~Calalily~

Family Pledge

2007-06-04T18:30:31Z

Family Pledge

Chapter 9

Gibbs walked into the kitchen to see Emma at the stove. She was heating some stew. “How long do you estimate we have before he starts watching us?” he asked.

She blew on a spoonful of the stew and held it out to him to taste. “Maybe a day, two at the most. If I’m right, he won’t wait long.”

“If you’re right?” He asked and took hold of the wrist of the hand still holding the spoon.

She fixed him with a look from her light brown eyes once more and told him, “I’m right. He wants me dead and he’ll come after me. I know he will.”

Tasting the stew and surprised to find it quite good, he nodded. “You’d better be right.”

“Besides, your entire team and Army CID is working the case. Between this and them, we’ll get him.” Emma said as she turned off the burner and got two bowls down for them to have supper.

-------

Drew had been instructed to observe and stay out of the way. So she asked Agent McGee where the lab was. His eyes had widened for a moment before giving her directions. She took the elevator down a floor and walked the short distance to the automatic doors. Music was playing in the lab but low enough that Drew could hear a female voice muttering.

“Why’d you have to agree to this? I was cool when you brought me the idea then you left on that helicopter and I realized you could get hurt. Now I’m ready to smack you Gibbs.”

Drew looked around to see a woman with black hair pulled into pig-tails talking to a picture on her monitor. Thinking it was a good moment to interrupt, she said, “Hello.”

The woman whipped around and glared at her. “Who are you?”

“Drew Toscani. I’m with the FBI. I came down to…”

“To what? Check my progress? My progress is the same as it was when Agent Sacks was down here. And when you see him, tell him I’ll skin him if he comes in my lab uninvited.”

“Oo-kay.” Drew said then looked at the computer screen. “He’s your friend?”

The woman’s mouth tightened and she said, “Yes. And I don’t like it when I don’t know what is going on.”

Drew told her, “Emma’s my partner and my best friend and I never like it when I get shut out.”

Eyes going from narrowed slits to curious looked her over. “You’re Emma’s partner from Chicago?”

Drew nodded and found her arm in a tight grasp as the woman pulled her to a chair. “Sit. Tell me everything about her and how she’ll keep Gibbs in one piece no matter what. I want to know everything. And my name’s Abby.”

Drew smiled. “Ok, Abby, all there is about Emma and then some….”

------

Jenny was staring out the window of her office when she heard the door open. “Close the door behind you, Fornell.”

Tobias turned to do as he was told. It was always good to try and stay on Jen’s good side.

“What do you know about these two agents from Chicago?” She asked him.

“Well, they have one of the best closure rates in their entire department. Apparently this case is one of three they are still actively investigating along with going over cold cases from other agents. From that I gather they don’t have much of a life outside the office. Then again, how many of us actually manage that successfully?”

Jenny turned with a smile at that comment. “Some of us manage, Tobias.”

Sharing her smile for a moment he told her, “They’re straight shooters, Jen. They say what they mean and don’t start something they don’t intend to finish. Neither of them likes vacations which is probably why both have landed in your lap.”

With a sigh, Jenny met his eyes. “Jethro is too good an agent to lose again, Tobias.”

For a long moment he held her gaze. “I have a feeling you won’t lose him, Jenny. I think Agent Jordan was sincere when she said she’d protect him with her life.”

“Gibbs’ gut rubbing off on you, now?” She asked as he walked to the door.

“Gibbs isn’t the only man on the planet with instincts, Jen. Remember that.”

-------

He smiled as the husband’s body went limp, indicating he was finally dead. Turning his gaze on the wife, she whimpered. His nostrils flared at the stench of her fear. Feeling the rush through his veins his smile grew and she started to shake. Reaching out with the knife, he flicked it gently over her thigh. Watching the streak of red that appeared, he stared into her eyes as he moved his hand over and over again. Superficial cuts were all he made until she started to cry in earnest. That was when the blade slipped deeper and deeper into her skin. Finally when he was tired of toying with his latest, he pulled her head back by her hair. Showing her the knife, she also saw the grin that hadn’t left his face. Her eyes registered what he was going to do a moment before the knife slit her throat.

-------

Ziva was typing a report when the call came in. Local PD found a couple, bound and tortured in their home. They knew the case was too similar to what NCIS was investigating so they turned the scene over. If she didn’t have such a bad feeling about things she would have smiled at how DiNozzo and Mann argued over who was in charge.

Family Pledge

2007-06-01T20:32:47Z

Family Pledge

Chapter 8

The remote was clenched in his hand. He was staring at the flat screen television mounted on the wall of his office. He had been searching for updates on the news of the poor military couple slain while on vacation when he saw the interview. For the past thirty minutes he had been staring at the couple reunited after ten long months. She wasn’t dead. She had survived and married. And had made damn sure her husband would put her right back in his sights. Bitch. She had nearly ruined things for him eighteen months ago. He had to move and set up here in DC before being able to shop around for his newest victim. He pressed the power button on the remote with great control. Setting it down on the table beside his chair, he stood and walked to his desk. He would make sure she didn’t survive this attack.

-------

Drew was being searched at the gate of the Navy Yard. Nearly positive that Emma didn’t go through this, she was about to protest when the guards let her and her taxi through. Sighing in aggravation at the line waiting to enter the NCIS building she bumped into a good looking man with a very nice suit on.

“I’m sorry.” She told him and was awarded with a smile.

“Not a problem.”

She stepped up and showed her ID to the guard and placed her badge and gun into the tray before stepping through the detectors.

“Who are you here to see?” The guard asked.

“Someone at NCIS. Could you point me in the right direction?”

“You have to have an escort, ma’am. If you’ll wait right here?”

Drew sighed and the man behind her spoke up. “I’ll show her upstairs Henry.”

Henry nodded and smiled. “Thank you, Agent McGee. Miss? Agent McGee will show you to the Director.”

“Thank you.” Drew told both men and flashed them her smile. Holstering her gun and hooking her badge back to the waistband of her jeans, she followed Agent McGee. By the time she stepped into the elevator she knew several things about him. He was professional; she could tell that by his attire. He was confident but not overly so; she knew that by his walk. And he had a very nice rear view. She smiled as he pressed the button for the floor to the NCIS squad room.

-------

“I do not need another Chicagoan FBI agent here, Fornell. We have all the help we can get and more. Between NCIS, Army CID and the FBI we have almost too many hands in the cook pot now.”

Drew winced as the Director’s complaints drifted through the door. She smiled at the secretary and relaxed into her chair. Her bangs drifted into her eyes and she thought again about getting her hair cut short like Emma’s. Before she was able to seriously start contemplating it, the door to the Director’s office was nearly flung open.

“Agent Toscani, I appreciate your coming all this way to help with this case, but we have enough help as it is. I would hate to have your vacation cut short for this.” The Director told her.

Drew shrugged. “Emma’s my partner. I understand that you have all the help you need, but in a crucial situation, odds are good that she’ll call the one number she is most familiar with and that’s mine. And another thing, even if she manages to call your agents, how will they know what she’s talking about? We’ve kind of got a shorthand language between the two of us. I promise I won’t get in the way. I just want to be here in case she or any of you need help.”

The Director narrowed her eyes at Drew and for once Drew wished she had learned how to not talk back to her superiors. Chalk another mark up against Emma as she was the one who showed her it was ok…in most situations.

“Agent Toscani, you do realize I can contact your superior in Chicago and inform him of your attitude problem?”

“Unfortunately ma’am, he knows. He’s been working with me with exceptional patience but I haven’t been able to fully curb the attitude. Especially when my partner might be in danger.”

Sighing heavily, the Director looked at her secretary. “Fornell, get Agent Toscani’s paperwork fixed. It looks like we have another FBI liaison for this case. Agent Toscani, if you step out of line once, and I mean just once, I’m personally putting your behind on a plane back to Chicago, are we clear?”

“Yes ma’am.” Drew told her and followed Agent Fornell down the steps back to the squad room.

Family Pledge

2007-05-31T20:54:41Z

Family Pledge

Chapter 7

Emma was nervous. The Director had called in a few favors but she still wasn’t sure they would get the coverage they needed to get his attention. She stood with real family members who were anxiously awaiting the arrival of their service men and women. Giddy smiles and nervous, happy laughter filled the air. Mothers and fathers held their small children up so they could get a good look at the ship bringing their other parent home. Emma’s eyes misted up and she swiped at the stray tears. Silly to be crying but the emotion from the crowd overwhelmed her.

“Excuse me, ma’am?” someone said from Emma’s left side.

She turned to see a reporter holding her microphone and a camera-man looking at her. “I’m sorry to bother you at a time like this but we’ve been going through the crowd getting some feedback from the family of the returning troops. Could we ask you a few questions?”

Emma wiped her cheeks again and nodded. “Yes, that’s fine.”

The reporter quickly got into position. “What’s your name?”

“Emma Gibbs.” She answered.

“This is Emma Gibbs. She’s been standing out here with the other family members of our country’s heroes and she’s waiting to see her…” the reporter turned and placed the mic near Emma’s face.

“My husband.”

“How long has he been away?”

Emma smiled at the reporter. “I’m actually one of the lucky ones. He’s only been away for 10 months.”

“How long have you two been married?”

Laughing, Emma answered, “Twelve months. Our first anniversary was three days ago.”

The reporter looked surprised. “Wow! Congratulations. I’m sure you’ll be happy when he docks so you two can celebrate.”

“I’m just happy to have him home. That’s what I’m celebrating, ma’am.”

The camera-man stopped recording and the reporter told her, “Enjoy your reunion Mrs. Gibbs.”

“Thank you very much.” Emma said.

As the two walked away, Emma heard the reporter mention wanting to capture their reunion on film. She turned back to the water, watching the ship slowly coming towards the dock.

-------

Gibbs was standing on the deck of the ship, watching all the other men and women worry with their appearance and their bags. His was slung over his shoulder. He could only hope that Emma Jordan was on shore doing her job - waiting like an excited spouse. The walkway was lowered to the dock and the troops started to disembark. Putting on as close to a happy face that he could muster, Gibbs fell into the line and started searching the crowd for his “wife” as he walked down. Scanning the crowd once, he caught site of her pale blond hair. Even from this distance he knew when she spotted him. She started waving and grinning, making her way through the crowd. Weaving around reunited couples and families, she met up with him before he got a half-dozen steps away from the walkway. He was a bit surprised when she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight until she whispered, “Some reporter mentioned capturing our reunion on film.”

Hearing that, he smiled at her and leaned in to take possession of her lips as if he really had missed her for ten long months. When he pulled back he saw the dazed look in her eyes. Laughing at her expression he was glad to see her snap out of it until she pulled him back down for another kiss. This time it was his turn to be dazed. She kissed his neck and whispered again, “That wasn’t very nice.” Then she bit his earlobe. Hard.

He grabbed her bum and squeezed it. “Let’s go home.” Taking her hand, he let her lead him through the crowd to the car.

A few miles down the road, McGee called to tell them they had been prominently displayed on 2 of the 3 local stations. “If he was watching the news, he saw it Boss.”

“McGee, tell DiNozzo if he doesn’t stop laughing, I’m giving you and Ziva permission to smack him.”

Gibbs closed the cell phone and looked at Emma. “Your plan has brought us this far.”

Family Pledge

2007-05-30T16:40:55Z

Family Pledge

Chapter 6

He was sitting at his desk looking at the 4 x 6 photos in his collection. Frowning, he put them back in the box. They were all wrong. In the past two months he had selected 7 couples and none of them fit his profile. Disgusted with his screening process he stood and walked to the window overlooking his perfectly manicured lawn. Time was ticking away. He had to find another couple soon. Closing his eyes, he brought the images up from his last home visit. Smiling, as he remembered the smell of fear from the husband and wife and the scent of their blood as it drained from their bodies. This next couple wouldn’t be as sweet. They weren’t as tough as his last one, but they would have to do. That was the reason for his discontent with his current choices. Turning towards the doorway, he went to the kitchen to fix himself a nice sandwich. No bother, he’d just choose another couple.

-------

Drew was restless. She hated vacations almost as much as she hated being without a partner when Emma had been on medical leave. Shaking her head at the volume of noise coming from the living room of her parent’s house, she walked out the back door. The night sky was clear of clouds and full of stars. The moon was half full. She sat on the steps and thought back to the day Emma strutted herself back into the office.

Flashback

“Jordan! What the hell are you doing here?” Charlie shouted at the agent from across the room.

“Getting back to work,” was Emma’s reply. She raised her eyebrows when another agent took control of her desk chair and pushed her into Charlie’s office.

Charlie shut the door and Drew could still hear him. “Four weeks! You’ve been out four weeks and you come waltzing back in here like you’re 100%. What is going on in your head?”

Emma’s reply was muffled but Drew read her lips. “I’m going crazy at home. Other than PT I have nothing to do. You won’t even let Drew bring me paperwork to look over. If I hadn’t come back today, I would have been bonkers by the time I was released. At least here I can do desk work.”

“The doctor said twelve weeks, Emma. Twelve, not four. And even then he isn’t sure if you’ll be back at 100%.”

“We’ll see in other eight weeks won’t we?” Emma said and stood, taking her chair with her back to her desk.

End flashback

Drew smiled at the sky. Just like that, Emma was back. Not in the field, but back. At her desk every day, running down leads for their current cases and going over other agents cold cases finding things they had overlooked or not thought significant. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. Dialing the number, she waited as the rings counted off then she left a brief message.

“I’m bored as hell. Family’s great but I’ve been here three days. If you’ve got something, save me.”

Closing her phone she turned to see her father standing behind her. He grinned at her. “I won’t say a word to your mother about this.” He too had been an agent with the FBI, retired just last year. He knew what it was like. She hugged him and went back inside to gush appropriately over her sister’s dessert.

-------

Emma sat at the desk on the other side of Agent McGee. She had a feeling she was lucky she even had a desk. Listening to her voice mail she quickly dialed a number even as she looked over her plan of what would happen the next day.

“Emma? Tell me you need my help.” Drew’s voice was hushed and Emma heard her family in the background.

“Glad to hear you’re enjoying your vacation. How’s the weather there?” Emma asked. She heard the small intake of breath on Drew’s end of the line.

“The weather’s been fine here. And on your end?”

“Fine here too. The vacation is going great.”

“Oh really? That’s a shame to hear.” Drew said and Emma heard her say, “Be right there Mom!” Emma laughed quietly when Drew whispered, “I’m on the first flight there!”

“See you after the vacation is over.” Emma told her and hung up the phone. She turned to put the cell back in her purse and found Gibbs staring at her from his desk. Showing the phone, she told him, “My partner was just checking in.”

Not impressed, he asked, “He thinks you’re on vacation?”

Emma nodded. “Yes, she does.”

-------

Gibbs walked to the helicopter and nodded to the pilot. Climbing on board he looked back at DiNozzo only to find him grinning like an idiot. Putting his bag down at his feet, he strapped in and motioned that he was good to go.

Family Pledge

2007-05-27T12:56:06Z

Family Pledge
disclaimer : Nope, still don't own 'em, but boy wouldn't that be fun.... :)

Chapter 5

Emma signed her name and rubbed her neck. She had a tension headache but she wasn’t stopping for it. She knew instinctively that her plan would work. What she didn’t know was if the Director explained everything to Gibbs or not. She shook her head. Jethro, his name was Leroy Jethro Gibbs and he was called either Gibbs or Boss, Jethro by the daring. For this op she would be calling him Jethro.

She stared at the computer where Abby Sciuto had photoshopped a complete wedding album for the two of them. The slideshow was mainly showing her co-workers her skills but Emma didn’t mind. At first glance, Ms. Sciuto was different but with a second look you could see what a good person she was. Emma liked her. Now all she had to do was make-up for the initial lack of enthusiasm she had shown for Abby’s hard work. She had a feeling she had her work cut out for her.

-------

Gibbs frowned at Tony’s laughter. One more wise-crack and he’d …

SMACK!

“Ow. Won’t happen again, Boss.” Tony said stepping out of Gibbs’ reach.

Hollis was enjoying this as well, knowing another wife – even a fake one – would not make him happy. And Agent Jordan…there was something she wasn’t telling him.

“What makes your plan foolproof Agent Jordan?” he asked her.

She looked around the room before answering. “We’re giving him two things he can’t resist. A couple that fits his requirements and his only living victim.”

“What victim?” McGee asked. He stared at Agent Jordan. “He tried to kill you?”

“Yes.”

“What makes you think he’ll be watching the news?” Gibbs asked.

“We believe he chooses his victims in advance and studies them for several days at least before making his move. It’s the only way he can know so much about them. Also, we believe he selects his next couple before he kills the one he’s currently watching.”

“So that means we’ll have one more set of victims before he moves onto you two?” Ziva asked.

“Yes, more than likely.” Agent Jordan answered.

-------

Emma washed her hands and stared at her reflection. The door opened and Office David walked in. Quickly throwing her paper towels away, she started to leave her alone.

“If this is only about revenge, you don’t need to join this investigation.” Officer David told her.

Straightening and staring her in the eye, Emma told her, “I’m not going to lie and say that hasn’t crossed my mind. This case has been mine since his first victims. I’ve wanted to catch him for three years. It’s funny in a way, but his pride in himself will be his downfall. Seeing him on death row, being at his execution, that’s all the revenge I need, Officer David.”

Ziva David’s eyes spoke of understanding and Emma started to move past the Mossad Officer only to be stopped once more.

“We nearly lost Gibbs last year. Out there you’ll be his closest backup.”

It was Emma’s turn to understand the teams concerns. “No matter who my partner is, I’ll always be willing to protect them no matter what.”

Family Pledge

2007-05-24T17:44:01Z

Family Pledge
see disclaimer from chapters 1 & 2
Rated R

Chapter 4

Gibbs stepped off the elevator to find Fornell, Sacks and Agent Jordan standing in the squad room with Jenny. Before he could say anything, Jenny told him, “I’ve already made this decision and it’s not up for negotiation, Special Agent Gibbs.”

“And what decision would that be Director?” he asked, looking at Agent Jordan.

“We have a situation that demands that we work with the FBI on this case. From everything we’ve learned so far, this is the same killer they’ve been tracking for three years.”

“Three years?” He asked sardonically to push the young agent’s buttons. “And you still don’t have him?”

She stared at him without answering. The elevator doors opened and Hollis walked in. Jenny nodded at her.

“I’ve spoken with your superiors, Col. Mann, and they are in agreement with this as well. Agent Jordan along with Agents Fornell and Sacks will be assisting in the investigation of this case. Now, I’ll let Agent Jordan brief you all on the history of this killer while I talk with Agent Gibbs in my office.”

The look Jenny was giving him tolerated no argument. He walked passed the FBI and followed her upstairs.

-------

Emma looked around, once again the center of attention. “Hello.” She said quietly then decided to just dive in. “Our profile on this killer says he’s male, late 30s to early 40s. All known kills with DNA tying back to him have involved couples. Those cases go back to three years ago. Serial killers don’t just appear at that stage in life and start. We haven’t gotten any information on him other than his DNA. Our profiler says that he has anger issues with both men and women, possibly going back to his own mother and father. He mainly focuses his anger on the women, toying with them, cutting them, making them terrified. And all of this after having them watch their husbands die. All of the victims have been married. All of them with a significant age difference between the husband and wife – significant by at least 15 years. I’ve laid out a plan with the Director and she agrees on the course of action I’ve suggested. When Agent Gibbs returns…”

Emma trailed off as the man in question walked past her and ordered, “Conference room Agent Jordan.”

She watched as he hit the elevator button, confused, thinking the conference room was on the same floor they were on. Seeing expectant looks on everyone’s faces she ran to the elevator before the doors could close.

-------

Gibbs was angry. Not only had this upstart FBI agent flown in from Chicago to ‘help’ his investigation, she had apparently taken over the Director’s job at deciding what is best for the case and the people investigating it. Without discussing it with him first, Jenny took the woman’s word for gold and gave him a choice – do the assignment as she ordered or step away from the case entirely. The elevator started moving and he pushed the button to stop it.

“Agent Gibbs…” the woman started.

“You don’t talk, you listen. I don’t know you or your history with this case. I don’t know what you told the Director to get her to go along with this, but once this undercover op starts, you answer to me, got it? You don’t run to her when you have a problem and you don’t run to your boss at the FBI. As long as it takes for your little plan to work, you will be under my command. Do you understand?”

She stared at him with light brown eyes and nodded her head. “I understand.”

He turned from her and started the elevator moving again. “We are going to see Abby about our identities, you won’t need a false one but I will need to still be in service for your plan to work.”

The doors slid open and she followed him out. Music was playing loud but not at Abby’s normal volume. “Abby.” Gibbs said and signed for her to turn the volume down even more.

Abby’s eyes were wide as he explained what he’d need. Grinning she spun around and headed for her desk. “Not a problem, boss-man. I’ll have everything looking real in no time.”

He watched her fingers fly over the keyboard and sensed Agent Jordan standing behind him. She was watching curiously over his shoulder. Abby got his paperwork fixed and his military ID ready and handed them over along with a fake marriage license and wedding date.

“Happy Anniversary. Ok, I’ve got to find a house now, give me just a minute.” Abby said and looked at Agent Jordan. “I’m Abby. What kind of house do you like?”

“I’m Emma and anything will do.”

Abby shook her head and made a ‘tsk’ sound. “No, no, FBI lady. Anything won’t do, you have to have a place that reflects a little of both of you.”

Gibbs and Abby watched as Emma’s mouth twisted to one side as she looked Gibbs up and down. “Something one story, nothing cluttered, with a functional layout. Two bedroom, two bath, kitchen, living room and den.”

Abby nodded and started searching rentals. Gibbs tapped her shoulder, “Don’t forget the basement.”

Abby grinned. “We can’t let you go without a basement.” She came up with two possibilities. They took the virtual tours and simultaneously picked the same house. “Wow that was so couple-like of you.”

Family Pledge

2007-05-23T16:54:41Z

Family Pledge

Chapter 3

“Hello Director. I was just about to fill Jethro in on my findings.” The older man in the surgical gown said.

Emma walked past him and looked first at the man, then at the woman. Before the doctor could speak, she started pointing things out. “They were both bound judging by the marks on the wrists and ankles, mostly likely facing each other at some point. They struggled as well or the bruising wouldn’t be as bad as it is. The husband was killed first?” She asked, looking at the doctor to find everyone staring at her.

“Yes, time of death suggests he was killed at least an hour before the wife.” The doctor told her. “Dr. Mallard. And you are?” he asked.

“Emma Jordan, I’m with the FBI. I’ve seen cases like this before.”

“Where?” the blond woman asked, standing beside the silver-haired man Emma noticed earlier.

“Chicago.” Emma answered.

“Agent Jordan, why don’t we return to my office to talk?” Director Shepard said. It wasn’t really a question and Emma understood this.

“Yes ma’am. It was nice to meet you Dr. Mallard.” Emma walked back to the elevators and remained quiet on the return trip to the Director’s office.

-------

“Who was that?” Gibbs asked.

“Emma Jordan, FBI.” Hollis answered. For that she earned a stare. She smiled and turned to Ducky. “What were you about to say, Doctor?”

“Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!” Abby’s voice shouted at them from the desk against the wall.

Ducky sighed. The interruptions were normal but still, the quicker he told Gibbs his findings the quicker he could go talk to Agent Jordan about her knowledge on the case.

“What is it Abs?” Gibbs asked, standing now in front of the small screen looking down at Abby.

“I got a hit on the hair Ducky found. No ID, but it matches several cases from the FBI. Does this mean Fornell will be working with us?” Abby asked, looking hopeful and aggravated at all the same time.

Gibbs remembered Abby still got upset thinking how Fornell had arrested Tony for murder and how she liked playing with his head from time to time.

“That’s what I’m about to find out, Abs.” He told her and walked out of autopsy without getting Ducky’s full report.

-------

When the doors closed behind the three FBI agents, the Director sat at her desk. “Fornell?” she asked.

“From what I could tell by looking, the bruising and cuts all appear to be similar. Without having Dr. Mallard go over the other reports, I couldn’t say for sure.”

Emma moved restlessly and Shepard noticed. “You’ve already made up your mind this is the same killer, haven’t you Agent Jordan?”

Emma looked her straight in the eye and explained. “I’ve been after this killer for 3 years, Director Shepard. Except for who he is and why he kills this way, I can tell you everything about him. He left the knife at the scene. There will be no evidence from him found on it - no blood, no prints, no sweat. There will be a hair on the female but the DNA won’t match anything in the database except the FBI case files already open on this sick bastard. The husband will have been cut in three places – the brachial and femoral arteries and just for fun at the wrist. If he wasn’t found in a pool of blood he was moved or the blood was drained. The nature of the killer leads me to think drained would be more his style. The wife would have watched her husband die. Then when the husband was dead, the killer turns his attention to the wife. First he terrorized her with the knife, making small cuts all over her body. He gets off on hearing them cry and beg for their life or hearing them beg him to end it already. He played with her for a while longer, the cuts getting deeper but he wasn’t losing control he was still just toying with her. Finally, when she bled enough and cried, screamed and begged enough, he slit her throat. And even with all that blood, all that you’ll find on the knife is DNA from the victims. He doesn’t make mistakes. He is too smart for that. He doesn’t want to get caught, he wants the power that killing gives him.”

“So how do you plan on catching him?” the Director asked.

“One of his victims survived.” Emma told them, turning away.

“I thought you said this guy didn’t make mistakes.” Agent Sacks said.

Emma looked over her shoulder at him. “He doesn’t. If the ambulance hadn’t come along when it did, I would have died.”

Family Pledge

2007-05-23T16:49:54Z

"Family Pledge"
Rated R
Pairings: eventually everyone will be with an OC :D

Chapter 1

Agent Emma Jordan was outraged. Walking from her closet to the open bag on her bed, “I can’t believe the FBI is just handing this case over to NCIS.” She said to her best friend and partner, Drew Toscani. “They don’t know what they are doing. They don’t know what this guy is capable of and they’re just going to turn this case over to some Navy cops?” She sighed and zipped her suitcase closed.

Grabbing her bag and her purse, she headed for the door. Drew grabbed her keys from the table by the door. “You aren’t going to want to leave your car parked at the airport. I’ll drive you.”

Emma looked at Drew seeing understanding. “Thanks.”

-------

Emma sat back as the plane took off. Closing her eyes, she thought about the scene at her boss’ office.

Flashback

“It’s the same M.O. Charlie!”

“We don’t know it’s him, Emma.”

“That’s bull and you know it.” She told Charles Madison. “I was this close to him 18 months ago and then he dropped off the radar. Nothing has matched his M.O. until now. Our own profiler told you he would resurface. We have to take this case.”

“I’m not taking this case, Emma. You’ll have to deal with it. You have a partner that relies on you.”

Emma put her head on her hands and mumbled, “I have a partner that’s taking her vacation this week.”

Charles looked at her. “So why don’t you take some of this unused leave you have?”

Emma peaked at him from over her fingers. “Me? Take vacation?”

“Yes you, Emma. Take a vacation. I don’t think you’ve ever seen Washington DC, have you?”

Emma raised her eyebrow. “DC huh? You’re right. I’ve never seen the capital.”

Charlie picked up the phone. “Why don’t I go ahead and get your paperwork ready for you to sign?”

Emma rose from her chair. “I appreciate that Charlie. See you soon?”

“Be careful though, Emma. It’s dangerous this time of year.”

“You got it boss.” Emma said as she walked through his door to sign her leave paperwork.

End Flashback

The plane touched down and Emma opened her eyes. She had been going over the case history in her mind figuring out what she would tell NCIS Director Shepard. Getting her bag from the overhead compartment, she filed off the plane with the other passengers.

Hailing a taxi, she gave him the name of her hotel then changed her mind. Her bag was a weekender and she could shoulder it while at NCIS. Asking the driver to take her to the Navy Yard, she watched the buildings fly by still working on what all to tell Director Shepard.

When the driver pulled up at the guards, Emma rolled down her window and produced her ID. They searched the car top to bottom and looked through her clothes. Finding nothing suspicious, the guards raised the bar and let them in. She walked in the building and met yet another guard. This one offered to keep her bag downstairs while she was shown up to the Director’s office. She handed it over and walked with her escort to the elevators. At the ding, the elevator doors slid open once more and she was led through a squad-room. She could feel people staring at her but the one that made an imprint on her mind was the man at the first desk she passed by. He was older with silver hair and obviously the team leader. He was talking with a woman that didn’t move as Emma nearly brushed her. The woman was blonde and wore an Army uniform. The others she classified by first sight as well. The tech, the foreign agent and the playboy. Tech because he was typing away at his computer and not paying attention to what was happening around him. The foreign agent because of the accent she heard before the woman slammed her phone down. And the playboy because he looked up at her and grinned a “hi there, busy later?” smile when she passed him.

Finally she was introduced to Cynthia, the Director’s assistant. Now all that was left was to explain her line of reasoning to the woman and hope she hadn’t flown all this way in vain.

Chapter 2

“Who was that?” Tony asked after the mystery woman was shown up the stairs.

Ziva shrugged and turned away when she noticed Gibbs glaring at Tony for getting off track.

McGee looked up from his pc and looked around. “Who was who?”

Tony smiled at him. “See Timmy? A pretty young woman walks by and you don’t even notice. What’s wrong with this picture?”

“There’s nothing wrong with this picture DiNozzo.” Gibbs told him. “McGee is working on the case. What have you been doing?”

Tony sat up in his chair. “Can I turn your attention to the plasma, Boss?” Once everyone was looking at the screen, Tony brought up the pictures of the deceased couple. “Lee and Paula Jackson, married two years next month. They met while on leave in the Bahamas. Lee Jackson is 42, Paula is 26. He’s a Marine, she’s in the Army. Sergeant Major Lee Jackson, time in service, 24 years. He was last stationed at Camp Lejuene, North Carolina. Corporal Paula Jackson, time in service, 8 years. She was last stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. According to both of their commanding officers, they traveled each weekend to see each other.”

“According to their workmates, they also spent a lot of time texting and emailing one another.” Ziva added.

“I’ve been working on accessing their emails since we got back boss. For the most part, nothing in the emails indicates there were any problems in the marriage.” McGee told Gibbs.

Tony’s nostrils flared and he clenched his jaw. “They were on vacation in DC for the week. Taking in the sights and celebrating their anniversary a month early.”

“No ideas on motive for killing them?” Lt. Col. Hollis Mann asked them all.

In response there was a chorus of “we’re working on that” before they all scattered.

Gibbs walked to the elevator, Mann following close behind. As he reached for the button the doors slid open. Special Agents Fornell and Sacks stepped out.

“Fornell.” Gibbs said with a question in his eyes.

“Not here for you Jethro. The Director herself called us in.” Fornell informed him before brushing past him.

Gibbs and Mann watched them as the two Federal Agents made their way up the stairs. Turning, they entered the elevator. When the doors closed, Hollis reached out and stopped it from descending to Abby’s lab.

“Hollis…” Gibbs started.

“Jethro, I know this isn’t the time or place, but I have to tell you something.” She smiled when he looked into her eyes. “What are they telling you Jethro?”

He smiled, the small one that she really found attractive. “They’re telling me whatever you’re about to say is a relief to you.”

She nodded. “Yours are telling me this will be one to you as well. I’ve been offered a transfer and I’ve decided to take it. It’s an advancement and a location change.” At his look she told him, “I know you weren’t interested in anything long-term with me, Jethro. I wasn’t really looking that far ahead myself. I’ve never been the kind of woman meant to settle down anyway. So I just have to know, are we all right?”

With his penetrating stare, Gibbs asked, “What are my eyes telling you?”

Hollis smiled and started the elevator again. “They said they’ve enjoyed what we had.”

-------

“Agent Fornell, Agent Sacks.” Director Shepard greeted the two men that entered her office.

Emma stood, waiting for an introduction or some type of acknowledgement. Agent Sacks nodded in her direction but Agent Fornell ignored her and spoke directly to Director Shepard.

“I’ve spoken with the Chicago office. They are not pursuing this case as an extension of their investigation. Our Director has decided to leave this decision in your hands as to whether we help or not. I do feel with Agent Jordan’s experience in tracking this killer that, if it is the same person, her help would benefit your investigation.”

Agent Fornell turned and addressed Emma. “I was told by your boss that you are technically on leave. If Director Shepard decides to allow you to help, the leave will be cancelled and you will be temporarily assigned to our offices in the Hoover Building. Working with Gibbs, I wouldn’t expect to see you there much except for your paperwork.”

Emma nodded. “I appreciate that, sir.”

The three agents turned to face Director Shepard. She took a moment and then decided, “Agent Jordan, you’ll be helping on this case if the evidence proves your theory. I’ll have Cynthia show you to the conference room while I check this out.”

“All due respect Ma’am, if I could come with you I would probably be able to tell if this killer is the same or not.” Emma spoke quickly.

Director Shepard’s eyes narrowed for a moment. “Agents Fornell and Sacks will also join us. You have reviewed the case file, correct Agent Fornell?”

Fornell nodded. “Yes I have.”

“Good.” Director Shepard said. “Let’s go talk to Ducky.”

On Again Tonight

2007-05-07T16:58:34Z

On Again Tonight by calalily (cala_lily_06).
Category: Het >> Abby/McGee
Pairing: Abby/McGee

Genres: Song fic
Rating:
Warnings: Kink

Summary:
Notes: really nothing that kinky, but just a hint so I rated this R.
The song is On Again Tonight.
Complete: Yes

"I'm glad you called." She said as she answered her door.

"I'm glad you invited me over." He told her.

I'm glad you picked up the phone.
Yeah, I know that we both agreed,
We'd leave each other alone.
We're just wastin' our time,
We know it ain't right.
There's no goin' back, but havin' said that

I wish you would come over,
An' drink my best bottle of wine.
If you can lay on my shoulder,
An' I can lean on you just one more time.
You can mess up head,
An' mess up my bed,
An' leave before the mornin' light.
I need your on again, off again, on again tonight.

Abby smiled and grabbed his arm. Tim laughed and hauled her to him. Taking her lips in a deep kiss, he followed her lead as she walked them towards her bedroom.

I don't expect things to change.
We've got to get on with our lives.
Space is a beautiful thing,
When you need some room.
I don't know about you, but I'm lonely right now:
I'm just thinkin' out loud.

I wish you would come over,
An' drink my best bottle of wine.
You can lay on my shoulder,
An' I can lean on you just one more time.
You can mess up head,
An' mess up my bed,
An' leave before the mornin' light.
An' I need your on again, off again, on again tonight.

Their clothes disappeared and before Abby could show him to the coffin, he had her on the bed, cuffing her hands to the headboard.

"Tim!" Abby protested.

He smiled once more. "You had me hooked up for hours last time. It's your turn."

She wiggled, tested the cuffs to see if they were too tight and relaxed. Staring at his mouth, she asked in a husky voice, "Are you going to kiss me again or just stare at me all night."

For just a moment, he sat back and looked her over. When she wriggled and thrust her body up at him, he decided teasing was overrated. Leaning down, he started the kiss but Abby quickly took control of his lips. She pulled away long enough to tell him with a light in her eye, "We are so going to have a great night, Tim."

Well, no, I don't care; I can come over there,
An' I can drink your best bottle of wine:
'Cause I need your on again, off again, on again;
Your on again, off again, on again tonight.
Again tonight.

~The End~

~Calalily~

The Assistant Series - A Woman's Love

2007-05-05T21:09:25Z

Story 10 of the series
Co-authored by Albertbester
Rated R

Chapter 1

Carly was sipping on decaffeinated hot tea with lemon out of her coffee cup. Other than Tony and Abby, no one knew she was pregnant and the lack of a coffee cup would clue these special agents in right away that something was off. She had been back at work for a few days and Abby was still full of questions on her new ability. Not many people knew about that either. Carly sighed. It wouldn't be so bad if she didn't have to work so hard to block people's thoughts when she touched them. Between that, work and being pregnant, she nearly fell asleep by the time she walked through the door at Abby's old apartment.

Jimmy walked in holding some evidence bags. He took one look at Carly's face and just placed them on the table. "There's no rush on these." He told her. "They are from a cold case Ducky would like to look at again, see if we get a match this time."

Carly smiled and thanked him. As he walked out she was thinking Michelle was lucky to have a sweet guy like Jimmy.

Abby came in not long after she started running tests on the substances. One had already come back as not matching anything.

"So, how are you today?" Abby asked quietly.

Shaking her head to clear it, Carly told her, "I'm fine, really. The only thing that makes me sick is the smell of coffee." She admitted and stuck her tongue out at her friend.

Abby laughed, "Well that's fitting. The one thing you have to have and it makes you sick." She stopped laughing and looked at her Caf-Pow.

Carly noticed and said, "Yep, think about that. Not being able to drink a Caf-Pow without tossing your cookies. Funny now?"

"Not so much." Abby replied, grabbing her drink and taking a big gulp. Setting the cup aside, she asked, "Are you getting any better at blocking people’s thoughts?"

Worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, she shook her head. "No. And on top of having to deal with me being clairvoyant, how is Jet going to react to me being about to touch people and tell what they are thinking?"

Abby frowned a bit at Carly's doubts. "I'm not sure. Why don't you talk to him? He seems to be in a better mood since you returned to work. He might be more receptive..."

"Abby, a broken radio is more receptive than Jethro is."

Carly turned back to her computer, saddened by the thought that she may lose the man she loves forever.

-------

Gibbs was at his desk when a call came in. He listened for a moment, hung up and said, "Grab your gear. We found one of the missing terrorists."

The team grabbed their weapons and other items and followed him to the elevator. The entire ride to the scene, Gibbs was thinking about Carly. She moved out without even asking if that was what he wanted. Did that mean this was what she wanted?

-------

"So, you realize I'm a bit jealous of you now, right?" Abby asked while they waited on word of the new case.

"Why?" Carly asked her, throwing away her empty coffee cup.

"You're a human lie-detector. How cool is that?" Abby grinned as she played around on her computer, tweeking things.

"Not very for the most part. I mean, I can't block it so I can barely touch someone or I get blasted with whatever's on their minds."

Abby's eyebrows rose up and down and she asked, "What was on Tony's mind when he brought your tea in?"

Placing her tongue between her teeth for a moment, Carly stared at Abby. "I can't believe you guys had sex in this lab!"

Abby's eyes widened. "What? How did you know?"

Carly frowned and reminded her, "I'm the human lie detector remember? And now I have his thoughts of what else he would like to do to you in this lab stuck in my mind!" The frown gave way to a slight smile and a light came into her eyes as she said, "But he is quite inventive!"

Abby threw Bert at her and Carly caught him without squeezing enough to make a sound. She put him on the table next to her and patted his head while sticking her tongue out at Abby.

Chapter 2

Ducky removed the liver probe from the second victim. Sighing, he repeated his first findings once more. "She was garroted with something sharp, probably wire. As is cut off her oxygen it also sliced into her neck several millimeters. Approximate time of death, 10 hours ago. Same as our missing terrorist."

McGee shot photos, while Tony sketched the scene and Ziva rounded up the few pieces of evidence in the motel room. As she walked into the bathroom she noticed wire sticking out of the trash can. "Gibbs." She said and he walked over.

"Bag it." He ordered, looking around the room. He knew for the killers to leave the wire behind that there would be no trace evidence but it had to be tested. Ten hours meant the killers could be anywhere but he knew in his gut they were still in DC. They were planning something and he was willing to bet that this guy was going to roll on them to save his own skin. Too bad for him that he didn't remember terrorists fight to the death.

---------

"What have you found Abs?" Gibbs asked, watching Carly as she worked with her back to him.

Abby turned her radio down and signed 'Talk to her' even as she told him, "Nothing, which is exactly what you expected. Have I mentioned before how I hate when people clean their own crime scenes? Because if I haven't, then I hate it!"

Gibbs nodded and walked out without a word.

Sighing, Abby asked, "When are you going to talk to him?"

Not looking at her friend but feeling the loss of Jet not being in the room, she told Abby, "When I figure out how to tell him, then I'll tell him. I'm going to see Ducky for a little while."

Abby watched Carly leave and then called Tony. Something needed to be done here and it obviously wasn't going to be those two who made the first move.

---------

The doors to autopsy slide open and Carly walked straight over to Ducky. He was signing the report on the female victim, another Jane Doe. When he finished he turned to Carly.

"I don't know what to tell you Carly. Jethro is a stubborn man."

Smiling but not as brightly as before, Carly patted Ducky's cheek. "I know Duck. I know. I was really hoping I could get a look at the victims for a moment?"

Ducky's puzzlement was replaced with a look of understanding. "Of course. Come on over."

He led her to the drawers along the wall and pulled out # 17. "This is our terrorist." He told her as he pulled the sheet back.

Carly stared at him for a moment, but wasn't getting anything. Shaking her head she watched as Ducky covered him back and pushed the drawer in. Reaching down one, he pulled the sheet back on the female victim. Carly barely registered the woman's face before getting 'hit' with information. She hugged Ducky quickly before running back to the lab. Once there she was momentarily distracted by Ducky's thoughts of Ziva's kiss. Shaking off that bit of TMI, she got to work.

Abby watched and realized she had picked up on something down in Autopsy. After a few minutes, Carly had pulled a Missing Person's report from Wyoming up and showed Abby the match between the victim and the girl in the poster. Abby beamed at her and called Gibbs to let them know she was no longer a Jane Doe as Carly called Ducky to tell him the same.

Chapter 3

Tired of being stared at by his agents, Gibbs sent them home. He had calls to make and they could talk about him freely if they weren't here. As they filed out, he dialed a long familiar number.

"Fornell." The voice on the other line answered.

"Tobias, its Gibbs. I need some information..."

"On the dead terrorist you beat my team to?"

"That would be the one."

"All I've found so far is that he was willing to be an informant. I'll see what else I can turn up and let you know."

"Tobias..." Gibbs paused. Fornell waited and Gibbs said, "Thanks."

Laughing Fornell said, "I'll be expecting a return favor for this."

"I didn't expect any different."

Gibbs ended the call and sat staring at the information in front of him. He hated passing this off but they deserved to be told in person.

-------

Tony and Abby walked with Carly to the parking garage. "Are you sure you won't come with us?" Tony asked her.

"I'm not that hungry guys. Mainly tired these days. I'm going to the apartment and crashing for the night."

Watching in concern until she drove away, Abby and Tony reached for their cell-phones as they reached to open their car doors. By the time they arrived at Sal's, they managed to assemble the whole team, minus Gibbs and Carly of course.

-------

Gibbs picked up the phone and dialed the number from the missing person's bulletin. A police officer answered and Gibbs quietly told him what had happened. Explaining that the body would be released once all the proper paperwork was completed, the officer thanked Gibbs and assured him that he would tell the family face-to-face. Before ending the call Gibbs told the officer he would get the people responsible for taking this young woman's life. Hearing the disbelief in the officer's voice, he made a vow to himself that he would call the parents once he had nailed the bastard that killed her.

-------

Sal was sitting at the table beside Lacey. Once he had been told what they were meeting about, he had joined in the discussion as well. Lacey twirled her pasta with her fork and told everyone, "I stopped by the apartment before heading out here and Carly was already getting into bed. I have never seen her this depressed and I have seen her hit some lows."

Tony and Abby shared a look knowing that the pregnancy was also making her very tired.

"Jethro won't talk to me about her at all." Ducky told them.

Abby slapped her hand against the table. "It doesn't matter if they won't talk to us! We have to get them talking to each other. If they could just talk they'd sort out this whole mess."

Tony took her hand and McGee spoke up. "When you're around Gibbs what do you get from him?"

Surprised but relieved that the rest of the team had accepted her and Carly's different abilities, Abby answered, "He's sad. And frustrated but he won't talk to her. And Carly isn't going to break the ice first. Not unless they are forced together."

"So why can't we arrange that?" Michelle asked and grinned when everyone looked at her in shock. "Come on guys, you rub off on people. Seriously though, why can't we get them together somewhere?"

"The only place Gibbs gets stuck is the elevator and that's by his choice." Palmer pointed out.

Ziva grinned. "So if they are both in the elevator, can we stop it?"

Abby looked at Tony then at McGee. "I would need some help knowing when they are both going to be in the elevator."

"I think I can arrange that." Ducky said and Sal laughed at the smiles on everyone's faces.

"I don't know why I sat down, you have enough genius here that I'm not needed." He said and stood to go back to the kitchen.

With a plan in mind, they finished their meals and said a quick goodbye to Sal before heading out.

Chapter 4

"What the hell was the FBI thinking? Were the agents thinking at all?" Gibbs asked quietly as the elevator doors slid shut.

Knowing the routine, Fornell reached out to stop the elevator. "The team leader is a hot-shot trying to prove himself to the Director. He ordered the raid on the weapons stash before reporting in."

Cursing under his breath, Gibbs turned to stare at Tobias.

"Believe me Jethro, I realize what they've done. By acting on this, our only source of intel was killed and we still have no idea what they are planning or how many are active in the DC area."

"A crypt in an old church?" Gibbs said, wheels turning in his mind. "I want my team to go over the location again. See if there is anything that was missed. I also want all the evidence that was found and reported on brought here. If you can't do it, I'll get Jenny to."

Fornell nodded his head. "I'll talk to the Director. I don't think he'll have a problem as long as you let us in on anything you find. We want to stop them as bad as you do."

-------

Carly's hand reached up out of the coffin and patted the table next to it to locate her cell phone. Bringing it to her ear, she pulled it back, flipped it open, answering, "Mmm, hello?"

"Carly, get your butt in here. The FBI is bringing over some evidence and I'll need your help analyzing what they haven't screwed up and the reports they've already written."

"Mm. Sure. Be right there."

As she was pulling the phone away from her ear she could hear Abby yelling, "Don't go back to sleep!" She flipped the phone closed and sat up in the coffin. Looking around the apartment she grinned. There wasn't much furniture left and surprisingly enough Abby's coffin slept great. Every time she sat up she had a quiet chuckle thinking she wouldn't mind being one of the undead for Halloween.

-------

Four hours later, buried under a mound of paperwork, Carly was wishing she was back in the coffin and her phone had been shut off. So far, amazingly, the FBI had been quite thorough and most of what they had processed was handled the way she and Abby would have taken care of things. She picked up her coffee cup to sip her tea and remembered it was empty. Telling Abby she was going for a refill she headed out the door.

-------

Gibbs stopped off at the coffee shop to get a fresh cup and watched Carly walk out without noticing him. Crushing his empty cup and throwing it in the trash, he went back to HQ without getting another.

Chapter 5

Carly walked into the lab to see Abby on the phone and surrounded by weapons and explosives. Waving her hand she was about to go back to her computer when Abby signed, 'Ducky has something and Jimmy is MIA. Can you get it?'

Signing 'Yes' and nodding at the same time, Carly headed back the way she came and pushed the button for the elevator. Mind closed to everything but the case, she stepped in not paying attention until the doors closed. As the elevator started up, the power was cut. Carly looked around and noticed Jet for the first time. Panicked, not ready to talk to him, she held her coffee cup down by her leg and let down her blocks hoping Abby would pick up on her panic and know something was wrong.

-------

Abby was on the phone with Tony and Ducky when she started having a panic attack. "Oh no!" She cried out leaving both men wondering what was happening as they heard her doing something on the computer.

"Abby, what's wrong?" Tony asked.

When he got no response, Ducky tried, "Abigail, what is the matter."

"We didn't take into account that Carly isn't ready to talk to Gibbs yet. She has things to tell him and she hasn't worked out how yet. She's panicking in the elevator now!"

Tony and Ducky replied, "Get her out of there!" each one thinking of something different. Tony thinking about the baby and Ducky thinking about the new ability she hadn't told anyone about yet.

"I'm trying!" Abby told them and then let out a happy sound. "It's moving again."

-------

Carly sighed in relief when the elevator kicked back on. The doors opened on the floor of the lab and she stepped out. Ducky could wait, she needed to regain her composure. Jet followed for a moment then turned and slammed the door to the stairwell open.

Abby was still in the middle of the guns but Carly told her, "I could kiss you now for getting me out of there. The elevator just stopped for no reason! I was trapped with Jet and didn't know what to do."

"Oh Carly!" Abby said with a look of sympathy on her face. Mentally she was glad Carly hadn't touched her today or she would know who was behind the whole "trapped in the elevator" scheme.

Carly took a drink of her tea and made a face. Tossing the cup in the trash, she looked at Abby.

"I'm fine, go on, take a break." Abby told her and Carly headed out the door. She was going to get some damn coffee even if it was decaffeinated. Looking before she got into the elevator this time, she smiled to herself. Jet would never believe that she would equate decaffeinated with real coffee.

-------

Gibbs was rounding the bend on the stairwell on his way to see Ducky when he nearly collided with DiNozzo.

"DiNozzo, look where the hell you're going!"

Tony stared at him for a moment, opened his mouth and then shut it. Shaking his head, he started around Gibbs.

Gibbs reached out and grabbed him by the arm. "You got something to say, Tony?"

Shaking off Gibbs hand, Tony shot back at him, "Why don't you stop being a bastard? Admit you were wrong! Admit that you love her! Beg for her forgiveness over your thick skulled ways and ask her back home."

Gibbs smirked. "She cramping your style, DiNozzo."

He watched as Tony shook his head again, sadly this time. "No, Jethro, she hasn't been. For your information, she's been staying at Abby's old apartment. You know, you'd think a man in your shoes would want to be with the woman that..." Tony broke off before spilling Carly's news.

Staring at Tony hard, Gibbs tried to figure him out then asked, "With the woman that what Tony?"

"With the woman you love, Gibbs. With the woman you love." Tony repeated and this time managed to get passed Gibbs without any problems.

-------

The phone was brought to him and he held it away from his ear until the servant left the room.

"Na'am." He answered.

The voice on the other end of the line simply said, "It is done."

The man smiled as he ended the call. As the Americans would say, his leak had been plugged.

Chapter 6

"Abby, after work, would you stop by Jet's and get my..."

"No, I won't." Abby told Carly, frustrated with the two hard-headed people she loved.

"But I need ..."

Abby turned to face Carly and said, "What you need is to talk to Gibbs. Tell him everything. Get all you feel and all you are out in the open and then let him deal with it how he will. At least you'll have cleared the air and he will know where he stands with you."

Carly looked up and out the windows in the lab. Abby was right but when would she know where she stood with Jet? She grabbed her purse and told Abby, "I'll be back in a little while ok?"

Abby nodded. "Ok. We can't do much anyway until these tests are complete."

Carly hugged Abby close to her and then walked quickly out to her car.

-------

Gibbs walked into the lab with a peace offering. A Caf-Pow for Abby and a coffee for Carly. When he noticed she wasn't there, he took a drink of the coffee himself.

"I don't have any results for you yet Gibbs." Abby told him.

"Where's Carly?"

"She ran out to get something to drink. You know she can't stand the coffee here."

Something was wrong. He knew because Abby wasn't looking him in the eye. He settled against the chair Carly sat at and stared for a moment. He was about to ask her advice when she looked at him, anger all over her face.

"Why don't you tell her how you feel? Why can't you accept her for who she is? It's not like she's a criminal! So she's clairvoyant, who cares! You know things and can't tell us how you know. Have we ever questioned your gut? No! And do you know why? Because we trust it as much as you do! And do you know why? Because it doesn't let us down." She stopped and her shoulders slumped a bit. "There was a time when you wouldn't let us down either Gibbs. But by not accepting Carly, the woman everyone can see that you love, you are letting us down. How are we going to come to you when something happens if we don't know if you're going to turn us away or not? The one thing we could always count on is something we are not sure about anymore."

Looking away, he thought for a minute. "Where is she really, Abs?"

Abby looked him in the eye this time and answered, "Your house. She went to get something."

Kissing her forehead, he ran out the room. He couldn't let her take another piece of her away from him without telling her how he felt.

Chapter 7

Carly was taking a small box out of the attic when she heard the front door open. She closed her eyes as the scent of sawdust reached her. Jet. What was he doing home? Resolutely setting her shoulders, she took the box and met him in the living room. She put the box on the table and they stared at each other for a while. Her eyes kept going over his features as if she hadn't seen him in years.

"Gibbs, I know you need space but..."

"I've never hated it as much as I have since you left town. It’s too quiet here and even making your desk hasn't taken my mind off that fact. I know I was a bastard, Carly, it's part of who I am. I can't get away from it even though I've tried. And tiptoeing around things hasn't helped. I love you and I don't want to lose you because I was too stupid to accept you for who you are. I know it will take some time trying to understand what you can do but I'm asking you for patience."

Carly put her hand over his mouth and nearly cried as his thoughts flooded her mind. "You really love me." She said knowing he was telling the truth but he took it as a question.

Jet took her hands in his and said again, "I love you Carly Thomas. If you can forgive me for being a narrow-minded bastard, I know we can make this work."

Carly jerked on his hands, pulling him to her and kissed him tenderly. "I love you, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I love you so much and if you can forgive me for not being up-front with you about all this, I know we can make it work."

Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her passionately. She pulled back in a daze and pushed him back onto the couch. When he moved to pull her on top of him, she bit her lip and sat beside him. He knew her well enough to know that meant she was nervous. He traced her lip until she smiled.

"What's wrong Carly?" He asked.

Carly took a deep breath and took his hands again. "I have a few other things I need to tell you and I would like for you to listen to me for a moment, alright?"

His thoughts were going crazy wondering what she had to say and she nearly let go of his hands to get hers separated from his when he said, "Ok."

She nodded her head and started. "Right before I got back into town, I realized something. I was late." His mind shot off and took that information to the only logical conclusion. Again, she nodded. "I'm pregnant Jet. About twelve weeks. I've scheduled an appointment with my ob/gyn next week to make sure everything is ok." Staring at him, holding his hands, she saw the joy in his eyes and heard the doubts in his mind. "Before you react to that, I need to tell you something else." This time she did withdraw her hands from his. "I went to visit an old friend of my Nana's while I was out of town. I was trying to make sense of what had happened to me when I was taken by Downey."

"What were you trying to make sense of?"

"You remember when I told you Downey had killed people before?"

It was Jet's turn to nod.

"You thought he told me all that didn't you?"

Puzzled, Jet asked, "He didn't?"

She shook her head. "When he grabbed me, I almost immediately passed out. Not from whatever it was that he shot me with but from his thoughts."

He sat up straight and looked at her. "His thoughts."

With a sigh, Carly started to explain. "There are several types of psychics, Jet. Clairvoyant like me, empaths like Abby, telepathic, and so on. Abby is an empath. She can feel others emotions and sometimes they overtake hers when they first hit her if they are really strong. My Nana was clairvoyant and I am too. We both have known things without really being able to explain why or how we know them. People in Nana's day thought she was crazy. People today would just think I'm involved in things because I know things I shouldn't." Jethro looked away and she reached out to turn his face back to her. "You didn't understand and you were worried for Abby. I know that and I know you are trying to understand this." She took her hand away and licked her lips. "Nana's friend, Miss Eileen is telepathic. She's an open telepath and all that means is she can't control what she gets and she doesn't have to have contact with someone to know their thoughts. That's why she has stayed to herself all these years. She's never been able to block it." Jet was starting to look dazed so she hurried on. "Apparently, I've developed some sort of touch-telepathic ability. If I touch someone, I can hear their thoughts, know what's going on inside their heads. That's why I didn't want you to touch me when you found me that day. It’s why I've avoided touching as many people as possible. I haven't learned to block it yet."

Jethro leaned back against the couch. By his expression she knew he was struggling with everything she just told him. It wasn't in his nature to just accept things, especially things he couldn't do himself without seeing proof that someone could do it.

After several long moments, he spoke. "If you touched me right now, you could tell what I'm thinking?"

Carly looked him in the eye and said, "Yes, I can."

He held out his hand and hesitating only a moment, she took it. 'I don't know how you do this. You are an incredible woman Carly Thomas.' She smiled and his thoughts changed. 'I love your smile, did you know that? I want to kiss you when I don't see it and kiss you more when I do.'

"What's stopping you?" She asked him and just before he pulled her onto his lap, she got a mental warning of what he was about to do.

Laughing until his lips touched hers, Carly's breath caught. They both lingered in the slow kiss. Funny, she didn't need to hear his thoughts to know how he felt. His kiss told her everything.

Chapter 8

The two were heading to the office when Tony called to tell them a report came across about a couple that had been killed. Turning the car around, Jet drove straight to the address Tony told him. They arrived to find the local LEO's crawling all over the scene. Carly sighed as Jet growled at the officer in charge, "Have your men stop what they are doing and get off the crime scene."

The officer recognized him from his confrontation with Downey and turned to do what he said. The entire department had been shamed by Downey's actions and he didn't want to get on the wrong side of Special Agent Gibbs. As one of the officers walked past Carly, he brushed her arm. She spun and told him, "If you guys wouldn't crawl all over the crime scene before your CSI's get to it, they wouldn't have to wade through useless information before getting to the real evidence." Jet took her hand and she blinked. "Now that you've contaminated our scene, it will take us twice as long to eliminate your finger and shoe prints."

The stunned officer didn't say a word as she walked to the house with Jethro. She looked back to see the officer in charge talking to McGee and getting the other cops rounded up to give their prints to the NCIS team. The FBI arrived just then and Fornell stepped from the driver's side of the car.

"Why are we here Jet and why is Fornell here also? This is a civilian couple isn't it?"

He nodded then told her, "This house belonged to our missing female terrorist. The couple murdered inside bought it once it was seized and put up for auction."

"Oh." She watched him for a moment and asked, "You want me to go in with you?"

Narrowing his eyes in Fornell's direction he answered, "It would help."

She looked back at Fornell, seeing him make his way over. "Gotcha. Discretion is the name of the game."

"Exactly. Tobias."

"Jethro. You seem to manage to beat us to a lot of scenes these days."

They turned to watch DiNozzo and Sacks argue over whose scene this was. "We'll take point and your guys can assist."

Fornell nodded, "I'm not getting into a pissing contest with you Gibbs as long as we get these bastards."

With that understanding between them, Jethro smiled at Carly and said, "You get to tell the hardheads."

Grinning, Carly yelled sweetly, "Oh boys! Yoohoo, boys! When you get finished discussing whose is bigger, we'll be inside. Oh, and Agent Sacks, NCIS is the point team on this one."

She turned as she heard Tony's, "Hah!" and she walked into the house.

-------

Carly walked into the kitchen and watched as Ducky took liver temps from the couple slumped over their lunch at the breakfast nook. Rubbing her forehead she looked around. "Why kill them? Why not wait until they left?"

Fornell asked her, "How do you know they were going somewhere?"

Carly tilted her head in the direction of the back door. "Purse with keys on top by the door. Sales papers near the purse. They were going shopping."

"What if they just came from shopping?," he asked, following her logic but wanting to know.

"If they had just come home, the purse would have been put up. There's a peg board in the washroom over there with other keys on it. The keys on the purse probably came from there. Habit would have them putting the keys back on the peg board."

He nodded, satisfied with her theory. "Maybe the killers didn't realize that."

Jet frowned, "Or maybe they just intend to kill anyone that is too close to their information."

The agents were silent as they thought about who they were after. Terrorists. Why would they care how many innocent casualties there were? They wouldn't. Carly looked down the hall.

"They were here for something." she said.

"What? Our agents turned this place upside down when it was seized. We found nothing" Tobias told her.

She raised her eyebrows. "If there weren't, why come back?"

Jethro was watching her. "We'll search again. Make sure they didn't miss anything before."

Chapter 9

Carly led Jethro, Fornell, Tony and Sacks down into the basement. The two FBI agents looked around the room seeing the washer/dryer and the chest freezer and that was it. Jethro and Tony were watching Carly though.

"I told you there wasn't anything down here. We've checked the size compared to the original plans and everything." Agent Sacks told Tony.

Tony held up his hand, ignoring the other man's sputtered protest. Carly had walked over to the far wall and was walking back looking at the floor. To Fornell and Sacks it just looked as if she was staring at the floor not wanting to admit she was wrong. Jet and Tony knew different and saw that she was pacing the slabs looking for something in particular. When she had paced off 15 slabs, she stopped and bent down. Running her finger around the joints of the slab, she made a show of comparing it to the slabs around it for Fornell and Sacks.

"This slab has been moved." She told them and they all gathered around to look at the differences she pointed out to them.

"I'll be damned." Fornell said and Jet was quick to agree he probably would be.

Laughing momentarily, they quickly set about taking up the slab. Jet grabbed a wire hanger from the laundry area of the basement, bent it and slipped it between the loose slab and the one beside it. Twisting the wire, it slipped under the slab and he pulled up until they could lift the slab the rest of the way off. They had uncovered a hole in the ground. Sacks stood back up.

"Well, we found where they were hiding something but they've taken it." He said. Turning to walk back upstairs, he stopped with Carly asked for Tony's flashlight.

Tony took it out and shined it in the hole. Nearly covered with dirt and hidden in a corner of the hole was an SD memory card. Carly slipped a glove on and reached down to retrieve it. "Let's see if they forgot anything important, ok boys?" She walked to the stairs and turned back to Sacks. "You're lack of faith is disheartening Agent Sacks. Why don't you recover the hole?"

Tony laughed but quickly cut it off when Jet's hand met the back of his head.

--------

Abby and Carly were working on breaking the encryption on the SD card when Gibbs walked in followed closely by Fornell. "What have you got for us?" He asked.

Abby turned and shook her head. "Nothing yet. We've almost cracked their encryption but we're not there yet."

The two men watched as the women worked in unison to get to the information that could lead them to the terrorists and stop whatever they were planning. When they saw them both look at each other and nod, Gibbs and Fornell knew that they got it. With the touch of a few keys, the files were displayed on the plasma. Gibbs cursed when he recognized the target.

"Washington Dulles International?" Fornell said, staring at the layout of the airport's terminal. "My God."

Carly pointed a file out to Abby and she opened it next. Groaning when nothing but code came up on the screen, Abby told Gibbs, "We might need McGee's help decoding this Gibbs."

"Decoding what?" McGee asked as he walked in with Ziva. He stared at the plasma for a few moments before moving to Carly's computer. She willingly stepped out of the way, knowing he worked faster typing on his own. After five minutes of having people stare at him, McGee said, "Go get something done, I can't concentrate with all of you staring at me like that."

Gibbs smiled at the floor and smacked the back of McGee's head when he passed him. "Sorry boss, I just..."

"McGee!" He barked.

"Yes, boss?" McGee looked at Gibbs.

"Don't apologize! Now get back to work!"

"Yes boss." McGee said and went back to decoding the file.

-------

McGee's eyes were as big as saucers. Connecting to the plasma in the bullpen, he said, "Boss, whatever they are planning its set for today."

Gibbs got on the phone to Jenny and Fornell called his office. They were in the middle of arranging teams to get to the airport when Fornell's phone rang again. He jerked around to look at the tv and motioned for DiNozzo to turn the volume up.

"This is Isabelle Weathers, reporting live from the The Oaks Mall in Fairfax, VA. The situation as it stands now, there is one lone man inside wearing a bomb. He hasn't made any demands to the police or FBI that are on the scene. The only thing we have been able to find out that he's said is that no one is to leave until he gets orders from a higher power to release people. There is no word yet on who and what this higher power is. This is Isabelle Weathers and we'll be here live at The Oaks Mall to keep you up-to-date with any developments."

Gibbs stared at the television before having Tony turn it down. "It's a distraction. Odds are the higher power is whoever is behind the attack on the airlines."

McGee came running into the bullpen from the stairwell. "Boss, if the bomb is on a timer, there's a possibility that there is a back-up detonator on a radio frequency."

Gibbs looked at Carly, taking a moment to read her expression before he made the decision. "We have teams heading for the airport. If this guy is a distraction, we might be able to get more intel on where and what is going down at Dulles."

As they walked to the elevators, Gibbs paused by Carly. She told him, "I need to be there. If the FBI can take this guy down, it won't matter if he talks or not, I can get information out of him. Just make sure Fornell's people don't kill him."

He looked in her eyes knowing she was right. "You stay well out of range until they get that bomb taken care of." She nodded her understanding. As they moved together towards the elevator he asked, "What are you going to do if he's thinking in Arabic?"

Carly looked surprised and then smiled. "Well then Ziva will find out my secret, won't she?"

Chapter 10

At The Oaks Mall, Gibbs, Fornell and their agents walked quickly to the command center. Agent Waverly looked up and frowned.

"I have this situation under control Agent Fornell," he said.

McGee was watching the agent working on the computer. "What are you doing?" McGee asked, looking over the man's shoulder.

Agent Waverly looked down his nose at McGee. "Agent Mabry is about to jam all radio frequencies so that we can get in there and defuse the bomb."

Fornell was about to speak when Gibbs motioned him quiet. McGee pushed the man's chair out of the way.

Agent Mabry stood up. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

McGee got in his face. "Stopping you from killing everyone in that mall. How do you know what you're about to do won't set the bomb off?"

Agent Waverly told them, "It's a chance we're taking."

McGee turned on him. "Like hell you are. We're taking this from you. If you're the idiot that raided the crypt, we don't need you here. All you're out to do is make a name for yourself and you were about to do it too! Jamming every frequency without knowing what could happen. Idiot! You want to be known as the FBI Special Agent that blew up hundreds of innocent people to further his career." Turning quickly, McGee punched Agent Mabry, knocking him back before he could hit the button to jam the frequencies. "You are making your reputation today. Get out!" He ordered and pushed both men towards the door. DiNozzo and Sacks took over from there, shoving the agents out of the trailer and slamming the door.

Fornell got on the phone as Tim sat at the computer and went about undoing everything the other agents had set in motion. Fornell had a quick conversation with his Director and watched out the window as other FBI agents escorted Waverly and Mabry off the scene. Gibbs stood next to Tim and Carly leaned down and kissed McGee's cheek. "Good job Tim. Now work your magic so we can get this guy out of there alive."

Tim turned bright red but continued working. Gibbs raised his eyebrow at Carly and when she only flashed him a cheeky grin, he shook his head and smiled.

After a few minutes of working on the frequencies, they noticed McGee freeze for a moment before muttering, "I don't believe it."

"What? What don't you believe?" Carly asked.

"Can it be that simple?"

"Can what be that simple, McGee?" Gibbs barked.

"Boss, there were two numbers I couldn't figure out on the memory card. Each number was nine digits long. I thought they could possibly be social security numbers but I didn't have time to check before we left. Abby was running them down." McGee pulls out his notepad just as his phone rings. With the phone stuck between his shoulder and his ear, he answered, "McGee," while typing the numbers into the system to check the frequencies.

Abby was telling him she hadn't pulled up anything useful. One number hadn't been assigned yet and the other belonged to a two month old. "I know Abby."

Carly squinted as she heard Abby yell, "What do you mean you know? Have I become useless here?"

Taking the phone from McGee so he could concentrate, Carly told her, "No way! You are not useless! We all need you very much. Tim had just figured out what the numbers could be when you called is all there is, Abby."

Calmer now, Abby said, "Well, ok. I just hate it when they know before I tell them. I've never figured that out."

"I think it's a gut thing, Abs." Carly told her and realized most of the men were staring at her. "Listen, I'll fill you in later, ok? Gotta go for now."

"Ok, bye. Stay safe!" Abby ordered as she hung up the phone.

McGee had stopped typing and was staring at the computer. "Those idiots really would have blown everyone up."

"What do you mean?" Fornell wanted to know.

"If they had jammed the radio frequencies, they would have interrupted the signal going to the bomb and it would have gone off."

"So how are you going to prevent that?" Sacks asked.

"First I have to copy the signal and start transmitting. Once I've done that, I can jam the others and we have control."

"Until the timer goes off." Tony said.

"Right." Tim agreed.

"So we have to defuse the bomb before then." Carly stated and Tim nodded.

They watched in silence as Tim worked against the timer on the bomb. Finally he said, "It's done. Frequency is copied and transmitting. The others are jammed. All we have to do is defuse the bomb."

Gibbs, Tony, Ziva and Carly stepped out of the trailer and approached the mall. Reporters yelled questions but were silenced in shock as the four entered without so much as a vest on. The man with the bomb saw them coming towards him and panicked. He started yelling at them to stop. What he didn't see with Gibbs and Carly coming at him from the front were Ziva and Tony coming at him from behind. Ziva tapped his shoulder and when he turned, Tony punched him. Unconscious, the man lay on the floor while Ziva worked to defuse the bomb. Carly and Gibbs told everyone to leave, quickly and orderly. The crowd of people, terrified still, ran to the exits and were met by federal agents as they reached the outside. They were all checked to make sure no one was injured and Ziva sat back. Blowing her hair from her forehead, she pulled the man up by his shirt and took the bomb off him.

As they pulled him to his feet, the man came to. "Good, you won't be able to say you didn't hear your rights." Tony told him.

Carly took his other arm and walked as far as the doors with them. As the reached the outside, the FBI took the man into custody and the NCIS team quietly stepped out of the spotlight. Walking back to the trailer, Carly whispers to Gibbs, "The plan is set to go down soon and they're going to take out the Air Traffic Control Tower as well."

Chapter 11

"Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS. This is Special Agent Fornell with the FBI." Gibbs announced as they met with the Federal Air Traffic Control & Communications rep.

"James Wilson, FATCC. We've got the terminals locked down and all incoming flights are being diverted to other airports in the area. I have airport security checking ID's on all the people in the terminals, but it's a big job. If your people have any clue how many devices have been planted and approximate locations, we can route the men from the bomb squad to defuse them."

"There's another problem." Gibbs told Wilson. "We believe they intended to take out the ATC tower as well."

Wilson looked surprised. "The tower itself? No one gets in the tower without clearance. Everyone has an ID card that is read electronically when they get 10 feet from the building. Without that card and their 16 digit code, the doors stay locked."

"No one has reported a card missing? Their code not working?" McGee asked.

Wilson shook his head. "I've checked all that. All staff cards are accounted for and no one has reported their code not working. The tower employees have a different code on their cards than at other places in the airport."

"So that means employees from other areas don't have access to the tower?" Tony asked.

"Exactly." Wilson confirmed.

Gibbs had been speaking with Carly off to the side, trying to get her to leave the terminal but knowing she would stay until she couldn't anymore. She told him what she knew of the locations and he turned to Wilson.

"You've got the bomb squad searching already, correct?" Gibbs asked him.

"Yes, they have the dogs out and are checking this terminal and the two others that are filled with people."

"What about the two you have on high alert because of the foreign dignitaries coming in?" Carly asked.

Wilson looked at her. "How did you know about that?"

"It's been publicized about their meeting with the President. With that and this airport being attacked, it's only reasonable to think they are flying in here."

"No one could have gotten into those terminals." Wilson said.

"Redirect the bomb squad there anyway. It's not always the biggest, soft target these guys go after." Gibbs told him. "Now, I suggest you have someone check the Tower as well. If we're right and someone did manage to get in, your airport is down for more than just a day and you'll get to explain to the families why you didn't clear that area."

Wilson's jaw clenched and then he got on the radio. "All personnel, switch to the secure channel now." When they looked at him, he said, "If you think these people have infiltrated our employees then I can guarantee you they aren't security and won't know what channel to switch to." Back into the radio, Wilson said, "I need two bomb squad teams with dogs to go to terminals 4 & 7. Right now! We think the attack was aimed at the foreign nationals coming in. Also, redirect one unit to the ATC Tower, repeat, one unit to the Air Traffic Control Tower. If they've breached security, they could have planted devices there. Radio in if you find anything."

Gibbs nodded and looked at the team leaders for their bomb squads. "Get to terminals 4 & 7. Start opposite airport staff and work your way in. Radio when you find something. Be aware, the terrorists could be anywhere. Wilson, make sure security keeps everyone where they are. We can't chance these people getting out yet. We're going to be at terminal..." he stared at Wilson until he was told terminal 3 had the heaviest population, "terminal 3. Fornell, you take your team to the other terminal Wilson was searching. Radio anything you find in. I don't have to tell you people that terrorists don't care how many lives are lost, even their own. Extreme caution is needed. Let's go."

He took Carly's hand and she heard his thoughts. You need to get out of here. She looked at him. "I'm safe with you Jet. I know that much for certain. Today, I'm safe right by your side."

-------

The man looked around. Seeing all the planes approach and then be diverted he knew his plan had failed. Taking his janitor uniform and setting it on fire before tossing it in a tall trash bin, he headed for his exit. He would live to plan another attack against these leaders of the so-called free world.

-------

With Carly's help, Gibbs, DiNozzo, McGee and Ziva found two terrorists in the crowd in terminal 3. Gibbs looked around the crowd of faces once more. Noticing someone staring at him with disgust instead of fear or uncertainty. Silently alerting Ziva, he approached the man. Just as he stepped up to him, the man pulled a knife and tried to stab him in the chest. Gibbs grabbed the man's wrist, pushing it up with one hand, turned and brought his elbow back into the man's nose. As blood started pouring from his now broken nose, the man fell wordlessly to the ground.

"For a minute there, I thought you might need some help." Ziva told him.

Carly reached Gibbs side and stared down at the man on the floor. "Good work Gibbs." She said and smiled at Jet.

"Thanks." Gibbs said and radioed Fornell to learn they had captured four suspected terrorists in terminal 1.

The bomb squads had found and disabled a total of 4 bombs in each of the two terminals. They were still searching the tower and had located one at the entrance, one in the power room, and one in the stairwell. The radio squawked and then the leader of the squad in the tower came over the air. "Another device located in the elevator shaft. It's been disabled. We've searched top to bottom, the rest of the place is clean."

Breathing sighs of release the agents met with Wilson one last time. "We're going to need the video of those terminals and the tower from the past week. I want to know when they came in, how often they were here and who planted what bomb where."

Wilson nodded. "I'll have them sent to you immediately."

Turning without responding, he led them out of the airport. Back at the office, Tony had the volume up on the TV.

"This is Isabelle Weathers, reporting live from Washington-Dulles International airport where earlier this evening a terrorist attempt to bomb several terminals was stopped by a joint effort of several federal agencies helping airport security. Reports indicate that seven terrorists were captured during this attempt and they are being detained for questioning by the federal agencies. Speculation is rampant that the suicide bomber from earlier today was but a decoy to keep federal officials from the airport until it was too late. These rumors are unconfirmed at this time. More on this story, tonight at eleven."

"More?" Tony asked. "What more? That's all the press is going to get right now. And did you notice? They didn't even mention FBI this time. We're all just federal officials now."

Smiling and walking quietly, Carly and Jethro made it to the elevator and inside before anyone noticed they were leaving.

"Abby and Tony know about the baby?" Jet asked.

Carly looked at him with regret and nodded. "I'm sorry Jet, it's just…"

"You needed someone and I wasn't there, Carly. I understand." He kissed her forehead and they stepped out of the elevator into the parking area. Walking to the car, he asked, "When do you want to tell the others?"

Carly smiled. "I was wondering if you wanted to tell them now."

Opening her door, he waited until they were both inside with the car running before answering. "I think the sooner we do it the better. At least as far as the rest of the team, Ducky and Jenny are concerned."

"Well then, do you want to tell them after the appointment on Tuesday? Once we get a more official due date. What do you think?"

He smiled at her. "Good idea. We'll tell them together."

Chapter 12

Carly was lying on the bed in the exam room. The doctor was using the fetal doppler to find the heartbeat. Once the sound changed from the swooshing sound of the fluid in the womb to the quick 'bump, bump, bump', Carly looked at Jet and smiled. He squeezed her hand and smiled back but she could hear him. He was worried.

"Well, we've got a good strong heartbeat here." Dr. Jones said with a smile. "You are doing fine, Carly." She put the doppler up and let Carly straighten her top. Opening the chart, Dr. Jones read some reports and looked at them both. "We've done some blood work on you since you told me you were injected with a sedative several weeks ago. So far, everything looks fine. Your blood work came back normal. We can do an amnio later in the pregnancy if we have any concerns from the ultrasounds. And speaking of ultrasounds, we're going to schedule one for you in the next month to get a look at the little one and make sure everything is going fine, ok?"

Carly and Jet both nodded. "Do you know the due date?" Carly asked.

Dr. Jones read back over the chart. "Well from what you've told me about your history we're looking at a late October, early November baby. Now, just take this up front and they'll schedule your ultrasound and your next office visit ok?"

"Thank you Doctor." Jet said and took the paper as Carly got off the exam bed and picked up her purse.

-------

"So, what did you think of the doctor?" Carly asked Jet as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"She's competent," he answered.

Carly grinned. "Yes she is." Laughing, she reached out for his hand. Once she touched him the smile slipped from her face. "Jet?"

"Yes Carly?"

"I know you are happy about the baby. And I know you're also anxious and a little upset as well. You have every right to be with what you've gone through. No one can promise you that things are always going to be ok and that nothing will ever happen to hurt us. But I know from watching my Nana and from watching my parents, that if you love each other and are open with each other, you can face almost anything."

Jethro moved his hand away from hers and stopped at the red light. The look of devastation on his face was as fresh as if he had lost Kelly that day. He blinked and the light turned green. As he drove towards the office, he was quiet for a few moments. "I can't begin to explain what it's like to lose a child. I can tell you it's the worst hurt you can ever feel and still live through. Some days I didn't want to live through. I wanted to end it all but every time there was something there that wouldn't let me pull the trigger. Ducky would say it's the part of me that knew I had to go on. Abby would say it was other forces keeping me from doing something stupid. You want to know what I think?"

He looked at her through the next light and Carly nodded. "Please."

"I think it was them holding me back. Not letting me pull that trigger. If not in spirit at least the thought of them. I couldn't end it without tarnishing them, you know?" He took her hand and Carly started crying. "I know why now. And I've never been happier that I couldn't do it than I am now."

Carly waited until he stopped the car in the parking lot. She leaned over and pressed her lips to his; kissing him hard and deep, so moved by his confession and his feelings she couldn't hold back. It wasn't until DiNozzo knocked on the window that they pulled apart.

Tony leered at them until Abby smacked the back of his head. "Don't be rude Tony."

He smiled at Abby. "We could return the favor and give them a show?"

Abby shook her head but grinned. "Not now. We're all going to Sal's. Want to come with?"

Carly looked at Jet and he nodded. "Sure. We just have to get something first and we'll meet you there ok?"

"Ok. Just don't be too long or Tony will order without you."

They laughed as Tony pulled Abby towards the car to hurry to the food. He took Carly's hand. "You ready to tell the Director?"

Carly took a deep breath. "I'm ready if you are."

-------

"Well, who's this beautiful woman?" Sal asked as Jen walked in the restaurant with Carly and Jethro.

Jen smiled at the man's unabashed charm. "Jen Shepard."

Sal's eyebrows rose. "The Director I've heard so much about? It's a pleasure to meet you." He took her hand and brushed a kiss across her knuckles.

Lacey chuckled from behind her dad. "Don't mind Pop. I have to say though that he has marvelous taste."

Blushing now, Jen allowed Lacey and Sal to lead her to the table. Carly leaned towards Sal. "Can you stay for a few minutes?"

Sal looked at her face and smiled at the happiness in her eyes. "Of course, Bella. I can stay."

As Sal seated Jen, Jet seated Carly then stayed standing. After a moment, all eyes turned to him. Clearing his throat he looked around then said, "Carly and I have some news."

"You're getting back together?" Michelle guessed.

With a quick smile, he nodded. "Well that too. The other news is..."

Carly stood, "We're going to have a baby."

After the shock died down and the questions were answered, Sal slapped Jethro on the back. Grinning he told them all, "Since this is a happy occasion, tonight's meal is on the house. Order whatever you like and I'll bring it out to you."

-------

Unlocking the door to the house, Jethro pulled Carly into his arms and kissed her. "I think they took it well."

She smiled. "I think so too."

Jet walked over to the coffee table and picked up a remote. Pressing a button, music filled the room as he turned to pull her back to him. Kissing her softly, he lifted her into his arms and carried her up the stairs. As the music drifted up to them, he slowly, sweetly made love to her. Overwhelmed from both her feelings and his thoughts about her, Carly succumbed to her pleasure quicker than she had before. He smiled as he joined her. They lay snuggled in each others arms and listened to the song on the radio.

I have felt it
And I have held it
I have known
A woman's love

I have tasted
And I have wasted
A woman's love

And I know
I'll never understand
All the little things
that make It grand

A woman's love
And I know
I'll never come Face to face
With any thing
that takes the Place
Of a woman's love

Well I have kissed it
Tried to resist it
I have missed
A woman's love

And I have hated
Taken for granted
A woman's love

Well I have needed
And I have pleaded
And I have lost
A woman's love

And I have worshipped
And I have cursed it
A woman's love

Well I adore it
Thank god for it
A woman's love

Jet kissed her forehead, her eyelids, the tip of her nose and then her lips. "I love you Carly."

~The End~

~Calalily~

The Assistant Series - The Mind's Eye

2007-05-05T20:32:50Z

Story 9 in the series
Rated R
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with the show. This is fiction. All made up.
Author's Note: There is a reference to Edgar Allen Poe's "The Pit and The Pendulum" in later chapters.

Chapter 1

Abby and Carly sat at a booth at Sal's. He had been glad to give them a table separated from other diners and brought their meals out quickly. When they were alone again, Abby asked, "What is so unbelievable that you would order more than you can eat in two meals?"

Carly looked down at her plate to see that Abby was right. She always ordered more food when she was nervous. And today she was definitely nervous. Pushing aside her plate, she pursed her lips and tried to calm her racing pulse.

"You remember the jewelry box I put in storage?"

Abby nodded, her pigtails shaking with the movement of her head.

"It belonged to my great-grandmother. My mom's grandmother." Carly said and paused, watching Abby remember.

"You mean the one that ... ?" Abby questioned and Carly nodded.

"That's the one. Some say she had a gift, others that didn't understand thought she was either mentally ill or possessed by something. No one other than my great-grandfather really had anything to do with her. The last time I saw her, I was 18."

"That was nine years ago." Abby calculated. "Was that when you had a headache like this one?"

"Yep." she confirmed. "I had been having what I thought were waking nightmares. I kept seeing her dead. The headache came on when I tried to block them. I went to see her and without telling her anything she told me what I saw was true. She thought her gift would die with her and she was so happy that it wouldn't."

"So you're saying you have some sort psychic ability?" Abby asked, narrowed her eyes as her smile started to grow.

"Quit smiling! I knew you would like this!" Carly grinned. She couldn't help it; Abby's love for the paranormal and unusual would make anyone smile.

"I can't help it! It fascinates me."

"I only have one problem."

"What's that?"

"Jet."

Abby's eyes widened and she felt her friend’s inner turmoil. Shocked, she looked at Carly who sat there smiling slightly at her. "What?"

"I've suspected you were too."

"I was what?" Abby asked.

"Psychic in some way. Of course, a lot of people shy away from that word 'psychic'. They say it makes others think they are crazy. But you Abby, I think you are something of an empath."
"No I'm not." Abby said in denial and then stopped. "Well, maybe."

"Yes, maybe. You have a heightened sense of what the people around you are feeling. And sometimes, you can feel it too." Carly thought for a moment. "And then there are those times when your intuition goes into overdrive and you just know things. You might be something more but I know almost definitely you have some empath abilities."

Looking around and then back to Carly, Abby asked, "When are you going to tell Gibbs?"

Carly pulled her plate back to her. "Not until I have to."

The two women tucked into their food, each one thinking of the other's situation. The finished their meal and paid, walking out the door. Outside on the sidewalk, they paused to breathe in the night air.

"Come on, Abs, I'll drive you back to HQ so you can get your car. Goodness knows you always make it in before Tony does."

Laughing together they walked past a man in sweats and a baseball cap. Neither one noticed that he turned around and stared after them in concentration nor the smile that spread across his face when he 'heard' what he wanted to hear.

Chapter 2

Quitting time on Friday couldn't come fast enough for the ladies. Abby and Carly bounced out of the elevator to find Michelle at Ziva's desk. "What are we waiting for?" Abby asked as she rocked back and forth.

"Wait, you girls are going somewhere?" Tony asked.

"Yes, we are Tony, and you aren't invited." Ziva answered, causing the other three ladies to laugh at his disgruntled expression.

Ducky and Palmer looked on curiously and Carly winked at Jet. Jethro smiled. He knew where they were going. The elevator pinged a new arrival and Lacey walked in all smiles. "Are you ready?"

Tim smiled and said, "Um, I didn't know..."

"Not you Tim," Lacey told him gently and kissed his cheek as she walked by. "These four."

Tim's mouth dropped open. Tony pointed to the five of them and said, "Wait..."

"You said that already, Tony." Abby laughed and wiggled her eyebrows at him.

"Let's go already!" Michelle said, grabbing Ziva by the hand and dragging her out of her chair.

"Abby?" Tony said, questioning and Abby looked at Carly.

"Should we tell him?" Abby asked Carly. The women looked at each other and nodded. Abby pulled Carly close and Ziva did the same with Michelle. Michelle and Carly reached out to draw Lacey in. Abby leaned close to Carly and Carly smiled at her friend. Just as their lips nearly touched, they put their foreheads together, looked at Tony and said simultaneously, "It's ladies night. And what happens on ladies night..."

"Stays at ladies night!" Michelle, Ziva and Lacey ended.

Holding hands, they made their way to the elevators, hips swaying teasingly. They looked back at the men and as one winked and stepped into the elevator. The men could hear them laughing on the way down.

Tony walked over to Gibbs' desk. "Are you sure they never...?"

Gibbs shook his head. "Nope."

Tony sighed in relief and turned away but froze in place when Gibbs added, "I'm not sure at all, DiNozzo."

The look on Tony's face had the other three men turning away, choking on their laughter.

---------------------------------------------

Lacey hit the unlock button on her keyless remote and the women piled into her Ford F250 SuperCab.

"Oh, their faces were priceless but Tony's was the best!" Lacey said and Abby had to chuckle.

"So Carly, you told Gibbs?" Michelle asked. The other three women turned to look at Carly.

"I didn't say a word. And Abby set the date and time. He just has his ways." she told them and smiled.

Lacey nudged her arm. "Yeah! From that smile, we can see that he has his ways!"

Laughing and shaking her head, Carly asked, "Are we going or not?"

Lacey put the key in the ignition and turned it, starting the truck. "Let's roll, ladies."

"The first official ladies night has begun!" Abby said and Carly reached over to turn up the radio.

---------------------------------------------

The ladies were sitting at a table in a pub not far from the spa they had just left. After getting massaged for an hour and "steamed" in the sauna, they had showered, changed clothes and decided a drink was in order. Three drinks later, they were all a little happy.

"Abby, what's with that look on your face?" Michelle asked. Abby had been back and forth between looking happy and pensive all evening.

"Tony asked me to move in with him." Abby announced and looked around at her friends faces. "Yep, that's the reaction I had. Then we started talking about what would be moved and you know me, I want to keep my coffin. It might look a bit weird moving it though. So I suggested he move in with me. That's when we realized neither of us had enough space for all our stuff."

"So find a bigger place." Lacey suggested as if it was a no-brainer.

"Yeah, I know. I think that's when Tony started getting cold feet. I mean you all know him. He was the original never gonna settle down guy. Then we started seeing each other and now we're here."

"You both are scared." Carly said and set her beer down on the table. "Admit it. You didn't want to settle down either and then you started seeing Tony. A year later and here you both are in the most committed relationship either of you have been in. My suggestion, ease into it. Don't force the issue but don't back away. If you two really want to be together and live together, you'll find a way to work through things."

"Salut!" Ziva said and held up her glass at Carly's advice.

"Salut!" The four other women said and touched their drinks before finishing them off.

"Now, who's gonna take us home?" Lacey asked and they all jumped when they heard, "We will."

Turning around, they saw Jethro, Tony, Tim, Jimmy and Ducky standing there. Tim took Lacey's keys from her and helped her to stand. One by one the men each took a woman's hand and they all walked outside.

"See you later!" They said as they got into their vehicles and left the pub.

Chapter 3

Lacey opened her door and pulled Tim through.

"The looks on your faces when we left today was priceless."

Tim narrowed his eyes. "How long had all of you been planning this?"

"The spa evening? A month. What we did when we left?" Lacey smiled, "It just happened."

Tim drew her to him. "It just happened, huh? Spontaneous-like?"

Lacey nodded as his lips got closer to hers. "You got it."

Tim took her lips in a passionate kiss. Lacey's arms wrapped around his waist, then up his back. He kissed her jaw and down to her neck before she pulled away.

"I like spontaneous." She told him with a grin.

Tim's own grin grew as she walked backwards away from him, beckoning him to her bedroom. As she disappeared through the door, he started walking after her. He took his tie off and held it in one hand. He slipped behind her and put the tie over her eyes. She was startled for a moment and then she relaxed back against his chest. When he had it knotted securely over her eyes where she couldn't see, he ran his hands down her arms.

"I want tonight to be all about feeling. No seeing, no peeking, just feeling." He told her, skimming his hands over her body and slipping her out of her clothes.

Lacey turned in the circle of his arms and asked, "Do I get to return the favor?" as she unbuttoned his shirt.

"Anytime." Tim promised her. Carefully guiding her back to the bed, he told her to lay down.

Doing as he asked, Lacey protested lightly. "I can't see a thing, and you get to look your fill?"

Pants undone but still on, Tim sat on the bed and leaned down to her. "I promise you won't have any complaints when tonight is over." With a small kiss and a quick love bite on her neck, he felt a shiver run through her. Trailing his fingertips over her breast down to her waist and beyond had her gasping. Following the same path up her body, Tim turned her face towards his and kissed her slowly, only allowing contact between his hand and her chin, his lips to her lips. Lacey whimpered into his kiss and brought her hands up to his chest. Tracing up his body to his neck, she ran her fingers through his hair, pulling him deeper into the kiss. The feel of his lips on hers and his tongue dipping and sparring with her own caused liquid heat to pool at the apex of her thighs. Shifting her legs, she moaned, needing more. She ran her hands down his body trying to rid him of the rest of his clothes. When he stubbornly refused to let her have control, she broke away from his mouth.

"Tim, I need you now!" Lacey demanded.

Tim kissed her cheek, along her jawline to her ear and said in a quiet tone, "Trust me, Lacey, you don't want this to be quick." He took her earlobe in his teeth and gently nipped it before returning to her lips to kiss her softly.

"Tim..." She started to protest.

Cutting her words off with a kiss, he asked, "Am I going to have to tie your hands?"

Her breathing quickened and her pulse jumped at the thought of being tied up to endure his slow, sensual torture. Catching her lip between her teeth she shook her head. "No. But please..."

"Shhh." he murmured against her neck. "All you have to do is feel, baby. Let me take care of the rest."

Wriggling her bum and squeezing her legs together, Lacey nodded behind the tie. "Yes, Tim."

He took his time, kissing, licking, nibbling his way down her body. Near her hip he paused and his breath fanned across the trim dark curls hiding her from his view and she bit her lip thinking finally he was through playing. Smiling since she couldn't see it, Tim kissed each of her thighs before turning her over. He shook his head at the incredibly smooth skin he was seeing. A fairy tat graced her lower back, nothing big, but it was part of the three the team had seen on Carly's back. Moving her hair, he kissed the back of her neck and she trembled. Kissing and touching her back down to her nicely rounded bottom, he kissed the fairy and nipped her cheek. Startled and aroused, Lacey's hips bucked against Tim's mouth. Her excitement was a tangible entity in the room. Her scent was driving him mad with want and Tim impatiently shoved his pants and briefs down, remembering to grab the condom from his wallet.

Once the protection was dealt with, he leaned over her, placing small love bites on the base of the back of her neck and shoulders. Not allowing her to turn over, he slipped between her legs and into her body. They both moaned at the contact and Lacey pushed her hips back up against him, driving him in deeper. She was so close to the edge that one more stroke broke her. She cried out as Tim thrust in and out of her, taking his own pleasure and increasing hers. When release finally came, Tim rested against her back before slowing rolling them both to the side. Their breathing rapid and loud, Lacey reached back with one arm to pull Tim closer to her. He pushed his tie off her eyes and she blinked from the light spilling into her room from the hall.

Lacey whispered, "Wow!" in an awed tone. "When I recover from that, you get blindfolded."

Tim laughed; not wanting to move but needing to, he stood, took care of the condom and shut the lights off before getting back in bed with Lacey and pulling the covers up.

Chapter 4

Carly was in Jet's arms almost asleep. She smiled and kissed his chest. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that she loved him but knew he still wasn't ready for that. His hand was covering her bum and he squeezed just as she drifted off to sleep.

---

She saw herself sitting at her Nana's bedside. "Trust in your instincts. They won't fail you. Your five senses are as important as your sixth. Remember, you are special, don't ever question that."

---

Her Nana faded away and she was standing at a head stone. Looking down she could see that she was sitting at Shannon and Kelly's graves. The flowers were laying on the ground and her fingers traced the names and dates on the cold marble. "He misses you both, to this day. It may sound crazy to some but I wish I had known you. The two females that helped shape him, before and after your death.

---

Again, she was in a different place, this time she was in the middle of the woods.

"You have to tell him." She turned and saw Shannon speaking to her.

"You owe it to yourself to be open to him, Carly." Nana was there too.

"What is this?" Carly asked.

"Something is going to happen. You need to tell him now before he doesn't trust you." Shannon said.

"She's right, baby, you have to tell him. You have to trust him before he stops trusting you." Nana told her and then they disappeared.

---

Carly woke up, panicked. Her breathing was labored. Jet woke up and wrapped his arms around her. Running his hands up and down her back, he whispered, "It was just a dream Carly."

She nodded but she wasn't so sure. Nothing like that had every happened to her before. Her Nana had been clairvoyant, pulling information from nowhere, helping people who had no use for her otherwise. Kissing his collarbone, Carly wanted nothing more than to forget her dream. When she kissed his lips, Jethro's hands found her bottom and pulled her hips to his. Following the line of her body, his hand lifted her leg, draping it over his hip. The head of his erection nudged her opening and her breath caught. Hips tilting to grant him access, Carly's hands held him fast to her. She loved it when Jethro took his time with her but there was a hidden side of her that loved it when he just took her, after only a kiss or a touch. He pressed into her and pulled her to him, holding her there, not letting her hips move. She moaned. He knew keeping her still drove her halfway there and then he bent his head and captured her nipple, sucking it into his mouth. Tonguing it as he suckled, Carly cried out. His strong hold on her making it impossible to move.

Finally, when she was about to go crazy, he pulled back and thrust into her hard and fast. "Oh, God!" She screamed and shattered. Jethro smiled and waited until she settled once again before rolling onto his back, taking her with him. The change in position deepened his penetration and Carly moaned again, settling her hands on his chest. He lifted an eyebrow in challenge and she grinned. Oh yeah, she was up for it. Rising up, she came back down slowly. She teasingly rode him until he was impatient for release and sat up. Helping her wrap her legs around his waist, he rocked against her, taking her lips in a kiss that possessed her, claiming her as his. She kissed him just as deeply, rocking against him as they exploded together.

Chapter 5

Carly stepped off the elevator and walked toward the lab. The lights were out, no music was playing and by the time she walked through the doors she knew. Something was wrong with Abby. She wouldn't just be late without phoning Carly and letting her know. Turning on her heel, she quickly walked back the elevators and rode up to ask Tony what was going on.

"Abby, when you get this message, call me." Tony was saying to Abby's voice mail. "I just want to make sure you're alright."

Carly's stomach sank. It was worse than she thought. Jet wasn't at his desk, so Carly walked over and searched for the status of a prisoner. Jethro walked down the stairs from MTAC and Tony intercepted him. "I can't get ahold of Abby. I'm going to her apartment to see if she's ok."

"She won't be there." Carly said and stood as everyone looked at her.

Tony half-smiled. "And how do you know that?"

"Look, there's something I have to tell Gibbs but I think Abby's missing." When she just got strange looks from everyone, she added, "I'm pretty sure of it actually."

Jethro didn't look like he liked the sound of what she was saying. Ziva asked, "Is this a Gibbs' gut thing?"

He cut Ziva a look and Carly shook her head. "No, it's not."

The phone rang before she could explain anymore. It was Tony's line. He snatched it up quickly. "Abby, thank god! Carly has been trying to freak us out..." His face paled and he pressed the button to put the caller on speaker phone.

An electronically altered voice came over the speaker. "I bet Carly's been freaking you out. She's probably telling you about now that Abby is missing, right?" The voice laughed. "Carly...you're being awfully quiet. Don't tell me they don't know yet."

"Know what?" Tony demanded.

"Tsk, tsk, Carly, you've been naughty. How long have you worked there?" the voice asked.

"What does that have to do with Abby being missing?" Ziva asked, her face saying that she would like to rip the voice in half.

"Carly, don't you think you should tell them?" the voice waited for a response. "No? I can tell them if you'd like. I can definitely out-wait you but Abby doesn't have that much time now. Look at your clock." Laughter was heard once more as everyone looked at their watches. "I give her four hours at the most. And trust me, I know what I'm talking about."

Gibbs walked over to Carly, all business. "What does he want you to tell us?"

"I don't know how he knows..." she began, looking at him, anguished over Abby's situation.

"Oh yes you do Carly. If you believe in yourself then you have to believe in others. It’s the creed I think."

Gibbs took her arms in his hands and shook her. "What is he talking about?"

"I'm clairvoyant!" Carly shouted and the voice laughed.

"Atta girl Carly. You explain what that means and I'll be in touch." All that could be heard was the sound of the phone beeping, signaling the caller had disconnected.

McGee was the first to speak. "Got the call boss. It's from a pay phone."

"Where McGee?" Gibbs demanded, still holding Carly by one arm.

"Two miles from here boss."

"Ziva, go with McGee. Process the phone." Gibbs barked and turned away pulling Carly with him.

"Where are you going Gibbs?" Tony asked, wanting to ask Carly some questions of his own.

"Interrogation." was all Gibbs would say. The look of shock on Carly's face jolted everyone into action. Ziva and Tim rushed to the elevator while Tony followed to enter the observation room. He knew Gibbs wouldn't need his help on this.

Chapter 6

"What are we doing in here?" Carly asked. "We have to find Abby. He's going to let her die."

"How would you know that Carly?" he asked her, voice colder than the ice in his eyes.

"Jet, I was going to tell you. Today in fact, but now isn't the time to get into this. We have to save her."

Gibbs stared at her. The expression on his face hadn't changed but the ice became a glacier in his eyes. "Gibbs?" Carly asked in a small voice.

-------

Ducky joined Tony in the observation room. "Michelle called. Abby's really missing?"

Tony nodded. "Some twisted son of a bitch has her and Carly knew it. She claims she's all of a sudden 'clairvoyant'." Tony said with doubt heavy in his voice.

"Why do you say it like that Tony? I thought you worked with a psychic before?" Ducky asked.

"You ever stop and think the 'psychic' could have been in on the case?"

Ducky stared out the glass, watching as his friends doubt broke the heart of the woman who loved him. "That sounds just like Gibbs talking through you Anthony. I thought you were different." He turned and walked out. Jethro would come see him soon.

--------

"Clairvoyant?" His voice fairly dripped condescension.

She stiffened her spine. "You don't believe me, that's fine. But while we are sitting in here, Abby is out there, running out of time from what that voice says. I could be analyzing the recording to see if we recognize who the voice belongs to."

"Or you could just tell me who it is." He said, staring at her, trying not to see the pain and anger in her eyes.

"It doesn't work that way. Being clairvoyant doesn't mean I automatically know everything." He watched her swallow and narrow her eyes. She was reading his body language he knew. "You think I'm involved, don't you? That's why I'm in here? You think I would help someone kidnap my best friend? How could you think me capable of that?"

Because he couldn't, not really, he stood and walked out, leaving her locked in. She stared at the glass and shook her head. "I didn't do this Tony. I wouldn't hurt Abby."

From the other side of the glass, Tony jerked back and turned away. He wasn't so sure.

----------

The doors slid open. "Ah, Jethro, I thought you'd be here soon."

Gibbs walked to Ducky and stared. "What do you think of all of this Ducky?"

"Jethro, you believe in what you can see and touch. You can see and touch Carly. Why can't you believe in her?"

Gibbs in disbelief asked, "You telling me you believe her Duck?"

Ducky shrugged and replied, "The mind is largely unmapped, most of it basically uncharted. You've been involved with her for a year. Why do you find it so hard to believe her?"

Gibbs stood for a moment looking at Ducky then he walked out.

--------

In the bullpen, Ziva and Tim were back. The payphone was clean, wiped down. The coin chamber was empty. They had no evidence to go on. The phone rang and Tony hit the speaker button when Gibbs nodded to him. "DiNozzo," he said without inflection.

"Have you been waiting to hear from me or have you been trying to find your ass without a map?" The voice asked.

"What do you want?" Gibbs asked.

"Ah, Special Agent Gibbs. Glad to know I've gotten your attention. I'll tell you what I want. I want to see if Carly is as good as I think she is. And the only way I'll know is if you let her out to find your Abby."

"She's not being released until Abby is back here." Gibbs told him.

"Well now that's too bad for Abigail then isn't it? You see, I've killed before and even though Abby has a gift all her own, it won't save her life. Only Carly can do that. And since you are being the bastard who doesn't negotiate, her life is over." The audible click of the phone made Tony shake.

Gibbs looked at his watch. Three hours. He had heard the determination in that altered voice. Abby would die if Carly didn't find her. McGee had traced the phone call but Gibbs knew it was another dead end. He slapped the back of DiNozzo's head. "McGee, gas the truck. Ziva, Tony, gear up. I'll bring Carly down."

They all scrambled to do as ordered. They all wanted Abby back.

Chapter 7

Gibbs and Carly were in the elevator going down to the parking garage. "What do you need?" he asked her.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Gibbs shouted.

"I've never used my ability in a case. I’m a forensic scientist; if I can't prove it then it isn't evidence." She looked at Jethro wanting back the man that had kissed her goodbye this morning but knowing he wouldn't be back anytime soon. "My Nana..."

"Your Nana what?" he asked.

"She was clairvoyant as well. She helped find missing people in the 1920's. She told me once that she always went to the last known location of the missing person."

"From what Tony says that would be Abby's apartment." Gibbs told her walked her out to the truck.

Carly nodded. "Let's start there."

------

Carly stood at the door to Abby's apartment. Goosebumps covering her arms, she reached out and opened the door aware that every minute this took was one more that Abby didn't have. Her mind started absorbing information as soon as she entered the front room. Feeling the eyes watching her she closed her eyes to concentrate. One name kept coming up over and over. Shenandoah State Park in Virginia. She told Gibbs and they were all back in the truck and racing to the park.

"Abby said you used to camp out at that park, Carly." Tony said in the quiet of the truck.

She had nothing to hide so she answered. "I did. Virginia is a beautiful state, especially in the spring and fall seasons. I haven't been there in years though."

"So why pick this place to take Abby?" he wanted to know. Ziva kept watching her, looking for signs that she was lying.

"I don't know yet Tony, but when I find out, I'll tell you." Carly turned and looked out the window.

This close circle of people were all doubting her and watching the minutes fly by on the clock. Abby was down to two hours and that was if the voice on the line hadn't been stringing them along. She swallowed and took a breath as Jethro pulled the truck to a stop. She had been honest when she told him she didn't know how this worked. All she knew was what her Nana had told her and her instincts said. She hoped it was enough.

--------

The team stepped out of the truck, Jethro and Tony flanking Carly. Ducky had come along to tend to Abby when she was found and he was the only one of the group that would meet Carly's eye. She looked around and started walking into the woods. Her step never faltered even when she would cock her head to the side as if listening to some inner voice. Gibbs watched all of this, trying to reconcile this woman with the one he made love to the night before. He wasn't sure if he could. She stopped as abruptly as she had started. They were in a clearing and she turned in a complete circle. Gibbs looked at his watch. They had been walking for 30 minutes. He looked back at Carly and noticed her staring at a patch of ground ten feet away. She ran to it murmuring, "No, no, no, no..." and fell to her knees. Using her fingers she started digging in the dirt. Tim went over and started to help as did Ducky.

"Come on, you're telling me he buried her?" Tony asked, then stopped and stared at the spot they were digging. He ran over and sank down helping pull dirt off.

Ziva and Gibbs moved to help as well. They hadn't cleared a lot of dirt when they heard people talking. Two young couples were hiking on the trail and stopped when they spotted the team digging with their hands.

"Dudes, if you're going to bury treasure you need a shovel." One young man said.

"Dude, you got one?" Tim asked before Tony or Gibbs could scare them off.

"Sure man, here you go." The other guy said, pulling out a folding shovel.

Tony grabbed it as the first young man took his out and handed it to Gibbs.

"Do you have anything else we can dig with?" Carly asked and took the tin plates from the ladies, handing them out to Ziva, Tim and Ducky, keeping one for herself.

The two shovels hit something solid and they starting scraping frantically. They paused when they uncovered a wood coffin and the two couples screamed when they heard something thump from inside. Tony and Gibbs each moved to one side, one man at each end. Using the tips of the shovels the pried the lid open and Abby popped up holding an oxygen canister like she was about to hit someone.

"Tony!" She yelled hoarsely and he sat down, dragging her out of the coffin, into his lap.

"Abby! Abby!" He said, holding her, running his hands over her to assure himself she was all right.

Ducky was kneeling next to them. "Tony, let me check her out." When Tony wouldn't let her go, Ducky resorted to Gibbs' tactics. He slapped the back of his head. "Anthony, let me make certain she is alright."

Tony eased his hold on her and Ducky started examining her. Tim and Ziva were working on getting the coffin out of the ground and Gibbs was interrogating the campers. Once Ducky noted that the only injuries Abby had was a bump to the back of her head and bruised and bloodied hands from pounding against the lid of the coffin, he let Tony take her back in his arms. Head on his shoulder, Abby asked quietly, "Where's Carly?"

The entire team looked around the clearing. No one had seen her walk off but there was no doubt about it. Carly was gone.

Chapter 8

Carly had a hood over her head but it wasn't needed. After the shot of whatever in her arm, she couldn't move. She didn't think she would be able to scream either. She blacked out right after he grabbed her and stuck her with the needle. She was still trying to sort through everything that happened after Abby was uncovered when she felt herself being placed on something flat. One limb at a time she was strapped down. Once the voice made certain she would be unable to move when the drugs wore off, he pulled the hood off her head and watched as she looked around and then straight up. As her eyes widened, his laughter rang through the woods and she knew there was no one near to save her.

-------

Abby was still in Tony's lap while Gibbs, Ziva, Ducky and Tim searched the surrounding woods. When they assembled back at the hole in the ground another team of agents had arrived. Abby stood and looked at the face of each agent. Ducky understood gifts, he was sensitive to them and he never judged, not based on someone just being a little different. In the few days since her talk with Carly, Abby had done plenty of research on empaths. But she didn't need any of that to tell her what her friends and co-workers were thinking about Carly's disappearance.

She rounded on Tony, "She's my best friend other than you! There's no way she would let someone grab me and harm me! You get that thought out of your mind right now!" Turning to Ziva she continued, "And you, being the great Mossad officer you are can't tell sincerity from a lie?"

"I was fooled once Abby." Ziva answered.

Tony shifted uncomfortably. "How do you know what we're thinking, Abby?"

"I don't know what you're thinking! I know what you're feeling! Anger, resentment, doubt. Get rid of those feelings now, none of them will help us find Carly and they aren't needed here anyway. She's done nothing wrong!"

"The voice on the phone said you were gifted." Tim started tentatively.

Abby looked at the team and then glanced at the second team standing not so far away. Her voice was still hoarse but she was worried they would hear her. She walked away a short distance and they followed. Looking at their faces she knew they would reject her information if they knew the source so she kept it simple. "I'm an empath. Basically that means I can pick up on other’s feelings like a tuning rod." She shrugged to show it was no big deal.

"Why are we just learning this?" Gibbs asked, uncomfortable but still caring.

"Because I've only made sense of it recently. We have to find Carly. This guy, whoever he is, he's angry and he's not going to let her go. If we don't stop him, she'll die." Abby told them plainly. When she still picked up their disbelief, she growled and stomped away from them. She would find Carly on her own if they wouldn't help.

As she was pacing, Abby cleared her mind of her anger at Tony and the others. She would deal with them later. It came on slowly. A little niggle at the back of her mind. A little hitch in her breathing signaled she wasn't feeling all her own feelings anymore. Refusing to look at the team staring at her, she tried to keep relaxed so the feelings would come. They faded a bit and she almost panicked. When they came back, she cried out and fell to her knees.

Carly was scared. Not just "I had a bad dream" scared but terrified almost to the point of breaking. Tony and Gibbs reached her first but Abby motioned them off. When she started to gag, Ducky took her hand. "Abigail, these aren't your feelings. Separate yourself from them. Tell us what we need to know to help Carly."

Abby shuddered and stared at Ducky. He was taken aback by the blank look in her eyes and then they focused on his face. "Ducky." Abby whispered. "She's terrified. He's going to kill her and she knows how, she has to know to be this scared."

"How scared is she?" Ducky asked.

Abby blinked as the horror in her mind cleared and she realized what Carly's worst fear was. "The Pit and The Pendulum." Abby choked out and Ducky looked straight at Gibbs confirming what they were all thinking, "He's going to make her watch her time tick away."

Chapter 9

Gibbs was driving, once again taking direction from someone else's 'gut'. That was the only way his mind would accept what was happening. He didn't remember much about Poe's story, but Abby had taken the time to refresh everyone's memory in between telling him where to turn and to go faster. The second team of agents couldn't keep up and were also constantly interrupting by radioing for directions. Abby finally told them to pull up the GPS of his cell phone to track them that way. By the time she told them to stop, he was fully aware that if Abby's 'gut' was right, Carly was watching a blade swing like a pendulum right about now. He had no idea what kind of mental state she would be in when they got to her, if they got to her, when...he refused to think otherwise. He was damn sure she'd be a sight worse than Abby was at being buried alive.

"He knows we're here." Abby announced and the team scanned the surrounding trees. "He's happy, gleeful even and he feels satisfaction that he's drawn us here but especially you Gibbs. He's very happy you're here."

Gibbs nodded, making sure he kept his guard up.

"How does he know?" Tim whispered.

"He's a telepath." Abby told him. When she got more incredulous looks she got huffy. "If you believe I can feel your feelings and Carly's and his then you have to believe other abilities exist!"

She stepped out to lead and Tony grabbed her back to him. "Tony!" She protested and he kissed her once more.

"I love you Abby." He told her. "And when we get back to my place, you're moving in with me."

She stared at him, opening to his feelings and she smiled. "Let's go get Carly from this maniac first, Tony, then we move my things."

They moved as one and wound through the woods towards a stream. Abby looked left and right before tilting her head and staring at the bridge downstream from their position. It was an old bridge used for trains. Gibbs saw her hesitation and moved in that direction. If Abby was staring it had to mean something. This time, there was no clearing, not the way it had been where Abby was found. Trees were removed so as to keep the bridge and tracks free of obstacles. Under the bridge, tucked out of sight of onlookers and railway personnel was a table about four feet from the ground. Solid wood, with straps attached for arms and legs. Above the table, the group stared as a giant blade swung back and forth, polished to blind in direct sunlight, now it gleamed deadly in the light from the setting sun.

"Holy shit, don't tell me he's practiced this before." Tony said.

"How do we stop it?" Tim asked.

At the sound of their voices, Carly turned her head. From the colorless skin on her cheeks to the dullness in her eyes, Gibbs knew she had already accepted she would die and it would be hell. Voice toneless and quiet she told them, "He has a plan B. If you unstrap me, he'll use a small amount of explosive to blow part of the bridge. He's very determined."

The laughter again, this time unaltered and with a face to go with it. Narrowing his eyes, Gibbs didn't move his gun in the direction of Captain Downey. The man's thumb wasn't on the trigger but it wouldn't take him a second to move it and hit the button. Gibbs stared at the man, hating him and remembering what Abby had said. He carefully blanked all thoughts from his mind except those dealing with Carly. When the Captain's face lit up from the memory Gibbs recalled he raised his gun and shot him between the eyes. The detonator fell from his nerveless fingers just moments before he crumpled himself.

Abby cried out and ran to Carly. Unstrapping her quickly, she pulled her friend up and into a bear hug. "Carly!" she screamed in her ear.

Carly jerked away and stumbled over a few steps, losing what little food was still in her system. Gibbs walked over to her, pulling her to him. Once more, Carly jerked away, this time exclaiming, "Don't touch me!" She bent over again and caught her breath. Putting her hand to her mouth, tears in her eyes, she shook her head. "He's done this before. Put people here and watched as they watched time slip away from them. Listened to them scream as the blade barely brushed their clothing enough to fray it. Took pleasure in watching them be cut up, little by little. And that clearing, where Abby was? He's buried people there. As a police Captain, how could he keep these things hidden?"

Ducky stood close to her, watching her carefully before reaching out to put his hand on her shoulder. He was the one person she didn't shy away from. She leaned on him and he walked her away. He could come back for the body once he had her settled. Gibbs, Tony, Ziva and Tim looked everywhere but at each other. Trust was important for teammates and today they had doubted one of their own. The thing that puzzled everyone was, why had Carly allowed Ducky to help her and refused even Abby's help?

Chapter 10

Gibbs sat at the kitchen table listening to Abby pack some things for Carly. She hadn't wanted to even come here to get clothes before leaving. Tom had torn into him about shooting a police officer but once he got a good look at Carly, he had calmed down. Jenny had been in the office to put in some paperwork and when Carly asked for leave time, both Jenny and Tom gave her instant approval. He had no idea where she was going and he hated this feeling of helplessness. Quickly he looked up to see Abby staring at him.

"Give her time, Gibbs. Then get down on your knees and grovel." She walked passed with the suitcase in her hand and said over her shoulder, "That is, if you can get past being hypocritical enough to accept my ability and not hers." The door shut firmly behind her and Gibbs dropped his head back wondering what he was going to do now.

-------

Carly just drove. Stopping only long enough to nap at rest stops, she drove for two days without her cell on, without dropping coins in a pay phone, without talking to anyone anywhere. Abby was still there, she could feel her rooting around in her mind to see what she was feeling. She laughed to herself the first time she felt Abby try and was unsuccessful. Her blocks were going back in place. Now she just had to figure out what was wrong with her sense of touch. It started the day she was grabbed by Downey. Immediately she knew why he was doing this. Jethro came onto his turf and ordered him about like a probie. He had to get even. Then the other morning, she brushed hands with the clerk at the diner and knew that the woman was being abused at home. She handed the change back to her and added another hundred to it, looked her in the eye and whispered, "Use this to get out." Leaving the woman standing, staring with tears in her eyes, Carly got in her car and drove away.

Here she was now, in Tennessee staring at a house she hadn't seen in years. Miss Eileen was 104 years old and still sharp as a tack. By the time Carly cut her engine off she was on the porch with a big grin motioning her inside. Nana's only living friend, the one woman that hid their friendship because Nana knew it wasn't safe for Miss Eileen. The one woman who knew what it was like to be different in those times. Miss Eileen was a telepath. She had never learned to block other's thoughts so she lived out in the woods, in a small house with a wide front porch. Carly reached the top step and Miss Eileen hugged her tight before taking her arms and looking into her eyes. Nodding, she took Carly's hand.

You truly are special child.

Carly blinked. Surely, she hadn't just heard Miss Eileen's thoughts?

Yes you surely did. You have your Nana's gift and one of your own. Miss Eileen grinned and broke contact. Staring at her, Carly looked on in confusion. Miss Eileen nodded, knowing for certain what she had expected. "It's a gift of touch, yours is. When you touch someone, you can know what they are thinking. But you had trouble at first didn't you? When someone touched you, you read them too? And now you can't?"

Carly nodded. Smiling she followed as Miss Eileen led her into the house. Straight to the kitchen they went and she sat at the table when told to do so. This was the south and you respected your elders or else. Carly loved it here. Jet would too. Her smile evaporated and Miss Eileen asked, "Jet? What kind of name is Jet?"

"His name is Jethro, Miss Eileen. Leroy Jethro to be exact. But the way he drives..."

"Ah, I see. Fast is he?"

"Yes ma'am."

She placed two glasses of sweet iced tea on the table and sat down. "You've come for answers. Some I can't give you. I can't block my gift, but you've known that a while. This new ability you have though, I don't think is so new. I think it’s been ignored while you didn't need it."

"And now I need it?" Carly asked, uncertain.

"Would you be this together if you hadn't known why that man was going to kill you?" Miss Eileen asked, her voice gentle and her face kind.

Carly thought for a moment and shook her head. No way. She would have been a basket case. Strangely enough though, once she was off the table and knew Downey was dead, her fear vanished as if it had never been. She was able to think about the entire day without wanting to hide from the world.

"That is peace of mind you have. One, the man is dead and can't harm you. Two, your knowing what it was about helped you to understand it really ended with his death. Now, are you staying the night or are you going driving again?"

Carly's eyebrows rose and she thought, What is that I smell?

Miss Eileen rolled with laughter and stood to get plates out. Dishing out roast beef, carrots, potatoes and rice with gravy she gave one to Carly and sat back at the table. They ate in silence, smiling all the while. With a woman like Miss Eileen, you never had to tell her how good her food was. She knew it the minute your taste buds told your brain it was delicious.

Chapter 11

Carly sat at a diner in Virginia. Her leave was almost up and she was on the return trip back home. Not sure if Jethro would want her back in his house she had already made up her mind to see if she could stay at Abby's old apartment. She listened as someone dropped money in the jukebox and Julie Roberts’ voice came over the speakers.

Unloose this hold you've got on me
Unlock this heart that can't get free
Unlive the night you kissed and hugged me
Undream the dreams that we both shared
Unfeel the feelin' that you cared
Before you leave me, please unlove me

Unlove me
Unmake all the memories I can't forget
Unlove me
Let me go back to the way I was before we met

Back to the days when I was strong
When it wasn't sad to be alone
When I was happy-go-lucky
And I didn't know how good it felt
To hold you and feel my heart melt
Show me a little mercy and unlove me

Unlove me
Untie all the strings between your heart and mine
Unlove me
But do it real slow, so I don't have to lose you all at one time

Before you pack your bags and leave
One thing I wish you'd do for me
Take a little time to just unlove me

Unlove me
Unmake all the memories I can't forget
Unlove me
Let me go back to the way I was before we met

Unloose this hold you've got on me
Unlock this heart that can't get free
Before you leave me, please unlove me
Show a little mercy and unlove me

Carly thought about the song long after it went silent in the diner again. She didn't want him to unlove her. If he never wanted another thing to do with her she wanted at least the memories to hold to her at night. There was just one thing she had to take care of before heading back home...

-------

Gibbs stepped off the last stair and looked around his basement. He hadn't started a new project since they got the boat out of the basement a few months back. Funny how having Carly there had lessened the need to work with his hands on wood. Flipping on the radio he readied his tools and made a plan. Gathering the first pieces of wood he needed, he started working as he listened to the song playing on the local country station.

I don't know who I am
Staring at a million broken pieces here
I don't know where I stand
While I'm still, the world goes round so free so cavalier
Aimlessly I wander, like a drifter
on a narrow winding road
I've got plenty of direction
But I don't know where to go

I'm so lost without you
I'm so lost without you
Baby, I'm so lost without you
That I can't find myself

I'm so lost without you
Baby, I'm so lost without you
I'm so lost without you
That I can't find myself

No it don't seem right
This canyon of lonely lying in our bed
Lord how I've cried a waterfall of tears Until my eyes turn red
Ever since you left me
It's been like a bullet through my heart
And I know I should move on
But I don't know where to start

I'm so lost without you
I'm so lost without you
Baby, I'm so lost without you
That I can't find myself

I'm so lost without you
Baby, I'm so lost without you
I'm so lost without you
That I can't find myself

Ever since you left me
It's been like a bullet through my heart
And I know I should move on
But I don't know where to start

I'm so lost without you
I'm so lost without you
Baby, I'm so lost without you
That I can't find myself

I'm so lost without you
I'm so lost
Baby, I'm so lost without you
That I can't find myself

Gibbs stopped working on the beginnings of the desk and wondered who out there would request a song that summed up everything he felt since Carly left town.

-------

Tony opened the door and grinned, "Carly, I was an ass. A total ass for not believing..."

"It's ok Tony. I understand. I understood then." Carly hugged him, careful to keep the contact brief. She still hadn't gotten that under control yet. "I was hoping I could talk to you and Abby?" She said questioningly.

"Come on in, sure. Abby!" He called as he shut the door. A soaking wet sponge sailed through the air and smacked Tony on the forehead as he turned.

"Has he apologized?" Abby asked, watching water drip down his face and wet his shirt.

"He did, Abby," Carly told her.

Abby pressed her lips together. "Oops. Sorry baby, you get a freebie."

"A freebie?" Tony asked, looking happy.

Abby nodded. "Yep, you get to be an ass one time without being punished for it."

His smile only slipped half-way and he winked at Carly. "This attitude and I still love her. I'm in deep aren't I?"

Carly laughed, "You sure are. I'm not swimming out to save you."

Abby sat on the couch and patted the seat next to her. When Tony saw the serious look on Carly's face he moved to sit in front of her on the coffee table. "Whatever we can do, just ask, Carly."

"Aw, Tony, you are so sweet!" Abby said and leaned over to kiss him before looking at Carly and telling her to spill it.

"I need a place to stay." Carly announced and hurried on, "I don't mean here, I wouldn't do that to you guys. I was hoping you still had time on the lease of your old apartment? I was thinking I could stay there for now. Until I figure out what the future holds."

"Oh, Carly, you know you can." Abby said, putting her arm around Carly's shoulders.

"Why don't you talk to Gibbs, Carly? I know he misses you." Tony said.

Carly killed that idea with a negative movement of her head. "I can't do that to him, not now. He doesn't trust me, he doesn't want to love me and he's going to hate me if I hold off telling him..."

Tony ducked his head to look in her eyes. "Tell him what?"

Carly took a deep breath and looked at Abby then Tony. "I'm pregnant."

The End

Calalily

The Assistant Series - You Still Get To Me

2007-05-05T20:09:58Z

Story 8 in the series.
Rated R
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to NCIS, the characters, actors, everything all belongs to CBS and DPB. Nothing in this story is related to anything that has happened in real life. It is a work of fiction.

9 months later

Chapter 1

Carly was dusting the tops of the cabinets when Tony walked in, pretending to cough through the dust in the air.

"Oh stop it!" She said and threw the dust rag at him.

Abby laughed when he refused to catch it. "It's just dust Tony. Regular household dust. Nothing you don't have at your apartment."

Tony looked at Abby, his expression hurt. She walked over to him and kissed him, grabbing his ass at the same time. When he jumped she smiled. "Stop acting like I hurt your feelings and get those boxes loaded for Carly."

He winked at Abby and flashed Carly a smile. "Sure thing."

-----------------

Gibbs was standing in the doorway watching as Abby and Carly set boxes down in his kitchen. He must have had a strange look on his face because Carly walked over to him and told him to relax. "Whatever you don't like can go into storage. Don't panic, this doesn't have to be painful."

He smiled and kissed her deeply. Ducky walked in and chuckled at the sight. "Well, Jethro, I believe this means you've properly retired Rule #12."

Ziva laughed and set down the box she carried. "At least it's retired when we aren't at work, Ducky."

Abby was watching those two closely. Gibbs noticed she was about to say something and so he gathered the men together to go get more boxes. As the walked outside, Tony remarked, "I never thought I'd see the day when you had a woman move in with you, Gibbs."

"Never thought I'd see the day you'd stay with one woman for a year, Tony. Doesn't mean it can't happen. Just means it's not expected." Gibbs explained. He saw Ducky staring at the boxes and asked, "What's wrong Ducky?"

"I think I'll let you take this box Jethro." Ducky said and handed it over. Written on the top was 'Lingerie'.

Tony started laughing. "That's Abby's handwriting. I think she's added a few new pieces to the collection, Gibbs."

Gibbs just walked away with the box in his arms.

------------------

"So, Ziva, what's going on with you and Ducky?" Abby asked and Carly stopped unpacking her clothes to watch the other woman answer.

"What are you talking about Abby?" Ziva questioned.

Carly smiled. "Yep. She answered a question with a question." She pulled out 5 bucks and handed it to Abby. "Of course you know what that means, right?"

Abby handed over another box and nodded. "Means we've struck gold. There is something going on."

"Nothing is going on." Ziva told them as she pulled out Carly's jewelry box from the box she was unpacking.

Carly quickly took it from her. "That stays in storage." She put it in a box marked to go to storage and then ignoring the looks she was getting said, "You and Ducky have been having tea an awful lot lately. Either you have a lot in your life that's going wrong, or you like spending time with him."

"Ducky is an interesting man," was all she would say.

"Ah, we get it." Carly and Abby said to each other. "You two have a lot of 'stories' to share." They grinned as they said it.

"I'm not going to talk about this. If you want my help, let’s get started." Ziva told them.

The other two women turned and started hanging and folding the clothes Ziva handed them. Gibbs walked in and cleared his throat before handing over the box marked 'Lingerie'. Abby laughed. Ziva turned away to hide her smile and Carly grinned like a Cheshire cat when she noticed the light in Jet's eye. Yep, they'd be going through this box later tonight.

Chapter 2

Carly was agitated. Jethro had been watching her all afternoon and he had the source narrowed down to the one box she had to have moved to storage right away. He had eliminated the possibility of nerves from her moving in since she had practically lived with him for the last several months as it was. She was in the shower at the moment but he knew she wouldn't be in there long enough for him to look. Besides, if it was anything illegal she wouldn't have brought it to his house.

He walked into the kitchen to check the chicken. Carly had already cooked the rice and gravy and scalloped potatoes. When he saw the chicken was done, he took out plates and glasses. This had become routine for them on the nights they were home early enough to cook. He was puzzled by her behavior but knew it was only a matter of time before she told him. Abby didn't refer to him as the confessor for nothing. He had a knack for getting information from anyone.

-------------------

Carly stood under the spray of hot water, letting it run down her face, sweeping the tears away with it. That damn box. Why did it have to show back up now? Turning away from the water, she wiped her face with her hands and took a deep breath. Turning the taps, the water stopped and she stepped out, reaching for her towel. Quickly drying off, she smiled at the lingerie she had picked out to wear for Jet tonight. Abby had picked this out for her a few days ago and Carly had loved it right away. Two pieces of silky white fabric, a camisole top that hugged her chest and stomach ending a good two inches above the top of the tiny tap pants. She slipped into the outfit and covered it completely with one of Jet's dark gray tshirts. Brushing her hair out and leaving it damp, she went downstairs greeted by the sight of Jet dishing food onto plates. He turned just as she entered the kitchen and smiled at her.

"This looks wonderful Jet." She told him and watched his smile turn into a quick grin.

"You cooked it."

"But you make it look so pretty on the plates." She said and laughed when he narrowed his eyes at her.

They sat down to eat and talk about their day, their friends and the case they were working. By the time dinner was finished, they were both more relaxed than when they sat down. Working together, they had the food put away and the dishes washed in short order. Carly took Jet's hand and led him to their bedroom. Their bedroom. She smiled when they walked in and she pushed him toward the bed.

He stared at her and she could see he was wondering just what she was wearing under his shirt. Pulling it over her head, she let it drop to the floor and did a slow turn for him to see the entire outfit. Looking back at him, she saw it had the effect she hoped for. His eyes had darkened and color stained his cheeks. She walked slowly towards him. When she was within reach, he drew her to him and pulled her onto his lap for a passionate kiss.

His hands slid down her camisole top following the curve of her body to grip her hips, holding her tight against his hardness. Moaning into his mouth, Carly pulled his shirt over his head and then, impatient to feel his skin on hers, she shimmied out of her top. Coming back to his lips, she kissed him, pressing her breasts against his chest, her hips moving against him, showing him without words what she needed. He flipped her onto her back and stripped her of her tap pants, kissing his way down her body before placing his mouth on her, licking and sucking until she cried out her release. He stood then, removing his own pants and joining her back on the bed. He kissed her lips as he covered her body with his, his hands reaching under her to raise her hips for him, he thrust into her. Carly gasped and wrapped her legs around his waist while holding onto his shoulders. Every touch and sound she made urged him on. The slightest change in her grip and he instinctively slowed or quickened the pace of his thrusts. Deeper and harder, slower and teasing, he drove her up and beyond her limits and she cried out again and again, trembling in his arms as his release found him and they lay in each others arms, spent, content. Finally, after one soft kiss, sleep came and found them.

Chapter 3

Tony was watching Abby lay beside him. He could almost see the gears turning, he knew something was bothering her. What frustrated him was the fact that she wouldn't talk about it. Yet she couldn't sleep and that meant that he wouldn't sleep. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her neck.

"Whatever it is, you won't get it worked out by being tense, Abs. You need to relax and get some sleep."

"Really?" Abby said, turning to him with a light in her eyes. "And what do you suggest to help me relax."

Tony grinned and quickly rolled her under him. She was laughing as he said, "I might have a few ideas." He kissed her until she stopped laughing and then saw to it that she relaxed properly.

--------------------

The following Monday dawned bright and early and turned wet and rainy quickly. Abby and Carly were listening to the rain instead of music and enjoying the sound of it hitting the ground right outside the lab windows.

Abby was staring at a sample in the microscope when she asked, "How did the rest of your weekend go?"

Carly grinned thinking about it. "Considering we both had the same smile this morning, how do you think it went?"

Abby looked up with a big smile. "That good?"

"Oh yeah!" They laughed and looked at the monitor of Abby's computer as it beeped to let them know they had a match.

Abby punched a few keys and brought them up on the big screen. She and Carly stared for a moment then looked at each other and said, "Uh-oh."

-------------------

Ziva was on the computer searching for a book when Tony read over her shoulder, "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, First Edition?"

She quickly closed the browser and pulled up the report she had just filed. "Don't you have a report to finish Tony?"

"Nah, I gave it to Gibbs half an hour ago. So, who's the book for Ziva?"

"Believe it or not Tony but some of us prefer to read than spend all our time in front of the 'boob tube'." She looked to McGee to see if she got the phrase right and he nodded his head as he was typing away on his keyboard.

"That's right, you don't have a tv." Tony said then he grinned. "We'll have to pitch in and buy you one for your birthday."

Shaking her head, Ziva scanned her report once more before closing it out and standing. "Tony, if you are good enough to find out when my birthday is, I'll let you buy me one. But you can't ask Abby."

Tony's smile grew bigger. He loved challenges.

------------------

Abby and Carly were frowning at Tim's reply to their message. Not only was there no problem with their system, the match had been verified several times. Adrian Selachi was back. Carly had read over the file on Adrian not long after she started working at NCIS because Abby made a mention of the case. She looked at Abby. Which one of them was going to tell Gibbs?

Chapter 4

He knew it was bad news when they both showed up at his desk. Unfortunately, Carly had chosen that day to wear a skirt the size of Abby's to work and her legs managed to distract him for several moments before he looked at them. The look on their faces confirmed the feeling in his gut. "What did you find?"

Abby bit her lip and Carly looked worried. He raised his eyebrows and Carly took a breath. "We got a hit on the fingerprints, Gibbs." She still wouldn't call him Jet or even Jethro at work. That amused him until she named the person the fingerprints matched. "Adrian Selachi."

DiNozzo and McGee stopped what they were doing when the name was mentioned. Ziva was watching them puzzled. He just clenched his teeth. When Carly tapped her finger twice to her jaw he realized what he was doing.

"DiNozzo..."

"Find out when she was released and why we weren't notified."

"McGee..."

"Talk to her parole officer and see when she last checked in."

Both men picked up their phones and started dialing.

Ziva was still in the dark, but he didn't have time to explain. He stood and marched up the steps to the Director's office. She needed to know about this.

--------------------------

"Who is Adrian Selachi?" Ziva asked when Gibbs was out of sight.

Tony glanced up with his phone tucked between his ear and his shoulder. "How long have you know Jen, Ziva?"

"A long time." Ziva answered.

"Then you knew she had a sister? A sister that was killed?" Tim questioned.

"Yes, but what..." Ziva stopped and realized the person that had killed the young woman on Ducky's table had killed her dear friend's sister.

The five of them stared at each other when it hit them who the dead woman downstairs reminded them of. Jenny Shepard.

------------------------

"Agent Gibbs, she's on a call with the SecNav."

Gibbs walked right past Cynthia and into Jen's office. He just looked at her until she excused herself from the call and hung up.

"Jethro, I hope this is important. I was on the phone with the SecNav..."

"Adrian Selachi is out."

Jen dropped her pen and started shaking her head. "There's no way, I was to have been notified if she was up for parole."

"I've got Tony and Tim looking into that now. We should have answers soon. The evidence we collected at the crime scene proves that she's out. That apartment building was completed six months ago, the victim moved in last month. There was no other way Selachi's prints could have been at that scene."

He watched as she laid both hands on her desk, a sign that she was physically taking control of her emotions. "I want to know everything, Jethro, the minute you know something."

He nodded. "As long as it doesn't slow us down, I'll call you myself."

"Thank you, Jethro." Jenny said.

"You're welcome." He told her and left to see what his agents had found out.

------------------------------

"Well, my dear, you are quite young and very beautiful. It's a shame that life had to end this way for you." Ducky said to the young woman lying on his table.

"Dr. Mallard..." Jimmy started and stopped to swallow.

"Yes, Mr. Palmer?"

Jimmy shook his head. "What causes someone to..."

"To stab someone repeatedly this many times, Mr. Palmer?"

"Yes, Doctor."

"Jimmy, do you remember how you felt when Michelle was taken?"

"Yes, I remember."

"You remember that anger you felt?" When Jimmy nodded, he continued, "Multiply it several times and you have yourself a 'killing rage'. Of course that's just one reason someone would do something like this."

"What are the other reasons, Ducky?" Gibbs asked interrupting the conversation.

"Well, Jethro, there are crimes of passion and crimes of rage. Sometimes the two overlap, but in our young petty officer's case, I would say it was rage, not passion. The wounds are too clean for the killer to have had any feelings towards our victim. If it had been a crime of passion, the stab wounds would have varied in depth and severity. All these wounds are to the same depth and the first several wounds would have killed her within minutes. There was no need for all these unless there was a deep anger behind it, deeper than something a fleeting passion would inspire."

He watched as Jethro walked away without a word. He glanced down at the young petty officer and up to Jimmy before returning his gaze to the face of the victim. "Oh dear Lord."

Chapter 5

Abby and Carly were back in the lab processing the rest of the evidence collected from the scene. They were silent and the music was off. Fingers flying over the keyboard, Carly nearly gasped out loud when a pain exploded in her head. She looked over at Abby and her vision was blurry. Mentally struggling to work through the pain in her head, she clenched her teeth. Abby slowly came back into focus as the pain receded and Carly took a deep breath. Trying to act like nothing was wrong, she asked, "Has Tony seen your new outfit yet?"

Shaking her head from over the shirt she was processing, Abby said, "Not yet. I was going to last night but he wasn't patient enough."

"Wasn't patient enough for what?" Gibbs asked, walking in with a Caf-Pow and a coffee.

Abby looked up with a quick grin and quipped, "For dinner out."

With a look that said he didn't believe her, Gibbs handed her the Caf-Pow and asked, "What have you got for me?"

Abby started. "I found residue on the inside of the petty officer's skirt. Turns out it was a lubricant and I've already matched it to her..." Abby trailed off as she pointed to one of the objects bagged on the table.

Turning from Abby to Carly, he raised his eyebrows. Carly sighed. "Apparently our petty officer had an online friend who insisted she meet this 'hot, older woman' and everything I've found shows the meeting was for last night. What doesn't make sense is that for a smart woman, our petty officer agreed to let this woman come to her house instead of meeting over drinks or something."

"What makes you say she's a smart woman?" Gibbs asked.

Carly was startled. "Well, um, she graduated first in her class at the academy, her security measures on her laptop were several levels higher than your average user and well, her journal."

"Her journal?" He asked.

"She didn't mention who the woman was in the journal, only that she was meeting someone new and that she was nervous. It was her first true blind date."

Setting the coffee down beside her keyboard, Gibbs turned to walk out. "Too bad it was her last as well."

-----------------------------

Tony and Tim were watching as Ziva and Gibbs questioned Petty Officer Russell's friend. "I'm being honest with you. This woman approached me a week ago and asked if I knew any pretty red-heads. I said yes, I had a few friends she might be interested in. She was HOT. If she had wanted a brunette, I'd have jumped right then."

"You'd have been dead if she wanted a brunette." Ziva informed her bluntly.

The woman looked from Gibbs to Ziva. "What? Faith's dead?"

"Yes." Gibbs told her quietly.

"When? How?"

"Is this the 'hot' woman you told her about?" Ziva asked and slid a picture across the table to her.

She took one look and paled. "She's an ex-con? But she..."

"Looked so nice in the bar?" Ziva finished for her.

"What did she do?"

"She killed a woman. Her lover." Gibbs said and slid another picture across the table to her.

Sydney Poole put her hand to her mouth and shook her head. "No." She said from behind her hand.

Gibbs and Ziva stood as one and, taking the photos back, walked out. Gibbs looked in the observation room and said, "DiNozzo, McGee, see her out, follow her and sit on her location. If she moves, you move. Adrian knows she's left a witness. She'll be back."

The two men nodded and went to help Ms. Poole to her car.

-------------------------

Jenny sat at her desk, staring blankly at her computer screen. Her sister's face was fresh in her mind. The image as if she had just seen her, not as if it had been nine years. Nine years, how could someone be released from prison after only nine years? Narrowing her eyes, Jenny pulled up the case file. She was going to do a little investigating of her own.

Chapter 6

Jenny was standing outside a house in Georgetown. She looked up and down the street before circling to the back and checking the door. It was ajar and Jen pulled her gun. Entering and cautiously clearing the kitchen and dining room, she moved into the hallway. As she entered the office, she heard sirens approaching. She was about to go out the way she came in when the police burst in and shouted, "Put the gun down! Put the gun down!"

With two fingers, Jenny put the gun on the small table beside her and said over her shoulder, "My name is Jenny Shepard, I'm the Director of NCIS."

"Lady, we got a call saying there were shots fired at this address, put your hands behind your head." The first officer in the room said.

Narrowing her eyes, she did as she was told. "Officer, I'm telling you, I didn't fire my weapon."

"We'll determine that at our lab, Ma'am." A second officer said.

"Trenton, Mathers, you'd better come take a look at this." A third officer said.

Officer Trenton turned Jenny around roughly and marched her along with them to a game room that was off the side of what had to be a viewing room. It had a large screen on one wall with a projector at the other end of the room. Officer Mathers made a comment under his breath about the way the "upper crust" lived. There between the pool table and the wet bar was a very dead Judge Rufkins.

Immediately, Officer Trenton started reading Jenny her rights as Office Mathers called in homicide. Not bothering to listen to her story they took her right to the station and left the other two officers at the house to secure the scene.

-------------------------

Abby was watching Carly. Every so often Carly would reach up and rub her forehead. Wondering what the hell her friend was keeping from her was driving Abby crazy so she decided to do something about it. "Where'd you find her journal?"

"What?" Carly asked.

"The journal you told Gibbs about. Where did you find it?"

"Her online journal. She had it linked in her favorites." Carly answered.

Abby was still skeptical. "How did you guess her password?"

Carly looked down and away. Rubbing her head once more, she quietly told Abby, "I haven't yet."

Abby almost exploded from her chair. "What do you mean you haven't yet? You told Gibbs that you had read it! What the hell is going on?"

Carly shook her head. "If you can access her journal, you'll see that what I told him was true. But please, can we talk about this later? I can't ... I can't work with this damn headache. I can barely see straight right now."

Abby was concerned and upset all at the same time. "How long has it been since you've had a headache this bad?"

Eyes closed, Carly's voice grew even quieter, "Nine years."

Abby picked up the phone and punched in a number. "I need you down here." She said quietly so that she wouldn't cause Carly any more pain.

Gibbs arrived within two minutes and took one look at Carly. Nodding at Abby, he walked over and picked her up from the chair she was sitting in. Still in pain, Carly didn't open her eyes. She whispered, "I'm sorry, Jet."

He walked to the elevator and when the doors shut he kissed her forehead. "It'll be ok, Carly. I'm taking you home."

Abby sat thinking for a moment and then turned to Petty Officer Russell's computer. She had to get into that journal and make sure Carly was right. After all her two friends had been through, she wasn't about to let something like this come between them.

Chapter 7

Tony walked into the lab not long after Gibbs had taken Carly home. Her sudden headache was worrying the boss but Tony wondered if it wasn't a way for Carly to get them out of the office for a little middle-of-the-day fun. That line of thinking had him heading down to the lab and there he was, watching Abby attack the keyboard with her usual ferociousness, a worried look on her face. After several minutes, Abby stopped and read what came up on the screen. He heard her mutter, "I'll be damned. She was right."

"Who was right Abs?" He asked, walked over to the screen.

Abby hit a button and the screen went blank. "Carly." She grinned at him. "She told me you would like this outfit I bought the other day and I was just thinking about wearing it tonight."

Smiling, Tony asked, "What does it look like?"

Abby laughed, "I'm not telling, but I promise you'll like it."

Leaning in to bite her neck at her collar, Tony pulled her up against him. "I like everything you do, Abs."

Abby's eyes widened and she gasped as she felt Tony's hardness at the juncture of her thighs. "Tony!"

Growling, he kissed her lips passionately. "Did I mention that everything you do drives me crazy with lust?"

Wriggling against him, Abby's response was to wrap her legs around Tony's waist. "Why should you be sane when I can't think straight when you come down here?"

Kissing her again, he pushed his hips forward to tease her and groaned when he felt her heat. "Abby!"

Her hands quickly went to the waistband of his dress pants and unfastened them, opening them and pushing them and his underwear down slightly. He had to catch his breath when her hand wrapped around his rigid manhood. "ABBY!" He said in a warning tone.

He reached under her skirt to find her panties were moist. Abby kissed him then while stroking him up and down. His fingers wrapped around the strip of material covering her feminine center and he ripped them. Pulling her to the edge of her chair, he let her guide him into her, both of them sighing when he was completely inside.

Trying to take control of the situation, Tony said, "Abby, this may not be the best place..." his voice broke when she tightened her muscles around him, squeezing him. "Geez, Abby!" His fingers found her small bud and without moving a muscle he drove her to climax. Her inner walls milked him and he groaned, kissing her as his release overcame him.

Breathing hard, Tony rested his forehead against Abby's. "See what I mean? Everything you do makes me this way."

Abby grinned. "What am I going to do for panties Tony?"

He grinned himself as he stepped back and fixed his clothes. Slipping the ruined undergarment off her, he stuffed them in his pocket. "Go commando and I'll enjoy that thought all day."

When she hit him, he laughed. Walking over to her office, he pulled out a drawer in her file cabinet and picked out a pair of panties that she had stashed with some clothes. He helped her step into them and said, "There, now is that better?"

"Is what better DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, walking back in the lab. Tony and Abby stepped away from each other guiltily. When they didn't answer Gibbs turned to Abby, "Carly said you might have the journal up for me to go over myself?"

"Right, it's right here." Abby told him putting the journal up on the plasma.

He was halfway through reading it when his phone rang. "Gibbs." He answered. "What? Where are you Jenny?" He listened for a moment more. "We'll be right there." He closed his phone and tossed the keys to Tony. "Bring the car around, the Director's been arrested for murder."

They walked out leaving a stumped Abby behind. The Director arrested? And how had Carly known she would have gotten into the journal by the time Gibbs got back?

Chapter 8

Gibbs marched into the police station; ignoring the desk sargeant, he headed straight for the Captain's office. Unannounced, he walked in and held up his badge. "Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS."

Captain Downey looked at the badge and at the agent in front of him. So here was the man that would make his life a living hell.

"Agent Gibbs, wha..."

"Special Agent and don't give me any run around. The Director is here and you have no evidence to hold her." Gibbs stated bluntly.

"Now we don't know yet about the evidence, Special Agent Gibbs."

"Was her gun fired? Have you checked for GSR on her hands and clothes? Has ballistics been able to match the bullet that killed Judge Rufkins to Director Shepard's gun?" He spit the questions at the Captain rapidly.

"Special Agent Gibbs..." the Captain said while standing to assert his power.

"My gut tells me you don't have anything on her and until you do, you will release her. We have a Federal Agency to run."

"It's not that simple Agent Gibbs and you know it." Captain Downey tried to explain when Officer Mathers walked in and handed some paperwork to him.

"The results for Ms. Shepard, Captain. Just got them from the lab." Officer Mathers said.

Gibbs reached over and took them from the Captain to read over. "Here's your proof Captain. Have your officer bring my Director up." Gibbs stared at the Captain waiting. "NOW!" He ordered.

Captain Downey nodded to Officer Mathers and the officer ran to do as he was told.

---------------------

Jenny buckled in and held on to the dash as Gibbs took off away from the police department. She watched him closely but had no idea how mad he was at this.

"What the hell were you thinking, Jen? Were you thinking? You are the Director of NCIS. You can't be involved in this case any more than you already are. I wouldn't be surprised if you were asked politely to step down while this case is going on, especially now that Judge Rufkins has been murdered. You've just made finding Adrian that much harder since the FBI will probably be breathing down our necks now." She turned toward the window and said nothing which only served to irritate Gibbs more. "Answer me, Jen!"

"I'm still your boss, Agent Gibbs." She told him coldly.

"No." He gave her a hard stare before turning his attention back to the road. "In this, you are not my boss. And if you screw up like this again, someone up higher than you is going to make sure you aren't my boss at all."

"He let her out, Jethro. All I wanted were some answers. When I got there, the door was open and I went in." At the look he gave her she agreed, "I should have called for backup. I should have taken you with me. But I needed to know why and how he influenced the parole board to let her out. I have to have answers Jethro."

"Damn it, Jenny, I'm working on getting you those answers and putting Adrian back in prison. You need to stay out of the way."

"You're right. I know you're right, but it's so hard to step aside and let someone else take care of this."

Gibbs looked at her for a moment. "I know it is, Jen, but sometimes that's how it has to happen."

Jenny nodded. "I trust you Gibbs. I know you're going to get her and I thank you for that."

With a short nod, he pulled into a parking spot at headquarters and they stepped out of the car to find Fornell waiting for them.

Chapter 9

"Tobias." Gibbs said shortly, not in the mood for any FBI involvement.

Fornell held up his hands. "I'm not here to take the case from you Gibbs. As of twenty minutes ago, I was on vacation for the week. I'm offering my help as part of your team. Just don't be surprised when the FBI shows up sometime later today. I only had so much time to stall them and it won't work for long."

Gibbs stared at him for a long moment and then nodded. "What have you heard about the judge's murder?"

Fornell shook his head. "Not out here."

The three of them made their way into the building and to the elevator. Once it started moving, Jenny moved to flip the switch. Fornell looked at Gibbs as if seeking approval to talk about this in front of her. After a slight nod of Gibbs' head, Fornell started. "Judge Rufkins got a huge influx of funds a week ago. We're trying to trace it but haven't come up with anything yet. Whoever sent him the money arranged for the release of 3 other prisoners besides Adrian. Two men and a woman. All three are suspected to have connections to a terrorist cell here in the DC area."

Fornell paused to let Gibbs process the information. "Adrian was released as a distraction for us?" He voiced Fornell's suspicions immediately.

"That's my theory." Fornell confirmed.

---------------------

"Ink Art, this is Lacey."

"Lacey, I need a favor." Carly said in a low voice.

"Sure! What's up?" Lacey asked, her usual cheerful self.

"I need a ride back to work and I was hoping you could drive me."

"You need a ride? Where's your car?"

"It's here, but I can't drive. I have a splitting headache and Jet brought me home."

"Well, if he did, I'm not sure you need to go back to work Carly."

"I have to Lacey. I can't explain it but I have to go back."

"Gibbs' gut feelings aren't contagious are they?" Lacey asked.

When Carly said, "Please, Lacey," Lacey knew something was wrong.

"It will take a few minutes for me to lock up here but I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Thank you Lacey." Carly said and hung up the phone.

----------------

Tony, Tim and Ziva were busy pulling backgrounds on the three other people released from prison. Nothing they found was good and none of it would help clue them in as to what was being planned. Abby came running into the bullpen with a note for Gibbs and he immediately called a halt to what they were doing.

"Adrian has the Director." He announced to everyone.

"What happened to Fornell?" Tony asked.

"He was knocked unconscious." Abby told him. "Apparently it wasn't Adrian that killed the judge and all she's interested in is getting even with Jen for sending her to prison."

"She killed Jen's sister." Ziva said and Tony thanked her for stating the obvious.

"We know that." Gibbs said. "What we didn't know was that Jen tried to break up Adrian and her sister because she knew something was off with Adrian. The night her sister was killed, she was staying at Jen's and Adrian killed her by mistake."

"She meant to kill the Director?" Tim asked, surprised by this.

"Yes." Abby answered him and read the note aloud. " 'Even after all this time you still get to me, Jenny Shepard. Today, I'll get to you.' This note was waiting on the windshield of her car and Fornell was knocked out when he picked it up. He made it to the front door and that's where I ran into him. Ducky took him to autopsy and I came straight here." she finished in a rush.

The elevator doors slid open and Gibbs turned expecting to see Fornell. Instead Carly walked in followed closely by Lacey. "What are you doing back here?"

Carly shrugged her shoulders and Lacey told him. "I've been trying to talk her out of coming back in since she called, but she insisted."

Gibbs nodded to her as he watched Carly walk slowly over. "What's happened?" She asked and he filled her in.

"So you need to find the Director and someone needs to be looking for these three." She said and nodded towards the plasma screen.

"I've located the Director, Boss." Tim said from his desk. He had been punishing his keyboard from the moment Gibbs said the Director was missing. "Well her phone at least."

"Pull it up McGee." Gibbs ordered and they watched the plasma as the GPS locator kept moving. "She's taking her somewhere. McGee, get the car. Abby keep tracking her phone. Let's go!" He ordered and the team rushed out leaving Abby, Carly and Lacey behind.

Chapter 10

"We'd better get to work." Carly said and took a seat at Jethro's computer.

Abby and Lacey stared at each other until the phone started ringing and Abby put Gibbs on speaker.

"Where is she headed Abs?"

"Falls Church, Virginia, Gibbs. They're almost there. Don't know if that is where she will stop or not."

"Oh she'll stop," Gibbs said and Carly nodded in agreement.

"How do you know?" Abby asked and realized Gibbs had hung up. "He doesn't even know where she's going to stop."

"He knows." Carly told her and pulled up the file on Jen's sister. Pulling up the address and owner information of the house Jen used to live in, she found that it was empty. "The house Jen lived in is owned by a realty company. It's been on the market for the last year."

"I hope they get there in time." Abby and Lacey said together.

Going back to the computer search for the terrorists, Carly told them with certainty, "They'll get there. Trust me."

---------------------

Gibbs pulled up to the house and all four of them piled out and stayed low. The street was quiet, most people were at work at this time of day. As they neared the house, a shot was fired. Rushing in, Gibbs and team found Jenny lying on the floor bleeding from the shoulder.

"It was supposed to be you!" Adrian was shouting. "You should have died! She loved me and you were taking her from me!"

"Federal Agents, drop your weapon!" Gibbs and DiNozzo shouted at the same time. Gibbs and Tony were standing while Ziva and Tim were crouched near the floor, all four agents had their weapons trained on the woman across the room.

Adrian looked at them in contempt. "I'm not afraid to die. She took the woman I loved and turned her against me. She has to pay for that." Raising her gun towards Jenny, four shots were fired in quick succession. All four shots hitting center mass. Adrian Selachi was dead before her body started to fall.

----------------------

Jen was taken to the hospital and straight to surgery for her shoulder. Fortunately, Adrian's motivation for shooting her was to watch her suffer without causing major damage so the wound would heal rather quickly. Fornell had opted to stay behind and not argue with the doctor about his concussion since it only made his head hurt worse. Gibbs drove the team back to headquarters and they found Carly looking much better than when they had left. She was busy searching all known locations for signs of the three escaped terrorists. There was a hit for one of the men on a traffic camera and agents had been sent to find the car only to discover it parked near a strip mall and wired to blow. Quickly setting up a perimeter around the car and evacuating the few patrons and shop owners, the agents sat and waited for the bomb squad. Nearly three minutes before they arrived, the car blew up. The explosion was heard throught the speaker phone on Gibbs desk as Carly was on with one of the field agents at the scene. She bit her lip and smiled a small smile at Jethro. He narrowed his eyes.

"What did you do?" He asked.

"Well..." She said and Tom Morrow told him, "She followed orders, Agent Gibbs."

"Tom? What are you doing here?" Jethro asked him.

"I was called in to keep you all in line while the Director is recuperating. When Carly told me she had possibly located one of our suspected terrorists I sent a team of agents out to find the car. That explosion was the car blowing up."

"Was anyone hurt?" Jethro questioned.

"No one, Gibbs." Came a voice over the phone. "Carly got us here in time to get everyone away but the bomb squad just pulled up so I need to get off here."

"Good work." Jethro told the agent and disconnected the call. He raised his eyebrow at Tom and was silently directed up to his temporary office.

Abby watched as Lacey and Tim snuck off to the stairs. They hadn't had a lot of time together lately. Then she turned and watched as Carly smiled and scanned the pictures coming up on Gibbs computer.

"What happened to your headache?" Abby wanted, no needed to know.

Carly glanced up at her and pushed away from the desk. She walked around and hooked her arm through Abby's and started walking toward the elevators. "Abby, I have something to tell you that you might not believe."

~The End~

~Calalily~

The Assistant Series - You're The One I Want

2007-03-13T18:03:15Z

Rated R
Usual Disclaimer: I own nothing. This story is the figment of my imagination, meaning it's fiction. =)

Chapter 1

Tomorrow. Carly thought. I was going to ask Jet about "Kelly" tomorrow. It was now a month later. She was still halfway staying with him and hadn't asked him yet.

Flashback – three and a half weeks earlier

Carly hung up the phone and looked over at Abby. "They're finished with my apartment."

Abby looked up and said, "You don't want to go back, do you?"

"Not really," Carly admitted, shaking her head. "For several reasons really."

Nodding in understanding, Abby's eyes darted away from Carly and she stood up. "I'm going to get a Caff-Pow, want a coffee?"

Already distracted with work and other thoughts, Carly didn't notice Abby's quick retreat when she said, "No thank you."

Carly was reading some test results when two hands settled on her shoulders. From the way they held her, she knew who it was.

"Hello Gibbs." She said using his last name since they were at work.

"Carly." Gibbs replied, kissing the top of her head. When she looked up, he asked, "Your apartment has been cleaned?"

"Yes. They just called and told me."

He turned her around in her chair and just looked at her. When he didn't say anything, Carly smiled at him. "It will be good to get back to my place." When Gibbs still said nothing, Carly added, "I've just gotten the results back on those fingerprints. They belong to the suspect you have in custody. Abby was running the blood tests and they should be finished before long."

Kissing her cheek as he did with Abby, Gibbs walked out saying, "Good work, Carly."

* * * * * *

Carly was roaming around her apartment later that night feeling a little edgy. It was the first time she had been back since being held captive. She jumped when someone knocked on her door. Trying to calm her nerves she checked the peephole before throwing the door open.

"Jet! What are you doing here?" She asked.

"You really thought I'd make you stay your first night back alone?"

She noticed the small overnight bag he was holding and the clothes he had slung over his shoulder. Smiling at him, she stepped back to let him in. "A sleepover? I haven't had a sleepover in a long time."

He gave her a long look before replying, "As long as you know I'm sleeping with you."

Locking her door, she then walked over to take his bag and kissed him. "As long as you know I wouldn't let you sleep anywhere else."

End Flashback

And that had started a trend for them. They'd spend some nights at her apartment and some nights at his house. In all that time, she still hadn't gotten the nerve up to ask him who Kelly was. Something in the way Abby avoided her questions and Jet never mentioned it told her it would not be a happy story.

Chapter 2

Jet was at work. Carly was laid out on his couch, feverish and cold all at the same time. She hated having the flu. The only reason she was there and not at her place was because Jethro wouldn't drive her. She couldn't drive herself and he had been called in because the FBI was trying to take over a case. She curled up into the blanket and fell asleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gibbs walked up the stairs to the director's office, bypassing everyone and saying nothing. He had been called in and had to leave Carly at home sick. To say he was upset would be underestimating the situation. He walked straight past Cynthia and into Jen's office. He stopped still when he saw her on the phone. Giving her a look that said she should hang it up or he would, she ended the call.

"Agent Gibbs." She began.

"Director Shepard." Gibbs said, slightly mocking and definitely impatient. "What is this I hear about the FBI taking over the Cook case?"

"They have jurisdiction, Jethro." Jen told him.

"That's bullshit. This is a Marine who died while on a Marine base. How the hell is it the FBI's jurisdiction?"

"I have been ordered to turn this case over to them, Agent Gibbs and you will comply with those orders as well."

Clamping his mouth shut so tight, the Director could almost hear his teeth creak, he turned and left her office.

~~~~~~~

"DiNozzo!" He barked, down in the bullpen.

"Yeah, boss." DiNozzo replied.

"With me." Gibbs told him and they entered the elevator. As the elevator started moving, he reached over and hit the stop button. "The evidence in the Cook case, have you made copies of it?"

"That's automatically done now, Gibbs." Tony told him.

"Turn over the originals to the FBI." Gibbs told him and saw Tony looking shocked. "According to the Director, they have jurisdiction on this case. We'll work from what we have. Now get on that. I'm going to see Abby." Gibbs told him and hit the button to start the elevator back.

The doors opened on the same floor and Tony stepped out. Fornell tried to run over, but Gibbs had the doors closed before he reached them. Gibbs stepped out into Abby's lab. The absence of Carly's presence was noticeable in how Abby worked these days. She had her music lower and it seemed to Gibbs that she was missing her friend.

"She'll be ok, Abs." He told her as he approached her chair.

"I know. It's just the flu Gibbs." Abby said and looked up at him. "It's just with everything that's gone on, the only break she's managed to catch lately is you." At the look he gave her, she smiled. "And working here, but she's had a lot of stuff happen since she started and you've been there for her."

Gibbs decided the best way to end this line of conversation was to ignore it. "The evidence in the Cook case Abs, where is it?"

Abby shot him a knowing look and said, "Boxed up for the feds, bossman. The Director ordered me to cease and desist half an hour ago."

Gibbs expression darkened and she told him quietly, "Don't worry. I already had what I needed to run the tests."

With a quick smile, Gibbs took the evidence box, signed off on it and turned to walk out. "Good work, Abby."

Smiling to his back she turned back to her computer. He didn't fool her one bit.

Chapter 3

Gibbs watched as Fornell and his agents entered the elevator with the boxes of evidence in hand. Their ME had already taken the body from autopsy. As soon as they cleared the bullpen, Gibbs led Tony, Tim, Ziva and Michelle down to autopsy where he was met by Ducky and Abby.

"What is going on Jethro?" Ducky asked and watched as his old friend shook his head.

"The Director hasn't mentioned it Ducky. All I know is that we're all taking the afternoon off and then heading over to my house to work on this." Gibbs said and looked at each team member as they took in what he meant.

Tony was the first to speak, "Ah, boss, are you sure you're place is best? I don't think any of us wants to get the flu." When Gibbs was silent and just looking at him, he added, "Yeah, you're place is best. We need to check on Carly and see if she's ok." Again, Gibbs said nothing and Tony finally told him, "I'm shutting up now, boss."

"Good. Now that that's settled, here's what I want from each of you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Back in the bullpen shortly after meeting with everyone, Gibbs watched Jenny walk down the stairs. He knew what was coming.

"Where is everyone going?" She wanted to know.

Gibbs looked at her and said, "Jen, my team has been working nearly non-stop for weeks now. Since the FBI took the Cook case off of our hands, I've decided to tell everyone to go home early today."

Jenny stared at him for a moment and when he said nothing else, she realized what he was going to do. Nodding her head in approval, she turned to go back upstairs and said, "You're right, everyone needs to rest up in case we get something new to do."

Standing up from his chair, Gibbs grabbed his coffee and left.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Carly had dragged herself to the kitchen and was sipping some coffee when she heard the door open. She knew the exact moment that Jet realized she wasn't on the couch because she heard him take his gun out of the holster. Smiling, she called out, "I'm in the kitchen. You can put the gun away."

She heard it slid back in the holster just before he came into the kitchen. "What are you doing up?"

"I was feeling a bit stronger and decided I needed some coffee to help me feel better. But now I'm just hungry and I no longer have the energy to fix something."

He put his hand to her forehead and shook his head. "Let me get you back to the couch and I'll heat up some of the soup you had earlier."

He started to lift her but she shook her head. "Why are you back so early? I thought the director would keep you for a while." Carly saw the look on his face and asked, "What happened, Jet?"

"We had to turn the case over to the FBI."

"What? Why?" She asked him.

"Director's orders. We turned over the evidence and the body. It's their case now." He explained.

Carly stared at him for a moment. "So what are you going to do about it?"

He raised his eyebrows at her tone. "How do you know I am going to do something?"

She rolled her eyes. "Because you're Leroy Jethro Gibbs and you don't hand over cases to the FBI that easily."

Smiling, he told her, "Everyone's coming here to go over what evidence we managed to copy before they took it."

"Then that should be everything so far. Tests results, interviews, case notes, it's all copied and stored separately from the evidence in case something happens. It's all about back-ups and covering your ass these days, Jet."

"For once, I'm glad we have the technology to back it all up without anyone realizing it. I want to know why the FBI is so interested in a young man that hasn't been in the Marines for his full two years yet."

There was a knock at the door and Carly wrapped the blanket more securely around her. "Need me to go upstairs while you all talk this over?"

"There's no need for that my dear," Ducky said as he walked into the kitchen. "We've all had our flu shots this year. Well all except for you that is." He hugged her and placed a container of soup on the table in front of her.

Carly inhaled the scent of the baked potato soup. "Oh, Ducky, you know just what I like." She told him and he beamed. She caught Jet's look and batted him on the arm. "Stop glaring at Ducky. No offense but the chicken noodle was getting a little old."

He looked startled for a moment but before he could say anything, Tony and Abby walked in trailed by Michelle, Tim and Palmer. Abby grabbed Carly in a quick hug and said, "You have got to get better soon. The lab is too quiet without you."

Jet grabbed a spoon for Carly to eat her soup with and everyone sat down to go over the evidence in the Cook murder.

Chapter 4

Carly was feverish again that night. Tossing and turning in bed while Gibbs alternated between covering her up and getting her to drink water to stay hydrated. By the early morning hours, her fever finally broke and he left her to rest while he went to the basement.

The team still hadn't been called in on another case, so Gibbs drank his coffee while reviewing all the information from their investigation into the death of Private Cook. Abby ran the prints through AFIS and the military database and the only thing that came up was his service record. One year 7 months in service, all stateside. He was one of the lucky ones that hadn't been sent to Iraq or one of several other countries the US were currently stationed in. Not so lucky once you thought it out though. If he had been overseas, he might still be alive. Nothing in the file indicated that there was any reason for someone to kill him.

Gibbs was on his second cup of coffee when he heard the shuffle of Carly's feet as they came into view. She stepped onto the landing leading down into the basement and he could tell by the way she was looking that she was on the road to recovery. He was glad. Seeing her sick had been tough. He hadn't been responsible for the 24/7 care of someone who was sick in a long time. Not that he'd had to take care of her. She had pretty much insisted at first that he take her home and stay away until she was better. But there was no way he could have done that. He watched her walk down the steps to join him beside his work table knowing that he worried about her well-being more than he was comfortable with.

She was staring at the boat. He knew she was proud of it and all the hours he had put into it. He also knew she was curious about the name he had given it. By the way she was biting her lip, he could tell that today was the day for the truth.

"Jet." She started in a voice roughened with sleep and her illness. "I want to ask you a question and if it's none of my business, let me know, ok?"

"She was my daughter." Gibbs said quietly.

Carly's head jerked up and around to look at him. "Your daughter?"

Shutting his eyes, he recalled the memories that were never far below the surface. "She was so young. She and my wife were killed in 1991. I was serving overseas, Desert Storm. Shannon, my wife, had witnessed a crime and reported it. She and Kelly were killed for it, for silence." He opened his eyes to see Carly's filled with tears and pain.

Not moving or reaching out, she whispered, "Oh, Jethro," quietly as tears slid down her cheeks.

He fought back his own tears as he watched her cry for him. Pulling her into his arms, he sat with his head resting on top of hers. Breathing in the scent of the herbal shampoo she used, he continued. "He was Mexican, a drug dealer. He was never brought to trial, never arrested."

Carly squeezed him hard and with an insight into him that frightened him at times, she said, "He deserved what he got, Jethro." She pulled back to look at him and he wondered if she found it in his face. "He wouldn't have been brought to trial here. He died because of the way he lived." She said with a certainty that showed how well she had come to know him.

He pulled her head back down to his shoulder and swallowed hard, thinking about his beautiful baby girl and how happy she had made his life. Holding Carly, hearing her sniffle and feeling her tears falling onto his arm, Gibbs control cracked the tiniest bit and a few tears of his own fell into her hair.

Chapter 5

Carly walked slowly around the lab. It was her first day back and her strength had yet to return completely. To be truthful, she wasn't sure what had drained her the most – the flu or Jet's revelation about his first wife and daughter.

Four times. He'd been married four times. And one of those four women had been perfect for him. She loved him as he was, Marine and all. She survived him being stationed away from her and their daughter. And her love for him was as bright as the sunlight outside the building. Jethro had finally shown her a picture that morning of the three of them. Lord, but they had made a beautiful family. And surprise, Shannon was a redhead. Carly wondered to herself if Jet had even realized he had dated only redheaded women as a way of trying to find a woman like Shannon again.

She felt as if there was a band around her chest and something kept tightening the band. Biting her lip hard, she tasted blood and realized she was more bothered by this than she had admitted to herself. When she realized her hands were shaking with her upset, she decided to be useful.

"What all did you get on Private Cook again, Abby?" Carly asked.

"A whole lot of nothing. He was actually one of the few people that don't keep secrets and he didn't need to. There was nothing in his past that could hurt him and nothing in his present that gives any motive for murder."

"What about his parents?" She asked again.

Abby put her Caff-Pow down and stared at her. "His what?"

Signing and saying it at the same time, Carly repeated, "His parents? His family? Was there anything in their background that would give someone a motive to kill him?"

"I can't believe Gibbs didn't think of that." Abby told her, fingers flying over her keyboard. "Or Tony. Or even me. I normally look into everything but with the Feds taking the case over, I didn't go back that far. And of course, Gibbs was preoccupied with you being sick and all. I'm so glad you're back, by the way. It's been so quiet around here without you. I really can't believe…" She stopped in the middle of the sentence and clicked on her mouse to bring the information up on the big screen.

They both read the background and said, "His parents didn't exist before 1980."

They looked at each other and reached for to turn on the video link to call Jet.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Standing in the lab with the Director present, Abby and Carly explained what they found. "Before 1980, Mr. and Mrs. Cook were not around. Not as Mr. and Mrs. Cook anyway."

McGee took over the explanation and told them, "It took some doing, but we found out who they really are. In 1978 Mark Sawyer and his wife Lara witnessed a botched bank robbery become a massacre. The only reason prosecutors think the Sawyer's were spared is because Lara was noticeably pregnant at the time with Private Cook's sister. The Sawyer's saw the robbers, they testified against them in 1979 and were then entered into the Witness Protection Program. Their identities were changed and seven years later, Eric Cook was born."

The Director looked at McGee. "Do I want to know how you found all that out?"

Looking down, McGee decided that not answering her question was the best way to go.

"That's what I thought." Jen said and looked around the room, "Good job guys. We have possible motive but who back then would have known about the WPP and is around today to act on all this?"

Abby clicked a button and brought up the pictures of two of the men involved in the robbery 28 years previously.

"They escaped." Carly spoke up. She was getting tired from her first day back and was glad that Jet was behind her. "FBI put out BOLO's on them in Missouri, but we think they've come after the son as some sort of retribution/payback for the Cooks testifying against them. They could see she was pregnant at the time of the robbery and having spent 28 years in a federal prison, they might be looking to right the wrong they think was done to them."

Nodding, Jethro sent the team to their desks to track down those two men as best they could. When it was just Abby, Carly and Jet in the lab, he leaned down and kissed Carly's lips before walking out, leaving both women in shock that he would kiss her at work.

Chapter 6

Gibbs sent Tony and Ziva to surveil Eric Cook's sister. If the killer was one or both of the robbers, it stood to reason that the sister was in danger as well. On day two of the stake out, Fornell marched into the bull pen and demanded to talk with Gibbs.

"Conference room." Gibbs said and they walked into the elevator. Hitting the switch, Gibbs stared ahead and waited for Fornell to show his hand first. It didn't take long.

"What the hell are thinking pursuing this case? You were ordered off this investigation Jethro."

Without turning, Gibbs said, "You'd do the same thing Tobias if the CIA or NCIS took a case from you. You don't stop when you're ordered to if one of your own is killed."

Fornell looked at Gibbs and grunted. "He was a Marine, yes, but he wasn't one of your's, Jethro. You never served with him, you never met him."

"That's where you're wrong Tobias." Gibbs told him as he started the elevator back up. As the doors opened and he stepped through, he said over his shoulder, "I met him the day he died."

The doors shut on Fornell's shocked expression and McGee looked over puzzled. "How did you meet Eric Cook the day he died, boss?"

With a quick look, Gibbs replied, "I met him the same time Ducky did."

Understanding dawned as McGee watched Gibbs sit down at his desk to go over the evidence one more time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I can't believe he made me go on a stake-out with you."

"Oh, please, I can't be the worst stake-out partner you've ever had."

The comment earned a look and the reply, "If not the worst then certainly close."

Rolling her eyes, Ziva asked, "What makes me such a horrible partner, Tony?"

"I can't believe you don't know how to play Boggle." Tony said.

Exasperated, Ziva explained to him, "Tony, forgive me for not taking the time to learn every American game before coming to work with you. However, in my country when we are sent to surveil someone, we don't waste time playing games."

Tony frowned. "We've been here two days. Nothing is going to happen…" he trailed off watching a man dragging a woman across the lawn in front of them.

Ziva looked at the pictures of the men from the robbery and back up at the man across the street. "This is stupid." She said as they quickly got out of the car. "Why is he grabbing her from the house?"

They ran across the street and yelled, "Freeze, Federal Agents!"

The man stopped still and looked around. By this time, the FBI had also arrived in the yard and the man had several guns aimed at him. Growling in his anger and frustration, he thrust the woman to the ground. The FBI swooped in and arrested him while Tony and Ziva helped Diane Cook to her feet.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Carly and Abby were stunned that the case had ended so quickly. They shot questions at Jet and Tony left and right.

"Was he stupid?"

"Did he want to get caught?"

"What was he thinking?"

"He killed his partner?"

"Why on earth didn't he just run when he had the chance?"

The two men looked at each other and then at the women whose mouths were moving at the speed of light. Shrugging, they shut them up the only way that would work. They kissed them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He answered the door after the first knock. Well considering who was knocking, there really wasn't a beginning and end to the knock, just a steady beating on the door until he opened it. He saw the look on her face and decided to let her tell him what was wrong. It didn't take long.

"I just spent two whole days in a van with Tony."

Smiling, Ducky motioned Ziva inside. "You poor dear. Come in and I'll make us some tea."

Ziva sighed in relief and followed him to the kitchen where she had a lively discussion with his mother while they waited for the tea to be ready.

Chapter 7

Ziva was invited back to dinner the following night by Mrs. Mallard. She had accepted the invitation and showed up a little early, nervous and standing on the doorstep. Ducky answered the door with his mother right behind him. She looked curiously at Ziva but smiled when the younger woman smiled at her. Ziva realized she did not recognize her and resigned herself to hearing some of the same questions over again. She answered them with a patience that no one but Ducky would believe her capable. As the night went on, she chatted with Mrs. Mallard and laughed with Ducky. It was very nice to be part of their little world for the evening. Ducky walked her to the door and as he was telling her goodnight she kissed him softly on the lips.

At his look of surprise, she told him, "Thank you for a wonderful evening, Ducky. I had a great time."

He would have said something in response if she had given him the chance. Instead, she turned and fairly flew down the walk to her car.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jethro woke alone and looked around the bedroom. He noticed Carly's clothes lying across the chair in the corner and relaxed. She was still here and it was almost a certainty that she was wearing his shirt. He got up and went downstairs looking for her. She wasn't in the kitchen but he noticed the coffee cup sitting on the table. He turned and walked down the hall; sure enough the door to the basement was open enough that he could see a light on downstairs. He pushed the door open all the way and looked down but didn't see her. He quickly went down the steps to find her curled up under his boat. Stopping, he smiled at the sight. She had brought a pillow and blanket from the couch down here and had fallen asleep under his boat.

In the middle of deciding what he should do, her eyes blinked open. Sleep still heavy on her eyes, she looked at him and smiled the little one that she only smiled for him. "Jet." She said and she wriggled under the blanket.

He ducked under the boat. "Room enough for two down here?" he asked her.

She lifted the blanket, "Of course, but you know that. You built her." She nodded at the boat and snuggled into his side as he lay beside her.

"What made you come down here?"

"Hmmmm. You seem to be able to get a lot of thinking done down here. So I decided to try it."

"Did it work?"

She nuzzled her face into his neck, turned and her leg moved to cover his. "Not really. Once I got settled and warm, I feel asleep." She kissed his neck, still more asleep than awake.

Jethro kept silent. He knew if she wanted to explain she would and she did.

"I've been thinking about Shannon and Kelly. I hate that you went through that Jet. I hate that you lost them. And I realized that Shannon helped make you the man you are today just as much as the Marines did. Your love for her and Kelly is still there and that won't ever change. That's so rare and beautiful, Jet, not everyone finds that."

She fell silent and for several minutes, Jethro thought she had fallen back asleep until her hand moved across his chest to rest on his cheek and she kissed him softly. "You're the one I want, Jet." She said and left it at that.

As she slowly relaxed against him, he went over everything she said. He pressed a rough kiss to her head once he understood that she had just told him that she loved him. In her own way and not to replace Shannon in his heart, she was telling him she loved him. And heaven help him, she had just made him aware that his heart had room to love one more.

~The End~

~Calalily~

The Assistant Series - Something To Talk About

2007-03-13T17:58:28Z

Rated R ****** WARNING - smut in later chapters, if you don't like, don't read
Summary: There is always something to talk about in relationships.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing is real, it is all fiction.

Chapter 1

Jethro unlocked his front door and stepped back to let Carly in. He knew she was still coming down from the events that took place at her apartment and she'd need some time to come to terms with things. He watched as she looked around his living room, taking in the furniture and lack of decoration. He allowed her to take his hand when she reached out, knowing this too was something she needed. A lifeline to what was real and now, not a connection to the madman who had tried to kill her.

She turned to him and asked, "Got any coffee?"

He smiled and led her to the kitchen. She sat down as he put the coffee on. He looked at her, sitting there drawn into herself and knew he couldn't let her stay like that. He went to her and pulled her into his arms. Her dark blue eyes met his and she smiled.

"I like your house, Jet."

Jethro laughed. "Don't lie, Carly. I saw the way you looked at the living room."

"Well, it is a little spartan, but it fits for some reason." She explained.

With a smile still on his lips, he leaned down to kiss her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

More hungry for him than she wanted to admit, Carly kissed him like she was thirsting and he was cool, pure water. She was breathless when he pulled back and slowly released her. Desire and confusion warred inside her as she watched him get cups and pour coffee into them. He wanted her that much she could tell from the way his breathing was erratic and the pulse in his neck was jumping. Ready to tell him to forget the coffee, the words died on her lips when he looked at her with a sad, serious expression. With an inward sigh, she sat back at the table knowing the speech she was about to hear. He handed her the cup and sat opposite her with the hands that knew her body so well wrapped around his own cup.

"Carly…"

"Let me guess, Jethro, these last couple of weeks have been nice but a fluke, right? You wouldn't have gotten involved with me if the situation hadn't forced the issue?" she interrupted trying to beat him to the punch and delay the hurt she felt as well.

When his eyes met hers, she knew she was right. He invited her to stay because her apartment wasn't fit to return to and to shut her out. He drank his coffee without a word and when the last drop was gone, he stood up.

"No, damn it." His jaw was stiff and he stood over her. "I want you Carly. This," he pulled her back into her arms and his hands found her rear, "is not over. Unless you want it to be."

Surprised that he changed his mind and was giving her the power to end it, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I want you Jethro. Just you."

He lifted her up off the floor and kissed her again. She tasted coffee and heaven when his tongue swept into her mouth and she gave herself over to his control knowing she was safe.

Chapter 2

Carly woke up at 0100 and Jethro was not beside her in bed. Staring at the ceiling she thought things through. She knew he wanted her. She knew that their sex was off the charts. The things he made her feel would be illegal in most foreign countries and half of the fifty states. Sighing, she pushed back the covers and realized that was part of the problem. He made her feel; on levels that transcended sex, Leroy Jethro Gibbs made Carly Thomas feel. And that scared the hell out of her.

Padding around the bedroom naked, Carly found a T-shirt in the dresser and slipped it on. Yes, they had just spent several hours touching, kissing, licking and sucking every inch of exposed skin they could reach but she somehow got the feeling that she would need something on when she found Jet and talked with him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jethro was in the basement, painting the name on his boat. He had thought a long time about what he was going to do once Carly's stalker was caught. He would let her go. She was too young. He was too old. He had seen too much in this life and she hadn't seen enough. There was no room in his life for her and she was too much like Abby, a free spirit who would only stay for a short time. All his good intentions of letting her go went out the window when he saw that knife at her throat, only to come slamming back down in his face once he left HQ with her. He meant to bring her to his home to explain why they couldn't be together. He had even started to tell her but she had interrupted and stared at him with those beautiful eyes of hers. In that moment he knew he couldn't end this with her any more than he could stop the rain from falling.

Frustrated, he stood and placed the paintbrush in the jar of paint thinner. Picking up his glass, he downed the liquid in one shot. Feeling the burn all the way down to his belly, he resisted the urge to throw the glass against the wall. She was too much for him to get a handle on and she was getting too close. Uncomfortable with the emotions and thoughts he was having, he walked around the boat looking for any imperfections in the finish. His ears picked up the squeak of the floorboards and he looked up. The door was closed and he knew Carly wouldn't come down unless invited. She hadn't even knocked yet. It was as if she knew this was his space and she respected that.

Admitting to himself that it might be too late for him, he raised his voice for her to hear him say, "Come on in, Carly."

The door cracked open and she asked, "Are you sure?"

In answer to her question, he held out his hand to her; she moved through the doorway, down the stairs and over to him. He wrapped her in his arms, not noticing the chill in the house until he felt it on her skin.

"You're cold."

Shaking her head to deny it, she told him, "Not anymore."

He felt her arms tighten around him. He also felt her curiosity stirring. "It's my boat." He told her and turned her around to see it.

She looked it over and smiled. "Abby told me you were building one, but I thought she was joking about where." Settling her head back on his shoulder she told him, "That is one beautiful boat."

Kissing her hair, he took his arms from around her. "Come on. Let's go to bed. We have work tomorrow."

Chapter 3

Tony was restless. Abby had refused to come home with him tonight thinking he somehow let their relationship slip to Gibbs. As if he'd be crazy enough to do something like that. Now he couldn't sleep and he couldn't think of any way to prove to Abby that he hadn't said a word. Rolling over, he punched his pillow and slammed his head down into it, growling.

His head popped up and his hand reached for the gun he kept in his nightstand. He had heard a noise from the living room. Easing from his bed, Tony kept the gun ready and made his way to the bedroom door. As he was about to round the corner, the perfume hit his nose. Dropping the gun to his side, he flipped on the lights.

"Abby?" was all he could say once he saw what she wasn't wearing.

Abby jumped when the lights came on and looked a bit disappointed at having been caught. Straightening and turning in his direction, she said, "Tony, I wanted to apologize right after I blasted into you earlier, but I didn't know how to take it back." She walked toward him and he stared as her lovely curves bounced with her walk. "I decided the best way would be to show you how sorry I am." She stood in front of him with a look of uncertainty that didn't fit the confident Abby he knew.

Tony slipped the safety back on and wrapped an arm around her waist. "We can show each other." He said, surprising her by lifting her with one arm.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him tenderly. Pulling back, she smiled her satisfied smile. "I love it when we have the same ideas."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next day, Abby and Carly were in the lab with nothing to do. They looked at each other and started laughing.

"So what happened when…" they asked at the same time.

"You go first…" they said again.

Staring at each other, they decided to do things the civilized way. Holding out their hands, they bounced them, counting to three and made a sign. Abby was Rock and Carly was Paper. Laughing again, Carly asked, "So what happened when I left yesterday?"

Abby narrowed her eyes. "I'll answer completely, 100% truthfully if you promise to do the same."

"Of course." Carly promised, trying unsuccessfully to look hurt at the accusation. "I wasn't the one that started the whole 'let's not tell everything' deal you know."

Abby reached over and smacked her arm. "Do you want to know or what?"

"Yes, I want to know!" Carly said.

"Ziva and McGee couldn't believe Tony and I were involved and that Tony had managed to keep it secret. They wouldn't leave us alone, so I started a fight with Tony to get them to stop. Unfortunately, Tony really thought I was angry with him and he went home alone."

"What? He didn't know you were joking?"

"Nope. So I decided to surprise him and sneak into his apartment to make up, but he caught me. He had his gun out ready to take out the intruder. It was funny really."

"Abby! That's not funny. He could have shot you!"

"He didn't though. Anyway, we made up." Abby said with a quick grin. "Now, what happened when Gibbs got you to his house?"

"Well, I hadn't been to his house before. It's nice." Carly started and ducked the punch Abby threw her way. "Ok! He took me to his house to call it off if you must know. We were drinking coffee and there it was, the big bomb waiting to be dropped."

"No! Gibbs can't do that!" Abby protested. "You two are so cute together!"

"How do you know when you haven't really seen us together?" Carly wanted to know.

"Don't change the subject. What happened?"

"I beat him to the punch and told him I knew what he was going to say."

"And?"

"And, he changed his mind." Carly said and looked at her friend.

"Gibbs changed his mind?" Abby asked, looking thoughtful. "He really likes you then."

Blushing at that, Carly changed the subject. "I saw his boat. He did a wonderful job on it. There's just one thing that puzzled me."

"What's that?" Abby asked.

"Why'd he name it Kelly?"

Abby's expression changed to such a serious look, Carly knew something was wrong. Abby told her, "I didn't know he'd named the boat. As for why he choose Kelly, you'll have to ask him." Seeing the confusion on Carly's face Abby added, "I love both of you guys but that is something for Gibbs to share when he's ready. I can't tell you. I'm sorry."

Nodding even though she didn't understand, Carly turned back to the computer and started going through evidence on a cold case.

Chapter 4

By the time the day was over, Gibbs and Tony were equally disgusted with the curious natures of their fellow agents. It was bad enough that Ziva and McGee had been throwing questioning glances their way. They also had to deal with several agents in the office who stopped by to make suggestive comments until Gibbs just glared at them.

Abby and Carly stepped off the elevator and felt the tension in the air right away. Carly turned to get back in but Abby grabbed her arm and shook her head. She signed to Carly, "They've been dealing with this all day, the least we can do is tough it out."

Twisting her lips, Carly looked over at Jet and nodded at Abby. They walked over to the team and stood there for a few moments before anyone looked up and noticed.

"Abby, Carly." McGee said.

"Hey guys." They said in unison. "Are we still on for Salvatore's tonight everyone?"

Ziva and McGee looked at each other then at Gibbs and Tony. "Um, I don't think I can make it." Tim started.

"Maybe tonight isn't so good." Ziva offered.

Gibbs caught the disappointed looks on the women's faces and turned to tell McGee and Ziva, "We're still on. Ducky, Palmer and Lee are joining us tonight."

McGee looked upset for a moment and then asked, "I'll be bringing someone as well." Surprised, the whole team looked at him. "What? I can't have plans?" He wanted to know.

"It's fine Timmy. Who are you bringing?" Abby asked.

"Lacey."

Abby and Carly's eyes widened and the rest of the team just looked confused.

"Who's Lacey?" Tony wanted to know.

With a smile, Abby answered, "She's the one that did the tat on his ass."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sal himself seated the entire crew that night. He was an intuitive man, not only in knowing what everyone at the table would like, but also who should be next to whom. Gibbs was seated next to Carly who was seated next to Abby then Tony. Lacey was between Tony and McGee. Ziva was next to Tim, then Ducky, Michelle and Palmer rounding out the group next to Gibbs. Poor Jimmy was nervous to be sitting next to Gibbs, even with all they had gone through when Michelle and Carly were abducted. Lucky for him, Carly took up most of Gibbs attention.

Tony turned to Lacey and asked, "Probie really has a tat on his ass?"

With an amused grin in Tim's direction, she replied, "I like to think of my shop kinda like a doctor's office. People come in looking for a service, I provide the service and if they choose to tell about said service, it's their choice."

"So in other words, you're not telling me anything?" Tony asked.

Lacey looked at Tim and said, "He's not as slow as you made him out to be, honey."

Tim turned bright red at her words and the endearment. Tony smirked then realized what Lacey said. Everyone else just laughed at the dig at Tony's expense.

The rest of the evening went smoothly as everyone relaxed enough to enjoy the food and company. Filled with a great meal, the team was getting ready to leave the restaurant when five men entered, hoods over their faces and guns in the air.

Locking the doors, they shot several rounds into the ceiling. The man leading the group stepped forward, "Everybody stay right where you are and no one gets hurt."

Chapter 5

In the process of standing, Gibbs eased back down into his seat. Quickly assessing the situation, he noticed Sal getting the staff out the back door. The five men moved through the restaurant, selecting tables of people. They collected cell phones and car keys and sent the people out the front door. Gibbs noted that the gunmen had released all the elderly diners and couples with children.

Slowly meeting the eyes of his agents, Gibbs look cautioned them to do nothing. He reached out to squeeze Carly's hand and saw the bewildered look on her face. Abby was watching him as well and he signed, "We don't act until we know what they want." He knew they understood when he saw them relax.

The people remaining in the dining area were a different story. The women were openly upset and some were crying. The men were scared and it showed. Disgusted with the reactions of the civilians, Gibbs concentrated on the men. Two of them were making their way to the table where the team sat and Gibbs released Carly's hand not wanting to hint at a connection. Stopping short of their table, the leader pointed his gun at Lacey.

"We've been looking for you," he said.

With a look of annoyance, Lacey replied, "You've found me. Only took you what, two years?"

"Your father sent us."

"Now I know you're lying. My father wouldn't send you to find a treat for his dog, let alone his only daughter," Lacey said. "And he definitely wouldn't have sent you so heavily armed."

Angered, the man motioned with his hand and the remaining diners were released. The front door was once again locked and the leader circled the table cautiously.

"Your friends aren't going to be a problem now are they, Lacey?"

"They'll be less of a problem than I am David."

Laughing at her use of his name he said, "Good. I would hate to have to hurt them."

Lacey sat still as a post, not betraying with a glance or expression who his softest target would be.

Gibbs watched the other men grow restless and edge closer to the table. One of them walked right up to the one called David and said, "This wasn't what we signed up for. You said the old man wanted us to grab her when she was alone."

David took his gun and slammed it into the protester's face. Looking at the remaining three, he asked, "Anyone else have a problem with this?"

The team took advantage of their distraction. Tim took down David, while Ziva, Tony and Gibbs disarmed and cuffed the others.

Sal ran out of the kitchen with a gun in his hand and froze when the four federal agents aimed their guns at him.

"No!" Lacey shouted and ran over to Sal, hugging him tight.

Laying the gun down carefully, Sal wrapped both arms around Lacey and ran his hand over her head. Glaring at the man now prone and unmasked on the floor, he muttered in Italian.

Lacey laughed. "You're right, Pop. Some men are too stupid for words."

Chapter 6

"Pop?" Tim said.

Lacey turned around and faced everyone. "Tim, I'd like you to meet my dad, Salvatore Dimera." Pulling Sal to the table, she said, "Pop, this is Timothy McGee."

At that everyone started talking. David was the loudest. "That's not your father!" He shouted.

Barely sparing him a glance, Lacey explained to her friends, "Sal is my birth father. He and my mother were a couple when they were younger but he had to leave town with his family before knowing she was pregnant. My grandparents were very strict and sent my mother away to get married when they found out. All I had to find him by was a first name and an old photo of my mother's that I found when she died. It took me two years to find him and I've been here since I did."

"So those guys were sent by Martin?" Carly asked referring to Lacey's adoptive father.

"Apparently." Lacey answered. "I cut off contact with him two years ago when he told me I had to choose a father."

Sal beamed at his daughter. David cursed and Tim bent down to glare at him. Surprisingly enough, the bigger man shut up and looked away. Gibbs smirked and Tony said, "We should call the locals. We don't have jurisdiction to actually hold these guys."

At that moment, they heard footsteps around the building.

"We don't have to call anyone," Gibbs said. "They're already here." He took his cell phone out and dialed 911 anyway to let them know the gunmen were in custody and would be turned over to the DC cops.

Chapter 7

Tim and Lacey were sitting on her couch.

"You never mentioned you were adopted."

With a small kiss, Lacey told him, "We're just getting to know each other Tim." At his look, she added, "Just because I've see your naked buttocks doesn't mean I tell you everything right up front."

Turning a light shade of red, Tim tried to say something but Lacey stalled him with their first real kiss. "They are mighty fine buttocks, I must say."

Tim laughed and kissed her silent.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Abby and Tony were curled up in his bed, talking about the night's events.

"You never knew who her real father was?"

"No. We've been friends for years now, but she didn't tell me she had found him."

"Wonder why she kept that back?" Tony asked tracing the cross on Abby's back.

"Maybe she wanted this time to get to know him," Abby speculated. "She's the one who did that tat you know."

"This one?" Tony asked, leaning down to kiss the cross.

"Mmmm, yep, that's the one." Abby said and turned in his arms.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Carly was wearing Gibbs shirt, sipping coffee and watching Jet touch up the name of his boat.

"How many of your tattooes are Lacey's work?" he asked.

Inhaling the scent of the coffee mixed with sawdust and Jet himself, Carly smiled. "Most of them."

He rubbed the back of her neck finding her Celtic cross tattoo and asked, "This one?"

"That was actually the first ink job she did once she was licensed. The clover she did right before, but you never heard that." Jet smiled and swiveled Carly around.

"And the fairies?" He asked, running his hands up the back of the shirt to trace her biggest tattoo.

"Ah well, that was done by an artist in Texas and they actually represent the three of us, Lacey, Abby and I. I'll let you guess who's who."

Jet's hand slipped around her waist and down to the top of her leg where her hip met her thigh. "What about these?"

Carly sucked in a quick breath as Jet's hand brushed so close to her center. Swallowing, she said, "Yes."

Chuckling, Jet's fingers skated over her skin. "Yes, Lacey did these?" he asked again, referring to the Chinese characters for strength and determination.

"Yes, she did. I didn't want anyone else that close to..." her words trailed off as his fingers slipped inside her. "Jet!"

Jethro claimed her mouth and took her cries of pleasure into him. She was so responsive that the slightest touch was all he needed for her to be ready for him. He took her over the edge with just his fingers and mouth. When she was trembling and weak, he lifted her, taking her upstairs to bed. Carly looked over his shoulder wanting to ask about the boat's name but all she could do was snuggle into his arms. Tomorrow, tomorrow would be soon enough to ask.

~The End~

~Calalily~

Please Stay

2007-03-13T17:37:17Z

Please Stay

Song: Stay by Little Big Town

Gabby Hiatus fic

Rated : PG

“Abby, there’s been an explosion.” Tony said and Abby felt her stomach sink.

“Tell me no one was hurt Tony.” She said.

There was a pause before he answered, “Gibbs was hurt Abs. Real bad. He’s on his way to the hospital now.”

Abby closed her phone not even realizing it was a Gibbs thing to do. Her tears fell unchecked as she ran for her car.

How can I bear to wake up and you're not there
What will I do when I turn and reach for you
I lay my tears on the windowsill
I'll only cry 'til I get over you
But how long will it take me
Won't you save me

Stay just a little bit longer
'Til I'm a little bit stronger to take all this and
Stay just a little more time
'Til I can find a way
Please stay

Her worry turned to relief that he was alive and turned back to worry that he didn’t remember them.

Will I ever smile again when losing my best friend
To wonder where, wonder how, wonder what you're doing
One more night just before you break me
Hold me safely

Stay just a little bit longer
'Til I'm a little bit stronger to take all this and
Stay just a little more time
'Til I can find a way
Please stay

Abby refused to believe what the signs and her gut were telling her. Gibbs wouldn’t leave, not the team, not her, not now that he remembered them. It wasn’t true, wasn’t real; not until he gave his gun and badge to Tony, then she knew. He was leaving.

“Gibbs.” She said and he pressed his finger to her lips and a kiss to her cheek.

So I'll be a big girl and close my eyes
As you walk away don't you say goodbye
God save me,please won't you

Stay just a little bit longer
'Til I'm a little bit stronger to take all this and
Stay just a little more time
'Til I can find a way
Please stay

~Calalily~

The Secrets series (NCIS ff)

2006-11-17T21:28:49Z

TITLE: McGee's Secret

Rating: R – for mentions of adult themes (maybe not so much in part one but later in the story)

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with NCIS, its characters or its actors. Any similarities to people or events in real life are purely coincidence. There's nothing to sue over here. Thank you.

Author's Note: I wrote this before "Twisted Sister" was aired on television in the US. Similarities to the ep were TOTALLY coincidental, but spoilers for that ep just the same.

Chapter One

Fawn Donovan was in her car, parked outside the studio that she had begun to hate five years ago. In the past six months, that hatred had grown and she could kick herself for ever getting into this mess.

Getting out of the car, she walked to the door ready to do just about anything to break her contract. Laughing ruefully, she acknowledged that she was already doing everything they wanted. And she still had three years left on this stupid contract. Mentally kicking herself, at the same time she was putting on her "business" face and separating this part of her life from her reality.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Several hours later, Fawn awoke in a dark room wondering what the hell had happened. She remembered changing clothes and getting onto the set. They were all set to start filming; that's when things got fuzzy, and not the fuzzy they got when she closed part of herself off to do her job, either. Completely fuzzy and out of focus. She didn't remember ever shooting the scene.

As she sat up, she noticed the smell. It was a heavy smell, thick in the air as if the room had been shut up for a while. Not knowing what it was or where she was, she reached out with a hand and touched a lamp. At the contact with her hand, the lamp came on. She touched it again and the light brightened. Not knowing what else to do, she looked around and cried out in horror and disbelief.

Shaking, she ran to the man lying in the middle of the room. Crying, her hands searched for a pulse, her hands touching him heedless of the blood.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no," was all she said over and over again. "Baby, NO!" she shouted and pulled him into her arms. Rocking back and forth, she cradled him, crying for what seemed like hours when she realized she had to call for help.

Slowly moving away from the man, she searched for and found her bag. Pulling out her phone, she dialed the number she knew by heart.

Three rings and a familiar voice answered. "McGee."

"Tim!" She cried.

"Lexi! What's wrong?" Tim asked and she heard him moving.

"I don't know where I am. I'm in a room somewhere and... " breaking down, she couldn't go any further.

"Leave your phone on. I'm tracing this call. I'll be there before you know it."

"Tim wait. It's Trevor! He's, oh my god, Tim, Trevor's dead."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Two

Within the hour, Tim and the rest of the team had arrived at the old shack where Lexi was. The door was locked and he could hear her crying and murmuring denials from inside. Not waiting for Gibbs to ok it, he kicked the door in which surprised Tony and Ziva. Ziva had never seen this side of Tim before. He was absolutely fierce looking and if she wasn't so jealous that this woman she didn't know had brought it out in him, she would have gotten turned on by it.

Tim rushed inside the building but his training kicked in when he saw Lexi covered in blood. He wanted to hold her and comfort her in her grief but he couldn't until they processed her clothing as evidence. Tony photographed the scene, including several shots of Lexi but he kept looking at her funny as if he were trying to place her from somewhere. Ziva did a perimeter search while Ducky and Jimmy examined the body.

"What have we got, Duck?" Gibbs asked.

Ducky looked up and glanced in Lexi's direction. "He was stabbed multiple times Jethro. But on initial inspection, I would say the wound that killed him is the cut on his neck. It nicked his carotid artery and he bled to death."

Gibbs looked around the room and studied the arterial spray on the wall. There was a void as big as the woman sobbing quietly next to McGee. He motioned with his head and Tim lead her out of the room.

"Do you think a woman could have done this Ducky?"

"It's possible Jethro. You know that as well as I do. However, do I believe that young woman did this? No."

Nodding, Gibbs stood. "Let's go. Ducky, we'll see you back at NCIS."

Ducky waved and looked down at the dead Commander. "Now, would you care to tell me who did do this to you?" he asked as the team grabbed their gear and left.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Back at NCIS, Ziva delivered Lexi's clothes to Abby and then returned to watch Gibbs question her. Tim looked as if he were about to bolt into the other room and when she placed her hand on his arm, he shook her off. Hurt and not liking it, Ziva turned to watch Gibbs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"What's your name?" Gibbs asked.

"Lexi…Alexa McGee." Lexi answered.

Shocked, Gibbs stared at the woman sitting across from him. Her black hair would rival Abby's, medium height and slim but well-proportioned. And her last name was McGee.

"Alexa McGee?" He clarified.

"Yes, sir. Tim is my brother."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Three

Tim stiffened as Tony and Ziva turned to look at him.

"Her brother?" DiNozzo asked, but Tim motioned for him to be quiet.

Gibbs was still questioning her. "Do you have any alias' I need to know about?"

Tim watched her eyes go from Gibbs face to the window. He didn't understand her hesitation.

She looked back at Gibbs and answered quietly, "Fawn Donovan."

Tony shouted, "I knew she looked familiar!"

Tim looked at his partner, wondering where the hell he had seen his sister before. Tony was about to say something but caught himself when Tim glared at him.

Tim turned back to look at the glass and heard Lexi explaining her alias.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"How did you know Commander Anderson?"

"He is…was my boyfriend." Lexi said and rubbed her arms.

"Were you two having problems?"

"No!" She exclaimed. "No, we weren’t having problems, not with each other."

"The two of you were having problems with someone else? Problems Anderson would have been killed over?"

Shaking her head, she replied, "No, at least, I don’t think so."

"Let me be the judge of that, ok?" Gibbs asked in a gentle voice.

Lexi looked at the older man and nodded.

"Trevor was trying to convince my boss to cut my contract short. She told him no. She said that I still had three good years ahead of me and that cutting me loose would cost her too much money."

"What contract?" Gibbs asked, trying to make sense of what she was telling him.

Scrubbing her face with her hands then running them through her hair, she said bluntly, "My porn contract, Agent Gibbs. I’m an actress in adult films. I get paid to have sex and it’s legal. My contract can’t be broken. You see, even though I signed it when I was young, dumb and too high to care, it holds up in a court of law." She looked over his shoulder again as if seeking understanding from her brother.

"Taylor Rawls holds that contract and refuses to release me. I’ve been fighting her unsuccessfully since I was twenty years old. Six months ago I met Trevor at a bar. It seemed unbelievable at first that he didn’t recognize me. I was terrified I would scare off the nicest guy I’d ever met. I didn’t tell him what I did for a living until our fourth date. He was shocked. Very shocked. When I explained to him that I was trying to break my contract, he told me he would help me any way he could."

Suddenly feeling older than her 25 years, her head dropped forward. Raising her eyes to stare at Gibbs again, she swore, "I didn’t kill Trevor. I loved him. He’s the only man I’ve ever known, other than Tim, who would defend me without question."

Gibbs looked into Lexi’s eyes and saw all the grief and pain that she couldn’t hide. "I believe you Lexi." He stood and walked out thinking that now all they had to do was prove it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Four

"Ah, Jethro, I was just about to call you."

"What have you got Duck?" Gibbs asked.

"Commander Anderson was a fighter. See the bruising on his knuckles? He was in a fight shortly before he died. The stab wounds in his chest were made before his throat was cut and definitely by a different blade. They are clean, made from a smooth blade. The knife used to sever his carotid artery was jagged, serrated actually. That final cut was the cause of death. He could have survived being stabbed."

Taking all of this in, Gibbs nodded and started out.

"The killer is right-handed Jethro."

Gibbs paused to reply, "That’s good to know, Ducky." He stepped into the elevator remembering that when Lexi had signed her clothes over, she was left-handed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Talk to me Abby." Gibbs said, walking into the lab.

"I didn’t know McGee had a sister." She started. Smiling at the look on Gibbs face, she said, "Oh, you want results?"

She turned to her computer and told him what she had found. "Okay, Lexi’s shirt was pretty much a mess since she held the Commander after she found him. I did manage to spot differences in the bloodstains so I enhanced them, and then separated the older stains from the more recent. Look at this."

She clicked a button and the stains appeared on the big screen. "The first picture is of the total stain. The other two are enhanced results."

Gibbs stared at the middle shot. "Abby…"

"Ahead of you Gibbs." She told him and clicked again. Lining up the second shot of the shirt with the picture of the blood spatter on the wall. "From the match we have here and the position of the blood spatter on Lexi’s shirt, she was standing when he was killed, but she didn’t kill him."

"Good work, Abs." Gibbs told her, smacking her rear as he walked by.

Grinning, Abby spun and said, "Thank you, Gibbs. My bum has been feeling neglected lately."

Shaking his head, he continued down the hall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Five

Lexi was sitting in a chair next to Tim’s desk watching him work. He hadn’t said a word to her since Gibbs questioned her. She looked so hurt and rejected it almost broke his heart. He stood up and the look on her face was too much. Pulling her into his arms, he held his baby sister as she fell apart.

"I’m so sorry Tim. I’m so sorry I got involved with Taylor and her company."

Petting her hair, he murmured, "Shh, Lexi. You were so young when you left home. You couldn’t have known what you were getting into. Don’t cry, little one. We’ll figure this out."

"How?" She demanded. "Trevor’s dead, possibly because of me. How can we fight them? How can I ever hope to get my life back?"

Ziva walked over and put a hand on Lexi’s shoulder. "It’s what we do. Just let us worry about it for now."

Lexi looked at her from the circle of Tim’s arms and nodded. As Ziva turned to go back to her desk, Tim caught her hand. Startled, her eyes searched his face and saw him mouth ‘Thank you’. With a smile she went back to her desk.

Gibbs came back into the bullpen. He looked at Lexi and asked, "Are you sure you don’t remember anything after you got in the studio?"

"Not until I woke up and found Trevor. Why?"

Tim was watching his boss. He had never seen Gibbs tread this lightly with an adult before. As if he knew what he was asking could break Lexi.

"Lexi, the evidence is telling us you were there when Trevor was killed." Gibbs told her.

Shaking her head, she froze then nearly collapsed but Tim caught her.

"Oh Trevor, oh no, baby."

Showing a patience that surprised everyone, Gibbs sat on the edge of his desk and waited for her to continue.

"I got to the studio and changed clothes. It was supposed to be an easy shoot so security wasn’t that tight. Trevor showed up and tried to get me to leave. Taylor got pissed. She said if we were going to keep on bugging her about it, three years wasn’t worth it. We drove out to the shack and I didn’t think anything of it. We had filmed there before and I knew she had a safe there. But the safe was empty. Trevor got in a fight with Clay from security. Clay hit him in the chest several times and Trevor started bleeding. Taylor pushed me and said she’d take care of him."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Six

Storming the studio, Gibbs and his team arrested Taylor Rawls and Clay McQueen, head of security. Once they were in custody, more than half of the actors and crew came forward and admitted to being threatened in various degrees to keep their mouths shut. They also revealed that Taylor’s pockets ran deep when it came to bribing the judges in Lexi’s case to break her contract. Most of the other actors had also been duped into signing long-term contracts just like Lexi had been. Perhaps not surprisingly then two days after the team had finished processing the studio – it burned down.

Lexi was relieved and amazed at how many of her fellow actors had felt as trapped as she did. She decided to have a dinner for her brother’s friends to thank them for all their help. After the meal, as everyone was leaving, Tony turned and studied her for a long moment.

He smiled and asked, "So how many of your work friends has McGee dated?"

Tim’s head jerked up and he stared at his sister.

Lexi smiled at Tony and replied, "Several." Watching Tony and Tim’s eyes widen, she added, "But none of them were ever on film."

The End

Explaination of FanFic (for those who don't know)

2006-11-13T19:26:14Z

Ok guys...we all love NCIS (those on the NCIS forums anyway) and sometimes we get inspired to take that and write stories, called Fan FICTION. The point of fan fiction (at least for me) is to take the characters and have them do things that we'd like to see but that the writers won't necessarily ever put on a script. I have written several such stories and have posted them here on my live journal. All my stories have been based off of NCIS and it's characters and several times throughout my posting I note that I own nothing to do with the show or characters and basically it's all for entertainment purposes. I make up original characters and give them made up names and throw them in the story for good measure (because sometimes I need the federal investigators to INVESTIGATE something). Is it possible to come up with a name someone already has? Absolutely! Does it mean I know them or anything about them? No way. I just pull names out of the air and sound them out and put them together in the story.

I have recently received comments about the character in my story Just to See Her. I have since fixed the look of my LJ and those comments were deleted during that process. However, for those of you who have asked, the name Cole Jackson was put together out of the blue and no, I do not know anyone by this name. I did not search for a name on the internet nor did I hear this name somewhere and think "That would be a great name to use in a story." I have no information on the real Cole Jackson and can only offer my prayers and good thoughts as you search for your loved one.

I don't mind comments people, I love them and live for them. All I ask is that you first take into account that any story on this LJ with NCIS ff in the subject is FanFiction and read the disclaimer on the stories.

From here on out, I will add to the usual disclaimer I put on stories and have them read this --
I do not own NCIS, its characters, storylines or the actors themselves. I have nothing worth major value to sue over. All my stories are adapted from the series (because I'm using the characters) but they are FICTIONAL. Any resemblance to any person, place or thing is purely coincidental and not made to upset anyone. If you do not like this statement, please do not read my stories.

~Calalily06~

The Assistant series (NCIS ff)

2006-10-19T14:14:37Z

TITLE: Just to See Her

Rating: R – violence, character death, sex and language

Spoilers: Dead & Unburied

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS, its characters, storylines or the actors themselves. I have nothing worth major value to sue over. All my stories are adapted from the series (because I'm using the characters) but they are FICTIONAL. Any resemblance to any person, place or thing is purely coincidental and not made to upset anyone.

Chapter One

He was watching the four women have lunch. They had caught his eye the first time two weeks ago. Four women so different and so beautiful. He had taken a table close to theirs pretending to be absorbed in the book he was holding. Listening to their conversation, he found they came to this bistro weekly and they’d be back the following week.

His observations of them during that time had caused him to reject the curly-haired woman as a candidate. He liked a challenge, but she would no doubt prove too much for him.

This week, he was once again sitting close enough to hear them talking.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Palmer?” Ziva asked, trying to see what the young agent saw in him.

“Yes.” Michelle said, motioning for them to keep their voices down.

“Really?” Abby asked, intrigued. She had never pictured Jimmy in that light.

“Yes!” Michelle exclaimed, utterly embarrassed.

“Way to go, Michelle!” Carly told her.

The young woman flashed her a relieved smiled and Abby followed suit with, “It’s about time.”

Michelle blushed at all the attention. Ziva was amused at her new friends discomfort when all at once her senses went on alert. Someone was paying too much attention to them. She started gathering her trash.

“Come on, we have to get back to work.” She said.

Abby looked up from talking with Michelle ready to object, knowing they were for once without an active case to work. She caught the look on Ziva’s face and picked up her drink.

“You’re right. Carly and I have to run those samples Ducky sent us.”

Carly and Michelle picked up their trash and grabbed their bags. Within a minute they were out the door, walking back to headquarters.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Watching the women walking away, he made his choice. He smiled. She was in for a big surprise.

Chapter Two

Ducky had decided that morning to take Palmer out to lunch with him. They needed to talk about all these visits Special Agent Lee was making to Autopsy. When they arrived at the restaurant, Jimmy’s gaze was drawn to the group of women in a corner table. Ducky noticed and sighed. It was as he thought. Young Palmer was infatuated with the Special Agent and she seemed to return the feelings.

He led the young man to a table nearby and the women said in unison, “Hi Ducky. Hi Jimmy.”

Michelle quickly looked away.

Carly and Abby, never shy, asked the men, “Would you like to join us? We’ve just placed our orders.”

Jimmy stuttered trying to answer and Ducky stepped in, “We’d love to. Wouldn’t we, Mr. Palmer?”

“Yes, that would be nice.” Jimmy finally said.

The women smiled as they sat down and Ducky studied their faces. They had a secret.

“We were just telling Michelle that her flowers were gorgeous.” Carly began.

“You got flowers?” Jimmy asked her. “Who were they from?”

“The card was signed 'An Admirer'.” Michelle told him, unable to understand why he was looking angry.

“An admirer?” Jimmy questioned again.

Michelle leaned close to him to whisper, “Why are you getting angry? No one knows you sent them.”

“But I didn’t send them.” Jimmy denied in a loud voice.

“It’s ok Jimmy, we’re not going to tell Gibbs.” Abby tried to assure him.

“I didn’t send Michelle flowers.” Jimmy protested. “They aren’t from me. I would have written…” he trailed off as he was about to reveal the pet name Michelle had started calling him.

Intrigued, Carly started to ask him to continue. Abby stopped her from it though.

“If you didn’t send them, who did?” Abby asked as a chill ran down her back. She looked at Ziva, “You said last week you felt someone was scrutinizing us and now Michelle has received flowers from some stranger.”

“We don’t know they are connected Abby.” Ziva and Ducky said at the same time.

Abby had an uneasy feeling but she stayed quiet about it. She was worried that the two were indeed connected, but she didn’t want to upset Michelle and Jimmy if they weren’t. She smiled and agreed the flowers must have come from someone who appreciated Michelle’s work on a case. Inside though, in her gut, she knew something was wrong with this picture.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter Three

Michelle left Jimmy’s apartment late that night. She arrived at her building and groaned at the time. It was 0130 and she had to be at work at 0630 to get caught up on paperwork. Shutting the engine off, she got out of her car smiling. She never made it to her front door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Carly lost a bet to Ziva and her punishment was to bring coffee to everyone every day for a week. As far as she was concerned, she was grateful it wasn’t worse and she also got her morning coffee in the bargain. Setting the cups on Tim’s desk she didn’t get a chance to hand the cups out before Gibbs grabbed one and took a gulp.

A look of distaste came across his face as he spit the coffee into the wastebasket.

“That wasn’t coffee.” He stated gruffly.

“Oh course not, it’s flavored water with a caffeine kick.” Carly smarted off. “That’s why there’s a giant T on that one, it was for Tony.”

Tony walked up and took the cup from Gibbs. “Excuse me for not destroying my taste buds with that mud you two drink.”

“Mud?!” Gibbs and Carly said.

“Yes, mud. It’s plain coffee with nothing added and it’s so strong it could toss Ziva around.”

Carly laughed and passed out the other cups of coffee. She looked around and asked, “Where’s Michelle?”

Tim shrugged, “Haven’t seen her this morning.”

"But it’s 0800. She was supposed to be here an hour and a half ago.” Carly was getting concerned, wondering if Abby’s feeling the previous day was right.

“Why don’t you ask Palmer when she left his place last night?” Gibbs asked, drinking his coffee.

Everyone froze. Ziva and Carly stared at each other as if asking how he knew. Tony’s jaw dropped and all he could get out was, “Palmer?!”

Tim was in shock, just looking at Gibbs wondering how he always managed to know things. That was the exact state that Ducky and Jimmy walked in on just a few seconds later.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Once it had been established that Michelle had been at Jimmy’s but left to get some rest at home before work, Gibbs notified the security at her apartment complex. Sure enough her car was in its spot. Knowing in his gut he wasn’t going to like what he’d find, he had ordered the security guard to stay with the car until he arrived. The team had left a distraught Jimmy in Ducky, Carly and Abby’s capable hands and gone to look into Agent Lee’s disappearance.

As usual, Tony was talking away. “I’m surprised Gibbs didn’t give him Rule # 12 and then a Marine boot up his…” he stopped talking when Gibbs looked at him.

“DiNozzo, obviously they were discreet or you would have known about it.” Gibbs told him.

Tony perked up. “So if we are discreet about it, we can break Rule #12?”

“DiNozzo, you can’t discreetly do anything. The day you successfully and quietly break Rule #12 hell will freeze over.”

Tony looked away, remembering the night before last when Abby was at his place and how they almost set the sheets on fire with their passion for each other. He bit back a smile. They must be shivering in hell right now.

…………………………………………

Chapter Four

The team searched Lee’s car, apartment and the surrounding grounds. At first, the only visible evidence of a struggle was a patch of grass that had been kicked up. Ziva shot pictures and Tony noticed a dark object while the camera flashed.

“Think I’ve got something here, boss.” He told Gibbs, stooping down to pick it up.

Ziva looked at the object. “It’s Michelle’s barrette. She was wearing them in her hair yesterday.”

“Bag it.” Gibbs told him as Tony pulled the evidence bag out of his kit.

“Boss, over here.” Tim said pointing to a spot on the pavement.

Gibbs walked over as Tim was snapping a picture of the object he had found. “It looks like the other barrette. And over this way, tire marks. They aren’t dark but the look fresh and they are leading away from the apartment complex.”

“Did you…” Gibbs started.

“Already shot it, boss.” Tim told him.

“Good work, Tim.” Gibbs told him and looked around trying to put together what happened. Not satisfied with what he saw, but knowing they had all the evidence they would get from this scene, he called for them to head back to NCIS.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Abby and Carly were already working on the flowers Michelle had received, analyzing the card and every petal of every rose and carnation to see if there was any trace evidence. Abby growled as Gibbs and Tony filed into the lab with the new, miniscule pieces of evidence.

“I hate criminals who watch crime shows and take forensics courses!” Abby exclaimed and turned with a scowl at her two favorite men. “Tell me you brought me something to catch this creep and get Michelle back.”

“We have photos and her hair barrettes.” Gibbs told her.

Carly grabbed the photos to analyze while Abby took the barrettes and Jimmy made a sound of despair from the corner of the room.

Only just realizing he was in the room, Tony looked uncomfortable while Gibbs walked over to the miserable young man.

“Palmer!” Gibbs barked to get his attention. When the man looked up and met his eyes, Gibbs continued, “we’ll get her back, unharmed, you got that?”

Jimmy stared into the blue eyes of a man he normally feared and saw the understanding and certainty shining from them. He stood up straight and nodded. “I’ve got it Gibbs.”

With a quick look at Abby, he started for the door. The four of them watched in compassion as he left, but as soon as the doors slid shut behind him, Carly noticed something in the photos that puzzled her.

“Abby, take a look at this. Is that?” Carly asked.

“What did we miss?” Tony asked as he and Gibbs looked over the women’s shoulders.

“I don’t know that you missed anything since we haven’t pulled any evidence off the flowers she received. But that looks exactly like one of the small petals from the carnations in the arrangement. See?” Carly told them and pulled out the photo of the arrangement from before they set about taking it apart.

Gibbs eyes narrowed. “Son of a … He’s leaving us a calling card?”

Tony looks up in disgust. “Looks like it.”

…………………………………………

Chapter Five

When Michelle woke up for the second time, she was tied to a chair. Looking around, she couldn’t tell how big the room was as all the lights were off and there were no windows that she could see. She rolled her head from side to side trying to work out the kinks from being unconscious in a straight back chair.

She winced when a voice boomed through the room. “Don’t worry pet. It’s not you I’m after.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The team was exhausted. It was going on 0200 and they had nothing. The only prints on the barrettes were Michelle’s and there was no evidence on any of the flowers. Tim had gone back to the apartment complex and found the flower petal. It was a definite match to the red carnation in the arrangement.

Gibbs told his agents to get some rest. He took the elevator down to the lab and found Abby and Carly nearly asleep at their computers. They jumped as the doors slid almost noiselessly open and their fingers automatically found their keyboards.

“Go home you two. There’s nothing new here and I’ll call you if something comes in.” He told them.

“But Gibbs…” Abby started to protest.

“No buts, Abs. Go home. Get here first thing and we’ll start all over.” He gave her a look and she decided to listen.

Carly was almost too sleepy to stand, but she turned off her computer and drank the last of her coffee. As she and Abby walked out to their cars, their last sips of caffeine kicked in.

“See you in a few hours, Abby.” Carly told her and unlocked her door.

“Will do, ma’am.” Abby responded with a jaunty wave.

Carly just smiled, started her car and drove away. Neither woman noticed the red petal on the ground near the classic car.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ziva’s head snapped up off her desk and she stretched her arms over her head. It was 0730 and Gibbs was walking into the bullpen with coffee for everyone. She blinked and took her cup gratefully.

Just as he was about to sit down, Abby rushed into the room.

“Carly isn’t here. She isn’t at home, her car is there, but she’s not. I found this in the parking lot and this at her apartment.” Abby said before taking a breath and holding up evidence bags with carnation petals in them.

Gibbs didn’t have to say a word. The entire team gathered their gear and headed out. Two of their own taken without a shred of evidence other than damn flower petals. Gibbs was going to nail this SOB himself.

…………………………………..

The Assistant Series (NCIS ff)

2006-10-18T15:51:46Z

TITLE: The View From Here

For Tony, who gave me the idea..........Thank you!

Spoilers: None

Rating: PG/PG 13 at most

Disclaimer: I own nothing that has anything to do with NCIS except for the Season 1 DVD’s. J

Part 1

Gibbs walked into the lab and had to look twice at the two forensic scientists. Abby’s hair wasn’t in its normal pigtail style and Carly’s wasn’t pulled back. They turned around when they heard the door shut to see Tony stock still behind Gibbs. Abby and Carly looked at each other and shrugged.

Tony moved first. He walked between the two and put a hand on their hair. It was teased and sprayed and big. He almost asked why and then the song playing hit him. Gibbs didn’t hesitate though.

“Why is your hair all over the place?”

“It’s hair band day Gibbs.” Abby answered calmly and stole a look at the two men from the corner of her eye.

Tony choked back his laughter.

“So where’s the hair band?” Gibbs wanted to know.

Carly pointed to the music blaring from the speakers. “You know, some eighties rock bands were called hair bands because of their hair. So we decided to try the hair look out in case we’d like to do it for Halloween.”

Drinking his coffee to hide his amusement, he asked, “What have you got for us?”

“Ok, the skin and blood are a definite match to Officer Granger. He’s been UA for three days now. Judging by the amount of blood found at the scene, he was hurt pretty bad. He would have had to go for help.” Abby told them.

“So, we checked the local doctor’s offices, hospitals and clinics and got a hit.” Carly added, handing over the printout then noticed the look on Tony and Jethro’s faces. “We know, it’s the agent’s job to check these things, but we had some extra time and we weren’t able to reach you.” She said tapping Gibbs cell phone.

With a shared look, Tony and Gibbs said, “Good work, ladies.”

As the men walked out, Abby and Carly had a laugh at the reactions they received and put their hair back to normal.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tony and Ziva checked out the clinic where Officer Granger was treated for a stab wound to the abdomen. The nurse confirmed that there was also a cut on Granger’s arm and that was where the skin at the scene had come from. Granger had paid in cash and the nurse had secretly stitched him up. She told them she helped him out to his car and watched as he drove off.

“What kind of car was it?” Tony asked.

“Let me see…it was red…small…a Honda Civic I think.” The nurse said.

“Are you sure?” Ziva questioned.

“Well, I could always check the video tape.” The nurse said and motioned towards the camera.

“We’ll take a copy of that, if you don’t mind.” Tony told her.

The nurse twittered at Tony and went off to get the tape.

“She should be fired for fixing him up and letting him go.” Ziva stated indignantly. “Ziva, look around, this place isn’t exactly a world class clinic. They probably do things like this all the time.” Tony informed her.

The nurse returned with the tape and a piece of paper. “Let me know if you need any more information.” She said with a giggle.

Tony smiled, “We’ll do that.”

Part 2

Carly was able to pull the license plate of the 2001 Red Honda Civic from the video Tony got from the clinic. A BOLO was issued and the car was spotted stopped at a rest area two hours outside DC. The police arriving on the scene called in to report multiple bodies in the grassy area behind the rest stop. At least one of the bodies was a Marine as he was still in his fatigues.

Gibbs found himself in the lab for the second time that day. When he walked in he noticed two big differences. Abby and Carly had fixed their hair and changed the music back to its normal play list and volume.

“Come on Carly. We’re gonna need an extra pair of hands on this crime scene.” Gibbs ordered.

“What?” Carly asked looking up from the microscope.

“You’re about to lose your crime scene virginity.” Gibbs informed her, taking her coat off the rack as a hint for her to move.

“Outside the building?” Carly was puzzled.

“Let’s go!” Gibbs said, impatient and already walking towards the door.

“This won’t hurt will it?” Carly wanted to know.

As they stepped up to the elevator they heard Abby shout, “Be gentle with her Gibbs!”

Gibbs smiled as the doors slid shut.

Carly turned to him, curious about this development. “Why didn’t you take Abby?” “She’s already lost hers.” Gibbs replied.

Rolling her eyes, Carly turned back towards the doors. “Let me guess, it’ll be clear when I get to the scene, right?”

Gibbs didn’t reply, he just walked off the elevator leaving her to follow behind. He wouldn’t tell her that he had noticed she stopped leaving the building for lunch since the incident with Delacroix. He wouldn’t mention that she was quieter and a little withdrawn since then. And he certainly wasn’t going to let on that it eased his mind to find her goofing off in the lab with Abby this morning. Nope, he wasn’t the type of man to do those things. So instead, he was taking her to what could possibly be the most gruesome crime scene she could imagine and let her take it from there. There was also the added bonus of showing her how much of a b*****d he could be so that she wouldn’t get interested in him. He had held firm to Rule 12 since meeting and leaving Jen Shepard and he wasn’t going to break that rule now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After driving an hour and a half to get to the crime scene Tony had assured her was two hours away, Carly stepped from the van to get her bearings. Gibbs and his team were already grabbing their gear.

Carly said to Gibbs as they started walking toward the crime scene tape, “Well, your parents got part of your name right at least.”

He looked at her but didn’t say anything. Tony was curious though and asked, “What part is that?”

They reached the crime scene tape and ducked under it as Carly replied, “The ‘Jet’ in Jethro.”

Tony laughed at that while Ziva and Tim hid their smiles under the bills of their caps.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Surprisingly enough, the scene wasn’t as gruesome as one would have imagined. The bodies had been shot several times each but they weren’t disfigured. Just a little whole-y as DiNozzo put it. The cops first on the scene had called it though. All six bodies were Marines that had served with Officer Granger in Afghanistan. Carly was just there to photo the scene while the agents and Ducky deciphered any visible clues.

Carly was in the process of snapping photos when she noticed light glinting off something in the surrounding woods. “Gibbs.” She said quietly as she moved closer to him.

He noticed her stillness and heard the forced calm in her voice. He looked in the direction she was facing and saw the light blink and disappear. He snapped into action.

“Ducky, get these bodies loaded up and take them back to Autopsy. DiNozzo, form a search team with the PD here and cordon off a search grid of 100 yards in the direction of the woods behind the rest stop. Someone was out there. I want to know who.”

He sent Carly back to NCIS with Ducky and Palmer, narrowing his eyes when the younger man needlessly assisted her into the front seat. She noticed Gibbs looking and gave a quick wave before Ducky pulled off.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Part 3

Carly and Abby were working on the photos from the crime scene, when Abby’s phone started ringing. She looked down at the display and walked into the other room.

“Yes, Tony?” She answered.

“Hi there.” He replied and she could hear the smile in his voice.

“Why are you calling me at work?”

“I wanted to hear your voice.” Tony said.

“Is that all you wanted?” Abby asked glancing over at Carly to see a puzzled look on her face.

“Would you have dinner with me tonight?” Tony asked as Gibbs started shouting at him.

“Yes, now get back to work before Gibbs blows a gasket.” “Yes ma’am.”

“Ooh, I love it when you say that.” Abby smiled and hung up the phone.

Walking back into the lab, Carly waved her over to the pictures.

“Does this look funny to you?”

Abby looked down at the pictures. “It looks like you held the shutter down and it did a ‘burst’ capture.”

“That’s what I thought. Now look at this.” Carly picked the photos up and stacked them in reverse order. She took hold of the edges of the photos and fanned them in sequence.

“Oh my!” Abby exclaimed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Gibbs!” Tony shouted. “Got some footprints here.”

“You know what to do DiNozzo.” Gibbs shouted back. He was looking at the trees directly in line from where Carly had been snapping photos earlier. There were markings on the bark that looked like someone had been waiting for something and cut into it to waste the time away. Gibbs stood up and backed away from the tree. He looked around to see that everyone was occupied and then he looked back at the tree, squinting. His eyes opened wide. It wasn’t just random markings and it wasn’t from a knife. “Everyone hold your positions!” Gibbs ordered.

Everyone froze and tried to look at what Gibbs was seeing. “No one move, until I clear your area.” He directed.

Tim was the first to speak up. “What do you see boss?”

~*~*~*~*~*

Part 4

Gibbs carefully made his way to each of his people and the police in the surrounding woods. Once he had cleared the entire area, he released the cops to go back to their patrols. His team walked back to the van still waiting on an explanation that might not be forthcoming from the silent man walking their way.

They were in the van driving back to the office when Gibbs spoke. “Whoever Carly spotted in those woods thought better of booby trapping the area. I found markings on two trees where someone wrapped wire around them, probably to set off some type of explosive devise.”

“It doesn’t make sense that they would booby trap that area unless someone was doing a trial run.” Ziva stated. “Hardly anyone goes in that area from what we saw studying the grounds. The only people out there were the person Carly spotted and us.”

“Exactly, Ziva. So who was out there and what are they trying to do? And why do we have six dead Marines and one UA?” Gibbs asked.

Silence reigned on the rest of the trip. They were all trying to find answers to a puzzle they hadn’t known was there.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Gibbs, Tony!” Abby shouted as the now tired team filed into the bullpen. “Abs, if it isn’t important we can’t worry about it right now.” Gibbs told her, taking his gun out and putting it away.

“Well, in that case, I’ll let Carly tell you all about it since she found it.” Abby said with a fake look of disappointment. She clicked on the control to bring the pictures up for everyone to see.

“What did you find?” Gibbs asked Carly.

“Well, when I was taking photos at the scene today, I froze when I saw the light in the woods.”

“We know that already, Carly. That’s why we just spent three hours searching those woods.”

Carly bent over his desk to look him in the eye. “You didn’t let me finish, Jethro.” The whole team looked on in surprise at her calling him by name and Abby grinned at their reactions.

“As I was saying, I froze when I spotted the light coming from the trees. My finger pressed the shutter button on the camera and took a burst of photos, about fifteen in all. While Abby and I were looking at them earlier, we realized it was like a slideshow of the person in the woods.” Abby clicked the remote and the pictures flew by on the screen. Everyone tilted their heads but didn’t see what was so important about them.

Carly waved her hands. “I know; it doesn’t have the same effect. Look, it’s like old school cartoon animation. You take the first photo and put it on the bottom and so on until they are all in a stack.” She handed them to Gibbs. “This is exactly what we’ve done here. Flip through them and see if you notice it.”

Gibbs flipped through once not looking closely, more annoyed that they wouldn’t come right out and say what they were seeing. He flipped through once more because something in the pictures caught his attention. He looked up at Carly to see her nodding her head at him.

“That’s why we couldn’t just tell you, you wouldn’t believe us.” She said defensively.

“What else have you found out?” Gibbs asked with a little more patience.

“The man in the photo is ex-military. He was a Marine back when Officer Granger was in Afghanistan. His name is Brian Bethay. He was dishonorable discharged six months ago based on the testimony of his fellow Marines. There were eight total men in his unit during the operations they were involved in at that time and Granger and Bethay are the only two left alive.” Carly finished and took a deep breath.

Ducky walked off the elevator. “Jethro, I’m glad your back. I was performing the autopsy on one of our fallen Marines and sent the bullet to Abby. I came looking for her to see if she was finished testing my theory.”

All eyes turned to Abby and she hopped off Tony’s desk. “Oh, yeah, Duck-man. I ran the tests on that bullet. It was from a rifle not a pistol. Bethay shot the Marines from the woods, probably tried to draw out Granger to take him out as well.”

“A rifle?” Ziva questioned. “The wounds were consistent with a close shot, not long distance.”

Carly made a noise and said, “You didn’t see them when Ducky rolled them over.”

“Carly’s quite right; we only did a cursory exam of each of the bodies on the scene. Jethro had already sent most of you into the woods when Mr. Palmer and I started loading the bodies. The shots were meant to do maximum damage and drop each man where he was standing. We did have a bit of a time of it keeping all the organs with the correct bodies while getting ready to put them in the body bags.”

Ziva nodded. “I’ve seen wounds like that. They aren’t pretty to clean up after.”

“DiNozzo!” Gibbs shouted, after hearing all the information.

“Already on it Gibbs. McGee here has already found Bethay’s DMV records, we’ve got a BOLO out on him and we’re in the process of getting the search warrant as we speak.”

“Let’s go.” Gibbs said, taking his gun back out his desk. “The warrant should be ready by the time we pick it up.”

The team filed out and only Carly noticed the look that passed between Tony and Abby when he silently said, “Dinner, later.”

The two women were left alone and they went down to the lab to get their coats. Unless the team found something, they wouldn’t be needed anymore that night.

Carly sighed as they walked to their cars. “You know, you should teach Tony to sign. That way he won’t have to worry about you lip reading his message right.”

“No way!” Abby said. “If Tony started signing, Gibbs would definitely know something was up.”

Carly smiled thinking it was so funny that they knew about it but the men were oblivious. “Night, Abs.”

“Night Carly.”

They started their cars and drove home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Part 5

Gibbs, DiNozzo, McGee and Ziva arrived at Brian Bethay’s residence greeted by gunshots. Search warrant forgotten, they broke down the door and found both Bethay and Granger down. McGee secured the weapons lying on the floor while Ziva checked for vitals. Bethay was gone when Ziva touched him, but Granger was hanging on.

Calling for an ambulance and Ducky, Gibbs carefully searched the house for the suspected explosives. He found them in the basement. He quickly took in the fact that Bethay had enough explosives to take out half of DC. He eased back up the basement stairs to find Tony photographing the scene. “We are going to move these two.” Gibbs said quietly.

“Bombs?” Ziva questioned.

“Not that I saw, but I’m not taking that chance. Tony, you got enough pictures there?”

“Sure thing Gibbs.”

“Good. McGee, you and Ziva take Granger outside. Tony and I will move Bethay and then I’ll call in the bomb squad to come have a look.”

They worked quickly and cautiously to get the men outside. Ducky wouldn’t like the fact that Bethay had been moved, but there was no help for it. Gibbs called the bomb squad just as the ambulance arrived. The EMT’s worked fast and had Granger out of there before Gibbs was off the phone. Ducky came on the scene and looked at the body.

Before he could ask questions, Gibbs cut him off, “The basements full of explosives, Duck. We couldn’t take the chance of any of them being live.”

Nodding, Ducky did a preliminary exam and instructed Mr. Palmer to get the body ready for transport. Finally as Ducky and Jimmy were pulling off, the bomb squad arrived. Gibbs explained once again what he saw and they figured the best way to go in was by robot. It took a little while, but at last the squad cleared the basement of any live explosives. Gibbs was relieved that nothing would go boom tonight and he and his team left the rest of the clean up to the bomb squad.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was well after midnight when Tony finally managed to make it home. He hadn’t called Abby yet to reschedule dinner, but he knew she’d understand. He let himself into his apartment and froze. Just as swiftly as he froze, he relaxed and smiled. His Abby was muttering to herself from the kitchen. Standing in the doorway, he said, “Honey, I’m home.”

Whirling, Abby ran over and jumped in his arms. “I was so worried, I just couldn’t stay at my place and wait anymore.”

Squeezing her tight before setting her back down, Tony said, “It’s ok. I should have called once we left the scene, but…”

“But then everyone would know you were seeing someone and want to know what the big secret is.”

“Exactly.”

Abby smiled in understanding and turned to the fridge. “I am hungry and can only imagine that you are too. I can fix us a ham and cheese omelet but you really have to get more food than this. It’s depressing looking at your refrigerator.”

“I never had anyone to cook for and cook for me until you agreed to go on a date with me. Give me a few days to catch up on all I need to do, ok?” Tony joked.

Abby looked up at him from the stove where she was now starting to make the omelets. “Or maybe next time, we could have dinner out and go sight-seeing somewhere.” She suggested.

Surprised, Tony walked over to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, planting little kisses on her neck.

“Go out sight-seeing huh?” He asked, making her shiver from the small little bites and kisses on her neck. “I don’t know. I kinda like the view from right here.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The End

The Assistant series (NCIS ff)

2006-10-18T15:48:57Z

TITLE: Food for the Soul

Rating: PG/PG 13 at the most

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Nope, still don’t own them! L

Part One

Friday

Three weeks after Carly broke the ice and invited Gibbs out to dinner, the entire team once again found themselves at Salvatore’s Restaurant. The best place for pizza and pasta closest to the office and run by a true Italian that liked to see people eat.

“Can you believe that guy? He actually thought he could get a lie past Gibbs.” Agent Lee was laughing so hard she could barely speak.

“No, what was funny was the look on his girlfriends face when Ziva warned her if she hit her one more time, she wouldn’t be conscious for long.” McGee added.

All but Gibbs were laughing at the foolish man that had tried to run a scam for “charity” to benefit the Marines. Sure, Gibbs was smiling about it but he still found it hard to believe the scam had been going on for five months and no one had thought to check who or what was cashing their checks. The only reason they caught on when they did was a family member of a fellow Marine wanted to know why they weren’t asking for donations. The MP’s were notified and for some reason called in NCIS to look into it. They had been slow so the Director agreed to let her best investigators do all the work. Within two hours Abby and Carly had managed to track the witless Marine to his girlfriend’s apartment. In the end, the girlfriend had been the one to suggest the plan. Their only saving grace, if you wanted to look at it that way, was the Marine had kept all the money in a bank account, so every victim received full compensation for their aggravation.

Carly stretched and looked down at her watch. “Wow. 10:30 already? It’s been fun, but I have to go.” She told everyone and threw down her money on the table.

Abby stood as well. “We’ll see you guys in the morning.”

When they started to walk off Tony asked, “You two are going somewhere without us?” All he got in response was an amused look. “You two aren’t together, together, are you?” He tried again.

At that, Carly had to laugh, a low, sensuous sound that turned the heads of several men in the restaurant. Placing her arm around Abby she questioned him, “Wouldn’t you love it if we were?”

Other men in the restaurant were nodding and Tony looked shocked. Gibbs smiled at that one.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

What Tony didn’t know that Gibbs did, was that Abby and Carly were going to a party. The two women didn’t even know he knew. The signs were all there: Abby had her hair down, Carly’s was pulled back at the nape of her neck, Abby had her hooded coat and Carly had her plain black leather jacket. There was only one worry that Gibbs had and that was how much damage and heartache those two ladies would cause on a night out.

He was in his basement working on his boat when his phone rang. He grew concerned when the caller ID showed Abby’s number.

“Gibbs.”

“Gibbs, it’s Abby.” She said sounding fuzzy. “Carly and I are at this party and we can’t find our car. Hey, I can tell him….”

“Gibbs, it’s Carly. Sorry to bother you at home….”

“What’s going on, Carly?” “Well Abby decided to mix her Red Bulls with vodka, don’t ask me why I think there’s a guy involved.”

“There is not.” Abby shouted at the phone.

“She’s cute when she’s drunk and indignant, Gibbs. Anyway, we drove my car and now it’s gone. I thought Abby was calling the police, but I should have known she’d call you first.”

“Where are you?” Gibbs asked, already walking out the front door towards his car.

“That’s the funny part.” Carly started.

“Carly.” Gibbs growled in warning.

“We’re like two streets over from your house. Abby just told me this. We could walk over….”

“No. I can hear the noise from here; I’ll be there in a minute. Go ahead and call the local PD so they can put out a report for your car.”

“Sure thing, boss.” Carly said and then realized he had hung up on her.

“Someone’s gotta teach that boy phone etiquette.” Carly said and dialed 911.

By the time the cop’s arrived, the party had died down. Gibbs arrival put a damper on everyone’s party mood. Abby had sobered up as she hadn’t been too terribly bad to start with and was vowing never to drink alcohol again. Carly gave her statement to the police and Gibbs drove them home. “Thankfully, I had my purse with me so they didn’t get any of my ID’s or credit cards.” Carly was babbling, trying to keep from being nervous. Abby was safe at home, but she still had another ten minutes in the car alone with Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Once she realized she was babbling, she pressed her lips together.

Gibbs turned right at the traffic light and bit back a smile. Carly was nervous to be alone with him. “A 1967 Shelby GT500. What made you buy it?” He had to ask.

Carly rolled her eyes. “It looked good in the movies Gibbs.” When he didn’t respond, she added, “You know the remake of the 1970’s movie where they boost cars.”

“I’ve seen it.” Gibbs informed her.

In surprise, Carly said, “Maybe you get out more than everyone thinks.”

At that, he laughed out loud and Carly looked at him, surprised even more. Before she could comment, they were at her apartment. “Thanks for the lift, bossman.” She told him, picking up the nicknames Abby used for everyone.

“How are you going to get to work on Monday?” Gibbs asked before she could jump out the car.

“Abby will pick me up.”

“Good enough. Good night, Carly.”

He waited till she was safely inside before leaving. And once more, he laughed at her reaction to his knowing about a “recent” movie.

Part Two

His phone was ringing. Some part of his mind registered that and he groped around on the bedside table to find it. Without checking the caller ID he flipped his phone open, “DiNozzo.”

“I know it’s late, but I didn’t know who else to call….” she said.

Fully alert, Tony sat up in bed, the sheet falling to his waist. “Abby, what’s wrong?”

“I feel awful, Tony. Carly and I were at a party tonight. That’s where we were going when we left Salvatore’s. While we were there, her car was stolen. Now I can’t sleep because I want to help find it and I was wondering if you would work with me on it.”

Tony slumped back against the pillows and looked at his clock. “It’s 3 AM, Abby. Couldn’t this wait until in the morning?”

Abby sighed. “You’re right. I’ll leave you alone. Sorry to bother you Tony. Go back to sleep.” Then she hung up on him.

Tony stared at his ceiling for a full minute before throwing the covers off and getting up to get dressed. Abby upset over something was an Abby that needed to do something. He would bet good money that she would already be in her lab when he got there. He stopped by the store to pick up a Caff-Pow and a coffee, and then drove to the office.

He was right. Abby was at her computer, typing away. She took the Caff-Pow from him and sent him a smile of gratitude. “I’ve already looked into it. There have been eight other cars stolen in the past week. All classic, in great condition and not a lot out there for sale.”

“Good work. Do the police have any leads?” Tony asked drinking from his cup.

“Not really. There are two possible situations if her car was stolen for this same reason.”

“What kind of car is it?” Tony asked just realizing he had never seen Carly come or go from work, she was here before and after he was.

“A ’67 Shelby GT500.” Abby replied leaving Tony speechless. “Yeah, I know, everyone sees it and thinks it’s a guy car, but she fell in love with it like two years ago and badgered the owner until he was ready to sell. It was funny really. You should ask her about the previous owner sometime. I can’t do the impersonation as well as she does.”

“Abby, I’ll be upstairs looking to see what I can find. Call me if you get anything else, ok?”

He walked out leaving Abby to ask out loud, “Am I really starting to get like Ducky, or is it just too early for Tony?” Shrugging, she turned back to her computer to delve into the police files on the eight other stolen cars.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gibbs walked in at 7 AM to find DiNozzo at his desk. “What are you doing here, DiNozzo?”

“Paperwork, Gibbs. I have some reports the Director wants and need to get them completed. What are you doing here?”

“Carly’s car was stolen last night. I am going to track it down and turn the thieves over to the police.”

“You’re here because of a stolen car?” Tony asked, pretending he didn’t know the situation.

“Carly’s one of ours DiNozzo. We help our own.” Gibbs replied with the last of his patience.

“Is that a rule?” Tony wanted to know, being a smart aleck as always.

Sitting at his desk, Gibbs told Tony, “Why don’t you report to me what you and Abby found already and we’ll go from there?”

Amazed again, Tony answered, “You have to tell me how you do that Gibbs. It would help so much in keeping my agents on their toes.” Gibbs stared at his from across the bullpen. “Right, so Abby found out there have been a string of car thefts, nine total to date with Carly’s, that target classic hard-to-find autos. Our theory is, either someone at the party last night was involved or Carly had been followed.”

“They weren’t followed, DiNozzo.” Gibbs stated with certainty.

“Want to tell me how you know that, boss?” Tony’s slip of the tongue made Gibbs smile. “Gibbs?”

“One of the two would have noticed. Especially Abby; she’s been aware of everything since last year.”

Nodding, DiNozzo stood and handed Gibbs a list of names of the party goers. “I’ve called half the list already to see what they remember. They only promising lead we have is one guy remembers seeing the car being driven off.”

Abby came running up. “Tony, I …” she trailed off seeing Gibbs as his desk.

“He’s here to work on this too, Abs.” Tony informed her.

“Good, I just got the name of the person seen stealing the car last night. Dwayne Hooper. He lives at 2334 Whiteside Drive. I am willing to bet between the two of you, he’ll break and give up the location of the cars.” Gibbs and DiNozzo were already on there way out. Abby stood watching them and finished the conversation. “Would you like to ride with us Abby? - No, I’ll let you two handle it. - That's great work Abby, let me pat you on the back.” Shaking her head, she went back to her lab to grab her Caff-Pow and coat and go home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dwayne Hooper was small-time, working for big-time and was terrified at the thought of what his prison sentence would be if he didn’t cooperate. Gibbs called the police in to make sure all the evidence collected would be admissible in court. Hooper gave up the location of the cars and the names of the men he reported to. Within the hour, cops were swarming the docks and confiscating the stolen cars. They vehicles were impounded and it took Gibbs the rest of the day to convince the authorities to release Carly’s Shelby. They had the other eight stolen cars and Carly would testify if needed he promised them. After signing the paperwork showing he received the car, he pulled out the keys he had swiped from Carly the night before and got behind the wheel. He had a delivery to make.

Part Three

Saturday evening

Eight o’clock on a Saturday and Carly was home, dressed for bed and contemplating dinner. Looking into her cabinets and fridge she had almost decided not to cook when her doorbell rang. She walked over to the door and looked through the peephole to find Gibbs on the other side. Wondering why he was here, she quickly opened the door.

“Gibbs is everything ok?” she asked. Gibbs couldn’t help but stare. Carly was wearing a fitted ribbed tank top and a pair of brief boxers. Waving her hand in front of his face, she repeated, “Gibbs is everything ok?”

He looked into her eyes, “Yes, everything’s good. We found your car.” He told her and stepped back so she could see it.

“My car!” She ran out to the parking lot in her pajamas and looked all around it checking for damage. Gibbs stayed at the door watching her make sure all was as it should be. Once she was satisfied all was well and no damage had been done, she walked back up to the apartment with a smile on her face. “You found my car!” She was so happy. “Wait, how’d you drive it here?”

Gibbs looked almost guilty as he handed her keys over. “I came across your keys last night and held onto them for safekeeping.”

Narrowing her eyes, she took her car keys from him. “I guess it’s a good thing they’re on a different key chain otherwise I would have been locked out of my house last night.” She couldn’t pretend to be upset with him, not when he had saved her car. “Have you had dinner yet?” She asked him and pulled him into her apartment by his arm. “I was just about to cook dinner. I can make enough for two and then I can run you home.”

She led him into the kitchen and started taking steaks out of the fridge. He didn’t object so she took out some potatoes as well. She was startled when he moved to help her. “I’ll do the steaks and you do the potatoes.” He told her.

“Oh really? And what if I want to cook the steaks?”

“Then I’ll do the potatoes.”

He was so agreeable that she laughed and handed over the steaks.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tony was standing in his kitchen staring at the woman joining him for dinner. He just finished ordering Chinese when she walked in the room to get a soda. Her hair was down, which meant she was ready to relax. She was wearing a black t-shirt with black pants and boots. He smiled when she caught him looking.

“Food will be here in about twenty minutes.” He told her.

“Great, I’m starving.” She replied. “Got any good movies we could watch?” She asked, knowing full well Tony’s movie collection was well stocked and varied.

Tony smiled at her. This was the first time she had agreed to have dinner with him on a date and she insisted it be at one of their places. He walked with her back into his living room. She put in “Donnie Darko” and they settled in to watch while waiting for their food to arrive.

Part Four

Monday morning

McGee was on the phone when Ziva, Tony and Michelle walked in. He quietly ended his conversation and hung up the phone. Tony noticed but was in too good a mood to pester him about it.

They were putting there stuff away when Gibbs came in with his coffee. “Grab your gear. We’re going to need both teams on this one Tony.”

“What have we got Gibbs?” Tony asked while everyone picked up what they just put down.

“Three female Marines have gone missing from Mickey’s pub. They were all contestants in the weekly competitions. Each one showed up to prepare, but never made it to the stage.”

McGee and Ziva were prepared for Tony to make a remark and were almost disappointed when he said nothing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Carly walked into the lab to find Abby building a replica of some obscure battlefield. “Not a lot to do this morning, Abby?”

“Nope, we’re all caught up. But, Gibbs and Tony have a missing persons case they are working on. Ziva called it in when they were under way. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more boxes of evidence this afternoon.”

“So you want to talk about Friday night?”

“About your car being stolen? You got it back in one piece right?”

“Yes, I did, thanks to you, Tony and Gibbs. That’s not what I want to talk about. Why were you so bent on getting plastered?”

“I wasn’t bent on getting plastered. I was just a little upset.”

“Because Tony had three dates last week that weren’t with you?” Carly asked and knew she hit the nail on the head. “Why don’t you just go out with him? I know Gibbs has a rule and all, but we’re talking about you here. You, he would let get away with murder.”

A look flashed across Abby’s face and Carly knew in that moment the two finally had a date. “When was it? Where did you go? You have to tell me all about it.” Carly demanded.

Abby turned to her with a stubborn look on her face. Finally she said, “On one condition.”

“Anything, spill already.” Carly agreed not know what she was getting herself into.

“We had dinner and watched a movie at his place Saturday night. It was great how comfortable we were with each other…”

Flashback

“Mmm. This is delicious.” Abby said, feeding Tony some of her lo mein for him to taste.

“That is good. Here, try this.” Tony offered her his Kung Pao Chicken. They had been sharing their food with one another throughout the movie. When the movie ended, Tony had to know, “What made you finally agree to go out with me.”

“Well, technically, we aren’t out anywhere Tony.”

“Abs.”

“I’ve wanted to say yes for weeks now, but ….”

With a serious look Tony asked, “But what, Abby?”

“I didn’t want to mess up and then have our friendship go down with it. I know that didn’t happen with McGee, but we were never serious about it. It was just for fun.” Abby said in earnest. “I don’t want to lose you and if staying friends could guarantee that, then I would gladly be just friends.”

Tony smiled at the woman beside him. “So why did you finally say yes?” he prompted again.

“I was tired of seeing all those women coming on and off the elevator to see you. Really, I was beginning to think you had a revolving door here.”

Tony wrapped his arms around Abby and squeezed gently. “I am going to tell you something that you can’t tell McGee. They were all for show. I never went out with any of them; they just wanted to see what the inner workings of NCIS was like.”

Abby tried to pull away, but Tony held on to her. She pulled her head back and narrowed her eyes at him. “They were there to make me jealous?”

Tony grinned down at her and admitted, “Yep.”

Abby slowly smiled and acknowledged, “It worked.” She put her hands on his face and kissed him slowly. When they came up for air, Tony blinked, “Wow, am I glad it worked.”

End Flashback

“Abby, yoo-hoo, Abby!” Carly said, waving her hand in front of her face. “Want to tell me what happened Saturday to put that look on your face?”

Abby snapped out of the memory of Saturday night and said, “Nothing. We just had dinner and watched a movie.”

“Yeah, sure, I’m convinced.” Carly said skeptically. “Ok, I know you’ll tell me when you’re good and ready.”

Carly turned to start up her computer and Abby said, “Not so fast. Now for my condition.”

“What do you want?” Carly asked, realizing just now what she had gotten herself into.

With a wicked grin Abby asked, “What happened Saturday night when Gibbs delivered your car?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

To be continued…………..

Part Five

Monday At Mickey’s Pub, the team walks in and heads straight for the stairs to the manager’s office. Two security guards step in the way and Gibbs flashes his badge. “Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS.”

“NCI who?” The big, bald one asked.

“Naval Criminal Investigative Services.” McGee explained.

“So? What do you want?” The second, bigger security guard asked.

“We’re going to talk to the manager. Step aside.” Gibbs told them.

“No one sees the Mr. Delacroix without an appointment.” The first guard informed them.

Ziva had slipped around behind the guards and was already up the stairs to the office. “That’s ok, Gibbs. I’ll just see if he can come down to us.”

As the two guards moved to retrieve Ziva, Tony told them, “Lay a hand on her and you both will be brought in for obstructing an investigation. After Ziva finished with you that is.” Ziva was dragging Mickey Delacroix out of his office. “Tell the guards to let my friends up.” She said and put a little pressure on his arm.

“Let them up. They are federal agents. They can come in anytime.” Mickey told his men and Ziva turned his arm loose.

Gibbs walked by the guards without glancing in their direction. Tony and McGee couldn’t help but smirk as they walked by and Agent Lee marched on as if they didn’t exist.

Mickey showed them into his office and asked, “What can I do for NCIS?”

“You can tell us what you know about these three women.” Agent Lee said and placed the photos of the three missing Marines on his desk.

“They’ve been weekly contenders in my competition. That’s all I know.”

“That’s all you know?” McGee asked. “Are you sure? “

“Sure, I’m sure. They come in, they change into their swim suits and parade around on stage for cash prizes. I didn’t even know they were military until I saw one of them had left their purse. I took it they decided not to compete last night and left. Then I got a call from your office about them missing.”

Tony and Gibbs exchanged a look, knowing this was all they were going to get out of the man for now. “If you think of anything, call us.” Tony told him and handed the card over. As they left the bar, every employee in the place was looking them over.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“You told me that you would do anything if I told you about my date with Tony.” Abby reminded Carly.

“Yes, but you obviously are holding back, so how does that make me have to comply with my end of that deal?”

“You have to tell me something. I told you some things.”

“Abby, are you not telling me things because you don’t want me to know how much this means to you?” Carly asked out of the blue.

“No, I am not. And you are not getting out of this.”

Sighing, Carly sat down on the stool in front of her computer. “All right. Gibbs brought my car back and I cooked him dinner, then I took him home.”

“Yeah, sure, there is more to it than that. What did you eat? What did you talk about?”

Flashback

“You cook a mean steak Gibbs.” Carly said after swallowing another juicy mouthful of perfect beef.

Gibbs sat watching her tear into her meal, realizing she always ate as though food was something to be savored not rushed. It had been a long time since food had been good enough for him to savor it. “The potatoes are good too.”

With a smile, Carly took a drink from her soda. “Don’t overwhelm me with praise Jethro I might faint.” She laughed then realized she had called him by his first name. Her smile slipped from her face.

“You can call me Jethro, Carly; you wouldn’t be the only one.” He said.

“I’ve only heard Ducky and the Director call you that to your face.” She admitted with a small smile looking at him across the table.

Nodding and cutting a piece of steak, he said “True, but Tony’s wanted to call me that for years. He just hasn’t gotten the nerve yet.”

“No, I can’t believe it would take nerve to call you by your name. You aren’t the least bit scary.” She twisted her mouth to keep from grinning at the blatant lie.

With a bark of laughter, Gibbs gave up and looked into her dark blue eyes. “You don’t seem to be too scared.”

“Well, that’s because Abby tells me what a teddy bear you really are.”

“A teddy bear?” Gibbs repeated, almost sounding horrified.

“Only with her of course. But still, you have to admit that your soft side shows when you’re around Abby.”

Denying it completely, Gibbs retort was, “I don’t have a soft side.”

“If you say so.” Carly said and started eating her steak again.

After dinner was over, she changed her shorts for pants and threw on a long sleeve shirt over her tank top. Once they arrived in front of Gibbs house, she was reluctant to end the evening. Leaning over the gear shift, she meant to kiss his cheek in thanks for bringing her car back. At that same moment, Gibbs turned his head to tell her goodnight and her lips touched his. When Gibbs brought his hands up to capture her face she let out a small sound of pleasure. He deepened the kiss until she was breathless and she giggled. He raised a brow questioningly at her. “Your mustache tickles.” She said and touched it with her fingertips. Gibbs took her hand in his and placed a chaste kiss in the palm.

“Have a goodnight Carly.” He said and quickly got out of the car before he did anything foolish like inviting her in.

End Flashback

“Carly, are you still on earth? What happened after dinner?” Abby asked.

“I took Gibbs home then went back to my place to go to bed.” Carly added leaving out the dreams she’d had after that kiss.

“Sure. I believe that.” Abby said and they started laughing at each other, knowing they were both holding back something.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Part Six

Tuesday

Abby and Carly worked overtime after the team arrived back at NCIS Monday afternoon. They ran every print brought in and none of the matches turned out to be leads. There were only two sets of prints found at all the homes, those of the women themselves and of the people that cleaned their apartments. All three women had a cleaning service that cleaned twice a week, but they each had a different cleaning service and no leads turned up with any of the staff.

Gibbs walked into the lab with a coffee and a Caff-Pow and handed them over. Carly turned to thank him and got a shock. “You shaved?”

Abby looked at Gibbs. “Wow. A smooth face, what a nice look for you Gibbs.”

“I got tired of trimming it,” he told them looking at the large screen on the wall. “Have you found anything that links our three Marines other than Mickey’s pub?”

Abby put her head down on the desk. “I hate giving you bad news, Gibbs, but other than the Marine Corps and Mickey’s Pub, our three ladies had nothing in common.”

Pursing his lips, Gibbs thought for a moment. “Need you two to come upstairs with me.” He turned to walk out. Carly and Abby looked at each other, puzzled.

“Now you two. We have to get moving on this.”

The ride up in the elevator took less than a minute, but that was plenty of time for crazy scenarios to fly through Abby and Carly’s heads. They followed him over the where Tony and Ziva were discussing the case with Agent Lee. McGee walked around the corner shutting his cell phone at the same time.

“Hi guys.” Abby and Carly said. They looked at each other. “We’ve got to stop doing that.” They said in unison. “Really, now would be good.”

“I agree.” Gibbs said. The women took a moment to look chastised and then just grinned at him.

“What’s going on, Gibbs? Did you two find anything?” Tony asked.

“Nope, not a thing, but Gibbs wanted us to come up here.” Abby answered. No one seemed to notice that Tony eyes kept going back to Abby.

“Something was happening at Mickey’s Pub, we’re all agreed on that.” Gibbs stated to get everyone’s attention back on the case at hand. “We don’t know what that is and I don’t like not knowing things. We are going to have to send someone in undercover to infiltrate the competition. They hold them every Tuesday and Sunday night. As far as we know, PFC’s Green, Sheldon and Murphy only competed on Sunday’s. They have all been missing since Sunday night. I don’t have to tell you what that means for their chance of survival. We’re going to have to go in tonight and see if we can find any information.”

“Gibbs, I dressed up like a geek for you, I don’t think it would be fair to make me dress in a bikini to be ogled by men also.” Ziva told him.

“You’re right. You won’t be going undercover. I will let you have one guess who is.” Gibbs told the team.

All at once Agent Lee and Abby were protesting. Agent Lee was appalled and told him, “I can’t put on a swim suit and parade around in front of a bunch of men.”

Abby’s response was amused, “Gibbs, I’m not very tan. I don’t think I’d get too far in the competition.”

Carly stepped forward. “You’re sending me in, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Carly. You’ll be undercover tonight.” Gibbs confirmed.

At this announcement, everyone erupted in protest. Tony wanted to know why Ziva or Michelle couldn’t do it.

“Because, DiNozzo, everyone at the Pub yesterday will recognize them tonight and know something is up.”

“Gibbs, I was joking about not doing it, you know.” Abby told him. “I don’t mind, they’ll just see the majority of my tats.” Tony almost objected and caught himself in time.

“Carly, you did a few undercover assignments in LA?” Gibbs asked, knowing from her file she had.

“Yes, they were mainly to gather intel, but I still had to be in disguise.” She acknowledged.

“Well, your disguise tonight would be a two piece.” Agent Lee reminded her.

Carly looked at Michelle and asked, “How do you think I get my tan? Nude sunbathing?” She turned around to think.

“I can always get someone else.” Gibbs offered.

“No, you won’t have time. I just have to go home and raid my swimsuits. I’m presuming you mean to bug something on me?” Carly asked.

“Yes, we will. McGee and Abby will be working on that and your military ID.”

Looking over her shoulder at Gibbs, she nodded. “So now I’m a Marine?”

“If you're a good Marine, it’ll be a one night stint.”

“I understand. I’ll be back within the hour.” Carly walked to the elevators and left the building.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Part 7

Tuesday night

By the time McGee and Abby had the microphone and video bugs planted on Carly’s things, the team was amazed at the transformation she underwent. She was wearing hip-hugging jeans with a purple t-shirt and her hair was up in a high pony tail. She told them she would fix her hair in the dressing room at the Pub. Her necklace was a silver chain with a black onyx stone hanging from it and was rigged to be both audio and visual windows into the bar. Once she put her swimsuit on, the bug would be in the clasp for her hair. She had a new purse with a fake driver’s license and military ID. Everything was set.

Gibbs didn’t want to send her in alone, but knew he didn’t have any other choice. He kept watching her go over the notes about the women that were missing. He knew she realized she fit the profile, just as Ducky had pointed out to him before meeting with the team this morning. Her dark hair and body type eerily matched the three missing women. Even with the so-called normal clothes and hairstyle, the most noticeable change in her was her walk. Gone was the slow, loose-hipped walk that she didn’t even seem to realize was a turn-on to most males. In its place was the straight-backed, stiff walk of a well-trained Marine. Seeing this made Gibbs realize why her former boss in LA allowed her to go undercover. She was almost chameleon-like, able to master the act without practice.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The surveillance van was parked one street over from Mickey’s Pub when Carly pushed open the door and walked up to the bar.

“What can I get you to drink?” The bartender asked, putting glasses back on the shelf.

Smiling at his like a new friend, Carly ordered a beer. After she paid for it, she looked around the pub. Noticing the sign for the contest, she motioned for the bartender.

“Yes?” He asked when he reached her place at the bar.

“The contest on the poster,” Carly started, nodding at said poster, “does the winner really get $500 bucks tonight?”

“Yep, that’s tonight’s prize. Sunday’s was $200. It all depends on the crowd.”

“Is it too late to sign up?”

“No, ma’am. All you have to do is put your name on the list and put on your swimsuit.”

“Swimsuit?” Carly echoed as though she hadn’t been expecting that condition.

“Too afraid of walking in front of this crowd, little lady?” The bartender asked.

With a cocky smile, she answered, “Not a bit. Lucky for me I went swimming earlier today.” She signed her name on the form and he pointed to the dressing room in back. She walked in to change feeling at least one person watching her progress across the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Man, I am so glad those Marine b*tches aren’t here tonight. What is it with the guys in the bar liking them ‘cause they’re military?” One woman asked.

“I don’t know. I heard they were missing though and the last place they were seen was here.” another answered.

Looking in the mirror, they adjusted their tops and walked out to get ready to go onstage. Carly stepped out of the stall in the small room and looked at herself in the mirror. She couldn’t believe she was wearing this suit. It was blood red and barely covered anything. It certainly didn’t hide two of her favorite tattoos. Forgetting about the video feed in her hair clip, she turned around to view the back. Satisfied that everything was covered as much as it could be, she walked out the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Gibbs almost dropped his coffee when he got a full view of the bikini Carly was wearing. She had assured him it was decent but would put her near the winner’s circle if she didn’t win. The top consisted of two triangles held up by impossibly small strings. The bottom, he wasn’t sure what style it was supposed to be. Triangles were the theme it looked like. One in the front and one in back again held on and together with those tiny strings. One tug from an overzealous drunk and it would fall right off. But the swimsuit itself wasn’t as shocking as the two tattoos she had revealed. One was a four leaf clover in green on her shoulder blade. It was hidden at work with the shirts she wore and even the night he delivered her car, it wasn’t noticeable. Also not noticeable were the three fairies on the small of her back. They were laying side-by-side imitating the see/hear/speak no evil pose. This was no black and white tattoo. It was full color. The first fairy was a purple, the second was blue and the third was red.

“Wow. That’s the one she tried to describe to me.” Abby said staring at the screen. “It’s beautiful work.”

“Nice art.” McGee chimed in.

Gibbs snapped out of his trance when the door closed behind Carly, cutting off the mirrored image of her tattoo.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As she walked through the crowd making her way to the stage, Carly felt several hands on her bottom. Gritting her teeth, she kept going. If she stopped and made a big deal out of it, she would get no where. Out the corner of her eye, she spotted Mickey Delacroix in a deep conversation with one of his security guards. He looked up when the red of her suit caught his eye. She watched covertly while he looked at the emcee for the competition and nodded in her direction. She wondered what they were up too as she took her place on the stage.

All the women walked around as their names were called and strutted their stuff for the crowd. Carly’s suit and tats got a big pop from the crowd and at the end of the competition, she was named the winner and given the $500 in cash. Mickey walked up to her and invited her into his office for a celebratory drink. After a moment’s hesitation, Carly smiled and agreed.

Closing the door behind them, Mickey motioned for Carly to sit down. He poured her a drink, which she accepted and sipped at it. She looked up in time to catch his smile as the world went black and she passed out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The video feed showed that Carly had collapsed. Gibbs and Tony were about to jump out the van when they heard Mickey talking to someone.

“This one was easy. We gotta get her out of here before anyone notices.” The guard said as he came into view. It was one of the same guards that had blocked Gibbs and his team yesterday.

“She’ll bring a fine price in.” Mickey said and the sneer on his face was heard in his voice.

“I don’t understand why those men want an independent woman.” The guard said as he lifted Carly off the floor.

Mickey laughed. “Because it’s fun to break them down.”

Then made their way out the back of the building and got into the car waiting for them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Part 8

Late Tuesday night Carly woke up groggy. She was in a small room on a cot. Standing, she put her arms out to help her balance. Whatever Delacroix slipped her had been strong. She was still in her swimsuit but a blanket had been over her on the cot and her clothes were laid out on a chair.

Cold, she dressed as quickly as her fuzzy mind would allow and then assessed her situation. Without a watch, she couldn’t tell what time it was but the small window told her it was night. Shaking her head, she walked slowly towards the door. Locked, of course. Her hair was down around her shoulders and a look around the dimly lit room showed that her hair clip was nowhere to be seen. Her purse was on the floor and she picked it up. Smiling at Abby’s ingenuity, she took her necklace out.

“Can anyone hear me? I can’t hear you guys, but I sure hope you are listening.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Gibbs!” Abby screamed running off the elevator. “She’s on the mic. Listen.”

Clicking the button for the listening device, they heard Carly talking. “Ok. I woke up a few minutes ago and it’s dark wherever I am. I knew I shouldn’t have had that drink.” She whispered. “I can’t hear anything outside this room, so I am trying to be quiet. I don’t know how long I was out. Boy, I sure hope someone can hear this.”

The team mobilized as Gibbs started barking orders. “Tony, gas the van.” Tony ran off without protest. “McGee can you triangulate the signal on that bug?”

“Yes, sir.” McGee replied.

“Then do it and let’s go.” Gibbs said, grabbing his gun from his desk and running to the elevators.

Ziva and Michelle grabbed their gear and ran after him. The Director was calling other teams together as back-up. Gibbs was running in blind to save one of his own and she wanted him to have all the help he needed.

Abby climbed in the van knowing she had to be there when they got to Carly. No one protested her right to go. Gibbs jumped in the driver’s seat and burned rubber out the parking lot while McGee was working on getting a location on his laptop.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“It really is boring not having someone to talk to.” Carly was saying. She had put the necklace on and stopped asking if anyone was listening. Even if they were, they wouldn’t be able to answer her and anyone on the other side of her door might realize she was bugged.

“At least my head’s clearing up. I’m not quite as foggy as I was when I woke up. And my stomach is knocking on my spine wondering where dinner is. That’s got to be a good sign. I wonder if they’d unlock the door if I started singing.”

She was walking around the room, looking for anything that could be used as a weapon. Frustrated that she couldn’t find anything, she slumped onto the chair. “I hope those guys hate classic country.”

She started singing Loretta Lynn’s “Don’t come home a drinkin’ with lovin’ on your mind”.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Abby was grinning at the sound of Carly’s singing. Everyone else kept glancing at the speaker, unable to believe she could sing that well and know all the words to that song.

“Carly listens to country?” McGee asked.

“Uh-huh. She has since she was a child.” Abby told them.

“But she likes your music.” Ziva asked confused.

“I know. She doesn’t discriminate against great music from any genre.” Abby explained.

“McGee!” Gibbs barked. “Have you got an exact location yet?”

“Yeah, boss. Just now. She’s in a building right here….” He trailed off and they looked around.

There were at least ten warehouses on each side of the street. Stopping the car, Gibbs slammed his hand against the steering wheel. Suddenly, a car horn blasted from the back side of a warehouse two down from there location.

Carly’s song broke off and she asked, “What the ? That was right outside the window if anyone is hearing me.”

Gibbs killed the lights, pulled over and shut off the engine. He radioed for the other teams to move in on foot to the warehouse where Carly was. Tony, Ziva, Michelle, Tim and Abby spilled out of the van.

“Abby, you aren’t going with us.” Tony told her.

“But..” she started to protest.

“No buts, Abs.” Gibbs interrupted. “Get back in the van, lock the doors and stay out of sight.”

Frustrated but unarmed, Abby did as she was told. The look she gave her two favorite men told them they would answer to her later.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

There was a scraping sound as the door was unlocked. A man Carly hadn’t seen before walked in and stared at her. He held out his hand for her. She stepped back and shook her head.

“No way. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

With heavily accented English, the man said, “Of course you are. I paid a good amount of money for you.”

“Did you pay for my friends as well?” Carly asked, trying to stall and get information at the same time.

The man looked at her suspiciously, “How do you know about them?” “I’m investigating their disappearance. If you have them, I want them back.” Carly said and stuck her chin out defiantly.

“You’ll be in no position to demand anything, little lady.” The man said and pulled out a gun. “Some problems just aren’t worth the trouble.” As he leveled the gun at her, Gibbs stuck the barrel of his own gun to the man’s head. “Give me a reason.” He coldly told the man.

Tony stepped around them and took the gun now hanging loosely from the man’s hand.

Ziva was in the other room, explaining to Delacroix why it was in his best interest to give up the locations of the other women. It just so happened that she had him on the floor with her boot in his face. Michelle looked horrified over this and McGee told her, “At least she hasn’t tied him to a chair and made us leave the room.”

Hearing that, Delacroix told Ziva that the other three ladies were in separate rooms in the building. McGee radioed that information to the other teams. Ziva hauled him up roughly and cuffed his hands. They exited the building to find Gibbs and Carly with Abby.

“I am telling you, I’m fine. Whatever they slipped me is wearing off.” Carly said. “If you want to know what it was, let Abby run the tests, but I want food. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.” She picked up Gibbs arm. “Breakfast was almost 18 hours ago. I need food.”

Gibbs gave up. “We’ll go back to the office and eat while Abby runs the tests.”

“Great!” They climbed into the van. The other teams had taken the prisoners and left for headquarters already. When they were underway, Carly looked at Gibbs. “A big steak sounds great right now.” She told him with a mischievous gleam in her eye. He glanced her way and caught that look. Smiling, he turned his attention to the road and replied, “It sure does.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The End

The Assistant series (NCIS ff)

2006-10-18T15:28:20Z

Who's That Girl?

Spoilers: None

Rating G

Part One

Monday

“You’re here already?” Abby asked Carly as she walked in with a Caff-Pow and a coffee.

“You expected me to get here first or you wouldn’t have brought the coffee.” Carly replied without turning, putting the slide into the microscope.

“How do you know this isn’t for Gibbs?”

“Because if it was his, you would have left it on his desk.”

With a big grin and a gulp of Caff-Pow Abby said, “You are correct. So, starting your first full week, how does it feel Ms. Thomas?”

“It feels wonderful Ms. Sciuto. Especially since Director Shepard told me Friday that the dress code doesn’t apply so much down here in the lab.”

“What are you wearing?” Abby asked and then had to laugh when she got an eyeful.

Carly had on a t-shirt that said “Bad boys…..” and a short black skirt with knee high black boots. From the back with the lab coat on, she was totally presentable, even her hair was pulled back at the nape with a hair band. From the back, she was a professional. From the front, she was the friend Abby recognized as a kindred spirit.

“I can’t believe you have that shirt on. I sent it to you, but I can’t believe you’d wear it on your second day of work.” Abby told her, remembering the back of the shirt said “I like ‘em that way.”

“Wouldn’t you wear it?”

Abby smiled again and nodded, “Definitely. I really loosened you up since we met, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you certainly did.”

Abby looked into the microscope. “What have we got?”

“Those are from samples that Tony brought in earlier. I think he’s testing me to see if I know how to run the equipment.”

They both shared a laugh at the thought but were soon caught up in the music and work that had to be completed. The next time they came up for air, it was time for lunch.

Special Note: Thank you Chan for helping me pick a last name for Carly!

Part Two

Wednesday

Gibbs entered the lab with a Caff-Pow in his hand. “Abby, do you…Who are you?” He asks when Carly turns around.

“Carly Thomas, Abby’s assistant.” She replied watching him take in her outfit of the day – a purple T with the word “Score” on the front, black cargo pants and black combat boots.

“Where’s Abby?” He asked once done with the inspection.

“She took some lab results up to Tony.”

“Where are my lab results?”

“Right here, bossman.” Abby answered him coming into the lab. "I see you’ve met Carly.”

“Results, Abs?” Gibbs reminded her and hands over the Caff-Pow.

“Alright, no chit chat, I get it. The bullet came from a .380 pistol. I ran it through the system to see if there were any hits. We got a match. There was a hold-up last year in Charleston, West Virginia. Bullets recovered from the scene match the bullets found at your crime scene. There was a suspect identified, but never brought in. Her name is…..”

“Janet Bell.” Gibbs finished.

“You know, if you’re going to do my job, I can take my Caff-Pow and go home.” Abby told him with affection.

Gibbs almost smiled. “Thank you Abby. You just confirmed what I thought.”

He turned and grabbed the coffee, taking a big drink as he heads to the door.

“Um, Gibbs?” Carly said, speaking again.

Gibbs looked at her with his brow raised.

“That was mine.” She told him.

With a slight shrug, Gibbs replied, “It’s good coffee.”

He walked out leaving them bemused.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cynthia saw him coming and shook her head. “Hello, Agent Gibbs,” she greeted him as he walked into the Director’s office.

“Jethro, what a surprise. What problem can I help you with now?”

“Where’d you get Abby’s assistant?”

“Did she do something wrong?”

“Is she trying to be just like Abby?”

“Jethro, you always suspect people are at their worst. She is not trying to be just like Abby. Yes, I have noticed this week that she dresses similarly, but that’s not a crime and I want her as comfortable as Abby so they can work together. Did you even notice any of her differences?”

“She likes coffee, just coffee, no cream or sugar. She’s 5’3” tall and she doesn’t have any visible tattoos.”

Jen smiled. “Apparently, they’ve known each other for several years now. Once I hired her, Abby told me she didn’t want to say anything to influence my decision.”

Shaking his head, Gibbs turned to the door. “At least this one doesn’t make you want to throw something at her.”

“You wanted to throw something at Chip?”

“No. I felt like shooting him. But that would've been a waste of a perfectly good bullet.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Special thanks to Adam for helping me with the last few lines. I changed them a bit, but I loved your idea.

Part Three

Friday

“If I have to look at one more minute of video without a fresh cup of coffee, I’m gonna go cross-eyed.” Carly announced to Abby’s amusement.

“You know, you haven’t left the lab since you started working here. You come straight here and go straight home everyday. The only people you’ve met are the Director, Gibbs, and Tony.” Abby paused the video. “Come on, I’m getting you out of the lab.”

“Where are we going?” Carly asked, curious to see what her friend had in mind.

“You’ll see,” was all Abby would say.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Ducky, I’ve got someone you have to meet.” Abby said as they walked into the doctor’s domain.

“Abigail, I was wondering when you would get around to bringing your assistant down here.” Dr. Mallard replied. He turned from the body he was working on and his eyes widened in surprise. Anthony hadn’t been mistaken when he said the new employee was pretty.

“Hello, Ducky, I’m Carly Thomas.” She introduced herself with a smile and a small curtsy. The older man smiled at her in delight. Yes, he could see how the two women were drawn to be friends. They both seemed to be a mix of joy and mischief. Abigail certainly was, at least. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, dear. Is Abigail treating you well?”

“Ducky, when have I mistreated anyone?” Abby asked, pretending to be insulted.

“It was only a joke, Abby.” Ducky told her and then noticed the twinkle in her eye.

“Who are you working on, Ducky?” Carly asked, looking behind him at the body.

“PFC Ryan Walker. Poor man returned from Iraq safe but never made it out of the airport. I just opened him up to see what secrets he would reveal.”

Carly walked over to the body to take a look. “Everything appears normal. Nothing out of the ordinary just from looking.”

“Exactly. I was just about to have Mr. Palmer assist me in weighing the organs and send some samples to Abigail.” Ducky looked over at his assistant to find him staring in bemusement at Carly. “Mr. Palmer!” Ducky said a little louder than necessary. “Would you mind handing those sample to Carly? They might want to start working on something other than that video Jethro brought them earlier this morning.”

Jimmy turned red and placed the blood and tissue samples in Carly’s hand. “Here you go.” “Thank you, Mr. Palmer.” Carly said and smiled at the obviously embarrassed young man.

“Jimmy,” he told her. “Please call me Jimmy.”

“Jimmy.” She acknowledged. “I’ll go run these now.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Back in the lab, the two women had to laugh at the look on Jimmy’s face.

“I think he likes you.” Abby joked with Carly.

“Oh, no. I hope not. Not that I would date someone I work with. Anyway, the last guy I went out with that was that sweet ended up badly bruised from letting me walk all over him.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with dating a co-worker?” Abby asked.

“I know you dated McGee, but for me, when things go bad, it ruins the happy environment around me. Sucks all the good energy right out of me. I had that happen in LA. I told you about it. It’s how I ended up back in Houston.”

“And from Houston to here.” Abby came back with a smile.

“Yep. I had to be closer to my bud, you know. IM’s just weren’t cutting it anymore.”

“I know. It sucks when one of your closest friends is half-way across the country.”

Nodding in agreement, they started the tests on the blood and tissue samples from PFC Walker. With a sigh, Carly hit the play button to start the video once again.

Part Four

Monday

“Damn machine.” Gibbs muttered, slamming the offensive object to his desk.

Carly walked up in time to catch his comment. “PDA pissing you off Gibbs?” At the steely stare she received for that quip, she added, “Abby said you needed this ASAP.”

“What is it?” Gibbs asked. Once again he was without his glasses.

“The analysis of the carpet fibers found on Private Nash’s clothes. It’s from an automobile, a Chevrolet Caprice, to be exact, made around 1985.” Carly ended, nodding her head to emphasis the information.

“McGee!” Gibbs barked.

“On it, boss. Cross-referencing our suspects with owner registration’s of a 1985 Chevy Caprice.” McGee answered automatically, typing away.

“Call me when you get something. I’ll be in autopsy.”

“Yes, boss.”

Carly was still standing there with the report in her hand. Tony looked over with a look of shared pain. “I feel it’s a little late to warn you, Gibbs doesn’t talk with anyone about his technology deficiencies.”

“I could teach him how to use it.” Carly offered.

With a shudder Tony replied, “I offered that once. His reply was that me teaching him was backwards.”

Raising her eyebrows, Carly said, “I got it. No offers of help needed.” She turned to McGee. “Not to interrupt you, but I’m Carly.”

Not looking up from his computer, McGee nodded. “Tim McGee. It’s nice to meet you. Thanks for bringing the results up.”

Smiling, already on her way to the elevator, she told him, “You’re welcome. And it’s nice to meet you too.”

When the elevator doors closed, McGee looked at Tony. “You weren’t lying. She is pretty. But I don’t think she’s as pretty as Abby.”

Tony shrugged. “Nobody’s as pretty as Abby in your book, McGee.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Back in the lab, Abby was muttering about slow computers. Carly placed the Caff-Pow in reach and went to her computer. “What’s got you ready to kill your system?”

“Ziva needs me to go through Private Nash’s computer files to see if he was documenting any of his actions before he died. All I am getting are error messages and I’ve already several virus scans with no luck yet on finding the problem.”

“What if the virus you can’t find is the information you’re looking for?” Carly proposed.

Abby’s head snapped up and she looked at Carly. “You’re right. Let me see.” She hit a few keys and all the execute files on the computer flashed on the screen. “Here it is. Oh man. This is a nasty one. It looks like he created a virus and then turned it loose one of his own pc’s. I can’t find anything else that makes sense.”

“Well, that must be it then.”

“What must be it then?” Gibbs asked walking in with another Caff-Pow and his coffee. “Do you still need this one, Abs?” He asked when he noticed her still full cup.

“I always need those, Gibbs. And the ‘it’ we were talking about is the computer virus that Private Nash created. He was smart, really smart. He was testing the virus on one of his own computers to see what it would do. He hadn’t unleashed it anywhere else though.”

“What would this virus do, Abs?”

“Gather financial information and make small, untraceable withdrawals from banks across the country.” Carly told him reading the code over their shoulders.

“Right.” Abby agreed.

“Don’t they have viruses like that already and a fix for it?” Gibbs asked, frustrated with the seemingly unimportant information.

“Sure,” Carly answered and Gibbs turned to her. “But this one doesn’t need any personal information or account numbers. This virus wasn’t going into a certain person or persons account, it was going straight into the funds the banks hold for their own needs.”

“How would turning this thing loose on his own computer help?” Gibbs wanted to know.

“It would tell him whether or not the virus he set up could actually get enough info about the banks to hack into the banks money. It looks like he was almost there, too.” Abby told him.

“Good work.” Gibbs said and gave the coffee to Carly. At her look of surprise, he told her, “For the one I drank the other day.” Then he walked out.

Amazed that he gave her a coffee, all Carly could say was, “He still hasn’t shaved the ‘stache, Abby.”

Abby laughed and turned back to stare at the monitor.

Part Five

Monday Afternoon

“Ugh, damn!” Carly exclaimed.

“Computer pissing you off, Carly?” Gibbs mirrored her questions from earlier as he walked into the lab with Ziva on his heels.

Taking a deep breath, the young woman turned to him and replied, “No, the program on the computer is. It keeps bringing up false positive matches on the fingerprint search I’m doing.”

“Can’t you fix it?” Ziva asked, not grasping the problem.

“Yes, but it might take some time.”

“What may take some time?” Abby queried from behind Gibbs.

“Finding out who’s hacking our system causing these problems.” Carly told her and reached around the Special Agent to take the coffee Abby brought back for her.

Abby looked at Carly like she had grown another head. “What makes you think we’ve been hacked?”

Carly picked up a stack of papers to emphasize her point, “Only twenty people that come up as a match for the set of prints on the Chevy Caprice and five false matches on DNA.” Gibbs looked at her in surprise and she explained further, “The DNA cant’ match if the blood type doesn’t match.”

“Get this fixed you two. I need to find out who stole that car and why Private Nash was killed.” Gibbs ordered and walked out.

“Ziva David.” She said introducing herself to Carly.

“Carly Thomas. Nice to meet you.” Carly replied.

“Ziva!” Gibbs yelled from the elevator. “We have work to do.”

She nodded at Abby and Carly and ran to catch up with Gibbs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gibbs arrived back at the bullpen in time to watch Fornell step off the other elevator. “Jethro, we need to talk.”

The two men walked back to the elevator and waited until Jethro hit the switch to stop it.

“Why do have the feeling I’m not going to like what you have to tell me, Tobias?”

“Because you won’t. We’ve gotten word that someone in the government is trying to create a program to siphon unidentifiable amounts of cash from banks to fund covert ops.”

Gibbs stared at Fornell weighing what he had been told. “We have the programmer down in autopsy right now. We are working on locating his killer, but that might prove to be difficult.”

Fornell looked at him in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“Someone’s hacking into Abby’s computer and screwing with the results on this case, only this case. Whoever hired Private Nash, doesn’t want us to find the connection between the killer and covert ops.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Abby and Carly were ready to scream. They had only been tracing this hacker for less that half-an-hour, but had been lead on several goose chases already.

Gibbs and Fornell walked into the room to see Carly pound her fist on the desk.

“That won’t help.” Abby said.

“I realized that when you did it.” She replied almost irritated. “Whoever this is, they are good.”

“They are paid to be good.” Gibbs announced making their presence know.

“They who, Gibbs?” Abby wanted to know without looking up from her monitor.

“The government, Abs. Someone hired Private Nash to create the virus to fund covert ops and then killed him.”

“But why kill him when he didn’t have the program completed?” Carly wanted to know and noticed the other man staring at her.

“Maybe whoever killed him didn’t know it wasn’t completed. Maybe Private Nash suffered from a guilty conscious and turned it over as-is knowing it wouldn’t do what they wanted it too.” Abby offered and Gibbs smiled.

“Good work you two. Now if you could just find out who is hacking the system….” Gibbs hinted.

“Ah ha!” Abby and Carly exclaimed. They both started typing faster than either man had thought possible. “Come here you little….” Carly started.

“…government spy.” Abby finished.

“Got him.” They said in unison. “Or at least the building and computer where he is.” Abby added.

“Where?” Gibbs and Fornell asked.

“The CIA building. The user name is CanonB, give me just a sec and we’ll tell you who that is. It is….Paul McCreedy.”

The men were out the door calling their teams by the time Abby and Carly turned to each other in satisfaction. “Great work, Abs.” Carly said imitating Gibbs.

“Great work, Carly.” Abby replied and they high-fived each other.

Part Six

It’s still Monday

Gibbs and Fornell and their teams showed up at the home of Paul McCreedy. DiNozzo had the warrant in hand. Once he realized he had been caught, McCreedy went without a fight. He claimed the virus idea was for his own personal gain and not government use. No one believed him, but McCreedy wouldn’t say a word to substantiate their suspicions. He knew if he talked, he’d be dead anyway. He admitted to killing Private Nash once the program had been delivered to him because he didn’t need witnesses and dead men don’t talk. Gibbs told him he shouldn’t be too sure of that, they talk all the time to their M.E.

Abby and Carly came up for air from the lab once they got all their programs back online and working properly. The whole team was sitting around typing up their reports, a little let down at the anti-climatic way McCreedy had been taken down. The two women stepped off the elevator and Carly’s stomach growled loudly.

Abby’s eyes widened. “Have you eaten today?” She wanted to know.

Shaking her head, Carly answered, “I was so aggravated when the fingerprints came back hinky that I didn’t stop for lunch.”

“It sounds like you two lovelies need to have dinner.” Tony said as they neared his desk. “I know a great place that serves…..”

“Pizza!” Abby, McGee and Ziva finished for him.

“Hey, I don’t eat just pizza.” Tony protested. “They also have great pasta. Would you two like to join me for dinner?” “DiNozzo!” Gibbs snapped.

“Everyone else is welcome too as long as we go dutch.” Tony amended.

The agents stood and gave their reports to Gibbs. They started towards the elevator and Carly turned around, “You coming Gibbs?” She asked.

Everyone froze. There were still some lines that hadn’t been crossed. Before leaving all those months ago, Gibbs would occasionally join the team for dinners. Since he had returned, everyone was on eggshells and he hadn’t spent time with them off the job.

Gibbs looked up to find them staring at him. He stood, tossed his empty coffee cup away and said, “Is it good pizza Tony?”

“Sure is Gibbs.” Tony answered and they all left together.

The Secrets series (NCIS ff)

2006-10-16T10:16:03Z

Jen’s Secret

Rating: G – suitable for everyone

Spoilers: Faking It

Pairing: You missed the word “Secret” in the story title, didn’t you?

Chapter One

Jen was sitting at her desk reviewing paperwork when Cynthia walked in holding a beautiful arrangement of orchids.

“Third week in a row, ma’am.” Cynthia commented, setting the arrangement on the corner of the Director’s desk.

Jen just nodded, waiting until Cynthia was once again on the other side of the door before slipping the card out of the envelope. A slow smile spread across her face as she read the message. She held the card close to her chest, looking for the moment like a schoolgirl staring at her flowers.

~*~Flashback~*~

Jen almost panicked when she walked into her office to find Tony holding the card for her flowers. It wasn’t signed and the florist had written the message, but Tony was a skilled investigator. When she called him on it though, he had acted like he was admiring the flowers and the card fell out. Without drawing attention to her previous panic, she had offered Tony his own team in another country. He told her he had to think about it and left her office.

Sitting back, she was thinking of all the changes Tony had gone through since Jethro had left. Her gaze was drawn back to her flowers and that led her mind back to her recent albeit too brief vacation.

~~~

It had surprised her. They both worked in D.C. but she had to go all the way to South Africa to really see him. In their line of work, they saw each other regularly, but that trip had removed her blinders.

He was there for business, she for a much needed break. Chance had it that they were staying in the same hotel. She returned one night from a day of sightseeing at the Lone Creek Falls. As she entered the dining room, she spotted him talking with colleagues. He looked up and smiled. But the time she was seated, he had excused himself from his group.

“May I join you?” he asked and she assented.

Dinner passed quickly, yet they lingered, sharing stories of their travels and the places they’d seen. Chance stepped in again as his conference ended earlier than expected. She invited him to share the next day with her on the Forest Falls Nature Walk to view Forest Falls and he agreed.

~*~End Flashback~*~

Jen was still holding the card when her phone rang reminding her of the videoconference she had in MTAC. Getting back into business mode, she put the card away and went to her meeting.

Chapter Two

He was sitting at his desk staring blankly at the report he needed to complete. The flowers would have been delivered by now. It was truly amazing to him how they had connected by running into each other in South Africa.

~*~Flashback~*~

He was bored with this year’s conference. That in itself was odd. He loved to learn new techniques and methods so these conferences were usually a gold mine. This year’s was just tedious and repetitive. It was a relief when the speaker announced an early end to the meetings.

At dinner that evening, he had been discussing an early departure when a familiar red head caught his eye. He watched her be seated and excused himself to ask if he could join her for dinner.

The talked for hours, not noticing the passing of the time until the staff started their closing activities. Deciding whether or not to join her the next day on the Forest Falls Nature Walk was easy. She was intelligent, beautiful and a great listener. They spent an easy day with each other and both were reluctant to give it up.

~~~

Returning home was bittersweet as it meant a return to their normal lives. He never believed she would agree to secret, secluded dates where no one would know who they were. Her acceptance of a clandestine relationship surprised and delighted him.

~*~End Flashback~*~

Tonight marked their fourth date since their return from South Africa. His attention was drawn back to his work when the doors slid open and young Mr. Palmer spoke.

“If you don’t need me Dr. Mallard, I’ll be leaving now.”

“That’s fine, Jimmy. I’m almost finished as well.” Ducky said.

As his assistant left, Ducky turned off his desk lamp. He was going to meet Jen for dinner and he refused to be late.

Information on the waterfalls of South Africa can be found at: http://www1.southafrica.net/cultures/en-US/consumer.southafrica.net/

The Secrets Series (NCIS ff)

2006-10-14T06:16:27Z

TITLE: Ziva's Secret
Rating: R (sexual themes)
Spoilers: None, really
Pairing: That's the secret of course!
Note: The following story contains sexual themes that may not be appropriate for everyone. If such elements offend, please DO NOT read.

Chapter One

Ziva was at her desk running down information on her computer for the case they were working. Yawning, she stretched and looked around the bullpen. No one had noticed that she wasn’t completely focused on her work. Keeping a straight face, she smiled inside as she thought of the previous evening and how surprisingly wonderful it had been.

~*~ Flashback~*~

Her date was nervous, but then most men were around her. He picked her up promptly at seven and had refused to let her drive to the restaurant. She had tried to assure him her driving had improved but the look he flashed her told her he knew otherwise. Ever the gentleman, he opened doors for her and held her chair while she seated herself. Impressed, she decided to tell him it was nice to be treated that way. Most people who looked at her just saw an Israeli or a Mossad agent working in America. But not him. He seemed extremely determined to show her that wasn’t how he saw her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first time he had come close to asking her on a date, she laughed it off, thinking it was a joke. The more they spoke with each other over the passing days, the more she realized he had been serious. She found she was curious about his reasons for asking her out, but she couldn’t ask him without making it seem she was interested. So, she ignored it, knowing that if he came to her again and asked, she would say yes.

Over a month passed by before he brought it up again. It was after work and it had been a bad case. Gibbs had run them ragged trying to catch a killer before he struck again. Seeing the first victim first hand, Ziva hadn’t been able to blame him. As she told herself she would, she said yes when he asked her out. That had been three days ago and their first date had been last night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ziva smiled at her thoughts, but Tony thought she had a hit on the case they were working. He started picking on her for being distracted when he realized the smile wasn’t work related. Ziva laughed inside at that. Little did he know that her smile was work related. And wouldn’t he be very surprised to know the source of that smile was the quiet man working away on his computer at the desk next to Tony’s.

Without being obvious, Ziva watched McGee work. Yes, Tim had surprised her and she definitely liked it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter Two

Tim was whistling as he walked down the hall to his apartment. Ziva was coming over tonight for dinner. It was their sixth date and he was going to cook her a meal.

He started to put the key in the door when he noticed something was off. Quickly putting the bag of groceries on the floor, he pulled his weapon and checked the hall for civilians before slowly opening his unlocked front door.

As soon as he was in the door, someone grabbed him. He was twirled around, slammed against the wall, and disarmed before he could do anything. His training almost kicked in when he recognized the dark beauty staring at him.

“Tim!” Ziva exclaimed, her accent making his blood run faster.

“Ziva, what are you doing here?” he asked.

“I came for dinner and you weren’t here yet. I didn’t know what to do…” she trailed off.

With as stern a look as McGee could manage, he finished, “So you let yourself in. I could have killed you!”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, they looked at each other. They both knew who would win that fight.

~*~Flashback~*~

They were in the gym working on their hand-to-hand combat and Tim had drawn the short straw again. He found himself once again being thrown around the mat by Officer David. It wouldn’t be half bad really, if the thought of her taking control in other ways didn’t arouse him so much.

There was one time, a few weeks back, they were just tussling around, not really training, just having a good time, and he found himself getting hard at the small touches of her body against his. That session had ended with Ziva sitting on his hips. Luckily, DiNozzo had gotten a phone call and been distracted. Ziva was another story all together. She was sitting right on top of him. Her eyes widened. She slowly and carefully stood and walked out, leaving him with a potentially embarrassing tent in his sweats. DiNozzo never looked back. He called for his team and walked out the room.

~*~End Flashback~*~

Staring into Ziva’s dark eyes, he knew she remembered that day as well. He leaned toward her and kissed her passionately. As the kiss went on, Ziva grabbed Tim’s shoulders and pushed him back against the wall. Her mouth never left his as she slammed the apartment door shut and locked it.

Her hands moved to the buttons on Tim’s shirt. They were small, but her fingers made quick work of opening them. The feel of her hands on his bare chest made Tim groan and reach out to pull her shirt off. They broke the kiss long enough to get the shirt over Ziva’s head.

Tim starting leading the way to the bedroom as their clothes fell to the floor behind them. Once inside the doorway, Ziva pinned him to the wall again. Using a strength that surprised her, Tim lifted her and switched their positions. With the wall supporting her back, she had more freedom to touch him wherever she pleased. It pleased her to touch him all over.

Tim broke the kiss long enough to mutter, “Wrap your legs around me.” He tilted his head and deepened the kiss all at once.

Ziva wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her to the bed. They fell onto it and their hands were everywhere, seeking and learning all the spots that drove each other crazy. Tim kissed his way down her neck and Ziva sank her teeth into his shoulder, while scraping her nails up his back.

Tim reared up and away from her quickly donning protection and then they were moving as one, moaning and writhing with each new wave of sensation that hit them.

~~

Tim smiled. Ziva was asleep with her head on his chest and the groceries were still outside the door of his apartment. All he could think of though was the fact that Ziva had told Tony the truth. She really was a screamer.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter Three

For a month now Ziva had arrived at work smiling and gone home the same way. She had Tony ready to pull his hair out because he couldn’t figure it out. It had sparked his curiosity so much he even had Summer speculating who was making the Mossad agent happy. She knew he watched her at work to see if anyone there was paying her special attention and she rewarded Tim every evening they were together for how well he was keeping things under wraps.

She was busy typing up a report and could feel his eyes on her looking for any indicators that would tell him what she was doing. Right as he was about to look away, she let herself remember last night and grinned while shaking her head. Tony paused, staring at her hard and then gave up.

“Who is he, Ziva?”

“What are you talking about Tony?”

“There’s only one thing that will put a smile like that on a woman’s face.”

“Chocolate?” Ziva asked, pretending not to know.

“Sex!” Tony almost hissed trying to be quiet.

“Tony! You’ve been doing so well since you started dating Summer and now here you are back to talking about sex.” Ziva tisked at him and went back to her report.

Tony scowled and turned back to his work, knowing she would give nothing away.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tim was seated at Ziva’s dining room table. They were talking and laughing about Tony and how he was going crazy trying to figure her out.

“He’ll never believe it’s me.” Tim said.

“I know. That’s why his aggravation is so amusing.” Ziva smiled and stood from her chair. She walked around as Tim shoved his chair away from the table. Sitting, straddling his lap, she kissed him. “I hope you were finished with dinner. I have a special dessert planned for you tonight.”

Tim stood, lifting Ziva as he did. He started walking towards her bedroom. “What is that exactly?”

She wrapped her legs around him and kissed him deeply. “Take a look.”

Tim looked at her bed and noticed the silk scarves tied to the bedposts. He looked back at Ziva, “You know I love everything you do to me Ziva…”

She put her finger to his lips. “Those are for you to use on me.”

Tim’s eyes lit up and he placed her carefully on the bed. She hadn’t allowed him to restrain her before and the thoughts of what he would do were running through his head as he bound her arms.

Ziva smiled at him and the look of trust and desire in her eyes took his breath away. Leaning forward he kissed her with all the passion in him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ziva had screamed. Tony sat up in his bed, shocked from his dream. Ziva with Probie? McGeek put that smile on her face? He shook his head. No way! He looked around his room and looked at the clock. 3 AM. He laughed. There was no way McGee could make a woman smile or scream like that. As he lay back down he told himself he wasn’t eating cold pizza before bed anymore.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter Four

Tony watched McGee and Ziva closely the next day. He began to notice small details in the way they would act. Ziva would walk by McGee’s desk and glance over at him just with her eyes, but it would be enough to make Tim smile a little before he schooled his features. McGee would say something about the case and Ziva’s whole body seemed to go on alert when he started talking.

Still disbelieving, he thought he would put it to the test. He waited until they were both heading to the elevator and ran to join them. They stood on either side of him, but in the small space but he could feel tension in the air. Not looking at them over his shoulders was easy; he could see their reflections in the metal doors.

“McGee, did you ever watch that movie I let you borrow?” Tony asked.

McGee looked down and then over towards Ziva. “Not yet.”

Smart, he goes with the truth on that one, Tony thought. “You think I could stop by and pick it up tonight? I’ve been wanting to let Summer watch that movie.”

“Uh, tonight?” McGee stuttered.

“What’s wrong, Probie, you got a hot date or something?”

McGee stared straight ahead and for the moment, Tony thought he wouldn’t take the bait. “As a matter of fact, I do Tony.”

Ziva stared straight ahead staying out of the conversation and the doors slid open.

“Wouldn’t happen to involve silk scarves would it?” Tony asked, not knowing he was hitting the proverbial nail on the head.

Total silence reigned and he turned to see Ziva and McGee staring at each other in total shock. Tony’s eyes widened, “You didn’t really tie her up? And you don’t really scream…” he trailed off. “Nah, man, you guys aren’t…”

They turned to look at Tony, stricken that they had been found out. Surprisingly enough, Tony didn’t laugh or look sick. He turned serious and offered advice.

“Keep it to yourselves and outside of work. Gibbs doesn’t like his rules broken.”

Tony walks off muttering to himself about not being able to believe it. Ziva and Tim are whispering frantically trying to figure out how he knows what happened.

Tony gets back at his desk and smiles. Oh, the fun he could have with this.

Ziva and Tim are still whispering, walking slowly to their desks. Gibbs walks up behind them. “I don’t remember there being any scarves taken into evidence.”

The Secrets Series (NCIS ff)

2006-10-14T06:11:27Z

TITLE: Gibbs' Secret

Rating: R (for chapter two)

Spoilers: Bloodbath and parts of eps from Season 4

Note: The following scenes contain what might be deemed adult content. If reading such bothers you, please do not read this part of the story. Sexual themes.

Chapter One

He was sanding his boat when he heard familiar footsteps overhead. He paused and smiled before resuming the back and forth motion with the sandpaper. The steps grew closer to the stairs and then the feet came into view. "I know you heard me come in." The voice says as his guest comes down the stairs. "Why didn’t you come up?"

"I knew you would come down here." was his simple reply.

She smiles. "You think you know me so well, don’t you?"

He puts the sandpaper down and turns to pull her to him. "Most of them time." He looks down in Abby’s eyes and tells her, "Sometimes you surprise me."

~*~Flashback~*~

She was well and truly drunk. And she was trying to work on his boat. That was a recipe for disaster. She was also trying to work things out in her head and he let her have at it. Up until the point she started thinking she did something wrong to cause this bastard to stalk her. He had to speak up.

"Maybe it was your fault."

"How can you say that Gibbs? I didn’t do anything wrong." She started and by the time she had finished her speech, she had figured it out for herself like he knew she would.

~~~~~~~

He knew it hurt her when he kissed her cheek and walked away not letting her say anything. He couldn’t deal with all her hurt at that moment. He had to work his way back through the deaths of his wife and daughter. Before the explosion, he would have told her how he felt. Now, he had to re-evaluate everything he thought he had dealt with. He would call her once he got to Mexico, he promised himself, but he never did. He couldn’t find the words to tell her what she meant to him and why he had had to leave when he did. And then Ziva called him.

~~~~~~~

His first glance in four months and she was eating candy and talking to pictures of him. He never meant to hurt her this way. His heart ached but he still didn’t feel ready to stay. Not until he had helped Fornell and talked with Jen. Funny how she was the one to make him realize he couldn’t walk away. He asked Abby to come by his house after that so they could talk. She was hurting but willing to let it go if it meant he was staying. Ready as always to jump in with both feet, she had bucked at the idea of them starting all over and slowly. He had smiled at how vehement she was in her objections. He would have loved nothing more than to take her to bed at that moment, but he knew she deserved more from him. So, he had held his ground and they did things his way.

~*~End Flashback~*~

His way was about to kill him. Abby had all the sensuality in the world when she wanted to turn it on and she was turning it on big time tonight. She was wearing her gunpowder perfume and he smelled like sawdust. "Would you like dinner?" He asked.

Abby shook her head no. "Dinner isn’t what I’m after tonight Gibbs."

She pulled him down into a sizzling kiss. When she let him go, he came back for another and another until they were both short of breath. He looked into her eyes and saw the absolute certainty shining from them. Taking her by the hand, they walked upstairs without exchanging any other words.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

WARNING: If sexual themes bother you, DO NOT read Chapter Two!

Chapter Two

Abby turned to Gibbs once they were inside his room. She pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor. She stepped closer to him and he leaned down to kiss her again. His blue eyes were not the same icy blue that would stare down a criminal. They were on fire with his need for the woman in his arms. She broke from the kiss and shivered at that look. Pushing him onto the bed, she stepped back where he couldn’t touch her.

"You have no idea how much I’ve missed you all this time, do you?" She asked him in a voice gone husky with desire.

~*~Flashback~*~

Watching him walk away from her was quite possibly harder than having to live without him. Knowing he was hurting and knowing there was nothing she could do to stop it. Oh, she knew he was pissed about the terrorist attack and his inability to stop it. But she also knew the reason he was walking out the door was to deal with the demons a fifteen year old memory had brought back into light. Her heart was breaking because he was broken.

~~~~~~~~

She learned to cope while he was gone. She could hear his voice in her head and his pictures were all over the lab. She started eating tons of sugar to help speed her through the day. Everyone pretty much left her alone, thinking she had only lost a boss and a friend. No one had known or would ever know that he was her lover and her love.

She stood thinking about it one day and realized he was both. Lovers she had had before but none of them had been her love. Not until Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs caught her eye. She had even had a wild thought of dying her hair red one Halloween to see what he’d say. She didn’t but she had thought about doing so.

And so she was fine until Ziva needed help. Gibbs had come back to pay off his debt to her and pack up his home. Then another case came along and she handcuffed them together not realizing it would just remind him of some of their wilder nights. Then he stayed and they started seeing each other again. She was frustrated as all hell that he had enforced a slow courtship period but she was determined it would end sooner than he expected.

~*~End Flashback~*~

She was staring at him, fiddling with the buttons on her shirt. His eyes, still on fire, held hers steadily.

"If it’s as much as I’ve missed you then it’s been hell." He answered truthfully.

Her smile trembled and she moved back another step when he started to stand. She shook her head and he sat once again. She slowly undid the buttons on her shirt watching his reaction the entire time. His breathing changed and his pupils dilated as she let the shirt drop from her shoulders. She did the same with her short skirt, unzipping and letting it fall where she stood. For Gibbs, she was wearing black lace and from the look on his face, he appreciated the view.

"Abby." He groaned, reaching out to touch her.

She smiled at him then, that devilish smile that meant he wasn’t going to like what happened next, he was going to love it.

She pushed him down on the bed and started kissing him. She ran her hands down to his strong wrists and quickly had him handcuffed to the bed. While the situation sank through Gibbs’ haze of passion, Abby was working her way down to his chest. He tried to reach out for her and felt the cuffs stop his movements.

"Abby." Gibbs said in a warning tone.

"Uh-uh. You’ve been away from me to long to not let me have my way with you any way I want. Trust me, you’ll enjoy this."

He couldn’t deny her anything with that look on her face. He tried to relax his arms and settle in for Abby’s special brand of torture.

By the time she had them both undressed, Gibbs was ready to break the cuffs to get his hands on her beautiful body. Abby was gasping for breath from their kisses as she released the clasp on the cuffs.

With lightening speed, Gibbs wrapped his arms around her and rolled her under him. In his mind, he knew how she would look, feel and taste, but it had been so long for both of them. He knew she expected him to take her then and there, but he held back and started on the quest to relearn her body as well as she knew his.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Secrets Series (NCIS ff)

2006-10-14T05:37:25Z

TITLE : Tony's Secret - Parts 1 - 3

Rating: G ( fine for everyone )

Spoilers: Singled Out (variation of a line between Tony and Ziva)

Pairing: Tony and ???

Note: Be prepared, there are some "Aw! That's sweet!" moments in this one.

Part 1

“Why won’t you tell us about your secret girlfriend, Tony?” McGee asked.

“He told me it was complicated, Tim.” Ziva explained.

Tony sighed and stood up from his chair. “See you two tomorrow.”

He was tired of them asking about his personal life. Sure he used to broadcast everything far and wide, but things had changed. Gibbs had left and he had stepped up as team leader. He learned to leave his personal life somewhat at the door when he walked in. No more bragging about his dates and love life. Of course, there was also the fact that Tim and Ziva loved to tease him about being “Gibbs-like” and if they met the woman he was seeing, they would run it into the ground.

~*~*~Flashback~*~*~

He had just come back from vacation. He had no food at his place and he needed to stock up on some frozen pizzas. As he rounded the corner his cart crashed into hers. He looked up to apologize and was caught by her lovely gray eyes. She smiled at him, “Are you ok?” she asked.

“Sure, are you?” smooth DiNozzo, real smooth.

“I’m fine, thank you.” She backed up to go around him and he couldn’t just let her pass.

“My name’s Tony.”

“Summer.” was her reply.

All his glib lines flew out his head as he watched her knowing she was expecting one.

“What can I do to convince you I’m not a crazy stalker and you would have a great time going out with me?”

Summer smiled again. Her response surprised him.

“Your name and address. I can have a friend of mine check you out and if you come back clean, I’ll call you.”

Tony had agreed, thinking she wouldn’t call but she did call just a few days later. He had been invited to her house for dinner. When he arrived, he was greeted by another surprise. A cop was coming out the front door as he got to it. Summer was standing in the doorway with a little boy that had her red hair.

“Bye Joe.” She said and then she turned to him. “My friend that checked you out.” And she nodded towards the cop. “This is Danny, my son.”

Surprisingly, Tony didn’t head for the hills when she made that announcement. He looked at the little guy who had to be around five and stuck his hand out. “Nice to meet you Danny, my name’s Tony.”

Danny shook his hand and the held it as he led Tony into the house. Summer had cooked lasagna and made a salad. Tony just felt right with the two of them and asked them to go to the movies with him on the weekend. Summer glanced at Danny and he nodded his head.

“We’d love to.” She told Tony.

~*~*~End Flashback~*~*~

That dinner had been over a month ago and he was still getting to know Summer and Danny. He was whistling as he rang the doorbell. When Summer answered, he brought the flowers around for her and she smiled up at him. Taking the flowers and his hand, she led him into the house to have dinner with her and Danny.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Part 2

Summer was in the kitchen getting the lasagna ready for tonight’s date with Tony. Danny wasn’t due back from kindergarten for another half hour. As she layered all the ingredients in the pan and put it in the oven to cook, she thought back to how they first met.

~*~Flashback~*~

She looked at her watch and realized she was running behind to pick up Danny from his grandparents. Pushing her cart around the corner, she collided with a man that was too handsome for words. He looked up at her and she asked if he was ok. He assured her he was and asked if she was ok also.

She started to walk around him when he introduced himself. Summer could tell by his look he thought he was a charmer. She gave him her first name and then he shocked her. He asked what he could do to prove he wasn’t crazy. When she asked for his name and number, he handed her a business card that read “Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, NCIS”.

Going home that night, she called Joe after getting Danny settled. Joe had been Dan’s best friend and kept an eye on them since Dan had been killed on the job. She asked him to run a check on Tony DiNozzo and he called her back the next day. Mr. DiNozzo turned out to be clean as a whistle and a federal agent to boot. Two days later, she called him back.

“DiNozzo.” He had answered.

“Tony? This is Summer.” She said hesitantly.

“Hello.” She could hear the surprise in his voice. “Does this call mean you’ve decided to have dinner with me?” The surprise had been replaced with hope.

She had laughed over the phone and said, “That’s what it means. But I would like to cook you dinner, if that’s alright?”

“All right? That’s terrific. When did you have in mind?”

“Tomorrow, around 7:00?” she suggested.

“Tomorrow at 7:00 it is.” They had hung up the phone without her saying one word about Danny. That was the real test. If a man wanted to go out with her, he had to meet her son. She didn’t intentionally leave out Danny, but since she hadn’t mentioned him this would be a good way to see if Mr. Handsome beyond words was too good to be true.

She cooked lasagna that night as well. She could tell that he was surprised to meet Danny but he treated him well and they got along great. Tony had even played Super Heroes with Danny.

They ended up going to the movies on the weekend and had a wonderful time there as well. The following week, Summer told Tony that if he felt like it he could join them for dinner in the evenings after work, so he did. Several times, he had been called away, but he would call later to let her know everything was all right. Some of her friends thought it was strange that they were getting involved so quickly, but to the two of them it felt right.

~*~End Flashback~*~

So tonight, he was coming over for lasagna again. She had added extra cheese to this one because they liked it better that way. She heard the horn of the bus beep and went outside to watch Danny run up the sidewalk. “Is Tony coming over tonight?” he asked excitedly.

“Yes he is.” She told him.

“Yay!”

Tony brought her flowers but halfway through the meal he got called away. Later that night after Danny was asleep he called her again to let her know all was well. She smiled and slept peacefully after that.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next day was Saturday. Summer and Danny were shopping at their local super center looking for the new movie that Danny kept telling her he had to have.

“There it is, Mommy.” He said pointing to a set of Magnum P.I. DVDs. “That’s what I want. Can we buy that for Tony?”

Summer smiled at her son’s clever little ways. He wanted to get Tony a gift. She looked at the price and said, “Ok, we’ll get this for Tony.”

“Do I have enough, Mommy?” he asked holding out the allowance he had been saving.

“Danny, you want to use your allowance to buy Tony’s present?” When he nodded, she told him, “I have to put a little money with it but that will do it.” He handed her the $10 he had in his hands.

They were back at the house wrapping the present for Tony when the phone rang.

“Hello?”

“How’s my favorite woman?” Tony asked.

“Wonderful. Are you going to make it for lunch?” Summer asked him.

“I’m afraid not.” Tony answered. “But if you will meet me at the office, I will take you to lunch.”

Summer hesitated. She knew the reasons why Tony hadn’t introduced her to his friends at work. “Are you sure?”

“Very sure.” Tony replied.

She looked down at the package Danny was taping up and told him, ‘Then we’ll be there.”

She hung up the phone and told Danny they were going to see Tony’s work. Danny shouted and ran to find his shoes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Part 3

Tony was at his desk nervously waiting for Summer and Danny to arrive. He had already let security know they would be coming and to let them up. He had decided it was time to let Summer meet his friends and co-workers and they were all here today. This new case had them all running around, but Gibbs wouldn’t stop him from having lunch once they got here. Tony had changed since Gibbs had left and come back, but then so had Gibbs. It was interesting seeing him in this new light.

Ziva and McGee were talking to Abby with Gibbs listening on when the elevator doors slid open. Tony stood up and watched as Summer and Danny walked around the corner. The conversation at Gibbs desk ground to a halt when Danny shouted his name and ran over to hug his legs.

Tony started laughing and leaned over to hug his buddy back. It was amazing how used to those hugs he was yet how special each one felt. Summer walked over stealing glances in his friends’ direction. When she reached him, he pulled her into a hug and kissed her deeply. He pulled back and turned to face the stunned crowd but was distracted by Danny pulling on his pants leg.

“Tony, we brought you a present.” He announced.

“You did?” Tony asked looking up at Summer. She pulled the wrapped package from her purse and handed it to him. “It’s to you from Danny.”

Tony’s eyes lit up and he sat down to bring Danny onto his lap. “How about we open this together then?”

Danny’s answer was to start ripping the paper off the present. Tony laughed out loud when he saw what it was. He remembered staying late one night and helping put Danny to be. When Danny had asked him to tell him a story, Tony told him about Magnum and how cool he was. Tony hugged the boy on his lap and turned the present around for the others to see. Ziva, McGee and Abby were still looking shocked but Gibbs smirked at the DVDs.

“Guys, this is Summer Reynolds and her son Danny. We’ve been seeing each other for a month now.”

Summer’s hello was drowned in the sudden onslaught of questions. Tony held up his hands. “You’ll have time enough to put her through the inquisition later. Right now we’re going to lunch.” Gibbs raised his eyebrows but didn’t object. As they walked onto the elevator they could hear the other agents begging for a lunch break as well.