Category: NCIS slash/het fic (honest)

Rating: PG/13

Characters: Gibbs/Dinozzo/Kate

Series: Yes – Part Two

Spoilers: None – not canon

Summary: Kate forces a secret out sooner than Gibbs would have liked.

Archive: Just tell me where it's going

Additional `stuff': WARNING: Mention of insects. YUKK!! Set in my Moving Day universe a few months in.

Title: Room to spare – Two

Kate pulled the car into a space in front of Gibbs' house and sat for a while, hands on the steering wheel. Finally, guessing he was probably watching her from the window, she got out, struggling to lift her bags out of the car. She had decided staying with the boss warranted more clothes than staying with Dinozzo. A lot more clothes. The front door opened and Gibbs called: `Hey.'

Kate fixed a smile and turned round. `Boss.'

Gibbs shook his head as he walked over, lifting out the two larger bags from the trunk. `You're gonna be a house guest Kate. You don't need to be so formal. Sir will be fine.'

Kate laughed and lifted her last bag from the car, following Gibbs up the neatly-kept crazy-paved path to the front door. `This is really nice of you…Gibbs. Cockroaches! Ughh!!'

She shivered and Gibbs nodded, walking into the house. `Yeah. Tony's like that with moths.'

Kate hoped her surprise at the apparently off-hand comment didn't show on her face.

`You wanna go up and get settled in? TONY!!'

Tony came out of the kitchen, drying his hands on a cloth. `Hey Kate.' He smiled and looked from Kate to Gibbs, trying to assess what if anything Gibbs had already said.

Gibbs handed the smaller of the two bags he held to Tony and waited. `Kate?'

Kate shook her head slightly, trying to work out what was bothering her. `Uh…yeah, thanks.'

The three of them walked upstairs, Gibbs leading, Tony trailing behind, dishcloth draped over his shoulder, Kate in the middle realizing too late that Tony was only inches from her butt as they climbed the stairs.

She walked past a closed door – Gibbs' bedroom she guessed – and Gibbs waved at the half-open door beside it. `Bathroom.' Continuing on, they walked into the final door. `You get settled and come down when you're ready, okay?' Gibbs opened the door and stepped back.

Kate smiled and looked around the room. `Thanks.'

**************************

Kicking her shoes off, Kate left them beside the bed and walked back downstairs.

`We agreed…you load the dishwasher. Just because Kate's here, you don't get to…' Kate paused in the doorway and heard Gibbs voice harden a fraction: `Now sit over there.'

Then Tony's whining response: `She's not stupid…she'll figure it out before we say anything.'

She walked back to the foot of the staircase and called: `Gibbs…I really appreciate this.'

By the time she walked into the living room, Gibbs was sitting alone on the couch with the remote on his knee and Tony was lounging in the armchair by the fireplace. `No problem Kate.' Gibbs smiled and waited until Kate was settled cross-legged in the vacant armchair. `Did you eat? There's stew…'

`It's great. Spicy but not too…' Tony interrupted until he caught Gibbs' warning glance and stopped in mid-sentence.

Kate hesitated. `Are you sure? I didn't have time for anything before I left.'

Tony got up and walked into the kitchen. `There's bread, and ice cream if you got room after the stew.' Kate followed, feeling Gibbs' eyes on her as she left the room.

*****************************

Kate sat at the kitchen table and watched Tony. As he gathered a bowl, silverware, wine glass and finally reached into a drawer beside the stove and pulled out oven gloves before bringing the stewpot over to the table, she couldn't hold it in any longer. `How long have you lived here?'

Tony's hands shook slightly as he placed the stewpot on the cast iron trivet in the middle of the table. `Uh…four months…in two weeks, it'll be four months.'

Kate smiled, leaning over the pot. `Mmm…this smells great.'

`Whatever it was, it wasn't his cooking skills scared off three wives.' Tony whispered.

Leaning on the doorframe, Gibbs frowned. `Ducky's not here. You don't get to talk about me.'

Tony squirmed and Kate turned in her chair, smiling. `Three months two weeks and counting. How come you haven't killed him yet?'

`Don't ask.' Gibbs snarled, his affectionate glance at Tony as he spoke taking any sting out of the words.

Kate laughed. `You could have said no. I'd have stayed with…' She thought quickly. `Abby.'

Gibbs nodded. `Gotta sleep in a coffin and put up with McGee.'

`Ducky.' Kate offered.

`Ducky fussing over Gerald. Ducky's…tales.'

Kate frowned. `You're right. And I don't get food like this at my desk.'

Gibbs nodded and walked back into the living room without further comment.

Snagging a chunk of bread, Tony turned the chair round and sat with Kate while she started on the stew. `You're not gonna say…anything?'

Kate shrugged, mouth full of stew and bread.

`Cos…I mean…you gotta have…something…to say…right?' Tony persisted.

Kate's hand reached out and Tony jerked back just in time.

`Wanna wear the stew?!' Tony threatened.

`You'll clear it up.' Gibbs threatened from the living room.

Scowling, Tony got up and walked out.

`If you're happy Tony, that's what matters.' Kate said quietly.

Pausing in the doorway, Tony turned, smiling. `I am.'

Continued in Part Three - Coming soon...

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