Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not Gibbs, not Ari, no one do I own. This is all for amusement. There I said it, now can someone have Ari put the gun down slowly…
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)-ARLYN SHALL RULE THE WORLD-
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 also want to thank, athena9090, 777musiclover, UKgirl17, Tig442, Thedarkstorm,asdfaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, 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, SecretsAreHiddenByMe, Too Hard to Be Called Love, BurnedSpy, NikkiAlex, adrienmaciel, Annie016, bakaprincess85, spikewil, thelauers918, Animanga-smile14, Nicole1314, Trance20666, Viivs0612, sophiemom01, Rika92, Callipygian, EisForElephant, EzziBA, Curiouser-and-Curiouser101, Annika Sparks, CryDevil, Monochrome13, PayShaFan, Cosmos89, doggy bye, goldengloss, GibbsTonyZivaTim, CSIflea, FictionWriter09, ange1993, RedRiver21, winterhail, Tenshi of Heaven, MusicLover500, TwilightLover162, Romantic Journalist, JrSnape, xLyraCharlottex, JamesBond2007, Lizzy2586, SkullKey4758, Shades-Soul, lightningx94, ihateyoubaby, GryffindorWolfSlytherinHybrid, I am One with the Wind and Sky, OzNCISLover, Suddenly Psychotic, ElizabethMartin101, summercampgoddess, LTree16, RedEyedSurprise, katgirl9585, EmeraldFox01, Flausch, RAD092515, LegalAddiction20, ginny917, Som3on3, dogsrme, Hikari no Hoshi, thedarkrstorm, Tig442, UKgirl71, 777musiclover, athena9090, The Italian Rose, bera0053, LadyPheonixKnight, saji235, ljcolic, Ella-Zoe, newbeth, dallas1990 and andrewjeeves for the favs!
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, Lady Isabelle Black, vampireacademyrulz797, Arkansas Sweetheart, Sweetest-Time, janno, Russian Flower, SimplyReBECca, GraceSong, Marauders Twilight, NikkiAlex, horsegirlrule, adrienmaciel, Alpha Centarus, Angelus320, Dreamspirit47, MrsScott323, bakaprincess85, mitchievw, potiongirl1992, Nicole1314, Trance20666, Viivs0612, cwatker222, Mal4Inara, sophiemom01, Pandora'sBox11, Callipygian, EzziBA, Curiouser-and-Curiouser101, leFlame, LadyMary33, swanqueen4, PayShaFan, Angelhaggis, starwarsfan1000, goldengloss, GibbsTonyZivaTim, Irjuni92, pinkrangerforever, persephone829, Forest Angel, RedRiver21, Nightwing's Gal, Emerald Pixie Dust, peacesista123, RogueShadow94, TwilightLover162, x-xLittle-Miss-Brown-Eyesx-x, x-X-x-Donna-x-X-x, xLyraCharlottex, Danielle89, Dark Alana, JamesBond2007, Lizzy2586, SocietyMember, SkullKey4758, Shades-Soul, tomboy4997, ihateyoubaby, lachicarebelde22, D3ANwasH3R3, othlvr16, GryffindorWolfSlytherinHybrid, Firecrane930, Dreamsb223, I am One With the Wind and Sky, Paddy and Moony's Angel, Suddenly Psychotic, gotta-love-acheron, Ugla, Willow Tree 26, Soccergirl0388, Collingwood39, Jowin28, sammyboyaldaway, BoredZero, RedEyedSurprise, katgirl9585, EmeraldFox01, Stars2008, Darkwitch716, NavyGirl05, bloodshadows, LegalAddiction20, Skyagon, jowhity, Som3on3, Rianna Hunter, dogsrme, Hikari no Hoshi, Souls of the Blue Fire Pheonix, thedarkrstorm, MeliaAlexander, Tig442, BlackIce33, silkly0670, Ladycat21201, 777musiclover, , jessgreenslade, animefreakv23 the beast, FarmerLiv, hummingbird23, Limetka.111, LadyPheonixKnight, saji235, Daniellee217, Emerald Pixie Dust, Jay O-Niell, newbeth, solarangelsuki, Archyrr and zebraclrgard for all the follows!
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 And I know I lost some favs, and follows, but I'm keeping y'all on here anyways.
WOW! Over three hundred reviews! Thank you all so much! Wanna give a special thanks to, Buckeye am I, cwatker222, byLunaA, Nightwing's Gal, Burned Spy, RidingAngelxspy, and Emerald Pixie Dust, for the reviews! THANK Y'ALL! If I have missed you and your review, or follow, or fav, just PM and I'll fix that.
Guest Reviews:
RidingAngelxspy: Hello! Oh, don't feel bad for not reviewing. I understand the loss of wifi, and its frustrations very well, lol. Oh, I wish I could publish this fan fiction, but alas copyrights and all that. There's no chance of that happening for another…75 years? I think that's how long copyrights last, lmao. Well, you'll see who gets shot when you read though you are right I wouldn't do that to Evelyn. If I had to figure out what stage Evie and Ari's relationship is…is that she does love him, she just hasn't realized it yet. On the who could do worse, Ari is the one that you'd think is more capable of worse, but he's more analytical where as Ziva is more emotionally driven. I think that emotion could cause Ziva to be compelled to go father than Ari would ever think to. Anyways, glad to see you back! Your reviews always make me smile. *return hugs* You readers will understand. Everyone has their moments when they can't write. Just take sometime, find things that will reignite your inspiration. Thank you for the review! :D
Sorry for the long wait! Hope you enjoy!
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
"One More Miracle"
Sentiment.
His father once told him that sentiment was just as deadly as a bullet. That sentiment could drive a sane man to place himself in harms way, and compromise everything. Ari never understood the meaning of sentiment until he stepped out on that porch. His gaze resting warily upon the father and daughter, a sigh worked its way through him. It was obvious that they were still at odds with one another, judging by the blatant anger on Gibbs's face and the devastation in Evelyn's posture. He went to step forward when he saw Evelyn back away from Gibbs, then stilled as he caught the glint of something in the tree line. An unmistakable glint that someone like him knew in an instant. His heart jolted in his chest as a fear-like any he had felt before-rushed through, and the next second he was flying across the porch as fast as his legs could take him. The moment lasted for what seemed like forever, every detail pressed in on him.
Sentiment could cost a man everything. But the price…the price was one that he would pay over and over again. The roll of the storm clouds, the scent of the wind, and the distance between him and Evelyn seemed impossibly long. Each heartbeat was like thunder in his ears, and finally he reached her. His hands placed themselves upon the small of her back, and he shoved her forward with all his mighty. Then a gunshot pierced through the night. He had split second to register pain that exploded inside his head, and someone's scream as he fell to his knees.
And the world went black.
Evelyn saw Gibbs's expression turn from angry to scared in a split second. Her heart stopped because she had never seen her father scared. Never. Her lips parted and she began to ask him what was wrong when a hard body slammed into from behind, sending her flying forward as Gibbs shouted, his voice filled with panic, "Kelly!" She felt her dad's arms wrap around her as the sound of a gunshot cracked loudly through the night. She felt something warm and wet splash against the back of her head before Gibbs pulled her down to the porch floor out of the line of fire.
"Kelly! Kelly!" Gibbs grabbed her face, urging her to look upward at him as cold dread pierced through him. "Kelly, are you alright?"
His panic was contagious, and Evelyn felt fear lances through her veins and tears fill her eyes as confusion flooded her sense. She jerked her face up and met his gaze. "I'm fine! I'm fine!" She said, unsteadily. Her hands reached up to feel the back of her neck where the warm and wet liquid dripped down. Slowly she touched it and brought a shaky hand to her face. Even in the distorted light, she could see the blood red. All the color drained out of her face, and she immediately twisted in her father's grip. "What? Who…" Her jaw dropped, and then her heart plummeted to her stomach. Horror, fear, and pain welled up in her throat as a scream and when it got to her lips all that came out in a broken noise.
The world went silent, and still. Nothing moved, nothing breathed. Evelyn stared down at Ari's still body, and she reached out with shaky hands. "No…no, no, no, no!" She wretched herself free from Gibbs and crawled over the body lying on the porch. "Ari? Ari?" She asked, her hands cradling his face so gently and she made a heart wrenching noise as she came in contact with blood. "No, no, no! Please, please, please," she choked, and stammered. Her throat swelled and knotted, painfully.
Oh, God, there is so much blood.
Her lungs felt they would burst out of her chest. It was like mom all over again, the thought raced through her mind. There was so much blood. Too much blood. It felt like someone had gutted her, a horrible sick empty feeling that tore through her from head to toe worse than any fear or panic. It was a pain so mind numbing and white-hot that tears streaked down her face, and she felt as if her heart had been ripped right out of her chest. "This…can't be…happening. Not again," she said, shaking her head. She let out a little whimper as hesitantly she slid her right hand down his jaw, and to his neck. Her heartbeat was a roar in her ears, and she felt for a pulse. In the distance she could hear Fornell's men shouting, panic and angry, but she pushed them to the back of her mind. "Ari? Ari? Please…please…"
"Evelyn," Gibbs was at her side.
"He's alive," the words were breathed out, in disbelief and in hope. "He's alive," she repeated, with a hysterical sob and laugh. "He has pulse…he's alive…" Her blue eyes swept towards Gibbs, and tears streaked down her face. Her hand reached out for her father's clutching his hand, tightly. "Please…please, help me get him inside…please," Evelyn begged, brokenly.
Gibbs swallowed, hard. He stared at Evelyn for a long moment, and then against his good judgment, he agreed. "Keep your head down, and I want you in that door quickly. I will get the bastard," he stated, roughly. Evelyn hesitated, indecision clear on her face, and Gibbs gave her a glare. "You will get in that house, and you stay the hell from the windows," Gibbs barked, and Evelyn opened her mouth to protest at leaving him out here by himself when another loud pop echoed. The porch railing to her left splintered shooting out wood and she jumped, her eyes widening in fear.
"Get inside!" Gibbs positively howled. This time she did not give protest, and scrambled towards the door. Awkwardly, she pulled it open and crawled inside. "What is going on?" Kate looked alarmed at the blood, and her gun was already in her hand the second she heard gunshots.
"Sniper," Evelyn choked out. "Gibbs needs cover."
Kate's expression tightened, and she raced to the door bracing her back against the wall as she dared to glance outside. Her gaze swept across the treeline, barely visible in the night until the lightning lit up the sky. In that split second she caught the light glint off something, and she aimed her gun, and pulled the trigger rapidly. Gibbs looped his arms underneath Ari's and pulled the man with all his strength to the door. He pulled him inside, and Kate shut the door back with a loud bang. She locked it, as Gibbs dragged further inside. Honestly, like that would stop a sniper, Kate shook her head and made a face.
Evelyn's chest heaved up and down with hastily drawn breaths as the world threatened to go black. It was only the pain of her nails digging into her palms that kept her firmly fixed in reality. She stumbled over to Ari, and fell to her knees beside him. She gently cradled his head in her lap, as Ziva came to knell beside her. Her brown eyes filled with pain, and perhaps a bit of tears, too. "What happened?" Ziva asked, aghast.
"He was shot. A sniper," Evie stumbled across the words, and her fingers brushed across the head wound. The bullet did not pierce his skull. Instead the way the wound looked, she hoped that it meant that there was little to no damage. She had to hope for that. Her fingers fisted into his shirt, and she held on tightly as if that alone would keep him breathing. "He's alive though…he's alive."
"We need to get him an ambulance or he won't be for long," Fornell stated, grimly.
"Not with a sniper out there. They would be sitting ducks," Gibbs rubbed his jaw, and glanced down at Evelyn who was running her fingers through Ari's hair gently. Her hands were covered in blood, and her face was too where she reached up to wipe away the tears. Instead, her cheeks were smeared with tears and blood. "We have to take out the sniper before we can get help," he stated, his voice light.
Evelyn's head rose, as her heart stopped for a whole new reason. Through tears, she looked up at her father worriedly. Her hands that held onto Ari shook as she swallowed thickly. "You…you are thinking of going out there, aren't you?" She asked, even though she knew the answer. Gibbs wouldn't take this lying down, he was a fighter through and through. She just wished there was another, because the blood on her hands was still warm and each breath out of Ari was stuttered.
"We don't have much of a choice. We can't wait him out," Gibbs sighed, heavily. He ran a hand down his face before looking at Fornell. "Fornell, you are with me."
"I can help," Kate stated.
"No. The best place you can help is here," Gibbs stated, firmly. He left no room for arguments. "Just watch over her until I get back," he stated, his gaze flickering back towards Evelyn who stood staring at him with wide, fearful eyes.
"Alright," Kate agreed, with a reluctant nod. She didn't like it, but she could see that nothing she would saw would change Gibbs's mind.
Ziva stood up with a wince, but had a look of fierce determination. "I will go with you," Ziva offered, her voice soft betraying nothing of the grief that she felt in that moment.
Gibbs turned, and gave her a leveled look. "Are you sure you are up for that?" He asked, lightly.
Ziva gave a half-smile. "I've been through worse," she shrugged her shoulders. Her dark eyes flickered towards her brother, then up at Gibbs again. "If we go out the backdoor we can make our way to the edge of the woods then make our way around. It will give up a chance to sneak up on them."
Gibbs nodded. It was the best plan that they had, and he turned to head towards the back of the house when a hand reached up and grabbed his. He jumped ever so slightly, and looked down at Evelyn who stared up at him. "Gibbs…dad," she said, her voice almost inaudible. Her blue eyes were sharp, and stared right through him. "You are coming back," she stated, her tone implied that he could nothing but come back. He had to come back because Ari might not. She could not lose both of them. She just couldn't. "You have to," she added, her voice now a bit uncertain and her stomach felt like it was twisting into violent knots.
Gibbs felt the anger he had been holding onto finally chip away. He came too close to losing her to keep a hold of his stubborn anger, and while he did not like the situation, he wouldn't allow it push his daughter away. "I promise," he said, squeezing her hand reassuringly before he let go. He headed towards the back of the house with Fornell and Ziva on hi his heels.
Evelyn sat there with Ari's head in her lap, and she sighed heavily when she heard the distance noise of door opening and closing. She stared forward, with a desolate look in her eyes before she glanced up at Kate. "Can you…can you hand me the blanket off the couch?" She asked, after a moment. Sadness and anger-mostly at herself-distorted her voice and made it wobble. "I need something to stop…to stop the bleeding."
"Yeah, yeah," Kate nodded, and did as she was asked. She brought the blanket over and Evelyn took it giving her a nod of thanks. She watched as Evelyn carefully bandaged the wound, then run her hand down the side of Ari's face and let out a shaky breath. It did not take a profiler to see the obvious care that Evelyn took with Ari, and Kate knew why Gibbs had such a violent reaction. "Are you going to be okay?" Kate asked, with a worried frown.
"No…I don't really think I am," Evelyn choked out, her voice sounding far off and distance as her fingers pressed up against Ari's pulse. She matched her breaths to the slow, beat of his heart and as long as his heart was still beating, just maybe Evelyn would be okay. Just maybe everyone would make it out of here alive.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs was gone, and in his place, was a hunter. And when he was hunting, he was in his element. It took a sniper to catch a sniper. He felt his lungs expand and something stealthy and feral unwound in the coil of knots in his belly. Minutes ticked by as he carefully maneuvered through the forest, the sky was darkening again and the ground trembled with the oncoming thunder. The wind built to a howl and there was blistering chill that ripped across his face. His gaze swept to the high points of the hill, or tree that could support a sniper. With the amount of trees there were several blind spots, and that left him more than little nervous.
Gibbs was in a crouch, Fornell followed him quietly while Ziva moved silently about ten feet to his right. He was absolutely positive that the sniper was somewhere around here, and if he wasn't then there would be a trail for where he went. Minutes ticked by. This was definitely not a something for the impatient, because it was a game of waiting. Waiting for the other to reveal themselves, and Gibbs felt his breathing slow down and his heart beat was a calm, steady inside his chest. Killing this man would be a pleasure. He had never given much thought to Pedro after that day. He had shoved the man into the back of his mind, and the only real regret he had was that his daughter had gotten caught in the middle of all this. It was the feeling in pit of his stomach that told him that this time it was Alejandro that had come after his daughter, tired of not getting the results that he wanted.
Maybe years ago, he would have felt regret for orphaning Alejandro, but that man came after his daughter. Any regret was long gone now. The sky grew darker still as another gale of wind pushed the blacks clouds across the sky and covered the remaining stars. That's when Gibbs saw something move against the shadows of the forest. Something rushing up a hill. In that split second, Gibbs realized Alejandro's instincts had kicked in and he knew the tables had turned—that Gibbs and everyone was aware of his presence and was now hunting him.
He was on his feet in an instant, and leapt up the hill with his gun drawn. He was careful to keep from tripping on roots or fallen branches. He moved fast before Ziva or Fornell could protest. The shadow turned and Gibbs caught to flash of the gun in his hands. The shadow turned, and the gun was raised, but Gibbs was too quick. Grabbing the end of the barrel with both hands, he twisted it violently out of the shadow's hand. The shadow lunged at him, and Gibbs grunted as he was slammed back into a tree. With a growl, he reached up and grabbed the shadow by the ear, and pulled with all his might.
A howl pierced through the night, and Gibbs was immediately let go. He dropped the ear onto the ground, and raised his gun. The shadow tried to rush him, and Gibbs didn't hesitate to pull the trigger.
The house was so quiet.
It had been so quiet. So quiet. She had gotten so used to the quiet, had become immune to it and then Ari came into her life. He had upset the quiet, had taken up the space the silence had and now, the quiet unnerved her. Her hands had not left Ari's face, holding him in a trembling caress. Her eyes stared down at him as if by will alone she could command him to wake up. Evelyn closed her eyes, and everything she did since she stepped inside of NCIS came flooding back. All the choices hit her, and all she could think was that she could have done better.
She should have done better. Instead, she wasted a miracle. It had been every inch of a miracle survived that car crash when her mother hadn't. It had been a miracle, and she had wasted it. Drawing in a shaky breath, she pressed her forehead against Ari's. "Can you do something for me?" She asked, her voice rough with so many emotion. "Please…please don't die. I take too much, I know this. But I just need one more miracle…just one more miracle. Please don't die."
Kate stared at Evelyn, sadly. She reached out to offer some comfort before her hand fell short. Kate could offered her no words. Words were empty in this moment, and Kate couldn't be sure she would really mean them. How could she when she hated Ari? Seconds ticked by and Ari did not awake. His heart just kept slowing down second by second, and something inside of Evelyn broke. With a choked sob, the tears rolled down her cheeks and there was no way to stop them now.
The shadow fell back to the ground with a harsh thud, and Gibbs felt a grim sort of satisfaction well up inside of him. Fornell and Ziva reached his side.
"Good shot," was Ziva's comment.
Gibbs inclined his head, accepting the compliment while Fornell caught his breath. As soon as the FBI agent did, he glowered at Gibbs. "What the hell, Gibbs? I have never seen you act so fucking reckless," Fornell snapped.
Gibbs just gave him a sour look then turned to the shadow that was struggled to breath. "Who are you?" Gibbs demanded, darkly.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" He taunted, with a choked laugh.
Gibbs rolled his eyes, and gestured for Fornell to hand him something. Fornell reached pocket, and produced a flashlight. Turning it on, the light illuminated the face of the one and only Alejandro Rivera. "Well, well, well," Fornell's eyebrows rose into his thinning hairline. "That was a bit unexpected."
"Speak for yourself," Gibbs muttered, underneath his breath.
"Don't suppose you want to tell us who you are working for? You know while you are still alive?" Fornell asked, mockingly.
Alejandro bared his teeth in a bloody snarl before spitting at Fornell. Fornell jumped back to avoid to the bloody spittle and arched a sardonic brow. "Watch it," Fornell stated, blandly. "I just had these dry cleaned."
There were questions that still plagued Gibbs, but he would settle for watching Alejandro's last breath. "You missed," Gibbs stated, his voice sharp and dark. "You missed your target…my daughter. You failed."
Alejandro choked on a laugh, blood splattering upon his chin as he looked up at them with a vicious smirk. "Did you know, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, that I have a sister?" Alejandro taunted, his chest rising and falling with his last breaths.
It took a moment for Gibbs to unravel the meaning behind Alejandro's message, and when he did his blood turned to ice. "You son of a bitch!" Gibbs barked, teeth ground together as he wished he could have made Alejandro suffer last a little bit longer. Instead, he turned on heel and sprinted as fast as he could back towards the house.
Just give me one more miracle, he prayed, something he hadn't done in a long time. I just need one more miracle. God, just give me one more miracle, and keep her safe.
END OF CHAPTER!
Hope you all enjoyed!
RRs are appreciated. :D