Hey readers - Here we are with not only the next chapter, but the start of the next episode as well : )

I'm sorry that this chapter has come out a week later than I had originally intended, but my home internet has been off since the 9th January and has only just come back on yesterday, and so I wasn't able to post anything until now. Still, it's quite a long chapter so hopefully that'll make up for the delay ; )

Aside from that however, I would like to say an GIGANTIC 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 : )

Silver War

Silver War - Part 1

Kate couldn't help but scowl as, for the sixth time since this meal had begun, she clumsily dropped the piece of cutlery in her right hand. The knife that she had been holding until just moments ago clattered against her plate with a loud clink, drawing sympathetic looks from the two other women that she was currently dining with. Her pretty face immediately contorted into a look that was practically acidic, as she glared down at the object which, quite frankly, had become the bane of her existence of the past three days. And call her crazy, but Kate could have sworn that the offending object was looking right back up at her with an air of faux-innocence, the kind that she received from Tony on a regular basis whenever he was in particularly teasing mood. Kate was not very amused on this occasion either.

And just what was the object that was causing the young woman such aggravation and distress? Well the answer to that question was really very simple.

An arm brace.

Yes. An article of medical clothing which was supposed to be helping her, was in actual fact causing her many more problems than it seemed to be solving. Honestly, Kate was rapidly getting to the point where she longed to just rip the damn thing off, but she had a feeling that if she did so then Gibbs would simply take her straight back to the hospital and get the doctors there to reapply it, seeing as they were the ones who had insisted she wore it in the first place, when her silver haired boss had originally taken her there just three days prior. Kate almost snorted at that. Three days? It felt more like three weeks that she'd had this wretched protective sling restricting each and every one of her movements. Admittedly it was helping with the tenderness she could still feel in her sore wrist, but was it worth the trade-off? Kate honestly wasn't so sure, and it was really starting to bring her down, something which her two dining companions couldn't help but pick up on.

"Have you heard anything about when you might be able to take that off yet?" Paula was the one to delicately broach the subject, giving Kate a look that was filled with both concern and sympathy.

Kate couldn't help but tense up the very moment that the words had left Paula's lips.

The dark haired young woman was extremely careful to keep her expression neutral, although it took a fair amount of effort on her part. Kate didn't want to bring the mood of their lunch date down after all, nor did she want to create an atmosphere that was awkward or uncomfortable for the three of them. Still, they had all been avoiding the topic of her abduction by Adam O'Neill and her subsequent recovery like the plague throughout their meal, and this was the closest that any of them had gotten to straying into those murky waters. So chewing on her mouthful of food extraordinarily slowly to buy herself a couple more extra seconds, Kate forced herself to swallow it before she begrudgingly answered Paula's good-natured question.

"Well..." the dark haired young woman said slowly as she played with her food, "The doctor said it could take between five and six days, and I'm on day three so hopefully that means I can have it off very soon".

At Kate's miserable tone, Paula couldn't help but give her an understanding and sympathetic oh smile.

"Well that's something at least" the blonde haired federal agent said brightly, obviously trying her best to look on the bright side on behalf of her old acquaintance who was slowly becoming a new friend, "Although I can understand why it must be driving you nuts by this point".

"Yeah" Abby, the third diner at the table, nodded in agreement with the blonde haired woman's assessment, her gaze also very sympathetic as it was fixed upon Kate, "I know that if I were the one wearing that sling, I'd be going stir crazy by now".

Kate couldn't help it when her lips quirked into a fond but amused smile as she looked upon the face of her best friend.

"That's probably because you can never sit still from all that caffeine crap you drink all the time" the dark haired female federal agent told her playfully. Abby smirked, before she struck an expression which was deliberately over exaggerated and teasingly offended.

"Hey!" the gothic forensic scientist reproached the woman she loved like a sister, although her bright tone indicated that she was only teasing, "You know how much I love the caffeine crap Kate! Don't dis it!"

Kate shook her head in fond exasperation.

"Honestly, somebody really ought to report Gibbs to the HR department for being such an enabler" Kate playfully continued, and it was Abby's smile that looked exasperated this time, "I warn you, one day when you're old and grey, you won't be able to move so much as a muscle they'll be so tightly seized up".

"Oh please!" the gothic forensic scientist waved her friend's words aside dismissively, despite knowing deep down that they were probably true, "We all know that there's no way that you or anybody else on the team would ever report Gibbs to HR, no matter what he ever did".

"And if you ever do decide to do something so monumentally suicidal Kate, do me a favour? Make sure that I'm at least three thousand miles away on another navy ship first" Paula chimed back into the conversation, her tone very dry and straight-faced, whilst her eyes twinkled with amusement.

The three women all shared a hearty laugh.

"Speaking of ships..." Kate said slowly as a thought suddenly struck her, and she immediately pounced upon the potential Segway into another conversation that Paula had unknowingly just provided to her. After all, whilst she understood that their intentions were good and that they were simply concerned about her welfare, Kate had no desire to discuss her recovery any further since it would inevitably lead to the topic of her abduction, and she did not feel like hashing that out today, thank you very much indeed. No. The dark haired young woman decided it would be much better all round if she simply steered the conversation into much safer waters, "Are you any further forward in deciding where you'd like to be stationed next? When is your appointment the director again? Tomorrow?"

"The day after" the blonde haired federal agent gently correct, "As for what I'm going to request... well, I think I've pretty much settled on the idea of being reassigned state side, so hopefully the new director will let me do that".

"Why?" Abby couldn't help but ask curiously, and when Paula turned to look at her, the gothic forensic scientist quickly continued, "I mean, a lot of the agents I've met over the years all said the total opposite, and I do mean a lot of them. For a good majority of them, their main reason for joining NCIS was so they could experience the thrill of travelling for months on a huge navy ship".

Paula took another bite of the lasagne that she had ordered for lunch, queuing it carefully for a few moments as she thought about her answer.

"Well... it is exciting, I won't deny that, at least for the first couple of weeks" the blonde haired female federal agent eventually replied, a thoughtful far-off look in her eyes, "Plus I got to meet a lot of interesting people and made some really great friends, and I went to places I've only ever dreamed of, all the whilst helping to protect the country I love. So I can't deny that being an Agent Afloat was a very rewarding experience one, which I'll treasure for the rest of my life..."

"But?" Kate asked, since she could already feel it coming from a mile off.

"But..." Paula smiled at Kate as she resumed her explanation of the reasons behind her ultimate decision, "It only takes a couple of weeks for the novelty to wear off, and that's when the true gravity of what you've committed yourself to really sets in. You quickly realise that privacy is now a thing of the past, and even doing something as simple as making a cup of coffee on your own becomes impossible. Heck, even something as thoroughly normal as this is, just going out to lunch and having a nice catch-up... it's something you literally start dreaming about. So yes, I enjoyed my time on an navy ship immensely and I would never say it was a horrible experience because it really was wonderful, but I want to get out now before I start resenting the whole thing and it turns into a sour experience instead. I guess what I'm really trying to say is I'm ready to take things a bit easier now. Not that I'm trying to say that being a state side agent doesn't come with its own difficulties of course".

She glanced at Kate anxiously, unable to help but remember all of the hardships that the dark haired young woman sitting opposite her had overcome recently, and Paula was fairly sure that she didn't even know about all of them.

"I guess that makes a lot of sense" Kate eventually replied evenly after finishing another bite of her tuna salad, which was really quite excellent, "Especially when you consider the fact that your assignment before being on the ship was at Guantanamo Bay of all places. I can certainly see why you might feel the need for a change of pace".

Paula nodded, relieved that the woman who was slowly becoming a new friend towards her hadn't misconstrued what she'd been saying, and thought that Paula was being condescending when that hadn't been her intention at all.

"Exactly" the blonde haired federal agent nodded and smiled, "And... well, not to sound depressive or vain or anything, but I'm not getting any younger either. I'd like to lay down some roots before it's too late for me to do so".

Kate nodded her understanding since it was a feeling that she could sympathise with, whilst across the circular table from them, Abby finished a spoonful of the delicious vegetable stew she'd being enjoying, before she flashed the blonde haired female federal agent a somewhat sly grin.

"Ooh! And err, anybody specific you might be thinking of laying roots with?" the gothic forensic scientist cooed playfully, giggling at the surprise of that flashed across Paula's face at the question.

The blonde haired female federal agent was briefly shocked by the fact that Abby felt comfortable enough in her presence, despite this being the first and only time so far that they had ever really spoken socially and not on a professionally basis, to make inquiries about her love life. Kate on the other hand wasn't surprised in the slightest. She knew that Abby had an uncanny ability to make people warm up to her almost immediately after the ice was broken, and thus the gothic forensic scientist was almost always able to make fast friends with just about everyone who she came into contact with. It was one of her most endearing qualities, and so Kate wasn't the least bit surprised when after a few seconds Paula's shocked expression quickly morphed back into a warm smile, and she indulgingly answered the question.

"Well... there is this one guy. I met him a couple of days after I returned to D.C" Paula admitted, laughing at the way Abby gasped and at how the gothic forensic scientist's eyes immediately lit up, "He's pretty cute and charming, and he has asked me out, but we've both been so busy lately with our jobs that we haven't actually managed to go on a single date yet. So I wouldn't say that we're exactly ready to start 'laying roots' together yet. That might just scare him off".

Again, the three women all let out a good, long laugh.

"What about you two?" Paula asked the other two women curiously, finally feeling relaxed and comfortable enough in their presence to be confident enough to ask such a personal question, "Any potential 'Mr Todds' or 'Mr Sciutos' on the horizon?"

Kate shook her head almost immediately.

"No. Definitely not" the dark haired young woman said so firmly that her two friends were unable to help it when they both turned to her with a look of distinct curiosity. Signing deeply, Kate quickly began explaining the reasons behind her vehement denial, "It's just... well, the last few months have been so rough on me, I feel that right now I really just need to focus on my own life, which would be impossible and unfair if I was to introduce a romantic element to it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the right time won't ever come along... just... now isn't the right time".

Abby and Paula both nodded understandingly at Kate, their smiles taking on a somewhat sympathetic quality as they regarded her. The dark haired young woman's reasoning made a lot of sense after all, especially when one considered everything which she had been forced to endure through recently. The life of a federal agent was complicated enough under ordinary circumstances, and the last few months had been anything but ordinary for Kate. She was fully aware of just how miraculous it was that she was even still alive, so it made complete sense that she would want to focus on her life alone for the time being, considering how lucky she was to still have it. Abby and Paula could both respect that.

"And you Abby?" Paula quickly pressed on before any kind of awkwardness could rear its ugly head. It was clear that Kate no longer wished to talk about it, and so she turned to the gothic forensic scientist and asked, "Anyone brightening up your days lately?"

Almost immediately after the last word had passed by Paula's lips did a faint blush appear across Abby's delicate features. Kate couldn't help but arch an expectant eyebrow at her, now suddenly a lot more curious than she had felt just moments earlier in the conversation. After all, considering that Kate was Abby's best friend and that the two of them socialised outside of work together on an extremely regular basis, the female federal agent was a little surprised that she had not heard anything about a potential new beau in the gothic forensic scientist's life. And there clearly was someone. Abby was giving off all the signs, and a highly trained profiler such as Kate was able to sniff them out a mile away.

"You been hold out on me, Sciuto?" the dark haired young woman playfully scolded her best friend, who suddenly wore an expression like a rabbit caught in the headlights, "Come on. Spill it!"

Her dark lips curling into a warm and fond smile, Abby was unable to resist indulging the other women.

"Okay! Okay!" the gothic forensic scientist held up her hands in a pacifying manner, but when Kate and Paula continued to just stare at her expectantly, Abby quickly elaborated, "Well... his name is Mikel. That's spelt M-I-K-E-L, not M-I-C-H-A-E-L. He's very emphatic about that. We've been on three dates now, with a fourth arranged for this weekend, and... yeah, he's sweet. He's really sweet".

Kate couldn't help but notice how brightly her best friend was smiling, and she suddenly found herself feeling very glad that Abby had someone in her life, even if they were only in the very beginning stages of a relationship. If anybody on the entire planet deserved to find true happiness and love, it was Abigail Sciuto.

"That's always important" Paula remarked with a smile of her own when she noticed how smitten Abby seemed to be over this Mikel guy, before she inquired, "What does he do for a living?"

"He actually owns his own business. 'Krime Kleaners Inc'. It's a company dedicated to cleaning up crime scenes" Abby replied, and whilst some people might find that a bit of a strange, not to mention morbid, profession, Abby couldn't help but feel as though being with someone with a connection to the working of crime scenes, even such a tenuous one as something that, brought them together in a way that might be difficult for other people to understand, "I know that it might sound a little creepy at first, but it actually gives us something in common to talk about. You know, considering that I always have to deal with grizzly things from crime scenes as well".

"I could think of better things to have in common with a person of the opposite sex, I'm not gonna lie" Kate said whilst trying her very best to restrain from wrinkling her nose in distain.

"It's not just the crime scene stuff though!" Abby was quite to defend, not wanting her best friend to get the wrong impression of the guy she had gone on a couple of dates with, "We have other things in common too! We're both goths, we're both into the same genre of books and television, oh! And we both like the same bands! I've actually been dropping hints to see if he wants to go to a really cool concert with me next month!"

And so that was how they continued.

Kate couldn't help but smile widely as she relaxed back in her chair and enjoyed the remainder of her meal, listening in bemusement as Abby continued gushing about her new male friend, and all the other topics of conversation that came up afterwards. All too soon however, their lunch break with drawing to a close, and before any of them knew it, it was time to pay the bill and return to NCIS headquarters quarters. All the time that she was settling up however, Kate couldn't help but think about how lovely this had been, and that she had definitely made the right call when deciding to try and bring Paula Cassidy into her friendship circle. It certainly made a pleasant change to be able to engage in something so thoroughly nice and normal, rather than spend all of her time escaping from life and death situations, which she seemed to spend a ridiculous amount of her life doing these days.

Yes, Kate thought cheerily to herself as the three women began the long walk back to the office.

This had been a most enjoyable experience indeed.

By the time that Kate, Paula and Abby had all walked the short distance from the restaurant back through the Washington D.C streets to the NCIS headquarters building, the dark haired young woman was in very high spirits. Today had been a good day so far, one of the best Kate had had in far too long a time, and she knew that a lot of that was down to the meal that they had all just shared and enjoyed together. Paula and Abby had taken her mind off of recent events in a way that Kate hadn't even known she'd needed and been desperately craving, and she couldn't help but feel rather grateful towards both of the other women for that fact. In fact despite the constant reminder that she carried around with her at the moment in the form of her protective arm sling, Kate couldn't help but reflect upon how well the last few days had all gone as a whole. It might have just been half a week since Kate's abduction and subsequent showdown with Adam O'Neill, but it had been a blissful couple of days, each one seeming to go off without any hitches or hiccups whatsoever. There were no psychopaths with a vendetta against them all, nobody had been taken hostage, hell, nobody had even been injured or shot at whilst out in the field over the past couple of days, and what with everything they had all been through recently, that in and of itself seemed to be a major achievement. Kate honestly wasn't sure what God was smiling down on them all at the moment, but she was unimaginably grateful for the seemingly divine intervention. And although it had only been a matter of days, this little respite was a very welcome change amongst the MCRT team at NCIS. Even Gibbs had managed to relax a little bit, although he was still riding their asses when it came to solving cases of course. Still, everybody - Kate included - were all feeling much calmer these days, and it feels a good look on all of them.

And it was for that simple single reason that Kate really shouldn't have been too surprised when the other shoe finally dropped.

By the time that her lunch break had drawn to its finally minute, and Kate was walking across the squad room in the direction of the bullpen, the female federal agent was trying to push the pleasant memory of her enjoyable lunch out of her mind as he cried to return her focus to her job. She entered the familiar workspace and took her seat behind her desk. She was alone now, having separated from her two dining companions at the elevator, which admittedly made slipping back into work mode all the easier. And the first thing that Kate noticed was that there was a sticky note attached to her computer monitor, obviously a message with somebody had left for her to read. She plucked it off and squinted down at it, and sighed in fond exasperation when Tony's untidy scrawl was the writing that met her sharp eyes.

'Gone out with Gibbs and Probie to chase a lead on an old cold case. Only needs the three of us, so the boss wants you to get your paperwork sorted for the Reeves case. Back later - Tony'.

Kate just barely been managed to refrain from rolling her eyes as she finished reading be hastily scribbled down message. Honestly, not only was her partner's handwriting - and calling it that was being quite charitable - absolutely appalling, but his inability to even write in complete sentences drove her absolutely nuts sometimes. The pretty federal agent was about to discard the sticky note into her trash can with an air of disgust, but before she could get rid of the offending item, she noticed something that there was else written on the bottom of the paper in Tony's familiar chicken scratch. Sighing, Kate begrudgingly continued reading.

'P.S - If you wanna do my paperwork whilst you're at it, I won't be too disappointed'.

A sofr snort slipped past Kate's lips as she finished reading that final sentence, and her expression twisted into an amused smile despite herself. Even on paper, Tony always managed to come up with a joke that would make her laugh, because surely he must be joking. Kate already had a mountain of paperwork of her own to get through. The chances of her having time to complete any of these as well for him were slim to none at best. But she knew, without the man even being present in the building, that her partner was only teasing her. As such, Kate threw the message into her trash can with a slight giggle, before she got serious again and turned her attention back to the words themselves

The Reeves case.

It had been a very important case, one which Kate and the rest of the MCRT team had taken on in the few weeks' interlude between the final showdown with Ari Haswari and the whole Boone/O'Neill fiasco. In the end the criminals turned out to be several sailors involved in a drug smuggling ring that Kate, Gibbs and the rest of the brilliant NCIS team had successfully broken up. It was quite the result for them all and the agency as a whole, and it would no doubt also prove to be a very important trial, so Kate could understand why Gibbs wanted all of the reports and documents in place before any of their superior officers could ask for them. That or any lawyers. Gibbs hated lawyers after all and had no desire to communicate with them any longer than with strictly necessary. Kate knew from prior experience that keeping Gibbs waiting for paperwork when he was demanding it was never a good idea at all, and so with a forlorn sigh - the prospect of filling in paperwork all afternoon didn't fill her with nearly as much joy as her lunch out with the girls had after all - she begrudgingly pulled the stack of paperwork littering her desk towards her.

It ended up being a rather tedious job, one that took her just shy of an hour, but at least Kate had plenty of peace and quiet in which to concentrate in.

The female federal agent was just finishing dotting the 'I's' and crossing the 'T's' of the last report needed for the Reeves case- much to her pure and unadulterated relief - when she heard the telltale sound of the footsteps approaching her desk. Work-appropriate and sensible heels if she wasn't much mistaken. Glancing up from the document in front of her, Kate was somewhat surprised and a little bemused by who she found standing there. Her unexpected visitor was a petite tidy woman, with light mocha toned skin, an explosion of fizzy brown hair, and an air of calm confidence about her. She was dressed in a freshly ironed pant-suit and carried a clipboard with her. She smiled down at Kate in an easy manner, and despite the fact that the other woman was still very new to NCIS, Kate recognised her at once.

It was Cynthia Summer, the new personal secretary and assistant of Director Shepard.

Although Kate had only interacted with the over woman a handful of times in the secretary's short career at NCIS so far, she found her to be a pleasant polite and most of all professional woman with a particularly charming name to boot. But other than their brief introduction to one another, the two women had only ever exchanged an occasional 'Good morning' or 'Good evening' whenever they crossed paths in the elevator. Kate really hadn't spoken to Cynthia all that often, so she barely even counted the secretary as an acquaintance. They just hadn't had the opportunity to stop and chat yet, so why Cynthia would deliberately seek Kate out now was a complete mystery to the female federal agent. Carefully masking any confusion however, Kate quickly flashed the other woman a polite smile.

"Good afternoon Cynthia" the female federal agent greeted the director's new secretary kindly.

Cynthia courteously returned the smile that she had been offered, and Kate couldn't help but notice that there was definitely something tense about how rigidly she stood. The smartly dressed woman's shoulders were squared like she meant business. The stiff posture only served to heighten Kate's curiosity regarding this unexpected visit even further.

"Special Agent Todd. Good afternoon" Cynthia nodded politely, before cutting straight to the heart of the point regarding her visit down to the bullpen, in what Kate was coming to suspect might be typical behaviour for this woman, "I've been instructed by Director Shepard to invite you upstairs to her office. There's a certain matter that she wishes to discuss with you in person, and also in private. She also made a point of stressing to me however that it isn't so urgent that she would pull you away from your work, and that it can wait until later on if now isn't a convenient time".

Well whatever Kate had been expecting, it most certainly wasn't that.

The female federal agent's eyebrows flew up her forehead and were in danger of disappearing into her hair completely, she was so thoroughly surprised and thrown by the request. In an act of complete disregard for her own freewill, Kate's eyes flickered upwards to the landing above their heads, and more specifically, to the door leading towards the Director's office beyond. Almost immediately the female federal agent felt nerves fluttering in the pit of her stomach like a swarm of butterflies, and for one brief moment, it was almost as if she'd been sent hurtling backwards through time itself. She suddenly felt like a teenager in high school all over again, and she was experiencing that awful feeling of being called up in front of the principle for the very first time. In an almost child-like manner, Kate's natural first thought was to wonder if she had done something wrong.

She quickly dismissed the idea as utter nonsense.

Quite apart from the fact that Kate had worked at NCIS for the better part of two years now and she practically knew the rules inside out, the agency's and Gibbs' own come to that, Cynthia had quite literally just told her that Director Shepard had said that it wasn't an urgent matter. That alone was a big enough clue to Kate that she was being silly, which helped to steady her sudden fit of nerves more than Kate would feel comfortable admitting. After all, what kind of boss gave you a roasting at your own leisure? Not one that Kate had ever had, that was for sure. So forcing her anxieties aside for the moment, Kate forced a smile for Cynthia, her curiosity peaked.

"All right. Thank you Cynthia" the female federal agent nodded politely at the Director's new personal secretary, "I'll be up in just a moment".

Cynthia gave her another courteous smile before she turned on her heel and marched away in the direction of the stairs, her heels clicking and clattering as she went. Kate remained seated at her desk and watched her go for a moment before she made any attempt to follow her. Rising to her feet, the female federal flipped the folder housing her now completed paperwork for the Reeves case shut, before she walked over to Gibbs' vacant desk and set it down upon it. With a self-satisfied smile, Kate left the bullpen and started heading towards the stairs, all the while her mind racing with different ideas as to what this could possibly be about.

Moments later she was standing outside of the closed door which would lead into Director Shepard's office.

Another flurry of nerves hit her, but Kate quickly chided herself for them. She was being silly. Not even half a week ago she had faced down a deranged psychotic serial killer without so much as batting an eye, and yet here she was, about to have a conversation with a perfectly reasonable woman, and her knees felt like they were turning to jelly. The whole concept was absurd, and so Kate forcefully reminded herself that she was a grown woman, before rapping smartly on the door.

"Come in" the familiar voice of Jenny Shepard called from behind it.

Shaking off the last of her natural trepidation, Kate took a deep breath - which really didn't make her feel much better at all - before she eased open the door and stepped inside. Unable to resist, the dark head young woman cast a curious glance around the office, since this was the first time that she had been inside it since the resignation of the previous NCIS director, Tom Morrow. At first inspection, it didn't appear very much had changed. The curtains were different, thinner, allowing much more light to flood into the room from the window, but aside from that, Kate couldn't see anything else as obvious. The same mahogany desk, the same uncomfortable chairs, and the same leather sofa were still in the same positions. Hell, apart from a couple of framed photographs on the mahogany desk which Kate was pretty sure were new additions, it would appear that the new director hadn't put any of her own touch on the office as of yet. Kate quickly brushed those thoughts away however, and focused her attention on the red haired woman herself.

"Ah, Special Agent Todd" Jenny greeted the dark haired young woman warmly as she looked up from some paperwork of her own with a smile, "Thank you for coming to see me so promptly. Please come in and take a seat".

She gestured towards the seat on the opposite side of the desk to her.

"Thank you, Ma'am" Kate nodded her head in reply before she shuffled into the room and took the allocated seat. Suddenly feeling as what she was being scrutinised, Kate immediately brushed an imaginary wrinkle out of the sleeve of her suit jacket. Across from her, Jenny smiled.

"There's no need to look so nervous" the red haired woman laughed a good natured laugh, and Kate found herself relaxing at the pleasant sound, "This isn't about anything... bad, per say. There are just a few things I wanted to discuss with you".

Kate nodded again, feeling much more ease now. Thankfully she was spared from asking what was things might be when Jenny continued speaking.

"Now before we get started, what would you prefer I call you? Special Agent Todd or Caitlin or..." she trailed off, allowing Kate to fill in the blank for her.

"Kate or Special Agent Todd is fine, Ma'am" the dark haired female federal agent replied, and once again, Jenny smiled warmly across the desk at her.

"Kate it is then. Now first of all, how are you?" the new director of NCIS asked her, and Kate couldn't help but be taken aback by the rather personal question and just by how sincere Jenny was when asking it. Seeing Kate's thrown expression, the red haired woman quickly elaborated, "And I don't mean physically. I know the extent of the injuries that you suffered at the hands of Adam O'Neill. I had Ducky come up here and tell me personally, but I wanted to check in with you and make sure that you were all right mentally, and to you offer you any support that I can. I know it must have been a very traumatic experience and I want you to know that the agency is right behind you in anything you need to deal with it".

"Oh..." Kate honestly had no idea what to say in the face of such a passionate speech. In all her years as a federal agent, not once had one of her superior officers practically offered her counselling after a traumatic experience. She could also tell that Jenny wasn't just trying to earn herself some brownie points. She genuinely meant everything that she had just said, and that was what had thrown Kate so badly that she lamely replied, "Well... that's very nice".

She inwardly cringed the moment the words left her lips, but across from her, Jenny just smiled understandingly.

"Not used to somebody of my position recognising the stress that you must have endured and isn't telling you to just get on with it, huh?" the new NCIS director raised a knowing eyebrow.

"Something like that" Kate admitted.

"Well I hope to change things like that whilst I'm the one running this agency" Jenny stated, again being completely honest and without any of the politics that Kate had come to expect from people in such powerful positions, "It wasn't so long ago that I was an agent myself, and I know how difficult it can be to just be expected pick yourself up after something like being abducted, without even being given time to properly come to terms with it. I just wanted to make sure that you knew that there is counselling available to you if you ever feel the need for it".

"Thank you ma'am, I really appreciate that. But honestly, I'm doing just fine" Kate found her surprised to find that she genuinely meant the words that she had just spoken, "I've got a lot of good friends here at NCIS, and they've all been really supportive. Plus, well... this might sound a... flippant, but it also wasn't my first time being in that kind of situation".

Across from her, Jenny took a deep breath, as if mentally bracing herself now.

"Yes... Ari Haswari took you captive twice as I understand it" the red haired woman said slowly, carefully watching Kate's reaction to the name. She was incredibly subtle about it, but Kate still caught the other woman carefully scrutinising her, a perk of being such a highly trained psychological profiler. She couldn't help but wonder what that was all about, but thankfully, Jenny quickly pressed on, "And that actually leads us quite nicely on to the second reason why I asked you to come up here to speak with me".

"Okay..." Kate was a little confused at this point in the conversation, since that bastard was nothing but a distant bad memory to everybody now.

"Right... well, to be honest Kate, there's no real delicate way of delivering the news I have to give you next" Jenny said cautiously, and Kate couldn't help but feel in ominous feeling creeping up in her stomach again, "So I'm just going to say it bluntly, and I want you to try and at least properly absorb what I've said before saying anything more, okay?"

With no small sense of dread, Kate warily nodded her head. Across from her, Jenny took another deep breath, as if steadying her own nerves now.

"Okay... I've decided that several of the teams here at NCIS need restructuring, and one of those that I think will benefit the most from a change is the MCRT team" Jenny stated, and when Kate opened her mouth, she quickly continued before the female federal agent could say so much as one word, "Now hear me out. Nobody is being removed from the team. You all fit extremely well together and I have no interest in changing that aspect of those working under Special Agent Gibbs".

Kate heaved a great sigh of relief. She had honestly feared for a moment that Jenny was about to tell her that she was being reassigned, and Kate had already felt her world crumbling. Gibbs and Tony and Abby and all the others were practically her second family now, and so it came as the utmost relief that that would not be her reality moving forwards.

"What I'm planning is to do the exact opposite. What I'm trying to say Kate is that you are going to be gaining a new team member in the next couple of weeks, somebody that you've met before in fact" Jenny explained, still skirting around the issue, in spite of what she had said earlier about being as blunt as possible.

Kate's mind was seriously in a muddle by this point. A series of questions kept chasing each other through her brain; Who was this new person that would be coming to join them and how did Kate know them? What on Earth could Ari Haswari of all people possibly have to do with the situation? And why would the director specifically tell her before anybody else on the rest of Gibbs' team?

And then it hit her.

Like she had been struck by a lightning bolt, Kate couldn't help with jolt slightly in her chair as all of the pieces suddenly fell into place. She felt numb. She felt sick. She felt like the whole room was spinning around her all of a sudden as a wave of nausea hit her. But above all else, she felt absolutely and undoubtedly right in what conclusion she had just drawn. She levelled Jenny with a hard look, and the look in the other woman's eye was all the confirmation that Kate needed to know that she was correct.

"It's Ziva, isn't it?" the female federal agent asked in a tone that was barely more than a whisper, "Ziva David".

Jenny gave a single, sharp nod.

Kate opened her mouth, close it, and then opened it again. Finding that the power of speech seemed to have temporarily vacated her however, the stunned federal agent allowed her mouth to close again, before she fell back back in her chair, allowed her shoulders to slump, before a monumental sigh of obvious distress slipped past her lips. Kate's mind was somehow both racing and drawing a blank all the exact same moment. She couldn't believe the news that she just received, and yet she also knew it had to be true. Nobody would be so cruel as the play a sick jok like that on another person.

"Why?" she eventually managed to croak out after a few tense moments of silence.

"That's a... complicated question to answer" Jenny admitted, but that didn't stop her from trying anyway, "But on paper she's coming here to join NCIS as a liaison officer between ourselves and Mossad. The official line we're going with is that if we're going to fight a global war on terror, we need to work closely with our allies".

"And unofficially?" Kate hurried them on, since that was the part that she was much more interested in.

"Ziva... she, err... she needed to get away from Mossad for a while. Or more accurately, the memory of everything that had happened whilst working for them" the red haired woman explained, and when she noticed the perplexed expression playing across Kate's face, she quickly elaborated, "I know that you're aware of who Ari was to her Kate, because Ziva told me herself that she had revealed that information to both yourself and Gibbs. I'm also sure that you're aware that despite all of the awful atrocities that that man committed, specifically against you, Ziva isn't to blame for any of them".

Those last few words were enough to take at least some of the gust out of Kate's sails.

"I know. I know Ari's actions aren't a reflection on Ziva" Kate begrudgingly admitted, unable to help what have a bitter taste in her mouth at the very memory of all that had occurred just short of two months ago, "But with all due respect Ma'am, you must be able to see the conflict of interest here. Well maybe not a conflict of interest, but at least how difficult this is going to be for some people around here to get their heads around. Ari put everyone on the MCRT team through emotional hell!"

Jenny's smile was incredibly sympathetic and understanding as she allowed Kate to speak her mind. The female federal agent however could tell that despite anything she might say, Jenny wasn't going to back down on the subject. This massive change would be happening, whether anybody at NCIS approved of it or not.

"I know that, and the last thing I am trying to do is make it seem as though I'm undermining those traumas" Jenny replied softly, and Kate could tell that she was being genuine and wasn't just trying to pacify her, "But this is an opportunity to strengthen the links between our own agency and one from a foreign nation, and at the same time, help out a friend in need".

Kate's face contorted into a thoughtful frown, before she bravely asked the question that was really bugging her.

"But why Gibbs' team? And for that matter, why are you telling me about this and not him?" the female federal agent wanted to know, before a new fault suddenly struck her and her get became somewhat accusing, "Or does he even know about this?"

Looking rather caught out, Jenny swallowed hard. That was enough of an answer in itself.

"No, Jethro doesn't know about it yet" the red haired woman admitted sheepishly, and when she next spoke, a word for tinted with the utmost authority, "And I would appreciate it if you do not tell him before I have a chance to speak with him myself first".

Upon hearing those words which sounded like a request but were really anything but, Kate couldn't help the heavy scowl that now appeared on her face.

"With all due respect Ma'am, I am not comfortable with lying to my boss!" Kate retorted in obvious annoyance, despite her best efforts to try and be as respectful as possible, "Whilst I appreciate your status as the director, I still have to work with that man on a daily basis, and we cannot do that if the trust is broken between us! Not to mention the fact that he's one of my closest friends and I don't want him to think I'm keeping secrets from him! I mean, could you imagine what his reaction would be when he found out I'd known about this all along and hadn't said anything? It would be like getting hit by a full-on hurricane!"

Jenny took a deep breath, knowing that it was important as a good manager to not take the harsh tone personally.

"I'm not asking you to lie to him" the red haired woman was quick to reassure the female federal agent sitting before her, "Trust me, I know from working with Jethro myself that lying to him is a terrible idea. All I'm asking is that you do not tell him about any of this until after I've had a chance to explain all of the reasons to him for Ziva's transfer myself".

Kate was half tempted to remind the other woman that she had yet to explain the all of the reasons for Ziva's transfer to NCIS to Kate herself, and so it was a bit much to be asking her to now cover for her with Gibbs. Knowing that it would be unprofessional to say that to her superior officer however, Kate reluctantly bit her tongue and scowled as she begrudgingly nodded her head.

"All right Ma'am, I won't say anything for the moment" the dark haired young woman eventually gave in, already regretting the decision, whilst Jenny briefly looked relieved, "But if Gibbs or anybody else on the team asks me specifically, I am not going to lie to them. I'm sorry Ma'am, but they mean a lot more to me than Ziva David does".

Jenny could respect the tight bonds that were formed by the various different teams here at NCIS, and so she nodded her ascent.

"That's fair enough" the red haired woman agreed, whilst silently thinking in her head that she would do everything she could to make sure that this would not become an issue, that she would talk to Jethro herself before there was a need for him to hear about it from Kate, "So, err... do you have any more questions for me regarding this?"

"Just one" Kate nodded, and this was the answer she was anticipating the most since she couldn't quite theorise this one out for herself, "Why am I finding out about this first, and not just with everyone else?"

The new director of NCIS gave her a warm smile, her eyes twinkling as though she thought the answer was really quite obvious.

"Well... it seemed like the kindest thing to do" Jenny admitted, and when Kate's jaw practically dropped open right in front of her, the red haired woman quickly continued, "To be perfectly honest Kate, after everything that you suffered through at the hands of Ziva's brother, I didn't want it to come as a surprise to you when she suddenly turned up here. It seemed that giving you fair warning was the very least that I could do, since I know just how big of an ask it is for me to ask you to put the past aside in order to work with her".

Kate sat in her chair, utterly stunned by the response that she had just received. Never once in her career as a federal agent had a superior officer shown such concern for her welfare and basic common decency. Truth be told, the dark haired young woman was feeling a little overwhelmed, but she still managed to force out a response, and she was surprised at how level she managed to keep her voice.

"Thank you" she managed to say in a small voice. Suddenly feeling as well she was losing her composure, Kate quickly asked, "Is there anything else Ma'am?"

Jenny gave her another understanding smile as she slowly shook her head.

"Unless you have anything else you wish to discuss, then no" the red haired director replied softly, "That was everything that I'd wished to discuss with you".

"Well..." Kate managed to force out after a slightly awkward pause, "I don't think there's anything left to be said right now, so I should really be getting back to work".

Truth be told, there were plenty of things that Kate would like to say right now, and not many of them were complimentary. None of them were professional in fact. She could scarcely believe what was being after her right now. She knew, Kate honestly did know, that Ziva was not the one to hold accountable for Ari's actions. Hell, the beautiful Israeli woman could very well have saved Kate's life that night down in Gibbs' basement as well as the man she had grown to love like a second father. She would always hold some form of gratitude towards the other woman for that. Still, being asked to work with somebody who would be a constant reminder of that traumatic part of Kate's life on a daily basis wasn't exactly going to be a picnic either. Nevertheless, there was little that could be done, and screaming at her boss wasn't going to do Kate any favours, so she might as well bow out of this conversation with some form of grace.

"Yes, please do" Jenny dismissed her. It was only when Kate had stood up from her seat and moved over to the door that the red haired director spoke up once more, "Kate... try and be open to the idea of working with Ziva. I know that you had a bad time of it the last time that she was here at the agency, but she really is a terrific operative, and she'll not only be a good asset to the team, but an even better friend if you allow yourself the chance to see that".

Kate swallowed hard.

She honestly had no idea what made the director think that, but Jenny clearly thought it to be true, otherwise she wouldn't have said it. As such, the dark haired young woman glanced back at her boss over her shoulder from her position by the closed door.

"I'll try".

That was the best that Kate could offer right now.

And so with no more words left to be spoken between the two of them, Kate just nodded at Jenny in silent farewell, before she opened the door to the director's office and slipped out, shutting it again behind her. Almost as if in a daze, Kate then wandered back out onto the balcony that overlooked the squad room. Her mind was racing, suddenly too crowded and yet coming up blank all at once as she tried desperately hard to absorb the information that she had just learned, to truly and fully try and understand the implications of what the imminent arrival of their newest teammate would truly mean for all of them. And despite the fact that she now already felt the burden of keeping a secret from her teammates and secondary family, as well as the fact that this was a lot of stress which she really didn't need right now, Kate also couldn't help but feel slightly grateful towards their new director. Because if the other shoe dropping really had to come about, then Kate was glad for one thing.

She was glad that she had been given fair warning.

And there we have it : )

Yay! An entirely original chapter to kick things off : ) Now when I first decided to come back to this story, I'd first planned out that scene with Kate and Jenny since they haven't had much interaction up until this point, and quite frankly, I couldn't see Jenny allowing Ziva's employment at NCIS to come as a complete shock to Kate, given what Ziva' brother put her through. I know that it might seem strange for her to be told before Gibbs was, but that's the route I decided to go down. Originally it was going to be an interval chapter called 'Fair Warning' - hence the closing line - but when I came up with the idea for 'Traffic Jam Talks', I decided to make it part of the first chapter of 'Silver War' instead. I hope you all liked it : )

As for the scene with Kate, Paula and Abby, well that was originally going to be an interval chapter as well, only I couldn't think of a very good place other than here to fit it in, so I decided to combine it with the Jenny/Kate scene and make it the introduction chapter to 'Silver War'. I'm not too sure what I think about that scene, since I'm honestly not used to writing chapters where the characters are in such a relaxed setting. To be honest, it felt a little forced to me, but I did my best so I hope it was enjoyable nevertheless : )

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 : )

Until the next time, keep on reading : )