Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any of these characters.
This story is set in an AU where Ari did shoot Kate, but the bullet only grazed her head and she is in a coma throughout season three. And, since this is my story and I can do whatever I want, I've made it Kibbs.
After 'Untouchable'
Tim sighed as he slumped in the chair by Kate's bed. He closed his eyes and leaned back for a moment, breathing deeply. He imagined the funny look Kate would be giving him if she were actually watching, and not deeply unconscious in a coma. He sat up quickly, and his imagination showed him Kate's grin. He smiled sheepishly. "Hi, Kate. Sorry about-" he gestured to the chair, indicating his graceless arrival. "I'm just really tired tonight. A Navy cryptologist was killed, but the killer made it look like suicide, and he did a pretty good job covering his tracks and throwing us off. We got him, though," he added, knowing the questioning look she would be giving him. "Ziva's in trouble. She rammed a diplomat's car." He imagined Kate's eyes widening, and he grinned. "She thought a suspect was inside. Hey," he said, suddenly serious. "Are you good with cats? The victim had one, it took Tony forever to catch it." He imagined Kate's brown eyes dancing with humor, and he smiled again. "Well, if you are, we needed you. You would have saved us a lot of humiliation. Imagine this, three federal agents, surrounding a cat, all trying to catch the mangy thing, until Gibbs came and yelled at it. It got right into its cage, and Gibbs just stared at us. It was very embarrassing." But he grinned, almost hearing Kate's laughter. "Tony spent thirty minutes trying to get all the cat hair off of his shirt," he continued, cracking up himself." After a moment, he calmed down and just stared at Kate, a small smile on his face. "Thanks, Kate."
A/N: Please review!