Okay, finally back from vacation... and had a great time. Hope you like this next chapter...

CHAPTER VIII

Three months, wasn't exactly a lifetime, but it was certainly proving to be a difficult time for Kate. Ever since she had agreed to move in with Gibbs, he'd become somewhat difficult. Insisting she not move in until her lease was up, presumably to avoid any legal entanglements of breaking her lease early. Kate had no doubt her landlord would have let her out of her lease early if she had explained why, but Gibbs had insisted she stay there until the lease expired. He told her it would give him time to get his house in order and make a few changes... which he refused to tell her about. He'd even gone so far as to quarantine her from his house, claiming he wanted her to be surprised by the renovations he was doing.

She had not been allowed over to his house for almost two months now and it was proving to be very difficult to stay away. Kate had come to love Gibbs' eclectic style of living and spending time with him in the basement working on his boat. She was also worried that he may be doing too much; trying to erase all aspects of his life with Shannon and Kelly, so she will feel more comfortable there. The last thing Kate wanted was for Gibbs to remove all the memories of them from his life. She would never come between him and his first loves.

She'd offered to help him and by now, Gibbs knew she was capable of learning quickly and had a knack for working with her hands. She completely understood why he liked to build boats in his basement. Working with your hands was very therapeutic, calming and it freed your mind. Unfortunately Gibbs was adamant she not see his house until the renovations were done... so she was left sitting in her apartment alone, missing him and worrying that he was taking this moving in together thing a bit too seriously.

This resulted in Gibbs spending more time at her apartment; that is when he wasn't at home working on his secret projects. In that respect, Kate had no complaints. Their time together was better than ever and a whole new intimacy had evolved between them. Gibbs was not only a master carpenter, an expert field agent, sniper and negotiator... he was also a master at making love and took great pleasure in showing Kate new things to widen her horizons. She may have started out life as a well-behaved, timid Catholic girl, but under Gibbs' gentle guiding hands, she has opened her horizons and her mind to a new world. And, though she would never admit it to anyone except Gibbs, she discovered a whole new side of herself that was daring and thrilled by the darker side of sex.

Kate had never liked men who abused or mistreated women, but with Gibbs even his rough play was done with love and respect. A smile flickers across her lips as she recalls their latest experiment. Gibbs had introduced her to bondage; nothing painful or humiliating as Kate had always pictured bondage to be for women. This had been a simple soft restraint of her wrists, securely tying them to the headboard so that she could... as he said, 'relax and just feel what he was doing to her.' The first time Gibbs had grabbed her hands and held them firmly above her head as they roughly made love, brought her to a screaming orgasm. This time had been even more intense...

"Earth to Kate... earth to Kate... come in Special Agent Kate Todd..."

With a sigh, Kate turns to look over at DiNozzo, who was driving the car. "What, DiNozzo?"

"Man, when you zone out... you are, like out there... in deep space, aren't you?" He catches her blush as she turns her head back to look out the side window of the car. "You got a new boy-friend, Kate?"

"Tony, how many times do I have to tell you that my personal life is none of your business?"

In true DiNozzo fashion, he ignores her verbal reprimand and laughs, "Ha! Ha! Let me guess... judging by your previous history with men... is he a lawyer?" Her silence doesn't deter him. "A doctor? An aide to a senator? A senator?"

She is worried that she could be so transparent that even DiNozzo could pick up on her new emotional state. Ever since the day of their 'horse' conversation, and Gibbs' reminder of their talk, Tony had been pretty much leaving her alone. Now she sighs, knowing it was too good to last. Tony was not the type to let something go when it obviously gave him so much enjoyment... even if he did risk the wrath of Gibbs. When she finally looks over at him, his eyes are bright and flashing with curious excitement. He arches his brow at her, suggesting he was on to something because she looked at him. Sometimes he could be surprisingly charming in his juvenile way.

She sighs and simply shakes her head as DiNozzo pulls their car into its parking space at the Navy Yard. As they walk into the building, he continues to hound her for answers to the identity of her new flame. Kate ignores him as best she can, giving only single 'yes or no' answers to all of his questions. Tony is walking a step behind her, too close as he leans over her shoulder to see how she registers his latest question. When she stops at her desk, he runs into her, almost knocking her over and she turns to glare at him.

"He's got at least a six figure income, doesn't he?"

"Tony Enough! That's it... end of twenty questions for today, all right?"

She pushes him back out of her personal space and then goes to sit down. She isn't angry with him, but his insistence that she would only date wealthy or influential men irritates her. She was not a gold digger that only dated men in powerful positions. But hadn't she done just that in her previous dating history? No... she had not consciously targeted men in the elite tax bracket, but here in D.C. there just happened to be more men in powerful, well paying jobs than not. Look at Gibbs, he wasn't... well, yes, he was in a position of power and control, but he was by no means in the elite tax bracket.

DiNozzo watches her for a moment, wondering if she is angry or just giving him crap as usual. After Gibbs' second warning to him he really has been trying to tone down his harassment of his partner. The problem was it was like an addiction... everything about Kate fascinated him and she'd been acting differently lately. She seemed... well, he couldn't put his finger on it, but she seemed different; more mysterious, more distracted. He noticed that Gibbs had been more distracted too lately. He always used to work late, come in on weekends to catch up on paper work. Now he was out of the office on time most days... and when he wasn't he seemed anxious like there was someplace important he needed to be. There were days they hardly saw him at all... which meant he wouldn't know if Tony had a little fun at Kate's expense again.

They'd been out all morning interviewing some witnesses and he deserves a reward and heads to the break room for a soda. At the soda machine, inspiration hits him and he pops two more coins in the slot and pushes the buttons for a second soda. With a spring in his step he returns to the bullpen; where he gently sets the unopened can in front of Kate on her desk. "Thought you might need one, too."

"Uuhh, umm thank you, Tony." She was hot and tired after their long morning also and this unexpected courtesy from Tony takes her by surprise. She sits back, blinking in disbelief as her eyes go from the soda to Tony and back, wondering if this was some kind of a trick.

He simply smiles and returns to his desk to begin his report on the people they talked to this morning. He feels Kate's eyes on him periodically as she tries to figure out what he's up to, but doesn't respond. He has no intention of letting it go, but for now he'll let her sit there wondering about his sudden generosity.

Over the next week, DiNozzo is back in full harassment form with his practical jokes, innuendos and comments about Kate's personal life. She tries her best to ignore him until the point she is so angry she just wants to shoot him. She has always fought her own battles and would never think of telling Gibbs that Tony was back to his old tricks again. Instead, she sits at her desk, wondering how she should best handle this matter. She wanted to get him back, in the same manner as most of his gags on her, but nothing that would cause him pain or jeopardize his job... after all she wasn't that kind of woman.

No, she wanted to do something that would shock the hell out of him and leave him so shell-shocked that he would never consider messing with her again. As she types up her report now, her mind wanders over the possibilities... she could hire some guy to 'meet up with Tony in a dark alley'... no, tony may shoot him and that wouldn't be funny at all. She could tell him she's gay... and although that may stun him briefly, he would be only too eager to hound her for details of her 'girl on girl' relationship. What if she were to simply tell him the truth... she was dating Gibbs and they were in a long-term relationship? Her fingers still on the keyboard as she considers this outrageous possibility.

Hadn't she and Gibbs already decided that the team would find out about them as soon as she moved into his house anyway? So what was wrong with having Tony find out a month or so sooner? Her mind is racing now as she quickly formulates a plan that she is sure will rock Tony down to his socks. And, as the plan comes together, she can't deny feeling a thrill of excitement race down her spine. This surprises her because it's the most daring thing she's ever done... and now all she has to do is convince Gibbs to go along with it.

Unfortunately, this was a Friday and she wanted to implement her plan for the weekend and she'd have to fill Gibbs in on it after she put her plan into action. She purposely leaves her purse sitting open on her desk and gather's up some papers she needs to have copied before walking away. Once out of sight around the corner, she stops and peeks back to watch DiNozzo's head snap up and scan the room. Seeing no one else in the area, he is quickly out of his seat and moving towards her desk. He stops to scan the room again, then uses a pen to open the edges of her purse wider for his inspection.

Lying right on top, in plain sight is a small round plastic container that every man recognizes... birth control pills. His face lights up as his suspicions are proven right... Kate does have a new boyfriend! He snoops a couple more moments, but then hears papers rattling behind him and spins around to find Kate standing directly behind him. She glares at him, then leans around to glance at her purse.

"Find anything you wanted in my purse, Tony?"

"Aahh, no... I... it was open and... I was just... putting this pen back on your desk... and I couldn't help but notice... your birth control pills, Kate." He steps aside as he turns to put the pen back on her desk as both of their eyes fall to the incriminating pink container. "You do have a new boyfriend, don't you?"

"No, Tony... I do not." She ducks her eyes from him and starts to step past him, but he blocks her path, causing her to almost run into him. He smells blood in the water now and isn't about to let this go.

"Oh, come on Kate... don't give me that 'I only take the pill for my complexion line' cause we both know that ain't true! You're getting some and that's why you've been so distracted lately."

She sees her perfect opening and takes a calming breath as she slowly looks up into his sparkling green eyes. They are only a few inches apart and she hesitates just long enough to make her next words seem believable.

"No... I... I've been distracted... but it's not what you think, Tony. I... I... went on the pill because..." She looks down at his chest, hesitating just long enough to hook him with the suspense.

"Because...?" He lowers his voice, realizing this is something serious and not their usual banter back and forth. He suddenly worries what could be the reason and his mind whirls with possibilities of health problems that he never considered before. When she continues, her next words stun him into momentary silence.

"Tony... because your college frat boy stuff may seem like jokes to everyone else, but I... well I know the truth... and I want to see where it goes."

They are standing so close that when her hands come out to rest against his chest, she hears him gasp softly. He recovers from his shock quickly as his mind spins with how to handle this new development. He always fantasized about them being together, but in reality he knew she was way out of his league and never expected her to actually be interested in him. He clears his throat and keeps his voice low as he replies, "Well maybe I wasn't joking, Kate... 'bout time you picked up on that."

"Why don't we have a drink after work... and discuss this further?"

"Sure, we could do happy hour at the bar..." He smiles expectantly, but her slow shake of the head has him wondering if he's somehow screwed up already.

"No... too many people from work there. How about at my place?"

"Your place... as in your apartment... where you live?"

"Yes, Tony, my place. I'll even make you dinner and we can... talk. Say, about seven?"

Just then, Gibbs has entered the bullpen area and is glaring over at them suspiciously. Why the hell was DiNozzo standing so close to her and what were they whispering about? As he gets nearer, he catches only the last comment made by Kate. DiNozzo gives her his best smile and agrees to see her there at seven this evening... which leaves Gibbs wondering what the hell was going on. His gut suddenly knots up with instant jealousy, but he catches movement on the upper walkway and sees the Director standing there watching them as well. He controls himself and continues on to his desk to sit down.

As the other two realize they are not alone any longer, they quickly step apart and Kate grabs her purse, closes it and moves around to shove it back under her desk where it belongs. When she is seated she dares to glance over at Gibbs to find him glaring at DiNozzo. The look in his eyes tells her he is not happy with what he just saw. She wonders if he overheard them as well and knows an explanation is in order and quickly... before his famous anger flared and DiNozzo ended up with serious head trauma from being head-smacked. She sighs and turns her attention to her computer, sending an email to her boss... "Conference room. Need to talk."

The discreet ding draws Gibbs' attention back to his own monitor screen. He clicks on her message and then replies with his own email, "In five minutes" Without ever looking at each other, Gibbs picks up his phone to make one last call while Kate stands up, gathers up her evidence and heads for the elevator with a quick explanation."I'm gonna run this stuff down to the evidence locker. I'll be back in a few."

Tony's eyes watch her as she walks away, but Gibbs' eyes is glaring at his senior field agent. He knew Tony had been back to his old shit again and just last night, Kate had jokingly asked if she could just shoot him. He offered to have another chat with him, but she told him she could handle it. Now, she was inviting him over for dinner? And where was he supposed to be this evening? That was his time to spend with her... and he'd become very possessive of his time with Kate. He glances at his watch and stands up as he realizes DiNozzo is staring at Kate's desk.

"DiNozzo! Don't we pay you to actually do something besides sit around on your ass all day?"

"Sorry, boss... lost in thought there for a moment, but getting back to work now." Tony sits up straight and turns his attention to the work on his desk.

Gibbs walks past him, hesitates and then adds one more instruction, "I want that report on my desk... then go meet McGee at the Jefferson Memorial to help him finish processing that scene."

"You got it, boss."

Gibbs jabs the elevator button with more force than necessary and when the doors open he steps in and punches the button for the garage level where the evidence room is located. His tension level is high as all kinds of thoughts flit through his head and he takes a deep breath to control his jealousy. He can't believe what he overheard earlier and Kate had better have a good explanation for it. When the doors open up on the garage level, Kate is standing there waiting. He steps back to allow her to enter, but they do not speak until the doors are closed and he has pushed the button for their floor again. As the car begins to move up, Gibbs suddenly reaches out and snaps the power button to off; stopping the car between floors.

"You gonna tell me what the hell that was all about, Kate?" He tries to keep his voice neutral, but she hears the tension and possibly a little bit of something else.

"I just invited Tony over to my place for dinner and drinks." She calmly answers with an innocent smile as she turns to face him now.

"And just what the hell am I supposed to be doing while you're on a date with DiNozzo!" His voice has dropped to a low rumble and this time she has no problem hearing the jealous anger in his voice. He takes a step towards her, bringing them almost nose to nose as his eyes burn into hers.

"Relax, Jethro. I have every intention of having you there too... to help me teach Tony a lesson once and for all." Her smile takes on an evil grin and Gibbs studies her for a moment as her finger slowly glides up his forearm. "You up for a little bit of exhibitionism?"

He realizes what she is up to and brings his hands up to rest on her shoulders, then pushes her back until she is pinned between the wall and his hard body. Their eyes remain locked and the moment becomes charged with tension as he gives her the cocky half grin that she loves.

"You sure you want to do that? You know DiNozzo can't keep his mouth shut. Everyone will know by Monday."

"Yeah... do you got a problem with that? We already decided they're going to find out when I move in anyway?"

"You know I don't care who knows about us... I just need to make sure you're only interested in me... and not that love sick pup." As he speaks his head slowly comes down and his words end with a slow, intense kiss that leaves Kate breathless.

She finally pushes him back, catching him by surprise as she playfully teases, "Behave yourself! We're at work, remember?"

He just grins and grabs her wrist, jerking her back for another kiss before he releases her and turns to flip the button so the car can continue up. "Yes, ma'am. How 'bout I take you to lunch and you can fill me in on this plan of yours. Then we can swing over and pick up those records from the Memorial Operations office."

They make the rest of the ride up to the bullpen level in silence and they quickly grab their gear before heading back out again. Unknown to either of them, the Director had recently installed surveillance cameras in the elevators after another NCIS team's prisoner claimed he was beaten in the elevator by one of their agents. Now the Director is standing by his window with a frown on his face, watching as Agents Gibbs and Todd leave the building together.