AN: Thanks for all the reviews! You guys rock! Please review and let me know what you think, even if it's bad. I thrive on feedback. And the song is "Drift Off to Dream" by Travis Tritt.

Chapter 8

"I'm going somewhere safe." Kate spoke as soon as her family entered the room.

"What's wrong?" Her mother visibly tensed and started panicking in a typical motherly fashion. "Aren't you safe here? Is he still after you?"

"Relax." Kate smiled in an attempt to reassure her mother. Even if she was pissed at her father and wanted to get as far away as possible, she definitely didn't want to worry her mom. "It's just a precaution. It's really more like a vacation. It's just to get me away from everything. I'll be fine. I'll have Tony."

Her dad scowled when she mentioned Tony, but he remained silent. She was still hurting from his outburst. He'd always been the parent she was closer to. Mom had Erin, the perfect daughter, to do all of that mother-daughter stuff, so she'd spent most of the time with her dad. She thought he'd be happy for her when she followed her dreams and became a government agent, but he wasn't.

They'd gotten into a huge fight the day she'd told him. He'd called her a disappointment and a failure as a daughter. He said she'd never make it, that she'd run home crying within a month. He said he knew what was best for her and she should just listen to him. It turned out he wanted the same thing her mother did, a perfect, obedient daughter who would never leave.

She'd been furious. She thought he would understand but she'd been wrong. He'd never really understood her. She'd lashed out and told him she was going to prove him wrong. She was never going to come back. She told him that even though he hadn't had the guts to leave, she did. And while all he had left was his broken-down dreams she'd be living hers. She said she'd never be like him.

He'd slapped her. She hadn't been expecting that. She'd looked him in the eye one last time and walked away. Her mom had tried to patch things up between them. She still hadn't been back home but she still talked to her mom. Even though mom hadn't been happy with Kate's choices, she'd never told her she would fail. She would call and check-in to make sure Kate was ok, but she'd always thrown in a final hint that she should come home. It was because of mom that dad and her had come to an uneasy truce.

They'd come to visit her in D.C., her mother's doing, and she'd been forced to tolerate her dad. Mom did everything to try and remind them of all the good times they'd had together, but it was no use. After a few silent visits they decided to ignore the fight and at least be civil to each other, for her mother's sake. She would never trust him again and things would never be the same, but at least they could be in the same room together without scowling. They still barely spoke but her mom decided to be happy with the progress they'd made and quit pushing them. It had made life easier.

After everything that had happened, she'd been really happy to see him again. She'd come too close to death and she didn't want to leave it between them anymore. She'd let it all go. Then he'd tried to use her injury to get his way and he'd deliberately hurt Tony in the process. She couldn't forgive him for that. Ever.

She spoke to Erin and her mom. "You guys can go home now. I'm fine and there's really nothing you can do."

"But we can go with you. You'll need someone to take care of you. How else will we know if you're ok?" Her mom started trying to mother Kate again. As much as she appreciated her mom worrying and trying to take care of her, she really didn't want it.

"I'm sorry, Mom, but there's no way you can come to the safe house. There'll be plenty of agents there to protect me, and Tony and my friends will be there to take care of me. Don't worry, I'll be in the best hands." She squeezed Tony's hand and smiled at him. Even if they could go with her to the safe house, she didn't want them to. She couldn't handle her family anymore. She just wanted to be with Tony. Alone.

45 minutes later they were in the van on their way to the safe house. She'd hugged her mom and Erin goodbye and Tony had promised them he'd take good care of her. Her mom had made her promise to call as soon as they got out of the safe house so she could come and visit to check up on her little girl. She'd promised, mostly so they could finally make their escape.

She breathed a huge sigh of relief and sank further into Tony's arms. He rested his chin on her head. "Better?" He asked, although he already knew the answer. He'd felt her body relax as soon as they entered the van.

"Mmhmm." She purred, completely content, then yawned.

"You can't possibly be tired!" He chuckled and tried to sound shocked. "You slept for two days! If anyone here should be tired, it should be me."

"I'm not tired!" She turned towards Tony and tried to sound indignant, but it ended in another yawn. She tried to look serious but couldn't hide her smile. "I guess I could keep you company if you want to take a nap, though." She lifted her eyebrows suggestively and they both laughed.

"Hey, save it for the safe house!" Gibbs could barely hide his smile. Then he saw them roll their eyes in the rearview and had to smile. It was great to see his two agents, his two friends, so happy after everything that had happened. Now he just had to get Ari and everything would be perfect.

Kate snuggled back into Tony's arms. He loved this. Every moment he got to spend with her was perfect, even just riding to the safe house. He couldn't wait to get her all to himself, to fall asleep with her in his arms. He wasn't sure how long the drove but it felt like mere minutes to him. He felt Kate completely relax and heard her soft, deep breaths. He savored every moment of the ride with her asleep in his arms.

He wished it could last forever, but eventually the van came to a stop in front of a guarded wrought iron gate that was backed by some kind of heavy, black, and, he assumed, bulletproof metal. He took in the beautiful stone wall, easily 15 feet tall, and was reminded of a castle or a mansion. This definitely wasn't the kind of safe house he'd been expecting. Two guards swept under the van while another checked Gibbs' ID. The gate opened and Tony got his first look at the safe house. It was a massive three story structure, like a cross between a mansion and a fortress.

"Boss?" He whispered so as not to wake Kate.

"I'll explain inside." Gibbs, too, kept his voice low.

They came to a stop at the front door. Tony gathered the sleeping Kate in his arms and somewhat awkwardly exited the van. He followed Gibbs through the front door and down a long hallway until Gibbs finally stopped in front of a bedroom. Tony carefully carried Kate through the doorway then gently laid her down and pulled the covers over her. He placed a kiss on her forehead and, without taking his eyes off of her, slowly backed out of the room to talk to Gibbs. He stopped just outside the door so he could still see Kate and waited for Gibbs to explain.

"This is one of the most secure places on the planet. Very few people know it even exists. It was originally built in case of an invasion or an attack on America as a place where the President, his advisors, and the military leaders can safely coordinate the war. It's designed to be the last stronghold."

"How'd we get access? I doubt they'd be that worried about a couple NCIS agents to let us in on this big secret."

"Normally, you're right. This place is only used as a last resort when it's absolutely necessary for national security. We're only here because Ari is the number one threat within our borders, and it's the government's fault he's here. This base has all of the tools we need to track him down."

"Who'd you threaten?" Tony knew it couldn't have been that easy to gain access to a place like this. And he knew how Gibbs could get when it came to protecting his agents and going against the higher-ups.

"I didn't threaten anybody." He should have known Tony would be smart enough to figure out the truth. "I just pointed out a few facts about how it would look if the real story of Ari got out."

"Nice one, boss." Tony grinned. No wonder every other agency hated NCIS. No one got the job done like Jethro Gibbs.

"Abby and McGee are working upstairs. I'm going to check-in with them. I'll stay here tonight and we can fill you in on everything in the morning. Now, get some sleep. You may have been too happy to notice, but you look like hell!"

Tony's laughter turned to a yawn as he watched Gibbs walk away. He entered the bedroom and closed the door. He really was exhausted, but he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. He'd be too happy holding Kate in his arms. He kicked off his shoes and socks, then pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor. His pants joined his shirt on the floor and he took a moment to enjoy the inviting sight before him before sliding between the sheets.

He draped an arm across Kate and pulled her close to him. Their bodies fit perfectly together like two pieces of a puzzle. He relished in the moment he felt he'd been waiting for forever. He felt Kate shift beneath him. She turned towards him and opened her eyes.

"Hey, your back." Her voice was thick and sexy from sleep.

"Now you're never getting rid of me." They both smiled at the idea of forever. "Go back to sleep."

"I slept for two days."

"But it wasn't really restful. You need to sleep. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." He can see that her eyes are heavy and she's fighting to stay awake. He decides to try another tactic. Softly, he started to sing, practically whispering the words in her ear.

"Let's hold hands on the porch swing under the moon

While the wind through the willows plays us a tune

We can lie on a blanket out back in the yard

And wish for our future on a far away star

And you'll feel the passion as time after time

I press your sweet lips to mine

We can dance to the radio right up 'til dawn

'Til you drift off to dream in my arms"

Her eyes fluttered closed as she drifted off to dream in his arms. He lightly kissed her temple before laying his head on the pillow. He held her close and buried his head in her hair, inhaling the scent that had driven him crazy any time he was close to her. He fell asleep wrapped around the woman of his dreams. The last thought he had was that no dream could ever come close to the way he was feeling right now.