Chapter 3
NCIS HQ
The drive back to the HQ is much nicer, they talk decently, he is not rude or annoying. She is not overbearing, and boy, is she talkative, Gibbs notices. He can't help himself but profiles her again all the way back to the HQ.
When they arrive at the NCIS parking lot, Kate tugs Gibbs's arm and signals him to follow her lead. She knocks on the back doors of the truck and she opens them for him. He sees a body bag, half zipped. Dinozzo's face is flushed, he is inside the body bag.
"BOSS! About time!!!" the young man complains to his grumpy boss, he is handcuffed.
Gibbs is enjoying the scene – the woman, this woman beside him is creative!
Kate quickly uncuffs Dinozzo and gets him out of the body bag and truck. Dinozzo jumps down and continues complaining to his boss, but Gibbs glares at him and he scuttles back to his desk.
Gibbs calls Ducky to arrange to have the Major's body brought out of the HQ for Kate to bring back.
"Follow me, Kate. Don't worry about the body, Ducky will take care of it, I promise," as he takes her arm and leads her back to his HQ. This time she doesn't refuse, the sweet woman goes along with him.
Special Agent Gibbs can feel the curious eyes on them, the other agents wonder, what did Special Agent Gibbs do to her that she is all quiet and willing now, compared to two hours ago as he dragged her out of the HQ.
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He takes her to his lab, introduces her to Abigail Sciuto, his goth technician.
"Wow, nice tats!" Kate is impressed; the girl is definitely different from the rest of her snooty friends in Secret Service.
"You like them???" the techie asks Kate excitedly.
"Yeah, art work, two thumbs up!" Kate gives the Goth her two thumbs up.
"Abby, this is Special Agent Caitlin Todd, Secret Service," Gibbs introduces her.
"WOW!!! So you are the Secret Service chick! You protect the president??? NICE!!! Hei, what's with your face? Do you have tats? Oh, call me Abby by the way, only Ducky calls me Abigail," she rambles on and Kate decides right there on the spot, she likes the tattooed Abby.
"Call me Kate. Unfortunately the Secret Service is not as glamorous as most people think, a dumbhead hit me in the face, love your tats, I'll show you mine if you show me yours," Kate shakes Abby's tattooed hand.
"Abby, what's the result? Gibbs asks, after watching the two converse.
"Nothing yet, boss man! But I'll cross check all the evidence twice! Buzz you when I'm done," the Goth insists.
Kate looks at her. She has this crazy quirkiness and sincerity in her heart, she must be younger than her. As they leave the lab:
"Come again, KATE!!! See you soon!" Abby shouts.
Kate murmurs to herself: "I hope not, Abby." Her career simply can not suffer another blow.
"Oh yes, you will," Abby says to herself as the elevator's door closes, she sees how her boss man is looking at her, definitely…different!
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When they both arrive at the lot, the body has been placed inside the truck. Kate lets the driver know that he can leave, and she gives him the letter to be brought back with the body to the FBI.
"Thank you, Ducky. Please, let me know about the result," Kate asks as she hugs Ducky.
"Certainly, Caitlin, hope to see you again, my dear, and I am terribly sorry about your friend," as he hugs her.
"Bye Jethro,thanks for lunch!" Kate says as she enters her car and waves goodbye to them and leaves the lot in haste. She has lots of paperwork to do.
"Jethro??? Did I hear right??? What did you do to her? What did you feed her?" Ducky asks his best friend, who is walking away from him, avoiding his questions as he tatters closely behind him.
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LOST
Jethro Gibbs is sitting in his chair, lost in thought - thinking about Caitlin Todd.
A breath of fresh air, her kind chocolate eyes, her sweet smiles, her smell, her skin, her voice, he smiles to himself, staring at the screen in front of him.
"Gibbs, Boss, Jethro," and he snaps back to the present.
He is in the middle of his bullpen, sitting behind his desk surrounded by Tony, Abby, McGee and Ducky calling for his attention. They are standing in front of him, ogling him.
"What??? I am thinking?" he defends himself.
"About what, Gibbs?" Abby asks him slyly, raises one of her brows with a smile on her face.
"Results, Abby?" he snaps back at her.
"Not yet, Gibbs," she pouts and replies stiffly.
"Then, why are you standing here???" he asks the rhetorical questions that makes everybody return to their designated place.
Abby is annoyed and she walks back to her lab, but she stops at Tony's desk:
"So Tony, how was it? Did you meet the president? How did you like it there? I met the Secret Service chick, she is HOT."
"Yeah right, Abby! They let me sit in the corner, no food, no water, but a beautiful blond chick was sitting right in front of me! Wow, and the secret service chick's boss, uhhh…awful! I actually like our boss better, can you imagine that, Abby?" Tony compares.
"The bold guy pulled the secret service chick out of active duty for a week, I think, yeah! She is hot all right, but she ignored me, she is too old for me anyway, and too fierce and spicy for my taste - instead, I meet this hot blond chick with a huuuge…"
Gibbs stops listening to their conversation. Guilt seeps in his heart like poison. It is because of him that she is in trouble and got reprimanded in her job and he was such an insensitive jerk when she was mad about it.
"The report will be ready tomorrow, Jethro, I'll send it over to Caitlin," Ducky speaks up after being awfully quiet for a long time.
"No, give it to me, Ducky!" And he left the bullpen for his coffee.
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"As you wish, Jethro," Ducky murmurs as he walks back to his Autopsy room. He can't help it but smiles to himself, love is about to strike Jethro right on his face, perhaps. Suddenly Ducky's daydreaming is disturbed by his annoying apprentice, Jimmy.
"Why are you smiling to yourself, Dr. Mallard?" the young ME asks.
Ducky is annoyed to be disturbed from his daydream about young Caitlin and hard ass Jethro.
"Do you, fool, have any idea, that to fall in love and receive love back is the most difficult thing in this world? Young man?" The young ME looks at his mentor strangely.
What did he say? All he asked is why he is talking and smiling to himself, Jimmy thinks.
Ohhh, but Ducky keeps going. No one can stop him now - except Gibbs.
"One has to be at the right place, at the right moment for love to happen, and that, young man, seldom happens," Ducky keeps preaching to the confused Jimmy. All he asked is that why he was smiling to himself. "I remember the time, when young Maria was in love…"
Oh dear, Jimmy thought, here we go again, and follows his mentor back to the autopsy room.
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Sick
Kate arrives in her HQ feeling much better, her stomach is full and for some reason she is happy.
After logging in her activities she decides to finish, well actually start, her paperwork despite her condition. She doesn't feel tired or sick anymore, her flu is gone, she smiles to herself and thinks about Jethro, the NCIS's jerk.
But she shakes him out of her mind for a moment. She decides to think about him when she is at home, on her bed, about to sleep, under her covers.
STOP IT, KATE! Shame on you, just because the man has bought you dinner.
So, she sits in her chair and concentrates on her paperwork. She goes on until about seven at night and her supposedly healthy body gives up on her, unwilling to cooperate with her will.
Her sight is blurry, her throat is killing her and she rests her heavy head on the table, what's wrong with her? She was fine a few hours ago. She can't drive home now, perhaps later, once she feels better. Soon, she hopes as she closes her eyes just for a moment.
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Jethro Gibbs is in his basement working on his precious boat; thinking about her.
The boat in front of him can not distract his mind from Kate. He remembers every single detail of their avid embrace, he can still hear her moans, her yelps, feel her soft supple skin, her perky butt as he slipped his fingers over it. He feels himself harden instantly.
Damn it! You are too old for her.
Damn, how old is she anyway? He'll find out tomorrow.
That bloody jerk hurt her, she cried in his arms, she was broken. She is sick - without realizing, he reaches for his mobile and calls her home line.
She is sick, he reminds himself again. No answer, she must be asleep, he assumed. The woman is sick and he sees the time, it's almost two in the morning; he should try to get some sleep.
Bloody hell, he hates his lonely existence, but he will do whatever necessary to avoid the pain, again.
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Kate is in purgatory.
She is cold, and all her limbs hurt. Her head is pounding. Her bed is hard, cold and what is this bright light? She wakes up on her desk in HQ. It is four in the morning or is it?
She doesn't care, she is cold, so cold that she shivers uncontrollably. She is lightheaded, her legs are not cooperating with her brain. She sways when she stands up to leave her table. She notices that her office is empty.
Painstakingly Kate finds her way to her car and drives home. She drives very slowly, her vision is blurred, her stuffy nose is bothering her, and thank God the street is almost empty.
It is dawn when she reached her apartment. She stays seated in her car, exhaling jadedly, glancing at the golden sky. Beautiful, she thought. Why is her life so ugly compared to the dawn? She breathes hard, reining her shameful tears.
She is on a desk job. She is so scared of losing her job. She wishes she could talk to her mother, but her mom hated her job. She feels all alone: her brothers are busy with their lives, her oldest brother got married last year, and the other two are already engaged, so Kate understands that they are busy.
She rests her head on the steering wheel. Just for a while, she tells herself.
Kate has no energy to exits her car and walks out to her puny apartment, she wants to shower and sleep - sleep for weeks and never have to wake up.
Kate dreams that she has already showered and is asleep under her soft blanket, squeaky clean, comfortable, snuggling deeper into her pillow. She is so thirsty though…cold water…please. She has a hot, aching body, she wants to sleep for a very long time.
GOD DAMNIT, stop knocking, stop it! The knocks hurt her head even more, she wants to throw up.
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"Stop it, stop, don't, please," is what Gibbs hears from her parched lips.
A few minutes after he arrives by her apartment. He was pondering whether to wait for her to walk out of the apartment or just barge in on the woman, when he notices a running car engine in the lot where he parked.
Gibbs walks to the car: it is her!
She is asleep in her car - damn it, doesn't the woman know how dangerous it is to sleep in a closed car? He knocks frantically. She moves slightly. He tries to opens the door. It is locked. Desperate times call for desperate measures. He runs back to his car for his tools to force open her locked door. Within seconds he unhooked her lock and he opens her door.
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Kate feels strong warm hands tugging and gripping her elbow, pulling her sideways. She smells fresh air and coffee, but the swaying hurt her head.
"No, please don't move," she begs.
"Kate, Katie, open your eyes, it's OK, it's me. You are home." She recognized his voice, the man with the weird name.
She is supported by his warmer body. She snuggles to his soft spot. She feels much better but can't stop shivering, it is very painful to stands up straight. He touches her sweaty temple, she has a fever.
"Jethro," she calls him, as her eyes flutter open and sees the most beautiful blue eyes gazing at her.
He carries her up to her apartment. She manages to say "help" and "bathroom" - the daft woman wants to take a shower. Kate insists on her shower before she goes to bed; after much of one sided argument he lets her if she doesn't lock the door.
Bloody stubborn woman! She said she is icky.
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Feeling much calmer and more human after the wash, with aching limbs she stumbles to find her undies and shirt and plops onto her bed with a smile on her face.
Gibbs waits outside her room until he hears her throw herself on the bed. He walks in and finds her lying on her bedcover with her feet sticking out, she is dead to the world.
He lifts her limp body, pulls her white flowery cover and slips her under, and he practically tucks her in. The woman curls on her side, lost under the cover, she has a fever and she sleeps fitfully.
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Again he calls his trusted ME, his best friend, to come to the apartment.
Ducky arrives within the hour. Without much being said, the ME attends the sick woman on her bed.
Ducky shakes his head, he is worried about her wellbeing, regretting her current condition changing from bad to worse. "Poor girl" he murmurs to himself. He listens to her heartbeats and measures her blood pressure and temperature.
Kate is asleep but she can feels his presence, recognizing his kind voice. She wishes her dad is here. She ignores his presence, then she feels a sharp prick on her upper arm.
Out of surprise she opens her eyes and jolts up from the bed. Someone hold her down. She listens on and off to Ducky telling her that she is sick, he had given her an injection to lower her fever. She nods hazily and falls back to sleep after she told him that she is cold.
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Gibbs stays with her. It is still past six in the morning when Ducky leaves.
He decides to keep her company. Perhaps it's the feminine fragrance around her bed, but he feels sleepy, eying the empty space beside her. He changes his mind as remembers the frightened look she gave him when they broke off their kiss. He has no intention of scaring her. He falls asleep on a couch after wiping her sweat and feeding her cold water.
He is alerted by a cry of terror. Kate is having nightmares, she thrashes in her sleep. He quickly approaches and stays beside her. He wishes he can do more that calm her down and wait, but she is not his to touch, not yet, he reminds himself.
At nine, he left for a couple hours to go to work. Throughout the day he visits her twice, checking on her, forcing her to drink. She just looks at him vaguely, complains that her arms and legs are hurting and she wishes she is dead. She feels his kiss on her clammy head before he leaves.
That day for the first time in his life, Special Agent Gibbs goes home early, Dinozzo looks at his boss weirdly - astonished that Gibbs leaves early. Dinozzo checks out the time, it is not even five yet. But Gibbs didn't go home, he stayed with her through the night.
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Kate sleeps through the day, not peacefully but she is glad she can rest. There are times she wakes up so cold she curls up and disappears under her blanket.
The whole day she notices a presence, a smell, until she finally opens her eyes, sees his tired and worried face above her and she grins at him, she feels much better already, she doesn't know how she would have survived without his care - and Ducky's - of course.
He feels his heart blossom as he receives her oh so sweet grin - just for him. He hears a soft "hi" from her, she is still curled up under her blanket, he can only see her head, peeking at him. He thinks she looks cute, and she touches his cheek, she smiles at him.
"Kate, you've got to eat," he says sternly
"No," Kate pouts, shakes her head and snuggles back to her comfort zone. He can only see half of her face.
Then the woman remembers: "Heiii, how did you get in?" and he just grins at her, at that moment, Caitlin Todd thinks he is the sexiest man alive.
Gibbs thought two can play the game. He slowly stands up and walks out to leave her room, he counts…one…two…please…three.
"Jethro, stay with me, please," she whispers.
He thanks God she called him or he wouldn't know what to do. She doesn't have to ask him twice. Within a minute, he takes off his shoes, socks and trousers and slips in right next to her.
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The woman seems to forget that he is a stranger to her. They've shared meals and a kiss, he can not be categorized as a stranger!
She snuggles up to him the second he settled on the bed. For some freakish reason, she feels safe with her ex-nemesis.
For the first time in years Jethro Gibbs feels like he belongs, he is now sure that she is the one. For the first time in a week he feels the weariness, he didn't sleep much.
For the first time in their life, they feel right and they are glad fate brought them together - no matter how terrible it started.
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The next morning
"I did something," he murmurs in his bliss, having her in his arm, her skin is silky, her hair is soft, he is lost, surrounded by her presence.
"Please, please, please, don't tell me you switch someone again! Jethro Gibbs!" she looks up at him - horrified.
"You'll be the death of me," she said to herself.
"No Kate, I'll be your savior. No, I didn't switch anything else," he smiles in his daydream, kissing her nose.
"Although…" he wonders.
"Although what, Jethro Gibbs?" she is about to bite his lips.
"I called in for you, I called your office, told them that you are sick and you are not going to be at work for three days, told them that you are being hospitalized," he chuckles.
"Very funny, very funny, Jethro," she calms down. How sweet, he took care of everything, she holds him closer.
Gibbs is saving the best for last, just as she is comfortable in his arms against his chest.
"And when they asked me who am I, I told them that I am your fiancée." She tenses in his arms, holding her breath for a second, swiftly bracing her arms on his chest, giving them space, looking into his twinkling mischievous eyes.
They gaze at each other for a long minute, then she leans forward slightly and he takes control of her mouth. She responds as hungrily as he does, wanting to get closer to him. They are both in awe when they break their lock to breathe and she laughs. Their lips are still touching. He laughs with her too.
"You are so bad." She couldn't believe what he said to her colleagues. She gazes into his deep passionate eyes and he takes over her mouth again, sharing his passion, having the need to be inside her.
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That night, they fill each other's emptiness, they calm each other's fears, they fulfill each other's desires. They come apart in each others' hold, shouting each other's name in bliss. In the beginning, their rhythm was languid and deep, but within the end, they couldn't control the gratifying sensation, and they greedily claim each other.
After their orgasmic tryst, bathed in sweat, her room is pungent with the smell of their lovemaking. She is napping on his chest while he is stroking her thick beautiful chocolate waves, kissing her face softly, savoring the sweet moment, just the two of them - away from all their troubles and past at that moment.
Gibbs feels like he's been reborn. Be damned with his previous failures, he would never let her go, he has never felt this right, in his gut and heart.
He looks down to her beautiful sleepy face and he says to her: "Kate, I don't regret crossing your path," and he kisses her head lovingly.
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They only met less than three days ago and she lets the man makes love to her. She and Tim were going about for almost six months but she hardly let him touch her.
Jethro Gibbs already knows that he has fallen in love with her. Caitlin Todd is sure that he would never hurt her and touch her in anger - they both wonder, is it true love?
Only time can prove it.
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-Tbc-nova2007-BETA (MV)
Author's Chapter Notes:
So? is Special Agent Gibbs her foe? or lover?