AN: Hey, peeps! I am extremely VERY VERY sorry for the huge delay/hiatus. Call it whatever you want. I was very busy with school and test and I was constantly vidding. I was too lazy to continue writing and I lost my muse and my ideas were gone. I finally wrote this chapter, I am very sorry guys. At the beginning, it's kind of a filler chapter, but on the other half it's more of a new beginner. Another reason why I stopped writing this story was because I had a new idea and I liked it a bit more and I really wanted to end this fic as soon as possible. I am again very sorry, and I notice that I probably lost y fans, because many of you guys went to read my brother's (Michael Tod The 7th Writer)'s stories, one of them Me Myself And I, which we are writing together, by the way. I hope you like this chapter, please review, those mean a lot!

Chapter 76

Kate frantically ran into the toilet. She stared at herself in the mirror, whilst panting. She sighed and closed her eyes.

'How could this happen?' She thought to herself.

Kate shook her head. She never should've agreed to go to the game with Tony. She groaned out loud.

"I am such an idiot!" She hissed angrily. She heard flushing of water. Kate blushed in embarrassment. A woman came out of one of the booths.

She stared at Kate confusedly.

"Don't mind me" Kate said. The woman nodded, still staring at her. She washed her hands and walked out of the toilet. Kate touched her forehead with her hand. She was desperate.

"I'm just gonna go home" She muttered unwillingly. She walked out of the toilet quickly.

Kate sat in her car. She couldn't go yet. She left Tony all by himself there.

She sighed and leaned on the window.

Tony…

Tony sat still, feeling the cola sticking to his skin. Everyone looked at him with pity. Even the players noticed something happened. They all fixated their eyes on Tony. Tony rolled his eyes.

"What are you waiting for? Go after her!" A guy yelled behind Tony. Tony turned around.

"Gee, thanks" He replied sarcastically. He slowly got up, as the popcorn fell of him. He walked through the lines of seats.

"Excuse me…Sorry…Yeah" Tony muttered as he passed by people angrily.

"Move out of the way, woman!" He growled, continually walking. "Sorry…Need some space…"

Tony couldn't go further, because a chubby man was blocking his way. Tony sighed angrily. The man was eating pop corn.

"Skip a meal, fatty! I'm sure smaller countries are starving right now" Tony yelled. The man bowed his hand. A woman next to him patted his back.

"Don't worry, Jeffrey. He's just a random idiot" She said as Tony passed by them. Everyone was still looking at him. Tony could feel their looks. He quickly spun around.

"WHAT ARE YOU ALL LOOKING AT?" He yelled furiously from the bottom of his lungs. Everyone quickly looked back at the game. One player threw a ball, hitting another one in the head.

Tony shook his head angrily and went out of the arena.

Tony walked to Kate's car. He could see her inside. He stopped.

'I'm just gonna be nice.' He thought to himself. He continued walking to her car.

Kate looked at the opposite car door when she heard a noise. She saw Tony getting in. Kate could feel her adrenaline jumping high again.

"Hey" She greeted awkwardly. Tony glanced at her.

"Uh… hey" He replied equally awkwardly. Kate scratched her head quickly. Silence overruled.

Kate could feel Tony staring at her. She sighed as she started the engine. She turned to Tony.

"Let's just pretend like nothing happened, okay?" She questioned through a small whisper. She was looking at Tony intently, waiting for his response.

Tony lowered his eyes on his fingers, which he has been fidgeting with for the whole time. He let out a little sigh.

He finally looked up.

"Okay" He simply answered. Kate nodded, turning her head back to the steering wheel. She started driving. Tony looked out of the window, with his eyebrows furrowed.

He thought about it. If Kate wanted to pretend like nothing has happened, that would mean they'll never be nothing more than friends.

The thought made Tony irritated. Why was life so unfair to him? All he wanted to was to kiss her soft lips. To hold her tight when she's scared, and never let her go. To hold her hand.

To feel what is it like to truly love somebody.

'I guess you can say goodbye to those dreams' Tony sarcastically thought.

"Tony? Hello?" Kate's voice softly called. Tony quickly spun his head around. He looked at her.

"Huh?" Tony replied, rather dreamily. Kate slightly cocked her head.

"Is everything alright?" She questioned genuinely. Tony flashed a quick smile and nodded.

"Yeah, sure. Why wouldn't it be?" He said, trying to cover up. Kate turned her head back to the road.

"Because I just asked you something, and you didn't seem to react at all" Kate said. She quickly glanced at him.

"Oh, sorry" Tony apologized. "What were you saying?" He asked.

"I asked you if you can turn on the radio, because it's kinda dead here" She responded, keeping her focus on the road. Tony shrugged.

"Sure I can" He leaned to the radio and pressed the 'play' button. He leaned back as the sound of music was heard.

'When You Say Nothing at All' by Roan Keating played.

As soon as they heard the song, both Tony and Kate felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Really?" Kate muttered cynically under her breath. Tony looked at her.

"Did you say something, Kate?" he questioned. Kate caught his glance.

"Uh, no" She quickly responded and looked back at the road.

Kate was also very frustrated. She was still single, in her middle ages. She needed someone.

And she knew that someone was Tony.

But she knew that Tony would never settle down. And she didn't want to be heartbroken.

And still, she wanted to be with him.

She quickly waved her head.

Back in reality again.

Kate parked her car in front of Tony's building. They both glanced at each other.

Kate bit her lip nervously, looking at Tony. He smiled quickly and opened the car door. He stepped out.

"See you later tonight" Tony greeted. Kate smiled in response. Tony closed the door. He waved before he turned around and walked away.

Kate sighed and turned back to her steering wheel. Kate slammed her head on the steering wheel, making a whining noise. She quickly lifted her head up, because she was pressing the horn. She sighed and continued driving.

…

Kate parked the car in front of her house. She got out and approached the door. She unlocked them. The door opened itself after Kate unlocked them. She entered her house, immediately taking off her coat. She sat down on her couch.

Kate quickly took out her phone. She went through her contacts.

Since they were sorted alphabetically, Abby was the first. Kate hesitated for a moment.

After a while, she finally dialed the number.

…Beep…Beep…

"Hey, Kate!" Abby's enthusiastic voice ringed through Kate's ears. Kate slightly smiled.

"Hey, Abbs" Kate said, sounding worn out. She could already sense Abby getting worried.

"Kate, is everything alright?" Abby asked warily. Kate sighed, looking at the black screen on the TV.

"Not really" Kate admitted.

"Are you hurt, Kate?" Abby already panicked. Kate chuckled to herself.

"I'm fine, Abby. Can you come over for a girl talk? There are things that need to be said" Kate asked.

"Be there in five" Abby replied. Kate smiled once again.

"Thanks, Abbs" Kate said meaningfully.

"Any time. Bye" Abby hung up. Kate put her phone aside.

How was she going to tell Abby that she almost kissed Tony?

"My life became a soap opera" Kate groaned to herself as she put pillows over her head.

…

The sound of a door bell ringing was heard. Kate quickly came to the door. She opened it, only to see Abby standing in front of her.

"Hey, Abbs" Kate greeted casually. Abby nodded whilst smiling. Kate let her in. Abby came in and sat on the couch immediately. Kate closed the door and followed her friend. She sat next to her.

Abby finally had her hair out of her pigtails. It was reaching her shoulder, and her face looked more natural. Except, of course, she was wearing a black lipstick.

"So, Kate, what did you wanna talk about?" Abby asked quickly. She took of her jacket and shoved it right next to her. Kate took a deep breath. Abby could see that Kate was slightly blushing. And Abby knew it.

"Kate" Abby asked, grinning like Tony would. "Is this about Tony?"

Kate quickly looked up, wanting a hole to form under her and let her fall into the ground. Kate got up and cleared her throat.

"Would you like to drink something, Abby? I've got tons of juices and stuff you would like-" Kate started as she approached her fridge, but was interrupted by Abby's loud realization.

"Uh-huh! I knew it was about Tony! Did you guys go on a date?" Abby yelled, pointing her finger at Kate. Kate spun around, looking at Abby.

"No. We did not go on a date" Kate simply replied. She turned back to the fridge. "I've got Caf-Pow, Abbs. Want some?"

"Nice try. You ain't gonna bribe me!" Abby said loudly as she crossed her arms across her chest. Kate put down the drink and sat next to Abby.

"I want the juicy details" Abby whispered. Kate looked at her, with horror on her face.

"Abby! There were no juicy details!" Kate yelled. Abby smirked.

"Then what happened that required this private talk?" Abby questioned. Kate rubbed her forehead with her left hand.

"Tony and I went to a football match" Kate started with a loud sigh. Abby smiled.

"I like where this is going. Continue?" She replied teasingly. Kate rolled her eyes.

"Anyways, we were just sitting there, Tony cheering, and me bored out of my mind, when suddenly-"Kate continued, but was again interrupted by her friend.

"You appeared on the Kiss Cam" Abby finished off the sentence, smiling devilishly at Kate. Kate looked at her.

"How do you know that?" Kate asked quietly. Abby chuckled.

"Because, it's what happens in movies all the time" Abby explained. Kate shook her head quickly.

"No, it doesn't" She disagreed.

"Yes, it does" Abby was stubborn. Kate sighed.

"So, did you guys kiss?" Abby asked. Kate could see a sparkle in Abby's eyes. Kate slowly shook her head.

"No. We didn't" Kate replied. Abby looked at her.

"Then what the hell happened?" Abby asked, slightly shocked. Kate shrugged, already feeling the embarrassment creep down her back.

"I threw my popcorn over him along with my Coke and walked out" Kate said. Abby's mouth slightly dropped.

" Oh, God. Really? How did he react?" Abby asked.

"He was very quiet in the car, and was very distant" Kate admitted. Abby nodded.

"Well, it looks to me that you two are emotionally constipated" Abby concluded as she got up from the couch. Kate glared at her.

"What do you mean, 'emotionally constipated'?" Kate asked, feeling slightly offended. Abby sighed.

"Kate, you know what I'm talking about. You've been working together for more than two years. You two have been through hell together. You went undercover together and you've been taken hostage. When you were in coma, Tony was literally sleeping in the hospital, hoping you will wake up. He saved you from your crazy ex. I mean, there is sexual tension, and its' gonna pop very soon" Abby explained, without even taking a single breath.

Kate looked at her friend, amazed.

"Uh, I… I don't know what to say, Abbs" Kate simply replied. Abby shook her head.

"You don't have to, Kate. We all know you like Tony. And he probably likes you" Abby assured her friend. Kate looked at her.

"But, Abby, I have no idea what am I gonna do" Kate whined. Abby gripped her friend's shoulders tightly.

"You know what, Kate? You're gonna dance with him tonight, one way, or another" Abby said. Kate quickly shook her head.

"Oh, no. Abbs, I can't do that" Kate said.

"Yes, you can!" Abby assured her. "Come on, let's go pick out a dress for you upstairs. Something that will teach Tony what's hot" She took her friend by her hand.

Tony…

Tony parked his car in front of Gibbs' house. It was probably the best thing to do. All of his fraternity brothers lost touch with him, McGee is not really handy when it comes to love advice.

Same goes for Jimmy, and Abby's probably shopping with Kate.

Ducky's too old-fashioned for Tony's taste. Tony assumed Jenny's working on the Christmas party. Ziva has relationship problems and is pregnant. So, there's only one person left.

Gibbs.

Yeah, he wasn't really the best person to be bothered before the Christmas party, but it was worth a shot.

Tony took a deep breath. He got out of his car and locked its door. He approached Gibbs' door. He rang the bell.

A very muffled 'In the basement' was heard. Tony opened the door and walked in. He knew Gibbs' house, so it was very easy for him to find the basement. He opened the door and quietly walked down the stairway. He could see Gibbs working on his old boat.

"Hey, boss" Tony greeted. Gibbs put down the tool and looked up, where he saw Tony's grin. He sighed.

"What do you want, DiNozzo?" Gibbs grumpily asked. Tony shrugged as he sat on a nearby chair.

"Me? Oh, boss, can't a coworker see another coworker out of the job?" Tony asked. Gibbs glared at him questionably.

"Okay, I need some advice" Tony admitted. Gibbs continued working on his boat again.

"What kind of advice?" He questioned. Tony looked around nervously.

"Love advice" Tony quietly said. Gibbs smirked.

"You've come to the right place" He sarcastically stated. Tony chuckled.

"What blonde did get you in trouble this time, DiNozzo?" Gibbs said, letting the annoyance in his voice show. Tony rolled his eyes.

"It's not just any girl, Gibbs. I've really got a problem" Tony continued.

"Yeah? What does make this one so special?" Gibbs said. He blew off some dust off his boat. Tony scratched the back of his head.

"Well, she's really smart and cute. She's also very beautiful. She's very witty, and she knows how to take down a person" Tony explained, hoping he's not letting Gibbs know about Kate.

"And what's her name?" Gibbs asked. He looked at Tony. Tony had to think real quick.

"Uh… It's Sylvia" Tony responded. Gibbs nodded and went back to his boat.

"Take her to the party, Tony. Girls love parties" Gibbs said slightly sarcastically.

"Well, you see, I don' think that's possible" Tony said. Gibbs glanced at his younger coworker.

"Why?" He questioned.

"Well, she's got work to do tonight" Tony explained.

"What kind of a person is working on Christmas?" Gibbs asked.

"Obviously, she is, boss" Tony said, desperately trying to find excuses. Gibbs shrugged.

"In that case, I can't help you" Gibbs simply responded. Tony sighed, looking at the ground.

"Okay. Thank you for your time, boss" Tony mumbled as he got up.

"Any time. See you at the party" Gibbs acknowledged.

Tony sat in his car again. He figured out one thing:

He's gonna dance with Kate at the party.

He went back to his place to get changed.

Gibbs though about Tony. What a weird though it was; Tony trying to keep a relationship going.

His phone loudly rang. He cursed into under his breath and picked up.

"Gibbs" He answered.

'Hello, Jethro' a warm female voice greeted. Gibbs smiled, recognizing Jenny's voice.

"Hey, Jen. You coming?" He asked.

'Already there' She replied. He smirked, even though she couldn't see it.

"I'll be there soon" He assured her.

'Okay. Bye' She hung up.

…

Soon, everyone was at the party. The music was good, and everything looked amazing. All the people from NCIS came to the party, and were already eating the catering. A big banner was above their heads, with 'Merry Christmas' written on it.

Ducky, Jenny and McGee were the first to arrive.

"Merry Christmas, Timothy" Ducky said as he approached the younger man. McGee smiled in response.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Ducky" He replied happily.

"Hello, gentlemen" They heard a female voice. They both turned their heads to their right, where they spotted Jenny. Ducky smiled.

"Well hello there, Jennifer" He said as he kissed her hand. "How are you?"

"Good, I guess. How do you like the party so far?" Jenny asked. Ducky chuckled.

"It couldn't be any better" He said. Jenny turned her head to McGee.

"Director" McGee said cheerily with a light nod. She smiled.

"Hello, Agent McGee. Where's your date?" She said, looking around the place confusedly.

"Oh, she'll be here in any minute-" He started, but quickly spotted her. He smiled.

"Or any second" He murmured happily. Jenny and Ducky turned around to see Abby walking in with Kate.

"Hey, Timmy!" Abby yelled across the room shamelessly as she ran into his arms. She hugged him tightly. McGee soon let go of her.

"Wow, Abby, you look amazing!" McGee commented. Abby smiled. She was wearing a dark red gown, which was reaching down her feet. It had lace all over it, so it still looked kinda Gothic. Abby hugged Ducky. After they separated, they all looked at Kate.

"Wow, Kate" was all McGee could let out of his mouth. Kate slightly blushed. She was wearing a black sleeveless dress, reaching just above her knees. She had matching black pumps. Red lipstick was on her lips.

"You look very attractive" Ducky said. Kate smiled. Jenny looked at her.

"Hello, Director" Kate greeted. Jenny smiled.

"I must say too, you really look beautiful, Agent Todd" She complimented her. Kate nodded while smiling.

"Thank you, Director" Kate replied. Soon, Gibbs came too. He shamelessly kissed Jenny as soon as he was there, slightly shocking the rest.

After fifteen minutes of sitting at the bar, Kate finally saw Tony appear. He ran into Abby first. Kate looked ad they talked. She could read his lips that he said he's 'sorry that he is late'.

In one second their eyes met and Kate could feel her brain melting.

While Tony's brain exploded. Kate looked… hot. He quickly approached her, hoping he will not drool all over her.

"Hey" Tony said.

"Hey" Kate replied. She remember Abby's wise words: 'The sexual tension is gonna pop anytime'

She hoped it's not that moment right now.

"Um… you look…gorgeous" Tony shyly said. Kate could feel her cheeks burning.

"Thanks" She quickly replied. He sat next to her. Kate's heart wanted to rip out of her chest because of all that adrenaline.

Tony ordered a drink and turned to Kate. It was still awkward between them, but they soon developed a long conversation about their suspicions about Jenny and Gibbs.

"They are totally breaking rule number 12!" Kate hissed as she took another sip of her drink. Tony nodded.

"Well, those are Gibbs' rules. He can break them whenever he feels like it" Tony said.

"What about the SecNav? He'll fire them both for sure" Kate whispered. Tony laughed.

"Come on, Kate. Not even the SecNav himself can mess with Gibbs. He's like a little kitten to Gibbs" Tony explained. Kate chuckled.

"Yeah, I think you're right" Kate replied. Suddenly, the upbeat song stopped playing and moved onto a slow song. And that slow song was: 'A Moment Like This' by Kelly Clarkson. Kate was already screaming 'NO' inside.

Tony had to make the move. It's now or never.

He sighed as he turned back to Kate again. "Wanna dance?" Tony asked. Kate looked at his hand, which was inviting her to the dance. She hesitated.

"Sure, why not?" She finally accepted. She took his hand and followed him to the dance floor, which was actually just a clear part of the bullpen.

Tony brought Kate close to him. He took her by the hand and he put his other arm around her hip. She looked him straight in the eyes, wishing to kiss him so bad, but she couldn't. There were so many people out there, watching them. Gibbs was one of them.

Kate literally felt lost while dancing with Tony. She broke the eye contact. She couldn't look at him anymore, because of the urge to kiss him. She was shorter than him, so she leaned her head on a part of his shoulder. 'The cheesiest moment of my entire life' she thought.

Gibbs watched them. There was something telling him there is more than friend ship between them. He couldn't let that happen.

Jenny noticed the tension that was in Gibbs. She sighed, rolling her eyes.

"It's just a dance, Jethro. And it's Christmas. Let them finish the dance" She said, whilst rubbing his back. He sighed.

"Fine" He said grumpily.

He couldn't deny it; he kinda like them as a couple, but he still couldn't let that happen. Besides, he was always so protective towards Kate; she's like a daughter to him. And DiNozzo had so many flings it was almost impossible for him to not break Kate's heart one day (According to Gibbs). That's just one of the many reasons he couldn't let them be.

The song stopped playing, but Tony and Kate didn't even notice. They were both literally enchanted by each other.

Kate departed from Tony unwillingly in one moment. She looked him in the eyes and slightly smiled. Tony smiled back.

"I gotta go to the bathroom" He said. Kate nodded and went back to the bar. Tony ran out of the bullpen straight into the toilet.

He looked at himself in the mirror. He had to remain calm. That was just a dance with Kate.

On Christmas.

He had to soon tell her that he has feelings for her, because he couldn't go on this way anymore.

He had to take her out on a date.

Soon.

His thinking was interrupted by the sound of s toilet flushing. Tony looked behind him, where a man came out of the toilet. Tony nodded as a greeting. He received the same by the stranger. Tony looked at the man as he was walking out of the bathroom.

Did he just see a gun behind his back?

Tony quickly turned around. He looked at the mirror and rubbed his eyes. He must be hallucinating. That dance with Kate was sure amazing.

He splashed his face with cold water. He used a towel by the soap to dry his face. After putting the towel down, he heard two loud shots and people screaming.

Alarmed, Tony reached for his gun and hid behind the door.

AN: Yup. A cliffhanger. Things are perhaps a bit rushed off, and it was kinda cheesy with the dance, but, hey, this is supposed to be a rom-com fanfic, right?

REVIEW IF YOU LIKED IT.

Pretty please... I promise I'll update more often... :)