A/N: I'm sorry this has taken me so long to get updated, but I want to thank all of you guys for reviewing. I always appreciate them so much. There's not much to tell about this chapter so...
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On Kate's suggestion, they had decided to grab an early lunch before going out on their pet supply hunt. Gibbs had conceded to the request gladly; happy to spend as much time as possible with her outside of their regular office interactions.
Despite the fact that it was still raining, the day had warmed considerably and they had decided to eat on the outdoor patio of a small sandwich shop only a few blocks from the pet store. More then half the patio space was covered by an awning, affording them dry tables and chairs at which to eat while still allowing them to keep Marine with them.
The conversation was light and easy, both falling into a steady dialogue in between bites. They had never really shared a real conversation outside of work before and both found it surprisingly comfortable to just talk. Kate was enjoying observing her usually stern boss outside the office. At work he kept a tight reign on his emotions, but as they ate their meals he was quick to smile and she found herself wishing he would do so more. Marine, for his part, was content to lie quietly at the side of Gibbs' chair, only lifting his head to accept the occasional bit of meat that he was handed.
Still nonplussed by the dog's seeming attachment to him after such a short period of time, Gibbs kept glancing down at the puppy. Kate ignored it at first, but as they neared the end of their meal she felt compelled to speak up.
"Why do you keep looking at him like that?"
"Like what?" Genuine confusion etched his face as he met her gaze.
"Like he's a suspect that you know is lying, but can't quite figure out what he's lying about." Her voice was laced with amusement and Gibbs could see the smile she was fighting to keep off her face. Looking down at the dog again, he shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.
"I just don't get how he's become so attached to me so quickly. I mean is that normal? He won't leave my side and he follows my orders like a seasoned soldier. Is he supposed to act like this?"
His features showed genuine concern for the small creature's behavior and she couldn't stop the small laugh that escaped her at his consternation. He is so adorable like this. Not even attempting to fight the thought as it surfaced and very aware of how he would react if she ever actually called him adorable to his face, she answered his question.
"All dogs have different personalities, Gibbs, just like people. And while I've never before seen a dog follow orders like he does, especially as young as he is, the attachment thing isn't that weird." He opened his mouth to comment on that, but she continued before he could. "A dog's love is reasonably unconditional towards the person it considers to be its human. You brought him in out of the rain, fed him, and have generally cared for him. As long as you never beat him…" Her tone made it clear that she would never think him the type of person to do so, "make sure to feed him, and occasionally play with him or take him for walks you have a friend for life. It really is that simple."
He frowned down at the dog at his feet once more. He didn't think that he'd ever had unconditional love from anyone but his parents before and was having some trouble wrapping his mind around the concept that the furry bundle he was quickly becoming attached to would give him just that. His mouth still turned down in a slight frown of confusion, he nodded to the empty plates in front of them as he stood. "I guess it's time to go shopping."
Smiling at his 'take action' tone, Kate rose and followed him, dog at his heels, as they dashed through the continued downpour to the car.
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The pet store was considerably larger than he had expected; high ceilings and seemingly endless aisles of pet supplies giving it an almost ominously imposing feel. A few customers flitted between rows, some trailing pets, others small kids, most alone. Gibbs took in his surroundings in much the same way he would a crime scene as he strode through the automatic doors alongside Kate, Marine trailing happily just behind them.
Noticing the concerned looks of a few employees at the sight of a leashless dog, they made their way immediately over to a large display of collars and leashes against one wall. Next to the display sat a large and shiny machine that Gibbs thought wouldn't have looked out of place in Abby's lab. Over it a brightly lettered sign proclaimed: "Collar embroidering".
With Kate's assistance for sizes and styles, he had just finished picking out a camouflage collar and black leash when the young man who was seated at the embroiderer got their attention.
"If you want I can have the pup's name embroidered on that for you. The store is doing a special today where you get eight characters for free with the purchase of the collar. We can do letters and we also have a wide variety of symbols that can be added." The entire pitch rolled off his tongue with the speed of someone who was excited at the prospect of doing something other than sitting in the same chair all day.
When Kate shrugged at his questioning glance, Gibbs handed the collar over to the young man who politely asked what he wanted on the thick fabric. Recognizing that Marine only had six letters and remembering the man saying they could have up to eight, Gibbs asked the first thing that popped into his mind.
"You said you had symbols as well. Do you have the Marine Corps insignia?" The young man looked confused for a moment and Gibbs wondered if that was due to not understanding what he was being asked or the loud snort of laughter that Kate had released as he asked it. Ignoring the employee, who had moved to pull a binder off the table beside him, Gibbs turned to Kate.
"What?" His tone reminded her of a petulant child and she only barely managed to get her response out as she continued laughing.
"It's just so…you."
Not sure whether to take her statement as a compliment or not, he shrugged lightly before turning back to the still confused employee who handed over the binder as he spoke. "I'm not quite sure what you're asking for, but these are the symbols we have."
After flipping through the binder for a few moments, Kate close by his side as she too took in the available items, he had determined that they did not in fact have the Corps logo, and had decided to settle for the next best thing instead. Handing the binder back, he made his request. "His name is Marine," he paused to glance down at the dog who had just given a sharp bark, before continuing, "and I'd like a single star on either side of that."
The young man smiled warmly at him before informing them that it would take about ten minutes to do the job and handing them a temporary collar to use until that point.
As they moved around the store collecting the various items that Kate suggested he would need, Gibbs could feel her occasional questioning gaze on him. He refused, however, to say anything until she was actually willing to ask; his stubborn playfulness dueling powerfully with hers. They were heading back to the embroiderer before she finally gave in and asked the question that had been bugging her.
"Why the stars?"
Her heart skipped a beat at the warm grin he offered as he responded. "He's already a Marine." Bark. "Might as well make him a general while I'm at it." Giggling at the absolute absurdity of the comment, she felt a quiet happiness engulf her.
She had been avoiding the thought all day, telling herself not to get her hopes up, but as one of his hands landed at the small of her back she let herself acknowledge the strange and very pleasant feeling of intimacy that the day had created. It felt so normal to do this with him; go shopping, eat a meal, spend the day together. Telling herself to enjoy it as much as she could, she let herself sink back into their comfortable interactions.
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It was almost 1600 when Kate pulled up outside his house. Helping him get his purchases into the house, she noticed that he was acting slightly nervous. She was reminded of his behavior when she'd first arrived that morning and wondered what had caused it. Her curiosity was satisfied a few minutes later as he walked her to the door.
"Thank you, Kate, for helping me today. I'm not sure what I would have done without you." His tone was sincere and she blushed slightly at the comment.
"It was no problem. I had fun. It's nice to get out once in a while for something other than work." She smiled up at him.
All appearance of nervousness faded at her words and he offered a small grin as he responded, "Even so, I want to repay you for the favor. How about dinner tonight? I'll cook."
She was surprised by the request, but quickly shook it off as she offered him a warm smile. "That sounds excellent." Promising to be back at 1930, she left him standing in his doorway, dog at his feet and a shit-eating grin plastered across his face.
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A/N: Two more chapters to go. The next ones I will probably have up a lot faster than I did with this one. I'm graduating in 6 days and have 95 percent of my final project done so I don't feel guilty writing instead of doing school work. Reviews, as always, do encourage me to write faster and update sooner so the best way to get the next chapter is to hit the button.
