A/N – Set in the first October after Day Five.
Tony was sat in his car, watching as the sun rose into the still sleepy sky and listening as the birds sang to welcome in the new day. Although his former job as a CTU agent had meant many sleepless nights before, this time he could relax and enjoy the sunrise. The crisp golden leaves that were beginning to fall off the trees, the deserted street and road, the soft blue of the morning sky.
"I wish you could be here with me, Michelle," Tony whispered as thought of the woman that he knew was the one for him. Now she was lost, and he had grown distant from his past life, his past friends. Course, the whole faking your death act sort of stopped any reunion, but Tony knew that his false end was not like Jack's. He did not walk into the sunset knowing that only a select few of his friends knew he was still alive. His ending was, as far as Jack and all the others knew, final, and the only people who knew that he was alive were Emerson and his group.
Getting out of his car, Tony shut his door quietly before walking down the street. He was parked in a suburban area that he knew well, because it had once been where he and Michelle had lived. Reaching their old house, he noticed the faint burn marks on the driveway, where the car had exploded. In his mind, he saw the car again, he saw Michelle lying there and taking her last desperate breaths again. Looking up at the windows of the house, he could tell that it was empty and noone lived there, and he tried the door. Surprised to find it open, he went inside, and saw the house he had once called home. The furniture was just like they had left it, although all their possessions had been removed, including his beloved Cubs mug.
"We were going to be so happy, Michelle," Tony spoke as he sat down on the couch. He looked up at the wall where a pale square was evidence that a picture once hung there. Remembering that it was a picture of his wedding day, he tried to recall it in his mind. Michelle had looked so beautiful that day, and it had been a rare day of celebration and love for them.
Leaning back, he closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the peace and quiet. He tried to imagine Michelle sat next to him, their bodies embraced and their minds and hearts content. They had spent many a lazy afternoon sitting close, talking about everything, and it had been their time with one another. They knew each other's deepest secrets and hidden fantasies.
Feeling around the couch, his fingers touched a box. Pulling it out, he found it to be a box of matches. Chuckling as he realised that the last time the matches had seen the light of day was when they had lit the candle's on Michelle's birthday cake, he saw the irony. After all, it was his own birthday, and as he lit a match, he stared at the flame.
"Happy birthday, Tony," he said, before blowing out the match.