DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING IN HERE EXCEPT FOR THE STORY. Thank you to meherm for kicking my butt into gear. I've been so busy, I almost forgot! :o REVIEW PLEASE! xx

The Bucks Night.

There was no night clubbing. No running around DC in a rank way. Just Gibbs, Fornell, Tony and McGee sitting in Gibbs' back yard, with the flood light on, with a projector projecting 'the game' on the back wall and the men drinking their brews, fiercely debating who was going to win.

"This is quite good Jethro." Tobias popped the lid off another beer. "Thank you McGee for the football and DiNozzo for the beer. It was better than mine at least."

Gibbs snorted.

"So, where you going to hold the big get together?" Toby kept going.

Gibbs shrugged, making DiNozzo snicker. After a swift slap to the back of the head, Gibbs replied, "Ask DiNozzo."

Three sets of people's eyes set onto DiNozzo's surprised face. "Well…" He looked sheepishly at the game, before coming back to the three men who were still awaiting an answer. "Abby was sayin' this and that and…Ziva had this idea she told me at lunch and…" He saw a smile on Fornell's face. "What?"

"Nothing, just that you have gone so red, you could take over as Rudolph the red nosed Reindeer." Laughter erupted.

Tony stood up, clearly upset with the joke. "I'm going inside to get some food that doesn't taste like wood dust."

The three men paused the live TV and watched Tony's retreating back. "Was it something I said?" Toby asked.

Gibbs looked at the now shut door. "No, I think he just needs someone to talk to."

0-0-0-0-

Slamming the door on the way into the kitchen, Kate sat at the table, drawing.

"Do you have anything that doesn't taste like it's been in the basement Kate?" Tony sat down beside her, still downcast.

Kate stopped sketching. "Why? What's wrong?" Tony didn't answer. Kate gave him a Gibbs Slap. "Answer, now."

"Ziva." He said softly.

"Oh. Zi-va." She said the Israeli's name choppily. "What about Ziva?"

"She… she's different."

"Uh oh." Kate stood up, went to the fridge and came back with a block of chocolate. "Talk." She shoved a piece into his hand.

He ate it. "I don't know… she just…" Tony looked at her in a meaningful way, trying to get the message across.

"Wow. Tony DiNozzo brought speechless. That is a first." Kate popped a piece of chocolate into her mouth. "You do realise she is like… crazy."

Tony shrugged half-heartedly. "I know Gibbs knows something. Tim has been telling me to go for it oh so subtly. But… I don't think I have it in me."

"Then why come in here all huffy?"

"Fornell made a joke about me and Ziva going to lunch, talking about the wedding… She's so excited." He smiled at Kate through his cloudy mood. "She can't wait. She wants a happily ever after too, like you and Gibbs but… am I really the person her could give her that?"

Kate thought about it. She actually didn't know what to say. "Jethro and I… we always wanted what was best for us, not for me or him. I know he doesn't exactly like office relationships but, if she means that much to you, Tony, not to anyone else, it's a risk I would take."

He ate another piece of the chocolate. "I don't know…" Tony stared at the picture Kate was drawing. It was of him and Ziva. "What's that?"

Kate smiled. "Ziva asked me to draw it. She said she wanted to frame it too." Kate took Tony's hand. "See? A little bit of a push… well maybe a shove because of your big head," Tony smiled at her joke, "is all you need to get the ball rolling."

"What about Gibbs, Fornell… even McGeek?" Tony sighed.

"Don't worry about Gibbs; I'll take care of that. Gibbs will then take care of Fornell and McGee. See? Dominos." Kate laughed, pulling her hand out of his and making him stand up.

"So… I can't think of a movie to equate this to."

"Helpless romantic. The Time Travellers Wife. There." Kate started pushing him towards the door. "Now go out there and get yourself blind drunk."

Tony turned and looked at her. "You really think I'm that irresponsible?" She gave him one of those trademark 'you-aren't-asking-me-that' looks. "Ok, you obviously do. Adios!" he ran out the door.

She turned back and pulled out her phone, texting someone one word. Done.

0-0-0-

"So you've finished sulking DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, throwing him a beer.

"I wasn't sulking. I was having a constructive talk with Kate."

"Po-tay-to, po-tah-to." Fornell replied, watching as his team got smashed. "This is the worse game ever."

THE NEXT DAY

Tony sat at his desk, typing away very studiously. Ziva was perplexed, watching on as he didn't say anything about Gibbs' party last night.

"So, how was it?" Ziva pulled a knife out and started playing with it.

"Hmm?" Tony was very involved with whatever was on his screen.

"How was Gibbs' butcher party?"

"Bachelor, Ziva." Tony pressed one final key and smiled. "It was good. I didn't get blind drunk, but it was good nonetheless."

"How was Kate?"

"What?" Tony was now packing up his stuff. It was only a half day of work, so he could catch up on paperwork. Ziva threw her knife at him, narrowly missing his right hand, which was picking up his water bottle. "Ziva!"

"Tony! You seem very…" she waved her hands about erratically.

"Distracted?"

"Yes! That word!" she stood up with an annoyed air about her. "You are usually bursting with information about some blonde bimbo you are seeing."

He smiled. "But, I'm not going to dinner with a blonde bimbo tonight."

Ziva stopped, analysing him. "Then who?"

Tony gave her a piece of paper. "La Bella restaurant. 7.30pm. Good thing I know a friend of a friend." He walked off.

Ziva stood looking at the paper, surprised. "Ok." She grinned, sitting back down. She called Kate. "Hey, Kate, it's just Ziva. Uh, I can't come to supper tonight, I have another arrangement. I'll talk to you later." She put the phone down and looked at herself. Cargo pants and a t-shirt. No. Packing up her stuff, Ziva ran out of the bullpen, going to find something beautiful to wear.

0-0-0-

Kate sat triumphantly in her side of the bed, listening to the message Ziva left for her. I have another arrangement.

"What's got you so chipper?" Gibbs came in, dusty from head to toe.

"Oh, you know. Things." She replied mysteriously.

"Well, these things better be about me." Gibbs told her, sitting on the edge of the bed to take his shoes off.

"Some of them." Kate liked being annoying to him. "Like the fact you washed up tonight and that I found that extra magazine of SiG bullets you were looking for."

He changed and lay on top of the sheets, waiting for Kate to get comfortable on his shoulder, before getting his book out and continuing to read it. "What else?"

Kate grinned again. "Just Things."

Fin.