The Morning After
By that belle
Ending up in Anthony DiNozzo's bed was not at the top of Caitlin Todd's 'to do' list... ..Tony & Kate..
Just before dinner was due to be served, Kate took her mother to the side. She could faintly hear Tony and Alexandra play fighting in the next room, and Roberts strict voice warning them not to break anything.
"Mom, I've been doing some thinking…" Kate said, gesturing that Sarah sat down. The two sat down on the sofa and Kate curled up her feet.
"What about, sweetheart?" She asked.
"I think you should move back down here." Kate said, looking her mother in the eye. "After dad… well, I just think you should be here, with us. Indiana is too far away. If there was an emergency, we might not be able to get to you in time, or you to us…"
Sarah bowed her head. "Caitlin, you know I couldn't do that. You and Tony are getting married. You'll want to start a family. I'd just be in the way."
Kate shook her head firmly. "Mother, be reasonable! Even if you didn't live with us, you should consider moving back to the city. That way you'd be a car rides away, not a plane ride."
Sarah raised an eyebrow, and nodded. "I'll give it some thought."
Kate smiled, and got up. "Good. I'll talk to Tony tonight."
Sarah smiled at her daughter, and went to serve the dinner. Kate went to tell everyone that dinner was ready, and she got a bottle of red wine from the cupboard. She poured six glasses, and set the bottle on the table. Tony walked up to her and smiled.
"So far so good, huh?" He asked her, kissing her cheek.
"Yes." Kate said, smiling back at him. "I have something to ask you later… about Mom."
Tony looked into her eyes, and saw the sadness in them. There were times when he couldn't figure her out, and now was one of them. He just nodded, and agreed that it could wait until after dinner.
Over dinner, Sarah and Samantha talked non-stop about the wedding. So much so, that hardly anyone else got a word in. Both Tony and Kate were determined to make things work between their families, so no matter how much it might have annoyed them, they kept smiles on their faces the entire evening.
"Tony and Kate want an outdoor wedding, I heard." Samantha said, frowning a little. "But winter is almost here…"
"Mother, we're planning on having the wedding next summer." Tony tried to reason, but that seemed to cause his mother even more distress.
"Next summer? Anthony, that is so far away! Just have a proper wedding in a church, and it can be arranged… so you can be married in three months."
Tony and Kate looked at each other, and Kate shook her head. She turned to Tony's mother and said, "With all due respect, Samantha, this is our wedding. We would like it to be an outdoor wedding, in the summer."
Samantha turned to Robert, trying to get her husband to say something, but the whole thing just seemed to amuse him. He chuckled, taking a sip of his wine, and gently reminded his wife to calm down.
When Kate came out of the bathroom in her pyjamas, Tony was sitting on the bed, reading. He looked up when she came in, and didn't say anything until she was settled in bed.
"You wanted to talk about something before?" He asked her as she tried to get comfortable on the bed. "About your mother?"
"Yes." She said. She rolled over so she was facing him, and took a breath. "Tony… after all that's happened, I think that Mom should be living closer. She shouldn't be alone anymore."
'Is Kate suggesting what I think she is suggesting?' "You want her to live here?" He asked, incredulous.
Kate bit her lip. By the look on Tony's face, and the tone of his voice, he obviously did not sit well with the idea. "Not necessarily here." She said quickly, hurt to see the immediate relief on his face. "Maybe we could get her an apartment in the city."
Tony laughed. "With what exactly, Kate?" He asked her, ruffling her hair gently. "Of course I want your mother to be near, in case something happens, but how would we pay for an apartment for her?"
Kate had a sly look on her face, which gave Tony the impression that she wasn't telling him something. When he asked if that was the case, she kissed him and replied, "My parents taught me not to discuss money matters with other people… especially when it comes to new contracts."
Tony's eyebrow rose. 'Of course! Kate would never tell me what she's earning now as Director.' "Is that right?" Was all he said, smiling strangely.
"Well…" Kate said, looking at him nervously. "If you don't like the idea, then… tell me. Okay?"
He assured her that he would, and she smiled. As she settled into bed, she thought to herself with a smile, 'I'm marrying the most thoughtful man in the world.'
Leroy Jethro Gibbs was a man who always took things quickly. Nothing was ever slow for him, and every decision he made he thought over in his head multiple times before making it. That's why, on Saturday morning, as he watched Jenny sipping her coffee and reading the morning paper, it seemed like the perfect moment to ask her what he had been thinking about: the decision to move in together. Sure, they had not been seeing each other that long, but there were the stints in Paris, plus the mutual unspoken 'thing' they had always had between them.
She looked up at him. "What are you thinking about?" She asked him. He thought about asking her how she knew, but she could read his mind. Or, she just knew him. "I can see it in your eyes, Jethro."
He walked over to her, and looked into her eyes. Should he ask her, or should he tell her? Trademark, or genuine? "Jen, would you like to move in together?"
The coffee cup in her hands dropped, and hit the carpet with a soft thump. Gibbs didn't care that the dark liquid was staining the light carpet; there was only one thing on his mind. And it was whether she said yes or no.
She smiled coyly. "Took you long enough to ask, didn't it Jethro?"
His eyebrow rose. "I take that as a 'yes', then?"
She nodded, and put her arms around him. His arms wrapped around her slowly, and couldn't help but smile as she replied, "Yes, you do."
Kate was shaking like a leaf as she stepped into the lift, Tony close behind her. She was dressed in a dark skirt and matching coat, with a white blouse underneath. She hated the heels she was wearing, they were killing her feet, but since she was no longer going to be working the field she didn't have to wear boots or anything else.
"Kate, you'll be fine." Tony assured her, placing his hands on her shoulders and giving them a quick rub as the doors slid shut. "Just remember to breathe."
"Easy for you to say." She smiled. "You don't have to manage the entire agency."
He winked at her as the doors opened, and they stepped out. As they walked towards where Gibbs' team sat, Kate was taken aback by two things: first off, how everyone that passed the pair bid her a good morning as either "Ma'am," "Director," or "Director Todd."
It was weird.
The second strange thing Kate noticed was that Jenny was sitting at her desk, patiently reading over a file. She looked up as the two approached, and smiled at Kate. "How does it feel?"
Kate smiled nervously. "Like I have a million butterflies in my stomach. Was it like this for you?"
Jenny nodded, which greatly relieved Kate. "At first… by the end of my first week, after I got used to everything and everyone, I felt things would turn out fine. And they did." Kate nodded, and Tony headed over to his desk and sat down. "But, one thing I should warn you about. Just because you are a woman, don't think that that gives the Directors of other agencies the right to walk all over you. You are just as influential and important as they are, if not more so."
Kate smiled. "Thanks, Jenny. That's probably the most important advice I'll need for this job." She smiled at her, and then turned away. Tony was grinning at her.
"Meet me for lunch." He said, and she nodded. With one last wistful look at her old team, she walked over to the stairs, and then up them slowly, ignoring the eyes that were on her. The many eyes that belonged to Jenny and the members of her old team.