Disclaimer: All publicly recognized characters, settings, and dialogue, belong to Donald P. Bellasorio, not me. No copyright infringement intended.
Rating: T
Pairings: Kate + Gibbs Kibbs (yes I know she's dead but I'm in twilight denial OK), Paula + Tony ?? ( I know she's dead but I decided to bring her back anyway ), McGee + Abby McAbby
A/N: Hi! This is my first ever case file and I am having a little trouble creating/bringing up clues, finding chapter breaks, and so on… please bare with me during the duration of this story. I really am trying my hardest. Please, no flames…constructive criticism and encouraging reviews, however, are acceptable. I would also like to thank Sammie28 and csiphile for their stories "The Good Doctor" and "When I'm Gone" (respectively) for their great inspiration toward this piece.
A/N 2: I have stayed almost perfectly realistic in scientific and profiling aspects, therefore you all can try to solve the case on your own if you want to…message me through my profile when you figure it out…
A/N 3: On my computer this document is not in italics or underlined, I have been told it is on this site it has been converted this way. I do not know how to correct this, so anyone with any suggestions would be a great help. Sorry for this inconvenience. (update) I think I might have found the solution, please let me know if the problem countinues.
Now Enjoy!
Can it be Bliss?
By: Katie Todd
NCIS HEADQUATERS:BULL PEN
"Another one." Gibbs growls as Stan slaps a manila folder down on his desk.
"Yeah," the other agent mutters, "and now the case is to be re-opened. I need your help on this one Gibbs."
Gibbs nods soberly. "OK ." If this case hadn't irked him so much there was no way he would have agreed, but Stan does need his help and he does want this case solved.
"Thanks Gibbs it's me solo on this. Can I meet with your team in an hour?"
Gibbs nods and opens the file folder on his desk.
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NCIS HEADQUATERS:CONFRENCE ROOM
Stan picks up a remote and with out an intro turns on the plasma and clicks his way to what looks like a real estate brochure cover photo.
It depicts a tall pretty blonde woman with striking blue eyes as she stands in front of a blue and white house; an equally cute baby perches on her hip and a tall brunette man stands beside her and his hand on her arm.
"Steve Sanders his wife, Melissa Sanders and their daughter Joy Sanders, murdered May 4th, 2003 at around 6:00 in the morning. Steve worked at a rather high paying security firm, his wife was a stay at home mother, his daughter a month shy of her second birthday." Stan glances at his notes that are flipped out in front of him before he continues.
He clicks the remote again and another picture fills the screen. This one looks a lot like the first. A shorter brunette woman stands in front of a pale yellow house, brunette daughter piled into her arms and gray haired husband brushing her hair out of her face as he looks at his daughter.
"Edward Fenton his wife, Marie Fenton, and their 23 month old daughter Rosalie Fenton, murdered May4th, 2004 at around 6:00 in the morning. Edward worked for the same security firm, CDT, his wife was a stayed at home and like I stated earlier their daughter died one month shy of her second birthday."
Another picture floods the screen this one slightly different.
" Marie Rhodes," Stan points to the thin redhead woman on the screen. She sits on a tarnished swing and holds a small blonde headed baby on her lap. " Greg Rhodes," he points to the blonde man who stands behind the redhead, "and their daughter Gracie."
Stan takes a breath and continues after a drink from his water bottle.
"Greg worked at CDT, his wife was a stay at home mom and his daughter was suffocated at 23 months. They were murdered on May 4th, 2004 at 6:00 in the morning."
Another picture takes its turn on the screen, and the rooms occupants can already guess what happened to the smiling brunette woman, her husband, and pink dressed tot.
"The Popes. They died on May 4th , 2005 at 6:00 in the morning. Teresa was a stay at home mom her daughter Mary died at 23 months and Gregory worked at CDT."
The screen goes blank. The rooms occupants lookdown at their respective folders waiting for Stan to start up again.
" NCIS has been after the killer or killers for months. The woman is always between the ages of 27 and 30, the man between ages 45 and 50. The men are also all ex-marines but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to how the killer picks out the woman. Every one at the security company checked out clean. All the murders took place within three different base neighborhoods. CDT is a on base security development firm for the Navy." Stan pauses. "Until recently the case was declared cold. There was no evidence no clues and The Profiling Squad classified the killer as dormant. Then yesterday morning, May 4th, 2008 I got a call from a local police officer who found," a new picture takes residence on the screen as he speaks, "Anna Fickly, her husband Matthew and their daughter Beth. The coroner stated the TOD to be around 6:00 in the morning. Anna was a stay at home mom, Mathew worked at CDT and Beth was 23 months old. Needless to say," Stan continues, "the case was reopened. I just got out of a conference with Director Morrow and The Secretary of the Navy, Michelle Godfrey, and they demanded I get with a team and throw someone in undercover as bait to hopefully catch the murderer ."
Gibbs looks up puzzled. Stan hadn't said any thing about this when he came to him earlier.
"Director Morrow said your team," Stan was talking only to Gibbs now, "was my best bet, and he 'Strongly Recommended' you and Agent Todd go undercover as our married couple."
Tony spits out his water laughter filling his throat, while McGee has the foresight to look shocked and Kate looks like she's deciding whether to debate the idea with her six hour or stay seated. Gibbs, looks up gravely and states the obvious.
"We have no child."
Tony is the only one who seems to catch Kate's slight sigh of relief that is quickly taken back when Stan clears his throat and says, " CACA," he pauses ignoring Tony's immature reaction to the acronym and restarts, "CACA recently took in a 11 month old girl who was left without a living relative when her parents, grandparents on both sides, step mother, sister, and godmother were arrested for association with a drug ring. They are more than willing to let the two of you foster her for awhile. They do this kind of thing often actually."
Stan raises his eyebrows, in question, and looks at Gibbs who nods and asks almost silently where they are moving to.
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NCIS HEADQUATERS:BULL PEN
1 WEEK LATER
" Shhhhhh Shhhhh" Kate mutters as she holds 'her' new baby girl against her chest.
"This Belle?" Tony asks as he comes up behind the young brunette.
"Yeah Tony. This is Belle." Kate says while she sashes behind her desk and puts a file in her bag.
"She looks like she'll be hot." Tony states openly.
"Only you Dinozo. Only you." Kate mutters disapprovingly as she tries to place her bag on her shoulder and walk out from behind her desk and into the bullpens center.
Dinozo dances around her making faces at the girl that is held against Kate's chest, her head peeking over Kate's shoulder. Tony's head is met with a resounding smack as Gibbs strolls off the elevator, a tall thin blonde walks up behind him. Tony smiles at her, brushes a hand over his wounded head and introduces himself. He's not to wrapped up in his current woman, however, not to notice Gibbs slide the bags strap up over Kate's shoulder and pat it into place.
"Special Agent Caitlyn Todd?" the blonde asks ignoring Tony's advances.
Kate nods and turns to face the blonde woman.
"This is Belle's." she hands Kate a dark green folder. It's papers spew onto the floor.
"Sorry," the blonde states and bends down to pick up some of the fallen documents as she explains, "It has lists of Belles allergies, her likes and dislikes, the formula we have her on. Things like that. I'm Katherine by the way." She extends a hand and Kate smiles struggling to offer her one in return. "We have some new secretaries and they forgot to give it to you when you checked Belle out this morning."
"Well, Thank you for dropping it by." Kate smiles and reaccepts the folder before turning toward Gibbs' desk.
"You ready?" she asks him quietly and he sees her tension in the way she stands.
She's never been deep undercover before, other than acting like a slooz from the Jerry Springer Show she's had no experience with this. He nods silently, slides out from behind his desk while grabbing one more folder and takes the baby from her.
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123 GRANDVIEW DRIVE:STEVENSON HOME
NEXT DAY
"Look," Kate coos, "Look at your new bedroom Belle. You like it?"
Kate walks into the now pale green painted bedroom with Belle and points to a ribbon and button mobile that hangs above a bright patterned quilt that lays in a white wooden crib.
Gibbs grins from his place in the narrow yellow hallway. Kate looks like a perfect mother. He sees it in every movement she makes, the way she holds Belle, the way she automatically rocks back and forth on her heels. All perfect and motherly but also attractive, very attractive. All he sees from his position in the hallway is how beautiful she looks in her blue jeans and pink sweater. He rebuffs himself for wanting her to be carrying his child in her arms, to be able to kiss her.
In his head he starts chanting all the reasons this could never work, but stops when Kate looks and him, her head tilted to the side her eyes raised in question.
"Gibbs? You OK?"
He manages to nod, once, stupidly.
"Yeah Kate. I put your suitcase in the master bedroom. I'm taking the guest room." he states simply.
The brunette thanks him and shyly asks him if he can find the play pin and get Belle situated and can call for a pizza, so she can unpack.
He nods, again, stupidly and takes the baby from her.
"Sure Kate, I already set the play penup in the living room."
The brunette smiles 'always anticipate' flows loosely through her mind as she walks down the hall to the large and open master bedroom Gibbs gave her. She starts unpacking her things, her new identity on the top of her suitcase. Mrs. Stevenson looks up at her from the file, she looks like Kate, but Kate doesn't have a doting husband and an adorable child. She continues through the suitcase quickly picking up piles of crisp clean clothes and moving them into her dresser. She finally manages to pick her way to the bottom of the colossal suitcase and extracts a box of red hair dye.
'Time to become Mrs. Stevenson' she decides and slides into the bathroom.
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"Yes 123 Grandview Drive, on the Navy base."
Gibbs hangs up the phone, places it back in its cradle, and turns to 'his' smiling daughter in the playpen. Her hands are high above her head and they grasp and un-grasp the air in front of her. She smiles up at Gibbs for a moment before she topples down in her play pin and snatches up her favorite stuffed brown bunny rabbit, the only thing CACA took with her when they adopted her into their care. She bites its nose and rolls around in the center of the play pin with it giggling loudly.
The silver headed agent moves into the kitchen to fix himself and Kate a cup of coffee. Their new coffee pot grinds beans automatically, he adds some regular coffee beans in when he hears a creak on the stairs he turns hand automatically going to grab for his now non existent gun when Kate walks into the kitchen, pale blue bathrobe tied tightly around her and her now deep auburn colored hair held up in Velcro rollers on her head. She prances across the floor in her satin slippers and plucks the now silently sitting child from her play pin and begins to dance her around the kitchen. She turns toward Gibbs who stands shell shocked for probably the first time in his life.
" What do you think?" Kate asks quietly referring to her now red head.
He struggles to answer trying to think of something anything to say. But all that's going through his mind is the fact that she's a red head and the fact that that does nothing to help his current predicament.
He coughs quietly and answers solemnly.
"It looks nice Katie."
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NCIS HEADQUATERS:ABBY'S LAB
STEVENSON HOME:DEN
VIDEOCONFRENCE
1 WEEK LATER
"KAATEEEEEE!" Abby's voice squeals over the speaker and the noise echoes across the lab and through the Stevenson's den.
"Hey Abbs," Kate chuckles slightly, " Say hi to Belle" Kate instructs, as she bounces the PJ dressed tot on her hip in front of the camera that is dangerously balanced on the top of the flat screen computer.
"Hi Belle." Abby consents, and Belle clenches and unclenches her fist in greeting. Tony comes up from behind Abby he leans on the counter next to her and he and a newly entered Paula add their voices to the ruckus.
"Hi Kate, Gibbs, Belle." Tony says while Paula mutters a "Hello."
"Hi," Kate responds and Belle snuggles further into her chest, her cherry patterned footie pajamas blending in with Kate's pale green shirt, "so what do you have so far?"
"Not much unfortunately," Abby sighs as she bounces around in front of the camera. Her hands are tightly holding on to her 8:00 Caf Pow. "Where's boss?"
"Here," he states firmly. He comes into the view of the camera coffee cup and baby bottle in hand. He takes Belle from Kate and hands the tot her bottle, he lets her tiny fingers wrap around it before guiding to her mouth and beginning to slightly dance around with her. Kate has long since taken the coffee he brought her and she turns back to the camera.
"What'd you got?" Gibbs slurs.
"Well nothing really," the young Goth says referring to the cold case they have now reopened, "there was really no evidence, minus a piece of hair Gibbs, and all I can tell you from that is the person used hair dye and a lot of it, and at some point they were a brunette. I can't even tell you if brown is their original hair color or whether its form a male or female, it has no root and without a root I can tell you…nothing." she nods almost solemnly and steps back offering the floor to Tony.
"We looked over, listened to, and watched every interrogation video. I couldn't pick up on anything other than what Stan already stated. We're trying to track down employee's maybe talk to them again, but so far nothing. Ducky's looking for autopsy discrepancies with Gerald but they haven't gotten to far, and Stan's conferencing in MTAC." Tony states simply.
Paula steps forward unconsciously laying a hand on the crook of Tony's elbow as she does so.
"Could we send you the videos Kate? Maybe you'll pick up on something we missed."
"Sure." Kate nods as she throws a manicured hand through her softly curled auburn hair.
"Where's McGee?" Gibbs barks.
"h-h-here boss," the probationary agent stutters as he runs into the room. "I am trying to track cell phone and bank records of the deceased, so far nothing."
Gibbs nods hands Kate, Belle and takes her empty coffee cup and Belle's empty bottle somewhere out of frame.
Kate nods to him silently tossing her hair as she does so and turns back to the screen to see a shocked Tony.
"Your hair." he states. "it's red."
"Auburn actually." Gibbs amends as he walks back into the tope colored den, inside the cameras viewing range, and inserts a pacifier into Belle's waiting mouth.
Tony and Abby stand still shocked mouths agape. They can pick up on his slight hair differences as well. The gray seems softer now, but darker. The cut seems less military and more shaggy. Kate steps back from their gazes unconsciously, she still hasn't warmed up to this look, but she was instructed to dye her hair and they sent her with red dye so she really had no choice. She feels self conscious, but it eases when Gibbs places a calming hand on the small of her back. Tony is the first to recover from this shell shocking revelation and he shakes his head like a dog trying to remove all remnants of water after a bath.
"Why didn't you go with blonde?"
The other agents laugh good humouredly still looking at her hair like its out of place.
Gibbs without a closure leans over and clicks the video camera off. He takes Belle from Kate, to begin getting her dressed and turns to his formerly brunette agent.
"It looks lovely, Katie." he says softly as he brushes her hair back behind her ear.
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"Kate's hair is…" Tony turns to Abby.
"Red." the young Goth finishes.
"Why red?" McGee wonders aloud.
The other three agents turn to him and laugh.
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123 GRANDVIEW DRIVE:STEVENSON HOMENEXT EVENING
"Kate?" Gibbs questions as he comes into the kitchen.
The TV hums softly. Belle lays in her play pin asleep in the center, her chubby arms wrap around her over stuffed bunny, her pink blanket tucked around her. The laundry lays stacked neat in its basket.
"Katie?" he calls softly as he crosses into the family room.
He takes one look at her, when he finds her sprawled on the couch, and sighs. Her right arm hangs off the couch and is gripped into a fist. Her heads almost hanging off and her hair kisses the couches side. He grabs the black blanket that hangs on to their white arm chair and places it over her body. He knows how hard the last week has been on her, how much adjusting she's had to do, how much mothering she's had to do. He doesn't even want to think about how hard next week, in two days, will be on her.
Next week he'll be gone to work all day which means more adjusting and less sleep. He also knows she hasn't slept through a whole night since they have moved in; fears, uncertainty, and the baby keeping her awake. She curls in on herself, restlessly, and then straightens back out. He smiles slightly and goes in search of the phone to order Chinese.
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"Kate." Gibbs whispers as he rubs her shoulder gently, her box of shrimp stir-fry is getting cold as he tries to wake her.
"Katie." he murmurs again. This time his hand softly travels across her forehead and he notices how warm she is when she leans against his touch.
"Kate." he whispers, a little sharper, for the third time.
"hmmm?" She opens her eyes groggily staring at him before she jumps off the couch and rushes to the bathroom to throw up.
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A/N: There is more to come…so much more. What do you think? Too long write length? I am a little worried this story will get too long, and I already have so much more typed. So what do you think? Reviews are bliss.