Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or its characters.
AN: Hope you like this oneshot. And yes it is staying as a ONEshot. I can't commit! Hehe.
Kate set her things down at her feet and looked around the room. About ten other people were standing behind their easels. She took her pencils and charcoal and arranged them on the stand neatly.
She'd been coming to these art classes for several weeks now. Sketching crime scenes as a part of her job was one thing, but being able to create decent works of art was another completely. She enjoyed coming to draw or paint whatever she wanted and getting feedback and techniques from the students as well as the teacher, Michel (who, she might add, was extremely good-looking).
"Morning Kate!" Mya called to her from the easel next to hers.
"Hey Mya. How was your week?"
Kate and Mya had become friends through the classes. It was nice to make friends outside of work. I mean, lets face it, dating was usually disastrous when work was always interfering and the women Kate met weren't usually friendly. They were either intimidated by what she did for a living, or they were too competitive with her.
"Oh, not so bad. The kids went away on camp and I've been at the office everyday. How was your spa trip?"
Mya worked as a receptionist in a Government office much like NCIS headquarters. They shared a common interest in art and both were always busy. They understood each other.
"Didn't end up going. Work got in the way again," Kate sighed.
"Oh, that's too bad. You really should give yourself a break soon. So, looking forward to today's lesson?" Mya winked at her.
"What do you mean?" Kate asked, confused.
"Oh that's right, you left early last week. Michel told us all we'd be getting a living model to work with today," Mya sounded excited.
Kate raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Don't get your hopes up. He'll probably be that ugly guy that sleeps out on the front steps."
Just then Michel entered and the room quieted down.
"Your attention S'il vous plaît."
He looked at Kate and smiled. She smiled back.
"Today I want you to draw the human form. You can use whichever method you wish and there are no boundaries. The only thing I ask is for your artwork to convey some sort of meaning. I do not just want a plain emotionless copy of what you see."
As he said this, Michel turned to face the other people in the room and Kate couldn't help but admire the exquisite human form he conveyed. She heard Mya make a sound in appreciation of the view he was presenting her too and the two giggled softly.
"The ladies are indeed in for a treat… that is if they can contain themselves," he shot at Kate and Mya and Kate felt as though she'd just been busted by the teacher at school. The one difference being that her high school teachers were never that gorgeous. She grinned at him and he winked back. Stop flirting Kate! She yelled at herself, and then ignored her own thoughts.
"If there are no questions, we'll get started." He walked to the door of the room and motioned for the model to enter. Kate picked up her favourite pencil and tested the nib. When she looked up she saw the back of the man she was to sketch. He definitely wasn't the ugly homeless guy.
The man still had a towel wrapped around his waist as he stood in a confident manner.
"Strike a comfortable pose Monsieur; you'll be standing for a while."
Kate was still admiring the man's broad shoulders and back when he turned more toward her and she dropped her pencil with shock. He hadn't seen her yet but he was about to turn around so Kate quickly ducked behind her easel to pick up the pencil. What is he doing here! He's posing naked! What-? Why-? Kate's mind was racing, when she heard Mya let out a low whistle. She suddenly realized how funny the situation actually was and couldn't help but laugh when he dropped his towel.
Tony panicked when, at the exact moment he dropped his towel, a woman began laughing. He spun around to face her and immediately grabbed for his towel when he noticed it was Kate.
"K-Kate, what are you doing here!" He asked, panic-stricken.
"I could ask you the very same question," she replied when she had her laughter under control… nearly.
"You know him?" Mya raised an eyebrow at Kate.
"Unfortunately,' she nodded.
"Excusez-moi Monsieur, could you please drop your towel and strike a pose," Michel asked, getting impatient.
Tony gave Kate a nervous look.
"Go ahead DiNozzo, it's not like I haven't seen everything before," Kate smirked at him and she heard Mya gasp.
Tony glared at her and took off his towel, standing up straighter.
"Begin," Michel instructed the class.
Kate tilted her head to the side and studied Tony's face, waiting for some inspiration to strike her. Tony tried his very hardest to avoid eye contact.
Two hours later, Kate had finished two portraits and had nearly finished a third. Tony was beginning to get bored. Once the initial moments of embarrassment had subsided, standing still for two hours was rather boring. Not to mention the fact that he had to stand there and watch as Kate shamelessly flirted with the instructor – a French snob called Michel. He wasn't jealous or anything, he just hated seeing the way the two kept looking at each other. It made his blood boil.
"So Mya, what do you say you and I grab lunch after this?" Tony grinned at Mya.Two could play at that game.
Mya opened her mouth to answer him when Kate cut in for her.
"Leave her alone DiNozzo."
"I don't see what it has to do with you Katie."
"She's my friend."
"Yes, your very attractive friend," he winked at Mya.
"Keep your mouth closed," Michel told Tony.
"That never works when I say it," Kate commented.
"Not gonna work when he says it either," Tony glared at Michel. "Katie you're very welcome to join us for lunch too."
"Too? I never said yes," Mya cut in while she had the chance.
"See Tony, I told you Mya wasn't interested."
"I didn't say that!" Mya said, "I have… other commitments."
"Well, you join me for lunch then Kate… my treat," Tony offered.
"No talking!" Michel demanded of Tony.
"Yeah, yeah. C'mon Kate, one meal? I'll behave."
"I can't believe you're asking me to lunch while you're standing there in the buff!"
"Well I figure if I'm already embarrassing myself, why not take the risk of you rejecting me too? I've been waiting to ask you for a long time Kate, why not get all the embarrassing things over with in one morning?"
"A long time?" Kate stopped sketching and studied his face.
"Yeah… well, you know…"he looked to the floor.
"Keep your head still!" Michel told him and Tony reluctantly moved his head back into position.
There was a silence for a few minutes more until Mya called Kate's name to show her her painting. She'd painted two stick figures sitting in a tree and a heart between them. She'd labeled one 'Kate' and one 'Tony'.
"That is not funny Mya!" Kate chuckled despite herself and Mya grinned evilly.
"I think your artwork needs some work Mya," Michel's voice startled them from behind and Mya quickly crumpled the paper up. Kate couldn't help but think about what Tony had said as she finished off her last drawing. She figured DiNozzo wanting to ask her out wasn't all that surprising based on the fact that she was female and he was DiNozzo, but was there any more to it?
"Katie?"
"Yes Tony?"
"You're not going to, uh, tell, uh, anyone about this are you?"
She grinned evilly from behind her easel. "Depends."
"On what?"
"On how good lunch is," she told him. She watched his eyes light up with the happy grin and she quickly sketched his face on a new piece of paper.
Suddenly her phone started ringing and she rummaged around in her bag to answer it.
"Todd... OK… Got it… He's not answering?.." she questioned, trying to keep the grin from her voice. "I'll tell him." She hung up the phone and started packing up her things. "Get dressed Tony, we've got a case," she told him.
Tony quickly grabbed his towel and headed off to put his clothes on.
"You can't just leave!" Michel called after him.
"Watch me," Tony called back.
Kate smirked and went to use the restroom quickly. When Tony finished getting changed he entered the now-empty room to find Kate. She wasn't there… but her sketch-pad still was. Tony moved swiftly over to her work to peek at what she'd drawn. What he found surprised him.
The first picture was of his waist upwards and showed him looking embarrassed about her seeing him. The second was also from the waist upwards and he knew he looked jealous in the picture. She'd captured the emotion so well. He didn't know he was so obvious about being jealous of Michel. The third picture made him laugh, even if it was at his own expense. She'd drawn him cartoon style, butt-naked but trying to cover his privates. At the same time he was raising his eyebrow suggestively and grinning like an idiot. Even if she was making fun of him, he liked the picture. The last one made Tony smile. It was a picture of himself and he was smiling genuinely. He had to admit Kate had the uncanny knack to draw what was in his head and heart at that particular time. He didn't realize she could read him like a book. This made him wonder what else she could really tell about him.
Just then he heard footsteps outside the door and he quickly closed her book and jumped away to pretend he was tying his shoes. Kate entered and picked up her things. He followed her into the hallway.
"So I guess this means no lunch huh?"
"I guess so."
"Dinner then," he said as he took her hand and they walked outside.
She smiled and shook her head.
"OK DiNozzo, OK," she said, chuckling quietly.
The end. Please review!