absolutely positively ash

I AM MOVING

2012-04-06T05:07:01Z

I am moving all my works from this, my writing journal, as well as my personal journal, charmalicious, to my new journal, ashawashalee. Personal entries will be friends only, while writing will be public. Hope to see you there, I know its been a while :)

Story!

2009-02-15T05:17:30Z

Title: Not always Fairytales

Author: reprint

Rating: T

Pairings involved: Tony/Kate, McGee/Abby, Gibbs/Jenny

Warnings: none really

Short description: Sequel to 'The Morning After'. Three years on, Tony and Kate's marriage is in trouble. When all seems lost, something from the past comes back to haunt them... and maybe bring them back together...

Chapter 2: Of Bombs and Kidnapping

Kate sat in her office, unable to come up with a reason for why she said what she did to Tony.

‘And as for our marriage… I wouldn’t exactly call it successful. Would you?’

She wanted to kick herself. Even though Tony had been completely unfair in leaving her with Adrian and Isabella that morning, what she said to Tony had been worse.

Kate looked at the picture in the frame on her desk. It was a picture of her and Tony in Fiji. He had his arms wrapped around her and they were smiling… those had been happier days. A second frame held two pictures in it: a photo of Adrian, and a photo of Isabella, both done by a professional photographer.

Her eyes filled up with tears. When had everything started to go so wrong? She took the picture of her and Tony and looked more closely at it. As she was thinking, she didn’t notice her phone had started ringing. She almost missed the call. She picked up the phone. “Director DiNozzo.”

“Director DiNozzo,” The voice said. “Agent Fornell. How are you doing?”

Kate concealed a sigh. “Fine, thank you Agent Fornell. What can I do for you and the FBI today?”

“I’m calling up in response to a phone call we received this morning from one of your neighbours.” Fornell said. Kate suddenly became nervous. Had the argument she and Tony had caused a disturbance? Surely not. They would not call the FBI for that. “There’s been some sort of a disturbance at your home.”

“A disturbance?” Kate said, worry edging into her voice. “W-what kind of disturbance?”

“A breaking and entering.” Fornell said. “A team was dispatched to investigate, and they found your mother injured.” Kate’s heart stopped. “We managed to get her out in time before…”

“Before what?” Kate asked, her eyes filling up again.

“There was a bomb.” Fornell’s voice sounded shaky. “We suspect terrorist activity. I’m sorry, Director. I really am.”

“What about my children?” Kate choked out. “Where are my children? My mother was looking after them!”

“I’m sorry,” Fornell repeated again. “But the only one in your house before it blew up was your mother.”

Kate dropped the phone. She got out of her seat and ran out of her office, tears streaming down her cheeks. She ignored Amber’s calls as she ran to the steps, and looked over the railing. Her old team were still at their desks. She practically flew down the stairs, and went straight over to Tony, where she threw her arms around him.

“Kate?” Tony asked, shocked. “What is it?”

“I-” Kate began, looking into his eyes. She stepped away from him. “Mom- kids-”

Gibbs approached the two. “What’s going on?” He asked. Kate let out a whimper and collapsed.

-

“She’s coming to.”

“What happened, Tony?”

“Not sure, boss. She just rushed in here suddenly and mentioned something about Sarah and the kids, and then she just fainted.”

Kate’s eyes opened slowly. She was lying on the floor in the middle of the squad room. Both Tony and Gibbs were by her side.

“Kate?” Gibbs asked her quietly, putting a hand over her forehead. “Are you alright? What happened?”

She looked at the two fearfully. “Fornell…”

Gibbs glared. “What did that old bastard do now?”

“Hey, watch it now Gibbs.” Gibbs and Tony looked up. Fornell walked into the bullpen, followed by two FBI agents.

Kate looked up at him, and when she saw it was him, she burst into tears again.

“What happened, Fornell?” Gibbs asked, standing up and looking at the FBI agent. “Kate mentioned you. She came down the stairs before, crying. Then she said something, and fainted.”

Fornell looked downcast. “Have you seen the news?”

Gibbs stepped up to Fornell. “Why don’t you save time and tell us?”

Fornell looked down at Kate, then at Tony. “There’s been a disturbance at your home.”

Tony’s face paled. “What kind of disturbance?” He asked, his eyes on Kate.

“A bomb…” Kate said quietly. Everyone looked at her. “Fornell suspects terrorist activity.”

Tony gripped his desk nervously. “And… Sarah? The kids?”

Fornell looked at Tony. “We suspect a kidnapping.” He said. “Your children were not in the house when we got there. Mrs Todd was, however. Whoever did this left her there. If your neighbour hadn’t called when she did, then…”

Tony helped Kate to her feet, and hugged her tightly. “So, our children are missing, and Sarah was injured and left for dead… w-where is she?”

“Bethesda.” Fornell replied. He turned to Gibbs. “I think it would be wise if we handled the investigation, Gibbs.” He said.

Gibbs nodded in agreement. When Tony went to protest, Gibbs calmed him down, and explained that neither he nor Kate would be able to concentrate on the case, seeing as it was a family matter.

Kate looked at Tony. “We should go and visit mom…” She said.

He agreed. “Maybe she will be able to tell us something.”

The elevator doors opened, and Abby ran out. “Kate!” She exclaimed, running up to her friend and hugging her. “I saw the news! I am so sorry!”

Kate smiled sadly. “Thanks, Abs. The FBI is going to head the investigation and look for Adrian and Isabella.”

“Where will you stay until then?” Abby asked.

“I’m not sure.” Kate admitted. She looked to Tony for advice.

“Maybe a nearby hotel?” Tony suggested. “I don’t want to impose on anyone…”

“Don’t be stupid.” Gibbs said. “We have a spare room. You can stay for as long as you need to.”

Kate went over to Gibbs and hugged him. “Thank you, Gibbs.” She said quietly. “It means a lot.”

“Don’t mention it.” He ruffled her hair, and she smiled.

-

“I’m glad Sarah is alright.” Tony said, sitting on the bed in Gibbs’ spare room.

“So am I.” Kate sat down next to him, and turned to face him. “Tony, I am really sorry for what I said this morning. I was angry, and I didn’t mean it.” She bowed her head. “Can you forgive me?”

He cupped her cheek with his hand, and smiled slightly. “Only if you can forgive me for walking out on you this morning.”

She hugged him. “Oh, Tony…” She said sadly. “What are we going to do?”

“All we can do is wait.” Tony said. “Fornell is managing the investigation.”

She lay back on the bed, and looked at him. “I don’t want to wait around until they find them…” She said. “What if they don’t find them?”

“I’m sure they will, sweetheart.” Tony told her as he settled down next to her. He ran his fingers through her hair, and she sighed. “Just sleep, now. We’ve had a tough day.”

She looked at him. “Where are we going to live?” Tony shrugged a shoulder, and put his arms around her. They stayed like that until Kate’s cell phone rang. She reached over and took it off the bedside table. “Kate.” She answered.

“Caitlin DiNozzo?” The man’s voice, dark and heavily accented said. “We have your children.”

“Who is this?” Kate exclaimed, sitting up immediately. She put a finger over her mouth to indicate to Tony to be quiet, and put the speaker on.

“That is none of your concern.” The man said. “Now, if you want to see your children alive again, then you will deposit ten million American dollars into an offshore account by the end of the month.”

Kate felt faint. The end of the month was less than a week. “I don’t have that kind of money!” She cried. “And I don’t know what account you are talking about.”

“I will be in touch.” The man said, and the call ended.

Kate looked at Tony, her mouth open in shock. “Tony, what are we going to do?” She said, wringing her hands together.

“We have to tell Gibbs.” Tony said. He took Kate’s hand and squeezed it gently. “We will find these guys.”

-

“These children are quite lovely.”

“Mhm.”

The first man, dressed in dark clothes, turned to the second man, who was wearing a dark suit. To an onlooker he would definitely look like the superior of the two.

“If you don’t mind my asking, sir, why did you order Mossad to kidnap Director DiNozzo’s children and bomb the family home? NCIS has not done anything against Mossad.”

The man in the suit turned to the other man, and chuckled slightly. “You have not been here long enough to understand. My children were killed at the hands of these people almost five years ago. I have been planning my revenge since then.”

“Sir…”

The man shook his head. He looked at the cell phone in his hand, and then turned to the man next to him. “You have done me a great service.” He said, patting the man’s shoulder. His eyes then narrowed. “But do not tell anyone of my reasons behind this, do you understand me?”

The man bowed his head. “I understand, sir.” He walked away, leaving the other standing by the one-way window, looking into the room where the two children were. The girl was playing with a toy and the boy was running around the room.

He had no real need for the money he was asking for from the DiNozzo family. His plan was to hold the children captive until the money had been deposited anyway.

Four and a half years since Ziva and Ari’s death at the hands of NCIS, and his revenge was almost complete.

Previous chapters are here.

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Not Always Fairytales [in progress]

2009-02-15T04:36:57Z

Title: Not Always Fairytales

Rating: T

Pairings involved: Tony/Kate, McGee/Abby, Gibbs/Jenny

Warnings: none really

Short description: Sequel to 'The Morning After'. Three years on, Tony and Kate's marriage is in trouble. When all seems lost, something from the past comes back to haunt them... and maybe bring them back together...

Family Life

Of Bombings and Kidnappings

Getting on with Life

Fiji Revisited

Rosefern

Fighting a Losing Battle

Aftermath

Christmas

What Happens Next

Finale

Story!

2008-12-14T07:26:44Z

Title: Not always Fairytales

Author: reprint

Rating: T

Pairings involved: Tony/Kate, McGee/Abby, Gibbs/Jenny

Warnings: none really

Short description: Sequel to 'The Morning After'. Three years on, Tony and Kate's marriage is in trouble. When all seems lost, something from the past comes back to haunt them... and maybe bring them back together...

Chapter 1: Family Life

She walked slowly along the pure white sand. The gentle breeze felt good against her face and it blew through her hair, making her feel almost as though she was on a cloud. Her feet splashed gently through the clear, sparkling water. She was wearing a dark blue bikini, and had a white see-through sarong wrapped around her waist. The man coming up behind her caught up to her, and held her in his arms.

“I knew I’d catch you,” He whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. The two had been together for a long time, and so much had happened since then. She smiled; he was still capable of making her melt into a puddle at the simplest words.

She turned so she was facing him, and put her arms around his neck. “I wanted you to catch me.” She smiled the smile he had fallen in love so long ago. He leaned in and kissed her gently, but pulled away again quickly.

“Now it’s your turn,” He said teasingly, kissing her cheek and jogging away from her slowly. “Catch me if you can!”

She couldn’t help but laugh as he ran along the beach. She followed him, and it didn’t take her that long to catch him. Neither one of the two were jogging that fast. There was no hurry, after all. When she caught up with him, she jumped onto his back, and with a surprised yell from him, the two fell into the sand. He was lying on his back, winded, which gave her the advantage. She rolled onto her side, sat up, and with a wicked grin, she straddled him.

“Looks like I caught you.” She said.

“Looks like you did.” He replied. He propped himself up on his elbows, and studied his wife. His new wife. Smiling, he asked her, “Are you happy, Kate?”

She smiled, and nodded her head. “I am, Tony.” She replied, leaning down and kissing him.

Suddenly, the sky became dark. Kate looked up in shock. The wind was blowing up a storm. The once blue sky had become dark and murky, and the clear waters of the beach were rough and unsettled. When she looked back down at Tony, it took all of her willpower not to scream her head off.

His whole appearance seemed to be transforming right in front of her. His hair became shorter and darker, and the shape of his face became slightly narrower. The dark board shorts and loose shirt he wore became a pair of dark pants, a dark shirt and a dark leather jacket.

Ari smiled up at her. “Hello, Caitlin.” He said. “Enjoying your honeymoon?”

-

“Kate? Kate, honey, wake up.”

Kate was vaguely aware of someone shaking her in her sleep. Her eyes opened slowly and she looked into Tony’s concerned face.

“Tony?” She asked him quietly, looking around the room. There was no beach, no storm, and no Ari anywhere. She sighed in relief. “What happened?”

“You had a nightmare.” Tony said, putting a hand over his heart and taking a deep breath. “You scared me. Are you alright?”

Kate blinked a couple of times. “I think so…” She trailed off. “I can’t remember what happened.”

“It’s okay.” Tony said, brushing her hair back gently. “Try and sleep, alright?”

She smiled, and nodded. As she lay back, Tony switched off the lamp. She snuggled up to him, and just as the two were getting comfortable, a shrill cry from the next room startled them again.

“Sounds like Isabella’s awake.” Kate said, trying not to yawn. “I will check her.”

Tony grinned at her as she got out of bed, and put her dressing gown on. “Wasn’t going to suggest otherwise, sweetheart.”

Before she left the room, she glared at him, and he winked at her in return. Kate walked down the hallway slowly and into Isabella’s room. Instead of switching on the main light, Kate thought it would be better to put the lamp on instead. She stumbled through the room, silently cursing whomever it was that didn’t put the toys away the previous night, before switching on the lamp. She went over to the cot where Isabella lay, shrieking her lungs out.

“It’s alright, sweetie.” Kate said quietly, lifting the baby out and laying her on the floor. “Mommy’s sorry she woke you up. She had a bad dream, that’s all.”

Kate checked if Isabella was awake because she needed changing. She didn’t, so Kate thought that she was hungry. As she was about to take Isabella downstairs to feed her, she felt two small arms wrap themselves around her waist.

“Mommy,” Adrian’s small voice said, breaking the silence. “Mommy, bed wet.”

Kate sighed inwardly. She turned her head and looked down at Adrian, and gave him a small smile. “That’s alright, son.” She said. “Go and ask your father if he will wash your bed things. I will feed Isabella, and then call Grandma, alright?”

“Okay!” The three-year-old replied, running out of the room. As Kate patted Isabella’s back in an attempt to calm her down, she could faintly hear Adrian waking Tony up in the next room. She couldn’t help but smile; now Tony wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep now either.

She went downstairs with Isabella, and fed her. Tony came into the kitchen as Kate was wiping Isabella’s mouth. “Why did you tell Adrian to come and wake me up?” Tony asked irritably as he took a bottle of water from the fridge. “I needed the extra sleep.”

Kate sighed. “I’m sorry you missed out on your beauty sleep, Tony.” She said sarcastically. “But both Adrian and Isabella needed attention. And it’s not like you were asleep, anyway.”

Tony did not reply. Kate lifted Isabella up and turned to Tony. “Where are you going?” She asked him, almost in disgust, when she noticed he had grabbed his iPod and was putting on his sneakers.

“I’m going for a run.” He snapped. “I won’t be able to sleep again now, and I need to get away for a while.”

He started for the back door, but Kate was there first, blocking his path. ”I need your help with the children, Tony.” She said flatly.

He looked down at her. “And I need to go for a run, Kate.” He replied in the same flat tone. “Please move.”

“No. I need you to run Adrian a bath while I put Isabella back down.”

“Move, Kate.”

“Tony…”

“Move!” He yelled.

She was out of his way in a flash. He stormed out the back door and Kate went up the stairs as quickly as she could, while holding Isabella safely in her arms. She managed to go back to sleep easily, which relieved Kate. She went into the next room, Adrian’s room, to find him playing with some toy cars on the floor.

“Ready for your bath, sweetie?” Kate asked him.

He looked up at her and frowned. “Where daddy gone?”

Kate sighed. “Daddy had to go out, sweetie.” She said, fighting back her tears. “I’ll run your bath, alright?”

“Okay, mommy.” Adrian replied. Kate stripped Adrian’s bed, and took the sheets into the laundry. She then took the blankets and hung them out on the washing line to air. Following that, she went back inside and finally ran Adrian’s bath, pausing on the way to grab the phone as she went.

As she watched the bath, she dialled her mother’s number.

“Kate?” The tired voice of her mother answered. “It’s 6 o’clock in the morning. Is everything alright?”

“No, Mom…“ It was then that Kate finally started to cry.

-

If Tony returned between the time that Kate got off the phone with Sarah, and the time she left for work, she did not see him. Sarah managed to arrive just after 8 o’clock, leaving Kate enough time to get to work on time. Everyone else would be there by now, and usually she would be too, but today was different.

She stepped out of the elevator at 9 o’clock, and was determined to walk past Gibbs’ team without talking to any of them, but Jenny greeted her, and she was not going to ignore her.

“Good morning, Jenny.” Kate replied with a tired smile.

“Are you alright, Kate?” Jenny asked worriedly. “You look like you’ve been hit by a train.”

“I feel like I’ve been hit by a train.” Kate replied, smirking. “Thankfully there isn’t a case at the moment. However, I’m probably going to be stuck doing paperwork all day.”

“Are you managing everything?” She asked.

Kate nodded. “Just having some… family issues. It’s taking more of a toll than I thought.”

Jenny mouthed ‘Tony?’, and Kate nodded again. She was well aware of her husband sitting at his desk behind her, but she chose to ignore him. “I see.” Jenny said, nodding her head. “How about you talk to Abby?”

Kate shrugged a shoulder. “I’ll give her a call later. Anyway, I’m late enough as it is.” She laughed. “I’ll talk to you later, Jenny.”

She headed towards the stairs, greeting McGee as they passed each other. As she climbed the stairs, she watched Tony from the corner of her eye as she went. McGee was talking to him about something. She sighed and went into her office.

-

By lunch, Tony was feeling extremely guilty about how he had treated Kate that morning. An apology was in order. Moreover, Jenny had been giving him odd looks all morning, so he thought he would go and talk to Kate and smooth things over with her.

He climbed the stairs and went into her receptionist’s office. “Hey, Amber.” He greeted, smiling at her. “Is Kate in?”

“I’ll check.” She replied, smiling back. She picked up the phone and pressed a button. “Director DiNozzo? … Yes, Tony is here to see you… oh, is that right? I understand… of course. I’ll tell him.” She hung up the phone and looked at Tony apologetically. “Sorry, Special Agent DiNozzo. She’s not seeing anyone right now.”

Tony stood there, unable to believe it. “It’s because of this morning, isn’t it?” He said, more to himself. He turned to the door that led into Kate’s office, and started banging on it. “Kate!” He yelled through the door. “Kate, let me in!”

A few seconds passed, before the door opened, and Kate appeared. She looked ready to kill. “Tony.” She said simply. “I don’t want to talk right now. I’m really busy and, quite frankly, not in the mood to talk to you.”

She went to close the door, but Tony blocked it with his foot. “Kate… in a successful marriage, couples talk about what’s bothering them.”

Kate looked up at him sadly. “You really don’t know what’s bothering me?” She asked quietly. “Think about it. And as for our marriage… I wouldn’t exactly call it successful. Would you?”

With that, she closed the door, leaving Tony standing there, hurt and confused. He turned and left the receptionist’s office without another word.

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Drabble

2008-12-07T22:04:17Z

Drabble!

dani101
Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Gibbs/Kate
A quote that HAS to be used: “Payback is a bitch.”
Sequel to Rules and Regulations.

Payback is a bitch ..

How Gibbs managed to walk up the path to his house, holding Kate in his arms - and the two chocolate mousses - was anyone’s guess. When he got up to the front door, Kate turned the handle, and Gibbs kicked the door open. Kate giggled as he did so, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

He turned slightly and sidestepped through the door - so Kate didn’t hit her head - and once they were inside, he gently put her down.

“What’s this?” Kate asked, a big smile on her face. “I don’t get carried upstairs?” Gibbs let out an amused snort. Kate pouted. “Don’t even say it!”

“Wasn’t gonna.” He replied, smirking.

She walked up to him, and he put his hands on her waist. “Tonight was lovely.” She said to him quietly. “Thank you.”

He nodded in reply. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Kate smiled at him for a moment. She ran a hand through his hair, before stepping back. Gibbs noticed the change in her, and asked, “What’s wrong, Kate?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Kate said, trying to avoid his gaze. But she noticed the look on his face, and sighed. “I- I was just thinking, Jethro.” She said, looking down at the floor. “Today is Valentines Day, and we have been dating for over a year.” She stopped talking, and for a moment Gibbs thought she wouldn’t say anymore. But she wasn’t finished. “I suppose… I just thought… that we were in a serious relationship.”

“What makes you think we aren’t?” He asked her, a little more firmly than he had intended.

The firmness in his voice was what gave her the courage to say what she said next. “The fact that none of our friends know about us,” She said, putting her hands on her hips. “And the fact that, even though we have been dating for over a year, we aren’t living together. If you were Tony then not only would we be living together, but I would probably be knocked up by now! I-”

Gibbs stopped her by holding his hand up. “Don’t compare me to DiNozzo, please, Kate.” He said, taking her hand in his own. She couldn’t help but giggle a little. “As for living together…” He continued, kissing the top of her hand, “My door has always been open to you. You know that.”

Kate smiled a little, but rolled her eyes. “If that’s an invitation to move in, it’s a pretty lame one.”

Gibbs just grinned. He leaned in slowly, and brushed her lips with his own. Before he pulled away, he said in a low voice, “In two minutes, I want you upstairs, naked, and ready to be smothered in chocolate mousse. I hope you aren’t too ticklish.” He added with a grin.

Kate looked at him, mock-scandalised. “But-” She started to protest, but Gibbs held a finger to his lips.

“Payback is a bitch.” He said, before smirking. “Right Kate?”

Kate poked her tongue out in reply.

Make a request here.

Drabble

2008-12-07T06:27:12Z

Drabble!

dani101
Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Gibbs/Kate
A quote that HAS to be used: “Isn’t there a law against that?”

Isn't there a law against that?

They looked at each other over the candle that was burning in the middle of the table. Seeing as it was Valentines Day, the restaurant was packed. But he had gone out of his way to make sure that he had a table booked at that particular restaurant on that particular night. He had once overheard her telling DiNozzo how much she enjoyed that restaurant.

So, there they sat, looking at each other. Her eyes were warm, and she had a smile on her face. Her left hand was rested on top of his right one.

“Would you like to order a dessert, Kate?” He asked her, reaching over and tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

She had a playful smile on her face, and Gibbs instantly wondered what he had gotten himself into. “Certainly.” Kate stood up slowly and, not taking her eyes off Gibbs, walked over to the counter. He could barely make out the words, “Hi, could I please have two chocolate mousses – to go?” He watched as she took out her wallet, and paid the entire bill. She then turned, and walked back to the table, and when her eyes met his, she smiled.

“You didn’t have to pay, Kate.” He told her as she sat back down.

She grinned, and replied, “It’s not a problem. I hope you don’t mind,” She said, placing her hand on top of his again, “I got dessert to go. We can enjoy it better… at home.” She had a knowing look in her eyes, and Gibbs felt his throat constrict.

“I-Isn’t there a law against that?” He choked out, losing all sense of his regular Gibbs-composure.

She just smiled in response, and her eyes left his only for a moment when the waiter came to the table with a brown paper bag. “Thank you.” She said to him, before turning back to Gibbs. “Ready to go?”

TO BE CONTINUED...

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Story!

2008-10-28T07:27:01Z

Title: The Morning After

Author: reprint

Rating: T

Pairings involved: Tony/Kate, McGee/Abby, Gibbs/Jenny

Warnings: none really

Short description: Ending up in Anthony DiNozzo's bed was not at the top of Caitlin Todd's 'to do' list...

Chapter 30: The Big Day

The wedding was planned to be at sunset on Saturday. It would be held down on the beach, and there were only about thirty people coming in total. Tony and Kate didn’t need - or want - a super extravagant wedding to show to the world that they loved each other.

Everyone who was invited got to stay at the nearby hotel the night before the wedding. In separate rooms, the stag and hen’s nights went on into the early hours of the morning. For tradition’s sake, Kate and Tony didn’t share a room that night. Kate firmly believed that Tony was not able to see her until she was walking down the aisle the following evening.

And since the wedding was being held outside, they hoped like hell it wasn’t going to be a windy day.

On Saturday morning, Kate woke up with butterflies in her stomach. She had shared the double room with Abby and Adrian last night, and a couple of doors down, Tony had shared with McGee and the twins. She lay on her bed for a while, thinking quietly to herself, until Abby came in, grinning from ear to ear.

“I ordered room service for breakfast.” She said. “Couldn’t be bothered cooking.” Kate looked up at her, and couldn’t help but laugh. Abby’s face turned serious. “Kate, it’s your wedding day! Time to get up! Get in the shower! Your mother will be here in-” She paused to look at the clock on the wall, “- 15 minutes to help me with your hair.”

Kate smirked at Abby, and got up. She looked over at Adrian, who was sitting on the floor, playing with a toy. “I need to-”

“I’ll change him.” Abby laughed. “Now, go!”

Kate headed off into the bathroom, and shut the door. She took off her pyjamas and looked at herself in the mirror. Close to where her heart was, there was a small round scar from when she had been shot. The vertical scar that ran down her stomach was from when she had to be operated in after she was shot. It scared her to look and the scars and think about them.

“Kate!” Abby called from the other side of the bathroom door. “I don’t hear water running!”

“I’m getting in now!” Kate replied, turning on the water and stepping under the spray.

Over in the men’s room, Tony was also just getting up. Gibbs and McGee were having an interesting time changing the twins’ diapers, and when Gibbs noticed that Tony was awake, he pointed towards the bathroom door. “Shower. Go.”

“Yeah, alright.” Tony grumbled, getting out of bed.

“Good morning to you too, Tony.” McGee teased. He then blew a raspberry into Hayley’s chest, causing the young girl to shriek with delight. The two other men in the room, however, looked on with amused expressions.

“Gee, boss,” Tony said as he walked across the room towards the bathroom, “I didn’t know McGiggle was a girl.”

McGee glared at the bathroom door as it shut behind Tony.

-

Kate looked at herself in the mirror. Behind her stood Sarah and Samantha, and both were smiling.

“Caitlin, honey, you look gorgeous.” Samantha said, patting her on the shoulder gently. “My son is the luckiest man in the world.”

Kate couldn’t help but beam. Her hair had been pulled into a loose bun, and had been clipped up at the back. She wore a pair of simple drop earrings, and her silver cross was around her neck. She wore little makeup - Sarah and Samantha insisted that she didn’t need it - and her signet ring on her pinkie finger.

Abby had left earlier to go and help McGee look after the twins, and to go and get ready herself. As sunset drew closer, Kate was helped into her dress by her mother, then she was left alone by the two women so they could go and get ready. The next person she was going to see would be Gibbs, and he would be taking her down to the beach, where everyone would be waiting.

She ran her thumb across the surface of her signet ring. Her father had given it to her on the visit before he was killed. She sighed sadly. “Oh, daddy…” She muttered. “If only you were here on my big day… I miss you so much.” There was a knock on the door, and Kate looked over. “Who is it?” She asked. If it was Tony, she would have to send him away. No matter how much she loved him, they weren’t going to break the tradition.

“It’s Gibbs. Can I come in?”

Kate smiled. ‘That time already, huh?’ She thought to herself. “Sure, come on in.”

The door opened, and Gibbs came in. He looked at Kate, sitting by the vanity in her dress, and smiled. “Kate…” He said. “You look amazing.”

She stood up, and he hugged her. “Thank you, Gibbs.”

Gibbs chuckled and looked out the window. Slowly but surely, the sky was starting to become dark. He estimated that people would already be heading down to the beach. “How do you feel?” He asked, turning back to her. “In less than an hour, you’ll be married.”

“I’m a little nervous.” Kate admitted. “I’ve had butterflies in my stomach all day.”

“It’s natural to feel that way.” Gibbs said, putting an arm around her shoulder. “But once you get down there, you’ll never want the night to end.” Kate grinned. “Well,” Gibbs said, offering her his arm. “Are you ready, Kate?”

“Yes.” She said firmly, taking his arm. “Let’s do it.”

-

“Tony, stop fidgeting.” McGee said, trying to calm his friend down. They stood near the altar, watching as everyone took their seats.

“I’m nervous, Probie.” Tony replied, fiddling with his tie. “Very nervous.”

McGee nodded. “That’s usually how people feel before they get married.”

Tony turned around and looked at the small crowd. Most of them were already seated on the white chairs, talking quietly among themselves. The only two people that weren’t there yet were Gibbs and Kate. In the front row, Kate’s mother and Tony’s parents were looking after the children, and Abby was waiting down the end of the makeshift aisle with Kate’s flowers. She threw a smile down at McGee, who smiled back at her.

“Here they come.” Abby said, hardly able to contain the grin on her face. From the short distance, she could see the two approaching.

As they came closer, everyone stood up. Kate and Abby smiled at each other, and Abby handed Kate the flowers. The two walked slowly down the aisle to where Tony and McGee stood. Kate looked at Tony, and he smiled at her, despite how nervous he looked. It probably matched how nervous she felt.

When they reached the front, Kate and Gibbs turned to each other. He leaned in and kissed her cheek, and she smiled at him. Then, she turned to Tony, who held out a hand to her. She gave the flowers to Gibbs, and took Tony’s hand with a smile.

“Dearly beloved,” The priest began, smiling broadly. “We are gathered here today to join together this man, and this woman in holy matrimony…”

-

“Alright, girls, get in a group!” Kate called, waving the bouquet of flowers in her hands. “I’m going to throw them!” Every girl or woman present except those married - and Jenny and Sarah - gathered in front of Kate in a group. Laughing, she turned around. “Ready?” She closed her eyes, and threw them back into the crowd.

The night sky was suddenly filled with cries of, “I’ve got it,”, “It’s mine!”, “Move, you!”, and even a “Move, bitch!”, until eventually there was a triumphant “Yes!”, and a lot of dissatisfied grumbles from other girls. Kate turned around to see who caught the bouquet, and laughed when she saw the bouquet in Abby’s hands. The Goth grinned at Kate, and Kate grinned back.

Tony and Gibbs were watching McGee, who had suddenly turned pale. “It’s okay, McGee.” Tony grinned, taking a sip of his champagne. “I’m sure nothing is meant by it. Really.”

Gibbs just snorted, and walked over to Jenny, who had been talking with Sarah. “Beautiful wedding, isn’t it Jethro?” She asked him, smiling.

“It sure is.” He replied, kissing her. “Would you like to dance?”

She smiled. “I would.” He took her hand and led her out onto the makeshift dance floor.

Kate walked back over to Tony, who had been watching her with a smile. “Hello, husband.” She said, smirking playfully at him.

He laughed, and took her hands. “Hello, wife.”

She smiled sincerely at him. “You don’t know how amazing that sounds to me.”

“I can imagine,” He teased. “Marrying me is kind of a big deal.”

Kate chuckled, and led him onto the dance floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and replied, “Watch it Tony, your head might start inflating.”

“Oh, Kate, you wound me.” He said in a mock hurt tone.

She laughed, and he twirled her around. “I love you, Anthony DiNozzo.” She said, smiling up at her new husband.

“And I love you, Caitlin… DiNozzo.” He said, grinning.

She smirked. “How does it feel?” She asked him, turning serious for a moment. “Is this what you wanted originally?”

He shook his head. “If you were to tell me two years ago, that I would be married - to you, no less - with a son, I would have laughed. But,” He added, smiling, “Nothing prepared me for this. Kate, having you and Adrian in my life is such a joy. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Kate wiped away the tears she didn’t know where there, and grinned at Tony. “Tony, that’s so thoughtful.”

He kissed her in reply. Kate’s eyes closed and they danced together to the music, until someone clearing their throat interrupted them.

“DiNozzo!” Tony looked over Kate’s head. Gibbs and Jenny were standing there, and in Gibbs’ hand was an envelope. “This is for you from all of us.” He handed Tony the envelope and smirked. “Your wedding present.” He added when Tony looked at him, confused.

“Wow, thanks boss.” Tony said, opening the envelope. “Means a…” He stopped when he looked down at the contents of the envelope.

Kate took it out of his hands, and looked at it. Her mouth fell open. “Two first class tickets to Fiji?”

“Enjoy.” Gibbs said, turning around. “We’ll see you at work in a week.”

As he walked away with Jenny, the newlyweds turned to each other. Tony put his hands on Kate’s hips and asked, “So tell me, Kate dear, since having Adrian…”

“Yes?” She asked, smiling.

“Do you still fit into that hot little bikini I got you for your last birthday?”

Kate gaped at Tony in amazement. He just grinned at her.

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Story!

2008-10-22T04:58:55Z

Drabble

2008-10-22T04:49:33Z

Drabble!

meherm
Fandom: NCIS
Pairing/s: Gibbs/Kate
A quote that HAS to be used: Can’t live without you & marry me, Kate.

I decided to do a two-in one because it's for the same author, for a start, and also because the way I was writing the drabble was heading towards the second quote. And as compensation, the drabble is about as long as two regular drabbles. Enjoy! ♥

Can't live without you (marry me, Kate)

“Flight EU8740 to Paris is boarding now, I repeat, flight EU8740 to Paris is boarding now…”

Kate grabbed her carry-on luggage, and made her way towards the gate where the tickets were being checked. It was her first time to Paris, and she was excited.

The trip was not a holiday, though. Kate reminded herself of that as she reached into her bag and rummaged around with her free hand for her ticket. She had asked Director Morrow for a transfer, and had been granted it immediately. The Paris-based NCIS team had suffered the loss of their profiler, and Kate had all the right qualifications.

Plus, a reason to escape Washington. Now Kate understood the reason for Gibbs’ infamous ‘Rule 12’. Never date a co-worker. Well, Kate had broken Rule 12, and the end result had been disastrous. Going into work everyday and facing him after that - it wasn’t something she could bear. Hence the reason for the transfer.

The line was a long one. Apparently there were a lot of people travelling to Paris at 0700. As she looked at her ticket, a sickening thought came to her.

She did not have her passport.

Kate swore under her breath, and left the line. She walked over to where she had been sitting, and started looking around for it. She couldn’t see it anywhere. She was about to give up, when a voice interrupted her thoughts. “Lost something?”

She looked up, and held her breath. It was him. “Why are you here?” She asked him.

He shrugged, and held out her passport to her. “You left this here.” He said. “Someone might have taken it.” Kate snatched it out of his hand, and turned away from him. Without uttering so much as a ‘thank you’, she headed back toward the line. He followed her, and stopped her by putting a hand on her arm. “Kate,” He said. “Don’t go. This is silly.”

She turned to him. “Is it, Jethro?” She asked angrily. “Is it really? After two years of dating, the aspect of marriage - or perhaps even the word - might have crossed your mind. At least once.”

“It has.” He said firmly. “I just wasn’t sure-”

“If I was thinking about the same thing? Jethro, every girl, no matter what age, thinks about marrying their dream man. Well, finally, mine has come along, and he hasn’t thought twice about it.” She looked away from him. “I can’t take it anymore. I have to end this.”

“No, you don’t.” Gibbs said firmly. “Kate, I can’t live without you. I don’t want to imagine life without you. Stay here, with me.”

Kate shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. “Jethro, you really hurt me.” She whispered. “That sort of thing doesn’t just go away overnight. I can understand why you were so reluctant to bring up marriage, but…” She trailed off, unable to think of a way to finish what she said.

“Kate,” Gibbs said, taking her hands in his. “I will do what I can to make this work. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“I love you too, Jethro.” She said sadly. “But I need some time to think.” She held up her ticket, and smiled slightly. “It’s a return ticket. I’ll be back on Thursday night.”

“But-”

Kate tilted her head to the side. “I was not entirely sure if I was going to take the Paris position.” She said glumly. “I mean, originally, I was going to, but when I found out that I was pregnant, I decided to fly over there myself and decline the position.” She looked completely miserable by then. “And perhaps do some shopping for the baby.”

Gibbs’ eyes widened. “When did you find out?”

“Yesterday.” She said, looking at her feet.

Gibbs cupped her chin, and she looked up at him. “Marry me, Kate.” He said firmly. “Marry me, and I will make you the happiest woman in the world.”

Kate blinked, and everything she was previously feeling - all the anger, and regret - melted away. Gibbs looked at her questioningly, and she eventually smiled. “Okay.” Her smile was quickly replaced by a frown, and she started crying.

“Kate?” Gibbs questioned, pulling her into a hug. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” She cried into his chest. “I’m so happy, that’s all.”

“Then why are you crying?”

“It’s the hormones,” She moaned, and Gibbs chuckled. “I’ve been like this all week.” He laughed harder, and Kate looked up at him, glaring. “Are you laughing at me?” She demanded, slapping his chest.

“No, not at all.” Gibbs chuckled. He wiped her tears away, and took her bags. “Shall we go?” He asked her. Kate smiled at him, and nodded.

“Sounds perfect.”

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Story!

2008-10-15T00:03:40Z

Title: The Morning After

Author: reprint

Rating: T

Pairings involved: Tony/Kate, McGee/Abby, Gibbs/Jenny

Warnings: none really

Short description: Ending up in Anthony DiNozzo's bed was not at the top of Caitlin Todd's 'to do' list...

Chapter 28: Meet your Son

Kate and Abby lay side by side on Kate and Tony’s bed, deep in thought. The two had been placed on maternity leave, and they were bored out of their minds.

“Two more months for you.” Kate said, turning to face Abby. “Are you excited?”

Abby snorted. “I’ll be excited when I can see my feet again.” The two girls giggled. Abby turned onto her side and looked at Kate. “What about you? You’re due in two and a half months, and your wedding is in three and a half months. You’re the one who should be excited.”

Kate smiled. “I guess I’m like you… I’ll only be happy when I see my feet again.” This brought on another round of giggles.

“You should be stoked, Kate!” Abby exclaimed. “You’re getting married! Your child won’t be born with parents who aren’t married.”

Kate’s face fell. She knew that over the past month or so, Abby had started to worry about her child growing up when she and McGee weren’t married. It hurt Kate to see Abby so upset about it, but there wasn’t anything she could do.

“Have you thought of a name yet?” Kate asked, desperate to change the subject.

Abby nodded. “Shane if it’s a boy. Hayley if it’s a girl.”

Kate smiled. “Nice names. Shane Scuito McGee. It fits.”

Abby grinned. “Tim likes the names. We picked them together.”

“We don’t know what we’re going to call the baby yet.” Kate said, burying her head in the pillow. “My mother is trying to get Tony to hurry up and help me decide. I think it annoys him.”

Abby nodded. “Everyone’s been stressed lately. Especially you and Tony. Getting ready for a baby and a wedding!”

Kate nodded. “I guess so. The wedding’s already planned, we’re just waiting for the day.”

-

Six weeks later, Abby went into labour. All the way to the hospital, she panicked about the baby being premature, but Kate and McGee were able to reassure her that everything was going to be alright. And everything was alright.

After 8 hours of labour, a girl and a boy were born to McGee and Abby. As the two had decided, the girl was named Hayley Katherine Scuito McGee, and she was born with dark brown hair and blue eyes. The boy, who was born about 25 minutes later, was named Shane Anthony Scuito McGee. Tony was over the moon that Shane had been named after him.

The morning after, everyone was gathered in Abby’s room, making a fuss over her and the new babies.

“Abby, this is so amazing.” Kate said, smiling. She was exhausted at having been at the hospital all night, but it was definitely worth it.

Abby smiled up at her best friend. “Thanks, Kate. But you should go home and get some rest. You’ve been here all night.”

“Abby’s right, Kate.” Ducky said, also smiling. “You look like you’re ready to burst. Or collapse with fatigue.”

Everyone laughed at that, and Kate decided that it was best. Tony took her home, and the two slept the rest of the day away.

In fact, Kate slept until the next morning. When she woke up, Tony made her some breakfast (scrambled eggs on toast with a glass of orange juice), and she made some plans to visit her mother. Sarah was settling very well into her new apartment, which was a 15 minute drive from Kate and Tony’s house.

“Are you visiting Sarah today?” Tony asked, pushing a plate of scrambled eggs over to Kate. Four weeks had passed since Hayley and Shane were born, and Kate and Tony had gone around to visit yesterday. Abby was still tired after the birth, but she was happy. She told Kate she was so happy to be able to see her feet again that she had cried.

“No,” Kate said, sipping her orange juice. “Mom’s coming over. Since I’m due any day now… I figured that I shouldn’t go anywhere.”

About two months earlier, Kate had brought up the idea of a water birth. At the start, Tony was dead against it. He didn’t want his first child to be born underwater, and as a result of it, they had not talked for several days. Tony had actually gone back to his flat and stayed there for two nights, since neither of them could make any conversation without getting into a fight.

But, eventually he came around, and decided that Kate could do what she wanted as far as the birth was concerned. And what she wanted was a water birth.

In the middle of the lounge was a thing that looked a lot like a spa pool. It operated like a spa pool too, in a way. The water was not completely cold, and Kate would be giving birth in it. It scared the hell out of Tony. He wondered why she couldn’t just go to a hospital, like normal people, but she was determined. She told him that her mother gave birth to her the same way, which had caused another fight (“Why don’t you tell me these things?!”). But Tony had eventually become used to the idea.

Tony kissed Kate on the forehead, and grabbed his things. “I’m off to work. Call me - or get Sarah to call me - if you go into labour, alright?”

She nodded, and smiled. “I love you.” She said.

He smiled back. “I love you too, Katie.”

-

“Mom, I don’t really see why it’s necessary for me to be lying with my feet up on the couch.” Kate grumbled as Sarah fussed around.

“Kate, you have to be comfortable.” Sarah said, telling her daughter off. “You could give birth at any moment.”

“But I probably won’t.” She replied, leaning back and closing her eyes.

Sarah bustled around the house, cleaning and organising lunch, while Kate lay on the couch. She liked the fact that she didn’t have to do a lot. It was comforting.

She must have dozed off, because she found herself waking up to an immense pain. “Mom!” She yelled instinctively, curling up as the pain came again. “Mom!”

Sarah appeared quicker than Kate thought, her eyes wide. “Kate? Is everything alright?”

Kate moaned. “I think I might be in labour. Help me into the living room, please.”

Sarah’s eyes widened, and she helped Kate off the couch. “You’re definitely in labour,” She commented as she helped her out of the room. “Your water has broken.”

Sarah helped Kate out of her clothes, and into the pool. “I’m calling Tony.” She said to Kate. “Get yourself comfortable.”

-

Tony was sitting at his desk, thinking about Kate. He watched McGee showing off pictures of his twins to Jenny, and it made him smile.

Soon, he would be able to do that too.

He buried his head in his hands, and thought about the mountain of paperwork that wasn’t getting done. Suddenly, the phone rang. He picked it up eagerly, hoping that it was going to be interesting.

“Special Agent DiNozzo.” He said, trying to sound interested.

“Tony, it’s Sarah.”

“Oh, hey Sarah.” Tony said. “How are you and Kate doing?”

“I’m good.” Sarah replied. “Kate’s in labour.”

“What?” Tony exclaimed. “Now?”

“Yes, now. Come as soon as you can.” Sarah said, before hanging up.

Tony put the phone down slowly, and looked at it for a couple of minutes. Kate was in labour. He was going to be a father. They were going to be parents.

“Tony?” He looked up from his daydream; McGee was looking at him oddly.

He leapt to his feet. “Kate’s in labour!” He announced loudly, grinning. “I’m going to go and see her!”

“Don’t you have to ask Gibbs first?” McGee asked.

“I’m sure Jethro will understand.” Jenny said. “You go ahead, Tony.”

“Thanks. See you guys later!” He said, grabbing his coat. He pulled it on and rushed out quickly, leaving two smiling people after him.

“Lucky guy.” Jenny said.

“Yeah.” McGee agreed.

Gibbs came down from MTAC, and approached his team. “Time for that sexual harassment seminar.” The two looked at him, and he looked at Tony’s empty desk. “Where is DiNozzo?”

“He had to head home, boss.” McGee said.

Gibbs looked furious. “Was it an excuse to get out of the seminar?”

Jenny shook her head. “No, Kate has gone into labour. Her mother just rang to tell Tony.”

-

Tony pulled up into the driveway and rushed up to the front door. Kate and Sarah were inside, it was true, but the door still remained locked at all times. He unlocked the door and went in.

“Kate? Sarah?” He called out, closing the door behind him and locking it.

“In the living room!” Sarah answered.

Tony went into the living room, where one of the most beautiful sights greeted him. Kate was sitting on the couch, her wet body wrapped in a blanket. It was open at the top, and she was holding a baby - their baby - in her arms. She looked up at him, and smiled. “Come over here, and meet your son.”

Tony approached the sofa she was sitting on slowly, and knelt down beside her. When he looked at his son, all the horrible things that he had ever encountered in his life seemed irrelevant.

Nothing mattered now, except his family.

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Story!

2008-10-10T09:07:02Z

Story!

2008-10-06T00:56:26Z

Story!

2008-10-02T06:56:38Z

Drabble

2008-09-28T04:07:50Z

Drabble!

meherm
Fandom: NCIS
Pairing/s: Gibbs/Kate
A quote that HAS to be used: Happy together.
Sequel to Happiness.

Happy together ..

Kate slapped him. “How dare you?” She said. “Now, do you see what I meant when I said I loved someone else?” Ignoring the other customers in the café, she slapped him again for good measure, and ran out of the café, hoping to catch Gibbs before he was gone.

She caught up with him at the crossing. “Jethro,” She said softly, putting a hand on his arm. “I can explain…”

The light turned green, and Gibbs started across the road. Kate hurried along after him, cursing herself for wearing heels. The streets of DC were busy, and Kate had lost him in the crowd before she knew it. She walked briskly down the street in the direction she was sure he had gone in, and howled in frustration when she came to the realisation that she had lost him - in both ways.

“I can not believe this.” Kate said to herself, stopping to remove her shoes. She was sure to have blisters by the weekend. “How could I have been so stupid?” She threw her shoes into the nearby bin, and looked across the road. “And how could he have been so stupid? Following me like that!”

“Stupid, huh?”

Kate flinched. She knew that Gibbs was standing behind her. She wasn’t exactly sure how he got there. Sighing, she turned to confront him. He was standing there, with a bunch of her favourite flowers in his hands.

“I, um, didn’t mean stupid…” She said lamely. “And, uh, about Keith-”

He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have followed you.” He admitted, closing the distance between them. “I should have believed you would take care of him without my input.”

Kate looked at him, suddenly irritated. “That’s true.”

“But you shouldn’t have kissed him.”

Kate looked mortified. “I didn’t kiss him! I didn’t even want to see him!”

Gibbs titled his head to the side. “Then why did you go?”

Kate looked at her feet. “Well… I wanted him out of my life. I told him I was in love with you and my future plans included you, not him.”

“You said what?”

She looked up at him. “I said… I love you.”

He gave her one of the smiles that he reserved only for her. "I love you too... Kate." He said. He frowned when he looked down at her red feet. "Where are your shoes?" He asked her.

She laughed. "I had to throw them out. They gave me blisters."

Gibbs smirked at her and offered her his arm. She took it, and they walked down the street together. "I hope they weren't ones I bought you."

Kate paused. They had been.

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Story!

2008-09-27T08:27:35Z

Video!

2008-09-27T08:17:57Z

I said a while ago that I was going to post a video I found on YouTube once every so often... well, here is another video. For those that don't know, Flight of the Conchords are a New Zealand two man band who went to America... and sadly, that's all I know lol.

27/09/08: Flight of the Conchords - "Albi, the Racist Dragon"

Story!

2008-09-26T11:38:14Z

Title: The Morning After

Author: reprint

Rating: T

Pairings involved: Tony/Kate, McGee/Abby, Gibbs/Jenny

Warnings: none really

Short description: Ending up in Anthony DiNozzo's bed was not at the top of Caitlin Todd's 'to do' list...

Chapter 23: Family

Abby screamed.

“Kate, that’s so amazing! I’m so happy for you two!” She squealed. “Wow, I can’t believe it! You’re getting married! That’s so great! Oh, Kate, promise me I can be maid of honour, promise me!?”

Kate laughed. “Abby, calm down.” She said reasonably. Abby calmed down a little. “And besides, there was going to be no question about it… I was planning on asking you to be my maid of honour anyway.”

Abby screamed again and pulled Kate into a bear hug. “Thank you Kate! This is so great! Well, come on, show me the ring!”

Kate showed Abby the ring, and she had to put her fist into her mouth to keep her from screaming. “Oh, Kate.” She said. “It’s beautiful.”

“Isn’t it?” Kate said. She couldn’t get over how nice the ring was. It was like Tony had read her mind on the type of engagement ring she’d like to be given one day. So far, Abby was the only person Kate had told. She wasn’t sure if Tony had told anyone yet, although she had a sneaking suspicion that he was going to ask McGee to be best man.

And since Kate’s father was unable to walk her down the aisle, she knew the exact man who she wanted to ask to take his place.

The man himself walked into Abby’s lab just then. “Did I hear screaming?” Gibbs asked, looking curiously from Kate to Abby.

“You did indeed, Gibbs!” Abby said cheerfully. “Kate has some great news!”

Gibbs looked at Kate with a raised eyebrow.

“Tony proposed.” Kate said, holding out her hand so Gibbs could see the ring. “Gibbs, I’m getting married!”

He smiled at her. “Congratulations, Kate. You’re going to be very happy.”

Kate nodded in agreement. “Gibbs… can I ask you a big favour?”

“Sure. What is it?”

Kate bit her lip. “Would you… I mean, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like it… if you could… would…” She looked at him hopefully. “Gibbs, I would really appreciate it if you would walk me down the aisle.”

He smiled at her. “Of course I will, Kate.”

Kate beamed. Things were getting better and better.

-

Tony was sitting at his desk, looking up every so often at McGee. It was that same nasty habit that he had had forever… when he wanted something, he would look over at the person until they got annoyed, and snapped at him.

McGee was onto him this time. “What is it, Tony?”

Tony smirked. “I asked Kate to marry me.”

McGee’s eyes widened. “Wow, congratulations Tony. You must be really happy about that.”

“I am.” Tony said, grinning. “Listen, Tim… how would you like to be best man?”

McGee was definitely taken aback by Tony’s request. “I would have figured you’d ask Gibbs before me.” He said.

Tony shook his head. “Kate is asking him to walk her down the aisle… you know, since her father can’t and all.”

McGee nodded. “Alright, Tony. Thanks. I’ll be your best man.”

Tony grinned. “Great! Now, I’ll ask Kate if she wants to arrange a dinner… we’ll invite our parents and give them the good news.”

“I don’t see why not.” McGee said.

Tony pulled a face. “Last time my parents were down… well, it wasn’t very pleasant.”

The elevator opened, and Kate walked out, followed by Abby and Gibbs. Abby was grinning like a lunatic.

“Tim, did you hear Kate and Tony’s news?” She asked, going over to his desk and kissing him on the cheek.

McGee nodded. “Tony asked me to be best man.”

Abby grinned. “Kate’s asked me to be maid of honour, and Gibbs is walking her down the aisle.”

“So I’ve heard.” McGee said. “Why don’t we go to lunch and celebrate?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Tony grinned. “I can’t concentrate on my work, anyway.”

“Neither can I.” Abby said excitedly. “And I’m not even the one getting married!”

“What’s all this?”

The five of them looked up; Jenny was standing at the stairs, looking amused.

“Kate and Tony are engaged!” Abby exclaimed. “We’re going out to lunch to celebrate! Would you like to join us, Director?”

Jenny smiled. “Actually, it’s not Director anymore.”

Four confused faces looked up at her. Gibbs, however, knew this was coming. It had been in the works for a while.

“You’re returning to the field, Jen?” He asked her. It was a question he didn’t need to ask, since he already knew the answer. The two of them had discussed it quite a lot outside of work. Among other things.

“I am. Starting next Monday, your new Director will be Kate Todd. I will be taking her place on the field as a Special Agent.”

Kate could feel her eyes widening. It hadn’t been that long ago that she was promoted to Deputy Director, and now, so soon after, she was being made Director of NCIS? Just like that?

Her old team clapped politely, although she could tell that they were just as shocked as she was. Tony hugged her, but it felt awkward. Almost forced.

“Should we go out and celebrate?” Jenny asked. “I’ll get Ducky…”

They nodded, or made some remark, but they weren’t sure what to say. They all headed for the elevator. Only Jenny got off at Autopsy, the rest of the team said that they would wait outside by the cars.

Inside the elevator, not only was it cramped, but also it was quiet. No one said anything, no one looked at anyone else. It was very quiet.

-

Later that night, Tony and Kate lay in bed, thinking. Kate was looking at the ring on her finger. She was happy beyond anything about the engagement, but she wasn’t sure about the promotion.

“Tony…” She said quietly.

“Yes, Katie?” He snuggled up closer to her. He was the person who had taken the news of her promotion the best, and she was grateful for that.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to be Director.” She confessed. “I mean… did you see the look on everyone’s faces? It was bad enough when I was made Deputy Director. What if they hate me for it? What if I don’t make a good Director?”

“Kate, don’t worry about it. You being Director is a good thing. It’s such a big step for you.”

“I don’t know if it’s a step I want to take though.” She said, rolling over so she could look at him. “What if I ruin everything?”

Tony snorted. “You won’t ruin anything. You just need to trust yourself more.”

She smiled, and kissed him. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

He nodded. “Try to get some sleep.”

“Alright. Goodnight, Tony.”

-

Kate was starting late the following morning, so she decided to ring her mother and Tony’s mother and make the arrangements for the dinner Tony wanted to plan. She had woken up just as he was leaving. He promised to meet her for lunch, which made her feel better.

When she got around to calling her mother, she answered pretty quickly. “Hello?”

“Hi Mom, it’s Kate.”

“Hello, Kate darling. How are you?”

“I’m good.” Kate said, smiling. “Listen, what are you doing this weekend?”

“Not much.” She replied. “Why?”

“Well, Tony and I wanted to invite you down to stay this weekend. We’ve got some good news to share.”

“What news?” Sarah Todd asked eagerly.

“That would be spoiling the surprise, Mother!” Kate laughed. “Are you able to come or not?”

“Yes, yes I am.” She replied. “I’ll be down on Friday night, alright? You probably won’t be back from work yet so I will make dinner.”

“Thanks Mom. See you Friday.”

“See you, Kate.”

Kate hung up the phone, and grinned. ‘So far so good.’ She then dialled Tony’s parents’ number. Alexandra answered. “Hellooo?”

“Hi, could I please speak to Samantha please?”

“Sure. Can I say who is calling?”

“Kate.” She replied.

“Kate? As in, Tony’s Kate?”

“Er, yes.”

Kate held the phone away from her ear as Alexandra squealed. She could hear every word that Alexandra was saying anyway.

“Mom!” She listened as Alexandra called for her mother. “Tony’s girlfriend is on the phone! Hurry up!”

-

Friday afternoon was rapidly approaching. Kate felt like she was sitting on pins and needles by Friday morning. Tony tried to comfort her, but it was no good. She fidgeted and squirmed all day, and wasn’t able to concentrate.

Tony thought the whole thing was amusing, but he didn’t dare let Kate know that.

Finally, Gibbs announced to the team that they could leave for the weekend. Tony grabbed his gear and went up to get Kate. She was sitting at her desk, reading from a large book. It appeared that she hadn’t noticed him yet.

“Ready to go, Katie?”

She looked up at him, and smiled. “Yeah. But unfortunately I’ll be bringing work home with me this weekend.” He pulled a face as she pointed to the thick book. “I didn’t know being Director had this many rules. But, I suppose I have to be up to standard, right?”

Tony smirked. “You’ll do fine, Kate.”

She shrugged, and stood up. She grabbed her bag and the book, and clicked her desk lamp off. “Shall we call it a night, then?” She suggested. “Our parents are probably there already.”

Tony looked at his watch. They would definitely be there by now. “At least Sarah said she’d cook.”

Kate grinned, and they left the office. “That’s because it was your night to cook.” She laughed. She locked her door, and they went down the stairs. The bullpen was completely empty by the time they got down there, and all the lights were off.

“Seems like everyone has plans this weekend.” Tony commented as he looked at Gibbs’ empty desk. “Gibbs never leaves at the same time as us.”

Kate nodded. They waited for the elevator, and were surprised when the door opened to find Abby and McGee in the elevator.

“Wow. Look at you two.” Tony said, his eyebrow raised in surprise.

Abby flashed Tony a grin. She was dressed in a dark red dress that went down to her thighs, as well as a pair of flashy black strappy shoes. She had her usual collar on, and her hair was pulled up. Completely different to her usual. McGee was wearing a dark suit.

“What’s the occasion?” Kate asked.

“No occasion.” McGee said, shrugging a shoulder.

“McGee, you shouldn’t lie!” Abby slapped his arm. She looked at Kate, a tired look on her face. “It’s Tim’s birthday today!”

“Happy birthday!” Kate said.

“Why didn’t you tell us, Probie?” Tony teased.

McGee smirked. “Gee, I wonder why?”

Kate grinned. “You’re on your way out, then?” They stepped into the elevator, and McGee and Abby stepped out.

“Yeah.” Abby said. “Tim just forgot his wallet. I told him I’d pay, since it was his birthday, but he’s being stubborn as usual.” She grinned.

“Well, we’ll see you two on Monday, then.” Tony said. “Our parents have all come down for the weekend. Let’s just hope it goes better than last time.”

Abby laughed. “Alright. See you Monday.”

The elevator door shut, and they rode down in silence. Kate looked at the ring on her finger and smiled. She looked at Tony, who was watching her with a grin on his face.

“When should we start planning the wedding?” He asked.

She smirked. “I don’t know. It depends on when you want it to be.”

Kate thought about it. “I’d really like an outdoor wedding… how about some time next summer?”

“I like the sound of that.” He leaned over and kissed her. “A beach wedding, a garden wedding, or a backyard wedding?”

“We’ll have to think about it.” Kate said. “After all, we do have quite a lot of time.”

Tony nodded. “Sounds good.”

-

Kate was bombarded by Alexandra, her mother, and Samantha almost as soon as she opened the door. She almost had to fight them off her, and the shock of it would have almost been enough to give anyone a heart attack.

“What is it?” She asked in surprise. “Did the dinner burn?”

“No, silly!” Alexandra laughed.

“We were trying to figure out why you called us down here.” Sarah said.

“Yes, and we came up with a few ideas.” Samantha said.

“Oh, and what were they?” Tony said, coming in the door behind Kate.

“Well, either Kate’s pregnant again, or you got a big promotion, or you’re engaged.” Alexandra blurted.

Robert came out of the sitting room. He looked exhausted. “I’ve put up with this for over an hour.” He chuckled.

“So come on, which is it!?” Sarah and Samantha exclaimed.

Kate and Tony looked at each other, and Tony nodded. Kate turned to their mothers and Alexandra and showed them her ring. Tony covered his ears as Sarah and Samantha started squealing. Alexandra hugged Kate. “Yay, I’m going to have a sister!”

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Drabble

2008-09-24T07:57:35Z

Drabble!

meherm
Fandom: NCIS
Pairing/s: Gibbs/Kate
A quote that HAS to be used: Happy together.

Happy together ..

A little after 1100, an email appeared in Kate Todd’s inbox. The sudden beep of her computer surprised her, because up until then, the squad room had been quiet. It couldn’t be about the case they were working on - there wasn’t a case. And if there was a case, they would have known about it by now.

Although she was supposed to be working, curiosity got the better of her, and she opened it up. When her eyes flicked over the email address, she immediately wished she hadn’t opened it.

Kate,

I know you said you didn’t want to hear from me again, and I understand and respect that, but I really need to talk to you. Leaving you was the biggest mistake I have ever made, and I want you back. Weren’t we happy together, Kate?

Please agree to meet me for coffee this afternoon. I will call you at 12 o’clock.

Love, as always,

Keith

While Kate was reading the email, she must have pulled a face, because when she looked up from her screen, she was very aware of a pair of eyes on her.

“Problems, Agent Todd?” Her boss - and boyfriend - asked her.

“Er…” She started, looking at her screen again. “No, Gibbs.” She moved the mouse so the cursor was over the ‘delete’ button, and was about to click it, and erase the message and the man from her life, but her boss’ voice interrupted the silence.

“Forward it to me.”

“Gibbs,” She protested. “It’s a personal email!”

“Then why open it at work?” He asked her, his eyebrow raised.

She could tell he was teasing her, but she sent the email to him nevertheless. Within moments, Gibbs’ computer beeped, and he opened the email. Kate watched nervously from her desk as he put his glasses on and read the email. She watched as the expression on his face changed from normal to outraged.

“Who…” He asked, as calmly as possible, “… Is Keith?”

Kate thanked God that the squad room was currently empty, save her and Gibbs. “Keith… is my ex… fiancé.” She said the last word quietly. But she knew he had heard her.

His eyes widened. “Huh.” He said. Gibbs looked at the email again, and then back at Kate. “And, how long-”

“Six months before you and I started dating.” Kate said. “He left me, if you’re also wondering about that.” She stood up quickly, and grabbed her bag.

“Where are you going?” He asked her.

“To tell Keith to stay out of my life, for good.” She said, not stopping as she walked to the lift. As she went into the lift, Tony and McGee came in, with lunch for the four.

“Boss, where’s Kate going?” Tony asked Gibbs.

Gibbs got up, and followed Kate. Just as he approached the lift, the doors shut on him.

-

“- I’m sorry, Keith. Please understand.” Kate said, trying to sound reasonable. “I’m seeing someone else now. And I’m in love with him.”

Keith shrugged a shoulder. “Why can’t you come back to me?” He said. “I have more than enough money to take care of you. We can live wherever you want to live, and we can finally get married… just like we planned.”

Kate sighed, and stood up. She looked down at Keith, whose arms were folded on the table. “Haven’t you been listening to me?” She asked him irritably. “I already told you, I am with someone else now. He cares for me and I care for him. I don’t care about money, and I don’t care about weddings. And I find it hard to believe this is for real. You left me, remember?”

Keith stood up, and nodded his head. “I understand…” He said, trying not to smile.

She noticed, and looked at him quizzically. “Keith, what are you-” Her sentence went unfinished when he grabbed her by her shoulders, pulled her to him and kissed her. She pushed him away almost immediately. “Keith, what the hell are you doing?” She exclaimed.

“Testing a theory.” He explained, putting his hands in his pocket. “A man has been standing outside this café since you arrived… he has been watching you. He walked away after I kissed you.” He said smugly.

Kate slapped him. “How dare you?” She said. “Now, do you see what I meant when I said I loved someone else?” Ignoring the other customers in the café, she slapped him again for good measure, and ran out of the café, hoping to catch Gibbs before he was gone.

She caught up with him at the crossing. “Jethro,” She said softly, putting a hand on his arm. “I can explain…”

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Story!

2008-09-22T07:59:09Z

Title: The Morning After

Author: reprint

Rating: T

Pairings involved: Tony/Kate, McGee/Abby, Gibbs/Jenny

Warnings: none really

Short description: Ending up in Anthony DiNozzo's bed was not at the top of Caitlin Todd's 'to do' list...

Chapter 22: Gibbs' Apology and a Surprise

When Tony woke up in the morning, he was surprised to find that Kate was not there beside him. He just assumed that she had already gotten up.

However, when he finally got up and went downstairs, he was shocked to find her lying asleep on the couch, a bunch of tissues on the floor near the couch. He sighed. Looks like she had had another sleepless night.

He gently lifted her up, and carried her up the stairs and into her room. She woke up just as he finished tucking her into bed. “What’s the matter?” She asked.

“I should be asking you that.” Tony replied, smiling a little. “Aren’t you sleeping well?”

“I’m sleeping fine,” She said, confused.

“Really?” He asked. “Then how come I found you on the couch this morning?”

Kate shrugged a shoulder, and laid her head back on the pillow. “I had a lot on my mind. Plus I couldn’t sleep.”

Tony nodded. “Well, I’ll call into work for you.”

“What! No, I need to work.” Kate said, although he could tell that there was very little resistance. “It’d be a bad look if I didn’t come in today…”

“Even worse if you showed up looking like you do.” Tony teased. Kate pouted at him for a bit, but smiled tiredly when he kissed her. “I’ll see you after work.” He grabbed a fresh set of clothes and headed for the shower. When he came out ten minutes later, he looked at her strangely. “Do you have any plans for dinner yet?”

“No.” Kate shrugged. “Do you have something in mind?”

Tony smiled at her. “Yeah. I do.” He gave her another kiss, a longer one, before he really left for work.

-

Tony was sitting at his desk when Gibbs came in, followed closely by Jenny. He almost missed the opportunity to tell Jenny that Kate wasn’t coming in, and in the end he had to practically yell at her to get her attention.

“What is it, Agent DiNozzo?” She asked, coming back down.

“Er…” He tried to think of a passable excuse. He decided to just go with the truth. “Listen, Director, Kate had a really bad night last night… I don’t know the particulars, she wouldn’t tell me… but I found her this morning asleep on the couch with a bunch of tissues.”

Jenny nodded. “That’s alright. She wouldn’t have been able to do much today anyway; her new office equipment isn’t here yet.”

Jenny walked away, and Tony looked at Gibbs, who had been looking at him. When their eyes met, Gibbs looked away quickly. In fact, he got up and grabbed his coat.

“Going somewhere, boss?” Tony asked cheerfully.

“… coffee.”

Tony said no more. As Gibbs headed to the elevator, Tony thought something about it was odd…

… like the fact that there was a fresh cup of coffee on his desk already?

-

Kate decided that she didn’t want to spend the entire morning in bed, so she got up. She didn’t dress, though. She stayed in the tank top and panties she had worn to bed last night. She took the steps two at a time, and walked into the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee.

As she started to boil the jug, there was a knock on the door. Forgetting how little she was wearing, Kate headed for the door and opened it.

Gibbs was standing there, with two coffees. He almost, almost gaped at her. Her mouth, however, fell open.

“Gibbs!” She squealed, pushing the door slightly closed and hiding behind it. “What the heck are you doing here?”

She heard him chuckle, and looked quizzically at him through the glass in the door. “I brought coffee.” He said simply, and she fumed.

“Is that all?” She asked him coldly. He didn’t flinch. “I was just about to make my own coffee.”

“We need to talk.”

“Frankly, I don’t want to talk to you, Gibbs.” She said, surprised at her own firmness. “You really hurt me.”

He sighed. “… I came to apologise, Kate.”

She looked at him curiously through the glass. The distorted image of his face seemed sincere, and she wanted to believe him… but she was still confused.

“What for?” She asked. “I’ve obviously done something that’s either offended or upset you, so I’m the one in the wrong.”

Gibbs didn’t reply to that. Instead, he said, “Let me in Kate, it’s cold.”

Kate sighed. “Alright. But let me get my robe first.”

He looked the other way while Kate dashed up the stairs, put on her silk robe, tied it up loosely, and came back downstairs. The front door was closed, and she could hear Gibbs moving about in the sitting room. She walked in and sat down on the sofa.

“What’s this about, Gibbs?”

He looked at her. She had always known him as being direct and strict, but today he was Jethro “sombre” Gibbs.

“I’m sorry about yesterday.” He said. “I was seriously out of line. But know that it wasn’t jealousy that made me act like I did.”

She stood up, and looked at him. She had never seen Gibbs like this, and it hurt her. She flung her arms around him and cried into his shoulder. “Oh, Gibbs…” She sobbed, as he wrapped his arms around her. “I’m so sorry.”

They stayed like that for a while, until Gibbs’ cell phone went off. They probably would have stayed like that for longer; Kate crying into Gibbs’ shoulder, with his arms wrapped around her, if they hadn’t been interrupted. Kate sat on the sofa while Gibbs fished his phone out of his coat pocket. “Yeah, Gibbs.”

“Boss, Tony.” Tony’s voice came through. “Bad time?”

Gibbs looked at Kate, who was smiling at him. “No.” He said, relieved beyond anything that he and Kate were talking again. “What’s up?”

“Well, Director Shepherd is looking for you.” Tony said. “She’s pretty mad that you up and left without telling anyone. Where did you go, anyway?” He tried. “The coffee shops around here are all empty; McGee went and checked them all.”

“That, DiNozzo, is on a need-to-know basis.” Gibbs said. Kate grinned at him. “And you don’t. Neither does Director Shepherd, for that matter.”

“Okay, I’ll tell her that.” Tony said. He paused for a moment. “… say hello to Kate, alright boss?”

Gibbs switched his phone off, and looked at Kate. “Tony says hello.” He said, amused.

-

The following week, Kate’s new office equipment arrived. When she walked in on Tuesday in her new skirt and blouse (being in the office instead of on the field meant that Kate needed to have a more formal attire), she walked into her office to find that it was furnished similarly to Jenny’s. There was a desk, a comfortable-looking chair, a couch, a coffee table, and a table in the middle of the room with four chairs around it. Also, against the back wall was a small filing cabinet and bookcase.

Kate settled on the couch with a file, and read over it. She wasn’t expecting company, so when there was a knock on the door, she was surprised.

“Come in.”

Tony walked in, grinning broadly at Kate. He stopped when he looked around her office. “Wow, Kate, they really splurged on this place…”

She smirked. “I know. I really didn’t need all this stuff…”

“Aww, Katie, you’re too modest…” Tony teased. He sat down next to her and took her hand. She looked at him. He seemed… nervous.

“Tony, what’s wrong?” Kate asked.

He let go of her hand, and stood up quickly. “Kate, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you… for a while now.”

She stood up too. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

Tony shook his head. Instead, he reached into the pocket of his suit and pulled out a small black velvet box. Kate’s mouth fell open as Tony dropped to one knee, and looked up at her hopefully. He opened the box and she saw inside it the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. The band itself was a platinum-silver colour, and the stone was a baby pink. She felt her eyes welling up with tears, and when she looked at Tony she saw there were tears in his eyes too.

“Caitlin Todd…” He said, smiling up at her through his tears. “You are the most amazing woman I have ever known. I love you with every fibre of my being, and there is no-one in this world who I would rather spend the rest of my life with…” She giggled, and he took her hand with his spare one. “Will you marry me, Kate?”

Kate let out an excited squeal, and threw her arms around Tony. “Of course I’ll marry you, Tony!” She cried. “There’s nothing I would like more!”

He kissed her. When she looked into his teary eyes, they were bright. He was smiling. “I love you so much, Kate.”

“I love you too, Tony.” She said, unable to keep the smile off her face. He took the ring from the box, and placed it on her finger. She studied it for a moment, smiling still. “It fits perfectly… and it’s gorgeous. How did you know my ring size?”

Tony blushed. “I… uh, asked Abby.”

“Tony!”

He laughed. “Just kidding. I borrowed your promise ring.”

Kate grinned. “No wonder I couldn’t find it.”

“I put it back when I was done with it!” He defended himself.

“I know. I believe you.” She snuggled up to him. “I can’t believe this is happening…”

He kissed her again, and then he helped her up off the floor. “You better believe it, baby.”

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Story!

2008-09-20T23:30:50Z

Title: The Morning After

Author: reprint

Rating: T

Pairings involved: Tony/Kate, McGee/Abby, Gibbs/Jenny

Warnings: none really

Short description: Ending up in Anthony DiNozzo's bed was not at the top of Caitlin Todd's 'to do' list...

Chapter 21: Resentment

Tony looked at Kate, his mouth open. For some reason, the fact that Kate had been offered that position and not the P.A position she used to have while she was pregnant… he didn’t know what to think about it. Instead, he just grinned and hugged her.

“Well done, Katie!” He exclaimed. “That’s a huge step in your career!”

“What is, DiNozzo?”

Gibbs walked up to the two, an eyebrow raised. Tony faced him and grinned.

“Well, boss, Kate got promoted to Deputy Director of NCIS!” He said, patting her on the back.

Gibbs looked at Kate, unable to hide his surprise and shock. She just stood in front of him, smiling. She couldn’t see what he was thinking; otherwise she might have been seriously upset.

Because, at that moment, Leroy Jethro Gibbs was wondering: What the hell was Jenny Shepherd thinking?

-

“This is your new office.” Jenny said to Kate, pushing open the door. It was almost exactly the same as her office, only there was no furniture in it yet. She handed Kate a folder and smiled. “I thought you might like to decorate it yourself.”

“Wow, thank you.” Kate said, stunned. She heard Jenny walk into her own office, and stood at the door in amazement for a while. The door that led out to the bullpen and MTAC burst open and Gibbs stormed in.

“Hi Gibbs.” Kate smiled. “Looking for the Director?”

He continued walking straight past her, opened the Director’s door and stomped through, slamming it behind him. She raised an eyebrow, and within moments heard raised voices. She couldn’t hear the conversation itself, but she could hear the voices. She shrugged it off and headed downstairs.

“Hey, Kate.” McGee called out as she walked over. “Or is it Deputy Director Todd now?”

“I reckon.” Tony grinned. He gave Kate a hello kiss. “How does it feel to be Gibbs’ boss, Katie?”

Kate ran a hand through her hair. “It’s still Kate. Unless you really want to call me Deputy Director.” She added with a dazed look on her face. “And I can’t really say that I know…” She smiled. “It hasn’t sunk in yet.”

“Well, Gibbs headed up there before.” McGee said, shrugging. “Did he go to talk to Director Shepherd?”

“Nah, probably went to make out with her.” Tony laughed. He stopped when he saw the glare on Kate’s face. “What?” He protested. “McGee and I saw them at the hospital!”

“You did?” Kate asked, incredulous. “Well… Gibbs did go up there earlier… but I heard shouting.”

“Can’t think why.” McGee said, his eyebrow raised.

Kate looked at him. “Do you think it has anything to do with my promotion?” Tony and McGee both looked away. She gaped at McGee. “It does, doesn’t it?

They didn’t answer. Kate huffed and walked back towards her office. Just as she got upstairs, Gibbs came out of Jenny’s office.

“Gibbs!” Kate stopped him. He looked at her. “Are you unhappy about what’s happened?” She asked him quietly.

He looked her directly in the eye. He closed Jenny’s office door without turning around, before saying to her, “I don’t have a problem with your promotion… Deputy Director Todd.”

The conversation was over, and Kate knew it. She stepped out of his way, and he walked off, closing the door behind him. Kate stood there for a good five minutes, unable to register what had just happened.

‘I don’t have a problem with your promotion… Deputy Director Todd.’

Why didn’t he just call her Kate, like Tony, McGee and Jenny? Tears welled up in her eyes. She and Gibbs had always had a very tight friendship. Is this what it had come down to?

-

When Kate came back downstairs later to meet Tony for lunch, he could tell she had been crying. Her makeup was fine, but her face was pale and she was sniffly. McGee was nearby so he didn’t push it, but as soon as the elevator doors shut, he was on to her.

“What’s wrong, Katie?” Tony asked, running a hand through her hair. “You’ve been crying.”

Kate looked up at Tony. “Do you…” She trailed off, looking away. “Tony… this promotion that Jenny’s given me… you aren’t bothered by it… are you?”

He looked at her in shock. “Of course not!” He exclaimed. “Sure, I was a little surprised at first… but I don’t think there’s anyone who could do a better job than you.”

Tears filled her eyes again. “… Gibbs… he… he called me… Deputy Director Todd. I don’t understand it, Tony!” She cried. “He’s never called me anything but Kate, and now I think he resents me!”

He put his arms around her, and held her tightly. “You don’t have to worry about Gibbs.” He said. “I guess he’s not used to being bossed around. Especially by you.”

She giggled into his chest. “You really think so?”

Tony smirked. “I know so.”

They left the building, and headed towards Tony’s car. Kate was walking slightly ahead of Tony, as Tony’s thoughts were lingering on the gorgeous engagement ring he had seen. He had been browsing on his computer earlier that morning, and had used his earlier break down at the store. His favourite so far had been one with a silver band, and the stone was a very light pink.

He hadn’t looked at the price; he didn’t care how much it cost, as long as Kate would like it. And as long as she said yes when he asked her to marry him.

Oh, how he hoped she would say yes.

Tony had imagined the scenario in which he would propose to her… a beautiful candlelight dinner at her favourite restaurant, then a walk down the beach… where he would dramatically stop her, get down on one knee, confess to her that she was the love of his life… then ask her if she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

He quite liked that.

“Tony? Are you listening?”

Tony stopped. He had no idea that Kate had been speaking to him. “Whaat?” He said lamely. “Were you saying something?”

Kate frowned. “I asked you if you were coming over tonight.”

He nodded. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Tony had already made up his mind. He was going to get the ring… today.

-

Jenny switched the light off in her office, and closed the door behind her. She put on her jacket, and took her purse off the table. She left the office, and headed down the stairs slowly. Almost cautiously. The only light down in the squad room was coming from Gibbs’ desk. Smiling sadly, she descended the rest of the stairs and made her way over to his desk.

“Are you leaving soon, Jethro?” She asked softly.

“Mhm.” Came the reply.

She frowned. The argument they had had that day over Kate’s promotion had been bad, but it was only natural that Gibbs was feeling slightly resentful towards his former team member.

Jenny only hoped that he would get over it soon. She had seen Kate in tears numerous times that day.

“So, I will see you at home then.” No reply. “I’ll make you dinner.”

He stopped writing, and after a few moments looked up at her. There was a huge grin on his face. “Jen, you’re going to cook?”

She sighed with relief inwardly, but quickly countered his teasing, “Are you trying to imply that I cannot cook, Jethro Gibbs?”

He saw the fire in her eyes, and chuckled. “No, not at all. Not at all…”

She smiled herself, bent down and kissed his cheek, and headed for the elevator. “If you are later than 9 o’clock…” She said in a warning tone, “I will make you sleep on the couch.”

He laughed as she stepped into the elevator, and when the doors were shut he looked at the clock on his desk. 7:30pm.

However, at 8 o’clock he decided he had had enough for one day, and packed up his things.

-

At 2am, Kate was lying on her back, still awake. She heard Tony’s light snores next to her, and was comforted by his arm, which was draped across her waist. There wasn’t a thought in her head, apart from the situation with Gibbs.

He appeared to hate her, and why?

She gently removed Tony’s arm, and got out of bed. She grabbed the phone from its stand and left her room, closing the door quietly behind her. Knowing Gibbs stayed awake at all hours of the night, she dialled his number. He answered almost straightaway.

“Kate.” He answered.

“… how’d you know it was me?” She asked quietly.

“Caller I.D.”

“… oh.”

He didn’t say anything for a while, and Kate thought he had hung up. But, he hadn’t.

“What is it, Kate?” He asked.

“I… just want to know what happened at work.” She said. “The way you reacted really upset me. You’ve always been there for me, Gibbs. What changed?”

We’ll talk tomorrow, Kate. Go and sleep.”

The line went dead, and Kate found herself once again heading in the direction of the bathroom, to wash away the tears that were streaming down her face.

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Drabble

2008-09-19T00:54:53Z

Drabble!

karma_73
Fandom: NCIS
Pairing/s: Tony/Ziva
A quote that HAS to be used: Nothing is inevitable.

Nothing is inevitable ..

They say, everything happens for a reason. That nothing is inevitable. Ziva David never really believed that. She always thought that whatever happened, happened. That there was no ‘reason’ behind it.

So what was the explanation for her falling in love with her partner of almost three years, Anthony DiNozzo? She didn’t think there was a ‘reason’, and yet she couldn’t put her head around it.

Why?

How?

When?

Questions like these floated around her head. She was confused. Ever since she had been assigned to Special Agent Gibbs’ team nearly three years ago, following the death of Special Agent Todd, she had worked alongside Tony. They had come to know each other, they had come to work well together.

Ziva had been jealous and worried when Tony started dating Jeanne after Gibbs quit - maybe that was when it had started? - and she knew he had some jealousy about Roy, and the occasional man who had tried to talk her up.

But she watched Tony as Jeanne left the Interrogation Room, and she put a hand on his shoulder. “Go and tell her what she needs to hear.”

He looked at her, a strange, unreadable look in his eyes, before walking over to where Jeanne stood by the elevator. Ziva felt her jealousy coming out again, so she turned away. Whatever it was that Tony was going to say to Jeanne didn’t matter to her, anyway.

He came over a couple of minutes later. “She wished she had never met me.” He said, chuckling and running a hand through his hair. “I thought I was over her, but hearing that opened all my wounds again.” He admitted.

She offered him a small smile, and put a hand on his shoulder. “I am sorry, Tony. If there is anything-”

“There isn’t.” He said firmly. Noting the hurt expression on her face, he added, “But thanks, Ziva.”, and was relieved when she smiled.

He turned around and walked away whistling, his hands in his pockets, leaving Ziva standing alone in the squad room. “Nothing is inevitable.” She told herself. “Everything happens for a reason.”

Maybe she believed that things happened for a reason, after all.

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Drabble

2008-09-17T09:02:18Z

Drabble!

karma_73
Fandom: NCIS
Pairing/s: Ari/Kate
A quote that HAS to be used: “Gibbs is going to be pissed.”

Gibbs is going to be pissed…

In the two years Kate Todd had worked for Jethro Gibbs, she had learned a lot about the man. She had learned a lot about many things. The main one was her ability to hide her emotions. It had come in rather handy ever since that day. That day, referring to the day when Ari Haswari held Kate captive for the afternoon, hoping to get details about the President from her.

Ever since that day, Kate’s attitude towards Ari changed somewhat. She was grateful that he put ice on her lip, and she was grateful that he let her go unharmed, and that was all it was for a while, until it changed.

When Fornell arrived in the squad room late one night, announcing that Ari Haswari was back in the country, Kate expressed outrage outwardly, but on the inside, she was thinking something completely different. Moreover, considering who he was, and who she worked for, it was very inappropriate.

She decided to go for it. Throw caution into the wind. Several minutes after Fornell’s departure and Gibbs’ arrival, Kate left the building. She stepped into the cool evening air, and wrapped her coat around her. She crossed the street, and walked for several blocks, before pulling her phone out of her pocket and switching it on. Kate walked over to the park and sat on the bench, where she waited patiently. Hoping he would come.

‘Oh, Kate, you’re just fooling yourself.’ She told herself mentally, as an hour had passed with no sign of his motorbike. She stood slowly, aware of several things: the pain in her legs and the fact that she had spent an hour out on the streets when she was supposed to be doing her job were at the top of her list. Not to mention she felt silly and embarrassed. To think that he would actually show up almost made her laugh.

She turned to leave, and stopped. There was a motorbike parked across the street, near the flower boutique. Kate crossed, and went to examine the motorbike. Just as she approached it, the door to the boutique opened and Ari stepped out, a bunch of flowers in his hand. She stared at him, wide-eyed.

“I… didn‘t think I would see you again.” She admitted.

He smirked at her, and handed her the flowers. “Caitlin, how long ago did you switch on your cell phone?”

“About an hour ago.” She admitted, turning red. She tried to draw the attention away from herself by smelling the flowers he had just given her. “Thank you.” She said, offering him a small smile. “They‘re my favourite. I never figured you were the flower type, Ari.”

He returned the grin. “Would you rather I took you for a ride on my motorbike?”

She frowned. “But, the flowers-” She started. He cut her off by closing the gap between them, and putting a finger over her lips.

“I will buy you a new bunch of flowers.” He replied, smiling. He took the flowers from her hands, and threw them in the nearby bin. Kate started to protest, but he silenced her again… this time with a long, lingering kiss.

When they finally pulled apart for air, Kate looked at him. There was both contentment and fear written on her face. Suddenly, she laughed.

“What‘s so funny?” He asked her.

“Gibbs is going to be pissed.” She replied, taking his hands and pulling him down to her level so she could kiss him again.

Ari chuckled, and led her over to his motorbike. “Are you worried, Caitlin?” He asked her, as he handed her the spare helmet.

“No,” Kate said firmly. “I‘m not.”

Make a request here.

Story!

2008-09-12T09:35:35Z

Title: The Morning After

Author: reprint

Rating: T

Pairings involved: Tony/Kate, McGee/Abby, Gibbs/Jenny

Warnings: none really

Short description: Ending up in Anthony DiNozzo's bed was not at the top of Caitlin Todd's 'to do' list...

Chapter 20: Meet the Parents and Jenny's offer

Kate choked gracelessly on the food in her mouth, and swallowed. Taking a sip of her drink, she managed to choke out, “What?”

“Robert!” Samantha hissed. “You promised you wouldn’t bring that subject up!”

Alexandra was smiling at Kate. “You and Tony are getting married?” She asked innocently.

Tony glared at his father, then at his sister. “With all due respect, that isn’t why you were invited down here.”

“Well, think about it son,” Robert said, looking at Kate curiously. “You’re already in your 30’s. Shouldn’t you be thinking about settling down with a wife and starting a family soon?”

Kate looked up at him at that comment. Of course, they didn’t know about what had happened. Tony rarely contacted his family. And she was beginning to understand why.

“I would be an auntie!” Alexandra gushed. “With Kate’s gorgeous face, you two would have the most beautiful babies ever!”

Kate stood up quickly. It was too much for her to handle. “Excuse me,” She said quickly, running from the room. She pulled the door closed after her, and sunk to her knees. ‘Why did this have to happen to me?’ She asked herself mentally. She didn’t bother to wipe away her tears; she usually felt better after having a good cry.

So, she picked herself up off the floor, and headed upstairs calmly. When she was in the safety of her own room, she closed the door and collapsed onto her bed, where she could cry without caring who heard her.

-

Back at the table, Tony was sitting with his head in his hands. He had just explained everything, everything that had happened over the last six and a bit months. Needless to say, his family was in shock.

“Why didn’t you tell us, son?” Robert asked. He looked hurt.

“Why do you think, dad? Look at the way you treated Kate. She’s suffered so much over the past six months, and it was all brought up again. She’s lost her father, and her babies. She was forced to retire because of the lasting damage to her heart caused by a gunshot wound.”

“We didn’t know.” Alexandra said, bowing her head. “You never call us, Tony. No emails, no calls… you never contact us. How were we to know that you were going to be a father? Any of it?”

Tony stood up. “Our family’s situation has never been good. I just thought that if you came down to visit Kate, it would make her feel better. I was planning on telling you everything… eventually.”

Samantha scoffed. “Another one of your meaningless promises, Anthony?”

Tony shook his head. “I’m going to talk to Kate. If you want to stay here still, you can. But… just, don’t take any of this out on Kate. It’s not her fault.”

He turned around, and left the room. He headed up to Kate’s room; since he knew she would be there. Sure enough, she was lying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

“You alright, Katie?” He asked gently, sitting down next to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. His eyes widened when she flinched.

“I need to be alone right now, Tony.” She whispered. “I’m sorry. I just can’t…”

“It’s alright, Kate. We’ll be downstairs…” Tony grimaced. Kate was closing everyone out.

“No,” Kate said. She sat up, and turned to face him. He couldn’t help but think how horrible she looked. Her face was wet with tears and her eyeliner was running. “I think you should go back to your apartment for a while. I just need some space. I’m really sorry.” She added when the look on his face changed from sympathetic to almost insulted.

“It’s okay, I understand.” Tony said. “I’ll put Mom, Dad and Alex in a hotel somewhere. Won’t be enough room back at my place…”

He didn’t understand at all, but he wasn’t about to argue with Kate. She seemed so fragile. Tony moved around the room quickly, grabbing his essential gear, before heading out. As he was about to close the door, he said quietly, “Love you, Katie.”

-

In the month that Tony and Kate had not spoken, life at NCIS headquarters had been very different. Of course, Kate didn’t have a job to come back to, so the only two people she had been in contact with were Gibbs and Abby.

It was only Abby at first, but when Kate told her what was going on – what had happened, to be more precise – Abby had gone to Gibbs straightaway.

It was late on Thursday night, and Gibbs had already gone home. Kate’s old desk was still empty (no-one seemed to want to be a NCIS Special Agent these days). Tony was sitting at his desk, fidgeting, and McGee was also at his desk, but he was typing up something. He could notice Tony’s anxiety, and as soon as it started to annoy him, he said, “If you want to ask me something Tony, then say it.”

Tony looked across at McGee. Usually, he would snap, or retaliate, but he didn’t have the energy. Plus, he did want to ask McGee a question.

“Er…” Tony began, but stopped. How would he ask it? “IwanttoaskKatetomarryme.”

McGee tilted his head to the side. “I didn’t hear that. What did you say?”

Tony cleared his throat, and then said rather loudly, “I want to ask Kate to marry me!”

Jenny, who had been leaving for the night, stopped at the top of the stairs with a smile. It was about time Tony got his act together when it came to Kate.

“Wow, congratulations Tony.” McGee said, smiling. “You only have one little problem.”

“The fact that she hasn’t returned my phone calls, and won’t answer the door when I go to see her?” Tony said miserably. McGee nodded. “I don’t know what to do, Tim. She said she needed some space… time away from me.”

“I’m sorry, Tony. Maybe you should just give her some more time?”

Tony shrugged. “I guess so. I’ll try again after the weekend.”

-

When Abby made her weekly visit to Kate, she noticed there had been a few changes since she had been around the previous Saturday. For a start, when she parked her car, she noticed how different the garden was. Kate was never a messy person, but her garden was immaculate compared to last time. It looked like Kate had taken out all of the old flowers, and replaced them with beautiful, fresh ones. The lawn was neatly mowed. She walked up to the door curiously, and knocked.

It was unlocked, so she walked in. “Kate?” She called. “You here?”

“Yeah!” Came the reply. “In my room!”

Abby shrugged, and went upstairs. When she reached Kate’s room, she found the brunette sitting on her bed, reading a magazine.

“Hi Kate.” Abby said. “How are you?”

“Fine.” Kate said, smiling. Her eyes seemed tired though. “Have you… talked to Tony recently?”

Abby nodded. “He really misses you, Kate. He wants to be there to support you while you’re hurting. But instead, you’re pushing him away. You’re pushing us all away. We just want to help you… make the pain go away, you know?”

Kate bit her lip. “I know.” She forced a smile. “You should see the number of messages on my phone. I really want to-“ She stopped. The two could faintly hear knocking on the door downstairs. “Did you bring someone else with you?”

Abby shook her head, and Kate got up off her bed. She left her room and went down the stairs slowly. Abby waited at the bottom of the stairs while Kate answered the door.

It was Director Shepherd.

“Hi, Director.” Kate said uncertainly. “Why are you here?” She asked the question as politely as she could; she couldn’t help but be curious as to why she was here.

“I have been thinking,” She said. “How would you like to come back to work?”

“That’s very kind of you, but you know I can’t.” Kate said.

“Not as an Agent.” She said. “As a Deputy to me.”

Kate was flabbergasted. “M-me? Deputy Director of NCIS?” She stammered. “But why?”

“Who knows?” She said with a smile. “You have the talent. It could take you to many places. And besides…” She added with a wink. “I am considering returning to the field.”

Kate stood there, staring for a moment. Suddenly becoming aware of her rudeness, she held out her arm. “W-would you like to come inside?”

Jenny smiled, and shook her head. “No, thank you. I was just on my way out for the rest of the day. I will see you at work on Monday, at 8am. We will discuss your contract then.”

“Of course.” Kate smiled. “Thank you, Director.”

Jenny smiled, and left, and Kate went back inside. Abby was sitting on the bottom step. “What did the Director want?”

Kate grinned. “She offered me a job.”

-

Abby and McGee had arrived early on Monday morning. Gibbs wasn’t even in yet, but they had a quick breakfast at McGee’s desk. Around 7:30am, Tony came in, distracted as usual, and then Gibbs, at 7:45am. Jenny got out of the elevator at 7:52am, and at 7:55am…

“Kate!” Tony exclaimed, jumping up from his desk. “What are you doing here?”

Kate stopped, and turned to him. “Director Shepherd has offered me an office job.”

Tony frowned. “I thought you didn’t like office work.”

Kate shrugged a shoulder. “Normally… but I’m hoping this is different. Anyway, I’ll talk to you later. I have to go and discuss my new contract with the Director.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek – causing him to beam, and Gibbs to look away pointedly – before walking off smiling.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t see that.” Gibbs said as he walked past.

Upstairs, Kate was feeling nervous. It wasn’t like a run-of-the-mill job interview. It wasn’t a real interview at all. She had already been offered the job, and she had already accepted, but she was still nervous.

“Kate, you can come in now.” Jenny called from her room. She got up, and went into the Director’s office. “You look nervous.” She commented, causing Kate to smile. “You don’t have to worry.”

Kate nodded. “Thank you for this… it really means a lot.”

Jenny nodded, and they discussed her contract, which was much more appealing than her old contract. One hour later, Kate left her office, very surprised and satisfied. She headed down the steps to the bullpen, where Tony was sitting at his desk, humming. Smiling, she snuck up behind him, and placed her hands on his shoulders.

He jumped. “Kate! I didn’t hear you coming.” He said, looking up and smiling at her.

“Of course you didn’t.” She smiled back.

“So…” He got up, and wrapped his arms around her. “Do you have a job?”

“Yes.” She said. “Director Shepherd has appointed me as the new Deputy Director.”

Previous chapters are here.

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Story!

2008-09-11T00:38:21Z

Title: The Morning After

Author: reprint

Rating: T

Pairings involved: Tony/Kate, McGee/Abby, Gibbs/Jenny

Warnings: none really

Short description: Ending up in Anthony DiNozzo's bed was not at the top of Caitlin Todd's 'to do' list...

Chapter 19: Confessions and another Surprise Visit

In the three weeks that passed after Kate waking up, she was monitored closely by the hospital staff. Unfortunately, life continued on as normal for the rest of the team, and so Kate found there were long periods of time when she had no one to talk to, nothing to do.

She was visited mostly by her mother and Tony. Sarah made a promise that she would spend an hour a day with Kate at least, and she swore that she would do what she could to repair their broken relationship.

However, what she concealed from Kate was the fact that she had gone ahead with Hugh’s funeral already, and had him cremated, just as he had always wanted.

Kate was sitting in her room, reading the newspaper, when her mother came in that morning. She was carrying a small cardboard box, and looked extremely unhappy.

“Kate, I’ve done an awful thing.” She said, before Kate could even say “Good Morning.”.

“What’s wrong, Mom?” She asked, patting the side of the bed. Sarah sat down and handed the box to Kate.

“Kate, you’ve been in here for over a month now…” She said, wringing her hands together. “I’m sorry, but I had to hold your father’s funeral a couple of weeks ago.”

Her face fell. “So, his remains are in this box?”

“No, I brought an urn.” She said. “Kate, I really am sorry. But I couldn’t delay it any longer.”

“I understand.” Kate said. It was true, but it didn’t stop her from feeling angry that she couldn’t attend his funeral. She just smiled at Sarah.

When the doctor arrived, Sarah had to go. Kate told her that she wanted to ask her something in the morning, and Sarah said she would be there at the same time. When she was gone, the doctor smiled at her.

“Ready for your test?” He asked her cheerfully.

Kate shrugged a shoulder. “What’s this for, again?”

“We want to make sure that there was no damage caused to your heart when you got shot.” He said, causing Kate to pout. This doctor was new, and unlike Doctor Johnson, he had no idea about sensitivity. Kate liked Johnson better, instead of saying, “When you were shot,” he used phrases like, “Your unfortunate accident,” or some other silly things that made her smile.

“Alright.” Kate said, determined to be stubborn. “But I want to call my boyfriend afterwards. Can I?”

The doctor muttered something about it not being a problem, and then arranged for her to be taken to the test.

-

Tony, Gibbs, McGee, Abby and Jenny all went to see Kate that Friday night. They had no idea about the test; when Tony had come in on his way to work on Thursday morning Kate hadn’t told him about the test she had had on her heart.

So when they got there, they were surprised to find her sitting at the chair by the window, crying. She had been allowed to get out of her bed for a while now, but they had not anticipated the crying.

“Katie, what’s wrong?” Tony asked, hugging her.

“They did some kind of test on my heart earlier this week…” Kate said, wiping her eyes. “To see if the bullet had caused any lasting damage.”

Abby and McGee looked at each other knowingly. Gibbs looked at the floor, and Jenny turned away. It took Tony a little longer to figure out what she was getting at.

“Gibbs, when I get out of hospital, expect a resignation letter on your desk from me. I’m being forced to retire.”

Abby covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh, Kate…”

Tony just held her. He didn’t think it would be wise to try and tell her everything was going to be alright, especially after everything that had happened. So he just held her in his arms while she cried.

Everyone was feeling rather useless, so when Gibbs went to get everyone some coffee (and a water for Kate), Jenny went with him. She watched him for a while, until he caught on and looked at her curiously. She had a small smile on her face.

“There was a time not too long ago when you were like that toward me.” She said, wiping her eyes. “Kate is a very lucky woman to have a man like Tony.”

Gibbs sighed, and placed a hand on her cheek. “It’s always been like that, Jen. And it always will be.”

Jenny looked at him, her teary eyes wide. She saw the look in his eyes, and felt like she finally understood. Everything in her life felt like it finally made sense. He wiped her tears away with his thumb, and held her in his arms.

“Oh, Jethro.” She murmured. “I feel like a blindfold has been taken off me.”

He raised an eyebrow. Not wanting to question her, he just kissed the top of her head and listened to her speak. He realised then that it was one of the first times that Jennifer Shepherd had really opened up to him. She was usually reserved and sometimes secretive.

When she had finished, she pulled herself out of his embrace and looked at him. Waiting for him to speak.

He was smiling. “I love you too, Jen.”

-

After a while, Tony and McGee decided to give Kate and Abby some time to catch up on gossip. They went in search of Gibbs and their coffee. It had been an extremely long day, and they were aching for a coffee… or a warm bed.

And since coffee was more accessible at the moment, they decided to go after Gibbs. McGee stopped Tony when they were right outside the cafeteria doors.

“Tony… I haven’t really had the chance to tell you how sorry I was about how things have turned out. I could tell you were really looking forward to becoming a father. And Kate, a mother. I could see it in your eyes.”

Tony smirked at McGee. “McGee, are you being sentimental?”

McGee frowned. “I was being serious, Tony.”

“I know, Tim, I’m sorry. I just… I guess I haven’t thought much about it. I mean, I have,” He said when he saw McGee’s face, “What I meant was… now that you think about it, I… whoa! Check out Gibbs!”

Tony pointed through the small windows on the cafeteria door, where Gibbs and Jenny were locked in a passionate kiss. McGee turned, and when he saw, his eyes widened. “Wow. Abby was always saying they had chemistry, but I never believed her.”

Tony turned to McGee, grinning. “You just lost another bet, I presume?”

McGee nodded. “Well, they should be coming back soon. Let’s go back to Kate’s room before we’re caught.”

The two returned to Kate’s room. About 5 minutes later, Gibbs and Jenny returned, with five coffee cups and one glass of water.

“What did we miss?” Gibbs asked.

“Not much, Gibbs.” Abby said cheerfully. “Kate and I were just talking about politics.”

That was a lie and Gibbs knew it. He shrugged, and handed out the drinks. Kate sipped at her water with a sour expression on her face. Tony watched her, and felt badly for her. Imagining what she was feeling got him to thinking. In the whole time since the two had first slept together, since they found out Kate was pregnant, since the thing with Ari, he had not been in contact with his family. He knew Kate had been in contact with her family regularly, but he hadn’t bothered much with his family.

So they didn’t know that they could have been grandparents. And his sister – who he never really spoke to either – never knew she could have been an aunt.

Seeing Kate like this really hurt Tony, because he couldn’t do anything to ease her pain. Only time could heal Kate’s wounds.

“Kate,” McGee asked, trying to step around the subject lightly. “Do you know when you will be out of the hospital?”

“In a couple of weeks, I hope.” Kate said. “Not that I have anything to look forward to.”

“You never know, Katie.” Tony teased. He already had a plan in mind.

-

Two weeks later, just as Kate had predicted, the doctor decided she was fit to go home. Gibbs took the day off work to pick her up, and take her home. Tony had already told her that he would meet her at her place, and that he had a surprise for her.

Normally, Kate loved surprises, but today she wasn’t so sure. So when Gibbs arrived at 10am to pick her up, she was feeling nervous.

“Ready to go?” He asked her.

Kate nodded. “I am… but there’s one thing I don’t understand.”

“What’s that?” Gibbs asked as he grabbed her bags.

Kate nodded down to the walking stick that her right hand had a firm grip on. “Why do I need this, Gibbs?” She asked desperately. “I have some lasting damage to my heart, not to my legs!”

Gibbs sighed. The doctor had forgotten to mention that Kate would be touchy about the walking stick. “Kate… you can go without the stick… if you can prove you don’t need it.”

Kate glared at Gibbs, and for a moment he thought she would throw it at him. “Alright,” She conceded, “You win.”

-

When Gibbs pulled up outside Kate’s house later that morning, Kate was surprised to see two cars she didn’t recognise parked in her driveway. One was a sedan; similar in colour to Gibbs’ blue one, and the other was a yellow convertible.

Gibbs just chuckled. “You enjoy yourself now, Kate.”

Kate thanked him, grabbed her bags and walked slowly up to the door. She unlocked the door, and opened it. She shuffled through the door, and looked down the hallway.

It was different than she remembered. Kate swore she didn’t have that many flowers in vases around her house. And she could smell something in the oven. She couldn’t remember Tony knowing how to bake. Cook, yes, but not bake. It smelled like cookies. Or muffins. Kate couldn’t tell which.

“Tony?” She called out. “Are you home?”

“Yeah!” Came the reply. “We’re in the living room!”

‘We?’ Kate thought. ‘Who else is here?’

She put her bags down, and walked into the living room. Tony was sitting on the sofa with a brown-haired girl, and sitting on the other sofa was a man and a woman. Tony resembled the man so closely, but Kate noticed that Tony had the woman’s eyes. The girl sitting next to Tony looked more like the woman.

She relaxed. This must have been his family.

The girl next to Tony jumped up. She looked not much older than 20. “Hi, I’m Alexandra DiNozzo!” She held out her hand to Kate. “Tony has told me so much about you!”

Kate smiled, and shook her hand. “Caitlin. You can call me Kate.” She added with a smile.

“Then you can call me Alex!”

Kate couldn’t help but smile; this girl already seemed nice. Samantha and Robert DiNozzo introduced themselves soon after, and after the first 10 minutes had passed Kate felt more at home with Tony’s family than she ever imagined she would.

From what Tony had described them as, Kate had always thought that they were the ‘stiff upper lip’ kind of people. But they seemed really nice.

Tony’s mother had arranged dinner, and soon they were all sitting at the table. Tony poured everyone a glass of red wine – when he went to say no to Kate, she gave him a dirty look, so he just smiled at her and poured her a glass.

They were halfway through the meal when things became… uncomfortable.

“So, Caitlin,” Robert asked, taking a sip of his wine. “When are you and Tony getting married?”

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Story!

2008-09-10T05:10:12Z

Title: The Morning After

Author: reprint

Rating: T

Pairings involved: Tony/Kate, McGee/Abby

Warnings: none really

Short description:

Chapter 18: Kate's Nightmate

Tony was standing in the waiting area, his face as white as a sheet. The ward doors opened, and out came the nurse who he had talked to earlier. He didn’t see her at first; his gaze was fixed on the opposite wall. Abby’s hand was clutching his own tightly.

“Mr. DiNozzo?” She asked.

He looked up at her, and he saw the look on her face that he recognised from all the movies he had seen. She had bad news for him.

“Please follow me.”

He got to his feet, shaking violently, and followed her through the doors. Once they were away from the others, she turned to him.

“Is Ms. Todd’s mother here?”

Tony nodded. “She’s outside with Kate’s co-workers.”

The nurse nodded glumly. “Please fetch her.”

Tony walked back out the doors, and made a beeline to where Sarah Todd sat, being comforted by Abby. “Sarah…” He said quietly. “The nurse would like to see you too.” He couldn’t bring himself to look at Abby, McGee or Gibbs, so he turned away quickly and led Kate’s mother out the ward doors.

The nurse led them into Kate’s private room, and when they were inside, Sarah let out a wail. It took everything Tony had for him not to turn around and run out of the room. Kate looked so frail. Her skin was as pale as the sheets she was lying on, and she seemed so small and insignificant.

“Mr. DiNozzo, Mrs. Todd, I take it?” The doctor said. He shook Tony’s shaking hand. “I’m Doctor Johnson.”

“Why did you call us in here, Doctor?” Sarah asked.

The doctor nodded. “When Kate first got here, we took an x-ray of her chest to see what damages the bullet has caused. Fortunately, there was no damage. However, on the more recent x-ray we took, we discovered that the bullet is edging itself in. It’s heading towards her heart.”

“Then you can’t put her on the ventilator!” Tony said. “She’ll die!”

Doctor Johnson nodded again. “Unfortunately, Mr. DiNozzo, you have a choice to make. We have to operate to save Kate’s life.”

“But then… the babies…” Tony understood what the doctor was trying to say. “You mean to say that I have to choose between Kate’s life and the babies’ lives?”

“I’m sorry.” He said.

Tony turned to Sarah. “She’s your daughter. I can’t make this decision.”

Sarah looked at him. Her eyes were red and teary, just like Tony’s. “… I don’t know, Tony. What does your heart say?” He looked at her, and nodded. Then he turned to Doctor Johnson and gave him his decision.

-

Tony walked back to the waiting area, where Abby was asleep, leaning against McGee’s shoulder. McGee was also asleep, and Gibbs was reading the paper. He looked up when Tony approached him.

“What happened?” Gibbs asked.

Tony wiped his eyes. “If you had to pick between the life of the one you love, or your two unborn children, what would you decide, Gibbs?”

Gibbs got up from his chair, and put his arms around Tony. “I’m sorry, Tony.”

“It’s okay.” He tried to smile. “The doctor said there’s a small chance that Kate will be able to have children in the future.” Gibbs nodded. “They’re operating on her now.”

“Tony, you should go home and sleep.”

“I don’t want to leave her.” Tony protested, but Gibbs interrupted him, saying it was an order, so he went and called a taxi.

Gibbs sat back down, and Abby stirred. “Gibbs? What happened? Is Kate okay?”

“Kate will be alright.” He said. “She and Tony will live a long life together.”

Abby knew Gibbs; she knew the meaning of his words. She gasped. “Oh no… poor Kate…”

Gibbs nodded. “We should all go home and get some sleep. Tony said that the doctor said that she won’t wake up for a couple of days anyway.”

Abby turned to McGee, and gently shook him. “Tim, wake up.” He mumbled something, and opened his eyes. He looked at her groggily, and she smiled. “C’mon, let’s go back to my place.”

He nodded, and they said goodnight to Gibbs. Tony wasn’t back yet, so they left. Gibbs sat back down, and about five minutes later, Tony came back in.

“Hey, boss, thanks for all your support.” Gibbs just nodded. “The doctor said he’d call in the morning and give me an update. I’ll call you then.”

Tony left, and after a while of sitting there thinking, Gibbs decided to head home as well.

-

Kate was sitting on the sofa in her sitting room. Next to her was Ari, with that sly grin on his face. Tied up to a chair in the middle of the room was her mother, and behind her was Ziva, with a gun pointed at the back of her head.

“It is almost sunset.” Ziva snaped irritably. “Where is she?”

“She will be here.” Ari replied.

“She’ll never come!” Sarah Todd yelled at Ari. “She has more common sense than that!”

“Au contraire, Mrs. Todd.” Ari said, smiling at her. “She told me she would be here before sunset.”

“Why? How?”

“I told her I would put a bullet in your head.”

Kate noted that her mother became quiet at this. She stood up, and went to the full-length mirror in the hallway. She looked at herself, and screamed. There was a bullet wound in her chest, close to her heart. She also saw a long vertical cut that went through the clothes she was wearing. She pulled her top up curiously, and saw that her stomach had the same cut. She couldn’t see her insides; it was like the hole had nothing inside, and the curves that she had acquired since becoming pregnant were gone. Her skin was smooth, and the stretch marks around her abdomen were gone.

She was very confused. She had not seen any of this when she arrived at her house. How could she be seeing it now?

Kate returned to the sitting room, where Ziva and Ari were talking quietly in the corner. She saw Ari’s gun on the coffee table, and reached for it. Maybe if she could shoot him in the head now she could prevent the events that were apparently about to happen.

But she couldn’t touch the gun. Her fingers went right through the gun as though it was smoke. Her mouth fell open.

Suddenly Ari looked out the window, and smirked. “She is here.”

Sarah Todd swore at Ari, causing Kate to laugh. Her mother had never sworn in front of her before, and it was strange hearing those words coming from her mouth.

“Mother!” She exclaimed. “Did you kiss Daddy with that mouth?”

When Sarah didn’t look up and answer her, it hit her. Whatever this was that she was seeing, they could not see, or hear her. It was like she was a ghost.

The front door opened, and Kate ran out into the hallway. She saw herself standing there, calling out for her mother. Ari answered, and Kate watched herself walk in. She followed herself into the living room, where Ari, Ziva and her mother were all waiting. Ziva’s gun was once again pointed at Sarah’s head.

Kate’s eyes were on Ari, though. He looked up at her, and smirked. She could see his eyes clearly, even though the room was quite dark.

“You should not have come, Caitlin.” He said, as he raised the gun so it was pointing at her head, and fired.

-

It had been over a week since Kate’s operation. Her recovery was slower than the doctor had anticipated, but it was coming along. Tony had gone to visit her everyday, and on the first day, he sat by her bed and cried the entire time. It got better as the days passed. Kate had not woken up yet, but the colour was gradually returning to her face, and she seemed less frail.

On the tenth day, when Tony went to see her, he almost cried again when he saw her. She looked like she was having a nightmare. She was tossing and turning, and her pillow was wet from tears. He rushed to her bedside and grabbed her arms gently.

“Kate, Kate!” He whispered. “It’s alright!”

Her eyes shot open, and she let out a whimper. When she saw Tony, she calmed down. “Tony?”

He nodded at her, and ruffled her hair. “Oh, Katie.” He breathed. “We’ve all been so worried.”

She tilted her head to the side. “What happened?”

“Do you remember going back for your mother?” He asked. Kate nodded. “Do you remember what happened in the house?”

Kate nodded. “I was shot.” She unconsciously placed her hand over where she was shot, and she could feel the bandage covering the scar through the material of her hospital gown.

“Kate,” Tony said seriously, taking her other hand. “There were complications when you got to the hospital.”

Kate looked into Tony’s eyes. “What happened?”

“The bullet was so close to your heart, Kate. They don’t know if there is any damage to your heart yet, but… the babies…”

He looked away, and Kate felt like someone was trying to cut her open with a butter knife. Not only had there been two babies, but now neither of them would one day call her “Mom”.

“I see.” She said. It felt like a horrible dream; perhaps this was still part of the dream she had been having when she saw what happened when she was shot. It was still such a shock, and she just closed her eyes. No tears came.

“I’m sorry, Kate.” Tony squeezed her hand. “The doctor said that I had to make a choice. I couldn’t raise two children without you, Kate. We can always have a family together, right?”

Kate nodded. It sounded horrible in her ears, but if it was a choice between her life and the babies, then she was glad Tony had chosen her.

“Thank you, Tony.” She smiled at him.

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