Ok so next chapter. I gathered from the reviews that a few of you don't like the fact that I made Michelle a movie star and isn't the but-kicking Michelle that we know and love from the show but I will tell you now that she is and that this side of Michelle will be revealed in future chapters. This story is just something that popped into my head and I wanted to see what others thought, I usually don't share my fan fics so this is adifferent thing for me.
Ok so in this chapter Michelle finally meets Tony. Yeah!
I'm enjoying writing this story and please review, I'm very interested to see what you all think.
Chapter 2
Michelle was exhausted. It had been a busy few weeks. She'd finally finished shooting April's Song and was spending another few weeks in New York on vacation, with a few appearances thrown in, before she returned to LA to begin the publicity tour for Crazylove, the movie she had finished filming a few months prior.
She was enjoying sleeping in for once and just lazing about her hotel room but after three days she was getting sick of the confines of her room and was bursting to get out and wander around New York. Lucy and her security team didn't like the idea of Michelle going out alone or period but Michelle was getting desperate and just hoped Lucy was in a good mood.
"I'm going out," Michelle called to Lucy.
"I'll call up the security team," Lucy replied. "You're not going out with out them."
"I'm not going out with them, I just want to wander about, like a normal person," Michelle complained. "I don't want a bunch of burly guys trailing after me."
"This is New York, Michelle, you need your security team with you, one at least," Lucy insisted.
"I'm not taking anyone, I'm going by myself, no one will recognize me, I need time by myself," Michelle said, "See you when I get back, you can reach me on my cell if you want me."
Lucy finally gave up and Michelle put on her coat and sunglasses, threw her handbag over her shoulder and left the room.
As she walked through the foyer of the hotel, the concierge called, "Miss Dessler, there have been a few messages for you."
Michelle walked over to the desk and received the few pieces of paper he handed to her.
"Thank you, have a nice day," Michelle said, leaving the hotel.
She read the messages. There was one from her parents, asking her to ring them when she was free, another three from various media companies wanting to set up interviews and to Michelle's dismay a message from Katrina Pierson, wanting to set up lunch between her and Ben.
Suddenly Michelle was cranky again, would he ever take a hint. She stuffed the pieces of paper in her bag and wandered off down the street. Lucy would deal with them when she got back, that was after all her job.
Michelle crossed the road and wandered into Central Park. She loved her hotel because it was just across the road from the Park. That was one of the advantages of being a celebrity and she could basically get any room, at any hotel, at anytime. Michelle knew it was a bit selfish but she loved it. And she was very fussy and her hotel was one of the very few that would accommodate to her needs. She was no where close to being a diva, she was just fussy and she made a point to be nice to the staff unlike a lot of celebrities she knew.
Michelle wandered through the park, watching all the people. The parents playing with their children, people throwing balls to dogs, people lounging around on the benches and grass, reading. Normal people doing normal things. Sometimes, as much as she loved her life and job, Michelle craved that normal life, where she could go out without having to disguise herself or risk being recognized. And she wanted kids and a family and a husband, someone who didn't want or love her for being, Michelle Dessler, "movie star" but loved and wanted her for just being Michelle, the woman, the mother, the wife.
Finally Michelle found the perfect spot on the soft, cool grass. She flopped down and pulled a book out of her bag. It had been years since she'd had time to read a book. She'd never had so much spare time.
After a blissful hour of reading, Michelle was suddenly attacked by a friendly dog, bouncing all over her and licking her face. She was a beautiful golden retriever, a couple of years old.
"Leila, stop it," a man's voice scolded the dog as he jogged over. "I'm so sorry, she gets crazy sometimes," he apologized.
Michelle looked up at him, he was gorgeous. He was tall and of Spanish heritage, maybe, she thought, and had short curly black hair and an olive complexion.
"That's ok, gorgeous dog, Leila did you say her name was," Michelle said, reaching over to scratch the dog's belly, who had settled in front of Michelle, closing her eyes.
"Yeah, oh, look, it's rest time, we'll be here a while, do you mind?" he asked.
"Not at all, sit down, pull up a patch of grass," Michelle laughed.
"Thanks," the man said, sitting down, next to her, "Tony Almeida," he said, holding out his hand.
"Michelle Dessler," Michelle replied as she shook his hand. Michelle expected for him to now make a comment about her being an actress but none came, he didn't seem to recognize her which Michelle decided she liked.
"So Michelle, why are you hanging out in Central Park in the middle of a work day when all normal people are at work?" Tony asked.
"I've actually got a few weeks off, before I go home to LA, I've just finished shooting," Michelle said, before she could stop herself.
"Shooting?" Tony questioned.
"Yeah, a movie, I'm an actress," Michelle replied, quickly.
"Oh, now I know why the name sounded familiar, my buddies are always talking about you, you're dating that Ben Affleck guy, right, my buddies think that you're too good for him, no offence," Tony said.
"I'm not dating Ben. I never have and never will. I despise the man, the whole thing was started to save Ben's career but he just won't take a hint," Michelle snapped.
"Sorry, I mean we only know what we read in the media," Tony replied, "You should do an interview or something and sort it all out."
"My publicist is working on it," Michelle stated. "So what are you doing in Central Park on a work day?"
"I'm on vacation, too, actually, I'm visiting my sister, strangely enough I live in LA too. I'm a government agent for the Counter Terrorism Unit, CTU, LA division. I actually run the place but I'm on long service leave at the moment," Tony explained.
"So how long are you in New York for?"
"Another two weeks, I've been here three already," he replied, "You?"
"I've been filming here for three months and I'm here for another two weeks before I have to go home to start a publicity tour. The joys of being an actress."
"I don't know how you do it, you sound like you're never home," Tony said.
"I'm used to it now," Michelle sighed.
"It must be hard, not seeing your friends, boyfriend, family, so much," Tony said.
"I don't have a boyfriend, despite what the tabloids say or many friends, my best friend is my publicist, Lucy, how sad is that and my parents call me all the time and I'm not that close to my brother and sister, so it's ok, I get by. What about you, being away for five weeks, girlfriend, parents, family, friends, they must all miss you."
"My parents ring me a lot and I mean a lot, almost every day, I'm staying with my sister and her husband and my little niece and well as long as my buddies have beer they're fine and…um… I don't have a girlfriend anymore," he said.
"Anymore?" Michelle questioned.
"Nina and I broke up a few months ago, she was cheating on me," Tony said, quickly.
"Oh, I'm sorry, that's gotta suck," Michelle replied, "You're better off without her."
"That's what my friends say."
"Well it's true," Michelle assured him.
"She's actually part of reason I'm here in New York. Not only did Nina cheat on me but she…um… betrayed the country, not going into too much detail, she worked with me at CTU but she was also working for terrorists, giving them inside information. After we found out I kinda went on a destructive warpath and wasn't trusting anyone, my boss thought it would be best to take some leave and get out of LA. I'm learning to trust people again and I'm getting over it, slowly," he said.
"Wow, you've been through a lot, thanks for trusting me to tell me that."
