Title: Five Decisions Tony and Michelle Made With Their Hearts, Not Their Heads
Fandom: 24
Characters: Michelle Dessler/Tony Almeida
Word Count: 7,131
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Five random moments and decisions that could change everything.
Author's Notes: I've never written a five things fic, but from what I understand this one is relatively long. Each part is completely standalone, meaning one doesn't have any relation to the others, and most are relatively AU. Spoilers for seasons 1-4.
The Mission
"Tony, can I see you in my office?"
Glancing down at his computer, and the final page of the report he'd spent the last three days on, he sighed, nodding into the phone.
"Be there in a second, Jack."
Rubbing his hand over his tired eyes, he tried not to think about how close he'd been to being able to go home and get some sleep. Instead he saved his file and locked his computer terminal, standing and stretching the kinks brought on by sitting too long out of his back. He left his office, crossing the bullpen quickly, hoping to get whatever Jack wanted out of the way. He was surprised when Jack waved him inside immediately, telling him to take a seat beside Gael Ortega.
"What's going on, Jack?"
Twenty-five minutes later, he leaned back in his chair and shook his head.
"You're crazy, Jack. You actually want to go back there? After what you went through?"
Jack folded his arms, glaring at him like he was a moron and he was missing the point.
"If we can get this virus off the market and take the Salazars down for good, it'll be worth it."
He acknowledged that without dispute. It was chilling to know that something so deadly was out there ready to be bought by anyone motivated enough to make a suitable offer. He'd said as much to Sunny Macer at the conference they'd attended a few weeks ago.
"It doesn't have to be you, Jack. Gael and I both fit in a lot more convincingly in Mexico, let one of us do it."
He saw Jack look down at his hands, folding them on top of his desk and shaking his head.
"Neither of you are field agents. Besides, Hector Salazar won't trust anyone new trying to get into the organization. It has to be me."
Tony tilted his head, conceding that as well. Good or bad, Jack was the link between CTU and the Salazars. "So how are you going to get back in? Hector won't trust your word any more than he'd trust mine. You betrayed the family and put his brother in prison."
Jack nodded. "True enough. It will take something major. They have to believe I've switched sides."
Beside him, Gael nodded. "We need to break Ramon Salazar out of prison, but we have to make it at Hector's demand. That's where I come in. I'll act as the go between, feeling things out before Jack approaches."
"We're going to fake a bio-threat and have the Salazars take credit," Jack added. "So you know, this has to remain completely classified. District, Division, everyone. It's a totally secret operation."
"No way, Jack. If I keep something like this from Division and it'll cost me my job. It's an insane mission that can only go from bad to worse."
"Maybe so, but if we want to get this virus from the Ukrainians, it has to be done."
"What about Michelle?" he asked, taking the conversation back to a fight he might be able to win.
Jack shook his head. "This can't leave this room, just the three of us."
"No," he argued. "First off, Michelle's my chief of staff. She knows everything that goes on in this office. She'll know almost immediately if I start doing shady things. Your mission will be blown and the secret will be out. Second, she's got more experience than I do when it comes to IP masking; she's an invaluable asset if you want to be able to use Gael as a go between. She has clearances and she has the skills to help. If you want me, you get her too, because third, I'm not going to lie to her about something this big. I don't particularly care for sleeping on the couch in my office."
Finally Jack nodded in acquiescence, smirking just slightly as he wiped a hand across his forehead. "Fine, Tony. You win. Get her up here."
His relief surprised him. It wasn't like he'd never kept something from her before, but this was arguably the biggest. There was a difference between telling her that he couldn't tell her anything about the mission, and not even being able to tell her there was a mission. This could possibly cost all of them their jobs; he wouldn't let it cost him his wife's trust too.
"Hey, I was just about to head up to your office to wait for you," she greeted cheerily. He turned in his chair, finding her watching him from her desk.
"Can you come up here for a second? We need to talk to you."
"Sounds serious. I'm not being fired for having the hots for my boss, am I?" she asked teasingly.
"Not unless you're talking about Jack," he retorted. "Just get up here, Michelle."
He watched her make her way across the bullpen and up the stairs, smile still in place. When she opened the door and saw the three of them, her smile faltered just slightly.
"I'm not being fired, right?"
"Of course not, come sit." He gave her his chair and perched against the filing cabinet beside her. She gave them all a questioning look until he shrugged. "Your plan, Jack, you tell her."
He couldn't help but snicker at the stunned look on her face when Jack finished outlining the plan.
"You want to deceive the president? Jack, he's your biggest ally, if you do something like this, it could totally undermine your credibility with him."
"It's a risk I'm willing to take."
"And what about us? Gael, Tony, and me? We could lose our jobs, even go to jail for this. It's one thing to go undercover, but faking a bio-threat? That'll cause mass panic; it'll cost the state –"
"It'll be worth it to get the Cordilla virus off the streets. I'm sure that when the investigations are over, you all will be reinstated."
Michelle's eyes were wide, and he could see how unconvinced she was when she looked to him for guidance. He knew she'd agree if he did. He sighed, crossing his arms and nodding. There would be serious consequences, but he could accept them.
"Alright, Jack. We'll follow your lead."
Later that night she sat cuddled under his arm, palm resting on his thigh as the other stole popcorn from his bowl. He'd given up on telling her to get her own; she'd just claim she hated the stuff and eat his anyway.
He grinned when their hands met in the bowl, and he flicked a kernel of popcorn at her.
"You think it needs more butter?"
"No, I think the stick you already put on it is fine," she cracked, making a face and curling her butter-slicked thumb around his. She grinned, tilting her head back, indicating that she was expecting a kiss as reward for her incredible wit.
He flicked his tongue lightly against her lower lip, tasting salt and the previously mentioned butter. He laughed when she licked him back, smiling naughtily.
Pulling away, she stole another few pieces of popcorn, chomping down on them loudly.
"Very attractive, Michelle," he teased, finishing the rest of the bowl and stretching forward to leave it on the coffee table. She huffed, pinching his thigh through his jeans. Growling, he wiggled his greasy fingers in her face, moving them closer to her nose.
"Tony! Tony, no! Don't you touch me with those!" she shrieked, leaping up from the couch and forcing him to chase her.
He pinned her, the both of them still laughing, against the kitchen counter. Artfully she grabbed his wrist and shoved his butter covered hand under the faucet, slicking their hands together with soap and washing away the remnants of their snack.
"Crafty," he praised. She grinned at him over her shoulder, raising her wet fingers to wipe the grease from his mouth, too. She did the same for herself and cut off the water.
Slipping away from the counter, she reached for a towel to dry her hands. Without turning around, she offered it to him. Instead of taking it, he curled his arms around her, cupping her breasts and leaving twin wet handprints on her grey t-shirt.
"Tony!"
He kissed her neck, squeezing his hands gently. "We should get you out of those wet clothes."
Nodding absently, she tilted her head to one side.
"Honey?"
"Mmhmm?" he kissed her skin again.
"What made you tell me about Jack's plan? You would have been completely within your rights not to."
His gentle affection stilled, and he sighed into her neck. "It's a big mission; Jack needs people he can trust if it's going to work. And I can't lie to you."
She curled her arm back around his neck, twisting her fingers into his hair.
"Thank you."