Disclaimer: Still in Chapter 1

Spoilers: Dead Man Talking

All The Elevators In Between

Chapter 10

Her morning had started off well, coffee and a kiss with Gibbs, and so far there weren't any cases for them to work. It was quiet, so she didn't think anything of the way Tony was staring at his computer screen, or that Gibbs was absent at the moment. She strolled down the hall in search of a bottle of water and to stretch her legs. When she came back, Tony was answering her phone. She snatched it away. Dwayne was on the line. They had been friends of a sort when she was with the Secret Service. He was a little flirty, but a nice enough guy. She agreed to meet him for lunch but Gibbs stalked in with a look on his face that went beyond serious into the realm of righteous indignation and anger.

"We have a case. Chris Pacci has been murdered." Those two sentences cemented just how far downhill the day went from that moment on.

The sight of Pacci disemboweled body made her cringe, so she focused on Gibbs. She could see the guilt gathering in his eyes as he ordered her and Tony to the fifth floor to find where Pacci had come from. They left him to interview the security guard. Tony did so with little encouragement. He didn't want to see Pacci like he was. Kate hesitated. It was more for Gibbs than anything else. She already knew it was going to be a rough case. He nodded for her to go then turned his attention back to Ducky. She followed Tony up the stairs. Together they worked back from the fifth to the sixth floor and discovered where their fellow agent had come from.

When they were done with the building, Gibbs sent them to Pacci's apartment and he went to check in with Abby. The phone ringing made Kate jump. She tried to calm her racing heart while Tony, who told her it was McGee, talked on the phone. When her pulse settled, her thoughts turned back to where they were. She hadn't know Pacci very well, only enough to recognize and call him by name, but Tony and Gibbs knew him as a fellow agent and he and Tony had been friends. She felt like a trespasser in their grief. The thought of Gibbs made her wonder how he was fairing. He looked so guilty at the crime scene. Perhaps he'd said something to Pacci that he wished he could take back. She resolved to ask him later if they had a moment alone.

Gibbs strode into Abby's lab with a Caf-Pow in his hands. He knew she'd come in early. Pacci was family, she'd said so. She'd already run the bullet that had killed him, but nothing came up so he had her run his hard drive. His next stop was Ducky. They had their first lead as they examined the photo card he'd found in Pacci's throat. McGee brought the file Pacci had requested and they learned what he'd been researching. Gibbs knew that if they solved the case Pacci had been working, they'd find his murderer.

The case was Lt. Commander Voss, a man who had supposedly burned to death and a woman, Amanda Reed. Gibbs took Kate with him to talk to Voss' commanding officer. They were silent on their way out. She wanted to ask if he was ok, but she didn't want to distract him yet. She waited until they were on their way back.

"Gibbs?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you ok?" He gave her the glare that said she should drop it. She ignored it and plucked up her courage to continue. "Because if you, you know, want to talk about whatever is bothering you, I'm here." His glare softened a little but not enough for her to press her luck a third time.

"There's nothing to say. I let him down."

"How could you know what would happen? You're a lot of things, but you aren't psychic." He gave her a self-deprecating snort and shook his head. They got into the elevator at headquarters. She waited a few seconds before flipping the switch on their car. It jerked to a halt and he looked at her with a raised eyebrow, a silent question about her motives. She invaded his space until they were a mere inch apart.

"Its ok to be upset but stop blaming yourself and put the blame where it belongs, on the person who tool Pacci's life." She said quietly, framing his face with her hands. She pressed her lips to his in a soft, chaste kiss. She pulled back and restarted the lift. She walked out and to her desk. Gibbs followed her.

Gibbs and Tony had set up an apartment, the same one Pacci used, to keep surveillance on Amanda Reed. He had Tony and McGee on the second shift, and Kate with him on the first. Kate, while happy to be spending time alone with him, gave him a strange look.

"Problem?" He asked.

"Well, you really want to do that to McGee? Special Agent Bligh here is going to eat him alive."

"McGee looks up to me, as a mentor." Tony added in his defense.

"Ugh." Kate rolled her eyes.

"You want to be stuck in a cramped apartment with DiNozzo?" He saw realization dawn in her eyes. "Be my guest." Gibbs answered with a smirk.

"On the other hand, it'll help McGee build character." She quipped and gathered her gear.

They drove to the apartment in companionable silence. Kate's faith in him and her kiss had helped him a little, but he still felt guilty over the other agent's death. After the equipment was set up, he heard Kate puttering around in the bedroom, followed by her shout of disgust. She'd apparently found the bathroom and didn't like what she saw.

"Have you seen the bathroom? It's disgusting. If I didn't know better, I'd swear Tony had already been here."

"Not everyone is as committed to clean as you are, Kate."

"Are you?" She gave him a sharp look

"Yeah, but I was a Marine." She rolled her eyes, and returned to the bathroom. She was in there for almost half an hour before she returned to help him with the surveillance. She flopped into the chair next to him and gave him a once over.

"I heard the Director wanted you to give the eulogy at Pacci's funeral tomorrow."

"I declined. It wouldn't be right."

"You're still blaming yourself." It was a statement, not a question. He didn't respond. She moved closer to him. He stared straight out the window. She moved even closer, but he didn't react. Finally she reached up and brushed her thumb over his cheek. He turned to look at her then, and she read the answer in his eyes.

Tony and McGee relieved them later and they called it a night. Kate had promised to have dinner with Dwayne, since she had to cancel their lunch. The next morning she and Gibbs attended Pacci's memorial service together. Dwayne called while they were on surveillance duty. Tony turned the laser microphone on her. She turned to catch him at it and Gibbs gave her a funny look. Their day passed quietly while watching Amanda Reed. She knew he wondered about the call. She'd originally said that she was destined to shoot Gibbs, but falling in love with the man had altered that. Now it was a struggle not to put a bullet in Tony.

Tony managed to get close to Amanda Reed and she invited him out to a bar. Gibbs and Kate were on their way to meet up with McGee to continue the surveillance when Abby brought them some interesting news. Kate stifled a laugh when Gibbs snatched the younger woman into the lift. Abby proceeded to explain that Lt. Commander Voss and Amanda Reed were the same person.

They rushed to catch up with their fellow agents, hoping they would be in time. When they entered the bar, Tony and McGee were being restrained and Voss was making a break for the door. Gibbs stepped in front of her and stopped her with his gun to her head.

"Drop it." Kate ordered from beside him. Voss kept her eyes on Gibbs and a firm grip on her gun.

"His name was Special Agent Chris Pacci, and he was a friend. Gibbs stated softly. Voss knew she wasn't getting away and raised her weapon. Gibbs fired at point blank range, killing her instantly. He could hear Kate yelling for the crowd to release Tony and McGee, but he wasn't really processing much. He didn't feel remorse over Voss, but he still felt the guilt gnawing at him over Pacci.

When they were back at NCIS, he went through Pacci's things to keep his family from a nasty surprise. Kate watched him for a moment before she turned back to the others. As much as she wanted to help Gibbs, some tasks were best done alone. Abby and McGee were discussing movies that mirrored Tony's experience and Tony looked miserable. Kate felt a smile start on her lips. Gibbs passed her, his hand brushing her back as he went to sit at his desk.

"Speaking of way beyond hinky." She said, her smile growing.

"Ok, Kate. I can take it." Tony answered, looking up at her miserably. She knew what she was going to say would be like kicking a puppy, but she couldn't resist after everything he'd pulled on her.

"What was it like tonguing a guy?" She asked, leaning over his desk. She could hear Abby and McGee snickering. Tony looked a little green.

"Forget it. I can't take it." He mumbled and Kate had to laugh over the poor guy. She turned to see Gibbs giving her a sad smile. As much fun as they had at Tony's expense, they'd still lost a fellow agent and a friend.

Kate gathered her things to head home, and Gibbs followed her into the elevator. They rode part way down before he flipped the switch. She took a good look at him, trying to gauge his mood.

"Who's Dwayne?" He asked. She hadn't expected that question.

"A friend from when I worked with the Secret Service. We had dinner the other night to catch up."

"Do you like him?" This was new. She tried to figure out what the motive was for his questioning. It hit her like a ton of bricks. They'd never gone out to have dinner and he was jealous of Dwayne.

"He's nice, but other than being friends, I'm not interested in him. He's not my type." He almost looked relieved. "I like ex-Marine guys with attitude problems, lots of unwritten rules and a smile to die for."

Gibbs looked down at her. She was so beautiful and intelligent. She was everything he'd always wanted and she was standing right in front of him saying that she wanted him too. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, enjoying the play of them against his own. Her taste was amazing, like a good wine and something dark, like chocolate. He couldn't get enough. She pulled back reluctantly.

"We should probably continue this somewhere else." She said softly, while restarting the elevator. He just gave her his perfect, mischievous smile and followed her to her car.