A/N:

The line between M and MA is still not clear to me, but this falls within the same rough area as other things I've posted that haven't got censored, so... all fingers crossed! It is femmeslash, so if that bothers you, please look away now :)

NCIS folks: Gill and Cal are experts in lie detection, using facial expression (reading emotion), vocal stress analysis and other expertise. The Lightman Group helps various law enforcement agencies and other people when the truth is at stake.

LTM folks: Kate and Gibbs are federal agents who work for NCIS, investigating crimes affecting the US Navy or Marines. Kate is ex-Secret Service. Gibbs is a team leader and is reknowned for his gut instincts.

Displacement Activity

When she wakes up, Kate's head is blurry, but she remembers enough about last night she's just relieved it isn't actually pounding. Drinking a lot of wine and bitching about their respective emotionally constipated partner-boss-crushes was a lot of fun and undeniably cathartic, but she expected more payback.

It's been an intense fortnight. Much as she enjoys working so closely with Cal and Gill, she's very glad the case is done with.

She snuggles into the couch and lets out a sigh. Getting a sigh in response is not very surprising, but she is sort of surprised it seems to be coming from the couch cushion.

"Morning," says a sleepy voice.

She opens her eyes muzzily, then realises with a gulp that the cushion she's nuzzling is actually not a cushion but a pair of breasts under a pink top, and the couch she's trying to push herself up from is yet more Gillian. She doesn't usually get this up close and personal with another woman's body. Waking up on anyone's breasts is a new experience.

Waking up on Gill's? It's a long, long way outside her comfort zone, for reasons she's been doing her best to ignore. She blushes as she looks up at Gillian, who seems amused and not at all fazed.

"Sleep well?"

She nods. "Sorry, I-"

Gillian laughs. "It's not a problem, Kate."

She can't seem to figure out how to sit up properly without having her hands all over Gillian, and it's a little embarrassing and she also can't help noticing how soft Gill is, how... touchable.

How much being this near to Gill turns her on.

She finally heaves herself upright, then realises she's managed to grab Gill's breasts in the process. It would be less of an issue except she doesn't actually want to let go.

"Uh..." Oh God, she really, really doesn't want to let go. She wants to stroke and touch and caress, and it takes all her willpower to confine herself to a gentle squeeze.

Gill doesn't seem to have a problem with it, even lets out a happy noise. Kate knows she's wide eyed and breathing heavily, but Gillian just grins.

"It's okay to like it, Kate."

This is what she gets for spending time with a human lie detector. "I-"

"Trust me, I'm a psychologist. It's healthy to experiment."

She can't decide what's freaking her out more, the way her hands are moving over another woman's breasts, however tentatively, or how much she's, well, enjoying it. It's so completely different from touching a man, but it's... oh, God. It's all kinds of good.

She's always appreciated womanly beauty, from a distance - aesthetically, so to speak. Appreciation is one thing. Desire is... new.

Her friendship with Gillian is the first time a woman's beauty has made her want to do anything except admire, and she couldn't figure out how to deal with it, so she's done her best to simply ignore it. They have too much in common, get on too well, to let an inexplicable crush become a problem.

She didn't know how it would feel to act on it, that it could be, oh, so lovely. The possibility Gill might not mind hadn't even occurred to her.

"Would it make you feel better if I were to do this?"

Gill's hands come to rest gently on Kate's breasts, and it's unexpected and irresistible. The sensation sends a quiver of want down between Kate's legs, and she shudders with sudden need.

"How's that?" Gill asks, as if it isn't obvious.

Kate bites her lip but fails to suppress the whine of what's unmistakably pleasure, even to her own untutored ears. Gill squeezes softly, and Kate pushes into her hands and whines again despite herself.

Gill laughs. "You know, if Cal were to walk in right this moment, his head would explode."

Kate feels her cheeks turn bright pink, but she can't stop the giggle. Doing this in Gill's office - even on a Saturday morning - is probably very foolish, but the risk of being discovered does add a certain frisson.

There's also no denying it's amusing to imagine what their male colleagues would have to say. DiNozzo's reaction to this would be hilarious, she's sure, though she would never, ever live it down. And McGee's eyeballs would pop right out of their sockets.

She hasn't a clue how Gibbs might react. Would he be jealous? Turned on? Horrified? Or is it wishful thinking to imagine he'd care? She's never really been sure. Her mood is abruptly punctured.

"I don't know if Gibbs even notices who touches me," she admits. "Never mind cares."

Gill moves in closer. "Trust me, Kate, he cares." She caresses Kate's breasts more fully, tweaks her nipples, and Kate gasps. "He wants to do this so badly it scares him." Her mouth is so close now, Kate can almost feel her lips moving. "I've seen the way he looks at you, Kate. Heard his voice when he talks about you. He wants you." She smiles, her face lighting up. "And you know, I don't blame him." Her tone turns mischievous. "If you want to make him jealous, I'm game."

It's impossible not to return the smile, but Kate surprises herself when she tilts her head sideways in invitation, and surprises herself even more when her reaction to Gillian's mouth brushing gently over hers is to open her own welcomingly. It's brief but intense.

"Mm. Gibbs doesn't know what he's missing," says Gill when they surface. "He's a fool."

Kate clears her throat, still taken aback by her own reactions. She can't believe how quickly she's allowing herself to pull down defences she put so much care into building. "So's Cal." Her voice is rough with want.

Gillian laughs. "Believe me, that I know," she says, widening her eyes to emphasise the point.

"Do you wanna make him jealous? Or at least make his head explode?"

Kate can't quite believe what she just said, what she's implying, offering, but she doesn't want to stop this, wants to keep touching, being touched, wants to feel desired and attractive. To be with someone she cares about, someone she knows cares about her. Gill looks surprised but eager.

There's a spark between them Kate hasn't felt for quite a while - or at least, not for anyone who's willing to act on it with her. She never expected to feel it for a woman, and she's fought it, but she's so tired of fighting. She's scared Gill will say yes; scared worse she'll say no.

Gill knows what it's like to be in love, loved, and still unwillingly single. She has boundless empathy, because it's her life too.

Maybe this is something they both need.

Gillian studies her for what feels like a long while. Kate imagines she's probably running through a lot of the same arguments. "You know what," she says, finally, "right now I don't care about Cal and his knuckle headed stubbornness, but I don't want to stop."

"Oh. Good."

Kate's not sure quite who initiates it this time, but they're kissing again, and hands that were cautiously palming breasts are suddenly exploring freely, and she has her tongue in another woman's mouth and she really likes it. It's better than it has any right to be, according to everything she's ever been told, and she does not want it to stop.

Gill untucks Kate's blouse, and Kate pulls her closer as Gill's hands skim softly over her back. She'd reciprocate, but Gill is wearing a dress that offers no such easy access. She compromises, sliding one hand into Gill's hair and the other slowly up her leg.

They push harder against each other, and Kate surprises herself again, dragging her fingernails lightly over another woman's inner thigh, feeling downright triumphant at the groan she prompts, finding the heat radiating from between that woman's legs more tempting than she would ever have imagined. She steels herself and strokes lightly over Gill's panties, discovering them already wet, and it makes her feel a lot better about the way she's rapidly soaking through her own. She strokes more confidently, then grins when it prompts a moan and hips bucking into her fingers.

One of Gillian's hands moves to run up Kate's thigh, and Kate shivers as they touch each other, then lets out a whimper, because the fingers are no longer stroking her through her underwear but have snuck inside and- "Oh God," she murmurs, and Gill chuckles.

There's a nervous fluttering in her stomach, but she takes a deep breath and slides her own fingers into Gill's panties. She's never seriously thought about touching a woman this way before, but there's something enticing about the warm silky heat, and her nerves quickly dissolve into interest and arousal. After all, she's touched herself plenty of times; she knows her way around a woman. It's familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, it makes her want to explore, and it's Gillian, who's... oh, she's so attractive. And it's undeniably good. Really good.

"Gibbs is a fool." Gill slips a finger into Kate, speaking directly into her ear, and Kate groans. "You know, the way he looks at you," she continues, "he wants to do this so much. The way he says your name." She shakes her head. "You're a smart woman, and he's not subtle. If you weren't so blinded by how much you want him, you'd see it." She's moving so gently, in and out, in and out, and her thumb circles Kate's clit. "Gibbs' gut is a lot like what we do here," she whispers. "When Cal was talking to you last night, he was deliberately flashing signs of interest and arousal, because, well, because he's a little shit and he likes to stir things up." She sounds amused by her own summary. "I think he was having fun. And Gibbs was..." She laughs huskily. "Well, I just hope Cal survived the evening after we left them to it, that's all. You should watch Gibbs' hands when he's near you. He's itching to touch you, Kate, believe me."

Kate finds she can't respond. The mix of emotions is overwhelming. Gillian is hot, even if it's taken fairly extreme measures for Kate to admit to herself she thinks so, and she's very good at this. Her sheer enthusiasm is another huge turn on.

But having Gill whisper in her ear about Gibbs is a turn on of a whole different kind, and Kate's seen enough of what these people do not to dismiss out of hand what she's being told. She imagines Gibbs touching her this way, with this kind of desire and tenderness, and it's as if her insides do a backflip. She's a mess of confusion and hope and need.

"The thing I don't understand is why he's holding back." Oh, good Lord. How Gill expects her to follow a conversation right now Kate can't imagine, but maybe it's just the perfect time to be sure someone really can't lie to you. "Why is he watching you, but not touching you, kissing you, making love to you?"

Gill's talent for truth extraction clearly extends to picking her moment. "Rule- rule 12," Kate manages to gasp out. "'Never date a coworker'. He-" She takes a couple of breaths and swallows before she can speak again. "He has rules- for everything."

"Huh. Well, maybe Cal will rub off on him a bit. He loves to break rules." She lets her thumb close tighter around Kate's clit, laughs knowingly when Kate shivers. "And it seems like a stupid rule to worry about given how you two clearly feel about each other."

Kate tries to reply and all she can muster is a whimper. She still has her hand in Gill's underwear, but she has almost no control left over her body.

"Just relax, Kate," Gill reassures her. "It can be my turn after. Right now, it's all about you."

Kate gives in and lets her head fall forward, shuddering as the delicious tension builds.

"Maybe you should 'accidentally' let Gibbs see you this way, Kate. I don't see how he could resist."

Kate screws her eyes shut. "Oh, God." She's on the verge of orgasm, Gill's fingers inside her, and now she's got the idea of Gibbs watching her to contend with, and it's too good, too much. At this rate it's going to be her head exploding. "Oh God, please."

Gill laughs again. "If he could feel what this was doing to you, Kate, how your body reacts when I mention him, well... sooner or later he'll just have to give in, and he's going to be a very lucky man."

Without further warning, she tugs gently but firmly on Kate's clit, and Kate muffles her cries in Gillian's shoulder as she comes, unexpectedly hard.

When the ripples of pleasure have finally died away enough for her to think again, she suddenly realises she's sobbing softly, and Gillian is lightly stroking her hair.

She tries not to react to fingers slipping out of her body, tries to pull herself together, to calm her breathing, then feels Gill shake her head. She murmurs softly in Kate's ear. "Shhh. It's okay. Sex can be cathartic. Sometimes it's a little too much. Especially when the other person can't help giving you a therapy session in the middle of it."

Kate giggles despite herself.

"Occupational hazard," Gill explains. "Especially having spent two solid weeks watching you and Gibbs circling each other."

Kate finally manages to sit up properly and look Gill in the eye. Good God, that was so much better than she's ever imagined it could be. "Well it can't be any worse than watching you and Cal flirting outrageously. I keep expecting you to start tearing each other's clothes off."

"Oh, I've been patiently waiting for Cal to do that for years now."

"Why don't you just start it yourself?"

Gillian shrugs, her face falling. "Cal, he- he thinks I'm too good for him. And until he gets over thinking I'm perfect, and he's somehow going to soil me by touching me..." She shrugs again, her hands spread wide in a gesture of helplessness. "Well, you know."

They smile sadly at each other, a moment of total mutual understanding.

"Men. Do you think he'd be less inclined to think you're perfect if he saw you with your hand up another woman's skirt?"

It's Gill's turn to giggle. "You know, I've no idea. Maybe if I get desperate."

"Or with another woman's hand up your skirt, of course."

Getting Kate off was clearly pretty fun for Gill, if the state of her underwear is anything to go by. Now she can actually think again, Kate slides her fingers further in, grins when Gillian's eyes lose focus and then close, and a long, quiet keen comes out of her mouth.

She's soft and slick and inviting. It's a lot sexier than Kate would have thought, to feel a woman all warm and wet and know it's because of her. She slides back and forth, touching the places she likes to be touched or to touch on herself, grinning as she figures out which ones make Gill's breath come faster and harder.

Very gently and nervously, she slides a finger into Gill's body, like Gill did for her. It shouldn't be much different from doing it for herself, but she's had enough experiences with impatient guys to want to be sure she's doing this right, isn't rushing in before Gill's ready. Gill's mouth opens into a perfect O, and a single squeak emerges from the back of her throat, then she's moving against Kate's finger and Kate breathes a sigh of relief. She lets her thumb trail light and leisurely over Gill's clit, and she's ridiculously pleased when Gill moans out a long 'yeah' of approval.

She lets Gillian set the pace, not nearly confident enough to take charge, but more than happy with the response she's getting from her inexpert (if undeniably, enthusiastic) touch. She lets her other hand cup one of Gill's breasts, rolling the nipple between her thumb and forefinger.

"Has Cal ever seen you like this? With someone, or on your own?"

Gill shakes her head.

"Maybe he should."

"Maybe if I get desperate," she says again, though this time her voice is strained with pleasure and exertion.

"Maybe we should just make out in front of them."

Gill's laugh is breathless. "Well- I guess it'd- be a win-win."

"Yeah?"

Gill cranks her eyes open, slowly, as if it's a huge effort. "Even if it didn't work- it'd still be- fun."

Kate laughs too, her cheeks growing hot again in pleased embarrassment. "Something to think about, I suppose."

Gill's head falls forward onto Kate's shoulder, and her hands go back to Kate's breasts. "Oh, Kate. I so wanted..." She squeezes, and Kate squirms in pleasure. "You're- truly lovely, you know."

Between the heat enveloping her fingers and the way Gill's massaging her breasts, Kate can't find a response. Instead, she concentrates on repaying the pleasure she's been given, not to mention enjoying more than she ever thought she could how Gillian feels fucking her fingers, how her body tenses and shivers when Kate lets her thumb circle closer and tighter. She's actually disappointed when Gill comes apart so fast, shuddering and wet and with a moan of completion.

Next time, she'll make it last longer. And then she wonders where the idea of 'next time' sprang from.

With unexpected reluctance, she slides her fingers out of Gill's body and out of her underwear.

"Ohhh." Gill's eyes blink open. "Thank you. I really needed that."

"Me too," Kate admits. It's been way too long since she had an orgasm that intense, and it was strangely therapeutic. Somehow she feels much more equipped to face Gibbs' inscrutable looks and Cal's all too perceptive eyes than she has the whole time she's spent here. She's never been one for friends-with-benefits, but maybe she should rethink it. Lately she's been making do with 'willing and not actively repulsive' or her own company; this was infinitely better.

They flop down side by side on the couch, relaxed, satisfied, boneless.

Kate is surprised to find herself casually licking her hand clean.

The part of her which would never, ever have thought she would ever get off with another woman is rather scandalised, but the part of her which really enjoyed the experience decides this doesn't bother her, actually, and tastes a whole lot better than claimed by certain ex-boyfriends. If the men in their lives continue to be absolutely useless, she won't at all mind if they do this again at some point.

"Mmmm." Gill smooths her hands over her dress, and Kate wonders how she never noticed, before Gill, just how much she likes the curves of a woman's body. "Anytime you need to relieve a little stress..."

She blinks, surprised at having her thoughts reflected so accurately back at her. "I was just thinking the same thing." She grins. "Great minds..."

"And hey, if we get desperate-" Gill shrugs eloquently, with a wink "-you never know, maybe making out in front of them could work."

Kate giggles. It seems like they have some excellent excuses for a repeat, and she can't say she minds one iota. "And remember," she replies, "it's a win-win." She grins (as she leans in to kiss Gillian again, because why the hell not?) "Even if it doesn't work, it'll still be really fun."

~ fin ~