Lovers' Secrets
Chapter #1
“So what have you been up to lately, Mike? It’s been a really long time since we talked.” Kate was smiling at the young man in the passenger seat of her new Acura. The man laughed.
“Yeah, I guess I should have called more often. Sorry, I’ll do better next time.”
“There won’t be a next time if you don’t tell me why you asked me to pick you up from the airport. Claudia’s going to be pissed, and if she takes me down, you’re riding shotgun.” Kate’s tone was sarcastic, but Mike knew his cousin well enough to know she wasn’t kidding.
He sighed. “I’m sorry, it’s just…I didn’t want to talk to her right now, she’d know something was up, and I don’t know what to tell her yet.”
Kate glanced over. “Well, just tell me, and we’ll figure out where to go from there. I mean, it’s not like you knocked up her best friend, right?”
A guilty shadow passed over his face, and Kate stared at him. “You have to be kidding me! Mike, I’m gonna help her kill you! And Natalie.” Too late she realized that he was grinning. She shook her head and laughed. “Bastard. I always said you should have been an actor.”
“But instead I decided to be a chef. Weird, huh?”
“Not too much, so what’s going on?”
Well, see, I’ve got a problem, I want to propose to Claudia, but I haven’t got any money to buy a ring, or a wedding or to support us. I’m trying to figure out, ethically, if I should ask anyway.”
Kate laughed. “What kind of problem is that? I wish I had your dilemmas, Mike. It’s obvious, you should…” But she never finished the sentence. As the car sailed around the corner, another vehicle slammed into it going the other direction. The airbags exploded from the dash, and Kate was slammed back into her seat. As she recovered her breath, she glanced over to check on Mike. He didn’t move. “Mike? Are you okay? Mike?!” She drew a shuddering breath and dialed 911.
It had only been two hours, but it felt like a lifetime. She was sitting in the passenger seat of the NCIS van, wrapped in a blanket. From the driver’s seat, Gibbs was yelling at Tony for some reason or another, it was either not taking enough photos, or flirting with the ambulance driver; she couldn’t concentrate enough to figure out. All she could see was Mike lying on the stretcher, attached to an IV drip and painkillers.
“Hey, Kate! Pay attention!” snapped Gibbs. “What happened?”
“I don’t know, okay?”
“What d’you mean, I don’t know?” He was pissed, as usual.
Kate rolled her eyes. “We went around the corner, and the other car was driving towards us on our side of the road. It was major, but I’m fine. Mike on the other hand…”
“Hey, who is Mike anyway?” asked Tony, “New boyfriend?”
“No, he’s her cousin” answered Gibbs. “Now shut up, and let me drive.”
“Sorry boss.” Muttered Tony.
Three days later, Kate sighed and popped four Ibuprofens in her mouth, and swallowed them down with her hot chocolate. She hadn’t drunk any coffee since the accident, it made her neck hurt. She glanced at the clock. Four-thirty, only a half hour to go before she could go home. Her cell phone rang, distracting her from her train of thought.
“Kate, speaking.” She answered. Suddenly a woman was screaming at her, blaming her. Kate couldn’t understand a word Claudia said, she was too hysterical.
“Claudia, slow down, I can’t hear you.” She tried to sound soothing, but her annoyance at her cousin’s girlfriend came through anyway.
“Listen once, and listen good Kate. He didn’t make it through the surgery.” The woman was sobbing, and her voice was coming from farther and farther away. “He didn’t make it! He’s dead, and it’s your fault, Kate! It’s your fault!” The woman hung up, but Kate’s hand didn’t move from her ear. Mike was gone. Her favorite cousin was gone. She dropped her phone and started shoving her things into her purse, oblivious to the tears running down her cheeks. Her hand touched the bottle of painkillers on the desk and she paused. Mike wouldn’t ever feel pain, so she would feel it for him. She dropped the bottle into the trash and got up, purse slung over her shoulder.
As she passed McGee’s desk she said, “Bad news from home, I’ve got to leave early. Tell Gibbs for me, would you?”
McGee looked up, concerned. “Sure, Kate. What happened?”
“Nothing. See you later.” She ran to the elevator, hitting the down button harder than she’d meant to. As soon as the doors opened, she was inside. She slammed her fist into the close-door button and than hit parking. The doors slid closed and the metal box moved smoothly down to the parking garage level. She ran to her car and closed the door the second all her limbs were inside. She couldn’t see. Great. Where the hell was she going to go? She was thinking clearly enough to know that if she went home that would mean being alone with her pain and a loaded six-hour, that was suicide, clear and simple, but there was nowhere else to be except work.
Wrong. There was the bar. That was safe enough. Sure she’d get drunk, but the worst she was likely to do was pass out at the bar. That’s where she would go. She could drown her pain in alcohol; maybe even get some guys at the bar to pay for it. She wiped her eyes and stomped the gas, and five minutes later, she was sitting at a downtown bar ordering a shot glass of bourbon.
twelve shots and three guys later, Kate stumbled out the door of the bar, completely wasted. She was giggling a little bit, and tripping over her own feet. A couple heading to their car stopped and hailed her a taxi, pushing her inside and ignoring her drunken comments.
“Where’re you going lady?” asked the cabbie, bored. He’d seen too many drunks to be particularly attentive to any of them. Kate still didn’t want to go home, so she gave the first address she thought of and the driver sped off. When they reached the address, she overpaid the driver and walked unsteadily up the front path. She knocked on the door but didn’t get an answer. She pouted and knocked again. This time the door swung open. Gibbs was framed in the doorway, wearing jeans and a T-shirt. He looked surprised.
“Kate? What are you doing here?”
“I just…just wanted to…stop by and say hi.” She slurred wavering a little bit. Gibbs’ expression cleared and he ushered her inside.
“Here, come on down to the basement, I’m working down there. Do you want anything to drink?”
“No thanks, I already had a bunch.” She stated with difficulty.
“I meant coffee.”
“Oh. Sure.”
Gibbs grabbed a coffee cup and filled it up, looking up just in time to see Kate teetering at the top of the stairs. He raced forward, catching her by the elbow just before she fell down the steps, all without spilling the coffee. He guided her down into the basement, not letting go until she was seated by the frame of his boat. He handed her the cup. “Drink.” He commanded. She took a big gulp of the inky liquid, obediently, and then started coughing.
“Ugh, what is this?!” she asked wiping her mouth.
“Coffee.”
“It tastes like tar!”
“At least you have enough brain power to know that.” Replied Gibbs dryly. “Keep drinking it and maybe your hangover won’t be so bad in the morning.”
Kate sighed, her brain was still fuzzy, but she wasn’t quite so wasted now. “I had at least five shots of bourbon, and I don’t even know how I got here.”
“Hmm. Yeah, well, you’re screwed than.” Laughed Gibbs. ‘He has a nice laugh.’ Thought Kate idly.
“Do you mind if I stay here for a little while?” she asked.
“Sure, I’m just working on my boat. Want to try?”
Kate shook her head. “No thanks, Mike tried to teach me how to use tools once and he almost ended up in the hos…” she stopped, finally remembering why she’d gotten drunk to begin with. She stared at the boat, imagining Mike’s body on one of Ducky’s autopsy slabs. She didn’t even know that she’d started crying until she felt Gibbs’ thumb wiping away the tears.
“What happened, Kate? Is your cousin okay?” she could hear the concern in his voice.
“He…” she sniffed. “He didn’t make it off the operating table.” She was full on sobbing now. “It should’ve been me.” She wailed. “The accident was my fault, and things were going so well for him. He was going to propose to his girlfriend, and now she’ll never know how much he loved her!” Gibbs knelt down next to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Shh, shh. It’s okay, there was nothing you could do. I’m sure Mike wouldn’t want you to blame yourself.” She curled into his chest, sobbing, and he held her, humming a little under his breath. Finally, she stopped crying and started hiccupping instead. He ran his hand up and down her back, trying to get her to calm down. “Hey, Kate, why don’t you just try working with the sanding block. I’m sure Mike would be happy if you learned.”
Kate hiccupped again and nodded. “Okay. Will you show me how?”
Gibbs helped her to her feet and led her to the boat. He handed her a sander and positioned her hands on it so that she had the best leverage. “Alright. Take a step forward with your right foot. Just a little one. Lean forward a bit, and keep your shoulders and hips parallel. Put your arms all the way forward, and slide the block along the grain. Put your weight on the front foot, and then you won’t tire your arms out.” He stepped back and Kate kept sanding the frame. Slowly her body started to relax. She moved to a different spot on the frame and did the same thing.
“This is actually kind of fun.”
“It’s very therapeutic.” Replied Gibbs, watching her. He watched as she pushed a lose strand of hair back into place, and then raked his eyes down her body.
“Is that why you’re always down here?” she asked. His eyes snapped back up from admiring her very cute back pockets.
“No. I’m down here because I want to finish the boat so I can sail her. You’re down here because it’s therapeutic.”
She turned around in a huff. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she demanded.
“That you showed up dead drunk at my front door, and you just soaked my T-shirt because you were upset about your cousin’s death.” Kate glanced away, embarrassed, and Gibbs went back to checking out her outfit. Her shirt was a little tight around the chest…
“Whoa! Slow down, you’re going to put a hole in it!” Gibbs jumped forward and grabbed the sander out from under Kate’s hands, rescuing his boat from sure destruction.
“Sorry.” Kate spat. “I’m going to go home now.” She whirled around and stalked towards the stairs. ‘Shit.’ Thought Gibbs. ‘I swore I’d tell her this time.’ Fortunately, Kate was still fairly drunk and as she rounded the corner of the stairwell she tripped and collapsed. For the second time that night, Gibbs ran to catch her. And for the second time that night, Kate started crying. Gibbs sighed. Crying women intimidated him. One of the few things that did. He pulled Kate to her feet and hugged her to him, praying that she would stay in his arms.
“It’s okay, shh, it’s okay.” He chanted quietly. It seemed to work, and she stopped crying sooner than the last time.
“I’m sorry I keep crying all over you.” Kate sniffed, not moving, which suited Gibbs just fine. “I’m not usually this emotional.”
“You’ve had a rough week. You’re allowed to be emotional.” He skipped his usual response to apologies.
“I probably should get home though.” She said, waiting for him to release his grip on her waist. He didn’t. “You can let go now.” She promted.
“I don’t feel like it.” Gibbs was surprised by his own boldness. He glanced down at the woman he’d lusted after since he first met her and she gazed back at him. Her eyes weren’t mad, just confused, as if she didn’t totally understand his response. Then her eyes clouded.
Kate looked up at Gibbs, remembering another moment when she’d been this close to him.
The sub angled upwards, performing an emergency surface. Kate hadn’t realized what was happening until she was thrown forwards. She waited to crash into a wall, but felt a person instead. They seemed to be stationary, so she held on. Not that she had much choice with gravity forcing her against whoever it was. She looked up and saw Gibbs watching her and rolling his eyes. The submarine put on speed and she pressed closer to Gibbs’ chest. Suddenly she was feeling more than just the surfacing ship, her breath caught as she realized why and she forced herself to concentrate on something else. There was something warm around her waist, think about that instead. Shit. It was still Gibbs, it wasn’t right for her to feel this way. There were so many reasons. Suddenly, the ship was flat again. She felt relieved, but disappointed too. “Wow.” She said, thinking about the speed with which they had resurfaced. She was still holding on to Gibbs, and he hadn’t let go either. “Yeah, that’s what they all tell me.” He replied watching her face. She knew what he meant and pushed away quickly, glaring at the COB who had come through the doorway, daring him to speak.
She gasped a little as she came back to reality. He had that look on his face again, what the hell was happening? Why did she know that just now she was wearing the same expression? Gibbs leaned and touched his mouth to hers. Her body’s reaction shocked her. Butterflies erupted in her stomach and her fingers spread flat against his chest, but instead of pushing him away, they slipped up behind his head, latching together and pulling her as close to him as possible. Her mind spun, a combination of alcohol, too many thoughts, and Gibbs’ kiss. Why can’t you push him away? Shut up. He’s your boss. Shut up! What the hell are you doing kissing him back? SHUT UP!!! Oh holy mother of God…!
Kate tore herself free, stumbling a little as she moved towards the stairs. Gibbs just watched her, as if wishing he hadn’t kissed her but praying that she’d come back. Kate’s gaze went rapidly from Gibbs to the stairs and back again. Her mind told her to run for the door, but her body told her to go back to him. So, of course, she simply didn’t move. She opened her mouth, struggling to say something, but Gibbs was coming to her now, and she still couldn’t move. Go, stay, go, stay. In the end, he made the choice for her. He took her immobility for aquiescence and kissed her again. She sank into it this time, her defenses already weakened by the first kiss. Her body acted without her permission, performing based on instinct rather than coherent thought, and she found herself kissing him back, putting all her strength into keeping her body as close to his as possible. As Gibbs pulled her away from the stairs, all rational thought left her brain. All she could think was ‘Why didn’t we do this earlier?’
Kate woke up to the worst hangover she’d ever had in her life, and she’d managed a few good ones over the years. She squeezed her eyes closed against the pain and then gave up. She opened her eyes to look for a painkiller and realized that she had no idea where she was. ‘Shit.’ She thought. ‘I got drunk and went home with someone.’ She tried to remember, but only got the scent of bourbon and sawdust. ‘For the love of all that is good and pure in this universe, please tell me that I at least only slept with someone who deserved to be slept with.’ She prayed. She took a deep breath and rolled over in the bed to get a look at her bedmate. She froze. Holy fucking shit! Gibbs was asleep next to her, with the sheets around his waist. ‘Oh, shit, shit, shit!’ Kate began silently cursing in every langauge she knew. She fell back against the pillows and put a hand to her forehead. The movement woke Gibbs and he sat up and put a hand on her arm. Kate flinched away, still hiding her face.
“Damn. You don’t remember do you?” Kate shook her head. “Damnit. I thought you were sober again.”
“Kate uncovered her eyes. “What are you talking about?” she asked cautiously.
“You got completely drunk last night after you left the office and showed up at my door in a taxi. After a little while, you seemed sober. You were clear-headed enough to chew me out for not being sensitive enough about your problems. Aw, shit.”
“You’re saying that you thought I was sober when we had sex?” asked Kate incredulously.
“Yes. I suppose I’ve done better than I thought if you didn’t figure it out.” Kate blushed, recalling the submarine memory again, as well as one or two other incidents to which she’d attached no particular significance. “If I apologize, will you forgive me for being an idiot?” asked Gibbs, sounding a little desperate. Kate was surprised.
“You would apologize? Wow. I’m actually kind of touched.” Bits of the previous evening were coming back to her, and she found herself blushing a little just as Gibbs looked back up.
Gibbs touched her cheek, and this time Kate leaned into the touch instead of away from it. He smiled and moved across the bed towards her. He held himself over her, and dropped his head down to kiss her. Kate threw her arms around his neck, startling him. She smiled against his mouth and used the moment to switch their positions. Now she was hovering over him, laughing at the surprise on his face. She leaned down and put her lips to his ear. “I’m sober this time, Gibbs.” She whispered, smiling as she aligned her body with his.
The next time Kate woke up, the phone on the nightstand was ringing. She groaned and ducked her head into Gibbs’ chest. “Please don’t answer it!” she pleaded. Gibbs craned his neck to look at the caller ID.
“I have to, Kate. It’s DiNozzo.”
“I’m going to kill him.” Muttered Kate, pulling the covers over her head.
“Not if you don’t want him trying to figure out why you’re killing him.” Gibbs replied and clicked the ‘talk’ button. “Yeah, Gibbs.”
“Hey Boss, look, my power and hot water are out again, can I stay at your place?”
“Hell no, DiNozzo. Now if that’s all, you’d better hang up before
I get really pissed.”
“That’s not all, Boss. I was wondering if you’d heard from Kate. She hasn’t come in yet, and the Probie says she was pretty upset when she left. She isn’t answering her cell or her house phone, and it’s already eight hundred hours. She’s usually been in for at least an hour and a half by now. I was hoping maybe she called you so that I can get Abby to stop panicking. She keeps wanting to put out BOLOs and trace cell phone GPS’s.”
“Well, then lie to her, and tell her that Kate called in sick. I don’t know where she is.” Kate snickered a little under the blankets. “Now if that’s all…”
“That’s it, Boss. Oh, except there was some kind of report that you’re supposed to fill out by the end of the week.”
“Got it. Bye DiNozzo.” Gibbs hung up and was about to put the phone back on it’s hook, when Kate’s arm shot out from the sheets and grabbed it. She pulled the battery out of the phone and threw it across the room before handing the phone back.
“Here you go. No more interruptions.” She smiled sweetly and Gibbs laughed,
“I could have done that if you’d just asked.” He told her, wrapping his arms around her. “Are you hungry?”
Kate nodded. “Yes, actually. And I could really use a painkiller.”
“No problem.” He let go and got up. He headed to the closet and grabbed a clean outfit, got dressed, and headed out to the kitchen. Kate stared after him. She’d slept with Gibbs. With her boss. She sighed. She was screwed, no pun intended, if anyone every found out, but God, as long as Gibbs didn’t abandon her, she didn’t care. She shook herself. This would end here. It would be a memory and nothing more. She got up and pulled on her clothes from the day before, and walked down to the kitchen. The smell of eggs greeted her at the doorway, and she felt her stomach growl. Gibbs turned and gestured towards a bottle of ibuprofen on the counter. “Take the maximum, you missed a few doses yesterday.” He told her, going back to the frying pan. “You’ll want to get a new prescription.” Kate blushed, realizing he’d seen the painkillers she’d tossed the afternoon before. He knew her well enough to put together the information. “Eat quick, we’ve got to get to work.” Kate nodded and sat down at the table, scarfing down the hot eggs he handed her.
Gibbs parked in a heavily shaded part of the parking lot, and leaned across the car to give Kate a soft kiss. “You go in first, I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.” She nodded and stepped out of the car. As she turned to shut the door, he reached out his arm with a small bottle in it. “I think you’ll want these, Kate. It’s only been three days.” He smiled and dropped the bottle into her palm. She put it into her purse, closed the door, and headed into the building.
Tony walked in just as she sat at her desk. “Hey, where were you? You had McGee here really worried.”
Kate didn’t look up. “That’s really none of your business Tony.”
“Oh, come on Kate, no secrets between friends, right?”
Gibbs walked around the corner. “Dinozzo, go get the van ready, one of our witnesses has been murdered. Kate, go see if Abby’s got anything.”
“Got it Boss.” Both Tony and Kate said simultaneously.
Kate got on the elevator, and headed down to the lab. When she got there, should had to cover her hears and turn down the stereo. “Hey Abby. Gibbs wants to know if you’ve got anything new.”
Abby smiled. “Don’t I always tell him when I find something?” she asked, hands on her hips.
Kate laughed. “Of course you do, but you know Gibbs.”
“Well, it just so happens I do have something. It’s sort of cool too.”
“Shoot, Abbs.”
Abby turned back to her computer. “You know how our witness said that he’d tried to revive the dead guy? Well, it just so happens, that he someone else did too. The prints were covered up by our witnesses, so I didn’t see them at first. But guess who they belong to?”
Kate shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“They came from the victim’s wife!”
“We’re going to my place tonight, Gibbs.” Said Kate as the two of them stood in the moving elevator. “And no one’s leaving cars in the parking lot.”
“Fine with me.”
“Good. And why did you have to tell Tony about the tattoo? That is really not a good way keep our cover.”
“Sorry, I was thinking about how to annoy Dinozzo, it didn’t occur to me that I’d be able to annoy you at the same time.”
“You enjoyed it didn’t you?” demanded Kate.
“Of course not, I’m a bastard, but I’m not that bad.”
“Liar.”
“You caught me.”
“And I will make you pay.”
“I doubt that.”
Good, that’ll make it more fun.” They walked to their separate cars and Gibbs followed Kate to her house. He drove a block or two past it, and walked back to the door. When he came inside, he was wet from the rain. “Messy, but effective.” Said Kate, smiling. “Come on. I’m not sleeping on a couch two nights in a row.”
When they reached the bedroom, Kate threw herself into Gibbs’ arms, not caring that her clothes were soaking through from the contact. But as she fitted her body to his, he pushed her back. “What are we doing Kate? A one night stand is one thing, but there’s never going to be a future for us.” I told you. Her brain recalled last night’s doubts cruelly. Shut up. I’ll figure something out. Kate sighed, and sat down on the bed. “I know that. It’s just sex, Gibbs. It was just sex last night, and it’s just sex tonight. If it’s alright with you, I’d like to keep it that way. I don’t want a future, I just need to come home to something right now.”
Gibbs laughed. “So let me see if I’ve got this right. We sleep together, no one at work finds out, and officially speaking, we date whoever we want?”
“Sounds about right.” Kate replied, knowing that nothing could be farther from what she wanted.
“You are a very naughty little Catholic girl.” He sat down next to her.
She scooted in closer, sliding her hand over his leg. “What can I say, I’m desperately lacking in morals right now.”
“So I noticed. How long does it last?”
“Until one or both of us want it to stop.”
“This set-up would make Dinozzo really happy.”
“Good thing he’s not a part of it, then.” Kate turned and kissed him, doing her best to keep it lustful and quick, but when he kissed her back, she lost the battle, and drew it out as long as she could. Gibbs took advantage of her loss of control and rolled her underneath him, once again, she felt her body relax along the line of his. How could this happen? The man she needed to be most guarded around was the one who took down her defenses without even knowing it. What she had proposed was insane, she couldn’t control her actions when she was with him, and she knew it come back and bite her in the end. It’s just one more night, she thought. Just one more night and I’ll end it, after all, I’ve already done the work for tonight, why give up the reward? She trembled as she deepened the kiss. There were so many things about this experience that she’d never felt before. Her body’s reaction was new, as was the all-consuming need to be near him. Tomorrow. She promised herself. Tomorrow I’ll end it. And with that, she gave up everything to the sure feeling of his touch.
Kate waved to the black sedan as it roared past her window, then she swallowed a few painkillers and got dressed. At seven, her doorbell rang, and when she glanced through the peephole in the door, Tony stuck his tongue out at her. She rolled her eyes and opened the door. “Why are you here Tony?”
“I figured something out, and I seriously need to talk to you about it.”
“Come on in, but make it quick, we’ve both got to get to work.”
“Thanks.” Tony stepped through the doorway and took a deep breath. “You and Gibbs are sleeping together aren’t you?”
Kate raised her eyebrows. “Well, I’m obviously not at his house, and I’m pretty sure he’s not here, so I’m going to take a wild shot and say, no, we’re not. Besides, he’s the boss. Do you really think I’d go that low? I mean, I’m not you, Tony.”
Tony grimaced. “That’s sweet Kate, but it’s really not the point.”
Kate folded her arms. “Then what is, Tony?”
“Whatever your standards are, I don’t know, but Gibbs has rules, and pretty much every one of them says that you two being in a relationship is a bad idea. And one day, he’s going to wake up and blame you for making him break them. He’s going to take that anger out on you. Can you handle working for someone who hates you?”
Kate didn’t speak, so Tony bulldozed forward. “I’m saying this as a friend Kate. It’s not a good idea to be in a relationship with Gibbs. Everything about him and his life makes that pretty clear.”
“Then guess it’s a good thing I’m not in a relationship with him, isn’t it Tony?” Kate retorted.
Tony sighed and opened the door. “Yeah, I guess it is.” He left and Kate leaned against the door. She had to end it.
Kate watched Sheriff Charley flirting with Gibbs, stifling a laugh as he tried to avoid her advances. Charley walked over to Kate. “So what’s his story? Is he single? Available?”
“Uh, well he’s…” she forced herself to say it, after all, she’d sworn that morning it would end. “He’s single, but as for available, you’d have to ask him.” She turned and walked away, fake smile plastered on her face. It wasn’t over.
The two of them were in the basement together, laughing. Gibbs was still trying to teach her how to build a boat, and, needless to say, she was failing miserably. Kate wiped her eyes and turned to face Gibbs. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the boat frame, grinning. “So, the Sheriff seems like a lovely woman.” She teased. “Going to take her out?”
Gibbs rolled his eyes. “Are you…jealous?” he asked, innocently.
Kate stepped closer to him, dancing her fingertips up his chest. “I could take care of that for you. A little mark right…” she kissed the curve between his neck and shoulder and he shuddered. “…there, and she’ll never bother you again.”
“Hm, it is tempting, but what would it cost me?”
Kate smiled coyly. “What makes you think there’s a price?”
“With you, there always is, isn’t there?”
Kate pulled back a little, uttering a phony gasp. “Why Gibbs, I’m offended!”
He smiled. “But…”
“But you’re right, there is a price.” She closed the gap between their bodies again. “I get a matching one.” She whispered, tapping her throat.
“You drive a hard bargain.” He murmured. “Deal.”
“Good.” Kate pulled him down to the floor, administering little nips and scratches along his neck. “She won’t get anywhere near you.” Said Kate, tipping her head back and feeling the sound vibrate along her taught skin. His lips closed around her throat, and she whimpered a little. He smiled against her skin, and that was the end of that discussion.
“Gibbs you really should just let me cover them up for you.” Kate said, measuring her voice so that it was barely loud enough for Sheriff Charley to hear her. The woman was watching Tony take photos of the new crime scene, but her head was tilted back to pick up the conversation. “Come on, it’s exactly your color, they won’t show a bit.”
Gibbs glanced at her. “Fine, but don’t go making any new ones while you’re at it.” He teased. Kate giggled and started brushing the powder on his neck.
“Pull your collar down a little bit.” She commanded.
“You just want an excuse to take my shirt off!”
“No, I need to blend the cover-up.” Kate replied sternly. “Besides, I don’t need an excuse.” A vein was pulsing in the resident LEO’s neck now. Kate dusted on a bit more powder and leaned in so that her lips were almost touching his skin. Gently, she blew on it, getting excess cover-up off, and then she rubbed her thumb across the patch of skin. “Perfect. No one will know now except us.”
“Except us.” Gibbs repeated softly. Charley barked something at Tony and Kate jumped, as if brought back to reality by the sound. She hurried out to take measurements. Tony grabbed his bag and followed.
“What was that all about?” he asked, a mix of curiosity and disgust in his voice.
“What was what?”
“You know what was what! Argh!” he took a deep breath. “What was with you and the Boss making goo-goo eyes? I thought you said you weren’t in a relationship, that we agreed it was a bad idea.”
“We did. Gibbs asked me to help him get the Sheriff off his tail, so we set up that little act.”
“It looked pretty real to me, Kate.” Tony warned.
“Good, that should convince her then.”
“I don’t think you were faking that look, Kate.”
Kate turned to him, annoyed. “Believe it or not, Tony, I do know that women tend to act a certain way once they’ve made love with someone, and believe it or not, I do know how to act that way. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ve got a crime scene to sketch.
“Whatever you say Kate.” Tony pulled out a sketch pad and handed it to her. “I’ll go see how your little skit worked out.
“You know she hates you now, right?”
“I think I’ll live. What’s dinner?”
Gibbs wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her neck. “I thought we might skip that part.”
Kate laughed. “Okay, you might be able to live on coffee, but can’t. And I skipped breakfast this morning, dinner last night, the night before that, the night bef…” he clamped a hand over her mouth.
“I get it, I need to feed you.” Kate stuck her tongue out, licking his hand.
“I think that pretty much stops working once you’ve slept with someone.” He replied, not moving his hand. Kate reached up and ran her finger along the skin behind his ear while simultaneously kissing his palm. That worked. He relaxed and she slipped out of his reach, to the bottom of the stairs. She stuck her tongue out again.
“Food first. I’m hungry.” Gibbs smiled as he watched her race up the steps.
Kate sighed. It had been two months since the crash, but she was still in a lot of pain. She rolled over and grabbed the bottle of painkillers of the nightstand. She popped the pills in her mouth and swallowed, then glanced back at the bottle. This was her third prescription and it was almost empty. She wasn’t addicted. When she’d realized how often she was taking the meds, she’d checked with her doctor, and gotten tested and tried other methods to relieve the pain. They all worked, the pills were just the most effective. Her doctor had Okayed the pills as long as she was off them in another two months. She glanced at her clock. Four forty-five in the morning. Weren’t painkillers supposed to make you sleep better? She hadn’t been able to sleep for days. But of course, that may have been because of the depression she’d sunk into. Gibbs had broken off their set-up five days ago. He’d fallen for a woman during the case they were working, and said he didn’t want to be dating one woman and sleeping with another. At least it was Saturday and they’d already solved the case. That meant she didn’t have to go into work, she rolled over and closed her eyes tightly. Nothing. She’d known it would end, but she hadn’t been prepared for what it would do to her when it did. Maybe she would go into work today. At least then she could do something and distract her mind. She got up and went into the bathroom. You look like hell. Better put on make-up again today. She picked up her brand-new bottle of cover-up. She’d never owned anything other than some lipstick and eye-shadow before, but this last week had forced her hand. She got dressed, and drove to work. It was still only five o’clock when she got in, but she needed to do something. She headed straight to the lab to visit with Abby. She turned down the speakers when she stepped through the door, and Abby turned around.
“I knew it was too early for Gibbs to be here. But you’re usually not here this early either, or on Saturdays.” Abby said, watching her friend.
Kate smiled. “I couldn’t sleep so I came in. Hi McGee.” Of course. Wherever Abby was, McGee would be there too.
“Hi Kate. Have you tried taking melatonin? I know a lot of people who use it to sleep.”
“No, it was just a one time thing, so I didn’t bother with medication.” She didn’t mention the bottle of painkillers in her purse, but she knew that Abby and McGee probably knew about them already. “I just came down to say hi. I’ll let you two get back to work.” She turned and left.
McGee turned to Abby. “What’s that word you use? Hinky?” Abby nodded. “Well something’s hinky with Kate. Has she talked to you?”
“No, but I still know what’s wrong.” McGee stared. “Oh come on, McGee, follow the line of reasoning. She and Gibbs have been arriving and leaving within seconds of each other for the last two months.” She paused and McGee picked up on her train of thought.
“Except the last couple of days when Gibbs comes and goes at the normal time but Kate comes in early and leaves late.”
Abby grinned. “Exactly. They’re an item for almost two months, and then they break up. My guess from Kate is that he broke up with her.”
McGee’s eyes widened. “And he’s been seeing that lady from the case for the last couple of days.”
Abby clapped. “Good job McGee! You’re going to be a great field agent.”
He looked at her, curious. “But how did you figure all that out if you’ve been down here when I couldn’t figure it out when I watched them together?”
Abby looked sheepish. “Well, I put GPS chips on them both.” Seeing McGee’s stare she continued. “I was curious! I couldn’t help it!”
“I’m actually impressed, how did you do it without their knowledge?”
“I put a chip on Kate’s phone, she just thought she’d left it here, and I put Gibbs’ in his PDA. I had to keep replacing that one though.” She said thoughtfully.
“I still don’t get why they would be together, though, I mean, they’re a really unlikely couple.” said McGee.
“Yeah, but Kate was really happy, which is good.” Replied Abby. “Hey, I found something weird. Come look at this.”
Kate filed paperwork all day. It was boring, tedious, and made her want to rip her head off, but it gave her something else to think about. Unfortunately, she was feeling nauseous, which made it hard to sit and do paperwork. What a hell of a time to get sick. She put the back of her hand to her forehead. No temperature. She sighed, and went to the elevator. Maybe Abby or McGee will have an idea. She took the elevator down to the lab and opened the glass door. Abby launched herself at Kate.
“What are you doing Abby?” asked Kate, laughing.
“Gibbs’ new girlfriend is a murderer!” yelled Abby, looking anything but upset.
Kate was shocked. “What?! How do you know? We have to tell him!”
“McGee already did. She’s in interrogation right now.”
“Is Gibbs there?” demanded Kate.
Abby shook her head. “He brought her in and then left. Went back home I think.”
Kate turned to leave. “Oh, Abby, I forgot. I came down to ask if you knew any fixes for nausea.”
Abby nodded. “What have you got?”
“I ate something nasty this morning I think, my stomach has been hurting too.”
“Aunt Flo?” asked Abby knowingly.
“Actually, no. Just food poisoning.”
“Try some peanut butter.”
Kate laughed. “What?”
Abby nodded furiously. “Yeah, I always eat a pb&j whenever I get sick, the sugar makes me thirsty, and the peanut butter soothes my stomach.”
“I never stop being surprised by you Abbs.”
Abby smiled. “That’s what I’m here for!”
She stood at the top of the stairs, grateful that Gibbs never locked his front door. He was working on the boat, but it was obvious he was thinking about something else. She took a deep breath and went down the steps. “Is this where you found out, Gibbs?”
He looked up. “Yeah.”
“You should talk about it.”
“I know, Kate.” His voice was quiet.
She stepped up next to him. “Come on. Talk to me. It’s good for you.”
Gibbs whirled on her. “I know!” he shouted.
Kate set her face and stood her ground. “Every time you come down here, you’re going to remember that moment. You need to have another good memory of this room to cancel it out.”
He turned back to the boat. “I’ll be fine.”
Kate grabbed his arm. “Gibbs, I’m only going to say this once, so listen up. You need to stop torturing yourself. There’s something you blame yourself for too. Something that isn’t really your fault. You have to know it’s not true, you told me that! Now, you need a good memory for this room, and you need one now.” She stepped in front of him, trying to get back in his line of sight, but he slammed her up against the side of the boat. She could see the pain in his eyes, and new she’d reached a nerve. She kept talking anyway. “You lost someone Gibbs, and you still think it’s your fault. I’m here for you, okay? And you need to listen to me. I’m going to show you that this room still has good memories.” She leaned in and kissed him, her action shocked Gibbs enough that Kate was able to get the advantage. She pulled away. “I’m going to become whoever it is you need me to be, I’m going to be whatever woman you need, and you’re going to make love to me. Two months ago, I needed the intimacy, and today you do, so have at.” His eyes held shock rather than pain now, but he still didn’t move, so she put herself forward instead. As he held her, she knew that her actions would hurt her in the morning, that she would feel the loss again, but right now he needed something, so she gave it to him. As she made herself forget what the morning would bring, she felt a name on her lips that felt right, even though she’d never been given permission to use it.
Her voice was no more than a whisper. “Jethro.”
Story Notes:
Hey, I did an earlier version of this story, and I promise to get it back up, but for now, please read and review!
Author's Chapter Notes:
Kate's life is changed forever when her cousin dies in a car crash, but what happens when the man she loves can kill her without even trying? After a near-fatal pregnancy, Kate vanishes to West Virginia and becomes Catherine Harris, aka The Cat, a notorious killer. But when she begins a relationship with the father of the daughter she had to leave behind, and someone hires her to kill a former team mate, Kate is forced to choose. Will she stay Cat Harris, government assassin and lose the love of her life, or will she go back to the life she left behind?
Chapter End Notes:
Hey, I did an earlier version of this story, and I promise to get it back up, but for now, please read and review!