Disclaimer: On the first page.

Author's Note: I promised you I would post it today and look at that, it's still a whole hour before tomorrow. I stayed up past my bedtime just for y'all. Be happy.

Autopsy

"Give me some good news, Duck," Gibbs' annoyance was clear in his voice and Kate and Tony trailed behind him, uncharacteristically quiet.

"I'm afraid good news is in short supply here, Jethro. I have a cause of death for both of them but you won't like it."

"I don't like anything that's happened today. What killed them?"

"First for Gunnery Sergeant Malouf. He bled out from a double tap to the heart. But that's not the worrying part. He was shot first in the shoulder with a different round. Ballistics just came back from Abigail. The double tap came from a Sig-Sauer P229, the same type NCIS uses; the bullet in his shoulder came from a nine millimeter parabellum. A generic round but striations indicate that the gun was equipped with a silencer--"

"Just like the round they pulled from Gerald's shoulder," Gibbs snarl cut through the tension in the air.

"That's a hell of a coincidence, boss. There's been a lot of those today. More than a little hinky. In fact it's a little creepy. You know, with the names and --"

Gibbs cut through his rambling, "There's no such thing as a coincidence, DiNozzo. He's back, that bastard's back."

Kate hardly reacted to his statement; she'd already figured it out at the crime scene. She knew she should be angry, worried, frustrated, but all she felt was exhaustion. She was tired of fighting this battle that had been dragging on for almost a year. She knew she should keep fighting, she shouldn't give in. But she was so tired, wrapped in a war she could not win. She looked hazily at her teammates, as long as they weren't harmed, what would come would come.

Kate's Apartment

Kate groaned as she rubbed her aching neck. After Gibbs' revelation much yelling and frantic searching of flight records had ensued, all of which she hadn't paid much mind to. When Gibbs had finally looked at her he'd ordered her home to rest. He'd tried to push Tony onto her as protection, saying that Ari was obsessed with her and she wasn't safe with him back in the States. She'd refused; she'd rather face her chances with him than have to stay in the same apartment with DiNozzo until this mess was sorted out.

She'd left Gibbs growling and Tony pouting but she really didn't care about their feelings right now. She was too concerned about what would happen now. Her tiredness had faded suddenly once she'd stepped outside NCIS Headquarters, but sleep would still help. And a nice long bath to ease the aches, tension, and worries that had been pressing her down all day.

In the middle of reaching into her purse for her keys, she choked down a gasp at what she saw out of the corner of her eye. There was a jet-black motorcycle parked in front of her apartment and her door was ajar. Her heart pounding in her throat, she pulled out the Sig-Sauer that she'd decided to keep strapped to her side. She considered calling Gibbs for a moment, but tossed that thought aside. That would only make things worse. She was a big girl; she could take care of herself.

Taking off the safety, every muscle aching with tension, she silently slid into her apartment. The first thing she noticed was a black leather jacket hanging on the coat rack in the entrance hall. There were no doubts now about what would be waiting for her. Oddly enough she was completely calm now, she was somehow certain that Ari wouldn't harm her. She'd always been certain of that even when she was in his clutches sitting on the bench in front of him, she hadn't been afraid. Not even when he'd shot Marta, definitely startled, horrified even, but not afraid. Not threatened by his presence, he wasn't a monster in her eyes, despite all evidence to the contrary. She stood by what she'd told Gibbs. Something in those kind eyes told her he was safe, far safer than the unknown.

But when she stepped into her living room her heart shot into her throat. This wasn't right, this wasn't how it was supposed to be. This wasn't safe, it was unknown. There was a young woman sitting on her couch, arms lazily propped on the top of the couch, booted feet resting on the low coffee table, completely relaxed in Kate's private territory.

"Not who you were expecting, Caitlin?" Her accented voice rang clear and pure as bells in the silence that had filled the apartment. Middle Eastern, but slightly modified, as if from long periods away from home, Kate's proper name seemed to roll of her tongue like honey. Dark brown eyes seemed to see into her soul, eyes that seemed to hide a deep kindness beneath the cold, calculating surface. She grinned widely, her smile seeming to fill her whole face with sparkling perfect teeth. Dark curls styled professionally framed her heart shaped face and high cheekbones.

She stood, still grinning like the cat that ate the canary, an appropriate analogy Kate thought. "What is wrong? Do I remind you of someone?"

Kate didn't answer, but her brain screamed a resounding 'Yes'. Everything about the woman spoke to her of him and that terrified her. Ari was someone she could face knowing she was safe. But this woman who looked, sounded, and moved so much like him was dangerous. She could not let herself be lulled into a false sense of security by her resemblance to someone she somehow trusted. She had to keep her guard up, but she felt herself slipping as she felt this stranger's hot breath in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. She'd moved almost impossibly fast, Kate hadn't even noticed her slipping behind her.

Her mouth brushed her ear softly, a soft chuckle filling Kate's mind. "You should not worry Caitlin. I would never dream of harming my brother's property."

Kate whirled around, fury rapidly replacing the deceiving calm. "I'm my own person. I will never be anyone's property," she spat out, trembling with rage now.

The woman; Ari's sister?; merely chuckled low in her throat again, apparently amused by Kate's vehemence. She slid close to her again, "If you say so."

Kate wanted so bad to become angrier at the woman's presumptuousness, but she couldn't help but relax as she moved closer, breaching her personal space without permission. What was this feeling taking over her? How could this woman control her so completely? What was the spell she and her brother cast over her by simply speaking her name? Why could she never resist?

The woman's hand was cupping Kate's cheek now, a spot of warmth over her frozen body. She was smiling softly, reassuringly. "My name is Ziva, Caitlin. You can trust me, just as you can trust Ari. We have only the purest intentions in mind." The rational side of Kate screamed out that it was a lie, but it was too late, she was lost. She was drowning, with only Ari's voice, Ziva's voice filling her mind.

"It is all right, Caitlin. You are safe now. But we have to go before they come to steal you away. I have to take you home. Will you come with me, Caitlin? Ari wants so badly to see you. Will you not come? He misses you. Did you know that, Caitlin? You want to see him, do you not?"

Kate's voice seemed to come from far away, hollow, as if it was no longer that of Kate but that of a puppet. "Yes. I want to go home. Take me home"

"This is your home, Kate!" The shout broke through the haze in Kate's mind and she stumbled back as Ziva whirled around to face the intruder. "She's not going anywhere with you."

Ziva grinned widely, Ari's smile again. "Are you sure, Special Agent Gibbs?"

He didn't falter at her use of his name, holding his pistol steady. She sashayed calmly over to him. "Are you going to shoot me? Would you really kill an unarmed woman?" The pistol trembled slightly in his hands, his heart seeming to tear in two. He couldn't kill a woman, armed or not. It went against all his principles. But he couldn't let her harm Kate either. He froze torn, unable to act except to dejectedly holster his Sig-Sauer.

Her grin widened, "I thought not."

She leapt at him suddenly, hitting him with enough force to send him stumbling backwards. He recovered quickly, instinctively going into a guard position. Morals were thrown aside now, the survival instinct of a Marine had kicked in and all bets were off.

Kate sat entranced still sprawled on the ground where she had fallen. She was only partially back to herself and the fight was fascinating to her dazed mind. Right now she didn't have the will to particularly care who won the fight. She knew her future relied on the outcome, but she was too tired to think about the future. If Ziva won so be it, she'd most likely still live if she cooperated. However, her boss's fate wasn't too clear to her. That threw her off a little and something inside of her woke up again. But at this point there was nothing she could do but watch.

Ziva threw the first blow, sending Gibbs stumbling back gasping for air with an elbow to the windpipe. He recovered almost immediately and fought back with a punch to her face. She ducked quickly but the blow clipped the top of her head. She didn't falter though, jumping back up right in front of Gibbs and punching him in the gut. The breath whooshed out of him but he came back with an uppercut to Ziva's chin. Her head snapped back alarmingly but she shook it off. She struck at Gibbs again but he dodged and hit her full force sending her sprawling across the floor. She lay there seeming dazed as Gibbs approached her. "I said. You. Aren't. Taking. Her. Anywhere."

Harsh barking sounds came from the young woman. It sounded like she was crying. But as she turned on the ground to face Gibbs, Kate saw she was laughing.

"And I said. Don't. Be. So. Sure," She leapt up with impossible speed, plowing into Gibbs with her shoulder, sending him stumbling back with the force of her weight. Reining back she palm fisted him hard in the chest so he slipped backwards. She followed it with an elbow to the same spot. She had him backed against the wall now and she put everything into the next blow, pushing his whole body into the wall. His head broke through the plaster and wood and he fell; slumped in defeat, blood pouring down his face.

Ziva knelt down next to him and lifted his head with the tips of her fingers. Her voice was soft as she peered into his eyes, "Impressive. I know a complement from me probably means little to you, but you are a very strong man. No one before you has been able to last that long against me. I am sorry that it had to be this way. I did not want to use force against you, through this fight was rewarding and something I have been looking forwards to since I read your case file. I wanted to thank you for the fight. Well, I will be leaving with Caitlin now. I promise you she will come to no harm. We will meet again, Jethro. That is a promise." She pressed soft lips to his blood covered ones and something inside him stirred with pleasure at the touch, his own body betraying him.

She walked back over to Kate, who had arranged herself into a slightly more dignified position on the floor and offered her a hand up. "It is time to go."

Kate nodded, she was to tired to fight. The exhaustion from before had hit her full force again and her eyelids were drooping. "But he needs medical care," she pleaded, motioning to Gibbs' motionless form.

"Yes of course, I will call someone to take him to a hospital," Kate nodded, reassured despite the fact that she had no reason to trust Ziva. She knew Gibbs and the rest would be safe and that was all that mattered. Their faces flashed through her mind and she slumped forward, fast asleep.

Author's Postscript: My only aim is to disturb you. Send me some feedback and tell me whether or not I succeeded. Now, I'm going to bed before I collapse.