got up to toss his empty yogurt cup away. "Not that it'll get her out of telling Mom the news with me." Mike smirked Bela's way. Sam just giggled.
1179 words