Losing her Temper
Ok, sorry this took forever to put up, we've either been away or busy with other stories. I promise after this one it'll get much more lighthearted!
Michelle scribbled down the coordinates for a field mission, trying to remember where she had left the files on the Gonsalez project. Chapelle would kill her if she had lost them. Her temper rose a few notches higher as she racked her brain, picturing the last time she had been holding them.
I could've sworn they were right here on my desk…
Spinning around, she flipped through a bulging pile of paperwork, searching frantically for the bright red type that read- 'IMPORTANT: Gonsalez.' After finally accepting defeat, Michelle slammed the giant pile down on her desk, causing the desk to violently shake and knocking her mug of coffee over in the process.
"Dammit!"
She hadn't realized how loud she had shrieked, for as she scanned the room, every single one of her coworkers was gazing up at her quizzically. She didn't particularly, care anyhow, her day could not have been much worse.
Michelle continued to curse and swear violently, causing quite a commotion on the floor.
She hadn't noticed that a certain Tony Almeida was also staring down at her from his newly repaired office, clearly confused as to the source of the noise.
Tony vigorously typed out an email to Division explaining, rather vaguely, why they were so far behind on the Gonsalez project. He was in the middle of a sentence when he heard Michelle's extremely loud exclamation.
At first he had thought it was a dying animal, or a computer making screeching sounds, but as he looked down onto the floor, he recognized that the source was coming from Michelle. This puzzled him.
It was rare when Michelle lost her temper. Even in the most intense periods of time, she seemed to handle everything smoothly. She was generally a calm person, he had observed. This was why her seemingly random explosion was incredibly surprising to him, and probably most of the other workers.
Tony continued to watch her, noticing that she had not calmed down at all. What's going on with her? She had seemed a bit out of sorts lately, but this was a little too out there. His first instinct was to leap out of his chair, zoom down the stairs and comfort and calm her. Perhaps a big Tony-Hug, which he was famous for. Maybe a slight kiss…
No. He stopped himself. Control, Tony, control. That would seem a bit too obvious.
Instead, despite what every fiber in his body willed him to do, he simply picked up the phone, dialed her office number.
Michelle supposed that it was all of the stress. Everything builds and builds until even a person as calm and focused as Michelle can't handle it any longer. Her outburst was simply a way to lift a little weight off her back. It had felt good to scream.
But no matter what she told herself, she really knew that this tension had absolutely nothing to do with work, or the Gonsalez file, or even the spilled coffee all over her new shirt.
The one thing… person… that she couldn't rid from her thoughts- Who made her smile with joy, and at the same time sweat with anticipation. The person, who, she knew, was probably sitting in his office this very moment, filing paperwork or sending Division emails apologizing for her mistakes.
It had been almost three weeks since he had come to her house. Sitting with him, being with him, had made her feel invincible, completely content. Even the end had been perfect, as hard as it had been to see him go.
After talking for hours, they both looked out of the window, realizing the sun was beginning to rise, and that they would have to be back at CTU in a matter of hours. He slowly put on his coat and pocketed his keys, never once adverting his glance from her. It felt safe to have him look in her eyes.
They both stood at the open door, trying to find a way to prolong their time together. Then without warning, Tony gently took her delicate chin in his hand, and kissed her. It was the most perfect and wonderful thing she had ever experienced. It was as if their lips were made for each other, perfectly molding together.
It was possibly even better than their first encounter in the hallway not long ago.
He smiled warmly, such a small curve of the lips that one may not have noticed it, but it was there. He stepped out the doorway, and slowly wandered towards his car. Within moments, he was gone.
It had been a magical and electric moment, leaving her breathless. She had hoped beyond all odds that it wasn't the last, but as the days turned to weeks, Michelle's hope began to dwindle and slowly dissolve completely.
Maybe he had just planned for it to be that one time, she thought, maybe, now that he knows me better, he wants nothing to do with me. He probably didn't even feel the same way about her. Just co-workers helping each other out.
The melodic ring of her CTU phone brought her back to reality harshly. She snatched it and brought it to her ear.
"Dessler,"
She had known exactly who it was going to be, but still his deep voice entranced her. She gripped the phone a little too tightly, forming small dents around her ear.
"Michelle... Do ya wanna tell me what's goin' on?"
His concerned tone made her anger towards him increase. What right did he have to act so worried about her, after totally blowing her off the past couple of weeks?
"I'm fine."
She knew the lie was not at all believable, but she knew that if she displayed the right kind of coldness, it would send Tony the message.
"That's a buncha crap. Meet me right now in holding room number seven. We need to talk."
The line went dead, leaving her speechless. How could he dare speak to her in that way? And to just hang up? She had half a mind to completely ignore his demand, but she was smart enough to know that, after all, she did work for him.
Slamming down the phone, Michelle got to her feet, brushing the wrinkles off of her skirt. She made her way through the dimly-lit hallway to holding room number seven, grudgingly.
Her pace quickened, and she jammed her heels deeper into the floor with every step.
She turned a corner a little too sharply, heading towards the holding rooms. All she wanted to was to get this dreaded meeting over with, and to never deal with Tony again. She was well-aware that it would be tempting to slap that, ignorant, selfish man right in the face the minute she saw him, but he was her boss, and she would have no choice but to restrain herself.
As she violently punched in the entry code to holding room seven, she silently prepared what she was going to say.
Tony looked up to the buzzing sound of the door opening. He had seated himself in the uncomfortable holding room chair, his hands placed carefully across the cold, uninviting metal table before him. He slowly looked up into her fiery, glaring eyes, realizing the situation was worse than he had thought; she was definitely not pleased with him. Tony watched nervously as she clenched her jaw, tucked a loose curl behind her ear, and briskly sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the table.
He had picked this room for a reason. Only weeks ago, they both had been placed there in punishment of questionable actions towards Chapelle. He could still clearly recall her passionate refusal to his offer of taking the blame; Michelle had wanted to take responsibility for her actions- Something Tony valued and admired in her.
Tony opened his mouth, searching for words to begin the conversation. His thoughts were harshly interrupted.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she snapped quietly and precisely. He certainly had not seen this coming. He attempted to reply, but came up with nothing. Instead he sat there, dumbstruck- his mouth gaping open stupidly.
Tony was shocked at her reaction. He had never imagined that she would assume he was just… Blowing her off, or something. God! Maybe she thought it was like a one night stand! How could she not know that every single waking moment he debated his decision, wanting her more and more as the time progressed. Every day he watched her diligently complete her work, always perfectly organized, determined to accomplish the task at hand. How could she not see it? Wasn't it obvious?
He loved what a strong person she was, ready to stand up for what she believed in. Even at this moment, Michelle was doing that very thing. Her anger and power only made him desire her more.
But he had promised himself. He had promised that he'd never make that mistake again, that ripped his heart out almost two years ago. Tony remembered the end of that long day, watching the woman he had almost loved being dragged away, not only a traitor to her country, but to him, to Jack, to Teri... He couldn't bear the truth. He had been blind for so long. To think he almost loved her. I didn't even know what love was.
That night, he had gone home in a daze, sitting on his couch for hours at a time, downing gulp after gulp of alcohol, just to end the pain.
But as time passed, he had gotten over it. He had an important job after all, and a new promotion. He began a different routine, changing the way he did things so he was not reminded of… her. But inside he was never truly happy, never really content. There was a part of him that was no longer there. The part that loves.
He shut himself up, hid his feelings. He just did what he had to do in order to cope with the pain.
Until Michelle. Nina had scarred him so deeply, he was positive he would never even want a woman again. But he was wrong. The woman he wanted more than ever was standing before him, waiting for a response to her angry statement. At this moment, it seemed Michelle just needed him to answer, but he couldn't find the words.
He sat there as the minutes passed, dumbfounded. In his head, he debated. Could take such a chance, risk his happiness, and put himself out in the open again? He knew being with Michelle, having someone like her to lean on, have at his side, could bring back the ultimate happiness that he had once had. But she didn't deserve a man who may never be able to trust her, or love her like she deserved. To hurt Michelle might be even worse than depriving himself of her.
Every morning as Tony went through his daily routine, he would decide that it would be the day he would talk to Michelle. He would enter CTU determined to show her that he cared, and he could be in a relationship again. But each time, he would stop himself, and cowardly change his mind. Tony, as little as he liked to admit it, was afraid. Not just afraid, terrified. Terrified of what could happen, of what had happened. Terrified of giving his heart away again.
But, instead of going to her, she had come to him. And now, he realized, staring into her furious eyes, that there was nothing he could do. Michelle had his heart, and there was no way to take it back. Though it might be difficult to regain his trust, he needed her, and she needed him. It was time he gave his heart to Michelle.
Slowly, he stood up, facing Michelle. He took small steps towards her, until his face was only inches away from hers. There was a slight moment of complete, tension-filled silence. Tony gave in to his first instinct; placing his hands on the back of her neck, he pulled her in for a deep, passionate kiss. At first, out of pure shock, she didn't return it.
Michelle's hand lingered above Tony's shoulder, but finally, she relaxed and let it fall, wrapping around his back and holding him tightly. His grip around her tightened, and he pulled her closer, desperate for more contact.
Then, he whispered in her ear, "I am so sorry, Michelle."
Michelle was utterly stunned. In her mind, nothing in the world could have made her less angry at him. He had thrown her aside, blowing her off like some sort of… one night stand. Michelle was not going to take this from someone she actuallyreally liked. She had spent too long letting guys take advantage of her.
But as he pressed his lips against hers, her heart melted all over again, and she was his. She just couldn't help but want him, and let him hold her, and kiss her. A kiss she'd be dreaming of for weeks now, finally given to her when she'd least expected it.
He gently moved his mouth to her ear, whispering, "I'm so sorry, Michelle."
It was just what she had needed to hear to fix everything. Just those three words summed up why Tony had never talked to her. She understood. She now knew that he had never intended to hurt her, or blow her off. How could I have been so dumb to forget? She knew perfectly well of what had happened with Nina.
But now, he had given himself to her, and she would have no choice but to gain his trust.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but Michelle managed to hold them back. "It's not your fault."
It was all she could say, but she added a small smile to lighten the mood.
Tony at first let the embrace linger, but eventually he knew he had to make a move. He bit his lip, a nervous habit, trying to convince himself to ask the much-to-late question.
When are you gonna find a better time? Just do it now!
"Michelle, I uh... well… I was wondering... Do you wanna go out for that movie and a dinner that I promised you?"
She grinned back at him, satisfied that he had finally worked up the courage.
"How's Friday?
A quick nod set the date, making the much anticipated question seem so simple, suddenly. He was going on a date! With Michelle. His heart thumped loudly in his chest.
The two had been so transfixed in each other's arms, completely forgetting about their surroundings. Quickly they fixed themselves up and headed towards the holding room door to go back to work. The second they had entered the hallway, their gaze on each other broke, and they both put their minds back to the job that needed to be done.
To their dismay, after turning a sharp corner to face the main floor, they collided with none other than Ryan Chappelle. Nervously, both Tony and Michelle quickly bent down to retrieve the large bundle of papers he had been holding, muttering short apologies for their carelessness.
"Where the hell have you two been? These all need to be signed and sent to Jack's office. You know you really should be more helpful, Tony, or I might have to rethink that big promotion I have just given you..."
Tony and Michelle took a deep breath, trying to find a believable excuse to explain their absence. Tony immediately began to speak, improvising an elaborate story about some long phone call with a communications officer. Though he raised an eyebrow with curiosity, Chapelle nodded briskly, and headed on his way, leaving Tony and Michelle incredibly relieved.
He turned to her, and winked, muttering, "We'll talk later."
Michelle returned the wink, and walked purposefully back to her desk. She had wasted- well, not wasted- a lot of time with Tony. She was behind schedule and needed to catch up.
But as she sat down at her desk, she couldn't resist glancing up at Tony in his office, and simultaneously he looked down at her. They shared a brief moment of silent communication.
She grinned mischievously and returned to her work. But then she stopped, hit with a realization.Life at CTU is going to be very different. Good different.