At the End of the Day
A/N: Okay, so latest chapter of "Bend" isn't going so well and this is something I've had written since I was bored one Sunday and had absolutely no work to do (for once), so I decided I may as well post it. I miss the days when the site was flooded with T/M fics…lol. Anyway…rated K+ but there's a little swearing in it – word of warning. And um…post day 2, mindless drivel and completely unrelated to any of my other stories.
Enjoy!
He shouldn't be doing what he was about to do, especially not now; not after everything that had happened. He should've had someone else take care of it, or, better yet, he should've waited until the next day and just done it at work. There was no need to be driving to her house. No need whatsoever.
He wanted to see her.
He really wanted to see her.
He wanted to see her so badly that the thought of having to wait a full…22 hours and 8 minutes…seemed intolerable. He wanted to see her so badly that he was not concerning himself with how awkward the entire situation might be if he showed up unannounced. He wanted to see her so badly that he'd chance having the door slammed in his face, (not that he could really see her doing that), or her not being home, or being asleep, (Damn, he really hoped he didn't wake her up). He'd chance it because he wanted to see her.
Besides, she'd dropped her wallet on her way out of medical that morning. It was the chivalrous thing to do. Women need their wallets, right? Or maybe that was their bags…he couldn't remember now if the wallet was the essential part.
He did, however, remember that he wanted to see her.
She'd kissed him that morning…very, very early that morning. She'd kissed him and he had to admit he had been incredibly turned on by it. After all, how often do beautiful, sexy, smart women you've had mind blowing sexual tension with for six months just grab you and kiss you?
Not that often.
Once in a lifetime…if you're lucky…
After today he realized that he, Tony Almeida, was definitely lucky. Besides having all of the above – all those superficial things that anyone could see – there was something between them he swore he'd never felt before. It was beyond tension and chemistry and all the things that got his blood flowing…it was something else.
It was the way she looked at him.
The way she met his eyes at least once throughout a conversation before her cheeks turned pink and she looked away… She's not afraid to get to know him. She's not afraid to take a risk on something everyone else has long since given up on. Apparently his relationship with Nina Myers didn't just scare him; it scared everyone else away from him. No one seemed to want to get close because, well, he was a lost cause after all.
She was different though.
She made him want to throw protocol and procedure out the window and focus on the here and now. She made him, even if only for a second, forget entirely that there was someone named Nina Myers and there was a reason he didn't date in the office anymore. He'd kissed her back because the idea that the whole thing could end with her thinking it was because she'd made a mistake was unbearable.
She let him in first. She broke down in front of him either because she was just too tired and emotional to hold back…or because she trusted him. He hoped it was the latter.
So now, here he was, driving a good thirty minutes out of his way to drop her wallet off at her apartment. He couldn't deny having leapt at the opportunity to see her again. He was pretty sure she had gotten the point when he'd told her he'd see her tomorrow. She'd smiled when he said it.
He bit his lip as he stopped at a red light. She had a great smile. A person didn't smile a lot during a day at CTU, but he wished she would. He wouldn't mind if it was because of him either.
The light turned green and he moved his foot to the accelerator. His stomach churned as he realized he was getting close.
It was the best shower she'd ever taken in her life. Hands down. The hot water had washed away all the dried blood and dirt and muted the horrible feelings she had been swallowing all day about what had happened to her colleagues…her friends.
She had been trying not to think about him. No amount of hot water tended to prevent those thoughts from getting her worked up.
They'd kissed. She'd kissed him. She'd kissed her boss in the middle of a national crisis in a pretty obvious spot if she really stopped to think about it. How stupid could you get, honestly? She was supposed to have more common sense than that. They'd already agreed on a date…sort of. Why did she have to go and –
He was a good kisser. She wasn't even going to try to deny it. It was, quite possibly, the best kiss she'd ever had in her entire life and she wasn't about to make it out to be something it wasn't. No matter what happened between them now…it was what it was.
He'd kissed her back too. He'd tugged at her lips and played with her hair and brushed the skin of her cheek. Damn. If it hadn't been so completely inappropriate, and in such a bad location it might've even been romantic... She wasn't even supposed to be a romantic, really. She wasn't mushy or gushing, and she wasn't cynical either. She was realistic, or so she liked to think. But that kiss, in that moment, had sent her analytical mind soaring up to the clouds.
Michelle Dessler stepped outside the shower and began to towel off, noticing the unattractive bags under her eyes and shaking off the stiffness in her wrist from the bombing. Her whole body ached and she had bruises everywhere. Perfect.
See ya tomorrow…
The most annoying part of that was that she knew him well enough to know there was a hidden meaning behind that. The look on his face had confirmed it. Plus, he had insisted he wasn't sorry about the kiss…That had to be good. Something good had to come from this hell they'd spent the last day living.
She wrapped a towel around her body and combed out her curly hair as it dripped all over her bare shoulders. As tired as she was, tomorrow really couldn't come soon enough. She needed to discuss everything in a calm and rational frame of mind without the chaos and the emotions of that entire day. She needed to see what was there when they were both rested and refreshed and thinking logically.
She was just moving into her bedroom when there was a knock on her door.
Who the hell was visiting her at 10am?
Cautiously, she padded out into the hallway and checked through the peephole.
Oh. Shit.
"Tony?" she said it in disbelief before she could stop herself. On the other side of the door he scratched the back of his neck.
"Yeah…sorry I'm…"
Without thinking she ripped open the door. She really needed to start forcing herself to breathe deeply and think around this man…she was still wearing nothing but a towel.
She turned bright red when his mouth opened slightly at the sight.
"I um…" there wasn't even a good way to justify why she hadn't taken the time to put clothes on. He probably thinks you're coming on to him, you idiot…
"I was just getting out of the shower." She finished lamely, still fiercely red and watching his jaw shift as his expression changed from surprised to amused and slightly cocky. He fought off a smirk.
She looked gorgeous. Of course, the fact that she was wearing very little clothing was a bonus, but she really did look gorgeous. Her skin was fresh and dewy from the shower and her hair hung loosely on her shoulders. She still looked exhausted, but her eyes weren't as cloudy as they had been when they said goodbye earlier.
"Yeah…listen…I'm sorry about just showing up like this…your neighbor let me in."
"It's okay." She smiled softly, feeling like a complete moron. "What's up?"
If it was work related he would've called. Maybe he had come to talk to her about…
"You dropped your wallet in medical when you went to pick up your brother." She finally noticed the small, black object in his hand. Her face fell before she could stop it.
"Oh…damn, I didn't even notice." She extended her hand for it. "Thanks."
He held out the wallet and his finger tips touched her wrist as he pulled away. The both tensed at the contact.
"No problem." He smiled crookedly and she gulped.
"You shouldn't have bothered." She stated hoarsely, her heart pounding. "I mean I appreciate it, but you must be exhausted, and I'm so out of your way..."
He met her eyes. "S'okay."
She smiled, her lips sealed tightly.
"Thank you."
"Can I at least get you some coffee or something…" she offered after a few seconds of staring at each other.
He snapped out of it and shook his head.
"Nah. I should really get home…" he indicated to his foot. "Before the painkillers wear off…"
She nodded, forgetting how awkward she should be feeling at having a conversation in a doorway, wearing a towel, with Tony Almeida.
"Is it bad?" she asked with concern.
He shrugged. "I guess…could be worse…"
She nodded.
"How are you?"
"What?"
"You sore?"
"Oh…" she bit her lip. "A little…lots of bruises." She laughed hollowly. "I definitely got off easy though…"
He nodded solemnly and noticed a particularly nasty contusion covering a large portion of her shoulder and collarbone. He hadn't noticed it before, he realized. Her shirt must've covered it.
"That looks pretty bad." He indicated to the bruise.
She frowned, not sure what he was talking about.
"This…" he reached out and almost unnoticeably brushed his thumb across it.
Her breath caught when he touched her.
"Right…" she gulped again. "Yeah…it's…bad one..."
The stared at each other for a few more seconds and he finally got tired of beating around the bush.
"Michelle…about everything that happened…"
She was hanging on his every word.
"I uh… I know I said I wasn't sorry, but the truth is…I'm glad it happened" He finished stupidly.
Her eyes lit up and she grinned a little.
"I just wanted to make sure ya knew that."
She was smiling completely now and he couldn't help but brush a piece of hair out of her face. It was damp and soft and the brief contact with her cheek sent chills through him.
"I do now." She tilted her head to one side as he pulled away, fighting to keep her voice steady.
The corners of his lips twitched.
"Good."
He reached in to touch her hair again and caressed her cheek this time. Their eyes locked and her breath caught as he leaned in to press their lips together.
It was a nice kiss – not like before. It wasn't aggressive or passionate in the way that morning's had been, but it felt nice. In some ways it was almost better than before. It was soothing, therapeutic, and reassuring. His warm lips met hers again and again as his hands tangled in her hair and touched her face and her neck, pulling her closer. Her own hands were grasping at his arms and tightened when his fingers moved below her neck and started manipulating the skin of her creamy shoulders. She gasped slightly in his mouth and his teeth gently nipped at her lower lip.
One half of her brain was yelling at her to break it off. You're in a towel! The other half was telling her to enjoy it, savor it; it was the only truly good things that had come out of the day.
After a few more seconds they both stopped and he tilted his forehead against hers, still touching her cool skin and panting heavily.
"I should probably let you get some sleep."
She nodded slightly.
"Probably…" her hands tightened their grip whether subconsciously or not.
They stared at each other for a few seconds and at first she thought he was going to kiss her again – that was until he pulled away abruptly.
"Alright…" he took a few steps back quickly so as not to give himself time to rationalize doing anything but. "I really should let you sleep…"
She looked a little disappointed but she knew he was right. After all, what was she planning on doing, asking him to join her in bed, minus one towel?
"Okay…" her voice had turned small and squeaky.
He smiled a half-smile and ran his thumb over her cheek.
" 'Kay…"
He was still touching her and made no move to leave.
"Maybe…I'll call ya later?"
Her face lit up.
"Sure. I might have to go check on Danny when he wakes up but…I'll have my cell or I'll just be at home."
"Alright…" he nodded gruffly before pulling her in for one quick kiss.
"I'll talk to ya later."
She was smiling completely when he pulled away and he felt a sharp pang in his stomach.
"Okay."
He finally forced himself to walk away, well aware that she was watching him walk away and fighting the urge to turn around and look.
"Go to sleep, Michelle." He called warningly over his shoulder and he knew she was grinning before he even turned around in the open elevator.
She closed the door to her apartment just as the elevator caused him to disappear from her site.
Orders were orders, after all.