She could feel him watching her out of the corner of her eye, and instead of finding it reassuring, she found his presence to be more nerve-wracking. She had a terrible, sudden fear, of screwing up this one chance at a steady paycheck in front of him… what did it matter? He wasn't going to like her more or less based on one interview. Except… even Gibbs wasn't above outright insubordination.

She looked over at him, biting her lip, and he raised an eyebrow at her, clearly checking in to make sure that she was okay. She nodded slightly, and he relaxed back into his chair. Insubordinate or not, he also was guaranteed to have her back.

She checked her watch again, feeling suddenly like she'd overdone it with the pencil skirt and tied back hair. The flashy watch alone – a gift from Thom – made her feel flashy and shallow next to Gibbs with his simple timepiece and flip phone. The executive she was supposed to be meeting with was late, and it was doing nothing to put her at ease. She started tapping her foot against the ground, if only to give herself something to do.

She turned at the feel of a hand on her arm, only to find Gibbs watching her. "You good?"

She nodded again. "I'm fine, Gibbs. I'm just… a little keyed up." As if she'd admit that she was nervous about messing up, especially in front of him. He usually seemed to see her as the picture of incompetence anyway, and she hated confirming that.

"That's normal, Todd." He patted her arm gently before withdrawing his hand. "Don't worry."

"I'm not worried. I can handle this."

He smiled. A real smile this time. It undid some of the knots inside, easing her anxiety-induced nausea a bit. "I know."

She settled back into her chair and he left her alone, sipping his coffee, as she smiled to herself. His faith made her feel better, if only a little.

The door opened, and she and Gibbs both stood up. What is this, she thought, annoyed, Victorian England?

Her heart was pounding, and she offered a smile to the person on the other side of the door as he walked in. It was a rather skinny-looking man in an expensive suit. Everything was perfectly organized, his hair perfectly combed. Kate managed to stop herself from grinning at the Disney lapel pin.

"Hi there," he said with a smile. "You must be Caitlin Todd."

She held out a hand. "That's me. It's a pleasure. Oh, and this is my minder, Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

"I make sure that Kate here is safe." Gibbs said, nodding to Burley as he sat back down.

"Pleasure is all ours, Gibbs… Miss Todd." He took her hand, shaking it with a nice, firm handshake.

"You can just call me Kate."

"I'm Stan Burley, but you can call me Stan. Please, take a seat." They both sat, and he continued. "I work for Disney Hyperion, which as you probably know is an imprint of Disney Publishing Worldwide. I believe you're interested in writing for us?"

"Yes I saw the notice that you put out a few days ago. One of my friends in the business brought it to my attention."

He smiled. "Are you a Disney fan, Kate?"

"As it so happens, yes. A major Disney fan."

"She cries at Disney World commercials," Gibbs cut in. Kate turned to glare at him, and he offered a smile – what a bastard – in return.

Burley chuckled, and addressed Gibbs. "She does?"

"Oh yeah. Openin' notes, there go the waterworks. I've seen it."

"Really?" Burley asked, and grinned.

"I think the credit should go to your marketing team, not to me," Kate reasoned.

He turned to her. "Why do our commercials make you cry?"

"Look I've had some not-so-good things happen in my life, Stan. But Disney has always been a safe place for me. I always feel like a kid there, like I can actually relax and be myself. I'll probably see the castle when I get there and just burst into tears. It's my happy place, which sounds really trite but is true."

Stan grinned. "Then you'd be a credit to the Disney Company."

"She sure would," came a voice from beside Kate and she shot another look at Gibbs, who was doing a great job of pretending that he hadn't spoken, nonchalantly sipping at his coffee. She was simultaneously amused and annoyed. She could conduct the interview by herself, she didn't need him there. And yet, she could see that in his own weird way, he was trying to help her out.

Stan smiled at him, as he looked between the two of them. "And how long have the two of you been together?"

"What- Oh no. No, no, no," Kate said, shaking her head.

"I have a rule," Gibbs said with a smirk. "About datin' the people I work for. I don't."

Stan, to his credit seemed embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"No, no, it's fine. Don't worry about it."

He cleared his throat. "Do you have a portfolio of your work to show me?"

"Yes. I don't want to brag or anything, but I've written about ten novels for adults, and about six months ago, I transitioned into writing for kids." She handed over the file folder, her portfolio, which she'd worked for hours on, running out of glue and tape multiple times. Only now, it didn't look as professional as she'd hoped; it looked instead like a fourth grader's book report. She suddenly felt disappointed in herself. She could have done better. She should have done better.

"Wow," Stan said, looking it over, grinning at her. "How long did you work on this?"

"About sixteen hours over two days."

"I'm very impressed, Kate. Do you mind if I look this over?"

"No, of course not. That's why I made it." She watched as he sat back down, slowly flipping through the pages of sample sketches, and excerpts of her other books, staring at each with intensity that made her heart pound in double time. She bit her lip again, watching him go through it. Her toe started tapping, and soon her whole leg was shaking with suppressed nerves. She hoped he couldn't see.

After what felt like several millennia of careful scrutiny, he looked up, and much to her relief, he was smiling. "You know, Kate, I gotta be honest. I was a little skeptical today, about this. But I'm very impressed. You capture the likeness of these characters… I don't know if you've just got the Disney spirit or if you're a very convincing liar, but either way… I'm captivated."

"So… let's get down to business?" Kate prompted.

He started laughing, as he closed her portfolio. "That's good," he said. "Very good, Kate. Yes, of course. So the posting asked for a writer and an illustrator, but I can see here that you do both, which is very good."

"Of course," Kate said. "I can write and illustrate. I go both ways."

Gibbs snorted from behind her, but she ignored him, still smiling at Stan.

"You would be under contract to write a certain amount of licensed Disney books, maybe for the princesses, maybe for other characters… kids love seeing Mickey Mouse getting into trouble, or princesses doing everyday kind of stuff… You know?"

"Totally. They want to see that their heroes are normal people too."

Stan pointed at her. "You've got it! That's exactly it! We want them to see that their heroes are normal too…" He seemed to lose his train of thought, and then lit up as he remembered. "Ah yes, we were discussing the contract."

"Yep. A certain amount of licensed books?" she prompted.

"Yes, and then after that, as long as you work closely with an editor, you can have some creative license… to write books for pre-teens, teens… even adults if it's enough of a classic. You saw what happened with Percy Jackson."

"Even I read those books… and loved them," Kate admitted.

"No shame in admitting it. I read them, loved them, and was proud to say that our publishing house published them. It's turning into a really big deal now too."

"Some books are just classics," Kate said with a smile. "Modern classics I mean."

"Yes, of course." Stan was lost in his own mind again, and then got back on track. "Do you mind if I take your portfolio with me? I can have Abby return it to you before you head back home… I just want a chance to look over it in greater detail."

"Sure, it's no big deal." She was taking it as a good sign that he wanted to look it over longer, and go over every detail. It was feeling less like a scrapbook by the second, and she was suddenly proud of what she'd accomplished.

He clutched the portfolio tightly. "I promise, I'll take good care of it, Kate."

"Much appreciated. But I'm here for at least a few more days, so there's no need to rush. I'm sure you're a busy man."

"Never too busy for talent," Stan said with a smile.

"Oh, stop, stop," she said, waving her hand dismissively.

"No, I'm serious." Stan took her hand, and Kate could suddenly feel Gibbs' glare burning a hole in her back. "Don't dismiss your potential like that."

"Okay Stan, if you insist."

"Oh," he said, as they stood. "I do have one more question."

"Yes?" Kate asked, wondering if he would let go of her hand, before Gibbs straight up murdered him. She hated how overprotective he was. This was a representative of a publishing company, not an assassin. He wasn't about to murder her or anything. What did Gibbs think he was going to do anyway?

"Do you have a favourite Disney movie?" he asked, with a smile.

Her mouth dropped open. "Uh… that's a really hard question to answer."

"Really? I thought it would be easy."

"Come now, I thought you worked for Disney. No true fan can choose just one favourite."

He nodded. "Spoken like a true Disney fan. Okay, what are some of your favourites?"

"Beauty and the Beast, The Parent Trap… Toy Story… I really enjoyed Lilo & Stitch and Brother Bear too."

"Good choices… but this is the part where I have to say they're all good. What are your plans for the rest of the evening?" Stan asked, and Kate froze, the smile still on her face. Was he asking her out? Holy shit. She was about to stutter out something diplomatic, when Gibbs cut her off.

"She's got a book signing at two. And then she's going to Epcot. We're taking Ellie with us and goin' on a trip." Gibbs stepped between them. "Ya see, Stan, buddy, Kate's pretty busy figuring out what she's going to write about, but her assistant has never seen Epcot! Tragic, I know," Gibbs muttered, leaning closer. She tried to telepathically thank him but he shrugged in response.

Stan let go of her hand. "Of course. I'll let you get going then. You'll have to fight the post-lunch traffic to get to your book signing, so I will be looking over your portfolio in the next few days and getting back to you. Enjoy your stay here in Florida."

"Thank you so much for the interview and the theme park tickets," Kate said in return, and then hurried out of the conference room with Gibbs behind her. He was chuckling to himself, but Kate had a bone to pick with him. "What the hell was that?"

"That didn't sound like a thank you," Gibbs said, turning to her.

"Seriously? He's harmless."

"He also should not be askin' ya out. You're an employee."

"Not yet I'm not."

"And that makes it okay?" he asked.

"I don't need protecting! You're not my father!"

"No, but I do have your best interests in mind, Todd, unlike good old Stan the man in there!"

She was staring, and then shook her head. "Her assistant has never seen Epcot? Tragic, I know? Gibbs, you didn't even know what Epcot was until I explained it to you."

"So? I was rescuin' ya! Total deer in the headlights. I should have known ya wouldn't thank me."

"Um…" Kate hadn't even noticed that Ellie had come up. "Book signing was cancelled…" Ellie's eyes were wide. "Should I leave?"

"No," Gibbs said.

"Yes," Kate said at the same time.

They glared at each other.

"O-kay. I'm gonna… go. I'll be in the car." Ellie hurried away and Kate heard her start running as soon as she got around the corner.

"And another thing, Gibbs-,"

"Oh here we go, what else did I do wrong?" He was clearly appealing the heavens at this point, instead of her, staring up at the sky.

"I don't need to be guarded from men, Gibbs. I can take care of myself." She clenched her fists, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I don't trust him with you, Todd! Bad gut feelin'."

"Or it's indigestion. That happens in old people sometimes," she said through gritted teeth.

He was unflappable, smirking as he shook his head. He always loved getting her riled up, and never reacting. "Ya really know how to wound a man, Todd."

"I try."

"Look," he stepped closer. "I don't trust him with ya, don't go out with him. He's a man, you're a woman, bad things will happen. Good? Good." He started walking away.

She knew it was completely unprofessional, but she grabbed his sleeve, too furious to let it go. "Hey, don't dismiss me like that okay? I earned my jockstrap!"

He turned. "Yeah? It ever give ya that empty feeling?"

She was confused. "What?"

He grinned. "Your jockstrap." She had to be crazy, there was no way he was staring at her lips in the middle of an argument. His eyes, steely with a hint of humor, were a gorgeous blue in the light, and he was smirking. Asshole.

"No," she said, crossing her arms. "Like some species of frogs, I grow what I need."

"Okay, little frog." He tossed her the keys. "You're drivin'."

"What does that have to do with anything?" she called to his receding back.

"See how much of your balls ya got left after drivin' in Orlando traffic!" he called over his shoulder. Grumbling under her breath, she followed him out. She'd loved to push him into Orlando traffic. It had to be anger making her cheeks hot and her hands shake. It was the only possible explanation. Gibbs infuriated her to the point of distraction, and she hated it.

XNCISX

"What is that?" Gibbs asked, staring in derision as they stepped off the tram from the parking lot.

"That, Gibbs, is Epcot."

"Why is Epcot a giant golf ball?" he asked.

"It's actually a geodesic sphere." Ellie piped up.

"Ya know it's cheatin' if ya gotta look online," Gibbs told her.

She made a face at his back, once he'd turned back around. Kate was bouncing on the balls of her feet, eager to get started. "Uh… boss? I'm really sorry about the book signing. They decided to push it to tomorrow."

"It's fine, Ellie. You don't need to apologize."

Ellie opened her mouth to answer as they walked into the park, but was cut off by a loud grumbling noise. "I'm hungry," she said.

"Yeah," Gibbs replied. "We noticed."

"We'll find somewhere to eat," Kate promised. "In fact, that's our first stop."

"No," Gibbs said. "Ellie go grab yourself a Popsicle."

"Sure, while mom and dad go do fun stuff, I get it." Ellie rolled her eyes. "Message received." She stalked off, leaving Kate behind, very confused.

"Did she just call us mom and dad?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "Dunno. I'm old and deaf remember?"

She elbowed him. "Har har. What do you want to do?"

"What's your favourite ride here, Todd?" he asked, with a smile.

She thought for a second, then smiled to herself. "Soarin'."

"What's that?"

"It's kind of like this… look. I can't explain it."

"Okay, lead the way Cap'n."

She turned in surprise, watching him smile as he watched her. And then she groaned, remembering. "Damn it."

"What's wrong?" he asked, hurrying to catch up. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. I just remembered that Soarin' always has a wait of at least an hour. I'll have to grab us a Fast Pass."

"That's not a problem, right? I can always muscle in and demand that they let you in..?"

"That's very sweet of you. But you're supposed to keep us out of trouble, not get us into it, remember?"

"True."

They were walking up to the pavilion where Soarin' was, and Kate, sighed, heading for the Fast Pass machine as soon as they were inside. She entered her name and details to get their fast pass and it beeped, spitting out a paper- "Holy shit."

He popped up beside her, a magic fairy summoned by the sound of her cursing. What a shock. No wonder he was always around, she was generally cursing. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong… it's just… this has to be wrong."

"Why?"

"Because the time it's giving me to go for Fast Pass is right now. There's no way…" she said, and he grabbed her arm.

"Best not waste it. I need to find out what's so special about this ride to make ya love it so much."

"Sure, let's go." They walked through the line together, and Kate wasn't sure if she actually wanted him to let go of her arm or not.

One of the attendants manning the Fast Pass line stepped up. "Hello!"

"Hi, we have a Fast Pass for Soarin' for right now," Kate said, handing over the slip.

The attendant read it over and her eyes went wide when she saw the name. She looked up. "You're Kate Todd?"

"Yes, I am, but-,"

"Go right on through. Mr. Burley called ahead for you."

Kate blinked, and exchanged a look with Gibbs, who looked unhappy to say the least. In fact, he looked like he'd love to deck Stan at that moment, but managed to restrain himself. He offered a strained smile at Kate. "Isn't that… perfect?"

"It's one ride. We just won't do Fast Pass for the rest," she tried to reassure him, knowing even as she did that it was futile. Great, now she had to spend the rest of the night with a pissed-off Gibbs. As Disney trips went, this one wasn't looking like it was going to be an excellent time.

"Todd," he said, squeezing her arm. "We're doin' whatever you want us to do. It's your week."

"It's also my treat," she said, as the staff helped them get comfortable in their front row seats.

"What is this like, a hang glider?" Gibbs asked.

"Shush, wait for it to start."

They were lifted into the air, and Kate felt her usual swoop of excitement in the bottom of her belly, returning after being dormant since they'd first seen the sphere of Epcot. It hadn't lost its magic.

The film started, and Kate was watching the screen, rapt, her mouth hanging open and her eyes lit up at the sight in front of her. She was back. She was so focused on what was in front of her, that she didn't notice Gibbs.

Gibbs wasn't watching the film (fascinating as it was). He was watching Kate, even though she couldn't tell. He was staring at her awed expression and smiling to himself, because she'd been right: Disney made her into a kid again. And he liked seeing her like this, happy and smiling. It was a look he could get used to.

She was enthralled with Soarin', and he was enthralled with her.