Author's note: I would really like if you review, please.

Chapter 17

It was dark night, cold. It started to mizzle. It continued to rain. Then it poured. It rained dogs and cats. Rain was never good. It was a signal. Gibbs remembered the night Ari had kidnapped Gerald and Ducky. It had rained there as well. He barely could see through the front glasses. It rained so much. He actually did not know where he was driving. Where would Ari expect him to go? To NCIS headquarters, where he worked? To Autopsy in the Navy Yard, where everything had begun? To Gibbs' cellar, where Ziva had shot his half-brother…actually? Now it was upside down. To Theresa's or Valentina's houses because they were the ones he wanted to kill? Why them? Because Theresa was an agent whose target had been him? He could not know that they were Gibbs' daughters. Where should he drive? What if he was wrong? What else had to happen until this bastard left forever?

It did not happen often, but he had no idea. Gibbs was helpless. He drove to the curb and stopped the car. It rained, so much. He looked outside. Darkness with streetlamps. He sighed. He cried. He could not believe it. Ari had tried to kill his daughters and perhaps he succeeded. He did not know what to do. For the first time, he admitted that he had no idea. His cell phone rang. It was McGee. Gibbs did not know why he answered the call at all. 'Boss? Where are you? Neither you nor Fornell-' 'McGee', Gibbs said harsh. 'Ziva's dead.' 'I know. Valentina and Theresa are in hospital. Anyone else wounded?' 'Not seriously. How are they?' 'They don't know if they'll come through', Gibbs said and hang up the phone. He threw it one the co-driver's seat. There was no meaning, no importance anymore. Ari had proofed that he could do anything he wanted.

Shoot Gerald in the shoulder.

Shoot Gibbs in the shoulder.

Kidnap Kate.

Try to kill McGee.

Kill Caitlin.

Abduct Gerald and Ducky.

Try to kill Abby…or Tony…in one shot with Gibbs.

Try to kill Gibbs.

Get shot by Ziva and survive.

Shoot Valentina's and Theresa's half-brother.

Come back and betray Theresa so that she got shot at, fighting in hospital for survival.

Shoot at Valentina.

Kill Ziva.

What was his next step?

Killing Gibbs?

Or kill anybody else first?

It did not matter anymore. Gibbs started driving again. He drove back to downtown and parked in front of a strip club. Nothing mattered anymore, neither for him nor for anybody else. He left his cell phone in the car. He stepped out and entered the strip club. There were women with really not much wearing dancing on the tables. He sat down on a table in a dark corner, aside. He did not want much attention. A hot waitress in just a slip and a nearly transparent bra neared. 'And what can I do for you today?', she asked smiling. 'What's the fastest way to get drunk?', Gibbs asked. His only target for tonight was to forget. Nothing else. Not Ari. Forget Ari. Nothing mattered anymore.

'Where's Gibbs?' Fornell, Tony and McGee looked up. 'Director Vance', Tony said surprised. 'What are you-?' 'One agents dead, two other are shot. And Gibbs is not here. Where is he?' 'We don't know', Fornell said. 'Find out.' 'And how?', Tony asked. He did not like Vance that much. 'Locate his cell phone.' They all looked at McGee. 'Oh, yeah', he pulled his cell phone out and started the tracking down installation. 'His cell phone is at Mary Street 47. Perhaps you'll find him there, too.' Vance nodded. 'Any idea what he wanted there?' 'Maybe kill Ari?', Tony said harsh. Vance just look at him. He went away. 'It's a strip club', Fornell said. 'Why is he there?', Tony asked. Either he followed Ari or he just left the phone their by passing by', McGee suggested. The kept silence again. They were still waiting. Valentina and Theresa were both being operated. No doctor had told them anything. They still did not know if the twins were coming through.

Vance entered the strip club. There was loud music, it was hot in there and through all colorful lights you could barely see straight. He spotted Gibbs at one of the tables most aside and sat himself opposite to him to the same table. Gibbs looked up. His eyes were red and his face was wet. He had obviously cried a lot. That did not match him. Not Gibbs. 'What'ya want?', he asked. Clearly drunk. 'You will come with me', director Vance said and looked around. 'And if I don't?' 'Then I will call some police officers who will make you come.' Gibbs laughed. 'I have nothing more to lose.' 'Just because two of your agents died in the past-' 'First Katie, Jenny, now Ziva.' 'Agents will be replaced', Vance said coldly. 'Family won't.' 'Your agents are not your family.' 'Beneath the fact that they are, the twins are.' 'What do you mean?', Vance asked and looked at the empty glass and the two empty whiskey bottles on the table. 'The twins…are my daughters. I don't wanna lose my children again.' 'What?', Vance did not know if Gibbs was talking the truth or just too drunk. 'Come with me now, Gibbs. You need to go home.' 'I need to go to Ari. And kill this bastard.' Vance stood up and helped Gibbs doing the same.

Gibbs staggered and Vance helped him. Together they went out of the bar. 'It's okay. It's okay', Gibbs muttered and tried to walk alone. He nearly managed to walk straight. They now walked next to each other. 'Ari killed Ziva?', Vance asked. 'And shot Valentina and betrayed Theresa so that Juan should shoot her.' 'They still don't know if they're coming through.' 'I still don't know if he's coming through with it.' 'You're not going to hunt Ari. You are going home and to bed then right now', Vance said. They walked over the dark and empty parking place. Nobody was there. It did not rain anymore. Just a little pause of rain. It was surely going to rain again. None of the two men saw that they were being watched. How should they. The man watching them was exactly one kilometer away.

One kilometer was exactly the range of a M40A3. Among marines, this rifle was called a 'Kate'. Ari knew this when he observed the two men coming out of the bar and focused them. The system of a M40A3 was based upon a Remington-700-system SA, SA for short action. The caliber was a .308, standard, the barrel a Schneider Match Grade SS barrel with 24 inch. Efficient distance: 1000 meters.

Ari aimed his target. It was only one of the two men. There was no wind. No rain. A temperature from 15 degrees centigrade. Okay, not perfect. So nearly perfect conditions. Ari watched the men stopping in front of the car.

He shot.

Ari saw the man falling down, very slowly, to the ground. He stayed there, did not move anymore. Ari smiled.