Getting to Know You [Mido]

Mido's face read genuine surprised at her sudden exclamation, there was a relief that lifted off of him, glad that she at least didn't hate him. His expression was serious though as he looked her face over, nodding, "regardless of anything. You are happy, and she is happy. I see no reason for anyone to want to take that." He knew his family would disown him for these thoughts, but it was true, he knew that Havoc was likely at the head of some nefarious things, judging by how easily she'd threatened to kill him, but if allowing her to continue with what she was doing meant that Jessica's life stayed stable, he could look the other way.

He felt the heat in his cheeks at her words, and he chuckled softly, "I...feel the same...You make me happy in a way I have never been happy before..." He looked down a moment, and took her hands, "well...I meant it when I said I wanted to be an artist...I only joined my mother's crew because it was what they expected...But I'd...Really love to see the world..." He closed his eyes and squeezed her hands, "I guess...We'll just have to spend even more time together, hm? So I can show you who I really am." He gave her a soft smile at this, "if...If you want to, that is."

She still looked troubled, but she smiled a little and nodded. She did believe him when he said he'd done everything eh could to have them be left alone, that he wanted her to be happy, and not to just use her or disrupt everything she knew.

"I'd like that." She spoke quietly. "And I'd like...I'd like for us to not keep secrets from each other anymore. I understand why...maybe at first you felt you couldn't say this. But...going forward, no more secrets. I want to be able to trust you." She watched his expression, putting a hand gently on his cheek.

Mido was glad to see her smile, though he could still sense her lingering uneasiness, he knew he would have to earn back her full trust again, and it was something he was more than willing to fight for, "I'll fight my whole family to keep you safe if I have to." He had a serious expression on his face, he meant that, he loved his family to death, but he loves Jessica in a completely different way.

He met her gaze when she spoke and nodded, resting his hand over the one she'd placed on his cheek and nestling his cheek against it, "no more secrets." He looked back up into her eyes, "I wont keep anymore secrets from you, Jess." He moved his hands to rest on her cheeks now, looking over her face with a fond smile, "I hates keeping secrets from you...I hated it. So from now on I'll be honest." He knew honesty would be harder on his mother's side of things, but this was worth fighting for, she was worth fighting for.

She didn't answer for a long moment, studying his face intently. She believed him, she hoped it would last, that things could get better from here now that things were out in the open, and this was hopefully behind them. She realized just how optimistic that sounded...but she still hoped.

She leaned her forehead against his, sliding closer to curl up along side of him. Normally she relished their talks, up until unreasonable hours discussing everything there was to the universe around them. Tonight though, she didn't feel much like talking. She just needed time to think, just wanted to know he was there, just wanted to let herself believe it would all be okay in the end.

---

He was late, he was supposed to report back weekly, share any information he could find with his boss, his mother, to help their ongoing investigation, but he'd gotten so caught up in spending time with Jess, and in the stress of balancing two very different lives, that it had gotten away from him, and now he was dragging his feet back into the office looking defeated and exhausted, he was fighting for Jess, and for his mother, but he couldn't keep this part of the secret from her anymore.

He swallowed as he knocked on his mother's door, poking his head in, "M-ma'am?" He knew she wouldn't be happy with him, even less so when she heard what he had to say, but she needed to hear it. It needed to be said.

He was late. He was supposed to report in every week, and up until this point had done so faithfully. But this week he was late, and Ana was worried. Worried about what might have happened, had his cover been blown? Had be gotten pulled into something more sinister? Had they ended up pulling him along on some job where he couldn't break away to talk to her without endangering himself further? It was a hard life, for the both of them. But it was a life they had chosen, and without a direct way to reach him, she had to trust and hope and pray that until she received word that he was okay.

She felt the relief wash over her when he appeared in her office doorway, looking tired but otherwise in one piece. "Oh thank god." She spoke quietly, gesturing for him to come in. "I've been so worried about you." In this building she as technically his superior, but she was also his mother. Getting to her feet she pulled him into a brief but warm hug, so glad that he was here and safe. After a moment she let go and returned to her seat. "You're late...did something happen?"

Mido felt a pit of guilt in his stomach at the worry that was on his mother's face before she looked up to see him, he loved her, respected her, and the thought that he'd been harboring such a lie tore him apart more than anything else, it clawed at him like a beast of burden waiting to destroy everything, "I-I'm sorry I worried you, mom..." He gave her a brief smile, slipping his arms around her to return the hug before he settled down in the chair across from her, fidgeting visibly, "I...yeah...you could say that..." Something had certainly happened alright.

He looked to the side and swallowed, "or...Or someone happened." He gave her a crooked smile that only reached his lips, not his eyes, "I uh...Met someone..." He looked down and fiddled with the hem of his shirt, "she's...We're...Kind of getting serious...I-I got distracted..." He didn't look up to meet his mother's gaze, the words sticking against his throat like molasses, "her name is Jessica...J-Jessica Corbin." He couldn't look up to meed her eyes, no matter how hard he tried.

She listened, first concerned, then with a growing frown as he told his side of the story. This was not like him, he'd gone into all sorts of situations, often with very attractive women all but throwing themselves at him, yet he'd always managed to remain detached, he didn't get distracted, he got his work done. This was different.

"Please tell me you're not serious." She hadn't meant it to come out as it sounded, but she found herself shocked by this revelation.

"You were sent in to gain information on this matter because you're very good at what you do. A matter that should it be resolved will undoubtedly save countless people and put an end to some horrible situations for a great many people. And you...suddenly stop reporting in or actually doing your job...because you've suddenly decided to start chasing after some girl?" She spoke quietly, calmly, but the frustration and disapproval was clear in her voice. "Not just any girl...but the daughter of the person you were sent to investigate?"

She frowned at him. "Well...after all this...did you at least bring us anything on Harriet Corbin?"

Mido felt a thrill of defensive anger flickering behind his nerves, he didn't like the tone she was using, of course he'd know she wouldn't be pleased by his confession, but he felt the hair on the back on his neck bristling at the implications of her words, "don't you dare call her some girl." There was a growl in his voice that he didn't expect as he got to his feet, "she is not just some girl."

He gestured with a wild look in his eyes, he was exasperated and frustrated and this was all starting to pile up, "I love her. This isn't just some stupid fling and I'm not just some horny 16 year old anymore." He breathed, trying to calm himself, "I couldn't find anything on Harriet...If there's anything going on...I don't know about it."

He drew himself up to his full height and looked at her, "and I'm not going to use Jessica to get to her. Do to me what you will. I refuse." He looked to the side, "Jessica doesn't deserve to have her entire life ruined because of me. Because of you. And I will do whatever I have to to protect her." He turned his back to her, "if this is a problem with you. Then I don't know what else to say."

She drew herself up fully behind her desk. "We have reason to believe this woman has her hands in drugs...bootlegging...murders...selling weapons to foreign powers!" She picked up one of the files and slapped it across the desk. "And you're now telling me...all our leads, all our work...there's nothing?" She sounded like she didn't believe that.

"And you...you sit here and worry about disrupting her life? Her wealthy, spoiled life built on the backs of the people her mother has harmed over the years?" She shook her head, bristling a little at the implication that this was also somehow on her.

She took a breath, collected herself a little, her voice softened a bit from the anger. "I think you've just gotten yourself a little spun around. We'll pull you off this case, get a chance to clear your head."

Mido turned to face her, glancing down at the file, then back up at his mother as she spoke, "I'm aware of this. I've read the damn files over and over again." He was trying to keep his voice steady, he was trying to keep his cool, "I said there was nothing that I was aware of." Then again, he hadn't been doing much digging lately, he couldn't bring himself to do anymore digging, he'd promised Jessica that there would be no more secrets and no more harassment from his group against her or her mother.

His breath hitched and he felt a sudden fury at the next words that left her mouth though, and he slammed a fist against the table with a snarly, "Don't you DARE talk about her like that!" His eyes burned with a fury he didn't know he had in him, "Jessica is a brilliant young woman. She's smart, she's funny, she's not just some vapid, spoiled, pretty face!" He leaned in with a low hiss to his tone, "she was born into a life that she didn't ask for. Do you think I wanted to do this with my life?!" He pulled back, glaring at her in a way that some part of him hated, "I was born into this damn job! I wasn't given choices!" He breathed hard, turning away a moment.

"You stay the hell away from her." He turned a furious eye to her, with just the barest hint of tears welling up, "I promised Jessica I would protect her because I love her. I intend to stay true to that." He turned with a deadly serious expression, "take me off the case if you want, but I WILL protect Jessica."

His words caught her by surprise, and they stung. She'd known he'd had other interests, that this wasn't the life he'd dreamed of for himself...but she'd never guessed at this level of discontent and resentment. He'd never given that away before.

"No one forced you into this." She said quietly, still stern, but also a little hurt. "If you had hated this life so much, resented it so deeply, resented me so deeply because of it...you should have said so. You have always had choices."

She leaned forward, looking intently at him, trying so hard to remain as his superior, to not take everything being said far more personally, to not feel gutted by his words, by his turning on her for some girl he'd barely just met.

"I hope...for your sake...that this girl is who want her to be. That she is all these things you say she is. That she isn't manipulating you or using you for her family's benefit. " She let out a breath. "But you are not acting rationally right now and this...this is insubordination. I have no choice but to relieve you of duty for the time being...take some time. Think on this. Think on what you're doing, what you want. We'll discuss this again when you're not shouting and threatening me." Her tone grew stern again.

Mido's breathing had calmed, but he shook his head in response to this, "I don't resent you. I don't resent this. But it's not me. It's never been me." He looked down, "it was something I felt like I had to do...Because the rest of my family did. And I...I was afraid you wouldn't be proud of me otherwise..." He looked up at her with a less angry, more exhausted look on his face, "I've worked my ass off for this because it felt like what I was supposed to do. Not because it's what I wanted." He felt a pit of guilt for speaking like this to her, but he hated having to choose between his own happiness and everyone else's, he felt like he was drowning.

"And I hope for our sake that maybe someday you can just be happy that I'm happy, mom." There was a waver to his voice, but he refused to cry, he never cried, and he was not about to start now. He let out a breath and turned from her when she dismissed him from his duties, "maybe we will. Maybe we wont." He glanced at her, "I love her. And I trust her." He glanced down as he headed for the door, "I wouldn't dare hurt you, mom...But keep the rest of your men away from Jessica." He turned a glance at her that was colder than he intended, "Because I wont hesitate with them." He turned his head away quickly to slip out before he got a chance to break.