Kate woke up with a start. She immediately recalled where she was when she saw Gibbs sitting in the car seat next to her.
'Slept well?', he asked without looking at her.
She groaned and looked at her watch. She had slept for a good four hours but felt far from refreshed. She looked at Gibbs. His lined face looked tired but still focused; for all she knew he had not moved at all since she had nodded off. She wondered how much coffee he had downed from his flask.
'Still nothing?' she asked him.
'No', he said, and she silently wondered for how much longer they'd have to sit in that car. She didn't dare utter her concern. Gibbs felt something would happen that night and there was no point in questioning the gut. She yawned and stretched and he urged her to go back to sleep. The night was still young.
'No Gibbs, it's your turn. I don't want you to be too tired if you have to watch my back when the action starts … if it starts, that is'. She hoped he'd notice the sarcasm in her tone.
With a half smile and an acknowledging tilt of the head he handed her the binoculars. 'Wake me up when something happens', he murmured as he rested his head back against the seat with a sigh. And he closed his eyes.
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She could feel he was still awake.
He kept his eyes closed, conveniently, avoiding having to make conversation. He had been even more taciturn than usual and she had given up on attempts at dialogue, even if it concerned the case. She glanced at him furtively every now and then; even with his eyes closed, she felt he could still perceive her eyes on him, expecting him to groan one of his 'What?'s .
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It was almost daybreak and there was still no sign of anything happening in the house, or anywhere else for that matter. The awkward silence was becoming unbearable. She had even started missing Tony. At least he would either sleep for real or say something. Why was Gibbs so … Gibbs? This stake out, as expected, had turned out to be futile and she feared she'd die of boredom before he admitted he had been wrong. She felt a surge of irritation welling up inside her - at his silence, at his stubbornness, at his lack of explanation.
She suddenly turned to him, about to finally voice her frustration – when she sensed his body had relaxed from its habitually alert position. His head had turned sideways, half facing her, and his lips had parted slightly. She heard his breathing growing heavier. He was finally asleep. Kate gently bit her lip and her face softened. Her anger gave way to a perplexing warm feeling as she scanned the face of her slumbering boss.
There was still a slight frown lingering on his features as if his mind was still ticking on the case, even as he slept. There was however that unfamiliar look of vulnerability which only ventured on Gibbs' face when he was asleep. It always took Kate by surprise.
She realised she had been staring at Gibbs for a good while and blushed even if there was no one watching. Looking away, she smiled at herself, shook her head and tried to focus on the job at hand.
Not more than half an hour had passed when she suddenly saw a dim light through one of the windows of the presumably empty house. She instinctively put a hand on Gibbs' arm, waking him up.