The silver Tiger: Ch 2
A triumphant sound from Tony attracts her attention ...
__Ohhh... nooooo. He is ahead of her, he is winning? and he can't win ... No sir. Not again...
As Gibbs always does, he lets them both have the same problem or case to solve , competition is a good
motivation, and as they always do, they bite the bait. For God's sake.
It's blatant evident... Tony is going faster, he is anxious, highly motivated, and wants to compensate his previous
mistakes. Yesterday he received four consecutive slaps (ouch! VERY HARD slaps) on the head from his furious
and frustrated boss who felt the pressure from the FBI over him and his team.
Gibbs had became more pissed off and it was over 8 pm. when he strode out the bullpen (to get more coffee)
with no words or just a look to them.
Releasing a sigh she came back from her past recollection and daydreaming; forces herself to focus. Minutes go
by and the bullpen is acquiring its sounds and noises are slowly increasing. Gibbs is still asleep.
Balboa comes in with trio of probies, instructing them with satisfaction and care in chain of evidence.
Kate's fingers fly over the keyboard; she looks occasionally to Tony, who is messing his hair with anger and goes
back to the keyboard hitting the mouse against the mouse pad. She recalled a recent chat with two former
buddies from the Secret Service , they had talk about the advantages and disadvantages of her new position,
and her new team mates and boss had been matter of conversation and fun.
Let me tell you something about Tony and his mouse pad incident?my partner Dinozzo, has a special mouse pad
he got from SOME "art" magazine ...it pictures an scantily clad woman on their knees...when our strict no
nonsense boss saw Dinozzo beloved mouse pad, he slapped his head ( HARD!!!) and said that if he sees the
pad again, he'll use his bloody mouse to smack his sex starved head" So, Tony flips his pad every time Gibbs is
in the bullpen and flips it back to the hot girl when Gibbs is out the bullpen. Tony would smile kinkily at his mouse
pad like an idiotic, for hours.
Kate knows that Tony is losing, he has come to a dead end with his search.
Sure, yesterday he didn't check with Abby regarding the case results; Dinozzo had run out of the bullpen worried
that he'll miss intercepting the buxom secretary on the 8th floor that he is trying to hook up with. So, a
millisecond after Gibbs went downstairs to refill his coffee Tony was missing.
Sliding smoothly her mouse Kate crosses matches, discards options.... hearing the snorts of frustration that
comes from Tony's desk. " ..This time, you are mine, buddy, no way"...
She lets the program run itself with the final check up and crosses her arms, with a satisfied smile Kate looks
around the bullpen. Gibbs is still sleeping despite the increasing noise and the sunlight that reaches the wide
windows and spreads its shinning fingers over the carpet.
The twinkling window on her screen was like a shout of triumph:
*POSITIVE MATCH *...
With a low exclamation of triumph she archived the results, then sent the file to Gibbs computer and command
a print. She couldn't help her wide smile and not even tried to hide it. She gives a look of superiority to Tony
when passing at his side, walking her way to the shared printer. Tony glances at her as she turns around,
document in hand, and changes his face of resignation from an admiration new one, devouring her with his eyes
with a silent whistle.
_WOW! Kate!!! Have a date tonight ??? Got a new boy toy, girl ?
_ None of your business Tony!.
She ignores the masculine eyes that slides along her legs, gives him her back purposely and walks to the desk of
the tiger " eee... of her boss".
She stops at the exact distance they used to manage in unspoken agreement and put the feet together in firm
position and straighten down her skirt:
_Gibbs... She called, whispering.
Then in a bit loud voice:
_ Gibbs!
Na.. da.
_ Oh!. My God…
Snores had stopped but his breathing is less deep and shorter now, his eyelids are trembling; She gets closer
and crouches down at the side of his chair.
She freezes; motionless, looking at him from their (oh so close) position as they never had before...
"ha ha... except in the Philadelphia, Kate? are you forgetting about the Philadelphia? girl?.. Points this ominous
little voice that travels her inside and gets her stomach knot in pain and expectation.
_ ... I would give anything to know what he is dreaming about…
Anything it is, smoothes the omnipresent frown and the sides (both!) of his mouth curve slightly in a very little
and sweet smile.
She takes her breath in, looking intensely, keeping in her memory like taking pictures of each detail, each new
discovery of his face normally hidden by the unavoidable blue eyes.
She would never dare to study Gibbs face while he is awake? brrrr!!!
She gets even closer…indefectible attracted.
... The skin of his eyelids … delicately visible, lets see, very thin blue veins....
... Thin wrinkles around the eyes show the constant and attentive inquisition of his look that she knows so well.
She could read there? the results of hard work and intense… suffering?
Pale.... Almost white eyelashes…. Surprisingly long and curved at the translucent tips.
_ Life is unfair. Kate thought: - why, being a woman she has no eyelashes as long as his?? What in hell does a
former marine need these eyelashes??? She almost can feel them in her fingertips… silky… coarse and invisible in
their white color.
A little freckle over the left temple...Tense cheekbones, strong mandible and muscles.
His five's shadow shines like silver glitter as sugar on his cheeks and chin.
Kate feels how her skin by its own decision is sending to her brain the vivid sensation of this roughness glaring
her own cheeks and she receives in change a flashing chill that radiates from her axis to her whole body.
She lets her breath out _ Kate, don't pant! take control of your breathing. Now!!
The printed papers are trembling in her hand. Slowly…silently, she changes her position and left them over his
desk. Then as slowly as possible, she bends over the arm of the chair closing in..
She feels the warmth radiating from his body ...and feels her skin burns with no warning and the delicate hair of
her forearms stands, she has Goosebumps.
__ Oh? God!!! Damn it !
__ don't lie yourself Kate.... (Again, the impish little voice, just don't pay attention) ?
How did she reach this point?
How could this man, among all, can cause this effect, by his mere presence?.
Forget it... Kate... you will get over!!! (This time, the little voice keeps silence).
This man is YOUR BOSS, KATE.
He is an agent, you are an agent and "romance between agents, Kate. It never works" Just forget it.
The man is Independent, unpredictable, hard ass, grumpy, sharp intelligent, persistent.
Loyal to his own codes, she saw him ... cold and lethal with criminals, he can kill in cold blood.
She, on the other hand...
For years, she had looked for the switch that allows her to disconnect her heart from the pain that she feels
each time she must shoot someone. Each time she is going to kill someone, her heart cries in pain and guilt?
But Gibbs .. he had been a sniper... correction: he was still a sniper .
But strangely... surprissingly, shockingly the tiger is compassive, smooth even tender, towards children, olds,
sicks, and pets . She had witnessed how sweet his voice could be and witness the gentle touch of his strong
hands for them.
Her boss, this man.
A terrible enemy.
A difficult (and unconditional) friend .
The buzz from the printer makes her twist her head
It' seemed centuries of contemplative look... but it was just seconds.
Tony has stopped his furious typing and is printing his results with a satisfied smile.
Oh ?! He has been spying her screen... the damned son of a bitch !!
He has no rights , she had finished FIRST, she has worked hard... the success belongs to her. Dam nit Tony... he has no rights at all!!! She can't allow him...
Whatever it costs ... she is going to get Gibbs' attention first!!! You will see Tony.
She stands up a little on the heels of his elegant sandals....
Her free hand is in a half way to the relaxed and solid shoulder of the silver tiger. Just now she goes to...
She could hear Tony at her back... chuckling disapprovingly...and giving a whispered
___Noooooooooooooooooo!!!!
Kate looks at him from her awkward position ... annoyed by the satisfied air he spreads up around... his frown up
and his mouth in "o" shape around the pencil that he bits hardly while he ratifies his "NO" shaking his head side
to side.
He extracts the bitten pencil from his mouth pointing them and prevents with a very sweet smile:
___Don't, Kate !
___What?
___Don't do that!
___Do WHAT ... Tony?
__ Don't awake Gibbs... not that way....
But his smile disappears replaced by a grin of terror...
Kate's hand is on Gibbs shoulder.. yet perfectly settled in the spot between the shoulder and the neck.
Dinozzo's voice trembles with fear under his words:
...
__UGGGGGG NOOO KATE !!! DON'T !!!!
He started a jump trying to reach her before ....
BUT IT IS TOO LATE.