Disclaimer: If I owned NCIS and its characters...different things would happen.

Note: After Reveille (1x23), before Gibbs and Fornell speak and before Gibbs shoots Ari.

MARYLAND, ARI'S SAFEHOUSE; MAY 25, 2004, 13:00

Sitting across from Ari, Kate eyed him…he was a bastard, a murderer and now Mossad. Everything she knew about him was like a bubble being popped…he was not the man she assumed him to be.

She profiled him and yet her profile was wrong, that fact alone terrified her. What she never expected was him to act as if she was someone besides a piece of his puzzle…he treated her as if she was a person, someone who had feelings and a mind.

Dialing her friend at the Secret Service and handed the phone to Ari, he took it from her gently. Watching as he made a deal with them, Kate wondered who else would end up dead.

She got up and waited for Ari to stop her, he didn't so she walked toward the house. Once inside she went to the bathroom and shut the door, sitting on the toilet to think.

A pounding on the door made her jump, the door opened and it wasn't Ari. A man stood there…Bassam; she wondered why he hadn't left.

Not having her gun put her in a not so safe position. She knew how to defend herself but he was in front of her and she couldn't move so great in the small bathroom she was in.

"I shall teach you a lesson, no woman slaps me. You maybe Haswari's prize but you will learn how to respect the men around you."

"I'm not his prize and despite that, he'll shoot you if you lay a hand on me. Marta is dead…do you really want to be next?" She had her back against the wall, "he'll kill you."

"So be it but you will learn your place woman." He advanced on her and she held up her arms as he went to strike her…she didn't expect the knife he slammed into her side.

Gasping, Kate slid down the wall as he stood over her. He was gone seconds later but all she could do was try to breath…it was hard to do so.

She heard Ari's voice, "Caitlin?" Trying to stand, she managed to get up before falling again; the sound she made falling onto the floor was enough to get his attention, what she wanted.

She saw him in the doorway; he was beside her in seconds…turning her over. "Caitlin?"

"Bass…Bassam." She gasped as he pressed a towel into her side, she could only watch as he did his best to stop her bleeding.

"Hang on Caitlin," he placed a hand on her cheek, "stay with me Caitlin, stay with me."

She saw his eyes before she blacked out, full of concern and worry…as if he was losing someone dear to him. She could hear him yelling at her, telling her to stay with him.

"Caitlin, Caitlin you must stay with me. Caitlin! No Caitlin, stay with me…stay with me please."

BETHESDA NAVAL HOSPITAL, KATE'S ROOM; MAY 25, 2004, 16:45

Kate opened her eyes to find herself in a hospital room; she looked over to see McGee by the window talking to Tony. "Tony?"

Her partner turned and walked over, "how do you feel?"

"Like I was stabbed." Kate looked around, half expecting Ari to be around. His desperate pleas for her to stay with him worried her…he acted as if he was losing something he held dear. "How'd I get here…the hospital?"

"Ari brought you in, you're at Bethesda." McGee spoke, "Secret Service and CIA were here with him when we arrived. Gibbs nearly killed him."

"Too bad Morrow called and said not to, I would have loved to see that bastard on Ducky's table. What happened out there…why didn't you kill him?"

"I wasn't given a chance…he had my weapon." Kate lied, she wasn't going to tell Tony that she didn't because something about Ari made her feel protected not in danger. "Why?"

"Because you're in the hospital with a large knife wound in your side…Gibbs nearly killed him because he stabbed you."

"He didn't." Both men looked at her, "one of his men did…he tried to save me."

"Why would he save you?" McGee eyed her and Tony nodded. "You're nothing to him."

"He brought me to the hospital didn't he?"

"Well yeah, probably because it would help him."

Kate was silent, she allowed the two men to question her but she said nothing. Ari cared about her and it was dangerous for him to do so…she wondered why he would care about her. He had sounded as if he was losing a child or a wife yet she was neither to him…an enemy in all truths. His desperate pleas for her to stay with him played over and over in her mind.

"You're awake…good." Gibbs came in the room and looked at her, "how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"That bastard stabbed you; I'm going to have it out with him."

Kate shook her head, "no, he didn't stab me…he tried to save me. Gibbs…he cares about me, why is a question I'd like to ask him."

"That explains why he was so frantic." They all looked at McGee, "he was waiting on your condition when we arrived…CIA had to drag him out of here…he wouldn't leave till he knew your condition. After the doctor said you were going to recover, he left with them."

Gibbs' phone went off and he answered it, "yeah…what? When? Well then come if you think it might help. See you soon Duck."

Tony looked at Gibbs, "something wrong Gibbs?"

"Kate do you know this man?" Gibbs showed her his phone, on it was a picture.

"He's the one who stabbed me…what happened?"

"Ranger at Anacostia found him, called us. On his was a letter…Ducky's bringing it to me, it was for me."

BETHESDA NAVAL HOSPITAL, KATE'S ROOM; MAY 25, 2004, 17:30

They were all talking when Ducky arrived, "how are you Kate?"

"Good Ducky, for being stabbed."

"Duck, the letter?"

"Oh right." Ducky handed Gibbs a folded piece of paper, on the outside was his name. "I didn't read it."

Gibbs opened and read it before handing it to Kate, she eyed it.

Special Agent Gibbs,

Take note that no one will live if they harm Caitlin. That is a promise.

Ari Haswari

Kate looked at Gibbs, "I told you…he's protective of me."

"Why?"

Ducky looked at them, "this fixation is due to Caitlin's kindness toward him…your ability to show compassion toward even your enemy draws him to you. He won't hurt her in any way or fashion…he wants to protect her. His will to protect the only person who has ever shown him kindness and compassion. He won't harm your team Jethro because that would harm Kate."

"The team is family to me."

"Exactly…harming Timothy or Tony or even you Jethro is like hurting her…he wants to protect her. He believes that if she is harmed, then the only person who finds him not a monster will cease to exist…making him what everyone sees him as…a monster."

"He is a monster…a murderer but my profile is wrong about him. Person or not…he's a monster."

Tony came over, "hold up…how far will he go to protect Kate, I mean what lengths?"

"I don't know." Ducky looked at them till Kate spoke.

"I don't care…I want him caught and killed."

Kate put up a front; she didn't want to admit to the team that something in her wanted to protect Ari. His urge to protect her made her wonder about her opinion of him…he never had the urge to protect anything…just kill until she came along.

She had a minor case of Stockholm syndrome, which she could identify in herself, but not enough for her to want to be returned to Ari. She found him caring and kind yet his murderous side was present with everyone but her. She was his exception…the only thing he seemed to care about.

Gibbs looked at Tony, "I don't care if the bastard won't harm Kate, I want her under 24 hour surveillance."

"You got it."

BETHESDA NAVAL HOSPITAL, KATE'S ROOM; MAY 25, 2004, 21:30

A hand on her arm woke Kate, she found Ari looking down at her. He put a finger to his lips and looked over at McGee, who slept on a rollaway bed.

"Quiet Caitlin, we do not want to wake Special Agent McGee." He whispered and Kate eyed him; part of her wanted to scream to wake McGee but the other part wanted to know why Ari was there…she decided to stay quiet.

"Why are you here?"

"I wished to see how you were; I did not mean to wake you Caitlin." He looked at her IV and then at the blood that was currently being transfused. Looking back at Kate, Ari eyed her. "I must apologize Caitlin, if I had known Bassam would harm you, I would not allowed you to leave my side."

"He's dead now and I have a stab wound…nothing can be taken back. You don't need to protect me, I have a gun for that…plus my team. Just go back to being the Mossad double agent you are, forget about me."

Ari chuckled softly and reached down, brushing her hair out of her face. "My silly little Caitlin, don't worry about me…just get better."

"Leave before I wake McGee." She eyed him and he nodded before leaving, he however bent down and kissed her head before doing so.

"Get well my Caitlin, I shall see you soon."

He left and Kate laid awake thinking about what he spoke of. His will to protect her and the way he said her name was genuine. He called her 'my Caitlin' as if he owned her; he didn't because he was her enemy and that was where they stood.

It was seconds after he left that McGee sat up and looked around, "Kate?"

"Bad dream McGee, go back to sleep."

She wondered how long she'd protect Ari because one day it would lead to trouble. Her need to protect him only enforced her Stockholm Syndrome…something that could cause conflict with Gibbs.

She was embarking on dangerous territory but something told her Ari was worth it. His personality was different with her and she wanted to get to know the real Ari, not the monster he was to everyone else.