Pulling Away

Chapter 1

Author's Note: Please review. I get really sad when people don't review and it stunts the creative juices that flow. Please, just so I know that people are reading, thanks.

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights whatsoever associated with 24. Wish I did, but I don't. You know the drill don't own characters, plots, beautiful actors, etc etc. So without further ado, Pulling Away.

Michelle led the way as she and her husband walked over to the counter to retrieve his belongings. She was many paces ahead of him, his head filled with scorn. During his time in prison, he had come to hate himself. If he had re-assigned someone to go into the hotel in the first place, she never would have been kidnaped. Now he looked at his beautiful wife, walking in front of him, he didn't know her anymore, he didn't know himself anymore. He was scared, because he'd have to go back into the real world after 2 years in jail. Things were different now, and some of the things he had endured in jail were enough to push a strong man into insanity. However, Tony had always been more than strong. But it was enough to change him, for the worse. They arrived at the counter and Michelle rang the bell for a security guard to get Tony his things. She turned to look at him and a huge smile crept across her face, but Tony's remained distant and distracted; lost in his own thoughts. He didn't even see his wife smiling at him. She understood that his mind was busy, so she left well enough alone. A security guard came over to the counter.

"Can I help you ma'am?" He uttered. She turned back towards the counter, Tony still hanging behind, scared to get close to her. This was the closest they'd been in 2 years. Before, he couldn't imagine living without her, but he had, and he hated it. To him, he wasn't living at all, he was breathing, and he was alive, but he wasn't living. He could barley make out what she was saying to the man, he didn't really care either. He was petrified to go back to his life, because he'd been away from it for so long; but he would rather die than go back into his cell. He was stuck with no good solution. Michelle had al his belongings in her hands, and she put them into a plastic bag. She grabbed his hand to go out to the car, but he didn't grab hers back.

"Hey, Tony," She said quietly with deep concern in her voice. "Are you alright?" Tony just nodded, but still didn't grip her hand, it just hung loosely in her grasp, and she accepted it. They got into the car, and Tony slowly reached for his seat belt. While clicking it in, he remembered the way it smelled. He took it in, but quickly dismissed it. Michelle started the car, but didn't go anywhere. She just looked at her husband sitting there blankly. It took a good minute before he realized that they weren't moving. He looked over at her, and she was almost in tears.

"What's wrong, why aren't we leaving?" He asked. Michelle, relieved that he still had a voice box began speaking.

"Tony, please, can you just acknowledge that you're out, and that we're together." These words stung him, and put a rotten taste in his mouth. He swallowed, but it became more difficult with every second. He hesitated for a while, looking for the right words.

"I'm, I'm sorry Michelle, everything is just a blur to me right now. I am happy that we're together, I am so happy, but that is underneath a lot of other feelings that I am having right now." He replied. He knew in that instant that what he had just said hurt his wife more than him going to jail. He could see that she felt like a knife was just thrusted into her back, and he hated himself for saying it. Michelle let go of her feelings for that moment and reached into the bag the guard had given her. She found the gold band that he used to wear on his left hand, and clung to it for dear life, not sure if giving it to him now would cause him to be more distant. She knew he had to wear it, so she extended her hand and opened her fist.

Tony saw what was sitting delicately in the palm of her hand, and it burned his heart. But he knew that he had to take it, he wanted to take it. Slowly, he reached for it, and once he felt it on his hand, so many memories came rushing back to him. He swallowed them, and buried them, because remembering them would cause him too much pain. He put his wedding ring back onto his finger. It was cold, and it didn't feel like it belonged there. After all, he hadn't worn or seen it in 2 years. He told himself that if he took it off, it would rip apart his marriage, so he swallowed the pain and left it there, idling on his finger. Michelle smiled, and began to drive to their home. They drove in silence, until they reached the driveway. Tony remembered the house as it had been 2 years ago, and so much had changed.

"You put up a fence." Tony stated. Michelle nodded.

"Yes, I told you that one day when I went to go see you." She replied. Tony desperately tried to remember her telling him that, but nothing came to him. He nodded, so she would think he had remembered. Taking a deep breath, Tony lethargically got out of the car, and walked to the front steps with Michelle right next to him. Michelle found the house key on her chain and unlocked the front door. The door swung open, and Tony hesitated before stepping in. Once he did, he looked around the room, remembering events that had occurred in different areas of the house. He noticed that there were more pictures of them around the house in frames, so she would never forget the love that they have, or had. They all painfully jolted Tony's stomach into a whirlwind of panic and discomfort. He began to sweat.

"Michelle." He asked. She could hear cracking in his voice.

"Yes Tony, is something wrong?" She asked coming closer to him. He could smell her perfume, and it made him tense up. He put on brave face.

"Do we have anything to drink?" He asked. All he wanted to do was scoop her up in his arms and carry her to their room and make love to her with the passion of a thousand souls desiring to be one. He imagined it, but it made his heart ache, and he just stood there, watching her walk to the refrigerator. She opened it up, and scanned it's contents.

"We have water, juice, milk, Coke, or Ginger Ale." She said looking over at him and waiting for his response.

"No, I mean, do we have anything to drink." Tony said putting heavy emphasis on the word drink. Michelle looked slightly shocked. Tony wasn't a big drinker before he went to prison, and she was sure they didn't let him have any while he was there; but she conceded and gave in to his demands.

"Well, we have some beer." She said. She could see her words registering in his brain, and didn't like the expression that had come over his face. He took on a look of comfort, and companionship at her words, and this terrified her beyond words.

"Yeah," was all he said. Michelle, slightly disappointed in her husband grabbed a beer from the fridge. She took off the cap, and handed it to him very reluctantly. He nodded as if to say thank you, and he went to go sit on the couch. Michelle walked back into the kitchen, staring at her husband, and wondering what happened to him to make him so different.