Kate woke up at the exact moment someone set something down on her bed.

Okay, it wasn't her bed. It was a bed. And she was currently sleeping in it, spent her nights sharing it with her boyfriend.

She buried her head in her pillow, not quite wanting to get up just yet, regardless of what day it was. And it was a very special day of course. Valentine's Day. Their first.

She kept her eyes closed, even though she could smell food, the aroma positively mouth-watering. She hadn't expected anything, least of all breakfast in bed.

She rolled over, and opened her eyes, only to see Gibbs smiling at her, dressed in the least amount of clothing possible, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Morning' Katie," he said.

"Gibbs… is this…?" she stared at the food.

"Breakfast in bed." He seemed quite proud of himself. She stared over the vast array of food.

"Jesus, how long have you been up making this? It smells amazing!"

"Normally, you'd get steak and eggs." He grinned.

She smiled to herself, "I sense a but coming."

"But, seein' as it's Valentine's Day…" he nudged the tray of food towards her.

"Seeing as it's Valentine's Day, the bowl of Fruit Loops wouldn't cut it?"

"Well Katie, I was thinkin' that you could eat the breakfast I made ya."

"And you?" she asked, noticing that there was only one fork on the tray he'd carried up.

"And me? I'm gonna be eatin' you."

"C'mon Gibbs, go grab a fork. Something this delicious should be shared."

"Funny, that's the opposite of my sentiments about you." But he stood anyway, throwing the tea towel over his shoulder, and heading for the door.

"Oh, and Jethro?"

He turned, his brow creased. She hardly ever called him Jethro, and usually did it only to get his attention. "Yeah Katie?"

"Thank you. It's amazing."

His grin was a little lopsided, as he ran a hand through his hair, "And ya haven't even tried it yet."

He disappeared and she heard him going downstairs. Smiling, she sat up, leaning against the pillow, and staring down at the food. Scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, and a cinnamon roll, a cup of coffee sitting by it. It all looked and smelled amazing. She took a sip of the coffee, as Gibbs walked back in, carrying another fork.

"Tried it yet?"

"Not yet. I was waiting for you. Figured since you were nice enough to make me breakfast, I'd be nice enough to share it."

He stuck his fork in the eggs, "Sounds fair enough."

"What's our plan for today?" she asked, before digging into the food.

"Well… I was thinkin' you wear somethin' cute-,"

"So, wear nothing."

"I said cute, not sexy. I mean, I wouldn't object to ya wearing nothin' but it's not what I had in mind."

"Okay, I wear something cute, and…"

"And then I peel it off ya, we spend all day in bed, and after dinner, we have a nice quiet evening here."

"So basically don't leave the house all day, and spend all of it in bed. Sure you got enough stamina for that, old man?"

He smirked at her, "I can handle ya, Katie. You're just one woman, and you're not trying to kill me."

"Hold that thought." She kept eating, smiling to herself. "Breakfast in bed on Valentine's Day. I gotta say, Gibbs. You're doing better than the last guy."

"I don't care about the last guy, I just care about you."

She smiled into her next sip of coffee, but then sighed, frustrated, setting it down. "Gibbs, I-,"

"Is something wrong?" he asked, sensing a change in her mood.

She shoved the tray aside. "Get over here."

He swallowed his last bite of food, the icing from the cinnamon roll still on his fingers. He moved over to sit in front of her. "What do you want, Katie? Tell me what you want."

It came out as barely a whisper. "You, of course. Make my day, Gibbs."

He leaned in and kissed her, hesitating to take her face in his hands due to the stickiness of his fingers.

"Here, give me your hand," she said quietly, looking up at him when he pulled away, the kiss all too brief. Confused, he did give her his hand, and very carefully, with a look that he was sure would have lit him on fire, began to lick the icing off his fingers. Her mouth, and her breath were warm on his fingers, her eyes boring into his. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to have her mouth back on his, and his hands roaming all over her body, leaving traces of the sickly sweet icing everywhere so that he could go back and lick it all off later.

His sharp intake of breath probably said it all, and seeing the slight smirk turn up the corner of Kate's mouth was doing horrible things to his self-control.

"Gibbs," she pulled away, "Is something wrong-," And he cut her off by pulling her into a fiery kiss. She melted against him, leaning into the kiss, sighing into his mouth as he tangled his now clean fingers in her hair, wanting nothing more than to pull the faded NIS shirt over her head, and have his way with her-

The phone rang. Gibbs pulled away, glaring at his phone. Kate was leaning against the headboard, flushed and breathless. As he answered the phone, he tried to pull himself together and sound in command of himself, when really he just wanted to be left alone long enough to satisfy Kate then himself. He felt a shameful amount of pride at seeing Kate, so reduced to breathless smiles.

"Gibbs. This better be important."

"Why boss, got a lady friend?"

"No, DiNozzo. How often do I get a day off?"

"Not very often, boss."

"Exactly. So this better be important."

"Body in Georgetown."

"Call Ducky, grab Tim. I'll pick up Kate on my way in."

"Sounds good boss. I'll text Kate the address if she'll be with you."

Gibbs hung up, and turned back to Kate, who'd caught her breath. "I bought us ten extra minutes."

She stood, stretching. "Is ten minutes enough time?"

"For what I plan to do to you? Not even close, Katie-girl. Not even close."

"Then I guess you're out of luck," she turned to one of the drawers, pulling clothing out of it. "So what did you want me to wear today?"

"Well, Katie, I woulda preferred ya in nothing, but since beggars can't be choosers, I'll take what I can get. When we get home tonight, ya won't be wearing it for long anyway."

"Mmm and Gibbs?"

He turned, partway through getting dressed himself, "Yes Katie?"

"That look you gave me as I was licking off your fingers should be illegal."

"Well, Katie, you're a dangerous weapon, gotta save face somehow."

"I can't believe Tony interrupted us." She sighed, buttoning her shirt.

"The next time he interrupts us, Katie, in the middle of somethin' that important, I'm castrating him."

Kate smiled, kissing him on the cheek as she walked past, "That's the semi-violent bastard I fell in love with."

"Oh and Kate?"

"Yes?" she turned in the doorway, only to see him smirking at her.

"Next time, I'll be the one doin' the licking."

She blushed, "Oh God."

He caught up to her, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "C'mon Katie, sooner we kick some bad guy ass, the sooner we can come back here."

XNCISX

"DiNozzo, McGee, keep digging!" Gibbs was annoyed, and it showed. He was snapping at the guys, and Kate hid her smile, shifting back and forth in her seat. It had been a few hours since they'd been dragged from their bed, and she still couldn't forget the look on Gibbs' face. She was trying quite desperately to focus on her work, instead of on Gibbs, but it was hard. Especially when he was making demands and ordering the other two around like a drill sergeant. Seeing as Kate had something of a problem with authority figures, hearing her boyfriend being authoritative was doing things to her. She checked the clock again, wondering exactly how she was going to last until the end of the day.

"'Scuse me, is there a Special Agent Todd here?" Kate turned to see one of the mail guys, holding a giant bouquet of sunflowers. Kate felt her face heating up, and she dared not look in Gibbs' direction as she held up a hand.

"That's me."

"Then these are for you. Enjoy." He took off, leaving her with the giant bouquet of bright yellow flowers. She smiled to herself, as she sat them down on her desk.

"Oooh, look Probie, Kate's blushing." Tony jeered.

"Who're they from, Agent Todd?" McGee asked, trying to downplay how interested he was in the answer.

They were both stopped from responding by Gibbs' sharp voice.

"Agent Todd, if you're done interruptin' our work day with your personal life, you're with me. We're going to see if Abby's got anything."

Kate didn't answer, as she'd flipped open the card. She smiled at the cheesy inscription scribbled on the inside of the card.

For the one who brightens my day, xo.

"Agent Todd!" he barked, and she nearly dropped the card on the desk, startled as she was. She blinked, and could hear Tony snickering as she followed Gibbs to the elevator, tucking the card into her pocket as she went, lest Tony feel the urge to snoop and recognize the handwriting.

Once they were in the elevator- thankfully alone- Gibbs flicked the switch. "Nice flowers." He commented.

"I better warn the guy off, my boyfriend's kind of jealous."

"And he has reason to be," Gibbs stepped towards her, smirking. "A gorgeous woman like you."

"I'm not just a pretty face, y'know," she smiled up at him, taking his hands in hers.

"Oh I know." His voice was husky. "You're more than that to me, Katie." He kissed her forehead. "Absolutely gorgeous." He knelt and kissed her neck, murmuring in her ear. "Intelligent." A nip at her ear drew an audible gasp from her. "Sexy." And then he smiled as he kissed the tip of her nose. "Funny."

He pulled away, holding her face in his hands, a tender look on his face that she would never forget as long as she lived. "And Katie, above all that… you're mine."

She leaned in, her lips brushing his, before he pulled her in closer, turning and pinning her against the wall of the elevator. Trapped between him and the wall, she couldn't help but smile, feeling how eager he must have been that morning. Her restraint was slipping away, and having Gibbs pressed against her was causing her common sense to fly out the window. And that was before he even got his hand under her skirt.

She arched against him, a whine caught in her throat, and he grinned down at her. "Already, Katie?"

"Been wanting to do this all morning." She sighed, her eyelids fluttering closed as he flexed his hand against her, amazed at how one of his looks could reduce her to a puddle of goo that he'd have to wipe off the floor of the elevator.

He leaned in to kiss his way down her neck, expertly flicking her shirt unbuttoned with one hand, sucking at her collarbone, and then he pulled away, his mouth opening in surprise.

"You just realized?" she asked, getting a bit of her breath back.

"That you're not- yes." He shook his head, "Minx."

"I'll take it as a compliment," she grinned, but it turned into a groan in seconds, his hand doing borderline illegal things as he continued pressing kisses along her collarbone and down in between her breasts. "Gibbs!" she yelped.

"Was I close, Katie?"

She glared at him, unable to summon the words, even though she knew he wasn't looking at her face. His fingers circled closer to their goal, and she was shamelessly wriggling beneath his hands, whimpers escaping her lips, helpless to him.

"Damn it, Gibbs."

He chuckled into her neck, as her hands involuntarily clenched into fists, restraining herself only barely from thrusting against his hand. The tension was coiling in her belly, waves of arousal pounding through her, and she was practically dripping for him, didn't he know, and she didn't come soon, she was going to explode-

Gibbs' phone rang again, clearly audible over her panting. He withdrew his hand, fumbling for his phone.

"Goddammit Gibbs!" The words tore their way out of her throat, much to her own surprise. She hadn't realized she could still be coherent.

He shook his head, answering the phone, "Yeah, Gibbs. Yeah, Duck. We're on our way." He reached out, and hit the switch, "Yeah, we're already in the elevator. Be there soon."

Kate was ready to cry, she was so close, but there was no possible way that she was going to get off in the next minute. And while she was ready to get down on her knees and beg, she knew that if those elevator doors opened and she was having sex with Gibbs, there'd be a lot more than her reputation on the line.

Gibbs hung up, and pressed a kiss to her forehead of wordless apology. She straightened out her skirt, managing to hide the fact that her knees were shaking. Of course, it wasn't helped by the fact that Gibbs was currently licking his own fingers clean. He met her eye, and smirked. His other hand reached for hers, and squeezed it once. "So did ya like the flowers?"

"Of course I did. They're beautiful."

He shifted from foot to foot. "I know that they're not your favorite, but…"

"Gibbs," she leaned her head against his shoulder for a second. "Trust me. They're beautiful. I do love sunflowers."

The doors opened, and he let go of her hand, "To be continued," he promised.

"I'll hold you to that."

XNCISX

Kate sat down on the bed, collapsing in a boneless heap. She'd fidgeted the whole ride home, her stomach growling. First, food, and then they were going to finally get to the main event of the day. All she'd wanted all day was satisfaction.

But first, food. She hadn't eaten since a hasty sandwich at lunch, brought in by Ducky, and she was so glad to be eating a hot meal, she couldn't care less what it was. But Gibbs had dropped her at home, insisting that he was going to run out and grab everything he needed to make their dinner. He'd insisted that she not do anything.

Now that he was back, Gibbs was crashing pots together in the kitchen. She had no idea what he had planned, but judging by the scents wafting her way, she couldn't complain. She'd changed into a dress, and had her feet tucked up underneath her, her hair tied back. Every so often she'd hear a muttered curse word, and smiled to herself. She'd offered to help, and he'd refused. But she was somewhat distracted from her book by the thought of dinner. As if reminding her, her stomach growled, right on cue.

"Katie!"

She stood, stretching, before flicking the light off, and heading down the stairs, two at a time, finding Gibbs in the kitchen. Her mouth dropped open when she saw what she was staring at. Gibbs had wrestled himself into a tie, and was currently smiling at her, his shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows. Her eyes, however, were on the table.

There was a white tablecloth on the table, and it was lit by candles. A fire flickered in the fireplace, throwing the room into shadow, and there was a bouquet of roses on the table. There was a delicious smell in the air too, and Kate unconsciously took a few steps towards Gibbs.

"Wow… LJ, you didn't have to do all this."

"I know. I wanted to, Katie. It's our first Valentine's Day." His unspoken words were plain on his face. Yes, it was their first. But if it was their last, he wanted to make it spectacular. She could hardly blame him.

"So. What's for dinner?"

"Cheese fondue," he said proudly, gesturing toward the kitchen. "Borrowed a recipe from Ducky."

"Did he question it?"

"No. He thought I was just getting tired of steak. I took his word that it's delicious."

Kate inhaled, closing her eyes. "Well I'm not taking his word for it, I'm going on what my nose says. And it… mmmm."

"That's what I thought." He sounded amused, and her eyes opened.

"Don't sound so smug."

"C'mon Katie, sit down. I'll bring the food in."

She sat down at the table, admiring the elaborate set-up, and relaxing in the warmth of the kitchen, the smell of food and the sound of crackling wood in the fireplace making her sleepy. Her eyes slipped closed for a second, and then opened again, only to see Gibbs smiling down at her.

"I haven't worn you out already, have I Katie?"

"No, LJ." She struggled to sit up, shaking her head to clear the fog. "I'm sorry, I was just so comfortable, nearly dozed off."

"You don't need to apologize. I'm glad you feel able to relax." He handed her a skewer. "Now, what do you say we eat this?"

"Do you think Ducky will be startled if I tell him I loved what you did with his fondue recipe?"

"He might be. I think he'd be amused… maybe a little sad we didn't tell him sooner." He pour out a glass of champagne. "I know it's not your drink of choice…"

"Pulling out all the stops," she teased.

"Have to. Otherwise you might wake up and realize what you got into."

"I wake up every day, happier than the day before, Gibbs." She held up her glass, waiting for him.

"A toast?" he asked. "What are we toasting to?"

"This."

"Kate have you been watching too many rom-coms in your spare time?"

"Okay, fine." She giggled a little, because he did have a point. She thought for a second, then said quietly. "To firsts."

He grinned, "I can drink to that. To firsts." He clinked his glass against hers, and then drank, smiling at her over the rim of his glass.

She grabbed a chunk of bread, and dipped it into the fondue pot, withdrawing it covered in melted cheese. Taking a bite, she sighed, enjoying the warmth of the cheese and the contrast against the toasted bread "Ooohh," she said, swallowing, "Where have you been all my life?"

"Well-," Gibbs started.

"I was talking to the fondue," she informed him, reaching for another skewer. He rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"I guess I'll have to call it a success." He chuckled.

She took another sip of champagne. "That depends, what did you get for dessert?"

XNCISX

The plates were sitting by the sink. The candles were burning low in their holders. The fire was still crackling in the fireplace, the lights dim. Outside, it had started snowing again, the first time in a few days.

Kate was curled up against Gibbs on the couch, lounging in a peaceful stupor thanks to the food. Gibbs had taken her hair out of its ponytail, and was stroking it gently.

"Katie?"

"Yes, Gibbs?"

"I got ya something."

She pulled away to look at him, her head tilted to the side. "You got me something else?"

"Well, yeah." He pulled the box from his pocket, "I know it's not much, but… Happy Valentine's Day."

She took the box from him, pulling the ribbon so that it fell to the couch. She opened the box, and then her confused frown turned into a delighted grin. Looking up, she was speechless.

"Look," he ran a hand through his hair, "Kate, I know it's kinda cheesy and out there, but-,"

Kate held up the charm bracelet. There were eight charms dangling from it, and she looked them all over. He held out a hand.

"Here, pass it here." He took it from her. "You wanna know about these charms Katie?"

"Sure, LJ. Explain them to me." She grinned at him.

He pointed to the first one, "American flag. Fitting for the lady who protected the President, huh? And because there's an American flag… there's also an airplane."

"For Air Force One?" she asked.

He smiled. "You got it. Where we first met. You threatened to shoot me-"

"Yeah yeah, and told you I grew my own balls." She giggled a little at the memory. "What else?"

"This one here, this is a book. Because I can't go two days without tripping over one of your mystery novels. Ya know, Katie, if you think they're so bad, why don't you write them?"

She grinned. "I'd considered it."

"This one's a Christmas tree." He smiled, meeting her eye. "No explanation required?"

"A holy water charm would've been more appropriate." She nudged him with her foot.

"They were out. I think your mother brought the whole stock." He winked at her, as he turned to the next charm. "A coffee cup."

"What's that one for?" she asked.

He coughed, before staring at her uneasily. "It's for the first time I realized I couldn't stand it if you got hurt. When Ari took ya. And also, because-,"

"You're a caffeine addict," she replied hurriedly, not wanting to let thoughts of Ari affect their Valentine's Day. She shivered, and snuggled in closer to Gibbs. She peered at the next charm. "Is that a twelve? In roman numerals?"

"Rule 12. The dumbest rule I ever created, and the one I was happiest to break," he assured her, running a thumb over her hand. She had already known that he occasionally struggled with the thought of rule 12.

"Agreed. Well, I can't remember that one, because I never crocheted it."

"Kate if I get a bunch of crocheted pillow cases for Christmas next year, I'm not getting ya a present."

"Is that a threat?"

"No," he kissed her hand. "A promise." He held up the next charm, "I'm hoping you can recognize this one."

She nodded, feeling herself blush. "It's a pair of skis."

"I guess that one's obvious."

"A little. Teddy would be proud," she teased.

"He better be." Gibbs grumbled.

"What about this last one?"

"It's uh…" he cleared his throat, suddenly looking sad. "It's a key."

"A key?"

"A key. Because, Caitlin Todd, you are the one who has the key to me. Because you are my home." He hooked the bracelet around her wrist where it clicked against the silver bracelet he'd given her.

"You are so sentimental," she said, leaning in, pressing her forehead against his.

He grinned, taking her hand in his and kissing it. "You never seem to mind."

"And how could I? When I'm the one who gets to see this side of you? And only me?" She took his face in her hands and kissed him, deepening the kiss, and smiling into it, as he reached around, unzipping her dress, brushing her hair away from her face as he continued kissing her, his hands thoroughly exploring her, his mouth on hers, as though attempting to memorize her lips, wanting every detail, and she realized exactly how desperate she'd been, how much she'd been craving such attention all day. All she wanted was him. That was it. She wanted Leroy Jethro Gibbs, consequences be damned.

What better time to tell him?

She pulled away, breathless, only to find him staring down at her with reverence.

"You're so gorgeous," he said, in response to her questioning look.

She tried to find the right words, but words failed her. And Gibbs, no expert with words himself, understood.

"Katie? I love you."

"I love you, Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

"Do ya?"

"I do." Her voice was serious, but then she smiled, "Kiss me Jethro."

He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers, but not before whispering in her ear, "As you wish."