The smell of her still lingered in the car. Gibbs began to drive to her apartment in a haze. And what are you gonna do then? Apologize? For what, being a bastard? "I am a bastard," he muttered to himself. He pulled out his phone again and called her apartment— it rang until the machine picked up, Kate's voice reached out to him over the telephone lines. "Hello, you've reached Caitlin Todd. I can't come to the phone right now but please leave your name and number and I'll get back to you as soon as I am able.. :BEEP: "
"Kate, Kate.. if you're there pick up." He waited for a few seconds and sighed into the phone, hanging up. He started feeling a little sick with thoughts of something having happened to her. If anything happened… but he pushed the thought away, far back into the corner of his mind and continued on towards her apartment. Nothing happened. But if he could just see she was okay…
Four hours later, Gibbs walked through his front door. He tossed his keys onto the hall table and went into the kitchen to make coffee. Kate was still no where to be found. No one was at her apartment, but neither was her car. At least he had that to go on.. if she was missing and her car was around, then they'd have some trouble. She's driving it off, he kept telling himself. He began to clean up the mess he had made earlier that morning, picking up the pieces of the shattered mug and then kneeling down to clean up the rest of the spilled coffee. An unusual wave came over him as he mopped up the mess. If he let the feeling consume him, he believed he very well could have cried. But he shook his head and tried to shake the feeling as he stood up to throw away the soaked paper towels. She's fine, his mind told him. "I know…" he whispered to no one, "I know." He wiped his hands and took a new cup of coffee down to the basement.
The sun had dipped beneath the horizon and the wind began to pick up, giving a sharp chill to the air. Earlier, Kate had gone back to her apartment, missing Gibbs by a matter of minutes. After taking another shower and changing her clothes, she had called Abby to have a few drinks with her at happy hour. Now she stood outside the bar, catching her breath and getting a good dose of fresh air. Normally she hated drinking, being drunk and feeling out of control, but somehow she needed it. She was sobering up a little as the cold wind spread across her face and whipped her hair. Tipsy, she thought. I'm not drunk… She leaned against the brick wall and sighed. Abby on the other hand.. Kate had called McGee to pick her up, and they had pulled away, leaving a few minutes ago. He asked if she wanted a ride home, but she declined. She appeared more sober than she actually was, so Tim had nodded and accepted her answer, knowing she was too stubborn to be coerced into going home. She stumbled a little as she made her way back into the bar. How in the hell are you getting home, she thought to herself. Kate climbed onto a bar stool and ordered another martini, propping herself up on an elbow, her chin resting in her hand. She drank slowly, trying not to notice the lewd stares she was receiving from the guy at the end of the bar.
Gibbs walked into his team's usual after-hours hang out. He needed a drink. But he really came in the hopes of finding a trace of Kate. He sat down at the bar and ordered a cool glass of Scotch. As he nursed the drink with care, he could sense a scuffle starting down towards the other end of the bar. He didn't want to get involved in a domestic dispute between a drunken couple, but he kept an eye on the potentially escalating situation.
"What's-a-matter baby, don'tchu know a good thing whenya see one?"
Gibbs noticed the woman had her back to the man who desperately pursued her. She sloughed him off her shoulder and went back to her drink. "Oh c'mon sweetheart don't be like that..." he slurred has he turned her around to face him, nearly knocking her off her barstool. Gibbs was just about to call the bartender's attention to the situation before he saw the guy grope and grab at her sides, the woman yelled heatedly, "Are you kidding me? Get the fuck off me jackass..!" Kate. Gibbs was out of his seat in a second and pushing his way through the incredible throng of people. He saw Kate push the guy away and hit at him, slapping him in the face. The man viciously shoved her into the bar and threw a punch. Kate went reeling, but her training recovered her quickly. But her drunkenness seemed to prohibit that training from following all the way through… as pure raging instinct kicked in, she leapt onto the guy's back and began beating him senseless. Gibbs eyes went wide as he reached the eye of the fight. He grabbed at Kate, trying to peel her off the guy's back. "Kate! Kate!!" Gibbs finally got a good grip on her and removed her from the situation, Kate was still throwing punches. As he turned back to face the guy he was about to pull his weapon on, the drunk cocked his fist and sucker-punched Gibbs in the face. Momentarily stunned as he staggered a bit, Gibbs regained his footing and slammed his fist against the man's face, connecting squarely with his jaw. One shot was all Gibbs needed as the guy went down, out cold.
Exhaling and rubbing his sore cheek, he turned to face Kate. She stood in a quiet daze with a split lip and an already swelling cheek of her own. He gently put his hand on her shoulder, slowly drawing her attention. In the middle of the clamor and commotion that surrounded them, he squeezed her arm softly and led her protectively out of the bar and out onto the street.