Hi and thanks again to all of my reviewers! I'm really surprised at how many reviews I've gotten for this story. I'm having fun writing it, but I really don't think it is as good as my other stories. It just seems too predictable to me, but I'm glad you guys are staying with me.

Here's Chapter 4. There should only be one more chapter after this.

Chapter 4

1:57pm

Michelle sat at her kitchen table, feet propped up on the chair across from her, the empty chair where Tony used to sit. Wrigley jumped up on the chair and rubbed her furry orange head against Michelle's bare toes. Unconsciously Michelle wiggled her toes back and forth to scratch Wrig's ears. She had just finished eating lunch, some kind of cold cut sub that she bought on the way home from CTU. She was starving and had wolfed it down along with a Diet Coke. She had so much on her mind that she hadn't paid much attention to what she was eating or whether it was good or not. She was tired but knew she would not be able to sleep. Again, there was too much on her mind.

As if Tony wasn't on her mind 24 hours a day anyway, seeing him today made it worse. She couldn't get the memory of his beautiful brown eyes out of her mind. His eyes had shone while he was running the tactical unit just like they had when he worked at CTU. Those same eyes were so sad when she saw him a few hours later in the holding room. He tried to hide it, but going back to prison after those hours of freedom was torture. Why did Jack do that to him? Before yesterday Tony was settled in at the prison. Why did Jack disturb his routine and let him taste freedom only to take it away again? Damn you, Jack! She knew why de did it. He did it because Tony was the best at what he did and yesterday nothing but the best would do.

A knock at her door brought her back to reality and sent Wrigley skittering off seeking a safe hiding place.

"Oh, Wrigley!" Michelle said. "The term 'fraidy cat' was coined just for you!"

Like most cats, Wrigley only felt safe around people she knew and noises at the door usually meant strangers.

"It's probably just Mrs. Wheatley. You know her."

Mrs. Wheatley was Michelle's elderly, reclusive neighbor. She rarely left her condo and was nervous and afraid of everything including her own shadow. Michelle often picked up groceries for her and occasionally took her to doctor's appointment. In return she brought Michelle home cooked meals a couple of times a week.

Mrs. Wheatley didn't watch the news much, it depressed her, so she had never seen Michelle on the news from when Tony was arrested and pictures of both of them graced the evening news and every newspaper headline for days on end. She couldn't understand why her pleasant new neighbor always seemed so sad. She was young and beautiful and had her whole life ahead of her. But she rarely went out on a date or even out with girlfriends. She worked a lot of hours and went to the fitness club and minded her own business. She was a wonderful neighbor but Mrs. Wheatley felt sorry for Michelle without really knowing why. She wondered if the sadness had anything to do with the pictures of the handsome man that were all over Michelle's condo. There were pictures of the two of them together and some of him alone. Mrs. Wheatley made a comment one day about how handsome the man was and how happy the two of them looked. She hoped Michelle would confide in her. She didn't have many friends and she genuinely like Michelle. Michelle just smiled and nodded but said nothing. Mrs. Wheatley came to believe that something bad happened to the handsome man. Maybe he died of a rare disease or was killed in an accident or maybe he left her at the altar. She wasn't sure but she knew somehow that this man's absence broke Michelle's heart.

Michelle opened the door without looking out expecting to see Mrs. Wheatley. She gasped and raised her hand to her mouth when she saw Tony standing there dressed in civilian clothing.

"Tony, what are you doing here? How did you get here?" She started to become concerned that he was trying to escape from prison and she wouldn't have put it past Jack to help him.

"It's okay, Michelle. I'm not escaping. I wouldn't involve you if I were."

"That wasn't what I was…"

"Yes, it was. I saw the look on your face and you've never been a convincing liar," he said smiling. "It's okay. I would have thought the same thing," he paused. "I wanted you to hear this from me before you heard rumors or saw it on the news. The President granted me a pardon, Michelle."

"Oh Tony! That's wonderful!" She cried. Her eyes lit up and she threw her arms around his neck. He hugged her back closing his eyes and inhaling her soft, sweet scent. "I'm so happy for you," she said as she backed away. "Why don't you come in? We can talk."

By now Wrigley had peeked out from under the sofa and either recognized Tony's voice or his scent. She trotted happily across the room to the door and meowed loudly at Tony. He reached down and scooped her up and rubbed her against his face.

"Hey, Wrig," he said as he nuzzled her. "How are you? You look good. Michelle's been taking good care of you, hasn't she?" The cat purred in return.

"Look, Michelle, I don't want to interrupt you or bother you. I know you have your own life now. I just wanted you to know. The announcement will be made tomorrow morning but the pardon is already signed."

"Do your parents know?"

He nodded. "I called them already. I'm going to bead back to Chicago in a couple of days. I've got to figure out how to put my life back together. This is all such a shock."

"Where are you staying?"

"I talked to Todd. He's going to arrange for me to stay at a hotel until I leave for Chicago."

Michelle nodded and smiled.

"I guess I should go," he said handing Wrigley back to her. "Jack's waiting for me in the car. He's going to take me to the hotel."

"You could stay here," Michelle blurted out.

"I don't want to put you out, Michelle. I mean, if there's someone else in your life now, I understand. That's why I gave you your freedom."

She shook her head. "There's no one else, Tony. I wish you would stay. I can take you to Todd's office tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" He asked her.

"Absolutely. I don't have to work tomorrow since I spent all of those hours at CTU. Why don't you go downstairs and tell Jack."

Tony agreed and took the elevator to the ground floor. He practically ran to Jack's car, a smile nearly consuming his face. Jack smiled back as he wished Tony good luck and reminded him to keep in touch. Tony took the gym bag full of his things from CTU out of the car and thanked Jack for everything.

Upstairs Michelle was racing around trying to straighten up her condo. Like Tony, she couldn't stop smiling but wasn't sure what this all meant. What kind of relationship did Tony expect? He had forced the issue of divorce but she was sure that he never stopped loving her. Conversation between them was strained which worried her. They had always had so much to talk about but now they were acting like strangers. Michelle tried to relax knowing that this was all going to take time to sort out.

She had left the door partially open and Tony knocked lightly to let her know he was there.

"Come in," she told him. "Have you had lunch? I don't keep a lot of food in the house, but I'm sure I can come up with something."

"No thanks," he said setting his gym bag on the floor. "Jack and I went out for lunch."

"Can I get you anything? I'm sure you're tired. Would you like to rest?"

Tony smiled and looked at the floor. "You know what I would really like?"

"No Tony. What?" She asked smiling back.

"I would love to take a shower that I don't have to share with ten other guys and I'd like to drink a beer, in that order."

Michelle laughed a little. "Sure. The bathroom is here," she said as she walked him to the bathroom. "I'll get you some towels."

Tony slipped off his sport jacket and laid it across a chair then went into the bathroom and turned on the water in the shower.

Michelle came back carrying a set of towels and his old bathrobe. "Here you go. I thought you might like this," she said handing him the robe.

"You kept my bathrobe?"

"I have all of your clothes."

"You kept everything?"

"I couldn't bring myself to part with anything. I guess I would have eventually, but I just wasn't ready yet."

He took the robe from her and hung it on a hook on the back of the door.

"Enjoy your shower," she told him.

"Thanks," he said as he took the towels from her.

Michelle turned and started to walk away but turned back and looked at him for a second or two.

"What is it, Michelle?" Tony asked her.

"I was just wondering…I know you said you wanted to shower alone for a change but if you wanted some company…," she looked down shyly. "Umm…I'm available."

"I would love to have you keep me company in the shower, more than you can possibly imagine."

He reached out to her and drew her into his arms. They looked into each others eyes for a moment then Tony cupped her face in his hands and pulled it to his. They kissed tenderly with tongues probing deeply.

"I love you so much, Michelle," he said as they broke their kiss for a second. "I hope you understand that I never stopped loving you and I only asked for a divorce so that you could be free to have you own life. I never really wanted it."

"I knew that, Tony. I've never stopped loving you either," she said. They resumed kissing and at the same time they began to undress each other.

Tony stepped back and held her at arms length. "You are so beautiful," he whispered. "I dreamed about you every night, Michelle. And I started to think that you couldn't possibly be as beautiful as you were in my dreams, but I was wrong. You are even more beautiful than I remembered."

They finally stepped into the steamy shower. The water cascaded over them as their hands caressed soapy skin. They washed each others bodies and massaged shampoo into each others hair. They had rinsed off but continued kissing. Tony leaned down and kissed Michelle's earlobe and whispered, "Baby, you're making me crazy. Either we have to stop now or I have to have you."

"I'm yours, Tony," she whispered in return.

Tony turned off the shower and they grabbed towels to dry each other. Skin still damp, Michelle took Tony's hand and led him to the bedroom. Tony eased her to the bed and she pulled him down on top of her. They made love passionately. It felt good and so familiar as if the 18 months they had been apart had just been erased. The awkwardness they both felt earlier was gone.

They caressed silently for a long time, not needing to speak but communicating through gentle touch. They were both exhausted but neither one of them wanted to sleep. Eventually, Tony could feel Michelle's breathing begin to slow. He kissed the top of her head and said softly, "Hey, I thought you couldn't sleep during the day."

"You tired me out," she said sleepily. "You should go to sleep, too. We can continue this later."

"I'm afraid to go to sleep," Tony confessed.

Michelle propped herself up enough to look at him. "Afraid? Why?"

"I'm afraid I'll wake up and this will all be a dream. I'll be back in prison and you won't be next to me all soft and warm and naked," he smiled and tried to make light of it but she could tell that he was serious. His eyes suddenly filled with tears.

"I can't do it, Michelle. I can't ever wake up in that cell again. I can't wake up in a cell where I'm trapped until the block commander releases the doors in the morning." Tears streaked his face and Michelle wrapped her arms around him and held him close. "I can't ever wake up not knowing where you are or if you still love me."

Michelle had never seen Tony cry before. Throughout the ordeal of his arrest and court appearances during arraignment and the plea agreement, he never once broke down in front of her. She seemed to be crying constantly and every time she looked at Tony he was the pillar of strength. She had no idea of how many nights he had cried himself to sleep in federal detention and later in prison.

"You'll never wake up there again, Sweetheart. I want you to wake up next to me forever. I love you so much and I was so unhappy without you." Michelle told him as she wiped tears from his face.

They held each other until they both drifted off to sleep. Michelle woke first around 8:30. She lay quietly for a while just enjoying the feel of Tony's body next to hers. Wrigley wandered into the room and jumped on the bed near Michelle and nudged her with a furry head.

Michelle looked at the clock. "Oh," she said softly as she scratched the cat's ears. "I guess I missed your dinner time." She slipped silently out of bed, put on her robe and walked toward the kitchen. Wrigley sat on the bed for a moment watching Tony but tired of it quickly and followed Michelle to the kitchen for food.

Michelle came back to the bedroom to find Tony still sleeping. Now that she was awake, she was hungry, too. She slid back under the covers next to Tony and began planting soft kisses across his face. He brushed her away at first not realizing that it was Michelle. She smiled and continued finally placing a firm kiss on his mouth that made him groan. He put his arms around her and kissed her deeply.

"Are you ready for round two?" He asked hopefully as he ran his hands down her naked body.

"No, I'm ready for dinner. We can have round two after that."

Tony smiled and sat up. "You're right. I'm hungry, too. What are we eating?"

"You pick," she said. "What would you like?"

"Anything that's quick and that wasn't cooked in a prison kitchen."

"There's a Mexican place down the street that usually gets my order here in about a half hour. I'll call them." Michelle put her robe back on and left the room. Tony could here her calling in the order.

As Michelle promised, the food arrived in just over 30 minutes. The two sat on the bed and feasted on a variety of Mexican foods and washed it all down with Coronas. Michelle smiled as Tony took the first drink from his beer.

"I almost forgot what it tasted like," he said savoring the flavor.

When they finished, they cleared the trash and refrigerated the leftovers and climbed back into bed with another beer. Michelle snuggled against Tony and he kissed her temple.

"You know, Sweetheart," he started. "I didn't come here today to seduce you. I honestly came over to tell you about the pardon and planned to leave." Tony paused and sighed quietly. "Eighteen months is a long time, Michelle. And if you've created a new life for yourself, I understand. I'll hate it, but I really do understand."

"Tony, I couldn't possibly create a new life. I went out on a couple of dates and they felt all wrong. The only life I ever wanted was with you. I love you. I could barely function knowing that you were stuck in that prison and I couldn't be with you."

"I'm not sure how easy it's going to be to put my life back together, Michelle. I've got to find a job. I spent a lot of time in the headlines right next to Stephen Saunders. My side of the story never really got told since I chose to plead guilty and take the plea bargain. I'm not sure how many prospective employers are going to be interested in hiring me. I just don't want to take you on an emotional roller coaster."

"Tony, the last 18 months has been an emotional roller coaster. Just being with you is a stabilizing factor for me. I don't care how long it takes you to find a job. I've got a job and we can live on my salary for a while. I don't care if we stay in LA or move some place else. I can probably transfer to any FBI field office in the country. I just want to be with you and nothing else matters. I told you when you got the job offer at Langley that I would go anywhere with you. I meant that then and I mean it now. I will go anywhere with you."

Tears again filled Tony's eyes. "I love you so much, Baby," he told her. He composed himself quickly. "You know what? I've got something that belongs to you and you might like to have it back."

Tony got out of bed and walked to the bathroom where his clothes still lay in a heap. He picked up his pants and walked back to the bedroom. He pulled a crumpled napkin from the pocket and got back into bed with it. Tony opened the napkin slowly to reveal their wedding rings inside.

Michelle sat next to him smiling brightly when she saw the ring. "I'm sorry about throwing it at you. I always wondered what happened to it."

"I kept it with me all the time. Now I'm going to put it back where it belongs." Tony picked up her ring and took her left hand. He slowly slipped the ring onto her finger as whispered, "I, Tony Almeida, take you, Michelle Dessler, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad; in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."

Tears traced paths down Michelle's face as she picked up his ring and did the same thing. "I, Michelle Dessler, take you, Tony Almeida, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad; in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."

Tony leaned close so their foreheads touched. "I think this is the part were the priest says 'you may kiss the bride'." She tilted her head up to his and they kissed tenderly. "Maybe we can get a marriage license and make this official."

"I'd like that," Michelle told him. "I want to make sure you can't slip away from me again." They slid back under the covers and made love until they were both spent.