"Is it true, Kate?"
"Is what true, Tony?" she replied exasperatedly.
"Did you really jump Gibbs?" he asked with an evil grin.
"What? No! Where do you get this stuff?" Her face twisted into a look of disgust.
"Well, Gibbs said you did."
Kate's eyes bulged, then narrowed. "He is so dead."
"Whoa, Kate, slow down. This is Gibbs we're talking about. Don't make him mad," Tony pleaded.
"Don't make him mad? After what he said about me? You, I would've expected this from –"
"Hey!"
" – But I thought he was better than that. Don't worry, Tony, he'll be in too much pain to be mad."
"Kate, wait – " But he was too late. She stormed off down the hall, looking for the offending boss.
Spotting a glimpse of silver over a cubicle, she headed for it. She had no idea what she would do when she found him, but by golly it was going to hurt! She couldn't believe he would say something like that. After his whole, "Romance between agents never works" thing, she would have thought he would keep any relationship quiet. Especially a non-existent one!
"Gibbs!" she roared when she spotted the familiar form. "Can I talk to you, please?" she muttered politely as about twenty heads all turned to look at her.
Gibbs nodded, following her into a private room. "I don't appreciate your tone, Agent Todd," he growled as soon as the door was closed.
"Yeah, well, I don't appreciate you spreading rumors about me. How could you say something like that?" Angry tears sprang to her eyes and she wiped them away furiously.
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Don't play stupid with me, Gibbs! You know exactly what I'm talking about!"
"No, I don't," he said, trying to stay calm.
"You told Tony that I," she stopped, too hurt to go on.
"That you what, Kate?"
"That I...that you and I...that we..." she shook her head. "Never mind. You know what? It doesn't matter. I'm resigning. Or will you even give me that chance?" she spat, throwing his words back in his face.
"Kate, hold on. You aren't going anywhere till we figure this out. Now, DiNozzo said that I told him that we," he stopped, unsure of how to word it. He settled for a half-hearted sort of hand motion.
"Yes," she said sullenly.
"That's not true," he stated firmly.
"Well, yeah, Gibbs, I think I'd know if it was true."
"No, I mean, I didn't say that."
"You didn't?" Kate softened slightly.
"No."
"I'm gonna kill Tony!" she snarled, lunging for the door.
"Kate, stop!" She did. "Let me," he growled.
They both ran out the door and back down the hallway to their desks. Tony was typing something on his computer and looked up, startled, when both of them dragged him from his chair and pinned him to the wall of his cubicle.
"DiNozzo, I'm gonna give you to the count of three," Gibbs said in his lowest, most dangerous voice.
"To do what, boss?" Tony squeaked.
"To tell us why you said what you did!" Kate inserted. Tony looked confused for a second, then it dawned on him.
"You mean about how Gibbs said you jumped him?"
"Is that what you said?" Gibbs asked.
"Yeah," they chorused. To their surprise, Gibbs let go of Tony's collar and began, of all things, to laugh.
"Um, Gibbs, I really don't think it's that funny," Kate hissed, her anger building again.
"Kate, Tony's perverted ears only heard what they wanted to. I said you jumped on me. Nothing more, nothing less. Of course, DiNozzo missed most of the story I was telling Ducky, which included the circumstances of the situation."
"Oh," Tony spoke up, embarrassed. "Sorry, Kate."
"Not as sorry as you're gonna be, DiNozzo."
"Is what true, Tony?" she replied exasperatedly.
"Did you really jump Gibbs?" he asked with an evil grin.
"What? No! Where do you get this stuff?" Her face twisted into a look of disgust.
"Well, Gibbs said you did."
Kate's eyes bulged, then narrowed. "He is so dead."
"Whoa, Kate, slow down. This is Gibbs we're talking about. Don't make him mad," Tony pleaded.
"Don't make him mad? After what he said about me? You, I would've expected this from –"
"Hey!"
" – But I thought he was better than that. Don't worry, Tony, he'll be in too much pain to be mad."
"Kate, wait – " But he was too late. She stormed off down the hall, looking for the offending boss.
Spotting a glimpse of silver over a cubicle, she headed for it. She had no idea what she would do when she found him, but by golly it was going to hurt! She couldn't believe he would say something like that. After his whole, "Romance between agents never works" thing, she would have thought he would keep any relationship quiet. Especially a non-existent one!
"Gibbs!" she roared when she spotted the familiar form. "Can I talk to you, please?" she muttered politely as about twenty heads all turned to look at her.
Gibbs nodded, following her into a private room. "I don't appreciate your tone, Agent Todd," he growled as soon as the door was closed.
"Yeah, well, I don't appreciate you spreading rumors about me. How could you say something like that?" Angry tears sprang to her eyes and she wiped them away furiously.
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Don't play stupid with me, Gibbs! You know exactly what I'm talking about!"
"No, I don't," he said, trying to stay calm.
"You told Tony that I," she stopped, too hurt to go on.
"That you what, Kate?"
"That I...that you and I...that we..." she shook her head. "Never mind. You know what? It doesn't matter. I'm resigning. Or will you even give me that chance?" she spat, throwing his words back in his face.
"Kate, hold on. You aren't going anywhere till we figure this out. Now, DiNozzo said that I told him that we," he stopped, unsure of how to word it. He settled for a half-hearted sort of hand motion.
"Yes," she said sullenly.
"That's not true," he stated firmly.
"Well, yeah, Gibbs, I think I'd know if it was true."
"No, I mean, I didn't say that."
"You didn't?" Kate softened slightly.
"No."
"I'm gonna kill Tony!" she snarled, lunging for the door.
"Kate, stop!" She did. "Let me," he growled.
They both ran out the door and back down the hallway to their desks. Tony was typing something on his computer and looked up, startled, when both of them dragged him from his chair and pinned him to the wall of his cubicle.
"DiNozzo, I'm gonna give you to the count of three," Gibbs said in his lowest, most dangerous voice.
"To do what, boss?" Tony squeaked.
"To tell us why you said what you did!" Kate inserted. Tony looked confused for a second, then it dawned on him.
"You mean about how Gibbs said you jumped him?"
"Is that what you said?" Gibbs asked.
"Yeah," they chorused. To their surprise, Gibbs let go of Tony's collar and began, of all things, to laugh.
"Um, Gibbs, I really don't think it's that funny," Kate hissed, her anger building again.
"Kate, Tony's perverted ears only heard what they wanted to. I said you jumped on me. Nothing more, nothing less. Of course, DiNozzo missed most of the story I was telling Ducky, which included the circumstances of the situation."
"Oh," Tony spoke up, embarrassed. "Sorry, Kate."
"Not as sorry as you're gonna be, DiNozzo."