Closure – the full story
By that belle
Full-length verion of 'Closure'. Can Gibbs get over his jealousy after an old flame re-enters Kate's life? ..Gibbs & Kate..
A/N: Here it is, chapter one of the full-length version of Closure, a two-shot drabble I wrote as a request a while back. Please enjoy!
Warnings: Minor character death and infidelity involved in this story. May also contain swearing.
"Special Agent Todd."
"Katie, Katie." The distressed voice on the other end of the phone sent Kate into a panic. Her older brother, Steve, never called her.
"Steve?" Kate gaped into the phone as her brother started to hyperventilate and blabber words she couldn't hear. "Steve, calm down. Take a breath."
It took the older Todd a couple of minutes to finally calm down. When he did, he took a deep breath. "Katie, you need to come home."
"Why? Steve, has something happened?" Kate asked, her heart stopping and starting. She was very rarely asked to come to Indiana, unless it was a birthday, a festive holiday... or an emergency.
"It's mom, Katie... she was in an accident."
Kate knew the answer but asked the question anyway. "Is she alright?"
"She didn't make it, Katie..."
Tears sprang to Kate's eyes, and she looked at the receiver in her hand, before putting it down slowly. The room suddenly felt colder, and she couldn't focus her gaze.
"Kate? Did you hear me?"
Kate looked at Tony, who was looking at her with an odd grin on his face. The grin disappeared when he looked into her eyes. She blinked, and the tears slid down her cheeks. Kate closed her eyes, and shook her head quickly. This had to be a nightmare. She was having a nightmare, she was sure of it. She'd soon wake up to find that she was in her bed, and lying next to her would be her fiancé, Keith. When she woke up, there would have been no call from her older brother to tell her that their mother had been killed in an accident.
"Hello? Earth to Kate, can you hear me?"
Kate opened her eyes and looked up at Tony, who was standing right by her desk. "What is it?" She asked.
"I just asked if you were alright..." Tony trailed off. "After that phone call, you went quiet and pale, and you've been crying for the past 15 minutes and not answering any of us."
"15... minutes?" Kate repeated, wiping her eyes. "No, surely not."
"It's true. What's going on, Kate?" Gibbs asked from his desk. He had been watching her, confused and concerned, since she first picked up that phone.
Kate turned her head slowly, and looked at Gibbs. "Can we talk?" She managed to say.
Gibbs nodded, and stood. Kate stood too, and shuffled off after Gibbs. He stopped under the crook underneath the stairs, and turned to Kate, who almost walked into him.
He looked at her. "Kate."
She looked into his eyes, and saw his concern, and felt touched. Before she could really stop herself, she had latched onto his arm and was crying again. "My mother's dead." She sobbed, tightening her grip on his arm. "Steve just called... there was an accident."
Gibbs, who hadn't known what to expect her to say, was stunned. He just put his arms around her, and held her while she cried. It took a while for her to stop, but eventually she did. He continued to hold her until she tired of his embrace, and gently pulled away from him.
"I'm sorry." He said.
Kate wiped her eyes and attempted a smile. "Thanks for that... Gibbs... it doesn't change what happened, but I think I feel... a bit better now." She took a deep breath, and held it for a long time. She released it slowly, and then said, "I'll be going home tomorrow, for the funeral."
"Of course. Take as much time as you need." Gibbs said, patting her shoulder slightly. "You won't be going back alone?"
Kate deliberated a moment, and thought of the engagement ring she wore on a chain. Her fiancé, Keith Miller, was away for the month on business, and had forgotten to leave a number that she could contact him on. "Yes, I will be going alone."
Gibbs didn't like that, but he said nothing. He had a soft spot for his only female agent, and felt her pain. Instead, he nodded his head slightly.
"If you don't mind," Kate said, taking another breath, "I may go home now, and pack my bag. I'll probably fly out tonight, or tomorrow morning."
"That's alright, Kate." Gibbs said. "Like I said, take as much time as you need."
She smiled at him, before turning and walking back over to her desk. As she packed away the things she would need, Tony and McGee approached her.
"Where are you going, Kate?" Tony asked. "If Gibbs sees you leaving early, he will blow a blood vessel."
"I'm going home, Tony." She said.
"To your apartment? In the middle of the day?" He continued.
She turned to him, and shook her head. "Home. To Indiana."
Tony's mouth fell open. "Kate, are you leaving us?"
Again, she shook her head. "If you must know, DiNozzo, I am going to Indiana to attend a funeral. My mother's funeral, to be exact. Need any more information?"
Tony's mouth opened wider, and he didn't snap out of his shock until after Kate had taken everything she would need from her desk, and was on her way to the elevator. McGee nudged him in the arm, and he followed Kate to the elevator. She was standing there, waiting for the doors to open while trying to remain composed.
"Kate, I'm sorry... about butting in like that. And also about your mother." He said, gently putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you, Tony." She replied quietly. As the elevator doors opened, she turned to him and said, "See you when I get back."
She disappeared inside the elevator, and braved a smile for Tony's sake as the doors closed.
Kate tried Keith's cell phone several times on the drive back to their apartment, but there was no answer. She didn't leave a message; she didn't want to give him the bad news over the phone. As she pulled up to the apartment complex, she was shocked to find Keith's car parked in its usual place, next to hers. He wasn't due home from his conference for several weeks yet. Shrugging it off, Kate parked her car and went up to the apartment door. She unlocked it, and went inside.
"Oh, this just gets better and better." Kate said to herself. She looked down at the discarded piles of clothes on the floor. Remains of a business suit that belonged to Keith, as well as a slim pair of jeans and a lot-cut top. She stormed – quietly – across the room to their bedroom door, and flung it open.
"Kate!" Keith exclaimed, from where he lay on the bed. He pushed the naked woman off him, and covered their nude bodies with a sheet. "W-what are you doing here?"
"I should be asking you that." Kate said through clenched teeth. "But, if you must know, I was let off work because I was told, oh, less than an hour ago, that my mother was killed in an accident." She fumed silently for a moment, before continuing, "That's why I'm here. But it doesn't look like you need to explain what you're doing here. I can see that for myself."
"Kate, I can explain-" Keith started, but Kate turned around and left the bedroom, slamming the door after her.
She didn't know what to do from there. She was supposed to be packing for a flight to Indiana, but she couldn't just walk back in there after the scene she caused. There was just no way she could, or would, do it. Taking another breath, she walked into the kitchen and made herself a late lunch. She listened as she ate her chicken and lettuce sandwich as Keith and the woman came out of the bedroom. Kate didn't mean to overhear their conversation, but listened anyway as Keith ushered the woman to the door, kissed her, and ushered her out, promising to call her again.
Then, the door closed. "Kate." It wasn't a question coming from her soon-to-be ex-fiance's lips, it was a statement. He knew she hadn't run out, as she had intended to before.
"In the kitchen." He came in, and looked at her. She was leaning against the counter, a half-eaten chicken sandwich in her hand. In front of her was a newspaper. She turned and looked at him. "What?"
"I'm sorry... about Nicola."
"Don't be." She said, before throwing her lunch in the rubbish bin. "I can now understand why you didn't want anyone to know about our engagement... you had your doubts."
"Kate, that's not-"
"Isn't it?" She asked, looking into his eyes. She didn't feel like yelling, she had already received enough bad information for one day, and didn't have the energy to get angry. She sighed, "Keith, I am really tired. Today, my mother died, and I discovered that the man who I thought I was in love with has been unfaithful... so, I mean this as nicely as possible when I say, pack your bags and get out of my house. I never want to see you again."