They had no acute case at the moment. Gibbs was out of the office, probably getting coffee at some near-by shop. DiNozzo had been on her back all week, so she hadn´t had a chance to do it earlier. Now he was out at lunch with McGee. Who would have thought that DiNozzo would go to lunch with the probie!? But McGee had taught Tony something on the computer and Tony owed him one.
Kate walked over to Gibbs´ chair and let the disc slip into his jacket pocket. She looked around to make sure nobody had seen her and quickly made her way back to her own desk, in case Gibbs was anywhere near. What she was up to was risky business. She had a lot to loose.
She sat down again and continued writing her report. He was likely to start shouting about it soon. He always got crancy when they were lacing any interesting cases. When he walked out of the elevator a couple of minutes later, she was almost done writing.
"Where´s the report on the MacCallan case? I wanted the report on my desk by midday yesterday!" he grunted without stopping on his way to his desk.
"I´m just finishing it, should be ready in ten." she answered, looking calm but feeling anything but.
He looked down at his computer and started playing solitare while sipping coffee from a large takeaway-mug.
Five minutes later she laid the file down in front of him and said she was going out for lunch.
"Where´s DiNozzo and McGee?" Gibbs asked.
"They went out to lunch an hour ago. I suspect they´ll be back any minute." Kate said, just as McGee walked into the bullpen.
"Where´s DiNozzo?" Gibbs fired at McGee.
"He spotted a teenage girl just as we we´re going to order, so off he went. Haven´t seen him since", the younger man answered, looking slightly scared.
Kate took the opportunity to slip out of the office and went to lunch. When she came back, half an hour later, DiNozzo had still not shown up. Gibbs was getting steamed up so she decided to go down to Abby for a chat.
"I did it." the brunette told the goth technic while walking into the lab.
Abby shrieked happily and started jumping up and down. She knew what Kate talked about. She hadn´t actually heard the song that Kate´s Swedish cousin had sent her, but she knew what Kate had planned to do for so long. Abby was happy for her friend. Friends, both of them. She knew they both had wanted each other for so long, though Gibbs hadn´t actually said as much. But looks were deciving. And she has discussed the matter with Ducky often enough.
Abby danced joyously around Kate, but suddenly stopped when she saw a shadow in the door.
"What´s up, Abs?" the tall shadow in the door asked.
"Hey, my silver haired fox." Abby started, not knowing how to continue."Kate just told me ... she is going to dye her hair black. I´ve tried to talk her into it for months now" Abby said, not coming up with anything more convincing.
Gibbs didn´t buy it, and frowned. He didn´t think it would look any good. "Oh yeah."
"Hmm." Kate said, wishing Abby would have come up with something more belivable. She smiled a little and said "I haven´t promised, I just said I was thinking about it to make her stop nag at me.".
"Abby, if you two are done socialising during working hours, maybe you could show me the enhanced photo you said you had of the suspects!" he said, looking sternly at the goth.
"Sure." she said, smiling happily. "Sensation! Come see the three-headed man, the only one in the whole world!"
When neither Gibbs nor Kate seemed to understand what she was talking about, she projected three photos on the big screen on the wall. The photos all were of three different men, all similar built. Abby had made a copy of the faces, cut away all hair, glasses, moustach and beard on her computer. What she found underneath the different appearances was one single man. Their three suspects just became one guilty man. Gunny Seargeant Hammil. It was a low-priority case, but still a case. And now it was a closed case, Hammil had commited suicide last week.
Gibbs decided to call it a day. DiNozzo had showed up and gotten a well-deserved shouting at. The three underlings still had an hour of work left, so they stayed at the bullpen.
"Why do you seem so happy?" Tony asked crankily, he was angri because had had gotten yelled at.
"We solved te case." Kate said, looking like she had been miles away.
"Sure. The guilty guy´s dead. That´s not why you´re floating on a pink cloud." he stated and repeted his question.
Kate didn´t answer, just looked away and started scribbling down nonsense words on her computer, trying to look busy in hope of Tony stoping his inquisition.
"You haven´t got a date, have you?" he asked curiously.
She blushed but continued staring at the computer screen.
Tony asked her repeatedly who it was but she didn´t want to answer.
"Just an old colleague." she stated at last, to make him stop. Technically, she wasn´t lying. He was old and he was a colleague. "No one you know."
That made him go quiet for a while. She looked at the watch, almost time to go home. Only a quarter of an hour left. She started thinking about what she needed to get from the super market.
"It´s not that girley MikeyO, is it?" Tony asked, a discusted look on his face.
Kate gathered her things and walked out of the bullpen, not wanting to listen to him anymore.
"It it, isn´t it! McGee, you heard that? Katie is making out with that discusting sheman-wannabe!"
"It´s up to her who she sees. And he is quite nice, once you get to know him." McGee said.
Kate reminded herself to thank him the next day as she walked into the elevator.
Gibbs sat down in his car. There was something in his pocket that hadn´t been there before. He hadn´t been in contact with any suspect, relative of a victime or vitness that day, he´d been in the office almost all day. It couldn´t be anything connected to a case. It wasn´t important, probably somthing that had gotten into his pocket by mistake. But his curiosity got the best of him. He took the object out of the pocket.
It was a disc in a CD-cover. It looked like an ordinary compact disc, but could also be a CD-rom. There was a machine written note with the disc. It said Magnus Bäcklund ©´. What did it mean?
He put the disc into the CD player and started the car. While driving home he listened to the dics. It was a song he had never heard before.
Just thinking about it, the way that we met
A worst case scenario, as bad as it gets
Being part of the same crowd, at least we can hide
A matter of time ´til we slip and slide
It´s not the grass being greener, it´s stronger than that
It´s becoming a fact
Each time we meet, we get a little bit closer
to crossing the line
Why does the wrong thing seem so divine
And the feeling is stronger than it´s ever been
Sweet catastrophy is closing in
He´s been a good friend from as long as I can recall
And I know you know her since you were three feet tall
It´s a wierd situation, we´re blessed and we´re cursed
But holding it in just makes it worse
A lot of people will hate us for what we´re about to do
But I can´t keep away from you
Each time we meet, we get a little bit closer
to crossing the line
Why does the wrong thing seem so divine
And the feeling is stronger then it´s ever been
Sweet catastrophy is closing in
It´s not like we´ll be forgiven
Least not in a thousand years or so
Still, I´d rather die than let you go
Wich means I´m gonna hurt her
And it´s killing me too
I don´t know how to work this
I guess neither do you
Each time we meet we get a little bit closer
to crossing the line
Why does the wrong thing seem so divine
And with every day stronger than it´s ever been
Sweet catastrophy is closing in
Just a little bit bolder with every touch
No turning back now, we just want it too much
How we´re ever gonna tell them, I have no idea
Sweet catastrophy will soon be here
Sweet catastrophy will soon be here
When he came home Gibbs didn´t go down to his boat, as he always did. He went to the small and rarely used office next to his light kitchen. He turned on his laptop and started up the internet connection.
When Gibbs googled Magnus Backlund´ most of the links he found were to pages in a foreign language. But from the english sites he gathered that Magnus Backlund was a Scandinavian singer who had apparently been competing in a song contest a few times. Gibbs had never heard of the man before. And the two dots over the A confused him. He did some more detective work and read of the Swedish letter Ä a couple of minutes before finally heading down to the celler, disc in hand.
He searched the dark room for a radio player, but the one he found didn´t have a CD station. He went back up to the sitting room and retrieved a newer player before going down again. Who could have put the disc in his pocket?
He put on the music again and poured himself a drink. The lyrics of the music reminded him of his own constant struggle. The song could have been about him and Kate. He knew his feelings were answered, but he was scared. He was scared of either of them hurting the other. It would be inevitable if they were to pursue their feelings. But sometimes he could hardly stop himself from putting a hand on the small of her back.
Dear Caitlin. Suddenly it hit him, ©! It was her. She had put it there. C was for Caitlin, of course it was.
Gibbs didn´t do any sandpapering that evening. But when he finally got out of the celler it was past two in the morning. He had a plan, and he wasn´t going to back out.
The next day crept by painfully slowly for both Kate and Gibbs. They didn´t have any new case. DiNozzo didn´t notice anything and had apparently forgot that he thought he had found out who Kate was dating. McGee noticed that both his boss and his co-worker was somewhat distant, but after discussing the matter with Abby he knew what was going on. He was happy for them and hoped it would work out.
At lunch McGee asked Kate to join him to an near-by italian resaurant. She accepted and they went out. Tony went for a hot dog with a receptionist he had met a few weeks ago when they were investigating the death of her employer. It had proven to be a natural death and he had taken her to lunch a couple of times since.
After getting their meals, Kate thanked the young computer geek for his reply the day before.
"I just said what I felt. I like MikeyO. But I dont believe it was him you were thinking about." McGee said, picking up a mouthful of spaghetti on his fork.
Kate looked a little nervous and she didn´t know exactly how much Abby had told her not-boyfriend-but-next-best-thing. She didn´t mind him knowing about her feelings, but she wasn´t ready to start explain why she couldn´t change how she felt. She looked down at her plate and started eating in silence.
"I know it´s none of my business, but I just wanted you to know that I really think it´s up to yourself only who you date." McGee said. "Even if it is the boss." he added in a lower voice.
"We´re not dating. He probably don´t even feel the same way! I haven´t even told him I like him." she said rapidly.
"Of course he likes you! Haven´t you seen the manner in which he looks at you?" McGee asked incredulously.
Kate smiled at him, blushing. She looked much happier and relieved all of a sudden. Once again, she thanked McGee.
Gibbs had had a busy lunch. He had gone shopping and only got a coffee to go. Now he had the booth of his car full of packages and plastic bags.
He drove home to set everything up and change into something a little bit smarter. He put his NCIS jacket over and got back into the car. It would take a while for the steak in the oven to get ready. The pasta was quick to make, he´d make that when he got back. He walked briskly back out to the car and drove bak downtown.
Half an hour later, he was back at the office. His three agents were all in the bullpen.
"We´ve got a new case." he said. They all started to get their things together, when he called out again. "It´s nothing big. McGee and DiNozzo, you continue writing your reports. They´re late! Come on, agent Todd!"
Kate followed Gibbs back into the waiting elevator, eyebrow slightly raised. She started walking towards the parked NCIS car, but he went in the other direction and so she followed him. He lead her to a navy blue car that she recognised as his private car. She smiled inwards, but still frowned on the outside.
She didn´t want to celebrate to early, it could be a more simple explanation for them not to take the other car. It could be motor trouble in the work car. Or it could be an unofficial visit, which would explain why he hadn´t taken all three of them. But she wanted to believe that they took his car because they were on a private quest.
They didn´t talk much during the drive through town. Kate tugged constantly at her black skirt and pushed falling strands of hair behind her ear. When they pulled up on the street next to a letterbox saying Gibbs´, her questioning frown changed into a wide smile.
Gibbs went out and opened her door. Kate stepped out, smiling up at him. He took her hand and led her to the front door, opening it with the key in his other hand. Kate stepped in expectantly. There was a white cloth on a low sofa table. Two candles were standing in the middle of the table, waiting to be lightened.
"Smells good." she said, nodding towards the kitchen as he helped her out of her coat. He took of his work jacket and she noticed the smart clothes. He excused himself and went into the kitchen to wrap up the pasta. Kate looked around curiously. She was finally in the home of the man she loved. She was both terrified and very, very happy at the same time.
She smiled and walked into the kitchen after Gibbs. He stood at the stove, but turned around when he heard her steps behind her. She came closer and he put his arms around her waist, looking deep into her eyes. She closed her eyes when their lips met. So did he.
"Caitlin, I have loved you for so long you can´t even imagine." he wispered huskily.
"I know, Jethro, I know. I love you too." she wispered, then closed the distance between their lips again. The kissed more deeply this time, and for longer.
He turned around to stir the canelloni, then turned back to look at her again.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Never been more sure, darling." she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
He didnt work on his boat that night either.