Hey readers - here we are with another new chapter, a day earlier than I'd originally planned to update. I usually post new chapters in the early hours of Sunday mornings, but I'm going to an engagement party tonight, which means I'll probably be very hung-over tomorrow XD I didn't want to risk forgetting to update this story this weekend though, or messing it up because I couldn't see straight, which is why I'm posting a day early to ensure neither of those things happen : )

This is actually going to be quite a long chapter as well. I considered breaking it into two smaller ones, but I really just wanted to get the Kill Ari episodes done with, so I decided to keep it all as one big one. So yeah, here we are... time for the endgame as far as Kate and Ari are concerned : )

Beyond that, I just want to say thank you so much to everyone that has reviewed, favourited and followed this story. The support this story has received really means a lot to me : )

Finally, please remember that NCIS is not owned by me.

I hope you enjoy this chapter : )

Kill Ari - Part 10

It wasn't long before being in the squad room got to be a little bit too much for Kate.

The female federal agent was holding herself together remarkably well given the horrible circumstances, but everyone had their breaking point, and Kate was no exception to that rule. So in desperate need of a moment to herself, she had miraculously managed to find an unoccupied spot within headquarters where she could have a little space. She just wasn't in the mood for company right now. She needed to gather her thoughts. Now, the young woman was standing by the window in the conference room, watching as the torrential rain started up again, and lashed across the glass.

It was a strangely peaceful moment.

Kate had almost forgotten what those felt like. It suddenly seemed as though that ever since that day in Autopsy, the day that she was unfortunate enough to cross paths with Ari for the first time, her entire life had been entirely off-kilter. Like she was constantly balancing on a knife-edge, and one wrong move could spell her doom. It was an uneasy feeling that had only grown worse given the events of the past few days. Ari had tried to murder her. Murder her. And it was only thanks to sheer dumb luck that she wasn't lying on a cold, metal slab right now. It was almost too much for poor Kate to wrap her head around. A soft slipped past the young woman's lips.

When was this nightmare going to end?

But sadly, Kate already knew the answer to that rather depressing question. In a way, she'd also known it, and had done ever seen that bastard had first come crashing into her life. The only way this was ever going to end... was with a bullet. And call her paranoid, but Kate just couldn't seem to rid herself of the sickening feeling that she might be the one that ended up taking it

No.

The female federal agent cut off that train of thought before it had even fully finished forming in her mind. She couldn't afford to let herself go to pieces like this. Not after everything she'd already overcome. Yes, Ari had tried to steal her life from her, but he had also failed miserable. Kate was still alive and well. She had made it out of the other side of that monster's assassination attempt, and she was all the stronger for it. She just had to keep reminding herself out that. She was going to survive this. And Ari... Ari would not.

The sound of the door abruptly opening behind her snapped Kate out of her reverie, and she jumped and whirled around. Her hand had already come to rest upon the weapon at her side, but then rationality returned, and Kate realised that she would not need it. It was only Tony after all. Her partner was stood blocking the doorway, a look of deep concern etched into his face. Concern which only intensified when he noticed where her hand had instinctively flown to.

"Kate... you okay?" he asked her slowly, almost wary of her answer.

The female federal agent quickly plastered on what she hoped would pass for a reassuring smile. She slowly nodded at her head in response to her partner's question.

"Sure I am" she said brightly, though it was blatantly forced, and both of them knew it, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Tony just arched an eyebrow at her incredulously.

"Gee, I don't know..." he began in his typical sarcastic drawl, "Maybe because you're twitchier than a squirrel on cocaine? Or perhaps it's the fact that you instinctively just thought about shooting me?"

Kate honestly didn't know how what happened next came about.

Whether it be that Tony had called her out on her bullshit, or that he had even realised it was bullshit to begin with, the female federal agent wasn't sure. All she knew was that one moment she was about to fire off a snappy retort as was her usual banter with her partner, and the next, much to her surprise, confusion and downright horror, Kate was suddenly balling her eyes out as she broke down into heart-wrenching sobs.

Tony stared at her, utterly aghast.

"Whoa!" he raised his hands in a placating manner, "I'm... I'm sorry! I wasn't getting at you Kate! Honest!"

Kate triedto respond to him, she really did - but she couldn't. She just couldn't. All that came out with her suddenly tightening throat as she tried to speak were more chocked cries of pure and unadulterated anguish. She didn't know what was wrong with her. It was all getting too much. More sobs escaped from her regardless of the female federal agent's best efforts to swallow them back down.

Tony just stood there watching, his eyes wide with horror and his mouth slightly agape, not knowing what he should do or say, if anything at all. This was not a situation that the senior field agent had ever encountered before, nor was it one that he had ever expected to be suddenly confronted with. Kate Todd was one of the strongest people he had ever met. She did not break down in tears. Not ever.

Something must be very wrong indeed for this... quite frankly unprecedented situation to occur.

Then Tony wanted to hit himself. Of course something was very wrong. Kate had almost being murdered, and that was very different from the typical gun battles that were a part of their daily lives as federal agents. In a gun battle, you were firing just as many shots as your opponent was. There was never a personal element added into one of those situations either. Cold blooded murder by being the target of a sniper... well it just wasn't the same thing. Tony could scarcely even imagine what his partner must be feeling right now. What he was fairly sure about however, was that it had all finally caught up on her. After all, nobody could hide from their strongest emotions forever. Not Gibbs, nor McGee, nor himself. Not even Kate Todd.

"I... I'm s-sorry" Kate managed to gasp out as many more tears streamed down her face against her will, "I... I d-don't... I don't k-know... know what's... what w-wrong... with m-me..."

And unable to speak another word, a thoroughly mortified and humiliated Kate dissolved in sobs once more. It didn't take a genius to work out that despite her best efforts to regain control of herself, the young woman was simply unable to calm down. Tony couldn't bare to see someone he cared about in so much pain and turmoil. Unsure how his partner, no... his friend, might react to what he was about to do next, the young man bravely stepped forward anyway, and despite his own in initial discomfort, he gently started to pull Kate into a hug.

"N-no, no, no..." Kate stammered out.

She weakly tried to push him away, too prideful, not to mention professional, to feel that needing physical comfort in the workplace was behaviour that she could accept from herself, but her attempts were feeble. If she really hadn't wanted Tony to comfort her, she probably would have ending up snapping his arm, and both of them knew it. As it was, Kate quickly stopped trying to struggle, and instead just accepted the compassionate gesture for what it was. She all but collapsed into Tony's arms, her shoulders shuddering as she heaved terrible sobs into his chest.

"Ssh, ssh" Tony soothed her instinctively, cradling the back of the distressed woman's ahead and gently stroking her hair, "It's okay, it's okay Kate. I've got you".

Kate clung to him, tighter than she had to anyone before in her entire life.

"I'm s-sorry" the flustered woman apologised again, getting more and more upset, "I... I don't... don't know... why I... I can't s-stop crying!"

"Then don't try to stop" Tony whispered in her ear, rubbing soothing circles on her back, "Just let yourself feel whatever it is that you're feeling, and cry it all out. It'll make it easier in the long run".

Kate found herself following his advice.

Abandoning all self-restraint, the young woman wept. She wept for her friends and for herself. She wept for the life and for the future she had come so perilously close to losing. But most of all, she wept for the sheer injustice of it all. The man behind all of this, was going to walk away scot-free. She hated him. She hated Ari Haswari more than she ever thought it possible to hate another lifeform. Not only for the sheer magnitude of what he had almost stolen from her, but for the fact that he had made her feel like this.

No.

Kate suddenly jerked out of Tony's comforting embrace, startling the man out of the surprisingly tender moment in the process. She couldn't do this. She refused to do this. Kate point-blank refused to allow some slimy little bastard like Ari Haswari to have this kind of effect on her. She was a woman that had protected the President of the United States, damn it, and she'd done a bloody good job at it too. She was now an experienced federal agent at NCIS, and she had dozens of cases under her belt. She had seen horrible things, and survived events which, by all rights, should have killed her many times over, the latest being less than two days ago. She wasn't some weak simpering sap of a woman. She was stronger than that, better than that.

And Ari?

Ari was nothing.

"Kate?" Tony looked down her, concern and worry in his face as he gazed into her suddenly burning eyes.

"I'm sorry Tony" Kate apologised to him for a third time, though this time her voice was steady and controlled, "I'm not normally one for falling apart like this, and I'm sorry you had to witness it. I feel like I've made a fool of myself, and you shouldn't have to deal with that".

Tony couldn't help it when a small scoff of disbelief escaped from him.

"Kate - you have nothing to apologise for" he told her earnestly. When he noticed that she didn't look convinced, he continued more insistently, "You don't. You were almost murdered, and I can't think of anything that's a bigger deal than that. Honestly, it's amazing that you've managed to keep it together for as long as you have. You're one of the strongest people I know Kate. I really mean that".

For her part, Kate felt very touched by the high praise her partner had just bestowed on her, and the genuine sincerity behind it. She also felt very relieved that his opinion of her didn't seem to have changed, despite the spectacle she had just made.

"I... thank you, Tony" she said, knowing that he'd understand just how much that meant to her. Then she shook her head firmly though, "But I can't do this right now. I can't afford to fall apart. Not when Ari is still on the loose. We have to stop him. I have to stop him".

Her tone wasn't one that brooked any argument, but that didn't stop Tony from trying.

"Kate... I really hate to ask you this..." the senior field agent started awkwardly, a manner which was highly unusual for him, and it caught Kate slightly off-guard, "But are you sure that Ari is behind all this? We have a very strong case against Mohamed Esfiri after all".

The female federal agent couldn't help but feel both irked and a little hurt by Tony's doubts, reasonable though there were. None of that showed on her face though as she gazed up at her partner defiantly.

"Tony, Mohamed Esfiri is nothing more than Ari's fall guy" Kate said with an enraged expression on her face, though she managed to keep her tone even, "No, Ari must have been the sniper. He almost killed me, and he's after everyone else on the team as well. If you don't believe me on that Tony, at least believe me when I say that you are in danger. Gibbs is in danger. McGee is in danger. Hell, even I'm still in danger!"

A very intense silence fell over the pair of them as Tony slowly digested the claims that his partner had just made.

"Okay, let's say for argument's sake that you're right..." the senior field agent eventually replied, "You do know that me and Gibbs won't let anything happen to you, right?"

Kate couldn't help but smile at the slightly protective nature of his tone. Say what you like about Tony, but he really could be a very sweet man when he wanted to be.

"And I appreciate that Tony" the dark haired young woman smiled up at him, "But I think we both know that the only way to ensure all of our safety, is by taking... extreme measures".

Tony swallowed hard. He had a fairly good idea of just what 'extreme measures' Kate was talking about.

"Go on" he urged, wanting to hear it from Kate herself, just to ensure that they were on the same page. Now would be a terrible time for a miscommunication between partners after all.

"There isn't any other option anymore Tony" Kate's voice had never been quite so serious as her eyes darkened, "We have to kill Ari".

The senior field agent closed his eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted, and many years older then he actually was. When he opened them again, he was met with the sight of Kate looking up at him expectantly. It was obvious that she was waiting to hear his response.

"If you are a hundred percent positive that this is the right action to take, then of course I'll follow your lead" he eventually said, and Kate almost fell over in relief at the fact that he was on her side, "But we can't do this one on our own. If we try it, we'll both probably wind up dead. We need to get Gibbs on board as well".

A smirk of dark amusement crept on to Kate's face.

"Somehow I don't think that's going to be an issue" she told her partner bluntly, prompting him to smile as well.

"We should probably go talk to him now then, before he goes out on his own and does something stupid" the senior field agent reasoned. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't believe that his boss would do such a thing. Gibbs always seemed to have a plan in mind after all, but then again, the last few days could hardly be classed as 'normal circumstances'. Emotions were fraying, as was evident by Kate's miniature breakdown just now. And speaking of which, "You okay to come back down to the squad room now?"

Kate swallowed hard at the prospect, but slowly nodded her head at the question.

"I will be... I just need a few more moments alone to finish gathering myself first" she admitted, a noticeable trace of shame in her tone. She still felt very embarrassed about the tears that she had shed after all, though deep down, Kate knew that she had no real reason to be. Like Tony had said, she had been through an awful lot recently, and nobody could hold their emotions inside forever, despite how much they might want to sometimes.

Tony seemed to understand, and he gave her a kind and understanding smile.

"Okay. I'll wait until you're ready, and then we can talk to the boss together" the senior field agent promised, before he walked back over to the door. He was about to leave the Conference room, before he paused in the doorway and glanced back over his shoulder at Kate. Her tears had stopped flowing now, but there was still evidence of them on her face, "And... err, just for your own piece of mind, I won't tell anyone about... you know?"

The man trailed off awkwardly, but Kate caught his meaning without any difficulty. The smile that graced her lips was one that was full of genuine and sincere gratitude.

"Thanks Tony" she said quietly, though her eyes shone with affection.

Her partner just smiled warmly and nodded at her, before finally leaving the room. He closed the door behind him in an obvious effort to allow Kate a moment of privacy. She honestly didn't think she'd ever appreciated him more than she did in that moment.

Turning back to look out of the window, where the rain was still coming down in cascades upon the city, Kate allowed another forlorn sigh to slip past her lips. Her thoughts quickly returned to the rather dark dwellings where they had settled in before, and the young woman's expression hardened into one of stone.

It was time to stop feeling sorry for herself.

It was time to hunt down and kill Ari Haswari once and for all.

It took a little longer than Kate would have liked for her to be able to muster up the self-confidence to go back down to the squad room, but when she did she was rather surprised by the sight that met her there. The only member of the team that was currently in the bullpen was Tony, though Kate was pretty sure that the rest of them were all scattered around the building somewhere. That in and of itself wasn't that unusual however. No, it was more the other person in the bullpen that caught Kate so off-guard. After all, she hadn't expected to see Ziva David of all people in their building again quite so soon. Kate couldn't help but immediately feel rather anxious, nor could she help but wonder what the other woman was doing back here. The other woman was talking to Tony, and as she approached, Kate was soon able to hear the tail-end of the conversation between her partner and the Mossad operative. When she did, Kate couldn't help but role her eyes how predictable Tony was being. He loved his movies way too much after all.

"The Peacemaker. George Clooney, Nicole Kidman. Directed by Mimi Leder. Made it in ninety seven. It's a real action flick" the senior field agent rattled off enthusiastically, before delving straight into the plot of the movie, "Clooney and Kidman have to find a stolen nuclear weapon before it's used by terrorists. I can't believe you never saw it!"

The Israeli woman was not amused.

"Where is Gibbs?" Ziva demanded to know, unable to stomach much more of Tony's inane babbling.

"You know, that's the same subject of discussion that we had when we first met" Tony smiled up at her playfully.

"No. The first discussion we had ended up with you trying to convince me that you were playing charades over the telephone, with a fictional character from a TV show of all things" the Israeli woman corrected him, "Right after you finished making a bet with Special Agent Todd, who happens to be just over there".

She indicated with a nod of her head at something behind Tony.

Tony turned around in hid chair, and caught sight of Kate striding towards them. Any evidence of her earlier minor breakdown was gone, and she looked as confident as she normally did as she approached. Regardless, when Tony caught her eye, there was a look of tender concern within them. Kate responded with a warm smile and a short nod.

"Miss David" Kate greeted the other woman politely as she passed her in order to get to her desk.

"Special Agent Todd" Ziva returned the gesture as Kate took her seat. The Mossad operative couldn't help but marvel at how well the two partners must know each other in order to be able to have an entire conversation with just their eyes. She chose not to comment on it however. It had little relevance to her visit to NCIS headquarters after all.

Before an awkward silence had the chance to settle over the three of them, several things all happened at once. First, Gibbs came walking into the bullpen from the back elevator, wearing different clothes to those Kate had last seen him in. His silver hair was also damp, leading her to realise that he had ventured out to somewhere in the rain. Kate couldn't help wonder where he'd been, but sadly she never got the chance to ask him. For right at the exact same moment, Jenny came hurrying down the first few stairs, a determined expression lining her face as she looked down to them.

"Ziva!" she called, attracting the attention of everyone else in the bullpen as well as the Israeli woman, "Deputy Director David is on teleconference for you".

Ziva nodded her understanding, and began walking out of the bullpen with Gibbs a couple of steps behind her. He clearly understood what was going on, for he mutely gestured for Kate and Tony to come with them. The two agents were following him in seconds.

"Oooh, Deputy Director David?" Tony couldn't help but remark in a teasing tone to Ziva, who stoically ignored him, "Wouldn't be daddy, would it?"

"David is a common Israeli name" was the woman's evasive response.

"You didn't answer my question" Tony pointed out.

"Which is actually all the answer you need, if you think about it" Kate's tone was pleasant enough, though there was no denying the hint of smugness in it.

Ziva shot her a withering look, but Kate just smiled sweetly back at her. Huffing in annoyance, the Israeli woman just increased her pace, hurrying up the stairs to join the new director. Kate and Tony both turned to look at Gibbs curiously.

"What's with her?" Kate couldn't help but wonder. Ziva didn't strike her as the type to let people get under her skin that easily after all.

"Yeah, what's got her so riled up?" Tony concurred, before he continued in a jokey tone, "They lose a nuke or something, Boss?"

Kate snorted at the obvious joke, but then felt cold at the look that suddenly flashed across Gibbs' face. Judging by the way Tony's face immediately fell, he felt the same.

"According to the Deputy Director, Israel doesn't have nukes" was the silver haired agent's blunt response.

"But?" Kate asked, her tone and expression both heavy with a sense of pure and unadulterated dread. Gibbs sighed deeply, but answered the question anyway.

"They have a power plant in Dimona..." the seasoned federal agent trailed off for a moment, before he took another deep breath and elaborated, "There's a small amount of plutonium missing".

"Plutonium?!" Kate gasped in horror. From that single word alone, she understood what that meant, and it was not good.

"Hamas is making a bomb?" Tony asked, his face very grim. Gibbs' expression match the mood perfectly.

"They have a core. No detonator" he clarified, though it only served to make both of his agents even more anxious, "Ari was to buy a Krytron trigger. He delivers it to the Hamas cell with the plutonium".

"Mossad grabs him" Tony quickly cottoned on to the rest of Mossad's plan.

"But let me guess..." Kate shook her head as she also came to the same realisation, "He's somehow gone of the radar, and is now a little behind schedule. Idiots".

She spat the last word like acid. She couldn't believe just how naive Ziva and everyone else at that damn agency of theirs had been when it came to Ari. Wasn't it obvious to them what he was? Because it had been clear enough to her. Ari Haswari... was a monster. Plain and simple. She just prayed that someone else wasn't about to pay the ultimate price for their terribly placed trust in that bastard.

"Exactly. And now they're getting nervous" Gibbs' expression was enough to tell Kate exactly what he thought about that, "Deputy Director David is up there right now ordering Ziva to cooperate".

"He her daddy?" Tony couldn't help but ask curiously.

"No idea" their boss shrugged his shoulders in an uninterested fashion, "I didn't ask"

Kate on the other hand just remained silent on the matter, not caring in the slightest if this Deputy Director was Ziva's father or not. Instead, her mind was reeling in shock and horror at what Gibbs had just revealed to them, and the implications of what it could mean for a lot of innocent people. Only one thing was for certain in that moment.

They had to find Ari... and they had to find him now.

After witnessing the video conversation in MTAC between Ziva and her superior officers back at the Mossad headquarters in Israel, in which the woman was ordered to fully cooperate with NCIS and their current investigation, they had all ventured down into Abby's lab so that Ziva could be brought up to speed with everything that they had so far. The Israeli woman most certainly did not receive a warm welcome, for Abby's eyes were like ice, as she glared daggers at the outsider for all she was worth. Ziva took it in her stride though. She knew that Ari was very unpopular at NCIS, and so she would be just as equally unwelcome there due to her fierce defence of him. Nevertheless, the gothic forensic scientist went over all the evidence that they'd collected so far, whilst Ziva, Gibbs, Jenny, Kate and Tony all listened to her findings intently. Once she was done, Gibbs stepped forwards, and gestured towards the weapon on the examination table that he and Jenny had recovered from the body of Mohamed Esfiri.

"Do you know why Ari left his brass behind?" the silver haired federal agent decided to open up with. Ziva couldn't refrain from rolling her eyes this time.

"You are a broken tape, Gibbs" she shook her head out of sheer exasperation.

"Record" Tony automatically corrected her.

Ziva turned to him, her expression clouded with obvious confusion. She opened her mouth to ask him what he meant, but realising what the other woman was about to ask, Kate was already supplying the answer before she had a chance to even ask the question.

"He means that the expression is 'a broken record'" Kate explained. Ziva nodded her understanding.

"A sniper's brass is like signing your signature" Gibbs chimed back into the conversation before it could drift any further off topic, "That's why a sniper always polices his brass. Lapua. Three oh eight casing. Boat-tail. Moly-coated full metal jacket bullet".

Whilst it didn't seem to make much sense to anyone else currently in the lab, Ziva alone seemed to understand the point that Gibbs was trying to make in relaying all of that to them.

"That's what you shot as a Marine sniper" the Israeli woman nodded knowingly, "At Mossad we use Sierra Six point five hollow points".

Gibbs' gaze became so frosty that it was a wonder that Ziva didn't somehow end up encased in a block of solid ice.

"How do you know what I shot, Miss David?" he demanded to know, his tone and expression both laced with anger.

The question was aimed at Ziva, but it was the new director of NCIS that answered him. It was no doubt her attempt to keep this conversation as diplomatic as possible.

"She had a profile of you complied for Ari" Jenny explained.

"Not just the boss" Tony exclaimed, his eyes growing wide, as the realisation immediately hit him, "That's how you knew where I was born and went to school".

"Ari's missions involved NCIS. As his controller, of course I had dossiers on everyone he might interact with made up" Ziva shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, "Those included both of you, Special Agents Todd and McGee, former Director Morrow, as well as Doctor Mallard and Mr Jackson".

Kate narrowed her eyes, feeling a little upset, not to mention annoyed, upon hearing that. Of course she understood that it was a hazard of the job to have people from different agencies checking into her background, but it still wasn't a nice feeling to feel that someone had been snooping through her entire life. Not that she had any skeletons hiding in the closet of course, but it still made her feel very uncomfortable. And judging by the hard expression on Gibbs' face in particular, Kate wasn't the only member of the team that felt that way.

"It's S.O.P at Kumemiute" Jenny explained, attempting to smooth the waters as she also caught the silver haired federal agent's expression.

Gibbs most certainly was not impressed, nor was he pacified.

"Director. Abs. Kate. Tony - Give me a minute alone with Miss David, please?" the man's tone was polite enough, but all four of the people he had addressed knew that it was anything but a request.

Without uttering so much as a single word, all four of them simply filed out of the room without a backwards glance. The heavy metal door of the lab quickly closed behind them, no doubt in an attempt to give Gibbs the privacy he had sought. The silver haired man slowly approached Ziva, practically quivering with anger, as he learnt in closer to her so he could speak in a low tone.

"You found out about my first wife and my daughter" he whispered. The words were not a question.

"Yes" Ziva sympathetically nodded, and at least she had for decency to look slightly ashamed of her actions in regards to the pain they had no doubt brought up for the man beside her, "I'm sorry".

Gibbs closed his eyes and sighed deeply. The memories of Shannon and Kelly were always very painful for him, but then, that was Ari's point in all this, wasn't it? To cause him pain.

"Then we know why Ari is shooting at women then, don't we?" the silver haired federal agent stated, looking deeply troubled.

Ziva on the other hand just shook her head in exasperation.

"If he wanted you to know he is the sniper, why didn't he use your rifle, if he really is responsible for the attempt on Special Agent Todd's life?" the Israeli woman pointed out what she thought was a logic flaw in Gibbs' theory, "An M-Forty?"

Gibbs met her gaze evenly. His eyes were even colder than they usually were.

"The Bravo Fifty-one he fired..." he trailed off in order to make sure his next words would have the desired impacted, "It's called a 'Kate'".

His words certainly had the desired effect.

A look of abject horror flashed across Ziva's features, despite her best attempts to quickly cover the signs of her unease up. Gibbs could see that the woman was still clinging to the hope that he wrong about all of this, a rather naive view in his opinion, but also that the doubts were slowly starting to creep in for her.

"I still don't believe Ari is the sniper..." Ziva eventually replied, though her tone wasn't very convincing, "However... what you have said should be investigated".

Oh no. Gibbs wasn't about to allow this case to get lost in a tangle of bureaucratic red-tape. Not this one.

"Well, when the media gets wind of this, it's going to create a furore" he retorted ominously, a dark glint in his eye.

"Are you threatening to go to the media?" Ziva hissed at him angrily.

"No, not me" Gibbs smirked back at her, though it was obvious that he was lying. It was also quite clear that he was enjoying aggravating Ari's most staunch defender, "This could stay between Mossad and NCIS".

"In exchange for what?" Ziva spat, unable to help but rise to the bait, "Setting up Ari for you to kill him?"

From the women's tone of voice alone, it was clear that Ziva was utterly horrified by such an idea. Therefore it came as a complete surprise to her when Gibbs actually shook his head.

"No" he said simply, "Setting me up for Ari".

Ziva's eyebrows were in danger of disappearing into her hair, they flew so far up her forehead.

"And if I'm wrong about this..." the silver haired federal agent continued before the stunned Israeli woman had a chance to respond, "He won't show up".

The Mossad operative wasn't quite so sure. Clearly the seed of doubt that Gibbs had planted in her mind had taken root and was beginning to bloom.

"And if you're right?" Ziva was unable to keep her voice from sounding slightly nervous.

Gibbs just gave her another one of his eerily blank looks.

"Then I'm counting on you to back me up" was the reply that he eventually gave to her.

Ziva swallowed hard, unsure how to react to such a request. In the end though, she found that it didn't really matter. There were no further words that needed to be said in that moment. There weren't any to really describe the understanding that had passed between the NCIS federal agent and the Mossad operative anyway. The young Israeli woman wasn't sure what to think anymore, and she was even less sure about what she ought to do now. Right now, she was just praying for one thing though.

That when the time came for action, she'd have figured it out...

They didn't have to wait too long until that time finally came about.

Just a few short hours later, which in a very strange way felt like both an agonising lifetime and yet also the blink of an eye all at once, it was time for the ultimate showdown. Having finally conceded to Gibbs' somewhat risky plan, Ziva had managed to make contact with Ari, and had arranged the proposed meeting as per the silver haired federal agent's specifications. It was to take place in the man's basement, once the cover of night had fallen. After that was decided, it was simply a matter of waiting.

Thump thump... Thump thump... Thump thump...

Kate was honestly surprised that her heart hadn't literally burst out of her chest yet, it was beating so wildly. The sound of it pounded in her ears, but not matter how many mental reassurance that she silently gave to herself, hoping in vain to make herself believe that everything was going to be alright, the female federal agent was seriously struggling to get it under control. She just couldn't help it though. Her nerves honestly were shot to pieces by this point.

After Gibbs had assembled his team back at NCIS Headquarters, and had explained the plan that he had concocted with Ziva to them, there had been something of a mixed bag of reactions. Quite understandably, Tony and McGee had both been rather upset when their boss had told them that they would not be a part of the final confrontation with the team's greatest nemesis to date. Out of the three federal agents that were under his command, Gibbs had determined that he was only going to bring Kate along with him to face the bastard that had been targeting them all down. Both of the other men had protested quite vehemently of course, but they had been firmly overruled in the end. The silver haired man had also pointed out that out of any of them, Kate had the most right to be there when Ari finally met his downfall. She had come the closest to dying at his hand after all. So instead, Tony and McGee had been ordered to remain at NCIS headquarters, and to keep guard on Abby, Ducky and Gerald, just in case Ari decided to use this meeting as a decoy instead, in an attempt to go after one of them again. They had also been tasked with keeping an eye on their new director, without her knowing about it of course.

Kate on the other hand was rather pleased with the assignment that she had been given. She was to take up position in her boss's basement, underneath the stairs where nobody would be able to see her. She was to lie in wait until Gibbs had managed to coax a confession out of Ari that he was the one responsible for all of this. They still needed proof for those that were in positions of power once this was all over after all. Well, if they wanted to keep their jobs at any rate. That was what had led Kate to her current position, and how the agonising wait for something to happen had began.

And finally, after what felt like an eternity, the wait was over, and something did happen.

Creak...

Kate's entire body tensed up as the tell-tale sound of footsteps on a loose floorboard met her ears. She immediately raised her gun so that she was ready to protect herself if need be, and she was right to do so. Coming down the stairs, slightly obscured from view from her position beneath them, was a figure dressed all In black so that he blended in perfectly with the darkened basement. The figure was not Gibbs. Kate swallowed hard.

It was Ari.

Kate could have sworn that her heart actually stopped beating in that moment. The female federal agent would be lying if she denied that she was tempted to end this man's miserable existence right then and there. She could have done it as well. Just aim her weapon and pull the trigger from the shadows, and that would be it. It would finally be over. No one would really be able to fault her on it either. This was the... monster that had taken her hostage twice, shot two people right in front of her, one of them to death, before he had tried to execute Kate herself. Anyone would want to exact their revenge for such terrible atrocities committed against them.

But Kate knew that doing so would be... selfish.

To kill Ari without the proof that was not only necessary but also essential would be a grievous error and a foolish move. It could potentially spark an international incident, one in which many innocent people would inevitably get caught up in the crossfire. Kate wouldn't just lose her job, but probably her freedom as well. And being left to rot in a tiny prison cell for murder was not a price that Kate was willing to pair to bring this bastard down once and for all. No. Ari had already almost stolen her life from her. Kate wasn't about to allow him to threaten her future as well.

So in an incredible short of self-restraint, Kate all-but forced herself to keep her emotions in check. She still kept her weapon trained on her greatest enemy, her finger poised over the trigger, but she resisted the urge to squeeze it. Hardly daring to breath, Kate watched from her hiding place as Ari descended further into the basement, and after a cursory glance around the room, in which he thankfully failed to spot Kate in her hiding place, the terrorist crossed the room and picked up a rifle, which Gibbs had left on his work bench. Ari didn't seem to thing there was anything odd about how Gibbs had conveniently left the weapon he had used when he was a Marine sniper just casually lying around, and for that Kate was glad. It seemed as though so far, everything was falling into place. Her heart still pounding wildly in her chest, the female federal agent watched asher sworn enemy and almost murderer examined the weapon. He was still engrossed in this task when the sound of footsteps on the stairs sounded again.

Ari hastily took a step back so that he was hidden in the shadows as well, but Kate kept her weapon aimed in his direction, ready to get in first in the event that he tried to pull a sneak attack. Seconds later, a third person came down into the basement, and this time, it was the actual owner of the house.

Gibbs had arrived for the final showdown.

Kate couldn't help but feel slightly relieved, but kept her mind entirely focused on the job in hand. To stop paying attention at such a critical moment could have deadly consequences after all, and after everything they had already overcome together, Kate simply refused to lose a member of their team now. She tightened her grip on the gun she still kept pointed at Ari, unbeknownst to the man of course.

She watched as, just as they had discussed on the journey here from headquarters, Gibbs walked over to the work bench where the rifle had been just moments before. He made a show of looking around for it in confusion, but the silver haired federal agent used the act to take a few steps to the side, allowing Kate a unblocked angle upon Ari for when it came time for her to take him out.

And that's when Kate heard it.

The voice which had haunted her nightmares for months. Ari had spoken out, and was clearly ready to get down to business. The female federal agent swallowed hard. The beginning of the end was finally upon them...

"Are you looking for this, Jethro?" Ari asked in a remarkably calm voice given that all three people down in that basement knew that one of them wouldn't be living it alive, though their opinions on the ultimate outcome differed greatly.

Gibbs decided to keep up the charade by acting surprised as he whirled around on the spot. And that's when his icy blue eyes landed upon the smug face of his most loathsome enemy to date. Ari had emerged from the shadows, and he was grinning at Gibbs in a way that made the silver haired federal agent want to punch. Still, Gibbs restrained himself, and said nothing as Ari came to a stop in front of him.

"I want you to know that I wish I hadn't had to shoot at Caitlin" the bastard continued, and from her position beneath the stairs, Kate felt a wave of white-hot anger sweep over her. She hated the fact that the monster actually sounded genuine in that moment. It certainly made the desire to put a bullet in his skull all the more stronger, a feeling which only intensified when Ari spoke again, "Although I suppose that it ultimately doesn't matter, since she managed to escape with her life".

The bitterness in the man's voice did not go on noticed. Gibbs couldn't help but smirk, feeling a swell of pride for the woman in question.

"Kate's good at surviving anything that's thrown her way" was all he said in response.

"Indeed. Clearly fate had other ideas when I fired that shot" Ari nodded begrudgingly in agreement, his tone and expression both portraying just how bitter he was about the way that things had played out.

"Why did you?" Gibbs couldn't help but be genuinely curious about that.

"To cause you pain" was the simple response that Ari gave. The bastard even had the sheer gall to shrug his shoulders nonchalantly, as if Kate's life was just something trivial. Oh, the woman in question was mad. She was furious.

"I piss you off that much?" Gibbs asked his nemesis incredulously.

The silver haired federal agent was beyond angry himself at this point. How dare this pathetic excuse for a human life talk so dismissively about trying to take Kate's life?! How dare he even talk about her? Kate was worth a million of him, and the bastard knew it! Loathed though he was to admit it though, even to himself, Gibbs knew that he needed to keep his patience for just a little bit longer. Ziva was hiding upstairs listening to all of this after all, and although Ari had already admitted that he had tried to murder Kate, they still needed him to say that he was a terrorist out loud before they could take him out.

That happy time couldn't come soon enough

"Not you. My father" Ari shook his head in response to Gibbs' question, and sensing the other man's confusion, he elaborated, "You have the misfortune of reminding me of the bastard".

From her position under the stairs, it took all of Kate's self-restraint not to shoot him on the spot. Was that really what all of this boiled down to? Ari's issues with his father? And what did that make her then? Was she simply some pawn in a game of chess? Oh, Kate had never felt such an intense level of anger before in her entire life, and before her mind even had a chance to catch up, her feet began moving on their own accord.

"You're serious?" she said slowly, practically quivering with rage.

Ari looked over to her, surprise written all over her face. Gibbs on the other hand just looked tired, but not even angry, about Kate going off-plan like that.

"Caitlin!" the terrorist greeted her almost pleasantly, and Kate was sorely tempted to punch that smug grin right off of the bastard's face, "Such a surprise to see you here!"

Kate couldn't help but scoff in sheer disbelief.

"Why?" she fired back at him, her tone like acid, "Expecting me to be back in the Autopsy Suite right about now?"

"Ah! Such fond memories!" Ari actually had the gall to sound... flirtatious in that moment.

"Well sorry to burst your ego, but you're a lousy assassin" Kate taunted him, but instead of looking angry, Ari just laughed at her comment. Not mockingly or cruelly, but almost... warmly.

No.

Kate cut that line of thought off before it could even finish forming.

There was no warmth in this man. His heart was made of ice. Kate had made the mistake of believing that there was kindness to be found within Ari Haswari once before, and it had nearly cost her her life. Kate wasn't going to be so naive again, not now, not ever.

"A single blemish on my otherwise spotless record, I can assure you Catlin" the bastard replied calmly, as if doubting that Kate would really fire the gun that she currently had aimed at his head, "I sincerely hope that you won't hold my actions against me. They were all aimed at Gibbs rather than yourself after all, even your death".

"You bastard!" she all-but screamed back at him. Ari chuckled in amusement.

"Even after all this time, that's still all you can say?" he teased her, clearly remembering the first time that he had taken Kate tostage in as vivid detail as she was, "That's very disappointing Caitlin. Very disappointing indeed".

"Just tell me why have you done all of this?" Kate demanded to know, wanting more than anything for this whole thing to just be over with already, "Why do you believe that my life is just a commodity for you to use in your vendetta against Gibbs? Are your daddy-issues really that bad?"

For one brief moment, Kate saw something other than smugness or amusement in her most hated enemy. And to her vindictive satisfaction, she saw what she believed to be genuine pain in his expression.

"You have no idea of what my issues with my father are, Caitlin" he said, and to both the surprise of Kate and Gibbs alike, Ari actually sounded... almost vulnerable, "From the moment of my birth, he groomed me to be one thing... his mole in Hamas. He sent me to Edinburgh to become a doctor so I could work in the Gaza camps alongside my mother".

Kate listened intently, not because she was allowing herself to be taken in by him again, but because she genuinely wanted to know why all of this that happened, before she ended it with a bullet.

"When he had her killed..." Ari trailed off, an almost lost expression flashing across his handsome features, "I had no trouble joining the Iz Adin al-Kassam".

Gibbs seem to be having the same internal curiosity that Kate did, for when he next spoke, the silver head man's voice actually sounded quite gentle, something which none of them would ever have believed possible when confronting Ari Haswari.

"You don't really believe your father had your mother killed?" Gibbs asked, not exactly sympathetically, but not too far off from it either.

Ari looked his nemesis in the eye, and Gibbs saw that there wasn't a doubt in his mind.

"It was a retaliatory Israeli strike on a day I was in Tel Aviv... visiting him" Ari explained, and Kate could tell that he wasn't lying. There was no way that the bitterness in his voice could be faked after all, "After decades of planning, he had his mole in Hamas. He never knew how much I hated him".

"So you decided to take it all out on Gibbs, just for reminding you of him?" Kate couldn't help but scoff in sheer disbelief, and for the first time, she sounded something other than angry. Now she just sounded... exhausted, "Ari... do you have any idea just how pathetic that is? That you would almost murder someone who did nothing to you... you're a worse monster than your father ever could be!"

Ari flinched. He actually flinched under the immense weight that Kate's words carried.

"Perhaps you are right" he murmured back in response, and Kate thought that he sounded just as exhausted with his games as everyone else was, "Still...I wish I could see his face when he realises he created not a mole but as you say Caitlin... a monster, eager to strike at the heart of Mossad and Israel".

"I almost feel sorry for you" Kate admitted begrudgingly.

"Don't" Gibbs growled out a warning to her, worried that there might be a repeat of her inability to put down this parasite like there had been back when this had all first started. Upon taking a second look however, Gibbs saw to his relief that Kate had a very hard look in her eyes. No, he mentally reassured himself. His teammate wouldn't hesitate this time.

This was ending... tonight.

"Gibbs is right, Caitlin" Ari said, much to the two federal agents' surprise, "Because as you have no doubt come to expect from me, another atrocity is going to occur tonight".

Neither Kate nor Gibbs gave any response. The female federal agent was careful to keep her gun aimed straight at Ari's chest however.

"I need you Gibbs, to commit suicide with your own rifle" he announced as plainly as if they were discussing the recent run of bad weather. Kate scoffed in pure disbelief.

"You can't seriously be expecting that to happen" the female federal agent shook her head, "Not unless you've gone completely insane".

"Oh, it's not as insane as you might think, Caitlin" Ari assured her, his dark eyes glinting with malice, "Not when it's the only way that he can keep you and the rest of your precious team truly safe from me".

Again, Kate couldn't refrain from scoffing out loud.

"You really think you're a threat to anybody anymore Ari?" Kate honestly couldn't help but chuckle in dark amusement, "You make so much as one move and I'll end you right now. I am the only one actually aiming my weapon at my target after all".

It was a lie, but only Kate and Gibbs knew it. Right now, from her position at the top of the stairs, Ziva no doubt already had her weapon drawn as well. Ari alone was in the dark on that matter though.

"True, but you won't kill me Caitlin" he told her, and the bastard even had the gall to actually sound patronising, "You simply don't have the killer instinct in you. If you did, you would have killed me the day we first met each other".

Kate did something in that moment but none of them would ever have expected from her.

She smiled.

"If you're truly counting on that to help you survive tonight Ari, then you're not nearly as intelligent as I thought you were" she told him bluntly. Ari scoffed back in response.

"You never did give me enough credit in our game. Neither of you did in fact" Ari said, gesturing with the end of the rifle he was holding between Gibbs and Kate, "I knew it was a trap before Ziva told me you asked her to cover you. You'd never trust Ziva, Gibbs, and I highly doubt that you would either, Caitlin. And you both need to kill me to taste the sweetness of revenge".

At that declaration, Kate's face contorted into a mockery of a smile, whilst Gibbs just threw back his head and let out a scathing laugh.

"I've killed enough men in my life, Ari" Gibbs just shook his head, almost sounding amused, "It's going to be just sweet watching you die. And besides, Kate is the one who truly deserves to put you down after what you almost stole from her".

This time it was Ari's turned to scoff.

"How very poetic of you" the man spat at them, and sensing that the moment was finally upon them, Kate willed herself to keep her nerve, and readied her finger on the trigger of her gun, "Well I'm sorry to spoil your..."

Whatever words the terrorist was about to say, Gibbs and Kate didn't find out. They would never find out.

BANG!

The sound of gunfire roared in their ears, and for the second time in as many days, Kate felt something ruffle her hair slightly as something zipped past her head. Thankfully however, this time there was more of a distance between her skull and the bullet, so it was obvious that Kate wasn't the intended target this time. Still, that logic wasn't enough to stop her from acting on pure instinct, so in reaction to hearing the lone gunshot, Kate responded in the only way she could.

BANG! BANG!

She fired two more shots, straight into Ari's chest.

It was unclear which of the three fired bullets actually struck Ari first, though any of them would no doubt have proved deadly. Still, it wasn't precisely clear which person had killed the man. Ziva with her head shot, or Kate with her bullets through Ari's heart. Ultimately it didn't matter though. The end result was still the same, regardless of who had fired the lethal blow. Ari's body collapsed to the ground, soaked in his own blood, and his eyes wide open, an almost surprised look quickly fading from them.

He was dead.

After what felt like a lifetime, Ari Haswari was finally dead.

Kate honestly wasn't sure what to think in that moment, and so she chose not to think anything at all. Instead she just stood there and looked down at Ari's lifeless body, not in anger as she might have previously expected she would, not even in relief, but with... nothing. Not pity, not sadness, not... anything.

She said nothing as Ziva came down the stairs and joined her and Gibbs over Ari's prone figure. Like Kate, the Israeli woman had an oddly blank expression on her face, but there was nor denying the haunted quality burning away with her beautiful eyes.

"His father is a Deputy Director in Mossad?" surprisingly enough it was Gibbs of all people that chose to break the almost incredulous silence that had fallen over them all.

"Yes" Ziva nodded tightly, not giving away any of her thoughts or emotions.

Gibbs stared at Ziva in horror, but Kate wasn't really paying attention to their interaction by this point. She was just stood there, staring at Ari's face as if almost in a trance, too emotionally wrung out to have any idea of what to think or feel at this point.

"Not David?" Gibbs pressed Ziva, who tightly nodded again.

"Yes" the Mossad operative admitted softly, her gaze never leaving the face of the man lying dead at their feet, "Ari... He's my half brother".

Kate closed her eyes. She had been through too much by this point to really react to this latest revelation. And to be perfectly blunt, she just didn't have it in herself to care anymore. Not tonight at least.

So without another word to either of them, she turned and walked away.

And at long last, that's the Kill Ari episodes done with : )

I cannot believe how much of a relief it feels to finally post this chapter, although I'm not totally sure how I feel about it. On the one hand, I'm extremely proud of the opening original scene between Kate and Tony. I really wanted to include a scene with him comforting her about everything that's happened, but without straying too far away from Kate's character. I know she isn't much of a crier in the show, and isn't someone who breaks down very much, but that's why I feel that the scene I wrote is so impactful. I wanted to show that even Kate has her limits, despite how strong she usually is. Hopefully that came off nicely : )

As for the final confrontation between Kate and Gibbs against Ari, I'm not too sure how I feel about it. I originally had the thought of changing the setting to be in Kate's home, and without Gibbs or Ziva being present, so it would be a standoff between just Kate and Ari, but that somehow just didn't feel quite right to me. I wanted Gibbs and Ziva to still be there at Ari's downfall, so I rewrote that scene again and again, but nothing just felt right. Now I kind of feel like I ended up just settling in the end, but I needed to get it done. Hopefully you guys still enjoyed it though : )

But anyway, thank you so much for reading my story, I hope you're enjoying it so far, and please consider leaving a review on your way out because I'd love to hear your thoughts and any feedback you might have to give : )

Until the next time, keep on reading : )