Twenty-Six

Ellie watched Gibbs silently work on her truck as she attempted to work up the courage to say something to him, or at least ask him about what she had just witnessed.

"Just say it, Ellie." Gibbs ordered with an exasperated sigh.

"Say what?"

"Whatever it is you're too afraid to say." He replied, giving her a pointed look.

"How long?" She asked after a pause.

She knew he understood her question when he put down the wrench he was holding and just looked at her, he gave her a small shrug.

"A few days." He replied slowly, "it's not a public thing, hand me those pliers."

She handed him the pliers and nodded, she bit her lip for a moment and then summoned up the courage to ask what she really wanted to ask.

"And Rule Twelve?"

Gibbs tensed slightly but didn't look up at her as he continued to fiddle with something on her truck.

"Been more of a guideline for the last few years." He replied, giving her another look, "it's there to keep people from getting hurt… Sometimes missing out is worse than getting hurt."

Ellie nodded her understanding, she missed Qasim and thought about him almost everyday but she wouldn't have traded their time together for anything in the world. She had seen the looks Gibbs and Jack had shared over the last year, she saw that Gibbs leaned on the older blonde more than he did with anyone else, he talked to her when he avoided everyone else. Realistically she probably should have seen this coming.

"Are you happy?" She asked after a minute.

That time Gibbs looked up in surprise, he considered the question and then nodded slowly.

"She makes me smile." He admitted with a shrug, "been a long time since I've had that."

She knew what he meant, Qasim had done the same thing for her and it was one of the things she had loved most about him. Looking back she could see that Gibbs had been laughing and smiling more since Jack had arrived on the scene. They had butted heads at first but after that they had been close, closer than Ellie had seen him get with any other co-worker.

"Don't hurt her." Ellie warned after a minute.

Gibbs looked up and grinned proudly at her.

"I'll do my best." He promised.

"And you're secret's safe with me until you're ready for people to know." She added.

"Thanks, Kid."

"But when you do tell people I want to be in the room when you tell Torres."

Gibbs chuckled and nodded his head.

N*C*I*S

Gibbs lead Ellie back into the house to clean up and raised an eyebrow when he saw Jack standing in the kitchen wearing the ridiculous pink apron while mixing something in a large bowl.

"Nice apron." Ellie commented sarcastically.

"I don't have another change of clothes here." Jack explained, "and I didn't really feel like wearing raw hamburger for the rest of the day."

"What're you making?" Gibbs asked, trying to get a peak in the bowl.

"Meatloaf." Jack replied, "I figured it was my turn to make supper tonight and this was pretty much what was left for groceries so I'm not sure what we're going to have with it."

"I'll run to the store and pick up some stuff." Gibbs offered, "there's potatoes in the cupboard beside the sink, you stayin' for supper, Bishop?"

"I don't want to interrupt your night." Ellie replied.

"You're not." Jack assured her, "plus we scarred you a bit so I'm thinking we should probably feed you."

"Alright, I guess I'll stay." Ellie replied with a laugh, "As long as you're sure you don't mind."

"It's fine." Gibbs reassured her, "I'm gonna run to the store, you wanna go for a ride?"

"I think I'll just stay here."

Gibbs nodded and then tilted his head towards the stairs to let whoever cared to know that he was going to change.

Jack went back to mixing her hamburger, and watched as Ellie hopped up on the counter, noting that she stayed far away from where she had caught her and Gibbs making out like teenagers.

"Do you need any help?" Ellie asked.

"I'm good right now." Jack replied, "did you get your truck fixed?"

"For now." Ellie replied with a sigh, "It does this every few months."

Jack nodded and looked up again when she heard Gibbs come back into the kitchen in fresh jeans and a red hoodie.

"You heading out?" She asked, looking over at Gibbs while attempting to blow a piece of hair out of her face.

He nodded and reached forward to brush the hair behind her ear for her, she smiled her thanks and took her hands out of the bowl and rinsed them off.

"You want anything special?" He asked, opening the fridge to look inside.

"Maybe some green beans or carrots." Jack replied, "are you going to fight with me if I try to give you money for groceries?"

"Yes." Gibbs said as he grabbed his wallet and keys off the counter, "be back in an hour."

She shook her head with a small smile as he left the room, she heard the front door close and turned back to Ellie who was looking at the tips of her hair like they were the most fascinating thing in the world.

"Did you and Gibbs have a talk?"

Ellie looked up, pursed her lips and nodded, "He's happy, happier than I've ever seen him."

Jack could hear the implied warning in that sentence and she felt a small amount of pride wash over her as she looked at the young blonde who was so fiercely protective of Gibbs.

"I'm going to do my best not to hurt him." Jack promised.

Ellie nodded again, "I know and I trust you but…"

"But you love him and you want to make sure that he doesn't have to hurt anymore than he already has." Jack finished for her.

"Pretty much." Ellie agreed, "he's just always been there for me and now it's time for me to do the same for him."

"I get it." Jack replied, "and I promise to do my best to be what he needs."

"Okay." Ellie gave her a small nod before smirking, "I really didn't think he had it in him." She gestured to the hickey that was still visible on Jack's neck.

"Oh trust me, he does." Jack replied slyly.

"Okay ew."

"You brought it up." Jack reminded her.

"And I never will ever again." Ellie promised, "are you just about done there?"

Jack nodded and transferred the remainder of the mix into a bread pan and then placed it in the oven.

"I've got the first two seasons of Grey's Anatomy downloaded on my laptop." Jack offered as she washed her hands off again.

Ellie smiled and hopped off of the counter before following Jack into the living room.

N*C*I*S

Jack pushed her empty plate back with a contented sigh, dinner had been relaxed as Ellie regaled her and Gibbs with stories about her family and what they were up to since the last time Gibbs had seen them and Gibbs had filled Ellie in on the latest updates he had received from Tony about him and Tali.

"That was good but I think I'm going to need to walk it off." She said.

"It was amazing." Ellie agreed, "thank you both again for supper."

She stood up and starting gathering plates, Jack and Gibbs quickly joined her and cleared the table.

"I've got this, you two go do something." Jack ordered shooing them out of the kitchen.

Gibbs and Ellie both protested but she was insistent and didn't budge until they finally left, Ellie requesting to see the progress Gibbs had made on his boat. Jack had been cleaning as she worked so there weren't a lot of dishes left and within ten minutes she had everything cleaned up. She was almost surprised by how much she had enjoyed their dinner, listening to Ellie and Gibbs laugh and talk had made her night. It had been months since she had seen Ellie that relaxed and it did her heart good to see it.

By the time she finished drying the last of the dishes Gibbs and Ellie reappeared from the basement, Ellie with a smile and Gibbs with a small smirk on his face.

"Well thanks again for supper but I'm going to head out, it's a school night and I have a few things to do at home."

"So you're going to Nick's for a drink." Jack translated with a raised eyebrow.

"Psh, no." Ellie said, obviously lying.

"Go. Have fun." Jack instructed, shaking her head and laughing at the younger blonde, "not too much fun."

Ellie rolled her eyes but nodded before saying goodbye to the two older agents. Gibbs waited until she was gone before wrapping his arms around Jack's waist from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Wanna go for a walk?" He muttered against her neck.

She looked over at him in surprise but nodded slowly.

"You're okay with me wandering around your neighbourhood with you?"

"Wouldn't have asked if I wasn't." He replied.

He kissed the side of her neck and stepped back, she followed him out into the foyer and pulled on her jacket, completely ignoring the look he gave her as he pulled on his own jacket. She slipped on the tennis shoes she had brought with her and followed him out the front door and down the porch steps.

The air was cool but not overly cold and the sun was just starting to set, she glanced at her watch and sighed as she realized it was only 1745 and that this was the beginning of the end to having daylight on her drive home from work. She followed Gibbs down the street walking beside him with her hand brushing his every few steps as she studied the neighbourhood around her.

"It's a nice neighbourhood." She commented.

"I've always liked it." Gibbs agreed, "lotta younger families moving in now."

As he said this a young mother pushing a stroller and walking a large Saint Bernard approached, Jack could see the dog pulling on leash as soon as he noticed them and within seconds he was barreling towards them at full speed, his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging. He circled them sniffing excitedly while Jack put her hand down for him to sniff.

"Hey buddy." She greeted with a laugh when the dog licked her hand and leaned against her legs.

"I am so sorry about that!" The woman exclaimed, picking up the leash.

"Oh it's no big deal." Jack assured her, "if I get taken down by one hundred pounds of fur then that's just how I go."

She crouched down and rubbed the dog's belly as he wiggled happily on the ground.

"Is Brian at work?" Gibbs asked, looking at the woman.

"Yeah he got called out a couple of hours ago, I thought I would be okay to walk the dog and the baby at the same time but apparently I was wrong." She turned to Jack, "I'm Melissa."

"Jack." She replied with a friendly smile, "Nice to meet you."

"Do you want some help walking back, Missy?" Gibbs asked, looking between the stroller and the dog.

"No, I'll be okay, it's only two houses away but thank you."

"Alright, tell Brian to call me if he still needs help with that railing." Gibbs offered as he stepped aside to let Melissa pass.

"I will, thanks again Gibbs, it was nice meeting you, Jack."

"You too." Jack replied.

She fell into step beside Gibbs again as he continued on along the sidewalk. Her hand brushed against his and she looked down in surprise when he hooked his pinky around hers. It wasn't obvious and it wasn't holding hands but it was a small gesture that she appreciated nonetheless.

"She seems nice." Jack commented after a few minutes.

"Her husband works for Metro, I keep and eye on Missy and Kaylee when he's on a long case and he checks up on my place when we have to go out of town for a case." Gibbs replied, "she's a nice kid."

They made idle chitchat for a few minutes and then fell into a comfortable silence for the rest of their walk. By the time the made it back to the house the sun had disappeared over the horizon, Jack waited while Gibbs unlocked his front door and then followed him into the house, a bit unsure of how they would spend the rest of their evening.

She had spent plenty of time in Gibbs house over the last year but most of the time they either had friends, kids or members of his team with them. The night before had been overtaken by work and the night before that had started fairly late and had ended with both of them in bed together, not a bad outcome in her mind but considering it was only 1815 they still had a decent amount of time left in the evening.

"I'm gonna go take a quick shower." He said after a minute of silence.

She looked at the bit of mud and what looked like oil or grease in his hair from working on Ellie's truck and nodded.

"I've got my book." She replied, "take your time."

As she watched him turn around she knew he wouldn't take his time, despite his usual way of putting on a mask she could see how much showering still bothered him. She understood why he didn't like water on his face and when they had showered together the previous morning he had been careful to stay out of the spray or keep his back to it whenever possible. She suspected that having her there had provided a nice distraction but she knew that overcoming those types of demons took a long time, if they were ever completely overcome.

She kicked off her shoes and made her way upstairs to grab her book and glasses out of her go bag before going back down to make herself comfortable on the couch. She debated starting a fire but she wasn't sure what Gibbs would want to do with the evening so she refrained, pulling a blanket over her lap instead. It only took him ten minutes to reappear with damp hair wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt.

She had settled herself in the corner of the couch, her legs tucked under her with the book open in her lap, she glanced up at Gibbs as he started to build a small fire in the fireplace.

"Wanna watch a movie?" He asked, his voice slightly muffled with his back turned to her.

"You can actually watch a movie on your TV?" She teased.

She could practically feel him rolling his eyes as he turned from the fireplace with a goodnatured grin on his face.

"Yes, I would love to watch a movie." She added after a minute, "but if you want to work on your boat or something for a bit I can entertain myself just fine."

She saw him glance towards the basement before he shook his head and opened one of the cupboards to reveal a small stack of VHS tapes. She smirked at his collection before setting her book down and making her way over to him.

"Hmm." She said looking down at the options, "I'm thinking The African Queen."

"That's Em's favourite." Gibbs commented as he stood up, VHS in hand.

"She's got good taste."

She sat back down on the couch and stretched out so she was laying down with her head resting on a cushion in the corner of the couch. Gibbs popped in the VHS, stood up and walked into the kitchen.

"You want something to drink?"

"I'll just have a water please." She called back, "I'm still on call until midnight."

Gibbs returned to the kitchen holding a beer in one hand and a bottle of water in the other, he raised his eyebrow when he saw how she was stretched out on the couch.

"You gonna let me have a spot?"

She smirked and nodded to the empty half of the couch but moved her feet when he raised an eyebrow. He sat down and handed her her bottle of water before placing his beer on the coffee table. He grabbed the remote and started the movie.

Jack reached up and shut of the lamp on her side of the couch and Gibbs did the same on his side of the couch, she tucked her arm under her head as the film started to play. She glanced over at Gibbs when she felt him pull her feet into his lap, he pulled the blanket over both of them and slowly rubbed his hand up and down her shin, his eyes never leaving the screen.

N*C*I*S

By the time the credits were rolling Jack's eyes were drifting shut as Gibbs gently massaged her feet under the blanket. She could barely remember what the movie had been about, her attention had been too focused on the man at the other end of the couch. His hand had never left her leg throughout the movie and every once in awhile his eyes would drift over to her, and he would offer her a small grin if he caught her staring at him.

Gibbs gave her foot one final squeeze before standing up, and turning off the TV. He brought is empty beer bottle to the kitchen and then returned to the living room to find Jack sitting up, folding the blanket that had been spread across them.

"You ready for bed?" He asked.

She shook her head but yawned unconvincingly, she hadn't slept great the night before and the afternoon working outside had worn her out more than she cared to admit.

Gibbs rolled his eyes with a fond smile as he watched her stand up and stretch, although he wasn't normally one to go to bed early he was feeling pretty tired after spending the day outside and he had no doubt with Halloween being that week that there would be very little time for sleep for at least a few days.

"Go on up, just gonna lock up and I'll be there in a minute."

She nodded and yawned again as she made her way up the stairs and into his mostly dark room. She was about to turn on the light switch when she noticed a soft glow emanating from the wall near her side of the bed. She stepped around the bed and pressed her fingers to her lips when she saw the small nightlight plugged into the wall, she knew exactly why it was there and had to bite her lip to keep it from trembling as she eyed the thoughtful gesture. To anyone else it would seem small but to her it was perfect.

"It has a sensor so it turns on when it gets dark." Gibbs explained from the doorway.

She turned around to find him watching her with an unsure look on his face.

"I can get another one if it's not enough… Or I can get rid of it… Just thought it might help." He muttered, suddenly felling very unsure of the himself.

Jack made her way around the bed and stepped up to him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes to place a gentle kiss on his lips.

"It's perfect." She whispered before kissing him again, this time deeper.

Gibbs' hands landed on her waist as she turned them around and guided him backwards until the back of his knees hit the mattress. He sat down and grinned into the kiss when she positioned herself in his lap, she broke the kiss long enough to pull his shirt over his head and trailed her lips across his cheek and then down his neck. He opened his eyes in surprise when he felt her stand up but quickly closed them with a quiet groan as he realized exactly what she was doing. He spread his legs to grant her the space she was silently asking for as she kissed a trail down his chest, over his stomach to the waistband of his pants.

N*C*I*S

Jack's head hit the pillow with a shaky but content sigh, "That should be illegal." She muttered.

Gibbs placed a kiss on the inside of her thigh and rested his chin on her abdomen as her leg slid off of his shoulder. He chuckled softly as he watched her blissed out expression and outright laughed when she moaned as he withdrew his fingers from her.

"Oh my god." She whispered, her hand running through his hair as she tried to gather her thoughts and stop her legs from shaking.

Gibbs placed one more kiss on her abdomen before pulling himself up over her, he gave her a lazy kiss before rolling them over so she was laying on top of him. She burrowed her face into the side of his neck with a happy sigh and reached down blindly to pull the covers over them.

She was trying to just enjoy the moment and not let her mind wander to what would happen when they returned to work the following day. The weekend had been like a safe little cocoon for them and she was afraid that once Gibbs returned to work, and his rules, he would realize that this had been a mistake, that she had been a mistake and she wasn't ready for that. She felt his hand gently tracing over her lower back and tried to focus on that instead.

So that's about as M-Rated as this particular story is going to get, however I did get a lot of more M-Rated prompts for As You Wish so I'm attempting something for that one but we'll see if I actually publish it… I hope everyone enjoyed, I don't own anything but I absolutely love to hear from you guys!

~Katie