Author's Note: Again, sorry this is taking so long...please review if you're still reading!!
Disclaimer: Still don't own 24 (
Tony and Michelle's next two days passed much the same as the first: eating meals with Racquel and the brothers, helping out with whatever ranch chores they could, walking the grounds together, and just enjoying the shared time. Both were almost disappointed the afternoon Jack payed them an undercover visit to say it would probably be their last night there.
"We've gotten about all the intel I think we're going to," he explained. "The team is going in one last time tonight to retrieve a couple surveillance devices they left; we wouldn't want the Salazars knowing something was going on. Then tomorrow we'll be able to completely pull out."
"And so ends our vacation," Michelle sighed, half joking.
"Sorry, I know you two were having fun," Jack laughed. "Oh, there's something else you should know. Chappelle's on his way here from the airport."
Tony groaned, reluctant to see his Chappelle-free days coming to an end so soon. "Why would he need to come here?"
"Who knows?" Jack rolled his eyes. "He says he wants to get a feel for things down here because we're anticipating sending another undercover agent in about a year. The good news for you, though, is that you probably won't even see him. You'll need to fly home separately from the rest of us, so you'll get to enjoy yourselves for another few hours while I'm stuck on a plane with Ryan, Chloe, and a bunch of tactical guys."
"Sorry, Jack," said Michelle. "Looks like we won't get to have a Scrabble rematch."
He grimaced at the thought, which made both Michelle and Tony laugh. "Anyway, tonight you two should inform your staff that you'll be leaving for an extended period of time - say Michelle's sister is having twins or something and you want to go be with your family. Then, after a couple weeks, you'll call and tell them you've decided to stay in the States long-term. We'll send a moving company to get 'your' stuff."
"Racquel and the brothers will get their pay on time and everything, right?" Michelle asked. "They've been so kind and helpful to us the whole time."
"I'll make sure it's taken care of," Jack reassured her. "All you two need to do is be on your 11:00 flight tomorrow. Our flight leaves at 9:50, so we might still be at LAX when you get there. Otherwise, I'll just see you Monday at CTU."
"All right, thanks Jack, and bye," said Tony.
As he and Michelle headed back to the ranch house, she said, "So what do you want to do on our last night here?"
"Do you really have to ask?" He grinned.
Michelle giggled. "I mean before that."
"I guess if we have some time to kill before bed, we could go into Las Nieves, get some dinner, walk around and see what there is to see."
"Oh, that sounds good!" she agreed. "This is such an interesting place, and we've barely gotten to explore. I'll go get ready." Excited, she took off up the stairs.
An hour later, Michelle and Tony were in their rented car, sunroof down, headed towards Las Nieves. "It's so pretty down here," Michelle commented.
"Yeah...in a deserty kind of way," he said. "It sure is hot, though."
"Better than cold!" she exclaimed. Tony laughed, knowing she hated cold weather. He engaged in a quick mental debate as to which was better: cold, which gave him an excuse to constantly hold and cuddle with her; or hot, which caused her to wear the little shorts and tank tops he loved to look at her in.
"Yeah, hot is better," he decided. "Plus, with our jobs, we don't get to enjoy the sun enough. It seems like every time there's a nice day in LA, we're stuck spending it inside."
"Definitely," Michelle agreed. "I love working at CTU most of the time - well, no, most of the time it's overwhelming and stressful, and for some reason I'm OK with that - but there are days when I wish I had a normal job.
"What kind of normal job would you have, if you could pick anything?" Tony asked. His mind went back to their conversation about having kids: she said she would only want to if she left CTU. The long days and constant danger of the agency sounded less and less attractive to him compared to thoughts of starting a family with Michelle, and he was curious whether she had ever considered it.
"Something that's still about protecting people," she said, and he could tell she had thought about it. "Maybe a security company...I've always wanted to start something of my own."
"You'd be good at that," Tony commented. "What's stopping you?"
"I'm not ready to leave CTU," she admitted. "Eventually, I can see myself moving on, but for now...it's like it has some strange pull that I can't resist. Through all the deaths, kidnappings, bombings, and threats, I just feel like it's...where I'm supposed to be." She looked frustrated; she was having trouble expressing herself.
"Believe me, I know what you mean," he assured her. "Sometimes I wonder if it's worth everything, but then I think of all the innocent people who's lives have been saved so many times."
"Exactly," agreed Michelle. Somehow he always understood her. "And at least one good thing has come out of CTU for us."
"What's that?"
"It's where I met you."
"Two, please," Tony told the waiter.
"Si, senor," the man said. "Right this way."
Tony and Michelle had parked when they reached the touristy area of Las Nieves and decided to walk along the line of shops to find a place to eat. They settled on a festive place called Sol Azul, and were pleased to find it wasn't too crowded. The restaurant was painted bright shades of orange, green, and red, with hanging plants and quirky knick-knacks adorning the walls. Traditional Mexican music played in the background, setting the atmosphere, and the air was alive with aromas that made Tony's stomach growl. He ordered a bottle of wine for them when they reached their table, and hoped they wouldn't have to wait long for their food.
"I think we made a good choice," Michelle said, admiring the decor. "This is an interesting place."
"And the food smells delicious," he agreed. They both studied their menus. "What looks good to you?"
"I was thinking the chicken enchilada."
"Oh, that sounds good." Just then, a waiter passed their table with a tray of oversized plates. Each plate held a mountain of food.
"Wow," said Michelle, "Maybe we should split one!"
Tony agreed. "Anyway, we have to save room for dessert. Can't eat at an authentic Mexican restaurant without having the sopapillas."
A waiter hurried up to their table. "Welcome, my name is Rico and I'll be your server tonight. Are you ready to order?"
"Yes, we'll split the chicken enchiladas, please," Tony said.
"Very good, it will be here shortly." The man hurried away.
Tony and Michelle talked and laughed as they waited for their food, then as they ate, enjoying the time together. It had been a while since they were able to go out for a nice, relaxed dinner without having to worry about bombings or biothreats.
"We should do this more often," Michelle commented. "I love spending time with you like this, Tony."
"How about next weekend that we both get off - which would normally be never, but after an undercover assignment we should get next weekend - we take a trip?"
"Where to?" she asked, loving the idea already.
"Doesn't matter to me," admitted Tony. "I just want to take you away from the world for a couple days. We could drive up to Oakland, stop in and see your dad, spend a day at the beach?"
"That sounds amazing. And on the way could we stop in San Jose? I always love to visit your family."
"Sure, they would love that," Tony agreed. And if all goes well, he thought, it will be our first visit as an engaged couple. He still didn't know exactly how he wanted to ask her - it had to be perfect,but it also had to be soon. The sooner he asked, the sooner they could be married...the thought still blew his mind.
The pair finished their dessert, and Tony paid their bill as they left. "Want to walk around a while?" he asked.
"Sure...We have all the time in the world." Michelle smiled contentedly. They strolled along the sidewalk, hand in hand. "Oh, look at this!" Michelle squealed when they came to a small knick-knack shop. "Let's go in, I want to get something for my apartment - a souvenir; even if this is actually a mission, it feels like a vacation."
Tony laughed and agreed, mentally adjusting 'my apartment' to 'our house'. Whoa there, Almeida, slow down a little,he cautioned himself. She hasn't even said yes yet.That was a formality and he knew it - she would be thrilled. Hopefully...Tony was going to drive himself crazy with this. He actually shook his head to clear his thoughts as they ducked into the shop.
They browsed the shop, never more than a step apart, until Michelle found a small decorative watering can. "Oh, this would look perfect on my hall table!" she exclaimed. Tony, having no real opinion about decorative issues, agreed and made a mental note to get her some flowers to go in it when they got home. She quickly purchased the item and they left the store.
"You know," Tony mused, "Jack think Chappelle won't mind much when we tell him about us."
She looked at him incredulously. "Won't mind much? He'll have a hissy fit!"
"Well, yeah, but he'll get over it. It's not like he has a choice."
"Except to transfer one of us." Tony could see the unspoken words in her eyes: If he did, it would be her.
"Chelle, I would never let that happen. I'd quit in a heartbeat before I let anyone separate us. Chappelle will argue and complain for a day, maybe make a few threats, but he'll never actually go through with anything."
"Of course not, because if he did, he'd lose twoof his best people. If you quit, I'm quitting too - you're the only thing that gets me through at day at CTU. I can't imagine working with anyone but you."
"I love you so much, baby." Tony kissed her head as they reached the car and parted to get in.
"This was really fun tonight, Tony," Michelle said. "I feel like we're normal people on a real vacation for once."
"Vacation...remind me what that word means," he joked. "If you could spend a week anywhere, where would it be?"
"I love beaches, but we can get that an hour from home. Sightseeing is fun for a while, but it's usually nothing spectacular..." She paused to think. "It's not the place, it's the people - or person." Taking Tony's hand, she smiled flirtatiously. "Anywhere with you, baby."
That should be one condition for our honeymoon that's easy to meet, he thought. Still doesn't give me an idea as to the perfect destination, though. That was certainly the way he felt about vacations - anywhere was fine as long as he was with Michelle - so at least they were in agreement. "Ever been to Paris?"
"No...my aunt was going to take me for my 16th birthday - you know, girl time and all that - but it didn't work out." Tony knew Michelle and her father's sister had been close, and still were, but Sandra lived in Baltimore now so they rarely got together. "Paris would be amazing...think of all the shopping."
He laughed at the sparkle in her eyes and faked a groan. "Sounds like a dream to me," he joked. "Really, though, Paris is an amazing city."
"You've been there?" asked Michelle, surprised. "I didn't know that."
"The summer after I graduated high school, my two best friends and I decided we needed to 'see the world'. We were all going into the Marines and didn't need college money right away, so we used some to visit France, Germany, and Norway."
"Norway? Not exactly a typical tourist destination."
"Well..." Tony looked slightly embarrassed and began to explain. "Our high school had an exchange program with a school in Norway. Our senior year, there were six Norwegian girls in our class."
She was catching on. "And let me guess...you and your friends were quite attracted to them."
"Pretty much sums it up," he admitted. "So we figured Norway would be a great place to visit."
"And were you right?"
"Yeah," laughed Tony. "Unfortunately, none of the women there would give a fresh-out-of-high-school American kid the time of day. We got our egos knocked down a few notches that week."
"I can imgaine." Michelle was amused, picturing a younger Tony and his comrades heading off to Norway with high hopes.
As they pulled up to the ranch house, he said, "I'm going to miss this place. It's only been a few days, but I'm starting to like it."
She agreed. "It's so far from CTU - or at least it seems like it. We probably shouldn't have let our guards down quite as much as we have, but this just feels so...normal. We aren't always slipping into the roles of Agents Almeida and Dessler, we can just be Tony and Michelle. And now it has to end."
Tony hated to see disappointment slipping into her eyes. "We still have one more night...and thank God it's almost bedtime," he said, tipping her chin up so she saw his mischievous smile.
Her face brightened. "What are we waiting for?" She bounced out of the car and tugged his hand as she led him into the house.
A/N: I have the next chapter done so I'll put it up in a couple days or when I get some reviews!