A/N: Finally an update. I've been really busy with school and well, the fact that finals are coming up next week is never a good thing. I am going to update both of my fics as soon as I'll be done with this quarter - which means in 2 weeks. In the meanwhile, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. I am not really sure if I like it or not. I wrote it during my marketing class while I was supposed to work on an excel thing. I am such a good student...

Again, hope you'll enjoy it. Please, review. I love your feedback!

"DiNozzo, open up!"

The three NCIS agents had been outside of Tony's apartment for the past five minutes. Gibbs was now pounding on the door, but no answer was coming from the other side.

Ziva gave McGee a questioning side-glance that he returned, perplexedly shrugging his shoulders as to tell her that he had no idea of what was going on either.

After a few more knocks, Gibbs lost his patience and after working briefly on the lock with his knife, he finally broke in.

As the three of them stepped into Tony's apartment they didn't notice anything that was really out of place. No sign of struggle, or anything odd that could that could make them suspect that something out of the ordinary might have happened there.

"McGee, check the kitchen. Bag everything that could be relevant. David, you check the bedroom."

The two agents quickly started inspecting the various rooms.

"Boss, there are four empty bottles of beer on the table. Should I bag them?"

"Yes, McGee. When you're done with that, check the trash."

The younger agent did as told, even if going through Tony's trash wasn't exactly what he had expected to be doing when he got to work that very morning. To him it seemed like there wasn't anything weird and he really didn't blame Tony for wanting to take a day off, since Gibbs had been particulary edgy during the past week and had them working over time.

In the meanwhile, Ziva was examining Tony's bedroom. The bed was undone and a small pile of clothes were scattered on the floor next to the walk in closet. Giving a closer look to the bed, she noticed some long dark blond hair. She scanned the bed with a UV light.

"Gibbs… Apparently Tony had company. No body fluids, though."

Gibbs walked into the bedroom and took a look to what Ziva was pointing. He saw the long dark-blond hair on one side of the bed and carefully picked some samples for Abby to examine.

"Boss! I think I found something!"

As Gibbs walked back into the living room and then into the kitchen, he saw McGee holding a piece of gauze stained with blood. He sighed as the younger agent bagged it and kept studying it trying to find God knows what just by looking at it.

"Ziva, check if Tony's car is still here. McGee, look for the manager of the building and get the tape from the security cameras."

The two agents walked out of Tony's apartment. Gibbs looked around. He noticed a piece of paper coming out of the book that was placed on the couch. He carefully lifted and slipped the piece of paper out of the book.

It was a boarding card for a flight from Washington to Indianapolis dated three days before. Tony's name was on it. Gibbs looked at the piece of paper wondering what the heck Tony went to Indiana for.

While the three NCIS agents were searching Tony's apartment, Tony himself and Kate were on their way to the south.

"I think I'm gonna buy a cowboy hat once we get to Texas."

Kate tried to hide her laugh at the thought of Tony wearing a cowboy hat. He noticed her amused look.

"What, Todd? You think I can't pull it off?!"

"Sure you can, DiNozzo; I just wish I had a camera. Nothing better than an incriminating picture, you should know that."

"Hah, very funny. Too bad there won't be wet t-shirts involved."

Kate hit his arm playfully. She found herself wanting to savor every single second of that familiar sensation that came from playfully arguing with Tony. For the first time in years, she felt home.

Tony gave Kate a quick look before getting his focus back on the road; from how natural it felt to interact with her it seemed like she hadn't been gone for the past four years. The playful banter still came spontaneously to them, and he couldn't be more relieved because of it. They had found their way back to their old dynamics in a way that just felt right. It was still them: Kate and Tony.

"Hey, you should put some gas in your car."

Tony followed Kate's gaze to the petrol gauge that had just started blinking, and nodded.

"We'll get out at the next exit. I could also use something to eat."

"Of course you could. You've gone… what? Two hours without eating any food?"

"Kate, I'm a man."

Kate raised an eyebrow and gave him a side glance.

"What are you implying by that?"

Tony didn't bother answering. He was pretty sure he didn't want to get into an argument with Kate about his unhealthy eating habits or about the fact that his remark might have sounded slightly sexist.

Kate kept looking at him with a raised eyebrow as he exited the freeway and approached a gas station.

Tony pumped some gas into his car and then headed into the small diner right next to the gas station, to get some food that Kate would have without a doubt defined "unhealthy" and "the kiss of death for his arteries".

Kate was waiting by the car, letting the wind tousling her hair. She looked at the landscape and smiled. It had been a while since the last time she had taken her time to actually appreciate the scenery surrounding her. These little things that once she had taken for granted, now seemed to be such a big deal for her.

Tony got out of the diner. He noticed Kate standing outside the car and looking like she was witnessing something spectacular, that he could obviously not see. He grinned and teased her.

"Admiring the world-famous Charlottesville landscape, Katie?"

She rolled her eyes at the pet name and at the fact that he had totally ruined her moment. Sighing, she got back into the car.

As she sat down, she noticed something was vibrating in the backseat. She turned around to check what that irritating noise was coming from.

Tony was still standing outside the car, trying to open the package of cookies that he had just bought. He was so concentrated into opening it, that he didn't notice Kate storming out of the car and head towards him with a threatening look.

Kate glared at Tony; she was livid. She suddenly feel stupid for thinking she could have trusted him not to tell Gibbs. The man, after all, lived for Gibbs' approval. Of course he was going to spill.

Tony confusedly looked back at Kate, unsure of what had happened in the last 30 seconds that could have caused her to have such an outburst.

He didn't have to keep guessing much longer, because Kate finally made him understand the reason for her sudden anger, holding his cell phone right in front of his face.

As he looked at the screen, he noticed the little icon that indicated he had eight missed calls. He slowly raised his hand to grab his cell phone from Kate's hand and checked whom the missed calls were from.

Gibbs.

He understood why Kate was mad.

"Listen, Kate, I didn't say a word."

She shook her had without saying a word and started walking away.

"C'mon, Kate! Can you at least let me explain?"

She turned around. He saw the anger but also the hurt that she felt and smiled softly. Then he turned off his phone and walked to the trashcan by the diner and threw it away.

Kate was still standing several feet away from the car, arms crossed. Tony walked in her direction and stopped right in front of her.

"When I said that you can trust me, I meant it. I am not tricking you. I not even remembered my cell phone was still in the car."

He felt uneasy at her silence. He wanted her to trust him; forgetting to turn off his phone had been a newbie mistake.

Not knowing what to say to bring her to talk to him again he decided to hug her. He felt her tense as he wrapped his arms around her and wondered if the whole hugging thing had been a mistake, but as he felt her relaxing and wrapping her arms around him as well, he smiled.

He stepped back and looked at her.

"No more newbie mistakes from now on. I promise."

She gave him a soft smile, feeling bad for doubting about his honesty; those fours years she had spent constantly watching her back and not knowing who her real friends were had drastically taken away her faith in humanity. She knew she should have had apologized to Tony, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him that she was sorry. Stupid pride, she thought as she let go of Tony and headed back to the car.

He followed her and got into the car as well.

"I've got your back and you've got mine. OK?"

She nodded.

"Tony, I…"

He could sense how hard it was for her to say those stupid three words. I am sorry. He knew their relationship wasn't defined by apologies and emotional moments; for some reason they felt like it was better to keep everything bottled up. He wondered if the fact of being so careful with words around each others was due to the fear of ending up saying too much; to spill things that maybe were better off unsaid and that were carefully masked by the playful banter they had grown so used to.

"Kate, that's okay. We are okay."

He started the car and drove off.

She glanced at him and felt grateful.

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