Profiling vs Spying

Special Agent Kate Todd was taking a five minute break when she saw it. Gibbs eating at a picnic table with some red head, smiling at whatever his companion had just said.

Gibbs had announced he was taking a short break before leaving the office, and after the screen swam one too many times in front of her eyes, Kate decided to follow his example and get some fresh air. She hadn't expected to come across her boss having a lunch date, and fell back around the corner before either of them could spot her.

True, she'd heard him having a low, barely audible conversation on his cell phone just before he'd gone on his break, but hadn't really bothered to pay attention. Now she wished she had.

Peaking around the corner, Kate watched the two of them. She wished she could hear what they were saying, because despite the stress and pressure he was putting them all under this weekend – including himself – Gibbs looked relaxed and comfortable for the first time since....well, since she'd joined the team.

At first glance, to anyone passing by would immediately classify the scene as 'older guy, younger woman', but Kate hadn't made it this far in her career by making snap judgements. Something didn't add up about their interaction.

Determined to solve the mystery in front of her, Kate watched them through a profiler's eyes.

She wasn't a romantic interest for Gibbs, was the first thing Kate decided. Their body language was all off for that. Neither of them leaned deliberately towards the other as they spoke, usually gestures of intimacy and privacy. There were also no lingering looks between them, or really, any looks beyond normal conversation glances. They didn't touch like lovers – they didn't really touch at all. And they were on opposite sides of the table, whereas many couples would sit side by side in this type of situation.

No, they weren't a couple in the romantic sense, but there was a sense of them being comfortable in each other's presence. There wasn't any hesitation as they ate, showing that each of them were use to the other's table habits and manners. People eating together for the first few times generally hesitated over arm movements and such – especially women – not wanting their dining companions to see them as messy or overeaters. There was none of that awkwardness between them, especially on her part.

And Gibbs was comfortable in her presence. His shoulders didn't look so tense, his face was more relaxed and he was smiling and laughing. That alone upped her weird meter, but that wasn't it. It was the way that he looked at the young woman that really made her wonder who she was.

If she had to label it, Kate would have to say it was almost 'fond', and that he looked 'happy'.

It was really weird.

Because the only time she'd seen Gibbs look remotely like that, was when he was listening to Abby go off on one of her tangents. But this was still different from that, and as Kate watched for a while longer, it finally clicked.

Gibbs treated Abby almost like she was his pseudo-daughter, but not quite. There was always that edge between them, that he was her boss and they both had jobs to do. They were both professionals and the job came first, before any personal feelings.

There was none of that with this girl. And the more she thought about it, the more Kate was certain that whoever the girl was, she was very important to Gibbs. She may or may not be his daughter in a biological sense, but in every way that counted Gibbs saw her that way.

This girl, whoever she was, obviously saw him as a sort of father figure. They probably weren't related, but they might as well have been.

As Gibbs checked his watch, Kate realized that her five minutes had expired some time ago, and she should be getting back to work before Gibbs caught her spying on him.

And seriously, all his smiling was starting to creep her out.

END

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