Unlikely Connections, Chapter 4
Unlikely Connections
Tony/Michelle
PG - NC-17
Summary: What if Michelle was never involved with CTU? What if she had a completely different life and then along comes an agent who turns her life upside down?
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
“So, what exactly does this IFF do? I know you told me they do some kind of documentaries but you keep really strange hours for just working on a computer.” Michelle’s mother kept tossing the salad, popping a piece of lettuce into her mouth here and there.
“Oh, well...it’s actually really boring, mother.” This wasn’t the first time Karen Dessler had been nosey. It was getting rather tiring, actually. “It’s all stuff for the government so you know, whatever they happen to be researching at the time.”
Michelle finished setting the table in the other room and joined her mother in the kitchen. She grabbed a few more glasses as she kept talking. “We had a really interesting one the other day on mold.” She risked a glance at the older woman noticing her grimace, hoping that would kill any questions she’d had lined up.
“Mold?” Karen looked at her daughter like she was crazy.
“It’s more interesting than you think. Did you know--”
“Michelle, we’re about to eat.”
“Well you asked!”
“Forget I mentioned it.” Karen moved into the dining room, not noticing the small smile on her daughter’s face. “Boys! Dinner!”
Michelle was just about to turn the corner out of the kitchen when she heard something tapping behind her. She looked over her shoulder and didn’t notice anything at first, but then the bushes directly under the window shifted slightly. Setting the glasses down, she made her way quietly to the window and leaned over the sink to look over the edge. The glass kept her from moving very far but before she could try and scoot closer a face shot up out of the bushes.
“Oh my God!”
“Michelle? Are you ok?” Karen’s footsteps could clearly be heard making their way from the dining room back into the kitchen. Composing herself quick, Michelle gave Tony an angry look and frantically waved at him to duck.
Tony couldn’t tell what she was doing but she looked pissed. Eventually he caught on when he saw someone’s shadow on the wall to the entry of the kitchen. Right as Karen turned the corner he dropped back down to the ground.
“What the hell? What’s wrong?” Karen looked her daughter up and down, worried.
“It’s nothing, mother. Really, the Johnson’s dog just came out of the bushes and they hit the window and scared me.” Michelle’s heart was racing a mile a minute and her eyes were pleading that her lie, as lame as it was, was enough.
Karen went from worried to angry. “I told you we needed to call animal control the last time that damn dog got through the fence.” She turned and headed back to the other room.
“You’re right, mom. I’ll do that first thing tomorrow.” Michelle looked over her shoulder, only to see Tony motioning for her to join him outside. “Uh, mom I’m just gonna go make sure he isn’t digging anything up.”
Michelle could still hear her grumbling about a “damn dog” as she went through the door that lead to the patio.
“What the hell are you doing here?!”
“Trust me, this wasn’t my idea.” Tony was brushing the dirt from her flower bed off his jeans.
“What wasn’t your idea?”
“Mason wants you with us on our next op.” She didn’t say anything for a few seconds so Tony glanced up to see the shocked look on her face. He stood back up. “Like I said, not my idea.”
Michelle finally broke from being surprised and squinted at him. “What’s that supposed to mean? I guess you think I can’t do it?” Her voice steadily rose as she got more upset.
“Whoa, whoa! I never said that.” He threw his hands up in surrender. “You aren’t running point, but he thinks it’d be good for ya to get some field experience.”
“Wait...what? I’m going into the field?” Tony just smirked at how quickly she went from angry to worried. “But, but they never said anything about--”
“Just thank your good friend Jack for that.” It came out sharper than he’d meant it and her look went back to angry. Tony looked away, not able to meet her eyes.
“I don’t think I appreciate your tone. Yes, Jack is a good friend of mine. Not that it’s any of your business.” Michelle continued to stare at him but he refused to look at her.
“I really don’t give a damn about you and Jack, ok? I’m just here to deliver Mason’s orders. You’re to report to Nina at nine a.m. tomorrow morning. She’ll set you up with everything you need.” He turned to leave but she stopped him.
“Agent Almeida.” Tony kept his back to her so she wouldn’t see the effect her cold tone had on him. Or the fact that she’d called him by his title. “Why didn’t you just call? Why go through all this just to tell me to be at work at nine?”
Tony took a deep breath and finally turned around to look her in the eye. He made sure his voice was softer than before. “Ms. Dessler...Michelle...” he corrected himself when she raised an eyebrow at him. “This is my fault. You wouldn’t even be involved in any of this if it wasn’t for me. When Mason told me what his plans for you were, I just...I didn’t think a phone call was good enough. Not when I’ve placed you in danger.”
Michelle’s eyes grew soft and she relaxed a bit, stepping closer to him. “I didn’t have to take that package, Tony. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be.”
She was standing so close to him; the closest since that day he’d grabbed her at the train station. Tony leaned down just a little, his lips coming close to her’s but not touching. Just close enough for her to feel his words as well as hear them when he spoke softly.
“And why did you? What made you take the package from me that day?”
Her head felt fuzzy at how close he was but she stood her ground and stared directly into his eyes until she answered him. “Your eyes...there was something in your eyes that made me trust you. Just like I do now.”
They stood close together, not saying anything and just when Tony seemed to sway forward they heard Karen from inside, “Michelle? Did you get rid of the dog?”
They both jumped but Michelle was the first to recover and smiled up at him. “I caught it and I’m letting it go right now.”
Tony’s eyes widened at her cheek but couldn’t help but smile back at her. He ducked down again and watched as Michelle made her way back inside. He could hear her and her mother talking and moving into the other room. He inched low around the side of the house he’d come from, making his way back to his motorcycle he’d parked down the street.
Before he left her residence, he couldn’t help but look into the dining room. The Dessler’s sat around a rectangular table, chatting and laughing. It was a scene he’d never been familiar with and with one last look at Michelle, he left.
Tony/Michelle
PG - NC-17
Summary: What if Michelle was never involved with CTU? What if she had a completely different life and then along comes an agent who turns her life upside down?
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
“So, what exactly does this IFF do? I know you told me they do some kind of documentaries but you keep really strange hours for just working on a computer.” Michelle’s mother kept tossing the salad, popping a piece of lettuce into her mouth here and there.
“Oh, well...it’s actually really boring, mother.” This wasn’t the first time Karen Dessler had been nosey. It was getting rather tiring, actually. “It’s all stuff for the government so you know, whatever they happen to be researching at the time.”
Michelle finished setting the table in the other room and joined her mother in the kitchen. She grabbed a few more glasses as she kept talking. “We had a really interesting one the other day on mold.” She risked a glance at the older woman noticing her grimace, hoping that would kill any questions she’d had lined up.
“Mold?” Karen looked at her daughter like she was crazy.
“It’s more interesting than you think. Did you know--”
“Michelle, we’re about to eat.”
“Well you asked!”
“Forget I mentioned it.” Karen moved into the dining room, not noticing the small smile on her daughter’s face. “Boys! Dinner!”
Michelle was just about to turn the corner out of the kitchen when she heard something tapping behind her. She looked over her shoulder and didn’t notice anything at first, but then the bushes directly under the window shifted slightly. Setting the glasses down, she made her way quietly to the window and leaned over the sink to look over the edge. The glass kept her from moving very far but before she could try and scoot closer a face shot up out of the bushes.
“Oh my God!”
“Michelle? Are you ok?” Karen’s footsteps could clearly be heard making their way from the dining room back into the kitchen. Composing herself quick, Michelle gave Tony an angry look and frantically waved at him to duck.
Tony couldn’t tell what she was doing but she looked pissed. Eventually he caught on when he saw someone’s shadow on the wall to the entry of the kitchen. Right as Karen turned the corner he dropped back down to the ground.
“What the hell? What’s wrong?” Karen looked her daughter up and down, worried.
“It’s nothing, mother. Really, the Johnson’s dog just came out of the bushes and they hit the window and scared me.” Michelle’s heart was racing a mile a minute and her eyes were pleading that her lie, as lame as it was, was enough.
Karen went from worried to angry. “I told you we needed to call animal control the last time that damn dog got through the fence.” She turned and headed back to the other room.
“You’re right, mom. I’ll do that first thing tomorrow.” Michelle looked over her shoulder, only to see Tony motioning for her to join him outside. “Uh, mom I’m just gonna go make sure he isn’t digging anything up.”
Michelle could still hear her grumbling about a “damn dog” as she went through the door that lead to the patio.
“What the hell are you doing here?!”
“Trust me, this wasn’t my idea.” Tony was brushing the dirt from her flower bed off his jeans.
“What wasn’t your idea?”
“Mason wants you with us on our next op.” She didn’t say anything for a few seconds so Tony glanced up to see the shocked look on her face. He stood back up. “Like I said, not my idea.”
Michelle finally broke from being surprised and squinted at him. “What’s that supposed to mean? I guess you think I can’t do it?” Her voice steadily rose as she got more upset.
“Whoa, whoa! I never said that.” He threw his hands up in surrender. “You aren’t running point, but he thinks it’d be good for ya to get some field experience.”
“Wait...what? I’m going into the field?” Tony just smirked at how quickly she went from angry to worried. “But, but they never said anything about--”
“Just thank your good friend Jack for that.” It came out sharper than he’d meant it and her look went back to angry. Tony looked away, not able to meet her eyes.
“I don’t think I appreciate your tone. Yes, Jack is a good friend of mine. Not that it’s any of your business.” Michelle continued to stare at him but he refused to look at her.
“I really don’t give a damn about you and Jack, ok? I’m just here to deliver Mason’s orders. You’re to report to Nina at nine a.m. tomorrow morning. She’ll set you up with everything you need.” He turned to leave but she stopped him.
“Agent Almeida.” Tony kept his back to her so she wouldn’t see the effect her cold tone had on him. Or the fact that she’d called him by his title. “Why didn’t you just call? Why go through all this just to tell me to be at work at nine?”
Tony took a deep breath and finally turned around to look her in the eye. He made sure his voice was softer than before. “Ms. Dessler...Michelle...” he corrected himself when she raised an eyebrow at him. “This is my fault. You wouldn’t even be involved in any of this if it wasn’t for me. When Mason told me what his plans for you were, I just...I didn’t think a phone call was good enough. Not when I’ve placed you in danger.”
Michelle’s eyes grew soft and she relaxed a bit, stepping closer to him. “I didn’t have to take that package, Tony. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be.”
She was standing so close to him; the closest since that day he’d grabbed her at the train station. Tony leaned down just a little, his lips coming close to her’s but not touching. Just close enough for her to feel his words as well as hear them when he spoke softly.
“And why did you? What made you take the package from me that day?”
Her head felt fuzzy at how close he was but she stood her ground and stared directly into his eyes until she answered him. “Your eyes...there was something in your eyes that made me trust you. Just like I do now.”
They stood close together, not saying anything and just when Tony seemed to sway forward they heard Karen from inside, “Michelle? Did you get rid of the dog?”
They both jumped but Michelle was the first to recover and smiled up at him. “I caught it and I’m letting it go right now.”
Tony’s eyes widened at her cheek but couldn’t help but smile back at her. He ducked down again and watched as Michelle made her way back inside. He could hear her and her mother talking and moving into the other room. He inched low around the side of the house he’d come from, making his way back to his motorcycle he’d parked down the street.
Before he left her residence, he couldn’t help but look into the dining room. The Dessler’s sat around a rectangular table, chatting and laughing. It was a scene he’d never been familiar with and with one last look at Michelle, he left.