Leroy Jethro was going on a date, and he'd never dreaded it so much in his life. He should have been better with women after four marriages, but he would've rather been shot through both kneecaps than go through the awkwardness of a first date.
But Ducky had talked his ear off, and he was nodding along, not paying attention as usual, until he'd realized exactly what he'd nodded his way into. Dreading it, he had waited nearly two hours to go, and as a consequence, he was two hours late. He'd hoped that his date had given up on him.
As a consolation prize, it was at least at his favorite diner. If it went horribly, he could drown his sorrows in his favorite coffee. His date was one of Ducky's friends… one of his younger friends. Gibbs could only hope that that meant someone close to his age. It wasn't as though he didn't trust Ducky's judgement, but he didn't trust Ducky's judgement.
He walked up to the diner. All he knew about his date was that she was going to have a rose on the table with her. It was allegedly, according to Ducky, her favorite flower. Gibbs, personally, was not a fan of roses, though he knew Kate liked them.
That should've been his first hint that Ducky was a tricky old man. But the pieces didn't click into place, until he trudged his way into the diner. It was cold outside, the taste of snow in the air, and a chilly wind blowing down his back, and he was grateful for the warmth of the diner, even though it hit him like a slap to his thawing face.
The penny dropped when he saw Kate, reading in the corner booth, a single red rose on the table, looking mildly resigned. Gibbs resisted the urge to slap a palm to his face, because Ducky had clearly thought it a clever trick, to get Kate and Gibbs together.
Despite rule 12, which he'd already broken – he'd faced the consequences for a long time – and the speech he'd given her about romance between agents never works, his heart had had different ideas. And he was shamelessly in love with Kate. It didn't mean he had to like it, and no effing way was he going to actually admit to being her date.
He also shook his head in disgust at the thought that he'd nearly blown off a date with Caitlin Todd. He was an idiot, as well as a bastard for leaving her like this for two hours. It was a wonder she hadn't gone home.
He walked over. "Evenin', Katie. What are ya doin' here?"
She looked up, her eyes full of hope, only for the smile to slip off her face when she saw that it was him. "Oh, hey Gibbs."
"Lookin' pretty gloomy over here in the corner."
"Yeah, well, I can't exactly pretend I'm cheerful. I got stood up."
"What?" he asked, feigning shock. His eyebrows went up. "Who would stand you up?"
"Some friend of Abby's," Kate said, rolling her eyes. "This is the last time I let her set me up." She eyed him, suddenly suspicious. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, Kate, this is the diner where I get my coffee." He grinned down at her.
"Gibbs, I don't mean to be rude, but are you just going to stand there grinning at me, or are you going to sit down?"
"What about your date?" he asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"He can go stick his thumb up his ass." Kate winced as one of the elderly patrons nearby glared at her. "Last time I take dating advice from Abby. Two hours late!"
He chuckled, sliding into the booth so that he was sitting across from her. "Why did ya let her set you up in the first place if you were so reluctant?"
"Because she was trying to…" Kate paused, and then continued with a blank expression. "She was trying to help me get over someone else. Her heart was in the right place I suppose, but I need to talk to her about picking better dates for me."
"Yeah, well, if he's two hours late, then he's a bastard, make no mistake."
"Do you mean an actual bastard, or a bastard of the Jethro Gibbs variety?" she asked, a smile tugging at her lips.
"Uh…" Her question had caught him off guard. He was in fact, a bastard of the Jethro Gibbs variety if only because he was Jethro Gibbs. "Did ya just call me Jethro?"
She looked down at the rose on the table. "Won't happen again, Agent Gibbs."
"It's not a weakness to be friends, Agent Todd."
"Friends? Is that what we are?" she asked, snorting.
A waitress made her way over. "Agent Gibbs, what a surprise! Is this… a date?" she asked, looking between Kate and Gibbs.
"It is now. Emma, I'd like ya to meet Kate Todd, she's part of my team."
"It's a pleasure, honey, and to think, I was starting to worry your date wouldn't show!"
"Yeah," Kate said, narrowing her eyes at Gibbs. "I was too, funny enough."
"What'll you two lovebirds be having?"
"Coffee for me," Gibbs said, before looking over at Kate. "Katie?"
"Just a decaf coffee," Kate said.
"No cream, sugar…?" Emma asked.
"No, black is fine. Thanks."
"Two black coffees coming up." She hurried off, leaving the two in an awkward silence.
"Thought you took cream and sweetener in your coffee," he said with a grin.
"I suppose my boss inspired me," she retorted.
"Kate…" He paused, struggling to find the words. "Do you know much about Abby's friend?"
"Apparently, he's a gentleman, if a little rough around the edges… and according to her he's charming. They're really good friends, although she wouldn't give me a name. Not much of a gentleman if he can't even bother to show up."
"Maybe Abby thought it was a good idea." He was trying to think of the best way to thank Ducky without actually admitting to his feelings for Kate. What was he doing on a date with her?
"Gibbs, speaking as a bastard, would you stand a girl up?"
"If I was afraid enough."
"The great Leroy Jethro Gibbs, afraid? I don't believe it."
"Believe it," he retorted. "Eventually ya just get tired of losin' people. Hard to try again."
She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. "It's brave to try."
"Yeah, and look what happens. Ya get a divorce… ya get stood up."
She smirked at him. "Gibbs if you think you have me fooled, you're an idiot."
"What?" he asked, playing dumb. It was the only way to go.
"You must think I'm dumb," she said, as Emma set down the coffees, in to-go cups for them. She stood up. "C'mon."
"Where are we goin'?" he asked, sighing. It looked as though she'd figured him out.
"Just follow me," she said, as they both took their coffees, and made their way outside. Standing outside the diner, Gibbs realized that it had started snowing while they were inside. He looked at Kate, standing beside him. She looked almost wistful, before she grinned up at him. "I knew it was you all along."
"How?" he asked.
"I'm a profiler, Gibbs, and an investigator to boot. Why did you take two hours?"
"Told ya… tired of losin' people."
"If this is about your stupid rule…" She sighed.
"It's me."
"What?" she looked up at him again. "What do you mean?"
"The one you're tryin' to get over."
"You did just stand me up."
"What can I say?" he asked. "I'm a bastard of the Jethro Gibbs variety."
She started laughing then, the snowflakes landing on her hair, and she was lit up by the sign for the diner, looking otherworldly, but she was smiling and laughing all the same. "You were scared."
"I resent the implication, Todd."
"So who was it that talked you into coming here?" she asked.
"Ducky."
"I think we should shoot both of them."
He grabbed her hand. "Or thank 'em."
"I just got stood up, so I don't know what you're planning-."
He cut her off. "Katie, I'm sorry. Can I make it up to ya?"
"Can we both just pretend it never happened?" she asked, looking down at her coffee mug, biting her lip. Her face was close enough to his that he thought he could count every freckle of hers.
"I don't want to pretend it never happened, Katie."
"I don't either," she admitted in a small voice. "but if that's what it takes…"
"Katie, I want to kiss you. Please."
"What about romance between agents never works? And rule 12?"
"Katie… please. We can figure the rest out later."
She nodded, her voice barely a whisper. "Okay."
He leaned down, kissing her, knowing that if this was a mistake, it was one he'd gladly make over and over again.
He was a fool to have stood her up.