The Slightest Bit of Light and I Can See You Clear

The car pulled up to the front of the house, and neither said a word as the engine died down. They took in the peacefulness of their surroundings. The street was secluded, the only people around seeming to be minding their own business. One couple and their young child were walking their dog. After a long drive, the sun was now peaking over the horizon, the sky a bright blue. In the distance, they could hear waves crashing against the sand. Michelle sighed, moving to rest her hand on Tony’s knee. His hand met hers, squeezing it a little. He looked over at her, giving a soft smile.

“We needed this.” She said earnestly.

“Yeah…” He sighed.

In the few weeks that followed the day they both decided to leave CTU for good, it hadn’t taken them long to realise that what they needed the most to truly heal and work through everything was change. No more CTU or government work was a given. They’d already begun preparations for a private consulting firm, something they could easily do from home. It would take a bit of work to start, but it would certainly be worth it if they ended up with regular office hours and a considerably less stressful lifestyle. The other thing they’d realised they needed the most was a change of scenery. They’d finished off the lease at Michelle’s apartment and managed to pool their savings to buy a house far away from where they’d been. It wasn’t so far that they couldn’t see friends and family, but it was far enough to feel different and refreshing.

And what better place to feel refreshed than the beach?

Together, they put the rest of their smaller items and decorations away, every touch and placement making the house feel more like a home. They bonded over the photo albums and other sentimental items they found, they laughed as they fought playfully over reassembling the last of the furniture, and finally, after several hours, they sat on the porch, eating the pizza they’d ordered, watching the orange glow beam across the sky. If they glanced over the fences of the neighbouring homes, it wasn’t too difficult to see the shore from their yard. It was mesmerising, almost, watching the waves rise and fall over and over again. And the fact that it was within walking distance only made it look more tempting.

“Here’s a thought…” She said.

He quirked a brow. “Yeah?”

“I know it’s getting a little late, but do you want to go for a swim while we still have some daylight?”

Initially, he went to say no, to say that he was tired, that they’d have to be at CTU by seven the next morning, but then a smile slowly crept across his face when he realised that wasn’t true.

“When in Rome…” Tony stood, then helped her up by holding out his hand. “Is it bad I can’t even remember the last time we went to the beach? It might have been our first anniversary.”

A long time ago, they both realised. Everything before the virus outbreak felt like a lifetime ago.

She snickered. “Isn’t that sad? We work in Los Angeles all these years and don’t even get to see the beaches we’re known for.” Michelle sighed. “But we can change that now.” Again, there was some conviction to her voice, with the move being so symbolic for both of them, meaning so much for their new beginning.

Tony expected it to be relaxing; he wanted to let the water wash over them to ease their remnant tensions and aches. But to his surprise, it seemed to give them more energy and revitalise them. Michelle swam out further and further, unable to stop smiling, to stop laughing, as she playfully teased him. Even as the sun fell, bringing the night sky to take its place, darker than they were used to, what with the lack of artificial city lights, Michelle didn’t seem to mind. And despite the uneasiness coming over him, the feelings of discomfort arising because they were alone in an unfamiliar setting, unarmed, and out in the water, so easily vulnerable to anybody or anything that lurked beneath, he couldn’t bring himself to tell her that he was getting worried, that he was tired, that it was probably a good idea to start heading back. No, he felt almost… calmer, like her presence seemed to soothe him - not that it usually didn’t. But right now, Tony felt like the world could be crashing and burning around them, and he wouldn’t care or worry because he was with her.

Michelle noticed it, too. How being in the ocean seemed to make her feel so happy, so invigorated, like the pain and heartache of the last few years could just wash off of her. It was bringing out a side of her she’d forgotten she’d had. The easy-going, light-hearted version of herself that only seemed to come out when she wasn’t working, when she wasn’t stressed, when she was… well, usually when she was with him. She felt like she could swim for hours, never wanting to stop, never growing tired of the feeling of the cool water around her. As it got darker, as more and more people on the beach left, she felt more comfortable, felt safer. It was odd since she knew logically she wasn’t supposed to feel this way in such an exposed setting. But, somehow, she felt almost powerful, like she could protect them if something happened. Michelle also sensed that she had some pull over Tony. This was usually the kind of situation where he’d get protective. She was convinced he’d want them to go home as soon as it got dark, but to her surprise, he hadn’t. He’d stayed. He’d enjoyed this blissful time with her, not wanting to let anything get in the way. No matter how far she swam out, he did his best to follow.

But now it really was getting late.

He finally caught up, swimming towards her, snaking his arms around her waist and lifting her into his hold. Her legs wrapped around his hips, and she pressed her lips to his. There was a hunger to it, a desperation, almost, as he kissed her in return. As Michelle leaned away, she swore Tony’s pupils were dilated, eyes a little glassy. It was so dark she was almost impressed that she could tell. She could still clearly make out the silhouettes of the umbrellas on the sand, the jaggedness of the rocks and cliffs nearby, and the outlines of the houses beyond. But before she could think about that further, his mouth was on hers again, hands roaming downwards.

She pulled back with a sly smile, breathing heavily. “Let’s go christen the house.”

It became a habit very quickly. They would finish the day’s work and then head to the beach. And every time they did, they would find themselves in the water until much later than anticipated. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other, somehow finding the darkness of the night and the liberating feeling of the water so intoxicating. The only thing that got them out of the water was the knowledge that they’d be going to finish what they started in bed afterwards. Or the kitchen table. Or the living room floor. Or sometimes, even against the inside of the front door sufficed.

At some point, it became too much for Tony. He was too tired from all the late nights and unable to keep up with her, no matter how much he enjoyed it. But it worried him, too. It became almost a ritual, an addiction. He was nervous to approach Michelle about the topic. Thankfully, she didn't seem to mind, simply saying that it was okay, that they didn’t have to go every night. Tony felt relieved.

Until he caught her leaving the house in a sarong just shy of midnight.

He gave her a confused look as she prepared to open the door. It was so dark that the moonlight barely illuminated her face.

“Where are you going?”

She narrowed her eyes at him as though it couldn’t be more obvious. “The beach, what does it look like?” 

Disbelief spread across his face. “Now?”

Michelle simply shrugged and left, not paying any mind to the call of her name. He followed her onto the street, but she walked away. She didn’t seem angry or upset at him; she just decided to go out without him.

And the pattern continued over the next few nights. He would make an effort to go with her, but sometimes, even after they got home, she’d sneak out again early in the morning. He couldn’t confront her about it. After all, nothing bad had come of it. She wasn’t missing work, and she didn’t seem physically exhausted - even though he was, both from swimming with her and waiting up for her if she left without him - they were having more sex than they used to, and she was happier than he’d seen in a long time, so, really, what was there to complain about? Tony didn’t like it, but he wasn’t going to make an argument out of nothing. They’d been so good lately, so he would hate to ruin this dynamic with his excessive desire to protect her. He just had to trust that she’d be safe, and that would be fine.

It was morning now. He’d put on the news and made coffee, same as always. The reporters talked about the latest policy changes Charles Logan was making, and Tony zoned out. It wasn't his problem anymore. He smiled at Michelle when she came out of the bathroom, drying her hair off. She paused in her stride, wincing as she pulled something out of the folds of the towel. Her brow furrowed. It was about the size and shape of a coin, jet black and sharp around the edges. Tilting it in the light, it seemed to shine a little. It wasn’t the first one she’d found; there'd been a few in the shower and on her side of the bed, but he didn't need to see them. He worried too much. Subtly, Michelle slid it into her pocket before walking to the kitchen table. She kissed him good morning, then poured herself a cup of coffee and sat across from him. 

“The coroner has concluded that the mauling of this body and the first one found cannot be matched to any kind of animal. The DNA evidence is damaged, but early reports confirm it is human. Further analysis is being performed, but the police are asking anybody with information about these incidents to come forward.”

Tony was quick to turn the volume on the TV up.

“This is the third eviscerated body police have found in a matter of days, and they have reason to believe a single perpetrator is behind this killing spree.”

Both of them silently listened to the rest of the information, feeling a chill fall between them. 

“Isn’t…” He took a breath. “Isn’t that near where you’ve been swimming?”

“Yeah…” She, too, seemed shocked that something so horrific could have been happening so close to them. 

Frantically, he grabbed his laptop, trying to search for more information. The news certainly wouldn’t give the full details, but a police database would.

“You reckon they've deactivated your CTU account yet?”

“Tony…” She sighed.

“Hey, if some killer's out there, I want all the information we can get, alright?”

Rolling her eyes, she pivoted the screen to face her. She typed away before shaking her head and muttering something to herself. 

“Not working?”

“Give me a minute.” Michelle stared intently at the screen, with her keyboard clicks loud and frequent. “Got it. Autopsies are saying the cause of death was a loss of blood due to laceration and bite marks. Enamel from human nails and teeth was also found in the body. Police are yet to identify the person responsible.” 

Tony stood and moved behind her, grimacing at the coroner’s photos. A wild animal attack certainly seemed like the logical conclusion, so it made his stomach churn to know that wasn’t the case. “I-I don’t want you going out tonight or for the next few, either. Just wait until they catch this sicko, okay?”

Biting her lip, Michelle nodded. Tony sighed, finally feeling like she was thinking logically about the whole thing.

“God, we try and move away from dealing with terrorists and crime but choose the one town with the guy ripping people to shreds like a feral animal.”

Michelle sighed. “I know you’re worried, but it’ll be okay, Tony. They’ve got forensics on it. The police will find them.” There was a quality to her voice that was so calming, so soothing, as though everything really would be fine. Despite his stubbornness, he found himself believing her.

He grabbed her hand on the table and squeezed it, nodding. Looking up at her, she seemed so earnest, so faithful that everything would work out. It was contagious; he couldn’t help but smile back at her. Then his eyes fell to her collarbone. More specifically, the fair, even tone of her skin. Not what he was expecting to see. Tony furrowed his brow. “That healed quickly.” 

“What?”

“Your neck? You know, from last night?” He could have sworn that was where he’d given her a lovebite. It couldn’t have faded that fast. After all, the bruises she’d given him were still visible on his neck and shoulder.

She turned to face the mirror near them, confirming what he was saying. It was odd, she had to admit. But healing quickly wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Right? “Are you really worried, or are you just going to use that as an excuse to give me another one?” 

That seemed to lift his mood, to her delight. She squealed a little as Tony moved to where she stood and lifted her off her feet.

“You’re about to find out.” He murmured.

Michelle pushed him back against the bed with a smirk, and he grabbed at her impatiently, pulling her to straddle him. There was a dark look in her eyes as she leaned down to kiss him hungrily. Tony wrapped his arms around her, hands sliding up her shirt. There was a certain intensity to it all; they didn’t talk about it, but lately, when they did this, it felt like they couldn’t get enough of each other. It was like each time was the first time all over again. Everything else faded out of view; all they could think about was each other, the heat of their bodies, the feel of her mouth on his, his nails scratching at her, keeping her to him. It was almost overwhelming at times, usually resulting in bite marks and bruises that they didn't recall making. 

And, somehow, Michelle almost felt like it was too much. Not that he was going too far, but she almost felt like she was. It was like she had to hold back; she didn't know from what exactly. But she had a suspicion. Sometimes, she worried about being a little overzealous, accidentally scratching him hard enough to make him bleed and making bruises that she didn’t think she was strong enough to leave on him. But Tony didn't seem to mind. In fact, she swore it turned him on even more. He’d always liked her having a bit of control over him, but she wasn’t sure if their recent endeavours could be counted as ‘a bit’.

He was growing hard against her, and she groaned. Michelle found it more difficult to resist whatever was building inside her than usual. For some reason, it felt like she couldn’t hold back anymore and just had to let it out. She started to let the heady sense of ease wash over her and revelled in it. It was an acute sense of passion, unlike anything she’d felt before. And the feeling seemed to be mutual. One of his hands was fiddling with the zipper of her pants now, the other buried deep in her hair. Suddenly, he jolted a little.

That familiar feeling he got out in the ocean with her was coming back. The feeling that no matter what was happening, she was all that mattered. It only grew more intense with every touch, every caress, every moment of eye contact. She’d been sucking at his bottom lip for a while now, but for a second, the sensation felt odd. Sharp. At first, he paid it no mind. Then it happened again. And again. It was starting to hurt a bit, beyond a pleasurable amount, but Tony had the feeling Michelle didn’t know. Gently, he tried to push her back, but she came back even more voraciously.

“Michelle…” He mumbled.

“What?” She breathed, pulling away slightly. Her eyes opened, and Tony gasped.

Her irises weren’t brown but vibrant gold, like a bird, and illuminated. Before he could say anything, his gaze fell to her mouth, stretched wide and filled with two rows of razor-sharp teeth, reminding him of an angler fish. They were stained with what he realised was his blood. Suddenly, the news reports from an hour ago came to mind.

The fact that a human had managed to rip bodies apart with its teeth. 

“Michelle!”

Tony planted his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to sit up. She was panting heavily, her eyes not leaving his chin, where a thin trickle of blood had streamed down. He could see her nails had also grown longer, almost like talons. Shakily, he repeated her name. Eventually, Michelle met her reflection in the mirror and sucked in a breath. Her fingers trembled as they moved to touch the red stain around her mouth. To Tony’s relief, her irises slowly changed back, the teeth retracting. Michelle paled when she turned to face him and saw the fear in his expression.

Her eyes widened in realisation, and she bolted to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet to retch. He followed her warily, and she looked very distressed, squeezing her eyes shut. The dark crimson tinges to her bile only confirmed the conclusion he'd already come to mentally but couldn't bear to utter aloud. However, judging by her expression, she'd realised it, too.

“I… I killed those people.” She said gravely. “A-And I hurt you. Oh my God, I could have killed you.”

“W-We don’t know this for sure.” He said, still somewhat in denial. But he couldn’t hear those words come out of her mouth.

Michelle shook her head. “N-No. It’s coming back to me. Every time I went out to the water by myself, I remember being... hungry. But in a really weird way. It usually went away when we… you know. But when we didn’t… it wouldn’t stop. That’s why I kept going out; I had to satisfy it somehow. Then things get hazy.” She shuddered. “I-I remember there being blood, a lot of it, under my nails and in my mouth, but it didn’t taste like blood. I remember being able to see clearly despite it being pitch black outside. And I keep finding…” She reached into the pocket of her jeans and passed him what she concluded was a scale, not unlike one from a fish. “These.”

He gave it a confused look, turning it over in his hand. No matter how much her explanation fit the nature of recent events, this was absurd. He was not going to accept that his wife was some kind of vampire. There was a logical explanation for all of this. There had to be. Tony didn’t feel they could figure this out on their own, but who the hell could they trust to help them? Instinctively, Tony thought of Jack; he would be the only one who wouldn't immediately report this to the authorities. But he probably hadn’t settled into hiding yet, so that wouldn’t be wise for either of them. He suspected Chloe would want to help by bringing in Bill or someone from CTU. But that could be risky and get taken out of their control. And there was no way he would let Michelle fall into the hands of some crazy, experimental doctor.

“Let’s just…” He took a breath, sitting down across from her on the tiles. “Let’s just try to figure out how this happened. Because obviously, you haven’t always been like this. So what’s changed recently?”

“We moved here and started swimming." She shrugged. "But why would that affect me and not you?”

“Then it would have to be from earlier." They did spend some time apart, so perhaps it happened then. "You didn’t meet any vampires up in Seattle?”

Michelle rolled her eyes. “No.”

So they thought back further to when she moved to Seattle the first time, while he was in prison, which had been a result of the virus. But everything before that day had been relatively normal, or as normal as things could be at CTU. Michelle thought of the virus again. She remembered being told that they were still worried, that they wanted to run more tests and keep her in isolation. Of course, being kidnapped by Saunders and the aftermath of it all had prevented that from happening. Viruses could have long-term effects. Even though she was apparently immune, she was still exposed by inhaling it. And it’s not like the Cordilla virus had been actively studied the way any other virus would have been since it was a biological weapon kept confidential from the public, not something permitted to be the topic of any epidemiological research. 

“This is going to sound strange, but then again…” She sighed. “This is. But what if this is some… weird post-viral thing? I never actually got checked after I was exposed to the Cordilla virus. What if it did something to me?”

“But… the virus was designed for destruction. Saunders would have said something if he intended to have this effect.”

“What if he didn’t know?" She proposed. "Think about it: if the majority of the people exposed died, they could have never picked up something like this when they were developing it.”

He hummed in thought. It did make sense. But what could they do about it?

His lip had stopped bleeding, but she could still see the dried blood around his mouth and felt awful. She could still taste it and hated that she hadn't noticed. What scared her the most was the memory lapse, that she could barely remember doing such horrible things and that she’d nearly done them to him, too. “Tony…” She said suddenly, her voice heavy with fear. “If they can identify the DNA from those bodies, they'll trace it back to me. There’s no way I’ll be able to defend that. W-We need to do something about this now.”

Her hands were shaking a little, and he clasped them with his own. “The report said the DNA sample was partially disintegrated. Maybe they won't find anything. But we’re going to figure this out together, okay?”

“I’m scared. I… I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

He shook his head. “I’ll be by your side, no matter what.”

“We can’t do this alone, but who can help us without putting us at risk? Everybody who was involved with the virus is either incarcerated or dead, right?”

It certainly seemed that way as Tony continued to try to think of names. It would be helpful if they could ask the maker of the virus, but Saunders wasn’t coming back from the dead any time soon. Although, Tony had to wonder if even that was possible, given what had happened today. 

“Doctor Macer.” Michelle offered after a beat. “She probably knows more about this virus than anyone. The last time I checked, she still worked at NHS. I think she’ll be willing to keep this on the down-low.”

He nodded. “Let’s go.”

Michelle felt dizzy. Doctor Macer had taken four vials of blood, understandably needing to analyse the situation in detail. After all, this wasn’t the kind of post-viral treatment she was qualified for. To Michelle and Tony’s relief, Doctor Macer also had no intention to share the information with her colleagues. She was both worried for them but also fascinated by the whole ordeal. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen before. Tony sat, holding Michelle’s hand, waiting for the preliminary results. The doctor returned after what felt like forever, and she sat at the desk, rotating the screen so Tony and Michelle could see. The graph looked like nonsense to them, an assortment of peaks, some of which were overlapping.

“I’ll admit I’ve studied this virus a lot. It felt like a waste of time since CTU made sure nobody would ever be infected with it.” Sunny sighed. “But it was just so… intriguing. The way it was weaponised involved the insertion of animal DNA. If done properly, the body accepts the altered DNA as its own and incorporates the changes. But, in some cases, the body recognises it as a foreign substance and attacks. That was the majority of the people infected; their bodies fought the virus. In your case, Michelle, perhaps due to having a naturally stronger immune system… your body didn’t reject it and took on the mutated genes.”

“Meaning?” Tony asked.

“Meaning that the DNA inside you is not entirely human. The peaks here show an overlap between your DNA sequences and that of various predatory animals. I can’t narrow down the exact details yet, but so far, my tests tell me there are matches. And while that brings certain advantages, like extra strength and night vision, it also brings extra needs. Which, from what you’ve told me… likely means a thirst for blood.”

“I-I still don’t get it. Michelle was exposed years ago. Why is this suddenly coming up now?”

The doctor shrugged. “I don’t quite know yet, but I have a few theories. It could just be a delayed reaction; I’ve seen post-viral symptoms arise several months after infection in patients before, so that wouldn’t be a stretch. Usually, there’s some kind of external trigger, like stress or sudden change.”

Michelle furrowed her brow. “This is going to sound stupid, but… I always felt hungrier after I went swimming. Other than the fact that I was exercising, could that have done anything? I mean, I don’t think I’ve been swimming in the ocean since I was exposed. That’s the only recent 'major' change.”

She hummed in thought. “There are a lot of health benefits that can be obtained by swimming in saltwater. A little extra vitality and immunity means your body has all the energy it needs to perform at its peak. It just means that as you deplete that energy, you'll need more than just basic ‘human’ needs to make up for it. So it forces the effects of the virus to kick in.”

Tony sighed, shaking his head. 

“This is insane. You are not seriously telling me Michelle needs to drink blood to survive.”

“For now, yes, I am.” Her voice took a serious tone. “I still have some files on the antidote we started making for the virus. I’m going to keep running tests and see if I can find a cure, but I need you both to understand that this is serious. That hunger you feel is real, Michelle. And you need to learn to manage it, not let it consume you.”

Michelle paled, the severity of what she’d already done sinking in.

"So far, from my analysis, it doesn’t necessarily need to be human blood. Any animal blood will do. Each species will have different nutrient densities, so you'll need to experiment.”

She sighed, feeling a little better. It didn’t erase what she’d already done, but it could at least make the situation bearable. However, as the doctor continued to explain more details, Michelle found her concentration was fading, instead focusing on the churning in her stomach. She swore her senses were heightened; the smell of antiseptic made her feel sick, the humming of the computer suddenly irritated her immensely, the lights bright and making her headache worse. Maybe it was the fact that she was aware of it now, but the hunger seemed more intense than it had ever been.

Doctor Macer trailed off as she spoke to Tony, noticing the way Michelle’s body had started to heave, the distant look in her eyes, and, if she wasn’t mistaken, a low growl coming from the back of her throat. Tony turned to look at her.

“Michelle?” He asked, tentatively touching her arm.

When she faced him, she bared her fangs with a hiss.

Tony jerked back, and in the corner of his eye, the doctor looked equally worried. He repeated her name, hoping it would snap her out of it.

“I-I can get her something, keep her distracted.”

Before Tony could protest, the doctor had run out of the room. His eyes returned to Michelle’s. Her pupils had dilated, and her teeth looked sharper and more menacing in the light than they had in their bedroom. He tried to hold her hand again, noticing her nails scrape the chair's wooden armrest. She jerked back and snarled. Suddenly, Tony realised that maybe this change wasn't as recent as they’d thought. They hadn’t spoken about it since, but the day they got back together, when fate had brought them both back to CTU, something had happened between them that Tony could only describe as an out-of-body experience. Which he realised now wasn’t dissimilar to the way he felt around her lately...

“What?” He shut the door to her office. They’d been subtly snapping at each other since they started working together, but now it had grown too much to bear. It was hurting him a little. If there was one thing they used to pride themselves on, it was their ability to work well together professionally, no matter what was happening between them personally. 

“Why are you still here? I’m running CTU. All you’re doing is getting in my way.”

“In case you don’t remember, I was keeping things under control just fine before you got here. I’m here because I want to help, Michelle.”

She scoffed, walking closer to him. “‘Help’? You’re picking a fight with me to prove a point. Just go, Tony. I’m sure plenty of bars are open at this hour.”

He rolled his eyes. “So that’s it? You called me up here just to kick me out?”

They were but inches away from each other now. They were staring each other down, and she could feel him exhale on her face. He’d been acting so smug she didn’t know how to feel or react. She’d been expecting enough stress dealing with the attacks as it was. She didn’t need this. And yet she could sense smugness from him. She could see the little cocky mannerisms in his expression, which nine months ago would have turned her on a little, but right now, they just made her angrier. The anger seemed to overshadow everything else she was feeling, even the deeply-buried hurt because, damn it, she missed him and what they had before he went to prison, before the virus ruined everything.

But right now, all she could feel was anger.

Her anger seemed to be infectious. He had been passive-aggressive and snappy earlier as a mask for the fact that he still missed her, that he was worried because he could see from the dark circles beneath her eyes, the way her hair was long and straight, and how stern her face was, that she was hurting too. But now, he seemed madder at her than ever before, like she was somehow egging him on, without really insulting him, besides that comment about leaving and going off to a bar.

Before either of them could try to remember why they were angry, she dimmed the glass with the remote on the desk, her hands cupping his face and crushing his lips to hers. He stumbled a little, her grip stronger than he remembered, but he went willingly. There was a level of haste to it, with nails scratching at his skin, his collar pulled fiercely. Tony was just as eager, pushing her blazer off of her shoulders, mouth moving to suck at her neck, not caring if he left a mark. His fingers went to fiddle with her buttons, and she shoved him back, causing him to fall back onto the couch. 

A slight snarl left her mouth as she straddled him. He broke away. It was odd; he’d never heard her sound like that before. But when he met her eyes again, it seemed to trigger something in him.

“You just have to be in charge of everything, don’t you?" He said, surprised by the bitterness in his voice. "Let me guess, Buchanan doesn’t let you do this with him?” 

She scoffed. “Why am I not surprised you got jealous the minute you heard I was with someone else? And for the last time, I didn’t cheat on you.” 

He went to kiss her, but her hand splayed across his collarbone, hot against the exposed skin of his chest, keeping him held in place. “It’s okay to admit you miss it, Tony.” She said with a vicious hiss. “That you miss the way I fuck you.” She smirked as she settled into her position, knowing he was growing hard beneath her.

Tony gulped. He’d never heard her speak like that. No matter how much they’d argued throughout their separation, it had never been like this. But he couldn’t deny he liked it. There was more passion between them now than there had been for a long time. Of course, deep down, he still loved her. He’d missed this, but somehow she seemed to draw this deep-seated feeling out of him, like every time their eyes met, it was freeing him somehow. He let her unzip his pants but took his opportunity to unbutton her shirt. She arched into his touch, leaning down to kiss him roughly again.

“So, do you?” She rocked against him once, and he whined involuntarily. “Need me?” Michelle gripped his collar tightly, forcing him to look her in the eyes. ”I want to hear you say it.”

Daring to keep looking her in the eyes, he let his hand slip under where she’d bunched up her skirt. He smirked, watching her tremble as the heel of his palm applied pressure against her centre. “Only if you admit you need it too.” He said lowly. “Because I can play this game just as well as you can.”

“Prove it.”

He pushed his hand against her again, and she pushed back, starting to grind against him. Her eyes rolled back into her head, but to his surprise, she regained some strength, pressing his shoulders against the couch. One hand slipped to start squeezing his neck without a trace of gentleness. She lifted slightly to position herself over him. They built up a rhythm quickly, panting angrily, skin flushed.

“You’re mine.” She whispered harshly in his ear.

Tony gripped her hips tightly, adding more force to her movements. He felt himself losing control, letting whatever this cloud of emotion was consume him, and so did she. Both of them uttered harsh, gradually incomprehensible things to each other, grunting and moaning. When his hand returned to tease her as she rode him, it didn’t take long for her to come with an exasperated curse, as though she was trying to avoid his name or praising him in any way. But hearing her angry only stimulated his own undoing.

Neither of them said anything, slowly letting their senses return to them. Their breaths evened out, and they could faintly smell the sweat from their bodies. Tony could feel that the skin on his back was raw and most likely bleeding from where she’d scratched him. Michelle looked at the clock. What the hell were they doing? She’d brought him up here to tell him to leave, and the privacy had allowed all of her pent-up emotions to come up. But she’d fought the urge to cry so hard it evolved into something far beyond reasoning. And he’d gone along with it. He’d been so cold before the divorce; his lack of emotion and interest in their relationship had made them drift apart. So what had changed today? His face looked slightly ashamed, and she was sure hers did, too. She bit her lip, slowly moving off of him and wiping herself with tissues, reforming her facade piece by piece by fixing her hair and re-buttoning her shirt.

“Michelle…” He said quietly with a hint of apology.

“Just go.” She replied shortly. “I’m sure Edgar’s search is finished.” 

Tony hadn’t brought it up again, and he’d gathered that she hadn’t either, that it should just be dismissed. But the noises she’d made had been like nothing he’d heard from her before; the way she’d teased him had been harsher than usual. It hadn't been an act; it had been pure, unfiltered rage. And as she had pushed, he had pushed back, finding himself just as spiteful. It hadn’t made any sense. They’d reconnected later with almost the opposite effect. Her presence had drawn buried emotions and admissions that they missed each other, still loved each other, and wanted to try again.

The more he stared into her eyes, the less the noises and sharp teeth scared him. It seemed everything was okay. She noticed this and smiled maliciously. Everything seemed to fade away; he couldn’t remember where he was and what he was supposed to do. She said something to him in a tone that reminded him of honey and made him feel warm and fuzzy. He wasn't really sure what it was, but he found himself nodding.

Doctor Macer opened the door, now holding a blood bag in her hands. To her horror, Tony looked at Michelle, completely dumbfounded, even though her teeth were just inches from his neck. It wasn’t fear that was paralysing him; she could see that his eyes were locked on hers, as though she had some kind of hold on him. Things started to click in her mind. Although this was certainly due to the virus, she couldn’t help but be reminded of creatures she’d only heard of in fiction. She couldn’t afford to think about that now, though. 

“M-Michelle…?”

She whipped her head around, eyes locking onto the deep red liquid inside the bag. Slowly, she passed it to her. Michelle snatched it away, pulling the cap off and drinking the contents. Tony shook his head as though trying to orient himself. He could hear Michelle shudder deeply, her breathing stabilising, as every drop of blood put her at ease. It didn’t take long for her to drain the bag. The two of them watched with awe at the stark change in demeanour. When she looked up at Tony, he smiled at her a little. She seemed more like herself than she had in the last few days.

“Better?” He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She nodded.

"Tony, do you remember any of what just happened?" Doctor Macer said.

He furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"I think... I think you had some kind of control over him, Michelle. He stared into your eyes for too long, then stopped being afraid of you. You... you were about to bite him."

She gaped at him, looking incredibly apologetic, but he was quick to tell her it was fine.

"No wonder I've been agreeing with you so much lately," Tony muttered in a somewhat lighthearted tone. But it was clear Michelle was still very overwhelmed by this. “So…” Tony started, still looking confused. “Let me get this straight. The virus means Michelle can grow sharp teeth and talons and convince anybody to do anything… I get why that would be useful for someone like Saunders. But why the swimming?”

Doctor Macer laughed a little. “Not quite. At least, not if you know anything about mythology. Ever heard of sirens?”

“Aren’t they like… mermaids? The ones that sang sailors to their deaths?” Michelle asked, her voice sounding less raspy than it had before. 

“That’s the surface-level version if you'll... pardon the pun. But many stories also portray them more like vampires with a power of suggestion and an affinity for water, which is a lot like what we’ve got here. I guess, if it makes you feel any better, the people you hurt likely didn’t feel a lot of pain before they…”

Michelle pressed her lips into a thin line. She supposed having something to compare it to did help a little. And now, the small, black discs made sense. They were definitely scales. She took it out of her pocket. “I mean, I haven’t had a tail, but I have had these.”

Doctor Macer examined it curiously. “Given that your effects seemed to intensify with the water, I don’t doubt that if you stayed in the water for longer, one would come up.”

Michelle grimaced. It still scared her. Especially as she realised just how much she’d been using her power without knowing. She sighed. This was going to take some getting used to.

“So… I’m guessing we’ll need a few more of these then.” Tony pointed at the empty blood bag.

But she knew if anybody was going to be by her side no matter what, it was him.

They were both silent on the ride home. Tony knew Michelle needed time to process this. Before, they were scared because they had no idea what was happening. But now, Michelle was simply horrified at what had resulted so far and still scared it could happen again. Tony was scared, too. It was mostly for her safety, but admittedly, he was still a little scared of her. However, he wouldn’t dare show it. And, more pressingly, they had to figure out how to make sure Michelle wasn’t accused of the three murders that had occurred and any that might not have been discovered yet. He knew she wanted to punish herself for it, but jail wasn't the way to do it when she'd had no control. They could access the records and keep an eye on what the police had found so far, but they needed to figure out how to prevent them from looking any further. He wanted to ask her about it, but when he parked the car and looked over, he knew she was just too tired and overwhelmed.

“Come here…” He said softly, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her to him. She buried his face in his shoulder and started to cry.

“I’m a monster…” Michelle croaked. “I killed those people. I took them from their families. If I had gotten checked after I was exposed, I could have stopped this, I-”

Tony hushed her. “This is not your fault. Saunders is the one who did this to you.”

“I’m so scared. I don’t want to hurt you.” She sniffled. “If… if we have kids, I don’t want to hurt them. I don’t want to hurt anybody again.”

He tucked a hair behind her ear. “I'm sorry that you have to go through this. I wish I could say I knew how you were feeling, but..." He sighed. "All we can do is make sure this doesn't happen again. Once we know you're protected, we will do what we can to help their families. At least we know what’s going on now. Doctor Macer’s going to help us. She’s going to make sure you get what you need, so everything’s okay. I’m not going to lose you over this. We’ve lost each other enough times already.”

“But even she doesn’t know everything yet. What if… what if what she gave me wasn’t enough? What if she’s wrong about the animal blood?” She shook her head. “I won’t be able to live with myself if I have to keep doing what I’ve done.”

“What if you don’t have to?”

“How?”

“Maybe… maybe the trick is letting you use your… 'ability', I guess, in small doses." He suggested. "Maybe you need to have smaller amounts more often rather than letting yourself get pushed over the edge with hunger. That way, you’ll feel more in control.”

She shrugged. “I mean, it makes sense, but we can’t bulk-buy blood, right? It doesn't seem practical, and it'll raise a few eyebrows at the butcher.”

An idea came to mind. He was sure she would hate it, and, to be honest, he wasn't quite convinced, either. But he would gladly be brave about it if it meant she felt better and they could better manage the situation.

“What if you drank my blood?”

Her eyes widened. “Are you insane? I’m trying not to hurt you.”

“And I’m saying that if you learn to do this a little at a time, you can control it.” He hardened his voice, desperate to at least let her try. “You won’t have to worry about having a supply of blood bags or wandering around at night. It can stay between us this way.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

Tony cupped her cheeks so she was facing him. “I trust you, okay?”

She turned away. “Just don’t… look. I don’t want to do anything to you to make you space out, and it’s still… I don’t know, weird.”

“If you bite my neck, you won’t be able to look at me.” He patted his lap. “Get over here.”

She sighed but obliged. He was right. This could work, in theory. She just had to try to slow her pace and avoid eye contact. Fresh blood was supposed to be better for her, anyway.

“Wait…”

Michelle opened the glovebox, retrieved a small pocket knife, and placed it in his hand.

“I need you to promise me you'll use this if I can't stop.” She said gravely.

He gave her a bewildered look. “Jesus, I’m not going to stab you-”

“No.” She said, cutting him off. “Promise me, please.”

He shuddered at the thought but agreed.

Michelle resisted the urge to look into his eyes and subtly gauge how he really felt. She realised that was another aspect of this 'siren' effect. She could tell how someone was feeling just by looking into their eyes. All this time, she'd thought her enhanced empathy was due to what she saw in the hotel that day. It was a lot easier with Tony than anybody else; in a way, it had been part of why she'd left him: she'd sensed in his heart that he wanted to shut her out. Of course, she realised now it was not because he didn't love her but because he'd felt unworthy. Perhaps she could tune that ability now that she was aware of it. Tentatively, she brushed her thumb over his neck. She wasn’t exactly sure how she’d allow her teeth to extend, but she decided to close her eyes and focus on the sound of her breathing. In fact, as she honed in on her concentration, Michelle realised she could hear his rapid heartbeat despite how calm he appeared.

“Tony, I don’t want to do this if you’re-”

She squeaked a little as he pulled her in for a kiss, enjoying the feel of her body leaning against his. He also knew this would hopefully get her in the right frame of mind. She seemed to be triggered by strong emotions. The anger from the day they reunited. When she was upset and overwhelmed at the clinic. Any time they were intimate. Her eyes were shut, as were his; he was still being careful. What they were doing was risky, but if it worked, he knew it would be worth it for her happiness and safety. She slowly grazed her lips across his jaw and down his neck, her other hand resting on his shoulder.

The first bite took him by surprise. He felt something sharp pierce his skin and a droplet of blood roll down. Her tongue quickly licked it away before it could stain his shirt. She then started to suck lightly at the wound, not unlike the way she would kiss him usually. Michelle continued this until she realised she was satiated; her awareness here was a pleasant surprise. When she pulled away, she noticed the wound was already healing. She wondered if that was by design.

“See? I knew you could do it.”

“You’re sure I didn’t hurt you too much?”

He shook his head. “Felt like a hickey with a little sting. That’s all. Which, on that note… I think what happened the day we got back together makes a lot more sense now.”

She bit her lip and looked away. “Yeah. Sorry about that.”

He shrugged. “It was completely out of your control. But I think we just need to pay attention when we hold back emotions. It seems to make your transformation stronger. And we did say we wanted to work on communication, anyway, right?” 

“I suppose some more motivation can’t hurt.” She frowned, seemingly remembering more of it. “God, that was… I forced myself on you, and that wasn’t right.”

“It's fine, really. I... I don't think I would have been so easy to convince if I hadn't wanted that with you deep down. If I’m looking at you when we're near each other, it brings out whatever you’re feeling. So if you feel angry, I do as well.”

She nodded. “That sounds about right.”

“But, I won’t lie…” Tony started with a coy tone to his voice. “When you and I are thinking about some things together, it is kind of hot. I can’t exactly complain about that side of what’s been happening lately.”

Michelle leaned in to kiss him, lifting his chin and straddling him. She supposed she could try to enjoy the few perks of this. She grabbed the side of the car seat, pushing it down so they were almost flat, her body pressing against his.

“So I guess we better take care of that too.” She whispered near the shell of his ear.

Tony knew something was wrong when he woke up at five in the morning and didn’t see her next to him. She’d gone out to the water; he figured that out instinctively. Despite their efforts to make a routine, believing they’d gotten things under control, Michelle still felt like something was missing. They couldn’t figure out why, despite drinking fresh blood regularly, she was still on edge, her head hurt, and she felt tired. It made no sense. But maybe the ocean was still something she needed. Maybe the salt, the minerals, whatever Doctor Macer had theorised was the missing piece.

In any case, Tony had to find her.

Running outside, he resisted the urge to call her name, not wanting to alert the neighbours. He made his way towards the beach, desperately looking around for her. The sun was just starting to rise over the horizon, and a few joggers were making their way onto the shore. 

His blood ran cold when he heard a scream from a nearby hiking trail. As he followed the sound, he could also hear a low growl and, unfortunately, felt that it was highly likely he was heading in the right direction. The trail grew steeper and rockier, but Tony tried as hard as he could to maintain his pace. His eyes widened when he reached the top of the cliff. If it were in any other context, he’d be watching the sunrise with appreciation. Awe, even. But the sight of his wife covered in blood, eyes glowing, teeth long and sharp, standing over a dead body took all of his focus away. He could smell blood. It was even more potent than the salty beach air he was still getting used to. As he slowly approached her, he could see she was breathing heavily, eyes still looking down on her prey. Like the photos he saw in the police report, the body had been completely devoured, its face unrecognisable, with gore spilling over its stomach and onto the ground.

Tony swallowed the bile rising in his throat as he moved around the body towards Michelle. There was blood all around her mouth and an intense look in her gaze. He called her name once, twice, three times before he grabbed her by the shoulders. She seemed to snap out of it, looking at him with confusion. But when she saw the body out of the corner of her eye, she gasped, stumbling a little. He quickly took her in his hold, noticing they were very close to the edge. Tony gulped, peering over at the crashing waves deep below.

“One minute I was in the water, the next…” She shook her head. “Oh God…”

“We’re going to figure this out.” He said shakily.

They were met with the sound of thundering footsteps, and Tony looked up to see cops storming towards them. 

“Freeze! Hands where I can see them!” 

Several of them had their guns locked and loaded, pointing right at her. There was no way in hell they would be able to explain this. They needed Doctor Macer to vouch for the situation. But, somehow, it didn’t seem like the cops were keen on talking this out. They had the evidence right in front of them. Michelle was responsible for the death of this person and the others from the previous weeks. There was no denying it. They’d planned on breaking into the morgue and getting rid of the DNA evidence to clear Michelle’s name, but time had run out now.

“Seems we’ve found the culprit behind our killing spree.” One of them said, moving forward.

“W-We can explain-” Tony started.

“Looks pretty clear to me.”

Michelle knew in this moment that there was no getting out of it. Whether or not they had the evidence for the other bodies, the fact was, they’d caught her in the act now. Even if Doctor Macer testified that it was a situation out of her control -- which would be hard enough to ask for since it would require declassifying the Cordilla outbreaks to a local police force -- they would put her down for manslaughter, for something that would still likely put her in jail, or worse. All she could do was run. 

And with the police blocking the trail back to land, she knew there was only one way out of this mess.

Her hand grabbed Tony’s, squeezing tightly.

“I love you.” She said solemnly, knowing she was possibly capturing the memory of his brown eyes for the last time.

Before he could respond, with one swift motion, Michelle dove from the cliff into the ocean below.

He called out her name, watching in shock as her body disappeared beneath the water. When she resurfaced briefly, he saw an onyx, curved tail follow her. It was beautiful, he had to admit. But he couldn’t focus on that because, in the background, he could hear one of the cops shouting into his radio. If there was one thing he trusted, it was that she could swim far, far away before they even started looking for her. But that posed a new problem. How in the hell was he going to look for her?

Tony went to run. To where, he wasn’t quite sure yet. He didn’t hesitate in punching the cop who tried to grab him and take him in for questioning, pushing through the crowd until he snuck back to the house through the side streets and got into his car. Doctor Macer was the only person who could help. He just prayed she would be willing to risk her career over it. Michelle didn’t leave his mind. He hoped and prayed to every god there was that she could swim to safety and get into contact with him. That would be tricky, he realised. Law enforcement would be supervising phone calls to their area. At this moment, he almost wished he had CTU, or at the very least, Chloe or Jack or someone he could trust undoubtedly. 

He burst into Doctor Macer’s office, too filled with adrenaline to notice the absence of her receptionist or any other patients in the waiting room on the way. 

“No…” He whispered upon seeing her collapsed on the floor, a dark pool of blood beneath her head. The cabinets around her were smashed, and her computer was missing, leaving only a dust mark behind.

As he went to call out for help, he felt a strong hand grip his body and another press something pungent to his mouth. The cloth reeked of something sickly sweet. The more he struggled, the dizzier he felt. He heard one final sentence before everything went black.

“Almeida is secured, let’s get out of here.”

His head pounded when he came to. The afternoon sun beamed through the windows, showing a bland bedroom. His shoulder ached. Tony went to touch it but found himself restricted. Craning his neck, he found one of his wrists handcuffed to the headboard. The uncomfortable angle of the rest of his arm seemed to be the source of the shoulder ache.

“Ah, you’re up.” 

The cuffs rattled as Tony tried to look at who had spoken to him. He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't heard the door open. A man had entered the room, sitting on the edge of the bed. If Tony wasn’t mistaken, the accent was British. He didn’t recognise him. But the voice seemed to match up with what he’d heard before being drugged and knocked out.

“Who are you?” Tony coughed, finding his mouth incredibly dry. He repeated the question in an attempt to sound less afraid than he actually was.

He smiled a little. “It’s Emerson. David Emerson.”

“Where am I?”

“Straight into the questions, I see.”

His memories slowly started to come back to him. The chilling scream. The nausea of seeing Michelle standing over it, covered in blood. The cops. Michelle saying she loved him. Michelle jumping into the ocean. The tail. Needing to find her. Running to Doctor Macer for help.

Doctor Macer.

“You… you killed Doctor Macer.”

He seemed indifferent. “She had what we needed.”

Tony squinted at him.

“Your wife’s blood.” Digging into his jacket pocket, he revealed a vial filled with dark red liquid. One that had undoubtedly come from Doctor Macer’s clinic.

There was something in the tone of his voice that made Tony’s skin crawl. He went to move again to grab it, feeling so disgusted, so enraged that he was treating it like some possession, cursing as the cuffs held him back. This man knew about Michelle, more specifically about the virus and what it had done to her. Doctor Macer would have kept everything confidential, and it had only been a few days since they'd first gone to her for help. Had he interrogated her for her information before killing her? Or had he already found out some other way? Had David been... watching them?

“How do you know about… about…” Tony couldn’t bring himself to say it, worried this was a trick or some way to get him to confess to something. Maybe David only knew the bare details and wanted him to spill the details. More than that, he still hadn’t quite processed it. What Michelle had become, what she was capable of, even if she wasn’t quite always aware of it. Seeing her standing over the body had terrified him. It had been the final thing to connect those horrific autopsy images with her, and he hated himself for being so afraid. He also hated the guilt and horror he saw in her expression when she'd snapped out of it.

David chuckled. “I used to associate with Stephen Saunders a long time ago. I wanted in on the Cordilla virus, but he screwed me over. He wouldn’t listen to me. I had my people check it, and I tried to tell him it had more potential, that if they engineered it a little further, he could create an army. He could have turned every person in that hotel into an enhanced, powerful being and threatened the government into giving him anything.” He tutted. “Instead, he chose destruction. He chose to be impulsive and go for the quick option. I was furious. I knew there would never be something so successful and unique ever again. But when I did a little digging and found out that your wife was immune, I knew I still had a chance.”

Tony felt his blood boil, now more worried about where Michelle was than before.

“I kept an eye on things, medical reports and the like. Nothing came up until, of course, a string of vicious murders began just a few days after you two moved into a new area. That was when I knew it had worked, that my plan, my vision, was feasible. So, I had to do everything in my power to get ahold of her blood.”

Tony's jaw twitched. He wanted to punch this son-of-a-bitch in the face. The man was insane. Tony realised he needed to get out of there, fast. But at the same time… David didn’t seem to be threatening him or Michelle. And if he wanted her blood, that would mean he wanted her alive, right?

“Now… obviously, I was somewhat successful. But if I’m going to do what I tried to convince Saunders to do all those years ago, what I have won’t be enough.” He smiled at him again. “Which is where you come in.”

“Me?”

“Well, you and I both want the same thing, really. To find Michelle. I have no intention of hurting her. Believe me, I pride myself on being a man of my word. As for you… well, if you help me find her, I’ll take what I need. It would be no more than what she would donate at, say, a blood drive, and then you two can happily go on with your lives. If I’m successful, you’ll never hear from me again.”

He furrowed his brow in thought. Tony had no idea whether to trust this man, no matter how much he implored his sense of honesty. But at the same time, he had no idea where he would even begin to find Michelle on his own. He needed all the help he could get. But he had to wonder… if all went well and they found her, would Michelle really be okay with letting her blood be used to manufacture some kind of bioweapon? There was no way in hell. She was horrified enough at what she had done by accident; there was no way she would be okay with this happening on purpose. But maybe they could double-cross him. Maybe he could let David find Michelle and then kill him before he gets the chance. It was risky. It, unfortunately, reminded him of being undercover. He hadn't missed the constant pressure and anxiety over maintaining a cover.

But he had no choice if he wanted to find Michelle.

“Deal. You help me find my wife, and I’ll make sure she gives you what you need.” Tony said, feeling his stomach churn like he’d made a deal with Satan himself.

“That’s what I like to hear.”

David turned to leave. Tony cleared his throat.

“Can’t exactly help you if my hands are tied. Kinky, much?”

He snickered, fishing a key out of his pockets. “You’re the one that lets your wife drink your blood.”

Finding Michelle didn’t exactly have a timeline other than as soon as possible. But Tony certainly didn’t expect to be working under David Emerson for the next five years of his life. More importantly, he didn’t expect to lose the feeling of disgust and betrayal as he worked with him. No, as Tony did Emerson’s bidding and listened to him profess his hatred for the government, he found himself agreeing with him. After all, the government had sent him to prison after he’d put his life on the line. The government had screwed Jack over, put him in the position of faking his own death. And now, after everything he and Michelle had been through, he couldn’t even trust the government to keep her safe and get her help because doing so would require declassifying the Cordilla virus outbreak information.

To his annoyance, David wasn’t fond of catching Tony up on any information he had gained about Michelle. David claimed to be a man of loyalty. So Tony decided to do whatever was necessary to prove his loyalty to him and get some answers. If David wanted something moved from A to B, Tony would move it. If David wanted security for a meeting that could expose him to the authorities, Tony would protect him. And if David wanted someone taken care of, Tony would kill them. At first, it made him feel sick. He felt like he was betraying everybody he’d ever worked with. He wondered how Michelle would feel, how surely disappointed she’d be in him.

But as time went on, and the chance of realistically finding Michelle faded, so did the feeling of guilt.

Maybe she hadn’t survived after all. Maybe her body had simply washed up somewhere, and he’d been doing this for nothing. She may have been a good swimmer as a result of the virus, but she wasn’t invincible. If she had been found dead, David would have told him. After all, that would impact him too. All David seemed to do was verbally abuse the handful of biologists he had blackmailed into working for him, telling him how precariously careful they had to be with that sample because if they ran a test or added something that destroyed the integrity of the DNA, then they had nothing.

David eventually noticed Tony's change of heart towards his actions, and only then did he start letting him in on his updates of Michelle’s possible whereabouts. The main thing he was looking for was animal attack reports. If Michelle had swam as far as they thought, it would have only made her hunger even harder to control. It had been a struggle for her to contain it before she'd jumped. If she'd exerted that much energy, there was no way she'd be in a better position to do so. There had been a couple of attacks like that several weeks after she’d gone missing. It had given Tony so much hope at the time and made him feel like all the things he was being made to do would be worth it. They’d started to follow a general direction away from the coast but had then ceased.

David had told him not to worry, that perhaps she was getting in control of her hunger, which was a good thing in some ways. However, it had been the only tangible proof she was alive, and the fact that it had disappeared so abruptly made Tony start to wonder whether she’d managed to hold on after all. Michelle couldn’t call him since the police would still be desperate to find her. But she was capable enough to encrypt the call or do something else to reach out and let him know she was okay. If she got arrested, the media would have a field day. Both of their CTU profiles had been plastered on the news at the time, calling her some kind of cannibal and him her equally twisted accomplice. Over time, the attention had died down, but that didn’t mean they weren’t still looking the way they would look for any other fugitive. 

No, even if he did find her, they wouldn’t be able to live their lives the same way. 

They would have to be on the run. Maybe, he thought to himself, they could find Jack. They could at least protect each other. He was probably somewhere in Mexico - of course, Jack had never specifically said where he’d go. It was safer that way. But he couldn’t worry about finding Jack when he needed to find Michelle first.

Eventually, the desperation to find her evolved into the desperation for closure. Subconsciously, Tony started to tell himself that it was hopeless, that she was dead, that there was going to be a body somewhere with her eyes, her hair, her lips, and that would be all. David would likely kill him, and Tony wouldn’t blame him. After all, the things he did for David could easily be done by somebody else.

Well.

Maybe not all of them.

David had said he would be there for Tony since the day he woke up handcuffed to a bed. At the time, he’d brushed it off. He hadn’t wanted to talk about it, especially when he’d thought working for him would be a brief stint. But as their small leads on Michelle’s location slowly fizzled out, Tony felt loneliness consume him more and more. And with nobody else trustworthy around besides David, Tony slowly found himself opening up to him more and more. One thing had led to another, and the nature of their relationship had changed into something Tony hadn’t ever envisioned himself needing.

“She would hate me if she knew I was drinking. I committed to being sober once we got back together.” Tony sipped the scotch slowly, sighing.

“We’ll find her, Tony.” He replied with conviction. “You’re not going to slip back into old habits. You have a purpose here.”

He shrugged. “I just miss her. I thought… I thought the attacks were going to be it, you know? I figured they’d settle somewhere, and we’d be able to search for her. But they stopped, and the police didn’t seem to connect it with anything, so…” He trailed off.

To his surprise, but not discomfort, David rested a hand on his knee.

“She’s out there. I’m sure she’ll reach out to you safely any day now.”

Again, the firmness in his voice seemed to make Tony believe it. It always did, he realised. No matter how malicious David’s intentions were, he couldn’t deny that he’d been truthful and genuinely seemed to care about him. In the beginning, all that had plagued his mind were thoughts of Michelle’s horrific reaction to the idea of her blood being used to create destruction. The image of him holding the one vial they did have with such glee had made him shudder. But now… the goal really was just finding her. David seemed to want Tony to be happy.

“In the meantime… you have me.”

Tony turned to face him, finding his eyes. He didn’t realise how close they were sitting. They sat there silently, just looking at each other, listening to each other breathe in the quiet stillness of the night. 

David’s hand cupped his cheek. There was a pause, but Tony didn't resist as David pulled him in so their lips could meet.

“Tony…” David called through the door. “They’re here.”

Warily, Tony walked over to join him in the small room they used for guests. Scotch had been poured, cigars were being smoked, and the doors shut to the rest of the compound. Normally, David liked giving full itineraries of any meetings and background profiles of the people they met. But he’d been secretive about this one. Tony hadn’t even known they were expecting people until today. David walked to the front of the room, facing the table. Tony stood in the corner, silently watching the people sit. David hadn’t explicitly asked for security, but it was just unspoken that Tony would keep a watchful eye anyway.

“I have in my hands the world’s next biggest bioweapon. A genetically modified variant of the Cordilla virus. Unlike the original, its purpose is not mass infection and destruction.” 

A few of the seated people raised their eyebrows, turning and looking at each other.

“What if I told you you could make a willing army of humans with enhanced abilities? I’m talking excess strength, speed, a form of persuasion that can convince anybody to do anything.” He cleared his throat. “Now, I haven’t tested this variant yet-”

“How can you claim such things if you have no proof?” One of the men sneered at him.

David smirked back. “I didn’t say that.” He clicked a remote in his hand, which illuminated the screen behind him, showing gory images of devoured bodies. The timestamps showed the photos were from about two years ago, the last time they’d had updates about Michelle. But David flicked over to some more recent, which Tony swore he hadn’t seen before. Why wouldn’t he have shown him? Tony's eyes widened when David stopped on a security camera screenshot of a figure crouched over another body. It wouldn’t have been known to the guests, but Tony did not doubt that it was Michelle. Again, it was dated more recently than the so-called 'last photos' David had found. David had insisted he would tell Tony whenever he had leads about Michelle. He’d also made it clear just how much he needed him, how much he needed to find Michelle for his purpose. 

But seeing and hearing all this now made Tony start to question everything.

“You see… the person responsible for what I’ve just shown you is someone who happened to have natural immunity to the original virus. Over time, certain effects started to kick in, which my team has identified genetically and isolated. So my question now is…” He pulled a familiar vial from his pockets, and Tony felt his jaw twitch. “Who’s willing to fund mass production?”

At this moment, Tony couldn’t take it anymore. He’d done everything asked of him. He’d trusted David at face value to find and protect Michelle, and now the only thing they had linked to her was about to be sold to the highest bidder.

Without thinking, he lunged at David, snatching the vial as he fell to the ground. People stood from their seats, muttering at the commotion. Tony stared him in the eyes, popping the cap of the vial.

“What are you doing?” He gritted through his teeth.

“Taking back what’s mine.” Tony replied harshly, downing the only sample of the bioweapon in one gulp.

Michelle knew she was being watched, be it her instincts as a former agent, a siren, or both. It almost made her laugh that she was still using the label Doctor Macer had given her all those years ago, but it was the only thing that ever fit. But right now, she was more concerned, no, terrified, because she didn’t have an agency to consult, and she didn’t have access to traffic cams or personal files to try and figure out whether her false identity had been blown. So, all she had were her eyes and ears. It wouldn’t have been an issue if she was on her own; she could simply disappear, change her identity again, restart her life, and that would be enough. But her life wasn’t the only one at stake. Her five-year-old son was everything to her. He was symbolic of her survival, her only chance for living peacefully after the chaos that had ensued, and her only chance to love and be loved after losing ties with everybody from her old life - because she sure as hell wasn't in a position to trust anyone new.

So Michelle had to do everything she could to keep the two of them safe.

When she’d left Tony at the edge of the cliff, one of the hardest things she’d ever done, all she had done, all she had known she could do, was swim. Michelle had let the rush of energy from the water and fear-fuelled adrenaline consume her and swam for miles up the coast. As Doctor Macer had proposed, her legs had fused into a tail, black like the scales she’d collected before she’d left. Eventually, her body had given out, the tail had disappeared, and she’d stumbled out of the water, somewhere far, far away from where she’d jumped, with a thirst for blood greater than she’d ever thought possible. Those first few days were fuzzy in her memory. She’d simply kept running, hoping the police couldn't keep up with her trail of bodies. 

But the first thing she remembered clearly from that time was crying over a positive pregnancy test in a motel bathroom. 

After all, there was no telling whether their child would have any of the abilities and needs she had. It had been hard enough to think of anyone going through that, let alone a child. Doctor Macer had said on the day of the Cordilla virus outbreaks that if she and Tony ever had kids, they should get some tests done to see if there was a risk of miscarriage or complications. She’d tried to reach out to her, but she hadn’t answered. Then, she’d wanted to risk everything, call Tony and tell him where she was so he could find her, and they could at least be on the run together. Before she could even dial his number, cops had come by her room, and only hers, asking suspiciously specific questions. Michelle had realised very quickly that the issue of her being wanted wouldn't disappear any time soon and that if she was going to carry her and Tony’s child, the only connection to him she had left, then keeping hidden had to be her priority. So, she’d persuaded them to buy herself some time and fled. Michelle had also realised that the best way to keep her and the baby safe was to lie low, which meant grappling with the blood issue. She satiated her hunger by convincing nurses in various hospitals to let her take a blood bag, or five, or by hunting after animals. At least a few scattered dead rabbits weren’t going to draw suspicion. She’d eventually switched to animals exclusively, feeling the fresh blood was more satisfying. That being said, the quantity of blood she was getting certainly wasn’t enough, but she didn’t care so long as she was in control.

Over time, in small, calculated movements, Michelle had made it to Canada, set up a false identity and secured a mundane office job in the suburbs, but more importantly, far away from the ocean. Once she’d stopped swimming, her hunger became milder, more manageable. She was willing to put up with constant migraines, aches, and fatigue if it meant keeping safe. Giving birth had taken a lot out of her, too, both physically and emotionally. The physical part had been resolved with a relapse in the form of stumbling into the blood bank in the middle of the night and devouring an entire shelf of O-positives. But all she’d been able to do to soothe her aching heart and take her mind off the fact that she was celebrating one of the happiest moments of her life without him was holding her son, Aidan, close. Naming their son after him had been too painful to think about, knowing she’d have to say it so often. But she’d been okay with giving him Anthony as a middle name. Drained and exhausted, Michelle had promised herself she would keep him safe. She’d feed on animals as often as she could to ensure she never felt the slightest pang of hunger around her son.

When Aidan had first asked where his father was, Michelle simply told him that he had passed away and that she would love him twice as much and then some to make up for it. Telling herself that Tony was dead had been how she had coped too. It was easier than sitting around feeling guilty for not trying to get in contact with him. She wanted to, of course she did, but she was terrified. Her records still listed her as a wanted criminal, he, an accomplice. Both of them were missing but not deceased. The news stories about her had died down, but it still wasn’t safe. Especially when internet searches for her name spiked a few days after her son’s fifth birthday. Thankfully, it was for US news only, so she hadn’t done anything to blow her cover. But when Michelle looked into the new series of animal attacks, no different to the ones previously associated with her, she panicked. Was there somebody else out there like her? Another survivor from the hotel, maybe? At that moment, she risked being traced by going into the police records, much the way she’d done several years ago, the first time this kind of attack had arisen near them. The photos she pilfered through were too blurry to tell who the culprit was. Truth be told, they didn’t even look entirely human. Michelle had wondered if maybe these attacks were from some kind of animal after all. 

Until she found a familiar white-gold ring listed in police evidence. 

It could only mean that in his attempt to look for her, Tony had been killed by someone with her abilities. She could barely remember the other people in the hotel - likely because she’d blocked the whole thing out. In any case, it scared her. They were coming for her. The number of bodies left behind in a trail that had now crossed the US-Canada border and drew nearer to her with every passing day didn’t look accidental. There were just too many for her to assume they were still getting used to whatever ability they had. And the fact was, no matter how desperate she was to reach out and get to them first, her desire to protect her son overrode that urge completely. She had nobody else to watch him, so she had to stay.

Right now, all Michelle could focus on was getting her son ready for bed. She went into the backyard to take the garbage out but stopped upon hearing a slight rustling in the trees. Her eyes scanned the dark surroundings. It was the time of year when it was dark by early evening. As she focused more and more on where the sound was coming from, she let instinct take over as she pinned the threat to the wall in one quick motion. Even though she hadn’t had blood in days, if push came to shove, she was still a force to be reckoned with.

Her eyes widened as she met Tony’s surprised face. The hand that was pinning him by the throat dropped. Before she could speak, his hand was on the back of her neck, crushing her lips to his. Her hands grabbed back eagerly, instinctively, keeping his body pressed to hers, feeling warmth and passion engulf her body. She pulled back, just a little, to take in his face and the fact that it was really him, letting relief cloud every other emotion she had. But as she noticed his eyes were glowing yellow, no different to the way hers were, she gasped, planting her hands against his shoulders to put distance between them.

“How the hell did you do that?”

“Do what?” He looked at her with confusion, going to lean in again.

“Your eyes.” She said firmly. “Did I… did I do that to you?”

Tony exhaled. “No… well, actually, yes, but not directly.”

She furrowed her brow at him.

He proceeded to explain what had happened, and at first, it made sense: he had been coerced into working for David Emerson. But as he continued, Michelle sensed a shift in the tone of his voice. He sounded far less disgusted by his actions and far less angry at Emerson. It seemed like their relationship possibly exceeded that of a working one. However, when Tony told her that he drank the modified sample of her blood, everything clicked into place. She felt a chill down her spine and more afraid than she’d been in a long time.

“The string of murders… it… it was you, wasn’t it? All those mauled bodies from California to Toronto, it was you.” Michelle said gravely. “The very reason you stayed with him was to make sure my blood wasn’t misused, and you just went and did that?”

To her horror, he seemed indifferent. “I did what I had to do. I followed whatever leads there were. I asked the questions I had to ask. I needed it, Michelle. I lost control-”

“Don’t try and tell me about need. I’m managing just fine without taking human lives.”

Tony studied her for a moment. Her skin had some pallor to it, the bags under her eyes were heavy, and she didn’t have the same look of vitality she had the last time they’d seen each other.

“Maybe your variant makes it more difficult. I don't know." She conceded. But what I do know is that you don’t seem particularly concerned about it. You killed with a complete disregard for human life, and you don’t care. All the while, I lose sleep over everything I’ve done.” She sighed, thinking of her son inside the house, thinking about how important it was that he stayed away from this mess. “Until I know what to make of this, what to make of you... I can’t have you here.” Her voice trembled a little, but she tried her best to harden it to implore her point. “You need to leave.”

He felt furious. After all this effort to find her, she was pushing him away?

“Yeah, that’s your solution to everything.” He retorted, feeling that sense of anger rise within him like it was the only emotion he was capable of feeling.

“Don’t even start.” She gritted through her teeth, grabbing his collar and shoving him against the wall. Her eyes had gone yellow again, and her teeth were slowly elongating.

“Mom?” Aidan called from inside.

She sighed slowly, looking more human again, before responding calmly. “I’ll be there in a second.”

He seized her bicep suddenly as she went to move.

“The boy. How old is he?”

Michelle knew exactly what he was implying, and it made her blood boil. “Five. Aidan is five.”

“So he’s mine.” Tony tightened his grip.

As if she wasn’t angry at him already, she felt enraged now but knew she’d already spent too much time outside to take the garbage out. Michelle broke away from him, and her eyes lit up again. “How dare you. Of course, he is. I wouldn’t have done that to you. I never gave up on you, on us-”

“Seems like you’re doing it now.”

“Regardless, you stay the hell away from us" Michelle said bitterly, looking him up and down. “And pull yourself together.”

Michelle swiped the last bit of blood away from the corner of her mouth with her thumb, desperate to make sure she got every possible drop out of her prey. It had been harder than usual to find sustenance. She suspected that was because of a certain person's presence in the area. Since Tony had shown up the other night, she’d been worried about leaving Aidan alone. When she allowed herself to hunt, she always ensured he was soundly asleep before she left and aimed to spend as little time as possible away from him. Luckily, the forest Michelle hunted in was close to the outskirts of her backyard. She’d chosen this house for a reason.

“That’s your idea of food?” A gruff voice called.

Michelle gasped, finding Tony sitting on the back steps of her porch.

“What the hell are you doing?-”

“I saw you. You only managed to find one rabbit, and a tiny one, at that. That’s not enough.”

“Don’t tell me what’s enough-”

He grabbed her wrist, seeing how pale and veiny her skin was in the moonlight. “You can hate me and what I’ve done all you want, but I’m not going to let you waste away out of spite. Our son needs you.”

She glared at him, speaking coolly. “I lost a lot of blood giving birth to him, and I haven’t been in the ocean in years. It’s not the same as it used to be.”

“Still… I’m here now. You can feed off of me.”

Michelle scoffed. “You’re delusional if you think I’m ever doing that with you again. That was an act of love, an act of trust, which I don’t have in you right now. Besides, I don’t know what kind of interactions my blood could have with yours.”

Tony huffed. “Then let me hunt for you.”

“I’m capable-”

“I’m not saying you aren’t; I’m saying that I’m stronger and faster, and if I do it, you won’t have to leave him. Just stop being stubborn, and let me take care of it, alright?”

She bit her lip. It was a good idea, she had to admit. But she hated how Tony was forcing his way into her and Aidan’s life. It was too much for her to handle, at least right now. Of course, she wanted her son to have his father, but after what he had done and, more importantly, how he was barely reacting to it, she needed time to think.

“Fine.” Michelle brushed past him, walking back inside and locking the door.

The next night, she stepped into the backyard to find Tony standing over the carcass of a huge deer. It was bleeding from its jugular. His eyes were still glowing, teeth still elongated and bloody as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve. It scared her a little, but then again, she was sure he’d been terrified the first time he’d seen her do this, too. And there was a difference between a dead deer and a dead human.

“There.” He said, shoving it over towards her with his foot.

As much as she wanted to make some kind of snide remark and not make it look like she was that desperate for a decent serving of blood, the sweet smell was just too tempting to resist. She walked over, kneeling in front of it, placing a hand on its body to steady herself. Her body was trembling with need. Tony could see her start to change as she dipped her head down to suck at the animal’s neck. Michelle noticed there was a slight look of lust in his eyes and felt her cheeks redden.

“Don’t look.” She mumbled.

Rolling his eyes, he turned away as she devoured the remains of the animal. When she told him it was okay to look again, he was pleased to note the slight return of colour to her skin, a sated ease about her. Thanking him quietly, she turned to go back into the house, feeling an odd sense of gratitude towards him. Strangely, it reminded her of the first time he cooked for her. He’d just seemed so genuinely happy to take care of her like that. And really, this was no different, right? But right now, she couldn’t let herself be emotional, at least not in front of him.

“I have to ask…” He started.

“Yeah?” She said, noticing he was also now human-looking again.

“Does Aidan… have any of this? Will he need to do this?”

She shrugged. “So far, I don’t think so. He is only half me. But he’s young, so I can’t say for sure whether it will be a weird puberty thing or…” Michelle sighed. “I hope he never has to.”

He nodded, seeming relieved. There was a softness to his expression, and she could tell just how much he cared about him. It made her heart pull. Against her better judgement, she held the door open.

“Come inside.”

Tony furrowed his brow. “What?”

“Come inside.” She repeated.

"Why?"

She huffed. "Don't let me change my mind."

Warily, he walked towards her, wiping his shoes on the way in. Silently, she led him to Aidan’s room, where he slept soundly.

“I figured you probably haven’t seen him up close yet,” Michelle whispered.

She watched Tony take a small step through the door, just standing and looking at their son. From where she stood, the dim light from the hallway showed just enough for her to see his face. Tears welled at the corner of his eyes, and she heard his breathing start to shudder, his head shaking slightly. He was so overwhelmed.

He cleared his throat and spoke thinly, his eyes not leaving the bed. “W-When did you find out you were pregnant?”

“About a week… a week after I jumped.”

Tony took in a deep breath. “I still... I still can’t believe I found you. You have no idea how happy I was when I did. It finally felt like I’d done this for a reason.” His voice was so fraught with emotion and apologetic. “I-I didn’t want to scare you the way I did that night. But when I looked into the window the first time and saw him, I couldn’t take it any longer.”

Michelle felt guilty now that she was keeping him away from him. But, at the same time, she couldn’t forget how he’d acted. She couldn’t just ignore that. Five years and then some was a long time. She needed to know for sure that he was still the same person she'd loved and that he hadn’t truly become this callous.

“It’s getting late.” She said quietly.

He squeezed his eyes shut. “Let me stay… please,” Tony spoke barely above a whisper. “I’ll sleep on the couch if that’s what you want. I don’t care. But please... I don’t want to miss any more of his life.”

Gently, Michelle took his hand, guiding him back into the hallway, feeling him resist but ultimately letting her move him away. “I-I need to figure out how I’m going to tell him. I’m still trying…” She exhaled. “I’m still trying to figure out what to make of all this. I need to make sure we’re not going to be in danger. I need-” Michelle wiped a tear from under her eye. “I just need more time.”

Tony shook his head. “You can’t keep doing this.”

“I don’t want to, you don’t understand. This isn’t easy for me either, but I can’t just look the other way at what you’ve done.” She sighed. “Look, just… come for dinner tomorrow night. Let me do this slowly. It’s not like you’re going anywhere, are you?”

“Okay…” He conceded after a pause. “I’m only a few blocks away. Is six okay?”

“Yeah…” 

When he left, notably shutting the door very quietly so as not to wake Aidan, Michelle surrendered to the onslaught of tears she’d been fighting.

It had gone perfectly. After some initial shyness from both of them, Aidan had taken well to Tony. As Michelle had always imagined and hoped, Tony was good with him. He fit into their lives so easily. It made her wish so dearly that they’d been able to have this under normal circumstances. Maybe if both of them had gotten jobs at Langley all that time ago, this could have happened much sooner. But still, she was scared. She was hesitant. Because every time she looked at Tony, her brain would bring up the two vastly different versions of him she’d seen, and she simply couldn’t decide which one to believe anymore. More than that, she didn’t know how it was going to translate into raising their son, whether he’d be able to put that aside, and, God forbid, if Aidan did end up with any siren qualities, there was no way they’d be able to agree on how to handle it. She could already picture the arguments. She didn’t want that for any of them.

Of course, she wanted Tony in Aidan’s life. But she needed to stand her ground from now to make sure he understood that she wasn’t going to let go and pretend the last five years hadn’t happened because, the fact was, he had changed. She had seen a darker, more violent side of him, and she couldn't unsee it. She'd always wondered whether it existed. After all, he’d been on many undercover missions before they met. And while Michelle might have forgiven him or given him the benefit of the doubt for a situation she didn’t understand or have experience in, in this case, he’d taken the very thing she’d been through and used it as an excuse to be careless with human life. This wasn’t what happened with Saunders. Her life hadn’t been on the line directly. He had made this choice knowing she wasn’t around to chastise him. And as much as she prayed that their time at CTU before they became wanted fugitives would never even be uttered around Aidan, having Tony there only made that possibility grow. Keeping one identity secret was one thing, but hiding out as a family presented more difficulty and danger. Especially given the people he’d been associating with as of late.

Michelle had put Aidan to bed by this point, now washing the last dish and going to put it away before finding Tony taking it from her and doing so himself. The atmosphere between them had fallen chilly after dinner, neither saying much besides short, necessary remarks. To her confusion, he made no move to leave. Instead, he went into her home office. She followed, and he shut the door behind them.

“What the hell was that?” Tony said quietly but harshly.

“What?”

He stared daggers into her. “‘Friend’? Really? I’m a friend of yours now?”

“Oh my God…” She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I couldn't just bombard him with that. I've told him his whole life that you're dead. He's only five, Tony. I need to explain it to him without sounding like I've been lying to him or that I'm not someone he can trust." She kept her voice low. "Do you even realise why I'm holding off on telling him you're his father?"

“Because you can’t handle what I’ve done.” Tony gritted through his teeth. “I made some choices you don’t like, so you’re keeping me away from my son.”

“Like’? You killed innocent people. That’s not a matter of opinion, Tony!” Michelle's voice deepened, her eyes glowing, too enraged to keep it in. “How am I supposed to let you teach him about right and wrong, about good and bad, when you justified God knows how many murders? I might not be perfect, but my body count wouldn’t even be close to half of yours.”

“I did everything to protect you. I did everything to make sure your blood didn’t get used as a weapon because I knew you would never forgive me if I let that happen. I wouldn’t have stayed with Emerson if it hadn't been for that. I could have found you earlier.”

She folded her arms. “So this is my fault now?”

“You’re the one keeping him from me.” He pointed at her. “You’re the only thing standing in the way of letting us have our family back together.”

“You can’t just waltz into our lives and expect open arms when you’ve become a completely different person. You are not the man I wanted to have a family with.”

“I had no control over what happened, and you know that.”

Michelle huffed. “You still don’t get it, do you? It’s not just what you did. It’s the fact that you don’t care about what you did.” She had looked at him directly before, but now her eyes were flitting around the room. “I’ve sat here… full of guilt, all the while you just want to… want to shove everything under the rug and pretend that everything is okay when… when it's not.” 

Tony went to retaliate but instead found himself confused as she stumbled a little. She didn’t look sick; she cleaned up that deer only a night ago. Her hand fell to a couch near the desk as she took a shaking breath.

“Michelle?”

Moving sluggishly, she managed to scowl at him. “You son of a…” Her words came out slowly and garbled, and she blinked rapidly, trying to keep herself awake.

She moved forward to grab him, but her body went limp, and she started to fall to the floor instead. He went to catch her but found himself moving like he was underwater, barely managing to cushion her head with his palms, his body swaying as his arms and legs came to the ground with him.

“Hey… what’s?…” The words sounded as though they came from behind him, slurred and incomprehensible. His ears started to ring, and everything felt warm and fuzzy.

The last thing Tony saw before he blacked out was Michelle’s unconscious body next to him, a thin trickle of blood streaming down her temple.

“Tony… Tony!” A familiar voice said, still sounding slightly muffled.

He felt someone tap on his cheek urgently. It wasn't quite a slap, but it wasn't exactly gentle either. As he blinked his eyes open, he found Michelle hovering over him, her expression worried. There was some dried blood on her cheek. Tony groaned, finding the back of his head throbbing from where it had hit the floor. 

“Aidan’s missing,” Michelle said, her voice fraught with emotion.

“What?” Tony sat up immediately, the severity of her words forcing him out of his half-conscious state.

“His window was wide open." She explained. "I-It must have been when we passed out."

Tony craned his neck, finding it was mid-morning. They had been out for around half a day.

“We can’t call the police because we'll draw attention to ourselves…” Michelle uttered, running a hand through her hair. “How… how are we supposed to find him? Who could have taken him?”

He tried to think but was still a little foggy and came up empty. “I-I don’t know.”

Suddenly, Tony's phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a new burner; he hadn’t saved any numbers yet, but the number on the screen looked familiar. It had called a few times already, some hours prior.

He looked up at Michelle, her eyes wide with anticipation. “Speaker,” She mouthed. Tony warily answered the phone and increased the volume so she could hear it.

“Hello, Tony.” The all-too-familiar man on the other chuckled. “I see you've come round. Funny, I didn’t think I could do much with the computer records of the genomic sequencing, but that gas worked out quite nicely, didn’t it?”

The sinister tone of David's voice sent a chill down his spine. 

“Where the hell is my son?" He felt his eyes glow. "If you so much as-”

“It hurts, doesn’t it?" David spat. "To be betrayed by someone who cares about you.”

“You lied to me first,” Tony said harshly. “You promised me you would give me any information you had on Michelle’s location, and you kept it from me. You told me that you would keep me in the loop about anything you did with her blood, but I had to find out at some fucking sales meeting instead?”

“I didn’t want you to run," David explained, with a slight fondness that he hoped Michelle wouldn't pick up on. Still, even without her siren abilities, he doubted it would slip past her. "You were the only person in my entire crew I could trust implicitly. I needed you with me.”

He shook his head. “How did you find me?”

David laughed. “It was rather easy to follow the trail of bloodshed, Tony. At least your wife had the decency to get ahold of her hunger.”

His jaw twitched, and he felt a wave of guilt wash over him. Tony might not have cared about what he’d done in the pursuit to find Michelle, but he sure as hell did now, knowing it had put their son in danger. He felt as nauseous as the first time David had referred to Michelle’s blood with such possessiveness. He felt ashamed, reflecting on just how much he’d done for this man, how far he’d gone to get his approval, that he’d lost sight of his ultimate goal.

“What do you want with Aidan? What are you doing to him?” Michelle asked.

“Oh, the same thing I wanted with you, Michelle. If I want to make this bioweapon, I need a sample of the original, don’t I?”

“You son of a bitch.” She gritted through her teeth.

“Tell me where he is, and you can have me instead. I have the variant you want, anyway.” Tony offered. Michelle looked at him with concern.

He scoffed. “As if I trust you. You were never loyal to me, were you? You just used me as a means to an end to get your wife back.” The emotion in his voice was even clearer now, and Michelle squinted at him slightly. Tony hadn't told her explicitly what kind of relationship he'd had with David. But he would have to reveal that now. Or, at least, once they knew Aidan was safe.

“Then you can have me.” Michelle leaned over the phone so her voice could be heard clearly. “I’ve never given you a reason not to trust me, and while I don’t know you, you seem to be a man of your word. Although you sure as hell seem to know a lot about me.”

David hummed in thought. “Fine. Meet me at thirteen hundred hours in the basement of the old hospital on the corner of Frisk and Stanford. If you come with me, I will return your son unharmed-”

“Wait. I want proof that you even have Aidan.” Tony said suddenly. “That this isn’t some kind of play.”

There was a shuffling of footsteps and some mumbling. “M... Mom?” A small, weak voice sounded.

“Aidan…” Michelle breathed. “We’ll be there soon, okay? I promise you.”

“I’m scared-” He bleated, making Tony's heart pull.

“That’s enough of that.”

Before either of them could protest, the dial tone sounded. They stood there in silence for a moment, both so affected by the sound of their son's voice. Then, he remembered what they just agreed to.

“Do you realise what he wants with you?” Tony said gravely. “He treated the one sample he stole from Doctor Macer like it was his first-born child. There’s no telling what length he’ll go to experiment on you. He will do everything in his power to create the most powerful weapon possible. You can’t seriously go through with this!”

Michelle lifted a shoulder. “Then we'll try to think of a plan, but all I know is that he seems to trust me enough to let this switch go through. I have to do this for our son, Tony, regardless of whether or not we come up with something.”

“No.” His voice fell to a harsh whisper. “I am not going to lose you again.”

“And I am not going to let us lose our son.” She met his eyes, and Tony saw nothing but determination there. He knew she was scared, too, even if she was pretending otherwise. But it wasn't going to stop her from doing whatever it took to get Aidan back. 

Tony started pacing, thinking about what they could expect and how to stop this from happening so David couldn't get near any of them ever again. Judging by the similar look on her face, Tony knew she was trying to find a solution, too.

“He’s already learnt how to drug us, so we have to be careful." Michelle pointed out. "He'll probably expect us to try to double-cross him, regardless of what I told him because he doesn't trust you.”

Tony nodded. “He’ll have plenty of people around. We can't take them all on our own, our strength aside, and we have to make sure one of us gets Aidan out of there before we start anything.”

Michelle paused. “You can use your voice to persuade people, too, right? You can convince them to believe anything you tell them?”

He made a so-so motion with his head. “Whenever I’ve tried to use it, it never seemed to work as well the way yours did. That’s kind of why I ended up resorting to…” Tony waved his hand dismissively. “But how would that help?”

“Maybe we don’t have to use a physical attack.”

Despite having a rough idea of how many people David would have for backup, Tony was still surprised to find himself uncomfortably surrounded as they made it to the hospital basement. It was a smart location for a hostage exchange, with no windows and minimal entry points. The only way in or out was the stairwell, which was heavily guarded. Tony just hoped Michelle was strong enough to pull this off. Had he known this two days ago, he would have killed a whole herd of deer for her. Tony looked next to him, and Michelle seemed stoic. It reminded him of the hostage exchange with Saunders all those years ago, where she’d simply met his eyes, communicating her underlying worry to him, and him only, not daring to show it to anybody else.

David moved, revealing Aidan standing behind him. He seemed pale, and his knees wobbling. He could barely stand. Again, Michelle was unreadable. Then again, she couldn’t exactly see all of what was happening. Tony reminded himself that she wasn’t technically there. But he had to make sure he looked like he believed she was.

“They’ll walk on my count. Once I’m satisfied, you can take your son and leave.” David said bitterly.

Shoving Aidan forward, he slowly walked towards Tony, as Michelle did similarly towards David. She made her steps intentional and controlled, not wanting him to suspect anything less than full cooperation from her. When they met halfway, Aidan looked up at her, his bottom lip wobbling.

“It’s going to be okay,” Michelle whispered, looking down at him. “Just go to daddy.”

He nodded.

“Move!” David roared, and Aidan ran the rest of the way, letting Tony scoop him into his arms. When he did, Tony immediately noticed the track marks on his arm and realised that David must have been draining his blood. Aidan was shaking with fear, curiously looking at Tony. He hadn’t heard what Michelle had said to him, but somehow, he knew Aidan understood he was to be trusted. Tony bit his lip as Michelle made it to the opposite side of the room, feeling disgusted by the devious look in David’s eyes.

"Alright. You can go." He ordered, and the guards stepped apart to allow Tony and Aidan to go back up the stairs. "I've been waiting for this for a long time, Michelle," David muttered. He reached out to grab Michelle’s arm and keep her in place but furrowed his brow as he missed. He went to do it again, finding he couldn’t quite grip her properly. Michelle smirked at him, and his eyes widened as she, or rather what he was led to believe was she, disappeared into thin air.

“It’s a trick!” David shouted. “Find them before they get away!”

The other members of his crew seemed to be in some kind of stupor. David had to shout several times before one of them even made an effort to move a little, the others stumbling behind as they ran up the stairs. David cursed to himself, wondering how the hell he hadn’t seen this coming. He'd figured they would try to pull something like this; he just hadn't thought they were stupid enough to do it with their son's life at risk. David could hear gunshots in the distance, praying to God his people at least remembered that the one rule was to make sure they didn’t kill one of the three people in existence with the long-term Cordilla genes.

Tony ran out of the hospital as fast as he could with Aidan in his hands, feeling him cling to him for dear life. With half of the hallway signage faded or gone, it was a little disorienting making his way through the uniform, labyrinth-like corridors, but he didn't stop. Tony heard footsteps following him and turned to shoot the crew members without hesitation. It was hard ignoring the smell of blood, not going back to finish the job off and savour every last drop. But Aidan's desperate pull at his shirt and the small whimpers he heard were enough to snap him out of it. At this moment, their son's safety overrode everything else; he had to keep him safe, no matter what. Michelle would finish this. Tony promised her as such. And as much as Tony wanted it to be him who put an end to what David had done, take the hurt in his chest from the betrayal and make it something physical, he knew if anybody deserved to have that moment, it was Michelle.

And unlike himself, Tony trusted her to actually see it through.

“So, we finally meet.”

David gasped as he found himself staring at Michelle. He wasn’t sure how she’d managed to appear or where she’d even come from. At this moment, David wished he’d at least made one of his people stay with him. Although judging by the hint of blood around her mouth, he realised that that wouldn’t have helped.

“I take it you’re the real one.” He said stiffly.

In one swift motion, she crossed the room and pinned him against the wall, her hand wrapped around his throat, nails digging in sharply.

“It’s funny. Doctor Macer once compared all of this to sirens. You know, those mythological creatures that sang sailors to their deaths.” Michelle felt him gulp as she tightened her grip. “I took a chance, guessing the hospital still had an old PA system, but I managed to make you and everybody else believe I was right in front of you. Just by the sound of my voice.”

David couldn’t help but be amazed, but, at the same time, he was furious, realising more and more what he was about to lose.

“But doing that took a lot out of me.” Her eyes slowly shifted, becoming a golden yellow, like a bird of prey. “For all these years, you’ve been desperate to get your hands on my blood. But right now? I’m pretty desperate to get my hands on yours.”

Before David could even open his mouth, her teeth had pierced the delicate skin of his neck, spraying blood onto his skin and the walls behind them. He gasped as her talons dragged painfully slowly down his chest towards his stomach. David fell like a rag doll, and she felt no guilt in allowing the familiar, greedy sense of hunger to take control. Michelle devoured him, drinking the warm blood like it was the first water after days in the desert. It had been so long since she’d had human blood; the taste was so much richer than any other animal's. When she returned to reality, she noticed David’s body had stilled. His eyes remained wide open with fear, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

After cleaning the excess blood from her face, she went back to where they’d parked the car, finding Tony sitting beside it with Aidan propped up in his lap. He looked incredibly ashen, and her stomach sank. Tony’s teary gaze met hers.

“I-I’ve been trying to keep him conscious. I didn’t want to give him my blood in case…”

Michelle nodded, bending down and running a hand through their son’s hair. Feebly, he turned to look up at her.

“It’s going to be okay…” She said, voice shaking a little. “You’re not going to remember any of this. You've just had a bad dream.”

His pupils dilated, and he nodded.

Using her teeth, she made a small incision in her wrist, quickly moving it to Aidan’s mouth and asking him to drink it. Again, he listened to her soothing tone without question. Tony placed a hand behind his neck to keep him upright. Within minutes, he started to look better, chest rising and falling. When his eyes shut, they knew it was simply due to exhaustion, and he would be okay with some rest. As Michelle sat in the passenger seat, she craned her neck to look at Aidan again. Tony could see that she was on the verge of tears.

“I… I never wanted to use that on him.” Michelle whispered. “I never wanted to use my voice to make him believe something that isn’t true. It was for his own good, I know that. I just…”

Tony placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You’re protecting him with everything you have, just like any parent would want to.”

Michelle sighed, nodding a little. “Let’s just go home.”

Tony looked over at Michelle again. Her eyes kept flitting to Aidan in the rearview mirror, but he was still asleep. They could both hear his heartbeat; he was okay. Neither of them had said anything to each other since they took off. Michelle was driving urgently, but not enough to risk being pulled over. Tony tried to think about what to do next. He would probably have to disappear again, which he'd done so many times by now it no longer fazed him. But this time, Tony wouldn't be wandering around aimlessly, praying Michelle was alive. Now, he would have to be on the run, knowing that she and their son were still actively in danger from the authorities. He didn't know how he was going to do that, and being alone was hard, too.

“I have to ask…” Michelle started. “Emerson was… something to you, wasn’t he?”

It didn’t seem to be a question.

“Yeah…” He admitted quietly. “David… David was there for me at a time when I didn’t think finding you was a possibility. He was the only person I could trust. He... he cared about me.”

Michelle saw so much pain in his eyes and understood. Tony would likely never go into the details, just like she would likely never tell him exactly how much she made David suffer before she killed him. But they knew each other well enough to probably deduce something not far off from the truth. At the end of the day, they had each other now.

“Michelle, if they find those bodies…” He said worriedly.

“I know,” Michelle assured. “We’re going to have to move. But I’ve planned for this. It’s okay.”

Tony didn’t know if ‘we’ meant him too. After what had happened today, it would make sense if she wanted nothing to do with him. He'd willingly associated with a mercenary, been reckless in his pursuit of her, and their son had been endangered as a result. Tony wouldn’t blame her. This was all his fault. He never should have agreed to David’s deal. At the same time, he had to wonder whether he would have even come close to finding her on his own. Maybe Chloe could have helped. But then again, Chloe was just one step closer to Jack, and they’d agreed that staying away was for their own protection. He hadn’t called the burner phone in a very long time. Tony hoped Jack was still safely in hiding and that he wasn't totally alone.

Aidan slowly opened his eyes as they parked the car. “Mom? Dad?” He asked groggily, still looking half-asleep.

They looked at each other, both slightly confused, but to Tony’s relief, Michelle didn’t seem upset. It confirmed to Tony that she hadn't known what her mirage was doing before she appeared. But, given that it had been a product of her mind, he had to believe that deep down, a part of her had wanted to tell Aidan the truth.

Michelle reached over, placing a hand on his knee, giving Aidan a small smile as his eyes shut again. They took him inside together. Michelle helped him clean up, disinfect the injection sites on his arm and put him in bed. Tony started to make them a quick meal using the few ingredients he’d found in Michelle’s fridge, knowing they would likely have to spend the next few hours packing their things.

“I think I know how he figured it out…” Tony said as she came into the kitchen. “When you… when the image of you walked towards David, you stopped and said something to Aidan. I couldn’t hear what it was, but you seemed to calm him. He came right up to me and hugged me. He… he just knew, I think.”

She hummed in assent. Before she’d actually gone down to the basement, when she was in the small tech room, using every ounce of strength she had to convince David, each member of his crew, and Aidan that she was in the room, she hadn’t exactly known what had transpired. And more than that, she’d never really used her voice to that extent before; she had no idea how the logistics of it all worked. She wished Doctor Macer was still alive, knowing her knowledge and care would have continued to be invaluable for them.

“So… so what now?” Tony asked.

Tiredly, she ran a hand over her face. “I have fake IDs for me and Aidan, and I have things in place for moving our finances. We just have to figure out where we’re going. You’ll need to get your stuff-”

“Wait… you want me to come with you?”

Michelle furrowed her brow. “Of course I do.”

“But what about…”

She shook her head, moving forward to rest her hands on his shoulders. “I… I know it won’t be easy. There are things we need to work through. Things I might not be able to forgive you for. I won’t… I won’t be able to look at you without thinking of everything that’s happened over the last five years, but I can’t do this without you either.” Her voice started to waver. “More than that, I want our baby to have his father. I want us to be safe together. I need you with me on this.”

Tony sniffled at the heartfelt tones in her voice. “You don’t have to do this. I know you won’t be able to forgive me, and I don’t want you to force anything just because of what just happened.”

She pressed her lips together, cupping his cheek. “I’m not forcing anything. I’ve missed you so much. I want our family to be together again.”

Tony was floored by this. He took a shuddering breath, unable to find his words. Tears had welled in her eyes again. Grabbing his face, she kissed him, and the tension in her body disappeared. There was a flutter in her chest that she hadn’t felt in so long. He was tentative in kissing her back, but eventually, he surrendered to his emotions, snaking his arms around her waist.

“We’ll do it together. One day at a time.” Michelle whispered, pulling back to find his deep, brown eyes staring back at her. “Okay?” 

He smiled weakly. “Okay.”

Six Months Later

Michelle quietly laughed, touching his forearms. “Tony, you don’t have to press that hard.”

“Yeah, but your night vision is going to ruin your surprise,” Tony said, continuing to walk her forward whilst covering her eyes with his hands. “Watch your step.” He added, guiding her down the stairs of their patio.

She felt him move away from her but kept her eyes closed. There was a slight breeze, but the night was otherwise balmy and pleasant. She was grateful for his decision to settle somewhere warmer after so much time in the cold. Aidan was still getting used to it, but the excitement of having Tony live with them usually overrode all of his complaints. 

And, Michelle had to admit, hers too. 

They were working through their time apart, and while processing what he had done was by no means easy, he was putting in so much effort to teach their son right from wrong, which meant the world to her. The dynamic between them had changed, likely for good. It was different, but it wasn’t bad. While they had become aware of the ultimate differences in their priorities whilst working at CTU, only now, after being given the same abilities, had those priorities become crystal clear. There was no more hiding, no more benefit of the doubt. They knew now that Tony would cross every line he had to to keep their family safe, lines that Michelle wouldn’t. He would sacrifice his integrity, his morality, even his soul if it meant she and Aidan were safe. 

Michelle just prayed they would never be in another situation where he would have to show it. Thankfully, she was confident that would never be the case.

They weren’t alone in this anymore. They were no longer running from the authorities, fearing the day a SWAT team would bust down their door and tear their family apart again. They’d taken the brave step to contact Chloe, assuming that all these years later, Jack was truly hidden safely. Their intuition had been correct, and, it turned out, Chloe had actually been trying to track them down, too. She had been incredibly relieved to hear that both of them were safe since, apparently, Jack had ceased all contact with her several years ago. No news was good news, they had to assume. She had worked alongside Bill to safely give them new identities and clear the old records of their name. In addition, they contacted other associates of Doctor Macer, who had also researched the after-effects of the Cordilla virus. While there weren't many people with natural immunity, they had made do and obtained valuable, conclusive results on the virus’ severity.

“Open your eyes.”

When she did, she blinked a few times to adjust to the soft light from the moon and the small lanterns he’d added.

“You fixed it,” Michelle said with a smile. 

The hot tub had been broken and a little worse for wear when they’d bought the house. Tony had mentioned refurbishing it as a small side project, but she hadn’t seen him work on it. But now that she thought about it, he had been rather insistent on her spending the day out of the house. His odd request that she get into her bathing suit for the surprise now also made sense.

Tony held out his hand and led her into the bubbling water. Michelle immediately felt at ease, the water at a perfect temperature and the jets creating a massaging effect against her tense muscles. But there was something else. She furrowed her brow for a moment before it clicked.

“Salt water?”

Tony nodded. “Just a little bit. Enough to be good for you but not enough to trigger too much hunger.”

She hummed in assent. Even though the ocean's pull really only seemed to affect her and not him, and they had a much better insight into how their siren abilities worked now, they’d mutually agreed to settle somewhere far away from the ocean. The lush suburbia they lived in provided enough wild animals to provide them with sustenance. Both of them now solely derived their nutrients from animals. Sometimes, they hunted alone, but it was usually together. The research team was also working on a supplement formula that survivors of the virus could use to manage their hunger, but it wasn’t ready yet, so, for now, rabbits, foxes, and the occasional deer would suffice.

“Also, it should have enough room for your tail, but maybe don’t try it with me in here.”

Michelle laughed through her nose. “Yeah, probably not.”

She had learned to trigger the tail transformation at will, but, in all honesty, she had very little use for it. It was difficult to hide, so she certainly didn’t want to risk being seen with it, and because they were so purposefully situated away from large bodies of water, or at least saltwater bodies, it wasn’t like she had many opportunities anyway. That and the fact that they had learned the hard way that her scales were razor-sharp via an unfortunate bubble bath incident that had resulted in displacing most of the bubbles and several deep cuts on Tony's thighs. Thankfully, his healing ability had fixed the latter rather quickly; it was the mopping of bloody bubbles that hadn’t been as easy. 

“Thank you, though,” Michelle murmured, kissing his cheek. “This was a nice idea.”

“You’re welcome.” He replied, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. 

Tony then guided her so she could sit between his legs, her back against his chest. His calloused fingers started to work at her shoulders and upper back, and she sighed. 

“I talked to Chloe before.”

“Yeah?”

“She said a fertility doctor has taken an interest in Doctor Macer’s research. They want to try to look into some kind of gene therapy so that children of the people who were exposed to the disease will either have less effects or hopefully none at all.” He took a breath, and she felt the movement of his chest. “So… if we ever want to try again, Chloe said she can put us in contact with them.”

They hadn’t really talked about having children again, not so much because of the state of their relationship, but for this precise reason. She had to admit the thought excited her. She loved raising Aidan with him. It brought her so much joy and hope despite the bumps in the road they were still facing. No matter what kind of day they were having, they always endeavoured to never let it interfere with how they were with Aidan.

“That’s… that’s great,” Michelle said, twisting to face him.

He seemed a little surprised but not upset by her enthusiasm. “Do you think you would want to?”

She nodded. “If we could know for sure that it wouldn’t risk our health or theirs, and the possible inherited traits, if any, then… yeah. I would.”

His lips met hers softly, and her hand moved to cup his cheek.

“Thank you for letting me back into your life. Thank you for letting me be part of Aidan’s.” Tony said hoarsely, overcome with emotion. “I know I say it a lot, but I mean it. I… I’m just so happy to be with you.” 

Michelle sniffled, shaking her head. “Thank you for finding us and for not giving up.”

He stared into her teary eyes, slightly golden in the dark, feeling nothing but affection for her. It was funny. He could still remember when they’d discovered this and realised that looking into her eyes would inadvertently let her control him. They’d been so careful to avoid eye contact, but it had been difficult since it was such an instinctive way they communicated with each other. But, with them both being sirens now, they couldn’t affect each other like that anymore, so they’d very easily, and very gladly, slipped back into that habit. 

Although Tony was pretty sure that even if she could still persuade him, he’d find himself looking into her eyes anyway.