Hey Guys!:) I'm back! Sorry for the hiatus, again:( I'm thinking about converting this story over to Wattpad, let me know what you think, there will be more soon!:)
Exhaustion had finally consumed Kate, making her fall fast asleep on the couch. She laid curled up in a ball underneath the covers of soft fleece blankets.
Tony sat at the opposite end of the couch with his feet propped on the in-table and his head titled downward to the left as he slept. Tony hadn't slept much since Kate had come to stay with him. Every time she made a movement, or when she curled up in ball and shook in the middle of the night, Tony would cuddle up behind her and wrap his arm around her waist. She would then turn over and relax into his chest while he whispered softly to her, words that soothed Kate and made her less afraid.
As Tony started to wake, his phone started to vibrate in his jean pocket. He rose off the couch slowly and softly, making sure he didn't wake Kate.
"McGee, please tell me you have good news," Tony said, walking over to the window.
"I do, Gibbs just brought him in," McGee said in a low tone, making sure Gibbs did not hear him as he dragged the unwilling man by the collar to interrogation.
"Tell Gibbs not to start without me, I have a score to settle," Tony said, his voice full of revenge as he watched Kate sleep uneasily. After Tony hung up, he shoved his phone back in his pants pocket, and walked back over to where Kate was sleeping and knelt down in front of her.
"Kate," he whispered, while he laid his hand gently on her shoulder. Startled by his gentle touch, Kate jolted awake and scooted farther back into the couch. Once Kate looked at Tony, and he reassured her, she let out a sigh and sat up on the couch.
"What time is it?" she asked, her voice full of sleep.
"Late," Tony replied, as he watched Kate wince in pain as she titled her head to the side. Knowing that it was time to take her pain medicine, he reached his arm back and grabbed the bottle of pills, squeezed and twisted the cap, and tapped two pills out of the bottle into the palm of his hand.
"Here," he spoke softly, handing her the pills and a bottle of water. She took them from his palm, and flashed him a small smile of appreciation. When she was done Tony rose up off the floor and sat down beside her on the couch facing her. He swallowed hard, and let out sigh.
"I need to go back into work," Tony said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. Kate looked at him with confusion, and shivered. She knew what he was about say. When they made eye contact again, she studied his face.
"They found him, didn't they?" Kate whispered, barely enough for Tony to hear. He shook his head yes. Closing her eyes she leaned her head back and rested it on the couch, letting out a sigh.
"You do not have to go, if you don't want to, I would just feel relieved and wouldn't want to leave you here alone."
"No," Kate said, opening her eyes and sitting back up, looking at Tony. "I need to do this; I'm tired of running and hiding, I need to face my fears and realize this not going to just go away."
Tony laid his right hand on her lap palm up. Kate looked down at his opened hand. She moved her left hand down to rest on top of his open one; as their fingers interlocked he shifted closer towards her, wrapping his left hand around their now-locked hands, and rubbing soothing circles on the back of her hand. Kate looked back up at Tony as he spoke softly to her.
"I will be there every step of the way for you".
The drive back to the agency was quiet as usual, but wasn't uncomfortable. Lost in thought or a trance, Kate rested her head up against the window; the coolness of glass on her forehead made her relax as she watched the city pass. Tony would glance over at her every now and again. She looked calm. Even though Kate sat right next to Tony, she was far away in thought.
As the sleep consumed her once again, so did the horrible flashbacks.
Flashback starts:
The shattering and the crunching of glass, when the back of her head collided with it, as she slid her head further down on the cupboard to escape his grasp. She met the next pane of glass on the cupboard door; it was still whole and in place, but she feared not for long.
Timed seemed to come to a complete stop, and everything started to happen in slow motion when Kate looked back at him. His eyes were cold and full of rage. She saw him draw his fist back to lunge it at her face; Kate, at the last second, moved her head to the side as his fist clipped the side of her ear, before smashing into the pane of glass. She could hear the glass shatter, raining to the floor, and heard his rage grow louder, but it all sounded so faint to her as she was fixated on the blood from the gash on her shoulder ever so slowly trickle down her arm to the tips of her fingers to only drip off and collide with the floor.
The shutting of the car door make her jolt awake. Squinting, she opened her eyes, letting them adjust. She looked at her surroundings and realized she was in the NCIS parking lot. Kate looked over at Tony, who was eyeing her with concern.
"Are you sure you're ready to do this?" She nodded her head; in her mind, the flashbacks try to flood back.
No, she thought to herself, I need to do this. I need show them I can be brave and strong, and not crumble like I've done for the past week. I have all the courage I need, now I will fight.
