Disclaimer on chapter one.
AN: Sorry guys got caught up in Origainl Works that needed to be worked on. Anyway, here you go the next chapter.
Chapter Twenty One
"Gibbs?" Kate asked in a whisper. Her voice startled him slightly as he had thought she had fallen asleep again. He looked down at her.
"Hmm?" he replied softly, as he closed his eyes. His mind had been running ramped after their previous conversation.
"I think we could make it work," she said as she shifted to bury her face in his side. Gibbs arm tightened its hold on her, as he ran her words through his mind. His thoughts of her mixed with the memories of his first family, as his brain battled with his heart over Kate.
Kate didn't think he was going to answer her. The seconds stretched into a minute, so she let her self drift towards sleep again. The pain in her leg was increasing with each moment and she just wanted it to be done. Gibbs battled inside until he knew what he had to do. He leaned his cheek against the top of her head and took a deep breath.
"I've been married four times," he said. Kate thought a moment before she looked up.
"DiNozzo said three divorces," Kate replied. Gibbs nodded slowly before he answered.
"Three divorces yeah, four marriages though. My first wife was murdered…along with our daughter."
"You said no…" Kate replied in shock. She felt Gibbs pull her closer.
"Shannon had witnessed the murder of a Marine. She was under the protection of NIS when her driver was killed and the mini van they were traveling in crashed. Shannon and Kelly died in the crash."
"Gibbs, I'm so sorry, I never knew."
"Not many do," Gibbs replied in a whisper. Kate felt the weight of the words and realized she had just been let inside. She looked up at him again and saw the tears on his cheeks.
"Did they catch the guy?" Kate asked watching his eyes for a reaction. She saw the hard anger and then pain flash in a memory before he looked away.
"Its open unsolved," Gibbs replied flatly. Kate reached up and gently settled her palm along his jaw.
"I'm," Kate started but stopped when Gibbs looked back at her.
"I didn't tell you because I wanted your pity," Gibbs said in a soft voice. Kate nodded as they stared at each other for a moment. "My marriages…these last three…have all been trying to replace that…feeling. But I was getting married for the sake of being married. I don't want that again."
"Is what you felt for them the same you feel for me?" Kate asked the worry creeping into her voice. He closed his eyes and avoided looking at her. Kate felt her chest tighten in anticipation before he finally shook his head slowly.
"It's…much more."
Kate shifted and drew herself up as much as she could. The pain vibrated through her leg but she ignored it. She smiled at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. With a slight tug she pulled him into a hug.
"When I couldn't find you earlier I felt my world coming apart, Kate, I don't want that ever again," Gibbs said breaking the silence.
"Will you at least give us a try; see where we can take it?" Kate asked. Gibbs studied her face knowing that he could try with her, that things might just work out for the better. He was about to tell her that when he heard something up above them. He quickly put a hand over Kate's mouth motioning her to keep quiet.
"Someone up there," Gibbs whispered as he shifted to get a better view.
Grayson sat next to Zack for a moment watching over his brother. He sighed and checked his cell phone, but there was no signal. He tossed it aside as he rechecked Zack's makeshift dressings.
His thoughts wandered out to the woods, wondering what Dusty had planned. He thought about where Jonas would go and if more people would die tonight. He knew what had to be done and was pissed that he couldn't carry it out.
He looked at his leg strapped into the brace and felt the anger brewing deep in his chest. Stupidity had taken him out of the game, and now he sat helpless waiting for others to clean up his mess. Grayson stood and tested his limits. His head swam, his leg burned, and his shoulder throbbed, but he knew he had suffered worse.
He checked the weapon Dusty had left him and made sure Zack was ok. Grayson then headed for the door with determination to find and kill Jonas, ending this nightmare once and for all. He paused in the doorway and looked back at his little brother and felt the hot anger boil inside.
Grayson swallowed back his emotions and took a deep breath, sending himself into combat mode. He flicked the safety off on the weapon and pushed out onto the porch. His leg protested in taking on his weight, but he knew what he had to do, and nothing was going to stop him this time.
Levi was hovering in a plane of darkness when something partially brought his mind back to the real world. Shuffling of feet he finally diagnosed, as the sound drew closer. His foggy mind began to panic, trying to reconnect to his battered body.
His legs twitched but didn't move; his arms jumped but didn't respond fully. His mind swam between consciousness and unconsciousness as he tried desperately to bring himself out of the haze. He was coherent enough to realize that it could be Jonas coming back to finish him off, but not with it enough to think it might be help.
Levi's survival instincts were taking over all rational thought and his only motive was to find shelter from the danger quickly approaching. He struggled once again to pull himself into a sitting position, making it halfway before his body slumped to the ground again. With his energy spent Levi resigned himself to death. He closed his eyes and let his mind slip back into the painless plane of unconsciousness.
Dusty used his ears as much as his eyes to track the world around him. He was moving stealthily through the trees, watching for anything out of the ordinary. He knew Jonas was good, probably one of the best, but Dusty still had much of his skill.
His mind was focused on one thing, staying alive. Anything that threatened that would be eliminated without a second thought. He had buried his anger deep inside to keep it from clouding his judgment. The man he tracked now had most likely killed his best friend, and had tried to kill the closest thing he ever had to a son.
Dusty had marked him for death when they had reached the cabin and Levi wasn't there. After not being able to reach them on the two-way Dusty knew, something bad had happened on the mountain side. And then, he had almost lost Grayson as well. Dusty just hoped the kid had enough sense to stay at the cabin with his brother.
But Dusty knew better, and he expected Grayson to follow him. He just had to find Jonas first so Grayson didn't die. In his weakened state, Grayson was at a serious disadvantage. Dusty continued to follow the barely there trail cut through the forest, tracking the man he now deemed enemy number one.
Jonas had heard the vehicle coming up the road right after he shot Grayson's little brother. He had cursed his bad luck, knowing that he had to leave before the job was done in order to avoid being killed himself. He had fled into the forest, taking refuge in the dense tickets around him.
His mission was not over, but he was doing a good job of taking out the opposition. Jonas was happy with his efforts to even the playing field. He knew there were only three people left that were not injured and that the Federal Agents would be cautious before preceding. They would most likely wait until daybreak. It was Levi Brown's friend that he had to worry about.
When Jonas had first seen that man he knew he would be trouble. There was something in the man's statue that screamed at Jonas. He was much like Jonas, only he had morals. Jonas smiled to himself, or maybe the man didn't. He had looked like a killer, the man's eyes were cold and calculated like Jonas', but there was something more.
The man actually cared for another human being, unlike Jonas. It would be his weakness, his downfall. Jonas had no attachment to anyone but himself. It kept him self sufficient and there was nothing his enemies could use against him. The forest was thinning around him and Jonas knew he needed to pick a spot to bed down until the following night. He would rest through the day and then bait Grayson again.
He came to a second outcropping in the mountain and inspected the area. This would do fine, Jonas thought. He climbed up a short way and found a perfect space for him to plan an ambush. It would due for now, he thought. He settled back against the rock to rest. He would not sleep, that would be too dangerous, but he would rest.
Tony took a deep breath when he saw the bloody jacket and belts lying on the ground. He kneeled and picked up the jacket and let it drop to the ground. After scanning the area quickly he looked over at McGee.
"Probie," Tony said softly. McGee looked at him.
"What?"
"Gibbs' jacket," Tony said pointing to the bloody cloth. McGee swallowed and nodded. It was then that they both heard the scratching of feet against the mountain side. Tony looked at McGee before he rose and hustled towards the noise.
He found the body as it struggled into trying to sit up. Just as Tony reached the form it slumped into unconsciousness and Tony caught him before he fell to the ground again. McGee came up beside him looking a little pale as he noticed the pooling blood that was collecting.
"It's Brown," Tony said with grunt. "He's got two GSWs."
"Where're Kate and Gibbs?" McGee asked looking around frantically. Tony scanned the rim of the drop-off.
"Check the rim," Tony said as he went back for Gibbs' jacket and the belts. After he had re-secured the items around Levi's wounds he went to McGee.
"Look," McGee pointed to the edge. "Someone went over."
"GIBBS!" DiNozzo shouted with his hands cupped around his mouth. He listened intently for a moment before shouting again. "KATE! GIBBS!"
"DiNozzo!" Gibbs' voice floated up to them from below. "Down here, neither one of us can climb out!"
"Stay here, Probie, I'm going down there," Tony said as he looked for a good place to scale the mountain side. He started his slow decent, slipping from time to time before he stumbled and slid on his butt half way down.
He regained his feet and moved slowly down the rest of the plain. He took a moment to catch his breath, looking back up to the top before he plunged forward looking for Kate and Gibbs. He came to a blood trail and felt his heart sink slightly as he hurried his pace.
"Gibbs?" he called out into the darkness.
"Below you," Gibbs replied as he struggled to his feet again, holding the wounded limb out so not to put weight on it. Tony smiled when Gibbs' head popped up and Gibbs nodded. "What took you so long?"
"Good to see you too, Boss. It's dark, took us a while to find you."
"Kate's been shot in the leg. She's ok for now, but need to get her out of here and to a hospital," Gibbs said.
"Ok, what about you?"
"I'm fine," Gibbs growled.
"Then why didn't you climb out and find help?" Tony asked. He was sorry the moment the words were out. Gibbs cut him with a glare and Tony swallowed.
"I can't put weight on my knee," Gibbs replied before he disappeared behind the outcropping once more. Tony sighed and tried to think of a way to get both of them up the cliff face.
TBC…