Title: Sometime They Come Back

Author: CSIphile/Redwing

AN1: Thank you for all the lovely reviews for this one, I really appreciate it. Please, take the time and leave a little something, something. It makes a writer happy.

AN2: So Ari returns….and it aint all sunshine and roses folks.


Chapter 4: Discovered

Kate sat stunned for a moment, shocked by the voice on the other end.

"Come on, Caitlin. I know you have a voice. You used it so liberally before."

She gathered herself and sat up straight, pulling her feet out from under her. "I…I'm sorry. I guess I just wasn't expecting you to call."

"What can I say, I'm full of surprises." His voice was smooth, and held warmth it hadn't before.

"That you are." She paused, contemplating. "Thank you…for the gifts. But it needs to stop."

"Did you try the wine yet?" He essentially ignored her.

"I….haven't. And I'm not sure that I should, honestly." She leaned forward, toward the glass.

"Why not, Caitlin? It's a wonderful vintage, one of the best in the country. I know you will enjoy it."

Her given name sounded different somehow coming from him. When he spoke it, it felt like he was caressing the letters, reveling in them. "You know, no one has called me Caitlin since I was 12."

"Why not? It's a beautiful name. It's Celtic for pure beauty."

She paused again, shocked he knew the meaning; it was a little disarming. "I prefer Kate."

He seemed to consider that. "If you don't mind, I'll call you by your given name." She said nothing and he continued with his earlier questioning. "Why can't you try the wine, Caitlin?"

"I don't think it's proper."

He laughed lightly. "Proper? How is it not proper to drink wine?"

She licked her lower lip lightly before speaking; she saw no need in beating around the bush. "Because, Ari, you're asking for something I can't give you. Forgiveness. And if I drink the wine, well, I might as well be saying everything's fine. It's not my place."

He paused, considering her words. "You feel that Gibbs and Gerald need to absolve me."

"Yes."

"Why? You were also part of what happened."

Kate leaned back into the couch, pulling her legs up to her chest. "But I didn't end up with a bullet in me."

"Granted, Caitlin. But I'm not asking forgiveness from Gibbs or Gerald -- that's a separate issue. I'm asking you for it. I want you to understand that what I did…I had to. I didn't want to kill anyone; I avoided that at all costs. I could have put a bullet in Gibbs' head -- either way, I would've gone home." She was silent. "I'll ask you again, Caitlin, would you have believed I was a terrorist if I hadn't behaved as I did."

She had to be honest. "No, probably not."

"So you understand why then?"

She sighed audibly, knowing exactly where he was going with this, though she didn't like hearing it aloud. "Yes, I understand, but…"

"That's the same as forgiveness to me. It's all I can ask really."

"Why?" she asked tentatively.

"Why what?"

Now she uncurled herself, eying the glass that tormented her. "Why me? And…what do you want?"

Again he laughed lightly. "Always to the point, aren't we? To answer the first question, because you have something that intrigues me: Fire, life, strength. You're quite a…handful, Caitlin. You intrigue me. As to the other question…I want to know you. Who knows, maybe something will come of it. Maybe not."

She couldn't believe she was hearing this. "I'm sorry…you actually want to pursue a relationship? Is that wise?"

"Why wouldn't it be? As long as you don't tell, I won't." She could practically see him winking at her.

"This is dangerous, Ari. I shouldn't even be talking to you.

"Why? Because Jethro would be angry?" His voice changed slightly, gaining an edge to its calmness at the mention of Gibbs. "I hold no ill will toward the man."

She snorted slightly. "Well I think he does toward you."

"I was only doing my job." He stopped again and she could hear someone speaking in the background. "Why does it matter what he thinks, Caitlin?"

"It….just does. You were a terrorist suspect, don't you see that?"

"But I'm NOT a terrorist." She heard noise on the other end of the line. "Unfortunately, I must go, Caitlin. Drink the wine; don't assign value to it where there is none. It's a gift from me to you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," she said.

As she pulled the phone away, his voice rang in her ear one last time. "I've never allowed anyone to call me Ari." And the line went dead.

For a moment she stared at it, almost disbelieving the fact that he had just called her. Her hands were shaking slightly, her pulse still quick. Thinking quickly, she pulled up the recent call log, but the number had been blocked. She knew that she could use the NCIS equipment to trace the call, but wouldn't.

She looked at the glass on the table, reached out and in one swift motion lifted it to her lips, taking a sip of the wine. He had been right, it was excellent, but as she drank, Kate wondered if she hadn't made an irrecoverable turn.

Jethro Gibbs' Home

He pushed harder into the wood, the sandpaper taking more off, making a godawful mess. He seemed to go after the boat even harder than he usually would, getting out frustration.

Something was going on with Kate -- he could see it. His gut was screaming at him that it was no good, that her secrecy meant something besides trying to keep a private life private. Gibbs' instincts were rarely wrong, which was why now he was taking frustration out on his boat. With each pass over the wood, he tried to fit the puzzle together: the toy, the wine, Kate's expression. She certainly didn't have a stalker, so someone she knew was sending her the gifts. But to NCIS? That seemed off to him. Kate knew she would get taunted by Tony mercilessly, which led him to believe her mystery man didn't have her home address, or chose not to use it -- perhaps to show her co-workers she was taken? Possible, but again, Gibbs doubted Kate would endorse the person sending her things at work. It was a logistical nightmare - and she just knew better.

There was something else bothering him, but for the moment Gibbs chose to ignore it, because acknowledging that voice in his head meant facing up to what Kate meant to him.

Perturbed, he threw down the sandpaper and went for the bottle of bourbon next to the paint thinner. Drinking straight from the bottle, he let the liquid burn its way down as he sat on the stool, thinking. Kate's behavior bothered him more than it should, more than it was allowed to. Sure, she'd had boyfriends before while at NCIS, but this was different somehow. Ever since their second run in with Ari, Gibbs had felt a new attachment to the female agent. It was partially a result of guilt, guilt for not looking for her sooner, for not seeing through the oyster lie, for leaving her with Ari. At the time he knew in his gut something was wrong when she didn't return from lunch, but when she called with that….excuse he bought it like a newbie. She used Rule Seven and he ignored it.

Gibbs took another swig of the liquid; with each one it burned a little less, and with each swig he became more honest with himself. It wasn't only guilt that caused his newfound attachment; it was so much more than that. Perhaps guilt started, or brought to the surface the feelings that had gone unacknowledged. When he had looked at her long empty desk that day, Gibbs' heart almost stopped. He expected that kind of behavior from Tony, but never from Kate. Not when she had a conference with Gitmo that she missed. Gibbs hadn't been that concerned about another person in a long time.

She did that to him, she worried him. Gibbs knew from the second he met her that Kate was not someone to mess with. She had been in a career dominated by men for far too long to be intimidated by his usual tactics, which pulled him toward her even more. She was everything he was and then some. She mixed his smarts and investigative skills with empathy and heart, something Gibbs never could quite master, and it made him look like…well, a bastard.

Which is why in that second he realized Ari had her, Gibbs experienced his first moment of true panic since he started with NCIS. Gibbs had seen too many agents fall in the line of duty. But suddenly his dream of her as a corpse had become an unpleasant reality, and it terrified Gibbs more than anything.

Staring down at the bottle, Gibbs replaced the cap and returned it to its place by the varnish. Nothing good could possibly come of this kind of introspection. Nothing good at all.

NCIS HQ

Kate walked into the office the next day somewhat heavy of heart. She'd spent most of the night tossing and turning, debating what to do now. In her own mind, she had given into him and in a way that bothered her, but at the same time, it was just a glass of wine. The enormity of the situation hadn't hit her until last night when she spoke to him. Somehow she could pretend it wasn't him until he called her; now any pretense was gone, and Kate desperately needed someone to talk to. Walking toward her desk, she contemplated this: she needed someone who would listen to her without judgment.

She was so lost in thought; she didn't even notice Tony was back at his desk, until he called her name.

"Hey, Kate!" His voice was bright, excited -- the complete opposite of how she felt.

"Tony, you're back." Even she could tell her voice was flat.

"I can see you missed me." Without missing a beat, he got up and came over to her desk, sitting on the edge. "I flew back in last night; of course Gibbs informed me I had to come in today. How were the few days alone with him?"

"Fine, actually."

Tony's eyebrows rose. "Really? This from the woman who told me to be careful so she wouldn't be left alone with him?"

She looked at him like he was a child. "He's not that bad, Tony. How was New York?"

"Fun, actually. I got to play DEA agent -- it was sweet!"

She moved some files on her desk. "Sounds right up your alley."

"Oh, tot….whoa!" He exclaimed and looked at something over her shoulder.

"What?" she asked, spinning around. Coming from the elevators was a shipping guy carrying a large glass vase; in the vase were at least two dozen perfect purple roses. It was no surprise to her when he stopped at her desk and placed the flowers on top.

Kate stood stunned, and that almost caused a fatal mistake. She had paused long enough to give Tony the chance to root around, looking for the card. Thankfully, it was more to her side and she snatched it up, just in time to see Tony's face fall.

"Purple roses, Kate? Interesting, you know purple is the color of passion." Tony winked at her and moved back to his own desk, watching her the whole time.

With shaking hands, she opened the card.

Caitlin,

I enjoyed our talk last night. I apologize for cutting it short. Let's not make it our last.

Ari

Purple roses, for passion, and he wanted to talk to her again. This was quickly spinning out of control and Kate felt helpless for the first time since this started. He was actively pursuing her now.

She felt her mouth go dry, and she struggled to keep control; did she actually think she could play this game with him…accept his gifts, but expect nothing else? It was foolish of her, incredibly foolish.

"Tony, I….I'm going to see Abby about something, ok?"

"Sure, Kate…anything you need help with?"

If only you knew. "No, Tony, thanks though. Gibbs is in MTAC."

Tony nodded and went back to writing his report for Gibbs about his New York adventure. Quickly, she stepped away, not realizing she had left the card sitting right on her desk.

NCIS Labs

Kate stepped off the elevator and into the labs to find no one around. Walking through the labs, she didn't find the lab tech. Dammit, when I finally get the nerve to talk to someone…no one is here.

"Hey, Kate!"

The voice nearly made her jump and Kate turned to see Abby entering the lab, a grin on her face. Abby was infrequently not in a good mood.

"What's up? I didn't think I had any results for you."

NCIS Bullpen

Same Time

Gibbs started down the stairs in time to see Kate disappear in the elevator. As he turned back toward the desks he noticed the flowers sitting on hers, a veritable beacon. They were perfect…and purple. Gibbs frowned slightly -- purple roses? Who the hell sends purple roses?

Coming around his desk, he sat down, took a sip of lukewarm coffee and grimaced. Instead of going to get another cup like he normally would, he started looking for the file Morrow had requested in their meeting and acknowledged Tony's presence without looking up.

"Tony, how was New York?"

"Great, boss! There was…"

Gibbs looked up sharply from his searching. "Nevermind. You have your report?"

"Will in a quick second."

"Oh nine hundred, DiNozzo."

"Got it, boss." The agent smiled. "Good to be back."

Ignoring Tony, he pursed his lips in annoyance; Gibbs wondered where the file had gone. It only took him another second to remember that Kate had it last.

Standing once more, he approached her desk, keeping one eye on the flowers, as if they would come out and bite him. As he approached, the fragrance tickled his nose and he resisted sneezing. Instead he focused on her desktop, searching visually for his target. Easily he found it next to her keyboard, and picked it up. But as he did, a card that he presumed was for the flowers fell to the ground, open. He leaned over to pick it up and one single word caught his attention.

Ari

Without even thinking, Gibbs picked up the card and opened it fully, reading.

Caitlin,

I enjoyed our talk last night. I apologize for cutting it short. Let's not make it our last.

Ari

It couldn't be…could it? Suddenly, all the pieces fell into place: the secrecy, the seemingly random nature of the gifts, her odd behavior. The name…her given name.

Not Kate, as she insisted everyone call her. Caitlin.

The air rushed out of his lungs, and anger refilled them.

"Tony! Where the hell is Kate?"

Tony looked up at his tone. "She said something about going to see Abby."

Clutching the card, he stormed toward the elevators, pressing the down arrow furiously.

NCIS Lab

"I…I sorta need to talk to someone, Abby." Kate fidgeted nervously.

Abby cocked her head at her and leaned against the desk in the outer lab. "What about? Is it serious?"

"Yeah, its pretty serious, Abby." Kate took a deep breath but before she could get anything out, Abby's face alerted her to another person's presence.

As she turned, a hand grabbed her elbow roughly, applying enough pressure so she couldn't escape.

"Abby…out." He practically growled at the lab tech, who left post-haste, obviously not wanting to be the person on the other end of Gibbs wrath.

Once Abby was gone, Kate yanked her arm out of his grasp and turned toward him. "What is wrong with you?"

"I don't understand." His voice was strong, and very angry.

"You don't understand what, Gibbs?" she asked, confused by his behavior.

He stalked across the room, facing the brick, trying to get control of his raging fury. Taking a deep breath, he spun around, holding the card between his index and middle finger. Kate instantly paled and Gibbs knew he was right; it was Ari, the man he hated with every bone in his body. She was…communicating with him, at the very least. With that thought, he took a menacing step toward her, allowing his fury to show on his face.

"Tell me this isn't what I think." He took another step closer. "Tell me this isn't him." Another step. "Tell me those other gifts weren't from him." One more step and he was face to face with her, maybe twelve inches apart. "Tell me it isn't what I think, Kate. Because if it is…." He let the sentence hang, unsure himself.

She looked down briefly before looking back at him. "I can't tell you that." She literally watched his face fall.

But just as quickly, his expression changed to disappointment. "You've been communicating with him -- the gifts, the flowers, all from him?"

"Yes."

"I don't understand, Kate. I really don't. This doesn't make sense to me -- you are smarter than this, you should know better!" Gibbs tried to keep calm, but was failing miserably; it was almost too much for his brain to process at once.

Something in his tone set Kate off; he had no right. "I don't have to explain my actions to you, Gibbs."

His eyes widened. "Oh, yes, you do, Kate. I want to know why. Why you would talk to this bastard, accept gifts, have ANY kind of a relationship with him?"

She refused to give him one inch -- the man had no right demanding anything from her, Gibbs didn't have jurisdiction over her personal life. "That's none of your damn business, Gibbs. I can see who I want, when I want, without having to check with you."

Gibbs felt his anger rising. "What is wrong with you? Do you understand what you're even doing? This man held you, Ducky and Gerald hostage, put Gerald in physical therapy, kidnapped you again, and to top it all off, killed someone. Or have you already forgotten all that with a few gifts?" He let the implication hang; he hadn't meant to say it, but in his anger, it just came out.

"Fuck you, Gibbs. I cannot be bought." Her eyes narrowed at him, not caring what she had just said to the man who could fire her in a second.

"No? Then please explain to me why." He tone was demanding.

She relented slightly. "Because I listened to his side…."

"He doesn't GET a side, Kate!" Gibbs screamed and stepped away from her, needing a second to cool down. "He doesn't deserve a side!"

This time Kate approached him slowly. She had not actually decided whether or not to trust Ari yet, but she didn't like the stance Gibbs was taking -- refusing to even listen before making up his mind, not trusting her to make a decision. "You refuse to see because that would be admitting you might be wrong about him; you are so set in your damn ways. You refuse to at least listen to what he has to say."

"And you have lost your damn mind! This is…wrong, Kate, and you have to stop."

She raised her eyebrows at him; there was NO way he was going to tell her what to do. "I'm sorry? I can't believe you just said that."

"I did. This is morally wrong, Kate. How do you think Gerald will feel? Or Ducky? Or Abby? Or, hell, Tony!"

She looked down; he had hit her sore spot, but she chose to ignore it. "I'm not 'seeing' him, Gibbs."

"But he is sending you gifts, and you talked to him on the phone. In my book, it's the same thing. That man took you hostage, Kate -- twice! How can you even contemplate having any kind of relationship with him?" With that, he slammed a fist onto the lab table, rattling several empty glass beakers. "He SHOT Gerald, for God's sake!"

"He shot you too, Gibbs!" She shouted back. "He could have killed you and Gerald both, but he didn't. And you know why? Because he didn't have to, because he didn't want to kill innocent people."

He gave her a look. "I don't give a shit why -- the point is he came in here and terrorized you. Why are you overlooking that? He is dangerous to you, Kate!"

"Because I listened, Gibbs. He was doing something for the good of his country, and ours. I may not like his methods, but at least I understand them." She lowered her voice. "I would have done the same for this country if asked."

He walked toward her, closing the gap between them to a few inches. "You understand? You understand. Well, that's just great. That makes it all better now." His voice dripped sarcasm.

"Save it, Gibbs. You just refuse to see past his deeds to the person he is."

"Oh yeah, I forgot…kind eyes."

"That's not all and you know it," she hissed.

He spoke in a low tone, his brain not stopping the words before they escaped him. "What else is there, Kate? What else have you seen?"

Fury flashed in her hazel eyes. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that."

Internally, Gibbs was thankful; he really hadn't meant to say it. "You still can't continue this."

That was it -- no one, and especially not Jethro Gibbs was going to tell her what to do in her personal life. "You know, what I do in my personal time is my business, Gibbs. You don't get a vote."

"It is my business when it involves a case," he shot back.

She narrowed her eyes. "He isn't a case anymore -- I thought Morrow and the FBI made that clear. He was never here, we don't know him."

"Apparently you do."

She threw her hands up in frustration, refusing to give into him, knowing perfectly well he wouldn't follow through on her upcoming threat. "Forget this, Gibbs. You can fire me if you want, that's your choice, but I'm not going to cut it off just because you tell me to. You dont have the right."

With that, she turned on one heel and stalked out. As soon as he heard the elevators doors close, Gibbs grabbed the nearest empty beaker and threw it against the far back brick wall, not hearing the sound as it shattered into a dozen pieces and rained down on the floor. He was too preoccupied with his anger to even bother cleaning it up; instead he tried to calm the raging emotions inside. The anger, the confusion, the feeling of betrayal, and the one he still refused to acknowledge. Even though that last emotion would explain his behavior, Gibbs didn't care because it was something he was still unwilling to face.

tbc………………………

In honor of Ari being revealed….

"You any good with this gun, Caitlin?" Ari

"Give it back and I'll demonstrate." Kate

"You're a very good shot." Ari

"I would love to demonstrate." Gibbs

"Funny, Special Agent Todd said the same thing."

"Tony, that bastards got her …" Gibbs

"Boss…" Tony

"He's got her…"