Chapter Two:

Reaching her apartment building, he paused at her door before knocking roughly. A few moments later, a sleepy voice floated through the door.

"Who is it?" she asked, looking through the peephole to identify the person on the other side.

"Gibbs," he said, before the door was opened, by a surprised Kate.

"What are you doing here, Gibbs? Do we have another case?" she asked, blocking the inside of her apartment with her body.

"No, I," he paused, unsure how to continue, "I wanted to talk to you."

"About?" she asked, not budging.

"Can I come in?" he asked, trying to postpone the argument he knew was about to unfold.

"Yeah, sure," she acquiesced, moving aside to allow him to enter her neat apartment.

Looking around, he suddenly felt unsure of what to do. This feeling, though not new to him, was unwelcome.

"Do you want anything to drink?" she asked, motioning him to seat himself on the couch.

"Yeah, a beer would be great," he said, sitting on the surprisingly comfortable couch.

Softly, she nodded and headed off in the direction of what he assumed was a kitchen. Taking a chance to poke around, he looked at the images the filled her living area. One of her with the President, one of her family, one of the Christmas Party they had gone to three months earlier, one of her and Abby and one of her and another girl he didn't recognise.

He was holding the last image when she entered the room, "That's my sister. She passed away last year, cancer."

"I'm sorry," he said as he accepted the beer and moved to sit on the couch once again.

"Why are you here, Gibbs?" she asked once more as she sat in the chair across from him, tucking her legs underneath her.

Knowing this was the time for him to come clean, he began, "After you left, I was curious as to what made you so sad and –"

"You looked through my desk, found the photograph, read the letter, and decided to come here to talk to me about it," she finished for him.

Embarrassed, he simply nodded and looked down.

"Gibbs, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"No, it's not that. It's just, I don't know what to say. I don't want anything to change between us."

"That's fine. I wasn't expecting you to suggest change. It's fine the way it is."

"How?" he asked, surely if she loved him like she claimed, it would be horrible seeing not being able to tell him.

"I've learnt to cope. It's not the nicest thing to see the man you love flirt and leave with other women and knowing that the woman can never be you. It's not easy to see him in pain longing for something that he thinks he can never have."

"I never meant to hurt you, Kate."

"I know," she said, seemingly finding this conversation not at all uncomfortable, compared to Gibbs's feeling of extreme discomfort.

There was a small pause before she continued, "I don't expect anything from you."

"I don't know what to do," Gibbs told her, in a rare moment of insecurity.

"Don't do anything. Just forget this conversation ever happened and leave it at that," she said, though she felt her heart breaking.

"How, Kate? How am I supposed to forget that the woman I work with is in love with me?" he asked her incredulously.

"I'm sorry. I'll resign tomorrow. Don't worry about it, Gibbs. It won't be a problem," she said, though she felt the makings of tears behind her eyes. Suddenly she wanted this conversation to be over and him to leave, so that she could be alone and cry for her broken heart.

However, Gibbs, astonished at what she had suggested, was overcome with an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time. Gratitude, compassion, and wonder passed through him, the thought that she would sacrifice her happiness and contentment just so that he wouldn't feel uncomfortable.

Suddenly, he reached forward and gently kissed her. Shocked, though pleased at his actions, she returned the kiss passionately, deepening it instantly. When they broke apart, she rested her forehead against his and asked, "What was that for?"

"I'm sorry, I just, um, I," he stumbled, uncharacteristically flustered.

"It's fine. I'm just curious why. I mean, we just had a conversation about that fact that I love you and you don't love me, and then you kiss me. I just want to know why?"

"I honestly don't know. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," she repeated, "I don't mind, I just want to know, but I want to know you better, Gibbs, but I don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me now. Please don't," she begged. Kate wasn't sure that her heart could handle him not being able to be around her anymore.

"I'd like that, Katie," he said before once again gently reaching forward and kissing her once more.

"Come," he said, as they broke apart, gently pulling her up.

"Where?"

"You wanted to learn more about me, so we're starting right now."

With that comment, he draped a cardigan over her shoulders and pulled her gently along and into the car, heading toward his house. When they reached his house, Kate gasped at the site of it. Silently, he walked with her, opening the door and leading her down to the basement.

"My boat," he told her as she gazed in wonder at the beauty of the masterpiece in creation before her. Softly, she walked down the stairs and approached the boat cautiously, as if it would run away, and she reached out a hand and slid it tenderly over one of the beams making the frame of the boat.

Gibbs watched her from the stairs, and felt something in his heart that he had never felt before. Unsure but determined to find out what it was, he observed her from afar and was only pulled from his thoughts when he heard her calling his name.

"Gibbs?" she asked, holding out a tool on the bench, "Can you teach me?"

He nodded before grasping the sander she was holding and beckoning her over. He instructed her on how to correctly sand the boat into shape and when to use what force. While he bent over her subtle frame, he felt her breath hitch at the nearness of him, but attempted to ignore it.

Together, they sanded, planed and shaped the boat into the early hours of the morning, and when Kate was too tired to work further, she sat in the chair in the corner of the basement and quietly observed him, until she fell asleep.