Ducky helped Gibbs to stand on his feet. "Have you forgotten everything you have learned about Caitlin already?" He pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to his friend.
Gibbs took it and pressed it against his nose. He lowered his eyes and took in Kate's lifeless form on the porch. The things that stood out were the blood on her shirt and an incredible paled face.
"If she survived a bullet to the head don't you think she will survive this?"
Gibbs looked back at Ducky. Slowly it was registering what his M.E was saying. Still he couldn't get the image out of his head. "I shot her."
"She told you to. She also told you to trust her so why not do just that?" Ducky turned towards McGee. "Timothy, would you be so kind to give me a hand?"
Tim nodded as he replayed the events in his head as well as the conversation he just had heard. It was hard seeing Kate the way she lying there not even breathing. He remembered Kate shouting to trust her so Tim would do just that and hope that Ducky had been right. If she had survived a bullet through her head then she should survive this. At least he hoped that she would.
Gibbs watched them walk away still in some sort of dazed fog. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath while putting some more pressure to his nose. Kate would be fine. She would be. She had to be. This was new territory for him but Ducky was right. Gibbs had to trust that Kate had known what she was doing. He just needed a moment to calm himself.
Tony heard voices and movement but he didn't bother to look up. He was picking at stones on the ground just to throw them away. There was so much anger in him he didn't know what to do with it. What the heck had Gibbs' been thinking? What the hell was going on? He had heard Kate yell at Gibbs to trust her. And after being shot had she actually told him to shot her again? His mind drifted back to what he had learned about Kate earlier. That Kate was a vampire. That meant what exactly? He had seen so many vampire movies but nothing had prepared him for this. He was lost and he didn't dare to do anything about it.
Gibbs eyes snapped open as he heard Ducky's voice returning to him.
"Let's see if we can't get her on the gurney."
As he saw them move the gurney closer towards Kate Gibbs felt like he just might throw up.
Ducky saw the look in Gibb's eyes. "We need to get her back to NCIS. Same way as before to avoid questions."
Gibbs knew Ducky was right but it didn't make it easier. He stuffed the bloodied handkerchief in his pocket and moved to gather Kate in his arms. As gently as he could he picked her up and descended the small steps on the porch to ease her on to the gurney. He touched her check softly and then he turned away not daring to see anymore.
Tim helped Ducky and couldn't help but to feel that Kate felt a bit cold already. Maybe he was imagining it. He ignored it as he continued on.
Ducky made his way over to David's lifeless body and looked him over. "If he is human then he is most certainly dead."
"Kate…." Gibbs voice broke a bit as he spoke. "Kate said he was human."
"I suppose we need to call the authorities and tell them about this. What exactly should we tell them Jethro?" Ducky waited for Gibbs to respond.
Think. He needed to think. "Tim, call Mike Towers and tell them we caught the killer. Tell them…." He stopped as his gaze landed on the pool of blood next to David. Kate's blood. "Tell them we don't know any details yet."
Tim found himself staring at the exact same spot as Gibbs was looking at. "What if he asks about Kate?"
"Tell him I will call him when he can talk to Kate." He turned towards Tim. "Can you wait for them?"
If he didn't know it before then Tim knew now that his boss must be in a bad place if he was asking Tim to stay. He was asking Tim not ordering him to. "Yeah."
Gibbs turned away from them again but this time he was watching the trees that blew softly in the wind. Another deep breath and he headed towards the van. He knew he should help Ducky and Tim with the gurney but he just couldn't bring himself to do so.
Tony saw him coming but turned away. He had seen Gibbs place Kate on the gurney and how caring he had seemed with her. Still as his boss came nearer Tony ignored him.
Gibbs had noticed Tony's actions and just continued on. When he passed Tony didn't even acknowledged him. He knew the younger man would come around, eventually. It was better for Tony to take out his frustrations on him then on Kate. As he reached the van he got in and just waited. He leaned his head back and flipped open his cellphone. Within seconds after dialing he heard her voice.
"Gibbs, oh tell me everything is ok?"
He wasn't sure if he could say that. He had a hard time believing it himself but he remembered what Ducky had told him. "We are bringing her home."
"What aren't you telling me?"
How to say this over the phone? "I had to shoot her." The words came out in a rush.
"YOU HAD TO DO WHAT? HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?"
"No Abby. Listen to me. She told me to do it knowing the bullet would go through her body and hitting her abductor." It dawned on him that he didn't know who the man was or had been. Oh well, Kate would tell him later. He hoped. "Ducky said she would be fine."
"You better pray she will be."
There was a click and Gibbs looked at the phone in surprise. He hadn't expected for her to hang up on him. There was movement in the back on the van and it followed by a cell phone ringing. Gibbs tucked in his and knew who was calling Ducky.
"Hello Abigail."
The car door was opened and Ducky slipped in with ease. "She will be fine after a few hours of rest. I promise." There was a brief pause." Yes, he did shot her. " Ducky looked over to Gibbs who showed no emotion. "Yes, she did tell him to do so. "Yes, ok. Goodbye my dear." He shut the phone and fastened his seat belt. "Seems like your wellbeing will be determined on how well Caitlin recovers."
Gibbs lips formed a grim smile. "Yeah." He glanced outside and looked at Tony as they backed away.
Ducky noticed this. "Not to mention how you will abuse yourself if she doesn't."
Gibbs didn't respond but Ducky was right.
"So it's a good thing that I know that Caitlin will be just fine." Ducky added with a small smile of his own.
Tim walked up to Tony after the van drove away and kneeled down next to him. "You ok?"
Tony threw a small stone away. "What does it look like McLooney?"
Tim sighed at the apparent lack of belief in Tony's voice. "Kate is going to be ok. We have to remember her body is different from ours." That earned him a look that actually had Tim give Tony a patented Gibbs slap.
""Hey!" Tony touched the back of his head. "Hell, even when Gibbs isn't here I get it." He rubbed his head gently. "You think Kate is going to be ok? It was so unreal. I mean, he just shot her."
"That was what she was signing. 'Shoot me'"
Tony had by now figured it might have been something like that but it still seemed a bit too much like a bad movie plot. "It's still weird."
Tim chuckled a bit. "Yeah it is."
"So, now what?"
"We call Mike Towers and wait for him. Make up some story that Kate was injured and can't talk right now. Ducky said she should be awake in a couple of hours." Tim reached in his pocket for his cell phone only to pause when Tony gave him a weird look again. "What"
Tony just shook his head and stood up. McGee was handling this way better than he was but he wasn't going to tell Tim that. "Sounds like a plan."
…..
"There." Ducky was satisfied now when Kate was on the slab. Still in a body bag as he turned to face his assistant. "Mr. Palmer, what I am about to tell you must not be repeated." He knew that Jimmy was confused. When the young man had met them outside Ducky had only told him he would explain inside.
"Ok." Jimmy wasn't sure what was going
Gibbs came in and looked at the body bag on the slab. He had stayed behind just a little longer in the van to collect himself.
"It is very important that you do not tell anyone about this."
Gibbs tore his gaze over to Ducky. "Duck, you really think you should?"
"I trust him Jethro." He turned his attention back to his assistant. "Now, you see Caitlin is a bit different from us. She is a vampire."
Gibbs watched closely for Jimmy's reaction. There was shock, confusion and disbelief. "It's true." Gibbs added as he walked over to him. "And if I hear that you told anyone about this…."
Jimmy shook his head. He knew that look and there would be hell to pay if he defied it. "A vampire? Do they exist?"
Ducky smiled. "Indeed they do. Come; let me tell you about our Caitlin. And Jethro do not go anywhere. I want to look at that nose of yours."
As they walked away Gibbs started to zip open the body bag. Soon Kate's face could be seen. Taking a deep breath he gently raised her head and slipped the bag from underneath. There was no way he was going to let her wake up in this thing.
"Oh my god!"
His head whipped around as Abby strode in to autopsy. He looked back at Kate as Abby joined him.
"She isn't dead right?" It was so unreal to see Kate like this. She had to remember everything she had been told and simply believe in it.
"No. Help me get her out of this thing." When Abby didn't respond or move he tried again. "Abby?"
"What? Oh help you. Sure." When her hand touched Kate's arm she yelped. "She's cold."
"Yeah, Ducky tells me her body is healing." He continued on to free Kate from the bag.
Abby prepared herself mentally and began to help him. "She better be."
He turned to look at Abby and there was a glare from her that usually one would see Gibbs give to others. He returned his attention to Kate.
"What happened to your face?"
"Tony."
That surprised Abby. Tony had hit Gibbs? "Why?"
"He thinks I killed Kate."
Now it made much more sense. Abby couldn't help to grin a little at that.
"Grab the blanket over there."
Abby took a blanket that was nearby and handed it to Gibbs. "Beats a body bag I am sure."
Gibbs unfolded it and laid it over Kate. "At least she won't feel trapped when she wakes up." He turned to Abby. "You should go home Abs. It's the middle of the night."
"I am not leaving until Kate wakes up and I see for myself that she is fine." Abby crossed her arms making it perfectly clear she meant every word she had said.
"I kind of figured you would."
