Kate sat behind her desk, catching up on what seemed to be a forest full of paper work. She was back to her old usual self, well, almost at least. This weekend was the first time in a long time that she had actually relaxed. After Friday, Kate had already felt better and started to relax more, spending even more time with Tony and the girls on Saturday helped and then again spending the day with her partner and as he had showed up on her doorstep at lunchtime to collect his jacket that he had 'accidentally' left the night before and then stayed for dinner as Amelia and Lilly had refused to let him leave and made him play Barbies with them all day until they eventually passed out on him a 8pm.
The corners of Kate's mouth formed a slight smile as she reminisced over her weekend, how it had all been down to Tony. She instantly felt better, relieved once he had found out and how he had made the girls genuinely happy for the first time in a long time.
"Hey Kate, feeling better?" McGee asked as he walked into the Bullpen.
"Much" Kate smiled at her colleague.
"Well, i'm glad!" McGee flashed Kate a genuine smile as he sat down at his desk.
"Where's Tony?" Kate asked.
"He...er...I think-"
"-Agent Todd, can I see you in my office now?" Director Shepherd interrupted the younger agent.
"Er, sure" Kate replied uneasily, kicking herself mentally as she had a pretty good idea what Jenny wanted.
Kate followed the Director into her office, closing the door behind her and sitting in the chair on the other side of her desk.
"I'm not going to sugar coat this for you" Jenny started, "I like you, Kate. You're a good Agent, probably one of the best and your recent behaviour...well, that's caught a lot of people's attention and has concerned a lot of people. I assume you know about the budget cuts NCIS is being forced to make-"
"-Oh God, I knew it!" Kate sighed, her mind immediately going to the worst case scenario.
"As I was saying, you know about the budget cuts and the fact we're having to cut down on the number of Agents but you're a good agent Kate, and right now, i'm more concerned about what's wrong with you rather than actually firing you like many board members actually think I should"
Kate stayed silent, she had no idea what to say. Even if she wanted to.
"I fought tooth and nail for you, Kate, and Jethro fought a thousand times harder. If you tell me what's going on, I can help you-"
"-Director Shepard, there was something bothering me, affecting my work, but its sorted now. I'm back to my usual self"
"I hope that's true, Caitlin, but judging on your behaviour lately and the fact over half the board want to fire you, I can't take your word for it. And that's why I have to put you on probation-"
"-WHAT?!" Kate's eyes widened in anger as she stood up from her seat defensively.
"It was either that or loosing your job and I think you being on probation for a few weeks is in both our best interests!"
Kate huffed and sat back down in her seat, biting the inside of her cheek and crossing her arms across her chest in frustration.
"Kate, I didn't want to do this either but like I said a few seconds ago, it was either that or you would be out of a job. This probation will last for a month, but just one foot out of line and there will be nothing I can do. No more coming in late and leaving early, no more fighting Gibbs - however tempting it may be. I don't know what's going on with you and I have known you long enough to know that i'm probably not going to know what it is, but please Kate, be a shining example and get back to the way we both know you can be and show the board members they were ridiculous for ever even trying to fire you" Jenny spoke before dismissing Kate.
She headed back to her desk, she was pissed at first but then realised that given the way she had been acting the past few weeks, that probation was nothing more than a tickle in comparison to being an unemployed single mother of two. Kate couldn't help the smile that emerged on her face as she rounded the corner to find Tony sitting at his desk, childishly flicking tiny paper balls at Ziva, who was visibly getting more and more frustrated by the second.
Tony had been staring at the Directors door since he had gotten in, waiting for Kate to exit, his mind also going to the worst case scenario. He had to look away and occupy himself with something else as soon as he saw her exit the room as he could feel himself start to blush and not to mention the butterflies he now got whenever he thought of her. She had her hair in a pony tail and a tight green jumper on, black work pants and black shoes. Kate looked good in green. Very good in fact. And as butterflies, blushing and hiding his feelings towards women were all knew to Tony, he thought the best way to take his mind off Kate was to annoy the Mossad Agent next to him.
"What did Jenny say?" Tony asked as Kate sat down a her desk, three pairs of worried eyes that belonged to her co-workers on her.
"I'm on probation for a month"
"Probation...as in 'Probie'?" Tony's face lit up with excitement.
"No, probation as in if I step out of line one more time i'm fired kind of probation" Kate smiled smugly. "I assume Gibbs will have to give Jenny daily reports on my behaviour and if i'm late even once i'm fired!"
Something inside Tony started to boil, he didn't know why he was this angry but he was. Kate was a good agent, and sure her behaviour had been bad for the past month, but she certainly did not deserve to be on probation.
"That's crap!" Tony spat.
"Its not, I've just got to play kiss ass for a month-"
"-yeah but Kate, you're bound to be late or have to leave at leas once in the next month because of" Tony's eyes widened as he realised he was about to blurt Kate's secret, Kate's expression mirroring Tony's. "Well, you know, traffic and stuff" Tony covered lamely.
Before Kate or anyone else could reply Gibbs rounded the corner with a new case for them.
(-)
"What's this?" Kate narrowed her eyes and raised a brow at Tony.
"Lunch" Tony smiled, holding out the plastic carton in front of her. "Well, chicken ceaser salad to be precise"
"You bought me lunch?"
"I thought it was the least I could do since you've cooked me dinner two nights on the run" Tony sat down at the bench opposite Kate. "How come you're on your own outside, anyway?"
"I figured it was a nice day and I haven't been on my own for weeks" Kate flicked open the lid and shoved some salad into her mouth.
"You er, want me to go?" Tony asked, thinking that that was Kate's polite way of saying 'leave me alone'.
"No" Kate replied, a little too enthusiastically than she would have liked. "How did you know where I was anyway?"
"Well, I assumed you were at your desk and then when I couldn't find you I traced your cell" Tony flashed Kate a cheeky smile as he tucked into his sub.
"I don't know if that's sweet or creepy..." Kate laughed.
"So, how are you feeling?" Tony asked, changing the subject.
"Good, I mean I did have a little trouble getting the girls to go to school today as they said they'd rather say home and play Barbies with Uncle Tony but other than that, good" Kate smiled, putting another fork-full of salad into her mouth.
"That's good. You seem better, you certainly look better" Tony flashed Kate a genuine smile.
Kate went all warm and gooey inside as Tony told her she looked better, she couldn't help but go this way now whenever she was around him.
Tony couldn't take his eyes off Kate's, and when he wasn't looking a her eyes, he was looking a her lips.
"And I have you to thank for that!" Kate flashed Tony a smile and moved one of her hands to hold his and squeezing it affectionately.
"I'm glad" Tony smiled back as his fingers began to trace light circles on Kate's hand. "And about you being on probation, what are you going to do if you have to rush off in the middle of the day? Did you tell Jenny why you were acting like that?"
"I suppose I'll have to pray I never have to, that or lean on Rach for the next month. And no, you're the only one that knows. It was either probation or loose my job and I wasn't about to argue with the Director and then most probably screw up my probation in under 10 minutes and get fired"
Kate and Tony had discussed telling the rest of the team, Tony more or less talking Kate into it. She had agreed that she would tell them, after all, it wasn't something she could hide forever, but she would tell them when she was ready and not a moment before.
"Well, you know I'll be more than happy to help in any way I can, Kate" Tony subconsciously squeezed Kate's hand which neither of them were aware he was still holding.
"I know, thanks" Kate bit the inside of her lip as her eyes scanned Tony's face.
The two sat in a comfortable for the next five minutes, sill holding hands. Only they were both aware of it but neither of them pulled away as they liked it too much.
"I er, really enjoyed spending time with you and the girls this weekend, Kate" Tony broke the silence.
"Me too, and I know for a fact the girls did too!"
"It's nice to see that side of you" Tony confessed.
"What side?" Kate laughed.
"The mother side of you. I mean, I knew you had it in you because I've seen the way you are around kids before but, I don't know. Its different when you're with the girls. You're softer. More vulnerable"
"Says you!" Kate laughed. "Never in my life did I expect to see you, Anthony DiNozzo, playing with Barbie dolls and spending so much time with 6 year old twins!" Kate laughed.
"Neither did I, but there's something about those two that you can't say 'no' to. God help us when they're teenagers"
Both of them were aware of Tony's choice of words. 'Us'. Tony began internally kicking himself for saying such a thing and Kate tried to hide her smile and then she too began internally kicking herself as there was no way that Tony would mean 'us' in a together type of term.
"They have my fathers charm" Kate tried to act normal.
"I always imagined your father to be scary"
"Oh, he is. But he's also very charming. If he wants something. He'll get it. He can talk himself out of any situation on his scariness alone but if that fails, he turns on the 'Todd charm'" Kate chuckled.
"Ah, I can see where you get it from then"
"Get what from?"
"You have it too, the 'Todd charm'. All you need to do is flash someone a dimple-clad smile and then they're basically your bitch!"
"That is true, I do basically have you wrapped around my little finger" Kate joked only to then realise that they had both interlocked their pinkies.
"Oh but, i'm immune to your charm. The DiNozzo charm far outweighs the Todd charm" Tony replied cheekily.
"You are charming!" Kate smirked.
"I'm glad we go that out the way" Tony replied jokingly.
The pair were still holding hands and continued to all through the rest of lunch, and also stealing glances at eachother and beating themselves up internally for thinking for even a second that the other one could like them back.
By now they were both aware that they liked eachother, however what they weren't aware of was just how much they liked eachother and that the feeling was in fact, mutual. Kate had only been back a day and they had both gone out of their way to be next to eachother: siting next to eachother in the van, leaning that little bit closer than usual when the other was leaning over them to look at something, sitting together at lunch, holding hands all through lunch, standing closer than normal in the lift. They were barely away from eachother for five minutes and it was only four pm. Kate was working till six pm and Rachel was looking after the twins until she got home.
(-)
Kate closed her front door with her foot and threw her keys in the bowl.
"Rach?" Kate called out only to hear clamouring of pots and pans coming from the kitchen.
"Hey" Rachel smiled as her younger sister walked into the kitchen.
Kate stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of her sister. She had about 10 different multi-coloured clips in her hair, bright blue eye shadow that seemed to disappear into her hairline, bright red lipstick that made her look like a clown and angelina jolie had a baby and it was stuck on her face and bright red cheeks, which to be honest, she had nothing to say about them as they were that ridiculous.
"Well, I know the girls aren't going to grow up to be hairdressers or makeup artists!" Rachel laughed as she saw Kate trying her hardest to suppress the laughing fit that was dying to burst out of her.
"Oh, it reminds me of the times you used to sneak out to see Johnny Cramer from over the road and you would steal mums makeup to try and look older" Kate sniggered.
"Oh what about you?!" Rachel laughed whilst heating Kate's dinner up for her.
"What about me?!" Kate replied, having no idea what her older sister was talking about.
"The first ever time you wore makeup was to try and impress Keith Taylor from down the road-"
"-if I remember correctly, you're the one who actually did my makeup!"
"That's only because you thought lipstick went on your eyelids!"
The two siblings laughed as they remembered their childhood memories, they had never really been close growing up, Kate being the youngest and Rachel one of the oldest, plus Kate got on better with the boys growing up as she thought wrestling with people twice her size was far more interesting than putting makeup on and trying on clothes like most girls did. But once they were grown up, Kate in her early teens, Rachel in her late, they started to become closer. Kate would go to her for advice on boys. Rachel was the first person she told about her first ever kiss - which happened to be with Keith Taylor the night Rachel had done her makeup and they had gone to the cinema, Rachel was the first person she told about loosing her virginity - in the back seat of their fathers car.
Once Kate had joined the Secret Service and moved away from home, they had lost closeness. Kate had lost closeness with all her siblings and it was only recently that they had become close again.
"I missed you" Kate said, her voice laced with pain.
"I missed you too, little sis" Rachel replied, throwing her arms around Kate and squeezing her tight.
Kate's face lit up as her daughters came hurdling into the kitchen, their makeup mirroring Rachels.
"Hey mama, I miss you today!" Lilly smiled, throwing her arms around her mothers leg and snuggling into her thigh.
"I missed you too!" Amelia added, doing the same thing her twin did with Kate's other leg.
"I mised you guys too today!" Kate wrapped her arms around her daughters, pulling them in even closer. "Did you guys have fun in school?" Kate asked, bending down on her knees so she was their height.
"Yeah, we learnt the times tables!" Amelia smiled proudly.
"You did?!" Kate retured in the same enthusiastic tone her six year old had just used.
"Yeah"
"Is Unc Tony coming tonight?" Lilly asked.
"Not tonight, Uncle Tony needs a rest" Kate laughed remembering how the girls had tired him out.
"We love Uncle Tony!" Amelia smiled.
"Yeah, me too" Kate whispered sunconsiously. "...C'mon girls, lets go watch some TV and let Auntie Rach get cleaned up" Kate smiled, walking her daughters into the living room.
Okay guys, hope you liked it! The next chapter should be up soon as i've already started writing it, yaaay! Let me know what you think! Thanks for all the reviews, they really do mean a lot to me!:)