Kate/Tony

In Sickness and in Health

Kate watched Tony as he slept, taking in his features in the blue glow of the lights. They had come so close to losing him today. She had come close to losing him today.

She had watched him get sicker and weaker. She had watched as his lips turned blue and he struggled for breath. She watched as he became lethargic and coughed up blood. He was fading before her eyes. And it scared her.

"I can hear you thinking, Katie." He rasped and she gave him a small, sad smile.

"I'm sorry, Tony. I wasn't aware that my thinking was affecting your beauty sleep/" She said but kept the usual bite out of her comment.

"I need plenty of sleep to keep this face this beautiful." He replied and she chuckled, a smile forming on his face. It was quiet for a while before Tony spoke.

"What were you thinking about? Must have been pretty deep if I could hear you all the way over here." He said as he turned his head on his pillow to look at her.

"About you."

"Yeah? What am I doing in your mind?"

"Just thinking about how close you came to dying. About how work would never be the same. About how much of a wreck Abby would be. How Gibbs would go completely mute and how McGee would probably turn into a hard-ass." Tony chuckled at that, "and how much I would miss you." She admitted and the air between them was silent.

"You'd miss me?" Tony asked, his voice had the slightest teasing tone to it.

"I would. You may be such a jerk sometimes, but the Team would fall apart and I like what we have. Besides, someone has to keep Gibbs on his toes." Kate said and they were quiet again for a while – a long while.

"Thank you." She almost missed it but when Tony dropped his hand out from under his blanket towards her, she knew she had heard right.

"For what?" She asked, kind of knowing where this was going. Tony winced as he turned more on his side, facing her.

"For staying. For putting yourself in danger just to make sure that I wasn't alone." He confessed and she felt her heart squeeze painfully in her chest. She turned on her side as well, finally reaching out a hand to grasp his, their fingers intertwining after a moment.

"At least you weren't stuck here with Gibbs. You'd probably have a concussion by now." She teased and they both laughed.

"Enough of the yabba yabba and go to sleep." They were both startled by the sudden command and looking to the desk, they were met with the sly and caring gaze that belonged only to one Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Not daring to ask how long he had been standing there listening, they relaxed back into their temporary beds. Eventually they fell asleep, their hands still entwined.

OoOoOoOoOoO

The next morning, they were woken by a very relieved Abby Sciuto. She faltered – but only momentarily – as she caught sight of Kate and Tony's beds pressed together. But, that didn't stop her from carefully throwing herself down onto Tony's bed, wrapping her arms around his waist in a hug.

"Tony! You're alive!" She gushed, hugging him as tightly as she dared. She felt rather than heard Tony's chuckle.

"In the flesh, Abbs. Someone's gotta beat the creeps away with a cattle prod." He said and Abby burst out laughing, her smile wide and her eyes bright. She suddenly turned serious and sat up, immediately locking her fingers around his right ear.

"OW! Abbs, what the hell?" Tony whined, trying to dislodge the slightly older woman's grip.

"Not until you promise to never almost die again." She demanded, the pouty face that no one could resist appeared on her face. Kate tried not to laugh with everything in her.

"Okay, okay, okay. I promise, Abbs. Besides, I don't like being near death. One time if more than enough for me." He promised the woman who was essentially his sister. She smiled and let go of her pinching hold on his ear. Instead, she smoothed her hand over it, trying to take any pain she may have caused away.

"Good. Because if you die, I promise you that when I die, I will make the after life miserable for you." She said resolutely.

"No Abbs, you're not because you're never going to die." Tony said, wrapping his arms around her shoulder, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. With her free hand, she loosened the many buckles bon her huge boots and slid them off one by one.

"Well, this is certainly something I thought I'd never see." Tony remarked, throwing his free arm around Kate's shoulders.

"And what would that be Tony?" Kate asked and Abby glanced at the man through her fringe.

"That I have two incredibly smart and beautiful women in bed with me." He said with a sly grin and laughter in his eyes.

He didn't expect both women to pinch his ears.

Thank you to those few of you who took the time to review, it really means a lot.

I have a few ideas, but I'd really appreciate some suggestions on what you guys would like to see or if there's any pairings you would like to see.

Anything's welcome.

Until next time,

-SilentDaughter