Surprise! I bet no one was expecting another chapter so soon : ) Well I figured that after how long I made you all wait for the last one, I owed it to you guys to try to get another chapter up as soon as possible. And there is quite a lot of stuff happening in it : )

Thank you so much to those of you that reviewed the last chapter. I really appreciated them so thank you.

Please also remember that NCIS is not owned by me.

I hope you enjoy this chapter : )

Kill Ari - Part 6

Kate was still looking around the park she and her boss were in anxiously as the rain slowly began to lessen until it finally settled on a light drizzle that still soaked her all the way through, but at least allowed for better visibility. Not that there was much to see. Still no Ducky or Gerald, and thankfully, still no Ari.

She couldn't help but feel deeply uneasy though. Kate felt sick to her stomach knowing that Ari was out there somewhere, no doubt plotting his next move. She just prayed it wasn't a move that would hurt somebody or get them killed.

Ari had caused too much death and destruction already.

Kate was nothing if not determined to put an end to his little reign of terror once and for all. But she hadn't lost her sense of priorities over the hysteria that had comprised her day so far. Ari was a threat that needed to be eliminated, sure, but not at the cost of Ducky's or Gerald's lives.

And Kate would do whatever it took to ensure that it didn't come down to that.

"Call them" Gibbs' voice gruffly commanded her.

Turning on the spot, Kate shone her flashlight onto her boss, seeing his furious scowl, but his eyes betrayed just how deeply worried he was about their co-workers and friends.

"You told me not to do that" Kate reminded him, confused.

"No" Gibbs denied, shaking his head and sending droplets of rain water flying everywhere, "I said don't scream for them. Call them on your cell. If McGee hasn't screwed up the trace and their phones are really here, we should be able hear it if you ring one of them".

Kate could have smacked herself in the face. Why the hell hadn't she already thought of that herself?!

Quickly pulling her cell phone out of her pocket, Kate dialled Ducky's number, and eagerly waited with bated breath. In her mind, she was silently praying for this to work. Ducky and Gerald couldn't be dead.

They just couldn't be.

Gibbs and Kate both jumped and whirled on the spot as the Scottish National Anthem began blaring through the park, shattering the silence of the dark and miserable night.

"This way" Gibbs steered Kate in the direction the noise was coming from.

The two agents ran as fast as they could, almost slipping on the wet grass and the mud, but quickly reached the source of the melody. Looking around, there was still no sign of Ducky or Gerald - or anyone else for that matter. Gibbs pointed his own flashlight towards the ground...

Kate's heart sunk.

It felt like a heavy stone had slipped into her stomach.

There, lying discarded in the wet grass, were two cell phones, one of them ringing loudly and displaying her own name on the Caller ID.

"Oh god" Kate uttered fearfully as she cancelled the call, and Ducky's phone stopped ringing, "Gibbs, you don't think this means-"

"No" Gibbs cut her off and shook his head firmly, but he still looked worried, "No. Ducky and Gerald are not dead Kate".

"How can you be so sure?" Kate asked worriedly.

"Because Ari's dumped their cell phones here" he explained, crouching down and picking up said phones.

"Exactly!" Kate exclaimed fearfully, "Ari could have ditched their phones here and taken them somewhere else to-"

"He dumped their cell phones here Kate" Gibbs cut her off again, standing back up to his full height, "Their cell phones. Not their bodies".

Kate frowned, clearly not convinced.

"We need to find them Gibbs" Kate let out a solemn sigh, "We need to get them back".

"We will" Gibbs assured her.

Once satisfied that his agent believed his words enough to be able to focus properly, Gibbs turned his attention away from Kate and instead turned it onto his own cell phone, pulling it out whilst pocketing Ducky's and Gerald's. He was determined to return them to them later, and for that, they needed to be alive. Forcing away his own dark thoughts, Gibbs quickly called the agent he needed the most right now.

"Special Agent McGee" McGee's voice promptly answered.

Kate mouthed for him to put the phone on speaker, so Gibbs did so, albeit whilst rolling his eyes for good measure.

"We found Ducky's and Gerald's cell phones in the park" Gibbs announced without any preamble.

"Why would they leave their cell phones in the park?" McGee's voice sounded confused.

"Because cell phones have gone out of style" Kate couldn't help but quip sarcastically, "Use your head McGee! It clearly wasn't by their own choice!"

"Sorry" McGee's voice sheepishly replied, "Gibbs, do you want me to come down there?"

Kate glanced up at Gibbs' face in time to see him roll his eyes in annoyance. She knew that it wasn't really McGee they were both annoyed at, and that the junior agent wasn't as accustomed to these types of situations as they were, but damn it they were all on edge at the moment, and McGee just blurting out any thought that popped into his head really wasn't helping them much right now.

"If I wanted you to come down here, I would have told you so" Gibbs told his probie bluntly, "Put a BOLO out on Ducky's Morgan. Get the license plate from his file".

"Doing it now Boss" McGee's voice replied.

"Gibbs..." Abby's voice whispered softly over the line, tone frightened, "Ari has Ducky and Gerald".

"They're not dead, Abs" Gibbs assured her, like he'd assured Kate just moments before.

"How do you know?" Abby's voice asked miserably.

"Like I told Kate - Ari dumped their cell phones in the park, not their bodies" Gibbs replied.

"That doesn't really mean much though Gibbs" Abby's voice retorted, whimpering at just the thought of Ari taking one of them away from the team forever.

"We're going to find them Abby" Kate tried to sound reassuring.

She knew deep down that Abby was justified in being so worried, hell Kate herself was trying her best not to freak out over this nightmare they had all found themselves in, but the female agent also knew - thanks to Gibbs' calming presence reminding her - that panicking was the shortest distance to a mistake, and certainly wouldn't help Ducky or Gerald right now.

"When?" Abby's voice demanded to know.

"Soon Abby" Kate forced herself to believe her own words, "Soon".

There was a moment of silence as nobody was entirely sure what to say. None of them wanted to think about what Ari might be doing to their co-workers and friends right now whilst they were still looking for them. Soon enough however, it became clear that part of the situation had just drastically improved.

Across the phone line, Gibbs and Kate heard a sharp gasp of surprise from Abby. Clearly something was happening on the other end of the call, back in the squad room.

"Uh... Boss?" McGee's voice sounded utterly astonished, "Gerald's here".

Kate's jaw dropped wide open in surprise.

"What?!" she all-but-shrieked into Gibbs' cell phone, "What?! How the hell...?"

"Ari's got..." a voice she hadn't heard in months, the voice of Gerald Jackson, panted down the phone line. It sounded like he'd been running, but right now Kate didn't care what state he was in. She was just so relieved he was still alive, "Ari's got... Doctor Mallard".

Even Gibbs was wide-eyed, from shock but also relief, before he managed to shake off his surprise enough to respond.

"How'd you get away?!" he demanded to know.

"I didn't" Gerald's voice replied grimly, and Kate felt the sense of relief she'd felt upon learning he was okay evaporate immediately, "Ari let me go".

Again, Kate felt her jaw drop open in astonishment.

That bastard had let Gerald go?! What on earth would make him do that? The answer soon hit Kate, and she scowled as realization set in. Gerald had only been freed so Ari could prolong this sick little game of his. It was wonderful that Gerald was safe, but the terrorist still had Ducky as his captive, and that just couldn't stand.

Kate had to get him back before Ducky or anyone else paid the price.

"Right, stay there" Gibbs' voice pulled Kate out of her dark musings about the bastard she wanted to see dead, "None of you are to leave headquarters, understood? Me and Kate are on our way back".

Realising that there was nothing else to be found in the park, Kate turned on the spot and followed Gibbs' lead as he headed back towards the agency car, ending the call and pocketing his cell phone. Kate was still very anxious to rescue Ducky, but until the BOLO came back, they had ran out of places to look. As she got back into the passenger seat of the car, she forced herself to remember that at least Gerald was safe and sound, and that wasn't to be taken for granted.

After all, if nothing else it was heartening to know that that despite the storminess of this seemingly endless night, there was still a silver lining to be found.

Tony was still at the Embasero Hotel, still observing Ziva as she swam in the hotel pool, and still grinning like the cat that got the cream. He knew his mind shouldn't be going to such places, but he just couldn't help it. Ziva David was utterly gorgeous, and Tony was struggling to keep his mind on the job, and away from much more interesting topics.

Just picturing Gibbs' expression if he screwed this up was enough to get his attention back on track however. That and the unrelenting teasing he'd surely receive from Kate if he allowed Ziva to give him the slip.

He was so absorbed in watching the beautiful Mossad operative however, that Tony didn't notice as somebody walked up behind him, catching him peering into the window looking out over the pool.

"Excuse me" the person said, startling Tony and making him jump.

Whirling on the spot, Tony just barely managed to refrain from drawing his weapon and blowing his cover. Instead, his eyes widened in surprise at the sight of another beautiful woman with dark hair and a smoking body, easily as gorgeous as Ziva and actually quite reminiscent of the Israeli beauty. Tony frowned thoughtfully to himself. This woman looked so much like Ziva in fact that he couldn't help but wonder if they might be related.

"May I?" the beautiful woman asked politely, gesturing towards the door.

Tony was about to reply, but spotted something around her neck that made him pause for a moment. The Star of David. It was hanging on her necklace. That wasn't a coincidence. There was no such thing.

"You certainly may" Tony expertly recovered, smiling and stepping aside.

The beautiful woman smiled gratefully at him as she passed him, slipping through the door and closing it behind her. Tony's smile immediately changed into a frown. That woman was definitely something to do with Ziva, and thus something to do with Ari be extension.

Gibbs needed to be informed of this development.

Gerald was recounting the events of the frightening and dangerous evening he's just been forced to endure to Abby and McGee in the squad room back at NCIS headquarters.

"I've never driven a stick" he explained as he got to the part about his failed attempt to drive Ducky's Morgan.

"Are you serious?" Abby gawked at him like it was a basic life skill.

"What?" McGee looked over at the woman in surprise, "You can drive a stick?"

"Yeah, since I was like ten" Abby smirked.

"What were you driving when you were ten?" Gerald asked her with a grin, able to find a small amount of amusement despite how anxious and worried he was about Doctor Mallard's safety right now.

"A red forty-seven Ford half-ton pickup with four on the floor and Bubba riding shotgun" Abby told him with a grin.

"Bubba?" McGee questioned.

"Ah, best damn coon dog in Jefferson Parish" Abby told him, a wistful smile playing at her lips.

Gerald opened his mouth to say more, but before he had the chance to, the elevator dinged loudly behind them, and Gerald, McGee and Abby all looked over to see Gibbs and Kate step out. Gibbs had his cell phone pressed up against his ear.

"I don't believe in coincidences, Tony" Gibbs was saying as the two agents marched into the squad room.

"Gerald!" Kate greeted him with a strain smile, and Gerald's focus shifted away from Gibbs to her, "Thank god you're alright! We were all really worried about you".

"I'm fine" he assured her, appreciating her concern, "Doctor Mallard is the one you should be worried about right now. Ari didn't hurt me at all".

"I'm glad" Kate nodded at him.

"What about your gut?!" Gibbs' voice drew everyone's attention, and turning, Kate, McGee, Abby and Gerald all saw Gibbs standing at his desk, still talking to Tony on the phone.

"Oh, god" he hung up the phone in frustration.

"What's the matter now?" Kate asked him in concern.

"This damn storm is interfering with the cell reception" Gibbs answered, before getting down to business, "What do we have?"

"Ari picked up Gerald to force Ducky into a meet" McGee explained.

Gibbs gave Gerald one of his stern glares.

"You warn him?" he bit out, and Kate winced at how accusatory it sounded.

"I did. But you know Doctor Mallard" Gerald replied grimly, "He came anyway".

Gibbs allowed a soft sigh to slip his lips as he approached Gerald, holding out the man's own cell phone for him to take. Gerald swallowed hard and took it.

"It's not your fault, Gerald" Gibbs said comfortingly, feeling a bit guilty for coming across like he was accusing the poor man of scheming to save his own skin at the risk of Ducky's life, "Ari's the bastard. Ducky made the decision to go, not you. Kate - I want you to debrief him. Write it up. I'll be..."

"Up in the director's office, updating her on what you have so far" a new voice chimed in.

Turning, Gibbs along with everyone else saw Jenny walking into the bullpen, her gaze fixed on Gibbs firmly. Clearly her words weren't meant to be taken as an invitation.

"Not the right time Jen" Gibbs shook his head, "Ari's still out there and-"

"I told you before, it's 'Director Shepard' or 'Ma'am'. And it wasn't a request, Special Agent Gibbs" Jenny cut him off, unwilling to back down. To do so would undermine her authority and she refused to allow that. Not on her first day on the job, "I want to know exactly what's happening with your investigation into Ari Haswari".

"Well he's taken Ducky hostage and-" Gibbs started gruffly.

"He's taken Ducky what?!" Jenny exclaimed, cutting him off again.

"He's taken Ducky hostage" Gibbs repeated, losing his patience with his old friend.

Jenny fixed him with a stern glare.

"My office, now" she ordered him again, "I spoke to Ducky less than an hour ago. I want to know how the hell this could have happened!"

Gibbs fixed her with a hard stare, but Jenny easily withstood it. Scowling in anger, Gibbs turned back to his team.

"Kate, take Gerald to the conference room and get a witness statement" he instructed, "McGee, keep trying to get a location on Ducky's Morgan. Abby, you stay with McGee and help. No one is to leave the building without my say so. Got it?"

"Got it" the four of them nodded in understanding.

Turning back to Jenny with a scowl, Gibbs allowed her to lead him up the stairs in the direction of her office. Kate watched them go, mildly impressed by the woman. It usually took a lot more than that for the top brass to get Gibbs to bend to their orders.

Just what kind of past did those two have together?

Kate knew that they must have one. Gibbs had called the woman by her first name, something he wouldn't do if the two of them had only just met when the woman took the position of Director. No. Those two definitely had history together.

And Kate couldn't help but wonder just what that history might entail.

As per Gibbs' instructions, Kate had taken Gerald to the conference room so that she could debrief him about everything that had happened to him over the course of this terrible night. Seeing just how shaken up the poor man was, Kate was pouring him a cup of very strong coffee with lots of sugar in an attempt to calm him down. She would have gone out to get him something stronger - something she normally wouldn't approve of but felt that this situation warranted it - but since she couldn't leave the building without Gibbs' express permission, this was the best she could do for Gerald right now.

After she was done, Kate gently pressed the cup into Gerald's shaking hands.

"Drink this" she told him kindly, "It'll help".

Gerald took a big gulp of the warm drink, and it seemed to do the trick as he calmed down, albeit only marginally. Kate offered him a strained smile as she took a seat across the table from him.

"Alright Gerald, can you tell me everything that happened?" she asked him gently, "How did Ari get to you, and what happened afterwards?"

Gerald swallowed hard, but nodded and began his tale.

"I wasn't even supposed to be out tonight" Gerald started his explanation with, "I don't know how Ari knew where I'd be. I had just gone to a pharmacy to get more meds for my shoulder. I was running low and needed to top up".

Kate nodded, jotting down some notes in her notepad.

"And how is your shoulder, Gerald?" she asked him kindly, "Has your recovery gone as expected?"

"As well as it could" Gerald nodded in confirmation, "Ari did a lot of damage but with months of physical therapy, it's getting there. It'll probably be months before it'll be fully back to normal though, if it ever does".

"I'm glad" Kate smiled at him, "So what happened? Did you get to the pharmacy before Ari showed up?"

"Yeah" Gerald nodded, "I was just walking out when it happened. I got back to my car. I got in, and took a few of my pills. My damn shoulder was killing me because of the rain. Then suddenly a hand clamped down on it - my shoulder that is - and there was a gun pointed at my head. And there he was! Just sitting there, in the back seat of my car!"

His tone became more distressed the more he spoke.

Kate reached across the table and placed a comforting hand on his arm.

"It's alright Gerald" she told him sincerely, "You're safe now. Ari can't get to you here".

Gerald swallowed hard but nodded.

"What happened after Ari revealed himself to you?" Kate pressed on.

Gerald took a deep breath to calm his nerves, before he managed to resume his story.

"Ari forced me to hand over my cell phone" Gerald explained to her whilst Kate made more notes for the written statement they'd need to compile, "Then he used it to call into Autopsy here at NCIS. The number's saved on my cell. He made me talk to Doctor Mallard and then he pulled the phone away from me".

"Did you hear what Ari and Ducky talked about?" Kate wanted to know.

Gerald swallowed hard, his hands shaking anxiously.

"You, Kate" he said, and Kate's eyes widened in surprise, "They were talking about you. It didn't make much sense though. Ari was telling Doctor Mallard that he wasn't the one that tried to murder you. I mean - what was all that about?"

It was Kate's turn to swallow hard now.

She really didn't want to get into the story of what had almost happened earlier in the day, but she couldn't shake the feeling that out of everyone, Gerald had the most right to know. After all, he had suffered more because of Ari than any of them. The poor man couldn't move without being in physical pain. Even Kate herself hadn't suffered in such a way at Ari's hand. Plus he wasn't just any random civilian either. Gerald was still technically NCIS staff, even if he had been off work for months.

It was because of those thoughts that Kate reluctantly began her own tale.

"Alright, I'll tell you - but this highly confidential and it can not go any further Gerald. You understand?" she waited for his nod of understanding before she began to explain, "Earlier today; Gibbs, Tony, myself and McGee were all lured to a warehouse in order to stop a planned terrorist attack. The whole Marine Amphibious Strike Group returned to Norfolk today, five ships all headed back together. Ari and his followers were planning on firing a drone loaded with explosives at a pier packed full of Navy families. It would have wiped out hundreds of innocent people".

"My god!" Gerald exclaimed in horror.

"I know. It's disgusting and horrific" Kate agreed with his moral outrage at what Ari had almost done, "Thankfully, we were able to prevent the drone from hitting its target. This was after we got into a gun fight with the terrorist cell. Anyway, the fight ended up on the roof of a warehouse and we managed to take down the entire cell".

"But not Ari?" Gerald questioned, although he already knew the answer.

"Ari wasn't there" Kate nodded in confirmation, "We didn't know that at the time, but he was in a different building. Anyway, myself, Tony and Gibbs were all stood together on this warehouse roof. We thought it was all over, that we'd won. Turns out we were wrong. From his sniper's nest, Ari fired a shot a me. It's how I got this".

Kate pointed at the small graze on her head.

"But... I don't understand" Gerald shook his head in confusion, "Ari missed? How? Don't get me wrong, I glad you're okay Kate, but Ari didn't strike me as the type of guy who's an amateur with any kind of weapon".

Kate swallowed hard, her mind still reeling over just how miraculous it was that her life hadn't been put to an abrupt end today.

"Ari didn't exactly miss hitting me Gerald" Kate told him, expression solemn, tone grim, "You've seen how bad this storm is right? Well it was only because it was so windy earlier today that I'm still alive".

Gerald stared at her, wide-eyed.

"We were so high up, and the wind was so strong that at the exact moment Ari tried to kill me, the wind knocked us all off-balance, causing the bullet to only graze me instead of killing me" Kate admitted, looking down at the table, her own hands shaking now.

There was a moment of stunned silence.

A second later, Kate looked up as she felt a comforting hand being placed over her own.

"You're okay" Gerald assured her kindly, "Ari missed, and you're still here. And I'm sure that Gibbs is gonna make sure that you stay here. I might not know Gibbs like you and Tony do, but I know how seriously he takes the safety of his team. He cares about you all Kate - he'll put an end to Ari once and for all".

Kate gave the kind man a strained but equally grateful smile.

"You're right" she nodded in agreement, before deciding they'd talked about her enough, and promptly changed the subject, "Anyway, we should probably get on with your statement. What else did Ari and Ducky talk about?"

"Well, after Ari swore it wasn't him that tried to kill you - not that the word of that asshole means much - he told Doctor Mallard to come talk to him in person. He made a deal with him. Ari promised to let me go if Doctor Mallard exchanged places with me. I begged Doctor Mallard not to come, but you know what he's like. He came anyway".

Kate couldn't help the soft sigh that slipped her lips.

That was so like Ducky. Once he deemed you worth his time - once he began to care about you the way he cared about Gerald - there was nothing he wouldn't do for you. He truly was loyal through and through.

Kate just prayed that the man wasn't about the pay the price for his devoted loyalty.

"Like Gibbs said before Gerald - this isn't your fault" Kate reassured the man before her kindly, "Ducky made the decision to go because he cares about you. There was nothing you could have done".

Gerald swallowed hard but nodded, appreciating her comforting words.

"What happened next?" Kate asked him.

"We waited in my car for Doctor Mallard to arrive" Gerald explained, before his expression turned extremely sour, "The bastard actually had the nerve to ask me how my recovery is going. Can you believe that? He was holding my hostage to get at Doctor Mallard, and he asked how I was doing from when he shot me!"

Kate's eyes darkened in loathing.

"Like you said, Ari's a bastard" Kate growled, tony dripping with hatred for the man, "He's a parasite and none of us are going to be safe until we stop him once and for all".

Gerald nodded in agreement, both hoping that time would come around soon.

"Anyway" Gerald continued his tale, "Doctor Mallard arrived, and Ari ordered me to get out. We were both walking across the road. I was headed towards Doctor Mallard's Morgan and he was heading towards my car. Doctor Mallard told me to come straight here and tell Gibbs everything that happened. Unfortunately though, I've never driven a stick. I couldn't drive Doctor Mallard's Morgan".

Kate frowned at him in confusion.

"So how did you get here then?" she asked him curiously.

"Well, apparently Ari has a taste for old cars" Gerald shrugged his shoulders before wincing in pain, gripping the shoulder Ari had once put a bullet through, "I was making such a racket trying to drive that damn Morgan that Ari got out of my car, before he forced Doctor Mallard back across the road to his own car. Ari said I was free to go in my own car. I left and came straight here to tell Gibbs what happened. The last I saw of Ari and Doctor Mallard was them getting into the Morgan and driving off".

He slammed his fists down on the table in frustration, making Kate wince.

"I should have done something!" he yelled, filled with anger and self-loathing, "Something! Anything! I can't believe I let him just take off with Doctor Mallard hostage!".

"You couldn't have done anything Gerald" Kate tried to sooth him, "If you'd tried to fight him Ari would have killed you".

Gerald deflated, knowing she was right.

"I just feel like such a coward" he admitted softly.

"You're not a coward, Gerald" Kate assured him kindly, "A coward would have only thought about saving his own skin and you didn't. You warned Ducky not to go and he didn't listen. That's not on you. Ari shot you. It's okay to be scared of him for that. Hell, I'm scared of the bastard and I'm a federal agent".

Gerald just gave her a knowing look.

"But you're not going to let that stop you from taking him down, right?" he asked her softly.

Kate frowned thoughtfully, before shaking her head.

"No" she agreed, her tone nothing if not determined, "I'm not".

Gerald gave her a proud smile. Kate returned it, albeit hers was somewhat strained, before looking down at her notes.

"Right, I think we have everything I need here" she told Gerald, "I'll need to type this up later into a witness statement that you'll have to sign".

"I know the drill" Gerald nodded at her.

"And you'll need stay here at NCIS headquarters until after Ari is taken down" Kate informed him grimly, "Gibbs isn't taking anymore chances as far as Ari's concerned, and the fact that he's already shot you and taken you hostage twice now means you're still on the bastard's radar. You need to stay here where you'll be safe".

"The same could be said about you" Gerald drily remarked. Kate snorted in amusement.

"Yeah, Gibbs already tried that" she told him with a bitter laugh, "But I'm not staying on the sidelines. Not after everything Ari's put me through".

"Then I suppose I ought to wish you good luck" Gerald replied grimly.

Kate nodded at him in gratitude. She had a sinking feeling she was going to need it.

"I'll let you know when we find Ducky" she promised him before Gerald could even make the request she could tell he wanted to, "And we will find him Gerald. Alive and well".

"I certainly hope so" Gerald replied miserably.

Offering him one final comforting smile, Kate got up from her chair and to her feet. She turned on the spot and marched out of the conference room without another word, leaving Gerald there where he'd thankfully be safe. She just hoped she'd be able to deliver and bring Ducky back safely too. But to do that, she had to find Ari. And Kate would.

She was nothing if not determined.

And there's another chapter done : )

I know - a lot happened in this chapter. I didn't originally intend for it to be so long, but I really wanted to include a completely AU scene featuring Kate and Gerald, because when you think about it, those two characters have quite a bit in common, at least when it comes to Ari. They were both taken hostage by him on more than one occasion, and they were both shot by him - both wounds being non-fatal in this universe. I felt like that warranted a scene reflecting that common ground between, plus I also felt like Gerald should have got a little more screen time during the 'Kill Ari' story arc, so I decided to just go with it. I also want to do more AU scenes than just altering canon ones all the time too.

Anyway, thank you so much for reading, and please leave a review for this chapter as they really do motivate me to get more content up quicker : )

Until the next time, keep on reading : )