Chapter 8

Ari stood in the darkness and stared out of the window at the city below him and cursed the man who haunted him. Perhaps it would be better if he were dead, he thought bitterly to himself, knowing that in truth it wouldn't.

Before he had met Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs he had known just what his mission was. There had been no doubts in his mind about his actions and the necessity of them. But know when he was alone and silent the doubts crept in, worming their way into his mind and soul and undermining who and what he was.

Ari Haswari was in no doubt of what he was, he was a killer, a trained murdered and that had always been fine with him. It was what he had been bred for. But since meeting Gibbs he had seen an alternative, one that he had always believed was unattainable for him, but one that suddenly he yearned for. To fight openly for the cause he truly believed in. And he hated Gibbs for it.

He turned as he heard the door open silently, his senses attuned to everything around him, just as they had been for as long as he could remember.

"Well?" he asked the woman standing framed in the light spilling from the hallway.

"I believe it will be successful" Jules Therese answered, as she closed the door and walked towards Ari, her hips swaying seductively, nothing of Rose Stellar in her manner anymore.

"You believe?" Ari queried, his voice dropping to a caress, his soft accent casting a deceptive warmth to his words.

"He called his friend Ducky" she said as she sidled up to Ari, her arms brushing around his neck. "But I doubt they will be able to save him" she murmured as she stood on tip toe, whispering the last into his ear. Ari pulled her tightly to him, his arm snaking around her neck, before gripping it harshly as he forced her head back so that she stared up at him. The passion in her eyes turned to a fiery hatred as he stared down at her.

"You will pay dearly if you have failed me" he warned her, his tone still that of a lover, his eyes a deep dark pool that was unreadable.

"What? Like you have failed three times?" she spat at him, pulling free from his grasp and moving away to glare at him in defiance. "Isn't that why they brought me in?" she taunted "because you failed?"

Ari watched her calmly, his eyes amused at the petite spitfire before him, for a moment a brunette flashed before his eyes but he squashed her image quickly.

"Tread carefully, my love" he warned tenderly "I wont hesitate to kill you if you have failed in this" he turned to the drink on the table and sipped the whiskey, before turning to face the red head. "You were sent because I wanted you" he said, his eyes drifting down to her breasts, his meaning obvious.

"Go to hell" Jules spat at him, before turning and leaving the room.

Ari turned back to the window and stared once more at the city below him.

"I already am" he said to the empty room, as he downed the last of the fiery alcohol in one swallow. Once more cursing Gibbs and wishing him dead, whilst also praying that Jules had indeed failed in her task.

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Abby sat in the waiting room staring out of the window as she tried to count the stars and listen to the Doctor explain to them all what was happening to Gibbs.

"It appears Agent Gibbs has been exposed to acute levels of arsenic, most likely through ingestion. He has already had charcoal therapy, to try and absorb any remaining poison in his stomach." He looked over at the silent Abby, knowing that she was listening, "thanks to Miss Sciuto's analysis we have been able to act quickly and hopefully limit the damage the arsenic does to his body. However from Agent Gibbs's symptoms and the levels in his hair sample, it is very clear that the initial poisoning began sometime yesterday." The Doctor paused and looked at the others around him, "The Arsenic levels are high and so we are treating him aggressively, with Dimercaprol as the chelation therapy and we will also be starting haemodialysis very soon"

"Hemo-what?" Tony asked, his face showing just how confused he was at the medical term. Ducky smiled slightly at the Doctor before interpreting the medical jargon.

"A process where Jethro's blood is filtered to remove the arsenic from it" Ducky explained to them all.

"So what is this chelation thing then?" Tony asked trying to fully understand what was happening to his friend and boss.

"Chelation is where a chemical such as Dimercaprol is injected into the blood to bind the arsenic to it, preventing it from doing further damage and allowing the body to expel it." Abby answered softly, not looking at them, but continuing to stare out of the window at the stars.

Everyone turned to look at Abby, hoping that she would join them, but she remained where she was. Alone.

"I am afraid that Jethro is in a critical condition" Ducky said, his eyes watching Abby carefully, noting in concern the way she had flinched at his words. "All we can do is wait now" he concluded sadly, looking older than his years.

"Yeah wait and see if he develops cardiac failure, or kidney failure or liver failure" Abby said bitterly, "or just wait and see if he dies" She said, her voice becoming angry. Everyone looked at her in shock, Abby was normally positive and upbeat, and she always found a reason to hope for the best. It really wasn't like Abby to be this bitter, but then it wasn't often the man you loved was deliberately poisoned.

"Or we can wait for Gibbs to recover" Liz said softly, crossing the room to Abby, gently placing her arm around her shoulders. "And perhaps it would be best if you wait with him" she continued turning to look at the doctor in question, and warning.

"Well, I don't …" he began, about to refuse permission.

"…see what harm it could do" Ducky overrode him, his eyes warning the doctor to stay silent. The Doctor swallowed nervously before nodding his permission. He had heard about Dr Mallard, and knew that that he was a friend of just about every senior medical person you cared to mention. Including his own boss.

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Ari sat on his sleek black motorbike and watched as Liz, McGee and Ducky left the hospital, heading for their car, obviously returning to the NCIS building. He watched as the car drove past him, taking little notice of him.

When they were out of sight he slowly raised his visor and looked up at the hospital, his eyes scanning the windows as if he could tell which one was Gibbs in just by looking.

Suddenly he snapped his visor back down and revved the bike to life, speeding down the road with a roar.

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Abby sat next to Gibbs and watched as the IV bottle dripped into his arm, replacing fluids and electrolytes that he had lost. She turned her head slightly and watched as the machine slowly filtered Gibbs's blood a few drops at a time, extracting the deadly arsenic from his system.

She lay her head down on the bed next to his hand and listened to the sound of the machines working for him and monitoring him.

Abby had never felt so helpless in her life all she wanted was for her Gibbs to wake up and tell her to get to work. But she knew that he wasn't going to, and although she and the hospital were hopeful that he would survive the poisoning there was still the very real fear that it would have damaged his body beyond repair. Or worse still damaged his incredible mind. And so Abby sat next to him and waited.

Sometime later Abby walked out of Gibbs's room and crossed to where Tony was sitting in the corridor. They were taking no chances until they knew who had done this and why, and so Tony, Liz or McGee would stay on guard with Gibbs at all times. Tony had sat inside the room with Abby for awhile but had left to give her some privacy with Gibbs. Abby had smiled at him, joking that she had always wanted to jump an unconscious man in a hospital bed. Tony had laughed and told her he would expect nothing less from her. It was at times like this, she thought, that you realise just how close you are to your friends. And often in the stupid things that are said to relieve tension, things that are only really understood by those who love you.

"I'm going back to the lab" Abby said softly as she stood looking down at Tony. She watched as he straightened up, his eyes shooting to the now closed door to Gibbs's room.

"Why Abby?" he asked in confusion, shocked that she would consider leaving Gibbs for a moment, having been gearing himself to go in there and force her to go and get something to eat.

"Because there is nothing I can do here, but I can help him at the lab" Abby said softly, her eyes tired and sad.

Tony stood up and gently pulled her into his arms for a hug.

"It's what he would tell you to do anyway" He said softly into her hair, knowing what it was costing her to leave, but also knowing that she was right.

"Yeah" she whispered, hugging Tony back "and this way he can't dock my wages" she laughed sadly, referring to the standing joke that Gibbs was a slave driver to them all.

With that Abby slowly stepped away from Tony and nodded towards the door.

"Keep him safe" she said, trying not to cry "Or I will be forced to tell that blonde I saw you with that you kiss guys" she teased him, with her first real grin for awhile.

"Once, and in the line of duty" Tony retorted in mock anger, knowing that he would never be allowed to forget the case where the woman he had kissed had in fact been a man. "And her name is Rochelle" he muttered a slight grin on his face at the image of her.

"Jail bait more like" Abby retorted, slipping back into her normal self for a moment, before turning to stare at the closed door. Tony reached over and touched her arm.

"He'll be ok" he said softly, showing the rare softer side of himself. "He loves you too much not to fight" he finished gently, before reaching out for the door handle to Gibbs's room and entering without another word. Abby watched the closed door for a moment before nodding and turning to leave.

Tony stood in the silent hospital room and looked at his boss.

"Don't make a liar out of me boss" he murmured before pulling a chair close to the bed and sitting down to keep vigil at the side of the man who was more than his boss, the man who was the father he wished he had had.