…………….Sunday the 16th of December………
"We have a lot do to today. Do you mind helping with hanging up the laundry?" Kate yelled from the bathroom. She hadn't a washing machine in her apartment but Tony did but still he didn't take full advantage of having one. That meant that she could and she wasn't late on taking advantage of that. A full load of laundry had already been washed and the next one was going to be put in as soon as she had hung up the wet clothes.
"It's only ten and we've been up for two hours. What about sleeping in on Sundays?" Tony asked as he made his way from the kitchen to the bathroom.
"That was before you let me stay. If you let me drive your car so I can pick up some more stuff at my apartment then you can go back to bed." Kate said while handing him a wet t-shirt.
"Uhh…It's snowing pretty heavily and you don't know so much about how the car acts in this kind of weather." Tony said to her. There were several various reasons he didn't want to let her go alone but he felt he couldn't tell them to her. Not yet anyway.
"Fine…Whatever…So am I going to decide everything we're going to do today because I don't want to do anything that you don't like?" Kate asked him. She had suggested a bunch of things they could do today during breakfast but Tony didn't object to anything just said they were all ok.
"Fill up on gas before going to your apartment, then going grocery shopping before ending back home to make late lunch…Sounds fine since this is a household of two now…I wonder if we can just sit down and talk before we go. Since we got up today it has been so hectic." Tony explained to her.
"Let's hang them up quickly then." Kate told him.
…………A few minutes later…….
"So what do you want to talk about?" Kate asked him when they sat at the kitchen table.
"You're so ok with everything. What changed? You don't seem so puzzled as before but I'm still worried about some things." Tony wondered.
"You helped me…Taking a loan was a hard decision for me to make and paying you back doesn't feel as hard now. A stone was lifted from my heart. Just when I had got over April then I realised I had let the bills pile up and suddenly my income couldn't manage all of them. It isn't easy being sick when the rest of the world doesn't care about that. Bills have to be paid in time which I couldn't manage. Unexpected bills came, I wasn't home much, my income decreased…It was just so hard…You just made it easier for me to think about next month's bills and I'm grateful for that." Kate explained.
"Was that all?" Tony said to her because to him the last three days were so much more.
Kate knew what he meant.
"If you mean us…Well I don't know what to say. In a week I'll be moving back home. I'm also wondering if we will hate each other after living together for a week. This isn't a mission were we have to live together. We both wanted this and that makes it so much harder. I'm trying to do the best of the situation and not get on your nerves. Is that what you wanted to talk about? Am I irritating you already?" Kate asked him wondering where this conversation will go.
"You're not irritating me. On the opposite I like having you here. This place is full of life now. It wasn't before. Before you…I was having problems too. Not financial ones but personal ones. Hitting 40 soon, the scars on my body…Wondering if this was all I was getting out of life. Material things and single life which weren't fulfilling my needs…" Tony explained.
"You're not old Tony. If I can accept the scars then another woman will too." Kate encouraged him.
"But you know the origin of them…I don't know if I ever can share those things with someone else. I don't know why it is so easy with you." Tony continued.
"Because we went through it together." Kate said taking his hand.
"Last night was wonderful…It was like a dream…I want to feel like that again." Tony said moving closer to her.
"You want the dream to come true? The obstacles we have are so big!" Kate told him sincerely.
"Except work what else are there?" Tony wondered.
"The failed dinner, how compatible are we?…Great sex isn't everything. Love is the most important thing." Kate told him.
"If you ever want to try then you know where I am." Tony then said to her while getting up.
Kate still held his hand.
"Stop…Maybe it is the fear of how will things turn out if we do try? I don't mind trying but will it work? What will happen if it doesn't work? What will happen if it will work? I love working at NCIS and I can't take having to get another job. It is clear Gibbs would fire me since you have worked longer there than I have." Kate told him.
"Then I'll resign too. No matter how much I love NCIS it doesn't compare to how happy you will make me." Tony said to her looking down on her since she was still sitting on the chair.
Kate went up and kissed him. It was such a beautiful thing he said to her. It touched her heart so deeply. This kiss was different from any of them they had shared before. The feelings they shared came straight from their hearts and not filled with lust as the others had.
………….Later that afternoon at home………
"Kate, we're finished with everything. Come and rest." Tony suggested.
"Actually I want to take a walk and enjoy the winter. Want to come with me?" Kate asked.
"You're kidding. It is freezing outside!" Tony said not wanting to trade the cosy and warm atmosphere which his home now had with what was outside
"I won't be out for more than a half an hour." Kate said while going to where her coat and shoes were.
"Wait, don't leave me alone here." Tony said to her. He just wanted to be with her without doing household shores and if he had to go out then he had too.
"So you love me so much that you can't be alone for a little while?" Kate asked teasing with him.
"Yes, I do." Tony said without thinking.
"You what?" Kate said while stopping everything she did. She wasn't serious when she asked him that.
"I…It just came out. It was you who asked that." Tony defended himself.
"I was just teasing you…Were you serious?" Kate asked.
"No, I wasn't. Can we just go out now?" Tony asked so they could stop talking about that.
They both felt it was an extremely uncomfortable atmosphere right now and didn't want to discuss the topic any further. It was too early to express their love when they weren't sure how they felt for each other. Why ruin a perfect day?
…………….At the park………..
They had talked while they walked to the park but hadn't discussed how deep their feelings were. They were content over handling it this way and enjoying each others company.
"Kate, you better watch out!" Tony said as he was making a snowball. Kate looked at him and quickly started to make her own. Soon it was a big snowball fight between them and Tony was running after Kate. Suddenly Tony caught her and they both fell down on the snow.
Kate was lying under Tony.
"So I guess you won." Kate declared.
"What did I win?" Tony said to her with a big smile on his face.
"What do you want?" Kate continued. This little game they played had become much more fun than they both thought when they started.
"To you to know that I think my feelings are deeper than you think." Tony said to her. It surprised because she was sure he would ask for a kiss or something.
"I feel the same…You can kiss me if you want." Kate told him. Then they kissed with the snow falling down on them in the deserted park.
……..Back home………..
When they came home they were really wet after rumbling and fooling around in the snow. When they got changed Kate noticed something she immediately wanted to talk to Tony about.
"Tony…In two weeks this year is over…I know it is hard for you getting over what Ari did to us especially since you got injured the most…"Kate said before she was interrupted.
"He tried to kill us. I will never forget that and getting over it still seems impossible." Tony said to her.
"Why let him win? The scars inside are big in both of us but letting what he did unnecessary affect our lives is not the way to go." Kate said before she got interrupted again.
"I know what you are going to say. I have already agreed to meet the therapist once more so I can finally let go of it and move on. I finally got a new start to my life and partially it is because of you." Tony explained.
"Tony, sweetheart…That wasn't what I was going to say…The scars inside are much bigger than the ones outside. I love them and I think it would be very sexy if you wanted to walk around without a shirt on." Kate said to him. She had noticed he was insecure about changing in front of her because of letting her see the scars. When they were lying together in the sofa or the bed he hadn't a problem with it but it was always a blanket or clothing hiding them. Kate didn't want him to hide something from her. It wasn't the right way to start a relationship. When she said those words to him she started to pull of his shirt.
"How can you like them? They remind me about something I hate so much. If he had killed you this would never happen. I would be missing out on you. You… Who is the best thing in my life right now!" Tony explained to her looking down on his bare upper body. The words which came out of her mouth affected him in such a great way. He could never imagine it would feel like this.
"They are apart of you. I think I can give you a more pleasant memory attached to them." Kate said before she slowly started to place kisses on and around his scars. Tony then pulled her up and kissed her on her forehead.
"Your scar is there too even if it isn't as visible as mine." Tony then said.
"It is but I don't think about it. I have you and many others to put my love and energy on." Kate told him.
"Will you marry me?" Tony asked her. No woman had ever made him feel this way and wasting time wasn't on his agenda.
"Oh…I mean…Not like get married tomorrow or so but…" Kate said not knowing how she should answer his proposal.
"It's a no then?" Tony asked sadly.
"My heart definitely says…" Kate said while looking at him wanting to say it right.
"The waiting is killing me." Tony told her.
Kate kissed him on the lips to make him feel better. It was the best way to prepare him to what was coming.
"It's a yes but let's not hurry." She told him.
"It wasn't my intention to hurry. A lot has to be done before we can do so. Telling everyone, get the families to meet, officially move in and how we should handle the important work issue. I'll resign if I have to even as soon as tomorrow." Tony told her.
……………..Next day they were back at work……….
"Reality check…how are we ever going to handle this?" Kate asked him.
"I don't know. Try to act normal." Tony answered. Then they went to their desks.
"I saw Tony driving you to work. A sight I didn't think I would see." Abby asked her with Gibbs and McGee also being there in the office.
"My car broke down and Tony offered to drive me to work." Kate answered.
"So you just called him instead of me?" Abby wondered.
"He knows more about good mechanics around here than I do." Kate replied. She and Tony had gone over what to tell the rest if they saw them in the same car.
"Ok. If you want a drive home just ask." Abby told her.
"I already offered her a drive home." Tony said so Kate didn't have to answer.
"You're really eager to drive her around." McGee noticed.
"I can actually be a nice guy even if you don't always notice it, probie." Tony told McGee.
"So over to this…Dinozzo is going to work during Christmas and McGee over New Year's. Have we all agreed to this?" Gibbs asked them.
"Still no one who wants to work instead of me?" McGee asked. He had been trying to get out of his New Year's duty since he found out about it. He felt it wasn't fair he was going to be the only agent at work just that in case something happens, which he learned rarely happens over New Year's, he could tell the rest of the team to get back to work. He had plans over the holidays and Tony didn't.
"I can. Some of my plans have changed." Kate answered. Tony wanted to look at her but if he did then he knew everyone would know.
"Fine. Just no more changes." Gibbs told them.