Author's Note: Here's the next chapter, hope everyone is still enjoying the story

Michelle awoke slowly, she attempted move and then became aware of a weight on top of her. She blinked a few times and then looked up, her sight falling onto Tony, still asleep, her fingers gripping his hand around her waist tightly.

She didn't stir in fear of waking him; instead she brought her free hand from his side and ran her thumb across his cheek. Her eyes traced every line and curve of his face, remembering.

The morning came quickly. Michelle had eventually managed to stay asleep long enough to not become overwhelmed by her haunting nightmares. Tony hadn't slept completely, he was too worried about Michelle to allow himself to fall into a deep slumber, he wanted to be there for her is she needed him after the first time she woke screaming.

In her dream she jumped up frantically, running to the door, her fists pounding on the metal. Her heart pounded in her chest, she was trapped, she was back...she was lost.

"Tony! Help!" Michelle shouted, her voice lost to herself, her arms thrashed from side to side in panic, her throat sore from the shouts she didn't realize she was shouting.

Tony awoke startled by the shrill of Michelle's voice; her body was shaking, her arms attacking his chest as though her life depended on it. He tried to sit up but he didn't want to hurt her arm, he had to help her, he'd overcome the struggle, gripping her wrists in his hands, mainly to prevent her from hurting herself.

"Michelle…I'm here, Michelle! Wake up…you're safe, I'm here" Tony tried to assure her, shaking her slightly, desperate to wake her from her nightmare, but with no avail.

"Tony!" Michelle gasped again, her voice losing volume as her throat became raw from her cries.

Tony shook her harder, he was scared, he had never seen anything as disturbing as this, he was surprised he was able to keep it together as much as he was, but he wouldn't stop until he knew she was safe. He gave her another shake, finally managing to break her from her mental cage; she regarded him with red, confused eyes, desperation and fear placed deep within her gaze. Tony felt his heart break all over again.

"Michelle…it was just a dream…you're ok, you're safe…shh, it's ok" Tony moved her body closer to his, her arms clung around his shoulders searching for a sanctuary, hoping his mere presence would help to cast away her sinister thoughts...memories.

Michelle stirred from her thoughts and was welcomed by the bright sunlight pouring in through the windows, basking her body in bright light, warming her skin, temporarily washing away all of her anxieties, simply happy to be warm and safe in the arms of the one person she wants to be with.

She looked up at his face again, eased her body out of his arms and headed to the kitchen. After everything he had done last night she thought the least she could do was make breakfast.

Michelle tried to think of anything edible she had ever made, the list was growing short. She remembered her mother as a great cook; she used to make the best blueberry muffins.

She searched around his kitchen for anything that looked useful to the process, not really knowing what cooking supplies she needed. She found a few things to make the muffins, they wouldn't be her mother's special blueberries, but she was going to give it a shot…For him.

The table looked like a disorganized war zone. Mountains of supplies were stacked up along with the instruments in order to make them useful in piles so high a slight breeze put them precariously close to falling onto the floor and creating more of a mess.

Bottles and boxes and bowls and spoons were everywhere. Michelle glared at the mess and reminded herself as to why she was doing this; the reason being not a few doors down, sleeping soundly.

She was not a cooker; Her father wasn't kidding when he had said she was a danger to the process.

She guessed her first mistake was trying to memorize the recipe her mother had given her, but how hard could it be? She threw some ingredients together, plopped the mix into the pan and left it.

About five minutes into the cooking she noticed that something in the bottom of the oven was flashing orange. She concentrated on watching the bottom and realized that the oven was sparking.

Michelle shot up out of the chair faster than she thought she could have and opened the door, seeing to her horror what she hadn't imagined. When she had put the muffin mix into the holes, it pushed the oil to the top and now that they were beginning to rise, the oil was spilling out of the pans and onto the oven surface, where the hot burners were proceeding to make it spark, and now rolls of smoke were beginning to pour out the door.

Visions of flames engulfing the house because of a little cooking oil prompted her to grab an oven mit and pull the pans out and then shut off the oven. She opened the back porch door to let the smoke out and coughed a little in blueberry haze.

She was so lost in thought that she gasped and nearly jumped when she felt an arm slip around her waist.

"Easy, baby," Tony said, his breath stirring the hair next to her ear. "It's just me."

"Mmm, what happened here?" He chuckled, surveying the burnt pans with something that resembled muffins in it.

She put her hands over her face, clearly upset.

"I'm sorry, I was just trying to do something nice for you…"

Without a second thought he stepped forward and caught her mid-stride before pulling her into his arms.

"Hey, calm down," he whispered, stroking her back while he felt her arms snake around his middle.

Tony kissed the top of her head while she tried to hide her face in his neck.

"It was an accident, everything's fine," he reminded her softly.

"Besides, this will give me plenty of times to cook for you." He pulled her back and cupped her face in his hands. He gave her a sweet kiss while he ran his thumbs over the skin of her cheeks.

"You ok?" He asked.

"Yeah." She said, wiping the remaining tear of her cheek.

He kissed her again and gave her a short squeeze before dropping his arms and heading towards the bedroom.

"Or we could cook together…"

"You don't wanna teach me how to cook."

He smiled, "Of course I do. Lesson one: How to put out fires."

Tony laughed and motioned her back to bed, leaving Michelle in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips and an angry pout.

"You know I'm teasing." He said, with a slight hint of seriousness in his voice.

She just smiled and giggled at herself.

"I'll at least go wash all the dishes." She offered.

Tony plopped down on the bed and shook his head. "Nope."

"What? Why not?"

"Are you feeling completely one hundred percent better?" Tony fixed her with an unblinking stare.

Michelle considered lying, but in the end decided not to. "Not quite."

"Well then I'm still taking care of you. I'll clean up our breakfast and you can rest."

He laid her back down in the same spot, curled up under him with his arm loosely around her waist, lying in their sides. He softly stroked up and down her bare arm, noticing the goosebumps as he did.

"Did it hurt?" He asked; his voice subdued when he touched the bandage on her arm.

"Yeah." She admitted. He couldn't look at her.

"I...I don't like the thought of you hurting."

His confession jarred her. He looked up at her then, and a sudden wave of tenderness washed over him as he noted her slight frown and the naked vulnerability in her eyes. She didn't know what she was letting him see, or she wouldn't have met his eyes.

"You're incredible you know that? I think I could lay here with you like this and never need anything else, ever." She said finally.

He lifted his head and looked into her eyes, kissing her gently and brushing the wild hairs away from her face. He pulled rolled onto his back, knowing her arm could use a break from laying on her side.

He laid his arm out flat across the pillows and inviting her soft, warm body to curl up next to his. Once she was in position he dropped his arm around her, pulled the sheets over them and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you Michelle." He said softly and closed his eyes.

She looked up at him and they kissed, sweetly and with a longing, hungry for one another and as his tongue moved in perfect rhythm with hers and his hands held her with so much gentleness she became overwhelmed with emotion and broke the kiss, looking in to his soft, watery eyes.

"I love you to Tony."

It came out without warning, but she meant it. For the first time in her life she understood what it meant to love someone so much it hurt. He was triggering emotions and touching a place in heart she didn't believe existed within her.

Author's Note: Well he had to find out sometime she couldn't cook

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