Tony walked over to his desk and sat in his seat. But even the cool comfort of his chair could not console his grief. He looked out the broken windows down to the floor, where the next shift was being brought up to speed. He glanced over at Michelle's workstation where she was trying to explain the Internet protocol to her replacement for the day. Tony picked up his phone and dialed the four digit code to Michelle's station.

Michelle heard the tone coming from the phone. She gave a sigh of exhaustion and slowly picked up the receiver. "Dessler." she answered softly.

"Hey, can I see you up here for a minute?" Tony asked.

"Sure." Michelle replied. She placed the phone down and headed for Tony's office.

Tony put his phone back on the hook and watched Michelle walk towards the stairs leading to his office. He loved the way her hips swayed from side to side as she glided almost effortlessly towards the stairs. The look of pain and fatigue was evident on her face, but she was still beautiful. She brushed a loose strad of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

When she reached the door, she started to knock, but Tony motioned for her to come in.

"Hey." he began.

"Hey." Michelle turned around and closed the door.

"You Okay?" Tony asked as he stood and limped over to her.

"I'm Okay. You?"

"I'm Okay."

"The next shift's been brought up to speed," Michelle explained. "I was thinking I'd get my brother and go home."

"Yeah," Tony replied, scratching the side of his cheek.

"Was there anything else?" Michelle questioned.

"Umm, yeah. Yeah, there was."

"What was it?"

Tony paused and looked up at her. "Thank you."

"For what?" asked Michelle, crossing her arms and leaning against the door.

"You made some really tough decisions today and stood up to me. And you were right. I'm sorry if I've been harsh. I was following protocol, not listening to my instincts." Tony explained apologetically.

"Tony," Michelle began. "You don't have to explain. You were only doing what you thought was right. Mason's shoes have been hard for you to fill, especially under today's circumstances." She reached out and grabbed Tony's hand. "Whatever happened today is in the past now. We can't change the decisions we made, or the things we did." She paused. "The emotions we felt." Tony smiled. "All we need to do is keep living our lives. Before Mason died, he told me to find something that made me happy and to do it." Michelle squeezed his hand. At this he pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her tiny frame, resting his hand on the small of her back. She threw her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest. Neither one of them had to say anything more- they knew exactly how the other felt.

They stood there for five or six minutes before Michelle broke the silence. "What are you thinking?" she whispered into Tony's ear.

"I was thinking that after everything that's happened in the last 24 hours, I don't want to be home alone."

"I don't either." she agreed.

Tony pulled away from her enough so that he could see her face.

"What do you want to do?" she asked.

"I've got to finish up here, but why don't you take your brother home, clean up and change, and I'll pick you up in about an hour. We can grab something to eat and head back to my place." he suggested.

"Sounds good." she replied.

"Chinese or pizza?" he asked. Michelle was pleased that he wanted her opinion.

"Chinese," she responded. "I love the paper boxes." Michelle giggled like a little kid. Tony brushed the stray piece of hair back and re-tucked it behind her ear. He cradled her face in his hand. She closed her eyes, trying to cherish the moment.

"I'll see you in an hour?" Michelle verified. Tony nodded and kissed her on the forehead. She smiled one more time, and left the room. On the way down the stairs, she glanced up once more at Tony, and continued down to the floor. Tony laughed to himself and went to his desk to answer the ringing phone.