"Kate!" Abby yells over her music
"Yes?" I ask when she turns it off.
"Could you go to the second floor and ask Tyler Effron to email me his results?"
"Sure." I call, leaving her lab and heading to the elevator.
A janitor comes up behind me and I hold open the elevator doors for him. He nods in appreciation. I press the second floor and he makes no move to hit a button.
Wanting to break the tension, I try small talk.
"How are you?" I ask
No response.
I frown as I study him. He raises his head a little and our eyes meet.
It's his eyes. Ari.
As soon as he sees me, and the recognition on my face, he flips the emergency stop switch and slams me into the wall. The blow takes all the breath out of me and he easily overpowers me until he has me pinned on the floor, unable to move.
"What do you want?" I snarl
He smirks "The group I am undercover in wants me to bomb NCIS and Mussad thinks it is the best way to win the group's trust." His breath is hot on my face.
"You don't have the balls." I hiss, before I spit in his face.
He makes no move to wipe off the spit.
"I've taken the liberty to give you a choice Caitlin. I will give you ten minutes. You can leave now, and keep yourself safe, or you will stay in the building when the bomb goes off, but you are allowed to set off the fire alarms first. Your choice." He says with a slimy smile
"You bastard." I breathe
With a silent prayer that somehow, I'll get out of this, I look straight into his gentle, hurt brown eyes and say
"Stay."
His smile is rueful as he hops off me, turns the elevator back on, and leaves.
I run to the nearest alarm and pull it, sending sirens wailing.
I am about to run to the bullpen, to stay when I realize Abby's music would negate the alarms.
I run back down the stairs and nearly run into Ducky, who's on his way out.
"Kate! Where are you going?" He cries
"Ari planted a bomb, I set off the fire alarm. I'm going to get Abby." I explain
"Let's go!" he cries and we hurry to Abby's lab, where as predicted, the music is too loud.
I turn it off
"Abby! Let's go!" I yell and she follows Ducky and I up through the building to the bullpen. Tony, McGee, and Gibbs run in a few seconds after we do.
"Kate! What's going on?" demands Gibbs
"Ari planted a bomb which should go off any minute! Go! All of you! Get out of here!"
"What about you?" protests Tony
I sigh, previously hoping not to have to run into this resistance.
"I promised Ari that in return for warning everyone, I would remain behind, whatever that holds for me." I say, calmly
"Caitlin! You can't!" protests Ducky,
"It was the only choice!" I argue, tears forming in my eyes "Many lives outweigh the needs of one!"
"Two lives Caitlin! You're endangering two lives!" challenges Ducky
I open my mouth to respond, but Tony starts yelling before I can
"Kate! Why would you even think to bargain away your life?"
"Because it's my job!" I yell back
"No! Not anymore it isn't!" cries Ducky
"Stop Yelling!" Cries Abby, eyes wide with fear and distress
The argument escalates as tension builds. Soon we're all yelling over each other, I am only actually hearing bits and pieces.
"Get out!" I yell
"No! No man left behind!" Roars Gibbs
"Caitlin! You must leave now!" Orders Ducky
"All of us should go!" buts in McGee
"What is going on you're not telling us?" demands Gibbs
"We need to go!" cries Abby
"Shut up!" thunders Gibbs
"Run!" I cry
"Kate! What are you hiding?" questions Tony
"Why would you agree, Caitlin?" asks Ducky
The chaos of everyone yelling falls away leaving just Tony's voice,
"…So weird lately and sick as a dog then fine again, like when you had the flu. Then you pass out on a mission, and wake up fine, then you stop being friendly with and now you're making awful decisions."
A explosion of noise, some in agreement, some in defense comes after Tony's outburst.
The only one I hear is Ducky yelling, "It's your fault too!"
"How?" cries Tony.
In frantic desperation to shut everyone up and get all of them out of danger I scream
"I'm Pregnant!"
Everything goes dead quiet.
Each person's face is a different reaction from shock to joy to confusion.
Tony is the first to regain use of his tongue.
"W-who is the father?"
I look him straight in the eyes.
"You." I say, loud and clear.
Then, with a hiss and boom, the entire room glows red-white-yellow and then everything goes black.
