It was ten in the morning. They'd just brought her in under guard and Tony was again babysitting her in the conference room,like he had briefly the night before, waiting for the time of her next scheduled drop with "The Invisible Man" to come around.

He watched her closely, saying nothing as he watched her sitting uncomfortably under his scrutiny,looking as if butter wouldn't melt. He hoped she knew she wouldn't be getting much sympathy from Anthony DiNozzo.
He was yet to know that she wasn't long for this world. If he had then maybe he'd have been a lttle easier on her,but he wasn't to know that now. All he remembered was how she'd gone off script yesterday and blown the last drop with her mysterious handler, along with the last of his trust.

He had other reasons to be ticked off. After all, he'd been the one to recruit her, With Gibbs on hiatus in Mexico. As team leader he had the power to do that, once any choice he had made been met with approval from the late Director Shepherd, whose loss he still keenly felt.

It occured to him that her betrayal had begun on Jennys' watch and that annoyed him even more. So, perhaps it was just as well she hadn't lived to see an agent she had shown a liking for and had stood up for in the past sink to such lows.

There was a faint knock on the door. Tony commanded her not to move as he got up to answer it, wondering who it could be. There was still the best part of an hour before it was showtime.

He opened the door and came face to face with the last person he expected to see.
"Palmer?"
The autopsy gremlin stood there looking nervous, trying to peer through the crack in the door.
Tony pushed him out into the corridor,closing the door behind him and shutting her inside.
"What do you want Palmer."

"I er,er, I..." stammered Jimmy.

"Spit it out Palmer." said Tony, impatiently.

"I want to see her, just for a while."

Tony breathed out sharply before answering. "Man, she's under round the clock observation, I'm under orders to stay with her."

"Then I'll watch her." Jimmy replied, a slight note of desperation in his voice. "Come on Tony, just five minutes, that's all."
Tony shook his head, illiciting one last plea from Jimmy to get past him and inside the room.
"Tony, I'm never going to see her again after today am I."

In all fairness, that was true, and Jimmy was a friend. If the roles were reversed wouldn't Jimmy do the same for him if, say it were...Jeanne sat in that conference room?
Tony frowned,why would he think of Jeanne at a time like this, could it be something to do with the guilt he felt over his own betrayal, and he suddenly thought to himself what harm would it do to allow Palmer a few minutes alone with his ex.
"Alright Palmer. Five minutes, that's all."

Jimmy squeezed his arm appreciatively. "Thanks Tony. I owe you one."

"That's alright. Just no cake with a chisel inside or a rope made out of knotted bed sheets, right?"
Tony opened the door and called inside. "You've got a visitor. No tricks."

Michelle looked up and immediately her eyes softened on seeing Jimmy. Yet, she felt surprise too and a litle uncertainty.
"Jimmy, why are you here?" she asked.

Jimmy appeared awkward. Even more than usual.
"I needed to see you."

"To say goodbye?" Michelle asked.

All Jimmy could do was just stare emptily around the room for a few moments, before steadying himself and spitting out what had been bubbling up inside him ever since he'd found out about what she'd done. "Damn it 'chelle, you killed two men!"
Michelle drew back at this, at the contained anger Jimmy had just exhibited. An anger born out of frustration. It irked him and saddened him at the same time that someone he had got close to, as close as two people could get, had done such things and betrayed them all.

Yet there was concern too, of a kind.
"Do you have any idea what they're gonna do to you?" said Jimmy.

Michelle rose out of the chair and stood by the window "I'm a Lawyer,Jimmy" she replied. "I have a pretty good idea."

"And you don't even care?"

"Of course I care. But I know what I've done and I'll take what's coming."

He wasn't angry the way Tony had been. Despite everything He still couldn't bring himself to hate her for what she'd done, as maybe he should.

The whole time they were together as a couple he had never been able to put it out of his mind completely that their relationship might have been more than just about the sex. Her demands for that constantly, anywhere, anytime and the feeling that she was merely using him for just that alone had been the main reason for him dumping her. Perhaps she had felt something more, and he remembered how she had cried when he'd told her he wanted it to end. If she had wanted more from their relationship, then why couldn't she have just said something? Things might be so different today if she wasn't such a one for keeping secrets.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a daughter?" Jimmy asked.

Michelle sighed. "I was going to. I was working up to it. Then we broke up." she fought to control her emotions. "Couple of weeks later they took her. They took Amanda."
She swallowed, an audible gulp and her lip started to quiver. "I came home one night and I found a note and a photograph. She looked so scared."
Now it was getting hard for her not to cry at the memory of that awful night.
"They warned me if I told anyone they'd kill her. So what was I supposed to do?"

"You could have trusted us to help. For someone so smart you are so dumb."

Michelle took a long time to answer and when she did her reply surprised him.
"I've always been an outsider. From the very start they've made that very clear. I couldn't go to them. I had to make my own way through this".

"Then what am I? a stranger?" Jimmy answered. "I know you have issues with Agent Gibbs and maybe some of the others, that's maybe why you couldn't tell them, but why couldn't you tell me, of all people?"

"I couldn't. I daren't. I've been trying to make people understand that ever since I got caught. Please Jimmy, say you understand."

"I don't know if I can 'chelle. I'm sorry. I guess it was wrong me coming up here after all."

Michelle sighed in sad resignation. "I guess you're right. It's best that you go."

She turned away from him and stared out of the window her eyes now brim full of tears. Yet there was still something she wanted to say. "I wouldn't blame you if you just wanted to forget all about me, but if you want to remember me at all, don't just remember me for this, please."

Expecting him to leave she waited for the sound of the door to open and close. The sound never came. Slowly she turned around.
Jimmy was still there and in that moment he saw the tears now flowing down her cheeks.
Whatever else he was feeling towards her in that moment, he could not deny just how lonely she must be feeling right now. The whole weight of a country's justice was about to descend on her, the life of a little girl her only motivation for her crimes. He just could not bring himself to leave her. It just wasn't in his nature . He knew she needed someone to be with in that moment. Why shouldn't it be him.

Out in the corridor Tony glanced at his watch. Their five minutes were up and it was time to break up the party. He opened the door and froze as he saw Palmer and Lee embracing. Palmer gently stroking her hair, as she sobbed, silently, in his arms, her head buried deep in his chest.
Tony, all of a sudden, saw Jeanne's face again in his minds eye and winced as he remembered the pain and hurt he'd seen in her eyes.
Quietly he closed the door without entering.He guessed it wouldn't hurt to leave them for just a little while longer.