In which Bela and Michael both have news.
[Cowritten with feel_theburn. Sam = freelncesuphero. Follows THIS.]
When Michael pulled in front of the loft, he parked the car and turned to Sam. "Go home."
Sam frowned. "What? No beer? Celebration?"
"No."
"Y'know, Mikey, you really need to learn to loosen up. Especially now. We could get you another dog." Mike glared at Sam and Sam smirked with a nod. "Okay, okay, I'm going. You and the woman have fun with your own celebration." He grinned and pushed his way from the car, then went to his own.
"Do you not remember getting hit in the head the last time you called her that?" Mike asked as he headed up the steps to the door.
"What? She didn't hear me this time." Sam turned the engine over and peeled out of the lot.
Michael rolled his eyes and went inside. As he walked in he glanced around for Bela, tossing his keys on the counter. He set the briefcase on it as well. "Bela?"
Bela was actually napping in their bedroom. She had been up late the night before working on a job for Gert, and hadn't gotten to bed until the early morning. She had slept through most of the day, but when she heard Michael's voice she stirred slightly, mumbling slightly in response.
The corners of his lips turned up in a bit of a smile and he pulled his gun and holster from his hip and set it down. He kicked out of his shoes and started for the bedroom, shedding his jacket. He walked in and sat on the side of the bed, reaching a hand to her back. He brushed her back for a moment or two, trying to think of the best way to break the news. Not that it was bad news, but...he was hardly believing it himself just yet.
Bela rolled over a bit to face him, not waking up right away -- just staying close and relaxing against him. She was comfortable, and unless he was going to speak, she wasn't ready to get up as of yet.
He sighed and moved to sit up against the headboard, letting her rest against him. His fingers pulled through her hair as he thought a moment longer, then he spoke up. "So...New York, hm?"
"Mmmm," she sighed, letting her head rest against his hip lightly. "What about it?"
His eyes focused on the Japanese shade in front of the bed. "Still want to move there?"
She opened her eyes a bit more at that, shifting so that she could get an elbow under her and that she was looking up at him. "I wasn't aware that was an option."
He looked down at her with a slow nod. "It could be now," he said. He hesitated. "Would you believe me if I said it's all over?"
She frowned for a minute, confused. "It's over?"
"Yes. Apparently..." he met her eyes. "It's all over."
Bela was still confused, and she sat up more to give him a sterner look. "You're going to have to give me more than that, Michael."
"Sam and I had a little run in with several feds today. Seems...whoever was after me, watching me...trying to ruin me...changed their mind. For whatever reason." He gave a heavy sigh. "They're letting me go, but...not to be who I was. Not...a spy, not a soldier...just...a normal guy. Even created history for me in the years I was under the governments hand." He knew it sounded crazy, but it was true.
"So -- we can go wherever we want? We can do whatever we want?"
He sighed. "Until they change their minds again? Yes, I think we can." His lips pressed against her forehead. "Wherever, whatever you want." She watched hum uncertainly for a moment, before pushing herself up on her knees and leaning in to kiss him warmly, letting her hands cup his face lightly. He returned the kiss with a smile. "I mean, we could stay in Miami if you've grown attached to it. I hear the house across from Mom is up for sale."
"No," she said, shaking her head a bit as she slid her arms around his neck. "I have a place in New York. We wouldn't have to buy anything."
He grinned. "So I take it you do want to move back there? I could go work for Radio Shack. According to my new resume I've worked for the company before."
She laughed a bit at that, before shaking her head. "I think you can do better than Radio Shack."
"I think it won't matter what I do." He patted her shoulder and pulled away to go get the briefcase from the counter. He came back to sit beside her again and opened it in his lap to let her see what they had given him.
Her eyes widened as she looked over the money, mentally counting it all as she went. "They just gave you this?"
He smirked. "There's more in there than just cash, Bela." He pulled the money from her hands and batted it playfully against her arm.
She raised an eyebrow at that, before smirking slightly. "What? Have a problem with me wanting to make sure we're well off?"
He raised a brow. "Have we really had to worry about that between our two incomes?"
"No," she said with a sigh. "But it's still good to know sometimes."
Michael set the money down and ran his hand over the edges of the briefcase. "So...what do you think?"
"What do I think about New York?"
"About all of it," he shrugged. "We've talked about the whole...future thing, but this would really be it. If you want to change your mind..."
She shook her head. "Not at all."
"Then New York it is. Just...have to tell Mom." He grimaced slightly.
"She'll live. We can be down as often as she'd like."
"I don't know if Sam will make it though."
She rolled her eyes. "Sam will certainly live."
He looked over at her. "Those are the only things I can think about that matter here." He shrugged. "When would you want to go?"
"I have some business I need to finish here, but as soon as that's over -- I don't see why we can't leave as soon as possible."
He nodded. "I can start taking care of things on my end." He closed the case and slid an arm around her shoulders. Bela took his other arm and pulled her closer, just snuggling in against him. He settled in and sat quietly for awhile. "Anything else you think we should look into for the new life?" He looked down at her.
She turned and looked back at him for a moment, before shrugging. "Did you have something specific in mind?"
He shrugged back. "Wondering if you do."
She was quiet for a moment. "I -- might."
He watched her closely. "Like what?"
She looked down at her hands again, before shaking her head. "It's silly."
His fingers moved to her chin and he pulled her face up to kiss her lightly. "No it's not."
"I just -- this means we're pretty serious, yeah? The long haul and all that?"
He frowned a bit. "Were...we not?"
"No, I just." She paused looking down at her hands again. "If this is really serious, Michael, maybe we should think -- long term."
"I'm...not following. We're together. Long term." He blinked.
She closed her eyes for a moment, biting her lip a bit before speaking. "I'm pregnant."
He froze up and blinked slowly some more. "Huh?"
"I'm pregnant, Michael," she said, looking up at him now and waiting for a real response.
"But...we're always...careful.."
"Yes, well -- nothing's one hundred percent," she said gently. "Accidents happen."
He was still processing. He moved on his side more to watch her closer. "How...long have you-...I mean...when-..?"
"A few days ago -- that was when I knew for sure, anyway. Got the confirmation from the doctor."
He frowned again. "You went to the doctor alone?" He asked it softly, suddenly feeling he should have been there for him. Even though it hadn't quite sunken in yet.
She brushed a hand against the side of his face lightly. "I didn't want to drop this on you if it wasn't true."
He sighed deeply and nodded. "Bela..." His heart was pounding in his chest and his head was dizzy. All the things he's always said about being a bad father were running through his head. Looking at her in that moment made them fade out though, and he leaned into her. His hand took her cheek and he kissed her deeply. She relaxed as he kissed her, starting to roll onto her back and pulling him over her. He continued kissing her and leaned against her. After a bit he pulled up and just looked down at her for awhile. He leaned down again and brushed his lips along her cheek to her ear. "I love you," he whispered.
She closed her eyes with a small smile, starting to relax more under him. "I love you, too."
He leaned on an elbow and brushed his hand against her stomach lightly. He pushed her shirt up just a bit and leaned down to kiss her stomach. She closed her eyes at that, running her fingers through his hair lightly. He leaned back up and looked at her. "Is this what you want?"
"Do you think I'd be here if it wasn't?" she asked as she looked back at him.
"No, probably not." He sighed again and leaned back to lay on his back, pulling her against his chest. "Think we should...you know...get married?"
Bela rolled her eyes to look up at him. "Not if you're going to ask me like that."
"I'd ask better, I just...want to know if that's what we want yet."
She sighed softly. "Let's just play it by ear, yeah? See what happens."
He nodded. "Okay. One thing at a time. Or...a couple things at a time." He looked at her again, his arms moving around her. He couldn't come up with much to say, but he couldn't stop looking at her either. She looked back at him, a hand running over his face again as she slid closer. "We're having a baby," he finally said quietly, as though just realizing it.
"Yeah," she said softly. "We are."
"Just...make sure it's one. That's enough to start with."
She laughed at that before nodding. "I agree. I don't want to deliver more than one either."
He smirked and went silent thinking about the whole thing. She shifted over next to him, curling up closer and just relaxing. That had went better than she expected. "I'm going to have to tell Mom we're leaving. Want to be there when I do?" He grinned.
"Do I have to?" she asked with a bit of a pout.
"No...but you might want to be if she's told about the baby, too."
She paused for a minute before sighing slightly. "Fine. I'll be there."
"Good," he nodded. "I'm not doing that alone."
"What would be so bad about doing that alone?"
He gave her a look. She gave him an innocent one right back, big eyes and all. He smirked, knowing instantly that his son or daughter would have her eyes. Then he leaned in and kissed her. She smiled as she kissed him back, sliding an arm up around his neck again. His hand brushed her cheek as he kissed her.
She sighed softly as she started lean back on the bed, shifting so that he was moving on top of her. He went with it and settled against her. His hand dropped between them to settle on her stomach, unable to move it away. She let it stay there, just continuing the kiss and keeping him close. His hand started to move up her body slowly as he pushed her back closer on the bed. She followed his lead, leaning back against the bed and letting him settle over her.
He pulled up slightly to push her shirt over her head, keeping his eyes on her face. She looked back at him, letting the shirt fall to the side and pulling him in closer again. He smirked and dipped to nip at her neck. "Is it wrong that I'm incredibly turned on right now?"
"Mmmm," she murmured, her eyes closing as her head tilted back. "Don't think so."
His lips traveled down her throat slowly. "Good."
She sighed softly, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she pulled him closer. He groaned softly as he continued what he was doing and let his hand slide down to push at her pants. She lifted her hips slightly, looking to help him get them off. He pushed them the rest of the way down, his hand gliding against her leg. She moaned softly at the touch, starting to slide her hands under his shirt.
His breath caught at that and his hands moved back up her body. She helped him push his shirt up over his head, fingers drifting over skin as he went. He grabbed hold of her fingers and lifted them to his lips, kissing them softly. She looked back at him, her fingers circling around his and giving it a squeeze. His hand moved between them to unbutton his own pants as he kicked out of them. She helped shove them off his hips, before moving to pull him in closer.
When he fell to a rest beside her, he gathered her in his arms and pulled her close to his chest, kissing her forehead lightly. She sighed softly, curling up closer to him and closing her eyes. He rubbed her back slowly, issuing a soft, "I love you, Bela," for the second time that night. Probably a record for him.
"Love you too," she murmured before drifting off to sleep. He sighed and lay there awake for a long time with his thoughts, until he finally fell asleep as well.
When Michael pulled in front of the loft, he parked the car and turned to Sam. "Go home."
Sam frowned. "What? No beer? Celebration?"
"No."
"Y'know, Mikey, you really need to learn to loosen up. Especially now. We could get you another dog." Mike glared at Sam and Sam smirked with a nod. "Okay, okay, I'm going. You and the woman have fun with your own celebration." He grinned and pushed his way from the car, then went to his own.
"Do you not remember getting hit in the head the last time you called her that?" Mike asked as he headed up the steps to the door.
"What? She didn't hear me this time." Sam turned the engine over and peeled out of the lot.
Michael rolled his eyes and went inside. As he walked in he glanced around for Bela, tossing his keys on the counter. He set the briefcase on it as well. "Bela?"
Bela was actually napping in their bedroom. She had been up late the night before working on a job for Gert, and hadn't gotten to bed until the early morning. She had slept through most of the day, but when she heard Michael's voice she stirred slightly, mumbling slightly in response.
The corners of his lips turned up in a bit of a smile and he pulled his gun and holster from his hip and set it down. He kicked out of his shoes and started for the bedroom, shedding his jacket. He walked in and sat on the side of the bed, reaching a hand to her back. He brushed her back for a moment or two, trying to think of the best way to break the news. Not that it was bad news, but...he was hardly believing it himself just yet.
Bela rolled over a bit to face him, not waking up right away -- just staying close and relaxing against him. She was comfortable, and unless he was going to speak, she wasn't ready to get up as of yet.
He sighed and moved to sit up against the headboard, letting her rest against him. His fingers pulled through her hair as he thought a moment longer, then he spoke up. "So...New York, hm?"
"Mmmm," she sighed, letting her head rest against his hip lightly. "What about it?"
His eyes focused on the Japanese shade in front of the bed. "Still want to move there?"
She opened her eyes a bit more at that, shifting so that she could get an elbow under her and that she was looking up at him. "I wasn't aware that was an option."
He looked down at her with a slow nod. "It could be now," he said. He hesitated. "Would you believe me if I said it's all over?"
She frowned for a minute, confused. "It's over?"
"Yes. Apparently..." he met her eyes. "It's all over."
Bela was still confused, and she sat up more to give him a sterner look. "You're going to have to give me more than that, Michael."
"Sam and I had a little run in with several feds today. Seems...whoever was after me, watching me...trying to ruin me...changed their mind. For whatever reason." He gave a heavy sigh. "They're letting me go, but...not to be who I was. Not...a spy, not a soldier...just...a normal guy. Even created history for me in the years I was under the governments hand." He knew it sounded crazy, but it was true.
"So -- we can go wherever we want? We can do whatever we want?"
He sighed. "Until they change their minds again? Yes, I think we can." His lips pressed against her forehead. "Wherever, whatever you want." She watched hum uncertainly for a moment, before pushing herself up on her knees and leaning in to kiss him warmly, letting her hands cup his face lightly. He returned the kiss with a smile. "I mean, we could stay in Miami if you've grown attached to it. I hear the house across from Mom is up for sale."
"No," she said, shaking her head a bit as she slid her arms around his neck. "I have a place in New York. We wouldn't have to buy anything."
He grinned. "So I take it you do want to move back there? I could go work for Radio Shack. According to my new resume I've worked for the company before."
She laughed a bit at that, before shaking her head. "I think you can do better than Radio Shack."
"I think it won't matter what I do." He patted her shoulder and pulled away to go get the briefcase from the counter. He came back to sit beside her again and opened it in his lap to let her see what they had given him.
Her eyes widened as she looked over the money, mentally counting it all as she went. "They just gave you this?"
He smirked. "There's more in there than just cash, Bela." He pulled the money from her hands and batted it playfully against her arm.
She raised an eyebrow at that, before smirking slightly. "What? Have a problem with me wanting to make sure we're well off?"
He raised a brow. "Have we really had to worry about that between our two incomes?"
"No," she said with a sigh. "But it's still good to know sometimes."
Michael set the money down and ran his hand over the edges of the briefcase. "So...what do you think?"
"What do I think about New York?"
"About all of it," he shrugged. "We've talked about the whole...future thing, but this would really be it. If you want to change your mind..."
She shook her head. "Not at all."
"Then New York it is. Just...have to tell Mom." He grimaced slightly.
"She'll live. We can be down as often as she'd like."
"I don't know if Sam will make it though."
She rolled her eyes. "Sam will certainly live."
He looked over at her. "Those are the only things I can think about that matter here." He shrugged. "When would you want to go?"
"I have some business I need to finish here, but as soon as that's over -- I don't see why we can't leave as soon as possible."
He nodded. "I can start taking care of things on my end." He closed the case and slid an arm around her shoulders. Bela took his other arm and pulled her closer, just snuggling in against him. He settled in and sat quietly for awhile. "Anything else you think we should look into for the new life?" He looked down at her.
She turned and looked back at him for a moment, before shrugging. "Did you have something specific in mind?"
He shrugged back. "Wondering if you do."
She was quiet for a moment. "I -- might."
He watched her closely. "Like what?"
She looked down at her hands again, before shaking her head. "It's silly."
His fingers moved to her chin and he pulled her face up to kiss her lightly. "No it's not."
"I just -- this means we're pretty serious, yeah? The long haul and all that?"
He frowned a bit. "Were...we not?"
"No, I just." She paused looking down at her hands again. "If this is really serious, Michael, maybe we should think -- long term."
"I'm...not following. We're together. Long term." He blinked.
She closed her eyes for a moment, biting her lip a bit before speaking. "I'm pregnant."
He froze up and blinked slowly some more. "Huh?"
"I'm pregnant, Michael," she said, looking up at him now and waiting for a real response.
"But...we're always...careful.."
"Yes, well -- nothing's one hundred percent," she said gently. "Accidents happen."
He was still processing. He moved on his side more to watch her closer. "How...long have you-...I mean...when-..?"
"A few days ago -- that was when I knew for sure, anyway. Got the confirmation from the doctor."
He frowned again. "You went to the doctor alone?" He asked it softly, suddenly feeling he should have been there for him. Even though it hadn't quite sunken in yet.
She brushed a hand against the side of his face lightly. "I didn't want to drop this on you if it wasn't true."
He sighed deeply and nodded. "Bela..." His heart was pounding in his chest and his head was dizzy. All the things he's always said about being a bad father were running through his head. Looking at her in that moment made them fade out though, and he leaned into her. His hand took her cheek and he kissed her deeply. She relaxed as he kissed her, starting to roll onto her back and pulling him over her. He continued kissing her and leaned against her. After a bit he pulled up and just looked down at her for awhile. He leaned down again and brushed his lips along her cheek to her ear. "I love you," he whispered.
She closed her eyes with a small smile, starting to relax more under him. "I love you, too."
He leaned on an elbow and brushed his hand against her stomach lightly. He pushed her shirt up just a bit and leaned down to kiss her stomach. She closed her eyes at that, running her fingers through his hair lightly. He leaned back up and looked at her. "Is this what you want?"
"Do you think I'd be here if it wasn't?" she asked as she looked back at him.
"No, probably not." He sighed again and leaned back to lay on his back, pulling her against his chest. "Think we should...you know...get married?"
Bela rolled her eyes to look up at him. "Not if you're going to ask me like that."
"I'd ask better, I just...want to know if that's what we want yet."
She sighed softly. "Let's just play it by ear, yeah? See what happens."
He nodded. "Okay. One thing at a time. Or...a couple things at a time." He looked at her again, his arms moving around her. He couldn't come up with much to say, but he couldn't stop looking at her either. She looked back at him, a hand running over his face again as she slid closer. "We're having a baby," he finally said quietly, as though just realizing it.
"Yeah," she said softly. "We are."
"Just...make sure it's one. That's enough to start with."
She laughed at that before nodding. "I agree. I don't want to deliver more than one either."
He smirked and went silent thinking about the whole thing. She shifted over next to him, curling up closer and just relaxing. That had went better than she expected. "I'm going to have to tell Mom we're leaving. Want to be there when I do?" He grinned.
"Do I have to?" she asked with a bit of a pout.
"No...but you might want to be if she's told about the baby, too."
She paused for a minute before sighing slightly. "Fine. I'll be there."
"Good," he nodded. "I'm not doing that alone."
"What would be so bad about doing that alone?"
He gave her a look. She gave him an innocent one right back, big eyes and all. He smirked, knowing instantly that his son or daughter would have her eyes. Then he leaned in and kissed her. She smiled as she kissed him back, sliding an arm up around his neck again. His hand brushed her cheek as he kissed her.
She sighed softly as she started lean back on the bed, shifting so that he was moving on top of her. He went with it and settled against her. His hand dropped between them to settle on her stomach, unable to move it away. She let it stay there, just continuing the kiss and keeping him close. His hand started to move up her body slowly as he pushed her back closer on the bed. She followed his lead, leaning back against the bed and letting him settle over her.
He pulled up slightly to push her shirt over her head, keeping his eyes on her face. She looked back at him, letting the shirt fall to the side and pulling him in closer again. He smirked and dipped to nip at her neck. "Is it wrong that I'm incredibly turned on right now?"
"Mmmm," she murmured, her eyes closing as her head tilted back. "Don't think so."
His lips traveled down her throat slowly. "Good."
She sighed softly, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she pulled him closer. He groaned softly as he continued what he was doing and let his hand slide down to push at her pants. She lifted her hips slightly, looking to help him get them off. He pushed them the rest of the way down, his hand gliding against her leg. She moaned softly at the touch, starting to slide her hands under his shirt.
His breath caught at that and his hands moved back up her body. She helped him push his shirt up over his head, fingers drifting over skin as he went. He grabbed hold of her fingers and lifted them to his lips, kissing them softly. She looked back at him, her fingers circling around his and giving it a squeeze. His hand moved between them to unbutton his own pants as he kicked out of them. She helped shove them off his hips, before moving to pull him in closer.
When he fell to a rest beside her, he gathered her in his arms and pulled her close to his chest, kissing her forehead lightly. She sighed softly, curling up closer to him and closing her eyes. He rubbed her back slowly, issuing a soft, "I love you, Bela," for the second time that night. Probably a record for him.
"Love you too," she murmured before drifting off to sleep. He sighed and lay there awake for a long time with his thoughts, until he finally fell asleep as well.