Chapter 2 – Silent Conversations
The alarm clock made a chirping noise, signaling that it was time for Tony DiNozzo to wake up. Had the alarm clock been able to see the evil look that Tony shot it, the buzzing would have stopped without Tony having to feel around in the dark for the snooze button. With a successful push of the button, Tony's abode was once again filled with blessed silence. Tony wrapped his arms back around his pillow ad drifted back into a light slumber. Nine minutes later the annoying noise returned, once again it was silenced by Tony's hand. This time, Tony did not drift back into slumber, he stared at the ceiling. He did not want to get up, but he knew he had to.
Grimacing, Tony got up and headed to the kitchen. He switched on the coffee pot, so it started brewing his morning coffee. While that was brewing, he went to the bathroom. He relieved his bladder and then got in the shower. Once he was clean and had finished his hygiene rituals, he put on a pair of black slacks and a burgundy shirt. After pouring his coffee into a travel mug, be grabbed his keys off the counter and headed to his car.
It was still dark out. It seemed unnatural to be up this early on a Saturday with no active case. He drove to the airport, and after he parked his car in the parking lot he went to the counter. He picked up his boarding pass, went through security, and sat at the gate till boarding was started. A little over an hour later, the stewardess began boarding the plane. He boarded the plane, and napped during the flight. When the plane landed, he picked up a rental car. He drove it to a small flower shop. He went in and purchased a dozen red roses.
He drove ten miles down the road and turned into Memorial Gardens Cemetery. He drove towards the back and stopped. He got out of his car and walked to the graves. He kneeled in front of one, placing the flowers at her headstone. The silence in the graveyard was peaceful, but in an eerie way that was unnerving.
"I hope you don't mind that I came a couple days early. I know you didn't die till Tuesday but this was the most convenient. It was going to be really hard to make it later this week. Gibbs wouldn't approve the day off. I figured you would be better with early, than late. I can't believe it's really been six years. "
He imagined her responding, "I already have to wait an entire year, what are a few more days."
"Had I come late, you would have been singing another tune."
He knew she was laughing. "So you've used a lot of time off, what's been going on?"
"They wouldn't approve the day off, Ziva had already requested the week off. I got my request in too late. "
"I see," she said. "My sister came to see for the first time this year. It was nice to have a visitor other than you."
"I'm hurt. Maybe, I should just go back to the airport since I bore you so much." He started to walk away.
"Tony, please don't go. You misunderstood."
He turned around and went back to the grave. "I know it's not what you meant. Your sister would probably have me relieved of duty if she saw me here carrying on a conversation with a dead woman."
"No she wouldn't, she liked you. She told me it's a shame I never seduced you because you would have loosened me up a bit. "
"Oh she did, maybe I should give her a call" Tony said with a twinkle in his eye.
"It wouldn't work. She said you were my type, not her type. She accused me of having a school girl crush on you."
"You were so hot in your school girl uniform!"
"Only in your dreams, DiNozzo"
"Many times, and you enjoyed every bit of it"
"Tony," she said. It's been six years. My sister has seen me once in those years, but no one besides you has come back after my funeral. Why do you keep coming to see me?"
"Are you complaining?" He asked.
"Tony, don't changing the subject. It's nice knowing you still think of me but I worry that you are hiding from something?"
He sighed, and admitted to himself and tombstone"I don't want to die alone; I want a family or something to live for other than my job. You understood me in a way the others don't." Tony sat there in silence for long time thinking about himself and the past. He used his fingers to trace the lines of her name in the tombstone. After about an hour he got up to head back.
As he walked away, he looked back and said "goodbye Kate."