It's a call no one ever wants to receive. It's a call that causes everyone to stop, their heart rate to increase and their stomach to drop. There is never any way to tell when the call will come, but when it does it's too late. Whoever receives this call will forever wish they could go back in time to when they never got the call and never heard the news. But sadly for some, this is their fate.
Kate sat at her desk, staring at the computer screen. She was supposed to be finding some kind of lead by going through the victims phone records. She sighs and runs her hands through her hair.
"Will this help?" she looked up to see Gibbs standing in front of her with two coffee's in his hands, offering her the smaller one. She smiled and graciously took the offered cup.
"Thanks" she said and took a sip.
"So, find anything?" he finally asked as he sipped his own coffee. Kate shook her head.
"Nothing. There a few numbers, but the most common number is his sisters. They spoke for 22 minutes the day he died" she told him.
"You contact her?" he asked and Kate nodded.
"Left a message, still waiting to hear back" she told him and he nodded. Gibbs stood there for a moment longer, smiled at her before finally heading to his own desk. Kate paused a moment, turned in her seat to look at him but before she was able to say anything, Tony and McGee walked into the squad room, throwing their bags behind their desks.
"So LT Williams has to be one of the cleanest guys in DC" Tony said as he sat down at his desk.
"Did you find anything?" Gibbs asked. Tony sighed and took his jacket off.
"Nothing. His house was spotless. His clothes were colour coordinated, DVDs alphabetised, ornaments dust free" Tony told them.
"The only thing that was different was his mail hadn't been picked up in 3 days. His neighbours haven't seen him in about a week" McGee added. Kate looked over at Gibbs and sat back in her chair.
"If he wasn't at home, how do we find out where he was?" Kate asked. Gibbs looked at her, but before he could answer her phone rang.
"Hopefully this is the sister" she leaned forward and answered.
"Special Agent Todd" she said in her most professional voice. They all waited to see how the conversation would go. They had nothing to go on. Abby was still going through the evidence from the car, Ducky still had to conclude his autopsy, even though he was leaning towards suicide.
"Yes it is" Kate said looking at Gibbs with a confused expression. She was silent for a moment, than all of a sudden Kate stood up.
"No, I'll do it. They are, they are probably at work" the three men looked at each other, now thinking this call had nothing to do with the case. Kate finally hung up but didn't move. She didn't say a word. Gibbs could tell something was wrong. He stood up and walked around his desk to head towards Kate's desk. This caught her attention and she looked at him.
"I got to go" she said softly. She pushed her chair back and went to come around from behind her desk, but after two steps her eyes closed and she started to fall. Gibbs ran towards her and caught her, Tony and McGee rushed over from behind their desks to help.
"Tony, get the chair" Gibbs ordered as he held Kate to him. Tony grabbed her chair and he helped Gibbs sit her in it. Gibbs knelt down in front of her and cupped her face in his hands.
"Kate?" he said trying to get her to open her eyes. She finally sat up and slowly looked at him. When she finally looked at him he could tell something was different. It was like the life had left her eyes.
"I will get her some water" McGee said and rushed off to the break room.
"Katie, what's wrong?" he asked her softly, not caring that Tony was close enough to hear.
"They're gone" she told him softly as he eyes filled with tears. Gibbs and Tony both shared a confused look.
"Who's gone?" Gibbs asked. Kate hung her head as she let out a sob.
"My parents" she finally said. Gibbs' heart sank and he pulled her to him and held her while she cried. Tony watched and all he could do was rub her back. What could he say to his friend who just lost not one parent but both of them.
McGee came back with a glass of water in hand and stopped when he saw Kate and Gibbs. He looked at Tony, not voicing his question. Tony walked over to him.
"She just found out her parents died" Tony told him softly. McGee looked at them and sighed.
"Poor Kate" he said. He walked over and put the glass of water on her desk. Kate finally sat up and wiped her face that was streaked with tears. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. McGee went and grabbed his tissue box form his desk and offered it to her. Kate gave him a small smile before taking a few tissues. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose, before looking at Gibbs.
"I've got to call Rachel and my brothers" she told him softly. Gibbs nodded and stood up, ignoring the ache in his knee as he did.
"I'm taking you home" he said and held his hand out to her. She looked up at him, not having the strength to argue she took the offered hand and stood up slowly. She swayed a little, Gibbs grabbed her to steady her.
"Tony, get her bag and jacket" Gibbs ordered. Without a word, Tony did as he was asked. He handed Gibbs Kate's jacket and bag and they watched them both walk to the elevator, Gibbs' arm around her shoulders.
Gibbs pulled up out the front of Kate's house, helped her out and up the front stairs. Opened the door for her and lead her inside. She walked over to the couch and sat down with a sigh. Gibbs hung her jacket and put her bag down. He grabbed her cell and took it over to her.
"Call your sister. I will make some tea" Gibbs told her. She looked at him and nodded. He went to her small kitchen, looked through every cupboard until he found the cups, grabbed two and put the kettle on. He walked back out to see Kate still sitting there staring at her phone.
"Want me to make the call?" he asked. She looked up at him and shook her head.
"No, I can do it" she told him in a small voice. She finally dialled her sisters number and waited for her to pick up.
"Hey baby sis, is everything okay? You don't normally call this early" Rachel answered cheerily. Kate cleared her throat.
"No" was all she said.
"Kate, what's going on? Has something happened? Are you okay?" Rachel quickly asked.
"It's mum and dad" she said softly, but as soon as the words were out of her mouth, Kate started crying again, unable to get the rest of her sentence out. Gibbs walked over and took the phone from her hands.
"Rachel?" Gibbs asked as he sat down next to Kate.
"Who's this? Where's Kate?" Rachel asked, it was clear she was getting annoyed at not getting any answers.
"Special Agent Gibbs. Kate's boss" he finally introduced himself.
"Gibbs? Yes Kate has mentioned you. Now can you please kindly tell me what the hell is going on" she demanded and Gibbs sighed.
"Kate got a phone call. I'm sorry to tell you, but your parents were in an accident. They did not survive" Gibbs told her softly. He felt Kate's body shake next to him as she cried. He reached over and wrapped an arm around her and pulled her body to him. She turned and cuddled into him.
"Oh my god. I-I don't know what to say" Rachel finally replied.
"I was hoping you could call your brothers. I'll stay with Kate, keep an eye on her. Call any time" Gibbs told her.
"Thank you Gibbs" with that they hung up. Gibbs sat back and pulled Kate into a more comfortable position. Her sobs had died down, but she was still breathing heavily. He looked down at her and moved her hair out of the way. She had finally cried herself to sleep. Gibbs leaned down and kissed her head. He knew what it was like to lose a parent. He knew Kate was very close to both her parents, so he could only imagine the hurt she was going through. He leaned his head back on her couch and closed his eyes.
Gibbs woke to the sound of a ringing phone. He lifted his head up with a groan. Falling asleep in that position was certainly not a good idea. He carefully untangled himself from Kate's still sleeping body, laid her down on the couch before finally reaching his phone.
"Yeah, Gibbs" he answered in a hoarse voice.
"Boss, everything okay? I've called twice already" Tony said in a rush.
"Everything is fine. Just took a nap" Gibbs answered simply.
"Right, Well just wanted to give you an update. We helped Abby go through all the evidence and there is no trace of anyone else in that car. Boss it's all pointing towards suicide" Tony said with a sigh. Gibbs turned to look at Kate, who thankfully was still asleep. He walked to the kitchen to make another cup of tea.
"Alright DiNozzo. Get a hold of the sister, talk to her and see what she has to say. Call me back when you have an answer" with that Gibbs hung up. He was so focused on making the tea, he didn't hear Kate get up and walk over towards him, stands in the door way to decides to watch him for a little while.
"In some countries, staring is considered rude" he finally said without looking up at her. This made her smiled and she finally walked over to stand next to him. She leaned against the bench and took the cup of tea he offered her.
"I've just never seen this side of you" she told him as she blew on the hot contents of her cup. He turned to look at her with a small smile.
"And what side is that?" she thought for a minute as she tried to find the right word.
"Domestic" she said with a smile. This caused Gibbs to grin from ear to ear and she had to admit, it was one of the most beautiful things she had seen in a very long time.
"Well it's what I do when I look after people I care about" he replied, now being serious again. Kate nodded her head.
"Thank you Gibbs. You didn't have to, but I appreciate it" she said softly. Gibbs nodded and sipped his tea. He had a quick glance at the time, not realising how late it had gotten.
"I can go if you like? Your brothers will probably be calling soon and I understand if-" Gibbs started to say but Kate quickly cut him off.
"No, please stay. I don't think I can be alone just yet" truth was she really liked his company. Something about Gibbs made the stabbing pain in her heart seem like a bearable ache. He gave her that smile again.
"Okay" he said with a nod.
"But I'm ordering food" he added as he walked past her back to the couch. Kate smiled. Now how could she say no to that?
After greeting Abby at the door, he walked towards Kate's bedroom and stood in the doorway and watched her pack. When she turned around to grab some more clothes out of her draw, she saw him. She smiled and stopped what she was doing.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked walking over to him.
"Thought you could use some help, but seems like you have it all covered" he smiled, crossing his arms across his chest. She nodded and went back to grabbing clothes out of her drawer.
"Abby has been a big help" she said as she continued to pack. Gibbs watched her quietly before stepping into her room.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" he asked her softly. Kate stopped what she was doing and turned to look at him. She looked deep into his eyes, the real answer hidden in her brown orbs.
"No, I will be alright. You need to stay here and make sure the team doesn't fall apart" she smiled, making him chuckle.
"You're right" he agreed. They stood there, still staring at each other.
"At least let me take you to the airport" he said making smile and nod.
"Sure" she finally turned around and zipped up her bag, checked that she had everything before heading out. Gibbs grabbed her bag off her and headed out to his truck. He waited for Kate to say goodbye to Abby, opened the door when she came out and helped her in.
The drive to the airport was fairly quiet. Gibbs didn't really know what else to say to her, other than asking her if she was okay. He has lost a parent before, but never both at once. He could only imagine how that must feel.
"Gibbs, I never really got to thank you properly for-" Kate finally started to say but Gibbs stopped her before she could finish.
"Kate there is no need. You would do the same" he said quickly glancing over at her. She smiled and couldn't help but watch him the rest of the trip. There was so much more she wished she could say, but the functional part of her brain told her it would not be a good idea.
Gibbs pulled up to the curb at the airport, quickly got out, grabbed her bag and came around to open her door for her. Kate jumped out and grabbed her bag from him. Again, they found themselves standing close to each other. She looked up into his blue eyes and she hoped that he couldn't read what she was thinking. But it was Gibbs after all, so of course he could.
"Thank you" she said with a smile. She leaned up and kissed his cheek softly. She stepped back and smiled.
"Take care of yourself Katie" he told her softly. She nodded and headed towards the main doors of the airport. Gibbs stood there for a moment as he watched her. He sighed and got back into his car. He sat there for a moment then grabbed his phone.
"Abby. Book it" he told her before waiting for her normal cheerful greeting, and before she could even respond to his order he hung up.
"Kate, you have 30minutes before we leave" Rachel called up to her sister as she stood at the bottom of the stairs.
"Alright" Kate called back as she applied her make-up. She had her hair in curlers, trying to look her best for her parent's service. Part of her felt silly for trying to look her best as they wouldn't even be there, but the other part of her was telling her they would be watching and she wanted to do them proud.
The sound of the door bell sounded throughout the house.
"Can you get that?" Kate called down as she tried to finish her make-up. Rachel ran towards the door, dodging her nieces as she went. She pulled open the door and stood there, staring at the man in front of her.
"Kate?" she called out. She had never met this man before, but from the description her baby sister had given her, this could very well be her boss.
"What?" Kate asked as she ran down the stairs. She stopped when she saw who was at the door. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"Gibbs?" she said as she walked to the door. Rachel looked from her sister to Gibbs. It was clear there was something there so she stepped away to let them have their moment.
"Nice look" he said in greeting as he looked her over. She was in her dressing gown, hair still in curlers, make-up half done.
"What are you doing here?" she finally asked. For the first time he looked nervous.
"I know you said you didn't need me here, but I couldn't stay away" he told her. She smiled as she looked up at him. Without another word she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight.
"Thank you" she said holding him tight. When she pulled back when he looked at her, he could see the sheen of tears in her eyes.
"I still have to get ready, so feel free to meet the rest of my crazy family" she said quickly, and as if on cue, her niece Sarah ran in towards her. The little girl stopped when she saw Gibbs and suddenly went shy. She hugged Kate's legs and looked up at Gibbs.
"Sarah honey, this is my friend Gibbs" Kate said introducing them. Gibbs knelt down to her level and held out his hand.
"Very nice to meet you Sarah" he said with a smile. The little girl smiled and finally waved at Gibbs. Kate smiled and ran her hand over the girls hair.
"Sweetie, I have to get ready so can you take Gibbs to meet your Daddy?" she asked and the little girl nodded. She stood next to Gibbs and held her hand out to him. Gibbs took it and she lead him into the kitchen.
Kate quickly ran upstairs to finish her make-up, do her hair and finally pull on her black dress with matching black heels.
Family and friends stood around the two caskets as they got ready to be lowered into the ground. Kate tried so hard to keep it together, but once they were invited to get up and place a rose on each casket it, that was it for her. She finally let the tears fall. She said her silent goodbyes to both her parents and moved along so the rest of her family could do the same. Gibbs watched her from afar as she accepted condolences from everyone attending. He finally walked over to her and took her hand.
"You okay?" he asked softly and she gave him a small smile and a nod.
"Ready to go?" she asked with a sniffle. He dug out a tissue from his jacket pocket and handed it to her. She took it and blew her nose and made her way back to the car. Rachel walked up to Gibbs as they watched Kate walk away. She looked up at him.
"She okay?" Rachel asked. Gibbs looked at her.
"She says she is, but are you ever really okay?" he asked. This made Rachel smile, it was clear that he understood more than most and it was certainly clear that he understood her sister. Gibbs escorted Rachel back to the car as they all headed back to the house.
Gibbs was in the kitchen helping with the dishes after all the guests left. He heard someone join him but didn't look up to see who it was.
"Do you like my sister Gibbs?" it was Kate's brother Michael. Gibbs turned to look at the younger man next to him.
"Rachel been talking to you?" he asked, without answering Michael's question.
"That and I think it's pretty clear you care a lot about her. I mean you came all the way here to support her through this, even know you knew she had all of us here" everything he said was true. Gibbs nodded and turned to face him.
"I do care. A lot. It's just…..complicated" he said, causing Michael to smile.
"Life is complicated my friend. You're a good man Gibbs. Odd, but good" this made them both laugh. Michael patted Gibbs' shoulder before walking out and leaving Gibbs to his thoughts. He sighed and gave up on the dishes and headed up stairs to Kate's bedroom. He knocked gently on her door.
"Come in" she called and he did just that. He found her sitting on the edge of her bed. He closed the door behind him and took a few careful steps over to her.
"Everyone has gone to bed" he told her and she gave him a small smile and nodded. He came to sat down next to her and she turned to fully face him. He looked at her, trying to read her face. One of her curls fell in front of her eyes, he reached out and tucked it behind her ear. He then brushed his thumb over her cheek. She closed her eyes at the contact and tears slowly rolled down her face.
"Katie" he said softly. After a moment she opened her eyes and looked at him, tears still falling down her face. Without even thinking she leaned forward and kissed him. Gibbs was a little shocked at first, but kissed her back. He pulled back and looked at her. It was clear that she was going through a tough time, and he didn't want her to do anything she was going to regret in the morning.
"Katie" he said again, taking all his strength to stop kissing her. Kate looked up at him, eyes wet and pleading.
"Please" was all she said. He found it so hard to say no. Even if it was just for one night, if it made her feel somewhat better, he would do it. He cupped her face and kissed her deeply, pushing her back gently onto the bed.
Gibbs woke to the sun shining on his face through the edge of the blinds. He opened his eyes to see a sea of brown hair in front of his eyes, her hair spilling all over the pillow. He felt her small body pushed up against his and it was clear they were still very naked. He smiled to himself as he moved his hand to her him and squeezed it softly. He leaned down and kissed her bare shoulder, this getting a small groan from her. He felt her push back into him more and he grinned.
"Morning" he said in a low voice. She rolled over in his arms and smiled as she looked up into his deep blue eyes. They seemed to be brighter in the morning sunlight.
"Morning" she replied. She reached up and touched his face softly. She had always dreamed about what this would be like. To wake up next to him, to have the first thing she saw in the morning was his baby blues staring at her. He turned to kiss the palm of her hand, making her smiled even more.
"How did you sleep?" he asked her. She nodded and leaned in and kissed him softly.
"I actually slept" she told him. Gibbs smiled and pulled her closer to him. It was clear that she didn't regret what happened last night. She slipped her leg between his and pushed her hips against his, causing a soft groan to escape him, making her grin.
"I never got to thank you for coming. It means a lot" she told him as she ran her hands up and down his chest. He watched her with a grin. He knew exactly what she was doing, and it was working there was no way of hiding it.
"I could see it in your eyes" he told her softly. She bit her lip, her hands still roaming his body under the blankets.
"What do you see in my eyes now?" she asked, but before he could answer there was a quick knock on the bedroom door before it was open.
"Kate I was looking…Oh god I'm sorry" Rachel said as she walked in and saw the two. Kate sighed and pulled the blanket tighter around them as she stared at her sister.
"Next time wait for an answer" Kate said, clearly annoyed. Rachel just stood there, still not really believing what she was seeing.
"Morning" Gibbs finally said with a grin. Rachel nodded and finally grinned.
"Morning. Coffee's ready, when you two are" with a shake of her head she left the two alone. Kate sighed and rested her head on Gibbs' chest. He leaned down and kissed her head with a laugh.
"Way to ruin the mood" she said. He smiled and reached down to make her look up at him.
"Plenty of time to continue this later" he told her. It was his way of telling her that it was more than just a onetime thing, and the smile she gave him was evidence that she it was the same for her.
Gibbs pulled into his usual spot at the Navy base and turned the car off. He looked over at Kate.
"Nervous?" he asked as he reached over and took her hand and gave it a small squeeze. She looked at him and shook her head.
"Not at all" she brought his hand up to her lips and kissed it gently. They got out of the car and Kate readjusted her bag strap on her shoulder as Gibbs came around to her side of the car. He looked at her and smiled as he watched her.
"You are nervous aren't you?" he asked her softly and she looked up at him and sighed.
"Okay, yeah maybe a little. I know I said I want to tell them, I don't want to hide you, but doesn't mean I'm ready for the onslaught of questions and looks" she told him honestly. Gibbs nodded totally understanding where she was coming from. He looked towards the NCIS building.
"Kate" he said then sighed with a smile. He then leaned down and kissed her deeply. He pulled back and looked at her.
"Think of that instead of what people think" he told her as he moved part of her fringe out of her eyes. She smiled and grabbed his hand in hers.
"That will most certainly help" she grinned and pulled him towards the building.
They stepped off the elevator together, still hand in hand. As they approached the squad room, Kate could see Tony and McGee at their desks. As they walked closer, both men looked up at them. It was Tony who first noticed their joined hands. He stood up as they entered the squad room, let go of each other and went to their respective desks.
"Boss? Are you?" Tony couldn't even get the words out as he looked from Kate to Gibbs and back again. Kate pulled off her jacket and smiled as she looked over at Gibbs.
"Yeah DiNozzo" was all Gibbs said as he threw a smile over at Kate. McGee grinned at them.
"Well congratulations guys" he said, still sitting at his desk, he then turned his attention back to his computer. It was clear Tony was still having a hard time processing this information. Kate sat down and pulled herself into her desk and woke up her computer.
"Tony, Gibbs and I are together. It's not that hard to comprehend" she said and looked over at Gibbs who was going through his emails.
"If you don't like it DiNozzo, you can leave" he said without looking at him. Without another word Tony sat down, still looking between both of them. Kate smiled at Gibbs, who finally looked at her and grinned. She was wrong, it was actually quiet satisfying seeing Tony having such a hard time accepting it. She was going to make his life hell, while of course tending to all her needs with her boyfriend.