A/n: In regards to the person who anonymously posted a review, I would love to answer your questions but the thing is I have absolutely no way of reaching you, so therefore, I'll answer them here. In regards to your questions first off, when Tony's number one concern is Michelle's well being and for her to recover, his wanting to find the person who did it to Michelle would be without a doubt a secondary priority. And secondly in regards to the question about why Michelle's mother didn't tell her about Tony being there – that question will be answered in this chapter. And in regards to as to whether or not Tony would have doubted Michelle's overall state of mind when she woke up, I honestly believe that Tony would have been so elated that Michelle was even awake to notice anything else. Also, Jack's loyalties lie with his friends. Asking him to choose between Michelle and Tony would be completely unfair. I hope this answers your concerns and if you do have anymore questions do feel free to email me or leave your email so that I may be able to get back to you. And in regards for not dragging out the angsty misunderstanding stuff, this all leads up to one pivotal moment and I hope that none of you will be disappointed when it does occur. So, without further delay, here's chapter 10 and 11. Enjoy!
Chapter 10 – The Gamble
When Tony's plane touched down in Richmond, Virginia, he couldn't help but notice how different things already felt. He was once again a complete stranger to his surroundings. He knew no one in Virginia, and somehow he figured he wasn't going to make friends all that easily outside of work.
After picking up his luggage, he hailed a taxi and they were on their way to his hotel. He had a couple of meetings with agents the following morning in regards to house hunting in the area. After a while of exploring the hotel and doing a couple of internet searches for potential houses in the area, Tony called it a night and for the first time in a long time, he slept through the night.
The following morning he woke up refreshed and ready to take on the world. He had left LA on a Thursday and had arrived late Thursday evening which meant he had all of Friday, Saturday and Sunday to look at potential houses before he had to report to work on Monday.
Most potential house buyers would have been thrilled at the idea of having three whole days to go house hunting; however, Tony, wasn't all that thrilled. He hadn't cared much for the place he lived in so long as it had TV, a kitchen, a washroom and a bedroom. But even today, he was feeling extra picky about the houses he looked at. The first house he was told by the incredibly perky almost to the point of annoyingly perky Amanda was the home of an ex-drug lord. His house had been raided and in effect turned over to the government. But it was on sale and it was in totally good condition…minus the smell.
Upon entering that particular house, Amanda's eyes teared up as the smell struck her nose. Tony began to feel faint after only a few seconds and although Amanda tried her best to convince him that it was nothing a little Febreeze couldn't take care of. Tony thanked her but made his way out as quickly as possible, almost running to his rental car.
After two days of no luck whatsoever, Tony begrudgingly got himself out of bed on Sunday and went to look at the final house on his list within his price range. He met Morgan at the house and even before entering into it, he knew this was the one. Sure it was a little bit far from his job, but it was perfect. It was a large house, much too large for a man to live in himself, but that didn't matter. This house would have been the perfect house for him and Michelle all those years ago.
It was a classic Victorian house with little blue shutters outlining the windows and a balcony right over the front door. It had a large backyard that would be perfect for barbeques or other family gatherings. Although the house was well kept, there was no denying that he would need to make some major renovations. Much of the original paint had chipped away and many of the shutters were barely hanging on. In addition to that, the balcony looked as if it could use with a few reinforcement boards here and there. But all in all, it was a glorious house. And Tony knew that once he fixed it up it would be perfect.
Perfect for him to start his new life in.
Meanwhile…back in Los Angeles
Michelle was finally well enough to get out of bed and was being discharged later that day. The doctors had given an all-clear and just told her not to stress out and to stay in bed as much as possible. Susan, John and Danny were all determined that they would stay with her until she was well enough to fend for herself. She couldn't object as she knew that she probably wasn't well enough to be taking care of anyone at the present time.
Upon arriving home, Michelle was ushered straight into her bedroom and after being made sure that she was comfortable, Susan makes a move to leave the room to let Michelle sleep. But instead, Michelle calls her back and asks the question she's been dreading for quite some time,
"Mom? Did they get him?"
Susan turned around and nodded her head and couldn't help but relax when she saw the relieved look on Michelle's face. Susan then proceeded to say,
"They caught him the day you were brought into the hospital. They were very lucky. He was trying to skip over the border to Mexico and one of the Customs officials recognized his photo and stopped him. He's being held on $500,000 bail and he's awaiting his hearing."
Michelle looked at her mother and as worry filled her face, Susan saw it and reassured her,
"Michelle, you don't have to testify. He's already pleaded no contest to the charges after CTU handed over video evidence of what he did. He's going to go away for a long time sweetheart. Don't worry about it. He's not going to hurt you or anyone else again."
Michelle relaxed at the revelation that she would not have to go and testify. Frankly, she didn't know if she had the strength to testify against him. To see the man who hurt her. To see the man who professed to love her and then proceeded to hurt her like no other person had ever before.
As Michelle processed this information in her mind, she relaxed as she replayed everything that had happened within the past few days…but wait…something didn't make sense.
If Brett was already in custody the day she was admitted to the hospital then who was that man by her bedside that told her he would never hurt her? That he loved her? If it wasn't Brett, then it could only be…one…other…person.
No.
It couldn't be.
He wouldn't have come to tell her that.
But doubt plagued her mind as she asked her mother another question,
"Mom…besides you, daddy and Danny did anyone else come? Like to visit me while I was in the hospital?"
As Susan watched the hopeful eyes of her daughter, she wanted to rush to her and say,
"Tony was there with you! For two weeks he stayed by your bedside refusing to leave you in case you woke up! He loves you Michelle! With every fiber in him, he loves you!"
But then, she remembered her promise to Tony that she wouldn't tell Michelle he was there. So torn was Susan. Should she tell Michelle about how Tony was so diligently by her bedside throughout the course of her ordeal or should she respect his wishes and just let Michelle move on with her life?
Susan debated the two sides in her mind, although her loyalties did lie with Michelle she wondered what the revelation that Tony was there would do to her. He obviously didn't want to be around her anymore, how would Michelle take it? In her present situation, she needed to be as stress-free as possible and telling her that Tony had been there would only cause her to worry and to wonder about why he left.
Michelle watched with worry as she saw the many emotions go through her mother's face. She couldn't read anything. And finally, after much deliberation, Susan said carefully,
"No, sweetheart. No one else came."
Susan saw the glimmer of hope fade from Michelle's eyes and couldn't help but be saddened by this, but at that present moment, she thought it was best to protect Michelle from the truth. Maybe when she was healthier Susan would tell her the truth.
Michelle sighed in disappointment and is obviously crestfallen at the discovery that it must indeed have been a dream. No one came to visit her but her family. Michelle had hoped that Tony would care enough to go and visit her while she needed him most, but obviously that wasn't the case as he was probably with that blonde skank of his.
However, it was at that moment that Michelle made a decision. No longer would she weep for what was in the past. And Tony was a part of her past. The only thing she needed to focus on right now was getting healthier and being able to take care of herself and her family. Nothing else mattered.
Two years later…
Jack was sitting in his living room watching the game as the Dodgers played the Yankees. His Dodgers were up by four and he was indeed very pleased. It was his first day off in a long time. However, if he did have a complaint it was the fact that he wasn't exactly able to sleep through the night. Not that he minded of course…especially when it meant him spending a blissful night with her.
She silently crept out of the bedroom after waking up and proceeded to try and tiptoe towards him. However, she was no match for him as he had already heard her approaching but for her sake he wanted to humor her and pretend he had no clue she was coming. When she reached him she placed her arms around his chest to which she sighed.
He playfully picked her up from behind the couch and swung her around until she was in his lap. He smirked at how cute she looked in his oversized Dodgers jersey and his boxers. He nuzzled his face against her soft skin and then proceeded to kiss her softly on the lips. She smiled at him in adoration and kissed him back.
Jack smiled to himself and thought about how lucky he had been to find her again. How lucky he had been that she had taken him back despite everything that had happened. And as he looked at her, she stared right back into his eyes, grateful for the fact that she was once again in the strong arms of Jack Bauer.
Jack remembered when he had told Kim he was back with her. She had been thrilled. Out of all of her father's girlfriends (as weird as that sounds its true) she had been Kim's favorite. She was attentive and caring, she was loving and funny, she was indeed the perfect woman for her father and Kim knew of this.
Soon she giggled and Jack asked her,
"And what, Miss. Warner are we laughing about?"
Kate looked at him and said simply,
"You. You looked so deep in thought for a moment. So deep in thought that you missed Derek Jeter hit that grand slam. And by the way, my Yankees are now ahead of your Dodgers 4-2."
Jack's eyes whipped towards the screen and he couldn't help as a "crap" escaped his throat as he saw none other than Derek Jeter round third base en route to his grand slam. Now if there was one thing Jack had to criticize about Kate, it had to be the fact that she was a Yankees fan. Honestly, who in their right mind would be a Yankee fan unless they were from New York?
One thing Jack loved about Kate was how she could be his everything. She could be playful and feminine when the situation called for it, but she wasn't high maintenance. Despite the fact that she had grown up quite wealthy, she didn't feel the need to buy outlandishly expensive clothing, instead, preferring to buy clothes that were comfortable. Jack also adored how she could sit down with him and watch a game and have a couple of beers. Many of the other girls he had dated demanded that a date meant that they had to go to some five class restaurant while dining with fine wine. Sure Kate liked those things, but she also liked it when they stayed home and simply enjoyed take-out and watched a movie.
However, in the bottom of the ninth, the Dodgers rallied with a 3 run inning and much to Kate's dismay and to Jack's delight, pulled ahead of the Yankees 5-4. Jack cheered triumphantly as his team pulled off the come-from-behind victory which secured them a berth in the playoffs. By then, both of them had gotten quite hungry and decided to go out for lunch.
As Kate stepped out of the car in a flowing floral sundress, Jack couldn't help but be wowed by her beauty. She had delicate features that were all accentuated by the dress. She grabbed his hand playfully and led him towards the restaurant they were going to, a small bistro called Le Petit Zinc. They ordered and enjoyed their meal together as Jack wondered how on earth he had been lucky enough to meet someone as great as Kate.
Indeed, he knew that he would want her in his life for oh the next sixty? Seventy or so years? Yes ladies and gentlemen, marriage was on Jack Bauer's mind. He had already asked Bob Warner for Kate's hand in marriage and Bob had readily conceded, knowing that Jack was a good man and would be perfect for his beloved daughter. The only question was when should he ask her? Jack had debated this for many days and frankly, he still had no idea. The ring was with him at all times in case he decided that there was a perfect moment and that he should just get down on one knee and propose, but that perfect moment he so desperately wanted hadn't happened yet and he would have to wait at least a little bit longer.
After finishing off lunch, Jack and Kate made their way towards the mall. Kate needed to pick up a dress for the evening's festivities. Warner Enterprises was having an appreciation party for their employees and Kate and Jack were invited to partake in what was sure to be an evening of partying.
Kate insisted that Jack go off by himself while she shopped for her perfect dress. When he protested telling her he wanted to spend the afternoon with her, she had told him that he would just have to wait. She wanted to surprise him in her dress so he would just have to go off to the arcade or something. Jack laughed at the idea of him going and playing inside an arcade, instead opting to go to the sports memorabilia store they had at the end of the mall.
After making sure that she would be okay, Jack with a smile on his face said,
"Fine, I'll leave you. But hey you know if you finish early or something, you could you know drop by Victoria's Secret or something and I promise I'll love you forever?"
Kate laughed at him and pushed him away muttering playfully, "You wish Bauer." She then proceeded to go into her first store to try the dress she had been eyeing for months. One that was sure to make Jack's jaw drop when he saw her in it. Forget Victoria's Secret, this dress was enough to make any red-blooded male's jaw drop.
Later that evening…
Jack waited impatiently as Kate got ready. Jack had just never understood the whole thing with women and how they always needed so long to get ready. Frankly, all he did that afternoon was pick up a tux, run a comb through his hair, slap on the tux and he was on his way. Kate however, had been in the bathroom for the past 2 hours. She had showered, blow-dried her hair, painted her nails, applied her makeup, changed her hairstyle, changed it again and reapplied her makeup.
Finally, when all was done, she called down to Jack,
"I'm ready!"
Jack muttered to himself "finally" before walking towards the bottom of the steps to wait for her.
And what he saw next made him catch his breath. She looked absolutely breathtaking.
She was wearing a strapless red dress that hugged her curves just the right way and her hair was put up into a careful bun.
She looked down at Jack's gaping mouth and smiled to herself. I knew this was the right dress.
She walked down the stairs and asked,
"How do I look?"
Jack muttered something completely unintelligible before managing to get out a "stunning."
She smiled at his comment and straightened out his jacket while remarking,
"Well, Mr. Bauer, if I might say so myself, you're looking quite handsome yourself."
Jack beamed at her comment and puffed out his chest, and then he suddenly dipped her kissing her squarely on the lips and whispered huskily,
"You know I think it'd be best if we just skip this party. I mean how much can go on tonight?"
Kate playfully shoved him away and countered,
"Not a chance Bauer. We're going to this party and you know my father will come and beat you into a pulp if you're not there. Especially after I tell him what you had in mind instead of attending the party."
She gave him a sly look and then proceeded to say,
"But after this party's over, I'm totally up for coming back here and having a little fun ourselves…"
Kate then grabbed Jack's hand as he led her towards the car. Grinning as he led her down the steps, Jack thought to himself, this party can't end quickly enough…
Monday evening in Richmond, Virginia…
Tony sat in on his first meeting and couldn't help but be floored by how different his co-workers in Virginia were from those back in L.A. He could already tell that these guys were good at what they did, but that none of them had the whole Jack Bauer, "I'll kick your ass with or without permission," attitude.
They were all sticklers for the rules. Going so far as to even telling him about coffee room protocol, in which if you saw a dirty dish or cup lying in the sink it was your duty as a good American citizen to go and wash it before everything piles up.
It was like working with fifty Chloe's.
Tony chuckled as he remembered back to the time where he had simply told Chloe that her personality was annoying him. But it was true. Chloe O'Brien was the best at what she did, but hell that girl knew how to piss some people off.
But if there was one thing Tony appreciated was the fact that he was Director of Field Ops. It would at least save him from having to sit at a desk all day filing away information that could be done by almost anyone.
Tony was most confident in the field. He knew what he had to do in situations, making decisive and well thought out decisions. And every time they were just about to follow through with an attack, he felt that undeniable rush of adrenalin flow through his whole system. It was much better than drinking.
Another thing about Tony was that he kept to his no-drinking plan. He hadn't had a drink since Michelle left and it was something he was quite proud of. Even when his co-workers took him out after his first day of work to celebrate, he turned down their offers to buy him a round, saying he didn't drink.
And was he glad he turned those drinks down. That old saying about how cheap beer equals a hell of a hangover the next morning? Well, that was true. The next day when a fair number of his coworkers came in completely hammered, popping down aspirins by the handful in order to try and offset the effect of the "bright" lights at CTU.
At the end of a month, Tony had already made a few friends outside of work. He had gone to the pub a couple of times to watch the games with co-workers and there he met Scott and Colin, who like him, were avid Cubs fans.
And of course, at the moment, the biggest news surrounding the Cubs organization was none other than the fact that slugger Sammy Sosa had been traded off to the Orioles. Tony, although he was arguably one of the most devoted Cubs fans of all time, had never been a big Sosa fan. Especially not after the leaded bat incident. But he found out that these guys were indeed pretty good guys. And for once, he was glad to have friends outside of CTU. His mother had berated him for many years un-end saying how he needed to "broaden his horizons.
However, he chuckled, she did mean for him to broaden those friendship horizons in Los Angeles. Both Scott and Colin were married and they raved about their adorable children and as they did so, Tony couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy rush throughout his body. But contrary to his co-workers, these guys didn't go out to party as much and for that, Tony was grateful. Although he couldn't deny he had his fair share of fun when he was younger, he was now getting older and clubbing to insanely loud music until 4 in the morning somehow didn't seem as appealing.
Both of these guys were family guys, and when they invited him to go to their house for a barbecue, he couldn't help but accept. After all, it was better than sitting alone in a large house watching a Barbara Walters 20/20 special…not that he watched things like that to start of with.
After going to the local grocery store to pick up some dessert, he made his way over to Colin's house and was greeted by both Colin and his wife, Nicole. Colin approached him and said,
"Hey Tony, glad you could make it. And allow me to introduce you to my beautiful wife, Nicole. Tony, Nicole. Nicole, Tony."
Tony shyly extended his hand forward as Nicole thanked him for being so considerate to bring something for them. Tony smiled and said that it was the least he could do after they invited him so graciously into their homes.
Just as Tony was finishing up his thank you, a little girl who looked about eight ran towards Colin screaming,
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Michael's chasing me again with his water-soaker!"
And right behind Emma, sure enough was a guilty Michael, trying his best to hide his super-soaker behind his back as he slowly backed away from the group.
Colin and Nicole laughed as Nicole said,
"You'll have to excuse them. Its summer and Colin over here decided the best gift to buy for Michael's tenth birthday would be a super soaker."
Tony laughed and said,
"Oh, it's no problem. I love kids. My sister has kids and I absolutely adore them."
Nicole smiled and said,
"Well, you just remember how much you love kids' right after they soak you in your brand new clothes. Now, enough about that, let's take you back inside to meet Scott and Lisa."
Scott and Lisa sure enough had what they referred to as "three little terrors of their own." They had triplets. All three of them boys. And all three of them hyperactive beyond imagination. The minute they saw Tony they asked him if he wanted to play baseball. However, Nicole came to his rescue and said,
"Maybe later sweetie, right now Tony's going to stay with the adults and we're going to talk a bit. Now, how about you go out and play with Michael and Emma?"
Just as she finished the sentence, a loud "Crap! I mean, darn it!" was heard from the kitchen. Tony, Colin and Nicole all made their way towards the kitchen and saw Lisa standing in front of what was supposed to be a pork roast of some sort, but now it was just a black lump of meat.
Lisa looked apologetically at Nicole and said glumly,
"So that's why they have instruction manuals…"
Nicole looked at her friend and couldn't help but giggle as she watched the obviously frazzled Lisa try and make it seem as if the pork roast would taste better…charred.
Scott came rushing in at hearing his wife's 'crap' and told everyone,
"And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why we're on a first name basis with the take-out people."
Lisa playfully smacked him as all of the adults laughed together. And then Lisa finally realized,
"Now that I've managed to ruin what we were supposed to be eating for dinner, anyone got any good take-out menus?"
Colin looked around and said,
"Actually, we've got a couple of burgers in the fridge and hot dogs if you all don't mind having those instead."
Everyone agreed that they would all be fine with having it and then Colin said once more,
"But the only thing is, our grill, haven't exactly had the chance to figure out how it works. I mean we've got all the parts together and the gas and all that stuff but I mean with the kids around we've never had a chance to figure everything out…"
"I can help."
Everyone turned around as Tony spoke up for the first time.
Lisa then said,
"But you're our guest. I mean asking you to cook for us, that's not right."
Tony assured her saying,
"It's okay, I love cooking. And grills are a specialty of mine, I'm pretty sure if you can show me the grill I'll have it up and running in no time."
"Well if you're sure…" offered Nicole.
"Hey, it'll be my way of saying thank you for even inviting me tonight. It'll be a pleasure."
And with that Colin and Scott led Tony towards the grill with burgers and hot dogs in hand.
As soon as they left the room, Lisa and Nicole turned to each other and said,
"Why isn't he married!"
After giggling at how they were each thinking about the same thing Lisa said,
"I mean I know I'm married and all, but damn girl, you have to be blind to not see how good looking he is. He's just got that whole bad boy thing working for him."
Nicole giggled and then offered,
"I totally know what you mean. I mean did you see those eyes? Smoldering. And he can cook! He can actually cook! If I wasn't married to Colin I'd be making a run for him myself!"
As the women inside giggled and gossiped about how great a catch Tony seemed to be, Tony was working his magic outside. Within minutes, he had managed to start the grill and the burgers and hot dogs were cooking steadily. Scott had run off to play catch with his boys while Colin stayed back, in charge of grilling the vegetables and the hot dog buns.
Ever since meeting Tony, Colin had always wondered about whether or not Tony had a girlfriend. He knew there was no wife involved because of the lack of the wedding ring, but Tony had never mentioned a girl or anything. Colin had always thought that it was just because he was new to the area and still hadn't managed to find anyone yet, but he had always wondered, why did Tony leave L.A.?
So seeing as how neither of them were talking much at the moment, Colin asked him,
"Hey, I was just wondering, I mean if you don't wanna answer the question its fine, but how come you left L.A.? I mean isn't L.A. the promise land? With all the lights and beautiful women and Hollywood and all most people wanna go to LA and not leave. So, how come you left?"
Tony decided that it really wouldn't bother him to tell Colin the truth, seeing as how it's not likely he knew about anyone Tony had been affiliated with in L.A. So he replied,
"Lot of things happened in L.A. Just kind of made me realize that I needed a new start. Nothing bad of course. Not like I killed a man and now I'm on the run or anything. Just personal issues."
Colin nodded his understanding and replied,
"I know what you mean. I grew up in New York with all the big city life while Nicole, she grew up in North Carolina. Our lifestyles were so different and when we first met, I never thought we were gonna work out. But now that I've settled down here, I've realized I don't miss the city life all that much. Sure I miss Broadway and the five star restaurants, but I love being able to raise my kids here away from the pressures of city life. I love seeing them grow up and playing in the backyard instead of simply playing on the balcony of some tiny overpriced New York apartment."
Tony voiced his agreement saying,
"Yeah, this is pretty great place to raise a family. I mean coming from L.A. I know how hectic life can get and with so many things going on, being a kid's gotta be hard in the city. You see advertisements for so many things and there's always the pressure of society telling you to do this and do that. But out here, it's almost like this is what life was meant to be like. A family living out here, watching their kids grow up instead of watching TV all the time."
As soon as Tony finished answering he heard the burgers begin to sizzle and knew that they were ready. He told Colin,
"Well, I reckon dinner's ready. So what'll it be? Burger or hot dog?"
Later that evening when everyone had eaten their fill, the kids were once again running around outside playing soccer this time while the adults sat by the picnic table chatting away. Scott was first to voice his appreciation of a good home cooked meal,
"Well Tony, I must say, this is most certainly better than the take-out we eat on most nights."
Lisa agreed with him saying,
"It most certainly is, and if I wasn't tied down to Scott over here, I'd take you right home to be my own personal chef."
Scott feigned a look of hurt as everyone else joined in laughing.
Nicole then asked him bravely,
"So, Tony, you're a great cook, you're not all that shabby looking and you like kids. What's the catch?"
Tony smirked and answered,
"There is no catch. At least not one that I'm aware of. I was married actually, but things didn't work out and she ended it. So right now I'm here looking to start over."
Lisa and Nicole nodded understandingly as their men looked on and they instantly knew what was on their minds. The girls wanted to play Miss Match.
Lisa then cautiously offered,
"Well Tony, if you're ever looking, I do believe we have a few friends who would be dying for some company…"
Tony laughed and said,
"I do appreciate your offer and maybe after I've settled in a bit more, I'll take up on your offer."
But inside of his heart, Tony had no intention of taking up Lisa's offer. He simply didn't want to offend her. He knew that from now on the only girl in his life other than his family would be Tugger. Otherwise, it was highly unlikely he would fall in love again. And just as he started to think about his future, Bradley, Tyler and Brayden ran over to the adults exclaiming,
"Dad! Colin! Tony! You guys wanna play?"
Tony looked over at the two couples sitting beside him and said,
"Is it alright if I do? I think my legs could use a workout or two."
Scott said,
"Alright, but just let me warn you. They're a couple of endless balls of energy. They're like that Energizer Bunny. They just keep on going and going. They won't stop once you start."
So as the men went towards the kids to play, the women were once again left alone and that was a dangerous thing. Lisa said to Nicole,
"Did you notice how he got real quiet right after he said his wife ended things?"
Nicole replied,
"From the looks of it, he doesn't seem to be too over her. She must have been a real special girl if he's not over her leaving him yet. And foolish."
"Foolish?" Lisa questioned.
"Foolish to leave a man as good as that one." Nicole answered.