Archive of Our Own

Command had killed him off officially, not that Brian was allowed to be there. If the agency was anything, they were thorough. He was given a funeral, a grave, hell his mother had even received his accidental death insurance. Gibbons had shown him the pictures of the funeral; it hadn't been too crowded. A few of his old LAPD co-workers had shown, his mom, Rome, and scattering of other people. Brian scanned for Dom, he knew it was pointless but he still hoped. Maybe Dom would show just to make sure he was really dead.

The last hurrah into law enforcement with Rome had resulted in a job offer Brian refused. Agent Gibbons contacted him a month ago at a shithole garage with another offer. This time Brian turned it down initially but Gibbons wasn't Bilkins and maybe it was time.

Brian was under a Civic that needed a new everything. Mrs. Drifurst was going to have to let it go to the great junkyard in the sky. The phone ringing was barely audible over the classic rock on the radio.

“Mario!”

“Yeah?”

“Hear that ringing? Make it stop.”

A few moments passed and he rolled out from under the car, it was almost closing time and the boss wanted inventory done.

“Brian, phone!”

Probably the boss reminding him of the fucking inventory. Asshole. Brian wiped his hands on a rag and entered the office. Mario didn't say anything just handed over the phone and walked out.

“Yeah man? I got the inventory going, you left two notes.”

“Brian O'Conner?”

The voice sounded official, they knew his real name. Fuck, they'd tracked him down again. There was no point in running but it was still his first instinct. He tried to tell himself to be calm, he hadn't done anything wrong. Well, maybe some tax evasion.

“Depends on who's asking.” Flippant, let the fuckers know he didn't give a shit.

“Someone with an opportunity.”

“Not interested.”

Brian slammed the phone down. He knew they had nothing on him and he wasn't interested in having the team dangled over his head forever. The phone rang again and this time he just let it ring.

Two days later Agent Gibbons showed up in person.

“You O'Conner?”

Brian looked up from the hood of the car to see an older black male with severe scaring on one side of his face. The cop part of his mind cataloging details on instinct; a habit he could not seem to kick.

“Yeah.”

“You need to learn some manners on the phone, Bullit.”

“You need to learn the word no and don't call me that.”

“I've seen you race and it fits you. Good name and a better movie. I have a job for you.”

“Still not interested, thanks and sorry to waste your time.”

There all the pleasantries at once, now Mr. Mysterious could leave. Brian turned back to the car and the belt it needed fixed.

“Before you reject it. I've got a few pictures to show you.”

When Gibbons , Brian learned the name later, handed him the photos he'd been curious enough to look. Black and white images of Dom and Letty, both happy and smiling. For a moment he wished they were in color so he could tell if Dom had tanned more in the Mexican sun.

“This a threat? The whole do what we want or your friends disappear.”

“No, that's not my style. A man under threat will only comply for so long before he fights back against his oppressors. I'm just pointing out that your friends moved on and you should as well.”

“What?”

“Toretto has moved on. Why waste your life?”

“I like working with cars and I'm doubting the LEO life is for me.”

“You get tired of looking over your shoulder, waiting for friends that aren't coming, you give me a call. I like your style and I like your fire. You got a knack for surviving, Command needs that.”

Brian was pretty sure that was what convinced him. He was sick as fuck of waiting.

He had the pictures of the funeral in a white knuckle grip. After all the shit he'd gone through and given up for them, not one of the team showed up. That chapter was over and the next one would be his hardest yet. Brian had already moved into the training facility that would be his home for the next year at least. Gibbons assured him that this training would give all the skills he would need for his new life.

The aging red head that walked in the room was danger, every instinct in his brain screamed it. Still, she walked with a grace, an ease that made Brian want to relax. Surely, she was too delicate to mean him harm. The past few weeks in this place had taught him that everyone was deadly.

“Brian you're on time, good.”

“Yes ma'am.” He tried to flash his most charming smile, two could play this game.

“It's Angelica and don't bother. I'm not your type and we both know it. But do you know why you're with me?”

“To learn how to seduce women or hell, men for the government?”

Angelica laughed. “Hardly, you are far too emotional for that line of work.”

Brian scoffed and she continued. “Were you not swayed by the family you found in Toretto? You followed him a like a puppy home from the shop. I know your back ground. Poor Brian, abused by his parents and then forgotten by the state.”

Brian tried to hide the flush of anger.

“You think me cruel? Do you really think Toretto isn't?”

“Dom tried to protect his family. He isn't a bad guy.”

“You think so? Am I? You are so simple Brian. Toretto used you like everyone else to get what he wanted. First, he brought you in to work as a crew member, a promising driver for his team. Then when he found you were police, he used you to kill Tran and set him free. He left you to face all his consequences.”

“That's not true!”

“To think they call you Iceman. Where is all of your cool? Did you know that Toretto did not attend your funeral? The official story is that you were killed in prison, after being sentenced there for aiding and abetting, the final heist, all of it. He sipped on a Corona in Mexico while you were being lowered into the ground. He made a fool of you, don't let him do it again.”

“You're twisting it all up. Manipulating me.”

“No Brian. I'm helping you to see that family, love, all of that passion burning in you. It left you a murderer and alone.”

Brian's protests were cut off.

“Tran's parents would call you that, no matter their son's crimes. At least when we ask you to kill, we won't lie about it. No false pretenses.”

“I don't want to be you, to use people.” Angelica merely smiled at the insult.

“I told you already, that's not why you are here. You are here so I can help you make sure that it never happens again. All that anger, all that pain and humiliation you are feeling, I can make it all go away.”

“How?”

She smiled brightly.

“I have my ways.”

Brian woke slowly, the feel of fire in his wrists, pounding in his head. His whole body was screaming but the haze of sleep made it hard to understand why.

“I see you're awake, good. We can finally begin.”

Looking up Brian saw his captor, a large man with dirty black hair, tattoos down his arms. A large scar marred a thick neck and his clothes were dark but Brian saw stains.

“You will tell me all you know.”

“I'm not sure if you're new at this but you have to ask a question first.”

The heavy slap across the face was expected. Brian's hands were sweating and as he tried the rope, he felt some give. If he kept the guy busy long enough he might be able to slip out.

“You think you funny guy? I have special joke for funny guys.”

The captor stood to leave the room, locking the door behind him. Brian used the time alone to work his hands. After several moments of tugging the rope, he was able to free his hands and then his feet. Now all he had to do was wait for his captor to return so he could get out. As the door turned, he sunk back into the chair.

When his captor appeared back in the room Brian waited for him to come back into reach. The man pulled a knife, cutting open Brian's shirt.

“Still think you are funny? I will cut you like fish.”

“It's gut like a fish and cut like a pig.”

When the man drew back for another slap, Brian struck. A few moments of struggle and Brian felt the neck in his hands break, the sickening crunch of bones. Quick, easy, silent. Checking the body, he found a gun. Shit, it was a Glock. That meant the dead man must be law enforcement or government. Brian needed to get out now. Checking the gun for a full clip and the body for the keys, he walked out the door.

The hall looked clear, the whole place was gray and the walls all looked the same. Brian swallowed the panic telling him to run, to get out. That wouldn't help him. He needed to take this slow and not make any rash moves. There were two more halls before another guard, instead of shooting him, Brian pistol whipped him. Silent and sure to hurt like hell but at least he'd return to his family.

Half an hour later, the whole building was on alert. Four guards were down and Brian was almost certain he wasn't getting out. There was always another hallway. Finally, he found a janitor. Later he might feel bad for scaring the older man into telling him how to get out. Right now, all he felt was hope.

The only thing he needed to do before getting out was remove his tracking device. Command was not getting him out so they weren't getting him back. Slipping into a storage closet and locking the door he pulled the knife out. The cut on his fore arm stung more than hurt but digging for the tracker was agony.

The janitor's instructions had been simple and another ten minutes had Brian breathing free air for the first time in nearly a year. The building looked normal on the outside, square, fat, no windows. The place was surrounded by a parking lot and fence. Shit this had to a training facility. Checking the employee cars he found a Jeep Wrangler; it had a soft top and was easy to steal. Brian had a feeling he was going to need the four wheel drive.

As he got the Jeep started the parking lot filled with Command agents. Brian sat there, the urge to run flooding him again. But where to? He was dead, no family, no one looking for him. Running was just a way of prolonging the inevitable. Command would hunt him and kill him. He's proven that he could get out, test passed. Staying would prove his loyalty; running would just add a target on his back.

Hours later he was back in Angelica's office.

“Brian you surprised us. No one has killed one of our agents in the exercise before. Why break his neck instead of grabbing the knife or shooting him? The gun had blanks by the way.”

“Quick, silent and easy.”

“You did well today. Why did you not run? You got your tracker out.”

“No point. Where would I go?”

“You're ready for your first mission.”

“I thought I had to prove myself.”

“Dearest, you just did.”

Command's first assignment was in Lebanon; it was hot, dry and far. Brian was surprised they sent him out of the country so soon. He was still reeling from the death of the other agent. In the moment it had been about survival, now he replayed the scene looking at all the clues to see it was a training exercise.

Brian felt sick for the pride he had when Angelica told him he'd passed the test. To his knowledge no other agents ever passed out of training and into full agent status that way. Now he was in the desert alone with a rifle. Brian was informed of the bus stop the terrorist would be getting on and a picture of the bag holding the bomb. A neon green back pack would be easy enough to spot, although he had to wonder why anyone would carry one.

The mark was due any minute so he trained his scope for the bus stop. Moments ticked by unnoticed as the world sharpened to the view of the lens. It was several more minutes before the green back pack came into view. He could do this, it was one man to save dozens and this man was going to die no matter what.

Looking back in the scope he saw a young boy of no more than eleven. This couldn't be right. No way this kid was the bomber, Command wouldn't send him to kill a little boy. The young boy did not appear nervous on the bus stop bench swinging his feet. He looked so innocent, it couldn't be this back pack. Command had bad intel, they had something wrong. His ear piece buzzed with words.

“Do you have visual on target?”

“Negative. Just a kid.”

“Does the child have the back pack?”

“Yes but its a kid.”

“Agent, take the shot.”

Brian couldn't do that, ripping out the ear piece, he headed to the stairs. If he could get to this kid and take the back pack it would be okay. The kid probably didn't know. His father just sent him off to die, Brian could stop this. He was across the street as the bus pulled up.

Brian reached for the boy and the back pack. Trying to tug it off, the kid fought the whole time. Finally other people noticed the struggle, the bus driver yelled in Arabic for him to stop. He tried to answer in hesitant sentences, having only used the words in class.

The bus driver clearly didn't believe him or Brian wasn't being clear enough. He understood that the driver was threatening to call police. The driver took the boy by the shoulders and led him onto the bus. No shouting would make them listen and he needed to leave before police arrived.

He was halfway up the stairs when he heard the explosion.

A week later he was sitting in Angelica's office.

“Brian you hesitated, were your instructions unclear?”

“No.”

“Then why did you hesitate?”

“It was a kid.”

“Yes and you made contact. They all still died but you almost got arrested. Do you know what would have happened had the police found you?”

“They would have arrested me.”

“No cheek.” Angelica narrowed her eyes. “You would have been charged as a terrorist. The US would have been blamed and rekindled the war. The whole world would have blamed us.”

“That's not what happened! I tried to stop him.”

“You think it matters?”

“It's the truth!”

“The truth hardly matters, Lebanon could have spun whatever lie they wished. The boy died and you allowed 46 others to join him.”

“I didn't know.”

“That's a lie my dear. You knew, you knew and hesitated because of the mark. In the future do not, the truth is an ugly monster. Terrorists and evil men do not always take terrible forms.”

Angelica handed him a large manilla envelope.

“Look at this when you are ready to face your own truth monster, now go.”

Later is in his room, Brian opened the envelope on his desk. Pictures spilled out, this time in full color. His truth was charred bodies, twisted metal and pieces. Command had dozens of photos of the scene and of the 46 victims laid out on sheets as rescue workers tried to piece them back together. This was a horror story of his own creation, no twisted half truths. These people died because he refused to act, they died because he let emotion cloud his judgment. Command gave him a task, they knew the risks. He could have stopped this.

The last sheet held a small body still being put back together. Would a bullet have been better?

Brian was in Russia for his second mission. He figured this was originally an operation for a female agent because the kill method was poison. Command gave his marching orders, he was under as a security guard. It felt little like his previous under cover ops but this time he was here to kill someone.

The other guards didn't talk much and when they did it was mostly in Russian. Brian knew enough Russian to pass but not enough to have deep conversations. He was waiting for the party to die down and his target to come up stairs.

The lack of conversation let his mind drift. It had only been two weeks since the failed op and he hadn't been sleeping well. Each night he closed his eyes and dreamed of that day. He would go through the motions but the end result was always a line of bodies on a sheet. He spent the following days at the shooting range, practicing the perfect shot.

When the mark walked up the stairs with a giggling blond, Brian waited until they were in the room before picking up the trey at his feet. The poison dissolved instantly and Brian delivered the drinks. He waited to hear the loud thump followed by a high pitch scream before leaving.

He was out of the country in an hour.

Angelica's office was starting to be calming; it meant the end of a mission or test. Angelica herself still made his hair stand on end.

“Hello Brian, welcome back. You did well.”

“Hi ma'am, how are you?” Brian learned long ago to always be polite with Angelica. She could be hell if you weren't.

“I'm well. Thank you.”

Angelica was flitting around the room ignoring Brian. This too was a trick, when he first 'joined' Command he would feel compelled to fill the silence. The weight of it felt like an accusation, often times he would say things he never meant to in an attempt to fill the room. Now after training, he was content to sit and wait.

“Are you sleeping well?”

“Of course.”

“You look tired. The cameras caught you at the shooting range at all hours.”

“Just don't want any more mistakes.”

“Your handler tells me you did very well with your mission today. Any complaints?”

“No ma'am.”

“Brian you must let go of these memories. It was a mistake, do not let it be the end of you. You will complete hundreds of missions, act like this and it will drive you insane.”

“I didn't hesitate this time.”

“No but this was an easy mark. We wanted to make sure you weren't too damaged. Your next will not be so.”

“Why the hell are you doing this to me?”

“Not to you, for you. You still have so much fire in you. That's what is burning you up, keeping those pictures taped inside your eyelids. When you let go of that, you'll be free.”

“So, I'm just supposed to not care at all about those people? Is that the point?”

“You are supposed to be an agent. You have a job to do, unpleasant though it may be at times. Your choices led you to this chair. Your passion leaves people in body bags and you all alone. Let it go Brian and you could be great. That righteous anger inside you and all of that fire is your weakness. You can't do this because you care.”

“Anyone ever told you that you're a bitch?”

Angelica smiled and cold crept up Brian's spine.

“You want to punish yourself for them. Fine. I'll help.”

Angelica turned on her heel and walked to her desk, picking up the phone.

“Yes, this is Angelica. Escort Brian from my office to the basement.”

Passing by she ruffled his hair almost fondly.

“Soon your only regret will be that you cared at all.”

 It would be another week before he saw daylight again.

Walking into the Command headquarters was always intimidating, didn't matter how long Brian had been an agent. Not that two years was terribly long in the world of government agents but for him it felt like forever. Command headquarters always reminded Brian of the Men in Black headquarters; every agent got their suit from the same Burlington Coat Factory and they all looked shifty. 

When his training had finally been through, Brian had honestly thought for just a moment that it was a joke. He didn't think Bilkins was ever going to let him leave, legally or not. Today wasn't his first day at the agency but it was his first time being assigned a partner. Brian wasn't particularly looking forward to it; he worked well alone and it was almost as if Command didn't trust him.

Agent Gibbons hadn't said much about the partner he was getting only the man was 'just his speed.' Whatever the hell that meant. For the most part Brian liked Gibbons as much as he liked anyone, the man didn't give him shit about his past or try to make him fit in a box.

When Brian got to Gibbons' office, the door was cracked and he was behind his desk. Seated to the left of the desk was a bald man with X's tattooed on his neck. Brian knocked once on the partially open door and walked in. The man seated in front of Gibbons turned, and Brian choked on air. The past two years of adjusting to feeling nothing at all didn't matter.

“Dom?”

“Who?”

“Gibbons, what the hell is going on?”

“Brian meet X. He's not who you're thinking of.”

“Shit, Scarface he could be a fan. You don't know. Name is Xander Cage, he only calls me X to piss me off.”

Xander held out his hand toward Brian with a wide easy smile. The smile would never have graced Dom's face, it was too laid back. On some level he was sure it was expected that he shake the hand in front of him but all he could think is Dom is an agent? Did he strike a deal?

“You alright pretty boy?” Xander was still smiling. 

“What?”

“You're gaping agent.” Gibbons' words broke him from his thought train.

“Shit man, sorry, its just, you look just like this guy I knew.”

“Was he your partner?”

“Well, no, he was my mark and things happened between us and shit got complicated. You know not like that or anything. He was....a friend.”

All that training and yelling just didn't matter in the face of Dom but this guy wasn't him. If Brian wanted to succeed in this new life he needed to let it go. He had the training for this, he wasn't going back to the basement. Dom left and moved on and this was what was left. This life was his and there was no way in hell his past was going to fuck it up.

“Gibbons, I think I like my new partner.”

“Knew you would X. I'm gonna let you guys get to know one another. Op details are in the folder, have fun.”

When Xander turned back his gaze as Gibbons left, it was predatory. Brian didn't know what the hell was going on but shit just turned interesting.

*Six months and 4 successful missions*

“Xander move to the left about a foot.”

Brian had the shot lined up perfectly; it would be nice to bag the mark and get out of the cold. The blood spatter was minimal and Brian watched through the scope as Cage searched the body for the key.

“I'll be at the meet point in 20.”

“Brian, I need back up and cover.”

Shit. Command wanted them at extraction in 20 and they wouldn't wait for them. For a moment Brian considered leaving anyway, going to the meet up without Cage. However, Command would have his ass, Gibbons wanted to keep Cage. It wasn't often you found a criminal turned Agent that for the most part behaved.

Getting back in position and adjusting his scope, Brian picked off four more guards.

“Xander, what's your location?”

“Still in the house, these fuckers are everywhere.”

He could hear gunfire in the background of the com link. God he hated it when things went off mission. Brian went to his parked snow mobile and started toward the house. No matter how much training had dampened his emotions, Brian still felt the thrill of doing something fast. The snow mobile made getting to the house easy, the terrain made shooting guards difficult.

“I just got to the house. Where are you?”

“The master bedroom. There was a complication with a kid, I'm holding them off and the kid is injured.”

Xander always found a complication. Making his way into the house Brian encountered little resistance. The majority of the forces must be up with Cage. The gunfire was louder as he reached the stairs. Brian followed the noise and came up behind six subjects standing in front of two double doors.

Three shots rang out and three guards hit the ground before the others had the time to turn. Sliding out a knife for closer fights, the next guard didn't see the blade move before it found home. Hitting one of the guards with his elbow as he came up from behind, the knife slashed the throat of the third guard. When Brian turned the guard was holding a bleeding face and trying to back away. He pulled out his gun once more, Command didn't like loose ends.

“Xander you're clear. Let's move.”

“No witnesses?”

“Dead men tell no tales.”

The little boy walking in front of Cage out of the room looked scared. Brian tried to think back to a time when he dealt with kids. He needed this kid to like him, to be calm.

“Hey buddy, I'm Clay. We're gonna get you out of here. Okay?” Cage raised a brow at the fake name and sugary voice. Didn't matter what the fucker thought, Command taught him how to use everything he had. Brian could manipulate anyone into thinking he cared, into liking him.

“Where's my dad?”

Xander gave a slight shake of his head. Message received, Dad was dead.

“He went ahead to our station, he told me to take you to him. Let's go.”

Brian picked up the boy and placed him in the piggy back position. Wouldn't be the most comfortable but at least he didn't have to wait for little kid legs to move.

Once they reached the snow mobiles he placed the boy in front of him and they took off. The ride was short and Brian was glad no-one was left to fire at them, the kid took up one hand and he still had to steer. When they reached the temporary Command post Brian left Xander to deal with the boy. His complication, his turn to explain why they were late to Angelica. Xander was just lucky she was across the ocean for debrief and he didn't have to sit in her office. Normally Gibbons handled Xander and Angelica handled Brian but Gibbons was on loan to the NSA right now.

Two hours later Brian was sitting at a bar near the base, he knew it wasn't smart to get hammered but he had no desire to be near other Agents. Cage walked in the door looking tired, Brian had to admit he looked tired. When Cage got to the table, he flagged a waitress down for a beer.

“You alright?”

“Angelica sure as hell isn't Gibbons. She is one tough broad.”

Brian laughed. That was one way to understate it.

“Poor baby.”

“You up for making me feel better Bri?”

Fucking around with Cage wasn't the best idea he'd ever had. Hell, Brian was sure that if Angelica found out then one or both of them would be dead permanently.

“I think I can handle that.” But the smile that he wore felt stretched.

Three days later he was back State side; home was a Command issued apartment. Brian didn't care for it all that much but it had a bed, a TV and a shower. It also came equipped with every monitoring device known to man. He couldn't relax when he knew they were listening, not that Command had ever admitted as much. Brian wasn't an idiot, the first thing he did when he got the apartment was check for bugs. He'd found enough to know he would never find all of them.

Brian was sitting on his couch with a beer when his cell rang.

“Hello.”

“Brian, this is Angelica. How are you?” Brian fought not to roll his eyes. Of course it was, no one else called him. Did she have to do this polite bit every time?

“I'm well. Yourself ma'am?”

“Well thank you for asking. Now, I need you to come by my office tomorrow.”

“Yes ma'am. What time?”

“Oh drop by anytime.” Which meant first thing in the morning. She didn't like to wait.

“Okay. I will see you then.”

“Have a great day.”

“You too.”

If she insisted on all that, she could of texted. No need to distract him from the game.

The next morning Brian was in Angelica's office by 8:15.

“Brian, thanks for coming in.”

Brian nodded his head, he just wanted this done with. It was tiring to sit and pretend to be nice.

“I must say I'm disappointed in you.”

“The mission was completed, I left no witnesses.”

“You left the boy and you missed your extraction.”

“Cage found him, he knew nothing.”

“The boy could have grown up and wanted revenge. He knew about Command. He was a liability and I expected better of you.”

“Was?”

“He was dealt with.”

Brian wasn't surprised, it was the easiest option but he didn't figure Gibbons for a child killer. Angelica probably ordered it with out his permission. Gibbons may be head of Command but Angelica ran it.

“I have been willing to over look this little affair of yours with Cage because at least he was vetted and had security clearance. After this however, it's clear he is a liability as well.”

“Its nothing serious.”

“Serious enough to pull you off mission. I will not tolerate my agents to be distracted. You will deal with it.”

“I will let Cage know that he has to find a new partner.”

“No. You will deal with him permanently. Too any times he has gone off mission. He is a wild card; I thought in placing him with you that you would ensure he stay on mission. However it seems your feelings have gotten to you again.”

“You want me to kill Xander?”

“You've dealt with inter-agency problems before and you insist he is not clouding your judgment. This shouldn't be a problem.”

Brian knew this matter more than just Cage. This was a test, if he reacted in a way Angelica disliked he would be the one with a hit.

“Did you have a preferred method?”

“He is often out doing ridiculous stunts on his days off. See that it looks accidental. You know how sentimental Gibbons is. You have two days.”

“Yes ma'am.”

As he drove home Brian considered things. He could kill Cage and continue on. If he did there was the realistic option that Angelica would have him killed to cover her tracks. If Gibbons suspected any foul play, Brian would be dead and Angelica would claim it was a lover's quarrel.

If he failed to kill Cage, she would see him as week and have him killed. Angelica was a monster of Command's making; Brian figured he had 48 hours to get out. It was the only way he had any control. Pulling into his drive way, he called Cage before going inside.

“Sup?”

“Xander, it's Brian.”

“I didn't even know you had my number.”

“I'm your partner of course I have your number.”

“I don't have yours.”

“Hey I'm coming over tonight. We need to go out for a bit.”

“Bri is everything okay?”

Brian wished for once he cared enough in the past to have a “go” phrase with Cage. It would make all of this easy.

“Yeah man. Just wanted to get laid. That cool?”

Cage laughed and hung up.

Brian hurried inside and made his way back to his bed room. Sliding the bed over, he pulled out several loose floor boards. Command had made him paranoid, each time he got paid he withdrew the money from the account. It was hard to trace cash, the majority of his money was in his safe house. He stuffed cash, clothes and a few hand guns into a duffel.

If Angelica had eyes across the street it would look like he was preparing for his mission. The sniper rifle was at the safe house with his car. The POS Command issued him wasn't worth his time. When he arrived at Cage's, Brian sat in the car. He needed a plan for getting Cage packed and out of the house.

He pulled out his phone to call Angelica.

“Hi it's Brian. I'm taking Cage out to the company cabin and for some ATVing.”

“Excellent idea. You boys be safe.”

Brian closed his phone and walked up the steps to the door. Cage opened it before he could knock.

“I was wondering if you were comin' in. You nervous or some shit?”

“I'm good. We're taking a trip, pack up, time for some ATVs.”

Cage looked confused, Brian walked tot he counter and grabbed a notebook.

-Your place is bugged. We need to go.-

-What the hell is going on?- Cage looked pissed. How the hell did the guy not know his place was bugged?

-I'll tell you later. All of it. Just pack a bag, you're going to be gone awhile.-

“Alright man sounds good. Let me get packed.”

-When we get in the car, act normal. I have a safe house but we need to ditch the Command car.-

Cage nodded then busied himself with packing a bag. Normally Cage talked constantly but right now he looked to pissed to speak. He had a long sleeve shirt on covering his tattoos and for a moment Brian saw Dom.

“I'm ready.” Illusion shattered.

Both men piled into the car and Brian drove towards the airport. He figured they could leave the car in long term parking and grab a cab. When they arrived Brian left his cell in the car and motioned to Cage to do the same. So far Cage had withheld all of his questions but Brian knew as soon as they were truly alone that it wouldn't last.

They quickly gathered their belongings from the back seat and trunk then headed towards the pick up area. A cab was easily hailed and Brian's safe house was a mere twenty minute ride from here.

“We need to go to 1638 Almond Dr.”

“Yes Sir. Shouldn't take too long. The meter will charge a 3 dollar start fee then fifty cent a mile. You got that much cash on you? Credit cards have to be called in to dispatch.”

“We got it.”

The cab ride was silent most of the journey; the driver stopped attempting conversation after the first few failed tries met with one word answers. The safe house was a small two bedroom home. Brian paid the cabbie and showed Cage inside. He didn't even get to close the door before Cage exploded.

“What the hell is going on?!”

“Xander, you need to calm down. Yelling isn't making anything better.”

“You got any beer here?”

“Nah man, this is just a bolt hole. Water and canned goods. Now sit and I'll explain.”

Brian walked tot he kitchen and grabbed two water bottles from the fridge. When he returned to the living room Cage was seated on the couch.

“Angelica ordered a hit. She feels our fucking has compromised my judgment and that you're a liability to Command.”

“Gibbons authorized this shit?”

“No, she wanted me to make it look accidental.”

“Why didn't you? Like me too much Bri?” Cage was smiling. Brian didn't know how to respond. He needed Cage to work with him, if he was going to clear this he needed in his good graces. Charming reply it was then.

“You think I'd let you fuck me if I didn't?” Brian flashed a flirty grin. God this was pointless, they needed to be focused on a plan and not on petting Cage's ego. Brian didn't think the real answer of convenient and not worth fighting against would make Cage very agreeable.

“So what, we're just gonna hide out till... she forgets?... dies?... gets eaten by a pack of wild dogs?”

“No. We hide until we can draw Angelica out alone."

“Why can't we call Gibbons now?”

“Dead men tell no tales. If we call Gibbons now, she will say we've gone rogue or something. She will have a spin on it but she won't involve Gibbons until she knows you're dead or she has to. We have two weeks of leave and she gave me two days to complete the mission.”

“So what are we going to do if not stay here?”

“This is my bolt hole for cash and my car. I'm going to go over the car for tracker tonight. We leave first thing in the morning.”

“Where to?”

“You'll see. If you want to grab a shower, go ahead. I'm going to go look over the car.”

The garage was made for two cars and storage but housed too many tools for more than one car. Brian didn't care about much but he loved his '69 Pontiac GTO; the first year they made the Judge. It took him a solid hour to go over her for GPS trackers and bugs.

He stopped by the house once a month to drop cash and check for any sign of Command. He took time to work on the car and check over for trackers. It may seem paranoid but not everyone worked for Command. So far no one had found the place.

When he came back inside, Brian listened for the shower. No sounds came from the bathroom so he walked in and stripped. A few minutes later Cage joined.

“Thought you took one earlier.”

“I did, that shower was about business. This one is gonna be all pleasure.”

The next morning Brian woke up in a vice grip. He'd never actually Slept with Cage in the literal sleep sense before so there was no previous warning that his partner was a cuddlier. He could feel Cage starting to wake and one large hand snaked down his body.

“Not now Xander, we have to get going.”

“Not even a quickie?”

Brian just shook his head. To be honest he wasn't sure why he was letting this continue. Except that Cage wanted it and it was easier than dealing with a jilted lover.

“Nope, let's move.”

“Harsh Bri, harsh.” Brian turned back to the bed and Cage was smiling, laid out and naked.

“Death is harsh too. Now move.” He tried to lesson the annoyance in his voice by tossing Cage a shirt playfully. They didn't have time to bullshit. Brian thought this whole affair had been more trouble than it was worth but if Cage suspected he was using him, he'd run straight to Gibbons and get both of them killed.

They were on the road in half an hour.

“You know I had a one similar to this, a '67.”

“Yeah? What happened to her?”

“I got the GTO on my first mission for Gibbons. Left her in Czech Republic. Shame though, I loved that car.”

“I think every agent has sacrificed a car to the government. Mine was a Nissan Skyline.”

“So why'd you switch to American muscle.”

“Just liked the feel of her I guess. I found her in a junk yard, barely more than a body. I had to track down the original parts. Made for a good hobby.”

“So, we're headed south. What's waiting down there for us?”

“A piece of insurance.”

“Bri, you know I trust you but you need to let me know what the hell is going on.”

“Angelica does a lot of shit with out Gibbons' knowledge. She picks agents that have nothing to go back to, that are dead, like me. She uses them for her dirty work and when they no longer suit her she has them killed. After the second time she had me clean up an 'inter-agency complication' I decided to make sure that if she did that shit to me I would have some leverage.”

“So what's the insurance?”

“A flash drive with a list of all her dirty work and my hits.”

“You think she will really come to you for that? How do you even know she hasn't gotten it?”

“Oh, I know that bitch will come out for it. I sent it to someone she would never expect. If she had found it, I'd already be dead.”

“Bitch don’t know who she’s messing with, huh?” Xander said sagely but Brian noticed the sardonic gleam was gone and it had been replaced by a hint of respect. Not something Brian was used to seeing from Cage.

It took three days to make it from the bolt hole in DC to Nicaragua. They barely slept and Brian did the driving. Cage only tried to take over once on the first day before just excepting that Brian wasn't letting him drive.

When Brian pulled over on a lonely stretch of road, Cage shot him a look.

“You sure you don't want to let your friend know first?”

“No. This is a see-to-believe type situation; now go back in to town. I'll meet you at the bar; if I’m not there in three hours then you take the car and go. That’s eight pm exactly okay?” Xander nodded “This is a key to locker 817 at the airport in Managua, there's a set of keys and directions to another safe house. Go.”

“Bri, I can go with you. If you think he's gonna hurt you.”

“Nah, I got this. Like I said, always have an exit strategy and Xander, try not to talk to anyone.”

Brian grabbed his smaller duffel that held a portion of the cash and the hand guns. Like he said, an exit strategy. Brian watched until Xander was out of sight and then started walking. The house was still a mile away and the last thing he needed was Cage getting ideas on following him. Brian knew a meet and greet with Xander would go terrible.

The house was two stories and had a large garage attached. It was a little outside the town of San Juan del Sur. It sat on a decent amount of land and ran into the ocean. It looked like paradise to Brian; a place to surf, a place to race, a place to just be. Jealousy and anger coiled low in his belly, two and a half years of killing to order and this fucker was sitting in paradise.

Brian knocked on the door twice but received no answer. All the adrenaline at seeing Dom, at the confrontation he knew was coming was still pumping through his blood. Huh. An empty house hadn't been in the plan. Brian walked around to the garage and looked in the windows. Shit. He didn't see the car, what if Dom sold it?

Brian heard a gun cock behind him.

“Date la vuelta. Poco a poco. Las manos en alto.” (Turn around. Slowly. Hands up.)

Dom sounded pissed; it took Brian back to that moment when Dom had caught him breaking into a different garage. When Brian turned he almost went for his gun, instinct said he could get a shot off.

The two men stared at each other, Dom in disbelief and Brian cataloging the differences a couple of years living on the beach had made.

“Who the fuck are you?” The shot gun Dom had lowered was back up.

“Dom, it's me Brian. You remember me right?”

“Brian O'Conner is dead.” Dom said pushing the shotgun in Brian’s face more firmly “Now you get one more try before I fire.”

The hard way it was then, Brian thought and was a blur of movement. Dom was knocked out and Brian had the shot gun. Hopefully the garage had rope and no one else was home. Checking his watch, he had two and a half hours to meet Cage. Dom needed to not be out long.

The house was empty and Brian had some extra twine in his duffel, briefly he lamented not having hand cuffs. It took long enough for Dom to come around that Brian was starting to worry he’d hit him too hard.

“Dom, don't fight it. I need you calm.”

Of course Dom struggled.

“It will only get tighter.”

“What the hell is going on?”

“You threatened to shoot me.”

Dom was staring at him.

“Shit, you look just like him.”

“It is me. After you left, I got recruited into an organization within the government.”

“I saw the news, they said you died in jail.”

“Not that you gave a shit but yeah they wanted to know I had no where to go. It wasn't a voluntary recruitment.”

Old anger flared in Brian. Why was is that Dom always made him feel?

“Brian of course I..”

“Not important.”Brian said cutting him off. “ I sent you a car. The Shelby Cobra. Do you still have it?”

“Yeah but not here.”

“I hid something in it. We need to go.”

Dom sat watching him and Brian flashed back to watching Dom get a soda out of the fridge at Torreto’s a million years ago.

“We can go tomorrow, it's kind of far out.” Dom said reasonably and Brian had to fight to hold onto the anger he felt for this man who’d abandoned him to his fate.

“I'll be back by tomorrow morning then.” Brian moved behind Dom to start untying him.

“Stay here. I have room. We can catch up; the rest of the team is out for the night.” Brian stepped back as Dom stood up from the chair rubbing his wrists where the rope had burnt him.

“I need to pick up my partner in town. He'll only wait for another hour.”

“I'll give you a ride.” Brian couldn’t explain where the anger he’d been feeling had gone.

Sitting next to Dom in a car just felt right. As soon as he thought it, Brian recoiled. Digging deep to the anger and the bitterness, he wrapped all of it back around him. He didn't need Dom or his fake family; just needed his insurance and freedom. Dom was the reason he was in this mess. Dom got to be free, while Brian had to be a killer. Dom didn't even go to his funeral. Dom left him behind.

They traveled in silence a good while and Brian noticed Dom kept looking over at him like he was scared Brian would disappear.

“Dom, when you see my partner try not to freak. We'll be gone tomorrow.”

Dom glanced over again.

“I don't think anything can be weirder than you pulling a zombie.”

“We’ll see.” Brian said thinking Dom was in for a surprise “Why's the Cobra not at the house? I figured you'd drive her.” Brian said to keep conversation steered away from himself. Angelica had been right about Dom all those years ago, he got to Brian like no one else. This time Brian would come out on top. He couldn't use him, if Brian didn't care.

“I do, just not often. I keep her at a safe house I have down the coast a bit.”

Brian nodded. He could see questions swirling around Dom like physical presence. He wondered why he didn't just ask; maybe he realized that Brian wouldn’t answer.

“Where's your friend at?”

“He's at the bar.”

When they arrived Brian turned back as he got out of the car.

“I’ll get him and meet you at the house.”

Dom merely nodded but he looked hesitant to leave. Brian made the decision for him by walking away and not looking back.

The bar was loud, crowded and smokey; Cage was sitting on a stool at the main bar facing the door. It looked like he'd been staring at the door all night, and from the pile of empties next to him Brian guessed the service here wasn’t so great. Brian motioned from the door and Cage peeled a couple of bills off his roll, dropped them on the counter and headed over.

“Where you parked?” he said as Xander approached and Brian could feel Xander’s eyes all over him, probably looking for injuries Brian figured.

“Down the street. Didn't want a drunk hitting her in the back parking lot.”

“Good thinking man.”

“So, did you get what we needed?”

“Nah its off site. We're crashing at Dom's tonight and he'll take us to it in the morning.”

Cage nodded. As they drove over to the house Brian felt it was only fair to warn Xander who he was about to meet, he didn't need a scene.

“Xander, don’t be shocked when you meet Dom, he looks a lot like you.”

“He the guy you thought I was when we met?”

“Yeah.”

“He know?”

“That you look alike? Nope.”

“He know that his dumb ass stuck you with this life?”

“No. Not so much.”

I'd kick his ass for you. If you wanted.”

“Now that I’d like to see. But not tonight okay?”

He was trying to work out how Cage and Dom would react. He had a feeling it was gonna be a little like adding phosphorus to water; explosive. Both were volatile but Cage would back off if Brian said to. He didn’t know what would make Dom stop. As long as he could keep Cage calm, things should be okay

They pulled back to the house but all the way into the drive this time.

“Nice digs.” Xander said as he got out of the car.

Brian nodded and walked to the door, debated knocking before going inside, decided not to they had an invite after all. Cage followed at his heels. Dom was sitting on the couch and Brian knew the moment they saw each other.

“Xander Cage meet Dominic Toretto. Dom this is Xander.”

“O'Conner you want to tell me who the hell that is?”

“Xander Cage.”

“Is this a trick? You even really O'Conner? You sure as hell don't act like him; I haven’t seen you smile once.”

“A lot has changed Dom; I'm not the same guy you knew in LA. It's not a trick. You guys just look alike. Now can we stay or do we need to find another place?”

“You can stay, but we're having this out. I'll show you the rooms.”

Xander spoke from directly behind Brian. “We just need one.”

Brian had been so focused on Dom he hadn’t noticed that Cage was in his space, had been long enough and close enough, to show that even without touching they'd been fucking.

“One bed it is.” Dom said directly to Brian.

Brian suddenly felt like he’d been caught cheating. He knew he had blushed and he had the sudden need to tell Dom it didn't mean anything, and then he pushed it all back down. Reminding himself they had both made choices, and now they were dealing with them.

When they were alone Cage spoke up.

“So me and you, is it about you and him?”

“If I remember shit right, you started this.” Brian smirked and grabbed Cage's crotch. Anything to distract from this conversation. And if Dom could hear them fucking? All the better.

Brian woke up before dawn the next morning, years of habit working better than an alarm clock ever could. Looking down at Cage's sleeping form. He saw a bite mark on his neck. Brian had never left a mark before and he'd done it this time to piss off Dom. This had to stop, Angelica's voice was whispering in his ear about anger and revenge.

Angelica's Office

“Brian, come in, sit down.:

He'd only been at Command a few months and only a handful of office visits. Angelica still scared the shit out of him. The aging red head shepherded him to a chair.

“Do you know why you're here with me today?”

“The fight with my weapons instructor.”

“Yes, I am most disappointed.”

“The asshole started it! He was wrong and all I did was try and tell him!”

“Brian calm down.”

“This is bullshit.” Brian mumbled. It wasn't his fault the fucker had been wrong. He was just jealous because his student was better than him.

“Anger is a useless emotion. When you allow yourself to feel it you loose control of yourself and the situation.”

“I can't really control getting angry.”

“Well, who else do expect to control it?”

When Brian didn't have a ready response, she continued.

“Your anger that the situation was unfair and that the instructor did not do as you saw right is pointless. You can ot allow yourself to get angry every time you can't control a situation. Instead think of ways to gain control. All your yelling and fighting only succeeded making you look like an ass.”

Brian wanted to hit the dumb fuck with his car.

“So, you want me to do the whole 'don't get mad, get even' approach?”

“Absolutely not. If anger is handing over control, then revenge is giving away all of your leverage. Find out what a man desires revenge on and you can control him. Revenge is pointless, it will destroy you and it will not change the past.”

Brian didn't say anything; it was natural to want revenge, to want to hurt the son of a bitch who hurt him. The need to punish those who were wrong was in his blood, he'd been a cop after all.

“Does revenge control even you?”

“Clever boy but you're not there yet.”

The past twelve hours would have made Angelica cringe and send him back to the basement. There were a lot of reasons to kill the conniving bitch but he had to admit she'd given him the tools to survive. She had even been right about revenge; Command used it as bait to suck recruits in then they dangled bits of information like carrots. And they had a hell of a big stick to use when that didn’t work.

He needed to suck it up and stay on point. Brian got out of bed and dressed quietly, not wanting to wake Xander. He made his way through the still house and onto the back porch. The ocean was rolling in and the tide was changing; Brian matched his breathing with the sound, something he’d done when he was younger and doing the whole surf thing. It was calming: breathe in the ocean air, breathe out the bad thoughts and emotions that were threatening to drag him under.

If he was going to get through this op in one piece then he needed to regain control right now. He was acting like Cage, irrational, angry and that wouldn't accomplish anything. The past wouldn't change, he was here now and no sense in giving in to the anger he felt every time he looked at Dom.

In a week both men would be out of his life, let them think whatever they wanted; he was done letting either man get under his skin.

The ocean's battle with the beach raged on and Brian felt calmer. He went over the plan in his head. They had ten days before Gibbons would realize they were gone. He smirked as the image of Angelica realizing her pet just slipped his leash flashed into his mind. He could imagine her trying to control her rage and the irony made him chuckle slightly. As he did, the back door opened and Cage walked out.

“Though you'd left for a minute.” Cage bit out.

“Without the insurance? Why would I?” Brian didn't see why Cage assumed he'd leave without what he came for, he always completed his missions.

“Thought you might have taken Toretto and left to get it.”

“No reason to. I need you to talk to Gibbons and I think we'll be staying at Dom's safe house for a few days.” Brian could tell it wasn't what Cage wanted to hear. It was obvious Cage had felt the tension between him and Dom. Cage may be flighty and unpredictable but he wasn’t stupid. Brian moved closer resting a hand on his hip.

“You're my partner in this, at least for the next week or so, we don't leave each other behind.” Brian added, trying to sound playful. Fucking alpha males and their egos.

When they got back inside, Dom was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. Eggs and sausage, nothing big but he smiled when he saw coffee. Brian remembered that Dom made awesome coffee. Before he could fill himself a cup, Dom handed him one. Taking a sip, it was exactly like he liked.

They were all at the table eating in silence and Brian noticed Dom was staring at Cage, or more specifically, at Cage's neck. The bite mark looked harsh in the light and Dom's face matched it. Cage finally caught on and smirked.

“Hope we didn't keep you up.” He said rubbing a hand carelessly across Brian’s handiwork. Brian had to wonder if Dom was going to hit Cage. Then he wondered who he'd want to win.

“Not at all; I live with Vince and he watches enough porn that I'm used to the sound of bored moans.”

“All right children. You've both had your fun, we need to get going.”

Cage got up from the table and walked over to stand far too close to Brian, trying to assert his claim. Cage and Dom still looked ready to fight. It was annoying as hell but he needed shit to get moving, with a few well-placed jibes he managed to get them all out of the house and into the car. Dom drove of course.

On the car ride over Dom brought up old times and races. The memories made twinges of feelings but it was like discussing someone else's life.

“You remember that day we went out to test the Supra?”

“She drove great.”

“I still have her you know? She's at the safe house. Painted blue now though.”

“Like the Cobra?”

“Nah, more of a sky blue.” Dom said it like Brian should know the significance of that, but it was only later when he saw the car that Brian would wonder how long it took Dom to track down paint the exact color of his eyes. And that look made sense.

The rest of the drive passed with idle conversation, for the most part Cage was silent. Brian didn't even notice until Dom asked if everything was okay in the back. Cage grunted he was fine and they started to slow down, obviously getting close to their destination.

Dom turned down an unmarked street, small enough to only allow one car at a time. With the windows down, Brian could smell the ocean strongly. The trees were mostly mangroves with thick reeds at the side of the road. At first Brian thought it might be a short cut but after awhile he realized it was a drive way.

Dom's 'safe house' was a small bungalow set directly on the beach with a large front porch. Dom took them to the garage off to the side; it was too small to work on cars for anything more than routine maintenance. The Shelby Cobra sat next to the Supra; both cars were in perfect condition. Instead of tools, the walls held a surfboard on pegs.

Brian walked over to the Cobra and Dom tossed him the keys. The flash drive was still strapped to the bottom of the passengers seat.

Cage laughed. “You sent him a Cobra?”

“It seemed like the best way to ensure that it stay safe.” Brian commented nonchalantly.

Brian caressed the side of the Cobra, he'd spent a lot of time fixing this car. When he'd found her she'd been barely more than a frame. The guy who’d owned her had put an ad on Craigslist.com for the frame, when Brian got there he traded the guy's life for the car. The next few months he spent tracking down parts in his free time.

“How'd you get it down here with out Command knowing?”

Dome spoke up. “O'Conner's lawyer said he left it to me in his will.”

Cage snorted. “ You didn't find it odd that he sent you a Cobra?”

“He sent me a 1966 Shelby Cobra with two paxton super chargers, the exact copy of Carroll Shelby's car.”

Cage turned to Brian. “Didn't think to hide it in the spine of a book?”

“A book might get lost. Dom would never sell, loose, wreck or loan out this car.”

Dom walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Bri here knows, I respect American muscle.”

Brian shrugged off Dom's hands. He had enough of both of them in his space.

“Dom can we stay here? I know you don't want us at the house endangering the team or yourself.”

Dom looked like he wanted to argue.

“We don't want to get in your hair.” Cage added.

“No trouble at all Bri. Ride back with me to pick up the Judge and we can all stay out here till you're done.”

“Dom, I don't need you to stay, you have a life to get back to.”

“O'Conner, while you're here, I got your back. Dom said gruffly and when Brian opened his mouth, “Don't argue with me, get in the car. “

Brian was in motion before the annoyance at being ordered hit him. Cage looked pissed.

“We got each other's back, Toretto.” Cage yelled at their retreating forms.

Dom turned back and smiled. “My house, my rules.”

Brian stopped walking; honestly he was sick of both of them. He had shit to get done and all of this macho male posturing was just getting in the way.

“Actually Xander, why don't you go with Dom. I have a ton of shit to get started on.”

“I was hoping for...”

“Brian I'm not sure thats....” Both men spoke at the same time. Brian just flashed a bright smile.

“Thanks guys.” He headed inside the bungalow, firmly closing the door. The voices were muffled but he could make out arguing and finally the rumble of an engine before it faded.

Knowing that he was truly alone, Brian indulged. Searching the house he found two bedrooms, two baths, a large kitchen. The living room area was large enough for his purposes; he spread out a towel from the bathroom and grabbed his bag for supplies.

Using some oil from his bag and a rag for clean up, Brian went through the comforting motions. Cleaning his rifle was habit and the movements were muscle memory more than actual thought. His mind drifted, this activity was calming, familiar; a routine that was followed no matter where he was in the world.

When his weapon was back in top form and put away, Brian went into the small office attached to the living room. The computer booted up and loaded the flash dive. Brian was scrolling through the files, searching for the perfect secret to leak. Something to rattle Angelica cage but not impossible to cover up. She would need to know it was Brian; when he contacted her if she thought for a moment that he didn't have the info, she would just send someone to kill him. Brian wasn't worried about the men she would send; he knew how they worked. He didn't doubt that he would be able to outwit and kill them.

The first file to catch his attention as a possibility was a female he'd quieted as a favor from Angelica to a Senator. Elections were coming up and the Senator wouldn't appreciate the rumors. This op, like the others on the flash drive, was done with out Gibbons' knowledge or permission. Brian had saved  pictures from the surveillance of the girl, often in comprising positions with the Senator. Angelica would have to work at it but she could spin it.

Brian would have to be careful in how he leaked this, Command was accomplished at tracing things sent via e-mail. News media wasn't any more reliable either, at least not at protecting their sources. Brian would know, he'd killed a few in his short time with Command.

The next file to catch his eye was on the environmental protester he killed. The war in Iraq was getting old, less and less news but the need to lessen the dependency on foreign oil was still strong. The original mission had been covered up with a suicide bombing in a parking garage where the girl lived. A note left on her PC announcing her intentions to drive the vehicle into an outdoor event the oil company was hosting. There was only the most cursory of investigations done but the group she belonged to maintained her innocence.

Brian was sure if he got the information to them that they would take care of getting it the media. He had enough cash to buy a stolen laptop in town and Xander could go to the local internet cafe to e-mail to the group's leader. Covered up, Xander would look enough like Dom not to raise any eyebrows. Brian's looks normally got him noticed and in Central America, standing out wasn't a good idea. The urge to drive further and cover his tracks better was strong but town was good and it would suit his plan.

Brian was out in the water, surfing when he noticed Dom on the beach. He knew instinctively it was Dom and not Xander; even if it was too far to see the lack of tattoos. They stood differently; Dom a little slouched, like the whole world was on his shoulders. Xander had exaggerated gestures, a loud mouth, all things destined to make him the center of a room. Dom waited like a predator, grace and confidence.  The one waiting at the end of the beach was Dom and he knew it without any of these indicators. Didn't matter how long he'd been away, he could feel the same pull.

After getting work out of the way he'd gotten the opportunity to be alone on his board. He hadn't had a chance to surf since he went under cover for the hijackings. It took sometime before his balance and rhythm came back to him. Brian was almost startled off the board, he rode his last wave in and walked to the shore.

“Didn't want to disturb you but I'm going to be grilling wanted to know if you wanted a burger or hotdog?”

“Time to head in anyway, a burger would be great. Did you kill my partner?”

Brian tried not to enjoy the way Dom recoiled at that word, his eyes snapping from the streams of water crossing Brian's chest to his eyes.

“He's in the house.” Dom's voice was a low growl, full of emotions.

Brian nodded. He needed to prep Xander for tomorrow, after all he wasn't known for his discretion. He quickly made his way inside and headed for the shower. He was almost done with washing the salt off before Xander stepped in to join him.

The water was cold by the time Xander let him out of the shower. They dried off and went onto the front porch where Dom was just bringing up the food from grilling. Instead of going into the dining room, they sat on the porch's wicker furniture; plates balancing on knees and beers on arm rests.

Brian couldn't help the nagging curiosity; both Dom and Xander seemed less hostile.

“How was the drive?”

Xander smirked at Dom. “Good. Me and Dom worked some shit out.”

“I'm glad to hear it. Xander I need you to go into town tomorrow and e-mail a file for me. Cover up your tats and try to be discreet.”

“Will do. Why aren't you doin' it? Delegating ain't really your style.”

“I've got my reasons.”

“So, Dom can I take the Cobra into town? I can just imagine how she handles. Did I ever show you guys the video of the bridge jump?”

“No.” Brian almost shouted “You will under no circumstances ever go near the Cobra.” No way in hell was Xander going near his baby. The only reason he'd been able to send her to Dom was that he knew Dom would cherish her. Xander would drive her off a mountain or try to fucking jump a bus.

“As I recall, the Cobra is mine O'Conner. So if someone gets to drive it then they do so on my say so.” Dom said quietly without looking up.

“Dom, you can't really be thinking of letting...”

“Xander's an adult. I'm sure he'll treat her just fine. Relax Bri, you're in paradise, you should try to enjoy it.”

Brian felt anger building inside him. Didn't matter that it was useless anger or that he’d given the Cobra to Dom. That was his fucking car! Where the hell did Dom get off thinking he could just loan it out to a mad man like Xander? Xander's peeling laugh broke him out of his thoughts.

“Thanks Dom. I'll bring her back the way I found her," Xander said aiming a shit eating grin at Brian. “But I think you may have ruffled my boy's feathers.” He added.

“He'll live. Just has to remember who runs the team down here.” Brian felt heat flood his body at the possessive tone in Dom’s voice. Fuck. He couldn't let Dom get to him. It was like letting him win.

With an effort that was belied by his relaxed demeanor Brian flicked the emotional switch in his brain off and then smirked, his eyes suddenly cold. “No worries. I already got what I needed from the car.” Then flicking his eyes toward Cage, “And I just need him to do his job tomorrow.”

He grabbed his plate and bottle to walk into the house.

That night dreams pulled at him, breaking his sleep and his calm. Brian had heard from other agents that nightmares were common. They hadn't plagued him since his first mission and the trip to the basement. Tonight's dream had him sitting at a beach cafe with the environmentalist and the Senator's girl. Neither spoke to him; they ignored him as if he was the ghost. Both girls were faint outlines they appeared and faded as the sun shone. They spoke of their lives, their families and then their death and funeral. Details that upon waking, Brian figured were from TV or stories overheard from coworkers.

The beach house looked different in the darkness. Brian headed back towards the office, figuring he'd look up more information on the girls or at least find out their names. The hall that connected the bedroom to the living room was covered with framed pictures. As a habit, Brian never looked at pictures in the homes he entered. There was no reason to look at the life he was ending.

This time he stopped to look. Pictures of the team, Mia and himself filled the frames. Brian hadn't even realized most of the pictures were being taken. The face in the photos barely looked like his own; the smile was open and happy. Had he ever been that happy? Hadn't the whole op been a lie? His memories of that time were blurry and disconnected, like a movie he'd seen a long time ago but had really liked.

Brian left the hall and actually looked at the decorations on the wall. It was in the traditional beach house style; light blue walls, sandy beige couch. But on the wall opposite him there was a shadow box; when he looked inside it held a set of keys, a macrame bracelet and a Race Wars pass. As he took them out and looked at them he realized they had all been his, at the back were the keys to the Eclipse that hadn't survived long at all.

He put the items back, confused as to why Dom would keep those things together like that. He wandered towards the kitchen and was stopped, staring at the fridge. It was stupid really but who kept a cheap magnet that Neptune's Net gave away for free with an entree? Who apart from him? It had just been a stupid promo and Brian hadn't seen Dom pocket the magnet. Maybe he'd gone back? After everything? He doubted it, wasn't really Dom’s style to go in reverse. Movement caught his eye.

“What are you doin' up?” Dom's voice sounded rough with sleep. Without a shirt on, just in boxers anyone else would look less threatening. For the first time in a long time, Brian wanted. Didn't matter what Dom was wearing, he always exuded confidence and power. That just wasn't fucking fair. It was so easy to forget the past, write it off as Angelica being a bitch.

“Couldn't sleep. You?”

“Never tried to sleep here till tonight.”

“Never needed a safe house before?” Lucky asshole.

“Just didn't want to sleep with a ghost. Place never really felt like mine before.”

“Why leave the cars here then?”

“I needed to keep them some where away from the team. All of this,” Dom gestured. “The cars, you, I just wanted space.”

“Sounds like you didn't want to be here either.”

“Don't be an asshole O'Conner.”

“Man, fuck you! I didn't ask you to build a fucking shrine to me!” All the anger from earlier rising back to the surface. It wasn't Brian's fault he built a museum or maybe even a fucking mausoleum.

“I did it because I thought you were dead.”

“Hate to disappoint you with my continued survival.” Brian wanted to be in this place. It made him feel safe, like it was okay to relax and let the tension in his shoulders ease a bit. The need for vigilance lessened here and it was as much a lie as Angelica's smile. Both could be deadly if he dropped his guard.

“I'm not so sure I was wrong.” Dom said the last few words barely more than a whisper. Brian watched him turn his back and head towards the bedrooms. Where the hell did Dom get off acting like Brian fucked up? All of this was because of him. That thought stopped all others. Two and a half years later, all the shit he'd done and it still came back to Dom. The anger at life not being fair was bitter in his mouth like an after taste of vomit.

He wanted to follow Dom into the other room and fucking rail on him. Tell that asshole all the shit that happened and how it was all his fault. He wanted Dom to know about all the horrible shit he'd done, how it was all because of him too. Share some of his nightmares with him.

None of that would help. Dom didn't deserve to know all that shit. He doubted Xander knew much about him besides what he witnessed first hand and Command rumors. He waited a few moments longer then walked back tot he bedroom. He fell back into a restless sleep. This shit couldn't be over soon enough.

It took three days for Brian to find a reliable news thread on the environmentalist who it turned out was called Brittney. The article he found said the leader of the environmental group Brittney’d been part of had killed herself, following a long battle with depression. The on-line blog detailing her struggle said, “I can't go on without Brittney. She was the love of my life. I'm so sorry guys.”

Brian was impressed, Angelica must have found out about the leak before it made it to a paper. He'd always suspected she had contacts at all the major news outlets, someone she paid to keep Command from making the six o’clock news. But he'd been counting on the leader to at least get the information out online.

No matter. He’d achieved his purpose which was to let Angelica know he was leaking information. It would have given him more leverage if the story had properly broken, and it would have put Angelica on the back foot. He would just have to adapt. She didn't have many weaknesses but no-one was impenetrable. Command may have broken him down and taught him new skills but at heart he was still a cop, in his time with Command Brian had done plenty of digging into Angelica’s and Gibson’s pasts. He figured there was a reason she was still working for the Government. Someone or something was making her stay; she cared about something. It took him months to work out what it was.

She molded him not to care about anything, and he thought maybe she was that rarest of things; a person who could take her own advice? Still, Brian realized after looking into her service record that she wasn't rising as fast as she could be in Command, and she wasn’t in the field where promotions could be earned or won, and Lord knows the job she did would be better paid in the private sector. Then he figured power must be her vice, she couldn’t have the kind of power she had at Command in any other field. He was pretty certain he could manipulate that to his advantage but it would be more difficult for him to control, that was when he had the idea for the flash drive. The dirt he had on her could end her career and that did give him some leverage but what really sealed the deal was what he found when he followed the money.

Angelica had spent thousands searching for a child, one she had never found. From what Brian could piece together of her history at the CIA before she came to Command she'd made a mistake on her first mission and gotten pregnant. There was a long report from her handler detailing the meeting when she’d informed him about the pregnancy and requested extraction. Her request had been denied, the CIA had decided to keep her in place through the pregnancy and birth. Brian could tell from the report the handler disagreed with the decision, but he’d relayed the orders. The baby, a boy, had been three months old when his father had captured a CIA operative on a separate mission, the file had contained that man’s autopsy and after reading it, Brian could understand why he’d flipped and given up Angelica.

The file went on to report that the mark had supposedly killed the child in front of her. There were very few details on how Angelica had actually escaped, one short report described the burnt out house and how no living thing could have survived the fire that had killed the mark. There were no bodies to bury, and the rescue team swore there was no way the child could have survived. The body of the mark was never found, presumed dead at the time. Decades later, he resurfaced with the turmoil in Europe as a crime lord with wealth.

After the events in the Ukraine, Angelica had received a commendation which she had converted into a promotion within a year, it was obvious from the list of assignments that she had stayed at the CIA and used all their resources to hunt for her baby. She got a reputation for being ruthless and reading her mission logs and psych evaluations Brian felt a cold shiver run up his back. She had never shown any emotional connection to anyone after that first mission. He certainly knew how to pick an enemy.

Eventually her thoroughness and coldness got her noticed by Command. It was the same pattern after she was recruited. She used all of her connections at Command to continue the hunt. As much research as he'd done Brian had always been sure the boy was dead. It's been over thirty years and Angelica with all the CIA’s and Commands resources had never managed to find him; what the hell could he bring to the table?

In the end it was just blind stupid luck. She sent him on an off the books mission in Florida and he learned everything he needed. His instructions were to make a close kill with confirmation photos. He was told to make it look like a home invasion. People will say the most interesting things to get out of dying.

The whole neighborhood was quiet; his target lived in the largest house on the block. The target was in the 'import-export' business and according to his briefing was also a possible former spy. Ten seconds in the house and Brian didn't believe it, old spies were paranoid. This house had more flash than actual security; it spoke of someone who hired guns instead of protecting himself. He made it in with little trouble; the whole house spoke of extravagance. Definitely not a former spy, whoever this fuck was his death was personal.

As silently as possible, Brian made his way up the stairs; checking each door for bedrooms and disabling guards. Since he had been told not to kill them unless essential and this was an off Command mission, Brian merely knocked them unconscious, unarmed them and tied them up. The master bedroom had light shining under its door. Brian opened the door and searched the room. Where the hell was his mark? He went back down stairs and started clearing the rooms. Once he got to the study, he found an elderly man sitting behind a desk.

“You've come at last.”

There was a hand gun laying on the desk, Brian didn't want to disobey or disappoint but no way was he getting shot. Slowly he pulled out his knife, he'd throw it if necessary.

“Most people don't expect me.”

“I knew she would find someone to send, I've waited long years for her.”

The accent was thick, Russian or maybe Ukrainian. It was easier to tell with women, the softer lilt of Ukrainian not as harsh on the tongue. It dawned on him that this was a man from Angelica's past and not a mission as a favor to someone powerful. This was the mark from her deep cover in Soviet Russia, thirty years changed a lot of things but the eyes staring at him matched the photo in the file.

“You're so sure she sent me?”

“She thought she killed me then and now she has not the position or the strength to be hunting old ghosts.”

“And who is the woman you think sent me?”

“I knew her as Katya but you will probably know her as Angelica, of the Angels.”

“Yeah, she’s a real angel. You know she told me to make it painful. Wanted pictures. Hell, video if I could secure it. Now, that goes against her nature and it's got me wondering why. She never wants evidence, trusts me to do the job. You wanna tell me what makes you so special?”

“Will it matter?”

“You're going to die but I'll use that hand gun.” Motioning with the knife in his hand to the gun on the table. “Or I can cut you up and make sure she enjoys it. Your choice but I will make you suffer, don't doubt that.”

“You do not look like a man of jokes. I will tell you all you ask. Not out of fear of pain but so that one day you may rise up and slip her leash as well.”

The man told Brian of the son, how he'd survived and grown up. All those years and Angelica was right. He'd looked for the kid, now close to thirty but he didn’t stand a chance. The boy had been hidden by some seriously connected people. Thirty years ago without the internet and technology it was easy to make someone disappear; the world was not so connected and Angelica would have been a woman rising in power but still just a woman.

These past three days he had been using what the man told him to search in earnest because if he had the son, Angelica would come in person. She would offer do anything. The flash drive had been his insurance, and it might even be enough if he couldn't find the boy but the boy would cement the deal.

The old man had told him the boy's name had been changed to Ivan and a nanny’s name but in modern day Russia Ivans were a dime a dozen. He had more information than Angelica, a nanny's name and her last known location. Unfortunately the nanny had died several years before he had broken into the old man’s house in the middle of the night and with her the trail had disappeared like smoke.

A year ago he'd thought he got close to the real Ivan; he even prolonged a mission to follow the guy. Turned out to be three months too old to be his Ivan. For a while he batted around the idea that maybe the birth records were wrong. He left before he could get anything more concrete and was still searching. That had been the closest he ever got and at the time he'd let it go. The past three days of dedicated searching didn't help much. The son could be a great trump card but he needed a full hand to play. He needed to keep his concentration on what he was doing.

Now that he'd found the news article it was time to put the rest of his plan into action. Over dinner that night he explained what was going to happen over the next few days and the roles he expected Xander to play.

“You got it all Xander? Sure you can do it?” Brian could tell Xander was insulted but he had to know that Cage was up for it.

“Bri, I got this. You're gonna have to trust me for this to work.”

“I know.”

Dom was fidgeting from across the table; Brian could tell he wanted in on the action. The beach life was all well and good but Dom was an adrenaline junkie at heart. Too fucking bad, he was sitting this one out. It was bad enough he had to rely on Cage, Brian was not adding a civilian.

“Bri, he could help. He can drive or..”

“Cage. I can drive. We are not pulling anyone else into this.”

With that he got up from the table. He still had some more plans to make before the drive tomorrow. Brian was asleep when Cage came to bed but woke up as soon as the door opened, reaching for a gun.

“Just me.” Brian didn't even respond, just turned over and fell into a deep sleep.

In his dream the cafe looked different to how he remembered it, it was bathed in twilight. This time he was sat with the environmentalist, Brittney and her group leader, Laura. The specters looked more solid in the fading light and Brian had to restrain himself from reaching out to try and touch them. There was no idle chatter between them and no Senator's girl. Both of them looked at him intently; when he tried to get up, he found he couldn't.

“You won't escape us.” Brittney said in airy tone, as if it was a game or joke.

“Why are you here? You're dead.” Brian couldn't believe he was actually talking to them like this was sane.

“You killed us.”

“I was nowhere near her. “ Brian replied, pointing at Laura.

“I died as a direct result of you sending information about her to me. Did you even consider that Angelica would kill me?”

“You were supposed to get the word out. She wouldn't have touched you if you’d done that!” Brian was pissed. If people just did as they were supposed to they wouldn't die. Everything and everyone would have been fine.

“I was distraught, upset to have all of this resurface. I was a civilian and had no way of knowing the danger.”

“The e-mail told you who to call, who to send it to and that it was dangerous!”

“How was I to know it wasn't a prank?”

“What the hell? Why would you think it was a prank?”

“Does it matter? I'm dead and it's because of you.”

“I was told to kill her.” Pointing at Brittney, Brian turned back to Laura. “You were never supposed to die.”

“Can you really hide behind missions from Command.?” Brittney asked, words said with concern.

“It's the truth.”

“Do you think Angelica ever told you the truth? That she did anything besides use you?”

“She was right about Dom.”

Both girls smiled, mostly solid and eyes dead. “Was she?”

Brian woke up to his alarm. It was 5:45 in the morning and for the first time in years he woke up to the alarm, not before. He had a job to do today, most important he needed to be in Costa Rica to make a phone call.

Brian didn't wake Cage as he slipped out of bed and dressed. He winced at every creak in the floor, slowly making his way out the door. The Judge was parked outside of the garage and Brian was unlocking the door before an idea struck him. Walking over to the garage door he opened it and headed for the Cobra. He still had a key and why not take it? If Dom would let Cage drive it then why couldn't he?

The engine sparked to life and the wheel felt perfect under his hands. God he missed this car. He hadn't wanted to build another one once he sent her to Dom. It would have been like replacing her. The drive down the cost to Costa Rica was pleasant, he had the top off and the music up. It was easy to forget he had a life before this.

Santa Cruz Canton, Costa Rica was just over two hours away. Brian took the drive at an easy pace; not wanting to rush through what would be the most enjoyable part of his day. He hadn't really gotten a chance to enjoy the Cobra before he sent it off to Dom and now he was making up for lost time. He was driving through a small town and decided to grab some breakfast at the local cafe.

By the time he got back on the road the sun was working its way through the sky. He still had another thirty miles or so before he reached his destination. The drive was a mix between coastal highways and mountain roads. Brian was in the middle of the mountains when he got stuck in a backup from an accident on the road in the pass.

When he finally reached town it was out of the mountains enough to get some cell reception. Brian was hoping the mountains might make tracking him a bit more difficult. He wasn't counting on it though. Brian turned on his burn phone and dialed a number he knew by heart.

“Hello?”

“Angelica, how are you?” Brian was feeling smug. He knew what cards she was going to play, already knew what to do with them. The politeness was habit and maybe just to show he wasn't scared.

“Brian, lovely to hear from you. I was expecting your call.”

“Were you?”

“Yes it seems we have matters to discuss. You've been most disappointing. Really I expected much better things from you. Risking everything over Cage, it's just not like you to get so sentimental.”

“Cage is dead, he was inconvenient at best but I won't be your fall guy to Gibbons. I will give you the flash drive when you give me my release papers.”

“Funny you should say that. Mr. Cage is right here with me. My agent picked him up earlier today. Not very talkative I'm afraid but we're working on it.”

Shit. Couldn't Cage ever follow a simple fucking order.

“What do you want?”

“You are going to give me everything I want Brian, don't worry.”

“Why should I bother? You'll just kill us both.”

“Don't be stupid. Do you really think you're the first agent I've trained to get some foolish notion of love in his head? You will surrender the flash drive and come home. You have many uses still.”

“You really expect me to believe that you won't kill me?”

“I will give you until tomorrow morning. If you don't call me by 8:15 I will kill him and put a bounty on you large enough to attract every hired gun in the business. Choose wisely Brian.”

Brian pulled the battery out of the phone and dropped it in the passenger seat. He didn't know what went wrong but clearly something had. It was normally a bad idea to go back to a safe house that might not be secure but Brian had to have answers. Angelica wasn't likely to have a sniper lying in wait. She wanted him to come back and make him suffer. Without knowing for sure where the drive was, she wouldn't risk killing both him and Cage.

The drive back pushed the Cobra's limits and safety guidelines. The police pulled behind him once, Brian didn't even slow down. After a few miles he assumed the cop gave up or was too far gone to try. The safe house looked the same but the Judge was gone. Brian felt some tightness in his chest loosen a fraction. The safe house was secure.

When Brian looked up to the porch he stopped and stared. What his eyes were seeing didn't make sense because Cage was sitting in a chair on the porch, maybe he was dead.

“Brian you're back.” Sounded like Cage, Brian took out his gun.

“You have twenty seconds to give me a reason not to kill you. Angelica says she has you.”

“She has Dom.” Brian lowered his gun then snapped it back up.

“Cage explain.”

“Bri, calm down. Dom and I got it all figured out....”

“Calm down?! You got shit figured out?! I had a plan Xander. One in which everyone stayed safe! You just gave her leverage!”

“She was here in town! The owner of the internet cafe called Dom and said an agent was there looking for you and me. He had fucking pictures.”

“Of course she was here!”

“You knew?”

“Yes Xander I knew. I knew she would send a few guys to kill us or capture us. I planned on sending them home in body bags then releasing another lead. She would have met with me then. It was a good plan, I controlled the variables.”

“You paranoid, arrogant shit! Why couldn't you have just told me?”

“You didn't need to know.”

“It's my fucking life too!”

Brian's voice iced over, condescension creeping in. “You think it’s so easy to kill other agents? You sure you wouldn't hesitate? Think of their families? Little Johnny growing up with no Daddy. Look at someone you've known years and put a bullet in their head.”

“You're such a fucking prick.”

“So, tell me about this plan you've cooked up. The one you didn't bother to inform me of and let me call Angelica looking like a jackass.”

Cage's fist was so unexpected that it actually connected. Brian may be quicker but Cage was bigger and heavier, he followed the punch with tackling Brian to the ground.

“We didn't know! You were gone, so we improvised. Put some fake tattoos on Dom and sent him to the store in the Judge with my tracker on him reactivated. We can find her base and kill her.”

“She has Dom!” Brian shouted before reversing their positions. “They could shoot him! You fucking idiot!" Brian ended each sentence with a blow to Cage's face. Finally Cage got a hand free and grabbed his wrist in a strong grip.

“Why didn't you go? Why send in a civilian?”

“You know why.” Cage's voice was calmer and he licked the blood off his lip. The time for shouting was over.

“Enlighten me why a fully trained Command Agent would send an unarmed civilian into a situation to die.” Brian let all the anger flood into his voice. Fucking idiot.

“Because you'd go back for him. If she really had me, no guarantee what you’d do.”

Brian was too shocked to fight as Cage pushed him off and went inside. He sat in the sand, staring up at the door. Would he be this angry if it was Cage and not Dom? Would he go after Cage? Was he really going to save Dom? What if Dom was already dead? Was he mad about the plan falling apart and losing control or about the potential for casualties?

Brian got out of the sand and followed Cage inside to the office. He was at the desk, staring at a map on the computer screen.

“That where they are?”

“Yeah, only a few miles from here.”

“We need to go tonight. She's waiting for my call in the morning. We need to go do some surveillance and figure out our options. She can't have much set up, she hasn't been here long enough. We'll drive then walk the last mile or so. Gear up.”

He walked out to the garage to gather his rifle and ammo, he was happy he'd gotten it out of the Judge. Hopefully the car was still in a parking lot, it wasn't the Cobra but he liked it. Brian loaded a duffel with his rifle and extra ammo and tucked a hand gun into his jeans. He placed goggles and his knife in the bag as well before heading in for Cage.

“You ready?”

“Bri, he's going to be fine. We got this shit.”

“Not now Cage. Just get in the car.”

Brian felt calm and competent. This was what he was trained to do, stalk and kill. They left the car off the road as hidden as possible. The hike to the Command camp was through easy terrain but Brian was on the lookout for Agents and cameras. Cage stomped loudly next to him, making him wince with each step.

Angelica's post was an old surf resort, not the easiest to secure for her and definitely not what she would normally choose. Brian smirked, this meant Gibbons still didn't know she was here, she'd have limited Agents and limited tech support. She was confident he would comply because it was smart.

They scanned the area and Brian left Cage to sit while he scouted the perimeter. He counted two Agents outside and figured two or three more inside. Gibbons would notice her taking more than a standard size team. The resort had one main building and several bungalows surrounding it. The main building was clearly made for tourists; the walls were mainly windows except for the kitchen areas. A plan was already forming in Brian's head on his way back to Cage.

“Okay I'll get the two posted lookouts then we can move in. We've got the element of surprise and these boys look a little new.” Brian pulled out the rifle from the duffel and started to climb one of the bungalows. Cage grabbed his arm.

“Brian. We cannot just kill Command Agents. This isn't an enemy battle field. Only person dying tonight is Angelica.”

“What the hell do you propose Cage? Politely ask them not to kill us?”

“We stick with the original plan. It's not so different, you'll do fine. Just call her.”

“You sure you still want to go with that plan?”

“Yes.”

“Cover me.”

Brian kept the two guards in his sight as best he could while pulling out his burn phone. It rang three times before she answered.

“Brian when I said before 8:15 I was hoping you'd wait till at least 8. Be reasonable.”

“I want to meet.”

“We will, go to the cafe at noon. My Agent will escort you to me.”

“I'm thinkin' sooner.”

“I have been most forgiving until now. Do not test my patience as Cage did.”

“You will trade me my freedom for the drive.” Brian swallowed. Dom was probably dead already.

“Silly boy. You can't demand anything.”

“Why should I play your game?”

“I told you I have no intention of killing you if I can reclaim you.”

“Is Cage already dead?” Brian hated how weak it sounded.

“I was saving that honor for you. Meet my Agent tomorrow, get rid of this distraction and come home.”

“I'm already here.”

“So you tracked me down, did you?”

“We can do this two ways: tell your men to stand down and give me what I want or I can kill you all and burn this building to the ground.”

“How ever did you find me?” Her voice was thick with fake sweetness. Angelica was pissed.

“You taught me well.”

“Come inside; they won't shoot you.”

Brian was already almost to the main building. When one of the guards approached he quickly unarmed him. The Agent would probably be out for a while, there was an itch in his shoulders to finish the job and make sure the Agent wouldn't pose a threat later. Inside the resort was dusty and empty, Angelica was in the office. Shit. He needed to get her to the main room. No way he could fight in that tiny cramped office. As soon as her eyes landed on him, Brian stopped.

“Brian, so nice of you to join us.” Angelica moved slightly and revealed Dom tied to a chair. He looked like hell. Brian's brain settled more into the role of Agent and sniper, emotions would lose him this battle. He couldn't afford any missteps or they would all be dead.

“Take your guns and kick them away, knife too. Any tricks and I'll kill him.” Angelica motioned to Dom's head with a gun.

“What makes you think I care?”

“You always have. Your weakness for him is disgusting.”

Brian slowly dropped his two hand guns, pulled his knife out of his boot. Briefly he considered shooting and killing her but he couldn't risk Angelica getting a shot off. Once Brian was clear of weapons, Angelica advanced into the room to grab his gun.

“Wouldn't do to kill him with my own. Thank you for complying. You can give me that pesky flash drive and I'll kill you both quickly. Don't try anything dear. I know you and you should remember how I love to work for information, you seem to have a high breaking point for pain. I wonder how long you could stand hearing his cries of pain and snapping bones.”

Fuck this cunt.

“You're not going to do that. You're not going to hurt him again.”

“So confident. Tell me, how do you think you'll stop me?” Bitch sounded so sure of herself.

“I know where your son is. I was going to pick him up for a little reunion but then I thought you might like that yourself.”

“You really believe that old office rumor?” She had the right words but her voice shook just the slightest.

Brian smirked, come into my parlor. “That's not what I heard from an old mark of yours. Remember that mission you sent me to in Florida? He had some stories to tell and an address of a man you'd give anything to find.”

“Liar!”

“His name is Ivan.” Brian pressed on, he needed to sell this. “You walk to me right now, hands up and we can make a deal.”

Angelica was half way through the room when a shot ripped through her. Brian blew out a breath of relief. Cage took fucking forever to take the shot. A groan in the office drew his attention; so far no other Agents made an appearance. Maybe she had fewer than he thought or ordered them not to enter.

Dom looked beat up and bloody. Brian moved to untie his wrists from the chair.

“Dom, you okay?”

“Bri?”

“It's me. You okay?”

“Mostly bruised, maybe a few broken fingers. She was just hurting me for fun, she knew Xander had no clue where the drive was.”

“Think you can walk?”

“Can try.”

Brian helped Dom out of the chair, he tried to take as much of the weight as possible. His brain was running through the next steps of the plan. At least now they could take Dom back to the team. When the two men made their way out of the building they found Xander with a group of Agents. Brian immediately drew his gun.

“Brian, it's cool. We're all on the same side.” Xander had his hands up in a surrender pose and the Agents followed his example.

“Good then you can take Dom back to his house and these men can help me with clean up.”

Brian had no desire to have it out with Dom, especially when he was injured. Right now he had a mission to complete. Angelica's body needed burning and the temporary post had to be taken down. The mission didn't end with the action.

When he returned to the building and Angelica was still laying on the ground, a part of Brian was surprised. She seemed so broken and fragile now, just looked like a dead older red head. Her hair was covering the bullet wound and it almost looked like she had fallen. Brian shook the thoughts from his mind and got to work.

By the time cleanup was complete and the post dismantled it was late or early depending on how Brian looked at the time. The drive back to the safe house was short and he was surprised to see the Judge wasn't parked out front. He'd told an agent to take Cage and Dom to pick it up. Cage must have stayed at Dom's with the team instead of driving back out. Brian felt a rush of annoyance, Cage had his gun. Wiping down his weapon after a mission was habit and part of his post-mission routine.

Cleaning his hand guns wasn't as good but it was still routine and probably needed doing. He packed up the guns and most of their items; tomorrow would be a busy day. Sleep took a while but once it came, Brian fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning he continued packing up, Xander appeared a little after 9am.

“You get Toretto settled?”

“Yeah, Mia is hovering and tutting but I think she can fix him up.”

Brian nodded. “How'd the team take to you?”

Xander laughed. “They were all pretty fucking shocked. One guy, Vince, almost shot me.”

Brian smirked. “He's an ass.”

“He ain't too fond of you either. Said you was always draggin' his boy into crazy ass situations. Dinner should be fun.”

“Dinner?”

“Mia wants us to come over at 5:30ish.”

“No can do. We gotta get on the road. We need to be in D.C. Like yesterday. We are gonna be AWOL if we don't make it in three days. It's gonna be a lot of hard driving and pissin' in a cup. We need to go soon.”

Brian walked out of the house and went to the car to start loading their things, Xander followed him out.

“You just expect me to leave? After everything he did for us, without a word?”

“Toretto’s a big boy. He'll be fine. I left a note. Now, help me pack the car.”

“You left a note? You're just gonna sneak off like a bitch? Brian turned, cool facade leaving him. His mind was running a list of all the ways he could kill Xander. Fucker. Always had complications.

“Cage. This little set up Dom's got, it isn't reality and it isn't ours. We have to go back to D.C. Talk to Gibbons. I want out of this bullshit. Now if you've grown so fucking attached then stay but I'm leaving in twenty, with or without you.”

If Xander wanted to stick around to be used then let him. Let him learn that Dom didn't actually want him around. If Dom wanted him, Brian figured he'd of come to his funeral or hell, taken him along with the Supra. What Cage didn't get was that Dom helped out of a sense of obligation. He fucking owed Brian and now shit was even.

Thirty minutes later when Brian started the car, Cage was in the passenger seat.

“I still think this is fucked up. One visit with Angelica and you're back to the same asshole you were on the way down here.”

Brian didn't say a word. What the fuck did Cage know? He thinks that after a few days that he understood Dom? They had one drive and now they were BFFs? Fuck both of 'em. It wasn't like Brian agreed to dinner or that Dom ever asked him to stay. Cage agreed without asking, like he always did without thinking it would fuck up any plans. Brian couldn't wait to put this in his rear view and go back to forgetting.

The drive to D.C was all tense silences and long hauls. Brian couldn't remember a less enjoyable road trip. Cage spent most of it alternating between glowering in the passenger seat and sleeping. Brian was more concerned with time this trip so he let Cage drive while he got minimal sleep.

When the D.C. skyline started taking shape Brian let out a sigh of relief. He wanted all this shit to be over with. They were just over the city limit line when blue and red flashing lights appeared in the rear view mirror. He pulled the car over and reached in the glove box for his registration. Cage woke just as the officer approached.

Brian noticed the officer had his gun drawn before he heard the shouting.

“Roll down the window and stick both hands, palms open, out of the window. Now!”

Brian tensed, looking around he counted four officers; easy take down. Cage's sleep rough voice was just above a whisper, hand in a vice grip on his wrist.

“Brian, these are cops. Man you know Gibbons will get us out. You don't even fucking exist. You don't kill cops!”

He remembered LAPD and Federal warrants. These guys probably didn't even know who they pulled over; just saw a BOLO on the car. Cage dropped his wrist and Brian listened as the shouts got louder, the officers inching forward. Slowly he complied, window down and hands out.

“With your left hand open the door.” Brian complied again.

“Step out of the vehicle, both hands up and lay on the ground, arms and legs spread out.”

As soon as Brian was on the ground, an officer was jerking his arms back and cuffing him. The officer searched him once his arms were secure. He was pulled roughly to his feet and shoved over the hood of the car. Looking across the hood Brian saw Cage receiving the same treatment, Cage looked him in the eye silently begging Brian not to react, to not fight.

The officers sat each of them in the back of separate police car. There were a total of six officers and four cars. Brian smirked, he remembered LAPD and officers all clumping up on a call. The primary officer was talking into his radio, probably arguing with dispatch. The officers had asked their names when the search of the vehicle and their persons revealed no ID. Brian refused to answer, didn't know about Cage because they were too far away to hear.

The car was hot and Brian was losing patience, he knew he could get out. Finally, a dark Crown Victoria pulled up to the scene. He was hoping Gibbons would be the one to come, the Agent to step out was a disappointment but at least this meant he would be getting out.

“We’ll take them from here. Another team will be by a little later to pick up the car and any items found in it.”

When the Agent came up to the car, he didn't touch Brian, he just opened the door and let him out. The officer tossed the Agent the hand cuff keys. The Agent opened the back of the Crown Vic and Brian slid in. Cage followed moments later.

“You know this guy?” Brian figured Cage was more social.

“Yeah, Riley works directly under Gibbons. He'll get us out of the cuffs as soon as we clear the locals.”

Brian just grinned and held up his cuffs. Child's play really.

“How the hell did you manage that?”

“Trade secret.”

“What the hell kind of training did you get?”

“Angelica would never have let me out of the basement, had to escape somehow.” Brian was joking about it but Cage shot him a pitying look. The front door to the car opening saved him from any pitying statements.

“X you okay? Gibbons has been out of his mind tryin' to find you. Thought Brian pulled a Sid and Nancy.”

“Had business to take care of. You pullin' over to take these cuffs off?”

“No problem.” The Agent pulled over and released Cage.

The ride to Command was quick and Brian could tell the Agent was holding back all of his questions. Apparently, his reputation preceded him. It seemed like forever ago he walked through this building and into Gibbons' office for the first time to meet Cage. Gibbons was sitting behind the desk when they walked in.

“X good to see you, Brian you too. Agent Riley, thank you for tracking them down; close the door will you?”

“Gibbons what we did, it was necessary...”

Brian just sat back, he needed to know what Gibbons knew first. He grabbed Cage's arm, his glare cutting him off.

“I don't doubt it X but when my best team takes an unexpected vacation and my second in Command leaves for parts unknown, it makes me worry.”

“We apologize for any worry.” Brian tried to sound as good-natured as possible. From the look Gibbons shot him, he didn't succeed.

“You boys want to tell me what the hell happened and where Angelica is?”

Cage looked at Brian, with a clear 'you want to take this?' in his eyes.

“She was using Command for her own ends. She ordered a hit on Cage. She tried to kill me. We did what was needed and cleaned up after ourselves.”

“Are you tryin' tell me you put a bullet in her head?”

“Gibbons, she was dirty, we got the info, she was killin' people for favors and using Command Agents. Using Brian.” Cage was taking over, probably for the best. Gibbons always liked him better.

“Do you have this supposed evidence with you?”

“Yes. Brian has it.” Brian handed over the drive.

“You boys can go to the rec room or weight room. I'll call you once I've reviewed all of this.”

Brian headed to his old office, there were things he needed and he had no intention of coming back. Cage came to get him almost two hours and six cups of coffee later.

“Gibbons wants to see us in his office.” Cage looked worried.

“You already talked to him?”

“For a while.” Cage looked even more uncomfortable, maybe even guilty.

“What’s going on?”

“Let's just get this over with.”

When they walked back in Gibbons was smiling; so, no prison time then.

“It seems I owe you a debt Brian. Angelica was out of control. Thank you.”

“Sir.” Brian nodded. This felt like a but situation.

“X here tells me you want out.”

“Yes sir.”

“We find ourselves at a crossroads. I can't just let you go out into society. You're dangerous man. I agree with X though, that Angelica would not have just accepted getting fired. She had enough information on important people to secure her position. I knew things were going south but I didn't realize it was so bad.”

“So, you agree with out solution. What's the issue?”

“You don't value human life. You're too desensitized to the world to live in it. I can't turn you loose just to have you become a gun for hire.”

“I'm exactly what you all trained me to be. I've done everything you asked. You can't punish me for that.”

“I don't disagree with you, son. But you're still a danger and I can't let Angelica's pet out my door and still sleep at night. My idea was to put you in therapy but X here thinks I should send you down to Toretto. Seems I owe him a debt as well and Toretto will keep you in line.”

Brian thought briefly that he should never have bothered returning. He could have taken any Agents that actually found him. But life with a target on his back wasn't a life and everyone gets careless. Hell, Brian had been on the other end of a scope from people who thought they could run forever.

“Gibbons can I talk to him for a sec?”

“Sure. I'll go grab a cup of coffee.”

Gibbons walked out and Cage waited until the door was closed before talking.

“Brian, just go to Dom. Stay at the beach. Get your life back together.”

“Cage. I'm not going back to Toretto's team. I haven't done anything wrong and the government can't force me.”

“So your big plan is to go to therapy? You really think a bunch of shrinks poking around your head is gonna be fun? You wanna share your feelings?”

“No, I'm leaving.”

“Don't be stupid. You know they will hunt you down.”

“I know.” Brian knew, knew he didn't have a real choice. Dom would be better than therapy.

“Gibbons wants to go down with you to Dom's. We'll check in a few months or so for an evaluation.”

Brian nodded.

“It's better than nothing. I tried.”

Cage truly sounded remorseful, not that it helped anything. Brian hadn't felt helpless in a long time. All this ability, power, knowledge and it still wasn't fair.

Gibbons walked back minutes later.

“Should I pack my bag?”

“Yeah.”

“We leave tomorrow. I know you've closed up shop already so stay with X or what have you this evening. We leave at 0800.”

As Brian got up to leave, Gibbons spoke again.

“I know you've done a lot for this country and this may seem like bullshit. Sometimes you never get to come home from war.”

“Yes sir.” Brian remarked. Fuckers. At least he knew.

As he was leaving he heard Gibbons say to Cage, “If I thought he would use therapy and not just charm the pants off any one we send, I wouldn't agree to this.”

Brian didn't bother going to Cage's; it occurred to him on the drive to the hotel that they hadn't fucked since the first night at the beach house. Whatever Dom had said must have affected Cage deeply. The next morning Gibbons met him at the office and together they went back to see Dom. Neither man felt the need to make small talk on the flight. Brian spent most of the time wondering if Dom would agree at all.

He wasn't happy about leaving his car in DC but Gibbons had been firm; they didn't have time for a road trip. The flight was long and Brian wasn't pleased to find that once they landed they were renting a car. He felt trapped and out of control. It made him itchy and glad he got to keep his rifle.

The rental was small and the engine was smaller; Gibbons drove like he had nowhere to go and nothing but time. When they pulled in front of the house, Brian hesitated before getting out. If he did this Dom would hold all the cards. As he started to get out of the car, Gibbons stopped.

“Let me go in first. Go hang out at the beach.”

Brian wanted to argue, they were going to sit around and decide his fate like a fucking war tribunal. Fuck it. It didn't matter, fighting now wouldn't help. He was a sniper, he knew how to wait, rushing into a situation was a Cage move.

It didn't take long for Gibbons to walk out to him.

“He's okay with you staying.”

Brian was a little shocked; Dom hadn't shown any interest in him sticking around before. He could only guess at what he would have to give to repay this debt. Brian followed Gibbons to the rental and grabbed his bags, most of them filled with cash and weapons. He'd been lucky Command had a private plane because there was no other way he'd have gotten through airport security.

“You'll be fine. I got you some IDs and a passport, just don't do anything dumb.”

Brian flipped open the passport. “I'm O'Conner again?”

“Just call me a necromancer.”

Gibbons pulled away and Dom walked out, picking up one of his bags.

“Hey man, welcome back.”

“Thanks for letting me stay.”

There was an awkward silence, both of them aware that Brian didn't choose to be here. Brian was looking Dom over, confirming there was no permanent injury. Besides three taped fingers and some bruising, he looked okay. It was hard to believe the whole show down had been less than a week ago.

Dom must have noticed. “I'm okay. With the fingers I could use some help in the garage, Vince is shit at it.”

Brian grinned. “He always was. Too hot headed to deal with hot engines.”

“Exactly. So, we'll get you up to a room then Mia is making dinner. Need you well rested and well fed if I'm gonna work you to the bone.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Dom led the way up stairs, Brian counting the steps and planning exits the whole way. The need to know a way out was a constant; it had been there before Angelica, before Command and his experiences intensified it. His room was next door to Dom's and as far from Vince's as physically possible.

“Trying to save me from porno noises?” Brian had to ask, had to push.

Dom's eyes flashed with heat, remembering the conversation and Brian figured, the night that inspired it.

“Just don't want you to break out your ninja moves on him. “

Brian let out a small laugh and walked into his room, placing the bags on the bed. He started to unpack his clothes and clear out the bags. He expected Dom to leave but when he looked up he was leaning against the door frame.

Brian quirked an eyebrow.

“Making sure you're not gonna leave a Dear John note and take off.”

Just like that, the awkwardness was back. Brian could tell Dom meant it as a joke, he could also hear the under lying ring of truth. Dom really did think he would just leave. Brian didn't want to have it out right now, he was pretty sure he never would want to have it out. They could be friendly enough without laying it all bare. So, he shot back a flippant answer.

“And leave you all gimpy and Vince with the cars? Hardly. Plus I came back for my car.”

“Your car, O'Conner? I seem to remember tellin' your ass that is my car.” Dom's voice was a warm growl.

“How about we race for it?”

“You really think you can take me?” Dom laughed, pointing at himself.

For a moment Brian was back at the first race.

You almost had me? You never had me - you never had your car... Granny shiftin' not double clutchin' like you should. You're lucky that hundred shot of NOS didn't blow the welds on the intake! You almost had me?  Now, me and the mad scientist got to rip apart the block... and replace the piston rings you fried. Ask any racer. Any real racer. It don't matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning's winning. 

“Yeah , I got this old man.”

“Alright you build you a 10 second car. Beat me in the Charger and you can have co-ownership of the Cobra.”

“You're on.”

“O'Conner, you lose and you'll owe me another 10 second car. I'll own you.”

“You gonna take me car shopping or do I get to go out in the big bad world alone?”

“Like you speak Spanish.”

“Te sorprendería.” (I may surprise you)