Thanks so much for all the reviews! I had no idea people liked it so much. That really fuels me on :)
Tony, not mine... Damn it!!
Where Conflict Begins
Tony was awoken abruptly by the blaring of his alarm clock. He had fallen asleep once again with his arm flung over Michelle's empty side of the bed, his face pressed against her fragrant shirt. Blurred eyed, he studied the clock, reaching his hand over his sleep crumpled blankets to silence it. It was six thirty. Groaning, he rolled over, swinging his feet off the bed, rubbing his face a few times, feeling his bristly facial hair. He waited a minute for all his senses to awaken. Michelle was a morning person; always dragging him out of bed and helping him get energized for the day to come. Sometimes she had to coerce him into getting out of bed, he always wanted to stay home, keep Michelle in his bed forever. Those days were always the best. They headed for work smiling and already content, shining from their morning activities.
He stood up, heading into the bathroom. He started the shower, his mind still on one of those mornings, his heart aching for his splendid girlfriend. Their relationship wasn't all about the sex, thought, he had to admit that it was the best he had ever had, but their relationship went so much deeper than that. They worked better together; they thought the same and easily fitted their lives to accommodate the other. Tony didn't think he could find a better match. She was everything he could have dreamed of; maybe a little more stubborn then he had expected but otherwise the ideal person to spend the rest of his life with. He didn't mean to be cheesy but it was all true. His life seemed so much easier with her, everything went like clockwork. By the end of the first date he had known that they were meant to be and that nothing would ever come between them.
He took a fast shower, got out and shaved and was fully dressed at six fifty, which gave him enough time to drink his first cup of coffee and read the morning paper.
Drinking his coffee black, straight and strong, he tackled the morning headlines. They read: Terrorist Plot Uncovered. Tony read the watered down story of a Middle Eastern family that had planned to demolish L.A. but were uncovered before they could ensue any damage, no one was killed and L.A. was safe once again. Tony scoffed as the report came to end. CTU had been working nonstop on that case. They had tracked them back to a warehouse in Valencia, but not before they had killed themselves, all the evidence and ten of their best agents. It was hard on all of them after that day. They had just recuperated from the bomb when more people were taken. Tony could see a lot of his people harden under the events, one of them being Michelle herself. Many broke, having to take leaves of absence. He granted them, explaining to Chapelle, who openly complained, that if they were going to get back up and start working at full capacity, he needed all his people attentive and fully functional.
Tony grabbed his jacket, setting his Cubs mug in the sink, ran some water into it, grabbed his briefcase and headed out to face the morning traffic.
Lindsey arrived half an hour early, her stomach squirming to be going to her official first day of work, or so she told herself. Deep down, though she tried to cover it, she felt anticipation at seeing Tony again. She didn't know what it was about him but it made her knees go weak. She couldn't help but fantasize about him all night. She wondered what Chloe had meant by 'off limits'. Lindsey wanted to meet the person that had gotten to him first.
These thoughts ran through her mind as she kept passing underneath Tony's empty office, hoping to catch him and say hello.
Tony passed through security, waving to John the guard and headed across the quiet bullpen. Lindsey was waiting at the bottom of the stairs holding a CTU file to her chest. She smiled when he got closer.
She watched him approach, her stomach doing an unnecessary flip.
"Good morning," she said cheerfully.
"Good morning," he said, not as happy as she had hoped.
"Chloe wanted me to give you this," she said, giving him the folder. Chloe had actually said she would do it herself but Lindsey had almost begged her so that she could take it.
"uhh, thanks," he said, looking at the thick folder. "Lindsey, you can just put these on my desk before I get here."
"Oh, right, sorry," she said, her cheeks blooming little buds of red.
"It's okay, I know it's only your second day," he said, giving her a small grin.
She was about to say something else when his phone jangled from his pocket, interrupting their conversation.
"Excuse me," he said, answering it with a short "Almeida."
She instantly saw his face light up and soften to whoever was on the other end, which made her heart stop for a second.
"Hi. Sorry I didn't call this morning but I wasn't sure if you were busy or not," he moved passed Lindsey, taking the stairs slowly, smiling at whatever was being said in his ear.
Lindsey turned away, wondering if it was her on the other end. Most likely. He went into his office, closing the door behind him. She trudged back to her station.
Tony had to end his conversation with Michelle when he got a call from DOD. He answered the phone, beginning another long hard day.
Lindsey couldn't help it; he had a power over her. She watched him most of the day, picking up things he did and cataloging it into a brain file completely dedicated to Tony Almeida. By her third day, she knew that he liked his coffee black or with mild creamer, depending what mood he was in. She found out he was a huge Cubs fan, also informing her that he was from Chicago. She knew that when he was unsure he scratched the side of his face. She didn't know who his mystery woman was but she didn't see her in the office which meant that she worked at some other branch or didn't work in the government. She knew that CTU's second in charge was at a conference in New York City and that her name was Michelle Dessler, but she scrapped the idea that it might be her because Chapelle had strongly said that inter office relationships were prohibited. She highly doubted that Tony would risk braking the rules, he seemed like someone who liked following the book. Obviously, she didn't know him very well.
She did her job, steering clear of Chloe and another analyst that was strange, Adam. He thought he was the only one that deserved to work at CTU and was also a feminist. Lindsey soon came to dislike most people in the office, cocooning herself in a bubble that only Tony could penetrate.
A week passed and soon it was Wednesday night and she felt tired but also ecstatic. Tony had left an hour ago saying he had an appointment, but not before he went to IT to check on something. Lindsey was down there working, learning to get used to the system. Tony came in with Chloe. They were talking about something Lindsey didn't have the clearance code to know. They went to a monitor, but as they passed, he brushed by her, his hand grazing her forearm. She felt a surge of electricity pass up her arm and through the rest of her body. She had to strain to keep her emotions in check and keep from yelping up in excitement and exhilaration. He apologized but she was too stunned to replay, merely shaking her head like a dumb puppy. He didn't seem to notice anything, his mind too occupied by the situation at hand.
She now recalled that memory and fed off of it like a junkie on drugs. She would go home tonight and relish the simple contact between her and Tony, her fixation.
Sorry its so slow but I just really want to get across Lindsey's obsession. Don't worry, it gets better ;)
