The following takes place between 2:00am and 3:00am
---
"We'll be landing soon, Tony, should be at CTU within ten minutes, get the most secure interrogation room we have ready." Jack informed Tony.
"Got it, you just keep your eye on her." Tony replied, hanging up the phone with a sigh, feeling the sting in his neck again. He had refused morphine post-op, so he could get back to work quickly. Any physical rotation felt like a fire poker was being thrusted into his neck.
"Was that Jack?" Michelle asked, worried at Tony's state.
He nodded. "Yeah, he's on his way with Nina, I need you to get Interrogation Room 819 ready, while I go make a couple of calls."
Tony knew there was no way Nina would give up all of her information about Marcus Alvers without a fight. After all, last time she still managed to obtain presidential pardon because CTU was grasping at straws with the nuclear bomb. Jack would be busy being interrogated about his heroin problem, so he'd be unavailable. Jogging to his office, he immediately opened the phone directory program for LA government personnel on his desktop, before picking up the phone frantically.
---
Chloe woke to the electronic beeps of her cell phone. Trixie was with her this week, so she knew it was a work call. While uncommon at this hour, they weren't exactly unprecedented.
"Decker." She croaked into the phone.
"This is Tony Almeida from CTU, I know this is short notice, but we need you and Lucifer here right away."
Chloe's brain fogged for a moment, before memories of a dark conference room, a horrific case file, and watching Lucifer interrogate the duplicitous Nina Myers came flooding back.
"Of course, I'll be there in fifteen." Chloe replied, stifling a yawn.
Whatever was going on, it was urgent, she knew. Tying her hair into a messy bun, throwing on the nearest jacket and jeans, and grabbing her pistol, she prepared to leave. Tiptoeing into Maze's room, she tapped her sleeping roommate gently on the shoulder. Maze jolted upright, quickly withdrawing her curved blades from under her pillow.
"Sh-sh-sh. Don't wake Trixie. I have to leave for a work thing, I don't know how long I'll be, can you take her to school if I'm not back?" She whispered to the fierce-eyed Maze.
"Man, your job sucks. Yeah, whatever, I'll take her." Maze grunted in reply before pulling the covers back over her.
Pulling out of the driveway, she dialled Lucifer's number, praying he would pick up.
"Detective, are you aware of what time it is?" An annoyed British mumble sounded through the car speakers.
"CTU needs us. Now. You know the address?" She stated, disregarding his complaints.
"CTU?" The screams of Nina Myers echoed in his mind. Worry struck Lucifer. If he had to interrogate someone as stubborn as her, it was certainly going to prove difficult without his devil face.
"Detective, I-I don't have my devil face, I'm not sure how useful I'm going to be." He admitted.
"Lucifer, there's no time for your devil act, just get down there, will you?"
Not wanting to irritate the clearly worried and sleep-deprived detective, he sighed. "Right then. I'll be there faster than you can say 'nuclear bomb'."
Chloe rolled her eyes, as she hung up and sped towards the office.
---
Nina was led to the interrogation room with a smug smile on her face. Other employees were astounded as they stared at her, after all, to say that Nina Myers had a reputation at CTU was a gross understatement. With no Chloe or Lucifer in sight, Tony knew he would have to start interrogating her. Opening the door to the dark vestibule, he saw Michelle and another agent had finished setting up the monitors to Nina's vitals, an expression of discomfort painting her face. Michelle and Nina hadn't ever worked at CTU simultaneously, so why was she uncomfortable?
"Richard Johnson is getting his needles ready, if she's not willing to cooperate, he should be here soon." Michelle said, avoiding Tony's gaze.
Tony walked into the desolate interrogation room. Just a table, some chairs, and a self-satisfied bitch at its centre.
"Tony. Didn't know I was gonna see you today." She smirked.
"You know what we want. We need to find Michael Amador before he unloads the virus."
"I've already told Jack everything I know." Nina replied, coolly.
"Well I want you to tell me." Tony demanded.
"First Jack, now you. Hm, what does that remind me of?" Nina said coyly, so daring as to look Tony in the eyes.
How could he have been so stupid, of course Michelle would be uncomfortable with him interrogating Nina, he realised. She knew that Nina's strategy would be to bring up their romantic history. Tony wouldn't let that sway him, no matter how piercing those arctic eyes were, and how much they reminded him of the relationship that could've been.
---
The guard led Chloe quickly across the hall, past the dozens of frenzied agents at their computers. Obviously there was some kind of imminent threat, she thought. Walking into a dark room, she saw a curly-haired woman and a man that was not Tony listening in to the next room. Her heart stopped when she looked into the interrogation room. In what definitely wasn't a prison uniform, there sat Nina Myers. It seems she got that presidential pardon after all, Chloe realised. Sitting across from her was a distraught Tony Almeida. His skin was slightly sallow, dark circles prominent. Chloe noticed the bandage on his neck. Crimson blood was beginning to seep through.
Michelle spun around, lowering her headpiece, tilting her head to the side in confusion.
"I'm, uh, Detective Chloe Decker, I was called here by Tony Almeida?" Chloe greeted the woman, nervously.
Michelle vaguely recalled a blonde woman at CTU the last time Nina Myers was held there. At the time, she was just working on the floor, but from what Tony told her later, it seemed that that woman and whoever she was with managed to obtain critical information from Nina. Tony must have called her in once he knew Nina would be here. But where was her partner?
"Oh, right. Agent Michelle Dessler. Look, there's no time to debrief, but we need you to make Nina tell us all the information she has about Marcus Alvers. We'll send in Richard Johnson with you, he'll be administering pain injections to speed things along." Michelle shook her head, informing the detective.
---
Tony's interrogation had been fruitless. All she had done was make snide remarks about him and his wedding ring, and the only new information he had obtained was that she had probably slept with Marcus Alvers at some point. He was still annoyed at how ignorant he had been about Michelle, but suppressing those emotions was no longer possible.
"Your neck is bleeding." Nina stated calmly. Placing a hand to his neck, Tony felt moisture against his fingertips, and walked out of the room promptly.
He was relieved to see Chloe, but wondered where Lucifer was.
"Hi Chloe, thanks for coming, where's, uh, Lucifer? I thought you lived togeth-" He asked, wincing as he pressed the blood back into the gauze.
Chloe's and Michelle's eyes widened at the sight of him. "He's coming, his house is a little further away, shouldn't be more than another five minutes." She replied shakily, not processing what Tony had implied about their relationship. "Are you okay Tony?"
"Yeah, yeah. Just need to change the bandage, you can go straight in." He dismissed their concerns and slammed the door behind him.
Chloe took a deep breath and opened the door, with the tall, silent man known as Richard Johnson following behind her. She had not expected to be personally interrogating Nina Myers today. Even though Trixie's kidnapping had been years ago, it was hard to look this woman in the eyes and not recall everything she'd read in the file. But Chloe had a responsibility. When duty called, all of her personal gripes had to be cast aside.
"Hello Nina. It's my understanding you've got some information on Marcus Alvers that you'd like to share with us?" Chloe introduced herself.
"Haven't seen you before, blondie. Is poor Tony too tired to keep asking me questions?" Nina pursed her lips, mockingly.
Chloe shook her head, as she leaned against the cold, concrete wall. "Stop stalling. You've been here long enough. What do you know about Marcus Alvers?"
"I've told Jack and Tony everything I know, do I really need to repeat myself?" Nina snapped.
Michelle's voice appeared through Chloe's ear piece. "We know there's something she's not telling us, keep at it."
"No that won't be necessary. What do you want CTU to offer you in return for whatever you're holding back?" Chloe inquired.
"Hm, let's see. I have presidential pardon, the satisfaction of still being able to toy with Jack Bauer and Tony Almeida's hearts after everything I did to them. Oh, but I did just lose several million dollars, and unless a drug cartel rises from the dead, I probably won't be getting it any time soon." Nina stated matter-of-factly.
Chloe's blood was beginning to boil, it was one thing to read a description of her or watch a video of her, it was another to have this woman in all her wickedness look her in the eyes and demand whatever she pleased without missing a beat. She sighed again, she couldn't lose her composure now. Johnson started injecting a large, horror-movie resembling needle into Nina's neck. They didn't have anything this dangerous at the precinct, Chloe thought. After all, when a witness wouldn't talk, providing them with legal counsel was the procedure that followed. The most unorthodox interrogations had normally involved Lucifer, but still, he'd only rough them up a bit, never like this. She hoped he'd be here soon.
"Nina. I've had enough. What. Do. You. Know. About. Marcus. Alvers?" She slammed her hand on the table and bent to face Nina, hoping to exude some confidence. Nina sat silently, staring doll-like at the detective. She didn't even flinch as Johnson pushing the syringe into her slim neck once again.
"How can you sit here so self-righteously? After everything you've done, you're still trying to cut a deal, play some angle, and for what? Money? Power? CTU won't be letting you out, again, you do know that right? How long are you going to do this?!" Chloe raised her voice, withdrawing her gun from her pocket, trying her hardest not to tremble as she pointed at the woman's upper body.
"Sweetie, we both know you won't do anything with that." Nina smiled condescendingly, her voice sweetly dripping with venom.
Chloe clicked the safety off.
---
Lucifer parked the Corvette and strode towards the office.
Opening the interrogation room doors, he saw Tony Almeida, a petite woman, and one other male agent staring intently through the glass. Tony turned as he heard the door open, sighing with relief to see the taller man. He was slightly jealous that the man could look so put-together in a designer suit with less than an hour's notice.
"Your partner is already in there, there's no time to debrief you, but this shouldn't be too hard, it's Nina Myers after all." He shook Lucifer's hand.
Lucifer raised his eyebrows, as he now had full visibility of the glass. He could see a man holding a needle, Nina sitting in a chair, and the Detective, who looked as if she were shouting.
"Detective..." He said, softly but full of worry. Before Tony could say anything more, they were both shocked to see the blonde woman pull out a gun and point it at Nina.
Opening the door with a bang, the two men strolled in.
"Detective!" Lucifer shouted, his eyes flaring a fiery orange.
Michelle swore she could see a faint glow in the glass' reflection but ignored it as she prepared to take action.
Chloe turned around, her eyes fretting, fingers twitching as she lowered the gun.
Nina froze, gasping at the sight of someone she never wanted to see again. "I-I think I've had enough." She barely whispered, leaning forward to gain momentum before swinging her head back, jamming her neck into Johnson's needle, and screaming in pain.
Chloe cupped a hand over her mouth, holstering her pistol with the other. Lucifer instinctively grabbed Chloe, and stood in front to protect her, as Tony rushed over and started pressing into Nina's wound, blood from the artery spurting onto his face.
"Michelle, call medical!" He shouted into the open door. The security guards came in to usher the two guests out, where they were guided to an upstairs office and instructed to stay put.
---
They sat and waited for what felt like hours. Lucifer had taken to snooping around the office as a boredom killer. He held up a photo frame, showing it to the Detective. It depicted Tony in a tuxedo kissing a woman with curly hair in a simple, white gown. Chloe deduced they were in Tony's office, and that he was married. Come to think of it, she did notice a silver wedding band on his finger, but who was his wife? The photo was taken from behind, Chloe couldn't see any distinctive features, other than her hair.
"Lucifer, stop sneaking around, I'm sure someone will be here soon." She said, weakly.
Lucifer could feel Chloe shaking as he placed a gentle hand on her thigh.
"Detective, you were very brave in there." Lucifer broke the silence.
"I lost my temper, that was unprofessional of me. Duty called and I was too emotional. God, this is going to look so bad when it goes on paper." She replied, glumly.
"You didn't hurt her. Nina's insistence on creating a fountain display out of her artery was her own doing." He reassured her.
Chloe couldn't help but giggle at Lucifer's attempt at dark humour. She was so glad to have him as her partner.
Their light-hearted moment was interrupted by sirens and an announcement over the PA, "Nina Myers is loose in the building."
Chloe and Lucifer looked at each other, scared. She leaned into his embrace, crying softly, while trying to slow her breathing. Seconds later, Chloe's police instincts kicked in, as she faintly heard gunshots beneath her.
She could only hope that Nina wasn't pulling the trigger.
Chloe had still managed to come home in time to take Trixie to school before heading to the precinct. She was exhausted, and fairly sure nobody knew what had transpired earlier that morning. But nonetheless, she slipped back into her daily routine. Conditions were still hectic around the office, with several officers being called out to monitor quarantine zones. While the press hadn't said much, Chloe realised that Nina was probably connected to it.
At one point, she had to go down to the holding cells to get a follow-up statement from a murderer that had just been convicted. After getting the information she needed, Chloe turned around and began to traverse the long corridor back out, halting in her tracks when she saw a familiar face being escorted into a vacant cell.
---
After confirmation that all the virus vials had been found, and that he was no longer needed, Tony was taken to the LAPD for processing. He was numb and weary after everything that had happened, and still angry at the treatment he was getting for making an impossible choice. He had played such a vital rule in stopping Stephen Saunders, and yes, he had made some calls that prioritised his personal life over his job, which he knew were wrong. But nobody seemed to consider that had they been in such a situation, they probably would have made the same decision. Of course, everybody compared him to Jack. It was always Jack this and Jack that, but he never got the same judgement, or in this case, punishment. While they were similar in many ways, a striking difference was their level of emotional investment. Jack was cold, brutal even, which made him good at his job, but Tony knew he still had soft spots, like his daughter. In Tony's case, it was Michelle. He never thought for a second that being married and working at CTU would have this kind of consequence.
Sitting on the cold, hard bench, he stared blankly at his reflection in the filthy cell mirror. He noticed the rings of purple beneath his eyes, dishevelled hair, even a spot of Nina's dried blood that he must have missed when he had hastily cleaned up earlier. Tony hadn't been given a chance to freshen up, he was still in the same clothes from the hospital.
He could hear the clicks of a woman's heels down the hallway, he paid them no mind as they came to a sudden stop.
"Tony?" A known female voice inquired.
---
The man looked up, smiling weakly. "Oh, hi Chloe. Guess I shouldn't be surprised to see you here."
"I don't understand. Why are yo-" Chloe could faintly smell gunpowder and dried blood, she guessed he hadn't been able to shower.
"Well apparently when you decide to save your wife's life by letting a terrorist escape, it's considered treason, even if you still manage to catch him in the end anyway." He cut her off, before exhaling. "Sorry."
"Treason?" Chloe gasped, knowing that he could potentially be punished capitally.
He nodded. "I'm meant to be at Federal now, but because they're still cleaning up all the virus outbreaks, they dumped me here for the next couple of hours."
She looked at the man solemnly, "I'm so sorry to hear about this. It's wrong. You put your life on the line and you're being punished instead. Look, i-is there anything I can do? Anyone to call, or, do you need a lawyer?"
"Actually, I know you might not necessarily be back in time, but if you could check on my wife after she finishes work, it would give me some peace of mind." He admitted.
"Of course. What's your wife's name?"
---
The rest of the work day had been absolute hell for Michelle, what with everybody staring at her, probably thinking 'she's the reason Almeida's going to jail'. She had been interrogated about her kidnapping, but not offered much sympathy, seeing as she was fortunate enough to not have been infected by the virus. She spends the day mindlessly working on all of the paperwork that follows a major terrorist threat, habitually glancing to Tony's office, only to see it vacant. 6pm arrived, and she left. Michelle and Tony would often compete with each other to stay late and see who could get more work done, before they'd go home and eat takeout together. It was something of a tradition, their competitiveness and drive being some of the reasons they were so compatible. But not anymore.
Shutting the front door behind her and switching on the light, she was finally able to release her pent-up feelings. Feeling like an irrationally hormonal teenager, she threw her briefcase onto the couch, before sinking against the wall, crying hysterically. The house felt so empty without Tony. All of this was wrong. He risked everything, and just because he chose to save her life in a panic, it suddenly made him an awful human being. Just hours ago, they had been reunited after the hostage exchange, holding each other tightly. In his grasp, she knew everything was going to be okay. Then as soon as they made it back, she had to kiss him goodbye once more.
Michelle sat there for what felt like eternity, before wiping her tears with her sleeve and standing up. The rational part of her brain kicked in. Despite her heart screaming out in unjustness, she knew that when duty called, sacrifices had to be made. Besides, Tony wasn't gone forever, they'd get him a good lawyer and figure something out. They always did. She walked to and opened the fridge to start putting together a miserable sandwich that would satisfy her hunger. What she didn't expect, nor really want to hear, was a knock at the door.
---
"Hey Lucifer, can I, uh, talk to you for a minute?" Chloe asked her partner quietly, returning to her desk.
"Of course, Detective." He sensed anxiety in her voice, as they walked to an empty conference room, before she closed the door.
"I just saw Tony Almeida in custody." She suspired.
"What?"
"Yeah, I know. Apparently, after we left, there had been a major terrorist threat, and get this, because Tony chose to momentarily let the terrorist go to save his wife, he's going to be tried for treason." Chloe explained, exasperated. "Do you...do you mind coming with me to visit his wife tonight? It'll be about 6:30pm?"
"Not at all Detective, you know LUX doesn't get going until about 9 anyways."
---
Driving down to the address Chloe had scrawled on a scrap piece of paper, the GPS informed Chloe it was only a few blocks more.
"His wife was that other agent?" Lucifer exclaimed.
"Yeah, Michelle Dessler, without her changing her surname, I guess it was pretty hard to tell."
They got out of the car and approached the modest-looking house. Chloe noticed a few lights were on, so she knew Michelle was at home. Knocking on the grey door, she heard the sound of feet shuffling escalate in volume.
---
Michelle sighed and walked slowly towards the door, wondering who it could possibly be at this hour. She checked her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her eyes didn't look too puffy. Good, she thought. It wouldn't be obvious that she had been crying.
The door creaked open, and she was confounded to see Chloe Decker and her partner, whom she'd forgotten the name of.
"Hi Michelle. I-I'm so sorry to bother you, I know you probably want to be alone right now. But, uh, I saw Tony for a bit today. They'd transferred him to LAPD holding for a little while, and when I asked him if he needed anything, he wanted me to check up on you." Chloe felt intrusive. "God, I'm so sorry for what's happened." She said after a beat.
Michelle smiled bittersweetly. He was still thinking about her even behind bars. "It's okay, I guess I could use a distraction for a little while. Please, come in." She gestured, leading them to an auburn sofa in the middle of a cozy, autumnal living room.
"Sorry, I've forgotten your name." Michelle admitted, looking at Lucifer.
"Lucifer Morningstar. I don't think we properly interacted before." He extended his hand towards her. She looked at him, taken aback in confusion at the absurdity of the man's name.
"What's happened to your husband is utterly ridiculous. I know punishment, and this is a stupid waste of a jail cell." Lucifer raised his voice in anger.
"I appreciate that, thank you, but unfortunately, they've got a perfectly good reason to lock him up, all we can hope for is a shorter sentence." Michelle regained her focus.
"Since it's still fairly early, I know a good prosecutor that I can try and get assigned to the case. Her name is Charlotte Richards, Lucifer knows her quite well, I'm sure she'd do everything she can to lighten his sentence." Chloe turned to Lucifer, who nodded in agreeance. "Also, have you thought about who's going to represent him? Sorry, I know this is probably a lot to deal with right now."
"Having a prosecutor who isn't stone cold would be wonderful, if you could make that happen. I haven't got anyone specific, but I know CTU gives us access to attorneys who can normally justify everything in the name of duty pretty well. Thank you for your offer though, it's very kind of you." Michelle smiled slightly, grateful for the generosity of these strangers.
"Also, I have a friend who's a warden at Federal. I might be able to get you some extra visitation rights, should it come to that?" Chloe offered.
"As nice as that would be, because we're both CTU agents it wouldn't reflect well on either of us, and it could be traced back to you. I wouldn't want your career being affected." Michelle explained, dejectedly.
"Oh, I see." Chloe could barely fathom how important career records were to these agents. She had always kept a clean record, and knew the consequences when people made mistakes. But mistakes at the LAPD precinct were nothing compared to mistakes at CTU.
"I still think this is a load of bollocks." Lucifer interjected unashamedly. "So because he decided to let a criminal escape, knowing full well that his agency was smart enough to catch him again, he's being called a traitor. What was he supposed to do, let you be the sacrificial lamb?" He pointed at Michelle.
"Yeah, pretty much. It's kinda in the CTU job description. Every agent is expendable." Michelle laughed darkly. "It's just rare that agents have to make that call for their own colleagues. Obviously, being his wife, Tony wasn't going to just let me die."
Chloe gazed at the woman in awe. Her heroic husband had just been placed in custody, and she's laughing it off as if it were inevitable.
"It's funny, technically we were both pretty well prepared to lose each other today. Just not like this." Michelle noted, as she gazed into the distance.
"What do you mean?" Chloe asked.
"Well, when I'd heard Tony had been shot in the neck, I immediately assumed the worst. That's the only way to do this job with a clear head, assume the worst. But he was lucky enough to get away with a vascular injury that let him go back to work within an hour after surgery. Then I went to the Chandler Plaza Hotel where a major outbreak of the virus was. We were quarantined in, and with people showing symptoms left and right, I was so sure I would be next. Tony would have been sitting in his office wondering how long I had to live. But hours passed and I never showed any sign of infection. My blood was tested, and I was fortunate enough to be immune. I remember how happy he'd been to hear that when I told him over the phone. As I was leaving, I was taken hostage, and that's when the whole thing started."
Chloe and Lucifer's mouths fell open as Michelle recalled the events of the day like a simple anecdote. 'All in a day's work' had a very different meaning for non-CTU agents, she'd come to realise.
Michelle sighed. "This is my fault. I was too distracted by the good news about my blood test, if I had been more aware of my surroundings, I probably could have escaped."
Lucifer looked at her, warningly. "Ms. Dessler, there's no reason for you to feel guilty about being kidnapped. Believe me when I say holding onto unnecessary guilt will come back to haunt you if you aren't careful."
Somehow the seriousness in his brown eyes told Michelle he was right.
"Michelle, what do you desire?" Lucifer looked into her caramel eyes. Like the two other CTU personnel he'd asked, she showed a great deal of resistance before finally capitulating to his stare.
"I...I want to help people. That's why I took this job. I want to serve my country and protect innocent people from menacing acts of terrorism." She revealed, gaping her mouth open slightly before blinking and breaking the hold.
Chloe noticed the time, and decided they had invaded this woman's privacy enough. "Well I should probably let you get some rest, seeing as you haven't slept in over twenty-four hours. If you need anything let me know." She smiled, rising from the sofa.
"Thank you for coming, I appreciate it. Not every stranger would go visit a criminal's wife." Michelle replied sweetly.
"If you need any financial assistance while your husband's in jail, don't hesitate to come to LUX. Or any sexual favours for that mat-" Lucifer proposed, before Chloe stomped on his foot to shut him up as they exited the house. "Kidding. Sort of." He checked her out one last time before turning to leave.
Michelle shook her head, laughing at the man's boldness. "I'll be fine, I'm sure, but thank you." A small part of her mind considered the offer, he was quite charming after all, but she quickly dissuaded that fantasy.
---
She was restless that night, Michelle still stuck to her side of the queen bed they shared, curled in a foetal position. She missed the sound of his breathing, the comfort that somebody else was there. The last time she had slept in an empty house was when she was single and in her small apartment downtown. But even then, it wasn't the best neighbourhood, so she was used to hearing noise during the night. Even after she had gotten married, if either of them were out for work, the other was always at CTU, helping them every step of the way. The absolute silence of her surroundings made her uneasy.
Michelle noticed Tony's CTU jacket draped across their sofa across the room. Funny, just two days ago she had asked him to put it away, annoyed about his habit of leaving laundry lying around. Swinging her legs off the side of the bed, she walked over and lifted it to her face. It wasn't very clean, but she could still faintly smell his cologne, the one she'd bought him for his birthday not that long ago. Pulling her arms through the sleeves, she noticed her dim reflection in the nearby mirror. Michelle smiled at how ridiculous she looked, his jacket swallowing her whole. But somehow, she felt better. Climbing back into bed, she could feel her breathing settle, as Michelle finally fell asleep.