All the Possibilities by Star24 ©2004

Chapter Three

Halfway into their pool game Kate began to regret the beers she'd consumed. She was good at pool, but she had to admit to herself that Tony was better.  At the thought, her innate competitiveness took over and she frowned in concentration at her shot, a difficult bank off of two sides and into a corner pocket.  She lined up the cue and then took her shot.  The ball caromed off the table and headed for the pocket. Kate held her breath as it barely slid in.

"Nice." Tony said as she straightened from the table. She turned and caught his eyes, which hadn't been directed at the pool table.

Kate raised her eyebrows; "You were referring to the shot?"

"Would I be referring to anything else?" Tony said with a twinkle in his eyes belying the innocence in his tone.

Kate snorted and turned back to the table to consider her next shot. She still felt a bit wobbly but figured she could hang on through the game.  Gritting her teeth, she managed to sink her last two balls. 

"Call it." Tony said, referring to the eight ball.

Kate considered. "Side pocket"

"You sure about that?"

Kate didn't answer but leaned in to the table and made the shot. She stood with a smile and looked at Tony. "I win." Triumph was evident in her voice.

Tony didn't appear upset. He took her glass and filled it up. "So you did." He held his up in a toast to Kate and she clinked glasses with him and then drank deeply, no longer worrying about the effects of the beer.

"Hey, what are you doing?" she exclaimed as Tony walked to the table and began to rack the balls.

"Racking them for the next game."

"The next game? I beat you. We're done."

"One game doesn't prove anything. It has to be at least two out of three." Tony said calmly. "I thought you knew that."

"Since when is that the case?" Kate demanded as a sneaking suspicion that she'd been had hit her.

"Since always. But being a girl maybe you didn't know?" Tony said with a smirk.

"Being a girl? Did you really just say that, Dinozzo?" Kate was starting to see red.

"So? We going to continue this or not?" Tony asked her.

Kate had the feeling that he wasn't just talking about the pool game, but she was having a hard time concentrating. "Rack 'em," she said shortly. She looked at the beer in her hand and then defiantly she took another deep draught of it.

Tony looked at her but didn't comment. "My break?"

"Do your worst."

As soon as Tony started taking shots, Kate knew she'd been had.  In no time he had run the table while Kate sat on a stool and watched and drank more beer.

"Nice game," she reluctantly conceded when he finished and turned to her with a smile.

"You really mean that?" he asked her.

Kate shrugged. "I can see when I'm in the presence of a pool shark."

"Kate, you wound me." Tony said with a look of mock hurt. "You ready for game three?"

"Is there a point to it?" Kate asked him.

"Depends on what you're looking to do. If you want to beat me, I'd say no. But if you want to call it a draw and play a game for fun…" Tony offered.

In spite of herself, Kate smiled. She knew she wouldn't be so generous if the positions were reversed. "I'll even concede. You are clearly superior to me when it comes to this game."

"So you want to play one more? I'll even give you a handicap."

"Why not? But no handicap. This one's for fun."

Soon they were involved in a game that quickly degenerated into hilarity. Tony amused her by trying to make shots from impossible positions, even succeeding in some of them. When he got to his last ball he somehow managed to miss it, leaving an easy shot for Kate who also had only one left. She proceeded to sink it and then sank the eight ball.

"And the lady wins!" Tony took her hand and held it in the air as if she was a winning prize fighter.

Kate giggled.

"Was that a giggle I just heard from Kate Todd?" Tony looked at mer in pretend amazement.

Kate made a face at him.

Others were waiting for a table, so Tony grabbed their pitcher of beer while Kate put the cues in the wall rack.  They walked casually back out into the main room. The room was fairly crowded and a local band had taken the small stage that sat at one end.

"You wanna stay and listen for a while?" Tony said.

Kate was feeling mellow. "Sure."

Tony guided her to an open table with a hand on her waist and signaled to a waitress for another pitcher.  For a few moments they sat companionably, listening to the music and watching the patrons who had taken to the small dance floor.

"This is nice." Kate said suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Reminds me of college days. I haven't done this kind of thing in a while." Kate responded.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm Kate Todd," she said cryptically. "You know stick up the butt, repressed, Miss Perfect." There was a trace of bitterness in her words.

Tony looked at her curiously. "Who told you that?"

"Come on Tony. Don't tell me you don't think that about me."

Tony didn't answer. "Maybe before tonight," he finally said. "But that's not who I see now."

"Yeah? Who do you see?" she challenged him.

"I see a smart, funny, pretty woman who I'm really enjoying being with." His voice and expression were serious; a change from the joking Tony that Kate had come to know.

There was a moment of awkward silence as their eyes met and they both tried to take in the change that seemed to have suddenly happened in their relationship.  Before it could get awkward, Tony jumped up and held out a hand.

"Dance with me?"

Kate hesitated and then decided the hell with it. She stood and placed her hand in Tony's and let him lead her onto the dance floor.

The band was playing a salsa number and Tony proved to be good at it.  By the time it ended Kate was breathless and laughing and not a little dizzy, from either the beers or the dancing, or more likely both. She started to head back to their table but Tony kept her hand and pulled her back to him as the band began the intro to a new number.

"You can't stop after one dance," he said to her.

The music slowed down and Tony pulled her close to him, dropping his hands around her waist. Kate stiffened slightly, but as they swayed to the music she began to relax, letting her head drop down  to rest against his chest and her arms creep up to circle his neck.  She breathed in the slightly spicy aftershave Tony was wearing, and let herself enjoy the warmth of his body as they moved slowly around the dance floor.

"Kate?" Tony whispered in her ear, tickling it with his breath.

Reluctantly she raised her head and looked into his eyes. "Yeah?"

"Song's over. You want to sit down now?"

"Oh." Kate realized that the music was indeed over and she felt herself flushing in embarrassment at what he must be thinking.

Tony dropped his hands from her waist and stepped back from her, almost reluctantly. This was a new Kate to him and he was feeling unsure around her. 

As they reached the table, Kate frowned and looked at her watch. "Damn. I didn't realize how late it was."

"You going somewhere tomorrow? It's Saturday." Tony looked at her quizzically.

"No but I…"Kate floundered. "I think I should get home. The beer is starting to affect me."

Tony smiled and Kate had the feeling that he wasn't buying any of it. God I love that smile of his.

"Let's go then." Tony casually held her hand as they walked out of the bar and Kate couldn't think of a good reason not to let him. Not that her thoughts were any too coherent. The beer really was affecting her, and she tried to remember exactly how many she had had.

They were in the car and Tony was looking at her with amusement in his eyes.

"What?" Kate wanted to know.

"What are you thinking about with your face all scrunched up?" She looks so cute like that.

"I was counting the number of beers I had tonight." Kate informed him with dignity.

"Yeah? How many?" Tony said teasingly.

"I can't figure it out. You kept pouring beer into my glass and I lost count." Kate wailed.

Tony laughed. "Kate, are you drunk?"

She sat up straight. "I don't get drunk." The effect was spoiled by a slight hiccup at the end of her sentence. "And if I am it's your fault. You did it on purpose."

Tony shook his head. "Would I do that ?" Tony what in hell are you thinking? You did exactly that.

Kate stared at him. "Yes." Did he really do it on purpose? Why?

"I think I better get you home." You better end this now.

Kate was leaning back in her seat, feeling mellow once again. "Okay"

"Kate, where?"

She gave him directions and relaxed back as he drove to her place, for once not noticing how fast he drove. When they arrived there was an open parking place in front of her building and Tony pulled his car into it. Kate fumbled with the door handle and pushed her door open, nearly falling out of the car as it swung away from her.

"Whoa," Tony grabbed her arm and hauled her back into the car. "Hang on a minute." He jumped out and came around. Kate was grateful for his strong hands steadying her as she stepped carefully out of the car.

"Why's it moving?" she said.

"What's moving?"

"The sidewalk. It never moved before."

Tony couldn't help but laugh. He had never imagined Kate quite like this.

"'S not funny." Kate was indignant. She pulled away from him and took a few unsteady steps. Tony caught her as she was about to trip over a fire hydrant on the edge of the sidewalk.

"Okay, Kate. I think I better help you get inside before you make a closer acquaintance with the pavement."

"'m not that kind of girl." Kate muttered.

"I didn't think you were. Where are your keys?" Tony had gotten her up the short steps to her building and he looked at her expectantly.

"In my purse." Kate said triumphantly but she made no move to retrieve them.

"Can I have them?"

"Sure."

"Kate, let me have your purse." Tony gently extricated it from her loose grasp and opened it. He hated going into a woman's purse, but Kate was clearly in no shape to help him. She stood leaning against him and hummed the salsa number from the bar as he searched for the keys.

Once he had the keys, Tony made short work of getting her inside and up to her apartment. He unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"Kate? You're home." He said as she stood there making no move to go in.

"Yes I am."

"You wanna go inside?" He gently pushed her into the apartment.

Kate stopped dead. "Wait a minute, Dinosho. What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting you inside so you can go to bed." Tony explained patiently.

"I said 'm not that kind of girl." Kate stood in the foyer of the apartment and refused to budge.

"I never thought you were." Tony tried soothing her.

"Why not? Just 'cause I'm not one of your usual hotties?" Kate was suddenly indignant at his easy agreement with her. "Good ole stick in the mud, Kate. Sits home alone eating Chinese on Saturday nights and watches TV because she can't get a date. That's what you think isn't it?"

"Kate, I never thought that. I'm sure you have men lined up to date you."

"Just not you, right?"

Tony sighed. "Kate, you're drunk and you're not making any sense. Why don't you go inside and go to bed. You'll feel better in the morning."

Kate stared up at him. Before he had an inkling of her intentions she muttered something that sounded like "show you" and she reached up and pulled his head down to hers.

Tony felt a jolt of heat as their lips met. He tried to pull back, but Kate had her arms locked around his neck in a death grip. He had had his own share of beers, not enough to make him drunk, but enough to make him feel a bit reckless, and after a moment he gave in and began to return Kate's kiss. She sighed as he slid his arms around her and pulled her against him. Her lips parted slightly and Tony slipped his tongue into her mouth.  The kiss continued for long moments. Kate was running her hands up and down his back and Tony slid one hand into her hair and used the other to hold her tight to him. When he broke the kiss and looked at her they were both slightly breathless.

Kate smiled. "Told you I'd show you."

Tony smiled at her in spite of himself, "Yes you did."

Kate's eyes began to droop closed and she yawned. "'m sleepy."

Tony smiled. "Maybe you should go to bed then?"

Kate leaned against him and he felt her become a dead weight. When he looked down her eyes were closed. "Kate?" He got no answer. "Kate?" Still no answer. He shrugged and scooped her into his arms. She roused a little at that. "Where's your bedroom?"

Kate pointed vaguely and Tony headed in the general direction she had indicated. He found her bedroom and gently placed her on her bed.

"Kate?" he asked again but her eyes were closed and she didn't respond.  Tony shook his head and pulled off her shoes, placing them on the floor.  She was wearing a jacket so he gently took that off as well. He considered for a moment but decided he was better off stopping there. He looked around and found a light blanket folded on a chair. He shook it out and placed it over Kate's sleeping form. She sighed and curled onto her side with a smile.

"Night, Kate." Tony said softly, reaching down to push a piece of hair off of her face.

"Mmmm." was the only response he got. He turned the light out and left the bedroom. At the apartment door he hesitated. He hated to take Kate's key but he didn't want to leave the dead bolt open either when he left. After a moment he shrugged and looked around for a piece of paper, finally finding one in a desk drawer. He quickly scribbled a note, and then he let himself out and locked the door behind him with the key.

As he headed down the stairs he couldn't help but smile to himself at the events of the evening. Who would have ever thought Kate had it in her. Not to mention that kiss was pretty damn hot.

Tony shook off his wayward thoughts and grinned as he wondered what Kate was going to do when she woke up in the morning and remembered what had happened.  He whistled as he unlocked his car. Life was certainly getting interesting, he thought to himself as, still smiling, he started the car and turned it towards home.

Finis