A strong wind blew through his hair as he stepped outside, bringing with it a smell of the ocean. He took deep breaths, attempting to fill his lungs with the clean air, opening his mouth a moment later to force yet more air inside him. Raising his eyes he saw the bright blue sky with a couple of cumulus clouds moving rapidly across it. His eyes blinked in the unaccustomed brightness. He turned his head, seeking the sun, permitting himself a brief glance. His eyes squeezed shut automatically before he turned his head and forced them open, watching the sky again.

'Prisoner, move!' snapped a guard, giving him a violent shove that required all his sense of balance to remain on his feet. He stumbled into the waiting armored van, hearing his chains clanging. They were not taking any chances with him, he could tell. Once again he was restrained with both hands and feet cuffed and both secured to a chain placed round his waist. His face burned at the thought of appearing before Michelle that way. Six guards settled in the van with him, securing his belt to two rings in the side of the van. One guard turned to face him.

'Prisoner, you are being transported to court. Any movement will be taken as an attempt to escape and the guards will shoot without warning. Is that perfectly clear?'

'Right,' Tony couldn't resist muttering. 'I'm just gonna step out of all these restraints!'

'You've been warned, prisoner. Any further comments you'll get to wear this gag.' He held up a gag for Tony to examine. He chewed his lip in fury, not daring to open his mouth. He could just imagine wearing it during the entire journey.

He was pulled out of the van and led into the courtroom through a back entrance surrounded by all six guards. Two of them held an arm each as he stumbled up the stairs and into a large parquet covered lobby. The ceiling was several storeys above him, and courtrooms led off from it on three sides. The fourth side was reserved for a large entrance with marble stairs and an imposing door. Tony swallowed a lump in his throat as he was led across the lobby in his chains, fighting to calm himself. 'Focus, Almeida! You've got a 99.9 percent chance of being returned to prison to await your trial. They can't do anything too bad to you now. Settle down immediately, Michelle is inside there!' He took a few deep breaths, noting his restraint caused a little attention among the people milling about in the lobby. He was led into a small room where his restraints were removed with the exception of his handcuffs. A guard warned him that a single unauthorized move would see them placed back on him immediately.

The door was pushed open by a uniformed court attendant and he straightened himself as he entered from the side, noticing three people in the audience seating. He swallowed hard as he searched their faces, noting his parents' red eyes. Michelle appeared calm but he knew her well enough to notice her obvious distress. Her face was pale, she wore extra make-up, and she twisted the ring round her finger restlessly. So he had been right, he thought with a sinking heart. She had indeed spent the previous day crying. Before he could notice anything else he was pushed firmly into a chair by a guard, who secured his ankle to its leg. Tony's face burned knowing this was watched by his family. He gave the guard a dirty look which the man seemed oblivious to. Two of them sat directly behind him, never taking their eyes from him. The door opened again and his lawyer hurried in.

'You ok, Mr. Almeida?' he asked. Tony nodded. 'Ok, the judge should be here directly.'

'I thought more people would be here,' Tony whispered. 'Some of my sisters, and John.'

'This is a closed court Mr. Almeida. Only your parents and wife are permitted to attend this hearing and only the final day of the subsequent trial.'

Tony opened his mouth to ask a further question but the arrival of the judge interrupted him. The door opened and two men hurried in. He turned to glance at them, noting the arrival of the prosecutor with Hammond. His heart sank. He suspected Hammond of being there merely to make certain he would be held until the trial. They slid into seats opposite him and the clerk tapped his gavel. 'All rise for the Honorable Justice Wilkins.' Tony rose with difficulty, his shackled leg making it awkward for him to stand. The judge bade them to be seated and everyone settled down.

He stole a glance at his family. His parents clasped each other's hands tightly. He saw his father whisper something to his mother and she leaned her head against his shoulder. Michelle sat beside them, eyeing Hammond wearily.

'I have a motion to dismiss the charge of treason against Antonio Almeida before me today, replacing it with a charge of failure to carry out his assigned duty. Let me remind the entire court, a charge of treason automatically negates the application of bail. We'll hear what you've got to say, Mr. Sikorski.'

Tony's lawyer got up, glancing at an open file. 'Your honor, my client was under duress during the events in question. He saw a video footage of some men holding a knife to his wife's throat and he had a couple of seconds to make a decision that would lead to her continued safety or her death. He chose her life, determined the entire time to catch Saunders. I would like to call my client to the stand, to demonstrate his lack of intent to harm anyone. He is not guilty of treason, merely of neglecting his duties.'

'You may call him,' the judge said, and a guard unshackled his leg and followed him to the witness stand. His heart beat faster as he faced his parents and Michelle, forcing his breathing to steady. 'State your name for the record.'

'Antonio Almeida,' Tony said firmly, his eyes on his family. He swore to tell the truth and the judge told the lawyer he could begin his questioning.

'Mr. Almeida, what position did you hold during the events of the day of the virus outbreak?' questioned his lawyer.

'Special Agent in Charge, CTU LA,' he said, watching his mother's face as she smiled at him.

'How long were you responsible for CTU?' continued his lawyer.

'Three years,' Tony replied.

'And how many terrorists were you responsible for apprehending during that time?'

'Hundreds of them – I don't remember exactly.'

'Can you name any of them for us?'

'Yeah,' he said, watching his parents and Michelle. 'There was a guy named Abdul who hijacked a tour boat and wanted to blow up a battleship; I caught him before he could do that.'

'So you were responsible for saving an entire battleship?'

'I guess so,' Tony replied, gazing into Michelle's eyes, reading the encouragement in them. 'I done it with Michelle.'

'Now you've been married two years,' the lawyer continued, glancing through his folder. 'Can you tell me how you felt when you saw the video feed with her kidnapped?'

Tony rubbed his face with his cuffed hands, gazing at the floor. 'I felt sick, like the world had just ended. He had her, and he was going to harm her unless I did as he asked immediately.'

'So you had two choices, either have Saunders captured immediately or save your wife?'

'There is always a third choice in my line of work, otherwise we'd run out of agents real soon. As far as is possible we attempt to save the agent and apprehend the suspect.' He noticed his parents drinking in his every word, realizing they had never seen him at work before, either in the marines or at CTU.

'Can you describe what measures you took to ensure the success of the third choice?' His lawyer gave him a small smile, so he was doing well so far.

Tony rubbed his face again, uneasy in the stand and relieved he had no curious audience. 'I had an analyst listen to his phone call, hoping to pinpoint his location. I also went fully armed, intending to capture him once the exchange had been made.'

'That's all, Mr. Almeida,' said his lawyer, turning to the judge. Tony swallowed, knowing he would be grilled by the prosecutor. He ordered himself to remain calm, glancing at Michelle, whose eyes glistened.

'Dammit, she's crying.' He gazed at her, drinking in her beauty, longing to leave the stand and rush into her arms.

'Mr. Almeida,' the prosecutor began, moving up to the stand. 'Did you have any idea how many men Saunders would bring to the exchange site?'

Tony gazed at the box, chewing his lip. 'Not exactly,' he admitted.

'Can you repeat that a little louder, so the court can hear it?' insisted the prosecutor. He repeated it louder, shifting his gaze to the door. 'So it could have been ten men, or twenty, or fifty, and you went alone. Did you imagine you could take down so many at once?'

Tony chewed his lip vigorously. 'Yeah,' he said firmly. 'I'm a sniper.'

'You were a sniper, Mr. Almeida. Is it normal procedure for an agent to go alone into such a situation?'

Tony shifted his feet restlessly, hating the man. 'No,' he admitted softly, 'but the delicacy of the mission…'

'Just answer it simply, yes or no,' insisted the prosecutor.

'No,' he said, noticing Michelle staring at the ground.

'So you in fact risked the operation to ensure your wife's safety. Don't answer that, Mr. Almeida, its obvious! Now let's deal with your kidnapping Jane Saunders. Did you at any time doubt her importance as the only leverage over her father?'

'No,' he said softly.

'So you kidnapped her and were willing to return her to her father, losing any hold we had over him – a mass murderer prepared to kill tens of thousands more innocents? Did you at any stage question the young lady as to her wishes in the matter?'

'No,' he said, even softer. 'But her father would not have harmed her.'

'You seem certain of that, Mr. Almeida. Last time I looked, kidnapping was a federal offence. But why dwell on that matter, when you already lied to field ops, pulling them out of position to allow Saunders to escape?

'Your honor,' he said, turning to the judge, 'the defendant is in fact guilty of several counts of lying, deleting information, kidnapping and treason. We're not saying Antonio Almeida was a terrorist, that he would have intentionally harmed anyone – we're saying that he knowingly did so the moment his wife was threatened, fully aware of the likely outcome of those actions. The prosecution requests a trial to demonstrate the treasonous acts in greater detail.'

The judge gazed at the courtroom, while everyone waited in silence. 'I've made my decision,' he said eventually, while Tony's stomach sank. 'The prosecution has a sound case. The defendant will be tried for treason. Under the circumstances…'

'If your honor would allow a final word,' interrupted Sikorski, placing a reassuring hand on Tony's shoulder, who had been returned to his place and shackled to the chair, 'my client did not intentionally harm anyone, as we just heard from the prosecutor himself. Why not grant him bail until his trial? He's not exactly a flight risk.'

Tony noticed his parents and Michelle watched the judge hopefully, willing him to release him at least temporarily.

'Mr. Sikorski, you're aware that pretrial release and detention decisions are based on three factors 1) the seriousness of the offence committed 2) the defendant's criminal history and 3) the defendant's ties to the community. I'd be interested in your argument as to why bail should in fact be granted in this case.'

'Thank you, your honor,' began the lawyer, placing a hand on Tony's shoulder once again for an instant before moving away from his seat. 'Let me address the three issues. First, the offence is indeed serious, but my client was not in fact responsible for a single death. Secondly, he has no previous criminal history, being a model citizen and a lieutenant in the marines. Finally, he has a tight knit family who all live in LA; no one can have closer ties to the community than him.'

'Your honor,' exclaimed Hammond, outraged, 'you're surely not considering…'

'Mr. Hammond,' began the prosecutor, waiting while Hammond settled back down. 'The prosecution requests the defendant be denied bail. His offence is the most serious one in the US, punishable by execution. It's hardly likely he would turn up at a trial to receive such a sentence. Also I'd like to clarify his family situation – true his parents and most of his siblings live in LA or San Francisco, but he has over twenty cousins in Mexico, five of whom we are unable to locate. Once Almeida would join them, it would require a massive man hunt to locate him, and our chances of success would be low. May I remind your honor of the Federal law regarding treason?'

The judge frowned at him. 'No you may not, I am perfectly aware of it myself! Under the circumstances I am compelled to deny the request of bail.' He glanced at Tony, who gazed at the ground, struggling with the concept of returning to prison. 'Does the prosecution have a particular time frame in mind for the trial?'

'Yes your honor, we do. We are already in possession of all the details of the defendant's treason; we would be prepared in a fortnight.'

'And the defense?' asked the judge. 'You might need a little longer. The US Government is keen to wrap up this entire episode and punish those responsible. As the prosecution is prepared, I will grant you six weeks to summon those witnesses you feel may be relevant to the defense.'

'It's barely sufficient, your honor,' remarked Sikorski. The judge frowned, refusing to change his opinion. 'Very well, your honor, I will prepare the defense. My client has a final request, as he is returning to the Federal Penitentiary and will be held incommunicado until the trail, he would like ten minutes to speak to his family here in the courtroom, shackled to the desk and supervised by his guards. I remind your honor that the defendant's wife is a Federal Agent who played an outstanding part in the entire episode.'

The judge glanced at Michelle, nodding reluctantly. 'Very well, Mr. Sikorski, he has five minutes.' He left the podium, everyone rising as he left the room.

Tony turned, watching Michelle race across the floor and into his arms. 'Sweetheart, you look awful, what did they do to you? Show me your hands, oh God, Tony, they tightened those cuffs into your flesh. What's that stripe on your hands, it looks fresh? How's your neck?' she cried in dismay.

Tony raised his cuffed hands, slipping them over her and allowing her to cuddle up to him. 'Honey, I'm fine,' he began. 'I guess I stepped outa line a couple of times.' He threw her a sheepish look, longing to run his hands through her hair. 'Don't worry, it won't happen again.'

'Tony, they won't be able to convict you,' Michelle whispered, tightening her grip on him. 'They just can't. Look at you, you've only been in custody for two days and you look awful.'

'Shush, honey,' he soothed her, kissing her hair. 'You know they'll convict me. Sweetheart, look at me. I want you to know that I love you, much much more than I can ever explain. Maybe I did wrong, I don't care. There's no way I'd allow anyone to hurt you, ever!'

She raised a hand to wipe her eyes and he buried his face in her hair, breathing in her perfume and shampoo, unable to let her go. 'I love you too,' she whispered, her voice catching. 'I'll always be there for you. I'll…' she stopped, trembling, and he held her tighter. 'Your parents want to say something too,' she whispered finally, bending down to leave his arms, and stepping back.

Tony raised his head, noticing them waiting patiently a few steps away. He smiled at them, holding out his cuffed hands. 'Mom, papa.'

They hugged him tightly, his mother stroking his face. 'Tony, you don't look well. What are they doing to you?'

'Mom, I'm fine,' he told her gently, knowing she wouldn't believe him. 'Take care of Michelle for me, would you? Take her a little food sometimes, she works too hard.' His mother nodded, blinking away her tears.

'Papa, mom, I'm so sorry I let you down,' he began, glancing at them.

They spoke at once, interrupting him. 'No, Tony, you didn't let us down.' 'Tony, you protected Michelle, you done as you should have. I raised you that way, remember?'

He nodded; relieved to see their love for him hadn't changed.

'Oh God, Tony, first they took Justine, now you,' groaned his father as a guard got up. Michelle shook her head at him, asking for another minute. 'I can't let you go too.'

Tony frowned, puzzled, aware he had heard the name before.

'You don't remember her, do you? I thought maybe you might,' his father whispered, struggling to contain his tears.

'Marco, how could he? He wasn't quite two,' whispered his mother, holding him tightly.

Tony chewed his lip, nodding, remembering being lifted to admire a tiny baby wrapped in a pink blanket in a hospital, dropping his gift of a bear on top of her before a nurse entered the room and ordered his father to 'take that child out of the room now!' 'She wasn't really sleeping, was she?' he asked.

His father shook his head. 'No. She and Janey were exactly the same, only Justine…..'

'I'm ok, papa,' he said firmly, bending his aching fingers to stroke his father's hair. 'I'm just going back to prison, that's all! We'll get through these six weeks, then you can come see me.'

'Tony, take it,' his father said, slipping a hundred dollar note into his hand. 'Get some stuff, we weren't even allowed to give you your toothbrush or comb. Get something nice to eat.'

Tony shook his head regretfully. 'I'm sorry papa, I can't take it, they won't let me. I can't get anything nice anyway, I've got the hole for two weeks real soon, and it's pretty meager rations there.'

'Que?' exclaimed his father, startled.

'Someone insulted Michelle, I nearly strangled him,' he admitted quietly. 'I'll be fine.' A guard appeared, grabbing his shoulder firmly. 'I got to go. I love you all so much,' he said, hearing three voices assure him of their love for him as he was led through the door.

THE END

Thanks for reading and reviewing. I'm planning to write another story about Tony's year in prison.