Title: Sometimes They Come Back
Author: redwing
AN: Ill say it every time you guys leave reviews. Thank you! Thank you! You keep reviewing and Ill keep writing. I need you to suspend that disbelief and have faith for ONE more chapter. There is just one after this and all will be revealed.
That said....those who are looking for Ari/Kate....Id say your odds are slim, but feel free to read the last chapter and perhaps make up your own ending. Heh.
Only one chapter left now, its kinda sad.
Chapter 5: Anger Management
Tony watched as Kate reappeared and carefully moved the vase to the top of her filing cabinet. That done, she sat down, never looking up at him. Tony could feel the anger radiating off her in waves. A few minutes later, Gibbs reappeared and also sat at his desk, not saying a word, although he didn't even glance in Kate's direction. If he could feel Kate's anger, then Gibbs' could have knocked him over. This was more than his usual Gibbs crankiness; they had both been fine before they both went down to the lab. Something had happened, Tony just didn't know what.
He was staring at them when his phone started ringing. Looking down at the caller ID, he picked it up quickly. It was Abby -- maybe she would have answers.
"Hey, Abby," he said cheerfully.
"Tony, what the hell is going on up there?"
"Huh? Why?"
"Because when I came back to the lab after being practically shoved out by a very cranky-looking Gibbs, one of my beakers had found a new home on the floor, shattered."
Tony startled at that; Gibbs might be a bastard, but Tony had never seen him display physical violence at NCIS, unless it was directed at a bad guy. And he couldn't picture Kate throwing it in any circumstance, which left him just confused.
"I don't know," he said slowly while alternately staring at Gibbs then Kate, who seemed to purposely have their backs to each other, stony expressions gracing both their faces as they worked.
"I'm worried," she said, and it was apparent in her voice.
"Yeah, me too. I'll let you know." With that, Tony hung up the phone, his eyes never leaving the other two agents. Their body language spoke volumes; something was going on, and it seemed more than just a run of the mill fight. And Tony suspected it started with the flowers, or at least ended there.
Kate sat at her desk, fuming. He really didn't have any right to talk to her that way, or treat her like a child incapable of making the correct decisions. It was none of his damn business if she chose to communicate with Ari; he couldn't demand she stop and then seriously expect her to obey like a good little housewife. It wasn't his place, regardless of their dealings with Ari in the past. Determined, she snapped a file closed loudly, not even looking to see Gibbs snap his head up at her.
He stared at the back of her head, still incredibly angry. It had taken every ounce of strength he had to get control and return to the bullpen, without even giving her a glance. He could tell she was still pissed by her posture; she sat straight up, back to him, and he could sense the anger. How could she be so stupid? Gibbs didn't understand why she wouldn't listen to him. She was the most stubborn agent had ever had the fortune of working with. Usually it served her, and him, well, but now it just annoyed him. He wanted to shake and yell at her, anything to make her see this was a bad idea -- that terrorists, no matter their allegiance, were not to be trusted. Ari would wind up hurting her in the end, one way or another, Gibbs was sure of it. Turning his head, he noticed Tony watching them.
"Where's my report, DiNozzo?" he snapped, taking his frustrations out on Tony.
"Printing, boss." The younger agent stated and turned around to face his printer, without another word.
For the next week, Kate and Gibbs avoided each other at all costs, only speaking when absolutely necessary and even then the words that were spoken, were terse. No pleasantries, just case-related talk.
They had both been given a large pat on the back for the Bergman case on the last day of that week -- Morrow had been extraordinarily pleased. Tony had started a sparring match with Kate about it, saying something about her being a brown-noser, but she didn't return the verbal jabs. Instead, she gave him a nasty look and sat down quietly. Tony had looked at her, confused; this was unlike Kate and Tony wanted to know what was going on. Not just because he was nosey, but because he could sense her drifting away from the team, and that was dangerous. So he stood and crossed the aisle to her desk, perching on the edge closest to her.
"Kate, what's going on?" he asked sincerely.
"Nothing, Tony."
He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Something is, because you and Gibbs are both acting…weird."
"Tony…don't worry about it." She tried to shrug him off, but Tony was more persistent than that.
"But I am. You haven't spoken two words to Gibbs since those flowers came, and he's been pissier than usual. This is how he was after divorce number three, and I really don't want to go back to that, Kate. It wasn't a pleasant place to be."
She was getting annoyed now and let it show in her tone. "Let it go, Tony."
Tony stood up, hands in the surrender position. "Ok, ok. I just wanted to make sure everything was all right."
Immediately, she felt bad; Tony really hadn't done anything. "Sorry, Tony. Just….not right now."
He leaned into her one more time. "If you want to talk…"
She turned and smiled at him for the first time in nearly a week. "I will, thanks."
He nodded and turned back to his desk, just missing a near collision with Gibbs.
Gibbs let out an exasperated yelp. "Tony!"
"Sorry, boss."
"Don't be sorry, watch where you are going." His tone was nasty, more so than usual for Gibbs.
Kate finally bristled, turning to her boss. "You know; if you're angry with me, don't take out on Tony."
Gibbs seemed surprised to hear words from her, and especially those. "I'm not taking anything out on anyone."
"My ass," she muttered under her breath before putting her voice up to normal volume. "I'm leaving for the day, the Martin report is on your desk."
With that she stood, collecting her coat and purse before practically stalking out of the bullpen and disappearing down the elevator. Tony watched her go, his jaw left open at her behavior; no one left before Gibbs said…no one. Turning slowly, he expected to see anger on his boss' face, but instead, something else flitted across it…Tony could have sworn it was regret.
Kate poured the second glass of wine for the evening and sat back on her couch, taking a long sip of the liquid. It felt good going down, relaxing. It was the first relaxing minute she'd had that week, all the rest had been laden with tension between her and Gibbs. She could see it in the way he looked at her like he was disappointed in her. For the first couple days, Kate had felt at least a little bit guilty, but when he continued acting like an ass, she stopped feeling guilty and started getting mad. He had no right to act like that; he could be disappointed all he wanted, that was his right. But Gibbs pushed the boundaries when he started treating her like a nuisance. He had seemingly lost all trust in her, not even allowing her to do the basic investigative stuff without himself or Tony around. It felt like her first week instead of her second year. It only took about a day of that before she completely stopped talking to him unless she had to, and made sure her body language communicated anger.
Even Tony had noticed their adversarial behavior, and she felt no need to tell the younger agent what was going on. Apparently neither had Gibbs, and while she half expected him to tell Tony, somehow she knew that no matter how bad it got between them, it was between just them. Gibbs would not betray her secret, not yet anyway.
At some point, it had stopped being about Gerald and Ducky and had become about Gibbs. Her anger at Gibbs telling her what she should and shouldn't do overshadowed her logic and guilt. And she did feel guilt; even after they had all been told the truth about Ari, none of them were swayed. Ducky still wanted the man's liver. But none of them had spoken to him at length, and heard what he had to say. And they wouldn't if they could.
Suddenly, her phone started ringing. Kate ignored it, but after the third ring, and before voice mail picked up, she changed her mind.
Lifting the cell, she noted the "blocked call" on the LCD display. It was Ari. Taking another sip of wine, she opened the phone.
"Hello."
"Caitlin…" His soothing voice came across the line. "How are you?"
"Fine, thank you for the flowers." She set the glass down and bit her lip.
"You're very welcome. A beautiful woman such as yourself deserves such things."
Regret started to creep into her, she shouldn't be doing this. "Ari…."
He seemed to sense her intentions. "You want to end this, don't you?"
She wasn't surprised he knew. "Yes."
"Why, Caitlin?"
"Because…it's wrong."
"That's not an answer, and you know it. Is it wrong to you, or to them?"
"Them?"
"Your colleagues…Gibbs."
She was careful with her words. "My colleagues don't know."
"But Gibbs does." His voice was calm and smooth, just touched by amusement.
"How did you…?"
"Come now, Caitlin. You are all investigators. I sent a card with the flowers. It was…inevitable."
"Why would you send a card?" she wanted to know, for it seemed like a foolish thing for him to do.
"I was tired of hiding, as should you be." He paused. "How did Gibbs take it?"
"Not well…"
"I'm guessing he was angry, probably furious. Went on about the morality of having a relationship with me."
"You must have been in the room."
His voice lowered. "No, I just know men like Agent Gibbs. They hide their true intentions with arguments that have no rational basis."
She started at that. "True intentions?"
"Agent Gibbs hides a lot under that surface of his." His voice held a tone of regret. "But I didn't call to talk about him, Caitlin."
"So why did you call?"
"To hear your voice."
"I'm sorry, Ari, but this will have to be the last time you hear my voice," she tried again.
"Caitlin, you can't allow the feelings of others to guide you."
"These aren't other people's feelings! They are mine. And they are telling me to end…this. Whatever we have. Before it gets too far."
"What do we have?" he asked, and she heard him shuffle the phone.
"I don't know…"
"How can you end something if you don't know what it is? Give this a chance, Caitlin. You never know." She paused and he took advantage. "Give it a chance."
"And what? Have an over-the-phone relationship with a man who twice held me hostage? It's ridiculous."
"That's Gibbs talking." He paused. "What if it's not over the phone? And next time I won't hold you hostage."
"Pardon?"
"Tomorrow is Saturday. Dinner in Georgetown. Eight."
"I…where are you?" She asked, confused.
"Doesn't matter. I can be there. Will you?"
She was stunned -- words wouldn't come to her. "I don't…."
"I'll be at Mario's at 8 PM. If you come and you still decide you don't want to see me, then it will be over. I promise you."
"I'll think about it."
"I'll be there."
"Goodnight," she said softly.
"Sweet dreams, Caitlin."
She hung up the phone and curled back into the couch. It had all become so real so quickly -- it had been him she had seen outside the deli the other day. He was already here, checking on her, which was a little…off-putting. He wanted to see her again, and this time without forcing the matter. She couldn't deny a small amount of physical attraction to him, and honestly Kate would love the chance to speak with Ari again - it was a tempting offer, and it was only dinner, in a public place. And if it didnt work, she could walk away forever. Hopefully. What would be the harm?
Jethro Gibbs' Basement
Saturday Afternoon
Once again, Gibbs found himself in the basement, taking out frustration on his beloved boat. With each scrape of paper against wood, his mind cleared. Now she had infuriated him; she couldn't be serious about not breaking it off with Ari.
Scrape
Ari. The bastard had taken her from him twice.
Scrape
Kate. She didn't understand, she couldn't understand.
Scrape
Him.
Scrape
Him, the ever logical, by-the-book Gibbs. The bastard. The man who didn't feel, who didn't show emotions.
Scrape
She made him feel.
Scrape
tbc……………………………………
"NCIS does not leak. These plans get out…you can shoot DiNozzo."
"No, I think I'm destined to shoot you."
