<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ff99">Tony fielded Director Shepherd's demand for Gibbs's presence back at the Navy Yard as tactfully as he knew how -- which, granted, was a little impaired by the fact that he'd been sitting in a waiting room at Bethesda for several hours.  He passed on the order to Gibbs through Abby -- glad not to have to face Gibbs's glare first hand -- and settled in to wait.<br/>
<br/>
Five hours later, when they were briefed by Ducky and Kate's surgeon about her condition and her prognosis... Tony wasn't sure how to react.  He swallowed hard and glanced between McGee and Gibbs -- both of whom looked as shell-shocked as he felt.  "Well.  Trust Kate to find a way to get a vacation," he quipped, and if his voice shook a little... well, nobody would mention it.  <br/>
<br/>
Tim's head whipped to Tony when he spoke.  He wanted to object to the comment... wanted to protest Tony's flippancy, but something in the stiffness of his posture prevented Tim from speaking.  Instead, he followed Abby's suggestion (order?) and packed up his things to head home and get some sleep.<br/>
<br/>
Gibbs let Abby drag him back to her car -- not even protesting that he was fine to drive.  He wasn't.  He wasn't fine at all.  Kate in a coma, for an indeterminate amount of time... it brought back memories of his own coma, back in '91.  The events that caused it had been bad -- waking up from it had been worse.  He would do everything in his power to ensure that when Kate woke up... it would be to friendly faces, without bad news.  Preferably his own face.<br/>
<br/>
Realizing Abby had been right not to let him drive, Gibbs headed in to NCIS to complete the damned paperwork Jenny had requested.  As if he had time for reports and procedures when his Kate -- when one of his agents was lying in a hospital bed!  Thankfully, he knew his trusty St. Bernard had completed a first draft of the report -- all Gibbs would need to do would be to read, revise, and sign the report.  He was seated at his desk doing just that, in a bullpen lit only by desk lamps, when the unwelcome personage of Ari Haswari entered the bullpen -- hands spread wide to show he was unarmed.  Gibbs didn't care -- that didn't make him less dangerous.<br/>
<br/>
"So nice to see you again, Agent Gibbs," he drawled.  "I am surprised to see you here.  I expected to have to wait at Bethesda until the doctors evicted you from dear Caitlin's bedside."<br/>
<br/>
"She's not your dear anything," Gibbs retorted automatically.<br/>
<br/>
Ari's smile was slow and predatory.  "She could have been.  Keep your hands where I can see them, Agent Gibbs.  I know how good you are with that gun on your hip."  Gibbs kept his hands flat on the desk.  "I asked her on date, did you know?  She turned me down flat, even though I could see she was interested.  Such expressive eyes," he added, watching Gibbs's own eyes darken.  "I didn't intend to hit her, of course -- I was aiming for you.  Just happenstance that you moved as you did."  Ari's smile turned into something closer to a sneer.  "All the better, really.  I can kill you now, then sweep sweet Caitlin off her feet -- "<br/>
<br/>
Gibbs reached for his gun, and before Ari could ready his own -- five gunshots echoed against the orange walls, and Ari Haswari crumpled to the ground.<br/>
<br/>
Gun still drawn, Gibbs turned to the shooter who'd saved his life.  To his surprise - and dawning horror - David, still in a shooting stance was closing the distance between them.  "Why?" he demanded hoarsely.  "Why did you pull the trigger?"  He couldn't force himself to holster his gun , not with hers still out -- not until he knew what would cause a previously dedicated Mossad officer and daughter of the Director of Mossad to kill her own half-brother.  "McGee ran a background check on you -- I know who you are.  I know who he is to you.  <i>Why?</i>"</span></span>