Moving forward.
After Michael's last conversation with Damian, they kept in touch with phone calls and visits so that Michael could be informed of what was going on with his investigation. Just a little over twenty days, and nothing new was found - no proof that Jack was alive, no clue as to where Alena and Marc were... Nothing. It angered Michael every time that he thought about it, but there was really not much else that he could do besides that. Not now, anyway.
From the minute that Nicole led Damian into the family room, which was where Michael had been watching television when Damian had arrived, he knew with just a glance that Damian wasn't there for just a friendly visit. He was there on business, so Michael was quick to lower the volume of the television as soon as Nicole closed the door. "What's going on?"
Damian sat on the couch next to the one where Michael was, setting down the folder he had been carrying next to him. "Well, kid, there's something that I need to talk to you about. It's actually supposed to be Stephen and myself doing the whole talk, but I told him I'd take care of it." He paused but, before he let Michael ask anything yet, he added after a couple of seconds, "You're on probation, kid."
Anything that Michael could have been thinking prior to hearing those words were forgotten as soon as he heard them; he just sat where he had been, staring blankly at Damian for a moment before he frowned deeply once things started to sink in. "I'm what? For what, exactly, if I haven't done a damn thing?"
"You wanted to work with me as soon as Alena and Marc found out that you were working against them, didn't you?" As he asked, Damian leaned slightly forward, his voice lowering. "If you want to work with me, you're going to have to make a few sacrifices. This being one of them, as you can imagine. I run a private protection agency, Michael. A damn good one at that, and I trust every single person that works for me. Now, before you ask... Yes, I trust you. I trust you, but not quite enough to let you work for me just yet. The last time you worked with Stephen you ended up working with Alena and Marc before he even suggested you working undercover - I'm not willing to run that risk. You saw you made a mistake and you corrected it, and I'm glad, but I don't want you slipping up again."
"And if I don't want the job anymore?" The question had slipped out before he'd been able to stop himself, but the anger that was flaring up inside of Michael at just the thought of being on probation didn't allow him to care. "What happens then?"
"You're still on probation." Damian gave a small shrug before he smirked slightly. "Let's be honest here, kid, you don't have the best track record. Hell, if we're being honest, you have a pretty bad one. You worked with Jack since you were fourteen until you were twenty-five. Then you went back to work for him three years later, on and off. After you quit and you helped out Stephen, you went back to the likes of Jack when you started working with Alena. Add that to your past addictions, and your destructive behavior, and... Well. I don't need to continue, do I?" He waited for Michael to say something then, but instead Michael just looked away as his jaw clenched tightly shut.
"Now," Damian continued with a sigh once he realized Michael wasn't going to say anything, "I know you don't like it, but there's not much you can do about it. You never got caught while you were working with them, and you've never done time, so this is as close to a punishment as we can give you right now. Just to make sure you won't go back to them."
He was right. Deep down, despite how angry he was, Michael knew that he was right but that didn't help him get rid of how he was feeling. Heh, but could he really blame Damian for not trusting him completely? Michael could swear that he'd never go back to working with someone like Jack or Alena anymore, but hadn't he done so once already? And hadn't he gone back to working with them nonetheless? He still wasn't thrilled about the idea of being on parole, but... "So what does the probation consist of, exactly?"
"Nothing too horrible, don't worry. As your parole officer, I won't be that harsh on you. Unless you give me a reason to, I mean." When he saw the look of surprise on Michael's face, he smiled. "Hey, if I'm going to be hiring you I might as well be the one watching you. Whether you know it or not, I'll keep an eye on you and I'll be in touch with you pretty much every day." His expression turned serious, the smile long gone. "Oh, and no heroin, Michael. I want you to go through a psychological examination, too, and for you to follow through with your physical therapy for your hand because I need you to be back to normal for when you're ready. I don't know how much damage they did with that cut they gave you, but I don't want to take any chances."
Michael couldn't help but roll his eyes, already dreading the whole psychological examination and physical therapy. Somehow he could already imagine Elise smiling at this, though, because Damian was going to make him do exactly what she kept asking him to do. It actually made him wonder if Elise had suggested some of the things he had to do while being on 'probation.' "So when I'm done with all this, I'm going to start working with you?"
"Yeah, basically. As soon as all your doctors clear you - psychologist, physician, and therapist - then probation will be over and you can start to do field work. As we go along, if I think you're doing okay, then you'll be involved in some of my investigations. Just helping me out with some paperwork, but it'll give you a chance to test the waters."
"So...field work would have to wait for a few months?"
"Pretty much."
Once Michael weighed everything in his mind, the pros and cons, he nodded after a moment. "You know, part of me actually hopes you won't get to catch Jack yet."
Even if Damian could figure out the answer on his own, he smirked slightly anyway. "Why's that?"
"I want to catch Jack by myself. Or at least, I'd like to help. He and I have some unfinished business to take care of."
The smirk on Damian's face faded, his features darkening momentarily as he nodded in understanding. "You ain't the only one, kid," he muttered before standing, not giving Michael much of a chance to say or ask anything. "I've got to get going. Have some work I have to do." He nodded towards the folder that was still on the couch. "Check over those papers, it's some information for you. I'll talk to you later, okay?"
If it wasn't because he was used to Damian's sudden disappearances, Michael would have tried to get him to stay for a few more minutes so he could ask him what he meant with what he had said about how he wasn't the only one. But he knew better, so he just gave him a small nod and watched him leave.
With a sigh, Michael shook his head and sank back against the couch, unsure over whether he should be angry or glad about being on parole. Part of him felt angry, so angry at having to be punished even if he hadn't really gotten caught doing anything illegal, but it wasn't like he didn't deserve it... That wasn't why he was glad, though; if doing this would get him to work with Damian, then he'd do it, no matter how much he hated the idea.
From the minute that Nicole led Damian into the family room, which was where Michael had been watching television when Damian had arrived, he knew with just a glance that Damian wasn't there for just a friendly visit. He was there on business, so Michael was quick to lower the volume of the television as soon as Nicole closed the door. "What's going on?"
Damian sat on the couch next to the one where Michael was, setting down the folder he had been carrying next to him. "Well, kid, there's something that I need to talk to you about. It's actually supposed to be Stephen and myself doing the whole talk, but I told him I'd take care of it." He paused but, before he let Michael ask anything yet, he added after a couple of seconds, "You're on probation, kid."
Anything that Michael could have been thinking prior to hearing those words were forgotten as soon as he heard them; he just sat where he had been, staring blankly at Damian for a moment before he frowned deeply once things started to sink in. "I'm what? For what, exactly, if I haven't done a damn thing?"
"You wanted to work with me as soon as Alena and Marc found out that you were working against them, didn't you?" As he asked, Damian leaned slightly forward, his voice lowering. "If you want to work with me, you're going to have to make a few sacrifices. This being one of them, as you can imagine. I run a private protection agency, Michael. A damn good one at that, and I trust every single person that works for me. Now, before you ask... Yes, I trust you. I trust you, but not quite enough to let you work for me just yet. The last time you worked with Stephen you ended up working with Alena and Marc before he even suggested you working undercover - I'm not willing to run that risk. You saw you made a mistake and you corrected it, and I'm glad, but I don't want you slipping up again."
"And if I don't want the job anymore?" The question had slipped out before he'd been able to stop himself, but the anger that was flaring up inside of Michael at just the thought of being on probation didn't allow him to care. "What happens then?"
"You're still on probation." Damian gave a small shrug before he smirked slightly. "Let's be honest here, kid, you don't have the best track record. Hell, if we're being honest, you have a pretty bad one. You worked with Jack since you were fourteen until you were twenty-five. Then you went back to work for him three years later, on and off. After you quit and you helped out Stephen, you went back to the likes of Jack when you started working with Alena. Add that to your past addictions, and your destructive behavior, and... Well. I don't need to continue, do I?" He waited for Michael to say something then, but instead Michael just looked away as his jaw clenched tightly shut.
"Now," Damian continued with a sigh once he realized Michael wasn't going to say anything, "I know you don't like it, but there's not much you can do about it. You never got caught while you were working with them, and you've never done time, so this is as close to a punishment as we can give you right now. Just to make sure you won't go back to them."
He was right. Deep down, despite how angry he was, Michael knew that he was right but that didn't help him get rid of how he was feeling. Heh, but could he really blame Damian for not trusting him completely? Michael could swear that he'd never go back to working with someone like Jack or Alena anymore, but hadn't he done so once already? And hadn't he gone back to working with them nonetheless? He still wasn't thrilled about the idea of being on parole, but... "So what does the probation consist of, exactly?"
"Nothing too horrible, don't worry. As your parole officer, I won't be that harsh on you. Unless you give me a reason to, I mean." When he saw the look of surprise on Michael's face, he smiled. "Hey, if I'm going to be hiring you I might as well be the one watching you. Whether you know it or not, I'll keep an eye on you and I'll be in touch with you pretty much every day." His expression turned serious, the smile long gone. "Oh, and no heroin, Michael. I want you to go through a psychological examination, too, and for you to follow through with your physical therapy for your hand because I need you to be back to normal for when you're ready. I don't know how much damage they did with that cut they gave you, but I don't want to take any chances."
Michael couldn't help but roll his eyes, already dreading the whole psychological examination and physical therapy. Somehow he could already imagine Elise smiling at this, though, because Damian was going to make him do exactly what she kept asking him to do. It actually made him wonder if Elise had suggested some of the things he had to do while being on 'probation.' "So when I'm done with all this, I'm going to start working with you?"
"Yeah, basically. As soon as all your doctors clear you - psychologist, physician, and therapist - then probation will be over and you can start to do field work. As we go along, if I think you're doing okay, then you'll be involved in some of my investigations. Just helping me out with some paperwork, but it'll give you a chance to test the waters."
"So...field work would have to wait for a few months?"
"Pretty much."
Once Michael weighed everything in his mind, the pros and cons, he nodded after a moment. "You know, part of me actually hopes you won't get to catch Jack yet."
Even if Damian could figure out the answer on his own, he smirked slightly anyway. "Why's that?"
"I want to catch Jack by myself. Or at least, I'd like to help. He and I have some unfinished business to take care of."
The smirk on Damian's face faded, his features darkening momentarily as he nodded in understanding. "You ain't the only one, kid," he muttered before standing, not giving Michael much of a chance to say or ask anything. "I've got to get going. Have some work I have to do." He nodded towards the folder that was still on the couch. "Check over those papers, it's some information for you. I'll talk to you later, okay?"
If it wasn't because he was used to Damian's sudden disappearances, Michael would have tried to get him to stay for a few more minutes so he could ask him what he meant with what he had said about how he wasn't the only one. But he knew better, so he just gave him a small nod and watched him leave.
With a sigh, Michael shook his head and sank back against the couch, unsure over whether he should be angry or glad about being on parole. Part of him felt angry, so angry at having to be punished even if he hadn't really gotten caught doing anything illegal, but it wasn't like he didn't deserve it... That wasn't why he was glad, though; if doing this would get him to work with Damian, then he'd do it, no matter how much he hated the idea.