I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter up! I spent virtually the entire time debating whether I should just end the story where it was or write one more chapter. I'm sure I should have spent that time thinking about my exams (which are now way too soon for my liking) but Tate is a MUCH better thing to have on one's mind!

Thank you again to all of the wonderful, wonderful reviewers of this story! I hope that you all enjoy the last chapter and thank you so much for all of your kind words.

-----------------------------------

We'd quickly settled into a routine. Every Friday after work, I'd pick up a bottle of red wine and head over to Kate's. We'd sit down on the couch with dinner and the wine, then spend a considerable amount of time arguing over what movie we'd watch. Eventually, we'd decide on one but I'd never watch it for long before realising how Kate's lips were stained by the wine-which was inevitably my duty to fix. The rest of the night would be spent kissing and talking until we went to bed, and Kate would fall asleep curled up in my arms. It was almost surprising how much I enjoyed waking up every Saturday, hang-over free and with the same woman. The Anthony DiNozzo of a few years ago would have laughed at the very idea of commitment and stability.

On this Friday night-five weeks into our routine-I was incredibly glad to see Kate. I'd just finished up with a very stressful week at work and I'd spent the whole time living for this moment, when I'd have her right next to me. I reached across the couch to Kate, pulling her close to me and kissing the top of her head. I breathed in deeply, the scent of Kate both relaxing and invigorating my body more than any drug ever could. My hand settled on her hip and her head lay on my shoulder. Kate angled her head to look up at me, running her hand through my hair and along my face.

"I miss you when you're not around, Tony."

I caught her hand in my own and intertwined our fingers. "I'm just one of those people, I guess. I can't help it."

Kate elbowed me painfully in the ribs. I looked down at her, about to complain like I normally did but something stopped me. Maybe it was the extremely stressful week combined with the…well, Kate-ness of Kate but a reaction I'd been trying to suppress for the past five weeks finally won over my self-control. A slow smile spread across my face as I grabbed her other hand and angled myself over her, so she was lying underneath me on the couch.

"Do you want to apologise for that, Kate? Or else you'll be at my mercy."

I kissed up her neck and along her jaw line to show her I meant business, stopping just short of her lips.

"So are you going to apologise?" I repeated playfully, my lips hovering just above hers.

"Definitely not," Kate whispered, her breath blowing into my mouth.

I picked her up in my arms, carrying her to her bedroom and laid her gently on her bed.

"Right-last chance," I said, pulling myself down so I was just above her again.

Kate gave me a sly grin before I felt her elbow connect with my ribs again and a giggle escape from her. She took advantage of my moment of weakness and positioned herself so she was on top of me.

"Looks like you're at my mercy now, doesn't it?" she whispered into my ear before we did something we hadn't done together in a long, long time.

----------------------------------------------

"Tony?" Kate called out to me on a Sunday morning a few weeks later. "What happened to my vase?"

I froze where I was standing in the kitchen, preparing myself a late breakfast (I spent virtually all my work-free weekends at Kate's now). She'd returned from Mass literally two seconds ago and I'd been counting on it taking her just a little bit longer than that to realise the vase from her living room had suddenly disappeared.

"What happened to my vase?" she repeated, stomping into the kitchen and stopping just in front of me with her hands placed threateningly on her hips.

"Ummm…." I scrambled around in my head, trying to find some way to make it work after being taken completely by surprise there. I realised with the slightest pang of regret that my breakfast probably wasn't going to happen now.

"That vase," Kate began furiously, "was my great-grandmother's. She bought it in Paris in the late 1800s. I swear I told you that before-that time when you thought it would be funny to see how many things you could throw into it."

I opened my mouth to stop her before she got herself any more worked up but it was useless. My opening of "Kate" was drowned out by her next tirade.

"I swear to God Tony, if I find out you've done anything to harm it, I will-"

"Kate!" I yelled out in frustration, unable to think of any other way to get her to be quiet for just one second. It worked, though; she was looking up at me with her mouth firmly clamped shut in disapproval now. "Come with me."

I took her to her bedroom and led her to her bedside table, where the vase was sitting unharmed and overflowing with roses.

"You mean the vase is okay?" she asked, her shoulders deflating in relief and her eyes transfixed on this seemingly all-important object.

"Yep," I told her. "Great-grandmother's vase has never been better."

"Why the hell did you move it, Tony?" Kate exclaimed in disbelief, whirling around to face me. "All that stress for nothing."

"Haven't you noticed what's in it?" I asked her, pretending not to be hurt by her overlooking the bouquet of roses I'd bought while she'd been out that morning. (Do you even know how rare it is to get me out of bed that early on a Sunday morning when I don't have to go to work?)

Kate turned to examine the vase again. I'd thought about this moment a lot since we'd got back together. If I'd had my way, it would have been a lot more casual and spontaneous. But I figured Kate was pretty traditional, which was why I'd opted for red roses and why I sunk down onto one knee.

Noticing the movement I'd just made, Kate turned back to face me before she'd even found what I'd nestled amongst the roses.

"Oh my God," she whispered as she saw me on one knee and I suppressed rolling my eyes as I realised another part of my plan had been blown. In the original plan, she wasn't meant to notice that vase at all until we'd got into her room to go to bed that night. (I suppose me forgetting that the vase was a family heirloom didn't exactly help.) Also in the original plan…

"Uh…it wasn't meant to happen like this Kate," I told her, realising just how uncomfortable it was to be down on one knee. "You were sort of supposed to find something in the roses before you noticed me on my knee like this."

Kate made a motion as if to look at that damn vase of roses again but I gathered her hands in mine to stop her.

"Don't worry about that now. I know I'm screwing this all up, I know it's not perfect but…I love you, Kate. And I just don't work without you."

I took a deep breath as I worked up the courage to say the four words I never thought would leave my mouth. The four words I never actually thought I'd want to say to anyone.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Kate said instantly, a huge smile spreading on her face. She yanked me up to my feet and answered in the affirmative several more times before pulling me into the most passionate kiss she'd ever given me. Actually, it was almost painful the way she bashed her lips against mine but I was too happy to really mind.

"Can I look through the roses now?" she asked me a few moments later after pulling away but she turned back to search the roses before I even had time to answer.

"Well, you were actually meant to do that before I asked the question."

She swung her arm out behind her to hit me and I could see from where I was standing that her smile was just as big as mine. We were a couple of grinning idiots and I decided I never wanted to be anything else.

She gasped in delight a few seconds later when she found the ring. She turned to face me, holding it out so I could take it and put it on her finger myself.

"It's perfect," she sighed happily as we admired the twinkling solitaire diamond against her skin.

That was the word I'd use to describe her at that moment.

Perfect.

------------------------------

We'd been engaged for five months. We'd had our engagement party, we'd just sent out the invitations to our wedding (it was going to be in spring) and we'd given each other the spare keys to our places. I'd still spend every weekend at Kate's and we tried to catch up during the week if we both finished work early.

I was settling in for a quiet Wednesday night (I was planning on beer and a movie) when I heard my front door open and recognisable footsteps make their way to where I was sitting in the living room.

"Hey," I said warmly, getting up and going over to Kate. Her whole body felt tense when I took her in my arms and she seemed to cling onto me with a desperation I wasn't used to from her. I walked her over to my couch and sat the two of us down. "I wasn't expecting to see you."

She looked up at me with frightened eyes and grabbed my hand. I could feel her engagement ring digging into my skin and I was guessing the fact that she was still wearing it plus the fact she was cutting off the circulation in my hand meant that she wasn't about to end our relationship or engagement.

"Is everything okay?" I asked her, almost beginning to grow afraid myself.

She took a deep breath and grabbed my other hand just as tightly as I made an effort not to wince in pain.

"You haven't gone over to the sadistic sexual side, have you?" I asked, and was promptly answered with a swift kick to my shin. "Thought not."

But a part of me relaxed. If she was still able to berate me for my dirty mind then I knew that whatever was going on was something that the two of us would face together.

Taking another deep breath, she looked me steadily in the eye without loosening her death grip.

"There's something I have to tell you."

-----------------------------------

Well, there it is. Do you think I should have added this chapter or that the story would have been better off without it? I have another story I've just started and the first chapter's almost done, so that'll be up very soon (hopefully).

Oh! It was really crazy: a few weeks ago, I spent my Sunday afternoon with the guy I like watching movies. We were going to watch Rear Window and I was thinking "wooooow, that's just like what happened in my story!" But then the DVD wouldn't play. Which was a bit of a downer and, to my way of thinking, a sign. But anyhow. I still thought it was funny how we so very nearly ended up re-enacting the first chapter of this story (minus the sprained thumb)…

Please let me know what you thought of this story-help me get through all of this awful exam study!-and, for the last time:

REVIEW!

(Pretty, pretty please.)