a/n: I finally succeeded in kicking my lazy behind to work and write a sequel to this. Thanks for all your comments and faves and alerts. They mean a lot to me :D Apparently, it is longer than I expected, so I'm going to add another (and final) chapter later. I just have to bribe my muse to stay longer.

a/n 2: this is somewhat an AU, so please don't kill me if there are some OOC-ness. And this is un-betaed and I didn't even reread it so all mistakes are mine and mine only. I hope you enjoy it.

a/n 3: Pealee, I hope I don't disappoint you :)

Disclaimer: see chap 1.

.


Kate lay down on the grass, staring at the sky and watching the endless blue above her. She could feel the coolness of the breeze sweeping her face and the warmth of the sun touching her skin as she breathed in. It was fresh out there in the field; fresh and so spacious. Kate enjoyed being by herself in such open space, knowing that there was no one in miles and miles away.

The brunette had been spending the last five days at her parents' ranch. At first she dreaded coming home, fearing that her family would nag and ask questions. She had even thought of contacting her sister in Miami before finally deciding to go to Indiana. She ensured herself that she'd rather deal with her parents and brother than deal with one Margaret Todd-Preston. And she had made the right decision. Her family didn't ask many questions. They simply welcomed her and told her that she could stay as long as she liked. The only direct questions she got were if she was okay and if she was going to stay long, because they had missed her a lot.

She smiled at the thought of staying long in the ranch. She used to – and still – love the place so much. She used to take pleasure in working the ranch with her father and brothers from the crack of dawn until dusk greeted them. And she had returned to her old routine on the second day, much to her father's delight. Brandon Todd didn't go easy on Kate even though he knew that Kate wasn't used to do any farm work anymore. He laughed when his daughter limped on her way back to the house after a long day at work. Kate didn't mind the treatment a bit; she needed it to distract her mind from things.

She closed her eyes and groaned as her mind began to wander to the very thing she wanted to avoid. The office. Gibbs. She covered her face with her hands and shook her head, hoping to shake the thought away. She wished her mother hadn't scolded her father for making her work hard during her vacation the night before. So he told her to take the day off and ride her horse somewhere. And here she was, in the middle of nowhere, thinking about the reason she took the vacation.

Flashback:

Thirteen day had passed since the small and rather interesting incident between Kate and Gibbs in the elevator. Everything had gone back to normal, or as normal as it could get when two members of your team didn't talk to each other literally.

Kate hadn't had any intention of bringing up the unfinished conversation; she knew that there would be no use in it, unless Gibbs brought it up first. So she acted as if nothing had happened. Gibbs didn't brought it up, just like Kate's guess. He treated Kate professionally and he kept his interactions with her to the minimum.

Kate didn't want to admit it, but the coldness and the distance Gibbs had created between them hurt her. She never expected anything from the older man other than his acting normally. To confront him about this would be a vain attempt, too, Kate knew. He would deny that he treated her differently. Therefore Kate kept her quiet. She remained polite to him – he was still her boss, after all – and she dropped the small talks after a few fruitless efforts.

The lack of communications drove everyone crazy. Yes, it had been fun watching how the two danced around each other uncomfortably for the first couple of days. It had been a thrill to be able to tease Kate senseless, knowing that she couldn't snap back or look for her usual back up – Gibbs. The fun flew away after another couple of days with no sign of Gibbs getting back to normal. All the teasing subsided significantly and by the end of the sixth day Tony was the only person who still did the occasional tease.

Everybody felt guilty. That was for sure. And one by one, in their own way, they apologized to Kate. McGee had been the first one to say the exact word 'sorry' and Kate kissed him on the cheek as a thank you. Ziva and Abby expressed their regrets by showering Kate with gifts of snacks she liked; Ziva even made an effort to bake something for her friend – the brownies burnt, but at least Kate laughed, and that was the important thing. Tony, being Tony, made amends by trying to be very nice and supportive in every way possible. He limited his movie references in front of Kate, and he tried his best not to say things he thought Kate would consider as disrespectful to women. He slipped numerous of times, of course, but they made Kate smile, too.

Kate didn't know when she started to feel uncomfortable and crowded by her peers. Gibbs being a bastard – that she could handle. But being pampered on the job? No, Kate couldn't take that. By the end of the thirteenth day, she couldn't take it anymore.

She approached Gibbs' cubicle before heading home. He didn't look up to see her, but she knew that he noticed her from the tightening of his jaw. "Gibbs," she called his name softly, urging him to look up. When he only raised his eyebrows as a reply, Kate continued, "I'm going to take a two-week off."

Her words grabbed Gibbs attention. He whipped his head upwards and frowned at her. "What?"

"I'm taking a leave," Kate repeated. She looked right into the blue eyes in front of her. "I haven't taken any vacation for a while now. We just wrapped up a case. Think I can use a break," she explained with a weak smile.

"Two weeks?" Kate nodded. "Are you on call?"

"No, I'm not."

"What if there's a new case?"

Kate shook her head in disbelief. "Gibbs, you have Tony, Tim, and Ziva. You don't need me," she pointed out. They stared at each other for a full minute without saying a word. Gibbs broke the contact, tilting his head to the side to glare at the three agents who were watching them from their respective cubicles.

"Gibbs," Kate called out, turning his attention back to her.

"Two weeks," Gibbs acknowledged, dismissing her with a wave of his hand.

Kate left the office feeling worse than before. She didn't understand why Gibbs was so upset with it. It wasn't like he was treating her well, anyway.

...

Kate sighed and rolled to her side. She needed distractions. Maybe she should go back to the house and ask if she could help with anything. She opened her eyes and blinked several times to get her eyes back into focus. When she saw someone walking towards her, Kate immediately sat up and buttoned up her shirt over her tanks. Her father had to send someone to call her for lunch. She used her hand as a shade so she could take a better look on the person approaching. I'm hallucinating! She groaned inwardly as she saw who it was.

Gibbs had spent the last one hour walking around the ranch and the prairie looking for Kate. Kate's father had offered him a horse, but he declined politely and said he'd rather walk. He could see the curious looks Kate's family and workmen throw him when he arrived at the ranch asking for her, but he ignored it.

He couldn't put his finger on why he decided to fly all the way to Indiana. Perhaps it was the angry look Abby kept throwing him after Kate left, or maybe it was the empty seat next to his cubicle that nagged him to finally decide to take the weekend off and book the first flight available to Indiana.

Kate stood up and waited until Gibbs reached her. The man was wearing casual clothes; his shirt was left un-tucked. His face was red and sweaty from the bright sun and his silvery hair was damp.

He took off his shades and smirked at Kate. "Kate," he greeted. Gibbs wiped off the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. "Whew, that was quite a walk."

"Yeah, I– I rode my horse," she stated in confusion instead of asking what Gibbs was doing there. She was too stunned to ask.

Gibbs looked amused. "I know; I saw," he told her, nodding at the four-legged creature enjoying its meal just a couple of feet away. He looked down and caught Kate staring at him bewilderedly. "It's beautiful out here. Is this still your family's land? How big is your place?"

"Gibbs, how did you get here?" Kate finally asked.

"I walked," he replied matter-of-factly. "Did you bring water? I left mine at your house."

Kate shook her head. "I know you walked; I saw," she sassed. "I mean, what are you doing here? Here, as in Indiana?"

Gibbs shrugged. "I took the weekend off," he responded as if it was obvious. "Kate, I really need some water."

The younger woman let out an audible sigh. She whistled at the stallion, which trotted towards her immediately. "Come on, let's get back home," she invited Gibbs. They walked in silence for a couple of minutes. Kate kept glancing at her boss, who seemed to be fascinated by the view of the field and not paying attention to her at all. "Are you tired, Gibbs?" she asked softly, causing Gibbs to turn his head at her.

"No. Why'd you ask?"

"You're sweating," she pointed out.

"So are you," he countered.

"It's almost noon, of course I'm sweating. And I didn't just walk 4.5 miles in the middle of nowhere without water. Didn't my dad offer you a horse?"

"He did. I said I wanted to walk," he remarked.

Kate scoffed. It was so Gibbs to do such stupid thing. "That was stupid, Gibbs," she snapped at her boss. They were not at work now and Kate was upset. What was he thinking? What if he hadn't found Kate? What if Kate had ridden farther into the woods? Gibbs could be lost in the prairie for hours in this heat without water supply! And who knew when anyone would notice that someone, Kate's guest, was missing? Gibbs was truly a stubborn bastard.

"You really associate that word with me, don't you?" Gibbs posed, not hiding his laughter. Kate shot him with a look, puzzled. "Bastard?" he elaborated.

A blush crept on Kate's already flushed cheek as she realized that she had called Gibbs 'a bastard' right to his face, out loud. "Oh my... Gibbs, I'm so– I didn't mean it!" she exclaimed guiltily.

Gibbs threw back his head and laughed a hearty laugh. Without thinking, he lifted his arm and put it around Kate's shoulder, squeezing it, and let go.

She cocked her head and glanced at the older man. Gibbs rarely laughed. Yes, he did smile sometimes, but his laugh was almost never heard. She smiled as she observed appreciatively how the harsh lines on his face softened when he laughed. "You don't laugh often," she commented absent-mindedly. Gibbs stopped laughing and looked at her with still a hint of laughter in his blue eyes and Kate mentally kicked herself for not shutting her mouth.

"I don't often have enough reasons to laugh," he admitted. Somehow thinking that the subject would turn into a rather intimate one, he switched topic. "How good is your horse?"

"Spinach here is one of the strongest," Kate announced proudly.

"Spinach?" Gibbs repeated disbelievingly. "That his name?"

Kate glared at him. "It's Spin. My nephew calls him Spinach and it kind of sticks," she didn't know why she even tried to explain.

Gibbs nodded. He took the reins off her hand and mounted the horse. He bowed his head and offered his hand to Kate. "Come on, ride with me," he said. Kate hesitated. "I'm tired. This is faster," he clarified. Kate took his hand and in one swift move, Gibbs pulled Kate up. He shifted to make room for her on the saddle and waited until she was comfortable before circling his arms around her small frame.

Kate's body was rigid when Gibbs' arms brushed against hers and she sat up straight in her attempt to create a space – which was almost impossible, given that they were on a horse sharing a saddle. She soon lost the battle of keeping her erect pose, though, as Gibbs' scent and warmth intoxicated her senses, overwhelming her. Soon she felt herself relax and lean in to Gibbs' chest.


a/n: Thanks for reading, and I hope I didn't bore you with the details and technicalities. I promise you more touch on the emotional side on the next chapter.