Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot and that's not a lot, so I'll stop this rhyme and save us all a lot of time.
STORY INFORMATION
Summary: Evelyn Matthews came to NCIS with one goal in mind, to get close to Agent Gibbs. But how exactly do you go about telling a man that you're his dead daughter?
Pairings: EVENTUAL Ari/Evelyn(Kelly),
Tate
Tony/Evie friendship
Ducky/Audrey (Other pairings will appear when I decide)
Warnings: Greyish! Eli, Neutral! Ziva
NOTE: Things I lack knowledge of I have researched from the internet, and while I do try to make sure information is accurate as can be determined some things may not be, so I apology before hand for any mistakes or ignorance on my part.
I want to thank, Dricsj, Gibbs Girl Kelly, HannahbananaJane, JainaSyal, Lady Knight Aria of Haven, Notheronebitesdadust21, Probie girl1717, UnknownFlux, cheether, chrissypotter, Leonarange, lexilia, pavinet, torontogirl12, skeeter88, stargatesg1973, wisegirl71301, OzNCISLover, Kendra29, andrewjeeves, Fantasyfictionwriter, XxstarburstmonterxX, alterangirl, cookie62, kc5mzr, LovelyxLittlexLauren, Rayne90, faith1430709, jbn42, jrfan2383, yadoonkeenjaani, BONES-LOVER-94, FourHorses, IwouldrockJoshuaJacksonsWorld, lauram314, Angel-Lilly16, Captain Kathryn Janeway98, Jeremy Kelly, TivaBelieva.x.x.x, KrisShannon, Tris Holmes, Jenna Craig, MismatchedSocksandKnickers, jtr1812, Amelia Jessica Pond Williams, BrianB1126, calliegirl63, leoniebroeder94, CSIflea, MDDC26, Sirius7, amurdock42, byLunaA, buffy1242, Too Hard To Be Called Love, starchild295, swimgeek2007, and zebraclrgard for all the follows!
I also want to thank, UnknownFlux, HannahbananaJane, JainaSyal, skeeter88, stargatesg1973, Notheronebitesdadust21, smilin steph, bulletproofdeath, Leonarange, torontogirl12, wisergirl71301, LovelyxLittlexLauren, Rayne90, janno, Kendra29, Hope'sFace, lexilia, Annie016, KrisShannon, StarlightShivers, MismatchedSocksandKnickers, 1956johndeere50, Amelia Jessica Pond Williams, BrianB1126, calliegirl63, leoniebroeder94, Sirius7, byLunaA, . .Me, Too Hard to Be Called Love and andrewjeeves for the favs!
I apologize if I missed anyone, if I did just give me a shout out like 'Mirror, how could you?' Seriously all PMs are welcomed. :D
Now onto the reviewers! :D Wanna give a special thanks to, Ann Onyme, Ladyalosius, Buckeye Am I, CSIflea, cheether, leoniebroeder94, Gibbs Girl Kelly, and the many Guests! I believe have replied to everyone's reviews I think…if I have missed you and haven't replied to your review, please sent me a PM and say 'What's the matter with you? You forgot me.'
Guest Reviews:
Ann Onyme: Your review has made my day, and I'm honored that you like my story so much! And I'm honored to be the first English story you've read, and hope that you continue enjoy reading it. :D
Ladyalosius: Thank you so much with your praise. I love entwining OCs with the canon, makes a fic much more interesting I think.
Guest 1: Thank you!
Guest 2: Audrey's knows Evelyn's (Kelly's) past, but how she knew he was Gibbs will be revealed later.
Guest 3: Why thank you very much! :D
Chapter Eight
'And the Past Keeps Coming'
There was a strange noise. Like a loud rattling that drew her from her nice dreamless sleep. Evelyn blinked her blurry eyes before reaching up and rubbing them. She leaned up slightly, giving a long groan of pain as her leg protested the movement. She glanced around the leaving room where she had just dropped on her large comfy sectional. She swore it was the best thing she ever bought, it was large and the cushions were like a foot thick and filled with soft clouds from heaven. Sinking back into the couch after the noise stopped, Evelyn almost feel back into blissful unawareness when there was another sound. But this one was louder, more violent and Evie jolted off the couch despite the pain that went searing through her body.
Her heartbeat began to quicken as the first signs of adrenaline pumped through her veins. Her mind raced as she tried to remember where her nearest weapon was. And blindly in the darkness, she reached out and pulled open her in table drawn and retched it open, pulling out her handgun. Inhaling deep, long breaths from her nose, she rose off the couch. Her bare feet hit the cold wooden floor and a chill shuddered through her entire body. Narrowing her eyes, she peered against the darkness and crept towards the source of the noise.
She turned down the hallway, and stared at her front door. The noise had longed since ceased followed by the suspicious sound of tires against the gravel road, but even in the darkness, Evelyn realized what it had been. Bolts of dread twisted through her, and she reached her front door. Her fingers reached up and she stood on her tiptoes, brushing the locks that were at the very top of the door. The wood was splintered, the metal slightly bent as if someone had attempted to bust in the door, but the with the amount of locks-fifteen in total, mostly deadbolts-had stopped that. Her stomach churned violently, as the thought turned her blood to ice, Someone tried to get in…someone tried to break into her home. But whoever it was…is gone. For now.
She knew that it was nearly impossible for someone to break in. The two doors were locked tighter than Fort Knox, and the windows except the large one in the music room had large piece of furniture blocking it's way. But the fact that someone tried? She put a hand to mouth as the urge to vomit became almost unbearable and she rushed to the kitchen. She slammed into the counter, and leaned over the sink before dry heaving painfully.
Perspiration broken out across her skin, she felt tears burn behind her eyes. Her thoughts flashed back to her plants, strategically placed to detect if someone tried to enter her home. She had shrugged it off as the storm, but now…now she couldn't. A light laugh mixed with a hysterical sob tore through her throat, she felt her mind threatening to break and send her spiraling downward. She couldn't help it. The need to keep her home safe, clean, everyone out was deeply ingrained within her after her foster home before Audrey. She shuddered, swallowing thickly raising her gaze and she found herself staring at her phone that was hanging from the wall.
An urge, almost impossible to ignore, to reach for that phone and call Gibbs rose within her, but when her fingers curled around the phone, she lost her nerve. She dropped the phone back into the cradle and proceeded to check every inch of her house before settling with her back against the front door with a blanket and a gun in her hand.
The trap had been set. Asharf had taken the bait most eagerly, and him and his men along with Ari went to the so called Mossad hideout. But there would be nothing there for them, except death.
Tony stared at Kate as she settled her things. He wasn't sure what he felt for Kate. Sometimes, it she was just his partner. Other times, he got this feeling inside his chest especially when she smiled-truly smiled-at him that made him being to think that there was something more between them. Though it would never happen with Gibbs and his rule twelve, Tony thought with a deep sigh pushing away his inane thoughts. "Hey, how was your date last night?" Tony asked her.
Instead of the gloating and smirking Kate, she instead favored him with a deep grimace. "How did you know I had a date last night?" She asked.
"You talk very loud when you're on the phone," Tony pointed out. "I've been meaning to say something."
"You mean you eavesdropped," Kate snapped, though she did talk loudly just to rub it in Tony's face.
"Guess it didn't go too well, huh?" Tony looked at her, sympathetically.
"He had to cancel," Kate stated, simply and lowered herself into her seat. She proceed to get started with her day, but Tony wasn't through with her yet.
"What excuse did he give?" Tony asked.
Kate shot him a dirty look.
"Come on, Kate," Tony stated, seriously. "Come on, I promise I won't make fun of you."
"Am I supposed to believe that?" Kate asked, lip pursed.
"I wouldn't," Gibbs came out of nowhere like usual making both Kate and Tony jumped.
"Morning," Kate offered quietly.
"Morning, boss," Tony said, quickly before turning back towards Kate. He stared at her, unblinkingly and finally after a minute of trying to ignore it, her head snapped up.
"Surgery," Kate relented. "He said he had surgery."
"Hey, that's a good one! I've got to remember that," Tony smirked broadly. "What was wrong with him?"
"He didn't have surgery," Kate gave him a dark look. "Tony, he performed it."
The elevator dinged, and Evelyn stumbled into the squad room. Her gait was awkward with her wounded leg, but she didn't falter. Dark circles were underneath her eyes, the rest of her night had been sleepless and she felt utterly exhausted. She marched up to Gibbs who was about to sit down at his desk, and set down a piece of paper.
"Papers saying I'm fit for…light," she said the word like it was a curse word, "duty, boss."
Gibbs took the paper. "Welcome back, Matthews," he told her.
Evelyn smiled slightly, because she more than happy to be here. Not at her house. Being in there, knowing that someone tried to break in left her paranoid and jumping at every little sound. "Good to be back," Evie stated, then gave a tiny yawn as she turned towards her desk.
"Jeez, Evie, you look like something the cat dragged in," Tony commented, his lips turning downward as he sat up in his chair.
"And as usual, I appreciate your unusually brand of charm, Tony," Evelyn stated, with only a little bit of sarcasm. The only thing that kept her from biting his head off was the genuine concern in his gaze. She dropped at her desk, and placed her head in her hands, closing her eyes with a tired sigh.
"Evelyn," Kate rose from her desk, "what's wrong?"
Gibbs stopped and looked over at her, a deep frown on his face when she didn't answer right away. She raised her head slightly, and he caught the utter exhaustion and fear in her blue eyes before they went calm. Too calm. She put on a smile and shook her head slightly. "Just…the medicine," Evelyn waved off the concern with a light laugh. "It's making me…" she tried to find a word. "Discombobulated."
"Discombobulated?" Tony sniggered.
Evie raised her head and arched an eyebrow at him, unimpressed with an attempted teasing. He immediately stopped his laughter, and muttered, "Geez, tough crowd."
"Don't worry, DiNozzo," Kate told him. "I'm sure one day you'll find yourself someone just like you that appreciate you sense of humor-or lack thereof."
Tony stuck his tongue out at Kate.
Kate rolled her eyes. "Very mature, Tony," she stated, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Maturity is overrated, Katie-Kat," Tony tossed the nickname at her, and Kate flushed slightly. Gibbs looked between his two agents and sighed slightly, before sitting down at his desk. His eyes then flickered back over to Evie who was now resting her head on her arms, her eyes weren't close because she was obviously fighting it. Gibbs finally said, "Late night, Matthews?"
Evelyn jolted straight up into a sitting position. "Late night, boss? What late night? I had no late night," she stuttered out, in a half sleepy, panicked babble.
Gibbs was about to question her further, not willing to let it go when his phone rang. With a slight growl, he picked up the phone and answered, gruffly, "Gibbs…uh-huh…alright. Alright." He hung up the fun, then rose picking up his gun and badge. "Grab your stuff," he ordered.
"Even me?" Evie perked up hopefully.
Gibbs was tempted to tell her 'no', but relented with a sigh and a nodded. Evie jumped up pratically beaming, a far cry from the sulking woman she was a few minutes ago and grabbed her gear as Kate asked, "Where are we going?"
"West Virginia," Gibbs replied.
"Almost heaven. "Take me home, country road. "Old John Denver song," Tony joked, then caught himself under Gibbs's stern look and started gathering his things. "I'm going to grab my gear. Yeah."
"Clarksburg," Gibbs informed them of their destination.
"What's in Clarksburg?" Kate asked.
Gibbs's brows furrowed. "Junk dealer… stumbled onto a leg."
Evelyn froze, her expression horrified. "A leg? As in…just a leg? Not a body to got with the leg?" Evie asked, brows raising into her hairline.
"Just a leg," Gibbs said, picking up the most important thing. His cup of coffee.
"We're driving to West Virginia to look at a leg?" Kate looked at Gibbs's weirdly.
"It belongs to a Marine," Gibbs stated simply.
"If you don't have the rest of him," Evelyn began, and Tony finished for her as the two of them shared a glance, "how do you know it's a Marine?"
Evelyn raised the camera as Tony held the leg up with Ducky for her to take a photo of the tattoo. She was biting harshly down on her tongue not to throw up at the smell and sigh, and snapped the shot. She looked over Gibbs with a speculative glance, "So…you have that tattoo too?"
Gibbs just gave her a look.
"Go take pictures of the crime scene," Evie stated, her smile dropping. "Yeah, yeah, I know."
"What have we got here, Duck, other than the obvious?" Gibbs asked the coroner.
Evelyn saw Kate taking the witness statement from the hysterical man, and taking to the local policy while Tony was off doing the laser and sketch. She took pictures of each piece of evidence that was labeled when she notice something flash out of the corner of her eye.
"Well, with the absence of hemorrhagic tissue at the point of injury, I'd say the limb was severed post mortem," Ducky's voice sounded far off to Evelyn, whose gaze was fixated on a man in a black hoodie with a camera in hand. He was part of the growing crowd that stood outside the yellow lines taking photos of them and the crime scene. He was nothing special, except he didn't seem to be taking photos of the crime scene.
"Time of death?" Gibbs asked.
Evelyn cautiously moved her gaze, so she wasn't staring straight at the man. She walked a few steps, then froze her blood curdling in her veins. The man had shifted his stance so his lens was firmly on her. She walked over to Gibbs, and the man's was snapping pictures following her.
He was taking pictures of her.
"From a leg?" Ducky looked over at Gibbs, with a shake of his head. "I'll tell you what, Gibbs. You find me a liver in that leg, and I'll estimate you a time of death."
Kate had finished taking the statements, and walked over. Her eyes narrowed on the foot and she pointed out, "What's that wedged in the sole?"
The rest of the conversation was lost on Evelyn who was now solely focused on the man in the crowd. Her heart pounded in her chest, as a feeling of anger and fear. Was this him? Was this person, whose face was a shadow underneath a hood, the person who tried to break in her home? Why else would he be taking pictures of her? The more and more questions whirled around her head, and finally it began too much to bear. "Hey!" The word left her mouth in a deep, angry snap.
Gibbs, Ducky and Kate turned all startled by the sudden shout. Evie stomped forward, shoving the camera in Gibbs's hand missing the shocked look that Kate and Tony shared. "Hey!" Evelyn started towards the man, who suddenly stop taking her picture. "Hey! You!"
The man bolted, and Evelyn went after him. "Stop you rotten bastard!" She shouted, jumping over the yellow line. The crowd parted for her like the red sea, and she dove past them after that man. He turned around a corner, and Evelyn followed, her heart sputtering in her chest as searing burn ripped through her hurt leg. That didn't stop her though, her anger blinding her from the pain.
Her fingers dug into his jacket and she dug her heels into the ground trying to force him to a stop. The man then whirled around, and sent a punch right to her stomach. Stumbling back in pain, Evie blindly reached out, and grabbed the camera strap around the man's neck. Gritting her teeth together, she pulled it viciously. The man gagged, his fingers reaching up to his throat. In the next second, he unbutton the strap sending Evelyn flying back on her bottom, and she hit the ground with a cry. The man walked over and stomped down right where her wound was hard. Evelyn bit down on her lips so hard, she tasted blood, but when the man reached to grab his camera, Evie didn't let go.
"Freeze!" Gibbs voice came from somewhere behind her.
The man froze for a split second in indecision before letting go of the camera and bolting towards the nearest alleyway. Gibbs slid to a halt beside Evelyn, before nodding after the suspect, "Tony, Kate!"
"On it, boss!" Tony said, as the two rushed past them after the suspect.
Gibbs then turned to send a very angry look down at Evelyn. "What the hell, Matthews? What the did you think you were doing?" He demanded angrily, as he reached out steady her as she struggled to her feet.
She didn't reply. Instead, she looked down at her pant's leg that was warm and wet. She reached down, feeling light headed and touched it before raising her palm. Her eyes widened as her hand was covered in red. She gasped out, faintly, "Gibbs…"
Gibbs's eyes were wide at the sight of blood before he cursed out, and he yelled, "Ducky!" hoping the medical examiner could hear him as he helped Evelyn to a nearby bench. "Matthews," Gibbs looked at her, this time his tone less anger more worried. "What were you thinking? Going after that man like that?"
Evelyn's brows furrowed, as Gibbs forced her to bring both her legs on to the bench and lean back. Her blue eyes flickered out towards him, and her mouth worked up and down then she sighed. "He…he was taking pictures, boss," she tried to explain.
"A lot of people were," Gibbs pointed out.
"No. Not of the crime scene," Evie felt herself feeling embarrassed as she was forced to admit why she reacted the way she had. "He was taking pictures of me."
Gibbs's eyes narrowed, then he looked back over at the camera lying on the ground. He got up and walked over picking up the camera. He looked it over and held down the power button, but the camera merely hissed and the picture flickered in and out. It had been broken in the struggle. Gibbs heaved a sigh before walking back over to Evelyn and he knelt down until he was eye level with her. He inquired, his voice light, "Evelyn, what's going on? And no lying."
"I don't know…I," Evie's voice quivered.
"Boss," Tony and Kate has returned, with no suspect and looking worse for wear. Tony stepped forward, "He got away in a black sedan that was waiting for him. It didn't have tags."
"Damnit," Gibbs snapped.
"Jethro," Ducky walked over, his medical bag slung over his shoulder. "What is with all this shouting? Who has been hu…" He cut himself off when he saw Evelyn clutching her leg. "I should have know," the doctor tutted, shaking his head. "We they say 'light duty', and be careful, they don't mean taking flying leaps of police tape and chase someone down, Evelyn. When are you ever going to learn the meaning of rest?"
"To remain or to continue to be," Evie shot at him.
"The other meaning of the word, my dear," Ducky sent her an amused look as he knelt inspecting her leg.
"It's not my nature to rest," Evie told him, managing to joke and even quirk her lips up into a smile, "when the is game is afoot, Watson."
"There have never been a truer truth spoken, Sherlock," Ducky chuckled lightly.
"Watson? Sherlock?" Gibbs arched an eyebrow.
"Ah, a little inside joke between Evelyn and I," Ducky explained, with a mirthful glint in his eyes. "It started when I discovered that she was a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as much as I, and I commented on how much Evelyn reminded me of She-"
"I got it, Ducky," Gibbs told him, not unkindly.
Ducky saw Gibbs gaze on Evelyn, and could tell the man was unnerved. Something had happened, and Ducky immediately got back to the matter at hand. "You've pulled a few stitches, that is obvious, but the extent of the damage…well, we'll wait until we are in the van for that."
"Why?" Kate asked. Everyone looked at her, while Evelyn gestured to her pants. "Right, right," she said, with a self deprecating smile. "Sorry, was having a moment. Do you need help getting there?"
Evelyn felt her face flush and downcast her eyes in embarrassment. She taught herself never to need help from anyone, to be independent as often as possible. To ask for help seemed like admitting weakness. She swallowed thickly, and nodded her head. Gibbs reached out, wrapping his arm underneath hers and helped to her feet.
Evie kept her head down in silence the whole way.
He let out his breath slowly, letting himself relax. He was hunting, he was in his element and his prey stood all around him. Asharf walked in the front with his two guards, leaving Ari and two other recruits in the back as they entered the ghost camp. There was no sign of life, or that anything had been living here recently. Asharf looked over the wasteland before turning to his men. "Hasim, Kadar, with me," Asharf ordered. "Haswari, Ivakon, Mohammed, scout that way. We will meet back here in ten minutes time."
Good, Ari thought to himself. With the group split up, it made his job of eliminating them all the more easy. He nodded his acceptance of the orders and followed the other two men towards the east side of the camp. They had been walking around for all of two minutes, when Ivakon spoke up his Russian dialect mutilating the Arabic language. "Is this really a good idea?" He asked. "Splitting up?"
"We have our orders," was Ari's short reply, his slowed his gait until he was behind both men and patiently waited for his time to strike.
"I do not like this," Ali muttered under his breath, sweat dripping down his face that had nothing to do with the heart.
"I know it's like a ghost town," were the last words that Ivakon ever muttered, for Ari slipped right behind him and slit his throat. The man's open in a soundless scream as Ari lowered him to the ground before approaching the other one. Ali turned around, but it was too late. Ari's blade was buried into his throat, and he dropped to the ground, lifeless eyes reflecting the light of the sun.
Ari quickly hid the two men in a nearby tent, although himself to breath for a moment. He didn't not fool himself to think Asharf and his personal guards would be the same. No, Asharf and his guards had been trained for battle much like himself where the two men he left bleeding out in the sand were just men desperate enough to conned by Asharf's and Hamas's cause.
He cut his palm, and used his blood to cover himself as if he had beaten within in a inch of his life. Limping towards where the other were no doubt waiting, he rounded the corner and cried out in pain. All three men jumped, their weapons raised warily. "Please! Come! Come quick!" Ari called out to other men.
Kadar was the first to make his way over with Asharf and Hasim behind him. His gun was held up, warily. "Where are the others?" Kadar demanded.
"Dead…Mossad…" Ari panted, distressed.
Kadar's expression turned fierce. "Where?" He snarled.
"There…that way," Ari crumpled to his knees holding his bloody stomach with moans of agony while watching Kadar rush off as Asharf told him to wait. But it was too late. Kadar had rounded the corner, the ground trembled with the power of the explosion and the building blew up.
It only took a moment for Hasim and Asharf to realize they had been set up and Ari launched himself at Hasim. The two men tumbled down the large sand dune, Hasim tried to pointed his gun, but Ari twisted it out of the other man's grasp and tossed it away. Hasim threw a punch catching Ari in the jaw, and his jaw rattled together painfully. But Ari had been hit worse and struck back, with a just as equally powerful hit.
Asharf pulled out his gun and started firing. Bullets scattered all around them, hitting the sand. Ari flipped Hasim over and used him as a shield. Hasim's face contorted in agony, as the blood tore through him and Ari barely even flinched as the blood splattered across him. Instead, he leaned back letting himself slide down the hill as Asharf fired the gun madly down in his direction with his shield protecting him. As soon as he could Ari crawled to cover behind a well. 100 rounds. 60 shots at most were fired, Ari calculated when the gunfire stopped. That meant that he had forty more bullets to avoid. He couldn't outright fight Asharf for the gun, it would be suicide. He had make Asharf waste the bullet, and then attack him.
He looked down at Hasim's body that he had dragged with him, and grabbed it. He could see Asharf's shadow drawing closer and closer to his hiding spot. He took Hasim and tossed him out.
Gunfire ensued them quickly stopped once Asharf realized that it was definitely not Ari who lied dead in the sand. He held his breath, creeping around the well to keep out of Asharf's line of vision. There were several places Ari could have run to. Tents, decaying buildings, but he stayed put because that was what Asharf least expected. It was a daunting game of mouse, and it was anything from fun for Ari. Ari scooped sand into the palms of his hands, and waited for the right moment. One…two…three! He sprung up and threw the sand in Asharf's face
The crackle of gunfire snapped through the air, and Ari dove to the side, but not quick as pain seared through his side. He got himself into a building, and reached up with his fingers to inspect the damage. It was nothing more than flesh word, he was extremely lucky for that. Holding his breath, he listened as Asharf screamed calling him everything from a bastard to much worse things.
Ari had heard it all before, so it didn't irk him in the slightly. The only person that had managed to cause offense with words such as those picture sat right above his left breast pocket. He narrowed his eyes, hearing the last of the bullets ring out and Asharf curse. Ari slipped behind several crates, pressing his back to them. The easiest and most efficient way to get this done with was to sneak up behind Asharf and finish him off.
A fight would get mess. Asharf outweighed Ari, and had the superior strength. While Ari had dealt with such before, it wasn't a position he relished being put in.
"You self righteous Mossad moles," Asharf sneered, trying to pinpoint exactly where Ari was hiding while wiping the sand from his eyes. "Play yourself out as heroes and matyrs trying to slay the monsters of the world. You understand nothing of freedom with leashes wrapped around your neck from the second you are born."
Anger coiled within his stomach, and Ari stomped it out harshly. He couldn't let Asharf's words that hit too close on the nail for comfort distract him. If he let out his anger, it would consume him. Carefully Ari moved in the dark shadows that grew as the sun began to set, and listened as Asharf's voice continued, "Do you really believe that you are a good man? Doing things for the greater good? Face it, you're drowning in a sea of blood as deep as mine."
Ari let out a long breath through his dry lips. He never denied he was a monster. He knew that he hand blood coating his hand, some innocent, some not so innocent. However when Asharf said those words, they hit him on a level that he hadn't been aware he could be hit. He hadn't known why it had startled him so, then a memory of a pair blue eyes staring at him with a reluctant understanding. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, trying to center his thought on taking down Asharf not elsewhere.
His eyes snapped open quickly. It was then Ari realized that Asharf had stopped talking, and his voice no longer echoed off the walls. Ari strained to listen, to hear anything and stepped when suddenly a foot kicked at his ankle, and he felt his legs swept out from underneath him. He slammed into the ground hard, and immediately kicked his leg and rolled out of the way as he caught the glint of blade. Asharf launched himself at Ari, lashing out with his knife as Ari got his footing. Ari caught Asharf's wrist with one hand and shoved forward with all his might.
Asharf grunted, as his own blade slide into his side, but the man wouldn't go down. He kicked Ari in the kneecap sending Ari sliding down the steep sand dune. The man took another swipe at him as Ari fought to kept his balance. The blade sliced across his forearm inciting a growl from Ari. Ari planted his feet firmly against the sand and used all his strength to tackle Asharf to the ground. They struggled over the blade, punches and kicks, vicious sounds of battle.
By the time the sunset, only one walked back towards the Hamas camp alive.
Gibbs stood behind Abby listening her go over all that she had found while trying not to look as worried or as frustration as he was really feeling inside. Evelyn had clammed up, and barely talked the rest of the way back. But he saw it in her eyes. Fear. She was afraid. She had been working with the team nearly three months know, and he had seen her not even bat an eye under the most intense situation. The hostage situation was the first thing that came to mind, and he felt a bitterness fill him that he gotten that bastard.
"So I pulled a partial off our leg that isn't the junk collector's," Abby told him, sipping on her Caf-pow. "Could be the victim's."
"Run it through the military database," Gibbs stated, gruffily before resuming his thinking. Evelyn hadn't outwardly shown fear in those situations. He knew that she had felt afraid, but she had pushed it away just like he did, just like they all did. But she hadn't been able to. She hadn't been able to stop herself from being afraid, after attacking the man who had apparently been stalking her. And that begged the question: What was going on and why?
Abby raised an eyebrow at Gibbs, who eyes were dark in thought and gave a little cough. Gibbs blinked up at her, and she smiled slightly, "So any other body parts show up?"
"No." Gibbs shook his head, then looked down at the camera that sat in his hand in the evidence bag. He felt a whole new wave of anger hit him. Who the hell would be taking pictures of Evelyn? And why the hell hadn't she come to him sooner if she had been that paranoid to realize she was actually being stalked?
"Isn't that a little bit hinky?" Abby shot him a look.
Gibbs pushed his thoughts away and focused on the matter at hand. "It's more than a bit. All we've got is a tattooed leg, a sock and a boot," he stated, fiddling with the broken camera.
"Ah, ah!" Abby smirked, pointing out. "You're forgetting about our interesting little bit of botanical evidence."
"Oh, yeah. That. Yeah," Gibbs stated, managing to find it somewhere deep within him to joke. "Well, I want the life history; family, where it grew up."
"College transcripts?" Abby smiled, the tension in her shoulders easing as the cloud of Gibbs's head parted even if for a brief moment. She hated when he got all depressed like that. "I know. Anything else you need me to do for you, boss?"
"Yes." Gibbs rose from where he was leaning on her desk and handed over the camera. "I need you to pull anything you can off of this," Gibbs handed her to the camera with care. "This takes priority over everything else," he stated, seriously. His agent was more important than a case any day.
"Wow," her eyes widened, as she studied the camera. "Where did you find this? With the leg? Who'd be dumb enough to throw this expensive baby away?"
"It wasn't found with the leg, Abby," Gibbs told her. "It's an expensive camera?"
"Yeah, probably a good five hundred to a thousand dollars depending on the lens and memory cards and other things you get with it. If it wasn't with the leg, where did you get it?" Abby looked up for clarification.
"A man was at the crime scene," Gibbs told her, his voice rough with his anger, "taking photos of Evelyn. I want to know who and I want to know why."
"Evelyn's got a stalker?" Abby's eyes widened.
"It seems that way," Gibbs's brows were pulled downward in a disgruntled expression. He knew Evelyn was about to open up before Tony and Kate had returned. He just hoped she was still willing to talk.
"You…are very lucky," Ducky told her seriously, pointing the bloody needle in her face very threatening. Evelyn leaned back away from her ever so slightly. "You lost very little blood for such a wound, and only pulled three stitches so you are saved from a hospital trip, young lady, but that does not mean you'll be safe from Audrey when she finds out."
"Ducky," Evie was pleading.
"No, don't you use that pout on me," Ducky stood firm. "You were not only suffering from lose of blood, but apparent stress, and those dark circles under your eyes are a testament that you haven't gotten any sleep. You, dear girl, are in no condition to be here working, what in the world were you thinking?"
"Ducky," Evelyn groaned, "please don't. I'm already going to hear it from Gibbs-"
"Oh, you're going to hear it, Matthews," Gibbs stated, as he walked into autopsy. He watched Evelyn cringe, before slowly looking up at him like a child who just got caught doing something bad. He marched over to her where she sat on the body slab, and placed a hand on each side of her trapping her there. He demanded, his voice too quiet, "What the hell is going on? I want the truth, and I want it now."
Evelyn looked at him, that same look in her eyes when he cornered her in her house. Like an animal debating whether to lash out or retreat, but surprisingly she did neither. Instead, she drew in a long breath and spoke, her voice barely more than a whisper, "I…I lost when I saw that…man. I couldn't help it. Not after…" She broke off.
"After what?" Gibbs prompted.
"Someone…" Evelyn's eyes flickered back to his, and trepidation filled her as she had a trouble getting the words out. She bowed her head, and looked at the floor. "Someone tried to break into my house a couple of nights ago."
For a moment, the room was void of any movement, any noise and Gibbs's expression tightened and he asked, his tone fierce, "Why is this the first I am hearing of this?"
"I…" Evelyn sighed. "I was going…going to call, but didn't want to…"
"Didn't want to what?" Gibbs pulled back away from her so he stared down at her. "Didn't want to be a bother?" He figured he guessed right when she flinched back. "Did you not listen to a word I said the other day? We are a team, we have each others backs. You have ours, what don't you understand about the team having yours?"
"The team part?" She muttered, out trying for a nonchalant shrug, but it fell flat as her body trembled.
"Now is not the time to be a smartass, Matthews," Gibbs shot at her, darkly. "What were you waiting for? Were you waiting until we found you on a body slab?"
"Jethro," Ducky finally intervened.
Gibbs looked at Ducky, and saw the meaningful look that the doctor was giving him, and backed down slightly. He turned to Evelyn, his jaw clenched tightly. "You won't be going back to your house," Gibbs stated, forcefully.
Evie's face went deathly pale. "But…but I can't go anywhere else," she stated, shocked.
"Someone just tried to break into your home," Gibbs snapped. "And you want to stay there?"
"I…I…" Evelyn didn't want to, but she was terrified of being somewhere else. Her home was the only place that was hers, her only safe place. "I have to," her voice was filled with turmoil.
It wasn't lost on Gibbs, and he let out a huff wanting nothing more than to throttle sense into the red head. Fine. She wants to stay there. She can, He thought to himself, as he though of a compromise. Sort of. "Fine," Gibbs stated with a light shrug.
"Fine?" Ducky and Evelyn echoed at him.
"Yep, fine," Gibbs looked at Evelyn, his face suspiciously cool. "DiNozzo, and I," he didn't mention Kate, knowing Evie still held a grudge against the other woman, "will just have to take turns staying down at your house with you."
Evelyn's heart stopped inside her chest, and she looked like she was about to pass out. "Boss, I can't have anyone in my house," she told her, her voice sounding off. "You know that I can't!"
"Well, you'd had better get over it," Gibbs told her, bluntly as he marched out the door. "And fast."
Evie was far from happy as Tony drove her home. She was practically bouncing her seat, shifting every minute as her nerve began to eat at her. Tony kept glancing over out of the corner of her eyes, and stated, "Hypnotist."
Evelyn stopped fidgetting and craned her head slowly towards him, her blue eyes giving him a blank stare uncomprehending the meaning of his random word. "Pardon?" She asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"Hypnotist," Tony continued, clearing his throat. "For your fear. You know," he tried to explain, as Evelyn's expression spiked fear inside of him. He felt the back of his head tingle as if he was about to get headslapped, and he had no idea why. "To try to make you forget it."
The idea of having someone put her into some kind of sleep and leaving her unaware was the last straw. "Pull over," Evie barely got out, her stomach rolling.
"Not in my car!"
Ari was a quarter of the mile from the camp site, and he prepared himself for what he had to do to ensure his safety and keep suspicion off of him. He paused, kneeling down on the sand and picked up a rock. He took in a deep breath, steeling his nerves and fought every instinct and preservation and slammed the rock into his face. A brutal cry was caught in his throat, but he kept it from escaping. Blood ran down his cheek, and he swallowed bringing down the rock on his side.
His heart was pounding in his chest, as pain tore through him. A few more cuts, and bruises, tearing at his clothing and he finished his trek towards the camp.
Ari gave the story, of the trap and the betrayal. The suspicion hovered over him and he was held many hours without food or water until they discovered the 'evidence' that another man was Mossad. The man denied it, and of course he was innocent, but the evidence Ari had planted damned the man to a quick death. As Marta set a plate of food and brought him water, while giving him a come hither smile, he thought to himself, I'm still alive, Father. And you may think me a pawn now, but I have a game of my own.
As soon as Ari hit the states, he would begin his plan to ruin Eli David and escape Mossad's grasp once and for all.
"Are you sure you should be mixing that with your meds?" Tony pointed at the bottle of NyQuil that Evelyn took a huge gulp of before they entered her house.
"How should I know? I'm not a doctor," Evie shrugged, with only a tiny bit off worry. She just knew that it would make her tired, relax her and maybe, just maybe she would get through the first night without having a mental breakdown. She closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath letting it flow through her before slowly releasing it and mechanically going through her day.
"What are you doing?" Tony asked, following after her. She had moved across the path, he could tell from the way she walked this was a path she took everyday. So OCD on top of phobia, Tony had suspected that for a while now. The woman had to kept her desk straightened and clean, meticulously so.
"Checking everything," Evie replied, walking around the house with Tony trudging after.
"You do this all the time?" Tony asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Yep," she nodded. Tony filed that little bit of information away to tell Gibbs while silently following Evelyn through out her whole procedure. She checked all the windows, plants, she even went out and checked the lake house making sure it was secure before they finally stepped up towards the house. The front door loomed over her and she felt bile touch the back of her tongue, perspiration break across her skin as she felt rooted to the spot unable to move forward.
Tony's lingering presence made the situation all the more real, and she could sense him watching her. She felt a sigh ripple through her, and looked down at the NyQuil bottle in her hand cursing it slightly, God…I should got the bourbon.
END OF CHAPTER! Originally I was going to make this chapter longer, but I felt that I needed more than one chapter to expand on Evie's past and Ari's troubles and how it will all come together! Thank you for all your support, readers!
Rrs are always welcomed, and always replied too. :D