You Better Sink Your Teeth Before I Disappear

As if Tony hadn’t been worried enough about things going wrong today, Nina Myers escaping CTU custody had to be one of the least expected and worst possible scenarios. Jack stood beside him, powered by adrenaline and a lot of anger. If it had been any other suspect, Tony was sure Jack still would have been stressed. After all, the virus had to be one of the most pervasive threats they'd ever faced. But it was Nina. And, even human Jack had never maintained composure around her. So, Tony really wondered if Jack was as in control of his new abilities as he’d claimed. Tony noticed how Jack kept clenching his face to prevent his fangs from emerging. His irises flickered between icy blue and blood red. The veins in and around his eyes were bulging. And, if Tony wasn’t mistaken, he could hear Jack growling.

Processing that the Salazars had turned Jack into a vampire had been hard enough, but having to keep it secret from everybody, including Michelle, had made it much more difficult. Jack was a loose cannon on a good day, so the fact that he was stronger and more impulsive didn’t sit well with Tony. But, deep down, Jack was struggling, and Tony knew that. Jack didn’t want to hurt anybody unnecessarily, cold and callous as some might describe him. Watching him try so hard to get through the day without thinking about the addictive thirst for blood that now resided within him, all with the cloud of grief from Teri’s death still hanging over his head, made Tony sympathetic to his situation.

It was also known that vampires were effectively immortal, so Jack would have to process outliving anybody and everybody he ever knew. While his physical enhancements were useful in the field, they came at the cost of an unnecessarily prolonged life. Considering that Tony had seen Jack come very close to ending his life soon after Teri was killed, having to process the opposite extreme of that had to be even more gruelling.

However, one good thing had come out of this; something for Tony to feel at ease about on this already chaotic day.

“Michelle needs to know. I get that you’re not exactly proud of this, Jack, but Gael and I can’t deal with this on our own. She would understand. You know she would-”

“This isn’t about shame, Tony,” Jack said, cutting him off. “This is about sensitivity. Everything has to be perfectly timed. It has to look believable that I’d sell out. It’s not that I don’t trust Michelle to understand; the plan just works better if fewer people know.”

Tony sighed. He knew he couldn't win this one, and ultimately, he respected Jack too much to go behind his back.

“I’m just worried that we won’t be able to pull this off and that someone will get hurt.” Tony punctuated the someone, but it didn't take superhuman intuition to know who he meant.

Jack paused in thought. He then got up from where he was sitting and grabbed what looked like a small vial that would normally be used for medicine. Tony watched Jack pierce the skin on the inside of his wrist with his teeth, letting the blood drip into the vial until it filled. By the time Jack wiped the outside of the vial to clean it, the small incision had already healed. He passed it to Tony.

“If I’m not there and one of you gets hurt, you can use this to heal yourself or Michelle. And, worse comes to worst… if someone dies with this in their system, it’ll turn them.”

Tony let out a breath. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. But thanks.”

Tony had held on to the vial, deliberating when to use it. If things went wrong with the sting operation, he might not be nearby to give Michelle the blood. He might be near Jack, who could save him on the spot, which was good to know. But he cared far more about protecting Michelle than himself.

Going behind Michelle’s back about the Salazar operation had already made him feel guilty, but what he was doing now felt even worse. They'd never really talked about feelings around vampires and the ethics of using vampire blood to heal humans. Michelle was open-minded and accepting of everyone; she was never one to judge. But that didn't mean she was necessarily okay with being turned to save her life. Committing to eternity was a big ask. But through his guilt, Tony had ultimately concluded that if Michelle despised him for doing this to her, he would still be at peace knowing she was alive. And that was all that mattered to him.

His hand trembled a little as he poured the blood from the vial into her coffee cup, stirring it and hoping she would not notice the taste. Jack had told him vampire blood generally tasted sweet to humans, so, hopefully, by not adding sugar like he usually would, she did not suspect anything. Jack also said vampire blood was highly addictive, as much as heroin even, so Tony just prayed this was a one-off. The blood's healing properties apparently lasted in the body for about a day, so Tony knew if he did this now, he could be assured that Michelle would be okay for the whole operation.

Tony sat across from her, and she thanked him for the coffee. He lifted his mug to his lips, anxiously watching as she sipped hers. Her brow furrowed a little, and he wondered whether he'd have the chance to ask Jack for more blood if Michelle didn’t drink the coffee.

“Did you buy a different blend this time?”

“No, why?”

“There's something about the taste. It's... different. Sweeter."

"You don't like it?"

She shook her head. "I do. It's good. I just can't figure out why.”

Tony lifted his shoulders, hating the way he lied through his teeth. “It tastes the same to me.”

Thankfully, she finished the coffee and wasn't so pleased with the taste that she asked for a second cup. He could rest easy knowing she would be safe today.

Tony and Jack turned the corner into a back alley behind the Chandler Plaza Hotel. His breath hitched as he found Michelle gasping for breath and struggling to break free from someone’s grip. As he stepped closer, he caught a glimpse of Nina’s face and a pistol being pointed between him and Jack. It looked like Michelle was giving it everything she had to try to move. She and Nina were roughly the same size, so, in theory, she should be able to disarm her, but her efforts were futile.

“Nina, don't move!” Jack yelled.

“Give me immunity, then we’ll see.”

Tony met Michelle's eyes. She was terrified. Nina must have noticed this because she scoffed and turned to face him instead of Jack. Her gaze flitted down to the wedding band on Michelle’s finger, then, presumably, to the matching one on his. “Oh, Tony, you care about her, don’t you?”

“Let her go!” He yelled.

In the corner of his vision, he saw Jack inch closer, knowing that, with his speed, he could catch her off guard. But Nina was quick to direct her gun to him. Too quick. Her eyes shifted to the same crimson hue as Jack’s, and his gut sank as he remembered that Nina wasn’t human either. They’d figured it out in her interrogation earlier; the machinery couldn't detect a heartbeat. Tony really started to panic, realising that if he or Jack tried to shoot, at most, they might only make Nina stumble. However, they could easily kill Michelle if they missed or if Nina used her as a human shield.

Michelle tried to move again but winced as Nina squeezed her against her body like a vice.

“You know what? I think I’ve changed my mind.”

Yanking Michelle’s head back, Nina dug her fangs into the exposed skin around her neck. Michelle squeezed her eyes shut, grimacing.

“No!”

He and Jack each fired, but by the time their bullets travelled to where Nina and Michelle were, the air around them had whooshed as Nina rushed past in the blink of an eye. They heard the thud of the bullets embedding themselves in the brick wall behind where they had been. All that remained were a few droplets of Michelle’s blood, which formed a small puddle on the ground. He and Jack stood there, stunned. They circled the block, hoping for a clue, but to no avail. Even with Jack’s equally matched speed, he couldn’t follow them if he didn’t know where they'd gone.

Jack barked orders to the agents in the surrounding area and his comm, telling them to search traffic cameras and cordon off nearby streets. But it all sounded like background noise to Tony. Clumsily, he sat down on the concrete, his hands shaking.

She was gone.

When Michelle woke, she first noticed the weakness of her body, like she hadn’t had food or water in days. As her eyes blearily opened, she found herself lying on a couch in an unfamiliar, dark apartment. It was almost… too quiet, like there was a sound she was expecting to hear but, for whatever reason, couldn’t. Michelle sat up on her elbows, feeling uncomfortably restrained by the friction of her creased work clothes against her skin. Her hair had also fallen from the clips she’d used to pin it up.

“Oh, you’re up.”

She gasped, planting a hand on her chest as she found herself staring at Nina Myers. Michelle couldn’t understand how she’d appeared out of nowhere without making any noise. Come to think of it, she hadn’t made any noise when she’d grabbed her as she left the hotel yesterday, either. Also, to her confusion, the gasp felt shallow, like she’d made the motion but hadn’t actually sensed any air moving in and out of her body. All of these unanswered questions - on top of her throbbing headache - were frustrating her.

Where was she, and why the hell was Nina with her?

She tried to remember what had happened. Something that stuck out was learning about the sting operation that Tony had planned without her knowing. She also remembered Chloe approaching her after finding a large stash of blood bags in Jack’s office and coming to the conclusion that the Salazars had turned him. But before she'd had a chance to discuss that with Tony, Nina had been brought into CTU. Then, she'd escaped. Going into the Chandler Plaza Hotel had presented more pressing things to worry about, so Jack's vampirism and Tony's secrets had faded to the back of her mind. But later, when she’d left to go to NHS, something had felt incredibly off. Everything was a blur after that. She could recall Jack’s face, angrier than she’d ever seen from him, and Tony’s face, panicked. But the most prominent memory by far was the sharp pain that had pierced her neck and coursed through her entire body like an electric shock.

“You…” Michelle uttered weakly, finding that the mere effort to speak was draining her. “What did you do to me?”

Nina smirked, standing with her hands on her hips. “I didn’t try to do anything to you. All I had planned to do was use you as leverage to get away. I figured that Tony would be willing to do whatever it took if he thought I was going to tear your throat out.”

Her eyes widened, and as they did, Michelle realised her view of the room had improved. She could see further than before. It was like the lights had turned on but they hadn’t.

“But then they didn’t seem very intent on cooperating, and as I made good on my threat, I realised I wasn't tasting human blood."

“So, you kidnapped me?”

Nina shrugged. “I didn’t exactly have a choice. I wasn’t going to leave a newly-turned vampire alone to fend for herself.”

Michelle furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

“I tasted a trace of vampire blood when I bit you, Michelle. You had it in your system. Which meant when I pierced your carotid artery and killed you…”

“Oh my God.”

If she wasn’t mistaken, she could swear Nina showed sympathy on her face. But that was overshadowed by the sinking feeling in her gut. She'd been turned without so much as a warning. She was alone with Nina - God only knew what she wanted with her. She was too overwhelmed by what this all meant. She still had so many questions as to how this happened.

“How could I have had vampire blood in my system? The tests at the hotel would have picked it up.”

“Not necessarily, if the average nurse didn’t know what they were looking for. But that’s not the point. You didn’t drink the blood willingly?”

She shook her head.

“Then obviously somebody gave it to you without telling you.”

“But, I would have tasted it, right? It’s blood.”

Nina laughed a little. “Vampire blood doesn’t taste like blood; it’s incredibly sweet. Especially to humans.”

Another memory returned to her - namely, a particularly pleasant morning coffee.

“Tony…” Michelle said with realisation. “Tony spiked my coffee that morning. He must have gotten the blood from Jack. How... how could he have not told me?”

“I know this is probably a lot to take in, but, knowing Tony…” Nina sighed, and Michelle saw nostalgia creep into her expression. “He was doing it to protect you. In case something happened and you got hurt, the blood would have healed you or turned you if you died.”

Michelle felt like she’d been hit square in the chest. Not telling her about the Salazar operation was one thing, but this?

“Look, I know this probably isn’t ideal for you. Believe me, I wanted to be across the border by now, but we can help each other.”

“Help each other how?”

“I can help you learn how to stay in control of yourself so you don’t hurt anyone.”

“Why would you do that for me?”

Again, Michelle was surprised to see the solemness of her expression, stark compared to the coldness she’d seen during her interrogation.

“Because I had to face being turned on my own; it was an experience I would never wish on anybody. So, once you’re in control, I’ll let you leave so you can find Tony. But in return… you’re going to get me out of the country and make sure CTU doesn’t find me.”

That seemed to snap her back to reality. For a second, Michelle had almost forgotten why Nina had been brought into CTU in the first place. She’d watched her get away with so much over the years, and knowing how she’d betrayed Jack and Tony, neither of them would ever forgive her if she let Nina escape. While she was reasonably sure that Nina genuinely wanted to help her grapple with this, she refused to comply with her demands in return.

“No…” She cleared her throat to harden her voice. “You’re a terrorist. I’m not helping you. I can figure this out on my own.”

Michelle tried to mask her stumble as she stood but still gripped the edge of the couch for support. Her head spun as she tried to search for an exit. Nina didn’t try to stop her as she made her way to the door. She was met with the blazing midday Los Angeles sun when she opened it. As if she wasn't exhausted already, just a few steps into the light seemed to sap whatever limited energy she had left. Still, Michelle pushed herself to keep going, but the sunlight made her feel like her entire body was on fire. Eventually, her legs gave out, and she collapsed on the grass.

The last thing she saw before she passed out was Nina standing over her and rolling her eyes.

When Michelle opened her eyes to find herself lying on a couch again, she considered whether she was having some awful, recurring nightmare. Maybe she was actually fighting for her life in an operating room somewhere. It would explain why her body felt even worse than before, including an area on her back that was definitely a nasty bruise forming. She couldn’t even muster the energy to sit up this time. But from her reclined position, she could see a pile of clothes and a clear bag filled with a dark liquid that she knew was blood, not just from its appearance but from its scent. It didn’t look unsealed, but the stench seemed to penetrate the plastic and overwhelm her. Michelle didn’t think she’d ever smelt something that intensely before.

“I think part of the problem here is that you’re hungry and uncomfortable," Nina said. Michelle turned her head to find Nina standing over her like before. "So, why don’t you shower, get changed, and have a drink? Then we can talk more about our deal. There’s a bathroom down the hall on the left.”

Now covered in dirt and grass clippings, Michelle figured the first half of her offer wasn’t such a bad idea since, judging by her last attempt, she wasn’t going anywhere any time soon. Slowly, she took Nina’s hand and sat up, but even in the almost total darkness, the few rays of sunlight were still enough to feel like they were drilling through her skull. She must have winced quite loudly because Nina seemed both amused and concerned.

“You might want to have the drink first. I don’t really feel like carrying you back to the couch again.” She picked up the blood bag and passed it to her.

Michelle watched her hand tremble as she took it. The smell was even more unbearable now. It wasn't bad. No, to her disgust, it was incredibly desirable. Seeing it up close only made it more apparent to her that it was blood. From the label, she gathered it was stolen from a hospital, which didn’t help her conscience at all. Against every physical instinct she had, she held it away from her.

“N-No. I’m not…” She gulped. “I’m not drinking blood. I refuse to be a monster.”

“Well, like it or not, you don’t have a choice. If you want to starve, be my guest, but at some point, your mind won’t be able to stop your body from getting what it needs.” Nina pushed it back towards her. “At least I’m giving you the luxury of not having to kill anybody to get it. But if you stick with that attitude, you’re going to find yourself blacking out and waking up over a dead body. Or five. And that means more work for me to stay under the radar. So, do us both a favour and just drink it.”

She tried her hardest to glare at Nina, but her eyes were flickering open and shut because of her dizziness.

“Michelle…” Nina beckoned a little more gently, screwing the cap off. “It’s for your own good.”

“What happens if I don’t? If I just… never drink blood?”

Maybe there was an honourable way out of this after all. She could die with dignity and never have to live with the guilt. She was almost ashamed to admit how little she knew about vampires. She’d never had anyone close in her life who was a vampire - except Jack, but she hadn't exactly had the chance to talk to him about it. Even government resources were often biased and misinformed. It was hard to know what was true and what wasn't.

“Trust me, it won’t kill you," Nina answered, as though reading her mind. "It’ll just give you the worst migraine of your life. It’s the same as going out in the sun; it’ll weaken you, but you can’t die. That’s the whole point.”

Michelle sighed with disappointment. She wanted to keep thinking of a solution. But the more Michelle tried to think, the less her body could resist the craving. Her whole body ached with every passing second to the point where she thought she might pass out again. So, she hastily took the bag from Nina. Gripping the plastic tightly, she closed her eyes so she could at least pretend she was drinking something else. It helped that the blood didn’t taste metallic, bitter or anything like she would have expected it to taste. When she opened her eyes again again, the bag was drained. She already felt much better than before. But the relief was only physical; Mentally, she still felt repulsed.

A shower would do her some good and give her a chance to think. So, without making eye contact with Nina, she silently took the clothes and walked into the bathroom. She didn't need to hold onto anything as she walked this time. The blinds were down, thankfully, and the artificial light didn’t bother her. She took her time in the shower. The hot water eased her tight muscles, but, truth be told, the blood had made her feel revitalised. It was like she'd had an IV. Again, her mind dampened whatever good things her body felt. She started catastrophising as she tried to think about how being a vampire would impact her life. Michelle certainly didn’t have anything against vampires as a whole. In fact, she mostly felt sorry for them since it seemed they usually weren’t turned with very much choice. Vampirism might provide some physical perks, but it also came with an eternity of misery.

Her biggest fear was hurting someone. Stealing blood bags was one thing - and, even then, that wasn’t exactly something she liked the idea of, either - but actually feeding off of someone else was too much for her. She had downed that blood bag like a shot. If she had been drinking from somebody else - especially if she cared about them - and she lost control like that, it would destroy her. Michelle vowed to herself in that moment that she would find a way to avoid it at all costs. She could find an ethical way to do this.

When she came out, Nina was sitting on the couch.

“Better?” She asked.

Michelle nodded, returning to her seat.

“I have more blood bags in the freezer if you want them later. Just try to go easy on them. Otherwise, you’ll feel sick.”

Again, she was almost bewildered by her hospitality here.

“I… why are you doing this?”

“I told you. I need someone to get me out of the country.”

Michelle shook her head. “I-I get that, but you’re going to an awful lot of trouble to help me adjust to this.”

She shrugged. “It’s a lot to deal with.”

“Still, you could have abandoned me somewhere half-conscious and in pain, but you didn’t.”

“Well, you’re welcome, and you can repay the favour to me by doing what I asked: get me out of here. Then you can go back to Tony.”

Hearing his name made her aware of how much she missed him. It broke her heart to think about how worried he must be for her. She wished she could just call him and tell him she was okay. But, given that she hadn’t seen any phones or computers in her cursory scan of the house, she figured Nina might have anticipated her trying to contact someone.

“God…” Michelle said, burying her head in her hands. “How am I supposed to tell Tony about all of this?”

“He’ll understand. He’s the one who did this to you.”

“I-I know, but… it’s one thing to think about it; I don’t know how well he’s going to take the fact that I could kill him in his sleep. It’s going to change everything for us.”

“It will take some adjustment." Nina amended. "That’s why the more you get used to things now, the more in control you’ll feel. Which is why, eventually... you’ll have to learn not to rely on blood bags.”

Michelle looked up at her. “But I can barely handle the idea of drinking from a stolen blood bag that could be used to save someone’s life, let alone… using someone like that. I can't do that. I’m not going to let myself be like that, be like…” She trailed off.

“Be like what?” Nina said, folding her arms.

She needed to slow down and stop running her mouth. She'd never spiralled like this aloud. It was like all of her emotions were on steroids, and she couldn't stop herself from rambling. Probably some kind of side effect of being newly turned. “Forget it.”

“No, Michelle, I want to hear you say it.”

She daringly locked eyes with her. “I’m not going to be you.”

“Yeah,” Nina scoffed bitterly. “That’s what I thought.” She rose from the couch and started walking down the hall but stopped to look back at her. At that moment, Michelle realised she'd never seen Nina look... hurt. “For the record, I did care about Jack. And Tony. I did what I had to to cover my tracks. But that doesn't mean I didn't care about them.

Before Michelle could respond, Nina had already walked into one of the bedrooms and slammed the door shut. While she wasn't going to take everything Nina said as gospel... she had been honest with her so far. Yes, Michelle had still kept her guard up, understandably, but it really did seem that Nina wanted to help her, even if it was in exchange for an escape route. However, with the swarm of emotions still fighting for dominance in her head, Tony was the only person on her mind right now. He was out there trying to find her, and all she wanted to do was tell him she was okay. But even though she could try to escape and find a phone booth or a gas station... she couldn't face Tony like this. Despite his part in the consequences, she wouldn't risk being around him when she was so unstable.

With that feeling of hopelessness, Michelle laid on her side. But as she started crying, she realised that, despite everything, at least the tears on her face were a reminder that, deep down, she was still a little human somewhere.

They fell against the bed, him on his back, her on top, and she planted her palms on either side of him. Tony's hand slid into her hair, pulling her head down so their lips could meet. Michelle smiled against him and kissed back hungrily. He responded eagerly, moving his other hand lower. He rolled his hips against her, and she sighed. She shifted downwards a little, kissing wetly at his cheek, his jaw, and then his neck.

Both of them seemed to lose themselves in the moment. Michelle revelled in how Tony pulled her to his body almost frantically, his nails digging into her skin. But, to her confusion, he relaxed abruptly, no longer reciprocating her motions. When Michelle pulled away, she felt something warm and sticky around her mouth. Something sharp scraped against the skin below her lip. But those sensations became unimportant to her as she noticed the excessive amount of dark blood pouring from a deep gash in Tony’s neck and pooling beneath him. His eyes were shut, his skin was cold, and he wasn’t moving. She shook him, checking his pulse and calling his name.

An overwhelming sense of nausea crept over her.

She’d killed him.

She’d killed him.

“No!” Michelle cried. In the blink of an eye, there wasn’t just one body in front of her, but many. All completely still and covered in blood in just the same way. She recognised some of them very vaguely, but it then became apparent she was back in the Chandler Plaza Hotel with the victims of the virus. Everywhere she turned, every time she tried to look away, she found more and more people lying in puddles of blood. Her hands were stained with crimson. She found her reflection in a window and became aware of the sharpness of her teeth, the blood on her face, and, most prominently, the equally crimson colour of her irises. Michelle let out a piercing scream, squeezing her eyes shut.

When she opened them, she was back in Nina’s living room, panting and gasping for air - well, trying to. It took her a minute or so to collect herself, but even as the hiccupy noises escaping her ceased, tears still rolled down her cheeks. Nina quietly padded into the room.

"You okay?"

“I killed him,” Michelle said, feeling a lump in her throat.

Nina tilted her head.

“I had a dream where I… I killed Tony.” She pursed her lips. “I don’t want to hurt anybody, especially not him. I just... I don’t know what to do. I can’t live like this.”

Nina sat on the couch, crossing her legs. “I mean, it’s not like you haven’t taken a human life before. I saw you shoot that man in the hotel.”

Michelle grimaced, not just because of the memory of that moment but also because, with all the chaos of being kidnapped, she had forgotten about it, which made her feel awful. It also made her wonder how long Nina had been eyeing her out.

“That was... different. I had no choice; he was going to spread the virus.”

Nina shrugged. “But you don’t really have a choice here either, do you? You need to have blood to make the most of the rest of, well, eternity."

"If I'm living with a growing body count, the guilt will eat me alive, Nina. It's not worth it."

"Nobody said you had to kill anybody." She pointed out. "Once you have this under control, you'll find a way that you can live with getting blood from someone. Maybe that person will be Tony or someone you know. Or maybe you'll do what most vampires do and try to drink from strangers. It makes it easier in some ways. You'd get them alone, look them in the eyes, and with your power of suggestion, they wouldn't remember any of it. Then you leave and move on."

“And… and it wouldn’t hurt them?”

Nina shook her head and spoke in a way that Michelle knew was not just to give her a false sense of security. “They might get a little dizzy, no more than they would after donating blood. But it can give people a slight high as well. Some humans seek out vampires for that feeling."

It didn't sound as ethically dubious when Nina phrased it like that. Sure, it was taking advantage of strangers, but what other options did she have? She knew in some countries, much more progressive ones, they had clinics set up for vampires to drink from willing humans. It was considered on the same level of importance as organ donation. But that wasn't the case in America. Not yet, at least. Activist groups lobbied for vampire rights, but there was still so much stigma around the topic, so they hadn't gotten very far.

“That being said, you won’t be able to learn to get in control of it without a few… mistakes. And I know that probably sounds callous. But I also know that Tony is the last person you want to make those mistakes with. The longer you push this out, the more you risk us being found and having to deal with this on your own.”

Michelle felt a sense of resolve within her. Nina was right. There was no point in sitting here spiralling about her morality and delaying the inevitable, especially because fluctuating between all or nothing would only make this worse.

She just had to try.

“Alright…” She conceded. “Alright, so… how exactly do we do this?”

“I was thinking you could try with me first. My blood is more potent; you won't need very much. But even if you do go overboard, you can't hurt me. And I have the strength to overpower you. If you drink too much blood, it will just make me hungrier later, but that’s about it.”

Michelle nodded. That made sense.

Nina rolled up her sleeve to expose her wrist. Michelle sat up and moved towards her tentatively, realising that, ironically, even though she was the one about to drink blood from Nina, Nina wasn’t the one who was scared. If Michelle concentrated enough, she could actually hear the sensation of blood pumping through her veins. As she focused on that sound, she felt her teeth start to protrude more, the darkness around her lightened, and, in one quick motion, she seized Nina’s arm. Michelle dug her fangs into her pale skin, making Nina jolt. She was reminded of the taste of her coffee from a few days ago, except this time, it was much better. Blood trickled from her mouth down past her chin. Michelle felt as though time had stilled. It was like she could happily spend the rest of eternity here in this moment.

So lost in the sensation, Michelle didn’t notice the feeling of slight resistance until Nina forcibly moved her arm away. But she pulled it back to herself, a rough sound emerging from her throat. Nina pulled her hair, lifting her head with enough strength to stop it from going back down. Michelle's whole body trembled with need. The pause in what she could only describe as ecstasy made her angry and desperate for more.

“Michelle," Nina said sternly, seemingly annoyed and concerned, "If I were human, I would have been dead by now. That's enough.”

“N-No…” She rasped.

Nina huffed, and Michelle felt the air around her whoosh before her head hit the couch cushion with a soft thud. Nina's hands, one of which was stained with dried blood, pinned her shoulders down strongly. But unlike when Nina had grabbed her at the hotel, that feeling of futility wasn’t there. With a hint of glee, Michelle realised she could fight back. The first attempt didn't get her very far. Nina pushed her back, a frustrated glow behind her eyes. She had obviously predicted she might try to fight her off. But when Michelle made her second attempt, mustering all of the powerful energy that had surged within her, she could not only move Nina off her, but her body also seemed to keep moving, all in the blink of an eye.

When Michelle opened her eyes, she was standing in a shadowy, quiet alley illuminated only by the moon. She was a little disoriented. She had never felt a rush like that before. She had no idea how far away she'd travelled. Looking around, she acknowledged it was the kind of place that was a likely hotspot for muggings and murders alike. A place that would usually, naturally, scare her a little.

Only, right now, when she spotted a lonely figure standing at the opposite end of the alley, oblivious to her presence, Michelle smiled and realised she wasn’t scared at all.

Nina sighed as she found Michelle keeled over on the ground. There was a person slumped against a nearby wall. As she came closer, Michelle retched, and blood splattered onto the pavement around her. All the fresh blood had obviously been too much for her. Especially considering that vampire blood was much more potent, and she’d had more than her fair share of it. 

Knowing that Michelle was not in immediate danger, Nina walked towards the stranger, hoping they were still alive. It was always much easier to convince someone that nothing had happened than to clean up a crime scene. The man’s gaze was fixed on Michelle. He seemed both worried at her condition and very afraid. He had a hand over his neck. Nina moved it out of the way, finding a pair of incisions, still bleeding, but not profusely. Nina licked her thumb and swiped it over his wound to accelerate the healing.

“W-What’s wrong with her?” He asked.

She moved in front of him to block his view of Michelle and make direct eye contact with him. “She’s just had a little too much to drink. She’s fine. And so are you.” Looking back at the neck wound, she could see it was already close to healing over. There were still a few specks of dried blood, but hopefully, he would mistake it for grime when he showered. Vampire persuasion usually made humans fall into a dissociative state for a little while, so Nina wasn’t too concerned. “Now, go home.”

The man nodded, slowly getting up, using his hands against the alley wall to support himself. He walked away, stumbling a little, leaving just her and Michelle in the darkness. By this point, Michelle had stopped throwing up and simply stared at the ground, pressing her palms down tightly to stabilise her trembling body. She looked almost as bad as she had the day after Nina had taken her when she’d had nothing in her system. There were tears in her eyes, and Nina knew that she had probably shocked herself back to reality and come down from the high. Nina placed a hand between her shoulders, and Michelle stood up without facing her.

They walked back to her apartment in silence. She let Michelle in first before shutting and locking the door behind her. Michelle sat on the edge of the couch, resting her elbows on her knees and burying her face in her hands. Nina bit her lip, sitting down next to her.

“The guy was fine. You didn’t hurt him.”

Michelle nodded a little.

“Why did Tony do this to me?” She croaked. “I... I know he wanted to protect me. I know he did it to save my life. But if I had had any idea what being a vampire entails… I never would have chosen this.”

“I don’t blame you,” Nina said. “I try to make the best of it, but, at the end of the day, it does get miserable and lonely sometimes.”

Her bottom lip wobbled. “I-I’m going to have to watch him die.” She sniffled. “Even if I learn how to get in control of this, I’m going to outlive him. I… I can’t be happy if I know I'm going to lose him.”

Nina let out a breath. “They say immortality is a blessing and a curse. If I’m being honest, I’ve only ever seen it as a curse. That being said… I know there are vampires out there who make it work. Some of them have human lovers who they turned so they could spend eternity together.”

She shook her head. “I-It would feel like I’m coercing him into it. I wouldn’t want him to turn to make me happy. I would only want him to do it if he was prepared to. I wouldn’t want him to resent me.”

“It's worth remembering that he technically turned you first. And you know he’s very loyal to the people he cares about.” Nina mused. “I think he’d go to the ends of the Earth for you. Maybe he would turn to make up for taking your choice away from you."

“You think?”

The corners of her mouth upturned. “Yeah.”

That seemed to make Michelle feel a little better, but her eyes were still teary. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, since it wasn’t in your file… who turned you?”

"Marcus Alvers.” Nina cleared her throat to harden her voice. “After we slept together. I drank vampire blood regularly for my own protection. Then, I woke up at four in the morning to find him yelling at someone over the phone. One of his deals had gone wrong. He lost a lot of money. He was angry, and... needed someone to take it out on. So, he picked me." She smiled mirthlessly. "When I woke up, he was gone. He left me lying in the street. The sun had already risen and my skin felt like it was burning. I had to learn how to deal with it all on my own."

Her expression softened with sympathy. "That's... that's awful, Nina."

Nina laughed through her nose. "But he got what he deserved: Alvers died from the virus he tried to modify. He was an idiot. By trying to accelerate the onset of symptoms, he made it lethal to vampires."

Michelle's eyebrows raised. "No wonder he begged me to kill him at the hotel. I'm glad I didn't. I didn't want to then, and knowing what he did to you now, I definitely wouldn't let him get off easy."

“Thanks,” Nina replied with a small smile.

"Really, I am sorry about what happened to you. You didn't deserve that. Nobody does." She had sounded very angry then, but it quickly faltered. “But somehow, as angry as I am at Tony for doing it to me, I still wish he was here.”

"The sooner you find me a way out, the sooner you can go back to him.” 

“B-But I can’t go back. He can’t see me like this. Things are never going to be the same between us. I mean...” Michelle pulled at a blood-stained section of her shirt. “Look at me.”

Michelle was so focused on the fear of how Tony would react and how things would change between them that she hadn’t even acknowledged her request for aiding her escape. She probably thought Tony would never look her in the eye again. And even though Nina knew that wasn’t true, that Tony wouldn’t just give up on her like that, she also knew Michelle was too hopeless and ashamed to think rationally. The disgust in her expression was not just guilt; it was self-hatred. She was internalising her feelings when she'd had no choice in this. She didn’t deserve to feel like that. The guilt she could move past, but despising herself was something that Nina knew all too well was a pain nobody deserved. It was a pain she wouldn’t wish on even her worst enemies.

Nina bent down in front of Michelle. “Do you trust me?”

She furrowed her brow.

“Do you trust me?” Nina repeated.

Michelle shrugged. “Do I have a choice?”

“I just want to do something for you. I want you to try one last time to drink my blood, okay?”

“Nina, I-”

She made a muffled noise of surprise but didn’t pull away as Nina grabbed her head and pulled her mouth to hers. Nina let her fangs retract a little to pierce the inside of her cheek, feeling blood slowly drip into her mouth. Michelle moaned softly, kissing Nina slowly to drink her blood. She didn’t have the same desperation as before. Her movements were slower and more intentional. She was trying her hardest to stay in control. Michelle's tongue slipped between her teeth while her hand slid up to the nape of her neck. Nina cupped her face, helping her keep steady. All Nina wanted to do was ease Michelle’s guilt and pain. She wanted to let her enjoy the euphoria that came with drinking blood, one of the few perks of being a vampire. And Michelle seemed receptive to it, not seeing this as a shameful craving but simply a private moment they could share. Nobody was getting hurt. It was just give-and-take. And Nina was glad to be that for Michelle since nobody had been there for her when she'd turned.

Eventually, Nina felt the small puncture in her cheek close over, and she pulled back. Michelle’s eyes flickered red for a second, but she otherwise appeared composed.

“Thank you,” Michelle said softly.

She swiped at a tear from under Michelle’s eye. “You're welcome.” 

Tony stood beside the door, feeling his heart race. Jack was adjacent to him. Tony noticed that Jack's eyes were glowing slightly in the dark. He gulped. He still had no idea what to make of this. But he knew that Nina and Michelle were inside this apartment. After weeks of sleepless nights and replaying the moment she'd been kidnapped in his mind over and over again, Chloe’s facial recognition search had finally found them in a side alley somewhere in Burbank via street camera. It had caught them late at night. Michelle had approached someone before immediately keeling over. Nina showed up seconds later, spoke to the stranger, and then let Michelle lean on her to help walk back to the apartment.

They'd watched the footage repeatedly but hadn't concluded what had happened. Jack believed that Michelle had probably died and turned and was trying to get ahold of her newfound hunger, based on how much blood had been left behind after Nina had taken her. Jack warned Tony that if this were the case, Michelle would be just as dangerous as Nina, even if she had no intention of hurting him. However, Tony still had faith that the blood had only healed her, not turned her and that she approached the stranger to ask for help. As for why Michelle then collapsed, Tony simply proposed that Nina had drugged her. Tony was content with the validity of his theory. But Jack seemed to think he was just in denial about the consequences of his actions.

Now, they were preparing to enter the apartment discreetly. It was easier said than done. Nina - and possibly Michelle - would have heightened instincts to sense them before they tried anything. Then, Nina could just as easily escape with Michelle as she had the first time. It also didn't help that CTU was not sanctioning any of this, so they had no backup; Jack was on probation, and Tony was only using CTU's resources to find Michelle. He wasn't doing any actual work at the moment. They were unlikely to catch Nina unless Jack correctly predicted her movement. In particular, if Michelle was still human and Nina decided to threaten her life again, without any vampire blood in her system, she likely wouldn’t make it out of this alive.

Tony took a deep breath, meeting Jack’s gaze as he opened the door fast enough not to make a sound. Tony slipped in as swiftly as he could, but he was no match for Jack’s almost cat-like motions. The interior was no brighter than the moonlight outside, but Jack had sensed that the apartment wasn’t empty. There was no point in using thermal imaging, either, because regardless of whether Michelle was a vampire, they wouldn’t be able to pick up Nina’s cold, lifeless, but certainly still dangerous, body. Despite putting in his best effort, Tony felt like a bull in a china shop compared to Jack as they slowly paced down the short hallway. He could hear some quiet mumbling and struggled to maintain his patience. Tony may not have supernatural instincts, but something in him knew that Michelle was here. And he didn’t care whether she was dangerous to him or not. He had to find her.

They came to a small living room, and the mumbling became more distinct. Tony heard a low growling noise and soft sighing in response. His hands slipped a little on his gun - which, in this context was more like a security blanket, it wasn't going to help him - when he suddenly made eye contact with a pair of illuminated, blood-red irises. They stared back at him menacingly before widening in recognition. Tony felt lost in them. It was like he couldn’t look away even if he tried. He didn’t even know where Jack was but figured he hadn’t stopped to stare since the lights suddenly came on, allowing them to see Michelle sitting on top of Nina, her chest heaving. There was blood over both of their faces and more coming from a puncture on Nina’s neck. Tony realised with horror that the owner of the eyes he’d seen in the dark was Michelle, and, combined with the sharp fangs protruding from her mouth, his stomach churned as he realised that Jack had been right about everything.

Still, a small part of him believed there was more to this. Maybe Michelle had overpowered Nina and was trying to escape.

“Nina, get the hell away from her!” Tony shouted, raising his gun out of habit.

Everything seemed to happen so fast.

Jack lunged in front of him, but Nina was faster. Tony felt his head hit the wall, and a strong hand wrapped around his throat. The glee in Nina’s eyes and the stains on her teeth reminded Tony that not only was he the weakest person in the room but that if any of them got too caught in the heat of the moment, he could easily become somebody’s source of sustenance. He gasped for air and felt his feet come off the ground.

“Nina, don’t!” Michelle yelled.

“Come on, Michelle,” Nina said with a sneer. “Let’s have fun with him to make him pay for what he did to you.”

Tony could see Michelle standing just behind Nina. She was tensing her whole body and clenching her fists. She appeared both furious and upset. Her cheek was twitching, and, for a moment, Tony was convinced she was going to take Nina up on her offer, but when she met his eyes, something in her subsided. She was fighting her instincts.

“N-No.” She grabbed her shoulder. “Leave him alone!”

Tony felt the grip on his neck release and wheezed. He heard another bang and whipped his head around to see Jack pinning Nina against the wall. Michelle must have pulled Nina away long enough for Jack to intervene. Michelle was trembling, and Tony could tell she was trying with everything she had to maintain her composure. Her eyes were wet with tears, and, in one quick motion, he wrapped his arms around her. Neither of them could form coherent sentences. They just murmured to each other with reassurance. Her lips moved to his, and he could taste something incredibly sweet in her mouth. He felt her nails dig into his shoulder slightly. The sounds of Nina struggling in Jack’s grip faded out of his mind as he continued kissing Michelle. Her mouth moved to his cheek, then his jaw, before stilling around his neck. He was so lost in the moment that he didn’t hear the snarl she made.

“Michelle, stop!” Nina warned.

Suddenly, she pulled away, and Tony noticed that her fangs were still out. His skin felt sticky with blood, likely from her face and hands. She had been about to bite him, and Nina had stopped her. But Tony quickly stopped focusing on that because he could hear a low growling noise. It wasn't from Michelle; she looked spaced out and shocked, not angry. When he looked over at Jack, Nina had a very concerned look in her eyes.

“Tony…” Nina said warily. “When was the last time Jack had any blood?”

“Uh…” Tony felt paralysed as Jack slowly turned away from Nina and stared him down with a look of fury. He became cognisant of the slight nick on his neck. “I-I’m not sure. He said he was trying to quit-”

“Quit?”

Jack had now released his grip on Nina and started charging towards him, pausing only to gain momentum for his pounce. But that slight hesitation cost him because, in an instant, Nina had shoved Jack to the floor on his stomach, keeping him held down as he tried to claw at the carpet with his nails. The hunger seemed to have weakened Jack enough to struggle in her grip. At the same time, Michelle had moved to stand in front of Tony protectively. Jack grunted, pushing Nina off him and attempting to move towards Tony again. She sliced her wrist open with her teeth, and, all of a sudden, Jack lost interest in Tony’s wound, instead grabbing Nina’s arm and sinking his teeth into hers. Nina moved to put him in a headlock, just in case he got distracted by anything else.

“Everybody’s getting a piece of me today.” She huffed. “Michelle, take Tony into my room and lock the door. I’ll keep Jack occupied.”

“But I can’t be alone with him-”

“Yeah, well, you’re going to have to try.” Nina hardened her voice. “You can do this. Grab a blood bag if you want, but hurry. I don’t know how much stronger Jack will be.”

Again, Tony felt like everything happened in a blurry haze. Michelle dashed to the freezer before dragging him by the arm into a small, dark bedroom. She slammed the door shut and locked it before turning on the light. He was panting, slightly dizzy as he tried to reorient himself. Michelle backed away, putting as much distance between them as possible. Tony could see two blood bags in her hands and watched her pierce one with her teeth, not even bothering with the seal. Michelle drank about half of it before stopping abruptly. It was like she was trying to pace herself. Her eyes flickered red, but Tony was otherwise sure she was in control. She looked as though she might cry. Tony didn't think that was just because she'd missed him. The slight anger from before had returned, too, and the fresh blood stains on her face didn’t help with that. Every breath he took in shuddered. He felt frozen in place. It was like she was towering over him.

“You’re scared?” Michelle said in a gravelly tone he’d never heard from her before. “Well, take a good look because this is what you wanted, right? You did this to me. Nina might have been the one that bit me, but you did this to me, Tony.”

“I-I was trying to protect-” Tony protested weakly.

“It doesn’t matter what you were trying to do. The point is, you didn’t ask me what I wanted. If it had been in the heat of the moment, I would have understood, but you gave me that blood without telling me. You didn’t give me the choice.”

He went to speak but found himself at a loss for words. He had never liked going behind Michelle's back, but seeing her so viscerally upset - and possibly prepared to act on it with the fangs that were still out - made him feel even guiltier. Michelle looked like she was fighting with everything she had to keep her composure. Tony could see it wasn't only out of fear of hurting him; she didn’t want to argue with him, either. He recognised her right to be mad. He understood the point she was making. It wasn’t dissimilar to their discussion about the cyanide capsules at the hotel. But he wasn’t about to admit she was right because without that blood he'd given her, she'd be dead. Even if she held this against him forever, she'd still be alive, and that was all that mattered.

“I'm not the only one upset about being a vampire." Michelle pointed out. "You’ve seen how miserable Jack is, and Nina wasn’t-”

“How can you defend her, Michelle?” He said, gesturing to the closed door. At the back of his mind, Tony realised that Nina could probably hear every word but he was too emotional to care. “She’s not exactly innocent in this. If she hadn’t taken you hostage, we wouldn’t be here.”

“I’m not defending her, Tony, but she cared enough to help me deal with this when you weren't around.”

Tony squinted at her. “Help you how?”

“Because ever since I woke up here, I’ve been miserable. Not just because I’ve missed you, but because I’ve been terrified of hurting you.” Michelle explained. “Nina is the only one who made me feel like I wasn't a monster.”

When he looked at her again, her fangs had retracted. Tears had started to slide down her cheeks. His expression softened as he realised that Michelle was telling the truth. Even if he blamed Nina for the situation, clearly, she'd made it up to Michelle.

“You aren’t a monster, sweetheart.” He said softly.

“I have a thirst for blood, Tony; I’m pretty sure that qualifies me as dangerous.”

He shook his head, moving just a couple of steps towards her. “I trust you.”

“N-No, stay back.” She said, trying to get away, but her back soon made contact with the wall.

Tony locked his gaze on hers, seeing the fear and shame there and never wanting to see it again. He cupped her cheek with one hand, noticing her skin was a little cold. His lips met hers, and she shuddered. There were remnants of that overwhelming sweetness in her mouth, slightly overshadowed by the sharp metallic taste of the human blood she’d had from the bag. Her hand slipped to the back of his neck, resting there. Tony continued kissing her gently, wanting to remind her in every way he could that he loved her, that he would always love her, no matter what. And she seemed to understand that, letting herself be present in the moment, not distressed the way she had been before, not worried about hurting him, not hiding away.

“I’m sorry,” Tony whispered, thumbing at her cheek. “I… I should have told you about everything. Not just the blood, but Jack and the Salazar operation, too. All of it. I hated hiding from you.”

Michelle trapped his hand against her face, sniffling. "Thank you. I understand it was to keep me safe, but… it still hurt.”

"I know." He lamented, pulling her in for a hug. "I'm so sorry."

They stood there for a while, her head resting against his chest, his arms tightly wrapped around her. It took him a moment to realise that she wasn’t actually breathing, and she still felt so chilly against him. That would take some getting used to.

“Look, we’re both exhausted. We’ll talk about it some more later, but for now… screw CTU debrief. Let’s just go home.”

“Home?” She suddenly pulled back. “Tony, we can’t… we can’t go home. I-I can’t be alone with you yet.”

He furrowed his brow at her.

“I can still kill you. I’m not used to all of this yet. I might be in control now, but… you'll be in danger as soon as I feel hungry again."

“I told you, I trust-”

“I know you do,” Michelle said, cutting him off. “But I don’t trust myself. That’s the point.”

Tony bit the inside of his lip, tucking a hair behind her ear. He understood what she was saying and couldn’t disagree. But he also knew that there was more to this than logistics. Tony could tell she was ashamed of what she’d become. She might be talking about how worried she was about hurting him. But it was the way Michelle could barely look him in the eye, the way she had her arms wrapped around herself, and the way she was subconsciously trying to rub off the dried blood around her mouth and neck that indicated she was worried about what he thought of her. Her vampirism scared him. Of course, it did. The broader implications were still unknown to them both. But that didn’t mean that he didn’t love her or didn’t want to be with her. On top of that, he couldn’t deny the part he’d played in getting them to this situation in the first place.

So, it was only fitting that he made up for it.

“What if there was a way to make sure you couldn’t hurt me? Then it would be okay, right?”

Now, Michelle looked at him with confusion.

“H-How?”

He took in a breath. It certainly wasn’t something he’d thought through. But, to be fair, he hadn’t given Michelle the chance to think about this decision either. “What if I turned?”

Her head shot up to look at him. “Tony… no. I’m not letting you do that.”

“But it would mean you would never have to worry about trusting yourself around me.”

“That’s just it: I don’t want you to do this for me. I don’t want this to be the first thing you throw in my face whenever we fight. I-”

“It’s for us, Michelle. It would keep us both safe.”

She shook her head. “It would also make us both miserable. Don’t you understand, Tony? Once you do this, there’s no going back. You’ll never die. You’ll watch everybody around you die. You’ll never be able to have children, and I don’t want to stop you from doing that-“

Tony grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him before hardening his voice. “Sweetheart, when I said I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, I meant it. The fact that that would mean eternity and come with some adjustments doesn’t change that.” She looked floored. “Please. Let me do this.”

Her eyes looked back at him, studying him, trying to look for any sign of doubt. Whether she realised it or not, he couldn't hide from her, or even himself, when she looked him in the eyes. While Tony could feel some lingering anxiety in himself, it was crystal clear that he was set on his decision.

“We’ll never lose each other this way.” He added. “Even if we lose everybody else... we’ll have each other forever.”

The corner of her lips upturned. "You... you really want to do this." She didn't say it as a question but rather as a fact. She believed him.

He nodded. "I do."

When she spoke again, her voice had a slightly playful tone. "You're sure that... " She slipped her hands to his waist, "Even after thousands of years... you won’t get sick of me?"

“As long as you’re not cooking? Never.”

She snickered, and his heart leapt in his chest to see her smile like that. God, he'd missed her so much. But now she was here. They were both here.

And that was all that mattered.

Jack had stopped drinking from her a while ago. He sat there silently, resting his elbows on his knees. His body was still trembling, and she could tell he’d had to exercise much restraint in going cold turkey. Nina could also tell he was feeling shameful now for not only caving but nearly doing so at Tony’s expense. Nina could hear Tony and Michelle talking quietly in the other room, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. Nina probably could if she listened harder but didn’t want to. They deserved their privacy. She just wanted to make sure Michelle was keeping her cool since she knew that being alone around Tony was something she hadn’t been prepared for.

“How is Michelle taking it?” Jack finally asked.

She lifted a shoulder. “Well. I can’t say she was thrilled by the idea of having to depend on blood, especially since Tony gave her yours without asking. But I think she’s accepted it now.”

He nodded. “Maybe it’s time I do, too.”

“At least CTU knows now." She pointed out. "You don’t have to hide anymore. And now you won’t be the only one.”

Jack laughed derisively. “That won’t stop them from putting us through hell, though.”

“But you did it for your cover. Without it, you couldn’t have stopped the virus from spreading.”

“Why do you care? You’re the one who tried to buy it off of them.”

“And I was going to sell it to a researcher. I didn't want to use it, Jack. Especially not when that bastard modified it and made it lethal to vampires, too."

He took a good, hard look at her. “You’re not lying.” He said after a beat.

“Look.” She said, meeting his eye. “You hate me for everything I’ve done, and you have every right to. But believe me, I never go out of my way to hurt innocent people for no reason. And being a vampire hasn’t changed that. That’s why I’ve helped Michelle so much; I get what she’s feeling.”

“You mean… you were turned without being asked either.”

“I didn’t ask for a lot of things, Jack. I got in way over my head, and look where I am now. I’m not exactly living it up.”

It was clear he didn’t know what to say to that. She wasn’t expecting forgiveness. She just wanted him to hear her out since, for once, they weren’t talking within the context of an imminent national security disaster.

“You could have run. You could have left Michelle and run. But you didn’t.”

She shook her head. “As soon as I tasted vampire blood, I realised she was going to turn, and I didn’t want her to have to deal with that by herself. That, and I knew she could help me get out of the country.”

“Michelle would never do that.”

“Yeah, I figured that out pretty early on.” Nina shrugged. “But she was so scared of hurting Tony, the least I could do was help her.”

He studied her intently. He was clearly trying to tell whether she was lying to him. But she meant every word she said, and he knew it. He knew it because he was seemingly shocked into silence. The quietness made it easier for her to tell that the talking in the other room had ceased. The door unlocked and opened. Tony and Michelle walked out. Nina twisted to peer up at them, smiling slightly.

“Everything okay?” She asked.

Michelle nodded. “Yeah.” Tony then took her hand in his.

“So… what now?”

Nina furrowed her brow. “Isn’t CTU waiting for you?”

He shook his head. “No. They have no idea we’re doing this. I’m on probation.”

“Probation?” Michelle said. “For what?”

“For not disclosing that the Salazars turned me. At least, that’s what they told me.” He smiled without mirth. “Truth be told, I think they don’t want to deal with the liability of a vampire as a federal agent.”

Michelle pressed her lips together.

“But we’ll figure something out, right?” Tony was quick to say. “I mean… they can’t justifiably put three senior agents on probation because of that.”

“Three?” He couldn’t be referring to Nina. So it meant… “You’re going to turn, too?”

Tony nodded. “Yeah.”

He wasn’t surprised by that. When it came to Michelle, there was nothing Tony wouldn’t do. They didn’t deserve to have to put up with the same crap he was dealing with. The presence of vampires was growing with every passing day. Laws were in place to avoid discrimination; they’d come that far. But it didn’t stop people from their thoughts and assumptions. Nina’s involvement didn’t help here, either. And Tony voluntarily turning also made things complicated. Sure, there was nothing illegal about being a vampire. But someone could easily accuse Tony of doing it intentionally for some kind of power play. Everything was such a mess right now. They’d stopped Saunders and the virus, but it had cost Ryan his life; he’d died before Jack had had the chance to give him his blood. CTU was still dealing with the aftermath of the outbreak. And he and Tony hadn’t exactly been at the top of their game either; he’d had his clearance revoked, and Tony had been occupied with looking for Michelle.

“Jack, Tony has a point. Division is trying to use you as a scapegoat, but if we’re there to back you up and explain that you had no choice and that you’re handling things safely...” Michelle shrugged. “Then they’ll have to listen.”

Jack had to admit he was glad Michelle had had Nina during such an understandably difficult adjustment period. He wasn’t sure when Tony was going to turn but figured in the meantime, Michelle probably didn’t want to be alone with him. So if Nina could help here, it wasn’t his place to get in the way. He, on the other hand, still needed some time. He’d tried to make peace with what he’d agreed to do to get in with the Salazars. He’d told himself that that was all it was. But he’d soon realised he’d lie to himself; the blood had been a sweet release from his pain. And, well, it was clear now that trying to abstain wasn’t going to work. But Michelle and Tony were right; if the three of them were in it together… then at least work wouldn’t be an issue, and, truth be told, work was his only real consistent distraction right now.

Still, even if they were promising to go with him and support him, it wasn’t fair to force Tony to do so quickly.

“Why don’t you go back to CTU, tell them that I left Michelle for dead and that Tony’s taking care of her to make sure they’re both safe before coming back to CTU.” Nina proposed. “It’ll give them some privacy, but it’ll also make sure they know you and Tony aren’t running up empty leads anymore.”

For a second, she almost sounded like the Nina that used to walk in lockstep with him whenever he entered CTU, briefing him for the chaos ahead.

“Alright. I’ll go back to CTU.” Jack returned his gaze towards Nina, whatever warmth had been in his expression dissipating just as quickly as it had arisen. “I trust that you’ll keep your promise, but so help me God, Nina, if you ever pull anything like this again, I will make sure you spend the rest of eternity in prison and that you have no hope of getting out.”

“I won’t.” She said, meeting his eyes.

Jack then looked at Tony and at Michelle, who offered him a small, grateful smile. “I’ll try to hold them off for as long as possible, but I know it’s an adjustment, Tony, so take whatever time you need.”

Michelle squeezed Tony’s hand. He seemed nervous, but with Michelle there for him, he’d be alright.

“Thank you, Jack,” Michelle said appreciatively. “We’ll be there for you soon.”

“You’re welcome,” Jack replied, the corners of his mouth upturning.

Before Nina could even blink, she felt a slight gust of air make its way through the room and found herself alone with Michelle and Tony.

There was a solemn silence between them. Although it wasn't surprising that Jack was willing to face Hammond's reproach to keep them safe and give them privacy, it was still difficult to see Jack martyr himself again. Tony promised himself that he would try his best to deal with the turn as quickly as possible so he and Michelle could return to CTU and make sure they realised that with three ranking agents as vampires, they would have to move past whatever fear they had. Then again, if Hammond didn't listen, they didn’t have to stay at CTU. The thought of that freedom was both exhilarating and frightening. But they would have each other. And that was enough to silence his racing mind. He glanced at Nina. He wondered what she would do. Probably whatever she had been doing before to stay off the government's radar.

However, Tony also noticed that Nina looked quite pale and was a little wobbly on her feet.

“Nina, are you alright?” Michelle asked.

“Yeah.” She tiredly ran a hand over her face. “Just hungry.”

That wasn't surprising, given how fiercely Jack had sunk his teeth into her. On top of that, Tony recalled Michelle had been feeding from Nina when he and Jack had arrived.

Wordlessly, Michelle sat on the couch and pulled at her slightly stained collar to expose her neck. 

Nina went to move but hesitated. “Are you sure?”

Michelle nodded. “Yeah, it’ll be quicker than the bags.”

Tony watched Nina sit beside her, brushing Michelle’s hair away from her neck. He saw her fangs retract and took a shuddering breath, reminded so vividly of the day she was taken. But unlike last time, when Nina had made direct eye contact with him before digging her teeth into Michelle's neck viciously like a wild animal, here, Nina focused on the task at hand, piercing her skin gently. Michelle’s face looked different, too. Last time, she’d been more terrified than he’d ever seen her. Every time he’d shut his eyes in the following weeks, he’d seen that face again and ached that he couldn't save her. Right now, though, she didn’t look apprehensive. She wasn't worried that Nina was going to hurt her. She trusted her. Her eyes were closed, and her shoulders relaxed as Nina gently suckled at her neck. In fact, Tony could see she looked rather… comfortable. There was something oddly intimate about it, and he felt slightly jealous that he couldn’t share it with her.

It had all happened so effortlessly, so naturally, he hadn’t even had the chance to say anything about it. He didn’t know what to say, really. Michelle must have noticed him staring because she put her bottom lip between her teeth and looked at him sheepishly.

“Sorry. Probably should have warned you.”

He went to speak but found himself at a loss for words.

“You’d probably enjoy it too, Tony,” Nina said, smiling as she wiped Michelle’s blood from her mouth. 

Unfortunately, he believed her. Part of this still felt like he was betraying Jack. But then again… Jack had been content enough to leave Nina with the two of them and even seemed grateful to her for helping Michelle. He'd practically given her permission to help Tony adjust, too. With that clarity, Tony put his guilt out of his mind.

“Well, I guess I’ll have the chance to figure that out soon.”

Nina gave him an approving look.

“Which I might need your help with, Nina,” Michelle added.

Tony furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

Michelle stood and walked over to him, cupping his face. “You have to die with the blood in your system to turn. I don’t want to kill you. Even if I know you’ll wake up, I just… can’t.”

“So…” He glanced behind her at Nina.

“I’ll be gentle, Tony.” 

His eyebrows raised. He was already nervous, so he wasn't sure how to feel about Nina being here, especially given their history. But he met Michelle’s eyes again and saw her earnest there. As hard as it was to fathom trusting Nina again, especially given her role in the current situation, what he did trust was Michelle’s judgement.

Nina got up from the couch, looking at Michelle and then at him. “I'll give you both a minute to figure out how you want to do this, but the sooner, the better. I don’t know how much longer I can stay here. Just call me when you're ready, Michelle."

Michelle nodded, and Nina walked down the hall into one of the bedrooms. After shutting the door, the only sound remaining was Tony’s breathing. The fast pace made him cognisant of how nervous he was.

“She’s right, you know,” Michelle said, lowering her voice and placing her hand on his chest. “It won’t hurt. Or at least… not in a bad way. And if Nina's biting you, I can distract you to put your mind at ease.”

Tony smiled wryly at her, still too happy he was here with her to let himself get defensive or worry. To hell with it.

“Want to start distracting me from it now?”

She hummed with approval, standing on her toes to crush her lips to his.
Tony felt the backs of his knees touch the couch before she playfully pushed him down. His hands slid into her hair as she straddled him and continued kissing him softly. She pulled away for a moment, brushing her thumb across his cheek.

“Once we do this, there’s no going back.” She reminded him quietly. “Are you absolutely sure?”

He met her eyes, knowing in his heart that this was the right thing for them. “Yes.”

She kissed him again, deeper this time. He ran his hands up her sides, holding her to his body. Tony relaxed under her touch, recalling how he’d felt when he’d hugged her after Jack pinned Nina against the wall. He’d been so overwhelmed by her presence and felt like nothing could tear them apart. He felt the same now, completely and utterly connected to her. The idea of furthering that connection made any remaining doubt in his body about this decision disappear. Michelle must have sensed it because she pulled away slowly, resting her hands on his forearms.

“Ready?”

Tony nodded.

Michelle called out for Nina, then lifted her wrist to her lips, slicing it open with her teeth. She quickly moved the wound near his chin, and he tentatively lowered his mouth towards it. The motion was strange, but he quickly stopped focusing on it when the sweet liquid touched his lips. He licked away the trickle of blood that had trailed down her arm, finding himself unable to stop drinking from her. Her other hand supported his chin, likely to keep him steady, too. Tony looked up, worried that he was hurting her somehow. She smiled, shaking her head at his concern.

“Take what you need. Don’t worry about anything else.”

He was so caught up in drinking from her that he didn’t even know Nina was beside him until her hand slowly tilted his head to the side. Tony jolted a little at the sensation of the two sharp prongs piercing his skin, but it wasn't out of pain, just surprise. He felt blood drip down his neck, and Nina’s mouth worked at the wound to contain it. Part of him was tempted to look, but Michelle preempted this by holding her wrist closer to his mouth as another reminder. He trusted her. That was all he had to remember. That he trusted her. Tony’s body relaxed further into the couch cushion, and he shut his eyes with a sigh. 

At some point, Michelle moved her hand away, and he swiped his tongue around his mouth to desperately drink whatever droplets of her blood remained. By now, he was already half-conscious. He wasn’t sure how long it would take to wake up, but he was feeling too pleasantly dizzy right now to care. Tony heard a low growl and felt Nina stop drinking his blood. Weakly, he opened his eyes a little to find Michelle mirroring his action from before, holding Nina by the collar and trying to get whatever remnants of his blood there were in and around her mouth. But as he tried to make sense of it, he slipped deeper into slumber. He felt like he was floating, every muscle in his body relaxing.

Michelle curled up beside him, kissing his cheek. The coldness of her body startled him a little, like it had before. But, Tony realised that, soon enough, it wouldn't be an issue.

The last thing he heard before everything faded to black was Michelle whispering her thanks to him.

Tony blinked tiredly at her as he came to a few hours later. Michelle pursed her lips as he squinted at the light, running a hand over his pale face. Michelle leaned over to grab a blood bag from the side table. Tony sat up gingerly, his smile soft as she passed him the bag, opening her own with her teeth.

“How are you feeling?” Michelle asked, caressing his cheek.

“Like I got hit by a bus.” He mumbled, now removing the seal on his own bag.

Michelle gave him a sympathetic smile. “You’ll feel better once you have a drink. Just take it easy; Nina has enough cleaning to do.”

Nodding, she saw the way his body relaxed as the liquid in the plastic disappeared. He seemed to have enough restraint to maintain the slow pace she had advised. It was oddly nice to simply sit and have a drink together. It wasn't quite the level of intimacy as feeding off each other was, but still, it made her aware of just how much she’d missed him. When he finished the bag, she was pleased that some colour had returned to his skin. Michelle traced his reddened lips with her thumb with a chuckle before licking it off and gently leaning in to kiss him. Her tongue slipped between his teeth, tasting the blood. He moved his hand to the back of her head, keeping her close.

Eventually, he pulled away, and again, she couldn’t help but smile. The room was silent, other than quiet rustling from Nina packing her things in the other room. It made it easier for Michelle to appreciate that she was here with Tony. Nothing else mattered.

Tony seemed to have something on his mind. He didn't seem troubled; she doubted it was a morality spiral. No, he was... curious.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

“I’m aware there are parts of this vampire thing I don't understand yet, but... did you kiss Nina before?”

Her eyebrows raised. “I, uh…” She bit her lip. “I didn’t quite mean to do that. It’s just that when I saw her drinking from you, I got a little… jealous.”

His expression darkened, making her blush.

“I wanted your blood, but I didn’t want to take any more from you than necessary, so… that was my compromise,” Michelle explained, resting a hand on his shoulder. “I’ve noticed that every emotion feels more intense than usual now, so when I saw her that close to you…”

To her relief, he wasn't upset. If anything, he was intrigued.

“Just to be clear…” He playfully tugged her towards him. “You being a little possessive of me is not a bad thing.”

“It probably doesn’t help that I’m... connected to Nina.”

Tony furrowed his brow.

“Some vampires feel a slight 'bond' to the one who turned them. It's supposed to help the feeding aspect feel more natural for the newly-turned one."

He hummed in understanding.

“Then we’re both connected to her. Speaking of… where is she?”

“Packing. We’ll need to get out of here soon. She wants to leave before sunrise.” Michelle moved from his lap and stood up. “We probably should, too, especially while you’re not strong enough yet.”

Nina walked into the bedroom where they were sitting, having heard Tony wake up. “I think it’s best if you have more vampire blood to keep yourselves going.”

Tony turned to her with a look of concern. “But I already took a lot out of you before, Michelle. Maybe we should wait before we do that again.”

“I’ll be fine.” She assured. “Really.”

“You can both take more from me.” Nina offered. “Then I’ll clean out the rest of the blood bags, and we’ll kill two birds with one stone.”

Michelle and Tony looked at each other, both agreeing that was the best idea. It was incredibly relieving that Tony was willing to look over, or at least not prioritise, the pain of Nina's past betrayal because Nina had helped her grapple with being a vampire — even if Nina had been partially responsible for causing it. Of course, Michelle hadn’t forgotten what she’d done. A part of what had initially made the experience difficult was the feeling of disloyalty to Jack after everything Nina had done to him. But Nina had been the only one to help her at the time. Michelle couldn't imagine how she would have dealt with it without her. And that was exactly what Jack had understood. There was no reason to feel terrible about it.

Michelle watched Nina take her place on the edge of the bed. Tony awkwardly tried to position himself next to her. Michelle chewed the inside of her lip, watching Nina guide him with her hand. It took him a second to steady himself and allow his fangs to protrude. But he got there eventually, biting down on her neck. The smell of Nina's blood immediately became apparent to Michelle. He messily attempted to lick away what hadn’t gotten into his mouth and trickled towards Nina’s collarbone. Her eyes were closed, and her head tilted back. At some point, he paused, lifting his head a little. If Michelle wasn’t mistaken, he was whispering something in Nina's ear. Nina looked slightly confused, her brow creasing. Michelle could probably listen to it if she tried, but by the time she thought about it, he’d moved his lips back to the wound on her neck, which was already healing over.

Nina pushed his head back gently to give him the hint. Michelle was glad he wasn't struggling to keep in control of himself. Then again, he hadn’t stubbornly refused to drink blood and driven himself to the point of starvation like she had. There was blood drying on his chin and around his mouth. His eyes were glowing, but Michelle stopped paying attention when he pressed his lips to Nina’s. She seemed to somewhat expect it, cupping his cheek and kissing him back. The jealousy from before was consuming her again. Michelle didn’t even think about how to react until she found herself straddling Tony, pressing his shoulders down against the headboard. Nina moved aside, and Tony met her eyes with a smirk.

“You did that on purpose?” Michelle asked huskily, her face inches from his.

“You’re damn right I did.” He murmured, pulling her in for a searing kiss. Michelle could taste Nina’s blood and moved to suckle at his jaw and neck to clean it off his face.

“You know…” Nina said, her eyebrows raised. “If you’re going to use me to make each other jealous, you might as well let me join.”

They both glanced at her, then back at each other. Neither of them were objecting. They’d both had their turn now; she had kissed Nina, and so had he. But that didn’t mean Michelle would let her have free reign here.

“Just to be clear…” Michelle murmured, moving her face closer to Nina’s. “He’s mine.”

Nina chuckled. “That might be true, but I could still have you both on your knees for me in a heartbeat; neither of you can resist me.”

The dominance in her voice sent a chill down Michelle's spine. She could smell the blood in Nina's mouth. Growling slightly, she felt Nina smile against her when their lips met again. Nina’s hands slipped under her shirt and ran up her sides to unhook her bra. Her thumbs toyed with her nipples, and she relaxed into her touch. Michelle was still sitting in Tony's lap, and as she continued to kiss Nina, she noticed he seemed to be reacting. Michelle wondered how he must have felt when he'd walked in on them earlier. He'd probably been confused and worried, but he knew exactly what was happening now and didn't seem to mind.

Michelle paused and noticed how glassy Tony's eyes were. She made a slow grinding motion with her hips, and he groaned. Michelle kissed Nina again, a little more confident and encouraged by Tony's interest. They each removed their shirts, and Michelle started kneading Nina's breasts while her jaw slipped to her neck. Tony's hands had moved to teasingly hold her hips, so she stayed put in his lap.

There was an impatience to their movements, from both the urgency of needing to return to CTU as soon as this was over and Michelle's awareness of how long it had been since she and Tony had last done this. Michelle could also see that Tony was looking at Nina. She knew it had little to do with her being his ex-girlfriend and much more with their mutual innate infatuation for her since she'd turned them. Michelle raised her hips slightly to take off the rest of her clothes. Nina did similarly. Tony’s hand traced around her hip and moved between her legs. She wasn’t aware of how wet she was until Tony’s fingers started to stroke her. Michelle sighed, tipping her head back and closing her eyes. When she opened them, she noticed that Nina had started touching herself. Michelle twisted to whisper something to Tony. He shuffled underneath her so she could lower her centre to his mouth. His hands found their place on her hips again, emphasising the natural roll of her motions. She leaned forward to situate her head near Nina’s thighs, planting kisses there. She took the hint and spread her legs, moving closer to her.

Michelle started to mimic what Tony was doing to her to Nina, and she whined. Her tongue slowly moved around her centre, probing slightly at her entrance. Nina dug her nails into her scalp, pulling her hair. She hummed in encouragement, swirling her tongue in precise circles. Nina shuddered when Michelle started to press the flat of her tongue against her clit, still feeling the heat of Tony’s mouth working at her. Michelle exaggerated the sound of her moans so Tony could know just how much she was enjoying this. She loved having every emotion so heightened now, her attraction and desire for him more intense than ever. Michelle jolted as Tony started to blow cool air against her, and she knew she was close. Nina was, too, pushing herself towards Michelle’s face in time with her movements. Michelle used her teeth more confidently to play with Nina’s clit, and that took her over the edge. Tony had a little less precision, but he used the fact that he didn’t need to breathe to his advantage, making Michelle come shortly after. Michelle lapped her up and shivered as Tony did the same to her. Planting her hands on the bed, Michelle sat up and kissed Nina to let her taste herself.

“I've got an idea," Nina whispered with a coy smile. "Keep him busy."

That certainly piqued her curiosity. But she could put it aside, eager to give Tony more attention after teasing him for so long. Michelle cupped his face in her hands and pecked open-mouthed kisses along his jaw. He growled into her throat, and she felt the rumble vibrate down her body. She moved to lie on top of him. Tony shivered as her hands ran down his chest. His eyes were heavy-lidded with lust but still so full of affection. She bumped her pelvis against his, smirking as she felt how hard he was.

“Want me to return the favour?” Michelle asked huskily, her fingers toying with his belt buckle.

He sighed, nodding in approval. Michelle shuffled lower, scraping her fangs across his bare stomach as she did so. When she freed him from his boxers, she teasingly ran her hand up and down his length, causing him to groan in protest. She repeated the motion with her tongue a few times before taking him in smoothly. The not-needing to breathe certainly worked to her advantage here, too. His hand fell to her head, tugging at her hair. Michelle briefly looked up to smile at him, making direct eye contact as she took him in her mouth again. She’d enjoyed torturing him with her pace, but she could already feel herself getting wet again and knew he was close now. Michelle moaned in response to the throaty noises he made and continued to work him over with both her tongue and hands.

Both of them briefly paused as they heard Nina return. She stood at the door with amusement, seemingly holding something behind her back. The fact that she and Tony were so dumbstruck simply by her presence only affirmed their bond.

But Michelle wouldn't let that stop her from what she was doing. In fact, it only encouraged her more.

Now directing her gaze to Nina, she took Tony in as much as she could until he came into her mouth. Nina gave her a sultry look, watching her as she cleaned Tony up. He was hers. And Michelle had made sure that Nina knew it. But she was also sure that whatever Nina had planned would distract them both equally now.

Nina revealed a blood bag she was holding and unscrewed the cap. However, she made no move to drink it, instead pouring it down her throat over her bare body. The smell immediately overwhelmed her and Tony's senses; they were on Nina in a matter of seconds, desperately grabbing at every inch of skin and licking away the blood. They were like moths to a flame, and Michelle felt an intrinsic desire to give Nina whatever she asked for. It was like she wanted to show her gratitude for turning her. The feeling contradicted every thought Michelle had had since waking up in the apartment. It was almost euphoric to embrace this side of her now. Nina hummed in encouragement as Michelle suckled at her nipples, and Tony’s fingers delved between her legs, intermittently removing them to let Nina taste herself. Michelle grazed her lips up her chest until she reached her neck. She bit her at the junction of her neck and collarbone, and Tony did similarly on the other side. Michelle liked doing this with him: working together towards a common goal. And giving Nina all the pleasure she deserved was a damn good one. Tony’s free hand cupped her breast while her hand squeezed Nina’s ass.

Nina whined a little, and both of them felt compelled to use everything they had to give her release. Her legs started to shake, and she held her and Tony close to her body, making sure they didn’t stop until she came with a loud cry. One by one, Nina pulled them up towards her mouth, kissing them each intensely. The only word Michelle could use to describe it was electrifying. And, the fact that she wasn’t fatigued was certainly a perk she and Tony could use to their advantage now. She certainly looked forward to being able to do that all night long without consequences.

Still, as she rationally remembered what they had to do now, the anxiety of facing Hammond, CTU and everybody else they knew as vampires dampened the high slightly. After getting dressed, Michelle leaned against the wall, closing her eyes. Tony came over and kissed her softly as he buttoned up his shirt.

“If we get an eternity of this, I’ll be very happy.” He murmured, and she laughed lowly.

“I love you.” Her eyes crinkled as she laced her fingers through his hair. “Thank you for doing this for me. I... I know it’s a lot to process, but… we’ll be together, and that’s what matters.”

"It was for us, Michelle." He reminded her sweetly. "I love you more than anything, and now I can do that forever. It was a no-brainer."

Michelle stroked his cheek, her eyes full of affection for him. “Should we get our things and help Nina clean the place up?”

“Yeah."

Eventually, they found themselves standing outside Nina’s apartment in the early hours of the morning.

“Good luck,” Nina said, looking between them. “Knowing Hammond, even vampiric persuasion can’t change his mind.”

“Nina, wait.” Michelle grabbed her arm as she went to move. “Thank you. For everything.” She said earnestly.

Nina gave her a small smile. “You’re welcome.”

There was a cold breeze as Nina disappeared, leaving her and Tony standing outside, the sun just starting to rise. They had to move.

“Ready?” Michelle asked, taking his hand.

Tony squeezed it back. “Let’s go.”