AN: Thanks again for all the reviews! This chapter is kind of an in-between chapter that was needed to put some things in motion for our favorite couple. I already started the next chapter, which is when things get really interesting. Love it or hate it, let me know what you think! It'll help me write faster! I'll try to get the next chapter up before the weekend when I'll be abandoning my computer to watch the Steelers win the Super Bowl!

Chapter 7

They were still lip locked when Kate's family walked in, though neither of them noticed. Her father cleared his throat and they slowly broke apart, wearing matching smiles as they turned to face the interruption. Her mom and sister were both smiling at the touching scene before them, but her dad wasn't entirely pleased to see his little girl kissing someone even with everything that had happened.

He paused in the doorway as his wife and daughter hurried to Kate's side. After seeing that Tony wasn't going to leave Kate's bed he decided he might as well get this over with. He joined his family beside the bed and nervously cleared his throat. He wasn't sure how Kate was going to react but he knew Tony wouldn't be happy. No matter what they said, this was for her own good. He still knew what was best for his little girl.

"I was talking to the doctors about how soon you could be released." He decided it was best to ease in to the topic.

"What'd they say?" Kate visibly brightened at the thought of escaping the hospital. Tony looked almost as eager as Kate. He'd managed to capture their undivided attention.

"Well," he took a deep breath before trudging on. "They said it all depended on what kind of home care you would receive. You will need time to recover and you'll need to take it easy. It'll be better if you're in an easy, stress-free environment where people are always there to take care of you, which is why you'll be able to come home with us in three days."

The immediate refusal and anger he'd expected didn't come. Tony and Kate still were still smiling.

"That's great, Dad. I can't wait to get out of here."

"And you don't have to worry," Tony interrupted, "because I won't be letting her out of my sight. I'll be there for her 24/7. I'm sure Gibbs will let me off. I'll quit if he doesn't. It doesn't matter. I'll take care of her."

They still hadn't caught the full meaning of his words. They thought home meant here in Kate's "home". He couldn't leave his daughter here. She needed to be home, their home, where she could recuperate and he could take care of her. She needed to be with her family.

"Actually, I meant come home with us, to our home. You shouldn't be recuperating in some apartment building with lots of steps. You should be resting and relaxing back home in an actual house where you have us to wait on you. Besides, I don't think the city is the best place for relaxing. I know you and you'll probably end up trying to work to soon. It'll be much better for everyone if you just come home with us."

"No way!" Kate couldn't believe her father's reasoning. It was like he didn't trust her to stay in the city and he didn't trust Tony to take care of her. They'd never wanted her out here in the first place and they'd never approved of her job. Now he was going to try to use her injury as a reason to drag her back home and away from everything. Next he was going to tell her to quit her job. He'd say that getting shot was a sign and she should give it up before it killed her.

She was so angry she was shaking. She was too mad to put her argument into words. Luckily, after recovering from the initial shock and the slap in the face her dad had dished out, Tony didn't have the same problem.

"I can't believe this! I told you I'd take care of her! You can't drag her away from her home, from me."

"I'm doing it for her own good. I don't trust anyone but me when it comes to my little girl. She got shot and that lunatic is still on the loose. She needs to be at home, away from all that. She needs to be where I can protect her."

"I can protect her! She's completely safe with…" He's cut off by her father.

"Just like you protected her on the rooftop? Last time she was with you she ended up in that bed. She almost died! You didn't protect her then." His angry accusations silenced the room. He continued to glare at Tony, seeing his words hit their mark.

Tony's face dropped. Her father was right, he hadn't protected her. He should have done something. He should have seen Ari, should have stayed between her and the building. He should have stopped the bullet but he hadn't even tried. Maybe she would be better off at home with her parents and far away from Ari. He'd already failed her once. He couldn't risk failing her again, not like that.

She could feel Tony give up. She'd been so shocked and appalled that she hadn't jumped in to defend him. She didn't think he'd actually believe what her dad had said, but he had. She felt sick knowing the pain and torment Tony was going through in his head. She shifted to face her father head on and grabbed Tony's hand in a death grip.

"Get out." She practically growled the words. She raised her voice as she continued. "I can't believe you said that! It wasn't Tony's fault! He is the one person in the world that I know I'm safe with. I trust him more than anyone. I'm not going anywhere but home with him. Deal with it and get out!" She was talking to Tony as much as her father because he needed to hear this to.

Her father stared at her, amazed that she'd just told him to leave over a guy. A guy who stood by and watched her get shot. He couldn't believe it. It didn't make sense. There was no way in hell he was leaving. He stood in the exact same spot, crossed his arms, and glared at Tony. He could see the guilt in Tony's eyes. He'd have his daughter back home, safe and sound, in no time.

Realizing her dad wasn't going to leave, she turned to Tony. She could read the guilt and self-hatred in his gaze as he stared at a spot on the bed. It broke her heart to know it was because of her, in a roundabout way. "Hey," She whispered when he refused to meet her eyes. "None of this is your fault. You couldn't have stopped it and you know it. Besides, I'm fine now. What if you had seen the bullet and jumped in front of it? What if it had killed you? That would have hurt me way more than this little scratch. It would have killed me."

He held her gaze but still didn't look convinced, so she continued. "You're not allowed to blame yourself. You didn't do anything wrong. You're the one who made everything right. We're finally together and that's all that matters. Don't listen to what he said; he's just angry and manipulative. Listen to me instead. Don't let him bring us down."

She kissed him and felt him let everything go as he kissed her back. When the kiss ended she reached for the call button, ignoring everything but Tony. A young nurse entered and she asked to see Dr. Foster. It was important. She ignored Tony's questioning gaze as the nurse left. "You'll see." She whispered so only he could hear.

Dr. Foster entered a few minutes later. "Is anything wrong?"

"Nope," Kate grinned. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm checking out. I needed to know if I needed to come back for a check-up or anything."

"I'm not allowed to discharge you yet. You're body has been through a major trauma. At the very least we need to observe you overnight." Dr. Foster stumbled a bit over her words. She'd expected questions on how soon Kate could leave or when she could go back to work, but not this.

"You observed me the last two nights. I'm completely fine. Besides, I wasn't asking whether I could leave or not. You can't make me stay."

"She may not be able to, but I definitely can." Gibbs entered the room, saving Dr. Foster from answering since she clearly didn't know what to say. "You're staying here even if I have to post an armed guard inside your room. And it definitely won't be Tony."

"But Gibbs," She was silenced by a glare. She turned to Tony for help.

"Listen, boss, it's a little more complicated than that."

"Explain it to me." Gibbs' tone let them know nothing could possibly change his mind, but they still had to try.

Tony glanced at their audience. He'd really rather do this in private, but he couldn't leave Kate and he doubted her family would leave. He understood exactly what Kate wanted to do and why. Maybe Gibbs would understand it too. He looks to Kate for guidance to see if she wants him to answer. Her eyes shift around the room, taking in her family and the doctor, but she finally nods yes. They both look to Gibbs. Before Tony can speak, he surprises them again.

"Everybody out. I need to talk to my agents alone." He calmly waits for his orders to be obeyed. The doctor immediately excused herself and Kate's mom and sister slowly complied after shooting the three of them questioning looks. Kate's father still stood stock still and continued to glare at Tony.

"That means you." He addressed her father directly. "Now." With a few final glares her father left the room grumbling about the damn NCIS agents. He turned back to Kate and Tony. "Everyone's gone, now talk."

"It was my dad." Kate started at the same time Tony said, "They were going to take her back."

"Wait." He held up his hand. "I meant one of you talk. And I do not want to hear some high school reason. Don't tell me they hurt your feelings or said you couldn't be together or anything like that. Got it?"

They nod, share a look, and Tony continues in a subdued tone. "Her dad was saying a lot of shit about taking her away because we obviously couldn't protect her."

"Yeah, like that was the real reason." She snidely interjects.

"Even putting aside everything with her dad, he was right about protecting her. Ari is still out there and we know he has a thing for Kate. We shouldn't just be sitting around here."

"We aren't just sitting around. There's a guard on your door and we've been working our asses off to hunt him down! You're perfectly safe inside this hospital."

"No, she's not. She's easy to track down here. Ari has medical training so he knows their protocols, just like he knew our protocols before. He got into headquarters, what's to stop him from getting in here and pretending to be a doctor. He could even send someone we don't know to finish the job."

"He won't do that. He needs to be the one to get us. It's part of his game."

"That means he'll definitely be gunning for us again. Plus, she needs to rest, and she's not going to be able to if she has to worry that someone will track her down. She shouldn't have to deal with that, or her dad." Tony hadn't meant to include the last part. It just kind of slipped out. He knew he had a better shot if he stuck to Kate's safety. He might have just blown it. He looked to Kate apologetically.

"We finally get to the real reason. There is no way in hell you are going to leave this hospital unless the building catches on fire. Understood?"

Exasperated, Kate tries to get him to listen. "Gibbs, you don't understand. I can't get better here. Tony's right, it's not safe enough. I'm not safe from Ari and I'm not safe from my dad. I can't stay here." She pleaded with him, hoping he would understand.

Gibbs took a deep breath. "I actually had come here to tell you that I was setting you up in a secure location with round the clock protection for when you were released. I guess I could move it up a few days."

They were shocked that Gibbs had given in, especially since they hadn't told him anything that should have convinced him. He knew the real reason was to get away from her dad, although Ari was also a factor. Tony got suspicious.

"What happened, boss? Is everyone alright?"

Gibbs was busted. He hadn't wanted to worry them, especially Kate, any more than was necessary. But they had a right to know. "Everyone's fine, just a little shaken up. Ari took a shot at Abby through the basement windows. He missed. I've assigned McGee to keep an eye on Abby. They'll be at the safe house when you get there."

"What about you, Gibbs?" Kate knew that Gibbs would get himself killed trying to take Ari out. He wouldn't let anyone help. He already blamed himself for everything Ari had done and for allowing his team to get hurt. He wouldn't risk anyone else. It was too personal.

Gibbs paused. "Abby and McGee set up a mini command post in the basement so they could still work from a safe distance. I'll keep in touch."

It was the answer they'd both expected, but Kate still had to point out the flaws in his plan. "Shouldn't you be at the command post too? You can lead the hunt better if you actually lead the team. That's the way it always works, with the entire teamtogether. You shouldn't change what works."

He just shook his head. He'd already argued about it with Abs and had no desire to get into it with Kate. "We'll see. I don't want to give Ari any opportunities to find you. That includes me suddenly making daily trips to what is supposed to be a secret location."

"Are you saying he could follow you, boss? I didn't think it was possible for anyone to follow the great Jethro Gibbs, master of stealth." Tony was glad for the distance between them. He was free to shoot his mouth off without earning a slap in the head, although he was sure he'd pay for it later. Abby had called Gibbs her silver-haired fox, but he really resembled another gray animal. Like an elephant, he never forgets.

Gibbs glared at Tony but didn't bother to respond. He was just using that as an excuse and they both knew it. "I'll tell the doctor to write down anything that's important, like what you should and shouldn't be doing. I'll get everything set up for the safe house and be back to pick you up within the hour. I already had Abby and McGee pack your bags. I just have to arrange for more guards and proper transportation." As usual, he leaves without saying goodbye, leaving them to deal with her parents and count the minutes til they would be free.