Disclaimer: All publicly recognized characters, settings, and dialogue, belong to Donald P. Belisarius, 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 bear 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 and Dyslexic CSI for beating this one for me, I know it's a hassle.
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: Sorry sorry sorry sorry…I've been really busy with school…its been hard to focus on anything else…therefore updates haven't been happening. I'm on fall break now so I decided to put everyone out of there misery. Reviews are bliss. Thank you all so much for sticking with this so far.
Chapter Four
CAFÉ 210
LATER THAT NIGHT
"Sorry we're late." Kate apologizes simply.
Her auburn hair lazes in curls down her back as she sways to the table. Gibbs' hand is on the small of her back, but it's lost the professional edge. His dark calloused fingers smooth circles on the back of the dress, in an effort to soothe her. Kate slides into the blue padded booth nestling herself between Gibbs and the wall.
"We saw Dana at Heather's. Is she a dancer?" Kate questions as she glances down the menu.
"No…gymnast. She loves it." Alice answers.
"We saw her in her leotard. Where'd you find leg warmers that cute?"
Alice chuckles. "This place online H C it designs, one word. I got her a pair last Christmas," she fingered the pearls at her neck, "she became obsessed with them. We must have fifty pairs.
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Kate smiles groggily. Her head rests on the top of his arm as he continues in his Desert Storm conversation with Mike. The food had been excellent, the conversation light and airy but deep at the same time. Kate could feel the start of a friendship growing.
"Thank you all for diner. It was wonderful." Gibbs flashes a smile as he scoots out of the booth.
Kate and Alice say their good-byes as they walk to their cars.
"Sleepy?" Gibbs' questions once they're in the safety of their own vehicle.
When she doesn't answer Gibbs turns to see her already asleep, head resting on the window.
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125 Grandview Drive:Samen HOMETHIRTY MINUTES LATER
"How was she?" Kate asks, as she pulls Belle up off of the couch.
Belle's head lays on Kate's shoulder, one small fist clenched onto Kate's silk navy blue dress, the other around her bunny's neck ribbon. Her small puffy ex-hales brush against Kate's cheek. She's thrilled to have the little one back in her arms. She pauses to think about how much she's already attached to Belle when Heather answers her question.
"Amazing. She's an angle, I've never met a child so well behaved."
"Thank you for watching her," Jethro says as he hands the woman a crisp check, " the Stevenson's are on their way." he assures the sitter as he throws a glance at the sleeping gymnast. Her pale freckled face is buried in the cushion.
"Let's get you home." Kate coos as she walks to the door. Gibbs continues behind her, Belle's industrial sized diaper bag on his shoulder.
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NCIS HEADQUATERS:BULL PENSAME NIGHT
"Tony." Paula chirps as she walks over to his desk.
He sits wide eyed, starring at the computer screen, an empty box of pizza lays on the floor beside his desk under five or so Chinese take out boxes.
"Why don't you go home, get some rest?" she continues as she comes up behind him and presses her hands on his shoulders.
"I'm on the verge of finding something Paula, I know I am." he protests.
"Come on, Tony. We're not going to find anything else out. This case is pretty much without any evidence."
"No its not." Tony almost screams. " Look!" he points a proud finger at the computer screen. "Plasma McGee," he orders.
"She matches the temporary profile, she dropped off the grid about six years ago. Her husband worked at CDT and she had a daughter that died at twenty three months on May fourth of 2001. Guess what she died of?" Tony prompts.
"What?" Stan asks sitting up in Gibbs' chair.
"Suffocation. It says here that she had a paediatric case of asthma. According to this it was pretty bad. Her lungs closed off and she died of suffocation in her sleep."
"Finally," Stan breaths. "You couldn't find anything else about her?"
"Actually I found a woman with similar facial features that went by Marie, this woman's middle name by a parking ticket in 2002, but no more than that."
"Should we get a hold of Gibbs?" Paula questions.
"In the morning, they're probably sleeping." Stan replies.
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STEVENSON HOME:KITCHEN
NCIS HEADQUATERS: BULLPEN
TWO DAYS LATER
"Hello?" Kate says as she presses the phone to her ear.
"Lines secured." She hears mumbled behind the faint static on the phone.
"What's up Kate?"
"Tony?" Kate questions as she scoots through the kitchen to the coffee pot an antsy Belle on her hip.
"Yup." He says excitedly.
"You get a break?" Kate mirrors his excited tone.
"Yes, a big one, but it'd be easier to discuss it with you here. How do you and boss feel about a vacation."
"When?" Kate says without missing a beat.
"Next Monday. You'll need to fly back to Washington, pack a lot. Your cover story is that you're going to be at a best friend's wedding in Seattle. We'll send someone to pick you up at the airport, under the name Stevenson, of course. You'll spend four days there, pretty reasonable for a wedding, and then head back home. Were faxing you the tickets from an untraceable network off a computer at a cyber café on States Street. Got it?"
"Yes." Kate breaths as she writes the last details down on a post it note. "That all?"
"Umm….yeah." Tony says as he clicks through the pictures on the plasma. "We'll see you next week."
"See you then. Bye Tony."
"Bye Kate."
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A/N: Thank you all so much for reading. Please tell me what you think.