Nate peered through the dark room, his hand reaching for his gun, even as the voice registered as familair. Suddenly the room was lighter.. not bright, just lighter.. light enough to show the man leaning casually against the dresser beside the bed. "Fuck me..." he muttered in disbelief, staring at the familiar red hair and green eyes.. the impish smirk.. "Micheal? Wha'...?"

Aiyla moaned lightly, turning over in her sleep to cuddle against Nate. Micheal chuckled. "Perhap's we should go someone else t' chat.." And Nate suddenly found himself dressed and riding his horse Nightmare through the woods back home. The sun was filtering down through the leaves, making little dancing patterns of shadow and light on everything. The breeze was cool and smelled of fresh turned earth and rain damp leaves. He closed his eyes, realizing that this was nothing more then a wonderful dream...a very realistic, but wonderful dream.

"Natey... Ye haven't seen me in eight years, an' this is th' hello I get? Ye used to be so happy t' see me ye'd tackle me t' th' ground..."

Nate opened his eyes and turned to look at Micheal riding beside him. BlackJack seemed very happy to have his master riding him again. "Yer not real, Mikey... this is jus' a dream.. yer dead."

Mike chuckled, tilting his head back and letting the dappled sunlight play over his face for a moment. "Yes an' no, Nate.. I'm dead.. and this is a dream.. but it's not jus' a dream.. an' I am here..." He gave a sad sigh. "I'm sorry it took so long t' visit ye, Nate... I came as soon as I could."

Nate turned slightly in the saddle, his forehead creased in frustration. "Ye lost me, Mike. I got no fuckin' clue wha' yer talkin' about. Have ye come t' haunt me, then?" He suddenly relaxed in the saddle, letting his body sway with the horses gait and just enjoy feeling like his was out riding with his brother again. He had so few good dreams about Mike...

"No, little brother... I'm no' a ghost....Nate... do y' remember tha' dream we both had... about da?"

Nate closed his eyes again, remembering suddenly. He was nineteen and on the road with Micheal.. they'd just finished a job and had gone out for a drink or six before collapsing in their hotel room. He'd dreamt he'd woken in the night just like this, only it was his dad standing there talking to him.. his dad who'd been dead for just over eight years... just like Mike..

"It wasn' a dream, Nate.. it was Da. Witchery isn't the only things tha's a family tradition, ye know." Mike gave a soft chuckle. "Da told ye y'd be the one to take care o' th' family business so t' learn well.. tha' I had somethin' else tha' needed doin' and would be leavin' soon... remember?"

Nate felt the old burn of tears welling up, and forced them away. He voice broke when he tried to speak and it took two tries to get the words out. "I remember... ye tol' me it was just a dream, an' not t' worry about it.. tha' ye'd never leave me. We were a team."

Micheal sighed, ducking a low hanging branch. " I'm sorry I lied t ye, Natey.. I didne understand at th' time wha' he meant..."

"He was a dream, Mike.. yer a dream."

"No, Nate. Da was just as real as I am now... our bodies died, but we're still here. We were needed."

"Needed? Needed fer wha', Mike? Wha's more important then a man's family?"

Micheal sighed and reigned his horse to a stop, dismounting. Nate looked around and recognized the old family chapel and cemetary. He dismounted and left Nightmare to graze beside Black Jack, following Mike to where he was sweeping leaves off a stone bench outside the door.

Micheal sat down and patted the seat beside him for Nate. He waited until Nate sat down, then reached out and flipped the brim of Nate's hate back. "Still wearing those things? Haven' ye outgrown 'em yet?"

Nate gave c chuckle and fixed his hat. "Never. Talk t' me, Mike... It's good t' hear yer voice again... even if .."

"Shut up, Nate.. christ yer a stubborn bugger.. I'm not a bloody dream, alrigh'?

"Then wha' are y', Mike?"

"I'm .. well... guess ye could say I'm a guardian angel.. 'cept I'm no' an angel.. " he chuckled. "A guardian spirit's more like. It was my time to go and prepare fer m' charge ... tha's why I died, Nate.. was jus' m' time."

"so... alrigh', let's say I believe ye... then the kid was born so y' died? Jus' like tha'?"

"No.. I died years before th' kid was born, Nate.. I had t' prepare fer th' job. Had t' learn an' train... I would've let ye know, but... There was no way fer me t' at first.. an' then after I came back t' this world, I couldna leave th' we bairn at first.. Babes are too vulnerable. "

Nate sat in silence at first, digesting everything he'd heard. "So... " he sighed and hung his head. "This is too weird, Mike... ye mean both y' and da are out there lookin' after kids?"

Mike snorted softly and nodded. "Yeah. Da woulda visited more, but he knew his visit upset y'. He didna want tha'. I'm hopin' tha' things'll be different between us, Nate.. I've missed y'."

Micheal's head jerked up and he sighed. "I gotta go, Nate... I just wanted to tell y' I'm alrigh' and tha' I missed y'. and.. ye should go home..soon. Mum needs ye, she's jus' t' stubborn to say so."

He stood and reached down a hand to Nate who gripped it and let his brother draw him to his feet and into a hug. "This is real, ain't it, Mike?"

Mike chuckled. "Call mum an' see... ask her 'bout da... he may no' have visited y' again.. but he's visited her. She'll tell ye. I've got t' go.. got someone else I need t' see before she wakes up.." he said with a wink and was gone.

" Mike! Wait!" Nate sat up in bed, looking around the dark room. Aiyla stired beside him.
"Nate? Hun? What's wrong.. nightmare?"

Nate blinked his eyes and plopped back down onto the pillow with a sigh, rubbing his face. "No..I don' know..." He turned to look at Aiyla. "I need t' call my mum in the morning.. don't let me back down, alrigh'?"

Aiyla looked at him curiously. "Alright. Need to talk about it?" She asked, propping herself up on an elbow and letting her hair fall across his shoulder.

Nate turned onto his side, running his fingers through the pale blonde locks. "Not yet." He said, then grinned mischievously. "Although if y' feel th' need t' comfort me..I certainly won' deny y'.." he said huskily, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer.