Kate paced around the lab, staring at the futon. Her head hurt, she wasn't tired and she was terrified to even sit on anything that even resembled a bed right now. She sank down onto Abby's chair and massaged her temples.
In the bullpen Gibbs, Ducky and Abby watched her on the surveillance cameras. "This is so not right, guys," Abby said for the third time.
"Abby, we just want to make sure she's all right! Now drop it." Gibbs' voice had that note of command that made most agents jump.
"Gibbs..." Abby, however, would not be cowed, even when the older man swung around and turned an icy blue glare on her.
"This isn't getting us anywhere. Enough already, Gibbs. We don't have to be voyeuristic, just watchful. Now, I'm going to go see if I can help her." Ducky stared at his friend for another moment before walking away.
Gibbs took another look at Kate, who was sitting on Abby's chair, staring at the futon. Hoping Ducky could indeed help, he turned and sat down at his desk.
Tony didn't want to be in the bullpen. He couldn't stand to watch her with everyone else and it was too far from the lab. He paced the hallway outside the lab, wanting more than anything to go to her, to hold her. "The hell with it. I know she needs me, everyone else is just going to have to deal." He strode to the lab with determination.
Kate had swiveled the chair around and was now facing the lab table dejectedly. She heard the swish of the doors, but didn't bother to lift her head.
"Kate, honey?" Tony waited just inside the door.
At the sound of his voice, she turned and reached out her arms. They met halfway, arms wrapped around each other. Tony gently stroked her hair then led her back over to the chair and leaned against the table.
"So, Todd, what are we gonna do?" He held her hand and waited.
"I don't know. I'm not tired, and I can't even go sit on the damn thing." She gestured toward the futon. "I'd really rather go home, but this is where the evidence is. We stand a better chance of sorting this out quickly if I don't distance myself from the rest of the information."
"Makes sense. Question is, are you actually up for this? Because it's your choice whether you do this tonight or not. Don't let anyone push you into a decision, Honey. Whatever responsibility you have to the team and the case, you have one to yourself, as well." He wanted to kiss her, but thought better of making that particular gesture just then. Squeezing her hand instead, he told her, "I'm going to go raid the break room; I'll be back in a few. Whatever you decide, I'm not going to leave you alone."
Kate watched him walk out of the lab then turned and put her head down on the table, contemplating the night ahead.
Gibbs had been aware of the video monitor while sorting through the Pederson information. He knew that this evidence was what frustrated Kate earlier, and he hoped to find the missing puzzle piece that had so far eluded her. He suddenly caught movement from the corner of his eye. Transferring his attention to the screen, he watched Kate lift her arms, then meet Tony in a fierce embrace. He watched their conversation, but lacking sound, he could not be sure of the subject. Then the man left the room and Kate rested her head on her arms at the table. Gibbs was about to turn back to the papers in front of him when Kate was clearly interrupted by someone else.
Ducky came into view, and Gibbs watched curiously. The coroner had been gone quite a while and Gibbs wondered where he vanished to after he stalked out. While he watched the discussion on the monitor, Tony reentered the scene. His arms were loaded with -- was that junk food? Gibbs was starting to think there was a party in the works and the location was Abby's lab.
Tony managed to scare up a few small bags of chips that he knew Kate liked. Then he hit the soda machine and grabbed a couple of their favorite and some water for later. It wasn't much and was certainly no substitute for the dinner they'd skipped, but it was better than the empty stomach they were both working on at the moment.
He walked back into the lab and found Ducky talking to Kate. He set his treasure on the table and turned to the two. "Am I interrupting?" He kept the words quiet, he didn't think Kate would misunderstand, but he didn't want Ducky to get the wrong idea.
Before the coroner could answer, Kate slipped her arm around Tony and drew the agent close to her. Looking Ducky in the eye she said, "No, Tony, you're not interrupting. We were just talking about the use of a small dose of sedative to help me sleep." Now Kate turned her head and looked her lover in the eye. "Do you have an opinion?"
"My opinion is that this whole thing sucks. Beyond that, Kate... it's your body. I'm not going to leave you alone in here, even if Gibbs threatens to shoot me; so if that helps you make up your mind..." he shrugged. "But I won't tell you what to do."
She looked at him for a minute, thinking about what he'd said. After another minute or so of silent thought, she gave a deep sigh and nodded. "All right, let's do this."
Ducky nodded as well. "I have an injection; it will take effect a little quicker." He withdrew a syringe and a small vial from the pocket of his lab coat. Then he gave Kate a small dose of the sedative, and nodded toward the food. "Eat if you're hungry. This affects everyone a little differently, some might feel nauseous on an empty stomach, others on a full. I'd keep the water for later, though. She'll want that when she wakes up."
Tony and Kate both nodded at the instructions. He looked at her, ignoring the departing doctor, and asked, "If we just sat on the futon and had chips and soda, do you think you could do that?"
"Yeah, I could probably do that," she agreed. They each picked up some of the bags and a can of soda, then sat down on the futon.
"I love these!"
"I remembered. Aren't you glad we went shopping together?"
"They're watching us, aren't they." Suddenly she didn't feel like eating.
"Yes. But only because they care. By the way, they can't hear us. So we can sit here eating chips and drinking soda, but we can talk about anything we want." He saw her smile slowly brighten.
"Anything?"
"Anything, my gorgeous Special Agent," Tony grinned just to prove a point.
She laughed in delight, the happiest she'd felt since she'd walked back into the building. As they munched on empty calories and slurped more from cans they laughed and teased each other, easing the stress Kate had felt weighing her down. After a while. she began to yawn and her eyelids became too heavy to lift.
"Tony, I think the sed'tives working." She was starting to mumble.
"I think so, too. Why don't we lay down?" He shifted around after removing the debris from their snack.
She sat there, frozen. She shook her head and whimpered. "I'm scared."
"I know, Honey, I know. Come on, curl up in my arms, I promise I'll stay right with you."
Slowly she slid into his embrace, her back against his chest. He pulled her close and whispered, "Better now?" She was still for a moment before rolling over to face him and wrapping an arm around him to help keep him close. He heard her faint drowsy whisper as the words floated by his ears.
"I'd be better if you'd make love to me again."
He sighed. "Me too, Kate. Me, too."
