Title: Day by Day
Characters: Tony and Michelle
Credit: The characters and idea are the creation of Fox and the 24 writers. They take the credit.
Rating: T to be safe
Setting: This begins right after the events of day 2; everything remains as it was in the finale. Over the chapters there will be many flashbacks. If you can't follow them well just let me know and I will do my best to clarify. Thanks!
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Biting his lip, Tony smiled. "See ya tomorrow?" he thought. "What is that?" but he had said it and gotten a smile in return so he didn't dwell too long on his choice of goodbyes. It was true, though. She would be back tomorrow and life would get back to normal...or would it? Maybe that's what sent chills through Tony's body, life had changed and this time it was for the better. He was still reluctant, however, to move too quickly. He liked things between him and Michelle like they were: simple. Nothing was too weird or blown out of proportion. Those looks are what kill him. What in the world was Tony going to do next? He didn't know, but he did know that if he kept thinking about it than he wouldn't get any work done...and there was work to do. He had at least 2 more hours of work before he could hand CTU over to a loner from division. He let his eyes trail down to Michelle's desk where she was getting her things together to head home. She had a big day in store for her too.
Dealing with alcoholics is not easy. Tony knew that. While he never had to deal with it inside his family he knew his fair share of ex-Marines, friends, who couldn't seem to find the right balance of family and work... a word that didn't even begin to describe the marines. Sadly, alcohol became their balance sometimes even before they left the core.
When Tony had left he had a job offer at a major defense corporation in Los Angeles as an analyst. It was meant to be a break; He didn't want to "quit" the marines, he merely wanted to settle down for a while, stay out of harms way for his sake and his family's. But safe is a far cry from how Tony had felt since then. CTU was hardly a desk job.
Tony stayed busy for the next few minutes organizing briefing material from the day, signing this, organizing that. He needed the protocol layouts that Michelle had used for different situations. Unfortunately he had let her go for the day. The replacement would have to do it for now.
As he made his way down the stairs to Michelle's station Chappelle caught up with him.
"Tony!" he said with an urgent tone.
"I thought you were leaving, everyone's here and set"
"Yeah I know, I was gone. But just... look!"
Tony looked at the screen that had just changed from the CTU logo to CNN. On it was a live feed from UCLA where the President was to have given his speech. The woman on the news explained the situation while the crowd was in hysterics behind her. The President had been attacked.
"Oh my god" Tony said with a sigh in shock that this had happened but also at the realization that it was going to be another long day.
Michelle pulled into the parking lot of the Baptist Health hospital. She pulled down the mirror of her Honda accord to apply the lipstick that had lain in her car for 24 hours. Someone had to look pulled together. But inside Michelle was falling apart. She loved her brother but resented him for doing this to her. To himself.
She wanted so badly a relationship, a life. Specifically Tony. She hated that her time and energy either went to work to help Danny financially or straight to her brother, helping with the kids, going shopping, all the things he had left behind with his wife.
But even more than that she hated that on this particular day Danny was the reason she finally got a glimpse of hope. Tony must think she's an idiot. And yet he was so gentle and comforting. He wanted it just as badly as she did. Whatever the reason she was glad "the corner" had happened. Work was looking more and more appealing.
She bit her lip as she checked into the front desk... She had just jinxed herself. The reporter was relaying the news of an attempt on President Palmer's life. "Oh good" she thought. "Here we go again". She proceeded to Danny's room ready to get this over with but even more anxious about what was going on at work.
Danny was ready and waiting in his room.
"Hey, Chelle" he said in as perky a voice he could rummage up
"Hey, Danny" she said with a transparent "I'm-not-in-the-mood-to-pretend-nothing-happened" tone.
"Look, I'm sorry I shouldn't have been there and..."
"Danny, just stop. It's ok" she said in response to his all too common apology. "I still love you now let's go" she said heading for the door.
"That's good" he said trying to lighten the mood.
"Yeah" she said under her breath as she left the room.
He didn't bother to say anything else. Michelle stopped by Krispy Kreme on her way back to Danny's apartment. Not only was she hungry, but the employee kitchenette at CTU could use a little stock of dough-nuts. She dropped Danny off and assured him that his kids were safe at their moms. She would see him at Sunday brunch at their mom's house.
From there she went home, a short drive from Danny's place. She needed to at least change clothes before she went back. As she pulled into her parking spot, she grabbed her purse and quickly got out. She ran into her apartment, in a rush to get back to CTU. On a normal day she wouldn't bother going back in but technically Tony was still only the agent in charge as he hadn't been instated yet and she new the already short-handed back-up shift could use a hand.
