After several intense moments, they broke the kiss. They stood there for an immeasureable moment, not saying anything, just looking at each other. Charity for some reason suddenly felt very nervous. It had been a long time since she'd been kissed and kissed so passionately. "Thank you, for saving my life." She spoke while she slowly backed away from him. "I...I think I need...to rest." She then turned and bolted from the room and locked herself in her room upstairs.

Tony watched as she bolted away. He really wasn't sure how to take that. That was the first time he'd ever had a woman run away after he's kissed them. Of course he'd never kissed a woman quite like Charity Gibbs before. She had this hard shell on the outside, but it was slightly cracked, letting a ray of who she really was out, every once in a while. Tony knew that under that hard shell, she was just a scared little girl who missed her family and was hurt by their absense.

Tony looked up the stairs where she had just disappeared. He stood there for a few moments, thinking. Should I go after her or not? He debated with himself. It was then that he'd decided she needed time. So, he left. He had a feeling he would be able to talk with her in a couple of days.

Charity...

Charity sat down on her bed. What in the world just happened? She asked herself, internally. One minute we're shouting at each other and the next we're kissing. How does that work?

Charity looked up at a picture she had hanging on the wall of her bedroom. It was the only updated picture she had. It was of her, Abby, and Ducky. It was from the first case Charity had worked the lead on, after Mike had handed the team over to her. Abby had insisted that they comemorate the moment with a picture.

She knew that she needed to confide in someone, other than herself, about what had just happened. She thought for a moment about talking to Abby or Ducky, but then she remembered that neither of them knew her full story. Neither of them knew about her family.

She then realized that she only had herself and the ghosts of her past to talk to. Of course there was Tony, too, but she didn't want to talk to him...at least not yet.

Two days later...

Charity walked into the Mom 'n' Pop's Cafe. She walked up to the counter. The old man smiled at her. "A black coffee again?" He asked.

"No, I think today, I'll have that hot chocolate." She answered, feeling uncertain.

The old man smiled kindly at her. "One hot chocolate coming up." He then turned and made the hot chocolate. He turned back around and grabbed the whipped cream and gave her a generous helping and then sprinkled cinnomon on top. "I remember you used to like plenty of whipped cream."

Charity smiled at the old man and paid him. "I can't believe how great your memory is." She told him.

He smiled at her and then lifted a finger. "Just one more thing." Then he reached under the counter and lifted a box. He opened the box and pulled out a piece of chocolate candy, wrapped in tin foil. "For you." He told her, handing her the candy.

Charity grinned at the old man. "Thank you." She told him.

"Think nothing of it." He replied.

Charity then walked over to a table and sat down. She unwrapped the chocolate and out the candy in her mouth. It tasted as good as she'd remembered and melted quickly. Once the chocolate was gone, she lifted her drink to her lips and sipped, closing her eyes.

With her eyes closed and the taste of the chocolate on her tounge, Charity felt like she was transported back in time. She could imagine being that little girl coming in here with her father. Him showing her off to all his Marine buddies. She stopped the sip and then opened her eyes. She put the cup down and a fond smile came to her face as she remembered.

She soon finished off the hot chocolate. Then she left the cafe and headed down the street. She'd stopped at a little flower shop and picked up two bouquets of flowers. Then she hopped back into her car and drove.

She soon stood outside a set of large iron gates. She too a deep breath and walked in, the flowers in her arms. She walked the familiar path and found her way to the two gray stones that marked their graves.

She knelt down between the two graves and laid the flowers on each of them. "I never thought I'd be here doing this." She spoke to the two headstones. "I love you both, so much. I miss you everyday." She felt the tears stinging at her eyes.

Charity composed herself and collected her thoughts. "I just hope you can forgive me for the anger I've been holding in." She whispered and then she could no longer hold the tears back.

Charity let the hot tears roll freely down her face. She sniffed and sobbed as every emeotion she could possibly feel battled inside of her for dominence. It was then that she felt his hand on her shoulder and then there was his other hand offering her a tissue.

Charity reached out and took the tissue. She wiped at her face and then looked up at him. He gave her a small teasong smile. "You're not yelling at me. Careful I might think you like me." Tony spoke to her.

"I do and that's my problem." Charity admitted.

"Why don't we go somewhere else and talk?" Tony suggested.

Charity nodded numbly and let him help her up and then lead her away. Somewhere inside of her a voice was yelling at her. You're a very capable federal agent! Why in the world are you letting him see you weak? But Charity didn't listen to that voice. She couldn't listen to that voice. Not right now.

Before she knew it, Charity was sitting on the couch in Tony's apartment. He had handed her a cup of coffee. "So, why exactly is liking me a problem for you?" He asked her, taking a sip from his coffee.

Charity took a sip of her own coffee. "Let me begin by saying that you're right." she told him.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Really? I've never heard a woman say those words to me before." He let the smile on his face be teasing. "And I usually am, but what about this time?"

Charity let herself give him a small smile in return. "About me. I'm living in my past." She told him. "Ever since Mom and Kelly died...and Dad went missing...I haven't moved on from it. I haven't let myself move on from it...then I met you and you...you make me want to move on." She'd finished her confession, not looking at him.

"So, that's why you kept pushing me away." Tony concluded.

Charity nodded. "I feel guilty for..."

"Living when they can't." Tony said, finishing her sentence.

Charity looked up at him then. "Yes."

"But you're also angry at them for leaving you alone and you've been alone for so long, it's all you know. So you don't really let anyone get close to you."

"Who did you lose...Tony?" Charity asked, for once using his first name.

"My mom died...I was eight." Tony answered. "My dad is still alive, but after Mom died, our family fell apart. An endless string of boarding schools and step mothers. My father didn't know what to do with me. Mom had done everything."

"What made you decide to finally start living again?" Charity found herself asking.

"I made a friend at boarding school. He'd gone through something similar and made me realize that if I acted like I'd died that day, that that really wasn't honoring my mother's memory." Tony answered.

Charity nodded. She then untucked the dog tags from her shirt. "There's one more thing. I feel like if I move on, I have to give up the hope that my father will be found alive someday."

Tony moved from his chair and sat down beside Charity on the couch. "You don't have to give up that hope. I wouldn't expect you to."

Charity looked up into his eyes. Her heart beat sped up slightly and she realized that she really did want to move on and start living again. She wanted to feel passionate about something other than her job...about someone.

Tony made her feel alive. He made her feel like the ghosts of her past were welcome, that he wasn't afraid of them. He had his own ghosts and he'd lived with them a long time. Once again, they were being drawn to each other, like magnets. Their lips met.

The kiss was much more tender this time. Tony gently cupped Charity's face in his hand. After a few moments, they broke the kiss and hazed at each other once again. Then the passion flared up and Charity flung her arms around his neck. Tony's arms wound around Charty's waist and they kissed, deeply and passionately. They let the kiss go on and deepen and the passion take over.