B/N: Kate's life in Israel is becoming easier to deal with as the weeks pass but she has to make a difficult decision that could make or break things.


Kate woke only when she felt the bed dip under weight and a hand ran through her hair. She knew who it was right away as no one in Israel would give her the gentle awaking she was receiving besides Ari. It was also his unique smell that was a mix of gun powder, foreign spice and sweat.

She smiled and stretched out as she opened her eyes to see Ari sitting on the bed, his hand had fallen from her hair onto the pillow beside her head. "Good morning."

"Good morning Caitlin, breakfast is ready."

She nodded and looked at her clock to find it was four thirty in the morning, "too early."

"This is the time in which breakfast is served, you can always return to bed afterwards. Come Caitlin," he waited for her to sit up and she finally did, throwing back the covers and stood.

He watched her grab clothes from the dresser and make her way to the bathroom, emerging minutes later in a green tunic and blue jean capris. Her curls from the night before had disappeared and all that remained was Kate's naturally straight hair.

"Did you shop for more then a dress yesterday?"

She looked at her tunic and smiled, "I uh, I only have one outfit in the bag and Rachel bought me clothes despite my protests, since I'll be here for a few months."

He nodded and touched her arm, feeling the silk tunic. "The olive color matches your eyes, it suits you well."

They made their way downstairs to find Rachel and Eli having tea and breakfast, Ari pulled out Kate's chair for her to sit down. Ziva came in the kitchen and grabbed a plate from the cabinet before snatching a few things from the table and left out the sliding door that led to the courtyard.

"Do you see anything you want or should I fix something else for you, I do not know what Americans eat for breakfast." Rachel looked at her, "if you tell me what you eat, I'll see if it can be bought."

Kate smiled and served herself food, "everything is good Rachel, besides what Americans eat isn't exactly kosher." She looked at her, "I eat what is put before me; after being the youngest of five and having parents who are strapped for money...you don't protest to what is put before you."

"Ari told me you are Roman Catholic, I took the liberty to find you several churches." She handed a paper to Kate and the agent took it, eyeing them. "They are all in Tel Aviv so it will be about an hour's ride but I'm sure that won't bother you."

"No, I'm use to riding up and down the eastern coast for my job at NCIS. We work anywhere from Norfolk to Delaware, I believe our company car get more mileage then all our personal cars put together." She looked at the small jar on the table with a Hebrew label, she picked it up and looked at it. Finding a sweet smell, she placed some on her bagel and ate it. She found that the food was much like an American morning breakfast...bagels and jelly with a side of eggs.

"I will be late tonight." Eli stood and left without another word, Rachel took his plate to the sink.


Kate's days in Haifa and Tel Aviv began to pass quickly, she'd spend her days either around the house or in town with Ari escorting her and enjoying the day with her. The days went from two to seven, a week soon turned into four and it seemed like no time had passes even though it had been a month. She continued to call and update Gibbs, he said he gave the team only the basics and let them know she was safe.

She told Gibbs the truth...she was falling in love with Ari, Gibbs gave her an unexpected reply when she told him...he told her to be sure about what she was doing. She told him she was and that they'd both return to NCIS unharmed.

It had been exactly a month since her arrival that she learned Ari had been given permission to go to Jerusalem with Rachel while she visited her mother, Ari planned to show Kate the city and so when they arrived in the city, Rachel agreed to meet them at the Wailing Wall around noon.

Ari showed Kate all the Catholic sights and also walked with her through the markets, holding her hand in his. "Do you see anything you like?"

She smiled, "Rachel has spoiled me enough, don't start."

She stopped at vender and looked at the jewelry on the stand, most of it was engraved with Hebrew. She looked over it all and only looked up when the vender spoke. "What do you want, nice earrings for a banquet or a ring perhaps?"

She looked at the bangles and found two she liked, "these, how much?"

"Four sheqels for them." She pulled out the sheqels and handed them over, he handed her the bangles and Kate put them around her wrist. She noticed Ari a little ways down by a knife vender, no doubt trying to find a knife for Ziva's upcoming birthday.

She made her way over and stood beside him, "which one do you think Caitlin, a Du Star or a Ka Bar...she is fond of both?"

Kate looked at each knife and inspected it, Ziva had taught her about throwing knives one weekend. She found each of good balance, "it depends on which one throws better not what it looks like."

"Fair enough, I'll take both." He handed over a bill and the vender packaged them, handing them to Ari. He took Kate's hand and kissed it, "which ever one Ziva does not get, you shall."

"Gibbs will be happy to hear that...he has these rules and rule nine is always carry a knife."

He looked at her arm and found the bangles, "these are quite beautiful."

"Thank you, it's getting towards noon, we should meet your mother." They headed to meet Rachel at the Wailing Wall...their day of fun in Jerusalem was over.


That evening Rachel announced she was holding a banquet to raise money for the Lev LaLev Girls Orphanage. Many of the wives of the Israeli Defense directors would be coming and as Ziva was out of country on a mission, Kate would have to help.

She found herself being taught mannerisms and how to plan a kosher menu as well as how to hold a banquet full of Israeli origin.

Within two days they were preparing the house and Rachel had instructed the maids and servants to obey Kate's word. Having fifty people at your beck and call was foreign to Kate but Ari told her to act like she did when she was Secret Service and she'd do fine.

"The orchids Mistress Haswari?" Kate looked up from where she sat at the kitchen table, the maid Sarah was looking at her. "Where shall I put the orchids?"

"The tables in the entry way and the tables lining the walls in the dining hall, also place two in the sunroom."

She curtsied, "of course Mistress Haswari." She left and Kate thought about what she was being called by everyone. The servants and maids had called her 'Mistress Haswari' for nearly two days...not Kate as she asked of them or even Mistress Todd, it always came back to calling her by Ari's last name.

"How is everything coming?" Rachel came in and sat down beside her, "I saw Sarah placing orchids in the various rooms. It was an excellent call, orchids."

Kate looked at Rachel, "why do they call me 'Mistress Haswari' and not by my name?"

Rachel eyed her, she smiled. "Ah, you are unaware of your own status. Your stay here is a precursor to marriage. You are always in Ari's company and are taking on the roll of my daughter, assisting with everything. They assume you are Ari's fiancée and so they call you by the name you will inherit as his wife. I will tell them to stop if it bothers you."

"I don't even know if we'll get out of this alive much less married." She shook her head, "I fear what Eli will say if he hears this...he'll assume we've become engaged or have married."

"It does mean he will no longer question where you stand in Ari's life, I see it in you...you have fallen for him. You look at him with a look of love."

She sighed and tapped her pen against the table, "I'm falling in love with him, it's hard not to when I spend almost every day with him. I feel like when we're together that nothing can harm us and it could last forever."


She smiled and thought back to a few days before in the courtyard when she was practicing her knife throwing...he had come up behind her and she had cut him off with several Krav Maga moves Ziva had taught her. She placed him on his back and stood over him, he had looked at her with surprising eyes.

Ari had told her she was becoming a David more and more each day, learning Mossad tactics and also her raw attempt at Hebrew...which was coming along from broken words to more fluent sentences by the day.

In a smart alec remark to his statement she had said she'd become a Haswari before a David, as they were too dangerous for their own good. Ari had chuckled and stood up, pulling her into his arms. He told her he would see to making her a Haswari, promising that if he was to perish that his last act would make her his wife.

He had left her in the courtyard because Eli had called him into a meeting with Ziva. Kate returned to her knife throwing and imagined Eli's head on one of the targets. It was in that moment that she had been more determined to win his freedom.


"I think you and Ari are beginning to connect at a deeper level and not just at a superficial level, of course it was never just superficial...you saw his soul and he saw yours." Rachel patted her hand and smiled, "it's good to see this, it means that your love is deeper then ever before."

Kate nodded, "I'd like to think that."

"Have you told him?"

Kate chuckled and placed her pen down, pushing it away. "I've only been here a month, I've only known him for a month and met him three times before that...four actually but the point is it maybe too soon."

"And his life may end soon, I would tell him before it is too late." She smiled and stood, bending down to kiss Kate's head. "I wish you all the luck in the world my daughter."


A/N: Will Kate be able to make the right decision or will her fear hold her back?