They walked outside and were met by a wave of heat equivalent to that of a blast furnace. Tony had wisely opted for short sleeves, but Kate was wearing a suit. Immediately she stripped off the jacket. Tony walked over to the passenger door of his car and opened it for her.
Shall we just take my car? He knew there were a lot of assumptions that came with this, but it was a risk he was willing to take.
Kate tossed her jacket in the back seat and climbed in with a smile. Tony closed the door for her and went around to the driver's side. Once he started the engine he set the air conditioning to full blast and they sat there for a moment as the cooling air kicked in. Then Tony began the morning ritual of negotiating rush hour madness and Kate lapsed into thought.
Not wanting to dwell on the man at her side, for that was providing all the conflict she could handle, she chose instead to see if she could remember her nightmare. Hoping the light of day would keep the terror away, she leaned her head back and tried to replay the images from the night before.
Falling... she was falling. Frightened. Breathe... It's only an image... what do you see? I see Ducky's van to my left at the entrance to the alley... I see the window where I was taking pictures... I see the fire escape where I fell from... easy... breathe... I'm in Tony's arms... Lieutenant Holder is to my left, six or seven feet... wait...
Kate was breathing heavily. She couldn't have fallen from where I fell!
What? Kate? Are you okay? Tony spared a glance from the barely moving sea of cars to look at his partner. She was practically panting and her hands were shaking violently. He took one hand off the steering wheel and wrapped it around hers. He felt her cling to him like a lifeline.
Honey, calm down. I'm right here. It's okay.
Kate slowly got her breathing back under control. That feeling of falling was so real, so terrifying. She looked over at Tony. He was concentrating on traffic, but kept shooting looks her way, concerned for her.
I was trying to remember my nightmare. She felt his fingers grip hers tighter in reassurance. I knew it had to do with my fall, but there was something nagging at me about it, too. Tony, when you caught me, we were several feet away from Lynn Holder's body. I'm not sure she could have fallen from where we think she did. And if that's the case, this might not have been an accident after all.
Tony took a deep breath and thought about her words. Then he thought back two nights to that horrifying moment. Splitting his concentration between his driving and his memory, he tried to remember the position of everything in the alley.
You just might be on to something here, Kate. Let's go back over those photos you took and all those witness statements. If there's a discrepancy, we'll find it.
Kate smiled slyly, remembering the witness statements. Thought you went through all those statements, DiNozzo.
Yeah, well, I was a little distracted by thoughts of a falling brunette, Todd, he teased back.
She laughed and brought the hand that was holding hers to her lips for a quick kiss in a gesture that surprised them both. Blushing furiously, she dropped her hand, and his, to her lap.
Tony gave her hand a quick squeeze then disentangled it and returned it to the steering wheel. A series of deft turns and then they were off the highway and entering the parking lot for work. They sat in the car for a moment, each reaching for professional composure that they hoped would see them through the day.
They opened the car doors simultaneously and exited the vehicle, looking like carpoolers instead of near-lovers. Tony made some inane joke just as they got off the elevator and Kate gave him one of her usual comebacks. They rounded the corner near their desks and saw Gibbs sitting at his, going over reports.
Morning, Boss!
Kate, Tony. he replied, though the man did not look up.
Gibbs, can I look over the photos and witness statements from the Holder case?
Now the blue eyes shifted focus and locked onto Kate.
I remembered something and I want to go back through the statements and photos. Kate was getting just a touch nervous, but didn't let it show at all.
What did you remember? Gibbs was conversational, but tenacious. He was under pressure to close the case, but something was nagging at him. If Kate was also having second thoughts about it, he wanted to hear them.
Well, when I fell, she stopped and swallowed, when Tony caught me, we were several feet away from Lynn Holder's body. If she fell from the window or fire escape, how did she get so far over? Kate was grateful she was sitting on her hands at the edge of her desk. She was shaking again, but she didn't want Gibbs to know it. She watched the older man run a hand across the lower half of his face in thought.
Depending on how she went out the window or off the fire escape, the trajectory is still feasible, but I take your point. It's certainly not something we would have looked at if you hadn't tried dumpster diving yourself. Gibbs had turned away from her and didn't notice the way she paled when he joked about her fall. He had no idea how badly the fall had frightened her and he certainly didn't know about her recurring nightmare. Shuffling through the reports on his desk he found the ones she requested and turned back to hand them to her. Only then did he notice the agent's distress.
Hey, Kate? he inquired gently. You okay? You don't look so good.
I'll be fine, Gibbs. Really. The fall just scared me and so does thinking about it.
If you're sure... The silver haired man wasn't sure how to handle this. Kate always seemed to keep everyone at a distance.
Yeah, I'm sure. I think I'll just go get something to drink from the break room. Then I'll get to work on these.
Tony, who had quietly watched the entire conversation, stood up casually. I'll walk down with you, Kate. A cold drink sounds like a good idea. And if you want, I'll give you a hand with those reports.
DiNozzo, don't you have work to do? Gibbs' protest was more of a token one. If Kate was going to push him away, then maybe Tony could make sure she was okay. And if the fall shook her up that badly, it would be better if someone went through the reports with her.
The minute the elevator doors closed behind them, Tony wrapped Kate up tightly in his arms. He could still feel her shaking. Dumpster diving! Gibbs, I could smack you for that!' he thought. He reached out and hit the stop button for a moment. Shh, baby, I'm here. I won't let you fall. I'm here. Slowly her trembling subsided.
She felt the tears prickle at the back of her eyes, but she would not cry. She took a shaky breath and looked up at the incredible man who held her and knew just what she needed. Is this fear ever going to end? she whispered desperately.
He laughed lightly and kissed her forehead. Honey, give it time! It's only been a couple of days. I still go cold every time I think about it, too. He stroked her hair gently, then continued, If you're really worried about it, you can see someone; the department psychologist or someone private. Or you can just give it some time and know that I'll be here for you.
She sighed and rested her head against his chest. Looking at the elevator panel, she realized he'd stopped the car. Tony, people are going to start wondering!
I'll tell them you were upset and you needed a minute. Am I lying? He reached out and started the elevator again.
