Title: Come Hither
Author: Mindy
Rating: K
Disclaimer: I don't own Kate and Gibbs and ain't it a shame…
Spoilers: 'The Good Wives Club', "Caught on Tape', 'Untouchable'.
Summary: Inspired by a scene at the beginning of 'Untouchable'. Just suppose Kate had witnessed Gibbs' trick with the escapist cat…
-x-x-x-
Heading back to the squad room after a busy morning, Kate boarded the elevator with Gibbs and half a dozen other agents. As they squished into the back, left corner, she turned to her boss expectantly.
"Gibbs?" she began, in a hesitant voice: "that thing you did with the cat…?"
"Mmmm?" Gibbs replied, watching the numbers on the control panel ascend.
Kate took a breath, watching his steady profile: "You think you could teach me that?"
"Can't be taught, Kate," he stated tersely, without looking at her.
"Oh, come on," she entreated, shifting in closer to him as the other agents jostled behind her back: "it's not a Jedi mind-control trick."
Gibbs looked down at her: "What's a Jedi?" he asked straight-faced.
Kate's eyes widened and her brow crumpled in bewilderment: "Ah… doesn't matter," she muttered, shaking her head.
The heavy doors slid open on the bustling squad room and all the agents piled out, moving quickly to their respective areas. Kate stepped out behind Gibbs, continuing her appeal as she trotted by his side.
"See, whenever I take Toni to the park for a run," she explained, briskly: "she won't come back when I call."
Dumping her bag on her desk, she faced her boss, watching as he removed the service weapon from his waist and locked it in his desk drawer.
"I have to chase her and catch her," she shrugged, her hands flitting restlessly around each other as she spoke: "I thought maybe you could give me some pointers."
"It's all about confidence, Kate," Gibbs declared from his desk. He planted his hands on the tabletop, leaning over as he peered at his computer screen.
"Confidence, right," she nodded dutifully.
"Tone of voice is crucial," he added, peering up at her: "Use a tone that brooks no refusal."
"No refusal," Kate nodded again, wondering whether she should be taking notes in her PDA: "Got it."
"Most important," Gibbs said, straightening and pacing back around his desk: "Keep your eyes on target."
"On target?" she repeated, her voice dropping to a low tone as her boss pinned her with his familiar, piercing gaze.
He took a few slow but deliberate steps forward until they were only inches apart. Kate resisted the urge to step back or drop his gaze. She knew this tactic. She'd become attuned to Gibbs' habit of using it since they'd first met. But she had to admit that, one on one, he still managed to habitually throw her off-balance.
"Keep your eyes steady," he continued, his voice low but still commanding. "Don't fidget," he chided, slapping her hand away when she tried to scratch her forehead: "Focus. Imagine what you want to happen, happening. And don't allow for any other possibility." He moved in even closer, his presence seeming to engulf her entirely in an electric force field.
"See it," he told her, in an insistent whisper as he tapped her temple lightly: "in here."
Kate gulped as she struggled to retain her composure. His bright, blue eyes crowded her vision, his voice was the only thing she could hear. He was having some kind of a mesmerizing effect on her -- it filled her with lassitude and compliance.
"Now…." Gibbs murmured, taking a few steps back, without dropping her eyes. He stood by his desk, looking at her for a moment then, he said softly: "Come here, Kate."
A little indignation seemed to penetrate her Gibbs-induced haze as she squinted at him: "I'm not a cat, Gibbs," she reminded him crossly: "or a dog."
Gibbs smirked and raised a single finger, beckoning her purposefully: "Kaaate… Come," he persisted slyly. He pointed to the spot in front of him he wished her to move to.
Kate starred at him, aghast. She'd been on the receiving end of that particular gesture before and knew the uncomfortable effect it had on her. She felt simultaneously attracted and repelled -- and irritated beyond belief that he felt he could control her so easily.
Folding her arms over her chest, she tilted her head back and shot him her most defiant look, refusing to budge from where she stood. After a moment, Gibbs, still smirking, turned on his heel and headed for the rear elevator. Kate vacillated then rushed after him.
"Wait a second," she cried, catching up with him: "Tone of voice? Eye contact? That's it?" she demanded scratchily: "That's Psychology 101. I learnt that much in high school."
"Final pointer," Gibbs announced, stopping abruptly and facing her. "When dealing with a difficult customer," he told her, smoothly: "someone particularly stubborn or rebellious…" he paused and moved in close again, emphasizing each word quietly: "…make them come to you."
He raised his eyebrows and gestured to where she had been standing and to where she stood now-- right in front of him, exactly where he wanted her.
Kate looked back and forth and waved a finger at him: "That's not--!" she pointed towards the elevator: "I thought we were…!"
"Doesn't matter," Gibbs rat-a-tatted, with a sharp shake of his head: "You came, didn't you?" A self-satisfied smile crawled across his features and he gave her a soft pat on the head: "Good girl," he praised, deliberately condescending.
Kate narrowed her eyes at him, her mouth working noiselessly, and her ire rising to shade her cheeks. But before she could voice her fury, Gibbs continued on his path to the elevator:
"If Toni doesn't come next time you call," he instructed her over his shoulder: "make her chase you."
As she traipsed behind him, it occurred to Kate that this was one of the many reasons that Jethro Gibbs had been divorced so many times but she didn't give voice to the opinion. She didn't want her pat on the head to turn into a slap. She'd seen him use that tactic on the others but had been lucky enough to avoid the reprimand herself.
He had them all very well trained, she realized.
Kate shook her head and muttered behind his back: "You're so…"
"Yeah?" prompted Gibbs carelessly.
"Incorrigible," she stated boldly.
"Uh huh," responded Gibbs coolly.
"Manipulative," she added staunchly, catching up and matching his stride as she positioned herself at his elbow again.
"Mm hmm," Gibbs nodded, oblivious.
"Arrogant," she accused, glaring up at him.
He pressed the button for the elevator and faced her: "Anything else?"
Kate faced him also: "You're…"
She could feel her eyes twinkling with amusement, mirroring his. Her lips tugged upwards in an involuntary smile. She had to admit it -- as usual, Gibbs was right. She found it utterly infuriating that he had an answer for absolutely everything, but it was also one of the things she liked most about him. It was why she persisted in asking for his help on things that in reality were completely beyond their professional territory.
"You're…" she stalled, her wrath loosing momentum: "…good," she admitted with a quiet sigh. She ducked her head and then peered up at him, with one highly arched eyebrow: "You're very, very good."
Gibbs leant in close and whispered in her ear smugly: "That's what they all say."
Kate felt herself flush slightly and tried to hide it behind a smile. Gibbs leaned back against the doorway, his gaze shifting away from her as a brief silence settled about them.
As the elevator arrived, Kate glanced to the side and pointed to it with one arm, her eyes steely and determined. "Gibbs," she ordered, in her most authoritative voice: "Get in."
Gibbs' mouth turned up at the corners and for a moment, he didn't move. She knew her unyielding boss had little experience or patience with being ordered about but she kept her gaze steady, challenging him to underestimate her. She imagined the rush she would experience in her gut at holding sway over this particular man – even if only for an instant.
Then slowly, maintaining eye contact, Gibbs stood to his full height and took a side step into the elevator. And then another.
"Not bad," he noted, pressing the button to take them down: "For a beginner."
Kate grinned at his unorthodox amenability, stepping in beside him: "Same to you," she murmured, smartly.
Gibbs lifted his eyebrows at her innuendo, casting her a frankly surprised look as the doors swished shut with a muted bang.