Story!
Title: Not always Fairytales
Author: freefic
Rating: T
Pairings involved: Tony/Kate, McGee/Abby, Gibbs/Jenny
Warnings: none really
Short description: Sequel to 'The Morning After'. Three years on, Tony and Kate's marriage is in trouble. When all seems lost, something from the past comes back to haunt them... and maybe bring them back together...
Chapter 1: Family Life
She walked slowly along the pure white sand. The gentle breeze felt good against her face and it blew through her hair, making her feel almost as though she was on a cloud. Her feet splashed gently through the clear, sparkling water. She was wearing a dark blue bikini, and had a white see-through sarong wrapped around her waist. The man coming up behind her caught up to her, and held her in his arms.
“I knew I’d catch you,” He whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. The two had been together for a long time, and so much had happened since then. She smiled; he was still capable of making her melt into a puddle at the simplest words.
She turned so she was facing him, and put her arms around his neck. “I wanted you to catch me.” She smiled the smile he had fallen in love so long ago. He leaned in and kissed her gently, but pulled away again quickly.
“Now it’s your turn,” He said teasingly, kissing her cheek and jogging away from her slowly. “Catch me if you can!”
She couldn’t help but laugh as he ran along the beach. She followed him, and it didn’t take her that long to catch him. Neither one of the two were jogging that fast. There was no hurry, after all. When she caught up with him, she jumped onto his back, and with a surprised yell from him, the two fell into the sand. He was lying on his back, winded, which gave her the advantage. She rolled onto her side, sat up, and with a wicked grin, she straddled him.
“Looks like I caught you.” She said.
“Looks like you did.” He replied. He propped himself up on his elbows, and studied his wife. His new wife. Smiling, he asked her, “Are you happy, Kate?”
She smiled, and nodded her head. “I am, Tony.” She replied, leaning down and kissing him.
Suddenly, the sky became dark. Kate looked up in shock. The wind was blowing up a storm. The once blue sky had become dark and murky, and the clear waters of the beach were rough and unsettled. When she looked back down at Tony, it took all of her willpower not to scream her head off.
His whole appearance seemed to be transforming right in front of her. His hair became shorter and darker, and the shape of his face became slightly narrower. The dark board shorts and loose shirt he wore became a pair of dark pants, a dark shirt and a dark leather jacket.
Ari smiled up at her. “Hello, Caitlin.” He said. “Enjoying your honeymoon?”
-
“Kate? Kate, honey, wake up.”
Kate was vaguely aware of someone shaking her in her sleep. Her eyes opened slowly and she looked into Tony’s concerned face.
“Tony?” She asked him quietly, looking around the room. There was no beach, no storm, and no Ari anywhere. She sighed in relief. “What happened?”
“You had a nightmare.” Tony said, putting a hand over his heart and taking a deep breath. “You scared me. Are you alright?”
Kate blinked a couple of times. “I think so…” She trailed off. “I can’t remember what happened.”
“It’s okay.” Tony said, brushing her hair back gently. “Try and sleep, alright?”
She smiled, and nodded. As she lay back, Tony switched off the lamp. She snuggled up to him, and just as the two were getting comfortable, a shrill cry from the next room startled them again.
“Sounds like Isabella’s awake.” Kate said, trying not to yawn. “I will check her.”
Tony grinned at her as she got out of bed, and put her dressing gown on. “Wasn’t going to suggest otherwise, sweetheart.”
Before she left the room, she glared at him, and he winked at her in return. Kate walked down the hallway slowly and into Isabella’s room. Instead of switching on the main light, Kate thought it would be better to put the lamp on instead. She stumbled through the room, silently cursing whomever it was that didn’t put the toys away the previous night, before switching on the lamp. She went over to the cot where Isabella lay, shrieking her lungs out.
“It’s alright, sweetie.” Kate said quietly, lifting the baby out and laying her on the floor. “Mommy’s sorry she woke you up. She had a bad dream, that’s all.”
Kate checked if Isabella was awake because she needed changing. She didn’t, so Kate thought that she was hungry. As she was about to take Isabella downstairs to feed her, she felt two small arms wrap themselves around her waist.
“Mommy,” Adrian’s small voice said, breaking the silence. “Mommy, bed wet.”
Kate sighed inwardly. She turned her head and looked down at Adrian, and gave him a small smile. “That’s alright, son.” She said. “Go and ask your father if he will wash your bed things. I will feed Isabella, and then call Grandma, alright?”
“Okay!” The three-year-old replied, running out of the room. As Kate patted Isabella’s back in an attempt to calm her down, she could faintly hear Adrian waking Tony up in the next room. She couldn’t help but smile; now Tony wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep now either.
She went downstairs with Isabella, and fed her. Tony came into the kitchen as Kate was wiping Isabella’s mouth. “Why did you tell Adrian to come and wake me up?” Tony asked irritably as he took a bottle of water from the fridge. “I needed the extra sleep.”
Kate sighed. “I’m sorry you missed out on your beauty sleep, Tony.” She said sarcastically. “But both Adrian and Isabella needed attention. And it’s not like you were asleep, anyway.”
Tony did not reply. Kate lifted Isabella up and turned to Tony. “Where are you going?” She asked him, almost in disgust, when she noticed he had grabbed his iPod and was putting on his sneakers.
“I’m going for a run.” He snapped. “I won’t be able to sleep again now, and I need to get away for a while.”
He started for the back door, but Kate was there first, blocking his path. ”I need your help with the children, Tony.” She said flatly.
He looked down at her. “And I need to go for a run, Kate.” He replied in the same flat tone. “Please move.”
“No. I need you to run Adrian a bath while I put Isabella back down.”
“Move, Kate.”
“Tony…”
“Move!” He yelled.
She was out of his way in a flash. He stormed out the back door and Kate went up the stairs as quickly as she could, while holding Isabella safely in her arms. She managed to go back to sleep easily, which relieved Kate. She went into the next room, Adrian’s room, to find him playing with some toy cars on the floor.
“Ready for your bath, sweetie?” Kate asked him.
He looked up at her and frowned. “Where daddy gone?”
Kate sighed. “Daddy had to go out, sweetie.” She said, fighting back her tears. “I’ll run your bath, alright?”
“Okay, mommy.” Adrian replied. Kate stripped Adrian’s bed, and took the sheets into the laundry. She then took the blankets and hung them out on the washing line to air. Following that, she went back inside and finally ran Adrian’s bath, pausing on the way to grab the phone as she went.
As she watched the bath, she dialled her mother’s number.
“Kate?” The tired voice of her mother answered. “It’s 6 o’clock in the morning. Is everything alright?”
“No, Mom…“ It was then that Kate finally started to cry.
-
If Tony returned between the time that Kate got off the phone with Sarah, and the time she left for work, she did not see him. Sarah managed to arrive just after 8 o’clock, leaving Kate enough time to get to work on time. Everyone else would be there by now, and usually she would be too, but today was different.
She stepped out of the elevator at 9 o’clock, and was determined to walk past Gibbs’ team without talking to any of them, but Jenny greeted her, and she was not going to ignore her.
“Good morning, Jenny.” Kate replied with a tired smile.
“Are you alright, Kate?” Jenny asked worriedly. “You look like you’ve been hit by a train.”
“I feel like I’ve been hit by a train.” Kate replied, smirking. “Thankfully there isn’t a case at the moment. However, I’m probably going to be stuck doing paperwork all day.”
“Are you managing everything?” She asked.
Kate nodded. “Just having some… family issues. It’s taking more of a toll than I thought.”
Jenny mouthed ‘Tony?’, and Kate nodded again. She was well aware of her husband sitting at his desk behind her, but she chose to ignore him. “I see.” Jenny said, nodding her head. “How about you talk to Abby?”
Kate shrugged a shoulder. “I’ll give her a call later. Anyway, I’m late enough as it is.” She laughed. “I’ll talk to you later, Jenny.”
She headed towards the stairs, greeting McGee as they passed each other. As she climbed the stairs, she watched Tony from the corner of her eye as she went. McGee was talking to him about something. She sighed and went into her office.
-
By lunch, Tony was feeling extremely guilty about how he had treated Kate that morning. An apology was in order. Moreover, Jenny had been giving him odd looks all morning, so he thought he would go and talk to Kate and smooth things over with her.
He climbed the stairs and went into her receptionist’s office. “Hey, Amber.” He greeted, smiling at her. “Is Kate in?”
“I’ll check.” She replied, smiling back. She picked up the phone and pressed a button. “Director DiNozzo? … Yes, Tony is here to see you… oh, is that right? I understand… of course. I’ll tell him.” She hung up the phone and looked at Tony apologetically. “Sorry, Special Agent DiNozzo. She’s not seeing anyone right now.”
Tony stood there, unable to believe it. “It’s because of this morning, isn’t it?” He said, more to himself. He turned to the door that led into Kate’s office, and started banging on it. “Kate!” He yelled through the door. “Kate, let me in!”
A few seconds passed, before the door opened, and Kate appeared. She looked ready to kill. “Tony.” She said simply. “I don’t want to talk right now. I’m really busy and, quite frankly, not in the mood to talk to you.”
She went to close the door, but Tony blocked it with his foot. “Kate… in a successful marriage, couples talk about what’s bothering them.”
Kate looked up at him sadly. “You really don’t know what’s bothering me?” She asked quietly. “Think about it. And as for our marriage… I wouldn’t exactly call it successful. Would you?”
With that, she closed the door, leaving Tony standing there, hurt and confused. He turned and left the receptionist’s office without another word.
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Author: freefic
Rating: T
Pairings involved: Tony/Kate, McGee/Abby, Gibbs/Jenny
Warnings: none really
Short description: Sequel to 'The Morning After'. Three years on, Tony and Kate's marriage is in trouble. When all seems lost, something from the past comes back to haunt them... and maybe bring them back together...
Chapter 1: Family Life
She walked slowly along the pure white sand. The gentle breeze felt good against her face and it blew through her hair, making her feel almost as though she was on a cloud. Her feet splashed gently through the clear, sparkling water. She was wearing a dark blue bikini, and had a white see-through sarong wrapped around her waist. The man coming up behind her caught up to her, and held her in his arms.
“I knew I’d catch you,” He whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. The two had been together for a long time, and so much had happened since then. She smiled; he was still capable of making her melt into a puddle at the simplest words.
She turned so she was facing him, and put her arms around his neck. “I wanted you to catch me.” She smiled the smile he had fallen in love so long ago. He leaned in and kissed her gently, but pulled away again quickly.
“Now it’s your turn,” He said teasingly, kissing her cheek and jogging away from her slowly. “Catch me if you can!”
She couldn’t help but laugh as he ran along the beach. She followed him, and it didn’t take her that long to catch him. Neither one of the two were jogging that fast. There was no hurry, after all. When she caught up with him, she jumped onto his back, and with a surprised yell from him, the two fell into the sand. He was lying on his back, winded, which gave her the advantage. She rolled onto her side, sat up, and with a wicked grin, she straddled him.
“Looks like I caught you.” She said.
“Looks like you did.” He replied. He propped himself up on his elbows, and studied his wife. His new wife. Smiling, he asked her, “Are you happy, Kate?”
She smiled, and nodded her head. “I am, Tony.” She replied, leaning down and kissing him.
Suddenly, the sky became dark. Kate looked up in shock. The wind was blowing up a storm. The once blue sky had become dark and murky, and the clear waters of the beach were rough and unsettled. When she looked back down at Tony, it took all of her willpower not to scream her head off.
His whole appearance seemed to be transforming right in front of her. His hair became shorter and darker, and the shape of his face became slightly narrower. The dark board shorts and loose shirt he wore became a pair of dark pants, a dark shirt and a dark leather jacket.
Ari smiled up at her. “Hello, Caitlin.” He said. “Enjoying your honeymoon?”
-
“Kate? Kate, honey, wake up.”
Kate was vaguely aware of someone shaking her in her sleep. Her eyes opened slowly and she looked into Tony’s concerned face.
“Tony?” She asked him quietly, looking around the room. There was no beach, no storm, and no Ari anywhere. She sighed in relief. “What happened?”
“You had a nightmare.” Tony said, putting a hand over his heart and taking a deep breath. “You scared me. Are you alright?”
Kate blinked a couple of times. “I think so…” She trailed off. “I can’t remember what happened.”
“It’s okay.” Tony said, brushing her hair back gently. “Try and sleep, alright?”
She smiled, and nodded. As she lay back, Tony switched off the lamp. She snuggled up to him, and just as the two were getting comfortable, a shrill cry from the next room startled them again.
“Sounds like Isabella’s awake.” Kate said, trying not to yawn. “I will check her.”
Tony grinned at her as she got out of bed, and put her dressing gown on. “Wasn’t going to suggest otherwise, sweetheart.”
Before she left the room, she glared at him, and he winked at her in return. Kate walked down the hallway slowly and into Isabella’s room. Instead of switching on the main light, Kate thought it would be better to put the lamp on instead. She stumbled through the room, silently cursing whomever it was that didn’t put the toys away the previous night, before switching on the lamp. She went over to the cot where Isabella lay, shrieking her lungs out.
“It’s alright, sweetie.” Kate said quietly, lifting the baby out and laying her on the floor. “Mommy’s sorry she woke you up. She had a bad dream, that’s all.”
Kate checked if Isabella was awake because she needed changing. She didn’t, so Kate thought that she was hungry. As she was about to take Isabella downstairs to feed her, she felt two small arms wrap themselves around her waist.
“Mommy,” Adrian’s small voice said, breaking the silence. “Mommy, bed wet.”
Kate sighed inwardly. She turned her head and looked down at Adrian, and gave him a small smile. “That’s alright, son.” She said. “Go and ask your father if he will wash your bed things. I will feed Isabella, and then call Grandma, alright?”
“Okay!” The three-year-old replied, running out of the room. As Kate patted Isabella’s back in an attempt to calm her down, she could faintly hear Adrian waking Tony up in the next room. She couldn’t help but smile; now Tony wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep now either.
She went downstairs with Isabella, and fed her. Tony came into the kitchen as Kate was wiping Isabella’s mouth. “Why did you tell Adrian to come and wake me up?” Tony asked irritably as he took a bottle of water from the fridge. “I needed the extra sleep.”
Kate sighed. “I’m sorry you missed out on your beauty sleep, Tony.” She said sarcastically. “But both Adrian and Isabella needed attention. And it’s not like you were asleep, anyway.”
Tony did not reply. Kate lifted Isabella up and turned to Tony. “Where are you going?” She asked him, almost in disgust, when she noticed he had grabbed his iPod and was putting on his sneakers.
“I’m going for a run.” He snapped. “I won’t be able to sleep again now, and I need to get away for a while.”
He started for the back door, but Kate was there first, blocking his path. ”I need your help with the children, Tony.” She said flatly.
He looked down at her. “And I need to go for a run, Kate.” He replied in the same flat tone. “Please move.”
“No. I need you to run Adrian a bath while I put Isabella back down.”
“Move, Kate.”
“Tony…”
“Move!” He yelled.
She was out of his way in a flash. He stormed out the back door and Kate went up the stairs as quickly as she could, while holding Isabella safely in her arms. She managed to go back to sleep easily, which relieved Kate. She went into the next room, Adrian’s room, to find him playing with some toy cars on the floor.
“Ready for your bath, sweetie?” Kate asked him.
He looked up at her and frowned. “Where daddy gone?”
Kate sighed. “Daddy had to go out, sweetie.” She said, fighting back her tears. “I’ll run your bath, alright?”
“Okay, mommy.” Adrian replied. Kate stripped Adrian’s bed, and took the sheets into the laundry. She then took the blankets and hung them out on the washing line to air. Following that, she went back inside and finally ran Adrian’s bath, pausing on the way to grab the phone as she went.
As she watched the bath, she dialled her mother’s number.
“Kate?” The tired voice of her mother answered. “It’s 6 o’clock in the morning. Is everything alright?”
“No, Mom…“ It was then that Kate finally started to cry.
-
If Tony returned between the time that Kate got off the phone with Sarah, and the time she left for work, she did not see him. Sarah managed to arrive just after 8 o’clock, leaving Kate enough time to get to work on time. Everyone else would be there by now, and usually she would be too, but today was different.
She stepped out of the elevator at 9 o’clock, and was determined to walk past Gibbs’ team without talking to any of them, but Jenny greeted her, and she was not going to ignore her.
“Good morning, Jenny.” Kate replied with a tired smile.
“Are you alright, Kate?” Jenny asked worriedly. “You look like you’ve been hit by a train.”
“I feel like I’ve been hit by a train.” Kate replied, smirking. “Thankfully there isn’t a case at the moment. However, I’m probably going to be stuck doing paperwork all day.”
“Are you managing everything?” She asked.
Kate nodded. “Just having some… family issues. It’s taking more of a toll than I thought.”
Jenny mouthed ‘Tony?’, and Kate nodded again. She was well aware of her husband sitting at his desk behind her, but she chose to ignore him. “I see.” Jenny said, nodding her head. “How about you talk to Abby?”
Kate shrugged a shoulder. “I’ll give her a call later. Anyway, I’m late enough as it is.” She laughed. “I’ll talk to you later, Jenny.”
She headed towards the stairs, greeting McGee as they passed each other. As she climbed the stairs, she watched Tony from the corner of her eye as she went. McGee was talking to him about something. She sighed and went into her office.
-
By lunch, Tony was feeling extremely guilty about how he had treated Kate that morning. An apology was in order. Moreover, Jenny had been giving him odd looks all morning, so he thought he would go and talk to Kate and smooth things over with her.
He climbed the stairs and went into her receptionist’s office. “Hey, Amber.” He greeted, smiling at her. “Is Kate in?”
“I’ll check.” She replied, smiling back. She picked up the phone and pressed a button. “Director DiNozzo? … Yes, Tony is here to see you… oh, is that right? I understand… of course. I’ll tell him.” She hung up the phone and looked at Tony apologetically. “Sorry, Special Agent DiNozzo. She’s not seeing anyone right now.”
Tony stood there, unable to believe it. “It’s because of this morning, isn’t it?” He said, more to himself. He turned to the door that led into Kate’s office, and started banging on it. “Kate!” He yelled through the door. “Kate, let me in!”
A few seconds passed, before the door opened, and Kate appeared. She looked ready to kill. “Tony.” She said simply. “I don’t want to talk right now. I’m really busy and, quite frankly, not in the mood to talk to you.”
She went to close the door, but Tony blocked it with his foot. “Kate… in a successful marriage, couples talk about what’s bothering them.”
Kate looked up at him sadly. “You really don’t know what’s bothering me?” She asked quietly. “Think about it. And as for our marriage… I wouldn’t exactly call it successful. Would you?”
With that, she closed the door, leaving Tony standing there, hurt and confused. He turned and left the receptionist’s office without another word.
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