BurnNotice 01 -story-

“Fi…” my voice trailed off, pleading with her to listen to me.

“Oh come on, Michael. It’s just a little favor,” she dipped her spoon into the strawberry yogurt that she’d gotten from my fridge and lifted the spoon to her mouth, turning it over and sliding it out from between her lips slowly. I just stood at my door, staring at her incredulously because of her request as she leaned against my counter, her elbows resting on it comfortably.

“Just a little favor? I don’t even understand why you need a date, let alone why it can’t be Campbell in a job like that one,” I said to her honestly, folding my sunglasses and hanging them from my shirt. I walked into the room, throwing my keys onto the bar. Sharp pains shot through the right side of my ribs with every step I took. That probably had something to do with the fact that somebody had tried to blow me up less that three days prior. I winced with the first jolt of it, grabbing onto my right side with my left arm. When I got to the counter I leaned my weight against it, not needed the support but welcoming the relief regardless. I met Fiona’s gaze, trying to ignore the worry in her beautiful muddy brown eyes as she watched me like a hawk.

She sighed and set her yogurt container down forcefully before she stood up straight and walked over to me. Her white top contrasted against her sun kissed skin (naturally that way, too) beautifully; it was my favorite color on her, which she knew. That’s probably why she insisted on wearing it so much. Just to show me what I could have had. But it was much more…complicated than that.

“Campbell is already getting tired of me always being on business. The excitement’s wearing off I guess…which is quite a shame. I mean, really, he’s sweet and cares a lot about me. Not to mention how attractive he is,” she paused to sigh dramatically, “and as for needing somebody at all, well especially you, I could use your expertise. You’ve always been more…subtle than I have,” she ended with a laugh, but humor was the last thing from my mind. Campbell wasn’t my favorite person, actually, pretty damn far from it. Yes, I had no right to feel the way that I did about Campbell, but there were a lot of things I didn’t have the right to do that I did anyway. So despising Fiona’s latest boyfriend wasn’t something pressing on my list of things to change.

“I’m sorry for you two. And here I thought he was going to be in it for the long haul,” I lied through my teeth, being exceptionally good at it. Though Fi probably knew that I wasn’t sorry at all. “Subtle? Me?” I raised an eyebrow, “Only on occasion, but that’s what works, right? I have a feeling what you meant was that my first response to somebody that I’m going up against isn't to ‘shoot them’ automatically. And fine. If you really need somebody that badly, I’ll do it,” I told her, but I was agreeing mostly because I would feel more comfortable being there with her. I’d just wanted her to tell me she wanted it to be me, and in her own…special way, she had.

“Thank you, Michael. I’d say I owe you, but I think the tally is about, oh, nine to zero now, and favoring me,” she smiled sweetly and patted me on my left shoulder before she walked past me towards the door. I turned to watch her leave, not wanting her to go, but knowing it was best if she did. Never form an attachment to assets. I reminded myself over and over, denying that Fiona was much more than an asset to me, and always would be. She smiled as she turned with her hand on the knob, flipping her golden hair behind her shoulder. “Pick me up at eight. We’ve got a party tonight.” Her smile was wicked as she twisted back around, swishing out the door with no other word, leaving me there as she always did: in a world of self-denial and always wanting more.