Author's Note: I don't own anything!
"Are you sure?" Jethro asked for the fifth time that morning as he and Kate got ready.
"I am." Kate replied.
"If you change your mind...let me know." Gibbs said as he wrapped his arms around Kate's waist and hugged her tightly.
"I will, I promise." Kate said as she leaned up and kissed Jethro.
"See you at the office...hopefully with good news." Kate waved as Jethro headed downstairs.
"Love you!" Jethro shouted in reply.
"Love you too!" Kate yelled back.
Today was hopefully going to be Kate's last doctor's appointment for awhile. She was hoping that he'd release her so she could go back to all the regular duties of her job. After two weeks off and another four weeks of pushing paper Kate was ready for some excitement in her life. It was time to get back into the field, and Kate Todd was more than ready.
Kate glanced at herself quickly in the bathroom mirror.
"Not bad...even with the bandage." Kate thought to herself as she headed back to the bedroom and slipped on her shoes, grabbed her purse and headed out the door. For the past six weeks Kate had been subjected to wearing an awful bandage on her nose. It was stiff and uncomfortable, but most of all it drew a lot of unwanted attention.
Kate was ready for it to all be over, the unwanted stares, the curious questions, the lack of excitement at work, but most of all Jethro's worrying. He worried about Kate an awful lot lately, and it was sweet to have somebody looking out for her but Kate wished he'd relax a little bit.
"Mmhmmm..." The doctor muttered as he looked at the most recent x-rays of Kate's nose.
"Mmmhmm good or mmmhmmm bad?" Kate asked from the exam table.
"You my dear are very fortunate." The doctor said as he switched off the light board and headed back towards the exam table.
"Yeah..that accident was pretty gnarly I'm lucky to be here." Kate said knowingly.
"You can also add quick healer to your list of talents." The doctor said happily.
"Really?" Kate asked happily.
"I've never seen a nose heal quite like this. Quickly, and the best part, it's still straight. You are a very lucky lady.
"I know." Kate said, silently thanking God for her quick recovery.
"We're going to take off this awful bandage, and you're going to be on your way. I know what you do for a living, and if you get hit in the face, or if you fall you really need to come back and see me immediately." The doctor explained as he put on gloves.
"Will do." Kate replied, knowing that even though the doctor had released her that Jethro would be keeping an eye on her for awhile.
"Great." The doctor said as he busily cut the bandages off Kate's nose.
"So much better than I expected..." Kate murmured approvingly as she looked in the mirror.
"I told you it looks really nice." The doctor added.
"Just one thing...I need a note for my personnel file...they have to have record that a physician has released me." Kate explained.
"Let me go grab one...I'll be right back." The doctor disappeared and Kate could hardly contain her excitement.
"Here you are...I hope I won't be seeing you anytime soon." The doctor smiled at Kate as she hopped off the table and headed out of the office.
"Hi honey!" Kate greeted Jethro enthusiastically when he answered his phone.
"Hey sweetheart...I hope you have good news." Jethro said.
"I do...I even have the doctor's note to prove it." Kate said as she began driving.
"I think I'm going to buy the team lunch, I'm so happy!" Kate exclaimed as she pulled into the parking lot of a pizza place.
"Kate...that could get expensive, have you ever seen Tony eat?" Jethro teased.
"I'm doing it anyhow, besides we all need more fun in our lives." Kate teased back.
"We have plenty of fun." Jethro shot back.
"Fun we can include the team with." Kate replied tartly.
"I've never said we can't include the team." Jethro joked.
"Man pig." Kate retorted as she walked into the pizza restaurant. She'd have to wait a few minutes, but that was fine with her.
"I'm going to order now, I'll be there in a half-hour." Kate said as she hung up.
Kate placed her order and engrossed herself in a game on her phone.
"Caitlin Todd." The voice rang out. Kate stood up and made her way back to the busy counter. She pulled some cash out of her wallet and looked up.
Kate was frozen solid with fear, the money fell out of her hand...she was staring into a set of impossibly dark eyes. The gaze haunted her...the tan skin, the jet black hair...it was the man from the basement. He had been in her house.
"Caitlin?" The man questioned in a light accent Kate couldn't place.
"Oh...I'm sorry...I just...umm...long day." Kate mumbled as she handed over the money.
The man quickly made change and handed it back to Kate.
"You look like you've seen a ghost." The clerk replied as he stared at Kate.
Kate searched for a name tag, and she was disappointed that he wasn't wearing one.
"Long day." Kate muttered again as she picked up the pizza and headed out the door. Kate was halfway between the door and the counter when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. Kate spun around to see the same man standing there.
"Caitlin?" The man called out her name.
"Yes?" Kate said trying to conceal her fear.
"I didn't add jalapeno's...I know how the upset Timothy's stomach." The man replied as Kate stared back at him wide-eyed, trying to figure out how he knew such a thing.
"Why thank-you." Kate replied, desperate to hide her anxiety.
Kate headed back to her car and she sped off. Every scenario flew through her mind. The man was in her house, she was sure of it. He had touched the boat...she knew it. Nobody believed her but she knew he was stalking her. This was too creepy, and if he knew about McGee's distaste for peppers then he was probably stalking McGee too. Kate didn't understand it completely though, something was missing.
"I wonder if it's poisoned." Kate said aloud as she eyed the pizza that was sitting on her front seat.
Kate stopped her car and decided she'd grab hamburgers and fries for everyone instead...the pizza quickly found it's way into a dumpster.
"What? Gibbs promised us pizza..." Tony groaned as Kate set a cheeseburger and fries down at everyone's desk.
"Thanks Kate!" McGee said happily.
"Yay! A celebration lunch!" Abby said as she hugged Kate.
"I can smell the grease from autopsy!" Ducky announced proudly as he made his way out of the elevator.
"So what are we celebrating?" Tony asked with a mouthful of food.
"Kate's return." Gibbs said as he dipped a fry in some ketchup.
"So once again...what are we celebrating?" Tony teased as he glared at Kate.
"I got this one boss." McGee said as he smacked Tony sharply on the back of the head.
Kate was happy, but she was also a bit flustered, to say the very least and it didn't go unnoticed as the team moved through their day. Kate excused herself around three and headed down to autopsy where Ducky and Gerald were filing paperwork.
"Ducky, may I speak to you privately?" Kate asked quietly.
Ducky spun around and eyed Gerald. The younger man took his cue and left autopsy.
"Ducky...I'm a bit nervous...my first day back and all, but I have to talk to you, and you can't tell Jethro." Kate began shakily.
"Kate that's a lot to ask, we're best friends and we have no secrets." Ducky replied honestly.
"Ducky, I need you to just help me, just work with me that's all I need." Kate begged as she fought back tears.
"What is it my dear?" Ducky asked knowing this was serious.
"The weird dreams....the forgetfulness...the paranoia...how long does it last?" Kate said as she stared at Ducky.
"I saw your last CAT-Scan, that should all be long gone by now my dear. If it isn't then you shouldn't be here." Ducky said as he folded his arms over his chest
"Ducky, I saw him again. The man who was in the basement. He works at the pizza place. I didn't trust him and that's why I threw the pizza out and brought burgers, he even knows that Tim hates peppers. He knows my name, he knows McGee's name. They're one and the same Ducky I know it. That man was in Jethro's house." Kate replied.
Kate searched Ducky's face, and she was angry when she saw amusement and not concern.
"My dear, you've got a few missing circuits upstairs. We order pizza from there all the time. We're usually partying at Jethro's when we order. Anyplace we order pizza from more than once probably knows about McGee's stomach...he tells everyone. You have to give your name when you order, and they have a new employee who looks like the man from your dreams." Ducky explained.
"Oh...my...God." Kate said suddenly feeling foolish.
"How long will this last?" Kate said as she looked at Ducky.
"Not much longer, but I urge you to go back to your neurologist. I don't think you should be working like this." Ducky said as he patted Kate's shoulder and she exited autopsy.
Later that afternoon when the office was quiet Kate dialed a number. She had to do it, to prove to herself that she wasn't insane.
"Ruigi's Pizza." A female voice answered.
"May I please speak to the owner?" Kate asked politely.
"Please hold for one moment." The woman replied.
"Hello this is Ruigi." A gruff male voice said.
"Hi Ruigi, my name is Kate, and I'm a regular customer. I came in earlier today and I received really good service. The man was so nice, he even remembered about a food allergy one of my co-workers has. I really wanted to compliment him, but I didn't get his name." Kate said with a wicked grin, hoping her plan would work.
"What did he look like?" Ruigi asked.
"Young, and handsome. Middle-Eastern maybe. He had a really dreamy accent." Kate was laying it on thick, hoping she'd get an answer.
"Oh, yeah that's Ari...the guy never wears his name tag for some reason. I tell him every shift, but he always forgets, maybe I should let him know if he wears it then the ladies will really pay attention." Ruigi teased.
"Thanks for your help, have a nice evening." Kate said as she sat the phone down.
Kate almost jumped out of her chair when she glanced up to see Jethro standing there.
"Dreamy accent?" Jethro inquired with his arms crossed.
"Yeah...stripper for Carrie's bachelorette party." Kate explained, hoping Jethro would buy the lame excuse. Her friend Carrie was getting married, and it was the best lie Kate could come up with.
"I'm going to head out...it's poker night." Gibbs said as he leaned down and kissed Kate.
Kate was in shock, he never did that in the office, and he was either trying to trick her into telling the truth or he didn't care. Kate decided it was a little bit of both.
"Enjoy DiNozzo's disgusting apartment!" Kate yelled as she stood up and grabbed her coat.
Kate headed back to her own place and drew herself a hot bath. She headed back out to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. Kate headed back towards the bathroom, and when she saw him standing there in the living room she dropped her wine, and stood there staring.
It was the man from the pizza parlor and the basement, and now he was in her living room, standing by the sliding glass doors that led to her balcony.
"Caitlin, if it was a great pizza why did you throw it in the dumpster?" The man asked.
"Did you poison it Ari?" Kate asked, stressing that she knew his name too.
"You'll never know." Ari said as he turned and headed onto the balcony.
Kate chased after him, but it was to no avail...he had jumped. Kate searched the ground for any sign of him, her weapon was locked in her nightstand drawer, and it would be of no use now. Kate frantically dialed Jethro's number.
"Jethro...he was....here..." Kate panted.
"Oh Katie, you're just having nightmares again." Jethro said rather insensitively as he hung his phone up quickly, eager to get back to the game.
"What was that all about?" Ducky asked as he threw down a losing hand.
"Kate said some guy was in her apartment, the same one from my basement. She's having nightmares again." Gibbs explained.
The color drained from Ducky's face and he gripped Jethro's arm.
"No she's not." Ducky whispered quietly, ashamed that he hadn't taken Kate seriously.
Gibbs stood up from the table quickly and darted for his car.
McGee, DiNozzo and Ducky sat there wide-eyed. It was mere seconds before they got up and followed their boss.