Chapter 10 The bait
Mostly Robert POV.
For three days his dad stays at home.
He doesn't get to see his mom very often, except when he goes to bed. His dad practically confines his mom in their room.
For three long days his dad runs the household and NCIS from home.
He is not lonely, even though his dad is very busy and doesn't play with him and his mom is not there to spend time with him…because he has plenty of friends; people walk in and out of his house.
He loves opening the door to see who are coming and sending his guests out. Robert Gibbs was very busy during the three days: opening doors, going up and down the basement, peeking at his mom by the door, but his dad always managed to catch him before he enters the room.
He also received plenty of candy from the agents and his new friends who felt sorry for his battered head – above all he enjoyed the days.
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One evening, his dad, Tony and the pretty woman who he met in the office are seated in the kitchen. His kitchen island is transformed into a compact office. Full of stuff he is NOT allowed to touch, his dad had warned him and he promised to be a good boy and not touch the stuff.
He is looking at the three people gazing into their computer screen, all serious and quiet. His dad's glasses are perched on his nose. Then Robert turns his attention to Tony and his female friend, who are seated quite close to each other.
He wonders about Tony who is always staying near to the pretty girl. He tugs Tony's arm and asks: "Tony's wife?" he asks Tony innocently, he only understands the word "wife" like his mom and dad.
Tony grins and Paula looks surprised.
Gibbs immediately looks up from his papers, glaring at his senior agents. They are sitting very close to each other, there is definitely something going on between the two, even his two year old notices.
"Oh nooo sweetie, no way" Paula replies - her face is red.
"Why not?" Robert doesn't get it, he tilts his head, looking at the couple.
Gibbs pulls off his glasses and answers for the couple, "because…" Damn it! But he can not continue his line, his rule! One of his mottos!
Paula smiles at little Gibbs and old Gibbs, "…because romance between agents do not work, Gibbs?"
Gibbs can only smirk at her and Tony who is grinning like an idiot.
"Robert! YOU are living proof that romance between agents DO work!" Tony tickles Robert's bulging tummy, teasing him.
The little boy laughs – but still curious. "Bobby…don't know" he says while laughing, he doesn't understand the conversation. He is about to climb up on Tony's lap when he hears someone and changes his mind.
"Don't be nosy, sweetheart," Kate gently reminds him – she is standing by the kitchen archway.
"MOMMY! Mommy awake!" he excitedly greets his mom who he rarely sees because his dad said that his mom is sleeping – all the time, that's what his dad told him anyway.
He runs to his mom and hugs her leg. "Pick Bobby up, mommy?" he requests
But before his mom can say anything, his dad reminds him, "Robert…"
And Paula sees the two year old put on his unhappy face but he doesn't say anything, just hugs his mom's leg affectionately.
"Kate! What are you doing up?" Gibbs walks to her in a hurry, about to drag her back to their room.
"Jethro, NO! I am not going back to the room!"
"But, Kate, you are sick and I don't think…"
Kate cuts him off. "No Jethro no! I am bored to death!"
"No, daddy no!!! Mommy says NO, daddy!" he pushes his dad away from his mom who refuses to go to sleep again, he knows how bad it is to be forced to sleep when he doesn't feel like it, he feels sorry for his mom.
Tony and Paula try really hard to hide their snickers. Only the little Gibbs dares do that to their Director.
Kate smiles smugly at her husband, satisfied with her son's reaction that manages to stop him from forcing her to return to their room. Her husband has gone mental because of her condition. Yesterday, he practically locked her in the room, and she threatened to shoot the door if he didn't open the door immediately.
"Daddy bad boy, mommy!" Robert complains to his mom, at the same time soothing his mom. "Mommy stays with Bobby" he decides for them - and a mischievous smile is etched on Kate's face while facing her stunned husband, their son is on her side.
But Robert sort of realized that he is being disobedient to his dad, he looks at his surprised dad and asks gently: "OK. daddy?" asking for his permission still. And Gibbs's nod, surrendering to their wish.
Tony couldn't control his laughter: "HAHAHAHA…" DiNozzo laughs at the scene, smacking his thigh.
Kate and Gibbs glare at him, while Robert frowns, he doesn't understand why Tony is laughing at them. Tony shuts up as he receives a deathly glare from a hormonal lady and a fierce director.
He clears his throat uncomfortably, as Robert reaches him. Tony whispers to the chubby toddler, and seconds later Robert covers his mouth to stop his laughter.
Robert blurts out what Tony whispered to him: "Tony said mommy fat!"
"He did?" Kate speaks dangerously softly, looking at a regretful DiNozzo, as she slowly walks to him where he is sitting with Paula beside him. She is not fat, her stomach is hardly showing.
And -----TWACK----- from Kate.
-----TWACK-----from Paula-----TWACK-----from Gibbs.
"Poor Tony" The little kid exclaims in pity.
Then they hear a door bell:
"OOH BOBBY'S FRIEND" he shouts in excitement, as he dashes towards the main door and opens the door for his friends.
"Friends?" Kate shakes her head, looking at her boy greeting the three marines, and "He doesn't have friends his age, Jethro" Kate regrets.
"Come in, Bobby's home!" Robert signals them to enter his house, greeting them.
One of the older Marines, swoops and places him on his shoulder. Gibbs can hear his laughter. "Where's big guns?" Robert looks for the black case they usually carry with them. Instead, they give him candy and he is too preoccupied with the candy to look for the guns again.
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The bait
That day is the last day little Robert sees the three Marines at the same time. After that he only sees one of them alternately and when he asks where the other two Marines are, they always said that they are working…to catch a bad guy.
It was one of the ‘best' weeks for Gibbs's boy.
His dad hardly left his home and if he did, either Tony or McGee was there to replace his dad; even though they don't play with him, Robert enjoyed their company.
Kate witnesses her active curious boy being quite obedient when Tony or McGee orders him not to play by the windows. Her son doesn't answer back, but he quickly takes his toys and moves away from the windows and plays somewhere else.
It was the worst seven days for Jethro Gibbs and his agents. The whole of NCIS are on their toes – waiting for Haswari to take the bait.
Gibbs and Fornell have calculated that Haswari will either strike at his house or the HQ, and the terrorist doesn't care whether it is day or night. That is why O'Brien and him handpicked three snipers from the Marines.
One sniper is stationed at the roof top of the NCIS's HQ, only two guard the HQ from dusk to dawn: a few hours before the HQ is opened and a few hours after the HQ is closed. There is no overtime or loitering allowed until the case is closed.
Fortunately most of the windows at the Federal Offices are bulletproof so the first shot is free, for the sniper to aim at the attacker. They are all depending on the Marine sniper to shoot Haswari before he makes the second or third shot, which could shatter the glass and penetrate the HQ and hurt someone.
Not that simple with his house, it is too late to install bulletproof glass on his windows. Haswari and his ‘cell' would have noticed the activities and his plan wouldn't work. They assume that they are being watched, so they stationed two snipers at his house; each has a twelve hour shift.
The two snipers at his house pay special attention NOT to be noticed by his son, or the boy would follows them up to the attic. Kate is not allowed to go out for their grocery and errands anymore, not even Abby is allowed to stay at her home.
By the fifth day, the goth chick is going crazy! She is biting her nails because she is all nervous and cooped up in the Director's house that Tony placed her in.
Abby misses her coffin terribly, but bossy Tony insisted that she stays put with the Gibbs family until the case is clear. She thanks God that the boy is there to keep her company. Dubiously, Special Agent James is their errand boy – because delivery is not an option, Tony decided.
For the entire ‘fun' week, Robert only gets shouted at once by his usually sweet dad.
It was in one fine afternoon, only his parents were in the house, everybody is else was at work. The kid looked outside the window, what a nice warm shiny day. He thought he'll bring his planes and toys out to play at the backyard…his backyard.
He was just about to line up his planes when he heard a crash and an angry shout from the kitchen, with the window facing him.
The two year old looked up and he saw the back door being slammed open! His dad stormed out of the house and ran to him. He thought his dad looked scary, he shouted his name, very loudly – once; which made him jump just slightly from the shock and fear.
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A few minutes earlier:
Gibbs was coming out of his basement, when he looked for his boy who was nowhere in sight. He was cleaning his rifle, forgotten until his son mentioned it few days ago – asking about its existence.
The house is quiet…too quiet.
"Kate, is Robert with you?" he shouts to her who is upstairs.
"No, he was waiting for you, in front of the basement," Kate replies, a few seconds later. "Did you lock the basement?"
He did lock the basement, too many grotesque pictures of Haswari's victims who are mostly FBI Agents. He doesn't want the boy roaming around the basement with such things on the table and pinned to the wall and board.
He was sipping his coffee, when he found a small toy plane on his way to the kitchen looking for his son. Then his eyes enlarged in horror. From the corner of his eyes he saw his son just about to settle himself in the corner of his backyard, a perfect target, about to line up his toys along the hedge.
Gibbs dropped his coffee mug on the spot, he heard a clatter of the shattered mug as he stormed out to get his son, already shouting his name as loudly as he could.
Kate heard the sound of a shattered mug and a very loud shout of Robert's name. Her heart stopped for a second, and with her sprained ankle she carried herself down to the source of the noise as fast as she could.
By the time her bruised ankle and legs carried her to the kitchen, all she saw, were a broken mug and spilled coffee on the tiles – Gibbs entered through the back door, carrying their crying boy inside the house.
"What happ…" as she saw them and she already guessed that the boy ventured outside their home.
"Mommiiiii" he called amidst his sobs.
"Ooh Bobby…we told you not to go outside!" Kate sighs sadly as she takes him from his father's shaking arms – she noticed.
Poor Bobby! His bump is still visible, along with the bandage and stitches as a result of them being attacked by her crazy ex boyfriend. And now he got shouted at by his usually sweet dad who doesn't allow him to go outside their house because a psychotic killer is on the run – what a life.
"I shouted at him," Gibbs felt like he has to explain the reason Bobby cried.
"Oh, I heard, Jethro" Kate replied.
"Come on Robert, daddy is not mad at you, he was just…surprised," Kate is confused, choosing her words carefully as they've agreed not to tell him about Haswari.
"Daddy angry!" He buried his face in Kate's breasts, waling piteously – refusing to look at Gibbs.
That day Gibbs felt immense guilt. After his son stopped crying, he cleaned up the grotesque pictures in the basement and took Robert down "to make Daddy's boat", equipped with a tub of ice cream and he made the boy who was busy eating his ice cream and promise never to go outside until they said he could.
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That night Abby was called back to the HQ. DiNozzo found a body dump, this time their victim is a civilian – shot in the forehead, then dumped in their complex – they have no clue where the man was killed.
Just as they predicted, Haswari is going ‘blind' in rage, the man is losing his control, he is getting impatient.
Only the three of them are in the house that fateful night plus the Marine sniper in the attic. Robert is somehow still afraid of his dad who never shouted at him before in his entire two years. He told his parents that he wished to sleep in his own room.
Gibbs looked at Kate dejectedly, asking for her opinion and she nodded at him.
That night Gibbs worked on his boat, but this time his beloved skeleton of a boat could not distract his mind from his worries over the case and the guilt over his son.
The Snipers warned him not to loiter around the house, especially near the windows, his main lights are all off.
Quietly, he opened the door to Robert's room, peeking at his baby boy who was sleeping in peace, with one night lamp on – he is afraid of the dark, just like his mother.
Gibbs couldn't help himself but went over to his son and sat by his side. Poor boy, he noticed all his stitches and bruises: on his temple and limbs. He leaned down to kiss his face.
The boy is roused. "Daddy" he groggily called for him as he yawned and closed his eyes again.
"Hey, son" he whispered to him and stroked his hair. Robert smiled sleepily at his dad.
"Where is your gun?" Gibbs asked him, kissing his button nose.
"Here." he pointed at his pillow.
"OK, goodnight son"
"Goodnight, daddy"
"Are you still angry at me, Bobby?"
"No, daddy"
"Yeah?"
"Bobby loves daddy" he murmured to his dad and fall right back to sleep – it's been a long day for him.
It is the sentence that Gibbs has been craving for since the incident, now he can sleep with less guilt.
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The hit
It must have been almost dawn when the hit took place.
Gibbs and Kate are sleeping as peacefully as they can within the grim situation. He kept their door unlocked, just in case their son decided to join them in the middle of the night.
They are both awoken by a single gunshot, a shattered glass…followed by a cry from the room next door and then another equally terrifying gunshot. He can hear from the gunshots' different sounds that these were not from regular arms, those were from rifles.
Gibbs jumped on his feet and charged to the source of the cries, he turned on the light as he calculated that infra red goggles were being used by the enemy's sniper.
"SWITCH ON ALL THE LIGHTS, KATE!" he shouted as he reached Robert's room.
"ROBERT!" He called for him, he saw him already sitting up in bed, gripping his blanket in terror, the loud shots must be terrifying for him.
"Daddy!" he wailed in tears and he shivered from the shock.
"Basement" that was all he managed to say to Kate and they rushed to the basement, away from possible attack.
"Lock the door, Kate!" He brusquely reminded her, as he struggled to open his rifle drawer and readied his rifle.
"DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR FOR ANYBODY BUT OUR GUYS OR FORNELL, KATE! YOU HEAR ME?" he shouted as he was about to leave them.
"Jethro, NO!" Kate refused to let him walk out of the basement, she was pulling his arm.
"Kate, remember! Do not open the door for anybody but our guys, I have a key". He ignored her distress.
"Jethro, NO! Please, let Sam handle it!" Kate begged.
"Here, take this…" he put his gun into her hand.
"Daddy NO!!! NO" Robert screamed at the top of his lungs, holding unto his leg – refusing to let him go.
"Wait for daddy here, Robert! I will come back to get you! Daddy promises, OK!!!" He kissed his teary face with force and pried his small hands from his leg.
"Take care of mommy for daddy, OK?" He ignored his cries.
"Kate…" there were so much he wished he could tell then – so many things he never got to tell her - afraid that he won't have the chance to do so. But he changed his mind, he has no time, he kissed her and Robert and dashed out of the basement, ignoring their protests. He could still hear them calling for him as he locked the basement from outside.
That was an hour ago.
Kate composed herself and dragged Robert to a corner, she sat on the cold floor, cocked the gun ready and hugged her son – calming him down.
But he was inconsolable – he ended up crying himself to sleep in her arms as she swayed her body forth and back.
She was crying with her boy, unable to stop her tears from falling, afraid to lose her husband. She cursed herself for not stabbing Haswari while she had the chance. Then all of this wouldn't have to happen.
They were hiding behind the boat's skeleton for almost an hour or so, Kate lost track – until she heard him…
"Katie?" Gibbs called for her as he unlocked the basement.
"JETHRO!" she snapped out of her nightmare, so glad to hear his voice.
Gibbs ran to his wife and kid, who were crouching in a hidden corner – and he hugged them with all his might. "It's all right, its over, we go him, we got the bastard"
They felt their son move, he was sandwiched in between them. Gibbs kissed his son roughly, relieved that the dark shadow that had been following them for the past four years was finally captured.
"Daddy…don't go, no" Robert was jerked awake and grabbed his dad.
"I am not doing anywhere, Robert"
Then:
"GIBBS!" he heard Fornell's voice and other activities in their house – they can hear cars arriving.
"Robert, take care of your mother for me, OK? Daddy has to meet Fornell, OK, Robert? Can you do that for me?" he asked the two year old who was still gripping his shirt tightly.
"The FBI is here, they are clearing the scene, I don't want…" he doesn't want Robert to see the crime scene.
"I understand, go Jethro, we'll wait for you here." Kate interrupted him as she pried Robert's hands from his shirt.
"We'll wait for daddy here! Right, Robert?" she coaxed her son, who refused to answer his dad, but he didn't cry anymore, just sadly looked as his dad went away…again.
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Gibbs didn't want Kate and Robert to be present when the FBI cleared their house and Sam was there with his ‘hot' rifle. He had agreed to let the FBI took over the crime scene while NCIS ran the investigation – "a fair deal" as the FBI Director said as they shook on it.
"You are contaminating the evidence!" one of the FBI crime scene investigators warned DiNozzo.
"You have got to be kidding me!" DiNozzo lashed out at the geeky looking FBI Agent.
"He is with us!" Fornell snapped at his imbecile.
"DiNozzo, tell Abby that she is…" Gibbs ordered him.
"Don't worry, Boss, I got it all covered! I just want to make sure that these jerks are competent!" he said before he left for his team.
"We did it, Gibbs!" Fornell slapped his back.
"We did…finally"
"Aren't you going to celebrate?"
"My only regret is that he is still alive," he murmured to himself more than Fornell.
"Gibbs, give it a break, give it time, we are already processing his transfer as we speak, Guantanamo is going to be his home and…"
Out of the blue, they hear a little boy's voice in distress:
"DADDY DADDY! MOMMY HURT!!!"
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That was twelve hours ago.
Right now Kate is asleep in their room, undisturbed by the activities in the house, while her husband is waiting diligently by her side.
Five hours ago, she was rushed to the hospital. She suffered minor spotting and acute cramps. Strebel – her OBGYN - is very displeased with her condition.
The old usually soft spoken man was NOT happy at all, he was angry at Gibbs. Kate was so stressed out, the Doctor sedated her. She vaguely saw Strebel scolding Gibbs while they were in the hospital, her tears and sleepiness must had blurred her vision.
Kate thought: "Who dared to scold her stern grumpy husband?"
Strebel gave Gibbs an ultimatum: That he may only take her home IF he was competent to take care of her, at least three days of total bed rest and Kate is not permitted to carry their ‘growing' son anymore.
The victory of capturing the Mossad vermin was slightly dampened by Kate's current condition.
Gibbs was shocked to his core when he heard Robert's call from the basement that Kate was hurt. She was crouching and holding her stomach in pain – crying, when he found her.
He picked his panicking son and placed him in Fornell's care as he rushed Kate to the Emergency Room – again. They could hear their son's distressed cries as they exited the house.
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It is almost nightfall when Kate managed to convince, plead with and threaten her OBGYN and Gibbs to be released from the hospital. She argued that she would like to go home for her rest, she hated hospitals and couldn't possible rest there.
Actually she wanted to be home with Robert – no way in hell she is spending the night there.
Her son was asleep when they reached home, he was asleep in the arms of Ducky who was sitting on the living room couch – Robert must has been crying for the whole day.
Kate just managed to kiss his streaky flushed face before Gibbs took her to their room.
"Kate, Robert will be all right with Ducky, please. Don't worry, you need to rest." He looked at her intently; and she nodded before she rested her eyes and fell asleep.
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The next day Kate is awakened by soft cool touches on her face – the touch is soothing as she slowly opens her eyes, only to see her son looking down at her, he must be sitting beside her.
His soft blue eyes are looking at her with worry and care, he is stroking her temple and hair. He mimics how she used to take care of him when he was sick.
He calls her in a whisper: "Mommy…mommy awake?"
Kate nods, she opens her mouth to say yes but nothing comes out – her lips are parched. Her head is killing her, her neck and limbs are aching – her whole body hurts, she has no energy to move or do anything, she is lethargic.
Then, Robert declares: "Bobby love mommy" and the two year old kisses her temple. "Mommy want yummy?"
Kate couldn't help herself, she cups her son's face and kisses his head.
"No thank you" she manages to croak.
"Where's daddy?" she asks him.
"Daddy in basement! Angry…very angry…with Fony" he informs her with a hushed voice.
He must have heard the yelling, Kate guesses. "It's OK, Bobby, stay with mommy, all right?"
"OK, mommy! Bobby take care of mommy" he says proudly, rather happy that his mom is awake. The yelling from the closed basement scared him.
Kate is thirsty, looking for the glass of water on the night stand. Robert notices her discomfort. "Bobby take for mommy" he says as he quickly slips down from the bed and carefully lifts the glass from the nightstand to his mother. Carefully, so he doesn't spill.
Afterwards, he climbs back up the bed again. Kate feels drained, she slowly drinks her water and rests her head on the pillow. She fears she is coming down with a fever.
"Bobby, help! Get mommy's mobile?"
"OK" Robert replies quickly and he exits the room, he knows exactly where his mom's small phone is.
Two minutes later he returns with her mobile. "Thank you, sweetheart", she rubs the boy's hand before she makes the call to her trusted ME.
"Ducky."
"Caitlin, how are you feeling?"
"Ducky, I am scared…" Kate starts to sob.
Ducky panics. "What's wrong?" He lowers his tool on the slab and signals Jimmy to continue.
"I don't feel too good and I think I have a fever." She is so scared for the wellbeing of her unborn child.
"Don't you worry, my child, I'll be right over, right now!"
"Please, Ducky."
"Where's Gibbs?" He is so nervous he calls Jethro Gibbs.
"He is with Fornell."
"I'll be right there before you know it," and Ducky hangs up on her.
Kate closes her eyes, tears must have dropped on her face, as she feels Robert's finger wiping her face. With her eyes still closed, she breathes deeply, trying to control her morning sickness and headache – she has no energy to even crawl to the bathroom.
Robert is afraid. The toddler decides to do something. He dashes out of the room and shouts with all his might: "DADDY DADDY DADDY!!!"
Seconds later, he hears the basement door slam open. "Robert, what's wrong?" as he sprints to him.
Roberts head is poking through the railing's gap. "Mommy hurt again." This time he cries from fear, his mom has never been sick before.
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-Tbc-nova2007-BETA (MV)
THANK YOU FOR BETA'ing
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.