Michelle felt a familiar twinge of guilt and reluctance to leave Tony as she stepped out the door for work. She missed him at work, and had to force herself to concentrate on whatever task she was doing, so that her work standards didn't slip. Arriving home to Tony was her favourite time of the day – the house always looked so welcoming, and he always cooked her tea, gave her a kiss, and they talked. It was so different to the long, lonely evenings without Tony, when she would sit and work through the evening, stopping only to take a phone call, or to watch the news. Since the evening out to the restaurant, Michelle had felt closer to Tony, and they could talk more freely, although they never discussed work or his time in prison.

There was just one problem. Division had asked her to go back to work in Seattle for two weeks, starting next Monday, and she hadn't told Tony. Her boss had asked her to go yesterday, and Michelle, despite worries that Tony wouldn't like it, had agreed, knowing that she had to appear enthusiastic if she was going to get the promotion. She had been ready to tell him yesterday evening, but hadn't found the right time, or the right way to tell him. Truth was, she was afraid of his reaction. Although things were much more relaxed at home, Michelle had noticed that whenever she had to work for an hour or so in the evenings, he would frown and become quiet. How was she going to tell him?

Aside from the worries about Tony's reaction, she also felt unwilling to leave him, as she wouldn't be able to see him for two weeks. The last three weeks had been so much more enjoyable than when she was living alone. When Tony wasn't at home, she would look forward to time away with work, as it offered new challenges, and took her mind off her loneliness, but now, she knew she would miss him.

She sighed as she climbed into the car. She had to go to Seattle if she wanted to keep her job, and Tony would just have to put up with it. She'd tell him tonight. Probably.

Tony woke up startled several hours later. He had been dreaming about prison – again. Cold, commanding guards, his tiny cell, the door slamming, shutting him in… He shivered. Why couldn't he put these thoughts out of his mind? The only way he had found to keep them at bay was to be with Michelle, as her conversation took his mind elsewhere. It was the only time he could forget the nightmare that he'd endured, the desperation of knowing that there was no way out.

As he stepped out of the bathroom, dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt, the doorbell rang. He ran his hand through his hair nervously, making it stand up on end. He hadn't seen anyone he knew since his release - except for his parents and Michelle – and he wasn't sure how he, or they, would react. He made his way down the stairs and pulled open the door roughly.

"Hey Tony" Jack grinned at him. "How've you been?"

Tony stood awkwardly, not knowing what to say. He hadn't seen Jack since his trial. "Ah, not bad" he stuttered. "You?"

He stepped aside to let Jack through, and showed him into the lounge. He felt guilt welling up inside of him; if it weren't for Jack's efforts to persuade the President to pardon him, he would still be in prison. He also knew that Jack had been given a rough time, that he'd lost his job over the drugs issue. "Jack" he started. "Look, I appreciate what you did for me, I really do, it's just…"

Jack cut across him. "Hey, don't worry about it".

Tony cast around for a conversation topic, but came up with nothing. "Ah, you want a drink?" he asked.

"Sure, beer if you've got one?"

Tony got up and fetched two large beers from the fridge. They sat watching TV together drinking for a while, until Jack checked his watch, and turned to Tony. "I've got to go, sorry. I have to meet someone, but we should do this again sometime, ok?" They both rose, and walked towards the door. Jack turned to Tony as he made his way out of the door. "Give me a call sometime, I guess you'll be pretty lonely with Michelle not being here."

Tony gave him a puzzled look. Michelle? Going away? Jack noticed his confused look, and added, "she's going for a couple of weeks isn't she? To Seattle?"

Tony frowned; Michelle hadn't said anything to him about going away! But he didn't doubt Jack; he had his sources inside Division and CTU, even if he no longer worked there. He looked up at Jack and nodded. "Bye" he managed to utter, before closing the door and sinking down behind it.

How could Michelle leave him for two weeks so soon after his return home? Didn't she like spending time with him? Anger surged through him at the thought of her keeping this secret from him. He punched the wall furiously, unable to control himself. How long had she known about this?

He sat fuming for several minutes, then dragged himself to his feet and grabbed a beer from the fridge.

Michelle walked through the door to the stale smell of beer. "Tony?" she asked, hoping fervently that he wasn't too drunk.

Tony opened his eyes, struggling to remember where he was, or why he was so drunk. He had spent the afternoon drinking, and had eventually fallen asleep in front of the TV.

He suddenly realised what had made him so angry, and he felt his stomach churn at the thought of Michelle keeping things from him. He sat up, turned and glared at Michelle. "What the hell are you playing at?" he slurred. "We're married! How could you not tell me about such a big thing like you going away for two weeks? Am I not important enough to know?" He stood up, and began to walk towards her, but stumbled in his drunken state.

Michelle looked horrified. How did he know? "I…" she began, lost for words. "I was going to tell you" she blushed, knowing how feeble her excuse sounded. "I was Tony, I promise. I only found out last night, and… I was going to tell you tonight"

Tony stood swaying, and Michelle could see that her words were having little effect on his anger. "Tony. I love you. I would never keep anything from you, I only found out yesterday, and I swear, I was going to tell you tonight."

Tony's expression softened. He couldn't help himself; Michelle looked so innocent and he had no choice but to believe her. "Come here" he said softly, and held out his arms. "I'm sorry for shouting" he murmured in her ear, holding her tightly. "I'm sorry. I guess I just didn't like not knowing.

Michelle felt uncomfortable in his arms – he smelt strongly of alcohol, and was holding her too tight, but she kept her mouth shut, relieved that he had calmed down, and hoping that he wouldn't do this again. He wouldn't. Would he?