Somehow I screwed the tenses up in this Chapter. I re-read it and I hope I got everything, if not feel free to point it out. Anyways I hope you´ll like this Chapter.
meherm: Well, you have to wait a little longer until the team gets to know about her.
wiccanforever: Your guess is right, but wasn´t it easy?^^ And you don´t have to wait anymore until she meets Gibbs.
Thanks to you for the reviews I really appreciate them.

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Chapter III

In the following night Gibbs awoke with a start, but this time it wasn´t because he was going through his bete nôire again, this time he could swear he heard someone open his front door. Though his eye-sight was deteriorating, his hearing was still good if not getting better with every year which passed.
Once again he fell asleep beneath his unfinished boat, but right now he was wide awake, listening for more noises. When he heard something like soft steps, he reached for his backup gun which he always kept in one of the wooden cabinets in his basement and slowly made his way up the stairs, careful to avoid the steps which were creaking. Slowly he pushed the door open, praying that the hinges won´t squeak this time. As soon as he exited the basement he scanned his surroundings for an intruder, his gun drawn just like he was searching a suspect´s house with his team.

The familiar movements made him feel a lot safer and in-control of the situation, though he slowly starts to wonder if this wasn´t stupid or if he was overreacting. Still he left the gun in place, ready to shot at anybody who was threatening him. A minute later he stood in the kitchen, starting the coffee machine, his gun tucked into his waistband, assured that he finally started hearing things. But then he heard the terrace door being slid open a sound which was definetely real. The NCIS agent started sprinting towards the living room, reaching for his gun while running. Just when he entered the room he spotted a black-clothed figure closing the glass door from the outside. With four long steps he reached the door and yanked it open again, stepping out on the wooden porch. Before he spoke the investigator aimed at the intruder´s head. "Freeze!"

The person in his garden stopped abruptly, slowly raising his hands in surrender and showing the agent that he won´t try anything. Still aiming at the figure´s head Gibbs took a few steps back, turning the small lamp on so he could make out his opponent more clearly. The intruder was still standing motionless in his backyard, hands raised whilst Jethro´s eyes needed a moment to adjust to the semi-darkness. The longer he stared at the human being in his backyard the more he was able to make out. By then he was almost a hundred percent sure that the pick lock standing there was a woman.

"Come over, slowly." The older man ordered in a steely tone and the black-clothed person started walking towards the porch. As soon as he could really see his opponent´s face he almost dropped his weapon, completely taken aback by what he saw. "Who are you?"

"You´re really disappointing me now, Gibbs." She replied in a light tone and lowered her hands, still walking over to the gray-haired man. If her imagination isn´t making fun of her, she saw a small quiver going through the older investigator´s hand which was still holding onto the gun and aiming at her face. "Could you please lower the gun now? I won´t hurt you."

He still couldn´t believe who is walking towards him. It had to be his overtired mind, cracking some sick jokes to torture himself. Gibbs slowly contemplated her words and put his gun down, still staring at the dark-clothed woman in front of him in complete disbelief. The agent was tempted to pinch himself only to discover that he was dreaming at the moment, imagining that she was back that he wasn´t all alone anymore. "Thanks that makes me feel a lot more comfortable."

"Is that really you…" He started, but paused before he went on, afraid that she would vanish every second or that his voice would break. "…Kate?"

She just nodded and took a few more steps forward, finally reaching up to cup his stubble covered cheek with her small hand. The younger woman had never seen Jethro Gibbs looking so confused and unsettled, even vulnerable before. He looked like he needed the touch to let himself believe that she was really there, standing on his porch and touching his cheek. After a while he reached out and pulled her into him. Caitlin let him though knowing that this might be a huge mistake, but she can´t help. As much as he had to make sure that she was real, she had to feel alive again.

"Am I dreaming? Why are you here? Where have you been? I thought you…" He paused again, forcing himself to say it. "You died on that rooftop."

Kate sighed and bit her lower lip. She should have ran away when he heard him come out of the basement, but she couldn´t though she knew she had to leave him again nevertheless. She had to talk to him even it was just for a short moment. "No, you aren´t dreaming, Gibbs. I´m sorry I can´t tell you anything. I have to go."

"Kate-" He started, but she cut him off and stood on her tiptoes to softly kiss his cheek before she pulled completely away from him, immediately feeling cold as soon as his arms dropped to his sides again.

"I have to, Gibbs. You can´t do anything and please don´t try to find me." The woman said and slipped into the darkness again before he could try to get a hold of her again or say anything. This had been far too close, everything would get quite dangerous if not impossible from now on. By now his nemesis probably knew that she was there, that he didn´t kill her one and a half year ago on top of that warehouse.

Gibbs on the other hand was still surprised and stunned that Kate appeared on his porch that she had obviously been in his house. The distant rustling of the branches of the hedgerow which was surrounding his backyard told him that she was gone again and he could head-slap himself that he didn´t hold onto her, that he let her leave him again. At the same time he wondered when it became an obligation for her to stay with him or at least close to him, but he didn´t care actually after all she vanished again and he would probably see her never ever again.

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