A/N: Thank you very much for the kind reviews. This is the first fic I actually posted and I wasn't sure how it would go. Hope you like this next chapter too and that lilac button still awaits…;) The song in this chapter is Don't Ask Me How I Know by Bobby Pinson. I don't own it, never willDon't own Tony or Kate or the incident with the flowers (you'll see) either.
Kate Todd poured herself some coffee, wrapping Tony's robe tighter around her, and breathing in her new boyfriend's scent. God, it felt so good to say that in reference to Tony. She smiled as she felt arms hug her waist. " Tony I thought I told you to stay in…" she scolded as she turned around. But it wasn't Tony who'd captured her. Fear filled her as she recognized the man who now had a gun to her chest as Ari. Her last thought was "Two weeks isn't long enough…"
Tony DiNozzo shot bolt upright, his breathing rapid. He was annoyed to realize there were tears in his eyes, and an overly excited face staring back at him. "Katie, get down!" When she simply stared back at him, wagging her tail as if he couldn't possibly mean it, he added, "NOW!" Slowly, his German Short Haired Pointer slinked off the bed. He didn't blame her for being confused though because he wasn't really angry with her, but the dream, and he didn't normally yell at her for getting on the bed. He'd gotten Katie a week ago, when Kate had died, to replace the void in his life. Unfortunately, while he had gained a great companion in the two-year old dog, Kate could not be replaced. Her smile, her teasing, and her laugh held too much meaning for Tony. He sighed. He really didn't want to get out of bed. He just wanted to lock himself up and cry. He'd done that the first weekend. The phone had rung a thousand times and the tape on his machine had been filled with Gibbs, Abby, Ducky, McGee. All asking him if he wanted to go somewhere, do something, was he alright, he should talk to someone. He'd wanted to scream, and throw and break things. He'd wanted to yell in their faces and tell them that no, he didn't want life to go on, Kate was dead, how could life go on. But, in the end, the pain in their voices told him that he wasn't the only one who missed Kate, and in some strange way that comforted him and helped him realized that life had to go on. That didn't mean he wanted it to. He knew that he'd never stop wanting to go back in time, wanting to jump in front of that bullet, wanting to see her beautiful smile again, wanting to wake up with Kate in his arms (finally) and realize that this had all been some horrible dream. Groaning, he did what he had to do, and got out of bed. Walking into the living room, he tried his best to ignore the wet t-shirt contest picture that he'd actually framed and put up in his living room- god he needed to get his life back. Glancing at his coffee table he noticed a white envelope with a single four-lettered word on it and felt the tears return. The hardest thing about this whole damn situation had been finding that letter, knowing that she had still had dreams, dreams that he could have fulfilled, had he known how she felt. They could have been so happy together, had that bastard Ari not taken away her chance at happiness. Angrily he slammed the power button on his radio, in a desperate attempt at getting his mind off seeing Ari torn to pieces.
Don't ride your bike off a ramp that's more than three bricks high
Don't take that candy from the store if you ain't got the dime.
Don't pick a fight with the little guy that doesn't talk that much
Don't pick up a cherrybomb thinkin' it's a dud
And don't sneak out of a 2 story house usin' bed sheets as a rope
Don't ask me how I know
Sell your truck while it's still runnin', save the Jesus off the dash
Say a prayer when you feel like cussin', save your money pay with cash
Forget your pride buy the roses, if your sorry tell her so…
He winced, thinking about the time he'd bought Kate flowers from her favorite florist. Her smile had been amazing that day, he'd relished her joy knowing he'd caused it, until Gibbs had come in and ruined it. Sure, he shouldn't have gone through her purse, but he'd wanted the perfect flowers, and he had no idea what florist she liked, or if she even liked flowers. Luckily he'd gotten a friend of Kate's by chance and she'd shown him an arrangement Kate had been admiring, but it'd been too late by then. He'd been hoping she wouldn't find out he'd gone through her purse. Damn Gibbs.
…Don't drink the water in Mexico
Don't ask me how I know
Don't quit your high school football team half way through the season
Don't bust your buddy in the nose, when you know he didn't mean it
Don't lose the girl you love at home for a night in Panama City
Don't rush off the phone when your Mama calls you ain't that busy
Ya oughta make that drive to say goodbye to your grampa 'fore he goes
Don't ask me how I know
Sell your truck while it's still runnin', save the Jesus off the dash
Say a prayer when you feel like cussin', save your money pay with cash
Forget your pride buy the roses, if your sorry tell her so
Don't drink the water in Mexico…
He smiled as he remembered Panama City. She'd gotten so sick that night, and naturally he'd ended up teasing a smile and a laugh out of her. He'd gone and gotten her bottled water, and stayed up with her until one in the morning. It had all been worth it when she'd climbed in to bed with him with an explanation of "I was cold" and a warning of "Tell anyone DiNozzo and see what I do."
…Don't ask me how I know
Forget your pride buy the roses, if you love her tell her so
Don't go to Vegas with your heart broke,
Don't bum your cousin for that first smoke
I'm tellin' ya don't drink the water in Mexico
Don't ask me how I know
Don't ask me how I know
I just know
Sell your truck while it's still runnin', say a prayer when you feel like cussin'…
At her funeral he'd wanted to scream, and bitch, and cuss. Wanted to tell them that Kate couldn't be dead, she just couldn't. He'd wanted to cry when her mom had admitted shyly to him as they where leaving that it was "Nice finally meeting you. Katie always had a smile in her voice when she talked about you. Even if she said she was mad." The tears in the eyes of Abby and Kate's mother and little sister had almost broken him down. He'd just prayed that he'd at least make it to his truck. Gibbs didn't need to see him cry.
…I know
Unfortunately for Anthony Dinozzo it had taken the death of Caitlin Todd for him to know what he now knew.
A/N: This may be the last chapter. I'm open to suggestions though. Sorry for the long wait- I had a big SAT test this week.