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

A/N: Okay, so while I was supposed to be prepping for my lab yesterday I came up with this idea for the story and I just had to write it that minute. So not too long to wait for an update this time... Thanks so much for all your wonderful reviews as well. This chapter was kind of inspired by the idea that TM probably do experience normal drama every once in a while, instead of it always having to do with work and all that... I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! And thanks again for reading!

Chapter Ten - Bruises

Michelle was standing outside Tony's apartment, waiting patiently for him to answer the door. They'd left work separately as she had a few errands to run. Now, there was a plastic bag in her hand, filled to the brim with products that would permit the implementing of "Operation Take Care of Tony".

She would've put money on the fact that Tony would be reluctant at first once he saw what she had in store for him…but Michelle had this wonderful little feature called the pinky finger that, whether he chose to admit it or not, Tony was invariably wrapped around when it came to things like this. He would just have to trust her.

Tony took a little longer than usual to open the door. His side was still badly swollen and he was now sporting a shiny black eye, and a few more newly discovered bruises. He was wearing track pants and a gray t-shirt that was fraying a little at the bottom. Human nature overtook everything else when Tony bit his lip and shrugged at Michelle's fretful reaction.

"Hey sweetheart," he cupped her face and met her lips with his.

Michelle laced her fingers through Tony's before leading him back inside.

"How are you feeling?" Her ring finger gently tickled his palm.

"Better than this morning…"

In the middle of the morning briefing with Jack and some of the department heads Tony's vision had suddenly grown fuzzy and he'd become very disoriented.

Michelle and Jack had simultaneously jumped from their seats and eased him into a chair, despite his protests.

"I'm fine." He'd insisted. "Just a little light-headed…"

Michelle's gaze may have wandered but her thoughts had not left Tony for the rest of the day.

"Tony, you almost collapsed in the middle of the meeting today…you were injured, you have to take it easy."

"I know what I'm doing Michelle…"

"Well I'm sorry…But I worry about you…" Her outburst was growing a little more hysterical with each word. "I know I shouldn't…I know you have to do this but I can't help it..."

Tony's eyes were fixated intently on her. "Listen to me Michelle…" he held her face in one of his hands. "Stop getting yourself all worked up…" He told her firmly and wiped away a few stray tears. I'm here, I'm fine, and people go into the field everyday…"

Michelle nodded. "I know, I'm sorry…I just…I've never had to deal with it like this…" She trailed off.

"I know…" Oh God how he knew. He was just grateful he wasn't the one stuck at CTU sitting and waiting for Michelle to return.

"But," he continued. "This is our job, and this is what we have to do…"

"You're right. I'm being silly."

Tony kissed the side of her face, sodden with tears. "So what's in the bag?"

Michelle smiled. "You'll see…after dinner though…"

Tony raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry," Michelle insisted. "I'm not cooking…we'll order in."

His smirk said it all.

Michelle maneuvered off the couch and quickly placed an order.

"Forty minutes" she told Tony when she hung up the phone and slithered in beside him again. Her eyes met his with an adoring glance. Michelle reached out a hand and traced over the bruise on his forehead, Tony jerked instinctively when her fingers found the sensitive spot. Michelle quickly moved her right hand to the back of his neck and played with a few stray pieces of hair with her left. She titled her head and kissed the scar underneath his brow.

Tony squirmed a little on the couch, making himself more comfortable. Michelle removed her lips.

"Mhm…" Tony mumbled. "Keep doin' that…"

Michelle repositioned her mouth against his face and began to place feather light kisses all over his skin. When she made to kiss the scar on his jaw Tony moved his head at the last possible second, meeting lips on lips instead. Tony moved a hand to Michelle's face and his fingertips traced back and forth across her forehead.

"I love you." He kissed her again, a little bit more passionately.

"Lie back…" Michelle pressed against his collarbone and forced him back against the pillows on the couch. Tony's right hand remained holding the base of Michelle's neck; his left was resting in hers. He smiled at her. Tony allowed her to trail her hands through his hair for a few more seconds before reaching out his other arm and securing Michelle tightly against him on the couch, her back pressed against his chest. Once he was convinced she wasn't going anywhere he pulled a blanket off the side of the couch and wrapped it around both of them.

"I just want to lie here like this…you're not getting the chance to sneak away in the middle of the night this time."

"You needed some sleep…"

Tony kissed the patch of skin directly behind her earlobe, blowing out hot air, sending chills down Michelle's spine. "I needed you." he whispered.

They lay, for the rest of the forty minutes, like this. The only change occurring in their position was when Tony, ever so softly, pressed his lips against the front of Michelle's shoulder, or when she decided to bring his hand to her mouth and kiss every inch of it, playing with his fingers as she did so.

The food arrived and they, as starving as they both were, finished in no time at all. Michelle moved to put both their plates in the sink and started washing them. Tony was soon by her side, after spending a few seconds admiring her from a distance, not wanting to ruin the perfection in the moment as Michelle's soapy hand brushed a stray lock of hair off her face. She turned to look at him as he approached and shrugged, laughing. Tony slid in beside her and went to work drying the dishes, handing Michelle a towel when they were done.

"So do I get to see what's in the bag now?" He leaned back against the counter and pulled Michelle towards him by her hips. She stroked his face a little with the back of her hand before wiggling out of his grasp and grabbing the plastic bag out of the den. She reached in and pulled out the first item.

Tony's head cocked to the side and he moved closer so he could read the label on the bottle. He squinted when he took it out of Michelle's hand.

"Bubble bath?"

Michelle laughed at his expression. "Yes, bubble bath. It'll help you relax. And these go along with it…" she pulled out a box of candles. "In case you've run out since the last time…" she teased.

Tony shook his head, laughing. "I'm never gonna live that down am I?"

"Not until you tell me why you had them in the first place…"

Tony held up a hand in front of her mouth. "Alright we'll see how drugged up I'm feeling when I take a few more of these painkillers…"

Michelle was fishing through the bag again.

"Last one." She told him and pulled out a bottle of lotion.

"And what's this for?"

"After the bath." She explained. "You'll see…"

Tony eyes narrowed as Michelle grinned wickedly.

"Well I regret to inform you honey, but in case you haven't figured it out, I don't exactly do baths, scented candles, and lotion…"

Michelle was still grinning when she kissed him, teasingly. Tony sighed.

Michelle held Tony's chin between her thumb and the rest of her hand and moved it up and down. "I promise you'll like it…" her lips were hovering close to his and Tony slumped his shoulders.

"Fine…" he drawled.

"Strip Almeida." Michelle ordered once the tub was full of steaming water and smelled of lavender. She was lighting a few of the candles with the same lighter Tony had used on their first night together.

Tony obliged and Michelle had soon helped him ease into the tub, bubbles rising midway to his chest. Tony groaned when he tilted his head back against the towel Michelle had folded and placed on one end.

Michelle hovered on the edge of the tub, smiling. Before she pulled off her socks and rolled up the sleeves to her shirt, followed by the legs of her pants. Soon she slipped her feet into the bath and rested one on either side of Tony, placing his head in her lap. She grabbed a washcloth from the floor and dipped it in the bowl of cold water she had placed on the side, before wiping away some of the dried blood from Tony's cuts. He flinched a little at the cold but relaxed his head again soon. When Michelle leaned over to remoisten the cloth Tony lifted a hand to the back of her neck and pulled Michelle in for a kiss.

"I told you you'd like it…" Michelle whispered into his mouth.

"You know what would make me like it even more?" he probed; still holding her head in place.

Michelle did not answer.

"If you were in here with me..."

Tony had spoken the words so nonchalantly that by the time they'd been processed by Michelle, Tony had already moved his other arm to her waist and was dragging her into the water fully dressed.

"My clothes!" she complained.

When Michelle finally looked at him angrily Tony just grinned and pulled her in, tempting her lips to open as his tongue played along the brim.

"And I told you I was fine."

Tony's clingy nature was totally unnatural, but Michelle found herself enjoying it for a change. After a day like yesterday, she wanted to be near him as much as possible, but didn't want to seem too overbearing. Tony wasn't the type of person to admit he required help, but his inability to let go of Michelle for an extended period of time, told her the injuries he'd been inflicted with had made more than just his body exceptionally tender.

"Alright, you win." Michelle broke the kiss. "Just let me take these clothes off."

She climbed out of the bath and peeled her soaking wet pants and shirt. She dropped them in a sopping heap on the floor and was completely naked a few minutes later. Carefully, she climbed back into the bath and leaned against Tony, making a conscious effort not to put too much weight on him. Tony forced her head back against his shoulder and he kissed her.

Tony couldn't stop staring at her. It was now an uncomfortable reality, how much of a necessitate Michelle really was. Loving her was one thing; depending on her was something else. Tony had loved before, but never like this, never in such a way that if something happened for some reason that they couldn't be together, dying of loneliness would be considered sweet relief.

Michelle absentmindedly fingered a bubble floating in front of her.

Tony wanted to tell her, to admit all of these things to her right then and there. He would've too, if he'd known how to express himself. How to make her understand just how much he meant to her…But what words were there that could describe that? What words could he use to explain that a kiss from Michelle was better than a culmination of all the happiest moments in his life? That knowing she was there, that he could always count on her to accept him and his decisions, even if she didn't fully understand them, made him feel like he'd added another chamber to his heart, devoted entirely to her. That sitting with her right now, with her hair dripping down his chest, and her angelically soft skin resting against his, made him wish he had the power to stop time and to give Michelle everything she wanted, everything that made her happy, and everything she deserved.

A lump caught in his throat and tears prickled the corners of his eyes, he quickly blinked them back, not wanting to worry her more than he already had. Instead he just smiled and kissed her hair, causing her to turn around and smile back. Tony mentally berated himself when she turned away. These damn "close calls" made him so fucking emotional…

Tony felt Michelle shiver before he felt the water turn cold. He nudged her gently, telling her to get out of the bath. Michelle stumbled out, and Tony followed pulling two towels down and wrapping one around Michelle, before he did himself. He rubbed her arms up and down vigorously, trying to force out the cold.

Michelle fastened the towel securely, and turned on the light before blowing out the candles that were now pools of wax. Tony pulled the stopper out of the bath before following Michelle into the bedroom.

"Lie down." She told him when he sat on the edge of the bed. "On your stomach." She specified. Tony obliged and heard Michelle putter out of the room, returning with the bottle of lotion and closing the door behind her. She knelt on the bed, squirted a dollop into her palms, and began massaging it into Tony's stretched-far-too-tightly skin. When she reached his rib she took extra care to avoid upsetting the bruised area.

The lotion completely rubbed in, Michelle kissed the small of his back and announced that she was finished. Tony rolled over sleepily.

"Thanks honey."

They dressed in more comfortable clothes and headed back into the den.

"One more surprise…" Michelle informed him, going back to the plastic bag.

Tony imitated a look of annoyance that made Michelle laugh. "I don't even want to know…"

She pulled out a thin package, still in its plastic, and handed it to Tony. He read the title of the DVD.

"Fight Club?"

Michelle grinned. "And I'll even watch it with you tonight." She took off the covering and put the movie in the TV, reaching for the remote before she joined Tony on the couch. Tony kissed the top of her head for what felt like the millionth time that night, when she settled herself against him.

"Now you really are the best…"

Michelle smirked, and simply snuggled further into his warmth.

Both Tony and Michelle had passed out on the couch in the middle of the movie when the phone started ringing. Michelle leaned over and handed it to Tony.

"Hello?" he grumbled, cursing whoever it was for disrupting his slumber.

"Tony! Thank god you're home…"

"Lisa? What's going on?" His middle sister wasn't in the habit of calling him for no reason, especially when he didn't exactly approve of her lifestyle choices.

"Oh god Tony…" she wailed into the receiver. "I don't know what to do…I…"

Michelle was sitting upright too now, her own brow creased.

"What happened? What's wrong?"

Lisa hiccupped into the phone and struggled to control her breathing before she could speak again.

"Lisa!" Tony voice was panic stricken now. "Lisa what happened?"

"I… I came home late because I was out with Dave…he's in town for the week and we wanted to meet for dinner…Anyway Matt was in Sacramento and he was supposed to come home tomorrow, but he came back early…so when I got home he was there…I didn't tell him I was seeing Dave, you know how he gets…"

Tony didn't like where this conversation was going.

"We got in this big fight!" Lisa continued to cry. "I said a bunch of horrible things and…"

Lisa was sobbing too hard now to finish her sentence.

"Lise what happened?" Tony was frantic as he had a feeling he already knew the answer to this question. He met Michelle's worried glance before he spoke again.

"Did he hurt you?"

"He…he hit me…"

Tony contained his anger for the time being, at least until he was off the phone.

"Where are you now?"

"The parking lot of this store…I can't read the name. I was on the highway before but I got off after a few minutes. I don't know if he's coming after me."

"Okay Lisa listen I need you to go to the police, okay? Go to the police and report him…"

"I can't, I can't he'll come after me…He probably knows I'll go there…"

"Okay, okay. Calm down. I'll come get you but you need to go somewhere while you wait…Where's Dave staying?" Michelle watched on helplessly as Tony gritted his teeth and dug his nails into the side of the couch.

"Just this motel…like 10 minutes away maybe…"

"Okay Lise, listen to me…I want you to call a cab and go there...don't take your car…just stay at the motel and I'll come get you…"

"Alright." Lisa had stopped crying. "I'll call the cab now…"

In the time it took Lisa to give Tony the name of the place Dave was staying, Michelle had ran into the bedroom, tossed him a pair of jeans, and started throwing on some of her own clothes. It took both of them all of five minutes before they were out the door, Michelle practically breaking into a jog to keep up, as they made their way to the car.

"That sonofabitch!" Tony yelled once they were inside. "The bastard hit her!"

Tony was fuming as he started the ignition. Michelle had not yet spoken. Tony had not said anything about her accompanying him. It was understood. He wanted her there.

"I'll kill him…" Tony continued as they sped onto the highway, well exceeding the limit. "I'll fucking kill him…"

Michelle did not say anything for a long time, letting Tony continue his rant until his voice finally leveled again. Her head was still trying to process what was going on. Tony's sister was being abused; something Michelle thankfully had never experienced herself. This boyfriend, who supposedly cared about her, was hitting her. It was something she couldn't really wrap her mind around. It was one of things no one really could unless they'd been there.

Tony's behavior was worrying Michelle. He was still starring straight ahead, muttering under his breath. She finally resided herself to having to say something, noticing they were already out of the city and had less than 50 miles to go before the reached Santa Barbara, the trip had taken less than 40 minutes according to her watch. Tony may have stopped yelling but he was still furious, she worried about how he would react when they arrived. What if Lisa's boyfriend had found her already? Michelle had no doubt in her mind what would happen if he was there when Tony walked in…She needed to calm him down somehow.

"Tony…" Michelle tried gently, reaching out a hand to touch one of his that was gripped to the wheel. Tony snapped his neck in her direction, glaring, but then realizing what he was doing, softened his expression.

"I never thought he would hit her…" Tony finally mumbled quietly. It was then that Michelle fully realized why he was so unbelievably upset, and why he was acting on pure impulse in a crisis situation, something Tony was trained not to do.

"I should've stopped it before it got this bad…" He shook his head and turned back to the road.

"Tony you couldn't have known he would do this…Lisa probably couldn't imagine him doing this until now…"

Tony shook his head again. "It's happened before. I know it has. I knew as soon as she told me…"

Michelle took his hand off the wheel and clutched it fixedly in her own. "Honey I know you're upset. But when we get there…you have to try and be calm…She'll need you to be rational…"

Tony bit his lip and returned Michelle's hand squeeze. "I know, you're right…"

"And you can't blame yourself…it's not your fault…"

Tony kissed the back of Michelle's hand firmly as he continued to drive.

Lisa called shortly afterwards, informing Tony that she was with Dave at the motel and giving him the room number.

"She's with Dave now. We should be there in another half hour."

Michelle nodded. "How'd she sound?"

"She's hanging in there…"

"She'll be okay." Michelle reassured.

Tony turned to stare at her. "How do you know?"

"She's related to you isn't she?"

The faintest hint of a grin washed over Tony's face.

Twenty-five minutes later Tony was hurrying Michelle up the stairs to Dave's motel room. He banged on the door frantically and Dave was pulling back the deadbolt a second later.

"Tony," Dave looked relieved.

"Hey Dave," Tony pushed past him. "Where is she?"

Lisa emerged from the bathroom with blotchy eyes and the remnants of mascara streaks still on her face. Her almost jet-black hair was straggly and knotted and her tank top had a large rip on one side.

But it was none of these things that Michelle or Tony noticed at first. It was the black and blue bruise covering a large portion of her left cheekbone and sharply contrasting her bloodshot eyes. Lisa ran across the room and slammed hard into Tony's side when she threw her arms around his neck, and began sobbing into his shoulder.

Michelle saw Tony stumble and his face contort in pain when Lisa did this. His rib was still sore, but he did not make any motion to shift his sister's position. Instead he just rubbed gentle circles against her back while Michelle and Dave looked on helplessly, not knowing what else they could do.

"Hey, hey…" Tony soothed her. "It okay…we'll sort this out…" He stroked the back of her head.

Finally Lisa had stopped crying. She released Tony from her grasp and wiped her eyes quickly. Tony's t-shirt was completely drenched on the shoulder from her tears. He put an arm around his little sister and kissed the top of her head.

Lisa finally noticed Michelle.

Her olive skin blushed furiously. "I'm sorry I didn't even know –"

Michelle waved away her apology. "Are you okay?"

Lisa nodded and sniffled a little. "Yeah, I'll be fine." She wiped her face again before turning back. "Michelle, right?"

Michelle nodded, and smiled gently.

Lisa laughed ironically. "Not exactly the way I thought I'd be meeting you…"

Tony chimed in, not wanting to linger any longer than necessary. "Do you have anything with you?"

Lisa shook her head. "Just my purse…"

"Alright then we should probably…"

Michelle cut him off. "Tony give us a few minutes." Michelle made her way over to the bed where Lisa was now sitting and offered her a hand leading her into the bathroom and closing the door. Tony was puzzled but said nothing; Michelle probably knew what she was doing more than he did. Tony finally remembered Dave was still in the room.

"Did she tell you anything?" Tony inquired.

Dave shook his head. "Just that Matt had hit her and she needed somewhere to go while she waited for you. She hasn't stopped crying since she got here…"

Tony sighed and rubbed his temples, wondering what on earth Michelle could possibly be doing in there.

"Here." Michelle handed Lisa a warm washcloth. Lisa accepted gratefully and dabbed her face, spending an extra amount of time trying to ease the puffiness out of her eyes.

"I'm a mess." She commented dryly.

Michelle had seen it when she walked in the room. Lisa was mortified with what had happened and she had been demeaned enough for one night. The least Michelle could do was help her clean herself up a bit.

She handed Lisa a Kleenex, who blew her nose loudly with it. Michelle examined the bruise on her face carefully, before handing her a comb buried inside her own purse. Lisa made to redo her hair but hissed when she lifted her arms. Michelle steadied her and sat her down on the toilet seat.

She looked at Lisa patiently, wondering what other injuries Matt had inflicted. Lisa seemed to interpret the look and hung her head.

"This isn't all…" she admitted, indicating to her face.

Lisa lifted up the ripped side of her shirt revealing an extremely large bruise just off-center of her belly button.

"I fell, when he hit me the first few times…" Lisa explained. "And he kicked me when I was on the floor…"

New tears were forming in her eyes again and Michelle handed her another tissue.

"Don't tell Tony." She pleaded.

Michelle hesitated before agreeing. "I won't, but it might be something serious, you should go to the doctor…"

"I will..." Lisa assured her. "I just can't deal with all of this at once…"

Michelle nodded sympathetically and squeezed her shoulder before lifting the comb off the counter and pulling Lisa's hair into a fresh ponytail. Lisa stood up and looked back in the mirror, dabbing her eyes one final time before turning to Michelle.

"I actually feel a bit better…Thanks." She finally smiled.

Michelle nodded. "No problem." She touched her arm gently. "One second…"

Michelle poked her head out the bathroom door. "Dave?" she called. "You have a sweatshirt or a jacket or something?"

Dave who had been in deep conversation with Tony jumped on cue, he hurried over to his suitcase in the far corner of the room and pulled out a Navy blue sweatshirt. He handed it to Michelle who thanked him. She met Tony's gaze before disappearing into the bathroom again.

Michelle carefully pulled the sweater over Lisa's head, helping her slip it over her frail body. The sweater was dual purposed, warmth and covering her ripped shirt and bruised abdomen.

"Ready?" Michelle touched her arm gently.

Lisa swallowed hard before allowing herself to be led out the door.

It was Tony's turn to jump when he saw the women emerge from the bathroom. Lisa was clutching Michelle's arm frantically as they moved across the room. She kept her head down the entire time, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone, especially Tony.

Dave reached over to the bedside table and handed Lisa her purse. Lisa smiled gratefully at him and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you so much." She choked out.

Dave kissed her cheek. "Let me know if you need anything else, okay?" he rubbed her back soothingly before letting her go.

"C'mon Lise…Let's getcha out of here…"

Lisa reached for Tony who put a protective arm around her shoulder. He shook Dave's hand and thanked him before making his way out the door. Michelle walked on the other side of Lisa and offered her arm a comforting squeeze when she was settled in the backseat. Lisa curled up in ball across the bench and stared at nothing in particular. Tony shot Michelle a fleeting look before they both climbed back into the car. Instinctively, Tony locked the doors before starting the ignition and heading back to the main road.

"We'll be a little while here Lise, you should try to rest."

Lisa watched her brother for a few seconds silently, before responding.

"Okay…" she paused, before continuing. "Hey, Tony?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Tony jaw tightened as an image of Matt popped into his head. "Yeah."

Lisa yawned after a little while but continued to stare at nothing in particular. She had not spoken for a long time. Michelle's head was leaning against the glass of her window following the road illuminated by the headlights. Lisa saw Tony's hand move from his side of the car, and cross over to Michelle's seat, lifting hers out of her lap bringing it to his lips in silent thanks. Michelle smiled and left her hand in his for the rest of the journey.

Lisa admired this, admired them and the way they interacted with each other. Even after what she only knew to be a month of officially "dating" words were unnecessary. They shared an unspoken agreement between each other that they knew what the other person needed, knew what to do to make each other feel better.

Already, Lisa decided, she liked Michelle. She liked how she had somehow figured out what Lisa had needed when they arrived at the motel. She liked that Tony really seemed to trust her implicitly, something Lisa was certain she'd never seen her brother do with anyone before… and she liked the way she was holding Tony's hand now, refusing to let go until he asked it of her.

It was two-o-clock in the morning when they finally arrived home. Lisa had still not managed to sleep a wink. They all got out of the car quietly and headed up to Tony's apartment. Once inside Lisa breathed a sigh of relief. Tony flicked on the lights and noticed the clothes he and Michelle had been wearing earlier askew on the floor. "Fight Club" was still paused on the TV.

"You want the spare room?" Tony asked her gently.

"Sure, thanks." Lisa looked so tired.

"I probably have something you can sleep in lying around somewhere." Michelle headed to Tony's bedroom, followed closely by Lisa. While Tony waited for them to return he got himself a glass of water and breathed normally for the first time in many hours.

When Michelle and Lisa reentered the kitchen, Lisa was still wearing Dave's sweatshirt, but had changed into a pair of Michelle's flannel pants. Her hair had been pulled out of its ponytail and hung in loose waves around her face. The bags under her eyes were becoming more prominent with each passing minute.

"You're okay by yourself?" Tony asked, handing her a glass of water.

Before Lisa could answer Michelle chimed in. "Honey maybe I should head ho-"

"No." Lisa and Tony responded simultaneously.

"Stay Michelle, please. I'd actually prefer it…" Lisa insisted.

Tony nodded his agreement and his eyes told Michelle there was more to it than that. And I need you here…I can't do it by myself…

"Alright..." Michelle agreed.

"I'm going to bed then." Lisa announced after taking a long sip of her water. She hugged Tony goodnight and kissed him on the cheek, thanking him once again. He mumbled something about sorting everything out the next day as she moved away. Michelle was caught off-guard when Lisa pulled her into a hug as well. Tony couldn't help but smile when he saw this. Lisa wished them both goodnight before heading down the hall to the spare room.

Tony sat down on the counter and reached for Michelle, pulling her in closely. He sighed and buried his face into her neck. Michelle kissed the top of his head.

"Thank you." he told her softly. Michelle raked her fingers down his arm comfortingly.

After a few rounds of quiet muttering and gentle terms of endearment shared between them Tony snaked his arm around Michelle's waist and pulled her into the bedroom. They both changed before collapsing, exhausted, on top of the mattress Tony draped the blankets over both of them and pulled Michelle in protectively. He kissed her lips sweetly and stroked her hair until she was fast asleep.

Tony was still awake when the alarm clock changed to 4:00am. He quietly got out of bed and made his way to the kitchen to pour himself another glass of water. He decided a couple of hours of mindless TV would probably be the only rest he got before they had to be at CTU again.

The TV was already playing softly when Tony walked into the den. Lisa was sitting on the couch clutching a pillow against her chest.

"Sorry," she said softly when she saw him. "Did I wake you?"

Tony shook his head. "Can't sleep either?"

Lisa's pursed her lips. "I guess I'm a little afraid to…" she admitted.

Tony crossed the floor and sat beside her on the couch. "This wasn't the first time was it?"

Lisa shook her head. "It just got really bad and I finally realized what was going on…I feel so stupid…I never thought I'd be one of those people…"

Tony sighed and pulled her into a hug. "Kid," he said affectionately. "There's nothing wrong with you... You loved him, you cared about him and you just couldn't see how psychotic he really was…I didn't even think he'd go this far…I'm just sorry I couldn't stop him from hurting you…"

Lisa shook her head. "You were right the whole time…I should've listened…"

"Nah, you had to figure it out for yourself…I shouldn't have been such a jerk about it…"

They sat there quietly, with Tony stroking Lisa's hair, both staring blankly at a news report that had just come on the screen.

"Tony," she squeaked against his chest.

"Yeah?"

"I like Michelle a lot…"

Tony smirked at her. "Me too kid..."

Lisa laughed out loud. "I can tell." She elbowed him teasingly and snuggled further against him, finally closing her eyes. She yawned and Tony fingered her hair delicately while Lisa started to doze.

"You're lucky I still let you call me 'kid'…" she mumbled before sliding her head into his lap and falling asleep.

The truth of the matter was Tony hadn't called Lisa 'kid' in a very long time. Not since she'd started dating Matt, the same time she stopped calling him and urging him to pay her frequent visits. The ten year age gap between them had seemed like light years when they were younger, and that's how the whole 'kid' thing had started. Amy, the baby of the family, was the quiet one, the soft spoken, perfectly polite Almeida. Rachel was the controlling one, the hotheaded, self-reliant leader, and had been for the longest time. After getting married Rachel had softened a little around the edges, allowing herself to be taken care of every now and then.

But Lisa was the tomboy. Lisa was the one who Tony could drag outside if he needed someone to toss the ball back and forth, even if she was barely half his size. She was the one who he would tease about boys and dresses when she got ready for her first big dance at the age of 12. Who he secretly felt like he could tell anything to, and who he was always looking out for, even if he insisted he was just in the right place at the right time. For Lisa was not like Amy, she was not fragile or innocent, she did not have a thousand different people shielding her from the evils of the world and holding her hand every step of the way.

And Lisa was not like Rachel, for Rachel needed no one, Rachel was better equipped to take care of herself half the time than Tony was. Rachel did not conform to anything for anyone. Rachel really could take care of herself.

Lisa was in the middle, as she had been all her life. She wasn't quite that resilient, but she also didn't want to be treated like she would break if the wind blew on her the wrong way. She was a lot like Michelle, Tony suddenly realized. A little bit more needing of comfort than anyone appreciated. And that was why Tony had always taken care of her, and it was why it had torn him up inside when she'd started avoiding him.

Tony was still wide awake on the couch when the sound of feet pattering down the hall could be heard. He looked up just in time to see Michelle creep into the den. She smiled affectionately when she saw Lisa curled up in his lap, her chest rising and falling lightly with each breath.

"She's had a long day…" Tony told Michelle quietly. Michelle walked over to the couch and rubbed the back of his neck.

"So have you…"

"I can't sleep…" he shrugged. "And she was too scared to be by herself."

Not wanting to risk waking her with their conversation, Tony slid out from under Lisa and took Michelle into the kitchen. Tony sat on a stool and pulled Michelle in between his legs. He rested his forehead against hers for a second before letting out an exhausted sigh and closing his eyes. Michelle swept back his hair tenderly.

"I always forget she's not a teenager anymore, that she's an adult with a degree and a life. I used to pretend she was still…y'know…and when she moved in with Matt I knew I couldn't pretend anymore. She's grown-up, she has her own life…and I guess I wanted to think she still needed me to take care of her every now and then."

Michelle lifted his chin. "She does need you Tony. She needed you tonight, that's why she called you before she called anyone else…she may have grown up a lot in the past few years but that doesn't mean she's completely independent. She loves you, you're her brother…" Michelle forced back down the feeling that had arisen in her throat and smiled a sad smile. "No matter how crazy you stupid brothers drive us we still love you…"

She shook his head in unison with her own and grinned. Tony mimicked her and closed the gap between their mouths.

"I love you." He brushed her lips against his.

"I love you too honey." Michelle allowed herself to be pulled into his lap. Tony rested a head on her shoulder, while Michelle wrapped her arms around his neck, nestling her mouth at the top of his head. And for the first time in the entire night, Tony was calm. For Michelle possessed the innate ability to alleviate his worries and compel from within him a unique optimism Tony hadn't experienced for a long time. Tony pressed his lips into her shoulder in an airy kiss and nuzzled further into Michelle's warmth.

Maybe we really can handle this...