NCIS. Abby/Kate. 087. Life. *
Title: Playing With Matches
Fandom: NCIS
Characters: Abigail Sciuto, Caitlin Todd, Jethro Gibbs, Tony DiNozzo, Timothy McGee
Pairings: Kate/Abby, Kate/OFC
Prompt: 087 Life
Word Count: 8,380
Rating: R, with a sex scene
Spoilers: Dead Man Talking, The Good Wives Club,
Summary: A former Navy lieutenant escapes from prison, leading NCIS to a woman he met while in prison. Kate bonds with a new agent and begins to suspect that their meeting was less than fate.
Author's Notes: Story #90! The agent in the story (and in the banner. And in the icon) was in Season 3's "Probie." I think the actress's name is Taryn O'Neill. Her character was unnamed (says 'assistant' on imdb, but let's go with agent for purposes of the fic, m'kay?), but she was on-screen for quite a few seconds of time. I think she might've had one line total. But... still... she's cute, she works at NCIS and therefore is fair game for fic. *G*
Little Damn Table
"Sixty-nine bottles of beer on the wall, sixty-nine bottles of beer. Take one down, pass it around..."
"Jeffrey!" Mr. Cone said over his shoulder.
"Let the boy be," his wife sighed.
Mr. Cone tightened his hands on the wheel. "Definitely a bad idea. Driving to your mother's house... what was I thinking?"
She raised an eyebrow at him. "What was the bad idea? Driving or going to my mother's house?"
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and cleared his throat. "All I'm saying is that they have minivans now with DVD players in the back seat. Worth a couple hundred bucks, wouldn't you say?"
"With what we're already paying for gas, I'd say a DVD player is ambitious."
Mr. Cone sighed and glanced in his rear view mirror. "Oh, this is just wonderful. Feds think they own the road, just because they're transporting prisoners?"
The kids spun around in the backseat, faces pressed to the back window. "Whoa! Think there's a murderer in there?" Jeffrey asked.
Jessica said, "No, stupid, it's probably just white-collar guys."
"Don't call your brother stupid," Mrs. Cone said, turning in her seat. She frowned when she saw the bus herself; it was halfway over the median strip, barreling towards them. "Honey, maybe you better pull over..."
"He'll get into his own lane." He leaned on his horn, though, just to make sure. The bus veered to the left, hurrying back into the correct lane. As it got closer, Mr. Cone noticed the front windshield was fogged over with something. "That's weird..."
In fact, the entire inside of the bus seemed to be filled with white smoke. As the bus pulled back towards the minivan, Mr. Cone slammed on the brakes and took their van out of harm's way at the last second. The bus sliced through the space the van had just occupied and hit the guard rail, the back tires lifting off the road.
"Whoa!" Jeffrey gasped, eyes wide.
Jessica screamed.
Mr. Cone hit the brakes and watched with horror as the back door of the bus swung open. A man in an orange jumpsuit leapt from the smoke-filled interior, his face covered with a bandana. He looked at the minivan for a moment before running to the side of the road and vaulting the guard rail. As guards and other prisoners began flowing from the bus, Mr. Cone looked at his wife and said, "Your mother won't believe this, will she?"
---
Kate looked up as Gibbs rounded the corner of her desk. "Uh, he actually just walked in... do you want to tell him yourself? I think it might go over better if... McGee! No, Tim, don't..." She growled and hung up. "McGee is sick. Hundred-and-two degree temperature. Doctor said he's contagious."
Gibbs turned around, heading back the way he'd come. He headed down the next row of desks and said, "Nolan."
The bald, walrus-mustached agent looked up and said, "Agent Gibbs."
"Got an agent you can spare?"
Nolan whistled and said, "Special Agent O'Brien."
A pretty brunette agent stood, knocking over a stack of files on the edge of her desk in the process. She fumbled, putting them back where they'd been and then closed her eyes before moving towards her boss' desk. "Sorry," she said. "Yes, Agent Nolan?"
"Get your gear. You're with Gibbs' team today."
"Oh. Um... okay. I'll... I just have to go downstairs and grab some stuff from my locker."
"Take your time, O'Brien," Gibbs said.
As the young agent hurried off, Nolan said, "Sorry, Gibbs. She's caught up on everything; the only one I can spare."
"Don't worry, Mike," Gibbs said with a smile. "It's actually kind of an improvement over who she'll be replacing." He motioned for Kate to follow him and said, "Where's DiNozzo?"
"Checking the car out of motor pool."
Gibbs glanced at her. "Why?"
"Oh. We, uh... saw the report about Lieutenant Roman escaping from the prison transport this morning. We figured, high-profile case would come to us. So..."
Gibbs turned to her and smiled. "Anticipation. I like it." She beamed and his smile vanished. He turned back to the elevator, stone-faced.
"So that's it?" Kate said. "Two seconds of pride?"
He shrugged. "Sometimes I give three."
Kate hid her smirk as she stepped into the elevator with him.
---
"We're in luck," DiNozzo said, tossing the keys to Gibbs. "We got the sedan with the heated seats. Agent Garrity's team has... been hogging... hello," he said, breaking away as soon as he saw Agent O'Brien. "I'm Anthony DiNozzo, Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. Call me Tony. Can I help you with any--"
Kate said, "She's McGee's temporary replacement."
"Temporary?" Tony said. "Oh, we'll have to see about that, sweetheart." He put an arm around her. "I'd be happy to show you the ropes. Be your... mentor. The wind beneath your wings, the..."
"You asked me out four months ago and I told you no," she interrupted. "You stepped on my foot at the water cooler and didn't apologize. You routinely dump busy work on my desk and take full credit for it when Special Agent Gibbs compliments you."
Tony's smile faded. "So we have met."
Gibbs looked over his shoulder. "Always thought your handwriting was a little feminine on those monthly invoices."
Kate laughed and leaned in towards O'Brien. "What was your first name?"
"Kyle."
"Kyle?"
"Parents were hoping for a boy... and then had a failure of imagination when I was born."
Kate laughed. "Kate Todd. I think this is going to be fun."
Tony's shoulders sagged at the look of evil on both women's faces. "How long did poor Tim say he was gonna be out?"
---
The bus was surrounded by a semi-circle of yellow crime scene tape. A highway patrolman lifted the tape for Gibbs and his team as they approached, passing the Cone minivan. Mr. Cone was on his cell, trying desperately to explain to a woman on the other end what had happened. He rushed over to Gibbs and said, "Excuse me, could you please explain to my mother-in-law what our delay is?"
"DiNozzo," Gibbs said.
Tony juggled his supplies and took the phone. "Um, hi, Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. Your, uh, son-in-law is being held in connection with a crime. We'll have him out just as soon as we can." He snapped the phone shut and handed it back to the horrified man. "Hope that helped."
Kate looked around and said, "Where are all the other prisoners?"
"Another bus came, picked them up already," Gibbs said.
Gibbs walked up to the smoking wreck of the bus, intercepted by a prison guard. "You NCIS?"
"The hats give us away?" Tony asked.
The guard ignored him and introduced himself. "Alex Darwin."
"Seriously?" Kate said, unable to silence herself before it was out.
Darwin rolled his eyes and said, "Lieutenant Charles Roman was being transferred this morning to the state facility, where he would be spending the rest of his life sentence. He somehow figured out how to smuggle a smoke bomb onto the bus and set it off about a half-mile back."
He walked to the back of the bus and indicated the broken lock. "He got the back door open, got out, managed to evade our officers and a couple of dogs by running through these woods."
"How did he get the back door open?" Gibbs asked.
"Emergency release. It's a matter of safety, Agent Gibbs. The bus was full of smoke and there was the possibility of a fire. The safety of my men and the prisoners was of the utmost importance."
Gibbs said, "You knew Lieutenant Roman was imprisoned for arson, correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"So maybe your men should've taken a little extra precaution with their emergence fire procedures."
"In hindsight, Sir..."
Gibbs didn't let him finish. He stormed back towards the tape and said, "O'Brien, Kate, get photos while you're waiting for the tow truck. DiNozzo, you're with me. Let's see if we can find Roman's trail."
"Got it, boss."
Kate and Kyle moved to the bus, Kyle watching as Gibbs and Tony hopped the guard rail. "Wow," she said. "Is he always like that?"
"No," Kate said, shaking her head and lifting the camera. "Not... all the time. Hardly ever. But... frequently."
Kyle smiled and said, "You know, you guys are kind of like superheroes around the office. Everyone talks about the crazy cases you guys get handed... like the transsexual last year? The one..."
"Yes," Kate said. "Bring that up around Tony. He loves hearing about it."
Kyle chuckled. "Well. I just wanted you to know that I really appreciate the opportunity to work with you guys, even if it is briefly."
"Well, you're definitely easier on the eyes than any of my other teammates." She nudged Kyle with her elbow and snapped a few photos of the bus door.
---
Tony followed Gibbs through the woods, keeping an eye out for the footprints Roman had left behind. "So this guy torched an entire apartment building, just to get at his fiancé? Sounds a bit overdramatic..."
"Well, DiNozzo, you want something bad enough..." Gibbs sighed and scanned the ground for the next leg of the trail. "Fire was his specialty. During the trial..." He found another footprint and moved to the right, Tony falling in step behind him, "...it came out that he'd been setting things on fire since he was a kid."
"So it took seven people dying for him to get caught."
"Usually does," Gibbs said. He paused, looking both ways and hesitating for a moment before he headed left.
Tony said, "It's all right to admit you're lost, boss."
"When I am, I'll admit it," Gibbs promised.
"I'm just saying... I'm starting to wish I'd left breadcrumbs..."
---
Kate and Kyle watched the tow truck hook up the bus, waiting patiently for Gibbs and Tony to return from the woods. Kyle shifted from one foot to the other and eventually turned to Kate. "You're pretty good friends with Abby Sciuto, right?"
"Um... yeah, I guess so," Kate said. The truth was she and Abby had dated for a few months after she first came to NCIS. The break-up had been amicable and Abby was constantly riding Kate about her choices in their post-relationship boyfriends. "Why do you ask?"
"I don't think Special Agent Nolan likes her all that much... he always sends me down with things for her to run. I don't think he's ever been down there once."
Kate smiled. "A lot of people at NCIS don't get Abby. Give her time and she's one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet."
"That's what I keep trying to tell Agent Nolan," Kyle said.
"Eh, let him be scared of her. Gives her more time for us."
Gibbs arrived then, watching as the truck pulled away with the bus. "Photos?"
"Got 'em," Kate said. "Along with sketches. The ambulance reported to the guards, said that the last of the smoke-inhalation patients was being cleared. No casualties."
"Good to hear," he said. "All right, let's head back to the office."
Kate lagged behind, waiting to walk to the car with Kyle. "So? How'd you like the field?"
"To be honest?" Kyle said. "I kind of expected to get shot at."
Tony overheard and turned around, "Nah, never on your first day. We're saving that for tomorrow."
---
Abby moved slowly back, waving the bus into the wide, open area. "Little more... little more. Whoa, there, that's perfect." The truck stopped backing and she headed to the cab, taking the clipboard from the driver. As she signed her name, she heard the elevator bell and looked up. Kate and Kyle were approaching, blocked from seeing her by the bus. She smirked at the sight of them together and handed the clipboard back.
"Special K!" Abby said, hurrying over to them.
"What?" Kate said.
"Kate," Abby said, "And Kyle. Special Agents. Special K. It's also a cereal."
Kate shook her head and said, "We come bearing gifts."
"Yes!" Abby said, slapping the side of the bus. "And much larger gifts than you usually provide. I'm going to enjoy taking this baby apart piece by piece."
"Well, take your time," Kate said. "You know how patient Gibbs can be."
Abby threw her head back and laughed, once, and said, "I'll get right on it."
They headed for the elevators, but Abby snagged Kate's coat and pulled her back. "Well?" she said, motioning at Kyle with her head.
"What?"
"What do you think of her?"
"She's okay," Kate said. "A little green, I guess, but she has potential. Why..."
Abby laughed and said, "Kate, dear, you're being set up."
"By who?"
Abby stepped back, holding her arms out to her sides. "Ta-da!"
"Is she even--"
"She is!"
"Did you tell her that I was..."
"No."
Kate sighed and then frowned. "How did you set us up? McGee is sick and Gibbs..."
"McGee is faking it. I asked him to." She spun on her heel and said, "But getting Gibbs to randomly pick Agent O'Brien, well... that took some ingenious plotting. I rigged a computer program that would get through her stack of paperwork in record time. Thus ensuring she was free to be farmed out. Plus, her superior is Agent Nolan. Gibbs always plucks one of Nolan's team if necessary."
"You're devious."
"It's why you started dating me!"
"You had no right to stick your nose into my life like this!"
"And that's why you stopped dating me," Abby said. She put her hands on Kate's shoulders and said, "Look. Kate. The guys you've been dating lately?" She stuck her tongue out and shook her head. Give Kyle a chance. She hangs out down in the lab sometimes. She's really cool. And really, totally perfect for you."
Kate sighed and said, "I'm going to get you back."
"Oooh, promise? Make mine a blonde."
Kate couldn't help smiling. She turned and hurried to the elevator, where Kyle had been waiting the entire time. "Sorry about that."
"No problem."
Kate stepped into the elevator and glanced at Kyle. 'Perfect for me,' she thought, shaking her head. 'Sure. We'll see.'
---
Kyle sent what she'd found to the plasma and stood, glancing over at Kate. "I don't know what to do..."
Kate leaned in and whispered into her ear. Kyle listened, then said, "Got something, boss." Gibbs looked up and Kate whispered again. Kyle cleared her throat. "Roman's fiancé was not one of the people who died when he torched her building. She was checked out of the hospital and immediately moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. We can assume he's not after her now. However, we do have reports that he made a connection while in prison."
She hit the prompt key and the plasma screen lit up with the photo she'd been emailed from the warden. It showed a lovely blonde woman smiling into the camera, standing next to Lieutenant Roman in his prison uniform.
Tony tsked and shook his head. "I'll never understand women who send letters to men in prison. 'I know you're in jail because you tried to murder your last girlfriend, but I'll bet I could turn you around!'"
Kate leaned in and whispered to Kyle again. Kyle frowned, but Kate nodded that it was okay. Kyle shrugged and slapped Tony on the back of the head.
Gibbs smirked and said, "Find the pen pal and sit on her. Don't let her know she's being watched; we don't want her scaring him away."
"Got it, boss," Tony said.
"Tony," Gibbs said. "You make contact with the woman. Kate, Agent O'Brien, you two stay out of sight and handle the surveillance."
"Are you sure, Gibbs?" Kate asked. He looked at her and she backpedaled. "Yes. You're sure. Of course. I'll check out the car."
---
Penny Parks lived in a brownstone, squeezed between two other homes and facing a busy street. Tony, Kate and Kyle sat in the car, watching the front of the house as they considered their options. "I guess you could always dirty yourselves up," Tony said. "Pretend you're bums and hang out in the alley."
"Helpful," Kate said, leaning forward and scanning the street. The mailman was making his rounds, moving up and down the front steps of each brownstone and depositing a handful of envelopes and magazines into each slot. As he approached the house neighboring their target, he withdrew a handful and transferred it to another pocket. Kate sat up and said, "He skipped the neighbor's house."
"Huh?" Tony said.
"The mailman skipped Penny Parks' neighbor." She opened her door and stepped out, moving across the street. Tony told Kyle to stay with the car, hurrying to catch up with Kate. "Excuse me, sir," she said, holding up her badge. "We're federal agents with NCIS. I was just wondering why you skipped that house back there?"
"They have a stop delivery for another week. Vacation in the Bahamas."
Kate and Tony glanced at each other.
---
"Yes, Mr. North. Yes. And we thank you. Yes, we'll be very careful. Thank you again." Gibbs hung up and exhaled. "I don't like dealing with people."
"But the house is ours?" Tony said.
"Mr. North was extremely proud to be of service to his country. Extremely, vocally proud." He stood and said, "They left the key with a cousin, who is bringing it by this afternoon. Kate, Agent O'Brien, go home and pack some bags."
Tony's shoulders sagged. "I have to miss the sleepover?" he moaned.
"Grow up, Tony," Kate said, moving past him and heading to the elevators.
---
Abby aimed the laser pointer at the blackened vinyl seat. "The fire started here, where Lieutenant Roman was sitting. From what I can tell, it was a simple Molotov cocktail. Dip one end of a rag in alcohol, fill the bottle half full and then wrap the towel around the lip. Light the end of the rag, toss it, watch mayhem unfurl."
"One problem with that, Abs," Gibbs said. He gripped the iron bar affixed to the seat in front of Roman's and tugged. "Bar is still in place. How'd he get out?"
"Not a problem; a solution. He escaped this bar the same way he got out through the back door."
Gibbs held his hands out.
"He was never chained to the bar and someone opened the back door for him."
"An accomplice on the bus?"
"It's the only explanation."
Gibbs sighed and said, "All right. Let me know if you find anything else."
"Gibbs!"
He stopped at the open back door and turned. "Yes, Abby?"
She held up a small green shard of glass. "Where would you not expect to find something sharp like this?" She arched an eyebrow and suggested, "A play pen? An ink pen..."
"The State pen," Gibbs said, taking the shard. "Where did Roman get the glass bottle for his Molotov?"
"Yet another provision of our second gunman. Only he didn't shoot anyone. And actually exists."
"Can you print the shards?"
"Can and will. I'll let you know when I have anything else."
"You do that, Abs," Gibbs said, leaving the bus the same way Roman had. Abby put the shard into an evidence bag and knelt down, looking for more shards.
---
Kate picked up the brownstone key at NCIS before heading to the brownstone. She let herself in through the alley entrance, diminishing the chances that Penny would spot her. When she entered the kitchen, she saw Kyle had already arrived. She was at the fridge, inspecting the contents and turned when the door opened. "Hi!"
"How's the food situation look?"
"Pretty bare," she replied. "There are some old cans of soup in the cupboard that might not kill us, if you want to take a chance..."
Kate smiled. "I'll run out and grab something later. We have a cover story if Parks gets suspicious?"
"Cousins of Mr. and Mrs. North, watching the house while they're away."
"Excellent," Kate said. "I'm going to put up some of my stuff. Abby show you how to set up that surveillance stuff?"
"Basically, the for-dummies version," Kyle replied.
Kate nodded. "Well, then, I'll just... head upstairs."
"Okay," Kyle replied, picking her bag up off the floor and unzipping it.
Kate started upstairs, kicking herself. "I'm such an idiot..."
---
"Officer Darwin," Gibbs said, walking into interrogation. He dropped the man's file on the table and took a seat. "Sorry I'm late. Had a bit of reading to do." He pushed the file closer to where Darwin was sitting. "Quite a little list there. Reprimand for drinking on the job. Sexually harassing a female prisoner which, I'm guessing, is why you haven't worked at a woman's correctional facility since '98. Excessive force. Excessive force. Excessive force... seems to be a habit with you."
"So I'm not the world's best guard," Darwin said, shrugging dismissively. "You do my job for one week, Agent Gibbs, see if you don't go for the bottle every now and then."
Gibbs smiled. "Let's not compare you and me. You're about to have enough reasons to be depressed." He opened the file and said, "Six months ago, Charles Roman issued a complaint about you to the warden. Claimed you assaulted him without provocation. Two weeks later... all charges were dropped. Four months ago, Roman was reprimanded for having pornography in his cell. I wonder where he might have gotten that."
Darwin shook his head. "Look, the guy was out of line, so I kicked him once or twice. He starts crying excessive force and I'm looking at termination. So, I agree to get him stuff if he drops the charges. Like, uh, stroke mags, you know? Or cigarettes, sometimes candy..."
"Alcohol?"
"Every now and then."
Gibbs showed Darwin a photo of the partially reconstructed Heineken bottle. "Your fingerprints are on the neck of this bottle. That's glass. Warden wouldn't have let it anywhere near a prisoner. The strange this is the placement of your fingerprints. Oh, and we know they're yours... got them off your ten-card from the prison."
Darwin swallowed and looked down at his hands.
"How involved were you?"
"I just..." He inhaled and shook his head. "He told me not to lock his chains to the bar. Said his arms got cramped and if I could look the other way, just this once..." He sighed. "All I did was leave him unlocked. That's it."
Gibbs shook his head. "Doesn't work for me, officer. Found your fingerprints on the door release."
"Yes, you would have," Darwin said. "I had to release it to allow the prisoners and fire escape route. It's basic..."
"You unlocked and opened the door a full minute before anyone else was unchained. We have witnesses to that. Roman could not have brought a beer bottle - half-empty or not - onto a prison bus. You brought it on for him." He closed the file and shook his head. "You should've just taken the hit for excessive force."
Darwin put his head down on the desk as Gibbs walked out of the room.
---
The sun started to set around five, casting long amber shadows across the floor of the living room. Kate and Kyle hadn't turned on any lights, preferring to sit in the semi-darkness so as not to draw attention from the neighbors.
Kate was on the couch, staring at the ceiling with one headphone over her ear and the other on her temple. She was listening to the quiet apartment next door, counting the times the cat yowled at something through the window. "Is that dog back?"
Kyle looked up from her seat next to the front door. "Yep."
"Great," Kate sighed, pulling the headphones off. "Penny Parks' cat is going haywire next door trying to get at it." She pushed herself off the couch and headed for the kitchen. "With any luck, she's meeting with Roman right now and is going to bring him home. We can end this whole thing tonight."
"Oh, got a hot date?" Kyle said, heading into the kitchen with her.
"Um, no," Kate sadly admitted. She pulled out the peanut butter and bread she'd bought earlier and found a knife in the drawer. "How about you? You have any plans tonight?"
Kyle rolled her eyes and leaned against the kitchen door. She kept her eye on the front of the apartment, making sure Parks didn't sneak past them. "I'm a dowdy federal pencil pusher at an agency no one's ever heard of. The only person I had to notify about this stakeout was the eighty-year-old woman across the hall who relies on me to water her plants in the morning."
"At least you had someone to notify. Everyone who might conceivably contact me works at NCIS. You want a sandwich?"
"Please."
Kate set out the bread and shrugged. "I don't know. With Gibbs, you're on-call day and night. You get called to a case, you're there. No excuse is generally considered good enough."
Kyle winced and moved closer to the counter. "Ouch. At least Nolan gives us some leeway. Of course, that could just be because our team is hardly as important as yours."
Kate smeared peanut butter across the bread. "Hey, we're no better than anyone else's team."
"Please," Kyle said. "Do we have jelly?"
"Grape?"
"Yes. You guys are like the superheroes of NCIS. Every Monday by the water cooler, it's 'did you hear what Gibbs team had over the weekend?' or 'did you hear what happened to DiNozzo over the weekend?'"
Kate pointed the knife at Kyle. "Hey, that last one would happen no matter where Tony worked."
Kyle laughed and shrugged. "I don't know. I make a big deal about DiNozzo foisting his files on me, but I love looking through them. I mean, that psychopath priest who locked women up underground in wedding dresses? You never know what you're going to get with one of your reports."
"Well, now that I know we have such an ardent fan base, I'll try to beef up my reports. Cut?"
"Diagonal?" Kate cut the sandwich and handed it to Kyle. "Thank you. And please, don't change anything in your reports. They're so... real. I love reading your reports." She looked down at her sandwich, picking at the crust.
Kate picked up her own sandwich, depositing the knife in the sink. "We should do a load of laundry before we pack everything up."
"You do the dishes and the laundry, I'll do the windows?"
Kate laughed. "You're really funny," she said, dropping onto the couch. "Why are you so... it's just that at the office, you..."
"Don Knotts, only more anxious?"
Kate laughed.
Kyle shrugged and sat down on the floor next to the coffee table. "At the office, it's Special Agent Nolan, Special Agent Gibbs, Director Morrow. Federal agency, federal rules, it's all... a little overwhelming. Right now, I'm Kyle and you're Kate and... it's easier."
"I can understand that," Kate admitted. She chewed her sandwich carefully and sighed. "Abby is trying to set us up."
Kyle's eyes widened and she coughed on her mouthful of sandwich. Kate was halfway up before she cleared the blockage, waving her hand. "Sorry. Sorry... Abby is what?"
Kate dropped back down. "You and me. She set up this whole... thing... to get you and me together."
"She broke Lieutenant Roman out of prison?"
"Well, she was a little opportunistic with that."
Kyle looked towards the window. "So... y-you know that..."
"Hey, you know about me, I know about you... there's nothing to worry about."
Kyle sighed and said, "Just so you know, I'm going to kill her."
"Get in line."
---
Penny Parks returned home around seven, letting herself into her brownstone and cooing at her cat for a few minutes before she began cooking dinner. Kate had the headphones on fully, listening as the woman hummed to herself in the kitchen. "That's the worst part about spying on someone," she whispered to Kyle. "Hearing all these... intimate moments..."
Kyle nodded and checked the recording.
In the next apartment, Parks turned on her television and watched part of a Friends rerun. Kate was about to give up hope when Parks switched over to the news. "Oh, we may have something," Kate said, leaning forward. "She's turned on the news."
Kyle picked up the remote and turned the TV on, muting it. She mouthed, 'what channel?' and Kate listened for a moment. She signaled for channel 5 and Kyle put it there so Kate could see what she was listening to. There was a rundown of the weather - Kate was reminded to wear long underwear if she was going out over the weekend - and then a recap of the top stories. "In case you're just joining us," the lead anchor said, "we've been following this breaking news all morning. Former Navy Lieutenant Charles Roman escaped from a prison transport this morning using what investigators believe to be an incendiary device."
"Oh, my God!" Penny said, loud enough to be heard through the wall.
"Do we have phone taps in place?" Kate asked.
Kyle gave her a thumb's-up.
Penny dialed quickly and then cursed, hanging up. Then, all was silent. Kate waited patiently and then shook her head. She took the headphones off and said, "I think she's trying to decide what to do. I guess we can eliminate her having any part of it, though."
"Maybe she knew about it and she's just surprised he followed through."
Kyle nodded, chewing on her thumbnail. There was suddenly a loud noise through the headphones and Parks dashed by outside the window. "She's leaving," Kyle said, shooting to her feet.
"No," Kate pleaded, moving to the door. "Don't make us sit on an empty house all night! No!"
She dropped back onto the couch and groaned. Kyle patted her knee and said, "Look at the bright side. At least we don't have to whisper anymore."
Kate sighed and picked up the walkie-talkie. "This is Agent Todd. Who's listening?"
"Agent Kilpatrick," came a voice from the speaker. "What do you need?"
"The target just left heading south."
"We've got her, Agent Todd."
She put down the walkie-talkie and sat back on the couch. She looked over at Kyle and said, "Did you bring any board games?"
---
Abby unfolded the letter and said, "Caged Bird." Gibbs glanced at her and she pointed at the letter. "That's what Penny Parks called Lieutenant Roman. Caged Bird. Kind of a Maya Angelou, tortured poet, pet name sort of thing, I guess."
"Abs," Gibbs said.
"Right." Abby said. "Off the subject. The letters started coming about a year after he was sentenced to life. She believed he was falsely imprisoned, that his 'crime of passion' was no cause to 'steal away' his freedom for the rest of his existence."
"She blamed his ex for the fire?"
"He wouldn't have set it if she had just been reasonable."
"She doesn't know much about exes, does she?" Gibbs said. "Anything incriminating beyond the bad poetry?"
Abby nodded. "Yep. A few months back, she made him promise to 'fly to her' once his clipped wings had been freed. Guess the whole 'life sentence' aspect kind of blew right past her."
"Or she knew he was planning to escape."
"Also a possibility."
"So we know he's likely to go to her."
Abby shrugged. "Where else would he go? Escaped felon, handcuffed, wearing an orange jumpsuit... he can't exactly hop on the subway. Although he probably wouldn't be the most bizarre person there..."
"Anything else, Abby?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact." She retrieved a print-out from her desk and held it up. "I called McGee at home because he likes playing with word problems. I gave him the location of the escape, Lieutenant Roman's height and estimated distance-per-hour plus the address of Penny Parks' brownstone. Given that he would want to avoid surface streets, the possibility of him finding and hijacking a vehicle without too much commotion, plus the terrain... McGee pegged his arrival at Penny Parks' brownstone at 4AM tomorrow morning."
Gibbs looked at the paper and said, "How accurate is this?"
"MIT-accurate."
"Good job, Abs. Call Kate and Agent O'Brien, let them know."
He walked out of the lab and Abby checked her watch. "Hm. Wonder if I can catch them before they go to bed..."
---
With Abby and McGee's mathematical time, Kate decided to go to sleep early in order to be well-rested and awake at 3:30. Even though it was likely Parks had run off to meet him elsewhere, they still wanted to be alert during his estimated arrival.
At 9:00, she found the blanket she'd brought and sat on the edge of the couch, unbuttoning her blouse and slipping off her shoes. Kyle was leaning against the far wall, illuminated by a sole lamp. Kate smiled and said, "It's so weird undressing in someone else's home. I'll never get used to it."
"Night time in someone else's home is always weird," Kyle said. "I just thought I wasn't used to it because I... w-well, I don't exactly spend many nights away from my own bed." She shrugged and said, "The sounds, the air conditioner switching on and off, the way headlights hit the wall differently... I know where you're coming from."
Kate sighed and lay down, pulling the blanket up over her tank top. "Wake me if anything interesting happens."
"Of course," Kyle said. "Sweet dreams, Kate."
A few minutes after lying there quietly, Kate rolled onto her side and looked at Kyle. She was staring out the window, obviously thinking Kate had gone to sleep. Kate smiled and closed her eyes. Maybe Abby didn't have to die for setting her up.
---
She woke around midnight, the momentary disorientation fading as she rolled onto her back. The lamplight was glowing in the kitchen and she stretched out, looking over the top of her head at the window. In her bedroom, the light was always low. Here, a streetlight was burning a few feet away. She rubbed her eyes and scooted up, blinking into the darkness.
Kyle walked in from the kitchen, carrying the lamp and a bowl of oatmeal. She had taken off her sweater vest, the top three buttons of her blouse undone. "I'm sorry," she said when she saw Kate was awake. "Was I being loud?"
"No, I woke up on my own," Kate whispered. "Is Parks back?"
"She came back around eleven," Kyle said, sitting cross-legged on the floor with her food. "Kilpatrick said she just went to the mall, wandered for a long time and then came home when they closed the place for the night." She put the lamp on the coffee table between her and Kate.
"Why do you sit on the floor?" Kate said. "There's an easy chair right there."
Kyle shrugged. "Habit. I was the youngest of five kids so seating was always at a premium in our household. I usually got the floor with an old cushion to keep my bum from getting sore."
Kate reached behind herself and pulled a cushion off the couch. She tossed it onto the floor and Kyle pulled it over. "Thanks," she snickered.
"I love that you said bum," Kate smiled.
Kyle sat on the cushion and stirred her oatmeal. "I lied to you earlier."
"About?"
"My name. My parents knew I was a girl when they named me Kyle. It's Irish, like my father. He thought it was a good, strong name. It means handsome or fair."
"It's a nice name."
"Is Kate short for Katherine or Caitlin?"
"Caitlin."
Kyle thought for a minute and then said, "It's Celtic."
"Do you know what it means?"
Kyle smiled. "It was a hobby. Growing up with a boy's name, I kind of... I liked looking up people's names and seeing if it fit them or not. More often than not, it did."
Kate shrugged. "So? What does my name mean?"
"I don't want to say."
"Oh, now I really have to know."
Kyle smiled. "Virginal beauty."
Kate cleared her throat and tucked the blanket higher under her arms. "Oh."
"Names didn't always fit their person," Kyle pointed out.
"So I'm not pretty?"
"No, it's just... w-well, I assumed you weren't..."
Kate smiled. "It's okay, Kyle. I'm just teasing you."
Kyle nodded towards the kitchen. "I made enough oatmeal for both of us if you wanted a bowl."
"No, I'm fine," Kate said. "I'll probably go back to sleep in a second."
"Sweet dreams."
"Thank you," Kate sighed, closing her eyes again.
---
Kate woke and checked her watch, surprised to see it was 3:50. She sat up, rubbing her eyes and tugging her tank-top back into place as she scanned the dark living room. "Kyle?" she whispered. "You were supposed to wake me up at 3:30." She stood and stretched, finding her blouse and pulling it on.
She left the shirt and her cuffs unbuttoned, wandering to the kitchen. There was no sign of Kyle there. The lamp was also missing. "Kyle?" she asked, raising her voice a bit. "Are you here?"
She walked back into the living room and picked up her walkie-talkie. "This is Agent Todd. You there?"
"Here, Agent Todd," Kilpatrick said.
"I can't find Agent O'Brien."
"She hasn't left the apartment via the front door."
Kate headed to the back door, pulling her gun from the holster. "Any activity at all in the neighborhood?"
"None."
She peered through the back door and stepped out onto the porch in her bare feet. The alley was eerily silent. Kate felt extremely vulnerable, awash in the blue light filtering from the street. She silently padded down to the alley, her feet sinking in the mud as she inched towards Parks' house.
There were so many other footprints up and down the alley, it was hard to tell if any belonged to Kyle. Through the back door, she saw candles were burning in Parks' kitchen. The screen door was hanging slightly open, the wood near the latch chipped. "Agent Kilpatrick," Kate whispered into the speaker. "I'm about to enter Parks home. I'll need back-up."
She stepped onto the porch, turning the radio off as she tucked it into her belt. She hooked one finger in the door, pulling it open and praying Penny Parks kept her hinges oiled. It opened without a squeak and Kate stepped into the pantry. Nothing came from within, no voices or tell-tale noises. She wiped her muddy feet on the boot mat and hesitated only a moment before moving deeper into the kitchen.
At the doorway to the kitchen, a voice behind her said, "That's far enough, Agent Todd."
She froze, immediately pegging where the voice had originated from. There was an open door to the right, probably led to a laundry room. If he'd been hiding behind the door...
"Put your hands up. Nice and slow. You know, all the really good clichés."
Kate slowly lifted both hands and glanced over her shoulder. "I should've known," she said. "You don't sound anything like Agent Kilpatrick."
"Fooled you," Lieutenant Roman said, taking her gun.
He pushed her forward, into the living room, and she spotted Kyle lying on the couch. Her hands were behind her back and she looked up apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Kate."
"Don't be."
Roman rolled his eyes and said, "They had to send the Panty Patrol to watch me."
"Where is Penny Parks?"
"Contemplating how misguided she was," Roman muttered. He grabbed one of Kate's wrists and snapped a handcuff on it. "These are technically for ankles, but they're narrow enough, I think they'll work." He attached the other end to a wooden post in the kitchen pass-through.
"When they find our bodies," Kate started.
"I'm not going to kill either of you. But... I don't want you following me or reporting on my whereabouts. So a little insurance." He moved back to the couch and doused Kyle with something that could only have been gas.
"You're not going to kill us, you're just going to make it very easy for us to die." Kate said.
"Matter of semantics," Roman smiled. He lit a match and stepped back. "I've... always respected fire. It has rules. An order. It's everything people can't be." He dropped the match and stepped back, moving quickly towards the back door. "I advise you to watch the flames. It could be quite a beautiful final sight."
As soon as he was gone, Kate began pulling at the pole. "Hold on, Kyle!" she said.
She brought one foot up, pressing it against the wall and pulling as hard as she could. The wooden pole groaned, but didn't budge. Her shoulder, on the other hand... She put her foot back down and looked back to check the progress of the fire. It had spread across the floor in front of the coffee table, spreading closer to the couch.
"Kate..." Kyle said, panic rising in her voice.
"Kyle, do not panic. Any minute now, Gibbs is going to kick in that door and save us. Last second. It's kind of his thing." She tugged harder and then pounded the pole with her fist. "Who the hell designs houses this strong?!"
The fire was spreading closer to Kate, the heat tickling her feet. "Kate," Kyle said. "I'm sorry Abby didn't fix us up sooner."
Kate smiled sadly and put her sweaty forehead against the pole. "You and me both, Kyle." She looked down at her thumb and closed her eyes. "God, this is going to hurt."
"What?"
Kate screamed as she broke her thumb, nearly doubling over from the pain. She slipped her hand free of the link, cradling her injured hand against her side as she rushed to Kyle's side. "How are you stuck to the couch?"
"My hands," Kyle said, rolling over to show Kate what he'd done. Blood soaked the back of Kyle's blouse, her arms completely crimson. Kate muttered a curse at the sight and Kyle said, "What? What are you looking at?"
"Kyle..." Kate said, shaking her head. "Ah, it's nothing. It's nothing." Her fingers slipped in Kyle's blood as she worked the wires holding her hands together. Her own hands became bloody, the wires slicing through them as she tried to release the knots. "God, what did he..."
"Kate!!"
Kate looked over her shoulder at the burning room. The fire was too close; there was no time for getting the wires loose. She grabbed the taut wire connecting Kyle's restraints to the body of the couch and snapped it, cutting her hands once more but finally freeing Kyle. She gathered the smaller woman in her arms and rushed from the room, kicking open the front door and stumbling down the front steps.
The smell of gasoline rising from Kyle made Kate light-headed, but she managed to carry her across the street. A small crowd had gathered, watching the fire as it danced in the front window. In the distance, she heard the fire department's quick response. Kate grabbed Kyle's face, forcing her to focus. "Sit here. I'm going to go to Kilpatrick's van to call Gibbs."
"Okay," Kyle breathed.
Kate stumbled over to a bystander and grabbed his robe, forcing him to look away from the fire. "Watch her. She's lost a lot of blood and may need help until the ambulance gets here."
"Are you a cop?"
"Federal agent," Kate said. She ran down the street to Kilpatrick's van, flinging the back door open... and nearly colliding with Gibbs. "What the hell..."
"...happened to you?"
"What are you doing here?" Kate asked, ignoring his question.
"Kilpatrick missed a scheduled report." He stepped back, revealing Tony sitting next to a handcuffed Lieutenant Roman. "We caught him trying to hijack the wheels. Too late for Agent Kilpatrick, I'm afraid." He looked Kate over and said, "I was damn sure we'd lost you when we saw that fire."
"Kyle... Agent O'Brien needs medical attention," Kate said.
"The ambulance has been called and the paramedics with the fire department will take care of her until it arrives." He jumped from the back of the truck and said, "Are you sure you're all right?"
Kate nodded slowly. "Yeah. I will be."
---
The doorbell rang and she groaned, turning off her stereo and getting to her feet. She moved carefully across the carpet, still wearing her slippers. Her feet were still killing her, punishment for running barefoot down a city block after scorching the soles. Her thumb was wrapped tightly, courtesy of Ducky, and she still had the air conditioner cranked up higher than normal.
She couldn't forget how fast that fire had grown. If it had reached Kyle... she shuddered, recalling nightmares where she hadn't broken her thumb in time and had seen Kyle burst into flames.
She pushed that thought out of her mind and opened the door... blinking when she saw Kyle standing there. "Kyle. Hello."
"Hi. I-it's not weird that I'm here, is it?"
"Not at all," Kate said. "I was just thinking about you. Come in."
Kyle walked in and Kate shut the door. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. Lots of superficial cuts add up to one semi-serious one, but it's all fine." She tried to smile and shrugged instead. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Gibbs and them all tried to tell me you were okay, but... God, I just kept seeing you coming for me through the fire and... well... you know. I..."
"It's all right," Kate said. "I'm fine."
"I also came by to tell you that... I talked with Abby... and I told her the set-up didn't work out."
Kate tried to hide her utter disappointment. "O-oh?"
"Yeah. We're put together and... I end up tied to a couch while you're Xena-ing through the flames to save me... it's a bad omen. And, call me corny, but I believe in omens. So... I have to... put it up as a failure."
"Oh, well," Kate said. "I... guess that's... reasonable."
"But," Kyle interrupted. "If we were to decide to go out on our own... it'd be a fresh start."
"We could ignore all the fire and hostage stuff?"
"Entirely. Clean slate."
Kate stepped forward and put her good hand on the back of Kyle's head. She pulled her in, gently taking her bottom lip into her mouth and sucking it gently. Kyle moaned and put both of her hands on Kate's hips, kneading the skin with her fingers. After a moment, Kate pulled back and swept her tongue across Kyle's top lip.
"What was that?" Kyle whispered.
"That is how I say 'I would love to go out with you' to pretty girls."
"Oh," Kyle said, blushing and ducking her head. "Then... can I show you how I say 'thank you for saving my life'?"
"Please," Kate whispered, ducking her head for another kiss.
Kyle hesitantly accepted Kate's mouth, parting her lips and jumping when the tip of Kate's tongue touched hers. She slid her hands up, closing her eyes as her hands found Kate's breasts through her shirt. Kate pulled back and looked down into Kyle's eyes. "Is this what you want? It's... I just want to be sure that it's not... a rebound or a near-death..."
"The first day I worked at NCIS," Kyle interrupted, "I saw you. You were standing by Gibbs desk, going over a case. I wanted you so badly then. Every time we passed in the hall. Every time we rode in the elevator together. I asked Abby to set us up, Kate."
"So long as you're sure," Kate said. She kissed Kyle again and turned them both, pressing her against the wall. She reached between them, undoing the buttons on her blouse and kissing her way down Kyle's neck. Kyle tilted her head back and unbuttoned her own blouse, tugging it off her shoulders.
Kate pulled back and saw tears in Kyle's eyes. "Hey... what's..."
"I've... really wanted this, Kate," Kyle said.
Kate kissed her lips, pressing her against the wall with her body. Keeping their mouths barely touching, Kate whispered, "Unbutton my pants, Kyle."
Kyle complied, hands shaking, and slid her hands around Kate's hips. She pushed the material down, cupping her hands against the warm, smooth material of Kate's panties. Kate leaned in, running her tongue along the curve of Kyle's earlobe. "Put your hands inside my underwear."
Her fingers were shaking, cold as ice, as they slid under Kate's waistband. The material rolled around her knuckles, pulling them down slightly and exposing Kate's rear end to the room. "Do you know where I want you to touch me?" Kate whispered. A second later, she gasped, "Good girl."
Kyle pressed her face against Kate's shoulder, tears flowing freely as she worked her fingers against Kate's flesh.
"Don't stop," Kate breathed. "Don't... Kyle..."
A moment later, Kyle pulled back and looked between them. "Did you just..."
"Yes," Kate smiled.
"I want to do that again."
Kate smiled and kissed Kyle. She brushed her fingers through Kyle's hair and whispered, "Patience. There's something else we have to do first."
"What?"
"You," Kate said. She kissed Kyle, bending her knees and slowly guiding the other woman to the floor.
---
Abby walked into the lab Monday morning, unhooking her shawl and draping it across the coat rack. She put her lunch box in the refrigeration unit and turned, stopping in her tracks when she saw the display on her main lab table. Two large baskets, one containing fruit and one containing several kinds of make-up and shampoo.
She went to the fruit basket first, reading the card. "Thank you so much. This doesn't repay you, but hopefully it's a start! Love, Kyle."
She moved to the other basket and saw it was from Helsing's, a kick-ass Goth boutique at the mall. "Just because your meddling worked once, don't make it a habit. *G* Kate."
She snickered and opened the fruit basket, withdrawing an apple. "I'm six for six," she said, polishing the apple on her shirt before heading to her computer to begin working.