A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! Please review and let me know what you think! I could really use the motivation this week. I'm not sure when I'll be able to post a new chapter for any of my stories since I'll be finding out tomorrow if I have to undergo two knee surgeries to repair the damage my first orthopedic surgeon caused : (
Tell Her: Chapter 3
They stood outside in each other's arms for what felt like forever, just staring at the stars shining in the deep blue sky. Neither one of them were looking forward to going back inside and allowing the real world to invade upon their serenity. They knew it was unavoidable, but they wanted the world to begin and end with them for as long as possible. But the real world was going to rear its ugly, well…far-from-ugly head again sooner than they thought.
"Kate! DiNozzo! What the hell are you guys doing!" Gibbs' voice broke the calm, clear night, causing both agents to jump. They spun around to face Gibbs, unable to hide their slightly guilty expressions.
"Ummm…" Tony struggled to find the right words, caught totally off-guard by his boss' sudden appearance. He offered a sheepish grin before hugging Kate close and continuing on with his typical DiNozzo cockiness. "We're finally doing what's right. It's what we should have done years ago." He paused briefly for emphasis. "I love her, Gibbs." He locked eyes with Gibbs, letting him see the depth of emotion and the truth behind his words.
"And I love him." Kate immediately echoed Tony. They both looked at Gibbs expectantly, waiting for his blessing or his anger.
"Well, you picked one hell of a time to finally admit it!" Gibbs smiled after making them sweat it out for a minute and even chuckled when he saw the identical stunned expressions on their faces.
"You're not mad?" Kate stared at Gibbs like he'd suddenly sprouted horns, completely unable to believe his reaction. At the very least she had expected a lecture about Rule 12 or a threat that their relationship better not interfere with work.
"I'm not dumb. Everyone figured you two would wise up eventually and see what everyone else already knew. Hell, I had my suspicions the first time I told you about Rule 12, Kate. That's part of why we were all so shocked when you told us you were getting married. I actually started to think I may have been wrong." He chuckled and Kate looked up at Tony and rolled her eyes.
Gibbs suddenly resumed his usual, deadpan military face, and both agents began to worry. "Seriously, though, you two know the rules. I hate having to lose one of you, but that's something you have to be willing to live with. I'll even let you decide which one of you transfers. I can give you a week, but that's a choice you'll have to make." He really was sorry about this, and he would change the rules if he could. He knew that they would be fine working together since the feelings had always been there. Nothing would have changed, except maybe a little less bickering, but he doubted he could convince his bosses of that.
"Look boss, I know that's the rule but can't you make an exception or something. You know we wouldn't let this affect our work. We work too well together and…" Tony trailed off when Gibbs shot him a look that clearly said shut up before I smack you.
"I know and I don't like doing this, but it's not up to me. Once the brass finds out they will force one of you to transfer. All I can do is give you the choice and try to get whichever one of you leaves stationed at the closest office."
Kate and Tony looked at each other alarmed. They had known that one of them would probably have to leave the team but they'd never considered the possibility of being transferred out of state. They were finally together and now NCIS might rip them apart. Tony's stomach dropped and he hugged Kate tighter, trying to concentrate on the feel of her instead of the possibility of losing her. He shuddered at the very idea, but then another idea began to form in Tony's devious brain.
"Hey, Boss. What if we keep this quiet for awhile? If we don't let anyone know we'll have more time to see if there's some kind of alternative, or to make a case for changing the rule. Whatever, we'll figure something out. We have to because I'm not going to lose her. Please, Gibbs, just give us some time." He pleaded with Gibbs, praying he would understand and say yes. As usual, he couldn't read Gibbs' face, so he held his breath as Gibbs mulled over what Tony was asking him to do.
"It's going to be a hard thing to pull off. I'm sure that people noticed Kate leave her own rehearsal dinner, and some of them may have noticed that you're missing too. Some one will put it together after you call off the wedding. You know Abby has already figured it out, but maybe you'll get lucky and the brass won't here about it." He paused and both of their faces dropped. This was sounding far from promising. "As long as they don't know about it, I don't see any reason we should tell them. Hell, they're so incompetent that you guys might actually pull this off. Just keep this extremely quiet and completely out of the office. Got it?" Gibbs didn't want to lose one of his agents and he really didn't give a shit what the brass thought.
"Got it." Kate and Tony answered simultaneously with huge grins on their faces. There was no way in hell that any stupid rule could stand a chance against their love. The brass wouldn't know what hit them.
"By the way, where's Shawn?" Gibbs inquired, his mind now on how Kate was going to get out of this one. "I know he came out here to find you, so I'm guessing he found you two together."
Tony and Kate solemnly nodded. Kate still felt really bad for hurting Shawn, especially because of how and when he'd found out. Tony could sense how she was feeling, so he squeezed her tightly and lightly kissed her temple. She rewarded him by turning her head for a quick kiss, and when she pulled away she was smiling. Tony really did make everything better, she thought as she smiled even brighter, realizing just how lucky she was.
Gibbs cleared his throat, forcing their attention back to him. "You need to figure out what you're going to tell everyone, Kate. Then we need to get back inside. Correction. Kate and I will go back inside while you get out of here." He gave Tony a hard stare, letting him know that this was an order while, at the same time, daring him to object. "That way it'll look less suspicious. You can make up a cover. Tell everyone that you left early for some reason. Get you're stories straight and make it good, then we'll go back inside and you can let everyone know there won't be a wedding."
"Okay." Kate voiced her agreement while Tony just nodded, not liking that he would be separated from Kate when she'd definitely need someone to be there for her. She'd be dealing with a room full of questions, whispers, and accusations, especially from the half of the room that was there for Shawn. He hadn't really met Kate's parents but he could imagine what their reaction would be, and it wouldn't be pretty. They'd probably pounce on her and question her to death while smothering her with hugs. He knew this was how it had to be, but that didn't mean he had to like it.
"Let's just keep it simple." Tony's devious mind began plotting. "We can tell everyone that I wasn't feeling well so I went outside for some air. You saw me leave and came out to make sure I was ok."
"That's good." Kate interrupted. "I can tell everyone that you didn't look very good and I was worried about you. The little details are what make a story believable, so I'll say that when I found you outside I realized you had a fever and ordered you to go home and rest. I didn't want you to miss my wedding, and I really didn't want you to get me sick." She smirked at him.
"That's perfect. It sounds just like us." Tony had to smile at how much it sounded like their usual banter. Quick wit and smart comebacks were just two of the many reasons he loved Kate. He picked up the story where Kate had left off. "I finally went home after complaining that you just wanted to get rid of me. You stayed outside for a little bit to enjoy the fresh air and the beautiful night." They shared a secret, knowing grin over just how beautiful the night had become. "Then Shawn came out and found you underneath the tree in the back of the parking lot." He paused and waited for Kate to pick up the story, knowing that it was her break-up so she had to be the one to do it.
"I'd been thinking about everything while I was outside." Kate started solemnly after taking a minute to compose herself. She decided she had to stick as close to the truth as possible. The truth is what made the most sense. It was the only reason to call off a wedding besides being in love with someone else, which was definitely not the right thing to tell them. "I realized that this just wasn't right for me. I cared about him, but I didn't love him the way that I should if I was going to marry him. I realized that I was settling for happy when what I really wanted was ecstatic. So I told him I was sorry and that I'd take care of telling everybody, so he left."
She looked at the ground, feeling really horrible for what she'd done to Shawn. But she had Tony's arms around her, helping to hold her up, so she knew she'd be ok, just like she knew she'd do the exact same thing over again if she had to. Tony kissed the top of her head, feeling her despair and needing to reassure her. She turned back to look up at him and he instantly put the smile back on her face. She spun around in his arms until she was nicely snuggled into his chest. He held her tight, trying to offer her all of his strength for the hell she had ahead of her.
Gibbs was watching the restaurant to make sure that, even though they were hidden in the shadows at the back of the parking lot, no one could see them. He glanced at his watch and knew they couldn't wait any longer. He turned back to the intertwined couple and, although he slightly bad for breaking their moment, cleared his throat. "We have to go. Now. Get out of here quick, DiNozzo, before anyone else comes out here."
"Wait, what's your part of the story?" Kate asked Gibbs, desperate to make sure that nothing could go wrong. They had to pull this off flawlessly so that she could buy more time with Tony. She wasn't going to leave any detail to chance.
"I was concerned when I couldn't find two of my agents so I looked for you outside. I couldn't find Tony's car, but I did find you under this tree. I asked what was wrong and where Tony was, and you told me the story. Good enough?" Gibbs quickly rattled off his story, receiving nods from Kate and Tony. "Let's go. Tony first."
Kate turned back to Tony and he could see the worry in her eyes. She was biting her lip and Tony could feel the nervousness rolling off of her. He knew exactly how she felt. He was terrified that this wouldn't work or that Kate would get verbally attacked when she told everyone the wedding was off. Mostly, he was worried and scared because he couldn't be there to protect her, but he knew there was nothing he could do about that. All he could do was reassure her now and hold her tight when they got home, where he could kiss her and make everything better.
He held her close, seeing Gibbs glance at his watch behind her. He got the message even though leaving was the last thing he wanted to do, at least without Kate leaving too. He pulled back just enough to lean down and kiss her. He poured his heart and soul into this kiss, as if it were the most important kiss of his lifetime. Although, with Kate every kiss was the most important, just because it was one more kiss with her.
He released her lips to whisper in her ear. "Everything will be okay. Don't listen to what any of them say. Hear my voice instead. I love you more than I can put into words. I need your touch and your smile more than I need my next breath. Today is the second best day of my life, because the first has always been reserved for the day I marry you." He kissed her quickly, knowing they needed to leave but unable to keep his lips from tasting her one more time.
He finally pulled back as she whispered, "I love you, too, and I can't wait until this is over and I can be back in your arms again." He kissed her cheek in response and forced himself to walk to his car. It was the hardest thing he'd ever done, even harder than telling her he loved her. If that had backfired, he would have been the one who got hurt, but if this didn't go well she would be the one who suffered. He'd do anything to be able to protect her from that, from all the hurt in the world. He felt so powerless just walking away, like he was completely abandoning her. He got into his car unseen and, while staring at Kate in the rearview mirror, drove out of sight.