Title: Heartbreak

Rating: K+

Paring: Kate/Gibbs

Series: Inevitable (3/5)

Summary: "He's realizing that he's not just breaking her heart."

Disclaimer: NCIS doesn't belong to me, and it never will.

Spoilers: None.

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"Jethro!"

He stops moving and his feet freeze in place. His lip twitches just a little in expectation. His hand pauses right as he touches the doorknob, waiting almost impatiently for her to speak.

"I…" Sometimes he thinks she is annoyingly slow to think her words through, and the mood of the moment always seems to fade away before she articulates her feelings. "I…" Her voice turns to silence once more, and he grunts in aggravation of his waiting. And then she blurts it out in a muttered hurry. "I love you."

He looks up to the ceiling and takes one deep breath. He looks back down and closes his eyes for a moment. He's starting to second-guess this whole thing, starting to regret every time he's touched her and kissed her and promised her the world, starting to think he can't do this again and leave her so easily. He's finally starting to remember why he made rule twelve, and why he had reminded her of it so many times.

He's realizing that he's not just breaking her heart.

He opens the door and murmurs a 'bye', once again leaving her just a little more jaded than before.