DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NCIS OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!

DREAM GIRL

Ch. 3

At the restaurant Gibbs requested a table for two, but waited by the door for Karin to arrive. When she walked in, he was pleased by the form fitting black dress she chose that accentuated the athletically firm body beneath it. She smiled warmly at him and kissed him chastely on the side of his mouth wiping at some of the lipstick that smeared there.

Speechless momentarily Gibbs held her hand and motioned with his other to precede him toward their table off to the side. He enjoyed the sway of her hips and wondered just what he might be getting into with this still mysterious woman.

When they reached their table he held out her chair, gently sliding it in as she sat, before taking his seat across from her. It still boggled his mind that she was real. They spent a few minutes in silence perusing the menus, although Gibbs knew exactly what he was ordering.

When their food arrived Gibbs sensed that there were eyes on them. The displeasure crossed over his face.

"What's the matter? They burn your soup?" Karin joked.

Gibbs smirked at her humor, "No. Seems that we have some distant company."

"Really?" she took a quick look around the crowded restaurant. Until that moment she hadn't realized how many people were actually around them. "I don't see anyone paying us any attention," she shrugged.

"To my left. Four tables back. The three hiding behind their menus," he informed her taking a sip of his soup and watching for her reaction.

She was stunned when she realized he'd described them without looking over his shoulder. And covered her mouth to hide her laughter, "It's nice they care." She recognized them as the agents that were with him that day and hoped it wouldn't ruin their evening.

"Yeah, I specifically told them not to follow me," he said sternly so she'd know he had not asked them to be his spies.

"Maybe they were worried. What did you tell them?" she was curious to know how much he shared with them.

"Nothing. My personal life is just that. Personal." he stated it simply. Tilting his head and narrowing his eyes at her he asked, "Should they be worried about me?" He smiled, "Are you dangerous?"

Despite the questions Karin couldn't fight the thrill his tone evoked in her. She teased back, "I suppose I could be." Seeing his amusement she added, "I don't think there's anything to fear from me, except perhaps the things I write."

"You're a writer?" he raised his eyebrows. She seemed a more adventurous person than he considered most writers to be. Then, again, McGee was a writer and he certainly had plenty of adventures on the job.

"Actually, I'm a free lance journalist," she clarified.

Gibbs almost choked on his soup. "A reporter?" the question had an accusatory edge to it.

She shook her head, "No. I write articles for magazines. Mostly travel and nature pieces."

He nodded lightening his tone again, "Oh. So you travel a lot?"

She shrugged one shoulder, 'Not as much as you might expect. Once or twice a month, a weekend here and a weekend there. Most information I gather from other sources. I try to combine most of my travels to cover as many different topics as I can."

"Were you gathering any research at my crime scene?" he looked at her curiously wondering if she was considering branching off into other areas of reporting.

"No, I was meeting a friend nearby and stopped to see what all the commotion was about with the crowd gathering. Then I saw you," she stopped not sure she could ever tell him why that had intrigued her.

"You saw me and what?" her sudden end to that sentence caught his attention.

"It's silly and you'll think I'm crazy. I'd rather wait until or third or fourth date to delve into my insanity," she tried to laugh him off the topic.

But Gibbs sensed there was something similar going on with her, though he had no idea how he could possibly explain seeing her in his dreams.

Karin was given a slight reprieve when Gibbs' phone rang. He answered, not taking his eyes off of her now reddening face.

As they entered Lo Mein's, Ziva suddenly stopped. Tony turned to her silently asking with arms extended what was wrong.

"This is not right Tony. We should not be here. Gibbs is not going to appreciate this," her gut was tight and screaming at her to turn and leave.

"You need to eat don'tcha? We're only here to eat. If it just so happens that Gibbs is here too, it's only a coincidence," he tried to sound casual, but cringed himself knowing what his boss believed or didn't believe about coincidences.

"Fine, but it'll be on your shoulders."

"It's head, but let's get going so we can get a table already."

They couldn't believe their luck that a table not too close was available and that they were led right to it. Tony only needed a glimpse of the woman to recognize her. "That woman was at the crime scene."

Tim looked at her and shook his head. "Are you sure? I don't recognize her as anyone we interviewed."

"You weren't taking the pictures McGee! I know it's her. That hair for one thing is not very common. It took me a few shots to finally capture her face."

"Why was that Tony? She could not stand to look at you?" Ziva teased smiling.

Tony smirked at her answering, "No it was obvious she didn't want to be photographed."

"But why?" Tim asked still looking at the woman. He noticed her head suddenly pop up and look around the room. "Crap. Gibbs knows we're here," he lowered his voice and picked up his menu.

Following their partner's attempt at camouflage Tony and Ziva looked over and saw the couple talking closer together over their table and her eyes zeroing in on them.

"I have to call and tell him," Tony told his teammates.

"No. How will you explain us being here?" Tim put his hand on Tony's phone.

Pulling the phone away from Tim and flipping it open Tony replied, "We're eating dinner," like it was the simple truth. He hit the speed dial for Gibbs and waited for him to answer.

"Gibbs," was barked into his ear. "This better be important DiNozzo."

Tony cringed slightly at the underlining threat, but knew what he had to say was important. "It is boss. That woman you're with was at the crime scene. I think she might be stalking you."

"Do I look like a dupe to you? I know she was there."

"You do?" Tony was clearly confused.

"What I don't know is WHY you three knuckleheads are here spying on me!" he growled.

"We're just eating dinner Boss," Tony listened but didn't hear a response. The response came as a quick, but solid swat to the back of his head. "Thanks, Boss," Tony said shrinking into his seat.

The waitress arrived to take their orders and Gibbs told her, "They'll be taking theirs to go."

"But Boss?" Tony whined, but the glare shot his way was all the incentive he needed to agree.

Gibbs returned to his table and smiled at Karin who seemed to have enjoyed the display. "Guess you showed them who the boss is."

"Got that right," he smirked and tilted his drink toward her before taking a swig. It took another fifteen minutes before they were 'alone' again.

He learned she liked to discover places off the beaten path for people to visit and enjoy. That included small towns and parks that offered a variety of charm, culture, flora and animals that were a wonder to view in their natural habitats.

She had grown up in St. Louis, but after she married she lived on Marine bases around the world. They had been married for over ten years, but never had any children. After her husband had been killed she was sad that she'd never have a part of him to remember him by. But through the years as she delved deeper into her career she was resolved to being alone. She didn't talk much about her marriage wanting to keep things on a simple plane, to his credit Gibbs barely blinked at her mention of it at all.

"So, Jethro," she wiped her mouth gently with her napkin and tossed it lightly on her plate, "What deep dark secrets lie in your past?" She smiled waiting to see what he would tell her.

Not taking the bait of that loaded question, he leaned his head to the side slightly, "If I told you, they wouldn't be secrets now. Would they?"

"Well what can you tell me?" she leaned in putting her elbows on the table and her chin on her entwined fingers.

He narrowed his eyes thinking of what to share. "I grew up in a small mining town in Pennsylvania. Joined the Marines when I was 18 and served with them until 1991, when I retired to start at NCIS, then known as NIS."

"I figured you for a Marine," she grinned seeing some of the telltale signs she recognized. "Why did you retire? You couldn't have been too old."

Though the inquiry was innocent enough Gibbs' back stiffened. He wasn't able to reveal those details yet. 'Maybe one day,' he surprised himself thinking, but all he told her was, "It was a personal reason." Thankfully she accepted that, at least outwardly.

Inwardly she was wondering what lay beneath his hardened exterior. Remembering how he'd dealt with his agent there was little doubt he was a man who wouldn't tolerate any nonsense. Yet there was some glimmer of mischievousness that surfaced despite his demand for respect.

She looked into his blue eyes that held only softness at the moment. He left money on the table for the tab and a nice tip as he stood to help her up from her seat one hand extended to take hers and the other on the back of her chair. As they walked back to the front of the restaurant he held her about the waist partly because there was still a growing clientele gathering, but the touch indicated he just wanted to be close to her.

Once outside on the sidewalk he asked, "Would you like to come to my place for a night cap or some coffee?"

She couldn't help the laugh that escaped, "Not if your coffee is as strong as I remember Marine coffee being." She was glad he smiled at the reference to her former life. "Besides as much as I WANT to be with you, I don't think either of us is quite ready for that."

"No?" he pulled her closer to him.

"Well physically, yes," she smiled. "I was referring more to emotionally."

Though she was being honest and trying to keep it light he pulled back looking at her questioningly.

"What are you hoping for?" he stared into her deeper blue eyes, almost like sapphires in the darkening night.

"I'm not sure I'm hoping for anything, at least not right now." A flash of her dream played in her mind and her cheeks warmed as if he could read the images inside.

He lightly stroked her blush, a smile of wonderment on his face. She was so much the vision of his dreams, but he knew that wasn't a thought he could share. Instead he felt his lips drawn like a magnet to steel to hers, slowly. His eyes closed as his left arm curved around her waist and his right hand held the back of her head lightly as his fingers combed through the strands.

Willingly her mouth opened to his more fervent kisses and she wrapped her arms around him. Lost in the ecstasy they were unaware of place and time, both relishing the reality of a dream, yet more so.

Though Karin had been the one to suggest not rushing into things, it was Jethro that pulled from the kiss first. A look of awe at the effects of their kiss played on his face as she tried to keep herself from falling into him.

She managed to pull herself together. "I should be getting home. Walk me to my car?" she asked softly, still a tad breathless.

Gibbs nodded taking her elbow in one hand and holding her hand in the other. It was a short walk and she stopped to unlock the door feeling him close behind her before his hands took her shoulders gently to turn her around to face him again.

"Jethr…" she began before his mouth stopped her. Unable to resist she gave herself into the kiss and let her own hunger search his mouth. He responded allowing her access before reclaiming his own search.

Taking a breath, she spoke unwittingly, "Better than I'd imagined."

His smirk alarmed her realizing he'd heard what she'd said. "You imagined this," he kissed her again teasingly.

"More like dreamed," she breathed honestly unable to look at him. She shook her head not believing she revealed that to him.

"Dreamed?" he asked, but his tone was curious not mocking as she feared.

"I told you you'd think I'm crazy," she looked for any sign he might already be on that train of thought, but he only looked mildly bewildered.

"Go on," he encouraged not convinced that he was hearing what he thought she was saying. 'Could she possibly have dreamed of him as he had of her?'

"The past month or so I've had images of you appearing in my dreams. I know it's crazy, right?" she argued. "But I didn't think it was anything until I actually saw you and then…" she threw her hands up not knowing what else she could say.

He stood staring at her making her nervous. She began to turn wanting nothing more than to escape his scrutiny and forget she ever said anything, but he stopped her with his hand cupping her cheek so he could turn her face toward his own. "You're no more crazy than I am," a choked laugh broke the tension.

She leaned her face into his calloused hand and looked at him quizzically, "And what is THAT supposed to mean?"

Never a man of many words Gibbs sighed, "Your face is like my dream come true."

"You dreamt of me?" she asked dubiously.

"Maybe we are both crazy," he jested. "But right at this moment I don't care."

"Me neither," she sighed inviting him to kiss her again.