a/n: sorry i dropped out of sight but i had two different versions of this chapter and i couldn't choose which one to use, lol. thanks for all the reviews : D

Chapter 11

Gibbs glanced at Kate in the rearview mirror for the twentieth time during their twenty minute drive. She was still fidgeting, wringing her hands in worry that Tony was laying in a ditch with a bullet lodged somewhere inside the hollow cavern that was supposed to hold his brain. He swore that if Tony had been dumb enough to get himself killed he'd…well, he wasn't sure what he would do. It wasn't like he could kill him twice, Gibbs thought glumly.

They made the final turn into the parking lot and Kate found herself holding her breath. She let out a sigh of relief and felt her body go boneless when she saw Tony's car shining in his usual parking spot, immediately noticing the lack of bullet holes and silently thanking God that he'd made it in one piece. She vaulted from the car as soon as it came to a stop, so obsessed with seeing Tony after missing him so long that she completely forgot about the madman that was out to get her.

Gibbs hopped out of the car only half a second behind her, unable to believe she could be so stupid. He grabbed her from behind and Kate let out a startled scream. Gibbs ignored it and pulled her back until she was somewhat safely tucked beside the car before he lost it. "Think, Kate! You do not go running around when someone wants you dead without checking the area first! What the hell did you think you were doing? Of all the dumb…" He trailed off, trying to grasp the cool, calculating calm he was famous for but failing miserably. His agent's life was at stake and he was too far beyond pissed off to calm down. He mumbled angrily under his breath, but not under enough, "Rule 12. This is why Tony needs to go."

Kate froze, staring at Gibbs with wide eyes and the most horrified expression he'd ever seen tinged with the traces of fear that had only left her eyes when Tony was near. Damn, he hadn't meant to say that out loud, but it was the truth and there was nothing he could do about it now. McGee, who'd been checking out the area even though they both knew there was already a surveillance team in place, yelled that everything was clear just as Tony came busting through the parking lot door at mach speed yelling "Kate!"

Tony almost collapsed when he saw Kate, safe and sound, standing next to Gibbs. He'd been listening to the surveillance team's frequency when one of them had said they heard a scream. He hadn't waited another second, ripping off the headset and running faster than he'd ever run. He'd been terrified that something had happened to her because he hadn't been there to protect her. His heart was beating so fast by the time he reached the door that he'd thought it was going to explode before he ever got to her.

Kate took off across the parking lot as soon as she spotted Tony and leapt into his arms. She rested her head against his chest, the pounding of his heart filling her ears and blocking out everything else, including Gibbs' words that had been reverberating through her head. He wrapped her tightly in his arms until there wasn't a breath of space between them, leaning down to whisper, "What's wrong, babe?"

"Don't leave me." She whispered, as a few tears escaped and slid slowly down her cheeks. "Don't let Gibbs take you away from me."

He kissed the top of her head to reassure her, wondering why she'd say that since Gibbs had been on her side the last time they talked. He glanced curiously at Gibbs over the top of Kate's head but Gibbs immediately turned to talk to McGee. Something had definitely gone down and he was determined to find out what, but first he had to get Kate settled. He'd have to deal with Gibbs later, just like he'd have to deal with Greg later since the bastard hadn't shown himself during the drive over.

None of that mattered now, though. He'd been going crazy waiting for Kate but he'd made good use of his time, formulating a plan to put an end to Greg his own way if Gibbs' plan failed. He almost hoped it would fail since his way was so much more satisfying, but he'd be happy as long as Greg was out of Kate's life forever. All he had to do now was wait and take care of Kate.

He led her inside and onto the elevator with Gibbs and McGee close behind and the surveillance team still out of sight, watching to see if Greg would show up and try something. Headquarters was usually eerie at night, freakishly silent and dimly lit. Tony knew it was more alive than usual tonight but he'd made sure their floor was blissfully empty. He knew Kate wouldn't want to be surrounded by people, especially people that knew even a little bit of her story.

He knew that Gibbs and McGee would probably stay close and that Abby would be up here as soon as possible, so he'd opted to set up camp in the break room so they'd have a little privacy. He kept a hand on her back as the stepped off the elevator and steered her towards their makeshift lodging.

Abby had brought some pillows and two sleeping bags up as soon as he'd gotten there, saying they were courtesy of Jethro Gibbs. Gibbs had apparently thought ahead when he'd called to fill her and Ducky in, which Tony had to give him credit for since sleeping arrangements had been the furthest thing from his mind. He grinned, thinking that was definitely something that hadn't happened before, especially where Kate was concerned.

He hadn't thought about sleeping arrangements for a single second when it was time to fix their "beds," either. Abby had stayed to help and she'd raised a pierced eyebrow when he'd spread one sleeping bag open on the floor and used the second one as a blanket. Luckily, she was too busy bursting with questions about Greg, which he refused to answer since it wasn't his place, to ask about the bed, not that he had an answer. He just knew that he needed Kate in his arms tonight, and that Kate needed him just as much.

He knew he'd been right when Kate walked through the break room door and relaxed just a little. She hadn't been planning on sleeping tonight but it felt good to know that Tony was planning on staying with her. She'd been a little afraid that he'd leave her alone now that she was safe so he could focus on the "case." She didn't want to be out there watching the team go over her horrible history like it was a case, even though she guessed it was, but she wouldn't have had a choice if Tony had planned to leave her alone. She should have known not to worry, that Tony would understand exactly how she felt and make sure they stayed together.

Tony shut the door behind them. He pulled out a chair from the table and sat down, pulling Kate onto his lap. "What happened, Kate? Why would Gibbs take me away?"

She rested her head on his shoulder and explained what had happened in the parking lot and what Gibbs had said. "I was worried he was going to split us up because we're too close." Kate finished.

"I won't let him. Besides, he wouldn't do anything that stupid. He was probably just blowing off steam." Tony reassured her, acting like he was completely calm and it was no big deal when nothing could be further from the truth. He was definitely going to have a talk with Gibbs. He could understand Gibbs wanting to separate them if it meant catching this guy, but doing it because of one of his stupid rules, which they hadn't really broken yet, was just mean.

Tony was about to tell Kate that he'd go deal with Gibbs now when a loud knock interrupted him and the door opened to reveal Gibbs. "The decoys are in place, in case you guys want to come out and monitor the action. I'll be following McGee."

Tony nodded, wishing he could be out there too, and Gibbs turned to leave. Tony whispered in Kate's ear to give him a second and got up to follow Gibbs, who'd stopped to wait for him just outside the door. "Gibbs," Tony kept his voice low so that Kate wouldn't hear. "Make him pay."

Gibbs nodded once, knowing this was one of the only things he and Tony were in agreement on. "Take care of her." He said as he turned and walked away.

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