When Kate entered Tony's apartment, she heard the shower running. Quickly she shed her soaked coat and shoes by the door and waited in the hall for him to finish. It took about five more minutes before the bathroom door opened and Tony stepped out with a towel around his waist. They both blushed slightly at the situation.
"I'll just…go and fix us something to eat" Tony muttered and quickly left. Kate smiled after him. Was he embarrassed? The cocky, self-confident playboy, was actually a bit shy of appearing before her in just a towel? It was rather cute, as when they were down in Cuba and she and Gibbs had stormed into his bedroom. Only to find him naked, pointing his Sig at an iguana. He'd blushed furiously then too as Gibbs had left the room and he'd stood there with a chair to cover himself. Still grinning like an idiot, Kate locked herself into the bathroom to get rid of the ice that had formed in her hair. When she'd finished, she dove into her room to quickly dress before helping Tony. It was really nice of him to let her stay here so the least she could do was helping him out. As she pulled a t-shirt over her head, her cell rang. She located it in her jeans pocket.
"Todd. Oh hi, sure. Great. Thanks" she quickly ended the phone call. It was her landlord. The heating was fixed, she could move back tomorrow. Good, she thought. It would be nice to sleep in her own bed again. But why did she feel so disappointed?
---
In the kitchen, Tony stood by the counter, preparing dinner. "Who called?" he asked casually.
"My landlord, the heating is fixed. I can move back tomorrow"
"Oh, okay" was all he said.
"Want any help?" Kate asked. He shook his head. "No, I got it" he said, sounding a bit tired. Kate just shrugged and sat by the table and watched him. The side of Tony she saw at home really amazed her. Was this how he was really like? Cause after all, this had to be his real self. The Tony she saw at work was the working Tony. The fact that he managed to charm so many women to his side didn't seem so impossible now. Cause even Kate had to admit that Tony had a charming personality.
"Penny for your thoughts" he said softly as he sat across from her, when he'd assured himself that nothing would boil over.
"What?"
"You seemed a bit…zoned out?"
Kate looked down at her hands. Should she say it? "Tony, do you think we really know each other?"
"What?" He looked very confused at her question.
"Yeah, I mean…We know each other through work, each other's tactics and signs but…you know, forget it, it was stupid" she blushed slightly even if she was still pretty curious.
"No, hold on there. What do you mean?"
"I…don't know. Just forget it okay?"
Tony watched her for a moment. "I guess you're right"
"About?"
"That we know each other on a professional level but not as good on a personal"
"Well, um…I can't help but think…how…" she paused. "How different you are at home" she blushed furiously again.
Tony gave a half smile. "You may have a point there"
"So…you're aware of it yourself?"
He shrugged. "I don't know…I haven't given it much of a thought" Kate nodded and an awkward silence hovered over them, much like the one that he been between them earlier today.
"You know what, let's play 20 questions and we'll get to know each other. I mean, we've known each other for more than three years…" Now Tony looked a bit embarrassed. Damn, he looks cute when he's blushing…
"Sure" Kate agreed. "Me first. Okay…do you have any siblings?"
"No, I don't. It was mom, dad and I. My mom died seven years ago and my dad lives in Albany, NY. Rita, our housekeeper for over 20 years, keeps him company. He doesn't work so much anymore. My cousins run the business. So, your turn, any siblings, Katie?"
"Well…yes. My parents live together in Indiana, along with my three brothers and their families. My sister lives in Miami, where she works as a lawyer. I moved to DC to begin my Secret Service training"
"You have any nieces and nephews?" At that question, Kate immediately smiled. She loved those kids. "Eight. Hold on…" she quickly got up and went out to the foyer.
A moment later she came back with her wallet. She opened it and fished out a few pictures.
"Here" she held out the first one. It was of the eight kids. Tony couldn't help but notice that some of them looked very much like Kate. Kate pointed at a little girl, not older than six. "That's what I looked like when I was five years old. She looks just like me…" Tony smiled. They all had brown hair and dark eyes, just as Kate. Then she showed another picture. "Those are my parents, they've been married for almost forty years"
"Really?"
"They were high school sweethearts" Kate smiled. High school sweethearts that actually got married were rare these days. Then she lay out another picture. "That's me and my brothers and my sister"
"Hey, there's the male version of you" Tony pointed at a tall guy with the same features as Kate.
"Well, yeah. Jackson and I are pretty much alike, yes. Hannah is his daughter" Kate said, referring to the girl that was a reflection of herself.
"And this…" she said and showed him the last photo. "This is my whole family" Tony looked at the picture carefully. He counted nineteen people. All her siblings were married and he immediately understood why Kate took relationships and marriage so seriously. As she'd read his mind, she spoke:
"They all work for me to get married. Mom won't give me a minute in peace before I've settled down. And dad said he refuses to die until he's seen my kids…" she smiled, embarrassed that she actually told Tony these things. But he didn't seem to notice.
"Guess it's my turn, but I don't have any pictures" he said, almost a bit bitterly.
Kate smiled faintly. Sensitive subject. She knew Tony wasn't especially close to his father. And it was understandable. At least she knew about his father's alcoholism. That was at least something personal…Silently, Kate put the pictures back into her wallet and left it in her purse again. When she came back, Tony stood by the counter, continuing to prepare dinner, and not wanting to continue their emotional conversation now, she sat down by the table again without a word.
About twenty minutes later, they sat by the table again but now with plates of food in front of them. Kate was once again amazed by the fact that Tony could cook. He really didn't seem like the cooking type.
"I guess we should continue our little game" she said. "My turn. When you was little, what did you want to work with?"
Now, Tony blushed again. "Seriously?"
"Yep, seriously" He seemed to hesitate for a moment before he spoke.
"I…wanted to be a knight. And save a princess from the evil monster. Silly huh?" he said and poked around in his food. Kate smiled.
"It's not silly. It's sweet"
"What about you?"
"I didn't know. I wanted to be so many things. Teacher when I was really young, then I wanted to be a fashion designer, architect, lawyer, writer and for a moment I actually wanted to work with cars" At this Tony raised a brow. "Cars?"
"Yep. My brothers always played with their Hot Wheels and stuff and I…well I owned a few of those little cars as well" Kate said.
"A few?"
"Okay! I had about 40 of them" he looked at her skeptically. "Okay! I still have them in a box in my closet. Happy now?"
"Wow, I didn't think that about you" Tony grinned.
"Well, now you know. Okay, my turn…the most embarrassing you've ever done?"
"That's a long list…"
"Figures…"
He gave her a sarcastic look but then smiled. "You really wanna know?"
"Of course I want to. If I have to blackmail you"
"Then I won't tell"
"Oh come on, Tony! I was kidding!"
"Okay! When I was around twelve, I peed my pants in public"
"WHAT?"
"I was…scared"
Now he blushed again. Kate still wasn't used to see him blush. Another reason for her to wonder if they really knew each other.
"Your turn, Katie"
"I…guess it was when I graduated high school" now it was her turn to blush furiously.
"Don't say that you tripped when you walked up to get your diploma?" Tony said. It sounded like something taken directly from an American high school movie.
Embarrassed, Kate nodded, still recalled how red her cheeks had been in that moment.
"I almost feel sorry for you there, Katie" Tony said softly and it sounded like he really meant it. Kate shrugged. "It was a long time ago"
They kept asking questions until their plates were empty and as she helped him load the dishwasher she realised that she'd actually gotten to know him much better.
"So, you're moving back tomorrow?"
"Uhm, yeah, I guess I am"
"Oh, okay" The slightly melancholic tone made Kate react and look up. Did he sound disappointed?
"You gonna miss me, DiNozzo?" she teased but when she met his eyes her expression sobered. He was actually going to miss her…Wow…
"I…well, it's been kinda nice you know. Not being home alone…" he said very quickly, not knowing why he told her this. He skilfully avoided her eyes. This was one of his most sacred secrets. He wasn't supposed to tell her! But the truth always seemed to get out anyway. He was going to miss her. It had been nice to have someone to share the meals with, watching TV with and just talking to someone after five pm. Even if they were only friends…
"Yeah" Kate gave a small laugh. "I know what you mean. It's…going to be empty when I come home" she almost slapped herself. Why did she tell him this? He was never going to let her live it down. Suddenly, an awkward silence once again appeared between them and Kate quickly put the plates in the dishwasher and then stood.
"I should pack…" she mumbled and walked out without looking at him. Tony looked after her and knew. She'd stopped herself as well. Why were they suddenly telling each other things that no one was supposed to know? Maybe they knew each other better than they thought…
---
When she entered the guest room, Kate slowed down. What she'd just told Tony was something as sacred that Abby didn't even know. And Tony was the last person she'd planned on telling. But there she was, confused over why she'd indirectly told Tony that's she would actually miss his company. Kate sighed. It was the truth, though. It was going to be empty to come home to an empty apartment. She'd enjoyed Tony's company, his cooking, and his sweet side that she'd never seen before.
Looking around the room, Kate realised that she had a few things to gather up. Her clothes were scattered around the room along with make up supplies. Slowly, she dragged out her duffel bag from under the bed and began folding her clothes. It had felt so natural to be there, that the thought of moving back home now seemed strange. There was a light knock on the door and Tony's face appeared.
"Hey" he said and walked in. He sat on the chair and watched her pack for a moment. He was going to miss her. Even if they annoyed the hell out of each other sometimes, he liked her company. She probably knew him better than she thought and their jokes felt familiar and he liked it. He intently watched her back as she folded a pair of jeans. A clinking sound soon caught her attention. Tony's key had fallen out of her pocket. Carefully she picked it up.
"Guess I should be handing this back to you" she said and stood, holding out the key in her hand. Tony stood as well and walked over to her, but instead of taking it, he closed her fingers around the object.
"Keep it"
"What?"
"You know…in case of emergency" he said with a half smile.
"Okay, but you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into, DiNozzo" she said and the mood didn't feel as tense anymore. "I may show up when you least expect it"
"I'll take the risk" he said and walked for the door. His expression sobered once again. "And you're welcome whenever you want, Kate" he said before he left her alone. Kate stared down at the key. Tony'd just given her a key to his apartment. A key for her to keep. We definitely know each other better than we first thought…
Chapter 6 finished! How was it? Cute? Good? OOC? Please review, you know how much I love reviews :D