Smoked: [part 2]

...

Claire's POV:

After briefly scanning the backyard of the property Tony found some bone fragments; later revealed to be an intact skull. This discovery prompted a full-scale grid search in the Bright's back yard. While the FBI was there getting dirty, NCIS returned to the office to try and make sense of all this. Currently we had Kevin Bright's missing persons photo up on the big screen.

"Our serial killer spent his last five years getting smoked and tenderized in the Puller High School chimney. Only to fall out during the installation of the new furnace." Tony summarized, switching to a picture of the now jerkied man downstairs.

"I want to know how he ended up that way DiNozzo." Gibbs cut in, eyeing the photos.

"Boss he was a building inspector for the DOD. When he disappeared in April 2001 he was inspecting structures at Quantico and Little Creek. Puller High School was on his list." McGee interjected as he scanned the info on his computer.

"It could have been an accident. He could have fallen to his death while inspecting the school." Ziva pointed out.

"How? I mean think about it, you can't just walk onto a military base. If he drove in, they would have found his car. As far as I remember there wasn't one left on the property." I countered.

"His 2000 Honda Accord disappeared with him." McGee added to back up my statement. Ziva took the remote out of Tony's hand and moved on to the next set of photos. Two rows of women who all looked eerily similar to our serial killer's wife.

"Fourteen victims. Spread out from 1993 until his death." She began.

"All of them looking pretty much like his wife." Gibbs pointed out.

"Number fifteen found in his own backyard by…yours truly, with the FBI digging for more. Why exactly are we letting the FBI dig for more?" Tony questioned as an afterthought.

"Work smarter not harder Tony." I smirked in his direction. Gibbs grinned and nodded in agreement.

"They're doing our manual labor." He chimed, taking a seat back at his desk.

...

Getting a call when the FBI had finished, we made our way back to the property to take photos and collect the five new bodies that were found.

"Well this is the last one Ducky. Unless they find more." Tony pointed out as he knelt to get closer photos. The bones seemed to be intact and buried long enough for plant roots to start intermingling with the skeletons.

"Yes, this one is also a female judging by the width of the pelvic bones." Ducky pointed out as he dusted the bones.

"Sounds about right." I muttered, frowning at the remains.

"With a complete lack of tissue, I think I will refrain before I offer a tentative time of death." Ducky quipped with a small chuckle.

"Especially after the last time." Ziva added in jokingly as she made her way over to join us.

"Yes, I do deeply apologize for that."

"It's no problem Ducky. We all make mistakes." I assured with a grin.

"Did I ever tell you of that time I shot a French police officer off a cliff?" Ducky asked, looking up at our group with a mischievous grin. I blinked in surprise and looked at the older man curiously. Well that's quite an interesting topic change.

"You what?" I stuttered after a beat.

"There was a lake below." Tony added calmly, fiddling with the camera. I slowly turned to stare at him.

"You knew about this story? Why did it never come up?" I whispered, straightening up to stand next to him. Tony shrugged before looking over at me.

"I know most of it. I don't know why it was never mentioned before." He answered. I shook my head before turning back to the story.

"The man was alright. But they still issued a warrant for my arrest." Ducky continued.

"Gibbs and I managed to stay one step ahead of them. Eventually we escaped across the English Channel in a sailboat."

"You and Agent Gibbs were fugitives?" Jimmy asked with interest.

"Yes, for a short while. Until a young, upcoming NCIS agent had the charges dropped." Ducky answered, placing a piece of plant root that had grown around the skeletons into a specimen cup.

"Jenny." Tony chuckled under his breath. However, we all heard it and turned to stare at him incredulously. Tony paused and looked up with mild horror at his slip.

"You're on a first name basis with her now are you?" I questioned evenly. Tony licked his lips and grinned, covering up his distress.

"I meant Director Shepherd." He quickly amended, avidly avoiding my stare. Ducky grinned.

"She was the one who commandeered the boat." The M.E. added to get the conversation back on track.

"The Director stole a boat?" McGee asked skeptically.

"Well she wasn't the director of NCIS at the time, McGee." Ducky defended with a chuckle.

"Huh, you learn new things every day." I murmured in amusement. Both good and bad things.

...

3rd Person POV:

That night Gibbs had sent the team home earlier than normal since none of the analysis would be done until the next morning. Tony sat in his car just outside Claire's home. He stared at the building silently, his jaw clenching as the turmoil going on inside threatened to overflow.

Keeping up the charade with Jeanne he had gone over to her apartment earlier that night. Their evening led to some heavy petting which wrecked him inside. He could tell that Jeanne wanted to go further, and under normal circumstances he would have eagerly gone along with it. But it felt so wrong, so dirty. Outwardly he could keep up the act with Jeanne, after all he was still a man and she was very attractive. However, in the forefront of his mind was Claire. How could he tolerate being intimate with another woman when he had already found the one he knew he was destined to be with. Claire was it for him.

Tony remained there for a few more minutes, just sitting and thinking. Was it even a good idea to be here? He watched the lights turn on as he made her way into the kitchen. She was probably about ready to go to sleep. Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel he made his decision. Tony turned the car off and locked the vehicle behind him before heading straight for the door. He only waited a moment for her to answer once he knocked. Claire's surprise was obvious when she saw who was on the other side.

"Tony?...What are you doing here?" Tony fidgeted in the doorway, biting his lip. As he figured she was dressed for bed in her usual large t-shirt and short shorts. His lip quirked, reminded of how fond he had always been of the outfit. She usually went for comfort over looks and he loved that about her. Claire was never really into sleeping in small lacy ensembles. She sure didn't need them. Tony blinked, getting his mind back on track.

"I um…..I just figured I could stop by. That is if you don't mind? If it's too uncomfortable I can just head back home." He muttered quietly. Claire's brow furrowed in concern. Something was bothering him deeply.

"Sure." she complied, stepping aside to let him in. Tony nodded jerkily and walked in, striping off his coat as he did. Claire locked the door back up and turned to watch him silently. Tony paced towards the middle of the living room, his eyes scanning over her home absently. Nothing had changed since he had last been there.

"Are you ok?" She questioned, crossing her arms over her chest while still standing at a distance. Tony turned to face her and nodded.

"Yea." Claire eyed him skeptically.

"You don't look it." She countered. Tony chuckled, grinning down at the ground.

"I'll be ok in a bit. Just a little off right now." He admitted wryly. She hummed and the two returned back to silence. They stood in opposite corners of the room, eyes flitting between the walls and each other. Claire looked at the clock on the wall and frowned.

"Tony, why are you here this late. It's nearly midnight." She finally blurted out. Tony cleared his throat before answering.

"Uh I've had a rough evening and….I didn't really know where else to go. I can't stand to be alone with my thoughts right now." He admitted tightly.

"I'm assuming that I can't ask about it." Claire muttered, taking a step closer. Tony's lips tightened into a pained grin, confirming her question. She drew in a deep breath, pushing away her frustration for his sake. It was obvious he didn't need badgering from her right now.

"Well make yourself at home. The shower is open and you have some extra work clothes in the hall closet." She instructed, gesturing for him to head that direction. Tony muttered his thanks and quickly made his way over, desperate to rid himself of Jeanne's perfume. Smelling like that in Claire's house made him sick.

While he showered Claire sat herself down onto the couch, frowning in the direction he had gone. Why was he here? What had he been doing that had shaken him up this badly? What was she supposed to do now? Claire groaned and grasped at the base of her hair, the small twinge of pain keeping her grounded. It was easier to keep her emotions in check while they were at work. Less time to really dwell on things. But now she was in her home, already wound down for the evening which left her vulnerable to her damned feelings. Having him back in a place they had spent so much time intimately ate away at her. The feelings of hurt and loneliness came back hundredfold. She missed him so much. With Tony looking as distraught as he was all she wanted to do was go over and hold him; comfort him in any way he needed. Claire still deeply loved the man but he had chosen to leave. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't register Tony walking back into the room. He stared at her, his eyes softening as he watched her bite her thumb in concentration. Realizing he was staring creepily, Tony cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Thanks…for letting me stay here." Tony muttered, jerking her out of her trance. Claire bolted upright.

"Yea, yea. What are friends for. I'll um…grab you some blankets." She quickly scurried over to the hall closet, pulling out what was needed. Tony crossed his arms as he turned to watch her. He remembered his request to remain friends, but hearing her use the word hurt.

"I guess sharing the bed is out of the question." He joked weakly. Claire turned to stare at him sternly.

"That would be a very bad idea." Tony nodded in agreement. Silence settled over the room once more as she finished gathering the blankets he would need. She made her way to brush past him, only to pause as he reached out for her wrist. Claire turned her head sharply, watching as he gently played with her hand. His eyes never looking up as he brought up his other hand to caress her palm.

"What….what are you doing?" Claire swallowed thickly, lost in a trance as she watched his movements.

"I just wanted to touch you. I've missed it." He answered honestly. Her eyes widened and she dropped the blankets to the ground next to them. Claire gently reached over and took his hand away, her heart cracking as she did so. Tony looked up at her, hurt. Blue eyes welled up as she looked into his hazel ones, finding the same pain that she was feeling.

"Tony…."

"I've been thinking a lot about you lately, and I'm really, really trying to figure out a way to not screw this up." Tony whispered brokenly as he stared into her eyes. Claire remained silent, willing herself to be rational. Nothing had changed since he broke it off, letting this continue would just end badly for both of them.

"I'm pretty sure it's already screwed up." She whispered. He nodded, blinking tears away heavily. In a moment of weakness he took a step closer towards her, reaching out a hand to caress her face. Claire leaned into it, smiling sadly at the familiar feeling.

"Tony this isn't a good idea. We're not…..we can't. Not while you have this Jenny business hanging over your head." She tried, but her emotions and actions were betraying her. Tony leaned in, resting his forehead against hers. He gently nuzzled his nose against her cheek. Claire holding back as she clenched her eyes shut.

"Please." Her eyes flew open at his near silent request. Staring up into his eyes and seeing how desperate he was caused her resolve to crumble. Going against her better judgement she lifted her chin up ever so slightly to allow her lips to meet his. The response was instantaneous. Tony reached for her, his hands not working fast enough as he ran them over her torso and face. Bodies clashed and hands ran over one another frantically, both starved for each other's touch. Claire began pushing him in the direction of the bedroom. Clothes gradually fell off as they made their way across the room, before they found the bottom of the bed. Stumbling into one another they grinned, allowing their brains to shut off and enjoy the moment. The following morning would once again remind them that this was not a good idea, but neither were willing to find it in them to care. Tonight was just about filling the empty hole in their hearts for however short a time they had.

...

The following morning Tony sat at his desk whistling an upbeat tune as he worked. Ziva paused to lean on the divider next to him and watched curiously. This was vastly different then how he acted most mornings.

"Are you on medication?"

"Just had a good night last night." Tony answered, his grin widening at the thought of it.

"Doing what?" Ziva eyed him analytically. Tony continued working, the glow never leaving his face.

"The usual."

"The usual what?"

"Night." Ziva stared at him a moment before it dawned on her. She laughed knowingly.

"You had sex, didn't you?" Tony's grin dropped in alarm and he whipped his head around to stare at her.

"What?"

"It's ok to admit it. We're all adults here." She assured, pursing her lips.

"That's a subject I'd be willing to debate officer David." Fornell cut in as he joined them. Tony was thankful for the distraction.

"Where's Gibbs?" the man asked as he waltzed over towards his empty desk. Tony and Ziva slowly followed, watching the FBI agent in confusion.

"Well he must have known you were coming because he's not here." Tony explained.

"It was really more of a curtesy call DiNutso. Letting him know about these orders from Justice." Tony and Ziva shared a wary glance.

"The ones where the FBI is taking over your case." Fornell grinned smugly as he sat at Gibbs' desk, propping his feet up.

"You sure he's not around?" Tony swallowed and stared back at the gloating agent. Gibbs would not be happy about this.

...

Down in Abby's lab Claire was having her own dilemma. She paced around Abby's lab absently, just wandering as her brain ran through all pros and cons of what she had done last night. Abby watched as she circled, unable to focus on her work when her friend was in such a daze.

"Are you ok?" she finally asked, raising an eyebrow when Claire jumped in surprise.

"What…yea I'm fine….why do you ask?" Abby reached out and stopped the woman from circling past her once more.

"Because you look like you want to scream for two very different reasons." Claire chuckled, running a hand through her hair.

"That about sums it up." She muttered bitterly. Abby furrowed her brows. Without an explanation she yanked Claire's hand and dragged her into her office where it was nearly soundproof. Claire yelped in surprise.

"Ok spill." Abby demanded. Claire shrugged innocently, her eyes flitting around the room.

"Spill what?" she asked. Abby glared and stared at her for what seemed like an eternity, her eyes running over her form analytically.

"You had sex last night." She determined. Claire sputtered, her eyes widening in alarm.

"What? How could you possibly know that!" Abby grinned at the admission, proving she was right.

"You just look different. Relaxed or happy I guess? Yet at the same time you look like you want to hide in a hole." She muttered rapidly, thinking aloud. Claire rolled her eyes with a huff.

"Why is that? Is it because it was someone other than Tony?..." Abby questioned worriedly. Claire frowned sadly.

"…or because it was Tony!" The look in Claire's eyes gave her an answer. Abby squealed in delight, clapping excitedly.

"Oh this is so great! Now I can begin talking to him again. Why aren't you happy that he got his head out of his ass and got back together?"

"Because we aren't back together." Claire pointed out sternly. Abby's grin dropped into a pout.

"Why?"

"Because nothing changed! He's still not interested in getting back together. Last night was just us being weak willed." She lamented, flopping down into Abby's desk chair. The goth frowned.

"And you still can't tell me why he broke it off?" she questioned. Claire grinned up at her friend.

"No, it's not mine to tell. And you can't dig for it either." Claire warned, pointing an accusing finger up at Abby. In return Abby threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Fine, but only for you. And Tony is still banned from my lab." Claire giggled, amused at how protective she was being about this whole thing.

"Abby you can't do that. You love Tony, there's no need for you to be so distant with him." she scolded. Abby merely shrugged.

"So…you really aren't getting back together?" Claire groaned dramatically.

"Let's not talk about my lack of a romantic life please. After all, don't you have some developments of your own in that respect?" Abby grinned deviously.

"What ever are you talking about?" she hummed. Claire rolled her eyes and reached over for the note stuck in her vase of black roses.

"Being with you makes me believe that size truly doesn't matter." She read off, showing the note to Abby who was still grinning.

"From Marty. So care to rethink your previous statement?" she teased. Abby snatched it back from her playfully.

"He's a friend." Claire rose an eyebrow knowingly.

"A really good friend." Abby amended with a chuckle. Before Claire could continue pestering Abby, her phone blew up with texts from Tony. All about how the FBI had come in with a letter to take over the case, but apparently Ducky found stab wounds on Kevin Bright so now that he was murdered on a military base NCIS had jurisdiction again.

"Wow sounds like I'm missing all the action upstairs. I better go before Gibbs flips out over me being gone." Claire explained before bolting out of the room.

...

Claire's POV:

Once I had made it up to the bullpen, the team quickly caught me up to speed. Currently, Tony stood in front of the big screen by Gibb's desk frowning at the crime scene photos of the old serial killings.

"I've seen a lot of things since I became a cop. But this? A man tortures and kills 19 women and then gets off on eating their toes. Whoever whacked this sick freak did us and the world a favor." Tony muttered as he scanned through the files.

"And our job is to arrest them. Makes perfect sense to me." Ziva added sarcastically.

"Justified or not it's still a crime Ziva. In this country you cannot take the law into your own hands." McGee pointed out, dropping off a file on Gibbs' desk.

"Unless it's your little sister wanted for murder, right Probie?" Tony pointed out, turning to face the man. McGee sighed.

"You know what I mean." He amended.

"What if this was your sister. Or her?" Tony shot back sternly, gesturing towards the brutal pictures on the screen.

"Hey, Tony, back off. You don't get to hold that over his head." I warned, staring at Tony in concern. He pursed his lips tightly, his eyes hard as he stared at me. I stared right back unwilling to back down. This morning he seemed to be in a good mood, but now I think the implications of his actions caught up with him. I knew what he was all sour about but it's not my fault. If anything it was his own fault. Realizing Ziva and McGee were watching us, I continued on.

"His point is that we can't just investigate the crimes that we want to. It sucks but that's the rules." I explained evenly.

"She's right. Does anybody have a problem with that?" Gibbs commented, walking into the room.

"No boss its just…" Tony trailed off, staring up at the ceiling in exasperation.

"Just what DiNozzo?"

"It's just that some days this job really sucks." He huffed, shooting a glance in my direction. I frowned curiously but it wasn't the time to comment.

"Yea? Well it's about to get worse." Gibbs pointed out as he spotted Fornell and Sacks making their way over from the elevator. Oh joy, just adding to the list of reasons for Tony to be in such a foul mood.

"Ziva, you and Tony are with Sacks on this one." Gibbs instructed. Tony turned to stare at him incredulously.

"Doing what?" he balked.

"Coming up with a list of people who wanted Bright dead." Gibbs continued, shooting Tony a stern look.

"Besides everyone in this room?" Ziva asked.

"Except for McLawyer and Repressed over there." Tony shot back a glare back at the two of us.

"Hey!" I snapped in warning.

"Tony all I was saying…"

"Go check on Abby and see if she needs any help." Gibbs cut the man off quietly, already steering Tim in that direction. McGee huffed but did as he was asked. With his back turned to the room, Gibbs stared at me. Silently warning me to let it go. I complied but I didn't have to be happy about it. Satisfied with my silence Gibbs whipped back around to stare at our FBI counterparts.

"Running a little late today Tobias?" he asked with a grin.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" Fornell asked wryly.

"Oh only slightly more than a lot. Come on." He gave the man a follow me motion and the two took off towards the morgue. As Sacks unloaded his supplies I made my way over towards Tony. I promptly smacked his arm.

"What the hell was that about?" I asked with a glare. Tony frowned.

"I just don't get how you two can justify this." he shrugged. I narrowed my eyes.

"We aren't justifying it. But regardless of our disagreement there's no reason to take low blows at Tim and I just because you're mad at yourself." I whispered lowly. Tony shot his eyes up to meet mine.

"I'm sorry, that wasn't right to lash out like that." He eventually admitted, blowing out a frustrated breath. I glanced around and watched as Sacks stood back, waiting for me to finish.

"We can talk about this later. For now just get over it and do your job." I suggested gently. Tony clenched his jaw, nodding stiffly . I took that as my cue to walk over back to my desk, digging up possible leads.

...

After some time following dead ends, I was drafted to help out in the search for vendettas against Bright. Thankfully Ducky pointed out that Bright had to have known his killer for them to get close enough to stab him and to figure out that he was secretly a psycho. This narrowed down the field significantly.

"Where the hell did you learn how to type?" Sacks snapped as he watched Tony incredulously. I smirked, watching him type using only his index fingers. Tony was not one who was quick on the technological front.

"Do you mind? Your breaths taking the starch out of my collar." Tony quipped, blowing air back in the man's face childishly.

"What do ya got?" Fornell and Gibbs chimed at the same time as they entered. Freaky.

"The teaching staff still present from five years ago all claimed to have not known Bright." Ziva answered.

"Well if they murdered him and stuffed him down a chimney that's not surprising." Fornell pointed out.

"Tony." Gibbs asked.

"Running down a list of substitutes who used to teach back then." He answered.

"His wife was a teacher for 3rd grade. Did you check if she ever worked at Puller?" I suggested.

"We checked for Brights already, there are none." Tony explained. Gibbs turned to look at him thoughtfully.

"Check her maiden name."

"Her maiden name is Buruss, Tony." I told him. Tony typed the name in, muttering it over and over under his breath. As Sacks leaned down to look, Tony held his hand up to keep his personal space.

"Ok we got a hit on Karen Buruss. Substituted for Social Studies and Western History back in 2001. The social security number listed is the same as Bright's wife." Tony read off. Gibbs nodded and turned to face Fornell knowingly. I guess the wife would be the person to know him best.

...

3rd Person POV:

Up in interrogation Tony and Claire watched Karen Bright as she fidgeted in the interrogation room nervously.

"What's your spidey senses telling you?" Tony questioned, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

"She's scared."

"I mean about whether she shanked beef jerky and dropped him down the wishing well." Tony corrected. Claire turned to look at him.

"Wow, your way with words truly astounds me." She drawled. Tony smirked before turning back to the viewing window.

"What would you do if you woke up one day and discovered you were married to a monster?" Claire asked thoughtfully, getting back to his question.

"It happened to my father all the time, we usually just moved." Tony answered without skipping a beat. She smirked.

"That's so not funny." She scolded. Tony shrugged innocently. Before he could speak again the door to interrogation opened; Gibbs and Fornell entering shortly after.

"Karen you were a substitute at Lt. General Lewis Puller high school." Gibbs began. Karen frowned and glanced between the two of them.

"I've worked at a lot of schools in the area. What does it have to do with this?" she questioned, looking back to Gibbs who was leaning on the table next to her. Fornell sat in the chair opposite from her.

"Considering we found your husband petrified in the chimney there. Quite a bit." Fornell told her gently. Mrs. Bright's demeanor instantly dropped as she stared down at the table. Gibbs stood and began setting down crime scene photos in front of her as he talked.

"Karen I know this is hard….but we're here to help. It's important that you tell us the truth." He whispered.

"When did you find out?" Fornell asked. She swallowed and looked up at him with her head still bent.

"Find out?" she asked innocently.

"That your loving husband was murdering women, who looked just like you." He answered, setting down a close up of one of the women who was almost identical to her. She shook her head before looking up at him.

"I told you, my husband didn't do those things." She insisted sternly.

"He removed their toes from their left feet. We think you know why." Gibbs pointed out. At this Karen worked to hold back sobs, her lips shaking.

"Do you mind taking off your shoe and showing us your left foot." Gibbs requested, straightening back up.

"Please." She pleaded, looking to Fornell.

"Karen." Fornell insisted. Letting out shaky cries she turned and allowed Gibbs to slip off her left shoe. Mrs. Bright only had her big toe and one smaller toe on her left foot. Karen began to try more freely.

"Your husband was an evil man." Fornell began.

"That thing was not my husband." Karen shot back venomously; her attitude completely changed. She sniffed, gaining back her composure.

"It wasn't the man I married. He had to be stopped, don't you see I had no other choice." She cried.

"You could have gone to the police." Fornell pointed out softly.

"And have my children living the rest of their lives knowing that monster was their father? No! No, I had to. I had to protect them from it." She insisted, pausing to sniffle. Everyone in the room watched as she cried now that the truth was out.

"In her position I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing." Claire whispered sympathetically.

"You and McGee were right. About taking the law into your own hands. She's lucky she wasn't his last victim." Tony admitted, frowning as he watched. Claire looked over at him appreciatively.

"And I'm sorry for how I acted earlier." Claire nodded.

"I know." She assured. Tony's lip quirked up before they returned to silence, staring back at interrogation. Fornell got up to sit next to the sobbing woman.

"Karen, no one should have to go through what you did. I tell you, there's no jury in the world that wouldn't sympathize with you." he gently assured her. She nodded silently. In the silence someone's cell went off. Fornell reached into his pocket, but realized it wasn't coming from him.

"It's not me." He pointed out. With an eye roll Gibbs pulled out his cell and answered it.

"What?" he whispered, walking to the far end of the room by the glass.

"What do you want to bet that's McGeek. Rule 22 never, ever bother Gibbs during an interrogation." Tony muttered as they watched. However Claire wasn't as convinced when Gibbs' eyes widened in surprise.

"Tony, I don't think that's McGee." she pointed out, watching Gibbs' range of emotions that were shooting across his face during the phone call. Something was wrong.

"Got it Abs, thanks." He whispered, slowly turning back to face the room. Fornell was still sitting next to Karen Bright, muttering comfort as she continued to cry.

"Get away from her Tobias." Gibbs instructed. Instantly Fornell turned to look at him in confusion while Karen's cries stopped. Fornell gave him a confused frown as he stood.

"The bodies in the yard are not from 5 years ago." Gibbs explained, not taking his eyes of the now silent woman.

"They're older?"

"No….they're more recent than that." Fornell turned to the woman in shock at the news.

"Her husband wasn't the serial killer. She is." Karen slowly turned her head to glare up at the men menacingly.

"Talk about a plot twist." Tony muttered in shock. Claire nodded with a frown.

"But if she was the serial killer….then why was there a toe in her husbands stomach?" she pointed out. Tony glanced at her before looking back at the window. He didn't have an answer for that...

...

That night everyone quickly finished their paperwork before heading home. Claire and Tony purposefully lingered behind to create some privacy. Tony held the elevator open for her as they entered the empty elevator cabin. Once it began its decent Tony reached over to shut it off. Claire sighed, knowing that this conversation was necessary.

"We need to talk about last night." He began quietly.

"Yea, we really do." She agreed. Tony bit his lip, suddenly at a loss of words to say. Seeing him struggle, Claire took the lead.

"We can't do that anymore Tony. You asked me to be your friend and I can't do that if you plan on repeating last night. I'm not saying you were the only one at fault, but this is what you wanted in the first place." She explained gently. Tony nodded.

"I know. The situation hasn't changed. I want to remain friends, but I can't stay in any romantic relationship with you. It's for the best." he told her seriously. Claire pursed her lips. It wasn't as if she expected anything different.

"If that's the case then we need to be extra sure last night never happens again. That's not fair to either of us. Especially not to me. I can't do that, not after everything we've been through." She whispered honestly. Tony grinned bitterly, hating himself for fouling the situation up even more.

"No, it's not. I'm sorry I did that. I promise I won't let it be an issue." He assured. Claire nodded, satisfied with his answer. While it wasn't anything close to what she wanted, this is what it had to be. She couldn't allow it to turn into casual sex while he insisted they remain platonic. Claire was not willing to set herself up like that. And she had a feeling that Tony felt the same.

"Ok, good. I'll see you tomorrow then." She muttered, reaching forward to restart the elevator. The ride down was filled with silence as they stood side by side.