A/N A challenge for myself: Humanizing Ari.
It's noon when Kate finally gets to walk into her apartment.
You can tell from the bags under her eyes that she has been working for two days straight. Another tiring case had left her with a longing for a warm bath and a good book.
The Special Agent had grabbed brunch with Abby first, excited to gossip with her best friend about something that was not case-related. They had planned another weekend of relaxation and the Goth had invited her to bowl with the nuns the following Tuesday.
Her apartment is dark and silent. In her haste to go to the crime scene, she'd neglected to open the curtains that covered the living room window. The silence is not unusual either. Her neighbours are all old and retired, and the noise on the street is held back by the thick glass of her window.
Yet, she feels that something is wrong. Kate reaches for her gun, but remembers that she stupidly left it in her desk. Her spare is under her pillow, so if she can reach the bedroom of her apartment, she will be armed.
The woman tries to be as natural as possible with the familiar movement of shedding her coat and placing her keys in the bowl. Without turning on the light she moves to the destination in mind, only to freeze as the room is illuminated by the lamp on the side table next to the couch.
Kate swears silently and faces the intruder.
Blinding panic reaches her as she identifies Ari Haswari on her couch. His rifle rests on her glass coffee table, as beautiful as it is deadly.
The agent in her would've reached for the door in a desperate search for her backup, had it not been next to the terrorist's weapon.
When he doesn't move to attack her, she allows herself to relax slightly. The last two times she was his hostage, he had returned her unharmed. She relies on her profiling skills to make her decision. He won't harm her unless she tries to harm him.
Ari watches Kate with an amused smile on his face. He is completely at ease in her apartment, like he's been there before. The thought sends chills down her spine.
"Tea, Caitlin?" he asks, reaching for the steaming pot and a pair of blue teacups. Unsure of what to do, she sits in her chair, just out of reach of the weapons. He guides her cup closer to her position and she lets the smell penetrate her nostrils. Immediately it occurs to her that this smell is why she suspected an intruder, subtle and unfamiliar.
Secondly, if a little late, she thinks that there may be a drug in the tea. She has already sipped from the liquid, so she ignores the idea. Besides, Ari is enjoying his tea just as much.
Proper English tea, even better than the version Ducky makes for her when she tries to avoid the bitter taste of coffee.
They stare at each other for minutes on end, eyes locked. She knows that he is here for a reason, and waits until his internal debate ends. She is feeling calmer already, finds trust in Ari where any other would discover hate. It's just something in his eyes. The longer she stares, the easier it is to remind herself that he doesn't seem to be dangerous to her.
"I have a problem," Ari eventually speaks up.
It doesn't surprise Kate that Ari has a problem. He is a Mossad spy in Hamas and probably has a longer list of enemies than Gibbs. Why he would go to her is another matter entirely. He is a puzzle, and Kate is reluctant to solve it.
"And you're here, why?" Kate replies with a raised eyebrow.
Her companion smiles and bluntly tells her: "You're the only one that won't shoot me on sight."
Kate smiles at that, not because it is funny, but because she would shoot him. She just wouldn't aim to kill like her teammates would.
The Israeli reaches into his leather jacket and gives the picture that he grabs there to Kate.
Three children stand next to each other, smiles on their faces. The boy is, without a doubt, the same person as the man that sits opposite to her. The girls, the age difference between them noticeable, are both beautiful.
"This is Ziva, and this is Tali David." He points to the eldest first, and Kate wonders who they are, to be so important to Ari that he carries a picture of them everywhere he goes. "They are my baby sisters. We share the same father."
Now that he has pointed it out, the family resemblance is quite obvious. She hadn't once considered that a man like him could have a family. She remains silent. There is no comment that she can make without sounding patronizing.
"Tali died in a suicide bombing when she was sixteen." Kate's eyes fly from the picture to his eyes. He looks pained. The NCIS-agent knows that people are dying in Israel every day, but never had she seen so much proof that it felt like it had a personal impact.
"And Ziva?" Kate inquires, the Hebrew name unfamiliar on her tongue.
He takes the picture back and throws it a glance before stuffing it back in his pocket. "Ziva is the reason I am here, her safety is my only priority." Only then he decides to tell Kate everything, starting with his mission.
"The director of Mossad has spent years trying to establish a connection with the former NIS, now NCIS. Jenny Shepard and Leon Vance will be appointed the director and assistant director position respectively before the year ends. Shepard is one of Ziva's best friends, and Eli David saved Vance's life many years ago."
The name Eli David sounds familiar, and she realises he must be family to Ari's sisters and therefore Ari. Which means the terrorist is related to the deputy director of Mossad. She is suddenly very aware that Ari must be in major trouble to actually come to her.
"A part of my Mossad mission is to open a position for Ziva on the NCIS Major Crime Response Team. Your team to be exact."
The way he said it confirmed to Kate that he indeed had an order to kill her or one of her teammates.
"And the second part?"
"Hamas wants me to eliminate Agent Gibbs before he stumbles upon the sleeper cell in DC, Mossad thinks that your boss' life is a small price to pay for my position among my fellow terrorists."
"So you're here to kill Gibbs?" Kate asks incredulously. Good luck with that, she thinks.
"I am not," Ari sighs, shaking his head and running his head through his hair. He is as uncomfortable as Kate is confused. "My best friend, Michael Rivkin, was offered a mission to eliminate me. He refused and told me as soon as he was able. Ziva caught wind of the plan to kill me and volunteered in a misguided attempt to protect me."
"So I kill you, Ziva kills me, Shepard lets her on Gibbs' team in your place and that is when Director David can fulfill whatever plan the bastard has with NCIS, and no, I have no idea what that is."
Kate stares at him disbelievingly. How can he talk so easily about killing her and being killed? She takes a moment to gather her thoughts. He is here to kill her, but she feels safe enough to believe he won't. What is wrong with her? She should be calling Gibbs and tell him what she learned, find a way to escape.
Her body is calm where her mind is not, and instead of asking about the plan, she latches onto his apparent hate for his father.
"Why do you hate David so much?"
Ari lets out a barking laugh, sounding slightly insane. He stands up and walks to the window, ripping the curtains open. He leaves his rifle on the table, and still Kate can't take her eyes of off him.
"He bred me like a dog, Caitlin. Now that I am wild, he will have me put down, by my own sister none the less."
His eyes follow the cars on the nearby highway, searching for the car that will announce that Ziva has succeeded in tracking him down.
"He had my mother killed, raised me to be a spy, raised my sister to be a killer and I sometimes can't help but be grateful that I don't have to see how Tali would've ended up.
Kate grabs her gun from the glass table and follows him. He seems to be ignorant of the gun pointed at his head.
"And what do you want from me?"
"I need you to help me."
Ziva's car, ignoring every possible speed-limit, stood parked in front of the building within seconds of entering his vision. He turns back to his not-hostage.
"Tell Gibbs that Ziva saved your life and try to get her a spot on your team before you are killed to make that happened. I will in return, turn myself in to your agency."
She thinks of his connection to the FBI, who will never let him be locked up as long as Ari remains useful, making his offer meaningless, if not for the gesture.
"How do I know Ziva won't spy on NCIS and betray me?"
Kate speaks quickly, some kind of time limit seems to be set for this conversation, and she can feel its end approaching.
"You can still save her, please."
The words feel sincere coming from his mouth, and she hesitates, considering the offer. She knows she can't shoot him, just as she knows that she can't overpower him. She won't get him in jail without his cooperation, but doesn't consider lying.
The moment takes long enough for Ziva to kick in the door with her gun pointed at Kate. The agent's weapon is lowered, though, and Ari goes to Ziva and hugs her, whispering something to his sister.
Ziva's eyes move from her brother to Kate, like she is the savior to both Israeli's.
Kate observes the woman, who looks like a little girl in Ari's arms, a hundred thoughts drifting in her mind. Ziva's eyes are just like Ari's, kindness hidden by a stone-cold killer.