Que Sera Sera.
21.00 New Years Eve.
Jethro Gibbs looked down at the child, sleeping contented in the cot. It so reminded him of his daughter. But that had been so long ago.
This, a situation, that could have been, quite easily have never been. But here was a meeting that had happened, it had changed everything.
Shellie Katie Haswari. His god-daughter. She was a dark haired, Mediterranean skinned child. She had her father’s dark eyes and her mother’s mischievous smile, and laugh. He remembered the girl’s mother’s laugh and smile, when she had been a raw Probie. How she had turned up on her first real assignment in heels. How Tony had laughed. Gibbs had always thought it would have been Tony and Kate. When Tony had caught the plague and Kate had offered to keep him company. Gibbs began to think back to how this pairing had come about.
Flash-back
He remembered to the day that Ari had taken Kate, Ducky and Gerald hostage in autopsy. He remembered how Kate said she could not stab Ari. “His eyes. I was looking into his eyes, and they looked kind.” How he, Gibbs, had been shot in the shoulder. He could have killed Ari there and then. But it was only the start.
Shellie stirred, and turned over. Gibbs drew up the chair and sat looking at the girl. He so wanted to pick her up. To hug…. to hold. To tell her of her parents life, how he had helped.
Flash-back
Ari had called earlier that night.
“Gibbs, it’s Caitlin,” Ari had always called her that,” I have rushed her to hospital, could you please…. go and watch Shellie. A neighbour at the moment is looking in on her.”
Gibbs had looked at his watch 20.15, 31st December. Could Kate and Ari’s second child be a New Year baby?
Jethro agreed, yes he would go, he called a cab.
Flashback
Gibbs had arrived at the house, and knocked on the door. A woman answered.
"Jethro Gibbs. I believe, Dr Haswari let you know I was arriving?" he said quietly.
The woman nodded and opened the door further, to allow Gibbs to enter. The lights dimmed, the house warm, against the cold winter air.
“Shellie is sleeping soundly. There are bottles made up if you need. Mrs Haswari said I probably wouldn’t need to give Shellie one, but you would know what to do, as you have assisted before with children. The Doctor, he said Happy New Year and Slainte” as the woman took her coat from the rack and put over her shoulders, he smiled it had been this time last year another Doctor had said that to him. Duks, he could feel a tear form. No must be the cold.
“Happy New Year, when it comes.” he had said, seeing the neighbour out. He took off his coat and quietly went upstairs.
21.30 Reminiscing.
Gibbs just sat and watched the sleeping child. His mind went back in time. He remembered the standoff in autopsy. How Ari had shot him. He remembered the café, the bomb. How Ari had taken Gerald and Dr Mallard hostage. How Duks had bonded with the young man. They had had mutual interests, the Morgan and Edinburgh. Yes, Edinburgh, The College of Medicine. Had Ari not studied and graduated at one of the world’s greatest institutions.
But it was when NCIS received information of a terrorist plot, by Al Qaeda. The word on the street was Ari was out to foil. But they needed an insider. Fornell had told Gibbs, that the CIA and Kort, had given Ari a “get out of jail free card.”
As Gibbs looked at the sleeping child, he sighed sat back thinking……
Ari and Gibbs, they had made contact. They had met at a café, but something wasn’t right. A bomb had gone off. Ari denied all knowledge. He mentioned his sister Ziva. They made a pact. Ari could borrow Kate, on the understanding, that he didn’t hurt her, and that she would never realise that he, Gibbs had volunteered her to him. Ari had smiled, “but I still need to let her think.”
And so it was that fateful afternoon when Kate had been abducted by Ari, well not literally himself, but for him. Ari had killed Martha. Why to prove to Kate?
Gibbs remembered back to when he had met Ari in autopsy. He showed Ari, Martha’s body. “Is this what you want Kate to look like? A bullet hole, in the skull.” But the young man had insisted that he was not going to be the fall guy for his father or Ziva, he would protect Kate.
Ari continued to say, yes he was a mole, inside Hamas, and Ziva had never forgiven Hamas for their sister, Talia’s death. Ari said it had been arranged by Eli David, head of Mossad. To get me. But Hamas needed someone inside Mossad, and they had found one, in the form of his daughter, Ziva.
Ari continued, he was a double agent, for Mossad and a series of terrorist groups including Al Qaeda and the CIA and MI6. But it was Ziva, they needed to watch. “I mean why do you think, she knows so much about you and your organization. Try speaking to an Agent by the name of Jennifer Shepard. And think Gibbs why does my half-sister speak so many languages. Not for Israel, but Hamas, Al Qaeda, and for the highest bidder.
Have you ever wondered why your old partner turned up in Cairo, while you were freezing in Moscow?”
Gibbs remembered how he shot Ari in the shoulder before leaving, saying, “Just wanted to help you convince Al Qaeda.” It had made Ari escape more plausible.
22.00
Shellie woke, turned to look at Gibbs. Jethro say Kate’s face, and her eyes, “Dada” raising her arms to be picked up. Gibbs smiled, rose and carefully drew the child to his chest. He felt the heart beat through his shirt. They moved to the window. Gibbs drew back the curtain to show the garden. A snow had fallen and it glistened in the moon light. Shellie giggled and pointed. He felt the little girls head begin to droop and fall onto his chest. He walked back over to the cot and laid her back down. He heard her sigh, but her eyes shut.
Jethro, pulled the blanket back over the child, returned to the seat thinking.
Reminiscing.
He thought back to when Fornell had said, Ari had returned to DC. He was helping the FBI uncover an Al Qaeda cell. Tobias had given him the whereabouts, the warehouses. Jethro remembered when he had fired a shot to get attention. They had fired back giving their position away.
Across the way on another roof, Ari had said to himself, "Sorry Caitlin." As he fired the weapon, he saw Kate fall. Gibbs ran to bend over her, “You’re dead Kate.” He had whispered in her ear.
“I’m not.” She replied smiling.
But feeling Gibbs’ hand, on her shoulder, he again whispered, “Move and you will be. Play very, very dead.” As Ari saw Tony and Gibbs look round, Ari made his escape.
They had taken Kate’s “Body” to autopsy.
“Keep her safe Dr Mallard,” Director Morrow had said.
They had held her funeral. She was awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom. In everyone’s eyes she was dead.
Gibbs went home. There was still work to be done. Jethro remembered, how he had made his way to his basement. He knew Ari would he there.
“Everything went well Ari. We gave her a good send off. But what now?” Gibbs saw that Ari had his sniper rifle in his hands, and was wearing latex gloves.
“We wait, won’t be long,” as they heard a noise. Gibbs saw Ari raise the gun. A shot rang out and the body fell over the balustrade onto the floor below. Jethro remembered how he had turned and saw Ziva lying here, her eyes open.
Ari handed Gibbs the gun, his gun, “You killed the terrorist who was coming after you. I told you never to trust Ziva. Leave Agent Shepard to me. She will die like her father, but then you don’t know that she is ill,very ill, do you?” Ari had questioned, “You forget I am a Doctor. My sister told me the medicines she takes.”
The Missing Years
Dr Mallard had kept Kate safe. He had taken her to autopsy, in the bag along with the dead terrorist that Tim had killed.
“I’m fine honest, I mean if Tony survived when I was with the Secret Service, in a body bag, then so can I.” she had replied.
“Caitlin, you cannot go running round the country. You are under protective custody. Or you will be, as soon as Abby has arranged.” Dr Mallard had replied.
It was for the short term, that Kate went into a Convent. Tony had suggested, “Like Sister Act. And you, being a good catholic girl.”
Gibbs had laughed, so had Kate but not in a jovial way. But she had agreed.
Ari returned home with his sister’s body. The CIA, or Kort dealt with Agent Shepard. Suicide, she had lost her lover, and her life was slowly ebbing out of her body. Dr Mallard had done the autopsy, Ari had been correct, that, was when Ducky had an idea. He went to see the Director.
Ari returned to DC. Kate had been “liberated” and Director Morrow had arranged a conference at HQ it was becoming heated.
“Why Scotland? Why Edinburgh?” Kate had pleaded.
“Caitlin,” Ari replied looking into her eyes, “You forget I graduated from there. I know the country, and the town. It was Dr Mallard who suggested I should, Retrain, as a forensic pathologist. He got me a place easily.”
“And,” Director Morrow continued, “Scotland has never had a full blown terrorist attack. Even the attempted one on Glasgow Airport on 1st July 2007, was foiled by the Scottish people.”
“Kate,” Tim added, “Even when the IRA and the British Government were at war, so to speak, there were never any bombings in Scotland. The Scots take care of their own.”
“The Scottish people turn informant. There was the situation where a student from Glasgow Metropolitan College, he lived in the village of Alva. A small tiny village, on the edge of the Hillfoots. He was turned in, and although one of his convictions was quashed, he remains in prison.” Dr Mallard added.
“Ok, Ok,” Kate had shouted, “But how do we get there?”
“Guantanamo Bay Express," Gibbs answered smiling.
“The what?” Tim and Tony asked, “That like the Hogworths Express?” Tony added.
“Ghost flights from Afghanistan, Iraq via Glasgow airport, allegedly, mind, it doesn’t really happen.” Gibbs had smiled.
“Yes,” the Director had added “The Gulfstream jet, Registration number N379P or was it N8068V. I forget my memory isn’t as good as it used to be,” now smiling.
“You have it all figured out don’t you?” Kate shouted, her hands on her hips, “And what am I supposed to do when Ari is retraining?”
“Got you a job, with Lothian and Borders Police. Psychological Profiler,” Gibbs replied, “Well you did do one for me, once on Ari.”
“Fine is that it then.” She replied.
“Yes Caitlin,” Ari said “Except for one thing. Will you marry me?”
“Will I what? You shot me, you had me beaten up. Is that a question, a proposal?” she asked waving her hands about.
“Well?” Ari asked again laughing.
“Yes…..” as she ran and threw herself into his arms.
Back to the future
Kate and Ari spent 2yrs in Edinburgh. Ari, retraining. Learning new techniques, and new procedures. Kate, had worked at the Police Headquarters at Fettes. Ari eventually acquired enough knowledge and experience to allow their return to Washington DC. With the help of the Director and of course Dr Mallard and The CIA, Ari was given a Probationary position of ME with the FBI.
“Does he have to?” Fornell had questioned.
“Yes.” The Director had replied.
Kate had come back into the fold of NCIS. Tony had explained that things had changed. She was now the Probie, not Tim. She had to do as he said. Gibbs, he watched and waited. It was only going to be a matter of time.
She had approached him one day with an envelope.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“My resignation. I will not put up with Tony’s continual put downs. I am a married woman.” She replied.
Gibbs had smiled, and took it. She was right of course. He called Kort., who called Kate. They met for coffee.
“Why?” she questioned.
“Basically, because after 2yrs in the UK you know the lingo, and the British way of thinking.” He replied.
“As you do Trent?” Kate had retorted.
“Touche.” He replied quietly sipping his coffee.
“Gibbs?” she now questioned.
“Said you would be easy. You were looking for a quiet life.” Kort answered looking at her.
“If I said I was pregnant?” Kate replied.
“Congratulations. You want the job?” Kort had finished.
Kate accepted the job with the CIA, she would work with Trent, on profiling, and other pen pushing duties. She was happy. She had called Gibbs to say thank you.
The quiet vibration and then ringing from his pocket stirred him back into reality.
Gibbs took the call, smiled and closed his cell, before looking at the child and then moving quietly out of the room. He walked into the sitting room, called “Uncle Timmy McGee,” and then, Deputy Director Anthony DiNozzo.
Thom Donald Haswari, 8lbs 4oz, was born 01.25 1st January. A healthy child. Why the name? Kate had said Thom after McGee, well Gemcity, Kate owed Tim that much, and Donald, after Dr Mallard who had unfortuneatly passed away when Kate was 4months pregnant. Kate said if it was a boy, and since now Ari was now an ME for NCIS.
The Director….. he poured himself a large malt from the bottle Ari had left. Smiled, sat down, turned on the TV to watch the New Year celebrations from round the world.
The End
Author's Chapter Notes:
What might have happened if Kate and Ari had lived.