So apparently, my brain just can't help itself when it comes to Kibbs. This is by way of an alternate ending to Covert Ops, following on more or less from chapter 44, and rather less angst ridden. Which is not to say I've abandoned the longer and more complex version AT ALL. But this version apparently wanted out of my brain, and so I thought I'd share it, as it gets written, as a kind of bonus feature, and also hopefully something just to make you guys smile while I figure out the endgame of Covert Ops Proper.

Fair warning, this is almost certainly going to be pure and total fluff and sweet enough to rot your teeth. But for the hopeless romantics among us, I hope this will give you a bit of enjoyable squee ;) and will convince you to forgive me for taking so long to finish the other version of the story ;)

More to come, but for now, I hope you enjoy chapter alt!45 :)

45.

KATE

Kate felt like a little kid on Christmas Eve as she made her way back towards the house. Their mission was officially a success, Gibbs was back, and they still had an afternoon and one whole, glorious night to enjoy one another in this place. Though she thought and hoped and was reasonably secure that going back to real life would not preclude more enjoyment. Quite how things would work out with the team, how they would fit this around everyday life, she wasn't sure, but they would figure it out. This was too good to mess up.

She saw Gibbs getting out of the car and handing his keys to a valet as she approached the front of the house, and couldn't suppress the enormous smile on her face. He was looking at his cellphone as she approached, and she managed to sidle right up to him before he sensed her presence.

His answering smile when he saw her was more than enough reward. She couldn't remember having ever seen such joy on his face in all the time she'd known him. He gently cradled her face in his hands and studied her, his expression soft and tender.

"Hey," he murmured, stroking his thumbs over her cheeks.

"Hey yourself." Kate wondered if it was actually possible to injure yourself from smiling too hard.

Gibbs continued to study her face for a few moments more, and then leaned down and gently kissed her, sweet and tender. When he pulled away, it took a moment for her to recover and she shot him a mock scowl for his satisfied look.

"Successful trip?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Everything went smooth." He indicated the bag slung over his shoulder, which she assumed contained the new bugs they would be placing.

There was so much to say, but they just stood there, grinning foolishly at one another. Kate wondered if her smile looked as goofy as his did, and when a quiet but penetrating "ahem" sounded over their earwigs, she gave a quick thank you that at least they weren't under video surveillance.

Gibbs switched back into business mode as they made their way to the front door, but that didn't stop him taking her hand as he apprised DiNozzo of his plans for the afternoon, and Kate felt like she should almost be ashamed of her delight in that simple gesture.

As they reached the door, he stopped her, pulling her round to face him once more. He gestured to his ear, and she nodded her understanding - neither of them were ready to expose what was happening between them to their colleagues. It made it frustrating, but she could live with that.

She didn't, however, expect what happened next, as he leaned down close to her ear, the opposite side to the hated earwig, his breath tickling her neck.

They stood like that for a few seconds, and she took the opportunity to savour his nearness, his scent, his warmth and solidity. Then eventually he spoke, soft, low, for her ears only.

"Katie... I'm- I'm all yours."

Her breath caught in her throat for a moment. Given the circumstances, that was a good deal more than she'd expected as a response to her whispered admission this morning. She blinked away the moisture welling up in her eyes.

"Ditto," she whispered back.

His hand came up to caress her face and smooth her hair back, and then he drew away and gave her an even more open and joyous smile, a look she'd never have imagined she would see on his face, never mind prompted by her.

They stood there for a few moments, grinning foolishly at one another, and then he took her hand again and tugged her inside. They did, after all, have work to do. And right now she was pretty sure she'd never enjoyed her job more.