Kate had been seeing Danny for about nine months now. Tony knew this because he had been marking it on the calendar he kept hidden in his desk drawer. It was nine months ago today that Kate had first walked in with a huge grin on her face and announced to McGee that she had been on the most wonderful date the night before. She actually told Probie that she felt that this guy was the one, the man that would fulfill all her dreams! Tony had snorted in disgust at that statement.

"And what makes you think we can't be happy, Tony?"

"Because no man is good enough for you, Kate. They all have some flaw that you will manage to find and realize that you can't overcome, and they will end up on the wayside as you search for your Knight in shining armor." He hadn't meant for all of that to come out at once. In fact, he hadn't meant to comment at all, but something in the way she was gushing about this guy made Tony's skin crawl. Kate kept it light, though.

"Another night alone, Tony? What happened, all the girls in this town know all your tricks by now?"

He had laughed at her then, but the questions were too close to the truth for his comfort and he had left her alone for the rest of the day.

And now, it had been nine months since that day. Nine months exactly of her endless praises of Danny-boy. Tony rolled his eyes as it dawned on him that Kate would most likely come in with some strange anniversary for being with the same guy for so long. As if on cue, Kate stepped off of the elevator with a single rose in her hand.

"Bet Danny wants to send her the other 11 later on today," mused Tony in his head. "I bet he sends them to her one at a time, each hour of the day, until she gets off and he can take her to some fancy restaurant."

"Nice flower, Kate. What's the special occasion?" Tony tried to look as uninterested as possible.

"Danny remembered that it was our nine month anniversary!" Kate was gushing already. "He says he wants to take me out to dinner tonight, he has something he wants to ask me."

Gibbs looked up from his desk and saw the rose in Kate's hand, then he caught sight of Tony and his eyes glazed over for a moment as if in thought. He was wondering where he had seen that look before… Then he remembered it; that was the same look that he had seen in the mirror as he watched the love of his life walk away with another man. It was a detachment from the situation, so that there would be no pain when she said yes to the marriage proposal that should have come from his lips. Gibbs sighed mentally as he realized something else.

DiNozzo was in love with Kate. Damnit, now what was he supposed to do? Rule 12 loomed before his eyes as he remembered that he had caused this to happen between his two field agents. He put them together with that damn rule holding them back from their feelings, and for him to take it back now would quite possibly make him look weak. He had to do something quick to defuse this situation or he was going to lose an agent, maybe even two.

Tony was talking to Kate again and Gibbs settled in to listen, like he always did.

"So, you think he's going to ask, The Question, Kate?" He stood up and came around his desk, to be close to her when he teased her about this.

"What question is that, Tony?" She waited where she was, one hand on her desk beside her, the other clutching the rose in her hand. She looked up at him with a smirk upon her lips, almost daring him to say anything.

"You know, the question that every woman eventually wants to hear." He leaned in close to her ear, his breath tickling her cheek as he whispered to her, "Will you marry me?"

She nearly choked as he pulled back to smile at her. She hadn't expected him to say that so smoothly. And the fact that he whispered it in her ear… Her mind flashed back briefly to his breath on her cheek, his lips close to her ear. She flushed bright red and stammered something about needing to get water for the rose. As she wandered off to the break-room, Tony smiled lightly as he heard the phone ring on Kate's desk. Reaching over, he picked up the handset and answered it lightly.

"Todd's desk, Agent Todd isn't here at the moment, may I take a message."

Gibbs chuckled lightly, he knew for a fact that Kate hated it when Tony answered her phone. His smile slid off his face as he watched Tony write something down and then hang up. Curiosity got the better of him and he raised an eyebrow, indicating that Tony should tell him what that was all about. Tony simply smiled as he walked back to his desk, picked up his phone and made a quick call. When he was done, he glanced up at Gibbs, smile still firmly in place. McGee walked in about that time and set his case at his desk as Kate was coming back from the break-room with the rose in a vase.

"Hi Kate, is that from Danny?" asked the young man innocently.

"Yes it is," she replied wistfully. Tony looked as if he were about to gag.

"Hey, Probie, what are you doing tonight?"

"Um, nothing that I know of, unless Abby has something planned. Why do you ask?"

"Good, because you're going to a special dinner tonight." Tony stood up and walked over to Gibbs for a moment. "How about you, Boss, care to join us?"
Kate looked at Tony, dumbfounded, as she tried to figure out what he was up to. Gibbs looked up at Tony and thought for a moment. Did he want to be a part of what Tony was planning tonight? For the sake of Kate, he figured he had better be there.

"All right, DiNozzo. Where is this dinner and what time do we meet?"

"It's at Angelina's Italian Restaurant at 7pm tonight. So I can count on you being there?"

Gibbs thought for a second. Tony had glanced at the note he had scribbled down while on Kate's call. Suddenly he knew he had to be there. "Count me in, but you're paying."

"You bet, Boss!" Tony grinned as he turned back to Kate. "So that's McGee, Gibbs, Abby and Ducky all coming tonight. This is going to be great!"

"What is going to be great Tony? And how come you didn't invite me?" Kate felt a little out of the loop at this point and she didn't like feeling that way.

"I didn't invite you, because you already have plans for the night. Danny called and said he was picking you up at 6 tonight and to be dressed for a fancy restaurant." Tony continued to grin at her.

"Oh," was all she could say. Tony waited a beat until she had sat down at her desk before letting the other shoe drop.

"And he invited all of us to join you two tonight as well."

The groan from her desk was heard after her head thudded.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

That night, Kate was nervous as she slipped into the expensive red dress that she had decided to wear that evening. Her hair was piled up on top of her head and she wore the cross that her grandmother had given her around her neck. The diamond earrings in her ears shone with a sparkling brilliance as she turned her head and then her body to get the entire effect in the mirror. When she heard the knock on her door, she jumped slightly.

At the restaurant, Danny led her to their large round table and they sat waiting for their other guests to arrive. Gibbs was first, with Ducky as well, and the two of them couldn't help complimenting Kate on her choice of attire that evening. She blushed with the praise of her uncommon good looks as McGee and Abby arrived to join them. Looking around, she didn't see Tony anywhere and she wondered if he would even show up at all.

"He's probably out looking for a date to bring. Or maybe he isn't even coming." She couldn't figure out why she was so worried about Tony showing up. It wasn't like she had feelings for the Neanderthal that was her partner. But if she was going to get asked The Question tonight, she would like all of her friends and team mates with her. Just as she was about to give up on him, he arrived at the table looking decidedly damp.

"Sorry, had to wait for valet parking. It's starting to rain out there." Tony smiled at Kate as he took in her expensive dress and diamond earrings. "You look fantastic tonight Kate."

"Thank you Tony," she replied, trying to quell the sudden butterflies that had sprung up on her stomach. He nodded as he sat next to Gibbs, directly across from her. Now that everyone was seated, they could get to the business of ordering dinner.

During dinner, the conversation was light and fun. Danny got the chance to get to know each of Kate's team members and they in turn got to know him as well. The evening was going very well, when Danny turned to Kate and smiled lightly. Pulling a small velvet box out of his pocket, he glanced around at the table, then back to Kate.

"I've been waiting for the right time to do this…" he began timidly. "You have been so busy with this case, or that one. But finally, when I called today and Tony said you were between cases, I knew that the Fates had listened to me and set this night as the perfect night for me to ask you this."

Tony swallowed slightly. He had been afraid of this. The guy was going to ask her to marry him, right here in the restaurant, in front of her team… her family. Kate's face glowed and her eyes began to mist a bit as Danny opened the box to reveal a perfect diamond ring, set in a plain gold band.

"Caitlyn Todd, will you marry me?" Danny held his breath for the answer. Kate began to cry as she reached out for the ring, taking it from its box and slipping it onto her finger.

"Yes, oh yes, I would love to marry you, Danny!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him in front of the entire team. Gibbs and Ducky smiled, while Abby whooped and yelled her encouragement. McGee glanced over and noticed Tony watching the happy couple. Tony simply watched as his last chance at a happy life was stolen right out from underneath him. McGee looked over at Gibbs, who glanced over at Tony as well. Under the table, Tony felt a hand squeeze his knee and he looked over to see Gibbs' understanding expression.

Abby stood up and leaned over to Kate. "Let's go to the ladies room for a moment, need to fix your make-up."

Kate nodded and the two women headed off to the bathroom to regroup. Meanwhile, Tony and the other men sat back, each giving congratulations to Danny for making Kate happy. As Tony was about to say something, a woman came and put her hand on Danny's shoulder.

"Hi you, did you forget to call me last night?" She dripped sweetness and Tony felt his hackles begin to rise. Danny glanced up startled at the woman, honey blond hair surrounding a perfect porcelain face with perfectly set baby blue eyes. Tony knew this woman had to be candy coated, and he suddenly knew that something was wrong, very wrong here.

Danny stood up quickly. "Umm… excuse me a moment, will you gentlemen?" He politely led the woman off a little ways and began a quick conversation with her. The conversation turned into a heated argument with such words as Bastard, Cheating and come clean with her wafting back to the table. Tony glanced at Gibbs, who was staring intently at the back of Danny's head, as if his glare alone could kill the man in one second. Finally they all heard it.

"I told you, I'll take care of it! Right after I marry her, I'll get the kid and then you and I can be together." Danny's voice had carried just a bit too loudly and Tony rose from the table swiftly as the realization hit him that this bastard was using Kate! Gibbs was at his side with a restraining hand on his arm, McGee on the other side matching the gesture. Tony wanted nothing more at this moment than to pound the guy into the ground, but it wasn't his place. He didn't notice Kate and Abby rejoining them, but he heard Kate's sharp intake of breath at the last statement from her fiancé.

"I love you, Diane, and it won't take long to get rid of this woman. She might get killed anyway, what with her dangerous job and all."

Kate's eyes brimmed with tears as she watched her fiancé, no this snake wasn't her fiancé, he was nothing but a lying son of a bitch! She strode over to the couple and pulled Danny's arm, causing him to turn and stare into her angry eyes.

"Kate!" He knew he had been caught. He tried to effect damage control as quickly as possible. "Kate, it's not what you think. Diane and I are… just friends! We work together and she… umm… she needed to know something…"

Kate slapped him. The sound was a shock to the entire restaurant as she stared at him, pain evident on her face. He stood there, unable to say anything, knowing that there was nothing else to say. She had found out and she was mad, and if there was one thing you didn't want to face was an angry Kate. She turned on her heel and walked back to the table. Tony and the rest watched her pick up her purse, then stop and glare at the ring on her hand. She angrily tried to screw the offending piece of jewelry off her finger, but couldn't get it to budge. Abby reached out, took Kate's hand in her own and, with the help of some butter that was in a dish on the table, slipped the ring off quickly and easily.

She handed it to Kate, who turned and threw it at Danny's face. She didn't watch as he tried to catch the ring, but instead turned back and picked up her purse. As she stalked out of the restaurant, Abby turned as if to chase after her, but was brought up short by Gibbs' expression. There was more of this scene to play out, and Gibbs felt the entire team should stick around to watch it. Turning his gaze to Tony, he nodded slightly to let the agent know that now he could do something about the man that had hurt their partner.

Tony left the table, coming around to glare deep into Danny's eyes, his green orbs glittering dangerously. "You son of a bitch! Don't you ever come near Kate again, or so help me, no one will find the body, do you hear me? You made the biggest mistake in hurting her like this. She is a wonderful woman and you took advantage of her sweetness and understanding. If I every see your face again, I'll shoot you first and deal with the ramifications later; get it?"

He didn't wait for the other man to reply as he turned on his heel and went back to the table. Gibbs caught his arm in passing and stopped him for a quick word.

"There is one more rule you need to know… Follow your heart. It doesn't have a number, because it transcends them all." Gibbs looked into the eyes of his best Agent and friend. Tony nodded grimly as he understood exactly what Gibbs was saying. Some rules are always made to be broken, including Gibbs' rules, as long as you followed your heart. And Tony's heart was crying out to him to get moving before she got away.

Tony stepped out of the restaurant to find that it was pouring down rain outside. He glanced around for Kate, knowing for a fact that Danny had been her ride for the night, but he didn't see her anywhere. Oh no, an angry Kate had walked off somewhere, or maybe she had gotten a cab. He turned to the Valet attendant.

"Did you see a beautiful woman, expensive red dress, brunette with brown eyes, get into a cab or something?" he asked the young man while holding out his claim ticket for his car.

"Yes sir, but she didn't get into a cab. She took off that way." He pointed off to his right down the sidewalk and Tony grimaced visibly. Yeah, she was mad and she was walking… in the rain. Tony slipped quickly into his car, tipping the attendant before slamming the door shut and driving off in search of his partner.

He found her about a block away as she trudged down the street, her eyes staring straight ahead, the dress dripping wet and her hair falling into her face. Rain was pouring down in sheets and the truck in front of him splashed a large puddle of water right next to her, soaking her to the bone. Bastard! He thought as he pulled up slowly next to her and rolled down the window on the passenger side.

"Get in the car, Kate," he called to her. She ignored him and continued to walk down the street, oblivious to everything around her. He tried again, "Damnit Kate, get in the car now!"

"No, Tony. I deserve this, for trusting him." She refused to look at him or the car, her mind made up that she was walking home.

"No you don't, now get your ass in the car." He kept pace with her, as she wasn't showing any signs of stopping. When she suddenly turned to him, he slammed on the brakes and ignored the honking cars behind him. He flipped on the hazard lights and stared at her, waiting for her to make a move.

"This is so fitting, you know?" she began. "I open my heart to someone and they manage to destroy it time and time again. I deserve to be dumped, belittled and rained on! I let him get under my skin and he poisoned me, like they all do, Tony. So I'm going home alone again. I'm walking to my home and I am never going to come out. And I will let the rain destroy me while I do it."

"And you're ruining that expensive dress at the same time," he quipped. She looked down at her dress and sighed quietly. Tossing her head back she howled silently at the rain clouds that continued to pour over her. He felt so sorry for her at that moment. "Get in the car, Kate. Let me take you home."

She made no move, so Tony decided that enough was enough. "If you don't get your ass in this car right now, I will come out there and force you in it."

"You and what army, Tony," she growled, but realized that he wasn't kidding and made her way over to the curb as he reached out and opened the door for her. She took in the interior and wailed. "I don't want to ruin the seats, Tony!"

"I don't care, I'll get it cleaned later," he replied. "Now get in the damn car."

She did so, and after making sure that the entire dress was in the car, slammed the door shut. She shivered slightly and Tony pulled his overcoat from the backseat, draping it over her shoulders before leaning over to grab the seatbelt and secure her in it. He flipped the heat on full blast before turning off the hazard lights and pulling off into traffic again. After a few moments, Kate noticed that they were not going to her apartment and she glared at Tony.

"Where are we going?" she asked him, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"My place," he replied coolly. "It's closer than yours and you need to get out of that wet dress quickly before you catch a cold."

"Tony, that's an old wives…Achoo!" she sneezed through her comment and Tony raised an eyebrow at her. She stayed silent for the rest of the ride.

When they had reached his apartment building, he grabbed an umbrella from the backseat and unlocked his door to get out. "Wait for me," he admonished her. She nodded quietly.

Once he had gotten out of the car, he ran to her side with the umbrella opened and held the door for her to climb out. He shut the door behind her and wrapped an arm around her to lead her up the stairs to his home. She remained mute the entire time as he opened the outer door and ushered her in out of the rain. They walked up to the second floor and Tony let go of her shoulders long enough to get the key into the lock of his door, opening it and nudging her to enter ahead of him. As he put the wet umbrella into a stand by the door, Kate stood in the middle of the floor and had her first real look around Tony's place. She looked down at her feet and noticed the hardwood floors.

"Tony, the floor," she began and Tony looked down at her feet as well.

"Don't move," he replied as he went down the hall towards his bedroom. Within moments he was back with a towel and something else draped over his arm. "Ok, off with the shoes."

She complied by kicking off the heels she was wearing and shoving them over to the side. He held up what looked like a terry cloth robe before her. "Now take off the dress."

"What?" The explosiveness with which she asked this was enough to make Tony smile. Kate was still in there, she was just frozen for a moment.

"Turn around so I can unzip it, then you are taking it off." When she hesitated still, he continued. "I promise not to look."

She eyed him warily as she turned slowly before him, moving her hair back away from her back so that he could take hold of the zipper and pull it down. He did so and noticed that the zipper went down quite a ways before stopping just above her buttocks. He swallowed quietly, hoping she didn't hear him, and then held the robe a little higher. "Ok, slip it off right there."

She did so, and as it hit the floor she was suddenly enveloped in a great big warm hug as Tony wrapped the warm robe around her shoulders. She sighed for a moment, relishing the warm strong arms that were holding her so comfortably. When his arms began to uncurl from around her, she slipped hers into the sleeves of the robe and turned around, holding it firmly around her body. Tony took the sash and tied it around her to help hold the robe in place, and then grabbed her upper arms; lifting her cleanly and depositing her out of the puddle and onto a dry towel he had dropped to his right. She never had a moment to protest before she was released and Tony was picking up her ruined dress from the floor.

"If you want, you can slip your under garment off as well. I know that wet clothes can be uncomfortable." He tried to hide the smirk that was threatening to show.

She contemplated his statement for a moment, then turned away from him and slipped out of her bikini underwear. She turned suddenly, shoving it into the pile of clothing in his hands before turning away from him again. He smiled as he walked away with her clothes and left her standing in the middle of the room alone. She looked around again, helplessly, not knowing what to do with herself. She didn't have to wait long for Tony to return, a pair of fuzzy slippers in hand. He handed them to her.

"I had bought these for an old girlfriend, but I never got the chance to give them to her. She broke up with me before I could." He shrugged his shoulders once. "They should fit your feet. Hers were small like yours."

Kate had been totally thrown off by this entire episode, not expecting Tony to take such good care of her, in his home. A robe, warm slippers, taking care of her wet clothing… What was she to think but that this was a side of Tony she had never known could exist? She put on the slippers and let him lead her to the couch, where he wrapped a large blanket around her before she sat down. Taking another towel, he carefully pulled the pins holding her hair up and let the wet locks flop down, and then he began to towel dry her hair very carefully. Within moments she was beginning to fall asleep and she fought the urge to yawn as she succumbed to the soft touches that he was bestowing on her as he cared for her.

"Kate?" he called lightly, checking to make sure she was all right.

"Hmm." She lazily looked up at him as he stopped with the towel on her hair and gazed into her eyes.

"You're ok, right?" He stared at her intently for a moment. She shivered slightly under that gaze and couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from his. He misinterpreted this as her being cold and so he quickly came over to sit beside her, taking her into his arms and laying her head on his chest. His chin came to rest on the top of her head and he held her close. Kate wasn't sure what she should do. On the one hand, she felt so safe in his arms; on the other hand her mind was screaming that Gibbs would kill them. Then the other thought came to her.

She had been hurt by Danny. During this entire time she had forgotten that fact. She realized that here, in Tony's arms, she could possibly… quite possibly, let it all go. By the time that thought had flitted through her mind, it was too late as she indeed let go. She began to sob on Tony's chest as he rubbed her back with one hand, the other hand smoothing back her hair from her face. He crooned to her soothingly as she released it all to him, every tear and sob letting him know that she finally trusted him. Neither of them moved for several long moments, until she shifted quietly in his arms. He let her go a small bit, to give her a chance to look up at him.

"Why did he do it, Tony?" she asked. He didn't have a real answer to that, so he gave her what he could.

"He was a bastard, Kate, and didn't know what he had in front of him." Again his mouth was moving before he could make it stop. She didn't need to hear this; she had to know already just how wonderful she was. But then he remembered she didn't know at all what she was, what she did to men, what she did to him. He sighed loudly as he tried to find the right words to say to her to make her understand. There were none, so he gave up with a helpless shrug of his shoulders again.

"Kate, men like that just have no idea what to do when something as wonderful as you falls into their laps." He smiled at her wistfully as her eyebrows drew together in a curious expression. "You are someone beautiful, strong, resilient and wonderful. And I hate to say it, but there are some men that can't handle that. They want to try and control it, or run from it. But there is no controlling you. You have a fire in you that, well frankly, it scares most men to death."

"Maybe I shouldn't be so sure of myself?" she asked him quietly, trying to sort it all out and coming to all the wrong conclusions. "Am I that untouchable, Tony?"

"No! God, Kate no… That is the last thing you are. You just need to find the right man. One who isn't afraid to look you in the eye and say…" he faltered a bit before finally saying what he had always wanted to say. "Kate Todd, you are brilliant and beautiful… And I love you."

She gazed into his eyes as he said this. He hoped that she was finally getting the message, that most men weren't worthy of her. He also hoped that she would find him the one that was worthy. Her Knight in, though not shining, then at least slightly tarnished armor, who could sweep her off her feet and protect her heart. She swallowed uncomfortably.

"Tony… Do you have any idea where I might find… someone like that?" she asked uncomfortably. He stared deep into her eyes, deep into her soul before answering, not with words, but with his lips upon hers. His soft kiss wasn't pressuring, but questioning as he waited for her to respond. She seemed to be holding back, analyzing all of her feelings about this moment, and he was content to simply hold her, to wait. He pulled back slightly to give her the minutes that he knew she needed.

Kate stared back at Tony in mute disbelief. He had kissed her, right here in his apartment, on his couch, with his arms around her, he had kissed her. And it wasn't just any kiss, it was a question. He was asking her if she understood, if she believed him, if she felt the same way. She was almost afraid of the answer.

On the one hand, she understood him. He was opening his heart and soul to her, letting her see him fully. They had worked together for almost two years now and she had never known he could be so honest with anyone about his feelings. Yet here he was, doing just that with her. She briefly wondered how many other women he had tried this with, how many of them had failed to get past his calloused exterior to see the inner part of his being and find the softness that he hid there.

Back to the other matter, on the other hand she didn't know if she could believe him. Sure he talked a good game, and he knew from previous experience just what to say to a woman to make her feel like a princess around him. But was this time true, or was he just playing the game with her like he did with countless others before her. Her head began to swim slightly at the thought that Tony wasn't doing this to be true, but was simply trying to get her into his bed.

Her thoughts must have conveyed themselves to her facial expressions because Tony suddenly shifted back a bit, giving her a little more space. He peered intently into her eyes, and what he saw there gave him reason to pause.

"Are you tired?" he asked quietly. "Would you like to get some sleep and maybe we can tackle all of this tomorrow?"

She hesitated for a moment. "Sleep sounds good. Where should I go?"

"You'll take my bed," he began without hesitation. "I'll sleep on the couch."

She didn't say anything for a moment, nor did she move, and Tony wondered what she was waiting for. Slowly, it dawned on him that she was waiting for what she felt was the inevitable. He quickly swallowed his sigh of disgust; if he wasn't such a pain in the ass sometimes she would know she could trust him more. He stood up and pulled her with him, standing her on her feet and removing the blanket from her shoulders. Turning her around, he directed her towards his bedroom where the large king-sized bed awaited her.

She looked around his bedroom as he turned down the sheets, and then climbed in when he nudged her towards the bed. Then he tucked her in and reached up to brush a stray lock of hair out of her eyes, tucking it behind her ear softly. Without another word, he went out the way he had come, closing the door behind him so as not to disturb her rest. Closing her eyes, she was soon drifting off into a fitful sleep.

Tony, meanwhile, settled himself on the couch with the blanket that he had wrapped Kate in, drawing up the edge to just under his nose and inhaling her scent before he too drifted off to sleep. In the morning, they would sort everything out, but for now, he was content to know that Kate was just in the other room, and that he was close by to answer her call, should she do so.


Sometime in the middle of the night, Tony was startled out of a vivid dream by a cry in the dark. He shifted to a sitting position quickly and listened again. There it was again, coming from the bedroom. He stood up to investigate and noticed that the bedroom door was open and Kate was sitting in the middle of the bed, crying. He came in quietly and sat on the bed beside her, gathering her in his arms and stroking her back through the cloth of the robe she was still wearing.

"Kate, what's wrong babe?" His eyes sought out her own in the near dark, pinning her with his gaze once she had focused on him.

"I really thought… thought he was…" she drifted, leaving the rest unsaid as a sob clutched her chest and she moaned again, this time clutching Tony's chest for dear life. He said nothing, but simply held her, knowing that there was nothing else to say that would make her feel any better. Eventually, her sobbing subsided and she gulped in great deep breathes to bring herself under control again. Tony went to tuck her back into bed, but she resisted, clutching to his arms instead and imploring him with her dark chocolate eyes. He nodded silently and shifted the covers back, allowing him just enough room to slip in and join her, gathering her into his arms and stroking her back, comforting her until she began to breath more evenly. After a moment more, they both slept.


Kate felt the heat of sunlight upon her face and scrunched her eyes to keep from being blinded as she turned away from the window. Opening her eyes she came face to face with a still sleeping Tony DiNozzo. For a moment she panicked, trying to remember what had happened the night before. Slowly her memories sorted themselves out and she stifled a groan.

She slipped quietly out of the bed, so as not to disturb him, and was pleased to see the robe still firmly in place. She walked out of the room in search of her clothes. Eventually, she found the laundry room where she located her under wear in the dryer, as well as a pair of sweats and one of Tony's T-shirts. Taking these items with her she ventured back to the bedroom and cautiously entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her but not locking it.

Tony rolled over when he heard the bathroom door close, opened his eyes and experienced his own moment of panic. But hearing the shower turn on relaxed him quickly as he sat up and looked around. He sighed with relief as he realized that she hadn't left yet. Turning his head, he heard his cell phone ringing and went in search of it. Picking it up from the coffee table where he had left it, he flipped it open and answered it smartly.

"DiNozzo here!"

"Where is she? She didn't answer her home phone or her cell phone. Is she alright?"

Gibbs would have been worried about her, Tony should have known that. He thought about the best way to answer the demands of his boss and friend. Then deciding that the best approach was always the direct one he replied, "She's here, with me."

There was silence on the other end of the phone as Gibbs began to process this information. Tony remembered what Gibbs had told him last night, and he was taking it to heart. He wouldn't do anything to hurt Kate; that much the other man knew for a certainty.

"Come in when you can. We don't have a case, but there is paperwork to finish." Gibbs didn't raise his voice, which would have frightened Tony on any other day. This wasn't any other day.

"Will do, Boss." Tony paused for a second. "Have you heard anything from Danny?"

"Not if he wants to stay alive," was the reply before the phone was cut off. Tony just chuckled.


When Kate finished her shower, she dressed in the soft clothes that smelled decidedly like Tony and looked at herself in the mirror. She found herself criticizing her face, body, even her hands as she berated herself yet again for trusting someone like Danny. Tony had been right, there was a flaw in Danny and it was something that she couldn't overcome. She glared at her reflection. Again she gave herself over to the thought that she deserved all of this, but Tony's words rang back in her ears…

"He was a bastard, Kate, and didn't know what he had in front of him."

She grimaced at the thought. Just what was it that she had that made men want to be with her, but felt they couldn't? All she wanted was to be loved and for some reason that was something always out of her reach.

"They want to try and control it, or run from it."

That's what Danny wanted to do. He wanted to control her, make her into what he felt was the ideal woman. Kate made a face in the mirror as she pulled a comb she found on the counter through her wet hair. Kate hated to lose control, it wasn't in her nature. But that was exactly what was happening here, Kate was losing control of herself and she didn't know how to get it back. She decided that there was only one right way to look at this. She had to figure out what she wanted and where she could get it.

Fact 1: She wanted someone who understood her. Like Tony does…

Fact 2: She wanted someone who would let her be herself when she needed it. Like Tony will do at times…

Fact 3: She wanted someone who could read her and know when she needed to laugh or just someone to hold her while she cried. Tony knows that too… He proved it to you last night…

Damnit, she couldn't think straight. She kept putting Tony in everything, and she didn't want him to be there. This is Tony, for crying out loud, the guy was an expert in making women fall for him! She wondered vaguely just how many women he had loved since he was younger and fresh out of college. But then she stopped herself, she didn't really want to know. The struggle within her served to return her thoughts to last nights events and she stood in front of the mirror asking herself another question. If Tony was so good at charming women into going to bed with him each and every night, would he use the same charms on her and try to bed his partner? She shook her head and figured that it was time to leave the bathroom and decide what to do that day.

As she turned and opened the door, she nearly walked into Tony, who was preparing to knock. She stopped suddenly and he noticed the deer in the headlights look she gave him. He stepped back quickly to give her space. "Oh, hey!"

"Umm… I was just using your shower." She grew quiet.

"That's fine," he replied. "Gibbs called just a minute ago."

"Oh? What did he say?" She moved slightly as he began to ease around her, fishing under the sink for something and finally coming up with a brand new toothbrush still in the wrapper. Handing it to her, he grabbed his own and began his morning rituals.

"He said… to come in… when we could…" he spit in the sink before continuing, "we have paperwork that needs to be done."

Kate nodded as she finished brushing her teeth and held the clean brush in her hand. She watched Tony move around the bathroom while wondering what she should do next. Suddenly he turned and stared at her.

"Kate, as much as I enjoy your company, I have to get ready for work." He smiled as he took the brush from her hand, rinsed it with strong mouthwash and stuck it in the holder next to his. Turning back to her, he grinned and pushed her back by the shoulders. "Let me take a shower now and then I will take you home so you can get dressed, okay?"

She nodded in a distracted manner as he shut the door. Her thoughts rolled as she tried to process what had just happened. Tony let her use a new toothbrush… that was nice. But what he did with it, putting it away next to his, seemed so… comforting. She wasn't sure what her feelings were on this. She wanted so badly to talk to Tony about last night, but he seemed in a slight hurry to get to the office, so she let it go for the moment.

When Tony came out of the bedroom, he was dressed in what was, to Kate at least, his most heart stopping outfit. Black slacks with a white button up shirt, expensive Italian leather shoes gracing his feet. He was just strapping on his shoulder holster as he walked into the living room and paused to check his weapon before slipping it into its holster.

"Kate, are you ready to go?" He grinned as she stood up from the couch wearing his shirt and sweats and shuffling in the slippers he had given her the night before. God, but she looked beautiful. She looked down sheepishly and he recognized how skittish she still was.

"I guess so… I'll get these washed and back to you as soon as I can."

"Sure, take your time. But here," he picked up his overcoat and draped it over her shoulders. While she slipped her arms in, Tony began to button up the coat and she was struck with how much it was like the previous night with the robe. Here he was, taking care of her again. When he had finished with the buttons, he reached around her and pulled her into a strong embrace. She didn't fight it, choosing instead to melt completely into his arms. It didn't last long enough for her as she was suddenly standing alone as he reached out to unhook his jacket and head for the door.

Gibbs glanced towards the elevator when it opened and Tony exited out to the bullpen. His gaze swept over the young Italian as he looked for Kate to follow him out. With a raised eyebrow, he urged the younger man to explain.

"She's at home getting dressed for work," answered Tony of Gibbs' unspoken question. When the silver haired agent said nothing, Tony felt the need to elaborate. "She couldn't very well come in to work wearing my sweats and T-shirt, now could she?"

Gibbs nodded once and returned to the file on his desk. Satisfied that he had explained things sufficiently enough for his boss, Tony sat at his desk and began to boot up his computer. McGee joined them after a bit and the three men went to work diligently clearing off their desks. Neither McGee nor Tony noticed when Kate slipped in from the stairs leading up from the dungeon they called labs. Gibbs had, and he nodded to her, giving her a rare smile as she took her seat at her desk. Tony glanced up and smiled briefly before returning to the file open before him on his desk. Kate picked up the first file on her desk and went to work, saying nothing about what had happened the previous night or that morning.

Tony tried hard to concentrate on the files but his mind soon fell into dream mode as his brain replayed the events from the previous day. From the ruined proposal to the late night crying session with Kate, it had been quite the emotional roller coaster. Glancing over at Kate, he wanted so badly to walk over to her and take her in his arms, but chose instead to clear his mind and return to the work before him. He did not want to be the only one here on Saturday morning working on old papers. He finally finished the last of his share at about 4pm and dropped the completed work on Gibbs' desk before returning to his own chair.

Kate pulled another file from the stack as Gibbs stood up to leave. With a glance and a smile at her boss, she went back to work, feeling rather than hearing the ex-marine leave through the elevator doors. She noticed that Tony had started playing an annoying video game on his computer and she smiled slightly. By all rights he could have clocked out and gone home, but a part of her didn't want him to leave her alone. She turned to her computer and began typing up a report for the file she was working on, hearing the incessant beeping that was designed to annoy any sane person. Finally she turned to her partner, eyebrow raised slightly.

"Tony, shouldn't you be working on the files?" she commented dryly.

"I'm already finished," he replied smoothly. "How about you, almost done?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," she answered. "If you're done, what are you still doing here? It's Friday night, surely you have a date or something to go to."

She was baiting him, with an obvious interest in what he would say. She wanted to test him and see what he really had on his mind. He paused the game to look at her fully before answering.

"Nope, no date. And don't call me ‘Shirley'," he gave her one of his patented DiNozzo grins, hoping that she caught his quip of Leslie Nelson. She chuckled as she pulled a paper out of her printer and added it to the file before her.

"Then what about going to a club? It's still early yet, you could probably get a couple of good leads on a girl for the weekend."

"Nah, not interested right now. Besides, I'm getting kind of tired of the club scene, you know?" He watched her stand up slowly and take the last of the files to Gibbs' desk, depositing them there with a satisfying thud.

"Then what do you plan to do that has you here this late? You could just go home." She turned and he was right there, behind her. His hands came out to steady her as she bumped into him. She stifled a gasp at his closeness, getting a whiff of his aftershave and nearly melting.

"Well, I was hoping to catch this beautiful, and I use the word strongly, woman that I know didn't have a bite to eat last night, missed breakfast this morning and skipped lunch a while ago, and ask her if she would like to get something to eat."

She smiled at his obvious attempt at being subtle in asking her to dinner. Food sounded good right about now and what else was there to do at this time? Go home and sit in the dark? She wasn't surprised when she curved her lips into a smile while staring up at him and accepting his invitation. She moved around him to gather her things, turn off her computer and light and then turned to him, waiting. He walked up to her side, and offered up his elbow in a gentlemanly gesture. She accepted it and allowed him to lead her to the elevator to get their cars from the garage.


The restaurant that Tony took her to wasn't the most expensive, but it was the most delicious food that she had tasted in such a long time. After finishing a filling meal of pasta and shrimp, she put her napkin on the table next to her plate and sat back with a sigh. Tony watched her from across the table before slipping out of his side of the booth and sitting next to her on the bench.

"Here, you have some sauce," he began before taking his thumb and wiping the corner of her mouth, popping it into his mouth to clean up the offending spot, keeping her appearance neat as always. She sighed as she looked into his eyes, wondering what to do next, but he helped her by continuing for her. "You want to talk?"

"Yeah, I think we should. Where do we want to start?"

"Talk about anything you want, Katie." He smiled with the obvious dig to her nick name. And truth be told, she actually liked hearing it come from his lips. She sat back for a moment, deciding to choose a safer subject than what happened the night before. She had a chance to get to know this man she called her partner, but she wasn't sure which question to ask first. What did she really know about him, except what he portrayed to her, Gibbs and the entire team?

"Why do you portray yourself as being a moron when I know for a fact that you are very smart?" Go for the kill why don't you Todd? She held her breath, expecting him to duck the question. Instead, he looked her in the eye and began the slow process of opening up to her.

"You're a profiler, Kate. Let's see if you can figure it out." He grinned as she drew her brows together in that way which made him want to kiss her forehead and smooth it. "Have you ever been to school with an only child? Especially in High School?"

"Yes," she answered.

"And how did it seem to you, their behavior and reactions?"

"They were trying to fit in with people they didn't know. Always doing something that would make them popular…" she trailed off as her eyes took on a new light, coming to the realization that he knew she would figure out quickly. "Tony, what makes you think you have to become Mr. Popular at work?"

"I've always been that way, Kate. It's what has made me so good at undercover work in the past." He grinned at her. "I'm a chameleon."

"That's at work, and I assume you do that with your dates as well, am I correct?" At his nod she continued. "But right now, this moment, are you in a role?"

His eyes darkened as he realized the extent of her concern. "Kate, this isn't an act. This is me, being open with you. You asked the question and I'm giving it all to you."

She ducked her head in embarrassment at having even thought that he would be playing games with her. He reached out and lifted her chin to stare him in the eyes. "No need to feel uncomfortable. You have a right to know the truth."

"Ok, next question. Do the others know about this game you play?"

"I don't see it as a game. It's more like a survival trait I picked up somewhere. But no, I don't think they do."

"Let me see if I can sort out all the personas you use." She was getting comfortable with this, sharing secrets with him. He grinned as she went silent for a moment. "First off, there is McGee. This one is the easiest to figure out; you want him to see you as a mentor. So you put on the hard nosed SOB that is always pulling pranks and keeping him on his toes. You don't want him comfortable in his own skin until he has grown a thicker hide to protect himself."

"Got it in one, Kate, good job. So who next? Abby, maybe?"

"Abby isn't hard to figure out either. You want to play the big brother type with a slightly naughty flair to make her comfortable around you. You let her be herself, you tease her and flirt with her, but she's more like a kid sister."

"I also try out my Gibbs' impersonation on her to see how close I can get," he supplied.

"Why is that, anyway?"

"You'll figure it out. Next is Ducky. What am I doing there?"

"With Ducky, you are more like you are now. You are kind and considerate and well meaning in a sensitive sort of way." She screwed up her face in concentration before going on. "You are being yourself; there is no persona you are putting on with him. Why is that?"

"Because unlike the others, Ducky has seen it all and nothing fazes him in the least. I like that and he makes me more at ease with myself." He took a sip of his iced tea. "Go on, Gibbs' turn."

"With Gibbs, you are being the mischievous child who is forever getting in trouble to gain attention." She noticed his attention waver as his thoughts took off without her. "What is it? What's wrong Tony?"

"That's more Vivian's fault than anything else." He blew out a harsh breath as Kate took his hand in hers. Glancing back at her, he tried his best to bring the lightness back to his voice. "When I first came here, Viv was always riding me to get things done right. I knew what I was doing, but she seemed to think that since I was just a cop that I was a bumbling idiot as well. In order to get her off my back, I let her think what she wanted and tried my best to stay out of the way. I didn't know that this was destroying my credibility with Gibbs, who had already seen me in action and knew what I was good at. When Vivian left and you came on board, I didn't want a repeat of the same old problems with a fresh partner, so I let it go."

"And let me think you weren't worth something?" She sighed. "Tony, when will you learn that you don't have to be anything with me?"

"You were so strong and smart, I wasn't sure of how to approach you. And it took me a year to get comfortable. But there was something else, something that a friend of mine once said. ‘Never break cover.' No matter what happens, you are what you portray."

"So, by the time you got comfortable with me, your cover was already established. And you didn't know how to let me in?" Kate wanted to cry! To think all this time Tony felt so alone on his own team! She shifted until she was holding him around the waist, her head on his chest listening to his heartbeat through the fabric of his shirt. His arms came around to cover her back and shoulders as he held her tightly. She didn't want to go anywhere else at that time, just wanted to stay right where she was.


It was a few hours later when Kate finally reached her apartment and dropped her purse on the couch. She had spent another hour with Tony in the parking lot of the restaurant talking about college, and another hour outside her apartment complex making plans for the next morning. She laughed to herself as she remembered how that went.

"So do you, maybe, want to do something tomorrow?" asked Tony.

"I have to clean my apartment." She sighed dejectedly and dipped her head. Raising her chin, he looked into her eyes and smiled.

"Maybe I can come over and help, and afterwards we can do something together."

"You don't want to come over to my apartment and clean, Tony! It's such a mess right now!"

"That settles it then. Call me when you get up and I'll bring the muffins. You get the orange juice, okay?"

"Tony!"

"No argument Agent Todd. I'm Senior Field Agent and I said I'm coming over in the morning. If you don't call me, be ready for a nasty surprise!"

"What, you're going to show up at my door?"

The look he gave her didn't make her feel good about that question and she assured him that she would indeed call him in the morning.

Kate shucked off her shoes, tossing them in a corner of her bedroom and turned to the bed where the clothing she had worn earlier that day still lay scattered. She undressed, leaving only her underwear on and reached out to take the T-shirt in hand. She was supposed to be washing these, but she wanted to be able to feel them and smell them one more time before returning them. Slipping the T-shirt on over her head, she noticed how soft it was. She raised the edge of the collar to her nose and sniffed lightly, recognizing the soft hint of Tony that she had smelt on his shirt earlier that evening. She smiled as she slipped on the sweats, turned off the lights and climbed into bed. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day indeed.

The next morning found Kate up, showered and dressed well before 9am. She loaded the washer with her first load of laundry before settling down and deciding if she believed Tony when he said he would show up at her apartment whether she called or not. Thinking that he was most likely still asleep, she picked up her phone and hit 1 on her speed dial, ringing his cell phone.

"DiNozzo here! Hey Kate, you awake yet?"

She stifled her laughter as she tried to figure out what he was doing wide awake on the other end of the phone. "Yeah, I'm awake. You sound pretty wide awake yourself, what are you doing?"

"I just got back from my morning jog about half an hour ago. Finished my shower and was just about to head out for those muffins I promised you. Do you want banana nut or blueberry?"

"Blueberry," she answered before she realized she had opened her mouth. She could hear him chuckle across the phone connection and knew that he had expected that.

"Right, I'll be there in about half an hour."

She smiled as she hung up, looking around her kitchen for two clean glasses and checking to see if she had enough orange juice. Finding that she did, she relaxed enough to start a list of things that absolutely needed to get done that day. After some time had passed, she looked up to see that the half hour was over and she began to wonder if Tony was stuck in traffic. The light tap on her door told her that he had arrived and she opened it to let him in.

"Welcome to my home, excuse the mess." She took a look at what Tony was wearing and bit back the impulsive response she wanted to give him. If there was any way that this man could look any sexier, she was afraid to find out! Wearing a pair of Levis button fly jeans and a T-shirt that said Ohio State across it, he looked ready to go out somewhere, like the bowling ally or something, not cleaning her apartment!

He walked over to the bar and set the bag he had been carrying on it before turning back to her and enveloping her in a large hug. She stiffened at first but soon was melting into him, clinging to him briefly before looking up into his eyes and smiling warmly. He gazed back at her with something that she felt could have been hot desire sparkling in his jade eyes. She stepped back from him, shyness creeping in, and he didn't stop her, turning instead to the muffins he had brought.

"Kate, I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. Are we going to eat these or what?" He smiled at her and the grin that she remembered so well served as a way to break her out of her revere. She walked into the kitchen, grabbed the juice out of the fridge and poured two glasses.

"All right, hand them over Tony!" He did just that.

Sitting together at the bar, eating muffins and drinking orange juice, felt very normal for the two friends and their conversation ranged from High School sweethearts to favorite movies they had watched while growing up. They found that they didn't have a lot in common, but what they did have more than out weighed the other side. When breakfast was finished, Kate sighed and surveyed the devastation that was her home. Tony took the excuse of needing the bathroom to investigate the rest of her home and soon came back to glare ruefully at her.

"Katie Babe, how could you let this place get so bad? Did Danny ever see this?"

At the mention of her five minute fiancé, Kate's face fell with a thunderous crash. Tony mentally whacked himself on the back of the head in an imitation of Gibbs reminding him not to be so stupid, and then walked over to face her. He lifted her chin, silently demanding that she focus on him.

"Sorry… that was a dumb thing for me to say. You can shoot me if you want, I'll even get you the gun." He stared deep into the liquid brown of her eyes, hoping she could forgive him his faux pas and return to being a little happier. She rewarded him with one of her rare smiles, the ones that lit up her face from within, and punched his arm.

"It's ok, Tony. I know you didn't mean anything by it. But watch what you offer, you know, because next time I might take you up on it!"

He joined her in her mirth before glaring at the kitchen and sighing. She misinterpreted it as him wishing he hadn't agreed to this and swallowed the lump that was threatening to close her throat. "I guess you already made that mistake once, huh? When you said you would help me, you didn't know what you were getting in to."

"No," he turned to her for a moment. "I was just wondering where the dish soap was. Is it under the sink?"

She shook her head in disbelief as she showed him all the cleaning supplies. Then they got to work, making the bed, washing laundry, cleaning the bathroom and the kitchen and finally reaching the living room at the same time. It took a few hours but they were soon sitting on her couch, finished and happy.

"Wow that was a lot of work!" She said, leaning her head on his shoulder and breathing heavily.

"Yeah… I've never worked this hard for a date before," he quipped, causing her to glare at him strangely.

"What makes you think we are going on a date, mister?"

"Aw, Katie… Don't you want to date me?" He teased the skin on her arm with his fingers, brushing lightly and causing her to shiver. She looked up and thought for a moment.

"Yeah, I do want to date you, but what about Gibbs and Rule 12?" She had finally said it, the doubt was there and it was real. He relaxed next to her. Finally she had asked the question that he was most happy to answer. He shifted to take her in his arms, his eyes staring off into space while her head lay on his chest.

"You remember the other night, at the restaurant after you stormed out?"

"How can I forget…" she replied sarcastically.

"Well, after you left, I wanted so badly to hurt Danny, but Gibbs wouldn't let me. Instead, he told me that there was one more rule that we needed to know… He said follow your heart." Tony leaned back to look her in the eyes. "He said it didn't have a number, didn't need one because it transcends all others."

Her eyes became unfocused as she digested this piece of information. Gibbs was essentially telling his two best field agents that they should not discount their love for each other. And that he was behind them, one hundred percent, if they really wanted to be together. It was small wonder that Tony came after her that night, as he was most likely trying his best to help her the only way he knew how and for the only reason that mattered. Because he… no, it couldn't be that easy. She couldn't just make the leap that he took care of her, pampered her and held her when she cried, because he loved her?

Becoming a little uncomfortable, she shifted out of his embrace to stand. He didn't stop her, recognizing that she was suddenly off balance and wanting to give her the space she needed. As she went to get a glass of water, he decided to switch tactics, to sooth her and let her know that everything was all right.

"Hey, you want to go to a movie or something?"

She glanced up. "What?"

"Movie, Kate… you want to go see one today?"

"Sure, I guess. What's playing?"

"Well, it's a toss up between Dukes of Hazzard and Just like Heaven."

"What's the second one about?"

Tony stood and joined her in the kitchen. He disliked being so far from her, and wanted to close the distance he was feeling from her. She put the glass down to focus her attention on him and what he was saying. But for some inexplicable reason she couldn't help being drawn to his mouth. As he spoke, she stared openly at him, her mind wandering to imagine what it would feel like to have that mouth do….. Her mind snapped back into focus. Concentrate Kate!

"Reese Witherspoon plays this young woman who becomes a spirit and has to get back to her body, and falls in love along the way." Tony noticed her eyes flickering to his lips, eyeing them while licking her own seductively. He didn't say anything about it, but watched as she pulled herself back from whatever day dream she had been indulging in at that moment and looked back up at his eyes.

"That sounds like a chick flick, Tony. I didn't now you went in for those."

"I had a friend in college who used to drag me out to the chick flicks all the time. We would only watch guy movies in my room in the frat house."

"You took a girl to your frat house to watch a movie?" She tried to picture Tony with some random girl in his room in college. "And you didn't try to…"

"We worked on her studies, and fell asleep to movies." He looked Kate in the eye. "You remind me of her a lot."

"You want to watch a guy movie in your room and fall asleep with me?"

"No." He leaned in and gave her a chaste kiss upon the lips, more brushing across them then really kissing. "I mean she was strong and vibrant, like you."

"What ever happened to her?" She watched his eyes cloud up for a moment. This must have been a special person for him to pull away emotionally from her.

"Doesn't matter now, it was a life time ago and a universe away from right here." He pulled her close to him again. "So which is it?"

"Well as much as I don't mind watching Sean William Scott and Johnny Knoxville, I think I'd rather take you to a chick flick. It's safer that way, I think."

"Safer how? I just want to see the 1969 Dodge Charger they have on the show!" Tony let her go as she twisted a bit and watched her head for the bedroom.

"A car Tony? And here I thought it was because of Jessica Simpson as Daisy Duke!"

"What, whoa, wait, Jessica Simpson? You got to be kidding me Kate, can we please?" He followed her into the bedroom and stopped short when she turned on him brown eyes flashing dangerously.

"In your dreams, Tony!" She snarled at him. He grabbed her around the waist, hauling her back to him and kissing her full on the lips.

"You really want to know what I dream about Katie?" he breathed into her ear. She shivered again from his touch and relaxed totally in his arms. He released her as quickly as he had snagged her and she reluctantly stood on her own feet. "What are we doing in here, Kate? I thought we were going to the movies."

"We are, but I have to change."

"You look fine, no need to get dressed up for a movie."

"But I'm only wearing a T-shirt and jeans, Tony. And you may look sexy without even trying, but I have to work at it."

"Ok, first… Is that all you are wearing, really?" he tried to see through the T-shirt and she slapped his arm playfully. "Second… you really think I look sexy? And third, you look beautiful in anything. Or haven't I told you that enough yet?"

She smiled shyly at this last statement and looked down at her faded jeans and bright pink T-shirt that she had chosen to wear to clean her home. "You think this is all right?"

He lifted her face to look her in the eye. "You are perfect."

By the end of the evening, Kate and Tony were having the time of their lives and didn't really want to see the night end. Finally, moonrise found them in a park somewhere, sitting together and holding hands. Rubbing his thumb across her knuckles, he gazed seductively into her eyes.

"Kate, if you hadn't found out about Danny that night… Do you think you would have married him?"

"I might have. I was ready for it, I thought."

"Are you glad you found out before that happened?"

"I'm very glad, Tony." She looked off across the grass in the park. "If it hadn't happened, I might never have found out about…"

He reached over, cupping her chin in his hand and bringing her eyes to meet his. "I would have never told you that I love you."

Her mind went into shock. He had said it! He actually told her that he loved her! What should she do now, tell him the same thing? She felt so confused. Did she love him? Did she feel that strongly about this man who could charm with a smile anything out of anyone?

"Kate." He placed a finger on her lips. He had seen the hesitation in her eyes and read it for what it truly was… fear. "You don't have to say anything. Take your time with it. I'm not going anywhere."

She relaxed as he slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. Her head rested on his thick, strong chest as she listened to his heartbeat through the fabric of his shirt. His hand on her back traced lazy circles as he sniffed the shampoo in her hair. He truly loved this woman and he wasn't going to let her fear ruin this good thing they were sharing. One hand being trapped against his side, she used her free hand to brush against his chest, reveling in the firm muscles that hid just beneath the surface of the flesh.

"Should we go back to your place?" he asked.

"Yeah, I still have to give you back your clothes from the other night." She stood up with him and they began to walk in the direction of his car.

"You can keep them, they look better on you anyway." She laughed with him as they left the park together.


Coming into the hallway that led to her apartment, they talked about the movies that they had watched that day and laughed at what they thought were the best parts. It had turned into a double feature as they realized they had time for both movies. Kate held her arms out in front of her as she recalled the scene with the charger on its two wheels.

"How did they make that car do that, anyway?"

"Hydraulic jacks for the far shots, and a frame to hold part of the body on its side for the close ups," he answered. At her startled glance he continued, "I read it in Popular Mechanics once."

"You never fail to amaze me, Tony." She grinned at him just before he grabbed her wrist and turned her around in an expert dance move that brought her snuggly back to his chest, their faces close enough to kiss, yet not quite touching.

"Like that, Kate?" As he let his head fall to kiss her lips, he saw movement in the shadows up ahead. He stopped short of the kiss and shifted to but himself between Kate and the possible threat. His free hand moved to rest calmly on the butt of his weapon, tucked in the back holster that Kate hadn't noticed he was wearing. His voice was strong as he called out to the figure in the near darkness. "Who ever you are, come out where I can see you."

"Tony, don't shoot!" Danny stepped from the shadows near Kate's door, his hands high in the air. Kate blew out a sigh of relief, but Tony didn't release his hold on his weapon. She held his other hand and watched as Danny took another cautious step forward. Tony glared at him. "I told you I would shoot first and deal later, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember Tony," answered the other man. "But I need to talk to Kate. Can I do that before you kill me?"

Tony stood between the woman he loved and the man who had broken her heart, wanting so badly to beat the man to within an inch of his life for what he did to Kate. He moved his one hand away from his weapon and squeezed her hand with the other. "Kate, you want to talk to Danny-boy?"

"I think I should, Tony..." He watched carefully as she stepped around him to face Danny. Tony leaned against the wall, ever the watch dog. One wrong word from this guy and Tony wouldn't hesitate to punch him out and leave him in an alley somewhere. Kate felt strong enough to talk to Danny, knowing that she had Tony at her back to protect her honor if she needed it. She stared the other man square in the eyes.

"What do you want, Danny? I figured you would understand that it's over between us now."

"Kate, I wanted to explain…"

"There is nothing to explain. You were seeing some other woman while you were seeing me, and you got caught. There is nothing you can say that will change that fact."

"I wanted to tell you about her, Kate, really I did. But things began to get so complicated and…"

"How did it get complicated, Danny? It was down right embarrassing to have my fiancé say those words in front of my team mates… my friends… my family." She took her keys out of her purse and proceeded to open the door to her apartment as Danny continued speaking.

"Kate, I loved you, really I did." He tried to give her a broken look, but she wasn't having it. She recognized it for what it was; she was a profiler after all. She could read people when she tried hard enough.

"Loved, past tense. I know you say you loved me, Danny. But the truth is, when it came right down to it… you couldn't control me." She swung the door open and turned back to her ex-fiancé, preparing to end the conversation. Tony noticed the sign and moved to stand behind her in the open doorway, giving her all the strength and comfort he could to help her to continue. "It's over Danny, I'm moving on. You should do that as well."

Danny could have left it at that, he didn't have to say another word. But he couldn't leave well enough alone. "Moving on, eh? I take it that Tony here is helping you with that, quite nicely I suppose?"

Kate's head snapped back with shock evident in her chocolate eyes. That he had the nerve, the audacity to say something like that to her? For a fraction of a second she considered having Tony shoot him for that remark. She knew he would have loved to do it for her. Instead, she took a deep calming breath and stared Danny down.

"How dare you for one minute presume that Tony and I are involved in any way." Not that it wasn't so, but for Danny to infer that she was… what? What did Danny think of her relationship with Tony? Danny wasn't done yet, and he continued to berate the couple from the hallway.

"How fast did it take you to get in her pants, Tony? An hour, maybe two? Did she scream for you that first night or was it more of a whimper? Did you manage to break that tough hide of hers and find a heart?" Danny was dangerously close to having his teeth knocked in by the tall Italian, but he didn't care. He wanted to hurt Kate and he knew this was the best way to do it.

Before he could take another breath, though, he found himself slammed against the wall on the opposite side of the hall, his feet barely touching the floor, very nearly not even supporting his weight. Tony, his long fingers wrapped around Danny's throat, held the other man pinned against the wall so that he could look him in the eyes when he spoke. His voice had taken on a strange and dangerous quality and Danny paid very close attention to every word spoken.

"Listen to me, you worm. You made a very terrible mistake tonight. One that I would suggest in the future you never make again. You see that woman right there?" Tony moved his head slightly to give Danny a better view of Kate, who was standing still in shock at the scene before her. Danny tried to nod his head and Tony continued, "That is the most beautiful woman in the world, did you know that? And you lost her. You tried to screw her over and look what it got you? Nothing, absolutely nothing."

Danny began to panic as he watched Tony, wondering if the other man would make good on his threat to shoot him and hide the body. Tony held his cool just a bit longer, wanting Danny to realize just how serious this was to him.

"If I ever see you around her, the office or her apartment ever again, don't expect to see me coming. You have no claim on her, you never did. You destroyed her with your lies and I was the one to pick up the pieces of your destruction. And I would do it again, if there was a need to. You don't know her, you don't know me, and you never will. She is my friend, and the woman that I love. You wouldn't understand that as scum like you never have friends, you would stab them in the back as fast as lightning. And who would love scum?"

He dropped the man on the ground, turned on his heel and strode back to Kate's apartment. Taking her by the arm, he steered her back inside and closed the door behind them, flicking on the light by the front door. She finally pulled out of her stunned trance and fell shaking into his arms. He held her tightly, stroking her back and shifting her hair back and forth. Soothing words tripped off his lips as she tried not to cry. She pulled back just enough to look up at him.

"What just happened out there?" she asked.

"Closure," he answered firmly. "Are you ok?"

"I will be, now that it's over." She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close again. "My knight in shining armor."

"Even though it's somewhat tarnished?" He laughed.

"Nothing about you is tarnished, Tony," she assured him. Her sigh flushed out the last of the tension that had been hiding in her bones over the last few days and she looked up at him. Taking a moment to gaze deep into his eyes, emerald green with desire, she smiled. "You, Tony DiNozzo, are perfect."

He grinned back at her, leaning his head in close, closer, both of their lips nearly touching. "And you, Katie Girl, take my breath away."