Warnings: Spoilers for "Ignition"

A/N: Yes, I know I said I was working on another post for "Tiny Additions" but this was bugging me today. These characters really are taking me in a different direction than I had originally intended. Hope you enjoy, please leave me some feedback! Eager to hear your thoughts!

amaia- Yes, I did have to have the janitor walk in... I make up for it in this chapter though ;)

Greed, power, money... those had all played a factor in Captain Powell's motive for murdering Sayers.

It also had perhaps been the motive for setting up Sheridan and the Tillmans in the process. Powell had done his best to cover up his tracks but it wasn't good enough. McGee had cracked it by realizing that Sayers had a partner with an engineering background to help him build the remote control jet pack.

Tony had not gotten the pleasure of flying the jet pack, McGee had not allowed him, but he had gotten the pleasure of booking him. Of course, that meant he had a huge pile of paper work to tackle once he made it back to his desk.

It was quiet on their floor. McGee was off somewhere in the building wrapping up what needed to be done for their case and Natalie had been sent home for the night by Gibbs. Her knee was really bothering her now and not even the over the counter meds were working. She had limped around, wincing and grimacing, trying to hide them from the team leader while they made the arrest at Pax River. But nothing got by Gibbs and he'd lightly scolded her before sending her on her way.

Ducky had left a prescription for something stronger than Tylenol on her desk but now, as Tony passed by it, he could see she had left it behind. Damn her... he thought, grumbling at his sat down.

"Something on your mind, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, not looking from from his desk.

"Callahan left those pain killers Ducky gave her," Tony snapped, gesturing towards his partner's desk. "She's going to be the death of me, boss."

Gibbs chuckled. Love could do that to a man, he knew this. Gesturing towards the pill bottle, he said, "Why don't you go take it to her, Tony?"

Tony held up his report that had yet to be filled out and filed. "Because I still have this to do for McGibbs or are you in charge again, boss?"

"I am. And I'm telling you to get out of here and bring those pain killers to her," Gibbs ordered with a slight grin. "Maybe stop and grab a pizza..."

Is the dude setting me up? Tony wondered, glancing at his boss apprehensively. The senior field agent already knew that he was pretty transparent, apparently, when it came to his feelings about Natalie... rumors were all over the building about them after all... but he still wasn't sure how Gibbs truly felt about it. While he was certain Gibbs had given him a pardon on Rule 12... dating a co-worker was dangerous waters that both Natalie and Tony would have to navigate. "Sure... um... promise I'll be in early to finish that report."

Gibbs waved him off once again. "Don't worry about it. Team worked hard on this case, you all deserve a little play time." He smiled for good measure. "I can be nice, DiNozzo. When I want to be."

Tony slipped into his coat. "Yeah, boss... I know that most of the time... the tough marine is just an act... well... an act around us I mean."

"DiNozzo, get out of here before I change my mind."

"Gotchya, boss. See ya tomorrow."

Laughing, silently, Gibbs watched as Tony grabbed the pill bottle and sprinted out of the bullpen, towards the , the younger man would take the opportunity that had just been handed to him... that he would tell her how he felt. Because sooner or later it was going to be too late for Tony to reveal how he felt about Natalie and that would make things a lot worse for all of them. So, Gibbs might have done something he normally didn't do... he played Cupid. The rest was up to Tony.

'Here's to a job well done, Timothy," Ducky said, raising his drink at the junior agent. "You did a fabulous job leading the case."

"Yeah. But I'm no where near ready to have my own team," McGee said, nursing his glass of wine. "I still have a lot to learn."

Abby pat him on the shoulder, gently. "Don't worry, you'll get there someday, Timmy, especially learning under Gibbs and Tony. Speaking of Gibbs and Tony... I thought that they were going to join us at the bar?"

McGee shook his head. "Gibbs sent Tony over to Natalie's. She left the pain killers on her desk that Ducky had given her. I feel awful. I pushed her a lot and she didn't complain but it was obvious that her knee was bothering her."

Ducky chuckled." Natalie is a stubborn young woman, Timothy. She would have pushed herself if you had not."

"I thought Tony was going to snap. Victor Tillman was disgusting towards her," McGee admitted. "I can see why his wife left."

"Natalie can hold her own," Abby said. "She would have decked Tillman eventually..."

McGee chuckled. He was surprised that Tillman had left NCIS without getting clocked by Tony, Natalie or his ex-wife. He took a sip of his wine. "Hopefully we catch a break for the next few days so Natalie's knee can heal. Besides, I think we could all use a breather."

Ducky would agree. "Yes. The team has been through a lot... there hasn't been time to process our most recent visit from Mossad." He had been disturbed himself by the behaviors he had witnessed in Ziva when she had been there. He was sure that whatever help Eli David was getting her did not compare to the help she would have gotten at NCIS... but... she needed to be far away from the team. She was too dangerous in such a state.

Abby scowled at her beer bottle. She had been terrible to Natalie based on her belief that Ziva should be with the team... but seeing her friend lose absolute control on that security footage... she had rethought her original belief. Natalie could very have been killed by the angry Mossad officer. Jealousy was an ugly emotion for sure. "Do you think she actually believed all those lies about Tony? That he only killed Rivkin because he was jealous? I knew that things were always complicated between them... but did they... did they ever... you know... sleep together?"

"How am I supposed to know?" McGee asked when he realized that the question was directed at him. "It's not like I gab about Tony's sex life with him."

"Okay, fair enough," Abby said, shrugging. She took a sip of her beer. "But he really cares about Natalie. Hope he doesn't keep it secret."

"Ah, yes, Rule 12. The one made after Jenny left Jethro high and dry for her career," Ducky mused. "I told Anthony not to make the same mistake."

McGee startled, suddenly realizing what they were saying. "Wait a second? Tony actually has feelings for Natalie? I thought... I just thought... those were rumors."

Abby chuckled. "Rumors based on some fact."

Ducky concurred. "Yes. Why do you think he rushed to her apartment tonight, surely to sit with her while she is in a pain killer induced haze... instead of being here, with us?"

"Then it's even more amazing that he didn't strangle Tillman," the junior agent murmured.

"Here's to small mercies," Ducky said, rising his glass in another toast, "And hopefully a better week next week."

"I'll drink to that, Ducky," McGee said, clinking his glass with the ME's. "About time we all caught a break."

Tony parked his car outside of Natalie's building. The smell of pepperoni was making his stomach growl. Or it could have been the nervous anticipation of being alone with Natalie for a little while.

Grabbing the pizza up from the front seat of his car, he glanced at his watch. It was late. But he knew she would still be up. She was a night owl like himself and he also knew that she probably had just had a bowl of cereal for dinner because her knee was preventing her from going grocery shopping. Fishing out his spare key to her apartment, he unlocked the front door and entered the building.

He made sure to keep his steps quiet. He didn't need her neighbors angry at him. Especially if this went well and he was going to be staying over here a lot more...

"Tony?" Natalie questioned when she answered her door. "What are you doing here?"

"You forgot these," Tony said, holding up the pain killers. "And judging from the wince on your face, looks like you could use them."

"Yeah...," she replied, her face scrunching up into a grimace.

Concerned flashed through Tony's eyes. She usually argued with him, told him that she was fine. Tonight... she was admitted that she needed the pills. Uh-oh, it must really hurt. He stepped into the apartment, closing the door behind him. He put the pizza down onto the table and opened the bottle. He handed her one, and gestured towards the water bottle in her hand. "Take it, Natalie."

She didn't fight him, popping it into her mouth and using the water to help her swallow it. She wiped her lips with the back of her head and sheepishly thanked him for stopping by. "McGee drove me home, so... taking the bus back to the Navy Yard was out. It would hurt too much anyways to walk that far. I was just going to tough it out."

Tony reached out and brushed her soft hair out of the way. "You could have called one of us."

Natalie shook her head. "I didn't want to burden anyone. It really isn't that bad."

"Sure," he offered, frowning at her, "your jaw is clenching tighter than I've ever seen it."

Before she could protest, he picked her up into his arms and carried her back to the sofa, gently putting her down. He grabbed a throw pillow and put her leg on it to elevate her knee, letting his lips brush against her cheek when he stood to go grab the pizza.

He sat down next to her and kicked his shoes off, handing her a slice. She smiled at him, sweetly. "You know... my neighbors are going to start to think something's going on between us if you keep showing up and spending the night..."

"Let them talk," Tony said, returning her smile. "We know what's really happening between us."

"What exactly is happening between us?" Natalie asked, honestly, hopefully.

Tony ran his tongue over his lips and put his pizza down. This wasn't the drugs talking. They hadn't been in her system long enough. This was Natalie, perhaps showing him that she was willing to bear her soul, her heart to him. "Whatever it is... it terrifies me," he whispered, seeing the confused look cross her face, he continued, "Because... I haven't felt this strongly about a woman in a long, long time."

Natalie felt her heart beating wildly against her ribcage. All those things she thought she saw in his eyes... they were true... they were there and she wasn't just making it up. Phil was right... he does have a crush. Well... maybe it was more than a crush. "But now that you have those... feelings... what... what do you want to do about them?"

Oh... so many things. Tony searched her face, the insecurity in her eyes. Could she really doubt he how felt about her? After everything they had been through?He had never really been good with words... not when it came to very real emotions... so he chose to show her what he intended to do about them. Tony gently took her face between his hands. He wasn't going to give anyone the chance to interrupt them this time. He captured her lips in a tender, hesitant kiss.

She paused, for a brief second... letting her brain wrap around the fact that he was kissing her. Finally. And then she melted against him, allowing him to deepen the kiss, his arms sliding around her and pulling her close to him. Instantly his scent washed over her, his warmth surging through her body. Natalie had been kissed before, but not like this... she wasn't sure if it was their emotional connection... how much they cared for one another... loved one another... but he had every nerve ending in her body tingling... on fire...

Tony only stopped because he needed to breathe. He leaned in to kiss her again, whispering, "I want us to be more than partners."

Natalie felt her heart skip a beat as his lips brushed against hers again. She felt that tingling again... this time in her fingers. "Tony."

"Yeah?"

"I think... I think the pain killers are starting to kick in."

He chuckled and continued to kiss her lightly. "And I thought it was my kiss that did it."

She wasn't going to deny that his kiss was doing things to her... but so weren't the pain killers. But she was still coherent enough to know that this was going to change everything. "I want... I want us to be more than partners too."

Tony intensified the pressure of his lips on hers, felt her mouth open to him and he deepened the kiss. It had been a long time since he'd kissed a woman like this, so passionately, so deeply, with so much emotional meaning behind it. He loved it. He loved how she just molded into him, like she was meant to be there.

Natalie pulled away, her eyes starting to drift shut, being taken over by the medication. Tony coaxed her to go to sleep, that he would be there. She snaked her arms around his waist and nuzzled his shoulder. He laid them down on the sofa, reached for the remote and turned the television on. Luna moved from her perch on the back of the sofa and curled up against the pair.

He reached out and scratched the cat behind her ears while he found something to watch. "I think things are going to change, Luna," he told the cat with a smile. "Lots of things." Luna purred and snuggled against him.

Tony chuckled. "So I take it... you approve?" He sighed and ran his fingers through Natalie's hair. "Just hope that Gibbs does. I mean... I know he pushed me here tonight... but was it just because he wanted someone to take care of Nat... or was he really trying to play matchmaker?" He just wasn't sure... one thing that he was sure of was that he had a lot to discuss with Natalie when she did wake up and the pain killers wore off.

Starting with the fact that they both wanted to be more than partners.