Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with NCIS. I just like messing with the characters.

1x10, 'Left for Dead'. Kate needs comfort; who would she turn to but Gibbs?

I know the beginning of this is very similar to a certain scene in the Bones episode 'The Hole in the Heart' (6x22) and I apologise but it was completely unintentional - I didn't even notice until after I'd written it.

Cream & Sugar

It was not the knock on the front door, or the groan of it opening that woke him, nor was it the gentle footsteps on the hallway floor or the creak of the stairs.

It was the almost silent swish of his bedroom door.

His eyes snapped open and he automatically reached for his gun, but before his fingers closed around it he met the eyes of the woman in the doorway; the glistening chocolate eyes of the woman he loved.

'Kate?' he said, quietly.

She nodded, the tear tracks on her face glistening in the moonlight that shone through the open drapes.

Gibbs threw back the covers and stepped out of bed, hurrying to take her in his arms. Her body sagged against him, only his grip stopping her falling to the floor. He stood her up, taking her by the elbows and holding her gaze.

'Come downstairs, Katie,' he said, leading her slowly across the landing and down the stairs. She didn't resist, letting him direct her movements. In the kitchen, he sat her at the table and began to make coffee. He added cream and sugar - more sugar than normal, for he suspected she was still in shock - to her mug and placed it on the table in front of her.

She wrapped her hands around the mug, warming her cold fingers, before she lifted it to her mouth and took a tentative sip.

'I believed her, Gibbs,' she murmured. Fresh tears trickled down her face. 'Everything she said, I believed her.'

Putting the coffee mug back on the table, she put her head in her hands and began to sob, her body shaking as she drew deep, ragged breaths.

Gibbs pulled out the chair next to her and sat down, pulling her into his arms and soothing her gently.

'Everyone makes mistakes, Katie,' he said softly. She looked up at him, her glare rivalling his own infamous "Gibbs stare".

'Saying that doesn't make it go away,' she replied, her voice so quiet he could barely hear her.

He cupped her chin, tilting her head tenderly so her tear-filled eyes met his.

'Nothing I can say will make it go away, Katie,' he told her, his voice soft and soothing. 'I wish it could. Believe me, I do, but I can't.'

'Can't you try?' she said, brokenly.

He shook his head sadly. 'Drink your coffee,' he said, with a melancholy smile. She lifted the mug to her lips again, taking a long sip. Her eyes never left his, chocolate brown boring into ice blue. His hold on her shifted, his hand moving from cupping her jaw to the side of her throat, his fingers tangled in her dark hair. He lowered his face to hers, close enough to see every tear clinging to her lashes, every fleck of colour in the rich chocolate of her irises.

'You just have to trust me when I tell you it will get better,' he whispered, his breath warm against her lips.

'I do trust you, Jethro,' Kate replied.

He crossed that last minute distance between them and met her lips, his kiss soft and gentle, almost sad. He could taste the coffee on her lips; the sugary, creamy sweetness. She parted her lips beneath his, her teeth grazing his lower lip gently.

Before he could let himself become completely intoxicated by her he pulled away, reaching for her hand.

'You need to get some sleep, Kate,' he said. 'You should stay. Come upstairs.'

She nodded, almost imperceptibly. 'I will,' she said.

Abandoning the coffee mug on the table, she allowed him to lead her up to his bedroom. He handed her an old shirt and turned his back while she changed. Even though he'd seen her naked before, so many times, it didn't seem right now. She was vulnerable and he wouldn't have felt right, watching her. He pulled back the covers and settled her in before sliding in beside her. She rolled to face him, resting a hand on his stomach and her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her, holding her.

'Thank you, Jethro,' she said quietly.

He closed his eyes, squeezing her shoulders gently in reply. She was hurting now - and she would be for a while, he was sure - but he knew she would get through this, and he intended to be with her every step of the way.