Disclaimer: Don't own 24 or its characters

Note: I'm not overly excited with this chapter… but I had some major writers block. I was running short on ideas, so any that you have and would like to see in the story, I would love to hear. Please review after reading, it makes me happy to see that you guys like my writing. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

The clock on Tony's night stand read 7:00AM when Michelle's eyes became fully adjusted to the brightness of the room. She looked at Tony, still sleeping peacefully next to her, arms protectively around her body. She smiled and thought about their last words before they fell into a peaceful slumber.

"I love you," Tony said.

"I love you, too," said Michelle.

She was the happiest she had ever been. Michelle spent a few more moments starting at Tony's sleeping form before she leaned over and placed a feather-soft kiss on the tip of his nose. He began to stir at Michelle's touch and this only egged her on. She began placing similar kisses all over his face and neck. Tony became fully awake and inwardly groaned at Michelle's actions. His hand started to creep up her back, to the back of her head, and he pulled her in for a deep, passionate kiss.

"Morning," he said when they finally broke apart.

"I hope I didn't wake you," she said with a mischievous grin portraying that her intentions really were to wake him.

"Hmm…" he said sleepily, "I wouldn't mind waking up to that every morning."

It was at this moment when his mind and heart started racing. Did I really just say that out loud? How will Michelle react? Am I pushing things too fast? Michelle noticed the subtle change in Tony and she leaned over and lightly kissed his nose again. This small but sweet gesture was more than enough to return Tony to his original state of bliss. His smile couldn't have been brighter and he returned Michelle's soft kiss with a more passionate one of his own.

"C'mon, get up and I'll make breakfast," Tony said.

"Okay," Michelle answered sweetly.

Once Tony was out of the bed he walked over to Michelle's side and smiled at her attempt to stay under the warm covers.

"Up," he said.

She smiled under the covers and stuck her arms out. Tony took her arms in his and pulled her out of the bed. He held her body close to his own and placed a gentle kiss to her lips.

"I love you."

"I love you too," she replied.

He put her down and lightly patted her on the bottom.

"Now… scoot!"

Michelle's bare feet scurried across Tony's bedroom floor. She turned her head quickly and stuck her tongue out at him while giggling like a schoolgirl. He smiled and let out a husky laugh that made Michelle weak at the knees. He began to chase her. She yelped and began to run around his living room, Tony in hot pursuit. They were on opposite sides of the couch, both staring at the other, trying to anticipate his and her next move. When it became clear that Michelle was waiting for Tony to make his move before executing hers, Tony lunged. He leapt over the couch, spun Michelle around, and fell with her on the couch, him on top, both laughing the entire way.

As soon as they landed on the couch, both Tony and Michelle became serious. Tony looked into Michelle's eyes and hungrily leaned in and kissed her. His hand began to roam under her shirt, towards her chest. Michelle let out a soft groan and whispered Tony's name. He moved his mouth down to the crook of her neck. After a few moments of bliss, Michelle pulled away. Tony looked at her worriedly.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked with alarm.

He couldn't stand to hurt the one person that he already knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Michelle smiled and said,

"No, sweetheart, quite the opposite. You did everything right, but we have to eat, get dressed, go back to my place, and then get to the cemetery. I just need to stop before I can't."

Tony's face relaxed and he said, "You're right, let's make breakfast."

Michelle gave him a look. "Okay, let me rephrase that. Let me make breakfast. You make the coffee."

"Deal," Michelle laughed.

Tony knew all about Michelle's cooking complications by means of their break conversations and the constant microwavable and take-out lunches she ate. "I can't wait to make her a romantic dinner," Tony thought.

They got off the couch, collected themselves, but not without a couple of flirty glances, and headed towards the kitchen. Michelle began to get the coffee ready while Tony went to the refrigerator to get eggs and other breakfast materials. After a bout a half an hour, the table was set, breakfast- eggs, home fries, toast, bowls of assorted fruit, coffee, and orange juice- was beautifully arranged, and Tony and Michelle began to enjoy their quiet meal together.

"Wow, Tony, this is amazing!" Michelle exclaimed- although it came out a little muffled due to the food in her mouth.

"Thanks," came Tony's laughing reply.

"Where did you learn to cook like this?" Michelle questioned. She wanted to know as much about Tony as she could.

"Growing up, my parents were always cooking, and I just picked it up. It relaxes me."

"Is that so?" asked Michelle with a seductive smile.

"It is," said Tony with a seductive smile of his own. They just sat, letting the moment completely take over before Tony said,

"We better get ready."

After they had both showered, Michelle found Tony in the bathroom getting ready to shave.

"Don't!" she yelled. He jumped in response to her outburst but quickly regained his suave composure.

"And why not?" Tony questioned.

"Because you look sexy with stubble," she replied nonchalantly.

"Oh I do, do I?"

Not waiting for an answer, he grabbed Michelle around the waist, pressed his cheek to hers and rubbed it back and forth, letting a few days of not shaving scratch against her perfect skin.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, squirming away from his scratchy face.

"You were the one who said it was sexy."

"Okay, you got me there," Michelle said, still squirming in Tony's arms. "We better get going," she said, regaining her composure.

Michelle and Tony drove separately to Michelle's apartment. They decided that they were going to drive to the memorial service in their own cars. They weren't ready for every one at work to know about them yet. After changing, Michelle walked out of her bedroom to find Tony watching television.

"Hey," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and placing a gentle kiss on his temple.

"Hey," he replied bringing her lips down to meet his in a more passionate kiss. "Ready to go?"

"I guess," she answered.

"Listen, we're gonna get through this," Tony said.

With that, they got into their own cars and drove to the cemetery.

The members of CTU sat in rows of chairs inside the building at the cemetery. George's son had just finished speaking and as he walked down from the podium, Tony arose to make his speech. Meeting George's son halfway down the walkway, Tony caught him in an embrace of comfort. He reached the podium and readied himself to speak to his colleagues.

"Today is the day to mourn for our lost colleagues, our lost friends. They will be forever remembered and their lives will be treasured. George Mason. What really is to say about George? He was always short and to the point. But there was so much more. He did his job with such intensity and passion like I had never seen before. He did his job until the end. George Mason made the ultimate sacrifice for his country and we will forever remember him."

As Tony finished, a single tear transcended down his unshaven cheek. This display of emotion was unbeknownst to everyone except Michelle. The whole time she was watching him intently. She was the only one to see through his strong boss façade. A tear on her face mirrored the one on his. Everyone got out of their seats and lit a candle for their fallen friends. Tony lit George's and Michelle lit Paula's. As Tony and Michelle were on their way out, they turned and took one final look at the burning candles. Their hands instinctively reached for each other. Tony gave Michelle's hand a gentle squeeze. Michelle gave Tony a soft smile and he said,

"Let's go back to my place."

"Okay," she replied.

They drove one behind the other and reached Tony's place within minutes. Michelle pulled up next to Tony and he couldn't help but think her car belonged in that very spot for the rest of their lives. They walked up the stairs hand-in-hand.

Once they entered his apartment, Tony put on coffee and went to sit by Michelle's side on the couch. He wrapped his arms around her, kissed the top of her head, and held her close to his body. He could feel her body shake against his as she began to cry. Sensing that he needed a breakdown as much as her, she looked up at him.

"It's okay Tony, I'm here."

With this, Tony let the tears fall. He had never been one to cry, but with everything he'd seen over the years, it was about time to let it out. They just held each other. After a while, when they had both calmed down, Tony spoke,

"How does pizza sound?"

"Perfect," replied Michelle. She didn't realize how hungry she was until this very moment.

Tony called out for the pizza and returned to Michelle as fast as humanly possible. The pizza came fifteen minutes later and they devoured the whole box in mere minutes. They were both famished, eating four pieces each. After the plates had been placed in the dishwasher, Tony said,

"Hey, let's get you into something more comfortable."

"But I didn't bring anything to change into."

"Don't worry about that sweetie, you can borrow some of my clothes," Tony said with a cheeky grin.

"Hmm… in that case, let's go," she said returning his cheeky grin.

Tony grabbed Michelle's waist and pushed her towards his bedroom. Once inside he spun her around and kissed her with such passion. Michelle happily leaned into the kiss. It was exactly what she needed. Tony began to tease her lips apart with his and she opened her mouth to him instantaneously. His tongue wrestled with hers after a few minutes of teasing it. Michelle groaned and felt her cheeks turn red due to embarrassment at the sound. Tony groaned shortly after. His was louder than Michelle's and more drawn out. Michelle was amazed at how much better she felt because of this gesture. Tony broke the kiss and asked,

"Are you sure you're ready for this? Are you sure we're not just…"

"Shh," she said placing a finger on his lips to silence him.

She began to undo the buttons of his shirt, a silent way of letting him know she was more than ready. She carefully finished taking care of the buttons on his shirt and slipped it off of his shoulders. She leaned forward and placed a feather soft kiss on his bare shoulder. Tony recaptured her lips and slid his hands under her shirt. He walked her back towards the bed and gently laid her down. He covered her body with his and began kissing wherever his mouth would reach. Clothing was quickly disposed of and they took their time with each other. They wanted the moment to be perfect, special, and it was. They made love for hours before they curled up together under the sheets. Tony was on his back, Michelle on her stomach, head on his chest, and arm draped over his torso. Tony kissed her on the top of the head and spoke,

"I love you, baby."

"I love you so much Tony."

They both allowed their drooping eyes to overtake them and fell into the most peaceful sleep of their lives.

Okay, I hope you liked it… please review! I'll start working on chapter 5 tomorrow, so hopefully it will be done over the weekend… but I'm running short on ideas, so any that you guys have to give would be wonderful! Thanks for reading!