Rule Number 12

Chapter 2

*two months earlier*

"Would you guys stop!"

Kate and Tony paused, surprised by their co-worker's tone. They immediately ceased their impromptu food-fight and walked over to McGee's desk to see what he was writing.

"'Dear Mr. and Mrs. Kendall'…It's a sympathy note." McGee glared at Tony, clearly expecting the normal teasing he received from the senior agent on a daily basis. Instead, Tony's response was thoughtful. "That's nice, McGee."

"It's very nice," Kate added, receiving a hint of a smile from the young man who had experienced a very difficult week. After a few moments, McGee returned to his task as Kate and Tony started to clean up the bits of food scattered around the bullpen. Once the area was relatively clean, they returned to their respective desks to finish their paperwork from the case. As she worked, Kate kept an eye on McGee. She could tell that the act of writing such a letter, to express the regret he had fought to keep contained, was taking its toll.

Soon Tony left, surprisingly quiet in the wake of McGee's outburst, and Kate approached McGee's desk.

"Hey, Tim. When you're finished with that, do you want to go get some coffee?"

McGee looked up, clearly surprised by both the uncommon use of his first name and the offer.

"Why?"

"Because you look like you need to talk." She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You look like you need a friend."

Kate was sure that McGee would decline, but instead he surprised her. "Yeah…I guess I do. On both counts."

"Good. Let me know when you're ready to leave."

McGee merely nodded and went back to his note while Kate returned to her desk, glad that she would be able to lend more moral support to her co-worker.

An hour later they were seated in Kate's favorite café, interacting like they had known each other for years. Kate was surprised at how easy it was to talk to McGee, and how much she enjoyed listening to him. By the end of the evening she was surprised to discover that she had indeed gained a new friend, and she got the distinct impression that he was appreciating the new feeling of friendship as well.

For the next few weeks, Kate and McGee would meet to have coffee and talk. During those sessions she learned a great deal about the younger man, and much of what she discovered both impressed her and endeared him to her. She had never known someone like him before, and his way of viewing the job, his prospects, and the world in general was refreshing. He lacked the cynicism that colored the views of many of the people she knew who worked for the government or in law enforcement. He was intelligent, more than a little 'geeky', but his enthusiasm for a wide range of topics was infectious, and she learned more about his world –computers, theoretical math, and biomedical engineering—than she ever could have gained on her own. He shared many of the same political views that she held, but he wasn't overly vehement about them, and he wasn't worried about impressing anyone with his athletic prowess, as had many of the men with whom she had worked and spent time over the years. He was polite, mannerly, and, when he was not around Tony, a perfect gentleman. She counted herself lucky in that she had not missed the opportunity to cultivate his friendship.

Until the day she discovered that she was no longer thinking of him as just a friend.

They were sitting outside at their usual meeting place, enjoying the first real day of warm spring weather. Tim-as she now regularly called regularly when they were not at work—was talking about one of his favorite comic series. A couple of weeks prior she had confessed that she had been in the habit of 'borrowing' her older brothers' comics when she was a kid, and Tim had been surprised and delighted to have found someone with whom to discuss the genre.

As he was talking—in his usual level of animation—Kate noticed that she was not just focusing on his words, but his also on voice, his face, and his beautiful green eyes...and that she was very attracted to the man seated across from her…and there was a lot more. She let out a small gasp and sat back, stunned by the realization. Tim noticed her reaction and paused, his eyebrows crinkling together in confusion.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, uh, nothing." She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I just remembered…that I need to call my sister. We need to plan for my parent's anniversary celebration. They've been together for forty years, and we've been talking about having a party for them." She immediately felt guilty for the white lie and hoped that she hadn't hurt his feelings.

"Oh. OK, I understand." She was fairly sure she heard disappointment in his tone. "I should probably call my sister, too. She's waiting to see if she got into Waverly, so I guess I should see if she's heard anything yet. "

"All right. I guess I'll see you at work tomorrow, then?"

He smiled. "Guess so." He signaled for the waiter and asked for the check. "My turn to pay this time, right?"

"Actually, I think it's mine." She pulled her wallet out of her purse and handed him a couple of bills." I really need to get going. Can you…?"

"Sure, no problem. See you later."

"'Bye, Tim."

"'Bye, Kate."

She gave him one last smile and hurried off, making the trip back to her apartment in near record time. She did intend to call Rachel, but she had a very different topic of conversation in mind.

When she finally reached her apartment, she kicked off her shoes and settled onto her sofa before picking up the phone and dialing a familiar number. After three rings a welcome voice finally answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi Rach. It's me."

There was a moment of silence before her sister responded. "What's wrong?"

Kate managed a soft laugh. "What makes you think something's wrong?"

"Well, it's not your usual calling time, and you sound a little off. What's going on?"

"Oh, not much. I think I've just complicated my life."

"How so?"

Kate sighed. "You're a shrink. What advice would you give one of your patients if…they accidentally fell in love with a co-worker?"

Silence. After a few moments, Kate heard muffled voices and a door being shut on the other end of the line. Finally she heard Rachel's voice.

"Please tell me you haven't fallen in love with Agent Gibbs."

This time Kate let out a bark of genuine laughter. "No, not Gibbs."

"Then who… DiNozzo?"

Kate groaned. "God, no. It's…it's Tim."

"McGee? I thought he was dating…Abby?"

"He was. Before he joined the team, but…I don't think he still is. At least not officially."

"I see what you mean about complicated. So, how did you come to this realization? And how did it happen in the first place?"

"We…we're friends. We've been spending time together recently. He needed someone to talk to, and…it kind of snuck up on me."

"Does he feel the same way?"

"I really have no idea. It just…hit me. Today, in fact, and…I could really use some advice, Rach."

"Well…you're an investigator, right? Seems to me like you have some questions that need answered: does he feel the same way, or is he still involved with Abby?"

Kate let out a frustrated sigh. "You're right. I do need to find that out, and…Abby is my friend, too. I don't want to make things awkward."

"You might also want to ask yourself if what you're feeling is real."

That question was surprisingly easier to answer. "It is. I couldn't tell you how I know that, but…I just know." Kate sighed again. "But even if he feels the same way, there's another problem: Rule Number 12."

"Your boss's rule? Never date a co-worker?"

"That's the one." She chuckled ruefully. "I never thought I'd be thinking about breaking that one, to be honest."

"Neither did I, but if you're considering it… that tells me that you're serious about this guy. Is he worth it?"

Kate smiled. "I believe he is."

"Well then you'll figure something out. Right now I think you have some homework to do, young lady."

The laugh Kate managed was genuine. "I think you're right. Thanks for the advice."

"I'll send you a bill," Rachel replied with a laugh of her own. "Let me know how it turns out, OK?"

"I will. Love you."

"Love you too, Sis. 'Bye."

"'Bye."

Kate placed the receiver back on the cradle before she leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes. She now had a goal, a list of things that she had to handle, and she mulled over how she would go about dealing with the first thing on her list: Abby.

TBC…