Chapter 5
Abby meets Kate, again.
Half an hour later, in Abby’s lab.
The sweet goth is concentrating on her computer screen. She hears the unmistakable sound of the automatic door being opened and her old boss’s footsteps. They sound different today.
Abby decides to be funny. She turns her body around with a frown, trying to mimics Gibbs, “You are ten minutes late, Gibbs!!!”
Then Abby notices somebody else, she sees the reason why Gibbs is late, and a smile forms on her cute face.
“AHA!!! Now I know why you are late, GIBBS!” Abby winks at the Secret Service chick naughtily.
“Hi Kate!” She remembers her name.
Kate is standing behind her boss and Gibbs is holding her hand. What a rare sight! OK, just the tips of her fingers but rare indeed!
And Kate winks back at the Goth techie, as she hands her a ‘bribe’: “Sorry Abby, we were in a hurry. No time to stop for Caf Pow. But I assure you that this is just as good.” Kate hands Abby a pack of Arnotts Timtam.
“UHH, Thanks Secret Service chick. I love it.” Abby exclaims happily as she receives the ‘bribe’ and rips the pack open. She is hungry and hasn’t slept a wink, thank God her boss’s secret girlfriend is considerate.
“Abby, I got to go…” Gibbs finally speaks up.
“Go, Boss Man, go! Go! I will take care of Kate. I love having female company.”
“Bye Kate, I’ll see you later,” and he left after a quick kiss to her temple.
Abby grins, about to shout out loud, asking Boss Man about the kiss, but decides otherwise, it is way too early and tomorrow is another day. So Abby looks at the Secret Service chick. So she is the one.
“Wow!!! Want to spill the beans, Kate?” Abby raises her brows at her slyly.
“Don’t you have to work?” Kate wonders.
“I am waiting for a beep. C’mon!” Abby replies quickly as she pulls her to the corner couch.
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Since that day, Abby has known that Gibbs is not going solo anymore and she is sincerely happy for him.
She jumps on him when he arrives to take Kate home.
It is seven in the morning. Abby kisses both his cheeks roughly and whispers: “I am so happy for you, Mr. Boss man.” And Gibbs looks at her weirdly and hears Kate is laughing hysterically on the couch.
Gibbs takes Kate home before Tony and McGee arrive with bags of evidence. McGee goes straight to Ducky while Tony loiters in Abby’s lab.
Special agent Antony DiNozzo notices something different. He pretends to smell the air, sniffing around Abby. He touches the glaring computer screen with his fingertips, he scrutinizes the couch, chairs and inspects the rubbish bin.
Finally he speaks up: “You had company! Young " hot " female. Hmm…in her thirties?”
“Very good, Tony!” Abby praises her crazy friend.
“Who is it???” Tony sticks his face to Abby's, just inches away - curious.
“Do you really want to know, Tony???” Abby baits him. She will NOT reveal Kate’s identity. Gibbs will kill her!!! But she is having too much fun at Tony’s expense.
Tony looks at her slyly, trying to be cool. He lifts a single brown hair from the table, looking at it under the light, “brunette?!?” Tony concludes.
“Who is it???” he can’t hide his curiosity anymore.
Abby stays silent for a minute, making Tony crazy. He pokes Abby’s side with his index finger like a hungry monkey.
“OK OK OK! It’s Gibbs’s girlfriend!” she bellows, so that Tony will leave her alone. That’s all she is going to say.
OH NO. That is like pouring oil over fire!
“Boss’s girlfriend??? Boss has a girlfriend???” Tony chokes on his milk and continues:
“What was she like? What’s her name? Is she hot? Brunette? But I thought the boss only does redheads?!? Is she HOT??? Tell me, tell me, tell me ABBY! Flaming brunette? WOW! Sexy lady? Boss is ‘doing’ a brunette, wow!” Tony rambles like a chimpanzee on steroids.
Then he notices that Abby is looking at him weirdly and is shaking her head at him, signaling him to shut up, but it was too late:
____TWACK____! Tony receives a head slap.
____TWACK____! The second head slap from his boss.
“Don’t you have work to do, DiNozzo?” Gibbs barks at his agent.
“YEAH BOSS! ON IT BOSS!” Tony answers quickly
“Take McGee with you.” Gibbs says as he is sipping his hot coffee, then when he looks up, he sees the knucklehead agent not moving his ass. Instead he is ogling him.
“You look different, Boss.” Tony comments on Gibbs’s look.
“DINOZZO, OUT! NOW!” He shouts and Tony scrams for his life.
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Nosy
In the NCIS truck:
“McGee!!! You are dating Abby, right?” Tony is driving.
“Yep!” McGee nods.
“Hmm…” Tony nods his head like a wise man. Are you kidding me, like a wise crack man!
“Why, Tony?” McGee asks naively
“Did she tell you anything about Boss’s secret chick?” Tony asks him slyly.
“Nope!” McGee answers quickly, plain and simple!
“Don’t you want to know?”
“Yep!” he does wonder about what kind of woman can tame the old fierce grumpy pants, after all the man has been married three times.
“So???” Tony is curious, to put it better - nosy!
“So what, Tony?” McGee knows exactly what he is going to ask.
“Why don’t you ask Abby?” Tony raises one of his brows at him
“No, Tony.” McGee answers confidently.
“Why not?” the Curious Italian Monkey asks.
McGee sighs patiently, looks at his partner and: “…because, Tony! Sooner or later, it will unfold itself!” the probie advises Tony.
Tony rolls his eyes in annoyance, but he nods his head while listening to him. Tony is thinking: what kind of woman can make his old Boss happy?
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His Katie is away for two weeks. Hell! He misses her.
Sometimes, he can’t even communicate with her for over three days. Then Gibbs would glue himself to the TV. Whenever possible - looking for the latest news on the president, wanting to know where his girl is.
Jethro Gibbs hates technology.
So, one fine morning, Ducky the old ME is stunned to find his friend learning from Abby how to surf the internet. Abby is standing behind her boss, explaining patiently to him. Ducky guessed that he wanted to search for Kate’s wellbeing and location, basing his search for the President’s location.
During the two weeks Tony noticed that his Boss Gibbs is watching TV more than usual, it is during the Presidential campaign.
Sure, Gibbs automatically switches his TV set on in the basement while he is building his boat, but the man hardly watches the TV. He usually listens to it, but now, he watches the news.
Strange - Tony raises his shoulder and asks: “You vote for him, Boss?”
Gibbs doesn’t answer his daft agent, he just smirks and leaves him wondering.
Tony just confusedly looks at his weird boss and the TV set. The president is shaking hands with his people. The old man has gone daft, Tony concludes dejectedly.
He doesn’t know that his ‘daft boss’ is hoping to catch a glimpse of his woman who usually stands around or behind their president.
Gibbs exhales, irritated with the condition, angry with himself for being too attached to the woman. But he knows that once she is within range and has the opportunity to communicate, she will contact him within seconds.
Yesterday afternoon, he was fuming mad when his mobile ran out of battery. As he reached the HQ, the operator told him that Agent Todd called when he was away and she will call again when she has the chance.
He smashed his three month old mobile in anger and frustration, then asked Tony to fix it " as he always does.
That afternoon, he asked for voice messaging services on his desk " a service that he refused five years ago, and after that he asked McGee to teach him how to use the bloody machine.
Special Agent Gibbs was in a foul mood for the entire two weeks. He came to work early and left work late, until one Tuesday morning. Gibbs arrives late at work, but he is such in a good mood " he whistles softly as he enters the bullpen.
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It was a horrible two weeks for Special Agent Todd. She was paired up with the worst jackass in the Secret Service, he is the son of a senator who managed to pull some strings and get his son transferred to the Secret Service. Talk about nepotism.
Two weeks of listening to his bullshitting and sucking up to their Boss gave her a bad case of migraine.
Her partner - euwww, her working buddy - is a chauvinist pig and Neanderthal, and what’s worse, bloody incompetent. He often made sexist remarks to her, to which she replied smugly, making him look like an idiot.
But the worst part of the two weeks is that she missed her Jethro
Two weeks felt like a month, sure she is damn busy during the day and some nights with her duties, but during the few hours when she is supposed to close her eyes and rest, she missed him terribly.
She is so used to have him beside her. Bad, such dependency, but she can’t help it. Since they’ve been ‘secretly’ going out, he has always been beside her when she sleeps " when she is in DC. No matter how late or how early in the morning, even for a few hours, he’ll be there; even with their crazy schedules, they’ll find each other.
Kate remembered one specific time. It was two in the morning when he called her mobile, she was already in bed. He told her that he just arrived home and since she is already sleeping, he’ll work on his boat and will see her tomorrow evening. After saying good night, she fell back to sleep alone - yeah right.
Somehow, in the early hours of the morning, he knocked on her door. Furthermore, when she opened the door sleepily " she found him looking at her, very displeased, with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder.
He was mad because she just opened the door without even peeking " while she smiled sleepily and shut him up with a sweet kiss.
The next day, she cut him a key to her apartment. And from then on, they both stopped kidding themselves, acting as if they don’t need each other.
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Unwanted visitor
By the time the presidential entourage is back in DC, Kate is half dead. Everybody is exhausted. They received several bomb threats along the journey.
Now, she has reports to be typed and filed, and more paperwork to be done. It is almost five in the afternoon when she is done. Kate is dog-tired, she is a light sleeper and she hardly slept during the two week journey.
Special Agent Todd walks out of her HQ which is surrounded by two meters high solid black bars. She feels and looks exhausted.
“Long weeks, Special Agent Todd?” the SS security guard greets her
“Yes Simon, dead tired.” Kate replies.
“Have great off duty days, Agent Todd.”
“Thanks Simon. See you when I see you.” She smiles weakly and walks out the gate.
Kate exhales, letting go of all of the negative energy in her and looks to her right and left. She is so tired her brain is ‘frozen’, unable to think. What should she do next " all she cares about is going home for a shower, calling Jethro and sleeping for a week.
She is looking down the street, not paying much attention to her surroundings. Part of her is thinking about hailing a cab and the other part is hoping that her boyfriend is not on a case or at least at home " free to be with her for the night.
She didn’t drive to work because of previous experience, she knows that she’ll be too tired to drive, so taking a cab is a much safer option.
But for some reason, her mind is blank. She is in her zombie mode, she keeps walking with no direction, lost in thought.
She is still walking about half a block from the HQ when suddenly she yelps as someone roughly grabs her arm, jerking her sideways.
“HEI!” she is shocked by the sudden intrusion.
“Kate! Are you all right?” she hears his voice. It is ‘his’ voice.
“Jethro!” she is happy to see him.
“Kate, you almost got hit by a bike!!!” his tone is loud and angry. He is pulling her closer to him.
“Oh? I didn’t…I didn’t notice, I am tired.”
“C’mon,” he guides her away from the street, holding her hand, taking her duffel bag from her shoulder.
“I missed you, Jethro.” She tells him.
But he is still quiet " not saying a word. He looks stiff and angry, Kate thinks.
She starts poking his stomach playfully. “What’s wrong?”
“Kate.”
“Yeah???” she is looking at him, still confused.
“Next time, call me when you arrive, OK?!”
And she gives him her sweetest smile and nods, but he is still not smiling.
By the time they reach her apartment, she has fallen asleep " peacefully, on the passenger seat. Gibbs switches off the car engine and looks at her. He strokes her hair lovingly and whispers: “I missed you too, Kate.”
She is awoken by his soft touches " she is a light sleeper, Gibbs notices.
“We are home, Katie.”
Kate yawns, stretches her arms and circles her arms around his neck, snuggling into him before she forces herself to exit the car.
Kate practically stumbles back to her apartment with him. He carries her duffel bag and circles his arm around her waist. She is light-footed, dead tired, but she is still grinning at him, very pleased to be home, with him.
In the elevator, she rests her head on his shoulder. He looks at her face from the side, she has prominent dark circles under her eyes.
Then, his woman sniffs his neck and nuzzles her nose to him, murmuring, “coffee”.
He wishes to sniff her too, but she pushes him away from her. "No no no, I am icky! I smell!” Kate refuses point blank as she pushes him away from her neck.
But he is not a man that is easily deterred, he refuses to give up.
Kate counters: “Just a kiss, OK?”
He wouldn’t say no to that, he is old but not stupid!
But she is saved by the bell - actually the ‘ding’ - from the elevator’s doors opening.
Gibbs looks cheated! Kate thinks he looks funny.
He pulls out his key to her apartment and they enter her place.
Kate exclaims her happiness to be home. He is still holding her duffel bag when she turns around and kisses him, deep and hard. He just dumps the bag unceremoniously on the floor, his mind is occupied by the sweet glorious kiss they are sharing.
One of her hands sneaks into his shirt and teases him, playing with his chest hair. Their passionate embrace heats up a notch. They both moan before breaking their kiss to breathe.
Gibbs pulls himself together. He holds her face with both hands and decides: “Have your long awaited shower, eat and then sleep,” he orders the woman.
“But…” Kate is surprised. She thought they are going to make love.
“No but, Kate,” he insists as he kisses her forehead.
“I want to make love to you. I missed you. Don’t you miss me?” she sadly asks him.
“Kate, not a day went by that I didn’t miss you. Not a day went by that I didn't wish I can touch you and make love to you,” he explains to baffled Kate.
He sounds so serious that she is the one who is surprised.
Gibbs continues, “…but you are tired. I know how easy it is for you to get sick when you don’t have enough sleep! And when you are well rested, I guarantee that sleeping is last thing you’ll do, Special Agent Todd.” He grins slyly at her.
“Fine!” Kate pretends to be dissatisfied and walks away from him to take her bath.
She takes her bath with lavender and rose scented oil, indulging herself in the pleasure of hot water and a fragrant bath. Life is bliss, she decides.
Kate soaks in her tub for more than half an hour, she closes her eyes in peace, breathing calmly. Then when she looks at her surroundings, she notices something: There is more of her boyfriend’s stuff in her bathroom than before she left for work, two weeks ago.
The man is obviously comfortable in her place. She bets that he is cooking them dinner, he knows his way around her kitchen.
Kate recalls as she soaks in the tub.
After they had been dating a month, he brought his toothbrush over.
The second month, some of his clothes were in her place.
The third month, they exchanged keys.
By the fourth month, they could have gone to each other’s places and spend the night without worry because she had her toiletries and clothes in his place and vice versa.
Kate smiles in satisfaction, before she submerges her head under the warm water.
Meanwhile, Gibbs is cooking in the kitchen. Two days ago, he went grocery shopping for both their places. He is now making his famous ‘Chicken Cordon Blue” for them.
Then he realizes that he hears no noise or any commotion from the bathroom which is located in her sleeping quarters. He glances at the time " it has been too long. Usually it doesn’t take her more than fifteen minutes tops for her shower. Her showers are usually quick, for a woman.
He frowns as he walks towards the bathroom and he listens - nothing.
“Kate” he knocks " no noise, nothing.
“Kate!” he calls and knocks louder. He tries to open the door, it is locked. He hates it that she locks the door.
Kate is jerked awake by the commotion at the door.
“Yes,” she replies.
“You all right?”
“Yeah, sorry, I fell asleep, I'll come out soon.” Kate swiftly rinses herself, grabs her terry robe and exits the bathroom in haste, she is hungry too.
She finds him still standing right in front of the door. Fragrant steams come out with her, greeting him. His girlfriend is squeaky clean and fuzzy.
“I am hungry,” she announces to him with a smile.
Gibbs thinks he has never been happier. He is about to kiss her when they hear knocks on the door.
Kate exhales. "Disturbance,” she murmurs crankily as she walks to the door " with him spooning her, tagging along, not letting her go.
She peeks through the hole and Gibbs feels her tense up and hears her gasp in worry.
“Who is it, Kate?”
“It’s my ex, Jethro,” she whispers in fear and annoyance.
Gibbs decides to take over. “Wait in your room, Katie,” as he lets her go.
Kate listens to him, he sounds so serious. He can see her fear and doubt through her eyes, but she doesn’t question him and she leaves him to deal with the pest.
Gibbs opens the door, looking at the man that assaulted his girlfriend.
The man is very surprised to see him open Kate’s door. Gibbs gives him his coldest meanest glare and he wants to beat the hell out of him.
“I am looking for Kate.” Tim bravely speaks up.
“I do not want you to see Kate, ever! If you dare see her again, if you dare get within ten feet of her; if I ever see your face…”
“You’ll what???” The football carrier asks smugly.
“You don’t want a taste of what I can do. But first, the MPs will be hearing from me.” Gibbs continues his threats seriously and the man shrinks slightly as he hears the word MP. Gibbs is from NCIS, he is not joking. He knows what NCIS can do and what the man can do to ruin his career.
But the schmuck couldn’t help himself, mocking Gibbs about his age: “Who the hell are you? Her father???” Tim smirks.
“If I was her father, you’ll be dead already! NOBODY lays a finger on my daughter. Especially the way you did to Kate,” Gibbs speaks with venom in his voice.
“Now, get the hell out!!! Before I kill you.” and he slams the door on him.
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Kate is nervous, she is sitting on the edge of the bed, hugging her pillow tensely. She can hear the argument clearly. She is glad that he is here with her, not that she is not capable of taking care of herself, but because she simply feels safer while he is around.
“Kate,” she hears him call her name as he approaches her.
“Jethro, I am so sorry,” she doesn’t know what to say.
“Don’t be, it’s OK. It’s not your fault,” he pulls her into his arms.
“I am glad you are here, Jethro. But I still have to work with him…” she complains, then regrets sharing the information with him seconds later. She bites her tongue the moment she sees his face.
Gibbs didn’t realize that the bastard might be scheduled to work with Kate at any given time.
“…but I can handle him! C’mon, let’s eat. I am hungry,” she changes the topic.
“Kate!” Gibbs is not happy with the news.
Kate rambles on, “What did you cook for me? I am starving!” while pulling him to the dining table.
She even pulls out the chair for him, but her effort is fruitless.
“Kate!”
“Uhhh, yum,” she ignores him.
“Kate!” he repeats, demanding her attention.
“Jethro!” she mimics him. Then she realizes that he is not joking.
“I rather have you stay in my place than here while you are in DC,” he voices his concern. “I am not always around”
Kate interrupts him. “Jethro, I know. We’ll talk later,” she starts eating " hoping that he will follow her, but it is not that easy.
Sure, he doesn’t calls her name anymore, but he keeps really quiet and is not eating, just looking at her - eating.
Kate admits defeat. She puts down her cutlery and looks at him. “Jethro, it’s OK. I can handle it. It’s no big deal and, he’s seen you here!”
“Stay in my place for a couple of nights,” he is not budging from the discussion.
“OK, it’s not a problem. I love your place. It has a boat,” she agrees and jokes with him " she kisses his gruff face. “OK” she repeats.
And he nods in satisfaction.
They have their meal in peace. He is rather quiet, but her chatter brightens him up. Kate tries so hard to hide her laugh, because the second she finishes her meal, he says: "Let’s go, get your stuff! We are going to my place.”
“No coffee?” Kate is impressed.
“Very funny, Kate” he replies.
Before Kate can say anything: “Pack up, lets go! You should get some sleep…soon…in my place,” he repeats, saying ‘my place’ again.
Kate only needs to get her laptop and some files because a quarter of her clothes are already in his place.
Within half an hour, they are leaving her apartment. Gibbs is rather excited that she going to spend the night in his place, because he is the one who always ends up in her puny apartment. Sure, he requested her to stay for a couple of days, but this time he’ll make her stay longer - much longer
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Caitlin Todd ended up staying at her boyfriend’s house for over a month. They are practically living together, she only returns to her apartment for mail, diverting her calls and to get more clothes to his place.
Gibbs couldn’t be happier. He loves having her there
Once, he called her mobile, and asked about her whereabouts and when she said she is in her apartment, he was displeased.
“What are you doing in your apartment? Don’t you have everything in my place, already?!”
“Jethro! I have plants! And they need water!” Kate hangs up on him " the man is rather controlling. He must be used to getting what he wants, all the time. Kate shakes her head in disbelief while watering her poor dying plants.
She reached ‘his’ home around nine at night after coming back from her HQ, and she was stunned when she was greeted by her plants from her apartment, placed on the shelves beside the fireplace and she laughed until her tummy hurt.
Oh dear, he is really something.
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-Tbc-nova2007- BETA (MV)
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.