Tony had a brief glimpse of a body in the apartment before he yanked his head back. The shooter had been ready for him; two bullets came zinging out the window. Tony was fast, though, using the quick peek for aim, he squeezed off a couple of shots. At his second glance, he saw the door open and his target missing. He clambered through the window and headed carefully for the door, wary. As he reached the entrance to the apartment he saw the drops of fresh blood on the floor. Gratified that he'd as least winged the guy, Tony continued on.

Creeping slowly down the hall, mindful of tenants stuck in sweltering apartments, Tony kept his steps silent and his gun shielded from view. Every sense on high alert, he allowed the layout of the hallways to play through his memory. Assuming that the assailant would attempt to leave the building rather than circle back to the apartment, Tony kept his back to the wall and took the most direct path toward the exit, while keeping an eye on the hall behind him.

As he reached a corner near the entrance, he heard a familiar, Freeze! NCIS! Tony peered around the corner and smiled. Gibbs held the scumbag at gunpoint. He knew his boss had seen him, so now he came around silently, and moved up behind the shooter.

Put the damn gun down! You're outnumbered, and we're both far better shots than you are. Gibbs' voice was laced with irritation.

You're just blowing smoke. The nasal voice was grating.

Tony stepped up and planted his weapon in the guy's back. I'm not smoke. Now put it down before my boss decides to use you for target practice. He was quite surprised when their prisoner did exactly as ordered and did not put up a fight when handcuffed. They led the man out of the building in time to see Kate dragging her catch by the hair.

Police cars, lights strobing out of sync, were parked haphazardly around the alley. Officers were converging on the three agents citing reports of shootings, demanding explanations, claiming jurisdiction. As always, Gibbs' authoritative voice and demeanor cut through the cacophonous conversation; Kate's snarl ran a close second. Tony was content to stand back and keep a painfully firm grip on the shooter he and Gibbs had cornered while his boss sorted out the situation. He did, however, allow himself a leisurely once-over of Kate. She was filthy, bloody from numerous cuts and scrapes, the shorts she'd picked out that morning were torn, her hair was in disarray and dirt and sweat streaked her face. He grinned openly at her, then turned back to watch Gibbs wrangle with the cops.

Finally the jurisdiction and the shooting issues were sorted out to everyone's satisfaction. More precisely, Gibbs got his way and found someone he knew in the handful of officers that he could coerce into a favor. Pederson and her partner Duvall were on their way to a nice comfy holding cell. The remaining officers dispersed with some grumbling and the three NCIS agents, having retrieved their belongings, stood on the sidewalk, baking in the intense midday heat.

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm starving. Kate looked expectantly at her partners.

Kate, there's no power. No restaurants. Not even the convenience store across the street is open. Gibbs' voice was level, as was his stare at the thoroughly disheveled woman.

Well, there has to be something to eat somewhere, she said as they climbed into the car that Tony had started. She sighed as the cold air washed over her.

Tony laughed. Yeah, your place. That's where we left all the food, we just can't cook any of it. Besides, it's all going to spoil if the power doesn't come back soon.

Fine, we can go raid my fridge, if that's our only option. We can at least make sandwiches. Kate closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the seat.

Is that okay with you, Boss? Tony asked the silent man next to him.

Gibbs shrugged. It's as good as any other option. Besides, even if we did find an open restaurant, I don't think they'd let Killer there in, he added with a jerk of his thumb in Kate's direction. Tony chuckled in response; Kate merely opened one eye and glared. She was proud of herself for resisting the urge to stick out her tongue at them.

By the time they reached Kate's apartment building, the aches and pains of the fight with Pederson were making themselves known. She tried not to wince as she exited the vehicle, but it was pointless. Gibbs and Tony were already eyeing her movements, assessing the damage. Gritting her teeth, she straightened up and strode forward, determined not to be considered weak.

As they entered the apartment, she was grateful that Gibbs' eyes were drawn to the room around them and not her. She had a horrific pain in her side that was worsening by the minute and she didn't know how much longer she could hide it from either of the men with her.

Tony, I'm going to go change. You want to check out the fridge? She was halfway down the hall, concentrating only on reaching the privacy of her room. As she closed the door behind her she leaned against it momentarily, recalling the vicious kick she took during the struggle with Emily. Pushing herself upright, she made her way to her dresser and examined the battered woman in the mirror. She was grateful that it appeared most of the visible damage could be healed with a long bath and twelve straight hours of sleep. Reaching for the zipper on the side of her shorts, however, caused her to hiss in pain. As she finished unfastening the garment, she let it drop, dreading the removal of her top. Taking a deep breath, she grasped the hem and tried to slip the shell off with as little fuss as possible, biting her lip to keep from crying out. The filthy item dangled from her fingers, forgotten, as she stared at the spreading blue and purple stain over the lower left section of her rib cage. Knowing that she was going to have to have the damaged area seen to did nothing to improve her mood.

Kate stood there for a moment, then moved to the closet, rifling through it to find something suitable for the heat and her pain. She finally selected a sleeveless blouse and a skirt and laid them on the bed. Wishing she had time for a shower, she slipped on her robe and grabbed her flashlight. Then she headed to the bathroom to wash off the worst of the dirt and blood before she dressed.

Hearing the bedroom door open, Tony called out to her. Lunch is just about ready. What do you want to drink? He waited, but the only answer he received was the sound of another door closing. Worried about her, he turned to Gibbs. Drinks are in the fridge, glasses in the cupboard to the left of the sink. He set the plate with Gibbs' sandwich down on the counter and headed toward the bedroom without another word.

Gibbs refused to dwell on the degree of comfort Tony displayed in Kate's home. Instead, he snagged a can of soda from the fridge and tried not to eavesdrop on the conversation his acute hearing easily detected.

Hey, Kate? Tony called softly as he knocked on the bathroom door.

She opened the door and looked up at him.

Lunch is about ready. Are you doing okay? The pain and exhaustion dulled her lovely brown eyes and made him want to steal her away from here, to see her relaxed and happy again.

I'm fine; I'm just trying to clean up a little. She knew she was going to have to tell him about her ribs, but she didn't want to impede the investigation further with a detour to the hospital. She looked away for a moment and then looked back up into his eyes. Soothed by the love she saw, she stepped back and motioned him in. His raised eyebrow and faint grin brought a slight smile to her face. As she shut the door behind him he leaned against the sink, waiting silently. Meeting his gaze, she opened her robe and watched as his eyes roamed over her body, unflatteringly lit by the flashlight's glare. Her simple white cotton underwear and her ivory skin contrasted starkly with the dark, ugly discoloration laying claim to her side. She allowed her head to fall back against the wall as she heard his sharp intake of breath. He leaned forward and kissed her deeply, then left the room quietly.

Gibbs sat eating, not knowing what to make of the quiet. He'd heard a door close, the bathroom, by the sound of the conversation, then nothing. A few minutes later he heard the door again and Tony reappeared looking slightly subdued. He glanced at Gibbs, chose a soda from the fridge and took a seat at the kitchen counter as well.

What did you have planned for the rest of the afternoon? The younger man finally spoke, although he did not meet the other's eyes.

Since we have the ride, we should probably check out those addresses. Gibbs also kept his eyes forward.

Tony nodded but said nothing else, concentrating instead on his lunch. A few minutes later, Kate joined them. As she entered the kitchen, she could feel both men's eyes on her. Taking the last soda from the fridge she joked, Guess we need to go shopping again.

You think they'll let us back in? He gave her a grin, remembering the fun they had.

She started to laugh and then bit her lip to help rein in the stabbing pain. Seeing the concern in Tony's eyes, she sighed in defeat and turned to Gibbs. Is Ducky at NCIS today?

Where are you injured? the all-knowing Gibbs asked.

Before she could respond, Tony said softly, Better show him.

She pulled her shirt free from the skirt and unbuttoned it from the bottom. When she had it halfway undone, she lifted it so her boss could see the latest damage Emily Pederson had inflicted.

Jesus, Kate! When you do something you go all out, don't you? All right, let's head back and see what the good doctor has to say. Gibbs had finished his lunch and started to clean up. Tony ate quickly as well, but both men were concerned when Kate only picked at her sandwich.

I thought you were starving, Tony remarked, lightly.

I was. I am. I just feel like I've been a hindrance on this case and it's bothering me. She picked up the sandwich and took a bite, realizing just how hungry she was.

Before Gibbs could say anything, Tony spoke up. Hey, Gibbs. Remember that case we had about, oh, nine months before Kate joined us? The one where it seemed like I kept tripping over everything?

Gibbs snorted. Yeah, I remember, he turned to Kate. The other partner we had at the time accused him of wearing clown shoes.

Kate grinned and looked over at Tony, who shrugged. Gibbs picked the story back up.

Thing was, most of the time he fell, he found something. Sometimes it was evidence, sometimes it was just perspective. But it helped solve the case.

Kate was intrigued. Swallowing, she asked, Which case was this?

A serial rapist. He'd drag his victims, all from the same naval base, to a nearby forest.

Kate gasped, I remember reading about that. Wow, that was you guys that solved it?

Just Tony and his big feet. Gibbs chuckled. Tony threw a wadded-up napkin at him.

Hey, DiNozzo! Litter in your own home. Now, go pick that up, Kate commanded.

Yes, ma'am! He picked up her now empty plate on the way past, pleased to see that she'd eaten and that her mood had improved. Anything else, while I'm obeying orders?

Yeah. Before everything in here melts, there's a cooler in the front hall closet. Will you get it for me?

While Tony did as she asked, Kate opened the freezer door and checked the ice. It was still frozen, but if the power were out for days, she didn't want the melting ice to create havoc in her kitchen. Tony returned with the small cooler and set it on the counter then nudged Kate out of the way so he could transfer the ice for her. When he'd finished, she opened the fridge and they stuffed as many water bottles as the ice-filled chest would hold.

There, that solves two problems. Now I won't have to worry about a lake in my kitchen, and we have cold drinks. Are we ready? Kate looked at her teammates.

Tony grinned at her. We are, but you might want to button back up. Unless you wanted to show off your... He left the sentence unfinished as she disappeared into the bedroom.

While she was readjusting her clothes, Kate glanced over to the discarded outfit she wore earlier. She picked the clothes up to dump them in the hamper when a Gibbs-like thought occurred to her. Carrying the bloodstained items, she returned to the living room.

You know, since this case has been a cakewalk so far, I have an idea. Her sarcastic tone and slightly feral expression caught her partners' attention.

Whatcha got, Kate? Tony leaned on the kitchen counter and grinned at her expression.

Oh, nothing much. Just some bloody clothes from a fight with Emily Pederson. She waited while the two men realized that they might have a DNA sample from one of their suspects. It might not be necessary and it wouldn't be admissible in court, but it could be a valuable weapon for interrogation. It all depended on what else they could dig up on her in the next several hours.

Good thinking, Kate, Gibbs nodded with a smile. Let's head back to the office and get your evidence to Abby and have Ducky check out those ribs.

Tony, having remembered where they stashed the grocery bags, pulled one out for transporting the clothes. Gibbs grabbed the cooler, and they headed back down to the car.