Disclaimer: I own nothing besides the plot (or maybe lack of)
A/N: This is set somewhere in Season 2. It's somewhat case related but the case is not important to the plot, but the setting.
Undercover
She can't believe her luck, or lack thereof. Of all the clubs in the area, he had to walk into the one she was doing an undercover stint for the FBI for. She hadn't told him, Fornell had approached her for assistance on a case they were investigating and she didn't see any issue with it since she'd been given the week off and had been reassured by Director Sheppard that it was all okay with Gibbs. Still, his presence in the bar is distracting enough and with a gentle squeeze to her thigh by FBI Special Agent Cahill, she's reminded that she's still undercover.
They're watching little Ricky who's wanted for kidnapping and murder. Also; they're using Kate as bait since Little Ricky has a type; average height, athletic, hazel eyed, brunette. Kate fit the profile perfectly and Little Ricky had definitely noticed her yesterday when she had walked into the bar.
Gibbs scans the room as he walks into the club, gaze taking in as much as he can. When he'd set out earlier that evening to look for a place to lose himself in after a crappy day, he hadn't been thinking of a slightly popular club in a shitty part of town but he'd needed a distraction and a change of scenery and that is how he landed up in a club…
What he isn't prepared for though is one very Special Caitlin Todd seated on the bar counter, drink in one hand while the fingers on her other hand rakes through the hair of another mans' head as his mouth trails down her shoulder. He'd never expected to see her in a place like this let alone with a man and yet there she was.
A waitress balancing a tray of drinks passes by him asking if he would like to place an order but he simply shakes his head and instead makes his way over to the bar, weaving between the crowd to get there. He comes to a halt at the counter and moves the barstool eliminating the barrier between him and Kate and her friend, whose mouth is still exploring the skin of her neck and instantly feels a little ball of irritation build in his chest. He wants to say something but is prevented from doing so by the bartender who asks him what he'd like to drink. His choice is obvious, a single malt bourbon, simply because anything weaker just wouldn't do, not tonight anyway.
If she had any unconscious intent to kill him tonight, her choice of clothing is definitely helping. She's dressed in a sleeveless, black, knitted turtleneck, accompanied by a black skirt that stops mid-thigh, jUst short of being indecent and three inched, thigh high, black boots. Her hair is loose and falls halfway down her back in soft curls. Black shadow eyeliner makes her hazel eyes pop but the thing that has Gibbs most bewitched is her crimson painted mouth.
He takes a sip of the amber liquid, sets the tumbler back onto the counter and then finally turns to look at his agent again and this time her 'mouthy' mate's face is turned in Gibbs direction as well and Gibbs is mildly surprised to see FBI Special Agent Cahill smiling back at him. They'd met Cahill once before and he had to admit he'd never given the younger man a second thought, but now said man has his hand on Kate's upper thigh and the little ball of irritation is slowly evolving into anger.
Gibbs pulls in a deep breath, trying to center himself. He's not the type to create a scene and well if this is the man Kate is dating, then he shouldn't have an issue, right? With this thought in mind, he turns to look at the crowd and his time he notices one guy who has his eye firmly set on Kate. He has a bevy of women surrounding him and falling for his every word and action but he doesn't seem to be interested in any of them. Instead he's watching Kate as a predator watches his prey before attacking. Gibbs allows his gaze to roam over the bar and that's when he sees Agents Wood and Altman – more of Fornell's people; and that's when the penny drops.
He turns to ask Kate what exactly is she doing here with the feebs but is stopped short at the scene that meets him. His eyes narrow to slits as he sees Cahill's hand inch higher on Kate's thigh and even in all the noise around them he hears Kate's sharp intake of breath indicating this wasn't something she was expecting. Strong fingers wrap around Cahill's wrist and it is violently wrenched away from Kate's body.
The next thing he's aware of is his jaw feels as though it's on fire and it takes him a second to figure out he's been clocked by none other than Cahill. He's about to retaliate, in kind, when he hears the bartender shout out 'body shots' to the crowd and the patrons of the club go wild. As the bartenders three colleagues start getting the shots ready the bartender himself walks over to where Gibbs, Kate and Cahill are standing and tells them in no friendly tone, to take their crap outside. When he makes no attempt to move Gibbs feels Kate grip his forearm and pull him to the side door of the bar, leading them into a back ally, with Cahill not far behind them.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Her question is directed at them both but Cahill is the first to answer.
"We're supposed to be lovers, I didn't expect your knight in shining armor to come in here and stake a claim," comes Cahill's reply.
Before she can respond to Cahill's words they're joined by Fornell and the bartender, who clearly isn't a bartender by profession.
"What are you doing here?" Fornell growls at Gibbs. "You're about to kill this case." Then he turns to Kate, "I thought he was good with this?"
"Director Sheppard assured me it was all good," Kate informs Fornell and though his face doesn't show it, Gibbs is lost. He'd been told Kate had applied for two weeks off and since they weren't up to their chests in active cases, Sheppard had approved. Clearly Director Sheppard and him need to have a talk about making decisions for his team and informing him about them. There's a burst of static and then they hear the fourth agent's earpiece come to life informing them Ricky is getting restless and it seems he's looking for Kate.
"So, I guess Kate and I can go back in and continue our stint as a couple," Cahill suggests, but the bartender has another idea.
"Actually, I think it would be better if Kate went in with Gibbs. Ricky hadn't so much as batted an eyelash since you and Kate have been here, but apparently tall, good looking and broody being here," the bartender nods in Gibbs' "has stirred something," and with that it's settled. Gibbs and Kate would be playing a couple.
The only thought Fornell has running through his head is 'Did this kid really just call him 'tall, good looking and broody and Gibbs not have any reaction? Though he is grateful Gibbs has left Agent Wreath in one piece after the name calling.
They make their way back into the club and this time Gibbs is prepared for the grinding bodies, ear assaulting music and blinding lights. Kate on the other hand seems okay with all of the above and walks ahead of him, one hand holding his firmly as they walk to the bar. When they reach the bar counter, their space has been taken up by other patrons and as luck would have it one of the couples move along, giving Kate her space back. However, before they can get comfortable one of the assistant bartenders informs them it's either body shot or let another couple come through.
"This is the best vantage point in the club, Gibbs" she whispers into his ear
He doesn't want to screw the case up for his friend, but he doesn't think he's going to leave with his sanity in place if he has to do a body shot. He's seen how it's done and well he's not entirely sure if he loves Wreath's colleague right now or not… Wreath walks up to them behind the bar and sets down the stuff required for body shots and winks at Gibbs. He doesn't know how he's going to survive this at all but before he can give it more thought Wreath is standing behind them, one eyebrow raised in question. He knows what he has to do; he's a quick learner that way.
For her part, Kate leans down on the makeshift table they had set up and proceeds to hand her boss the salt shaker. She waits as he palms a pinch of the white powder into his palm and then attentively drops it just below her belly button, after which he places the tequila shot on her belly button. The last ingredient is the lime slice, which she holds onto, figuring she can hand it to him once he's drank the tequila.
When everything is finally ready she looks up, only to see he's looking directly at her, his expression unreadable.
"Gibbs," she whispers, pulling him out of his thoughts, "anytime tonight would be great," she continues. He still doesn't move and she wonders what the issue is and it's only when she sees the way his eyes narrow slightly and his jaw clenches a little that she realizes he's actually waiting for her permission to touch her. As if he needed to ask, she thinks to herself, but she catches his gaze and nods her head once imperceptibly, silently giving him all the permission he needs.
Kate braces herself for the feel of his mouth on her body, her heart already hammering in her chest and she's thankful it's caged in by her ribs because she's almost sure if it wasn't it would be galloping at a hundred miles an hour. Even though she's expecting it, the feel of his tongue on her body is nothing like she imagined and in the privacy of her own mind, she's imagined a lot.
The noise of the club drowns out, the only thing he hears is the pounding blood as it rushes through his racing heart. He leans down, fixes his gaze on hers and licks the salt off her skin, the memorizing the taste of her skin for later use. Then he moves a little further up and instead of lifting the tequila shot, allows his tongue another taste of her skin before lifting the glass with his mouth and downing the clear liquid in one go. Gibbs sets the glass down on the counter and shakes his head once as if to clear the fuzz and then waits for Kate to hand him the lime slice to cut the burn of the tequila on his tongue.
Their gazes still locked she raises her hand to give him the lime slice, but changes her mind at the last minute, instead placing it in her mouth, the fleshy side facing him. She watches as his icy blue iris darken, his pupils expand and the corner of his mouth lifts in a half smile. She feels him pull her closer to him, one hand curved on her hip, the other settled on the small of her back and then he's pulling at the lime, careful not to allow their mouths to touch, much to her dismay.
Slowly the noise of the club starts up again and Gibbs looks up to see Kate looks just as flustered as he feels. He needs to center himself, if only so that he doesn't kiss her right then and there and as he sweeps his gaze around the club he's not surprised to see Ricky murderously eyeing Kate. Kate's earpiece comes to life and he hears a male voice come through.
"You're going to have to convince me that wasn't just pretend," Wreath's voice comes through her earpiece and Kate feels the heat creep up her neck and the flame in her cheeks. She's thankful it's slightly dark so Gibbs can't see the blush settling or she hopes he can't. "On a more serious note, Ricky isn't impressed with tall, good looking and broody here. Why don't you and Gibbs head out the back?"
Kate heeds the other agent's advice and once again leads Gibbs back out into the alley. She's not sure how to proceed just yet, her heart is still hammering from the events inside. She hadn't thought her boss would actually do body shots off anyone, let alone her but she has to say, she was clearly not disappointed. She's thinking of what to say to her boss now that they're not under any scrutiny, but is cut short when Wreath's voice comes through her earpiece alerting her that Little Ricky is on his way to her. She doesn't have time to inform Gibbs of this and instead presses herself as close to him as she can.
Gibbs heaves in a deep breath as soon as the door to the establishment closes behind them, the cold air helping to clear his thoughts, somewhat. It doesn't last long though as the door he and Kate just came through is violently swung open and he feels Kate press herself flush against him, trapping him between Kate and the cold wall behind him. Without any warning he feels her breath on his neck, and he can't help the moan that escapes his mouth when her mouth lands just behind his ear.
"It's Little Ricky," Kate whispers into Gibbs' ear. "He's here for me," she continues and feels Gibbs tighten his grip on her waist.
"Not lettin' you go," Gibbs responds, pulling her tighter into him and spinning them around so now she's the one with her back against cold wall. He cradles the back of her head with one hand and allows the other to caress her hip where the material of her turtleneck has ridden up while he presses soft, open mouthed kisses to her jaw and neck.
It all happens so fast, there's shouting from inside the club and they hear banging of doors and running footfalls and suddenly there are more of Ricky's men than they had anticipated even with the back-up Feds. There's a scuffle and Kate watches in horror as one of Ricky's men brains Gibbs with a 2x4. Then she's sitting in a car, blindfolded, and being driven to Ricky's hideout.
"Kate," is the first word that leaves his mouth when he finally comes to. He's laying on a gurney in an ambulance a blood pressure cuff wrapped around his arm and connected machine beeping in tandem with his pulse, a paramedic keeping an eye on both Gibbs and the machine.
"Ricky's got her," Fornell informs him and the panic and anger rear itself in Gibbs chest once again.
It's like Ari… all over again…
His pulse starts racing and the paramedic asks Gibbs to calm down, clearly not having any thoughts on self preservation.
"We've got a tracking device on her so we should get her soon. My agents are on the way," the FBI Agent continues before Gibbs can say anything.
"I want to be there," Gibbs hisses in anger and by the look on his face neither Fornell nor the paramedic are inclined to keep Gibbs any longer. He rips the cuff from his arm and stalks to the FBI base that's been temporarily set up demanding to know where Agent Todd has been taken. He doesn't have to wait long though as Agent Wreath informs him that Kate is safely on her way to FBI HQ.
It was two hours before he could actually see her and take her home. She'd had to debrief the team and then waited for a medic to check her out because even though she'd assured Fornell it was just a split lip, he didn't want Gibbs wrath on him.
They're both seated on his couch, the fireplace roaring with flames, keeping them warm. She'd insisted on taking him home after being told he'd suffered a concussion and despite all his protesting it was a fight he was never going to win. He watches as she makes her way to his freezer and shakes her head at the bare minimum items in it. At least he has a bag of frozen vegetables in it that she hands him as she reclaims her seat next to him.
She's still in her undercover garb and it's doing nothing to curb his mind from running into his 'banned Kate thoughts' box. The bottom of her turtleneck rides up again and he can't focus on anything but her bare skin and it takes all his willpower to not run his finger across her midriff.
Gibbs hears her talking to him but he doesn't know what she said given that his attention is on her bare skin and so his response is a confused look in her direction. She shakes her head in exasperation, taking the bag from him and placing it on the back of his head where the 2x4 made contact. The relief is instant and he can't help the groan of satisfaction that leaves his throat.
"God, I need a drink," Gibbs says as he moves the bag slightly, giving his head a small breather from the cold.
"No drinks for you tonight, doctor's orders," she reminds him as she kneels on the couch and winds her hand around his neck to adjust the bag behind him, essentially straddling him.
"That's too bad, was lookin forward to more body shots."
Then when he can't hold it anymore His hands betray his mind and immediately attach themselves to her waist pulling her closer to him.
"Gibbs," she whispers breathily when she realizes just how close to him he's pulled her.
"Katie," his response is just as hushed and then he's placing open mouthed kisses on her jaw and neck and his hands are roving the skin on her back, fingers trailing down every ridge of her spine, effectively pulling her closer into him.
And then finally, finally he's kissing her and it catches her off guard. Something explodes in the back of her brain and then she's kissing him back. The explosion rockets through her body, spreading heat through her veins and arteries.
She's kissing Gibbs…
Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs; her boss and damn he was a good kisser.
When the need for oxygen overpowers everything else, she reluctantly pulls her mouth from his, her chest heaving as though she's just run a marathon. She wants to kiss him again but she restrains herself, what with his head injury and all.
'Doc said no strenuous activity," she tells him once she gets her breath back and he grins lopsidedly in reply.
"Don't think you're getting off easy, Katie, Next time we're trying it with body shots!"
Hope you enjoyed it.
I haven't written in a long while so I might be slightly rusty at this
Let me know what you think.