Summary: Before delivering the bullet casings to Abby, Tony grabbed a moment for himself
Genre: Tragedy/Angst/Romance
Author's Note: Another post twilight story. Set in Kill Ari pt 1
Every person has a limit, which decides how much you can take. And Tony DiNozzo knew he'd just reached his. It was overwhelming. Head-spinning. The day was a complete blur but still so clear. The most vivid image was the one he would likely never forget. Kate's pale face, the red dot between her eyes and her usually vibrant eyes staring blankly up at him. The moment he knew Kate was dead he hadn't felt a thing. But now, hours later it had hit him. He'd managed to act professional, going to find the bullet casings, even if his mind slowly understood that Kate was…gone. While talking to McGee in the bullpen, he'd had to bite hard to not start crying right there and then. He'd told McGee about the exit wound and images of all the blood flashed before his eyes.
This case had taken an unexpected and horrifying turn. This was supposed to be their triumph, when they finally got to bring Ari's body to Ducky, go out and celebrate that they'd beaten both the terrorist and the pneumonic plague within a month. But instead, it was Kate's body down in Autopsy and the party would be changed into a funeral. This wasn't supposed to happen. Tony remembered mrs Todd's cry when Gibbs uttered the bad news over the phone. Her pain filled cry had been exactly what Tony had been feeling. Devastation, confusion, shock, anger and grief. But Tony felt something else as well.
Panic.
He stumbled for the stairwell, still holding the evidence bag in a firm grip. The stairwell was empty, people in this building always took the elevator. Now alone, Tony tried to get rid of the panic. Grief so strong that it'd become panic. He would never talk to Kate again. Never. One moment, a blink of an eye and she had been gone. Taken away by a piece of metal, not bigger than his thumb. It wasn't fair. Why did it end like this? Had their whole team lived in constant fear for eighteen months only to get…here?
Was it really worth it? Was it worth to try and save people just to lose people that mattered to yourself? Tony knew it wasn't. He felt extremely ashamed for feeling this way but he couldn't help it. He would rather have Kate here than a group of soldiers he didn't even know. It was extreme selfish he knew that. But reluctantly, he admitted to himself that Kate wouldn't have been herself if she hadn't worked for saving others. Because that's who she was…Unselfish and a genuinely good person.
Taking a few deep breaths, Tony prepared himself for facing Abby. He twirled the plastic bag in his hands. Kate was gone. It was hard to get that someone so alive was dead. That a whole thirty year long life had been erased with a single piece of metal. Slowly he began to descend down the stairs, legs shaking slightly. Abby would need his comfort, he had to pull it together, for her. But instead, tears fell. Tony hadn't cried for years but now he didn't even try to fight it. After another good while, he wiped his cheeks and walked down the last steps. He spotted Abby's slumped shoulders. She was pulling her hair into pigtails, chuckling to herself as she stared at a drawing Kate had made for her. Tony took another deep breath and then began to walk for the lab. Here it goes…
Very short, I know! So, how was that? Sad? Good? I think we should have gotten to see a more emotional reaction from Tony, since it was planned for Tony and Kate to start a relationship. We saw both Abby, Ducky, McGee and even Gibbs react a bit OOC to Kate's death. But not Tony. That was a bit strange, I think. But anyhoo…plz REVIEW :D