I know guys. I have no excuses except for the fact that I was out of town last week and this week I have just been trying to catch up on all of the fanfiction stories that I missed out on reading. As for the empty weeks before... no excuse. Writers block mostly. I will try to make up for it with this chapter or the next. You know, this story wasn't supposed to get this long, neither was Dawn or The Man I Love, but theydid and I hope that you enjoy them.

Anways, on with the story. Please review! I haven't been getting many reviews lately and it makes me feel unloved. Sniffle

Tony sat at his desk, wondering how one case could change the whole team so drastically. Everyone was different lately. Every'thing' was different lately. Gibbs had poured his heart out to Abby and now everyone could see the softer side of him. McGee seemed like he wanted to comfort Abby, but couldn't so he settled with just taking glances in her direction. Abby was silent and self-concious, so unlike her normalloud and 'who cares what people think' attitude. As for Kate, well she was on cloud-nine. Ever since she hadmade the datewith Andy whats-his-name, she had been giddy, not really around Abby, but she had been perky and... Tony wasn't sure. Yesterday, before they left, he had told her to quit staring into space and instead of a comeback, a huge smile just spread across her face. The whole team had fallen off their rockers and it was beginning to scare him.

Leaning back in his chair, he waited for someone else to enter the bullpen. When he had arrived, no one else had been upstairs so he had just sat at his desk to enjoy the quiet of being alone. Tony let his eyes close for only a minute, but before he knew what was going on, he woke up to Gibbs slapping him in the back of the head.

"DiNozzo! What the hell do you think you are doing?" Gibbs yelled, his usual personality showing.

"Hello to you to boss. Glad to see you are back to normal," Tony said, his voice scratchy and dry.

"Cut the crap Tony. Where is Kate?"

"How should I know? I was aslee... resting. She wasn't here when I got in this morning."

"Call her. Find out where she is," Gibbs commanded as Tony just sat there for a moment to long. "Now DiNozzo!"

"On it boss," Tony replied picking up his cell phone. He began to dial Kate's number, but stopped when he saw her exit the elevator doors. "Good morning Kate."

"Hey Tony," Kate said, not really paying attention to the glare she was recieving from Gibbs.

"Kate, why are you late? We have a case to be working on and you are busy doing what?"

"I over slept Gibbs. I am really sorry. I think my electric may have went off last night because this morning when I woke up my clock was flashing twelve," Kate lied. She knew what she had really been doing this morning when her alarm had went off. "I am only about twenty minutes late Gibbs."

Gibbs sighed. "Just don't let it happen again. I want you to get ahold of Lieutenant Valcone again. We need her in for questioning. I think there is something she isn't telling us. As for you DiNozzo, call Mr. Hallot. Have him come back in also."

At the mention of Andy's name, Kate's eyes widened. What the hell does Gibbs need him for? He said that he had nothing to do with it, so he had nothing to do with it. Oh, quit being so naive Kate. Do you believe other suspects when they claim to be innocent? An internal battle went on inside Kate as she picked up the phone to call Haven Valcone.

Throwing the folder onto the table, Tony paced back and forth in front of the window to interrogation. Turning a chair around, he straddled it and faced Haven. "So Lieutenant Valcone, are you single?"

"Agent..."

"DiNozzo."

"Agent DiNozzo, can we just get to the questioning? I really have no desire to flirt with you Sir."

"Ms. Valcone, you have misread my intentions. I simply asked if you were single," Tony laughed. "So what is your answer?"

"No Sir. I am not single."

"You are quite quick to recover aren't you? I mean, Nick only died Tuesday."

"We had broken up before he died, so really I had a bit longer to find someone... Sir."

"The two of you had broken up?"

"Yes Sir.

"When did the two of you... stop seeing each other, officially?"

"Saturday."

"She's lying," Kate said on the other side of the glass.

"Why do you say that?" Abby asked. She had wanted to witness this interrgation.

"All that 'Sir' crap she is pulling with Tony. Not once did she say that to Gibbs last time she was here. I'd say Lieutenant Valcone is trying to suck up to Tony. Plus, her and Nick didn't get into a fight until Sunday night... the last time she saw him."

"Did I wake you Mr. Hallot?" Gibbs questioned Andy.

"No Sir. I just had a long night."

"Why didn't you answer your house phone?"

"I was in the shower. By the time I got out to answer it, it had stopped ringing. Next thing I knew, my cell phone was going off." Kate had asked Andy not to mention anything about their 'date' last night. He had promised not to say anything about it.

"He's lying," Tony said, Kate standing next to him.

"What make you say that?" Kate asked nervously.

"I never called his house phone," Tony deadpanned.