A/N: Okay, so this is really not relevant anymore, since we already know who the P2P is. But I might change that identity for this story's purposes. It's set right after Baltimore. I was not satisfied with the way they handled Tony and his music teacher's engagement. It was kind of just like, "Tony's engaged. Onto other news..." and they just kind of left it there. So, here's what I think should have happened!
"You know, this is getting kind of old," Tony complained as he made his way through the park, where the latest Port to Port victim was lying. "I mean, the same cause of death, the same plastic wrapping the body, the same lack of any evidence at all… It's time for a change!"
Gibbs, walking directly behind him, smacked his head. "Maybe he messed up this time, DiNozzo. Maybe there's your change."
"While I agree with you, Anthony, that it is getting tedious, we do not get to choose which murders to investigate," Ducky said as they approached the body, where Tim was already taking pictures, and where Ziva was kneeling beside the young woman. He took out scissors and offered them to Ziva, but she whipped out a blade of her own. "Rule 9," she said with a grin.
"Do be careful," Ducky advised her as she put the blade to the plastic.
She stopped what she was doing and looked at him, insulted. He chuckled. "Everyone makes mistakes, Ziva. Even you, I would imagine."
She smiled. "I may have made a mistake once, but that was long ago, and was easily fixed," she added with a wink.
Ducky laughed again, and Ziva cut the plastic.
Just as Tim was capturing her face with the camera, Tony caught a glimpse of her.
"Oh my God…"
Before anyone could say anything, Tony was walking as fast as he could toward the car. Gibbs looked down at the body, then whipped his head up to watch Tony. The older man had shock, sympathy, and confusion on his face as he watched Tony lose his lunch all over the vic's driveway. Looking down at the body again, he thought it was a wonder that his Senior Field Agent had made it that far from the immediate crime scene.
Tim was still staring after his friend when he asked, "Gibbs? Is he okay?"
"He will be, with some time."
"Who is she?" Ziva asked, wondering just who the beautiful woman lying dead before her could have been to make Tony react that way, and why she looked a bit familiar…
"Not my story to tell," Gibbs answered, without really answering the question. "McGee."
"Yeah, Boss?"
"Take the Charger; make sure DiNozzo gets home all right. And stay with him. If he wants you to leave, give him his space, but you're there on my orders. Unless you really think he'll shoot you, you stay there. Got it?"
"Got it, Boss," he responded, though if he was being honest, he didn't get it at all.
"Just who is this young lady, Jethro?" Ducky asked as he watched the car drive away down the street.
"Her name was Wendy."
"Does Miss Wendy have a last name?" Ducky asked, giving Gibbs a look that said You know I will find out; you might as well save some time.
Gibbs sighed, then leaned closer to murmur the secret that he hadn't wanted to, and still refused to, to the team, "DiNozzo. Her name was Wendy DiNozzo."
"It's not possible," Tony muttered from the Charger's passenger seat as he looked out the window and saw anything but the other cars going past.
"What?" McGee asked. It was the first thing Tony had said since the initial "Oh my God."
"I said, it's not possible," Tony repeated, a bit louder this time. He was still pale, and his voice shook when he spoke.
Tim chose his next words carefully. "Look, Tony, I know it's hard to believe when someone you know dies…"
"Someone I know? Do you really think she was just 'someone I know'?"
"What am I supposed to think, Tony?" McGee shot back, though he realized afterwards that he should have been a little more sympathetic to his friend.
"She was my wife, McGee."
Tim slammed on the brakes so hard he hit his head on the steering wheel. Luckily, there were no cars behind them to rear-end them.
Ignoring the pain and blood on his forehead, he faced Tony and yelled, "What?"
"Are you deaf? She was my wife. I was her husband. We were married. Do you understand now?"
Tim opened and closed his mouth a few times, unable to make an intelligible sound. Finally, he managed, "You were married?"
"Yes, McGee, I was married. For about two months, ten years ago."
"What happened?" He couldn't help his curiosity. Sure, his friend was afraid of commitment, but once he made up his mind, he didn't back down. Surely he couldn't have gotten a divorce that quickly…
Tony looked at his friend with the saddest eyes Tim had ever seen.
"She died."
"I know, Tony, I saw," Tim said sympathetically.
Tony shook his head. "No, you don't understand. McGee, she died ten years ago."
A/N: Confused? Review! Got predictions? Review! Hate it? Review! Love it? Review! If you have any feelings on it at all, PLEASE REVIEW!
