"Kate, can ya help me out here?"

She looked over, looking up from the book she'd brought with her. Her eyes were heavy, and she looked ready for a nap. "What do you need, LJ?"

He held up the camera, "Still not sure how to work this."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know why I fell in love with a technophobe, honestly. You're completely useless."

"Then maybe ya should date McGee instead," he retorted, grinning as she tugged the camera from her grasp.

"No way, he's too scared of me."

"How do ya know I'm not scared of you?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes, but shook her head as she smiled. "You're Jethro Gibbs. You're not scared of anything."

He snorted, but watched her as she guided him through using the camera again, though he was trying to pay attention at the same time. He was scared of her. Scared of what she could do to him, of what her loss would do to him. He'd already come close once to losing her, and couldn't do it again.

"Gibbs. Gibbs." He blinked, only to see her watching him, unimpressed. "Were you even paying attention?"

"Sure I was."

"Fine," she said, handing him the camera. "Prove it."

"What's wrong Katie, don't trust me?"

"Never."

"Fine." He held it up. "Say… uh… Frogs!"

She blinked, and grinned. "Frogs!"

He took the picture of her, and then as it popped up on the camera's screen, he smiled at it. He still wasn't sure how he'd managed to convince her to fall for an old bastard like him… but he would never complain.

She leaned her head on his shoulder, yawning. "Not a total technophobe then?"

"Not entirely. You should sleep, Katie."

"I'll sleep when I'm dead," she muttered.

He chuckled, and turned, kissing the top of her forehead. "I mean it. Rest."

"And what will you do?"

"I suppose I'll just sit here until our flight lands."

"Not very fun."

"Maybe I'll watch ya sleep."

"Creepy, but probably slightly more entertaining."

"Sure thing. Ya snore."

She lifted her head up for a moment, offended. "I do not snore!"

"Yes, ya do. You snore. And how would you know? You're the one sleepin'."

She nodded. "Fair enough."

"Go on, rest. I'll wake ya up when we land."

"I've hardly done anything that would earn me a rest, Gibbs. You were the one who worked all day."

"It was a borin' day. Just cold cases."

She smiled sleepily up at him. "I never knew you to find work boring, Gibbs."

"I don't have ya at the next desk, I've got ya waitin' for me at home… how could work ever compare?"

"It's your job, Gibbs."

"And you're more important, Kate."

"I shouldn't be," she said softly. "Not when we're on the same team. That's a dangerous attitude and you know it."

"Katie, Katie, Katie," he said, resting his chin on her head. "Don't worry about all that right now… we're on vacation, remember?"

She yawned again, snuggling into him, and he wrapped his arm around her as she curled into his shoulder. "Good point. Wake me up when you see the palm trees."

"I will, don't you worry." She relaxed against him, and he assumed that she was asleep. He quickly took a picture of her curled up in her seat so that she was against him, and grinned to himself. He knew this wasn't a trip he was going to forget anytime soon.

And hopefully for all the right reasons, instead of the wrong ones.

XNCISX

"So… you're the infamous Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

Kate was giggling as her sister embraced her, though she was still staring at Gibbs, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah… that's me. And you're Rachel."

She held out a hand. "Dr. Rachel Cranston."

"Dr. Snooty McPosh," Kate muttered under her breath.

"Watch it baby sister, I could tell Gibbs an awful lot about you," Rachel said with a grin as she shook Gibbs' hand. And then she pulled him into a hug. "I've heard so much about you… all awful things of course."

"Naturally," he said with a smirk.

"I told her that you're a bastard," Kate said in a stage whisper, and he jokingly slapped the back of her head lightly.

"Ha! Yeah, like that's a secret."

"So," Rachel said, looking between the two of them as they walked out of the airport, Kate tugging her suitcase along behind her. "How are the two of you holding up?"

"We're fine, Rach, don't worry so much."

"Baby sister, it's my job to worry."

"Gibbs worried enough so you don't have to," Kate reasoned. "And he's twice as protective."

Rachel grinned at him. "Putting me out of a job there, Gibbs. Of course, it's not as if you don't have a reason to be overprotective. After all, she did get shot for you."

Gibbs winced. "Are ya always this…?"

"Direct?" she supplied helpfully.

"Yeah."

"No, usually I can manage at least five more minutes of small talk."

He smiled to himself, glad he'd had a chance to meet her. He couldn't imagine meeting her without Kate there… but he supposed it would have happened at the funeral. Banishing the thought from his mind, he saw Kate rooting in her bag, looking for something. "Katie, what are ya lookin' for?"

"My sunglasses," she said, frustrated. He grinned, noting that said sunglasses were in fact perched on top of her head at the moment.

He plucked them from the top of her head and handed them to her, "Don't thank me or anythin'."

"Don't worry, I wasn't going to," she muttered, before making a face.

"Careful, Katie, or your face will freeze that way."

"You sound way too much like our mother," Rachel said. "Especially when you consider how much she doesn't like you."

"She doesn't like me?" he asked. "Huh. Wonder why. I've always been so pleasant. And good to Kate." He punctuated that remark with a kiss on Kate's cheek, and then reached down to grab her free hand. She smiled at him, and he winked at her.

Kate started giggling, but turned her attention to Rachel. "So tell us about the place we're staying."

"It's a condo in Tampa."

"Yeah, I knew that much, thanks Rach."

"Okay, okay. I'm borrowing it from friends of mine- Canadians, we do volunteer work together sometimes."

"They didn't want the condo right now?" Gibbs asked.

Rachel turned to him. "Don't know much about Canada, do you Gibbs? This is the one time of year where the country isn't buried in snow."

A passing tourist, a maple leaf flag emblem obvious on their backpack, looked annoyed at this description, but simply rolled their eyes and muttered under their breath as they walked away. Gibbs was watching it, and grinned. "So they let ya borrow the place?"

"Yes, it's in a gated complex right on Tampa Bay, nice pool, and a golf course… do you golf, Gibbs?"

"Sorry Doc, I can't say I do."

"Really? A Washington man that doesn't golf… well I suppose you're full of surprises."

"Politicians golf, Doc. I work for a living."

She laughed. "Good point."

"Is Brian joining us?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, he's already at the condo with Liam. Brian is my husband," she told Gibbs. "And Liam is my son. He's four. And he's heard all about you from Laura and Elle."

"Mike visited you?"

"Yeah he was down for the Fourth of July," she said with a hesitant smile. "He brought the girls and we had ourselves a grand old time." Rachel looked between Gibbs and Kate, and the smile grew. "I do believe though, that this may actually be a better time. Wouldn't you say so, Gibbs?"

Gibbs, who'd been looking around for a coffee, froze. He saw the smirk on her lips and knew what she was doing. "Sure, doc. I hope so."

"Well, I think we're all in for a surprise as to what the weekend will bring," she said, and now she was smirking, knowing damn well that she was goading him.

"What's with the cryptic speak, Rach?" Kate asked. "Do you have some secret plans or something?"

"No. No secrets here, ma'am."

"I think ya just need a coffee."

"No, that is the absolute last thing I need. And you don't need any either, or you'll be awake all night."

"What a pity," Rachel muttered, sliding on her own sunglasses. "Then he'll keep you awake all night and no one will be well rested around here."

"Rach!" Kate muttered through gritted teeth.

Gibbs merely chuckled, "Aw doc, you're already growin' on me."

"I sure hope so, Gibbs. Now what do you say we get this vacation started?"

XNCISX

"Are ya wearin' sunscreen?"

"Yes."

"Good. I've got somethin' for ya."

Kate looked up from her book – and it was quite good too – to find Gibbs holding out a beverage that looked as though it was mostly ice and contained a perfect amount of alcohol. "Can I help you?" she asked, eyeing the cocktail, and wishing that it was for her.

"Fine, I'll just drink this myself then," he said, sitting on the edge of the pool, where she was perched with one of the mysteries he'd bought her as a late birthday present.

"I thought I was still on alcohol restriction," she said absentmindedly, turning a page.

"Oh, I didn't tell ya?" he asked innocently. She looked over her sunglasses at him, unimpressed. "Ya can drink to your heart's content now."

"I can?" she asked, eyes wide. And then they narrowed as she glared at him. "How long have you known that?"

"Oh… uh… not that long."

"DiNozzo and McGee would be so impressed," she said lightly, as she took the glass from him. "I actually reduced the famous Leroy Jethro Gibbs to stuttering."

"Shut up and drink your margarita," he muttered.

"Uncle Gibbs!"

Gibbs looked up, only to see Kate's nephew Liam beckoning to him from the pool. "What?"

"Come play catch with me!" At a glare from his mother, he grinned sheepishly. "Please?"

"Well, that's an offer I can't refuse." Gibbs stood up, and kissed Kate on the forehead. "Duty calls."

"Play nice," she warned him.

"I always play nice."

"Not with my family you don't," she muttered under her breath, as he tossed his shirt onto one of the lounge chairs and joined Liam in the pool.

"Baby sister, why don't you just swim?" Rachel asked, taking Gibbs' place on the edge. "Instead of sitting here, half in and half out."

"Are you going to analyze my body position and tell me I'm terrified of commitment?" Kate asked, unimpressed, closing the book to look over at her sister.

"I'm simply asking because it's very hot-,"

"We're NCIS agents, Rach. We're used to taking heat," Kate said with a grin, and a little thrill that sent shock waves through her belly, as she said the words she'd stolen from Gibbs.

"Do you at least have sunscreen?"

"Yes, Rachel, I put on sunscreen. Are you done hovering now? Gibbs does a good enough job on his own."

"With you, our hands are always full," Rachel said teasingly.

Kate simply rolled her eyes. "What's up, Rach?"

Rachel sipped from her own drink – both of them ignoring the large sign declaring No Alcohol – and shook her head. "I gotta say, you picked a winner. He's clearly smitten."

"I still don't know why."

"Oh stop with the insecurity for a second, Kate. He obviously loves you to pieces. You're not really that blind, right?"

"No," Kate said softly. "I guess insecure is the right word."

"Is it the exes or the age?" Rachel asked.

"Am I paying for this session or is it free?"

"I'll send the bill to your office," Rachel joked, before looking at her seriously. "C'mon Kate."

"It's neither. I'm just… worried how it'll affect the rest of our lives. What I did."

"What you did for him," Rachel reminded her.

"I don't want him to feel obligated to stay because I took a bullet for him."

"Seeing the way he looks at you, I don't think that's it. Baby sister, he looks at you with more reverence than he does coffee. And from what I know about him, that's a big deal. You're bigger than coffee to him."

Kate chuckled. "Nice analogy. Stick to the psychology, Doctor. English was clearly not your major."

Rachel shoved her shoulder. "Shut up."

"You started this conversation! Don't duck out now."

"You insulted my brilliant language skills, so I'm offended now."

"Boo hoo, you'll recover." Kate changed the subject. "What are the plans for the next few days?"

"I was thinking that we go to the beach tomorrow and relax. And then on Saturday, I know Liam has been absolutely begging me, so we're going to Disney World."

Kate froze in place, before turning to her. "Disney?" she asked, a smile spreading across her face. "You mean… all of us?"

"No, everyone but you. We invited the pope in your place."

"Oh God, please. I wanna go, Rach." It was close to a whine.

Rachel grinned at her. "All right, guess we're taking back the Pope's spot."

Kate rolled her eyes. "I'm sure the pope will understand." She sighed dreamily. "Disney World… that's going to be- Oh God. Gibbs at Disney World."

"I bet you twenty bucks you can't get Gibbs in a pair of mouse ears."

"I'll take that bet. You're on."

"Okay, and you should cool off. Your cheeks are bright red."

"I'm fine, Rach, you worry too much."

"I worry just the right amount."

Kate set her book on the edge, before sliding into the pool, and while it was essentially the temperature of bathwater – it cooked all day in the July heat of Tampa – it was still blissfully refreshing after the beating of the hot sun. She floated on her back, managing to ignore the rest of the world, her eyes closed. Until someone swam under her and blew bubbles at her, which was a disconcerting feeling to say the least.

She was upright, her eyes wide open, only to see Gibbs and Liam huddled over in the corner, and she could see that they were giggling. "Oh, real mature," she muttered to herself. She marched over and grabbed Gibbs' shoulder. "Are you forty-seven or seven, Gibbs?"

"That depends, who's askin'?" he asked, turning to her with a smile.

She grinned, and splashed him. "Me."

He got a face full of water but he jumped at her, grabbing her and throwing her over his shoulder in retaliation, tickling her as she laughed, nearly getting her own face wet several times as Liam giggled and splashed both of them.

And then he set her down, before pulling her into a sunny, margarita-tasting kiss. She melted into him, but they pulled apart after being splashed by Liam.

"Romance is gross," he informed them.

"Oh yeah?" Kate asked, before splashing him. "Then go bug your dad instead." He did just that, rather than watch the old people be romantic. She turned back to Gibbs. "That's better."

"I couldn't agree more." He kissed her again, and smiled slowly as he pulled away. "God Katie, you're like sunshine."

"Hot?" she asked, teasingly.

"You're makin' me sweat," he complained.

"Ever the romantic."

"You heard our nephew, romance is gross."

She shrugged. "I'll be gross with you, Gibbs."

"With an offer like that, how can I refuse?" he asked, leaning in to kiss her again, the sun hot on his back.