A/N: Kind of short, sorry...actually I don't know if anybody cares that it's short...so reviews would be nice! Also, I still don't own 24/characters.
Less than twenty minutes later, Tony and Michelle were parking a block from Jack's apartment building. Tony found a CTU bulletproof vest in the back of his SUV and grabbed it, not knowing if they would need it. He tried to remember the layout of the building, and decided they should go around to the back. Jack didn't like that his apartment was on the end of the ground-level row, so it wasn't very secure, but Tony knew that might work to their advantage now. He knew there was a door leading into the hallway, a sliding glass door in the back, and at least two windows. He quickly tried to come up with a plan that wouldn't put Michelle or Kate in any danger.
When they reached the back of the building, Tony noticed the glass door and one window were broken. He motioned for Michelle to stay down as he peeked through the window. He held up two fingers then pointed to signal that there were two hostiles - one near the glass door holding Kate, the other across the room from the broken window rifling through drawers in a desk. Tony and Michelle snuck away from the building to plan their attack.
Tony had to admit he was surprised - the two thugs didn't look quite as professional as he expected. How had they managed to get the upper hand on Jack? He spoke quickly and quietly. "I'll go in the broken door and grab the gun he's holding on Kate. As soon as I make contact with him, I need you to shoot the other hostile through the window. In the shoulder will be fine, that'll give Jack enough time to subdue him. Be sure to stay out of the window so they can't shoot at you."
"Tony..." Michelle didn't like the idea of him being out in the open for the few feet between the door and Kate, but she knew there was no other way to do it. "Be careful."
"Of course," he reassured her. "Don't worry, I have the Kevlar vest. Even if he gets a shot off, it won't hurt me. These guys didn't know what they were getting into, robbing a CTU agent."
They both took up their positions - Michelle crouched under the broken window, Tony pressed against the side of the building near the sliding door. He stuck a hand around the corner so she could see it and counted down with his fingers: 3...2...1...
Tony flew through the opening where the door belonged, both hands closing over the gun trained on Kate's head. The thugs were taken completely by surprise, and even as the other man turned to help his comrade, Tony heard Michelle's gunshot and saw him fall to the floor. Jack was across the room in no time, quickly taking control of the injured thief. The first man tried to fight Tony off, but he was no match for the government agent. The men rolled across the floor, Tony coming up on top. In less than a minute, Tony had knocked him out cold and bound him with handcuffs he had found in his car.
By this time, Jack had cuffed the other thief to the leg of the desk he had been searching moments ago, and Michelle rushed through the back door. Tony went weak with relief when he saw her - she hadn't really been in any danger, but if something had gone wrong...as he took Michelle in his arms, Jack crossed the room to Kate.
"Kate! Honey, are you OK?" he asked. "I never should have let you walk in without checking the apartment, anyone could have been in here!"
"I'm fine," she insisted. "Tony's the one who got a little beaten up!" The man he jumped had managed to get in a few good punches.
Tony quickly wiped the traces of blood from his face. "It's nothing," he said, embarrassed. "Just a couple scratches. Doesn't even hurt, really."
Michelle laughed. "I'll fix you up when we get home."
"We'll discuss that," Tony dismissed the idea.
"And you give me a hard time about hating to admit I'm hurt," Jack teased. "Really, though, thanks for showing up when you did. I was hoping you got the idea from the phone call...otherwise I was pretty much out of options. Sorry if I interrupted anything...again..." he said mischeviously, referring to the encounter earlier that day in Tony's office. Michelle swatted his arm, then glanced at Kate, knowing she probably would have figured out by now that Tony and Michelle were involved.
Kate smiled. "Congratulations, you two. Jack filled me in tonight on what's going on between you."
"Thanks, Kate," said Michelle. "We've been trying to keep it quiet at work, because Chappelle is completely against office relationships, but if somebody had to find out I'm glad it was Jack."
"It wouldn't have taken me long either way - anyone can tell there are sparks between you," Jack smirked. "You won't be able to keep it from everybody else much longer. Anyway, sorry for interrupting your night like this. I'll call this in and get these guys taken care of; you can get back to whatever you were doing."
Tony felt himself turned red at Jack's implication. "Want us to take Kate home on the way?" he asked, trying to get a little revenge. He knew Kate was probably planning on spending the night there.
It was Kate's turn to blush. "That won't be necessary," Jack jumped in before she could say anything, wrapping his arm more firmly around her shoulder. They all laughed. "Thanks again for helping us out like this."
"Anytime, Jack. See you at CTU tomorrow?"
"Of course," he answered, with an exaggerated grimace.
Tony reached for Michelle's hand, and they walked out laughing. They all liked their jobs, really, but the long hours and constant call-ins wore on them after a while.
"Wow, he never takes a break," Michelle commented as got into Tony's car. "Jack can't even take Kate out for the evening without running into some kind of trouble."
"Yeah, but I bet those two guys will do a little more research before they try to rob somebody else - they got a little more than they bargained for tonight!"
Tony savored the sound of her laughter. "That was probably quite a surprise when they realized they'd be taking on three CTU agents!"
He pulled her closer. "Sorry about the disagreement earlier...it's not that I don't think you're strong or smart enough for things like this, I just don't know what I'd do if anything even happened to you - especially if I could have prevented it."
"I know you worry, Tony, and I appreciate it, but danger is part of both of our jobs. Believe it or not, I worry about you too, but if I can't just trust that you'll be OK, I'll be paralyzed with fear every time you go into the field. I can't imagine ever living a day without you, Tony."
"I love you so much, Chelle," he said as they pulled up to his apartment building. She took his hand as they walked upstairs, and as soon as he got the door open, he tugged her inside and kissed her passionately. "You are my life," he whispered to her. "Let me show you how much you mean to me."
"Please," she breathed into his mouth, running her fingers through the back of his hair. "I need you, Tony."
Abandoning the last of his self-control, he picked her up and carried her into his bedroom.