It was 10pm before the first lead came in. Tony had barely spoken a word to anyone for hours. He wasn't sure he knew how to string a sentence together anymore. His mind had gone completely numb. He lifted his head to look at Troy, who was just a blurry image standing in the doorway. He tried opening and shutting his eyes repeatedly to focus on him but he just wasn't able to. Tony settled for just listening to him.
"Tony, a gas station attendant in Merced called the local police because he felt unsure about a couple that came into his station a few hours ago…"
"Unsu…unsure how?"
"The clerk said that he saw the man slap the woman across the face. She apparently tried numerous times to get out of the car but he wouldn't let her. When the man came in to pay his bill he didn't take his eyes off the woman in the car once. The attendant could see that she quite clearly had a severe black eye…"
"How do you know if it was Michelle?"
Troy walked in closer to Tony. "Well we showed the clerk a photo of both Michelle and Dan and he seemed positive it was them…"
Tony tried to stand but his legs buckled underneath him and he stumbled back into the seat. His voice was desperate. "How long ago was this?"
"It was 5 hours ago now, the clerk spent hours tossing up whether he should bother calling someone about it or not. I guess he decided to once he had finished his shift."
"5 hrs?! They could be anywhere by now. Where is this guy now? I want to talk to him, I want to know…"
Troy didn't let Tony finish he stopped him by placing his hand on his shoulder. "Tony there is no point, he has said everything he knows. Now we need to concentrate on figuring out where they were heading."
Tony nodded his head and then took a moment to digest the new information. Within a couple of minutes he had snapped back into agent mode. He stood up and grabbed his phone.
"Tony, maybe you should leave this to us? Stay here, get some rest and let us bring Michelle home to you."
"No, I'm not stopping until I've got Michelle. There is no way I can just sit here any longer doing nothing."
Michelle looked at her watch, it was just after 10pm. A day and a half had passed since Dan had taken her from the hospital. If she was going to run, it had to be now. She looked over at Dan who was fighting his heavy eyes with everything he had. She prayed for the hundredth time in just the last hour that he would just give in and fall asleep. She knew she was exhausted but she had pushed past that herself, she was running on pure adrenalin. They had spent most of yesterday driving just to throw the police off. They had dumped the car 6 hours out of LA and driven a different one back. They were actually only 20 minutes from CTU but had anyone spotted them yesterday they would now think she was hours away. Dan had stopped talking to her hours ago. He had basically admitted to her that he had decided to help these men because they offered him the right price. He said he had never so much as gotten a parking ticket before now but he was desperate for money to look after his kids. Michelle didn't care anymore, she didn't care what his excuses were and she didn't care how much he was being paid. All she cared about was getting home to Tony. Dan would be handing her over at 12:30am, after that Michelle knew it would only be a matter of minutes before she was murdered. Dan had almost broken into tears when he told her that all of this was a payback for the death of Pault – it was also the best way they could send their message back to CTU. After Dan had shared that information with her he had just stopped talking, probably scared that he would completely lose it himself.
She looked down at her bare feet. A few of the stitches on her right ankle had ripped out and there was blood covering every inch of her foot. It didn't even hurt anymore, in fact her body felt so numb she barely had any pain at all. Michelle wondered if she was in shock because of how she was feeling. She thought she should be a broken down mess by now but instead she couldn't even bring herself to think about it all. It was like there was a wall in her mind blocking everything out, this at least was allowing her to rationally think about how she was going to get out of this situation. She was handcuffed once again to the bedpost but the cuffs were not actually locked around her foot. Dan had stupidly told her to lock herself back up after he had let her go to the bathroom. She closed the clasp but not completely and he had only checked the one attached to the bed. He had watched her do it so it obviously never even crossed his mind the cuff wasn't closed all the way.
Chappelle looked down at Tony with great sympathy. Tony had finally accepted an injection to help him sleep. He had barely stopped since Michelle had disappeared, they literally had to shove some food down his throat and everyone was worried at how quiet he had gone. He would say what he had to as far as the case was going but he didn't offer anyone anything more than that. Chappelle called in the CTU doctor and basically begged Tony to see him. Not that he had ever shown it but Chappelle had a soft spot for Tony after everything that had happened with Nina. He greatly respected the way Tony kept himself together after that day. The pain in Tony's eyes had been haunting but that had disappeared since Michelle had come into their lives. If Chappelle was honest, he was jealous of the two of them. It was obvious they would make a great couple, the chemistry between them was something special. The vibrating of his phone in his pocket broke his train of thought.
Tony's eyes flipped open. Someone had been tugging on his arm and yelling his name. "What? Is it Michelle?" As he spoke he realized that there were 5 men standing in the room. Chappelle was standing at the back with his head down.
Brad Hammond looked like he had seen a ghost, his eyes were huge and red but his skin was completely pale. He shifted his feet back and forth as he started to speak. "Tony, they….we….have…I…"
"What? What the hell is going on?"
"Tony a body was found in a park reserve about half an hour from here. The body matches Michelle's description completely…"
Tony stared deeply into Brad's eyes and didn't say a word. Minutes passed and he didn't move, he barely even blinked. Suddenly he jumped to his feet and charged into the bathroom where he proceeded to vomit repeatedly. None of the agents moved or spoke, they simply waited patiently for him to return.
Tony started yelling at Brad before he had even opened the door to walk back in. He stayed on the other side of the room with one hand on his hip and the other was roaming between scratching his face and hair. "It could be fucking anybody, who did the description match?"
"Tony we faxed over Michelle's photo and they feel fairly confident it is her. We need you to come down and do an identification….we can't get a hold of any of her family…"
Tony began pacing the room back and forth. "NO, NO…FUCK NO. It's not her, it can't be her."
Brad kept calm, he could feel sweat running down the side of his cheeks and his hands were shaking. "I'm so sorry Tony. We are all so sorry this is happening. You need to come down though immediately……if it's not her Tony we need to keep at our search…"
This was all Tony needed to hear. "I'll go to the car." He pushed past the agents in the room and with his head to the ground headed straight to one of the cars. He could not believe what he was about to have to do. If he had to look at Michelle's lifeless body he knew it would shatter him forever. He thought about how worthless his life would feel if he had lost Michelle. The idea of ending things if it was her to avoid the pain played across his mind. He didn't know what he felt more, guilt, sadness, anger – whatever it was, it rolled into the deepest devastation he had ever felt in his life.
Michelle took a deep breath, said a prayer and then bolted for the door. She heard Dan jump up from the bed as she fumbled with the locks on the door. He grabbed her head and shoved it into the door, she dropped to the ground. Michelle tried to use his pants to pull herself back up but he kept striking her anywhere he could reach. She was just too weak to defend herself properly. She didn't give up though, she was ready to fight until the absolute end because she knew she had nothing to lose. After she had picked herself up from the floor for the third time she began begging him to let her go. He was clearly emotional and very torn over what to do. She could tell there was a big part of him that really wanted to let her go but the fear of what would happen to him if he did that was keeping him from doing the right thing. He dropped his guard for just a moment to wipe his eyes and Michelle took the opportunity to kick him as hard as she could in the groin before punching him in the neck. He dropped to the ground and she got the door open and made a run for it.
Michelle knew she only had moments before he would be on her tail so she had to find somewhere to hide for a moment. She rounded the first corner just to get out of sight and then jumped onto the back of a utility truck and lay down.
She could hear him walking across the gravel, she kept her head down low and just listened to his movements. Another car pulled into the parking lot, the headlights lighting the utility truck right up. Dan went back around the corner to search the other side, the last thing he needed was anyone seeing him or asking him what he was doing. Michelle continued to wait, she was not going to move until she couldn't hear a single sound.
Tony was led down a narrow corridor and taken into a large room with metal cabinets taking up one whole side of the wall. He had been in this room before but it was to see a body of somebody he had never even met. He didn't know how to deal with the idea that his Michelle might be in one of those compartments. Chappelle and Hammond were with him but he hadn't been able to look either of them in the eye since they had left CTU.
A tall man entered the room. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting…"
Tony's body was shaking uncontrollably, his chest was so tight he could barely breath and sweat was pouring down his face. As the man slid one of the drawers out to reveal a body covered with a white sheet Tony's legs buckled from underneath him. Chappelle helped Tony back up onto his feet. "Tony…"
"Do you think you could all leave? I can't do this with everyone in here."
Chappelle was still holding Tony. "Are you sure? Do you want us to just stand back?"
Tony pulled away from him and shook his head. "No, I need you to leave."
The three men nodded their heads and then slowly stepped outside. The stood silently on the other side of the door. Tony made his way over to the body and put his hand on the end of the sheet. He knew he just had to do this and get it over with. The sheet was bouncing up and down because he was shaking so much. He closed his eyes and heaved the cover back.
'Not my Michelle, not my Michelle.' He opened his eyes and directed them down to the woman's head. Tony saw it wasn't Michelle, it took a moment to register. He couldn't believe how much this woman resembled Michelle, they could have been sisters. He stopped grinding his teeth, his shoulders dropped, his hands unclenched and he was able to take a breath. He began to sob uncontrollably. Relief overcame him and he completely broke down. He dropped to the ground and just let himself go.
Upon hearing Tony's sobs Hammond and Chappelle thought it must be Michelle. They rushed into the room and dropped down to Tony's side. "We are so sorry Tony…"
He lifted his tear stained face. "Its not her, its not Michelle, its not."
"What?!" Hammond jumped up and looked at the woman. He felt himself choke up in relief when he saw it wasn't her. They looked so much alike he completely understood why the police had thought it was her. He looked at Chappelle. "He's right…"
Tony's tears were stopping but his body was still shaking and he was still struggling for each breath. When Chappelle asked him if he was ready to go find Michelle he found himself almost let out a small laugh. "Hell yes."
Michelle didn't know what to do. She had a fairly good idea where she was but she was scared to death of calling CTU. After Dan she was finding it really hard not to lose her trust in everyone else there. She didn't think she could handle facing all the questions and medical investigations. All she wanted was Tony. She would have done anything in the world to have just him come pick her up and take her home but she knew that wasn't possible. She was so sick of feeling so frightened, so sick of feeling so weak and vulnerable.
She decided to start making her way as far from the motel they were at as possible. After making her way across the parking lot she ducked into someone's backyard. Soon she found herself a few blocks from the motel and she had managed to go the entire way without being on the road. When she reached a house on a corner block she crossed between the front and back to see what her options were. There was a 711 on the other side of the road a few shops down. She wondered how she could make it there without causing a scene. Still only covered by a t-shirt and hospital gown with cuts, blood and bruises all over her she would draw so much unwanted attention. She slumped to the ground, she was so tired and she needed to get her mind straight on what she was going to do.
CTU was close on Dan's tail. They had received an anonymous call through the police from one of the motel guests about a disturbance. One police checked it out and spoke to the manager, he identified Dan as being one of his guests. He didn't know anything about the woman though. He had also confirmed that a few of the guests had called him about what sounded like a domestic fight coming from his room. Tony joined his agents against everyone's suggestion to the motel. He was going to be the one that picked Michelle up. He was unable to express any emotion the whole way there, he refused to get his hopes up but he also refused to give up.
They found Dan sitting in the middle of the floor of his motel room. He was rocking back and forth, silently crying. It was nearly 12:15am, he was supposed to be leaving now to drop Michelle off. He knew when he didn't show up with her they would hunt him down and kill him. The guilt over what he had done mixed with his pending fate had caused him to break down.
Michelle wasn't here and Dan was a mess, Tony didn't know what to think. Was it a good sign that she wasn't here because she had gotten away or had Dan broken down because of what had already happened to her?
Tony was told he needed to wait a few minutes before trying to talk to Dan, they needed to calm him down first. He had heard the words but he hadn't taken them in. He paced past the broken man on the floor. "Where the fuck is she?"
Dan looked up at Tony who was seething at him. The held deep eye contact. "WHERE THE FUCK IS SHE??"
"I don't know….she got away from me, I don't know."
Tony grabbed him by his collar. "How long ago? What did you do to her?"
"A couple hours ago."
Dan was interrupted by Tony's cell phone ringing. It took Tony a moment to realize it was his phone. He didn't even break his eye contact with Dan as he pulled his phone from his pocket and opened it up to his ear.
"Almeida."
"Tony…."
His stomach flipped and his legs went weak. "Oh my God….Chelle?" He bolted out of the room to find privacy.
"Yeah its me."
"Baby, where are you? Are you ok? Oh my God Chelle…."
His words were met with the sound of nothing but sobs. "Please honey, tell me where you are so I can come get you."
"Who are you with Tony? Don't tell it's me…"
Tony was rubbing his chest, it was getting tighter and tighter. "Chelle I'm with everyone from CTU, they would know it was you from my reaction answering the phone. What are you thinking? Talk to me…"
"It was Dan Tony. He was working with them. I can't trust anyone at CTU…."
Tony cut her off. "You can trust me! No one else at CTU is going to hurt you sweetheart, I promise…."
She yelled at him. "No you can't, you can't promise me that Tony. You have no idea who anyone really is…..everyone trusted Dan so much they assigned him to my door."
Tony kicked the wall in front of him, the feeling of guilt in his stomach was putrid. "I'll never forgive myself Michelle. I'm so sorry I…"
"No no Tony, it's not you. I trust you with my whole heart, I'm just scared." Michelle didn't mean too but she was being distant to Tony. She wanted to breakdown to him, tell him how much she loved him but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She truly couldn't let herself believe that she'd never see Tony again, she had blocked it all out trying to protect herself from the pain. She was sure someone else would get to her first before he did, or they would just find her again – this nightmare would never be over.
Tony was begging her. "What if just me came to get you Chelle? I promise no one else….I will have to take you back to the hospital but we can have that time together."
Michelle was nodding her head. "Really? You mean it – just you?"
Tony felt so relieved that it seemed she would let him come to her. "I promise – just me. I'm at the motel Dan had you - Where are you?"
"I'm just down the road. I'll meet you around the back of the 711, it's like 3 blocks away heading north."
Tony was already heading to his car. "I'll be there in a couple minutes baby…" He hung up and stopped as he past Chappelle on the way. "That was Michelle, she is ok I think. I'm going to go and get her and take her back to the hospital."
Ryan began walking with Tony and signaling to the other agents. "This is great Tony….lets go…"
Tony stopped and held his hands out. "No…. I'm going alone. Michelle is worried about who she can trust in CTU – I'm lucky she even told me. No one is to follow – we will meet you at the hospital." He turned and left before anyone had a chance to argue.
Tony found he didn't think at all while he drove to the 711. Maybe he did, he couldn't tell anymore. He pulled into the back and saw Michelle immediately. He was completely overwhelmed with emotion. He pulled up right next to her, he was going to get out but she pulled the door open and jumped in straight away. Neither said a word, they just stared at each other, almost like they couldn't believe it was really them.
Michelle was about to lose it. She couldn't believe it, she was actually finally back with Tony. He looked even more handsome than she remembered and even though not a word had been said she could already feel the raw sexual energy between them. She turned a little more towards him and that's when she noticed his eyes becoming watery and his bottom lip quivering. It looked like he went to say something but the words didn't come out instead he began to sob. Michelle was completely shocked, she hadn't expected he would fall apart. He completely broke down, sobbing hysterically. Her heart shattered into a million pieces seeing him like this. For a moment it felt like her body was paralyzed, she opened her arms and pulled him into a hug. He gripped onto her so tightly and buried his head into her neck. Michelle soaked Tony in – this was way more than just a hug, it was so unbelievably emotionally powerful. She finally found her voice. As she spoke she held him so tightly with one hand and had the other one rubbing up and down his back. "It's ok Tony, I am here sweetie…..I'm here."
"I'm so sorry….so sorry. I'll never forgive myself for almost losing you Chelle…"
Tears were flowing at a rapid rate down her own face. She put a hand on each cheek cupping his face and pulled his head back so he had to look into her eyes. "It wasn't your fault Tony….there was nothing you could do – you have to believe that."
"I fell asleep…"
Michelle kissed his forehead and then spent a few minutes on both cheeks kissing up all his new and old tears. "I'm begging you Tony to believe and trust me on this. I'm begging you, I just can't handle this if I know you are blaming yourself. You are all I've thought about through all of this Tony – you are the only person I feel safe with. Please…please…"
Tony covered her hands with his and held them tightly. He kissed them all over – he started speaking over her. "Ok….ok. I believe you – don't worry about me ok?!" He pulled back and started running his hands over her body and checking her out. "Are you alright? What did he do to you? What happened to you in all this time?"
"Tony he….Tony he…he" She couldn't get her words out, she was crying too much. She kept trying but it was her turn to break down and she just couldn't control herself. Tony had her climb into the back with him so he could hold her without the gears getting in the way. Michelle kissed his neck, God he felt good. She loved feeling his rough stubble under her lips. She couldn't help herself, she had to kiss him hard all over his cheek and neck. Michelle used her tongue as she kissed him desperately. He was stretching his neck so she could get everywhere. He was kissing anywhere he could reach and his hands kept pulling her in closer to him and then griping her as hard as he could.
Michelle finally tried again. "Dan was going to hand me over at 12:30am to more of Pault's men. They were going to murder me for revenge on Pault's death. Also to send the message to CTU that you can't mess with them."
"It was me who killed Pault, it should be me they are after not you."
Michelle traced his face with her thumb. "It doesn't matter to them who actually killed him Tony – they want me because of everything that has happened."
Tony leaned in and kissed her quickly on the lips. Every touch or kiss was full of so much love, lust and desperation for each other that it was so emotionally overwhelming – it was like their mind and bodies were demanding more and more from each other.
"I love you so much Michelle." As he said this he broke into tears again. He hung his head and tried to wipe them away.
Michelle leaned her head down and kissed him on the forehead. "I love you Tony. What are you thinking?"
He lifted his head and looked her in the eyes. He wanted to know exactly what had happened with her and he also needed her to know what he had been through at the morgue. It had been the hardest time of his life and it was still ripping him apart. "I need to tell you something that happened Chelle whilst you were gone, it's ripping me apart…."
"What Tony?"
"I can't believe it happened…"
"Tony you are scaring me…..is this about another woman?"
Tony was completely taken back by her. He thought about what he had said and could totally see why she had just asked that, he had made it sound like he was about to confess something. He slid his hand around her neck. "Michelle there will never be another woman. There never could be someone else because I am just too in love with you. I haven't even looked at another woman since I met you sweetheart." He felt relieved to see a small smile spread across her face.
"Sorry Tony, I didn't mean to jump to…"
He kissed her again. "Don't be, I worded what I was saying wrong, I'm the one that's sorry." He was about to start to tell her again but he stopped himself because they had locked each other into the most magical eye contact. Slowly their lips drew closer and closer until they were kissing passionately. This was really the first time they were able to kiss properly since they had been at Tony's house for those few hours all those days ago. The intensity was growing, he began to lean into her.
She was half sitting, half lying down against the back door and Tony was pressed up against her. "Chelle, you have to tell me if I hurt you." He was panting so hard every word had been broken up.
Michelle's side was hurting but she didn't want to say anything because she was feeling so good. Tony pulled back and stopped. "I'm already hurting you aren't I?" He looked so concerned as he sat up straight. "You've gotta tell me sweetie…"
"I can handle it Tony, I need you…"
Tony leaned back in and whispered into her ear whilst nibbling on it. "Why don't you show me where I can touch you?" Tony held his breath whilst he waited for her answer and continued to play with her ear. After everything Michelle had been through he had been wondering if she would want to be intimate with him. He had accepted she might not want anything for a long time and he was more than happy to wait forever for Michelle. Nothing was more important to Tony than her feeling comfortable, safe and secure with him. Since she had gotten in the car though they had been so drawn to each other he doubted there was anything in the world that could pull them apart now. His need to be with her, close to her and touch her was overwhelming. Tony stopped kissing her ear and pulled back enough to look into her eyes. He felt her take his hand and together they moved her gown to the side of her body. She trailed his hand up her stomach, his eyes flickered to watch their hands so when she stopped leading he could continue.
He couldn't believe he was holding her in his hands again, it almost still didn't feel real. Now that his body wasn't pressed up against hers anymore he felt too far away. He cupped her in his hand, "is this better Chelle?"
"Closer Tony…" She pulled him by his cheek in so she could kiss him. They both felt better once their lips and tongues were pressed together again.
Tony was giving her everything he had in his kisses and the way he held her. He felt so broken and defeated on the inside. Too many times and in too many ways he had thought he had lost her over the last week that he didn't know how to accept that she was really here in his arms. Anger over what they had been put through started to run thick through his blood, it was the first emotion he had felt clearly for a long time.
"They found a body in a reserve, they thought it was you…"
Michelle pulled back from Tony in shock. "What?"
"The local police even matched the body to a photo of you…"
He reached out for her but she pushed him away. "Dead? You thought I was dead Tony?"
His voice was raised at her. "I didn't know how to think. They made me go to the morgue…" He went to take her hand but again she deflected it. "Why won't you take my hand?"
Michelle stopped staring at the back of the seat and looked at Tony. "I don't know. I don't know….I just can't believe you thought I was dead. Doesn't that mean you gave up on me?"
"How the fuck could I give up on you? That's bull shit." He slid himself across to the other side of the seat and started to open the door. "I've given every ounce of myself not to fucking give up Michelle. I had to stand over a body on a metal drawer with a sheet covering it thinking that it was you. Do you have any idea in this fucking world how I felt pulling that cover back? Huh?" He stood out of the car and slammed the door closed.
Michelle jumped out immediately and made her way around to Tony who stood with his hands on his hips and his head down. Michelle stopped right in front of him and reached her hand out flat on his chest. At her touch Tony calmed down a little. His lip began quivering again and the tears started to mount up. "I couldn't live without you Chelle. I wouldn't know how to live without you."
Tony began to sob and Michelle threw her arms around him. He pulled her in close nuzzling his face into her neck. "I love you so much Michelle….so much."
"I love you baby….its ok." She ran her hands over his chest. "It's alright now sweetheart. I'm here for you."
Tony gently kissed her neck. "I'm sorry I keep crying. I never cry. I just…..I don't know how to handle all this – I've been shattered. That was the hardest thing I've ever had to do tonight Chelle…."
"I'm so sorry for what you have been through Tony. I can't even imagine what that must have felt like. What can I do for you honey? Tell me what will help you?"
"Michelle you have been through more than anyone could ever imagine. I don't care about anything but having you 'ok' again. Having you in my arms again is all I need." He started using his tongue on her shoulder and neck.
Michelle felt so many different things but the only one she cared about was her feelings for Tony. She felt guilty for what he had been through. She totally recognized there was nothing she could have done but it didn't hurt less thinking about his night. She reversed the situation and she felt physically sick just thinking about what it would be like if she was asked to identify Tony at the morgue.
Michelle closed her eyes and let a few moments pass by where all she did was soak in how good it felt having Tony kissing her shoulder and neck like that. He was pulling her shirt off her shoulder and then he tilted her head to the side so that he could reach everywhere. She gripped his chest really hard in her hand and pressed into him as much as she could. "Should we get back into the car?"
Tony bended his knees enough that he could be level with Michelle's face. "I think we should…" He opened the back door and helped her in. They were kissing passionately on the lips within seconds of being back in his car. Tony pushed her gown to the side again and she moaned into his mouth when he started exploring her chest firmly with his hands.
Michelle needed this more than anything else. Tony made her feel so loved – after being through what she had, it was more than perfect to have him paying her attention like this. He struggled a little to not break the kiss as he stood up enough to push his hard self into her leg. Usually he would be nervous at doing all these things for the first time with Michelle but right now he wasn't at all, he just had to be as close to her as possible. Both Tony and Michelle desperately wanted to show one another what it felt like to be truly loved. They would appreciate and make the most of every single second they had together from now on.
Right now, they were both almost scared of letting the other one go. They didn't want to even stop and take a breath, instead they kissed and held each other even harder.
When Tony pushed himself into Michelle she caught him before he had a chance to sit back down again. Finally they had to break the kiss, they were both panting so hard. Michelle began to undo his belt and when she had trouble Tony started to help her. He undid everything for her and then she pulled his pants to his knees and he sat back down next to her. "Chelle, how are you feeling?"
"You, I'm feeling how good it is to be with you."
Tony ran his hand so gently up her thigh and inside her underpants. Her gasp for him was met by his lips, which at the moment formed a little grin. He noticed her looking nervously out the window. "It's ok, we are round the back remember, besides you can't see a damn thing through the windows." He kissed her when he saw that she had relaxed a little.
Michelle felt so good to Tony's touch but she felt restless because she wanted to be making him feel good. It was because of her he had been suffering so much pain and she wanted to be able to begin to take some of that away. She reached her hand down and tugged at his boxer shorts until they had been pulled down. She had to giggle when she watched him staring at her hands with his eyes just about popping out of his head and his mouth wide open. She let his name slip in a groan as she wrapped her hand around him. "Tony…"
"Oh Shit Chelle….I've wanted…I've needed you for so long." With their bodies becoming tangled they continued kissing each other.
Tony moved her head to the side and sucked on her ear. "Come sit on my lap….sit on my lap…" They looked at each other intensely, knowing exactly what he meant. She began to lift herself up and Tony wrapped his arms around her to help. Suddenly a very sharp, very intense pain shot all up her side making her yell out in pain. She collapsed all of her weight in to his arms and Tony panicked.
"Where is the pain Chelle? How should I put you down? Do you need to sit or lie down?"
Michelle cried out again. "I don't know…sit?"
Tony sat Michelle down next to him and had her lie with her upper body across his lap. He lowered his head a little and stroked her face and hair. "Where is the pain baby?" He could see she was holding herself from crying. "Cry Chelle…..I'm here…"
Michelle began to sob and a couple times her entire body flinched. They stayed like that for quite a long time while she calmed down. He just kept stroking her face and holding her. "Aaahh Chelle what were we doing? I'm sorry, I can't believe I pushed things like that."
"Are you sorry for what was happening between us Tony?"
"Oh Chelle, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that I should have controlled myself better. You are so badly injured you should be hospital, I don't even know what happened to you over the last 2 days. All that is my priority but I got so caught up in how good I was feeling – with your injuries, the last thing I should be trying to do is have sex with you."
"I loved being with you but Tony. It was like nothing else mattered but being with you. I just…I…you…I…"
"Take a big breath sweetheart and then try again. That is the same with me Chelle – I couldn't stop…I just had to know what it felt like to feel you and touch you…..I've only fantasized about you for like 14 months now …"
They both giggled a little. "Gee Tony talk about pressure on me!!" They both laughed.
Tony gently caressed her stomach. "No pressure….you felt amazing sweetheart. What were you going to say to me before?"
Michelle stop laughing, she put her hand over his and moved with it as he continued to slide it over her stomach. "I'm kind of relieved we didn't get to have sex then. Please don't hate me for this. I just wouldn't really want my first time with you to have been in the car park of 7/11. I certainly wanted to and was ready I just want it to be perfect."
Tony kissed her sweetly. "Couldn't have said it better myself beautiful. And I hate to admit it, but I wasn't thinking about anything other than how good you felt and what I was going to do you next. I should have had more control because I agree with you, I don't want the 1st time to be here, like this. I just love you so much and when I'm with you, it makes everything feel like it's going to be ok."
Michelle already felt so responsible for Tony's pain and hearing him say that made her want to do everything she could to make him feel ok. She rolled over on his lap so that she was on her side facing him and began softly kissing his stomach. Tony took in a deep breath and then bent over Michelle and started kissing down her side.
"How is the pain now Chelle?"
Michelle ran her hand up and down his chest as she answered him. "That pain I just got before is basically gone."
"How does the rest of you feel though?" His tongue began to trace over her shoulder.
"I feel pretty good Tony. My foot's sore because I need more stitches but other than that I'm doing alright."
He gently rolled her onto her back. He slowly moved her gown to the side to reveal her stomach. Tony ran his hand up her left side until he found the 2 sets of stitches, he then very softly traced over them with his finger. "What about these baby?"
Michelle put her hand up and covered Tony's with her own. "Don't even think about it Tony, I'm ok….really."
"I am worried Chelle, very worried. I need to get you back to the hospital…."
"No way."
He stroked her hair and the side of her face. "I have to sweetheart. I was lucky to able to come to you alone…"
Michelle closed her eyes tightly. "You are the director Tony, you are the one calling the shots…."
"Not on this one. Chappelle is basically in charge now. I mean officially I am but Division has certainly stepped in."
"I'm not going Tony. I'm just not going, there is nothing that you can say that will change my mind about this…"
Tony bent over and kissed Michelle on the forehead and then on her right cheek, just under her black eye. "Please don't do this Chelle, I've got to get you back. I want you to be seen by a doctor…..you were nowhere near ready to leave before. CTU is going to pull rank and make you come in."
Michelle started to sit up, Tony tried to stop her but she pushed past his hand anyway. She held onto the door and looked out the window. "I've survived these last couple days alright…"
"Chelle…"
She could tell he was getting upset. "Ok Ok Tony, I'll go to a doctor but I want to go to my own doctor – that's fair."
Tony wasn't getting upset with Michelle, he was just frustrated. He completely understood why she wouldn't want to go back to the hospital or CTU, he didn't want to either but he knew Division wasn't going to budge on any of this and they had a lot more power than anyone. "No Michelle, that's not going to work. You know what work's like, these things need to be done by the book." He put his arms around Michelle and pulled her back into his body. "Please sweetheart, I have to take you."
Michelle turned around so that she was facing him, she put her one had to her side and gripped the door handle. She was getting very upset now and her voice was raised but shaky. "Why do you care so much about CTU? I don't even know who I can trust there. I don't care about doing things by the book any more…"
"Because I want you safe God dammit Michelle. You think I give a shit about CTU? But if these guys are still after you, I want you protected!"
"Tony it was because of CTU that all this just happened." Michelle pulled down on the handle so the door opened.
Tony reached straight across and pulled the door shut. "Where are you going to go Michelle?" He was stretched across her body and he turned his head so their faces were only inches apart and they stared into each other's eyes. Michelle's were wet with tears, Tony's were dry. He felt so frightened and stressed. "Huh? Where are you going to go?"
Michelle took her hand off the handle and lowered her head, breaking eye contact. She lowered her head and spoke in just above a whisper. "I don't know. Just away from everything…"
Tony's voice was still loud and overpowering. "Away from me?"
When Michelle began to cry it made Tony calm down a little bit. He took his hand away from the door and put it around her neck and pulled her into his chest. When their bodies were pressed against each other he stroked her hair.
"I don't want to leave you Tony but I can't handle all this and I don't trust anyone at the moment. I want to be able to but I can't. I don't feel safe."
Tony sighed, he wished he knew what to do but he didn't. He wished he knew what to say but he didn't. He kissed her head a couple times softly while he tried to find some words. "I'm sorry Michelle. I understand how you feel…."
Tony was cut off by his phone ringing, he knew it would be CTU wondering where they were. He told Michelle to wait one moment. His mind was racing trying to figure out what he was going to even say to Chappelle. Michelle pulled her head back to give him room and sat quietly watching his face as he spoke on the phone. She watched as his face turned to one of complete and utter despair, he stopped talking and was barely holding the phone up to his ear. Her heart sank wondering what on earth the news could be. She stroked his hand trying to offer him comfort but she doubted he barely even noticed. Finally he let the phone slide down his arm and he snapped it closed in his fist.
"What's going on Tony? Are you ok?"
He pulled her in to his body tightly and held her head into his neck. Silence sat in the air as Tony struggled for words and Michelle gave him all the time he need.
"They found your apartment Chelle?"
"What? Who did? What do you mean?"
"I don't know…Pault's men. I have no idea how to say this….Michelle they torched your apartment. Everything is gone…"
Tony held her tighter waiting for his words to register. He could feel her heart pounding against his chest. "I love you Chelle, I'm going to look after you."
Tony waited and waited for Michelle to start crying or screaming, but she didn't. She stayed quietly pressed against his neck. After a few minutes he pulled her back to check on her. She had a couple small tears running down her face but what made him breathless was the shear look of being 'lost' in her eyes. "Hey baby…tell me what you are thinking."
Michelle lowered her eyes. "I don't know anymore Tony. It's just…I'm not going to make it out of this……am I?"
"Chelle, oh my God…"
"No Tony, I mean they keep getting to me. I'm just so tired….. I give up."
Tony pulled her back into his body, stroking her back and hair. "Don't say that Chelle. We are going to get through this. I'm not losing you, I don't care what it takes or what we have to do….they will never touch you again."
Tony held her for a few minutes before telling her he needed to make a call. He asked Michelle if she would be ok if he stepped outside for a moment. He had an idea but he didn't want to get her hopes up if it didn't work out. Once outside he slouched his body up against the car taking a moment to look around and just catch his breath. He pulled out his phone and called Chappelle back.
"Chappelle."
"Ryan its Tony."
"Did you talk to Michelle? How is she?"
"Not great Ryan. I'd like to take Michelle to a safe house and have her cared for there. She doesn't want to return to the hospital and I believe that is fair enough – they already know to look there."
"I was about to call you, I just arranged a safe house for both you and Michelle. Pault's men know too much about you as well and so we need you both protected. Janine has organized for medical help to be there for Michelle. I'll message your CTU line the address, if you start making your way there."
"That is great, thanks Ryan. I'll call you soon."
Tony hung up and breathed a sigh of relief. He opened the car door and slid back in next to Michelle who was in the same position as when he left her. He took her hands in his. She offered him a small smile, which he kissed softly.
"Ryan has set up a safe house for you and I Michelle. They will have a doctor come out there to see you…"
Michelle's eyes immediately looked hopeful. "Just you and I?"
Tony gave her a smile. "Just for you and I, is that ok Chelle?"
Michelle nodded her head and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thanks Tony."
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