Hey readers - Here we are with another new chapter : )

Yay! We've finally reached the last chapter of the episode Mind Games! Don't get me wrong, I love this episode, in fact it's probably my favourite out of the whole of Season Three of NCIS, but it's still nice to finally be done with it and allowed to move on to something else ; )

Beyond that however, I don't have an awful lot to say just now, so I think we should jump straight on in to this week's chapter. I would like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone that has reviewed, favourited and followed this story. The support you guys have shown to it continuously blows me away, and I really appreciate it, so please keep it up : )

Please remember that NCIS does not belong to me : )

I hope you enjoy this chapter : )


Mind Games - Part 9


The atmosphere was incredibly tense in the bullpen back at NCIS headquarters. After receiving the surprise phone call from Tony with the quite frankly astonishing revelation that Boone's attorney, Adam O'Neill, was the one behind Kate's abduction and was probably their copycat killer on top of that, McGee and Abby had of course worked their hardest to track down the man's cellphone through GPS cell site analysis. Being as skilled as they both were when it came to the marvels of technology, the duo were quickly able to determine the location of the attorney-turned-killer, and had passed that vital information on to the three federal agents currently out in the field as fast as humanly possible. Since then however, the technically-inclined duo had been left with very little to do but sit and wait, and it was beginning to grate on both of their nerves. They wanted to be doing something dammit, anything that might help Gibbs, Tony and Paula reach Kate in time to save her, and the fact that there was little more they could contribute to the current situation felt like a crushing weight upon the shoulders of both the junior field agent and the gothic forensic scientist alike. It was starting to take its toll on them both

"Are you sure we shouldn't head out there ourselves McGee?"

McGee couldn't quite help it when a soft sigh of near exasperation slipped past his lips. The question was almost starting to sound petulant, he had heard it so many times now. Like a small child begging her mother for sweets and unwilling to accept no as an answer. And each time she said the words that McGee was coming to expect from her now, Abby's voice came closer and closer to being little more than a whine.

It was actually starting to get really annoying now.

McGee was quick to force that rather uncharitable thought out of his mind however, before he could say anything based upon it that he might regret later. The young man knew it would be unfair to snap at Abby at a time like this after all. Whilst everybody at NCIS loved and cared about Kate, McGee knew that for the gothic forensic scientist sitting next to him, those feelings ran deeper. Kate wasn't just a best friend to Abby. She was more like a sister, and McGee knew just how devastated one of his closest friends would be if anything happened to the female federal agent, especially if there was nothing any of them could do to stop such a terrible outcome. It was for that reason alone that McGee took a deep breath, both to stop himself from snapping and to also try and calm his frazzled nerves, before he replied to the woman's inquiry.

"Yes Abby, I'm absolutely positive that that's the last thing we should do" the junior field agent said firmly, watching sadly as his friend's shoulders slumped down in obvious disappointment, "I know that this is incredibly hard, it is for me too, but staying here and waiting for news is the best thing we can do right now".

"If you say so..." Abby murmured under her breath, clearly unconvinced. McGee nodded, and quickly pressed on before she could think of any counter-arguments.

"I do" McGee stated, again in a very firm tone of voice, "This man is a killer that preys on beautiful young women Abby. He was also able to sneak up on a highly trained federal agent and knock her unconscious, whilst Tony and I were barely a five minute walk away. He isn't someone we should underestimate. If we went there and anything happened to you... the team would never forgive me. I would never forgive me".

"Oh McGee..." Abby sighed, deeply touched by the genuine concern in his word. And in the face of sincerity, she knew that there was just no way that she could continue to push the issue. So begrudgingly, the gothic forensic scientist found herself wearily nodding her head, "Okay... we'll stay here for now".

McGee was almost overcome with relief that his friend had seen reason, at least for the moment, and she wasn't about to go charging off into danger.

"Thank you" he said to her earnestly.

Abby gave him a strained smile, but it quickly faded back into a look of worried concern. She began nervously wringing her hands together, as she squirmed in her seat in obvious agitation.

"It's just so hard" the gothic forensic scientist eventually admitted, practically on the verge of tears as she said the words out loud, "I hate that we just have to sit here doing nothing while Kate could have god knows what happening to her!"

McGee threw his friend a sympathetic look.

"I know how hard it is. I know" the junior field agent patted the forensic scientist's arm in an attempt to comfort her, though right now it was feeble, and they both knew it, "But Gibbs wouldn't thank us for going off on our own, putting ourselves in danger and possibly ruining any plan that he might have to save Kate. And she certainly wouldn't be happy if any of us got hurt on her account".

Another forlorn sigh slipped past the gothic woman's dark lips.

"That's true" Abby whispered under her breath, knowing that that was one of Kate's strongest character traits, but also one of her greatest weaknesses at the same time. Her tendency to value the welfare of others to the detriment her own. It was an admirable quality, and all part of the reason why Abby loved Kate so much. Still, she couldn't help but worry about her best friend, which was only to be expected given the situation she was in right now.

Ding!

Thankfully however, those frantic worries were about to come to an end.

As the soft sound of the elevator arriving at their floor reached their ears, the sullen Abby and McGee both looked up from their respective spots behind the latter's desk out of sheer curiosity.

What they saw had the technically-inclined duo scrambling to their feet in an instant.

Gibbs, swiftly followed by Tony, both stepped out from the elevator. The expressions on both of the male federal agents' faces were pretty unreadable, as was the one currently gracing Paula's pretty features, for she was the next person to emerge. McGee and Abby quickly got over their surprise at seeing that the three federal agents returned however, and both of them waited with baited breath to see what would happen next.

The following seconds felt as though they took an eternity to pass, when in reality it was only about three seconds. Not a moment too soon however, the technically-inclined duo were finally put out of their miserable torment, as the fourth and final occupant of the elevator stepped out and entered into the squad room

Kate.

It was Kate.

Safe and sound and above all else alive, McGee and Abby both saw that through some miraculous turn of events, Kate had been brought back to them, thankfully still in one piece.

"Oh thank god!"

The words of pure and unadulterated relief all-but tore their way past Abby's dark lips, and before the gothic forensic scientist was even aware of her own actions, she was up on her feet and rapidly making her way across the bullpen. It took McGee a few seconds longer than her to react, and he gaped at the somewhat ruffled and bruised Kate in sheer disbelief for one long moment. Once what he was seeing had truly registered with him though, the junior field agent quickly followed Abby's example, and all-but sprinted across the squad room as well.

To say that Kate was receiving a warm-welcome home was something of a gross understatement.

"Ooooomph!"

In her haste to get to the woman so close to her heart that she was practically her sister in all but blood, Abby practically shoulder-barged her way past a stunned Gibbs and Tony, and they, along with an equally startled Paula, all watched in incredulous amazement as the gothic forensic scientist hurled herself at an unsuspecting Kate, and wrapped her arms around the other woman in such a tight embrace, it would be a miracle if the poor female federal agent didn't immediately suffocate. As it was, Kate couldn't quite hold back a grunt of surprise from the force of the impact, nor could she help it when she staggered back a few steps.

"Ow... hi Abby..." Kate managed to gasp out in-between being squeezed half to death.

It took the poor woman a couple of moments to register exactly what was going on, but when she did, Kate immediately hugged her best friend back, having never felt quite so relieved to see her before in her entire life. It truly was a testament to the strength of their friendship, especially when in response to the short greeting, Abby just hugged her tighter.

"Oh thank god, thank god" Abby kept repeating to herself in a whisper, practically overcome with relief, before she pulled herself out of the hug and stepped back to examine her best friend more closely, "Are you okay? Did he hurt you? What happened? Oh my god! Is that blood?!"

The barrage of frantic questions all flooded out of Abby's mouth so quickly that Kate could hardly get a word in edgeways. Before the female federal agent knew what was happening, Abby was already running her fingers through Kate's hair, which, she noticed for the first time, was knotted and matted with dried blood. Kate couldn't help but hiss in pain when the gothic forensic scientist's fingers grazed across the wound at the back of her skull.

"Sorry" Abby quickly apologised upon noticing her best friend's obvious pain and discomfort, "But Kate! Why aren't you at the hospital? You need to get that checked by a doctor!"

Kate opened her mouth to protest, to insist that she was fine, but she never got the chance to. Tony had quickly interjected before she could.

"I wouldn't bother trying Abs" the handsome Italian man nudged his partner teasingly, a somewhat exasperated smile on his face, "I told her that over and over again on the trip back here. She won't listen to reason".

Annoyed by that particular remark from her partner, Kate once again opened her mouth to protest. And once again, the young woman was cut off before she could utter so much as a single word. Kate threw up her arms in frustration, but immediately winced as an intense pain shot through her injured wrist. The action went unnoticed by all the others however, for they were all too preoccupied in trying to determine what the source of the new noise was.

Beep! Beep!

It was Paula that realised what was going on first, and the blonde haired woman let out a low sigh as she reached down towards her belt. The others all watched curiously as she removed a small device, and with a jolt, Kate realised that it was the same pager that Paula had had the day before. That all felt like a lifetime ago now. Kate thought to herself as Paula muted the device. The blonde haired agent then looked up at them all with a regretful smile.

"I guess the team I've been assigned to must have found something to do at last. They want me back down there" Paula explained, before she gave Kate a kind smile, "I've gotta go, but Kate - I'm really glad that you're okay. And if there's anything you need, anything... please don't hesitate to call me".

Kate couldn't help but smile warmly back as the other woman stepped back into the elevator, which had just arrived at their floor again.

"Thank you Paula" the dark haired female federal agent said earnestly, still feeling quite humbled and genuinely touched by the help she had given their team that day, "And thanks again for helping the others track me down. It means more to me than I'll ever be able to put into words".

Paula just smiled warmly back at Kate again and nodded. She moved to push one of the buttons inside the elevator.

"Hey, Cassidy" Gibbs spoke out before she could depart, catching the blonde haired woman by surprise, "I know Kate said it, but I wanted to as well. Thanks for the assist today. We all appreciate it".

Obviously taken aback by the fact that Gibbs of all people had actually said thank you, Paula's smile widened even further. She quickly give the silver haired seasoned federal agent a nod of acknowledgement.

"Anytime Gibbs" the blonde haired woman promised warmly, before the elevator doors finally closed, and then she was gone.

Yes, Kate couldn't help but feel warm and fuzzy inside as the thought occurred to her. After everything that had happened today, the female federal agent knew that she had been right before. Paula Cassidy was definitely the kind of person that she'd like to call a friend one day.

"So..." Abby said slowly, unknowingly pulling Kate out of her thoughts, whilst also breaking the silence that had fallen due to Paula sudden and rather abrupt departure, "What now Gibbs?"

The silver haired federal agent took a deep breath, almost as if mental preparing himself for an argument, before he answered her.

"Now... we're going to go down to see Ducky" he said to the group at large, and seeing their perplexed faces, he quickly elaborated, "And he's gonna give Kate the check-up she needs".

"Gibbs!" the singular word of protest left Kate's lips quicker than a bullet out of a gun.

"It's non-negotiable Kate" Gibbs swiftly cut over her, his stern voice brooking no argument, "It's either Ducky or the hospital. But one way or another, you're seeing a doctor".

Furious, Kate scowled up at him, and opened her mouth to protest. Unfortunately for the female federal agent however, she was once again cut off before she could say a word. That seemed to be happening a lot today, much to her inner chagrin. Apparently unwilling to yield either however; Tony, Abby and McGee all clustered around their beloved friend and co-worker, cutting off any chance of her simply walking away. Then, when the elevator made a return trip to their floor, they, along with Gibbs, practically shoved Kate inside. Before the female federal agent knew what was happening, the elevator was descending.

Needless to say, Kate was not impressed by this latest turn of events.

Not. One. Bit.


And so after a lot of coaxing, pleading, and eventually just outright ignoring her protests, Kate found herself being practically bundled back into the elevator through the combined efforts of Gibbs, Tony, Abby and McGee. Any other time the female federal agent would have been quite humbled to know just how much her friends, no... her secondary family, all cared about her. Right now however, it simply felt a lot more like unnecessary fussing. It was for that reason that Kate wore a somewhat petulant scowl on her face as the elevator descended through the NCIS headquarters building, heading straight down to the Autopsy Suite.

Honestly, Kate wouldn't have minded so much under different circumstances, but right now she just felt so mentally and physically drained that all she wanted to do was see through the end of this investigation, before heading home and going straight to bed. She did not feel like being poked and prodded at by a doctor for hours on end, regardless of how excellent Ducky's bedside manner usually was. Still, she tried to see it from her friends' point of view. Kate knew that they must have all been terribly worried about her while she's been in the clutches of Adam O'Neill, which sort of gave them the right to be so concerned for her well-being now. She couldn't be too hard on them for feeling that way she supposed, and so trying to rein in her own spiralling emotions, Kate lessened the glare she had trained on the other four occupants of the elevator, albeit only by a marginal degree. It didn't make an awful lot of different to any of them though. They were all too busy still ignoring any of her protests to really notice anyway.

Ding!

With a soft, almost whimsical chime of noise which Kate come to be associate with the elevator over the years, they arrived at their intended destination. Much too soon for the female federal agent's liking, the doors quietly glided open, and Kate quickly found herself being ushered out of the elevator by the other members of the MCRT team. In a manner of seconds, they had practically herded poor Kate into the main room on this floor; Ducky's Autopsy Suite.

Kate wasn't surprised to see that the man himself was already standing there and waiting, clearly having been tipped off by one of the others to expect this little visit. He looked both relieved by the fact that Kate was alive and had been returned to them, yet also amused by her current predicament.

It did precious little to improve the female federal agent's already dour mood.

"Ah Caitlin!" Ducky greeted her warmly in that almost grandfatherly way of his, as if this little visit was a pleasant surprise and not something he had been expecting, "Excellent to see you back with us my dear, and relatively intact to boot. Quite excellent indeed".

Kate couldn't help it when her smile became much more genuine.

Ducky always had such a wonderful way of putting others at ease. She supposed that must have stemmed from his training as a doctor, his vast experience, and above all else, his supremely kind nature. He was a much better person to go to for a medical examination than those people at the Emergency Room, who probably would have just wanted to get her out the doors quickly as possible, and wouldn't have cared two hoots for her. Yes. Despite her reservations about the necessity of this entire affair, Kate knew that she was in safe hands here.

"Thank you Ducky" she replied, appreciating the warm welcome.

"I understand that you're here so I can give you a little look over?" the kindly gentleman continued knowingly. Kate's soft smile slowly faded into a frown.

"Under extreme duress, yes" the female federal agent grumpily nodded her head in confirmation.

"And she isn't leaving this room until you give her the all-clear, Duck" Gibbs swiftly chimed in, his tone both firm and uncompromising.

Kate couldn't help but scowl at the silver haired man for his assertion, and was about to vocalise her protests. Unfortunately for the female federal agent however, she was cut off before she had a chance to.

"No arguments Kate" Tony added, and his voice was so uncharacteristically stern that Kate couldn't help but be slightly taken aback. Spotting this, her partner quickly elaborated, "That filthy little rat smacked you over the head with a shovel for crying out loud! We need to make sure that he hasn't done any damage!"

Once again, Kate was about to protest, though this time it was more to point out that this was a 'her' problem and not so much a 'their' problem. To her annoyance however, any words of argument she might have been about to utter were quickly stamped down, this time by another of her friends.

"Please Kate" Abby pleaded with her, knowing the Kate didn't like to cause a fuss when it came to her own welfare, but also knowing that this was very important, "Do it for us. You had us all really worried, you know".

Those words were enough to take the wind out of Kate's sails.

So signing in an overly dramatic fashion to make sure that they all knew that she wasn't happy about this, Kate begrudgingly caved in. The female federal agent grumbled, but broke away from the main group, and shuffled over to sit down on the empty metal slab nearest to Ducky. The others all beamed at her.

"Thank you, my dear" Ducky smiled warmly down at the stubborn young woman, his eyes still twinkling in amusement, "I won't keep you too long, I promise".

Kate gave him a tiny, strained smile as she tried to make herself comfortable on the cold metal surface. She couldn't help but glance awkwardly at everybody else lingering in the room, before she quickly turned away again without saying so much as a word. Fortunately for Kate however, Ducky was observant enough to pick up on her obvious discomfort at having such a large audience, and so the medical examiner turned to the others and waved his hand at them in a shooing fashion.

"I think there are a few too many people here for this" Ducky said gently to the others, not wishing to hurt any of their feelings, but also being quite insistent, "Perhaps it would be quicker if I could be left alone to examine my patient?"

His words may have been phrased as a suggestion, but it was obvious that they were anything but.

Almost immediately, indignation settled across the faces of Abby, Tony and McGee. Kate couldn't help but feel a little smug about that, considering that they had all ignored her protests just minutes prior. Still, before any of her friends could speak out against Ducky's ruling, Gibbs intervened, surprising Kate immensely.

"You heard the man" the silver haired federal agent said calmly, effortlessly cutting off any arguments before they could be made, "Tony, McGee - head to the Observation Room and keep an eye on Boone. You can go with them too if you want Abby".

Realising that they wouldn't be getting their own way this time, Tony and McGee both slunk out of the room, sulking as they went. Abby on the other hand just shook her head.

"Oh no, if I go anyway near that creep again after what he instigated against Kate, I'm liable to end poisoning the bastard!" the gothic forensic scientist exclaimed, earning a small chuckle out of all of the others, "No, I think I'll just go back to my lab. If you wanna talk about it Kate, I'll be there when you're ready".

And after quickly leaning in to give her best friend another brief but comforting hug, Abby soon left them to it as well.

"What about you Gibbs?" Kate asked when the silver head federal agent made to leave the Autopsy Suite after the gothic forensic scientist as well, "What are you gonna do now?"

Gibbs turned and actually smiled at her.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked one of the finest agents he had ever had the honour of working with. When it quickly became apparent that it wasn't obvious however, he quickly elaborated, "I'm gonna go wipe the smile off Kyle Boone's face for the last time".

Kate's react was immediate. She leapt to her feet and shook her head adamantly.

"No, Gibbs!" the young woman exclaimed so heatedly that the two men on either side of her couldn't help but look rather surprised by her outburst, "No. When that... animal realises that he's lost this little game of his... when it sinks in that he's finally going to get what's coming to him, I wanna be there".

Her words were not a request.

Much to the young woman's relief however, Gibbs didn't argue the issue with her. Instead, the seasoned silver haired federal agent seemed to consider the words that were all-but a demand, and eventually he nodded his head.

"Okay, I'll hold off until you're done here" he replied simply. The surprise must have been evident on Kate's features, for Gibbs chuckled as he continued, "What? Considering just how much hard work you've put into this case, not to mention what you've just been through, I think you've more than earned that right".

Kate couldn't help but beam at him.

"Provided of course that you sit back down, let Ducky examine you, and stop whining like a toddler about it!" Gibbs continued in his usual sarcastic manner, obliterating Kate's happy mood in an instant.

Scowling now, the female federal agent rolled her eyes, but did as he commanded. She sat back down on the cold metal examination table, all the while keeping silent. Smirking smugly at her obedience, Gibbs sent a pointed look in Ducky's direction, before he pivoted on spot and marched out of the room. As he left Kate opened her mouth to speak, but Ducky quickly held up a hand to silence her and cleared his throat loudly.

"Mr Palmer" he raised his voice to be heard by his young assistant, who was sitting at Ducky's desk as he filed some paperwork, "Could you please go check that the arrangements to have Adam O'Neill's body transported here are all in order".

That had been Gibbs' idea. Given just how notorious and infamous Kyle Boone still was to this day throughout the whole of America, the silver haired federal agent had been greatly concerned about the media getting wind of there being a new killer on the loose imitating Boone's crimes. He hadn't wanted Kate's abduction being turned into a circus either. To that effect, Gibbs had called in an old favour from Tobias Fornell, and arranged for the FBI to transport Adam O'Neill's body back from the crime scene to the NCIS headquarters building for them. Since the FBI's office was closer, the hope was that it would make the whole process a bit quicker by getting their equivalent of Ducky there much sooner, and therefore make the task much more discreet.

Jimmy glanced up from his paperwork, puzzled by Ducky's words since there wouldn't be much for him to do. One look at his mentor's face was enough to clear up any confusion however, and Jimmy quickly got to his feet.

"Of course, Doctor Mallard" the young man started to leave via the backdoor to the Autopsy Suite, but soon turned back and smiled hesitantly at Kate, "Err... I just wanted to say, I'm really glad you're okay Kate".

The female federal agent gave Jimmy a warm smile for his kindness.

"Me too Jimmy. Thanks" she said. Jimmy smiled and nodded, before he exited the room as well. As soon as he was gone, Kate heaved a great sigh of relief, and looked up at Ducky gratefully, "Thanks for making them all leave Ducky. I appreciate it".

Ducky gave the young woman a sympathetic smile as he picked up an ophthalmoscope in order to begin his examination.

"Well I know how private you can be" the medical examiner said understandingly as he began peering into her eyes, checking for signs of a concussion. His patient allowed a somewhat forlorn but definitely exhausted sigh to escape past her lips.

"Honestly Ducky, it's not even privacy that I'm bothered about at the moment" the dark haired young woman admitted as the doctor in question put down the ophthalmoscope and stepped around her, before he began examining the wound at the back of her head. Kate hissed in mild discomfort when his fingers grazed across a particularly tender area, "It's the overbearing fussing from all of them. It's doing my head in!"

Ducky couldn't help but chuckle at her complaints as he stepped back around her, having finished his examination of her head wound, and now turning his attention to her bad wrist.

"You mustn't be too hard on them, my dear" the kindly gentleman said soothingly as he had her move her wrist in different directions and manners, "You gave each and every one of us a terrible fright today".

Kate sighed again, knowing that he had a point there.

"I know, but still..." the dark haired young woman muttered under her breath, "I'm a federal agent for crying out loud! I could get hurt any single day I come into this office!"

"True" Ducky dipped his head in acknowledgement, still testing Kate's wrist, "But you also can't blame the others for remembering the not so distant past. Especially with this happening so soon after everything that bastard Ari put you through... I'm just saying that we all know just how lucky you are to still be alive at this point. You are not invincible, Caitlin. You can't expect the others to treat you as though you are".

Again, Kate was forced to accept that Ducky had a valid point there.

"That's true..." she begrudgingly admitted, and Ducky smiled again, "So Doctor, what's the verdict?"

Her words were enough to cause Ducky's smile to become somewhat apologetic.

"One I'm afraid you probably won't like, my dear" he replied carefully, and before Kate could get the wrong idea and start to panic, he quickly elaborated, "Whilst your cuts and bruises are merely superficial, and your wrist has only suffered a mild sprain which might require you to wear a support bandage for a few days, it's the head wound I'm concerned about. That's why I'm going to have to recommend you go for a proper check up at the Emergency Room. You can never be too careful with a head wound after all".

Needless to say, that was not the answer Kate had been hoping for.

"Great" Kate grumbled sarcastically, but at least she wasn't trying to protest against Ducky's ruling. She respected his medical opinion and expertise far too much for that. Sighing again, she then looked up at the amused medical examiner with an air of hope, "Any chance I can bribe you into not telling Gibbs?"

Ducky smirked in dry amusement.

"On a federal agent's salary, you wouldn't be able to afford my prices" he teased, and Kate couldn't help but chuckle at his attempt to raise her spirits. Ducky then grew more serious, "No, I'm sorry Caitlin, but as your superior officer, Gibbs has got to be informed".

Kate scowled as she begrudgingly accepted her fate.

"Will you please tell him that I'll be fine to wait until the case is finished at least?" the dark haired young woman requested, and Ducky sighed but nodded.

"Of course" he agreed to grant her that much. Kate beamed at him.

"Thank you Ducky" she nodded at him gratefully as she clambered back to her feet, rising with relief from the cold metal table she had been sitting on.

Ducky smiled kindly at her, before he began walking away in the direction of his desk, no doubt to call Gibbs and inform him of the extent of Kate's injuries, and his orders regarding them. Meanwhile the woman in question simply thanked the medical examiner for his time again, before she swiftly left the Autopsy Suite in order to go and join her friends in the Observation Room outside of Interrogation.

There was still a deranged serial killer to deal with after all.


When Kate walked into the Observation Room just a few short minutes after bidding farewell to Ducky in NCIS' Autopsy Suite, it was rather obvious to the female federal agent that she was interrupting something. Three of the room's inhabitants - those being Gibbs, Tony and McGee - all immediately fell into a hushed and heavy silence the moment Kate opened the door. It didn't take a genius to work out what or other whom they had been talking about just moments prior. Once again, Kate couldn't quite refrain from rolling her eyes out of sheer irritation. She wished that they would stop fussing over her for crying out loud. She was fine. Still, she could tell from the way their looks all lingered on her, each of them rather heavy with genuine concern, that they wouldn't buy it for a second if she tried to convince them of that fact. As such, Kate quickly decided on taking another approach.

"So what's the plan for dealing with Boone then?" the female federal agent asked her three male co-workers in what she hoped was a tone that passed for nonchalant.

Judging by the response her words were met with, Kate had failed epically on that front.

Tony and McGee, their expressions both lace with deep and genuine concern for her wellbeing, just stared at her and said nothing. It was clear that neither of the two younger men wanted to address the giant elephant in the room, a sentiment which Kate herself could reciprocate. Gibbs on the other hand apparently wasn't willing to let her off the hook so easily however, and arched a silver eyebrow at her.

"What did Ducky have to say?" the seasoned federal agent, who Kate noticed was currently holding the evidence bag containing Boone's sick and disturbing photo album, asked instead of answering. It was only slightly obvious that his words were intended as a challenge to Kate's own, a test to see whether she would be honest.

The woman in question swallowed hard.

He knew. Based on the way that his icy blue eyes were practically boring into her like an x-ray, Kate knew that he knew. Ducky, through the use of a cellphone, must have beaten her to it, the female federal agent thought bitterly to herself. That meant that there was no way she could wriggle out of going to the hospital now. Her shoulders drooping in miserable defeat, Kate knew that it was time to admit the truth.

"He said that in his opinion the majority of my injuries are nothing to be worried about, but my head wound and my wrist might need more attention" the female federal agent admitted, but when Gibbs continued to just solemnly stare at her in silence, Kate scowled and begrudgingly elaborated, "Which is why as soon as we're done here, I'm to go to the hospital for a more thorough check up".

The young woman's admittance hung heavy for a brief tense moment, before at long last, Gibbs' expression curled into a triumphant smile.

"Huh... Good girl. I thought you might try and lie your way out of it" the silver haired federal agent stated bluntly, and Kate couldn't quite manage to refrain from rolling her eyes in disbelief that he thought she would honestly pull such a stunt. Still, the young woman also couldn't deny that an exasperated smile was working her way onto her face at her boss' words, "Since you didn't, I guess you can stick around for what's coming next. No delays afterwards mind".

Kate, beyond thrilled that Gibbs was sticking to his earlier promise, held back any arguments and simply beamed at him.

"So what is coming next?" the dark haired young woman repeated her original inquiry, and much to the relief of her aching curiosity, this time she was provided with an actual explanation of her team's plan so far. Naturally Gibbs was the one to provide said answers, whilst Tony and McGee still lingered off to the side quietly.

"I'm going to go in there and make him think that he's on the verge of winning this twisted little game of his, and you three are all going to wait in here" the silver haired federal agent started to explain before a heated protest swiftly cut him off.

"Gibbs!" Kate complained, but she fell quiet when Gibbs held up a hand, silently imploring her to allow him to continue.

"You're going to wait in here until the right moment Kate" the lead federal agent said in a voice which brooked no arguments yet also alleviated Kate of her protests at the same time, "If this is going to go off the way I want it to, then Boone needs to believe that you're still being held by O'Neill and that he could kill you at any moment. You're gonna be the ace in the hole which will wipe the smile off that bastard's face once and for all".

Kate, who was just relieved that she would have an active part in Kyle Boone's ultimate downfall, simply nodded her head in acceptance of Gibbs' final decision on the matter, and silently stepped aside so that she was no longer blocking the exit to the Observation Room. As the silver haired federal agent made to leave however, she couldn't help but ask him one final question.

"How will I know when you want me to show my face?" the dark haired young woman asked curiously.

Gibbs glanced back over his shoulder at her, his expression slowly morphing into what could only be described as a sly grin. Kate's eyebrows were in danger of vanishing into her hair, they climbed so far up her forehead. She simply couldn't help it though. It was just so unusual to see Gibbs looking almost... well, playful, especially before an interrogation was about to begin. It was a little distracting to say the least.

"Trust me..." Gibbs said with a smirk that was almost arrogant, it was so confident, "You won't miss your cue".

And with that, he was gone, taking the photo album with him.

That was the moment when all the exhaustion and the stress of the whole day seemed to fall on Kate all at once, and she honestly considered it a small miracle that her knees didn't give out from beneath her. Doing her utmost to rein in the strong surge of emotions that she suddenly felt, Kate took a deep breath to mentally reassure herself, before she quietly closed the door to the Observation Room and turned her attention back to the one-way mirror that looked into the Interrogation Room next door. Tony and McGee both came over and flanked her on either side, neither of the speaking but silently offering her their support simply by being there. It was enough to alleviate some of the pressure which Kate suddenly felt crushing down on her, and for that she was grateful to them both. In complete silence, the three of them all watched as in the Interrogation Room beyond the one-way window, Gibbs suddenly entered the room with a very stormy look on his face. Boone, who had been sitting quietly in his chair at the table, looked up at the angry federal agent and grinned like a Cheshire Cat.

"You wanted to see your scrap book?" Gibbs snarled at the disgusting animal seated before him, putting on what Kate would consider an honest-to-God award-winning performance, "Where is my agent?"

Gibbs honestly sounded so genuine and so furious that Kate almost fell for the charade herself.

From her spot safely in the next room, the young woman watched with an air of intrigue as in the Interrogation Room, Gibbs removed Boone's sick and twisted photo album from the evidence bag, before producing a small silver lighter from his jacket pocket. He held it against one of the corners of the book and began trying to light the flame. Kyle Boone's face contorted with horror, and Kate couldn't help but feel a small surge of vindictive triumph at the distress her boss's actions were causing in the disgraceful excuse for a human being.

"Stop it" the depraved lunatic that had caused so much terror and had broken apart so many families pleaded with the enraged federal agent, "Stop it!"

But Gibbs didn't stop.

Instead, when his lighter didn't work at first, the silver haired seasoned federal agent simply moved it away from the photo album for one brief moment, slapping the small silver object against his hand to try and get it to produce a tiny flame. A few sparks shot out of it after a few seconds, and maintaining his frosty expression, Gibbs glared at Boone as he again resumed his task of trying to set the photo album ablaze.

"Look, you don't know what... you don't know what you're doing" Boone's voice was getting more and more desperate. It was probably the most emotion that he had outwardly expressed in years. It was a shame that it had to be over something so grotesque and abominable, "Jethro! Don't! I don't know where she is. How can I?!"

The silver haired federal agent ignored the snivelling worm's pathetic whimpers.

"Gibbs, please!" Boone tried again, but when Gibbs just continued to ignore his desperate pleas, he lunged forwards and tried to pry the photo album away from the federal agent in a move of sheer desperation, "Just let me see them one last time. Please! I'm begging you!"

Crying. When Gibbs effortlessly jerked the photo album away from the other man, Boone actually allowed his head to fall down to rest upon the table and he started crying.

"Where..." Gibbs refused to allow himself to feel any sympathy for the despicable creature sitting before him. After all, how many tears had his victims all shed which had roundly been ignored by Boone himself? "...is she?"

But suddenly the sobs transformed into a deranged giggle.

In the Observation Room, Kate couldn't help but shiver as the cold sound sent an uncomfortable chill running down her spine. On either side of her, both Tony and McGee had similar reactions. In the Interrogation Room meanwhile, Gibbs just glowered down at the monster of a man in front of him with utter contempt and disgust.

"We all know you can't destroy evidence" Boone's laughter became vicious and mocking as he sneered up at the silver haired federal agent looming over him, dropping his own act without even pausing to consider that Gibbs might be putting on a show of his own, "Pathetic, Jethro. Did you really think that I need that to see them? When they're all up here, anytime I want? Your agent is going to suffer. The obscenities unleashed on her, legendary. And you know why? Because you're the one that stopped me. This is all your fault!"

That declaration was enough to transform Gibbs' performance of white hot anger into the real McCoy.

In a move which caused all three of his agents to jump in surprise in the room behind the one-way mirror, Gibbs hurled both the sickening photo album and his lighter clear across the room. Hell, the silver haired federal agent was so enraged by that last comment that he was almost tempted to throw his badge away along with them, shoot this animal through the head, and save the U.S. government the cost of an execution. Resisting those darker urges however, Gibbs instead settled for grabbing Boone by the front of his orange prison jumpsuit, and roughly pinning the madman up against the Interrogation Room wall. The monster hiding behind the face of a man just laughed at him.

"He's cutting her tongue out of her mouth right now. And you know the best part?" Boone continued his stream of vile taunts, his grin stretching so wide it was a wonder that his face didn't crack clean in two, "After I'm gone, the bodies are just going to continue to pile up".

Losing his cool completely, Gibbs momentarily forgot that he knew that Kate was alive and well and standing just beyond the mirror in the next room, and did something which if he ever found out one of his agents had done, he'd fire them on the spot for. He withdrew his weapon and levelled it at Boone, aiming it straight between the twisted animal's nasty little eyes. Boone didn't show even a flicker of fear. Instead, the lunatic's maddening smile only grew wider.

"I beat you!" he hissed triumphantly in Gibbs' face.

There was a moment, there really was just one tiny little moment, where Gibbs yearned for nothing more than to simply throw all of his rules away and pull the trigger, to have done with these twisted messed up mind games once and for all. But then he came back to himself, and the red mist in his mind started to clear as he thought about his beloved team and what they all meant to him. He thought of Tony and McGee, then of Abby and Ducky, and then finally of Kate. He couldn't help but reflect upon how utterly horrified her expression probably was right now, watching him at his worst from beyond the one-way mirror. His earlier words to Tony, spoken less than two hours prior, suddenly filtered back into his mind.

She wouldn't want this.

His own remembered words were the final trigger, and Gibbs immediately holstered his gun before taking a step back. Boone's look of gleeful triumph quickly faded into a look of perplexed confusion.

"No... shoot me" the depraved monster hiding in human skin demanded, suddenly looking both annoyed and disappointed, "You're supposed to shoot me, you idiot!"

And with those few short but deranged words, Gibbs finally understood what all of this was about.

"That the big plan you spent ten years working on?" the silver haired federal agent whispered in an icy tone, sneering down his nose at the man who had caused so much devastation during his little rein of terror all those years ago, "Get me to murder you and ruin my own life? Wow".

An ugly look twisted its way onto Boone's face. It was clear that he was displeased that Gibbs had riddled it all out at last.

"He's carving your name in her back right now" Boone continued trying to taunt the furious federal agent, hoping to provoke him into taking an action there would be no coming back from. Naturally, the convicted serial killer had no way of knowing that he was actually lying. He didn't know that Kate was alive and well in the very next room, a disadvantage which Gibbs most certainly did not possess.

And to that effect, the silver haired federal agent in question merely pivoted on the spot, and marched across the room. Boone's face fell further and further with each step his nemesis took.

"Game's over" Gibbs spat at the depraved lunatic, before he angrily threw open the door to the Interrogation Room, took a step outside, and turned to address the young agent that had been standing guard out in the corridor all this time, "Back to death row!"

And with those harsh words, he simply walked away.

Meanwhile in the Observation Room, Kate - along with Tony and McGee - had been watching all of this unfolding through the one-way window. There had been an incredibly tense moment when they had watched helplessly as their fearless team leader had drawn his weapon and level it at the sadistic sociopath's head. Kate had wondered for the first time in her career as a federal agent whether or not she should interrupt an interrogation at that point, but she had held firm in her belief that Gibbs wouldn't to go too far, that the man who was not only her boss but also her friend wouldn't cross that line. She was glad that her convictions had held true in the end. Now she, along with her two male co-workers, had all moved over to the door, poking it open ever-so-slightly but not leaving the Observation Room. After all, Gibbs had said that he would give Kate a specific cue when she was to reveal her presence, and the last thing she wanted was to mess up his plans at this stage of the game.

"Gibbs!" they all heard Kyle Boone yell out after the seasoned federal agent.

Through the tiny crack in the ajar door, Kate peered out to watch as outside in the corridor, Gibbs came to an abrupt halt and turned back to face the serial killer, who was currently being grabbed by the arm by the guard on duty outside of the Interrogation Room. Another federal agent, who just so happened to be passing, came over to help until Boone was properly restrained. It made Kate feel sick to her stomach to note that the deranged man was still grinning like the Cheshire Cat. It was obvious that he still thought he held the winning hand in this game. She couldn't wait to prove him wrong.

Fortunately for Kate, she wouldn't be kept waiting for very long.

"The Governor call yet? Because they're not going to kill me now. I'm the only one who can identify the killer" Boone jeered at Gibbs with an air of smug confidence, clearly assured of his own triumph, regardless of how mistaken that may be, "Do you think she screamed when he cut out her tongue, Jethro?"

And then, to the evident surprise of the infamous serial killer, Gibbs smiled.

"I don't know" the silver haired federal agent replied calmly, allowing his mask of anger to fed away as he revelled in the bewilderment etching itself across Kyle Boone's face. It was clear that for the first time after all these years Gibbs finally felt as though he had gotten the upper hand in this twisted little game, "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

With no further prompting required, Kate opened the door to the Observation Room, and stepped out into the hallway. Tony and McGee both followed her, but were roundly ignored, as Boone's gaze zeroed in upon Kate's delicate features. The effect that her presence had on the insane serial killer was almost instantaneous.

For the first time in living memory, Kyle Boone looked afraid.

"No..." he breathed in almost awed disbelief, is expression utterly aghast as his face turned a stark white.

A vindictive part of Kate, one which she wasn't exactly proud of but felt was entirely justified after the horrendous events of the day she had been forced to endure, couldn't help but revel in the look of horrified panic which was spreading across the infamous serial killer's face as the realisation set in. The realisation that because Kate still lived, the House of Cards which Boone had so carefully built was now crumbling down around him. And perhaps it was petty, but Kate could honestly say that she'd never felt happier to have the last laugh in a situation in her entire life.

"Hello Kyle" the female federal agent that had overcome so much in such a short amount of time greeted him in a tone which could almost be mistaken for pleasant, were it not for the icy chill in her eyes, "Oh. You look rather surprised to see me. Expecting someone else were we? Adam O'Neill, for example?"

Boone just gaped at her incredulously. It seemed as though for the first time in years, he was actually stuck for words.

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint..." Kate continued calmly when it became obvious that the power of speak was momentarily lost to the infamous serial killer, "But I'm afraid that your little apprentice is going to miss your execution tomorrow".

"He's kind of dead" Tony chimed in gleefully, casting his partner a proud look in the process.

Boone's jaw actually dropped wide open out of sheer disbelief by this point.

"Yeah. I tried to be reasonable but in the end he left me with no choice. I had to stab him through the heart" Kate continued taunting, enjoying the way that Boone seemed to wilt with every word that passed her tongue. The female federal agent then tilted her head to one side as a strange thought suddenly occurred to her, "Which now that I think about it, is rather ironic given what he would have carved into my back given the chance, along with Gibbs' name of course".

Boone's eyes widened in horror and... was that panic? He began to weakly struggling against the arms of the two federal agents holding him.

"No... no..." he began muttering under his breath to himself, both looking and sounding as mentally unstable as they'd all known him to be.

"Oh, and err... one last thing" Kate's words were enough to halt the two agents restraining Boone from dragging him away just yet. After everything she had in endured and overcome because of this vile excuse for human being, she felt fully justified in making sure that she got the final taunt in, "It's Kate".

Boone just stared at her blankly, causing the female federal agent in question to smile coldly back at him.

"My name is NCIS Special Agent Caitlin Todd" the dark haired young woman proclaimed proudly, lifting her chin defiantly as the deranged lunatic's expression began morphing into a furious glare, "I'm the one that got away. I want you to remember that when you're burning forever. I'm Kate Todd - the one who survived".

Boone, now white with rage instead of fear, began thrashing as hard as he could against the grips of those holding him back. It was no use though. He simply couldn't break free of the hands of the two federal agents. They started pulling him backwards down the corridor as Boone kept fighting desperately to avoid the fate he had more than earned.

"Enjoy hell" were Gibbs' simple but effective parting words to the parasite that haunted his nightmares for so many years now.

And because they were his favourite sexual organ, but really more so just because she could, Kate childishly stuck her tongue out at the lunatic as Boone was forcibly dragged away.

"NO! NO!" kicking and screaming and snapping like the caged animal that he truly was at heart, Kyle Boone was finally pulled off to face his end, "NO!"

And then he was gone.

The moment that the depraved monster's wild and frenzied screams finally died down, Kate felt her shoulders slump and she heaved a great sigh of relief. For the first time since meeting that parasite and this whole nightmare had begun, she felt as though she could finally breathe easily again. Her lips began curling into a bright smile as the realisation truly began to set in. A realisation that welled up within her and lifted her spirits until they were soaring.

The mind games were well and truly over.

They had won.


And that marks the end of the episode Mind Games : )

So yeah, quite a nice way of ending this 'episode' off, if I do say so myself. I'm particularly pleased with how the final scene came out, as I had it planned right from the very beginning that Boone would only discover Kate's name as he was being dragged off to face his death. Also, this chapter was originally only going to include Abby and McGee's reactions to Kate being safe and sound, but when David McCallum sadly passed away a few weeks ago when I was still writing those particular scenes, the idea for the conversation between Ducky and Kate occurred to me, and I simply couldn't resist running with it : )

Take note however that in the last chapter we saw Tony's reaction to Kate being safe, and in this one we've seen Abby's, McGee's and Ducky's. That leaves just one member of the main team whom we are yet to say much of a strong reaction from, which leads me to my next point. I have noticed that in several reviews that the readers of this story have kindly left, many appear to be under the impression that the next interval chapter will contain the promised Lunch Date between Kate, Abby and Paula. I can confirm that whilst that scene is going to be featured in the story, it will not be the interval chapter. I'm sorry if anything I've said has given that expectation, but I didn't want to ignore this issue and have people be disappointed with the next chapter. I can confirm that it'll be very soon after the next chapter however. Plus, considering that a LOT of reviewers have asked for more unique scenes between the two characters that will be featured in the next chapter, I'm hoping you guys won't be disappointed ; )

And I think that's just about it from me for this week, so thank you for reading this chapter and my story in general, and I really hope you're enjoying it. Please also consider leaving a review as I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback on how I'm doing so far, and like I said before, please also keep those suggestions coming in as well, especially for the episode Silver War because I'm still struggling with that episode for some reason : )

Until the next time, keep on reading : )