Warnings: Minor spoilers "Reunion".

A/N: Hello everyone. I apologize for the long wait on this update but here it is. Still a little bit of a filler chapter but I hope you enjoy!

erik- Thank you! :)

Tony woke up slowly, aware of the smell of lavender in his nostrils. Blinking his eyes open he looked at the peacefully sleeping woman at his side. Her long, brown hair was a tangled mess covering her eyes. He reached out and pushed the tangled strands out of her face, stirring her. "Hey sleepy head," he greeted with a soft smile when her eyes opened.

Natalie smiled, gently. She watched him for a moment, as his long fingers rubbed her hair between his fingers. "This has to be breaking some kind of Gibbs' rule—never share a bed with a partner perhaps?"

"Haven't heard that one… which number is that?" Tony asked, still running her hair through his fingers. "Besides… there are always exceptions to the rules."

"Something tells me that Gibbs wouldn't agree with you," she teased.

He didn't care at that moment what the boss would think. Tony let his eyes wander over her face, over her storm gray eyes, and her mouth. He thought about what it would be like to kiss her, how good the feel of her lips underneath his would be. And screw the rules. What did Gibbs know anyhow? Tony cupped her face between his hands, searching her eyes for some kind of sign to stop what he was about to do… but there was no sign… she wanted it just as much as he did.

She felt frozen as he drew closer. Natalie knew this was probably a very, very bad idea… but it wouldn't hurt to try… now would it? No, she concluded, it would not hurt to try and what Gibbs doesn't know… won't hurt him.

Suddenly the cell phone in Tony's pocket started to ring, loudly, jolting the pair back to reality that they were dangerously close to breaking a rule. He cleared his throat and rolled over onto his back to wiggle the phone out of his jeans. "Yeah, DiNozzo," he answered, softly.

"Hey. Did you forget you were supposed to meet with the shrink today? She's looking for you, " McGee replied. "Where are you? I tried your apartment first."

"Um… didn't stay at my apartment last night," Tony confessed, wincing. What was McGee going to think when he found out that he'd spent the night at Natalie's? And almost kissed her. Yeah… he's going to be all over that. "Stayed… stayed with a friend."

McGee paused for a moment. "Tony… you okay?"

Tony cleared his throat again. "Yeah… yeah fine. I, ah… I'll be there soon." He hung the phone up and looked at Natalie. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, glancing over her shoulder at him. "That was McGee… I… um… I forgot that I had an evaluation this morning."

Natalie nodded. "Then you should get going."

"We need to talk… about what…well… a lot of things, Nat."

"No. We don't. We went through a traumatic event together… naturally that's drawing us to one another… so… once this is all behind us… we'll get back to normal."

What if I don't want it to go back to normal? Tony ran his tongue over his lips and then rolled out of the bed, smoothing the wrinkles out of his polo shirt. He looked at her with a tiny smile. "So… this… attraction is just a result of…of what we went through. Nothing more?"

Natalie sadly shook her head. "Nothing more."

Tony swallowed his disappointment but perhaps she was right. After being through hell together it had forged a unique bond between them… one that could be easily mistaken for romantic feelings. "Okay… well… I'm going to go." He turned on his heel for a second, then turned back. "Want to join me?"

"At NCIS?"

"Yeah."

"Tony… I still have to pass a psych evaluation before I can return to work."

He laughed nervously. "Right… right silly me. Guess I better stop for a coffee on the way… my brain is a little scrambled."

She gestured towards he kitchen. "I could make you some to go if you'd like?"

Tony knew that would make him late, he was already late as it was, but the sincere look in her eyes... it was an offer that he couldn't refuse.

Gibbs was measuring for his latest project when he heard the footsteps on the basement stairs. Glancing at his watch he determined that Tony and McGee should have been at work, so it probably wasn't one of them dropping by.

"Hi, Gibbs," Natalie's soft voice greeted. "Hope you don't mind I just stopped by unannounced."

"Door's always open for my team, Callahan," Gibbs reminded her. "That still includes you."

Natalie paused, her hand resting on the railing. She was dressed simply in a white tee shirt, black leather jacket and jeans. Her long hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and she looked more at peace than the last time Gibbs had laid his eyes on her—when he'd watched that awful video of her interview with Mossad. "It's been almost five weeks, Gibbs. Are you sure you want me back?"

Gibbs stopped his measuring and closed up his measuring tape. "DiNozzo and McGee have been protecting your desk like a couple of territorial lions. They miss you—we all miss you—but you need to take care of yourself first."

She stepped off the bottom stair and looked around the basement. "Tony says you build boats down here. Does that help, with dealing with all… these emotions you feel being a federal agent?"

"It helps a little," he confessed, wiping his hands on a rag. "We all have our own ways of coping. I heard you go pray."

"Praying didn't do me much good this time."

"Sure it did. It gave you the strength to put an end to that nightmare with Eli David."

Natalie's gray eyes filled with tears but she managed to hold them back. "For how long? We both know that Eli David, his daughter—Mossad—they'll be back."

Gibbs shrugged his shoulders. "If they're back… they're back. And we just make sure we protect our own." He watched as the emotions played in her eyes, as a few tears leaked out of them and down her cheeks. His cell rang, breaking the silence. He answered it, not taking his eyes off of his probationary agent. "Yeah, Gibbs." He listened intently for a moment before snapping the phone shut. "That was Tony—we have a case."

He shoved his phone back into his pocket and moved towards her. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "You take as along as you need. Your desk will be there waiting for you." With that said, he bolted up the stairs, disappearing into the house.

She let out a little sigh and plopped down onto the bottom step, sat there and cried a few tears of relief before leaving the house herself.

Tony was glad that Fillmore was gone… even if her comment that McGee was his sidekick was amusing. But now that she was gone, there was an extra workload that he wasn't looking forward too.

And it would be just their luck that they caught a triple homicide that morning right after Fillmore had split. The team was really missing Natalie…

By the end of the week there would probably be a new TAD to keep at arm's length. He didn't want to push Natalie into returning, but he was missing her. Oh, but you're rather enjoying her needing your physical comfort though. She comes back she might not need that anymore. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Yes, she was attractive and yes, he cared for her… and yes he had almost kissed her… rule 12, Anthony… rule 12.

"Hey," McGee said breaking into his concentration. "Did you get a location on Sandrich's fiancée yet?"

"Not only did I locate the fiancée, I learned something interesting," Tony quipped. "She's engaged again."

"I'd crack your fast engagement joke… but I know how much Gibbs hates that one," McGee countered.

Tony chuckled. "Turns out that Sandrich had a bachelor party five months ago. The ex-fiancée was going to drop off a copy of the tape for us. And it must be some heavy stuff because once she saw it she broke off the engagement. Looks like this little party was a fake one. Perhaps a set-up for murder."

McGee frowned slightly. "None of these guys have a record so… who would set them up… and why were their heads all shaved?"

"Sounds like your killer was making some kind of statement," Natalie's voice interjected. When the two men turned to look at her, surprised to see her, she sputtered, "Sorry… I just happened to hear you talking…"

"No. Thanks for the help… we really could use you to look over the crime scene notes," McGee said, smiling at her, broadly. Then he frowned. "That is if you're back to work."

Natalie raised her eyes to met Tony's. He'd stopped by last night to convince her to come back to work... they missed her... he missed her. She had made up some excuse as to why they'd almost kissed that morning, and it had been a pretty stupid one. He had pretended to buy it, but she knew that he really didn't… not the way their eyes met now. You can't go there… it's against the rules. But he was making it hard with the way he was looking at her… how he so easily gave his support and friendship to her… perhaps how easily he would give her more if she let him. Suddenly, she remembered that McGee was standing there and shook her head a little to clear her thoughts. She smiled at him. "I'd…I'd be happy to look over the crime scene notes."

Tony didn't let his gaze leave her face. "What are you doing here? Didn't know you were coming back to work."

"I called and scheduled a psych evaluation," Natalie answered, honestly.

"So… does that mean… you're back?" McGee asked, hopefully.

"I have to pass the evaluation first… you know… they need to make sure I'm not crazy."

"You're not crazy, Nat."

"Trust us… we've seen crazy. You're nowhere near that, Natalie."

Natalie smiled, sadly at them but when she didn't know what to say she lunged at both Tony and McGee, grasping them into a tight hug. McGee threw a confused glance at Tony, who shrugged his eyebrows and raised his arms to hold onto both McGee and Natalie tightly. The junior agent had no choice but to hug his partners.

Gibbs walked in at that moment eyeing the two men with a slight smirk on his face. McGee and Tony jumped back, awkwardly letting Natalie go. He sipped his coffee while his two agents stumbled over their words.

"Boss… we were just… ah… hugging it out…" Tony said, backing up towards his desk. "We were going to go…" He looked at McGee for help.

"We were going to go… talk to Jurell's business associates…"

The team leader cocked an eyebrow. Tony and McGee propelled into action, grabbing their gear and coats and sprinting for the elevator past a shyly smiling Natalie and a smirking Gibbs. When they were gone, Gibbs moved towards her and kissed her cheek. "Knew you would show up after our chat this morning," he whispered, moving out of the bullpen.

Natalie turned, her ponytail swishing against her leather jacket, and watched him go. "I didn't say I was here to work!"

Gibbs didn't turn to look at her as he climbed the stairs to the Director's office. "I know! Good to have you back, Callahan!"

Dr. Patricia Andrews had been working in Washington for nearly three decades, evaluating and treating federal and local law enforcement officers. She had heard some of the worst stories… events that had driven good people to the brink.

Natalie Callahan was no exception to that rule, but Patricia had never felt anything like she had when listening to the young woman speak. Right now the NCIS agent was seated in a chair across from the doctor, her hands folding in her lap, quietly recounting the events to the good doctor why she had been placed on medical leave and into therapy sessions with a renowned PTSD specialist.

Patricia glanced at her notes on the legal pad in front of her. "This is your first evaluation since starting therapy, correct?"

"Yes. We both felt I wasn't ready before now," Natalie answered honestly.

"What made you change your mind, Agent Callahan?"

"Felt like it was time."

She put her pen down and studied the young woman. Looking over her file told Patricia the story of a clever profiler that had tricked a young, rookie psychologist into thinking that Natalie was fit for duty. It had been her partner and Dr. Mallard that had convinced her otherwise. "Agent Callahan you realize that you will be in high pressure situations… ones that might trigger severe emotional response in you?"

Natalie tensed ever so slightly. "Yes. I'm aware of the pressures of the job. And I have no intention of stopping my therapy."

Patricia smiled at her. "Good. Good… support is going to be very important in the next step to your recovery. But you're going to need more than just the support of your doctor… what about your team?"

Something flickered in the young woman's irises. "Agent Gibbs said that the spot on the team is not going anywhere and it will be waiting for me when I'm ready."

"And are Agents McGee and DiNozzo on the same page as your SSA?"

"According to Gibbs they've been protecting my desk like an angry mother bear."

"Do you trust them, Agent Callahan?"

Natalie shifted. "Trust my team? Yes, absolutely—they haven't let me down."

Patricia picked her pen up and made a note on the legal pad. "Agent DiNozzo was willing to sacrifice his life for you. I get the impression that you were… unsettled about that."

"Wouldn't you be unsettled if someone you cared about was willing to die for you?"

"So… you care about Agent DiNozzo?"

Natalie backpeddled, eyes looking away suddenly leading Patricia to believe that there was more than just partnership between the two agents. "Well… I mean… he's my partner and… we were in captivity together…"

Patricia's brow furrowed in thought. "You bonded."

"Yes. Wouldn't you?"

"I suppose I would. Still it seems that your bond with Agent DiNozzo goes beyond just partners."

"Is there a problem if it does?"

"No. NCIS has no policy against agents being involved in relationships."

"So why are we talking about this?"

Patricia smiled and shook her head. "You're right. It has no bearing in this evaluation. So… next question… do you think you're ready to come back to work?"

Natalie took a deep breath and answered, "Yes. I think I am."

On the way back from interviewing Jurell's colleagues McGee noticed the Boston College travel mug in the cup holder. Tony never brought coffee from home and he certainly didn't have a BC mug. "Was Natalie in the car recently?"

"Huh?" Tony asked, looking away from the road for a second. "What are you talking about?"

"The BC travel mug in the cup holder," McGee pointed out. "Natalie is a BC alum. I know you don't own one of these."

"Oh… I, ah… I borrowed it from her," Tony replied with a shrug.

McGee shot him a funny look. What was going on here? It was like some giant cover up. "Did you go see her recently? And just decided that you needed a travel mug?"

Tony gripped the steering wheel tightly. Although nothing had happened between him and Natalie he knew that the coffee mug could stir up some kind of trouble. He just hoped that the rumors weren't going to start flying now. "Went to see her last night… you know… just to check up on her."

"I'm still not understanding where the coffee mug comes into all of this…" McGee said with a shake of his head.

"What? I can't borrow something from my partner?"

"Just seems like an odd thing to borrow."

"Well… maybe I told her that my travel mug was broken."

McGee quirked an eyebrow. "You don't have one."

Tony shrugged. "Maybe I want one."

"Ok. I can see you're in one of those moods and we're going to get nowhere. So… I'll just forget I asked."

"Sounds like a good idea."

McGee rolled his eyes and went back to thinking about that case because really, if he was honest, that's where his mind needed to be and not on the Boston College travel mug situated in the front cup holder.

"You know… I've never been to a bachelor party," Jimmy confessed as the doors to autopsy opened. "Probably shouldn't let Tony know that, huh?"

"Yes…" Ducky agreed, looking up to see the newcomer enter the room, "I would advise you to keep that bit of information to your self." He smiled warmly then and happily greeted, "Natalie… the rumor was running around the building that you were here."

Natalie stepped up to the autopsy table and crossed her hands in front of her. "I had a scheduled psych evaluation today. Gibbs seems to think that I'm back here to work so… he sent me down here to get an update."

Ducky chuckled and gestured towards the body. "Meet Mr. Jurell. He drowned when his head was shoved into a toilet."

"Hell of a way to die," Natalie murmured. "What about the other two victims?"

"Mr. Ross drank too much and Mr. Sandrich died from suffocation—he had his head shoved into a backpack."

"Sounds like… they were bullied."

Ducky blinked rapidly as if he had not considered that possibility. "Yes… the acts do resemble the more popular forms of bullying. But these are not teenagers. They are grown men that were enjoying a party."

Natalie shook her head. "According to Tony the party was a fake—a set up. Didn't all three men go to school together? Maybe this is some kind of act of revenge?" She thanked Ducky and turned about. "I'm going to go look into that."

Jimmy looked at the medical examiner's smiling face. "I thought she said she was only here for a psych eval?"

"Yes… that is what Agent Gibbs wants her to believe," Ducky said with a chuckle.

"So… he sent her down here not because he thought she was back to work but because he wants to trick her into coming back to work?"

"Precisely," Ducky said, affirmatively. "Now, Mr. Palmer… let's get back to work ourselves."