Rated pg-13. Some bad language!!

It took every ounce of strength Michelle had to not burst into tears in front of Tony. She couldn't believe it. How could she be so stupid to think he was actually going to ask her out. All he wanted was to dump all this extra crap on her. Usually she would do whatever task she was given, no questions asked and she would give it 100% but this just seemed so unfair. All week she had been juggling jobs that were not hers along with her own load just to help out but this was different. Tony expected her to completely take care of something that was for a senior position. He knew how much she wanted to climb the ranks at CTU but she wasn't even being offered the job just the work, she guessed until they found someone else they liked better to take Tony's old position.

She was so tired, didn't Tony realise that? Didn't he care for a second that she had barely slept at all in weeks? She always did everything to try and please Tony, and right now she was so sick of it. Why should she care so much when it's obvious he doesn't give a toss about her. She wished he could have just been honest with her and told her he wasn't interested so that she could move on.....was it fun for him to make her feel this way? She had always thought that Tony was the one person that wouldn't hurt her...yet she was beginning to realise just how wrong she was.

Michelle took a couple deep breaths to compose herself and headed back to her station. She drew out a timeline of how she was going to manage the F9 report and get it completed by the end of the week.

Tony headed down to Michelle's station to give her some of the access codes she was going to need. As he approached her desk so did Sarah.

"Hey Michelle, hey Tony – how are you guys pulling up?"

"Fine thanks Sarah." They both chimed at the same time.

"Well I just wanted to check with you, a couple of us were going to go for dinner together and I thought you guys would want to join us?"

Michelle turned her chair so she was facing Sarah and Tony, "Thanks for thinking of me Sarah, but I'm not done here, I've still got a fair bit to get through."

Tony took step forward closer to Michelle, "Michelle, go to dinner. You have to eat and it's already late – all of this can wait till tomorrow. Go on."

"No Tony, I don't have time and it can't wait until tomorrow. You guys go – I'm fine."

Tony turned to Sarah and told her that he couldn't make it either but that he appreciated the invite. Sarah gave them both a smile and took off. Tony sat on the corner of Michelle's desk and rubbed the side of his face.

"Michelle, can we talk?"

"What about Tony? I'm really busy?"

"Well, I know you're angry with me...."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are Michelle, I can tell by the way your acting. Look its ok, you have every right to be pissed at me.....for lots of reasons. I'm going to make this up to you – you know that right?"

"Know what Tony? What exactly are you going to make up to me? There is nothing to make up – I'll get the report done for you ok, it's what needs to be done and I'll do it."

"This isn't all about the work Michelle. It's about 'us'."

"There is no 'us' Tony, you have made that very clear. There is nothing to talk about."

"Are you saying you don't want there to be an 'us'? What about last week?"

"You don't care what I want Tony, you don't even know what I want. I'm surprised to hear you bring up last week....I thought you had forgotten all about it."

"Forgotten about it? How the hell could I forget about something like that? You know Michelle, maybe the kiss meant nothing to you, but it meant something to me. How am I suppose to know what you want if you don't tell me? I told you afterwards I wasn't sorry it had happened."

"Don't tell you....what else am I suppose to do Tony? I was the one that kissed you! I took your hand and held it when were put in holding room 7 on treason charges. If you weren't sorry you would have at least mentioned it to me this last week."

"You only kissed me because you had no one else. After everything that had gone down you just needed somebody, I did too."

"So that's all it was to you? It wouldn't have mattered who I was Tony you would have taken anyone? How dare you say I only kissed you because I had no one else – how could you say that? I'm not like that. You know what Tony, I don't want to continue this conversation anymore – it's over."

"No Chelle, it's not over. I'm sorry, everything I say is coming out wrong – I didn't want to upset you. Can we start over please?"

Michelle rose to her feet and straightened out her skirt. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes and she knew as soon as she opened her mouth they were going to starting flowing. She wiped her eyes and kept her head focused on the floor, "Tony, I don't understand any of this. I....."

Tony saw she was crying. He stood up of the desk and went to put his arm around her but then pulled back. He didn't know what to do, he wanted to comfort her, but it was because of him that she was crying. "Michelle, don't cry, please don't cry....I know I have been a jerk, I am just flustered – this is not how I wanted this to go."

"Tony you don't have to say anything. I know you regret the kiss – why else would you be acting the way you have. I just wish you could be straight with me. You know since I started working here you have become my best friend, we always get through things together – yet this week I just haven't been able to figure you out. You haven't said a word to me. One minute you are flirting with me, the next your dumping all this work on me. What have I done wrong?"

Chappelle interrupted them. He called for their attention from across the room and then began making his way over to her desk. Michelle looked around, everyone else had gone for the day – there were only a couple of people left at the office.

"Michelle, Tony – do you have the figures from yesterdays draw?"

Michelle handed him a file, "Yes sir, they are all here."

"Great, thanks Michelle. Tony are you ready to go? The meeting should have started 5 minutes ago – we need you in tech 5."

"I'll be there in one minute Ryan." Chappelle tapped his hand on the desk to wrap up the conversation, gave Michelle a smile and turned and left. He had been in such a good mood since CTU had pulled through for everyone last week.

"Michelle, I've gotta go. You understand I have to right? I don't want to leave you when you're upset."

"Just go Tony....we are done here anyway."

Tony sunk his head and headed to the meeting. He was so angry with himself. Everything he had said had just completely come out all wrong. Even he didn't understand what he was saying so how the hell was she suppose to? All he had managed to do was insult her, make her cry, make her think that he had only kissed her because she was the only one around, and now he had left her when she was so upset. He wanted to cancel the meeting, run back grab her in his arms and tell her how much he was falling in love with her. How the kiss was the best thing that had ever happened to him and that he had thought of nothing else but her all week. But he couldn't do that, he still didn't even know how she felt about him – how could he possibly open up to her if he didn't know for sure she felt the same way? After tonight she must hate him. So instead he went to the meeting and didn't hear one word that was said.

Michelle threw herself into the work. She tried to tell herself that she was ok, but she wasn't. She felt sick. She had never had a fight like that with Tony before, ever. She just didn't understand what it was all about. He hadn't really made much sense – maybe she hadn't either. Did he really just kiss her because she was the only one around? The thought just made her stomach turn inside and out. She didn't know what was worse – the fact that he had used her or imagining if say Sarah or Carrie had been the one he had kissed. The thought of him kissing someone else bought tears to her eyes. It hurt like hell to be falling in love with someone that didn't return the feelings. She felt so stupid for reading into the kiss so much, it had just felt so passionate – like he wanted her as much as she wanted him. Yet now she knew....he didn't want her at all. She kept trying to work but it seemed she was spending most the time just trying to push all these thoughts out of her mind.

Three hours had passed before the meeting came to a close. Everyone else went straight home. Tony walked back out to the station area to see Michelle still there working. He looked around, there wasn't another soul there, the lights were dim and she was just sitting there by herself plugging away. He was racked with guilt. It was after 11pm – he knew she wouldn't have even had dinner yet. He went down to the cafeteria and got some sandwiches and drinks for the both of them and then headed back up to Michelle.

"Michelle, I can't believe you are still here. You really should be at home in bed."

"I drew up a timeline I want to stick to for each day to make sure I get it done."

"Well can I help you?"

"No thanks Tony, you asked me to take care of it and that's exactly what I am going to do. I'm fine."

Tony sat on her desk facing her, "I umm, bought us some sandwiches – I figured you wouldn't have stopped yet. Will you at least take a break and eat with me?"

"Ok.....thanks for getting food, I am pretty hungry."

"Great, now lets go the rest room to eat, I want you to get as far away from that computer as possible for a few minutes!"

Michelle stood up and began to walk towards the rest room. Tony walked next to her. Neither one of them said anything and the silence felt awkward. Tony knew this was his 2nd chance to sort things out. He couldn't afford to stuff up this time. He reached out to touch the small of her back as she walked through the doorway. It was such a small gesture but it made him so nervous. His hands were sweaty and it felt like it took forever for his arm to actually leave his side and make it to her back. His hand touched her back and she turned her head to look at him. He couldn't read her face at all. He gave her a small smile, she bit her lower lip and looked away again. At least she didn't punch him he thought to himself.

They sat opposite each other on the couches. Tony put the sandwiches and drinks on the coffee table between them, "Help yourself, they are all your favourites. Do want coke or do you want me to make you a tea or coffee or something warm?"

"Coke is fine, thanks Tony. So how come your meeting went so long?"

"Nothing major, just working through the list division has given us of how they want to reconstruct CTU. They are taking the bomb as a good opportunity to make all the changes they have wanted to for so long. I am so sorry I made you cry...." Tony blurted out.

"That's ok, you know me....I'm not too good at holding my tears back. I'm sorry, I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

"No. no Michelle that's not it at all. I was so horrible to you. I felt sick knowing I had made you cry, and even worse that I had to leave you like that."

They both reached in for another sandwich at the same time, their hands brushed against each other. It was like everything went into slow motion. They looked into each other's eyes and then back down at their hands. Tony lifted his thumb and put it over Michelle's thumb. He gently stroked it a couple of times. He looked at Michelle who was biting her lip again and staring at their hands. Tony's cell phone rang startling both of them. They both pulled their hands away and he stood up to take the call. It was Hammond from division, "Chappelle said your meeting just finished, are you still at the office Tony?"

"Yes sir."

"I won't keep you, I just need you to check something on one of the computers for me."

Tony covered the mouth piece and told Michelle it was Hammond and that he just needed to do something quickly for him, he would be back in a couple of minutes. She smiled to let him know that was fine.

When Tony was done with Hammond he raced back into the rest room. It had been more like 10 minutes then 2. As he walked in he saw that Michelle had fallen asleep. She had just fallen to her side, she looked so uncomfortable – she still even had a sandwich in her hand. Tony wondered what to do for a minute. He couldn't let her sleep like that, she would wake up so sore. He didn't want to wake her and have her drive home when she was this tired. He also didn't want her to sleep here on her own. He decided he would move her to the stretch bed in the corner of the room and he would spend the night on the couch. He walked over to her and took the sandwich out of her hand and placed it back on the table. He picked her up in his arms and held her close to his body. She smelt so good. He carried her to the bed and laid her down. He grabbed a blanket from the closet and covered her up. He stood over her watching her sleep. She was so beautiful. He brushed her hair out of her eyes with his fingers.

He grabbed another blanket and headed for the couch. He curled up and tried to fall asleep. He was so tired, but he couldn't stop thinking about everything. Things had gone ok with Michelle just then. They had only had a couple minutes together, but when he stroked her hand she hadn't pulled away. He closed his eyes and slowly drifted to sleep.

I hope you liked this chapter. Please just let me know if you would like to continue with this story. Thanks!!