Chapter Twenty-One – Connecting the Dots

The ringing of a cell phone startled Tony from sleep. He groaned and reached over Michelle to the nightstand it was resting on.

"Almeida." he drawled

"Tony, it's Jack. I just got a call from Rob. They have something on Marlow."

In a flash, Tony sat up, waking Michelle in the process. She too sat up and tried to grasp some idea of what was happening.

"A location?"

"We think so. I'm heading in now. Is Michelle with you?"

"Yeah, we're on our way."

Tony hung up and Michelle looked at him expectantly.

"We gotta go."

Without another word Michelle was on her feet, hurrying to change.

"Jack didn't say what they found?" She asked as she buttoned her blouse, voice still hoarse from being awake for less than 10 minutes.

"I don't think he knew, just said he was heading over there."

They finished dressing and quickly gathered their things before heading out into the night.


The second they entered the bullpen Jack ran down from his office.

"Downtown L.A." he showed Tony the file. "He's been under our noses the whole time."

Tony noted the pictures of Marlow coming out of a gas station

"How'd they find him?"

"Slipped up. Used one of the credit cards with a known alias. Company flagged the card and called the cops. LAPD squad car followed him back to this company building in the financial district."

Nodding, Tony turned to Michelle. "You'll coordinate comm. once tactical gets in place?"

"I'll get someone on it right now."

Jack acknowledged Baker with a nod as he walked up to them, indicating he was ready to leave.

"We're gonna get going. I'll call you when the team's set."


Half an hour later Michelle was on the phone to Jack, feeding him layout information about the building while the team moved to their respective positions. Tony was being updated on recent satellite and infrared images that had been obtained

"Tony." Michelle hurried over and handed him the phone. "Jack's about ready to move in."

"Alright, is everything set up on our end?"

She nodded and Tony called out to the rest of the staff, ordering them to their stations in preparation.

Tony paced back and forth across the room, thin sweat beginning to coat his brow.

"What the hell happened? Why aren't they on comm. anymore?"

Michelle chewed nervously on her nail, unable to do anything but wait.

"It went down as soon as the gun shots went off. Everything's working on our end. There's nothing we can do until someone tries to make contact."

As if on cue, the crackling, barely audible sounds of Jack's voice echoed over speakerphone throughout CTU.

"Marlow's not here!"

Michelle's stomach dropped.

"It was a decoy! The man at the gas station was a decoy! Marlow's ten miles east of here. One of the guards we captured gave up his location…"

Jack reeled off the address of a house.

"How do you know he's telling the truth?"

Jack hesitated. "He says Marlow blackmailed him into doing this. Threatened to hurt his family if he didn't cooperate…It was supposed to be a suicide mission. We don't have time to press him harder Tony, when no one responds here Marlow will suspect we're on to him and move…"

"I agree. Are you heading over to the address now?"

"There's a problem…Baker's hurt."

Tony snatched up the phone.

"How bad?"

"Shot…In the thigh…We're sending him to the hospital now…The bullet missed the artery, but he's still loosing blood…fast."

Michelle listened in on Tony's end of the conversation and met his gaze with a worried one of her own. Something wasn't right, that was for sure.

"Tony there's another problem…If Marlow's expecting us at all I can't take in an entire tactical team to apprehend him…but there are too many rooms in the house for me to cover by myself…If he has as many people inside as we'd expect, they'll find me before I get anywhere near him…I need someone to help me."

The perspiration Tony had been earlier experiencing ran cold as Jack continued to speak.

"With Baker out, I need Michelle."

"Find someone else Jack…" he responded immediately. "I need Michelle here to run comm."

Adam, who had been vaguely aware of the conversation, caught the last part. He looked at Michelle who was leaning over his station, acutely analyzing every word spoken.

"Chloe and Adam can handle that…and there is no one else. Michelle is the only person I trust in there right now…She knows what's at stake…"

"As does anyone else on tactical…"

Jack shook his head, not in the mood for such a pointless argument at the present moment, but knowing well enough to expect it.

"No one else on tactical has the experience Michelle has. You don't need her Tony and you know that. We can't risk loosing Marlow now, not after it's taken us this long to find him."

Knowing Michelle was listening, Tony shot her a fleeting look and knew that, as right as Jack was, there was no way he could order Michelle – Michelle – into the field.

"Find someone else Jack." He repeated more firmly, turning away from Michelle. "I'm not ordering her out there…"

The gentle clicking of heels alerted Tony to her presence. She pulled the phone from his hand as easily as possible, trying her best not to test his authority any more than she had to. He started at her dumbfounded when her voice rang out clearly, albeit a little less confidently than it might normally have.

"I'm on my way Jack."

Michelle handed Tony back the phone and started to walk away.

"Michelle!" he called, coming out of his daze. He stormed after her. "What the hell were you thinking?"

The rest of the employees stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at the newly discovered couple squaring off against each other defensively, from opposing sides of the room.

Tony, sensing the attention they were receiving, escorted Michelle into the nearest corridor.

"Last time I checked I was the one who ordered my employees into the field. You don't undermine my authority like that, especially not to Jack. I don't want you going for a reason."

Michelle pinched the bridge of her nose before lifting her head.

"You have no reason Tony…no good reason anyway. You can't keep me locked up in here…Jack wants me to help and you know he wouldn't be asking unless he had no other option." She paused, watching his face harden. He was masking something else, that much was obvious, but that still didn't make her feel any better.

"I've got to go get ready to leave…"

Livid, Tony finally spoke. "It's my call next time." He scolded her.

Michelle nodded and left.

Tony returned to the bullpen and began barking orders at everyone within a ten-foot radius, choosing to emphasize over and over again how crucial it was that the operation go off without a hitch. He was certain a few people suspected the underlying motivation associated with his need for everything to go perfectly…Chloe, for example, kept throwing him looks that suggested he was being entirely inappropriate about the whole matter. Adam seemed almost saddened when Michelle made her way towards the elevator without so much as a look from Tony, let alone some kind of attempt to make amends before she left. Tony didn't care what everyone else thought. He certainly didn't care if he was inappropriately, acting on emotions rather than common sense. They could report him later if they chose to do so, but at that very moment, it was moot point. And he certainly didn't care what everyone else thought of their relationship after the display they just observed. It was irrelevant, completely and utterly irrelevant. The only thing that mattered was that if Michelle was out there without him, the very least he could do was his best to keep her safe…


Michelle climbed out of the car to where Jack was. The rest of the tactical team had made their way to Marlow's hideout already to secure the area while he waited for Michelle to arrive. He needed to talk her through the logistics of the operation and go over the schematics of the building in more detail. The car ride seemed the perfect opportunity to do so. Stepping out of the vehicle, Michelle felt the weight of the handgun pressed into the small of her back shift uncomfortably. Jack pulled open the door for her before sliding into the driver's seat and starting the car. He was feeling her out, trying to see how she was dealing with the whole situation. She was probably nervous, hell, she'd be inhuman if she wasn't nervous. He still got a little uneasy whenever he went into the field, of course Michelle would be. Tony being obviouslyangry couldn't be helping matters either.

"We'll enter from the east." Jack informed her. "It's more likely Marlow's in a room secluded from the main road…"

Michelle swallowed hard as he continued.

"We'll start on the main floor…If you can, avoid shooting anyone unless absolutely necessary. We don't want to draw attention until we've got a clear path to Marlow."

"Okay."

Jack waited a moment, the silence was unhealthy and he wondered what Michelle was thinking.

"You alright?"

She sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just wish Tony…" she shook her head. "It's not important."

Jack patted her shoulder. "He knows you're doing the right thing…"

She was being placated, and Michelle knew that. It was Jack's way of reminding her to stay focused, to not let her emotions get in the way of her better judgment when they needed this operation to go smoothly.

He was right, Tony was upset with her and that was something they would have to deal with when they went home at the end of the day…right now though, it was strictly business.


Tony was pacing back and forth again, only this time it was at such a rate that half the staff was convinced he'd wear a hole in the floor any second. He'd just been informed that Jack and Michelle had arrived at the scene and the tactical teams were receiving last minute instructions in securing the perimeter. They would be entering the building soon. Jack and Michelle would be entering the building soon. Michelle would be wandering through dark corridors, with her finger on the trigger, compelling her reflexes to remain sharper than those of anyone who might confront them. If something happened, he was on the other side of the city and there was absolutely nothing he could do. He continued his pacing regime. If anything happened to Michelle…he'd never forgive himself.


The teams were in place. Michelle was fiddling unnecessarily with the gun she was holding. She closed her eyes for a brief second and willed herself to breathe. To forget where she was and what she was about to do and to simply breathe.

Jack touched her arm. "Ready?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

And with that, they quietly slipped their way around the far side of the house. Despite the light breeze, the night felt unbearably warm to Michelle as she pressed herself against the exterior of the building and waited for Jack to open the door. Any communication from this point onward would be purely physical and none too reassuring. But this was Jack, Jack in his element; and that thought comforted her slightly. If she had to go into the field, there really was no better person to do it with.


"Bauer and Dessler just entered the building." One of the on-site agents informed Tony. He had stopped pacing now, and was instead focused intently on the live-feed. It showed nothing of what was happening on the inside of the house, but at least would let Tony know if everyone made it out safely.

When she makes it out safely, he reminded himself. She has to make it out safely…


As quietly as possible, Jack and Michelle slipped through the back door, guns at the ready. They moved in a few feet before meeting anyone. As they progressed further inside the house a tall man, dressed entirely in black, crossed their path. In one swift move Jack reached out and snapped his neck before he realized their presence.

Michelle let out a breath she was unaware she had been holding, and Jack nodded for them to continue. They approached the end of a long hallway to be met with a single door.

"Cover me."

Michelle was about to point out that she could barely see two feet in front of her, let alone any hostiles hiding in that room, but thought better of it. Instead she adjusted her grip on the trigger while Jack kicked the door open.

"Clear." She spoke into the microphone which caused Tony to release his own breath on the other end of the line. So far, so good.

Ten minutes later, Jack and Michelle had cleared the first floor, still not facing any more opposition. Something was wrong, it was taking too long. The longer they lingered inside the building the better the chance of Marlow catching on. They had to secure him, and they had to secure him fast.

"Have we had any confirmation he's still in this building?" Jack whispered heavily into the radio.

"Satellite footage shows someone resembling his description entering two hours ago." Tony declared. "We haven't seen him leave."

Jack glanced quickly at Michelle, trying to sum up the situation. She seemed to have relaxed a fair bit and was moving much more fluidly. Bringing in more men would only elevate the likelihood of them being spotted, but they weren't covering enough ground.

"Michelle…" he spoke quickly into her ear. "We have to split up."

Without a moment's hesitation she agreed.

"If we try to bring in anyone else they'll hear us for sure." Jack reasoned. "We can't chance that right now-"

"I know Jack, it's fine. We'll split up as soon as we get to the second floor."

Honestly, Jack didn't like doing this. He didn't like having to bring Michelle into the field in this kind of a situation. Working with a tactical team was one thing, going in alone was something entirely different.

"What's going on in there?" Tony's voice echoed and the bile in Michelle's throat thickened.

"We have to split up." Jack stated calmly.

Michelle waited for it, the outburst she was convinced Tony would begin the second Jack informed him of the plan, but it never came. Instead, all she heard was:

"Alright, stay in contact."

Her stomach felt heavy now and she used her thumb to fiddle with the ring on her finger. As much as she hated to admit it, she was beginning to feel afraid. Suck it up…her conscience told her. You're a federal agent…

Wordlessly, Jack motioned Michelle towards the stairs and indicated for her to go left once they reached the top. There were more doors on the upper level, but none had any light being emitted from them. Michelle, wiping a sweaty palm against her pants, crept out from behind a corner and began to approach the first door when she heard footsteps from down the hall. When a hand grabbed her arm, adrenaline kicked in. Michelle spun around quickly, gun poised at the unarmed man's head.

"Don't move." She hissed through clenched teeth. The man conceded and released her, holding up his hands in surrender. Just as Michelle was making to knock the man unconscious another hand came from behind and threw her to the ground. The second individual reached for a walkie-talkie.

"We found someone Marlow." He radioed in.

"How many?" Came the voice from the other end.

"Just one. A woman. Do you want us to get rid of her?"

"No…they wouldn't have sent her in alone. Bring her to me."

A disoriented Michelle was lifted to her feet and dragged across the floor for what felt like an eternity. Finally, they reached a door partially obscured by an alcove. She groaned and closed her eyes, as she was flung across the ground to the foot of a chair.

A man sat in the chair, but Michelle could not lift her head enough to see his face. Seeing this, the man quickly reached down a hand and craned her chin in his direction.

"How many more are there?" Marlow asked in a low baritone.

Michelle said nothing, so he tightened his grip.

"We know you're not in here by yourself…" he declared simply. "If you don't tell me what I need to know I have no use for you."

Michelle locked her jaw and tried to pry Marlow's fingers from her face. His hands shifted position to her shoulders and slammed her into the floor. Michelle winced and closed her eyes, her forehead was throbbing now and she could taste blood in her mouth.

It was at that moment Michelle realized they'd removed her wire, the only contact she had with Jack. He would know something had happened to her eventually, it was just a question of when.

Amidst the circumstances, Michelle couldn't help but feel like she'd let everyone down. Regardless of what about to happen to her, she'd screwed up. She'd let her guard down, got herself captured, and practically put the whole operation in jeopardy…

She heard Marlow leave his chair seconds before she felt the heel of a boot pressed firmly into her. The cold tile grated against her cheek and the arm behind her back was twisted painfully to prevent any movement.

Marlow bent over so closely Michelle could feel his breath on the back of her neck. She shuddered and struggled futilely against him.

"Talk."

When Michelle continued to remain silent he pulled her arm back more tightly and forced her harder against the floor.

"Last chance."

Nothing.

Marlow shrugged and turned to the taller of the two men.

"We don't have time for this. See if anyone else is on the floor."

The man left and Marlow turned to the second.

"Hand me my gun."

Michelle cringed internally and braced herself for the inevitable. She'd left with Tony angry at her. She and her stupid, stubborn pride had not even tried to fix things before she went into the field and now she wasn't ever going to get the chance to remedy that.

The sound of a gun being loaded snapped her back to reality and she closed her eyes, wondering what else she could do, if there were any other things she hadn't thought of, ways she could somehow escape her impending doom. The barrel of the gun was lodged in the back of her neck and despite all her attempts, Michelle's whole body began to quiver. She didn't know what else to do.

It was then, that a shot reverberated across the room. The dull thud of a body falling to the floor could be heard and Michelle seized the opportunity. Marlow was distracted, he lost focus and in that split second Michelle disarmed him and flipped him onto his stomach.

"Put your hands behind your head!" she ordered mercilessly as she dug the barrel of his own weapon into his cheek. Marlow complied. She wiped some of the blood off her forehead while someone handed her a pair of handcuffs. Michelle restrained her former captor and forced him to his feet. It was then that she faced her rescuer.

"Thanks Jack."

He smirked slightly and Michelle shoved Marlow into the chair, gun still at the ready.

Jack radioed for the rest of the tactical teams and minutes later Marlow was being carted out of the house while a medic examined Michelle in what felt like everyway possible.

"You'll need stitches." He informed her. "They'll have to do them at CTU."

"Fine. I'll see medical once I get there."

Jack intervened and led Michelle out of the room. Once they were settled in the car he spoke to her directly.

"Good work."

She laughed dismally. "If it wasn't for you I'd have a bullet in my head right now."

"You still took out Marlow."

"Is he on his way to CTU?" she closed her eyes and leaned back against the headrest. The bandage that had been applied to her forehead was already beginning to leak.

"Yeah. Tony's setting up interrogation."

Michelle felt her pulse quicken. "Does he know -?"

"Tactical phoned in after we got Marlow…"

She sighed, not sure if she was relieved or worried by this. Tony knowing she made it out okay was good news, but Tony knowing how close she came to having her brains splattered across the room was not. He wouldn't be having her go into the field again any time soon, especially since she'd originally defied him to do it… After this though, Michelle was beginning to think that maybe he had a point.


The doors to CTU beeped open and Tony whipped his neck around to see them. He felt the almost irrefutable urge to utilize some of his hostility in harming this prisoner as much as possible. Not only had he alluded them for weeks and caused countless problems for the office, he had held Michelle at gunpoint…she was hurt because of him. He hated that. He hated the thought that she had been roughed up by this guy and he had come out with barely a scratch. Shaking his head violently, Tony pulled himself together. Interrogation would be starting soon. He needed to remain in control.


The instant they stepped out of the car Michelle became dizzy and struggled to gain her balance. Jack grabbed her reflexively.

"You okay?"

She whimpered, but nodded. Jack's grip remained firm on her elbow for the rest of the walk

When the doors beeped a second time, a few minutes later, Tony turned to face them again. This time, the rest of the tactical team entered the building..

As they crossed the bullpen, Michelle was dully aware of the fact that every single eye in the room was once again, on her. Most of them had sensed the tension when she'd left a few hours before, and she wondered what kind of reunion they were expecting. Tony, clearly, didn't seem to be interested in anything of the sort. He scowled as Michelle approached, still supported by Jack.

"Is she okay?"

Michelle was too drained to argue over why she was being treated as an invalid.

"Michelle's fine." Jack answered for her. "She just needs a couple of stitches."

"Adam!" Tony snapped. "Take Michelle down to medical."

"I can go myself Ton-"

Her protests were ignored.

"We're gonna start interrogation in holding one…" he told Jack.

"Tony!" Michelle stopped moving and Adam released her. "I can run comm…"

"You're injured." He finally acknowledged her. "Chloe can run comm."

Michelle was livid now. "Chloe's never done this kind of interrogation before…we can't chance anything! Not after it took us this long to get Marlow in the first place-"

"If they finish with you in time you can relieve Chloe."

"Thank you."


As Adam led Michelle down the corridor he continued to throw her apologetic glances. It was becoming quite irritating…

"What?"

He shook his head, embarrassed. "Nothing, sorry."

"Adam…"

Reluctantly, Adam voiced his concern.

"It's just…well…everything with Tony kinda…"

"We're at work." She snapped. "It's nothing."

"I know…sorry…"


Tony entered interrogation after ordering one of the other agents to debrief Jack. It had been, slightly awkward, to say the least. Michelle would be dead if it weren't for Jack and he knew he should thank him, despite the fact that it was his fault she'd been sent out there in the first place. He decided against it for the time being. Right now, he had to focus on Marlow.

The door shut and a restrained Marlow looked up. Tony threw his file against the table and leaned back, arms folded.

Just looking at the man made him angry. Knowing that he was the one who'd given Michelle those cuts, who'd held a gun to her head, who'd come so close to killing her. Really, Tony blamed himself. He should've found a way to protect her…somehow.

Marlow continued to stare at him, waiting for him to speak. Tony unclenched his teeth and bit his lip.

"So you've been busy…"

Marlow scowled.

"Conspiring against the government, orchestrating attacks on Americans from halfway around the world…innocent Americans…"

Marlow continued to remain stoic, although he did toy with the hole in his shirt sleeve.

"And then you took one of our agents hostage…"

Marlow smirked, which almost sent Tony flying across the room in a fit of rage.

"I barely did anything to her…" he probed, sensing the change in Tony's demeanor and knowing full well he had struck a nerve.

Tony shook his head. "You better listen carefully because this is the only deal you're gonna have a chance to cut…"

Eyes rolling back in his head, Marlow shrugged. "I'm not cutting any deal…"

"You know what you'll get for treason don't you? I'm sure you'd rather spend the rest of your miserable life somewhere other than death row."

At this, Marlow's ears perked up.

Tony continued.

"You give up everyone you've been working with over the past ten years and we'll bump it down to life with the possibility of parole."

"Some deal…" Marlow spat, and then, just to see how much he could exploit the weakness he'd witnessed earlier, added: "But throw in conjugal visits with that agent and I might reconsider. She seemed to like it rough…"

Tony's eyes flashed and Marlow grinned widely again, glad to see his tactics were working.

"You sonofabitch…" Tony mumbled before exiting the room and slamming the door behind him.

Jack approached Tony the second he stepped outside into the light. He had been observing the interrogation through the one-way.

"What the hell was that?"

"Did you hear what he just said – "

"Only because you gave him that weakness Tony! If you want to do this interrogation, or any interrogation for that matter, you cannot get so emotional…especially about Michelle."

"He almost…"

Jack shook his head. "Cool it. Otherwise you're not going back in there."

Tony took a deep breath. "Alright…"

He made to return into the room but Jack stopped him.

"Let him sweat it out for a bit…They just raised the thermostat…Why don't you go see if Michelle's ready to run comm.?"

Tony tried to, as calmly as possible, make his way down to medical. The walk seemed to take an eternity but at the same time, was over far too quickly. He didn't know what he was going to say to her, or how he was going to handle the situation. They were at odds, that was definite. Someone wasgonna have togive…


Both the doctor and Michelle looked up when Tony entered medical.

"How's she doing?"

"Fine…three stitches…she'll have to get those checked out and removed in two weeks." He turned to her. "I can do it here for you Michelle, if that makes things easier…"

"Yeah, thank you."

Tony was staring at her fixatedly, but Michelle chose not to say anything for the time being.

"Are you okay to run interrogation?"

Finally, he was talking to her. Michelle had to fight to keep back the relieved expression that threatened to wash across her face.

"Yeah…I can come right now if you want me –"

"We're still not sure if she's had a concussion." The doctor continued as though uninterrupted. "To be safe…tonight you need to be woken every two hours." He glanced at Tony and then, briefly, at Michelle's left hand, making her blush.

"I take it you've got that under control, Tony?"

"Yeah." He spoke in a hushed voice, still trying to avoid Michelle's gaze.

A small grin played on the doctor's mouth but he controlled it.

"Well then you're free to leave…"

"Actually uh…" Tony finally looked to Michelle. "Can you give us a minute, please?"

"Sure." The doctor collected Michelle's file and made his way to one of the backrooms.

The silence that followed was completely uncomfortable. Tony knew he had to be the one to say something, after all he was the one who had asked for their moment alone. He was also the one who had been acting like a complete jerk since Michelle went into the field. She had been right in saying his reasons were not legitimate. She had been right about everything. At this point, really, he didn't care who had been right or wrong or what they had been fighting about. She was safe, and that was all he could really ask for.

Michelle was nervous, and she really didn't know why; possibly because Tony no longer seemed to be angry with her. He seemed concerned and that made her nervous. She had been scared, really scared, but she was keeping it together. At least, that's what she'd planned on doing until Tony had shown up. She didn't want him to say anything, to do anything, not right now. Him being indifferent was all that was stopping her from falling to pieces right then and there.

"You okay?" he asked from the other side of the room. Michelle grimaced when his voice cracked a little.

"Yeah…" she looked away. "It was only a couple of stitches…"

"That's not what I meant."

"I know."

He moved across the room and reached out a hand to touch her cheek.

"Tony please…don't…" she whispered but did not resist him. He ignored her.

"C'mere…"

Closing her eyes, Michelle sunk into the embrace and breathed deeply. It felt good. He felt good against her.

"Sorry…" he told her hair and then felt it brush against his cheek in agreement.

"I'm sorry too…"


They exited medical together, and noticed that, once again, all eyes were on them. Michelle ignored them, but Tony scowled.

"Get to work!" he ordered and everyone looked away abruptly.

Tony's cell phone rang just as they reached Holding.

"One sec."

The doors to the nearest room opened the instant Tony stepped away.

"Michelle…" it was Jack. "How you feeling?"

"I'm alright, thanks. It was nothing major…"

"Good…" Jack shot a quick glance at Tony, whose back was still towards them, before pulling Michelle in.

"You have to talk to Tony."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"He's not handling this interrogation well, he's getting violent with Marlow."

"Because of – "

"Yes."

She hesitated. "Why don't you just take over then?" she asked in a whisper, checking to make sure Tony was still occupied with the phone.

"Because Tony has to learn how to deal with this…unless you want Division to decide you guys cannot work together you have to talk to him."

"Alright, I will."

Tony ended the call and turned to Jack

"What's up?"

"Getting Michelle up to speed with comm. I'll be in here when you're ready…"

She nodded and Jack went back into the room.

Tony looked confused when Michelle didn't follow; she pressed a hand against his chest.

"What'd Marlow say about me?"

"Jack shouldn't have brought you into it…" He tried to pull away.

"Tony…" her hand moved to his collar and she drew him back towards her.

"He's trying to get under your skin…"

"I know that." He said sarcastically.

She leaned in again. "Then don't let him. I'm fine…he's handcuffed to a chair…If you keep acting like this Division won't let us work together anymore…"

"Okay…" he sighed, and then brushed his thumb across her cheek with a small grin on his face.

Michelle smiled back, glad to see the small changes in Tony starting to emerge now.

"Let's go get this over with…"

After that, interrogation went off without a hitch. Michelle ran comm. with Jack, while Tony convinced Marlow to take the previously offered deal. Michelle noted, much to her annoyance, that Marlow seemed to be trying to employ the tactics he'd used earlier to throw Tony off, but this time they had no effect. Thankful their conversation had done the trick, Jack patted Michelle on the shoulder.


It was well into the afternoon when Tony, Michelle, and Jack finally got to leave CTU. Most of the other staff had already been replaced, but those three had been forced to wait around until Marlow was transferred to Federal custody.

Jack entered Tony's office.

"You heading home?" he asked, noticing the computer had now been tucked away inside Tony's bag.

"Yeah, everything's finally in place. Chappelle's happy, and the night shift is going to start working up some of the names Marlow gave us."

"Good." Jack glanced down at the bullpen to see Michelle leaning back in her chair, eyes closed. Her monitor was off.

Tony saw this too and smiled a little.

"Michelle was the one who restrained Marlow…" Jack told him.

Tony looked up.

"He had her on the floor when I entered the room and as soon as I distracted him she took him down…he would've killed her if she hadn't."

Swallowing, Tony spoke up. "I know she's an agent and I can't stop her just because I don't like it…" he bit his lip. "But…thanks for helping her."

"You knew I would…"

Tony shifted his jaw to one side and laughed a little.

"Yeah…but thanks anyway."


Michelle grinned tiredly when Tony approached her station. He offered her a hand and pulled her to her feet. Obviously, he wrapped an arm around her waist, which caused Michelle to glance around the bullpen warily.

"Tony…you shouldn't…"

"I don't care." He told her flatly, before squeezing her more tightly against him.

When they reached the car, Michelle leaned back against it while Tony loaded their things.

"Still okay?" he asked.

"Yeah…just a little dizzy…" she admitted. And one hell of a headache…her brain added.

"Your head hurt?"

"No…" Tony raised an eyebrow and Michelle went red. "Yes…"

"Could be worse." she grimaced a little and Tony closed the back door before returning to her side.

He pushed back some hair so he could examine the cut on her temple.

"They said it was superficial. I'm okay."

"I know ya are..." He rubbed the back of her neck. She sighed and then began to laugh softly.

Tony tilted her chin towards him.

"What's so funny?"

"Everyone kept watching us today…"

"And that's funny?"

"Well…" she grinned. "I think…according to them…we hate each other."

He laughed too.

After what it seemed what they waited all day for, Tony finally pulled her in for a kiss.

"Mhm…I needed that…" she told the side of his face.

He grinned before leaning in again. "Me too."

Michelle pulled back a second time to find a wide-eyed, slightly open-mouthed Adam standing in the middle of the parking lot, observing them. She motioned to Tony over his shoulder and he turned around, locking Michelle's hand in his, holding his smile at bay.

"I thought you went home?" he called

Adam looked nervous. "I uh…I forgot my phone." He seemed to be debating whether or not to acknowledge the fact that Michelle was there. She made the decision for him.

"Night, Adam." She spoke clearly.

"Yeah uh…night guys…"

Adam continued walking towards the building with a few ill-timed, conspicuous glances at the pair.

"You're trouble Almeida." Michelle teased as his lips met hers a third time.

Tony laughed into her mouth.

"Mhm…That's why you love me…"