All the Possibilities by Star24

AN: Okay here's the deal. I am not really a shipper of any kind as far as NCIS goes. (At least not at this point in time.) I may play with Tony/Abby and Tony /Kate on various occasions but I don't really have any vested preferences. The only ship you won't ever see me playing with is Kate and Gibbs. As a matter of personal preference, the whole issue of boss/subordinate hooking up is distasteful to me. So don't look for it in any of my fics. Not to mention that personally I'm just not feeling any sparks between those two, while I have seen some between Tony and Kate and Tony and Abby at different points in the show.

But it's a large life with room for all. My real hope is that the show doesn't ever get into the ship issues and keeps it to light flirtation, leaving it to the fan fic writers to play with all of the possibilities. (Like the way I worked the story title in here?)

Star 24

Chapter Two

Kate glanced around as she entered Spanky's. Despite the somewhat rundown exterior, the interior wasn't too bad. It looked like what it was - a sports bar that catered to a primarily blue-collar clientele. There was nothing elegant about the wooden tables and chairs scattered around the room, or the assortment of autographed pictures and team jerseys that adorned the walls, but the floor and tables were clean, aside from a scattering of discarded peanut shells.

"So you going to run out screaming?" Tony asked her, "or do you think you can stand it for an evening?"

"What have I ever done to make you think that I'm that kind of a snob?" Kate asked him.

Tony raised his eyebrows and didn't answer.

"Well I'm not. I like the symphony and going out to nice restaurants but that doesn't mean I turn my nose up at the rest of the world." Kate said indignantly.

"You reserve that for me?"

By this time Tony had led the way to an empty booth and they slid it into it. The top of the table was scarred with carvings of initials and names but it was clean. Two paper menus sat in a holder and Tony pulled them out and handed one to Kate.

"I don't.I mean I." Kate stammered, knowing that she had been guilty as charged, at least as far as Tony was concerned. She didn't want to think too deeply about her reasons at the present moment; Tony had her off balance enough already.

"Hey, it's okay. If I can stand Gibbs, there's not much you can do to bother me." Tony informed her cheerfully. "Stick with the basics here. The wings are pretty good and so are the burgers. Salads I wouldn't know about."

"Thanks." Kate looked down at her menu.

"Can I take your drink order?" A perky waitress dressed in the tiniest of skin-tight red spandex shorts and a tight, low cut white tank top that emphasized her assets, was standing next to the table. True to form, Tony gave her a long look up and down, accompanied by one of his trademark smiles.

"I'll take whatever you've got on tap, sweetheart. Kate?"

"That's fine with me." Kate said shortly.

The girl gave Tony a blinding smile and sashayed off to get their beers.

"What?" Tony said in answer to Kate's look.

"Must you undress every slightly attractive woman you see?" she asked him.

He sighed. "Kate, they wear those outfits on purpose. It's part of the game. If I didn't pay her some attention it'd ruin her evening."

Kate shook her head. "I don't know why I agreed to come here with you," she muttered.

"Because deep inside you can't resist my charm?" Tony ventured teasingly. At Kate's look of exasperation he continued, "because we have a bet on a pool game?"

"I must be insane." Kate answered

"A little insanity is good for the soul every once in a while. Anyway you gotta remember you have a reputation to uphold here."

"What reputation?" Kate wanted to know.

"You've got a tatt. There are obligations that go with that for a woman you know."

Kate was spared having to answer by the waitress bringing their beers. She plunked Kate's down in front of her and then made a show of wiping the table in front of Tony before placing a coaster on it and carefully setting his beer down. She made sure to lean over and afford him a close-up view of her charms.

"Are you ready to order?" she purred.

Tony smiled at her. "Order of hot wings. Can you bring some extra sauce on the side?"

The waitress nodded and wrote it on her pad. When she finished, she reluctantly turned her attention to Kate.

"I'll have the same." Kate answered.

"Just make it an extra large order then and bring some extra celery and bleu cheese." Tony told the waitress. "That okay with you, Kate?"

Kate shrugged. "No problem."

When the girl left there was a brief silence as they both sipped their beers. Kate was the first to break it.

"Where's the pool table anyway? Maybe they don't have one anymore." There was a note of hope in her voice.

"It's in the back room. Do I detect fear?" Tony grinned at her. "You wanna concede?"

Kate met his eyes straight on. "The hell I will."

Tony smiled at her and this time it was her that his eyes swept over knowingly. Kate felt herself flushing.

"Did I ever tell you that I like women with an attitude?" Tony said casually.

"And here I thought all it took was a double X chromosome pair." Kate quipped back.

Instead of being offended Tony let out a shout of laughter. "See that's what I mean. I gotta say that you're never boring, Kate."

"I'm glad you approve." Kate muttered, smiling in spite of herself. Tony was so irrepressibly good-natured that she was finding it difficult to maintain her normal aloofness around him.

"Seriously, Kate, you think we can call a truce for now? At least until we get to the pool game that is."

Tony held out a hand across the, table palm up.

Kate looked at him for a moment and then reached out and placed her hand on his. When his fingers closed around hers she felt a sudden jolt of something. Tony looked a bit startled as well but he quickly recovered, releasing her hand and picking up his beer.

"So Kate, how'd you get into this line of work anyway?" he asked casually. He sat back giving her his full attention as he waited for her response. Kate relaxed at the innocuous subject and she found herself telling Tony about her foray into law school and her subsequent move into law enforcement. The food came and Tony ordered a pitcher of beer for them as they dug into the spicy chicken. By the time they finished the wings and another pitcher, they both felt a comfortable sense of relaxation and ease that had been missing in their previous interactions.

"I can't believe we ate all of those wings." Kate said as she looked at the wooden bowl in front of them.

"You ready for our pool game?" Tony asked as he refilled her glass.

"Bring it on." Kate rose and picked up her beer. For a moment she felt a bit unsteady but then the feeling passed.

Tony was watching her narrowly; "You okay?"

"Perfect." Kate said. "Takes more than a few beers to bother me."

Tony quirked his eyebrows but he smiled and picked up the pitcher and his glass. "Pool tables are this way, Kate."

Kate followed him through the now crowded room. In spite of herself her eyes wandered to his butt, and she smiled at the memory of Tony in all his glory, holding an iguana at bay with his service revolver.

Tony chose that moment to turn to see if she was following him and he gave her a knowing smile. "See something you like?"

Kate gulped a sip of beer to avoid answering him. Tony winked at her and then pushed open a swinging wooden door.

"After you." In retaliation he let his eyes sweep over Kate, taking his time and making sure she was aware of what he was doing.

Kate gulped at the wave of heat that she felt at his look and tightened her grip on her beer as she preceded him into the billiard room.

TBC.