Her windows were wide open, letting in the fresh breeze off the lake, though it was nearly negated by the stagnant heat of the day. She was lying on her bed, reading, a glass of lemonade beside the bed, her hair tied back because of the oppressive heat. It was her day off again, and naturally she was content to just sit there and read all morning.

Of course, she'd just gotten comfortable, so there had to be a knock at the door. She groaned, and swung her legs off the bed, only to hear the door open. She froze, then reached for her bedside table, where she still kept her old Glock.

She relaxed when she heard the voices downstairs, realizing it was Meredith, Drew, Gibbs and Kelly.

And then she was oddly embarrassed, running down the stairs, realizing that the house was a mess, and once again, she'd forgotten to buy groceries. She had a fantastic mind, and an aptitude for math, but her memory was somewhat lacking these days.

Meredith was holding a bag of groceries, and was smiling. Drew had a bag of food. Gibbs and Kelly were carrying… cleaning supplies?

Kate crossed her arms, feely odd self-conscious. "What are you guys doing here?"

"You told me last week that you wanted the house cleaned. And cleaned out," Mer pointed out.

"Yeah, and…?"

"It's your day off. So we figured we'd come help you tackle this musty old house. And we'll start by opening all the windows."

"But why do I smell diner food?" Kate asked.

"Kelly had to stop for a milkshake on the way to your place," Gibbs explained.

She grinned at Kelly. "Miss Hollow Leg strikes again?"

Kelly nodded. "I'm helping too."

Gibbs cleared his throat, "I was thinking that Drew and Mer could start with the living room and kitchen, and Kate?"

She stared at him for a second, before answering. "Yes?"

"You and I can work in the garage."

"What about Kelly?"

"Kelly here," he patted his daughter on the back as he spoke. "Will be cleaning up the bedrooms."

"Oh, there isn't really anything in the bedrooms worth cleaning up," Kate dismissed.

"Good news Kel, you get an easy job today. Don't slack off, or you're not gettin' dinner."

"Oh, Meredith will feed me, won't you Mer?"

Meredith rolled her eyes, looking as pale as she had the night before, when she'd left work early to go home. "Sure kiddo." She ruffled Kelly's hair. "You bet I'll feed you."

Kate pointed at her on her way out to the garage, "No going through my stuff."

"I'm hurt. You don't trust me?" Kelly smiled angelically.

"You act innocent, but you can be a little devil," Kate said with a slight smile, "So no. And stay out of my bedside table."

"Is that where you keep all your love letters from your secret boyfriend?" Mer asked.

"Secret girlfriend?" Drew chimed in.

Kate glared at them. "Go eat a sponge."

"C'mon, Mer, can't you see we have work to do?" Drew asked, gesturing at the living room. "This place smells like a morgue crossed with a flower shop."

"Did you forget where I work?" Kate asked.

Drew stuck his tongue out at her.

"So mature. I'm so glad you don't have kids, because you are not ready for fatherhood."

Meredith smiled feebly, as Drew grinned at her. "You hear that, Mer? We're not allowed to have kids."

"Ah, ah," Gibbs wagged a finger at him. "Kate didn't say that. She just said you're not allowed."

Drew's mouth dropped open, "That's discrimination!"

"Nope." Kate waved at him as she left. "Gibbs, I'll meet you in the garage."

Drew leaned in and whispered as Gibbs passed, "Be sure to wear a hazmat suit."

"I heard that!"

Drew winced. "Put in a good word for me, will you Gibbs?"

Gibbs grinned. "Sorry Brennan, you're on your own."

Gibbs jogged to catch up with Kate, who was already pulling up the garage door. "You should really lock your door you know," he said, coming up behind her.

She shrieked as she spun around, punching him in the shoulder, before realizing who it was. She took a deep breath, then smiled at him. "Why? I know everyone in this town."

"Or at least get a big dog," he pleaded. "It's not safe for a woman to just be alone in a house without-,"

"Without a man to protect her?" Kate cut in, unamused as she looked at the dusty boxes.

"Hey." Gibbs' focus was somewhere else. It was on the red truck sitting in the garage, abandoned, with a fine layer of dust covering its surface. "What's this?"

"What does it look like?" she asked, grabbing a box.

"Well it looks like a truck."

"Very astute," she mimicked him. "Gold star."

He rolled his eyes. "Kate, I'm a little confused, I'm gonna need ya to explain somethin' to me."

"Yes?" she asked.

"If ya have a truck, why do ya walk everywhere?"

"Because it's broken down. Doesn't run. I don't have the money for a new one."

He shook his head. "We'll hav to fix that, won't we?"

She blinked, staring at him. "What?"

"We'll have to fix the truck. I can't just have ya walkin' everywhere. What if ya gotta go somewhere outside of Lake Allen?"

"I don't go anywhere, Gibbs. The flower shop is pretty much my life now."

He sighed, "Look, Kate, I'll fix the damn truck for ya."

"I don't need charity." Her voice was ice.

"I never said you did. I'm just…" he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. "I want to thank ya for the warm welcome… and for you and your friends adoptin' Kelly and I into the family."

"Gibbs… It's just what we do." She shrugged. She reached up and grabbed another box, and he took it from her, setting it down on the floor of the garage.

"What's all this?" he asked.

"Family pictures, probably." She was already reaching for the next box. He tugged the dusty box out of the garage, and into the backyard. Family Pictures was indeed scrawled across the side of the box. He was curious, and opened the box while Kate's back was turned.

The first thing he found was a photo of Kate from her high school graduation. Cap and gown, brilliant smile, and a smattering of freckles he'd definitely noticed the last time he'd been close enough to look. As well, she didn't look nearly as haunted.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He nearly dropped the frame, surprised, but recovered in time, turning around to look at the older, sadder version of Kate. "What?"

"My family pictures." She was staring at the box, and bit her lip, nervously.

He stood up. "I can just… put them back in the garage if you want."

She smiled. "You can look at all the pictures later, Gibbs. Honestly."

"Later?" he asked.

"We were supposed to be cleaning the garage." She was smiling though. "I see where your daughter gets her distractibility from."

"Hey." He was laughing too, as he set down the photo again. He wondered why there weren't any photos of Kate or her family inside the house. Why were they all packed away in the garage, rotting away just like the truck Kate never drove?

He followed her back inside the garage, and then his phone rang.

Kate was lost in thought and didn't notice him duck out, but she did hear the sound of him cursing under his breath as he answered. She opened the next box, which held a bunch of her books from when she was a child. She had to show those to Kelly, without a doubt. She opened her mouth to mention it to Gibbs, and that was when she turned around to see that he had vanished. Shrugging, she set the heavy box of books down on the floor. The next box she checked had family memorabilia scrawled across in her grandfather's handwriting. Her grandmother had added to the box, so Kate sat down on a lawn chair to look through the box.

The first thing she found, sealed in plastic, was the gown that she and her siblings had been baptized in. The list tucked into the plastic had the names of all her ancestors who had worn the gown. It gave her a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach to see both her mother's name and her grandmother's name on it, now that both of them were dead. Her mother had been dead for twenty-two years, and it still stung to see the name Rosalie Joan Murray written in her grandmother's careful handwriting. She moved it aside, trying to stop the tears from welling up in her eyes, and failing.

"You okay, Katie?" came a soft voice from the doorway. She looked up, only to see that Gibbs was back. He was giving off a not-so-positive vibe, and she suddenly burned with curiosity to know exactly what had just happened.

She wiped the tears on the back of her hand. "I'm fine. What about you? You don't look too happy."

"Don't get married Kate," he said, walking over with a half-smile on his face. "Men are bastards."

"I'd disagree but…" His smile grew. "Why particularly?"

"Well, because all women want to do is divorce us. My divorce, specifically, is final. As of… let me see… today."

"Your divorce?" she asked.

"Second divorce," he amended.

She sighed, and rolled her eyes. "You sure know how to pick a keeper, don't you Gibbs?"

"I thought I did once, but then she died. So…" he shrugged.

Another thought struck Kate. "Did you come here to escape your divorce?"

"No, I needed to get away from work for the summer."

She nodded, as though this was a perfectly acceptable explanation for why he had taken four months off from his important government agent job. "Okay."

"Kate?"

She looked up. "What is it, Gibbs?"

"Have ya ever left Lake Allen?"

"What?" she asked.

"I just… feel like I know ya from somewhere."

"Where the hell could you know me from?" Kate asked.

"Well that's why I asked."

"It doesn't matter where I was, because…" she waved her hand dismissively, "I'm right back where I started."

He leaned in, his blue eyes capturing her in his gaze. "I very much doubt that."

She smiled, albeit reluctantly. She kept looking through the box, handing things to Gibbs. And then, she paused, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Gibbs was watching her, and asked, "Kate..?"

"It's nothing."

"If ya think I'm that dumb, Katie…"

"Okay, okay." She pulled out a faded-looking envelope from the bottom of the box. When she held it up, he saw that it was addressed to her.

Caitlin.

"Ah. Who's it from?" he asked.

"It's my grandmother's handwriting." Her voice was shaky, and on an impulse, he reached over, grabbing her hand, and holding it. She smiled at him gratefully. "I've never seen it before."

He squeezed her hand, "Want me to leave?"

Shaking her head, she opened it, and then read out loud.

"My dearest Caitlin Rose,

Today you are leaving home, to go off on your next great adventure. I know that both of your parents would be just as proud as I am, without a doubt. They did not have the privilege I did of getting to know you as you grew up, but I know that they would love you, as I do. You're leaving home, and it breaks my heart- though I know it is necessary. You are so very brave, my little treasure, and I know you will do great things. I am so very proud of you. Love you darling.

Grandma Jean. Xoxo

Kate's voice gave out, and she buried her face in her hands.

"Katie?" he asked, not allowing the wavering in his voice to show. It was an emotionally-charged note, and clearly Kate was still reeling from its words. "Please, are you okay?"

Kate wiped at her eyes, furiously. "It has to be all the dust in the air. I'm sorry, Gibbs. Really." She stood up, pulling away, and he reluctantly released her hand.

"Onward?" he asked.

She smiled, "This garage isn't getting any cleaner. Oh!" She grabbed a rag from the hood of the truck, and dabbed at his nose. "You have a smudge of dirt on your face."

He grinned down at her, "So am I allowed to work on your truck then, Katie?"

She slapped the rag to his chest. "Clean the garage, and then we'll see."

Smirking he followed her deeper into the dusty recesses of her childhood.

XNCISX

They were sitting in the backyard, eating and laughing. Gibbs had made a pasta dish with Meredith's fresh groceries, and they were all competing over who had the best stories to tell. It had turned into a bit of a competition, the more outrageous stories leaving them all in giggles.

"Okay, okay, but seriously." Kate cleared her throat, taking a sip of her drink. "So we were on a vacation, we were coming home from Myrtle Beach."

"Myrtle Beach? Ooh la la!" Drew hiccupped. "Very touristy, Kate."

"So we stopped in at a hotel in West Virginia- talk about backwoods- and we hadn't even checked in yet, but there was a cow in the parking lot!"

Drew snorted.

Kelly was staring, open-mouthed. "A cow? A real live cow?"

"Yes, Kelly. It was an udder disaster," Meredith teased. Gibbs was chuckling.

Drew stood up, "Kate, Mer, you remember my grandfather, right?"

"Who could forget old Allan?" Meredith was giggling into her napkin.

"Gibbs, Kelly, my grandfather was known for two things- telling bad jokes-,"

"Drew got that from him," Meredith said in a stage whisper.

"And wearing these hats. And we were on a road trip- I'll be damned if I remember where we were going, but still-,"

"Oh get on with it," Gibbs said, rolling his eyes.

"He left his hat in a Dairy Queen in Nashville, and then remembered two days after we left Nashville."

"Really?" Kelly was delighted.

"Yeah, but get this-," Drew grinned. "On our way back through Nashville two weeks later, we stopped at the same Dairy Queen and picked up his hat- right where he left it!"

Meredith and Kate burst out laughing.

Kelly was giggling quietly to herself. Gibbs couldn't help but chuckle right along with Drew.

Meredith grinned at them, leaving her drink on the table. "I have a great story for all of y'all."

"Meredith's genteel Southern roots are showing!" Drew yelled.

She smiled at him, and then it turned into a smirk. "So, Gibbs, you may not know this, but fun fact: I actually went to school to be a journalist."

"Actually?" he asked.

"You worked for a newspaper? Really?" Kelly was stunned.

Kate toasted Mer. "I can vouch for her, I was there. Well, for the schooling part, anyway."

"You were too black-out drunk most of the time!" Mer yelled back.

"Go on with your story," Gibbs urged.

"Anyway, anyway, so after I completed the journalism program, I got to go work in Savannah, Georgia for a year, as a journalist for one of the small daily newspapers. While I was there, I lived with two other journalists from the paper- the crime beat reporter and the entertainment reporter."

"That sounds like a sitcom," Drew interjected.

"Shut up," Kate elbowed him to keep him quiet.

"So because I lived with the reporter who did the crime beat, it meant that we had a police scanner in the house, so that she could always follow the latest story- she was a damn fine ambulance chaser, make no mistake! So one night, we were having a big party with all the other journalists, drinking enough to cause permanent liver damage..." she trailed off, realizing that there was a ten-year-old in their midst.

"She's heard worse," Drew dismissed.

Kelly grinned. "C'mon Mer, I want to hear the story!"

"Okay, okay… so we were all drinking like crazy, and because it's an entire house full of journalists, we're all talking shop, even if we're completely plastered. And then, the police scanner starts going crazy, and starts spouting off a story about a fire. And the journalists in the room collectively realize that said fire is only a few streets away from where we live. So naturally, what do we do? A room full of journalists, no matter how plastered, have to follow the story. We all head out into the street, trying to figure out which way we're supposed to go, because we figured a bunch of drunk journalists would make a really great story out of a house fire, no matter how plastered we've gotten. We all wanted the story, thinking that maybe this gets our name in the paper. It was after midnight, and we still considered it a good idea to show up to the scene of a terrible fire, and chase ambulances! Conclusion: Don't have parties full of journalists… or just don't let them out of the house when they have too much to drink."

Everyone was laughing by that point.

"Christ, Mer, how come I never heard that story?" Drew was laughing so hard, he was nearly crying.

"Because, Drew, you said I seemed like a genteel Southern lady."

"I'd like to say," Kate cleared her throat, "That you'd look terrible in a ballgown."

Meredith stuck her tongue out at her. "Shut up. I have way too much dirt on you for you to joke around like this!"

Kate grinned at Mer. "Thankfully I have all kinds of stories of teenage stupidity- specifically your stupid teenager moments, Mer."

"Like you're any better?"

"I just followed you into most of those stupid acts!"

"Didn't you know better than to trust me?"

"I'm gonna need a story behind this."

"Well," Kate smiled, "Do you want to know why I'm afraid of snakes?"

"You're afraid of snakes?" Kelly asked.

"Yes, and kid, don't get any ideas about stuffing a snake into my bed before you leave tonight, because I know where you live."

"Okay, just tell the story." Gibbs cut in.

"So Mer and I were hiking by the lake, back when we were…. Fourteen? I think?"

Mer nodded. "Fourteen."

"Anyway… we were on a hike, and on said hike, we may have come across a rattlesnake."

"A rattlesnake?"

"Yep. A rattlesnake."

"You just attract trouble, don't ya?" Gibbs asked, smiling across the table at Kate. She smiled back.

"Mer attracts trouble, if I'm being honest. And anyway, we came across a rattlesnake. I was totally okay with not going anywhere near it, because snake bite is really not my idea of a good time. But Mer- Mer thought otherwise. Because she was fearless as a teenager. And by fearless, I just mean really stupid. So what does she do? She throws rocks."

"At a rattlesnake?" Gibbs asked, horrified. "Do ya have a death wish?"

"No." She shrugged. "I was just a thrill seeker back then. Should have heard Kate scream."

Gibbs smiled, shaking his head.

XNCISX

Gibbs and Drew were cleaning up in the backyard, with Kelly's help. Mer and Kate were in the kitchen, trying to clean the dishes.

"Jesus, whatever Gibbs made this sauce with, it's now sticking to the pan like cement!" Mer was working hard at scrubbing the pan, but in the dim light of the kitchen, Kate noticed the dark circles under her eyes, and started putting pieces together.

"Mer?"

She turned, to watch Kate scrub down the counter. "What is it?"

"What's going on with you lately?"

"What?"

"Are you still sick?"

"No, I feel better."

Kate scrubbed the counter viciously, saying bitterly, "I know when you're lying, remember. What's going on?"

"It's nothing, Kate. Really. It's just a bug."

"You should go see a doctor, if it's still lingering. Especially considering no one else has gotten your bug." Her voice was dripping with worry.

Mer shook her head. "I don't need a parent, Kate."

"I never said you did. I'm just looking out for you. Isn't that my job?"

"It's Drew's job, actually."

"Has he noticed what's up with you?"

"No."

"Bullshit."

"Ah, watch it Katie."

She spun around to see Gibbs standing in the doorway, Kelly behind him. "Can I help you, Gibbs?"

"I'll be around tomorrow to work on your truck. Can ya leave me the keys?"

"You can pick them up when you drop Kelly off at the shop tomorrow morning. Help yourself to whatever is in the cupboard."

He walked over, smiling. "I wasn't kiddin', you should get a dog."

"You're vicious enough, even if you aren't permanent. Probably good at snarling too… Do you drool?"

He grinned, shaking his head. "Only when I see a pretty lady." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks Katie. G'night."

He left, leaving her standing there with heated cheeks, and a thank you of her own left to die on her lips.