Okay, so this is my first fanfic.It's probably really bad and I'm sorry but if you happen to like it I would love a review. This takes place at the end of the twelth episode of season 4 when Michelle comes into CTU. It is first from Tony's POV and then Michelle's. The title is based on a song by the Lost Prophets. If you hear it, you'll see why. I saw a music video made to that song about Tony and Michelle and it inspired me to write this. I'm sorry if thisis really similar to someone else's story, it wasn't intentional.

Disclaimer: Would I bother writing this if I actually owned any of this stuff? Just don't sue or anything.

Hello Again

"One of our choppers is down!" Edgar called from his workstation on the other side of the bullpen. Dammit! This is really bad. Jack better have found something.

I yelled back, "Send in medical now. Call all field teams outside the perimeter of the blast. We have to find Jack and Paul."

I rushed into the conference room where Secretary Heller was finishing up a call. His whiny voice and tone, as if his freakin' call was the most important thing in the world, bug the shit out of me.

"I'll get back to you. OK. All right."

Before he even hangs up the phone I start to speak. "Sir, we have a problem. Someone set off an EMP blast in the McLennan-Forster building. We believe Jack and Paul are still inside."

"I assume that's a response to our presence there. Someone does not want us to get a hold of Marwan's files."

No, really. As if someone just decided to destroy all of the technology within an eight mile radius for the fun of it! Geez, he could be the Secretary of Stating the Obvious.

I go on. "Jack was able to pull some information before the blast, but we don't know whether it was Marwan or somebody else who set it off."

Suddenly the intercom interrupts us. "Excuse me, sir. Ms. Driscoll's replacement arrived. She just passed through security."

Damn. That was just over an hour! Now some standard, by-the-book bastard is going to come in and try and boss me around. As if. They'll probably chuck me out of here right after they've moved into my office.

"Thank you," Heller says, in his unusually high-pitched voice that makes me want to strangle somebody.

"That was fast," I say in a dejected voice, trying to mask my annoyance but not doing a very good job of it. It was pretty damn fast though. Normally a replacement like that would take five or ten hours to find if you were lucky. When I volunteered to step in as director, I thought I'd be there for at least the end of this crisis.

"We got lucky. Division had someone available with the appropriate qualifications as well as CTU experience."

"I understand," I said. CTU experience? That would mean I've probably met them. That'll be loads of fun. And a 'she,' too. There aren't as many women over at Division. I was lost in thought over who it could be until I heard him say the words I had least expected.

"Tony, I want to thank you for filling in, and I'd like you to stick around and assist Ms. Dessler."

I blanched. He had better not have just said what I thought. She can't be here. Not today. I'm finally fixing my life, and she's going to screw it all up like she did last time. There is no way I can go back to drinking my pathetic life away after today. Please, please, be anyone but her. Grimacing, I reply, "I'm sorry, who?"

"Michelle Dessler. Do you know her?" Shit. Oh shit. How can he not know? Is he completely clueless or what? I turn around and I can't help but stare as she walks into the bullpen like she owns the place. In a tight brown suit with long straightened hair, she looks completely professional; calm, collected, and almost intimidating.

"I used to be married to her."

Less than an hour earlier, Bill had approached my workstation. "Michelle, Erin Driscoll over at CTU,she is having some... family issues and is stepping down as director. We have reviewed all of the potential candidates and determined that you are the most qualified and experienced of them all. Would you be willing toaccept the director position at CTU, even if just on a temporary basis?"

CTU. Great. The place that ruined my life. But it was an offer I couldn't refuse. Getting experience like that would look really good for me and I could be offered a higher position. What did I have to lose?

At my silence, Bill replied, "Sorry, I'll give you some time to think about it."

"No, no, that's okay. I accept."

But Bill was looking at me with a sort of hesitant expression. I'm not in the mood for playing 'Guess Why Bill is Looking at Me Like That?' so I just say, a bit harsher than I intended. "What is it, Bill?"

He stared at me for a few more seconds and then sighed. "Well, when Erin Driscoll left, they needed a replacement on a provisional basis." He hesitates, and says, "And, Michelle, the replacement was Tony."

That was the last thing I thought I would hear. I could tell it was awkward for Bill. My heart thumped wildly in my chest and my breathing felt constricted.

"Tony... Almeida?" I asked softly, almost whispering.

He nodded. Shit.

'Professional, Michelle, professional,' I reminded myself. I won't let that bitch get in the way of an excellent opportunity. Before I knew what I was doing, I was back in control and responding. "That won't be a problem. When should I expect to leave?"

Now, an hour later, I am striding into the bullpen. They've redesigned and repainted the building; it seems larger and the walls are gray with swirls of blue. So much has changed since I was last here. I can't recognize many people. There are a few IT people who look vaguely familiar, but other than that… Not even Chloe. Last time I checked she was still working here. I'll figure it out later. But then I notice the one person who I will always recognize, staring at me from the conference room. Tony.

Ha! He probably just found out I was coming. Maybe, if I'm lucky, he'll leave. And if I'm not, well, being the director has its benefits.

Well, since when was working at CTU easy?