Circumstances-9

A/N: HELLO My Dear Readers! I AM SO SO SORRY. I am in the midst of my mid-year examinations, so I really didn't have time to write:( But here is the very delayed chapter 9!

Please enjoy this chapter:DDD

Disclaimer: Nope. Sadly I don't own this.

Chapter 9 Silence

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His phone had been turned off for the past week, to avoid anyone who was able to trace him. He had only just switched it on to check his voice messages after reaching the safety of his sister's home, and found that out of the few he had, there was one in which he found particularly intriguing.

"Mr Haswari, this is Special Agent Gibbs from NCIS. That little girl you got killed a while ago? She was my god-daughter. I just wanted to let you know that we're on to you. I'll be seeing you very soon."

Ari raised his eyebrows slightly at his phone, and immediately turned it off again. He sat down on the sofa cautiously, as if anything there could and would, trigger an explosion. He opened his secure laptop and went into the already hacked NCIS system, and searched for a Special Agent Gibbs. Strangely, his name was not in the government employee database. That is, until, he decided to check under the ex-employee list. He allowed himself a small smirk when he saw what the folder contained.

Ari headed straight for NCIS headquarters after leaving the file had contained a message for him to meet Gibbs at the basement of the NCIS main building. So, he sent an encrypted message to his contacts to make sure everything was going smoothly on their side. After all, he still had a lot to do in the States, before he could even THINK of heading home. Unlike his half-sister, who was only allowed to remain in US, because she had been tasked to be his back up.

Ari knew that Gibbs had probably set it up, but he was a smart player who loved winning. He had always been able to gain the upper hand in any situation, so how would this be any different? He just had to find Gibbs' weak point, and from what he had inferred, he may have already found it.

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Gibbs entered the dimly lit bullpen alone. The place was basically empty except for the lone shadow at the far end of the room, and the sound of the keyboard clicking.

"Special Agent Gibbs, how are you?" The man spoke, without looking up from the keyboard. His voice bore an eerily calm tone for this situation, which made him all the more dangerous.

"Ari. I thought you wouldn't make it." Gibbs said, and leaned against the staircase, his eyes never leaving the other man. After all, he didn't have a weapon on hand.

"It's good to know that I can surprise you." Ari answered. He didn't stop typing, but he paused to look Gibbs in the eye. They could have fought violently the moment they saw each other, but instead, they communicated everything they neede to say with their eyes.

"It's not good for you, Ari. You killed someone in cold blood." Gibbs said reasonably.

"I did not murder that girl that you are so blatantly referring to. What was her name? Caitlyn, am I right?" Ari said, with an air of confidence. It was as if the man felt no fear for anything. Not even death. "She was a cute thing, eh?"

Gibbs didn't respond to his remark. He knew that responding without thought, would be exactly what Ari wanted. It would be an excuse for Ari to do something rash. He did move a bit closer than he should have, which caused Ari to rise from his seat.

"Mr Gibbs, you really shouldn't have underestimated me." Ari said, as he slowly took out his gun from his pocket, and pointed it as Gibbs. "Did you really think that I would come here unprepared, and just surrender to you?"

Gibbs slowly put his hands up in surrender and moved back, as Ari walked closer threateningly. He kept the gun leveled on Gibbs' face, but lowered it slightly when he seemed to be satisfied with the amount of control he had over the situation.

"I'm just going to kill you, and leave. I can't be caught, Gibbs. I have a much bigger plan to fulfil, and I have a special weapon to help me finish it." He said, with a tone of finality. He raised his gun once more and took aim.

A single shot rang out in the room.

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She was still breathing heavily minutes after pulling the trigger. She knew she had no choice but to do it, since he was going to kill Gibbs. She couldn't let that happen.

Ziva stood over his motionless body, gun still in hand, without a shred of emotion on her face, as if she was daring his dead body to rise again so she could shoot him once more. She could not even shed a tear for what she had just done.

She had just shot her brother through the head without hesitation, all because he became a threat to Gibbs' life. She should feel dishonored and ashamed for the terrible sin she had committed, for her father would surely be over the edge with anger. She had just murdered her own brother, and yet, all she could feel was a strange sense of relief.

It was only when Gibbs pulled up a chair and made her sit down, that she realized that her legs were shaking slightly. He came back with a cup of steaming coffee that tasted so bitter, that she winced when she drank it.

"Is there no sugar?" She asked, trying to spit the coffee out. Gibbs laughed, and replied that the good coffees never needed any. "But sadly, this is not one of them." He continued.

She offered him the coffee instead, and he drank half the cup in one sitting. 'Well, I have no doubt that that's how he stays awake everyday.' She thought, as she took the large cup back and attempted to sip the hot liquid. It didn't taste that bad the second time around, but Gibbs was right, it was not good.

The two of them were acting so normally, that it was almost as if the past few weeks, that had been filled with fear and tension, never even happened. They sat in opposing chairs facing each other, talking about random things that came into their minds. Gibbs had already dialled NCIS, and the cops would most probably be there any minute.

Still, the two parties were not showing any signs of fear, or worry. One, a former marine, had already seen so much bloodshed, that he knew how to control his emotions. The other, the only remaining child of the Director of Mossad, had seen and felt extreme loss that hit close to home, so she had learned how to effectively hide all weaknesses and emotion.

They were still sipping their drinks and made no move to get up, when the police burst through the doors, along with Jenny, a few minutes later.

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"What now, Jethro?" Jenny stood at the table after the events of the day. Her husband sat without saying a word. She narrowed her eyes slightly at his stubbornness.

"You take the rap for killing Ari, and now what's going to happen? You have no proof that he was the one that pulled the trigger for Kate." She continued sharply, since he did not respond to her words. Mentioning Kate, did the trick.

"He orchestrated the entire thing. That's as good as pulling the trigger to me." Gibbs said stonily. He was still pondering over the questioning that happened earlier, which ended with him admitting to killing Ari, and pointing Ziva out as a bystander.

Jenny sighed and slumped into the chair opposite him. "Jethro, I know Kate was special to you. We're all grieving in different ways, but you can't let this case drag you down." He looked up at her, with a side glance towards the stairs.

She followed his gaze and noted the soft padding of feet running across the hallway, when their conversation stopped. "You think that's Abby?" She offered.

"I know." He replied, and got up abruptly, sliding the seat back. Jenny sighed again, knowing that their conversation was over for now. He gave her a short look, before going towards their bedroom.

Being alone once more, Jenny looked at the chair in front of her. She allowed her eyes to bore a hole in the chair where he previously sat, for a minute, before going to bed.

There was so much that had been left unsaid between them, and she knew that someday, she would have to gather the courage to dig it up from him.

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"What are we going to do now, Tony?" The younger girl's worried gaze frightened him, but what scared him more was the silence from the other girl who sat beside him.

"I don't know, Abby." He sighed, as he ran his hand through his hair. That answer didn't satisfy her though, as she got up impatiently, and shook his shoulders hard.

"You can't not know, Tony. Gibbs and Jenny DON'T argue. EVER. Those words that they just exchanged down there? They were part of a very subdued argument that they wanted to keep under wraps!" Abby bit her lips anxiously, and released her brother, after he gave her no response. "How can you just sit there and not be worried?"

Although he said nothing, Tony knew she was right about their parents. Beneath all the false bravado, lay a strong reason for their agitation and worry. "Nevermind. I'll let you guys go to bed. Sorry Ziva, you must be exhausted." Abby said sympathetically, and hugged her and Tony, before retreating to her room.

"You can take the bed. I'll take the floor." Tony said, as he shifted his cushion and the sleeping bag, so that he could lie down. Ziva looked down at him, and shook her head.

"You should take the bed, Tony. I only came to your room because Abby's room is too small for even her to sleep properly." She slid off the bed gracefully and knelt beside him on the floor, waiting for him to get up. Tony ignored her, and rolled over to face away from her. "Tony." She said again, trying to get his attention.

Tony snored loudly in an effort to deter her, but she simply let out a small laugh and gave him a swift push. "Hey, if you are not getting out of there, then I hope you are prepared to share the sleeping bag."

His eyes snapped open in mock horror, but obediently moved aside to make room for her. This time, he ignored the questioning look she gave him, and pulled the blanket over them. She shrugged when she realised that he wasn't going anywhere, and turned herself onto her side, keeping as much distance between their bodies as possible.

Tony wasn't sure how to react. For one, he hadn't expected Ziva to willingly go into bed with him, and although she wasn't facing him, he could feel that she had been caught by surprise at her own sudden decision. He wanted to say something, anything, to get her to talk to him.

Anyone could have guessed what had happened in that span of time before Jenny burst through the door, and he knew that she may need someone to talk to, even if she didn't admit it.

He had overheard the police talking among themselves, when they inadvertently revealed that his father had taken the rap for the shooting. Tony didn't blame him for doing so, nor did he resent Ziva for not taking the blame herself. However, he did worry that she was bottling everything up inside, like what she did, when Kate was killed. He didn't sleep, and spent half the night watching her back, literally.

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HERE IT IS:) I'm really sorry for not updating this fic sooner. I've been having exams, so I really couldn't find any time to finish this chapter, until today:(( I hope you guys aren't too mad:3

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, though:D I know it's not saying much by the time we reach the end, but I'm writing the next chapter now:) so it should be up relatively soon:D

Review, please? I would love to know what you think:)

Until next time,

~Lianna