He'd enjoyed the movie, armrest up, Kate curled into his side his hand resting on her hip occasionally tracing random patterns over her tattoo, her hand resting on his thigh. When it hit the emotional scenes and he heard her sniffle he kissed her temple, she was soft hearted and he loved that about her, he hated it when a case got too rough for her. He also enjoyed the occasional grunt or growl from behind them he was sure was Ari whenever he or Kate moved closer to each other, he could hear Kate snicker when it happened too.
And now curled into his side while they slept, though he was wide awake, he could see the pink where the sun has gotten through her sunblock on her nose and cheeks, but since he'd never seen her burnt he knew they would be tan by morning. He liked her head on his shoulder, her arm across his waist, it felt natural, she didn't crowd him. He also knew she didn't mean anything by it, she wasn't trying to tease him, she was just tired and he was apparently comfortable.
Shannon crowded him, he put it off to their age, they'd been young when they married, the others remained on their side of the bed or as far away from him as possible unless they wanted sex.
"You okay?" she asked sleepily.
He'd been so focused on other things he hadn't noticed her change in breathing. "Restless. Just thinking." he rubbed her back. "I know I'm old…"
"You're not old Gibbs, a grumpy bastard now and then but not old." she moved her hand patting him on the chest, he smirked, she never let him call himself old. "So what's on your mind?"
"Your flowers." he couldn't make out all she said but he heard 'Ari' and 'ass' causing him to smirk "Other flowers."
"Oh."
"I know the guy that sent them."
"It's not Tony is it?" he could hear the 'Please dear God no.' in Kate's voice even with her chuckle.
Gibbs chuckled too "No."
"Is he still walking?" she asked half teasing knowing Gibbs had probably tore into the poor guy telling him she was off limits to all NCIS personal.
"Yea, stiff knees now again...but still walking." Gibbs said quietly.
Stiff knees? Slowly sitting up Kate crossed her legs looking down at him lisping "What do you know Gibbs?" she couldn't ask him the question she wanted to.
Sitting up Gibbs gestured to the bedroom door before standing up and slowly walking out of it, it wasn't something he wanted to tell her while they were platonically sharing a bed. Chewing the inside of her cheek nervously Kate climbed off the bed and followed, she found him exactly where she thought she would find him, at the coffee pot. Sitting at the table she waited for him, he sat down waiting for the coffee to make. "You know how I feel about romance between agents?" Gibbs sighed.
"You made that perfectly clear when I joined NCIS." Kate nodded.
"It's not just from what I've seen around the office... the director was my partner, we were together for an op in Paris, it ended up turning into something more or at least I thought it did." Gibbs explained, Kate waited patiently "When the op was over she left." Gibbs stated. "I've tried to keep Tony from making the same mistakes I've made, Burley was married so I didn't have to worry."
"Abby and Tim?" Kate questioned.
"Never serious." Gibbs shook his head standing up. "You know that, you go out with them."
"Twice," Kate held up two fingers laughing "and both times I was tricked." shaking her head she watched him pour two cups of coffee adding creamer to hers. "But yea, Abby was never serious and when Tim realized that he backed off no hard feelings."
"So I never had to push rule 12 with them." Gibbs said sitting back down and sliding her coffee to her.
"But you do with me." Kate said simply before taking a sip.
"I didn't see you dating any of those guys at work, not after..." Gibbs left it unsaid, they didn't talk about Major Kerry's death. "but you didn't need them chasing you when you were just getting over that."
"So it was for my own protection." Kate nodded, it wasn't a question she knew Gibbs was very protective of his team. "So why does this guy think he can send me flowers now? What has changed?" Kate asked softly.
"Maybe those last two close calls were too close and he was afraid he wouldn't get to tell you." Gibbs shrugged looking down at his coffee. "Ya almost died twice Kate."
"But I didn't," Kate tilted her head "I'm still here." reaching out she covered his hand with hers giving it a squeeze. "I guess I wasn't the only one thinking while I was in isolation or the hospital was I?" Kate asked softly, he gave a head shake, she didn't give him a chance to ask what she had been thinking about Kate just sighed and started talking. "I've always known I wanted to something important with my life, and I have, I protected a President and now working at NCIS I'm bringing people closure and answers to questions they were afraid to ask." Looking down at their hands she said "And I've made good friends, friends so close that they have become my family, family that I love so much that I would take a bullet for them. And now I realize I want more."
"How much more?"
She didn't look up, she could hear it in his voice, the shaking, the uncertainty. Taking a breath she finally looked up, her eyes locking with his without a cloud of doubt, she said it "Everything. I want everything. I want to go home when this is over and go out with 'Flower Boy', I don't care where, the movies, the batting cages...his basement." Kate smiled when his eyes lit up "I wanna see where it leads, pretty sure it's a direction I want to go," pausing she added "because romance isn't a relationship." Kate took his hand in both of hers.
"When this is over." Gibbs promised, Kate nodded.
They finished their coffees before going back to bed for the night knowing they would talk more when the op was over, but they fell into an easy sleep, even knowing they were still bait for a little longer.
It was a month before it was over and the guy was caught, having killed his own wife who was an interpreter he had killed more to cover his tracks. Abby and Ducky had found the damning evidence. But they were given time off to decompress by the Director.