Chap. 2

Kate made her way slowly home taking in the many shops in which were fully decorated for the holidays to watching the snow fall down in thick flakes everywhere she looked, she tilted her head towards the sky and shut her eyes and merely let the flakes land on her face. That moment of tranquility erased her second thoughts about kissing Gibbs and also living without any family to celebrate Christ's Birthday.

She walked up the steps to her apartment and stripped off her coat and left her snow-caked boots in the hallway.

She turned the lights on in her impeccable household and walked over to her mantle and turned on her stereo to some Christmas channel. She started to hum along to Silent Night as she stretched her arms and headed over to her bedroom to change when her phone rang. She picked it up and answered it as she went threw her drawers.

"Hello?"

"Hey Kate!" A cheery voice greeted her.

"Hey Abs, aren't you in San Fran?" She asked as she shuffled out of her cords and struggled into her red flannel pants.

"We were but McGee got lost on his way to the airport and we missed our flight our next one comes in 2 days!" She answered chipper for someone that missed her flight. "Anyway, what are you up to?"

"Nothing much just spending time with me, myself and I" Kate said cradling the phone on her shoulder as she struggled off her sweater.

"Great, I'm coming over!" At that moment there was a knock on the door, Kate turned around and headed out of her room quickly trying to balance the phone and shrugging into the t-shirt Abby had given her earlier that day.

"Hey Abs?" Kate asked slightly confused as she made her way towards the door.

"Yah Kate?"

"You're not here yet are you?" Kate said as her bare feet padded on the hard wood floor as she walked to the still banging door.

"No one's that fast…wait yah Gibbs is that fast." Abby strained against the receiver to hear who was at the door, Kate heard her excited breathing and rolled her eyes before she un-bolted the door.

Gibbs stood pacing outside Kate's apartment tensing his hands and rocking from the balls of his feet to the tip.

He could hear chatting on the other side of the door before he heard the deadbolts clicking and the door opening.

Gibbs met Kate's surprised expression but a second later it turned to an earth-shattering smile.

Kate mouthed 'come in' and moved aside more him to walk past her and she shut the door when he was well in her living room.

"So who is it?" Abby yelled over the receiver impatient at the waiting and lack of answers.

"It's only my neighbor Abs, she wants some sugar." Gibbs smirked and raised an eyebrow at her lie and draped his coat over his arm and unlaced his shoes and placed them on the welcoming mat.

Kate smiled and said her goodbyes and hung up the phone. She placed the cordless on the counter and placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head slightly.

"Chances are you're not here for sugar." She said lamely, causing him to chuckle for what seemed like the 5th time that day, which was very un-Gibbs like.

"No." He said simply; smirking.

"Good, because I'm fresh out." She said as she leaned against the fridge and crossed her arms on her chest and smiled.

"Aren't you diabetic Katie?" He raised an eyebrow as he walked over to where she stood just staring at him.

"That too." She half smiled wrapped her arms tighter around her body slightly uncomfortable under his piercing gaze.

"I thought about what you said earlier Kate." Gibbs said as he leaned against the sink not breaking his eyes off her.

Kate looked at him confused and urged him to press on. "I said a number of things Gibbs." She said busying herself by going to the fridge and taking out a green apple and tossed him one over her shoulder effortlessly.

He turned to face her just in time to catch it before it hit him in the face. She shut the fridge with a pear in her hand.

"When you refused my offer for Christmas." He replied as he took a big bite from the apple and chewed on it thoughtfully as he made his way slowly in her living room and snoop around trying to figure out his Kate a little further past her demeanor at work.

"What about it?" Kate asked as her brows knitted together from lack of information as she ran her pear under the faucet and dried it on her pant leg, and then took a big bite and spraying juice everywhere.

"I thought about it," He said as he looked at everything on her make-shift mantel piece. "and am sad to report that disincline your denial." He said simply taking several little bites from the apple and swallowed them hastily.

"Oh, and when did you decide this?" She paused hands on hips in a mock sarcastic way.

The corners of his lips turned upwards for an instant then walked back to the kitchen and chucked the apple core in the waste basket and un-buttoned the first two buttons of his sports coat all of a sudden too hot to stand the buttoned coat. "The minute you said no and left." He said running a hand through his silver hair and taking a seat on one of her kitchen chairs.

"Okay." Kate said as she shrugged and took a bite from her pear finding it interesting for some odd reason.

"Okay?" He repeated blown away, and his eye brow rose once more towards the ceiling. "You constantly ignore Tony's continuous flirting, and every time I send you dumpster-diving you always end up biting my head off later, yet when I press you to leave your home and erase your plans for the holidays you merely give up like that?" He snapped his fingers to emphasize his point.

She shrugged her shoulders and her eyes twinkled mischievously. "Apart from you sending me swimming with trash, and Tony consecutively staring at my ass. I guess this request is heart-felt, and don't tell me Tony's staring is heart-felt." She said as she went over to the trash bin, chucked her core out as well and tied the bag closed.

Gibbs followed her every movement from her medium-caramel hair falling to bloke her face, to down to her skilled slender fingers tying up the bag and finally to the gentle sway of her hips as she walked.

"You're speechless, that's a first." She giggled lightly enjoying Gibbs's company now.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow and the corner of his lips curve up in a smile. He had never had the chance to witness Katie Todd giggle; it was light and loving, he added yet another Katie-perk to his mental list of what made him attracted to her. "On rare occasions, now more then ever though." He said scratching just below his hairline in slight embarrassment.

"I like it." She bit her lip when she met his amused gaze; he noticed it and rolled his eyes in pure enjoyment.

A little later Gibbs and Kate walked down the walkway; Gibbs carrying Kate's single small suitcase in one hand and placing his free hand on the small of her back.

Ignoring the fact that had on several layers the warmth from Gibbs's touch could be felt throughout her body. Gibbs opened her door and let her in, and once she was seated she smiled her gratitude in which he returned with a small of his own as he shut the door. As he made his way to the back he pumped the trunk, opened it and slid her suitcase beside his and slams the cover shut and continued on his way to the driver's seat.

As he entered Kate was on the phone, the car was flooded with her light-filled and soft voice.

"Sorry Abs I'll make it up to you somehow…no I will not get another tattoo with you." She said laughing lightly as she buckled herself in and leaned against the door slightly.

Gibbs started the car and pulled out of the stall with a smirk on his face as he listened to the conversation.

"…fine maybe a little one…yes I promise…you too Abs, Merry Christmas hun." She hung up the phone and met Gibbs's smirk and laughed a little. "What? She's very persistent." Kate looked out the window as Gibbs drove towards the freeway leading to the airport.

Author's Note: For those who thought it was a one-shot was horribly wrong I'm gonna go full out with this one hehe. Brit –x0x-