Following Trapped

**A/N:** Hey guys! So… "new fandom"… or rather for me because it's the first time I'm writing in this fandom and I'm kind of nervous about it. But I couldn't get this idea out of my head and so I thought "whatever" and started writing. And this One-Shot almost wrote itself, because I had the scene(s) right in front of my eyes somehow. I wasn't sure whether or not I'm good enough to post it, but my friend Isabel encouraged me to do so, and well… here I am, or rather, here's the fic. It's supposed to be a One-Shot although I *DO* have an idea for a 2nd part… depends on whether someone would want to read it or not, so I you like what you read, PLEASE COMMENT! I don't have a beta-reader, so any mistakes you might find are mine ;-) And now, ENJOY!

**Trapped**

Pushing his car door shut Mike Weston locked his vehicle and made his way towards the building Ryan Hardy was now living in. He was still debating with himself whether to even go in there or not. It wasn't like he and Ryan were on speaking terms and so he had no idea why Ryan even wanted him here.

Ryan Hardy had never been an easy guy to deal with but somehow Mike had assumed – or rather hoped – their hunt for Joe Carroll had kind of connected them, that they could be friends some day. How wrong he had been.

After all they had been through, after everything they had lost and after everything Mike had risked for Ryan, Mike had hoped Ryan would finally realize that he could trust him.

What he had gotten instead was a kick in the ass and the recognition that it had all been for nothing. Because Ryan Hardy trusted no one.

Not trusting the FBI was one thing – and Mike could almost understand him in this case – but not trusting the guy who always had his back, who risked his job for him several times, the guy who would have died protecting him still felt like someone had pushed a knife into his heart and twisted it. He was disappointed to say at least and it was actually beyond Mike how Ryan obviously thought a simple text message could change any of this.

And yet Mike was here, standing right in front of Ryan's apartment door, ready to forget it all and give his hero another chance, because that was what Ryan had always been to him: his hero. Even after everything he had learned about Ryan. Even after everything Ryan had put him through. His picture of Ryan should have cuts and bruises by now, but somehow he was still looking up to him.

Shaking his head Mike looked at the still closed door. He was such a fool. He was probably so desperate to have Ryan back in his life that he was willing to settle for whatever Ryan had to offer. As long as it meant he was able to spend time with him again.

Mike knew he could still turn around and leave again without Ryan even being aware he made it here, but deep down he knew he couldn't. Deep down he knew that he had to see the guy, find out what his message was all about, and he was definitely willing to listen to him. If Ryan meant what he had written, there was probably still a way out of this, a way for them to work together again.

Grabbing his phone from his jeans pocket Mike opened Ryan's message and read it for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

_I'm really sorry about the way I treated you, you didn't deserve any of this. Meet me at my apartment in an hour to talk._

Only a couple of words, but they were enough to make Mike's stomach flutter nervously. Maybe Ryan wanted to make a clean cut, tell him to never bother him again, although Mike was sure one way or another they would always run into each other. At least as long as Ryan would keep looking for Joe Carroll. Who was supposed to be dead. And still Mike believed Ryan somehow. Believed that Ryan thought that Joe was still alive, even though none of it made much sense, but unlike Ryan Mike still trusted the guy.

Shaking off his thoughts Mike lifted his hand and finally knocked at the door. And then he waited until he heard footsteps coming closer. Female footsteps, unless Ryan Hardy had started to wear high-heels.

Instinctively his hand found his gun and he was prepared to shoot. What if some of Joe's remaining followers had found Ryan and finished what Molly had started? What if Ryan was laying inside of his apartment bleeding out from another stab wound?

Without being able to control it his heart started racing in his chest and when the door opened he reacted at lightning speed, pointing the gun in the face of the first person that came into his focus, ready to pull the trigger.

The woman in front of him jumped back, letting out a yell, and Mike couldn't help rolling his eyes.

"Maxine Hardy, I assume?" he asked while he put the gun back into his holster. He didn't know her in person but of course after finding out that his niece had helped Ryan with his investigation about Joe Carroll he had checked out her file and seen pictures of her.

"Do you always point a gun into the face of someone you're visiting?" she asked coolly, obviously fully recovered from her first shock. She reminded him a lot of Ryan in that moment.

"I'm not visiting _you_. I'm here to see Ryan. I had no idea you were here too and I just thought…" he started only to be cut off by her mid-sentence.

"…you just thought I might be one of Joe Carroll's followers who is here to kill Ryan?" It was more a statement than a question but Mike still felt obliged to reply.

"Something like that, yes. Can I come in?"

"Sure…" Maxine replied, taking a step aside so Mike could walk into the apartment.

"Where is Ryan?" he came to business right away, feeling the nervous flutter in his stomach come back. Stronger than before.

"Bedroom," Max pointed to the side. "I'm sure he's already waiting for you."

Raising an eyebrow Mike eyeballed her. Something here did not feel right and he couldn't shake off the impression that things weren't as they looked like.

"Who was that at the door?" Ryan's voice came from one of the other rooms and then Ryan Hardy's head appeared in the doorframe of said room.

Ryan's eyes met Mike's and he looked at him half-surprised, half-worried.

"Mike? What are you doing here? Did something happen?"

"What?" Mike blurted out confusedly. "Ryan, what are you talking about?" he asked, walking closer to the other guy until they were standing right in front of each other. "You asked me to come here so here I am."

"I did _not_," Ryan clarified.

Mike had just opened his mouth to say something when he felt someone giving him a push. Just a light one, but it was enough to make him lose balance and stumble forward right into Ryan's bedroom. He tried to stay on his feet and managed to catch himself by grabbing Ryan's arm. Immediately he felt his cheeks heaten up. The moment he was about to say something to apologize the door fell shut behind him and only a mere seconds later there was the clicking sound of someone locking said door.

"What the hell?" Ryan blurted out, pushing Mike to the side. He pulled the doorknob and tried to open the door, but of course it wouldn't give away.

"Max! What are you doing? Open the fucking door!"

"No!" the woman gave back from outside. "I'm not gonna let you out unless you finally talk to each other. You've been friends for fuck's sake, and you need to swallow your pride and apologize to him."

Ryan hammered against the door.

"This isn't funny, Max! Open up!"

"You can knock all you want, but I'm not gonna listen. In fact, I'm gonna leave now and I won't come back until you've talked this out," Max gave back and then Mike could hear her footsteps moving away.

Staring at the door wide-eyed he finally dared to look at Ryan.

"Tell me she did not just lock us into your bedroom."

"I'm afraid she did. She set us up," Ryan replied, turning around to face Mike again. Leaning against the door he let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm gonna kill her for that."

"I'm sure she meant well," Mike said, sitting down at the edge of the bed, his eyes still focused on Ryan. "So, what now?"

Ryan shrugged, but not moving an inch away from the door while his eyes wandered to the floor. He was obviously feeling very uncomfortable, and Mike couldn't totally blame him. His niece had pushed him into a situation he couldn't control, and Ryan hated not to be in control. Mike was fully aware of it.

"I don't know," he finally said, not lifting his head an inch. "Maybe I should just call the police or something like that."

"I _am_ the police," Mike offered. He couldn't help the smirk that built on his lips.

"And are you capable of breaking open that door like a real police officer should?" Ryan wanted to know, finally taking a step towards Mike.

"Well, if you want, I can always kick in the door, but I don't think the door would survive that and I'm not sure you really want that."

Letting out a sigh Ryan walked over to the bed sitting down next to Mike.

"Probably not," he murmured, staring at the wall on the other side of the room.

"We could also just listen to your niece and talk things out," Mike suggested, earning a glare of Ryan that sent uncomfortable shivers down Mike's spine.

"I assume that's a no."

And then there was silence between them. A silence that started dragging out until Mike couldn't take it any longer.

"I shouldn't have come," he blurted out, literally jumping off the bed and walking over to the door, pulling at the doorknob, but of course it wouldn't give in.

"Then why did you?" Ryan asked calmly, and Mike could feel his stare in his back.

Turning around quickly Mike glared at him.

"Because I hoped you meant it."

"Meant what?" Tilting his head Ryan locked eyes with him.

"Your message," Mike replied, letting out a chuckle. "I'm so stupid. I'm probably the biggest fool walking on this earth."

"You're not a fool," Ryan tried to interrupt him, but Mike went on talking within seconds.

"Yes I am. How could I even think you would consider apologizing to me? I can't believe I fell for a text message because I was so absorbed in the hope that maybe, just maybe, things could go back to normal again."

"Mike, I'm…" Ryan started, but again Mike cut him off.

"Don't patronize me, Ryan. And don't even try to tell me you're sorry, because you're not or this message would have come from _you_ and not from your niece."

Mike had tried, he had tried so hard not to let his emotions get the best of him, but now the words were coming out of his mouth without him being able to stop them. He felt like if he didn't say them his feelings would overwhelm him, and he had kept quiet long enough. Ryan could as well hear what he was thinking.

"You're right," Ryan said, causing Mike to stare at him.

For a moment he was lost for words. He had expected a lot – snarky comments, Ryan screaming at him as well – anything but Ryan basically agreeing with him.

"What?"

"I said you're right," Ryan repeated. "I shouldn't have treated you the way I did. Not after all you did for me. I probably was just trying to keep you at a distance."

"Why?" Mike asked, moving towards the older guy again. "Why, Ryan? Why can't you just trust me? Haven't I proven more than once that I have your back?"

Ryan got to his feet so they were eye to eye staring into Mike's eyes with that intense gaze that made Mike's heart hammer in his chest.

"Don't you get it?" There was an almost desperate tone in Ryan's voice, but he kept looking at Mike.

"No! No, Ryan, I don't get it. We've been a good team before, we…"

This time it was Ryan to interrupt Mike.

"Yes, and it almost cost you your life. Twice. Being connected to me in any way is dangerous. I can't lose anyone else."

"Oh for fuck's sake," Mike said, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Not that crappy death curse again."

"But it's the truth!" Ryan defended himself. Everyone around me dies, and if you're continuing to stay in my life they are going to find you again. And they will be trying to kill you again."

"And you think me working on the Joe Carroll case with the FBI makes any of this better?" Mike snapped. "You don't think that would be reason enough for them to hunt me down again? Because if I recall it correctly, last time they went after me it had nothing to do with the fact that I'm working with you but with the fact that I had information they needed."

Mike was so sick of it, was so sick of having to repeat over and over again that whether he worked with Ryan or not didn't change a thing on the whole situation. As long has he continued to go after Joe's followers he would always be in danger. He had accepted that a long time ago, so why couldn't Ryan? It drove Mike up the wall and he felt like he was talking to a stubborn child. No matter what he said, Ryan wouldn't listen and the tension in the room grew thicker again.

"They knew you were close to me," Ryan disagreed, running a hand through his hair. "It was all because of me."

"Stop it!" Mike shouted. "Stop it, for fuck's sake. I'm not an underage child; I'm a grown man even if you don't see me that way. I can make my own decisions and I have decided to end the Joe Carroll era once and for all, with our without your help."

"It's gonna kill you," Ryan replied, his voice merely a whisper.

"So what? I either end this whole cult or I die trying, you can't stop me, Ryan," Mike clarified. He had made his decision the second Agent Phillips had appeared at his doorstep and offered him his old job back. He hadn't even thought about it twice and no Ryan Hardy would make him doubt his determination.

That's where he and Ryan were probably more alike than Ryan would ever admit, because just like him Ryan couldn't stop chasing after Joe Carroll and his remaining cult members either. And he probably knew a lot more than the FBI did. And could be a lot of help finding Emma and the others. But of course Ryan Hardy was stubborn like that and wouldn't share any of his knowledge with the bureau. And neither with him.

"Please, Mike. Please, don't." Ryan sounded almost desperate and there was so much pain in his blue eyes that it made Mike's stomach twist.

"You're not gonna change my mind," Mike stated without losing eye contact to Ryan. "The only thing you can do is help me find those bastards that are responsible for the latest killings."

"I can't work with the FBI again," Ryan denied, looking down at his feet.

And that was something Mike could accept. It was something he could understand. Ryan still blamed those agents that were positioned in front of his door for Claire's demise. If they had done a better job Molly would have never been able to get into his apartment and kill her and almost stab Ryan to death.

"Then work with _me_," Mike said after a couple of seconds of silence, placing a hand on Ryan's shoulder. "You know we've always worked very well together and we can do it again. I trust you."

Ryan looked up at him, still so much insecurity in his eyes.

"And what if they get to you again?"

"I guess you just have to take better care of me from now on." Mike tried to smile, but it probably looked completely out of place. "That means no solo attempts and I'll stay close to you at any given time."

"This is a terrible idea," Ryan murmured, but still held his gaze.

"It's still my decision," Mike gave back. "And this way you can at least have an eye on me if that makes you feel better."

"It does," Ryan admitted. "But I'm still not comfortable with you being a possible target again."

"Duly noted," Mike replied, letting out a sigh. "And if we weren't locked in here we could get to work right away."

"I'm _so_ gonna kill Max," Ryan pressed out through gritted teeth, making Mike chuckle.

"Hey, at least she got us to talk. That has to count for something. Besides: her plan worked out. She's definitely your niece because she's almost as clever as you are."

"She's cleverer." There was some pride in Ryan's voice and Mike could tell how much the woman meant to him. "Without her I would have never gotten as far as I did in my search for Joe."

"You still think he's alive, huh?" Mike asked curiously.

Unlike Ryan he had his problems connecting the dots and part of him also didn't really want to believe that this bastard got out of this boathouse alive somehow. It was a horrible imagination, because if it turned out to be true Joe was probably just waiting for the right moment to resurface.

"I'm convinced he is," Ryan nodded. "I just can't prove it. Yet. If I learned one thing it's that a guy like Joe Carroll has always a plan B."

"Then we better get to work," Mike agreed. "As soon as we're free we'll start finding some hard evidence."

"The bureau is not gonna be happy with you going behind their backs again. You might lose your job." It was a warning and Mike knew Ryan was serious about it, but he just shrugged.

"Wouldn't be the first time."

And then they shared a smile. It was the first smile Ryan's lips showed ever since Mike had entered this room, and it made Mike feel like maybe, just maybe, things could take a turn for the better after all.


End file.

Following, Friendship, Hurt-Comfort