A/N: As soon as tonight's episode ended I went straight to work on this chapter. Hopefully this will provided some much needed therapy for everyone… Really sorry about the delay with the chapter in general, I'm in my last round of tests before exams start and it's been absolute hell. Thanks to everyone as usual for your wonderful reviews…

Chapter Twenty-Six – Bonding

It couldn't go any worse than it already had, that much Michelle was certain about. In a way, the feeling of inadequacy, knowing she would probably never in her life be considered "good enough" by Tony's mother made the whole thing easier. It was a lie she told herself that had saved her a week's worth of agony and kept her sanity in tact as she anticipated the night to come.

John, Margaret, and Amy Almeida were stopping off at the apartment after dinner. Tony and Michelle's presence at CTU had been required longer than anticipated. Upon learning this Tony had, much to Michelle's horror, suggested a post-dinner get together hoping something good would come out of it so Michelle wouldn't have to suffer for nothing. In a way, he knew he was putting more pressure on her; but Tony was beyond convinced that once the air was cleared and things started to become normal, everything would be fine.

Since they'd come home from work Michelle had spent an almost unhealthy amount of time in the bathroom. In fact, Tony was about at the point where he would break down the door just to make sure she was still alive in there, when it swung open revealing her perfectly made-up face and tamed locks. She would never tell him the reason for the time she spent getting ready. It more or less just gave her something to do while minutes ticked by and the moment when the apartment buzzer would be going came fast upon them.

Tony watched for a moment as she fumbled with the clasp on her bracelet, the frustration with her inability to complete the simple task rising. Her cheeks were turning pink and she was becoming more and more flustered as each second past.

"Michelle..." he began, taking hold of her wrist and running his thumb across the inside gently before assisting her with the bracelet.

"I'm fine." she snapped callously, not wanting to hear any assurances about how well everything would go, he'd offered those up the previous week and she was not about to forget that anytime soon.

Tony sighed, knowing he wouldn't be getting anywhere in the time they had left, especially with the attitude she was carrying around with her now. Instead, his hands came to rest firmly across her hips, rocking her back and forth in the embrace.

He heard her exasperated sigh and kissed her cheek as her chin dipped forward and a hand came to her brow.

He stopped moving.

"It's my fault honey." he tried to comfort her.

In some sort of pathetic attempt to gallantly profess his love for Michelle and prove it was nobody's business but theirs, he'd screwed up. Tony had honestly believed he was doing the right thing; acting as though he didn't care what his mom thought and refusing to give her more control over the situation by consulting with her in the first place. He knew now what a huge mistake that had been. He had never meant for Michelle to suffer because of his determination to prove his parent's had no say whatsoever in the matter.

The buzzer went, cutting off Tony's train of thought, and he gave Michelle's arm a quick pat before heading out of the bedroom.

Michelle shook her head. "Let's just get this over with."

They both idled in the hallway, Michelle seemingly rooted to the floor, Tony attempting to casually pace back and forth.

He had barely pulled back the door when a petite being came rushing through it, dark hair flying everywhere as she squealed happily and pulled Michelle into an embrace. Michelle sputtered for air, feeling as if she'd gotten the wind knocked out of her and still not entirely sure what she was hugging. Tony chuckled at her expression and turned to his parents, leaving Michelle standing in the middle of the room utterly taken aback.

Amy Almeida, the kind of person who hugs everyone when a situation becomes uncomfortable and who was absolutely thrilled at the prospect of her brother getting married; especially to such a pretty woman with ringlets she'd kill for and flawless skin that almost looked porcelain-esque.

"It's so great to finally meet you Michelle!" she exclaimed happily, pulling out of the embrace and giving Michelle a good look at her appearance. She was definitely unique compared to the rest of the family. For starters, she was wearing a perfectly pressed, pale pink sundress and soft, white cardigan, (most likely cashmere). Her tan was flawless; as though achieved through hours of carefully coordinated sunbathing, and her makeup complimented her complexion and outfit so well that it was if she'd stepped of the pages of In Style.

She beamed at Michelle, her curled lashes peeling back far enough to reveal deep green eyes.

"Contacts." she explained with a soft smile. "I wanted to be different."

'Different' she certainly was. Amy, probably from having been the youngest and wanting to exert her independence, seemed vastly unlike the rest of the Almeidas Michelle had met or heard about.

"I kept trying to organize something with Tony but my schedule has been hectic like you wouldn't believe...and you guys are always working..." She prattled on excitedly.

At this point Tony appeared at their side, pulling his sister into a hug.

"How you doin'?" he asked, lifting her against him.

She grinned. "Great...I got a B+ on my poli sci paper..."

"Everything okay?" he inquired as he released her so no one else would hear. "You okay? You need anything?"

Amy shook her head. "I'm fine; don't worry..."

Tony eyed her carefully.

"And I'd tell you if I wasn't..." she added with a laugh.

Once Michelle had offered her greeting to his parents they all headed into the den. She offered to get drinks for everyone, feeling any reason to show herself as being nice and sweet and thoughtful was an opportunity to be seized; desperate or not.

"I'll help..." Tony offered.

She shook her head. "No, it's fine."

A few minutes later she returned midst a conversation and handed everyone their respective glass. It was then that Amy cleared some space between her mother and herself, urging for Michelle to sit down. It was a little patronizing; trying to be made to feel comfortable by Tony's younger sister, but at that point she'd taking anything she could get. Besides, Amy really did not seem like she was trying to be patronizing, she was just friendly...

"Michelle I love your hair." Amy stated excitedly when she sat down. "I wish mine would curl like that. All it does is this stupid frizzy thing." she twisted a lock around her finger with an exasperated look on her face. "I always had mom put curlers in for picture days when I was little..."

Michelle laughed politely. "Trust me it gets old pretty fast...I just never get a chance to do anything to it..."

Tony snorted and leaned back in his chair.

"I love your hair."

Michelle rolled her eyes. "That's because you don't know what I go through every morning."

"I always felt bad for you Tony." John chimed in, smirking at his daughter. "The girls always had the run of the house..."

Michelle smiled and relaxed against the back of the couch. Margaret was quiet yet again, but her demeanor had changed greatly. For one thing, she was smiling pleasantly as Amy reminisced over tales from their childhood; and she too seemed a lot more at ease with the whole situation. It was even becoming, dare she say, comfortable, Michelle realized.

Tony glanced at her briefly from across the room, glad to see tension starting to ease up. He had spent the better part of the last week hoping Amy would be able to work her magic when they finally all did get together. Somehow, she could turn a completely awkward and less than ideal situation into one that made everyone comfortable...Something he'd noticed for the first time when, in the middle of a monstrous fight between himself and his parents where they'd all sat fuming on opposite ends of the couch, she'd crawled into each one of their laps for a hug...just because.

Amy was in the process of regaling tales of her most revered professor, the one that had the nasty habit of wandering through the rows of students and putting them on the spot to answer a confusing, not entirely worded properly question; a method that had driven half the class out the front door within the first week.

"I mean none of my classes are really that big anymore..." she explained to Michelle who was listening to the story with an amused look on her face.

"Most of the professors ask the students questions, but this guy just...Half the time I don't even understand what he's asking and then you feel like an idiot in front of everyone and-"

Tony's cell phone rang, cutting her off.

He sighed and excused himself before heading into the kitchen to take the call.

Less than a minute later he returned, his face serious now.

"Michelle..." his bit his lip reluctantly, scanning his family quickly. "Could I uh...talk to you for sec?"

Michelle practically jumped to her feet, and crossed the room to the doorway, while he inched them ever so slightly into the hall, his parents and sister never leaving his peripheral.

"I have to go check out a lead for Chappelle." he explained quietly.

She frowned. "Why you?"

"I'm closer than Jack or any of the Tac teams, and he's afraid this guy'll get spooked and try to leave before we can get a hold of him."

Michelle bit her lip, feeling sick at the prospect of Tony checking up on this person; on his own nonetheless.

"But they can't make you go in without backup." she pressed, her stomach twisting uncomfortably.

"They're sending a team out now; they'll meet me there...We just can't lose this guy."

"Can't LAPD pick him up?" she tried to argue, grasping for straws.

Tony shook his head. "He's unstable...we run the risk of spooking him if LAPD goes in; they're setting up the perimeter."

She nodded, tugging at the edges of her sleeve and her eyes falling on Amy watching them anxiously.

"I'll go with you then-"

"No."

"It's the only thing that makes sense... I'm here, you might as well-"

"You're not going." he told her flatly, raising his voice louder than he'd intended.

John, who had been trying to carry on the conversation, continued to ignore them; having a sinking suspicion he knew exactly what their muted argument was about.

"Tony I could-"

"No, Michelle. You're not coming with me, understood?" he rejected loudly, allowing the rest of them to catch the statement. Margaret's eyes widened at the change in his tone.

Michelle didn't say anything to this and her brow creased as if debating how to best argue her point and searching for some sort of loophole she could use. There wasn't one though; this wasn't CTU and Tony did not have to justify his reasoning to their superiors. So, knowing anything she said couldn't make one bit of a difference now, she looked on dejectedly, admitting defeat.

"Fine."

He left Michelle standing in the doorframe as he reentered the den and explained the situation in a would-be nonchalant manner to his family.

"I'll be back soon." he promised, lifting his wallet off the coffee table.

Amy looked nervously to her mother as her skin turned a nasty pale hue.

"Maybe we should go-" John began, his own eyes narrowed at the prospect.

Tony waved it off. "Nah, It shouldn't take long." he insisted casually. "I'll call if anything changes."

Margaret was watching Michelle carefully, her arms wrapped across her stomach as she tried to smile convincingly at them all. A hand briefly came to her nose, pinching the bridge quickly. Only she knew the true nature of the operation and could fully appreciate how risky it could potentially become; which was why Tony had explained it to her privately before telling everyone else.

Margaret, however, noticed her pallor complexion and the way she incessantly fidgeted with anything her fingers could latch on to without being overly conspicuous. Clearly, she was worried...afraid even, for his safety. Michelle continued to smile reassuringly though, as if it was nothing to get excited over.

Amy, on the other hand, looked close to tears.

"Tony, be careful..." she pleaded as the paper napkin latched between her fingers was ripped apart piece by piece.

"Don't worry." he waved it off, heading back towards the hall.

Seeing Michelle's blank expression he grabbed her elbow gently, leaning in so no one else would hear.

"I'll be fine, sweetheart." he whispered in a low voice.

She did not respond.

Tony sighed, feeling more than a little bad for having to deny her request and seeing her look at him like that…

Chappelle had asked where Michelle was when he'd called; probably wanting the same thing Michelle wanted now. She was right. They didn't, if ever, elect to send someone on a mission alone. He'd lied though. He'd told Ryan she was spending the evening with a friend and would not have been able to make it to the location in time. She'd probably kill him if she found out too…but there was no way in hell he was taking her out there; he protected her in whatever way he had to...

"I'll see ya in a bit…"

She nodded halfheartedly as he kissed her temple before grabbing his keys and heading out the door.

After a few seconds, Michelle sat back down on the couch, trying to keep her expression pleasantly neutral.

No one spoke immediately, and when Amy finally broke the silence there was a distinct quiver in her voice.

"Does um...does this happen a lot?" she asked carefully, her eyes slightly glazed.

Michelle hesitated. "Not really..." she assured. "Once in a while, but Tony's not Field Ops so..."

Margaret cleared her throat. "Once is one time too many." she spat angrily at no one in particular.

Michelle sighed. "I'm sure he'll be back shortly..."

Everyone's attention seemed to be devoted to their own thoughts until Michelle finally sprang to her feet and offered to put on a pot of coffee. This was the worst possible situation she could imagine; sitting around with absolutely nothing to distract her or his family from the fact that Tony was out…in the field….trying to obtain some hostile.

She was in the process of placing mugs for everyone on a tray when Margaret entered the kitchen.

"Need some help?" she asked gently.

"Oh no...Thanks..." Michelle toyed with the lid of the sugar bowl.

Margaret made her way to the fridge anyway, pulling out the milk and cream.

"I feel like I'm always worrying about him." she admitted, as she came to stand against the counter.

"First the Marines; now this... I just keep waiting for something to happen..."

She hung her head weakly, taking in the silence that followed the statement.

"I owe you an apology." she confessed suddenly, making Michelle's mouth form a small 'o' of surprise.

"For last week," she continued. "It's nothing against you Michelle, believe me...and I shouldn't have acted that way."

"Oh no..." Michelle exclaimed, obviously taken aback. "You don't have to apologize it's not-"

"Yes I do." Margaret insisted; reminding Michelle uncannily of Tony in that instant. "There was no excuse for how I behaved and I guess with everything that's been going on tonight I'm seeing how much you…" she trailed off, eyes brimming with tears.

"I appreciate that...thank you."

"Well..." Margaret blinked back and sniffled before lifting the tray into her arms. "I'll just bring this in then..."

Michelle leaned against the doorway as Margaret placed the tray on the table and handed Amy one of the mugs. Amy was chewing her cuticles and had been more or less since Tony walked out the door.

"C'mon sweetie..." John urged, crossing the couch to sit beside her. "Try and relax..."

Amy nodded, taking the coffee from her mother and sipping it slowly, the warm liquid failing to alleviate her distress.

"I hate this..." she stated through a shaky murmur, eyeing Michelle who had finally taken a seat in the chair opposite the couch. She leaned forward, her head resting in her hand.

"Yeah...me too..." There was no point trying to make light of the situation, Tony's family was obviously traumatized by the notion of him in the field, and she honestly wasn't doing that much better.

Any dismal attempts made at small talk were quickly shot down. Apparently no one wanted to talk, they all wanted to sit on the edge of their seats watching the clock tick away, and waiting for the phone to ring.

Finally, it did.

John snatched up the receiver and handed it to Michelle, who did her best to answer it without showing any of the reluctance she felt.

She smiled softly when she heard his voice.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah..." he gently assured her. "Suspect's in custody. They're taking him to Division for processing."

"Good..." she leaned back against the chair and felt her shoulders rest, the tension gone.

"Everything okay over there?"

"Uh huh..." she nodded reassuringly at Amy who had finally stopped fidgeting.

"Alright...tell 'em I'm coming home now, okay?"

"K..."


The atmosphere that had been so clouded with nerves while Tony was gone dissipated quickly when Michelle hung up the phone and informed them of his impending arrival. The door swung open less than half an hour later, to a much less anxious crowd.

"See..." he entered the room almost breezily, as if to emphasize how fine he actually was. "Told ya it wouldn't take long."

Amy laughed softly, the colour coming back to her cheeks. She held the back of her hand up to each one consecutively; feeling flushed all of a sudden.

"God, it never gets old."

Michelle smiled as Tony went to sit down, giving her shoulder a quick squeeze as he moved past her chair.

"I remember when Tony first joined the Marines...I wasn't that old and I never understood why he had to go away."

Margaret laughed aloud at this; the first time Michelle had heard her do so.

"I got a phone call from Amy's teacher one day saying she'd started crying in the middle of recess."

"This older kid was sitting with us..." Amy explained, vividly remembering the occasion.

"And he heard me saying that I got a letter from my brother...the Marine...and he started telling me all these horrible stories about what was going to happen to him and how he'd end up dying and everything..."

Tony frowned. "Ya never told me that..."

"There was a reason." John piped in with a smirk, and turned to Michelle. "Any guy who ended up making one of the girls cry was in for the beating of his life."

Michelle beamed at the prospect, adoring Tony even more because of his obvious devotion to his sisters; something she'd witnessed first hand.

"Anyway, I started bawling my eyes out and the teacher didn't know what was wrong so she called mom and I finally told her." Amy faced Tony and blushed slightly. "I couldn't help it, I worried about you."

As Margaret explained how Amy would rush home from school everyday, even in the dead of winter, desperate to see if there was any word from Tony, Michelle found herself grinning uncontrollably. It was such a sweet prospect; Amy running home, hair in pigtails, weighed down by her backpack, hoping to hear word from her brother. The obvious closeness of their family was something she admired, and almost envied.

"You know Tony..." Amy bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. "Rachel ended up telling mom and dad what happened when you came home from college that one weekend." as she spat it out she erupted in a fit of giggles.

"Oh geeze..." Tony's brow creased as he realized what she was referring to. "Remind me to kill her next time I see her..." he groaned; grinning when Amy laughed even harder.

"Tell Michelle..." she managed through her squeals.

"Michelle doesn't want to hear about that..." he protested futilely, very aware she'd be hearing the whole truth in a matter of minutes.

Michelle caught his eye, a distinct glimmer in her own. "Of course I do." she insisted.

"Well if you're not gonna tell it than I am..."

"You don't even remember...you weren't that old."

Amy smirked. "Lisa told me."

Tony groaned again. "Remind me to kill her too..." but smiled anyway. Michelle was laughing...his parents were laughing...and if his own embarrassment helped the situation along he was more than happy to have Amy tell every tale she'd ever heard or witnessed first-hand. This particular occasion was one he'd remembered affectionately, albeit a little humiliated by it, on more than one occasion. At the time it hadn't seemed funny though; at the time it had seemed brutally unfair and almost traumatic.

Eighteen year old Tony Almeida heard the pattering of little feet coming into his room late one night. He groaned, cursing himself for agreeing to spend half his spring break babysitting his sisters while his parents took some time to themselves. While most of the other guys had planned trips of some sort or another, to some inconspicuous, family and school free location; Tony had heard his parents' desperate pleas for some time away from their daughters and conceded. So now, here he was, playing mother hen to a couple of rugrats, while his parents were off, gallivanting around Vegas.

He had never felt like such a loser in his entire life.

The pattering of feet that he heard was none other than not-quite five year old Amy. He hadn't even fully understood what she was doing in his room during all hours until he saw lightening illuminate the entire room and felt thunder shake the old house, while the rain continued to pour.

Amy, clutching her beloved "blankie", made her way over to her big brother's bed and tugged at the sleeve of his t-shirt.

"Tony?" she whispered in a tiny voice.

Tony was debating responding, or feigning sleep, when lightening struck again.

"TONY!" Amy shrieked like a banshee into his ear and Tony bashed his leg into the footboard as he sat up at warp speed.

"Damn it, Amy!" he cursed, and then immediately reprimanded himself. His mom was always telling him off for not keeping his profanities in check under his young, impressionable sisters.

He looked at Amy now who was clutching her blanket even more tightly by her small cheek, lips in full pout, obviously close to tears and afraid of having upset him.

"What are ya doin' in here? It's the middle of the night."

The next flash of lightening followed by an equally discerning clap of thunder answered his question. Amy flinched and looked up at him with wide eyes.

"The storm…" she whispered, pointing towards the window with a delicate little finger. "I'm scared."

Tony sighed and fell back against his pillows. "It's just a little rain, go back to sleep."

Amy did not move from the side of his bed.

"When's daddy coming home?"

"Not for a few days…" Tony mumbled, closing his eyes again, and hoping she would be intuitive enough to pick up on his more than obvious "get out of my room" gestures.

"I want daddy…" Amy wailed as buckets of tears fell onto her blanket, obviously oblivious to his requests.

"Oh geeze…" Tony shook his head and sat up, lifting Amy onto the bed beside him. It seemed like everyone in the goddamn house liked to cry and, despite having grown up with three sisters, he probably knew less about what to do in the circumstances than any guy on the planet...At least, that's what it felt like to him...

"What do you wanna do Amy?" he asked as she dabbed her eyes, waterworks subsiding instantaneously.

"Daddy always comes and lies in my bed with me…" she whispered bravely with her best puppy-dog eyed expression, completely aware her hinted request was an absurd one to expect Tony to comply with, and she would have to be negotiated down.

Tony, on cue, shook his head. "I'm not doin' that…" he told her bluntly, but then noticing the tears starting to come again and desperate to get back to sleep added: "But if ya want you can stay in here…alright?"

Amy wrapped her little arms tightly around her brother's neck before settling herself comfortably against his body.

"Love ya…" her warm little breaths resonated against his skin.

"Just make sure ya don't tell anyone about this" he scolded, as she gave a small yawn and snuggled against the pillow.

Tony was finally finding himself back on the threshold between consciousness and sleep, only vaguely aware of what was going on around him, when there was another flash of lightening and the sound of his bedroom door being flung open yet again.

"Where's Amy?" came a voice from the far side of the room.

Tony groaned and lifted his head off the pillow, straining to see who he already knew the voice belonged to.

"Here…" he grumbled. "She was…scared I guess…"

Lisa tugged nervously at her nightgown and brushed straggly hair away from her face.

"Oh…"

Tony had a sinking suspicion he knew exactly what was coming.

"C'mere kid…" he motioned her towards the bed. "You alright?"

"Can I sleep in here too?" she asked as loudly as she dared.

Tony shook his head in annoyance, before pulling back the blankets.

"Yeah…why not…it's the only way I'm gonna get any sleep around here..."

She giggled slightly at the "tough guy" act. Tony was a softy...everyone knew that.

"But I don't want to hear one word about this to anyone, you got it?" he reiterated the rules that came with spending the night in his bed.

Lisa bit her lip and nodded before hopping in on the other side of the uncomfortably squishy double mattress. Tony dully realized he'd had more room on his stupid dorm-style bed back at school. What a vacation this was turning out to be…

The next morning proved to be a drizzly, cold one. Much to Tony's horror, Rachel awoke before him and passed his now-wide open bedroom door on her way downstairs. Tony's eyes blinked open just in time to see her stare into his room and cover her mouth in a fit of giggles.

"Well don't you look cozy..." She whispered as she entered the room. "Was the storm too scary? Had to bring your baby sisters to come cuddle with y-"

"Shut up."

Rachel laughed and so did Tony, a little reluctantly at first.

"This one…" he indicated to Amy's sleeping form, which was now exhaling softly from her position tucked against his body. Her little arm barely made it halfway around his chest and she hugged him closer. "Could win an Oscar for the performance she put on..."

Rachel smiled.

"We should get them up anyway, or they'll never sleep tonight…I'll watch them if you wanna go back to sleep."

Tony shook his head.

"Nah, I'm up…get Lise for me…"

Rachel moved around to the other side of the bed and nudged Lisa awake.

"C'mon Amy…" Tony picked her up easily and positioned her against his hip.

She rubbed her eyes with both fists. "Where's my blanket?"

"Here…" Tony scooped it up and handed it to her.

Amy's eyes widened to the size of saucers as she recalled the night before.

"Are you mad at me Tony?" she asked, tightening the grip she had on his collar with her fists.

"Nah…" he shook his head and tickled her side, eliciting squeals of delight as she rested her cheek against his shoulder, still refusing to let go of his shirt.

As they exited the room Amy kissed her brother loudly on the cheek, making Tony blush and causing a not fully awake Lisa, and Rachel, to laugh out loud.

"The things I do for you…" he grumbled as he made his way downstairs.

Michelle laughed softly as Amy retold the story; gushing exaggeratedly at some of the key points and reaching across the couch to give Tony's cheek a couple of painful pinches, just to prove how much she really could still get away with.

"So don't believe a word he tells you about what a big shot he was Michelle." she laughed as he scowled, the glint in eyes giving away that he really wasn't annoyed and was, if anything, a little amused by the conversation.

"Tony couldn't let us out of his sight when he came home."

Tony failed to mask his surprise when Margaret launched into a full-out discussion with Michelle over well...everything. In fact, quite shortly after that began Michelle had traded seats with him to continue the conversation while he conversed with his dad about something else. He continued to listen in to what they were saying every chance he got though; amazed, and extremely glad the conversation was still going well.


An hour or so later, John rose to his feet, declaring it was probably time for them to get going. His wife and daughter followed him to the door, Amy continuing to babble until the last possible second about how she expected to be seeing a lot more of both her brother and his fiancé from here on in.

"Let me know if you need any help with those plans, Michelle." Margaret insisted. "Otherwise you'll be pulling out your hair in a few months time..."

Michelle laughed. "Thanks, I will." She promised as they opened the door and prepared to depart.

The goodbyes were said quickly; with insistences from Amy that she be kept more up to date in all matters concerning the couple and the wedding especially, considering she was the only family member in their general vicinity .

"So you'd better remember I exist…" she chastised Tony, who laughed.

"I'll call ya, alright? We'll plan something when you're done exams…"

Satisfied, Amy hugged him, and then Michelle; restating how much fun she'd ended up having that night.

Michelle smiled warmly; wondering how likely it was she'd be receiving an "I told ya so…" from Tony once they'd all left… Not very likely, she quickly realized. He'd probably just enjoy how much happier and content she was; grinning a lot when he thought she wasn't paying attention.

Another round of hugs and quick pecks goodbye later, the Almeida's exited as Tony and Michelle bade farewell from the doorway, his arm now firmly around her as she beamed cheerfully and waved.

Nothing else was said or done when the door finally closed; save for the quick kiss that was placed to Michelle's temple as Tony turned the deadbolt. Instead they simply headed back to the couch, Michelle completely cognizant to the fact that a foolish grin had not left her face.

Tony's hand rubbed her thigh ever so gently as her knees curled up to her chest and she leaned against the armrest.

"Michelle?" he ventured, wary of how an attempt at conversation would be received now that they were alone again.

"What?" she remembered suddenly she had every reason to be angry with him.

"Don't be…"

"I'm not."

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry I didn't let you-"

"How do you think I would've felt if something had happened to you while I was here…doing nothing…?" she snapped, never once raising her voice.

"I'm sorry."

"Damn it Tony, why do you have to be so stubborn?"

Nothing.

"We can't go through this every time …" she turned over and sat up. "It's too hard."

His face contorted into something painful. "Alright…"

"Promise me that you'll just…let me do my job? Okay? I need to be able to do my job…"

He nodded reluctantly, and barely spoke an answer. "K…"

She returned back to her original position on the couch, but reached a hand back for a squeeze.

"Thank you."

Yes, Tony was stubborn, overprotective, a little too arrogant every now and then…but she loved him; for it and not in spite of it. And while it had a tendency to rub her the wrong way every now and then, especially when it came to work, she wouldn't change it if she could.

Besides, in the end staying home had given her some much needed time with his mother; something the extenuating circumstances had made the most of…And as he pulled her feet into his lap and reached for her hand again, one thought couldn't help but remain present in Michelle's mind…

As far as acceptance into the Almeida family went:

She was in…