#eli clocked him so well that isa is just grumpy

[overnightheartbeats]

"Dude, your back is probably eighty at this point." Not that Isaac or his back were any younger. A chuckle later, he had no choice but to agree. The drool stains were pretty damning evidence. "Fair enough. Few more kids and you got a mini soccer team on your hands. I know, I just appreciate you guys keeping her close." Especially when he couldn't. Another reason he was ready to call it quits and go home. Being away from her was not easy, even less easy at the thought of this situation being a lengthy one. Though, Isaac did feel a sense of relief wash over him knowing she was staying at their place.

Isaac was so caught up in ranting about his meeting with Wally that he only half-heard his brother moving around at the other end of the line. But, as soon as he began talking, Isaac knew he was going to get the talk of a lifetime. Things that, he partly knew, but refused to look at in lieu of his anger and frustration agreeing with him, more than his common sense ever would. "Yeah, they're probably right to refuse this one." It was one of the most tangled webs he'd seen in years. Part of him was tempted to ask Eli, if he could loop his wife in just a bit more, just to see if she could pass this on to someone she trusted. It was the third best option in his mind, just him looking for ways to leave this in good hands. "I don't know if I'm the smartest or most idiotic agent in the world for taking this on now." Investigating an FBI director with shady dealings. Thinking back, it kind of made sense that Lucie had been standing in the lobby for ages before he came along.

But, Eli was right. He had given his word, and reassured her up and down that he'd do everything possible to help. Taking that back now would not be right, especially after he implied to her that he briefly suspected her brother too. Hey, he had to discard it all. With a sigh, he relented on that point. "Fear," he scoffed for a second. "I doubt that." The way he threw him against the wall, Isaac doubted it. Until, Wally's words came back to him - his niece being caught up in this. "Okay maybe not, but he's not helping his case. I know you skimmed some of the notes I brought that day, but there's more. And, to be frank, some of it didn't look good for him. That, and his refusal is...odd. He's also convinced I'm just there to fuck it all up or get myself killed."

Eli, the voice of reason. Isaac knew what he was getting when he called. Not necessarily someone to agree with him, but would get some sense smacked into him if he was doing too much. He knew Eli couldn't see him rolling his eyes, because his comment was an echo of a conversation he had with Wally's conversation. Putting himself in Wally's shoes, thinking of a time he had been compromised - all roads lead to that period of his life with Jazz. "Maybe," he grumbled in return. Eli was right on that front too. The tail end of their conversation did present a bit more of that fear, why he was hiding around and away from his family. "Yeah, I'm picking up what you're putting down. He has this situation, I had my thing that you guys helped with." Hey, it paid to have two trusted agents in his life. Well, that they were family mostly. "I guess, yes. I just hate this back and forth when I'm here to help. Actively pushing against him too, knowing that this case is already a mess as it is. "I know, and she is very concerned." Not to mention that she might also be in the line of danger. According to her brother anyway. To Isaac's dismay, he was right. Giving this up was not right.

"Hey, I always miss you guys." Isaac almost couldn't hide his wide grin when he mentioned flying out here. Dealing with someone as frustrating as Wally, having his family here would be the perfect way to cancel all that out. Still, he hated the guy for passing on his fears to him, because now, he couldn't stop thinking of his warnings. "You're one hell of a husband, your idea of a vacation is to Louisiana of all places to follow your brother," he teased, a laugh escaping him. "I appreciate it, and you know I would love that. But, no you guys should stay home. It's a mess and a half here."

"Yeah, and he has a great opinion of CIA. That helped me a ton when I showed up," he added sarcastically. "I guess so." Wanting to help is always what got him into messes. "No, not loyalty. As far as he says and his sister vouches for. Parts of his file truly indicate otherwise, but I discarded that theory today after meeting him. He did," Isaac was reluctant to share, knowing that once he did, there was even less of a chance Eli would agree on letting this go. "She has his niece. I assume, she knows her whereabouts or something along those lines. He didn't specify. I'm not asking him to flat out join the crusade, just to share what he knows. I wouldn't ask him to put her at risk."

Eli laughed thinking he was so hilarious. "That doesn't show my age. My back does. But, you try keeping awake with 5 kids demanding attention every four seconds. Oh wait, our sofa still has your drool stains," as always brothers who teased endlessly loved the most. "No need to thank me. She's family. I promised you I'd look after you. Plus, she's staying upstairs. Lau convinced her to stay so she'd have help with the twins. Juju and Aaron have been keeping the house warm."

Ridiculously stubborn. Now that sounded familiar. Eli let his brother finish before he spoke. The reply on the tip of his tongue but knew he had to be careful how he worded it. Taking the bottle from his daughter he gently rocked her and patted her back. It seemed to him that it went deeper than stubbornness. Flat out refusing help was mainly out of fear. He'd briefly skimmed the notes when Isa had been over debating taking on the case from the man's sister. Gently setting his baby girl down in her crib to sleep he hummed and gave her forehead a kiss. Now he could focus on his brother.

As he turned off the light he shuffled into the guest bedroom not wanting to wake his wife. Setting the baby monitor on the nightstand he sat down and sighed. "You know it as well as I do that handing this over wouldn't do much. It'd probably be passed over since no one would take on another agency's director. Besides, wouldn't really be fair to his sister since you did give her your word and we both know your word means a lot more than anyone else's. Being ridiculously stubborn in this case may not be a refusal to cooperate for the sake of fun but could be rooted in fear. You're talking a giant in the agency. That's not to be taken lightly and we can presume he's tried going up against her and he's failed. That is something you and him have in common."

"Put yourself in his shoes," shoes Eli knew Isa had been in with Jazz. "He's probably scared, you're essentially a stranger to him and doesn't know you from Adam nor can he be sure if you're actively there to help or part of the operation to silence whoever dares to speak out against this boss. He's alone. He's got a right to be frightened. You can't really blame him for that. You don't have to be his friend, you don't have to like him but you can understand him. Understand his desperation. You had me, had Lau to help. That's different than having a concerned and desperate sister willing to do what it takes for him. You're the life line she needs to protect her brother. And that is something I know you understand. Sibling love is unmatched. No matter how stubborn they get."

"If you miss your family that has an easy solution. We can fly down there. I've got vacation saved up, lau has been a little stir crazy and would love a trip somewhere other than our local grocery store. If that is really what's holding you back from focusing on this then I'll give Nettie a heads up in the morning and tell her know to pack the bags."

He brought up a few more points. "You knew walking into this it wasn't going to be easy. FBI don't easily share toys so you knew he wasn't going to be a walk in the park. Knowing all this didn't deter you though. You want to help and that's what separates you from the others. You said it's not loyalty he has for her okay so did he tell you more. Why he doesn't want to go against her?"