Can Love Change Everything?

Chapter 1.

As Nikki saw Tony sitting on the floor outside her apartment she guessed what was going to happen, but if she was honest she wasn't really in the mood; because she was just so exhausted as it had been a very long week.

Originally Nikki had come to NCIS in DC as a replacement for Special Agent Ellie Bishop, because she was on maternity leave following the birth of her baby girl. Now she'd become a permanent member of the team because Bishop had decided that she didn't want to come back again, because she wanted to stay at home with the baby. Even when she took the job at first with it at that point being just temporary, it was still going to be a step down for her because she had been a 2lc in San Diego. She left because she wanted to get away from there and have a new start. On her first day in DC though, it wasn't quite the new start she expected; due to a certain Anthony DiNozzo.

They had a past in a big way because she'd been assigned to him while he was still a cop and she was his rookie. They were also very like fire and ice, as one minute they would be like they really hated each other; & the next minute they would be flirting like crazy, even if to start off with they never acted on it.

In the end they only ended up acting on things after he'd been made detective and she remained a cop. One night she was in a bar having a drink, when he also came in and had a drink, they then ended up drinking and flirting together like crazy; before they finally ended up in bed together at her place. Later on she managed to find out that on that night in the bar, he'd just been told by his fiancee that it was over and that the next day should've been his wedding day. Following that night they never did have a relationship as such, but they did seem to always find each other when they were lonely and wanted some company, even if it did seem to end up in just a one night stand. On the night that they had their final one night stand, he'd been acting a little strangely; but she didn't think anything of it until he all of a sudden completely disappear from the Baltimore area. By the time he'd returned there again with Gibbs to arrest the captain for the murder of Tony's former partner Danny; she had already left & was at that point enjoying her life with NCIS in San Diego.

From her first day in DC and them working together once again, they were soon back to how they used too be with their constant flirting; while they did also keep their relationship professional. She did find though that she did really love working with him and did also have to admit that time had been good to him, as he was even more sexy than he had been back then; & she had a feeling that she was probably a lot more attracted to him now. Most of all though she loved the way they worked together as they had a really great partnership and despite feeling a strong sexual tension between them; she really loved it if at anytime he stood slightly too close to her so that she could feel his body heat and smell that all to familiar Tony smell. Or even if at anytime manage to slightly touch each other and she could feel the electric pass between them. The thing she loved the most though was while they were doing paperwork sometimes she would sneakily watch him at the desk opposite her. Although on a couple of occasions he had caught her at it, but he had ended up rewarding her with one of those big gorgeous smiles, that she had always loved so much, because of the way it also lit up those gorgeous green eyes of his.

Even if she really wasn't in the mood for him when she got home to find him sitting on her doorstep, she really wasn't surprised to find him there; as in the last couple of weeks or so the sexual tension between them had been getting a lot stronger and she knew that before long it was going to have to explode. Especially when at the start of the week they completed her first undercover assignment for that team at least. She had been pretending that she was a marine new recruit working for Gunny Sergeant Ricky Daniels platoon. Because they'd had reports of him sexually harassing and assaulting new female members. As they were also doing the initial set up for the case a body of a female from the platoon also turned up. First of all as they were getting her ready to go in and she was putting the marine uniform on she could see what was going through Tony's head so she'd gone & done the wise crack in front of everyone by saying "& you can stop undressing me or wishing you were DiNozzo." Before she gave him a sneaky 'I wish you were' look, when the others weren't watching. As Ricky started flirting with her she was feeling pretty uncomfortable, because she knew that Tony was listening in & also watching via the bugs and things that had been put in around the place and also on her uniform. They had also been given permission by the base to tunnel in & also use they're security camera system. With the way Tony was acting whenever she was doing a check in or getting a new bugged uniform, she was starting to get the feeling that he might be jealous. In the end though Tony did end up being her hero because when Ricky finally made his move on her, he grabbed her in a way that she wasn't able to fight back, let alone be able to get at her concealed weapon. As he started to rip her uniform to rape her, she was really praying that they'd get to her in time before anything happened; but in the end he let his guard down so she was able to kick him somewhere painful and get herself free. Just as she managed to get to her gun though he grabbed hold of her ankle, & as he then pulled her over she hit her head on the desk. Although as she went over she knew that she was safe because she heard the door come crashing open and Tony yelling "Federal agents let her go." She also couldn't believe the venom she could hear in his voice, as everything started to go black. Just before she blacked out completely she felt Gibbs come and take the gun out of her hand as he said to Tony "Get her out of here DiNozzo." Then him picking her up and carrying her out of there.

When she came round a little while later she was outside and lying in Tony's lap, she'd got a thumping headache and was feeling sick, so she knew that she'd got concussion. As he realized that she'd come round he didn't say anything & just started gently stroking her hair and again because of the relieved look on his face she was wondering what was going on with him. When the ambulance came he picked her up and carried her onto it, just as he was about to get off it again, Gibbs came along and told him to go with her.

Due to the concussion for the next couple of days or so she was confined to just doing desk work. Once she got the all clear she & Tony were then on a very quick round trip to the UK to pick up a suspect from a previous murder case who they'd been granted extradition for. There'd been no time for a stop over though as they were literally on the plane there, off to the police station where he was being held in to get him & then back to the airport & on the plane again bringing him back.

After that they'd then been a couple of days off so that they could get over the jet lag and to have a rest. On the first day she'd gone to see her brother Byron. He'd followed in their fathers footsteps into the marines, but sadly he'd been injured in an IED explosion. Luckily he had also defied the odds as to start off with he wasn't expected to survive, but he had. Then he'd not been expected to gain any feeling in his body below his neck or talk. After a couple of months or so he had started to get feeling in his upper body and had eventually learnt to push himself round in a wheelchair. Over the last few months he'd managed to start learning to talk again. They didn't know if he was ever going to walk again, but with all the progress that he had made so far they were hopeful. He was in a rehab facility and that had also contributed to her move to DC, as while she was in San Diego she couldn't get back much to see him as much as she wanted to, but now in DC she was nearby and could do so. It was after returning from visiting him that she found Tony sitting on her doorstep, with the smile he gave her as she got closer too him she just knew that she was going to find it very hard not to resist him, but as she got close enough she thought she'd take a chance anyway and says to him "Tony I'm exhausted and I don't honestly think I have the energy to fight or anything else with you." As she opens the door he blocks her path so that she can't go in, takes her hand and says "I don't want that either, I just want to talk." As she knew what it was building to she could feel her heart starting to race so she let out a big sigh and said"ok let's go in." She was then so very right because as soon as they got in the door & closed it he grabbed her into a kiss, which she soon found herself responding too. Then before she knew it they were tearing each others clothes off and having sex on her sofa, it wasn't exactly comfortable but she knew it was what they wanted & needed. It was over very fast, but she felt so satisfied as they then laid together breathing heavily trying to get their breath back. Once they'd recovered she fully expected him to just get his clothes and dress again then leave without them having the talk. Instead of that he got up, scooped her up into his arms, took her into the bedroom, laid her gently on the bed, before they this time made love slowly and passionately. Afterwards this time they both fell into a happy and contented sleep cuddled up together.

As she woke up a while later it was to find him gone & she found that she was feeling really disappointed about it, but as she started to come round a bit more the smell of pizza started drifting to her; so she then guessed that he'd either been out to get one or had ordered one in. Before getting up she stretched and yawned but still amazed at how great the sex had been, but also how special things had been even after all this time. After getting out of bed she just slipped her dressing gown on then went out to find him. The sight that greeted her as she went into the kitchen took her breath away. As he was standing there sorting out the pizza to bring back to bed again, with just his boxers on. In the end he caught her just standing there staring. He then flashed her one of those smiles that made her go weak at the knees and then went over to her and said "Hi sexy." As he then grabbed her into a kiss, as they broke apart she said "Hi gorgeous. I hope that you didn't actually go to the door like that & give the poor delivery person a fright; even if I welcomed this sight." He replies "It's ok I did get dressed again, but as you were still asleep I thought I'd bring it in to wake you up with it."

"Thank you, because I'm starving."

"So it looks like the exhaustion might be forgotten?"

"I think so after that exercise and sleep, I don't think I feel quite as tired. I'm sorry for being such a cow it's been a long & trying week and I have also been a bit of a cow as well since joining the team, but I didn't know that you'd come here or where you'd gone after we last slept together. Then we just slip back to how we always were like nothing had happened; & you'd not just walked away just like that. I know that we had things as we wanted them, but it still hurt that all of a sudden you weren't there anymore." He kisses her and then says "I'm sorry that I did just walk away without saying anything, especially too you, but I had to walk away. I'd just found out that Danny was a dirty cop and all I could think about was running. So I don't blame you for being such a cow, especially as you had to come face to face with me on your first day with us. It was the one thing that I did regret walking away from, because I think I was starting to fall in love with you and had been thinking about saying that we should make a go of things properly."

"& I would've said yes too it because I was starting to feel the same way about you too. I think that's why just a few months later I walked away because I couldn't cope anymore with the memories of us anymore and the wishing that there could've been more." She then takes his hand and says "Come on lets go & have this back in bed." They do so & as they eat cuddled up together he says "So don't tell me unless you want too, but why walk away from San Diego?" She answers "I was doing a you and running I suppose. Me and my ex had been expecting a baby, although I had been suspicious that he'd been cheating on me before I got pregnant. I lost the baby a few weeks later and found out that he was doing the dirty and sleeping with someone else. I tried very hard to keep myself going, but I couldn't cope in the end and walked away." As she starts to get tearful he pulls her in close to him and says "I'm so sorry, & with all that going on as well I'm not surprised about you being such a cow as well." She replies "I think so but there's another reason as the baby thing has also contributed to it as well and please don't get angry with me or let it spoil this."

"I promise you that I won't, what is it?"

"The reason why I walked away from Baltimore is because of the memories of us, because not long after you left I got promoted to detective; Danny had been moved desks so me and my partner Jon were given yours and his, so I inherited your desk. Not only that a few weeks later I got hurt during an arrest and ended up in hospital. It was while I was there I got asked if I'd known that I was pregnant, as it had only been a few weeks I hadn't known I was. I lost it when I got hurt, but it was yours Tony." As she then dissolves completely he turns round and hugs her, then as he tries to hide his own emotions he says "From that final night, when we had the accident with something?" She nods and in between sobs says "& for whatever reason the pill failed as well, because you know that I wouldn't have done it on purpose." He replies "I know you wouldn't have done, if it had have been different though, what would you have done?" She answers "I think I would've tried to have found you to tell you, as I have a feeling that I would have probably kept it. I know that I've never really been maternal and didn't really think that I would want kids, but somehow it made me realize that perhaps I did. Now it's happened for a second time though, I don't honestly know if I could face it happening again."

"Look I did mean it when I said about talking, even if we did get a bit waylaid by other good things. I've known from that first day together again, that I want to give us another & proper chance. I regretted letting you go & I think it's fate that you also joined NCIS and ended up coming here. More than anything else I think that in the last few months I've fallen in love with you, even when you have been a cow."

"Me too, I've been really trying to fight it as I didn't think that you felt the same way, I love you Tony; but what about rule twelve?"

"I think it may be a little late for that now, we broke it with what we did before we even talked. I love you so much & I want us too be together. We'll just have to be careful at work that we don't give the relationship away and then be open if things get really serious; so that we can prove that rule twelve can be broken. I also promise you that if you want to try, so that we have children when you're ready we can try, as whatever happens with us from now on I will always be here right by your side no matter what. & you never know perhaps this time it might be successful because it was waiting for us too be together properly; as I know that I would want you too be the mother of my children and to spend the rest of my life with you." She replies "& I want to spend the rest of my life with you too." They then start kissing and make love once again.

A/N: & here's another new story from me which I hope that you enjoy! For this one it's going too be just a quiet little start as well as a nice one for the couple before the trouble starts! Xxx. :-)