Gibbs knew. He always did. That's what Special Agent Kate Todd thought when she opened her door and saw him standing there on her doorstep with some movie.

"Can I come in?" he asked, eyebrows raised. She stepped back and allowed him to enter her small apartment.

"Why—what's up?" She knew he knew, but she wanted him to show that gentle side she had only seen a few times.

"Kate, you're not yourself. I knew the instant you walked in this morning that something as wrong. What's up with you?"

She walked over to her loveseat, sat down and started crying. "My mom died. Yesterday." She sniffled more. "We were really close. She was my best friend. But don't tell Abby." She attempted a smile, and Gibbs laughed. "I won't."

He came and sat down with her, pulling her close to him. "I'm sorry, Kate. I really am. I obviously never knew her, but she must have been a great mother." She pulled back and looked at him, then smiled at the implied compliment.

"Thanks." She took a breath, then stood up. "Now let's make some popcorn and check this movie out. What is it?"

"Eh, just some random flick." More of a comedy, he thought. With a bit of romance sprinkled in.

As the movie progressed, Katie found herself inching closer and closer to the big old toughie who had come to comfort her. She just wanted someone to hold on to her, and his chest looked very comfortable, pillow-wise.

Gibbs didn't react when he felt her push up against him, except for smiling, instead wrapping his arm around her and pulling her closer. He knew she wanted, needed, the comfort. And he was perfectly fine with providing it.

When she woke up the next morning, she was curled up around him, her head nestled in his neck. He had both arms around her, one hand resting on her hip and the other high on her thigh. They were no longer vertical, but they weren't quite horizontal either. As much as she wanted to remain in this position, she had to remind herself of Rule 12. And she was sure he was just in this position because of his compassion for her last night. But when she tried to gently push herself away, he stirred and pulled her tighter.

"….want….Kate….," he murmured. She froze, stunned, then pulled back more. But when he opened his eyes sleepily and looked straight at her, she froze again. Their faces, their lips, were a mere two inches apart. She could feel his warm breath. Kate wasn't sure who moved first, but the next thing she knew they were hungrily devouring each other's mouths. She felt Gibbs' teeth graze her lip and sighed in pleasure. Her mouth traveled to find his ear and gently nipped the lobe. In one smooth but fast twist, he had her on her back with him on top.

"Gibbs, wait……stop……," she sighed into his mouth, but he paid no attention. She found herself overpowered for a few minutes, but when he began pulling at her shirt, she stopped him. "Gibbs, I….you……"

"Spit it out, Kate," he growled. They were both breathing heavily, his hands still holding onto her shirt.

"Should we be………doing this?" She bit her lip. "I mean, with Rule—"

"Right now I don't give a crap about Rule 12. I've wanted you for the last year," he growled gruffly. "The question is, Kate, do you want this?" He pulled back a fraction of an inch, but it was enough to have her pulling him back to her.

"Yes! Yes, I do," she exclaimed.

"Then we'll worry about the consequences later," he told her, then with a groan he pulled off her shirt and finished what they had started.

An hour later they were lying on the couch, arms and legs entwined.

"Gibbs, that was….wow," she sighed into his ear, and he laughed softly.

"They usually say that," he murmured, and kissed a line from her ear to her mouth.

"What are we—I mean, what's going to happen?" she asked him quietly.

He sighed and pulled away. "Call me a hypocrite, but I have no desire to put off my desire for you. We just can't let it get in the way of our job. That means we do our duty and don't let any love, lust, or anything other than purely professional manners control us."

Her lips curved up. "Sounds good to me. Now, could you maybe show some more of this desire for me?"

He chuckled before pulling her back to him and kissing her more.