Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters related to 24.

A/N: About the last chapter, yes I know I caved and the whole "taking things slow" concept flew out the window. It was just that when I was watching the season 2 kiss episode again I was convinced they wouldn't hold out for long…not after THAT kiss…lol. I thought it better to show the uncertainty carry through with both of them afterwards…Not sure what to say about this chapter. Definitely a good bit longer than the other ones. Hopefully it's setting up the story for some problems to come…Thank you for all your wonderful reviews as usual and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Four - Suspicions

Michelle awoke from her light sleep a few hours after their last "encounter". It took her a minute to take in her surroundings. The room was even darker now and she could tell that it was nighttime, though how late, she had no idea. Her stomach grumbled and it was understood instantly why she'd awoken. Smiling she fell back on the pillows and pulled the covers over her more tightly. It was then that a wave of panic swept over her. Where was Tony? The light in the bathroom across the hall was out and he was no where to be seen. She sat up quickly, letting the covers fall down, exposing the upper half of her body. The door to the bedroom swung open a little wildly and she self-consciously pulled them up over herself again. A sigh of relief escaped her lips when it became clear who the visitor was. Tony was back.

Dressed in jeans again and a faded, white t-shirt he crawled up on the bed and kissed Michelle lightly. She could feel the smile he was wearing when he did this.

"Hey gorgeous."

She ran her fingers through his hair lazily. "Hey…what time is it?"

"9:30…I made us some dinner…" he explained. "Just pasta…"

"Great. I'm starved."

This caused Tony to laugh; he fell on the bed beside her. "You should be, considering the afternoon we just had." He lifted up her hand and kissed the palm. They lay there for a few minutes saying nothing.

Realizing if he stayed like that much longer he'd be fast asleep again soon, Tony got out of bed and made his way towards the dresser. "Here…"

He tossed a way-too-big grey t-shirt in Michelle's general direction. It didn't look like much but Tony swore that it was the most comfortable piece of clothing he owned. She slid it over her head.

"This is all I get?" she said coyly.

"What else do you want?"

Michelle thought about it before leaning over to the floor and scooping up her panties. She wiggled them on underneath the covers and Tony watched with an amused grin on his face.

"On second thought…I'm good."

"Good. Let's eat." He slapped the top of her thigh tenderly before lifting her out of bed.

The shared a quiet meal, slurping up noodles once in a while just to make some noise. The conversation was kept to a minimum, replaced by the occasional touch or caress of the other person, afraid to lose contact from each other for too long so soon during the aftermath. When their plates were cleared, Tony put on coffee and scooped Michelle up in his arms, tossing her on the couch. She shrieked at the unexpectedness of this, but smiled when he tossed her a blanket and went back to the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later with full mugs for both of them.

"So I was thinking…" he began slowly. "That maybe we could just hang out here tonight?"

"All night?" she asked, baiting him.

He took a sip of his coffee, lengthening the reply. "If you want…" he tried, playing it off like it didn't really matter to him either way. Michelle saw right through it. She put the mug down on the table and leaned over, pressing her lips against his. Tony smiled and took another sip from his mug before grabbing the remote and turning on the TV. He began flicking through the channels as Michelle picked up her mug again and leaned back against his side. Tony wrapped a free arm around.

"How've you been holding up?" He asked her out of nowhere. "I mean…y'know…with everything that's been going on the last week…"

Michelle hesitated, just long enough for Tony to notice, before answering. "Fine."

Tony cocked his head to the side and forced Michelle to meet his eyes. He furrowed his brow. "Why don't I believe you?"

She offered up a defeated look. "It's nothing…Nothing I can't handle at least…"

Tony placed down his coffee again and pried Michelle's carefully from her hands. He drew her in towards his body a little more, as if to reaffirm that he was in fact there. He pinned both her arms against her sides with his own and kissed the top of her shoulder, leaving his mouth buried in the crook of her neck, before finally responding.

"Talk to me." he cooed gently, shifting one hand so that it was stroking her forearm encouragingly. Michelle felt his warm breath against her ear and sighed, tilting her head back.

"It's really not a big deal…" she said dismissively. "I just haven't been getting the greatest sleep. Same bad dream every night…" she felt embarrassed to be complaining about something so trivial. "I told you it wasn't a big deal…"

"Well sleep kind of is…" Tony joked softly.

Michelle smiled but said nothing.

"Wanna tell me what the dream is?"

"Not really," came her flat rebuttal.

Tony kissed the side of her face and closed his eyes. "K…"

Michelle's first reaction to this response was total shock. She'd experienced Tony's annoying tendency to question the living daylights out of a person first hand. The day of the nuke was a prime example; whether it was about her helping Jack, or the problem she had with Carrie he'd been implacable until Michelle had finally spilled exactly what she'd been trying to hide. "Work Tony" it was safe to assume, was incredibly different than "Non-work Tony". True, he'd been a lot more relaxed with her in the past few days and laughed more frequently…but Michelle hadn't expected his curiosity to be satiated with such ease all of a sudden.

"Really?" The tone of voice revealed her astonishment.

"Well I'm not gonna interrogate you about it Michelle…namely since the information isn't pertaining to or affecting national security."

It made sense.

"Thanks."

"But don't think that means I'm gonna just let it go…" he nudged her gently. "We'll have to figure out a way to get you a good sleep again."

"This…" she kissed one of the arms wrapped around her. "Would probably help."

Tony chuckled. "I was hoping you'd say that…"

The rest of the night passed in a blur of lovemaking and blissful sleep. Michelle found that half the time she was wondering if her eyes had even closed when Tony started kissing her again. Or how long it had been since her incontrollable urge to kiss him had been satisfied. Morning came far too quickly for both of them. Michelle rolled over and checked the time. It was just before 9. Regretfully, she dragged herself out of bed and moved over to the chair she'd been blindfolded in earlier, where her clothes now lay, folded. She dressed quietly, so as not to wake Tony. Even though it was more his fault than hers they hadn't gotten that much sleep. She smiled at him as he stirred slightly in the bed, and then fished a hair elastic out of her purse, along with a comb.

Once in the bathroom Michelle brushed back her hair and splashed some cold water on her face. It was then that she noticed the little pattern of red marks all over her skin and chest. She scolded herself for not having enough common sense to bring cover up. It was for this reason, and this reason alone, that she was thankful she needed to get home.

Michelle gathered up everything in her purse quickly and then made her way back over to the bed. She leaned in over Tony and kissed him firmly on the lips. A hand was already running through her hair before Tony had even opened his eyes.

"Hey." He murmured.

"Hey handsome…" she ran her fingers through his hair now.

"What are ya doing?" he asked, noticing she was fully dressed.

"I'm gonna head home…it's still early, go back to sleep…" she kissed him again.

"You've got to be kidding me…" he croaked, tightening his grip around her.

"I gotta change my clothes, get cleaned up…"

"You look perfect to me." He told her tenderly.

Michelle smiled. "Aren't you sick of me yet?"

"Again…You've gotta be kidding me."

"I can't live in the same clothes for two days…"

"Fine…how are you getting home?" Tony moved his arms down to her back and forced her to lie beside him.

"I was just about to call a cab." Michelle mumbled against his chest.

"C'mon I'll take you." He said kissing her gently.

"No really, it's fine. Go back to sleep…"

"Too late. I'm awake now. Gimme 10 minutes." Her lips parted but Tony quickly covered them with his.

"And stop arguing Michelle…Taking you home would be the highlight of my morning."

Half an hour later Tony and Michelle were standing outside her apartment, much differently than they had been two nights prior. Michelle was once again searching her purse for her keys, but doing so much less efficiently. The reason for this was that Tony had found the sensitive spot behind her earlobe and was nibbling it tenderly.

"If you don't stop doing that I'm never gonna get this door open." She informed him with a mischievous grin.

Tony grumbled something about not caring either way before relenting.

Michelle ushered him quickly inside her house and tossed her belongings on a chair in the kitchen. She turned back to Tony.

"Thanks for the ride."

Tony felt himself turn to goo when her lips kinked into smile. "So I'm thinking…" he told her as he crossed the room and encircled his arms around her waist. "That maybe you'd like to do something tonight…"

Michelle raised an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind this time?"

"Chinese food and a DVD?"

"Here?"

"Sure."

"Mhm k…" Their lips were brushing against each other's now.

"I call ya in a little while." Tony finally conjured enough energy to taint the priceless moment with words, pulling her in for one last, lingering kiss before heading out the door…

Michelle flopped down on her bed. She couldn't believe the day she'd had…they'd had. More than anything she hoped it hadn't been a mistake. It had been amazing, but Michelle couldn't shake the feeling that maybe Tony's hesitation held some weight. Maybe they shouldn't have rushed into things so quickly. Michelle shook her head firmly. No…she didn't regret one second of their night together. The fact that they'd had sex didn't have to change anything for the worse. The only thing that made Michelle nervous was that they still hadn't experienced "dating" at work. Now, if Tony was suddenly reminded of Nina and decided he couldn't handle it anymore, Michelle would be in far too deep to just forget it all. It hadn't only been just a couple of dates….or one night. She already knew she was in it for the long haul…and all that could be done was keep wishing that, come Monday, Tony still felt the same way about her.

Tony was sitting at a stop light when he suddenly felt violently ill. It was guilt. He shouldn't have done that…got involved so early on in the relationship…not to Michelle. Not when he wasn't entirely sure that he wouldn't suddenly have a panic attack and back out of the whole thing. Of course things went well when they didn't have to face work…that had always been the underlying problem. Work…work relationships…Nina…He hated himself for letting the woman have such of an impact on him. The traitor…the murderer…She shouldn't hold the influence that she did in his life. Nina shouldn't be capable of making him doubt Michelle and her intentions even in the slightest…but she did. He couldn't hurt Michelle, not because of her. Work was work but that didn't mean he had to give up something that really, truly made him happy. There would be a way to sort this all out. As far as Tony was concerned…there wasn't another option.

Michelle had just wrapped her bathrobe around her shoulders and decided to lie down for a little while. It was a delightfully warm cocoon, and she was so relaxed…and happy. It'd been a long time since she'd been this happy. It was at this very moment a decision was made. Work would be dealt with as it came. For now, she could enjoy being happy…everything else could wait...

Soon she was fast asleep.

A phone rang.

"Hello?" she groggily rolled over and picked it up.

"Hey, you asleep?" Tony's voice resonated in her ear.

"Not anymore." She grumbled.

"I'm sorry sweetheart."

Michelle's stomach lurched hearing the word, as much as Tony's did when it rolled off his tongue. That was another thing he hadn't planned on doing.

"No, no it's okay." she said, suddenly not feeling so irritated anymore, and doubly thankful that Tony couldn't see her face from his end of the phone.

"I just called because I wanted to see if there was a specific movie you wanted…"

"You can pick…"

"Alright…so what…an hour and a half and I'll come over?"

"Yeah that's fine…But uh…word of warning…I'm putting on my pajamas so don't expect me to look like anything special…"

Tony laughed. "Trust me sweetheart you'd be hard pressed not to …" What the hell is wrong with you? You just said it again!

"Oh Tony…um…since we have work tomorrow maybe it would be a good idea if you brought a change of clothes…"

Tony swallowed a sigh of relief. He hadn't wanted to be the one to bring that aspect of their night together up. Namely, since they were staying at her apartment this time.

"Yeah that's probably a good idea." He said nonchalantly. "I'll see you in a little while."

"Okay…see ya in a bit."

On her end Michelle was still reeling over the fact that he'd called her "sweetheart"…twice. It was as if the man was trying to make it more and more difficult to accept the fact that he might end up regretting the whole weekend. The voice of optimism told Michelle that maybe Tony really wouldn't care what happened or what everyone thought when they got back to work...maybe Tony would just care about her.

Tony was home now and about ten seconds away from slamming his head against the wall. What was he trying to do here? What possessed him to say that to her? It was as if the last couple of days had been an out of body experience. Tony had tried to remain in control of it all, kept his emotions in check, but it was pointless. He would be in the middle of talking himself through a situation, lecturing himself on how it was necessary to keep his distance, and then…she would smile…or laugh…or even just look him in the eye…and Tony was instantly ready to lay out the welcome mat so she could walk all over him. He really was making it easy for her to use him, take advantage of him…all the things he was afraid of…But he just couldn't control himself. The reality of the situation was…Tony hadn't been in control of anything around Michelle from the second she'd walked into CTU.

He sighed to himself and made his way to the shower. Tony's inability to think clearly, and his instinctive desire to make Michelle nothing less than completely happy, told him it was more than just genuine affection he was experiencing. Tony had a gut-wrenching, nauseating, terrifying-as-hell suspicion, that this…was love.

The second half of the weekend past much in the same way the first half did…And before either of the pair were ready to face it, Monday had arrived.

Michelle's alarm clock began blasting the latest news reports full volume around 6 that morning. She barely had time to mindlessly hit the snooze button before an arm crept across her stomach and pulled her back into bed. Tony's eyes still weren't open but he began to speak.

"Morning sweetheart." He kissed the juncture between her shoulder blades. Michelle smiled and allowed herself to settle back against his chest. She still wasn't entirely awake either.

"Morning honey." She grumbled before dozing off again.

Nine minutes later the alarm was blaring a second time.

"Okay we really do have to get up now." She squeezed the hand running up and down her side.

"Fine." Tony mumbled against her head.

"You want a shower first?" she asked as she fell out of bed and pulled a t-shirt over her head.

Tony sat up a little. "Well there is a way this could be more productive…" he advised, kissing her exposed shoulders and collarbone.

"Typical." She muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" He raised an eyebrow and leaned around to see her face.

"Nothing…" she dismissed. "C'mon then Almeida…you just better hope I'm not late for work…" Tony sniggered as Michelle dragged him out of bed and led him into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Less than an hour later Michelle was standing at her car watching Tony walk towards his own, which was still parked on the street. The nerves associated with their first date were nothing compared to the nerves she was feeling about their first day at work as a "couple". Michelle pulled into her parking spot with her thoughts on everything but what they should be. Tony's car was already there, he was probably up in his office already. She gripped the steering wheel painfully in hopes of banishing some butterflies from her stomach, before turning off her car and making her way inside.

The second Tony sat down his phone rang.

"Tony, Mr. Chappelle on line one…"

Tony picked up the phone.

"Hey, Ryan."

"Hey Tony…Just wanted to let you know that I'm heading over to CTU this afternoon. Jack Bauer got discharged from the hospital on the weekend and he's coming as well. I have something I need to discuss with the both of you."

Tony rested his head in his free hand. Ryan certainly didn't waste any time beating around the bush.

"I want a meeting scheduled for two…" he continued.

"What's this about Ryan?" Tony wasn't the type who appreciated receiving orders without having some sort of reason for them. It was probably why he and Jack had gotten off to such a rocky start in the beginning.

"Restructuring CTU... It seems a fitting time since we have so many positions that need filled. Division's been working on the blueprint for a while... That's all I can tell you right now. Just make sure you're ready at two…"

And just like that he was gone. Tony hung up the phone, running his tongue over his teeth, in a vain attempt to wipe away the distaste the conversation with Ryan had left in his mouth. He could feel his muscles tensing up now. No meeting with Ryan Chappelle was considered a good thing, especially when it was about changing the whole setup of the office. He lifted his head up and glanced down at the floor now. Michelle had just walked in. She was sitting at her system, talking to a member of the night shift. Tony couldn't remember his name. Frankly, he couldn't care less at this point. He was too busy watching Michelle tug subconsciously at the sides of the shirt he'd found in her closest that morning.

Michelle had been skeptical as to why he asked her to wear that of all things. It was a simple black button up shirt. Tony, himself, really couldn't place why it appealed to him so much. It was very plain, simple, and totally professional. Maybe that was why he liked it. She would wear it all day and then, with any luck, he'd be the one who got to take it off that night. It was, if nothing else, a physical representation of the fact that he was privileged enough to see her in a different light, something most people never got to do. Either way he adored it on her.

Soon, she was alone, typing something on her computer, back to Tony. He scratched the side of his face and grinned before turning back to his own screen. The end of the day had never seemed so far away.

Michelle had a sneaking suspicion that a pair of eyes were on her, and also that she knew exactly who those eyes belonged to. Once she started a Capabilities Search that needed to be done, she decided it was time for a coffee. As gracefully as possible, in case said person's eyes were still on her, she rose from her seat and sauntered over to the break room.

She pulled down a mug for herself and poured her coffee, then, spotting Tony's sacred Cubs mug tucked away safely in the corner of a shelf, she stood on tiptoes and managed to get it down. What would someone say if they saw her getting Tony his coffee? It wasn't like she'd never done that before. Surely, no one would be able to figure out they were dating from the mere fact that she brought him a cup of coffee…at least not unless they'd already talked to Carrie or something...

True it was inevitable that people would eventually clue in…but for now Tony and Michelle agreed they would do their best to keep it secret. Especially since the whole issue with Nina was likely to make everything seem about a hundred times worse to anyone who knew the history. People finding out about them now would just open up a whole new, extremely large, can of worms.

Michelle quickly poured him a cup, and stopped at her desk to put down her own mug, before going upstairs to Tony's office. No one appeared particularly interested in the fact that she was doing so; after all, sometimes they'd end up working together the whole day. No…Michelle visiting Tony was definitely nothing out of the ordinary.

She knocked on his door, and Tony motioned her in. It felt strange to be so conscientious of every move made. Now, even closing the door and making her way to his desk felt uncomfortable. She smiled when she was finally standing in front of him.

"I was just getting a cup of coffee and I saw your mug so I figured…" She held out her peace offering. The whole ordeal was indescribable. It was as if she hadn't spent the last two nights in bed with him, or that they hadn't gone out to dinner, or for a walk, or any of the above. It was as if the person in front of her was an entirely different entity than the one she'd left that morning. The person in front of her hadn't been around for all those things. Michelle felt like she didn't know this side of Tony any better than she had on her first day at CTU.

Tony had now made his way around the desk and was leaning back against it, a mere six inches from her. Michelle made to put the coffee down beside him. The second he heard the soft clunk of ceramic against wood, he reached out and covered her hand with his. Michelle released the mug and Tony brought her hand to his mouth, gently kissing the inside of her wrist. She looked unsure of herself and he didn't like it. He wanted to verbalize that just because they were at work, his feelings were as unchanged as ever. Having no time to launch into a long winded bout of reassurances in the middle of his office, Tony settled for a less obvious approach, hoping she'd get the message. Lacing his fingers with hers, he brought her hand down from his mouth and pulled her a little more closely to him.

"Thanks." He told her gently, still not letting go of her hand.

Michelle gave him a smile, not the distorted, disappointed one she could feign, but the real one.

"Doesn't seem like there's much going on today." She commented.

Tony nodded, "Well, not for the country per se…this office on the other hand…" he looked away.

"What's happening?" The concern was evident in her voice.

"Chappelle's coming here at two, along with Jack. We're having a meeting about restructuring the staff…"

Michelle was rubbing the inside of his palm gently. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Tony shook his head. "Wouldn't tell me... Just said to make sure I was ready for two."

Seeing the vexed look on Michelle's face he continued. "Don't worry though, we'll sort it out. There's just a lot of positions that need filling, that's probably gonna be the bulk of it anyway…I'm just not sure what's going on with Jack…he wasn't even supposed to be active…" Michelle nodded, worries not alleviated in the least.

"But hey, we'll get it all sorted out."

Michelle finally voiced the cause of her distress. "Is Jack gonna get your job if he decides to become active again?"

"That's for me to worry about…not you…"

"Alright."

"Okay…" Tony stood and walked back around to the computer. "Now I need you to put together the workup of that guy Anderson for me…"

"I thought he was in jail?"

"He is, but he definitely didn't advocate Palmer getting elected, and he has a lot of supporters out there…Just see if you can dig up anything on them."

"I'm on it." Michelle spun on her heel and was out the room in a flash.

It was two before Tony even realized it. His phone rang informing him that Jack Bauer had arrived and was waiting for himself and Ryan in the Conference Room, as per Ryan's request. A few minutes later he received another phone call, this time telling him that Ryan was on his way up. At this news Tony high-tailed it to the Conference Room and had just exchanged pleasantries with Jack when Ryan Chappelle marched in.

"Tony, Jack" Ryan acknowledged when he entered, taking a seat at the head of the table.

"Ryan." The both nodded in unison.

"Let's get started." he opened up a folder. "Now Tony, you've been replacing George Mason as Director of CTU for the past week, and despite a few major slip ups, District has commented that they're pleased with the results you've produced so far."

It was as close to a compliment as you got from Ryan Chappelle. Tony said nothing.

"Now Jack," Ryan explained. "Has expressed his desire to return to the job, which means we have a golden opportunity here to make some necessary changes to the staff."

Tony's stomach churned a little. He eyed Jack across the table who met his gaze, but showed no indication of what he was thinking. Tony knew him well enough now, to know that that particular expression meant Jack was still analyzing how to not only figure out what was going on, but get at least two steps ahead of everything Ryan was saying.

"We've decided that we're going to split up CTU into two departments, a regular, internal one, and field ops. Division wants to keep you, Tony, in the position you are in right now and wants Jack to run field ops. We'd like to see how you two manage things that way…"

Tony suddenly felt about a thousand times better. He wasn't being demoted or relocated; nothing was changing for him really. He looked at Jack who leaned over the table a little to respond.

"I think that's a good idea Ryan." He said simply.

"Good. Now comes the hard part. We have to re-staff virtually half the positions and add a multiple new ones. You two can be in charge of that…start with filling Tony's old position."

Tony raised an eyebrow, finally speaking. "What do you mean? The positions already been filled."

"By who?"

Ryan was testing his patience now. "By the same person who's been doing that job, as well as their own job, all week…" he spat, emotions getting the best of him.

"Michelle doesn't have the qualifications for that kind of work." Ryan retorted.

Tony took a deep breath, to prevent himself from getting too worked up. "Of course she does Ryan, she's a huge part of the reason we've been getting such good results since the day of the bomb."

"Be that as it may, someone with more experience would be better suited for that kind of leadership role."

"Ryan listen, whoever ends up filling the position is someone I'm gonna have to work with day in and day out, Jack probably too…Michelle's been here for a year, she knows the system, knows how everything works, and things have been going smoothly the whole time. Don't you think it's better to have someone who's proven themselves, instead of someone who looks good on paper?" Tony was saying a silent prayer he sounded objective, but he wasn't going to let Michelle be overlooked like that. Not when she clearly was the best candidate.

Jack, who had been eyeing Tony carefully, piped in.

"Michelle was also the one who came to me about the Cyprus recording. If she hadn't done that we'd probably be at war right now. I agree with Tony, better her than anyone else…"

Ryan looked back and forth between the pair of them and sighed.

"Fine…" he pressed the intercom. "Send Michelle Dessler into the Conference Room."

Tony bit back the smile that threatened to spread across his face. Thirty seconds later Michelle swept into the room, looking as calm and cool as ever…or so she managed to convey. Her eyes locked with Tony's for an instant and he knew beneath it all, she was scared.

Ryan pointed to the chair beside Jack.

"Take a seat Michelle."

She sat down and crossed her legs, looking expectantly at Ryan. He said nothing for a few seconds, merely stared her down. Michelle remained unruffled by it, depicting polite curiosity. At last, Ryan launched into an explanation about the two new departments and Tony and Jack's roles in them. He told Michelle about the staffing situation, finally coming to the reason she was there.

"So we've decided to keep you in the role that Tony claims you've been filling anyway, since he's taken over for Mason."

Michelle thanked him quietly, trying not to seem too relieved.

"That being said, I'm leaving it up to you three to fill all the old positions, as well as these new ones." He handed Tony and Jack both a sheet of paper.

"Anyone you want to hire goes through me first…understood?" All three of them nodded.

"Good, then I think we're done here." Ryan rose, gathered his folder, and started to leave. He paused at the door and turned around. "I'll be in touch." He told them and exited.

"So who do I thank?" Michelle said suddenly, breaking the silence.

The men looked at each other. "Chappelle wasn't going for it until Jack agreed." Tony told her truthfully.

Jack shrugged. "Tony knows you better than I do, it was his call. I just backed him up…"

Silence.

"Alright." Tony rose. "We'd better get back to work. Jack, what about starting interviews maybe Wednesday or Thursday?"

"Yeah fine." Jack remained seated. Michelle stood.

"I'm glad you're feeling better Jack." Michelle told him as she walked towards the door.

"Thanks."

Tony was right behind Michelle. He pulled open the door for her and instinctively placed his hand in the small of her back, escorting her out of the room. When he turned to close the door behind him he saw Jack watching him with a raised eyebrow. Tony hurried back to his office, wondering if Jack would be willing to let him make the call on something else.

Jack was still sitting in the Conference Room, puzzled over what he'd just witnessed. There'd been something odd about the way they'd left the room, Tony's hand had remained on Michelle's back for a fraction longer than necessary…and he had seemed very delicate with her. And there was something about the way Tony's eyes hadn't left her the whole time Ryan was speaking, or how he'd stuck up for her so adamantly when it came down to the wire.

Jack considered the fact that maybe he was reading too much into this. Normally, his instincts were impeccable but this was Tony, Tony who had been screwed over almost as badly as he had been with Nina. He knew better than to date someone from work. He wasn't a stupid person. Jack decided that for once, maybe he was a little off, maybe the medication he was taking impaired his judgment…Whatever the reason he dismissed any suspicions. There was no way Tony would make the same mistake twice.