NCIS 1. Alt 45

So apparently, my brain just can't help itself when it comes to Kibbs. This is by way of an alternate ending to Covert Ops, following on more or less from chapter 44, and rather less angst ridden. Which is not to say I've abandoned the longer and more complex version AT ALL. But this version apparently wanted out of my brain, and so I thought I'd share it, as it gets written, as a kind of bonus feature, and also hopefully something just to make you guys smile while I figure out the endgame of Covert Ops Proper.

Fair warning, this is almost certainly going to be pure and total fluff and sweet enough to rot your teeth. But for the hopeless romantics among us, I hope this will give you a bit of enjoyable squee ;) and will convince you to forgive me for taking so long to finish the other version of the story ;)

More to come, but for now, I hope you enjoy chapter alt!45 :)

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45.

**_KATE_**

Kate felt like a little kid on Christmas Eve as she made her way back towards the house. Their mission was officially a success, Gibbs was back, and they still had an afternoon and one whole, glorious night to enjoy one another in this place. Though she thought and hoped and was reasonably secure that going back to real life would not preclude more enjoyment. Quite how things would work out with the team, how they would fit this around everyday life, she wasn't sure, but they would figure it out. This was too good to mess up.

She saw Gibbs getting out of the car and handing his keys to a valet as she approached the front of the house, and couldn't suppress the enormous smile on her face. He was looking at his cellphone as she approached, and she managed to sidle right up to him before he sensed her presence.

His answering smile when he saw her was more than enough reward. She couldn't remember having ever seen such joy on his face in all the time she'd known him. He gently cradled her face in his hands and studied her, his expression soft and tender.

"Hey," he murmured, stroking his thumbs over her cheeks.

"Hey yourself." Kate wondered if it was actually possible to injure yourself from smiling too hard.

Gibbs continued to study her face for a few moments more, and then leaned down and gently kissed her, sweet and tender. When he pulled away, it took a moment for her to recover and she shot him a mock scowl for his satisfied look.

"Successful trip?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Everything went smooth." He indicated the bag slung over his shoulder, which she assumed contained the new bugs they would be placing.

There was so much to say, but they just stood there, grinning foolishly at one another. Kate wondered if her smile looked as goofy as his did, and when a quiet but penetrating "_ahem_" sounded over their earwigs, she gave a quick thank you that at least they weren't under video surveillance.

Gibbs switched back into business mode as they made their way to the front door, but that didn't stop him taking her hand as he apprised DiNozzo of his plans for the afternoon, and Kate felt like she should almost be ashamed of her delight in that simple gesture.

As they reached the door, he stopped her, pulling her round to face him once more. He gestured to his ear, and she nodded her understanding - neither of them were ready to expose what was happening between them to their colleagues. It made it frustrating, but she could live with that.

She didn't, however, expect what happened next, as he leaned down close to her ear, the opposite side to the hated earwig, his breath tickling her neck.

They stood like that for a few seconds, and she took the opportunity to savour his nearness, his scent, his warmth and solidity. Then eventually he spoke, soft, low, for her ears only.

"Katie... I'm- I'm all yours."

Her breath caught in her throat for a moment. Given the circumstances, that was a good deal more than she'd expected as a response to her whispered admission this morning. She blinked away the moisture welling up in her eyes.

"Ditto," she whispered back.

His hand came up to caress her face and smooth her hair back, and then he drew away and gave her an even more open and joyous smile, a look she'd never have imagined she would see on his face, never mind prompted by her.

They stood there for a few moments, grinning foolishly at one another, and then he took her hand again and tugged her inside. They did, after all, have work to do. And right now she was pretty sure she'd never enjoyed her job more.


	2. Alt 46

**_GIBBS_**

Gibbs lay on his back in the pleasantly cool water, allowing himself to get lost in the blue sky above him. With all the other guests still inside the main house, the pool area was much more enjoyable than it had been the day before, and not just because he was expecting Kate to arrive any minute.

They'd planted several more bugs, and while they'd be on the lookout for any last minute opportunities to place the spares that had been sent 'just in case', they had done what they'd set out to do. Although he felt sure Director Morrow would not see it quite the same way, Gibbs had decided this last 24 hours counted as holiday, or the next best thing, and he planned to treat it that way unless something dramatic popped up. He was always being told he needed to lighten up, take some time out, relax. Most of the time he rolled his eyes and ignored the suggestion, but with a day to kill in these surroundings with Kate... Suddenly he saw the appeal.

"Hey, Gibbs!"

Hearing her voice, he flipped in the water and made his way over to the edge of the pool. She grinned happily at him, and he couldn't help returning the smile with interest. One thing was for sure, he hadn't smiled this much in years.

When she slipped out of her robe, he lost almost his entire supply of cool. He could've sworn his heart literally skipped several beats. She'd looked amazing in yesterday's swimming gear, but today she was wearing a sleek, dark red bikini. Still classy, and still less revealing than some of the outfits others had been seen wearing, but it was more of Kate than he'd ever seen outside his wildest fantasies.

As she walked over to the pool, he summoned up every last stitch of self control so he could give her an approving look, rather than simply drooling like a hungry dog. There was a distinct risk of him falling at her feet and promising absolute obedience forever if she was going to wander round looking like that. Right now that didn't seem like such a bad idea, but after three failed marriages he tried not to make decisions when the blood supply to his brain was severely compromised. They both, he was pretty sure, knew this thing between them had a future, but he would rather discuss it when she was wearing something a little less revealing and a lot less flattering. _Maybe a burka_...

When his eyes finally made their way up to meet her gaze, she looked decidedly pleased with herself. He shrugged and she laughed, both of them revelling in their mutual understanding. Gibbs was more than usually grateful, with her looking like that, that she didn't expect him to yak like DiNozzo. He felt like he was going to more than live up to his reputation as monosyllabic. At least the late afternoon swim with each other had given them a reason to ditch the earwigs and mics for a while. Their cellphones were still within reach, just in case, but they'd both been self conscious at lunch, aware their colleagues were hearing all their conversations. It was much easier to relax when they didn't have to think about that. If he blurted out something monumentally stupid or exposing, only Kate would hear it. He was feeling generous enough towards the universe today to be grateful for that small mercy.

As she climbed down into the pool, he caught sight of the heart on her backside, and felt a thrill at having the freedom to reach out and touch it. She stilled for a moment at the bottom of the ladder and looked at him over her shoulder, her eyes wide. Keeping eye contact, he dragged his thumb across the tat, savouring her little surprised gasp and the way her gaze darkened.

"It suits you."

She coloured and bit her lip, but the twitch at the corner of her mouth gave away her pleasure at his appreciation. "I thought you knew what it was already."

He shrugged a shoulder. "Well yeah, but I never got to see it up close and personal before."

That earned him a suspicious glare as she span around to face him and search his expression for answers. He chuckled.

"But you have seen it before?" She looked faintly appalled at the notion, and he gave her a wicked grin. "When? Gibbs? _Gibbs?_"

He rather enjoyed her outrage. Telling her the details straight out, he decided, would be absolutely no fun at all.

What was fun was to pull her close, properly feel her skin against his for the first time, and breathe in the seductive scent of her hair.

He felt her relax into his embrace, first simply resting against him, then after a few minutes slipping her arms around his back and pressing a soft kiss to his collarbone. He cupped a hand around her jaw and tilted her head up so he could kiss her properly.

It was liberating to feel freed from the constraints of surveillance and their assumed roles, to have the freedom to kiss her as thoroughly and passionately as he knew how, to feel her melt against him and hear her incoherent sounds of pleasure. It was almost more than he could stand.

He groaned as he finally broke the kiss. Kate simply stood there, her eyes closed, her smile dreamy, and for a moment he wondered if this was all just some magnificent fantasy from which he could awake at any moment.

This was addictive. She was addictive. He was trapped, owned, possessed, and what was both best and worst was that he was loving it.

With a happy sigh, Kate opened her eyes, blinking slowly. Judging by the way her smile widened when she looked at him, he looked at least as love struck as she did. She reached up a hand to touch his face, then let it slip down through the fuzz of hair on his chest to explore the contours of his abs.

He took a deep, shuddering breath. She was definitely, definitely going to be the death of him.

"Geez Kate, are you tryin' to get me arrested for public indecency?" he murmured in her ear.

She laughed, low and seductive. "It's hardly public when the place is deserted."

He pulled her in close so she'd have no doubt exactly the effect she was having, and he grinned at her sudden blush. "I really wouldn't want to have to explain this to the director if we got... caught," he pointed out.

Her smile again took on that embarrassed but pleased quality that was so endearing. "OK." He could feel her laughter as she leaned against him

"Maybe... maybe we should actually take that swim," he managed to force out. She giggled again at his strained tone, but finally released her hold on him. "God, I'm too old for this, you're gonna kill me."

She reached up on tiptoe, one hand on his chest for balance, till her lips were right next to his ear. "But what a way to go." And then she was powering off across the pool. "Betcha can't catch me, old man," she threw back at him, challenge in her tone.

He shook his head with a wry grin as he plunged after her. Oh, he'd catch her all right. And make her pay. And it was a sure bet they'd both thoroughly enjoy it.


	3. Alt 47

_**KATE**_

She was trying to concentrate on the conversation at the dinner table, she really was. But Gibbs was making it impossible, as he had been all evening. The most frustrating thing was that she was fairly sure he wasn't even doing it on purpose. Most of their fellow guests were as drunk as if this were the last night of a DiNozzo spring break extravaganza, not a society gathering at a home renowned for its class and taste. Kate couldn't decide if she was relieved or annoyed that common sense prohibited her from joining them.

Gibbs' hand was resting lightly on her thigh, and in her imagination it was practically burning through the fabric. She wondered if he was as aware of it as she was. It was maddeningly distracting. Part of her would've liked to have dampened her emotions and reactions in alcohol, just to survive the evening, and another part of her already wasn't sure she how she was going to keep her hands off him after half a glass of wine. It seemed rather ironic that they'd managed to stay more or less decent swimming and lounging round the pool for two hours, but now in company all she wanted to do was tear his clothes off just so she could feel his body against hers again.

Eventually she gave in to temptation and laid her own hand over his, enjoying the contrast of his weathered knuckles against her smooth palm. She savoured the simple pleasure of touching him without having to pretend that it was for any reason other than really wanting to.

He looked at her tenderly. She smiled back, then let her gaze drop to the table even as she leaned into him. One of these days, she might just get used to seeing that expression on his face, but she didn't think it would come any time soon. For now, it was simply overwhelming. He dropped a kiss on her temple. She was pretty sure that feeling his lips against her skin was a sensation she wouldn't grow tired of in a hurry, either.

"Well, somebody's in love, I guess," came a penetrating voice from over the table. A couple of people laughed at the man's resigned tone.

"Told you. Cough up." That voice, louder still, came from the other side of Gibbs, and Kate suddenly felt like the entire party was looking at them as her cheeks grew hot.

"Well, I'm going to double check before I give _you_ any money..."

Someone had placed a bet on them? _Oh, God_. She turned startled eyes towards Gibbs, wondering how he'd take that. Even after everything that had happened this last few days, and especially all the time they'd spent with each other this afternoon, she hadn't been brave enough to repeat the L word.

Having someone else say it was not how she'd envisaged this moment, and having fellow guests gamble on them... She half expected his expression to fall or simply to close up, shut down, pretend not to have heard. Either that or have him punch the man in the nose.

To her surprise, his gaze was steady and intent, and if anything his eyes were conveying more emotion, more - did she dare even think it? - love than she could have imagined. There was a pause as they looked at one another, and then his mouth twitched into that little grin that made her heart flutter.

"Guilty as charged." He studied her face, watching her reaction. She felt joy break over her as what he'd said had registered, and this time she didn't even think to care about the vague rustle of banknotes and the grumbling and laughter as she tilted her mouth to reach his and kissed him softly but deeply.

When they surfaced for air she felt like someone had slipped something in her drink. "Ditto," she murmured against his mouth, and both felt and saw the smile that creased his lips and crinkled his eyes.

"Get a room," said someone, and more laughter rippled round the room.

"Got one," Gibbs shot back to the rest of the party's amusement, but his eyes never left hers.

She wondered for a second if it would be considered bad form to get up and drag him from the table back to their suite. Not that she thought he would need any encouragement. He squeezed her knee and quirked an eyebrow, and she wondered if her desire was that obvious to everyone else.

The conversations around them restarted, and Gibbs took the opportunity to lean down and whisper in her unbugged ear. "Think you can wait another half hour?"

There was laughter in his tone, and he chuckled when she elbowed him.

She might actually be tempted to kill him, one of these days, if it wasn't for the fact he made her feel this way. "Maybe, maybe not. How about you?"

Another laugh, and then he moved in even closer, his breath tickling her ear and sending goosebumps over her neck as he spoke, no longer teasing but low, husky and full of promise

"I'll manage. More or less. And Katie... I'll make sure it's worth the wait."


	4. Alt 48

**_KATE_**

"You wore that dress to torture me, didn't you?"

Gibbs' hand was sliding slowly and teasingly down her back as they walked towards their room, and it was making her brain fuzzy. She was grateful it was late. It did nothing for her mental acuity, but at least their team would have gone home. Having this conversation with McGee and DiNozzo listening in, commenting... She squashed the appalling thought.

"No I didn't."

"Sure you did."

She squirmed a little as a finger traced along a rib and slid just infinitesimally under the fabric.

"Gibbs, right now I couldn't pick my own mother out of a lineup, never mind lie to the human polygraph... Oh, God..."

He growled appreciatively into her ear before lightly nibbling her shoulder.

There was no question of her managing to mislead him - she could just barely remember how to walk - but there was also no denying she was enjoying the effect of this dress. In front it was reasonably modest, though still attractive, but it left almost her entire back naked. It made her feel daring and sexy, but not nearly as sexy as his reaction did. Gibbs seemed intent on exploring every inch of skin available to him.

Apparently his arousal didn't have any effect on his sense of humour. He'd been teasing her unmercifully since his whispered promise at the dining table, and was visibly pleased and amused at how flustered he'd gotten her without even touching her. Now his hands and lips were in on the action too, she wasn't quite sure if she'd make it to the suite before her knees gave out. The wicked twinkle in his eye wasn't helping any.

She was sure she could elicit some reactions of her own, if he'd only give her a second to catch her breath, but that didn't seem to be on his agenda.

"It's fun seeing you so off balance," he murmured in her ear.

She took a deep breath to try and steady her voice, and forced her wobbling legs to walk a little faster. "Can we just get back, please?"

He chuckled again. "Never thought Caitlin Todd would be so eager to get me in bed..."

She couldn't entirely suppress her grin, which she suspected rather spoiled the glare she threw at him. He did allow her to hurry him along and they managed the last fifty feet to their room with only his hand in the small of her back and his thumb leisurely stroking her skin. The contact sent tingles right through her, but at least left her able to put one foot in front of the other.

They were barely through the door and closing it behind them when she found herself pushed gently but firmly up against it, Gibbs' mouth on hers and his hands caressing her shoulders, her back, her waist. She let herself sink into the moment, and when he drew away a little she wasn't nearly done.

His eyes were dark and liquid as he gazed at her, his raw desire almost frightening in its intensity. Without breaking eye contact, he slid the mic from his tie, then reached round her neck to remove her wired up necklace. _It's just you and me now_, she realised as he disposed of them, and that thought was both exhilarating and alarming.

This was inevitable, and any lines left to be crossed were negligible after all they had already shared, but still her mouth was suddenly dry. Common sense insisted that such passion was dangerous, that he was her boss, that she must be crazy to even consider what she was about to do...

_I really am crazy._ She bit her lip, closed her eyes, clenched her fists in the fabric of her dress, overwhelmed by conflicting emotions and bewitching sensations. Why did this have to be so... why did _he_ have to be so...

"You OK?" he murmured.

He sounded concerned and a little confused.

_Can't say I blame him..._

"Nervous, Katie?"

She swallowed, opened her eyes, offered an uncertain smile. "Thrilled. Terrified." Her voice came out small and shaky.

His face softened at her honesty, and he smoothed her forehead with his fingers. "There's no rush, Kate... I don't..." He trailed off, and the gentleness in his tone and his touch was soothing and reassuring.

She leaned into his caress, allowed his eyes to take her captive, and felt the tension drain away. This might be the most foolish thing she would ever do, but she was still going to do it. She was going to jump, and trust he would catch her. Hang the consequences.

"I want to- I want... this. You. Now." _Forever_. "I'm just... It's a little scary."

The look he gave her made her wonder if she'd said 'forever' out loud, but he didn't look away. "I know," he whispered.

She stared at him for a moment in surprise. "Gibbs... Did- did you just admit to being scared?"

A shrug and a half smile. "Maybe."

She shook her head, amused and disarmed.

"Fortunately," he continued, one hand sweeping up her arm to fiddle with the tie at her neck, "I know some really good ways to combat fear..."

"Oh, really?"

"_Really_ good ways..." His eyes asked permission even as he started to undo her dress.

"Well..." She reached up to pull at his tie. "Then I guess it's a good thing I'm willing to learn, Gunny."

He laughed. "That it is, Cap'n. That it is."


	5. Alt 49

**_GIBBS_**

Through the haze of pleasure and satisfaction, Gibbs could just about cobble together the thought that he'd forgotten how good sex could be. What it was like when it was with someone he really cared about, who he'd wanted for such a long time - not just a warm and willing body scratching a physical itch. When it wasn't just sex, if he was honest, though he stubbornly refused to stick another more sentimental label on it.

"Gunny?"

"Uh huh?

"Please tell me you didn't learn _that_ in the Marine Corps..."

He barked out a laugh. "Promise."

"Thank God." Her voice was a little ragged, and he felt absurdly pleased he'd had that effect on her.

He let his head loll back against the pillow, allowing his breathing and heartbeat to return to something approaching normal, enjoying the feel of her sprawled over him and the freedom to run his hands over her skin.

It was a couple minutes before his brain managed to move beyond 'wow'. When it finally did, he suddenly realised that Kate wasn't just a little breathless, but was sniffing and sniffling. He looked down at her, brushed her hair out of her face, and in the dim light he could see tears glistening on her cheeks.

"What's the matter?"

She giggled damply. "Nothing. Happy tears. I just can't quite..." She shook her head. "I'm half expecting to wake up tomorrow and realise I dreamed this."

He nuzzled into her neck, tasted her skin and felt her shiver, kissed her temple, then wrapped his arms tightly around her body, one hand tangling in her hair. "Not a dream, Katie. If anyone's dreaming, it's me." The idea of Kate dreaming about him was ludicrous. This could be his fantasy, but hers? Hardly. Even with her body tucked snug against his, their sweat and heat mingled in the air around them, he couldn't quite shake the feeling that reality would reassert itself any second.

"It wouldn't be the first time," she admitted, her voice slightly muffled against his chest.

He laughed. Kate Todd dreamed about _him_? Like _this_?

She lifted herself up a little to glare at him. "What's so funny?"

She looked so indignant, he couldn't help smiling. "Why the hell would you dream about me?"

A wicked glint came into her eyes. "Wellllll, now you mention it, maybe it was really DiNozzo..."

It was his turn to glare, and she collapsed onto him in a fit of giggles.

"Not a joking matter." He injected a little note of warning into his voice, which made her laugh even harder for a moment.

When she looked up at him again, she was still smiling, but her tone was absolutely serious. "Gibbs... there's a reason I haven't had a steady boyfriend since NCIS messed up my perfectly planned life. And trust me, that reason is _not_ Tony."

She held his look, her eyes wide and honest and clear. After searching her face, he eventually nodded. In his experience, very few people could fake that degree of sincerity with anyone - let alone with him.

Kate flopped back down again, sighing against him. "I forgot what it was like to be completely relaxed."

He just nodded, relieved that she didn't seem to expect anything else from him. Sex never left him exactly chatty, and having a naked Caitlin Todd draped over his torso was about as big of a distraction as he could imagine. If he weren't so blissed out, so utterly sated, that would most definitely keep him awake for hours. It was almost fortunate this was the tail end of the op, when he was tired enough that nothing could keep him awake.

It was surprisingly comfortable and comforting to simply hold her close and listen to her breathing. He hadn't felt this comfortable sharing a bed with someone since... Well, for a very long time. He was halfway asleep when he felt her tense up.

"Gibbs?"

"Yeah?"

He waited. She didn't move, but he could almost feel her working up to something.

When she spoke, the words tumbled out in a rush, as if she had to get them out before she lost her nerve, but they were clear and definite, too.

"I really do love you, you know."

This time there was no mistaking it, no wondering, no uncertainty. She just stated it as fact, as if she was telling him the sky was blue or water was wet. He stopped breathing for a moment as he took it in, let the words settle deep inside, tried to fathom how this could be possible.

Even after her words this morning, their charged exchange at dinner... He knew Kate well enough to know that saying it out loud, putting herself out there like that, in a way that couldn't be missed or misinterpreted wasn't something she'd do lightly.

It wasn't something he would do lightly either, not something he would say unless he was sure. He rolled the idea around in his head, tasted and tested it. Simple words that could mean so much.

He took a deep, steadying breath, as if he was psyching himself up to jump from an aircraft or launch an attack on an enemy position. "Katie?"

"Yes?"

Even in that one syllable he could hear both fear and hope.

"I love you, too."

He could feel her smile against his neck, feel her relax into him, feel her relief, and chuckled.

"Whasso funny?" Sounded like exhaustion was catching up with her now she'd heard what she needed to hear.

He pulled her in a little tighter. "Just feelin' good."

There was a noise that he thought would sound something like agreement, if it hadn't been delivered against his skin by a woman rapidly falling asleep. He laughed again, softly, and kissed the top of her head before allowing himself to sink back into the pillows again.

It was true, painfully true, he reflected. For all his attempts to ignore it, stifle it, pretend it didn't exist... he did love her. He had for a while. That was good but scary. Or maybe scary but good?

Either way, there was no more denying it or running from it now.

"I really love you, Kate," he whispered, so quiet he wasn't sure she'd hear. Though admitting that to himself was at least as scary as admitting it to her.

Her answer was a gentle snore. He smoothed a hand over her hair, tucking a few wayward strands behind her ear, then settled his arms around her once more and allowed himself to drift off to sleep.


End file.
