Once again, thank you very muchly to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I'm so glad that people seem to be enjoying this story because I'm having the best time writing it. Please keep the reviews coming-I can't emphasise the importance of them enough! :)

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I'd decided on my way there that I wasn't leaving until we'd talked properly. I reminded myself to be ready to stop her from closing the door on me as I waited for her to answer my knocking but in the end, she'd stepped aside so I could come in before I'd even finished asking her my question.

She closed the door behind me and it was then I noticed how different she looked compared to two hours ago. Her eyes were red, her face make-up free and her hair looked slightly dishevelled. This along with the pyjamas she was wearing made her out to be more childlike and vulnerable than I was used to seeing her. I wanted to take her in my arms and make the last two years disappear but I fought that urge and clasped my hands onto the back of the chair in front of me instead.

Kate sat down on the couch across the room and raised her eyes to meet mine. "Does it make a difference?" Her voice sounded uncertain as to whether she wanted it to or not, and she was anxiously biting down on her lip as she awaited my answer.

"We could make it make a difference," I said, the words escaping before I had the chance to edit them.

Kate brought ahand up to her forehead for a brief moment as if she had a headache, and with a sinking feeling of guilt, I wondered just how much I had damaged her. I walked over and sat next to her, making sure not to sit too close or too far away.

"At the very least," I said, "we deserve to tell each other the truth."

"I agree," Kate said, not meeting mygaze. "We both deserve that."

We sat in silence for a few moments, both of us trying to find the guts to be the first to talk. To give explanations about a time neither of us seemed to want to revisit.

"I was...uncertain," Kate finally said.

"Uncertain?" I asked in confusion.

"I thought maybe I'd made a mistake suggesting we take a break. I thought we...that we might be able to find a way to work it out. I was coming there to talk to you but..."

"Shit," I muttered as I put my face in my hands. Everything I'd spent the past two years trying not to feel-regret, guilt and anything else related to Kate-came sweeping through my body with incredible force.

I felt Kate get up off the couch and my head snapped back up. She walked to her bookshelf, pulling out random books and putting them back in, and I remembered how she could never stand to stay still when she was stressed or upset.

"It was two years ago," she said, her back turned to me and her voice flat.

"I'm so sorry, Kate," I said heavily. I could see her try to give a nonchalant shrug but her hand, resting on a book and shaking, gave her away. "Can I tell you my side?"

When she didn't reply, I took her silence as a yes and walked up next to her. She still wouldn't look at me but she didn't move away, either. I decided to accept the risk of possibly being bashed up with the book she had her hands on and took a deep breath.

"It hurt when you said you wanted to take a break. I wasn't expecting it to hurt so much but it did. And I just wanted to be able to forget the pain. So I went out, got drunk..."

I saw her fingers clamp over the spine of a dangerously heavy looking book, her knuckles turning white with the force of her grip, and I took a small step back.

"And you know what happened next," I finished quickly. "Kate, I was so drunk, I hardly knew what was going on. I thought I imagined seeing you until I found your keys the next day."

Her hand fell away from the book and I looked at her face in surprise as she wiped away a tear. I almost wished she'd start whacking me with the book instead of standing there crying. I stepped towards her again, my arms hanging awkwardly by my side as I debated whether or not I should wrap them around her.

"Wasn't I...enough for you?" she asked slowly, her voice quivering as she tried to fight back more tears.

"What?" I said in disbelief. "You were so much more than enough. I'd never felt that way about anyone before."

I'd been so distracted by how upset she seemed that I hadn't noticed the anger that had been lurking behind her tears. I noticed it now, though, as she looked at me directly in the eyes.

"Then how could you fuck someone else?"

"Jesus, Kate!" I yelled, not caring that she took a step back from me in shock at my anger. "Did you ever think about how much you hurt me? Because I have, all the time. And excuse me for trying to find something to numb the pain!"

"So what, you just take someone new home every week?" Kate spat out bitterly. "Just like the old Anthony DiNozzo did?"

"You know what, that's exactly what I do," I yelled back. "At least I don't just sulk at home, not even pretending to have a life!"

"Well done, Tony," Kate yelled, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Any trace of tears were long gone by this stage. "Am I supposed to find your sleaziness and complete lack of morals admirable?"

"About as much as I admire your self-righteousness," I bit back.

"Considering how much we like each other, maybe you should just get the hell out of here."

Kate spun around and started to stalk off but I grabbed her arm and pulled her close to me.

"If I could go back two years ago," I told her quietly, "I would've stayed home that night so I never would have lost you."

I didn't wait for an answer. I didn't expect one, either, and I figured this was as far as we were going to go tonight. I dropped her arm and walked out the door, leaving Kate standering there frozen, her mouth gaping open.

I got into my car and drove home. I'd never met anyone who could drive me as crazy as Kate could-and I missed it. I'd missed it non-stop for two years now. A one night stand didn't know you well enough to push the right buttons to have you yelling one minute and in bed the next. I missed watching Kate's cheeks flush as she became angrier, I missed the feel of her body in my arms, I missed knowing someone well enough to be able to tell the meaning of every gesture and to be just as comfortable sitting in silence with them or talking about anything. I even missed her chastising me for my dirty mind.

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Kate stumbled into the kitchen wearing one of my t-shirts and stifling a yawn.

"Breakfast?" she asked sleepily.

I looked up from the entertainment section of the newspaper and pointed to the bowl of cereal I'd poured for her ten minutes ago. She gave me a grateful smile and settled into the chair opposite me. I handed her the parts of the newspaper I wasn't interested in and went back to reading and eating.

"Tony?" Kate asked several minutes later.

I quickly glanced up from the newspaper to show her she had my attention before looking down again. "Yeah?"

"Do you think it's bad that we've only been together for a month and we're acting like an old married couple?"

She definitely had my attention now. I put the newspaper down and looked at her in surprise. "We do not!"

Kate looked at me sceptically. "You know what I eat for breakfast. You know what parts of the newspaper I read. We're sitting here in silence."

"Maybe we just know each other well," I said shrugging.

"This is how my parents act at breakfast."

"Ah!" I flinched. "Don't bring parents into this, Kate! I don't even want to think about that."

"It's the truth," she said simply.

"Right," I said firmly, standing up and putting our plates next to the sink. "That's it."

Kate looked at me in confusion. "What-"

Before she had the chance to finish her question, I picked her up and lay her down on the table, kissing her deeply.

"Do you think old married couples do this?" I asked her, pulling away from the kiss.

"Definitely not," Kate answered breathlessly as I removed the top of mine she was wearing.

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I let myself into my home and sighed. I leaned against the door, running my hands through my hair. It had been maybe four or five hours since Kate and I had been seated in the restaurant and it felt like we'd spent that whole time going around in circles. We tried to talk, we just spent the entire time silent. Then when we actually talked, we ended up screaming at each other. Kate walked out of the restaurant, so I ran after Kate. Then I walked away from Kate and...then what? Would she come running after me or was this it? Had we reached a dead end?

I wished that Kate and I could go back to how we were. But she didn't really seem to be in the mood for forgiveness tonight and a part of me wondered if she ever would be able to forgive me. It didn't seem like two years had really helped her much with that, anyway.

It was up to Kate now. In the past hour, I'd talked more about my feelings than I'd ever done in my whole life. If I wasn't careful, I was going to turn into a pansy. It was definitely Kate's turn to do some talking or make some gesture.

I was debating whether to go to sleep or turn to alcohol when I heard the urgent knock at my door. It had to be Kate. I couldn't think of anyone else who would visit me at this time. I rushed to the door and opened it as quickly as I could.

"I feel like we're playing a game of tennis here," Kate said softly, her eyes fixed on the floor. "And I'm sick of it."

I didn't say anything. I didn't want to start another argument or distract her from telling me why she'd come here.

After a few moments of silence, Kate looked up at me. She took a step towards me, linked her arms around my neck and kissed me.

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Okay, just in case no one knows, Twilight sucks. (The NCIS episode, not the books/movies of course.) I swore I would never watch it but then I was actually forced to on Easter Sunday. Well, more blackmailed: I was told that it was the only way I could have champagne. And it's champagne, you know. What was I supposed to do? And it was so packed full of Tate goodness and then...and then... *Shudders* Well, you all know what happens at the end. Awful. I actually spent the next day not talking to the blackmailer.

Anyhow, we have a decision to make about the next chapter (as in, I want your imput): it could go two ways. Either there's a scene that requires a ratings change for this story (and considering Kate and Tony are currently making out in his doorway, I think we all know what that scene is) or there's not.

Now, I'm not promising a happy end if we do get that scene nor am I promising a sad end if we don't get it. I'm not promising anything. I just want to know if people want that scene or not. So let me know and...:

REVIEW!

(Pretty, pretty please.)