Hmm… the Tate Date… wonder how this will pan out. I'm just gonna start writing and see… so here goes!

Kate I can't believe you're going to do this. A date with Tony DiNozzo! What are you thinking! No that's right, you're not thinking. You're just following your heart. Your heart can't think Kate. If it could it would tell you that you're going to be heartbroken, he's never going to change and you're going to be made a fool.

"Shut up brain," Kate muttered aloud as she paced back and forth in her living room. She was wearing a simple, but elegant, black halter dress with heels and her hair was hanging loose around her shoulders. Tony didn't actually say where they would be going so she didn't want to be over-dressed or under-dressed either. She checked her watch for the 5th time that minute. Ten minutes to eight. He'll be here any minute. Her heart rate was increasing every second. Why am I so nervous?

There was a knock on the door. Kate took a deep breath in and walked to the door. She peeked through the peep-hole to make sure it was actually Tony before opening it.

Tony's eyes moved down her body and back up again. Kate was going to roll her eyes but she had to admit she liked the thought of it being her he was admiring for once. He grinned.

"Hey Katie."

"DiNozzo."

"Aren't we on first name basis yet?"

"Sometimes."

"OK, so shall we go?"

"Where are we going exactly?"

"I wanna take you to meet my mother."

"What!"

"I'm taking you to Italiano Alimento Squisito, Kate."

"Oh, OK."

Kate couldn't believe Tony was actually being a gentleman. He had opened the door to her building for her and then even opened her car door for her too. After a moment of silence in the car Tony glanced across at Kate.

"You know, I can't believe you actually agreed to this."

"I didn't if you recall."

"Yes but you didn't refute it either."

"If you didn't think I'd say yes, why'd you ask?" she tilted her head to one side and looked at him.

"I had to try. Give me a chance Kate, please? It's all I ask."

Kate wanted to yell at him that of course she'd give him a chance, but she restrained herself. She smiled at him instead.

"I think you're allowed that much."

He returned the smile.

Once they arrived at the restaurant, Tony took Kate's hand in his and led her in through the doors. Kate tried her hardest to smother the huge grin that threatened to show when he interlaced their fingers. This is ridiculous! Stop acting like a lovesick schoolgirl!

When they entered the foyer, a young blonde woman approached them.

"Anthony! What brings you here tonight? Business or pleasure?" She beamed.

"Nicola, this is Kate."

Kate gave a small nod and smiled at the waitress.

"Pleasure then," Nicola winked. She showed them to a booth in the corner of the restaurant. Kate couldn't help but notice how romantic the restaurant seemed. The dim lighting, candles on the table, roses in the foyer. She then noticed a large, very happy woman approaching them quickly from the kitchen.

"Anthony! Il mio bambino! Come siete? Come siete?" She spoke as she rushed toward Tony. He stood up and embraced the woman, kissing her on both cheeks. Kate stood too.

"Buon Ma, sono buono. Come siete?" Tony responded.

"Meraviglioso! Che cosa li porta qui? Ahh I li vede portare qualcuno," the woman seemed to notice Kate stand.

"Ma, this is Kate. Kate this is my Mom."

"Nice to meet you Mrs. DiNozzo," Kate shook her hand, but then Tony's mother hugged her tightly and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Vi porterò entrambi il vino migliore intorno! Godali stanno livellando!" She beamed and hurried off. But before she disappeared into the kitchen, she called back something to Tony in Italian.

"È un custode Anthony. Nonla lasci ottenere via." Tony sat back down at the table, shaking his head and smiling.

"You're mom seems great, Tony. How'd she end up with you as a son?" She said smirking.

"Oh that's nice Kate, thanks."

"You're welcome."

The dinner was great. The food was delicious, the conversation was light and there was plenty of laughter and good-natured bantering. It was actually the best date Kate had had in years. And it wasn't over yet. After their meal, Tony and Kate said goodbye to Mrs DiNozzo, who kept winking and gesturing to Kate while she spoke in Italian to a blushing Tony, and they got in the car.

"Do you want to go home yet?" Tony asked her before he turned on the ignition.

"No," she told him.

"Good." Then, to her surprise, he took her hand and kissed her fingers before returning his hands to the wheel and driving out of the car park.

Kate's mind flashed back to the incident in interrogation when he'd kissed her. She couldn't help but blush and smile and turned her attention out the window before he noticed. God girl, you've gone way past the point of no return now. You're done for.

Before she knew it, Tony had put the car in park and was helping her out of her side. Kate took in her surroundings. They were in the middle of nowhere. Trees and shrubs surrounded them and if not for the bright moon it would have been pitch black.

"C'mon!" Tony grabbed Kate's hand excitedly and pulled her down a narrow track through the scrub. He was as excited as a kid with a new bicycle. She laughed and trotted along behind him.

"Tony, where are we going!" she chuckled.

"You'll see," was her only response.

A few minutes later, the trees began thinning out and Tony suddenly stopped. Kate moved from behind him to see what he was looking at. What she saw made her eyes open wide. Before her stretched the most picture-perfect scene - a large lake, lit by the moonlight – and it was so beautiful it took her breath away.

"Tony, it's beautiful," she marveled.

"Yeah. I used to come here as a kid, you know, to think."

Kate was about to quip back with something, but closed her mouth instead. It just wasn't the time for teasing.

"Yes Kate. I can think," he smirked at her, seeming to read her thoughts.

She laughed and playfully whacked his arm.

"Well, I didn't come here just to look at it," Tony said and took his jacket off.

"Tony, you're not-"

"It's a warm night, a perfect lake, I haven't been here in years… c'mon Katie, join me!" He said as he removed his shirt, shoes and pants. Kate struggled to keep eye contact and not let her eyes wander south.

"Tony I ca-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Tony took off for the water and jumped in. When he re-surfaced he grinned a dazzling grin that caught the moonlight and shook his hair like a dog. She smiled and shook her head at his antics. She bit her lip as she thought about joining him. Caitlyn Todd, do not even think about it.

"C'mon Kate, you know you want to!" he called.

"Well turn around then!" She called back with her hands on her hips. He grinned and did as he was told.

I can't believe you're going to do this. She took her dress and shoes off as fast as she could, leaving her in her bra and undies and raced down to the water. When she jumped in she squealed from the cold.

"DiNozzo!" she yelled when she came to the surface.

"What?" he gave a look of pure innocence.

"You didn't tell me it was so freakin' c-cold!"

"You didn't ask."

Kate splashed him with water and he splashed her back. Then she put an old trick she used to use on her brothers into action. She ducked under the water from his sight. Then she swam behind him and swiftly propelled herself out of the water to dunk him under. It worked a charm.

"Oh that is it. You're going down Todd!" Tony said when he came back to the surface. Kate swam away as fast as she could and Tony followed her toward the middle of the lake. Just as he caught up to her, she stopped swimming and he ended up bumping into her in the water, his arms around her waist. She turned around in his arms to face him.

There was just something about the way the moonlight danced across her features and shone on the water that made that moment the definition of perfection in Tony's mind. Without any conscious thought, he removed a strand of wet hair from her face, letting his hand linger on her cheek. He leaned in slowly until his lips met hers in a tender and caring kiss. She snaked her arms around his neck in the water and kissed him back, increasing the intensity. Tony smiled into the kiss and ended it with a number of tiny butterfly kisses.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that Kate."

"Then why didn't you just do it before?" she whispered and kissed him again.

"You can't figure that out?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Point taken. But Tony?"

"Mmm?" he kissed down her neck.

"Is this real?" she asked in a small voice.

"Kate I would never hurt you intentionally. I know I can be a jerk but I care about you so much – more than I've ever cared about anyone. I think… I think I love you…" Kate couldn't see very well in the dim light but it seemed as though he was blushing. She took away any insecure feelings he was having with a passionate kiss as she wrapped her legs around his waist under the water.

"I think I love you too," she whispered and he kissed her on the forehead.

"Let's get out of here before we catch pneumonia," he suggested and she nodded in agreement.

OK guys that's it for this chapter! One, possibly two more, until the end I think. Hope you liked my long chapter. That's over 3 times as long as the others! I just love my tateness so much I couldn't stop. Please review!