DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NCIS OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!

PLAYING WITH TONY

She looked at the likeness she had worked to create. 'Not too bad,' she smiled. Taking a brown marker she had changed the blond hair to brunette. A green marker over the blue eyes and the suit she had sewn to size gave it the final touch. The other she retouched came out well, too. Trimming the long blonde hair to a more sensible shoulder length and coloring it a darker brown than the other. A brown marker to the blue eyes and a navy business suit with sensible heels rounded out the look.

They made a cute couple she figured placing them side by side. She redressed them in their beach attire and took them into the bathroom. She filled the sink with water and used the soap holder as a lounge for her 'Kate' doll to laze upon while her 'Tony' doll swam about, around and under her; occasionally slapping water on her legs.

"Oh Tony, stop it!" she kicked water into his face. She laughed as he sputtered and dunked back into the water. He didn't come up, so she began to search for him. Right before she began to panic she felt the lounge begin to rock and a moment later she was in the water in his arms.

She tried to look indignant but his large smile was contagious and she found herself giggling as he twirled her around. The vortex swirled them around making them feel weightless. He held her close to his chest and she held her cheek tightly against him sighing in the security she found there.

Their arms wrapped tightly around each other they each slowly became caught up in the intimacy. As the water stilled around them they looked into each others eyes. Kate opened her mouth to speak, but her words were captured by Tony's lips closing in on her own.

Her first instinct was to push him away, but her arms had no strength as she soon welcomed the kiss and returned her own. She put her hand in his hair and felt his strong hand holding her lower back pulling her closer.

'Was it possible to be wearing swimwear and have it be too much clothing?' she wondered. This thought brought her back to her senses and she pulled away. She could see the dazed look on Tony's face.

She'd known he always wanted her. It was realizing it wasn't a one-way attraction that had brought her to where she was now. Still there was Gibbs' Rule 12 to consider. She liked her job, more than any of the ones she'd held before. Still was this role playing ever going to be satisfying enough? How much gratification could be had?

'UGH!' She took her dolls and dried them up taking them back to put away. 'Silly school girl games,' she chastised herself. There's was work in the morning and she'd have to look across at her partner and all his charm and annoying habits. She smiled. He did seem to grow on her.

They had target practice in the morning and she needed to get a good night's rest. If nothing else she had to best him on the range.

Turned out neither was able to claim the victory. Tony short a cap and her PDA rendered useless, they went to work on solving their current case. While working together inputting data she grew frustrated at his inability to keep up with her reading while he typed.

She asked how he ever got into law enforcement without knowing how to type.

He replied, "I'm a man of action, Kate."

She taunted him, "More like an action figure."

He grinned knowingly, "Why you want to play with me?"

She tried to cover her secret obsession with a comeback of "As in you look good, but you can't really do much."

Unfazed he responded with a smile, "But I look good."

She shook her head at his confidence. Fortunately Gibbs returned to drop the subject entirely.

They eventually solved the case and saved a Marine. Returning him to his wife and family that had thought he was dead. He'd survive despite the injury to his ear resulting from the shots that killed his captor.

Tony and Kate argued over who was to blame. She didn't want to give an inch in the argument lest he see the weakness he'd hit upon with that earlier discussion.

She got home that night and looked at her dolls. 'I wonder what it would really be like if he and I got together.' Thinking the better of it, she shrugged, 'Nah, best to leave things the way they are.' Still she smiled as she went to prepare for bed.

Tony got home to his empty apartment and dropped to his couch. It had been a long case with a rewarding outcome. He thought of Kate and her words from the day before. She said he looked good. Yeah, it might not lead to anything between them, but he could use that knowledge to play around with her a bit. Maybe one day she'd even see him as something more than a plaything.