A/N: Somewhere down the line, I might come back and write the end I intended for this one, but for right now this is the final chapter. I hope you enjoy.

The movement didn't even occur to Gibbs at first (though it really, really should have). It was soft and slow, and done without any thought, and his brain didn't feel the need to bring him up to speed until he already had several minutes invested. The first time he caught himself doing it, he'd nearly jerked his hand away from the fabric of her pants, and had quickly searched Kate's face for any sign of disapproval. Her book had been pulled low enough he could see her smile, not a word of protest on her lips. Gibbs had gulped in a lungful of air, and forced his eyes to return to the pages of his own book.

He told himself it wouldn't and couldn't happen again, but as soon as his mind faded away to focus on the story, his thumb took up the pattern as if it had no intention to ever stop. Over her thigh, slowly, down the slope of her knee and back up again. The material of the pants he had loaned her were soft beneath the pad of his thumb, and he had never bothered to notice when he'd been the one wearing them. If he were a smarter man, he'd just move his hand away. He'd grip his book a little tighter, and there would be no chance he would find himself touching her again. Gibbs glanced at Kate once more, found her eyes dark and deep and plenty warm enough to melt his resolve right down to its core

Who needed self control?

Heat found itself a home across his lap, brought out with such a simple touch. Gibbs pulled in a slow breath, closed his book silently. He knew he had to do something before the small shifting of his hips alerted Kate to just what kind of reaction he was having. Gibbs forced his mind to recall a list he had used ages ago, back when had less control of his body (at least in some ways, Kate brought out the teenage boy in him). The list itself could easily stretch out for hours, but it only took a few items to cause the heat to fade away enough he felt confident Kate wouldn't notice.

He looked over at her again. She had tucked herself behind her book, the only sound a page turning. The noise occupied the space in the room, and Gibbs felt taunted, dared, teased. He had to do something else before he leaned over, tossed her book away, and kissed her until they both forget the reasons this likely wouldn't work.

Another page turned, the paper loud and her breathing soft, and he might just lose his mind if he didn't take some action.

"I need coffee," Gibbs said, laying his book on his table. When all else failed, coffee could still work small miracles-like keeping his hands off Kate.

Fat chance.

Gibbs reached down, lifting Kate's legs gently, and putting them back into the seat he had vacated. She offered up no words to stop his departure, and when he reached the comfort of the kitchen, he felt safe enough to scrub a hand over his face and let out a shaky breath. Gibbs went through the motions of making coffee, settling his hips back against the counter, staring out into the other room. When the smell of the coffee finally started to replace the smell of Kate, his shoulders loosened, his hands uncurled at his sides. He couldn't see her from here, but he pictured her all the same. She looked like she belonged here, in his house, in his life.

Gibbs pushed himself off the counter, silently making his way back to the living room, needing to ...just see her again. Kate didn't hear him, years as a sniper once again to thank for his stealth. Kate had taken over his couch, hair fanned against the armrest, injured arm resting over her stomach while the good one held the book up into the light. She looked so close to what his mind had tried to recreate, but that would never compare to what he saw before him. Sunlight filtered in through his blinds, falling across her pale skin.

Gibbs didn't want to be so struck, but she had him in awe since the first day he met her. He had tried to be her boss, her friend, but she always kept reminding him that she was more. A challenge, a worthy opponent, the sort of person he could and did fall in love with.

He let out a silent breath, turning and making his way back to the kitchen. Gibbs pulled down two mugs, adding milk and sweetener to Kate's and then adding coffee to both. He sighed. She kept pulling him in her direction, had him so unwilling to even look away, and Gibbs had no doubt that the time had come to give in to what he felt, or walk away and pretend until he no longer felt anything at all. The second one didn't feel like an option he would survive.

But if Gibbs gave all of himself to her, he'd expect all of her in return. He didn't care about the broken pieces, or the bits that they both would rather not show. If Gibbs gave her his heart, risked everything for something that might fall apart, he would make that choice with eyes wide open. Gibbs didn't blink down the barrel of a gun. He just had to know his Kate would take on this next step with the same openness, that she would realize he would make a mess of things, but he would never stop trying on purpose.

Gibbs grabbed the mugs, heat spreading into his fingers, and moved back into the living room. She looked up at him at once, smiled and pulled herself up on the couch. It squeaked as her weight settled again, and Gibbs sat back into the warmth she had left behind. Kate took the mug, eyes looking his face over, teeth pulling in her lip for a moment.

"I was just thinking," he said, before taking a sip of the coffee.

It burned his throat on the way down, leaving bitterness in his mouth. It settled in his stomach in the way he had come to know, but it didn't give him the words that were needed. Though, if his brain couldn't find them, he shouldn't be expecting the coffee to do him any favors.

Kate nodded, sliding over closer to him until their shoulders pressed right up against each other. Steam rolled off her mug, and her eyes flickered down to it, and then back up to him. God, she was beautiful. Her eyes lit up in the dying afternoon light, almost the exact shade of bourbon. He wanted a drink, wanted to lean in and kiss her and forget his heart might end up shattered in the end.

"Okay, "Kate said. A smile teased the corners of her mouth. "What about?"

"Stay the rest of the weekend," he said. He couldn't help the shrug. "If you want.

She watched him for a moment, took a sip of coffee, her tongue slipping out to lick the remnants off her lips. Gibbs swallowed, shifted, looked away. She'd be the death of him without even trying. Kate's hand slipped into the space between his arm and body, held his arm in a loose grasp. He felt her nod, head bobbing up and down against his shoulder. Gibbs moved his arm around her back, pressed a kiss to her hair, and then stared down into the murky depths of his coffee mug hoping maybe he'd find courage to say the rest before she gave up and walked away.

Kate

Her back was warm, when she awoke (This so wasn't how she pictured their first time in bed together). Gibbs had one arm wrapped over her hip, holding her snugly against his hips. His pillow smelled like him, and she tucked her head into it for a moment, wondering if she could wake up like this every morning for a good while into the future.

Gibbs shifted behind her, exhaling against her hair, and grumbling out a noise of waking. He was so much softer in sleep, more open. Kate smiled, running her fingers over the arm that had her trapped, feeling the hair and the muscle under warm skin. She knew she had made the right choice in insisting he just share the bed with her. He had hesitated, before settling down stiffly on the opposite side. His breath had been rough and slow and she had stared at the wall for a long while until the desire to kiss him had faded to a bearable level.

Gibbs had scooted to her later, reached out slowly and wrapped his fingers around her hip and pulled her into him. He had pressed a kiss to her head, settled down beside her.

Kate thought back to yesterday, after she had agreed to stay, with a smile. The mugs had been emptied, placed in sink and she had suggested the boat at once. Kate had wanted to see it for some time anyway, but she couldn't handle just sitting there and pretending to read a moment longer(she would have wound up in his lap). He had helped her downstairs, settled her back on the steps and gathered up his tools.

The smell of sawdust had consumed even the faint, leftover, smell of bourbon, and she had been all too happy to listen to him give her a lesson. His hands had wrapped tightly around tools, his weight leaned easily into the work. And if Gibbs had been, in any way, hoping that his tutorial might lead to fruitful results he shouldn't have been working on the side of the boat she could see. He had given her a smile, paused in his words, and she had thought that he might know exactly where her mind had been. He had looked from her eyes to her mouth, breathing out a long breath, but in the end had turned his attention back to the boat. Another moment had come and gone. Kate had lost count of the times that they had almost broke over each other, before pulling back to their respective corners.

The familiar stiffness from places that still ached brought Kate back to the bed now. Whether she wanted to or not (she didn't) she had to get up and work them out before the pain became any worse. With a small sigh, she lifted Gibbs' arm, as slowly as she could manage. He shifted behind her at once, grumbling louder into her hair, breath tickling against her scalp. Warmth spread across her, settling low, as he nuzzled himself closer to her neck, then pressed his lips to her shoulder. She smiled, thankful that he couldn't see the results of such a small gesture. He tended to lean towards insufferable when he felt smug anyway.

Still, the touching and kissing were more than welcome

"Don't go," he said. His arm pulled out of her grasp, wrapped low around her waist again, and pulled her back into his hips and chest. "Not yet."

He sounded rough and tired, and his fingers tucked a little further under her hip, his lips touching her neck this time before he settled. Kate still half expected him to suddenly snap to attention, to remember his rules, his boundaries and send her packing. Until then, though, she wiggled herself back a little closer, savoring his low groan with a smile.

Gibbs

The sounds of the bullpen had faded away, the cold case file on his desk lay open. He moved his eyes over it, but the words might as well be in a foreign language (one he didn't speak) because he couldn't make them stick into his memory for even a moment. His brain had no room left, replaying Kate's sleepy morning kiss. She had pressed it to his lips, warm and brief, before rolling away from him and taking his half of the blankets along with her. Damn, he missed her.

Gibbs sighed, dropped his hands to his desk and pushed his body to a standing position. His fingers flicked the file closed, and he slipped around his desk. If he couldn't concentrate, he might as well get some coffee. Tony sat at his own desk, pen gripped tightly in his hand, eyes rolled up to stare at the ceiling. His phone had been ringing all day, and Tony kept meeting Gibbs' annoyed glare with a shrug, that quickly turned to him drawing his attention away to pretend type on his keyboard. Gibbs regretted insisting Kate take one more day off, he could have used her backup here today. If nothing else, she knew how to make him smile through Tony's antics. Silence had never felt so Kate sized.

Gibbs headed past Tony's desk, stopping to add another glare when the phone started another round of ringing. Tony's eyes darted from it to him, his throat moving in a quick swallow.

"Sorry, boss," Tony said. He reached out, snatching up the phone and pressing it against his ear. On the other end, Gibbs could hear yelling, and while he had no doubt Tony deserved it, he nearly winced at the volume.

Leaving Tony to deal with his own mess (safest for everyone involved if he didn't get involved) Gibbs sought out what passed for coffee here. Normally, he wouldn't tolerate it. He'd leave, go get his normal stuff, and return to the office. Only, today Gibbs didn't think he would return. Not when he had Kate waiting for him at home, and the bullpen only offered bad coffee, stale air, and Tony's unending phone calls.

Gibbs filled a cheap paper cup with liquid light enough that it could just be dirty water. It tasted exactly how it looked, probably didn't have enough caffeine left in it to touch his addiction level, but it did occupy his hand. It worked, for now. He'd grab a real one the way home, along with dinner. He had plans for Kate, and Gibbs felt nervousness turning to impatience as the few short hours left seemed to stretch out before him.

It took all his willpower not to glance at his watch every two minutes (Tony would notice, even in the midst of his own situation) and Gibbs wanted to risk nothing. If Tony knew, Abby would know, and if Abby knew, he'd never have a moment of peace again-at least not until Abby had probed for all she could about the situation. He probably let her get away with too much, but he had a notorious soft spot for her too. It might not be the same as Kate's but it was squishy and obvious all the same.

And the whole office didn't need to know about him and Kate yet, damn sure not until he knew that he and Kate weren't in the same positions they had been when she left Friday afternoon.

Could he really be reading things so wrong?

Gibbs headed back around, stopping at the sound of Tony's hushed argument.

"Listen," Tony said. Gibbs heard the chair shifting, Tony's voice growing tighter. "I know what I said...I'm sorry, Elizabeth. Just stop calling here, my boss is going to kill me."

Gibbs smiled. Tony seemed to live for trouble, but he loved the man, and it would take far more than these phone calls from women now and then, to end Gibbs' loyalty and forgiveness. Not that he would tell him that. He lost the smile, narrowing his eyes as he walked by. He couldn't let himself go entirely soft, just because he was in love with Kate. It wouldn't do him, or his team, any favors.

"Working here, DiNozzo?" he asked, as he settled back into his desk. "Or starting a dating hotline for when I fire you?"

Color touched Tony's cheek, and Gibbs felt satisfied that he would get the situation under control. He always did. By tomorrow, the phone calls would stop, Kate would be back and his work life would be back to normal.

"I got to go, Elizabeth," Tony said into the phone. His next sigh took a long time to finish, the knuckles on his hand turning white before he glanced at Gibbs. "No, don't call me, I'll call you."

If he wasn't so inclined to not let his agent know he cared, to let Tony make his own mistakes so he actually learned from them, he'd give him a lecture on how to treat women. But Tony would learn, if he let him dangle in the air long enough, and the knowledge kept Gibbs silent.

Gibbs dragged himself though another hour (He didn't remember a word of what he read) and finally decided that he had enough. Gibbs glanced at his watch. Tony could use the break and another two hours of work might actually make him say or do something obvious in his impatience.

One day only, she'd only get his whole mind today.

Tomorrow Gibbs would be the same boss he had always been. The smiles he shared with his team would be mostly unseen, he'd be stern and unfair and he would make them the best damn team in the office. Tomorrow, he wouldn't leave work just on the chance to kiss her. Tomorrow, he'd be Gibbs the boss. That ship had already sailed for today.

"Go home, Tony," he said, getting up and putting the file in his drawer.

"Boss," Tony said. His eyes sought out Gibbs' face at once, searching for any of the normal warning signs that preceded a smack. "She won't call again."

"I know, Tony," Gibbs said. Tony shifted, swallowed. Maybe Kate was having a positive influence, because right now he didn't have it in him to make Tony suffer. "Bright and early tomorrow, DiNozzo.

"Kate'll be back?" Tony asked, shutting off his computer and grabbing his pack.

A smile just touched Tony's lips, his eyes falling back to Kate's desk as they had many times today. Gibbs wasn't sure how he had not seen it, somehow overlooked the obviousness of Tony missing Kate's presence too. They were a family first, always, no matter what else came their way.

"Yeah," Gibbs agreed. "Go home, get some rest."

"Got it, boss," Tony said, before heading around the corner and waiting for the elevator.

Gibbs counted down the time, until he knew that even a delaying Tony would be long gone out of the parking lot. When he felt satisfied, he tipped the poor attempt at coffee into the trashcan, and pulled on his coat. Tomorrow, the world would shift back to normal. Tomorrow, Kate would somehow have to be both the woman he loved and his subordinate, but for once, he decided to think of nothing but tonight.

Kate

The shower had been needed, long and hot, and washing away the trail and the fall and the bad of the weekend. She thought, after using his shower gel, that she had still managed to keep the good close enough to her skin even now. Kate reached out for a towel, feeling the tightness and familiar pain as she leaned her weight into her ankle. She might be on desk duty for a couple days, but had Gibbs actually sent her home instead of insisting she rest...well, it wouldn't be the first time her stubbornness had held up progress.

Wrapping up, she stepped out into the room, tucking the towel in on itself and running her hand over the mirror until she could see her reflection. Her reflection smiled back at her, and Kate wasn't a bit surprised.

She brushed out her hair as best she could, knowing that she really had to go back to her apartment soon. The only pair of clothes she owned in Gibbs' house were currently folded up in the chair in his room, and work would be waiting on her tomorrow. She didn't imagine dragging herself in Gibbs' sweatpants would work in any universe, but the thought of Tony's face if she did, made Kate laugh anyway.

Kate shook herself, grabbing Gibbs' robe (it felt old and worn and washed into softness, something she was coming to associate with all of Gibbs' at home clothes) and pulled it on, tying it up carefully. Kate opened the door, stepping out when she heard the front door close. She moved down the hall at the only speed her ankle would allow, grabbing the gun from the bedside table as the sound of footsteps drew closer, the last stair at the top creaking away a position.

She spun around, pointing at the intruder.

"Just me, Kate," Gibbs said, raising his arms up. She could see his gun at his hip, his eyes were wide, and she felt a short lived satisfaction that maybe she had actually scared him. "Just me. It's okay."

She lowered the gun, then turned and set it back on the table. He stepped closer, reaching out and touching her shoulder.

"You're early," she said, turning into his touch.

He looked down at her, eyes moving to her weapon. It would be easy to miss the smile, but the amusement in his eyes wasn't hidden at all, and she thought (even if he'd never say it) he might be just a bit proud she had been about to shoot him in the chest in his own home.

"I am," he agreed. "DiNozzo's phone had me thinkin' of you."

Kate blinked. She wasn't sure if he had been trying for a compliment, or just making a very odd statement, but she was fairly she sure she should feel flattered he had thought of her at work at all-even if it had some connection to Tony's phone (which could mean a lot of different things with Tony).

"Thanks?" she said. It wasn't supposed to come out as a question, but she couldn't quite get passed her confusion.

He smiled down at her, fingers running down the arm of his robe, until he found her hand. Not shooting him had been the right decision.

"Brought dinner," he said, giving her hand a small tug before he let it go again. "You might wanna dress. Or not."

He quirked up his lips, ran a slow, appreciative path down her body with his eyes and then stepped back. Gibbs spun away from her, heading back off again, the stair telling his steps before Kate had time to process.

She drew in a breath.

Time to call a bluff.

She triple checked the tie on the robe, looked in the mirror to ensure that everything important remained under the cloth (she might be calling his hand, but that didn't mean she had to expose herself in the meantime) and headed off down the stairs.

It took a little longer than normal, but she let the smell of Chinese lead her to the dining room. There were two beers on the table, containers set before chairs, and Gibbs was busying himself pulling out chopsticks when he heard her. He looked up, let out a noise far too close to a whimper for Gibbs to ever have willingly allowed out, and swallowed several times.

"God, Kate," he said, eyes stuck on her.

She would have thought he hadn't just seen her( wearing exactly this) a few moments ago, the way he stared.

"It's just you said, I could just come down like this," she said, shrugging, dropping herself into the seat and reaching for the beer. "It's comfy. You don't mind?"

"Mind?" Gibbs repeated, handing over the chopsticks as she reached for them. His hands still worked at least, even if his brain seemed to be stuck a minute behind.. "No, don't mind."

She grinned, opening up her box, and digging in. She hadn't eaten today, in favor of cleaning up and showering.

"Was going to cook you dinner," Kate said, taking a swig of her beer, then shrugging. "Another time."

He nodded, smiled slightly, still looking off balance. It looked good on him, took years off his tired eyes, and she would have to strive for it more often.

"Soon," he agreed, swallowing down a mouthful of food.

They ate the rest of the meal in silence, Gibbs' eyes finding hers now and then and looking away at once.

Kate gathered up her trash, finished her beer with a long pull, and limped off into the kitchen. She heard him behind her, before he had her gently pinned against the counter as he reached around to drop his trash in the trashcan. His chest moved against her back as he drew in a breath, and then she felt his weight shift back off of her.

"Turn around," he said, fingers running over her robe, her hip.

She turned at once, letting out a small sigh of defeat, that came with the reward of seeing how dark his eyes had become. His eyes studied her, ran over her face, her lips, and then he smiled.

"Gibbs," she said, reaching up to touch is face, her heart hammering in her chest

"Not runnin'," he said. His voice was only a whisper, he leaned more into her space.

She didn't want another wasted moment, another could have been.

"Don't," she said, closing the distance between them, sliding an arm around his shoulder. "Just kiss me already."

He grinned, full and dark and like he'd just been waiting this whole time for her to ask. His lips pressed against hers, slow and soft at first, then harder and more demanding. He tasted just like the food he had eaten, and it didn't do a single thing to slow the rush of heat that overtook Kate's body.

They really, really had to talk (Mostly her, while Gibbs listened, she imagined) but first she would have to figure out how to let him go again. His fingers came up, working on the tie of the robe, and she chuckled at his low growl of frustration at the effort she had put into the knot.

Gibbs pulled back, breathing hard, letting his fingers fall away.

"Like to take you upstairs," he said. "Later...later wanna show you somethin'."

Kate could only grin, as he pulled her closer again. There was no way she was running, not when he had finally chosen to stand his ground.