geeky_agent | (no subject)

Current Mood: hot

(no subject)

June 28th, 2011

Parking only put her a block away from the restaurant and she idly fanned herself with the flyer someone had just handed to her. Maybe she was getting used to the weather or maybe it's that the summers in NYC were hotter but the heat didn't seem so bad.

Out of the corner of her eye, she catches sight of a man just a little taller than her, average build and dark blond hair and she feels her heart stop. Thrown off course, she cranes her neck and follows him a few steps. Chris is almost about to call out to him when he turns.

It's not him.

And she can't help but feel disappointed even though she's been through the similar several times in the past few days. Ever since that unexpected meeting, she can't help but hope she'll run into Jack again. Or that the door to Milliways would appear.

Sighing, she crosses the street and heads towards the restaurant.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

This is true.

"Yeah. Early afternoon is best."

Michelle thinks briefly about her schedule.

"Around 1?"

"That works. Got any place in mind?"

She nods, "The place where I bought Tony's gun, they have a pretty good set-up."

The waiter comes by, placing two glasses of wine in front of them. Chris takes a sip of hers, then asks, "Do you ever miss CTU?"

Michelle thanks the waiter and picks up the glass. She takes a sip before answering. The house white isn't terrible.

"Yes, although I know I probably shouldn't."

"I don't think I'm in any room to judge you there," Chris says wryly.

"I really should think about CTU and only be able to remember the terrible things that happen but instead I remember all the people we helped too."

Nodding, Chris adds, "And other work just doesn't seem as important." She knew it was an ego thing, she could readily admit that, but it was also about fulfillment.

"My last job paid well, the people were nice. Easy commute. But I just didn't have any sense of what I was doing or what I'd accomplished at the end of the day other than keeping the systems running."

"It doesn't," Michelle agrees. She takes another sip of wine.

"Our company's profitable, which is a miracle, but sometimes I miss the rush."

"How did Tony feel about leaving CTU?"

"It was his idea," she reminds her. "Tony likes that we're safe and able to live our lives."

Chris is quiet at that, taking a sip of her wine.

"Well," she says finally. "It's not like CTU is the only way to do something." It was an argument her uncle had made when she told him she was going back.

"True, but I've always been better at preventing than helping."

Chris quirks an eyebrow. "I think that would be in-demand. Everyone wants to help when a disaster hits but before then, it's hard to get people involved."

Her time in the Army and with CTU had convinced her of the old adage, "a ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

"CTU was usually pretty good at stopping disasters."

"Yeah, it is." Usually.

She exhales softly, "It's a trade-off, I know that - I love Tony more than any job, but I did love the job too."

"CTU's not the best place to work if you want a balanced life - relationships, family," Chris understates.

Michelle takes another sip, "Speaking of relationships," she cautiously starts.

"I'm taking a break from those for a while."

"You've already been on a break for a while," she says after a few moments.

Chris sighs. "Not...that long."

"At least a few months."

"Yeah. Another sigh. "I had a ...really brief fling in February. After which I decided being single for a while might be a good idea."