I, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, take thee, Caitlin Allison Todd, to be my lawful wedded wife…
He recited those words as he looked deep into her green eyes. He never thought he would ever say these words, and actually mean them. When Shannon, his first wife and daughter Kelly, were murdered he felt lost. He thought he could find happiness in the women that he later married, thinking that the emptiness he felt could be filled by them. It never happened until a certain Secret Service Agent Caitlin Todd came into his life. And now, she is his wife. He knew that even if Kate leaves him again, there would never be another woman that will capture his heart.
As he slipped that ring into her finger, he held her hand tight and said words that came from his heart. "Kate, you are my life, my heart and my soul. This ring symbolizes my devotion to you for all eternity. I love you."
Kate knew that Gibbs was never a man with words but he totally outdid himself today. She met a lot of men in her lifetime, and she thought that she's heard them all before but for the first time in her life, she believed these words because it came from the man who holds her heart.
After they were pronounced Mr. & Mrs. Jethro Gibbs, they ran to the car and drove straight to the Marriott's Renaissance Hotel in Downtown, where Gibbs had booked a suite for them. Later on, for dinner, he made reservations at the famous Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Virginia, not too far from Washington.
The moment they got to their suite, they made love through the afternoon, forgetting about lunch and everything else around them. Gibbs, even in his younger days, could not remember ever making love for that long. But when Kate is near him, it ignites the fire in his body and he can't help but touch her and feel her.
Exhausted and satisfied, the newlyweds fell asleep. The ringing of the alarm woke them up a few hours later.
Gibbs told her they needed to get ready for dinner. Famished, they quickly got ready and made their way to the restaurant.
They ordered wine and toasted to their life as husband and wife. She always pegged Gibbs as a beer guy and to her surprised, he knew the best wine to order and what kind of wine she wanted. Kate knew how much Gibbs love steaks, so she wasn't surprised that he ordered the Filet Mignon. She on the other hand ordered salad and Australian lobster tail.
They ate and talked about their childhood. Kate had mentioned that she has three brothers and all were almost psychotic when they fought. Gibbs joked that he met them at the funeral and how he scared he felt that they would kill him because he wasn't able to protect their baby sister. Kate reached for his hand and gently squeezed it. She saw the sadness and the guilt forming in his eyes but disappeared when she smiled at him and gave him a reassuring smile.
She talked about being the only girl in the family made her very competitive and tough. Her brother taught her how to protect herself. And that having three brothers wasn't so bad because it helped her deal with someone like Dinozzo, immature but has a good heart.
She also told him that she was such a tomboys growing up. She played sports but always managed to keep straight A's. Getting dates was hard because her overprotective brothers, who were all athletes and her Dad always scared the boys away. She told him that she didn't have a boyfriend until she was 18.
Gibbs told her that his Dad was strict, since he was also in the Military. The family moved around a lot. As a young man, he was shy and could never get up the nerve to ask a girl out. Girls were always the ones to ask him out. Girls were not his priority back then but sports were. He had a football scholarship waiting for him in college until he busted his knee. After that, he decided to become a marine, just like his Dad.
They finally left the restaurant after three hours.
When they got back to the hotel, Kate knew they needed to talk.
They needed to talk about the team and what happened after she died. And what they want to do now that she's back.
After freshening up, Kate joined Gibbs in bed.
Kate moved her body close to Gibbs and laid her head on his chest.
"Gibbs, how are they?" Kate asked with a hint of sadness.
"Kate, they still miss you. After you died, we were all in denial for awhile. Abby lost her best friend. Ducky lost a daughter. Tony lost his crush. And McGee lost a older sister. And I lost my heart. We didn't quite know how we would function without you, Katie. Every now and then, I would hear your laughter and see you smile and I would just die inside everytime I look over to your desk and it's not your face I saw. But over time, the team slowly moved on but they never forgot you, Katie."
"Gibbs, I know. Did you know that Abby visits me? She would talk to me and tell me her life. And Tony, he visits me every Sunday, up to this day, and brings fresh flowers. He's still the same Tony who could make me laugh and infuriate me with his sex remarks. McGee visits me when he is doubt of his abilities. And Ducky, well, he visits me on his day off. He really was like a second father to me. I missed them too Gibbs. And I know that you still go to that rooftop where I died to put flowers."
"Katie, what do you want to do now? Do you want to tell them?"
"Gibbs, I do want to but maybe not now. I want to be your wife. I want to have dinner ready when you come home from work. I want you to tell me what your day was like. We have such a short time, this second chance that we have been given, I know I'm being selfish, but I just want to spend everyday with you."
" I know I want that too. I know that if they knew you're here and how much time you have to spend here on earth, they will be here everyday wanting to spend time with you. I'll have to fight them for time and attention from you. That would really suck." Gibbs teased her
"I love you, you know. You make me so happy. I never want to be anything else but your wife."
"And I never want to be anything else but your husband."