GIBBS
Gibbs sighed as he made his way down to the basement. It had been a long and hellish day - the kind of day that made him want to retire, and the kind of case that he wished he could erase from his memory. How people could do such things to children...
He pushed the thought away. He would not think about it. He would not dream about it. He would point blank refuse to give it space in his mind. He'd been using the same trick since he was a little boy. Something told him this may be one of the times when it didn't work as well as he'd like.
He'd just got a rhythm going with the sanding when his cell started to ring. "If this is DiNozzo, I'm gonna..." He stopped mid sentence when he saw the name flash up on the caller ID: Todd.
"Kate?"
The silence lasted long enough for him to wonder if she'd hit the call button by mistake, and then he heard a muffled sob.
"Katie?"
He heard her taking a steadying breath. "Gibbs, I... I'm sorry. I didn't know who to call."
"It's OK, Kate. What's up?" He forced himself to stay businesslike, hoping she wouldn't notice the 'Katie' that had slipped out involuntarily.
"I... God, I feel so stupid. There's this guy..."
Gibbs felt his hackles rise. Where Kate found her endless stream of asshole boyfriends he couldn't imagine, though he always felt shamefully relieved that none of them lasted long. For a smart woman, she had the worst possible taste.
"What'd he do?"
"I broke up with him. He... didn't take it too well."
Gibbs rubbed his hand over his face. It could be worse, at least he didn't have to console her about being dumped. She was the one who'd deep sixed the latest loser.
He waited for her to elaborate.
"He's been, uh, kind of persistent."
OK, he was gonna kill the guy... "How long's this been going on, Kate?"
There was a prolonged silence - he could practically hear her deciding whether to try and lie. Clearly, this was not a recent thing.
"About two months," she eventually said in a very small voice.
He closed his eyes. "Damnit, Kate."
"I know."
He could read her the riot act about how these things could sap her focus at work. He could point out that she had colleagues who'd teach the bastard a thing or two if necessary. He could point out that she'd put not only herself but her team at risk by hiding something that could interfere with her job. But the tone of her voice said she knew all that, and there was no way he was gonna rag on her when she already sounded thoroughly beaten. He let out his frustration in one long sigh.
"So what happened tonight?"
She took another shaky breath, sounding like she was about ready to start crying again if it weren't for her sheer stubborn, bull headed determination. He admired and was frustrated by that quality in her in equal measure. "He's outside my building - sitting on the steps. It's not the first time, but I just can't... today it's been... It's too much, Gibbs. I can't deal with it."
Without a conscious thought Gibbs was already making for the basement steps and mentally figuring out where he'd slung his jacket with the car keys in its pocket. "I'm on my way."
"No!" There was a kind of desperate urgency in her voice that stopped him dead on the third step. "Can I...?" He could hear her swallow. "I know you say your door's always unlocked..."
It was obvious she couldn't quite bring herself to ask. He weighed up the options. After the week they'd had, much as the thought of spending the evening with Kate appealed, it seemed like a really bad plan. "Kate, I can come over, I can deal with this guy and then he's... dealt with." He figured she'd realise that was no idle offer. Even if she'd suddenly started dating SEALs, he'd like to see the man who would survive Leroy Jethro Gibbs' anger for messing with his team - with his Katie.
She sighed. "Thanks, Gibbs. But I really... I can't deal with more confrontation tonight. I can't deal with my empty apartment. I can't..."
Her voice trailed off, and he knew he was going to give in. He could either yield gracefully now or waste her energy arguing when she clearly was in no shape for it. "I'll come get you." He didn't like the idea of her driving in this state.
"No! I mean... I'm fine, Gibbs, honestly. I can't sit here and watch him any longer, and I really don't want to risk him seeing me. I'm on my way... Thanks."
He opened his mouth to try and convince her to wait for him, but she'd already cut the connection without saying goodbye. He looked down at the phone, a little surprised. That usually happens the other way round.
He glanced around the basement as he walked back down the steps, then shook his head as he realised he'd actually been thinking about tidying the place up a little before she arrived. It was embarrassing that he had even thought that. Nope, she'd get him unvarnished, and he definitely wasn't about to try and impress her. Really.
The boat. Go back to your boat.
By the time he heard the click of his front door, he'd actually managed to lose track of time a little, lulled into a pleasant state of peaceful mindlessness by the repetitive action.
"Gibbs?"
"Down here," he called, but there was no response and no sign of her appearing on the stairs.
He gave her another minute, then laid down his tools and went looking for her.
She was leaning on the inside of his door, head tilted back against the wood, eyes closed, and breathing deeply.
"Kate? You OK?"
Her head popped up and her eyes popped open. "Gibbs. Sorry. I was just trying..." She managed a watery grin and sniffed before she went on. "I know you don't deal well with crying women."
Her voice cracked as she spoke, and she put her hands to her face, wiping at the tears that had started to flow again. "I'm such a mess."
For a moment he debated the wisest course of action, and then decided that wisdom was overrated. The woman was barely upright and her eye makeup was smudged all over her face. This was not the time for protocol.
He stepped closer, and pulled her into an enveloping hug. Her head tucked neatly under his chin, and he told himself to ignore the sweet scent floating up from her hair. She started sobbing again, though this time more quietly, the kind of broken sobs he'd heard too many times from those left behind after a tragedy. It was bad enough hearing that sound at work, from the mother whose daughter was never coming back home. He hated hearing them from Kate.
When the sound finally faded, he gave her shoulders a little squeeze then loosened his grip to a much safer arm around the shoulders to coax her down to the basement. "C'mon." It seemed like a grand plan till she tripped over her own feet.
"'M sorry, I..." Her voice was a little slurred, and he realised just how exhausted she was. And he'd let her drive over here...
Oh, Katie girl... Cases like this one had him working through the night, and he hadn't known she was dealing with a stalker, but still; as SAIC he was supposed to notice if his team members were getting worn down by his unrelenting pace.
He got one of her arms slung over his shoulder, and managed to half cajole her and half manhandle her to the basement door and halfway down the steps before she stumbled again. He swore under his breath. It would've made more sense to lug her to the couch or a bedroom, but the living room was currently storage space for lumber, and the only room with a bed fit to sleep in was his. Kate Todd and his bed was a combination that he'd dreamed of, but, in so many ways, not like this.
Bracing himself against the wall so he wouldn't send them both tumbling down the narrow staircase, he managed somehow to heft her into his arms. She curled into him, both arms around his neck, and he thought drily that it wasn't how he'd've imagined this moment, either.
He was grateful she was petite, but still breathed a sigh of relief once they were safely down the stairs. He fell onto the threadbare sofa in the corner, Kate in his lap, still clinging to him like a baby opossum.
He could feel fresh tears creating a damp patch on his neck, and at a loss for what else to do, started to rock her, making comforting noises, and stroking her hair. The irony of finally having Kate in his house, in his arms, only to find himself comforting her as if she was a child - like he used to comfort Kelly after a nightmare... it was a sad kind of irony and he couldn't even raise a smile over it.
It took him a while to realise when she'd finally fallen asleep. It was only when he shifted himself to get more comfortable, only for her head to loll sideways with a very ladylike snore, that it became obvious. He considered his options, trying to remember if there was a blanket anywhere in the house to turn the couch into a makeshift bed, unsure how he was going to manoeuvre her without disturbing her obviously much needed rest.
After running through all the likely options, he shook his head with a wry little smile. If Kate needed comfort tonight, he should just be grateful she'd turned to him. Cradling her head against his shoulder, he dropped a featherlight kiss on her forehead, and settled back into the couch cushions.
This wasn't what he'd've chosen as the first night they spent together. Tomorrow would not wait, reality would intrude, and no doubt he'd have reason to regret this one way or another. It wouldn't be exactly how he'd imagined waking up with her, either. A night of firsts, and not one of them resembling anything he'd hoped for.
But if he could chase her bad dreams away just for tonight, offer comfort, be a friend, keep her warm and safe and not alone... Well, maybe, just for tonight, she could do the same for him.