Melting Point

Post episode one shot flashback for "Eye for an Eye." Copious Tate fluffiness ensues, of course. Warning, spoilers for the episode! Please review!

A.N.: Anything in italics is a flashback.

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Well, maybe some things…

Chapter 2: Filling in the Blanks

It was Saturday afternoon and Kate sat in the kitchen, drinking coffee. Tony was still asleep. She stared out the window into the Washington winter sunshine. Kate smiled as she thought back on the events of the past few days. They had certainly been eventful. She didn't even have to worry about waking up on Monday, going in to work and having to wonder whether things could really work out between her and Tony. All of that had been cleared up in Paraguay. Kate thought back to the conversation.

Tony pulled away and Kate gasped in surprise. She ran a finger over her kiss-swollen lips and didn't know whether to smile or slap him. True, she had wanted Tony to kiss her from the moment they had broken that barrier in the car, but she wasn't sure if she could come out of it unscathed. Tony looked into her eyes and Kate could clearly see her confusion reflected in the depths of his sparkling green ones. Among the indiscernible emotions Kate found hope and sureness echoing in Tony's eyes. Tears threatened to fall so Kate turned her head. The last thing she needed was for Tony to see her cry. She immediately felt his warm fingers gently grasp her chin and turn her face back toward him. Kate couldn't hold the tears in any longer and so they cascaded down her cheeks in rivulets. Tony pulled her closer to him and kissed the top of her head. Kate reeled her emotions back in as best she could and pulled away.

"What do you want out of this, Tony?" Kate asked earnestly.

Tony was thrown off balance by the question and yet he found it surprisingly easy to answer.

"I want to love you, Kate. I want to have you by my side and I want to be you. I want to wake up every morning and feel your warmth against my body. I want to change how things are between us and learn by my own rites what the real Kate Todd is like. I want to hold on to you forever and watch each sunrise and sunset with you beside me. That's the truth, Kate. I want no more and no less than that," Tony replied honestly.

Kate felt the tears threaten a return visit. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, much less coming from Tony DiNozzo. However, his spiel didn't completely remove the doubt niggling at the back of her mind.

"I want forever Tony and I just don't know if I'm ready for it yet. I don't know if you're the right person to ask for forever," Kate said lightly.

"I don't know if I can give forever, but I do know that I'm willing to go to the ends of the earth to try for you," Tony whispered.

Kate figured that was the best that either of them could hope for in the present time.

Kate sighed and continued to stare out the window, hoping to find answers in the sunbeams and promise in the glare of the light. The conversation had only been held a couple of days prior, but Kate already began to feel some of the lines of doubt fading from the borders of their relationship. Tony had proven her preconceived ideas about him wrong time and time again in the past few days and would continue to do so, undoubtedly. Kate was begging to feel more at ease with her decision to pursue a relationship with Tony.

At that moment Tony walked into the kitchen. He walked up behind Kate and lightly placed his hands on her hips. Kate jumped almost a foot in the air and spun around.

"Jesus, Tony! You startled me!" Kate cried.

"Sorry," Tony said apologetically.

"Do you want me to have a heart attack-," Kate began

Tony leaned in and silenced her reprimand with a deep kiss. After he pulled away, Kate was flushed and breathless. She playfully punched Tony in the solar plexus and stood up.

"I'll make breakfast while you shower," Kate suggested.

"No, why don't you go and take a shower while I make breakfast," Tony countered.

Kate smiled and kissed him lightly before hopping off of her chair. She nodded her assent as she walked off toward the bathroom. She continued her contemplation as the hot shower water flowed in rivulets down her body. Kate thought back on her feelings and the changes that had been made to those feelings over the past few days. It was like macro evolution. There was no subtle curve in the change of her feelings, just a sharp incline; a jump from doubt to trust.

At the same time Tony stood in the kitchen preparing breakfast. He was happier now than he remembered being in a long time. He had Kate and nothing could take her away from him. Sure, it had taken a lot to convince her, hell it had taken a lot to convince himself, that he was ready to be in a long term relationship with all those strings attached, but it had been worth it. He thought back to the conversation they had had the night before returning to Washington.

Tony and Kate lay in bed wrapped up in each other's arms. Kate laid her head on Tony's chest and heard his strong, rhythmic heartbeat. She smiled up at her newfound love and saw sureness in his eyes. Tony tucked a stray strand of Kate's hair behind her ear and leaned in to kiss her lightly. He pulled away and smiled down at his partner.

"At this rate we're going to be hearing wedding bells one of these days," Tony said lightly.

Kate seemed to consider his statement for a moment.

"Hmm, Mrs. Kate DiNozzo. I like the sound of that," Kate replied happily. "I don't know how much Gibbs will like it, though."

Tony laughed. Kate loved the deep, rich sound. It made her warm knowing that the laugh was heartfelt and the feeling that came with it could be shared between them. Kate was a little thrown by Tony's statement but not nearly as much as she would have been if Tony had made it the day before. She found herself getting used to the idea that she could actually place that kind of trust in Tony DiNozzo. She hadn't been able to place that trust in anyone before him and when she tried all she got was heartache in return. It felt good being able to give a piece of herself to another person like that, especially when she had faith in the fact that it would not be handed back to her in shards and she would not be left alone to pick up the pieces.

Tony looked down at Kate as she slowly drifted off to sleep. He could see her visibly relax and adjust to the idea that his were the arms she would be comforted in forever. At least he hoped that she would let him in enough to make it forever. You could never tell what Kate Todd was thinking at any given moment. Tony stroked her cheek and was thankful that he had at least gotten the chance to go this far with her. If this ended the next day he could walk away happily knowing that she had given him more in a couple of days than she had given any other man in the duration of their relationship.

Kate came out of the bathroom with a smile on her face and a fluffy bathrobe wrapped around her like a warm embrace. She walked up behind Tony and wrapped her arms around his waist. She laid her cheek against his bare back and stood on tiptoe to gently kiss his shoulder blade. Tony smiled as he turned around and trapped Kate in a protective embrace. Tony kept his arms around Kate as he led her backwards to the table. He pulled out a chair for her as she sat down and then slid her in closer to the table. As Kate made herself comfortable Tony brought out their breakfast. They sat opposite each other as they ate. Their breakfast was punctuated by friendly chatter and amicable laughter.

After breakfast Tony cleared the table while Kate went to get dressed. Kate sat in the kitchen again, this time sipping iced tea as Tony took a shower and got dressed. She thought to herself, but this time her thoughts weren't filled with shadows or uncertainties. No, she knew now that she had been stupid to think, even for a second, that Tony couldn't hold on to her. She would hold on to him with equal feeling and they would fall together into forever.

There was only one small problem left to conquer and neither of them knew how to approach it. Gibbs. The man was going to hang their sixes out to dry if he found out.

Oh, well. At least they could wallow in their boss' wrath together.


A.N.: Okay, so a couple of reviews I got wished that there would be more of a 'what happened in Paraguay' storyline here. Sorry, I know it's short. Well, here you go! I hope you liked it. Please review! -Julia-