The day of Kate's funeral arrived, and those attending were busy getting dressed. Abby dug through her closet and found her black dress; it was the one that was worn only to Church and funerals. Knowing that Kate had always loved Abby's pigtails, she decided to leave them in. Abby grabbed her parasol, for the funeral was to be outdoors, and headed for work.
The four men in Kate's life were dressing up as well. Gibbs had dragged his suit out of mothballs and was pleased to see that it still fit. Ducky, Gibbs, Tony, and McGee all bought different colored roses for their coworker, an event that wasn't coordinated on purpose. Once arriving at NCIS headquarters, all five of them, including Abby, piled into Gibbs' car and drove to the airport. Once there, they boarded a flight for Indiana, where Kate's parents lived.
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The funeral was being held in southern Indiana on a sunny green lawn with tall oak trees providing shade. There was a man in clerical garb talking to an older man and woman who had gloomy countenances. When Abby saw the young lady standing next to them, she approached her. "Samantha." She managed a genuine smile as she greeted the woman.
The young woman Abby was greeting looked like a younger version of Kate: same kind eyes, same brunette hair, but her face was more oval. "Abby!" She faintly smiled when she saw the goth.
"I'm so sorry about Kate. You have my sympathies." Abby offered condolences and a hug.
Samantha hugged Abby tightly. "Thank you, Abby. I don't think it's really sunk in yet that my big sister is gone," she said, releasing the other woman.
"I reacted opposite. The news hit me like a ton of bricks."
"I'm sure in a few days I'll be lying on the couch, watching home videos and eating chocolates and ice cream," Samantha replied, trying to make light of the situation.
"Yep. That's what I did." Noticing that there were other people waiting to offer comforting words, Abby said, "I should go now. Call me sometime."
"I will," Samantha promised as Abby went to stand by her friends.
Wanting to pay his last respects to the woman who would have been his bride, Tony advanced toward the casket in the center of the lawn. As he looked at her lovingly, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked, even in death. "Kate…I swear I'll kill Ari for doing this to you." His tone was slightly harsh and revealed the bitterness he felt, but then it dropped to a whisper, "I loved you so much…you were my dream girl, Katie…and I'll always love you." After gazing at her sadly for a minute more, he murmured, "Goodbye, Kate." On his way back to his comrades, he passed Gibbs, who was taking his turn to say his final goodbyes.
Upon seeing the body of his deceased coworker, Gibbs felt waves of bitterness, guilt, and self-resentment wash over him. "I'm so sorry, Kate," he murmured, "This is all my fault. I should have shot him when I had the chance…I'm so sorry." His voice dropped so low that it was barely audible. Deciding that seeing her lifeless form was only depressing him more, he uttered a soft, "Bye, Kate."
When Gibbs returned, Abby turned to McGee, who had returned from his "vacation". "Have you seen her yet?" she asked.
"No," McGee answered quietly, "I couldn't bring myself to go down to autopsy."
"Want to come with me?" Abby offered him her arm.
"Thanks, Abby." McGee linked his arm through hers and the two of them approached the open casket.
"Look who I brought to see you," Abby announced to her departed friend.
McGee took a deep breath, then looked upon the lifeless body of his fallen partner.
The funeral home had done a very good job. Except for the slight pallor of Kate's face, one might think she was sleeping. The hole in her forehead had been expertly covered and was completely invisible. She looked beautiful in the light blue dress her sister had chosen, and appeared to be smiling slightly.
"Well, Kate," McGee said softly, "I guess this is goodbye. You were such an inspiration to me and I could always count on you to come through for me in the end. Thanks for being a good partner…and friend." He removed his arm from Abby's and returned to stand next to Tony, Gibbs, and Ducky.
Abby continued to stare at her best friend for a few moments longer. "You're the best friend I ever had, Kate. I'm gonna miss you so much. So long." She went back to stand with her friends just as Father Andrews made his way to the front of the crowd.
While he began speaking, Kate's casket was closed and a flag draped over it. After a moment, he said, "I believe that Doctor Mallard, one of Kate's coworkers, would like to share a few words."
Ducky stood up and moved to stand next to the priest. Then he began a very stirring eulogy. "Caitlin Todd was a very dear friend of mine. While we had only known each other two years, she had become like a daughter to me. She was strong, smart, beautiful, witty, and an excellent field agent. She could handle anything a hardened male agent could handle, and wasn't afraid of a challenge. But the reason I came to love and respect Kate was because of her loving personality and gentle spirit. While she could get angry at times, she was mostly soft-spoken and a delight to be around."
Ducky's touching eulogy went on for about four minutes more, and reduced Abby to tears. He was followed by an equally poignant tribute by Benjamin, Kate's brother. When Benjamin was finished, Father Andrews began the benediction. There was silence after the final "Amen" that was not broken for several minutes. One by one, the three male agents, one medical examiner, and one forensic specialist filed past the casket and laid their flowers atop the wooden box.
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As the five NCIS personnel made their way back to Gibbs' car, Ducky spoke up. "Why don't we go someplace for lunch. My treat."
"You are so sweet, Duckman," Abby said, taking Ducky's arm.
Ducky smiled and patted her arm.
When they reached the car, Tony turned to look back. He watched with moist eyes as Kate's casket was loaded into the hearse that would take her to her final resting place. As they closed the door of the hearse, he whispered for the last time, "Bye, Kate."
Finis
A/N: Sorry that I took so long to get this out; I've been trying to get ready for Homecoming. :D I promise you that I had all of this in my head before watching "Kill Ari (Part II)". The only thing I took from that ep was the fact that the funeral was in Indiana. And for those of you who missed my earlier note, the "twist" to which I was referring was that Kate and Tony were engaged. I have only read one post-Twilight fic and it had no ship, so if someone else already did that idea, I'm sorry. I didn't copy it on purpose. For those of you who wanted a revenge fic, I'm sorry, that's just not my thing; it would have stunk so badly… I hope this story didn't disappoint anyone.