Disclaimer same as all the others.

A/N: Sorry took so long again! But things are just busy busy, and a little bit of writers block. But here you go the next installmentof the story! I hope you enjoy and remember to leave reviews! Thanks!

Chapter Seven: Kate's Apartment

Gibbs had gone back to tell Jeb they were leaving, after calling in a favor to have guards posted outside his room at the hospital. Kate waited for him with Hunter. Gibbs came back in and gathered Hunter up in his arms and then followed Kate out to the car, after the guards for Jeb had arrived. They walked in silence.

After getting Hunter in the back seat they both climbed into the front of the car, Gibbs in the passenger seat, Kate in the driver's seat. She still had the keys so it was easy to convince Gibbs she should drive.

Gibbs finally noticed just how tired he was when they got in the car. He wondered how it got so late with out him noticing. Then he remembered the day. Kate stole a glance at Gibbs and saw how tired he looked. She drove a little faster. They arrived at her apartment in good time.

Kate pulled the couch out when they got upstairs with Gibbs' help, as Hunter was sprawled in the recliner. She went to the closet and pulled out an extra blanket. She then went into her room for a couple pillows while Gibbs moved Hunter to the pullout couch.

They did all this in silence. They were both exhausted and words didn't seem to matter at the moment. Finally with the couch made into a bed Kate looked around. She seemed lost as to what to do. Gibbs stood by the couch watching Hunter sleep.

"I'm…I'm gonna take a shower and go to bed," Kate finally said looking back towards her bathroom and not at Gibbs. "Make yourself at home, there's food in the kitchen. Stuff to drink in the fridge."

Gibbs just nodded and then walked towards her kitchen. She turned on her heal and retreated to the bathroom. She closed the door and leaned back against it. She let out a sigh then she went to her shower and turned the water on. She let it warm up as she stripped her clothing off.

When she came out of the shower the lights were off in the apartment so she went directly back to her bedroom and closed the door. She quickly changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed under the covers. It wasn't long before she was asleep.

Darkness. She couldn't see anything. Not even her own hand in front of her face. She felt her way along. She had no idea where she was going, or coming from for that matter. She just knew she had to move. MOVE, her mind screamed at her, RUN! She moved faster now trying to escape the evil behind. The darkness was all around her and she was lost. The noises came from all directions. They had surrounded her. She began to run, but she couldn't see anything. She kept stumbling and tripping. Finally she fell flat on the ground. It stung. She scrambled to her feet.

"Gibbs!" she called out into the darkness but no answer. Where was he. Fright. She could feel it. Whatever it was, was right behind her. She froze. The sound was deafening. Her hands flew up to her ears. The flashes were almost blinding but not quite. She wished they were blinding. She saw him, then. Gibbs wasn't but five feet from her the whole time. But now. She screamed. He was riddled with holes. She tried to run to him and tripped. She was about to hit the ground…

The muscles in Kate's body constricted and released. Her body jolted, jarring her from sleep. She sat upright in the bed. Her breathing was fast. She looked over at the clock. It had been four hours. She removed the covers and swung her legs unsteadily out of bed. She walked to the door towards the bathroom.

Her heart nearly stopped when she opened her door and ran right into Gibbs' chest. She let out a startled cry and Gibbs' arms wrapped around her instinctively. Kate looked up at him with fright in her eyes.

"It's ok, its me," Gibbs whispered. Kate swallowed and then she started to remember. She nodded and relaxed. His grip on her remained the same and they stood like that for a minute. Gibbs finally broke the moment, "you ok?"

"Yeah," Kate whispered as her breathing became normal again. Gibbs' grip on her slacked a little but his arms remained draped around her waist.

"You were…talking in your sleep," Gibbs continued, his voice full of concern as he searched her eyes. Kate took a deep breath and looked down. The images from the nightmare flooded through her mind. She closed her eyes and leaned into his chest. He held her tight. She finally pushed back and he reluctantly let her.

"It's ok," Kate said with a small smile. Gibbs didn't buy it. He probed her eyes again.

"You had a nightmare," he said quietly. Kate stared at him a moment but then just nodded. "Want to talk about it?"

"It was just a bad dream, Gibbs." Kate replied with a sigh. She stared to pull away from him completely but he held fast. "What?"

"Kate, it was enough for you to call to me," Gibbs said his arms still trapping her. She looked up at him, and she saw his eyes brighten. "It was about me."

Kate swallowed again. She looked away. She tried to get away, but again he held tight. She finally looked up at him pointedly and he saw she didn't want to talk about it. He sighed before loosening his hold on her and letting her go. She walked back into her bedroom, her trip to the bathroom forgotten. Gibbs hesitated at the door before following her in. She looked a little surprised to see him standing behind her when she sat down on the bed.

"It's ok, Jethro, I'm ok," Kate said quietly. He nodded but then sat down on the bed next to her. "How come you aren't asleep?"

"Couldn't sleep," Gibbs grumbled and looked down at the floor.

"Bad dreams?" Kate asked quietly. Gibbs looked up at her and she saw the admission in his eyes. He looked away again.

"Lots on my mind," he replied quietly. Kate took his hand and he looked at her. She saw the fear and unrest in his eyes as he studied her. She entwined her fingers with his and he looked down at it. She was at a loss. She had never seen Gibbs with this much emotion, and she had defiantly never seen fear in his eyes before.

"What are you afraid of, Jethro?" Kate almost whispered to him. His eyes closed and he swallowed. He took a deep breath. Kate waited patiently as she realized he was struggling with his inner demons. Finally he opened his eyes and looked at her. She waited.

"Loving and losing," Gibbs said in a whisper so low Kate barely heard him. He was silent a moment as he studied the carpet then he suddenly looked up at Kate and she saw the emotion that charged through his blue eyes. She was lost in them. She couldn't speak so she just sat and stared. "You. You scare me, Agent Todd."

"Jethro," she breathed. He looked down again at the carpet. She tightened her grip on his hand. "Why?"

Gibbs head snapped up. He looked at her and studied her for a moment. He tried to make his way though the jumbled thoughts bouncing around in his head. This is right. You're crazy. She'll leave, all the others did. No you drove them away. She's different. You'll still fail. She'll leave like all the others. No she won't. This is different…this is right.

"You'll leave…no…I'll drive you away," Gibbs replied and got up from the bed, breaking the bond between their hands. Kate watched him pace the room as his words soaked into her brain. They were both silent for a while as Kate tried to process her own thoughts. She watched him as he finally settled in front of her window peering through the barely open blinds into the vast darkness outside. Finally she opened her mouth.

"Gibbs, look at me," she said in a stern tone. He looked back at her over his shoulder then turned around to face her. He locked eyes with her as she conveyed what she felt for him in her eyes. "I can't promise this is forever, but I'd like to try. There are no guarantees in life; you know that, I know that. But what's happiness without sadness, Jethro? What are good times without bad? It's the bad times and sadness that make the good times and happiness so special. You were the one in the basement that said to try, you were the one…"

Kate didn't get to finish. As she spoke Gibbs had been taking steps closer and closer. He finally silenced her with a kiss. His heart was beating his brain and he was over coming his fear, at least he hoped he was. Kate returned the kiss. When it finally ended Kate was sitting on the bed with Gibbs bent over her, foreheads resting on each other. Both of them had their eyes closed. Gibbs broke the contact and pulled back. His eyes were trained on the window.

"What is it?" Kate asked. Gibbs looked at her, then out the window again.

"I'm worried about Jeb and Hunter," he replied.

"What are you going to do?"

"Find whoever is after my boy," Gibbs said through gritted teeth.

"How? The CIA isn't going to exactly let you just research you know, specially not after the show you put on earlier today," Kate said a small smile on her face as she remembered Gibbs shooting at the guard behind the bulletproof glass. Gibbs looked at her quickly and she saw the smile on his face as well, but it quickly disappeared again.

"I have my ways. Their safety is first though. I don't know what to do. I think Hunter should go to his grandmother in California. Jeb may have somewhere else."

Kate could tell Gibbs was just thinking out loud. He didn't have a clue what to do next, and it scared him. He searched the room aimlessly with his eyes. He was tense. Kate got up from the bed and went to him. He turned to her, and Kate saw sudden clarity in his eyes.

"What?" Kate asked,

"I need a favor, Kate," Gibbs said.

"Anything."

"I need to do some…digging tomorrow. But I need someone to watch over Hunter," Gibbs said quietly, his eyes trained on hers. She didn't like his tone when he had said he had digging to do.

"Ok," she replied quietly. "I'll watch him, but what about NCIS?"

"I'll make sure everything is ok. You don't have to go in tomorrow."

"Tony is going to freak out," Kate said with a smile.

"I think it's a little late for that," Gibbs replied with a chuckle. Kate smiled wider it was good to hear him laugh a little.

"You better leave McGee in charge," Kate said, her smile infectious as it spread to Gibbs. He pulled her into an embrace, which she accepted.

"You should get some sleep," Gibbs said quietly stroking her hair.

"Only if you join me," Kate replied as she yawned. She felt Gibbs tense and she looked up at him. She saw the fear return to his eyes. It flashed across as he processed his inner emotional demons. Finally she saw him relent and she felt him relax. She walked him to the bed and then she crawled in under the covers. Gibbs joined her shortly but she was almost asleep already. Gibbs wrapped an arm around her protectively and Kate drifted off into sleep.

TBC……………………………

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