Thank you for the reviews! I forgot how much I loved writing this pair. (I still have a pipe-dream of Kate returning.. anyone else?)
Let's see what happens next...
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3
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Last time, on NCIS... ( ;) ):
She paused, "How do we get out of this.." Her eyes travelled over his face before looking to him directly; her face was resolute, but he could see the unspoken fear dancing anxiously in her eyes.
Gibbs wet his lips before he ground out slowly, "We don't."
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Kate's eyes widened before her brow creased in confusion. "What do you mean, 'we don't...'?" She chuckled, low and nervous, "Gibbs, we have to get--"
"Do you have keys for these cuffs..??" He asked her with a cocked eyebrow and a crooked, near-angry look of exasperation. Kate blinked, lips pursed.
"No.. No I don't, but we--"
Gibbs shook his head and hissed softly. "We have to wait. There's nothing we can do here... not until our situation changes. We have to think, Kate. And wait." He tried the best he could to assure her with his eyes. They had to wait for Ari to come-- to screw up-- to change their situation. For as they sat now, with reinforced restraints and no windows of opportunity, they had no chance. And really, no choice.
"You know he's listening to every word we say." She said incredulously, unsure of how they could possibly talk their way out, when Enemy #1 had ears in the room.
Gibbs gave a slow nod. "Probably." He leaned forward and whispered gruffly in her ear, "That's why we need to think.. and not speak." Placing a quiet emphasis on the end of his sentence, his lips accidentally grazed her earlobe.
Kate ignored the shiver that went through her and shook her head, narrowing her eyes in doubt. Whispering quickly and heatedly, she pulled away from him in order to see his face, "How can we think and work this out without speaking--!"
He gave her a quick, warm, and yet somewhat sad smile. Then his face flashed into complete seriousness as he spoke in hushed tones, "I think we know each other well enough by now to handle silent communication." Gibbs hadn't ignored that shiver and pushed up with his knees as he leaned his face close, nose to nose, and gave her a signature squint, "Can you handle it, Kate?"
She swallowed and cursed without a word-- Great, a Gibbs lesson in the middle of life or death danger. Why am I surprised? All she could do was nod obediently, waiting for a cue.
It was remarkably easy, having secret op communications in complete silence. She almost forgot how intimately situated she was. Almost. They discussed the easiest take-down position and angles of attack, where and how to move their weight, and all the numbered counts of waiting to strike, all in head motions, nods, and eye movements. Kate couldn't help but fall into gallows-humor laughter when Gibbs broke out the morse code with eye blinks. As she stopped chuckling, her face grew somber and thoughtful.
'We're going to be okay...' she mouthed to him, both a question and a statement; knowing that, in all likelihood, reading lips had to be on the list of his many talents.
Kate could see him swallow as he paused. She could see his apprehension. And that scared her more than anything Ari could do to either of them.
Gibbs nodded and let his eyes rove over her lightly perspiring, beautiful face. Leaning into her, he let his lips linger by her ear before he murmured: "I'd never.. let anything happen to you." Gibbs took her by surprise when he pressed a slow, chaste kiss to her cheek.
Kate's eyes were closed as he pulled away from her. She inhaled deeply through her nose for an ounce of the composure she needed before daring to look at him. But before she could say a word, the moment was broken.
"That was.. quite touching..." Ari walked into the room slowly, neither of them had even heard the door open. So much for surprising the enemy.
He sauntered over with his hands behind his back. Gibbs didn't even try to turn around, he knew he'd see the bastard soon enough. Ari stood at their side and placed a careful hand at the back of Kate's neck, leisurely petting her hair as he leaned in close.
"Tell me, Caitlin.. what is it that he said to you."
Gibbs could feel her legs start to quake slightly, from a mixture of the anger and fear that he knew they both felt; he could see Ari rub the nape of her neck and give her a firm, almost painful squeeze. She didn't take her eyes off of Gibbs until after she spoke:
"Why don't you come a little closer, and I'll show you.." she spat lowly and shot him a murderous glare.
Ari gave a bark of soft laughter, smiling broadly at Gibbs. "I almost forgot how feisty she was... You're a lucky man, Special Agent Gibbs." He moved his hand from the back of Kate's neck to the front of it, trailing his fingers down her throat to the neckline of her shirt and slowly back up again. Gibbs' jaw clenched and his muscles stiffened; he was going to kill this bastard real, real slow. He forced down his own pride and need for immediate vengeance, and compelled Kate to keep their eye contact, visually reassuring them both.
As their terrorist rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip, Kate's jaw tightened before she moved like lightening, fiercely biting Ari's hand with all of her strength until she tasted blood. He howled sharply and tore away from her. She knew it had been a good attempt, but not good enough; she felt the back of Ari's hand strike her cheek with such force, it rocked the chair.
He grimaced slightly while holding his injured hand. "I'd never hit a woman." He paused as she remembered their second encounter, but he continued calmly, "Unless it is deserved." He strode quietly from the room, letting the door shut with a soft click.
Kate's head still spinning, she rested her forehead on Gibbs' shoulder. She murmured lamely into his shirt, "I'm sorry.." She subconsciously leaned into him, feeling that she had failed them both, with possibly their one and only chance at surviving this mess.
He did not reprimand her for apologizing, instead Gibbs leaned his cheek on the top of her head in a gesture of comfort. He grumbled softly, "You did good... You did good."
You know what to do...