Blind Faith, Chapter 1
PG-13 for language
Tony/Michelle
Tony sucked in a deep breath and then screamed at the top of his lungs.
The pain was unbearable. His skin felt like it was melting, sliding off his bones piece by piece. He squeezed his eyes harder, his voice dying down but still crying out when he made any kind of move. His hands trembled violently as he moved them toward his face. It was raining and the water felt like pinpricks all over his body. He rubbed at his eyes and tried to open them but they burned along with his skin.
“Hurts like hell doesn’t it?” Tony heard a chuckle. “I guess that’s an ironic statement if there’s ever been one.” He tried again to open his eyes and this time he could make out a blurry outline. It didn’t matter, though. He knew exactly who, rather what, it was.
“Wha...what did you do to me?” Tony wrapped his arms around himself. It was dark, nighttime he believed, and the rain was warm but he couldn’t stop shivering. Being naked probably had something to do with it.
“I did as we agreed. I brought you back. Not my fault it happens this way. I didn’t make the rules.” Lucifer glanced up. Tony still squinted but after blinking a few times, things were starting to clear. He watched the demon take a drag from his cigarette, his pristine white suit staying dry in the rain. Water ran into Tony’s eyes and he shifted toward the wall behind him, leaned against it on one hand. “Why--” He didn’t get to finish speaking. A strong spike of nausea hit him and he doubled over, landing on his hands and knees, retching.
Lucifer watched the mortal empty his stomach on the ground of the alley. He made a disgusted face and took another drag. “It’ll pass. The trip does a doozy on the senses.”
Tony tried to look around but shut his eyes quickly. “Why am I so dizzy?”
Lucifer laughed. “I just brought your ass back from hell. Did you think you’d be flying first class?” The demon watched the steam rise off of Tony’s body. He looked him over from head to toe. “I can see why she married you.” Tony glared at him and the demon laughed again, averting his eyes as he continued to smoke. Tony eventually noticed the cigarette never got any shorter.
Spitting down onto the alley, Tony used the wall to hoist himself back to his feet. He felt stronger, the pain receding slowly but not as sharp. He looked down at himself. “So ya want me to do this job naked?” Lucifer placed the cigarette between his lips and raised one hand toward Tony. His other hand snapped it’s fingers and Tony sucked in a breath in pain. The material scraping against his raw skin made him shut his eyes again. Once the pain passed he opened his eyes and ran his hands over the clothes the demon had summoned. A black shirt, jeans and a dark leather jacket. He pulled his hand away from the jacket and noticed it was dry.
“Why aren’t I gettin’ wet?” He continued to stare at his hand, flipping it front to back.
“I told you I’d give you whatever resources you needed to complete my mission and yours. Think of this as a little gift. You can’t be touched by evil and not change. You’ll notice a few...improvements to yourself.” Tony cut his eyes at the demon, then continued to look over himself. He couldn’t see anything else that was different till he brought his hand up to his head. Running his palm back and forth over his shaved head, the thin layer of coverage tickled his skin.
“What the fuck didya do to my hair?”
Lucifer flicked his cigarette; the ashes floating slowly to the alley below. “Oh, yeah, that. I wish I could say it was because of some supernatural whatnot but really, I thought you looked better this way. More dangerous.” He smiled and Tony shuddered. He looked around. The alley was filthy.
“Where’s Michelle?”
The demon smirked and looked at his wrist, even though he wasn’t wearing a watch. “She should be arriving right...about...now.”
The sudden burst of light was blinding and Tony raised his arm to shield his eyes. After a few seconds, it dulled enough for him to look again. He stopped breathing and didn’t dare blink. Nothing to interrupt his absorption that was everything about her. It felt like he hadn’t seen her in forever even though he’d been told they’d only been dead two years.
She floated there in front of him, also as naked as he had been. Lucifer stood on the other side of her, not hiding the fact that he liked what he saw. “I damn sure know why you married her.” Tony growled but the demon just smiled.
“Why isn’t she steaming? Or in pain like I was?” Tony reached out and touched her arm. She was soft and warm and Michelle. His fingers wrapped around her forearm and he tugged just slightly but it was enough to move her in the air closer to him.
Lucifer watched as Tony wrapped his arms around his wife, breaking the suspension and helping to lay her down. He took a drag. “She didn’t come from hell. I had to pull her from someplace else.”
Tony gently laid her head back against the alley floor. Unlike them, she was getting soaked. He pulled his jacket off and covered her upper torso. He looked back at the demon. “Whatdya mean? She died that day, too.”
“Yeah but her heart doesn’t resemble yours. Don’t get me wrong. Your love for her is pure, but that’s all that’s pure about you Almeida. It wasn’t an accident that you ended up a sniper. She wasn’t headed to the same place as you. In fact, because of you I had to pull her out of limbo.”
Tony turned back to Michelle. “I don’t understand.”
“She was heading upstairs. It had already been written. But you guys, well ‘connected at the hip’ doesn’t begin to cover it. Her soul is tied to yours and vice versa. But the rules for below differ from the rules of above. There is no rule about going to hell when your soul belongs to another. It’s just another way to torture you for all eternity. But for her, well she couldn’t enter heaven still attached to you. It’s not permitted. So she was sent into limbo. That’s where she would have stayed since her soul refused to let go of you.”
Tony didn’t say anything, just continued to stare at his wife. Lucifer was loving this; the feel of Almeida’s pain was exquisite. “I guess you could say your love was cursed. She’ll never know paradise.”
Tony ran his fingers through the hair at her temple pulling the wet strands back away from her face. “You didn’t tell me about that. I asked you if there were any loopholes.” He turned around and Lucifer loved the angry look on his face. “You fucking lied to me! I would never...I didn’t want this for her!”
Lucifer’s image shifted for a split second and Tony saw his other form. “Who are you trying to convince, Almeida? Don’t sit there and tell me you didn’t want her back. Did you honestly think she was damaged like you? Look at her. Why do you think you’re drawn to her? You knew damn well you weren’t good enough for her.” The demon knew he’d hit his mark. Tony still stared back at him in anger but it was laced with guilt.
Tony looked back down at Michelle. “Are ya gonna give her some clothes? Or is that too much to ask?”
Lucifer chose to ignore his tone and snapped his fingers again. T-shirt, jeans and jacket appeared on her and Tony pulled his jacket back on. He raised her up and rest her head against his shoulder. “Why isn’t she wakin’ up?” He laid a hand against her cheek, still amazed he was holding her again.
“Well I said I’d return her to you as she was before she died. This is it.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Tony grit his teeth as he spoke, his patience with the demon running out quick.
Lucifer lifted his hand and slowly ran it in the air along Michelle’s form. “Looks like she was knocked unconscious by the blast.” When his hand made a second pass around her head, he smiled evilly. “And she’s blind.”
“What?!” Tony set Michelle back down as carefully as he could then advanced on the demon. He had moved into Lucifer’s personal space but the demon just kept on smoking. “You tricked me! You fucking tricked me!” The demon laughed in his face and it was all Tony could do to keep from choking on the smoke that escaped as he did.
“It’s not my fault you’re dumber than you look. I told you exactly what would happen. I didn’t blind her, that’s how she was before she died! You didn’t ask for specifics. All you cared about was getting her back. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself.”
Tony never moved, just continued panting in his face.
“And now, because of you, she’ll never find peace.” Lucifer took a drag and blew the smoke deliberately in Almeida’s face. “I never would have been able to make this deal if you didn’t truly want it. So get the fuck out of my face.”
Tony raised his fist, ready to strike the demon but he startled at the loud shriek that came from behind him. He turned and dropped to his knees beside Michelle, wrapping his arms around her trying to calm her down. “Baby, shh. It’s me. It’s Tony.”
Michelle whimpered and grasped his arms so tight that Tony winced from the pain. She buried her face into his shoulder, sobbing.
Lucifer flicked his cigarette to the ground. “As much as I love this touching scene, we still have business Almeida.”
Tony cradled Michelle close. She still hadn’t said anything, just continued crying into his neck. He ran his hand up and down her back. “Yeah...yeah I remember.” He kissed the top of her head. “Who? Who do I have to kill?”
Lucifer squatted down beside Tony and pulled a small 3x5 picture out of the air. He held it up and smirked when Tony’s breathing stopped and his eyes went wide.
“I believe you are familiar with Jack Bauer.”
Tony/Michelle
Tony sucked in a deep breath and then screamed at the top of his lungs.
The pain was unbearable. His skin felt like it was melting, sliding off his bones piece by piece. He squeezed his eyes harder, his voice dying down but still crying out when he made any kind of move. His hands trembled violently as he moved them toward his face. It was raining and the water felt like pinpricks all over his body. He rubbed at his eyes and tried to open them but they burned along with his skin.
“Hurts like hell doesn’t it?” Tony heard a chuckle. “I guess that’s an ironic statement if there’s ever been one.” He tried again to open his eyes and this time he could make out a blurry outline. It didn’t matter, though. He knew exactly who, rather what, it was.
“Wha...what did you do to me?” Tony wrapped his arms around himself. It was dark, nighttime he believed, and the rain was warm but he couldn’t stop shivering. Being naked probably had something to do with it.
“I did as we agreed. I brought you back. Not my fault it happens this way. I didn’t make the rules.” Lucifer glanced up. Tony still squinted but after blinking a few times, things were starting to clear. He watched the demon take a drag from his cigarette, his pristine white suit staying dry in the rain. Water ran into Tony’s eyes and he shifted toward the wall behind him, leaned against it on one hand. “Why--” He didn’t get to finish speaking. A strong spike of nausea hit him and he doubled over, landing on his hands and knees, retching.
Lucifer watched the mortal empty his stomach on the ground of the alley. He made a disgusted face and took another drag. “It’ll pass. The trip does a doozy on the senses.”
Tony tried to look around but shut his eyes quickly. “Why am I so dizzy?”
Lucifer laughed. “I just brought your ass back from hell. Did you think you’d be flying first class?” The demon watched the steam rise off of Tony’s body. He looked him over from head to toe. “I can see why she married you.” Tony glared at him and the demon laughed again, averting his eyes as he continued to smoke. Tony eventually noticed the cigarette never got any shorter.
Spitting down onto the alley, Tony used the wall to hoist himself back to his feet. He felt stronger, the pain receding slowly but not as sharp. He looked down at himself. “So ya want me to do this job naked?” Lucifer placed the cigarette between his lips and raised one hand toward Tony. His other hand snapped it’s fingers and Tony sucked in a breath in pain. The material scraping against his raw skin made him shut his eyes again. Once the pain passed he opened his eyes and ran his hands over the clothes the demon had summoned. A black shirt, jeans and a dark leather jacket. He pulled his hand away from the jacket and noticed it was dry.
“Why aren’t I gettin’ wet?” He continued to stare at his hand, flipping it front to back.
“I told you I’d give you whatever resources you needed to complete my mission and yours. Think of this as a little gift. You can’t be touched by evil and not change. You’ll notice a few...improvements to yourself.” Tony cut his eyes at the demon, then continued to look over himself. He couldn’t see anything else that was different till he brought his hand up to his head. Running his palm back and forth over his shaved head, the thin layer of coverage tickled his skin.
“What the fuck didya do to my hair?”
Lucifer flicked his cigarette; the ashes floating slowly to the alley below. “Oh, yeah, that. I wish I could say it was because of some supernatural whatnot but really, I thought you looked better this way. More dangerous.” He smiled and Tony shuddered. He looked around. The alley was filthy.
“Where’s Michelle?”
The demon smirked and looked at his wrist, even though he wasn’t wearing a watch. “She should be arriving right...about...now.”
The sudden burst of light was blinding and Tony raised his arm to shield his eyes. After a few seconds, it dulled enough for him to look again. He stopped breathing and didn’t dare blink. Nothing to interrupt his absorption that was everything about her. It felt like he hadn’t seen her in forever even though he’d been told they’d only been dead two years.
She floated there in front of him, also as naked as he had been. Lucifer stood on the other side of her, not hiding the fact that he liked what he saw. “I damn sure know why you married her.” Tony growled but the demon just smiled.
“Why isn’t she steaming? Or in pain like I was?” Tony reached out and touched her arm. She was soft and warm and Michelle. His fingers wrapped around her forearm and he tugged just slightly but it was enough to move her in the air closer to him.
Lucifer watched as Tony wrapped his arms around his wife, breaking the suspension and helping to lay her down. He took a drag. “She didn’t come from hell. I had to pull her from someplace else.”
Tony gently laid her head back against the alley floor. Unlike them, she was getting soaked. He pulled his jacket off and covered her upper torso. He looked back at the demon. “Whatdya mean? She died that day, too.”
“Yeah but her heart doesn’t resemble yours. Don’t get me wrong. Your love for her is pure, but that’s all that’s pure about you Almeida. It wasn’t an accident that you ended up a sniper. She wasn’t headed to the same place as you. In fact, because of you I had to pull her out of limbo.”
Tony turned back to Michelle. “I don’t understand.”
“She was heading upstairs. It had already been written. But you guys, well ‘connected at the hip’ doesn’t begin to cover it. Her soul is tied to yours and vice versa. But the rules for below differ from the rules of above. There is no rule about going to hell when your soul belongs to another. It’s just another way to torture you for all eternity. But for her, well she couldn’t enter heaven still attached to you. It’s not permitted. So she was sent into limbo. That’s where she would have stayed since her soul refused to let go of you.”
Tony didn’t say anything, just continued to stare at his wife. Lucifer was loving this; the feel of Almeida’s pain was exquisite. “I guess you could say your love was cursed. She’ll never know paradise.”
Tony ran his fingers through the hair at her temple pulling the wet strands back away from her face. “You didn’t tell me about that. I asked you if there were any loopholes.” He turned around and Lucifer loved the angry look on his face. “You fucking lied to me! I would never...I didn’t want this for her!”
Lucifer’s image shifted for a split second and Tony saw his other form. “Who are you trying to convince, Almeida? Don’t sit there and tell me you didn’t want her back. Did you honestly think she was damaged like you? Look at her. Why do you think you’re drawn to her? You knew damn well you weren’t good enough for her.” The demon knew he’d hit his mark. Tony still stared back at him in anger but it was laced with guilt.
Tony looked back down at Michelle. “Are ya gonna give her some clothes? Or is that too much to ask?”
Lucifer chose to ignore his tone and snapped his fingers again. T-shirt, jeans and jacket appeared on her and Tony pulled his jacket back on. He raised her up and rest her head against his shoulder. “Why isn’t she wakin’ up?” He laid a hand against her cheek, still amazed he was holding her again.
“Well I said I’d return her to you as she was before she died. This is it.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Tony grit his teeth as he spoke, his patience with the demon running out quick.
Lucifer lifted his hand and slowly ran it in the air along Michelle’s form. “Looks like she was knocked unconscious by the blast.” When his hand made a second pass around her head, he smiled evilly. “And she’s blind.”
“What?!” Tony set Michelle back down as carefully as he could then advanced on the demon. He had moved into Lucifer’s personal space but the demon just kept on smoking. “You tricked me! You fucking tricked me!” The demon laughed in his face and it was all Tony could do to keep from choking on the smoke that escaped as he did.
“It’s not my fault you’re dumber than you look. I told you exactly what would happen. I didn’t blind her, that’s how she was before she died! You didn’t ask for specifics. All you cared about was getting her back. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself.”
Tony never moved, just continued panting in his face.
“And now, because of you, she’ll never find peace.” Lucifer took a drag and blew the smoke deliberately in Almeida’s face. “I never would have been able to make this deal if you didn’t truly want it. So get the fuck out of my face.”
Tony raised his fist, ready to strike the demon but he startled at the loud shriek that came from behind him. He turned and dropped to his knees beside Michelle, wrapping his arms around her trying to calm her down. “Baby, shh. It’s me. It’s Tony.”
Michelle whimpered and grasped his arms so tight that Tony winced from the pain. She buried her face into his shoulder, sobbing.
Lucifer flicked his cigarette to the ground. “As much as I love this touching scene, we still have business Almeida.”
Tony cradled Michelle close. She still hadn’t said anything, just continued crying into his neck. He ran his hand up and down her back. “Yeah...yeah I remember.” He kissed the top of her head. “Who? Who do I have to kill?”
Lucifer squatted down beside Tony and pulled a small 3x5 picture out of the air. He held it up and smirked when Tony’s breathing stopped and his eyes went wide.
“I believe you are familiar with Jack Bauer.”