“Gibbs?” He picked up his phone, listening as dispatch described the case to him, then hung up. “Grab your gear. Dead marine in some local body dump. Let’s go.” He ordered, snapping the bullets into his gun. Gibbs and Tony rode out in the sedan while McGee, Ziva, Ducky, and Palmer rode in the van. When they arrived, there was already newspaper reporters at the scene. Gibbs frowned. “What are they doing here?” he muttered, annoyed.
His question was answered by a young reporter who headed the crowd that swarmed him as he stepped out of the car. “What do you think about the Suicide Alley sequels?” asked the man, eagerly. “This isn’t the first Marine to be killed here, is it possible that you have a serial killer with a vendetta against the Navy?”
Gibbs frowned deeper. What other marines had died here? “I haven’t even seen the body yet.” He replied tartly, pushing through the crowd and ignoring the questions that were flung at him. Tony followed, grinning. He loved the camera. The team ducked under the yellow tape, instantly free of reporters. Ziva went up to talk to the police, Tony and McGee snapped photos, and Gibbs glanced around the alley, taking in everything.
Sarai checked her phone as she drove home, wondering why Tyler had missed the appointment, and, even more, why he hadn’t called. She pulled into the house, surprised to see that his car wasn’t there. She unlocked the door and went in, settling down on the couch with some leftovers and a movie to wait for him. But the hours went by, and soon she was fast asleep.
When she woke up in the morning, she swore, seeing that she was going to be late for work. Her car was the only one in the driveway again, but she figured Tyler had already left for work. She was beginning to feel a little resentful about his not showing up. She got into her car and backed out of the driveway, heading down the road. She braced herself, as usual, when she neared Suicide Alley, and when she rounded the corner, he saw the crowd at the entrance and shuddered. “People are sick to enjoy such things.” She muttered to herself. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw four letters that terrified her. The NCIS van sat parked outside the alley, and crime scene tape was stretched in front of it. Suddenly, everything clicked, and she jerked hard on the steering wheel, pulling off to the side of the road. She got out, slamming the door behind her, and slipped easily through the crowd. She reached the tape, and froze, breathing hard as the world disappeared around her. She turned to the young woman wearing a blue NCIS cap and questioning the police officer who had presumably discovered the body. It was habit to check Suicide Alley three times a day, in case of a body dump. “Who’s dead?” she asked shakily.
“I’m afraid reporters will have to wait for the official report.” Replied the Israeli woman, sounding annoyed and Sarai knew she’d been bombarded by such questions since she arrived.
“I’m not a reporter.” She whispered, and Ziva glanced up at her tone.
Her attitude changed as she noticed the look of terror on Sarai’s face. “Um…” she checked her notes. “Lieutenant Tyler Foster.” She replied, looking back up just in time to see Sarai’s eyes roll back in her head as she fainted.
Ziva caught the woman as she fell. “Tony!” she called, and the young agent came forward, surprised to see an unconscious woman in Ziva’s arms.
“What happened?”
“I think she knows the Lieutenant.” Replied Ziva, checking the woman’s pulse. “She fainted as soon as she heard the name.” She turned back to Sarai as the other woman woke up. “Maám? Are you alright?” she asked.
Sarai stood up, watched carefully by Ziva to make sure she didn’t fall again. “Yes.” she said, her eyes dazed. “I’m sorry, that doesn’t usually happen.” He eyes darted over to the body a distance away, and she covered her mouth, holding in a scream. “He’s…Ty’s dead?” she asked, blankly. Her mind was too far away, wondering if this meant what she thought it did.
“I’m afraid so.” Said Tony, his tone soothing for the beautiful woman. “What’s your relationship to the Lieutenant?”
“He’s my husband.”
Ziva wondered why her voice sounded so dismissive. “We’re going to have to ask you a few questions.”
“Of course.” Sarai replied mechanically. “I just need to call my boss.” She stepped a short distance away, dialing Cathy.
“Cathy Reynolds, how can I help you?” came the business like answer.
“Hi Cathy, it’s Kyra. I can’t come in to work today.”
“Morning sickness got you down? If you ask me, it isn’t fair for women to bear the full weight of childbirth. Seahorses have the right idea, giving the females the ability to become pregnant, and making the males give birth, although I suppose that really wouldn’t work for…”
“Tyler’s dead.” She cut off her bosses rant. She barely heard the gasp on the other end of the line. Having said the truth out loud had made it real, and she was fighting to stay calm, to not go into hysterics. “He’s become just another victim of the Suicide Alley curse.” She said bitterly.
“Oh dear God.” Gasped Cathy. “Oh, I’m so sorry, honey. Of course you’re not coming in today, or tomorrow, or all week for that matter. I’ll tell Gen. Do you want me to come over there? I can keep the hounds off you.”
“I’d like that, Cathy, thank you.” Whispered Sarai. “Just promise you’ll let NCIS ask their questions. I want them to find who did this. Now.”
Cathy paused as she heard the fear in her voice. “I’ll be there soon, Kyra. I promise to behave.”
“Thanks.” She pocketed her phone and walked back over to Tony and Ziva. “Thank you for waiting. What do you need to know?”
“When was the last time you saw your husband?” asked Ziva.
“Yesterday morning. He was supposed to meet me at the doctor that evening, but he never arrived, and when his car was still gone this morning, I assumed that he had just left for work already.”
“Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt him?”
“No one. He was always laughing.” There were, however, plenty of people who wanted to hurt her, and killing Tyler was a great way to do that. Not to mention, it could just be a mugging gone sour. Tyler wouldn’t have put up with something like that.
“We’re going to need his computer and other personal effects, if you don’t mind.” Said Tony gently.
She shook her head. “Of course not. Anything you think will help, Agent…” she trailed off, not able to think of the young agent’s name.
“Special Agent DiNozzo, this is Officer Davíd.” Sarai concealed her surprise at meeting her half-sister. She hadn’t known that Ziva had started working for NCIS. “I’ll go with you to gather Lieutenant Foster’s things.”
She nodded. “Alright. My car’s over there.” She turned and headed back to her car.
Ziva grabbed Tony’s arm. “Don’t be an insensitive jerk, Tony.” She hissed before letting him go after her.
Sarai drove the five minutes back to her house in silence, thinking. She unlocked the door and stepped back for Tony to go in first. He stepped inside, surprised at the simplicity of the house. “Ty’s laptop is on the desk.” Murmured Sarai. “I’ll go see what else I can find for you.”
As soon as the door closed behind her, she slid down against the wall, her chin resting on her knees. She wrapped her arms around herself, burying her face in her lap and sobbing quietly. She heard the door click open, and Tony sat down next to her. “It’s better if you don’t try to hide behind a calm face.” He said quietly. “Losing someone is hard enough without making yourself sick over it.”
“Tyler didn’t deserve to die.” Came her muffled voice. “Not like this. He was a marine, a hero. If he had to die young, it should have been fighting for his country, not because of some Goddamned superstitious bastards who thought it would be funny to dump his body in that Goddamned alley.” She lifted her head, eyes red with tears coursing down her cheeks, voice rising in anger. “It isn’t funny, it isn’t at all. It’s perfectly horrid, and now instead of being recognized for the man he was, he’s going to be Suicide Alley’s latest victim, a no-name, an addition to that damn Halloween horror story.”
Tony was confused by this passionate outburst. “I keep hearing that name, what’s it about?”
“That alley where you found Ty? Sixteen years ago, two people were supposed to have committed suicide together there, only it turned out to be murder. The case was never solved, and now the alley’s a legend. Teenagers dare each other to spend a night there, and scare their younger siblings with the story. Plus it’s become sort of a dumping ground for the bodies of muggings turned deadly, fist fights, murder, anytime someone dies under unnatural circumstances, their body turns up there.” She laughed unsteadily. “I always had the strangest feeling, driving past, that it would be my body they found someday. Instead it was Tyler’s.” she fell silent for a moment, then pointed to the nightstand. “He always kept important things in there.”
Tony nodded and climbed to his feet, heading over to the set of drawers and emptying them. Then he walked back over. “If you think of anything that might help us, or just want to talk, feel free to call.” He said gently, handing her his card before leaving.
Sarai let her head fall back against the wall, incredibly tired. She stayed that way for a long while, just praying. After an hour, the doorbell rang, and she called out. “Come in.” She’d expected the firm tread of Cathy, but instead, she heard heavy, angry footsteps. Lane’s warning from six years ago came back to her mind, and she realized that judgment hour had come.
Lane strode into the room, a storm on his face. He glared down at Sarai. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he demanded. “You’re not even the least bit upset are you?”
Sarai pushed herself to her feet, slowly, too tired to know how to handle him. “Of course I am, Lane.” She replied heavily. “I just deal with it differently than you do.”
“The hell you do, you bitch!” he cried angrily. She turned her head and braced herself against the wall, and his fist crashed into her cheek, knocking her head back. “This is your fault, I’m sure of it! Tyler wouldn’t be dead of it weren’t for you.”
“I know.” She whispered, eyes closed.
“You know? Then why the hell haven’t you confessed?”
“I didn’t kill him, Lane.” She protested.
He hit her again, and the back of her head cracked against the wall, stunning her. “I thought you said you were going to fight back, or was that just talk? I warned you, I told you that if you pulled any shit with Ty, you wouldn’t get away with it.” She knew he was preparing to hit her a third time, and she ducked away, backing up into the other side of the room.
“Calm down, Lane.” She ordered quietly, knowing she wasn’t in any condition to hold in her anger if he pushed her.
“Why, so I can be a machine, like you?” he demanded. “It’s your fault he’s dead, I know it.”
Fire burned to life in her eyes and she flew at him, doubling him over with a blow to his stomach. His face displayed his shock at her attack as she kicked his legs out from under him. He fell to the ground and she would have gone after him again if it hadn’t been for the terrifyingly familiar arms that wrapped around her waist, holding her back. She struggled furiously, tears coursing down her cheeks. “Let me go! I’m going to kill him!” she cried angrily. “Let go, let go!”
Lane had clambered to his feet, looking a little green. “Yeah, let her go, this is the first time she’s fought back in six years.” He gasped out. “Let her try to hit me again.”
“Let go!” She sobbed, no longer fighting. “Please let go.” Gibbs released her, cautiously, but she immediately launched herself at Lane again, and he had to drag her off him, pinning her arms to her sides as Lane gasped for breath on the floor. She clawed at his arms, trying to free herself, her eyes wild with fury and grief. “I’m going to kill him!” she swore, struggling. She let out a stream of furious words, and while Lane didn’t know the difference, Gibbs noticed that she was spouting some nasty curses in at least four different languages.
“Get out of here, Petty Officer, and I’m going to suggest that you don’t come back.” Ordered Gibbs.
“It’s her fault he’s dead, sir, she admitted it.” Wheezed Lane, getting to his feet.
“It’s not, it’s not!” Sobbed Sarai, finally exhausting her energy. Gibbs still held onto her, though, not believing in her stillness. “Please, God, it’s not!”
“You might as well have held the gun to his head! You’re a goddamned whore and a liar, and you killed your own husband!” Swore the young marine and he slapped her across the face.
“Hey!” exclaimed Gibbs. “Get out of here, Petty Officer, before I have to arrest you.”
“Bitch!” spat Lane at Sarai as he lurched out of the room. She let out a strangled scream of fury, wrenching herself away from Gibbs. She stood in the middle of the room, feeling suddenly helpless as she glared after the marine, then fell back on the bed, crying silently. Gibbs watched for a minute, waiting for her to calm down. Finally, she sat up, crossing her legs. “You should’ve let me kill him.” She said, emotionlessly. “It would’ve made the world a better place. You can sit down if you want.”
“Does that happen a lot, Mrs. Foster?”
“Not really. Usually he hits me and I just wait it out and leave. I guess I’m just stressed.”
Gibbs raised an eyebrow. “I’ve seen a lot of domestic violence cases, but I admit, not many of them involve someone being beaten by a family friend.”
Sarai just looked at him, blankly. “Your agent just left an hour ago, what can I help you with?”
Gibbs sat down on the edge of the bed, facing her. “We’ve looked into a few things, Mrs. Foster, and I wanted to ask you a few more questions. Clarify a couple of things.”
She sighed, rubbing the back of her head cautiously. “Sure.”
“How long have you and Lieutenant Foster been married?” he asked.
“A month. But we’ve been together for several years.”
“The other men from your husband’s unit that you met?”
“Uh, Flynn Hayes, Ben Marks, and Alec Carson.” She replied. “I’d met Alec a few days previously, he, uh, he pointed me down this way for a place to stay when I asked. A couple of months later, I ran into him and the rest of the guys at a bar while they were on a night out. Alec introduced me, and Tyler and I hit it off right away.”
Gibbs nodded, making a mental note to check in with the Foster’s friends about the story as well as about Kyra’s and Lane’s animosity. “And you work at the Archaeological Institute, right?” She nodded. Gibbs stood up, heading for the door. “Were you really going to kill him?” he asked, pausing.
She smiled grimly. “Maybe, but it wouldn’t have been on purpose. I‘m a good fighter and I might have just not stopped in time. I probably wouldn’t have, though. If I’m going to beat anyone to death, I’d rather it be the person who killed Tyler. I’m going to make sure they pay.
“Good. I’ll make sure we find who it is so you can do just that.” And with that, he left.
Sarai fell back onto the blankets again, dangling her legs over the side of the bed. She heard a car door shut and a short greeting. “Come on in, Cathy!” she called, wrapping her arms protectively around her stomach.
Cathy and Genevieve stepped into her room, sitting down on either side of her. Gen put a hand on her shoulder, soothingly. “I’m so sorry, honey, are you going to be okay?”
“I’m fine.” Replied Sarai tiredly, but just then her two friends noticed the marks over her eye and cheek.
“What the hell, Kyra!” exclaimed Gen.
“Did Tyler do that?” Cathy bristled at the idea of Sarai’s husband hitting her.
“No, Lane did.” She replied, rubbing her face with her hands. “He came in a little while ago, mad as hell.”
“And they say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Snorted Cathy. “That man’s had it out for you since the day he met you.”
“Yup.” Sarai didn’t sound much bothered by the fact, and Gen and Cathy realized for the first time just how true the statement was.
“So how’re you doing with all this?” asked Gen, changing the subject. “All this stress and horror is going to be hard on the baby.”
Sarai sighed, dropping her hands to her sides. “I don’t bloody know.” She cried, miserably. “I hate this! I can’t stand it! I’m going to go insane just sitting here trying to protect this baby while Tyler’s killer is walking around free. I want to do something! I want to…” she trailed off, just giving up.
Cathy rubbed her arm. “It’s okay, we know.” She said gently. “We know.”
“Hey Boss, Mrs. Foster wants to know when she can come in to see her husband’s body.” Said Tony, covering the mouthpiece on the phone.
“Anytime, Ducky’s finished the autopsy. I was just about to go see him.” Replied Gibbs, not looking up.”
“You can come in anytime.” Said Tony kindly into the phone. “Just go ahead and come in and we’ll get you an escort down to Autopsy…No problem. Bye.” He hung up, and looked up to speak to Gibbs, but the man was already gone.
“How did he die, Duck?” Demanded Gibbs as he strode into the room.
“Ah, in this case, the answer was quite simple and straightforward.” Answered the Englishman. “This bullet wound on his leg would have incapacitated him, but wouldn’t have been fatal, and these stab wounds were made post-mortem. That, of course, leaves only the one wound, and since his toxicology report was cleaner than the day he was born, I’m perfectly confidant saying that the shot to his brain killed the young lieutenant.” Gibbs raised an eyebrow at the rambling way of saying a simple thing. “What is not straightforward is what these wounds across the young man’s stomach mean.” Continued Ducky, puzzled. “I’ve never seen anything like it, but I have the feeling these letters will mean something to someone.” Ducky picked up Tyler’s hand, gesturing to the knuckles. “There are no defensive wounds, so evidently he didn’t have time to fight his attacker. I noticed a wedding ring, but he’s quite young.”
“Just married.” Said Gibbs. “Widow’s on her way here. She wants to see the body.”
Ducky raised his eyebrows. “She’s a brave young woman. I hear that the Lieutenant was found in Suicide Alley.” Said Ducky mysteriously.
Gibbs nodded. “Yeah, do you know it?”
“Know it? It fascinates me, especially considering it involves a woman we all know very well. Two people were found stabbed in that alley. One, the Director’s father, was found dead with a note to her on the body. You should not have interfered, it read. The other, a teenaged Jane Doe, was still alive, when they were discovered, but died soon after being operated on. Her body was cremated by a fire in the hospital morgue before an autopsy could be done or an identification made, but the fact that she was found half-naked suggested that she’d been raped. Sixteen years later, the killer has not been found, nor has any mysterious aspect of the crime been cleared away. While Jasper Sheppard was buried with honours, the girl who was murdered with him has never even been identified. No one was reported missing who matched her description, and no trace of her past has been discovered.” Finished Ducky with the air of someone finishing a ghost story.
Both men looked up when the glass doors opened. McGee stuck his head in. “Gibbs, Mrs. Foster is here.” He said, then disappeared.
Sarai stepped into the room carefully, arms around her stomach. They’d been there a lot in the last few days, the slender arms attempting to protect the fragile child in her womb from the stress, grief, and reporters that attacked the young woman at every turn. Cathy came behind her, a frequent and silent shadow alongside the young widow. “Mrs. Foster, this is Doctor Mallard, our ME. He performed the autopsy on your husband.
Sarai smiled, softly, holding out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Doctor Mallard. And this is Cathy Reynolds.” She said, her voice low and musical, although he could detect a hint of pain in it.
Ducky shook both of their hands. “The pleasure is mine, my dear, and please call me Ducky.”
“Ducky.” She smiled wider. “Then you must call me Kyra.” She replied, easily.
“What a lovely name. I knew a woman by the name of Kyra once. She was quite the wild child.” He chuckled.
She laughed. “I assure, you Ducky, I’m no wild child, although perhaps I was many years ago.” She added thoughtfully. Her eyes moved to the now cloth covered body on the table. “Is that Tyler?” she asked quietly.
“Yes. It may be a bit of a shock to you to see him.” Cautioned Ducky.
She nodded. “I expect it will be, but I have to do it.” She stepped up to the table and lifted the cloth off his head. She gave a little gasp and her hand flew to her mouth at the sight of the bullet wound through his forehead. She closed her eyes briefly, fingers tightening on the metal table. She took a deep breath and pulled the sheet back farther, exposing his stomach, knowing what she would find, but praying not to. She stumbled back in fear, and Cathy hurried forward to hold her steady. The older woman gave a cry at the sight of the letters carved into the young man’s skin, and Sarai buried her head in Cathy’s shoulder, shaking.
Cathy glared at Ducky and Gibbs as if they’d made Sarai come to see her husband’s body, then turned back to the younger woman. “Easy girl, easy.” She said gently, but Sarai was too terrified by her initials scored onto a man’s body to be calmed. Ducky hurried to recover the body, but the damage had been done.
A spur of pain bolted through Sarai’s body, and she began to bleed, breathing laboured. Cathy whirled around, instantly in command. “She’s miscarrying. We need to get her to a hospital.”
Sarai lay curled up tightly in the hospital bed, tears on her cheeks as her arm hung over her now empty womb. She reached over to the phone by her bed and dialed, still crying. “Sheppard.”
“Hey, Jen.” She said quietly.
“Sarai! Are you alright?”
“Just tired.” Replied Sarai. She sighed. “No, I’m not alright. I don’t know what to do. It’s not like me, Jen, to just sit around and do nothing when something like this happens.”
“I know, it wasn’t like me either. Agent Gibbs and his team are the best that I have, and they’ll figure this out for you. You just need to stay low and take care of yourself. I’ll call you with an update as soon as there is one.” Jen hung up, and Sarai set the phone back on its stand gently.
She rolled onto her side and lay still, waiting. Sooner or later, something would happen, and when it did, she had to be able to fight for her life. She would have to protect herself from one side or the other.
Gibbs had taken Lance Corporal Marks, Petty Officer Hayes, and PFC Carson aside to talk to them. “Can you think of anyone who might have wanted to hurt Lieutenant Foster?”
Flynn shrugged. “He was a bit of a player, maybe a few of the ladies he’s broken up with? But I don’t think any of them would want to kill him, just Kyra.”
“You mean the other women would want to kill Kyra, or Kyra wanted to kill her husband?” clarified Tony.
“Every now and then Kyra and Tyler would run into an ex of his who would threaten Kyra, but I don’t think any of them really meant it.” Explained Ben.
“What about Mrs. Foster?” asked Gibbs. “Do you have any reason to think that she might have killed her husband?”
Alec shook his head vehemently. “Absolutely not sir. Kyra wouldn’t hurt anyone, not even Lane, but especially not Tyler.”
“Not even Lane?” asked Tony, confused.
The three men fidgeted, a little uncomfortable. Finally, Ben spoke up. “Lane was a bit wild over her. I’ve never been sure if he was angry that she’d chosen Ty over him or if he really thought she was that bad, but he never had a good word to say about her. He even tried to take a swing at her a few times, and believe me, whenever he did, she got the hell out like a greyhound. I’ve never seen anyone move that fast.”
“But she was never anything but kind to him.” Added Flynn. “She’s the only reason that Tyler put up with him for as long as he did. She was always the one to reconcile them after a fight. She’s an incredible woman, that one. I’ve never met someone so in control of herself. No one ever really knew how she felt about Lane, or how she put up with him for the last six years.”
“Oh, I’m pretty sure she won’t put up with him anymore.” Said Gibbs absently, looking to start a reaction. “And you can be sure that she wouldn’t mind if he’d been the one who died instead of Lieutenant Foster.”
“What do you mean, sir?” asked Flynn, puzzled.
“He threw a couple of punches at her yesterday, and I had to pull her off him to keep her from beating him to death.” Replied Gibbs, coolly.
Alec swore. “I knew he’d go too far some day.” He muttered, looking shocked and upset.
“Parker was saying it was her fault Foster was dead. Do you think maybe the two of them might have mixed it up a little over her and Parker just went crazy?” asked Gibbs, poking.
“No. No matter how much Lane hates Kyra, he only ever took it out on her, not Tyler.” Declared Alec confidently. “If it was Kyra who was dead, though, he’d be the first person I’d suspect.”
“Thanks. You can go back to your stations now, but if we need anything else, we’ll be in touch.” Gibbs and Tony turned and headed out. As they got in the car, Gibbs glanced at Tony. “Anything about that strike you as odd?” he asked, pointedly.
Tony nodded. “Lieutenant Foster didn’t have any enemies, but his wife had plenty. Maybe the motive of the murder didn’t have anything to do with Foster.”
“Maybe the killer just wanted to scare his wife.” Agreed Gibbs, speeding off towards the hospital.
Sarai was sitting up and talking with Cathy when they arrived. She looked up as the sliding glass doors opened. Tony stayed by the door, while Gibbs came and sat down opposite of Cathy. “Do you have any enemies, Mrs. Foster?”
Cathy snorted, derisively, but, at a look from Sarai, held her tongue. “A few. Some of Tyler’s exes, a few professional rivals, even a couple of personal conflicts.” She replied, surprised. Both she and Gibbs remembered the look of fury on Lane’s face as he stormed out of her house. “Why?”
“Just covering all of our bases. We were wondering if those letters on your husband’s body mean anything to you.” He said, coming straight to the point.
“Of course they don’t!” exclaimed Cathy. “What are you suggesting, that something in Kyra’s life caused this?”
“She was fairly upset, seeing them.” Observed Gibbs.
“Wouldn’t you be if you saw that someone had carved a signature into a man’s body?” demanded Cathy. “The letters don’t mean anything to her.”
Sarai hadn’t spoken a word yet, and Gibbs ignored the older woman, watching the widow carefully. “Why don’t you go get some lunch, Cathy.” Suggested Sarai quietly.
Cathy was scandalized. “Kyra! You can’t mean that you actually know something! Don’t say anything without a lawyer!”
“Go, Cathy.” Said Sarai more firmly. “You don’t need to be here, I can take care of myself.” Cathy pursed her lips, but obeyed, and as soon as the door closed behind her, Sarai swung her legs over the edge of the hospital bed, stumbling slightly as she stood. Gibbs caught her by the elbow, steadying her. She smiled gratefully and brushed her hair behind her ears. “They’re my initials.” She told the two men, not meeting either of their eyes.
“Kyra Davis?” asked Tony, raising an eyebrow. “SRS doesn’t really equal Kyra Davis or Kyra Foster.”
“Who said anything about it being those initials?” she shot back. She turned her back to them and raised the hem of her shirt just enough to expose her tattoo.
Gibbs froze, his mind flashing back to the night he’d first seen the tangle of rose vines, pure white blossoms sprinkled over it. He remembered Razi gasping under his touches, holding tightly to him. He stood up abruptly. “What the hell are you playing at, Raz?” he demanded, angrily.
Tony glanced up at his boss, confused at the sudden change. Sarai flushed, trying to control her frustration. “What do I have left to play for, Jethro?” she asked, eyes desperate.
“Where the hell did you learn that name anyway?” he demanded, ignoring her plea.
Her lower lip trembled like she was about to cry, and she didn’t look at him. “Russia.” She replied, licking her lips nervously. She pulled the contacts out of her eyes, dropping them into the trash. “I had....My orders were to follow and help. I was there to…to do what had to be done to keep the team safe. Whatever you chose to believe, you and I were never enemies. You’ve plenty of those already.” She added wryly.
Gibbs rolled his eyes. “Yes, it’s been established that I’m a bastard.” He said sarcastically. “But that doesn’t mean you’re not lying through your teeth.”
Just then, Ziva appeared in the doorway, a grim expression on her face. “She’s not lying, Gibbs, and we’ve got bigger problems on our hands then just a retired spook.”
Sarai bristled, instinctively taking offense to being dismissed as ‘just a retired spook’. There was nothing ‘just’ or ‘retired’ about her! “I am not….”
But Ziva cut her off. “Someone left a note at the crime scene. It’s a little bit more than a signature this time.” She handed her boss the envelope, and there was something in her eyes that frightened everyone in the room.
Gibbs pulled a photo out of the envelope, glancing it over and then looking at the back. “Sacramento killed them all.” He read, puzzled. He passed the photo to Sarai who took it, hand shaking.
“Oh, sweet Jesus!” Her hand flew to her mouth. Her eye flashed to Ziva who refused to look at her. “Dear God, Papí’s going to kill me.” She murmured.
“I’m sure you’re all enjoying the reunion, but I have no idea what’s going on.” Tony reminded them.
“And you don’t need to, DiNozzo.” Said Gibbs sharply.
Sarai waved her hand, still watching Ziva. “No, no, they should all know. Especially you, Mija.” Only Gibbs and Ziva recognized the affection in the connotated pet name, my daughter, and Gibbs wondered if she meant it literally or figuratively. “I never thought Michael would resort to this.”
Ziva whirled in the other woman, furious. “Don’t try to pass this off on him!” she hissed. “My father was wrong about Ari, he could be wrong about you!”
“I’m not Ari, Ziva!” exclaimed Sarai. “You know I’m not! And you know that I’m right, no matter how much you hate it.”
“He had access to case files and his father’s accounts.” She agreed, annoyed. “And my father says he’s in the area. But you do realize what reopening this case will do?”
“Not even I have enough sway to make this decision.” Replied Sarai, shaking her head.
“How much do you have?” asked Gibbs. “Because if this cryptic conversation means what I think it does, we’re going to need all the help we can get.”
Ziva looked Sarai in the eyes for the first time since her father had called. “He’s given you full clearance.” She said quietly. “They both agree that your judgment will be sufficient. You can say and do what you want.”
Sarai smiled bitterly. “They should know better.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
Sarai has lost the only pieces of her alias' life that held her in Virginia, and decides that a reunion is in order. She is reunited with the people she loves most, but will they be able to overcome the lies in order to become a family?