A/N: Thank you SO much for all the reviews. They mean a whole heck of a
lot to a writer. All I ask is that you keep them coming. Even if all you
say is, "Good Job." It gives us writers something to work towards. So,
Thanks. –JAGgedIverson
Gibbs used his keys to unlock the door. He knew Kate wasn't expecting him to come home until much later. In all his years at NCIS he's never left earlier than eight. Now, at five-thirty, he was unlocking the door to his house and coming home to a beautiful woman. He had never been able to say that. Sure his ex-wives were pretty, in their own way, but they were nothing compared to Kate. She was, for lack of a better word, like an angel.
He stepped in the house and was greeted with the smell of something cooking in the kitchen. He set his keys on the hook by the door and followed his nose to the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway and watched her. She had a portable radio on next to the stove and hadn't heard him come in; he would have to talk to her about being more careful. She had her hair in a messy ponytail and he was hit with the urge to take the tie out and run his hands through the silky strands. She was singing lightly with the music and he couldn't help but feel like she belonged here; in his house, fixing dinner for him and their future children.
He took a moment to dream about what it would be like if she were his wife and they had kids; little girls with their mother's smile and their father's stubborn streak. He would come home from a hard day's work and the kids would run to the door to greet him and then she would come to him and he would take her in his arms and kiss her. But it wouldn't go any farther than that, because the kids were still in the room. And later, when the kids were asleep, they would have their time. They would talk about the day and how work was for both of them. Or on a rainy day they would hold each other in front of the fire. Or they would go upstairs and make love.
It was a dream, and for as long as she was here he would live it.
He pushed himself away from the doorway and walked quietly up behind her. He felt her tense when he slid his hands up her arms but when he whispered in her ear she relaxed against him.
"Honey, I'm home." He whispered.
She smiled and turned in his arms to face him. She kissed him lightly and asked, "How was your day, dear?"
He smiled when she played along. "It was swell."
She laughed at his choice of words then asked, "What are you doing home so early? You never leave the office this early."
"We weren't getting anywhere. Every lead we got lead us into a dead end. I was getting bored and every time I looked up at your desk, I got this weird feeling that I should be here with you instead of at the office. I knew I shouldn't have gone in today."
"You know you had to. Besides, now you can miss a couple days. Just have Tony- no, wait- have someone come and drop off whatever you need to work here. You a have computer, and I could help." Kate suggested.
"Maybe. But, for now no more talk about work. What did you make?" He asked, lifting up a lid and looking under.
"Just your basic spaghetti and meatballs." She reluctantly left his arms and moved to set the table.
They enjoyed pleasant conversation while they ate the meal Kate had prepared for them. They talked about their childhoods and what their siblings were like. He had a sister; the red-headed mystery woman. Her name was Veronica. She had a brother who was ten years older than her; Brian. Her mother had gotten remarried after he first husband had died. Kate was a product of the second marriage. She didn't know her brother very well. By the time she was old enough to have a semi-adult conversation he was away at college. She didn't talk to her brother much except for holidays and other family events. He talked to his sister at least twice a week. They have a barbeque once a month. Both his mother and father have past away. His sister got married and has two boys; Kade and Michael. He taught them how to play football and how to fill water balloons to just the right level in order to have the best effect. She laughed when he told her of his misfortune at the age of ten with a paintball gun and a newly painted wall. He smiled when she told him of her first prom and how she looked in her dress.
When they were done eating they both washed the dishes. She washed and he dried. They worked in companionable silence. When they were done they went down to the basement and worked on his boat.
"You know, I've never allowed someone to work with me before." He stated after they had been working quietly for half an hour.
She looked up from sanding and smiled. "Why is this time different?"
"I don't know. I guess now is a first time for everything. First time talking about anything personal, first time letting someone else work on the boat, and first time..." He trailed off realizing he was about to say that it was the first time he'd fallen in love.
"First time, what?"
"What?"
"You didn't finish your sentence. First time for what?"
"Uh, first time...someone cooked me dinner." He said.
Kate didn't fully believe him; she knew there was more that he wasn't telling her, but she wasn't going to push it. If there was one thing she knew about Gibbs, she knew he wasn't going to open up if she pushed.
They went back to working quietly, both enjoying the other's company. When an two hours had past Gibbs looked up just in time to Kate trying to hide a yawn. He cursed himself silently for not paying attention to the time.
He put down his tools and said, "Hey, why don't we go to bed?"
"I'm not tired." She said, fitting another yawn.
He smiled and nodded, "I know you're not tired. I just want to get you into bed."
"You would." She laughed and let him tug her upstairs.
Gibbs held her as she slept. They'd gone to bed hours ago and still he couldn't sleep. He thought it would be easy to sleep with her in his arms, knowing that all he had to do was whisper in her ear and she'd be ready. But sleep didn't come to him. His mind wouldn't shut off. He wasn't thinking about the murderer or how to catch him, like he should, he was thinking about Kate. He wanted to tell her he loved her. He wanted to lay his heart out and let her take it. He had a small feeling in his gut that she felt the same way, but wasn't sure if he felt it too. He wanted to tell her she meant the world to him. He wanted to tell her that rule twelve was something he made up so she wouldn't get involved with Tony.
In the beginning he'd feared that they would be attracted to each other, so he'd come up with that crap about romance between agents never works. But as he saw her relationship with Tony become a brother/sister thing he began not to worry. And because she never brought it up again, he never told her that he made it up. There was no reason to, they weren't involved and he didn't think they ever would be. Now they were and he had no idea how to bring up the subject.
"Why aren't you asleep?" Her soft voice reached his ears and he looked down at her. Her eyes met his, searching.
"I just wanted to hold you. I don't want to miss one minute of being with you." He said, realizing it was the honest to God truth.
She turned over so she could face him without having to crane her neck. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." She whispered.
"I know."
She looked into his eyes and could've sworn she saw love in them right before he put up his defenses. She wanted to tell him he held her heart in his hands. She wanted to tell him he was her world; if he wasn't around then she didn't feel like herself. She wanted to ask him how she lived without him for so long. She wanted to tell him that she loved him. But she didn't. Instead, she got as close to him as possible and buried her head in his chest.
"Go to sleep." She said and kissed his bare chest.
And he did; knowing she was going to be there when he woke up in the morning.
Gibbs used his keys to unlock the door. He knew Kate wasn't expecting him to come home until much later. In all his years at NCIS he's never left earlier than eight. Now, at five-thirty, he was unlocking the door to his house and coming home to a beautiful woman. He had never been able to say that. Sure his ex-wives were pretty, in their own way, but they were nothing compared to Kate. She was, for lack of a better word, like an angel.
He stepped in the house and was greeted with the smell of something cooking in the kitchen. He set his keys on the hook by the door and followed his nose to the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway and watched her. She had a portable radio on next to the stove and hadn't heard him come in; he would have to talk to her about being more careful. She had her hair in a messy ponytail and he was hit with the urge to take the tie out and run his hands through the silky strands. She was singing lightly with the music and he couldn't help but feel like she belonged here; in his house, fixing dinner for him and their future children.
He took a moment to dream about what it would be like if she were his wife and they had kids; little girls with their mother's smile and their father's stubborn streak. He would come home from a hard day's work and the kids would run to the door to greet him and then she would come to him and he would take her in his arms and kiss her. But it wouldn't go any farther than that, because the kids were still in the room. And later, when the kids were asleep, they would have their time. They would talk about the day and how work was for both of them. Or on a rainy day they would hold each other in front of the fire. Or they would go upstairs and make love.
It was a dream, and for as long as she was here he would live it.
He pushed himself away from the doorway and walked quietly up behind her. He felt her tense when he slid his hands up her arms but when he whispered in her ear she relaxed against him.
"Honey, I'm home." He whispered.
She smiled and turned in his arms to face him. She kissed him lightly and asked, "How was your day, dear?"
He smiled when she played along. "It was swell."
She laughed at his choice of words then asked, "What are you doing home so early? You never leave the office this early."
"We weren't getting anywhere. Every lead we got lead us into a dead end. I was getting bored and every time I looked up at your desk, I got this weird feeling that I should be here with you instead of at the office. I knew I shouldn't have gone in today."
"You know you had to. Besides, now you can miss a couple days. Just have Tony- no, wait- have someone come and drop off whatever you need to work here. You a have computer, and I could help." Kate suggested.
"Maybe. But, for now no more talk about work. What did you make?" He asked, lifting up a lid and looking under.
"Just your basic spaghetti and meatballs." She reluctantly left his arms and moved to set the table.
They enjoyed pleasant conversation while they ate the meal Kate had prepared for them. They talked about their childhoods and what their siblings were like. He had a sister; the red-headed mystery woman. Her name was Veronica. She had a brother who was ten years older than her; Brian. Her mother had gotten remarried after he first husband had died. Kate was a product of the second marriage. She didn't know her brother very well. By the time she was old enough to have a semi-adult conversation he was away at college. She didn't talk to her brother much except for holidays and other family events. He talked to his sister at least twice a week. They have a barbeque once a month. Both his mother and father have past away. His sister got married and has two boys; Kade and Michael. He taught them how to play football and how to fill water balloons to just the right level in order to have the best effect. She laughed when he told her of his misfortune at the age of ten with a paintball gun and a newly painted wall. He smiled when she told him of her first prom and how she looked in her dress.
When they were done eating they both washed the dishes. She washed and he dried. They worked in companionable silence. When they were done they went down to the basement and worked on his boat.
"You know, I've never allowed someone to work with me before." He stated after they had been working quietly for half an hour.
She looked up from sanding and smiled. "Why is this time different?"
"I don't know. I guess now is a first time for everything. First time talking about anything personal, first time letting someone else work on the boat, and first time..." He trailed off realizing he was about to say that it was the first time he'd fallen in love.
"First time, what?"
"What?"
"You didn't finish your sentence. First time for what?"
"Uh, first time...someone cooked me dinner." He said.
Kate didn't fully believe him; she knew there was more that he wasn't telling her, but she wasn't going to push it. If there was one thing she knew about Gibbs, she knew he wasn't going to open up if she pushed.
They went back to working quietly, both enjoying the other's company. When an two hours had past Gibbs looked up just in time to Kate trying to hide a yawn. He cursed himself silently for not paying attention to the time.
He put down his tools and said, "Hey, why don't we go to bed?"
"I'm not tired." She said, fitting another yawn.
He smiled and nodded, "I know you're not tired. I just want to get you into bed."
"You would." She laughed and let him tug her upstairs.
Gibbs held her as she slept. They'd gone to bed hours ago and still he couldn't sleep. He thought it would be easy to sleep with her in his arms, knowing that all he had to do was whisper in her ear and she'd be ready. But sleep didn't come to him. His mind wouldn't shut off. He wasn't thinking about the murderer or how to catch him, like he should, he was thinking about Kate. He wanted to tell her he loved her. He wanted to lay his heart out and let her take it. He had a small feeling in his gut that she felt the same way, but wasn't sure if he felt it too. He wanted to tell her she meant the world to him. He wanted to tell her that rule twelve was something he made up so she wouldn't get involved with Tony.
In the beginning he'd feared that they would be attracted to each other, so he'd come up with that crap about romance between agents never works. But as he saw her relationship with Tony become a brother/sister thing he began not to worry. And because she never brought it up again, he never told her that he made it up. There was no reason to, they weren't involved and he didn't think they ever would be. Now they were and he had no idea how to bring up the subject.
"Why aren't you asleep?" Her soft voice reached his ears and he looked down at her. Her eyes met his, searching.
"I just wanted to hold you. I don't want to miss one minute of being with you." He said, realizing it was the honest to God truth.
She turned over so she could face him without having to crane her neck. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." She whispered.
"I know."
She looked into his eyes and could've sworn she saw love in them right before he put up his defenses. She wanted to tell him he held her heart in his hands. She wanted to tell him he was her world; if he wasn't around then she didn't feel like herself. She wanted to ask him how she lived without him for so long. She wanted to tell him that she loved him. But she didn't. Instead, she got as close to him as possible and buried her head in his chest.
"Go to sleep." She said and kissed his bare chest.
And he did; knowing she was going to be there when he woke up in the morning.