Kate sat on the edge of the hospital bed. Her side still ached and the headache was still throbbing in the back of her head, but she had to get out of here. Her fingers dug into the slim mattress of the hospital bed as she waited for the nurse to come back. When she heard the door open she looked up expectantly, but her heart sank when she looked into blue eyes. Her body stiffened and her heart rate increased.

"Gibbs" she said softly as she tore her eyes away from her.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he slowly walked over to her. She shrugged and stared the floor.

"I need to go home. I need to get out of her. I need to go be with my family" she sniffled, but he couldn't see any tears on her face.

"Kate, you need to stay here. The nurse said" he started but she looked up at him and cut him off.

"I don't care what the nurse said. I am alive, Gibbs. That asshole almost killed me today. I took" her voice broke and he saw the tears in her eyes.

"I took a bullet for you" she finally finished her sentence. They stared at each other for what seemed like a life time. Gibbs moved closer to her so he was now standing directly in front of her. She looked up at him, making the unshed tears slowly roll down her face. Gibbs, without thinking, reached out and with his thumb and wiped it away. Kate closed her eyes as she savoured the feeling of him touching her.

"Gibbs" she said softly and before she knew it, his lips were on hers, kissing her softly. It took her a moment to realise what was happening, and when her brain caught up she started kissing him back. Her hands grabbed the lapels of his jacket to pull him closer. She had wanted to do this for a very long time, and it seemed that after the events of today, both thought it was finally time to give in.

When they finally broke apart, Gibbs rested his forehead against hers as she took a deep breath.

"I love you. I have for a long time" she admitted and she could have sworn he smiled. He leaned back so he could look at her properly.

"Katie, I will get him" he told her and she nodded and smiled, but it didn't seem like a happy smile. She ducked her head and wiped her eyes.

"Gibbs, I can't stay here. In DC" she finally said. That's when Gibbs finally understood what she was saying.

"Kate, I can keep you safe" he told her softly as he reached out to stroke her hair. She looked up at him, now the tears very evident on her face.

"I know, but I can't keep you safe. He wanted to kill me to get to you. For me to keep you safe, I need to go" she said, her voice breaking. He could see how hard this was for her, and it made his heart ache. He sighed and stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, kissed her head.

"It's okay" he told her softly as she clung to him.

That was to be the last time they saw each other.

13 years later

Gibbs was enjoying every day after almost dying in Paraguay. He would park further away than normal so he could enjoy the walk to the NCIS main building. On this particular day the sun was shining high in the sky without a cloud in sight. He took a deep breath of fresh air in, making him smile. He really had a different outlook on life now.

As he approached the front door he got this feeling. He didn't know what it was but it was certainly making his gut turn. He slowed his walk and came to a stop. The hairs on the back of his neck started to stand on end. He turned and saw a woman sitting at a bench. At first glance she didn't look familiar, but when he looked again he saw her eyes. He started walking towards the bench where she sat, and as he got closer the woman stood up. She was shot, slim and had shoulder length light brown hair, slightly wavy. He couldn't take his eyes off her as she started walking towards him. He stopped and she eventually came to a stop in front of him. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Hi Gibbs" she said with a small smile. Her eyes sparkled that emerald green that he remembered and the splattering of freckles on her nose seems even more.

"Hi, Kate" he said, still clearly shocked at the fact she was standing in front of her.

"It's been a while" she stated with a nervous smile.

"Uh huh" he agreed with a nod. Kate's eyes got distracted by a group of people just behind Gibbs who had stopped and was staring at them.

"Perhaps we can go somewhere more private and talk?" she asked as she indicated the group behind him. He turned to see Bishop, Nick and McGee. When they noticed Gibbs had spotted them they all ran inside, like they had been caught by their father doing something they shouldn't be. Kate smiled as they ran off and turned her attention back to Gibbs.

"So, coffee?" she suggested. He looked at her and as much as he knew it may be a bad idea, but he couldn't say no to her. He never really could.

"Sure" he nodded and led the way.

Gibbs took the liberty of getting their coffee's while Kate sat patiently waiting in one of the corner booths. When Gibbs came back with two coffees, sliding in opposite her, with that crooked smile of his.

"Thanks" she said with a smile, as she took it and took a small sip. Gibbs did the same, not taking his eyes off her.

"You cut your hair" he pointed out and she nodded with a laugh.

"Yes, it's been like this for a while now" she answered with a smile. Gibbs nodded, now it suddenly grew awkward between them.

"You married?" he suddenly asked, catching her off guard. She smiled and shook her head.

"No" she answered. Gibbs nodded, internally grateful for that.

"Kids?" he asked again, earning a laugh from her now.

"No, no. I missed out on that" she said, even though her face was smiling, he could see the sadness in her eyes. Again, there was a silence. There seemed to be so much to say, yet nothing was really being said.

"Your hair is longer. I like it" she said admiring his longer, shaggier looking cut.

"What are you doing here?" he finally asked her, making her smile disappear. She sighed and looked down at her hands holding her coffee cup.

"I saw the trial on TV. Heard you and McGee had gone missing in Paraguay" Gibbs was quiet while he let her talk.

"Then, I heard that you had been found. I-I had to come and see for myself. I had to come and see that you were okay" she said with a sad smile. He could see her fingers playing with the cardboard on her coffee cup, so he reached over and covered her hand with his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm okay" he told her, giving her a small smile. She looked up into his eyes.

"I've missed you" she told him softly. Gibbs nodded and held her hand tighter.

"A lot has changed, Kate" he said softly and she nodded.

"I know" her voice a lot softer. She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart.

"You know, when I decided to come and see you I had this whole speech planned. But now that I am here actually with you, I can't remember a word of it" she admitted, not looking at him. Gibbs smiled softly, that was so Kate to come to a meeting well prepared.

"Dinner? Tonight?" he suddenly asked, seemingly to take both of them off guard.

"I would love to, but I have a date" she said with a smile.

"Oh" he replied and started to take his hand off of hers, but Kate quickly reacted and grabbed it before he let go completely.

"I have a date with Abby Gibbs" she said with a little laugh. Gibbs visibly relaxed.

"Okay, well how about dessert then?" he couldn't look at her in case she said no again. But he felt her squeeze his hand softly.

"I would love to" she admitted, causing him to look up at her and smile.

Dinner with Abby hadn't gone very late, so she decided to go and take Gibbs up on his offer of dessert. She pulled into his driveway and took a deep breath before getting out and heading to the front door. She was about to knock when she remembered that he never locks his front door. She opened it slowly and walked inside. The house was dimly lit and so very quiet. She walked through and saw light coming up from the basement. She carefully made her way to the door, taking another deep breath before slowly heading down the stairs. She looked over the railing and saw him bending over to fix something, she couldn't see what. She stopped where she was to admire the view.

"You know it's rude to stare" came his voice, but he didn't stand up. She grinned and was very glad he could not see the blush rise in her cheeks.

"Just admiring the view" she replied as she continued down the steps and made her way over to the bench. She placed her hand bag on top of it and grabbed a stool and took a seat as she waited for Gibbs.

Gibbs stood up, stretched his back which had gone somewhat stiff from the position he had been in, he turned and looked at her.

"How was dinner?" he asked as he threw a few screws on the bench and grabbed two glasses, blew any dust from them and poured some bourbon into both, turning to hand one to Kate, who took it with a smile.

"It was good. She filled in quiet a lot of blanks" she took a small sip, knowing how strong Gibbs liked his bourbon. Gibbs did the same, but came to stand closer to her.

"Hungry?" he asked softly, causing her to look up into his eyes. She shook her head, many responses running through her head, until one stuck and escaped her lips.

"Not for food" she watched his face trying to read his response. She took one more sip before putting the glass next to her on the bench. Gibbs did the same as he came to stand right in front of her, their legs touching. He reached down and cupped her cheek, their eyes never leaving each other. She reached out and put her hands on his hips, pulling him even closer to her. It felt so good to touch him, and she wanted more.

Gibbs finally leaned in and closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to hers in a soft kiss. It was just like 13 years ago when they had shared their first kiss. Just like that first time, she wanted more. She moved her hands from his hips, up his chest and wrapping around his neck, pulling him down to her so she could deepen the kiss.

Without warning Kate pulled back and looked at him.

"Gibbs I have to tell you something" she said a little breathless after their kiss. He took a small step back to put some distance between them, her hands dropping from around his neck and she grabbed both of his hands in hers.

"I didn't just come to DC for you" she started, and a glimmer of sadness showed in his eyes, causing her to squeeze his hands.

"It was 80% for you and 20% for a job interview I have tomorrow" when he didn't say anything she continued "I had wanted to come for a while. See how you are and see you in person. But I was so scared of what would happen. Then Morrow called me. He offered me a job at Homeland Security. It was kind of like the kick in the ass I needed to finally come back here" she was trying to read his face but couldn't. Her heart started to race when he didn't say anything and she knew she had screwed up. She wanted to make it better but she didn't know what to say.

"Anyone would be lucky to have you Kate" he finally said, giving her a small lopsided smile. He let her hands go and reached for his glass of bourbon, taking another sip.

"Even you?" she asked not even thinking about the words.

"As much as I would like to have you back at NCIS and back on my team, I have rules" he waited for her to understand what rule he was talking about. It took her a moment then she smiled.

"You're talking about rule #12?" she asked with a smile and he nodded.

"I have had so many second chances at life Katie, I'm not passing up another second chance with you" he said softly. Kate felt like her heart was going to burst. She never thought Gibbs would ever be capable of saying anything as romantic as that.

"I don't want to pass it up either" she replied softly, trying not to let the emotions take control of her.

"Go be you tomorrow, then come back and we will celebrate" he told her with a cheeky glint in his eyes. This made her grin and bite her lip.

"Is that a promise?" she asked. Gibbs put his drink back down, leaned in and kissed her again.

"Promise" he whispered against her lips.

Kate could not wait to tell Gibbs the news. She practically ran up the front steps and opened the door, making sure not to slam it shut behind her. She was about to head for the door when she saw him sitting on the couch in the lounge room. He had one foot resting on the coffee table, glasses perched on his nose and a book in his hands. When he noticed her he put the book down and gave her a small smile. She made her way to sit down next to him. Without saying a word and took the book from his hands and read the title.

"Wow Gibbs, I'm impressed" she said handing it back to him. He took his glasses off and threw them on the table. He dog eared the page he was on before closing the book and throwing that also onto the table.

"Told you a lot has changed" he said with a smile and she nodded.

"And a lot more is about to change" she couldn't control the grin that formed on her mouth.

"They gave you the job?" he asked and she nodded.

"He practically had the paper work ready for me to sign as soon as I walked in" he could hear the excitement in her voice.

"So what now?" he asked. He had a million things running through his head, but he didn't want to assume anything until she had said the words.

"Now I have to start looking for a place to live and get ready for the big move" she told him, finally taking off her jacket.

Gibbs doesn't know what possessed him to say, he knew his heart wanted it but his gut was telling him to slow down. But for one of the first times in his life he decided to ignore his gut and go with his heart.

"Live here" he told her. The look on her face told him she also was not expecting that to come from him.

"What? Are you sure?" she asked, still shocked at his proposal. He nodded and reached over and placed his hand on her leg.

"Very sure. Move in with me" he said softly. She smiled as she looked at him and nodded.

"Okay" she said softly, making him grin. He leaned over and kissed her softly. It was short and sweet, but she wanted more. She wanted a celebration, just as he promised.

Kate wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him to her and kissing him deeper. She leaned back on the couch, forcefully pulling him down on top of her. He supported himself with one arm on the arm of the couch, near her head, while the other found its way under her blouse.

They were both so distracted in each other, that they didn't hear the front door open or close, or the footsteps into the house until it was too late.

"Oh god, I'm sorry" Gibbs pulled away and turned to see Sloane standing in the door way, looking rather shocked. Gibbs quickly jumped off of Kate and rearranged his close.

"Next time knock" he grunted at her as he walked over to her, took her by the elbow and lead her back toward the front door. Sloane couldn't help but start laughing when it finally registered at what she had just seen.

"I didn't know you had company" she finally said in a low voice.

"You didn't ask" he said as he opened the door for her, practically throwing her out of his home.

"Well, enjoy Gibbs" she cooed as she took the hint and walked out the door. He closed it behind her, making sure to lock it. He took a calming breath before making his way back to the lounge room. Kate was now sitting up, a smile on her face. He was glad that the interruption hadn't seemed to ruin the mood completely.

"You better start locking that damn door if I am going to be living here in the future" she told him. He grinned and walked over to her.

"You can count on it" he took her hands and pulled her off the couch. He pulled her close to him, tucked some stray hair out of her face and leaned down to kiss her softly.

"Bedroom" she whispered against his lips. He smiled and led her up the stairs and to his bedroom. She had never been up to this part of the house before. He hadn't turned the main lights on, but a small bedside lamp that put the room in a dim yellow light. From what she could see the room was very simple. It was very Gibbs.

Gibbs pulled her against his body, his lips instantly back on hers, his tongue exploring every inch of her mouth. She hummed into his mouth enjoying every second of it. His fingers expertly started undoing the buttons of her blouse, then pushing it off her body letting it drop to the floor. His mouth left hers and started exploring her neck. Kate's hands reached out grabbing his belt and undoing the buckle, then working on the button and zipper of his jeans. She pulled them down and they hit the ground with a 'clink'.

Kate's hands went to the bottom of his shirt and she pulled it up and over his head and threw it over her shoulder. Gibbs pulled her over to the bed and gently laid her down. She moved to the centre of the bed and he crawled on top of her. She looked up at him, her eyes dark with want. He leaned down and kissed her again, before trailing kisses down her neck, over the swell of her breasts that were still covered by her bra, down over her abdomen and stomach. She bit her lip as she watched him, her whole body tingling.

Gibbs stopped at the top of her pants, undid them and pulled them down her slender legs, along with her black lace panties. He too, threw them onto the floor. He kissed up the inside of one of her legs, she leaned down and ran a hand through his hair. She tried to pull him up to her but it only made him go slower.

"Gibbs" she moaned, pushing her hips into him. He couldn't help but grin as he came up to her and kissed her deeply. She moaned into her mouth as her hands went to his boxers and she pulled them down as much as she could. He helped her with the last part, kicking them off. She finally got to see Gibbs in all his glory and it made the fire inside of her grow even more. She ran her hands down his torso and bit her lip as she saw what was waiting for her.

"Jethro" she breathed. It had been the first time she had actually called him by his first name and he loved it. It sounded so sexy coming from her. He positioned his body over hers and he looked down into her eyes. She smiled as she reached up to cup his face.

"I need you" she said softly. He grinned and leaned down and kissed her softly as he positioned himself and entered her slowly, both moaning into each other's mouths at the sensations that over took their bodies.

They laid together in a tangle of limbs, Gibbs' head resting on Kate's chest as she ran her hands through his silky soft hair. She couldn't see his face, but she knew his eyes were closed and he was slowly falling asleep by the way his chest rose and fell against her. She too was very tired after what seemed like a never ending love making session, but she loved seeing him like this. He looked so very relaxed and she didn't want to disturb him.

"Katie" he somewhat muffled. She smiled and stopped moving her hand.

"Yes Jethro?" she could really get used to calling him that. He slowly turned to lay next to her so he could look at her. He reached out and ran his thumb over her cheek.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked softly, making her smile and she leaned closer to him.

"I think you should have asked me that before we did what we just did" she couldn't help but laugh, causing him to smile.

"But to answer your question, yes I am sure" she leaned in and kissed him softly.

"I want you. I don't want to lose another chance" she admitted and he nodded.

"Me too" he agreed. She leaned in and kissed him again. He pulled her to him so she could cuddle up to him, resting her head on his chest. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her head. She closed her eyes and she could hear his heart beating.

It was the best night sleeps either of them had gotten.