The Truth Behind the Boy.

A/N: OK, this is just something that came to me, so I had to get it out, because it just wouldn't leave me alone until I did, hope you like it, it's a long one shot, of how Tony and Kate got together, plus why Tony acts like such a child.

I do not own anything other than the NCIS box sets and a ball cap.

Hope you enjoy.

As the slow summer sun rose over the skyline of Washington DC, Special Agent Catlin Todd was sat down in her best friends lab talking, like they did every morning.

They would both arrive at work early every day so they could just sit and share girl talk about everything, from fashion to their love lives.

Abby had only recently started dating the youngest member of the team, Tim McGee, she wanted to keep it a secret, especially from their boss, Gibbs, she had told Kate as she was her best friend, and as such they shared everything with each other, even explicit day dreams of their colleagues.

Kate's love life was on the rocks once again, as much as she hated to admit it, her love life was very similar to one Tony DiNozzo, minus one very big difference, she more often than not, didn't sleep with the man she was "Dating", but otherwise, her relationships normally lasted only a week, very much like Tonys, it wasn't due to her, but the job, working at NCIS was fine, it was working for Gibbs that had her coming and going at all hours of the day and night, which meant standing up her current boyfriend, whoever he was, or having to cancel dinner plans or other romantic plans they may have had for her...and that wasn't all, the other thing that she always prioritised above her relationships, was her partner and friend? Tony, given the choice of a romantic candle lit dinner with her boyfriend or staying in watching a DVD with Tony, she'd chose Tony, she'd even chose him over a romantic weekend trip to Paris, which scared her in a way, but of course she'd never admit this to him, well...not yet.

She did however share this information and the secret that she had fallen completely in love with him with her best friend, Abby, which always meant that their morning girl talk ended on the hypothetical scenarios with Kate and Tony, which they both found funny and sweet at the same time.

By the time the two women had gotton to this part of their conversation, they had more or less set the world to rights, and were now sharing a laugh at the hypothetical action Tony would take if Kate had turned up dressed as a vampire one morning, at the very instant they burst into laughter, Tony walked through the door, he stopped instantly and looked between the two woman, who both fell silent at the sight of him.

"Sorry, I'll come back later" He said sadly.

Kate was shocked by the seriousness of him, and how bad he looked, the man she knew as a over grown kid was nowhere to be seen, he'd been replaced by what looked like a sleep deprived man, who hadn't shaved in week, but also had been crying, her first instinct was to run over to him and cradle him in her arms, hold him and let him cry in her embrace, tell him everything would be OK and that she was in love with him and wasn't going to leave him to face whatever it was that was bothering him alone, But she couldn't, she didn't have the confidence to go through with it.

Tony turned as he hung his head and started towards the door, she opened her mouth to call after him but was beaten by Abby, who was already on her feet and rushing over to him.

"No, Tony wait," she called before reaching him and turning him with one smooth motion "Kate, I'll be right back OK, just give us a minute" she said as she lead Tony towards her office.

Kate simply nodded as she watched them walk through the glass automatic door and offer Tony the seat behind her desk.

Tony collapsed down into the chair, his head instantly fell into his hands as his body started the rack with silent sobs, Abby instantly threw her arms around him, holding him in a tight loving embrace.

"I miss her so much Abs" Tony whispered as he forced the sobs to stop and hugged the Goth back.

"I know Tony" Abby sighed symmetrically as she rubbed his back gently.

They remained like that for a few minutes, just holding one another, Tony holding onto Abby for the support he so desperately needed on this one day of the year, While Abby held him, trying to show him that he wasn't alone, that others cared for him and would be there for him whenever he needed them.

After a few more minutes Tony allowed his arms to fall away from Abby, she took a step back and placed her hands on his shoulders as he rose from the chair, she looked him in the watery eyes, her gaze full of care and tenderness.

"You come talk to me, whenever OK DiNozzo?" she stated with a soft friendly smile.

Tony replied with a small nod of his head and a very small, but sincere smile of his own.

"Thanks Abby" he said so softly that the Goth had the strain to catch it.

She smiled and pulled Tony into another hug, she gave him a extra squeeze before letting go, Tony smiled softly at her before wiping the remaining falling tears from his cheeks, straightened his tie and then walked out of the office, followed by his friend.

"See you up stairs Katie" he said, trying to sound like the Tony Kate saw on a daily basis.

Kate frowned at the nickname, but melted at it inside, she couldn't help but feel she should give him a hug though, but before she could act, he had left the lab and was now riding the elevator up to the bull pen.

Throughout the day Kate had noticed everyone being slightly nicer to Tony than they normally were, even Gibbs wasn't as hard on him, he still gave Tony the occasional head slap, but by now she had figured out that they were Gibb's way of saying he cared and appreciated the younger agent, Even McGee was being nice to Tony, and although she had asked Abby, Ducky and even Gibbs why they were being nice to Tony, they had all replied the same way.

"We're not." Which only annoyed her to no end?

Tony continued to try and act himself throughout the day, but Kate was fully aware that it was only a facade, but that didn't stop him from getting on her nerves.

By lunch Tony had succeeded in annoying her to the point of retaliation, she was one more comment away from snapping at him, and then it came.

"Hey Katie, you wanna see a movie with me tonight, I sorta need to tell you something too" he asked completely honestly.

See Tony DiNozzo was madly in love with Kate Todd, but was also to scared to do anything about it, he had like her for over a year now, but only fell in love with her about nine months ago, and Tonight he was going to tell her, he needed something good to happen on this day, he needed to replace the negative feelings he felt year after year for about four years, he needed to be able to look forwards to this day each year, instead of dreading it.

Although he sounded Honest and sounded like he was asking a genuine question, she was incredibly annoyed with him, he'd been acting like a child all day, and Gibbs hadn't called him on it once, Even McGee had taken the insults and jokes about his life without anything in return, this annoyed her to hell, why were they letting him get away with it? Well she sure as hell wasn't going to.

"No, Tony, I don't want to catch a movie with you tonight, or any other night for that fact, I want to know why the hell everyone around here seems to be walking on eggshells with you today, and how they can take you're insults and sexist jokes and not do anything about it," she snapped coldly at him with a glare "especially as you're being nothing more than a over grown child again! Honestly DiNozzo, when the hell are you ever going to grow up?!" she instantly regretted saying that as she saw not only the look of hurt in his eyes, but also the physical embodiment of hurt, as Tears started to fill his eyes.

Tony stood up, grabbed his back pack and reached for his coat.

"Tony, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Kate started but found herself being cut off by Tonys hurt voice.

"Yeah, you did Kate" was all he said before heading for the elevator.

"Damn it Todd" Gibbs hissed from his desk as he slammed his coffee down and turned to face McGee "Phone Abby and tell her to get up her, I'm going to try and catch him before he leaves the base" he said as he stood and slid his jacket on.

"What?" Kate asked simply but genuinely confused by what had just happened and how she was the bad guy, not to get her wrong, she felt awful for what she had said to him, especially as she loved him so much, that the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him.

"Stay here!" Gibbs hissed at her as he marched by her desk after Tony.

Within a matter of seconds Abby was up in the bull Pen, McGee filled her in on what she had missed, all the while Kate was sat silently at her desk trying to figure out what she had done wrong, or why it had such an effect today of all days, normally Tony would brush it off with another joke or comment and get back on with work, but today he didn't, she looked up as Abby perched herself o the corner of Kate's desk and looked down at her.

"I don't understand" Kate said defeated as she looked up at her best friend, while slumping back in her chair.

Abby looked over at McGee, who gave her a shrug, before going back to his work, She turned back to Kate and let out a long sigh.

"OK, listen to me first, then do whatever it is you have to do," Abby stated with a sad smile, she waited for Kate to nod before continuing "When Tony was in college, he didn't only blow out his knee," she stated softly "he also became a single farther" Abby paused, allowing Kate to absorb what had just been said, once Kate went to ask a question Abby held up her hand to silence her and continued "His girlfriend, the one that left him after he couldn't play Basket Ball anymore, fell pregnant with his child, she gave birth to a girl, and dumped her with Tony before leaving, Tony...he finished college and raised his daughter alone, But, while in Baltimore he had to give evidence against a crime boss, but the boss had contacts on the outside...so four years ago today, he...he ordered one of his "Crew" to find and kill Tonys daughter, to send a message, Tony found the body of his little girl when he got back from work, and...well, that's, why he left Baltimore and moved to DC" she explained softly, her eyes filling with silent tears as she told the story, "None of us, other than Gibbs knew, we only knew because Gibbs told us, and then about a year ago, Tony Told me himself, that's why he acts like such a kid, because he had to grow up really quickly for his daughter" she finished softly.

Kate was frozen to her chair, her hands covered her mouth as she stared at Abby in shock and horror, tear filling her eyes, she finally allowed her eyes to drop onto the desk opposite hers, a small sob escaping her mouth as she finally understood what she' done wrong, and why Tony reacted the way he did.

"Oh, Tony" she whispered as the first silent tear trickled down her cheek.

She quickly stood up, her head snapping from side to side as she searched for her purse, Abby lifted the item up in front of her, Kate snatched it without a moment's hesitation and rushed past her friend and towards the elevators, she had to see him, she had to talk to him, tell him that everything was going to be ok, that she wasn't going to leave him to face this alone, that she loved him and didn't mean those things she said, she had to comfort the man she loved.

As the summer sun sank back into the DC skyline, Special Agent Catlin Todd was arriving at the apartment block of one Antony DiNozzo, she parked up as the growing darkness crept down the walls towards the ground, she sprinted up the steps of the apartment complex, taking them two at a time, she smashed through the door and sprinted across the entrance hall towards the elevators, she pushed the button repeatedly praying it would arrive faster than it was currently descending, when the lift finally arrived she didn't wait for the people to exit, she forced her way on, and pushed the button for his floor, silently cursing everyone for the slow exit of the cube.

After what felt like an eternity, but was more like a few minutes the elevator arrived at the desired floor, Kate walked out and down the hall towards the apartment, she knocked on the door several times and waited for any sign of movement, disturbing images of Tonys dead body, from where he'd killed himself because of the things she had said filled her mind, she found tears welling in her eyes at the thought of losing him, forcing the thoughts out of her mind, she banged on the door again, begging silently for him to answer, she breathed a sigh of relief as she heard a slurred and tired voice call through the wooden obstruction.

"Who is it?" Came a very drunk and tired Tony's voice.

"Tony, it's me, it's Kate, please open the door" Kate replied desperately.

"Go away, you made it clear that you don't want me in your life" Tony snapped back his voice breaking with a slight sob as he said it.

"Tony, I do want you in my life, more than you know" Kate called through the door, "Please, Please open the door, I need to talk to you" she pleaded.

She waited in silence, afraid that he had passed out or was pretending to be unable to hear her, but then she hear the distinctive sound of the lock being clicked off, she paused for a moment unsure whether he was going to open the door for her or if she was meant to open it herself, after a moment she turned the handle and pushed the door open, she was instantly met with complete darkness, the only light coming from a far room and from the hall behind her.

Kate spotted a small lamp on the table by the front door and turned it on before walking in and closing the door behind her, she walked slowly through the large hall to the two door archway that lead to the open planned living space, she saw the source of the light was the TV, she also saw the dark figure sat on the sofa, bottle of whisky in his hand as he watched the screen before him, she turned her attention back to the screen and gasped in utter sadness as she saw a young girl, no more than five, run towards the screen, she looked just like a young female Tony, her eyes the same as his, her hair the same colour, and her smile the same, she slid a hand over her mouth as she heard the four words that broke her heart.

"I love you Daddy"

She heard Tony give a sob, and she turned to face him, she had to hold him, she quickly crossed the room, silent tears spilling down her cheeks as she came to sit next to the shell of a man, she instantly pulled him into a hug, as she turned to face the TV again.

"I love you too Izzy" Tonys voice said softly.

Kate could feel more tear flow from her eyes as she watched the camera get placed on a side and Tony come into shot, he was so much younger than, yet still looked the same, he scooped up the young girl in his arms and kissed her forehead.

"You're the love of my life Isabel" he said softly with the proudest smile she'd ever seen.

"and you're the love of my life too daddy" the young girl smiled as she flung her arms around her father's neck and hugged him tightly.

"I miss her so much Kate" Tony whispered into her shoulder.

Kate pulled Tony tighter to her, rocking them slightly as she held him.

"Tony, I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't know, and I'd love to see a movie with you, see I...I...I love you Tony, and I know that it doesn't seem like it most times, but you're the only reason I get out of bed in the morning, the only reason I leave the office ever night with a smile, I love you, so much Tony" she whispered, her eyes closed as more tear fell, rolling down her cheeks to the bottom of her jaw line.

Tony pulled back slightly so he looked her dead in the eyes, he cupped her cheek in his right palm, making her open her eyes and look into his watery ones.

"Do you mean it?" he asked simply, his voice barely above a whisper.

"every word" Kate whispered after nodding softly.

A small, very small smile played across his lips at her reply, his thumb gently stroked away a falling tear.

"I love you Kate, I have done for so long, I've just been afraid to say anything because thought you didn't feel the sam..." before he could finish the sentence Kate had closed the distance between them and captured his lips in a soft kiss.

Minutes later Kate had made them both hot drinks and turned on a few more lamps, so they could see one another better she returned to the sofa where she found Tony looking down into a picture of himself with his daughter, his thumb gently brushed over the face of his Isabel, he gave a saddened sigh and placed the picture on the coffee table in front of them, Kate took his hand in hers and squeezed it reassuringly, he turned and smiled weakly at her, Kate returned the smile and placed a small kiss on his cheek before picking up the photo and looking at the Happy pair that smiled back at her.

"Tell me about her" she asked softly as she looked at the Smiling face of Tonys daughter.

"Well," Tony began "She was the most amazing girl I know" he smiled as he looked down at the picture in Kate's hands "when she was born, she didn't cry, and when the doctor handed her to me, she opened her eyes and smiled, and I knew right then, that I would never love anything, or anyone as much as I would love her" he said softly.

The couple sat on the sofa, in one another's arms all night, Tony telling stories of how his daughter was just like him, always pulling practical jokes and knowing exactly what to say to cheer someone up, Kate sat listening to him with a proud smile on her face, and that is how they stayed all night, Tony missing those four words he thought he'd never hear again.

"I love you Daddy".

That is until one year and nine months later, when Special Agent Catlin Todd-DiNozzo gave birth to their first daughter Abigail Jane DiNozzo.

"And that, is how you're mommy and daddy met" Kate finished softly as she tucked her daughter into her bed.

"So I have a big sister?" Abby asked tiredly from her bed.

"Yeah you do Sweetie, and one day I'll tell you all about her" Tony smiled as he dipped his head to Kiss his daughters forehead softly.

Kate smiled and said goodnight to Abby before walking out and into their own bedroom, Tony kissed his daughter one last time before walking to the door and turning to look at his daughter one last time.

"G'Night Daddy, I love you" Abby said tiredly as she got comfortable.

"Good night sweetie, sweet dreams, I love you" Tony smiled proudly as he turned off the light and pulled the door to.

He turned and crossed the hall to his and Kate's bedroom pausing just outside the door, and looking at a framed Drawing Kate had done for the family a few months ago, it was of the entire family, Kate, Abby, Tony and Isabel.

Tony kissed his index finger and pressed it lightly on Isabel's cheek.

"Night Izzy, I love you" he said softly to the picture, a smile on his lips.

He then walked into his room and pushed the door two, before climbing into bed with his wife, who he loved every bit as much as he did his two girls.

A/N: hope you liked it, please let me know what you think, many thanks for sparing your time to read this.

Reaper85 :D