Grown Out
Summary: Continuation of Grown Up. Dinner and revelations
Pairing: Ah, but you guessed already, didn't you?
Disclaimer: As with the last one, I don't own the characters you recognize. That would be violation of trademark! I will not subject myself to that!
Author's Note: Here it is because I needed to write it and because people asked for it.
He couldn't fathom what had possessed him to ask her to dinner, and quite frankly, he found he didn't care. What mattered was the down look of the woman in front of him. Yes, most people would call him a bastard, hell, he was sure she had on numerous occasions, just not to his face, but he did have a heart. He cared about her.
Deeply.
It was something his brain and heart did not agree on, as normal. His brain knew better than to burden her with a sudden peeling back of the wall; his brain knew better than to be caring all of a sudden. His heart protested
Vehemently.
His brain controlled his impulses though and so he curbed the idea of asking too many questions, probing too deep. After all, they were having a rather nice conversation that he wasn't willing to give up yet. She seemed okay, almost happy, in the conversation and he didn't want to bring her back to what was making her so weary. But he had to.
Unfortunately.
"Kate? Are you okay?"
Ah, the sentence she'd been dreading. She and Gibbs had been getting along so well, so calmly, so not like co-workers. Her migraine had long since dissipated with the food and relaxed atmosphere she found herself in. She almost expected dinner with Gibbs to be a formal affair, watching what she said. It changed when they were out of NCIS. He changed.
Beautifully.
She'd never known him to listen to anyone and was sure he was used to getting his way. Yet, he wasn't being like that here. In fact, it seemed like he'd dropped a bit of control. She found him doing that a lot more lately, dropping control, but only when she was there to pick it back up. He never asked for it back either, content to let her carry it and use it to her abilities. She did.
Fantastically.
The air in the office had changed once McGee had come on. That was about the time he started dropping control and she didn't mind. It showed that he could adapt though she was sure Tony couldn't see it and she'd be damned if McGee could. Abby… probably. She'd worked with Gibbs for what seemed like forever and Ducky would have been able to see it.
Fortunately.
It was nice, though, to have a little bit of leeway, not that she really used it. He trusted her more now, trusted her to get the job done in whatever way she could, using whatever means she had to. She enjoyed giving Tony menial jobs when she could and enjoyed even more the little ways he got back at her. They were a family, a dynamic that seemed to be staying with him as they sat.
Silently.
Then he spoke, asking her the one question she'd been dreading.
He watched her roll her eyes at him.
"Nuh uh, Kate. As your boss I need to know when my team members may not be up to snuff." He winced at his words. Damn that foot-in-mouth disease!
"It was just a migraine, Gibbs." He was surprised at her amused expression definitely not ready to deal with the lack of anger. She put her hand over her mouth to hide a grin.
"You thought I'd be angry? It's all you care about. I would have been surprised if you asked me legitimately if I was okay," she told him, then slapped her other hand over the first. She hadn't meant to let that much slip. It was her turn to wince at his raised eyebrow. What she didn't expect was the hurt that flashed across his face.
"Gibbs… I'm sorry that was –" She didn't get to finish. He stood abruptly and made to leave but she caught him. He tried to pull away, she kept his sleeve firmly in her fist.
"That was out of line," she told him when he met her gaze. He saw the guilt shining there and felt a wall crumble.
There's a second chapter. I have an idea for a third and I've written it (which should be an actually). If you want it, I'll put it up for you.
Kavi Leighanna