“ So Abby, your still ok to help me move this weekend?” Kate asked as Abby came up to the bullpen at the end of the day.
“ Of course. I wouldn’t miss it” Abby said cheerfully.
“ Wait you’re moving? Where to?” Tony asked.
“ For us to know and you not to find out” Kate said with a smile.
“ So I’ll be around about 9 is that to early?” Abby asked.
“ No that’s fine I’ll see you then” Kate said as Abby left. Kate started to pack up her desk.
“ Do you need any extra help?” Gibbs asked her quietly.
“ No that’s alright. I have my brother coming with the truck. It should be enough, but thanks anyway” she said with a soft smile. Gibbs gave her a little smile and let her leave the office.
Kate, Abby and Jason were up and packing the truck at 9:30 am Saturday morning.
“ Right I think that’s everything” Kate said standing next to the full truck and two full cars.
“ I would hope so. We good to head off now?” Jason asked as he closed the back doors of the truck.
“ Yeah, just let me lock up” Kate said running to the front door, locking it and running back to her car. She got in and lead the way to her new home.
They pulled up out the front of her new home. Kate got out and ran to the front door and unlocked it. She went back to the cars and started to help un pack. She looked over at one of her neighbours’ house and saw something familiar.
“ Abby, does that car look familiar to you” she asks holding a box. Abby came over and looked at the silver car.
“ Nope, they all look the same to me” she said with a smile then headed inside with the box she had. Kate starred at the number plate still trying to figure out where she knew it from, she gave up and headed inside to.
Jason helped bring in the heavy stuff then said goodbye and took the truck back. Abby and Kate started to unpack ad place everything around the house.
“ Its getting late. Did you want to stay for diner?” Kate asked Abby as they sat in the lounge room unpacking books, dvds, cds and picture fames.
“ Yeah, what are we having?” Abby asked with a smile.
“ Well, I was thinking of ringing up and ordering pizza” Kate said grabbing her phone.
“ Wow Kate, celebrating are we?” Abby said with a laugh.
“ Of course” she said dialling the number.
As they waited for the pizza they hooked up the TV so they could have some background noise.
“ Do you even have neighbours?” Abby asked looking out the window.
“ Why do you say that?” Kate asked.
“ Well no one has come out to see what was going on when we first got here. No one has come over to welcome you to the street and I haven’t seen anyone leave the house. There isn’t even I light on over there” Abby said still trying to get a good look at the house next door.
“ They probably don’t have a life” Kate said with a laugh. Then the door bell rang and she ran to get the pizza
When the pizza was finished and most of Kate’s things were unpacked Abby left and Kate locked up and headed for bed.
Kate woke up in her new house, made breakfast in her new kitchen. She ate looking out at her big open backyard and decided to take advantage of it and the beautiful clear blue sky.
She went and got changed into her bikini, grabbed a towel, ipod and her phone and went out side. She set up a nice spot that wasn’t to much in the sun. She put her ipod on, not to loudly in case her phone rang. She just getting settled when her phone did ring and it happened to be Abby.
“ Hey, how did it feel waking up in your new place?” Abby asked with an excited tone.
“ It was so weird. Everything is just so new” Kate told her.
“ It’s so exciting. So what are you doing now?” Abby asked.
“ Well, I’m lying on a towel in my backyard sunbaking” she said with a little giggle.
Gibbs was up on his roof cleaning out his gutters getting ready for summer.
‘ You can never be to careful’ he always says to people. He those the dead leaves and sticks on the lawn as he moves along the roof. He can hear a woman talking. He seems to recognise the voice. He stands up and wipes a bead of sweat that has formed on his forehead. He looks over the fence and sees a small brunette, lying on a beach towel wearing nothing but her bikini. She rolls over and he sees she is on the phone.
“ Kate?” He said aloud. He couldn’t believe she was lying in the yard next door.
The woman stopped and looked up over at him on the roof.
“ Gibbs?” she said. She dropped her phone not bothering to tell Abby what is going on. She gets up and goes over to the fence.
“ What are you doing there?” Kate asked looking up at him. He smiled.
“ Well I live here. What are you doing over there?” he asked her.
“ Well I live here. I told you I was moving this weekend” she pointed out.
“ Yes, but you forget to mention where” he said with a smile.
“ Right. Did you not take any notice of the moving van or the sold sign out the front?” she asked him with a smile. He just shook his head.
“ Well at least I know one of my neighbours” she said with a little laugh.
“ After you have done yours can you come do mine?” she asked, jokingly.
“ I’m not going to become your handy man, Kate” he said with a smile as he threw more leaves onto the ground.
“ I was joking Gibbs. I can do it myself, I’m not completely useless” she said with a little laugh. She walked back inside. She knew Gibbs was still watching her as she grabbed her things and went inside.
‘ Kate. Next door. Oh boy’ Gibbs thought to himself as he watched her walking away. He found himself still starring at where she had just been.
Kate sat her things down and realised Abby was still on the phone.
“ Abby?” she said into the phone.
“ Kate? What’s going on? I heard you say Gibbs, then there was a lot of muffled talking” Abby said frantically.
“ Well I met my new neighbour” Kate told her with a little laugh.
“ Who?. Wait, is Gibbs your neighbour?” she asked.
“ Yeah, he was on his roof cleaning his gutters” Kate said.
“ So, he just saw you in your bikini” she said laughing.
“ Abby. He was his normal self. Nothing is going to change just because we are neighbours” Kate told her.
“ Oh come on Kate, don’t be like that. You will be cooking him meals while he fixes things around the house. Next thing you know you both end up in the same bed” she told Kate with a little laugh. Kate just shook her head. She then heard the door bell.
She made her way to the door.
“ Abby just because he is next door doesn’t mean I’m going to be seeing him more then I normally would” Kate told her as she opened the door. She was stunned when she saw Gibbs standing there.
“ Call you back” Kate said to Abby before closing her phone.
“ What are you doing here?” she asked him.
“ I’m here to clean your gutters” he said simply.
“ Gibbs, I didn’t mean what I said before.” She said with a little laugh.
“ I know” he said as he stepped past her.
“ Is that your usual weekend wear?” he asked heading for the backdoor. Kate looked at herself. She forgot she was still in her bikini as she had been stuck on the phone with Abby when he knocked on her door.
“ Only in summer” she told him. She went to her bedroom and chucked on a pair of shorts and singlet.
“ Do you want something for lunch?” she asked him sticking her head out the back door.
“ Only if your making something for yourself” he called back to her, then dumped a heap of dried leaves and stick onto the lawn.
She went to the kitchen and looked in the fridge and cupboard.
“ Mmm” she said aloud. She pulls out the loaf of bread, lettuce, tomato, mayo and cucumber out of the fridge. Pulls a can of tuna out of the cupboard and put two sandwiches together. She poured two glasses of orange juice and put it all on the kitchen bench. She went outside and called Gibbs inside.
“ You know you didn’t have to come and do my gutters. I could have done it” Kate told him. Gibbs gave her a little laugh.
“ You don’t believe me?” she questioned.
“ Oh no I believe you” he said chewing his sandwich. Kate smiled at him, she knew that he knew she was quiet capable of doing it herself.
“ Nice place” he said again as he looked around her kitchen and lounge room.
“ If there anything that needs to be fixed, I’m right next door” he said as he took a bite of his sandwich. Kate smiled and nodded her head.
“ Just because you’re my neighbour now, doesn’t mean you have to do thing for me Gibbs” Kate said as she took a sip of juice. Gibbs just nodded his head.
“ Thanks for the sandwich. I’m done with the gutters, they weren’t to bad” he said as he went to the back door and grabbed his ladder.
“ Anytime” Kate said with a smile. Gibbs smiled then left.
When he left Kate washed up the cups and plates and couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. For some reason she was really glad to have him as her neighbour.
Gibbs couldn’t stop thinking about her. How she looked in her bikini, how she smiles at him when they meet in the yard, how her house smells. He couldn’t take it anymore, he had to tell her.
Gibbs made his way over to her place. He could hear people talking as he knocked on her door. She opened it up with a wide smile.
“ Gibbs, what are you doing here?” she asked standing in the door way.
“ Kate, I cant stop thinking about you. And I know…well work and everything, as well as my past” he started to say. She watched his body language and he clearly was uncomfortable with what he was trying to say. It then struck Kate at what he came over to tell her.
“ Oh Gibbs, I cant do this right now. I’m kind of busy at the moment” she told him trying not to hurt him.
“ I see” he said softly then started to walk away. Kate couldn’t stand seeing him sulk away, so she walked down her path and grabbed him by his elbow.
“ I’m having diner with my parents. There is enough for you, if you want to join us” she tod him with a hopeful smile.
“ Ok” he simply said. Kate lead the way back inside and Gibbs closed the door behind him.
“ Who was it honey?” Kate’s dad called out from the dinning room.
“ It was my boss, Jethro Gibbs. He is one of my new neighbours as well” Kate told them as they entered the room.
“ This is my mum Vanessa and my dad Paul” Kate said introducing them to Gibbs.
“ Right next door. Well that’s handy” her mum said with a smile.
“ Well he has already cleaned my gutters and fixed some cracks around the place” Kate told them as she started to dish up diner.
“ Well that’s good to, but I was meaning for your protection dear” Vanessa said.
“ Oh, you don’t think I can look after myself?” Kate asked handing out the plates of food.
“ Your mother just thinks you need extra protection” her dad said.
“ Well you shouldn’t be worried at all. I think Kate is one of the strongest and protective women I have ever met” Gibbs suddenly said. Kate stopped and looked at him, he had a slight smile on his face.
“ I know. It would just help me sleep better at night knowing she is living next to you” Vanessa said taking a sip of wine.
“ Can we stop talking about my protection and eat?” Kate said nervously.
They ate and drank over flowing conversations. They ended up finishing off the bottle and it was then her parents thought it be best for them to leave before they cracked open another one.
“ Nice seeing you again darling. I’m so happy that you found your own place” Vanessa said as she hugged Kate.
“ Thanks mum, you guys drive carefully. If you ever want to visit again just call” Kate told them.
“ Nice to meet you Jethro. Look after my little girl” Vanessa said hugging Gibbs.
“ I will” Gibbs quietly, not sure what to do.
“ Ok mum you can let go of him now” Kate said as she pulled her mum off Gibbs. Her parents left and Gibbs turned to face her.
“ I’ll help you clean up” he told her as he turned for the kitchen.
“ No, Gibbs you don’t have to do that” Kate said holding him back.
“ Kate, I ate, I clean” Gibbs told her.
“ No. Just leave it for the morning, its ok really” she told him. He reluctantly obeyed her.
“ Thank you for diner” he said as he headed for the door.
“ Anytime” she told him with a smile. He opened the door and stepped out.
“ Good night” he said and made his way towards his house.
“ Gibbs wait” Kate said as she went after him. He stopped and turned around to look at her.
“ What did you want to tell me earlier?” she asked him. He gave her a small smile and shook his head.
“ Please” she pleaded with him. He took a step closer to him. She starred up into his eyes, trying to figure out what he was about to do. He then leaned down and kissed her. She couldn’t believe it. He was kissing her, in her front lawn. He stopped and stood up straight and looked back down at her. She opened her eyes and saw him looking down at her. A smile spread across her face. She grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him down to her again and kissed him. Kate stopped as her mind got back on track.
“ What about work?” she asked softly.
“ We’re not at work” he said trying to go in for another kiss, but Kate stopped him.
“ But what about rule 12?” she asked quickly. Gibbs smiled.
“ There more of guide lines” he said as he kissed her again. Kate wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.
“ I’ll see you tomorrow” he said stopping again. Kate smiled as he kissed her on the check then headed for his house. Kate could not wipe the smile off her face, not even when she was in bed trying to get some sleep.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Kate moves into a new house. her neighbour however is someone she would of never expected.