A/N: Thanks for the reviews. They make my day. I saw the first two chapters had some grammar mistakes. I try hard to avoid them but I can't avoid them all. My English isn't good enough to have no mistakes at all. But if you see any big mistakes, please let me know and I'll try to avoid them in the future. Now this chapter has also been rewritten a couple of times. Not much action in this one... I hope that's all right. Gibbs and kids, it's a combination that I like. Watching UnSealed and See no Evil(2x01) showed how good he is with them. That's why I did what I did. For the next update you'll have to wait till next week. I'll try to update it sooner but I haven't written chapter four yet. Usually I'm almost a chapter ahead but I didn't and still don't know what to do in chapter 4. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapters and any tips or suggestions you have. Now I'll quit rambling and you can go on with this chapter.

Chapter three

Now that he was on the road to William Todd's house, Gibbs finally relaxed. He hated when he couldn't do anything. Finally he could start looking for her. Her absence had affected him more than he wanted to admit. She'd somehow found a place in his life, a place so much bigger than he thought. He looked at his papers. He was going to call first, to see if they were home. When no one picked up, he decided to go to the cabin.

Kate was spending the day with Jason and Maddy, giving their parents some time alone and giving herself a welcome distraction. After spending the morning in the park, they were now heading back to the cabin.

While she drove up the drive way she saw another car parked on it. She parked her car right behind it. She wondered who it could be because she didn't see anyone. She helped Maddy while Jason was already out of the car, standing at the front door impatiently. Maddy grabbed Kate's hand before they started for the front door. Looking for her key, she heard a noise behind her. She quickly turned around and was rendered speechless by the person she saw.

"Kate." Gibbs calmly said. He'd watched her pull up behind his rental car. He looked at the little boy and girl, giving them a small smile.

Her first reaction was to get mad at him, telling him he had no right to be here. She couldn't do that, not in front of her nephew and niece. She opened the door, leaving it open so he could enter. And he did.

Watching the kids go into the living room, she hung up their coats. She didn't acknowledge Gibbs. She kept her eyes focused on Jason and Maddy. "You guys want something to drink?"

Getting affirmative nods from the two she walked to the kitchen to get them a glass of milk. From the kitchen she saw Gibbs walking into the living room.

"Who are you?" Jason watched the older man taking a seat on chair.

"Jethro Gibbs." The young boy had curley brown hair and light brown eyes. "And you are?"

"I'm Jason."

Gibbs looked at the girl that was sitting next to Jason. She was adorable. She had the same brown curled hair which she had in a pony tail. She had blue eyes. The little girl watched his every move, but hadn't said anything yet. As he looked at her he saw a little something of Kate in her. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was there. "Hi," his voice was soft as he spoke to the girl. "What's your name?"

"Maddy." The girl whispered. He decided not to push her. She was shy and obviously wanted to observe him.

"Here you go." Kate joined the three, giving the kids their drinks. She sat down on the other couch. Maddy kept her eye on Gibbs, but joined Kate on the couch.

"How do you know, Aunt Kate?" Jason asked.

Gibbs turned in his chair to look at Kate. "I work with her." He answered, keeping his eyes on Kate, wanting to see her reaction. She flinched at the word work.

"I'm hungry." Maddy said, looking from Gibbs to Kate.

"I'll make you a sandwich. You want one too, Jason?"

"Yeah."

Kate left the room again, going into the kitchen to make two sandwiches. Several minutes later she heard footsteps in the kitchen. It was no mystery as to who it could be. She'd memorized so many things of him, including his walk.

"Why are you here?" Kate spoke for the first time since his arrival.

"Because we need to talk." He stood still next to her, leaning against the counter. He observed her. She was uncomfortable with him standing so near. He saw it in her body language, she was tense. She'd never been uncomfortable with him before. There were times that they would stand so close that they could feel each other's body heat.

Kate wanted so much to yell at him, telling him he had no right to be here but she couldn't. She heard soft steps approaching. She knew it was Maddy.

Maddy joint them in the kitchen, immediately going to Kate's side. She shyly looked at Gibbs again who gave her a small smile. She tucked on her aunts leg.

"Yes, Maddy?" She looked down at the little girl who was looking at the counter. She wanted to sit on top of it.

Before Kate could put her stuff down, Gibbs was already at Maddy's side. "Let's get you up there." He said to the little girl as he lifted her up and sat her down on the counter. He was rewarded with a smile from Maddy.

"Thank you." Maddy softly said.

Gibbs was now standing even closer to Kate. He saw it was getting to her. He felt a small hand on his arm. He looked up in Maddy's blue eyes. She had her sandwich in her hand and was offering him a bite by holding it out to him. "I already ate."

Maddy took a bite of her sandwich, chewing happily on it. She kept her eye on Gibbs, apparently finding him fascinating. Kate left the two alone to bring Jason his sandwich.

"What did you do today, Maddy?" Gibbs asked

"Auntie Kate took us to the park. I went on the swings. I went really high."

"Good for you." He liked the little girl. He wondered if she was anything like Kate when she was younger. Kate... She really wasn't happy that he was here but he wasn't going anywhere without talking to her. It was nice to see her relax, see her in another environment. It was just nice to be with her, though he would never admit that to anyone. He saw Maddy scooting forward. "Here, let me help you." He lifted her from the counter, setting her down on the floor. Maddy took his hand, tugging him towards the living room.

Back in the living room, Kate was sitting next to Jason who was eating his sandwich. She watched the two sit down on the couch. She was surprised Maddy chose to sit with Gibbs in stead of her. From the few moments she'd seen Gibbs with kids, it was obvious that he was good with them. Apparently Maddy thought the same thing.

Gibbs confused her. This wasn't something she'd expected from him. He went after her, he looked for her. She didn't know if she should be happy with that or not. She didn't know what this meant to him or what she meant to him. She hadn't had the time to really think things through. He was too early. She needed to work this out alone first before she could talk to him. Why couldn't he understand that? Maybe because he thought that if he gave her too much time, she would quit. It was a possibility. With Gibbs, she never knew. As Ducky once said, with Gibbs there were more questions than answers. Sometimes she loved his unpredictability, but not now. She didn't want to deal with him now.

Gibbs watched Kate as he did so many times before. Sometimes during a case he would just watch her. Watch how a smile appeared on her face when she was on to something. Other times when they were just walking side by side, he would keep stealing glances. She was such a beautiful woman. After his failed marriages he'd told himself there would be no one else. He didn't know if he would be able to deal with another failed relationship. So far he had kept his word.Yet ever since Kate entered his life he'd been questioning that decision. She was, in every way, his match. She challenged him like no one else. She was the only one who dared to question his judgement. He was sure he had feelings for her, feelings that went beyond professional boundaries. But he needed to focus on her. He knew her well enough to know what she was going through. He knew she was questioning her abilities. The last time he'd seen her he hadn't really given her his trust. He hadn't told her she was a good, that he wanted her by his side. She had wanted reassurance, something he hadn't given her. He wasn't going to make that mistake again and he wasn't going to leave untill he was sure she wasn't going to leave him.

TBC............