A/N- Sorry about this, I promise I'll make it quick!! I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to update I will try harder next time! As for the story, I have to warn you that the next chapter (and possibly the one after that) will contain some adult themes like attempted rape and such. If you do not wish to read about these then please don't and please don't send me a harmful review about it. A T rating implies suggestive adult themes and that is all that this will be. Thanks and now... enjoy chapter six of Dwindling Fire!

Tony and Jacob sat in their dorm eating as much junk food as they could. Jacob had snuck into the school kitchen and stolen it so they had to eat all of the evidence quickly.

"You know what Jacob?" Tony asked. Jacob shrugged because his mouth was so full of food. "When I first saw you I thought you were a complete geek. I mean your shirt was tucked in and ironed and you wore those dorky glasses, what happened to them anyway?" he asked as a bit of an afterthought. Jacob swallowed his mouthful before answering.

"I chucked them," he said simply.

"Can you see?" Jacob made a face.

"What sort of a stupid question is that?" He retorted quickly, "and yes I can see thank you very much. I wear contacts."

"Then explain the tucked in shirt and crisply ironed pants?"

"My parents visited that day," Jacob said finally. Tony said nothing for a moment before he burst out laughing. "It's not funny! My folks are totally oblivious to everything. They think I'm a total nerd!"

"What about your report cards?" Tony asked his eyes full of tears of laughter.

"I pay some computer geek to make them up for me. My parents and my teachers have absolutely no clue."

"Cool," Tony said now that he had stopped laughing. The two boys began talking about the upcoming football game their school was going to participate in when a knock came at their door. Tony jumped up to answer it. Standing in their doorway was a small boy about seven years old. He was scrawny looking and had blond hair. He looked frightened and Tony wondered what he was doing there.

"What do you want kid?" He asked.

"I'm meant to give you this," the boy said as he thrust a box of chocolates towards Tony. Tony took them and closed the door on the kid's face. He could hear Jacob chuckling from the safety of his bed. Tony sat down on his bed and ripped open the card that had come with the chocolates.

"Dear Tony," he read aloud, "last night was the best night of my life. These chocolates can't even begin to describe how I feel right now but I'm hoping they say something. Lots of love, Kate. XOXO." Tony stopped reading and looked up into Jacob's face. "Yes Jacob."

"Yes what?"

"I meant yes you are going to have to try and get along with Hannah. You're my best friend and Hannah is Kate's."

"And I should care about this because?" Jacob said while waving his arm about.

"Just forget it," Tony said as he jumped up from the bed and grabbed his coat.

"Hey, where are you going?" Tony didn't answer him but flung the door open and walked out. He had a hunch and he wanted to see if it would prove to be right. He walked past the sitting area where a bunch of kids were sitting and walked right out the front door. Once outside he took in a deep breath of fresh air, and smelled it. The very thing he had come out here to search for. Following his nose he walked around the corner of the dormitory and was instantly provided with Kate's company.

"Hey cutie," he said as he pulled her close to him.

"Hey yourself," she replied tilting her face up towards his. They kissed for the second time and to Tony it was as thrilling as the first. They broke apart a few seconds later when the sound of a twig snapping startled them. They weren't supposed to be out of their dormitories after eight thirty and it was now nine o'clock. Convinced that the caretaker at the school was walking around the grounds Tony insisted that Kate went back to her dorm immediately.

"But Tony I snuck out so I could be with you!" Kate whispered urgently. Tony pulled her down into the cover of the bushes before replying.

"I know," he said and kissed her softly on the lips, "but I don't want you thrown in detention for it." They kissed again and Kate agreed that it was best to go back to her dorm. They were silent for a few moments as they listened out to try and locate the footsteps of the caretaker.

"I think we're safe. Let's go!" Kate whispered as she took Tony's hand. Together the two of them crept out from the bushes and came face to face with the caretaker Steven Hound. Mr. Hound was a tall man with a military cut hairstyle and a face that looked as though he was constantly sucking on something very sour. Mr Hound had his hands on his hips and was looking at Tony and Kate with a wicked smile.

"Well well well what do we have here?" He asked seizing them up with his beady brown eyes. "A couple of sixteen year olds coming out of the bushes holding hands, oh the headmistress won't be too pleased about that will he?" Tony and Kate looked at each other. "Come on then!" said and grabbed them by the arms. They were marched over to the school and forced through the front doors. Mr Hound led the straight to the headmistress's office where he said gruffly, "wait there," before knocking on the door three times.

"Come in!" a voice called from behind the door. Mr Hound opened the door and ushered Tony and Kate inside, closing the door behind them. The headmistress was a kind looking woman with bright blue eyes and blond hair that was pulled into a bun. She wore a tired look on her face as she looked up at Tony and Kate. The nameplate on her desk read Ms Michelle Worthington. "Names?" she asked wearily.

"Anthony DiNozzo."

"Caitlin Todd," they replied anxiously. Ms. Worthington made a note on a slip of paper before fixing them both with a long and painful stare. Tony felt as though he could burst with anticipation.

"I caught them in the bushes behind dormitory C," Mr Hound said to Ms Worthington. He too had been feeling a little uncomfortable by the stare Ms Worthington was delivering and wanted to get out of there as soon as he could.

"Well then Mr DiNozzo, Miss Todd, could you please tell me what you were doing in the bushes behind dormitory C?" Ms Worthington asked, pen in hand. Tony and Kate looked at each other again, not knowing what to say.

"Failure to answer," Ms Worthington muttered as she made another note on her slip of paper, "out of dorms after hours," after scribbling for a few moments she looked up. "Well Mr DiNozzo and Miss Todd I must inform you that you will be receiving two one hour detentions for this and should it happen again you will be placed under house arrest." Tony and Kate nodded. The punishment seemed fair enough to them. "Very well then, Mr Hound," she called to the caretaker who was sulking in the corner. He had hoped for a more severe punishment than detentions. "Mr Hound please escort Mr DiNozzo and Miss Todd back to their dormitories."

"Yes headmistress," Mr Hound said as he gave a small bow to her. Tony did the same and Kate did a small curtsy. At Broken Grave School they took pride in the respect students showed teachers and each other. One of the main rules at the school was that they were not allowed to have any form of contact with the other gender unless under supervision from a teacher. That was one of the reasons Nancy and Darren DiNozzo chose to send their son there. It would teach him respect for adults and women.

Mr Hound however showed no such respect for the students and as soon as the door had been closed to Ms Worthington's office he began to push Tony and Kate in the direction of the dormitories.

"Bet you thought you got off easy didn't you?" He said to them in a rough voice that didn't hide his disgust. "Oh I wish they didn't let the old punishments die out. I miss the days when we took a ruler to a student's hand, stung for days! You could always guarantee that students think twice about misbehaving after they'd felt the sting of a ruler. But no," he continued on talking more to himself than to either Tony or Kate. They looked sideways at each and caught each other's eye but Mr Hound grabbed their heads the pointed them forwards again. When they reached dorm C Mr Hound pushed Tony in and closed the door. Looking out the window Tony could see Kate being marched along the path by Mr Hound, his hand firmly on her arm.

Fuming, Tony returned to his room where Jacob was laying on his bed reading a magazine.

"Where the hell have you been Tony? One minute we were happily talking away and then all of sudden you bolt from the room!" He exclaimed angrily.

"I met Kate out the side of the dorm. I thought she might be there. How else would the kid have brought me the chocolates? Anyway we kissed and I convinced her to go back to her dorm because I didn't want her to get detention, but then we were found by Mr Hound. I can tell you now Jacob it did not look good for us. We had emerged from the bushes holding hands."

"Ouch," Jacob said sympathetically, "what happened then?"

"Well, Mr Hound took us to the headmistress and she gave us two one hour detentions each."

"Damn!"

"Yea I know, oh well. Time for sleep I think. I'm beat!" As the two boys got ready for bed Tony was still thinking about the way Mr Hound was holding Kate when he led her towards her own dormitory. It was as though he hadn't wanted her to get away. When Jacob turned out the light and went to sleep, Tony lay wide awake into the night, wondering about what he had seen and what it meant.