Kate POV

I walked into the already active bullpen, my light blazer in my hand. It was slowly approaching 90 some degrees, proclaiming the sweet DC summer that we had all been waiting for.

"Hey Kate! Guess what?" Tony yelled, jumping up from his seat and jogging over to me, his hair slicked back.

I sighed, "What, Tony?" I asked, continuing walking towards my desk and throwing my blazer on the back of my chair.

"We got a new Director," he proclaimed, "A red head," he added.

My mind instantly jumped back to the one case that had hinted on the topic that Gibbs liked red heads.

"Oh," I managed, "Where is he?"

He laughed and jerked his head up the stairs, "He's up there with her now, he's been there for a good half an hour now."

I nodded and sat down at my desk, fighting the fits of jealousy that threatened to overtake my self control.

"She's pretty cute too, long red hair, light brown eyes, nice little-"

I cut him off, "Tony! Don't even go there!"

He laughed and shrugged playfully, flicking a piece of paper at my head which I promptly dodged. I heard footsteps on the stairs and turned my head to see Gibbs walking down the steps, the Director's arm slid through his.

He tossed his head back in a laugh and she smiled in response and whispered something in his ear which made him smirk at their own inside joke.

I quickly turned away just as they were coming down the stairs and was instantly absorbed in my monitor and flipped through emails I had long sense read.

"Agent Todd, DiNozzo," Gibbs called, and I looked up, "Director Jenny Shepard."

I nodded and gave her a smile and stood up to shake her free hand.

"Ah, Agent Todd, I have heard nothing but good things about you, it'll be a pleasure working with you," she said, announcing me with my professional title.

I nodded, "Yes ma'am."

DiNozzo brushed passed me and eagerly shook her hand, "Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, nice to meet you."

She laughed, "Jethro has told me so much about you, Agent DiNozzo," she shared a look with Gibbs that just made my anger fume inside me even more.

I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket and picked it up. I looked at the caller ID number once and smiled, right on time.

"Hello?" I answered promptly, leaving the suddenly loud bullpen, filled with laughter and meetings.

"Katie, when you coming home tonight?" Steve asked.

I shrugged, "We might have a case to do so pretty late. Don't wait up?"

He laughed, "I'll always be waiting for you, Katie, and plus you still owe me and I'll collect tonight."

I laughed back, "Alright, talk to you later, Steven, bye, love you."

"Love you too, Katie."

I hung up the phone and went back into the bullpen to see Tony sitting at his desk and Gibbs sitting at his.

He looked up as soon as I sat down.

"Who was that?" Gibbs asked, his blue eyes looking into mine.

I shrugged, "A friend, nothing major," I told him honestly.

He looked skeptical but his phone cut off any other thoughts.

I turned away from his piercing blue eyes and began to type up the report I had yet to finish from last night.

"Grab your gear, we got a dead marine in Quantico," he barked out, already making his way to the elevator, coffee in hand.

"Anything else, boss?" Tony asked, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

I walked past him and into the elevator, standing perfectly straight and glaring at the medal.

"You'll know when we get there, DiNozzo," Gibbs murmured just as the Italian slid through the closing silver doors.

I gave a low chuckle as the elevator began its descent down into the ground floors. I quickly slid from the elevator and opened the awaiting NCIS van parked outside and got in.

"Gibbs who do you and the Director know each other?" I asked, my tone carefree as he started the engine.

He didn't take his eyes off the road and said, "Is that any of your business, Agent Todd?"

I heard Tony muffle a chuckle with a cough and elbowed him in the ribs.

"Well, as a matter of fact, yes. We would all like to know more about the new Director, if you don't mind, Gibbs," I stated bluntly.

He looked at me from the corner of his eye, almost a glare, "You'll know when we finish this case."

His tone had finality in it that made me stop questioning him and kept quiet. I looked straight ahead.

"Where's McGee?" I asked, looking around for the young probationary agent.

Tony shrugged, "In the Big Apple visiting his mom."

I nodded and the idle conversation once again died out.

Gibbs pulled the van into a parking space near the ware house and we immediately got out. I slammed the door behind me and expertly swung myself under the all too familiar yellow police tape.

I turned to the detective currently examining the body.

"You didn't move the body, did you?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

He shook his head, "No ma'am, and who are you?" He asked.

I sighed, flipping out my ID and badge, "Special Agent Kate Todd, NCIS."

The man's face darkened exceptionally and he stepped aside to reveal the letters written in blood.

The blood had already dried so you were barely able to make it out, but it was still pretty noticeable.

This marine had it lucky. Special Agent Caitlin Todd will not be so lucky to have a quick death. She will suffer for what you have done, gunny.

"Any idea who the gunny is?" The detective asked.

I barely heard his voice; all my senses were trained on the writing, my eyes blown wide and my heart racing a mile a minute. I reread the bloody letters and swallowed back the bile that had risen from my throat.

"Gibbs," I called, turning slightly just in time to see his annoyed expression, "You should come see this."

"Can't you handle it, Special Agent Todd?" He called back, turning to face the witness and adding, "DiNozzo, Todd, you two know the drill. Get to it!"

I glared at him, was he really this stubborn? He was perfectly fine before the new Director came.

I heard Tony come up behind me and almost jumped two feet in the air when he laid his arm around my shaking shoulders.

"Hey, Kate, relax, what are you-" he cut himself off as his eyes strayed to where mine were once again glued.

I could see his eyes scanning the writing over and over again and felt him stiffen beside me. He lifted the camera and bent down and snapped a few shots of the writing.

I stood there, dumb found, until I heard a familiar growling beside me.

"Kate, do something, don't just stand there, there's-" I felt his eyes boring into the pavement and felt another chill shake my body. I tried to make myself move but I stood frozen against the concrete.

"Gibbs," I whispered, my voice barely a croak, "What did you do to piss someone off that much?" I asked quietly.

He pulled his arm around me and laid his jacket over my shoulders.

"I don't know, Katie," he whispered, his hand rubbing circles into the middle of my back trying to calm me down.

I nodded, and looked at the detective, my anger slowly overcoming my fear.

"Where's the body?"

"The body's on the ceiling, there's more writing up there you should see, Agent Todd," the detective said and began to leave the scene.

I looked at Gibbs, who was now removing his arm from around me and began sprinting towards the stairs. I followed him, leaving Tony to take charge of the scene.

"Gibbs, do we have contact with Tony?" I asked, our feet echoing against the medal stairs. My eyes were slowly adjusting to the shot out lights.

"Yeah, why?" Gibbs asked, not slowing his pace.

"I have a bad feeling in my gut," I told him honestly just as we burst through the door and sunlight came streaming through the opening.

We found the body easily, sprawled across the ventilation system. Gibbs immediately went to the body and checked around for the writing.

We skewered the whole roof top, looking for anything that even closely resembled blood.

"Gibbs, are you sure there's something here?" I asked, bending down to check underneath the boxes.

"The detective said there was somewhere around here," he growled, his frustration seeping through.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps and froze, looking up, I saw the door crack open slightly and a man with his face covered in black cloth raised a sniper rifle, taking precise aim at the back of Gibbs's head.

"Shooter!" I cried, running between them just as the shot was fired. I jumped in front of him and the bullet dug its way into my chest.

I felt the stinging pain, and then everything went black.