Captivity
By that belle

Kate always knew there was something there. It took her until her third and final meeting with Ari to understand it… ..Gibbs & Kate..

The First Meeting

When Ari Haswari hid himself in a body bag so he could get inside NCIS headquarters, his mission had been interrupted by the Medical Examiner, his assistant, and the Special Agent who had lied about her identity.

That was when the double agent met the mysterious beauty Caitlin Todd. Her anger over being held hostage by him in Autopsy while he made demands and threatened people's lives intrigued him… more than he knew.

Despite the situation, and all the odds against him, Ari Haswari managed to escape. It was an easy trick he had played, but even still, he was lucky to be alive. Although he would never admit it.

On that day, he made a vow. That he would see Special Agent Caitlin Todd again.

The Second Meeting

As Kate Todd waited for the light to turn green so she could cross the street, a motorbike pulled up at the intersection. The biker, whose face she couldn't see because his visor was down, revved the motorbike, causing her to giggle and roll her eyes. If there was one thing that Kate Todd found irresistible, it was a dangerous biker.

The situation changed when the biker lifted his visor, and Kate found herself looking at familiar, dark eyes. The same eyes that had haunted her since the ordeal in Autopsy a few months earlier.

The traffic lights turned green, and he grinned at her, before racing away into the busy street. Kate was a woman who didn't waste time; she ran into the middle of the street, and flashed her NCIS badge at the driver of the closest car, stating that it was an emergency. She was allowed into the car, and ordered the driver to follow the motorbike that had been in front of them.

Unfortunately for her, she didn't know that the car she flagged down had already been following the motorbike.

The Third Meeting

"Thanks for the ride, Gibbs." Kate smirked at her boss.

It had been almost a week since her car had broken down, and she hadn't heard anything about it yet. She assumed that the garage she had sent her car to were either busy, or fake. If they were busy, then it was alright; she could get rides to work from Tony or Gibbs. If they were fake, well, then she would no longer own a car.

"Not a problem." He replied. "Need help with your bags?"

"No thanks," Kate said, struggling out of the car. She gathered her shopping bags up in her arms and smiled at her boss. "Next time I'll know to shop online, huh?" She laughed.

"I don't mind taking you." Gibbs said.

Kate sighed inwardly. She knew that Gibbs had feelings for her, and the fact that she couldn't return them because of the emotional baggage she was carrying bothered both of them. She knew Gibbs would make an excellent boyfriend, if not husband.

"I may have to take you up on that offer." She smiled. "Thanks again, Gibbs. I'll see you in the morning?"

He nodded. "You sure will."

She smiled again, before walking up the path to her flat. She heard Gibbs drive off, and sighed. She didn't want to think about the whole thing with Gibbs - even though it had been over a year since her last meeting with Ari Haswari, she was still traumatised. It was taking longer to get over the second round of captivity than the first.

Kate shrugged it off, and unlocked the door, kicking it open gently because she didn't have any spare hands. She trudged inside, kicking the door shut behind her. Normally, she would have put the bags down, and then locked the door again, but today she took the bags straight to the kitchen to put the shopping away.

There was someone in the house. Kate knew it. She looked around the kitchen cautiously, cursing herself for not having her gun nearby. The air in the house had seemed different from the moment she stepped into the house; it was only now that she realised it.

She walked into the sitting room, which was where she found her intruder sitting on the sofa. It seemed he had been waiting for her.

"Good afternoon, Caitlin." Ari said, smiling at her.

Her eyes bugged out, and she stepped back in alarm. "What are you doing here?" She hissed.

He stood up, and shrugged a shoulder. "I told you we would meet again, did I not?'

Kate vaguely remembered him mentioning something like that. It still didn't explain why he had appeared so suddenly at her flat.

"How did you get in?" She asked, at a loss for words.

"Picked the lock." He replied nonchalantly.

Kate said nothing. From what she could see, Ari wasn't carrying a gun, so it didn't look like he had come to kill her. He sat back down, watching her with his dark eyes. She watched him; focusing especially on his body language. He seemed relaxed and friendly.

Kate backed towards the door, her eyes still fixed on Ari. He made no move to stop her, which surprised her. He also said nothing when she left the room. She went to the door and locked it. She lifted the shopping bags off the floor and took them into the kitchen.

Ari was sitting at the counter, reading the paper.

"Why are you here?" She asked again, annoyed that he wasn't saying anything. He shrugged a shoulder. Kate rolled her eyes and started putting her shopping away. "I don't have any information that could interest you." She said. "I'm not a very valuable hostage."

"Did I say that I came here to hold you hostage, Caitlin?" She looked at him and his eyes looked hurt. She remembered how they had looked in Autopsy. Almost completely different. She almost felt bad for making the accusation.

He just chuckled, making Kate feel angry. There was an indescribable feeling inside her. She couldn't tell if it was a good or bad feeling, but it scared her.

"I suppose you're staying for dinner then?" She said, deciding reluctantly to change things around. Instead of being angry and hostile towards him, she would act as though it was just another late afternoon.

Because it was, really. Despite the fact that Ari Haswari was in her kitchen.

"That would be nice, Caitlin." He said, surprising her by how grateful he sounded.

She nodded, and thought for a moment. Would she have the courage to slip something into his dinner, or even his drink? Knock him out for a couple of hours, enabling Gibbs to come over and lock him up?

She'd have to try it. Kate wanted nothing more than to have Ari out of her life, so she could move on from the stress and live her life.

She looked at him, and forced a smile. "It's settled then. I hope a salad is reasonable."

He replied that salad would be fine, and she excused herself. Once she was out of the kitchen, she walked swiftly to her room, and shut the door tightly. She entered the bathroom and rummaged through the cabinet for a moment, before pulling out a bottle of sleeping pills. She had no idea why she had brought them; but she was thankful she hadn't thrown them out, as they were about to be put to good use.

Two minutes later, she walked back into the kitchen, a handful of the tablets in her pocket. Ari was still reading the paper, which unsettled her.

"I hope you didn't get the sleeping pills from your bathroom cabinet to lace my dinner with, Caitlin." He said, startling her.

She sighed. "I suppose you've combed over my apartment?" She asked, huffing. "Ari, what exactly do you want?"

He looked up at her, and smiled. "You misunderstand me, Caitlin." She glared at him. "But yes, I did comb over your apartment. You'll find your three guns missing and your phone disconnected."

Kate's mouth fell open. Deciding that everything was too much for her, she turned around and ran out of the kitchen, heading towards the front door. She heard the chair scraping in the kitchen, which meant that this time, he was following her. Determined to stop her. Determined to kill her.

She reached the front door, and tried to unlock it, but it stuck. It was a fiddly lock, and always stuck. She moaned; a worn out lock was going to be the cause of her demise. Ari appeared in the hallway; a kitchen knife in his hand. There was a gleam in his eye that horrified her, and she let out a whimper.

"Please… don't…" She said quietly.

It didn't help; Kate wasn't even sure if he had heard her. When he was near enough, he reached out with his spare hand and grabbed her by her hair. She hissed at the pain, and he just smirked. Ari pushed the knife up to her neck, and spun her around. Just as she was sure that he was going to slit her throat, he paused.

The doorbell had rung.

Ari nudged Kate in the back. Hard. "W-who is it?" Kate choked out.

"Kate? It's Gibbs." She heard the all-too inviting sound of her boss' voice. "You left your gun and badge in my car."

Kate whimpered. "Ari… let me go." She said quietly. "At least postpone killing me until Gibbs has left."

Reluctantly, he released her. "I will kill you both if you tell him I am here." He retreated into the shadows of the hallway, and Kate unlocked the door and opened it.

Gibbs looked surprised. "Kate… you look awful."

She frowned at him. "Really Gibbs, is that a way to make a woman feel wanted?" They both laughed at this, but Kate's eyes were quickly filling with tears. Her last moments with the man who could make her the happiest woman alive.

"Kate?" Gibbs asked, placing a hand over her trembling one. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "I can't talk right now." She whispered. She took her gun and badge. "I'll need these."

His eyebrow rose. "Kate… what aren't you telling me?"

Her eyes widened; the tip of the knife was pushing into her back. Which meant Ari was standing behind her. "N-nothing. I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, she smiled sadly at him and closed the door. He didn't hear it lock afterwards, which surprised him.

Something was very wrong.

Back inside, Kate was facing Ari, tears streaming silently down her face.

"Empty the gun, drop the rounds on the floor and kick them over there." He ordered, pointing to a corner. "Then throw the gun out the window."

Kate was about to comply, but then she thought about it. She had the advantage. She was holding a gun, and he was holding a knife.

She had the advantage.

Kate aimed the gun at him, and was horrified when he laughed. "You will not kill me, Caitlin."

"Oh yeah?" Kate asked, almost hysterical. Something inside her clicked just then; as if a door had opened. Everything was settling now.

Kate closed her eyes, so she didn't have to see his when she shot him. Then she pulled the trigger.

She heard him drop to the floor, and after a moment had passed, she opened her eyes. Where he had once stood, wielding her kitchen knife in his hand, there was an empty space. He lay on his back, his widened, lifeless eyes staring up at the ceiling.

Before Kate had a chance to do anything, her door burst open. She stumbled backwards in shock, as reality sank in, and she soon found herself on the floor, mumbling incoherently.

"Kate!"

She was vaguely aware of the sound of her name being called. Her mouth opened to respond, but her brain wasn't working. She fell back against the cold wooden floor, unconscious.

Something cold and wet was being dabbed against Kate's forehead. She opened her eyes slowly to find herself in an unfamiliar room. Gibbs was sitting by her side, dabbing her forehead with a cool flannel. When he noticed she was awake, he smiled at her.

She couldn't help but smile back, despite how groggy she felt. She felt him take her hand and squeeze it gently.

"What happened?" She asked him slowly. "All I remember is you dropping me home. Then Ari was inside my kitchen."

Gibbs nodded. "Ari broke into your house, Kate." He said. "He threatened you with a knife… but it's all over now. Ari's dead."

She tilted her head to the side. "Did you kill him?"

Gibbs shook his head. "You did."

Kate didn't reply. She just shifted so she was more comfortable, and looked around the room. It took her a while to figure out that she wasn't in her own apartment.

"Where are we?" She asked him.

"My house." He replied. "Your apartment is being cleaned up at the moment. It is also being checked for bombs and other explosives."

As he explained everything to her, it slowly started coming back. He had dropped her home, after she had called him in the early afternoon, asking for a ride to the supermarket.

"Thanks for the ride, Gibbs." Kate smiled. "You've helped me out countless times; you don't know how grateful I am."

"You always know I'm happy to help you out, Kate." He said, as he turned the car off. "Would you like me to wait?"

Kate shrugged her shoulder. "I might be a while. Why don't you come in?"

He decided to go in with her, and five minutes later, he found himself walking through a cold supermarket with Kate, pushing along a trolley for her as she crossed something off her list. His thoughts wandered, and soon he found himself imagining that this would be like shopping with Kate. Together. More like a family.

He snapped out of it, and looked at Kate, who was talking to a man who looked in his early 20's.

"Hey babe, how about you ditch grandpa over there and come for a ride with me?" He asked. Behind him, his friends laughed and made catcalls.

Gibbs was about to step over and make his presence known to the young man, but Kate replied, "Thanks for the offer, but that man isn't my grandfather. He's my boyfriend. Now, run along before your mother wonders where you are."

The young men scattered, and Kate walked back over, holding a carton of milk in her hands. She chuckled when she saw the look on Gibbs' face. "And to think that all I wanted was milk!" She exclaimed, putting it in the trolley. She looked up at him, and smiled.

After that, Ari had been inside her house. She remembered thinking about Gibbs, and how she would never be able to see him again if Ari did anything to her. She watched him from where she lay on his bed.

"I was so scared…" She said, closing her eyes as she felt tears welling up. "You were the only person I could think of." She admitted, opening her eyes and looking at him.

He looked surprised. "Why me?" He asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

She sat up a little, and smiled at him. "Who knows?" She said, shaking her head. "All I could think about was how awful it would be…" She looked down, her face colouring. "How bad it would be if I never saw you again."

He cupped her chin, and she looked up at him. His expression was unreadable; and it made her wonder if she had said the wrong thing.

Then he smiled at her, and she felt a wave of relief. He brushed her hair out of her eyes, and leaned in slowly. Kate's eyes instinctively closed as his lips met hers. Nevertheless, it was barely a kiss; it ended almost as soon as it started.

"What's wrong?" Kate whispered, feeling more vulnerable than when Ari had held a knife to her throat. "Jethro…? I thought this was what you wanted?"

He flinched when she called him by his first name, and she had noticed it. "It is what I want." He said, getting up and moving away from the bed. "But not like this. You're still in shock."

"What are you trying to say?" She demanded. "That the only reason that happened was because I was in shock?" Gibbs looked away; he didn't want to hurt her. "I'm right, aren't I?" She said quietly.

"Kate-" Gibbs faltered for a moment. He really didn't know what to say. "You are not right. I just don't want to hurt you."

Kate curled up into a ball. "You couldn't hurt me." She said. "I know it."

"You seem sure of yourself." He said, thinking back to his wife and daughter… the ones he couldn't protect.

She looked at him, her eyes looked empty. "I know it." She repeated. Then she sighed. "I'm going to sleep now. Perhaps you should go."

Gibbs turned to leave, and his hand was on the door handle when he suddenly realised, this was his room. He turned to her. "This is my room."

She shrugged her shoulders. "The other side of the bed's free."

"Kate…" He warned.

"What?" She said, almost shouting. "All I said was that the other side of the bed's free. I'm not saying that we should sleep together, since it's clearly not what you want."

"It isn't appropriate." He replied, although his brain was disagreeing with her comment. What he wanted was to spend the rest of his life with her. He moved over to the bed, and went to kiss her on the cheek, but Kate knew what he was doing so she turned her head at the last moment, and he kissed her. When he pulled back, Kate was smiling gleefully. He just growled at her.

"Goodnight Kate." He said, going back towards the door.

"Goodnight, Gibbs." She almost sang.

He closed the door after him, and headed downstairs. He only stopped when he was in the basement. Gibbs ran his hands through his hair and let out a long breath. He took his cell phone out of his pocket and dialled Abby's number.

"Hey Gibbs!" She answered. "What's up? You don't usually call me on a Sunday."

"Would you be able to come over for a while and look after Kate?" He asked, not believing what he was doing. "She's still in shock after today…"

"Today?" Abby inquired.

Gibbs sighed. He hadn't told anyone, had he? He explained to Abby the events of the afternoon, hoping that she wouldn't react badly to being left out of the loop. He didn't mention either of the kisses. He thought it would be better that way.

"Gibbs!" She almost screamed into the phone. "Why didn't you call us? I'm coming over right now!"

Before he could say anything else, Abby hung up. Gibbs just sighed and went over to the bench to pour himself a drink.

When Abby arrived at Gibbs' house, her intention was to go straight up to Kate and snub Gibbs. However, as she walked through the front door, as she walked past the door to the basement, she kicked it.

"There." She said to herself, smiling. "Now Gibbs should know how mad I am at him. Poor Kate."

"Actually, I already figured that you were mad." Abby gasped, and turned around to see Gibbs standing there, holding a Caf-Pow in his hand. "Sorry, Abs."

She grabbed the soda off him, and huffed. "We're a team, Gibbs! There's no 'I' in team!" He nodded. "So, where's Kate?" She asked, sipping on her drink.

"Upstairs."

Abby smirked at him, and headed up the stairs, humming quietly to herself. She headed left when she reached the landing, assuming Kate would be in the guest room, but she could faintly hear Gibbs clearing his throat. She went back and looked down at him. He just pointed the other way. Abby's mouth fell open, and she signed, "Scandalous!" Before walking in the other direction towards his room.

When she stopped outside his door, she knocked quietly, hoping Kate wasn't asleep.

She wasn't. "Go AWAY, Gibbs!"

Abby giggled to herself, and opened the door slowly. "Hey Kate…" She said quietly. She looked around the dark room, unable to see anything. She stepped in and closed the door after her.

The lamp on Gibbs' bedside table turned on, and Abby looked at Kate's deadly pale face. "Abby?" She questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"Gibbs invited me over." Abby said, sitting at the edge of the bed.

Kate stared at her for a moment, before burying her head in her arms. "Oh."

"Gibbs told me what happened…" Abby continued, putting a hand on her friend's arm. "Are you alright?"

"I will be…" Kate said. She looked over at Abby. "Abby… are you seeing Gibbs?"

Abby laughed. "Me? Seeing Gibbs? Where did you…" She stopped herself when she saw the look on Kate's face. "Oh, Kate…" She said quietly, leaning over and hugging her. "What happened?"

Kate shook her head. "I thought it was what he wanted. I thought it was what I wanted… after I killed Ari, I was so sure of it. However, he said… I was in shock. That I wasn't thinking right."

Abby didn't say anything for a while. Her mind was still reeling from everything. She had never suspected that Kate had feelings for Gibbs… or vice versa, no wonder Gibbs had seemed distressed when he called her. Kate needed another woman's shoulder to cry on right now, and Abby was by far the best solution.

"Kate, everything will be alright." Abby soothed. "Trust me."

"I hope so." Kate said, although it didn't sound to Abby as though she meant it.

Abby helped Kate into bed, and tucked her in. She grinned at her best friend. "Kate, you should sleep now." She suggested. "Forget about Gibbs for the time being, and focus on yourself."

"Okay. Thanks, Abby." Kate said.

"Goodnight Kate." Abby said, smiling.

She got up and headed over to the door, and left quietly. She walked down the hallway, and down the stairs. She could hear Gibbs messing about in the kitchen, so she went to see him.

He looked up when she came in. "How is she?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, Gibbs…" She said.

"Well?"

Abby sighed. "She's really distressed. Even more so because she thinks you're leading her on!"

Gibbs' eyebrow rose. "She said that?"

"No, it was obvious!" Abby snapped. "Gibbs, if you care about her, then you should take a risk. Kate needs you right now. Now that Ari is out of her life she can finally continue it… and she wants to do so with you."

Gibbs had never looked at it that way. His realisation must have shown on his face, because Abby smiled. He kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Abs."

Abby chuckled. "Well, I know when I'm not wanted. Goodnight Gibbs. If you do anything to hurt her…"

"I know, I know…"

Abby hugged Gibbs quickly, then left. As soon as Gibbs heard the front door close, he headed up the stairs to his room. He opened the door quietly, and shut it behind him. He took off his shoes, and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Kate?" He asked quietly. "Are you awake?"

"… no." Came the tired reply.

Gibbs grinned. "If you weren't awake, you wouldn't have said anything."

She yawned and turned over, so she was facing him. "What do you want?" She asked. "I really am tired."

"I won't keep you then," He said, leaning over and kissing her. When he pulled away, her hand reached out and grabbed his collar.

"Don't think you can get away with just a kiss," She said. "You're staying, aren't you?"

"Yes, Kate," He replied, lying down next to her. She snuggled up to him, and he protectively wrapped an arm around her. "I am staying."