The True Man Across the Bull Pen:

Chapter One:

Secrets Revealed.

A/N: OK, so this story was inspired by an idea from Shadowhunter536, who we would like to thank for giving it to us, and welcome any other ideas for Fan fictions or our current Stories.

Thank you books-n-cookies for caring about us, Chris/Reaper85 and who is that idiot of a boyfriend of mine, is doing well, he's sour with a broken leg, dislocated shoulder, a couple of broken ribs and a few bruises, oh and whiplash, but he's back home and being stubborn by doing the complete opposite of what the doctors tell him, hence the idiot part, BUT, he has a few things to do to the last chapter of "what if?" and once he is done, will upload it, for now he is support for this story, which will be all me...and some of his ideas lol, so I hope you enjoy this, and please do give us your feedback, reading it is like a addiction free drug lol.

We don't own anything, other than the dream to one day, meet and hopeful work with the cast of this amazing show, and to talk them into bringing Sasha Back...part time at least so we can have TATE vs Tiva and watch as TATE kicks Ziva's arse! lol

Tony DiNozzo sat silently at his desk, his mind shut down as he stared numbly into space, he was unaware of the world around him the past two days had been hard, really hard, for two reasons, the first was he had gone undercover on a job, which should of been a simple babysitting of a suspected smuggler by the name of Jeffrey White, but that soon went to hell, first it started when the GPS in his shoe was broken, due to a fall into a very shallow and cold river, then when he crashed the Car that had been set up for him because of poor sissy Jeffrey's fear of hitting a biker in front of them, then he had to steal the bikers bike while making him search for a shiatsu that he called Kate, simply because it was the first name that came to mind, he of course thought that if Kate were to be a dog, she'd be the most beautiful dog he'd ever seen, but he'd never let her know that, then he met Jeffrey's partner in crime...or he was meant to be, Lane, Tony had thought at that point the mission was over, he could get home to the one person he loved unconditionally, but of course, no back up means no home, so he had to sleep with one eye open in a cabin while Jeffrey and what seemed like a loose cannon of a partner, Lane, slept only a few feet away.

The next morning he had managed to get a cell and dial Gibbs number a few times, each time hanging up before the silver haired Man could answer, and only hope he clicked on, if he had known Kate's number off by heart...which he did, but again didn't want to tell her that or even freak her out with it, he would of dialled hers, but he and Gibbs were like...well, like a father and son, they'd never openly admit it, but in all honesty, Tony looked up to that man as a father, he relied on him to keep him steady, teach him the skills he needed to be everything he needed to be, and Gibbs did that, without question and without hesitation, so he hoped that his boss, friend and father figure would know what was going on with the phone calls.

Then when he and Jeffrey finally arrived to meet the buyers he discovered that Jeffrey, a man he had come to like, and watch out for like an older brother was actually a murdering psycho, who, when Tony reviled that he was NCIS, was about to slit his throat just as he had done his partners the previous night, which meant...Tony...had to shoot him, he had too much to live for, he had responsibilities and people relying on him, he couldn't die, so as hard as it was for him to do it, Tony shot Jeffrey White, killing him instantly and covering Tony in his blood.

After returning to the office and being debriefed by the Director and Gibbs, he had written up his report and finished the paper work, and then, then he started to feel numb and stare off into space, his mind replaying the scenario from that afternoon over and over in his mind's eye, each time there was a different outcome, but none of them the perfect one, either he died...or Tony died, in one they both died.

In his state of numb mindlessness he was unaware of his partners concerned glances at him, he was unaware of the other agents passing his desk, muttering and staring at him as they went, Kate's heart splintered for her partner, she had no idea how it felt to have to shoot a friend, she wanted nothing more than to move over to him and hold him in her arms, tell him that everything would be alright, that she would be there for him, that she cared about him more than she lets on, that she, the mighty strong Catlin Todd, had fallen completely and utterly in love with him, the most annoying man on the planet, but she couldn't, she couldn't because, A: Gibbs was sat at his desk watching Tony like a concerned parent for his child, also McGee was sat at his desk watching Kate and Gibbs watch Tony in silence and B: Rule twelve prevented her dating him, but she was seriously considering ignoring that rule...it was, after all, a stupid rule...there was no real policy preventing her from walking over to him, tilting his head back and laying claim to his lips with hers, hell she could take his head, lead him to the break room and jump his bones there and then if she wanted...but...she did like working for Gibbs, even though sometimes she wished she didn't, she really did.

Gibbs checked his watch and sighed inwardly, this undercover op was harder on Tony than he had wanted, he pushed himself away from his desk, he stood silently and walked, with coffee in hand over to the eerily silent member of his team.

"Hey" he whispered softly while gently knocking a fist on his desk.

Tony blinked as his mind started to process the relevant things again, his eyes drifted across on the older man stood before him, they settled on the coffee cup in the man's left hand, then lifted again to meet the cool icy blue ones that looked down at him with concern.

"don't you have somewhere to be?" he asked gently, but with a small commanding edge of not only a team leader, but a father too.

Tony blinked again, did he have somewhere to be? He couldn't have it was only just gone two right? His eyes drifted down to the watch that lay wrapped around the arm that supported his head only moments ago, three thirty damn! He did have somewhere to be, someone to see, to hold and kiss, someone to tell that he loved her with all his heart, soul and being.

He pushed himself away from his desk and even though his mind was racing, his body drifted, he scooped up his coat and pack before walking numbly towards the elevators.

"do you want a ride?" Kate asked softly as she watched him glide silently by her desk.

"Nar I'm good" Tony muttered weakly.

"Damn it DiNozzo, you're in no state to drive yourself home, let me give you a ride" She stated a little annoyed at how stubborn he was being but also very, very concerned.

She turned in her chair, scooped up her bag, coat and scarf and stood ready to follow him.

"He's not going Home Kate" Gibbs stated commandingly as he turned and took a step towards the profiler.

"Then where's he going?" she asked confused as she looked deep into the icy blue eyes of her boss.

"To meet someone very special to him" the ex marine stated turning his attention to the empty shell of a man that was now stepping into the silent silver box.

Kate turned and watched as the silver metallic doors of the elevator slid shut, stealing the man she loved from her sight, she could feel her heart falling, he was with someone, he had someone..."Special" in his life, he didn't need her, she waited for the smash, waited to hear, feel her heart shatter as it came to stop against the cold dark bit of her stomach, but it was worse than that, rather than her heart break and that be that, she felt it crack, twist and splinter, it was so much more painful like this, she could feel hot tears stab at the back of her eyes and knew she had to make an excuse to leave her desk, leave the prying eyes of the junior agent and her boss.

Her legs guided her to the massive windows, she rested her palms against the cool glass as she watched Tony leave the entrance of the building and make his way across the partly snow covered parking lot, vivid images of him making love to another woman flooded her mind, his body moving in time with hers, both sweaty breathless as they lay together and bask in the fulfilling feeling that came after, a tear escaped as she watched him slid into his car and pull out, her forehead fell softly against the glass as he drove out of sight, taking her dreams of her and Tony...Them, with him.

"I need to use the head" she whispered before turning and marching as fast as she could towards the ladies room, where she could cry feely, without the males prying eyes to watch and judge her.

......................................................................................................................................................................................................

Tony pulled up outside a small school, he turned the engine off and looked at his reflection in the rear view mirror, he sighed and inwardly growled at the man looking back, it wasn't the man he wanted her to see, he didn't want her to come out, run into his arms and then see how sad he looked, how numb and upset he felt, he tried to smile but it only looked forced, not like how a real smile should, he sighed again and allowed his forehead to fall forwards onto the top of the cool steering wheel, he closed his eyes and took several deep steady breaths.

At the sound of the bell he lifted his head and turned to watch the doors to the small building dedicated to educating the young fly open, he watched children from the ages of five to twelve poor out happily, they ran with their bags towards their waiting parents or guardians, he clicked off his seat belt and slid out of the warmth of the car into the late winter cold.

Christmas had come and gone as had new years, they were in the middle of January, yet the snow and cold of the month before remained with them, Tony moved across the partially snow covered sidewalk towards the gate, he hissed as he placed a bare hand against the painfully cold metal and gently pushed it open, he moved further into the playground and saw her, a tall blond in a dark blue skirt with knee high brown leather boots and a white button blouse, she was stood in the centre of the busy, cheerful playground, at the sight of her Tony found himself able to smile, he walked towards her, navigating carefully through the hordes of small children as they ran around playing.

"Hi Tony" the blond smiled as she spotted him.

Tony watched as the crowd of children around the woman seemed to part like the red sea, his smile grew as he watched a beautiful five year old run towards him, her long hazel hair blowing behind her as she ran at him, her emerald eyes locked on him as her arms spread wide her favourite teddy held securely in her right hand, Tony dropped down onto his right knee and threw open his arms as the little girl ran into him, he lifted her up and hugged her to him as she hugged him tightly.

"I've missed you so much" Tony breathed with a smile as he closed his eyes and inhaled her scent.

"I missed you too daddy" the girl whispered as she hung on to him happily "did you get the bad man?" she asked as she pulled back slightly.

Tonys smiled faltered slightly as the memories of the day's events flooded back; he let out a long breath and gave a soft nod.

"Yeah, we got him sweetie" he smiled softly as he gently pushed a lose strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Can we go home now?" the little angel asked sweetly as she looked her father in the eye "Mrs Reed's house smells funny" she added as she scrunched up her nose in a innocent disgust.

"You know what Izzy, Home sounds like a great idea" Tony smiled before gently placing a kiss to his daughter's forehead.

Tony carried his little girl back towards her teacher, he smiled gratefully as she handed him her bag and then filled him in on how she had been that day, his heart broke when he heard how she had been crying because he hadn't called to wish her a good night the night before, honestly, it was because of that he hadn't managed to get much sleep that night, he wanted to hear his daughter's voice, make sure she was alright, and she knew he was alright and that he missed her, but he couldn't risk messing up the op or even endangering her.

He thanked the teacher and carried his daughter back to his car, he unlocked the doors and slid her in to the passenger seat before jogging round and sliding in next to her, after making sure she was strapped in, he started the engine and drove home listing to her as she told him about everything she had learned that day in school, Tony was happy to listen to his daughter, the fact that she not only enjoyed school, but was also enjoying learning made him proud of her, hell he was always proud of her, she was his little piece of heaven on earth, she was his whole world and honestly, she was the only part of him he truly liked.

Within ten minutes they had parked up outside Tonys apartment complex, he undid his seatbelt, collected Isabel's bag from the back seat and was now opening the passenger door for the love of his life, he was fully aware that Isabel could walk, run, jog and sprint on her own, but right now, especially after the two days he had, he needed her close, he needed to feel that at least one person of his planet, loved him, and Isabel only being five, seemed to sense this and was all too happy to allow her dad to lift her up where she eagerly wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into the crook of his neck.

Tony carried his daughter, her bag and his back pack up the steps and into the large spacious lobby, he greeted the man behind the desk with a small but firm nod and smile before vanishing into the waiting elevator, they rode up to their floor in silence, Izzy snuggling deeper into the warmth her father provided while he closed his eyes and gently rested his head on his daughters, with the soft chime of the elevator indicating they had reached their floor they both opened their eyes, Tony shifted his daughter in his arms slightly so he could reach his keys before stepping out of the small golden cube and into a long bright cream hallway, he walked silently down to their apartment, slid his key in and turned, there was a soft click and he pushed the door open.

Their apartment wasn't small, three bedrooms, en suit to the master bedroom, study, living area and a large kitchen/dinner, the decorating had been done by Tony when he and Isabel's mother moved in, photos of them, were scattered throughout the entire apartment, along with photos of his family at NCIS and of course, photos of him and Izzy.

He placed his dozing daughter down onto the sofa and gently slid her coat off her shoulder, careful not to disturb her until he absolutely had to, he gently lay her down and removed her shoes before pulling the blanket from the back of the large three seated leather sofa and placing it over her, he softly placed a gentle loving, proud kiss to her forehead and stood up, he walked silently into the kitchen where he started to prepare dinner, he smiled while her stirred the source for the pasta as he watched his little girl sleep peacefully, she reminded him so much of her mother, it was times like these he felt guilty, he loved Izzy's mother, he missed her daily and wished she was here to share all the firsts he experienced, things like Isabel's first crawl, first words, her first steps and day at school, his smile faded as the pain and guilt washed over him, here he was a single parent, that felt guilt for not only being the parent alive and sharing his life with his daughter, but also a parent that was in love with another woman, a woman that wasn't his daughters mother, a woman that offered to help every day with anything he needed, a woman that placed her life in his hands and trusted him fully, he was in love with Kate, and because of that, he felt guilty, and it was because of that guilt, he'd never make a move on her.

Tony was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't heard his cell ring, or his daughter get up and walk into the kitchen to join him.

"Daddy?" Isabel asked tiredly as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes with her left hand, her right hand clutching her teddy tightly.

Her voice made him jump; he stirred the source quickly before turning to face his daughter.

"Hey sweetie, you have a nice nap?" he asked softly as he lifted her so she could sit on the counter.

"Daddy, your phone was ringing" she stated with a yawn.

Tony dove his left hand into his pocket and pulled out his cell, he flipped it open and saw he had a missed call from Kate, he sighed and dropped the device on the counter beside his daughter.

"Sorry sweetie" he smiled softly before placing another kiss on her forehead.

"who was it?" Izzy asked sweetly as she watched her dad return to the source.

"It was daddy's partner" he replied as he turned the heat down, allowing the liquid to simmer.

"Kate?" Isabel asked with a smile.

"Yes beautiful, Kate" Tony confirmed with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Do you like Kate daddy?" Izzy asked her dad as she started to gently play with her teddy.

"Of course I do sweetie, she's my friend" Tony smiled as he watched his daughter play with the bear her mother had brought while still pregnant with her.

"Do you want Kate to be your girlfriend?"

The question came out of the blue, Tony had no idea that his little girl knew such things as boyfriends and girlfriends, it knocked him completely of guard, he could feel panic start to take over, his heart began to beat faster and he knew he was going to blush.

He thought about his answer for a few seconds, he felt he was betraying Isabel's mother by having these feelings towards Kate, and so, he'd have to answer her truthfully.

"Yes...and No" he whispered softly as he looked down at the small gold ring that lay on the chain around his neck "see, you are the love of my life Isabel DiNozzo, and because of that, I will always, Always, love your mommy-" he started to explain softly, but the young girl had a counter argument to make, and she wasn't going to wait for her dad to finish his excuse as to why he couldn't be happy.

"But mommy's in heaven" she stated softly and a little sadly.

Tony sighed, Izzy never knew her mom, she had died giving birth to her, but Tony hadn't told her that, nor was he going to, he didn't want his little girl growing up thinking she was to blame for her moms death, he sure as hell didn't blame her.

"Yes, she is sweetie and she's watching over us all the time" Tony smiled sadly at her.

"But mommy wants you to be happy" Izzy stated nervously.

"And I am happy sweetie, you make me happy, you are all I need to be happy" he smiled softly at her.

Isabel went to reply to that but feel silent when they heard a knock at their door, Tony sighed and hugged her to him.

"I love you Isabel DiNozzo, Don't you ever forget that" he stated softly after placing a soft kiss to her forehead.

"I love you too daddy" the little angel stated softly as she hugged her farther.

Tony slid his arms around her and lifted her off the counter; he gently placed her back on her feet and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"Why don't you go choose a movie for us to watch while we eat" he smiled down at the beautiful little girl before him.

"Any movie I want?" Izzy asked excitedly, holding the teddy close to her heart.

"Any movie" Tony smiled softly as he watched her hug his legs, then the teddy bear before running back out and into the living area.

Tony smiled as he headed back down the lamp lit hall towards the door while his daughter made her way across the large spacious living room towards the three wall high DVD book cases.

Tony reached the door, and turned to the small pin table beside it, he slid open the draw and pulled his SIG out, clicking the safety off and cocking it, he lowered it to behind his leg as he moved to unlock the door.

"Who is it?" he asked through the smooth cool wooden obstacle.

"It's The Easter Bunny DiNozzo, who'd you think?" Came Kate's voice, he could hear a slight smile in her tone, but also a hint of annoyance, he returned the armed weapon to its place in the draw, making sure to click on the safety first, then turned back to the door and opened it.

"Kate, what err...what are you doing here?" he asked surprised, horrified and completely off guard, no one at NCIS other than Gibbs knew about his daughter, it wasn't because he was embarrassed of her, because he wasn't, he was so damn proud of her he'd happily show her off to the world, it was just...they were all so used to seeing the stupid, funny, sexist DiNozzo that the true man would send them running.

"I called you earlier, but you didn't answer," she stated annoyed "I was...worried" she finished softly, slightly embarrassed, she could feel the start of a blush creep up her cheeks.

"You...were...worried...about me?" Tony asked softly, with a small, true, happy smile.

Could there be a future for him and Kate? No, of course not, he couldn't....he had to think about Isabel, he had to think about...he felt guilty, felt like he was betraying the woman that he not loved...but had also given him the best thing that had every happened to him, his daughter.

"Your my partner DiNozzo, of course I worry about you" Kate said, hoping that would be enough to make him think that she only saw him in that light, even though...she really didn't, god she wanted to come home to him every day, make love to him each night...just to be held in his arms would be heaven.

"Well, I'm fine, so you can go now" Tony stated quickly as he shuffled forwards, making Kate retreat slightly.

"Tony," she gasped shocked, even a little hurt, oh of course...SHE, was there with him, Kate could feel her heart starting to splinter again "Who is she DiNozzo?" she snapped suddenly, putting out both hands in front of her to stop his advancing.

"What? Who's who?" Tony asked confused, his heart was racing, he had a feeling that Kate would react badly if she found out about Izzy, a secret this big between partners, partners that trusted each other with everything including their lives...on a daily basis, yeah, she'd explode...even possibly kill him, then Izzy would have to live with her godfather...oh god, poor Izzy, living with Gibbs, she'd be scared for life.

Kate opened her mouth ready to snap at him some more, I mean really? How dare he, try and shove her out of his apartment, when she drove all the way there to make sure he was alright, just so he could get back to some cheep bimbo that really didn't deserve him, when she heard and saw the sweetest little girl run up behind him.

"I found one Daddy!" she called waving the DVD above her head, her teddy still safely in her other hand.

Tony closed his eyes and mentally sighed before turning and scooping up the little girl into his arms.

"That's great sweetie, which one are we watching?" he asked with a prod smile.

"Little mermaid" Izzy stated turning the movie so her father could read the title "Daddy, is that Kate?" she asked noticing the shocked looking woman before her and her father.

"Yep" Tony breathed "Kate, this little beauty is the love of my life and whole world, my daughter, Isabel DiNozzo" he introduced his proud, if not a little nervous smile growing as he rested his eyes on his smiling daughter "Izzy, this is daddy's partner and friend, Kate" he stated kissing his daughter softly on her temple.

He turned back to Kate and saw the fear, betrayal, shock and disbelief in her eyes as she stood open mouthed staring at them.

"Err, Kate?" he asked softly fearing the response.

A/N: So how will Kate react? Will she simply make a half conscious excuse to leave and then run from Tony, or will she stay, get to know the daughter of the man she loves and try and see if they can work something out? Will Tony overcome his guilt and take a risk on him and Kate? Or will the guilt for his ex and Isabel's mother be too much for him?

Let us know you thoughts and stay tuned for more...soon...I Hope : )