Title: Reactions
Author: Claudia J. Chan (Claudie)
Genre: angst, and romance, existing relationship
Archive: Well.... I have my website or fanfiction.net Don't own them, don't sue me!
Spoiler Alert: "One Shot, One Killed"
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kate noted that Gibbs' house's light was off. She tried calling him again, but still, the machine answered. Taking a deep breath, she killed the ignition and stepped out into the brisk cold night.
As she walked toward his house, she tried to calm her fear, telling herself that he was okay now, probably just too focused on his boat to realize the phone was ringing – or he just chose to ignore it.
She knocked and a minute later, she heard a shout, "I'm not interested in anything you have. Leave me alone."
"It's me, Gibbs," Kate shouted back before her mind could tell her to just leave, that it was a stupid idea coming up here in the first place anyway. She shook her head, trying not to think of the irony that they were involved for weeks, and she still called him Gibbs, not Jethro, and definitely not Leroy. So impersonal.
"Just open the damn door then," his shout came again.
Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and walked into Jethro Gibbs' world. She looked around, saw that he was not in the living room, and turned immediately toward the door that led to the basement.
"Kate, you should know by now that I don't lock my front door," he had stopped working already and greeted her at the end of the staircase. "Why do you knock every time you come over?"
"It's your personal space and your life," she reasoned softly. "I don't want to intrude."
Gibbs was surprised by her thought. He thought he was doing a good job in nurturing their relationship - apparently not.
"What are you talking about, Kate? You are always welcome in my home, and you are definitely not intruding. You are important to me, Kate, and I would love to spend more time with you, whenever we can. You're welcome all the time."
"Don't say things because you think I want to hear them, Gibbs," She glanced at him sadly before walking away. The confused look on his face prompted her to explain herself, "You say all these things about I'm important, but you do things with a totally different mentality."
"Kate, what do you mean?" he approached her slowly, not wanting to crowd her but still wanted to be close. "What do you mean I do things with a totally different mentality?"
"Your work is always important to you, right?" she looked at him in the eyes for the first time since she walked into his basement. "You would do everything for your work, right?"
"You know my work is very important to me," he stated.
"And nothing will ever be more important that that, right? Not even your life?"
"Are we going into another discussion on whether or not you are more important than my job? Because I'm not going there, not again. I've been there three times already, and I thought you would have known. You were a secret service agent yourself, and you were willing to take a bullet for the President if you had to."
"Yes," she nodded. "But those are risks that I take when I sign up. I didn't take unnecessary ones."
"What are you getting at?"
"You. You and your honour and your need to get the job done despite the cost," she exploded finally and stood up to face him, defiance in her stance. "Your wanting to get the job done even if it risks your own life unnecessarily. You could have been killed this afternoon had the bullet not been stopped at the glass!"
"Is that what this is about? Worried that I would get killed while working? Those are risks we take as agents, Kate."
"There are risks, yes, but not the ones you take on a regular basis, Gibbs. You could've worn that damn vest under your marine uniform, but no, you didn't!"
He fell silent, not too sure how to respond to her accusations.
"I'm not mad at you for doing your job, Gibbs," she continued, hugging herself while she calmed down a little and looking down at the floor instead of him. "I'm not mad that your work is so important to you. I've accepted that I will always be second to your job. What I can't accept is the way you're so willing to risk your life when you don't have to."
"Kate ... "
"I can't live like this, Gibbs. I can't. I've grown to care about you, to ... love you so much," she took a deep breath to will herself to go on. Telling a man she loved him had always been hard for Kate. "I can't stop worrying about you whenever you're putting yourself in pointless danger."
Gibbs was shocked. It was the first time either of them had voiced their feeling to each other out loud, and he had always imagined it to be under far more romantic circumstance.
"I can't keep on doing this, Gibbs," she shook her head, "I won't. I can't have a piece of myself die every time you've decided work is more important than your life. I ... I'm sorry, but I can't."
Kate looked up to see Gibbs looking at her, shocked. Leaning in, she hugged him and kissed him chastely on the lips, slowly. "Goodbye Jethro Gibbs. I do love you."
She took off before he had a chance to digest what she just said to him. When her words finally registered in his mind, he moved to follow her.
Kate had already taken off.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Author: Claudia J. Chan (Claudie)
Genre: angst, and romance, existing relationship
Archive: Well.... I have my website or fanfiction.net Don't own them, don't sue me!
Spoiler Alert: "One Shot, One Killed"
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kate noted that Gibbs' house's light was off. She tried calling him again, but still, the machine answered. Taking a deep breath, she killed the ignition and stepped out into the brisk cold night.
As she walked toward his house, she tried to calm her fear, telling herself that he was okay now, probably just too focused on his boat to realize the phone was ringing – or he just chose to ignore it.
She knocked and a minute later, she heard a shout, "I'm not interested in anything you have. Leave me alone."
"It's me, Gibbs," Kate shouted back before her mind could tell her to just leave, that it was a stupid idea coming up here in the first place anyway. She shook her head, trying not to think of the irony that they were involved for weeks, and she still called him Gibbs, not Jethro, and definitely not Leroy. So impersonal.
"Just open the damn door then," his shout came again.
Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and walked into Jethro Gibbs' world. She looked around, saw that he was not in the living room, and turned immediately toward the door that led to the basement.
"Kate, you should know by now that I don't lock my front door," he had stopped working already and greeted her at the end of the staircase. "Why do you knock every time you come over?"
"It's your personal space and your life," she reasoned softly. "I don't want to intrude."
Gibbs was surprised by her thought. He thought he was doing a good job in nurturing their relationship - apparently not.
"What are you talking about, Kate? You are always welcome in my home, and you are definitely not intruding. You are important to me, Kate, and I would love to spend more time with you, whenever we can. You're welcome all the time."
"Don't say things because you think I want to hear them, Gibbs," She glanced at him sadly before walking away. The confused look on his face prompted her to explain herself, "You say all these things about I'm important, but you do things with a totally different mentality."
"Kate, what do you mean?" he approached her slowly, not wanting to crowd her but still wanted to be close. "What do you mean I do things with a totally different mentality?"
"Your work is always important to you, right?" she looked at him in the eyes for the first time since she walked into his basement. "You would do everything for your work, right?"
"You know my work is very important to me," he stated.
"And nothing will ever be more important that that, right? Not even your life?"
"Are we going into another discussion on whether or not you are more important than my job? Because I'm not going there, not again. I've been there three times already, and I thought you would have known. You were a secret service agent yourself, and you were willing to take a bullet for the President if you had to."
"Yes," she nodded. "But those are risks that I take when I sign up. I didn't take unnecessary ones."
"What are you getting at?"
"You. You and your honour and your need to get the job done despite the cost," she exploded finally and stood up to face him, defiance in her stance. "Your wanting to get the job done even if it risks your own life unnecessarily. You could have been killed this afternoon had the bullet not been stopped at the glass!"
"Is that what this is about? Worried that I would get killed while working? Those are risks we take as agents, Kate."
"There are risks, yes, but not the ones you take on a regular basis, Gibbs. You could've worn that damn vest under your marine uniform, but no, you didn't!"
He fell silent, not too sure how to respond to her accusations.
"I'm not mad at you for doing your job, Gibbs," she continued, hugging herself while she calmed down a little and looking down at the floor instead of him. "I'm not mad that your work is so important to you. I've accepted that I will always be second to your job. What I can't accept is the way you're so willing to risk your life when you don't have to."
"Kate ... "
"I can't live like this, Gibbs. I can't. I've grown to care about you, to ... love you so much," she took a deep breath to will herself to go on. Telling a man she loved him had always been hard for Kate. "I can't stop worrying about you whenever you're putting yourself in pointless danger."
Gibbs was shocked. It was the first time either of them had voiced their feeling to each other out loud, and he had always imagined it to be under far more romantic circumstance.
"I can't keep on doing this, Gibbs," she shook her head, "I won't. I can't have a piece of myself die every time you've decided work is more important than your life. I ... I'm sorry, but I can't."
Kate looked up to see Gibbs looking at her, shocked. Leaning in, she hugged him and kissed him chastely on the lips, slowly. "Goodbye Jethro Gibbs. I do love you."
She took off before he had a chance to digest what she just said to him. When her words finally registered in his mind, he moved to follow her.
Kate had already taken off.
~*~*~*~*~*~*