***April 22, 2003***
"Mac?" I asked staring out her office window across the bull pen into Harm's office where NCIS was digging through his things.
"Yeah Anna?" She asked from beside me.
"What's it like? Falling in love?" I mumbled, I'd never been in love and Mac had been in love with Harm for years.
"Why did one of the NCIS agents catch your eye?" She teased, but she didn't know how right she was. I turned to glare at her.
"I met when you fell in love with Harm, Mac."
"I-I-I'm not-" She started, I rolled my eyes.
"Save it, Mac. Everyone knows you two are in love. I noticed the first time I saw him with you." I said.
"You were 14, what the hell would you know?" She huffed.
"He's my brother, I just know these things." I said with a smirk.
"Oh, shut up." She protested.
"Can you just answer my question?" I asked. She sighed.
"It's like when your eyes meet the world stops for just a second and all there is are the two of you." She sounded almost wistful. She shook her head. "Anyway I've heard it's different for different people." She turned and walked back to her desk.
I stayed watching the NCIS agents. One looked up and locked eyes with me, his steel blue gaze made my world stop.
***April 29, 2003***
Agent DiNozzo talked quietly with Harm in front of the JAG building after clearing him of the charges for Singer's murder. I stood on the lawn watching them. I felt Agent Gibbs reappear beside me. "I was wrong." He said softly.
"That's the closest thing to an apology I'm gonna get from you, isn't it?" I asked turning to look at him. He had be watching DiNozzo and Harm too but tuned when he felt me looking at him.
"I'm sorry." He said even softer than before, his face softened from the tough mask into something far more venerable. I gasped quietly.
"Thank you, Agent Gibbs." I mumbled.
"Your welcome, Miss Reed." He said. He started to reach for me.
"Hey, Boss!" DiNozzo's voice sent his hand flying back to his side. His tough mask went back up before he turned.
"What DiNozzo?!" He shouted, clearly annoyed.
"The Admiral wants to talk to you!" He called back. I looked and Admiral Chegwidden was standing next to Harm and DiNozzo. Gibbs sighed and looked down at me.
"I should go." He said gently.
"Yeah, you should." I said. He lingered for a moment before jogging across the parking lot.
***November 13, 2005***
"Webb, my patience for you is very limited." I said. "Tell me what I need to know."
"What's in it for me?" Webb asked. I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the wall.
"Not getting your ass kicked." I growled. Webb squirmed and let out a pathetic whimper.
"Y-You can't do that! Let me go!" He yelped as he tried in vain to push me away.
"She can and she will. I'd tell her what she wants to know if I were you." A familiar smoky voice called from the door way. I suppressed the shutter that threated to work its way up my spine. Webb's eyes went comically wide.
"I can handle Webb all by myself Agent Gibbs." I said trying to sound irritated.
"I never said you couldn't Miss Reed." Gibbs said.
"Are you two this formal when you're swapping bodily fluids?" Webb asked. I pulled him away from the wall only to slam him back into it hard. He whimpered and his eyes rolled back into his head.
"That should teach him." I said before turning to Gibbs. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"I was called in on the mission too." Gibbs said. Great, Gibbs and I alone in a shit-hole apartment for god knows how long. That's just fucking perfect.
"Lovely." I muttered.
"The higher ups know you two are the only ones with the skills to carry out the mission and not kill each other in the process." Webb groaned recovering slowly. I turned back to him. "Was that really necessary?"
"Yes." I said.
"I would have done a whole lot worse." Gibbs said.
"How did you come up with that shit?" I growled.
"Ha! The whole agency knows about that little moment outside JAG awhile back. And don't play dumb, I know what would have happened if DiNozzo hadn't interrupted." Webb said.
"Just give us the damn intel before I introduce you to your spleen." I said giving him a good shake.
"Fine, fine." Webb held up his hands in surrender.