[glow=red,2,300]Thanks, agents! I had to wait until I stopped laughing at the end of tonight's epi!
Okay-here we go-Part 5![/glow]
Gibbs drove up to the front of the Watson house, followed by McGee and Abby and a very worried Ducky in a plain van. Speaking into his radio, he told them, “Pull around the corner, McGee, then take the back of the house. Abby, you and Ducky stay put.”<br>
“Jethro, be careful, remember the child may be inside.” Ducky’s voice responded, and Gibbs gave a half smile.
“I’ll remember, Duck.”<br>
As he quietly approached the front door, he heard a scream, then looked in the front window and saw Sandy Watson running toward the front door.
“Sandy, stay back!” he yelled, then broke the window with his gun and climbed in. The girl was frozen in the middle of the living room.
“Sandy, it’s Agent Gibbs, where are Tony and Kate?” he yelled and she turned towards his voice, panic on her face.
“Agent Gibbs, they’re in the basement, there’s a fire, and I can’t find my Mommy!”<br>
He took two steps then picked her up in his arms. “I’ll find her. I’m going to take you outside, you stay with Abby and Ducky, okay?”<br>
She nodded, tears streaming down her face. “Hurry, please find her!”<br>
Gibbs took her to the window then lowered her outside. “Duck, come get Sandy and take her to the van now!”, he transmitted.
Retreating inside the house, he heard the sound of coughing, then followed the sound to a hallway where he saw a woman crawling on the floor.
“Mrs. Watson!” he called, seeing smoke billowing behind her. Over his radio, a voice crackled.
“Boss, I’ve found them, but I, “ McGee coughed, “need help!”<br>
“Coming!” Gibbs responded, then advanced toward the woman and hauled her up by her arm.
As she raised her head, she looked panic-stricken at him.
“Sandy, my baby! I’ve got to find her!”<br>
“I did, she’s safe, no thanks to you!” he snarled, not able to contain himself. He pulled her to the front room then handed her outside to an arriving fireman.
“Sir, is anyone else inside?” he asked, taking the now-weeping kidnapper from him.
“Yes, three of my agents. Don’t let her get away, she’s under arrest.” Gibbs ordered.
Taking a fire extinquisher from the firefighter, he turned back to the interior of the house then lowered his head and raced down the hallway.
Finding the source of the smoke, he stood back and used his handkerchief to pull open the door, then ran down the stairs to find the fire surrounding a staggering McGee. He had a semi-concious Tony on one arm and was trying to pick up a limp Kate with his other.
Turning on the extinquisher, Gibbs beat down the flames to make a path then yelled, “McGee! Take Tony outside, I’ll get Kate!”<br>
Somehow his voice got through to the dazed probie, who rushed through the fire half-carrying DiNozzo. As he disappeared up the stairs, Gibbs dropped the extinguisher, then went to Kate’s side and picked her up in his arms.
“Kate, wake up!” he yelled, fearing the worst, then saw her eyelids flickering. Hurriedly he carried her out of the room and up the stairs.
“Gibbs!” A voice called as he came into the living room then saw Ducky standing at the window.
“Quick, Duck, she needs oxygen!” he told him urgently, gently handing her to the older man.
“And so do you, my friend.” Ducky admonished him, as he led the way to a makeshift triage area.
There Gibbs saw both McGee and DiNozzo, greedily breathing in oxygen. Abby was actually holding McGee’s mask for him, and he noted wth faint amusement her arm around him. As Ducky lowered Kate onto a tarp, she started to moan, then cough.
“Easy, Catlin, breathe easy, my dear.” Ducky took an oxygen mask and put it over her mouth and nose, then glanced at Gibbs as he worriedly looked on.
“Jethro, sit down before you fall down.”<br>
Reluctantly the older agent collapsed next to the others, then watched as Kate slowly opened her eyes.
“Gibbs?” she croaked, then a smile crept across her face as he took her hand.
“Hell of a way to spend a Saturday night, Kate.”
She coughed, then pushed the oxygen mask away.
“I’ve had better. Where’s Tony? And Sandy?” she suddenly remembered, panicking.
“Shhh, they’re both all right. See?” Gibbs reassuringly put his arm around her shoulders and lifted her up to see DiNozzo grin at her. Just behind him sat Mrs. Watson, holding on to Sandy as a paramedic checked them out.
“Gibbs, what’s going to happen to Sandy now?” Kate said in a ragged voice, and he tightened his arm around her.
“Well, until Social Services locates a relative, she could go to a foster home….” He suggested, then when she started to protest, “Gibbs, no…”
“Or she could stay with one of us. Be a big responsibility….” Gibbs knew he’d regret this, but he just couldn’t think of how to get out of it.
“I can handle it, with some help.” Kate gave him a pleading look, then Abby came up behind her.
“We can do it, please, Gibbs?” she added her patented “big eyes”, and Gibbs let out an exaggerated sigh.
“All right, but don’t come crying to me if she breaks your hearts when she has to leave.”<br>
“Thank you, boss!” Abby flung her arms around him, then went to the girls side as the police went to take Mrs. Watson away.
“Kate?” Gibbs looked at her silently bowed head, then she gazed up at him.
“Thanks, Gibbs. Not just for the chance to take care of Sandy, but for rescuing us.”<br>
His eyes softened, “You’re welcome, Kate.”<br>
Just then he heard the clearing of a throat.
“Uh, McGee?” Tony took the oxygen mask off his face and reluctantly held out his hand to the junior agent.
“Thanks for pulling me out of there. You did a good job.”<br>
Bashfully McGee shook his hand, then Gibbs added, “Yeah, DiNozzo, he did save your butt, didn’t he? I think he ‘s earned the right to drop the “probie” label, don’t you?”<br>
“Uh, boss, shouldn’t he ….” Tony realized he was going to lose his fun time with McGee, then stopped as Gibbs added, “and I think you should start sharing your coffee runs with him too, don’t you think, Kate?”<br>
Mischeviously she looked at Gibbs, then nodded earnestly. “By all means, Tony. You can start our first day back at work.”<br>
DiNozzo smiled sickly as McGee grinned. “That’ll be perfect, Tony. I can hardly wait.”<br>
Tony muttered under his breath, “I can’t.”<br>
TBC
it'll be on the site!