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ncisficathonTitle: Long Day
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sundance201
Written For:nikkinor
Archive: Sure, just let me know beforehand!
Pairings: Ari/Kate
Rating: PG-13
Word Count 1,407
Summary: She thinks she would have liked Ziva David.
Disclaimer: Still isn't mine, still never will be. *sigh*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The click of the lock unlocking is disconcerting, as is the soft creak of the door opening and closing. She relaxes a bit though, as she realizes that a burglar, murderer, rapist, or any other unsavory character wouldn’t take the time to deadbolt her door. She puts the gun back under her pillow when she hears his familiar foot falls. She wasn’t expecting him tonight, but she would never turn him away. So what if she hasn’t shaved her legs yet?
But Kate begins to worry when Ari doesn’t show up in her doorway. That’s always her favorite part of their little rendezvous; that first time she sees his silhouette in her doorway. She never knows how long he’ll be with her, but that first time she knows that at least she has a night.
She slips out of her bed and grabs a robe resting on her reading chair. She’s not completely sure why she bothers with the small decency; he’s seen her in a lot less than the t-shirt that she usually wears to bed.
She panics briefly when she spots a dark figure on her floor, hallway between the door and couch. She suddenly regrets putting her gun away as she approaches who she hopes to be Ari, and looks around for any possible intruders.
Carefully, she turns him over and checks quickly for injuries. “Ari.” She whispers. His eyes open slowly and she bites back a gasp. The deep brown eyes that are usually full of humor and intelligence are dull and empty. He opens his mouth and makes an effort to speak, but fails. His eyes flutter and she decides to try and move him, since her carpet, while clean, can’t be very comfortable. She gets him up and he half walks and she half carries him to her bedroom.
She takes off his shoes and his shirt. He falls asleep on her halfway through and she decides that this is as naked as he’s going to get tonight. Managing to get him under the covers, she then walks around to the other side of the bed and sheds her robe. Usually when she gets into bed, he stirs and rolls over to pull her closer to him. But tonight he stays where he is, breathing deep and heavy.
Tonight Ari Haswari sleeps like the dead. And Kate doesn’t think that she has ever been so scared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kate awakens the next morning to her alarm clock, and the placid brown eyes of her lover. She leans over him to shut off the persistent alarm, and looks up at him silently. He doesn’t look down at her, his eyes don’t move from the seemingly fascinating spot on the wall that he is focused on. When Kate gets out of bed, he doesn’t move a muscle, doesn’t even ask her where she’s going. He just stares.
She calls into work sick, and even though she can tell that Gibbs doesn’t completely buy it, he can’t really disprove her claim, and agrees to the day off. Disconnecting the call as quickly as she can, she beats down the feelings of guilt that nips at her heels for lying to her boss. She heads back to her bedroom, and finds Ari in the exact same position she left him in, not surprisingly.
She lies down again, and places her head in his lap. His hand comes down to stroke her hair, as if on instinct, and Kate hopes that this is a sign of improvement, since this is the first time that he has acknowledged her presence since he stumbled through her door.
They stay in this position for a few minutes in silence, when Kate finally works up the courage to speak. “Ari?” He grunts in response. She takes it as a sign to continue, and takes a deep breath. “What’s wrong?” It’s a loaded question, she knows, but it’s the only one that she can think of.
It takes him a minute to answer, and when he finally does, she has to strain to hear his response. “She’s dead.” He mutters his voice hoarse from not speaking for so long. He begins speaking in a language that she doesn’t understand, until he looks down at her and realizes who he’s speaking to. “She’s dead.” He repeats, as if it’s the only thing that he can remember to say in English.
Kate bites her lip, and looks up at him. “Who’s dead Ari?”
Her big brown eyes are honestly curious and bewildered at his state, and in that moment she looks so much like the one that he just lost, he can’t help but choke back a sob. “My sister.” He can’t stand to look at her and her sympathetic eyes anymore, so his gaze returns to that spot on her wall. “My little sister Ziva died in a bombing last night. I was in Washington on business when my father called.”
“Oh Ari…” Kate isn’t quite sure of what to say. She’s been lucky enough to not experience death much in her life, which is quite remarkable for a federal agent. But for Ari, death is business. But she knows that this is different. She’s heard of Ziva, his headstrong little sister with the unruly curly hair and the seemingly innocent brown eyes. He always said that if they had the chance to meet, the world would be doomed. She thinks that she would have liked Ziva David.
“She wasn’t even on a mission. She was meeting her boyfriend at the deli, when the bomber came in.” He smiles remorsefully. “She spotted him. Could smell his intentions from a mile away.” He shakes his head, and for a moment, Kate wonders if he is the one that got her into the family business. If he feels guilty that his little sister will never again walk into a deli. “Silly thing tried to stop him. He on the other hand, could see Mossad written all over her and blew up the explosives. They never had a chance.” He shakes his head again, as if he just can’t believe it.
“I’m sorry.” She whispers, placing a gentle hand on his knee. He nods, staring blankly at the wall yet again.
“Ziva.” He mutters, the name feeling heavy on his tongue. “She was eight years younger than I. I remember watching her dance concerts when our father couldn’t make it.” His tone is quiet and far away, and Kate doesn’t dare interrupt. This is the most that she has ever heard about the man that shares her bed, and she desperately wants to know more. “I should have kept her out of this business. I should have pushed her towards being a dance teacher. That’s what she really loved.” He pauses, reflective. “There are a lot of things I should have done.”
“It’s not your fault.” She whispers, and he snaps his head down to her, almost as if he forgot that she is there with him.
Ari glances at his watch, and lightly pats her head, a sign that he has to get up. “I have to go Caitlin. Business.” His eyes are still dull and lifeless and she ignores the chill that just ran down her spine. She follows him out to her family room and watches as he grabs his helmet. He brushes a kiss to her cheek and is out the door before she has time to react. She walks over to her couch and sits back, grabbing a book from off the table. And she waits.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He doesn’t come home until late that night; she’s already in bed when she hears the key hit the lock. He stumbles into her bedroom and quickly sheds his clothes, and crawls in beside her.
He smells of blood and sweat and gunpowder. She doesn’t ask what his business was, because she doesn’t want to know. He begins muttering to her in Arabic and she just gently strokes his chest. She knows that she can’t soothe a soul as tortured as the man in front of her, but she tries none the less, because that’s what she thinks love is.
And she doesn’t mention it when she feels something hot and wet hit her hair. She looks up and sees tears coming out of her lover’s eyes and her heart breaks for him. But she stays soothing and quiet, something that he can hold onto.
Author:
sundance201Written For:
nikkinorArchive: Sure, just let me know beforehand!
Pairings: Ari/Kate
Rating: PG-13
Word Count 1,407
Summary: She thinks she would have liked Ziva David.
Disclaimer: Still isn't mine, still never will be. *sigh*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The click of the lock unlocking is disconcerting, as is the soft creak of the door opening and closing. She relaxes a bit though, as she realizes that a burglar, murderer, rapist, or any other unsavory character wouldn’t take the time to deadbolt her door. She puts the gun back under her pillow when she hears his familiar foot falls. She wasn’t expecting him tonight, but she would never turn him away. So what if she hasn’t shaved her legs yet?
But Kate begins to worry when Ari doesn’t show up in her doorway. That’s always her favorite part of their little rendezvous; that first time she sees his silhouette in her doorway. She never knows how long he’ll be with her, but that first time she knows that at least she has a night.
She slips out of her bed and grabs a robe resting on her reading chair. She’s not completely sure why she bothers with the small decency; he’s seen her in a lot less than the t-shirt that she usually wears to bed.
She panics briefly when she spots a dark figure on her floor, hallway between the door and couch. She suddenly regrets putting her gun away as she approaches who she hopes to be Ari, and looks around for any possible intruders.
Carefully, she turns him over and checks quickly for injuries. “Ari.” She whispers. His eyes open slowly and she bites back a gasp. The deep brown eyes that are usually full of humor and intelligence are dull and empty. He opens his mouth and makes an effort to speak, but fails. His eyes flutter and she decides to try and move him, since her carpet, while clean, can’t be very comfortable. She gets him up and he half walks and she half carries him to her bedroom.
She takes off his shoes and his shirt. He falls asleep on her halfway through and she decides that this is as naked as he’s going to get tonight. Managing to get him under the covers, she then walks around to the other side of the bed and sheds her robe. Usually when she gets into bed, he stirs and rolls over to pull her closer to him. But tonight he stays where he is, breathing deep and heavy.
Tonight Ari Haswari sleeps like the dead. And Kate doesn’t think that she has ever been so scared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kate awakens the next morning to her alarm clock, and the placid brown eyes of her lover. She leans over him to shut off the persistent alarm, and looks up at him silently. He doesn’t look down at her, his eyes don’t move from the seemingly fascinating spot on the wall that he is focused on. When Kate gets out of bed, he doesn’t move a muscle, doesn’t even ask her where she’s going. He just stares.
She calls into work sick, and even though she can tell that Gibbs doesn’t completely buy it, he can’t really disprove her claim, and agrees to the day off. Disconnecting the call as quickly as she can, she beats down the feelings of guilt that nips at her heels for lying to her boss. She heads back to her bedroom, and finds Ari in the exact same position she left him in, not surprisingly.
She lies down again, and places her head in his lap. His hand comes down to stroke her hair, as if on instinct, and Kate hopes that this is a sign of improvement, since this is the first time that he has acknowledged her presence since he stumbled through her door.
They stay in this position for a few minutes in silence, when Kate finally works up the courage to speak. “Ari?” He grunts in response. She takes it as a sign to continue, and takes a deep breath. “What’s wrong?” It’s a loaded question, she knows, but it’s the only one that she can think of.
It takes him a minute to answer, and when he finally does, she has to strain to hear his response. “She’s dead.” He mutters his voice hoarse from not speaking for so long. He begins speaking in a language that she doesn’t understand, until he looks down at her and realizes who he’s speaking to. “She’s dead.” He repeats, as if it’s the only thing that he can remember to say in English.
Kate bites her lip, and looks up at him. “Who’s dead Ari?”
Her big brown eyes are honestly curious and bewildered at his state, and in that moment she looks so much like the one that he just lost, he can’t help but choke back a sob. “My sister.” He can’t stand to look at her and her sympathetic eyes anymore, so his gaze returns to that spot on her wall. “My little sister Ziva died in a bombing last night. I was in Washington on business when my father called.”
“Oh Ari…” Kate isn’t quite sure of what to say. She’s been lucky enough to not experience death much in her life, which is quite remarkable for a federal agent. But for Ari, death is business. But she knows that this is different. She’s heard of Ziva, his headstrong little sister with the unruly curly hair and the seemingly innocent brown eyes. He always said that if they had the chance to meet, the world would be doomed. She thinks that she would have liked Ziva David.
“She wasn’t even on a mission. She was meeting her boyfriend at the deli, when the bomber came in.” He smiles remorsefully. “She spotted him. Could smell his intentions from a mile away.” He shakes his head, and for a moment, Kate wonders if he is the one that got her into the family business. If he feels guilty that his little sister will never again walk into a deli. “Silly thing tried to stop him. He on the other hand, could see Mossad written all over her and blew up the explosives. They never had a chance.” He shakes his head again, as if he just can’t believe it.
“I’m sorry.” She whispers, placing a gentle hand on his knee. He nods, staring blankly at the wall yet again.
“Ziva.” He mutters, the name feeling heavy on his tongue. “She was eight years younger than I. I remember watching her dance concerts when our father couldn’t make it.” His tone is quiet and far away, and Kate doesn’t dare interrupt. This is the most that she has ever heard about the man that shares her bed, and she desperately wants to know more. “I should have kept her out of this business. I should have pushed her towards being a dance teacher. That’s what she really loved.” He pauses, reflective. “There are a lot of things I should have done.”
“It’s not your fault.” She whispers, and he snaps his head down to her, almost as if he forgot that she is there with him.
Ari glances at his watch, and lightly pats her head, a sign that he has to get up. “I have to go Caitlin. Business.” His eyes are still dull and lifeless and she ignores the chill that just ran down her spine. She follows him out to her family room and watches as he grabs his helmet. He brushes a kiss to her cheek and is out the door before she has time to react. She walks over to her couch and sits back, grabbing a book from off the table. And she waits.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He doesn’t come home until late that night; she’s already in bed when she hears the key hit the lock. He stumbles into her bedroom and quickly sheds his clothes, and crawls in beside her.
He smells of blood and sweat and gunpowder. She doesn’t ask what his business was, because she doesn’t want to know. He begins muttering to her in Arabic and she just gently strokes his chest. She knows that she can’t soothe a soul as tortured as the man in front of her, but she tries none the less, because that’s what she thinks love is.
And she doesn’t mention it when she feels something hot and wet hit her hair. She looks up and sees tears coming out of her lover’s eyes and her heart breaks for him. But she stays soothing and quiet, something that he can hold onto.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-09-16 10:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-16 12:37 pm (UTC)See, you definitely should write more Kate/Ari !!!
no subject
Date: 2006-09-16 06:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-17 01:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-22 10:08 pm (UTC)I love the way Kate comforted him without making him feel weak and at the end when she just holds him to make him feel better, it was so sweet. My favorite lines:
Tonight Ari Haswari sleeps like the dead. And Kate doesn’t think that she has ever been so scared.
That line is so very Kate/Ari, I love the feeling it brings to the story.
He always said that if they had the chance to meet, the world would be doomed.
Hehe. I could just see the two of them being great friends and terrorizing Tony together.
She knows that she can’t soothe a soul as tortured as the man in front of her, but she tries none the less, because that’s what she thinks love is.
Aw, that’s such a sweet thought and something I could absolutely see Kate saying.
Thank you for a very amazing and touching story!