Usual Disclaimer applies – I don't own NCIS, or anything like it I'm just borrowing them for a little while. I am not making any money out of this, it's written purely for entertainment purposes and retention of a certain person's sanity.

Thank you all for your reviews - how kind you all are! I blush at all this praise - really! Here's some more - I hope you like it. I welcome more reviews - they'll help me shape a new NCIS Fanfic I'm currently writing - off the back of another request from my Beta Reader, poster and good friend!

Chapter 3

Deeper and deeper went the kiss. Kate had started it, but Tony willingly returned it.

How often had he thought about this? Daydreamed about it? He was only human for heaven's sake! He sat most of his working life either opposite Kate, watching her out of the corner of his eye, in a non-stalkery way he hastened to add.

How often?

How about every day, at least half a dozen times, earning himself a sound smack round the back of the head from Gibbs in the process.

"Just thinking Boss!" he'd cry.

"Yeah, and I know what about!" Gibbs would murmur at him, his own eyes not immune to the woman they both worked so closely with.

It didn't stop Tony though, didn't stop him wondering what it would feel like to hold her in his arms and kiss her like he had done with countless women before. Oh, he didn't kid himself, there had been many. Too many? Blonde, Brunette, the occasional Redhead, though these days he left those to Gibbs.

There had been all those girls at high school, then college, and his libido hadn't slowed down since then. Well, not much. If his schedule allowed there would have been more he told himself, but the nature of NCIS meant that calls in the middle of the night and 24-hour working days weren't exactly conducive to an satisfactory or active love life. Neither was sleeping in the office, mostly in this chair, feet up on the desk, seemingly dead to the world but only waiting for the call to spring into action. He couldn't seem to settle on the floor like Kate, who curled up under her desk with her inflatable pillow and fleece blanket she kept in her cabinet.

Kate, who could look so peaceful asleep, yet be the epitome of Special Agent in the field.

Kate, who had drawn her lips away from him, whose arms he could now feel around his waist.

Tony opened his eyes and saw her smiling in a knowing way at him.

"Kate?"

"You were expecting someone else?"

"To be honest?"

"Honest is good"

"Are you sure this is really you - not your evil twin or something?"

"Gee thanks DiNozzo! You know how to pay a girl a compliment!" She drew back, her hands by her sides.

"Well, Kate, you've made it pretty clear you just weren't interested from the start"

"Woman's prerogative, Tony, we're allowed to change our minds y'know"

"So I understand. What I don't understand is why?"

"Why?"

"Why this?"

"Care to elucidate there?"

"Okay, why this - why tonight? Not that I mind at all!" he hastily added, all of a sudden struck that, if he pushed too far, she would walk out that door and tonight would never have happened.

"I just decided I was tired of this dalliance Tony, tired of the bickering between us, the hostile arguments, tired of us trying to score points off each other, tired of..." for the first time she hesitated.

"Tired of what?"

"Tired of trying not to notice you looking at me like you do, like you're trying not to look. And don't say you don't because I have eyes you know - and they've been trained by the Secret Service and Gibbs. I don't miss much since I took this job."

Tony coloured, "So, anything else?"

Kate looked him straight in the eye.

"Well, I figure I've given you plenty to be going on with for now..."

"Okay - so, I get to say something now?"

"It would appear to be your turn - if you've got anything to say that is?"

To Be Continued...