Falling

Disclaimer: blah blah blah, I don't own 24 or any of it's characters.

Michelle stole a quick glace up from her work station towards Tony's office as she finished sending in her final report for the day. She allowed herself a slight grin as she watched him pace around his office, telephone firmly pressed to his ear. She could see his frustration as he flailed his arms about an yelled at whoever was on the other side of the receiver. 'He's so cute when he's mad' she thought to herself as she turned back towards her work station and leaned back in her chair, allowed herself to rest for the first time in the past 24 hours. Her mind stared to wander back to the kiss that they'd shared in the hallway. She closed her eyes as her smile grew bigger. She was jarred out of her daydream as she heard her phone ring.

She quickly reached down to pick it up. "Dessler."

"Hey." Her eyes lit up as she heard Tony's voice.

"Hey," she said as she swiveled in her chair and looked up toward his office to see him smiling down at her.

"Can I see you up in my office for a few minutes?"

"Sure thing, I'll be up in a just a sec." She set the phone back down and started to walk up the stairs to Tony's office. A million thoughts were rushing through her head as she slowly made her way up the steps. She took one deep breath, opened the door, and walked in.

"Hey," he said softly as she walked through the door. Tony stepped out from behind his desk as she walked over to him. He leaned back against the front of it. Michelle nervously walked up to him, stopping a foot or so short, unsure of what to do. Tony made everything so much easier as he reached and took her hands in his. She instantly melted into his arms, resting her left hand on his chest as she threw the other around his neck, holding him tightly as his arms slipped around her waist. Tony felt a single tear fall onto his shoulder as he rested his chin atop her head.

This day had been hard on both of them, and everyone at CTU for that matter. So many good people lost. The tears started slowing at a more consistent rate. Tony just stood there, holding her close as she cried.

"Tony?"

"Yes, sweetheart?" he said softly as she pulled her head back to look him in the eyes.

"Do you think I could go home with you? After all that's happened today... I just don't want to be alone tonight," she pleaded with a solemn desperation in her eyes. Tony's eyes lit up and he couldn't keep a smile from sweeping it's way onto his face.

"Michelle, nothing would make me happier," he said as he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He pulled back to wipe the tears away from her face. His eyes lit up as he saw the genuine smile on her face as she leaned in to kiss him again. He reached his hand up to cup the side of her face in his palm, but he heard the phone ring. He pulled back and let an exasperated sigh as he looked down at Michelle, rolling his eyes.

He reached down and picked up the receiver. "Almeida."

She could tell by the way his face fell that it was Chappelle on the phone. She gave him a mischievous grin as she slid her right hand under his shirt. He gave her a playful glare as she started kissing his neck. "So, do you need something, Ryan?" he asked, trying to keep his composure. He listened to Ryan for a moment and then Michelle felt his body start to tense and his playful glare was replaced by a real one as he glanced down into the bullpen. He ended the conversation short and slammed down the phone. "God dammit!" Tony exclaimed, frustrated.

"What is it?" Michelle asked, but Tony was already making his way across the office on his crutches.

"I can't believe that Ryan has the audacity to ask us to do our debriefings now," Tony said, Michelle close on his heels as they made their way down to conference room A.

Ryan looked from the stack of reports he was going through. "Ah, good. You gu–"

"Ryan, who in the hell do you think you are? We both–"

"You better remember who you're talking to Almeida," Ryan warned as Tony stormed into the conference room, Michelle close behind.

"For once in my life, I don't care. Michelle and I both have been on the clock for over 27 hours."

Ryan cut Tony off short, again. "Tony, you know as well as I do that it's protocol to debrief everyone directly after a crisis situation."

"Damnit Ryan, forget protocol! Try thinking about the people that have been busting their asses for you for the past 24 hours!" Ryan opened his mouth to respond but stopped himself. He looked out at the bullpen for a moment and then back at Tony and Michelle.

"Look, Division wants all of today's debriefings by 9:00 tonight. If I don't, it's my ass. Trust me, I don't feel good about any of this, but it has to be done." Tony nodded. Underneath it all he knew that Chappelle was a pretty decent guy, and he completely understood the pressures that Division tends to put on people. Ryan seemed to be running through something in his head and he finally voiced his thoughts. "Both of you were invaluable in today's investigation. I have no doubt in my mind that we would not have succeeded had it not been for the two of you. So, why don't you both go home, get some rest, and be back here at 6:00 for your debriefings?"

Tony nodded. "Thank you Ryan." The two shook hands and Michelle voiced her appreciation as well and they turned to exit the room.

"Wait, Tony. I still haven't gotten your final report yet."

"It's almost done. I can have it down to you in about half an hour," Tony said, kicking himself for not having that finished. They left and he followed Michelle over to her station. "Why don't you head on over to my place. I'll meet you over there as soon as I finish my report."

"I can just wait up in your office with you..."

"I know," he said with a smile, "and I would like that, but I think Chappelle would start to wonder why you were waiting around for me in my office. I'm just not quite ready for to know anything yet, sweetheart," he said as he handed her the key to his apartment from his key ring. She smiled and felt a slight flush as her cheeks turned the slightest shade of red as she heard him call her sweetheart.

"I guess you're right." She took the key from him and gave his hand a quick squeeze.

"Just make yourself at home and I'll be there as soon as I can. I'll stop and pick us up some breakfast on the way," Tony said as he typed his address into the GPS on Michelle's PDA.

"Alright," she said with a kind smile as he handed her PDA back to her. She gave his hand a quick squeeze, grabbed her bag and walked towards the hallway leading to the exit.

Tony let out a deep sigh as he watched her walk away. He made sure not to look too long so as not to draw any attention. He picked his crutches back up and made his way back up to his office. After what turned out to be close to 45 minutes he tossed his final report down on Ryan's desk. "Thank you, Tony," Chappelle said. He acted as if he was going to continue but before he could Tony turned his back and left. Tony made his way out to his car and pulled out of the parking lot. He stopped on the way and picked up some bagels and cream cheese.

Michelle ended up relaxing on the couch once she got to Tony's apartment. She initially was going to try and stay awake to wait on Tony but sleep eventually overcame her.

Tony opened the door to see Michelle asleep on the couch, but starting to stir. "Hey, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," Tony said as he walked over to the counter to put down the bagels.

"No, it's okay. I was trying to stay up and wait on you, but I guess I didn't quite make it," she said as she stood up and made her way over to where Tony was standing. She slipped her arms around his waist, leaning into his back. He put a bagel in the toaster for each of them and then he rotated in her arms, leaning against the counter as he wrapped his arms around her. She tightened her grip on him as she nuzzled her face into his chest.

"Oooh, you're warm," she said with a smile as he kissed the top of her head. She pulled her head back and stood on her tip toes to give him a kiss. Tony swiftly lifted her up in his arms, setting her down on the counter and maneuvering himself in front of her. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she wrapped her legs around his. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. His hands slowly trailed up and down her back, sending chills down her spine as he gently parted her lips with his tongue. The kiss began to deepen just as the toaster let out a ding, startling both of them.

Michelle jumped in his arms and they both let out a quiet laugh as they looked back into each others eyes. She smiled back at him, placing a hand on each side of his face. She leaned in and placed one more quick kiss on his lips before hopping off the counter and getting the bagels out of the toaster.

After they finished eating Michelle got up and walked over to Tony, sitting down in his lap. "I think I'm going to take a shower if that's okay," she said as she kissed his cheek.

"Sure, I'll see if I can find you some comfortable clothes to sleep in," he said as they got up and made their way into his bedroom. He walked over to his closet and rummaged through his things for a moment. "Will this work?" he asked, holding out a pair of his boxers and his favorite Cubs shirt.

"Perfect," she said with a smile. She took the clothes from him and made her way to the bathroom.

She turned on the water and began to undress. She couldn't help but smile. Here she was, in Tony Almeida's apartment! She still couldn't believe it. Today was a day she'd been dreaming about for the past year. She shook herself out of her reverie and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water cleanse her body.

Fifteen minutes later she stepped out of the shower and dried off. She smiled as she slid on Tony's boxers and t-shirt.

Tony walked over to his closet and stripped down to his boxers. He grabbed a pair of sweatpants and slipped into bed, waiting for Michelle. She came out about fifteen minutes later

She walked out of the bathroom to see Tony, shirtless on the bed. She let out a small gasp as she saw his body. He was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling, seemingly deep in thought. She smiled as she saw that he didn't hear her come out of the bathroom. "So, what are you thinking about?" she asked as she slid into bed next to him.

"You," he said with a smile as he reached out and stroked her cheek. They talked for about ten minutes and then Tony started to get up as he heard her yawn. "Alright, well I guess I'll let you get some sleep," he said as he leaned down to give her a kiss.

Michelle looked up at him, confused. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I was, uh, I was just going to sleep on the couch. I didn't know if--" She cut him off, with a smile that just about melted his heart.

"Tony, you're so sweet. But really, I want you to stay, here with me tonight. I just want to be in your arms," she said quietly as she tugged him back down on the bed by the waistband of his sweatpants. She let out a deep sigh as he wrapped his strong arms around her. For the first time today, she felt completely safe. She felt like there was nothing in the world that could destroy the moment. She curled her body up next to his, their legs intertwined as she rested her head on his chest. She gave him one last kiss before she slowly drifted off to sleep.