Carly was sipping on decaffeinated hot tea with lemon out of her coffee cup. Other than Tony and Abby, no one knew she was pregnant and the lack of a coffee cup would clue these special agents in right away that something was off. She had been back at work for a few days and Abby was still full of questions on her new ability. Not many people knew about that either. Carly sighed. It wouldn't be so bad if she didn't have to work so hard to block people's thoughts when she touched them. Between that, work and being pregnant, she nearly fell asleep by the time she walked through the door at Abby's old apartment.



Jimmy walked in holding some evidence bags. He took one look at Carly's face and just placed them on the table. "There's no rush on these." He told her. "They are from a cold case Ducky would like to look at again, see if we get a match this time."



Carly smiled and thanked him. As he walked out she was thinking Michelle was lucky to have a sweet guy like Jimmy.



Abby came in not long after she started running tests on the substances. One had already come back as not matching anything.



"So, how are you today?" Abby asked quietly.



Shaking her head to clear it, Carly told her, "I'm fine, really. The only thing that makes me sick is the smell of coffee." She admitted and stuck her tongue out at her friend.



Abby laughed, "Well that's fitting. The one thing you have to have and it makes you sick." She stopped laughing and looked at her Caf-Pow.



Carly noticed and said, "Yep, think about that. Not being able to drink a Caf-Pow without tossing your cookies. Funny now?"



"Not so much." Abby replied, grabbing her drink and taking a big gulp. Setting the cup aside, she asked, "Are you getting any better at blocking people’s thoughts?"



Worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, she shook her head. "No. And on top of having to deal with me being clairvoyant, how is Jet going to react to me being about to touch people and tell what they are thinking?"



Abby frowned a bit at Carly's doubts. "I'm not sure. Why don't you talk to him? He seems to be in a better mood since you returned to work. He might be more receptive..."



"Abby, a broken radio is more receptive than Jethro is."



Carly turned back to her computer, saddened by the thought that she may lose the man she loves forever.



-------



Gibbs was at his desk when a call came in. He listened for a moment, hung up and said, "Grab your gear. We found one of the missing terrorists."



The team grabbed their weapons and other items and followed him to the elevator. The entire ride to the scene, Gibbs was thinking about Carly. She moved out without even asking if that was what he wanted. Did that mean this was what she wanted?



-------



"So, you realize I'm a bit jealous of you now, right?" Abby asked while they waited on word of the new case.



"Why?" Carly asked her, throwing away her empty coffee cup.



"You're a human lie-detector. How cool is that?" Abby grinned as she played around on her computer, tweeking things.



"Not very for the most part. I mean, I can't block it so I can barely touch someone or I get blasted with whatever's on their minds."



Abby's eyebrows rose up and down and she asked, "What was on Tony's mind when he brought your tea in?"



Placing her tongue between her teeth for a moment, Carly stared at Abby. "I can't believe you guys had sex in this lab!"



Abby's eyes widened. "What? How did you know?"



Carly frowned and reminded her, "I'm the human lie detector remember? And now I have his thoughts of what else he would like to do to you in this lab stuck in my mind!" The frown gave way to a slight smile and a light came into her eyes as she said, "But he is quite inventive!"



Abby threw Bert at her and Carly caught him without squeezing enough to make a sound. She put him on the table next to her and patted his head while sticking her tongue out at Abby.

Ducky removed the liver probe from the second victim. Sighing, he repeated his first findings once more. "She was garroted with something sharp, probably wire. As is cut off her oxygen it also sliced into her neck several millimeters. Approximate time of death, 10 hours ago. Same as our missing terrorist."

McGee shot photos, while Tony sketched the scene and Ziva rounded up the few pieces of evidence in the motel room. As she walked into the bathroom she noticed wire sticking out of the trash can. "Gibbs." She said and he walked over.

"Bag it." He ordered, looking around the room. He knew for the killers to leave the wire behind that there would be no trace evidence but it had to be tested. Ten hours meant the killers could be anywhere but he knew in his gut they were still in DC. They were planning something and he was willing to bet that this guy was going to roll on them to save his own skin. Too bad for him that he didn't remember terrorists fight to the death.

---------

"What have you found Abs?" Gibbs asked, watching Carly as she worked with her back to him.

Abby turned her radio down and signed 'Talk to her' even as she told him, "Nothing, which is exactly what you expected. Have I mentioned before how I hate when people clean their own crime scenes? Because if I haven't, then I hate it!"

Gibbs nodded and walked out without a word.

Sighing, Abby asked, "When are you going to talk to him?"

Not looking at her friend but feeling the loss of Jet not being in the room, she told Abby, "When I figure out how to tell him, then I'll tell him. I'm going to see Ducky for a little while."

Abby watched Carly leave and then called Tony. Something needed to be done here and it obviously wasn't going to be those two who made the first move.

---------

The doors to autopsy slide open and Carly walked straight over to Ducky. He was signing the report on the female victim, another Jane Doe. When he finished he turned to Carly.

"I don't know what to tell you Carly. Jethro is a stubborn man."

Smiling but not as brightly as before, Carly patted Ducky's cheek. "I know Duck. I know. I was really hoping I could get a look at the victims for a moment?"

Ducky's puzzlement was replaced with a look of understanding. "Of course. Come on over."

He led her to the drawers along the wall and pulled out # 17. "This is our terrorist." He told her as he pulled the sheet back.

Carly stared at him for a moment, but wasn't getting anything. Shaking her head she watched as Ducky covered him back and pushed the drawer in. Reaching down one, he pulled the sheet back on the female victim. Carly barely registered the woman's face before getting 'hit' with information. She hugged Ducky quickly before running back to the lab. Once there she was momentarily distracted by Ducky's thoughts of Ziva's kiss. Shaking off that bit of TMI, she got to work.

Abby watched and realized she had picked up on something down in Autopsy. After a few minutes, Carly had pulled a Missing Person's report from Wyoming up and showed Abby the match between the victim and the girl in the poster. Abby beamed at her and called Gibbs to let them know she was no longer a Jane Doe as Carly called Ducky to tell him the same.

Tired of being stared at by his agents, Gibbs sent them home. He had calls to make and they could talk about him freely if they weren't here. As they filed out, he dialed a long familiar number.

"Fornell." The voice on the other line answered.

"Tobias, its Gibbs. I need some information..."

"On the dead terrorist you beat my team to?"

"That would be the one."

"All I've found so far is that he was willing to be an informant. I'll see what else I can turn up and let you know."

"Tobias..." Gibbs paused. Fornell waited and Gibbs said, "Thanks."

Laughing Fornell said, "I'll be expecting a return favor for this."

"I didn't expect any different."

Gibbs ended the call and sat staring at the information in front of him. He hated passing this off but they deserved to be told in person.

-------

Tony and Abby walked with Carly to the parking garage. "Are you sure you won't come with us?" Tony asked her.

"I'm not that hungry guys. Mainly tired these days. I'm going to the apartment and crashing for the night."

Watching in concern until she drove away, Abby and Tony reached for their cell-phones as they reached to open their car doors. By the time they arrived at Sal's, they managed to assemble the whole team, minus Gibbs and Carly of course.

-------

Gibbs picked up the phone and dialed the number from the missing person's bulletin. A police officer answered and Gibbs quietly told him what had happened. Explaining that the body would be released once all the proper paperwork was completed, the officer thanked Gibbs and assured him that he would tell the family face-to-face. Before ending the call Gibbs told the officer he would get the people responsible for taking this young woman's life. Hearing the disbelief in the officer's voice, he made a vow to himself that he would call the parents once he had nailed the bastard that killed her.

-------

Sal was sitting at the table beside Lacey. Once he had been told what they were meeting about, he had joined in the discussion as well. Lacey twirled her pasta with her fork and told everyone, "I stopped by the apartment before heading out here and Carly was already getting into bed. I have never seen her this depressed and I have seen her hit some lows."

Tony and Abby shared a look knowing that the pregnancy was also making her very tired.

"Jethro won't talk to me about her at all." Ducky told them.

Abby slapped her hand against the table. "It doesn't matter if they won't talk to us! We have to get them talking to each other. If they could just talk they'd sort out this whole mess."

Tony took her hand and McGee spoke up. "When you're around Gibbs what do you get from him?"

Surprised but relieved that the rest of the team had accepted her and Carly's different abilities, Abby answered, "He's sad. And frustrated but he won't talk to her. And Carly isn't going to break the ice first. Not unless they are forced together."

"So why can't we arrange that?" Michelle asked and grinned when everyone looked at her in shock. "Come on guys, you rub off on people. Seriously though, why can't we get them together somewhere?"

"The only place Gibbs gets stuck is the elevator and that's by his choice." Palmer pointed out.

Ziva grinned. "So if they are both in the elevator, can we stop it?"

Abby looked at Tony then at McGee. "I would need some help knowing when they are both going to be in the elevator."

"I think I can arrange that." Ducky said and Sal laughed at the smiles on everyone's faces.

"I don't know why I sat down, you have enough genius here that I'm not needed." He said and stood to go back to the kitchen.

With a plan in mind, they finished their meals and said a quick goodbye to Sal before heading out.

"What the hell was the FBI thinking? Were the agents thinking at all?" Gibbs asked quietly as the elevator doors slid shut.

Knowing the routine, Fornell reached out to stop the elevator. "The team leader is a hot-shot trying to prove himself to the Director. He ordered the raid on the weapons stash before reporting in."

Cursing under his breath, Gibbs turned to stare at Tobias.

"Believe me Jethro, I realize what they've done. By acting on this, our only source of intel was killed and we still have no idea what they are planning or how many are active in the DC area."

"A crypt in an old church?" Gibbs said, wheels turning in his mind. "I want my team to go over the location again. See if there is anything that was missed. I also want all the evidence that was found and reported on brought here. If you can't do it, I'll get Jenny to."

Fornell nodded his head. "I'll talk to the Director. I don't think he'll have a problem as long as you let us in on anything you find. We want to stop them as bad as you do."

-------

Carly's hand reached up out of the coffin and patted the table next to it to locate her cell phone. Bringing it to her ear, she pulled it back, flipped it open, answering, "Mmm, hello?"

"Carly, get your butt in here. The FBI is bringing over some evidence and I'll need your help analyzing what they haven't screwed up and the reports they've already written."

"Mm. Sure. Be right there."

As she was pulling the phone away from her ear she could hear Abby yelling, "Don't go back to sleep!" She flipped the phone closed and sat up in the coffin. Looking around the apartment she grinned. There wasn't much furniture left and surprisingly enough Abby's coffin slept great. Every time she sat up she had a quiet chuckle thinking she wouldn't mind being one of the undead for Halloween.

-------

Four hours later, buried under a mound of paperwork, Carly was wishing she was back in the coffin and her phone had been shut off. So far, amazingly, the FBI had been quite thorough and most of what they had processed was handled the way she and Abby would have taken care of things. She picked up her coffee cup to sip her tea and remembered it was empty. Telling Abby she was going for a refill she headed out the door.

-------

Gibbs stopped off at the coffee shop to get a fresh cup and watched Carly walk out without noticing him. Crushing his empty cup and throwing it in the trash, he went back to HQ without getting another.

Carly walked into the lab to see Abby on the phone and surrounded by weapons and explosives. Waving her hand she was about to go back to her computer when Abby signed, 'Ducky has something and Jimmy is MIA. Can you get it?'

Signing 'Yes' and nodding at the same time, Carly headed back the way she came and pushed the button for the elevator. Mind closed to everything but the case, she stepped in not paying attention until the doors closed. As the elevator started up, the power was cut. Carly looked around and noticed Jet for the first time. Panicked, not ready to talk to him, she held her coffee cup down by her leg and let down her blocks hoping Abby would pick up on her panic and know something was wrong.

-------

Abby was on the phone with Tony and Ducky when she started having a panic attack. "Oh no!" She cried out leaving both men wondering what was happening as they heard her doing something on the computer.

"Abby, what's wrong?" Tony asked.

When he got no response, Ducky tried, "Abigail, what is the matter."

"We didn't take into account that Carly isn't ready to talk to Gibbs yet. She has things to tell him and she hasn't worked out how yet. She's panicking in the elevator now!"

Tony and Ducky replied, "Get her out of there!" each one thinking of something different. Tony thinking about the baby and Ducky thinking about the new ability she hadn't told anyone about yet.

"I'm trying!" Abby told them and then let out a happy sound. "It's moving again."

-------

Carly sighed in relief when the elevator kicked back on. The doors opened on the floor of the lab and she stepped out. Ducky could wait, she needed to regain her composure. Jet followed for a moment then turned and slammed the door to the stairwell open.

Abby was still in the middle of the guns but Carly told her, "I could kiss you now for getting me out of there. The elevator just stopped for no reason! I was trapped with Jet and didn't know what to do."

"Oh Carly!" Abby said with a look of sympathy on her face. Mentally she was glad Carly hadn't touched her today or she would know who was behind the whole "trapped in the elevator" scheme.

Carly took a drink of her tea and made a face. Tossing the cup in the trash, she looked at Abby.

"I'm fine, go on, take a break." Abby told her and Carly headed out the door. She was going to get some damn coffee even if it was decaffeinated. Looking before she got into the elevator this time, she smiled to herself. Jet would never believe that she would equate decaffeinated with real coffee.

-------

Gibbs was rounding the bend on the stairwell on his way to see Ducky when he nearly collided with DiNozzo.

"DiNozzo, look where the hell you're going!"

Tony stared at him for a moment, opened his mouth and then shut it. Shaking his head, he started around Gibbs.


Gibbs reached out and grabbed him by the arm. "You got something to say, Tony?"

Shaking off Gibbs hand, Tony shot back at him, "Why don't you stop being a bastard? Admit you were wrong! Admit that you love her! Beg for her forgiveness over your thick skulled ways and ask her back home."

Gibbs smirked. "She cramping your style, DiNozzo."

He watched as Tony shook his head again, sadly this time. "No, Jethro, she hasn't been. For your information, she's been staying at Abby's old apartment. You know, you'd think a man in your shoes would want to be with the woman that..." Tony broke off before spilling Carly's news.

Staring at Tony hard, Gibbs tried to figure him out then asked, "With the woman that what Tony?"

"With the woman you love, Gibbs. With the woman you love." Tony repeated and this time managed to get passed Gibbs without any problems.

-------

The phone was brought to him and he held it away from his ear until the servant left the room.

"Na'am." He answered.

The voice on the other end of the line simply said, "It is done."

The man smiled as he ended the call. As the Americans would say, his leak had been plugged.

"Abby, after work, would you stop by Jet's and get my..."



"No, I won't." Abby told Carly, frustrated with the two hard-headed people she loved.



"But I need ..."



Abby turned to face Carly and said, "What you need is to talk to Gibbs. Tell him everything. Get all you feel and all you are out in the open and then let him deal with it how he will. At least you'll have cleared the air and he will know where he stands with you."



Carly looked up and out the windows in the lab. Abby was right but when would she know where she stood with Jet? She grabbed her purse and told Abby, "I'll be back in a little while ok?"



Abby nodded. "Ok. We can't do much anyway until these tests are complete."



Carly hugged Abby close to her and then walked quickly out to her car.



-------



Gibbs walked into the lab with a peace offering. A Caf-Pow for Abby and a coffee for Carly. When he noticed she wasn't there, he took a drink of the coffee himself.



"I don't have any results for you yet Gibbs." Abby told him.



"Where's Carly?"



"She ran out to get something to drink. You know she can't stand the coffee here."



Something was wrong. He knew because Abby wasn't looking him in the eye. He settled against the chair Carly sat at and stared for a moment. He was about to ask her advice when she looked at him, anger all over her face.



"Why don't you tell her how you feel? Why can't you accept her for who she is? It's not like she's a criminal! So she's clairvoyant, who cares! You know things and can't tell us how you know. Have we ever questioned your gut? No! And do you know why? Because we trust it as much as you do! And do you know why? Because it doesn't let us down." She stopped and her shoulders slumped a bit. "There was a time when you wouldn't let us down either Gibbs. But by not accepting Carly, the woman everyone can see that you love, you are letting us down. How are we going to come to you when something happens if we don't know if you're going to turn us away or not? The one thing we could always count on is something we are not sure about anymore."



Looking away, he thought for a minute. "Where is she really, Abs?"



Abby looked him in the eye this time and answered, "Your house. She went to get something."



Kissing her forehead, he ran out the room. He couldn't let her take another piece of her away from him without telling her how he felt.

Carly was taking a small box out of the attic when she heard the front door open. She closed her eyes as the scent of sawdust reached her. Jet. What was he doing home? Resolutely setting her shoulders, she took the box and met him in the living room. She put the box on the table and they stared at each other for a while. Her eyes kept going over his features as if she hadn't seen him in years.



"Gibbs, I know you need space but..."



"I've never hated it as much as I have since you left town. It’s too quiet here and even making your desk hasn't taken my mind off that fact. I know I was a bastard, Carly, it's part of who I am. I can't get away from it even though I've tried. And tiptoeing around things hasn't helped. I love you and I don't want to lose you because I was too stupid to accept you for who you are. I know it will take some time trying to understand what you can do but I'm asking you for patience."



Carly put her hand over his mouth and nearly cried as his thoughts flooded her mind. "You really love me." She said knowing he was telling the truth but he took it as a question.



Jet took her hands in his and said again, "I love you Carly Thomas. If you can forgive me for being a narrow-minded bastard, I know we can make this work."



Carly jerked on his hands, pulling him to her and kissed him tenderly. "I love you, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I love you so much and if you can forgive me for not being up-front with you about all this, I know we can make it work."



Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her passionately. She pulled back in a daze and pushed him back onto the couch. When he moved to pull her on top of him, she bit her lip and sat beside him. He knew her well enough to know that meant she was nervous. He traced her lip until she smiled.



"What's wrong Carly?" He asked.



Carly took a deep breath and took his hands again. "I have a few other things I need to tell you and I would like for you to listen to me for a moment, alright?"



His thoughts were going crazy wondering what she had to say and she nearly let go of his hands to get hers separated from his when he said, "Ok."



She nodded her head and started. "Right before I got back into town, I realized something. I was late." His mind shot off and took that information to the only logical conclusion. Again, she nodded. "I'm pregnant Jet. About twelve weeks. I've scheduled an appointment with my ob/gyn next week to make sure everything is ok." Staring at him, holding his hands, she saw the joy in his eyes and heard the doubts in his mind. "Before you react to that, I need to tell you something else." This time she did withdraw her hands from his. "I went to visit an old friend of my Nana's while I was out of town. I was trying to make sense of what had happened to me when I was taken by Downey."



"What were you trying to make sense of?"



"You remember when I told you Downey had killed people before?"



It was Jet's turn to nod.



"You thought he told me all that didn't you?"



Puzzled, Jet asked, "He didn't?"



She shook her head. "When he grabbed me, I almost immediately passed out. Not from whatever it was that he shot me with but from his thoughts."



He sat up straight and looked at her. "His thoughts."



With a sigh, Carly started to explain. "There are several types of psychics, Jet. Clairvoyant like me, empaths like Abby, telepathic, and so on. Abby is an empath. She can feel others emotions and sometimes they overtake hers when they first hit her if they are really strong. My Nana was clairvoyant and I am too. We both have known things without really being able to explain why or how we know them. People in Nana's day thought she was crazy. People today would just think I'm involved in things because I know things I shouldn't." Jethro looked away and she reached out to turn his face back to her. "You didn't understand and you were worried for Abby. I know that and I know you are trying to understand this." She took her hand away and licked her lips. "Nana's friend, Miss Eileen is telepathic. She's an open telepath and all that means is she can't control what she gets and she doesn't have to have contact with someone to know their thoughts. That's why she has stayed to herself all these years. She's never been able to block it." Jet was starting to look dazed so she hurried on. "Apparently, I've developed some sort of touch-telepathic ability. If I touch someone, I can hear their thoughts, know what's going on inside their heads. That's why I didn't want you to touch me when you found me that day. It’s why I've avoided touching as many people as possible. I haven't learned to block it yet."



Jethro leaned back against the couch. By his expression she knew he was struggling with everything she just told him. It wasn't in his nature to just accept things, especially things he couldn't do himself without seeing proof that someone could do it.



After several long moments, he spoke. "If you touched me right now, you could tell what I'm thinking?"



Carly looked him in the eye and said, "Yes, I can."



He held out his hand and hesitating only a moment, she took it. 'I don't know how you do this. You are an incredible woman Carly Thomas.' She smiled and his thoughts changed. 'I love your smile, did you know that? I want to kiss you when I don't see it and kiss you more when I do.'



"What's stopping you?" She asked him and just before he pulled her onto his lap, she got a mental warning of what he was about to do.



Laughing until his lips touched hers, Carly's breath caught. They both lingered in the slow kiss. Funny, she didn't need to hear his thoughts to know how he felt. His kiss told her everything.

The two were heading to the office when Tony called to tell them a report came across about a couple that had been killed. Turning the car around, Jet drove straight to the address Tony told him. They arrived to find the local LEO's crawling all over the scene. Carly sighed as Jet growled at the officer in charge, "Have your men stop what they are doing and get off the crime scene."


The officer recognized him from his confrontation with Downey and turned to do what he said. The entire department had been shamed by Downey's actions and he didn't want to get on the wrong side of Special Agent Gibbs. As one of the officers walked past Carly, he brushed her arm. She spun and told him, "If you guys wouldn't crawl all over the crime scene before your CSI's get to it, they wouldn't have to wade through useless information before getting to the real evidence." Jet took her hand and she blinked. "Now that you've contaminated our scene, it will take us twice as long to eliminate your finger and shoe prints."


The stunned officer didn't say a word as she walked to the house with Jethro. She looked back to see the officer in charge talking to McGee and getting the other cops rounded up to give their prints to the NCIS team. The FBI arrived just then and Fornell stepped from the driver's side of the car.


"Why are we here Jet and why is Fornell here also? This is a civilian couple isn't it?"


He nodded then told her, "This house belonged to our missing female terrorist. The couple murdered inside bought it once it was seized and put up for auction."


"Oh." She watched him for a moment and asked, "You want me to go in with you?"


Narrowing his eyes in Fornell's direction he answered, "It would help."


She looked back at Fornell, seeing him make his way over. "Gotcha. Discretion is the name of the game."


"Exactly. Tobias."


"Jethro. You seem to manage to beat us to a lot of scenes these days."


They turned to watch DiNozzo and Sacks argue over whose scene this was. "We'll take point and your guys can assist."


Fornell nodded, "I'm not getting into a pissing contest with you Gibbs as long as we get these bastards."


With that understanding between them, Jethro smiled at Carly and said, "You get to tell the hardheads."


Grinning, Carly yelled sweetly, "Oh boys! Yoohoo, boys! When you get finished discussing whose is bigger, we'll be inside. Oh, and Agent Sacks, NCIS is the point team on this one."


She turned as she heard Tony's, "Hah!" and she walked into the house.


-------


Carly walked into the kitchen and watched as Ducky took liver temps from the couple slumped over their lunch at the breakfast nook. Rubbing her forehead she looked around. "Why kill them? Why not wait until they left?"


Fornell asked her, "How do you know they were going somewhere?"


Carly tilted her head in the direction of the back door. "Purse with keys on top by the door. Sales papers near the purse. They were going shopping."


"What if they just came from shopping?," he asked, following her logic but wanting to know.


"If they had just come home, the purse would have been put up. There's a peg board in the washroom over there with other keys on it. The keys on the purse probably came from there. Habit would have them putting the keys back on the peg board."


He nodded, satisfied with her theory. "Maybe the killers didn't realize that."


Jet frowned, "Or maybe they just intend to kill anyone that is too close to their information."


The agents were silent as they thought about who they were after. Terrorists. Why would they care how many innocent casualties there were? They wouldn't. Carly looked down the hall.


"They were here for something." she said.


"What? Our agents turned this place upside down when it was seized. We found nothing" Tobias told her.


She raised her eyebrows. "If there weren't, why come back?"


Jethro was watching her. "We'll search again. Make sure they didn't miss anything before."

Carly led Jethro, Fornell, Tony and Sacks down into the basement. The two FBI agents looked around the room seeing the washer/dryer and the chest freezer and that was it. Jethro and Tony were watching Carly though.



"I told you there wasn't anything down here. We've checked the size compared to the original plans and everything." Agent Sacks told Tony.



Tony held up his hand, ignoring the other man's sputtered protest. Carly had walked over to the far wall and was walking back looking at the floor. To Fornell and Sacks it just looked as if she was staring at the floor not wanting to admit she was wrong. Jet and Tony knew different and saw that she was pacing the slabs looking for something in particular. When she had paced off 15 slabs, she stopped and bent down. Running her finger around the joints of the slab, she made a show of comparing it to the slabs around it for Fornell and Sacks.



"This slab has been moved." She told them and they all gathered around to look at the differences she pointed out to them.



"I'll be damned." Fornell said and Jet was quick to agree he probably would be.



Laughing momentarily, they quickly set about taking up the slab. Jet grabbed a wire hanger from the laundry area of the basement, bent it and slipped it between the loose slab and the one beside it. Twisting the wire, it slipped under the slab and he pulled up until they could lift the slab the rest of the way off. They had uncovered a hole in the ground. Sacks stood back up.



"Well, we found where they were hiding something but they've taken it." He said. Turning to walk back upstairs, he stopped with Carly asked for Tony's flashlight.



Tony took it out and shined it in the hole. Nearly covered with dirt and hidden in a corner of the hole was an SD memory card. Carly slipped a glove on and reached down to retrieve it. "Let's see if they forgot anything important, ok boys?" She walked to the stairs and turned back to Sacks. "You're lack of faith is disheartening Agent Sacks. Why don't you recover the hole?"



Tony laughed but quickly cut it off when Jet's hand met the back of his head.



--------



Abby and Carly were working on breaking the encryption on the SD card when Gibbs walked in followed closely by Fornell. "What have you got for us?" He asked.



Abby turned and shook her head. "Nothing yet. We've almost cracked their encryption but we're not there yet."



The two men watched as the women worked in unison to get to the information that could lead them to the terrorists and stop whatever they were planning. When they saw them both look at each other and nod, Gibbs and Fornell knew that they got it. With the touch of a few keys, the files were displayed on the plasma. Gibbs cursed when he recognized the target.



"Washington Dulles International?" Fornell said, staring at the layout of the airport's terminal. "My God."



Carly pointed a file out to Abby and she opened it next. Groaning when nothing but code came up on the screen, Abby told Gibbs, "We might need McGee's help decoding this Gibbs."



"Decoding what?" McGee asked as he walked in with Ziva. He stared at the plasma for a few moments before moving to Carly's computer. She willingly stepped out of the way, knowing he worked faster typing on his own. After five minutes of having people stare at him, McGee said, "Go get something done, I can't concentrate with all of you staring at me like that."



Gibbs smiled at the floor and smacked the back of McGee's head when he passed him. "Sorry boss, I just..."



"McGee!" He barked.



"Yes, boss?" McGee looked at Gibbs.



"Don't apologize! Now get back to work!"



"Yes boss." McGee said and went back to decoding the file.



-------



McGee's eyes were as big as saucers. Connecting to the plasma in the bullpen, he said, "Boss, whatever they are planning its set for today."

Gibbs got on the phone to Jenny and Fornell called his office. They were in the middle of arranging teams to get to the airport when Fornell's phone rang again. He jerked around to look at the tv and motioned for DiNozzo to turn the volume up.

"This is Isabelle Weathers, reporting live from the The Oaks Mall in Fairfax, VA. The situation as it stands now, there is one lone man inside wearing a bomb. He hasn't made any demands to the police or FBI that are on the scene. The only thing we have been able to find out that he's said is that no one is to leave until he gets orders from a higher power to release people. There is no word yet on who and what this higher power is. This is Isabelle Weathers and we'll be here live at The Oaks Mall to keep you up-to-date with any developments."

Gibbs stared at the television before having Tony turn it down. "It's a distraction. Odds are the higher power is whoever is behind the attack on the airlines."

McGee came running into the bullpen from the stairwell. "Boss, if the bomb is on a timer, there's a possibility that there is a back-up detonator on a radio frequency."

Gibbs looked at Carly, taking a moment to read her expression before he made the decision. "We have teams heading for the airport. If this guy is a distraction, we might be able to get more intel on where and what is going down at Dulles."

As they walked to the elevators, Gibbs paused by Carly. She told him, "I need to be there. If the FBI can take this guy down, it won't matter if he talks or not, I can get information out of him. Just make sure Fornell's people don't kill him."

He looked in her eyes knowing she was right. "You stay well out of range until they get that bomb taken care of." She nodded her understanding. As they moved together towards the elevator he asked, "What are you going to do if he's thinking in Arabic?"

Carly looked surprised and then smiled. "Well then Ziva will find out my secret, won't she?"

At The Oaks Mall, Gibbs, Fornell and their agents walked quickly to the command center. Agent Waverly looked up and frowned.

"I have this situation under control Agent Fornell," he said.

McGee was watching the agent working on the computer. "What are you doing?" McGee asked, looking over the man's shoulder.

Agent Waverly looked down his nose at McGee. "Agent Mabry is about to jam all radio frequencies so that we can get in there and defuse the bomb."

Fornell was about to speak when Gibbs motioned him quiet. McGee pushed the man's chair out of the way.

Agent Mabry stood up. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

McGee got in his face. "Stopping you from killing everyone in that mall. How do you know what you're about to do won't set the bomb off?"

Agent Waverly told them, "It's a chance we're taking."

McGee turned on him. "Like hell you are. We're taking this from you. If you're the idiot that raided the crypt, we don't need you here. All you're out to do is make a name for yourself and you were about to do it too! Jamming every frequency without knowing what could happen. Idiot! You want to be known as the FBI Special Agent that blew up hundreds of innocent people to further his career." Turning quickly, McGee punched Agent Mabry, knocking him back before he could hit the button to jam the frequencies. "You are making your reputation today. Get out!" He ordered and pushed both men towards the door. DiNozzo and Sacks took over from there, shoving the agents out of the trailer and slamming the door.

Fornell got on the phone as Tim sat at the computer and went about undoing everything the other agents had set in motion. Fornell had a quick conversation with his Director and watched out the window as other FBI agents escorted Waverly and Mabry off the scene. Gibbs stood next to Tim and Carly leaned down and kissed McGee's cheek. "Good job Tim. Now work your magic so we can get this guy out of there alive."

Tim turned bright red but continued working. Gibbs raised his eyebrow at Carly and when she only flashed him a cheeky grin, he shook his head and smiled.

After a few minutes of working on the frequencies, they noticed McGee freeze for a moment before muttering, "I don't believe it."

"What? What don't you believe?" Carly asked.

"Can it be that simple?"

"Can what be that simple, McGee?" Gibbs barked.

"Boss, there were two numbers I couldn't figure out on the memory card. Each number was nine digits long. I thought they could possibly be social security numbers but I didn't have time to check before we left. Abby was running them down." McGee pulls out his notepad just as his phone rings. With the phone stuck between his shoulder and his ear, he answered, "McGee," while typing the numbers into the system to check the frequencies.

Abby was telling him she hadn't pulled up anything useful. One number hadn't been assigned yet and the other belonged to a two month old. "I know Abby."

Carly squinted as she heard Abby yell, "What do you mean you know? Have I become useless here?"

Taking the phone from McGee so he could concentrate, Carly told her, "No way! You are not useless! We all need you very much. Tim had just figured out what the numbers could be when you called is all there is, Abby."

Calmer now, Abby said, "Well, ok. I just hate it when they know before I tell them. I've never figured that out."

"I think it's a gut thing, Abs." Carly told her and realized most of the men were staring at her. "Listen, I'll fill you in later, ok? Gotta go for now."

"Ok, bye. Stay safe!" Abby ordered as she hung up the phone.

McGee had stopped typing and was staring at the computer. "Those idiots really would have blown everyone up."

"What do you mean?" Fornell wanted to know.

"If they had jammed the radio frequencies, they would have interrupted the signal going to the bomb and it would have gone off."

"So how are you going to prevent that?" Sacks asked.

"First I have to copy the signal and start transmitting. Once I've done that, I can jam the others and we have control."

"Until the timer goes off." Tony said.

"Right." Tim agreed.

"So we have to defuse the bomb before then." Carly stated and Tim nodded.

They watched in silence as Tim worked against the timer on the bomb. Finally he said, "It's done. Frequency is copied and transmitting. The others are jammed. All we have to do is defuse the bomb."

Gibbs, Tony, Ziva and Carly stepped out of the trailer and approached the mall. Reporters yelled questions but were silenced in shock as the four entered without so much as a vest on. The man with the bomb saw them coming towards him and panicked. He started yelling at them to stop. What he didn't see with Gibbs and Carly coming at him from the front were Ziva and Tony coming at him from behind. Ziva tapped his shoulder and when he turned, Tony punched him. Unconscious, the man lay on the floor while Ziva worked to defuse the bomb. Carly and Gibbs told everyone to leave, quickly and orderly. The crowd of people, terrified still, ran to the exits and were met by federal agents as they reached the outside. They were all checked to make sure no one was injured and Ziva sat back. Blowing her hair from her forehead, she pulled the man up by his shirt and took the bomb off him.

As they pulled him to his feet, the man came to. "Good, you won't be able to say you didn't hear your rights." Tony told him.

Carly took his other arm and walked as far as the doors with them. As the reached the outside, the FBI took the man into custody and the NCIS team quietly stepped out of the spotlight. Walking back to the trailer, Carly whispers to Gibbs, "The plan is set to go down soon and they're going to take out the Air Traffic Control Tower as well."

"Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS. This is Special Agent Fornell with the FBI." Gibbs announced as they met with the Federal Air Traffic Control & Communications rep.


"James Wilson, FATCC. We've got the terminals locked down and all incoming flights are being diverted to other airports in the area. I have airport security checking ID's on all the people in the terminals, but it's a big job. If your people have any clue how many devices have been planted and approximate locations, we can route the men from the bomb squad to defuse them."


"There's another problem." Gibbs told Wilson. "We believe they intended to take out the ATC tower as well."


Wilson looked surprised. "The tower itself? No one gets in the tower without clearance. Everyone has an ID card that is read electronically when they get 10 feet from the building. Without that card and their 16 digit code, the doors stay locked."


"No one has reported a card missing? Their code not working?" McGee asked.


Wilson shook his head. "I've checked all that. All staff cards are accounted for and no one has reported their code not working. The tower employees have a different code on their cards than at other places in the airport."


"So that means employees from other areas don't have access to the tower?" Tony asked.


"Exactly." Wilson confirmed.


Gibbs had been speaking with Carly off to the side, trying to get her to leave the terminal but knowing she would stay until she couldn't anymore. She told him what she knew of the locations and he turned to Wilson.


"You've got the bomb squad searching already, correct?" Gibbs asked him.


"Yes, they have the dogs out and are checking this terminal and the two others that are filled with people."


"What about the two you have on high alert because of the foreign dignitaries coming in?" Carly asked.


Wilson looked at her. "How did you know about that?"


"It's been publicized about their meeting with the President. With that and this airport being attacked, it's only reasonable to think they are flying in here."


"No one could have gotten into those terminals." Wilson said.


"Redirect the bomb squad there anyway. It's not always the biggest, soft target these guys go after." Gibbs told him. "Now, I suggest you have someone check the Tower as well. If we're right and someone did manage to get in, your airport is down for more than just a day and you'll get to explain to the families why you didn't clear that area."


Wilson's jaw clenched and then he got on the radio. "All personnel, switch to the secure channel now." When they looked at him, he said, "If you think these people have infiltrated our employees then I can guarantee you they aren't security and won't know what channel to switch to." Back into the radio, Wilson said, "I need two bomb squad teams with dogs to go to terminals 4 & 7. Right now! We think the attack was aimed at the foreign nationals coming in. Also, redirect one unit to the ATC Tower, repeat, one unit to the Air Traffic Control Tower. If they've breached security, they could have planted devices there. Radio in if you find anything."


Gibbs nodded and looked at the team leaders for their bomb squads. "Get to terminals 4 & 7. Start opposite airport staff and work your way in. Radio when you find something. Be aware, the terrorists could be anywhere. Wilson, make sure security keeps everyone where they are. We can't chance these people getting out yet. We're going to be at terminal..." he stared at Wilson until he was told terminal 3 had the heaviest population, "terminal 3. Fornell, you take your team to the other terminal Wilson was searching. Radio anything you find in. I don't have to tell you people that terrorists don't care how many lives are lost, even their own. Extreme caution is needed. Let's go."


He took Carly's hand and she heard his thoughts. You need to get out of here. She looked at him. "I'm safe with you Jet. I know that much for certain. Today, I'm safe right by your side."


-------


The man looked around. Seeing all the planes approach and then be diverted he knew his plan had failed. Taking his janitor uniform and setting it on fire before tossing it in a tall trash bin, he headed for his exit. He would live to plan another attack against these leaders of the so-called free world.


-------


With Carly's help, Gibbs, DiNozzo, McGee and Ziva found two terrorists in the crowd in terminal 3. Gibbs looked around the crowd of faces once more. Noticing someone staring at him with disgust instead of fear or uncertainty. Silently alerting Ziva, he approached the man. Just as he stepped up to him, the man pulled a knife and tried to stab him in the chest. Gibbs grabbed the man's wrist, pushing it up with one hand, turned and brought his elbow back into the man's nose. As blood started pouring from his now broken nose, the man fell wordlessly to the ground.


"For a minute there, I thought you might need some help." Ziva told him.


Carly reached Gibbs side and stared down at the man on the floor. "Good work Gibbs." She said and smiled at Jet.


"Thanks." Gibbs said and radioed Fornell to learn they had captured four suspected terrorists in terminal 1.


The bomb squads had found and disabled a total of 4 bombs in each of the two terminals. They were still searching the tower and had located one at the entrance, one in the power room, and one in the stairwell. The radio squawked and then the leader of the squad in the tower came over the air. "Another device located in the elevator shaft. It's been disabled. We've searched top to bottom, the rest of the place is clean."


Breathing sighs of release the agents met with Wilson one last time. "We're going to need the video of those terminals and the tower from the past week. I want to know when they came in, how often they were here and who planted what bomb where."


Wilson nodded. "I'll have them sent to you immediately."


Turning without responding, he led them out of the airport. Back at the office, Tony had the volume up on the TV.


"This is Isabelle Weathers, reporting live from Washington-Dulles International airport where earlier this evening a terrorist attempt to bomb several terminals was stopped by a joint effort of several federal agencies helping airport security. Reports indicate that seven terrorists were captured during this attempt and they are being detained for questioning by the federal agencies. Speculation is rampant that the suicide bomber from earlier today was but a decoy to keep federal officials from the airport until it was too late. These rumors are unconfirmed at this time. More on this story, tonight at eleven."


"More?" Tony asked. "What more? That's all the press is going to get right now. And did you notice? They didn't even mention FBI this time. We're all just federal officials now."


Smiling and walking quietly, Carly and Jethro made it to the elevator and inside before anyone noticed they were leaving.


"Abby and Tony know about the baby?" Jet asked.


Carly looked at him with regret and nodded. "I'm sorry Jet, it's just…"


"You needed someone and I wasn't there, Carly. I understand." He kissed her forehead and they stepped out of the elevator into the parking area. Walking to the car, he asked, "When do you want to tell the others?"


Carly smiled. "I was wondering if you wanted to tell them now."


Opening her door, he waited until they were both inside with the car running before answering. "I think the sooner we do it the better. At least as far as the rest of the team, Ducky and Jenny are concerned."


"Well then, do you want to tell them after the appointment on Tuesday? Once we get a more official due date. What do you think?"


He smiled at her. "Good idea. We'll tell them together."

Carly was lying on the bed in the exam room. The doctor was using the fetal doppler to find the heartbeat. Once the sound changed from the swooshing sound of the fluid in the womb to the quick 'bump, bump, bump', Carly looked at Jet and smiled. He squeezed her hand and smiled back but she could hear him. He was worried.



"Well, we've got a good strong heartbeat here." Dr. Jones said with a smile. "You are doing fine, Carly." She put the doppler up and let Carly straighten her top. Opening the chart, Dr. Jones read some reports and looked at them both. "We've done some blood work on you since you told me you were injected with a sedative several weeks ago. So far, everything looks fine. Your blood work came back normal. We can do an amnio later in the pregnancy if we have any concerns from the ultrasounds. And speaking of ultrasounds, we're going to schedule one for you in the next month to get a look at the little one and make sure everything is going fine, ok?"



Carly and Jet both nodded. "Do you know the due date?" Carly asked.



Dr. Jones read back over the chart. "Well from what you've told me about your history we're looking at a late October, early November baby. Now, just take this up front and they'll schedule your ultrasound and your next office visit ok?"



"Thank you Doctor." Jet said and took the paper as Carly got off the exam bed and picked up her purse.



-------



"So, what did you think of the doctor?" Carly asked Jet as they pulled out of the parking lot.



"She's competent," he answered.



Carly grinned. "Yes she is." Laughing, she reached out for his hand. Once she touched him the smile slipped from her face. "Jet?"



"Yes Carly?"



"I know you are happy about the baby. And I know you're also anxious and a little upset as well. You have every right to be with what you've gone through. No one can promise you that things are always going to be ok and that nothing will ever happen to hurt us. But I know from watching my Nana and from watching my parents, that if you love each other and are open with each other, you can face almost anything."



Jethro moved his hand away from hers and stopped at the red light. The look of devastation on his face was as fresh as if he had lost Kelly that day. He blinked and the light turned green. As he drove towards the office, he was quiet for a few moments. "I can't begin to explain what it's like to lose a child. I can tell you it's the worst hurt you can ever feel and still live through. Some days I didn't want to live through. I wanted to end it all but every time there was something there that wouldn't let me pull the trigger. Ducky would say it's the part of me that knew I had to go on. Abby would say it was other forces keeping me from doing something stupid. You want to know what I think?"



He looked at her through the next light and Carly nodded. "Please."



"I think it was them holding me back. Not letting me pull that trigger. If not in spirit at least the thought of them. I couldn't end it without tarnishing them, you know?" He took her hand and Carly started crying. "I know why now. And I've never been happier that I couldn't do it than I am now."



Carly waited until he stopped the car in the parking lot. She leaned over and pressed her lips to his; kissing him hard and deep, so moved by his confession and his feelings she couldn't hold back. It wasn't until DiNozzo knocked on the window that they pulled apart.



Tony leered at them until Abby smacked the back of his head. "Don't be rude Tony."



He smiled at Abby. "We could return the favor and give them a show?"



Abby shook her head but grinned. "Not now. We're all going to Sal's. Want to come with?"



Carly looked at Jet and he nodded. "Sure. We just have to get something first and we'll meet you there ok?"



"Ok. Just don't be too long or Tony will order without you."



They laughed as Tony pulled Abby towards the car to hurry to the food. He took Carly's hand. "You ready to tell the Director?"



Carly took a deep breath. "I'm ready if you are."



-------



"Well, who's this beautiful woman?" Sal asked as Jen walked in the restaurant with Carly and Jethro.



Jen smiled at the man's unabashed charm. "Jen Shepard."



Sal's eyebrows rose. "The Director I've heard so much about? It's a pleasure to meet you." He took her hand and brushed a kiss across her knuckles.



Lacey chuckled from behind her dad. "Don't mind Pop. I have to say though that he has marvelous taste."



Blushing now, Jen allowed Lacey and Sal to lead her to the table. Carly leaned towards Sal. "Can you stay for a few minutes?"



Sal looked at her face and smiled at the happiness in her eyes. "Of course, Bella. I can stay."



As Sal seated Jen, Jet seated Carly then stayed standing. After a moment, all eyes turned to him. Clearing his throat he looked around then said, "Carly and I have some news."



"You're getting back together?" Michelle guessed.



With a quick smile, he nodded. "Well that too. The other news is..."



Carly stood, "We're going to have a baby."



After the shock died down and the questions were answered, Sal slapped Jethro on the back. Grinning he told them all, "Since this is a happy occasion, tonight's meal is on the house. Order whatever you like and I'll bring it out to you."



-------



Unlocking the door to the house, Jethro pulled Carly into his arms and kissed her. "I think they took it well."



She smiled. "I think so too."



Jet walked over to the coffee table and picked up a remote. Pressing a button, music filled the room as he turned to pull her back to him. Kissing her softly, he lifted her into his arms and carried her up the stairs. As the music drifted up to them, he slowly, sweetly made love to her. Overwhelmed from both her feelings and his thoughts about her, Carly succumbed to her pleasure quicker than she had before. He smiled as he joined her. They lay snuggled in each others arms and listened to the song on the radio.

I have felt it
And I have held it
I have known
A woman's love

I have tasted
And I have wasted
A woman's love

And I know
I'll never understand
All the little things
that make It grand


A woman's love
And I know
I'll never come Face to face
With any thing
that takes the Place
Of a woman's love

Well I have kissed it
Tried to resist it
I have missed
A woman's love


And I have hated
Taken for granted
A woman's love

Well I have needed
And I have pleaded
And I have lost
A woman's love

And I have worshipped
And I have cursed it
A woman's love


Well I adore it
Thank god for it
A woman's love



Jet kissed her forehead, her eyelids, the tip of her nose and then her lips. "I love you Carly."



~The End~



~Calalily~