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It wasn’t supposed to go down like this. The suspect was a petty officer with no history of violence and little to no access to a weapon. Even so, Gibbs’s team was on their guard. And yet all their preparation and training didn’t keep Petty Officer Jackson from shooting one of their own. The bullet caught Kate in the shoulder, spinning her around and smashing her body into the unforgiving red brick of the Greater Arlington Savings and Loan building. Gibbs and Tony both took aim, Gibbs only easing off his trigger when he saw Tony’s shot rip into Jackson’s arm, causing the gun to clatter noisily to the ground, followed almost immediately by the even noisier fall of the 180 lb. perp.
“Damn it! Where he get a gun?” Gibbs kept his gun leveled on Jackson as he approached and kicked the weapon out of the writhing man’s reach. Tony joined him almost immediately, holstering his own weapon and reaching for his handcuffs.
“How’s Kate?” Gibbs asked tersely, as he reluctantly staunched the flow of blood. Wouldn’t do to have Jackson bleed out although he took a small amount of pleasure in knowing that what he was doing was hurting the man. No one hurt one of his own.
Tony glanced back at McGee who was ministering to the stricken agent. “McGee’s with her, Boss. Bastard got her in the arm, I think.” He jogged over to Kate asking her some question and making her smile reluctantly before heading back to update Gibbs. “She’s okay, well as okay as someone can be who just got shot. Bleeding not too bad. Paramedics on the way, Boss and the local LEOs are just arriving.” Faint sirens punctuated his final words and within minutes both Kate and Jackson were whisked away to the base hospital.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Six to eight weeks! What, Kate can’t profile from home?” Tony and McGee just looked at each other, and Tony smirked as he wordlessly held out his hand to Tim. Tim shook his head slightly as he pulled a twenty out of his pocket and palmed it to Tony.
Gibbs was never a happy bunny when his team was incomplete. If they took vacation he reminded them that he only took vacation when absolutely forced. If they were sick he bitched and moaned about the inconvenience. And don’t even get him started about ‘personal days.’ But when one of his team went down injured on the job he took it as a personal affront that somehow he failed to protect them. As a result he was almost always much grumpier and short-tempered with the rest of his team.
“With Kate out, we’ll have to bring someone in to cover for her. Morrow’s lined up a Madison Kennedy. She’s out of San Diego, with a couple years of profiling behind her. West coast director speaks highly of her, apparently. She turned down the FBI so I’m already liking her. She starts Monday. And DiNozzo?”
Tony paused as he loaded his backpack for the weekend. “Yeah Boss?”
“I don’t care if she’s Miss September, you stay away from her. I don’t need a sexual-harassment suit on my watch.”
“What about McGee? You gonna warn him off too?”
Gibbs snorted. “Don’t need to. Abby keeps him more than busy.” Tony grinned at that and watched Tim turn six shades of red. “Okay, we’re officially off duty until Monday 0800. Go home and don’t be late Monday.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tony spent the weekend at Kate’s mostly. Despite their bickering and petty one-upmanship games, Tony really liked Kate. Like a sister he’d never had. An annoyingly patronizing sister to his tormenting younger brother persona. He loved riling her up but he’d always have her back—he would have said her six but Kate would probably hit him for thinking about her butt, and boy, could she hit hard. This Sunday morning he’d brought her the New York Times, bagels and shmear, and a gift certificate to his sport masseur. For when her shoulder was healed and stiff from PT, he explained as he cooked breakfast for both of them. They ate in Kate’s sunny kitchen, Tony cutting up Kate’s omelette and buttering her whole-wheat toast for her.
“Oh God, Tony that was good! Where did you learn to make an omelette like that?”
“I do have some hidden talents. Next time I’ll make scrambled eggs for you. Easier to eat with one working arm,” he teased as he washed up afterwards.
“You know, except for the getting shot part, I could get used to you waiting on me hand and foot.”
“Dream on, Katie. The minute you’re one hundred per cent is the minute I go back to annoying the hell out of you.” But Tony smiled as he said it. They both knew that things had changed. Sure, they’d still bicker and argue. Tony would still say outrageous things and Kate would still roll her eyes at him and tell him to grow up. But underneath it all, they knew they liked and respected one another.
They both knew it might be different—they might have fallen in love with one another—if only Tony wasn’t head over heels in love with Gibbs. Tony had panicked when Kate told him she knew. They had gone out for a drink after work, Kate, Tony, Abby and McGee and while watching Abby and Tim slow-dancing on the tiny makeshift dance floor, Kate saw Tony’s wistful expression and knew it wasn’t for either of the dancers.
“Are you ever going to do anything about it?” she asked, startling Tony out of his fantasy of being held in Gibbs’ arms like Tim was holding Abby.
“About what?” he stalled, tossing back the last of his beer and giving Kate a defiant look.
“Tony, I’m not exactly unobservant. I’ve seen how you look at Gibbs. And I’ve seen how although you go out with a lot of girls, you don’t seem to see them more than once or twice. So sue me if I put two and two together.” She watched him sigh heavily. “I won’t tell him, you know. I just thought you might like someone to talk to.” Kate reached across the table to squeeze Tony’s hand reassuringly.
“Not much to talk about. He’s my boss. My very straight, ex gunnery-sergeant boss. My very straight, ex gunnery sergeant grumpy boss who doesn’t like me much. And I like my job thank you. It’s the first time I’ve wanted to stay longer than two years. And I know that being around Gibbs is a big part of it. I’m not a profiler like you or a computer expert like McGee there, so it’d be really easy for Gibbs to replace me and I really don’t want to get transferred or fired, so let’s just keep it between ourselves, okay?” Tony grabbed McGee’s almost full beer and finished that off too before heading home to his empty apartment. Now, sitting in Kate’s kitchen, at a table far removed from that scarred, beer-ring stained one of that night, Kate reached over and took his hand again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Monday, 0730 hours. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Tony chanted as he took the fastest shower in history, nicked himself shaving, and threw on clothes almost haphazardly in a futile attempt to get to work on time. Futile because he lived thirty minutes from NCIS headquarters and unless he found a genie in a bottle (and look how well that worked for Major Nelson), he’d never make it on time. He skidded into the bullpen twenty minutes late to Gibbs’s glare and his “and this one Anthony DiNozzo who is skating on very thin ice today.” Tony sighed and then grinned at the redheaded woman standing next to Kate’s desk.
“Most days, actually Boss,” he shrugged apologetically and reached over to shake hands.
“Madison Kennedy. Pleased to meet you Special Agent DiNozzo.” Her voice was pleasant, her grip firm, and her look competent. Not Miss September, but definitely Not Bad. Her suit may have been navy blue, but unless Tony was mistaken it was a very nice label—Versace maybe. Or Lagerfeld. Definitely someone who knew how to cut a trouser for a woman’s body. So maybe Kate’s being out for a few weeks wouldn’t be so bad after all.
“DiNozzo will get you up to speed. Okay people, back to work.”
“Was that his usual Welcome to NCIS speech or does he already have something against me?” Madison asked Tony in an undertone.
“Nope. Nothing against you. That’s kind of his everyday voice. Wait until a case goes south. That’s not a pretty sight.” Tony grinned at the redhead and she smiled back.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tuesday 1120 hours. “DiNozzo! Process those stains on the carpet and get them to Abby ASAP. I want to know exactly what went on here last night. Kennedy, check the neighbors’ statements with our witness’s. If they don’t jibe exactly, I want to know about it.” Gibbs went to check on McGee and Tony set his kit down on the table next to some very foul-looking marks on the cheap beige-I-am-so-obviously-a-rental-apartment carpet. Opening the kit, he worked on his latex gloves before rummaging for his utility knife. It wasn’t in its usual place and Tony frowned as he dug deeper. Ten minutes later, he had to admit defeat as the entire contents of his kit lay scattered around him. The entire contents minus one knife.
“DiNozzo! What the hell are you doing?” Tony jumped as Gibbs materialized behind him. He closed his eyes momentarily and said a quick prayer before straightening up and facing his always irascible boss.
“Sorry, Boss. Can’t find my knife.” Tony apologized as he began to quickly replace the items. “Could I---”
“Here. Don’t lose it.” Tony accepted the blade and bent to the carpet. “And DiNozzo! Beg, borrow, or buy another one before end of business today.”
“You got it, Boss.” Tony sighed, relieved that Gibbs hadn’t been more irritated. This wasn’t the first time he’s misplaced his knife, but if he had to, he buy six and stash them in his car, desk, and anywhere else he could think of as long as it meant Gibbs would never find him without again.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Wednesday 0810 hrs. “DiNozzo! Where’s that report I’ve been waiting on from yesterday?”
Tony lifted his head, grinning maniacally as he had finally caught Gibbs out on something. But not for nothing was Tony a top NCIS agent. After his boo-boos on Monday and Tuesday, discretion was the better part of keeping his job. So, subduing his desire to crow “Ah-Ha, instead he meekly replied, “Put a hard-copy in your inbox last night, Boss.”
“Well, it’s not there now. Email me a copy ASAP.”
“What? I know I—got it, Boss.”
Wednesday, 0820 hrs. “DiNozzo! Where is that damn report?”
Tony rubbed his forehead in frustration. “I’m trying to get it to you, Gibbs. I can’t seem to open any attachments in my files. I can’t figure out what’s wrong. McGee’s at Norfolk today, but I’ll see if Abby can help me sort it out.”
“Abby’s busy with the carpet samples from the scene. Sort it yourself—and fast.”
Wednesday, 0900 hrs. “DiNozzo!”
Wednesday, 1030 hrs. “DiNozzo!”
Wednesday, 1200 hrs. “DiNozzo!”
“Not yet Boss.” Tony answered the familiar question before Gibbs could bark it out.
“What is with you this week, DiNozzo? It’s not like I can afford to have you screwing up like this. I’m already an agent down, although Kennedy seems to be shaping up.”
“Did I hear my name?”
“Yeah. Get on Tony’s computer and find my damn report! Tony! Move over and let Kennedy take a look. She can’t possibly screw it up any more.”
Madison pulled up a chair and within five minutes Gibbs had his report and Tony was seriously thinking about updating his resume.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Thursday, 0930 hrs. At the former residence of the former, i.e., dead Petty Officer Richard Claybourne, Tony clicked a memory card into the digital camera and one square foot at a time recorded the last bloodied moments of a man’s life. Madison was dusting for fingerprints and McGee was already immersed in the man’s cyber life—financial, personal, and pornographic. As the morning wore on, Tony began to feel better. He’d awoken with a slight hangover and an overwhelming sense of impeding doom, namely his own. He’d actually deliberately set out to get mildly drunk the night before, figuring if anyone deserved a drink or two in the middle of the week, it was him. With a second alarm clock as back up, he’d made it into work early and blessing the cyber-Gods, nothing had attacked his computer. He hadn’t even spilled his coffee. Finally, something was going right. Tony finished photographing the scene, packed up the camera and started to take blood samples for Abby back at the lab.
Thursday, 1300 hrs. Still munching his chicken salad sandwich, Tony set his kit on his desk and one-handedly unlocked it and popped the lid. He grabbed the camera and ejected the memory card, slipping it into the docking port on his computer. A window popped up ‘No Images.’ Tony started to choke on the last bite of sandwich. “Oh dear God, no,” he muttered, releasing and rebooting the card. Still nothing. Tony grabbed his kit and rummaged around for his spare card. Maybe he’d finished the first one and loaded the new one, just in case? Even as the thought crossed his mind, Tony knew that wasn’t the case. Still, he checked the entire kit, his pants’ pockets, his jacket pockets, and even went down to the van and crawled around on the floor. Which was where Gibbs found him twenty minutes later.
“Lose something, DiNozzo?”
‘Yeah, my sanity and probably my job,’ thought Tony as he straightened up, red-faced and tousled to face Gibbs and Madison.
“Yeah, Boss. My memory card with the Claybourne photos.” Tony didn’t bother to prevaricate. He’d lost it somehow, and Gibbs would have to know ASAP so Tony could get back and re-shoot. “I don’t know how it happened, Boss. I don’t even remember changing it out, but we were kind of busy. I always carry a spare, and I have that one. I’ll take it and go back to the scene.” Tony braced for the inevitable explosion.
“Jesus, Tony, another foul-up!” Gibbs ran his hand through his short hair in an exasperated motion. “Now, no matter what we find at the scene, we’ve left a huge loophole for some smart defense lawyer to use. No documentation, no case, DiNozzo!”
Before Tony could respond Madison stepped forward. “I took some photos at the apartment before you put me on fingerprints, Gibbs. Maybe these will help.” She fished in her field bag and removed a small memory card, holding between her index and middle fingers. “Yep, here it is. Should I get this up to Abby?”
“Madison and I are going out to interview Claybourne ex-girlfriend. Get this to Abby, Tony ASAP and then work with McGee on tracing those luds. That should keep you out of trouble for the rest of the day.” Gibbs ordered brusquely, and Tony could hear the controlled anger in his voice.
“You got it, Boss.” Tony took the card and headed for the elevators. Funny, he didn’t remember seeing Madison taking any photos at the scene, but it was a good thing she had. He heard a feminine laugh and looked back to see Madison and Gibbs standing by Gibbs’ car. Madison had one hand on Gibbs’ arm and Gibbs was no longer scowling. Well, it wasn’t like he could tell that was coming. Madison was smart, attractive, and a pretty good agent. And she was a redhead. It would have been odd if Gibbs didn’t find her attractive. The only thing that eased Tony’s mind was Rule Twelve. Gibbs wouldn’t break his own rule. Would he?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Friday, 1300 hours. Tony hunched over his desk, desperately trying to look busy—busy doing anything so he would have to make eye contact with Gibbs. He cross-referenced Claybourne’s phone records with their suspect’s, meticulously dotting every i and crossing every t. At one point in the tedious task Tony risked a glance and found Gibbs watching him, his eyes narrowed, and his mouth a grim line. Tony just knew that he was going over the all the Tony-screw ups over the past week and probably figuring out the best way to fire him. After yesterday’s debacle, Tony hadn’t thought it could get worse, but it had. When he came out of his house this morning—early—he found a flat rear tire. Even though he’d changed it in record time, he’d been late again. Gibbs hadn’t even called him on it which was more ominous than anything he could have said. Yeah, it was definitely time to update that resume.
“I’ll be with Abby, DiNozzo. When you finish with those phone records, start tracking down Claybourne’s vehicle.” Tony barely had time to acknowledge the order before Gibbs was gone
Friday 2130 hours. “God, Kate!” Tony moaned as he sank down on her couch. “I don’t know which karmic diva I pissed off but it’s like I broke three mirrors, walked under a ladder and killed a dozen black cats.”
“Oh c’mon Tony. It couldn’t be that bad!” Kate chided, knowing her partner’s proclivity for hyperbole.
“The week from Hell doesn’t even begin to describe the last five days. On Monday, I overslept and Gibbs had expressly ordered us to be on time to meet Madison. Tuesday I misplaced my utility knife and had to borrow Gibbs’s. Wednesday morning Gibbs couldn’t find the report I know I put in his in-box on Tuesday night and my computer picked up some virus so I couldn’t email it to him. And Thursday, Thursday was the pièce de résistance. Thursday I lost an entire crime scene,” at Kate’s perplexed look, he elaborated. “I lost the flash memory card with all the digital photos of the Claybourne murder. This morning I came out to find a flat tire and had to change it, making me late for work again.” He sighed heavily, shaking his head bemusedly as he took a well-deserved swallow from the beer in his hand.
“Wow. Okay, I stand corrected. It was worse than a week in Hell. What did Gibbs do?”
“Well, you know. The patented death-glare for the tardiness-es, the death-glare and a grumble for the knife, the death-glare, grumble and barked DiNozzo!-Get-me-that-report ad nauseam for the missing report, and I don’t know what he would have done about the missing memory card. He was gearing up for something major, but Madison saved my bacon. She had taken some photos as well and luckily they were enough for Abby to reconstruct the crime scene.” Tony was silent for a moment.
“I’m thinking about leaving, Kate.” He said it so quietly and with so much regret that Kate knew exactly what he was talking about.
“It’s that bad?” she asked, sympathetically.
“It’s hell, Katie,” Tony sighed again. “I mean, I had gotten used to the idea I’d never be anything more than his subordinate, but at least I was a good agent.”
“You’re the best agent.” Kate interjected. “You’re the best undercover agent I’ve ever known.
Tony half-grimaced. “Thanks Kate, but we both know that being undercover is just an acting job and there are millions of actors out there.” He held up a placatory hand as Kate began to remonstrate with him. “Listen, thanks for the beer, but I think I’ll go back to NCIS and see if I can’t find Claybourne’s car. Something has to go right for me this week, right?” Tony stopped as he got to the front door. “If I never said it, thanks for being here for me. You’re the best.”
Kate waited until she heard him start his car and then she punched out Gibbs’ number with a force uncharacteristic of her.
“Listen, Gibbs. I don’t know what’s going on down there without me, but if you think I’m going to work for you without—” Kate paced her small kitchen like a tigress protecting her young. “What? When? I want to be there Gibbs. Okay, fifteen minutes then. I’ll be ready.”
Friday, 2230 hours. The bullpen was mostly dark when Tony exited the elevator. A few isolated patches of light illuminated cubicles at the far end of the floor, but if there were any agents still here Tony couldn’t see them. He went to his desk and “woke” his laptop. He’d left a search running when he’d gone to dinner and he really wanted to have something for Gibbs in the morning. Something he contributed. Something to show Gibbs he wasn’t as useless as he appeared. Tony frowned as the laptop refuse to respond. He jiggled, he wiggled, he damn near watuzi-ed with the mouse to find his search, but it was futile. His computer was dead, the search lost. Tony let his head drop to the desk in anguish. Was there no end to this? A light, low chuckle caused him to raise his head. Madison Kennedy stood in front of his desk, a slight smile playing around her lips.
“Having trouble again, Tony?” She snorted in a very unladylike manner. “Why Gibbs keeps you around I don’t know.”
Tony eyed her warily. This was not the friendly, competent agent he’d been working with all week. That smile on her face didn’t reach those eyes looking at him so contemptuously.
“Yeah, well, this week wasn’t my best, actually, but—”
“But nothing. I’m not talking about all those mistakes. I’m talking about how you didn’t even see it coming.”
“What?” Tony frowned at her.
“What?” she mimicked as she shook her head. “I want your job, DiNozzo. And you call yourself an investigator. You couldn’t even see I was setting you up.”
“So the report and the memory card—and the knife? They were all you?” Tony could see by the triumph gleam in Madison’s eyes that it was true. “Yeah, I guess I was kind of stupid, thinking I could trust a fellow agent and all that.” Damn, but Madison was right. What kind of investigator was he that he couldn’t see it coming?
“I worked hard to get a place on this team. I had to call in a lot of favors for the chance to join the best team in the entire NCIS organization.”
“So you thought you’d just come in and replace one of us?”
“It didn’t take me one hour to figure which one of you was the most expendable. By noon I knew exactly how to play Gibbs. I had a small window of opportunity to show him what I can do. That was easy. But then I needed one of you to leave and like I said, I saw immediately that you were the weak link.”
Tony stood up, easily towering over Madison. “Maybe I am, Madison, but I hardly think Gibbs will replace me with a manipulative ambitious bitch like you.”
“No? Do you think for one minute he’ll keep you here after I tell him about you? I checked you out Tony. It wasn’t hard. I found out about that little incident in Peoria. You know, the one that made you ‘impossible to work with,’ according to some of the men in the squad.”
Tony could feel the blood draining from his face. Still, he wouldn't give Madison the satisfaction. “That’s ancient history.”
“Is it?” Madison’s every word was filled with hate. “Do you think Gibbs wants a fucking queer on his team—especially one that looks at him like you do? You pathetic little fag. Mooning after your straight boss. I’ll bet you jack off at night all alone fantasizing about Gibbs. Well, that’ll never happen. Hell, I’ll seduce him first, just so you can picture me with him at night. Bet that’ll shrivel your little dick!”
Before Tony could respond, before he could even take a breath, the elevator dinged. Tony half-turned towards the doors but turned back at the sound of cloth tearing. Out of nowhere a fist connected with his left cheekbone and Madison’s leg caught him behind the knees, dropping him to the floor.
“Oh, God, Gibbs! Thank God, you’re here!” Madison’s voice had changed from spiteful harpy to distressed tearfulness in less than two seconds. Tony looked up from his position on the floor to see a disheveled Madison, blouse torn, clutching at Gibbs’s lapels. “It’s Tony—he tried—he torn my blouse—he assaulted me,” she whimpered.
With a muttered curse, Tony got up off the floor. “Boss, it isn’t what it looks like.”
“I know exactly what it is, Tony,” Gibbs stood ramrod straight, a headset in his ear and for once, no coffee in his hand. With difficulty Gibbs prised Madison’s hands off. He grabbed her suit jacket from her chair and threw it at her. “Cover yourself, agent.”
Madison did as he ordered, looking upset and shocked. “I don’t know what came over DiNozzo, Gibbs. We were talking and he asked me out and when I refused he just came at me.” She wrapped her arms around her slim torso, and Tony had to hand it to her, the girl could act. If he didn’t know better, he might believe her story. His head snapped up as he caught her next words. “I think he feels threatened by me. I mean, all those screw-ups . . ..” She trailed off at the sight of Gibbs’ face.
“Save it, Agent Kennedy.” Gibbs’ voice was cold and hard. “I know who was responsible for Tony’s bad week. I suspected something wasn’t right when he couldn’t find the memory card. The knife, the tardiness, even the missing report could have been explained away, but there was no way he’d lose those photos. Not after the week he’d had. So I had Abby look at those so-called photos of yours and they were good. You’d taken Tony’s memory card and deleted any photos with you in them. But Abby found a faint reflection in a mirror and when she cleaned it up, there you were.”
Madison straightened her back, eyeing Gibbs speculatively. “I think you’re mistaken, Gibbs. But it doesn’t really matter since you haven’t any proof of wrong-doing on my part. What was it you said yesterday? No documentation, no proof, something like that, hm?”
“I heard you just now, Agent, admitting you set Tony up. I heard everything.”
Madison smirked. So maybe she wouldn’t be working for the best team in NCIS, but neither would Tony.
“So you heard how the fag wants to fuck you.” Tony froze at her words. Oh, shit, Gibbs had heard all of it. He could tell by Gibbs’ face. It was full of loathing and repulsion. There was only one thing to do now.
He undid his holster and dropped his gun on his desk before fishing his badge out of his pocket and thrusting it into Gibbs’ hands as he pushed past him.
“You’ll have my resignation in the morning, Bos—Gibbs”
“Damn it, Tony wait!” But Tony was already in the stairwell and Gibbs belated remembered that Tony was a damn fast runner. He shouted into his headset, “McGee! Get down here! I have to catch Tony.”
“Here Boss,” McGee appeared from around the corner, Abby, Kate and Ducky close on his heels. “Tony won’t be going anywhere. I immobilized his car. He’s probably in the garage now.”
Madison was shaking with rage. “You’re going after that bastard? Don’t think you can side with him against me. I will bring him up on assault charges and don’t think I won’t. Who do you think will win?”
Gibbs looked her over with contempt. Tony was going nowhere. He could stay a moment and set Madison straight. “That’s enough, Kennedy! It isn’t going to work here. Firstly, we know Tony and he wouldn’t do something like this, and secondly, we were taping this entire section. Everything you said and everything Tony didn’t do was caught on tape. I meant it when I said I’d heard everything.” Gibbs turned to McGee.
“McGee, I owe you the best steak in town. I’m going to see if I can find Tony. Don’t let her move.” He moved in close to Madison until their faces were almost touching. She flinched under the icy blue glare. “I am not finished with you. You’re a vindictive bitch who has no place on my team or anyone else’s for that matter. I am going to personally see to it that you are fired from NCIS. I’m bringing you up on obstruction charges for tampering with our evidence. I am also bringing hate-crime charges for your verbal attack on DiNozzo. With any luck you’ll be in Leavenworth in time for Christmas.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Gibbs did indeed find Tony in the garage. The younger man was leaning against his disabled car, hands on the roof, his head hanging down, shoulders slumped; the poster boy for misery. He tensed at the sound of Gibbs’ approach. He didn’t wait for Gibbs to speak. Hell, Tony knew what Gibbs would say, and although he didn’t think Gibbs came down here to beat the crap out of him, you never knew.
“Did you want me to clear out my desk tonight?”
“If you had waited a minute, you’d know that’s the last thing I want. Everything’s alright, Tony.”
Tony spun around at that, lashing out at the calm even tones. “It’s not fucking alright, Gibbs. I saw a whole new side of Madison Kennedy tonight, and she will press charges. It doesn’t matter that I didn’t do anything. If I’m lucky, I’ve only lost my job. But hell, the way this week’s gone, I’ll probably be arrested tomorrow morning.”
“That’s not going to happen, Tony. Look, I’ll admit she had me snowed for awhile, too. But when I suspected her of sabotaging your work, I made a few phone calls. No one actually said she had blackmailed them into those glowing recommendations, but reading between the lines, Madison has pulled this kind of trick elsewhere. Climbing the NCIS ladder by claiming sexual harassment or worse.”
“But it’ll be her word against mine if it goes to court.”
“It won’t. I figured she try something else this weekend, even if it was just sabotaging your computer, so I had McGee and Abby set up some of those little cameras—”
“Web-cams, Boss.”
“Whatever. Anyway, we caught everything on tape and she won’t be filing any kind of suit against you. In fact, we have a few we can file against her. Madison Kennedy will not be bothering anyone for a very long time.”
Tony felt as if a huge weight had lifted. They had the evidence against Madison, they had taped evidence---oh, oh.
“Listen, Boss. About what she said—about me wanting. . .” Tony trailed off uncertainly.
“I already knew about what happen in Peoria, Tony. It’s okay.”
“But Boss, about that other stuff . . .”
“You mean about you wanting me, loving me. Was Madison right about that, Tony?”
“Yeah, but,” Tony rushed to explain, “it won’t be a problem, boss. I promise I won’t ever lay a hand on you.”
“Now here I was kind of hoping you would,” Gibbs murmured. Tony just gaped at him. “See, you’re kicking yourself that you didn’t see through Madison’s machinations, and I’m kicking myself that I didn’t see that you wanted me. We both have our blind spots Tony. That’s probably why we’re such a good team. Come on, let’s get back upstairs.” Gibbs grabbed Tony and was practically pulling him towards the elevator.
“What’s the hurry Boss? I mean, you know I like you, and I think you like me back, so isn’t this the part where—”
“Where everything we’re doing is being caught on tape. We set up cameras down here too, in case she tried something more drastic. So, unless you want to entire team to witness our first kiss, we need to hit the elevator now because I don’t want to wait any longer.”
“You got it Boss.” And Tony let Gibbs pull him into the elevator and into his arms.
Epilogue
Upstairs, the four agents clustered around Kate’s desk where Abby had set up a link to the cameras in the garage. The cameras had caught most of the conversation until Gibbs had pulled Tony out of range. Madison was sitting in McGee’s chair, handcuffed to one arm. She watched them congratulated each other, Abby and McGee high-fiving, and Ducky hugging Kate carefully, mindful of her healing arm. Even without a headset, Madison could figure out what had happened.
“Don’t think this is over. I may be going down but I’ll take this team with me. I think the Director will be very interested to learn that Gibbs is screwing one of his subordinates. It’ll cost him his job and his reservist status with the Marines, and maybe his pension as well.”
Ducky, Kate, Abby and McGee slowly surrounded her, Ducky leaning over her until his face was as close as Gibbs’ had been earlier. His usual benign face darken and his kindly eyes behind his glasses were hard. When he spoke Madison could hardly recognize the suave voice that had bored her nearly to tears all the past week with his loquacious anecdotes.
“I wouldn’t think of doing that, my dear. Oh, no, no. Because you see, if you were to ever suggest such a thing, well, my colleagues and I would have to take matters into our own hands. Now you’ve seen Abby and Tim working this past week. I’m sure you’ll agree that they can make you disappear from every database that exists today. And Kate, well, even with one arm, she’s still a damn fine shot. And I, I know how to get rid of a body like no one’s business.” Madison paled. She looked at the others. Somehow, she didn’t doubt that they would—could do exactly what he was saying. Maybe she’d just take her chances at Leavenworth.
“Ah, good, I can see by your face that you’re already reconsidering.” Ducky turned away, once again his urbane, charming self. He rubbed his hands together briskly. “Timothy, if you would be so kind as to escort Ms. Kennedy to Interrogation Room 2, awaiting Gibbs’ return. And Kate, if you would accompany him to make sure that Ms. Kennedy understands the gravity of the situation.”
“With pleasure, Ducky,” Kate said. She’d been dying to get this bitch alone for two minutes. McGee would look the other way, she was sure of it. Ducky waited until they had rounded the corner before speaking again..
“Now Abby, I’m assuming you also set up some cameras in the elevators. And since Tony and Jethro have yet to make an appearance, one may infer that those tapes are going to prove rather illuminating. Shall we retire to my lab and see how our boys are doing?”
Abby took his proffered arm. “Awesome, Duckman. I never knew you were a voyeur. Wow, another shared interest.” The two left arm in arm and three and a half floors down, in a dim elevator, two men stood in each other’s arms, sharing a tender first kiss.