Thanks for taking the time to read my story. This is a long first chapter. Some bad language. Please take the time review my story and let me know if you would like me to continue. Thanks!
I do not own 24 etc...
This story takes place directly after season 2.
Michelle sat back down at her desk, she was supposed to be gathering her things to head home but she didn't want to. The thought of going home to her empty apartment made her feel sick to her stomach. Her brother had been transferred to the local hospital for observation and so she couldn't even have his company. She looked back up at Tony's office, the blinds were drawn and he still hadn't come out. She thought he would have left by now as well, surely he was too tired to keep on working.
Tony had started to pack up his desk and get ready to go home but now that everything had calmed down he couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. Especially the last few hours where he had crossed the line in so many ways and had Michelle help him do it. What if Jack had been wrong? He and Michelle would be in jail right now. He cared for her so deeply, he was so angry with himself for putting her in such a bad position.
She had come to mean more to him over the last year than anyone ever had. He tried to make out like his feelings were casual but they were anything but that, he loved her, he knew he did. He would do anything for her. He hated that he hadn't had the courage to make a move a long time ago but up until today he never really thought he had a chance with her. Just about every guy in the office wanted Michelle, what made him think he would be the one she would fall for? He thought about when he had been sitting in the holding cell with her and the sick feeling returned to his stomach. For the first time since all this mess started he thought he was going to really cry. He pushed his eyes into his palms and tried to squash the tears. He didn't even hear the knock on his door.
Michelle slowly opened Tony's office door, expecting to find him on the phone. She was surprised to see him hunched over his desk with his face in his hands.
"Tony?"
He slowly lifted his head and it made her heart skip a beat when she saw his eyes were red and watery. He tried to wipe them immediately but it was too late, she could already tell he was crying. Unable to find the right words she made her way over to him. She stood to the side of him and ran her hand soothingly across his back.
He kept his head concentrated on the desk. His voice was raspy and broken. "Sorry. I ummm...I am ok. Sorry."
"Don't be sorry Tony. What can I do?"
"Nothing. I'll be fine. I am just tired. Really."
"Tony.."
"Seriously Michelle, I am fine. I thought you had taken your brother home?"
Michelle took her hand off his back and sat on the edge of his desk, much like he always did on hers. "They decided to transfer him to the hospital to keep an eye on him."
"So what are you still doing here? You should be at home getting some sleep Michelle."
"I could ask you the same thing."
He stood up and straightened himself out. He was embarrassed she had found him like this and didn't really know how to recover from the situation. He turned to face her. "I shouldn't have put you in that position today Michelle. I am sorry."
"What are you talking about Tony? You didn't make me do anything. I am the one that went behind your back to help Jack. I thought it was the right thing to do. I am just grateful for everything you did for me today."
"Yeah but I could have got you in a lot of trouble. You don't deserve the hell you went through today and I should have looked out for you more."
"Tony, you were there for me when no one else was. God, I totally broke down in front of you today and you got me through it. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have you today."
This made him smile a little. He studied her for a moment before gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you feeling a little better about things?"
Michelle could feel herself blush just at his touch. "Yeah, thanks. But I worried about you Tony."
"I don't want you to worry about me, I'll be ok." He dropped his hand. "Umm, I know you must be so tired and all but would you want to go and get a coffee or something?"
Michelle nodded her head. That was exactly what she wanted, the thought of going home right now was the last thing she wanted to do. "I'd really like that. I'll just go get my bag?"
"Great, I'll meet you downstairs in a few minutes."
Michelle hurried out of the office and straight to the bathrooms to fix herself up a little before grabbing her bag. On the way out of the rest rooms she bumped into Jay. He caught her off guard by putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her in close. "Hey Michelle, let me take you home, you must be exhausted."
Michelle tried to take a step back but he held her tightly. "What are you doing Jay? Take your arms off me."
He laughed and removed his arm. "Hey, hey..I'm just trying to be nice. It has been a long day."
"Well thank you, but no thank you. I have my own car."
"Let me buy you a coffee then?"
Michelle bent over and picked up her bag. "No thanks." She didn't wait for a response before turning to head toward the car park. She could feel him follow her and once they were in the quiet of the hallway he grabbed her arm forcing her to stop. "What is your problem Michelle? I am just trying to be nice. You can't even have a coffee with me?"
"You are hurting me Jay, let me go. I told you no. How many times do I have to tell you I am not interested in going out with you."
"Then maybe you should stop looking at me the way you do. You are so obvious you want something and I am getting a little tired of you playing games."
Michelle looked around for anyone to help her. His grip was so tight on her it was sending a pain right up her arm. "I'm not playing any games with you, I never have. I have no interest in you, I never have. Let me go or I'll have you up for harassment."
She could feel tears forming in her eyes and his body was closing in on hers. Suddenly she heard Tony's voice shout. "HEY!"
She turned around to see Tony rushing toward them. Jay let her arm go and took a step back. Tony came right up and stood between them. "What the hell is going on?"
Jay smirked. "Nothing."
Tony looked at Michelle who was clearly distressed. "Are you ok?"
"He won't leave me alone. He keeps asking me out and I have told him no a hundred times."
Tony turned back to Jay. "I saw you grabbing Michelle. You want to be up on charges for sexual harassment?"
Jay put his hands up in the air. "Hey hey, it's not like that. She has been playing games with me for months. One minute she wants me the next she is playing hard to get..."
Tony took a step towards Jay so that he was right up in his face. "Well it is clear now; she wants nothing to do with you so back the fuck off. If I hear of you giving her any trouble again you will be out of here on your ass so fast."
Jay shook his head and began to walk off. Tony and Michelle could hear him mutter "Slut" under his breath.
Tony turned back to Michelle. "Oh my God, are you ok? Let me see your arm."
Michelle couldn't hold back the tears any longer, she was so grateful for Tony coming to her rescue. Without even thinking she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. She could feel him immediately pull her in tightly and run his hands up and down her back. He whispered into her ear "It's ok, it's ok, he won't bother you again, and I'll make sure of it."
"Thank you Tony. Thank you, I didn't know what to do."
He half pulled out of the hug but kept his arm across her shoulder as he led her to the car park. "Come on, let's get out of here."
Once they reached the garage, Tony started to steer her towards his car. "I'll drive, we can worry about your car later, ok?"
Michelle just nodded. He opened the door for her and she climbed in. Once they were both seated, he took he arm, pulled up the sleeve to see a huge bruise forming from where Jay had held her. "Fucking prick. I didn't realise he had you so hard, I'm going to suspend that asshole."
"I'm ok..."
"Look what he has done to you Michelle. That is not ok. But I don't want you to worry about it, I'll take care of it. Does it hurt?"
"It did when he was doing it but it feels alright now."
Tony shook his head. He felt sick thinking about someone hurting Michelle like that. It made his blood boil he was so angry. He made a vow to himself that he would never let anyone hurt Michelle ever again. He was going to look after her...if she let him. He started up the car and began to drive toward a coffee shop.
As they drove, Tony' sister Jess called him on his cell. She sounded panicked and Tony pulled the car off to the side of the road to take the call so he could concentrate. It took him a few moments of telling Jess to calm down before he could understand what she was even saying. She had just broken up with her boyfriend and it had turned really ugly. He had trashed her apartment and threatened to beat the hell out her if she didn't take him back. His heart sank. Jess was only 20 and Tony was very protective of her. He told her he would be there in a few minutes. He hung up the phone and turned to Michelle. He explained what was happening.
"I am so sorry Tony."
"I need to go over there, I am sorry about coffee."
"Don't worry about that Tony, you need to be there for Jess. Just drop me off and go and be with her."
Tony shook his head. "No, I don't want you to be on your own either."
"I'll be fine Tony..."
"No. You have been through hell today and then all that shit that just happened with Jay. I don't want to leave you. Would you mind coming with me?" Truth be told, he didn't want to be apart from Michelle himself. He felt like he needed her.
Michelle offered Tony a small smile. "Of course I don't mind."
They spent the rest of the trip talking about Jess and the situation. Tony filled Michelle in on his sister and as much of the situation as he knew. He apologised profusely and Michelle continued to tell him to stop worrying about it and to just concentrate on making sure Jess was ok. She could tell how tired and emotionally drained Tony was. He was being a lot more open about his feelings then he ever was at work and she felt concerned for how stressed he seemed. She was drained as well. She didn't think she would be able to sleep now even if she tried. She didn't want to close her eyes and have to think about everything that had happened.
When they arrived at Jess's apartment, Tony introduced Michelle before they had even stepped in the doorway. Jess threw her arms around Tony and was reduced to tears at just the sight of him. She didn't seem to mind Michelle was there at all, and by the way she greeted she greeted her, Michelle could tell Tony must have mentioned her to his sister before. That made her feel good. They walked into the apartment and both Tony and Michelle were shocked by what they saw. Everything was all over the place. Papers were all over the floor, lamps had been smashed on the ground, the TV was on the floor broken, and the place was completely trashed. Tony repeatedly asked Jess if she was ok and if her boyfriend Sam had touched her. She continued to say that she hadn't been hurt but she was sure he would be back. She was scared to be on her own. Tony and Michelle promised her they would look after her and make sure she was ok.
After having Jess explain everything to Tony again, he excused himself to call the police and make a report. That left Jess and Michelle sitting at the counter alone. Michelle placed her hand on top of Jess's.
"I am so sorry this has happened."
"I am sorry I interrupted you and Tony, I just didn't know what else to do."
"Don't be sorry, he is your brother and he is so worried about you."
"You guys look out of it, did you just finish work?"
Michelle nodded her head. "Yeah, I am sure you have seen a pile of stuff on the news. It has been a crazy day, well night and day. But it is ok now."
Michelle could see tears starting to make their way down Jess's cheeks. Although they had only just met, she really felt for her. She stood up and pulled Jess into a hug. When she did, Jess held her tight and really let go bawling into Michelle's shoulder. One second she was saying she was sorry, the next she was asking what she was going to do. Michelle assured her that they would help her, that Sam wouldn't hurt her and that everything was going to be ok.
Tony hung up the phone and walked back in the room to see the two girls embracing and his heart fluttered. They had just met and yet it looked like they had known each other for years. He watched as Michelle rubbed his sisters back and told her that it would all be ok. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have Michelle with him right now. He didn't know if he would have been able to handle the situation on his own but with Michelle he felt like it would be ok. He was worried about her though as well. She must be a wreck inside after everything they had been through. All he wanted to do was hold Michelle close and assure her that she was going to be ok. The feeling in his gut told him he was madly in love. He wanted to smoother her with kisses, but he had to tell himself to calm down, she wasn't even his girlfriend. They had shared a kiss but he didn't even know how Michelle felt about that. He figured he would never recover if she didn't return his strong feelings. He stood watching them until they pulled out of the embrace and then he went back over to them and explained that he had made a report and that Jess would have to give a statement.
The all spent a minute staring around the apartment at the mess before finally Michelle clapped her hands together. "Ok, let's get this place put back together."
Jess stood up. "No, no, I don't expect you guys to do to do, I just..."
"Jess, it needs to get done and you are not going to start feeling better until it is. Plus with the 3 of us it won't take long at all."
Tony didn't know what to do. On one hand he wanted to do anything to help Jess and of course he planned on helping her fix it up but he didn't want Michelle having to worry about it. He would rather see her getting some rest. "Michelle, I'll help Jess, really I want you to get some rest."
He was surprised to see a wave of panic across Michelle's face. He tilted his head and took a step closer to her. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I just want to help." She excused herself to go to the bathroom before anyone else could argue with her.
Jess spoke quietly to Tony. "I can't believe she wants to help, she just met me. She is amazing Tony."
"She is, isn't she."
"You seem worried about her though, is everything ok?"
Tony checked to see Michelle wasn't on her way back before speaking. "We just had a rough shift at work and she really went through hell. Plus I just caught some asshole trying to rough her up before we came here. I don't think she is ready to be on her own yet and to be honest, I don't want her to go home by herself either."
"Sorry Tony, sounds like this was the worst time in the world to be calling you for help."
He put his arm around her. "Don't be silly, you are my sister, when you need help it is never a bad time. I am always here for you, no matter what."
When Michelle came back from the bathroom, Tony suggested he order in some food for them all. He phoned a local deli and ordered a pile of sandwiches and drinks. They all headed into the living room and decided to start in there. Tony took care of lifting all the heaving things whilst Michelle and Jess started cleaning all the glass. They tried to keep the conversation light as they worked and Tony ended up having a great time listening to his sister and Michelle joke around and get to know each other. They stopped to eat the food when it arrived.
They were about 3 hours into cleaning when there was loud banging on the door. Both the girls jumped in fright and Tony told them to go wait in the bedroom. It was Sam. As soon as he saw Tony at the door he began to beg for forgiveness. He told Tony that he was so sorry and that all he wanted to do was apologise to Jess and then he would leave. Tony told him to get lost or he would call the cops but Sam wouldn't give up.
Jess was listening to every word and eventually yelled out to Tony to let him in. Tony sighed and stepped aside. Sam's shoulders were hunched over and he looked a mess, like he had been crying. When he saw Jess emerge from the bedroom he took a step forward. "I am so sorry baby. I hate myself for what I did. I just lost it, I couldn't bear the thought of losing you. There is no excuse for what I did but I need you to know how sorry I am."
Tony sighed when he could see Jess soften to Sam straight away. He could see this guy was going to weasel his way back into his sister's life. He decided to speak up. "Mate, have you seen the fucking mess you caused here? You trashed my sister's apartment and you left her scared to death."
"I know, I know, I don't know what is wrong with me. I am going to get help, I promise."
Jess looked at Tony and then back at Sam. "I've never seen you like that before, you scared the hell out of me."
"I'm sorry, I am so sorry. I'll pay for all the damage.."
Tony barked up. "Damn right you will."
Michelle had come out of the bedroom as well and was standing next to Jess. When Sam took a step closer to Jess, Michelle instinctively stood a little in front of her.
"Please can I just talk to you Jess? Just let me explain, that's all."
"It doesn't really matter what you say Sam, it is still over. I meant what I said, I am done with you. There isn't anything more to say."
Tony felt relieved and proud of his sister. He was sure she was going to cave. He opened the front door. "I think you should go Sam, you have done enough."
"I am just asking for 5 minutes to talk to Jess!"
"Don't raise your voice and listen to what my sister has said. She isn't interested, leave."
Sam ignored Tony and took another step closer to Jess. "I love you. I love you so much. I am nothing without you, I have nothing without you."
"Well you should have thought of that before you screwed that other woman!"
Both Tony and Michelle were shocked. Jess hadn't told them that Sam had cheated on her. This just made Tony even angrier.
"It was a mistake, a stupid fucking mistake and it meant nothing. Please I love you." He inched even closer.
Michelle kept standing close to Jess. "You need to step back Sam."
Sam shot Michelle a nasty glare. "And who the fuck are you in all this?"
Tony jumped forward and shouted. "Don't you dare talk to her that way. You have 5 seconds to get the hell out or I'll throw you out."
Before they even saw it coming Sam lunged at Jess. He went to push her but Michelle jumped in front and blocked him. In a second, he punched Michelle with extreme force knocking her to the ground. Tony had reached Sam by this point, grabbed him from behind, spun him around and decked him. Sam went to fall to the ground but Tony caught him, punched him again and dragged him out the door. He slammed the door shut and locked it straight away. Everything had happened so quickly. Jess was screaming and Michelle was out cold on the ground.
Tony rushed to Michelle and told Jess to call the police. He dropped to his knees and leant over Michelle saying her name. She didn't respond. He sat and pulled her body so that her head was in his lap. He stroked her forehead whilst saying her name repeatedly. His heart was racing a mile a minute and he felt sick. Sam must have had a ring on because there was a bad cut above her eye that was bleeding heavily and he could already see a deep bruise appearing.
Within a minute Michelle started to come to. Her eyes blinked a few times and she was having trouble focusing. She could taste blood in her mouth, her head hurt like hell and she could hear Tony saying her name. She tried to focus on him, he was looking down at her, concern so evident in his eyes. She felt his hand gently rub her arm as he quietly spoke to her. "Sweetheart, can you hear me? It's Tony."
"Tony?"
"Yeah, it's me."
"Sweetheart?"
Tony couldn't help but smile. "Is that ok?"
She gave him half a nod and then tried to move but quickly became very light-headed. Tony held her down. "No don't move yet. Do you remember what happened?"
"Yes, is Jess ok?"
Tony looked up at Jess who was watching them intently and crying and then back at Michelle. "She is fine, thanks to you."
Jess dropped down next to them. "I can't believe you did that Michelle. You saved me. I am so sorry, I am so so sorry, I'm..."
Tony placed his hand out on Jess's shoulder. "Hey, calm down."
"I called the police, they are on the way."
"Michelle needs to go to the hospital, she needs stiches and quickly, this is a really bad cut."
"What do we do?"
He looked back at Michelle. "Can you hold on for a few minutes baby? I don't want to try getting you out of here until the police are here in case Sam is still hanging around?"
Michelle responded weakly that she would be fine.
He had Jess get him a hand towel so he could wipe Michelle's face. As he gently wiped the blood on her cheek he told her how brave she was. Inside his heart hurt beyond belief seeing Michelle like this. It had only been hours earlier that he had promised her he would never let anyone hurt her again and already this had happened. Jess was all over the place and he worried she was going to have a panic attack. He tried to calm her down.
"But, it's my fault. If I hadn't called you guys he would never have done this to Michelle. It should have been me."
Michelle slightly turned her head. "Jess, it's ok. I'll be fine, I promise."
The 3 of them only had to wait a couple more minutes before the police were at the door. As soon as they saw Michelle they said they would escort them to the hospital and do the report there. Michelle went to try and get up but Tony told her no. He picked her up in his arms and carried her down to the squad car.
Jess had never seen her brother like this before. He was so protective of Michelle and so gently with her it was beautiful. Clearly he cared for this woman more than anything. Jess had figured that they must have just recently gotten together but it wasn't until he saw the way Michelle reacted when he called her sweetheart that she realised they were not actually together yet. As they drove to the hospital, Jess answered the police questions and watched Tony stroke Michelle and whisper to her that he would take care of her and that she would be ok. Michelle seemed very drowsy and in a lot of pain. The bruise was growing by the minute and her eye was beginning to close it was so swollen.
When they reached the hospital, Michelle was taken straight into a room and a doctor appeared within minutes. The nurse asked Jess to wait outside but Tony quickly said that he didn't want Jess by herself and he wanted her in the room. Tony had always been amazing to Jess and this was just a good example of how much he cared for her. Even with everything else he was trying to deal with, he thought enough to know Jess wouldn't want to be sitting outside waiting on her own.
The doctor told Tony he would need to get Michelle into a gown. Michelle was groggy but wide enough awake to know what was going on. Jess stood on the other side of the curtain as a nurse helped Tony remove Michelle's sweater and pull a gown on. He could tell Michelle was nervous but luckily she had a singlet on underneath and they were happy to leave that on.
The doctor cleaned Michelle up as much as he could so he could see how bad the cut was. He then explained to Tony that he would give Michelle something for pain, then some local anaesthetic before stitching it up. As the doctor was getting everything ready, Michelle took Tony by surprise by grabbing his hand. "I'm not good with needles."
He traced her hand with his thumb, loving the feeling of her hand in his. "Just squeeze my hand as tight as you want. It will be over before you know it."
"Is it a big one?"
Tony laughed. "You are a federal agent that kicks people's ass for a living and a little needle scares you?"
Michelle laughed. When the doctor gave her the needle for pain relief, she tugged firmly on his hand. He placed his other hand on top of hers and held on tight. He tried to distract Michelle as much as he could whist they stitched her eye up. He rambled on about anything he could think. A couple times she had to tell him to stop making her laugh because it hurt. After Jess had spoken with the police she sat next to Tony and joined in. It soon became obvious the pain relief was working and Michelle was feeling dopey from it. Suddenly in a very serious tone she said to Tony. "Spiders."
"What about spiders?"
"I'm also scared of spiders. Spiders and needles scare the hell out of me."
Tony and Jess laughed.
Michelle was given 10 stitches. She was going to need a take it very easy for awhile. The doctor asked if Tony would be the one looking after her. Without a thought he responded yes. Michelle spoke up. "I'll be ok Tony, you don't..."
He leaned over her. "You've got to be kidding me Chelle. You are not leaving my sight. No arguments." Then he turned to Jess. "You either."
Jess seemed relieved but confused. "But what are we going to do?"
Tony gave a cheeky grin. "I guess we will be having a sleepover at my place tonight!"
Jess hugged Tony. "Thanks bro. Don't know what I'd do without you. I'm just going to call a friend I was meant to be seeing tonight."
When she had left the room, Tony turned back to Michelle. "Hey, look I know things have gotten a little crazy. I mean, you agreed to go out for a coffee with me and then all this happened. I didn't mean to speak for you before about staying at my place, it's just I really don't want to be apart from you right now. I want to look after you."
"I just don't want you to feel like you have to Tony, I would be ok...it's just a black eye."
"It's not just a black eye. You were knocked out cold. You have had 10 stitches, you have the worst black eye I have ever seen and you have been through hell the last 30 hours. I want to look after you." He leaned in even closer. "You saved my little sister today Michelle. I'll never be able to thank you enough for what you did, you are amazing."
"I liked it when you called me sweetheart."
Tony laughed. "You are my sweetheart Chelle. I've wanted to call you that for so long. So what do you say? Will you let me look after you?"
She nodded her head and tightened her grip on his hand. "Yes." The smile disappeared from her face. "Ummm Tony..."
"Yes sweetheart?"
"I think I'd be kind of scared to go home by myself. You make me feel safe."
He stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I don't know how you could possibly feel safe with me after everything that has happened..."
"I always feel safe with you."
"You want to know something Chelle?"
"What?"
"I didn't want to go home by myself either this morning. When you found me in my office like that this morning I was totally freaking out. I was so happy when you said you would go for coffee with me."
"I wanted to hold you so much then. I wanted to take away your pain but I didn't know how. I didn't know if you were angry with me for what had happened..."
"Why would I be angry with you?"
"Because I lied to you about Jack."
"Sweetheart, you did the right thing. I should have listened to you from the start."
Michelle's eyes became watery. "I need you to know that I am completely loyal to you Tony."
He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. "I know, and I want you to know I am completely loyal to you. You mean more to me than you could possibly ever understand."
"I know I am feeling a little stoned or something right now from the injection and I'll probably die of embarrassment later but..."
He leaned in so their faces were just inches apart. "But..."
"Will you kiss me?"
Tony's heart skipped a beat. He stood up, leaned down over her and then paused as their lips were just about touching. "I've never wanted anything more." With that he let his lips drop until they touched hers. He took it slowly as he ever so gently kissed her top and bottom lip. He wanted to taste her, he wished like hell they were not in the hospital or he would really be showing her what he wanted. He eased her lips apart and slid his tongue across to hers. The chemistry was like nothing he had ever experienced before. As each second past, the more intense the kiss became until their tongues were wrestling. He put his hand on her waist and ran it across her stomach. She pulled back slightly but he wasn't ready to stop and so he ran his tongue across her lips and pulled her back in. He only stopped when he heard the curtain open the doctor walk back in to check on Michelle.
As he leaned back, they held eye contact. No words needed to be said, their looks gave away everything they felt. There was no turning back now. Michelle had his heart. He just hoped like hell that he had hers.
The doctor just wanted to keep Michelle long enough to make sure the injection for pain he had given her had worn off a little and she was safe to leave. Tony and Jess completed the police reports and everyone was hopeful that Sam would be picked up within the next few hours.
On the way back from the hospital they stopped at Jess and Michelle's apartment to pick up some things. It was dinner time by the time they were back at Tony's place. Tony only had 1 spare room that he set up for Jess but he was a little nervous about how to approach the situation with Michelle. He wanted her to stay with him in his room but he didn't want to push her or put her in a position that she felt uncomfortable in. He decided to just see how the night went and handle it when the time came. They ordered in some take out for dinner and settled down in the lounge.
As they ate they sat chatting on the couch. Jess thanked Michelle again for everything.
"Just promise me something Jess, that you won't ever go back to Sam. I know it's not my place to tell you what to do but that guy is dangerous and you deserve so much better."
"Trust me Michelle, after what he did today, I'll never even talk to him again. I'm sorry you got dragged into this and I am so sorry what he did to you. I can't believe you were here out of the good of your heart to help me and this is what happened to you."
"Really Jess, I'm fine. I'm actually glad Tony and I were there, who knows how bad that situation could have got."
"So, am I allowed to ask if that was supposed to be a first date or something for you guys today?"
Today laughed nervously. "I wouldn't call it a date, pretty lame on my behalf it was. We were going to go for coffee but if I remember correctly you still owe me a dinner and a movie Michelle...that can be a real date!"
"I'd like that, although I have to say, sitting here now, with you guys just hanging out has been really nice. I've enjoyed getting to know you today Jess and Tony...well you have been...amazing."
Jess laughed, "wow, you are making him blush! Nobody makes Tony blush!"
Tony threw a pillow at Jess. "Watch it!"
Michelle's head hurt like hell and her eye was throbbing. Tony could see she was fading fast. He walked over to her and knelt down. "You are looking really beat. How is the pain?"
"Not great to be honest."
"Why don't you change into something more comfortable, I'll get you some tablets to take and you can lie down and we will just put a DVD or something on so you can relax?"
Michelle thought that was a good idea and so she went to get changed. When she was gone Tony started getting a blanket and the tablets for Michelle. "Hey Tony, want me to clear off to my room so you and Michelle can have some time alone?"
"It's ok Jess, I don't think she is going to last long anyway. We will just watch a film or something till she is ready to sleep."
"Do you really think she is ok?"
Tony sighed. He was worried about Michelle. He could see she was in lot of pain but he also didn't want to make Jess feel any worse than she already did. "She will be ok Jess. It's not just her head, she had a shit last day and really went through a lot, and I think it is catching up with her."
"Are you worried about her?"
"Yeah, I am. But everything is so new between us I don't want to be too pushy – I mean, we are not even officially together or anything. I keep having to stop myself from totally taking over..."
"But it is obvious you guys both want to be together, I think she probably needs you to take control of things..."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it's like me today. I was so upset and lost and you are the only one I really trust and I really needed you to come in and look after me, tell me what to do, help me get through the situation. If Michelle is feeling freaked out by everything that you guys have gone through, maybe she is trying to be strong but what she really needs is to know it is ok to fall apart and that you will be there."
"You know, you are smarter than you look!" He laughed and headed into the bedroom to find Michelle and see how she was going. She had just finished getting changed. "Hey Tony."
"Hey, thought I'd get into something comfy as well." He pulled out a t-shirt and track top. He started to undo the buttons of his shirt. Michelle looked like she started to blush a little. "I'll just let you get changed." She started to leave the room.
"Hey, it's ok. I'm just changing my top." He gave her a wink.
He pulled his shirt off and then turned around to grab his t-shirt off the bed. When he turned Michelle saw that he had a huge bruise on his back with little cuts all over it. The cuts had bled and looked really nasty.
"OH MY GOD TONY, your back!"
He spun around. "What? What's wrong?"
"You have a huge bruise and a pile of cuts, you have been bleeding. Didn't you get it looked at after the bomb? Doesn't it hurt?"
Tony's back had been sore all day and he figured he must have a pretty big bruise but he hadn't had anyone look at it and he hadn't even had time to look himself. He walked into the bathroom and was really shocked to see how bad it actually was. When he turned back to Michelle he could see tears running down her cheeks. "Hey hey, it's ok, I'll be fine Michelle. Just some scrapes.."
"It's not just scrapes Tony. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't realise it was that bad, I just thought it was a bruise."
She started to really cry which shocked Tony completely. After everything she had been through today, how could this be the thing that made her cry? She hadn't even been this upset when Sam had punched her. He didn't understand. He walked over to her and put his arms out but she took a step back from him. "What's wrong? Chelle?"
She tried to speak but nothing but sobs came out. She tried again but when she couldn't form any words she gave up and ran into the bathroom not wanting Tony to see her really losing it. She closed the door but he pushed it open and followed her in. "I'm ok sweetheart, really..."
"All this time you have been looking after me Tony and I had no idea you were so badly hurt."
"It's not that bad Chelle. Nothing compared to what you have just been through. Don't cry sweetheart..."
"I'm sorry. I'm trying not to. I just...I just..."
"Chelle..."
"Maybe I should go..."
Tony couldn't believe what he was hearing. It made no sense to him at all. "What? Why the hell would you go?"
"I don't want you to see me like this. You need to look after Jess. I..."
Tony cornered her near the counter. "You are not going anywhere. Talk to me Chelle, have I done something wrong?"
She shook her head.
"Are you angry?"
Again she shook her head.
"Why do you want to leave?"
She threw her arms up in the air. "I'm scared. I'm really scared Tony. And now I see how you were hurt and I don't know..."
"There is nothing to be scared of Chelle. They are just bruises..."
She went to push past him but he caught her in both of his arms. "You are not leaving. Look at me."
She did as he said. When he had eye contact with her, he ran his thumb down her cheek and tried to wipe away some of the tears. "Talk to me."
She raised her voice at him like she never had before. It took him off guard. "Don't you get it Tony? I almost lost you yesterday!"
She stopped him in his tracks and he could feel his own eyes welling up. "What, you mean with the bomb?"
"Yes with the bomb! I didn't know if I had lost you. I couldn't see you at first and I thought you were gone."
"Oh my god baby." He pulled her into his arms and held her as tight as he could. He did understand. He understood better than anyone because he had felt the same way. Until he had seen Michelle he had thought he had lost her as well. He felt sick even thinking about it. Her ran his hands through her hair and whispered in her ear, "I thought I had lost you to Chelle. My heart stopped until I saw you."
"What would I have done Tony?"
"I don't know baby. I hate even thinking about it because I couldn't cope if I didn't have you. But we are both here. We are both ok and we are going to make the most of everything now, ok?"
She was nodding her head. "I hate CTU."
He smiled a little, "I hate it to right now. I think you and I need a little time out."
He bent down so they were eye level. "What can I do baby?"
"Let me look at your back. It needs antiseptic on it and maybe bandaids."
"OK, shall I go and get my medicine kit?"
"Yes please."
Tony kissed her on the forehead and then made his way into the kitchen. He didn't think there was really too much Michelle could do for his back but he knew it wasn't really about that, she needed to feel like she was doing something about the situation. Exactly how he felt about her and her eye. So he was happy to let her do whatever she wanted. He was glad that that had happened; it felt like it opened the gates for them to talk about all this. He told Jess to watch some TV and that they would be out soon. He grabbed the box and headed back into the bedroom.
Michelle had Tony lie on his stomach. She started by gently tracing her finger around the bruise before cleaning it up with a wet hand towel and then wiping it with antiseptic. It felt so nice having her look after him like this. He soaked in every second of it. They didn't really talk much, other than Michelle asking him if it hurt every time she did something. When she was done he sat up and pulled her into a hug and thanked her. "I'm sorry I freaked out Tony."
"I want you to open up to me Chelle but from now on you have to promise me you won't try and up and leave like that."
"I promise."
They headed back out to the living room where Jess was sucked into an episode of Friends. They sat next to each other on the coach and watched it with her. Tony couldn't concentrate on the show - he couldn't help looking at Michelle's eye which was now completely closed it was so swollen and it looked like half her face was busied. It made him feel ill seeing her like that, thinking about how much it hurt, how scary the afternoon had been for them. She caught him looking at her. "Tony, don't...it's disgusting."
"It's not disgusting Chelle. You can barely open your eye it is so swollen, I'm worried about you."
"Do you think it will go down in the next day or so before work?"
"Chelle, I'm not sure when you will be ready for work and you can't worry about that..."
"What do you mean you are not sure when I will be ready for work? I am meant to be there on Monday."
He shook his head. "After everything that has happened, I think you need a few days out..."
"But there is so much to do and..."
"Chelle, they have got replacements in from all around the country. Besides Chappelle isn't letting anyone go back to work that isn't completely ready."
"Are you saying you don't think I am fit for work?"
He took his time to answer, trying to make sure he got the words right. He shook his head at the same time. "Not yet. Don't worry I am not going back until you do, I want us to take a few days to sort all this out."
She was about to answer when her cell phone rang. She pushed herself up and flipped it open to see who it was, then she stood up and took the call off in the kitchen. Tony wondered why she wouldn't just answer it in front of him. Jess broke his concentration. "Tony, I think you were kind of missing the point a bit there. It's none of my business, I'm just saying."
"Missed what point? What do you mean?
Jess checked to make sure Michelle was still out of ear shot. "I think Michelle is self-conscious of her eye..."
"Why would she be worried about that? She is beautiful and the bruise will heal."
"Have you told her that?"
"Told her what?"
Jess chuckled, "Men...really! Tony have you told her she is beautiful?"
Tony was ashamed that he hadn't. Considering he thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen he had wanted to tell her a million times. "No..."
"Tony!"
"You don't understand Jess, up until yesterday I thought I would never have a chance with Chelle. Every guy in the office is lusting after her. Then with everything that has happened today, it's not like I have even had a chance to sit her down and tell her how I really feel about her. Trust me, it's not like I don't think it, she is the most incredible woman I've ever known."
Jess smiled. "I've never seen you like this about someone before."
"That's because no one has ever made me feel the way she does. Shit Jess, I am so nervous I am going to fuck it up. Sometimes I feel like a fumbling idiot around her. Do you really think she is worried about how her eye looks?"
"Well she didn't want you looking at it and she said it was disgusting..."
"I'm such a prick..."
"Tony, you are not a prick! You have been amazing to both Chelle and I today. All I was trying to say was that I think Chelle is feeling self-conscious about it and if you think she is beautiful you should tell her how you feel."
"Yeah, thanks." He decided to go see how she was doing. He got up and headed into the kitchen. As he entered he could hear Michelle telling whoever was on the other end of the phone that she really didn't want to 'talk about it'. The person clearly pushed the subject again and Michelle said she couldn't deal with this now. It was obvious she was getting more and more worked up. She then said in a raised voice, 'I just told you I'm sorry I didn't call you back this morning.' There was a long silence before she said 'I'm just at a friend's, I can't talk right now. I'm not keeping anything from you, I told you I was ok, just tired. I'm really sorry." She spun around and Tony caught eye contact with her.
Michelle ended the conversation quickly and hung up the phone. Tony felt very uneasy. "Who was that? Everything ok?
Michelle nodded her head. "Just a family friend Nick, everything is fine."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure. You guys still watching Friends?" She started to head back out to the hall.
Tony gently put his hand on her arm. He was sure that Michelle wasn't telling him something. He wanted to push and ask more about who Nick was but she was brushing it off and clearly didn't want to get into it. Tony felt jealous even though he didn't know if he had a reason to feel jealous or not. "I didn't mean to interrupt your call..."
"You didn't, I was done anyways."
"You seemed pretty upset."
"I'm ok."
"Was he giving you a hard time about something?"
Michelle sighed. "I was meant to call him back this morning but I kind of forgot with everything else that happened."
"It seemed pretty heated over you just not returning a phone call..."
Michelle shrugged her shoulders, unsure of what to say. Her hesitation concerned Tony even more.
"Do you mind if I ask you why you were telling him that everything was fine and that you were just tired?"
"Because I didn't want to worry him, that's all. Besides, I am ok."
"Why wouldn't you want to worry him?"
Michelle leaned against the counter. "Is something wrong Tony? You seem a bit funny..."
"Because you are acting funny. You jumped up and left the room when you he called like you didn't want to answer in front of me, I heard you telling him you can't talk about something now, you out right lied to him that you were ok and everything was fine. This guy is upset with you just because you forgot to call him back and you couldn't have hung up the phone fast enough when you realised I was in the room..."
"Tony what are you getting at?"
It flew out of Tony's mouth before he even realised. "Is Nick more than just a family friend?"
"I didn't rush to get off the phone and you guys were watching TV, I wasn't going to just start talking on the phone..."
"That's crap Michelle and you know it."
"I can't believe this, I told you, he is just a family friend. Why are you acting this way?"
"Because clearly something is going on here and clearly this guy was upsetting you."
"Are you worried because you think he was upsetting me or because you think something else is going on?
Tony was trying to calm himself down but it was impossible. He was scared stiff that Michelle had let him fall for her and she might not be feeling the same way. He raised his voice at her. "Do I really need to say it?"
Michelle's head hurt like hell and she couldn't believe she was now fighting with Tony. Why was he so angry with her? "I guess you do Tony because I can't believe you are acting like this..."
He threw his hands up in the air. "BECAUSE I AM JEALOUS! There I said it, is that what you wanted to hear? Who the fuck Nick is and why don't you want to talk about him?"
Michelle was floored. "Why are you jealous?"
"Are you seriously asking me that?"
"Tony, it's nothing like that, I told you it is just a family friend. I really didn't want to talk to him about something because it is upsetting and after today I couldn't deal with it. That's all. I'm not trying to hide anything from you, it's just not the right time to talk about it. There has been enough to deal with today."
"But if something is wrong, or someone is upsetting you I want to know. Fuck Chelle, it is because of me that you went through hell today..."
"That wasn't your fault Tony."
"Yes it was, I let you down..."
"You think that's why I'm not spilling my guts to you?"
"I don't know. I just need to know Chelle, do you care for this guy? I can't handle...
"This is fucked up, you have already made your mind up, it doesn't matter what I say!"
"Well it would help if you said something!"
Michelle felt defeated. This whole thing had gotten so out of control. She was so mad at Tony that after the amount of times she had put herself out there for him he could even question her feelings for him. She didn't even know what to say, she just stood staring blankly at the floor.
All Tony wanted to hear her say was that she wanted him, that she cared for him they way he did for her but she wasn't. He let loose, "How dare you let me kiss you like that today, let me put my arms around you...how could you let me think I actually had a fucking chance with you when..."
Michelle started to head towards the front door. "Nick was my father's best friend Tony. My Dad was a federal agent in New York and he was killed in the line of duty 2 years ago and Nick promised my Dad he would always look out for me. He is like 65 years old." She started to sob. "Tomorrow is the 2 year anniversary of my Dad's death and I was supposed to call Nick today with the arrangements for a few of Dad's friends to go to the cemetery tomorrow. And I didn't do it. I screwed up. He was pushing me because he was worried about me and didn't know why I didn't want to talk about it. I hadn't told you yet what happened so I took the call in the kitchen because I wasn't feeling up to going into everything about my Dad. I told Nick I was fine because I didn't want to worry him – he would have had a bloody heart attack if I told him what happened today."
She pulled the door open to leave.
Tony's heart felt like it broke into a million pieces. He was stunned. He ran towards her but she put her hand out to stop him and yelled. "I am sorry but after everything that happened at CTU yesterday I don't know how to deal with it all. I was so close to losing YOU yesterday just like I lost my Dad." She turned and ran for the stairs.
Tony shouted at her to stop but she didn't even turn around, she just kept going. He caught up with her and threw both of his arms around her body. She struggled but he just pulled her into his body as tightly as possible until she couldn't move at all. "I'm so sorry, I am so so sorry."
He could tell she couldn't speak because she was crying too heavily. He was in a complete panic over what the hell to say or do. He edged their bodies closer to the wall and then spun them so her back was pushed up against it. He released his tight grip from around her and then pushed his body into hers, pinning her against the wall. "Don't run baby. Please don't run from me."
The tears were making her eye hurt like hell, she went to wipe them and pain shot through her body and she let out a whimper. All Tony could think to do was lean in and so gently kiss the tears away. His lips barely touched her skin in fear of hurting her. When she didn't pull away and she stopped whimpering, he softly used his tongue. They stayed like this for a few minutes until they had both tried to digest what had just happened. Michelle was stunned that she had blurted everything out like that. Tony had managed to push her to be more open and raw than she had ever been with anyone in her life and it scared the hell out of her. The fact that he was covering her body with his own and kissing her like that gave her a small sense of relief that it was ok that she had said what she had said.
Tony was scared to death that if he even gave her an inch of room to move she would try and run again. He needed time to figure out what to do. He was racked with guilt for pushing her over the edge like that. Because he had been so jealous he broken her down. He didn't even know where to start to begin to pull her out of quite possibly the most vulnerable position imaginable. How could he have gotten it so wrong? How could he have allowed himself to get so jealous and out of control that he just pushed and pushed her to this point? It wasn't fair. Clearly he wasn't dealing with the events of the last few days nearly as well as he thought he was. He had been unable to control his emotions and now this had happened.
He whispered into her ear again. "Please don't leave me, I'm so sorry."
Her voice was weak and broken. "My head hurts. Help me Tony."
Tears ran down his cheeks. He reached one arm down to the back of her thighs and ran the other one around her back, bent down a little and picked her up. As he started to carry her back into the apartment he kissed her forehead. "I will."
He started making his way toward his bedroom. "I don't feel good."
"I'm going to look after you sweetheart."
As he walked through the living room he passed Jess who sat stunned sitting in the chair. She had heard the whole thing and clearly been crying heavily. "Jess, can you get me the pain medication the hospital gave Michelle for me?"
She nodded her head and made her way to the kitchen.
Tony lay Michelle on his bed, as he stood up Jess was behind him with the tablets and water. He thanked her and told her to wait for him in the living room. He had Michelle sit up a little and take the tablets. "Honey, I am so sorry about your Dad. I have a million things I need to say to you, but I need you to know how deeply sorry I am for everything that just happened and everything I said. Do you think you will be ok for 2 minutes while I just make a phone call?"
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