1A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Ya'll are great keep it up, please! Just out of curiosity, is anyone else a little upset with Ziva? Just a question. Enjoy.
WARNING: SOME VIOLENT CONTENT AHEAD
Ch. 13: Taking the Bait
Luckily Tony and Kate had gone through the day without any problems. It was now 7PM and Tony and Kate had just gotten word from Gibbs that Anthony was back at home and doing okay. Then Gibbs told them he wanted to meet them somewhere late that night to discuss what else McGee had found out about the brothers. So they agreed to meet back at NCIS after midnight.
Tony ended up leaving his apartment around 11:30 PM and decided that if anyone asked him where he was going he would tell them he was going to a bar. But really he went ahead and went to NCIS. Then Kate followed suit around midnight and arrived at NCIS around 12:15 AM.
Once everyone had arrived they went down to Abby's lab to go over what they had found.
"Okay, I did some extra digging and found out that Mike was married about 15 years ago to a Marie Rosen, and they had a daughter named Annabelle. Then seven years ago Mike left to go to the store, when he came back he found his wife and six year old daughter murdered. His fingerprints were found on the murder weapon, which was kitchen butcher knife, but they couldn't find anymore evidence against him. But the police said there was no forced entry. Whoever it was either had a key or the front door was left unlocked when Mike left." McGee told everyone.
"What did Mike say about the front door?" Tony questioned McGee
"He said he didn't remember if he locked it or not" McGee answered
"So then what happened?" Gibbs asked
"They never had enough evidence to convict him, let alone anyone else. That's when he began to change. His superiors said he became more withdrawn and if anyone confronted him about something he would get very aggressive. And supposedly he lost his temper with his superior General Tina Brady and so she told him it would probably be best if he retired, so he could keep his pension, which he did, but then a week later General Brady was found dead in her house. She had been beaten and raped." McGee told them
"But his wife wasn't beaten and raped, right. So maybe he wasn't the one who killed her" said Kate
"Maybe, but he was the only one with a grudge against General Brady. Why didn't they convict him?" Tony questioned
"Once again, not any evidence. The front door was found unlocked. No forced entry, no prints. No semen sample. He used a condom." replied McGee
"So wait, was his wife raped?" asked Kate
"I don't know" answered McGee, who then received one of Gibbs' looks, "There was no report of a rape kit being done. So I assume that they didn't even check." McGee added, as he stepped away from Gibbs.
"So what made him show back up after five years?" Kate asked
"That's what we are here to find out" Gibbs told her
"How do we know it's him. I mean what kind of a connection did he have to those other women?" Tony asked
"Nothing as far as I can tell. The only connection is that they were all a Lt. or higher in the navy, which makes them superior to some. And they were all around 5'7, with brown eyes and brown hair." McGee told him
"So our only hope is if he takes the bait from us?" Kate asked
"Which is you" Tony commented to Kate
"Yep that's what it looks like" Gibbs told them
"Well I don't think he's interested" said Kate, "I mean his brother is, but Mike seems to keep his distance"
"Maybe that's how he works. That way no one can place him with the person he kills" McGee suggested
"Makes sense" added Tony
"Okay well you two keep this stuff in mind. Go ahead and head back to your apartment so no one notices your both missing" Gibbs told them. And as Tony and Kate turned to walk out Gibbs said to them,
"And make sure you're careful"
"Got it Boss" Tony told him, while Kate just smiled.
They both arrived at the apartment within ten minutes of each other, but neither one thought anything about it because it was almost 2 AM and they figured most the people would be asleep. But what they didn't know was that Matt happened to still be up and he saw the both of them go to their apartments, at different times of course, but he still became suspicious and a little jealous when he saw Kate coming in just a few minutes after Tony so he decide he would confront her about it the next night, since it would be Friday, because he figured he would take her out for dinner and then ask her if she was interested in Tony.
So the next day around 6 PM Matt spotted Kate walking into the apartment building, so he ran out of his apartment to meet her before she went upstairs.
"Hey Kate"
"Matt, hi, how are you?"
"Fine, listen, I was just wondering if you wanted to have dinner tonight?"
"Well I don't know, I mean I am really tired" she said trying to convince him of a reason for not wanting to go.
"Please, I promise just dinner and then maybe we could talk" he asked, with a look that reminded her of Tony's puppy face.
"Okay, as long as we aren't out late" she told him with a smile
"No problem" he told her, "How's 7 PM? Meet me at my apartment"
"Where will we be going?"
"It's a surprise"
"Okay, then see you at 7" she said as she turned to go up the stairs. She felt a little nervous, but she shook it off.
When she got inside her apartment she used her cell phone to call Tony's cell.
"Hey what's up?" he answered, knowing it was Kate
"Hey Matt asked me to have dinner with him tonight" she told him
"And"
"Something feels weird, I don't know"
"What are you Abby now?" Tony joked
"Tony I'm serious" Kate said sternly
"Okay, sorry, Just call him and tell him you don't feel good" he suggested
"No he said he wanted to talk"
"About what?"
"He didn't say. Maybe about his brother" she suggested
"I doubt it. Maybe he's onto us"
"He didn't act like it" she told him
"Where are you going to dinner?" he asked
"I don't know, he said it was a surprise"
"Uh-huh. I don't like that"
"I figured you wouldn't" she said with a smile
"You're smiling aren't you?" he questioned her
"How'd you know" she asked
"Because Kate, I've known you for almost thirteen years, and I've been married to you for ten of 'em" he smiled, "And you won't admit it, but I think you like it when I act protective"
"Maybe" she smiled
"Anyways, how about I follow you tonight?"
"I don't know"
"Look it's not like I've never done it before. He won't even know I'm there"
"Just make sure you're careful" she told him
"You too"
"See ya later. Love you" she told him
"Love you too babe, bye" he said, before hanging up.
When Kate hung up she started to get ready for her dinner with Matt. Even though she knew he wasn't a threat she still felt there was something not right about him, and so she was glad Tony said he would follow them.
Meanwhile Tony figured he'd shower and change since he had time. When he finished getting ready there was a knock on his door. When he opened it he expected to find Kate, but what he found was Becky.
"Hi Tony, sorry to bother you, but my sink is clogged up and Matt's not answering his phone. I was just wondering if you could help me out"
"Well I have to be somewhere at 7" he told her
"It shouldn't take that long. Probably ten minutes tops" she smiled
"Okay but if I can't fix it within ten minutes you'll just have to see if you can get hold of Matt again" he told her, shutting and locking his door behind him.
"Thank you so much" she said as she opened the door to her apartment.
As Tony began looking at her sink Becky started a conversation with him.
"So where are you going tonight?"
"I have a date"
"Oh really"
"Yeah, she's really great. And about us, I don't think it's gonna happen" he told her
"I understand, but just remember I'm always available"
"Yeah" he said, as he laid down under the sink, to take the drain apart.
It was five till six so Kate figured she'd go ahead and walk downstairs. When she got to Matt's door she knocked and he opened it up.
"Good evening Kate. Please come in" he told her as he stepped aside, revealing a candlelight dinner for two.
"Wow Matt, this is really nice. But I thought we were going out." she said to him
"I thought this would be more romantic" he told her
"Yes I suppose it is" replied Kate
So they sat down at the table and began their dinner. All the while Kate wondering if Tony had even noticed that she and Matt were in Matt's apartment.
While at Becky's apartment he had just gotten the drain unclogged and realized it was 7 PM, so he quickly got up and said to Becky,
"I'm really sorry I didn't put it back together but I really have to go" he told her as he quickly left her apartment, without letting her respond.
He then went downstairs and out the apartment building but didn't see Kate or Matt anywhere. He looked around the parking lot for Kate's car, hoping they had taken it so he could track them, but of course they hadn't. And he already knew that neither Matt nor Mike owned a car, that they knew of. This meant they either walked or took a cab. So he went back upstairs to his apartment to call the different restaurants in the area to check for reservations for a Matt Williams.
And while he was busy doing that Kate and Matt were downstairs having dinner. During dinner Matt brought up Tony in the conversation.
"So what do you think of this Tony character?"
"He seems nice" she answered, not wanting to give anything away.
"Think so? I saw the two of you come home pretty late last night" he told her
"I don't remember seeing him when I got here" she told him convincingly.
"Yeah he got here about ten minutes before you did" Matt told her, while looking at her suspiciously.
"Why were you watching me anyways?" Kate asked defensively
"I wasn't I was just up watching TV and heard a car drive up and saw Tony get out. Followed ten minutes later by you" he told her, with a creepiness to his voice.
"Well that sounds suspicious to me. What were you doing watching TV at 2 AM anyways?" she asked
"Couldn't sleep, not that it's any of your business" he told her sternly
"Just like my life is none of your business" she told him
"Look I was just jealous. I thought maybe you were interested in him, I mean he's interested in you. I can tell by the way he looks at you." Matt told her
"Would it matter if I was interested in him?" Kate asked
"Yes because you are dating me, so your mine not his" he told her angrily
"Excuse me. I am not property to be bought. And I never said I was dating you." she told him as she got up to go to the door.
But just as she was about to reach the doorhandle Matt pushed her hard from behind, causing her to hit her head, hard, on the door. Then he grabbed her around the neck, but she fought back by elbowing him in the ribs, and flipping him over her. And as she reached for the door again, he grabbed her by the ankles and pulled her down again and tried to climb on top of her, the whole time she was kicking and punching, busting his lip and leaving bruised everywhere she hit. He managed to get hold of her wrists and drag her to his bedroom as she kept kicking and screaming. He was afraid a neighbor might hear her scream so he grabbed what was nearest to him, which happened to be a metal vase. But when he let go of her to grab the vase she got up and ran, so he ran after her hitting her from behind with the vase. She hit the floor but still wasn't unconscious and she rolled over onto her back to fight him off, but she didn't have as much strength left so he hit her again with the vase and her world went black.
Meanwhile Tony had called every restaurant in the phone book, and hadn't found anything. Then his cell phone rang and it was McGee,
"Hey Tony guess what I found"
"I don't know McGee, why don't you tell me" Tony told him angrily
"Okay, geeze, what's your problem?"
"McGee just tell me what you found" said Tony
"I found a guy that worked with Mike for about three years. I went by and talked to him and guess what I found"
"McGee just tell me" Tony yelled through the phone at him.
"Okay, he told me that before Mike married Marie she was actually dating Matt"
"What"
"Yeah, and supposedly when Matt was away on a business trip Marie fell in love with Mike"
"McGee are you thinking what I'm thinking"
"Fat chance Tony"
"Was Matt in the towns where the women were murdered?"
"I don't know"
"We'll find out, I can't find Kate and I know she is with Matt. But I think he is the one who has murdered these women, not Mike"
"But Tony-"
"Just check McGee" Tony told him harshly, before hanging up. Then he went across the hall to Mike's apartment and banged on the door.
"What the hell is your problem?" Mike asked as he opened the door, beer in hand.
"Hey, your brother, where would he take a beautiful woman if he was going to surprise her?" Tony asked him as fast as he could.
"I don't know"
"Please it's really important" Tony begged, as his emotions began to show.
"What's it to you" Mike asked
"He is with the woman I love and I want to tell her that. Please" Tony begged again.
"He'd probably have dinner at his place" Mike told him, as he shut his door.
Tony immediately took off running down the hall.
Meanwhile, while Tony was on the phone Matt had managed to tie Kate's hands to his bed posts while she was unconscious, but now she was beginning to wake up. As she opened her eyes she saw Matt leaning over her.
"Well hello there beautiful. You're quite a fighter. Much stronger than the others" he told her as he reached down to touch her face. And as he did she jerked her head away from him, causing him to slap her across the face.
"There's no escaping me. Don't worry I'll try and make this quick, but it will be painful" he told her
"It was you that murdered all those women, not your brother" Kate said, glaring at him.
"How do you know about that?" Matt asked, a little frightened
"Because I'm not who you think I am" Kate told him with a smile
With that he took a knife off of his dresser and got on top of Kate, straddling her and bending down so that their faces were only inches apart, and he held the knife to her throat and said,
"Who the hell are you?"
"You wouldn't cut my throat would you? I mean it's not how you killed those other women" Kate told him
But this caused him to get angry and he pushed the knife harder onto her throat and blood started trickling down her neck.
"Okay, okay, I'm with NCIS" she told him, scared that he might actually slice her throat.
"Aghhh, Tony's your partner isn't he?"
"You have no idea" she said with a slight smile.
"You Bitch" he yelled at her as he put the knife in his mouth, and used his hands to rip open her blouse, revealing her black bra. And before Kate could scream he had stuffed a washcloth in her mouth. As she tried to spit it out he grabbed a roll of duct tape off his dresser and then went back over to Kate, got back on top of her, and put a piece of tape over her mouth, instead of using the washcloth.
"Now, now, you really shouldn't try and fight it. This part usually goes pretty fast, unless I really begin to enjoy it, which I'm pretty sure I will" he told her as he bent down and began to kiss her neck. As he did she continued to squirm, which began to piss him off, so he hit her . First in the face, then in the stomach, as hard as he could, which knocked the wind out of her, and caused her to stop squirming. This gave him better access as he began kissing down her chest and to her stomach. As he did his hands moved up to her breasts. This caught Kate's attention and she immediately began to squirm again. So Matt stopped what he was doing and looked into her eyes and said,
"You know you have it good. At least I'm an attractive man. You could be getting raped by an ugly SOB" he told her angrily. Then he picked his knife back up and ran it along her cheekbone and said,
"Anymore squirming and I will disfigure your face so that it will take them longer to make and ID"
Then his hand moved to her waist and he undid her button and zipper on her pants, and then to her horror he began to undo his pants and she closed her eyes and prayed that Tony would find her before it was too late. Then she felt him move her legs apart and his hand came up and took the tape off her mouth, as he held the knife to her throat.
"It's always better when the lady gets to play a part" he told her as he began to kiss her.
Just then Tony busted the door down to Matt's apartment and ran into the bedroom to find him on top of Kate, with a knife to her throat.
"Hey Matt, what the hell are you doing?" Tony asked
"Save it. I know you two are some kind of cops" he yelled at Tony.
Tony looked at Kate and his heart sank.
"Look Matt why don't we just talk this out" Tony said to him, trying to get him to remove the knife from Kate's throat.
"I don't think so. You just want me to let go of your beautiful partner" Matt replied
"You're right I do, because she has four small children waiting for her to come home" Tony told him.
"You're lying to me" responded Matt
"I swear to you I'm not" Tony told him truthfully, "Please, let's just talk"
"Yeah we can talk, but I'm not moving" Matt told him, before smiling and adding, "I bet you wish ths was you doing her"
"Yeah well she does have a husband, but he can be a real jerk"
"I know. The beautiful ones usually do marry jerks" said Matt
"Why don't you and I talk in the living room" suggested Tony
"I don't think so" he replied angrily, as he pushed the knife into Kate's throat again, which scared Tony.
"Okay, calm down" Tony told him, while slowly reaching behind him where he had stuck his gun in the back of his pants, "Look just drop the knife and it will go a lot smoother for you. You don't want to be charged with the murder of a federal agent also, do you?"
"Why not, at this point it won't matter" he told Tony as he began to push the knife even harder.
That was the last straw for Tony, he pulled his gun around and shot Matt in the shoulder, which made him drop the knife. But then he bent down and kissed Kate again and Tony flew at him, knocking him off the bed and punching him out, before handcuffing him after he was unconscious. Then he got up and sat on the bed next to Kate as he cut the rope from her wrists.
"Kate, are you okay? I am so sorry" he told her as he wrapped his arms around her. She returned the embrace and buried her face in his chest, trying hard not to cry and admit how scared she had been.
"Kate look at me" he told her, as he pulled away enough to look at her. And he could tell by the look in her eyes that she wanted to cry, but wanted to be stronger than that as well. And as he looked at her, he noticed where she had a huge gash across the top of her right eye, along with a fast forming black eye, and a busted lip. Then he saw her throat, and the blood was still running down her neck.
"Jesus Kate, are you sure you're okay?" he asked, the hurt evident in his voice.
She kept looking into his eyes and said, "Yeah I think I'll be fine. Probably need some stitches. But that's all"
"I'm so sorry it took me so long. I didn't hear you leave. Then when I got down here I couldn't find you. So I thought he took you to a restaurant and went back upstairs to call and-"
"Tony it's okay, you found me didn't you" she told him
"But if I would have been a few seconds later-"
"But you weren't" she told him with a smile
"I don't know what I would have done if he would have-if he would have–raped you. It would have been my fault" he told her sadly
"It didn't happen Tony, so we don't have to worry"
"But-"
Just as he was about to say something they heard sirens outside. So Tony helped Kate up and she buttoned her pants back up and pulled her shirt tightly around her, since the buttons were all ripped off. And Tony put his arm around her, as they moved to stand in the living room to wait for Gibbs, and the paramedics. A few seconds later Gibbs and McGee entered the apartment and found Tony and Kate standing there. And they could tell by looking at Kate that things had gotten out of hand. And as they looked at the two of them, Tony said,
"Matt's in the bedroom"
So Gibbs and McGee went into the bedroom to find a fairly beat up and unconscious Matt Williams. They then went back into the living room and Gibbs asked,
"Are you two alright?"
"After some stitches and ice, yeah, I should be fine" Kate told him with a smile.
He nodded before calling in the paramedics.
While they waited for the paramedics to come into the apartment Kate looked at Tony and said, "So you do admit to being a jerk"
"Yeah. Don't you agree?"
"Mmm, I wouldn't say all the time. Just most of the time" she responded jokingly
"I'm sorry, for everything"
"I know, me too, and you aren't always a jerk, just sometimes" she smiled at him, as he returned the smile.
Tony rode with Kate in the ambulance to the hospital, while McGee and Gibbs waited for Matt to regain consciousness, so that they could take him to headquarters.
Kate ended up with eight stitches over her eye and another twelve across her throat. Then she was given some pain medicine, before she and Tony went back to NCIS.
Luckily before they had left for the hospital McGee had given Kate his NCIS jacket so that she wouldn't have to hold her shirt closed the entire time. When they got back to NCIS Gibbs had them fill out a report, then he asked them if they wanted to stay for the interrogation or whether they would rather go home. They both agreed that they wanted to stay for the interrogation.
Just as they were about to go down the hall to interrogation Mike Williams stepped off the elevator. So Tony went to meet him, which left Gibbs and Kate alone because McGee was already waiting outside the interrogation room.
Gibbs turned to Kate, looked into her eyes and asked,
"You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah I'll be fine. You know me Gibbs" she smiled at him
"Don't do that Kate. I do know you. That's why I'm asking. You don't have to play tough with me. We all know how tough you are, but in situations like this, it's okay to show us how you are really feeling" he told her in a fatherly tone.
"Really Gibbs, I will be okay, I promise" she told him
He nodded before saying,
"I'm sorry Kate. I should have done a better background check on the two of them. We should have considered Matt as a suspect. And until we knew for sure who it was I shouldn't have sent you in" he told her
"It's okay Gibbs. None of us thought about Matt. I think it surprised all of us" she told him
"Well I'm sorry. I don't know what we'd done if anything happened to you. Tony would kill me, I know. But I don't know what I'd do if I lost you" he told her
This surprised Kate because usually he wouldn't get emotional over anything or anybody in this way. So when he told her this is sort of shocked her. She, as well as the others, knew that Gibbs did care about them, but he would never admit it, especially out loud. So she smiled up at him and said,
"Well hopefully with guys like you all, nothing will happen to me"
Gibbs smiled slightly at her right before Tony and Mike walked up to them.
"I'm really sorry about this. I didn't have any idea it was my brother. He must have been following me for awhile because I never knew he was in Florida when I was there last month" Mike told all of them, "Do you think he had something to do with my wife and daughter's murders?"
"We think so. It makes sense." Tony told him
Mike sighed and closed his eyes before saying,
"I should have known. He got really mad when she fell in love with me. Then he was even more angry when we had our daughter. But I never thought he would do anything like this"
"Well let's go into the sound room and hear what he has to say, while Gibbs interrogates him" Tony said, as they all turned to walk down the hall to interrogation.
Gibbs entered the interrogation room while the others watched and listened behind the glass.
"Did you really think you would get away with it?" asked Gibbs
"You weren't onto me, were you? You thought it was my brother" Matt said smugly, a smile forming on his face.
"Until you made the mistake of picking an NCIS Agent as your next victim" Gibbs told him
Matt smiled before looking straight into the two way mirror and asking,
"Is she waiting in there or is she still at the hospital?"
Gibbs didn't answer, but instead just stared harshly at him.
"You know she's a very beautiful woman. You should probably be more careful when you put her undercover. Next time she might not be as lucky. I would have thoroughly enjoyed her, if you know what I mean" Matt smiled smugly as he looked from Gibbs to the two way mirror.
Kate shivered as he said that and Tony wrapped his arm around her shoulders in a protective embrace as she leaned into him.
When Gibbs heard Matt say that he totally lost it. He grabbed Matt by the shirt and yanked him out of his chair, throwing him into the wall and then twisting both of his arms behind his back, causing Matt to cry out in pain, especially since he had a bullet wound in his right shoulder.
"You had better thank God that her partner got there when he did, or you would most definitely be dead right now. And to be honest, you are lucky you're alive anyways, considering what you did to her." Gibbs told him angrily, before spinning him around to face the two way mirror, "Now apologize to her"
"That bitch and her partner beat me up"
Gibbs twisted Matt's arm harder as he said that and Matt finally gave in,
"Okay, okay-I'm sorry" he said
With that Gibbs shoved him back into his chair.
"You know, you should really tell her partner, Tony, if that's his real name he should be more careful when he beats a suspect into unconsciousness. He could get into a lot of trouble for that" Matt said smugly.
"You're right, he should of just shot and killed you" remarked Gibbs
Tony, Kate, and McGee all smiled on the other side of the mirror, but Matt got a strange look on his face, almost a frightened look. But then he said,
"You know, if I didn't know any better, I would say that Tony character is in love with his partner. The way he would look at her, and the fact that he beat me unconscious"
Gibbs stared down at him, before slightly smiling, and replying,
"Well I'd hope so. He is married to her. So you should consider yourself lucky to still be alive."
This caught Matt off guard. He wasn't expecting that to be the reason. But then he thought of something else,
"Then what's your excuse?" asked Matt
Gibbs didn't respond, but just stared into Matt's eyes.
"I mean you obviously love her also. The way you got so angry earlier."
Kate, Tony, and McGee all waited behind the mirror, eager to find out what he was going to say. And what he said didn't really surprise them. But the fact that he admitted it out loud, shocked them.
"Your damn straight. I've worked with those people for thirteen years, and they aren't just coworkers anymore. Their family." Gibbs told him, "And speaking of family. Were you jealous when your brother married your ex-girlfriend?"
"She was my girlfriend and he stole her from me" Matt said angrily
"So it's her fault for falling in love with him?" asked Gibbs
"It's both their faults"
"I bet you were really jealous, then, when they had Annabelle"
"How did you know about that? We don't talk about that"
"We find out everything. It's what we do" Gibbs told him
"Now tell me. Did you plan on when and how to kill them, or was it spur of the moment?"
"I told Marie I could give her a better life. I had more money than Mike. I mean he was a construction worker, where was that going to get him" stated Matt, "I told her to take Anna and leave Mike to live with me. But she wouldn't do it"
"So you killed her"
"She should have been my wife. She was mine first" Matt said coldly
"And Annabelle?"
"She should of been my daughter, not Mike's"
"That's why you killed her?"
"She wouldn't stop crying. I told her she was going to live with me and things would be better. But she just kept looking at her mom on the floor, and kept crying. She wouldn't shut-up" Matt told him, a single tear sliding down his cheek.
Tony, Kate, and McGee all were speechless. Tony tightened his hold on Kate, and she let a tear slide down her cheek as they both thought about their children. And McGee let a tear escape him as well, as he thought about his precious baby girl. Then all of the sudden Mike lost it. He stormed out of the room and before anyone could stop him, he had entered the interrogation room and ran at Matt, knocking Gibbs to the ground in the process.
"You ass. You SOB. How could you do that to my family. They were your family too" Mike yelled at him as he was hitting him.
Then Gibbs, McGee, and Tony pulled Mike off of Matt and drug him into the hallway, leaving Matt in interrogation.
"Calm down Mike" Tony told him
"He killed my family" Mike replied sadly "I can't believe it"
"I'm sorry man, but you gotta get a grip" said Tony, "We got him now. He's going to prison"
"Will he get the death penalty?" asked Mike
"Probably" answered Tony
"Okay" Mike responded, "Thanks for everything you guys did. At least now I know what really happened"
"It's our job" Tony told him
"Will you let me know when the trial is?" Mike asked him
"Yeah because you'll probably have to testify"
"Okay, can I go now?"
"Yeah" Tony told him
As Mike turned to walk away, he stopped and turned back to Tony, "Tell your wife I'm sorry about what happened. And make sure you take good care of her. You're a lucky man"
"Thanks. I know" Tony replied, as he watched Mike walk away.
Matt went to jail until his trial, which was set for a month later.
Tony, Kate, and McGee all waited at their desks for Gibbs to come back from a meeting with the director. They didn't want to leave until they knew it was okay. About half an hour later Gibbs came down the stairs. Everyone else had gone home for the weekend and most all of the lights were off except for the ones at his teams desk, and he noticed that they were asleep. He smiled to himself as he went down the stairs, thinking about his team, how far they had come, and how close they had become. When he got to their area, he stood in the middle of all of their desks, and yelled,
"What they hell are you three doing?"
All three of them nearly jumped out of their skin, and Tony really did fall out of his chair at hearing Gibbs' voice yelling at them. Tony peeked his head over the top of his desk and began,
"Boss we-"
"DiNozzo, I'm just kidding" Gibbs told him, "You guys go home to your families"
"Are you sure Gibbs" Kate asked
"Kate, believe me, you and Tony especially need to go home to your kids. The case is closed. Go home, have a good weekend and a good week" he told them
The three of them stopped dead in their tracks when he said that.
"Uhh Boss" McGee began
"Yes McGee I meant what I said. You guys have a week of paid vacation. You deserve it. Now go before I change my mind"
With that the three of them grabbed their bags and headed for the elevator. But Kate stopped before she got to the elevator, and turned to walk back to Gibbs. He was still standing in the middle of all of the desks, so she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thanks" she told him, before going back to the elevator, taking Tony's hand, and stepping inside the with him and McGee. All three of them saw the smile form on Gibbs' face as the doors to the elevator closed.
When Tony and Kate got to their house it was a little past midnight and Kate was still debating whether or not they should go in. She wanted to see her kids so much, but at the same time she didn't want them to see her the way she was. She now had a full black eye, a bandage covering the stitches above her eye, a bandage covering the stitches on her neck, and of course her busted lip. And her and Tony's hands were both slightly bruised. Kate's from fighting back against Matt, and Tony's from beating Matt unconscious.
So while they stood outside debating...
McGee had just gotten home to his and Abby's apartment. Abby was actually still up watching TV.
"Hey Abby"
"McGee your home" she shouted, as she lept over the couch and into his arms.
"Geeze Abby it's not like we haven't seen each other" he told her
"Ruin the moment why don't you. And seeing you at work doesn't count" she told him as she got down from his embrace.
"Sorry, it's been a long day. But it's over and I have a week of paid vacation" he told her as he sat down on the couch.
"You're done with the case?"
"Yeah we arrested Matt, after he beat up Kate, and tried to rape her"
"WHAT! Why didn't you call me" she yelled at him
"I'm sorry, I know I should have but-"
"But nothing Tim, she's my best friend, like a sister. Is she okay?"
"Besides some stitches and bruises, yeah, she's okay"
"We are going over there to see her tomorrow" she told McGee
"Okay" he answered, as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
Meanwhile Tony and Kate had decided to go into their house. They entered quietly and saw Jackie asleep on their couch. Tony walked over to her and carefully shook her awake.
"Hey we just wanted to let you know we're home. You can stay here tonight if you want" he told her
"No that's okay. I think I'll go back to my apartment. I haven't been asleep that long anyways" she said getting up, "I'll come back later to get my stuff"
As she passed Kate she could see the injuries, "Oh my gosh, are you okay?"
"Yeah I'll be fine" Kate smiled, "How's Anthony?"
"He's okay. Sometimes his head hurts, but the Doctor sent some pain medicine home with him. I think the reason it hurts is because he's still running around all crazy, like nothing happened" she told Kate
"That doesn't surprise me" Kate replied with a smile, "Thanks Jackie"
"Sure. Goodnight guys"
"Night" they said as they locked the door behind her.
Then they quietly tiptoed down the hallway, stopping outside the girls bedroom first. They went in quietly and saw both of them sound asleep. They also saw a cat curled up on both beds, and they couldn't help but smile at Socks, who still had a few white streaks left on her grey back, from the incident almost a month ago. They then walked over to the beds and bent down and gave the girls a kiss. Tony started with Annie and Kate with Kaylee. They didn't budge as they did this. Then they switched and Tony bent down to give Kaylee a kiss and smiled as he watched her sleep so peacefully, looking just like Kate when she would sleep. As Kate bent down to give Annie a kiss she noticed Annie's arm had a big bandage on it. 'Now I wonder what she has done.' Kate thought to herself with a smile. She and Tony both got up and walked towards the door, stopping and saying,
"Love you girls" before walking out and shutting the door behind them.
Then they went into the room across from the girls and opened the door to see Kayden asleep on his bed, Hobie laying at his feet, until he heard the door open. When Hobie saw the people standing in the doorway he barked before jumping down and running over to them, whining and licking. But the bark was enough to wake Kayden up and he saw his parents standing in the doorway.
"Mom?" he questioned, as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"Yeah babe, it's us" she smiled as she walked over to his bed and sat down next to him.
He smiled as he threw his arms around his mother's neck, "I missed you"
"I missed you too handsome"
As he let go he saw the bandages on her head and neck, "Mom are you okay?" he asked, the concern evident in his young voice.
"Yeah, I'm gonna be fine" she told him
"But-"
"Sweetie, it's just a few stitches"
"In both places?"
"Yeah, but it's okay" she told him with a smile
"Mom is that a black eye?" he asked, after his eyes had adjusted better to the light.
Kate smiled before answering, "Yeah, but I'm okay, really"
"Are you sure?" he asked, his attitude more like a young man than a nine year old boy.
"Yes, thanks to your dad" she said, as she turned to smile at Tony, who was kneeling in the doorway, petting Hobie.
"He loves you a lot" Kayden told her with a smile.
"Yeah I guess he does" she answered, "You go back to sleep. We didn't mean to wake you"
"Are you home for good?" he asked as he laid back down.
"Yeah we are. And we have a whole week of vacation" she told him as she tucked him back in.
"Good" he said, as she leaned down and kissed his cheek.
"Love you sweetie"
"Love you too" he responded
As Kate left the room to go check on Anthony, Tony went over to Kayden,
"I missed you bud"
"I missed you too dad" Kayden told him, "Thanks"
"For what?" asked Tony
"Taking care of mom"
"Well I don't want anything to happen to her either. I love her very much"
"I know dad"
"I am sorry she got hurt. I didn't mean for it to happen" Tony told him as he sat down on the bed next to his son.
"I know, so does she"
"I don't know what I'd do if I lost her"
"Dad don't talk like that. She's got all of us to protect her and Uncle Gibbs and everyone" Kayden said with confidence.
"You're right Kade" Tony said, as he smiled at his son, who at this moment was acting a lot like Kate, and being very mature for a nine year old.
"I'm glad your home dad" he told Tony as he sat up and gave him a hug.
"Me too"
"Love you dad" Kayden told his father as he laid back down.
"Love you too son" Tony told him as he bent over and kissed his forehead.
As soon as Tony walked out of Kayden's room, Hobie ran and jumped back on the bed with Kayden.
Tony then stopped and looked into Anthony's room to see that he was still fast asleep. So then he went into his bedroom to find Kate soaking in the bathtub.
"You okay babe?" he asked, as he walked into the bathroom.
"Yeah, I'm much better now that we're home" she told him with a smile
"Well I think Kayden's glad we're home" he said
"Yeah, will you hand me my robe, please" she asked him.
He walked over to the back of the bathroom door and took it off of the door hook and held it open for her as she got out of the tub. He helped her wrap it around her, before he pulled her into a kiss. As they broke apart they both smiled at each other.
"Sorry I just never got to do that today" he told her
"No complaints here" she replied, "Except maybe a shower"
"Yeah, I think I'm gonna take one real quick" he told her, leaning down and kissing her cheek before she walked back into their bedroom.
When he finished showering he changed into some shorts and a white t-shirt before going back into their bedroom to find Kate already in her pajamas and snuggled down into the covers. He carefully got into bed after turning off the bedside lamp. But as he did he heard what he thought sounded like a whimper. He looked at Kate, who had her back turned to him. So he carefully scooted closer to her and leaned over her to see her face.
"Kate" he whispered, "You awake"
She didn't respond, but he knew she was the one who had made the noise.
"Babe, you okay?" he asked, a little louder
"Fine" she answered softly
But Tony knew she wasn't fine because that was the tone of voice she used when she tried to hide the fact that she wanted to cry.
"Kate, I know you, and I know that tone. Something's bothering you and you feel like crying, but you don't want me to know about it" he told her
"Damn you Tony" she said as she opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him, "Why do you have to know me so well"
"It's a curse really, I know" he smiled at her, "What's wrong?"
"Tony, tonight I was scared. I really thought-" she rolled over and laid her head on his chest and in return he wrapped his arms around her protectively.
"I really thought he was going to get what he wanted" she finished, as tears began to fall.
"Oh Kate, I'm so sorry. You have no idea how scared I was too. I thought I might lose you" he told her, as he himself let a few tears fall.
"It's stupid, I know, because I knew you would find me but-I really haven't been this scared in a long, long time" she told him, as she began to cry.
Tony wanted to make everything go away, but he knew he couldn't. So he just pulled her closer and kissed her forehead.
A few minutes later she slowly stopped crying. Then a few minutes after that there was knock on their bedroom door.
"Come in" said Tony
Slowly the bedroom door was opened and a little blonde boy poked his head through, followed by an older brunette boy sticking his head through the door as well.
"You really are home" Anthony yelled as he ran and jumped onto the bed with his parents.
"Yeah Ace, we're home" Tony replied catching his son as he flew into his arms.
"Are you coming in Kade?" Kate asked, looking at her oldest, who remained standing in the doorway.
He then smiled and ran over to the bed, climbing in next to his mother. Then when Kate looked back up Kaylee and Annie were both standing at the foot of the bed.
"Hi girls" Kate said to them, "Are you going to join us or stand there all night?"
"Kayden told us you were back for good. Is that true?" Annie asked, looking from her mom to her dad.
"Yeah munchkin, we're home for good" Tony told the two girls.
The girls both looked at each other and smiled before jumping onto the bed to join their parents and brothers. Kaylee lept for Kate as Annie jumped into Tony's arms.
"I missed you mom" Kaylee told her with a smile
"I missed you too sweetie" Kate told her daughter as she hugged her.
"So Kayden woke you all up, huh?" Tony asked looking at everyone.
They all nodded, as everyone turned to look at Kayden.
"We just all missed you and so-" he began
"It's okay sweetie, I'm glad you woke them up, because now we all get to sleep together, and I missed doing this" Kate told him as she put her arm around him.
Kayden smiled back, as did the other kids before Tony said,
"It's really late you guys so we should probably go to sleep" he told them as he moved Annie to the left side of him, so that he was between her and Anthony. And Kate moved Kaylee so that she was between her and Kayden.
"Goodnight babe" Tony said to Kate
"Night" replied Annie and Kaylee
Kate and Tony both laughed at them before Tony said,
"I love you girls, but I was talking to your mom"
The girls just giggled some more at Tony before they all began to calm down and fall asleep.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed. Please, Please Review! Okay just saw the previews for next week's episode, where Tony and Ziva go undercover as a married couple. Yeah definitely not happy about that. Grrrrr. But in this last episode I did think the way Gibbs and the little boy interacted was sooo cute! Anyways hope to get the next chapter up sometime next week!