A/N: Last chapter! I can't believe I actually finished this story. My sincerest thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing; especially to those who have done so for every chapter…you guys definitely kept me going! If you haven't reviewed yet I encourage you to do so now; just so I can hear what you thought of the piece on a whole…I'd really appreciate it.
Once again thank you so much to everyone! Enjoy the conclusion!
Chapter Thirty – Knots
Oh god he was nervous. He was so very, very nervous. So nervous that he'd been sitting on their bed alone for the past forty-five minutes staring at the wall and wondering how in the world he was going to be able to force himself into getting dressed. Michelle had left a little over an hour before so that she could get ready at the hotel. He couldn't get over how she still looked so amazingly calm by comparison. She'd beamed happily at him when Alicia had arrived in a cab to take her away, dress and all, and planted a quick kiss on his cheek as she flounced out the front door.
Tony on the other hand hadn't eaten anything since the previous night when Michelle had dropped one of those chewy, coated in "chocolate", powdery-tasting, and not the least bit satisfying protein bars on his desk when he had run down to comm.. She, apparently, thought something was better than nothing and had even refilled his coffee mug as.
Damn, he loved her. He loved her and her disgusting fake-chocolate protein bars; her lack of culinary skills and the way she could read the same book a thousand times and always find something new. He loved that she never moved after she cuddled up against him at night, not even subconsciously, and she always seemed to know the optimum moment to kiss him in the morning to prevent it from tasting too much like toothpaste. He loved that she'd rather fall asleep on the couch in his office than go home to bed without him and that she lathered copious amounts of moisturizer on after she showered; taking particular care to use extra on the areas he liked to bury his face into…
The sound of the doorbell forced Tony to his feet and he was so relieved at the sight of his dad that he threw his arms around him.
"Where's mom?" he frowned noticing her absence.
"Still getting dressed…I thought you could use some company."
Tony groaned, exasperated. "I'm dying here…Michelle's not even nervous."
Mentally, he added that to the list of things he loved about her; he just didn't like thinking that she was a lot more sure of them than he was…it wasn't true anyway, he was just a little overwhelmed.
He was excited too though; so incredibly excited he wouldn't have been surprised to find himself bouncing off the walls. He wanted to slip that ring on her pretty little finger and tell the whole world that she was his wife. He even had the urge, (however juvenile) to send copies of their marriage license to anyone and everyone who'd ever doubted them; who'd ever said that interoffice relationships just couldn't work. For they were living proof that it could work and, if you were lucky, it could end up being the best part of your job.
More than all of that he wanted to whisk her to that hotel they'd booked for their honeymoon and lock them both away from the rest of the world for an entire week. He wanted to lull around the beach or in bed all day and know that for once, it was just them. He wanted to spoil her completely so he could at least try to get across the point of how she really was the best thing that had ever happened to him.
She wouldn't even want that though; she'd want to keep it simple and that, if possible, made him love her even more.
She'd asked Alicia three times if her makeup looked okay and Alicia, being the gracious friend she was, had laughed and assured her that it was fine. She'd also cut Michelle off at the pass – insisting that her hair too, looked great.
Michelle vaguely wondered when in the world she'd become so vain and such high maintenance; namely since the only person who's opinion she truly cared about had probably seen her at her worse more times than anything else.
The nerves had hit her so suddenly; the moment she'd looked in the mirror and realized that this was her wedding day and a good million things could go wrong before it was over and her life was finally right. In some ways, she felt like she'd been married for months and that the ceremony was more of a formality so everyone else would realize it too; in other ways there was a significance about the whole thing Michelle really couldn't deny. Acting like a married couple was one thing, but soon it would be official. It was a little scary to say the least, and Michelle found herself desperately trying to picture them thirty years down the road and still as happy as they were now.
"Soul mates" did not suit them; at least Michelle didn't think so. There was something too clichéd about it, and it seemed too generic. She wasn't really sure if they were predestined to be together forever, but she did know that there was nowhere else she'd ever want to be. What they had was unique and indefinable and there was certainly no description one could offer of their relationship that would ever seem completely adequate.
There were details, little, tiny, seemingly insignificant details that made it what it was; things they'd learned through nights when they just couldn't sleep and had ended up talking about inconsequential things that resulted in them knowing each other better than anyone else ever would. They'd seen each other through practically every emotion and had learned how to respond in just the right way that by now it was almost instinctive. She could sense what was brooding beneath the surface when he brushed her off in the middle of work once in a while, and what was really eating away at him when he snapped at her on occasion. Sometimes he got quiet, and she knew when exactly the best time to try and coax him into talking was, and when he just needed to be left alone.
No one but the two of them would ever understand these things and that was what made it special. Everything was between them and them alone.
Amidst her thoughts Michelle did not hear the phone ring, she did, however feel Alicia's gentle poke to her shoulder and the receiver being placed in her hands.
"Tony…" she was informed before Alicia started busying herself with something in case they needed a moment.
"Hey,"
"Hey," his tone was a lot less abrupt than it had been all night and all morning. Instead it was soft and inviting and left her feeling like she wanted to simply melt into him.
"So, how's it going?"
"Good." She assured him and then continued with a small laugh. "We're more on schedule than I expected."
"That's good." He was distracted, she could tell, and perhaps a little anxious.
"What about over there?"
"Good," he told her firmly. "We're probably gonna head over soon so we don't get caught in traffic or something."
"Okay." She smiled against the phone, willing him to feel it from his end.
It seemed to work.
"Honey, I love you." He exclaimed suddenly.
"I know." She swallowed hard and forced herself to stop being so emotional; the day had barely started after all. "I love you too."
She had a feeling he was smiling too now.
"I'll see you in a little while, okay?" she spoke, realizing the next time she saw him she would be marrying him.
"Yeah," he breathed heavily. "I'll see ya in a bit."
The phone call placed to Michelle had done the trick, Tony realized as he climbed into the car. Whatever reason he had for feeling nervous was completely gone and he remembered why in the world he'd got himself into this.
"I'm warning you now…" John began as he climbed in beside him. "Your mom hasn't stopped crying all morning."
Tony cringed slightly and rolled his eyes. "Great…"
John waited a moment before speaking again.
"We're both happy for you." He added solemnly, his gaze focused straight ahead.
Tony sighed. "Thanks."
"So, you ready?" John leaned over from the passenger seat and patted him firmly on the shoulder.
"Yeah," he nodded. "I'm ready."
Michelle was not ready, not even close. In fact, she was running around the room, still wearing jeans and a tank top, trying to release some of the pent up energy she had been feeling all along.
Apparently having gotten no sleep the night before your wedding did not help with the adrenaline rush…
"Michelle you have to put on your dress." Alicia reminded her gently and knowing instinctively that Michelle would turn into Michelle again the moment she stepped into the hall.
"I know…. I know…" she sat on the end of the bed and groaned exaggeratedly as her head fell into her hands.
"What's wrong?" Alicia watched her carefully, chancing a quick glance at her watch and wondering how they'd ended up so off-schedule all of a sudden; namely since there were only two of them to worry about.
"I don't know, I don't know." Michelle chanted incessantly as she rocked back and forth against the mattress. "I just can't sit still."
"Is my dad here?" she asked suddenly.
"He's on his way with Danny."
"What about-"
There was a knock at the door, which Alicia answered.
"Hey!" Kate exclaimed graciously as she flounced into the room, already dressed. "And how's the bride?"
Alicia snickered. "Getting there…"
Michelle suddenly felt like she could never show her face to either of the women again. She never freaked out, not like this and did not like the idea of anyone seeing her in the state she was in, especially when she didn't even know what was wrong with her.
"Everything looks perfect." Kate informed her, settling down beside her on the bed.
Nodding, Michelle crossed the room and began changing out of her clothes, gradually feeling herself come down from the adrenaline-induced high she'd been riding all morning. It didn't matter if everything was perfect or not; she'd never even cared about that in the first place. Regardless of what happened in a few minutes time, they were still them and that's all the day was really about.
Twenty minutes later she was ready.
"And how are you doing?" Lisa approached Tony with an amused look on her face.
"Alright, I guess." He shrugged and began fidgeting with his collar. "I hate this stupid thing." He spoke of the tie he was wearing and attempted to loosen it slightly.
Lisa shook her head and laughed.
"You look nice." He commented, noting her bright green dress.
She smiled and kissed his cheek before pulling back and adjusting the knot of his tie.
"I just wanted to wish you good luck." She grinned and winked before moving to take her seat between Rachel and Amy.
Michelle was standing at one end of the "aisle" a little over half an hour later, hidden from view of everyone else. Alicia and Kate had since joined the rest of the guests and Jack had slipped quietly into his seat just before the ceremony was to start; in the nick of time, as always.
She hadn't seen Tony yet and was really starting to wish she had, just to bring her back down to some sort of reality. He was so good at that. She needed him for that.
Tony's jitters had returned when he had nothing left to do but wait. He hated waiting; he'd never been patient and he certainly never made a point to stand directly under the beating sun for an extended period of time while half the eyes in the room were on him, and the other half kept throwing conspicuous glances over their shoulders. He had seen Kate rush in a few minutes before; allowing him to notice Jack for the first time. Jack looked serious, respectable, attentive, but he also half-smiled when he caught Tony's eye and offered a small nod.
So Tony continued to wait, not minding it so much all of a sudden; taking a few deep breaths and savoring the moment. This wouldn't happen again and he might as well enjoy it while he could. Besides, he would always wait for her.
"I'm here, I'm ready!" Michelle's dad declared with open palms raised to chest level as he took his place beside her. He was late and he knew it.
He smiled gently when he took in her appearance; making Michelle blush.
"You look beautiful."
She sighed. "I feel kinda silly to tell you the truth…it seemed like we invited a lot less people than this."
He laughed and kissed her cheek. "Well you look nice anyway..." and then, as an after thought mumbled. "And I'm sorry we're late…Danny seems to be taking this good-behavior thing to heart because I don't remember him ever driving that slowly…"
Michelle laughed and shook her head disapprovingly.
They both stood silently for a moment, Michelle enjoying the breather from the excitement that had preceded it.
"Nervous?"
Michelle hesitated before not really answering the question.
"I think we'll be okay." She told him sincerely.
Andrew nodded back, a little watery eyed. "I know you will be."
Smiling, Michelle grasped his hand confidently before linking their arms together and taking a deep breath...
It was ironic; Michelle decided later on, that of all the things she recalled from the ceremony, it was the small ones that seemed to stand out the most. She remembered walking for what seemed like an eternity, averting the gazes of everyone and spending an inordinate amount of time observing the flower petals that traced the path she walked. She remembered it being pleasantly warm and being thankful there was significant enough shade that she wasn't squinting throughout the entire journey. She remembered looking up long enough to catch an oddly straight-faced Tony following her movements, and grinning widely at him the instant their eyes met. This made him smile back, but only slightly, as his expression softened and he blushed, unnoticeable to anyone but her.
Michelle knew with completely certainly she was blushing too, but probably enough for everyone to notice, and she grinned again and turned her head to look somewhere else, just so she might stop.
She remembered her dad squeezing her arm gently before leaving her side.
She bit her lip when it was just herself and Tony left, shifting uncomfortably under the intensity of his gaze.
"Hi." She whispered in a stupid, airy voice, not sure what else she was supposed to say.
He smirked a little but said nothing; choosing instead to place a gentle kiss to the back of her hand as he tucked it away in his.
At that point everything became blurry. She remembered beaming widely, almost painfully, a lot; especially since Tony looked so serious and was gazing at her so intently. They each repeated some words that seemed a little robotic and a little unlike them, but that got the point across nonetheless.
Tony never really stopped staring at her, and he continued to look focused and determined. The only time his expression changed was when he took the ring and turned to Michelle, the corners of his mouth curving upwards as his thumb brushed back and forth across her finger a few times before moving the ring from his palm and sliding it on discretely.
Michelle beamed and a few smalls tears formed, which she wiped away quickly before sliding the ring onto own his finger. The intimacy was almost suffocating, (in the best kind of way), and when she broke Tony's gaze it felt as though she was coming up for air that she had never really wanted in the first place.
When he finally kissed her she started cry; just a little, but cried nonetheless. He reached around the back of her head and pulled her in close as her hands came to rest on his upper arms.
"You okay?" he asked after a few seconds of pressing their lips together softly. His thumb brushed the tears off her cheek and his forehead rested against hers.
Michelle sniffled again and nodded; her eyes closing as she leaned in for a second time with a big smile on her face. She would've pointed out that the question was entirely unnecessary, but that was nothing new. He'd always liked to fill in the gaps with unnecessary questions...
Tony sighed into her mouth as they pulled back and buried his fingers in her hair, only aware in the vague recesses of his mind that they were still being watched.
"I love you." She blurted out quietly before they finally separated and turned to face everyone again.
The reception passed quickly. In some ways this was disappointing, and in others Tony and Michelle almost felt relieved by it. Being the center of attention wasn't something they were really fond of, and the lack of sleep from the previous night was finally starting to catch up with them. Tony wanted nothing more than to slip out unnoticed, retreat to one of the hotel rooms upstairs, and possibly make love to his new wife, before collapsing in an exhausted heap and sleeping for eternity.
"Hey," he grabbed her elbow when she unknowingly brushed past him on her way across the room. She was all smiles and had been every since the ceremony.
He grinned at her. "Do I get to dance with you now?"
Michelle laughed and nodded, slipping her arms around his neck and maneuvering her way into a comfortable position against his body.
"How you doin'?" he checked once his hands rested gently in the small of her back and were softly tracing the stitching of the dress.
"It's been a long day," she half-yawned, resting her head against his shoulder and closing her eyes for a moment.
"But…we're married…" she blushed furiously when she heard herself say the words out loud, and her face remained buried firmly in his chest so he would not see.
"Uh huh." He pressed a kiss in her hair and they continued to sway gently in time with the music.
"Hey listen…" Michelle began suddenly and loosened the hold her arms had on his neck.
"I know yesterday or…today I guess, didn't exactly start out too well…"
"C'mon Michelle…don't talk about this now-"
"No, sweetheart I just want to say something…"
He nodded in agreement, his face serious now.
"I know it wasn't a good couple of hours…And I know there are gonna be days like that…probably quite a few, especially with CTU being the way it is all the time…but just so you know…" she cupped his face gently, forgetting for a moment that practically everyone they knew was in the room. "I wouldn't want to have a bad day with anyone but you." She stated earnestly.
Tony studied her curiously as Michelle smiled in embarrassment and turned away.
"And that sounded so much better in my head…"
He chuckled and twirled a few strands of her hair around his fingers.
"What I mean is…" she swallowed hard, her eyes misting up a little and her expression softening.
"I can't imagine ever wanting to be anywhere but here."
Tony leaned in and kissed her lightly and only for a second.
"I know, honey." He held her a little more tightly. "Me too..."
When he'd been told congratulations for what was at least the thousandth time, and the last of the guests were finally filing out of the reception hall, he found Michelle again.
She was resting quietly in a chair, fingering the rim of her empty champagne glass, her chin resting in the opposite hand.
Only the families remained now. Kate had left a few minutes before and Jack had long ago returned to CTU; having only been able to slip out for a few hours in the first place.
"Get some rest." Alicia told Michelle as she settled in the seat next to her and watched her yawn. "We'll make sure everything gets cleaned up here."
"You've done enough." Michelle stated firmly.
"You can make it up to me later."
Michelle rolled her eyes as Tony came to stand beside her; having heard the conversation as he approached the table.
"Thanks." He told Alicia, exchanging a quick hug with her before dragging Michelle to her feet.
It was another half hour before they'd bade goodnight to everyone else. Amy was babbling giddily about how pretty everything had looked to Michelle; possibly because she'd had one too many glasses of champagne. Lisa hugged them both firmly, offering her congratulations and promising to come back and visit again soon.
Tony's parents seemed to opt for the "silence is golden" approach instead of babbling and gushing incoherently; much to Tony's relief. And Danny kissed his little sister on her cheek, insisting he was proud of her and apologizing for ever letting her think otherwise.
"You look exhausted." Michelle commented to her dad; the last person she had yet to see. He had bags under his eyes and a slightly yellowish undertone to his skin.
"You look happy." He countered, making her grin.
She sighed and nodded, missing her mom a little in that moment and wondering if she would've have thought the same thing had she been there.
"I'll call you when we get back." She promised as they walked to the entranceway together.
Andrew nodded wordlessly before hugging her one more time and heading out the door.
It wasn't too long before Tony was leading Michelle into the hallway and wrapping his arm snugly around her waist. She was his wife now and he wanted to touch her and hold her as much as possible; just in case they never had a day like this again.
They rode wordlessly up the elevator, her head now resting lightly against him.
"Tony, thank you for today." She whispered in a throaty voice, loosening the tie around his neck for him. His breath warmed the sensitive patch of her neck as he buried his face into it; absorbing her scent and reveling in the feeling it sent through his body.
Lips brushing gently against her skin he barely whispered:
"Thanks for marrying me," making her tear up for what seemed like the millionth time that day.
Tony took the room key from Michelle's hand and opened the door; scooping her up in his arms and making her squeal as he carried her into the room and dropped her on the bed. He was studying her features carefully and his hand pushed back a few pieces of hair so he could get a better look at her face.
This was how it was supposed to be and neither could really imagine having it any other way. In the time they'd spent together their priorities had changed and the things that had mattered before didn't seem to matter quite so much any more. Being together had taught them how truly lonely they had been before, and that taking matters into your own hands was the only true way to get things done…
They were happy now, and that was all that mattered.
