There aren't very many Jimmy Palmer stories out there and I hadn't seen anything on Jimmy's reaction to Kate's death so I figured I might as well do one. My muse kept taunting me though with only bits of ideas and such. I just had to do itthough. And thanks to my beta (Mezzo/Amy). She rocks.
Oh, and just on a side note 'Writer's Block' was just a one shot. That's all you get, folks. I'm sorry if you want more, but that's all thereis. You might have to use your imagination if you want to know what McGee really did.
"How do you feel about Rocky Road?"
"Huh?"
"Rocky Road ice cream, Jimmy. I figure if you paid for dinner and drove me home the least I can offer you is dessert. All I have is ice cream though."
"That sounds fine, Agent Todd." Kate smiled and gently pulled the young man into her apartment. He looked a bit embarrassed about coming in, but didn't want to say anything.
"Call me Kate, Jimmy. There's really no need to be formal."
"Okay," he replied with a smile small. "Kate." Her smile got a bit bigger.
"Have a seat and I'll be right back with that ice cream."
That night he'd gone from being Agent Kate Todd's co-worker to her friend. It wasn't something he intended or planned. It just happened. He'd been leaving the building when he heard someone trying to start their car and he went over to help only to find Kate Todd having trouble with her vehicle. He offered her a ride home that ended up including a trip to a still open Chinese restaurant and staying up late as the two of them sat on the couch in her living room eating ice cream and swapping stories.
"I can't believe that, Jimmy," Kate told him. "You skinny dipping? And here I thought you were just a goody two shoes."
"Yeah, a lot of people assume that about me," Jimmy replied. "I'm just a morgue assistant who runs errands and tells people how a person died."
"Sometimes that happens," Kate responded. "You just need to go out more often. Start talking to people."
"Like you?" The woman smiled.
"Yeah. Like me. You're welcome to visit me any time."
"Well, I made it, Kate," Jimmy said quietly. "It took me a while though. I didn't know what happened until recently. I had to leave during the investigation with the car explosion because my dad landed in the hospital. I came back and I noticed something was different." He set the flowers down on the grave and stood back up adjusting his suit jacket. "I wish I had been able to go the funeral, but nobody called." He sighed. "I'm sorry, Kate. I really am."
Jimmy looked around the cemetery. This was the first time in ten years he'd been inside one. The last time was for his grandfather's funeral. It hadn't bothered him that much. He did love his grandfather, but for some reason this was different. He knew Kate on a more personal level. He knew that she loved Rocky Road ice cream and that she was in love with Agent Anthony Dinozzo, but would never be able to tell him.
"Jimmy, I don't know what to do," Kate said. They were eating lunch a local deli and Kate told him she needed to tell him something very personal. "If I try and have a relationship with himI'm scared it'll blow up in my face."
"You have stumbled into uncharted territory," Jimmy agreed. "Agent Dinozzo doesn't exactly seem like he'd be able to deal with a serious relationship, but he is good at being loyal."
"He is a good friend," Todd replied. "And that's partially why I don't want to tell him. I don't want to lose that. We may snap at each other all the time, but I know what's really there and I want to get to know it."
"You'll never know what'll happen if you don't talk to him," Jimmy told her. She stared at him a moment.
"You're right, Jimmy," Kate responded. "I'll talk to him." She patted his hand. "Thank you so much."
"I guess you'll never have the chance to do that now, Kate," Jimmy said. "I don't plan to tell Tony either. It's our secret." A sad smile formed on his face. "I hope you'll never reveal the ones I told you either. Even if anyone up there asks nicely." Jimmy Palmer took in a deep breath, took off his glasses and closed his eyes for a moment to remember her smile, her eyes, and her laugh. He opened them and looked at the gravestone. "Thank you, Caitlin Todd. Thank you for being my friend." Jimmy put his glasses back on and walked away.