Title: These Things Happen
Author: Gibbsgirl
Rating: R Probably could be PG-13, but better to err on the side of caution.
Disclaimer: NCIS and its characters belong to Paramount, not to me. Which is a crying shame, cause they're a lot of fun to take out for a spin...

Author's notes: PLEASE READ: I know this is where I normally thank the people that helped, and I will, but first: This is not my normal sort of story. There is no case here. This is a follow up to Falling For You, an answer to the question I left open. Having said that, before those of you dying to know go tearing off, please be aware there is some frank language used in this story. Those of you who maybe embarrassed or offended by such language, either don't read any further, or don't complain if you do. I'm giving you fair warning now, and I'm putting a R rating on the story for that reason.

Okay, having said that, I owe my usual thanks to both m.a.c for her beta work and jo for her proof work. I also owe them for pushing me to post this. This is the story I wanted to tell as the follow-up, I just didn't think anyone would like me very much if I did! Thanks so much you guys, you really are the greatest friends this writer could ask for!!

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The harsh buzz of the alarm clock dragged Kate to awareness. Reaching out an arm to silence the pesky device, she tried not to disturb the man snuggled against her back. She yawned and stretched, mindful of her healing injuries from the team's recent case, then carefully disentangled herself from her lover and headed for the bathroom to get ready for work.

She closed the door and took care of her morning business, noting two troublesome things: the twinge low in her left side that began late Saturday wasn't going away and that her period was another day late. That made it over three weeks. She sat for a moment with her head in her hands, then pulled herself together and climbed in the shower. The pregnancy tests were negative, including the one the doctor did last week. She'd give it another couple of days; maybe it was all the stress from the Lynn Holder murder case that messed up her cycle. Highly unlikely, but possible.

A groggy Tony staggered into the bathroom just as she finished her shower. Having removed the wraps for her ribs before the shower, she took a special delight in pressing her damp body against his for a good morning kiss.

"Mmm, now that's nice," he murmured.

"Mm-hm." She smiled up at his half closed eyes. "I suppose you're still too asleep to truss me back up, huh?"

"Mmm. Give me a few, I won't be long." He gave her another kiss, running his hands along her as he moved past her to get in the shower.

Kate dried off and headed for the bedroom. She noticed each step she took with her left foot jarred the twinge. She made a mental note to ask Ducky about the pain when they reached the office that morning. It probably had something to do with her healing ribs, although the pain was awfully low on her side...

The couple finished getting ready for work, Tony securing Kate's ribs as was habit by now. They had a quick breakfast and headed out the door, Kate concealing her discomfort as much as possible. She didn't want Tony worrying about her; she'd find out what the problem was and then she'd talk to him about it.

When they arrived at the office, Kate found her desk piled with folders. Gibbs was approaching at the same time, coffee in hand. Surprisingly, he set the cup on her desk before he spoke.

"You'll need that. Files are from a cold case Owens' team is working on. They wanted to know if you would read over some of the material and give them a profiler's opinion. Trouble is, they had no idea what material you would need." Gibbs shook his head.

Tony chuckled. "Let me guess. Christie suggested they use Kate, Pete volunteered to pull the files and Dave brought them over, right?" Tony remembered the team from a previous case.

"Sounds right to me. Anyway, Kate, since we're not working on anything at the moment, I told them you would look at the files, but I wouldn't promise them anything. And, of course, if we get a case..."

"Right. Well, I'd better get on this, then." She sat down and began going through file after file, sorting the useful ones from the merely case-related. She lost track of time wading through the information, getting caught up in the old murder. Nearly three hours later she found her second coffee cup, also supplied by Gibbs, empty, and her legs in need of stretching. She stood and looked around, noticing that everyone else had disappeared. Shrugging, she headed first toward the ladies room.

As soon as she put her left foot down she was grateful there was no one in the bullpen. 'How did this pain get so much worse so quickly,' she wondered. Sucking in her breath, she limped the short distance to her objective, favoring her left foot. There she received her second rude shock of the morning. While her period had not arrived, she'd begun spotting. Odd brown spotting. 'That settles it,' she thought. As much as she wanted to save herself the time and hassle by getting Ducky's opinion on her disturbing symptoms, she realized that calling her own doctor was the wiser choice. And that phone call wasn't one she wished to make around her very attentive teammates or gossipy coworkers. She slid her cell phone from her belt and headed for the elevator, hoping no one would notice her untimely exit.