Kitty couldn't form a clear image of Tim out of her pain and fear. Tears streamed down her face as she drove into the wind without a helmet on. Tim would kill her for taking the risk, but that didn't matter right now. She focused on Catrianna.
The blonde girl was on top of a roof holding a gun straight out in front of her. When Kitty expanded her field of view she saw Tim in his t-shirt and trousers standing with his hands at his ear level on the edge of the roof. Kitty looked around at the view from the roof top to identify the building.
She drove into a section of town where most of the buildings were three or four stories high. She didn't have to look too hard. A crowd of people was beginning to form on one street corner looking up at something on the roof. Kitty stopped and looked at what they were seeing. Tim was standing on the roof top staring wide eyed at the ground four stories below.
She parked her bike quickly on the sidewalk and ran for the building. She bolted up the stairs within with incredible speed. She drew her gun as she burst through the door to the roof.
"Catrianna! Let him go!" Kitty hollered at the girl with her back to her.
"I don't think so, Kitty." The blonde said smugly while turning around, the gun still trained on Tim's back. McGee turned his head slightly so he could see Kitty out his periphery. Kitty could see his face was tear streaked. He was shaking. Kitty wanted to shoot so badly.
"Please, Catrianna, this has been enough. If you want me take me, I won't fight back. But please, please! Leave Tim alone." She felt a lump swell in her throat. Her hands were the only still part of her body, her gun aimed solidly between the stunning blondes eyes.
"Oh, but why would I do that? You killed the only person I gave a damn about!"
"And you've killed my parents, my best friend and his father. It's time to end this, Cat!" Kitty yelled, her voice faltering.
"If you wanted these people to live you shouldn't have killed Spencer." Catrianna said smugly.
"He didn't give me a choice! Look, Cat, I'll give you a choice. You can either kill Tim and I will ensure you die a slow, painful death, or you let me take his place." Tim's breath caught in his throat at the mention of Kitty giving up her life. He couldn't allow that.
"Kitty, don't…"
"Shut up!" Catrianna yelled at him.
"Cat. I didn't have a choice. You do. What will it be?"
Catrianna thought for a moment. "You take his place." She said.
Kitty walked slowly to the ledge and stepped up on it, keeping her gun trained on Catrianna's forehead the whole time. "Tim, get down. Run!" She said in a shaky voice.
"Kitty, please… don't do this for me…"
"Tim go…"
"I'd rather die than have you die!" he said angrily.
"Tim! Get. Down. Now." Kitty growled. He sighed and did as she said. Catrianna took her aim on Kitty's forehead instead.
The two girls looked calmly at each other. Now that Tim was safe, Kitty could focus. As soon as Tim was gone behind the door leading down into the building Kitty spoke again.
"Cat, I'll give you another choice. You can try to kill me in which case you will die as well, or you can put your weapon down. And we can go work this out down at NCIS. What will it be, Cat?"
"You didn't give Spencer a choice. Why are you showing me so much preference?"
"Tim and I gave him choices time and time again and he refused to listen. In the end he didn't give me a choice. It was either I kill him or he killed the entire school. Don't tell me you would have preferred that?"
"Maybe I would have. Then he'd still be alive!" she shrieked.
"He didn't give me a choice. I had to save those lives, Cat! That's my job, I try to help people. Now please, put the gun down and let's discuss this at NCIS."
"Then I'll go to jail for the rest of my life." She retorted aggressively.
"You put yourself in position for this, Cat. I'm giving you the chance to take the best option. Put the gun down and come to NCIS."
"Kitty!" McGee's voice came up from the street. "Kitty!" his voice cracked the second time.
"I'm sorry, Kitty." Catrianna loaded a bullet into the chamber of the gun. "I loved him. And you killed him."
The rest of the scene was played in slow motion. As though Kitty's brain had taken over and gave her the agility to react. Both guns fired at the same time, Kitty's being the more recent model giving her bullet more velocity. The bullet pierced Catrianna's forehead and the girl fell. Catrianna's bullet came at Kitty so slowly, it seemed. She could see it revolving in mid-air. She dodged left quickly to dodge it. It grazed her cheek and she lost her balance.
Her body began to fall, slowly, from the ledge of the building. Every muscle relaxed. Kitty didn't mind falling to her death now. The threat had been taken care of and, most importantly, Tim was safe again.
Her mind began to speed back to normal and her descent felt more rapid. She heard McGee's voice scream her name shrilly and she shed a tear for giving him so much pain. She watched the rows of windows pass. One. Two. Three. One more.
The top of the fourth window came into view and she whispered: "I'm so sorry Tim. I love you."
Her fall suddenly ceased. She was halfway down the last window and she was suspended in mid-air. She was sure her brain was not doing this.
She descended slowly and touched the ground as though she had been laid in a bed.
Consider this one on the house.
Kitty gasped. Alix!
The one and only. I may be taking you up on your offer to come to NCIS. My parents decided to kick me out after an incident at my sister's wedding. His echoing voice laughed.
Cake fall over? Kitty guessed.
Nope. I caught it.
"Kitty!" McGee called as he rushed through the crowd and pulled her body from its flat position on the pavement into a huge, soft, warm hug. He buried his face in her shoulder and she felt his tears soaking through her blouse. "Kitty, Kitty, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you up there alone… I should have tried to stop her, Kitty, I'm so, so, so sorry…" his arms had formed a vice-like grip around her body as she lay limp from shock in his arms. She was still half-laying on the ground. "Kitty…" he kept whispering her name as he cried.
"Tim… I love you." She whispered as her eye-lids began to close.
"I love you too, so, so much." He held her as she passed out from a wave of shock.