Things Have Changed For Me, and That's Okay

People still looked at her strangely.

Maybe they were scared.

Maybe they were just curious.

But it didn’t make her feel any better.

Nobody at CTU, besides the newly formed Chrismos Lukos task force, technically knew the full details of what had happened, and more specifically, what had happened to Michelle. But of course, word gets around. There were rumours that Chrismos Lukos was involved, but even then, not much was known to the general public or even government agencies about them either. So it was simply a matter of people’s speculations and theories. They knew it had something to do with Michelle. After all, Jack and Tony had been reinstated almost immediately after their return, but she had had to wait several months. At first they suspected it was because she’d been tortured or injured somehow. But they knew when she had come back to CTU that she’d looked fine. So it hadn’t taken them long to start wondering what else the case could be. And Tony was oddly protective of her, not that he hadn’t been before she was taken, but it seemed that whatever small semblance of professionalism he’d had about the topic, had faded.

She hadn’t been allowed back in the field, again, something people thought was initially related to some kind of injury. But they’d watch her argue with Jack or Tony behind the glass. Again, something that was strange to them. Michelle had always been one to keep her cool, especially when it came to work matters. She’d made extra effort in proving she could maintain a working relationship with Tony without letting their personal relationship interfere. And they didn’t think they were arguing about not being fit to go into the field, but rather, not being ‘allowed’, as though it were some kind of punishment. What could she have possibly done in the nearly two years she was gone to have her barred from field work? Moreover, what did the FBI have to do with it? Nobody had explained why the FBI had come in with them that day. Or why one particular red-headed agent, who they’d never seen before, seemed to pop in for meetings more often than any other liaison.

“You know why you can’t go.”

Michelle rolled her eyes. “All of the doctor’s checks have proven that I can get in an adrenaline-based situation without transforming involuntarily. Division’s only asking for a few more to be done. That’s not the problem. I think the problem is you’re still too scared to let me.”

He looked down. She’d hit the nail on the head. It annoyed him. Somehow her newfound intuition seemed to make any kind of indirect communication completely useless. He couldn’t hide anything from her. Not that he ever wanted to, but he sometimes at least tried to have a little tact involved so he wouldn’t sound like a complete asshole, or like he was being overly possessive. He was just afraid after all the near misses they’d had.

“The last time you went into the field I lost you for nearly two years, Michelle.” He whispered harshly. “You can’t expect me to just be okay with that again.”

Her expression softened. “Then come with me. If we go together, at least we both know we’ve got each other there. We can protect each other. Please, Tony? At least let me try.”

Tony let out a breath. “Fine.”

So when the other field agents left to go deal with a hostage situation, Tony and Michelle both came with them, with Jack running point. It felt funny for her to be back in full field gear. Not just because it’d been so long, but because it almost felt…redundant. She was faster, she was stronger now. Not exactly invincible, but it felt more instinctive now for her to chase and battle with hand-to-hand combat, rather than a gun. To her, and Tony’s, relief, she adjusted back reasonably well. Her heightened senses and precision seemed to help too. They managed to rescue all the hostages safely and apprehend most of the terrorists who were responsible.

But when she saw a seemingly unconscious hostile draw her gun and aim for another agent, all sense of rationality went out the window. Michelle transformed effortlessly, with the doctor she’d been referred to by Larry figuring out and teaching her how to do it in seconds. Depending on what she was wearing, sometimes her clothes would stay relatively intact too. As Michelle lunged forward to disarm the woman, she felt her bulletproof vest pop open, now half-sitting on her arched back. The woman cried out as her wrist was crushed by Michelle’s paw, the gun clattering as it fell away from her. She looked up at the wolf with complete and utter fear, unable to move away, even if she could.

Everything fell silent around them. 

The agent she’d just protected seemed confused and shocked all at once. Both at the fact that he’d nearly been shot, and at the thing which had saved him. Tony’s eyes met hers, and he was almost…disappointed, as though he’d expected this to happen. She sighed. At least nobody was aiming to shoot her, they didn’t appear to think she was dangerous. Or they were simply just too frozen in shock to do anything about it.

“Finish packing up here and giving your statements. Let me explain what’s happened we get back.” Jack said into their comms, calmly. He, along with any other analysts who were watching had just seen the entire scene unfold on CCTV. Chloe was the only one who seemed unfazed, quick to continue giving orders and asking for searches and cooperation.

As soon as they got back, Michelle had hidden herself so she could transform back and get changed. The bullpen was filled with whispers and mumbling, as they waited for either Jack, Tony, or Michelle to leave the office they were shut in.

Jack and Tony continued to argue over how they’d word the situation. Tony was still upset at Michelle, continuing to express how much he’d wanted to avoid this very situation.

“Look, just stop, okay, both of you. We were never going to be able to keep this a secret forever.”  She looked between them. “And I don’t need either of you to defend me. This is my problem, my story to explain, so just let me.”

“Okay…” Tony let out a long exhale. “You’re right.”

Walking out, she took note of the variety of facial expressions, from curiosity, to fear, to shock. The agent she’d saved was still trembling.

Michelle took in a breath, speaking clearly. “All of you saw something today, something that I did, which was confronting and probably raised a lot of questions. I don’t blame you for feeling however you’re feeling right now, but please allow me to explain, because as hard as it may be to believe, what you saw is not something to be afraid of.” 

The faces of the crowd were not particularly convinced. 

“When I was taken hostage on the day of the Cordilla virus outbreaks two years ago, I was forced to participate in the rituals of a cult, Chrismos Lukos. The things they do are still not fully understood or comprehended, but what we do know at least is what they’ve done to me. As a result of my captivity I have gained enhanced abilities. One of them is turning into a wolf. Which is exactly what you saw. I can assure you, I have total control over myself in that state. I’m not two separate people, it’s still me, but just…” She shrugged. “In a different physical form.” 

A few of them nodded, as though whatever questions they’d had in their head were finally being answered.

“But the times when my body has the biggest desire to use it is in moments of intense emotions. Like I did today. I saved Agent Kennard’s life because my heightened senses allowed me to notice one of the hostiles about to fire at him. And at the end of the day, when we’re in the field, that’s what we do for each other, right? We look out for each other.” She hardened her voice. “And if it were me, I don’t think I would have been too fussed to know whether my life was saved because of someone’s gun or someone’s claw. If my ability means I can run faster, fight with more strength, and be able to sense things before others do, then that just means I can do my job better. So just think of it as that.”

There was silence across the room.

Jack cleared his throat. “It’s a lot to digest, it was for us too, but what I will make perfectly clear is that any form of discrimination will not be tolerated. All the usual rules of workplace conduct still apply.” He stated, sternly. “She is still Agent Michelle Dessler. And she is still a human being that deserves respect.”

“I’m more than happy to explain any other details, if anybody wants to learn more or understand.” Michelle added. “I don’t want there to be secrecy around this anymore. It’s a part of my identity now, so I want to be as honest and transparent as I possibly can. I don’t want this to cause a divide in an otherwise very cohesive CTU. So, please, don’t let it get in the way of the system we have here. Or let it get in the way of your job.”

Tony nodded to her at the back of the room, and she could feel in her heart how proud he was.

She’d done good.

“Can we…can we talk?” She asked, drying off the last dish in the rack and passing it to him.

Tony’s eyes softened. Linked emotions aside, It’d been clear all through dinner that something had been bothering her. He’d made her her favourite steak with mushroom sauce and she’d barely touched it. And he had a feeling it was something to do with the appointment she’d had earlier. Sitting on the couch, he took his hands in hers as she positioned herself cross-legged in front of him, looking down into her lap.

“You know how I went to see Doctor Fineman earlier today?”

He nodded. Since they’d come out of hiding she’d practically split all of her time there and at CTU. Truth be told they’d barely been able to just rest and be alone together, what with the urgency of the CL situation and the need for her to get approvals for returning to work. They were scrambling to follow whatever information Renee had collected to try and figure out where the cult had relocated to. Larry’s recommendation had thankfully paid off, with the doctor having spent a great deal of time researching the physiological effects of Chrismos Lukos’ rituals. He’d helped Michelle and Tony to understand it better, with many of the precautions like avoiding strenuous activity no longer being necessary. So he was worried to think that something had come up now that they hadn’t anticipated.

“I…I had some tests done. Not for work, those have all finally been approved by Division, but for more…personal reasons.” Tony could feel so much anxiety within her, as though she was afraid of disappointing or upsetting him. This only made his existing concern grow.

“What is it?” He mumbled, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Is it serious? Is it something wrong? Are you sick?”

Michelle shook her head. “Not exactly, it’s just…” She took in a breath, still not meeting his eye, knowing she’d crumble to pieces if she watched him react. “I…I can’t have kids. My genetic composition is just too…messed up, so the doctor’s pretty sure it’s impossible.” Even without looking at him, she still felt the slight pang in his chest that she knew he’d tried his best to suppress. “A-and at first it didn’t really bother me, I figured if we still wanted to have kids, we could adopt or we could find a way around it. But then I realised…” She sniffled now, tears pricking the back of her eyes. She hadn’t been this emotional when she’d been told, and really, it wasn’t like they’d been trying for a baby anyway, it was always a ‘someday, but not right now’ thought. But now facing him with the news, now having to tell him that it couldn’t happen, that they’d had the choice taken away from them was upsetting her. “We still don’t know everything about my abilities. We still don’t know if I could lose control of this.”

Tony could feel how sad, almost ashamed, she was, continuing to make patterns on her wrists with his thumbs.

“You’re in control, Michelle. If you still want to have a family together, I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”

“N-no.” Her lips curled into a frown. “We still haven’t even had…sex yet, there’s still things I’ve still been scared to try and do because of this. Even what happened with work the other day scared me. Yes, I was in control then, but there’s still the possibility that my emotions will overtake any sense of restraint I have over this. What if I hurt them? What if there was some kind of accident and our child got hurt or worse because of me?” She shuddered. “I-I could never live with that, Tony.”

He hated that she didn’t trust herself, but unfortunately he couldn’t blame her either. She was right to an extent. Given her past patterns of when she’s transformed involuntarily, it was usually related to when Tony or somebody else she cared about deeply was in danger. It wasn’t exactly a huge stretch to think of her desire to protect their child overriding her rationale. 

Tony sighed, pulling her into a hug. “I understand. I would never want to force you to do that if it would make you uncomfortable. For any reason.”

“I-I’m sorry.” She whispered into his ear, wrapping her arms around him tighter. “And if this means you want to end things eventually because I can’t give you what-”

“Hey.” He cut her off, suddenly, using a finger under her chin to force her to look at him. “Don’t you dare start saying things like that. Michelle, I love you, and I always will, okay? I didn’t fight with everything I had for eighteen months to find you, only to leave you. I could never be disappointed in you for something like this that you can’t control. And I would never, ever, leave you over something like this. The two of us are still a family, we still have a full life together. And in all fairness,” he huffed “the thought of us having kids became less and less realistic for me once I figured out we wouldn’t be getting jobs at Langley. Obviously, I would love to see you become a mother. Obviously, if we’re ever able to do this, and you still want to, I’ll do it with you in a heartbeat. But if we can’t, we can’t, okay?”

She could sense how much he meant it, and she quietly thanked him, burying her face in his neck. He stroked her back soothingly. 

“And besides…” He added. “Your brother and my sisters will be glad to know they’ll have us as permanent babysitters.”

Michelle laughed a little, before trailing off, listening to the sounds of their breathing. Even that had scared her a little. Their families had no idea what had happened, but they were used to not getting very detailed answers from Michelle and Tony about work, so they didn’t press too hard. And babysitting them at home was never a particularly stressful or adrenaline-fuelled situation.

Her lips started graze along his neck, moving up towards his chin and mouth. He kissed her back, gently. Suddenly, her kisses became sharper, less patient. At first he didn’t pay it any mind, after all, they hadn’t been intimate in a very long time, and it had only caused tension to build. But he suddenly jerked back when she bit down on his lip, hard. Her eyes had widened and were glowing a little. Her teeth had elongated. Noticing the puncture on his lip, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand and passed him a tissue, apologising incessantly. The involuntary flash of fear in his expression hadn’t helped either. Michelle stood from the couch, moving away from him. He attempted to say that he was fine, that he forgave her, but she stopped him.

“I-I’m going to go out for a while, okay? I…I just need some air.”

He closed his eyes. She was still disheartened about the whole thing, and she wasn’t going to be able to push it down. As much as he still didn’t like her being too far away, Tony also understood that her time alone was important to her. “Okay…just be careful, alright? It’s getting late.”

“I will…”

She’d transformed in the room adjoining to the backyard and let herself run aimlessly. Her sense of direction in the backwoods near the house was good enough for her not to be concerned about getting lost. Running would let her release her emotions, release her stress, her frustration. Even when she grew tired and settled near a small stream, she allowed herself to cry, to let it out in that way. Tony already knew and felt that Michelle was upset but if she could at least not let him see her, she felt like that was something. Especially given how overwhelmingly emotional and confusing their lives had been lately. Feeling each other’s every emotion was exhausting, but there wasn’t anything they could do to prevent it now. 

However it had strengthened their relationship in many ways too. Long gone were the common miscommunications that resulted in petty fights, as they did for most relationships. When they talked to each other about something, there were no euphemisms, no implications. Because what was the point? They communicated with their hearts and not just their heads now. But the complete and utter transparency was sometimes just too confronting to bear.

It was a lot later than she thought it’d be when she returned, but she couldn’t deny she felt at least a little better, like she was thinking clearly and more mindfully. He’d fallen asleep sitting up in their bed, clearly trying to wait for her. She tapped at his face lightly to wake him up, letting him know she was home. Tony muttered something incoherently and she kissed his forehead. After showering and changing into pyjamas, she lied down next to him, feeling his slow exhales against her neck. 

“You’re not broken…” He murmured.

A tear fell from her eye and she allowed herself to be held by him.

Because the bright side to experiencing each other’s thoughts was that sometimes he knew exactly what to say.

Tony hadn’t figured it out at first, but he realised that seeing Michelle transform, seeing her exhibit such vehement power and strength, didn’t just intimidate him. He’d gotten used to seeing her as a wolf, to recognising her in that form. He was a little frightened at first when she’d taken to occasionally chasing after and eating small animals to satisfy her hunger. According to her, she needed the protein, her taste buds had changed. He’d gotten used to that too eventually, understood that her needs were different now. But lately, Tony realised, when Michelle would change back to being human, there was something about the adrenaline in her eyes that remained, the beautiful fiery mix of colours that arose when it was dark, the resoluteness within them, that made him that much more attracted to her. The way he could feel her set out to run, to hunt, honing her energy and ambition into one goal, gave her a confidence and edge he’d never seen before.

So right now watching her body heave, a hint of blood at the corner of her mouth from whatever prey she’d hunted down, he couldn’t deny anymore that it turned him on. 

He wasn’t scared anymore, he was impatient. 

Because right now he wanted her more than he’d ever thought possible.

She’d just come back from another run and had transformed back in the laundry like she usually did. At this point, she was so used to the routine of it all, that the rush to put clothes back on had subsided. After all, it was late, and it wasn’t like she had a problem with Tony seeing her naked, even if they weren’t really doing anything about it. Michelle turned suddenly, facing the door, at the sound of Tony’s gentle footsteps across the floor. She’d sensed him before she’d heard him. It was a reasonably warm night, he had his shirt off. But that wasn’t what she noticed about him. His eyes were roaming down her body with a sense of desire that she hadn’t seen from him in a long time.

Slowly, he walked towards her. She furrowed her brow but could feel her heart race, could feel the tension between them grow exponentially, the two years of abstinence catching up to them. And when Michelle’s gaze met his with a look of raw need, it didn’t surprise her when she found his mouth sealing harshly over hers. He pressed his body close to Michelle’s, one hand on the back of her neck, the other cupping under her ass. She shuddered, feeling herself breathe into him, her hands slipping around his waist to splay across the plane of his back.

Her nails dug into his bare skin just a little, as his mouth slipped to kiss her neck and then each of the twelve scars on her body. He traced the shape of each scar from the ritual with his tongue, and she moaned. They were so sensitive from the blood linkage that occurred to make them, so it was sending little sparks of adrenaline through her as he kissed them. She yelped when he picked her up abruptly, letting her legs wrap around his hips. He’d moved back up to suck lightly at her neck, and Michelle mirrored what he did before by grazing her teeth along the scratches that linked the two of them. He shook a little, and forced himself to tense to keep holding her securely.

When they returned to their bedroom, he set her down onto her feet. Michelle then pulled back, noticing how much his pupils had dilated. How the look of want in his eyes was almost primal.

“Are you sure?” She panted.

His reply was another bruising kiss which caused her to stumble and fall back onto the bed, so she took that as a ‘yes’. She grabbed his back again, pulling him towards her and sliding his pants down. He was so devotional when he looked at her body, a testament of how much he loved her. The movements became more gradual and intentional. Tony closed his lips around one of her nipples, teasing the other with his thumb. Michelle whined, the sudden, almost taunting lethargy of the movements causing the warmth between her legs to grow. He switched breasts and he exhaled sharply as her nails raked gradually up his back. His mouth eventually moved to her abdomen, kissing the stretch marks that had developed from constantly transforming back and forth, as though worshipping them for all they symbolised. But the way his hands were still lovingly resting in the dip of Michelle’s waist was simply an indication of how much he wanted to worship her whole body, of how much he wanted to worship her.

When his head got so close to where she desperately wanted it to be and she quietly pleaded by pulling his hair, Tony paused and smiled against the inside of her thigh. He inched closer and closer, rubbing the roughness of his stubble against the sensitive skin of her labia before slowly dragging his tongue down her centre. She involuntarily let out a deep purr, her nails immediately returning to his shoulders. The crescent moons grew deeper, sharp enough to draw blood, as he continued to lick and dab at her pulsing clit. Increasing speed, the noises that came out of her grew louder, more impatient, sounding more and more like she was begging for release. Catching her off-guard, one of the hands that was curved around Michelle’s hip moved away, returning as two fingers slowly pumping inside of her. The double stimulation was enough to drive her to her undoing, the cry of his name completely unrestrained. 

Leaning back over her, she rested on her elbows to kiss him avidly, tasting herself in his mouth. Her chest was palpitating at how much love was being directed towards her. As though his actions didn’t convey it enough, she could feel with every fibre of her being how much he wanted her, how much he needed to show in every way that he loved her. But that same sense of urgency, to make sure he knew how much she loved him, that the absence of intimacy had only made the urge grow, had risen within her.

Taking advantage of her strength, Michelle overrode the trembling of her thigh muscles to flip him over and straddle him. Her breathing was still audible, and he looked back at her a little confused. Very deliberately, she took his wrists in her hands, and lifted them above his head, pinning them down to the pillow. Michelle applied a little pressure, looking him in the eyes, feeling a small sense of worry that she was scaring him. 

“Do you trust me?” She asked huskily.

“Yes…” He replied breathlessly, and the concern disappeared.

Michelle kissed him deeply, starting to grind against his body languidly. She bit his lip but didn’t feel him pull away nor did she feel any sense of hesitation.

No, he trusted her completely. And more than anything, he wanted this from her. He wanted her to have control. To have power.

Her mouth moved to his chest and she started to trail downwards with her tongue near his ribs, still maintaining the grip and pressure on his wrists. His hips bucked when she suddenly nipped at him, not enough to make him bleed, but enough to leave a mark on him. She did it again, and again, and his whimpers weren’t fearful. The line between pain and pleasure was blurring. He was moving faster and faster, his hardness pressing against her more intently and Michelle knew what they both wanted and needed in this moment. Dragging his boxers down, she positioned herself to sheath him between her legs and let out a slight moan.

Tony tilted his hips up, and it didn’t take them long to settle into a rhythm of her sinking down and him thrusting back up. Her lips found his again, tongue slipping inside his mouth. His hands tried to grab around her hips, but she prevented this by pinning them back down again, allowing her unbridled arousal to speed up and increase the force of her motions against his body. Her gaze never left his, as she enjoyed watching his eyes roll back into his head. There was still something missing in the angle though. She wanted him to have more leverage to push harder against her, and slid her hands below the nape of his neck to force him to sit up. Taking the hint, he moved so her breasts were touching his chest, and her hands could scratch down the already raw skin of his back, while his kept her body trapped against his. Michelle growled into his throat deeply, sounding almost animalistic, but no, not like that, she was in control, he trusted her, and she knew that.

A surge of energy overtook her, feeling both of their pent-up arousal no longer able to be contained, and moved more impatiently. He groaned loudly as she froze and tightened around him, letting out an intense cry. He didn’t take long to come after with a deep exhale, Michelle feeling the expulsion of air against her chest. Overcome with the intensity of their release, she and Tony took a moment to rest their foreheads against each other, letting their breathing settle, feeling great relief course through their bodies. 

“Fuck…” She puffed.

He let out a soft laugh of disbelief.

Leaning back she noticed the array of small bruises and bite marks she’d left on his body, and the ones he’d left on hers, the one she’d done of course were a little harder. Her breath hitched when she realised the corner of his lip had a thin line of crimson streaming from it. For a minute she panicked, having done the exact thing that had scared them the first time. After all, he wasn’t bleeding anywhere else. 

But she didn’t feel disgust or fear within him like she expected. To her surprise, he used his thumb to swipe some of the blood away, and held it out to her, almost offering. His glassy eyes showed no sign of anything except lust. Cautiously, and without breaking eye-contact, she swirled her tongue around the tip of his thumb slowly, cleaning the blood off. Letting it drop beside him, he whimpered as she suckled his neck, licking the blood away before finishing at his lips. Despite the sharp, metallic taste in his mouth that would normally be unpleasant, it was the act of her doing that, a reminder of the other side of her which he loved so much, that made it enjoyable.

“So I take it you’re not afraid anymore?” Michelle asked, teasingly. 

He shook his head, smirking. “Not in the slightest. But I’ll be interested to see how it feels when you get tied down next time.”

Even in the dark, he could still see how nervous Renee was when they parked in Kim’s driveway. She was looking down in her lap at the cake they’d brought. Jack took one of her hands and placed on the console between them, covering it with his own. Renee bit her lip, meeting his eyes, so warm and encouraging.

“She’s going to love you.”

Her shoulder lifted a little. “I don’t want her to feel like I’m trying to replace her mom.”

He shook his head. “That’s not how she sees it, don’t worry.”

Jack and Kim had caught up for coffee a few days prior. Chase had recently gotten both of them jobs in a private security firm, not too far away from a daycare that they could take Angela to. 

He smiled when she arrived at the café, and realised it never failed to impress him seeing how much she’d grown up each and every time he saw her. They’d barely done so since he’d come back from the safe-house, so they’d both been looking forward to it. But Jack also had something important to tell her. They’d started off with small talk, she and Chase happy at work, but busy. Kim had showed him a recent batch of photos of Angela, and it created a warmth in his chest to see how much she loved her. Despite his own apprehensions, he could tell Chase was good for her. She had then asked about him, not surprised to hear CTU had been hectic as well, mainly because of the CL follow-up and debriefing they’d had to do.

“Well besides work, have you done anything else recently? I hope you’re taking care of yourself, dad.”

Jack laughed through his nose. “I’ve actually…been seeing someone. And I’d like you to meet her.”

Her eyebrows raised. “You’ve had time for that?”

“Well, she’s someone I work with, so that’s probably got something to do with it.”

“How long for?”

His brow furrowed in thought. How long had it been, technically? He’d met Renee over nine months ago now. Obviously they hadn’t been actually dating since then. But they’d had to live together immediately. And they hadn’t had time for dates. But at what point had their work relationship shifted into a more personal one? When exactly did the late night conversations in the kitchen become more meaningful? They’d nearly kissed the night Tony had been shot. Then they’d actually kissed the day they’d come back to CTU, and from there, their relationship had been more normal. Going out after work, spending the night at each other’s apartments, he’d even helped her move into her new place and build furniture. None of this was answering the question in Jack’s mind though.

“Dad? I asked how long?”

He shook his head rapidly, as though he’d been somewhere else in his mind. “It’s…hard to say.”

“Well obviously she’s special enough for you to want to introduce me to her.”

“It’s Agent Walker. Renee. The FBI agent me, Tony, and Michelle stayed at the safe-house with.”

She nodded. “So you’ve spent a lot of time with her, but you weren’t exactly dating at the beginning.”

“Yeah…exactly.”

The aroma of cooked food wafted through the house as they entered. Renee walked behind him, already feeling a little overwhelmed at Kim’s bubbly nature. Angela had taken a liking to her almost immediately though.

“Ariel! Kimmy she looks like Ariel!”

Kim laughed. “She’s going through a Little Mermaid stage, you may or may not be forced to sit down and watch it with her later.”

Dinner had been good. Chase had roasted chicken and potatoes, and the conversations hadn’t been as painstakingly awkward as she’d thought they’d be. All of them working in similar fields at least meant they could talk about work. Jack and Renee finally had the chance to explain to both of them some more details about Tony and Michelle, who they’d been worried about. Afterwards they ate the carrot cake they’d brought, and the conversation lightened. Talking about Angela lead to Jack reminiscing on memories from Kim’s childhood, including a few embarrassing ones that Chase hadn’t known about. Nobody seemed to be trying to fish for more information out of anybody, they just seemed happy to be in each other’s presence.

True to Kim’s prediction, after the dishes had been done, Renee had gone to the living room and sat with Kim, who had Angela in her lap, with The Little Mermaid playing quietly in the background. It didn’t take long for Angela to shuffle away and sit closer to the TV, singing along to the songs. Jack and Chase had gone for a walk with Sebastian, their recently adopted border collie. He’d wanted to give Renee and Kim some space, feeling comfortable that dinner had gone well.

“My dad speaks highly of you. Says you’re one of the most reliable agents he’s ever worked with. I can tell you make him happy. Despite all the stress you guys have at work, he seems, I don’t know…less fazed by it.”

Renee blushed, shrugging. “It’s been great working with him, actually. Nice to know he feels the same way. I think he misses having you around at CTU though.”

“I’m pretty sure he just likes making sure I’m within five feet of him at all times. He’s always been like that for as long as I can remember but I think after mom…” She sighed. “It really freaked him out.” Her eyes suddenly widened. “I-I didn’t mean to bring that up so abruptly, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. I remember…” She cleared her throat. “Hearing about it at the time. I’m so sorry, I can’t even imagine how hard that is for you.”

Kim smiled crookedly. “Thank you, I mean…therapy’s been good. Having Angela and Chase is good. I still think about it a lot. And I know dad does too, I worry about him. But ever since he got back from the safe-house, I think I’ve finally seen him a little happier again. And now I understand why. You’re good for him. That’s all I want. I want him to move on and be happy.”

She made eye contact with Kim, noticing that the piercing blue colour was so much like her father’s. Renee realised Kim got a lot from her father upon closer inspection. “I just want you to know I’m not trying to replace anything for him or for you. I care about him a lot, but I respect his past and I respect you and your boundaries.” 

“I appreciate that, thank you. But if you and him are that serious, then I would really love having you in my life too, Renee.” 

To Renee’s surprise, but not her displeasure, Kim pulled her in for a hug. 

And when Jack walked back into the living room to find them, he couldn’t contain the grin on his face.

They didn’t say much on the car ride home, but clearly both of them were happy. Jack was driving with one hand, brushing his thumb over Renee’s with the other. His eyes were concentrating on the road, quiet and dark save for occasional pairs of headlights around them. An idea occurred to her, and she suddenly moved her hand over into the region of his seat, resting on his knee. He quickly glanced down, but paid it no mind. Slowly, she inched her hand higher up his leg, letting her fingers slip onto the inside of his thigh. She squeezed slightly and he tensed a little. 

Smirking at the fact that he was looking at the road more intently now, Renee dared to slide her hand higher into his lap and he shuffled in his seat. 

“You want me to stop?” She asked, huskily.

“God, no.” He breathed.

She touched him lightly, kneading him in gradual circles. Jack’s breath hitched as she continued and applied more pressure with her palm. The pace was so teasingly arduous, it was driving him crazy. 

Literally.

He had to brake at a set of traffic lights and did so without a hint of the usual smoothness he had when he drove. Years of experience in vehicle pursuits made him a master of the act. Jack suddenly planted his hand firmly on top hers, trapping it against him. She could feel how hard he was and a surge of arousal rose between her legs.

“You think you’re allowed to get away with that?” His voice was deeper than usual.

The lights hadn’t changed, so he looked over at her. She had a slightly brazen look on her flushed face.

“Because the rule is, Renee, that you have to be able to take what you dish out.”

Jack floored it and she gulped when he swatted her hand away and placed his own onto her knee. His fingertips skimmed along the inside of her thigh just as she had done earlier and Renee let out a breath. Something about the fact that he wasn’t even looking at her, that he was able to make her so worked up with just his voice alone was incredibly overwhelming. Trailing up to the zipper of her jeans, she helped him pull it down. She spread her legs when his hand dipped down, slowly stroking her through her underwear, the friction of the wet fabric against her already making her leg shake. Suddenly, he pulled back to put both hands on the wheel. They were approaching a sharp bend.

“Keep touching yourself.”

So she did. Renee lifted a little to drag her underwear further down. Her fingers were sliding up and down, spreading the wetness that had formed over herself. She closed her eyes, resting her head back.

“I want to hear you.” He said lowly. 

She panted, letting out an exaggerated mewl, continuing to pleasure herself. 

“Get back here.” Renee whispered.

Groaning his appreciation, she gasped when his hand returned, having gotten onto the straight road that lead to her apartment building. He was pushing her fingers inside of her, building up a rhythm. His thumb started circling her clit and she pushed against him, moaning at the increased pressure. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and she whined when she felt herself go closer and closer to the edge. Pumping her hips against him rapidly, she didn’t even realise they’d parked in the garage when she called his name out frantically, over and over again.

Her breath had fogged the passenger side window, and she could see how much his body was heaving, She picked up his hand and kissed his fingertips softly. He grunted and leaned in to kiss her, which she returned, eagerly. His hands were already slipping under her shirt, circling her nipples, and she knew she wanted to finish what she started.

She pulled back, laughing a little. “Wait, let’s go inside. I need space to do what I want to do to you.” 

His eyes darkened, and he nodded, zipping her pants up, and trying to cover his erection with his jacket.

They walked into the hallway, slightly flustered, trying to keep straight faces as they passed another occupant of the building, and went into the elevator. Her hand lowered to pinch his ass and he reached out to grab it, narrowing her eyes at the seductive smile she gave. When they finally got to her apartment, she was swift in shutting the door behind her. He pushed her against it, his hands desperately grabbing at her back, creeping under to touch her skin. His mouth fell to her throat and collarbone, and she let out a long exhale. She walked them back to her bed, both of them stumbling as they kept trying to touch each other, and pushed him down onto the edge, playfully. Her knee was between his legs, right where she’d tried to have her hand before, and she gave him a sly grin. She pulled her shirt and pants off and he did similarly. 

“Sit back…” She whispered, and he positioned himself with his back against the headboard. Her heart melted at the look of adoration he was giving her. Renee straddled him, rubbing her hands over his nipples as she kissed him wetly. Taking him in her hand, she worked back and forth teasingly, meeting his eyes with a glassy look. Her hands trailed down his sides as she moved down the bed, beneath the sheets. He sighed, leaning back onto his elbows, bucking forward into her firm hold.

Renee planted her hands on his knees, pushing them apart. His palm fell to her head as she swirled her tongue around his tip before taking him in and retreating. Renee continued to torture him, kissing his stomach, the insides of his thighs and everywhere else except where he wanted her. He pleaded softly, jerking involuntarily towards her.

Finally, he moaned as she let her tongue glide along him from bottom to top. She did it again, and again, feeling him shudder when she grazed her teeth. His head was tipped back just as hers had been before.

“Look at me…” She commanded, breathily. “I want you to watch me make you come.”

Opening his eyes, Jack watched her take him in deeply without breaking eye-contact, her blue eyes so piercing, almost entrancing. By this point, he was so sensitive, so close to the edge, even the feeling of her breath against him was overpowering. He cursed under his breath throatily, feeling warmth wash over him, before coming with a loud cry of her name. He whimpered again as she hummed against him in encouragement, swallowing every last drop in her mouth. Satisfied, she came back up to kiss him deeply, slipping her tongue between his teeth, the touch of their bodies warm and slightly sweaty. He grabbed the back of her head, pulling her towards him and smiling against her mouth. The kisses and caresses eventually softened and became tender, as they always did, a reminder of their love and care for each other. Eventually, she laid down on top of him, feeling his hands squeeze her back as she pecked her lips and traced small patterns on his chest with her tongue.

Jack grumbled when his phone rang, but knew that at this hour it had to be important. Renee looked up for a moment, confused, but continued her doting motions, smiling when he stroked her head with the hand not holding the phone.

“Hey Jack, sorry to bother you, but it’s important.” There was a grave seriousness to Tony’s voice.

“Yeah?” He raised an eyebrow, Renee stopping to listen in.

“We need you and Renee at CTU as soon as possible. There’s been an update on the Chrismos Lukos situation.”

Tony, Michelle, and Chloe already looked frantic when they walked into the meeting room. A handful of FBI LA analysts were there too. They shut the door behind them, not bothering to sit. 

Jack folded his arms. “So what’s this about?”

“Over the last few weeks, we’ve been informed by the police and other agencies about a variety of child kidnappings. None of which were reported by their parents, only by teachers, neighbours, extended family, the last people you’d expect. ” Tony started, passing him and Renee the reports. “But some of these children’s parents have been found dead too.” 

“The number of missing children has grown to twelve.” Michelle said, and the words hung heavily in the room.

Renee looked up at her. “So you think it’s…”

“Chrismos Lukos, yes.”

“It makes sense.” She muttered. “Althea always used to talk about valuing youthful energy, so if she managed to get the opportunity, she would have taken it and ran. She would have had the parents persuaded to avoid leaving too much of a trail. Some might have resisted, that would be why they’re dead.”

Chloe cleared her throat. “Exactly. I’ve already narrowed down a few possible locations for where they could have moved to. Most of them aren’t too far from where we tracked Michelle the first time. But we don’t have the resources to try each one.”

“Check for phone signals and radiation. They’ve got some kind of field that blocks EMFs so look for a black spot.” Renee offered.

There was a satisfied smile on her face a few moments later. “Yep. That’s narrowed it down to one. All the other ones have a weak signal, including the original location where we found you.”

“So if we’ve got a location, we just have to plan the rescue, right?”

“Not…exactly.” Tony sighed. “For one, we have no schematics, everything seems to be hand-carved, we don’t know how many members there are, and more than that, how many are there voluntarily. We could be up for a huge fight, or we risk a few members running off and just doing the same thing again. Our aim isn’t just to rescue the hostages, it’s to take Chrismos Lukos down for good. Otherwise we’ll just be in the same situation again.”

“And without EMF, none of our comms will work. It’d be suicide going in there blindly.” Michelle added.

“Does Larry know yet?” Renee asked.

“We’ve called him,” Michelle had her lip between her teeth “but I doubt he’ll get here from DC before we go in.”

They all knew how personal this was for Larry, so it was probably for the best that he wasn’t in the field anyway. But they also felt like he should at least be in the loop. He deserved to know.

Jack looked between Michelle and Renee. “How exactly do they block EMF?”

Michelle shrugged.

“I never figured it out.” Renee said. “I guess if Chloe’s results are saying that the old location is emitting radiation again, then it must be something they take with them. And it can’t be something inside of them, after all, Michelle and I aren’t blocking any radiation.”

“Hang on.” Jack started. “I know we’re probably all thinking the same thing, that whatever they’re doing is strong enough to override EMFs. But considering that one, it’s portable, and two, doesn’t seem to extend very far beyond the perimeter, after all, the photo we found of Michelle the first time was from a cell phone, maybe it’s more for their protection. Maybe EMF interferes with them and their energy. Even the office building we’d entered through had phones and computers working, but not the basement.”

They pondered Jack’s theory for a moment.

“Renee, the necklaces.” Michelle said suddenly. “All of the leaders had necklaces made of those glowing crystals. Aren’t crystals something that people believe can block radiation?”

Jack’s eyes lit up, like something had just occurred to him. “Teri had a friend from art school who was into them. She used to keep a few around the house sometimes. I think it was quartz.”

“Did you all smoke something before you got here?” Chloe’s eyebrows were raised. “They’re rocks, I’m pretty sure radiation doesn’t work like that.”

Tony scoffed. “Chloe, considering everything we’ve learnt otherwise, including, of all things, your friend who can turn into an animal, don’t you think it’s not a far stretch?” 

She sighed before grousing. “I guess.” The absolute lack of scientific logic behind everything had only lead to a higher level of frustration on a regular basis. Her denial was endearing, they had to admit.

“I saw Althea carrying a huge pink crystal that looked exactly the same as all the necklaces when they moved. She was incredibly protective of it. That has to be it.”

“Wait…” Tony tried his hardest to think back to when they first entered that basement. Finding Michelle in the state she’d been in had been such a shock, the other memories felt so insignificant in comparison. “When we got there and found you, Renee, our phones and comms had died too, and they’d already left. It can’t only be that.”

“The fire pit was still going.” It was a prominent feature of the place and created such an aura of power. “Maybe they burn some of it. We can go back to the old location and check for residue to be sure.” 

“We’re running out of time.” Michelle shook her head. “Most of the kids are under seven, if they’re doing the rituals, I wouldn’t expect all of them to be alive by this point. It’s a good theory, we’ll have to run with it.”

Tony nodded in agreement. “So if we destroy the original source, it should make the other ones useless right? After all, wouldn’t it make sense if its linked? That’s…somewhat of a recurring theme.” He turned to face Renee. “Renee, you could re-establish your cover. If you were to walk in, we’ll give you a cloak to conceal your gun, maybe they won’t notice. We’ll know if you’ve done it because our systems will come back online. And hopefully that distracts them enough so we can ambush them.”

There was a slightly worried look on her face, but it was hidden beneath the determination.

Jack’s hand fell to her shoulder. “It’ll be hard without communicating, but we’ll give you a timeframe and attack if we get worried, okay?”  

She took a deep breath. She had to do this. She was the only one who could ever get close.

They had to take them down.

“I’ll do it.”

They’d set up far enough to not be detected, an easy feat given it was dark and there were no street lights on, with a few agents closer to test if the comm system was online. Jack went to go with them, but was stopped by Tony grabbing his bicep.

“You shouldn’t be on point for this. Trust me. I did it once for Michelle and it nearly fucked everything up.” His voice softened, the way it always did when he talked about her. “When you’re that worried about her, it’ll mess with your head. Let me.”  

Jack sighed. As much as he liked having control in these situations, he also knew Tony was right. So he hung back, not showing any visible concern, but biting the inside of his cheek, with every passing minute feeling more and more agonising.

Meanwhile, much to her relief, Renee was somewhat sure her sudden reappearance hadn’t stuck out to the other members. There were enough of them there, so she figured one absent member hadn’t been a big deal. Especially since they were so busy with the active rituals going on. People were hurriedly gathering herbs, boiling concoctions, and murmuring chants. She tried her hardest to appear busy, at the same time aiming to gradually move away from the crowd. Suddenly, she turned around at the sound of a familiar voice calling her name. Althea, the last person she had wanted to see her, was giving her a suspicious look. Renee gulped as she walked towards her, feeling unable to control the movement of her legs. 

“Long time, no see.” Her voice was sweet with venom, eyes as captivating as they always were. “But you know what they say, lost souls always find their way home.”

The brief moment of eye-contact they’d made had been enough to stupefy Renee out of whatever thought she had. Althea simply chuckled, walking away. 

Taking a few deep breaths to steady herself, she found her focus again. She remembered what she had to do. 

The cult’s new location seemed to be very similarly structured to the old one, and she recalled that most of the leaders’ quarters were towards the back, far from the main room. Her stomach lurched at the screams she heard from the ritual area. Their timeframe was shortening. Renee managed to dodge and weave through the small groups and get to the unoccupied, darker hallway. Her heart was thundering in her ears, a chill running down her spine. Chloe may still be unable to believe or understand it, but Renee was reminded in this moment that the feelings in her gut were not something to disregard. Whatever was happening here was still beyond comprehension. And more importantly, it needed to be stopped.

There was a faint glow emanating from the door of one of the rooms. Looking behind her, she ducked inside, shuddering at the creepy array of jars and tools containing things that definitely looked less ‘spiritual’ and much more occult-ish. Renee was pretty sure it was Althea’s room. A satisfied smile crept across her face when she noticed the beautiful, almost bewitching glowing hunk of quartz on a small altar, under a glass dome. As quietly as she could, she removed the glass, setting it down beside her. Her fingers tentatively ran along the irregular edges. She felt as though she could stare at it for hours, but shook her head, reminding herself why she was there, and that it wouldn’t be long before someone, probably Althea, started to figure it out.

It was as heavy as she expected when she lifted it. She tried to think of the most efficient way to break it. Whatever noise she’d make would certainly attract attention, so it had to be done in a single move. Renee also had no idea just how much she needed to break it. Would a couple of chips suffice? Or did it need to be destroyed completely? Somehow, Renee felt it was the latter. It was a precious resource, it couldn’t be so vulnerable. She bent down and let it fall to the floor, hoping the reduced distance would create less noise. Renee cursed under her breath when the only damage that resulted was a small chunk of the rock breaking off. Clearly, that wasn’t going to be enough. She picked up the larger chunk, noticing it was still glowing brightly in comparison to the small chunk. At least she knew she was on the right track.

After setting the crystal down on the table in front of her, Renee reached under the cloak, struggling a little beneath the mass of fabric to withdraw her gun. Standing back a little, she aimed at the centre. Firing once, spidery cracks formed along its surface, a couple of fragments falling to the side. The light being emitted faded slightly. But the chatter from the other room had already gotten quieter, and she didn’t want to waste her ammo as it was, especially now if shooting wasn’t going to do anything significant. She was running out of time. Someone was going to find her sooner or later.

Her eyes fell to a large, engraved hammer, one of the many ancient-looking weapons in the room. She needed two hands to lift it, and nearly lost her balance when she raised it above her head. Steadying herself, Renee grunted as she swung the hammer down. Thousands of tiny pink shards dispersed themselves around the room, but that wasn’t what she was focussing on. No, the blindingly white bolt of lightning that shot out so forcefully the ground shook beneath her, was what she was looking at. She had to place a hand on the bench behind her to steady herself, letting out a shaky breath. Renee could hear screaming from the other room, as though the destruction was hurting them.

“Renee, can you confirm you’ve taken out the source?” Tony’s relieved voice crackled through the comm in her ear, which had been silent until now.

“Yes.” She replied, almost in disbelief. “And it seems to be affecting them in some way, we might have an advantage.” Her voice hardened. “Move in quickly.”

Renee could already hear Tony’s voice loud and clear, giving everybody there the option of surrender. There was a pause, before a cacophony of growls, yelling, and gunshots began. She didn’t know exact numbers, but she’d realised there were more leaders now then there had been the last time. But judging by the sound of pained howls, she knew CTU had the upper hand. Walking out of the room, cursing herself for scattering the shrapnel in the direction she had to leave in, she gave a cursory glance into the hallway before starting to run back. From memory they had split agents accordingly, with some dedicated to the fight and others focussing on rescuing hostages and those who were surrendering. She needed to find Jack.

Suddenly, she felt her head thud against the wall, a strong hand planted just below her collarbone, pinning her in place. Her gun fell from her hand, clattering to the floor. Althea kicked it away, her bloodthirsty eyes piercing into Renee’s with nothing but fury.

“Jack!” She screamed, feeling her own blood curdle. She didn’t even think she was capable of shrieking that loud, but then again, she’d never been so terrified in her life either. Althea raised her hand to wrap around her throat, muffling the sound. Renee tried to break free but to no avail, she was too strong. They were but inches away from each other, she could see the elongated teeth, the golden glow of her eyes, the twitch in her cheek.

“Do you realise what you’ve done?” She said harshly. “You’ve exposed us, you’re about to destroy everything I’ve ever built. I should have known something was up when you returned.”

“What you were doing wasn’t right.” Renee gritted through her teeth. “You’re sick, you needed to be stopped.”

She attempted to move, to fight back, even just to raise a knee to create some distance between them. To her surprise, Althea didn’t transform, but did withdraw a sharp dagger with something carved along its surface. She muttered something under her breath before thrusting the blade into her own thigh, grunting in pain. Before Renee could even think about why, Althea took the now bloody knife and plunged it deep into Renee’s side, right to the hilt, before twisting some kind of shape, and yanking it out. She cried out in pain. It didn’t just hurt, it felt like it was burning, the fire spreading through every vein of her body.

The heaviness pushing her body against the wall suddenly subsided, a shadow having moved swiftly through her vision. Althea growled as the knife clattered to the floor. Renee was choking, desperately gasping for air from the release of the grip on her throat. Her body sank down, and familiar hands were trying to support her. She screamed as Jack tried to put pressure on the wound, the burning only intensifying. 

Out of the corner of one eye she could see Tony, and in the other, Michelle had tackled Althea to the ground. Renee could barely focus on anything, with Jack’s voice already being drowned out by the ringing in her ears, the immense pain coursing through her entire body. Michelle groaned as Althea kicked her back, standing up and regaining strength. They continued to fight, their movements so fast, so instinctive. Tony shuddered to think how much bloodier it all would be if she was fighting as a wolf.  They’d agreed for her safety not to transform, so as not to risk being hurt by one of their own mistaking her for a cult member. He realised in this moment that he had never seen Michelle fight so viciously before. 

She managed to land a solid punch to Althea’s solar plexus, and Tony took the opportunity to double-tap her right in the stomach as she stumbled back. She didn’t fall, even as the blood started to stain her clothes, and he was reminded once again that she was more powerful than he ever thought possible. Tony didn’t take his eyes off of her, he couldn’t let her get away, not after what she did to Michelle, not after what had happened to those kids, who at this point, were still unable to be extracted.

“Wait, stop!” Jack shouted, suddenly.

They turned to find Renee howling out, doubled over, clutching her abdomen, the very spot where Tony had shot Althea.

“You linked her to yourself…” Michelle realised, running a hand through her hair, before turning back to Althea, who despite the slight weakness in her gait, gave a devious grin and made a break for it further down the long passageway. Tony ran after her, knowing that his shots would likely be useless in the dark, but tried to fire aimlessly in front of him anyway. His determination to get her coupled with Michelle’s only made the urgency of the situation grow.

“Shit…We can’t lose her now.” She looked back and forth between them. “Jack, get her out of here. The further apart they are, the weaker the link gets.”

Feebly, Renee grabbed the edge of Michelle’s shirt, pulling her down to meet her eye. She had to take a deep breath, and the discomfort on her face was obvious. “Do what you have to do, Michelle.” Her eyes were rife with anger.

She opened her mouth to protest, but Renee spoke first, hardening her voice as much as she could.

“Don’t think about me. I’ll be fine. Don’t hold back. Make her suffer, make her pay for what she’s done.”

Michelle nodded slowly, the worry still clear in her expression as Jack helped Renee up and let her lean her body weight on him. She ran in Tony’s direction, waving her flashlight around as it got darker, as though she were running into an endless pitch-black abyss. The sporadic gunshots she’d heard before from Tony were gone. A sharp pain suddenly pierced through her ribs. 

He was hurt.

Meanwhile, Jack managed to rush Renee over to where paramedics were already helping injured agents and members who had surrendered. They were still largely clearing out though, and the team who was supposed to be looking for the kidnapped children hadn’t had the chance to search without being attacked from every angle. 

Feeling her heart race, trying to listen out for an indication of his whereabouts, Michelle froze at the sound of a deep snarl. The beam of light reflected in Althea’s eyes, a wicked, fanged grin staring back at her as she held Tony down. He was shaking beneath her, his complete terror coursing through Michelle’s body. Shallow cuts were forming around his solar plexus from where Althea’s sharp nails were digging in. It was as though she were waiting for Michelle, to want her to see her rip Tony to shreds.

“Get away from my husband.” She said gruffly, screaming gutturally as she pounced on Althea and pushed her off of Tony’s body. He let out a shallow exhale. She hissed as Althea managed to slash her nails across her bicep and kick her in the shin. Tony managed to find his gun in the dark, shooting Althea again, the bullet penetrating her side this time. It seemed to do the trick, allowing Michelle to swiftly push her to the ground by the shoulders. She pressed her knee into the gaping wound in Althea’s abdomen, feeling blood congeal around the surface.

Michelle was a little confused at the fact that Althea wasn’t moving, wasn’t trying to push back, was still mostly human-looking, even, besides the teeth and nails. It seemed too easy almost. Althea wasn’t invincible, but if she really wanted to fight the pain, transform into a wolf bigger and stronger than she could ever be, Michelle knew she easily could. But given that she was about to lose everything, did she even have a reason to fight? There had been alerts of mass surrender and very few agents down from the comm in her ear, which had since become background noise. It was a sign that CTU had won, that Chrismos Lukos would be no more, that their months of collecting evidence and planning for this very situation had paid off. This cult was everything to her, she was sure Althea just wanted to die with it. 

Whatever the case, after suffering by her hand for almost two years, Michelle finally had the opportunity to subject Althea to what she had done to hers, and others, for far too long.

Tony stood, holding his shirt against his skin to staunch the bleeding, although he wasn’t too worried given how they were ‘warning cuts’ more than anything. He was still trembling. Watching Althea look into his eyes, with the same malice and might that Michelle had likely seen, had struck a greater fear into him than he’d ever thought possible. She’d even gone so far as to whisper in his ear just how much she wanted Michelle to watch her kill him. She’d said in explicit detail how much pain she’d make him feel. It was, in every sense of the word, monstrous. 

Michelle was silently crouched on top of her, and as much as her ability had scared him initially, he knew she could never be capable of the evils that Althea had delivered. 

But he also knew how far revenge could drive a person. 

He’d seen it in Jack, in himself, even, back when he was convinced that Saunders was the reason for Michelle being taken. He’d spent a long time hoping he’d one day be able to punish the people who took her away from him. In this moment, Tony realised however that it didn’t matter to him as much as it used to. Because they’d found Michelle, and despite the hiccups with the aftermath of the rituals, she’d been okay, they’d found her alive and otherwise well. In fact, Tony recognised that such a strong desire for vengeance wasn’t healthy. It had been part of his recovery in rehab, acknowledging that no amount of wanting revenge was going to help bring her back, that all he could do was everything in his power at CTU to look for her. Through that Tony had understood that regardless of whether revenge was actually performed, there was something to be said about the level of disgust one could feel towards themselves for thinking about it so intently. He didn’t want Michelle to have to feel the same, but he already felt a heavy sense of disgust coming from her, as though finally seeing Althea eye to eye was taking her mind back to her time being held captive by the cult.

Cautiously, he walked over, placing his hand on her shoulder. Althea was already bleeding out from the gunshots, her skin becoming paler, breath weaker, it was over. She was conceding. Hurting her any further would just be superficial. The cult had been destroyed too. This wasn’t necessary.

“Michelle, you don’t need to do this. This…isn’t you. Just because you can, doesn’t mean that you should.” He said, almost warningly. Michelle didn’t reply, her body heaving with adrenaline, and Tony felt more and more concerned by the sensation rising within her. He gripped her shoulder tighter, forcing her to face him. “You are not the monster, she is.”

“I have to do this, Tony.” She said simply, her voice almost monotonous as she pulled off the outer layers of her clothes. “And if you don’t want to be here when I do, then I suggest you leave and go find Jack and Renee.”

There was no glow to her eyes, no protruding teeth, no indication that she was losing control. She hadn’t even transformed when she’d pushed Althea off of him. That he would have understood, but it wasn’t the case. No, Michelle knew what she was saying, and what she was intending to do.

And that was what frightened him.

Althea let out a shaky sigh, the pool of blood beneath her expanding. Michelle pushed her knee down into her wound again, as though to torture her.

He met Michelle’s eyes, knowing that any argument he’d try to initiate would be useless, but hoping, albeit naively, that his presence would at least make her rethink what she was about to do. “I’m staying.”

There was a flicker of shame in her expression, but she clearly had no intention of holding back now. And Tony realised for certain that no amount of talking her down was going to change how she felt. That she was right when she’d said he could never fully understand what she went through. Because the Michelle he thought he knew wouldn’t do this.

“You have so much power…” Althea chuckled, weakly. “It’s a shame, Chrismos Lukos would have been strong under your command.”

She shook her head, seizing Althea by the throat in one quick motion, before speaking bitterly. “You might have made me this way, but I am the one who decides when and how I use it.”

Changing with more voracity than he’d ever seen or felt from her her, Tony watched Michelle dig her claw deep into Althea’s chest. He felt her stark, burning rage rise within him, and he swore it was making his chest hurt. He thought back to when she’d transformed by herself the very first time, how she’d had to channel her anger against Althea to push through. What he could sense from her now though was far, far more intense. The vicious growl that came out of her was completely untamed. She did it again, and again, before sinking her teeth down into Althea’s neck. Blood had sprayed around them, he could see it on the edges of Michelle’s mouth, see it covering Althea’s skin. He’d never once looked at her in that form and considered her a dangerous wild animal. Even the first time when she’d attacked him, Tony had put it down to fear, had put it down to adjusting to what had happened.

But not right now.

No, right now, for the first time, Tony was actually afraid of her and what she was capable of.

Renee’s hip was healing quickly, almost too quickly. She’d mentioned something about the pain burning, and the wound did look darkened, as though it had been cauterised. Maybe it was the fact that Althea was dying that the pain they were sharing was disappearing. But Renee was otherwise okay now, and that was all that mattered. Just as Jack was starting to calm down, he turned to her in alarm as she screeched in pain, clutching her chest. He tried talking to her, but she didn’t stop screaming for several minutes. Even the paramedics couldn’t do anything, finding her heart rate was stable, that there was no biological reason for her to be in such pain. Deep down, he knew why, and although he didn’t know the full story, although he didn’t know what exactly was happening between Althea, Michelle, and Tony, the duration of Renee’s pain indicated it was more than just self-defence. Renee had enabled this exact scenario to happen, not giving the chance for Jack to forbid her from saying so and tell Michelle not to do it, that one shot was enough. 

“It’s over…” Renee mumbled quietly, before slumping back in exhaustion, her breathing heavy.

Jack was upset at both of them, but there was nothing to complain about now. 

If Althea was dead, she was dead.

When she eventually pulled the claw out, Tony immediately felt nauseous seeing the viscosity of the blood and whatever organ she’d shredded from inside of Althea’s chest. He was pretty sure it was her heart. She left without saying a word, and he followed her into a small washroom, Althea’s, he was guessing, where she hastily wiped her hands and face. She’d already transformed back and gotten dressed, as though nothing had even happened. They then started walking back to the main hall. One of the other agents had already informed them that they’d found the ritual room and finally busted down the door after a considerable effort.

“Well, did you find the kids?” Tony asked, pressing his hand to his ear. Michelle looked at him, doing similarly, the soft worry she’d shown about the children returning and making her seem more like herself.

“You’re….you’re going to want to see this.” She responded, the words ominously echoing in their ears.

They passed Jack along the way, who was sat by Renee’s side. Her eyes were shut but her chest was gently rising and falling. He looked concerned, but given the lack of paramedics around them, she was obviously stable. Michelle felt a pang of guilt but recalled what Renee had said to her and let it go. Tony and Michelle walked towards the back of the main room, dodging the fallen wolves and other members along the way. It had been a bloodbath, with several gunshot wounds needed to kill each of the wolves, although several members had sacrificed themselves, wanting to die for their cause by their hand. The agent who’d spoken into their comm looked pale, like she was going to be sick, pass out, or both. She seemed even more uneasy noticing the blood staining Michelle’s clothes.

Nobody else had dared to go in by the looks of it.

Warily, they stepped forward. Michelle winced, grabbing his bicep and turning her face away.

“Jesus…” He muttered, feeling his stomach sink.

They were met with eleven bodies. Which meant the ritual had been completed. They’d been too late.

Michelle’s ears perked up at the sound of a quiet sob.

The sob of the lone child who’d survived.

Letting go of his arm, she walked towards its source, finding herself in the corner of the room. There was a small girl, maybe five years old, huddled into a ball. She was trembling from head to toe, the power and emotions of the ritual still coursing through her. Michelle could already see that one of her blue eyes had changed and was glowing. Her long, dark, wavy hair was covering parts of her body, with a set of twelve familiar scars freshly branded there, but thankfully most of her clothes were still intact, her form still mostly human. It was obvious how much pain she was in. Michelle knew all too well the feeling of every bone reforming and reshaping, and the agony that came with only partially transforming.

Her bottom lip wobbled as she looked up at Michelle and then behind her at Tony. She whimpered. Tentatively, Michelle reached out to caress the back of her cheek with her hand, feeling tears well in her own eyes. Wiping them, she grabbed her cellphone with the other hand. Tony didn’t ask but could feel just how desolate she was. It was a horrific sight to start with, but he realised just how personal this had to be for Michelle too. To see someone, let alone a young child, experience what she had.

“Chloe, I need you to do me a favour.”

“Yeah?”

“I need you to help ID one of the kids for me. T-they’re all dead except for one of them. A-a little girl.” Her voice was shaking a little and all Tony wanted to do was hug her and let her cry in his arms, not needing to pay attention to their link to know she was on the verge of breaking down. “She’s about five, I think. Dark hair, blue eyes.”

She typed away at her keyboard. “Is there like a mole on her chin?”

Michelle peered closer. “Yes…”

“I think you’re looking at Alice Pascal. Her parents...they were found dead about five days ago.” She sounded sad too. “I-I’m guessing the persuasion must not have worked on them.”

“What’ll happen to her then?”

“I mean in theory it would be foster care or some extended family might take her in. But given that the government probably wants to keep the CL stuff confidential, I don’t know what they’ll do then…” Chloe cleared her throat. “If I hear anything I’ll let you know.”

“Okay…thank you, Chloe.” 

Turning, she stood to face Tony, Alice continuing to cry behind her. “W-we have to take her home.”

“What?” He said, softly.

“Nobody is going to be able to help her or raise her. We have to adopt her, Tony.”

His eyes widened. He hadn’t heard the other side of the phone conversation, figuring Michelle was just trying to ID the child so they could talk to her. But this he hadn’t expected. “A-are you sure? What about-?”

“I-I know that it completely goes against what I said the other day. But that was all based on the assumption of a completely human child. This is different, don’t you see? Think about it, nobody is as well-equipped to deal with this than us.”

He gave her a sympathetic look, again feeling how much Michelle resonated with this child.

“Tony…” Her voice broke, almost pleadingly, looking back at Alice again, before whispering. “She needs a home.” 

It was a huge decision, not one usually made on the spot, but the more she talked about it, the more she realised how right she was. The more Tony looked at the quivering, helpless figure behind her, the more he felt it wasn’t just a good thing to do but the right thing to do. He took her hands in his, ignoring the blood under her fingernails. “Y-you’re right. It has to be us. And as scary as that might be…if we can handle what we just went through these past couple of years…” He took in a breath. “Then we can do this.”

“Thank you…” She leaned in, embracing him. Her heart was radiating with appreciation and he squeezed her back.

Kneeling, Michelle took a deep breath to steady her voice, feeling Tony hold her other hand as he bent down next to her. 

“Alice?” She asked, softly.

The child seemed to react by making eye-contact with her, confirming Chloe’s findings. “Alice. My name is Michelle, and this is Tony. I know you’re probably really scared after what’s happened these past few days. I know you saw and heard a lot of upsetting things. And I know you’re probably hurting a lot right now. But we’re going to take you somewhere safe. We’re going to take you home.”

Alice jerked back in fear, to their dismay. Michelle pressed her lips together, trying to think of something to convey good intentions, convey safety, convey trust. She took a moment to roll up her sleeve, showing Alice one of her old ritual scars and lightly touching the matching one on her arm. “Y-you can trust me. I-I’m just like you. They did those bad things to me as well. But I can help you so you’re all better, okay? I’m not going to hurt you. Nobody is. You’ll be safe with us.” 

There was a moment of hesitation, but Alice gave a small nod. After pushing her sleeve down, Michelle held out her hand. Taking it, Alice seemed to collapse into her arms, fingers digging into the back of her shoulder, small cries escaping her. Michelle hushed her as Tony got them all to their feet. He took a moment to look her in the eyes, running a hand through her knotted hair, and Tony felt that somehow he’d communicated that she could trust him too, that he would keep her safe just as Michelle had promised. They walked out into the main room slowly towards the paramedics. The looks on the faces of the other agents was solemn, and those who were aware of the process knew that the child in their arms right now was the only survivor from that room.

After taking some supplies, they found a private corner, knowing the paramedics wouldn’t be able to do much for her, and that she was likely overwhelmed as it was. Tony was already on the phone with Doctor Fineman, explaining the situation. Michelle set her down, wrapping the blanket around her shivering frame. She continued to murmur reassurances to her, now trying to observe more of the child’s injuries and features in the slightly brighter area.

“He’s on his way.” Tony put the phone back in his pocket, watching Michelle brush a frizzy strand of hair from the girl’s face.

“Okay…” She sniffled, soothingly rubbing her thumb over the back of Alice’s hand for a few minutes. 

“Tony…she’s in a lot of pain and it’s too much for her to feel all of this on her own. It’s too much for an adult. I…” Michelle squeezed her eyes shut, before looking up at him. “I want to link her to me. I know there’s a way to to it so it’s mainly in one direction, so I feel her pain but she doesn’t feel mine. All I need to do is let her blood mix in with mine without getting mine in hers.”

He nodded, watching her remove a pocket knife. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand, stilling it. “Wait…”

She looked up at him, her brow furrowed.

“Link her to me too.”

Michelle’s eyes widened. “Tony, that’s…you do realise, it’s not just her, remember? It won’t be like when you and I got linked. You’re going to feel all of it this time. It’s a lot of power and energy, it’s all the other kids that-”

“I know.” His voice hardened. “But she’s going to be our daughter, right?” The firmness dissipated quickly, his voice cracking, she could feel how emotional he was getting. “I’m going to be her father. I need to protect her and keep her safe just as much as you do. I need to understand what she went through.”

Her lip pressed into a thin line, and looked up at him, nodding, completely overcome with gratitude.

“I-I think there’s a prayer or something that I need to say for you, hang on.” Michelle grabbed her phone, looking through the few photos of the rituals she’d saved. She’d made note of the rituals that could be useful to her, like making links of different intensities. The unidirectional link was one she hadn’t done before, and not with someone who had no abilities. 

She hesitated, slowly moving to grab one of Alice’s fists and unfurl it.

“This is going to hurt a little, sweetheart, but I promise you’ll feel better.” Michelle made eye-contact with Alice who seemed confused.

Both of them cringed as she cried out. She’d tried to make the cut as shallow as possible but now needed to have enough blood on the knife for both of them. Whispering the prayer, almost reverently, she proceeded to trace a particular shape on the inside of her forearm, and do so similarly for Tony, who already had his sleeve rolled up. He knew it was something in Greek and couldn’t help but admire how beautiful it sounded. 

“That’s it…that’s it…it’s all done, I’m so sorry, Alice.” She whispered, listlessly brushing her hand against the child’s cheek.

After a few seconds, Alice shuddered, her body seeming to relax a little, eyes fluttering shut. Tony could only describe the sensation flowing through him as profound. He felt flashes of pain, of fear, of terror, before it all subsided as a dull heaviness. But he could already feel a deep connection between the three of them, as though they’d always been a family, like they’d known and loved each other their whole lives.

They looked at Alice now. Her chest rose and fell as she slept, the fatigue consuming her. Michelle buried her face in his shoulder and he felt moisture grow there as she finally let the tears fall. Pulling her closer, he rested his face in the crook of her neck, letting himself cry too. So overcome with emotion from everything that had happened, they wept in each other’s arms. Both of them kept looking towards Alice, towards their daughter, feeling a protective desire devour them. 

Chrismos Lukos was gone now. Everything had been destroyed. Nobody could ever do what they did to Alice or to Michelle ever again.

But still, they had to keep her safe no matter what.

It was cold this time of year, a fresh sleet of snow starting to fall. He got out of the car, hands shaking even though they were encased in gloves. The lilies were so starkly white, they almost blended in with the ground. A heavy sensation of nervousness was coming over him. He’d never been there before. He’d never had the courage, never felt like he could. The location of the plot was scrawled on a piece of paper which was fluttering in the wind.

Larry took a deep breath, walking past an elderly woman shrouded in a large coat. When he arrived at the headstone, he read the name and date over and over again. It hit him just how long it had been since everything happened. It made him realise just how long he’d been waiting for some form of closure. He’d pored over every inch of the report that had been collated at CTU LA from all of the information which had been recovered. There were still gaps, things he doubted he would ever understand, but at least it wasn’t all just a big mystery anymore.

“I-I promised myself that I wouldn’t come here until I had answers. Until I knew for sure what had happened to you.” He spoke quietly. “But I’m here now, Julia.”

He squeezed his eyes shut. “I still don’t know everything. I still don’t really get everything. I know they persuaded you to join, so I’m not angry at you anymore, I’m angry at them for manipulating you. A-all these years I never got it, I never understood what would make you want to join them so desperately. I can still hear your voice, I could hear you tell me how important it was to you and I remember being scared. But instead of telling you that, I just got angry, we argued, I made you upset and that only drove you away further.” His voice started to waver. “I hate myself for doing that to you.”

“But what I hate more, is knowing that you could have been saved. I-it kills me now, knowing that you didn’t have to die. I look at Tony and Michelle make it work and I realise that that could have been us. That I could have learned to love you all over again with whatever abilities you ended up with.”

A sob escaped his throat and he fell to his knees, crying in front of her grave. The ground was cold and wet but he didn’t care. He’d never let himself grieve because he’d convinced himself that the woman he last saw was a monster, that she was being put down for her own good. And all of those emotions had been channelled into his work, into getting logical answers. But the answers were confronting too, breaking down the walls of ignorance he’d hid behind all these years. He was grateful to be alone in this moment, because this pain would always be something exclusive to him. Not just because he was her husband, but because he was the only person besides the handful of doctors who was there with her when she died and he could still recall the mix of terror, disgust, and confusion that had formed in that moment.

“I’ll always love you though, Julia. No matter what, I will always love you. Please know that.” He sniffled, letting himself read the words again, wondering how long it’ll be before he sees them next, wondering if the pain in his chest and sinking in his gut would fade over time. Time seemed to disappear for a while as he continued to mourn and truly process the sight before him.

Night had fallen by the time he got home. Opening the door with a sigh, he rotated the dimmer just ever so, to give him enough light to not be fumbling in the dark. He took his coat off and realised the house felt more empty now than it ever had before. Despite everybody around him advising him otherwise, he had never moved out of the house he and Julia bought together. It took some gentle nudging from family to at least store some of her things away, but he wouldn’t let them take down the photos. It was comforting for him. By living in that house, he felt like he could at least pretend she was still with him, at least pretend that she’d died of something natural, that she still looked the same as she did in the photos.

Going to the cupboard, he found a slightly dusty bottle of scotch. Pouring himself a glass, he looked down at the golden hues reflected in the light.

Larry remembered that that was the colours her eyes had been, so far from the beautiful hazel he’d once known.

Taking a swig, he hissed at the burning sensation gliding down his throat. With work always on his back and threatening to call him in at any time, he rarely allowed himself the comfort of a drink. He gripped it tightly, feeling the ridges of the glass against his fingertips. Walking through the house, all the photos and other things that reminded him of her stuck out prominently now. Now it felt haunting to see her face staring back at him. Their wedding photo, in particular, created a tightness in his chest. He could still remember that day, how he couldn’t take his eyes off of her, how happy he was. How he thought they were going to have such a great life, he thought he’d have an engaging, adrenaline-fuelled job at the FBI and she would continue in her architecture career, he thought they’d build a beautiful house in the hills and have children and pets and everything they could possibly dream of.

Oh, how wrong he was to believe any of that would happen.

He had his career, he had a big, intricately designed, empty house for himself. His hours at the FBI meant he could never even find the time to get a fish. No, his work was the only thing that had given him purpose these last two decades, because there was always a chance he could get answers about what had happened.

There was always a chance he could make sure that what happened to Julia would never happen to anybody else.

And now, that chance had come and been fulfilled. He was confident and proud of what CTU and the FBI had done. Larry could sleep tonight knowing it was over. He’d always been able to disconnect the evidence from the present day Chrismos Lukos to the few artefacts they’d recovered at the time of Julia’s death. But now it had amalgamated into a giant wave of appall and realisation. 

It was over now.

Over twenty years later, Larry could finally say that the investigation into Chrismos Lukos was over.

Larry could finally say he knew what had happened to Julia, to the love of his life.

He threw the glass of scotch at the frame, the smash of the frame ostensibly loud but not nearly as loud as the aggrieved cry he let out, before sinking to the floor, letting that twenty years of grief and uncertainty finally be released.