"Husband?" Gibbs said with a look of disbelief.
Tears streamed down Kate's face as she nodded. "Ryan…was killed in the line of duty. Undercover work. He was supposed to be working for Mikhail Yuri. Yuri was suspected of selling Military weapons to an unknown buyer in Iraq. Ryan was supposed to meet me in the back of the store, transfer the weapons to a truck and tell Yuri someone stole them. He was supposed to describe an Iraqi man to Yuri, but he shot Ryan instead."
"Did you know him from the Secret Service?" Gibbs asked. To Tony, it was starting to sound more like an interrogation rather than a comforting talk.
Kate choked back tears. "NSA. I worked there about three years before I started with the Secret Service. I had trained with the NSA for profiling during college and I just decided to stay once I graduated. They assigned me to Ryan's team. When he was killed, I went over to the Secret Service."
The lab was quiet with the exception of Abby's music playing.
"He's alive, right?" Kate whispered to Abby. Abby nodded and Kate smiled. "He's alive." Tony walked out of the Lab. He was furious.
She is such a hypocrite! She yelled at me for keeping Kit from her and now this! I don't care if he's dead or not. She was married. And she didn't tell me. Tony thought as he paced the hall outside of the lab.
"Come on. We have a case to investigate," Gibbs said, back in the lab.
Kate nodded and walked out, followed by McGee and Gibbs. Tony was still pacing in the hall. "Tony? Coming?" She asked.
He looked at her and turned to walk away. The tears built up again and she walked into the elevator without him.
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Kate exited the elevator thinking about Tony.
I'm going to Tony's, packing my stuff and saying bye to Kit. Too bad I don't have an apartment anymore. I'll ask Abby if I can stay with her for a while.
"I'm going home, boss," Tony said as cheerfully as he could as he brushed quickly past Kate, coming from the stairs. He put his coat on and headed back for the stairs.
"DiNozzo, what are you doing? We have a new case," Gibbs said powerfully.
"I'm taking a personal day," Tony told him through gritted teeth.
Sensing a fight was about to start, Kate jumped in. "We can handle this without him, Gibbs." Gibbs sighed and sat down at his desk. Tony took that chance to leave and started towards the stairs.
"So," Gibbs began, "This screws everything up between you two, doesn't it?" Kate nodded silently. They began working quietly, pulling and reading files.
Minutes later, Gibbs sighed loudly. "Go home, Kate. We may have a suspect, but we can't go after him until I know weather he is dead or not."
Kate didn't argue. She had a long day. She exited the NCIS building quickly and jogged to her car. She stuck the key in the ignition and turned the car on. The early December snowfall left a coat of ice and snow on her windows. As the car heated up, she wiped down the windows and scraped off the ice. Just as she was about to get in, she heard a familiar voice.
"You missed a spot, Katie."
She turned around to see a tall man with brown hair. Her heart began to race and she struggled to catch her breath.
"Ryan. You're…here," she finished her sentence with a smile. He walked toward Kate. And it was only when he leaned down to kiss her that she moved away, feeling uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry. I haven't seen you in so long. We need to talk. I want to explain I had to leave you, Katie. How have you been doing?" Ryan said quietly.
Kate half smiled at him and then said, "Fine."
He nodded. "I've been checking up on you. You're staying with that guy and his kid, right? Or is she yours?"
Kate shook her head. "Kit belongs to Tony." He smiled, relieved that she hadn't completely moved on.
"Look," Kate said, breaking the awkward silence, "I've gotta get going. Um… If you found me once, I'm sure you can find me again. I…I need to take off." Ryan had been gone over four years. And now, he's back, after Kate had moved on. Perfect timing, Kate thought sarcastically. She climbed in her car and drove away.
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"I'm home!" Tony shouted somewhat brightly as he walked though the door. He could hear Kit's little feet coming down the hall. She rounded the corner and leaped in to her father's arms. The older (and heavier) she got, the more Kit through Tony off balance.
"You won't be able to do that in a couple of years," he told her.
She ignored his statement and asked, "Where's mom?"
Kit had taken to calling Kate mom about a month after she moved in. Tony had been happy that she had found a mother figure. He hadn't been quite sure what he was going to do when that time in life came when his daughter would begin needing the few things a teenage girl would need. Kate hadn't adjusted to it quite yet. She wouldn't always answer when Kit called for her.
"She's, uh…" Tony began.
"Right here." Kate walked in not looking at Tony. Kit ran to her and hugged her tight.
"Wanna watch a movie?" Kit asked.
"Not tonight, Kit, I have to go back to work," Kate said, half-truthfully.
"Just a short one?" she begged.
Kate shook her head. "Not tonight, Kit."
Kit sighed and gave Kate another hug. "Tomorrow," she said as she released Kate and ran to the TV. Kate stood up right and did her best to avoid eye contact with Tony. She brushed right past him and into what they used to call their room. She gathered most of her clothes and other necessities and threw them into a bag.
"Where are you staying?" Tony asked appearing in the doorway. His concern was evident in his voice.
"Abby's, I think. Need to ask her still. If not I'll get a hotel or something. Just for now, you know," she said somewhat awkwardly.
He nodded, not knowing what to say next.
"So…you'll be at work tomorrow, right?"
"Um, yeah," she muttered.
"Good, good."
"I'll see ya tomorrow then." Kate walked toward the door. She turned around and said, "You know, he stopped me in the parking lot."
"Who?"
"Ryan."
"Oh," Tony said unsurely.
"I want to work things out between us," Kate said. She had meant between her and Tony. Tony heard it as between her and Ryan.
"Fine," he said bitterly.
Kate left for Abby's feeling very confused and upset.
As soon as she left, Tony went to his closet and opened the door. He knelt down in front of a safe on the floor. He put in the combination (07-17-01, Kit's birthday) and pulled the door open. Files and important papers filled the safe. On top sat a little velvet box. Tony opened the box to see a sleek silver ring with an emerald-cut diamond perched on top. He looked at it longingly; he had planned on giving it to her the next day at dinner. He sighed.
"Tony?"
He turned around to see his brother, Gabe, who had been living with them since he had been 'disowned' by their father months ago. He was working temporarily as a security guard at NCIS and wanted to become an agent. Gibbs, Tony and Gabe were currently trying to work things out.
"Hey," he said quietly. Gabe walked over to see what Tony was doing. Gabe's eyes widened at the sight of the ring.
"Where's Kate? Don't let her see that!" he said somewhat jokingly.
"She's staying at Abby's for a while."
"What?" Gabe asked, puzzled by Kate's sudden moving out. He was just now noticing Kate's missing clothes and other items. Tony explained what had gone on at work. He looked at the ring again and snapped the box shut in frustration. Tony set the box back in the safe and shut the door.
"When were you going to propose?" Gabe asked quietly.
"Tomorrow. That's why I needed you to take Kit somewhere. Don't worry about it now. You can go out tomorrow, if you want. Kit and I will probably just stay here and watch Dumbo or the Lion King or something."
He nodded.
"Sorry 'bout all of this," Gabe said sadly.
Tony just nodded.
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The next chapter will contain what happens once Kate gets to Abby's.
