A/N: Oh cats and kittens, ask and you shall receive :) within reason of course... thank you all for the reviews, i love them. and i hope you enjoy :) and maybe a few more little reviews :D

--- 5 ---

After the smooth journey up the cellar steps, Gibbs imagined getting Kate upstairs to the bedroom would quite simply be a piece of cake. But once they got into the kitchen, her body didn't seem to want to cooperate with Gibbs' intentions: her feet began to slightly slide out from under her, her knees shook, buckling several times, and she tripped over herself more than once. But of course Kate thought it was quite possibly the funniest thing— in the entire world. Paying no attention to Gibbs' words of caution, she snickered uncontrollably as she leaned against the threshold dividing the hall and the kitchen, slowly sliding her way to the floor.

Her eyes widened and her deep giggling quelled when she felt two strong arms come from behind and wrap around her middle, gently tugging her upright.

"Theeere we go." Gibbs exhaled quietly when he had her standing on her own two feet. He ducked his chin into the crook of her neck and whispered by her ear, "C'mon… half way there, Katie."

To this, Kate let out a soft, drunken groan which quickly turned into a soft giggle as she put her hands over his, resting on her stomach. He led her to the bottom of their next flight of stairs and nodded towards the second floor,

"Think you can make it?" he huffed slightly as he repositioned his arms around her to get a better grip on her small, swaying frame.

"I, uhm… Mmm.." Kate murmured before she placed one foot on the first wooden step, successfully. Gibbs slid his arms from around her waist until his hands were steadying her hips; he let out a small, premature sigh of relief at her ability to tackle the stairs. She didn't quite make the second step though, as her footing failed her miserably; slipping and landing hard on the steps, onto her hands and knees.

"Bastard…" she hissed, which again turned into a deep, syrupy chuckle. Gibbs swiftly turned her over, having her sit on the step and face him. He scanned her hastily before looking to her closed eyes and ignoring her snickers.

"You alright?"

She nodded with a slowly spreading silly grin on her face. He furrowed his brow and frowned at her as he brought them both to stand— being eye to eye with her as she was standing on the third step and him on the floor.

"… What?" he grumbled.

She poked his chest lightly and tipped her head. "You're a… you're a good guy. Leroy.. Jethro, Gibbs." She lazily drew out his name and chuckled. "Leroy.." she repeated his first name in amused pontification before she grinned at him.

Gibbs paused and looked at her. "...Yer never drinking my bourbon." He mumbled lightly under his breath as he turned his back to her and slightly crouched down, taking her hands and snaking her arms around his neck. He turned his head towards Kate, looking to her over his shoulder, "C'mon. Get on, let's go," he sighed.

Kate snickered and climbed onto his back, wrapping her legs around his waist as he slid one hand behind him to steady her hip and the other hand held onto one of her arms. He stopped to readjust her grip around his neck, so he could breathe accordingly. Gibbs turned and embarked upon the stairs again.

Kate sleepily laid her cheek against the back of his head with a sigh as she gently tightened her legs around his waist. He quietly cleared his throat at the subtle pressure she constricted and continued up the stairs.

Just when he believed she had fallen asleep, he heard and felt her humming.

"Mmmhmmm mmm mmm… Laa la la laa. La la laaa." He felt Kate smile. "Turnit'up, turn it up.. little bit higher.. radio… turn it up.. turn it up.. so y'know, radio—"

Gibbs got to the top of the stairs and turned his head slightly towards her. "Wait. I'm sorry, are you singing…?" She snickered mixed with a few more "la la's" in response. His lips quirked.

"You're on my back and drunk. Singing Van Morrison." He shook his head and shuffled down the hall. "Wonderful." He murmured.

Finally reaching their destination, he hauled her over to the bed— his back towards the side of the bed, he leaned back slightly and gently dropped her onto the mattress. Her arms were gone from around his neck, but he looked down to see that her legs were still firmly attached to his body. He raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes as he slid his hands from her knees, down her stocking'ed calves to her feet, disentangling himself.

Gibbs turned to look down at her: partially sprawled out on his bed, chest rising and falling with increasingly sleepy breaths. He picked up her legs that were dangling off the edge and placed them onto the bed before sliding his hands around her waist and hoisting her up further on the bed. With her head securely on a pillow, he ran a hand over her hair that splayed across the dark grey pillowcase. Leaning over and grabbing the other edge of the comforter, he brought it over and sandwiched her between the bedspread; tucking her in and running a hand down her blanket-covered hip. He looked to her face to see her watching him under hooded lids, the pained expression in her eyes revealing her slowly sobering. Her low, shaky voice threatened to claw at his heart.

"Thank you…" she wet her lips, taking a deep breath and drowsily sighing it out. He paused for a moment before leaning over her and pressing a soft, warm kiss to her forehead, his lips lingering on her skin as he murmured,

"Sleep, Kate."

She seemed to comply immediately as she slowly closed her eyes— he remained at the side of the bed and watched her until her breathing evened out. Gibbs exhaled softly as he quietly retreated to a large armchair a few feet away from her, lowering himself into it with another sigh. He ran his hands over his face, rubbing his eyes and then raking his fingers back into his hair. He looked over at Kate with a slightly raised, thoughtful brow, and eyes filled with the love and concern that consumed him. Gibbs leaned back in the armchair, bringing a thoughtful hand to his mouth as he propped his elbow up on the arm of the overstuffed recliner. He couldn't erase the sadness on her face that had steadily etched itself into a deep crevice in his mind.

-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-

"Well… I don't know about you but… but I think I need a drink."

He remembered the muddled emotions that clouded her moistening, dark eyes, but he'd never forget the slight tremor in her voice and the faint quiver that flashed across her face. One of hurt and grief, one that wasn't just a part of the present, but the kind of ache and anguish that lived in a person's past. He knew it all too well, which let him recognize it immediately.

He took a step closer to her, tilting his head to one side and creasing his brow with an open concern and confusion that wound up becoming her undoing. It was her shoulders. Her shoulders were the first to break down, as they heaved as she began to silently sob. She looked up to the ceiling as her face broke next; frowning and raising her eyebrows to try to keep herself in check a little longer until she squeezed her eyes tight, her mouth opening ever so slightly in a hushed inhale.

Gibbs remembered having to close the gap between them, advancing on her quickly in order to keep her from hitting the floor—her knees were the next in line to be broken. They buckled as she slumped against him, softly clawing and balling her fists in his shirt. She cried openly into his chest, her tears slowly spreading in a wet expanse over the cotton of his white dress shirt. Gibbs guided her down to the floor, sitting with her in front of the cold fireplace, having her instinctively crawl into his lap and hang onto him in hopes of keeping herself afloat.

His confusion was almost overwhelming— he didn't quite know what to do with her, and still had no idea what had shaken her to the core. What had the ability to break her down into a sobbing mess and tangle of what was Kate Todd. He almost worked up enough nerve to ask, when she saved him from having to— her cries quieted down to light sobs and sniffles as she allowed the hot tears to continue to unabashedly stream down her face in rivers. She was comfortable enough to not pull away, to not wipe at her eyes and clear her throat and excuse herself for being scared, for being sad, for being human. She rested her cheek against his shoulder and looked to her hand that was still balled up in the material of his shirt—she loosened her grip and smoothed her hand over his chest.

"My mom," she whispered hoarsely and nodded her head vaguely, "she's sick, too.. again. Gibbs.." she cried, "I just... I can't—" she inhaled sharply and chewed at her lip, turning her face into his chest, hiding and attempting to calm another tidal wave.

Gibbs closed his eyes with a flickering grimace of painful understanding and placed his chin lightly on top of her head, tucking her neatly into the crook of his neck. He wrapped his arm around her more snugly, while bringing his other hand to cup the back of her head. He held her firm against him— she needed an anchor. And if he could be nothing else, he could be that for her.