Bruised
A/N: Hey guys! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I can't believe how long this story is getting…sheesh. Thanks for sticking with me!
I hope you enjoy this one!
Chapter Twelve – Gimme Sympathy
I can feel it in my bones
Gimme sympathy
After all of this is gone
Who'd you rather be?
The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?
Oh, seriously
You're gonna make mistakes, you're young
Come on, baby, play me a song
Like "Here Comes the Sun"
- Gimme Sympathy by Metric
Michelle padded through the hallway, slightly chilled from the air conditioning. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and she'd wrapped a soft, pale blue throw around her bare arms. Her head tilted softly to the side as she crept into the kitchen to see Tony in fiddling with the coffeemaker. With a contented sigh, Michelle closed the distance between them, slipping her arms around his waist and feeling him start slightly at the contact. Her cheek pressed against his shoulder blade and she kissed him through his t-shirt.
"Morning…" he grumbled softly. She beamed.
"You're up early."
"Couldn't sleep," her palms slid up his chest and his breath caught in his throat. She tightened her hold.
"You okay?"
"Mhmm…just glad Al considered coffee one of the essentials."
Michelle laughed quietly and kissed him again.
"They're still asleep?"
"Yeah…guess so…"
A soft sound escaped Michelle and Tony rolled his eyes.
"I can feel you laughing, Michelle," he groused.
"I'm not laughing," she hiccupped. He was masking his own grin when he turned around, settling his hands on her hips and pulling her in for a slow kiss. Her arms circled his neck and his tongue lapped gently at her lip. When they pulled back they were both breathing a little heavier.
"Hey…" she smiled stupidly, keeping him close. It'd been a long few days and she liked getting to spend time with him like this. After a few quiet minutes he pulled away, having already located the cupboard that held the mugs apparently and pouring them each a cup. Once her coffee was made, Michelle followed Tony to the couch in the living room, leaning against him with her legs draped across his lap as he flicked on the TV. She sighed contentedly as he flipped on SportsCenter, obviously intending on getting the latest score updates. Dropping the remote, he curled an arm around her and pressed a kiss to her temple as they both relaxed against each other.
Of all the places they'd been so far, New York was definitely her favorite.
Alex couldn't have imagined any force great enough to move her from the pleasant little cocoon she was now curled up in. A thick, fluffy duvet engulfed her blissfully warm body and sunlight filtered in through the crack in the mint green drapes covering the bay window. She twisted enough to observe Rick tangled in the white sheets to her right. Feeling almost delirious with excitement she made a small noise when he pulled her against him abruptly.
"Hey…" her skin tingled and her stomach clench as his coarse stubble brushed against her shoulder and neck before being replaced with his lips. She'd been aching for this for ten months – moments like this – and she was tired of trying to convince herself otherwise. She was tired of trying to convince herself she hadn't physically ached to not spend mornings like this with him.
"Morning…" it had been a rough night, but still the best sleep she'd had in ages. She'd woken several times whimpering and shivering with tear streaks down her face but he'd responded readily, using little kisses and calming words to soothe her back down from whatever nightmare she'd had. It was obvious as soon as he looked at her now that he hadn't slept at all. He looked tired, but not groggy; his dark eyes were practically luminous and the bags were more pronounced. His voice was clear instead of scratchy with sleep, but somehow she couldn't really feel disappointed about that…she just wished he'd gotten some rest too.
Now he tightened their embrace.
"How ya feeling?"
"Better." She breathed, the sheets partially obscuring her face. He grinned a little and pulled them away, delighting in the rosiness of her cheeks and lips that had returned. Her blue eyes were bright again and she grinned a little as he dipped his head to kiss her.
"You didn't sleep," she declared plaintively. He caressed her jaw with his thumb, a smile touching his lips.
"Doesn't matter... You had me worried there for a minute though…"
She bit her lip. "Sorry. The nights haven't…" she clamped down on her lip. "When I'm comfortable enough to sleep I get…dreams."
"I'll just nap on you later I guess. Since as usual you're the one impeding my sleep…"
Alex stiffened and he immediately regretted the offhanded comment.
"Hey…" he poked the corner of her mouth. "I'm kidding."
"I know…" she sniffled a little. "I know, but we're all tired. We're all missing sleep…"
"Sleep I can make up when we get back home. I missed this more."
Her breath caught and his nose brushed hers as he kissed her again softly.
"I guess we'd better take what we can get at this point."
The lightness disappeared from his expression.
"Palmer will exonerate you."
"Maybe not. I might be on a plane to Timbuktu this time tomorrow hoping Hammond hasn't had time to find anyone else to send after me - "
"I'm not leaving you if you are." His grip in her hair tightened a little. "Okay?"
"You're just gonna disappear of the face of the earth?"
"Not like I haven't done it before - "
"Yeah and you devastated your parents…Tony was furious…your sisters - "
"My parents will forgive me. Tony understands. No matter what happens, I'm going wherever you're going…" He touched her cheek, trying to quell the tears that had formed behind her eyes. "You're not ditching me again, Yankee." He kissed her gently. "Alright?"
"I love you," she was still at the point where she had to say the words quickly - blurt them out randomly and abruptly before she lost her nerve - but at least she could say them now.
"For doing this…for everything…for putting up with me…I know it's been rough but um…I love you."
He grinned, tucking some hair behind her ear and amused with how she made herself seem like some sort of consolation prize.
"I love you too."
Alex slipped into the living room, dressed in far-too-big boxers and a white, long-sleeved t-shirt with her hair pulled back loosely. She shivered a little and murmured a greeting to Tony and Michelle as Rick moved into the kitchen to get their coffee. Alex shifted on the couch, reclining and shivering again. She should've grabbed Rick's sweater as well.
"Anything good on?"
Michelle shrugged. "Not really. We just got up though."
"There's like a million movies around here somewhere. We could put one on. I wouldn't suggest going outside much right now. Everyone around here knows everyone so they'd know something was up."
"'Supposed to storm later anyway," Tony shrugged, stroking Michelle's back idly as he continued to flick channels.
A few minutes later, Rick entered the room with two mugs balancing in one hand and a stack of buttered toast in the other. Sliding down beside Alex on the small couch, he placed the toast on the coffee table and handed Alex her mug. She took a grateful slip, quite enjoying the way he sidled a little closer to her until he reached for a piece of toast and held it plainly in front of her.
"Eat something," he ordered.
"Not now."
"You have to eat something," he waited for her to finish her gulp of coffee before bumping the corner of the toast against her lips.
"Just a bit…" he insisted. She sighed exasperatedly and took a decently sized bite. After she swallowed she glanced at Tony.
"Did we hear from Jack yet?"
He shook his head, the corners of his lips twitching at the interaction he was observing. He was so gonna make fun of her for this when she looked less sickly and pathetic.
"No. He said he was going to keep contact as minimal as possible. They'll call if anything changes."
Alex nodded, feeling Rick's fingers squeeze her knee reassuringly. She took another big bite, chewing thoroughly as he nodded with approval. She hadn't felt much like eating since the rescue, but she needed to. Toast was still better than stale protein bars or mixed nuts from the plane anyway.
They'd just settled on some soccer game Tony had pleaded for when the satellite phone rang. Tony snatched it up immediately, shooting a wary look at everyone.
"Hello?" he waited patiently before nodding immediately and motioning towards Alex.
"Yeah, she's right here."
Rising from the couch, Alex accepted the phone and started to move into the kitchen away from company.
"Hello?"
"Hi sweetie," Bill breathed gently. "How are you feeling?"
"Better. How are things down there? Is Hammond still putting pressure on you?"
"What else is new?" Bill scoffed calmly. "It's nothing you need to worry about, Aly. We're handling it on our end."
"Heard from Karen?"
"Jack and Chase arrived already. They're en route to the location. Hopefully not much longer. How are things up there?"
"Good," Alex smiled a little. "I told Kat to visit her parents until this whole thing blows over. I don't want her implicated in this."
Bill agreed softly.
"How's Tony?"
She gulped in response.
"Okay I think…I hope. We had Eric check him out and he seems to be okay…if he was bleeding internally we'd know by now Eric said. I really think it just grazed him."
"Good. Michelle's fine?"
"Uh huh. We're all just tired I think."
"And um…things are okay with you and Rick?"
Alex licked her lips. "I think…I think so, yeah. So far so good… It's all out in the open now and um…it's good…I think. I think we're good right now."
Bill sighed softly. "I am sorry about before, Aly."
"I know…it's okay. That's not…that'll be fine…if we all get through this that part will…I think it'll work out alright."
He said nothing for a moment, letting the words sink in for the both of them.
"Aly, Claire's been working with Chloe to try and find out the files Hammond kept on the District server. They finally located the autopsy report on your father."
Her brow creased. "What'd it say?"
There was some shuffling in the background.
"I'll let Claire tell you…" leaving her with some static before her sister's soft voice echoed over the line.
"Hello?"
Alex exhaled, her eyes welling with tears immediately. She hadn't spoken to Claire in ten months and for the first time in a long time she really appreciated that.
"Hi Claire…"
Claire inhaled sharply, her words turning shaky when she spoke again. Alex leaned back against the counter, limbs going a little wobbly.
"Aly…" Claire whimpered, sniffles apparent immediately. For a moment words failed both of them as the reality of the situation overwhelmed them.
"Are you…are you okay? I talked to Rick before and he said…"
"I'm okay, Claire."
"You're sure?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. No permanent damage…how are you?"
Claire's voice sounded raspy and Alex wasn't sure whether to attribute that to a bad connection or not.
"Claire…" Alex said gently. "Claire it's okay…"
"It's not okay, Alex!" Claire snapped. "It's not okay that this happened to you. It's not…" she broke off in sobs and Alex soothed her as best she could, tears prickling her own eyes. A few loose ones slid down her cheeks, but she swiped them away quickly.
"We'll get through this; it's gonna be fine."
"You can't promise that."
Alex knew she was right. She insisted now to her sister the same thing Michelle had insisted to her in Africa. Nothing was a guarantee but she felt…she felt like she had to say it.
"What happened with the autopsy report?" Alex checked, changing the subject. "Bill said Chloe decrypted it."
"She did, um…It said…" Claire took a deep breath. "It said Dad was shot."
"Where?"
"The lower right quadrant of his abdomen and through the front of his skull - "
"He was shot twice?" Alex's stomach dropped.
"Yes…Uncle Bill said Rick was the one who…"
"No," Alex declared definitively. "Not twice. He shot him once to get away. He said it wasn't lethal."
"Did he tell you that?"
"Yes," Alex tensed.
"And he's…how sure is he?"
She couldn't help but feel a little grateful with the way Claire gave Rick the benefit of the doubt. Coming from anyone else it might've sounded accusatory but not Claire. Claire was the person who saw the best in everyone; who gave people the benefit of the doubt as often as she could.
"He's sure."
Claire exhaled, processing this.
"Okay so…so why would someone want Dad dead just for the sake of it? Do you have any idea who might've…?"
Hammond. It had to be Hammond…or Warrington. Warrington had been her dad's friend but that didn't mean he wouldn't want to eliminate anything that might implicate him in the matters of that day. If Ben had been arrested he could've sold out Warrington and Hammond. Hammond was the one who sent her on the mission to get rid of her…Hammond, if he was the one who ordered the trigger pulled, had been playing her from the moment she got back to CTU that day.
Sonofabitch.
"It's complicated," she told her sister. "There's stuff to work out still. Hammond's involved somehow and he…if he…"
"You think Hammond…" the horror in her Claire's voice was apparent. Alex sighed patiently to mask the blood pounding through her veins. Hammond had done it…or had someone do it for him. Rick hadn't done a thing; Hammond had played her to get her to participate in the mission. Hammond had known she would…
"I do," somehow saying the words aloud made her blood boil.
"Okay, I have to go now…"
"Aly…"
"You did great, Claire. I'll call you soon…"
"Aly…"
"I have to go. We can't tie up this line for too long in case Jack or Karen are trying to get through."
Claire's protests faded and she agreed softly.
"Okay…just um…I love you," she blurted out. "Please don't do this to me again."
Alex laughed weakly, the tears returning to her eyes and bracing herself against the counter. She suddenly felt weak, drained.
"I love you too," she stuttered a little, tears threatening her again as she disconnected the phone.
It was a minute or two of dead silence later that she looked up at the sound of soft footsteps entering the kitchen. Rick's face was wrought with concern and she realized she had tears streaks down her face and her legs still felt unsteady. Her body rested back against the counter to keep from crumbling to the floor and she knew better than to attribute it to this newly acquired piece of information. The information didn't unnerve her, but hearing what she'd done to her sister certainly did. She hadn't wanted to leave Claire like that but she'd been doing it to protect her. She hadn't had a choice.
Blinking back the remnants of tears she shrugged a little cavalierly as Rick closed the distance between them.
"Claire?"
She nodded, bile thick in the back of her throat.
"Yeah…" she managed. "She had the autopsy report decrypted."
He nodded too, watching her seriously.
"It…" she bit her lip. "There were two bullet wounds…one in the torso and one in the head."
Rick stared at her in disbelief, jaw clenching. "Really…?"
"Yeah um…" she had to ask this.
"Look, shooting a gun is like riding a bike to us so I know you would know if you discharged two bullets instead of one…" she fidgeted a little, watching his eyes narrow a little as he processed her words. "And I'm not saying you did it or I think you did it because I really don't think you did," she added hurriedly. "But if you did have a…moment or something and it all happened really fast I wouldn't blame you for doing it…"
His concern faded a little and she stepped towards him, finding her balance.
"I just need to know…and I don't think you did but…" she tilted her forehead towards his jaw and exhaled. "I just need to know for sure."
Relief flooded through her when his hand ran down her back, arms circling around her as he embraced her fully.
"I'll believe whatever you tell me…" she murmured against his collar. "It's… hearing that just…"
Pulling back he dropped a hand to her chin and forced her to look at him.
"I only fired once, Al. In the torso. I don't know where the second bullet came from."
She nodded eagerly and pursed her lips together, letting him draw her in for a peck to the mouth.
"Thanks."
When they returned to the other room Tony and Michelle looked up expectantly.
"You okay?"
Alex sniffled a little. "Yeah…just talked to Claire."
Michelle smiled sympathetically as Alex slumped down on the couch, head in her hands. Rick joined her, watching her flinch as he tried to rub her back. Her burns were healing, but they were still sore to the touch. He whipsered gentle apologies, rubbing her leg instead.
"What happened?" Tony asked worriedly. Alex exhaled, bringing her head up to meet his eyes.
"My dad was shot twice. Once in the head. He didn't bleed out, he didn't die in the building collapse he was…"
Tony eyes flashed furiously as her words sunk in.
"Hammond did it."
"Hired someone to do it…yeah. There was no one else unaccounted for in that building at the time. Hammond killed him to get to me."
"Sonofabitch," Tony scowled under his breath. Michelle leaned forward a little, her voice soft and comforting.
"This is just one more thing Hammond's going to get charged with when we get the proof we need," she assured gently. "We just have to wait it out a bit longer."
"And then Palmer will exonerate you and we can put all of this behind us," Rick insisted, hand still on her leg. Alex shook her head hurriedly, fingers tightening in her hair.
"That's the best case scenario," she insisted testily. "Just because you guys say I'm going to get exonerated doesn't mean it's going to happen. I might be running forever…or get arrested or…" she blinked back newly formed tears, hating herself for being so emotional right now. It was the reality of the situation; she could be dead in a week or a month or a few years if Palmer didn't exonerate. She could be running for the rest of her life.
She'd always feared death, but now she really had something to lose. Now Alex had something she wanted to come back to. She couldn't convince herself there was nothing left because what was left was sitting right beside her. He knew what she'd been contemplating and he was going to try and convince her he'd go through hell and high water to stop that from happening to her…
"It's just the way it might go down. We can't change that and we have to be prepared for the worst - "
"Which is you getting killed," Rick snapped back. An eerie silence filled the room. It was the truth.
"What if…" Rick rubbed the side of his cheek, glancing to Tony and Michelle now. "What if I confess - "
Three resounding nos echoed around him and he frowned.
"It was supposed to be me anyway," he insisted.
"It was not," Alex growled. "Hammond was playing me because he knew he could. If I hadn't intervened he wasn't offering you any deal; he would've killed you on route to Federal or something. The only reason he offered me anything was because he thought I'd get killed on the mission and save him some of the dirty work. He just wanted me gone."
"It's not like you ever did anything to him, Al…"
Tony snorted. "C'mon, we all know why Hammond singled Alex out," he declared wryly. "Despite the fact that you never groveled at his feet, he hate you that much when you started at Division, Al?"
Alex smirked a little and snorted too.
"Tony, you didn't even know about us until the day everything happened. Hammond was targeting her because she was sleeping with me for a few weeks?"
"But he knew the reason I was at CTU was because of the way you pushed Bill to agree; he'll know how close we were even before we came to LA…and that was threatening to him," she felt a little nauseous again. "And Tony and I were the ones attending the meetings with him during the Christensen Op and uh…we didn't exactly kiss his ass then. We just…" she took a deep breath. "We had too much power when Tony and Michelle came back. Between the four of us we had control of CTU and I had too much external influence. We were air tight and that made us a threat because he couldn't get in between everyone to get what he wanted,"
"Hammond played the game," Michelle agreed gently. "He wanted the mission to go through to get in Warrington's good books and he wanted rid of Alex because…" she trailed off as Alex's face softened a little.
"He thought if I disappeared you'd fall apart or something I guess…" she finished quietly, angling her eyes towards Rick. He gulped.
"I did," he started hoarsely, throat tight. "He was right about that."
Alex smiled weakly and squeezed his fingers.
"Why…why did Hammond hate Tony enough to…y'know…push for the death penalty?" she asked curiously after a minute. "Overlooking his winning personality, of course…"
Tony rolled his eyes a little.
"I think he just uh…he needed someone to take the fall for Mexico and it had to be me or Jack and…Palmer was protecting Jack and when I…" his eyes lingered on Michelle whose lips pursed tightly in response. "I made it easy for him when I did that."
Alex's frown of concentration deepened.
"What happened in Mexico?"
"The Salazar mission, remember?" she nodded quickly, letting him continue.
"It was off book and uh…" he clawed at the side of his face. "Palmer was pretty pissed about that. The other guy we were running it with – Gael – died in the Chandler Plaza Hotel. Jack had saved Palmer's life and someone had to take the fall when everything was over, so when I…" he lowered his head. "When I did what I did with Saunders and Michelle, y'know…"
"Yeah."
Tony shrugged. "He needed someone to make an example of and I made it pretty easy for them to take action when I did that."
Alex's expression changed suddenly and she stared at Tony as if trying to place something he'd just said. She looked uncertain and Tony stared back.
"What's wrong?"
"When uh…" she turned to Michelle for confirmation. "So this was what…seven, eight years ago?"
"Yeah, 'bout that. It was right after Rick came back from the Middle East. He ran Field Ops while Jack and Chase were undercover."
"And Jack was undercover with the Salazars to try and acquire the Cordilla virus before it hit the black market?" she'd heard this story before, but something in this recount had suddenly struck a cord with Alex and she was trying to place it.
Tony nodded.
"How long was he in Mexico?"
"A year, on and off. He came back and forth as much as he could because of Kim and stuff..."
Alex inhaled sharply, and every pair of eyes turned to stare at her.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing…Nothing…" she shrugged it off. "Just uh…tired I guess…"
Thoughts still running through her head, Alex managed a smile when Rick curled an arm around her comfortably. The baseball game Tony had found made it easy to tune out a little and process whatever wheels had just slid into place inside her head. Something…if what she'd just realized was true she didn't know whether she was simply more confused or if things suddenly made more sense.
The crack of a bat connecting startled her and Rick shifted, lying back against the arm of the couch and pillowing her head against his chest. The delicious warmth of his skin through his shirt and his even breathing relaxed her enough that she forgot her considerations for the moment.
But she'd be talking to Jack when this was all over…that much was for certain.
"Alright, …" It was mid-afternoon and Tony had crouched down to peer into the video cabinet beside Alex, studying the plethora of DVDs Kathryn's family had acquired over the years. When asking what everyone wanted to watch Michelle and Rick had insisted they had no preference. They'd opted to do the leftover dishes from lunch, leaving Tony and Alex to duke out the movie selection.
"Let's see what we got here…"
Alex rolled her eyes, feigning exasperation.
"You're gonna pick one of those "classics" you loved when you were ten, aren't you?" She crouched down beside him and he nudged her playfully.
"Maybe. What's it to ya?"
Alex sighed again. "I gotta tell ya, Tony, I've kind of become accustomed to movies with color picture…and sound."
She laughed loudly when Tony elbowed her in the side, threatening to send her falling to the ground in a heap. She latched onto his wrist for balance, shoving him lightly as he shoved back. He reached for her free hand, trapping both arms around her body with a grin, balancing them both precariously.
"Better than watching Bugs Bunny cartoons, Al."
"I could get out of this, y'know," she declared matter-of-factly.
"Don't wanna hurt me?" he teased.
"No more than necessary. You did just get shot."
Pushing back she rocked on the balls of her feet, grasping at whatever she could to keep herself balanced. Tony laughed softly and shook his head just as Michelle and Rick returned. With a patronizing look he rose to his feet, DVD case clasped in his hand as he pulled Alex up. He tossed the case against her chest, leaving her to frown a little at the title.
"I've never seen it," she declared, glancing up at Rick and Michelle who had settled back on the couches. Michelle was wrapped herself up in a blanket again and waited expectantly for Tony to come join her. The room had darkened around them significantly in the last few minutes and she'd flicked on a lap, a chill running down her spine at the sound of rain on the windows and patio doors.
"That's because you're a baby," Tony reminded her helpfully, now on his knees in front of the DVD player and fiddling with some buttons.
"What is it?" Michelle piped in. Alex's brow was still creased as she handed the disk to Tony and the case to Michelle.
"Psycho?" Michelle's nose crinkled a little. "I don't think I've ever seen it either actually."
Tony had just started to lambast his beloved wife when Rick erupted with a chuckle.
"I think I was fooling around during it…Halloween at the drive-in…remember that place, Tony?"
Tony's cheeks tinged the slightest shade of pink, but he shook it off quickly.
"Why am I not surprised…" he mumbled rhetorically as he stood up again. Suddenly Michelle started giggling, hand covering her mouth in obvious embarrassment. Everyone turned to stare at her.
"What?" Tony demanded as he squished onto the couch beside her, arm draped over the back. "What now?"
Alex was fumbling with the remotes to get the movie to play when Michelle spoke.
"I um…" her cheeks flamed, but her eyes sparkled mischievously. "I might have had a similar experience actually…"
Alex and Rick both cackled loudly as Tony's eyes widened in horror.
"It was Halloween too, actually. Sophomore year…had a few drinks and…" she turned impossibly redder. "The guy was cute and I was a little buzzed and…"
Rick laughed his approval just as Tony growled.
"Who?"
Michelle sighed patiently and patted his knee. "Someone I had a few classes with."
"I want a name, Michelle."
"What're ya gonna do, Tony?" Rick rolled his eyes. "Track down the guy who's married with three kids because your wife got a little action that wasn't you?"
Tony growled again under his breath and Rick snorted. Some days he wouldn't put it past Tony to pull something like that.
"I want a list of names, Michelle," he deadpanned over Alex's giggles. He turned to face Alex, pointing a finger with an unimpressed glance.
"That goes for you too, kiddo."
"A list of names of anyone I've ever made out with during a movie?" Michelle struggled to contain her guffaws at how ridiculous it sounded. Rick sniggered.
"Shouldn't you disclose the same then, Tony?" he chimed in helpfully. "I remember a few times with uh…wait, what was her name? Your senior year of college - "
"Never mind," Tony cut him off, glancing back at Alex now. "Just start the damn thing and don't say anything about any whatevers during any movie, got it?"
Michelle laughed softly, smoothing back some of his hair. His face felt hot to touch and his aggravation was apparent with his slightly labored breathing. He made it too easy for them to gang up on him.
"It was ages ago, honey," she cooed softly.
"Still doesn't mean I wanna hear about any of it."
"Well there's nothing to hear about for me," Alex sing-songed simply. "I don't have any "making out during a move" stories. Don't worry."
To her surprise, Rick frowned and poked her in the side, starting to protest.
"What about when we - ?"
"I'm pretty sure it doesn't count as during a movie when you're turning off said movie ten minutes in…" she stopped him before he could finish the sentence and laughed at Tony's exasperated groan. Rick slid her a little closer to him.
"No one?"
"Nope."
"Ever?"
"Ever…I know; shocking."
Now Michelle frowned a little.
"Not even in college? High school?"
"Nope."
"That's…" Michelle's expression shifted. "That's kind of sad."
"Michelle!" Tony looked appalled. Alex laughed good-naturedly.
"I only meant, that sometimes it's nice to just kiss," Michelle began softly. "Kissing is fun."
Alex shrugged. "I dunno…wasn't fitting of whatever circumstances I was in at the time I guess. I was only in college a year before I went to Langley…" she paused for a beat. "But I bet I trump all of you in random, drunk, sloppy bar makeouts that never get beyond that and you wish to forget the next morning – "
" – Play the movie, will ya Al?" Tony cut her off.
"You started it."
"Yeah, yeah, just don't try anything funny over the next few days to make up for lost time; I don't wanna see that," he reminded her flatly. Alex rolled her eyes, settling back comfortably as she pressed play. Rick snickered.
"I'll try to contain myself."
Michelle swallowed a little at the unpleasant taste in her mouth, sweating slightly and rinsing her hands under the tap. The cream Alex had asked her to rub in upon emerging from the shower – the same one they'd been using since Tokyo – had made Michelle queasy for no apparent reason. It had been fine before, but it had nauseated her tonight.
Rinsing out her mouth she felt her stomach cramp a little and frowned. The feeling tired, the intensified sense of smell, the fact that they'd been trying for the last…her gut told her it could only be one thing, but she didn't want to get her hopes up. The circumstances they were currently in weren't the best time to be dropping any extra bombs.
Brushing her teeth quickly and splashing some water on her flushed cheeks Michelle emerged from the master bathroom to find Tony already having slumped to the bed. He looked exhausted too, hands resting beneath his head and eyes had already closed. Smiling a little in amusement, Michelle ran a hand over her stomach before tiptoeing towards the bed, killing the lamp on her way. Soft, cotton sheets were cold to the touch and she curled up against Tony's warmth. Without opening his eyes he pulled her closer, shifting enough to let her tug the blankets around them. She shivered again and kissed his collar. He murmured something soft and nuzzled her temple.
"Tony…"
"Mhm…" he was already half asleep, barely finding the energy to answer her. Now, with actual time to rest, their travels were taking a toll on all of them. Half an hour into the first movie she'd conked out against him, snuggling close and encouraging him to hold her. When she'd woken he'd insisted Rick had followed her to sleep quickly, leaving Alex only a little bit awake to finish the movie. The rainy day and the dark skies coupled with squishy couches and warm bodies had lulled everyone into a comfortable state. A long, lazy afternoon cuddled up on the couch had been exactly what the doctor ordered.
Feeling him curl against her impossibly closer she smiled, brushing her fingers across his stubbly cheek. He hummed and she kissed him again, inhaling deeply and feeling her eyes sting a little.
"I love you," she spoke softly and felt him tighten his hold for a brief instant, obviously having heard her words.
"I love you too, honey," he murmured. "Go to sleep."
Content, Michelle settled against him, pushing thoughts of what might be out of her head. She'd worry about it later; tonight she just wanted to sleep.
Rick flinched as he watched from the bed as Alex shrugged off the towel, her back to him and her arm wrapped around her breasts. She'd already stepped back into boxers and scanned their things for a clean t-shirt. It was the first time he'd seen her marked up back and was conflicted between making a deal out of it or pretending like it was nothing. In the end, he chose something in between. After she'd finished changing he rose from the bed without a word, turning her to face him and cupping her face in his hands. With a heavy sigh, he kissed her softly. Alex quickly shook her head when he started to speak and kissed him back, breathing softly against his lips that she was okay. He nodded quickly and pressed their mouths together again, keeping her close for a little longer.
"It's fine," she insisted, hands on his cheeks now. She had to blink and look away at the tenderness in his eyes. She still wasn't used to all this.
"It's healing…I'll be fine in a few weeks."
His breath rattled in his chest at the thought of what they'd done to her when she was imprisoned, but he tried to keep the worry off his face.
"So if I see any of them again I shouldn't rip their head off…?"
She laughed lightly, knowing he wasn't really teasing.
"You'll have to beat me too it," she assured him wryly. This got a chuckle out of him and he led her back to the bed and they slid beneath the covers. Her eyes were already starting to droop when her head hit the pillow again.
"I keep…" he gulped hard, not wanting to burden her with this now. "It's just you're…and they…and I had no fucking clue until a week ago. They were doing that to you and I was at home, bitter and thinking you'd…"
"I'm fine; you worry too much," she assured him drowsily. Dragging herself along the mattress she pressed her face into his shoulder as his arm curled around her.
"Can't help it…" he was surprised with the way his throat tightened as he spoke and she settled her weight against him. "You give me lots of reasons to worry…"
Alex yawned in response, nuzzling closer and breathing a sorry against his neck.
"It's over, Rick," her words were barely audible, even as close to his ear as they were. God, he loved her like this.
"Let's just…think'boutsomethingelse…" she blurted out, already half-gone.
"I'm thinking you should just marry me so you can take me with you next time," he breathed, the words out of his mouth before he'd even realized he'd been thinking along those lines. He waited for her to tense and lift her head to stare at him like he was crazy. Instead she squished closer and yawned.
"Mhm…what'dyousay?" her face was smushed against his chest and he had to strain to hear her response. Laughing quietly, he smoothed a hand down her back gently and kissed her cheek.
"I said all I'm thinking about right now is keeping you with me for good this time."
When he received no response he knew she was out cold.