A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! I've pulled in a summer job, so updates will slow. Hopefully I'll be able to stay with at least once a week.

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or the characters of it.


The team caught a case that morning, and so Tony's mind was occupied with that for the next three days as they tracked and then caught a serial killer.

He was the only one in the bullpen, finishing up his paperwork when Gibbs stopped by his desk, his coat in his hands.

"Tony."

If he wasn't already worried by his boss stopping by his desk, using his first name alerted him to the seriousness of the conversation.

"Yeah boss?" he asked, setting his pen down and looking up, waiting.

"You figure out what was buggin' you a few days ago?" Gibbs asked, and Tony's eyes widened slightly at the question. Why was Gibbs asking?

"Not really," Tony answered, scratching the back of his neck. Gibbs' eyes were dark and unreadable, but Tony saw them flicker slightly, and wondered why his boss was so concerned about his resolution of his problem.

"This about a woman, Tony?" Gibbs asked, and Tony's shoulders stiffened.

"I don't really see how this has anything to do with you boss," he said, his voice tight.

"Well, normally women don't affect your work performance, and I don't have to get involved with it," Gibbs answered, and Tony winced slightly. "DiNozzo, get your head on straight, and figure out if this woman is worth all the trouble you've caused yourself."

With that he walked away, pulling his coat on and stepping onto the elevator. Tony let out a low groan, smacking his forehead lightly.

"Why did this have to happen to me?" he asked to the empty bullpen in a low voice, not expecting an answer.

Shaking his head, he finished up the last few sentences of his report before turning off his computer and heading for the elevator, ready to go home.

When he arrived there he changed into shorts and a t-shirt and stretched out on his couch, an episode of Magnum PI on the television as he ate from a leftover carton of Chinese take-out. He swirled the lo mien noodles around his fork, lost in his thoughts.

Was thinking about Kate changing his work performance? He hadn't noticed it, but, well…it made sense. He had been a little off his game lately.

He pulled out his phone, scrolling through the numbers until he found hers. He swallowed hard, remembering the last call. Should he even risk it again?

Next time, don't call me drunk.

Well, she had said next time, and he wasn't drunk, so…

He pressed send and then held the ringing phone to his ear. He waited, and then he heard the slightly-clipped feminine tone.

"What do you want Tony?"

He was slightly taken aback by the hostility-then again, maybe he wasn't.

"Kate…I-I called to apologize. For what I said, and…for calling you when I was drunk," he said, scratching his head as he fumbled for words. A first for him, at least with a woman. There was a static-y silence, and he wondered if she'd hung up. "Kate? You still there?"

"I'm here," she answered shortly, but not with as much anger as before. "Do you need something else, or is that all?"

"Come on Kate, I'm trying here!" Tony said, running his free hand through his hair in frustration. On the other end she sighed, her voice sounding tired as she spoke.

"Tony, I get that, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to forgive you with a snap of my fingers!" she replied, and Tony heard a cushion creak as she sat down, he was assuming on a sofa. He pressed his elbows into his knees as he leaned forward, hanging his head in his hands, his phone still pressed to his ear.

"Can I see you?" he asked after a few moments of silence, tension thick between them, even over the phone.

"I don't know if that's a good idea Tony," Kate answered, and he could practically picture her pinching the bridge of her nose as she spoke.

"Please Kate. I need…I need to fix this," he said quietly, his voice practically begging her to give him a chance. She sighed, the sound loud over the phone.

"Tony, I don't know if you can fix this. I didn't come to see you so that you would change the person you are," she replied, the words cutting him to the core. "I told you already, you don't have to even involve yourself. Just…forget you ever met me, alright? I can't take this right now."

With that she disconnected the call and Tony snapped his phone shut, throwing it across the room and hanging his head in his hands. He cast one glance at the fridge but didn't move to get a drink, remembering the hangover he'd had and the call he'd made that had probably ruined everything.

Instead he grabbed his gym stuff and his keys and went to go run a few miles and lift some weights.

Maybe, if he ran far enough, he could put these past few days behind him.


He arrived at work the next morning before anyone else was there and sat at his desk, pulling up a search program. Running a more in-depth search on Caitlin Todd, he got her home address and number, and stored them away, intending to do some more thinking before he did anything rash.

Realizing he hadn't spent nearly enough time with a favorite, lovable Goth forensic scientist, he headed for Abby's lab. He arrived in the doorway just as she was unlocking it, and her face lit up when she saw him, and the red and white cup he held of her favorite drink.

"Tony!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck, nearly hitting him in the face with her lunch box. "What brings you down to the lair of Sciuto?"

"Just wanted to see my favorite mistress of the dark," Tony answered, but Abby easily picked up on his distraction.

"Someone looks like they need to talk," she said, leading him into the lab and into the room that held her desk, stopping first to drop her lunch box in the freezer. She sat Tony down in the chair behind her desk as she took off her coat and hung it up, along with her hat. "Tony, time to spill. What's on your mind?"

"Just…personal stuff," Tony said, trying to shrug it off, but Abby wouldn't have it.

"Not gonna cut it DiNozzo," she said, shaking her head as she folded her arms. "Let's go, out with it."

"I donated to a sperm bank in college on a dare," he said after a moment of silence which consisted of Abby tapping her foot and sucking on her Caf-Pow! straw. Her eyes widened at his words, and she pulled the straw from her mouth as she choked slightly on the drink.

"Oh," she replied, clearly struggling for words-which for Abby, was rare. "Is there a problem?"

"Not necessarily," he answered, shaking his head. "Someone-a woman, wants to use what I donated to get pregnant. And, well…she came to see me-to tell me, that is. And, well…things haven't exactly gone great since then."

"Well, Tony, what did you say to this woman?" Abby asked, her brow furrowing as she mulled everything over. "And does anyone else know this?"

"No one else knows, and I'd prefer if it stayed that way," Tony said, and Abby nodded, her eyes widening again. "And, well, I told her the truth. I hadn't thought about kids and I needed time."

"Oh, well, there's the problem, since I'm guessing she doesn't want to talk to you and that's what's got you all upset, right?" Abby asked, her hands falling to her hips. "And what you say won't leave this room."

"Abby, I just need time to think, and, you know, wrap my head around all of this," Tony said, rubbing his forehead. "I wish Kate understood that."

"Well, Kate," Abby said, now able to put a name to Tony's problem. "May just need some time herself."

"I hope so," Tony said, standing. "She's a pretty incredible woman, I won't lie. I want to get her know her better."

"Give her time Tony," Abby said, wrapping her arms around him in a classic Abby-hug. "Just give her time."

So, give her time he would.


So, he waited almost a month.

Three and a half weeks later he tried calling her, and there was no answer, all three times he tried.

Deciding that that was worth a risk of bodily harm on his end, he dug out the address he'd found and drove there, hoping he was doing the right thing. He pulled up to a nice-looking house with a single car in the drive way, and got out after turning off the car. He walked up the walk way to the front door, and after taking a deep breath, he knocked.

After about ninety seconds of nothing, the door was opened, and Kate looked up at him, her eyes red. It looked like she'd been crying, and he swallowed.

"Tony?" she asked, her voice thick, and for some reason, seeing him made more tears come. "Why are you here? How did you…how did you get my address?"

"Federal Agent?" he asked, gesturing slightly with his arms. "I have access to that kinda stuff. And I'm here…because I've called three times and there was no answer. I was worried."

"Well, I guess you can come in, even if you are acting kind of stalkerish," Kate said, opening the door wider.

Tony stepped inside, and it wouldn't be until later that he realized just what he was getting himself into by stepping over the threshold.