“ You’re going to have to meet them before the wedding” Kate told him as she moved around the bedroom packing a bag full of her clothes. Gibbs was sitting on the bed watching her every move.
“ Come on Kate, don’t make me do this” he said almost nagging. He is normally afraid of nothing, but meeting the parents of his fiancé, that’s a different matter.
“ It’s not that bad. If your parents where still here I would want to meet them” she told him.
“ And I still wouldn’t go with you” he told her.
“ Why not?” she asked, stopping her packing and turned to look at him.
“ I just don’t do parents” he said plainly.
“ So your ex-wives parents?” she asked with her hands on her hips.
“ Saw ‘em at the wedding and that was it” he said with a grin.
“ Probably why they are ex’s” she said quietly to herself as she went back to packing her bag.
“ I’m not going to spend a weekend being interrogated by people who think I’m not good enough for their little girl” he says seriously. Kate drops the piece of clothing in her bag and walks over to stand in front of Gibbs.
“ You are good for me, no matter what anyone thinks” she tells him as she wraps her arms around his neck. She leans down and kisses him.
“ Fine, I’ll go” he says in a soft face. She smiles then leans down and kisses him again.
The next afternoon they were on a flight heading to Indiana. Gibbs took the seat by the window while Kate had the aisle seat.
“ So how big is your family?” he asked softly, still looking out the window.
“ Oh pretty big. Do you want me to run through everyone for you?” she asked looking over at him. He turned to look back at her.
“ Please” he said with a small smile. Kate to a deep breath before she started.
“ Ok. So oldest is Steve. He is married to Tia and they have three children Sophie 12, Nathan 9 and Josh 6. Second is Justin. He is married to Megan and they also have three children Jason 9, Natalie7 and Carmen7.Twins.Third is my sister Rachel. She and her husband Dominic have two children Nicole 5 and James 3. Then its me” she said with a grin.
“ Caitlin. Engaged. No kids” Gibbs said for her.
“ Yet” she said with a smile. Gibbs looks at her with wide eyes. She laughed at his expression before continuing.
“ The youngest Brad and his wife Tracey only have one at the moment, little Mia 2” she said finally finished naming her family, excluding her mum and dad.
“ At the moment?” he asked confused.
“ Well last time I spoke to them they were trying for their second” she informed him.
“ I see” he simply said looking back out the window.
“ So will you remember all that?” she asked with a smile.
“ Steve and Tia, Justin and Megan, Rachel and Dominic and then Brad and Tracey” he rambled off the names of her siblings and their spouses.
“ And the kids?” she asked with a grin.
“ I’m good but I’m not that good” he said returning her smile.
“ You’ll be fine, just be yourself” she said placing a hand on his thigh.
“ Myself?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“ The way you are with me. I don’t want any Special Agent Gibbs this weekend” she said looking into his eyes.
“ What if..” he started but Kate cut him off.
“ Jethro please. Gibbs stays in DC while Jethro meets my parents” she said seriously.
“ See you are worried” he said trying to lighten her mood.
“ No, I just know my family” was all she said and looked away from him. He sighed and took her hand in his.
“ I’ll do my best” he said softly.
“ Thankyou” she said with a small smile before he leant over and kissed her gently. They both leaned back into their seats and tried to enjoy the rest of the flight.
Once at the airport they collected their luggage and then made their way to the car rentals. They loaded up the car and Kate started the hour long drive to her parent’s house.
Kate pulls the car up a gravel driveway. Gibbs take in the scenery when a two story white house with a veranda around the hole house and beautiful gardens appears in his vision.
“ We’re here” Kate announces as she turns the car off.
“ Can we go home now?” he asked with a slight grin on his face.
“ No, now get out of the car” she told him as she exited the car. She went to the boot and grabbed their bags out and placed them on the ground. Gibbs finally got out o the car and actually took in his surroundings before walking to the back of the car to help Kate with the bags.
“ So this is where you grew up” he said.
“ Yeah. Something wrong with it?” she asked closing the boot.
“ No, its perfect” he said grabbing the bags and following her to the front door.
“ I always thought so” she said with a smile. They made their way up the front steps when the door swung open.
“ Caitlin dear you made it” came her mother’s voice with a broad smile on her face.
“ Hi mum, how are you?” Kate asked as she wrapped her arms around her in a big hug.
“ Good darling. Your father is dying to see you” she said pulling back to look at Kate.
“ Isn’t he always” she said with a smile. She turned to her side and saw Gibbs still standing there holding their bags.
“ Mum this is Jethro, Jethro Julie” Kate said with a bright smile. Gibbs put down the bags and held out a hand towards Kate’s mum Julie.
“ Nice to meet you” he said with a small grin. Julie just returned his smile. She looked him up and down, he was definitely not what she had expected.
“ Now darling, go put your bags away and come say hello” Julie said turning her attention back to Kate as she lead them into the house. Kate made her way up the stairs and headed for her old room. Gibbs followed close behind her and shut the door once he was in the room and set the bags down near the bed.
“ That went well” he said standing back up.
“ Don’t be like that” Kate said as she stood in front of him.
“ She couldn’t even say anything, Caitlin” he mocked her mother’s use of her first name.
“ She is the only one that calls me that. She always use to say ‘ Given names should not be shortened. It shows laziness’” she said in a mocking tone with a grin one her face.
“ And your father?” he asked slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer to him.
“ Complete opposite” she said wrapping her arms around him.
“ That’s good to know” he said with a smile before leaning down and giving her a quick kiss.
“ Come on he will be dying with anticipation” she said with a little laugh and lead the way out of the room and down to the lounge room.
“ Kate sweetheart, how are you” Her dad chorused as soon as he saw her enter the lounge room. He got up off his chair and made his way over to give her a hug.
“ I’m great dad, and you?” she asked as she was still in his tight bear hug.
“ Better now that you here” he said finally letting her go. Kate smiled up at her dad and turned to Jethro.
“ Dad this is Jethro”, she pulled Jethro up next to her and her dad.
“ Ah, the man who finally tamed our Katie, I’m Jack by the way” Jack said with a smile and an outstretched hand to Gibbs. Gibbs smiled taking Jacks hand.
“ That’s me, good to finally meet you. He was relieved that one of her family members was happy to meet him.
“ Kate”, he looked up to see a women with a bright smile on her face. She looked similar to Kate but with more sandy blonde hair then the brown of Kate’s.
“ Rach, oh my god I didn’t know you would be here today” Kate exclaimed running over to her sister and wrapping her arms around her.
“ I know we came up a day early to surprise you”, Kate smiled then wrapped her arms around her sister again.
“ That you did. So where are the kids?” Kate asked pulling away from her and looking for her niece and nephew.
“ Outside with Dom” she motioned to the back door.
“ Oh ok”. Rachel turned back to Kate and saw Gibbs standing next to her.
“ So this is the lucky man” she said motioning towards Gibbs.
“ Ha ha, yes this is Jethro” she grabbing his hand.
“ I hope you know what your getting yourself into” Rachel warned with a little laugh. Gibbs smiles and looks down at Kate.
“ Oh believe me I do”. They heard the kids scream in laughter.
“ Come on Kate, the kids are dying to see you” Rachel told her. Kate followed Rachel outside, still with her hand in Gibbs’
“ Ok, it has been a while”. The three of them headed outside to find Dominic, Nicole and James rolling around on the grass. Once again they did all the pleasantries. They headed back inside when Rachel pulled Kate aside.
“ Nice catch you got there”.
“ Thanks, I like to think so” Kate replied with a smile as she watched Gibbs enter the house before turning back to her sister.
“ But don’t you think he is a bit old for you” Rachel said shrugging her shoulders, trying to say it in the nicest way possible. Kate was taken aback by her sister’s comment.
“ No I don’t. Can you not judge him, I already have to put up with mum, not to mention the boys when they get here” she said with a roll of her eyes at the thought of what they will think of him.
“ Ok, ok. I was just trying to protect you”.
“ Well you don’t have to, not with Jethro” she told in a soft tone.
“ Wow”.
“ Wow what?” a confused expression crossing Kate’s face.
“ You really do love him” Rach said with a broad smile. Kate returned her smile then sighed.
“ Yeah I do”.
“ Oh I’m so happy for you” Rach said giving Kate another hug.
“ Thank you”.
Gibbs and Kate headed back up to their room to rest after their flight and all the meet and greets, with more to come. They were lying cuddle up next to each other when Kate’s mum Julie called.
“ Caitlin, diner”. Kate let out a big sigh before replying.
“ Ok, we be right down”. Jethro sat up and looked down at Kate who was still lying on the bed.
“ Your mother hate me” he said matter of factly. Kate smiled at him.
“ She doesn’t hate you, she just doesn’t know you” she said running her hand up his arm that supported him.
“ How can she when she hasn’t said one word to me” he told her. Kate finally sat up to be next to him.
“ Have you spoken to her?”
“ I know when I’m not wanted” he said getting up off the bed, holding his hand out to help her off the bed.
“ Look, don’t worry about it and lets go eat” she leaned up and gave him a quick kiss and lead him down to the dining room.
“ So have you set a date yet?” Rachel asked Kate and Gibbs. The two looked at each other, trying to decide who was going to answer. Kate’s family, Kate’s answer.
“ Not yet. We were going to wait and see what comes up before setting anything”.
“ Smart thinking” Jack said with a nod.
“ So any plans for a family?” Dom asked as he took a bit bite of his salad, ignoring the glare he got from Rachel. Kate felt Gibbs tense next to her and took it as another sign for her to answer.
“ Um, well no. One step at a time” she chuckled.
“ Uh huh, so if it happens before the wedding?” Rachel asked watching Kate and Gibbs’ reaction.
“ Rachel” Julie scolded. Rachel turned to her mother and shrugged.
“ What?”, then Kate jumped in before anyone else had a chance to say anything else.
“ If it did happen it wouldn’t change anything”.
“ Caitlin” her mum said shocked.
“ Oh mum you know we have all had sex before getting married” Rachel said with a grin.
“ Rach I don’t think now is the time to be talking about this” Jack intervened seeing the anger rising in his wife.
“ I totally agree. So when are the boys coming?” Kate asked changing the subject.
“ Well Steven will be here in the morning” Julie told her.
“ The others late afternoon, diner time” her dad finished off.
“ Mum and I thought of doing a BBQ tomorrow night as a getting to know Jethro thing” Rachel said enthusiastically. Kate looked at Gibbs. She could tell he was uncomfortable with the whole idea.
“ I don’t think that’s necessary” Kate started, but Gibbs stopped her from continuing.
“ No it’s ok” he said quickly.
“ Great” Rachel replied with a smile.
After diner they helped Julie clean up the dishes and decided to turn in as it was getting late and tomorrow was going to be a big day.
Gibbs was in the room first as Kate had to finish saying goodnight to Nicole and James. She finally entered the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Gibbs was already in his boxers when she walked in.
“ Your mother still thinks you’re a virgin? That was the first thing I knew about you” he said with a little laugh as he recalled the memory. Kate gave him a small smile.
“ Mum is still very traditional. No sex before marriage, so no baby born out of wedlock, the given name thing” she explained. Gibbs grabbed his shirt from his bag and turned back to look at her.
“ I see. Does that include ignoring the much older fiancé?” he asked as he pulled his shirt over his head.
“ No and you’re not much older. Just older” she corrected him.
“ I told you it was a bad idea meeting your family” he went on.
“ Nothings gone wrong”
“ Yet” he said softly, but still loud enough for her to hear.
“ Stop” she said raising her voice a little. Once she had his full attention back she spoke again.
“ Now get over here” she said with a cheeky grin on her face which Gibbs returned as he made his way over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close.
“ I love you Caitlin Todd” he said in a soft, husky voice.
“ I love you to Leroy Jethro Gibbs” she said then leaned up and kissed him.
They both woke up to the warm morning sun coming through the open window. Kate rolled over to see Gibbs cuddled up right behind her. When they first started dating he use to do every night she slept over. He told her it was so she would leave him. When she had moved in months later he didn’t do it so often. This was the first time he had done it in a couple of weeks.
“ I’m not leaving you Jethro, you should know that by now” she said and placed a gentle kiss to his lips.
“ Just making sure” he mumbled in his still sleeping slumber.
They eventually got themselves out of bed and change ready to head downstairs for breakfast. They were at the top of the stairs when Kate heard a very familiar voice.
“ Caitlin Todd is required at the front door”. A smile spread across her face and she ran down the stairs. Gibbs followed in a much slower pace.
“ Steve, how are you?” she greeted her oldest brother in a big bear hug.
“ Not as good as you. You look amazing, bit skinny” Steve said letting go of Kate to get a good look at her.
“ But still gorgeous”. Steve looked behind Kate to see Gibbs standing there with a small grin of his face. Kate let go of Steve and brought Gibbs forward so he could meet Steve properly.
“ Steve this is my fiancé Jethro” she said with a grin on her face.
“ How you going?” Steve asked as he shook Gibbs’ hand.
“ Good. You?” Gibbs replied.
“ Yeah good. You better look after her” Steve said turning his attention back to Kate.
“ You have my word” Gibbs replied as he looked down at Kate who still had a smile plastered on her face.
“ Good. Where is everyone else?” Steve asked looking around. Kate pointed in the direction of the others.
“ In the kitchen”.
“ Great” Steve took off into the kitchen to greet the rest of his family. Gibbs turned to say something to Kate but they were interrupted by another voice.
“ Hey Kate” said the sandy blonde woman now standing in the doorway.
“ Oh Tia, how are you?” Kate asked as she hugged the woman.
“ I’m great, but not as good as you it looks like” Tia said with a smile as she saw Gibbs standing just behind her. Kate let go of Tia.
“ This is Jethro” Kate said introducing the two.
“ Nice to meet you” Gibbs said with a little smile.
“ Like wise. So I hear Rachel and Dom are already here” Tia said looking around the house, which seemed so quiet.
“ Yeah in the kitchen, the kids are up their room” Kate said with a smile.
“ Ah so that’s why it’s so quiet” Tia said with a laugh as Kate lead them into the kitchen. When the rest of her siblings arrived there was more meeting and greeting. Gibbs liked her brothers, though he felt that Justin dis-liked him straight away.
The rest of the day was spent getting the food ready for the big BBQ that night. Gibbs helped the men put up lights in the yard, while Kate was in the kitchen with the women preparing the food.
Gibbs was helping Kate’s brothers with the BBQ.
“ So Jethro what did you do before working at NCIS?” Steve asked taking a sip of his beer.
“ I was a marine” he answered trying to sound as friendly as possible. He never liked talking about his past but to be accepted by Kate’s family he had to overcome that.
“ Wow a marine” Steve said impressed.
“ Why did you leave?” Brad asked. Gibbs took a deep breath.
“ I wound up in a coma. I knew next time I wouldn’t be so lucky” he gave them the quick, believable version.
“ So you joined NCIS” Brad said.
“ Yep”.
“ Have you thought about your retirement?” Brad continued. Gibbs knew he was insinuating something but he wasn’t going to give in.
“ Nope”. He could see Justin want to continue, but Gibbs’ attention was diverted to the little tug on his pants. He looked down to see a small dark haired girl with big green eyes looking up at him.
“ Excuse me” she said politely.
“ Yes?” Gibbs asked getting down on one knee to get to her height.
“ Could you push me on the swing please?” she asked with big pleading eyes. Gibbs smiled and got up.
“ Sure” he held out his hand and the little girl took it and lead him to the swings.
“ What’s your name?” she asked.
“ Jethro. What’s yours?” he said as he helped her onto the swing. Once she was settled he started pushing her gently.
“ Natalie”. His mind raced trying to remember who she belonged to. Steve and Tia he remembered.
“ Are you going to marry my Aunty Kate?” she asked. He kept pushing her as they talked.
“ Yes I am”.
“ Do you love her?”. He was a bit shocked at this question. She was only 9 years old and knew about love. He chuckled to himself.
“ I sure do”.
“ I do to. Can I come to the wedding?” she asked. Gibbs chuckled to himself. He couldn’t believe the conversation he was having with a 9 year old.
“ Of course” he peeked around the swing and saw the grin that was on her face.
Inside Kate, Tia, Tracey, Megan and Rachel were in the kitchen putting together the last of the salads. Tia was at the sink when she looked out the window, facing the backyard.
“ Kate come here” she called.
“ What?” she asked as she came to stand next to Tia. Tia pointed out the window towards Gibbs.
“ Look, Jethro is pushing Nat on the swing”. Kate smiled at then.
“ He’s really good with kids” she told them as she went back to the island in the middle of the kitchen.
“ Is that so?” Tracey said in a cheeky tone. Kate stopped what she was doing and looked at Tracey, who was rubbing her bulging baby belly.
“ Trace we are nowhere near ready to even think about having kids”. Megan was now picking up on the conversation.
“ Why not?” she asked. Kate thought about it but didn’t have time to answer before Tia butted in.
“ Yeah why not? He’s good with kids, you’re good with kids. You’re about to get married. How much more ready could you get?” she said pointing a carrot at Kate while she talked. She was about to answer when she was interrupted again.
“ What are you ladies gossiping about?” Brad asked as he snaked his arms around Tracey.
“ Kate and Jethro starting a family” Rachel said with a smile. Brad kissed Tracey’s neck then let go of her and turned to face Kate.
“ I see. Mr Marine having kids” he said in a mocking tone. Everyone noticed his tone. Tracey was about to say something but decided not to when Kate spoke.
“ He told you he was a marine?” she asked surprised that he had shared that information with them.
“ Yes Katie. We did some bonding like the good brothers we are” he said with a cheesy grin. Kate shook her head.
“ I don’t believe that for a second”.
“ So you want to have kids with this guy?” Brad asked seriously. Kate stopped what she was doing and looked at him.
“ Yes, do you have a problem with that?” she asked getting a bit defensive.
“ No, but don’t you think he is a bit old for that?”. She rolled her eyes. She was so sick of everyone judging him because he is older than her.
“ What is it with everyone and his age. Can’t you just be happy that I have found someone to love who loves me back” she almost yelled. Rachel went up to her side.
“ Of course Kate, but the guy should be having grandkids not kids of his own” Brad said rubbing Kate’s arm. Kate pulled her arm away and headed for the door. She stopped and looked at her brother.
“ Thanks for the support” she said in a disappointed tone then went outside. Rachel knew she should have intervened but it was between her and Brad and them being the youngest they had a special bond. Once Kate was gone Tracey spoke up.
“ Go you can be an asshole sometimes Brad” in an annoyed tone. She loved him dearly but when he acted like this she couldn’t help but hate him.
“ What? I’m just saying what we are all thinking” he said surprised at his wife’s outburst.
“ She is your sister. At least be happy for her” Megan decided to but in.
“ I am, I’m just also protecting her”
“ You of all people should know that” Rachel started but stopped when she saw Steve enter the kitchen.
“ Hey, is everything ok?” he asked looking at everyone’s annoyed expressions. Tracey finally answered.
“ Yeah, just Brad being Brad”.
Outside Kate made her way over to Gibbs and Natalie, who was still swinging on the swing. She hoped from fresh air and new company would calm her down.
“ Hey Aunty Kate” Natalie said in a happy tone. She tried to wave as Gibbs swung her.
“ Hey sweetheart. You having fun?” she asked as she stood to the side so Natalie could see her. She couldn’t look at Gibbs right now, he would know straight away that something was wrong.
“ Yes. Uncle Jethro said that I could come to your wedding”. Kate smiled. She felt better talking to her 9 year old niece then her siblings.
“ Of course you are. I wouldn’t have it any other way” she said with a smile. She then looked up at Jethro expecting him to be surprised that she had just called him Uncle’ but he didn’t seem to care.
“ Can wear a dress like Belles?” Natalie asked Kate. Kate was totally confused. She had never heard of Belle before.
“ Who?”.
“ From the Beauty and the Beast” Gibbs said, ignoring the surprised expression he received from Kate.
“ She has brown hair like me and you Aunty Kate” Natalie said looking at Kate. Kate smiled at her. Then looked back over at the house and saw Justin and her father taking the meat off the BBQ.
“ Yes she does. I think it’s time to go wash up for diner” Kate said turning back to Natalie.
“ Ok” she said. Not happy that her swing time was over. Gibbs grabbed the swing and brought it to a sow haut and Kate helped her off. Natalie ran off inside along with the other kids. Gibbs came up and stood next to her.
“ You ok?” he asked. She had thought she had hidden her anger from him. Well she was going to lie to him now.
“ No, but I’ll get over it” she said with a sigh.
“ Do you want to talk about it?” he asked concerned, looking down at her.
“ Not really. Maybe later” she told him.
“ Ok” he accepted her answer, put an arm around her shoulders and walked her inside.
Diner had not gone as smoothly as Kate had hoped. To her it felt like more of an interrogation. Brad and Justin the interrogators and Gibbs was on the receiving end. Kate had gotten so annoyed she left the table without even finishing her meal. Gibbs quickly followed her up to their bedroom and closed the door behind him. She was pacing the room, he could tell she was furious.
“ I can’t believe them” she finally said.
“ It’s ok” he tried his best to calm her down. It only seemed to make her more angry.
“ No it’s not. They are my family, they are supposed to support me and be happy for me. Not that bunch of criticizing people” she was now yelling Gibbs had never seen her this upset, well maybe once or twice at him, but this was her family. Gibbs walked over and stood in front of her.
“ Kate I don’t care that your family doesn’t like me, as long as you still do that’s all that matters” he said in a soft tone. Kate took in a deep breath then let it go. She looked up into his eyes and automatically felt then anger escape her body.
“ Of course I do. I was just hoping that they would show you a bit more respect”. Gibbs placed his hands on her arms and rubbed them slightly.
“ I didn’t come here for them, I came here for you. If you want we can go home” he said with a smile and hope in his voice. Kate returned his smile.
“ No it’s ok. I’ll just put up with them”. Gibbs nodded before he pulled her into a hug.
“ Ok. Well we should get some sleep” he said, then kissed her forehead.
The next morning they woke and headed down stairs for breakfast. Kate was happy when no one brought up the events that had happened last night. Kate helped clean up the mess from breakfast. They all settled in the living room to rest their full stomachs when Kate’s mother walked in holding a camera.
“ Ok family picture time” she said in a cheerful voice. She was met with groans from her children.
“ Oh mum do we really have to?” Kate groaned as she sat up out of Gibbs’ arms.
“ Well if you made more of an effort to visit, we wouldn’t need to” her mum started to use her accusing voice, of which Kate absolutely hated so she gave in.
“ Ok, ok you made your point. Let’s get this over with” she got up off the lounge. Kate’s mum beamed at her. Her father walked in just in time.
“ Ok, so we want all you siblings first” Julie ordered handing the camera to Jack. Jethro can you take the pictures?” Jack asked holding the camera out for him.
“ Sure, no problem” he answered getting up and taking the camera from Jack.
“ Dad he’s part of the family too” Kate protested.
“ Actually Kate, as you guys aren’t married yet, he isn’t” Brad said as he was put in place by Julie.
“ Really it’s ok” Gibbs said as he gently kissed her cheek. She let out a sigh and finally went and took her place with her brothers and sister.
“ Yeah, he can show us his crime scene photo skills” Justin joked.
“ Shut up Justin, that’s my job anyway” Kate spat back giving him a look that could have killed him. After taking more than 40 pictures they were eventually done. Kate got her way when she persisted that her and Gibbs got a picture together. Julie and Jack couldn’t help but exchange looks when they took the picture, Kate looked so happy to be in his arms and Gibbs looked so protective of her. Jack knew he was a good man, just convincing Justin and Brad would be the hard thing.
“ So who wants to come get these developed with me?” Tracey called as she entered the living room.
“ Why don’t you just use the computer?” Kate asked looking at her.
“ Well when everyone wants a copy, we think it’s just easier” Tracey said with a shrug of her shoulders.
“ Fair enough. I’ll come, that is if you will be ok by yourself?” she said turning to look at Gibbs. He gave her a small smile. He didn’t want her leave him alone but it would give her some personal with her sister in law.
“ Of course. I’ll be ok. Go develop photos” he said with a smile then kissed her.
“ Ok, well have fun. Shouldn’t be too long” Kate said then left with Tracey.
Gibbs was in the living room with Kate’s brothers. He was reading some magazine. He could feel their eyes on him but didn’t say anything. If they wanted to talk they could start. He had nothing to say to them. He only wished Kate would hurry up. She had already been a way for an hour and he didn’t know how long this silence would last between them. He didn’t have to wait long.
“ So tell me Jethro, what do you love about my sister?” Brad asked as he sat forward. Steve shot him a warning look but he ignored it. Gibbs put his magazine down and looked over at Brad.
“ Her smile, her laugh, the care that is always in her eyes, her stubborn and fiery personality and the way she thinks and see’s things in a different way. Do I need to continue?”.
“ Nope. I was actually thinking that her being 15 years younger than you would be a major contributor” Brad said with a smirk. Now both Justin and Steve were staring at Brad. Steve liked Gibbs and Justin was starting to warm up to him, but Brad just couldn’t accept it, and they knew this wouldn’t end well. Gibbs smiled at him, trying to remain calm, for Kate’s sake more than his or Brads.
“ Age is nothing but a number”. Brad nodded his head.
“ To some people. To others, marrying someone 15 years younger than you makes you a pervert”.
“ Is that what you think? Your sister is marrying a pervert”. Now he couldn’t hide his anger that was growing. He knew if Kate didn’t get home soon all hell would break lose. He watched as Brad stood from the couch and took a couple of steps towards him.
“ Yeah I do actually. I cannot find a logical reason why she would want to marry someone like you” he pointed a finger at Gibbs. Gibbs immediately stood from the couch. They were staring each other down only meters away from each other.
“ Someone like me? Me who loves her, respects her, who can and will protect her”. With every word he took a step closer to Brad. Gibbs was a couple of inches taller than Brad and knew he could intimidate him easily.
“ You’re the one she needs protecting from” Brad raised his voice. Steve and Justin were still watching from the sideline. They didn’t dare get involved in this fight.
“ Me?” Gibbs asked. His face was stern as his eyes pinned Brads. He could see Brad was scared on the inside.
“ Yes you. Old man who can’t protect himself, let alone his family”. That set Gibbs off. He stepped closer so they were mere centimetres apart.
“ You know nothing about me” he said in a threatening tone.
“ I know enough and I’m going to do everything I can to stop her marrying some old, perverted ex-marine” Brad said matching his tone. They were so involved in their fight they didn’t take any notice of the front door and Kate and Tracey walking in. Steve and Justin did and they got up and went over to them to try and distract them. It worked until Gibbs yelled.
“ I swear to god if you do anything to jeopardize this wedding I will break every bone in your goddamn body”. Kate rushed in and stood between Gibbs and Brad as best she could.
“ Hey, what is going on?” she yelled looking from one to the other. Brad kept his stare on Gibbs.
“ Nothing that concerns you” he told her.
“ Don’t you dare talk to her like that” Gibbs defended and went to take another step closer to him, he was ready to pound him, when Kate stepped in between them and looked up into his eyes.
“ Hey, I think you need some fresh air” she said resting her hands on his chest. He took his gaze off Brad and done to Kate’s pleading eyes. He took one last look at Brad then turned and went out the front door, slamming it behind him. Steve, Justin and Tracey were still watching from the doorway.
“ You’re seriously going to marry that guy?” Brad yelled, pointing in the direction Gibbs had went. Kate turned to her brother.
“ Yeah I am and I don’t think it’s any of your business” Kate yelled back at him then went after Gibbs. Steve, Justin and Tracey entered the living room and starred at Brad who just sat back down on the couch. They couldn’t believe what just happened.
Kate ran down the front steps and saw Gibbs starting to get into their hire car.
“ What the hell was that in?” she asked standing behind him. Gibbs turned around to face her.
“ Why don’t you ask him”.
“ I’m asking you Jethro. He had to have said something to set you off like that. What was it?” she asked. She couldn’t help yelling at him, she was just angry and confused and scared all at the same time.
“ Don’t worry. I’m going for a drive, I’ll call you later” he said then got in the car.
“ Ok” she said in a soft tone then watched him speed off down the drive-way. Kate’s anger grew inside her and she stormed back into the house and into the living room.
“What the hell where you thinking. He already thinks everyone hates him. If you screw this up for me I will never forgive you” she yelled at Brad then stormed off to her room. Brad looked over at the others, then got up and went outside. He knew he upset her but it was for the best, wasn’t it?
Kate’s eldest niece Sophie had heard everything from her room. She saw Kate go into her room alone and felt that she had to make her Aunty feel better. She quietly knocked on the door. Kate was sitting on her bed when she heard the soft knock.
“ Yeah?” she answered not really in the mood for anyone.
“ Hey Aunt Kate, are you ok?” Sophie asked stepping into her room. Kate let out a sigh as she saw her niece coming into her room.
“ Yeah Soph, I’m fine. What can I do for you?” she asked trying to force a smile.
“ Well I just wanted to tell you that I like him” she said as she sat down next to Kate.
“ Who honey?” Kate asked confused. She had no idea that Sophie had heard everything that had happened.
“ Jethro. I want you to marry him” Sophie said with a smile.
“ Thank you sweetie. I want to, too. But I think Uncle Brad may have screwed that up” Kate said looking down at the bed.
“ But Jethro love you and he wants to marry you. I heard him say it” Sophie said trying to convince Kate that it wasn’t over.
“ Well let’s wait and see. So what have you been up to?” Kate asked changing the subject. Sophie cuddled up closer to Kate. They were very close but with everything going on they hadn’t had time to catch up yet.
“ Nothing really. Just school and sport” she said shrugging her shoulders.
“ Oh yeah, what sport?”.
“ Dad has signed me up for Softball”. Kate smiled.
“ Oh my god I love softball. Did your dad tell you I use to play?” She said in a much happier tone then before. Sophie shook her head.
“ Nope. He just said it was safer then baseball”. They both laughed. Steve, Justin and Brad all loved baseball. They all said any son of theirs would play baseball.
“ Well I don’t know about that, but it is easier”.
“ Can I ask you something?”.
“ Sure, what’s up?” Kate asked looking over at Sophie.
“ Do you think I could be a Special Agent like you and Jethro?” she asked seriously.
“ Of course sweetie, but wouldn’t you want to be something else?”. Kate knew her family didn’t approve of her line of work and if Sophie wanted to get into it as well, she would get the blame.
“ No. I love reading your emails and I want to be just like you. Could you teach me?” she was getting excited now. Kate gave a little laugh.
“ I will show you what I know”.
“ Thank you” Sophie said then hugged Kate. They were interrupted by the ring of Kate’s phone. She grabbed it from her pocket and looked at the caller I.D.
“ Oh Soph it Jethro, do you mind?” she asked. Sophie shook her head and got off the bed.
“ Not at all, good luck” she said with a smile then left Kate alone.
“ Hey, are you ok?” Kate asked.
“ Yeah” was all she got in return.
“ Where are you?” she asked. She just wanted to know he was ok.
“ At some dinner. We need to talk” Gibbs told her in a serious tone.
“ Yeah I know. I’ll come to you” Kate said. He had hung up before anything else could be said. She ran down stairs and found Megan heading outside.
“ Hey Megan could you give me a lift to Dario’s?” Kate asked quickly.
“ Yeah sure. Is everything ok?” she asked concerned.
“ Not too sure.”. Kate followed Megan out to the car. Within 15 minutes they reached the dinner. Kate entered and saw Gibbs in a booth up the back.
“ Hey” Kate greeted him as she took in the seat opposite him.
“ Hi. Coffee?” he asked pointing to the pot. She smiled.
“ No thanks. Look I’m really sorry about what Brad said” she started, but he cut her off.
“ Did he tell you?” he asked in a gruff tone. He didn’t seem himself. He seemed very distant.
“ No, I just figured it was bad from your reaction” she explained, still confused at his mood.
“ Well I’ve been thinking about what he said and he is right” he said with a sigh. He couldn’t even look at her.
“ About what?” she was getting nervous now. She could see his mind ticking, whether or not to tell her. He took a deep breath before he spoke.
“ I am too old for you”.
“ Jethro we have talked about this” she started, but once again he cut her off.
“ If your family thinks it, what would everyone else think” he said raising his voice a little. He finally looked up at her and she finally got to read his face. Her heart fell and her voice got caught in her throat when she tried to speak.
“ Please tell me you’re not breaking up with me?” she asked. He didn’t say anything. He diverted his eyes back to his coffee cup in front of him. She heard her gasp.
“ Oh god”. She couldn’t hide her emotions anymore. She let the tears run down her face as she slowly slipped the ring off her finger and left it on the table. She walked as quickly as she could out of the dinner and ran home. It wasn’t that far, she had done it many times in the past. She knew who to blame for this.
She reached her house, burst through the door and yelled.
“ Where is he?”. Tracey and Julie turned to see a tear stained faced Kate.
“ Who?” Julie asked concerned.
“ Brad” she almost screamed his name. Julie and Tracey could see that Kate was pissed and it be best not to reason with her.
“ Lounge room. Everything ok?” she asked but didn’t get an answer as Kate stormed off into the lounge room and saw Brad sprawled on the couch reading a magazine. Tracey and Julie had followed her in.
“ Are you happy now? she yelled at Brad. He looked up and saw the anger escaping from her eyes. He could tell she had been crying. He put the magazine down and sat up. He didn’t get to speak before she continued.
“ Thanks to you the wedding is off. Why couldn’t you just be happy for me. You had to screw it up” she couldn’t control her emotions. She was crying and yelling. He stood up from the couch.
“ It was already screwed up” he yelled back at her. He didn’t want to take the blame for the end of her relationship.
“ You have no idea what we had. You stay out of my life” she yelled before punching him in the face to make herself clear. She wanted to bash the crap out of him but didn’t get a chance when she felt two hands grab her arms and pull her out of the lounge room. She couldn’t take it. It was all too much and she just kept crying.
“ Come on Kate” Tracey said soothingly as she lead Kate up the stairs and to her room. She Kate down on her bed and Kate hung her head. Tracey rubbed her back for reassurance, but somehow she didn’t think it was helping.
“ Can I get you anything? Glass of water?” Tracey asked. Kate just nodded.
“ Ok I’ll be right back”. Tracey left, closing the door behind her. Kate then laid on her side and continued to cry.
Gibbs sat at the booth. He was staring at the ring Kate had left behind. He picked it up and study it. Memories of that night flooded his brain. He twirled it in his fingers before he was brought out of his thoughts by the ringing of his phone. Without looking at the caller I.D he answered.
“ Yeah, Gibbs”. He heard Abby’s cheerful voice on the other hand. He didn’t want to deal with her right now.
“ Hey Gibbs, how is the visit going?” she asked. Gibbs sighed.
“ Not now Abby” .
“ What’s wrong? Gibbs what’s happened? Where’s Kate?” she asked without taking a breath.
“ I don’t know. Abby the wedding is off” he told her rubbing his eyes.
“ What? What did you do?” she asked accusingly.
“ Nothing, I broke it off” he knew she wouldn’t take this news well.
“ Why in hell would you do that?” she screamed into the phone.
“ Long story”.
“ Well you might want to start explaining before I come there and kick your ass. I thought you loved her?” she asked, her tone settling back down. He sighed again.
“ I do”.
“ Then what’s the problem?”. He was silent for a while before he answered her.
“ Her brother got me thinking and I thought it best for her” he said in almost a whisper. It was killing him to explain himself.
“ Gibbs the best thing for her is you. You both have been the happiest in years since getting together. You said you wouldn’t hurt her and look what you have done”. He tried to find the right words.
“ Abby he family hates me” was all he could come up with.
“ But she loves you and that’s all that matters. You need to be with her and she wants to be with you” Abby was trying her best to convince him that what he had just done was a mistake.
“ But Abby” he tried but was cut off by her.
“ No buts Gibbs. You go and find her and make this right”. He knew she was right. If this was the best thing to do then he would feel good about it, but he didn’t. He felt like there was a hole in his chest where his heart should be. Maybe Abby was right. He had been happy since being with her. Their relationship was perfect. They knew each other inside and out. If he didn’t want to talk, she would respect that and not push, unless she felt absolutely necessary. He had made up his mind.
“ Ok” he said in a small voice.
“ Good. Call me when you’re done” she told him then hung up the phone before he could reply. He shut his phone, pulled out some money and chucked it on the table, grabbed her ring and ran out of the dinner. He sped all the way to the Todd house. He jumped out of the car as soon as it was stopped and leaped up the front steps and burst through the door. He heard voices coming from the lounge room and rushed in. Rachel, Tia, Brad and Jack where sitting around talking and looking at photos.
“ Where is she?” he demanded. They all looked up shocked at the sudden voice in the room. Tia was the first one to speak. She wasn’t quiet caught up on what had happened earlier.
“ Kate” he said almost yelling. His adrenaline was kicking in and the anger was rising again when he saw Brad.
“ You stay away from her” Brad ordered, but Gibbs wasn’t in the mood for his crap.
“ You shut your mouth and stay out of this” he yelled. Brad was actually scared of Gibbs at this moment. He wasn’t this angry when they had their fight. Rachel spoke.
“ She’s in her room” she told him. She had seen Kate before. She wanted them to sort this out and not cause any more problems.
“ Thank you” Gibbs nodded and turned and headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time. When he reached the bedroom door he stopped. He tried to control his breathing before knocking on the door. When the door opened it wasn’t who he expected.
“ What are you doing here?” Julie asked closing the door behind her.
“ I need to talk to her” he said, almost pleading. Julie shook her head.
“ I don’t think that is the best idea” Julie said shaking her head.
“ Please, I need her to know I still love her” he said pinning her eyes with his. She searched his face for a reason to reject him.
“ Fine, but if you upset her any more I will have the boys up here to deal with you”. Gibbs nodded.
“ Understood”. Julie moved away from the door to let him in the room. Gibbs slowly opened the door and entered the room. He closed it behind him then made his way over to the bed where he saw Kate lying away from him on her side. He made his way around the bed and sat down next to her feet.
“ Katie” he said in a soft voice. Kate moved her legs up closer to her body, giving him more room to sit on the bed.
“ What are you doing here?” she asked with a sob.
“ I came to talk and you need to listen” he said. She felt the weight shift on the bed and looked up to see her sitting up and looking at him. Her face was wet from the non-stop crying. It broke his heart to see her like that. But he took a deep breath and started.
“ Before, I thought I was doing the best thing for you, but now I see that I hurt you like I promised I wouldn’t” he paused. He looked up at Kate again. She nodded her head. He moved a little closer to her.
“ Kate I love you more than anything and I want to marry you more than anything”. Kate finally spoke.
“ Do you still think you’re too old for me?”. Gibbs nodded his head.
“ I do, but if you’re ok with it then so am I” he said. He wasn’t expecting the reaction he got. She jumped forward and threw her arms around his neck.
“ I’m more then ok with it. I love you so much Jethro and I never want to lose you. I want to marry you as soon as I can” She told him still holding onto him. He pulled her off him too look at her.
“ How about next month?” he asked with a small smile. A confused look crossed her face.
“ What? Are you serious?”.
“ Dead serious. Why is that too soon for you?” his smile growing wider.
“ Not all. In fact it’s perfect” she said then kissed him long and hard.
“ Good, now you might want to call Abby” he sad when they finally broke apart.
“ Why?”.
“ To tell her the wedding is back on” he said kissing her again.
“ Sure” she whispered. Gibbs handed her his phone and she dialled Abby’s number. She answered on the first ring.
“ Gibbs did you do it?”. Kate laughed.
“ Abby it’s Kate”.
“ Kate? What are you doing on Gibbs’ phone?” she asked confused.
“ Well I had to tell you that the wedding is back on” she said with a smile and felt Gibbs take her hand and enlaced his fingers with hers.
“ Oh my god. See I know you guys would work it out. So have you finally set a date?”.
“ Next month” Kate said proudly.
“ Oh my gosh, you have much to organize. Dresses, venue, menu, seating arrangements, guest list” Abby started to ramble.
“ Abby it’s going to be a small garden wedding. Just close family and friends. We want to do it as soon as possible” Kate explained.
“ Yay. I’m so happy. I’ve got to tell the others. See you when you come home” Abby said excitedly.
“ Bye Abbs” Kate said with a little laugh. She closed the phone and handed it back to Gibbs.
“ Well?” he asked.
“ She was…Abby” she said with a smile.
“ Small garden wedding?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“ The most important thing about a wedding is to make sure you are surrounded by people who love and care about you” Kate said. Then paused and turned to look at Gibbs.
“ And make sure the groom turns up”. Gibbs starred into Kate’s eyes then smiled.
“ Oh you won’t have to worry about me. I’ll be there” he said softly then took her lips with his in another loving kiss.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Gibbs meets Kate's family.