Michelle mindlessly thumbed through all of her clothes. She wanted to look professional, but not uptight. Feminine, but not overtly sexy. Looking through an array of pantsuits, she decided those were a bit too conservative. A black skirt would have to do. Purple? No. Red? Definitely not today. Blue? Too bright. A green shirt? Didn't they say that was the color of intelligence? No, not green. She sighed and realized she was running out of time. She grabbed for a conservative, but form fitting black button up and simple black pumps. She pulled a delicate gold chain that adorned a single pearl around her neck and clasped it shut. She reached for the simple pearl studs on her dresser that matched the necklace and was pleased with herself. She had pull her hair into a low bun, but couldn't do anything to trap the loose curls popping out of place. Ever since she was a little girl her mane was uncontrollable. She could attempt to jerry-rig bobby pins to keep it more tame, but she had learned over time it wasn't worth it. She quickly applied a moderate amount of make up. Putting on one last swipe of nude lipstick, she knew this was as good as it was going to get this morning.

She was relieved she left extra early this morning when she saw the standstill traffic on the highway. One of the worst parts of living in LA was commuting anywhere. It seemed it always took at least 20 minutes to get even a few miles. She had grown up just outside the city and was used to it by now, but it never made it any easier to deal with.

When she entered CTU, she felt confident. She had given herself a pep talk on the twenty minute drive and realized she was indeed more than ready for this. She knew she was more than fit for the position and had an immaculate track record. She was getting settled with her security clearances and saw a familiar face approach her.

"Good morning, Michelle. I hope you're ready." George Mason was quirky. She had picked up on that immediately in her initial interview to transfer. He was one of those cut and dry types. She let out some uncomfortable laughter, not sure if he was actually being serious or not.

"Mr. Mason. Morning. I certainly am ready," she tersely responded. A small smirk came upon his face and she realized he was probably joking. Her cheeks got a bit flush, but she shook it off.

She made the rounds being introduced to people by George and was relieved that her new coworkers seemed more friendly than people at Division right out the gate. Not that it was hard. She was pleasantly surprised that many of her new coworkers dressed relatively casual, unlike everyone at Division. Michelle was grateful that she voted against the pantsuits earlier this morning.

After going through pleasantries and being shown to her new desk, the real work began quickly. Her eyes scanned the room and noticed she must have met most everyone by now. Her gaze landed on the empty desk situated directly across from hers. The chair was tucked in and some papers were scattered haphazardly. There was also an empty Chicago Cubs mug next to the computer. She assumed the occupant hadn't come in yet. Glancing at her watch, she realized it was already 9:20 in the morning. She brought her attention back to Mr. Mason who was hovering over her.

She was being briefed by George on a new situation when he cursed under his breath, "Fucking Almeida." She was slightly taken aback and looked up to where his gaze landed. A young man was quickly approaching them. He looked like he just woke up. His clothes were slightly wrinkled and his face had definitely not been shaved for a couple of days. He definitely had the brooding mysterious thing going for him.

"Thank you so much for gracing us with your presence, Tony." George rolled his eyes as he met Tony in front of Michelle's desk. She felt awkward for witnessing the exchange and tried to avert her eyes down to her screen.

"You're welcome." Michelle's eyes widened at his boldness. She couldn't help but find it to be slightly funny. She bit back a smile and looked up at the men. Was he really not going to offer a real excuse for being late? She tried to make out what he faintly grumbled to George.

George rolled his eyes, seemingly over it. "Anyway, this is the new IPM, Michelle Dessler. Michelle, this is Tony. Tony Almeida, newly appointed Chief of Staff. He's normally not this punctual." Both men turned to face her and she awkwardly shot up from her chair.

She shot her hand out and felt her cheeks burning as their palms met. "Uh, yeah. Hi. Nice to meet you. I forgot the new IPM was starting today." George let out an audible sigh and shook his head.

"I swear. You have selective hearing."

"Only with you," Tony instantly shot back. George rolled his eyes once more and sighed.

"Michelle, if you need anything you know where to find me." He left her station and headed back up the stairs to his office.

Tony and Michelle were left alone in awkward silence. Michelle suddenly felt unsure of herself for the first time since she had arrived this morning.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Tony. George updated me on the intel on Colombia. Let me know if you need anything else. I'm going to start diving into these satellite scans." She smiled, feeling embarrassed for no reason in particular and sat back down.

"Alright." He offered no smile back. Tony scratched at his stubble before walking off to his desk, which was directly across the bullpen from hers.

Michelle tried to regain her composure and shook of her thoughts. His welcome was definitely the most chilly of the day, but she chalked it up to the fact that he was clearly having a rough morning. Hopefully he wasn't always like this.