Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters related to 24.
A/N: Hey guys! I'm absolutely floored by how many reviews I've been getting since I started this story, I was just looking back over them all the other day when I was lacking motivation for my story and I wanted to say thanks again so much! I finally overcame my writer's block. This chapter is a little lacking in direction but it's necessary to wrap a few things up. I assure you I have a whole new plotline in the works for the up and coming chapters. Despite that, though, I hope you all enjoy it. No guarantees when the next one's coming but I'll do my best to have it in the next couple of days, as after Thanksgiving I have about a million tests to write…Other than that, reviews, as always, make my day…enjoy!
Chapter Eleven – Timing
The sun was rising before either Tony or Michelle had moved again. The only shifting had been Michelle's soft kisses to the side of Tony's face, the most effective form of reassurance and encouragement she felt herself capable to offer as the night wore on. It was Lisa's entry into the kitchen that startled them both upright.
"Sorry," Lisa bit her lip apologetically. "I didn't even realize I'd fallen asleep."
Michelle moved away from Tony, who was crossing the room to her quickly.
"How you doin'?"
Lisa nodded. "Better, thanks. I think I can manage to sleep in a bed by myself now..." she let out a soft derisive laugh. "I'm so exhausted."
Tony checked the clock on the microwave. It was just before seven.
"I have to go to work soon."
Lisa nodded and patted his chest. "Go, go. I'm just gonna sleep all day anyway. I'll be fine."
"I won't be back 'til late…will you be okay on – "
"Tony, y'know my shift finishes at five. If you want I could come straight here after work and we could grab dinner." Michelle looked expectantly up at Lisa. "I mean, if you're up for it."
Lisa smiled appreciatively. "That'd be great, thanks."
Michelle turned to Tony and winked. "See, no problem."
"Have you talked to Lisa since this morning?" Michelle asked when Tony called her into his office later that afternoon. They were to go over some Intel on the terrorist group sponsoring Nadia Quadir's bombing attempt.
"Couple of minutes ago, she just woke up…I told her you should be back in another hour…"
Michelle laughed sarcastically. "God she must think we live together by now…"
"We practically do…" Tony interjected without a thought.
As though suddenly realizing what he'd insinuated his neck snapped backed and he looked at Michelle.
"I…uh…" he moved the lower half of his jaw and titled his head before grinning stupidly, embarrassed.
Michelle nodded and looked towards the ceiling to keep from laughing. Her nostrils flared and she traced her tongue over her front few teeth, still biting back a smirk.
"You know we can't without-"
"I know." Tony agreed.
"And if we could it would definitely be on the – "
"Michelle, I know." Tony chewed on his lower lip. "I shouldn't have said that…"
Michelle rested her head in one hand. "Well it's not like it's not true…"
Not sure what else there was to say, Michelle picked up the file folder on Tony's desk and headed out the room.
"I'll see you tonight." He called after her just as his phone rang.
Tony answered it dully.
"Tony, Ryan. I was informed you're moving in a bunch of new staff in a week. I'd like to go over a few things before that happens. I want a Conference Call with Jack and yourself, scheduled for 7pm tonight."
"Fine Ryan, we'll be waiting."
"Until then." The phone clicked and Tony mumbled profanities under his breath. This day just kept getting better and better…
Lisa opened the door for Michelle almost immediately. She beamed at the sight of the other woman.
"Hey" she greeted. "How was work?"
Michelle shrugged. "It was work. Nothing major today though…a lot of form filling…I'm just glad I'm not Tony right now."
Lisa laughed. "Why?"
"He's on a Conference Call with the Regional Director…who's not exactly the most fun person to be around…"
They both made their way into the apartment as Michelle asked, "How are you feeling?"
"A little stiff, nothing too bad though."
"What do you want to do for dinner?" They both leaned over the kitchen counter.
Lisa shook her head. "I'm not in the mood for anything really…"
Michelle smiled understandingly and then felt her own stomach grumble. She'd eaten nothing since lunch.
"I say we just raid the cupboards." Lisa made her way over towards the cabinet. "There's gotta be something in here…"
In a matter of seconds Lisa had pulled out an assortment of food, including a tub of peanut butter, cereal, crackers, a box of cookies, and a bag of chocolate chips.
She scooped half-of-everything up in an armful as Michelle's jaw opened in protest.
"It's the college student's diet…" she joked and grabbed some spoons out of the drawer. "C'mon Michelle, don't tell me you've never eaten peanut butter out of the jar…"
Michelle grimaced. "Well yeah, but not since I was like…"
"You can't be that old yet!" Lisa baited her. "Girls night! We'll order one of those cheesy movies off of Pay Per View and we can share the box of Kleenex…"
Michelle was still a little bit taken aback by Lisa's forwardness.
"Please Michelle…I've been thinking about this all day, I don't want to think about it anymore…"
Michelle seemed to stutter a little before she shook her head and gave a feeble giggle. She scooped up the rest of the food and motioned Lisa in front of her.
"Lead the way…"
When Tony returned from CTU that night the sight he beheld was something he'd never, in his life, witnessed. At least, not since Rachel, only a few years his junior, was about sixteen and he'd taken it upon himself to "accidentally" crash her slumber parties. That night when he opened the door to his apartment, his jaw practically hit the floor.
Lisa was sitting on the couch, cross legged, clutching a pillow tightly into her chest, blowing her nose fiercely. Michelle sat on the other end of the couch, legs tucked underneath her, dabbing her eyes, obviously embarrassed at the state they were in when Tony stepped inside. She flushed the color of a cherry when he noticed the empty container of peanut butter and half-open bag of chocolate chips littering the table.
"What the – "
"Shh!" Lisa squealed and pulled the pillow up so that it covered her nose. "It's almost over!"
Michelle laughed at this and climbed off the couch, dragging Tony into the kitchen.
"She kinda wanted a girl's night…" she explained, still blushing at the thought of her not-quite college-aged self partaking in such an event.
"She's a lot better though…a lot more relaxed."
Tony was scratching his forehead in disbelief and he eyed the empty containers scattered all over the counter as well.
"I should've taken a picture of you…" Tony bent over, forcing Michelle to inch in. "And shown it to everyone at work, they would've thought I had you drugged or something…"
"Hey!" Michelle poked him. "I can let loose too!"
"Alright well uh…while you two are 'letting loose' I'm gonna have a shower. Come find me when you feel like being my girlfriend again…" He laughed at her pouting lip and left the room.
The movie was long over when Michelle heard the shower shut off. Lisa was in the process of tossing the empty containers into the garbage and Michelle was wiping down the coffee table when Tony emerged from the bedroom.
"My turn." She told him, tossing the cloth at his chest. Tony watched her saunter off towards the bathroom and couldn't help but chuckle to himself as she did. This was definitely a side of Michelle he'd never seen before.
"What are you laughing at?" Lisa accused, when she found him in the den seconds later.
"What the hell did you do to Michelle?" He said with mock annoyance.
Lisa smiled wickedly. "I reminded her that nights like this are equally as fun, no matter what age you are…"
Tony nudged her teasingly.
"She wasn't buying
into the whole 'no boys allowed' thing though…" Lisa
continued.
"I guess your bark is worse than your bite…"
"And it's my house…" Tony grabbed a pillow off the couch and smacked her playfully on the shoulder with it. Lisa laughed, but did not retaliate, choosing instead to plunk herself down.
"Alright Lise, we need to talk about what you want to do here…" The change in tone of Tony's voice signified the change in nature of the conversation.
"What do you mean?" Lisa scooted down further and made room for Tony to sit.
"What you want to do about Matt, we can't put off pressing charges any – "
"I don't want to press charges." Lisa stated flatly.
Tony stared at her, thunderstruck. "Lise he practically – "
"I know what he did Tony! I just want to put this behind me. I don't want to have to think about it anymore…"
"Not thinking about it won't make it go away."
"I know that! God damn it, don't you think I know that?" The water was threatening to spill over her lids. "It's over, I left, I'm safe, and pressing charges won't make a bit of a difference to me now, it'll just prolong everything…"
"Lise You-"
"No! Tony! Please. It's my decision not yours…"
Her eyes flashed as Tony stared her down, she would argue this to the death, he knew. Tony was definitely not the type to like decisions being taken out of his control. But, in the end, she was right. It wasn't his choice.
"Alright." He conceded, there was nothing else to do.
"Thank you."
"So then, tomorrow, how about I head back to the house and pick up all your stuff?"
"No, no I can do it – "
"No. If you don't want to press charges there's nothing I can do about it, but there's no way I'm letting you go back up there…" It was Lisa's turn to realize this decision was final.
"Fine."
"Good."
Michelle was towel drying her hair in the bedroom mirror, with another towel wrapped around her body, when Tony crept stealthily out from the shadows. His hands ran back and forth across her bare shoulders a few times before he lowered his lips to the right one.
"Hi…"
She grinned in the mirror and dropped the towel in her hand to the ground.
"Hey," her eyes closed and she leaned into his body.
"I feel like I haven't seen you all day…" he spoke barely coherently against her skin, smelling faintly of moisturizer having just been applied everywhere. His arms swiftly scooped Michelle's legs out from under her and he tossed her onto the bed, before crawling on after her.
Damp curls cascaded all over the pillow, and Michelle fussed with unkempt hair while Tony situated himself over her, watching with an amused grin on his face. Finally he reached a hand around the back of her head and lifted her mouth up to his, pausing to use his other hand to pull a stray piece of hair out of her mouth.
Michelle felt a familiar, prickling sensation beginning in the pit of her stomach and spreading to the up most layer of her skin. She whimpered softly when Tony's hands found their way under the towel and began moving across her body tenderly.
Tony felt the whimper in his mouth and pushed his tongue in further, deepening the kiss. Both of them were panting heavily now and Michelle was doing her best to pull Tony's shirt over his head without disrupting their rhythm too much.
They had just resumed their position against the mattress - Tony's shirt now tossed haphazardly across the room - when there was a knock at the door. They quickly rolled in opposite directions and Michelle scuttled into the bathroom, redoing her towel and closing the door behind her.
"Hey, what's up?" Lisa stood in front of the door dressed for bed.
Tony wiped his mouth quickly and shook his head, wondering if his breathing had leveled back to normal yet. "Nothing, what do you need?"
"Just saying goodnight….I told Sarah I'd go out for coffee with her in the morning."
Tony nodded, "Alright, night."
He was sure he was blushing furiously, partially because of the situation he was in now, partially because he was mortified at the idea that his little sister could make him feel guilty about fooling around with his girlfriend in his own apartment.
Lisa seemed to notice his eagerness for her to leave and she raised an eyebrow.
"Your hair's a little messed up there…" she informed him reaching out a hand to flatten it. "And you might want to tell Michelle that I realize there are only so many places for her to be, and she's definitely not out here…"
Tony's cheeks turned a horrible hue of red, something few people in the whole world could make them do, (coincidentally two of them were in standing less than 10 feet away from each other right now).
Lisa shook her head laughing. "Keep it down, will ya?" she lectured before heading back to her own room. Tony laughed, dumbfounded, before returning to the bedroom. Michelle emerged from the bathroom with an idiotically lopsided grin on her face, having been able to make out most of the conversation with her ear pressed to the door. She groaned and sat at the edge of the bed, marveling at how trying the whole situation was.
"Well, at least now we have her permission…" Tony joked before pushing Michelle back against he comforter.
"Uh huh," Michelle looked at him skeptically as he kissed her again. "And if we didn't?"
He paused and shrugged before placing his lips on hers and starting to nibble.
"The backseat of my car's pretty roomy…"
"Oh, really?" She continued to nibble back. "And how would you know that?"
"Wouldn't be the first time I got kicked out of the – Hey!"
Michelle had just slapped him on the arm.
"What was that for?"
"I know enough details about your sordid love life to take me to my grave…" she reminded him dully.
Tony grinned and moved from her lips to her stomach. Michelle's body clenched underneath him and Tony slid a hand into the small of her back, lifting her closer to his mouth.
"I don't really know about yours…" he reminded between kisses. Michelle cupped his chin and forced him to look up from her bellybutton.
She frowned. "You want to know about…"
Tony made his way back to her mouth, silencing her as he tugged on her bottom lip. "Not tonight...It can wait…" He whispered, watching Michelle's eye close in euphoria as he worked his way down her body again…
The alarm clock had been buzzing barely three minutes earlier and Michelle was still curled under the blankets. The chilly early morning air was sufficient enough to deter her from getting out of bed to put some clothes on. Instead, Michelle just snuggled further into the blankets, listening to the muted sounds of the shower running and then tap water.
"Michelle!" Tony's voiced echoed from the bathroom. "Are you up yet? We have to leave in forty-five minutes…"
No answer.
Tony emerged, half his face coated in shaving cream, towel wrapped around his waist, and a razor in one hand.
"What happened to all my shaving cream?" Tony asked, brows narrowed.
Michelle did not say anything, feigning innocence.
"And why is the blade dull, I just changed it…"
Still no response from the mound under the covers...
"Michelle!" Tony raised his voice even more.
"Well I'm sorry," she told him calmly. "But I didn't have anything here with me and I needed to use it…"
"There was half a can left!"
"I need more than you do…"
"Now there's none for me…" Tony maintained a sulking face.
"Better you than me." Michelle stated flatly. "You didn't seem to mind last night that I shaved with your – "
"Yeah! Because I didn't realize what you'd done!"
Michelle forced herself out from underneath the covers and made her way across the room.
"Not very resourceful, are you?" she teased, and she smoothed the remaining cream over the second half of his face.
"Well I'm not sure I would say that…" Tony retorted as her hand lathered his cheek. "I got you out of bed, didn't I?"
Realization washed over Michelle and she hung her head. He kissed gently, making sure to leave some cream on her face.
"Now go shower." He slapped the back of her thigh.
"Are you sure he's not home?" Michelle asked, her voice laced with anxiety.
"He's still at work." Tony assured her. "And he won't come home for another couple of hours." He took out his keys and laughed unequivocally. "And they say we're workaholics, it's already 9:30…"
They had just left CTU for the evening and were now parked outside Matt and Lisa's Santa Barbara apartment building, armed with Lisa's keys, prepared to go in and retrieve all of her belongings.
"I guess we should get moving then." Tony pulled the handle of his door and Michelle did the same, stepping out into the dewy night air.
A chill ran down Michelle's spine. There was something nerve wracking about everything surrounding this venture. Her stomach churned a little as she followed Tony towards the entrance of the building. The sooner they packed up everything and got the out of there, the better.
Lisa had tried insisting on calling Matt beforehand, warning him of Tony and Michelle's impending visit, but Tony wouldn't hear of it. He'd been adamant that, if Lisa called, Matt would inevitably show up and try to talk them into getting Lisa to see him, or worse, follow them back to LA.
It was uncomfortably dark and quiet inside the apartment. Tony found the lights quickly and Michelle breathed a sigh of relief when her eyes adjusted to her surroundings.
"Alright, she said she just wanted her clothes, her pictures, her books and her laptop. Everything else we can leave…" Michelle nodded as Tony read off the list he'd written everything on. He handed Michelle the duffel bag.
"Why don't you go grab her clothes? The bedroom's just down the hall…" he instinctively cringed at the thought of Lisa sharing a bed with Matt. "I'll get everything else…"
The bedroom was incredibly feminine, and, considering Lisa's personality, and what she'd heard about Matt, Michelle found this odd. The comforter was off-white with a series of large, multicolored flowers scattered throughout it. The pillows matched perfectly. Nothing inside the bedroom was out of place and the carpet looked as though it had just been vacuumed and no one had stepped on it since. When Michelle pulled back the cupboard doors she noticed both occupants' halves were color-coordinated and everything, more or less, was ironed.
Must've had a lot of time on her hands…Michelle mused as she began throwing things into the bag she'd left sitting on the bed.
Tony was fishing through the bookcase for any of Lisa's possessions. He frowned when he found that one of the back panels jiggled violently, obviously broken. Once he'd cleared out the shelf, he pulled it out and noticed a book flattened against the very back, lodged in between the panel and the bookcase itself. Tony pulled it out and read the title. Your Guide to Writing the LSATs. A hand came up to his face, and he massaged the bridge of his nose, even more furious at how Lisa had been living for the past few months, resorting to hiding books in a faulty shelf.
Satisfied that he'd found everything - including the LSAT book - that was Lisa's, he went in search of Michelle.
"I'm gonna take these down to the car now." He told her, lingering in the doorway. "And then I'll come back and help you finish up in here."
Michelle motioned for him to go. "I'm almost done anyway." She told him from her knees, digging through a few drawers.
The sound of the front door closing firmly echoed into the bedroom.
Michelle was starting to feel a little nervous again. It was strangely quiet and lonely without the sound of Tony puttering around in the next room.
Michelle pushed into the bathroom to do a final sweep for any clothes that might've been discarded in there. She managed to feel for the light switch, but groaned when it flickered on for just a second, and then died. Residing herself to searching in the dark, she pulled back the curtains of the window, allowing moonlight to pour into the room and illuminate it just enough so she could see what she was grabbing at close range.
The front door opened and closed and Michelle scooped up everything she could manage in her arms and threw it in the bag on the bed, preparing to leave. Michelle's heart just about stopped when a figure materialized in the doorway. It was definitely not Tony. The figure stared back at her.
It was a scrawny man in business attire, with gelled hair and square-framed glasses. He was wearing a tailored suit jacket, and had been in the process of stripping it off, when he saw Michelle. He froze in the doorway.
"What the hell do you think you're doing in here?" He roared when he had time to take in the circumstances. Michelle straightened up and met his furious glance with a perfectly unruffled one of her own.
"I'm a friend of Lisa's." She told him, voice icy. "I came to get her stuff."
"Lisa's here?" he sounded hopeful.
"No, she gave Tony her key." Michelle burst his bubble violently, much like a pin would a balloon. The mention of Tony's name seemed to have the desired affect.
"Tony's here?"
"He's putting stuff in the car." Michelle stated coolly, trying her best not to look intimidated, in all truth she was doing a pretty effective job of it.
Matt seemed to lose his edge instantly. His voice was no longer accusatory, but desperate.
"Please," he begged Michelle crossing the room towards her. Michelle's muscles constricted and her fists clenched.
"Please," he repeated, standing disturbingly close now. "You have to talk to Lisa for me. Tell her I'm sorry…" a sob escaped his throat and he latched onto both of Michelle's wrists. "Please, I love her, tell her I didn't mean to – "
Michelle was starting to sweat. The idea that the person who had hit Lisa was stopping circulation in both her wrists scared her. Even if Michelle would never admit it to anyone later, the piteous look he gave made her hold back on any sort of retaliation, at least for a moment or two.
"Let go," Michelle ordered, trying to pry her wrists free.
"Please!" Matt
raised his voice. "Please! I need to talk to Lisa, whatever she
told you, you have no idea what really happened! Tell her – "
"Go to hell." Michelle spat, completely void of any
sentiment towards Matt. She tried to free her wrists again but he
only squeezed harder, jerking Michelle's arm upwards and holding
them at bay.
"You don't even know what the fuck you're talking about!" Matt cried, frustrated. "You have to – "
"Matt!" Tony's voice startled Matt enough that he let go of Michelle. Michelle quickly reached over and grabbed the bag, crossing the room to Tony.
"You okay?" he asked, trying to buffer the panic in his voice.
Michelle managed a reassuring, "Yeah, fine."
His eyes flashed at Matt and Michelle knew what he was thinking. Tony's teeth grinded and his fists tightened as if in preparation for some sort of action.
"C'mon," she touched his arm gently. "I'm done, let's just – "
Tony interrupted Michelle by moving her behind him.
"Tony, please!" Matt yelled across the room. "Please tell Lisa I'm – "
"No," Tony kept his voice leveled, fighting the animalistic urge to beat the living shit out of the guy standing a few feet away. He silently chastised himself for leaving Michelle alone.
"It's over. You're pathetic, look at you…you hit your girlfriend – my sister – because you're a screw up…Because you're too afraid to take it out on the person who really deserves it…" Michelle felt the tremors in his body and she traced the back of his shirt with the tips of her fingers, in gentle reminder that they should go.
"Honey please," She whispered to him. "Don't start anything…It's not worth it…" The repercussions of Tony fighting Matt in his home would definitely not be mild, especially since one of the participants was a government agent with military training.
Tony's fist felt Michelle's hand prying it open, resting her own in it. Tony sighed loudly before swinging the remaining bag over his shoulder.
"You come near her again…" Tony threatened menacingly as he followed Michelle out the door. "And I'll kill you."
And with that, Tony and Michelle left Matt shaking violently beside his bed, trying to hold himself upright, and not wanting to test how true to his word Tony was...
Tony slammed his fist violently against the dashboard once they were safely inside the car. Michelle watched him wordlessly, waiting for his outbursts to desist. Eventually, he stopped, breathing erratic. He turned to look at Michelle with his jaw locked and his scowl evident. If the behavior had worried her, the expression she wore now said nothing of it.
"If you hadn't a been there I woulda – "
"I know… but you didn't and it's over…"
Tony's face shifted from fury to concern. "You sure he didn't hurt you?"
Michelle fought the urge to rubber the finger imprints left on her wrists. "Yeah, really..."
They sat in silence for an unbearably long period of time. Michelle finally leaned over the armrest and scooted closer to Tony, rubbing the back of his neck. He closed his eyes and he leaned his head back.
"Let's go home, honey…" she tried again, her voice temperate and soft.
Tony whipped his eyes open and bit his lip. "Yeah."
Home. Home with Michelle. Because really, where was home these days if it wasn't with Michelle. A person's home was their sanctuary, a place to relax, to escape from the world around them and feel safe…No where, Tony decided, did a better job of that then a place with Michelle in it. She, in fact, was home…
Lisa was sprawled out on the couch under a blanket, eyes glued to the TV when Michelle and Tony returned. Tony dropped the bags in the front hall and Michelle immediately made her way to the bedroom, saying she wanted to change. Tony sat in the chair opposite Lisa, hands gripping the hidden book he'd found firmly.
He turned off the TV, much to Lisa's dismay, and threw the book on the coffee table. Lisa refused to look back at him, although she made to sneak what turned out to be a rather obvious glance at the title.
"I didn't think you'd find that." She told him, deprecated.
"Why did you hide it?"
The sheer ignorance of this comment forced Lisa to stare at Tony, bewildered. "Jesus Christ Tony, why do you think I hid it? Grad school wasn't exactly on Matt's list of things he wanted me to do with my life…It wasn't even on mine…"
Tony looked at her, puzzled. "So why even bother buying it?" he slumped back against the chair.
"I went to visit Amy and I saw this sign posted in the Student Centre about LSAT prep courses. I was curious, so we went…you know that before I always wanted to go…" the shakiness of her voice told Tony she was choking back a few tears. Of course he knew she'd always wanted to go, she'd talked about being a lawyer to no end when she was younger.
"You should go."
Lisa felt as though her eyeballs might fall out of their sockets, reeling from the suggestion.
"Seriously kid," Tony continued. "You should go. I can't think of anyone who'd be better at it than you…"
Lisa bit her lip. "If I tell you I'll think about it…will you let me watch my show again?"
Tony chuckled and flicked the TV back on; he squeezed her arm affectionately as he left the room.
Lisa waited until she heard his bedroom door shut before sitting up and grabbing the book. She flipped through it so violently; she knew she'd received a few paper cuts in the process. The practice test at the back had a large red pen mark, circled, at the top of it. Amy had had someone mark it for her but Lisa had never gotten around to checking the score, deciding that it would only depress her either way. She would either be someone with potential that would never amount to anything or someone with no potential at all. Lisa wanted to be neither of those people. Now, though, she stared at the number for a long time…178.
Michelle was brushing her hair in front of the mirror when Tony entered the room, falling on the bed in obvious exhaustion. He linked his hands behind his head and examined the crevices on the ceiling. Michelle dropped her brush and kneeled beside him.
Words seemed pointless. Michelle just sat back on her heels, hands against her thighs, smiling adoringly as Tony opened and closed his eyes methodically. She tilted her head to one shoulder, watching as he continued the regime. Finally his eyes remained open and he looked at her, matching the smile tooth for tooth.
"She's gonna be fine…" Tony stated confidently.
Michelle grinned. "I seem to remember telling you that when we went to pick her up…"
Tony grabbed Michelle and pulled her down on the bed beside him, she snuggled into his side and rested her head back against the middle of his stomach. The feeling of each rhythmic contraction of Tony's diaphragm was incredibly relaxing. Tony's hand stroked her hair and face as they continued to lie there.
Michelle's complaining stomach caused Tony to laugh. He sat up and leaned in for a kiss.
"I think I we'd better get some dinner." Michelle told him, laughing, and sliding off the bed. Tony did not move.
"And I think you'd better do it…" she pushed.
Tony nodded and climbed off after her, slipping an arm around her waist long enough to pull her in for another kiss as they left the room. As Michelle sauntered off ahead of him Tony stood back and grinned, loving her more with every step she took.
Michelle being through it all, going up with him to Santa Barbara the first night, staying with Lisa when he wasn't around, pulling him out of Matt's apartment, asking him to let it go… not telling him too. All of those things, combined with the way she did them, sent the wheels in Tony's brain spinning.
"You coming?" Michelle poked her head back into the hallway. Tony nodded and made to follow her. As he did he checked the date on his watch and carefully performed a quick calculation…
With a little help and a lot of luck…he'd be able to pull this off.
