Hey guys, I'm back after a while, I don't have much time now that I'm in college.

This is just a Christmas special fluffiness, that was supposed to be here yesterday. This was written in a very few hours and it wasn't "beta'd" by my besties, so there are probably some mistakes in there.

After SWAK. Twilight, what Twilight?

…..

Tony had been back to work in the beginning of November, after one long and forced month of staying home, to make sure he was healed.

The things between him and Kate were awkward since that day in the hospital: they barely changed any word, except anything related to cases, and avoided to be left alone in the same room.

Kate more than once had caught Tony staring at her from his desk, with an indecipherable look on his face, but she had ignored it. She would stare at him sometimes too, but of course she was smart enough not to be caught.

December had brought snow and cold, and Kate felt even more miserable. She had a mix of feelings that she couldn't distinguish, but she knew that her heart clenched just by looking at Tony.

It was 24th December, and they were heading for a crime scene, squashed in the truck, Kate between Gibbs and Tony, rubbing her hands together and pulling her scarf tighter around her neck.

"Do you want me to turn the heat on, agent Todd?" Gibbs asked playfully, taking a look at his shivering agent.

"No, it's fine…" She answered, not sounding as convincing as she would have wanted. Gibbs turned the heat on anyway, and Kate couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Gibbs."

They finally arrived to the crime scene, where the snow level was high and ice was covering the entrances. Kate left the truck right behind Tony heading to the safe perimeter, but suddenly felt her feet slipping from beneath her and lost balance.

"Careful, Katie!" A strong grip help her steady her feet, and Tony checked her up concerned. "You OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, it was just a slip, thanks, Tony." She gave him a small smile, and headed inside the house where their victim waited.

It was a Victorian house, with a big living room and a rich decoration. The only thing ruining that was the bloody corpse sprawled in the couch.

"Major Ryan Peters, Marine. 45 years old. Neighbors noticed his absence and broke in to find him like this."

"Why are we the first ones on the crime scene?" Gibbs asked, looking around just to a police officer keeping the people away from the house.

"Greve in some services. And we were the closest ones to the crime scene."

"Dinozzo, check this floor. Kate, check upstairs."

Tony headed to the kitchen, to find it empty, and he was about to check the dining room when he heard several shots upstairs. "Gibbs!" He said, and they both started running upstairs. When he reached the top of the stairs, his heart stopped and air blocked in his lungs.

A bunch of brown curls covered in blood appeared from a room in the other side of the house, not allowing to recognize a face.

"Kate. Kate! Kate!" Tony tried to head to the inanimate body in the floor, but Gibbs stopped him, his gun still up. "G-Gibbs, Kate! Kate!"

"Dinozzo, shut up, are you trying to get ourselves killed!" Gibbs said, but the younger agent saw the concern in his face.

Tony couldn't think straight, so he crossed the hallway in big steps, and kept calling "Kate! Kate!" When he finally reached the body, he kneeled hopeless on the floor and tried to uncovered that face inside the brown curls. "Kate." He whispered, his heart pounding in his chest. He put down his head trying to find a breath, a sound, the smell of Kate. But she didn't smell like Kate. He knew how Kate smelled. That had gotten under his skin. But that wasn't Kate's smell, but he just kept asking. "Kate, Kate?"

"Tony, can you tell me why you're worshiping the woman that tried to kill me?" A voice said from behind him, and he turned in slow motion.

There she was: his Kate, safe and sound, giving her best pissed look. It was like light had been brought back into his life.

"I thought, I tought-" He couldn't put together a decent sentence, busy checking if his Kate was intact. "Kate, you're bleeding!"

"Seriosuly?" She winced, keeping her sarcastic look. "She showed up from nowhere and hit me in the leg. I was checking the others rooms while you screamed like a little gi- Hey!" She was cut by the surprise of being lifted on Tony's arms. "Tony, what are you doing?"

"Taking you to the ER."

"Tony, don't be ridiculous, this is a through and through!"

…..

It was in fact a a through and through, and they were back to the Bullpen in an hour.

"Sure you don't need anything else, Kate?" Tony asked, pulling the chair for her to sit in.

"I'm sure, Tony, thanks."

"What a Christmas gift, Kate!" McGee said to his colleague.

"Tell me about it, Tim. But it could have been much worse."

"Are you guys talking about Chritsmas gifts?" Abby said, entering the Bullpen, dressed in a rd suit. "Cause Mama Claus has arrived!"

After a couple of hours, it was dinner time and McGee said he had dinner with his family, and Abby mysteriously left too. Gibbs also excused himself, saying he had an appointment.

"Finally meeting Jenny's parents, Gibbs?" Tony asked, and all he got for response was a slap in the back of the head.

The older agent headed to Kate's desk. "Do you need me to drop you off at home?"

"No, it's fine, Gibbs, thanks." She answered, with a smile. "Merry Christmas, Gibbs."

"Merry Christmas, guys." He said, entering the elevator, and leaving the remaining two alone.

The only thing breaking the awkward silence between them was the sound of Kate typing in her keyboard. Tony pretended to be reading some files, but he couldn't focus: all he could think about was Kate, and she was right there in front of him, with her red shirt lighting up her skin, her adorable brown curls framing her face and her swathed leg driving him crazy.

"So, Kate…" He said, trying to lighten up the mood. "What are your plans for tonight?"

She looked away from the monitor. "Love actually and ice cream… And sleep, 'cause these pain meds are kicking in… What about you?"

"A friend of mine and I are going to a bar to… You know…" He suddenly felt embarrassed: why could he want to go look at unscrupulous women when he was probably facing the love of his life?

She gave a "half smile half smirk", and turned her attention back to her monitor.

Tony felt like punching himself: how could he screw things every time? How did he manage to remind her how much of man-whore he was instead of telling she was all he ever wanted?

Trying to distract his mind, he searched for Christmas songs and clicked on the first one that appeared. In a couple of seconds, Mariah Carey filled the air.

I don't want a lot for Christmas

There is just one thing I need

I don't care about the presents

Underneath the Christmas tree

I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

All I want for Christmas

Is you, you, yeah

Tony's face felt like it was about to explode. Kate didn't move an inch. He rushed himself to turn off the music, but the important message was already in the air.

After a while, she turned off her computer and grabbed her stuff, getting up. "Well, I'll call it a night for today. Merry Christmas, Tony."

"Merry Christmas, Kate." He said, watching her head out.

She stopped in front of the big window, and exclaimed amazed. "It's snowing! I've always dreamt a Christmas with snow!"

"Really?"

She turned to him, her eyes shining like diamonds. "Yes!" She stared at the window for a little while. "Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight." Tony mumbled, unable to put a decent sentence together. There was she going, away from him, and he hadn't gotten the chance to tell her what he wanted. He loved her, for god's sake. He loved Kate! Since the day he met her, their relationship had always meant this: he loved her. His mind had first awoken for that on the moment she had decided to stay with him in the isolation. He loved her, and she loved him too, he was sure of that.

He got up, his chair falling backwards, and he ran to the elevator. He punched the buttons, but the elevator felt like it wasn't moving. The doors finally opened at the lobby and he ran out, passing the front doors and stopping in the parking lot. He looked around, trying to see in which direction Kate was. He spotted her, limping, a couple of meters from her car. "KATE!" He screamed, and she turned around, surprise plastered all over her face.

"Tony?" She asked, confused, watching him crossing the parking lot in big steps. "What are you doing? It's snowing and you don't even have a coat!"

He finally reached her. "I don't care. I can't feel anything. I'm somewhere else."

"What are you saying, Tony?"

"I love you, Kate." He blurted out. "I can't hold this inside anymore. I love you, Kate!"

Her knees were about to give up. This was what she wanted too, she just hadn't given the chance to verbalize it, or she'd get hurt. But there he was, saying that he loved her, everything that she deeply wanted for the last few months. "Tony-"

"Today, when I thought for a minute that I had lost you, I couldn't imagine my world. I can't. All I want for Christmas is you, Kate. You." She didn't know if it was because of the snow, or the pain meds, or the snow, but everything felt like an out-body experience, it was just too overwhelming for her. He put an arm around her waist and she was capable of passing out. "I love you, Kate."

"I love you too, Tony." She finally said too. His mouth engulfed hers, his cold skin against her soft cheeks, his arm pulling her tighter into his chest. "This is a perfect Christmas."

….

I have no idea with how much frequency snows in Washington, but I want it to be special.

This was just to ridiculously-fluffy, but that's Christmas :D

Merry Christmas everyone ;)