A/N: I am sooooo sorry for the lack of updates! Things have been very hectic lately. I promise I will update both of my fics more often starting next week. Hope you guys will enjoy reading this chapter. Review are always appreciated!

A/N2: this might be completely irrelevant, but I found it pretty cool. I had to go to LA for a few days for my friend's graduation ceremony and I ran into one of my "old" LA friends that I used to hang out with when I just moved there back in 2007. We were talking about life and stuff and she mentioned that she was going to Vegas with some friends the next weekend. I asked her who she was going with and she casually said something like "You know, the old group. Mick P., Daniel G., Jessica H., Michael Bellisario & co...". Obviously the name Michael Bellisario rang a bell, so I asked her "Bellisario?" and she told me "Sure! Don't you remember him? We used to go to Cabana and Area with him when we were both underage. Remember? He used to put us on Sex Toys Dave's list..." After a while I remembered who she was talking about, and I was shocked to make the connection that the guy I knew as 'Michael the guy with the table I could sit at, at the club' was none other than "Chip" from NCIS... My friend also provided photographic proof that I wasn't allucinating and I felt like such an idiot for not making that connection sooner. Geeez, right? I bet he would think I was such a loser for writing fics about the show that his father created... Wow... how to feel like a total dork. Aaaanyway... on with the story.

It was Thursday night; three days had passed since Tony's disappearance. Gibbs sat behind his desk, glancing at the empty corner of the bullpen where Tony usually worked or, often times, pretended to. The bullpen was deserted. Everybody had already gone home. They didn't have any good leads.

McGee and Abby had managed to discover who classified Kate's record, but that didn't help in any way.

Gibbs sighed deeply and shook his head.

"Jenny, why did you this without telling me?"

The only other thing somehow relevant in the case, other than getting to know about Jennifer Sheppard's apparent involvement with Kate's case, was a video they had got from a service station. Abby had managed to trace the last place where Tony's cell phone had any signal, which brought them to the middle of West Virginia.

The images on the video, though, didn't do much other than confusing the team even more, if possible. They had watched and re-watched the same scene over and over again, trying to understand. But the images weren't telling them much. It was only Kate and Tony, pumping gas in the car, arguing and then hugging. Not a lot to work on, which frustrated Gibbs. He knew that the fact that Tony just decided to run away, for a still unknown reason, with the woman that presumably was Kate meant trouble. It meant that he was willing to take risks that a responsible man shouldn't have considered taking, and even though a part of Gibbs was proud of his agent's spirit when it came down to helping out someone in troubles without thinking about it twice, another part was absolutely mad for Tony not telling him – his boss – what the hell was going on, right away.

He glanced at his watch and noticed it was past midnight. He wondered if Abby was still in her lab; dialing the lab extension he waited. It didn't take long before the lab rat gingerly picked up the phone.

"Gibbs!"

"How did you know it was me, Abs?"

The goth grinned.

"Who else would be calling the lab in the middle of the night?"

Gibbs tilted his head on the side, admitting to himself that Abby definitely had a point.

"Did you manage to get the recordings from all the calls Tony received and made from his work phone on Friday?"

"Of course I did, Gibbs. I was waiting for you guys to come in tomorrow morning to let you listen to them."

"I want to listen to them now. I'll meet you in the lab in 15. I'm gonna get some coffee first."

He hung up the phone before Abby had the time to respond.

"Your wish is my command!"

Kate was still awake, reading the very few files that were still in her possession after she had been kidnapped. She looked down at Tony, who was snoring loudly.

God how annoying was that noise!

She kicked him under the covers and he muttered some incoherent words. She still wasn't sure if letting him tag along had been a good idea. He was a damn good agent and a good guy, too. She didn't want him to get involved like she did and ending up losing his freedom like it had happened to her. Sighing loudly she closed the file that she was holding and ran a hand through her hair. Being as quiet as possible, she sneaked out of the old motel room and walked towards the pay phone on the other side of the street. Glancing at her palm, she quickly dialed the number that she had previously scribbled on it, and then tried to erase the ink from her hand with poor results. Kate's futile efforts into getting rid of the ink on her hand were interrupted by a voice that greeted her from the other end of the line.

"Shalom."

"Jacob? Jacob, is that you?"

The man sighed in relief.

"Becca? Thank God you're alive. I thought they killed you… where are you? What's going on?"

"Listen Jacob… I need your help. I'm after the big fish right now. Rekem gave me a file before I was kidnapped hinting that the cell was planning something big. He said something about Texas but that's all I know. The information is encrypted and I can't do anything without the equipment."

"Becca… Rekem was killed right after you were kidnapped and all of his files were stolen."

Kate pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"What am I supposed to do, J? I can't go around knocking on people's doors hoping I'll be lucky enough to knock on the terrorist's."

"Where are you now?"

"I am back, J! They brought me back to the States."

"Listen… This has to stay off the record…"

"Oh c'mon Jacob! I am deeply undercover, in big shit and without a valid lead. Do you really think I am keeping anything on record for the boss to see?"

"Rebecca… This is dangerous. Rekem was killed because he knew too much, and you are the one he was updating about the mission. The only reason you haven't gotten killed yet is because they think they can use you as an exchange object with the American government or because they want revenge. My advice is… Turn yourself in. Go to the FBI. You'll be safer."

"Bullshit, Jacob! C'mon, we both know the kind of ramifications that something like turning myself in to the FBI would cause. I am not asking you to give me a way out. I am asking you to tell me all you know about this thing. I know Rekem told you... He was your brother!"

Kate sighed in frustration as a long pause followed and she had to reach in her pocket for some more quarters for the pay phone.

"Okay… You already know that according to Rekem's last update the big guy, the one we're looking for, is hiding in Texas. They got illegal immigrants to work for them in exchange of fake documents. We have no idea of what or who is their target, but we can safely say that the reason why they want you is personal. They probably know you are trying to track them down. You have to be careful. This whole thing my be just a trap to drag you to the wolf's nest."

"I will be careful, J."

"And unless you turn yourself in, don't break cover. Nobody has to know you're working with us."

Kate felt guilty. Even though Jacob was like a brother to her, she didn't want him to find out about Tony. She knew that the Israeli intelligence had a very well developed talent to get rid off people that they considered being a possible obstacle in a mission.

"I won't. I will try to contact Leah tomorrow to see if she can help me out with the encrypted files."

"Good. I'll contact her for updates, then."

"Good. Thank you, J."

"You are welcome, Becca."

"Shalom."

"Shalom."

Kate hung up the phone and shivered as a gust of cold wind hit her. Tucking her hands in the pockets of her jacket, she stood in the cold, facing the motel. The noise of a car passing by shook her out of her momentary trance. She walked back to the motel and quietly opened the door. As she closed it, she felt a gun pointed to her back and couldn't help but gasping in surprise and fear.

"Kate?"

She felt the gun moving away from her body as Tony turned her around and shook her by the shoulders.

"Where the hell were you, Kate? I was worried! You disappear in the middle of the night without any warning! What were you thinking?"

"Tony, stop it! You are hurting me!"

Tony, shocked, realized that he was still holding her by the shoulders and that the spots where his fingers were firmly grasping onto her tiny body would probably turn into bruises the next day.

"I… I am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know… I thought you wouldn't have woken up, you know?"

He nodded and closed his eyes for a brief moment to regain his composure. Kate lowered her gaze noticing his concerned look and feeling bad for not being able to tell him just how sorry she was for making him feel that worried.

"Tony, I shouldn't have had left just like that. I… I am… you know?"

Tony nodded in understanding, trying to hide the disappointment in her inability to say she was sorry.

"It's okay, Kate. Lets go back to bed. It's barely 4 AM."

Kate just stood there, feeling his silent disappointment yet the acceptance in his tone. She walked towards him and cupped his face in her hands, looking at him straight in the eyes.

"No, Tony. It's not okay. I need to know that you know that I care. I am not doing this to hurt you. It's just that it's been so long since I let myself completely trust someone and though I know I can trust you, I still cannot shake the feeling of suspiciousness off. But you have to understand that I care."

"I understand. Lets sleep now, okay?"

Kate nodded watching Tony walking back to the bed and laying there, almost instantly falling asleep. She followed his example and lay on her side, facing his back. Before drifting off to sleep, she softly ran her fingers down his arm and whispered those three words that for the past few years she had found so difficult to say.

"I am sorry…"

R&R!