The Peacemaker
“They cannot take away our self-respect if we do not give it to them.” - Mohandas K. Ghandi
Jealous one-time lovers, ex-fiancées, a new job and a fledgling relationship. If Kate was a drinker, she had plenty of reasons to throw work out the window and head to the nearest bar to get shit-faced, but she wasn’t so she couldn’t no matter how much she wanted to.
Tony had patiently told her how he’d met Jeanne and his reasons for ending things, and the fact she seemed to think she still had some level of power or control over him; that she could stop him seeing other women, and get jealous when he had a date. Kate couldn’t believe the woman sat outside her office could be so obsessive and controlling, and that was on the assumption that Kate believed what she was told, which she rarely did; she liked to double check. Tony certainly seemed nervous seeing Jeanne again, and Kate wasn’t about to ask her assistant her view on the break-up and treat her as if she were a suspect under interrogation. Not only did she not want to put tension between her and the woman who was now set to fetch her coffee every morning, she didn’t want to put any sort of tension between her and Tony, as it wouldn’t be a very good start to whatever they had.
For the remainder of the hour they had together, Kate pushed all thoughts of Jeanne and Jethro from her head and just enjoyed being with Tony. It would take her a while to get used to being in a relationship, if that’s what they were calling it, because it had been so long since she’d had a steady man in her life; after the little stunt Jethro had pulled in the elevator, she no longer considered him and what they’d had for the past sixteen years anything more than a close, personal friendship. This was all subject to change, because she honestly didn’t want to lose him, but only if he proved he really regretted how he’d acted and what he’d said. She needed him to apologise and because getting Jethro Gibbs to say sorry was equal to drawing blood from a stone, she’d know how much he regretted his actions and how much he’d hurt himself in the process.
She had led Tony out the office after he’d gotten too comfortable and almost, but not quite, convinced her to christen her office couch; she had after all said she’d give him something for his trouble, but wasn’t specific. Standing in front of the elevator, under the glaring eyes of Jeanne, they’d shared a goodbye kiss which would’ve turned into more if it hadn’t been for Jeanne clearing her throat. Kate never considered herself an exhibitionist, but to have Tony’s hands on for just another second she would’ve clearly reconsidered that. They’d looked over at her with red faces, but she was too engrossed in her paperwork than she was in them.
When Kate returned to her office, she decided to just give up on working after all and really wished she’d taken Tony up on his offer; it would’ve been much more fun, especially with the risk of being caught, than finding out who her important clients where and what they required of her. She’d laughed when her mind turned that thought into something else which she blamed, along with her dissipating migraine, on her new lover. One day with him and she had the mentality of a frat boy.
There was nothing that required her immediate attention since she hadn’t been around long enough to get anything of much importance and her next meeting wasn’t until later that afternoon. Under normal circumstances she would’ve gone to Jethro’s office, but that was out of the question.
When Jeanne walked in with a report she needed to sign off on for the designers, Kate was slightly apprehensive; the woman had seen her ex-fiancé more or less screwing her boss by the elevators. There was an obvious change in Jeanne’s attitude from when she’d first met her, she could see it in her eyes, and if what Tony had said was true, it was quite possible she was about to deal with the wrath of a jealous ex and to be quite frank she couldn’t be bothered. Kate couldn’t resist wondering what it was with people trying to bring her down when she was finally happy, or as close to it as she could be.
The highlight of Kate’s day, after her visit from Tony, came in the form of a young man named Jimmy Palmer, resident delivery boy. The two embossed silver envelopes he handed her only meant one thing; Tom was having a party. Morrow was known for his extravagant parties and he usually had no reason for throwing one other than the fact he wanted to celebrate. His Christmas party had even made the newspaper. She was about to call Jimmy back when she realised he’d given her Jethro’s invitation as well as her own, but she figured this would be as good a time as any to see if he was ready to apologise. Taking a breath, she stood and made her way towards the door.
Casting a shy glance in Jeanne’s direction, Kate seen she wasn’t there and continued on her way to Jethro’s office, noticing that Abby wasn‘t at her desk either. The entire day seemed to be going downhill and the outlook for the rest of the week wasn’t looking great either. If she could patch things up with Jethro and find it in her to forgive him, then her week could get better.
Holding her head high, she walked towards Jethro’s door and paused outside for a moment. She had no reason to explain herself to him, she was doing nothing wrong. Hadn’t she deserved the right to have fun and actually enjoy her life for a change, instead of bowing down to everyone’s expectations of what she should or shouldn’t do? So she slept with a guy she’d barely known five minutes and was planning to continue; Kate couldn’t see the big deal with it. More importantly, she couldn’t see Jethro’s problem with it. Steeling herself for the wrath she knew Jethro was likely to bring down on her, Kate pushed open the door.
He turned in his chair when she entered, having been looking out the window, and Kate didn’t need any words of apology because she could see on his face just how sorry he was. Even after Shannon, she hadn’t seen him look quite as ill as he did now.
“If this is round two, I’m not so sure my face will hold up; you’ve got a pretty hard hit.”
Kate smiled and shook her head, looking at Jethro fondly. There was barely there bruising on his left cheek, but she bet her morning coffee it was tender as hell to touch; she hadn’t meant to hit him quite so hard, but he provoked her.
“No, I just came by to drop off this invitation; Jimmy gave me it by accident.”
Any and all fight had left Kate when she entered the room, so she was calm enough to walk around Jethro’s desk to hand the envelope to him before sitting on the edge of the desk.
“Why?”
“Why did I go off on one? Why am I jealous? Why do I absolutely hate the thought of you with someone else? Easy; I love you. I‘m jealous because for so long, it‘s been us against the world. We‘ve battled the rumors and the stories. We‘ve had to deal with people making assumptions about us, by asking us somewhere as a couple. For sixteen years, Kate, it‘s been you and me and suddenly, there‘s someone else and it just feels like I‘m losing you.”
Jethro stood suddenly and began pacing around the room. It seemed to him that every woman he’d ever loved or cared for was taken from him whether it be by death or love for another, they all left him to become a misanthropic man with a cynical outlook on life. For more than a decade, Kate had been his light. She’d been there for every high, low and medium and that was simply because she took away the lows and every moment with her was a high. It was true he’d never loved anyone like Shannon, but Kate was hitting a close joint first on that scale and having her leave him felt like the last straw.
“I admit I was jealous when you told me about what happened with Jen in Paris, but you have no right to jump down my throat about my sleeping with a guy I barely know, when you done the exact same thing; it’s called being a hypocrite.”
“So maybe I am being a hypocrite. But I’ve been the one man in your life that you’ve been able to rely on and trust. What we have is something more than a friendship or a relationship, and it scares me that you won’t be in my life as much anymore.”
“We’re very Mulder and Scully. They went through everything together and always came out stronger, just like us. And just like us right now, one of them is taken away it makes the other realise just how important they are to them and they fight to get them back. I suppose in this scenario, I‘m Scully.”
“Well, I’ve always been partial to a redhead.”
“You know I’d do anything for you, but I’m not dying my hair.”
Kate laughed as she walked towards Jethro and he stopped long enough for her to slip her hands under his jacket and squeeze him tightly. To her, he always was and always would be the best thing that ever happened to her and somehow she wanted him to see that nothing would ever change that, but she also needed him to see they never would‘ve have made it as a couple.
Kate knew that Jethro knew how important he was to her, and she him, because they practically lived in each others pockets, but Jethro, naturally, was right. What they had was more than a friendship or a relationship; they were a fairly tale couple who weren’t a couple and Kate figured he was seeing Tony as the wicked witch who swooped in to shatter the happily ever after they were living.
“Do you honestly really think, if we’d been in a relationship, that we’d be as good as friends and as close as we are now? Let’s face it, you’re a pain in the ass and most of the time I’m a controlling bitch.”
“Doesn’t makes us love each other less though, does it?”
“No. But we wouldn’t have made it in a relationship. I value and care for you too much to be someone who’d break your heart; I don’t want that, because I hate seeing you so broken and if my being with Tony is going to do that to you, then I‘m sorry.”
“Don’t be. If you think he’s trustworthy and you can rely on him, the way you do me, then I’m happy for you. Honestly. My only request is that I get you every Saturday night until an outrageous time on Sunday morning; I need my girl to help me with the boat.”
“Jethro Gibbs, you got yourself a deal.”
Kate smiled up at him before standing on her toes to kiss his chin. She went back to resting her head on his shoulder, her designated place, and felt stronger than she had all day knowing that her rock hadn’t crumbled on her after all.
In a secluded corner of the cafeteria, Jeanne had her phone against her ear and was waiting impatiently for the person on the other end to pick up. Seeing Tony with Kate, her boss, the woman she answered to, was enough to push her anger and jealousy out with her limits. He shouldn’t be seeing other women, he shouldn’t even be considering it. How dare he treat her as if she meant nothing to him. How dare he sleep with her boss, of all people.
She didn’t deserve a man like Tony, it was obvious. Kate looked as if she were the type to use them and throw them out once she’d had her fill; Tony was more than that. She needed Tony to see that Kate was no good for him. Jeanne would never admit that she was scorned or hateful. It had been two years after all, plenty of time to get over it; but she knew Kate had only arrived in town on Friday and already she seemed pretty cosy with Tony. No, she didn’t want him to see Kate was no good, she wanted something more.
She wanted revenge in its finest form.
Author's Chapter Notes:
As above