The sound of his bell pressed repeatedly startled Tony, who had been watching the end of a long film half asleep. He moved to the door rapidly, hoping whoever it was wouldn't ring again and wake Michelle. She had fallen asleep beside him on the couch an hour ago her head resting on his chest. He had kissed her awake and smiled at her, and he had gone with her to bed, tucking her up. 'I'll come real soon, sweetheart, I promise.' The bell rang again.

'Wait a sec, I'm coming,' he called, fumbling with the locks. He stared in astonishment at his brother. Marco gave him a resigned look, nodding his head at the two suitcases beside him. They gazed at the ground in silence before Tony sighed. 'She threw you out, right?'

'Not exactly,' Marco told him, lifting a suitcase. Tony picked up the second one and carried it inside. 'We agreed to separate for a while.' His eyes stayed on the floor and he looked miserable, standing in the middle of the room beside his luggage.

Tony clasped his shoulders. 'Sit down. I'll get you a drink.' He switched the TV off and poured them both a whisky. 'Want to talk about it?' he asked, unable to imagine how his brother must be feeling. Tony had never liked Marco's wife, and he knew his parents hadn't either, but Marco had.

Marco shook his head, rubbing a hand across his face. 'Not much to say really. I came back to work some things out with her…I didn't know things were this bad.' He swallowed his drink without tasting it. Tony got up and poured him another. 'I guess I'm away too much.'

'Yeah,' Tony said, not wishing to remind his brother that his leaves were filled with squabbling with his wife.

'Listen Tony; is it ok if I stay here tonight? I didn't want to bother mom at this hour, and the ship's being serviced.'

'Sure' Tony agreed. 'You're welcome to stay as long as you need to. I'll find you a key, coz Michelle and I have to go to work real early tomorrow.' He handed Marco a key and showed him how to disarm the security before tiptoeing into the bedroom. He pulled a blanket from the closet and slipped outside, handing it to his brother. 'I've only got the couch, I'm afraid.'

'Its fine,' Marco told him gratefully. He threw his clothes in a pile on the armchair and pulled the blanket over himself. 'Boy I'm tired. Goodnight, Tony.'

'Goodnight. Marco, things could be better in the morning, you know.' Marco shook his head at him sadly. Tony squeezed his shoulder once again, going to bed quietly. Marco would talk when he was ready – in the meantime he was determined to help him get through the next few days. He cuddled next to Michelle, watching her sleeping face lit by the moon. Once again his breath caught in his throat. 'My God, she's lovely.' Very gently he planted a kiss on her forehead, taking care not to wake her. She moved a little and a smile crept across her face. He smiled at her, once again marveling at his incredible fortune having her, and placed his head by her shoulder. He fell asleep, dreaming of spending the entire day on the beach with her.

His shoulder was shaken hard in the morning, waking him unexpectedly. He blinked and saw an annoyed Michelle frowning at him. 'What's up, honey?' he asked, puzzled.

'Tony! I went out to get your coffee started, and there's a man sleeping on the couch. You could have warned me, you know. I wasn't exactly dressed!'

'Oh,' Tony said, sitting up in bed. 'I'm sorry honey, he came after you fell asleep. It's just my brother Marco. His wife threw him out last night. Is he up?'

'No, thank goodness,' Michelle said, still a little annoyed, grabbing some clothes. 'How long is he staying?'

Tony shrugged. 'I'm not sure. He had four weeks leave; he still has around three I guess. Don't worry sweetheart, he'll go to mom's today. He just has to work up some courage.'

'Why?' she questioned, brushing her hair. 'They didn't mind when your sister left Robert. Get up Tony, you'll be late.'

Tony climbed out of bed and grabbed his clothes. 'Sweetheart they knew he was having affairs with dozens of girls. But they'll expect more from Marco. He's abandoning his family – they won't like that!'

Michelle shook her head, utterly confused. 'I don't get it at all, Tony. He's away all the time anyway.'

'Yeah, but they're married, he provides for them. That's his job, he's the husband,' Tony told her, seeing a strange expression come into her eyes.

'They're real traditional, I guess,' Michelle said finally. 'But he didn't exactly abandon them, he was thrown out! Doesn't that count?'

Tony shook his head. 'They'll expect him to try to sort it out. It's the way they are, honey. They don't exactly approve of divorces. They always taught us that a marriage is for better or for worse, and it's up to you to make it better.' He pulled on his shoes. 'I'll get breakfast started. Michelle, I'm sorry. Gimme a kiss.' He pulled her towards him and kissed her deeply, running a hand through her hair.

'You're forgiven this time, Tony. But next time one of your relatives decides to spend the night, let me know. Go on, make breakfast, we'll be terribly late.'

Tony made scrambled eggs and bacon, toast and fried tomatoes, dividing everything up three ways. He carried three cups of coffee to the table and shook Marco gently. 'Wake up, Marco. I made breakfast. We've got to go soon, and I'd like you to meet Michelle.'

Marco gazed at him in a panic, pointing to the armchair. 'Ok, you've got a minute, she's doing her hair,' Tony whispered, enjoying his brother's embarrassment. He folded his arms and watched Marco pulling his clothes on rapidly. 'You know Marco, if you would've dressed half this fast, we wouldn't have been late to school so often in Chicago,' he remarked, ' and I wouldn't have been told off every single morning.'

'Give me a break, Tony,' Marco said, grinning at him. 'I was in first grade; I didn't want to go to school.'

Tony grinned back, relieved to see his brother appeared more cheerful. Marco buttoned his shirt and sighed. 'Tony, I forgot to bring my comb. Can I borrow yours?'

'Sure' he said, handing one to his brother. 'Now you can wash your face in the kitchen coz Michelle always spends a while doing her hair in the bathroom, and you'll look presentable.'

By the time Michelle emerged from the bathroom they sat at the table. 'Michelle, this is my brother Marco,' Tony told her, pulling her to the table gently, 'the one who always wanted to take my coolest toys. Marco, this is Michelle.' He left the rest of it unsaid, 'the most beautiful woman in the whole world.'

'Hi, I'm sorry to bug you guys,' Marco said, looking ashamed.

'Its fine,' Michelle agreed, looking at him carefully. 'You look so like Tony.'

'Yeah, but I play better basketball,' Marco confided, smiling at Michelle.

'Now Marco, remember where you are,' Tony teased. 'I might just get upset about that. Especially as it's completely true.'

'You guys busy today,' Marco inquired, helping himself to more coffee.

'Just a bit,' Michelle told him. 'I've got to get to work soon, and Tony has a meeting with one of our bosses at Division. You'd better hurry Tony.'

'Honey, don't remind me,' Tony said, shaking his head at her. 'It took me a while to make this breakfast, I want to enjoy it! What are you doing today, Marco?'

Marco shook his head, looking depressed again. 'I don't know. I was supposed to take the kids to the zoo. I'll just hang around, I guess.'

'Michelle, if you could drive me to Division I can leave Marco my car for the day, and he can get to the zoo,' Tony said, getting up. 'Don't break your promise to the kids, Marco. And behave,' he said, collecting the plates and piling them in the sink. 'I don't want to find any bananas in my mail box this afternoon!'

They laughed together. 'Thanks Tony. I appreciate it. I'll do the dishes, you just run!'

Tony rushed to the lift, holding the door for Michelle. She looked at him inquisitively as they reached the car. 'What was that about the banana?'

He grinned at her, tossing his briefcase onto the back seat. 'Ask him. He did it, not me!'

Michelle dropped him at Division and he raced inside, showing his card to the security guard. Both Chappelle and Hammond were already in the conference room waiting for him. He slid into the nearest seat and laid his briefcase on the table. 'Sorry.'

Chappelle shook his head and made a point of looking at his watch. 'It's quite alright, Almeida. No one would seriously imagine you'd arrive on time!'

Tony chewed his lip to keep silent and opened his bag, finding the file he needed. 'God I hate these meetings,' he thought. 'At least I understand why Mason was so much more pissed off than usual after he got back from one of them!'

They discussed a further tightening of security due to the mole that had recently been uncovered in Division. 'I want you to give it priority, Tony,' Chappelle told him. 'Let Michelle take care of the daily tasks until you're done. I expect you to have completed the overhaul in the next five days. Provided, of course, you and Michelle are able to spare a little time for work.'

Tony's face flushed. 'Ryan, you're aware CTU's been through a lot recently. We were up and running at 100 percent capacity just four months after the bombing. That included five weeks surrounded by decorators. Having Michelle there helps us both focus better on our work.'

'We'll see,' Chappelle remarked, throwing him a doubtful look.

'I'll check it personally by the beginning of the week,' Hammond told him, fixing him with his bulldog stare. 'Your entire system will be overhauled and the new security implemented, Almeida, even if you got to stay there for the next five days!'

'It'll be ready,' Tony promised, fighting his usual urge to make a sharp retort. 'Are we done here?'

They dismissed him and he hurried out to his car, slamming his fist into the dashboard. 'Bastards won't quit mentioning Michelle! She works harder than anyone else. Next time they mention her name like that I'll wring their necks…No you won't, Almeida! After all, you love this job. Eventually they'll get sick of hassling you about her. They better do anyway.'

Michelle was busy at her computer, her face showing total concentration. Tony's eyes lit up, he hurried through the bullpen hoping no one would bring him anything urgent to sign and slipped into the kitchen. The coffee machine's bubbling filled the small room, letting out an intoxicating aroma. Of course his mug was upstairs, but he would use another now – it was worth it for the pleasure. 'After all, I do deserve it today,' he told himself, sipping the scalding drink. His rage faded as the mug emptied and he closed his eyes for a moment.

'Tony! I caught you red handed! You'd better have a real good explanation,' Michelle said, removing the mug from his hand.

Tony gave her a sheepish grin, noting how lovely she looked frowning at him. 'I sure do, sweetheart. A couple of hours over at Division are enough to turn anyone mad. I needed something before I could face things here. Come on, Michelle, you know what they're like!'

Michelle nodded, smiling at him. 'I do. Ok Tony, I'll excuse you this once! But don't try it tomorrow! What did they want?'

Tony groaned aloud, rubbing his head. 'Just a complete overhaul of our systems in the next five days! Hammond's going to come and check personally and he wants it done, even if I have to spend the next couple of days and nights here.'

'Well you won't' Michelle said firmly. 'You're only just back at work, Tony. You should still be resting.'

Tony grinned at her. 'I intend to, don't you worry. You and I were going out to dinner somewhere tomorrow, weren't we?'

Michelle nodded and grinned at him, her eyes meeting his. Tony leaned forward and pulled her towards him, giving her a quick kiss. 'Better get started,' Michelle told him and he nodded, phoning Jack and holding a meeting with Adam and Chloe. He was completely spent by the time Michelle drove them home, feeling surprisingly weak.

'Just possibly the doctor wasn't completely wrong this time,' Tony thought as he gazed at the traffic. 'I have been over doing it, despite promising I'd take things easy for a couple of days.'

The light shone in their apartment when they returned and the table was laid. Michelle stared in surprise at Marco. 'I figured you guys would be tired,' he said awkwardly. 'I'll go get my things now. Thanks for the use of the car, Tony.'

Tony glanced at Michelle who nodded her head. 'Marco would you like to stay another night?' he asked. Marco nodded embarrassed. 'Ok, so grab a plate and have some dinner,' he said. 'How was your day?'

Marco brought a plate and filled it, eating hungrily. 'It was difficult. I hardly know those kids, and they sure took me for a ride! Tristan wouldn't sit in the pram, he kept whining till I let him walk, and Inga kept wanting to ride in the pram, and I was arguing with her when Tris wandered off, so then I had run around like mad to find him. Hell Tony, it's far easier running an entire battleship than watching those two!' Tony got up and fetched a bottle of whiskey. 'Thanks, I guess I could use one,' Marco admitted. 'You don't look too well yet, Tony.'

'I'm a little tired, that's all. Why don't you entertain Michelle while I sit here on the couch and listen,' he said, settling comfortably. 'Marco's a great story teller, sweetheart; just don't believe a word he says!'

Marco's eyes lit up as he settled on an armchair, smiling at Michelle. 'Ok, Tony, you asked for it! I'll bet you never told her about your forging papa's signature on your school reports or about…'

'Do tell,' Michelle begged, while Tony rolled his eyes at her.


Unable to settle down to sleep, he got up and made his way back to his familiar corner, leaning against the wall. His eyes scanned the length of the floor, resting on the bars, while he listened to his neighbor's yells. 'Let me the hell outa here!'

Well, he could understand that sentiment! 'Yeah, let me out,' he whispered. 'Please please please let me out of this dump!'

The steel door opened again and the guard returned, banging his night stick on the new arrival's cell. 'Hey, keep it down! You're disturbing others along the corridor. You'll get a lawyer tomorrow. Now shut it!'

'I don't give a rat's arse about any bloody criminals down this corridor, I want MY RIGHTS!'

Tony found himself on his feet, striding indignantly towards the bars. A criminal indeed! Him? He would wring that man's neck in a moment! The guard walked past his cell, stopping to examine him.

'Prisoner, why aren't you sleeping? You've got your bail hearing first thing in the morning.'

Tony rubbed his hand along his face, wincing slightly. 'Can't you take that man to some other corridor?' he begged.

He glanced at the guard, wandering whether he would be pulled up for failing to use the word 'sir', but the guard ignored the omission. He returned Tony's gaze, shaking his head regretfully. 'No I can't. This is the corridor for pre-bail prisoners, the newly arrested ones. I can't take him to "transfer" and I can't take him to "limbo". There's nowhere else except here.'

'You're saying there's nowhere else in this whole place you can find a spare cell to stick him in?' Tony asked bitterly.

'Oh, there's plenty of cells alright, but…'

'Yeah, I know. It's not the right place; it would mess up your system! He gets to stay here to entertain me all night. What's "limbo" anyway?' he questioned, longing to hold a conversation with someone who wasn't threatening him with every second word.

The guard glanced idly down the empty corridor, as aware as Tony of the pointlessness of patrolling there. '"Limbo" is the place for pre-trial prisoners – the ones who don't make bail,' he answered finally. 'You prisoners invented that word, I think, but it kinda stuck. It's in the next wing, and it's a lot busier than this place tonight!'

Tony closed his eyes for a moment, fighting the nausea in his stomach. So "limbo" was a busy place – well, it would get busier tomorrow! 'What's it like?' he asked casually.

The guard gazed at him with something akin to sympathy. 'It's much like this place,' he said encouragingly, while Tony fought against his panic. 'Quite nice, really! Twenty cells down each corridor, and no tiers on top of you, oh, it's much more comfortable than the prison you'll get to serve your sentence in. After all, prisoners in limbo get to borrow two books a week from the library; it's not as boring as this place.'

Tony nodded, absorbing the man's words. The prison he would be sentenced to was going to be worse than "limbo". 'You're saying these prisoners get to go to the library to choose a couple of books?' he questioned, seeing the guard looked ready to leave.

The guard looked shocked, shaking his head at once. 'Hell no. Prisoners in "limbo" don't get to go anywhere! A guard will bring the library trolley every Monday and issue each cell with two books! No,' he said, as he saw Tony about to open his mouth. 'Prisoners get given books at random – they certainly don't choose! Do you imagine anyone has time to read through a list of requests?'

'I guess not,' Tony said with a sigh. 'But they get to write letters don't they? And receive some?'

'They get to write a letter a week unless they got a D-report. A disciplinary report,' he clarified, seeing Tony's mystified expression. 'But they don't get to receive any. They got to be sentenced first, you see. No visitors are permitted under any circumstance whatsoever either, of course, or any phone calls, although you get to see your lawyer.'

'How long do people get left there?' he asked, distressed. He could get to write a letter to Michelle, but not to his parents, and would be denied any word from them. How long could he cope with that? One week, two possibly?

'Anything from a couple of weeks to a couple of months,' said the guard, glancing towards the other occupied cell. 'Depends on when the trial is. I must continue my patrol now, prisoner.'

'Wait a minute, please,' Tony said, watching the guard turn back to him. 'I've got a fever. Could you bring me a couple of aspirins when you come back? The doctor left a note to say I can take something if I'm sick.'

'I'll see' said the guard, resuming his patrol.

Tony returned to his corner, rubbing his stiff eyelids gently, his thoughts in a jumbled whirl. "Limbo" – they even had a term for such a place! A cell much like this one, on a corridor much like this one except populated with not one, but nineteen other abusive prisoners. No visits, no calls, no letters! He allowed his head to sink into his hands. 'I can't do that, sweetheart,' he whispered to the photo. 'I just can't do that.'