Expectations
Author: Raindrops on Roses
Rating: PG
Category: Romance, Angst
Spoilers: Through "Marine Down"
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They belong to DPB, CBS, Paramount, Viacom, and the others. No infringement is intended.
"Go home, Agent Todd."
Kate looked at Gibbs. "I... I still need to..." She covered another yawn.
"You need to get some sleep," Gibbs said. "Come on." He stood and took the file she was reading. He placed it in her bag and turned to leave.
"Hey! Where are you going with my stuff?" Kate asked, suddenly awake.
"I'm making sure you actually leave. You're no help when you're asleep on your feet." Gibbs started walking quickly toward the elevator. Kate hurried to keep up.
"Of all the..." Kate muttered. She glared at Gibbs as he reached out to press the 'down' button. He raised an eyebrow as he turned to her. The elevator door opened.
"After you," he said, gesturing for her to precede him.
Kate stepped onto the elevator, Gibbs following close behind. She pressed the button for the first floor, and turned to Gibbs. She opened her mouth to speak.
Suddenly, the elevator ground to a shuddering halt. Kate tripped over her high heels. Reacting quickly, Gibbs caught her before she hit the wall.
"Never thought I'd end up here again," Kate said, laughing shakily.
"Are you flirting with me, Agent Todd?" Gibbs asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kate froze. Her playful smile quickly turned into a look of panic. "I... uh... I..." she stammered.
Gibbs smirked. "I thought not." Releasing her, he leaned against the wall of the elevator and crossed his arms over his chest.
"So..." Kate said, trying to change the subject. She turned to the control panel and started pushing buttons. She picked up the emergency telephone. There was no signal. She sighed and replaced the receiver. "How long do you think we'll be stuck in here for, anyway?" She looked at the control panel, the floor, the ceiling--anywhere but his relentless gaze.
Gibbs shrugged nonchalantly. "Depends on what happened. Could be an hour, could be a day."
Kate sighed and shook her head. "At least the lights are still on." As if heard by the Ironic Overpowers, the lights overhead flickered and went out. Kate groaned. "Ask and ye shall receive." Her companion chuckled. She glared in his general direction. "Are you amused by this?" she asked, irritated.
"No." Kate heard rustling. She assumed that Gibbs had sat down. "But look at it this way. You could've been stuck with Dinozzo."
Kate snorted. "God forbid. Stuck in a five-by-seven box with Tony? They'd have to arrest me for murder as soon as the doors opened."
"Yeah," Gibbs said, "but no jury in the world would convict you."
"Oh, if the jury was made up of twelve twenty-year-old females, they would," Kate replied. She reached out and touched the wall. She used it to guide herself to the floor. She sighed as she stretched her legs out in front of her.
"Something wrong, Kate?" Gibbs' voice floated from the darkness.
Kate rolled her eyes, even though she knew he couldn't see her. "Of course not. I'm stuck in an elevator on a Friday night with my boss. I'm not sure when I'll get out. Everything is just peachy." She winced at the sarcastic tone she had adopted. "I'm sorry, Gibbs," she immediately apologized. "That was uncalled for."
"It was," Gibbs agreed. "But never..."
"Say you're sorry. I know. You know, Gibbs, you have a lot of rules," Kate said. She restrained the urge to smack her forehead after the inane remark. She shifted uncomfortably as the silence stretched, but kept her mouth shut. She had no plans to dig herself into a deeper hole that night.
"After a while, you get used to creating your own rules. Even if others don't play by them."
She rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes. It was easier than trying to stare through the darkness. "Mm," she agreed. "But sometimes, a simple 'I'm sorry' can solve more than all the explanations in the world."
"Really." Kate winced at the flatness of Gibbs' reply.
"No, I'm lying. Saying 'I'm sorry' is a horrible thing to do. I mean, what was I thinking?" she snapped.
"You know, Kate," Gibbs said, "you're a very sarcastic woman."
"And you're an insufferable man. I guess we're quite a pair."
Gibbs' laughter startled Kate. "You know, you're the only person at NCIS who dares insult me, Agent Todd."
"I highly doubt that's the case," Kate replied pertly. She yawned. "What time is it, anyway?"
"What a way to change the subject," Gibbs muttered. Kate saw his digital watch light up. "One-oh-three."
"There go my plans for a decent night's sleep," Kate grumbled.
"Why don't you sleep now? It's not like there's anything better to do," Gibbs said reasonably.
"In case you hadn't noticed, the floor is rather hard. As are the walls. And unlike you, I can't fall asleep just anywhere." Kate shook her head, recalling the flight to Colombia on which she had been violently sick, while Gibbs had slept like a baby.
She heard movement, and jumped when Gibbs' hand touched her arm. He chuckled. "Relax, Kate." She bit her lip as he moved closer. "Here. Lean on me." Kate tentatively rested her head on Gibbs' shoulder. "I'm not going to bite you, you know."
"What if I wanted you to?" Kate purred, relaxing into his warmth.
"Now you are flirting with me," Gibbs stated.
"Pretty slow on the uptake," Kate yawned. Her mouth snapped shut when she realized exactly what she had just admitted.
"I should question you when you're sleep-deprived more often."
Kate shook her head. "Only if you want some cruel truths, Gibbs."
"Like what?" he asked, mildly curious.
"Like... half of the female population at NCIS worships the ground you walk on--as do some of the men." Kate closed her eyes.
"And are you one of that half?" Gibbs asked.
"Mmm," Kate murmured. Gibbs wasn't sure if that was a yes or a no--and he wasn't sure what he wanted the answer to be.
"Comfortable?" he changed the subject.
"Immensely. Good night, Gibbs."
"Good night, Kate."
****
Kate awoke slowly. She snuggled into the warm body beside her. She clung to the vestiges of the quite pleasant dream she had been having. Kate's brow furrowed. Wait... warm body?
Her eyes fluttered open. The first thing that registered was the harsh light shining into her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the spots behind her eyelids to disappear. When she thought she could handle it, she opened her eyes once more. Her vision was filled with a wrinkled white shirt covering a broad chest. She looked up slowly... and froze when her gaze met a pair of dazzling blue eyes. She swallowed. "Good morning," she said. She blushed to the roots of her hair when she realized how husky her voice was.
Gibbs smiled in bemusement. "Good morning," he replied.
"Good morning!" a cheerful voice said behind Kate. Tony Dinozzo stepped onto the elevator and walked around the couple still entwined on the floor.
"Kill me now," Kate groaned, resisting the urge to hide her face in that white shirt.
"Of all the days for Dinozzo to get to work early, it had to be today." Gibbs untangled himself from around Kate and stood. He reached down and helped Kate to her feet. She smiled at him and turned to find her shoes.
"So, did you two have a... nice night?" Tony asked, grinning gleefully. He pressed a button, and the elevator began to move.
"Only you could turn such an innocent phrase into the dirtiest-sounding words I've ever heard, Tony," Kate said irritably. "And I wouldn't call being stuck in an elevator all night 'nice'."
"What did you get up to?" Tony waggled his eyebrows.
"We had wild, passionate, uninhibited sex all night long," Kate said dryly.
Tony's jaw dropped. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no sound came out. Kate and Gibbs glanced at each other and began to laugh.
"We slept, Tony." Kate shook her head at him.
"Huh," Tony said, recovering his speech faculties. "I preferred the first explanation."
"You would." Kate rolled her eyes.
"Would you two stop?" Gibbs said as the elevator came to a stop.
"You know, Kate, if you ever got stuck on an elevator with me..." Tony leered.
"Shut up, Dinozzo," Kate and Gibbs said in unison.
"This never happened," Gibbs said in his usual no-nonsense tone of voice.
"Aw, come on..."
"Drop it, Dinozzo," Gibbs ordered. Kate's face was a mixture of relief and disappointment. "Something wrong, Kate?" Gibbs asked quietly.
Kate blinked. Her face became a mask. "Not at all." She sat at her desk.
"Really? Then why did you look so disappointed when I said...?"
"It never happened, Gibbs, remember?" Kate stood.
"Where are you going?"
"The ladies' room," Kate said brusquely. She started to walk away. After a few moments, Gibbs followed her.
"Kate," he started when she stepped out of the restroom.
"Forget it, Gibbs," she said. Her eyes were red. He grabbed her arm and steered her into the empty breakroom.
"Kate, what was up with you last night?" Gibbs asked.
"I was tired, okay?" Kate said, avoiding his eyes.
"You were flirting with me." Kate blushed as she recalled what she had said.
"My defenses were down. I never intended to say any of that."
"But you did."
"It doesn't matter, Gibbs. I know nothing will ever happen, and I can live with that. Now if you don't mind, I have work to do." She pulled away from him.
"Wait."
Kate turned around. "What now, Gibbs?" she asked wearily.
"I..." For the first time in his life, Gibbs seemed to be at a loss for words. He reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind Kate's ear.
"Gibbs," she whispered.
"We need to get back to work," he said abruptly, dropping his hand.
A flash of pain crossed Kate's features before they hardened again. "I've been trying to do that, Agent Gibbs." She turned and left as quickly as possible.
Gibbs rubbed his forehead and sighed, then returned to his desk.
