Chapter 7: Michelle

Today had been a nightmare. I spent the entire day worrying about the party and then just minutes after we got there my worst fear came true. Tony was standing at the bar talking to Brent Hayden. I tried to act naturally but I did a terrible job. I'm sure Tony figured it out immediately. I just want this evening to be over. I just wish I was home with Tony snuggling on the sofa and watching a movie.

We made it through dinner and all I had to suffer through was the speeches. After that, I'd tell Tony that I had a headache and we could leave. I should have let Tony go to the bar and get the drinks, but I guess the three or four glasses of wine I already had under my belt were making me feel brave. I stopped at the ladies' room then made my way over to the bar. I had just ordered our drinks when a familiar voice came up from behind me.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the lovely Mrs. Almeida." Brent put his hand in the middle of my back and rubbed it. I felt myself tense up.

"Leave me alone Brent," I said stiffly.

"Do you think you can get rid of me that easily? Do you think just because you went off and married the CTU director that I'm going to go away? I don't think so, Michelle. Does your adoring husband know about your illicit past?"

"My illicit past? The last I heard, being raped doesn't make my past 'illicit'?"

"Rape? Is that what you told him? Why you little whore! I think you've got that wrong," he hissed in my face. "You were more than happy to give me whatever sex I wanted when I was taking you to Santa Barbara for the weekend and to expensive restaurants and to the theater. When I wanted you to move in and make it a little more permanent, you weren't interested. You didn't want a relationship. You wanted me to spend money on you and you were willing to repay me with sex. That's what whores do, Michelle. I was paying for sex; it's just that the cash didn't go into your hands. Don't act like you were the victim. I was the victim; you got what you deserved. You're no better than any high priced whore."

Tears stung my eyes. Even if I didn't believe what he was saying, it still hurt and part of me wondered if in some ways what he was right. He pressed closer to me as the bartender put my drinks on the bar. It was just about then that Chloe O'Brien came by and asked me if I wanted to go to the ladies' room. Brent turned and smiled sweetly at her.

"Michelle and I are just finishing up. Why don't you run along and she'll meet you there in a few minutes."

Chloe looked at me as if waiting for me to answer.

"It's okay, Chloe. I'll see you a little later." Chloe shrugged and walked away.

"You can call me any name you like, just leave me alone. Any relationship we had is over and if you can't deal with that, that's your issue, not mine." I reached for my drinks and started to move away. That was when I felt him press the gun into my ribs.

"I don't think so, Michelle. Turn around slowly and walk toward that door," he indicated a door that led to an unused ballroom to the left of the bar. "You make a sound and I will kill you. You know that don't you?"

I turned silently leaving my drinks and evening bag on the bar. I moved slowly into the dark room to allow my eyes to adjust to the low lighting. Slowing down also gave me time to think of a way to escape.

"Faster, bitch!" Brent hissed under his breath then he pressed the gun into my spine and used his free hand to push me forward. As he did, I lost my balance and fell. Brent grabbed my arm and pulled me up. While he was focused on pulling me up, I took advantage of the distraction and pulled out a couple of the rhinestone hair pins I had used to put up my hair. I discreetly dropped the first one in hopes that someone would find it and realize that we had been in this room. I held the second in my hand and looked for another opportunity to drop it.

Our eyes had adjusted to the lighting now and I could see a door at the far end of the room. Brent pushed me toward the door. He held me against the wall as he peeked out the door to make sure it was clear.

"Come on," he whispered as if I was going along voluntarily. He pushed me into what looked like a service corridor. The lighting was harsh and we both took a second to blink as our eyes again adjusted to the change in level of light. As we stood there, I heard voices and the sounds of pots and pans and dishes clanging down the hall to the left. The hall apparently led to the kitchen. Brent heard it too and pushed me to the right.

A door at the end of the hallway led to a bank of elevators and a stairwell that serviced the parking garage. Brent checked the stairwell and pushed me through the door. "Go," he said the gun still against my back. When I was sure he wasn't looking down, I dropped the second hair pin. I would have to find some way to get more of them out of my hair.

I started up the stairs. Brent was right behind me. He held the gun low against my spine and held my arm tightly with his other hand to keep me from escaping.

"You're not going to get away with this, Brent. You know that." I said hoping to reason with him. "Tony knew I was only going to the ladies' room and the bar. He's probably already looking for me."

"He'll think you went back to your room for something," he said. I could hear the edge in his voice. He was nervous and I needed to keep eroding any confidence that he had left.

"Two-thirds of the federal agents in LA are downstairs, Brent. How long do you think it will take them to canvas this entire place and find us? Where are you going to go? The valet has all of the car keys. You can't even steal a car unless you intend to hot wire it."

We had just reached a landing and Brent spun me around and slammed me into the wall. I hit the wall so hard that he knocked the wind out of me. At the same time, my head hit the wall. I used the premise of rubbing the back of my head to pull out a couple more hair pins.

"You are going to shut up now, bitch or I will kill you! I'm a trained agent just like all those people downstairs and I've got more experience than most of them. I'm perfectly capable of getting us out of this building, out of Los Angeles and out of the country, if that's what I want to do. Tony will never find you. I'll have you all to myself." I was getting to him and I could tell. For the moment, he had the gun, but I had the emotional upper hand.

He turned me back around and pushed me up the next flight of stairs. He was in good shape and showed no signs of tiring as we reached the seventh floor. The stairs ended there and a door led out onto the roof of the parking garage. Brent again peeked out and, finding it clear, we stepped out into the cool, December night. Just outside the door I dropped another hair pin.

Brent looked around and guided me toward a dark section at the far end of the roof. The overhead lights that should have illuminated the area were burned out and it left the section in shadows. Brent found two dark SUVs parked side by side and pushed me between them. Our bodies were close and he pressed my back against one of the SUVs. He was no longer holding the gun against me. His arm was hanging down and the gun was pointed toward the floor.

"Brent, listen to me…" I started hoping to push some more buttons and get him to let me go.

"No, Michelle you listen to me. You used me. I loved you and all you wanted was a good time. Well, now I'm the one who's going to have a good time." His eyes shone with rage and for the first time tonight I was scared. I knew I had to get away now.

I reached up with both hands and pushed them hard against his shoulders. He staggered backwards for a second and fell against the other SUV. I screamed and started to run toward the stairwell but Brent recovered quickly and fell in step behind me. I was wearing high heels and it only took him a second to catch up to me. He grabbed my hair and jerked by head backwards. The change in momentum threw me backward into him and both of us went down on the cement floor.

Brent's rage had escalated. His face was red and he was breathing fast and hard. He held the gun to my temple and used his other had to hold me to the ground by my throat. I gasped for breath like I had the night when he raped me and I was sure that he was going to choke me to death.

"Don't try that again, Michelle. You can't get away from me. I told you, you're mine now." He let go of my throat and stood up. "Stand up," he commanded.

Too scared to do anything else, I did as I was told.

"Get back between the cars," he said as he pushed me toward the same two SUVs.

Soon we were again between the cars and hidden from view. He used his body to pin me face forward against the side of one of the SUVs. He pulled off his tie and used it to bind my wrists together behind my back. With that, he turned me around to face him.

"There you go, Baby. Now you can't fight me," he said in a soft, seductive whisper. He caressed my face with the back of his hand. It was the same hand that was still holding the gun and the cold steel of the weapon brushed lightly across my face. I suddenly realized that I was crying.

"Please, don't do this, Brent. Please, don't. Please just let me go. I won't tell anyone that it was you." The last time I begged like this was when he raped me. I hated feeling so out of control. I hated being scared. I just wanted to feel Tony's arms around me. I just wanted this all to end.

He laughed and he kissed me roughly. I could taste alcohol on his mouth. He pushed his tongue in my mouth and I started to gag. I managed to turn my head away and again I asked him to stop.

"This is just the beginning, Honey. Wait till you see what I've got in store for you." He slid his hands down along my body and back up to my breasts. He fondled them through my dress and bra. A sharp sob come up from my throat.

Brent pushed the gun into my ribs. "Don't do that again if you want to live."

I bit my lip to try and silence my sobs. Brent grabbed the front of my dress and ripped it open. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade. He opened the blade and ran the tip slowly along the edge of my bra pressing just hard enough to draw a fine line of blood. He finally cut the bra and pushed is open.

"Oh, please stop," I whispered. My voice was shaking and a torrent of tears fell from my eyes. As scared as I was, I was still looking for a way out. I decided to try another tactic. "I thought you loved me. Why are you trying to hurt me?"

I looked into his eyes hoping that I could find some way to convince him to stop but his eyes were distant and vacant. It was as if he was in a world of his own. I wasn't sure if I was even in that world with him or if he heard what I had said. He continued to fondle me and he moaned softly. He leaned into me and rubbed his body against mine. He was fully aroused and I could feel him pressing against me.

"Kneel down," he panted. He moved his hands to my shoulders and pushed me down on my knees. He used his leg to pin me against the SUV while he unzipped his pants.

I was sobbing hysterically now, no longer trying to keep my voice down. "Please don't make me do this, please, please," I begged over and over. He pushed the gun into my temple. I was beginning to wonder if it was better just to let him kill now than to be raped by him again and have him kill me in the end anyway. I was convinced at this point that he wouldn't let me live.

"Now, bitch!" he screamed as he pointed the gun at the center of my forehead.

"Drop the weapon, Hayden! Drop the weapon or I will shoot! Drop the fucking gun!" Tony stood poised several feet in front of us, his gun trained on Brent's chest.

In a move so quick it stunned me, Brent grabbed my arm and pulled me to a standing position. He held me tight in front of his body and put the gun to my head again.

"No, Almeida, you drop the weapon," Brent said in a measured tone.

Tony swallowed hard, lowered his hand and let the gun fall to the ground.

"Now, call off your dogs. I know you're not out here alone. Use the radio and call everyone off. Don't try anything funny or you'll watch me splatter your wife's brains all over that shiny black car."

Tony pulled out a two way radio. "This is Almeida. Stand down and secure your weapons. I repeat, all personnel, stand down and secure your weapons."

"Is Hayden in custody, Tony?" Baker responded.

"No, he has a hostage."

"Bring the radio over here, Almeida," Hayden ordered, "and open the channel. I have some instructions."

Tony held the radio in front of him and opened the channel so everyone could hear him.

"This is Hayden. I have Michelle and I won't hesitate to kill her. Listen closely and follow my instructions and I'll let Michelle live," he paused for a second. "I want all police, federal agents and security to go to the ballroom now. When everyone is there, send the garage elevator to the roof. I'll give you three minutes to get that done. If the elevator isn't empty when it gets here, I'll kill Michelle. I'll decide what floor we'll exit on. Again, if there are police or security or federal agents anywhere on the floor, I'll kill Michelle. I hope you're all clear on that. Michelle and I will drive out of the garage. She'll be driving and my gun will be pointed at her head, so don't try and follow us. I don't have to tell you what will happen if I spot a tail. Everyone move to the ballroom now."

Tony stood in front of us without moving.

"That means you too, Almeida," Brent said coldly.

Tony took a couple of slow steps backward. "We can talk this out, Brent. You don't have to…"

At that moment, Jack came up silently from behind and brought a heavy object, probably a brick, down on Brent's shoulder in an attempt to knock the gun out of his hand. The force of the blow knocked both of us to the ground. Brent dropped the gun, but it didn't go far and he was able to retrieve it before Tony could kick it away. He cocked the gun and pointed it at me.

As if in slow motion, I could see the muscles in his hand tense up to pull the trigger. I covered my head knowing full well that I couldn't protect myself. Suddenly, two almost simultaneous explosions echoed around me. The air was filled with the acrid smell of gun powder. I wasn't sure what had happened at first. It was a second or two before I realized that Jack was pulling Hayden off of me and Tony was beside me lifting me into his arms.

"He's dead, Tony." I heard Jack say.

Tony was breathing hard. "Are you okay, Baby?" he whispered as he tried to get his breath. I was sobbing against his chest. "I've got you now. You're safe. He can't hurt you any more, Honey," he said as he planted kisses in my hair and on my face.

Without letting go of me, he took out the radio and raised it to his lips. "The suspect is dead. I repeat, Hayden is dead. We need a crime scene team on the roof now."

I began to calm down and Tony helped me to my feet. He stripped off his suit jacket and put it around me to cover my torn dress.

The LAPD arrived on the roof. Tony and Jack surrendered their weapons voluntarily which was customary when law enforcement officers were involved in a shooting. I was sure that they both would be cleared, but there would be a routine investigation.

We were all taken back downstairs to the ballroom and separated for questioning. Again, I knew this was routine, but being separated from Tony was the hardest part. As I repeated my story three different times to three different officers, I just wanted to have Tony next to me. Kate sat with me the whole time. She kept bringing me glasses of water and cups of coffee from the bar. Eventually a medic came over and checked me out. I was bruised and had abrasions on my hands and knees from falling down, but I was otherwise alright.

It was almost 4 o'clock in the morning before the police were finished. Everyone started leaving and Tony and Jack came back into the small ballroom to get Kate and me.

As we walked past the bar, the young man who I had seen earlier behind the bar waved and called to Tony. "Mister, mister," he said. He was holding up my evening bag. It was then that I remembered that I left it at the bar when Brent pulled the gun on me.

"Hi Billy," Tony said. "What are you still doing here?"

"Billy couldn't leave," he said. "Billy had to make sure the pretty lady got her purse back."

"That was sweet of you," I said softly as I reached for the bag. "Thank you."

"You did a great job tonight, Billy. The information you gave us really helped. And finding the hair pin was an important clue. You're a real hero," Tony told him and patted him on the shoulder.

Billy looked down at the bar and he blushed bright red. "Billy's happy that the pretty lady is okay."

"Me, too. Thanks again," Tony said as we started to walk away.

"Wait," Billy said, "the lady never got her drink."

"What?" Tony asked.

"She ordered a Bailey's Irish chilled and she left it on the bar. Billy can make a fresh one for her." Without saying another word, he reached for the bottle and poured a couple of ounces into a shaker with some ice. He shook it for a second or two then strained the liquid into a glass and handed it to me. "Take it to your room with you."

As miserable as I felt, I couldn't help but smile at him. I took a sip and felt the cool liquid slide down my throat. "It's delicious. Thank you, Billy," I said, "you made my night."

Tony and I made our way into the hotel. He had his arm around me and I tilted my head so it could lean on his shoulder. For nearly a year after Brent raped me, I could feel his hands on me every time I closed my eyes. I probably should have gotten professional help but chose to deal with it on my own. That horrible feeling was only erased when Tony showed me what it really meant to be loved. It was going to be easier this time. Tony's love was enough to sustain me. I knew that it would take some time, but Tony and I would work through this together. He would be there for me and support me no matter what happened. I guess I've known that since our first date. Tony is my one and only, my soul mate, my eternal love.

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed. Some of you have reviewed every chapter. If you've authored any stories, you understand how encouraging that is. I really appreciate it. So if you have been reading and haven't yet reviewed, I really wish you would take a second and do so.

By the way, I'm also curious where you guys are from and whether season 4 is being shown now where you are (or when it will start if it isn't already running). I am outlining a season 4 Tony/Michelle story that will contain spoilers up til about 3pm, then I take it in my own direction. I won't bother posting it for a while if no one is going to read it, so let me know if you are willing to read something with season 4 spoilers in it. (I posted a one chapter season 4 fanfic called "Forever?" and only got a couple of reviews for it. I wondered if that was because it contained spoilers or maybe it was just really bad!) So let me know if I should post this soon or sometime in the future.

Thanks again for reading and reviewing. You guys are the best!