When Jack arrived he realised, with worry, that he was the first one there. Renee had called him about an alert regarding Tony and Michelle's house. But given their respective distances, it did make sense. He saw no sign of either of them and felt his heart race. Their car wasn't at the curb, so he wondered if they were even home. That couldn't be right, though. Renee had said Michelle had contacted the FBI about some kind of ambush.
"D-Dessler secured the hostile and went inside." One agent called, sitting against the siding and pressing something to his head.
Jack raced towards him.
"Where's Tony?"
He shrugged slightly. "He…he left."
His brow furrowed. Left?
This made no sense to him. They rarely spent time apart these days. And especially not if they were in danger. Jack opened the front door of the house, calling out for them. He could hear someone crying quietly and mumbling in frustration. The kitchen was the only area where the light was on. Jack felt a horrific sense of deja vu as he entered the kitchen to find Michelle sitting against the cabinet with her knees to her chest, a bottle of pills next to her, and the cupboards in disarray.
"Hey…hey…no, no, no, Michelle. Don't do this." He said, frantically bending down in front of her.
Her hands shook so much that she couldn't open the child-proof lock on the container. Maybe it wasn't too late. Judging by the label, they were Tony's painkillers. He pried the bottle from her hands, and she feebly tried to reach for it.
"You haven't taken any." He uttered.
She let out a sob, shaking her head.
Jack felt a clutch of relief for her. But he knew whatever had driven her to do this was hurting her. And he knew, without a doubt, it was to do with Tony.
"What happened?"
"H-He saw me."
"Who? Who saw you?"
Michelle took in a shuddering breath, speaking brokenly. "T-Tony saw me hurt the man who came after us. I-I scared him, Jack. And now he's gone."
He sighed, wondering where Tony could be. At the same time, the FBI could track him when they got here. They would need Michelle's help. So for both of their sakes, he had to be there for Michelle.
"Tell me how long it's been."
Her bottom lip was wobbling.
"I've been where you are, and to this day, I know exactly how long it's been since I've shot up." He said gently. "So tell me how long it's been for you since you've done this."
"Six…" She took in a breath. "Nearly six years."
"You know Chloe would be so proud of you for that. But if I give you these now, she'll be upset with both of us." He teared up himself now. The more he looked at Michelle, the more he saw that time of his life when he was so deeply pained by what he'd done that numbing himself had been his only escape. And he knew how far Michelle had come from that place. He didn't want her to go back. He smiled wetly. "She'll come all the way from LA to kick your ass and tell you you're better than this, so don't make her."
She laughed weakly through her tears. Michelle reached for the container one last time, and he stilled, not resisting, giving her a chance to take it. Her fingers were trembling, her breathing sharp and fast. He watched her muster her courage and ultimately make the decision. She didn't want them. She knew better than that. And he was so happy for her.
"Okay…" Michelle breathed, moving her hand away. He picked up the bottle and put it on the kitchen counter. Jack then bent down again to hug her.
"You did the right thing." He said earnestly, feeling her hands grip him tightly. "You made the right choice."
Sirens sounded now, and Jack heard familiar voices yell out. Footsteps echoed throughout the house, and Renee walked into the kitchen where they were, her face full of concern.
"Where's Almeida?"
Jack pulled back a little to face Renee. The question was likely directed at Michelle, but she didn't respond, so Renee made eye contact with him.
"He drove off as soon as the attack happened."
"What? Why didn't they go together?"
Michelle let out a whimper, and Renee's expression softened.
"I'll…" Jack said. "I'll explain. Just give us a minute."
He picked Michelle up and carried her over to the couch. She sat with her elbows on her knees, still visibly quivering. Jack grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. He also passed her a box of tissues, kneeling before her and wiping a tear from her eye.
"We'll find him, Michelle." He said softly.
Jack walked back over to where Renee was and began to explain what had happened, or at least, what he could infer had happened. She went to call out a search within a ten-mile radius, but before she could do so they heard Tony calling out for Michelle, to their immense relief. Michelle's head perked up, and relief mixed in with the shame on her face. From his understanding, she hadn't told Tony anything about what she had done while he was considered dead. And she deserved to be able to do that the way she wanted. Jack ran out the front door, stopping Tony in his tracks.
"Where is she? Is she okay?" He asked, trying to push past him.
"Tony, just wait-"
"Michelle!" He called again, and Jack stood directly in front of him.
Tony looked at him both confused and concerned.
"What's going on? Why won't you let me see her?"
He let out a breath. He would have to tell him something, but he would spare the gory details where possible. Jack couldn't lie to him, one, because he just couldn't, and two, because he knew Tony was paranoid about who he could trust, and he was one of the few people he did without fail. He wouldn't dare break it.
"She just came close to breaking six years of sobriety, Tony. She needs a minute." Jack said quietly, so nobody else would hear them.
Tony gaped at him.
"S…Sobriety?"
Placing a hand on his shoulder, he directed him to the sidewalk.
"What…what are you saying, Jack?"
"It's not my place to tell you the details. But what you need to understand is that Michelle was in a very dark place while you were gone. And even though I understand you ran off just now because you were scared, for Michelle, that is her worst nightmare. Not losing you, but you being afraid of her."
Tony gave him a bewildered look. "What do you mean?"
He sighed. "Again, it's not my place. But you need to understand how serious this is. When you were touch-and-go in the hospital, she thought about using again but went to the counsellor and asked me to keep an eye on her. And she pulled through. But this time, she was close, Tony. Very close."
He ran a hand through his hair, looking immensely guilty and cursing under his breath.
"She's been through a lot. And she made a lot of good out of it all. But she's been hurting for a long time. She still is. And she'll explain it to you when she's ready. But right now, she needs you."
"I…I was just trying to go see you. I didn't want to upset Michelle more by reacting badly in front of her, but you were already gone."
"The best thing you can do right now is to show her that you're okay and that you're not scared. Even if you still are."
"O-Okay." He nodded in understanding. "Okay."
Jack led Tony back into the living room where Michelle was sitting. Renee was next to her on the couch, comforting her.
"Sweetheart?"
She looked up at Tony and didn't take her eyes off him as he sat down cross-legged in front of her and let her collapse into his arms. Michelle apologised croakily, and he said he was sorry too.
"You were just trying to protect me." He murmured as she cried. "I know that's all you were trying to do."
Renee moved away to where Jack stood to give them some privacy.
"We'll double the protection on the house, just in case. They've stabilised Lyons, but from what it sounds like, he was just trying to cover his ass, so hopefully…" She bit her lip. "Hopefully this doesn't happen again."
"Keep me updated," Jack said.
She nodded. "I will." Briefly, she turned her head to look at where Tony and Michelle were. "She's going to have to tell him everything now."
"Yeah." He agreed. "Let's just hope he thinks before he acts when she does."
