Disclaimer: I don't own. I just like to play.

SUNBURN

"Tony! I swear to God, if you touch me again, I'm going to take out my gun and shoot you!" These were the first things Gibbs heard from the mouth of Special Agent Caitlin Todd, as he walked out of the elevator and toward his desk. The sight that greeted him caused his trademark smirk to sketch across his lips. Tony had his hands in the air and stood three feet away from Kate. She moved gingerly toward her desk. He noticed her slightly red cheeks and the redness gracing her shoulders. His smirk turned into an almost full-blown smile as he guessed what had happened.

Kate, taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather had gathered her iPod and a book for a little time outdoors in the sunshine. The warmth, her music and a very dull book had lulled her to sleep in a matter of minutes. And being as she worked a stressful job, she was tired to begin with, so her sleep was deep and restful. Until she woke three hours later, when a cool breeze brushed her exposed skin, causing her to wake. She headed in, and at first didn't notice the redness blooming on her skin. But as another hour passed, she realized just how badly she had been sunburned.

Returning to work the next day was not merciful to her roasted skin. Her pants, which were usually soft, chaffed in a most uncomfortable way and the feel of anything more that her silk tank top, cause her to groan in pain. So she had dressed carefully, and walked carefully to her car. The drive to work was long and the sun, slowly rising over the horizon had taunted her, sinking her already bad mood, to an even deeper level of darkness. As soon as she walked into the office, Tony had thrown his arm around her shoulders and asked her how her day off had been. That of course brought them to their current positions, her easing into her desk chair and Tony still eyeing her warily from across the aisle.

"So, Kate how was your day off?" Gibbs asked as he set coffee on her desk and leaned over it to get a good look at her face and shoulders. She gave him a look that would have withered a lesser man.

"Just peachy."

"Good." He stood back up and stepped behind his own desk. "Dinozzo! Where are those files you were supposed to finish yesterday?"

"On it, Boss."

The end of the day came too slowly for Kate. She just wanted to go home and sit in a bath of ice water for a decade, then crawl into her bed with her softest sheets and sleep for another decade. Gibbs finally barked at them to get out, and she watched Tony zoom out before he was even finished with his sentence. McGee followed at a more sedate pace, but was gone just as quick.

"Go home, Kate." Gibbs ordered again, without looking away from his computer.

"I will. I'm almost done with this last file."

"Go home, Kate. The file will still be here in the morning."

"Sure, right after I figure out how to move without hurting myself." She muttered and started to rise. She caught her knee on the underside of the desk and rubbed her pants roughly against her scorched skin. "OW!" She yelped. Gibbs looked up as he heard her cry of pain, then came around the desk to investigate.

"How badly did you burn yourself, Kate?"

"Bad enough." Gibbs helped her up and watched as she moved gingerly to pick up her bag, gun, and purse. He could tell it hurt her to move, even the slightest bit.

"I'll take you home." He said, grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair and starting toward her. She would have put up a fight, but it took too much energy to keep her whimpers silent. He led her out to his car, careful not to touch her in anyway. She eased into the seat and couldn't contain the hiss of pain as her shoulder brushed the car door.

Gibbs drove at a sedate pace, taking the time to be more considerate of Kate, instead of racing toward their destination. He always liked spending time with her, more so that with anyone else since his first wife had died. Lately he had even preferred her company to even Ducky's always-chipper presence. They rode in silence and in no time they were parked in his drive way. Kate looked startled that she was there instead of at her own place.

"What…" Gibbs cut her off.

"You need to put something on your sunburn." She just nodded and followed him in. He sent her into the bathroom with the softest shirt, he could find, an old worn out under shirt of his and told her to take a cool shower. He went into the kitchen and put together a quick dinner while he waited, and tried not to think about his agent, currently naked in his shower. She cleared her throat to get his attention. She was wearing t-shirt and a pair of loose shorts from her bag. He took in her appearance, and felt a smirk start to slide across his lips, but quickly quelled it. Her pain was not amusing. He gestured to the table and she sat down. They ate in silence, not really looking at each other, but lost in their own thoughts. He took the dishes to the sink after the finished.

"Lay down on the couch, Kate." He called and searched in a cabinet for the bottle he was looking for, and then returned to the living room. Kate was sitting on the couch. He sat next to her and rolled up the sleeve of the shirt. She hissed when his fingers grazed the sensitive skin. He took the bottle and gently squirted some of the green gel onto her shoulder. Gently, he rubbed the gel into her skin. Kate's eyes fluttered closed in relief as it penetrated her tender skin and eased the burn. He ran his hands, covered in gel down her arms, all the way to her wrist. Gibbs moved to the other side and repeated the process. The gel and the feel of his hands were doing more for her than just easing her sunburn. It was awakening something else in her that she thought was locked away.

"Lean back." He ordered as he slid to the floor and treated each of her legs in a similar fashion. When he was done, he sat next to her on the couch.

"Feel better?" He asked.

"Much. Thanks." He nodded. He got up a moment later and retreated to his basement. It was too much for him to be that close to her, to touch her like he had. He needed some space to clear his head and regain his control, before he did something that they would regret. Kate watched him go. As a profiler she had some insight into the human mind, but more often than not, she couldn't get a fix on Gibbs. At that moment, she figured he was having the same reaction to her that she was having to him. She waited a few minutes and followed him down.

Gibbs picked up his tools and started to gently sand the boat's hull. It was almost finished. He poured his desire and frustration with himself into sanding for the few minutes he was alone. He felt, more than heard her come down the stairs and looked up. She was watching him with keen interest. He set aside the sander and gave her his full attention. She walked toward him, her bare feet making soft pats on the concrete. She stopped when she was about two inches from him, invading his personal space. If it had been anyone else but her, he would have forced them to back up, or they would never have dared to get that close, but he couldn't deny her anything. In that moment, with her staring up at him, through chocolate eyes, he realized how much he loved her.

"Your boat is beautiful." She whispered. He smirked at her and saw the twinkle in her eyes. She knew exactly what she was getting into.

"You're beautiful." He brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face, allowing his fingers to run over her cheek. She didn't want to beat around the bush so she laid herself bare with her next words and hoped for the best.

"I'm in love with you, Jethro." His eyes lit up in a way she had never seen before, and his smile was mega watt.

"That's good to know Kate." She frowned a little at his response. "I'm in love with you too."

"That's good to know Jethro." She tossed his words back to him with a grin. "What about Rule 12?"

"Sometimes you just have to throw out all the rules." He lowered his lips to hers to cut off her response. "We'll figure it out as we go." He whispered against her. He kissed her gently, wrapping his arms around her. She leaned into the kiss, but pulled back with a hiss when her bare legs brushed against his pants her sunburn ruining the moment a little. She looked back up at him with a helpless grin and his smirk returned.

"Let's go to bed, Kate. I want to hold you tonight. We'll leave the rest, until you're healed." He joked. She nodded and led him upstairs.