She's had moments like this before.
She palms the scalpel. She has a plan, sees it in her mind, every step laid out. She knows she often talks without thinking but she rarely acts without thinking, without relying on instincts honed from years of training.
Moments of complete clarity tinged with panic that saved her life. Most of them since meeting Gibbs and joining NCIS, she realises. As much as she curses the man though, she appreciates everything he's done for her. Appreciated everything he's taught her.
Appreciates him.
It's that thought that makes her hesitate.
She's not sure exactly why.
Ducky warns her against it, and she can't help but taunt the man with the gun because, well, she doesn't always think before she speaks. Still, it doesn't stop her from trying, from going ahead with her quickly formed plan.
She looks into the terrorist eyes, scalpel going for his neck, aiming straight for his carotid artery. He blocks her, twists her arm around, holds her closed. She thinks she can still get a lunge in but instead of trying again she pauses. Hesitates.
Hesitation gets people killed. She can hear Gibbs' voice in her head like a damn conscience and she's still thinking about this when the terrorist kisses her. The shock stills in her into inaction for a moment, she's still thinking about Gibbs and she can't figure out if that's weird or not. When the terrorist tilts his head to deepen the kiss though, it doesn't matter. He still has his gun trained on Ducky, still has them held hostage, still has really soft lips but it doesn't matter.
She moves, responds, kisses back.
Thrusts the scalpel into his neck.
She doesn't hesitate a second time. As he stumbles back she goes for the gun in his hand as he clutches at the wound in his neck. He's on the floor when she puts a bullet in each arm; in the elbow joints for good measure aware of the body armour he wears.
She's still got to gun trained on him when she feels a band on her arm. she whirls around, gun pointed at the newcomer. It's not until she hears him say her name- warm and reassuring- that she realises it's Gibbs and lowers her arm. She drops the gun and it clatters to the ground at the dead man's feet.
" You're okay Katie," he murmurs and she nods dumbly.
"Gerald?"
He nods towards a gurney being wheeled away by two Paramedics while Ducky explains everything they need to know about Gerald's shoulder and few things they don't need to know. Kate wonders how long she's actually been standing there with a gun trained on What she hopes is a very dead man.
she turns to look but his hand is on her arm again, turning her away and leading her out of autopsy finally.
" You okay, you need a medic?" he asks, guiding her into the elevator. "Did he hurt you?"
There is a bruise blooming across her cheek, she can feel it and it's going to ache for a week but that's not what comes out of her mouth.
"He kissed me."
He reaches past her and flicks the switch for the emergency brake. He stares at her for a moment and she can tell he's trying to figure out what he wants to say, what he wants to feel but he's not one for talking about...well anything.
Kate however can't seem to stop herself.
"I kissed back."
A dark look passes over his face, it's a flash, sadness she thinks, then it's gone. The soft voice is back when he speaks, but there is a bite, an edge that she knows well now.
"You kissed him back?" he asks.
"Yeah."
"Why?"
She shakes her head, clearing it, answering it, debating it. She had been pretty sure in autopsy, absolutely certain why she'd kissed him back. She considers humour, considers a smile and a joke and to play it off like it doesn't matter.
It matters to Gibbs though, she can tell but she doesn't know why it matters.
"I don't know," she admits. "He had kind eyes," she says, not meeting his as she speaks. "And it was distracting."
"His eyes or the kiss?" he asks, voice low, the edge sharpening.
"Both," she whispers. "The kiss distracted him more," she adds, too quickly, "gave me my chance to move. To kill him." Her voice breaks then and he moves closer, still not touching.
"You saved Ducky and Gerald's life," he tells her, "stopped a terrorist." His voice is all warmth now, all rough Gibbs and she takes a deep breath, relaxes into the sensation of his voice. "You did good Kate."
She nods and after a moment he flicks the switch. With a slight jolt, the lift starts moving again and Kate wants to shield her eyes from the harsh light. From his gaze.
"Why do you think he did it?" she asks. "Why do you think he kissed me?"
Gibbs smiles then, a huff of laughter in his sigh. The doors slide open and he throws the words back to her as he steps off the elevator.
"Because you're beautiful Kate."