Kate was jittery, bouncing in her seat the whole ride from the airport to the resort. Only the sight of Gibbs, sitting beside her, kept the smile from spreading across her face. And even then, it was hard.
It was a Friday night, and Gibbs, being uncharacteristically romantic, had surprised her with plane tickets. He'd scrawled on a post-it note, and attached it to her boarding pass.
Ski vacation. Clothes optional. XO, LJ.
She'd been so excited since then. She hadn't skied in a good ten years, but the idea of a secretive romantic getaway gave the whole adventure an extra dose of sex appeal. And she had no doubts that it would be a good time.
"I still can't believe it!" She grinned at him, as they started the descent into the valley. The snowflakes were falling lightly outside.
"It helps that one of the top staff members happens to be a buddy of mine from the Corps."
"Really?"
"It's kinda hard to be romantic at such short notice," he teased, running a thumb over her hand, "Calm down Kate or you'll bounce right outta your seat."
"I'm sorry Gibbs, I'm just excited. I don't remember the last time I went skiing."
He nudged her shoulder with his, "Should be fun, hey?"
"Should be? More like will be. Do you have any idea what our room looks like?"
"I have some ideas, yeah." She was worried somewhat by the secretive smirk spreading across his face.
"Leroy Jethro Gibbs, what did you do? Nothing too extravagant, right?"
He held up his hand in surrender, "I make no promises, Katie."
"Infuriating."
"Now that's nothing to say to the man facilitatin' your skiing weekend."
"Bastard." She mumbled. "Remind me again why I agreed?"
He leaned in, staring into her eyes, his gaze enough to melt her even when he wasn't touching her, and smirked, "If I recall, I was very persuasive."
She grinned, and then looked over Gibbs shoulder, her mouth dropping open. "Oh."
He turned to see the valley all lit up, the snow swirling through the air, the hills looking fresh with snow, the lodge all lit up with welcoming light.
He kissed her temple, relieved that she was so in awe of the sight before her. "So, still mad at me?"
"Forgiven," she breathed, her face practically up against the window, and he was sure the car company would have something to say if there were the prints of someone's lips all over their windows. At the same time though, he couldn't care less, because seeing Kate excited made it worth it.
"Are we going to ski tonight?" he asked, even though he knew she wasn't paying attention. "Or would ya rather stay in?"
"You'd rather sit in a hotel room instead of being out there?" Kate asked, incredulous as she turned back to him. He could see the spark in her eyes, and knew what his answer would be.
"'Course not. I'm asking you. Since I value your opinion."
"Clever." She rolled her eyes as they pulled up in front of the lodge, "C'mon let's go check in and then we'll hit the slopes!"
"Sounds good to me," he smiled as he followed her out of the car.
They stepped into the lobby, staring up at the cathedral ceilings and Gibbs noticed how Kate was grinning at it all. Seeing how excited she was only made him smile more.
"Gunny!"
Gibbs and Kate both turned, to see a man, roughly Gibbs' age or a few years older. His hair was dark, though shot with grey at the temples. He was a tall, wiry man, with an infectious grin. Kate smiled, seeing him walking towards them.
"Hiya Teddy," Gibbs held out a hand, but the man pulled him into a hug. Gibbs hugged him back, and when he pulled away, Teddy turned to her, "Well Gunny, aren't you gonna introduce me to this lovely lady?"
"Of course, Teddy, this is Caitlin Todd. Kate, this is Theodore Bernard."
He held out a hand, and she took it. "Pleasure's all mine, Kate. Although I should warn you, if you're around us Marines for too long, you might feel like the Todd one out." He chuckled at his own joke, as Gibbs rolled his eyes. Kate started giggling, noticing Gibbs' reaction.
"Teddy, can ya not scare her off when she's just got here?"
"Ah don't worry Gibbs, if she liked you enough to come to a frozen wasteland for a weekend, then I think she's yours. Tell me, Miss Caitlin, how long have you been around my good buddy Leroy?"
"Leroy, huh?" she turned to him.
"Teddy, do ya value your balls?"
"That's no way to talk around a lady," Teddy wrapped an arm around Kate's shoulder, "Get the bags, Leroy, while I show this lovely lady to your room."
"She's not actually a lady!" Gibbs called as they walked away, and Kate winked at him over her shoulder. "She grows her own balls! Ask her!"
Teddy chuckled as they rounded a corner, out of sight of the lobby, and marching into the elevator. "Ah, grow your own, huh? Well I know Leroy likes that in a woman." Kate could tell he was giving her the once-over, and it wasn't as though she minded. After all, this was clearly an old friend of Gibbs. She wouldn't mind making a good impression. "I know I like that in a woman. Must be why the woman don't like me."
"All those balls cause too much chafing?" Kate asked, sarcastically, before cringing as she realized she'd spoken aloud.
Teddy stared at her for a second, brow furrowed, before starting to laugh. Loudly. Just as the door opened, thus attracting the attention of nearby patrons of the ski resort. "That's funny, Todd. Anyway, your room is right up ahead, room 424." He held out the room key. "All yours, Todd. I'll catch up with you later, okay?"
"If you see Gibbs, can you tell him what room we're in?" Kate asked.
Teddy smirked as he walked away, "I'll tell him. Enjoy the surprise!"
Kate unlocked the door, and then gasped. The room was gorgeous, and how had Gibbs kept all of this a secret? There was a fireplace, a kitchen, and a winding staircase leading up to their bedroom. There was already a fire crackling in the grate, and she sat down on the edge of the couch, staring out into the valley, where the lights were glimmering off the snow. While part of her wanted to get out there, and be on the slopes, the other part wanted nothing more than to grab some food and sink into bed with Gibbs, and in his own words, clothing was optional. She stood and jogged up the stairs to the loft bedroom, and opened the door to the bathroom. A tub that was sunken into the floor greeted her, with a luxuriously spacious bathroom. Her entire bedroom in her apartment could probably fit into this bathroom. Where had Gibbs found the money for this?
She grinned at the bed, and walked out the French doors, finding a hot tub. She narrowed her eyes, shivering at the chilly wind blowing. It was cold, sure, and snowing like hell, but… wow. She heard the door slam downstairs, and Gibbs call out in greeting. She walked back in, closing the doors on the weather.
"Katie?" he called, and she leaned on the railing of the staircase.
"Right here, Gunny."
He stared up at her, "So, do you like it?"
"Like it? Like it? It's… wow, Gibbs. It's amazing."
He grinned, and looked almost embarrassed, which she would definitely tease him about later, but for now… "What exactly did you do for Teddy that merits this?"
"He invited us to dinner in an hour, so I guess you'll find out."
"An hour you say?" she asked, smirking as she grinned down at him.
"Kate, I know what you're thinking…" he said threateningly. "But…"
"Oh Gibbs, don't tell me that in your old age, it'll take you an entire hour to make love to me. I would find that so disappointing." She knew that taunting him would probably get her in trouble- if she was lucky- but couldn't resist.
And then he was bounding up the stairs towards her, taking them two at a time, and suddenly he was right in front of her, panting and grinning down at her with a predatory smirk, before pushing her up against the wall, his lips on hers. The kiss was fierce, but brief, and it left her breathless.
He had her pinned against the wall, and he simply smirked down at her, "Not bad for an old man, huh?"
"I think…" she took a second to gather her thoughts, "I think you need to do that again, old timer."
He smirked down at her, "Oh trust me… Katie. You're gonna get in trouble for callin' me old."
"Try me, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Just try me."
"Oh no, I don't intend to try ya, Katie. I intend to tease ya, and torment ya, and use ya up completely so that by the end ya won't have enough breath to say anything but my name."
Her eyes dropped to his lips, and she leaned back in, brushing her lips against his briefly, "I think I can handle you."
"I know ya can. And that's why I love you."