Note: Thanks everyone for the reviews! I know this is not an obvious pairing, but then they are not ordinary people either…

Plus, some hints in this chapter might satisfy some shippers (and maybe annoy others, but…)

The rating changed for this one!

And, finally, I'm still not totally sure where this is going…

Chapter 2

Gibbs wasn't much into analyzing relationships, he did enough of that in his line of work. However, he didn't like not being able to figure somebody out, especially if it was somebody he cared about. Which brought him to the current situation, alone in a bar in Colorado Springs for the last couple of hours, starring into his still unfinished glass of bourbon. Sam.

The next morning after the Pentagon party he refused to let his well-meaning and curious as hell team do a more in-depth search on one Major Samantha Carter. She was not part of an investigation and he didn't believe in using government resources just to satisfy a curiosity. When she showed up in the squad-room that evening to pick him up DiNozzo and McGee both reacted like he expected them to – Tony teased until he got a Gibbs-patented slap on the head and McGee pretended he wasn't looking, when in fact he was absorbing every detail. Ziva, on the other hand, acted quite differently from the friendliness she showed the previous evening. She was standing too straight, breasts pushed forward, moving like she was stalking a prey. She acted almost… territorial. "She smelled another alpha female" Gibbs thought. As a consequence, her chosen topic of conversation didn't surprise him much.

"So, Major, what kind of fighting do they teach you in the Air Force?"

If Sam was surprised, she didn't show it. "That depends, both hand-to-hand and various weapons. Why?"

"Oh, I was thinking maybe we could train together sometime; I could show you a few techniques I learned at Mossad"

Tony gaped and then grinned widely "Cat fight". Gibbs just growled "Ziva…"

"I'd love that, except I'm due back in Colorado by tomorrow. Maybe another time, Officer David?" Sam took it in stride, a corner of her mouth twitching suspiciously.

She did bring the exchange up later, though. "I haven't been challenged to a duel for a while now. Is she… I mean, is there anything…"

Gibbs didn't even pretend he didn't understand the question. "She's on my team, I'm her boss. That's all there is"

"Yeah, I know…" Sam's reply was so quiet Gibbs almost didn't hear it. He couldn't however miss the shadow that passed over her face and the way her eyes suddenly turned downwards. He knew she wasn't in any relationship, she said that much the night before and he believed her. And if there was someone she had feelings for but couldn't be with… well, who was he to judge? Gibbs was painfully aware that he himself was in a similar situation. Shannon was and will always remain the love of his life, and part of his heart will always remain unavailable. And then there was Ziva... For the most part he could just ignore things, and he trusted himself enough to know his judgment and decisions on the job weren't influenced. For the most part.

All things considered, Gibbs wasn't a monk and he liked women. And this one... She was beautiful, smart, independent, understood the risks and requirements of his job and didn't expect a commitment. And apparently she liked him. He didn't know her well enough yet, but the fact that he was really interested in getting to know her said a lot. The obvious attraction, chemistry between them was an added bonus.

What he didn't expect were the powerful feelings flooding him the first time they slept together. The tenderness, the emotion, the fierce need to protect her still baffled him. Her tough and independent military exterior only made him notice the well-hidden vulnerability in those big baby-blue eyes more. So after a few hours and more than one round he was completely exhausted, both physically and mentally, but warm and cozy and thoroughly satisfied. She was passionate and demanding and knew what she wanted but gave back just as much. He could hardly form any words as he collapsed sideways on the bed. „You'll be the death of me woman... I'm getting to old for this"

She giggled and rolled her eyes at him „I haven't noticed. You're complaining Jethro?"

„Hell no!" He fell asleep with a huge smile on his face.

They kept in touch over the next few weeks, and if his team noticed he started checking his e-mail more regularly they didn't say anything. He was surprised to realize he was looking forward to hearing from her and worried when she became unavailable for extended periods of time. Not that he would ever admit to that.

She never talked much about her job and never complained much, at least not about anything important. She did talk about her teammates though, even if only in vague terms, and the closeness between them was obvious. So when she called one late night to tell him Daniel died he hopped on the first plane to Colorado.

Gibbs tried to prepare himself for all kinds of possible reactions, everybody dealt with grief their own way. He was still unprepared for the hurricane that hit him the moment he stepped inside. She all but slammed him into a wall and plastered herself to him, tongue deep in his mouth and hands all over.

„Sam..."

„Shh...Shut up Jethro and just kiss me"

His body reacted with lightening speed to her unusual aggression, clouding his judgment and clarity. Her hands went to the back of his neck, holding him in place as she was kissing him fiercely, not giving him time to think. It only took seconds for him to start kissing back, tongues dueling for dominance. She pulled back when they couldn't breathe, eyes dark and wild, both panting. He didn't even realize when she managed to take their shirts off until she pressed her naked breasts to his chest, hips grinding hard against him. He growled deep in his throat as he turned them around so her back was now against the wall. Gibbs needed to regain some control here, or this would be over before it started. He pinned her still moving hips with his body and proceeded to trail slow kisses over her neck and chest, kissing the sensitive skin behind her ear then going lower, nipping at her collarbone and stopping just before he reached her breasts. „Bedroom, Sam"

She dragged him to the bed and wasted no time in removing his pants and boxers in one move before losing her own jeans just as fast. She was on top of him on the bed in seconds, in a tackle move that would have amazed him if he would still have the ability to think. Her hips were once again grinding against his erection, driving him crazy with need. Somewhere in his foggy mind something was still bothering him though. He was all for rough sex on occasion, but her desperation was... unnatural. He made another attempt at regaining control and flipped them so he was on top. He trailed his hand over her breasts, lightly caressing her before moving lower, over her belly and to her pussy, wanting to at least make sure she was ready for this. She batted his hand away and made a move to grab his dick, stroking him hard, almost painfully, before bringing him to her core. He pulled back a little. „Sam, Sam, slow down a bit, there's no hurry..."

She raised her hips in an attempt to not lose contact, nails digging into his skin.

„I want you inside me now, damn it!" she almost yelled. „Please Jethro, please, I need you now"

Gibbs knew sex was sometimes a normal reaction after facing death, he's been there enough times himself. Still, something felt off; she said on the phone Daniel died after being exposed to some kind of a disease and that nobody was responsible, the exposure happened as he was trying to help others. But this was more then just grief, this was anger, and Gibbs had the feeling he was missing something.

But then she grabbed him again, begging with those huge dark blue eyes while she wrapped her legs tight around his hips and he cracked; he knew this was wrong but didn't find the strength to deny her the emotional release. He pushed forward and entered her all the way in one swift move, stopping as he was fully inside. Her tightness and the gasp that escaped her lips confirmed what he suspected, she was not prepared and this had to be painful for her. But then that was probably what she wanted, Gibbs thought, he was also familiar with the need to replace emotional pain with a physical one. He still hated being the instrument of said pain. Staying still was killing him, but he was trying to give her some time to adjust. She raised her hips, however, jerking against him, forcing him to start moving. He tried to do it slowly, jaws clenched with the effort to control himself and not hurt her more.

„Come on, harder, fuck me harder!" she squeezed his ass, pulling him in impossibly deeper, writhing against him. His pace increased, pushing himself all the way in on every stroke, his control slipping dangerously.

„Harder damn it, harder!" her eyes were glazed over and half closed and she seemed lost, somehow remote.

He stopped. It was one of the hardest things he had to do, but he pulled all the way out and kept her pinned beneath him on the bed. Her eyes snapped open, angry and wild, hips still jerking. „What the hell... What are you doing?"

„What is it, Sam? What's the matter with you? Talk to me"

She tried to hit him or to flip him over, but he expected that much and kept her in place. „I don't want to talk, I want you to fuck me! Screw you Jethro, come on!"

He didn't budge, leaning close to her ear. „Please Sam, let me help you" he whispered and kissed her temple. She struggled for a few more seconds before she went limp. He raised his head and freed her hands, settling beside her but still holding her close. Tears were streaming down her temples and cheeks but she wasn't making any sounds. She kept her face buried in his neck for a few minutes before she spoke.

„I loved him, Daniel, he was like a brother to me. We've been through so much together, all of us. And now I can't even be allowed to grieve for him? I mean... we're, were, more like family... And he refuses to react, it's like he doesn't give a damn! He requested we remain on active duty. 'I don't wanna hear it Carter' he said 'this is the job, we lose people all the time. 'He's gone, we have work to do' But this is not people, this is Daniel! We've been teammates, friends, for five years! That doesn't mean anything to him?"

„Who's he?"

„Colonel O'Neill, my CO"

'Oh. ' „You really think he doesn't care?"

„I don't know what to think anymore! Always the tough colonel, always the fearless leader. Why can't he just show he misses Daniel too?"

„Look, Sam, I don't know this guy. But I figure it's because he can't afford to let his control slip. Because he might not get it back in time, and once you do that you put everyone's lives in danger. I also don't know what you do in that mountain, but I imagine it's important"

She didn't say anything for a while. „So what, he can never just let go, not even with us?"

„Especially with you, Sam. With the team he's responsible for. People have their own way of coping, and work is not the worst way"

Am I really defending this guy here?" Gibbs thought. But the truth was he understood where the other man came from, he understood how a team leader, especially one involved in whatever crap these guys were doing couldn't just open up to his team with what he was feeling.

She smiled through her tears a while later. „I've never heard you talk so much, Jethro"

„Yeah, well, it was well worth it"

She moved and straddled him again. „Well, it will be well worth it soon..."

Sam was called back to the base a few hours later and Gibbs still had some time to kill before his flight, which brought him to his bourbon and mussing. Her anger and hurt at her CO's reaction made him think there was something more there. He was however aware of the Air Force regulations concerning fraternizing - hence her understanding of his non-relationship with Ziva. He snorted. They were quite a pair, weren't they? But he really cared about Sam, maybe even loved her in a way, and he knew the feeling was reciprocated. She was hard to figure out, though – she could complain about her CO's emotional unavailability but she wasn't exactly open herself. Whatever she was working in influenced her more then she realized, he thought. But, oddly enough, the amazingly good sex and all, he felt they were more friends then lovers. And that was fine with him.