Title: Just Once

Author: Mindy

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: I checked everywhere but apparently I own no Kates or Gibbses.

Spoilers: basic season one stuff.

Summary: KIBBS. Kate helps Gibbs get in touch with his Christmas spirit. Set early on, season one-ish.

-x-x-x-

Kate bites her lower lip and casts yet another sideways glance at the package still sitting in front of her boss. Resuming her report, she watches from the corner of her eye as another minute ticks by on her clock.

She gave Ducky and Abby their Christmas gifts the day before. And Tony and McGee received theirs this morning before the boss arrived. McGee gave her a shy hug and Tony a playful kiss on the cheek.

The offerings were only trinkets, nothing too extravagant or expensive. But her family had always put a fair bit of thought and effort into the festive season, even during the leaner years. And, these days, Kate considered her eccentric band of work mates her home away from home. She felt compelled to give them all something to express her appreciation and regard.

Somehow, though, she hadn't actually been capable of handing her boss the present she'd selected for him. Instead, she'd simply left the carefully wrapped box on his desk that morning, just by his computer monitor.

When Gibbs had blown in, his usual tall coffee in hand, he'd immediately started barking out the particulars of their new case as he stalked to his desk. She'd seen him hesitate momentarily when he noticed the foreign object on his desk. But then he ordered them to grab the gear and gas the truck and within minutes, they were on their way to another gruesome crimescene.

He'd given no further acknowledgement of her offering all day. And ten hours after she'd placed it there, it was still sitting completely untouched.

They'd wrapped the case in a day, their team working swiftly and effortlessly together to bring about a satisfactory conclusion before they all left for their holiday break. They would each sleep better knowing that another scumbag was behind bars and the world a slightly better place because of their efforts.

Kate has never seen the NCIS Headquarters office so empty. She and Gibbs and one other sleepy fellow in the far corner are the only souls left in the dim squad room. The area that usually beeps and glows with action, even when its employees are away from their desks, is eerily still and peaceful.

The faraway lights of the city twinkle out the windows, each framed with colorful tinsel and holly. There are silver and green and red decorations strung up the banisters to MTAC, a small Christmas tree sits brightly on the upper level and even a mangled piece of mistletoe hangs over the main elevator doors.

Tony had spent a great deal of his time in the last few weeks hovering hopefully beneath it and Kate had come close to pulling it down so that they could finally get some work done.

Shifting in her seat, she glances at her clock again and tucks her hair behind her ear. She turns away to take another sip of her lukewarm coffee and when she turns back, there is a box in the center of her desk. She looks up to see Gibbs perched on the corner of her desk, an expectant look on his face.

Slowly, she lowers her eyes to the unopened gift she'd left for him. She's been hanging onto the parcel for weeks, trying to work up the guts to give it him. It has a little sticker on the front that reads, in her neat hand: 'For Gibbs, Love Kate.' She'd hesitated twice before writing 'love' -- but written it nonetheless. Now, she blushes at the sentiment and at her own brazenness.

"What's this?" Gibbs asks after a long moment, his tone dim and dubious.

Kate leans back in her seat and looks up at him. "You won't know until you open it," she replies wryly: "That's kind of the point, Gibbs."

Gibbs furrows his brow. "Why're you giving it to me?" he clarifies impatiently.

Kate crosses her arms, tipping her head at him with an air of half amusement, half bemusement: "Has it escaped your notice that it's Christmas, Gibbs?"

"Really?" he teases dumbly: "When?"

"Day after tomorrow," she nods, picking up the little box from her desk and dumping it squarely back in his hands.

Gibbs hesitates, eyeing it like something might jump out and bite him on the ass. "We don't usually…." he shrugs uncertainly, juggling the box in both hands. "I don't usually….." he mutters, turning it over curiously.

"You got a rule against that too?" she asks coolly, before she can stop herself.

Gibbs' blue eyes rise and pin hers for a short, charged moment, before she hastily drops her gaze away. She weaves her fingers together in her lap, feeling her cheeks redden, and attempts to lighten her tone.

"It's not a big deal, Gibbs," she assures him quietly: "It's just… a token."

Looking at her with a slightly quizzical smirk, he lifts her present to his ear and gives it a suspicious little shake. Then slowly he begins ripping at the wrapping paper.

In actual fact, Kate had deliberately bought something for her boss that was, at least, in part, a joke. To buy and give him something real seemed like a gesture far too intimate for this man who she was still striving to understand.

Apart from not having a clue as to what he would like, she didn't feel like she'd earned that right as yet. And she suspected he wouldn't appreciate anything that overstepped the bounds of their working relationship.

She wanted to get him something to show her respect and friendship -- but she was also careful to choose something that would in no way upset the delicate balance they had been teetering upon ever since he'd offered her the job of her dreams.

Pulling the paper off the box, Gibbs drops it onto her desk and pauses. He glances at her from beneath his brow fleetly then thumbs open the plain white box underneath. She smiles as she watches his brown hands pull out and uncover a large mug, with colorful, obnoxious writing on both sides.

He squints at it, holding it up to the light and reading slowly: "…'World's Greatest Boss'." He lowers the mug and grins at her: "Oh yeah?"

Kate ducks her head, hiding her smile. "Well…" she sighs and gives a little shrug: "they were all out of the 'World's Grumpiest Marine' model, so I…." She looks up again, her eyes gleaming with mirth: "I went with my second choice."

"Uh," nods Gibbs, eyeing the gift carefully as he turns it over and over in his large palms. "And I suppose," he murmurs, lightly: "they don't make a mug that says 'World's Sexiest Coworker'?"

Kate raises her eyebrows, faltering for an instant. "Oh, no, they do," she assures him, her mouth curving up cheekily in one corner: "But I gave that one to McGee." She tips back in her chair, smiling widely: "You should have seen the look on Tony's face."

Gibbs chuckles and tips the mug at her in a salute. "So, does this mean," he asks, a twist of wicked humor in his tone: "you're gonna start calling me 'Boss' now?" He smiles to himself, crossing his legs at the ankle as he leans back on her desk: "I think I might like that."

"In your dreams," she responds smoothly, her eyes flashing brightly at him in the dim light.

Gibbs chuckles again and sets the mug aside. A familiar awkwardness arises in the short silence that follows and both look away. Gibbs folds his arms and glances at the sleepy agent slumped over his desk. Kate clears her throat and runs her fingers over her lips.

"Have you got plans for the holiday?" she asks softly after a moment.

Gibbs bobs his head a few times. "Ducky invited me over," he tells her dryly: "to drink Christmas dinner with his mother."

"Sounds…" Kate's eyes slide up to his face: "interesting," she finishes dubiously.

"What about you?" he answers lowly: "I thought you were heading home for a few days."

"I am," she nods, casting her eye over the work she had hoped to finish before she left: "My flight's not 'til after nine though."

Gibbs glances at his watch. "You better get going. Airport will be nuts."

She leans forward, shuffling some papers: "I was just going to--"

"Kate," he urges gently: "Go." He bats her hands away and closes the casefile on her desk. "Go on. Get outta here," he orders smoothly, tossing his head towards the elevator.

Kate stops, gazing up at him uncertainly. She really doesn't want to leave, but she has no reason to stay and she will miss her flight if she doesn't leave soon. So she obeys, shutting down her computer and grabbing her bag. Gibbs is still sitting in her personal space when she turns to him, slipping her coat over her shoulders.

"Merry Christmas, Gibbs," she murmurs shyly as she faces him.

Her boss just smiles that enigmatic smile of his and nods for her to leave. She nearly gives him an impulsive kiss on the cheek as she passes, but she chickens out at the last second, stepping past him and heading for the elevator.

Still slouched against her desk, Gibbs silently watches her go and then reaches across her desk to switch off the lamp. Under the ripped wrapping paper from his present, he spots her PDA and snatches it up.

"Kate," he calls, following her to the elevator.

Pressing the button, Kate turns as he strides up to her, holding out her PDA.

"You forgot your…." he hesitates, glancing at the black object in his hand: "thingie."

"Oh--" she smiles slightly and extends a hand as he approaches: "thanks."

Neither realize they are standing together beneath the magic little bush, until the mistletoe inexplicably falls and bops Kate on the nose. She pulls a face, bending quickly as her PDA falls between both their hands to the floor. Gibbs stoops at the same time to make a grab for the little gadget, causing them to bump foreheads.

"Ow," Kate grumbles, her hand flying to her head.

She straightens carefully, grasping the mistletoe in her fingers. Gibbs retrieves the PDA from between her feet and straightens also, a sour expression on his face. She frowns when he pulls her hand away from her forehead and peers at the spot where they collided.

"You'll live," he grunts, turning her hand over and depositing the PDA into her palm: "Here."

She gives her forehead another rub and pockets her PDA, mumbling: "Thanks." Then she holds out the mistletoe and shoves it at him to reattach it where it belongs.

Gibbs takes it and examines it curiously: "Hmm. Now who put that there?" he murmurs smoothly, twirling it between his fingers.

Kate raises her eyes to his face, suddenly realizing the awkward situation they are ensnared in. They've stood together under this mistletoe numerous times in the past couple of weeks. But, now, they can't ignore it -- they are both all too aware of it and of what tradition dictates should follow.

This time, they are alone. This time, the office is dark and still, except for the knowing twinkle of the Christmas tree. And, suddenly, for Kate, kissing her boss has become not just a secret fantasy, but a real possibility.

She hopes he doesn't think that she orchestrated this cliched little moment under the falling mistletoe. She still remembers the one, strict proviso he'd sternly delivered to her when he hired her. She still recalls his ominous glare when he'd cautioned her of his infamous Rule Number Twelve. She still recollects her disastrous romantic past – and his.

But she can't deny that she has considered it. She's thought, at great length, and in enormous detail, about kissing her boss. She's thought, fantasized, dreamt, obsessed about tracing his worry lines with her fingertips, of opening his mouth with her own, of feeling his big paws grasp her body and reciprocate her desire.

Oh, she's considered it – but it never occurred to her, until then, to wonder whether he has also.

Gibbs' familiar blue eyes glow with concealed amusement and heated interest as he stares at her over the mischievous mistletoe. She feels herself blush slightly and tries not to look at his mouth as it curves upwards in one corner.

"I…" she looks down, attempting to appear composed, but her voice comes out nervous and breathy: "I don't know," she answers him finally with a little shrug.

She can't resist the magnetic pull of his eyes, her gaze skittish and unsure as she meets his more steady appraisal. She can feel her cheeks starting to burn and her ears ringing with the persistent silence.

The air begins to crackle with intensity and potential. Gibbs still holds the mistletoe between them as they face each other, their eyes locked and their separate imaginations firing.

Her heart skips a beat or three when she sees his gaze drop slowly to her lips. And a second later, she thinks he begins to lean towards her. She's about to move closer as well when the elevator dings loudly and the doors thump open, interrupting their tense little scene.

Gibbs retracts immediately and they both turn, stunned and silent, to look at the empty elevator which has arrived to whisk her away from the peculiar and perilous situation she has landed in.

"You should go," he mumbles eventually, one hand rubbing his forehead.

She turns to look at him, pulling her bag higher over her shoulder and shifting on the spot. His eyes meet hers, reluctant but resolute.

He clears his throat, adding quietly: "You'll miss your plane."

Not knowing what to say or do and unsure whether, in fact, she was concocting the whole scenario in her hopeful head, Kate turns silently and steps aboard. Pushing the button to descend, she faces him across the threshold, still a little dazed and confused, and raises her hand to give him a little farewell wave.

At the last moment, Gibbs' eyes flash and his hand flies between the heavy doors, pushing them apart as he jumps inside. Kate takes a step backwards in surprise, her back against the silver wall as he moves in close, his expression determined and his fist, once again, holding up the troublesome mistletoe.

He waves it in front of her face, pinning her wide eyes with his as he looms over her. The doors bang shut and, in the enclosed silence, he speaks so lowly that she almost doesn't hear.

"Just once," he murmurs firmly, his eyes fixed on her bewildered face. His gaze falls to her lips again and his voice deepens as he brandishes the shrub, punctuating each word as he repeats: "just this once."

It's partly a question and partly a promise. And Kate is so stunned – and thrilled – that for a moment, all she can do is stare up at him.

Her mind races, wondering briefly whether she is misinterpreting entirely or whether she is truly about to experience her most cherished fantasy. But all her doubts melt into a puddle at her feet when she sees Gibbs' gaze move, more deliberately this time, to trace the astonished contours of her mouth.

So, summoning up the last of her shaky nerves, she slowly nods her assent.

Gibbs smirks slightly, drawing as close as possible without actually touching her. He moves the hand clutching mistletoe over her shoulder, planting his palm against the wall, just by her head. Kate takes a breath, her heart picking up as she feels the heat of his impressive bulk lingering over and around her eager body. She feels small and shaky and so, so lucky.

He tips his head to one side, his eyes taking in every nuance of her expression as she waits impatiently for the first touch of his lips. She shifts on her feet, not knowing what to do with her hands and where to fix her eyes. In the end, she can't tear her gaze from his mouth as it slowly approaches hers, his warm breath brushing her skin.

Her lips part unconsciously and her eyes flutter with the heady closeness. She takes a shallow breath and holds it, arching up and inching in and longing for their impending connection.

It doesn't come.

He holds her there and holds her there. His body close, his lips hovering, his eyes searching, his arm entrapping her and his breath anointing her.

She releases her breath, flicking her eyes up to his. There is a dazzling mixture of curiosity, lust, amusement and warmth swelling in their fiery blue depths. It almost takes her breath away to witness it in her usually crabby and controlled boss and to see it directed at her in a way she'd only ever dreamt of.

"Gibbs…?" she whispers, surprised that her voice even works.

"Hmmm?" he hums, lifting his eyebrows lazily. He cocks his head to the other side and his smirk increases, his gaze still intently focused upon her mouth.

She narrows her eyes at him, her heart thumping in her chest, and manages to inject her voice with a little more steel. "Hurry up--" she orders, tossing her head back haughtily. Her eyes glitter up at him with expectation and challenge and she adds, boldly: "Kiss me. Or I swear, I will shoot you."

Gibbs chuckles darkly. And before her answering smile is even fully formed, his mouth swoops in and presses against hers.

His lips tug at hers, slow and eager, sweet and searching as he tastes her mouth. A little moan rises in the back of her throat as her head drops back and she returns his kiss, her lips wrapping softly around his upper lip.

Her hands come up between them, but they stop short of touching him the way she wants to. They hover uncertainly, grasping the air that separates them and twisting with the unimaginable pleasure radiating from the one place where they touch and meld.

Gibbs lifts his other palm to the wall behind her and takes his weight onto his hands, leaning over her and delving a little deeper into their one chance kiss. She whimpers, pressing her mouth against his as they switch angles and screwing her eyes closed as they attempt to pull in oxygen without disengaging.

As unexpected and unwelcome as before, the elevator dings and the doors glide open abruptly, once more interrupting their moment. They tear apart, mid-kiss, and both turn to stare out into the dark, empty space that yawns expectantly beyond the thick, heavy doors.

Their panting breaths echo slightly about the enclosed space for a long moment as they try to gather their respective thoughts and bearings. Kate turns back to Gibbs, her eyes shining with want as she peers up at him. Gibbs takes a breath and meets her gaze, his eyes raking over her flushed face with more than a touch of feral pride.

Her chest falls heavily as she stares up at him, a shiver running down her spine at their heady proximity. She swallows, hesitates, glances at his mouth and hesitates again before eventually speaking.

"Just once more?" she whispers hopefully, lifting her eyebrows faintly.

Gibbs smiles wickedly and whacks the control panel with the flat of his hand. The doors bump shut again and this time, his strong arms capture her. One wraps around her shoulders and pulls her against his body and the other snakes about her waist as his lips land on hers in a kiss that's even hotter than their first.

She moans loudly, her mouth dropping open with desire, and nearly faints when he slips his tongue inside her. Her arms slither around his shoulders, grasping on tight, as one hand slips up through his silver hair.

All restraint and pretense is washed away with their mutual hunger. Their eager mouths make love, wild and wet and unbridled, their tongues mating blissfully in the open air. They struggle to get closer to one another, stumbling together to the opposite side of the elevator until Gibbs' back hits the wall. He turns her swiftly, moaning as he presses her body back into the cool steel.

She can barely breathe with the closeness, with the heat and the pleasure. She gasps in mouthfuls of air as she sucks at his hot, coarse skin, one hand pressed against his hard chest and trapped between their straining bodies while the other boldly strokes his stubbly cheek. She writhes in his grasp as one big hand cups her head, tilting her face to one side and taking total control of her breath and her lips and her tongue. His other hand is clamped on her waist as his arm pulls her further up against his larger body, her feet practically leaving the floor.

Her head is spinning with disbelief and relief and wonder and she can't believe her ears when she hears Gibbs half moan, half mutter her name into their kiss, his voice wracked by staggering passion. She sighs his in return, her voice soft and heated against his skin. Their kiss begins to subside into erotic nips and erratic sucks, amid puffs of warm, amazed breath and eventually they pull apart.

Kate sways slightly on her feet as she blinks up at him, languid and stunned. Gibbs stares down at her for a long moment, his wild expression receding as he tries to come up with some appropriate words to fill the now excruciatingly awkward moment.

"Well…" he sighs, taking a tiny step back and looking her over.

The silence stretches between them, heavy and exposed.

He tugs at his collar, murmuring impishly: "Happy Christmas, I guess."

Kate giggles nervously, ducking her head. "I'll say…" she whispers, watching as he steps over to the other side of the elevator, picking up her bag from where she'd at some point dropped it.

Her eyes meet his uncertainly and he moves close again, lifting the bag over her shoulder. He doesn't avoid her gaze as she searches his seemingly composed countenance. He plants his hand over her shoulder again and leans in close, smiling gently as they stare at one another in the bizarre aftermath of an unforeseen explosion.

"You should go," he murmurs finally, dropping her gaze and withdrawing.

He hits the button to open the doors again and steps aside as Kate tentatively shuffles off the elevator. She bites her lip as she turns to him on the other side of the threshold.

She doesn't want to go. She doesn't want to let this man out of her sight. She'd give anything to stay in that elevator with him, if it meant experiencing the rush and bliss of his kiss again.

But responsibility and practicality and self-preservation demand that she behave sensibly, that she treat whatever just occurred between them as an aberration, a temporary insanity, a mere holiday indulgence. She can't take the risk of hoping for something more, however profoundly she might long for it.

She attempts a smile and gives him another small wave. "See you next week…" she mutters softly.

Gibbs humphs thoughtfully, watching her with a little light buried in his eyes. "Next week…" he nods off-handedly, his mouth tugging upwards in one corner.

She stands there for another moment, desperately wanting something to delay her departure. She has visions of running back into his arms, tackling him to the elevator floor and not letting him out again 'til dawn. She averts her eyes, hoping he can't read her insane hope within her gaze the way he usually can.

She really should've given him the 'World's Yummiest Kisser' mug, she muses smugly -- except that she had no earthly way of knowing he'd be that insanely good at the elusive art of making a woman's knees go weak, her heart skip several beats and her insides turn to mush.

She did now though.

She turns slowly on her heel, a self-conscious flush painting her cheeks. "'Bye, Boss," she tosses over her shoulder, grinning coyly as she walks away.

Gibbs groans under his breath, leaning against the doorway as he watches her go. "'Bye, Katie," he murmurs, mostly to himself.

When her retreating figure has fully disappeared from his vision, he steps back into the empty elevator to return to his work upstairs. On the floor by the wall, he spots the crumpled piece of mistletoe. He bends to pick it up and studies it for long moment.

Letting himself fall back against the wall, he closes his eyes and tilts his head backwards, a small hum escaping his throat as he thinks back over his own private Christmas miracle.

The elevator dings open again on the dark squad room and Gibbs exits, nodding cheerily to Sleepy who is finishing up for the night and heading out. As he strolls to his desk, a sly smile stretching across his features, he carefully tucks the tattered mistletoe into his breast pocket as a small keepsake of what furtively he hopes might become a new Christmas tradition.

END.

A/N: A belated but Very Merry and Peaceful Xmas to all! M.