Michael Hailey checked the address he had been given then stared at the two-story house nestled in the center of one of DC's toughest neighborhoods.  This was the place.  Exiting the Bronco he took a moment to study his surroundings.  It was amazing how neighborhoods such as this were the same the world over.  Only the language seemed to change.  They were all filled with desperate, angry people trying to survive in a hostile world.  A refuge of sorts for the lost and hopeless, home to those society wanted to forget.  He looked at the well-kept house before him.  There was nothing hopeless or forgotten about this place.  Maggie's Place was an enigma.  It was an oasis of order and life amidst decay and squalor.  If what Sam had told him was true then Maggie was as unique as her home.  A gutsy lady who believed she could make a difference and was willing to put her life on the line to do it.  Hailey admired her courage.  It must be a family trait.  Sam had been the same way.  He had risked everything to defend the citizens of this country and in the end he had paid the ultimate price.  Hailey fought back his pain; he was here for a reason.  Grabbing a black duffel bag from the Bronco he headed for Maggie's Place.  
     Inside the house was as well kept as the outside.  The place was alive with activity.   He saw kids watching television, playing games in what looked like a Rec. room or quietly reading.  Nor were kids the only occupants. Quite a few women were around, supervising the younger children or engaged in projects of their own.  There was also a flurry of activity as people scurried about performing the myriad chores that went into the running of a household.  Stopping one of the teens Hailey asked for Maggie and was given directions to the kitchen.
     Entering the kitchen Hailey smiled at the sight that greeted him.  A shapely pair of jeans clad legs stuck out from the cabinet below the kitchen sink.  As he watched the shape wiggled and a string of expletives flowed from the interior of the cabinet.
     "Need some help?"
     "Wha... oof!"  With a yelp Maggie crawled out from under the sink holding her head.  "What do you think you're doing sneaking up on somebody like that?  Just what I need another headache.  Oh...” Maggie’s tirade broke off as she caught sight of her unknown visitor.  "Sorry, I thought you were one of the kids.  Can I help you?"
     Hailey pointed toward the sink.  "Looks like you're the one in need of help."
     Maggie climbed to her feet and glared at the sink.  "I managed to get the faucets in but the blasted thing keeps leaking," She fixed Hailey with a speculative stare.  "Know anything about plumbing?"
     "A little."
     "You're hired."  Wiping her hands on her jeans she held out her right one to Hailey. 
"Maggie Dalton."
     "Michael Hailey."  Releasing her hand Michael turned to check the sink.  "Now that we've been properly introduced I'll see what I can do about this."  Examining the pipes he discovered the fittings loose.  "Looks like you just didn't get the connections tight.  Where are your tools?"
     "Here you go."
     Michael looked at the offering in amazement.  A rusty pair of pliers, a bent screwdriver and a hammer whose handle was held together with duct tape.  "What are these?"
     "Tools, what did you think they were?"
     Michael just shook his head.  "I'll be right back."  Retrieving his toolbox from the Bronco
Hailey soon had all the leaks stopped.  "All done."
     Maggie looked at the toolbox then gave Hailey an impish grin.  "So how are you with hinges?"
     Hailey laughed.  "OK, I’ll play Mr. Fix-it and you feed me dinner.  Deal?"
     "Deal."
      The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of broken hinges, loose bolts and missing screws.  Michael was surprised to find he was enjoying himself.  It was good to lose himself in the simple tasks.  For once no one’s life hung on his actions and he could put his pain aside for the moment.
     Watching Hailey busy at work Maggie nodded in satisfaction.  Michael Hailey was just as her brother described him.  She could see the pain in his eyes and guessed at the cause.  She was still haunted by her brother's death and suspected that Hailey was as well.  They could both use time to distance themselves from the hurt before confronting their loss.  She wasn't sure why Michael was here but she knew it had something to do with Sam.  She just hoped she was strong enough to hear what he had to say. 
     Hailey had just finished oiling the hinges on Maggie's office door when she entered with a tray.  Setting the tray on the corner of the desk she lifted the cover with a flourish.  "Dinner is served.  The dining room is a madhouse, I figured we'd eat in here."
     "Smells great, just let me wash up."
     By the time Hailey returned from the washroom Maggie had the desk covered with food.  "Dig in before cook decides to throw it out."
     "Over my dead body.  Is that pot roast?  I can't remember when I've had a home cooked meal."
     Maggie watched her enthusiastic guest and smiled.  "Don't tell me they make you live off of field rations all the time."
     "Just about."  Hailey suddenly stopped eating and fixed Maggie with a suspicious look.
     At the familiar glare Maggie couldn't help but laugh. "At ease soldier, you're among friendlies.  I've been around spies long enough to recognize that look."
     "I take it Sam told you about me."
     "Yes, you didn't think, I'd let a stranger wander around my house did you?"
     "Sam said you had peculiar ideas, who knows."
     "Peculiar huh?  That's the pot calling the kettle black, that brother of mind was always up to some harebrained stunt."
     Hailey smiled.  "Yes, that was Sam all right."
     "So tell me Michael why are you here?  Did you come to tell me another pretty fairy tale about my brothers death?"
     "No.  No, I came to tell you the truth."
     Maggie studied the man before her closely.  He was an operative like her brother and trained to lie.  Her instincts told her that this time at least Hailey meant what he said.  "OK, I'm listening."
     “What did the brass tell you about Sam’s death?”
     “That he was killed in an arms deal gone bad.” 
     “That part is true.  There was an arms deal and it definitely went bad.”
     “What about the traitor part?”  Maggie couldn’t keep her anger from showing.  “Is that part true too?”
     “No.  Your brother was one of the bravest and most honorable men I have ever known.  He loved his country.”
     “Then why did his country lie.  Why does the country he loved so much consider him a traitor?” 
     Hearing the pain in Maggie’s voice, Hailey felt his own pain return.  He pushed away the aching in his chest and focused on his mission.  He was here to give Sam’s family what he had never been able to give his own…the truth.  “A member of the armed forces was selling high tech weapons to terrorists.  Sam and I were sent in covertly by the Agency to infiltrate the operation.  Our mission was to find the traitor and shut down his operation.  The mission was marked top priority, the military brass were really steamed.  Stolen weapons had already been responsible for a terrorist attack against one of our embassies overseas and they wanted this guy bad.  Everything went smoothly until the night of the deal; it seems our terrorists had a lot of enemies.  A rival group got wind of the sale and decided to crash the party.”  Hailey paused as visions of death and destruction flashed across his mind.  “Sam and I managed to keep the weapons out of enemy hands and to hold on to our target but everything else went to hell.  We were both hit and it took us a while to arrange extraction.  By the time help arrived it was too late for Sam.”   Hailey pushed away the dark thoughts of running and hiding in a hostile city while his best friend quietly bled to death beside him, letting anger overcome pain.  “I woke up in the hospital two days later to find Sam branded a traitor.”
     “Why Michael,” The pain and anger he could hear in Maggie’s voice matched his own feelings.  “What possible reason could the military have for destroying the honor of a good man?” 
     Michael gave a bitter laugh.  “It wasn’t the military it was the Agency.  After all his service his own people offered him up as a sacrificial lamb.” 
     “Why?  I need to know why, Michael.  It’s the only way I’ll be able to live with this.”
     “National Security, of course.  It’s always National Security.”   At Maggie’s blank look Hailey explained.  He had come this far he might as well tell her all of it.  “The real traitor was a high ranking Army officer.  Weapons’ smuggling was just his latest operation.  It turns out that he had been involved in black market deals for a long time.  He possessed information the Agency wanted.  His contact list for the various terrorist organizations alone is invaluable.  There was no way they were turning him over to the military for court martial and execution. “
     “But they couldn’t just refuse to hand him over either.”
     “Exactly, feelings were still running high the military wanted a scapegoat so the Agency gave them one.” 
     “Sam.”
     “They swapped a dead agent for a live resource.  The military gets its scapegoat, the American people get their justice, and the Agency gets to keep a valuable source of intel.  Everyone’s happy.”
     “Everyone but the family of the dead agent.  What do we get?”
     “Heartache, a great deal of heartache.”
     “You sound like you know what it’s like.”
     “I do, you are not the first family that has been lied to for the good of National Security.”
     “It happened to you didn’t it?” 
     Hailey shook his head at the painful memories her question awoke.  “It was a long time ago.”
     Maggie reached out and lay her hand on Hailey’s arm.  “Please tell me. “
     Michael looked into the compassionate gray eyes and felt his resolve weaken.  He never talked about his family.  No one could truly understand.  Seeing his pain reflected in Maggie’s eyes, he amended that thought.  Maybe there was one person who could understand.  “I was recruited during my last year at Annapolis.  A mercenary group had come to the Agency’s attention as a possible source of terrorist activity within this country.  They needed someone to check out the group from the inside.  They chose me.  I was in my last year at the Naval Academy and my training would make me a prime candidate for recruitment.”  Hailey gave a sad smile.  “The only catch was that I had too spotless a reputation.  A problem the Agency soon remedied.  They arranged for me to be brought up on charges for cheating and drummed out of the Academy.  My father never forgave me.”
     “Does any of your family know the truth?”
     “No and I doubt they ever will.  My family comes from a proud naval tradition.  In my father’s eyes I betrayed my country and my family honor.  He has not spoken to me since and has forbidden the rest of the family from contacting me as well.  To him I am dead.”
     “I’m so sorry Michael.  Surely as a military man your father must realize that things are not always as they appear.  Maybe you could try to talk to him, tell him the truth.”
     “Once the Admiral makes up his mind that’s that.  He has tried and convicted me, end of story.”
     “Well you won’t always be in a job where secrecy is the norm and a bad reputation is an asset.  Maybe one day the higher powers will be able to set the record straight.  Don’t give up Michael.”
     Hailey smiled, Sam had been right Maggie was an eternal optimist.  And who knows she might be right.  One day his family might know the truth but until that day he had to live with his choices.  “I’ll try Maggie.”
     “Tell me something Michael was it worth it?  All the pain and loss was it worth it?”
     “Yes.  I believe in what I do Maggie as did Sam.  I owe it to my family to keep them safe, even if they are not aware of my actions.  I care about this country, I’d do anything to protect its people.”
     “Truly a warrior for all seasons.”
     “What?”
     “Nothing.  Listen Michael thank you for telling me the truth.  I know I can’t tell anyone but just to know, well it means a lot to me.” 
     “Sam was my friend and you were the center of his world.  I...I just didn’t want you thinking badly of him.  Besides the brass was getting tired of you camping out on their doorstep demanding answers.”
     “So they sent you to pacify me?”
     Hailey laughed.  “I convinced them that the only way they were going to have any piece was to tell you the truth.  You are Sam’s sister after all and probably just as stubborn.”
     “Oh I’m much more stubborn.  So how long are you going to be in town?”
     “A few days.”
     “Good then you can come to the cookout tomorrow.  That is if you don’t have plans.”
     “Cookout?”
     “You can’t celebrate The Fourth of July without a cookout and fireworks.  Don’t tell me you didn’t know that tomorrow was a national holiday?”
     “I’ve been a little out of touch.”
     “Then you don’t have plans?”
     “No, no plans.”
     “Good, then I’ll expect you here tomorrow.”   Maggie glanced down at the toolbox on the floor and then fixed Michael with a speculative look.  “Tell me Mr. Hailey, know anything about grills?”
     Hailey smiled as he allowed Maggie to drag him into the back yard where a stack of barbecue grills awaited assembly.  They worked in companionable silence each taking comfort from the others presence.  The pain would always remain but now there was joy as well.  It seemed the old saying that a burden shared is halved was true.  For now that was enough.