A/N: I got the idea for the title of this story while browsing the T/M fanforum sites (from way back in the day). The song Lucky by Bif Naked was chosen in their opening page as the lyrics were thought to be perfect for our favorite couple.
Incidentally, I forgot to mention that the title for the first chapter was taken from the song by the same title by Cat Stevens.
The following is a short account of what actually happened on 24
Day 5, 7:13 am: The flat screen TV sitting on Tony and Michelle's kitchen counter is on relating the news of David Palmer being assassinated.
Michelle says to Tony: "Never once did I regret our decision to leave CTU."
She tries to call CTU. Tony is not happy about this.
She says: "I don't want to look back on today and realized I could have helped."
Michelle leaves the house. Tony decides he will go with her. Right then he hears a loud explosion.
Michelle dies at 7:15 am.
Just Another Day
The following takes place between 7:04 am and 7:15 am.
At times, something happens in an otherwise ordinary life that changes the course of a chain of events. One small decision like reaching over and switching the channel on your radio station or looking back over your shoulder as you drive to discipline your unruly children can steer you towards a road you never intended to travel. All it takes is another distracted driver and your life changes for ever… all in just a fraction of a second.
Victims of car accidents often belatedly realize that something was definitely not right that day and that if only they had heeded the signs along the way, a tragedy might have been prevented.
If only they have taken a different course of action...
We all have an inner voice that attempts to guide us when there is trouble ahead. It is just that we don't always listen.
On the surface, this particular day did not feel different from any other ordinary day.
That morning before Michelle went to the bathroom to freshen up, she decided she would switch the radio station to one that played the latest hits.
Remember the time we made love in the roses?
(and you took my picture in all sorts of poses!)
how could I ever get over you, when i'd give my life for yours.
I know we are... we are the lucky ones.
I know we are... we are the lucky ones.
My dear, It's time to say i thank god for you.
i thank god for you in each and every single way.
She felt lucky indeed. She had a wonderful marriage, relatively low stress employment and was expecting her first child. Indeed, she was enjoying her pregnancy very much. She had experienced very little of the morning sickness that other women typically experience during the first months of pregnancy. So indeed, she had been quite lucky to experience very little of the discomforts of early pregnancy. Every month that went by was full of new discoveries and filled her with hope and joy.
She couldn't possible imagine a more perfect life.
Although she knew that life held its inevitable ups and downs. She had experienced them herself in her relationship with Tony over the years. But now they had finally overcome all the obstacles that life had thrown their way and it was time to reap all the benefits of their former struggles and love for one another.
After the song was over, she turned off the radio and headed for the bathroom. Normally, she would leave the radio on all day, but for some reason she disliked the song that followed so much that she did not want it to ruin her mood for the day.
Meanwhile….
Tony walked into their modern pristine kitchen ready to take on the day.
Like every morning for the last three months, thinking that Michelle needed as much kick back time as possible given her pregnancy, he started the coffee and turned on their flat screen TV to catch up on the latest news while the coffee brewed.
He reached in the cupboard for an apple cinnamon Nutri-grain bar seeking to calm his grumbling stomach and ate it in three bites.
Normally, they would have Special K for breakfast, unless they were running late in which case a granola bar was in order.
Just when he was throwing the wrapper away in the trash, the coffeemaker whistled.
Tony poured his hot coffee on his Chicago Cubs mug …the same mug that had miraculously survived the bombing at CTU where his co-worker Paula Schaeffer had been killed.
He'd always figured that just possessing the mug had brought him good luck. Better to believe that than to associate it with the deaths that had tragically occurred that day.
Indeed, Tony was an optimist at heart and he chose to believe that if he and Michelle had survived the bombing that day, the mug itself represented a good omen.
One thing was for sure, he would never take his new life for granted. Even though he had loved working at CTU, he had wanted to live a normal life with Michelle more than anything. She was all his reasons, she was his everything…
Just when he was getting ready to stir in some cream and sugar, the TV newscaster interrupted their regularly scheduled Good Morning America program to announce in a solemn tone the breaking news of the day. Tony had just poured in his coffee and turned back at once for the announcement.
At exactly 7:13 am, the news of David Palmer's assassination was broadcasted to the world.
Feeling oddly disconnected from his body, Tony stared at the screen in disbelief, and one of his movements caused the mug to fall off the edge of the counter-top. It hit the floor in a fraction of a second.
His gaze instantly dropped to his feet. Picking up shattered pieces of broken glass had definitely not been part of his plans for the morning.
Right then, he heard Michelle's voice asking what happened.
He had been standing at arm's length from the TV set.
As if his hands had a will of their own, Tony reached over and turned off the TV. He wasn't sure why; it was as if forces outside his conscious control prompted him to take such action.
Once when he was a little boy, his mother had taken him to see a Spanish fortune teller. He wasn't sure just how old he was but he must have been very little. However, he recalled as clear as day playing in the corner of the room with his matchbox cars while the adults talked in hushed voices… yet he had heard every word they said.
What had struck him that day were the soothsayer's words: the future right is right there for all of us to see but only those attuned to their inner voice can hear its knock. Even so, we can then choose to heed its calling or do the opposite thing that inner voice advises us to do. We always have a choice.
Those words became imprinted in his mind. Later on as he grew older, he spent quite a bit of time dedicated to translating them into English and pondering over the subtle meaning behind various translations. Even then, his mind had been naturally inclined to conducting investigations. In the end, his young imagination had become convinced that somehow those words held one of life's greatest truths.
She walked into the room half a second later.
Had she heard the news?
"Oh, Tony…I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed with a pained look on her face. She knew just how much he loved his cubby mug.
Tony was at a loss of words. He scratched the back of his neck.
Then, she moved to get a petite broom and shovel that she kept in a nearby cabinet and proceeded to sweep up some of the glass.
That's when he knew she was talking about the mug and not about President Palmer's assassination.
A sense of deep relief washed over his face. He knew just how strong her sense of duty was. No doubt she would want to do something…like call CTU for instance.
"I'll take care of it, Michelle" he said in a resolute manner, gesturing for the broom and shovel.
She gave him a long apologetic look while (relinquishing control of the cleaning supplies) handing over the broom and shovel, as though she had been somehow sort of responsible for the mug's untimely demise. She knew just how much the cubby mug meant to him.
"Would you like some eggs and toast or some cereal this morning?" he proceeded to sweep. "I'll get the shards with the vacuum…"
Michelle thought he would have his hands full with all the cleaning so she really couldn't ask him to cook. "I'll have some cereal…I'm not all that hungry…"
When he looked up at her again, she was still standing there, as though unsure of her next course of action.
"Hey, it'll be alright…" he said thinking he would put a positive spin on things. "At least, it was not a mirror…" the corners of his mouth turned into a small smile. "We saved ourselves seven years of bad luck…"
She smiled brightly; he always knew just what to say to make her smile.
All of a sudden, Michelle felt uncomfortable in her tank top and glanced back over her shoulder towards the bedroom. Normally, she would not think twice about her choice of outfits for the day. But today, for some reason she had changed her mind twice. First, when she had decided against wearing the white blouse she had originally chosen…and now she was going through the motions of changing again.
It was as though something deep within her was telling her that she MUST change into a different top.
Not being one to argue with herself, Michelle decided to go back in the bedroom. "Ok, honey…I'll be right back…"
Feeling as if the rug had been pulled from under him, Tony finally allowed himself to think about all the implications regarding President Palmer's assassination.
This day was certainly not like any other. Suddenly their ordinary life was under attack.
Worse still, he didn't know how this day would end. He thought of Jack, they would have to talk about this.
And then what? He wondered.
How long before Michelle found out? It was all over the news.
It was as if trying to cover the sun with his hand. Sooner or later she would find out. Was he going to pretend he didn't know? He doubted he could pull such a thing off, Michelle knew him all too well.
She's gonna find out sooner than you think and then you'll have an awful lot of explaining to do. No chance in hell you're gonna get away with this. Sometimes, the voice in his head was too much of a smart-ass.
The time on their kitchen wall clock read 7:15 am.
A/N: Coco, K, Lifeisaticket and Mabuhay: thank you so much for your warm reviews! Please keep them coming! Dear readers: your comments (regardless of their length) along with my love for this beautiful couple are the best source of inspiration!