She was warm, and comfortable, curled into a ball, with an arm slung over her waist. She was also awake quite suddenly, her eyes opening to the early morning sunlight pouring in the window. She blinked sleepily, staring into the eyes of the person beside her, whom the arm belonged to. The bright blue eyes were accompanied by a smile, and she closed her eyes again, smiling to herself.
"Mornin', Katie," he said, and if he was surprised to find his subordinate in his bed, it didn't show.
She yawned. "Morning."
"No nightmares," he commented with a smile.
"What?"
"Ya didn't have nightmares. Did ya?"
"No… I didn't."
"Good."
"What time is it?" she asked, looking over at the clock. She couldn't see what it said from her current angle, and didn't bother to guess.
"A little after six."
"Should get up," she gestured towards the bathroom, but made no actual motion to get up.
He was still watching her, and she was slightly concerned. He never stayed in bed once he was awake, unless she was demanding his company in bed. He was usually up and dressed and ready with a fresh pot of coffee, not lounging in bed with her. He noticed her concern. "What?"
"I'm just surprised that you're not up yet."
"Maybe I felt like stayin' here. With you." It was the only explanation he offered, along with a dazzling smile that woke her up more than any of his strong coffee could.
"Well, now we're going to be late, so I hope it was worth it."
"We have plenty of time, Katie. Breakfast?"
"Can we grab something on the way in?" she asked, pushing away his arm and moving to roll out of bed. She shrieked when he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back against him.
"Katie, I think we're allowed to be a little late."
"DiNozzo is coming back today, and what kind of picture does it paint if he beats us to the office?"
"No doubt he's sleepin' in too. C'mon Katie, how often do we get an extra couple of minutes in bed?"
"Considering we're usually preoccupied when we're anywhere near a bed?" But he could tell that she was relenting, and grinned, kissing her shoulder blade.
"Knew I could convince ya."
"It wasn't that hard to, LJ."
"That wasn't hard," he agreed.
"But you are."
"Hush, Katie, you're ruinin' the moment." She leaned back into him, the warmth of his body encompassing hers, and he nipped at her ear with his teeth. She pulled away, and elbowed him. He wheezed, but started laughing. "See, this is what I get for tryin' to be romantic."
"You weren't trying to do anything… except maybe seduce me."
"I have to try? I'm losin' my touch."
"Now who's ruining the moment?" she countered, rolling over so she was facing him. He was watching her, a slight smile curling up the corners of his mouth.
"Did I ever mention you're beautiful, Katie?"
"Probably once or twice." She yawned again.
"Well, I'm sayin' it again. You're beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous."
"Is this your way of convincing me to stay in bed, LJ? Because it's working."
"It's just ten minutes."
"And then ten minutes turns into twenty minutes, which turns into us showering together to 'save time' and that leads to us pulling the car over to the side of the road, and then stopping in the elevator, and then it's a whole other hour before we ever get to the-,"
She was abruptly cut off by Gibbs pulling her into a kiss, stopping her protests about sleeping in at her lips. She relaxed into the kiss, allowing him to tangle his hands in her hair. He pulled away, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and grinned. "I thought you'd never shut up."
She punched him in the shoulder. "If there was a moment, you officially ruined it."
He nodded. "Maybe. Weren't nothin' ya didn't deserve. We can go in as late as we want. I have some pull with the boss."
"I do too… I'm sleepin' with him."
"I believe, Agent Todd, that the agency frowns upon that."
"So does my boss. But it doesn't stop him from coming to my bed."
"I believe this is my bed, Cap'n."
"Well…" she made a big show of throwing back the sheets, "In that case, I'll leave. Wouldn't want to overstay my welcome."
He lay there for a second, his eyes still on her, with an adoration that made her burn under his watchful gaze. "That, Katie, is somethin' ya could never do."
She smiled at him, opening a drawer to pull out some clothes for the day. "You say the sweetest things."
"I try. Katie, I just wanted to give ya a few extra minutes."
"Your gut telling you something?" she asked, turning back to him, halfway through pulling on her pants. He smiled at the sight, but then frowned as he contemplated her question.
"Yeah, Kate. I just gotta feelin'… I don't know when we'll get to do this again."
"Tomorrow morning, probably," she replied casually. He had nearly asked her to move in with him, but somehow doing that made it more official. There would be time to ask her later, to even consider the idea of living together. They had all the time in the world; at least that's how it felt this early in the morning.
"I meant sleep in. Be lazy."
"The weekend?" she asked, now in the process of pulling a shirt over her head.
"Kate." His voice was quiet, and she turned at the tone. "I'm serious."
"Gibbs, I'm not going anywhere. You're not going anywhere. Except work." Her stomach growled. "Case in point, we need to grab breakfast on the way."
"I'm just worried."
"About me?" she asked. "I'm fine." She walked back over and sat on the edge of the bed next to him. "I can take care of myself."
He took her hand in his. "Just gotta bad feeling… don't wanna lose you, Katie." He was struggling, still not very articulate, even around her, and especially first thing in the morning.
"I'm here, LJ. I am not leaving your side. Okay?"
He nodded. "Promise?" he asked, smiling. It was a little juvenile but she couldn't complain. She did have a habit of doing heroic things… things that more often than not got her into trouble; or at least sent her to the emergency room. But he was bad enough on his own, when it came to heroics. Having two people on the same team when both possessed a hero complex… maybe wasn't the best plan. But it would take a lot to pull her from the team.
"I promise. Come on, I'll buy your coffee."
"You will."
"Sure. One of us has to be chivalrous."
He raised an eyebrow. "Lettin' ya sleep in wasn't chivalrous?"
"It was, but it could have been better." She offered a winning smile, and he rolled his eyes.
"I didn't have time to do things properly… and I prefer takin' my time."
"I know." The door to the bathroom closed, and he was left to roll his eyes. How long did they have to be together before he got used to waking up with her in his arms? He smiled to himself for a second, marvelling at how absolutely and stupidly smitten he was with her. He only hoped she didn't mind.
The door opened, and she stuck her head out, "Do I have time for a shower?"
He checked his watch, "Probably not."
She cursed under her breath, before walking out of the bathroom, slipping the bracelet he'd gotten her onto her wrist, before calling "I'll meet you downstairs, LJ!"
"Sure thing, Katie. You sure you want to wear your bracelet today?"
She was confused, her hand still on her wrist. "Why wouldn't I want to?"
"Dunno." He shrugged. "It's just-,"
"Your gut still bothering you?" she asked.
"I'll tell it to shut up."
She shook her head, "This isn't about me wearing my bracelet. So what is it about?"
"My gut usually isn't wrong… even with feelings of impendin' doom."
"Don't go there, Gibbs." She reached over and squeezed his hand.
"Go where, Katie?"
"You asked me about nightmares this morning. I'm fine. But you're clearly not. Were you having nightmares?"
"Are you accusin' me of projecting?"
"You worry too much." She kissed his forehead. "I'm waiting in the car."
He sat there for a second, closing his eyes, still feeling her lips on his forehead. It was a feeling of impending doom, yes, but there was something else he couldn't place. The last time he'd woken up with such a feeling, he'd gotten the news that his wife and daughter were dead. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind.
The front door opened, and he nearly smiled at Kate's impatience. "Gibbs, are you coming?"
"Yeah!" he called back. "I'll be right down."
It was May 23, 2005.