A/N: So sorry for the writer's block that kept this last chapter from you. But it's here.. and this is the last chapter of my first story. My glorified, once-upon-a-time-one-shot. Thanks to everyone for reading and for all of your absolutely wonderful reviews. They always make me smile.

And a tremendous thank you to Sammie for beta'ing this last chapter. :) so many kudos to you :)

So, read on my lovelies. Hope you enjoy.

Kate's chest rose in rhythm with the clock on the bedside table as Gibbs watched her sleep with quiet satisfaction. He could sense the impending grimaces of nausea that would be passing across her flushed face in the hours to come, but for now she slept rather peacefully by his side. He smiled at the thought of scolding her in the morning; standing in the door jam of the bedroom with a smirk and a stern brow, lightheartedly lecturing her on the many consequences of drinking as she sat on the edge of the bed, head in her hands, gently moaning for him to be quiet.

He laid there watching her face, her eyes softly fluttering behind closed lids, her lips slightly parted, her chest rising and falling with every slow breath she took. Kate turned in her sleep, curling into him and burying her face into his side. He smiled, running a gentle hand over her back. Gibbs traced light circles on her lower back and stared absently at the ceiling, suddenly furrowing his brow in careful meditation, and then letting it slowly rise into his own soft epiphany. He liked her...

He glanced down at Kate's small hand resting on his chest and gently moved his hand to cover hers. He liked her? He did. Actually, he slowly thought to himself, I love her… I… what—? His eyes fluttered down to look at her with such heavy realization. He had always been aware of his liking for this woman— hell, his childish infatuation was a part of his desire to have her on his team. He tried desperately to remember when lust and curiosity turned into love and affection. When had this gone beyond his conscious control?

Gibbs carefully rolled Kate away from him, enough to see her face as she slept. His eyes performed a slow study of her, looking for an answer, searching for something that maybe he had missed. He brought his hand up to her face, running a rough thumb gently over her cheek, and a soft smile drew upon her sleeping lips. Never bringing his eyes away from her, he settled down further into the bed, making it so they were eye to eye, with their heads on the same pillow. He couldn't come to a conclusion, and he couldn't provide a date, but whenever it was that Caitlin Todd became Katie in his mind, Gibbs had silently fallen in love. He placed a soft, lingering kiss on her forehead before drifting off, fighting sleep till the very end in order to watch her dream.

Gibbs wasn't aware he had fallen asleep until the sun splashed across his face, waking him and gradually persuading his eyes to open. With a slow yawn he shifted and was about to climb out of bed when a hand gently clasped around one of his wrists. Startled, Gibbs looked over to see Kate gazing back at him groggily, having been lying next to him semi-awake for the last 20 minutes. She gave him a small smile and lured him back onto the bed with a soft tug.

"You misbehave when you leave…" she said, her voice still dripping with sleep. She watched him closely, her eyes filled with mirth and drowsy concern. She didn't want him to leave again— physically or emotionally. He lay back down next to her and brushed a strand of hair from her eyes, touching her slightly bruising cheek to ease any of her doubts. He smirked at her, his eyes twinkled with silent laughter as he teased her in a low voice, "How are you feeling today..." She rolled her eyes at him as a tiny smile played upon her lips. She sat up slowly, swinging her legs off the edge of the bed till her feet touched the floor. His eyebrows rose in amusement as she turned her back to him. Kate ran her hands through her hair, squinting and pressing her fingertips to her temples with a low grunt— a smile quickly flashed across his face before he assumed his somber demeanor and moved from the bed. Gibbs firmly cleared his throat, arching a typical Gibbs-ian eyebrow as he walked to her side of the room.

He leaned against the dresser, gruffly taunting, "You know, binge drinking is something you should probably want to reconsider... for someone your age and all, it—"

Kate groaned softly as she rubbed her eyes with her open palms, murmuring some inaudible obscenity as she fell backwards onto the bed. She grew silent as she laid there, her arms sprawled over her head, her hands clenching and unclenching into tiny fists of uneasiness. A slow exhale escaped her.

"Where are we, Gibbs…?"

His brow twitched beneath the weight of her question. Still leaning on the edge of the dresser, he folded his arms across his chest with slightly raised eyebrows and downcast eyes. "Where do you want to be..?" he replied coolly, not really knowing the answer to either of their questions. He felt the need to know where she stood before he stepped further out into the open, before he became any more naked than he already felt in front of her. Remembering her cheeks streaked with tears was what kept his emotional door open. He didn't want that to happen, he didn't want to cause that.

"Here…" she answered, suddenly sounding very small to him. Gibbs slowly brought his gaze to the bed. "…I want to be here." Kate sat up and tucked one leg beneath her, setting her clasped hands in her lap. Gibbs made his way over to the bed and sat beside her, his thigh grazing hers.

"You are here, Kate." He said softly with a calm tone of honesty. She swallowed as she turned her head to face him. The uncertainty in her eyes made him bleed, but whether it was uncertainty of her own actions or of his, he wasn't quite sure. He slipped his hand to rest on her knee, squeezing gently as he spoke, this time with a little more force in his words, "Where do you want to be…"

Kate wet her lips and pressed them together before slightly pursing them in thought. At first she faltered, but she recovered with a distinctive strength returning to her voice, "With you." He squeezed her knee again before patting her leg and nodding. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it. He ran a comforting hand from the crown of her head to the back, stroking her hair softly, almost nervously. His eyes wavered, but eventually he met her gaze which seemed to urge him on.

Still cupping the back of her head as he leaned his face in close, "I love you…" Gibbs murmured softly, his eyes flashed coolly and with affectionate seriousness. "I am… in love," he exhaled as he paused, "with you."

Her lips parted slightly as she stared at him and he smirked at her speechlessness. Kate closed the gap that suddenly became this gulf of space that she could no longer stand. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him to her tightly, resting her chin on his shoulder. She didn't want to let him or this moment go. Kate squeezed him, in the hopes of making time stand still. A chill ran through her as she felt his hands softly caressing her lower back, she shuddered slightly and, in his ear, whispered in a voice thick with emotion and threatening with tears, "I love you, too…" She buried her face into the crook of his neck, instinctively scooting into his lap. Gibbs welcomed it and firmly held her to his chest as his 'Kate smile' returned to his face. They sat in comfortable silence, soaking in the emotional depths of the morning. He rubbed her back soothingly and softly stroked her hair, breathing her in, continuing to grin over her shoulder. Maybe he wouldn't have to take her home tonight.

Maybe she was already there.