Strings 3

A/N: Charmed-angel4: I know! I know I forgot that thing! LOL Ducky's ever present liver thermometer rofl. Gibbs must be good with kids, but it depends on the kid, yah? See my logic? thinks Can I fool anyone? Besides, Liv is not any kid evil laugh

Eck, this chapter too longer than I wanted Every time I sat my butt in front of the comp words would just run away. Such evil thing! It wasn't writer's block coz I have the whole fic here pokes head yeah.

Oooh, okay folks. All of you Kate/Tony lovers, we are starting this Tate fansite: . If you love them as much as I'm sure you all do g go visit the site! ;D

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She could use the ten minutes to grab something to drink as a moment to think, to calm her nerves down. She couldn't really put a finger on what exactly was bothering her but it was making her cranky than Gibbs on a bad mood and Tony's ever present flirty attitude was annoying her at the moment, especially after what he said about Liv, which she really didn't need to be so rude to him.

After she had angrily stormed out of Abby's lab and her boiled up anger had been diminished she could think more clear and the fact that she had been completely unfair with Tony was only making matters worse for she'd have to apologize, to make a total fool of herself in front of him, to tell him why she HAD made a fool of herself in front of Tony AND Abby.

God, it was really all messed up and she had no idea why, but she knew she had to fix it soon, keep control of her emotions or else Gibbs would be on her back, asking what it was. She would never hear the end of Gibbs' speech and she honestly didn't want him getting into her life, into something she wasn't really sure herself. She had to deal on her own, not because someone -namely Gibbs- was pushing her to get a grip. It would only screw the situation even more. Not to mention that having to face Tony and saying certain words would be hard enough as it was. She wasn't proud, but it was Tony, that should be clear enough.

Kate held the cup of coffee tightly with both hands and not so patiently waited for the doors of the elevator to open. As she rested her head on the cool wall to soothe her headache away and closed her eyes. She decided she would go up and apologize to Tony, then next she would go find a damned aspirin; she really needed that one.

At the ding of the elevator announcing its arrival, Kate opened her eyes and stepped in front of the doors and as she was ready to get in she finally noticed the figure leaning on the silver wall inside. As soon as Tony noticed her too, he straightened up and held the doors open.

"Hey." He said slowly. "You coming up?"

She was silent for a second, biting her lip. Yes, she had decided to say she was sorry but she wasn't ready to meet Tony so soon. She would use the time inside the elevator to think of what to say to him. Screw it, she thought and gave Tony a tentative smile as she stepped inside. "Yeah."

As the doors closed the elevator fell into silence along with the fading of the ding and an unusual discomfort took over. Kate was leaned on one side of the elevator, holding on her cup for dear life, staring into the blackness of her coffee as if it would give her some answers, while Tony was leaned against the opposite wall, hands inside his pockets, staring at his feet.

She couldn't remember another time they were in a situation like this, another time Tony was so quiet. It was scary, she realized, because Tony was never quiet, not even when she begged him to shut up and what was worse was that for some reason she had gotten so used to his never ending bullshit -most of the time anyway- that now when he was indeed not speaking a word it felt so weird Kate wanted to tell him to say something. Just say something, anything.

She looked up at him, away from the black liquid swirling around inside the cup, hoping that he'd not see her glance, hoping he would and could read in her eyes her desperate need for some talk. He was looking at her already.

"I'm sorry." They both said at the same time and before either could stop it, a smile spread across their faces.

Tony reached a hand out and pressed the stop button of the elevator and with a soft shook, it stopped between floors. "I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry about the way I acted back at Abby's. I know she's just a kid and I didn't mean it to sound so... offensive. I was just saying that in an affection way."

Kate shook his head and took two steps to the other side of the elevator, to Tony. "I should be apologizing, not you." She said as she leaned against the back silver wall while Tony rested his body against the side wall and that way they were almost touching; close enough to fell each other's body heat. "I got too defensive when I didn't need to, and you know... The best defense..." She started but was interrupted by Tony, who finished it for her.

".. is a good offense. Yeah." He gave her then one of his smiles, it reaching his eyes, giving them sort of a warm glow Kate didn't want to think about at the moment. All she did, instead, was return his with a smile of her own and then dropped her eyes back to the so fascinating coffee.

"Yeah. It takes the focus off you; still, it wasn't right." She whispered softly.

Tony reached a hand out again to hit the same previous button, but this time the elevator started moving up; but what he really wanted, though, was reach out a hand and brush the lock of dark hair that had fallen over her face, as she looked down, to rest his palm against the softness of her rosy cheek and feel her lean into his touch, accept it. Instead he put on the flirtatious attitude he -she- was used to. "You know," He said after a while of silence, staring at her. "I'm getting jealous."

As soon as the word was out of his mouth, Kate's head snapped up with such hurry that her shocked face almost hid the wide eyes she had on at the moment. "Excuse me?"

Tony laughed and pointed at her cup. "Come on, Kate, that thing can't be more interesting than me!"

Slightly more relieved, Kate let out a breathy laugh and took another quick look at the coffee before glancing up at Tony with a sarcastic smile. "Anything is more interesting than you, Tony."

"Hah! See that?" He pointed a finger at her then waved his hand between them. "We are best buddies again!" Grinning like an idiot, mostly to make her laugh than to really make a fool of himself, he gently kicked her foot with his own. "That means we're good again, right? You can't say no now!"

Kate tried all her best to keep a smile on its corner instead of plastered on her face and shook her head slightly, not believing on his words. "God, Tony. You really are impossible." She said just as the doors opened and she stepped outside. "Besides, it's a little difficult to be mad at you for too long." She flashed a grin over her shoulder and paced quickly to her desk, leaving an amused Tony to follow behind.

"I knew it!" He said in a yell of triumph as that previous grin was back on. "I knew that somewhere inside Caitlin Todd there was a room for Anthony DiNozzo." And as soon as his words were out Kate swirled around to face him just as Gibbs did the same and she wasn't able to stop the blushing from creeping up her neck and cheeks.

"Tony!"

"What?" He was so used to his sexual innuendos and horny attitude and speak that he didn't notice the double meaning of his words until it was too late -and after he gave it a little thought- and he too joined Kate on the blushing. "Hey! I didn't mean it like that! I swear!"

"That means you two on good terms again?" Gibbs stared at Tony but didn't really give Tony time to answer, for, well he didn't really want one, as he kept on talking. "Good job, DiNozzo. And next time think before acting. It would be nice now and then to keep a hold of your big mouth."

"Ah... Sure thing, Boss." He replied, knowing fully well that disagreeing with Gibbs wasn't a good thing. As he found his way to his desk and sat, he exchanged a look with Kate and they both chuckled.

They were back to normal.

x

"McGee." Gibbs acknowledged as the junior agent as he joined the rest of the team in the bullpen. "What do you got?" he was fast to ask, not waiting for McGee to sit or gather his bearings; there was no time to.

"Ah," He started, already feeling nervous for all the eyes on him, especially Gibbs' staring so deeply into him that made McGee shiver. Damn. He opened the notepad he was using to read the notes on the conversation with Mrs. Weezer and remember the facts he may have forgotten. "She said she was walking up the path to the door and saw through the window a man inside, holding a knife. She couldn't see the his face because the curtains were only slightly open and she saw his back instead." McGee gazed at Gibbs then Tony and Kate, a nervous look on his face, almost asking the other agents for help, then looked back at his boss. "She said she will be glad to help with anything if it's needed. She kinda felt guilty for not being able to ID the guy."

Gibbs was silent for a moment, thinking about McGee words and what to do next. But his train of thought was interrupted by McGee, when he gave a little yelp.

"Oh, one thing, though. She said he had a scar on his hand, the one holding the knife. She's wasn't sure but it may be the right hand."

"That's a good thing. We can search the database for any perpetrator with scars. If he was ever arrested." Tony said, already typing on his computer.

"What else?"

McGee squirmed on his chair under Gibbs look, he always managed to make him feel nervous, especially because Kate and Tony seemed to pair up to harass him whenever they had the chance to make him look like a fool in front of Gibbs and knowing they were both there, ready to shoot wasn't helping at all. "According to the neighbors, the McCole's were very nice people, always kind, smiling. They were always willing to help anyone. No one could figure out why kill them. Mrs. Weezer said that after their daughter came along they only got happier than usual; it had been like a blessing."

"The perfect family." Gibbs muttered and pinched the tip of his nose, rubbing his eyes after. The perfect family, just the kind that wouldn't be killed by anyone, the kind that was more difficult to find the person who did it, who took the lives of people who, apparently, had no reason to die. They would need to dig these people's backgrounds and pasts, to discover every little bit of information they could be able to find and figure out why someone would want to kill them, the reason behind the double murder; triple, if it wasn't for the little girl's lucky star.

It hadn't been a simple breaking and entering of any delinquent to steal some money that had turned out bad because as far as they could tell, nothing there had been taken, none of the valuable pieces in the house, or jewelry or anything that could be sold, it had been a serious, premeditated murder of two innocent people; three -hadn't it been for Mrs. Weezer coming and seeing the murderer inside, calling the police, making the intruder run away before he could have killed one more.

That was bugging Gibbs more than anything, the reason for the murder, the key to solving the case. Discovering why they were wanted dead would lead to who had killed them.

"Kate, I want you to dig up any an all information on the McCole's. They were killed for a reason and I want to know why. Every one has secrets." Kate only nodded and immediately went to work on her computer. "Good job, McGee." Gibbs said, giving him a sincere look and walked towards the elevator. "I'm gonna check with Ducky and see if he found anything." And was gone before his agents had time to nod.

x

"I have news for you, Jethro." Ducky said as soon as Gibbs stepped into the room, his accent high pitched by the echoing inside the sterile place. Before Gibbs could even speak a word, Ducky turned to him holding a scalpel while the other hand went to his face to take the white mask off his mouth and acknowledge Jethro Gibbs with a nod.

"Good news I hope." Gibbs replied and took a deep gulp of his coffee.

"Oh it is, my dear Jethro." And he gave his friend a smile. "I can certainly say they're not victims from the serial killer. The wounds, although similar, are not exactly alike. See the stab here?" He asked, pointing his gloved finger to the recently cleaned out deep cut bellow the woman's bellybutton. "The other victims had no stab like this. They were wounded four times, once right on their liver, twice on the heart and an ear-to-ear cut. This beautiful young lady here has one stab on her belly and a cut on her neck. Superficial I could say." Ducky lingered his hands over the neck cut, taking another deep look.

"At least that." Gibbs sighed. "How did they die?"

"I see signs of light suffocation, but it seems whoever tried to close off her oxygen wasn't able to make it through. The young lady bled to death. I still need Abby's results of their blood, though, just to make sure. I can almost certainly affirm the belly stab was fatal, reaching her wound and making her bleed. ." Ducky stared deeply at Colonel McCole's face almost as if in sorrow for her, then looked back at Gibbs. "Do you think this is symbolical?"

Gibbs got into another one of his deep thoughts momentums and while he was having a silently discussion with himself, Ducky stood beside him quiet, wondering whether or not he would come to a conclusion this soon.

"Maybe." Was Gibbs' short answer followed by a fast question, "And how did the Commander die?"

They moved to Robert McCole's table right beside his wife's as Ducky talked. "Same way. He was a little beaten up, differently for his wife. And his wrists had been tied down." Ducky reached out a gloved hand and lifted Robert's bruised and purple wrist. It was slightly cut too, which Ducky was ready to explain. "The cuts were made by something sharp and small, a razor maybe or a small piece of glass."

"We found broken glass in the leaving room." Gibbs nodded.

"Hmm, so we just figured out what he used to untie himself free." Ducky gave Gibbs another smile and looked down at the body again. "See these marks on his face? Probably from a struggle, a punch maybe, or something hit him hard on the face. I know this tribe in Africa who used to punch each member on the face, an interesting story actually..." Ducky started one more of his never-ending life stories but was soon cut off by Gibbs.

"How did he die, Ducky?"

"Hum, yeah, right, but we have to get back to this conversation later." Gibbs only give him a look, his face deadpan and waited for the answer he wanted. Turning the man's head to the side so Ducky could show his skull, he pointed to the hole. "Skull concussion. My take is that the killer intended on making him bled to death by the stabs, which would have happened if he waited long enough, but with the cops arriving and the probability of the Commander being save, he was powerfully hit with something very hard on the head, enough to break the bone and penetrate the brain. That killed him."

Gibbs nodded, his deadpan expression still on, careful not to show any emotions he might be feeling, only letting appear what he wanted people to think. He was good at that. He was a master at making people fear him with as much as a look, at making people do what he wanted with a sentence, he could manipulate a bad or a dead end situation in a way to always benefit him and his wishes, that was what made him good, that was what made him one of the best agents out there.

Finally, Gibbs sighed and gave the medical examiner a meaningful look. "Thanks Ducky. Anything else you find, call me first thing."

"Don't worry, Jethro. You will be the first to know."

Taking another sip of his black coffee, Gibbs nodded again and as sudden as he had appeared, he was gone and in less then a minute he was back in between his team desks as they stopped whatever they were doing to stare at Gibbs and wait for his commands. During the short walk there Gibbs pondered on what to do and with the few evidences and unhelpful statements they had there wasn't much they could to do, besides doing exactly what Kate didn't want to; talk to the daughter. That was a double murder with no suspects and motives for their death so Gibbs couldn't let any one's personal feelings cloud their judgment and get in the way of the investigation. He had said so to Kate and that little fact so many times he was getting tired of remembering people about that.

He'd tell Kate where they were going, she'd give him that disapproving, incredulous look he saw her giving them so many times, believing that no one had noticed, he'd stare back at her daring her to argue with, which would lead to a nod, or a yes boss, or only a sigh and she'd follow him, she'd show him just how professional she could be, remember him just why she had been hired and why her being part of the team made it what it was now, just how good it was. Everyone there, every agent under his watch made the team one of the bests, Gibbs had to admit that much, his agents were a helluva good and besides the fact some could get more emotional than he'd like, it was part of the job. If any of them stopped caring then being a NCIS agent wasn't the right job for them.

He could, though, understand why Kate felt the way she did, after all it was only a 6 years old girl who probably saw her parents being murdered but there wasn't much they could do. If she was the only one who could help catch the guy, they'd have to put her through it as hard as it may seem. Sometimes doing the right wasn't exactly easy, but after so many closed cases, so much closure brought to the families, the reward later was the best part, was what made it all worthy. Forcing the little girl to revive that night was certainly the last thing he wanted, but was necessary.

Giving Kate a look he was sure she'd understand, he said, "Kate, you and me are going to talk to Olivia McCole's." And there it was, the look, the attitude he knew would come. This time she sighed and nodded as she grabbed her coat and made herself ready to follow him. As Gibbs gave Kate another look, but one of sincere caring, he turned away before she could see it and shifted his attention to Tony, "DiNozzo," The flirty, good-looking agent looked up with a snap of his head, looking almost as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn't and was about to receive a slap upside the head.

"Yeah, boss?"

"You keep looking through the database for the man with a scar. Any sign you found something, work on it and give me a call."

"Sure, Boss" Tony nodded, sounding almost relieved he didn't get a scold. Funny, Gibbs though, was Tony finally growing up and realizing that annoying teenager attitude of his? As he caught sight of a paperclip softly flying on Kate's direction, landing on her hair, Gibbs sighed; not exactly he had to admit. Kate immediately reached for the paperclip and gave Tony one of her 'Grow-up-DiNozzo' looks, which only earned her a toothy grin from Tony.

Gibbs simply sighed. There was nothing he could do about this High School situation he got to go through every day. As much as he hated to think about it, he had to admit that it was only a matter of time until either Tony and Kate would kill each other -most likely Kate shooting Tony- or they would end up in bed, releasing all the tension built up for two years. He wasn't sure which one he would rather have because losing one of his agents didn't seem like a good idea -even though having no childish attitudes from Tony sounded nice- and neither sounded good them in a relationship because or Tony would end up hurting Kate, or things would be so serious Gibbs would have to quit before watching such sweet endearments from them, which he was sure would happen. Tony being the flirty he was and Kate being the old-fashioned chick she was would end up in office scenes Gibbs would rather not know.

"Let's go." He said and as he walked to the elevator, he caught a glance of Kate making a face to Tony as they passed him.

x

Blah, chapter 3 done. What do you think?