Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing them for a while I promise to return them to DPB.
A/N: This is my first try at writing something longer, with something like a plot. Will eventually be KateGibbs.
Now with better grammar, thank you Alix33!
Weary and tired Caitlin Todd entered her apartment and sank down in her red sofa. The last couple of weeks had been exhausting the hard cases following each other. And then when things finally started to calm down that damn letter with the plague had arrived. Not only did they have to go through with bio attack procedures. But Tony had gotten infected and there was nothing she could do, just watch, as he slowly got worse.
She hadn't found out his chances until afterwards. She is grateful that she hadn't been aware how slim his chances were, when Gibbs stood by Tony's bed and ordered him to live. Today was Tony finally emitted from the hospital that should at least mean that he would recover?
She snuggles deeper into the sofa, tells her muscles to relax, and thinks of all pleasant ways she can spend her first free evening in weeks, bubble baths, recorded TV-shows and books she never has time to read, comes to mind.
The sound of her doorbell takes her away from her relaxed world of hot chocolate and her favourite TV-show. She groans someone this late at night at her door most likely means they have a case.
The sight in front of her truly surprises her; Ducky is standing in her doorframe. She hadn't even been aware of that he knew where she lived. As if Ducky could predict where her thoughts would lead. "Everyone is quite all right my dear Caitlin, but I need you to come with me for awhile." She can almost hear the unspoken words for now.
What was it he held back? What wasn't he telling her? She takes a closer look at him, using her profiling skills. He looks different somehow; there is something about him that discourages her from asking questions. Something is lurking underneath his usual friendly exterior, something potentially dangerous. She decides it's best comply at least for the moment; she grabs her brown coat, slips on a pair of comfortable shoes and exits her apartment.
Ducky's silver coloured Morgan drives along the almost empty streets of night time Washington. The only sounds that invades the small car is the engine's purr and the tires against the wet asphalt. The two people inside sit in complete silence. Kate silently wishes Ducky would say something, anything would do, even one of his more bizarre stories. Like the one with the head hunting pygmies or the strange holidays traditions of whatever they where called.
When the car enters one of the shabbier parts of the city. She gives in she can't stand the tension of not knowing any longer. "Where are we going, Ducky?"
The answer she gets doesn't really tell her anything. "We are almost there"
It's not like Ducky to be evasive, so she tries ones more. "Why are we going there?"
"I don't have the liberty to discuss that, Caitlin. You will have to wait and see, my dear." If she wasn't worried earlier, she sure is now. What is going on?
Finally they stop in front of terracotta red brick house that have seen better days. A few of the roof tiles are missing, the woodwork is more grey than white and as they make their way to the front door they have to watch were they set their feet because the plants of the small garden has almost engulfed the narrow path to the entrance.
She watches as Ducky fishes out a key from his tweed jacket and unlocks the murky door, and holds it open for her.
She can feel Ducky's hand firmly wrapped around her upper arm; it's the only thing that connects her to reality. If not for it she is not sure that she could have resisted the urge to step forward and break his nose, since she didn't bring her gun. Ducky shook his head when she reached for it. Instead she just stands there and stares at the sight before her.
There he is: the bastard that shot both Gibbs and Gerald, the man she couldn't stab and that took her hostage twice. Ari Haswari sits calmly in a chair looking right at her. "Hello Caitlin did you miss me?"
Further than that he doesn't get, he is interrupted by a voice that holds a distinct warning. "Mr Haswari"
Only now does she notice the other two occupants in the room; the one that spoke up is her own director Tom Morrow, the other guy she doesn't recognise. He has a very tidy appearance dressed in a three-piece suit complete with a dark tie and a white shirt.
Morrow continues to speak and makes a gesture towards the two unoccupied chairs "Dr Mallard and agent Todd, please sit down. You have already met Ari Haswari and this is John Murray MI6. We have something important to discuss tonight and not much time. Mr Haswari"
"I have been assigned to kill Gibbs, obviously can't do that even if I would enjoy it."
Just the notion of a dead Gibbs hurts Kate more a lot more than she thought was possible. His azure blue eyes, his smirk, his silver hair it all flashes rapidly in her mind, she shakes her head slightly she needs to focus on the present. Not become distracted by her attraction to a man she can't have.
She listen to Morrow lecturing Ari for the second time in just as many minutes "I'm beginning to question why I agreed to this meeting at all, and remember I haven't agreed to anything further and ultimately it is not my decision to make. You will have to convince agent Todd. I will not order her to agree, at the moment I will even discourage her. I suggest you think carefully before you speak again, Mr Haswari."
Kate is exhausted, confused and she has withstood sufficient stress the last weeks, she wants a straight answer preferably right now. She doesn't care that she interrupts Morrow something she usually never would dare. "Can someone tell me what is going on? What is it you want me to do?"
For the first time John Murray speaks a distinctive Scottish accent fills the room "We want to stage your death so you can go undercover as an officer in RDPD"
From a distance she can hear Ducky gasp clearly he wasn't aware of that, and then full meaning of the words sink in. She feels like she has been hit a brick wall, she can't form a full sentence but she manages "Why?"
"A couple of weeks ago we discovered an Al-Qaida operative trying to infiltrate a security company, unfortunately we couldn't question him. But when his possessions were searched notes were found of a background check on a newly recruited officer in RDPD. There was also a suggestion that he would establish a contact with said officer."
"Her name was Juliet Smith and she was killed in a car crash two days ago, we have kept her death secret. Her only living relative is an elderly grandmother who suffers from Alzheimer'sWith a few changes in your appearance you should be able to take her place. She starts her final training at Scotland Yard next month, which should gives us enough time to prepare your cover."
Somehow Murray's voice has a calming effect on her; perhaps it is because he sounds a bit like her beloved great uncle. Her brain begins to work again, and she begins to bombard him with questions. "Why me? There must be plenty of people resembling this Juliet Smith? What exactly is RDPD? And why do I have to die?
"Besides being dead making a good cover it is true that Mr Haswari is supposed to kill Gibbs and he can't risk any more failures they are starting to get suspicious of him. He suggested he could take out you instead."
"You have the right competence to work at Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department which is our equivalent to the Secret Service, it makes you an ideal candidate for this."
"Will you give your consent for this operation?"
Her confusion has faded away but her inside is in full turmoil. They want her to move to a different continent; they want her to leave her life behind. But most of all she can't wrap her head around the concept that they want to fake her death. "Will they know?"
Morrow answers her question "No one outside this room can know that you still are alive. You don't have to accept this assignment, agent Todd, and I will fully understand if you don't. But it's a unique opportunity and if you do agree I will leave NCIS for Homeland Security and be in charge of this operation."
Can she really give her approval to this? Her instant thought is to decline. Her friends and family will think she actually died and there is no going back. She wishes that this night were a bad dream that she will wake up in her sofa with a backache.
Still deep down she knows she will agree, how can she say no to the prospect of finding out and be able to prevent the next big terror attack. She just has to persuade herself it's a good idea. That she will be able to walk away from a life she loves. She hears Morrow clearing his throat and she knows he is waiting for her decision.
She wants to stop herself from saying the words they are hoping for that will take her away from everything she knows and into the dangerous plots of being a double agent.