...Of a Storm
She needs to escape, but he knows all her hiding places. Today, though, nature is on her side. She steps out into the open, letting the rain sluice across her skin, letting the wind whip her hair into a tangled frenzy, letting the rumble of thunder and the slice of lightning soothe her heart.
She stands alone, confident that Tony DiNozzo and his pity will not sacrifice his perfectly tailored suit for the chance to deny the truth she thinks she knows. She turns up her face, welcoming the ice cold pricks of rain, willing them to make her numb.
It might have worked, but she feels the brush of expensive fabric against her neck, the squeeze of a strong hand on her shoulder, and she realizes that she has underestimated what he is willing to sacrifice.
To runaway now seems like overkill, so she allows him to turn her face to his, and she tries to listen to his words. But there is the wind, and the thunder, and their history of setting traps when they speak. She stands still, watching him struggle to compensate for the elements and the past. She stays silent, wanting to believe the best, but still too afraid to hope.
And it is really time he stops thinking of her as a ninja, because she certainly doesn't see it coming- the kiss he gives her, right in the middle of a storm.