Duckys P.O.V.

I decided to grab a cup of coffee, from a little shop across the street from the hotel I’m staying at and in front of me is a woman whom seems quite familiar. The way she carries herself, her size, her voice as she orders, although the blonde hair is a bit off putting.

“I’ll take a plain coffee.” Says the woman. And again I want nothing more to see her face, if nothing more than to put a name with it.

The blond gets her coffee and turns around, shocked I drop the wallet in my hands. “Oh I’ve got it.” The woman says “Here.” She handed me back the wallet.

Still shocked, yet still wanting to give the polite woman my thanks and the first thing that comes to mind, and like so many times before I say “Thank you, Caitlin.”

“Caitlin?” the young copy asks me confused, tilting her head just a bit.

“Oh my! I’m sorry, you aren’t… no no, of course not. Please forgive me, you look a great deal like an old colleague of mine.” I tell the look alike “Doctor Donald Mallard, but ducky is what everyone calls me.” I hold out my hand.

Taking my hand in hers “Doctor Maura Isles. Nice to meet you ducky, are you here for the medical examiner conference?”

I smile at the doctor “Well it so happens that I am.” I realize I’m up to order, I get my normal coffee and say “Would you care to join me, doctor Isles?”

A wide smile graces her lips and her eyes give a twinkle that I haven’t seen in almost six years. “I would love to. But I insist that you call me Maura.”

“Here you are sir.” I take the cup of hot caffeine, and say my thanks, then walk with Maura to the bar where I take a sugar and a cream, and she picks up two creams.

“So where did you come in from?”

“Washington D.C. I work for NCIS, and the only pathologist on staff. Well then there is Mr. Palmer, but he is not often left alone, I do believe this is only time he has been there when I have not.” I tell her. “And you my dear?”

“Well not that far, just Boston.” She sips her coffee “But I am curious as to who this Caitlin is, that is if you don’t mind my asking?”

“No, not at all dear. Special agent Caitlin ‘Kate’ Todd, ex-secret service, well when we met her she wasn’t she was the one who had started CPR on the poor fellows death we were investigating. If I remember correctly Jethro had convinced young Anthony to get in a body bag after he had, for lack of a better word, hijacked air force one. But any way she was seeing the other man that died and became Jethro’s number one suspect, that is until he cornered her in the restroom and told her about the death. Once the case was solved Caitlin resigned and Jethro told her “try that at NCIS I won’t give you a chance to resign.’”

“Is this a normal week for you Feds?”

“You have no idea.” I take a sip of coffee.

“Would you mind giving me one?”

I smile “If only you don’t mind hearing old man prattle on, Jerald I do believe found me boring.” I warn my coffee partner.

“Well I can say, you are far from.”

“Well speaking of Jerald and Caitlin, that reminds me of the start of it all..” Maura cut in before I could really start.

“Didn’t you just say you met her on air force one?”

“Ahh, that I did. But this is something entirely different. As it turns out our forensics expert had developed a fear of autopsy not long before this she claimed to have had a dream of being on the table herself.”

“But I do distinctly remember Jerald and I had gotten a call and were to perform the autopsy immediately, but as we got there I went to get a pair of gloves when Jerald wouldn’t respond to me, it wasn’t the first but as he was always listening to a cd player. But I went to the young man and I noticed his eyes looking downward, so mine did also. I was met with a smile, the smile of a man whom was still alive.”

Miss Isles eyes grew and she gasped “I think I may need another coffee, would you like another?”

“That would be absolutely lovely” As the girl get us each a new, full cup I straiten my bow tie.

“A cream and sugar?” Maura set a coffee in front of me and one in front of herself.

“Yes, thank you. So as I was saying. This man whose’ name we didn’t know at the time comes out of the bag and demands evidence from a case, all of the evidence. Tells Jerald and myself if lie to him he will shoot Jerald in one of his joints.” I see the Doctor flinch. “We weren’t allowed to leave and were on lockdown, I called Abigail and told her what I needed, she was complaining because she hadn’t even had a chance to test any of it.”

“At the time I had not known but Jethro had replaced all of the items from evidence so the original could be tested. I was unaware of Caitlin coming down because Abigail said she would, and I lied and called her by the wrong name. Well she bent over to set down the box and he saw her weapon.”

We both took another sip of our coffees. “He did shoot poor Jerald, and while taking care of him he left Caitlin within reach of a scalpel had I had the chance I would not have hesitated. Witch she did grab, but failed to stab the bastard, please excuse the language. He ended up giving Jethro a bullet to the shoulder, but Jethro got in a shot of his own, only to find another man lying dead on the floor.” The only good thing that came of that day, Abigail slept on one of my slabs.” I can’t help but chuckle at the end “And you know what had us all shock as to the fact she was scarred in the first place?”

“What that?” the young woman responded.

I lean in and so does she “Abigail sleep in a coffin.” My smile widens even more and she smiles also.

“You said that was the start, what else happened?”

“Ahh you are intelligent.” I point to her. “Care for another?” I shake my cup.

“Please.” She answers. I take her cup and walk up the bar and order two more then I get three creams and a sugar for us to share.

“Here you are dear.” I set down the cup along with two of the creams.

Maura adds the cream and places the lid back atop her cup. “Thanks ducky, now I must say I am very interested in what you have yet to tell me of your tale.” Grinning she encourages.

“Later Caitlin told Jethro that the reason she couldn’t stab the man, whose name we found out was Ari Haswari, because there was something in his eyes. Well as it turns out months latter Anthony, Caitlin, and I were out to lunch, Tony went off to chase a girl and I had to be somewhere, I don’t remember where now. But she was left alone, I still don’t know all of the details but Ari had kidnaped her.”

Maura is engrossed in listening and I telling that we both unconsciously take a drink of our coffees. “We soon learned he was not only obsessed with the young woman but needed her to find out details of the three marine helicopters one of which had the president. Caitlin came out of it unharmed, but Ari did not he met with Jethro, and he was shot in the shoulder as for payback.”

“Why didn’t Jethro just kill him?”

“The FBI were protecting him, said he was useful because he was already a spy in Hamas.”

“Why do I feel like your story isn’t over?” more coffee

“It’s not, only a week after Anthony started recovering from Y. Pestis” Maura was again shocked “in fact it was his first day back. But was found two bodies one of them had his hand cut off, but as we were inspecting further Tony spotted a bomb he, young Timothy, and Caitlin…” My voice cracks. “all almost died that day.”

“Soon it was discovered that Ari was back and had it out for Jethro, but not only him also a navy ship coming in with thousands of families. That was why he needed the hand, to gain access to a heat seeking missile. Director Morrow put Caitlin in charge if Jethro and his security.”

Tears leaked from my eyes “I again don’t know but what I have been told, but the team found them on a roof somewhere. Jethro crashed the missile in the water, but not all of the men were down and Caitlin saved Jethros life that day.” My eyes leaked more. “Jumped in front of a bullet for the man, she had on vest and stood and joked with the men.”

“But I will never forget what I found out happened next, I walked into autopsy that night and hung my hat. Jethro said I didn’t have to do the autopsy, but how could I not?”

I look to the woman tears streaming down my face and I see a glimmer of tears in her own eyes “Tell me Jethro killed Ari.”

“I really wish I could but I cannot, Ziva our agent and Ari’s half-sister did before she worked for us. But as all of my coworkers know I do tend to talk to the dead. But all I heard was ‘the only thing I regret in not killing the bastard when I had the chance.’ Poor Caitlin took not only one bullet, that day but two.”

“I’m so sorry.” A tear rolled down Maura’s cheek.

I smile warmly at her then take my wallet out and show her a picture of each of the team, even mister Palmer. The last being of Caitlin “Oh my! I can see why you called me Caitlin.” She smiles but glances at her watch “Oh no we need to get to the conference.”

We both pack up and get one last coffee “Sorry, I hadn’t noticed I kept you almost two hours.”

“It was worth it ducky.” We walk for the door.

“How about next time we talk about you a bit more and me a bit less?”

“Only if I buy first.” She grins.

I offer her my arm “Shall we then?”

“We shall.” She takes my arm and giggles