Notes: This is a one-shot vignette I got an idea for while musing about "Understanding." The concept is to show Tony and Michelle's relationship through other people's eyes…hope you like it :)

I think they're really cute together, those two. Okay, I'll admit that I was a little disappointed when I figured out Tony was off the market. So was every other woman on the planet. But really, he and Michelle are so good together…they just click. It's practically tangible.

Not to mention how adorable it is that they think no one knows about them! Really, you should see it. Michelle's constantly glancing up at his office, and he finds excuses just as often to come down and see her- every twenty minutes or so. It's always stuff he could have just told her on the phone, too, like to get some paperwork up to him as soon as possible, or some new protocol to get started on.

But hey, at least they're getting lots of cardio in, running up and down the stairs a million times a day. Not that either of them needs it.

The secrecy is kinda frustrating sometimes, though. Like when…okay, my station is pretty close to Michelle's, right? So this one time Tony came down to see her and perched on the edge of her desk, like he does a lot, and he was right in front of me. He started telling her some useless stuff (but with this adorable gentle look on his face that is so NOT Tony it's hilarious) and when he was done he stopped and kind of looked at me for a second. Then he just sat there.

I could tell he wanted to say something personal to her, but couldn't think of a way to get rid of me. I could hear everything they were saying because, you know, I was right there. So they just sat there, gazing at each other with longing but trying to be all covert about it, until finally Tony gave a little sigh and started to leave.

But who am I to stand in the way of true love? I got up and went over on a useless errand to Chloe's office.

Everyone in this stupid office things Tony and Michelle are so cute together. Personally, I find the whole thing a nuisance. They're not even supposed to be dating, either…it's "frowned upon." There used to be an actual rule about inter-office relationships, but it got changed right after I was hired- right after the bomb.

Gee, I wonder whose idea that was.

Being the easygoing person I am, however, I was willing to look the other way- along with everyone else- until Kim started bothering me.

"Hey Chloe," she said all casual-like. I was immediately suspicious.

"What do you want, Kim? I just upgraded those systems for you. Have you finished your dailies yet?" I swear, I have to do everything around here.

"Actually I just came up to give Tony and Michelle a minute alone. I hope you don't mind- and I am done with the dailies, actually."

I glared at her. "So you're wasting my time to help two other people waste their time? That's it." I jumped up and headed past her to the door. "I'm tired of this whole thing. I'm going to Chappelle and telling him that Tony and Michelle are causing disturbances at work…"

For a kid, Kim sure can move fast. She was blocking my exit before I even got there…I guess you can't live with Jack Bauer for 18 years without something useful rubbing off- although for the most part the girl is hopeless. "Wait, Chloe, you can't," she said.

"Get out of my way, Kim."

"No! Come on Chloe," she wheedled. "Don't you think it's the least little bit romantic?" I just looked at her. "Ok, then," she said switching tactics, "it's not a problem, I promise. You know as well as I do it's not like we're busy today, and they work too well together and with the rest of us."

"I hate secrets, Kim. I really hate keeping secrets from my superiors."

"You don't have to," she was quick to exclaim. "If someone asks you, flat out, 'are Tony and Michelle madly in love with each other?' then by all means, say yes! I'm just asking you not to go out of your way to make it an issue. Besides," she added, "I know my dad would be mad if he found out you ratted them out. He really likes both of them."

I glared harder. Maybe Kim was smarter than I'd given her credit for. "As long as you're here, take these reports down to Adam. He'll need them for his Valencia assessment."

"Hey, Kim, what's up with Tony? He's been down talking to Michelle for like fifteen minutes now."

Kim gave me a Look, which I resented. I mean, who is she to be giving me Looks? She only got this job because her dad is hot-shot field op. Some of us had to work our way here. If anyone should be giving anyone Looks, it's me.

"Adam," she replied, "You're constantly reminding everyone how much smarter you are than them; what do you think is up with Tony?" She turned back to her computer and I looked over at Agents Almeida and Dessler again.

Oh my God. Were they…?

"Are they…involved?" I asked, shocked.

"Shhh!" Kim said. "They don't know that we know."

"How long has this been going on?"

She shrugged. "A couple months, I guess. At least as long as I've been working here."

I forced my mouth shut and stared blankly at my screen. "Is it serious?"

That one earned me another Look. "Adam, how dense can you be? Look at them! They're in love!"

"How can you tell?"

"How can you not see it?"

Chase decided to stop by just then. "Not see what?" he asked.

If I'd known what they were talking about, I would have waited instead of jumping in like that. Things are awkward enough around Kim without deliberating entering into a discussion about workplace romances. It's like swearing off beer for Lent and then sitting around watching your buddies drink. Torture. But I didn't know, so in I went, like a fool.

"That Michelle and Tony are in love with each other," Kim answered.

Awkward! "Oh…" I said uncomfortably. "Um…that's nice."

"Don't tell me you didn't know, either!" She exclaimed in disbelief.

I quickly shook my head. "Oh, no, I knew. Everybody knows. It's obvious."

"I didn't know," Adam interjected. We ignored him, lost in each other's eyes. At least, I was lost in Kim's eyes. Maybe she was just looking at something on my face.

She broke my gaze and looked over where Almeida and Michelle were sitting, heads together, and grinning like idiots. I take that back- Almeida was grinning like an idiot, comparatively speaking, because he never smiles. Michelle just looked happy. "I wonder how they do it," Kim mused.

My eyes widened and my heart started thumping against my rib cage. "How they do what?"

"Balance work against their personal relationship, of course." She glanced at me with an unreadable expression that I suddenly, desperately needed to decipher. "I mean, it's gotta be awkward, seeing someone you love every day at the office and not being able to show it."

"Yeah, well, they're not succeeding very well, are they?" I decided to play it cool. "Since we're standing around talking about them."

"God, is nobody in this building the least bit romantic?" Kim demanded with a sigh.

I fled to the safety of Jack's office. No way was I answering that.

Chase looked a little desperate when he entered my office. I'd seen him down in the bullpen talking to my daughter, so I wasn't surprised. Kim has a way of doing that- creating desperation in people.

"What's up, Chase?" I asked, wanting to get to the point and get on with my work. I hate paperwork, but it seems like that's all I've been doing lately, since I got out of the hospital. What was the point of fixing my heart, I sometimes wondered, if I was just doomed to drown in paperwork anyway?

"Nothing, really, I just…" the kid hesitated for a second before going on, "I was just wondering what the official stance is on inter-office dating."

At that I actually looked up from the form I was filling out. "Do you have someone in mind?" Please don't say Kim, I thought desperately. See, there it was again: desperation with regards to my daughter.

"Oh, no, no, not me," Chase said quickly. Too quickly. I was immediately suspicious. "At least, not at the moment. We were just talking about Agents Almeida and Dessler—"

"Call them by their first names, Chase, you don't work for them. You work for me."

"All right, we were just talking about Tony and Michelle, and I started wondering if there was an actual rule about stuff like that, or not."

Dumb kid. He should've known better than to lie to my face like that. But I figured if I really needed to know, he'd tell me in his own good time, so I let it go. "There's no technical policy on the books about it. As long as it doesn't interfere with productivity, no one'll bother them. What's with everyone's sudden interest in Tony and Michelle's personal lives, anyway?"

He shrugged. "Just general nosiness, I think. And, you know, speculation about how long it'll last…and whether it's a good idea or not."

"Why wouldn't it be a good idea?"

Chase raised one eyebrow slightly. "C'mon, Jack. We all know about Nina. And we all know that doing this job and having outside relationships is tough. I'm just wondering if maybe somebody shouldn't remind Tony of that."

I leaned back in my chair and fought the urge to rub my face. "Look, Chase. Tony's the closest thing I have to a friend. He sticks up for me when Division's riding my ass but he's not afraid to tell me when he thinks I'm being an idiot. Since he's been with Michelle, he's been happier than I've ever seen him- he actually behaves like a human being instead of a government robot like some of us. I know what that feels like, Chase, and I know what it's like to lose it. So the last thing I or anyone else needs to be doing is planting second thoughts in either of their heads. Not," I punctuated with a glare, "that it's any of our business, anyway. Got it?"

Chase nodded and then asked, in all seriousness, "So, then, how do you feel about me taking bets on when they get engaged?"

I couldn't believe it. For a rookie, the kid had guts, I had to give him that. "Put me down for next Saturday night."

"That's not even two weeks from now!"

"Like I said, I know Tony pretty well."