Alright so looks like you all enjoyed the last chapter. Maybe you'll enjoy this as well! :-)

In the middle of the night, Kate was still sitting in the living-room. She was thinking about the future and what to do next, but the flickering fire in the chimney and the fact that it was after midnight made her very tired and so she was just about to fall asleep on the sofa when there was suddenly a knock on the door, making her all awake within a moment. When she reached the door she opened it, a little relieved to notice that it was Tony to knock on the door.
"What are you doing here, I was just about to sleep", she said annoyed, with her eyes almost closed.
"I can see that, you look horrible", he teased her, enjoying every second of their conversation.
"Thank you. So when would you like to tell me what you are doing here? In the middle of the night?"
"Can we talk?"
"Sounds pretty serious."
"It is... sort of."
Kate nodded and went on the porch with Tony and closed the door behind her to not wake Ducky or Brooke up, "So, what's the important, not so serious at all thing you wanted to talk with me about?"
"I should've told you that years ago, but I... I don't even know why I never did. But well, looks like I get another chance to. So now I'll use it", he started, looking at her, "I wanted to thank you."
"Thank me for what?"
"For staying with me when I had the plague."
Kate softly smiled, "There is nothing to thank me for."
"Yes there is. You knew you weren't infected but I was. You knew you could've get infected as well if you stayed and you knew that it was dangerous. But instead of telling me that you were fine and leaving, you stayed and told me that you were infected, too. And I could never make sense of a logical reason why in the world you would stay there, risking your life."
Kate shrugged, "It felt like the right thing to do..."
"Did you know what's going to happen back then? I mean... did you knew that you would be faking your... your death?"
"No, I didn't. And even if, that wouldn't have been the reason for me to stay. I just... couldn't leave you there. I thought you were probably going to die and I couldn't just leave you there alone. Even if I'd wanted to, I wouldn't have left you there."
"That is... the nicest thing someone has ever done to me. Seriously, no one has ever done something great like that to me."
"But also I've done one of the most horrible things to you."
Tony sighed, "Yes, it definitely is the most horrible thing that you've faked your death, and decided not to come back, but... what counts is that you're here now."
She could just smile a little bit about it. If he knew how much she wanted to go again, he wouldn't be so happy. It sounded crazy, but a part of her wished that she did die, because it would have been so much easier than coming here and having this huge secret that would make them hate her. They wouldn't believe her, she was really sure about that. But she also knew that she had to tell them. Soon. But she couldn't. She didn't want to hear that they didn't believe her. But she also knew that if she flew back to Minnesota, they'd come. There was no way to escape. No way of not telling them her big secret.
"I missed you, Kate", he stated, almost whispering.
She smiled, "I missed you, too."
For a moment the two of them just looked at each other and noticed that Mitch Albom was right when writing, »Death ends a life, not a relationship«, because both knew that there feelings towards each other hadn't change and it felt good. Both missed those teasing conversations, the looks they gave each other and just the good feeling to know the other one was there. There was silent, but not awkward silence. It wasn't not awkward to them because they were lost in each others eyes, but because they didn't have to say something. His eyes didn't grow, Tony's face just came closer to hers. And then it happened - his lips met hers. She would've thought something now, and she always thought that if they would ever kiss, she might have a thousand thoughts or feelings going through her head and body. But it wasn't like that. In fact, she did feel something. She felt free, and so good. She never would have thought that a kiss would feel so perfect. But it did. And first when it ended, when they opened their eyes, she could think again, realizing how bad that was. And within a tiny second her eyes were wide open and she stood straight.
"I uh... should probably go back inside, you know, it's getting late and all", she said, reaching for the door and opening it without taking her eyes from his.
Tony would have said something now, but he was confused. And first when she walked inside and closed the door he was all himself again, "What just happened?" He whispered to himself. And that wasn't even a real question. Not at all because he could sort of answer it. He did knew that he had just kissed her. Something he wanted to do for so long, but he never dared to. Frankly, something he would never admit, he was scared of being rejected by her. But then there was this after the kiss moment. What did she say? That she should go back inside because it was getting late? Well, it was late, but did she just used that as an excuse to say that she didn't want to be with him? Was that her way of dumping him (Even though she couldn't really dump him because they weren't together, he had just kissed her)? He didn't understand anything at the moment so he decided to drive back home and sleep. Maybe later he would understand it.

Getting home he saw that it was four a.m. already, but surprisingly he drifted to sleep very fast. But that didn't last long and so he was all awake by half past seven and decided to go to work, to get his head free.
When he arrived in the bullpen, only Ziva was there already. Tony sat down at his desk without saying a word.
When Ziva noticed him, she looked at him, "Are you okay?"
"Tired", he said, his eyes almost closed.
"Then you should lay down? Work didn't start yet."
"Couldn't sleep", he explained himself.
Ziva wrinkled her forehead, "You couldn't sleep even though you are tired?"
"Yes."
"I don't understand it."
"I had something that... kept me awake."
Ziva tilted her head, "Who kept you awake?"
"Abby told you that it's Kate, not Lexa, right?"
Ziva nodded, "Yes, she was... very excited."
"Well anyway, I went to Ducky's house in the night because there was something I wanted to thank her for and then..."
"Then?"
"I uh... kissed her", Tony ended his explanation.
"So you... had a long night?"
"What? No, no, we didn't... that is kind of it."
"You're confused because there is someone who doesn't want to sleep with you?" Ziva asked, grinning.
"Well after the kiss she said she should go back inside because it was getting late and then she did go inside and... I just... don't understand? Do you think she... doesn't like me?"
"I don't know", she admitted, "But you shouldn't think about it and her too much."

"You did WHAT?" Brooke asked with a big smile on her face. Ducky had left about twenty minutes ago and Kate had just told her about last night.
But her friend didn't seem to find this so positive, of course she wouldn't, "This is awful!"
"That's a lie."
"Brooke! As if this is making the whole situation better?!"
Brooke looked at her, serious, "Oh, come on! That is positive. Because if you tel him the secret and he really really really likes you, which he obviously does!, he will believe you."
"I don't think he will", Kate admitted, looking out of the window.
"You have to find out though."
"Unfortunately..."
"See it from the bright side!"
"There is no bright side."

It was eight when finally everyone was in the bullpen. Tony didn't mention the last night to anyone, but he did think about it the entire time. But meanwhile, he was thinking about something else. There was something that wanted to come in his head, he knew he had forgot something. But what was it? And then suddenly he remembered.
"Guys", he said, getting the attention of Gibbs, McGee and Ziva.
"What is it?" Gibbs asked before Tony looked at him.
"I just remembered something. I think I know who the murderer of the two bodies is."
"Who?"
"When Ziva and I were at the marine base, talking to Commander Jones, he wore his watch on his right arm. I didn't really care about it back then, but I realized that almost only left-handed people do so."
"McGee, bring Commander Jones in, don't tell him why", Gibbs said before McGee took his phone.

It only took a short time til Commander Jones sat in the interrogation room with Gibbs.
"Why am I here?" The commander asked, all innocently.
Gibbs pointed at the Commander's watch, "You're wearing your watch on your right arm, Commander?"
"Yes, you mind?"
"I wear mine on my left side."
"Well I am left-handed, that's why I am wearing my watch on my right arm. Is there a problem with that, Gibbs?"
Gibbs shook his head, "No. I actually don't care on which arm your watch is. But I do care about details. And recently when two of my agents were talking to you, telling you about the two dead marines... they left one thing out."
"And what would that be?"
"Their murderer was left-handed."
The commander looked at Gibbs, "So you're thinking that I did it?"
"I know it. After I was told this morning that you are left-handed, I was talking to your boss, getting some papers on which you wrote something and then my forensic scientist checked it and oh!... it matched the handwriting on the card you've written on after you borrowed the bouquet my pathologist was supposed to get."
The commander didn't say anything, so Gibbs continued talking, "Why did you kill them?"
"They both wanted to quit. But Don's mother needed an operation and so he needed money and he wouldn't have found a new job so fast, so he stayed. And Smith as his best friend continued his job as marine as well, so they would have the money faster. But Don often wanted to visit his mother in the hospital. He didn't improve in his job and also Smith wasn't working harder than usual, but yet the two of them wanted to get more money. And they didn't stop asking for more..."
"So you killed them, because they annoyed you."
The commander sitting in front of Gibbs now talked louder, "They didn't work harder! And it's the marine not the charity!"
Also Gibbs now spoke louder, "But that didn't give you the right to kill them."
The commander first didn't answer, before finally saying, "I want to call my lawyer."

Gibbs was glad that the case was now closed. Now he could finally focus on the one huge question in his head - What was her secret? He was in his basement, the light throwing shadows of him on the wall when he was working on the new boat he was working on. He was thinking and thinking, and a lot of possibilities came to his mind but then out of it again, because they weren't making any sense. What could it be? All he knew was that Ducky knew that she was alive all the time, and maybe he also knew why she didn't come back. And it was just then when Ducky walked down the stairs into the basement of his longtime friend.
"What do you want to talk with me about?" Ducky said, standing next to Gibbs who then stopped working on the boat, looking at Ducky.
"She told me that she didn't come back because she felt bad."
"I know... I heard it", Ducky nodded, followed by silence. Knowing that Gibbs wouldn't break it, Ducky made a guess, "You don't believe her, do you Jethro?"
Gibbs looked at him, "I know her. She might have felt bad, but that wouldn't have held her back. She would've come back."
"And you are thinking that she told me the real reason."
"Do you?"
The elder men shook his head, "I did not ask her about it. I always wondered what happened to her, how she was. And now she is back here. All I know is that nothing had happened to her in Minnesota. She is alive. But I do not know what her secret is."
"I feel like it's nothing good..."

Yes... I will not tell you her secret so fast. But tell me, what do you think it is?