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 yet again for the continuing kind reviews, but I fear all good things must come to an end – here's the final chapter... Enjoy!

Chapter 6

Kate looked Tony in the eye and took a step towards him. "Tony, I can't say..."

He turned away, angry with himself. What had he been thinking? This is exactly what he had feared would happen if he ever opened up to anyone. How could he have been so stupid?

Behind him Kate was in turmoil. Tony had laid this on her and then expected her to just - she paused. Just do what? She took a deep breath, "Tony?"

He didn't respond, just remained a hostile back, his shoulders braced against her.

"Tony? Damn it - will you look at me?" Kate strode over to her, what? Colleague, Friend? She grabbed his upper arm and spun him round, forcing him to look at her.

Her anger made her more forceful with him than she wanted to be, and as a result the wind was effectively taken out of her sails when she was confronted with the sight of his tear streaked face. Kate had planned to say something along the lines of "Don't you turn your back on me! Listen to what I have say!" but compassion rose in her and she enveloped him in her arms, this time purely to comfort.

Tony resisted, and remained stiff in her embrace, but then Kate softly said to him, "You think you can handle me DiNozzo?"

And any resolve he had melted away. Tony reached his own arms around Kate and held onto her like his life depended on it. They stood this way for a long time, oblivious to the sound of the storm outside continuing to lash rain against the windows and the 'click' and hum of computers around them.

Finally, and regretfully, Kate released Tony from her arms.

He leaned back, his head down, embarrassed by his show of self-pity and lack of control.

"Hey, Tony?" Kate said softly to him.

"Yes?"

"So, is that a 'yes' then?" she said, gently teasing him.

"I feel stupid Kate. I've never let anyone see me like this before, and now you have..."

"What will I think of you?" Kate said ruefully, "Tony, I've seen you at your best, your worst and every graduation in between." She reached to his face and wiped a stray remaining tear away from his face, her fingers running down to his chin till she could lift his face up and they were eye to eye.

"All you've shown me is you're human, Tony. All I think of you is that there is more to know about you, more to find out. And, thank you for showing me that."

"Thank you? For collapsing in a heap on you? For seeing me like this?"

"Yes. Tony, can't you see? You said you would never let anyone in like this, that you didn't want to be hurt. Well, I'm not going to promise you everything, no one can promise that. I can promise that I'll be honest with you, that I'll trust you, that I'll try not to hurt you - in other words I'll do the best that I can. And you know that's pretty damn good!" she smiled at him, causing him to return the expression.

"So, now what?" Tony asked her.

"Well, for a start I need to get my coat - did you realise its freezing in here?" Kate walked to her desk and slipped into her jacket.

"No, I meant, after this?"

"I know Tony. I'm really not sure. You know Gibbs will kill us if he finds out we're - how do you want to categorise this?"

"Dating?"

"Lets start with 'getting to know each other better' shall we and take it from there?"

"I can live with that" Tony grinned, then remembered something "What about my paperwork?"

"Ah, yes. Well, look, its gone 2300 hours now - what do you say we come in tomorrow morning and finish it up?"

"We?"

"Well, actually I meant you!" Kate teased him, "You come in, finish up, then give me a call and I'll buy you lunch - how does that sound?"

"Well, I did have other plans..." Tony grinned.

"Really? I hope they included me?" Kate shifted her weight onto her left hip and crossed her arms, teasing him.

"Kinda. I was going to take you to dinner, but if lunch drags on..." he walked over to his desk, shutting his computer down and tidying his desk away quickly.

Kate came up behind him and flicked his desk lamp off.

"We'll have to wait and see, won't we?" she said, winking at him.

FINI