Collateral Damage (Read 53,935 times)

[jwsel]

Chapter Three

As the sun began to peek through the windows of the library, Shane again picked up the blurry picture of the man who might, or might not, be Steve Johnson. Shane studied it for what had to be the 20th time since Tarrington had left. Each time, he had tried to see if there was anything new, anything he had missed on the previous examination. Something -- anything -- that would tell him definitively if the man in the photo was Steve.

This time was no different. He saw nothing, just as in all the previous examinations. If Shane took this mission, it would be on the same basis as when Tarrington had left.

Shane tossed the photo back on his desk and walked over to the teapot. The tea had long since gone cold, but he nevertheless poured himself a cup, more to give him something mundane to do than because he needed another cup of tea.

Steve. He kept picturing Steve the last time they talked. At Wings, just before Steve had gone to Bo's boat and been caught in the explosion. Only minutes earlier, Steve had rushed to Wings to tell Shane and Roman about Lawrence Alamain's plot to burn down Green Oaks Forest.

That Steve had been a cop and, sometimes, an ISA operative, such a different man than the one Shane had first encountered. When they first met, Steve was simply known as "Patch." Shane shook his head as he recalled their first meeting -- when Shane had tried to beat the whereabouts of Bo and Hope out of Patch. Then a few weeks later, in Miami, they had a gunfight that ended with Shane shooting Patch. Patch had been a smart-mouthed punk, just another one of Victor Kiriakis' thugs, and Shane had actually been annoyed that Bo saved the thug from drowning.

How things changed, didn't they? Even early on, Steve was a mass of contradictions. He came to Salem seeking revenge on Bo, but then worked with them to clear Bo's name. For all of his professed loner ways, Steve had joined them to search for Marlena when she was kidnapped. And despite his intense hatred of the ISA, Steve had worked with Shane and Gabrielle when Victor Kiriakis had put a contract out on Shane.

Then there had been Andrew's kidnapping. Shane knew Steve had information about Andrew's disappearance; Shane had been prepared to beat it out of the man in Cleveland. Yet, despite how much Shane wanted to believe otherwise, he became convinced that Steve had no involvement in the kidnapping.

Shane took a sip of the cold tea, and spit it out. It was vile. He probably should go into the kitchen and heat up the kettle, but he knew that was just a way of distracting himself from the decision he had to make.

You're deluding yourself, he thought. There is no decision to make.

For so long, Shane and Steve had been little more than acquaintances. Even after Steve joined the family, they were often at odds. They just had such different ways of approaching things. Shane used logic and worked methodically; Steve seemed to exist entirely on emotion and rushed into things headlong, rarely stopping to consider the consequences.

But they could work well together, couldn't they? Against Stefano, on that island. Against Eddie Reed. Even when Steve was furious at Shane for not telling him about Stefano, or conversely, when Shane was furious at Steve for not revealing that Nick Correlli was alive -- even then, they were able to overcome their differences and see things through. They were even able to forgive each other for their deceptions.

Shane walked back over to the desk and picked up the photograph again. There was still nothing new in it. It still was just a blurry image of a man with long blond hair and an eye-patch. A picture of a man who was supposed to be dead.

It was funny, wasn't it, the way death never seemed to be final in Salem. Shane had "died" before, during the chase to capture Jericho. That had largely been due to Steve, actually. They had captured Jericho, but Steve had convinced Shane to let him go in exchange for Marcus. "Some things are more important than the ISA," Steve had said and, probably, for the first time in his life, Shane had believed that. That belief had nearly cost Shane his life.

"More important than the ISA," Shane muttered. Wasn't that the crux of it? Kim had told Shane about the guilt Steve carried after the Jericho mission, guilt for letting Shane "die." It was the same guilt Shane had felt after the boat explosion, much of the reason he had stepped in to be Kayla's protector and why he had worked so tirelessly to bring down Lawrence Alamain.

Now, despite the medical records and the witnesses, Shane had a picture in his hand that seemed to show that death once again was not final. As he looked again at the picture, he wondered why he had even asked Tarrington for the night to think about it. There was only one answer he could ever give. If there was any possibility that the man in the picture was Steve, Shane had no choice. He had called Steve his brother when he spoke at the funeral, and he had meant every word. Now he had to get Steve home. Their history, their friendship, their kinship demanded no less.

It wouldn't just be for Steve, either. Even if the man had been a virtual stranger, Shane would have made the same choice. As much as he loved Kayla, he had told her time and again that he just wanted her to be happy. She deserved nothing less. And Stephanie, the little girl who had stolen Shane's heart, deserved her father. If Steve was alive, they deserved to have him home.

Even if it destroys your chance at happiness? There was that silent voice again, the one he tried not to acknowledge.

"Yes," he said aloud. "Even if it does." Shane put down the picture and picked up the phone. He waited as it rang. Tarrington knew who it was before Shane said a word.

"Donovan," he acknowledged. "What's your decision?"

In the end, the decision was easy. It was made the moment Tarrington arrived the night before.

"I'm in."

"Good," Tarrington said. "There will be an ISA plane waiting for you at 10 a.m." Shane's boss obviously knew exactly what Shane would decide.

Shane hung up the phone. Now the hard part would begin. He needed schematics of the compound, and needed to figure out how best to work with the Green Berets. They were never particularly excited about working with "spooks," so Shane would have to tread lightly.

And, of course, he had to say his goodbyes. On a mission like this, hundreds of things could go wrong -- any one of them fatal. He would go see Andrew first, then Eve, and finally Kayla. Kayla. He had no idea what he would say to her. Probably, he would try to convince her it was just another mission. There was no need to make her worry; no need to give her false hopes.

He sighed. As much as he did not want to admit it, that silent voice was begging for that to be all it was -- a false hope. Shane would do his best to rescue the man. That was his duty. That was what he owed to Steve, to Kayla, and to Stephanie. But he also could not deny that part of him, deep inside, hoped the man in the picture was anyone but Steve.

[DancingDays]

This is a great story! I'm really enjoying it.

An a side note, it's funny you mention Eve. Charlotte Ross (who played Eve) is now playing Quinn's mother on Glee. Everytime she pops on screen I think "Hey! There's Eve!"

[fluffysmom]

I'm already hooked! Thanks so much ladies for posting the story here for us to enjoy.

[Kpatch]

Shane keeps looking at that photo hoping it will speak to him. That is definitely something an agent like him would do. I like how he's struggling with his emotions in all of this.

I love all the history you include and the natural way you incorporated Shane's memories of his tumultuous relationship with Steve. This story really takes me back to the glory DAYS. You have done a lot of research and it's clear how much work you put into this story. Thanks for the chapter.

[MrsM]

Great chapter! Loving this story!

[esp13]

I'm glad you are all enjoying the story. It's actually kind of fun for me to re-read the beginning chapters. It's been such a long time since they were written.

I hope the story continues to entertain everybody. Thanks for letting us post it here. I know we're both looking forward to the comments as people read.

[fluffysmom]

Welcome esp13! I'm glad that you and jwsel are sharing your story with us. It's terrific!

[Kpatch]

Welcome Esp13. And thank YOU and jswel for posting it here. Loving it so far.

[jwsel]

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I'm glad esp13 joined us. This story is definitely a roller coaster and we hope you enjoy the ride. It has been a blast to write.

May 25, 2012 17:23:39 GMT -5 Kpatch said:

I’m a longtime, dyed-in-the-wool “kpatch” fan (Kayla and Patch, that is), but I could get behind Shane and Kayla. You are doing a great job of writing them in a sweet and realistic way. Already, you’ve done a better job with the Shayla relationship than the show did.

I like to think that our idea dovetails a bit with the what the writers initially intended. In the post I did to the other thread, I highlighted some scenes from the Shayla storyline that seem to establish some parameters for the relationship. I definitely think the writers made a number of errors in how they developed the storyline, but with a few simple changes, I think it would have been far better.

I had to laugh at Shane being more surprised about his security clearance level than what Tarrington was about to show him. But OMG, a fuzzy picture of Patch! I could even picture that!

Well, it was established at the time that Shane was the number two man in the ISA, having been promoted to Head of Special Investigations after he stopped Cal Winters. So he probably had a right to be surprised.

I love all the history you include and the natural way you incorporated Shane's memories of his tumultuous relationship with Steve. This story really takes me back to the glory DAYS. You have done a lot of research and it's clear how much work you put into this story. Thanks for the chapter.

It helps when you're writing with someone like esp13, who has an almost encyclopedic knowledge when it comes to Steve and Kayla canon. And it was only a few months before starting this story that I rediscovered Shane and Kim on YouTube and then watched a ridiculous number of complete episode DVDs. So Shane's and Kim's history was very fresh in my mind during a lot of the writing.

[jwsel]

Chapter Four

Kayla waited for the centrifuge to stop spinning before she pulled the vials out of the machine. She normally did not work in this part of the lab, but the situation was too urgent for her to just be an administrator. Miss Peach was in a coma and Bo was getting sicker by the day. If they did not find a cure soon, both would die.

"How are you coming over there?" Carly asked.

Kayla separated the contents of the vials into two different trays, so that Carly would be able to isolate the virus. She discarded one of the trays and carried the other to where Carly was working. "You should have six samples," Kayla said.

"Good," said Carly, without looking up from her microscope.

That task done, Kayla looked around the lab to see what else she could do to keep busy. That seemed to be a constant refrain for much of the year. Keep busy with work, so she didn't have to think about other things. Like how much she missed Steve. Like how confused she still was about her feelings for Shane.

Kayla cared deeply for Shane. No, that wasn't fair. She loved Shane. It was so hard for her to admit it, because she knew what she had experienced with Steve was so special. But Kayla had found happiness with Shane. When she had wanted to give up, Shane refused to let her. He had helped her find purpose, by tracking Lawrence Alamain to his home country and then by having her run the immunology lab. He also had been her support outside of work, helping her realize that she could begin to live again. To love again.

In a way, Kayla felt guilty. She knew that Shane wanted her to commit to him, and she had been ready for awhile. But for some reason, she kept stalling. Kayla smiled as she thought about how patient Shane was. He never pushed her. If she wanted to go slow, he would wait. What was it he had said? They would know when the time was right.

Maybe it was time. She did love Shane, and she wanted to be with him in every way. There was no reason to put off making love with him.

Perhaps she was just scared. She was so unlike Kim, whose past experiences had probably taught her everything imaginable about pleasing a man in bed. Kayla wasn't exactly inexperienced sexually; it's just that she had slept with only a few different men. What if she slept with Shane and didn't compare to her sister? What if he was disappointed?

You're just being silly, Kayla told herself. Shane loved her and wanted to be with her. He could have gone back to Kim, but he had chosen her. He wanted her. Kayla looked at the emerald ring on her finger, the ring that Shane's mother had worn every day from the day that Shane's father decided he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Shane had given Kayla that ring because he loved her and wanted a lifetime with her. She smiled at the thought.

"Am I interrupting anything?"

Kayla turned to see the object of her thoughts in the doorway. She quickly checked the clock. Shane was supposed to come around noon, for lunch, but it was only 8:30 a.m. She looked back at Shane and felt a chill.

"You've got that 'She's not going to like what I have to say' look on your face," Kayla said, walking toward him. "Tarrington?"

He nodded. "I've got to leave in about an hour."

No, she thought. Not when she had just decided. It was so unfair. She tried to remain calm. "Do you know how long you'll be gone?"

"A week, maybe." There was something about the way he spoke that made her nervous. Come to speak of it, she noticed that he had made no attempt to hold her like he normally did when they stood so close.

"Shane? Is something wrong?"

"No, of course not." He smiled at her. "I just hate being away from you."

She could tell from his voice that he was lying. There was something different about this mission, something that was making him push her away. She remembered the way Kim talked about how Shane would tense up and keep her at arms length leading up to particularly dangerous missions. Kim had described that before Shane left on the Jericho mission, and look what happened there.

"It's dangerous, isn't it?" Kayla asked. "This mission."

"You know I can't tell you that," he answered. "It'll just be about a week. I'll be back before you know it." He reached over and brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.

She smiled back. "I'll be waiting. And I've made a decision that I think you'll like."

"Oh?"

"I think I'm ready. I don't want to go slow any more." Kayla had expected that to cause him to break out in a grin, but he gave her a kind of funny look. "Did I say something wrong?" she asked.

"No, of course not." He brushed her cheek again and kissed her on the forehead. "Look, I'd better go. I need to stop by the police station and talk to Roman before I go to the airport."

Kayla felt so confused, but maybe this was just his way of cushioning the blow of his leaving. She had not really gone through this with Shane before, so maybe she just had to get accustomed to how he acted before missions. She looked into his eyes. "I'll be dreaming of you. Every night, until you're home . . . in our bed. Think of me?"

"Of course, Kay." He said that with an almost sad smile, before he leaned over and gave her a soft kiss,. Then he said, "I'll be thinking about you constantly. Just remember that I love you."

There it was again. That odd tone that gave her chills. She tried to mask her fear; if he was trying to cover up the danger, he didn't need her to act scared in front of him. So she just smiled and tried to act like this was just a normal day, just a normal parting. "I love you too," she said. And because she could not completely suppress her fears, she added, "Be careful, Shane. Come back to me."

[fluffysmom]

What a time for Kayla to say those things to Shane. It's bittersweet for him to hear her words now.

[Kpatch]

This is a really tough spot for Shane. He is holding back his emotions, knowing he may be bringing Kayla's husband home. And Kayla finally opens herself up but it doesn't seem to be reciprocated.

This is a great setup for drama. I can't wait to see what happens on Shane's mission!

[DancingDays]

Help me out. Shane is going to talk to Roman before he leaves. Is he talking to ROMAN (Wayne) or John/Roman? Just curious. Need to know who to picture.

[jwsel]

May 26, 2012 16:19:56 GMT -5 DancingDays said:

Help me out. Shane is going to talk to Roman before he leaves. Is he talking to ROMAN (Wayne) or John/Roman? Just curious. Need to know who to picture.

I know it's confusing -- and it may get more confusing as the story goes on. This is still before Wayne returned, so it's RoJohn.

[jwsel]

Chapter Five

Shane took a few minutes to compose himself after he parked his car in front of the police station. Goodbyes were always difficult, but today's were particularly tough. First, he had said goodbye to Andrew, while Kim watched. The entire time, she had held Jeannie, the constant reminder of their failed marriage. Then, he had gone to see Eve, but she had been so distracted with rehearsing some new song that she barely heard a word he said. And, finally, there had been Kayla.

"Awkward" did not even begin to describe how he felt when Kayla had finally told him what he had longed to hear for so many months, all the while knowing everything would change if his mission was a success. He had tried to mask his confusion, but Kayla had known something was off. She just couldn't imagine what it was.

Taking a deep breath, he got out of his car and headed into the police station. He was not entirely sure why he was making this stop, but he just had enough nagging doubt that he wanted someone to know where he would be. Shane's faith in the ISA had taken a hit from the Jericho mission, and he wanted some back-up in the form of his best friend.

Roman seemed to be getting the morning off to a typical start as Shane knocked on the door to his office. He was shouting into the phone, and repeated the word "pal" at least five times in rapid succession. Shane waited until Roman waved him in, and closed the door behind him. After a few minutes, Roman hung up the call and looked at the ceiling in frustration.

"You'd think our evidence people would have finally figured out that they need to catalog what they get. How hard can that be?" He shook his head in disbelief as he calmed down, and focused on Shane. "So, partner, what brings you down here this early in the morning?"

Shane double-checked that the door was closed fully before he responded. "I've got a job that's going to take me out of the country. I wanted to let you know about it."

Roman pursed his lips. "Sounds serious."

"Yeah, it is." Shane pulled out the photo. "Before I show you this, I need you to swear that you never saw me today and, even if you did, we never discussed this."

"What's going on, Shane?" Roman raised an eyebrow.

"Swear it."

"Okay. I swear." Roman held out his hand and Shane passed him the photo. Roman examined it for an instant, before looking up, his eyes wide and mouth open. "Is this for real?"

Shane nodded. "Taken two days ago in Western Egypt."

"He's your mission?" Roman let loose a sharp whistle when Shane nodded again. "Wow." He handed the picture back to Shane, who put it in his inner suit pocket. "You tell Kay about this?"

"No," Shane answered.

"You have to, Shane. She needs to know about this."

"No, Roman, she can't know -- and you can't tell her. I could go to jail just for showing that photograph to you." Shane sighed and glanced back at the door to make sure nobody was close enough to overhear. "Look, I don't want to get her hopes up. Odds are that it's just someone who looks like Steve. If she starts to think he's alive and it's a false alarm, she'll be crushed."

"Or maybe you're hoping it's a false alarm," Roman muttered.

Shane winced as Roman gave voice to the thoughts that Shane had tried to suppress. He knew his friendship with Roman, as with all the Bradys, had been strained by his relationship with Kayla. He just never expected his best friend to be so blunt about it.

Roman seemed to realize that he had crossed a line. "I'm sorry. That's not fair. You're probably about to risk your life to find Steve. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No," Shane said. For some reason, he relaxed and felt like he could open up. "I understand where you're coming from. I can't deny . . . I won't deny that I had some thoughts along those lines, but if there's a chance it's him, I've got to try to bring him out." Shane looked away from Roman and stared out the glass windows at the busy station. "It's not like last time, when I had to choose between my brother and a friend. There's no choice this time."

Shane knew Roman would understand. He was the man Shane had betrayed by choosing to rescue his brother Drew and leaving Roman behind as Stefano DiMera's prisoner.

"So that's why you came to talk to me?" Roman asked. "So I know this time it's different?"

"Maybe," Shane said, not even realizing he was speaking aloud. "No," he corrected himself. "That's not why." Or maybe it was. Maybe he wanted Roman to think that he was trying to make up for that past mistake, but it wasn't the main reason. "I'm here because I think only you'll understand what I'm going to tell you."

"There's more?" Roman quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Shane turned back and nodded slightly. "This mission . . . It's officially an unofficial, unsanctioned mission."

Roman froze as he took that in, then let out a long breath. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

"That depends on what you think it means."

"That if everything goes to hell, you're on your own," Roman said. "Have I got that right?"

"That about sums it up." Shane shrugged. "Not to mention that if word gets out afterward, I'll be drummed out of the ISA and probably arrested."

"Come on, partner, that's crazy."

"No, it's not," Shane said, his voice rising. "The Middle East is a powder keg. Or didn't you notice that we just fought a war against Iraq and have thousands of troops still there. With that going on, the ISA can't go around invading one of the few relatively friendly countries in the region." He lowered his voice. "The entire mission is my call. If I don't do it, the man in that photo stays where he is. The ISA probably wouldn't even have said anything to me, except Tarrington knew I'd be furious if they suppressed that information and I found out later." Shane could tell that Roman was once again thinking about the last time Shane had a choice about rescuing someone. "You of all people should understand."

Roman nodded slowly. "That's still a lot to put on the line."

"True," Shane said. "But Steve would do it for either of us, and it's not like he's going to say anything if I tell him to keep the mission a secret. Look, hopefully everything will go fine and I'll be back in a week."

"But you want me to know in case everything goes to hell?" Roman said.

"Pretty much." Shane knew Roman would understand. If the ISA tried to keep a lid on things by having all evidence of the mission destroyed, Roman would make sure that Andrew and Eve knew why Shane had disappeared. He did not want his children living a lifetime with that uncertainty.

Roman shook his head. "I don't envy you. You sure you've got enough manpower for this?"

"You volunteering?" Shane cut off any discussion of that subject before Roman could pursue it. "Don't even answer that. It's covered. Hey, like I said, everything will probably be fine and I'll be back in a week with a great war story--"

"That you can't tell anyone."

"Good point," Shane said with a laugh, glad to lighten the mood. "Listen, I'd better go. I've got a plane to catch."

Roman nodded. "You take care, partner, and watch your back."

Shane grinned as he headed for the door. "Always."