Chapter 3

It was a dark night and already around nine pm. Ducky hasn't met Gibbs since he had gone away and Ducky suspected him to continue his work in his cellar. Ducky didn't know what exactly Gibbs was doing since he had finished the boat. He didn't want to confront him and drove to his own house. It was so silent since his mother has died and Ducky sometimes regretted of never having a wife or a child.

He had also given away the two cats, however, this was the thing he regretted less. She stepped out of his car and saw a shadow in front of the house. When he came nearer he saw a person sitting on the doorsteps. She stood up and he recognized her as Scarlet. Ducky smiled. He really liked that smart and friendly girl. He has never been that young.

'I'm sorry for disturbing you', she apologized.

'But I just couldn't stop thinking about Steve and that his murderer is still on the run and-'

'It's okay', he said. 'Come in', he opened the door and they stepped in.

'You wanna drink something?', he asked.

She nodded slightly, shy.

'You like tea?'

'Earl Grey?'

Ducky laughed. 'That's my favourite sort, too', she reminded him so much on himself.

They went into the kitchen. 'Sit down', he sat and she did so.

'Don't you feel…strange, I mean, so surrounded by the dead all the time?', she asked.

'Unfortunately I have to say, that you get used to it after a while. But, however, it is still sad, especially, if the victims are so young when they die, like Steve was', he put the can into the microwave and sat down next to Scarlet.

'And you, in such early days, had to see something like this', he murmured. She shook her head.

'Actually, I was glad when my father died. I know, I shouldn't.'

'He treated you badly?'

She nodded.

'How did he…pass away?', Ducky asked.

She hesitated. She was a perfect actress. 'He got killed. I…saw it.'

Ducky didn't say anything. It must have been very hard for her. 'You grew up in an orphanage, I assume. Must have been hard', he said but she shook her head.

'No, since that I fight for my survival alone.'

That got him clairaudient. 'How? You don't…well, deal drugs or-'

He couldn't think of another way. She couldn't have survived since she was nine, even not if she did illegal things.

She looked him directly into his eyes. The microwave stopped. 'Oh, Ducky. You are confronted with death every time, you autopsy the dead, you make psychological profiles, but you couldn't deal alone with the death of your mother and you cannot read everyone's mind', all emotions seem to have vanished from her eyes.

She smiled, kind of evilly.

'Scarlet, I do not know where you are going', he said scared and wanted to stand up.

She held his arm back on the table. 'Do you remember Rajiv Anwar? The marine you have performed autopsy on although his religion forbade that?'

Ducky nodded, he had no idea where she was going.

'His wife, Aisha Anwar, never got over this and swore revenge. She hired a contract killer', she smiled at him. Ducky couldn't believe what he heard. This little girl never was a hatchet man.

'You are not a-', he started, but he stopped when she looked at him with that certain look that made you know that you're in danger.

She leaned back.

'Do you…do you want to kill me?', he asked, still not wanting to believe.

'Special Agent Gibbs had been very suspicious. Do you think he will turn up here tonight?'

'I think the most reasonable question would be if he turned up here in time', Ducky had to admit that she frightened him.

Ducky looked at Scarlet, she seemed to think. Suddenly she sat up. She took the pad of paper and the pencil from next to the microwave. She came back to Ducky and sat down. Ducky watched her writing down something that seemed like an address.

She turned the block around: Washington Street 976. He looked at her.

Now he was confused. 'I have gotten to know you very well, Ducky. And you are quite nice. You do good work and I very respect you. This is the current address of the person who wants to kill you', she said and stood up.

She laughed shortly. 'Actually, I should shoot you directly in the head', she hesitated and for a moment Ducky thought she would make her threat real.

She shook her head.

'You remind me on a father I never had', she said and turned around. When she went, Ducky somehow had mixed feelings from sad to angry. There were so many questions. If she was a hit man, why did she help him? Why did she want that her client died? She wouldn't gain any money with that but he also doubted that she did it for money. She was sympathetic and perhaps she thought of him being nice, too.

She still was a nice girl although she was a regretless killer.

Scarlet went out of Ducky's house. She didn't know why she hadn't killed him. Usually she was a regretless and emotionless killer. She could kill anybody, not important of stranger, close friend or a boss.

And now she even told her victim where to find her employer. One the other side, she could understood it, she never liked Aisha anyway. Scarlet couldn't understand that people killed because of their religion.

Scar didn't believe, religion wasn't important for her. She had liked Ducky somehow and wanted him rather to live than that religious bitch. Of course, she could turn back and kill him without any scruple but she didn't.

She stepped in her car and drove away.

Finally, Ducky decided to stand up and call Gibbs. Only an hour later he and the four Special Agents stood in front of the house.

'I told you not to come', Gibbs said to Ducky.

'I had to. This person inside wants to kill me.'

'Scarlet wanted to kill you.'

'But she didn't.'

'And why? Because she was sympathetic?', Gibbs screamed.

'Don't speak in such a voice with me', Ducky yelled back.

Gibbs signalized his team to go into the house.

Ducky waited outside the house. He looked around. He saw a person at the corner.

'Scarlet?', he screamed and walked toward the figure. It was her.

'Why the hell are you here?', he asked angrily.

'I killed Aisha. The special agents will detect this very soon.'

'Why?', he asked her. She was so nice and why did he kill her.

'I never understood people who were religiously motivated', she said coldly. Ducky looked at her, into her eyes.

They were cold.

Perhaps it was this tiny moment that changed his mind about her or it was what followed next.

Scarlet knew where to stab in for not to hurt the doctor seriously. But he was old and she was sure that it would be going to be a complicated operation.

She saw Jethro screaming and running at her when he went out of the building and saw Scarlet going down together with Ducky, the knife in her hand and she softly laid the doctor on the ground.

'I would lie if I said that I am sorry', she said.

'But you have my very greatest respects as a doctor, a psychologist and pathologist and as a really nice person', she whispered to him and without looking back she ran away. She ran to her motorcycle that was around the next corner and drove away.

She didn't return and later at home she thought, that she should perhaps have killed Ducky.

She stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom. She wore her night shorts and her T-shirt still lay on the bed.

She looked at herself and at the big half-moon shaped scar that ran over even more than her belly. This was what defined her, not how many people she killed.

She sighed. She felt the scar and went along the half-moon.

'I should have killed him', she murmured and turned around to put on her night shirt.

Please review this story! (Yes, Ducky survived the stab wound.) To be continued...

(Yes, I think I'll continue this story...)