I'm so, so, so, sorry. I never meant it to be over a year since I last posted an update. But you know what they say, real life isn't fiction. And sometimes I feel like my life is like a Shakespearean tragedy. And then I think I wrote and rewrote and rewrote this chapter at least twenty times. I would get halfway through it, hate it, throw it away and start over. I am my own worst critic.

I hope that everyone enjoys this chapter and I hope it was worth the long, long wait. Oh, almost forgot, thank you to everyone that has favorite, alerted, and reviewed this on it's year long hiatus. All of those things motivated me into cracking down and finishing this chapter. I never gave up on this story : )

Complicted

Chapter XIV

She still could not fathom why she had said yes to come home with him. She knew that come morning, everything will have changed between them. But he was insistent—not taking no for an answer. So, she relented-secretly, she wanted to go, but morally knew that it would certainly affect their working relationship in the end.

She had always been aware of the sexual tension rolling off of them in waves the moment they had met. But she told herself—no more office romances, when she started at NCIS. Working every day with Jethro Gibbs, it was becoming increasingly harder to resist him. Resisting temptation was fucking impossible some days.

He unlocked the front door then stepped aside to allow her to enter first. Kate—the emergency blanket still wrapped around her shoulders—stepped over the threshold of Gibbs' home and made her way into the living room. Slowly, she scanned the minimal decorations and furniture. Gibbs really was a simple man.

She let the blanket go with her right hand and reached out to run her fingers down the spine of a book on the bookshelf. Trailed it along the shelf to a picture of a younger Gibbs, her finger tracing the outline of the younger version of her boss in his Marine Dress Blues. She shouldn't be here—mere inches from the forbidden fruit—in her current state. She could feel him behind her; his gaze burning into her back. Kate needed to escape.

To get away.

"Kate?"

God that voice. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She screwed up royally with this case. He should be reprimanding her for putting the team in danger. Not bringing her home with him and comforting her. Angrily, she wiped away at the few tears that had escaped her eyes and willed her voice to not crack when she spoke, "May I take a shower?"

"You don't have to ask, Kate." He stuffed his hands in his pants' pockets—as to not be tempted to touch her. Once he started, God wouldn't be able to pull him away. "The bathroom is the first door on your right at the top of the stairs."

Kate mumbled a "thank you" as she rushed past him, her hands clutching the emergency blanket tightly.

Ari Haswari was a dead man walking. He could feel the crosshairs aimed at his head and Caitlin was behind the scope. Sure Gibbs had made sure to let him know—the two times they were in each other's presence—that he wanted Ari dead for plenty of reasons. Most of them for terrorizing Caitlin. But, she was a mother now and he had awakened a beast when he kidnapped her infant son.

He had done the unthinkable.

Now, the consequences were speeding towards him at lightning speed.

Once she caught up with him, there would be no reasoning with her. He wouldn't be able to tell her that she was supposed to be the target. Not her son. He had desired for her from the first moment he laid eyes on her.

No, Caitlin would never believe that he hadn't wanted her son. All she would see is the man who held her hostage and kidnapped her, terrorizing her once more—this time using her son as the weapon.

Yes, Ari Haswari was a dead man walking.

And his time on Earth was fading quickly.

She flinched slightly as the ER doctor finished the last stitch on her left side. She hadn't wanted to come to the hospital. The wound on her left side was not as serious as the EMTs first anticipated once they cleaned it with a saline solution. She basically ordered them to slap some butterfly bandages on it and call it a day, so she could get moving on finding Gabriel and killing the bastard who took him.

Ari Haswari.

But Gibbs and the EMTs insisted she go to the hospital to get the wound stitched. She had wanted to argue—opened her mouth to spout off an angry tirade, but with one look from Gibbs, she'd abandoned her mission.

She went to the hospital, absolutely angry with her boyfriend.

Didn't he know that she needed to be out there, looking for their son? Didn't he know that it had to be her to end this cat and mouse game between them and Ari?

Minutes later, the doctor stood to his feet. "I'm finished, Ms. Todd."

Kate nodded thankfully.

"Change the dressing twice a day and keep the wound clean. The stitches will dissolve in a week." Handed her a prescription paper he'd just written. "This is for a pain medication. Please, take it only if you need it."

Kate took the offered piece of paper, knowing full well that she would not get the prescription filled, let alone take it. She needed her mind clear.

"I'll send a nurse in with your discharge papers and a set of scrubs for you to wear home." With that he stepped out of the curtained off area.

Less than five minutes later—which surprised Kate since it was midnight in an emergency room hospital-a middle aged woman called out before slipping between the curtains. "Here are your discharge papers, Ms. Todd and a pair of scrubs. I'm terribly sorry about the size, but all I could find is large."

Kate waved off her apology. "That's quite all right. I'm just grateful that I can change into something clean." Gestured to her blood-stained yoga pants and absent shirt before accepting the scrubs. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, sweetheart." She patted the younger woman's forearm. She wanted to say something more, but decided against it-it wasn't her duty to tell a young woman that she could find a better man to love. She slipped out of the curtained area, leaving the young woman to her own devices.

Kate changed as quickly as her damn wound would allow. Without another thought, she threw her ruined clothes on the gurney and exited the curtained area, making her way out of the emergency room to the street—only one thing on her mind. She hailed a taxi and gave the driver the address of her destination.

DiNozzo slumped down on the curb, his arms resting on his thighs and his head buried in his hands. How the fuck had this happened? How'd he let this happen?

He'd gone over every single detail. Had Kate look over the plans had drawn up—would never admit it, but he'd wanted her expert opinion—and she had approved.

So, what in God's name had gone wrong?

How'd Aaron Roth end up fighting for his life? How'd he end up with a mild concussion? How'd Kate end up a shallow knife wound? How'd Kate and Gibbs lose their son to a madman? How had all those things occur if he had covered all his bases?

How?

He raised his head and glanced at his hands—still stained with Kate's blood as Gibbs' were with Roth's. Anthony DiNozzo, Jr had never thought of himself as a vindictive person—even with everything he has seen and experienced throughout his life thus far—but that fucking bastard had gotten the drop on him. Gave him a splitting headache. Wounded his pride and made him look like a piss poor federal agent.

DiNozzo was itching to return the favor.

He took a fleeting moment to glance around the crime scene, crawling with federal agents—FBI and NCIS—as well as Washington DC Metro Police. The flashing blue and red lights—along with the uniforms and suits flowing in and out of Kate and Gibbs' house—has brought out the gawkers of the neighborhood. Most of them were leaning on the police barricades that had been set up, while a select few remained on their porches to watch what was unfolding.

One particular person looked familiar.

Very familiar, indeed.

How could he forget that copper-red hair and those piercing blue-green eyes? DiNozzo immediately shot to his feet and rushed over to the police barricade. When he got there, though, the woman was gone, making him doubt that he had seen who he thought he saw.

The pounding in his head matched the pounding currently being done on his front door. He rolled over and fell onto the floor with a groan of frustration. "I'm fucking coming! Give my front door a fucking rest!"

He staggered to the door and wretched it open, ready to give whomever was on the other side a piece of his mind.

"You know, fifteen years in the Army only made your language worse. And you kiss our mother with that mouth."

"Katie?" His eyes focused on his baby sister standing on his front porch in the middle of the night in hospital scrubs. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I need your help, Jonathan."

Jonathan Todd sobered quickly at his baby sister's words. "Come in."

"Okay, but you have to pay for my taxi first." Kate pointed over her shoulder and smiled sweetly.

Five minutes later, Jonathan closed the front door of his McClean, VA home and faced the youngest Todd sibling. Hands on his hips, he glared at her, "You look like death warmed over."

"Look who's talking. You don't look any better. Another failed relationship? Drinking yourself into a stupor again?" She knew that she shouldn't bait her brother, but she just could not help it. Jonathan was so predictable.

He laughed sarcastically, "Still don't pull any punches, do you?"

Kate sobered and apologized, "I'm sorry. I'm a little stressed. Tired. And like I said, I need your help." She sank down into the soft cushions of the couch and laid her head back.

"What happened? You're scaring me." He knelt in front of her, grabbing her waist and noticed the faint wince from Kate. He started to lift her scrub top and before she could stop him, he saw the wound. "What the fuck!?"

"Jonathan..."

"Did Gibbs do this to you?" he snarled.

"No, he didn't," she placated her brother as she lowered the scrub top. "Gibbs would never hurt me and you know that." She brushed a lock of hair off his forehead. "Gabriel's been kidnapped, Jonathan."

The hot water cascading over her naked body seemed to soothe her anxiety of being in close quarters with Gibbs. She methodically washed her hair with his shampoo; used his body wash—classic Old Spice—and his shaving cream and razor on her legs, underarms and bikini area.

By the time she shut off the water, the bathroom was filled with steam and it smelled like Gibbs. The corners of her mouth lifted up—what she would give to smell like Gibbs every day.

After she dried off, she wrapped the towel around her and vigorously dried her hair with another one before opening the bathroom door. She walked down the hall to Gibbs' room. What she hadn't expected was the man standing in there, half naked.

A shocked gasp exited her mouth.

He immediately turned around at the sound.

"I'm...sorry. I...I...was just looking for something to wear to bed. I'll...um, let you get dressed." Cringed inwardly at her stammering as she hooked her thumb over her shoulder, indicating that she'd wait in the hall.

"Kate," he called out, making the auburn haired woman stop in her tracks, "you don't have to leave. I was just grabbing a t-shirt and sweats. I was hoping to be gone before you got out of the shower." He grabbed a UCLA shirt and pulled it over his head.

Kate inwardly grumbled when the shirt obscured the tantalizing view of Gibbs' chest. She had had an inclination that the man kept in rather good shape, but had no idea that he looked that marvelous underneath his polo shirts and blazers. She wanted to feel his skin underneath her fingers; his muscles contracting as she caressed them; longed to have his roughened hangs trailing everywhere on her body.

"The bedroom is all yours."

"What..." finally his words broke through the fog of her erotic daydream, "Wait, I'm not kicking you out of your own bedroom.

"Kate," he growled, "I'm trying to be the gentleman here."

"Well, stop," she snapped back. She huffed in frustration. "I never asked to come home with you, Gibbs. You practically ordered me to and we both know why."

His jaw clenched slightly, knowing that she was slowly seeing through his ruse of bringing her back to his home with him. Maybe if he said it enough times out loud, he'd start believe the words. "I needed to make sure you were all right."

"I don't believe it."

"That's the truth. End of discussion." Needed to get out of the bedroom before he did the one thing that he had longed to do since he met Caitlin Todd.

She was playing with fire. She knew it. And she knew that she was liable to get burned by said fire, but she could not stop what she was about to do. Her hands reached up to the knot in the towel and undid it. The towel fluttered to the floor, landing at her pale feet. Shivers coursed through her body when she saw Gibbs blatantly ogling her.

"Well, here you go, Gibbs, you can check and make sure I'm all right."

"Katie," he hissed.

She walked the remaining distance separating them until she was mere inches from him. She could feel the heat radiating off his body. "Look at me, Gibbs," she husked.

"I am. God, I am and you're enthralling, Kate." His hand whispered over her ribcage to the gentle flare of her hip. "I can't give you anymore than tonight."

"That's okay. I understand," her voice hitched when his fingers pinched her nipple.

Kate had fallen asleep on Jonathan's couch about fifteen minutes after she explained the events leading up to Gabriel's kidnapping. He kept asking her where Gibbs was and true to Kate's fashion—she either dodged the question with another question of change the entire conversation. His younger sister never liked discussing her relationships.

But, Gibbs needed to know where she ended up after leaving the hospital. Jonathan actually liked the older man—he was good for his baby sister.

So, when the almost quiet knock sounded on his front door at five o'clock in the morning, the youngest Todd brother raced to answer it before it woke Kate from her slumber. The two men regarded each other in the early morning dawn; the respect for each other as well as the love for the woman currently sleeping on Jonathan's couch, shining through.

Jonathan invited his sister's boyfriend into the house. "Can I offer you some coffee, Gibbs?" He led the way into the kitchen.

"That would be wonderful." Gibbs followed close behind and grabbed a seat at the island counter. "I would've been here sooner, but I was waiting on news about an agent. He was in surgery."

"No worries, Gibbs. If you would've been here two hours ago, I would've not been that welcoming."

Gibbs quirked an eyebrow in question.

"Drunk and trying to sober myself up. Broke up with a girlfriend and thought drinking would make everything better." Set a steaming cup of coffee in front of the older man.

"I could've told you that it doesn't."

"Oh, I know. You would think I would have learned my lesson by now, being thirty-five years old." Poured himself another mug of coffee—his third this morning. "How's your agent?"

Gibbs took a long, satisfying sip of the coffee before answering, "He's out of surgery and in stable condition, for now. They're going to watch him for the next twelve hours."

"Did the man who took Gabriel do that to him?"

"I'm not sure who stabbed Agent Roth three times, but I do know that Gabriel's kidnapper hit me over the head while I was on the phone with a friend." Unconsciously, his right hand came up to his left shoulder, splaying over the bullet wound that Ari gave him.

Jonathan observed Gibbs mindlessly rubbing his shoulder. It wasn't the first time he had seen the older man do it. It was Thanksgiving—Gibbs was sitting on the front porch, nursing a glass of scotch. He had wanted to ask the older man then about the injury, but decided against it. Jonathan knew from experience what it felt like when you were asked about war wounds.

He turned away from his sister's boyfriend, leaving the older man lost in his thoughts and opened the refrigerator to pull out eggs, cheese, and vegetables. Carried the ingredients over to the stove, placing them on the counter right beside it. He pulled down a medium-sized iron skillet from the pan rack, placed it on one of the burners, drizzled a little olive oil in the pan before turning the burner onto low. Methodically, he diced up some red onion, red and green peppers, mushrooms, and broccoli and then threw everything into the skillet to sauté

Before too long, the kitchen was filled with the sweet aroma of sautéing vegetables. Jonathan then started cracking eggs into the bowl and whisking them up. Another iron skillet joined the first on the stove.

"You're just like your sister, cooking to ease your mind."

Jonathan quietly chuckled at Gibbs' words.

"Actually, all of us Todd children do just that."

Both men turned towards the voice that spoke. Kate stood in the doorway of the kitchen, wanting so much to glare at her brother, but she couldn't. She knew Jonathan called Gibbs because he loved his baby sister. What he had done while she'd been sleeping had not been betrayal but love.

"Katie..."

Kate waved off whatever her brother was going to say, "I know, Jonathan and it's okay. I understand."

The tension in the room between the two siblings seemed to just evaporate with Kate's words. As Jonathan returned to cooking the omelets, Kate shuffled over to where Gibbs was seated at the island and fell into his outstretched arms. It was then that Kate finally broke down, the stress of the last six hours finally catching up with her. Quiet sobs came the usually stoic agent.

Jonathan glanced over his shoulder at the sound of the crying coming from his sister. Kate very rarely cried. It took all of Jonathan's strength to not drop everything at the stove and hold her until she quieted.

But Gibbs was there, holding her and whispering words that Jonathan could not hear into Kate's hair.

One thing he did hear—and silently vowed that it would happen, "We'll, find Gabriel, Kate."

While DiNozzo caught a quick cat nap on the floor of Abby's lab, she and McGee worked diligently on finding everything they could on one Andrea McKay. He had immediately called McGee after he thought he'd seen Andrea at the crime scene. He wanted to know everything about the mystery in his boss' life. She was much of an enigma as Gibbs.

When DiNozzo arrived at NCIS, one look from Abby and he was promptly ordered to catch some sleep while she and McGee worked on the request. DiNozzo knew when to argue and when not to—this was a time not to.

He had pulled out the spare sleeping bag the Goth kept underneath a counter, laid down and was out within ten minutes.

"Have you heard anything from Kate or Gibbs yet?"

"Gibbs called to inform me of Aaron Roth's status after surgery. That was two hours ago. Nothing from Kate at all." McGee answered reading over the information he and Abby had found.

"What about the investigation into Gabriel's kidnapping?"

McGee stopped what he was doing and looked at the Goth. "You know Fornell will not tell us what's going on because we would do everything possible to find Gabriel. And it's a conflict of interest for us to investigate our boss' child's kidnapping."

"When have we ever done anything ethical?" The Goth tilted her head at the young agent. Suddenly what McGee had said sunk in, "Oh my God! Gibbs told you..."

The young agent put his hand over the Forensics Tech's mouth, stopping whatever was about to come out of her mouth. "Yes, he told me to discreetly look for any signs of Ari trying to leave the country."

Abby raised her hands as if asking well, did you?

It was really sad that the two of them could communicate so well silently while not in a relationship, but couldn't when in a relationship. "Not Ari, but somebody else we know." McGee started to remove his hand, but stopped and looked at Abby with a look are you going to be quiet after I take my hand off your mouth?

Abby nodded.

The young agent quickly pulled up some surveillance camera photos.

"Where are these from?"

"Reagan International."

Abby silently studied the camera stills, looking at the time stamps and then the image of the person. "We gotta call Gibbs, McGee. Like now!"

"I can do one better," DiNozzo voiced his opinion. He pulled his phone out and started dialing.

To Be Continued...