Title: In The Right Direction

Fandom: 24

Characters: Michelle Dessler/Tony Almeida, OC- Edward Almeida

Word Count: 1,538

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Tony and Michelle get some help from an outside source.

Author's Notes: This is the first story in a three story fix-it series that takes place between Seasons 3 and 4 and delves into AU territory almost immediately. Huge thanks to featherjean and spacefiend for the read-overs and all the support!

She might have been sitting a foot and a half across from him, but Edward Almeida could see that Michelle Dessler was miles away. Just as she'd been every week for almost the last year. It broke his heart to compare the pale, broken looking person in front of him with the vibrant, happy woman his little brother had brought home for Easter dinner and later pledged to protect and cherish until death.

He sympathized with his little brother, and hated that the act of saving Michelle's life had cost him so much. Everyone in their family was proud of him, Michelle was proud of him; he'd just lost pride in himself. It was that lack of pride, that self-recrimination, combined with the drinking that drove Michelle away. And even then, she hadn't fully let go; asking about Tony at least once every time they met for lunch.

"How is he, Eddie?"

Michelle worked like clockwork, really. She waited until they'd made small talk about work or his kids, sometimes about her weekend plans - until she stopped wanting to admit that all she was going to do was sit at home and try not to miss his idiot brother – before asking. Same thing every time, just a simple 'how is he?' And every time, he hesitated when answering, unsure if he wanted to burden her with the fact that his brother was falling into deeper and deeper holes with her gone.

He knew the decision hadn't been easy, and it hadn't been taken lightly, despite the way his brother talked about it. He'd seen her agonizing, seen how Tony went back and forth between ignoring her and snapping at her about stupid things, until finally one particularly bad night brought her to his door with a suitcase in hands and fat tears rolling silently down her cheeks. She'd admitted to him later that Tony had been drunk again. He'd picked a fight over something silly only to want to make up later on. He hadn't hurt her, Michelle swore, despite the contradictory red marks on her wrists – Edward admitted later on that his brother and sister-in-law's sex life really was none of his business, because he simply didn't want to know – she'd just finally realized she couldn't keep living with Tony when he was like that.

"I don't know, Michelle, I really don't. He doesn't talk to me much; last time I tried asking him a question, he pretty much told me to fuck off."

Michelle nodded.

"He misses you, even though he's trying to pretend that he doesn't."

Michelle blinked. "I miss him too. I haven't slept well since; I keep waiting for him to come back to bed."

"You haven't talked to him have you?"

"Not since he went back to the house to get his stuff. I picked up while he was trying to leave me a voicemail to let me know he'd gotten everything he'd need for a while. It went about as well as you can probably expect. You know Tony."

"Maybe you should call him?"

"I can't, Eddie." Her gaze lowered guiltily to study the rim of her glass.

"Why not?" He reached over, touching her hand quickly to get her eyes back on his. "Why not, Michelle?" he repeated.

"I had a lawyer draw up the papers last week. It's been two months; I don't know where he is, what he's doing or even if he's okay, and he obviously doesn't care enough to make this work. I think I should just let him go."

"Michelle," he sighed. "Is that what you want?"

"Of course it's not. I'm not happy about it, I don't want it, but I can't keep waiting for him to remember who he is. I know he blames me, and I can accept that. And I just want to let him go if it's what he wants."

"It isn't. I know it isn't what he wants."

"But he doesn't want to come home, either. He doesn't want to be himself again."

"Then tell him, Michelle. Tell him that he's got one last chance to shape up or you're running off with his fabulously good looking older brother, who takes great pleasure in listening to your every thought and feeling, and tells you constantly how hot you are."

Michelle laughed in spite of herself. "I'm not sure what's worse about that statement, Eddie; the fact that you sound serious, or that you said fabulous. And by the way, I'm sure Monica might have something to say about the two of us running away together."

He shrugged playfully. "We can move to Provo, it'll be fine."

She chuckled again.

Sobering, he reached for her hand again, taking it between both of his and holding onto her bony fingers tightly.

"I'm not going to force you to do anything, Michelle, but hear me out. It's not because he's my brother, because I'm going to kick his ass from here to next century when this is all over. It's not because I want you staying in any place that you're uncomfortable or unhappy, or because I like the idea of you holding onto that Almeida name. I just want you to be absolutely sure. I'm not saying he deserves another chance, after close to three months of that shit, he wouldn't be getting it from me, but I know you see something in my little brother that I don't."

"He wasn't supposed to just let me leave," she hissed. "He was supposed to wake up as I got dressed and packed my things, and at least request that I stay until morning. He's supposed to give a damn when his wife's leaving him."

"And what does it say to you that he didn't do anything of those things? We both know that's not Tony. He's messed up right now, Michelle. He's sick, and he's lost, and he's pushing us all away when he needs us most. And we shouldn't let him."

"You know more than you've been telling me. He's not okay, is he?" she asked, studying his face.

"He's gone through something that none of us can understand, and maybe pushing him to go back to our version of normal isn't the way to make him better. We don't know what it's like to live in a cell for close to seven months. We don't know how it feels to be turned down for jobs because we followed our hearts instead of protocol. He needs therapy, a support group, even a swift kick in the ass, just not a divorce attorney."

Covering her eyes with a hand, Michelle nodded. "Okay. I'll call the lawyer back; get them to postpone the filing."

"Good."

"And what then? I postpone the inevitable?"

"Go see him. I'll go with you if you're worried. Just go see him."

"I don't have a clue where he even lives."

Silently, he reached into his wallet, passing a slip of paper over. He'd written it down on the off chance that she'd ask for Tony's address. Michelle eyed him, but said nothing.

"This is where he told me he's been staying. Truth is, he lives with someone else, a woman. I talked to her one day when he got angry and walked away from the phone; she hauled his ass out of the bar she works in, and gave him somewhere to stay."

"Are they-?" Michelle drew her bottom lip into her mouth worrying it between her teeth.

"I don't know. I brought it up to him and that was when he told me to fuck off."

"I don't think I can see him, knowing that he's sleeping with-"

Edward nudged the paper closer to her.

"You don't know that he is. I don't know that he is, just that he got angry when I asked if he was. She works nights, and I know he's given up on finding anything, so if you wanted to go over there when we leave here, that would work out, I think."

Michelle pursed her lips. "I'll be fine on my own, Eddie, but thanks."

He nodded, watching her pick up her water again.

"Does he know I'm coming?"

"He doesn't even think we give him a second thought, Michelle. He thinks we couldn't care less."

Michelle gaped. "He knows that's not true, he has to."

"Make sure you tell him that. Pound it into his skull. Let him know that his devastatingly handsome older brother's gonna be waiting in the wings to swoop you up, should he continue to be a moron and let the best thing to ever happen to him go. 'Cause I will. Even if you do call me Eddie."

Michelle laughed. "I can't promise you anything."

"You don't have to, Michelle. I'm going to stand by you no matter what you decide to do about Tony."

He looked away from those expressive brown eyes of hers just in time to see their waiter. "Check please."

Ignoring her protests, he pulled out his wallet again and plunked his credit card down.

"My treat today, Michelle. You just worry about knocking some sense into Tony. 'Kay?"

She smiled slightly, even if her eyes were still worried. "Alright."

fin