Fi was very, very amused at Michael's discomfort. He had built bombs from scratch, almost taken out someone from 40 yards using a sniper's rifle, and had even recently killed someone at close range over something that someone had done to her--but none of those things had made him as uncomfortable as being here with her now. It was an innocuous enough place. No one was shooting at them--hell, no one was even trying to take one of them-- but it still bothered Michael than all of those things put together.

Michael should have learned a long, long time ago never to bet against Fi when she was sure she knew something, as the repercussions were steep. That's why he found himself here in this most unlikely of places.

"Really, Fi? That one? "Michael asked Fi in a pleading voice.

Fi raised her eyebrow as a huge smile broke out on her face. "Yes, Michael that one."

Michael tried to negotiate with Fi. "What about that one? Or that one instead of the other one?"

"No Michael," Fi answered, with that look that she got right before she was about to blow something up. "You lost and that one is the one I want. Nothing else will do." Michael knew that there would be no arguing the point. Fi had her mind set and that's all there was to it. Michael began, for lack of a better word, squirming in his seat. Fi continued to find amusement at his discomfort. She never saw him this ill at ease. No matter the situation, Michael always approached it with a steady calm that was enviable to Fi. Now he was so antsy that it made her laugh.

The announcer made his way to the stage and Fi gave him her full attention. Michael looked anywhere but at the stage and tried to make himself as small as possible. If it had been possible for him to become invisible at that point in time, he would have done it.

The announcer began to speak. "Now welcome to our stage, ladies and gentlemen, with his rendition of "SexyBack," Mr. Michael Westen!"

Fi hooted and cheered loudly. Sam picked up his camera and began taking pictures from his vantage point at the bar while Madeline preserved the whole thing on video. In the midst of this Michael looked only slightly happier than a man on his way to his execution. Fi touched his arm as he began walking towards the stage. Michael leaned over to Fi and as he did so, she put her mouth close to his left ear and whispered into it, "Payback's a bitch". Michael looked at Fi, trying to gauge what she was feeling based on her expression. Fi looked back at him with amusement, nothing more.

Michael turned and made the long, slow climb to the stage, taking as much time as humanly possible. Ashe made his way to the microphone, he knew there would be no going back now. He looked to the left of the stage and saw Sam and his mom at the bar, holding what appeared to be equipment for recording this whole mess for posterity. The announcer handed Michael the microphone, whichhe held onto like lifesaver of some the music began, Michael closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and listened to the beginning of the music cue. He knew he would have to open his eyes in order to read the lyrics to the song, so when the intro got to the last "bum bum" he opened them and began reading the lyrics. "I'm bringing sexy back," Michael squeaked out in a voice barely louder than a whisper. And yet somewhere, somehow in the middle of all of his discomfort Michael decided to have fun with the whole thing. To perhaps turn the tables on Fi and own this thing, not own it the way he would, say, taking out three unsavory men using only his hands and a copy of "Cat Fancy" magazine, but own it none the less.

Fi watched as something about the whole thing changed for Michael. She couldn't quite understand what had happened because she knew how much Michael hated being on display like this, and yet he started to own the stage. Somehow in some way he made this just another part of a cover ID.

"It's just that no one makes me feel this way," Michael sang looking at Fi. Fi had no doubt that Michael meant every single line of the lyric as he sang to her. "Girl, let me make up for the things you lack," Michael sang and then winked, actually winked at Fi from the stage! This was an interesting turn of events. Somewhere along the way Michael went from being terrified to flirty, in public. In front of other people, in front of Sam and his mother! Now Fi was the one feeling uncomfortable. She had a really difficult time maintaining eye contact with Michael and she had a distinct feeling that Sam and Madeline were watching her for her reaction more so than they were watching Michael onstage at this point. She fought the urge to turn around and look at them at the bar. Fi was so taken with Michael and the song, that by the time he got to the point when he was singing"get her sexy on" and if she was "ready" in the song, Fi found herself nodding in acquiescence along with the woman who saying "yes" on the background track without being fully aware that she was even doing so.

Michael looked at Fi and discovered that the song had caused more of a reaction in her than he had thought it would. It was as if the past few weeks of conflict and emotion had come to a precipice. This was certainly a different place than they had been in before. Normally there was some sort of violence involved-- an explosion, a fire, some sort of fighting. But never before had things turned for them so suddenly based merely on a song, and certainly not due to a song that Michael was singing in a Karaoke bar.

Michael finished the song and made his way back to Fi. Both of them maintained eye contact, neither one of them willing to back down or break the moment. As he came closer to where she was sitting, Fi stood up, waiting for him to get to her. Michael reached out and took her hand, pulling her towards the bar's exit. Once they were outside the bar, away from prying eyes, Michael pushed her up against the outside wall and kissed her. Fi hesitated a second before responding, long enough for Michael to believe that he had misread her, and then in the next second realize how wrong his initial thoughts had been. At that moment Fi responded to him with a hunger and ferocity that he hadn't felt from her in years.