CHAPTER 5

Gibbs isn't sure how the evening will play out, but he knows he can count on Holly to play her part. The unknown in all of this was Allison Hart. In the past week, spending more time with her; supposedly working on the case for the orphaned little girl, Gibbs has noticed a pattern to her seemingly random questions. Nothing Hart did was random or accidental so he had to believe these questions were her reason for wanting to get close to him. The problem was, he couldn't figure out why asking him questions about fishing trips and his brief retirement from NCIS were important. On the surface it just looked like she was trying to get to know him better, but there had to be a reason.

Still pondering Hart's motives, Gibbs is in his basement sanding on a rocking chair he promised to refinish for Vance's wife. Working with his hands freed up his mind to analyze problems and find solutions. His work is interrupted when his cell phone rings beside him. He sets down the sandpaper, wipes his hands on a rag and answers, "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Meet me at your front door."

"Why? It isn't locked."

"You've got an audience... now be a good boy and come to the door when I get there."

Gibbs hears the click and shakes his head as he tosses the phone down. Only Holly could get away with giving him orders like that... and Holly was the only woman he'd obey when she did. He swipes his hand down his shirt, removing most of the saw dust before heading for the stairs. He is just reaching the front hallway when he hears her heels on the steps outside.

Before she can knock, he opens the door to greet her with mock frown and a tease, "Pretty demanding, aren't ya?"

Holly doesn't stop until her body is flush against his, bumping him back into the open door as her hands curve up around his head. Her fingers lace through his silvery hair as she silences him with a kiss. Her lips tug at his, demanding a response and Gibbs once again obeys. His arms curve around her waist as he recovers from his initial shock to return the kiss. There is no hesitation, no awkward unfamiliarity between them this time as each kiss becomes more intense. His hand fists in her hair, holding her close as he nips at her lip, running his tongue over its softness. A soft growl escapes him as her lips part, inviting a more intimate caress. He pulls back to look at her, needing to see the invitation in her eyes. There is a tense moment between them before Holly's mouth curves in a seductive smile.

"Hi... you have company."

"I can see that." Gibbs raises a brow and she grins, knowing he is referring to her.

"Good, then show me how much you missed me."

Holly again leans in, nibbling at his lower lip suggestively. He doesn't hesitate to take what she's offering as his hand cradles her neck as his lips claim hers with determination. This time, she is the one to moan softly as he demands entry and kisses her hungrily. His tongue delves deeply, exploring the sweetness of hers. Each kiss blends into the next, and they lose themselves in the freedom to explore under the pretense of this illusion. It is several minutes before his burning lungs force him to draw back just enough to drag in deep breaths. His intense blue eyes are sparkling, even in the dim light and it matches her own.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw in her eyes... desire, a passion for him alone and he forgets the reality of their situation as she pulls him back to her with a husky sigh. This time their embrace is filled with passion and an all consuming desire to become one. His hands roam down her sides, his thumbs grazing along her breasts before skimming across her ribs. His hands span her small waist, flexing his fingers into her back and feeling her arch into him.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, through the overpowering desire to carry her off to his bedroom, Gibbs feels a nagging warning. He wants nothing more than to take what she is offering, but he holds her back, keeping distance between their hips. He tries to pull back, ending the kiss, but her arms tighten around his neck, refusing to let him go. She slowly tugs his lower lip into her mouth, teasing it with her tongue as her eyes meet his, purring suggestively. Gibbs feels a shudder of desire race down his spine and leans in, forcing her head back as he hungrily dives into her mouth with an answering growl. His kiss is harsh and demanding, letting her glimpse his inner animal, just waiting to come out if she continues to tease him like that.

Allison Hart's private investigator had been sitting in his car, watching the house as ordered. He was actually enjoying himself for the moment; watching the couple making out in the doorway. He wasn't sure why Hart had hired him to watch this house, but she hadn't ordered any photos... like she did when she was trying to get dirt on someone; so he just keeps his binoculars raised to his eyes and a smile on his face.

Hart hated being late... it showed disrespect; especially if she was the one waiting. She always made it a point to arrive a few minutes early to avoid such circumstances. As she is pulling up in front of Gibbs' house now, she mentally prepares herself for the evening. She has to be in the right state of mind to pull this off and she wasn't looking forward to having to throw herself at him. She is so focused on her mental preparation, she doesn't notice the strange car in his driveway... or the couple locked in the hot embrace in the doorway.

The sound of a car door closing forces Gibbs to remember where they are. He pulls back, panting hard as their eyes hold for a long moment before Gibbs puts an end to their show for the benefit of those watching. With one fluid move, his arms wrap around her , holding her against his chest as he pivots inside. Lifting her off her feet as he spins her into his house, she quickly finds herself pinned between Gibbs and the wall. His foot kicks the door closed with a soft thud, but he never looks away from her eyes. This is the moment of truth... the point at which there is no need to pretend any longer. No one is watching now, but Gibbs can't resist dropping his mouth back to hers; desperate for the sweetness of her kisses.

Holly vaguely realizes they are now inside, but her mind isn't focused on what that means right now. His rough kisses quickly ignited a passion in her she hasn't felt in many years. She let herself get lost in the pleasure of being in his arms, meeting his rising passion and demanding more. His hands are once again roaming over her body, exploring the curve of her hips as they come to cradle her ass. She once again arches into him as he presses her hips to his and a deep, frustrated growl escapes him. He suddenly breaks the kiss, breathing hard as his hands slowly move back up to her waist and he eases their hips apart once more. With his brow resting against hers, he holds her gaze as he fights for control.

"Christ, Holly... you're killin' me... " His huskily words are torn from him as another tremor rushes through him.

She feels his response as her hands glide softly down over his ribs to rest under his t-shirt at his waist. She can see his struggle for control and tilts her head to bring her lips to his chin; giving it a soft kiss. "Creating the perfect illusion is what I do, Jethro."

He sees the humor glittering in her eyes and a husky chuckle rumbles from him as he realizes how perfect it was. She continues to nibble at his jaw, causing him to sigh once more.

"Could ya be a little less perfect?"

She stops her nibbling and looks up into his eyes as she grabs his belt loops and tugs his hips against hers, feeling the hard ridge of his desire through his jeans. "So this isn't... part of the illusion?"

She glides her hips across his, and a low groan escapes him as his eyes flicker closed at the sensation. When he opens his eyes, there is a dangerous fire in him that has her pulse rate doubling. He fights to keep his hips still; knowing it wouldn't take more than the touch of her hand to set him ablaze.

As if reading his mind, Holly's hand snakes down to gently graze across the tip of the hard ridge as she moans softly, "Mmmnnn... this is definitely not an illusion."

"No, it's not... and if you don't behave..." His hand traps her wrist, pulling her hand away to retain the last shreds of his sanity. He knows she is aware of exactly how close he is by the smile on her face. "I may have to take you over my knee..."

Just then, there is a knock on his door and they both freeze. Gibbs puts a finger to her lips, pressing gently to indicate she should remain quiet as they both look over to see Allison Hart's outline through the frosted glass. He steps back and pulls his t-shirt down to cover his obvious arousal before turning towards the door. He takes a deep, calming breath and opens the door to face the last person he wanted to see at this moment.

"Hello, Agent Gibbs... or actually, I think the circumstances being what they are; I'll call you Gibbs tonight."

"Ms. Hart." His formality isn't lost on her, but she lets it go, knowing how abrasive he can be.

She steps closer to the doorframe, but stops when he doesn't step back to invite her in. After a tense moment, she holds up her hand to indicate the bottle of wine she holds. "I brought the wine... like I said I would so we could celebrate the success of our joint efforts to get Pamela's brother re-assigned to the States and appointed as her legal guardian."

Gibbs pretends to be flustered... even a bit confused as he tilts his head to the side, scratching his jaw before he responds. "Allison... I'm sorry... I didn't think you were serious... you know about dinner."

"Of course I was... you should know that about me by now, Gibbs. I don't say anything I don't mean... it can get you in trouble. So..." She hesitates, feeling nervous for the first time since he obviously misunderstood her. She'd made it perfectly clear she intended to show up here and they could celebrate over dinner. Now this infuriating man was acting like they'd never had that conversation. "... since I am here... ?"

Holly is hidden behind him and the partially opened doorway, waiting for her que to make an appearance. Gibbs clears his throat, looking like a man caught between two woman... and he didn't have to pretend because Holly's hands were gliding slowly up his back. He doesn't have time to answer as Hart sees the woman's hand with deep red nails curl over his shoulder. Hart's mouth drops open a moment before Holly comes into view at Gibbs' side, looking disheveled and sexy as hell.

"Babe... who is it? Oh... Ms. Hart...?" Holly stares at the woman, playing the perfect girlfriend as her eyes travel down over her competition and then back up. She notices the bottle of wine in her hand and puts just the right tone of questioning suspicion in her voice as she addresses her next question to Gibbs. "Jethro, what's going on?!"

"Aahh, nothing. Ms. Hart just stopped by... to celebrate a successful case we closed today. The one with the little girl."

As Gibbs speaks, his eyes remain locked on Hart, noting the clenching of her jaw and how her knuckles have turned white on the neck of the wine bottle. This is what he planned to happen, but he felt out of control; mainly because Holly was leaning against his side with her hidden hand tucked into the back pocket of his jeans.

Hart is stunned to see the other woman here... since Gibbs hadn't had any contact with her in several days. Anger churns in her stomach at once again having this annoying woman interfering in her plans. She now pulls herself back to the moment with great difficulty and plasters a fake smile on her face as she tries to salvage her dignity.

"Agent Gibbs... is obvious you're busy. I'll just..."

"No, Ms. Hart... come in... really, we're not busy." Holly can almost hear Gibbs' internal groan at her offer, knowing the last thing he wants is to let this woman inside his house. But Holly knows women and there is no way Hart will accept that invitation.

"No, really... I do have some clients to check in with before it gets too late. I'll just be going." And with that she gives Holly a cold glare and spins around and almost ruins her two thousand dollar heels in her hurry to get back to her car and out of sight.

She hears the door closing as she walked away, but refuses to give the house a backward glance. Seated in her car, she jabs the ignition button and then sat there fuming. There was no way she could get close to Gibbs with that tramp hanging all over him. That red-headed bitch was becoming intolerable... and she didn't care what Bell said; she was going to do something about it! She puts her car in drive and with a squeal of her tires, drives off down the street; not even noticing the man laughing at her from a dirty brown sedan.

Gibbs closed the door again with a heavy sigh; releasing some of the tension of the evening. But not all of it... when he turned back to face the woman beside him, there was a different kind of tension. She looks up at him with a satisfied smirk and he is tempted to follow through on his threat. Then it occurs to him... this is what he asked her to do; create the illusion of being his girlfriend. And from Hart's response just now, she'd done a good job... maybe too good because Gibbs was standing here wondering what was real and what was illusion himself.

And with his sanity back now, he realizes... this is what she does. Creating whatever illusion a man wants... becoming whatever he needs her to be. God! She'd done it with him. Becoming the perfect woman... one he couldn't resist because she got inside his head. She was the best, there was no disputing that, and his anger wasn't at her... but himself. He was stronger than that... had better control than most men... he shouldn't have fallen for her illusion at the first kiss! Even now, as much as he wanted to just fall back into her arms and lose himself in the moment; he couldn't. He couldn't do this... not without knowing it was her... really Holly and not some image she was putting on just to please him. He wouldn't become just like all those other men... men who accepted the illusion just to be with a woman like Holly. But, how would he know if it was real? She was an expert at creating illusions of whatever men wanted... how would he know if it was truly what she wanted?

With a sigh he steps back, then leans down to give her a long, slow kiss of regret. "Come on..." he gently takes her by the wrist as he walks off towards the kitchen, towing her along behind him.

Holly is confused by his sudden shift in moods. "Jethro? Where are we going?"

He stops in the kitchen when they are far enough away from the hidden microphone so they can speak. He turns back to face her, looking frustrated and his whispered words explain why. "Well, because of our little scene on the front porch, I gotta keep you here for at least the next two hours. And, since the living room is bugged... my only choices are to take you upstairs... or down to the basement."

"Two hours, huh?" Her eyes drift up to the ceiling as a smile twitches at the corner of her mouth.

"At least..." And with a heavy sigh he opens the basement door and pulls her down the stairs with him. He doesn't bother to grab beers from the fridge this time... tonight he needed something stronger.

She can tell he is angry, but why? She knew it wasn't anything to do with Hart since he'd asked her to come over and intercept her dinner plans. It had to be what happened before they were interrupted by Hart's arrival. Was he mad at himself for opening up? For getting excited? Mad at her for getting him excited? She sits on the stool he leads her to, wisely keeping quiet until she could get a better gauge on his mood.

She watches as he grabs a bottle of bourbon he keeps on the upper shelf above his workbench and two old coffee cups hanging on pegs there. It wasn't the first time they had shared bourbon in his basement, but the way he knocked back his first three fingers in one shot was. He takes a deep breath to calm himself as the hot liquor burns down his throat. Feeling its instant calming effects, he pours out more into the two cups and finally turns to face her; handing her one.

He isn't ready to talk about it so she remains quiet, sipping her drink with her eyes averted from his stormy eyes. It gives her a moment to replay the evening... she was to blame for letting things get so intense up there. Her plan had been to torment him a little... plant the seed of possibility between them. But once again, when he kissed her she'd lost all focus. She'd allowed herself to enjoy the thrill of being in his arms. She briefly considers apologizing to him, but realizes that is a bad idea... for two reasons; one, Gibbs hated apologies and, two she didn't really feel sorry for what happened.

She watches as Gibbs picks up his sandpaper and moves over to work on the rocking chair again. This was how he dealt with problems... working them out in his mind while his hands kept busy. She sighs and sets her cup down as she stands up and grabs a piece of sandpaper; going to join him until he is ready to talk. When she comes to stand on the opposite side of the chair, which is clamped into a vice on the table, his eyes finally meet hers. She holds his gaze for a moment as she begins to sand another area of the chair; and a slight tug at the corner of his mouth lets her know his anger is gone. They settle into the silent process of working on the wood, drinking bourbon and putting the events of the evening behind them.

They are both soon lost in their own thoughts; Holly on how she almost cost her friendship with this man because she'd revealed too much to him earlier. Gibbs, however had shoved that particular mental discussion into a back corner of his brain for now. He focused on the more immediate problem of Allison Hart.

"I can't get my head around all this..." His comment is almost spoken so softly Holly doesn't catch it, and she wonders if he is talking to himself. Then his eyes come up to meet hers and she realizes he is ready to talk.

"So, let me hear it... what's bugging that gut of yours?"

"Her questions. All kinds of questions about weird things... and I just can't find the connection."

"What questions?"

"About my fishing trips to Mexico... my brief retirement... stuff like that." His brow darts down in a scowl as the elusive answer to this puzzle frustrates him. He continues sanding, hoping to gain some clarity from the routine work.

"Okay... you go on fishing trips to Mexico... how often?"

"Not often enough. A few times with Mike Franks, an agent who retired down there."

"And your brief retirement?"

"Took a few months hiatus from work... thought about making it permanent, but I couldn't do it."

"And, where did you spend this hiatus?" Holly asked the question only as a way to keep him talking, but suddenly Gibbs' hands still and his head jerks up to meet her eyes.

"With Franks... in Mexico. God Damn It! Why didn't I see this sooner?! She's fishing for information about me and my connections to Mike Franks!"

"And Mexico... sounds like those are the two common denominators. But why?"

Gibbs doesn't answer her question, knowing that isn't a topic he can discuss. Instead, he downs the last of the amber liquor in his cup, then stands tapping the cup on the leg of the chair they are working on as he thinks out loud.

"Mexico... I sent Bell to prison in Mexico. He somehow made connections to the Mexican government and got released from prison. We think he's currently in Mexico."

"So why does he care about you going to Mexico?" Gibbs shoots her a hard glance, wondering if she knows about his past. He once again avoids her question and grabs his cell phone as he hits speed dial.

"Mike Franks." Gibbs listens for a long moment, pacing back and forth before the phone is finally answered at the little cantina two miles from Mike's house on the beach. "Yes, Olla... Carmelita, it's Gibbs... I need to get ahold of Mike Franks..." He listens for a moment and stops dead in his tracks. "WHAT!? WHEN!?" After another moment of silence he snaps his phone shut with another curse.

She knows it wasn't good news, but isn't sure how much he's willing to share with her. They may be friends, but Gibbs was still a very private person. This was the first she'd ever heard about Mike Franks, but it was clear he was someone important to this man. Gibbs finally turns to look at her, as if just remembering she was there.

"Mike's house burned down and he and the girls are missing..."

"Oh no... do you think...?" Her question is cut short as Gibbs shakes his head, his mind already racing ahead to what he needs to do next.

He goes through the motions of putting his work bench in order, closing up the bourbon and storing it on the shelf, then turns back to her again. "Don't have all the answers, Holly... but Mike's tough and he'll do whatever it takes to protect his daughter and granddaughter. I gotta go to Mexico and find out."

He motions for her to come with him as he heads for the stairs, hurrying up to pack a bag and get on the first plane to Baja. Holly knows not to try and delay him, but can't help being concerned for his safety.

"Jethro..." He stops at the serious tone of her voice. She walks up to him, placing a hand on his arm. "Be careful... you going to Mexico may be just what Bell wants."

"I know, Holly..." He takes her hand in his and gives it a gentle squeeze, then hesitates as he holds her gaze; knowing there is one more thing he needs to say. "When I get back...when this is over... we need to talk."

She doesn't have to ask what he is referring to and simply nods her head and grips his hand a bit tighter; not wanting to let him go. He sees the concern in her eyes and leans in to give her a quick, reassuring kiss, but as his lips touch hers he can't let go. His other hand comes up to cradle her cheek, holding her as his lips linger; imprinting their softness in his mind. When he reluctantly lets the kiss end, their eyes meet and no words are necessary... they really needed to talk. With his fingers gliding over her cheek, he steps back again.

"I gotta go..."

"Yeah... go... and be careful, okay?" He gives her a nod and then turns to race upstairs, taking them two at a time. Holly watches until he is out of sight, then sighs and grabs her purse from the floor in the hallway where she dropped it earlier. Letting herself out the front door, she silently prays he'll come back to her safely... and when Merton Bell was in the picture, that wasn't going to be easy.