Stella sat down in her chair behind her desk as Kate sat opposite her. A few minutes go by before one of them starts to talk.

"So what really happened between you too? Six months ago you were all happy and now you are yelling at each other." Stella said

"As I have already told you he's very protected of me. I can't do anything without him knowing exactly what it is. At a crime scene I'm left to do all the things that can't hurt me or get me upset. He doesn't allow me to go to interrogate suspect any more, only victims or family to victims. I can't be the same Special Agent I was before we got together" Kate explain to Stella.

"I can only imagine what it would be like. I don't like it when Mac get overprotected of me. He won't let me come along with him to interrogate a dangerous suspect, but I won't let him go alone either so at some point we always go together. Just tell him what you feel, I'm sure he would let you do more if you actually talked about it together instead of fighting over it" Stella said and smiled at her friend. Kate sighed, she knew her friend was right but every time she tried to talk about it, it always ended in a fight.

"Believe me I have tried. By I don't think anything will change soon, especially when I tell him about the baby. He has already lost one and won't loose another one, I'm sure." Kate said and looked away. After some time she found her friends eyes again.

"Do you think we can talk about the case? Can I see the files again? Maybe I can find something more to the profile" Kate said

"Sure, anything that can help us" Stella smiled.

In Mac's office

"So what is going on between you and Kate?" Mac asked as soon as Gibbs had closed the door.

"Not much" Gibbs said. He didn't want to talk about it here, but knew his friend would want to know.

"Come on, I know you are like me when it comes to conversations about feelings, but you know me and we always tell each other." When Mac didn't get a respond he continued "Maybe later at my place? You think you could come over to my apartment tonight and discuss the case plus other things. I know you wouldn't drop the case before it's over, just like me" Mac said with a small smile on his face. He was glad to see his old buddy again, but would have liked it to be under other circumstances.

"Yeah, that would be fine." Gibbs said. He was actually looking forward to it. He really wanted to talk to someone about what he was going through with Kate and knew Mac was the right person for the job. Before their conversation could go any further they were interrupted by the ladies.

"Mac I think we need to have another meeting" Stella said and left for the conference room once again. Mac and Gibbs followed after calling the others. As they walked in to the conference room once again the two teams was talking like they had known each other their whole life. Mac went to stand at the end of the table before he addressed Stella.

"What do you have?" He asked

"It's not exactly what I have more about what Kate found out" Stella said and let Kate take over.

"Okay so I already said that this was personally, which I still think it is. The first three victims were in the military and I think they were killed to get the NCIS team to New York. The only way for that to happen was the military background and the fact that one of the victims were from an ongoing investigation of ours. Further more Stella told me that victim number three was an old friend of yours Mac, which would make this case even more personal." Kate said and looked at both teams as she explained it. She looked at Mac for him to confirm what she had just said.

"Well, actually it wasn't just my friend,but also yours Jethro" Mac said and looked at Jethro. Gibbs looked at the victim's name again and found a name that he knew.

"Yeah, that's right. He served with us. Can't believe I didn't see it right away" Gibbs said.

"Don't worry I didn't either." Mac said and turned to Kate to let her continue.

"Well, yes. The next two victims came soon after NCIS was called and I'm assuming the offender was keeping an eye on you Mac, otherwise I can't explain how the note matched. Also I don't have a connection with you two" Kate said and pointed to Mac and Jethro "and the latest victims yet, but when I do I will tell you" Kate said and sat down in a chair.

"Okay thank you Kate. Hopefully we will know more soon" Mac said

"Mac I have the names of the latest victims. The women is 34 year old Sophia Wilson and her daughter Anna Wilson, who is 7 years old." Hawkes said "I don't know if they know any of the other victims yet" He finished.

"I don't think they do. I believe he chooses his victims in some sort of way as a reference to Mac and Je... Gibbs, I just don't know how yet." Kate said.

Later that night

Gibbs and Mac sat in Mac's apartment and talked about the case. What they knew and what they thought about the whole thing. After they were done with their dinner they relaxed on the couch with a beer.

"I really love her Mac" Gibbs suddenly said.

"Who?" Mac asked even though he kind of had an idea to who it was.

"Kate" Gibbs said. He didn't know how to tell Mac about him being a bastard all the time.

"Tell me what happened. From the way you two are acting around each other I can see a lot of tension." Mac said

"The last time I saw her was in Washington. We had a big fight about me always been overprotected of her, but who can blame me. I don't want to lose her, I love her too much for that to happen to me again. After our big fight she left my house and I thought I would see her again the next day, but I didn't and when the week began she didn't show up at work. At that point I knew I had messed up. I knew I probably didn't see her again. I was really angry at myself for letting that happen, but what could I do. She didn't leave me anything that said where she was. I found out just before going here that she had send an email to DiNozzo, but not me. That just made my anger rise. And when I saw her here I just couldn't stand it any more.... now she hates me even more. What am I going to do?" Gibbs asked. He really needed a friends opinion on this one.

"I don't know what to say Jethro. Tell her you're sorry, even though I know that's hard for you. Maybe she just wants to hear you still cares for her and just wants her the best. It can't hurt to try, she might just need you as much as you need her" Mac said to his friend. After talking together for some, mostly about their time together in the military, time they decided to turn in for the night. Gibbs stayed in Mac's spare room. As Mac was laying in his bed he kept thinking about what he had told his friend. How he had giving him advise on something he needed himself. Advise on how to tell a woman you care for her and need her in your life.

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