Part 03 of Forever
Disclaimers: See Part 01
Gibbs finds himself standing nervously outside Kate's apartment door the second time in a week.
It has been extremely difficult for him to have to sit on the information when they were working the case, but work is work, and he can't let his personal relationship with Kate interfere with catching a young lieutenant's killer.
He did, however, manage to keep her safe by leaving her in the office. If looks could kill, Gibbs is sure he would be dead several times now. But he is, after all, the senior agent in the team and he can make her stay at headquarters when he wants - and that is what he wants.
Knowing that he shouldn't hesitate any longer, he rings the door bell and waits. He can hear some faint music coming through the door - the CD of Joe Cocker, it seems.
Finally, the door opens and reveals a very domestic Kate. She's dressed simply in jeans and a form fitting red blouse, hair tied back into a messy ponytail. Grinning widely, she steps aside to let him in.
"Good evening, Katie," he leans forward to kiss her chastely on the lips.
"Evening," she replies. Taking his hands in her small ones, she leads him to the already set table.
"I thought we were going to order pizza?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.
"Pizzas are not good for you," she chides softly, nor the baby,she adds to herself.
He tries to pout, but she just laughs at him. "Let's have dinner before it gets cold, okay?"
Nodding, he pulls her chair out for her and pushes it in when she has sat down. Kate flashes him with a big smile. He's old school, and he's always a gentleman. She always loves that about him.
They were chatting about nothing and everything while they eat. Kate let herself relax and enjoy the moment. Before he leaves tonight, she promises herself. Before he leaves tonight he will know that he's going to be a daddy.
After the meal, the couple moves to cuddle on the couch. Early on in their relationship, Kate has found out, much to her surprise, Gibbs loves to cuddle as much as she does. He reaches over to turn the stereo's volume up before settling down on the couch and pulls Kate to his side, his left arm around her back and rests comfortably on her shoulder. They have dimmed the living room's light already and now, the only illumination in the room is the soft glow of the moon from the outside.
They aren't talking, but just enjoying each other's warmth. Kate picks up Gibbs' free hand and starts playing with his fingers. She loves his hand.
Though Kate is enjoying the moment, she knows she be honest with Gibbs. She can't wait forever.
"Gibbs," she starts softly.
"You should start calling me Jethro, you know," he cuts her off and brings her hand to his lips.
"Why?" she turns to look at him, dumb-folded. The whole time in their relationship, he has never asked her to call him Jethro. Not once.
"Because it'd be silly to call me with my last name, especially since that will be your last name very soon," he answers with a glint in his eyes.
It takes a while for the message to sink in, her eyes wide when it finally does.
"Gibbs - Jethro, whatever, are you saying what I think you are?" she asks, her voice trembling a little.
"Well, depends on what you're thinking," he teases gently, "and if you're thinking that I'm asking you and the baby to have my name, then yes, you're correct. I want to do the right thing, for us, you know."
"The baby?" she almost squeaks.
"The one you're carrying right now," he explains softly, and watches when her eyes go from confusion to shock.
"How...and how long?"
"I saw the pregnancy test in your trash the last time we had dinner here," he explains.
Realization dawns on her, and she frowns when she realizes that Gibbs has known she is pregnant before she did. His action during the case now makes much more sense, why he frowned at her, why he wouldn't let her go out to interrogate with them. All these because he knows about the baby.
Then is he proposing because of the baby too?
She wants to shut that voice that is in her head, but it's persistent, haunting her.
"Katie?" Gibbs is getting concerned now. He wants an answer to his proposal, whether she agrees to refuses. He just hates not knowing.
"You want to marry me," she states again.
"Yes. I want to take care of the baby and you. I want us to be together."
It sounds too much like he's proposing because of the baby, way too much alike for her comfort.
The voices in her head wont' stop. They continue to haunt her.
"Katie?" Gibbs pulls away a little and looks at her, his concern evident when he looks into her eyes. "What's going on? Are you okay? Something wrong?"
"I'm sorry, Gibbs," she says brokenly. She won't push him into marriage because he wants to do the right thing. The insecurity she's been carrying with her now is out in full force. "I can't do this right now."
Standing up on shaky legs, she starts toward her bedroom and closes the door.
Gibbs again leaves her apartment with the same velvet box in his pants' pocket. This time, he wonders if he will ever give the ring to her.