Gone

Disclaimer: h/o lemme check...nope, still not mine. You wanna sue? Fine, but you'll be about five bucks richer when you're done with me.

Author's Notes: I'm pretty sure this might be my last death related fic...I think. It's lame. I know that. But the plot weasel had rabies or something and wouldn't leave me alone. :P Please R&R people! And any advice on how to make it better is welcome!

Rating: K+

Summary: 'She sat down on his bed and even in his less than sober state; he found it a little disconcerting that she didn't make an impression.'

Gibbs sat up in bed, staring at the figure in his doorway. He sighed and rubbed his face. The last thing he needed tonight was to deal with his demons. He had his good friend Jack Daniel's to help with that. He stared as the apparition moved closer to him and sighed again. He flopped back down in bed, hoping that if he just closed his eyes and concentrated really hard, that she'd just go away.

He's literally haunted by her. Every time he sees a petite brunette walk by, or smells someone wearing her perfume, he turns around, hoping against hope to catch a glimpse of her.

He opened his eyes. She was standing right above him. "Why are you torturing me like this?" He whispered. She laughed and shook her head. His fingers itched to reach out and touch her, make himself believe that she was real. But he resisted that urge. He knew that he'd only be disappointed.

"You're a lot messier than I thought you'd be." She said, looking around his bedroom.

"I've been preoccupied." Gibbs replied. "Oh, this is good; I'm answering my own hallucinations." He shook his head and watched as the ghost of Caitlin Todd moved around his bedroom, a sight he wished that he could have seen while she was living.

She sat down on his bed and even in his less than sober state; he found it a little disconcerting that she didn't make an impression. "I did always think that you were a little crazy Gibbs." The large smile that he had gotten used to the past two years graced her face.

God he missed her.

"Why are you here?" He questioned. She had to be here for a reason, Gibbs didn't usually see ghosts.

"Well, I wanted to check up on you for one." She said, warmth and concern in her translucent eyes. The last time that he saw her eyes, they were cold and dead. He liked these eyes a lot better. "I took a look around. Didn't go into the basement though. Figured I'd wait for an invitation." She smiled coyly. Soon the concern returned though. "I haven't seen that many empty bottles of Jack since college Gibbs."

"Guess that I can't fire you huh?" Gibbs said, smiling sardonically. He wished that she was here to fire though, at least that'd mean she was here. She'd be alive.

She laughed and shook her head. She sobered up and laid a ghostly hand on his shoulder. He shivered as he felt something cold on his shoulder and the hair stood up on his arm. "I'm worried Gibbs. I want you to get Ari," He growled at the mere mention of the other man's name. "But I want you to stay sane. Don't let yourself fall into his trap Gibbs…Jethro." She whispered the last part.

"Kate he shot you, right in front of me. How can I not…" He trailed off, not knowing how to put into words his desire for killing Ari. "I want him on Ducky's table." He muttered simply.

Kate sighed. "I know. And I do too. But I don't want to see you lying on the next slab over Gibbs. I've been watching all of you since…then. And you guys are all breaking my heart, and I don't think that I could stand it if I had to watch you die Gibbs."

Gibbs slowly brought a hand up, and rested it against her cheek, hoping to feel something. And he died a little bit inside when his hand passed right through her. "Kate…" He trailed off again. "You had so much still to do. That bastard took it away from you."

"I know." She said simply, smiling sadly. He opened his mouth to say something more, but she laid a ghostly finger upon his lips. "I came here to tell you something." He shut his mouth, and waited. "I can't stay for much longer, or else I could send the universe out of whack," She said, grinning. "But there's something I wanted to tell you."

"I guess that He," She looked up suggestively, "Decided that I was good at protection detail too. Plus, I wanted a way to watch over you and the team." She smiled. "I'm your guardian angel Gibbs. Now you have someone to always make sure that you wear a vest." She laughed, and he wished that he had a tape recorder, so that he could always remember what she sounded like. But he knew that all he would probably hear anyway was himself talking to the still night.

She sighed and looked around. "I have to go soon Gibbs. But I just wanted to let you know that I'm here." She began to get up.

"Kate, wait!" Gibbs called out, his voice sounding pathetic even to his own ears. But he just wanted a few more moments with her. She sat back down on the bed, and he wished that he could touch her. "Kate…I was falling for you."

She nodded sadly and smiled. "I know Gibbs. I fell for you a long time ago." She chuckled. "I always had a thing for older guys." She looked at him, her eyes shining freely with love. "I have to go now though…"

She leaned forward and gently touched her lips with his, and he could have sworn that he felt her warm lips up against his for a second. And then it was gone, and he opened his eyes to find that she was gone too. He sighed and lay back down in bed. Drunken hallucination or not, it gave his mind a little bit of peace.

A few months later…

The team was rushing out of the office, heading out to catch another criminal. They knew that this one was armed and unstable, and they'd taken all the right precautions. Gibbs, being Gibbs, decided that putting on a vest would take too much time and was about to leave without it. He was almost to the elevator when he felt something cold brush past his shoulder, and head in the direction of his desk. Normally he wouldn't have thought anything of it, but then he smelled something familiar. Kate's perfume.

He smirked as he ran back to his desk, and saw a Kevlar vest sitting on his chair. He was sure that he had thrown the vest underneath his desk when Tony tossed it to him. He went around to put it on, and something on his desk caught his eye.

Written on a piece of paper, in a memorable hand was a note. "Wear the vest, remember?" He smiled and glanced up. For a moment, he could have sworn he caught a glimpse of her, standing across from him, smiling.

And as soon as he had seen her, she was gone. He smiled, and picked up the vest. "Just for you Kate." He whispered.

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