Disclaimer: I only own the story.
A.N.: Well it's been a while hasn't it? I'm working on the next chapter of An Enduring Friendship and Life Amongst the Dead, my brand new NCIS crossover with Resident Evil. I'm not really a fan of zombie stories, but that plot bunny just wouldn't hop away until I wrote it, lol. No reviews for that one yet which is quite upsetting (shameless plug). Anyway, thank you to left my heart in Paris, Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, MissJayne, Kalyra-Anne, leighanne jenny gibbs, alix33 and ladybugsmomma for reviewing the last chapter of this story!
Gibbs waited patiently as Abby and Tim hugged, knowing that they both needed the reassuring contact after each other's near death. It was odd to think of it, but despite knowing that Abby would be alright he had still been worried for her. So many things could have gone wrong, it had been a miracle that Tony had gotten her to the floor the first time around before the bullet could hit her, would their luck hold for a second time? He hadn't needed to worry though; his reflexes were just as good as Tony's despite their age difference. Abby was shaken, but fine. When it looked like Abby wasn't going to let Tim go, he intervened while they still had the squad room relatively to themselves.
"You two can play grab-ass later; right now we need a plan to take out Ari." Gibbs stated gruffly, dragging everyone to the present and the reason they were in the bullpen and not in Abby's lab. McGee and Abby parted reluctantly and turned their attention to Gibbs. Jimmy got up from McGee's desk and joined them, looking around at the Agents still at their desks, probably hoping that no one would care that he was up here instead of down in autopsy. The last thing they needed was for his mere presence to attract unwanted attention.
"Well, I don't think we can go about it in the same way we did last time. Kate's death is no longer a factor which means no one will believe that it's actually Ari that shot at us." Abby said, deciding to start off, her mouth twisting into a slight grimace.
"Yeah and no one saw him on the rooftop, he left no traces of himself; just some clean shell casings and he has no connection to Abby, so..." Jimmy added, trailing off at the end, shrugging.
"So we either wait for him to make his next move or force him out of hiding." Gibbs' tone made it clear which option he preferred. "I think Ziva may have mentioned a safe house that he was using-" He said, searching his sketchy memory for any information Ziva had given him back then, but he was interrupted by Tim.
"Boss I don't think we should do anything. The next move is his; let's just let him make it." McGee said firmly, and Gibbs blinked, unsure he had heard him correctly.
"His next move was to lure Ducky out of the building, McGee." He reminded him, searching the young man's' face for a clue as to what the hell he was thinking.
"I know, but we know he doesn't hurt him, so we should just let him do it. You killed him in your basement didn't you? There's no reason to change that." ventured McGee, his eyes on his boss. They stared at each other, Gibbs' anger mounting and Tim's resolve strengthening.
"I don't think we can trust that events will happen the same way." Jimmy added to the conversation to fill the uncomfortable silence as the two agents stared each other out. Finally Tim looked away and spoke, defending his point of view.
"I just don't want to risk changing things too much, I mean, what if we do something we didn't do last time and he kills someone else, like Tony or Ziva?" Tim asks, looking at Abby and Jimmy for back up.
"You don't want to 'risk changing things'? You are the one who just stopped Kate from dying. Are you having second thoughts about that, McGee?" asked Gibbs, incredulous that a new scar is all it takes to make his youngest Agent regret saving a friends life. McGee shook his head vehemently, his face settling into a grimace.
"No, it was the right thing to do, but don't you see? Each change we make will have far reaching consequences. If I was the only one to have remembered the future, Abby would be dead right now. By saving Kate I put Abby in danger and potentially everyone else." said McGee, his expression one of deep guilt and regret. Abby slung an arm around his waist and gave him an encouraging squeeze which he returned.
"You aren't the only one to remember though, and Abby is fine." Jimmy reasoned but it just seemed to make Tim angry.
"For how long? Everything we do that isn't mourning Kate is changing the future away from what we know. Kate is now an unknown element; everything she does is going to change things, which will cause more changes and more, until eventually things are going to be so different we won't know what is coming." Tim exclaimed, causing Abby and Jimmy to frown as they thought through what he was telling them. They would lose their advantage quickly if things got too different, but Gibbs nodded along. Of course he had thought of that, it was exactly what he wanted to achieve.
"Yeah, that's called making a new future." Gibbs retorted. "A better future. What good is it going to do us to use our knowledge to preserve a future that threw everyone we cared about to the wolves?" he asked glaring at Tim disappointedly. Too many people he had cared about had died; Shannon, Kelly, Friends from his Marine unit, Chris Pacci, Kate, Jenny, Brent Langer, Lara Macy, Mike... how many times had he thought about what he would do differently if he had the chance? Well here it was, practically gift wrapped for him and he wasn't going to let this opportunity to help at least some of them slip away. "Do you want to go through killing that Metro Cop again, McGee?" he asked, knowing he had hit a nerve when the young Agent lowered his head.
"No." Tim responded angrily. Of course he doesn't, Gibbs thought, but it's all part of the future he wants to maintain. Gibbs knew that Tim would go along with what he wanted anyway, but he needed him to understand what the cost would be if he didn't. He needed him to give up on the idea willingly; otherwise he would resent him and possibly begin to work against him. He didn't want the first change he made to be turning Tim into a traitor.
"Are you going to let your sister get drugged again to preserve the old future?" he pressed, watching McGee blanch at the realisation of what he would have to intentionally put her through.
"No." He replied indignantly, shaking his head weakly. His expression showed he was beginning to realise he wouldn't be able to remain objective. He would be changing things just as much as the others would be for the people he loved. Gibbs moved closer to him, looking him in the eye and willing him to make the right choice.
"Then think about what you are proposing McGee, I mean really think. There are a lot of things I don't want to see happen again and this is our chance to prevent them. Could you look Ziva in the eye if you had preserved the future that got her tortured?" Gibbs whispered.
"No." Tim whispered in defeat, his shoulders slumping. Suddenly he felt like he belonged in this time; getting told off by Gibbs made him feel like the young probie who was always making mistakes. His boss was right though; the guilt would overwhelm him before half the year was out.
"There are disasters that will still happen whether we want them to or not, but other things that we can influence, we should, to make things better. Are you going to stand by while Paula Cassidy and her team, including one of your newlywed close friends, are killed?" Gibbs asked, proud to see that McGee was pulling himself together.
"No boss, I won't." McGee replied, his voice much stronger now. He'd finally come to the same conclusion that he had; this was a second chance to get the future right.
Jimmy cleared his throat nervously and looked straight at Gibbs, who had the distinct impression he knew what he was going to say. Jimmy had become a lot more confident over the years, but things of a personal nature usually made him anxious. Gibbs was fairly certain that the only personal thing that Jimmy could possibly want to change would be his relationship with deceased Special Agent Michelle Lee.
"If we do change the future, things will hopefully be very different from what happened to us, but if some things stay the same... if some people are made to do things that we can't change..." Palmer stumbled, obviously unsure how to word what he was trying to say, so Gibbs opened his mouth to respond, but Abby cut him off.
"If you don't want to get involved with her, Palmer, then don't." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world
"Oh! No, it's not that it's... later." Jimmy said, surprised that Abby would think he regretted his relationship with Michelle. Far from it; it was one of the highlights of his time at NCIS. He wouldn't change anything that had happened despite the fact it had ended, which he thought was more to do with her being blackmailed than something being wrong with their relationship. Gibbs smirked a little as Abby muttered an embarrassed 'oh'.
"If you get the opportunity to make Michelle confide in you Palmer, do it. Keep a subtle watch over her and we might be able to prevent not just her death, but the deaths of the people she killed." Gibbs instructed him, watching the young man nod determinedly.
"Might, Jimmy." Abby emphasised gently. "She was in pretty deep. She gave a lot of info away to those blackmailers, so sooner is better. Although she isn't part of the Agency yet is she? Doesn't Jenny hire her after Gibbs leaves for...! Oh my god! What if you get caught in that explosion again?" Abby burst out, flinging her arms around Gibbs and holding on tightly. "You can't leave us again, Gibbs! It was awful without you!" she cried, ignoring the confused looks she was getting from the remaining Agents in the squad room. McGee and Palmer shushed her but she ignored them, too concerned to bother lowering her voice.
"Not so loud, Abs." Gibbs admonished.
"But-!"
"Hey! What did I say?" he asked and Abby reluctantly made a zipping motion across her mouth. Satisfied, he continued talking. "With the changes we make, I may never be given that assignment-" he began but she spoke over him.
"Yes you will! Jenny gave it to you because you're the best." She pulled away to glare at him suspiciously, her eyes narrowed. "You aren't planning on not being the best are you? Because if you are..." she trailed off threateningly.
"No, but don't worry, I won't let that son of a bitch go this time." He assured her. She grinned at him and hugged him again just as the lift doors opened at the other end of the bullpen. Upon seeing Tony and Kate step out and start walking towards them, Gibbs decided to quickly wrap up their conversation. "I need as much on Ari as you can remember. Get it to me as quickly as you can, and stay safe. Remember: no one leaves." They all subtly nodded and moved slightly away from each other so they didn't look quite so suspicious.
"What did we miss?" Tony asked, stepping around the corner, a big grin on his face. Kate rolled he eyes at him, a sure sign that they had been bickering and this time Tony had won. Abby ran forwards and embraced Kate, squealing happily. Gibbs suppressed a grin. It was only the eighth hug she had received and it most certainly wouldn't be the last today. Abby had told him that she has been sentimentally storing them up for years. Kate raised her eyebrow at McGee and shook her head fondly at Abby's actions.
"Nothing much, just trying to get together what we know about Ari." McGee answered, wincing once he recalled that Tony wouldn't be used to him being quite this forward. Tony blinked in surprise and then laughed it off.
"Stepping into your big boy pants, McGee?" he asked rhetorically and then redirected his attention to Gibbs. "Are we sure it was Ari, boss?" he asked, his doubts from the substantial lack of evidence obviously mounting.
"Oh, yeah. We are." Gibbs replied firmly. He knew for a fact that it was Ari, had always known even before the bastard had admitted to it. The total conviction in his voice settled Tony's mind and his Senior Field Agent nodded in acknowledgement.
"Alright. Well he's the FBI's boy right? You should call up Fornell." Tony suggested, but Gibbs shook his head.
"Fornell won't help me, not after last time." He said recalling his actions in autopsy; putting a bullet in Ari's shoulder, subsequently getting Fornell in trouble for setting up the meeting.
"Well you can be sure he'll make a move soon; he's methodical but impatient; has a heart of ice and loves to flirt with death, but he's also very goal orientated." Kate told them, reminding them that she was a profiler and had had more time to study Ari up close. She found all eyes on her, waiting for her to continue. She gestured to Gibbs. "His plan to kill someone close to Gibbs has failed: twice. He needs to send a more permanent message. No one that Gibbs cares about is safe right now. In fact, the only person that is safe is Gibbs." she winced apologetically at Gibbs as she said it, and walked around him to sit by Abby on McGee's desk. "I don't think he'll touch you until he's done something to hurt you... somehow."
"Well that makes me feel much better Agent Todd." Gibbs sarcastically remarked. Kate lifted her hands in mock surrender.
"Sorry Gibbs, but that's how I see it." She said contritely. He pretended not to hear her apology, unable to quote his famous line; he couldn't say that to her when he owed her one himself. A big one; for getting her killed merely because he knew her.
"We can't stay inside NCIS indefinitely." Abby reminded them, annoyed.
"No, but then he doesn't need us to. He was able to shoot into Abby's lab, it stands to reason that he should be able to target us elsewhere in the building too if he manages to get high enough. The only truly safe place is one without windows: MTAC, the evidence garage or autopsy." Warned Tony, who had obviously given it a lot more thought than last time around; probably because this time he wasn't grieving.
"I don't think he'll try for us in here, though. He's already done that and it failed. He'll more than likely draw us out to him." Kate theorised, a shiver travelling down her spine at the implications.
"Well if anyone gets a phone call tell me. I don't need any of you dying because of me. Abby, McGee; I want you two to pull the bullets from the car in evidence. Tony, Kate, Palmer; go keep Ducky company." Gibbs instructed them, glaring meaningfully at Jimmy who nodded discretely. He'd make sure Ari didn't get to Ducky. They all quickly set off to follow his instructions and then Tony paused and turned around.
"Oh yeah boss, I almost forgot; the Director wants to see you up in MTAC." He called, then caught up to the others and slipped into the lift with them. Gibbs took a deep breath and cast a glance up at the floor above him, at the big letters that spelled MTAC. Just in that room was Director Tom Morrow, who was about to hand his position over to someone else. His heart rate sped up a little in anticipation.
It had been three long years since Jenny had died and now he would get what everyone wished for after losing a loved one; another chance to see her, to touch her, to talk to her. He took a deep breath and walked swiftly up the stairs, coming to a stop beside the retinal scanner. What had he said to her back then? Should he bother trying to repeat those words or should he say something new? What if he said the wrong thing?
He growled under his breath, exasperated with his behaviour. He wasn't a hormonal teenager; he was a Marine and an NCIS Agent. He could handle seeing her again and would do so with stoicism born from years of hard work and discipline. Before he could think about it anymore he bent forwards and let the scanner do its thing. Once he was given access he straightened up, smoothed his clothes and opened the door, walking into the darkened room.