Chap 9

Gibbs merely laid there running his fingers threw her slightly damp brown hair; the acting slowly lulling Kate to sleep. She blinked a couple of times, and each time she did it took her eyes longer to re-open.

Some time later Gibbs's eyes slowly started to close itself as he started to fall asleep when the shrill of his cell phone snapped him fully awake. He twisted his body slightly so he could fish his hand behind his back to take out his phone before it woke Kate up.

"Yah!" He whispered angrily. He quickly looked down to Kate and his situation. While he was twisting Kate had moved her head slightly and was now resting it in the crook of Gibbs's neck. Her breath tickling and sending warmth yet Goosebumps over is body at the same time down his body. ((How can she be so seducing while asleep!)) He thought as he shifted his weight a little but Kate nestled into him; her lips now touching the skin beneath his ear. He took in a breath and tried to listen to the conversation.

"I take you found Caitlin's house and by the sound of your voice hasn't killed you yet Jethro." Ducky said while he was cutting a "Y" incision on a Petty Officer's chest.

"No not yet but she's getting to it." Gibbs whispered as he slowly lifted his body off the couch but not before he accidentally brushed his knuckles across her cheeks causing her brow to wrinkle. He gently tucked her in the couch and without hesitation he gently brushed his slightly chapped lips over her smooth forehead and got back to his conversation.

"So what is she doing?" Ducky asked as he put the visor over his face and used his surgical drill through the victim's ribcage; blood splattering his shield but he merely ignoring the sound and listened to Gibbs rant on.

"She's asleep, Ducky you can't even believe what she went through, what she kept from all of us, what she witnessed and had to partake in." He slipped out of the room a little down the hall into a guest room and sat on the mattress; his eyes drifting around the shelving and stopped on a chestnut shelf containing pictures from when she was little to when she entered NCIS.

"Ah yes, terrible what Jack did was it if I were her I would have dealt with it in a different manner. You know this reminded me of when I visited Rome in…" He went on has he lightly took out the ribcage and slowly took out a bullet from beneath the left lung.

"Wait, you knew about Jack?" He got up walked over to the window and pulled the curtains apart and looked outside. Gibbs half listened to what Ducky had to say as he looked at every single one of the pictures, stalling at the one of her and Jack…I know him! He works across the room! He thought as memories of the past flooded through his mind. Her coming to work with a cut lip and she saying she had cut it while licking an envelop. He knew she was lying by the fact that she despised the taste and either made someone else do it for her or she moistened it by finger but never really pressed her though now he knew he should have. He sighed inwardly and looked at the picture of the last Christmas party.

Kate had pressed him to attend saying he should loosen up and just make the best of it. He decided to go, yet somehow as everyone seemed surprised she wasn't; she had on the biggest and brightest smile that could stopped you dead in your tracks; the same smile that enticed him all those years from when he first met her on Air Force One to now when she cracked a case. He remembered she wore a knee-length red satin dress that hugged her curves and accentuated her features. Her hair was all pilled on top of her head in ringlets with little red gems here and there that glittered every time the light hit them. She had come up to him and offered him a glass of eggnog. He accepted it and she gave him a brief hug. He of course he returned it gratefully.

Gibbs clipped out of his reverie when he heard Ducky call his name.

"Yah I'm here sorry clipped off somewhere." He said scratching his hairline and walked back towards the living room where he found the couch empty. He looked around but couldn't for the life of him find her. He said goodbye to Ducky and hung up his phone and walked through her house.

"Kate." He said as he walked up the stairs to her second level.

"Outside!" She yelled threw the screen. He turned around and headed for the door. He opened it and walked over to Kate who was sitting on the porch swing slowly swinging herself back and forth slowly while reading her book. The rain was letting up slowly yet he could still hear it drum against the roof. He lifted up her legs and sat underneath them letting them drop on his lap. She smiled behind her book, her first genuine smile of the night. He looked at her and she looked over and met his gaze when she could feel his gaze on her. She peaked over the book so that only her nose up could be seen. She giggled lightly and went back to her book.

"What?" She asked as she turned the page and dove back in her story. Gibbs shrugged nothing but merely kept looking at her lovingly. Soon after she started to wiggle her toes randomly as she read as she always did when she was at a cliffhanger. Gibbs had noticed it and lightly started to tickle the bottom of her heel she would wiggle away but kept her attention on her book. He slowly started to move up her foot when a giggle pierced the air.

"Stop it Gibbs it's getting good." She whined as she once again moved her foot away but he kept on tickling it. She put her book away on the deck and curled her feet under herself. "There now that that's settled." She said as she inched a little closer. Gibbs looked at her the whole time knowing what she was going to do.

"I'm not ticklish Katie." He warned as he held out his hands in front of her ready to fend them away from her reach.

"Then why defend yourself?" She asked as she jabbed him in the ribs and the other on the other side of him. He tried to fend himself but she was just too fast for him. He let out a little squeak that Kate laughed out loud at; never had she ever heard Gibbs squeak like that.

They continued they're little fight for a while until Kate had fallen asleep once more and Gibbs brought her back inside. He kicked the door closed with his heel and brought her up to her bedroom.

Author's Note: Sorry about the wait, but I daresay this is one of my bad chapters I apologize for it please tell me what you think anyway… Brixx -xox-