A/N: Sorry that this took a little bit longer than expected, but life kinda caught up to me. My beta isn't currently available, but I wanted to get this posted, so any errors are all mine. Hope you all enjoy.

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The next week did not pass nearly fast enough for either Kate or Gibbs. A constant heavy caseload kept them busy and moving, giving them all barely enough time to take a breath before the next case was thrown in their laps. At one point it got so bad that the Director was forced to divide the team; Gibbs and McGee handling one case while Tony and Kate handled another.

By Wednesday morning, the only thing any of them wanted was for the work to end and things were looking up as they wrapped up the last couple of details of their most recent case. However, just as Gibbs was about to tell them all to go home and not come back until Friday, his phone rang. Despite serious temptation not to answer, he picked up on the fourth ring and as his conversation only pointed one direction he watched his team's faces fall.

Hanging up, he buried his desire to apologize to them all for more work and put on his usual gruff mask. "Two crew men on the Kitty Hawk just turned up dead. The carrier is on maneuvers in the North Atlantic. Grab your gear; we fly from Norfolk in one hour." Waiting for Tony and McGee to file out of the bullpen before him, Gibbs turned to Kate and gave her a small apologetic shrug. They were both well aware of how long it was possible to get stuck on an Aircraft carrier for, and it was looking more and more like they would be nowhere near the dance studio the next night.

By the time Saturday morning rolled around, the team was more than happy to be boarding their transport off the Kitty Hawk. The case had been ridiculously difficult. Two men found dead in the mess hall of a ship that carries 6000 people and yet no one even bothered to call NCIS until almost 18 hours later. And once they had arrived on board not a soul was talking to them. The crew had, by their own admission, moved the bodies twice after they were discovered and, to round everything else out, the skipper seemed to have a very serious problem with Gibbs personally and wasn't lending any support.

As far as Kate was concerned the only good thing that had come of the entire trip was ten minutes on Thursday night. She had gone out on to one of the balconies overlooking the flight deck. There were no night operations and the ship was unusually calm. Leaning on the railing she gazed out at the ocean. Her ears, which had long been attuned to his particular footfalls, easily picked up Gibbs' steps as he came up the stairs behind her.

He paused at the top of the stairs, taking the opportunity to just look at her. She sighed gently as the wind whipped some of her hair across her face and he moved up to stand beside her at the rail. Leaning forward he grinned when she didn't pull away from where his shoulder brushed against hers.

"Well this isn't exactly how I'd planned on spending the night." His voice was quiet and even, but Kate could hear the unspoken apology in his voice. Her mouth quirked up slightly at the fact that he was apologizing for something he had no control over and the grin widened at his next statement. "But I am enjoying the company."

She turned her head to gaze at him. "Yeah?"

Feeling her eyes on him, he stared out at the water for another moment before shifting so he faced her completely, his hip resting on the railing. She copied his motions and was only taken aback for a moment by his closeness. His hand covered hers on the railing as he responded. "Yeah." He was well aware that the moment was almost sappily romantic, but ever since he had kissed her a week before, all he could think about was doing it again.

The sudden appearance of Tony made them step apart, but Gibbs held her gaze for several seconds longer before turning to ask the younger agent what he had.

A day and a half later they finally left, and that was only after they, or rather Ducky, had gotten an incredibly lucky break during the autopsy. All Kate could think of as she sank into the seat of the transport was how much she was looking forward to a nice hot bath and going to sleep early in her own bed.

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She had just snuggled up in pjs and a tank top on the couch with a good book when there was a knock on the door. Releasing a heavy sigh she ignored it, hoping that whoever it was would assume she wasn't home. Another, more persistent knock, put an end to that hope and she rose to answer it, every trace of annoyance dropping away when she discovered who it was.

He was dressed more casually than Kate could remember ever seeing him before. Plain blue jeans hung loosely on his trim hips and his black t-shirt hugged tight enough to show off his toned chest and abs. He made no move to hide his appreciative glance up and down her body, pausing to take in the two inches of skin shown off by the low-riding pajama bottoms and the midriff baring tank. Taking his appearance in just as readily, she waited until his eyes were back on hers before stepping back to let him in.

Gibbs gave her a gentle smile before entering. The main living area was clean and tidy, with a distinctly Kate feel to it. The furniture was kept against walls, creating a more open and large feeling to the small space. After a quick glance about the place he turned back to face her. The almost distraught look on her face confused him and he raised a questioning eyebrow at her as she walked past him into the living room. Slumping down on the couch she gave him a slight pout before speaking.

"Please tell me that this isn't about another case. The Director said we were off until Tuesday." Her whining tone brought a large grin to his face and he chuckled lightly before replying.

"Nope, no case. You still get to sleep in tomorrow."

"Thank god. You had me really worried there for a moment." Sitting up straighter on the sofa, she seemed to suddenly realize the unusualness of his presence in her apartment. Despite their growing relationship and her more than willingness to have him stay she couldn't help but give him a confused smile. "So why are you here?"

His answer was a slow, sexy smile as he turned and moved to her stereo. He pulled a CD case out of his back pocket as he spoke. "Well…I was kinda hoping that you'd let this be a raincheck for that dancing thing we were supposed to do." Her heart fluttered in her chest as he gave her a small smile over his shoulder before hitting the play button. The opening notes of a slow, romantic jazz piece drifted through the speakers as he walked back over to the couch and offered her his hand.

Kate didn't have to think for even a second before placing her hand in his and standing. Bringing their clasped hands to his chest he wrapped his arm around her waist. Snaking her hand up to his shoulder she leaned into him, allowing herself to become completely lost in the music, and their light sway, and in him.

Breathing in the scent that she had long learned to associate with him, she pulled away from his body to look up at him. Taking the same initiative that he had during their last night out, she used her free hand to pull his lips down to hers. His response was passionate and immediate as the tip of her tongue swiped across his bottom lip. She tasted sweet and delicate, and their tongues tangled for several moments before they both pulled slowly away. Placing a quick kiss on her forehead, Gibbs pulled her to him and continued their dance.

The CD had just begun its second loop through when Kate let out a loud yawn. She'd been trying to hold it back for almost half an hour, but three short nights of restless sleep on a hard bunk was finally catching up to her. Half afraid that she would fall asleep where she stood, Gibbs lightly kissed her hair before turning her firmly around and leading her to her bedroom.

Noting that she was already partly asleep as she climbed into bed, he pulled the blanket up around her, allowing himself the rare opportunity to watch her soft features as she fell asleep. Standing from his precarious position on the edge of the bed, he turned off the lamp next to him and had begun moving toward the door when a soft hand grasped his wrist.

Her voice was heavy and slightly slurred by exhaustion. "Stay Gibbs…Please."

It was the pouting sound of the please that got to him. Releasing a light sigh, he quickly toed off his shoes and very willingly settled himself behind her. Giving into the fantasy he'd had for almost a year, he slung an arm over her waist and pulled her against him. He was amazed at how tired he felt now that he was lying down. Taking a deep breath of the Kate scent that enveloped him, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

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The warm, dawn light creeping in through the bedroom window woke Kate slowly. As she made her way leisurely to consciousness she smiled at the feeling of a hand lightly stroking her side. Her mind replayed the events of the previous night, and she sighed happily at the vague recollection of asking Gibbs to stay and his immediate acquiescence.

Feeling Kate wake in his arms was like a dream come true and when he heard her light sigh he pressed a warm kiss to her neck before rolling her over. The motion put a slight distance between them and he stared into her eyes for a short time before speaking.

"Hey. Sleep well?" He grinned as she gave a short yawn and a nod before replying.

"Yeah. My bed was definitely more comfortable than it has been in the past." His mouth twitched in a slight smirk that she chose to ignore as she continued. "Wouldn't mind a few more hours though. What time is it?"

He reached over and gently brushed a loose hair behind her ear. He was happy that there didn't seem to be any awkwardness between them and his brain echoed her earlier sentiment of a more comfortable sleeping arrangement than usual. He couldn't remember a time when he'd slept as well. He gave her a light smile and she was surprised at the amount of love she read in his eyes. She smiled softly back at him, allowing the same emotion to show on her own features as he responded. "0730."

She yawned again. "And there's no case so I still get to sleep in, right?" He grinned as he nodded an affirmative. "Good." Closing the small distance between them, she snuggled into his chest as his arm wrapped tight around her. He barely caught her last whisper as she drifted off again. "Morning, Jethro."

Settling himself deeper in the pillows, he gently caressed the exposed skin on her back. "Morning, Katie." He kissed her hair before letting sleep once again claim him as well.

THE END

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A/N: And that's all. At least for now. I'm seriously considering doing a sequel that would be posted in the Adult Section on http://p104. but it might be a while. Hope you all enjoyed and please tell me what you think. This was just me trying to write a story about a KIBBS relationship growing slowly over the course of a month or so (most of my stories take place during the space of a couple of hours) and I hope I succeeded.

And for the one person that complained that there wasn't enough of them dancing (and you know who you are) I would just like to say that the story is not about the physical dancing, but rather the emotional dance in their minds and hearts. The dance lessons were just a good metaphoric vehicle for the broader theme. And now I'm starting to sound like my English prof. so...