WHILE I HAVE THE CHANCE

Title: While I Have the Chance
Author: SAGibbs25

Rating: Not Sure - Sexual References, References to murder
Archive: Sure
Disclaimer: NCIS is the properties of Belisarius Productions, Paramount Network Television, DPB
and CBS.
Summary: Kate and Tony are captured by rogue marines during an investigation. Gibbs & the rest
of the team search for them, with a little help from Fornell
Spoilers: None
Pairings: Tate & mild McAbby


Newport News, Va. - 4:30pm

Tony DiNozzo sat with his back against the wall. He'd never been in so much pain in his entire life. His left eye was nearly swollen shut. He was fairly certain that he had at least two cracked ribs. His jaw hurt like hell, but he didn't think it was broken. His lower lip was split, and he couldn't help but run his tongue occasionally across his broken tooth. It was damned cold in the cramped little room, and the concrete floor wasn't doing any good for his back. He could only imagine the bruises they'd left, hitting him with wooden batons. They'd worked him over good.

In spite of it all, the thing that hurt him the most at the moment was the thought that Kate was in worse shape. Her head rested on his lap, her eyes still closed, just as they'd been when Mickey Cochrane & Travis West had flung her back into their little cell four hours earlier. She'd been worked over as well. Not quite as bad perhaps, but she still hadn't regained consciousness.

He'd pulled her in close to him, and used his own shirt to cover her up and try to keep her warm. They'd torn her blouse, probably to intimidate her. She was still wearing her bra and skirt. For four hours he'd been talking to her and stroking her mane of dark brown hair. He'd started by trying to rouse her, going so far as to slap her face lightly, but she wouldn't wake. For the last two hours he'd been telling her about the Western film festival he'd watched on TNT during his last day off. He hoped that she'd wake up and tell him to shut up, like she usually did when he told her about a movie. Granted, he mainly started telling her just to piss her off in the first place.

For the first time in a real long time, Tony was terrified. Not of being beaten again. Not even of being killed. He'd known about, and accepted the risk of that the day he first joined the Peoria PD. No, what terrified him was the thought that Kate would never wake up, the thought that he'd never look into her beautiful brown eyes again, the thought that she'd never threaten to shoot him again, or flash him that incredibly sexy and saucy smile when she felt she'd one-upped him. The thought, Tony believed, might actually kill him before the rogue marines got the chance. He stroked her hair again and said, "So, Yul Brenner agrees to go to this Mexican village and protect the villagers from this bandit, played by Eli Wallach…"


NCIS Headquarters, Washington DC - 4:33pm

Leroy Jethro Gibbs came down the stairs from M-TAC to the bullpen. His face was a thunderhead which threatened to demolish anything in its path. Timothy McGee was painfully aware that at the moment, he was the only available target. That fact was the very source of Gibbs' foul temper.

"McGee," Gibbs said, in a soft voice that almost made McGee wish he were yelling instead, "any word from DiNozzo or Kate?"

"Uh, no boss," the young agent managed to croak. The look on Gibbs' face darkened even further.

"I'm going to kill them both," Gibbs growled, "and if there's anything left, I'll fire them!" He reached into the top drawer of his desk and pulled out his Sig-Sauer, sliding it into the holster on his hip. "Let's go," he said to McGee, striding purposefully toward the elevator. The young man scrambled to retrieve his own weapon and darted after the older man, ducking into the elevator just before the doors slid shut.


J. Edgar Hoover Building, Washington DC - 4:48pm

"Agent Pratt, where the hell is that file on Marcus Washington?" Tobias Fornell was never really loved by his subordinates at the FBI, but he was really on a rampage today.

John Pratt considered quitting on the spot, and following that up with a nice overhand right to Fornell's jaw, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. It was not, he told himself, that he feared Fornell. He just didn't want to lose all the benefits that came with a solid government job.

"Got it here, sir," he said, handing off the red envelope detailing all the information the Bureau had managed to accumulate on former Marine Lieutenant, and current drug kingpin Marcus Washington.

Fornell snatched the file away without another word, slipping it under his arm as he donned his dark grey trench coat and headed for the elevator. Pratt wondered what he was up to, but decided it really didn't matter. At least he wouldn't be around to ruin the rest of the day for John Pratt.


The street in front of the Hoover Building, Washington DC - 4:53pm

Fornell waited impatiently on the curb in front of the Hoover building. He was very much aware of the implications of what Gibbs had told him in their video conference. If Marcus Washington and his crew had captured Agents Todd and DiNozzo (even in his mind he pronounced it DiNotzo), then either they were dead, or they soon would be.

Tobias hadn't forgotten the assistance that Jethro and his team had given him when he'd been set up, and jailed as a traitor. He owed them, and Fornell was a man who paid his debts. He looked at his watch. Any second now.

As if on cue, a dark blue Dodge came roaring around the corner, nearly sideswiping a yellow cab, whose driver laid on the horn. Jethro pulled up in front of Tobias. Agent McGee jumped out, with his laptop, and climbed into the back seat, allowing Fornell to slide into the passenger seat. Gibbs gunned the accelerator and shot back out into traffic, almost before Fornell had even managed to close the door.

"This is one vicious s.o.b. we're dealing with Jethro," he said, dropping the file onto the seat between them.

"Ya think, Tobias?" Gibbs growled.

McGee was typing away in the back seat, looking for anything that might help them find Tony and Kate. "Still nothing on their cell phones, Boss," he said.

"The Bureau has a more comprehensive file on this bastard than we do, Tobias. Where would he go?"

Fornell thought over what he'd read for a moment and said, "I'm not sure, Jethro." The glare Gibbs gave him spoke volumes on how he felt about that answer. "He literally has safe houses littered from Baltimore to Charlotte. He could be in any of a dozen of them."

"What does your gut tell you, Tobias?"

Fornell thought for a moment and said, "There are too many possibilities Jethro. And, besides, we're not even aware of all his holdings. Better if we find this man." He picked up the file and flipped to a photograph of a man with sandy hair and brown eyes. He had a buzz cut, and a tattoo of a snake on the side of his neck.

Gibbs grabbed the photo and held it up against the wheel as he drove. "Who is he?"

"His name is Jeffrey Webber," Tobias said. "He's one of Washington's primary lieutenants. They've been friends since grade school. If anybody in Washington's organization knows where he is holding your agents, it'll be Webber."

"Where do we find him?" Gibbs asked, his voice suddenly going very quiet and cold.

"Norfolk," Tobias answered. "Among other things, he runs a little restaurant, which they use to launder drug money."

From the back seat, McGee said, "Boss, how are we going to get this Webber guy to talk?"

In the rear-view mirror, McGee could see the fire in his boss' blue eyes. "He'll tell me," Gibbs said. "I guarantee it."

In the passenger seat, Tobias Fornell couldn't help but to feel just a bit of sympathy for the poor bastard. He tried to determine what lines Gibbs wouldn't cross to find his agents, but he couldn't think of any. He hoped that Jeffrey Webber would talk, and quickly, for his sake.


Newport News, Va. - 5:07pm

Tony continued stroking Kate's hair. He'd given up on the movie thing and was now telling her about Amanda, a pretty dental hygienist he'd met at the gym, while riding the stationary bike. "Admittedly," he said, "I only got on the bike because she was already on the one next to it."

A flash of pain shot through his side as he took a breath just a little too deep. He grunted and shifted slightly. From his lap, he heard Kate mumbled, "Only you would try to pick up a girl while she was working out, Tony."

A huge grin split his face immediately. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice laced with genuine concern. "You've been out cold for a while."

"My head is killing me, and I'm a bit dizzy," Kate answered as she started to sit up, "but I think I'll live for now." A fresh wave of dizziness hit her as she started to sit up, and she began to topple back down. Tony grabbed her shoulders and gently lowered her until she once again lay with her head in his lap.

Even as a fresh smile started to spread across his face, before he could even begin to comment, Kate said, "Don't even say it, DiNozzo. Don't even think it."

"Too late," he said, mischievously.

She rolled a bit, onto her back, but with her head still cradled on Tony's thigh. It registered that he was bare-chested, and before she thought, she began to chastise him. "Tony, where is your shirt?"

Even as the words were leaving her mouth, she was hit by a pair of realizations. She could see the dark welts all over his face and body, his split lip, and the large, ugly-looking bruise on his left side. She winced just seeing it. She also realized that she didn't have a shirt on either, though she was covered. It was DiNozzo's checkered shirt which served as her makeshift blanket.

Suddenly, it hit her. She remembered. They'd been looking into the rising number of drug cases at Norfolk and Little Creek, and they'd come up with a lead which brought them to a house in Virginia Beach. They'd been surprised to find a half-dozen armed men. In short order they'd been relieved of their ID's, cell phones, & weapons, and bundled into a van for a thirty minute drive to this house, where they'd been either locked in this basement cell, or beaten and interrogated.

Having regained herself enough, Kate managed, with Tony's help to get into a sitting position. "Thanks, Tony," she said, as she actually put his shirt on. She winced again as she looked at his face. She reached out and gently touched his cheek, where his eye had all but swollen shut.

"Don't worry about anything, Kate," Tony said, almost managing to sound cheerful. "Any minute now, Gibbs is going to come busting through that door and yell at us for sitting around on the job." He chuckled at the thought, especially the thought that he might be right. Kate suppressed a giggle of her own, but her amusement was short lived.

"He won't know where we are, Tony," she said, in a voice tinged with fear and anger.

"Hey Kate, just in case you're right, and Gibbs doesn't manage to find us in time, there's just one thing I really need to know." He turned toward her and looked into her eyes.

Even now, she thought to herself. Even now he has to make jokes. "What is it Tony?" she asked, expecting some flippant answer, some obnoxious comment about her clothes, her hair, her past boyfriends, or some dumb movie. What she didn't expect was for him to pull her into her arms and kiss her, thoroughly, his lips pressed hard to hers, his tongue flicking past her teeth to find her own. And she certainly never expected that she'd react the way she did. She should have punched him in the gut, or bit his lip, or slapped his face, on the other side from his swollen eye maybe, but something.

Instead, as the initial shock wore off, she melted into him, her arms wrapping around him and pulling him to her. Her mouth seeking his just as hungrily. He grunted as she squeezed him, putting pressure on his ribs, but he didn't stop kissing her.

After what seemed like ten minutes, but was probably more like one, they separated, and both leaned back against the wall, breathing hard. After a few seconds to gather herself, she said, in breathy tones, "What the hell was that, Tony?"

He grinned at her, as best he could, and said, "I've been wanting to do that since about ten seconds after I boarded Air Force One," he said.

"Alpha Foxtrot twenty-nine thousand," she corrected him, but she smiled to show she was teasing.
She leaned her head against his shoulder, and prayed he was right about Gibbs, despite her doubts.

"And hey," Tony said, "just in case Gibbs doesn't find us in time, I figured I'd better try it now, while I have the chance."

She smiled again. He was simply irrepressible. And, she was damned glad he was there, though she likely wouldn't be able to tell him so.



Newport News, Va. - 5:29pm

The door opened, and three of the gorillas who worked for Marcus Washington entered. One held a 9mm Baretta in his right hand, down at his side. The others moved in on Tony and Kate from either side, leaving the gunsel a clear shot.

"Hey guys," Tony said in a cheery voice, a grin spreading across his face, "you ever think about going on Broadway? You could bill yourselves as the no-neck triplets." The goon with the 9mm sneered, and his two buddies each grabbed Tony by a shoulder and dragged him to his feet. He could feel Kate tense. "It'll be ok, Kate," he said. He didn't want her to try anything, and maybe get hurt. "They probably just want me to tech them how to read."

Kate couldn't help but chuckle. Even now, Tony was making jokes. One of the goons slugged him hard in the gut, doubling him over. Her breath caught in her throat. She knew what he was in for. They would probably not hold back as much with him though.

"Come on, guys," Tony gasped out between shallow breaths., "how am I supposed to teach you if I can't get my breath?"

The gun-hand, a former marine, named Hugo Kane smiled and said, "You won't need to teach. I'll teach you,…about pain."

"Not necessary," Tony said as they dragged him through the door. "I've already got a BA in pain."

The door slammed closed, and Kate heard the bolt being rammed into place outside. She suddenly felt very alone, very cold, and very scared. This must be awful, she thought to herself. I'm sitting here wishing Tony were with me.


Norfolk Navy Yard, Norfolk, Va. - 5:44pm

Tobias Fornell had never been very fond of helicopters. He just didn't really grasp the laws of physics which kept them in the air. He was willing to make an exception today. As the marine helo they'd managed to hop a ride on from the Pentagon to Norfolk touched down at the Navy yard, he wished that they could just fly to Italiana, to have their little "chat" with Jeffrey Webber.

He'd always figured that Gibbs' people were exaggerating when they claimed he'd tried to kill them with his driving. Now, he knew the truth. They hadn't been exaggerating. If anything, they'd understated. It was like driving with an Eastern European cab driver on crack through a slalom course in the dark.

Less than two seconds after they'd landed, Fornell, Gibbs and McGee were sprinting off toward a waiting car. Special Agent Noonan was standing next to the car. He had the doors open and the engine running, a tip he'd gotten via cell phone from McGee. They all piled in and Noonan watched as Gibbs gunned the accelerator and sped off toward the west gate.



Abby's forensics lab, NCIS Headquarters, Washington DC - 5:46pm

"Ducky?" Abby said questioningly, with more than a touch of trepidation in her voice.

"Yes Abigail," Ducky answered, looking up from the medical journal he'd been perusing.

"Tell me that they're going to be alright."

"Of course they'll be alright, Abby. Gibbs will find them." He put down the journal and walked to her, enfolding her in her arms.

She didn't know what it was, maybe his fatherly nature, but Ducky always made her feel safe, either with his words, or with a comforting hug. Not as safe as Gibbs, maybe, but not many people made her feel as safe as Gibbs. McGee could, at times. She suspected that that had more to do with her romantic feelings for him than anything else.

"You really believe Gibbs will find them?" Abby asked again, her cheek still pressed to Ducky's chest. It struck her what a foolish question that was. Of course Gibbs would find them. He was Gibbs.

"Yes, Abby," Ducky said again, and kissed the top of her head, directly between her pig-tails.

She felt better.


Italiana Restaurant, Norfolk, Va. - 5:55pm

The three of them came through the front door to the restaurant, weapons drawn. Gibbs went first, covering left. McGee followed, covering right. Fornell slipped between them, past the hostess stand to the entryway of the dining room. The hostess, a young woman, who certainly looked like she might, in fact, be Italian, stared, her mouth open, but nothing coming out.

Gibbs swept past Fornell, into the dining room, giving it a quick scan. It was nearly empty, despite the time. The food can't be all that good here. He couldn't help the stray thought. He moved on to the bar, which was set to the right, off the dining room. Fornell right behind. McGee remained in the doorway between the hostess station and the dining room to keep an eye on things.

Jeffrey Webber was standing at the end of the bar, dressed in a nice suit, which Tony would undoubtedly recognize as some fu-fu Italian designer label. He watched them, unmoving, as they approached. He certainly didn't seem afraid, or even concerned by their presence, or their guns. Just wait, Jethro thought.

Fornell flashed his credentials, "Special Agent Fornell, FBI. This is Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS."

Before he could even finish identifying them, Gibbs grabbed Webber by his $150 silk tie and yanked him away from the bar, jamming his Sig up under the man's chin. Webber was up on his toes, trying to relieve some of the pressure.

So much for the subtle approach, Fornell thought. Then again, he hadn't really expected subtle from Gibbs.

In a voice that was only slightly above a whisper, Gibbs said, "Jeffrey, I'm going to ask you one question, and if you don't answer me honestly, I am going to blow your brains all over this bar."

"You won't do it, cop," Webber said, but his voice was more than a little shaky. Probably the icy look in Jethro's eyes. Fornll had seen it before, but never quite like this. He believed, whether Jeffrey did or not, that Gibbs would kill the man if he didn't provide the answers they wanted.

"Oh Jeffrey," Gibbs said, "I wouldn't bet on that if I were you."

"Cops don't kill people without cause," Webber said, sounding just a bit more sure of himself now. "And, Navy or not, you're still a cop."

"Fornell," Gibbs said, "you ever read my file?"

"Of course, Jethro," Fornell answered. He was trying to watch the doorway to the dining room, the door to the kitchen, and the bartender, who seemed to be frozen in fearful fascination, all at once. He knew right away where Gibbs was going with this. "You were a Marine sniper in Panama & Desert Storm, eleven confirmed kills. I don't want to know how many unconfirmed." If anything goes wrong here, I'm going to lose my badge and my pension Fornell thought to himself.

"I've got to be honest with you, Jeffrey," Gibbs said, "most of the time, I didn't even know why I was killing those eleven people, it was just a mission. But you, I know what my mission is here." He paused a moment to let Jeffrey sweat. "I'm going to get my agents back, and if I have to kill you to do that, then so be it. The next idiot I talk to will spill his guts that much faster when I show him the holes in your head." The words were delivered succinctly, like a foregone conclusion. Gibbs didn't yell, or even try to sound menacing, and that, Fornell thought, is scary as hell.

"Okay," Jeffrey said, thoroughly convinced, "I'll tell you what you want to know, but I want protection."

"From Marcus Washington?" Fornell asked.

"Yeah," Webber said, but the way his eyes flicked back to Gibbs stated clearly that he expected Fornell to protect him from Jethro as well.

Gibbs spun him around and cuffed his hands behind his back. They marched him out to the car, collecting McGee on the way.

"Now," Gibbs said as they reached the street. "About that question. Where are my agents?"

"243 Briarfield Rd.," Webber said, with a resigned shrug. "Just over the bridge, off of 664." Suddenly he wanted nothing more than for this man to find his people, safe and sound.


Newport News, Va. - 6:10pm

Tony was flung into the cell, crashing to the ground. He let out a sharp cry as he hit the floor. Kate had to fight back her tears as she looked at him. He was a mass of purplish welts from his shoulders to his waist. Blood flowed from several good-sized gashes, and she barely recognized him. They'd really done a number on him again.

She scrambled over and tried to return the favor he'd done for her earlier, cradling his head in her lap. "Tony," said, trying to keep the fear from her voice, "are you okay?"

"That's a dumb question Kate," Tony mumbled, without opening his eyes, both of which were now swollen almost shut. "Do I look okay?"

"Compared to what? You never look okay," she answered automatically.

He actually chuckled, then cried out again from the pain laughing had caused him. "Don't make me laugh now, Kate," he said. "Hurts too much."

A moment of silence stretched between them. Kate was afraid his injuries might be more serious than they appeared. He was having trouble breathing. She wished there were something she could do to take his pain away.

Slowly, he opened one eye and said, "Kate."

"What is it Tony?"

"I'm really sorry," he said.

"For what?"

"Everything."

Wow. He must be in bad shape, she thought. "It's okay, Tony."

"Kate, when they …come back," he said, still fighting for breath.

"Yes?"

"Fight them Kate," he said. "Fight them with everything you've got."

"Tony…" she started, but he interrupted.

"I overheard them Kate. They're going to kill me, and worse for you."

Her stomach, already doing flip-flops from fear and concern for them both, turned to an icy ball of lead. Oh God, she thought, they're going to rape me….and they're actually going to kill Tony.

"I'll fight, Tony," she promised, but she knew how it was going to turn out. There were four, large, strong, armed men in this house. Even if she weren't already hurting, herself, she'd never stand a chance against them. But she'd fight.

"Kate," Tony whispered through his ragged breaths. "One more thing."

"What, Tony?" she asked, afraid that he might die right then and there.

"I love you, Kate," he said. "I couldn't ever bring myself to tell you, but it's true."

Tears welled in her eyes again, but mostly because she believed him. She certainly wouldn't have believed him this morning, but here, and now, she did. And what's more, she realized just how happy it made her to hear him say it. The tears she'd been holding in began to fall.

"Hang on, Tony," she said. "It's not over yet."

"I know Kate," he said, wincing through the pain and his ragged breaths, even managing to smile a bit. "I'll hold on. I wanna see what Gibbs is going to do to these a-holes. Damn, I‘m glad I‘m not them"

Kate's tears continued to fall, but she laughed in spite of herself. Hang on Tony, she thought. Hang on.


Newport News, Va. - 6:17pm

She'd fought them, like a wildcat, when they came for her. The smug one, Hugo, was lying on the floor, trying in vain to draw air through his crushed windpipe. She'd caught him by surprise with her resistance, and managed a ridge-hand strike to his throat. He'd be dead in a few minutes. She'd paid for it though.

The other two had knocked her down, beating and kicking her. She'd had her hands cuffed behind her back, with her own cuffs, ironically, and her ankles cuffed together. A wadded up bit of cloth, part of the remains of her blouse, she thought, had been jammed into her mouth, and a strip of duct tape pressed over her lips. They'd dragged her up the basement steps and into one of the bedrooms at the back of the house, where she'd been flung onto the bed like a sack of flour.

Marcus Washington was a large man, almost 6'5, weighing easily 240 pounds. His arms seemed as big around as tree trunks. He'd removed his shirt, and his muscles rippled beneath skin the color of dark roast coffee. His hair was still cut in a buzz, as though he were still a Marine. He radiated a powerful sense of menace.


Newport News, Va. - 6:17pm

Gibbs and McGee approached the house from the front, careful to watch for sentries. Their weapons were drawn. Fornell warily circled around the left side of the house.

They'd dumped Webber into the trunk, to be sure he couldn't tip off his buddies with the car horn, or some other such stunt. He'd obliged without comment, still more than a little bit intimidated by Gibbs.

Fornell had wanted to wait for backup before moving on the house, but Gibbs was adamant. Every minute they delayed was another minute that Washington and his boys had to kill Tony and Kate. They'd learned from Webber that Washington would be in the house with three others.

After their stealthy approach, Gibbs peeked in through one of the front windows. There were lights on in the back of the house, but nothing up front. He motioned McGee to get ready. Slipping a leather sap from his back pocket, he broke the glass of a small window on the front door. McGee was surprised at the little noise it made.

In a few seconds, Gibbs had reached through, unlocked the door, and swung it open. They moved inside, covering one another as they moved from position to position. They cleared each room carefully as they went. The back door, next to the kitchen, they opened, allowing Fornell to join them inside.

A series of thumping sounds and what sounded like a muffled scream came from the back of the house. They began moving in that direction, Gibbs in the lead.


Newport News, Va. - 6:19pm

Kate had been stripped down to just her undergarments, and they were little better than tatters. Her skirt and Tony's shirt now lay across the room, torn to almost nothing. Her ankles had been uncuffed, but each was held securely by one of Washington's thugs. The moment she truly dreaded was fast approaching.

"You gonna pay for what you done to Hugo, bitch," he said. "Me and the boys here are gonna see to that." The bastards holding her legs chuckled in anticipation.

"Tear her up, Marcus," one of them said.

Washington began to unbuckle his belt, and slowly lowered the zipper on his jeans. Kate squeezed her eyes closed as tight as she could. Her heart was hammering away in her chest like a jackhammer on crystal meth. She was praying, as hard as she could. She prayed that Tony would survive, that she would. She prayed to be delivered from the nightmare she was enduring, and she prayed for a miracle.

"I'm gonna enjoy this," Washington said, the satisfaction he expected was clear in his voice. "And when I'm done with you, I'm gonna go put a bullet in your friend's head." And suddenly, instead of the terror she'd expected, Kate found her miracle.

"I don't think so asshole," Gibbs said.

Kate couldn't believe her ears, but the voice was unmistakable. She opened her eyes and saw him, standing with his Sig shoved against the base of Marcus Washington's skull. Fornell and McGee were moving into the room as well.

In no time, they had the other two down on the ground and cuffed. Her natural modesty taking over, Kate curled herself into a ball as soon as her legs were free.

As soon as McGee had his goon cuffed, he slipped off his jacket and laid it over Kate. She looked at him with immense gratitude. "You were right Jethro," Fornell said. "Waiting for backup would have been a mistake."

"I'm gonna kill you, man," Washington said, though he still hadn't moved. His jeans were still down around his ankles.

McGee unlocked the cuffs on Kate's wrists, and she began frantically tearing at the tape over her mouth, not caring that she'd managed to uncover herself again. As soon as she could spit out the rag she said, "Tony's in the basement. I think he's hurt bad, Gibbs."

"McGee," Gibbs said, but before he could even go any farther, McGee cut him off.

"On it, Boss." He already had his cell open. "This is NCIS Special Agent Timothy McGee. I need a bus at 243 Briarfield Rd., Newport News. We have a Federal Agent down."

"Fornell, go with him." Gibbs said. "There's still one we haven't accounted for."

"He's dead Gibbs," Kate said, slipping on McGee's jacket. "I killed him. He's downstairs with Tony." Fornell and Gibbs shared a look, and the FBI man followed McGee into the hall.

Gibbs smiled at her. "Good girl."

"She gonna be a dead girl," Marcus Washington said, his shoulders tensing. Gibbs jammed the gun against the back of his skull a little harder.

"Go ahead," Gibbs said, his voice like ice. "Please, just give me one little reason to splatter that pea brain of yours on the wall."

"He's not worth it, Gibbs," Kate said, sliding a bit down toward the edge of the bed. "On the other hand." Her leg lashed out, like lightning, her heel connecting squarely with Washington's groin. In an instant, he was doubled over, on hands and knees beside the bed, retching.

"Are you okay, Katie?" Gibbs asked as he holstered his weapon. He kicked Washington in the back, knocking him facedown into a pile of his own vomit. In a moment, he had his hands cuffed behind him.

Gibbs straightened and turned, and was hit by the guided missile that was Kate, throwing her arms around him. She cried into his chest a moment. He felt his anger flare again as she looked up at him. Her lip was split, her face bruised, one eye almost swollen shut, and still she was beautiful. He fought hard to resist the urge to pull his Sig back out and dish out some frontier justice.

Instead, he wrapped her in his arms again, and said, "It's okay, Katie. You're safe now."

She sniffled and looked up at him again, "I'm scared Gibbs."

"There's nothing to be afraid of anymore," he said, stroking her hair.

"Not for me. For Tony. I think he might die."

As if her saying his name was a summons, McGee and Fornell appeared in the doorway, each doing their best to support Tony between them.

"Don't worry, Kate," Gibbs said as he saw them. "Tony doesn't have permission to die. If anybody is gonna kill Tony, it'll be me."

"Thanks Boss," Tony mumbled. "That's really kind of you." In the distance, the sirens from the ambulances and Newport News PD cruisers announced their arrival.

Gibbs led Kate over to the doorway, and together, they each gave Tony a small tap on the back of the head." Gibbs couldn't be sure, but he thought Tony at least tried to smile.


Newport News General Hospital, Newport News, Va. - 9:12pm

Tony was laid out on his hospital bed, an IV in his arm, and the TV on, though , for a wonder, he wasn't really watching it. It seemed like there wasn't a single millimeter anywhere on his body that didn't ache. He probably should have let the nurse give him morphine like the doctor suggested, but he didn't like taking addictive pain-killers.

He closed his eyes and thought about the kiss he'd shared with Kate, about how soft her lips had been and the feel of her skin, the sweet taste of her.

"Tony?" Her voice startled him a bit, and he groaned as he shifted. She was standing in the door of his room, barefoot, wearing a pair of flannel drawstring sleeping pants and a soft-looking USC sweatshirt Abby had brought from her apartment. The swelling around her eye and her lip had gone down. Even so, she looked like hell, but he didn't care. She was beautiful.

"Hey," he said, doing his best to sound like the old carefree DiNozzo. "How you holding up there, Champ?"

"Champ?" she asked as she padded over and sat on the corner of his bed.

"Gibbs told me you k.o.'d Washington in one shot."

"Oh, that," she said, her face filling with color. She turned away.

"Kate," Tony said, forcing himself to ignore the pain as he elevated the bed into a sitting position, "he deserved it."

"I know," Kate said. "I just…" She couldn't seem to find the words she was looking for.

"Kate," Tony said, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" She looked down at him, her brown eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"I couldn't protect you Kate," he said simply. His eyes falling. "And I shouldn't have taken advantage of the situation. I shouldn't have kissed you."

"Tony," Kate said, her voice gaining strength, as she cupped his chin, tilting his head up so she could look into his eyes, "for once, could you just shut up?" And, she kissed him. Tenderly at first, but with a fire underneath that slowly built. After an eternity, they separated, each trying to draw in oxygen, Tony grunting in pain with each deep breath, but not caring.

After several minutes, of the two of them enjoying being with one another, Tony, being Tony, had to ask, "Does this mean I'll get to see your tattoo after all?"

Kate, her eyes widening in mock outrage, punched him in the shoulder, lightly. "DiNozzo!"

"Sorry, uh Kate," he stammered out. "I just…"

"We're in the hospital," she said. "Can't you at least wait until we get out of here?"

The look of utter disbelief on Tony's face, utter shock that she'd actually, essentially, said yes, was well worth it. With a smile, she said, "Slide over a bit and give me some room."


Newport News General Hospital, Newport News, Va. - 8:22am

Gibbs walked down the hospital corridor, a large glass vase, filled with yellow roses in one hand and a box wrapped in bright colored paper in the other. The gifts were from everyone at NCIS. The roses for Kate, a portable DVD player and a horror film for Tony. Jethro, having seen the cover of the DVD, something called "Saw II," was convinced that letting Abby choose had been a mistake. On the other hand, DiNozzo would probably love it. He did intend to warn DiNozzo that it would go out the window if he ever caught him with it at work.

He walked past the nurse's station and smiled at the pretty redheaded nurse. She smiled back coyly. Her nametag read, Sandy. He continued on, grinning to himself, and made a mental note to swing back by here on the way out.

He came around the corner into Kate's room, only to find that she wasn't there. He checked his watch. Eight twenty-four. He figured she'd still be asleep. Abby and McGee had been here last night when he left, around eleven, with no sign of leaving. Surely Kate must be exhausted.

He thought about it a minute and decided to try Tony's room. Either Kate would be there, sitting with Tony and talking, or she'd be back here in bed when he came back. He gathered up the gifts and wandered down the hall to Tony's room, where the unthinkable happened. The unflappable Leroy Jethro Gibbs was stunned.

He turned the corner into Tony's room, ready to roar out, "DiNozzo!", just to let Tony know he cared, without having to actually say so, but he'd never in his wildest dreams thought to find the scene before him.

Tony was lying on his back, scooched far to one side of the bed, his arm around Kate, who was snuggled up against him, her head resting lightly on his left shoulder, her right hand entwined with his left, resting lightly on his chest. They both were deep asleep. With the exception of Tony's bare chest, at least they were both clothed. Damn, Gibbs thought. If they hadn't already broken Rule #12, they were certainly well on their way.

He paused for a minute, just watching his two agents. They meant more to him than he would ever dare to tell them. Both of them did. Another moment passed and Leroy Jethro Gibbs thought to himself, The hell with Rule #12. They deserve to be happy. And then, one final thought, Aw hell, I'm getting soft. With that, he set the gifts on a chair near the bed and walked back to the nurse's station.