The Morning After
By that belle

Ending up in Anthony DiNozzo's bed was not at the top of Caitlin Todd's 'to do' list... ..Tony & Kate..

A/N: This is my first attempt at writing for this fandom. I'm not completely caught up with the show, I've only seen the first three seasons and the fifth season is meant to be on TV here soon, so... please bear with any mistakes I make (or point them out) and enjoy!

Sunday, the morning after.

The sunlight peeking through the curtain was what woke Kate up on Sunday morning. One of the first things she noted was the throbbing pain in her head. She turned over on to her side, her eyes still shut. Kate stifled a groan, and tried to remember the details of the previous night. She knew there had definitely been alcohol. That explained the headache. And dancing. There may have been a party – a staff party, perhaps? – because she remembered Gibbs, McGee, Abby, Ducky and DiNozzo.

Kate rubbed her eyes, and sat up slowly. The sheet that had been covering her small frame fell away, and she noticed that she wasn't wearing anything. Biting her lip, she looked around the room in a desperate attempt to remember what had happened at the party, and why the interior of her bedroom had changed dramatically overnight. Her eyes fell upon the figure asleep next to her, and she let out a petrified scream.

"DiNozzo!" Kate fell back in shock, taking the sheet with her. Her co-worker was wearing just as much as she was, and her scream stirred him.

His eyes focused on her, and he looked dazed for a moment. "Kate? It's Sunday morning. Don't tell me Gibbs wants us." Kate didn't reply. She sat at the edge of the bed, staring at him. His eyes widened, as he looked her up and down. "K-Kate?"

Kate realised that the reason why her room had apparently received a makeover during the night was because it was not, in fact, her room. The fact she had somehow ended up in Anthony DiNozzo's room – in his bed – was still a shock. Definitely not at the top of her "to-do" list.

"DiNozzo," She said stiffly, "what happened last night?"

"What does it look like, Kate?" Tony replied, exasperated.

Kate threw Tony a dirty look, and then got off the bed. "Where are you going?" Tony said to her as she made to leave the room.

She stopped at the door, and turned to him. "Shower, DiNozzo."

He grinned as she walked out. "Maybe I could join you?" He called.

"That would defeat the purpose of the shower, Tony." Came the reply, causing the Senior Field Agent to pout.

Tears of frustration burned beneath Kate's eyelids as the hot water poured down on her. Even though there had been one or two times in the year or so she had known Tony that she had thought about the possibility of welcoming his constant advances, she had imagined that it would not have happened after getting drunk at a party. She stepped out of the shower after rinsing her hair, and dried herself off. Realising she had nothing to change into but what she wore last night, she wrapped the towel around herself and stepped out of the bathroom.

Tony stood there, his expression unreadable. "You really find me that repulsive, Kate?" He asked, thrusting the plate of scrambled eggs he was holding into her hands. She almost dropped the towel as a result.

"Did I ever say that?" She replied, following him as he made his way down the hall into the kitchen. She sat at the counter and he watched her pick at her eggs, not replying. Eventually, Kate abandoned the eggs and looked up. "Tony. If you took that comment about the shower seriously, then…"

He raised an eyebrow. "Then tell me, Kate. What did you mean by it?"

"Look, I…" She looked him in the eye. He looked right back at her. She figured that since they had already slept together, there was no point in hiding what she thought anymore. "I… had thought once or twice about… you and me." She said the last part quietly, looking down at her eggs to hide her blush. "I suppose, what I meant by what I said before was… if we ever got together, it would not be as a result of getting drunk at a party."

Tony looked at her, bewildered. Did she just admit to him that the possibility of being with him had crossed her mind several times in the past? He let out a chuckle that caused her to look up at him with a confused – almost annoyed – look.

"Is that so amusing?" She asked, her face still quite red from embarrassment. She started to eat the scrambled eggs that were in front of her, before stopping suddenly. She looked up at him, a smile on her face. "Tony, you never said you could cook like this."

He smirked as she returned to her eggs. "Well, first off, I didn't find that amusing. I found it strange. Secondly, I don't cook often so I don't tell people about it."

"Why strange?"

Tony shrugged. "It's crossed my mind before, believe me. I just never thought I would hear you say it."

"Then you don't know too much about me, do you?" Kate put down the knife and fork she was holding, and got to her feet. "I should probably go." She said, turning away from him. "I need sleep. I need to go home and get dressed."

"Sleep here then." Tony said. "Borrow one of my shirts, and sleep here for a while." Kate looked at him sceptically. "I won't touch you, I swear. Unless…"

"Unless?" Kate repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Tony smirked. "Unless you want me to, Katie."

Kate woke up later in the morning to find her headache was worse. There was no sign of Tony in the bedroom, or any sign that he had been in there since they woke up. She was relieved. Slipping quietly out of bed, she looked down at the shirt of Tony's she was wearing. Then at the black dress she had worn out last night that was lying in a heap on the floor. Normally this would have bothered Kate, but her sore head was getting to her more than a messy room.

She walked out into the living room, where Tony was sitting on the sofa, reading a magazine. He looked up when she came in, and grinned.

"Don't you look great?" Tony commented, turning a page of his magazine. "Feel any better?"

"I'm surprised I haven't thrown up everywhere." She mumbled, collapsing onto the sofa next to him. "Why don't you feel awful?"

"I can just hide it better, Katie."

She didn't say anything. Even if he was taking a stab at her, she didn't feel like getting into an argument. Several things were nagging at her brain, some of them she couldn't quite put a finger on.

It was frustrating. "Tony…" She said at length. "What does this mean? It, in fact, it means anything at all."

Kate didn't turn to look at him. She feared the worst, whatever that was. But what was she hoping for him to say? That they could be together, and that would solve their worries? She heard him sigh, and throw the magazine on the coffee table.

"Well, Kate…" Tony said, choosing his words carefully. "I… don't really know." For once, he didn't know. Nothing trademark about him today. He had definitely had too much to drink – they all had – and he had ended up with Kate in his bed as a result. He couldn't remember much about the previous night himself, and he supposed that she didn't either. 'But, where to go from here?' Tony thought. 'Is she looking for a relationship? I probably can't commit to her…'

"Do you regret it?" She asked suddenly. This time her eyes were on him as she spoke, even though he seemed to be in a far-off place.

"Do you?"

"I asked you first."

She watched him, and waited. It was a simple yes or no question, yet he couldn't seem to answer it. As more time passed, Kate felt like more of a fool. How could she expect him to answer something like that? Let alone, anything else? She stood up. "I'm sorry, Tony. I shouldn't have asked you such a difficult question." She stomped off towards his bedroom, and slammed the door shut after her.

Tony waited by the door for Kate to come out. While it wasn't locked, and he could have easily walked in there, he was a respectful man, and even though what he had to say to Kate was urgent, it could wait until she had come out.

When she came out, he opened his mouth to speak but she was quicker than him.

"Save your breath, DiNozzo." Tony noted the fact that she was back to referring to him as 'DiNozzo' and not 'Tony'. It hurt, a little. "We'll forget this happened, and go to work on Monday with smiles and… well, whatever. I have to go."

She walked past him, and he made no move to stop her. He just watched, as she gathered her things, and walked out of his apartment without looking back.