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Hey guys! Thanks for holding out with me on this...hehe...this is my twist in the story. Got to love messing with your lovely minds! I'm in a good mood (heck, Navy has won three games in a row!) so I even made this chapter a little longer for you. You guys really are the best.
Sorry if this gets confusing--and if you didn't realize after reading, this will go back and overlap with Twilight.
Chapter Fifteen
There was a pause before Gibbs spoke.
"A lot of things have hurt our team forever, Tobias."
Fornell glanced into the faces of McGee and Dinozzo, who were staunchly backing their boss. Those three did make an incredible team. Even without their beloved fourth member. They would scare off an army. They could scare off the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They were pretty darn close to scaring off him.
Only one problem—they couldn't. Not yet. He had to tell them this; no matter how much it would endanger them, they deserved the truth.
And as much as he, Tobias Fornell, hated to admit it, he needed their help. Rather, the Director told him he needed their help. That they should know. He knew his superior was right. He'd known from the beginning that this would never work the way they planned.
Because he knew Gibbs would have to find out about everything, starting now.
"Its about Todd, " he began, paused, and opened his mouth to continue when Gibbs stopped him sharply.
"What's not about her, Tobias? For once, maybe you'd like not to cause us to suffer bad news."
"I'm warning you now—this is good news, but will probably end up bad for everyone in this room."
"And I have no choice but to sit here listening to you avoiding telling me something."
"You want the point? Special Agent Caitlyn Todd is alive—but not safe. Probably never safe."
……………………………………………
(MAY 23, 2005)
"What do you want with me, Fornell? Did you not come just to tell us Haswari was back in the country?"
"And trying to kill Gibbs?"
Caitlyn Todd groaned. "And I thought Dinozzo was difficult!"
"Todd, did you ever think it was a little strange, Haswari always coming after you rather than any other member of your team?"
Kate shrugged.
"Oh, come on. You're smarter than that. You're a profiler, for Pete's sake!" Fornell rolled his eyes at the young woman's lack of response.
"Okay, it did bother me somewhat."
"Hmmm. You are a lot of things, Agent Todd, but a good liar is not one of them. You and I both know, the truth is, it terrified you."
Kate remained silent. Just like there was no use in crossing Gibbs, it was pointless to argue with a fired up Fornell. Even if he was speaking, for once, words of truth.
"As much as this is so, we need you, Agent Todd. We need someone with the best skills, experience, and someone we can trust, to get on Haswari's inside."
"Why me?" she asked, looking very confused. Perhaps, Fornell thought, that was even a sliver of fear in the young agent's eyes.
"Haswari wants to use you. For what, I don't know. Nor do I wish I had to imagine."
"In other words, I'm the live bait you are using to catch the terrorist you have had at arm's length so many times?" Her voice was now just angry.
"Very gracefully and delicately put, Agent Todd. But seriously, who knows. You might be the only person in the world to gain Ari's trust."
"Gain his trust? Very unlikely!"
"Todd, what did you see when you looked into his eyes?"
By Kate's silence, Fornell knew he had hit this tough spot directly. He continued speaking
"Exactly. You have every idea what can be tried with a man like this."
She nodded slowly. "One question, Fornell."
"Anything."
"Why didn't you talk to Gibbs about this first?"
Fornell drew in a deep breath. Okay, this was the hard part. How do you tell a person their whole life, as they know it was changing permanently?
"For his own safety, Gibbs can't know about this."
Kate blinked. "If, and I mean if, I decided to do this, how long would I be working for you?"
"As long as it takes."
Kate laughed shallowly. "So what, are you going to try to convince Gibbs I deserve a who-knows-how-long leave of absence?"
Fornell's eyes gleamed. "Something like that."
……………………….
She couldn't sleep. Maybe it was the hardness of the office floor, or maybe it was the sound of Gibbs still awake and clicking on his keyboard.
But probably, it was the fear of another bête noir that caused her to stay awake.
Kate froze into a pretend state of sleep when she heard Gibbs stand up. She opened one eye a crack, and saw him surveying Tony and McGee (and which one of them was snoring like that? She made a mental note to find out, and let them hear about it tomorrow), then take a few steps closer towards her. She quickly shut her eyes tightly, and tried to let her breathing relax.
She felt her boss' breath on her as he bent over and gently pulled the blanket around her. Kate smiled to herself when he had moved on. It was going to be one of the hardest decisions she had to make—to leave the people who loved her.
………………………
"Gibbs!" Oh, no, not another one. Couldn't they, these dreams, just leave her alone?
Ari had killed Gibbs. She awoke to find him in his chair, throat slit.
Another dream. Just another bête noir.
It still caused her to awaken in a sweat with a start. Tony was leaning over her, his hand on her shoulder. He must have sensed something—something was wrong with her.
His nearness comforted her. Was she really able to leave this? For the sake of others, but too never, possibly, come back? Be gone, without a word; without a good-bye.
But with a last try. She had to protect Gibbs now, more than ever. It might be the last chance she ever would have. It would have to be done right. No matter what happened to her, the team would live on. And she knew what she had to do.
…………………………
Kate and Tony followed Gibbs and Fornell into the Multiple-Threat Alert Center. They took side-by-side seats, watching the other two converse.
Gibbs pulled up the picture of Ari in the avionics plant. Kate watched Fornell gaze at it sharply, then turn his gaze towards her. Tony nudged Kate. Kate knew he didn't, and wouldn't, get why Fornell was giving her such a look. It was a this-has-gotten-so-much-worse look. To Kate, that meant, if she chose it, a you-won't-make-it-through-this look.
She took a deep breath. She was going to do it—and she was going to make up her mind she would get through it. To come back to all of this.
Tony and Gibbs exited M-TAC, Kate following, walking slowly, so Fornell would catch up. When he passed near her, Kate put her hand on his arm. "I'm ready to do this." She said quietly.
Agent Fornell did not answer. Instead, he merely nodded. They caught up to Gibbs and Tony, "I'll be in touch," he said to Gibbs, but Kate knew from the last poignant glance that the words were meant for her.
Gibbs walked briskly ahead, but Tony slowed his place, and stepped in line with Kate.
"Wow, Kate, is it just me, or is Fornell totally falling for you!"
What she wouldn't do to be able to give Dinozzo one last, hard smack on the head.
…………………..
Even as a child, Caitlyn Todd prepared for the worst. When a girl had three older brothers, it was inevitable. When you have give seven-year-old brother scissors, prepare to be wearing those cute straw hates you hate every day for a long time. When you were finally in high school and on your first fate, prepare to see sets of familiar eyes around the restaurant. In college, preparing for the worst in your career could be the most important thing you do.
She knew, when she decided, to pursue a career as a federal agent, that she would have to be prepare for many things—evil; pain; death. And so it wasn't from lack of preparation that made these moments hurt so much. Sometimes, nothing you can do will help.
"Does she…..?"
"It's the only way, Agent Todd." The friendly looking young man smiled at her, although he, too, looked disturbed over the sight before him.
"She might die." Kate protested.
The man nodded soberly. "Ma'am, so you might have. But she knew the risks."
"Agent Bradshaw, do you and your organization believe it is right to exchange one life for another?"
Bradshaw did not answer immediately. "Sometimes, ma'am, things which are not normally right have to be done."
So, through the technology of screens, they watched the zigzag of the figures on the roof.
"Agent Todd, I guess we'll be working a lot together." Bradshaw started. Kate smiled appreciatively, but said nothing. It was kind of the young man to want to take her mind off what was going on. However, this was something she needed to do. Somehow, she was going to have to gain closure right now. And turn her back on her previous world.
Kate watched as a bullet slammed through the head of the forehead of the young woman who, this far away, looked like her double. She knew that they shared many differences, but now, all that mattered is that she had died for her, Kate felt sick with this thought.
She turned to Agent Bradshaw. "What was her name?" she asked.
Agent Bradshaw's eyes reflected much suffering. "Her name was Heather," he spoke softly.
Kate nodded. "Your guys will be on soon?"
"Yes, ma'am, we work quickly." He answered, still gazing at the screen. "Its odd, isn't it?"
"What do you mean, Agent Bradshaw?"
"Your men are up there, thinking you are gone, and grieving you, while I am down here with you, but knowing Heather…." His voice trailed off, and he soon resumed his cheery, if not shadowed smile. "Oh, enough. We have to get you settled." He patted her arm. "I know you don't want to see this; no one would. Special Agent Fornell gave me very specific instructions about you."
" Kate managed a smile. "Oh, I know about Fornell's 'specifics'."
Agent Bradshaw nodded. "Unfortunately, half the words he used I'd be afraid to repeat….Fornell can be one difficult guy…..err….uh, boss! I was just saying how difficult you were for terrorists to catch." Kate almost laughed at the change in Bradshaw when he realized Fornell had entered, as he finished his sentence lamely.
"Right, " Fornell acknowledged, " I'm sure you were. But where the heck did I ask you to take Todd to?"
The pleasantness returned towards Kate. "Right this way, Agent Todd…err, I mean 8-2-8."
"8-2-8?" Kate asked confusedly.
"Your code name, Agent Todd."
"And I should call you---?"
"Eric. Just call me Eric, ma'am."
…………………………….
Caitlyn Todd, now growing accustomed to the name 8-2-8, nodded towards Eric Bradshaw when he walked in.
"Hello, Eric."
"How's it going, Kate?"
She laughed. "I don't know how to answer that. How about you, Eric? You don't look too well."
Eric pressed his lips together. He did look very disturbed.
"We have a problem, here, Kate." He admitted. "I think we're going to let you make your first contact with Haswari—very soon.