A/N: Alright, well this is simply another post-season two semi-fluffy Tochelle fic, focusing on the development of their relationship leading to Day 3. Sorry if it's cliche, but it'll be around a while. I live for reviews.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own 24. But you already knew that.

Chapter One – Beginnings

"So how about that date we talked about last week?" Tony Almeida, director of CTU Los Angeles, sat on the edge of Michelle Dessler's desk with a smile he'd saved for her. It had been one week – one chaotic week – since the nuclear bomb had gone off in the desert, George Mason going with it. Both Tony and Michelle had been promoted over the course of the week, Tony taking over George's position, and Michelle taking over Tony's. President Palmer was finally out of critical care and on his way back to Washington. Debris left from the CTU bombing had been cleared away. Things were finally starting to calm down at CTU, and for that, everyone seemed to be thankful.

Michelle cracked a small smile. "Are you sure that's the best idea?"

"Of course not," Tony replied with another grin, "But that hasn't stopped us from much the past week, now has it?"

Michelle laughed lightly, a sound Tony had grown fond of, but had not heard often enough recently. "No, it hasn't," Michelle conceded. "Not at all." She turned to him and smiled – they were both obviously thinking of the same memory taking place in a certain dark hallway…

"Then how about it?" he asked, looking slightly nervous, but trying to mask it with a smile of fake confidence.

Michelle saw through it, of course. She always did. She glanced around, making sure none of their colleagues were watching, then touched his hand gently. "What, you thought I could actually turn you down?"

Tony cracked a final grin, leaned in, and whispered in her ear, "So how about tomorrow after work?"

She nodded, casting him a final glance as he walked back up to his office. His phone rang, her computer beeped, and the pair got back to work.

The next day, work could not pass quickly enough.

Michelle found herself glancing up at Tony's office every few minutes, constantly sneaking a glimpse of him to see what he was doing. Well, more than she normally did, anyway. The day seemed to drag on forever; she could not wait for work to be over for the both of them. Michelle found herself walking up to Tony's office constantly to deliver information that could have easily been delivered over the phone. And it seemed that Tony liked it as much as she did – he was doing the exact same thing the entire day.

That evening Michelle met Tony at the entrance of CTU after work, around seven o'clock. They'd been lucky enough to get off work at a reasonable hour and were glad to have the chance to take advantage of it. Michelle took Tony's hand and asked, "So, where exactly are you taking me?"

"Dinner, of course," he replied smugly.

"And just where would that be?"

"You'll see."

Michelle smiled. "So you're one of those guys."

"What guys?"

Michelle raised an eyebrow. "The surprise type. Anyway, why should I even trust the mysterious man, who won't tell me where we're going, with a bunch of guns in the back of his trunk?" She gestured playfully to the trunk of his car as they climbed inside.

Tony quipped, "Maybe because you've got the same guns in your trunk, too."

"Point taken."

They drove for about twenty minutes, engaging in mild conversation and playful banter, until they arrived at a quaint little Italian restaurant of a very relaxed atmosphere – something both of them could enjoy.

"Well, this is a nice change of pace," Michelle commented.

"I'll say," Tony agreed. "It's been a hectic week."

Michelle spoke quietly, "Yeah." Tony took her hand as a sign of comfort, replacing the look of sadness with a tender smile. He raised her hand up gently and planted a kiss on her knuckles.

"So chivalry really does still exist…" Michelle commented.

Tony smiled. "Born and raised that way."

"Good to know."

Dinner ended, and the pair found themselves at the front door to Michelle's apartment.

"Well…"Michelle trailed off.

"Well…" Tony followed.

Michelle laughed, tension sizzling between the two. She fiddled with her keys for a moment. Should she invite him in? Should she wait? She had no idea what he was expecting. But it looked to Michelle that he was also unsure. She could understand his hesitation, of course – sex could change everything. Seal the deal between them. Because Michelle knew that sex with Tony wouldn't just be sex...It would be more intimate than that. It was Tony, for crying out loud. Sleeping with Tony would form a bond between the two of them that wouldn't be easily broken, so unless they were both serious about this thing they had going on, maybe it wouldn't be a good idea. Michelle knew where she stood – she was already too emotionally involved to turn back – but Tony's perspective on the situation was a complete mystery to her.

"Um…" Michelle attempted to say something. Tony took a look at her expression and interpreted it accurately – she was just as confused as he was.

Tony smiled gently. "Listen, Michelle. I think we should…take this slow. I don't want to mess this up."

Michelle couldn't be disappointed with that reasoning. Her lips curved up in a small smile. "Neither do I."

"So are you busy tomorrow? We both have the whole day off, finally," he added as an afterthought. It was their first day off since the day of the bombing. There had been far too much work to do for anyone important to get a break from the piles of work left to do. But things were starting to calm down, and the vast amount of memorial services everyone was attending was minimizing, so Chapelle had finally decided to give the extremely over-worked personnel a day off.

"Besides sleeping 'till noon?" Michelle asked. "No, I'm not doing anything."

Tony chuckled. "I'll call you about doing something tomorrow."

"Alright."

They both stood there uncomfortably for a moment. Michelle bit her lip, and Tony shifted awkwardly on his feet. He glanced at Michelle's face, almost seeking confirmation of mutual agreement on the next step. Finally, he leaned in and kissed her, softly at first, then with more passion, and she responded with equal passion and fervor. Eventually they broke off, Michelle rested her head against Tony's, and both tried to regain their breath. They rested there for a moment more, neither wanting to move and disturb the moment. But ultimately, after much internal grumbling, Tony placed one last kiss on her lips.

"I'll call you tomorrow."

He kissed her on the forehead tenderly and walked off with a goofy grin, leaving Michelle breathless.

Michelle headed inside after a moment and headed to bed, sleeping better than she had in weeks.

A/N: I live for reviews. They feed my muse.