'Hey sweetheart,' Michelle greeted him as he unlocked the apartment door. 'Your parents dropped in. Your mother's cooked something and she brought us enough for an entire meal!'

Tony forced his sigh away. Normally he was thrilled to have members of his family arrive unexpectedly, but tonight was not one of those times. He had struggled through an entire afternoon at CTU watching Michelle through his glass walls, attempting to think of a positive way of breaking his news to her. He removed his jacket slowly and hung it on a peg, greeting his parents. 'Hey mom, papa.'

They glanced at him carefully, aware of his poor spirits. 'Hey sweetheart. We can go if you're busy,' his mother assured him.

'No,' Michelle exclaimed, shaking her head. 'We're not doing anything exciting at all, and as you've brought us dinner, we've got plenty of time. You must stay.'

'She's right,' he agreed, settling in an armchair. 'Thanks for dinner, mom.'

'I hope you like it. It's a new recipe.'

'And I'm glad you're here anyway - we can discuss this party,' Michelle said cheerfully, handing them glasses of wine. 'We should have candles, Tony, don't you think?'

'Of course you should, dear, it's perfect,' his mother agreed. 'Tony likes candles, don't you, sweetheart?' She gave him a stern look and he raised guilty eyes to meet hers, reading a question in them. She would tell him off soon if he failed to join in the chatter.

'I don't know how to tell you this, sweetheart,' he began slowly, twisting his wedding band round his fingers. 'We're gonna have to hold this party a week later. I won't be here next week.'

'Oh yes you will!' his mother exclaimed, shocked. 'How can you think of missing such an event, Antonio?'

'Change your schedule, Tony,' his father advised. 'Your mother's right, you've got to be here for that.' He lowered his voice. 'Look at her,' he hissed.

The final order was unnecessary for he had already noticed Michelle's dismayed face. She remained silent, twirling the wine around in her glass without facing him. The sparkle had disappeared from her eyes replaced by a deep weariness due to several extremely busy weeks. She had used the upcoming party to force herself through the long hours at work and now appeared to loose her struggle with exhaustion. 'I'll go check whether dinner's warm enough,' she said in a dull tone.

'Antonio,' his father exclaimed once she left the room. 'What the hell do you imagine you're doing? I can't believe I raised such an insensitive son! Can't you see…'

'I know,' he interrupted just as loudly, glad Michelle's Spanish was too limited to allow her to follow their frequent arguments. 'I can't change it, it's a conference. There's hundreds of delegates, there's no way they're all gonna change their schedules. My boss picked me to go, he kinda insisted on it.'

'So where is it?' his mother questioned. 'Maybe you could fly back.'

He shook his head. 'Don't you think I would, if it were possible? It's in Melbourne.'

'Melbourne?' his father questioned with a raised eyebrow. 'As in Australia? That's real far, Tony!' They fell silent as Michelle returned; telling them it needed another minute.

'It's in Melbourne, honey,' Tony explained gently. 'It's a conference about terrorists arriving from allied nations. It's kinda relevant at the moment.'

'Sure it is,' she told him, her eyes on the carpet. She still hadn't met his eyes since his announcement and his anxiety mounted. She wasn't cross, she was upset, and that was far worse. 'I mean, why shouldn't CTU pay your trip to Australia, your hotel and meals, and your trip to the most important conference on terrorism this year? Why should I be upset? I've traveled so extensively all my life, especially this last year. What use could I be at such a conference?' she muttered, before she rose and hurried into the bedroom. 'Excuse me for a minute while I change for dinner.'

Tony chewed his lip in silence. 'I guess I'm not going to Melbourne' he told his parents regretfully.

'Why not?' his father asked to his amazement.

'Papa, I can't. You've seen her. She's absolutely right, it's not fair. I'll call Chappelle and tell him to send someone else.'

'Wait, Tony,' his father ordered. 'Don't be too quick to decide things. You've got a conference to attend, you should go. Michelle needs a holiday, she's clearly exhausted, take her with you! She'll have a great time.'

'What a wonderful idea, Marco,' his mother exclaimed. 'That would be great. You two could have a fantastic holiday. Your father's right, Tony, Michelle looks terribly tired. You shouldn't let her work so hard. Take her with you.'

Tony stared at them in silence, considering their suggestion. 'Thing is, I'll be kinda occupied at the conference,' he began slowly. 'It goes till real late and I'll be expected to socialize with the delegates afterwards. No one will have family members. Michelle would be real lonely all day, and its winter there now. The weather will be pretty dismal. It wouldn't be much of a holiday for her.'

'She shouldn't be alone,' his father agreed. 'Can't you think of anyone to go with her? They could go shopping together. She'd like that, no matter how awful the weather is.'

'Papa, I don't have that kinda money,' Tony protested. 'One week of shopping would break me if I buy her ticket to Australia as well. And no, I can't think of a single person who's free now.'

'Well then, your mother will go,' his father said suddenly. 'She and Michelle get along fine, and you haven't had a proper holiday yet, Rita,' he told her.

'Marco, what was in that wine?' Tony's mother exclaimed, shocked. 'Michelle would want someone a little younger. And what would we do anyway, in the winter. What's the weather like then, anyway?'

'Rainy and cold,' he said soberly. 'We're told to take warm things. It won't work, Papa.'

'Wait a minute,' his father said, holding up a finger as he always did when he was deep in thought and wished to remain uninterrupted. 'It's a large continent, right? Now the top of it is tropical, if I remember what I learned in geography back when I was at school in the dark ages!'

Tony burst out laughing. 'You're right, Papa, it is. But it's real far away from Melbourne.'

'Good,' said his father. 'It's settled, then. Michelle and your mother will go to the top, to some fantastic beach resort, and you'll attend the conference in Melbourne and then join them for the weekend.'

Tony nodded as he considered the suggestion. 'It would work,' he agreed. 'She does need a break and she loves tropical beaches. I'll go get her,' he said and his parents nodded, talking to each other so quietly he was unable to hear what they said as he walked down the passage and pushed open the bedroom door. Michelle was in the shower, standing directly beneath a steam of hot water with her eyes closed. 'Hey sweetheart, dinner's ready,' he told her, pushing aside the curtain. She remained silent, ignoring him. 'Honey…'

'It's ok, Tony, you don't need to patronize me. You're obviously important and I'm not. We'll cancel this anniversary, it hardly matters anyway!'

'Now honey,' Tony whispered, rolling his shirt sleeve up and touching her face gently. 'It's not gonna be that way. You're coming with me for a holiday. After dinner we'll check the whole place on the Internet and pick you a fantastic trip.'

Michelle's eyes widened. 'Oh Tony, would you? Could we? We can't afford it,' she concluded sadly. 'We're saving for a house, remember?'

He nodded, turning off the water. 'Sure I do! So we'll buy it a coupla months later. Come on, we're young now! We'll have the trip of a lifetime.' He pulled her towards him and she threw her arms round his neck. Tony kissed her passionately getting wet in the process. 'Come and eat first, sweetheart,' he begged. She nodded, her eyes shining and he leaned against the wall with folded arms, watching her.

'But it wouldn't be real fun alone,' she sighed, slipping a pale blue sleeveless top on.

'You wouldn't be alone,' he said, grinning at her. 'Mom will go with you.'

'You're not serious?' she questioned eagerly and he nodded. 'Tony, that would be perfect. I love your mom; she treats me like a favorite daughter. But it's hardly fair to your father.'

Tony watched her step into a pair of black shorts and nodded grimly. 'I know. Poor papa always seems to miss every holiday. He's real busy right now.' He was always busy, canceling more than one trip at the last minute, always saving for all of us… 'He sure deserves a break too,' he said.

'So why don't we talk him into it?' she asked cheerfully. 'He hasn't exactly broken the record on holidays.'

'Aha,' Tony agreed, opening the door. 'You try, he'll listen to you. He really likes you,' he told her, taking her hand.

They spent dinner discussing the upcoming trip, Michelle and his mother insisting his father join the group. Tony's father listened to the idea shocked into silence and shook his head firmly telling Michelle he was totally swamped with work and couldn't possibly take a week off.

'It's not as though you can't afford it now,' Michelle argued, meeting his eyes. 'Marco, you've spent your whole life providing for your family. They're all fine now. You should allow yourself to relax a little.'

Tony studied his father's face, seeing a thoughtful expression enter his eyes. He cast an admiring glance at Michelle, aware she was the only one present who had a chance of talking his father into a well deserved holiday. Keep going Michelle, you're doing great! He squeezed her hand under the table.

'What can I say?' his father sighed as they finished their coffee and cookies. 'You're all against me! Why shouldn't I have a quiet week at home by myself?'

'Because you'll spend it working,' Michelle told him, getting up. She threw him a mock stern expression and he nodded, chewing his lip, reminding her of Tony. 'Marco, you're every bit as stubborn as Tony, and the only way to get him to relent once he's decided on something is to say one word, "please."' She walked over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. 'Come with us.'

Mr. Almeida glanced round the table, his eyes resting on Tony. 'Looks like I lost this one,' he said, smiling at his son. 'Alright, I'll come, but I've got to bring my work along with me! There's a plan that's absolutely got to be ready by next week.'

'You can draw it up on the plane,' Tony suggested mischievously. 'It's quite a long flight.' Their eyes met and he read a mild amusement from his father. 'You really do need a break too, Papa,' he argued. 'I don't really remember you ever having one except when we went to visit Abuelo, but you always had to help round the farm then.'

'Yeah, I remember.' His father finished his wine and laid the glass on the table. 'I might not be terribly good company though. I'm not real sure what to do on a vacation.'

'Oh, we'll organize everything!' Michelle assured him, sharing a smile between them. Tony finished the last of the dinner, a recipe his mother could have done quite well without, he decided, and watched them chatting, thrilled she fitted in so well with his family. He had agonized over her meeting his parents pointlessly early on in their relationship. Really it would have been impossible if they had failed to get on, tearing him apart between them.

After dinner he collected the dishes and carried them to the kitchen, washing them all. Over the top of the counter he noticed them gazing at Michelle's computer, chatting animatedly. Looks like they're finding plenty of places to visit while I'm at my conference! He scrubbed the pot enviously.

'Tony, you got to come here,' Michelle called, her voice a little higher with excitement. 'We'll go to the Gold Coast! You've GOT to see some of the pictures of the beaches!'

He shook his head, resuming his task with the slightly burned pot. 'I shouldn't.'

'Don't be silly, Tony, of course you should,' she cried. 'It's just near Brisbane, the Gold Coast on one side and the Sunset Coast on the other. We'll visit them both! And there's a national park with koalas in there, and some large aquarium where we'll see the local fish, and…'

'We should spend the week in Brisbane, and then fly up to Cairns for the weekend, it's all coral reef there,' his mother interrupted, just as excited. 'Look at these pictures. That sand is so…'

'I'll call Chappelle in a minute and tell him I'm going surfing instead. It's the same continent, after all,' he told her with a wry expression. 'Trust me, it's better if I don't get to see those pictures!'

'You'd NEVER be tempted to join us there instead!' Michelle exclaimed, resting her head against his shoulder.

'You sure about that, sweetheart?' he questioned, taking a break. 'It's a beach. You think Tony Almeida never sneaked off to the beach?'

She gave a delighted chuckle. 'You didn't! Tell me about it, Tony.'

'I will a bit later, when…'

'When we've gone home,' his father finished, joining them in the kitchen. 'Why keep her waiting so long, Tony? Come out and tell us all, we'd LOVE to hear about it!'

Tony chewed his lip, throwing his father a guilty look. 'Ah, that's the kinda story that can keep! Why don't you guys show me the Gold Coast instead?'

'It won't save you,' his father assured him, following him back to the computer. Tony's mother gave him her seat and he clicked through a whole series of pictures, shaking his head.

'It's hardly fair! I get to freeze and you'll go swimming. Where's the fairness in that? Reminds me of the time I was stationed in Alaska and Maria called me and told me about having dinner on the beach!'

'Oh Tony, grow up!' his father told him, laying an arm round his shoulders. 'Your ticket is paid for, after all! We've all got to pay for ours!' He chewed his lip, failing to hide his amusement. 'Now I'd love to hear about you sneaking off to the beach.'

Tony rolled his eyes and shook his head, helping himself to the last cookie. 'Is there a statute of limitations here, papa? Otherwise I refuse to testify!'

'Depends how long ago it was,' his father replied, settling back into the armchair he normally occupied whenever he visited his son.

'Isn't it something like seven years?' his mother asked cheerfully, sitting in the opposite armchair. 'I think you're safe enough, Tony!'

'Is it a deal, papa? I won't get busted for anything that happened more than seven years ago?' he inquired cheekily.

Mr. Almeida pretended to consider the matter. 'That all depends on what we'll hear,' he said.

'Sorry, I can't take that chance,' Tony told them seriously. 'My lips are sealed!'

He caught the cushion Michelle threw at him easily with his left hand, placing it behind his back. 'Tony, come on, tell us. We're all waiting,' she cried impatiently. 'I don't believe you ever even did such a thing at all, that's why you refuse to speak!'

'Oh honey, you don't imagine you'll catch me out with that old trick?' he snorted. 'I'm supposed to say sure I did, and then be forced to tell. Ow,' he cried as she punched his arm. 'Michelle…'

'Come on Tony, it's getting late,' his mother urged. 'Your father promises he won't get excited about anything you done as a teenager. Don't you, Marco?'

'I do,' he agreed seriously. 'Come on Tony, tell us. Which beach did you visit without my knowledge and whose signature did you forge for your note to school the next day? Mine?'

Tony pulled a puzzled frown onto his face, casting his father an alarmed look. She doesn't know about that yet, Papa! 'You guys all jump to conclusions,' he said, shaking his head in mock sorrow. 'As it happens, I had the day off with mom's permission! There was a chemistry test I hadn't prepared for and she let me stay home…'

'I'm sure I wouldn't have,' his mother interrupted startled.

'Well, perhaps I failed to mention the test,' Tony admitted, chewing his lip. 'I said something about feeling real sick, bad stomach ache, and mom told me to stay in bed and keep warm and call her at work if I felt worse. And I would've stayed home and practiced a little basketball in the garden, but Miguel and Arturo called and…'

'Not those gangsters?' his father cried.

'Now papa, it's important to establish a timeline here. They hadn't joined any gang yet,' Tony protested. 'They said they'd love to go to the beach, would I join them, so I said sure. It was a perfect winter day. They said they needed a ride as they had no car so I made some sandwiches and found mom's keys and I'm sorry mom, I took your car.' He threw her a sheepish look.

'Tony! When was this? Did you have your license?' his mother asked, struggling to think when these events could have occurred.

He shook his head guiltily. 'Not quite, but I was ready to pass the test, honest! And nothing happened to the car! I was real careful.'

'So you had a great day at the beach. And then you went home?' Michelle asked him, shaking her head. 'Really, Tony! How could you?'

'Honey, I was a teenager,' he protested. 'Yeah, we had a fantastic day. The waves were massive, curling right over. I nearly drowned! I don't think I ever drank so much seawater in my life as I did that day.'

Tony pushed his partner's glass door open and stepped in uninvited, catching Jack gazing aimlessly into space. 'Hi Jack,' he began, perching on an uncluttered corner of his desk. 'Got a minute?'

Jack sighed, nodding his head at a small pile of folders on his desk. 'Ryan wants these completed by the end of the day. Sure!'

'Yeah, he's been after me too,' Tony admitted, rubbing his face.

'So how's your speech coming?'

Tony sighed heavily. 'I got about ten minutes worth – just about half. I'm not sure what kinda detail they'll expect. Should I provide something more, or just pad this out a little? Dammit, Jack, I've never done anything like this before. I'm no public speaker!' Only times you've ever spoken in public, Almeida, were to your men back in the Marines. You didn't need to agonize over a speech when it came to commending them, dressing them down, or organizing them for a mission. This is different, it'll be hell. A light sweat broke out on his forehead.

A slight grin worked its way onto his partner's face. Tony scowled back at him, noting the grin widen. 'You're nervous, Tony!' The grin grew into a smile.

Tony folded his arms and glared at him. 'Yeah.'

'Look, why don't you show me what you got so far,' Jack suggested, taking pity on him. 'I could give you a few tips. Delivering a speech is not so bad, just focus on the back wall and avoid eye contact until you feel confident.'

You'll stare at the back wall during the entire speech, Almeida! It's as good a piece of advice as any you've heard so far! 'Thanks, Jack,' he said, getting up. 'Ah, there was one more thing…'

'Spit it out,' Jack ordered, a mild frown appearing on his face as he studied Tony in silence. 'You're not resigning or anything, are you? It wouldn't save you, Tony. If Ryan says you're delivering this speech, then you're doing it.'

'Yeah. No.'

Jack stared at him confused. 'What's wrong, Tony?'

Tony rubbed his face, chewed his upper lip and examined the entire office, avoiding eye contact. 'Ah, I'd like to take Michelle with me,' he began. 'She hasn't had a holiday since our honeymoon nearly a year ago, and you know that was interrupted! She's put in more hours at work than anyone except you or me and she's real tired. Thing is, you'd be left to run my department as well…'

Jack let out a long breath, pointing a finger at him wordless.

'Please Jack. It's only for nine days,' Tony begged. 'You ran CTU alone, you can handle it.'

Jack nodded. 'Sure I can handle it, Tony. I can handle the terrorists. What I can't handle is all the reports waiting for me! You expect me to do yours as well?'

'Nah. Just sign the more urgent ones and leave the rest, I'll do them when I return. You could also give the more mundane ones to Adam or Gael…Look Jack; you can handle Chappelle better than anyone I know. I…'

'Quit bootlicking, Tony, it's not your style,' Jack muttered. 'Okay, for old time's sake. For nine days, you hear. NOT A DAY LONGER!'

Tony grinned at him, nodding his head. 'Thanks Jack. We'll be back in nine days; you got my word on it.'