A NCIS fan fiction
Pairing: Tony DiNozzo and Kate Todd
Summary: He was never really a huge fan of dancing. But something was about to change that.
Spoilers: None. Just some good clean (well, maybe not entirely clean) fluff.
Disclaimer: If I owned them, Kate and Tony would've gotten together a long time ago. But I don't, so they're not. And that is an example of how much life can suck.
Author's Note: This is an accompanying piece to Twirl, but you don't have to read that to understand this. Please read and review. Don't make me beg; it ain't gonna be pretty. lol
He had always disliked dancing.
It wasn't that he couldn't dance. In fact, he danced just fine – in his prep school, Rhode Island Military Academy, they taught ballroom dancing. He had always resented being sent to boarding school, and the fact that he was required to attend dance class there had just pissed him off even more. Plus, it had fueled his intense dislike for twirling and spinning around – something we like to call 'dancing'.
It wasn't until his second year of college at Ohio State that his dislike for dancing let up a little. It was during his spring break when he and his buddies flew to Tijuana that he met a girl named Ana I-Can't-Possibly-Be-Bothered-With-Learning-Her-Last-Name who had taught him how to salsa.
To Tony back then, dancing the salsa was basically just grinding bodies together. And of course, that perception remained the same, up to this very day.
No wonder the salsa was his favorite dance.
He lifted the flute of champagne to his lips and finished the last of it. Placing the empty flute on a passing waiter's tray, he surveyed the area again, on the lookout for someone he could possibly pass time with – someone who could relieve him of his boredom.
What he saw didn't please him. Oh, there were women, all right – women in their finest designer gowns, their expensive jewelry catching the light and sparkling so brightly that they nearly blinded him. But these women were either taken – draped on the arms of the Navy's most important people – or extremely old. He quickly averted his eyes from an elderly woman who, in spite of looking old enough to be his great-grandmother, was flashing him a "come hither" look, and quickly grabbed another flute of champagne off another tray, gulping it down in one swallow.
After swiping the tears that had formed in his eyes from the carbonation, he looked around fervently, hoping to see Abby or Kate or even – God forbid – Probie. His eyes trained from left to right, until it fell upon a beautiful woman standing off by herself in the corner.
"Score!" he whispered to himself. He straightened his bowtie, popped a breath mint in his mouth for good measure, and made his way to her.
He pasted a charming grin on his face and positioned himself next to her. "Hey, do I know you? Because I think we went to Ohio State together – "
The woman had turned, and his jaw dropped. He was pretty sure all the color drained from his face, too. Because this woman wasn't someone he had gone to Ohio State with…
"Oh, God, Kate – that was you!"
Kate Todd smiled a small, triumphant grin. "Tony, were you trying to hit on me?"
"I – " He ran his right hand through his brown hair, mussing it a little. "I thought you were someone else, okay?"
"You are such a bad liar," she said, laughing gleefully. Then, before she could stop herself, she added a little shyly, "You look good tonight."
So do you. More than good, actually.
He couldn't help but notice how gorgeous she looked tonight. He had always found Kate beautiful, but tonight she looked even more so. The pale blue backless number she had on clung to her curves perfectly, and her brown hair was swept up into a fancy updo.
His heart began to pound. He had the overwhelming urge to kiss her. It was ridiculous – he couldn't fall in love her. He didn't stand a chance. Kate would probably kneecap him or break a finger or two. Worse – if that were even possible – was Gibbs, their almost Nazi-like boss. He hated romance between agents. It was clearly stated in Rule #12: Romance between agents never works.
He realized he had been quiet for far too long, so he cheekily grinned at her. "What, just tonight?"
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, DiNozzo."
He watched her for a while, noticing that she seemed to be lost in thought. He found himself wishing she could tell him what she was thinking about. He found himself wishing for a lot of things that he could probably never have, unless by some miracle she felt the same way about him. He found himself realizing that whether he liked it or not, he was falling in love with her, and he needed to decide whether he was going to do something about that or not.
"You're bored, aren't you?"
"Are you kidding me? I hate it when Gibbs drags us to these things." He let out a groan. "What is this thing for, anyway?"
She shrugged. "He must've told us, but I can't seem to remember anything. So I take it your usual activity of hooking up with the girls here isn't going too well?"
He scowled and leaned in conspiratorially towards her, lowering his voice as he spoke. "All the chicks here are either taken or extremely – and I do mean extremely – old. I thought I was going to get lucky, but…"
"It turned out to be me. Gee, thanks, Tony."
His heart leaped when he saw the briefest look of disappointment flicker over her face.
Could she really feel the same way?
They had fallen back into their usual banter when they caught sight of Gibbs giving them the old hairy eyeball.
"I think we better look like we're having fun," she told him, grabbing his hand. "Come on, let's dance."
He didn't hesitate. This wasn't salsa, but it was Kate. This was his chance.
He led her to the dance floor and placed his hand on her bare back, smiling slightly as he felt her shudder at his touch. She quickly glanced at him, and his smile widened as he took her hand in his.
Soft violin music wafted over them, a romantic piece that they slowly began to move to. She inched closer to him, and she seemed to be unsure of something. Slowly, he moved closer until her head rested on his shoulder, and he heard a very soft gasp escape her lips.
This is heaven.
Being Tony DiNozzo, he had held many women in his arms. But no one had fit as well as she did. He intertwined the fingers on their right hands and breathed in her unique, delicious scent that was pure Kate.
They moved together perfectly. He hadn't stepped on her feet yet, and he found that remarkable, considering he had injured quite a few in the past years. He seemed perfectly aware of where she was, and he did his best to meet her wherever she went.
He couldn't stop himself. He had to kiss her. "Kate."
She turned, and for a split second, he saw her beautiful face – and the hope that shone in her eyes. She shut her eyes, and he leaned in closer, pressing his lips to hers. He felt her respond and increase the pressure, and he continued to kiss her, loving the feel of her on his lips.
He finally pulled away, breathing hard and looking at her almost reverently. "Damn, Kate. Why didn't you ever tell me you kissed that good?"
"Tony, we can't," she blurted out. "Gibbs…he'd kill us. This would never work. We can't have a relationship based on lust – "
He shut her up with another mind-blowing kiss, and she moaned into his mouth as she felt him kiss her harder.
"Kate, we both know this isn't just lust," he told her after pulling away again.
And he was telling the truth. He had never felt this strongly about anyone, ever. And right then, he knew. She was the first person he wanted to see when he woke up in morning. This was the woman he wanted to marry, wanted to have kids with, wanted to grow old with. In his arms was the one woman who could make him settle down, make him commit.
"But – "
He stopped her again with another kiss, and smiled into her mouth as he felt her reciprocate. "You know what your problem is, Katie?" he said in between kisses. "You think way too damn much."
Her only reply was to kiss him back, and with that, he knew that she felt the same way.
He had always known that one day, he'd love to dance – he had just needed that one spin from Kate Todd.