AN: Sorry about the long delay...explanation? Well I started this chapter a while ago but the laptop got a virus and I lost it...but in the long run that was good for those of you who are Kibbs fans, because I took a totally different spin on the chapter after loosing most of it...so for Iheartkibbs I give you chapter 25. let me know what ya think. dark rolling sea.

Gibbs was frustrated. He was beginning to feel the day was wasted, and only hoped that Devin and Eddie had made progress in Arizona. They had tried to reach Detective Tomayo, but Jordan had already instructed the man not to speak with them. Gibbs was beginning to despise Deputy Chief Alex Jordan.

Now he and Kate sat in Culver City outside the state run nursing care center. They had come down to talk to Retired Detective Jesus Gonzales about what he remembered from the case, and had gotten nowhere. It wasn't that the man had dementia, or even that he had a failing memory. Actually for a man of seventy-eight Gibbs found him in decent mental health. His physical health was another story.

But in the long run, even without Jordan running interference, Gonzales had shut down on them and refused to even discus the case with them. He had grown agitated and the staff had asked them politely to leave the facility.

Leaning against the car, Gibbs replayed the older man's reactions in his mind. Kate was sitting in the passenger side, staring at him, but he didn't take the time to explain to her. He just rolled the interview continuously in his mind. Something was wrong with the reaction; something was keeping the old man from speaking.

Fear was the main component that Gibbs had seen. Something from that time had scared Detective Gonzales, enough to continue to scare him today. Maybe he knew something and had been spared, granted he never opened his mouth. Or maybe, those that had killed the Riley family didn't know Gonzales knew what he knew, and Gonzales aimed to keep it that way.

Gibbs ducked his head, one arm draped over the open car door, the other resting along the top of the frame. He looked at Kate, noting her confused expression as to why they were still in the parking lot and not headed back to the station house. He sighed and shook his head, the interview still bothering him.

"Care to share?" Kate asked tilting her head to the side. Gibbs was momentarily distracted as her hair shifted around her face. He let the distraction carry him briefly before he reeled himself back in and nodded slowly.

"Something off in Gonzales. He knows something about what happened, either in the Drogan case, or the Riley case. But I'm thinking it's all the same now."

"All the same?"

"Whoever killed Riley did it because of the extra work he was doing on the Drogan case."

"Possibly. It could be a number of reasons."

"No, it's too closely linked, especially with the FBI guy missing, and everyone we want to talk to that was involved in Drogan clamping down."

"Ok, for the sake of argument, Riley was killed because he found out who killed the other seven victims. What now?"

"We bring Gonzales in and sweat him," Gibbs said absently, his eyes turning to look out the windshield instead of at Kate. She huffed incredulously drawing his attention back to her.

"Seriously? Gibbs, the guy's like eighty. You're going to drag him out of an old folk's home and sit him downtown in an interrogation room and sweat him without probable cause other than your gut? Good luck with the lawyer that gets a hold of you."

"You got a problem, Agent Todd?" Gibbs asked his voice laced with anger he didn't mean to direct at Kate. He knew it was simply frustration but he couldn't help himself.

"Gibbs, listen, I know that this is all frustrating, but we can't force these people to work with us, and we can't drag an eighty year old man downtown to sweat with no evidence," she replied in a soft tone that made him instantly sorry for his retort. He sighed and nodded in concession. He slipped into the car and sat for a moment thinking. He felt her hand gently land on his shoulder but he forced himself not to look at her. He needed to concentrate and the feeling that shot through his body at the contact was not helping.

"I hope Devin had more luck in Arizona," Gibbs replied. He was still racking his brain on what to do next when Kate spoke.

"Maybe Hollywood has heard from Wexler. He said he was going to check into some things for us, maybe he's got something," Kate said.

"Watson would have called," Gibbs replied absently. What he wanted to do was go in and press Gonzales, but Kate was right, it just wasn't going to happen. "We need to check out Deputy Chief Jordan. Find out everything we can."

He saw Kate nodding but he didn't acknowledge. Her hand was still sitting on his shoulder, rubbing softly in absent circles. Gibbs wasn't even sure if Kate knew she was doing it, but it was driving him crazy. He pushed it out of his mind and focused on the task at hand, dig into Jordan. He was the key in all this.

He pulled his phone out and called Tony. After three harsh barks, he finally got Tony to stop asking questions and relayed his request to the younger agent. Kate tilted her head to the side and dropped her hand. Gibbs noticed the absence of contact immediately.

"Just do it, DiNozzo," Gibbs gritted. He was tired of having to explain himself. "Yeah, Deputy Chief Alexander Jordan, Los Angeles Police Department. And keep it off the radar please…call me back when you have something solid."

After snapping the phone shut, he looked over at Kate with a blank expression. Her eyes were looking right back at him, shinning bright with curiosity. He let the moment hang, sensing the electricity in the car before he spoke.

"I've got DiNozzo looking into Jordan, hopefully he can find something on him that we can use," Gibbs said, just to be saying something because the silence was beginning to make him nervous. He gave himself an internal head slap to try and help focus.

He found Kate probing his face and it made him slightly uneasy, but he kept his face the normal block of stone. He figured it didn't matter, Kate would be able to read his eyes anyway, in a way he never was quite sure how. Unnerved by her sudden scrutiny he looked out the front window to break the spell.

"What?" he asked realizing he was the only one to speak in the last ten minutes. She hadn't uttered a word since before he called DiNozzo, just simply sat staring at him.

"I've seen you work cases," Kate began and Gibbs looked at her. It was his turn to be curious. "I've seen the pit bull latch onto the bone and not let go, I've seen you be relentless in pursuit of a suspect…but this."

She paused, thinking. Gibbs didn't want to interrupt her thoughts. Hell he wasn't even sure he knew what he could say to that. She was profiling him, peeling away the layers, looking at something most people don't get to see and all while he had the hatches buttoned down tight. How this woman was able to do that to him he didn't know, but it amazed him to no end.

"This case is so much more to you," she finished softly. Gibbs rolled the statement over in his mind a moment and thought about it. She was right, this case was so much more to him, and in return so much more frustrating.

"I screwed up with Devin the first time," Gibbs began but stopped. Kate's hand had darted up to his jaw, cupping it gently, her fingertips caressing softly. He closed his eyes at the sudden unexpected contact before swallowing down the heat that rushed his body.

"You didn't screw up, Gibbs," Kate said softly.

"I did. I abandoned her. I didn't even visit, call, or make sure she knew I was in her life."

"But you were still there, in the background. She knows that now."

"But I should have been in the foreground then," he admitted softly. "I let my own grief overrun. Honestly after Nick took her, it was four years before I checked up on her again. Four years."

"You'd just lost your wife and daughter. Your family," Kate reasoned with him, her hand leaving his jaw to scoop up his hand. He looked at her.

"But she had lost so much more," Gibbs replied sadly. "She had no one but me. I dropped her."

Kate didn't have a reply for him so he looked away, their hands still tangled. He liked the feel of her smaller hand in his, something he didn't normally care about. He hadn't sought minor physical affection from a woman in a long time, which was part of the problem with his long list of exes. But none of them had offered the same kind of comfort and electricity that Kate's touch brought.

After a brief hesitation on his part, he quickly swooped over the middle of the car and placed his lips on hers. He had given her no warning and caught her completely off guard. He stilled, waited for her to catch up, and then started to softly move against her. She countered his movements and Gibbs let go and lost himself in the sensations.

Unlike the previous night that had been hesitant and slow, Gibbs felt the need to dive in deeper. He ran his tongue slowly along her lips before she parted and he thrust it forward. She met him with the same intensity and passion and both were lost in the battle of emotion.

He dropped her hand, so he could use his own to tangle in the hair on the back of her head, holding her close, afraid it would all disappear. It was the burning deep in his lungs that made him pull back, his hand lingering in her hair. She leaned against the door and smiled at him shyly. He could feel the grin expanding on his face, and his tongue quickly ran along his lips. Once his breathing resembled something of normal, and he was sure he could trust his voice he spoke.

"I should have done this years ago," he said half to himself as he tried to control the heat of arousal that was assaulting his body. His mind flitted on the back seat of the car for just a fleeting moment before rational thought took over and clobbered him over the head. Kate deserved more than a backseat of a rental car from him, especially a first time. The thought shocked him slightly and it must have shown on his face.

"This kiss or something else?" Kate's voice was full of mischief and he swallow down the desire threatening to turn him into a Neanderthal with a club. He didn't trust himself to answer so he grinned instead. Kate watched him for a moment, but then he noticed the sobering look on her face.

"What's wrong?" He asked as another icicle of fear hit him. He was frustrated with himself with these pangs of fear that continued to assault him around Kate. When did he become unable to keep his emotions in check? Why was he so afraid of someone leaving him? It wouldn't be the first time, and it's not like they'd been involved for a long time.

"Where are we going with this?" Kate asked. Her hand waved around in a circle when she said this and Gibbs thought a moment. He watched her eyes and saw the uncertainty in them. He wanted to sooth it away, to let her know it wasn't just a simple emotional meltdown for him.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking," Gibbs breathed out in a sigh, the emotions and the fast pace of the last couple days catching up with him. "Since what you said in Dad's kitchen a couple days ago."

"About what?"

"Being happy and what it means to me. About letting go of ghosts, seeing the future for what it is. I think I've seen what is in front of me, and I'm pretty sure I like it," Gibbs replied softly.

"And what is it that you see?" Kate asked and he could hear the worry in her voice. He smiled smoothly, letting the grin light up his eyes as he put his response together.

"You asked where we are going with this. My only answer is wherever you want to take it," Gibbs stated and then sat back against the door frame and waited. He had put the ball in her court. He was still fighting the heat in his body, wanting to reach out and touch her, kiss her. But he managed to control himself. It was up to her now.

He felt her gaze searching him, looking for the answers in his eyes, and for the first time in a long time, he let his defenses down. He gave her everything he could, letting the emotion surface, but he knew in that move that he couldn't hold back part of it, and she would see the arousal in him. He felt the shiver rip through his body as her hand found his thigh just above his knee.

Gibbs watched a small grin expand on her face as she felt the shiver, and he was slightly embarrassed by it and didn't know why. With her left hand still on his right leg, her right hand came up to his chest. Her fingers splayed gently over his heart, and he felt it quicken, pushing blood through his body at a much higher rate than normal. Heat rose in him and he closed his eyes to control it. When he opened them again, she was staring at him and it took his breath away, and caused a ripple to float through his stomach. Arousal enveloped him and he struggled to keep his hands idle.

Her hand moved slowly, brushing ever so slightly against his shirt, towards his shoulder. The soft friction it created against his skin was maddening and he wasn't sure how long he could keep himself in check. One look at Kate and he saw she was rather enjoying what she was doing to him. He cleared his throat and sucked in a deep breath when her left hand skirted up his leg more.

Her eyes dropped from his and he knew what she was looking at. His state of arousal was pretty obvious now and he swallowed hard to clear his head. Kate's hands continued their soft exploration and Gibbs again cleared his throat. He was done holding back. When her eyes came back to his, she let out a sound of surprise at the smoldering she found staring back at her. He leaned forward quickly and crushed his lips on hers, pushing her backwards into her seat. He moved with aggression, claiming her mouth as his. Their tongues danced and dueled for control as his hands roamed up and down her sides, caressing her skin through her shirt.

As he continued to push against her he heard a soft groan escape from her throat. Taking it as a cue, he used his left hand to pull her shirt from the suit pants and then slipped it underneath to feel her heated skin. Her muscles rippled under his touch and he wanted to feel it again. Flatting his palm against her ribs and slowly rubbed upwards feeling her muscles bunch with each inch. He broke contact with her mouth so he could suck in a breath, then slowly kissed a path down her jaw and onto her neck. She arched so more skin was accessible and Gibbs continued his assault.

His hand continued its trek up her ribs and finally made it to his desired destination. He felt her shiver when he closed it around her breast slipping a finger under her bra for skin on skin contact. Her hands came up to his jaw and peeled his mouth away from her neck, forcing him into another tongue dueling kiss. Gibbs didn't deny her. His right hand slipped behind her and his fingertips traced her spine lightly, sending another shiver through her.

Her hands were frantically pulling his polo from his jeans, before she gripped his sides underneath it. He was painfully aware of his arousal now as he continued to kiss her and run his hands along her body. Feeling her fingers run up his sides and over his pecks sent a tumble of butterflies in his stomach as heat raced through him.

His mind was ready to move to the next step but suddenly he panicked and stopped. He pulled back breathing hard and slumped into his seat. Kate looked bewildered, and sexy as hell. She stared at him perplexed and he waited until he could calm himself before he started the car and snapped his seatbelt into place. Kate looked at him curiously, and he could tell she hadn't figured out why he abruptly stopped what was about to happen.

"Not here," he said roughly and Kate seemed to look around for the first time. He saw the slight embarrassment creep into her face and he nodded. Both of them had forgotten they were in a public parking lot, at a nursing home.

The drive from Culver City to their hotel had seemed to take forever, but finally they had made it. Gibbs steered Kate towards his room, shoving the door open and her inside. His arousal had subsided slightly, but not completely. As soon as he had the door shut behind him he grabbed Kate by the arm and spun her into him, resuming where he had left off.

As his mouth dueled with hers in another heated searing kiss, his hands pawed at her shirt. Gibbs was having issues with the buttons and decided it was taking too long and simply pulled the shirt apart. He heard her protest against his mouth but he didn't give her long to think about it. Tossing the shirt to the ground, he removed her bra quickly and dropped his head to her exposed breast.

She let out a soft moan as his tongue flicked over her hardened nipple, before he dropped his mouth to it. Her hands fought distractedly with his buckle as he continued his exploration of her exposed body. His hand dropped down to help her, as she couldn't seem to remove the leather strap. He needed to make more room, his arousal becoming painful again in his pants.

Gibbs finally got his belt undone, as he left her breast and kissed her mouth again. He backed them up towards the bed and pushed Kate down when he reached his destination. He stood a moment and staring at her, before he released his pants, letting them drop to the ground. Kate scooted up fully onto the bed and waited.

Gibbs dropped down onto her, suspending his weight on his arms. She lay cradled under him, his legs on either side of hers. He kissed her lips softly and slowly. The case, the stress, was all forgotten in the moment as he explored her body, something, he suddenly realized, he has wanted to do for a very long time. He gives in and lets his body go on auto pilot, as the sensations wash over him.

Gibbs' mind pulls groggily from sleep. He is slightly confused by aching muscles and the fact that the bed is warm next to him, before his mind snaps to the activity before he fell asleep. A smile crosses his face before it is interrupted by an incessant chirping noise. He glances at Kate before scanning the room, looking for the offending object that awoke him.

It was coming from his pants, the cell phone clipped to his belt, his foggy mind registered. He removed himself from Kate and slid from the bed as carefully as he could. He grabbed his phone a second after the last ring and stifled a curse that would surely wake Kate. He flipped the screen open and frowned as he noticed it was the second call he had missed, only seconds apart. Both had come from a California number. Gibbs hit redial and waited.

"Homicide, Detective Watson."

"Rayford, its Agent Gibbs. You've been trying…" Gibbs started but was cut off by the younger man.

"Detective Wexler was found murdered."

"When?" Gibbs asked as the agent in him kicked into gear. His earlier activities brushed aside for the moment. He noticed Kate stir in the bed after his harsh reply and turned away from her.

"We just got word. I already told Devin. They're on their way back."

"What happened?"

"We don't know yet, just that he was killed sometime late last night to early morning."

Gibbs glanced at the clock on the bedside and frowned. "Then why are we just now finding out?"

"I don't know, but I think you should come on in."

"Yeah, give us twenty," Gibbs replied before snapping the phone shut. Kate's voice behind him caused him to turn around.

"Now that's a sight I could wake up to every morning," she said with a yawn and a smile. But the smile disappeared when she saw Gibbs' face. "What's wrong?"

"Detective Brain Wexler was murdered last night. Get dressed we need to go in," Gibbs replied. He could hear the exhaustion in his voice as he rubbed his neck before grabbing his clothes off the floor. Kate had nodded and was starting to get dressed.