Chapter 1: I'm Alive

A/N: Huge huge huge shout to thank 99 CND for her amazing story "Never say you're sorry" They gave me the idea of the dummy rounds and I couldn't have done this with out them

A/N: The whole Peruvian boomslang venom belongs to Stephen King and his short story "Autopsy room 4".

A/N: Last but not least NOT MINE. All characters belong to their respective owners and the snake venom too. Bummer!

Kate POV

I was in the waiting room in the hospital playing a game of chess by myself (trust Maura to have a small travel sized one in her purse) while I was going mentally through what happened in the last 4 years.

I had been summoned by the NCIS director to assist the FBI and take part in a top secret mission. At the time there was a breach at security. Mossad was dead set in placing a mole in NCIS. Why? I have no idea. I was told by Director Morrow at the point that that was why the terrorist that killed me tried to kill Ducky. For a while it was believed that we had succeeded in saving Ducky and that was the end of it. It wasn't. Director Morrow made the choice of me 'taking one for the team' and staging my death while there would be an opening for the mole to take place and keep an eye on them.

At the same time the terrorist was going through the same conditions. This terrorist would fake his own death and gain freedom (as much freedom as one can get while being sent back to their home country as failures) and making sure the mole would be placed in NCIS. To be brutally honest I never believed it would work. The plan was too simple and I was sure that Gibbs would see through it. Alas, he didn't.

My boss, NCIS senior agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs was placed in protective custody under my care as I was previously employed in the Secret Service to protect the President. That day right before we left for the rooftop where the curtain was set to fall I had worn makeup to set up the fatal bullet wound that would kill me and taken a well calculated doze of Peruvian boomslang venom it had a 30 minute window of working. That would cause a death-like paralysis for a few hours. Making it possible for me to be declared dead.

I put on my NCIS cap that had a small blood bag sewed in the back and covered my "wound". I was careful not to say any goodbyes to anyone and proceeded as planned.

I jumped in front of Gibbs and got 2 bullets for him and moments later I felt the dummy round hit straight on my forehead. I said a mental goodbye and felt my body go numb. From that point on and for the next 10 hours all I could do was listen and see.

I came back to my senses the next day to find out I'm in a half way house that belonged to the FBI sharing a room with Ari Hawari himself. Apparently the job was done.

Maura POV

Kate had yet to move a pawn in her 'me versus myself' chess game and if I know my sister she is thinking hard about something, and I do know my sister.

Looking out of the window I let my mind go over the events of the day. The day? More like the year! Or ten years!

I was in college when I literally run into Kate for the first time. She misstepped and sent us sprawled on the floor. I looked up angry to give a piece of my mind to the person that was lying almost on top of me, to see myself. Same face, almost same hair, mine was half a shade lighter, identical eyes. Amazing and pretty creepy at the same time. Ignoring our classes for the rest of the day we went for coffee to talk.

We explored our past over coffee dates. I was there when she confronted her parents about me and she was there when I confronted mine. Yes, I am adopted, we both are, but my adoptive parents were rich. Why didn't they adopt us both? On the plus side though Kate's adoptive parents are great. They were sorry about not telling her she was adopted and welcomed me with open arms. In the years that followed we became fast friends, real sisters.

I got into medicine but didn't stay for long. I didn't want to work with alive people and transferred to autopsy. Kate dropped her law studies and got in the FBI and then the secret service and then NCIS. It was days after my promotion to chief medical examiner when she called me and told me about the terrorist that held her hostage. She was afraid he'd come after me. Less than a year later she had to fake her death. Being identical twins meant it would be a good idea for me to be out of the country for a while and so I joined the Doctors without borders.

The upside was my expertise and the downside was the fact that we weren't communicating. At the beginning of this year she called me and told me about a serial killer she was hunting. She had to go undercover in Boston to help catch him, the funny thing? She was going as a medical examiner for the BPD since the fixation of said serial killer was a female homicide detective. I had enough of travelling and working abroad so I returned as well and after letting Kate use my name and profession I took my place in the BPD and she returned to FBI while staying in Boston.

Last month the serial killer while in prison tried to kill Jane. The detective he has a fixation with and my best friend. Once we discovered a body that had all the hints that was killed by Hoyt (the serial killer) I called Kate and we switched places once again. After he was apprehended things went back to normal for a while. Until last wheel. Last week I found out I have a half brother and that my father is a murderer.

Finding out I also have a brother is disconcerting. A half brother. My adoptive parents said that my adoption was private with a lawyer, all they knew was my birthday. Biological parents were sealed.

I met my biological father in the autopsy room when he came to identify his son. He knew about me, he called me by my name. I have his mannerisms; rub my ring when I'm upset. Even called himself Selsi, my last name spelled backwards. When Jane is I'm not a killer my mind flew to Kate, I wanted to call her, tell her about this. Jane was right though, I was in danger of being uses as bait for Doyl, but Kate was officially dead. I did call her though. Yes, I was almost in tears but she also has a right to know.

Jane was right, I was attacked and taken. But not by one of Doyl's enemies, by Doyl himself. He gave me a pack of photos. They had been taken throughout my life. 5th grade, graduation. He wanted me to stay there, tried to explain his choice of life by saying they deserved it. Exactly what Kate says about her job? I shivered at the similarities.

Thankfully Kate was tied up in Quantico and didn't get my message until everything was over. I felt so alone and incredibly happy she wasn't there with me to be in trouble. Korsak, Jane and Frost went behind my back and alerted Doyl about who killed his son and he got them killed. Not exactly my cup of cake or logic but at the end of the day it did mean that 'Doyl's family' aka me and Kate would be safe.

Until today. Today Kate met Jane.