“Chapter Two�

When Ziva finally arrived at Gibbs’ house, she was surprised to see Tony’s car sitting in the driveway, by itself. Looking at the darkened windows, she became worried that Gibbs might not be home. Had he and Tony gone somewhere together, in Gibbs’ car? ‘Why did I not call ahead?’ she berated herself, careful not to say anything aloud, not wanting to wake Courtney, who had fallen into a fitful sleep on the drive over, if there turned out to be no reason. Scanning the house carefully, she breathed a huge sigh of relief when she saw a light coming from the basement window. Gibbs was home; he was just working on his boat. Reaching over, she gently touched Courtney. “Wake up,� she said, as gently as she could. “We are there.�

Courtney’s eyes flew open and she looked around, disoriented. When she inadvertently jarred her shoulder, she gave a little gasp, as the pain surprised her, but then the earlier events of the day came rushing back. “We’re there?� she asked, still trying to clear out all the cobwebs in her head.

“At Gibbs',� Ziva patiently reminded her. “It looks as if he is in the basement. Do you need help getting out?� she asked.

“No, I’ll be fine,� Courtney assured her, although she was glad Ziva was there. The NCIS team leader had always scared Courtney a little, even though Ziva had assured her his bark was worse than his bite. Courtney had to smile a little, actually, when she thought about that, because that hadn’t been what Ziva had said. Ziva had told Courtney that Gibbs’ meow was worse than his bite, and it had taken her a few minutes to get over the giggling fit that an image of a grumpy Gibbs meowing had caused, before she could correct Ziva’s English.

“Why are you smiling?� Ziva asked, when she got a better look at her as the overhead light in the car lit Courtney’s face when she opened the door.

“Meow,� Courtney answered, and let a giggle escape.

Ziva couldn’t help laughing also, as the memory of the past conversation returned. Plus, this was the first time all night Courtney had seemed like herself, so Ziva’s laughter was also born from relief. If Courtney could laugh, then surely she couldn’t be too badly hurt.

When they got to the door, Ziva turned the handle and opened the door.

“Aren’t you going to knock?� Courtney asked, wide eyed at the notion of walking in on Gibbs unannounced.

“There is no reason to knock. Gibbs never locks his door. I will call to him before we go downstairs, so he is not surprised,� Ziva told her, as she wove her way through the darkened living room, heading towards the kitchen, and the stairs to the basement. Courtney followed close on her heels.

As she entered the kitchen, Ziva could hear muffled voices and a laugh that could only belong to Tony coming from the basement. When she reached the open door that led down to where she knew they must be, Ziva called out, “Gibbs, it is Ziva. I am here with Courtney Kreiger, and we need to speak with you.� She did not want to startle the two men and end up with Courtney coming face to face with two drawn guns. That said, she began to descend. When she got far enough down the stairs that she could see into the basement, she was more than a little surprised by what she found. Tony sat on the workbench, dressed only in an old pair of sweatpants, his chest as bare as his feet, holding a beer bottle and looking at Ziva, equally as surprised to see her. Gibbs wore a white t-shirt and a pair of faded jeans that were zipped but not buttoned, and he too was barefooted, as he leaned against the side of his boat frame, a piece of pizza from the box sitting next to Tony held firmly in his hand. A thousand scenarios ran through her head to explain why Tony was in Gibbs’ basement, virtually naked, but she kept returning, uncomfortably, to just one. Before she could dwell on that for too long, however, Tony interrupted her thoughts.

“You know, in America it’s customary to call before visiting, Ziva,� Tony said, after he recovered from the initial shock of seeing her.

“I am aware of that, Tony,� she snapped. “But something has happened. Courtney has been wounded and is in trouble, and needs our help. She can not go to the FBI, as she does not know who to trust,� she told the two men.

Gibbs stepped over to where Tony sat, and set the piece of pizza he was holding back in the box, then turned to Courtney and ordered “Report, Special Agent Kreiger!"

Complying, Courtney took a deep breath and told Gibbs everything she had already shared with Ziva. When she mentioned the names of the agents, Gibbs and Tony exchanged a shocked look, but neither interrupted her. Then she told them about Assistant Director Glenn being shot, and his driver being killed, about the safe house being breached, and that all the other agents were probably dead, at which point, she began to shake violently, as recounting the events again caused everything to finally catch up to her. Before Gibbs could question her further, she slid to the floor, unconscious.

Gasping, Ziva rushed over to her. “She needs medical attention, Gibbs. She was shot in the shoulder as she escaped from the safe house, and although it does not appear to be very serious, it has not yet been treated,� Ziva said, as she crouched down beside the stricken young agent. “She was afraid to allow me call for paramedics, since she feels sure the FBI has been compromised, and does not know who to trust. That is why I brought her here.�

Gibbs was already reaching for his cell phone, which sat on the workbench. “I’m calling Ducky now Ziva. But we need to know more about this, before we can go any further. At the very least we need to know all the particulars of the case they were working,� he told her, as he hit speed dial for the elderly M.E.’s number.

In the meantime, Tony had grabbed a blanket and a pillow from behind one of the doors on the cabinet under the workbench, and was gently easing Courtney’s head down onto the pillow. As he covered her up, Ziva realized he’d known just where to find the items. Clearly Tony was no stranger to Gibbs’ basement. Ziva’s eyes scanned Tony’s body once again, her eyes stopping when they met Tony’s. Raising an eyebrow in silent challenge, Tony held her eyes, both aware of what Ziva had already worked out for herself. Ziva looked at him, as everything seemed to crystallize before her very eyes. Tony’s unrelenting need to please Gibbs, Gibbs’ almost hyperawareness of everything Tony did, even the origin of the heads slaps, suddenly made complete sense, and she found herself wondering how she had failed to realize this before now. They could both hear Gibbs talking to Ducky on the phone, but still they remained frozen, staring at each other from either side of Courtney’s prone body, neither one willing to be the first to look away. Finally, Tony broke the silence by asking, “You going to be okay?�

Ziva knew exactly what he was referring to, and she gave a little shrug as she said, “Why would I not be? It is no skin off my chin.�

Tony visibly relaxed as he smiled ever so slightly and said, “Nose - no skin off your nose, Ziva.�

Ziva was saved from having to retort when Gibbs said, “Ducky’s on his way.� He knelt beside Courtney to examine the wound. Carefully pulling the makeshift bandage off, he peered closely at where the bullet had caught her. It was ugly, but soft scabs were forming, and it was clear to all three of them that the bullet wasn’t in there. “Looks like she just got winged,� Gibbs said. “I think the shock and exhaustion just caught up with her. Ducky’ll be able to say for sure. Stay with Kreiger, Ziva, while Tony and I go get ready, in case we need to leave,� he directed, as he stood back up.

Ziva watched them climb the stairs, Gibbs in the lead and Tony following closely behind. Funny, that was how she always thought of them, she realized. ‘How long has this been going on?’ she wondered, as she sat beside Courtney, absentmindedly patting her arm. 'Days, weeks, months, years? Had they been together when Gibbs had retreated to Mexico? If so, Tony's efforts to hold the team together were even more impressive. What about when Tony had been undercover with Jeanne? Had Gibbs actually known about it, or had Tony kept it a secret? Did anyone else at work know about them â€" Jenny, Ducky, Abby, McGee? Am I the first, or the last?’ she wondered. From where she sat on the floor of Gibbs’ basement, she could hear their muted voices, distance muffling the words, as they quietly spoke to each other.

“Are you going to call Fornell, and check on Brent?� Tony asked as they headed up the stairs that led to the bedroom, knowing that Gibbs was extremely fond of the FBI agent who had once worked for him.

“I don’t think I can, not until we know more about what’s going on. If Kreiger’s right, the FBI is leaking like a sieve, and there’s no way to know who to trust,� Gibbs said, the frustration and anger he was feeling clearly evident in his voice. “Did you hear her say that Liz Templeton was on the team? I hope she’s gotten better since she was on my team,� he muttered, remembering the last case they had worked together, seven years ago, the case in which he’d met Tony.

As they got to Gibbs’ bedroom, Tony, too, was thinking back on that case so long ago, the case that brought Gibbs to Baltimore, where Tony was working as a Homicide detective. It had turned ugly, and Tony had been hurt, in more ways than one, but in the end, Gibbs had recruited him for NCIS, and for himself. They’d been together ever since, the relationship going through an inevitable series of ups and downs, given the volatile temperament of both men, but despite the turmoil, they always ended up back with each other. Tony started when he felt warm, calloused hands grip his shoulders and roughly pull him close. Automatically, he parted his lips, before Gibbs’ mouth even closed over his. It was a wet, hard kiss, and Tony let himself melt into it, contenting himself by wrapping his arms around the older man, knowing Gibbs was seeking balance, not release. That would come later, when they were alone. When Gibbs released his mouth, Tony murmured, “I’ve always been kind of grateful to Templeton. If she hadn’t fucked up so badly, maybe you wouldn’t have wanted me on your team.�

“Oh, I’d have wanted you, Tony. Don’t ever doubt that,� Gibbs said quietly.

“Yeah, well, I think Ziva’s got that all figured out now, too,� Tony said.

“That going to be a problem for you?� Gibbs asked Tony softly.

“Not for me, Boss. But I kinda thought you might be bothered by it,� Tony said, surprised that Gibbs didn’t seem to be the least bit worried about it.

“Always figured she knew; that Mossad’s background profiles would have picked it up. Guess we’ve been sneakier than I thought,� he said with a slight shrug.

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?� Tony demanded in surprise.

“There wasn’t anything to say,� Gibbs said. “I figured if she didn’t say anything, it didn’t bother her, so it was a non-issue. Guess now we’re going to have to wait and see if I was right.�

Tony extricated himself from Gibbs’ embrace so that he could get a better look at his face. Gibbs’ expression seemed to support his words. “Aren’t you worried she’ll say something to someone? Tell Jenny?�

Gibbs snorted over Tony’s last statement. “I’m sure Jenny knows, Tony. It isn’t something that would likely slip past her. I’ve always suspected that was part of what was behind the whole Jeanne assignment.�

Tony just looked at him. “So who else do you think knows? McGee, Cynthia, Palmer? Why haven’t you ever mentioned any of this to me?�

“Because it isn’t anyone else’s business, Tony. It doesn’t effect how we do the job, and it doesn’t effect how we conduct our private life. This is between me and you, no one else gets a say,� Gibbs said forcefully. “Does this feel any different, now that you know Ziva knows?� Gibbs asked, as he reached over and grabbed Tony, pulling him in for another hard kiss, which he dragged out as long as he could, until the need for air effectively ended the kiss for him. When he was done, he pushed away and looked at Tony. “Well?� he demanded, although he began to relax a bit, when Tony met his glare with a saucy smirk.

“I don’t know. Why don’t you do that again, and I’ll get back to you with an answer?� Tony suggested.

“Oh, I’d like to, but it’s gonna have to wait. Get dressed. Ducky will be here shortly, and maybe we can get to the bottom of this mess. Something tells me there’s a lot more going on here than meets the eye, and Kreiger has information we’re gonna need,� Gibbs asserted, forcing himself to turn away from Tony, and go in search of clothing.

Tony crossed to the side of the bed and picked up the jeans, t-shirt and undergarments he’d carelessly tossed there earlier in the night, and began to put them on. With each new article, his mind focused more clearly on the problem at hand. “It takes a lot of balls to attack an Assistant Director, Boss. Whoever these people are, they’re ruthless.�

Gibbs had been having similar thoughts. “Yeah, and desperate,� he added. “The attack on Glenn’s car was out in the open, where people could see them, so they must have thought Kreiger had either seen something, or knew something, that warranted that kind of risk. I hope she knows what it is. She’s still plenty green,� he observed, as he continued to dress.

When they were both dressed and armed, they headed back to the basement, where they found Ziva looking worried, as she sat on the ground beside Courtney. “Should she not be waking up?� Ziva asked.

“She’s in shock, Ziva,� Tony said. “Let her be until Ducky gets here. There isn’t anything we can do for her right now, and the sleep will do her good. I’ve got a feeling the night is just beginning, and Courtney’s going to need all the strength she can find.�

“When will Ducky be here?� Ziva asked.

“Soon,� Gibbs answered. “Did Kreiger tell you anything about the case they were working, Ziva?� he asked.

“No, and she was so frightened and seemed to be in so much pain that I did not want to push her until I had to,� Ziva responded, although she, too, wished she knew more about what was going on.

“Well, it’ll just have to wait,� Gibbs said, then reached for his gun when he heard voices coming from upstairs. He relaxed again, when he recognized one of them.

“Right this way, my dear,â€� he heard the unmistakable voice of his old friend and colleague say to someone. “Watch your footing as you go down. The stairs are rather narrow.â€� Gibbs could see two sets of feet appear, one set clad in sensible oxblood colored wingtips, and the other, much smaller set, in navy blue heels. He watched as legs were also revealed, two in grey flannel pants, the others encased in nylons. Finally, they got far enough down the stairs for Gibbs to see who Ducky’s companion was â€" Dr. Jordan Hampton, another medical examiner they had met on an earlier case, the same one where they met Special Agent Kreiger.

“Jethro,� Ducky said, as he hurried over to Courtney, his eyes having already swept the basement and noted the fallen woman on the floor. “I got here as soon as I could. You remember Dr. Hampton, I’m sure,� his concern for the agent making his introduction somewhat abbreviated, and less formal than was his wont. “Jordan is spending the weekend with me, and I didn’t think I dared leave her alone with Mother. Plus, I wasn’t certain what I would be walking into, and determined another set of skilled hands might be needed.�

When Ducky paused to lift the dressing off of Courtney’s shoulder, Gibbs couldn’t help but think that this was certainly the night for revelations, as he looked over at the shapely woman who had accompanied Ducky into basement, and nodded a hello.

“What’s happened here, and why haven’t you called for paramedics? When we spoke over the phone you told me someone was ill, and required discreet care. This is a gunshot wound,� Ducky announced, as he studied Courtney’s shoulder.

“It’s complicated,� Gibbs said, in lieu of a more detailed answer.

“It often is with you,� Ducky rejoined. “Isn’t this young woman with the FBI?� he asked, as he looked more closely at Courtney’s face.

“Yes,� Ziva answered, from her place next to Ducky.

“I thought I recognized her,� Ducky nodded. “Why aren’t her own people caring for her?� he wanted to know, as he opened the medical bag he’d carried in with him, and began to pull out supplies.

“There’ve been three ambushes on FBI personnel today, Ducky. Agent Kreiger was at each one of them. We have reason to believe someone is after her, and that there’s a leak in the Bureau. I need her conscious, so I can get more information,� Gibbs told him.

“Well, that will have to wait until after I’ve cleaned and dressed this wound. It isn’t very deep; the bullet did little more than graze her. But that is enough to be quite painful, and without proper cleaning and antibiotic creams, the wound could become infected. Plus, I can tell from her heart rate and the feel of her skin that she’s in shock. Ziva, dear, could you move aside and allow Dr. Hampton to take your place? I could use the help, and she’s a bit more qualified than you,� he said kindly, as he watched Ziva reluctantly remove her hand from the arm she’d been touching.

“Of course, Ducky,� Ziva said, as she fluidly rose to her feet, to make room for the other woman.

All three NCIS agents stood and watched as Ducky and his lady friend became engrossed in caring for Courtney. At one point Tony was dispatched to fetch a wash cloth, soap and a bowl of warm water, but other than that, they were largely ignored by the pair of doctors. Courtney woke up during all this, and Ducky had soothed her, making introductions and assuring her that she was safe and would soon be well. Too tired to argue, Courtney had settled down and allowed herself to be treated after glancing around to be sure Ziva was still present. Finally, satisfied with his results, Ducky stood up. “She needs to be in a bed and sleeping,� he informed Gibbs.

“Soon Ducky,� Gibbs promised. “But first we need to know everything she can tell us about the operation the FBI was running. Brent Langer was shot and seriously wounded in all this, and I can’t just let it go, without knowing what’s going on. If the FBI’s been compromised for some reason, I need to know this isn’t something that could effect NCIS, and it doesn’t sound like I can just call Fornell and ask. So she’s got to hang together long enough for me to talk to her,� Gibbs said.

“It’s okay, Dr. Mallard,� Courtney called weakly from the floor. “Agent Gibbs is right. Something bad is happening, and it’s got to be tied to the case we were working on. I need to tell him about it.�

“Very well, but try to keep it short,� Ducky said, pinning Gibbs with his eyes.

“It all started about two months ago, we think,� Courtney began. “For the past week we’ve been investigating the apparent disappearance of several highly placed business executives, all of whom work for one of the Fortune 100 companies. The men and women vanish, usually for a period of about one to two weeks, and then suddenly re-appear, with no explanation provided to their co-workers, or law enforcement. They were never reported missing by their families, and when they re-appear, they are in good health, with no obvious injuries or ill-effects of their time away.

We only became aware of their disappearances because the newly hired personal assistant of the latest woman to vanish was previously employed by the FBI. When her boss, a Melissa Carter, failed to show up for work one morning, and she couldn’t locate her via cell or home phone, she took it upon herself to notify the woman's superior, who assured her there was no problem, her boss was simply attending a highly confidential meeting, and would be unavailable for an indeterminate period of time. The assistant was ordered to reschedule all of her boss' appointments, and to discuss her absence with no one. If asked, she was to say her boss was on vacation at an exclusive spa, and would return soon.

The personal assistant, a woman named Sarah Bruce, was used to maintaining confidentiality, but none of this was adding up for her, and so she ran a check on her boss' credit cards, and cell phone usage. There was nothing after the day she left work and disappeared. As time went by and she didn’t hear from her boss, she becomes more and more concerned. Then one day, she was in the break room and accidently overheard the company CEO and CFO in the next room, having an argument about a ransom demand, and how it was to be handled. That made her contact a friend from her FBI days, Julia Barrett. Julia is the personal assistant to Assistant Director Luke Glenn. Julia went to Director Glenn and told him what her friend overheard, and he handed the initial investigation over to Agent Fornell, since he’s the Supervisory Field Agent for all the teams in the D.C. area. Fornell in turn assigned it to his top Team Leader, Ed Morgan, and that’s how I got involved, since I’m Morgan’s rookie.

We had to be covert, since no one reported the crime, nor had they asked for assistance in re-acquiring their executive. We put in place wire-taps, cameras, etc. and set up a monitoring post in an adjacent building. That’s when our computer expert, Victor Merit, picked up some scary information. Turns out, other CEOs have suffered the same loss, but they got their executives back after a payment of $5 million dollars was wired to an off-short account. That’s when we slowly began to realize that the syndicate behind these crimes is very well organized, very careful, and totally ruthless.

As far as we can tell, only one executive wasn’t returned, and he was found beaten to death. It turns out his CEO, who happened to be an Israeli national, refused to negotiate or pay the kidnappers. Non-negotiation with terrorists, or in this case, criminals, was so ingrained in his psyche that he couldn’t accede to the demands. It led to the death of his employee, and we suspect he is out for vengeance, although we don’t know how much trouble he’s going to be yet.

The LEOs investigating the murder had no idea the man had been kidnapped, and were treating the crime as a random robbery turned homicide. Since they didn’t have all the facts, they were at a distinct disadvantage, and the case went cold. No one made the connection between the man's death and the kidnapping syndicate until we picked up a conversation over our wiretap between the two CEOs.

So, that’s where we were. The woman has been missing for a week and a half, and we’ve been running the surveillance for five days now. I don’t have any idea how someone knew what we were up to. We’ve been very careful to cover our tracks, and no one in the area seemed at all suspicious.� Courtney had to stop at that point. Her voice had been getting weaker and weaker as she talked, and it was clear that only a strong sense of duty, and an iron will, had enabled her to get that much out.

“Why hasn’t her family reported her missing?� Tony asked.

“She doesn’t have any children,� Courtney informed him, “and her husband is a Marine Corps officer, who’s deployed overseas right now. Mrs. Carter’s boss ordered the assistant, Sarah Bruce, to tell the husband the same story about the confidential meeting when he called, so as far as he’s concerned, there isn’t anything wrong.�

“God damn it!� Gibbs swore when he heard that, causing Courtney to flinch. A soldier had been deliberately lied to, and the FBI hadn’t notified NCIS about a kidnapping case with a direct tie to the Marine Corps. Well, he knew now, and Mrs. Carter’s husband being an officer in the Corps made this as much NCIS’s jurisdiction as the FBI’s. Fornell had some explaining to do, and Gibbs intended to force him to do it. But first, they had to get Kreiger somewhere safe. She was their only link to the FBI’s investigation, and the day’s earlier events, and it was quite clear that the FBI wasn’t going to be able to adequately protect her. He needed more information, like the names of the other kidnapping victims, but he also realized she was on her last nerve. Courtney wasn’t going be any good for anyone if he pushed her to the breaking point right now. They could get more details from her once she was in a secure location, and had gotten a little sleep.

“Ducky, can you take Agent Kreiger to your home in Reston so that she can safely get some rest?" he asked his friend. "Ziva will go with her to provide protection, although she shouldn’t need it. There isn’t any way anyone could guess she’s with you.�

Ducky, who had been stunned by the story, hurriedly agreed. “Of course, Jethro. I’ll make a couple of calls and get someone to keep Mother entertained, and then pack this young lady off to bed. What are you intending to do?�

“DiNozzo and I are going to have a little chat with Director Shepard. Since the missing woman’s husband is a Marine, we have as much right to investigate as anyone else. Then, Tobias and I are going to have a little talk,� he promised, his voice menacing, and Ducky was glad he wouldn’t be on the receiving end of that ‘conversation.’ “I’m going to need more details from Agent Kreiger later, but it can wait until morning, after she’s gotten some rest,� Gibbs said.

“That’s for the best,� Ducky agreed, “I think she cannot take much more tonight.�

“Let’s move out people,� Gibbs said, as he looked around the room.

Courtney was gently helped up by Tony, and tucked into Ducky’s car. Arrangements were made for Ziva to follow along behind in her own car, watching closely for anything that looked like a tail. A slightly shell shocked Dr. Hampton got into the car beside Ducky, not really knowing what to make of all that she’d heard, but vowing not to breath a word of it to anyone. Once everyone else had been dispatched, Tony and Gibbs headed for Tony’s car, intending to pay Director Shepard a late night visit.